#Courts of Heaven

[yhebrew]

Priority of Authority

Wednesday, July 27, 2022 Copied in full text from Ministries of New Life Website December 30, 2022 It is written by Marilyn Griffin in the volume of the Book I delight to do Your will, O My Elohim. Yes, Your Torah [Teaching] is within My heart. Psa. 40:7b-8 Born to Reveal the Father  In the natural and spiritual realms, submission to authority is fundamental to advancement. No one modeled…

[illuminatedferret]

With the new edits to Xie Lian's request to be banished again rather than fight Lang Qianqiu, I'm really struck by the gravity of Hua Cheng rejecting his ascension again. We conflate being a Heavenly Official with being a god, being a god with being beneath Jun Wu's dominion, but that's really not the case. Ascension and godhood are natural consequences of diligence and cultivation, not something handed out because you impressed the right person. And yet as more people ascend, they fight, they bump elbows, they learn to live among one another, regulating each other and developing a 'status quo' for godhood.

This is the Heavenly Court- not a natural location, but a system constructed to exercise control over gods and godhood. A place just as coveted as it is full of rules and expectations, just as unforgiving as it is illustrious. Yet the violence inherent in the heavens, in Jun Wu's rule, is never truly addressed. And that violence can be boiled down into one simple question:

Do people have the right to say no to godhood?

For all intents and purposes, it seems that few people view ascensions as a bad thing. The only case we have of someone outright rejecting the heavens and doing so on their own terms is Hua Cheng. And as far as we can tell, no one ever follows up with him over this, but we can't forget his unique circumstances: his ghosthood, his place in Mount Tonglu, his soon-to-come power as one of the strongest men in the world, all allow him to pull off this escape and land himself a position where the heavens cannot afford to punish him, even if they want to. But for a more average person, what would happen if they said no?

And if Jun Wu accepts that "no" (if he accepts any no), does it come with no strings attached? What are the odds he allows this mold-breaker to walk out the doors without some sort of condition in place? Let me remind you, godhood is not contingent on his approval- rejecting the heavens doesn't make you stop being a god. Really, isn't rejecting the heavens rejecting him and his rule, more than anything else? He cannot make someone a god, and he cannot truly make them stop being a god, either. It is a privilege of his position (and power) that he can pretend otherwise, and he has to go to extreme lengths (the cursed shackles) to do so.

What ruler wouldn't see it as an act of disrespect that someone wants to leave their court? What ruler would willfully allow someone to leave the heavens and become what is fundamentally a rogue agent? It flies in the face of the purpose of the Heavenly Court. Surely this hypothetical person allowed to leave ends up like Xie Lian: shackled, deprived of at least the ability to hear prayers. At worst, Jun Wu may decide someone who rejects the heavens rejects the cultivation that brought them there as well, and seal their spiritual power too. But with those sorts of caveats, who would choose to leave? And to deprive people of choice is inherently violence.

In one act, Hua Cheng not only rejects the heavens but bucks their yoke, escaping the system of power and control that demands obedience from everyone unto the man on top. This is a far, far more significant and noteworthy act than is addressed. While he clearly cares little for it, Hua Cheng is a god, making him the only god in the world truly removed from Jun Wu's control and influence. He exists outside of the heavens' system, and thus paves the way for a space similarly divorced from the control of the heavens, where people can live without fear of censure or persecution from the people the world insists are their betters.

[budd-ie]

“Mu Qing is too logical for his own good” is such a real problem that he deals with and as tragic as it makes his life I also think it’s really funny when someone is accusing him of something and instead of telling them to shut up or leave him alone the first thing he does is pull out the 95 fucking theses detailing every single thing wrong with their argument WITH historical evidence and additional considerations from scholarly psychology articles, MLA format works cited and completely annotated. It could use an editor and some bias correction, but he actually makes a pretty good point. anyways tgcf ace attorney au when

[bored-knight]

⚠️Omega FX & Alpha MQ dynamics⚠️

FengQing Week 2024 - Day 3: Courtship [Final Part]

For a bit of context a common courting practice in Xianle was for either an Alpha or Omega to gift another their hair ribbon and the other accepts the courtship by wearing the ribbon. However, FX wasn't raised in a traditional sense to understand popular courtship practices. Which is very unfortunate for MQ trying to express his feelings. Atleast now they can court properly without any misunderstandings well into their relationship.

🏹⚔️

The first part can be found here

[xinghai]

Gay people (dragons) real

[kumakuma-circus]

not me listening to SNOWFLAKES on loop cuz it's low-key my favorite p4 song and realizing the lyrics like perfectly encompass yu's feelings about inaba and his friends and having to leave.

LOOK AT THIS SHIT. UGHHHHHH. THE PAIN OF HAVING MEDIA COMPREHENSION SKILLS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[habizuh-studios]

for the tgcf rarepair g4g!! ive been burnt out but hopefuly this is still good bc im struggling. haha

[ysabelmystic]

I’ve finished MDZS.

Please help me decide what I’m reading next because I am conflicted.

Please I need to decide before work tomorrow

[ruiniel]

No one asked but my brain is swiss-cheesed about this character so blurted some HCs about Ming Yi with a genderfluid heavenly official friend.

Ming Yi's never been much of a talker around the Upper Court, and a scarce presence besides

Which has the opposite effect of getting too much attention when he does make an appearance

It took about a hundred years for you to develop something close to a friendship: it was actually more a case of you asking him to accompany you somewhere and him acquiescing (grumbling and/or eye rolling)

Seems especially into it when Shi Qingxuan is around, though he hides it well

When you ask him about it, he shrugs, saying he has nothing better to do at the moment anyway

Nobody knows where to find him, ever. You get the impression it will never happen unless he wishes it. Something about his reclusive nature appeals to you, against all common sense. Shi Qingxuan seems to agree, never letting him off the hook

Whenever you try reaching for him in his castle in the Upper Court, he's mostly gone on business (so say the attendants)

Randomly, you can't shake the feeling of being watched. When you look, it's no one in particular: either a junior official from the Middle Court, or a civil god from the palace of Ling Wen, or a Heavenly Capital guard.

Sometimes it happens that a mission in the mortal realm leaves you wounded beyond your healing capabilities. It's always the same official tending to you.

"Have we met somewhere?" "Only the times I'm patching you back together," she says. You leave it be, but something is awfully familiar about her.

Say you'll cook, invite Ming Yi over for dinner. He'll never decline. Any compliments you'll get sound sincere, heartfelt even.

At first he kept denying you're friends (does that to everyone) and just as you were about to give up trying, there's Ming Yi waiting at the entrance of your palace with his shoulder propped against a pillar, nonchalant. "So, where are you dragging me to this time?"

The only quirk you noticed is his appreciation for a particular Fire Social, hosted on the eve of Hanlu. You've accompanied him countless times along the years to a town called Fu Gu in the mortal realm.

And not just any Social, but a Bloody Fire Social with scenes of gore and despair played out in the street. Every year, you go to the same inn, and he takes the same spot at the same window, watching the procession of murderous rampage unravel until nightfall.

"I admit... I could never relate to this kind of commemoration." Ming Yi takes a gulp of his wine before answering, short and low as always. "Some things should never be forgotten." "... in general, I agree. But what is... all this about?" His gaze stays on the tall, pale man clad in black at the center of the performance, skewering and knifing the lavishly dressed people surrounding him on stage. "Maybe I'll tell you, someday."

[coquelicoq]

raksura for the ask meme?

YAY

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most) moon was designed in a lab to appeal to me personally, so. it's about the trust issues!

scrunkly (my "baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped) the sky copper clutch!! traumatized children imprinting on a guy with baby fever is usually what i go to fanfic for so to have it right there in canon? incredible. i love all of frost's little tantrums and idk, just the way that she claims moon as her family in a way that has nothing to do with court politics? she's like, we're your clutch, obviously. and this is our court because it's your court, and all the other jabronis who live here are on thin ice. she's ready to throw down with moon's wife/the government at all hours of the day and she's like six years old. i love that moon has that energy in his life even though he personally is pretty confused and exhausted by it lol.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave) it's hard out here for an ember stan because he is in so few scenes relative to the space he occupies in my psyche! i need 5000% more interactions between him and moon. him and stone. him and shade. him and river. him and the teachers. him and the clutches. him and jade and balm and chime. oh my god him and malachite? him and celadon? him and delin??

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week) niran. i'm always up for a "longsuffering ship captain resigns himself to another restless night of hearing gigantic shapeshifters with incredible stamina fuck nasty on the roof of his cabin" moment. technically i have never been in that exact situation, but i feel like i can relate.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave) river who is CLASSIC poor little meow meow territory like yes his whole personality is being a grade A asshole and sure he tries to kill my blorbo a few times, but once you get to know him he's so sad and pathetic that i'm kind of like okay where can i sign up to defend him from the largely factual aspersions of his dozens of quite frankly justified haters? he'd hate that. the good shit 👌

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason) stone. every time he crankily says "why did i ever reproduce" upon finding himself entangled in yet another ridiculous clusterfuck thanks to one of his hundreds of idiot great-great-great-great-great grandchildren, an angel gets its wings. he's depressed and antisocial but he can't totally check out because he has to mediate relationship issues between his dumbass relatives. love that for him.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell) malachite but specifically because malachite would not be scared of superhell. she'd skulk around being invisible, maybe fuck some shit up if she felt like it, and leave when she got bored. she probably makes it like. opal night's sister city or something. and nobody in the court is at all phased. yeah that's our reigning queen who recently got back from vacation in superhell. she does that. she says it's relaxing.

[blue-rose-soul]

Wait I just realized something, for grown up together au: would alastor attend meeting with the angels with Charlie?

He'd insist on it. Both when she went to met the representative, Adam, at the embassy, and when she went to Heaven to meet with the higher up angels.

I mentioned before that Alastor's a tad protective of Charlie in this AU of an AU. And while he's willing to offer her material support with the hotel, he doesn't really believe sinners can be redeemed. Partly because he thinks that some people are just genuinely beyond redemption, but also because he doesn't have any faith that Heaven would accept reformed sinners. So naturally, he's a bit wary of angels.

In the first meeting with Adam, Charlie makes Alastor promise that he'll let her take the lead. That lasts as long as it takes for Adam to start talking about the women he's fucked.

"No one here wants to hear you talk about your excruciatingly juvenile sexual fantasies."

Cue an angelic temper tantrum from the first man-baby before he declares the next extermination is being moved up and he kicks both of them out.

When he accompanies Charlie to Heaven, he's not allowed in the courtroom which, after what happened in the embassy, fair. But aside from that, he sticks pretty close to Charlie the entire time they're in Heaven, including when she and Emily go to the zoo. And there, he runs into a familiar face.

It takes Alastor a few minutes to recognize his mother. Nicaise doesn't recognize him at all, despite admitting there's something familiar about him. Alastor doesn't quite know how to break it to her that he's her son and he's been living in Hell this past century. Knowing he just has this one day in Heaven and that he'll have no way to contact her again in the future, Alastor decides to simply enjoy this one last day he has with her. He won't put her through the pain of telling her who he is, just to be separated again.

[the-dance-of-italy]

So apparently the holy spirit is like a defense attorney so naturally I drew this.

[parasitoidism]

the sheer greed of video game companies really staggers me sometimes like I'm still really fucking mad thinking back to how vimms lair got fucking gutted by nintendo and sega a few months back

[bored-knight]

⚠️Omega FX & Alpha MQ dynamics⚠️

[Part 1] - FX wonders why they never officially courted. MQ has some surprising news to tell

Posted on Twitter for ABO FengQing week - Day 3: Courting

🏹⚔️

(I was originally going to post the whole thing for FQ week but since it also fit the ABO week prompt I decided to split it. It's only fair to share the sneak peek before FQ week starts.)

[hualianff]

Thinking of merlian + human sailor HC where HC learns all about merpeople customs on courting. One of the most common beginning customs is to lounge out on the rocks and show off the colors of one’s tail.

XL himself hasn’t done it, but they’ve seen plenty of other merpeople doing it! And HC always catches the curious gaze XL sends over.

So…HC secretly makes the decision to lounge on the rocks himself! In as little clothing as possible, showing off his long legs and many tattoos :)

Thus, when XL is swimming nearby with his friends, MQ suddenly jerks back while deadpanning, “what the actual fuck!?”

FX fares no better, exclaimingly, “MY EYES- OH MY GOD!!”

It takes a few seconds for XL to see exactly what his friends see, but once he does-

XL chokes on water.

“Wha- is- is that…SAN LANG!?”

Instantly, XL blushes pink ALL THE WAY DOWN TO HIS TUMMY. XL can barely function, and almost shys away from swimming over to his lover.

But MQ and FX yank him back and push him towards HC because, “the sooner you approach him, the sooner you guys can LEAVE.”

HC watches this whole exchange with an enamored glint in his eye. He doesn’t give a fuck whoever might be around to watch, his attention is only on his beloved - whose fins are even blushing!

HC pats the area of the rock next to him.

“Does His Highness want to join me?

“S-San Lang, your clothes…” XL stammers. HC merely raises a brow.

“Oh, you’re right, let me just-“

HC pulls out two shells that have been attached into a bralette and puts them over his pecs.

“Those are for your eyes only.”

XL shakes his head, an overwhelming sense of fondness filling his heart.

“You are too much,” XL says as he hoists himself out of the water and plops himself half onto the human, situating himself snugly in HC’s arms. The shells bralette feels smooth against his skin. “I love it.”

***

Merpeople customs include underwater dances ! (Think synchronized swimming, but it’s two merpeople dancing underwater with each other.)

Cue HC performing some of the easier ones to the best of his abilities.

XL is the biggest supporter! He also dances with HC, of course. XL is actually known to be one of the most elegant dancers so. :)

Incidentally, XL makes the mistake of kissing HC underwater after their routine is finished, causing HC to lose all the leftover air he was holding.

HC: 🥴🥴 [points to the surface]

XL, in realization: “AHH I’M SORRY SAN LANG!!”🤕

XL quickly drags HC up to the surface, where they simply hold each other while gently bobbing up and down in the calm ocean waters.

[moonsnqil]

as someone who was in my school's band for 3 years these are my hcs on what the foxes would play: kevin on trumpet, neil on trombone, andrew on percussion, allison on clarinet, renee on french horn, aaron on sax, dan on percussion, matt on tuba, nicky on baritone, (seth played tuba until he quit)