#A way to establish dominion over people

[deathinfeathers]

//Dunno if sinday stuff will ever be any real fun with this particular muse so might have her sit those days out.

[horizon-verizon]

The fact that so many people think the Starks are honorable anticolonial fighters and the pinnacle of morality is absolutely insane, they literally built a massive wall to isolated a bunch of people they considered as “savages”, they hunted and slaughtered the Free Folk, the Children of the Forest, giants, exterminated whole houses and clans and took their daughters as “prizes” while conquering the North, etc. The Blackwoods were originally from the North and ruled most of the wolfswood, before being driven out by the Starks and forced to flee south. The Starks are the OG COLONIZERS in ASOIAF.

Even this did not give Winterfell dominion over all the North. Many other petty kings remained, ruling over realms great and small, and it would require thousands of years and many more wars before the last of them was conquered. Yet one by one, the Starks subdued them all, and during these struggles, many proud houses and ancient lines were extinguished forever. — The World of Ice and Fire – The North: The Kings of Winter.

I recently finished a Tiktok series that will probably just be as lost to the internet if we lose TikTok but I had to get out in response to a particular creator who bashes Rhaenyra while also proclaiming themselves as black stans. I think they are really more black stans because they hate Alicent personally and feels the thrill of the side-taking, but that's neither here nor there. 😏

To quote one of my mutuals here [rhaenin]:

It just rings so familiar to the way so many people view the other in real life. Because the Targaryens are overtly, and intentionally written as the other. It's the reason so many people identify with them, and it's the very same reason that other people vilify them. They're not just the in-universe other to the 'default' culture established in the text, but they're also given characteristics that we, the reader and audience, can recognize as other and even sometimes anathema to Western Christian culture. To paraphrase the annoying people that love to cite Ramsay when they feel like it: If you look at a morally complex family surrounded by other morally complex families in a morally complex world in a story that's famed for seeking to challenge your underlying assumptions, and think that their association with fire and brimstone is meant to signify their singular satanic evilness, rather than say... challenge that very Eurocentric assumption, you haven't been paying attention. This vilification mindset where the Targaryens are the singular evil of Westeros is so common to people who seem to want to consume ASoIaF without engaging with the criticisms of the Eurocentric worldview of history at the heart of it. And they end up using the convenient “others” to project all the wrongs of that world onto so they don't need to examine it any deeper. ........... It comes from the same place with how someone pointed out that the baffling bastardphobia that would have medieval peasants giving the side eye is so often people jumping at the chance to “cosplay” as bigots who base their arguments in misogyny and bio-essentialism. Because it's an acceptable channel to indulge in that mindset in a way that they'd often otherwise question, or at least hold back from expressing out of caution.

[queerprayers]

Today is (for many of us) the feast of Christ the King, and I wanted to take a moment to honor that. I was baptized on this feast, and I've always been drawn to it. Originally instituted by the pope in 1925 as a response to growing nationalism and secularism, making it the newest element of the liturgical year, most Lutherans and other liturgical Protestants also honor this day.

I have differing opinions on secular rule/the separation of church and state (and evangelism, for that matter) than the founders of this feast did, but I can appreciate the yearning for more world leaders/political groups/religious groups to recognize our true callings as human beings--to each other, to Love. And I love the concept of combating nationalism with allegiance to a higher power!

"King" has a lot of political implications, and mostly negative associations for anyone like me, so I wanted to point out how the original encyclical describes this title of Jesus's, by quoting Cyril of Alexandria: "Christ," he says, "has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature." Today is the reason I'm not a monarchist--there is no earthly ruler that has my allegiance. There is no earthly rule established without force. My allegiance is to Christ, the ruler of the only valid kingdom; to God's house, the only state without lines on a map; to Love which is the universe, the only empire that includes people by embracing them rather than conquering them.

We can only understand so much of who God is. We separate out God's roles; we can only focus on one tiny piece of the universe at once. (This is why we have holidays--to honor pieces of our religion in human time.) The king we are called to serve is only called "king" because that's one of the closest words we have in our language to describe what we're talking about--the old-fashioned meaning of king, one born for the role and called to die for the role. A romanticized meaning perhaps, one that has never been true in any society, one that has caused so much harm, but nonetheless one used throughout centuries to get across one of the ways we approach God--along with "father" and "friend" and "bridegroom" and "creator."

We pray for God's kingdom to come because that's an idea we can understand--we can logically process that a new kingdom coming, a new empire conquering, means everything changes, the rules are turned upside down. We hold this language while acknowledging there is so much more to it. If you can't stomach using these words, if they are filled with violence for you, I encourage you to sit with that truth, consider what it would be like to take earthly ideas and fill them with Love, and also acknowledge you do not have to use this language. We try to hold God with our words and fail over and over. We come to God from our culture and language and time and we squint at the universe. We see in a mirror dimly, for now.

As we encounter earthly nationalism and imperialism and colonialism and warmongering, as we see people claim that their nation-state is chosen by God, we honor power turning on its head today. We see Jesus revealing what kingship, what ruling, what power is when Love is the center of the universe. Jesus, who had more power than any human, fed the hungry, hung out with the oppressed and misunderstood, threatened the powerful without violence, was killed by earthly empire, and conquered death with life.

May we, as members of God's kingdom, under Jesus's rule--by choosing this as our practice--serve the only king who has ever deserved our allegiance. We work to bring our communities and religious groups and, yes, our nation-states, closer to the image God has set for us, but ultimately we know we are creating and navigating human-made borders between things that will one day be one.

You already know what God has asked of you. It's not a democracy but neither is it a monarchy, really--it's something else. Something you have to opt in to, but don't really get a choice in. Something you can run from but never escape. Something that once you see clearly, you'll never be satisfied without. You are technically free to abandon the work, but you would be abandoning the only thing that will make us whole. Call your government representative. Go to a protest. Give money to the person by the side of the road. Read a book. Hug your lover. Feed the birds. Denounce your country in favor of your community and every single human being. You are a citizen of the universe, which is God, which is love. Christ the King, the reign of Christ, means what rules us is Life.

(We look down the road to Advent--to new year, rebirth, apocalypse. "Apocalypse" meaning unveiling, revelation, disclosure. We see in a mirror dimly, and then--thy kingdom come--we see face to face. All at once, awfully, blindingly, daylight after years of darkness. Christ the King says, what if New Year's Eve was a surrender to time and power? What if before you even remembered Christmas exists, you were confronted with the reality of your calling? This is the feast of victory to our God. Alleluia!)

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"It was the IWW [Industrial Workers of the World or Wobblies] and the Finns that initially took the lead in supporting the Russian Revolution, which had profoundly influenced political developments in Finland.

...

According to A.T. Hill, local Wobblies “hailed the Russian Bolshevic [sic] revolution as something that had followed the IWW economic blueprint.” Mass meetings to protest the continued involvement of Canadian armed forces in Russia were organized. A “Friends of Russia” committee, composed of workers representing a number of organizations and trade unions in Port Arthur and Fort William, was also established. And, as Hill remembered, within the columns of the newly created Vapaus newspaper, members of the Finnish community could engage with recent events in Russia and forge closer bonds with fellow Finns working in other lumber camps. Many Wobblies viewed the Russian Revolution in much the same way as other socialist organizations in North America. Its success was seen as an indication that the end of capitalism was at hand and that workers in North America should take heart from the events in Russia. Despite becoming largely inactive in the region during the second half of the First World War, the IWW remained vigorous across the border in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Most notably, the Superior District Lumber Workers Industrial Union No. 500 continued to agitate and to lead strikes. It was among the lumber workers in Wisconsin and Minnesota and in classes taken at the Work People’s College in Duluth, Minnesota, that Hill spent much of the war.

Drawn to the growing unrest at the Lakehead, Hill moved to Port Arthur in 1917 and dedicated himself to the activities of local Finnish socialists. On behalf of the IWW LWIU [Lumber Workers International Union], Hill and those he recruited toured much of Northwestern Ontario in an attempt to organize workers and drum up subscriptions for Vapaus. Much of the IWW’s attention was focused on the Russell and Newaygo Timber Company and its operations within the district of Thunder Bay. Despite high hopes, in the end Hill was fired (both for his agitation and for conflicts with Lutheran Finnish workers). There now existed within the camps [thanks to the Russian Revolution] a rift between non-socialists and socialists, and debates over the various interpretations of Marxism.

The IWW appealed greatly to immigrant workers in Northwestern Ontario. As Holmer Borg, a Swedish lumber worker and IWW organizer, recalled in 1972:

The IWW organized through its members. Every member was expected to organize, not necessarily by having well organized meetings, [but] simply by talking among workers.

The IWW also tended to focus on the immediate issues that faced workers where they organized. In addition, many recent immigrants were drawn to unions whose organizers actually spoke their language. Most of the other established trade unions tended to send English-speaking organizers who had little or no actual experience in the regions they were visiting or with the workers they were trying to organize.

...

One report by the Dominion Police referred to the Finns in Port Arthur as “anarchists pure and simple.”"

- Michel S. Beaulieu, Labour at the Lakehead: Ethnicity, Socialism, and Politics, 1900-35. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2011. p. 53-55.

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e89

Rashina gives the Bells Hells a task so they can prove themselves valuable to the Volition. They are in the midst of plotting to topple the Weave-mind and free the people of Ruidus from the Emperium; they are willing to give anything and everything for the future of Ruidus.

Rashina is slow to trust -- her father was a very trusting man, "and all it took was to trust the wrong person once." But the Volition is running out of time. She brings them to a war room-like area with a central table, and one of the people in here -- Gaztomo -- has some small, fungus-like creatures (mycits) as pets.

There are hundreds of thousands of mycits that work throughout the city -- they have no political leanings, but they're useful, like giant fungal isopods.

The reiloran variants were once a singular people, but over time, the Weave-mind genetically engineered or selectively bred the telepathic abilities out of many reilorans -- they have fundamentally altered the evolution of the entire species to their ends. Their forms are withered, taxed beyond even their stretched lifespans, and the same five have been in power for over five centuries. They can psychically project their minds all over the moon, and can inhabit the minds of reilorans who have been marked with a device at the back of their necks. Every civilian of Kreviris is marked, and a potential extension of the Weave-mind. They have extremely powerful wills, but although they can look at anyone and everyone, there are still only five of them -- and the Volition, which was apparently established by Rashina's father, ensures that their members have their marks carved out.

Reiloran children are brought to the Arks Crionum (the citadel) shortly after birth to be marked. The marks are biologically-engineered, organic implants.

Ruidian society has been "reset" by the Weave-mind at least four times, Kreviris has been rebuilt at least twice and the central pillar has been the only constant thing.

Exandrian gods have no reach on Ruidus. There are no miracles here. All that they have is each other, the promises of the Weave-mind, and the occasional whisper, the promise of belonging, from below. The Weave-mind is the interpreter of Predathos' whisperings; but Predathos does not speak directly to Ruidians because Exandrians are ultimately more useful to its plan of escape.

Before the Weave-mind, there was a collective of societies across Ruidus; the Emperium rose among them, and there was an event called the Crush nearly three centuries ago that destroyed them and allowed the Emperium to rise to ultimate power. This corresponds directly to the fall of Molaesmyr.

Within the citadel, the Weave-mind has a massive collection of bio-engineered tools and weapons, and those are what allowed them to come to power.

In addition to the flares, Ruidus also experiences quakes; they're rare, happening once every few years, but like the flares they have also been increasing in frequency. The Crush was a series of quakes so strong that it destroyed the majority of Ruidian society, reducing nearly everything to ruins.

The Dominion of Kruth -- Kreviris' military branch -- is headed by Oko Kruth, whose bloodline has a particular psychic connection to the beasts of the land. "If you see them, run -- or end things real quick."

The Tectis are Kreviris' upper echelons, politicians, police chiefs, enforcers. nobles -- they're an eclectic bunch, paranoid, and while most are in the pocket of the Weave-mind, some of them are aligned with the Volition. (I'm really trying to ignore Matt's Bioshock reference with the "ace in the hole" thing here.)

Ludinus has been running a deep excavation underneath the "prime pillar" of Kreviris, and shuttling strange artifacts there from the bridge. (I'm also trying very hard to ignore the way that Rashina's inflections mirror Essek's.)

To many Ruidians, Predathos is the closest thing they have to religious faith. What Rashina knows is that since the Vanguard has arrived, the Emperium has been ushering in an air of excitement among the populace with the promise of relocation to Exandria. There have been celebrations across the city, demonstrations in the streets. She doesn't know what it means for Ruidus; but she believes the intent is for those who are loyal to the Weave-mind to go to Exandria. "The only reason we know our life is so hard here is because we compare it to what we see in your dreams... we see feasts, holidays, miracles and... here, there is dust and survival. There is joy to be found here; but it's one thing to not know otherwise, but most nights, the basis of comparison is put in our faces." The Weave-mind is responsible for those dreams.

The Weave-mind also, when they came to power, destroyed every historical text and record they could get their hands on, and the Volition has nothing left of it.

They begin talking about their plans for the morning.

First, a detonation at Ludinus' excavation beneath the pillar that would let the Volition recover some prisoners. Sorrowlord Zathuda is overseeing the excavation at the moment. One among their number is already helming this move: as she gestures to him, Ira Wendigoth emerges from the shadows.

Secondly, an infiltration mission: one of their spies, Everoa -- a bormodo scientist tangential to Ludinus' experiments with Aeorian technology -- has gone missing, and needs to be recovered. She was working in the Coloquium of Candescence at the base of the citadel. Last the Volition heard, she was working on a device or weapon for Ludinus.

Thirdly, there is a rescue option: numerous Volition members and Exandrians who opposed the Emperium were taken hostage about a week ago. Rashina gestures to a green dragonborn in the shadows, who's leading the expedition: Bizoden Amari, who is a champion of Bane, the Strife Emperor (another one of the lawful-evil Betrayer Gods) and came here on behalf of him. She looks at FCG: "you smell of a broken road... Freedom brings all to ruin in time."

And lastly, the secret fourth option, led by Gaz himself: a mission to assassinate Liliana Temult.

They are given the night to sleep on the decision.

Imogen expresses similar feelings toward the prospect of killing her mother as before: it would take a lot to redeem her, with nearly 30 years of working for the Emperium under her belt. She's worried that she'll try to stop it. At the same time, she recognizes that she never really knew her mother, and her situation is very similar to Fearne's, whose estranged father is running the excavation.

Laudna also points out that they're going on one of these missions to gain the trust of the Volition, so to go on one of them for their own personal gain instead could jeopardize that if it fails; while Orym points out that if they succeed in killing Liliana, this mission is her last chance to talk to her.

I'm already partial to going to find the scientist because they might encounter more Aeorian technology, but it's also interesting that no one has mentioned that doing that one could also yield more info about FCG.

FCG uses the coin to ask the Changebringer whether or not Imogen's mother is redeemable. When the coin flips, it usually has this ring to it, but here it's silent, and it lands squarely on its side -- "unsure."

Gaz comes back, and Imogen convinces him to tell them about the assassination. They recently discovered that she's been held up in the Woven Music Grand Hall, gathering a lot of Exandrian ruidusborn there. Imogen learns that there are certain devices that can interrupt thought-eaters and some psychic abilities. I need someone to insight check her, please

"You're working on a lot of assumptions that your mother is redeemable... an estranged parent is just a stranger who can make you believe any bullshit." Ashton is completely right -- every time they've encountered Liliana it's been "this one last chance," over and over again. If Imogen tries to reach out to her, there is the incredible risk that she will expose them and the Volition -- and on only Imogen's word, they sacrifice the trust the Volition has given them, they take the risk that Imogen will be pulled in to Predathos, they take the risk that Liliana will pinpoint her location, and they ensure that Ashton has disadvantage on basically everything during whatever excursion they go on. (Imogen constantly gets her way with this party, and someone really needs to call her on the bullshit she's pulling before it gets them all killed.)

Imogen decides to reach out to Liliana. In the dream, it's just color and warmth; then, a light, and Liliana appears curled up in a ball, hovering in the air.

Liliana explains that she thinks she's opposing Ludinus, she's pulled him back from the edge -- and she is saving people, there are Ruidisborn children here who she's protecting. But she's still convinced in his mission, that setting Predathos free will free them all, that killing the gods is an overall good thing. She wants Imogen to believe that she loves her, but she's never shown it; doesn't deny that she would kill Imogen if she had to. She thinks that she can guide Ludinus' plan down the right path, but still believes in the end goal -- she thinks she can do it safely.

"If we do this right, maybe we can all go home. [No, mama. You're lying to yourself. They're lying to you. Ludinus is an evil, evil man, and he's gotten into your head.] History is full of evil men. Few have the courage to stand up and try to stop them. I don't think we're on the opposing side like you think we are, we just have opposing methods, that's all. Please see it in yourself to understand why I've given up all of this. [Maybe it's your turn to run.]"

They decide that it's not a good idea for any of them to go on the assassination mission -- Imogen because she couldn't handle it (which is perfectly understandable, my god), and everyone else because she wouldn't forgive them if they had a hand in it.

There are a lot of good things coming out of this -- FCG acknowledging that the gods are gray, Imogen recognizing that her mother isn't going to flip sides, Laudna not instinctively taking Liliana's side against the gods.

Chetney gets at something they really don't have an answer to: sure, you might think the gods are tyrants, but why? What's the underlying motive there? There needs to be one. I personally think that Ludinus wants to make a massive power vacuum so he himself can fill it, but it could be something else.

"Sure, I can see the tyrant in the gods, but I can see the tyrant in the man too." "We're not all that different, gods and mortals."

Luckily, the Bells Hells do know some basics about the Divine Gate and its purpose to keep divinity separate from Exandria, and Orym knows that it wasn't that long ago that Vecna got banished behind it. They are of the general consensus that releasing Predathos would be bad if its true intent is to destroy the gods; but where they're unsure is what will happen to Predathos, and more importantly Ruidus itself, if Predathos is not released.

Also, I was wrong, Ashton only gets disadvantage on ability checks, not attacks. Which is better, sure, but that means disadvantage on stealth, and all of the available missions are at least partially stealth-based.

As they wake up, the Volition base is buzzing with energy.

Fearne goes to find Ira as he's making some bombs. His plan is to cloak his team in illusions, sneak into one of the more recently-constructed tunnels, plant the bombs on the drilling devices there, and explode them. Also, Ira did previously know that Zathuda was Fearne's father, which really complicates Ira's relationship with the Calloways -- but his ire with Zathuda is because he's had bad dealings with the Unseelie. Ludinus stole his designs and is trying to change the course of history without giving him credit.

Ira also has a theory regarding Fearne's birth: "In my mind, it seems that Ludinus and the Vanguard's interest involved creating as many Ruidisborn as possible, in the hopes that the few odd children might be born special (read: exaltant). You were halfway there."

Fearne does want to see Zathuda, but it's not the same as the situation with Liliana because Zathuda isn't very likely to actually die during that mission -- he might not even be there.

Imogen and Laudna talk about Liliana. "As someone who loves you, I can't imagine abandoning you." "But you have another power pulling at you, don't you? I thought we got rid of Delilah, we beat her, but as soon as we split up, you fanned that ember back into a flame and now it's bigger than ever... but I can hate Delilah, and love you." Imogen doesn't know if she'll ever be free of Ruidus, and Laudna doesn't know if she'll ever be free of Delilah, but "if getting rid of Delilah means getting rid of you, I don't think that's worth it... I just wish I knew why you gave her power again." "I didn't mean to -- it wasn't a choice. She never fully left." "Are you telling me the truth? You wouldn't lie to me again, right Laudna?" OUGH--

They kiss. "I will never let you go. And if you need her, then that's my answer." "But what if by holding on to you, I'm holding you down? You are destined for greatness. We can all pretend that we're special, unique maybe -- but not the kind of special that you are. Everything is being set up, is being staged, for you to be the savior of Exandria." (oh I hate this narrative but I love how illustrative it is of the dysfunction they need to address--) "Laudna, if you weren't holding me down, I wouldn't be saving anyone but Predathos. I would be gone."

It's so interesting how Laudna is interpreting the narrative surrounding Imogen as opposed to Imogen herself, and how she's superimposing that narrative over Imogen's own agency. It's an extension of her codependence, sure, but it's also a projection of the issues Laudna has with her own agency in relation to Delilah, and it's just so complicated and I want to SCREAM (/pos)

(The sasquatch-like creatures are Quinakkas.)

Ira has built a series of screech plumes, which disrupt and scramble both magic and psychic abilities. The Volition will use them in the assassination attempt. It is implied that the design of these were based on the Aeorian disruption devices the Bells Hells found earlier.

They enter the war room. Today is a day of action. They decide to split up: FCG, Ashton, and Fearne will go with Ira to the detonation site, while Chetney, Imogen, Orym, and Laudna will go to the citadel to retrieve the bormodo scientist. All told, these are pretty good group makeups -- and the addition of a reiloran caster to the infiltration group and Ira to the demolition group rounds out the party makeup. The only thing Team Infiltration is missing is a healer, but with Laudna's wither and bloom plus the fact that most of their stuff refreshes on a short rest, I think they'll be alright.

Just before they head out, FCG pops a greater restoration on Ashton to clear their last point of exhaustion. Also, the reiloran mystic casts both invisibility and see invisibility on the entire team. Meanwhile, Ira casts seeming on the demolition team, and they take on the guise of quanikkas, bormodos, and -- for FCG and Mister -- mycits. (Ira himself is a thought-eater reiloran.)

Thankfully, at the last minute, Team Infiltration -- which has no full healers -- takes a bunch of the health potions.

I'm very curious as to whether Matt is going to split the teams up and introduce guests, or if he's gonna switch off every half hour or so. I'm leaning toward splitting them up, but we'll see.

As they descend, they see a society -- children, little flying creatures, a weird faccimile of Exandrian architecture. Music -- there are musicians here. Towers that are filed-down or half-remembered elvish, nearly-dwarven buildings -- this is a society based in a mixture of disparate interpretation, and in being so, is wholly unique and uniquely beautiful. Only then do they notice the Dominion of Kruth, thick in the streets -- the sound of drills being run, the sight of war machines and armored juggernauts, training in what feels like preparation for a move to Exandria at some undesignated future time.

[thrashkink-coven]

How it's feel working with asherah and what make you interested working with her

Asherah or Ashirat is a Goddess of fertility, love and life and the wife of the chief God El Elyon in the Canaanite pantheon, quite similar to Ashtar without the warlike associations. In fact, in my own gnosis (and in most Canaan interpretations) I consider Ashirat to the mother of Ashtar and Anat, that is the holy nurturing mother as opposed to the sexy sex feminine rage archetype that encompasses other aspects of Ashtar and Anat as love Goddesses.

Attar and Anat, while love deities, are not mother goddesses. They likely took their fertility aspects from their mother without becoming mother goddesses themselves

Many people have syncretized these three goddesses, especially in regards to Astarte (People say that Ashirat is Astarte rather than her mother) but I prefer to keep them separate. Anat’s individuality as a deity of savagery, war and violence and Attar’s individuality as a deity of carnal sex and pleasure feel distinct from Ashirat’s persona as a nurturing mother goddess. I see her as my primary “Mother Nature” deity, although she is more than Mother Earth, she is the mother of Mother Earth, and the sun and moon. But that’s all up to interpretation. (and they’re all derived from Inanna in some way or another)

Because my gnosis syncretizes Attar, Astarte, Aphrodite, and Lucifer, and Lucifer is my patron, Ashirat is a very important Goddess to me as the mother of Venus. I actually started recognizing Ashirat far before I even knew about Ashtar.

As the Asherim pole and the lady of the primordial sea she can be considered quite similar to Aphrodite, as she was one of the influences that came to establish the persona of Aphrodite. While her daughters Attar and Anat went on to establish the more carnal and aesthetic aspects of beauty, sex, and love, as well as the destructive egotistical aspects, Ashirat embodied the beauty, sex, and love that created the cosmos and heavens.

(The children of Gods are usually the Gods of more specific things in that domain. From Aphrodite and Ares we got Eros (Cupid), from Eros and Psyche we got Voluptas who represents physical pleasure and bliss. So from Ashirat and El we get Ashtar and Anat, who represent more specific aspects of love and beauty like carnal lust and revenge- violence born from love.)

As the wife of El (or Yahweh, or Ba’al… scandalous! Isn’t it so annoying when your boyfriends fight?) she is the mother of all heavenly hosts and sons, and I consider her to be the mother of all the Archangels. There is nothing to confirm this but I believe her 70, 77, or 88 sons to have been those angels. Due to her associations with Ba’al I wouldn’t be surprised if she was also the mother of a few daemon as well.

When I first began my work as a practitioner I was mentored by Archangel Jophiel, who directly lead me into Ashirat and gave grace and full authority to her. I believe she has that same authority over all angels and demons of El Elyon.

She has dominion over all animals of nature and life giving forces (water).

As a daily act of devotion I offer her clean water and tend to plants or help out animals (feeding birds, leaving water out for strays) I also take baths whenever I do rituals with her.

She often demands honour is also given to her consort in the same way that Hera demands her devotees also worship Zeus, but you can also easily worship her without having a defined father deity, lord knows she’s shared the stage with one too many egotistical men but that’s neither here nor there lol. In my experiences she has encouraged me to make peace with the divine father, and in my searching I found Ra and Anu, and that seemed to be good enough for her. She has been very warm towards the devotees of her daughters and anyone who works with any of her sons.

The only pet peeve of her that I’ve discovered is honoring her while dehydrated. Drink your water babes she worked so hard on it.

[trustfallwithgod]

Via Steward & Son

Psalm 103 - David’s psalm of God’s Divine Goodness

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15 The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18 with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

22 Praise the Lord, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

[fangirleaconmigo]

I just finished Time of Contempt for the third time and I am deep deep deep in my Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon feelings again. Now that know what’s coming and I understand her arc, I’m catching a lot more.

TW: mentions of sexual assault

Ciri’s descent, which we see a hint of at the end this book, her “corruption arc” is the story of what war, and what the associated abandonment and abuse of children, does to a society. It is a visceral story about how (as the saying goes) A child who is not embraced by the village, will burn it down to feel its warmth.

Probably the worst interview of Sapko that my eyes have had the displeasure to read was a guy who asked him basically (paraphrased) how could Ciri’s mind be so “weak” that she falls into murder and crime after everything she learned from Geralt.

And like BUDDY DID YOU NOT READ THE STORY? Wow ok.

Sapko is like…because that is real, look around you.

“Well, I suppose here my fantasy becomes very real and lifelike. What happened to Ciri happened to hundreds of teenagers, in that number some I knew.”

There is a narrative.

And when kids are all by themselves and repeatedly traumatized and threatened, they will turn where they need to for safety. Their minds and the way they process empathy and emotions will change as a result of related abuse.

And to me, that arc is very believable. And it is part of her rite of passage of ultimately choosing good and coming fully into her power, choosing the love and example of her found family (primarily Geralt and Yen but also Kaer Morhen and Dandelion). In this terrible interview (seriously someone let me interview the man I could do better) he says:

And – last not least – that’s me, the author, who has invented Ciri and her fate, who has invented the whole storyline, and the storyline required of Ciri to become a teenage killer. It was a stage in her rite de passage, the rite of passage.

It is an arc. And for me a very believable (if extremely painful one) First there is the “before”.

The story is very clear who Ciri is before she is alone without the protection of Yen and Geralt.

Her character is already established by Time of Contempt but the narrative still goes through the trouble of showing her deny the offer of destructive power.

As a little girl, (in Blood of Elves) Ciri risks herself to save Triss’s life when she and Geralt’s caravan is attacked. She doesn’t wait for someone else to help, she shields Triss with her body. (That made me feel some kinda way in retrospect let me tell ya)

In the same scene we see how tender hearted she is towards the elves plight and how she resolves not to be neutral.

Blood of Elves and Time of Contempt both show how she is just a little kid who wants parents (running away to see Geralt, writing him letters from Meliteles temple begging him to come see her, identifying fiercely as a witcher girl of Kaer Morhen, idolizing Yen)

But at the end of Time of Contempt, Ciri still makes two dramatic, narrative establishing decisions, that show what kind of person she is.

First is the refusal of power. The refusal of revenge.

In the desert, she taps into prohibited power (fire power) to save Little Horse. It begins to consume her, offering her dominion over the world. It is personified by Falka and it shows Ciri vengeance. It shows her her enemies. It shows her the people who killed her grandma and sacked Cintra. It shows her the black knight.

Ciri and vengeance is already a theme. We know she feels urges towards vengeance for the people who slaughtered her family. The only bad fight she’s had with Geralt was about that. (She says she wanted vengeance and he overreacts and has to follow her and comfort her and apologize. The narrative doesn’t let us hear what he says, it’s through Triss’s eyes, but it is heart wrenching)

And now she is being offered vengeance by showing her what it really looks like. People suffering and dying. And it’s asking hey little girl you want this? Because I can give it to you.

This power also shows her her loved ones.

At this point in the story, Ciri is alone, lost in a desert, and feels abandoned. And any kid that feels abandoned blames her parents. It makes her a very believable kid character. Im alone? Where are my parents?? They’ve abandoned me?? At least that’s what she says.

But when the power offers her the opportunity to take the hurt she is feeling and hurt them back she is horrified.

She shouts out loud that she relinquishes it. She relinquishes all the power and collapses.

She makes an incredibly important decision to refuse destructive vengeful power.

The second thing that happens to establish her character at this point in the saga is she is being pursued by people who want to kill her and/or turn her into Nilfgaard. She is running and trying to escape. She is armed and gets a clear shot at a pursuer but again, sees a human face, and can’t do it. She shows mercy because her empathy will not allow her to see a persons face and kill them.

She is very lucky to survive that encounter.

She is a good, decent, human being.

But the story doesn’t leave us there. It gives us an ominous hint of the oncoming storm.

To get out of a life threatening situation, she joins a gang called The Rats. The Rats are a group of heavily traumatized war orphans who have been abandoned, raped, and abused and have banded together to not be alone. They’ve become murderers and no longer feel empathy for those they harm, but rather they take pleasure at killing others. She sees the look in their faces and identifies it as evil.

They adopt her. They protect her. Suddenly she is ‘safe’. Suddenly she is with others like her (war orphans with heavy trauma). Suddenly she is no longer alone. She is being offered a new identity (her old identity will get her killed at this point) She is them.

They also sexually assault her. (Cycle of abuse. I had to fast forward those parts. I’m listening to the audio and I can’t do that again)

But by the end Ciri has a new family. It’s the only option to her for survival. She finally manages to kill someone and takes the name Falka.

And as the return reader, you already know just how horrific it’s gonna get before it gets better. The feelings of doom. Ooof.

There is so much coming and if you’ve already read it, the dread is real.

It takes worse torture and assault than you can possibly imagine for Ciri to become the “teenaged killer” the narrative demands.

Because above all Ciri is like Yen. She is a survivor. She is angry. She has impulses for vengeance when she is harmed. All of these things are normal and human and can be given healthy outlets in normal situations. But this is not a normal situation.

So yeah I love her so much and the feelings of doom I have going into the next book are hanging over me. Of course it makes the bloody vengeance at the end that much more satisfying. But yeah.

And just to be clear I don’t judge her at all for anything she does during this “corruption” arc. I just don’t. She is surviving and no one can make me hate her ever. I’m an irrational person when it comes to her. And the her growth, her arc is one of the most satisfying I’ve ever read.

Most of us may not be war orphans being pursued by half the world. But the parallels to being an unprotected teenaged girl in a world that wants to exploit you, chew you up, and spit you out, is something those of us who came from abusive homes can understand. It is ultimately very validating and inspiring.

So I’ll be skipping the worst parts on audio. Some of them I just can’t do again. But I’m still obsessed with this story and I love my girl.

Ok thanks for reading my Ciri feels.

[uboat53]

All right guys, in light of the current situation in Israel and the discourse around it in the US, we need to have a talk about Evangelical Christians. Consider this a SHORT RANT (TM).

EVANGELICALS AND ISRAEL

Christian support for Israel in the United States actually didn't start from a bad place. Initially it was the position of mainline and liberal Protestants that Jews needed a safe place to flee from intensifying persecution in Europe and that this would be a part of a broader rapprochement between Jews and non-Jews.

Since the establishment of the State of Israel, however, and particularly since the Six-Day War in 1967, American Evangelicals have become the primary supporters the Zionist conception of Israel. In particular, they view the Jewish dominion over the historical Israel as a necessary step to the rapture and the end of days.

PROPHECIES

Long story short, the Evangelical interpretation of the prophecies of Revelations and those surrounding them is that the Jews need to take control of the holy land and then be destroyed in order to bring about the end times. The problem with this, though, is that the people who destroy the Jews will, themselves, be destroyed, so they can't do it directly.

Hence, the current plan. Israel is to be encouraged to expand, making about as many enemies as is possible, then, at some point in the future, any military aid would be pulled, allowing the prophecy to be fulfilled without Evangelical Christians themselves being the "bad guys" of Revelations.

ACTUAL JEWS

You can see that this plan isn't great for actual Jews or for Israel itself. In fact, it's even worse than it sounds. According to the prophecy, all Jews in Israel will either convert or be destroyed, a cultural and religious genocide by any definition.

You'll also notice that this doesn't do much for Jews outside of Israel. In fact, the Evangelical interpretation of the prophecy seems to be that all Jews need to go to Israel in order for this to work, so their support of Israel goes alongside efforts to push Jews in other countries out.

RAMPANT ANTISEMITISM

All of this leads up to the fact that many so-called "Christian Zionists" are also raging anti-Semites. John Hagee, the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, believes such anti-Semitic nonsense as that Adolf Hitler was born from a lineage of "accursed, genocidally murderous half-breed Jews", that the persecution of Jews throughout history is justified by Jews' refusal to embrace Christianity, that the Holocaust was good because it pushed Jews to Israel, and that the anti-Christ will be "partially Jewish".

Other prominent and popular Christian Zionists such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are likewise on record as holding abhorrently anti-Semitic beliefs such as the belief in a worldwide Jewish conspiracy that is cited by any number of those who commit atrocities against Jews in this country.

CONCLUSION OR TL;DR

Evangelical Christians can speak all they want about their "unswerving support of Israel", this support does not in any way change the fact that a huge amount of them are virulent anti-Semites. They do not support Israel as a refuge for Jewish people or Jewish people in general, they support Israel as a trap into which Jews must be forced so they can be destroyed as part of their apocalyptic vision and, meanwhile, their zeal for all Jews to go to Israel leads them to embrace and encourage violence against us elsewhere in the world.

These people are not friends of Jews, they are as much enemies as those who wield rocket launchers and automatic weapons against us. Remember that the next time you hear them speak of their support for Israel.

[mister13eyond]

I stayed up too late writing a lore dump on my phone.... sticking it under the cut just so I have it somewhere concrete

MANA. 

This is one of the basic building blocks of the universe. Just as physical things are made of atoms, spiritual and magical things are made of mana. 

There is mana abundant in the universe, but it isn't something everyone can access. Human souls are made of mana, but most humans cannot cast magic. After death, human souls are returned to the fabric of the universe just as human bodies decompose into carbon and rejoin the earth. For most people this is all that exists after death: a return to whence we were made. But for some, deals can be made. That's where angels and demons come in. 

Angels are beings who are capable of drawing, storing and casting mana as magic from the universe around them. They are capable of miracles, and can change their shape at will. These beings have formed an organizational structure for dealing with humankind and human souls- we call this organization Heaven. 

Heaven is run with a similar structure to a government. Officials are elected by vote, with representatives being chosen at larger scales the higher up the ranking one goes. At the top level of heaven exists what is essentially an angelic Supreme Court- those who have the final say on what is or is not angelic law. Angels work to uphold a sense of order and balance in the world, and to create a fair and just existence. 

In order to do so, angels make deals with humans to reward their souls with preservation after death. When a human has been deemed to have a positive impact on the world around them, and when they have prayed to angels for life after death, their souls are kept in Heaven. This is something between walled garden and museum display- a collection of the mana that once made up the humans deemed worthy by angelkind.

The environment in Heaven is best thought of as political. Angelic relationships tend to remain professional,  polite, and above all private. Since the entire system is run democratically, reputation and status mean everything to angels. It is far more dangerous to be caught up in a whisper campaign in Heaven than any physical threat- a poor enough reputation will trap angels in lowly positions with no hope of advancement, while a good reputation and a solid network are needed to maintain any sort of influence over the celestial legal system. 

Human souls are judged and reviewed by the Celestial Court, a legal system that reviews the life and impact of each human soul brought in as a potential candidate for preservation. Celestial defense attorneys, such as Asphodel (before their quiet exile) are tasked with presenting a case as to why this human is worthy of Heaven. Those souls rejected in court will be released into the universe once more. 

Celestial court also handles cases where human souls cross paths with Demons. Demons are a different kind of being, and their dominion is known as Hell. 

Demons are not capable of drawing mana from the universe. They are formed from mana, but after establishing themselves as sentient beings, they cannot pull from the fabric of the universe the way Angels can. This means demons must rely on another source of mana: that contained in the human soul. 

Hell functions a lot like a large corporation. Demons make deals with humans to grant them favors in exchange for their souls, after which their souls are sent up the pipeline to the Devil. The Devil then distributes from the mana pooled by all demons under his employ, with the amount of mana each demon receives proportional to their position in the company. Promotions up the ranks happen when demons are exceptionally skilled or experienced, with demons at the lower ranks serving more menial or administrative jobs. Vin worked in a position where his job was keeping track of records and collections, managing data on how much mana came and went through his pipeline. Other demons, like Nik and Ike, would have been in charge of writing contracts or making offers directly, in what more closely resemble sales positions. 

The atmosphere in Hell can be thought of more like a large company with many small social groups and networks. Because the work is stressful- and because demons need to know human vices and pleasures well in order to offer them- Hell has a rather rowdy party culture. Demons are known for indulgence and hedonism, working only so that they can run wild in their hours off. 

Because they are both attempting to collect human souls for different purposes, demons and angels consider themselves to be enemies. However, there is a small portion of both populations who spend their time on Earth, and who have acclimated to one another. These may be those who work in the field directly- offering deals or miracles- or they may be exiles. 

Exiles are demons or angels who no longer live in Heaven or Hell. There are a variety of reasons this may happen, but most often this is due to negative circumstances. For example, Vin is exiled due to a series of loopholes which resulted in an unfulfilled contract. Because he was accidentally summoned with a summoning circle typo, he was summoned for magic he could not actually provide. On top of this, his summoners died immediately from their bungled magic, which left Vin unable to negotiate any adjustments to their terms. As a result, he must stay in earth indefinitely, as the terms of his contract dictate he's only free to return to Hell once he has completed his end of the bargain. Most demons trapped on earth are similarly bound by contracts or exiled for their failures to perform their jobs in Hell. 

Angelic exiles, on the other hand, tend to be a bit subtler. Angels have a system called Falling that can be used to cut an angel off from all mana in the universe. However, this is an incredibly dangerous process. An angel cut off from the source of all mana creates something like a black hole in that angel, causing them to pull indiscriminately from everything around them- compromising both the magical equilibrium of a location as well as draining and potentially killing any humans, demons and/or angels around them.

To avoid this outcome, fallen angels are collared. The collar binds the fallen angel, containing them to a singular form and quantity of mana. Collared fallen can no longer shapeshift, cast magic, or absorb mana. They are held in stasis unless their collar is removed- which would result in the aforementioned magical black hole. This means that properly Falling is a very rare verdict for the celestial court, reserved only for those whom the creation of a dangerous magical weapon still presents less threat than leaving them to their own devices in Heaven. 

Instead of Falling, exiles like Asphodel tend to have been quietly pushed out while making it seem like their own idea. Since reputation and status are so important to angels, many angels who are looked down upon, isolated from or shunned by their peers quietly slip away to earth under the pretense of a project or vacation. This is generally framed as the exile's own decision, though it is usually clear that the angel's peers and superiors are making the decision for them. In these cases, exiled angels are more like estranged family members- quietly cutting off those in Heaven unless an emergency happens, cut off themselves from any access to mana or magic. Exiled angels tend to be reclusive and low-key, living among humans and avoiding drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. 

Amongst these circumstances, it's hardly odd for a reclusive pair of exiles like Vin and Asphodel to cross paths. And while Vin may no longer be able to earn mana from hell, there are ways for demons to collect it that do not need the same process. 

Human souls tend to shed mana the same way their bodies shed skin cells and hairs. On an individual level, this is a negligible amount of mana, but at larger concentrations of people this amount of mana can be collected quite easily. Human souls tend to shed more mana when emotions are high, so events where large amounts of people gather and experience strong collective emotions make for excellent opportunities for demons. These may be things like concerts, movies, theme parks, gatherings, or even streams- mana operates on emotional closeness or collectivity with the crowd, not physical. 

As a result, many exiled demons become involved in culture or the arts. Music, theater, art, filmmaking and dance are all common ways for demons to engage with humans in order to draw them together and unite them in collective experiences in order to harvest mana. Combined with demons’ hedonistic culture in hell, it means a great deal of demons also frequent clubs, bars, raves and parties. 

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Qadeer— The Powerful— on one occasion in the Quran. Al-Qadeer is the One with complete power. He is the One who decrees; He simply says, Be! and it is.  Al-Qadeer needs no means to do anything!

The Powerful, The All-Capable

Qadeer comes from the root qaaf-daal-raa, which points to four main meanings. The first meaning is to have the power to accomplish, to be capable. The second is to measure, to distribute something, or to make manifest. The third is to decree or ordain and the fourth is to prevail.

This root appears 132 times in the Quran in 11 derived forms. Examples of these forms are yaqdiru (“he has power”), qaddarnaa (“we have decreed”), al-qadr (“of power”) and qaadirun (“is Able”).

Allah ‘azza wajal refers to Himself with the nominal qadeer 45 times in the Quran, of which one mention is Al-Qadeeru, The Powerful.

Linguistically qadeer, qaadir, and muqtadir are all derived from the root qaaf-daal-raa and all of them demonstrate that power is established as an attribute of Allah and that He has absolute Power. He is the One who is capable of doing everything, who has perfect power over the creation, who measures everything with perfection, and who is the One who decrees all that was, is, and will ever be. His ability combined with His infinite Knowledge makes Him Al-Qadeer and Al-Aleem!

Al-Qadeer Himself says: . . . Allah is the one who created you from weakness, then made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness and white hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the Knowing, the Competent [Quran, 30:54]

. . . Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent [Quran, 67:1]

… If He wills, He can do away with you, O people, and bring others [in your place]. And ever is Allah competent to do that [Quran, 4:133].

Power and Mercy

Al-Qadeer has the power to replace a whole nation with another one in whatever way He wants. With His power He can make large pieces of the earth lifeless and at the same time grant or withhold great amounts of possessions from whomever He wills.

Just as the power of His punishment is unparalleled, so is His power to grant mercy to His sincere slaves. As a reward for their patience, certainty of faith, and trust in Him, Al-Qadeer uses His power to help His servants out of difficulties.

We find beautiful examples of His power in saving Ibrahim ‘alayhi sallam from the fire, Yunus ‘alayhi sallam from the belly of the fish, Yusuf ‘alayhi sallam from the well, and the other innumerable moments He helps, relieves, saves, and comforts His servants throughout their lives.

How Can You Live By This Name?

1. Know that everything is predestined.

How often have you been upset because you’ve lost money, possessions, or a job? Some even respond immediately by asking, Why me? What did I do wrong?

Remind yourself in good and bad times of the following powerful hadith and let it increase you in tawakkul (reliance) upon Al-Qadeer at all times! The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: Know that even if the whole community were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded against you. [At-Tirmidhee]

Cure your heart from rancor and envy by believing that all affairs are by the decree of Al-Qadeer!

2. Be content.

Follow the pious predecessors by striving to be content with the decree of Al-Qadeer. This means that you realize that everything that happens to you is pre-destined but also that you try to not feel any bitterness when you are tested.

Rida (contentment) is the praiseworthy station of not only recognizing, but also being pleased with the decree of Allah. Don’t ever let your love for Al-Qadeer decrease when something doesn’t go your way! Contentment is the greatest door that one enters to Allah, It is the source of tranquility for the worshiper and paradise on earth. Whoever does not enter it will not enter the Paradise in the Hereafter[Ibn Taymiyyah]

3. Pray istakhaarah.

Whenever you have a decision to make, no matter how big or small, consult Al-Qadeer and ask Him to choose what is best for you and your deen, in this life and in the Hereafter, by praying the sunnah istakhaarah prayer.

4. Say alhamdulillah.

It’s easy to say alhamduilliah when good happens to you, but we should also praise Al-Qadeer when we go through hardship. Next time you are tested, say alhamdulillah from your heart and mean it, and inspire others to do so!  Alhamdulillah ‘alaa kulli haal – all praise belongs to Allah in any case or siltation, no matter what He decrees!

5. Express your need to Al-Qadeer.

By nature we love those who are competent. For example, when you are weak you desire the protection of someone who is strong. Know that Al-Qadeer can make everything happen by His Power, so ask Him. Seek refuge in Him for protection, ask Him to cure your heart, and know that there is no limit to His power.

Only Al-Qadeer is able and fully capable to give you a way out of every difficulty. The Prophetsalallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, If anyone constantly seeks pardon (from Allah), Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide sustenance for him from where he expects not. [Abu Dawud]. So increase your istighfaar (seeking forgiveness) by saying astaghfirullah.

Wallahu ta’alaa ‘alem.

O Allah, Al-Qadeer we know that Your power is perfect.  Adorn us with patience and contentment with your decree and help us inspire others to do so. Help us to turn to You and to consult You in big and small matters, and enable us to seek Your forgiveness in abundance. Ameen!

[winterspellsfrozenkit]

What happened to the Zonai?

Brace yourselves, this is a theory that gets into the timeline, and it is LONG! There will be a TLDR at the end.  Spoilers under cut! 

Okay, so when Hyrule Encyclopedia came out this was the timeline we got. 

IF we are following the idea that Rauru and Sonia actually founded Hyrule and not a new land or a new Hyrule built by the timelines reconverging (STILL WAITING FOR THE EXPLAINATION HOW THE TIMELINES RETHREADED BACK TOGETHER NINTENDO!!!) then that puts them here.

Now, let’s go into explanation from Lanayru, the Light Spirit, in Twilight Princess on what happened when the Twili ancestors got banished. 

“For ages, the people lived at ease, content in mind and body... But soon, word of the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, and a great battle ensued...  Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared. Wielding powerful sorcery, they tried to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm. It was then that the goddesses ordered us three light spirits to intervene. We sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered.” 

Now, we know when this happened, the interlopers were banished to the Twilight Realm. Now, going to the Zonai, in the memory “A Show of Fealty” from Tears of the Kingdom. Ganondorf says this. 

So we know the Zonai were on the surface for a LONG TIME. But then Ganondorf later says this to Rauru.

By the time of Hyrule’s founding, the race of the Zonai, people who were thought to be descended from gods, are completely gone with only Rauru and Mineru left. So what does this have to do with the Twili? Well, Mineru says this about the Zonai in The Imprisoning War memory. 

“Long ago, my people, known as the Zonai, came down from the heavens to the surface of the world. It was said they were descendants of gods... They bore treasures from these same gods - secret stones, capable of amplifying the abilities of those who possessed them.” 

That’s quite the coincidence, isn’t it? The interlopers excelled at magic to the point that Din, Farore, and Nayru told the light spirits to get involved and seal the magic away and the Zonai had secret stones that amplify powers of the bearers. and we KNOW how powerful the stones are in the fact that Ganondorf and Mineru’s stones kept them alive for MILLENIA in things that shouldn’t have been able to house their spirits and Zelda’s sent her all the way back to Hyrule’s founding without her even choosing to go there. 

Now, there are tons of videos on YT pointing out that the Twili and Zonai architecture looks very similar, so I’m not going to get into that, but I do want to point to some similarities between the Zonai and Twili characters we see. Let’s start with visual looks. 

Comparing Zant, Midna’s true form, and Rauru, all have a similar long face shape and a very similar eye shape. With Zant and Rauru at least, they both have flattened noses and their nose bridges also looks to melt into the brow. Zant also seems to have sharp teeth which we do see in both Rauru and Mineru. 

Adding Midna’s imp form, we see she has large ears much like Rauru and Mineru and the two tone hair like both of them, with hers just in orange and yellow. 

Now going onto what stuck out to me personality-wise. Ganondorf tells Rauru that Sonia is the first victim of Rauru’s arrogance and Rauru admits that it was his hubris that set the events in motion. If we look at what Midna says the Twili’s ancestors, it implies that the interlopers also had this issue. 

"You want to know why none would call you king? It was your eyes, Zant. All saw it, a lust for power burning in your pupils... Did you think we’d forget our ancestors lost their king to such greed?” 

While Rauru didn’t want the Triforce, he did try to get Ganondorf reigned in under his rule, which chafed at Ganondorf greatly and lead to a war. He overestimated his power and it lead to great tragedy, much like how the interlopers overestimated their powers and got themselves banished for it. 

Now, there’s also a theory that the interlopers created Majora’s Mask due to the similarities between the Fused Shadow and some concept art for Twilight Princess Ganondorf. If that is true, then it could be that a large portion of the Zonai, due to being treated like gods, gave into their hubris and arrogance and began to use dark magic on the other inhabitants as we know Majora’s Mask was used in hexing rituals, and when they decided to go after the Triforce, they got themselves banished. But that’s just my theory. 

TLDR: The similarities in looks, architecture, and some personality flaws are enough that I think that probably the interlopers were a large portion of the Zonai and they got themselves banished for it which is why Rauru and Mineru are the last two Zonai in TotK. 

[robertreich]

This One Thing Made Alex Jones Stop Lying 

Alex Jones will have to pay millions to the parents of Sandy Hook victims.

Fox News might be on the hook for over a billion dollars after making bogus 2020 election claims.

It turns out there actually might be a way to stop the constant stream of lies coming from the right-wing media. How can we do it? Two words:

Sue. Them.

This won’t defeat the right’s media ecosystem overnight — but defamation law may prove to be one vital weapon in the battle against misinformation. Let me explain.

Alex Jones, you may recall, had used his website InfoWars to portray the Sandy Hook school shooting massacre as a hoax involving actors, aimed at increasing gun control. Parents of victim children sued Jones and his media company for $150 million — ultimately winning an initial settlement of $49 million.

Courts in Texas and Connecticut had already found Jones liable for defamation. And as a result, Jones’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, filed for bankruptcy.

Even though Jones lost this case and finally admitted that the Sandy Hook massacre was “100 percent real,” he’s probably not going to stop making harmful and deceptive videos anytime soon.

But this defamation lawsuit will serve as a warning to both Jones and others in the media who build their business models around spreading lies.

Like OAN.

One America News, a Trump-allied media organization that pushed conspiracy theories about the election, is facing so many defamation lawsuits from those harmed by the start-up network’s lies that its future is now in doubt.

Cable providers have dropped OAN like an extremist hot potato, and the network is now only available to a few hundred thousand people who subscribe to smaller cable providers.

Talk about cutting the chord.

Defamation lawsuits have also been filed against more established right-wing media organizations, like Fox News.  

Dominion Voting Systems, a maker of election information technology used widely across the country, is suing Fox for $1.6 billion over false claims they say the network knowingly made about its software following the 2020 Election.

The case could potentially be a huge financial blow to Fox, and serve as one of the most consequential First Amendment cases in a generation.

Again, to be clear, defamation litigation will not single handedly stop the rampant spread of misinformation taking over the airwaves and the internet. These lawsuits can take years and often end up being expensive, plus some of the media organizations peddling lies are bankrolled by conservatives with deep pockets and a radical agenda.  

It can also be abused, and in some cases, pose potential threats to the free press. Although, if news outlets are alerted to errors and correct them quickly, defamation shouldn’t be a problem.

But at a time when social media companies clearly can’t be trusted to moderate themselves against weaponized lies — and elected officials have done little to step-in — the courts might be the best avenue we have to take on manufactured deception and put it to rest.

Where other methods to counter half-truths and exaggerations being spewed by Fox News and their ilk have failed, defamation law might make companies think twice before they knowingly spread falsehoods — and help stop the vicious cycle of lies, clicks, and profits that further divides our country.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

New Rule: The Truth About Christmas | Real Time with Bill Maher

Finally, New Rule: Praise Jesus, it's a Christmas miracle. For the first time in the 21 year history of this show we are on in December, which gives me a chance to explain to everyone something I've always wanted to expound upon in this show.

You know that whole thing about Jesus being born on December 25th? Well it's a crock of shit. Now, this is not an attack on Jesus. Although, he was a nepo baby. But also a revolutionary philosopher with a beautiful message. As to whether he's a God, that's up to you.

But if the subject is "Gods born on December 25th," we have enough of those for an entire Jeopardy category.

He was the Egyptian god who took the form of a falcon. Who is Horus?

He is the god from ancient Persia born bearing a torch. Who is Mithra?

He is the Greek god of rebirth. Who is Adonis?

He was the fertility god in Cleopatra's time. Who is Osiris?

This Greek deity was known for having a good time. Who is Dionysis?

So you may be asking - those are all real by the way, I think that was the problem, they think I'm making this up but I'm not - why do all the gods want the same birthday? Well, because December 25th was a pagan holiday coming a few days after the shortest day of the year, when primitive peoples noticed that the days were starting to get longer again, and so a cause for celebration.

Cut to:

And that's the story of Christmas. A holiday I love by the way. The tree, the presents, the music, the Christmas memories with my sister and our cousins filling the bong with eggnog. It's the only time of the year it's okay to put alcohol in milk. Christmas is fun if you just accept it's pretend time. Like a Hollywood wedding.

Yes, I love Christmas and always have. Just don't try to make me take it seriously.

And that is what has been going on a lot lately here in America. We have a new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who says America is actually a Biblical Republic and that he's even got a flag picked out that hangs outside his office, and which also could be seen in the mob on January 6th. Mike also says, "the separation of church and state is a misnomer," and congresswoman Lauren Boebert concurs saying she's, "tired of this separation of church and state junk." So too Marjorie Taylor Green, who says, "I say it proudly, we should all be Christian nationalists."

Now I know it may seem like this is just a few crazies, but I gotta tell you, dumbass Republicans who believe horrible ideas are like ants: there's always more that you can't see.

And in in fact, these ideas are no longer the fringe. According to a recent survey, over half of Republicans are either adherents of Christian nationalism or sympathetic to it. And they agree with statements like: "The US government should declare America a Christian Nation," and "Being Christian is an important part of being truly American," and "God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society."

I'm sorry but I don't want anyone exercising their dominion over me unless I pay them and we've established a safe-word.

Boebert says, "The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church." Well, no and no. Neither one is supposed to direct the other. That's what separation of church and state means.

Republicans, Jesus fucking Christ. First you stop believing in democracy - Senator Mike Lee said it, among others. Trump lives the idea every day, and here we have the Speaker of the House saying it. And now Republicans also don't believe in the separation of church and state? Does anyone in that party remember what fucking country you're living in?

We're the place that stakes so much of our greatness on being the first to specifically prohibit having a state religion. There are dozens of countries that have an official religion. There's 13 where being an atheist is punishable by death. Four have "Islamic" right in the title of the country.

And maybe that warms the hearts of the TikTok crowd who lately have found heroes in Hamas and Osama Bin Laden. But that's not us. That's not what we do here. I get it you kids like to switch things up. But I can only handle one side at a time being ridiculous about religious fanaticism, and right now I've got my hands full with Mike Johnson.

Because Mike Johnson has the power to actually make laws. And I don't want my global warming policy decided by someone who is rooting for the end of the world so we can get on with the Rapture. And who once filed a legal brief before the Supreme Court arguing that what he called "deviant same sex intercourse" should be a crime. Even the lesbian stuff?

Mike thinks God personally chooses, raises up our leaders, which is a very dangerous thought, because then when you lose an election you think it's just another of God's tricks to test your faith. Like fossils. Mike says, "We began as a Christian nation." We didn't. Did you miss that day in home school, Mike? If you don't know that the pilgrims came here to get away from the Church of England then you don't know, literally, the first thing about our country. Mike says, being a Christian nation is, "our tradition," and, "it's who we are as a people."

It's not. We're the people who have a First Amendment which says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." And we have an Article Six which says, "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office."

So, I take these people at their word when they say that they think we should be Christian nationalists. But then they have to take John Adams at his word when he wrote, "the government of the United States of America is not an any sense founded on the Christian religion."

But I still love Christmas!

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Introduction The rising influence of Christian nationalism in some segments of American politics poses a major threat to the health of our democracy. Increasingly, the major battle lines of the culture war are being drawn between a right animated by a Christian nationalist worldview and Americans who embrace the country’s growing racial and religious diversity. This new PRRI/Brookings survey of more than 6,000 Americans takes a closer look at the underpinnings of Christian nationalism, providing new measures to estimate the proportion of Americans who adhere to and reject Christian nationalist ideology. The survey also examines how Christian nationalist views intersect with white identity, anti-Black sentiment, support of patriarchy, antisemitism, anti-Muslim sentiments, anti-immigrant attitudes, authoritarianism, and support for violence. Additionally, the survey explores the influence Christian nationalism has within our two primary political parties and major religious subgroups and what this reveals about the state of American democracy and the health of our society.

==

Freedom of religion and freedom from religion are the same thing.

[albertfinch]

Seeking Communion - July 1, 2024

Many Believers live in fear of the powers of darkness. Many are plagued by the spirit of suicide and death, discouragement and depression, sickness, lack, poverty, and failure. Many are caught in the vicious cycle of defeat, circling around the valleys of despair and can't seem to find their way out.

Many have been oppressed by the enemy for a prolonged period of time. It's been many years and many seasons of great grief and loss. You've been under such a weight of the enemy you couldn't break the chains off. You've prayed, you've seen counselors, you've tithed, you've done everything you know to do and your strength is depleting. Some are plagued by consistent nightmares and bad dreams that leave you waking up in a cold sweat.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebrews 13:8

Declare that today is the day of your salvation and deliverance! Declare today a severance from every assignment of the enemy over your life! Freedom is now! Break every shackle and every chain now!

"You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways." - Job 22:28

FREEDOM DECLARATIONS:

• In Christ, I have been made alive, raised together, and seated together in the heavenly places!

• In Christ, I live on a higher plane and every power, principality, dominion, and throne is under my feet! 

• In Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I break every spirit of fear, failure, lack, poverty, sickness, diseases, suicide and death, depression and discouragement! -- you have to scatter and flee!

• In Christ, every shackle and chain is broken and my spirit is free to bear fruit that remains for God's advancing Kingdom through my Christ calling!

• In Christ, today is my day of salvation and deliverance. Freedom is now! Freedom is mine! I take it back -- nothing can stop me from changing the way people think as I move His Kingdom forward. 

• Fill me up Holy Spirit with the rivers of living water flowing from my spirit into the lives of those I am discipling into the Higher Life In Christ! From today onwards I live in authority, truth, power, and victory. I will never be the same again since I now live in the ascended life in Christ Jesus, free from the self-absorbed life I have lived in the past!

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[dearinglovebot]

I've written a Jurassic World fanfic about Owen, Claire and Maisie trying to be a normal family after the events of JW Dominion. I would like to know how I can get my story to have more followers, any tips?

https://www.wattpad.com/story/365137152?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=ThisMovieisRATEDPG13

as a disclaimer, there’s no GUARANTEED way to do this. a solid 75% of fic writing is pure chance. there are some fics that pop off that you absolutely don’t expect to and there are some that flop. that said, these are the things I’ve noticed over the years

platform is key. wattpad skews younger while a03 skews older. ff.net is older too but that place is basically dead in the water. a03 attracts people who’ve been in fandom for much longer and thus who know fandom etiquette of things like “kudos liberally” and “leave comments”. wattpad attracts newer (but very curious and excited) people who are just getting into what fandom is. highly recommend having an a03 presence alongside your wattpad one. (also, you can read, like, and comment on a03 without an account which you can’t do with wattpad anymore. this gives shyer readers the option to discover you)

reliability. people love when unfinished fics have posting schedules (they’re terrified they’ll be abandoned). a solid 50% of people won’t even start unfinished fics unless they notice you consistently update them. this is the hardest part of multi chapters. but committing to something like “updates every sunday” or “updates monday and friday” does assure more readers will give it a chance. remember, every chapter you post is a chance of someone new finding it, too

tagging is your best friend. keep them relevant, but also interesting. is there found family? tag it. is there hurt/comfort? tag it. is it established relationship or slow burn? tag it. tropes are like catnip to readers. not only does it make your fic easier to find in the mountains of jw fics, it immediately gives readers an idea of what they’ll be getting in the fic. they’re nosey creatures. use this to your advantage.

be your own biggest fan. feel completely free to make moodboards, fanart, playlists, etc about your fic. this both promotes it to readers on social media and shows that you’re confident in having written a good fic. people don’t want to hear “this kind of sucks haha enjoy” they want to hear “this chapter was soo fun. enjoy ;)”. show them that this is a fic they want to be reading

something really unfortunate about fandom is it is english (USian, canadian, british) centric. portugese is probably the only other language you’re gonna get major traction in (brasilians are built different. campeão do mundo 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷☝️). it’s not IMPOSSIBLE but it’s something to keep in mind. it’s not YOUR failure, it’s monolingual USians and their inability to use google translate

that said, writing fic is also a very organic thing. you can’t force it. it happens when it happens. and take everything into perspective. if 10 people liked your fic this week, that might not seem like a lot. until you imagine ten strangers coming up to you in real life going “this story is amazing”. that’s something to be proud of. be proud of yourself :)