#Divinity would kinda repel that

[ellewelle]

The traumatized depressed gay murder muffins

[isadorastarotcards]

Flowers That Offer Protection

Snapdragons

Snapdragons were believed to offer protection against witchcraft and evil eye. Dried snapdragons look very similar to skulls and can be used as charms against aging. In ancient Greek it was thought that wearing a snapdragon in your hair or on your neck would offer protection. During medieval times many castles would plant snapdragons around the entrance with the intention of protecting the castle (warding). Hang some snapdragons above a babies crib to repel bad spirits and nightmares

In Russia many women used snapdragons in ointments to reverse aging and appear graceful. In victorian times it was thought that hiding a snapdragon on you would make you appear more alluring.

Venus Flytrap

Venus flytrap are literal carnivores plants. Many witches use them as wards with the intention of eating negative energy. Use them to eat or bind negative energy. Many practitioners like to use Venus flytrap to bind people or negativity. As well as program them to feed off negativity.

I've also known people who use them as a sort of "trip wire" for curses, evil eyes and hexes. Though if you're not good with plants then your plant could just be dying and not have gotten an hex. You can tell the difference by whether it comes back to life when you take care of cleansing and necessary needs of the plant itself.

Angelica

Dried Angelica can be great for breaking hexes and banishing energy. Many practitioners use this flower and it's many parts in spells. It's believed that if it grows around a house or building it will protect it from witchcraft. Angelica root has also been used as amulets for protection or gambling.

In many European countries it was thought that Angelica would protect from sicknesses. The herb itself is used in many medicine even today. That's where it gets the name "angel" from. One of its best uses would be for breaking hexes. When used properly it can be the breaker.

‼️do not ingest if pregnant‼️

Carnation

Carnations are thought to be associated with the Holy Mother Mary and Diana the Goddess of the Hunt. Both were symbols of purity and Innocence. In many countries including eastern asian and Europe carnations are associated with healing and mothers love. In victorian flower language yellow carnations were seen as a symbol of rejection.

In parts of Europe red carnations were used to protect homes as well as repel unwanted visitors. Dried carnations can be used in many types of spells such as warding, protection, healing and love.

Yarrow

The herb is known for its protective uses as well as it's medicinal. It was said that the warrior Achilles learned of the herbs medicinal uses from the great teacher Chiron. In Ireland the herb was thought to disperse plagues and evil spirits. Was also thought to carry stocks of it for safe travels. Hanging yarrow throughout your home or near a babies crib is said to repel negative spirits.

In traditional Chinese folklore yarrow was used as a tool for divination. Due to how long lasting the flower is yarrow is also a symbol of long lasting love. You could use it in satchets or bouquets on wedding days or dates to promote a love that will last years.

Agrimony

Agrimony can be used as protection from negativity this includes witchcraft, evil eye, spirits and people. In wards they can cause a rebound on the sender of a hex. Carrying it around is thought to protect you wherever you go. These beliefs are common in English folklore and voodoo(closed practice) .

In old English the herb is thought to be put under a pillow for sleep. In ancient northern Europe the herb was thought to cure a lot of ailments. Anglo-Saxons had also believed that herb would reveal witches. Scotland had thought the herb could cure those who had been affected by fairies. This would mean unknown illnesses. The herb itself is seen as a kinda cure all.

‼️Please do intense research before ingesting or foraging ‼️

[pardi-real]

Tarot of Destiny / Chapter 16 - With You All

Prev | All

Tap… tap… tap…

Flure: “Thank goodness... It seems we made it in time.”

Hanamaru: “Heh. Those angel bastards were lurking around in groups, shining so ominously in this dark forest... it's like they're saying, ‘Please hunt us’.”

Boschi: “Hey, no time to relax yet. A few more are descending from the sky...”

Haures: “Yeah, prioritize guarding the lord. After releasing the powers, split into a guard team and a pursuit team.”

Lamli: “Roger! Leave guarding the lord to me!”

Nac: “Yes. No one will touch them, not even a finger.”

Lato: “Me too... This time, I'll be in charge of guarding the lord.  If anyone lays a hand on my lord... I'll make sure they know the consequences…”

> “Everyone…”

Hanamaru: “Whoops... By the way, Yuhan, no need to release your power. After all, you're still not entirely sure about the drawbacks that come with the temporary surge of power, right?”

Yuhan: “Yes... I understand.  Since we have sufficient firepower this time… It's better to rely on you all than to risk releasing the devil's power. ...Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Hanamaru.”

Teddy: “As expected of Mr. Hanamaru! Such a considerate adult!”

Hanamaru: “Hehe. I'm always getting yelled at, so I need to earn some credits once in a while.”

Miyaji: “Well then my lord, please release the power.”

> “Alright…!”

Afterward... More angels appeared, but… facing the butlers with their powers released, the angels couldn't even approach me.

~ After a while ~

Trudge… trudge…

Lamli: “Um... I can't see any angel lights around here.”

Yuhan: “It seems... we've defeated all the angels in this area.”

Teddy: “Yes! Escorting successful!”

Ammon: “My lord, you disappeared from the inn... and not only that, the angel alarm went off, it got us pretty on edge.”

Berrien: “Speaking of which, why did the lord and Lady Elvira go outside the inn?”

> “That's…”

Elvira: “I'm sorry. I took them outside.”

Berrien: “Lady Elvira...?”

Elvira: “Yes. I thought we could receive the spring's protection when no one was around... But I didn't expect that angels would attack us on the way back.”

Boschi: “The spring...? What spring?”

Fennesz: “Wait a minute... By spring, perhaps… did you mean the spring of sacred water that only a very limited number of people can enter? The sacred water spring of protection?”

Elvira: “Yes. That spring.”

Fennesz: “Um... Entering that without permission sounds like a very bad idea…“

Elvira: “Yes. If people in the town find out, they'll be very angry... It's better if they don't know. So please keep this confidential.”

Fennesz: “I-I see... Understood.”

Lucas: “Hm... I heard that the spring's sacred water is famous for providing strong protection.  She acted while thinking of the lord's sake… that's what it looks like to me.”

Hanamaru: “The spring's protection, huh… And yet, it seems the angels attacked you immediately.  Protection, divination, and all that... Are they really reliable?”

Elvira: “No. It's a matter of interpretation.  In the end... The lord of the devil butler is still alive and well.  In a way... you could say that the spring's protection worked.”

Hanamaru: “Hey... The ones who protected the lord were us, not the spring, right?”

Elvira: “......Maybe…… I didn't predict the angel attack in my morning fortune-telling. But with the devil butlers around, even angel attacks don't seem like a disaster. Your power has become much stronger than before.”

Lamli: “I see... It might be true!”

Hanamaru: “That’s~ kinda… making it sounds like all's well that ends well.”

Elvira: “Yes. That's the nature of fortune-telling. Interpretations vary from person to person. You don't have to have the same perspective.”

> “Interpretations vary, huh…”

Muu: “A-anyway!  We managed to repel the angel attack safely this time... Then, that means we were able to protect the lord from an ominous fate… right?”

Elvira: “Well… I wonder.  As I mentioned repeatedly… fortune-telling’s interpretations vary. I don't know… what destiny the lord of the devil butler will follow.”

Muu: “Ugh… I'd like to hear something reassuring for once…”

Elvira: “If you want to hear reassuring words... There should be someone more suitable than me.”

Muu: “Huh? Someone… else?”

Elvira: “Yes. How about it?  Regarding the fate indicated by the Tarot for the Lord of the Devil Butler... Personally, how do you perceive it?”

> “I…”

The Tarot I drew was... The ‘upright’ ’Death’ card. With meanings like ‘end of things’ or ‘farewells’... It's undoubtedly a card with ominous significance.

But... even if it seems ominous at first glance… is that all the card means? Until now, all the butlers… conveyed their feelings based on the tarot cards each of them drew. There were some who drew tarot cards with a negative image similar to mine...

But what was common among them was… not a single one spoke anything pessimistic about it, and instead, conveying positive words to me by reflecting on themselves…

In that case, I should learn from them too, I better reinterpret the meaning of the card in a positive light, without being bound by the grim reaper depicted in the card… Since… interpretations vary for each person.

Muu: "My lord...? What's wrong? You seem a bit happy for some reason."

> "It's okay, Muu"

Muu: "Huh? 'It's okay’?"

> "I've realized it through everyone's words"

Muu: "Everyone's words...?"

Then, I took out the Death card I had... While looking at the card... I conveyed the feelings that had come to me earlier to the butlers.

Lono: "I see... Even if it was an ominous card… you decided to reinterpret it positively, like we did."

Hanamaru: "Wait, you guys… y'all actually talked about such positive things huh. Surprisingly, lots of positive people here."

Boschi: "Well… Since meeting my lord, almost only positive changes have occured. No matter how ominous the fortune-telling is... That fact won't change."

Teddy: "That's right! Even if the worst fortune comes out... If I'm with the lord and everyone... I'm not afraid of anything!"

Haures: "Anyway...  If my lord is now able to see things positively with our words... I think… it was worth taking the time to convey our feelings."

Berrien: "That's right. If it's about 'changing perspectives,' then, even the meaning of the Death card might be able to be reinterpreted more positively. For example, 'the end of things' could be seen as 'new beginnings.'  My lord is a presence that gives us hope... or someone who might ends our battle with angels."

Bastien: "I see... It could indeed be true. The lord saved us.  My lord gave a new life to me, who was destined to die because of the demonization... A presence that ends the life trapped in the past... What the Death card is showing might actually be... something like that."

> "I see..."

Lato: "Kufufu... If you think about it that way, the Death card isn't so bad. Perhaps… it means 'a presence that brings death to angels.' "

Flure: "Death to angels–the nemesis of humanity, huh... It's somewhat... really cool, my lord!"

> "I-is that so...?"

The butlers seemed to be reassured with my positive words… The somewhat uneasy expressions until yesterday had collectively disappeared from everyone's faces.

Elvira: "Hm… I see. That seems to be your answer.  No matter what ominous fate is looming… Keeping the positive perspective, and trying to overcome it...  With that perspective… You'll surely be okay in the future, no matter what difficulties may come.  I pray for the good fortune of the lord of the devil butler and all the butlers.”

Trudge… trudge… trudge…

Muu: "Ah! Lady Elvira!  She went alone again. She's such a whimsical person..."

Ammon: "Right. Just like a cat."

Muu: "I-I'm not wandering around that much!"

Ammon: "Heheh, just kidding ♪  Muu is sensible, after all.”

*Bells ringing* At that moment... A sound of bells ringing came from the direction of Maginaria.

Muu: "Woah! I-is it another alarm!?"

Miyaji: "No... This sound is..."

Lucas: "Fufu. It's the sound of the bell heralding the new year."

Muu: "Huh? New Year?"

Nac: "Come to think of it... It is already that time."

Lamli: "Happy New Year, my lord! Let's have a good year, this year too ♪"

> "Yes, let's"

Berrien: "Yes. Please have a good year, my lord. Last year, we were able to protect you safely. And we, the butlers, will protect you this year as well…

Dear lord. Please continue to protect this world with us. As long as you're here… this world and us will surely be okay. You are the one who can change this world and us... the person who ‘gives us a beginning.' “

The butlers are sending refreshing smiles in my direction. Surely, I also feel the same as them... with the joy of safely welcoming the new year, I’m certain I was smiling brightly too.

While looking at each butler's face once again… my wish… was for everyone's smiles to be preserved throughout this year as well.

End

Prev | All

[lord-of-the-ducks]

Ok so I already made a brief post about the scene about halfway through s5e5 between Guillermo and his mother, and I tacked on an edit about potentially expanding my thoughts into a full length post, but I’m gonna be honest, when I wrote that I did so with the expectation that it would be yet another thing that I would say that I’m totally gonna do without ever getting around to it. Now it’s barely an hour later and I still can’t get it out of my fucking head and so I need to speak my thoughts into the void in hopes of getting validation from strangers on the internet.

I’m gonna put this all below the cut, both because of potential spoilers and some sensitive topics like religious trauma and queerphobia, but also because I know this is going to be long and I don’t want to clog up people’s dashboards.

Okie dokie let’s get into it

I was vague on purpose about The Scene I would be discussing above just in case anyone who hadn’t seen the episode accidentally stumbled on this, but just to clarify, I’m specifically referencing the scene after Guillermo’s family has left and it’s just him and his mom. I hesitate to say that it’s the most emotionally heart wrenching scene in the entire series, but it’s in the top 5 at the very least.

However, I just want to laser focus in on the moment where Sylvia puts the crucifix around Guillermo’s neck. Right after she notices it missing from Guillermo’s neck, she immediately goes to give him another one, because he “needs” it. I wanted to point out that phrase in particular, because it’s not that she would feel better if he wore it, it’s entirely for Guillermo’s benefit.

This reminds me of a particular quote from Dracula, where it’s really beginning to set in that Jonathan is a prisoner, and he thinks back to one of the villagers who gave him a crucifix:

“Bless that good, good woman who hung the crucifix round my neck! for it is a comfort and a strength to me whenever I touch it. It is odd that a thing which I have been taught to regard with disfavour and as idolatrous should in a time of loneliness and trouble be of help. Is it that there is something in the essence of the thing itself, or that it is a medium, a tangible help, in conveying memories of sympathy and comfort?”

I bring this up because in the scene between Sylvia and Guillermo, the crucifix serves less as a Christian symbol, and more as a demonstration of Sylvia’s love for her son. It’s even stated that it used to belong to Guillermo’s grandmother, giving it even more of an explicit connection to familial bonds. Hell, even in Dracula, Jonathan is told to wear the crucifix for his mother’s sake. I didn’t really need to quote Dracula to make this point, but I’m gonna be honest, I thought it was pretty cool how in both of these instances, any specific powers a crucifix might have aren’t ascribed to a divine being, but a more motherly power.

And all of that would be nice and cool, but unfortunately, What We Do In the Shadows has gone with the specific brand of lore where crucifixes are a vampire weakness, meaning that this symbol of motherly love is actually harmful for him. Watching the scene where Sylvia puts it around Guillermo’s neck, I honestly got chills, because you know that Sylvia is doing it for entirely altruistic reasons. However, the way the scene was shot combined with Guillermo’s reaction were a lot more brutal, and I just remember thinking how much it looked like he was being strangled. And then once it’s on his neck, they both turn to look in the mirror, and Sylvia is lovingly rubbing Guillermo’s back, and Guillermo is trying to smile even though he’s very visibly in pain. 

Like I said in my original post, I do kinda wish we got badass dhampir!Guillermo who is immune to crucifixes and other vampire repellents, and I actually thought that the moment Sylvia put the crucifix around Guillermo’s neck would be the moment that this superpower would be revealed to Guillermo and the audience. I’m gonna be honest though, I cannot imagine a better way to visualize the idea of genuinely believing that you are helping someone, when in actuality you’re hurting them. 

Here’s the part where you can stop reading if you’d like, because we’re about to enter the territory of “Red starts projecting their own issues onto Guillermo and calling it media analysis”, aka, “the part that is way too long”. I considered making all of this it’s own post, but it felt relevant to the ideas expressed in the scene I just discussed, and also I kinda just don’t feel like it. I hope other people can relate, but it’s purely my subjective feelings, and I’m not gonna pretend that this is universal. And if you’re someone who knows me in real life and you already made it this far uh... you are allowed to keep reading, but if you say anything about this to me in conversation I will actually die of embarrassment.

I found myself wondering a bit about what the crucifix scene was specifically a metaphor for, since Guillermo has already come out of the closet in season 4 (and also admitting that he wants to be a vampire), and his family loved him unconditionally. This is arguably a bit silly on my part, since the entire point of that kind of metaphor is that it doesn’t have to mean anything specific, it can represent a lot of things to a lot of people. 

Which is why I’m gonna spend the rest of this post talking about how I think Guillermo’s vampire transformation is a metaphor for transgenderism because nobody can stop me.

I am not the first person to read Guillermo as a trans adjacent character, and people who are way smarter than me have made some fantastic posts about why he might be particularly relatable to a trans audience. I never particularly related to Guillermo for that reason (actually that’s a big fat lie I absolutely related to Guillermo because of my own angst about being in the closet) and I never thought of Guillermo as a trans character or a trans allegory until the start of the season 5, when I drew a connection between Guillermo going through Changes that would hopefully bring him closer to his ideal form and the fact that I personally just started taking HRT in early June. I never really had a reason to make any posts about it, since most of the connections I was making were pretty flimsy, and it was hard to make any actual arguments besides “it’s my comfort show and I get to choose the coping mechanisms”.

Then episode 5 came in with the steel chair.

My body is changing. A lot of it is barely noticeable, but it’s happening, and I know from hours of research that it’s going to be a lot more difficult to hide as a go along. And as dramatic as it might seem, I’m beginning to ask myself if there are people who I might never speak to again as a result. For the most part, I live my day to day life as Red, but there are people who still know me by my dead name because I purposely haven’t given them any reason to believe otherwise. Sometimes I feel like I’m being unfair by never allowing people to make up their own mind about my transition,  but it’s terrifying to imagine how drastically people’s opinion of me might change if they knew The Truth about me. 

Which is why Guillermo’s interactions with his family hit really close to home, because it’s clear that he loves them and they love him. But he’s turning into a vampire, and they’re vampire hunters. And it’s only a matter of time before that causes some serious problems. It’s entirely possible that he could tell them that he’s a vampire and it goes as well as when he came out the first time, but when the worst case scenario is having a stake driven through your heart, sometimes it’s better to just disappear, and leave them with memories of the person they thought they knew.

The crucifix scene in particular struck a cord with me, because so much of the time, people have done things that hurt me, and they have absolutely no idea how much they’re hurting me, because I don’t want to know how much they’re hurting me. Part of it is because I’ve convinced myself that any suffering I experience is worth it if I’m the only one suffering, but another part is that the only thing that scares me more than the pain is that if I tell them how much it hurts, they’ll do it anyway.

Letting go is hard though. Something I didn’t notice the first time I watched the crucifix scene is that after Guillermo leaves the apartment, Sylvia makes a comment to Miguel about how it’s the third time this month that he’s come to make that grand goodbye, and how he’ll probably be back again next week. I don’t really have anything to add to that to be honest, Guillermo loves his mom and will always love his mom and you just know that he’s gonna come up with any excuse to see her “just one last time”.

OK ANGST OVER. Wow, I honestly didn’t know I was about to get that depressing but that’s what happened so... I hope y’all enjoyed, and maybe it’s time to explain what tumblr is to my therapist

[waaayoutofline]

Find me under the rain.

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You are having a pretty rough day when a storm hits. With no umbrella, phone or car, you accept the fate of walking under it. But you didnt expect finding someone while getting soaked by the freezing December rain.

Warnings: None. All fluff.

Your eyes stare at the dark clouded sky, shoulders slumped in defeat at the sight. What was once an easy-breezy rain has become a roaring storm. You were stubborn and overline irresponsible, as you had bought the vinyl record of Folklore instead of the very much needed umbrella.

More regret feels in your stomach as you see none of your study group around, all of them being at home by now. With a sigh you wait for some divine miracle, but at the lack of it, you make your mind.Make a run for it and hope that you don’t get a cold. Those final exams were not going to do themselves otherwise.

You push the library doors, grabbing your bag in hopes to make it some kind of protection from the incessant drops of water. Feet jogging down the stairs, a squeak leaves your mouth as the ice cold water of the ground soaks your feet. Great, now you have wet socks.

“This just gets better and better” You grumble. The storm seems to get intense by the second, the now dark brown coat you're wearing doing nothing to repel the chilling bone cold. Your hair sticks to your front, droplets of water travelling all the way down to your neck. Your jumper doesn’t even bother to dry them any more. The air seems to have a personal vendetta on you as it make it difficult for you to move.

The way to your house seems so fucking far. But taking a taxi on a work day at this hours in New York is less possible than winning the lottery. And you ran out of battery, so calling someone to pick you up isn't an option either.The hope of getting home without being utterly covered in water slowly leaves your body, feet slowing down with a defeated sight. You hold back the tears pricking into the corner of your eyes. This day has been the absolute worst. Everything that could go wrong backfired you right on the face.

But then the incessant heavy droplets stop. And you open your eyes, straightening your back. What the…? Heavy breath startles you slightly, making you turn around.

And suddenly it is like all the bad thoughts and feelings leave both mind and body. All the difficulties of today vanishing along the water that streams down the streets. A girl, a little bit taller than you, clutches one knee with her left while holding a deep red umbrella above you with her right. You notice the black polish, and the neat silver rings on her fingers. Her hair is a long and curly, of a brown kinda reddish colour that suits her very well with her deep, forest green eyes. Her skin seems soft, alongside her slightly opened pink lips. You blush and move your eyes.But every single thing about her seems to be equally enchanting. Your sole focus now on this mysterious woman that took your worries away just like that.

“Damn, you are pretty fast, huh?” The blush of your cheeks seems to raise all the way up to your ears, masking them burn at the sound of her voice. Your jaw slackens, and you are pretty sure that you are looking like a total idiot. “I uh…I saw you on the library. You seemed to be having a pretty rough day.” She comments.

Something in her is quite familiar, but you can put your mind to work.

“And then I saw the way you looked at the sky and… well, not that I was looking at you in a creepy way, I would never do that… but not because I don't find you pretty, because I do…” The redhead rumbles, scratching the back of her neck. You are pretty sure your brain cells must be dead by now. The goddess right in front of you thinks you are pretty? “But I’m trailing off, sorry.” She laughs. “ The point is that I would be glad to escort you home. If you want it so, that’s it.”

You think about saying the typical “I don’t want to bother you, or I’ll be fine”, you just met her after all. But something in her makes you trust her. And you couldn’t find to say no, too mesmerized by her.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You say softly, the stranger's shoulders lowering with a relieved sigh. And then she smiles. All the cold you previously felt is gone in an instant. “My house is just around the corner.”

She nods, getting closer so the both of you could get under the umbrella. Your arms touch ever so slightly, making a shiver run all the way through your system. You decided it’s because of the weather, that the erratic beating in your chest is because you ran earlier. She smells sweet, like a hint of cocoa and fresh backed cookies. Everything about her seems to make your heart beat a little faster. The adrenaline, you remind again.

“Hope I didn’t come in a creepy way” She excuses, fidgeting with her index ring.

“Well, my mother have always warned me about bringing strangers home, but she didn't mention that they were as gorgeous as you.” You smile a little shy, feeling adoration at the nervous stutter from.

“Well, the name is Wanda. So you don’t get walked home by a total stranger.” She jokes as the two of you start walking.

“Y/N, so you don't walk a total stranger home.”

You two stay silent after the pleasant interaction. But is no an awkward silence, it was a nice kind, that kind that made you feel at peace, a feeling of very much need comfort pacing the anxiety you had felt not even ten minutes ago. It was nice. Wanda was nice. You're even almost tempted to take a longer route, not wanting this pacific moment to end. Not wanting for her to leave just as quickly as she arrived. It was absurd, really, how much you have attached to her in this ridiculously short amount of time.

But as you stole glances, you had this want, almost need to get to know her.

Unfurtonatley, you two finally made it in front of your door, realizing that the storm started to cease. “Of course that it stops right when I get home…” You mumble. Wanda chuckles, closing the umbrella and stepping ever so slightly from you. And so, you to look at each other awkwardly, neither wanting this to end. Yup. Wanda stands in front of you, and you hate the idea of her leaving. So, gathering all the courage you have, you ask. “Want to come inside? I’ll lend you a towel and something to drink. It’s the least I can do after you shared your umbrella with me.”

“Oh, you don’t own me anything…-” She starts, but you just look at her.

“I know, I just want to. If you want it so, that’s it.” You say, copying her exact same words with a sly smile. Wanda shakes her head in amusement and agrees.

“Alright then.” You smile brightly and let her in, closing the door behind her.

It was awkward at first, Wanda following you shyly, waiting for you on the couch while you went to the bathroom for a change of clothes and a pair of towels for her to dry her humid hair. But then, you quickly star falling on an easy conversation, getting to know each other. And you loved every single second of it.

It’s not a heavy conversation by any means, more like silly question thrown at each other like. This is what you have for now.Se has a brother, a twin, Pietro, and they have recently arrived to New York. Her favorite colour is red, she loves cooking, sitcoms and hot cocoa. She prefers cats than dogs, her favourite singer is Taylor Swift and appreciates star gazing at night, even if in New York was impossible to do so

She also has beautiful eyes, her nose scrunches a little when she laughs, and she fidgets with her rings when she gets excited by something she likes. Not that she tells you, you just notice. You seem to notice everything about her.

Hours go by, two now cold cups left on the coffee table. You company to her door, trying to not let your disappointment show. You know it was an act of courtesy, but you feel like it was more than just that. And when Wanda finally starts leaving, that same anxiety of before strangles your heart even harder now. As you look at her like a sad puppy would, you notice. You ran fast to the living room, grabbing it and heading outside in no time.

“Wanda, wait! You're forgetting your umbrella!” You yell. She turns around and gives you a wink.

“Guess we’ll have to meet again for you to return it, then!” And just like that, she’s gone. Your mouth is slightly open, softly laughing at her smugness. As you go inside, a smile piece of paper slowly falls down, sliding right in front of you. You swear the ink was red for an instant before returning to black.

A phone number. Your cheeks are starting to hurt.

Yeah, it settled. You are absolutely infuriated with this mysterious girl.

[ryqoshay]

Putting on Hairs: Post Production - Angelic Intervention

Primary Pairing: LanzShio Words: 504 Rating: G? AU: Angels, Vampires Time Frame: Long before the main story Prompt: Salvation

---------

Author's Note: Primary entry for the 21st

Summary: Shioriko and Lanzhu meet one last obstacle in their attempts to flee the mainland and travel to Japan

---------

“Lanzhu.”

Damn… Shioriko knew that voice.

“Mother.” Lanzhu replied.

She looked up. Sure enough, there was Mrs. Zhong, in all her angelic glory. White wings spread wide, brilliant, silver-lined robes flowing, and halo pulsing with Holy power. She had to look away after a moment as the divine spectacle was starting to hurt.

But they were in the middle of a bustling port! Surely, as a Hunter, she would know better than to reveal her nature in such a public place.

It was then that Shioriko noticed nobody else was moving. The angelic matriarch had miracled a stoppage of time.

“So, the reports are true.” Her eyes looked more mournful than angry. “You are protecting a vampire.”

“You know why.”

“I do.” Lanzhu’s mother then turned her attention to Shioriko. “You have my sincerest condolences in regards to your condition. It has been written that those afflicted by the unholy curse shall be denied salvation and forbidden entry through the gates of Heaven.”

“I am not taking Shioriko to heaven.” Lanzhu stated firmly.

“I know.” Her mother confirmed. “Orders have also been given to purge the vampiric plague from these lands.”

“I am removing her from these lands.”

“Orders are to purge all human lands of…”

“I am taking Shioriko to Seinaru Mori. Humans have no power there.”

“You continue to defy…”

“Are they His orders?” Lanzhu’s tone hardened.

“No.”

“Then I will defy them. I am no longer a Hunter and am under no duty to oblige.”

Mother and daughter stared at one another. Shioriko was not privy to the unspoken debate that continued between them, but the intensity of their auras radiated raw Holy energy that began to physically repel her.

“Shioriko!” Lanzhu cried, noticing the effect they were having on the unholy creature in their presence.

Lanzhu put herself between her mother and Shioriko, pulling the latter into an embrace and turning her back on the former.

“I see.” Lanzhu’s mother spoke after a long moment. “I shall pray this does not result in you falling.”

Lanzhu and Shioriko tensed as Mrs. Zhong suddenly appeared at their side. But then she stepped forward and put her arms around both of them.

“Take care of yourselves. Both of you.” She said softly. “I doubt we shall see each again.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Lanzhu’s voice cracked a little. “Goodbye.”

Suddenly, the other angel was gone and the mortals around the port resumed their activities. Time had been restarted. It was only then that Shioriko realized she had not had a chance to say a word through the entire encounter.

“Let’s go, Shioriko.” Lanzhu’s voice continued to waver as she took the vampire’s hand and led her onto the ship that would carry them across the sea to Japan.

Shioriko clenched her jaw and nearly bit her lip as she racked her mind for ways to comfort her best friend, and now savior. She prayed… in a way… that there would come a day when she could find a way to repay such kindness.

---------

Author's Note Continued: I struggled finding time to write this one as it was the first day of my vacation. Kinda sad that I have been unable to get in bonus entries these last several days, but finding somewhere to break out my laptop to post them here and over on AO3 - I dislike trying to do so via my tablet or phone - has been even more of a challenge. As such, I'm posting a bit of a batch tonight. Probably won't get to my goal of 64'ish entries before the end of the month, but that's fine. I'd be more happy if I can at least continue my self challenge of using both prior year's prompts, preferably in my primary entry.

And as for those prior entries, Raw was from '21 and Order was '22.

I'll definitely want to come back to this one as I believe it can hold more world building, as well as maybe allowing Shioriko a line or two instead of just being a silent observer.

[shotgunningtheuniverse]

Creamy Chicken Noodle Dnf Spell Soup

Because you deserve to be a dirty dnfer in style and have soup

With this soup you can enjoy a nice warm meal while using a little magic and intentions to make dnf see clearly and more.

So, a good dnf soup spell awaits

Recipe includes humorous comments by me.

Recipe:

3 table spoons of butter, chicken fat or olive oil

1 large onion chopped to stay unaffected when dnf are being e-word live

2 large chopped carrots to make dnf get their act together and depending on intent make them hornier

(Optional) 2 stalks of chopped celery to induce lust in dnf and easy sleep for you knowing what you’ve done to torture them more

4 minced cloves of garlic to bring dnf to clarity about their love and success on George’s VISA

3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour because this is a creamy soup and still soup enjoy yourself and love yourself. Let your flour get that self-life energy

2 bay leaves for making dnf see each other and stop being dense

3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoons of dried thyme to give dnf the courage they need for whatever they need

1 pound of skinless, boneless chicken thighs (4-5 thighs) because this is chicken noodle soup and you need chicken

8 cups of chicken stock or broth. Depending on accessibility you can use store bought or homemade. Keep in mind homemade with transfer any intentions or residue energy into this spell soup with it. Chicken broth will create new beginnings and starts for dnf and you while satisfying Dream’s hyper fixation on getting pregnant from a while ago.

5 ounces of a pasta of your choice. I’d recommend alphabet pasta just for fun or divination. Or maybe just to make random words, feed your inner child while you do this. It’s what dnf would want.

Salt and pepper because flavor

1/4 of preferably finely chopped fresh parsley to ward off antis from you and if so chosen you may add a little extra get George to Florida intentions in here as you chop

Add water or more stock as you see fit

When you stir anything in this recipe remember to stir clockwise to draw whatever your intention is. And counter-clockwise to push it away from you!

Instructions:

Pick a route for this spell type and cut all the food that needs to be cut before hand and make sure to shove in all the intentions you can while you chop into them.

Melt your butter in a large pot to make sure you can get all of your spell in here and put it on medium heat. Add your on onion, carrots, celery. For these specific veggies you can opt for a more gentle approach with positive vibes, but feel free to kinda stab them too. Wait for them to soften, should take about 5-6 minutes

Pour your chicken stock while getting flash backs to those Dream pregnancy tweets and think of a new beginning with more or less of those tweets. All up to personal preference. Allow it a low simmer. Feel free to add some salt if your feeling salty about it or feel the soup it’s self could benefit from it. (Salt especially recommended if you are repelling something with your intentions)

Add your chicken thighs into your soup. Make sure the broth covers them and have the soup come to a low simmer. Partially cover the pot with a lid, (recommend you use one that fits on the pot when properly placed) stir a couple times and wait about 20min for the chicken to cook through.

If the broth feels low, add more stock or water. Turn heat to a medium-low.

Place your now cooked chicken onto a plate that is big enough for it. Now add your pasta of choice. Shove some good intention and stuff in there and let it soak up your other intentions from the soup. Stir it in. Cook until noodles are done. Most likely 6-10 minutes but I guarantee nothing. Check your pasta periodically to make sure.

Now your going to shred into the chicken to get out all your aggression about dnf being dnf. Or chop into cubes if that’s your thing? Add chicken to pot and taste. Add seasoning as needed to preference. Add in your parsley with a little bit of pizazz to really get those antis away from you.

Then stir in a small chant. I’ve collected some of my own dnf shots (see below) but if you have something else in mind go ahead. Stir clockwise to draw it to you.

Serve in your vessel of choice. I personally like mugs.

For good meet up vibes: x

For some sweet pinning Dream: x

Soft gardening dnf: x

Being alone with someone else: x

Other than that feel free to use a small chant instead:

I draw dnf to clarity

Dnf leave me the fuck alone challenge

Government approve George’s visa challenge

Horny

Get well soon, get well soon

Dnf dnf dnf dnf dnf

Dirty dnfer

[dreamersleeps]

Todoroki Enji and the Egyptian Sun God Ra

(Part Four: Mythological Influences in Boku no Hero Academia) 

Note: ok, so I’m kinda nervous to post this. . . but here we are

So how did I get to comparing the Egyptian sun god Ra to Endeavor? To sum it up, this is the fourth post in a set of analysis and meta about mythological influences in BNHA, so a lot of this builds on top of the info and connections I’ve made previously.

There are quite a few references and influences to Greek mythology in BNHA and personally I was very intrigued with the Hawks and Icarus parallels that kept popping up. In the myth of Icarus, the sun melts the wax off of Icarus’ artificial wings which causes him to fall and drown in the ocean. I saw Endeavor as one of Hawks’ metaphorical “suns”. While I sat on that, I began looking at Tokoyami, since he has a mentor-student relationship with Hawks, and found how he has Egyptian influences in his character design which I wrote about in a post here. 

I began researching and reading through ancient Egyptian myths and information. One of the figures that caught my attention was the ancient Egyptian’s most important god: Ra, the sun god. (He is the falcon headed figure depicted below.)  I quickly found some similarities between Ra and Endeavor. 

This image is from the expereince-ancient-egypt website. 

Before I begin, I’d like to say I am very much aware that BNHA is a Japanese manga series and that the story is greatly influenced by Japanese culture and society. Unless there are very explicit examples (such as the case of Tokoyami) this post is not me saying that Horikoshi intentionally wrote certain characters and aspects inspired by Egyptian mythology. I just like like finding interesting similarities whether they were intentional or coincidental and writing about it. 

That being stated, let’s begin. 

Ra: The Egyptian God of the Sun 

The original source of the image above is unknown. 

So, who exactly is Ra? 

Ra was the Ancient Egyptian sun god. The sun had a special place among the ancient Egyptians, they considered it the source of life. He was... the creator of the universe, one of the most famous deities... 

Ancient Egyptians believed that Ra created himself, and his tears created humans. The setting of the sun means the beginning of the daily journey by Ra, in which he travels by his holy boat to the underworld every evening, to fight the forces of evil represented in a big snake called Apophis, and then returns to a brilliant triumph in the heights of the sky every morning on a new day. The ancient Egyptian saw this as a sign of human resurrection, and also evidence of Ra’s victory over the forces of chaos and evil (cleopatraegypttours). 

Throughout all the websites I went through, Ra was very closely associated with the themes of the sun, life, the underworld, resurrection and victory over chaos and evil.

Let’s focus more on Ra’s journey through the underworld. 

During his life he was required, as the incarnation and representative of the sun god, to maintain the cosmic and social order (ma’at) established by the god of creation. He had to repel the forces of chaos which constantly threatened the order of the world. 

After his d/eath, the king united with the sun disk and his divine body merged with his creator. In his new role he continued to perform the task of subduing the powers of chaos. This active role of the king and sun god necessitated a detailed description of the d/amned, who represent the forces of evil. 

Perhaps you may be starting to see the similarities and connections I began to form between Ra and Endeavor. If not, it’s okay. Sometimes II have to sit on a lot of the information I’m taking in before I see anything. 

Endeavor’s Powers

Endeavor’s fire-based quirk is called “Hellflame.” The list of his named moves are: Flashfire Fist (Jet Burn, Hell Spider, Hell’s Curtain), Karmic Raze - Hellfire Storm, Raging Assault - Hell Minefield, Vanishing Fist, and Prominence Burn. As you can see, there’s a lot of mentions of the word: Hell. 

While we can connect the “hell theme” back to Ra’s connections to the underworld, I would first like to point out what the Egyptian underworld was. We associate fire, suffering and other things with hell, however, this is a depiction that comes from the Abrahamic/Judeo-Christian religions. 

The image above depicts a section of the Egyptian Book of the D/ead with Osiris on the left and the Weighting of the Heart taking place on the right. 

There were many sources that described the extensive processes of the underworld and afterlife so I’m keeping it simple here. Anyways, the ancient Egyptians did not really have a concept of this sort of hell. Instead, after death, a part of the soul would travel through the underworld which was also known as Duat for judgement. They underwent a judgement process that had two parts and if they passed, they moved on to the Reed Fields which was Paradise. Those who failed simply ceased to be.

The “hell” that is probably being referred back to with Endeavor’s quirk and powers most likely was influenced with other cultures, again more specifically those with Abrahamic/Judeo-Christian religions. Despite this difference I do still think that there are other interesting similarities between Endeavor and Ra. 

For example, I’ve already established in a previous post that I like to associate Endeavor to the sun. A lot of this post will rely heavily on what happened during the High End vs Endeavor fight. The move he is using above is called “Prominence Burn.” According to NASA: 

a solar prominence (also known as a filament when viewed against the solar disk) is a large, bright feature extending outwards into the Sun’s hot outer atmosphere

This is the finishing move that helps Endeavor defeat the High End and this is very significant because it is the only move with a name that relates back to the sun. 

In Chapter 188 during the High End fight, Endeavor is even depicted as a fiery sphere of fire and light high up in the sky, very visually similar to the sun. 

If you need more evidence for sun related themes surrounding Endeavor, Ending, the criminal who kidnaps Natsuo describes him as “A fierce solar flare that shines bright.” 

One of Ra’s main duties is to keep order and defeat the “forces of chaos and evil.” Endeavor and the heroes in general sort of view themselves as this force of good and see the “villains” as enemies that have to be taken care of. I don’t agree with the ideas that “all heroes are good, and all villains are bad” and that is definitely not the message that Horikoshi is trying to send. It is because that sort of belief exists that hero society is flawed. Typically, when reading through mythology or religious texts, the themes of absolute good and absolute evil are common. Those are the contexts in which gods and other figures that exist. Humans are flawed and tend to stand somewhere in the in between. 

That being stated, Ra and Endeavor are similar in their ties to the sun, underworld and sense of duty that they must defeat the “forces of chaos and evil” for the sake of everyone else. 

High End vs Endeavor 

Endeavor greatest ambition in life was to become the number one hero. He may act like a hero in the public’s eye but he does not have a “heroic nature” or “character.” He failed and broke his own family for the sake of his ambitions, and arguably, the Todoroki family came in to existence to serve a certain purpose. If he could not become the number one, then he’d make sure that someone with his blood and name would achieve that one day. However the unexpected happened. All Might had to retire and Endeavor was given the title as number one hero. He didn’t earn it. He was given it purely because he was the number two hero. 

Let’s revisit the High End fight. This conflict happens shortly after the Hero Billboard Chart event. Japan is uneasy as their symbol of peace has retired and they do not know whether they can rely on the new number one hero. His family also is conflicted with his new position and how it was given to him. Throughout the fight we take a step in to Endeavor’s thoughts and inner monologue.  

The manga panel above is from Chapter 188. 

The High End is incredibly powerful and even with his powerful Hellflame quirk, Endeavor is having a hard time fighting against it. One of the weaknesses with having a fire related quirk is that it overheats his body so he’s had to rely on using his flames properly and cooling down afterwards. Because of this, he thinks about his family. The family that began because of this very weakness. His memory goes back to Rei when she is young, perhaps at the beginning of their arranged marriage or shortly before. Touya, Natsuo and Fuyumi are young as well. Standing far away and unhappy, maybe even nervous. And lastly, Shouto, the child he wanted to continue his legacy in, activating both his ice and hellflame quirks. He is the only one depicted in his actual current age. 

On top of the very next page we get a scene with the High End Nomu speaking as seen below. 

This Nomu came to fight and defeat whoever was the strongest. Despite it’s ability to speak, it is still mindless, declaring on and on about its power and strength. It does not care about who it is fighting and the destruction that is occuring along the way. The High End has multiple quirks that were chosen specifically to make it as powerful as it could be. Perhaps it was in this moment that something clicked in Endeavor’s mind. 

Soon after, the High End strikes Endeavor multiple times, with one strike later leaving him with the scar that runs down the left side of his face. He falls to the ground and in to the rubble. Chapter 188 ends on this page with the manga panel seen below and everyone is left to wonder whether Endeavor is dead or alive. 

In Chapter 189 we see the effects of the void All Might left due to his retirement. 

If the “villains” can’t be kept in check the public becomes chaotic with fear. A quiet night fell over Japan after All Might retired. People felt like the light was taken away. Then Endeavor gets up. With Hawks’ help he rises in to the air with wings on fire.

And in Chapter 190 he defeats the High End Nomu with Prominence Burn. 

Endeavor and the Dawning Sun

There’s a lot of things going on here. Endeavor basically follows the journey Ra takes every single day to complete his duty. Similar to how Ra “dies” as he travels through the underworld, at one point we are led to believe that Endeavor has been killed by. As most of the battle took place up in the air, Endeavor physically falls when he “dies.” Leading up to the fall, he is thinking about his family and the past. 

While Ra and Endeavor “resurrect” at different points in their journey, they both rise back again in order to fulfill their duty to bring back “order and balance.”

I’ve already written about the falcon/hawk headed Egyptian god Horus and Hawks, however I have yet to address the relationship between Ra and Horus. At some point, Ra was combined with Horus and became known as Ra-Horakhty which means “Ra, Horus of the Horizon.” Ra-Horakhty is most often thought of as the god of the rising sun. It is in this form that Ra rises in the sky to bring the dawn when he arises from the underworld. 

The original source of this image is unknown.

There is a deity (seen above) that appears a lot throughout architecture from ancient Egypt called “Horus-Behdity” who is depicted as a winged sun disc:

The winged sun disc is highly symbolic representing the Union of Horus the falcon God, and Ra the sun god, the union of the Two-Lands of Egypt, and becomes a symbol of rebirth for the kings (British Museum).

Although it is Endeavor who ultimately defeats the High End, it is with the aid of Hawks’ quirk that he is able to land the finishing blow. He rises in to the sky like the winged sun disc: Endeavor as the sun, and Hawks as the wings. I think the depiction of Hawks with his back towards he audience and Endeavor burning them with his flames on the cover of Volume 21 says a lot of things (including the Icarus parallels!). 

Taking a couple steps back, the wording on the pages where Endeavor addresses the nomu and then before uses the finishing move Prominence Burn on the High End is important. 

“Modified human... Noumu! Manufactured one. . . Holder of multiple quirks. . . Obesessed with the pursuit of strength!” (Chapter 190)

“You are... Just like me! From the past, or perhaps from an alternate future. Now burn, and rest for all eternity!” (Chapter 190)

Endeavor is a controversial character that because of his past and the horrible things he did to his family. However, we can not ignore what has been written in the manga. I’m not going to argue or talk too much about my own thoughts and opinions here, but I think it is important to address what happened during this High End fight.

He identifies himself with the Nomu: the power hungry and mindless creature. It’s interesting that he uses the phrases of “manufactured” and “holder of multiple quirks,” and “pursuit of strength” which are words that are heavy with meaning to him: the arranged marriage he purchased, the children he neglected and the “perfect” child he sought after for the sake of strength. 

The train of thoughts that had begun in his mind is expressed outwards. He shouts them out in to the sky. He acknowledges the past (however to what extent is debatable), and even addresses the future. I’m not sure if he’s acknowledging that he may fail to change or that he hopes that he can change what he can. 

He then defeats the High End. Endeavor had been given the number on hero position but this victory is what “establishes” him with the title in the eyes of the public. With the bright light of All Might gone, the public is inspired by a new light, the sun that Endeavor represents bringing a dawn to the night. His victory pose is reminiscent of All Might’s however it is with his other arm that is in the air, he’s slumped over and his legs are barely keeping him up. The flames that usually cover his face and body are gone as well. This is the victory of Endeavor the hero but it could also be Todoroki Enji as a father making a statement. 

I’m not sure if this is him symbolically k/illing the monster he was, or if this is symbolic as to where Endeavor’s journey will ultimately head towards, or if its a representation of hopes that never come true later on. I’m not trying to paint this piece from a pro-Endeavor stance or an anti-Endeavor stance but merely trying to explain how I interpreted the events of the High End fight and the thematic meanings it had as it unfolded. At the end of the day, we all have different opinions and interpretations and you have all the right to disagree with everything I’m writing in this post. 

(The case with Endeavor is very complicated and I don’t want to get to deep in to it here however) We definitely should not forget what Endeavor did in the past but at the same time we should not ignore the efforts and progress he has tried to make. While we must hold people accountable for their actions, it is not wrong for someone to want to change or become better. Endeavor may “fail” or he may be able to “succeed,” whatever either entails or looks like. However even though we do get the depiction of a rising sun, you have to remember that the sun also sets. 

Anyways, what has been established was that this fight is where Endeavor explicitly expressed his acknowledgement of the past (maybe not in its entirety but it is a big first step). And it is directly after this step that we take a deep dive in to what facing the past will look like for Endeavor.  

[imaginationxlost]

SO I was just inadvertently reminded that I need to talk about the setting of Sparks (and many other stories).

Very minor spoilers for uh... all of these ahead.

That out of the way, let’s begin!

I usually call the setting “Shadowed Dreams” as a combination of the two halves of it, Shadowed Souls and Dreams (which are themselves multiple stories coming together).

So the setting of Shadowed Dreams exists in five planes.  (Also the separation of Shadowed Souls and Dreams is primarily whether the plot stuff is more related to up from Earth (Dreams) or down from Earth (Shadowed Souls))

Each plane has it’s own color of magic (mostly called Quintessence, or tessence on Earth; which is the term I will use from here on, even though other planes have different names) and each kind acts slightly differently.

They can also react with one another.

Purple and Black tend to mutually destroy one another, and they act really similarly and will supplant one another whenever possible. Black tends to be better at creating permanent effects versus purple and black is better at affecting the souls of living things. Purple on the other hand is better at quick changes, natural phenomena and mind affecting abilities. Both are very good at magical binding, whether it’s tying two souls together, or locking someone into a magical contract. It can be very tricky.

They also move similarly, but not quite identically. Both kinds of tessence travel through the air like a mist. Black acts like it’s a little ‘heavier’, but it’s slight. The similarity is why they tend to supplant each other when they end up in the same environment.

Yellow and Green tessence also react with one another as well, but rather than destroying and supplanting one another, they tend to repel each other. If forced together they’ll mutually destroy, but one has to force that. 

Both Yellow and Green are particularly good at conjuration; creating something out of nothing. Yellow is also extremely good at illusions, and any and all magic related to the mind. Green is... VERY good at conjuration. Also at like... edict magic. Magical commands that one has to/is compelled to follow. And divinations. It’s very good at divinations. It’s also good at messing with souls, though not as good as black.

Yellow and Green tessense both spread through the air too, but green tessense tends to sink close to the ground and creep along like a heavy smoke, and yellow spreads out fast and always ends up scattered and thin if it’s not actively controlled or replenished.

Worth noting about all of these specialties is that they aren't hard rules. They’re just what’s easiest to do with each color by default. Technically there’s nothing that one color can do that the others can’t.

Movement between planes is possible, but not without rules. Without considerable magical power, it’s basically impossible to go more than one plane away from your native plane. That’s what the arrows on the image mean; it’s showing the possible travel.

Also worth noting is that tessense as a whole travels up between planes where it can. It usually can’t because there’s just too much of the native tessence for it to matter but it will be relevant.

“You skipped Orange-”

Orange is fucked. I’ll GET TO IT. Just know it hates all other kinds of tessense right this second. If you’ve read Sparks (and you’re not a specific friend I’ve talked about this stuff to) you’re probably a little confused because, uh, isn’t Earth Purple?

I’ll get to it.

Oh and a couple of quick side notes

     ~ All sapient denizens are humanoid to some degree. The weirdest is gets is the more powerful Angels and Demons. Angels will have more wings the more powerful they are, and demons will have like weirder legs or arms or whatnot. But still a bipedal creature with one head two arms, two forward facing eyes, etc. Also the fey have some variation (especially in size) but are never too far from the humanoid body plan.

    ~ Every plane has at least one ‘monarch’ sorta. It’s magical thing. They don’t have to have any political power (though they usually do; Earth excluded). The Monarch(s) are powerful individuals magically connected to the plane itself, and without the Monarch(s) the fabric of reality is less stable. This is a relevant fact. OKAY.

So let’s talk about these planes, from the top down.

The top plane is native to the Angels. It’s ruled by the King of Angels, and at any given time there are nine archangels in existence, though not all of them are in their home plane, since one of them has been banished down to Earth by the King. The King is the Monarch, though any of the Archangels could take that position if it was ever opened. He’s very paranoid about that possibility and rules the whole plane (or well, his planet in the plane; they all have Outer Space) with an iron fist to keep tight control and maintain his position. 

He’s also in a long term war with the Demons, but it’s mostly In Name Only because it’s very rare that they can actually access each other. Hatred of demons is a very real thing in Angel culture though, especially after an archangel was killed by a demon on Earth (the fact that said Archangel was banished there by the King is conveniently left of of the narrative).

Next down is the Dreamers. Dreamland as as place is fueled and influenced by the thoughts and imaginations of the people on Earth. Yellow Quintessence is created by the dreams and ideas of Earthlings, rising up like magic and forming into the tessence on Dreamlands plane.

All of that is why the culture and magic in Dreamland is influenced by Earth’s. 

There are five courts in Dreamland, each one having it’s own Monarch. Thematically, they’re each one of the french suits, as through Dreamlands history their courts have always built off of Earthly games, and as time went on the powers shifted and it slowly went from one monarch to five.

Five though, you might be asking? There are only four french suits; hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. And you’re right! 

But before the french suits there were the minor arcana. And the major arcana. But as the french suits took over as the actual game cards, things shifted in Dreamland, and the Major Arcana court eventually became the star court, as a fifth suit.

But... saying Dreamland has five courts isn’t entirely accurate. It’s supposed to have five. That hasn’t been the case in a long time. The Diamond court ended up absorbed into the Heart Court, making the Heart Court the defacto court in control of all of Dreamland, and making the whole plane less stable and that’s a dangerous state to be in. It’s a good thing the Angels aren’t trying to take advantage of that /foreshadowing

Hoo boy. Earth. Okay. So Earth’s color is orange. A fact that I’m SURE confused any readers of Sparks.

Orange quintessence doesn’t spread. It doesn’t spread like, at all. It clumps together leaving it wide open for the tessence from below to flow up and spread on Earth, to the point of dominating and becoming the life energy everything on Earth, when on every other plane it’s their own native color in that role.

There aren’t very many magic users who use orange, and those who do... don’t consider themselves magic users.

See, orange Quintessence is more commonly called anti-magic. As used by hunters. You see it now, Sparks readers, Eh?

ACTUAL SPOILERS AHEAD THOUGH. Skip to Fey if you don’t want spoilers about a major villain + some other stuff

WARNING. WARNING.

So what about Earth’s Monarch? And for the readers of Sparks- what the hell is the Master? What are Mages? While those later questions are more related to the Fey, I’m going to answer them here.

The Master is the reincarnating soul of a deceased Monarch from the Fey world. When a monarch is killed by someone else who could magically hold that position it shunts the soul to a different plane. And it only reincarnates in the mages and into specific families a lot because... mages are descendants of Fey, and the stronger a family’s fey blood is, the more likely it is that the fey monarch would be born into, because magically it’s drawn to Like.

So... Earth’s Monarch. 

Earth’s Monarch is Kevin Anderson. The only people who use orange magic are the organization of Witch Hunters, who actively hunt down and kill magic users, because orange destroys all other kinds of tessense, and isn’t mutually destroyed to the same extent as the other reactive colors. 

Kevin Anderson is a name that has meaning to anyone who’s read Sparks though.

See, Monarch on Earth just reincarnates (common for monarch souls) whenever they die, and the Hunter Organization actively hunts the kid down every time, and due to how reincarnation works (with past lives acting as a base for a new personality to be altered and changed by a new lifetime) it’s slowly made them hateful and cruel across many lifetimes

Which lands on Kevin Anderson by the time the story starts. At first the characters only know him as a very powerful Hunter, but it’s a lot more than that. He’s extremely dangerous.

So about those Fey Monarchs. There’s three fey Monarchs. There’s supposed to be four, one for each Season.

The Winter Queen is dead though, killed by her own child (who was a literal CHILD and got banished to Earth for their ‘crimes’), and no one took that throne. The Autumn Queen grabbed up a lot of the Winter Courts people and power, but not all of it, so the power imbalance isn’t quite as extreme as in Dreamland.

It’s still not GOOD though. Especially given what goes on below them though.

Oh also all of the Queens are kinda terrible people.

Below them though? Well there’s the Demon King, and nine archdemons, mirroring the Angels in that. Frankly the King of Demons and the Angel King have more in common than they have different. They’re both old fools who are clinging to their throne at all costs and stoke hatred towards the other to maintain control.

But the King of Demons is doing more than the Angel King. He’s actively seeking to advance that war, damn all the people between them.

And what do you know, the plane between him and Earth is weakened for having a monarch missing, so his war starts against the Fey, but his plans go much further than that.

[motheatenscarf]

Further assortment of unrelated BG3 thoughts;

The music is pretty hit or miss, but when it hits, it hits real good. Best tracks so far are definitely the ominous minor key shit that’s always running in the ambient, it’s great for atmosphere and makes everything in the world feel a bit more foreboding and mysterious, which fits, considering the entire plot happens because mindflayers. The tiefling bard who’s composing a song for her mentor also literally made me cry because I’m a big fuckin sap and that was the moment I decided I would die for these tieflings if I had to. I’d link to it but I actually don’t want to spoil it for anybody who picks up the game, it’s a really beautiful moment.

I’ve said before that I really like the combat, but I just wanna stress again how much I love the combat in this. There’s so many spells and items you can utilize and clever combinations too. The use of terrain is fucking fascinating too, and the opportunity for you to turn the environment to your favor is always there. I fucking love getting to use the Shove bonus action and Wyll’s repelling blast to knock enemies off of ledges. You don’t get to loot from them usually if you do that, but honestly, it’s so satisfying that I don’t really care.

It’s obviously not as versatile as real D&D which relies on imagination, but it makes up for it by making a lot of shit just take up a bonus action instead of a full action. Like, my favorite thing so far is the fact that if you tell Astarion you don’t give a shit if he drains enemies, he can bite them as a bonus action and heal himself. The big downside to rogues is always the high-risk/high-reward of being little glass shivs but I NEVER have to waste a potion on him. It’s so fucking busted, I love it so much!!

The ONLY thing I’d change is maybe a fast-forward option when it’s not yours or your companions turns. Like real D&D combat, it can get pretty bogged down and boring when it’s not your turn, and without a DM to narrate the drama of everything unfolding, it can be pretty lackluster to just sit and wait for the computer to decide what it’s gonna do. Unlike real D&D, I don’t need to pay attention while the enemy has their turn so I’ll know how to respond, the turns aren’t timed, I can just walk away and wait until it’s my turn, take one look at what’s happening/what everyone’s stats are, and decide what to do. A fast-forward button would improve things, I’m hoping they add it as the game progresses further along.

Even out of combat I love how much you can do with spells. I gave Aashi Speak with Animals because I remembered in the Divinity games you could unlock special dialogue and secret quests by talking to the local wildlife, and it turned out that was the right instinct. You learn a LOT more about the world and can make even more informed decisions by talking to the critters you see. Same with Speak with Dead! I’m... actually kinda hoping when I’m high enough level it will let me take Speak with Plants because that’s my favorite useless spell. I doubt it will, considering that the game is just littered with foliage, but idk, it might! 

[svint-of-the-deep]

I’ve read the lore book. I almost got physically sick from the lore book. I’m flat out terrified of talking about it outside of tumblr memes. Somewhere out there in the toxic mess of Destiny, this book has the capacity to weed out every misogynist in a ten mile radius without trying as hard as some other things. I’m praying I don’t see them. What follows is my giant spinfoil for everything. My bad.

Warning: lots of spinfoil. giant, giant rant.

Implications for Exos: The fact that Clovis Sr. still has the full upload scan of his son to possibly put back in a more fitting exo body raises questions. Whose scans are really saved? Is it an auto-delete button once the consciousness is transferred? Does the radiolaria/darkness mix remember the consciousness instead of the neural wiring? It would explain how Vex can connect with each other instantly. One shared consciousness remembers even when the chassis is gone and radiolaria scattered. If this is the case, it means that even with a memory reset, it’s possible to maintain a complete inaccessible memory bank. This could also explain why Banshee still remembers a fairly decent amount even with 44 resets. (And why Ada is physically fine for so long; she doesn’t have to worry about a pseudo-darkness compound in her veins.)

Aside from the radiolaria memory for exos, this could solve the conundrum of the Vex tech scannables. Radiolaria remembers the patterns its used to. It is, all things considered, Vex. It still holds the building blocks to interact with Vex data and constructs. Its interaction with and within exos could be an extension of that (let’s simplify it dramatically) programming. New body means adapting to do the same under the hood tasks. No idea when it’ll be useful, but it’ll be something. (Thoughts on if Asher was exo? Or if Kabr was so successful in integrating is Light and entire being with the Vex because he was exo? Then again totally forgot if he was or not big oops if so.)

Thoughts on pyramids: The Darkness likes seeing a natural rise and fall of life. The final pattern will always be there. It’s right in the flower game. Clovis sees this Clarity mix as a key to immortality. The Traveler hadn’t yet made guardians and this was tempting. Too tempting. We as guardians are, immortal, blank slates that have superhuman (yes paracausal just stick with me) powers, upgraded motor and cognitive functions, and are effectively stronger than what we were before. Good argument for the Traveler here.

Now we have Clovis’ hopefully perfected exos. Effectively immortal, upgraded motor and cognitive functions, stronger than they were before. The blank slate could’ve been so they wouldn’t remember the crypt or something more sinister. Both were made in a desperate attempt to stop the inevitable. I’m not equating a monster with a paracausal entity I’m totally confused about still. But they tempted fate (an inevitable death) and paid for it. The Darkness sees blatant disregard for a natural order (you live, you fight to be the top, you either succeed and live or die trying) in both. We’ve yet to see the consequences of these exo trials, but it can’t be good. Elsie is alive, but we have no idea at the cost or what she’s been through after that.

Ties to Shadowkeep: Temptation is a key theme for the Darkness. Flying into the Black Garden was a bold move for the fireteam that succumbed to the pull of Divinity. It was never meant to leave. But it did. We can’t help but run headfirst at the Moon, vanquishing our past foes and repelling new ones. Wouldn’t any guardian fight their nightmares? We fall for it every time. We fell again in the raid, right into the hands of a small pyramid that would mark darkness transmat points in this season for Contact. They can incapacitate us at any moment. But why outright hurt us when we can be lured into a trap ourselves? Guardians aren’t a fighter in the flower game as much as a complete cheat card. We win our battles, have nothing to stop us, and keep going. Without us, the Traveler loses.

Every rez we turn to our Ghost for help, to our Light, and to the Traveler. What’s a few more hard resets to make us completely dependent on the Light? There’s not a lot of guardians left who don’t trust the big ball in the sky. We shouldn’t trust the pyramids, but I think a lot more is in store than another talking ball that drops from nowhere into our arms. Stasis could be an edge, or it could cripple us completely.

The pyramids talk about us being their salvation, but what could they want? They had their answer to the game eons ago. As terrible as it is, the only solution I can think of is that they overfill the Traveler with Light, drain us of it, and make the Vex paracausal. Is it possible? Probably not, but it would be the only viable thing at 5:15 am. There’s very few futures in which the Vex win. We can’t be in them if they do. Salvation in this case is uniting all the enemy races of the Dark along with us to prepare Sol for a hard reset. This time where Light and Dark aren’t around, and we’re left with nothingness. No blinding immortality, and no shadowed entropy. The game begins again.

Extra, extra: Kinda funny how the pyramids and Savathûn are in a battle over us. She’s the other one looking for an escape from this game. We can already walk away. Our guardian stays in the world of the game and we go on with our lives. If she succeeds in breaking away from her worm, it means maintaining paracausality and immortality for her brood and the Hive as a whole. The Taken are gonna stay no matter the outcome. It would mean a battle that ends where one side has infinite control while the other has a force that won’t stay down. If either wins, it spells disaster for the Vex. So why not control both and reduce the time and energy spent fighting both?

wow beyond light is close. and still no transmog news. oh well.

[nightingaletrash]

I’m replaying the Pact storyline, and I think I’ve figured out the things that bothered me most so far, so here’s my ideas for rewriting portions of the storyline to improve cohesion between zones and the overall feel of the story. This post covers Bleakrock, Bal Foyen, Stonefalls, Deshaan, Shadowfen, and Eastmarch. Riften on the other hand is getting a huge overhaul which I’ll make a separate post about, because I don’t much care for the Companions and how they were presented in this game  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Under the cut because it’s kinda long.

Bleakrock, Bal Foyen, and Stonefalls are mostly driven by the idea that you’re conscripted to the war effort against the Covenant. You start out as a soldier as opposed to an agent like in AD and DC.

You’re not the first conscript that Tanval has sent into the Indoril family tomb, just the latest, and the first to succeed - that combined with your other accomplishments in repelling the Covenant is why he decides to send you to help Garen at Ash Mountain. While he has faith in his son, he wants to be certain that he has the best soldiers at his side to ensure his safety.

Tanval is known to boast about Garen on occasion, reminding him to be careful before sending him off on his tasks, really building up his fatherly pride in his son and the bond they share to make Garen’s death and Tanval’s reaction all the more tragic. Maybe he even falls mid-battle and is then raised by General Serien, forcing Tanval to strike down his own son whom he loved more than life itself, thus making Tanval’s fall from grace all the more tragic and understandable.

Holgunn is your commanding officer in Stonefalls, and is the one who sends you to Deshaan to investigate reports of the Llodos Plague once Stonefalls is secure as opposed to you delivering a letter to some random guy’s cousin. He jokes about being reluctant to give up his best soldier, but knows you’re needed more elsewhere now that Stonefalls is secure for the time being.

Deshaan is mostly the same, but with more acknowledgement of your accomplishments in the previous zones. High ranking officials recognise you as a war hero due to your efforts against the Covenant, as opposed to acting like you’re some random sellsword who showed up out of nowhere.

Similarly, Almalexia is treated as a major member of the Pact’s leadership, and is fully acknowledged as one of the major reasons that it even exists. Many dunmer (especially those of House Indoril) consider her THE leader of the Pact given her status as a Living Goddess, for her part in the Akaviri War, and her part in helping to establish the Pact in the first place.

When the Maulborn threaten Mournhold, she has the Vestige deal with the daedra in the Temple while she ensures the safety of high-ranking Pact officials in the city. If you ask why she’s giving you the harder task, she waves it off by saying that she would not give you a task that you could not accomplish, but alludes to wanting to keep up appearances of having control.

Upon completing the Deshaan storyline, Almalexia then sends you to Shadowfen to investigate threats to the Pact’s stability, and she grants you her full authority as a Hand of Almalexia, thus changing your status from conscripted-solider-turned-war-hero to a personal agent of a Living Goddess (whether you like it or not.)

Vicecanon Hrondar isn’t abducted from Stormhold like he is in game - as it conflicts with the fact that he was replaced prior to the Vestige’s arrival in Stormhold, and thus kidnapping him makes no sense - but rather the Vicecanon’s informant sees some citizens being taken into the ruins, which leads to the Vestige discovering the Dominion’s presence under Stormhold, along with information on Ten-Maur-Wolk. This forces the Skin Stealer impersonating Hrondar to agree to an attack on the ruins, which he then attempts to sabotage to prevent the operation from falling apart.

There’s more general upset in Stormhold upon the revelation that Vicecanon Hrondar was replaced by a Dominion spy; the city’s citizens have no idea who to trust and there’s a great deal of conflict, with people accusing one another of being spies for the Dominion. Rifts begin to deepen between the already-divided populace.

The Shadowscales are more involved in the efforts to drive out the Dominion, and are present at Loriasel.

When arriving in Eastmarch, you aren’t directed to Thane Mera Stormcloak because you ‘look like the kind of person she needs’ but because she’s the one who requested your presence (in-game Heita-meen claims you were requested in Eastmarch, yet this never gets addressed again). Mera needs someone to help her investigate the Stormfists and, as a war hero and agent of Almalexia, you come highly recommended.

You’re recognised by Jorunn as a Pact Hero and agent of Almalexia, and is aware of your prior accomplishments.

The Breton illusionist, Dhelan, is no longer in anyway involved in Eastmarch. Fort Amol sees a brief return of the Shadowfen Skin-Stealers; deserters from Ruuvitar’s regiment who stole the remaining potion that took Fildgor’s contract so they could make enough gold to avoid persecution from the Dominion for their desertion. Some dialogue changes depending on whether or not you’ve already completed Shadowfen, but it plays out much the same way regardless.

There is now a smack Prince Irnskar option. You’re welcome.

Naryu remains involved in Eastmarch after the events of Fort Amol. She says that she’s no alchemist like her brother Odral, but she’s picked up enough from him over the years to help the Ternion Monks slow the spread of the Daedric Poison that’s killing Jorunn - she explains that the Tong will overlook her stepping the bounds of her contract, as its to save Jorunn and that can only benefit the Tong’s reputation. She then receives orders from the Tong, a writ to end the life of Fildgor Orcthane. She joins the Pact army at Jorunn’s Stand, and helps the Vestige reach Fildgor.

Almalexia is present alongside the rest of the Pact leadership. In fact, she is the only reason that the Vestige is able to reach Skuldafn, which is famously impossible to reach without wings in Skyrim.

While Fildgor and his forces have had a decade to access the Dragon shrine and its portal to Sovngarde and create their own ways of moving in and out, the Pact doesn’t have the same advantage. Almalexia uses her divine power to get the Vestige inside of the shrine safely, and gives them portal stones that will allow their troops to filter into the ruins without any interference from Fildgor’s mages.

The Pact is cemented, and Almalexia gives Jorunn her blessing to take the position of High King of the Ebonheart Pact. 

When deciding what to do with Fildgor, you can kill him yourself, allow Jorunn to kill him, or allow Naryu to execute him. You can entertain the idea of sparing him, but Naryu’s writ demands his death and Jorunn and Almalexia agree that it would simply be delaying the inevitable to spare him there and then.

Naryu then departs Skyrim to return to Mournhold, but promises that she and the Vestige will see each other again.

After returning to Jorunn’s Stand, the Vestige is informed that the Worm Cult has arrived in the Rift and is causing chaos. Almalexia advises that Jorunn send the Vestige to deal with the threat, which he agrees to.

[dailyaudiobible]

06/19/2020 DAB Transcript

1 Kings 20:1-21:29, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalms 137:1-9, Proverbs 17:16

Today is the 19th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we approach the close of another work week and head into the weekend. And we're continuing to cover ground together. So, let's…let's continue to cover ground together and take the next step forward. We’ve been working our way through the book of first Kings and we’ve spent some time the last couple of days in the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel, the 10 tribes in the north and that's where we’ll be spending our time today. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. First Kings chapters 20 and 21.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in the book of first Kings today we see that Samaria the…the northern capital, the capital of Israel, of the…of the nation of Israel, whereas Jerusalem is the capital city of Judah at this point. Anyway, Samaria is under siege from Ben-hadad and they are able to repel those attacks through the providence of God, but this is gonna kinda keep happening and eventually…eventually Israel is going to get conquered by these people, the Assyrians. But we’re far enough into the story of Israel, the northern kingdom at this point. We can see it’s…it's a pretty tumultuous time with a lot of transfer of power happening through political maneuvering and assassinations. So, that's kind of where we find ourselves as we’re moving to the territory of first Kings for now,

In the book of Acts, we see Saul who is also known as Paul also known as the apostle Paul going on a missionary journey, on his first missionary journey, and we notice that someone named John Mark is accompanying him. John Mark is somebody that we've met. John Mark is thought to be the author, the writer of the gospel of Mark, which is the first of the Gospels ever written.

Now when we look at the Psalm today, Psalm 137, this is Psalm written from exile and this can get a little confusing because this comes from the Babylonian exile. So, this kind of…as we’re…we’re going into a weekend here and going to be moving into some of the territory next week and in the coming weeks, this is a good time to just keep our bearings because it's really easy to get to the books of Kings, and we’re moving through so much territory and covering so many decades so quickly that it's similar to the book of Judges. It's easy enough to get lost. So, we know there's a northern kingdom. We’ve been talking about it. We know that there's a southern kingdom of Judah, that this unified 12 tribes of Israel has become two different nations. And, so, now the northern kingdom of Israel is under attack. They will eventually be conquered by the Assyrian Empire and those 10 tribes will be taken into exile and we’ll talk about exile when we get to these battles and stuff, but they are basically going to disappear after that. Meanwhile, there is the kingdom of Judah in the south where Jerusalem is and their going to last longer. They will outlast the kingdom of Israel, but they too eventually will be conquered by the Babylonians and also taken into exile and being taken into exile means you’re being forcibly removed from your homeland and resettled somewhere else. And, so, that's where this Psalm comes from today. That's where these words leap off the page, “beside the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem”, right? And the Psalm goes on to say how the people there were saying, “sing us songs of Jerusalem” and they just…they’re not able to do that…like, they're not able to be entertainment for their captors or…or other people who have been conquered and exiled. They’re broken hearted over the loss of their city and of their temple. And, so, that is the heart cry of Psalm 137. And, so, that kinda gives us the lay of the land. That's how we’re landing things as we prepare for the weekend and…and this week. This the territory that we’re in. These are the stories that we’re…we’re moving through and are contemplating and considering.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you. We thank you for all of the people that we get to meet in the Bible, all of the stories of all of the lives, of the way that we get the look back at what people were thinking and how they were living and see that the heart remains largely unchanged even though we’re looking back thousands of years. And as we back…look back over these thousands of years we see your faithfulness. Your unwillingness to abandon the human story lets us know that you are unwilling to abandon our story. And…O Lord it is our deepest desire to tell a love story with our lives, one in which we were on an adventure together through these human years, one that we will make memories together and remember them a million years from now. And, so, we thank you for the stories in the Bible and we thank you for the story of our lives and we invite you Holy Spirit to write the story of our lives as we follow you. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen,

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here, it's how you get connected. It's how you resource yourself for the journey. So…so, stay tuned and stay connected.

The Community section is where to get connected, including the Daily Audio Bible women's group that my wife leads. So, check that out. Different…different links to the different social media channels that were on our in the Community section as well as the Prayer Wall where we are continually praying for one another. Just one of the beautiful beautiful, beautiful distinctions of this community. It's amazing. It’s amazing how it wouldn't work on paper, but it works in the Spirit, that we reach out. Even though we may have all kinds of disagreements and diversities we just reach out in prayer for one another knowing that we’re brothers and sisters all over the world. So, stay connected there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There’s a link on the homepage. I thank you with all my heart for your partnership. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Susie from Colorado I just heard with great sadness the man who called in that he and his wife had lost their child and I just…he was…he was so grateful to God that they got to actually see the baby and hold the baby before the funeral and I…I just I…I love your faith in God and I appreciate it. It just really is amazing, and I am praying for you and your wife. You said that you’d really really appreciate those prayers from all of us and I just want you to know that you are being pray for. God bless you.

Hello this is Lorrie from Ohio it’s been a little while since I have called in and I’ve been feeling stirred to call for those but have been sharing about not having the strength to…to shower and do work at their home and then again when Jill posted about the letter she receives from those who are incarcerated. To each of you, you are loved, you are a child of God. Then today I heard this prayer of St. Francis and wanted to share. Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, union. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood, as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. Thinking of you all and praying for you. In God’s love and peace. Amen.

Hi this is Galena from Atlanta I wanted to thank Elayna for welcoming me to DABbers community. I really am grateful, and I just want you to know that I’m praying for you too. Going through a divorce is a really hard time and you’re in my prayers. I just wanted to say that there’s a lot of things that happened in my life since I’ve called and left my first message or prayer. I actually found a job and I was without a job for two or three months. And the day when I left a prayer was the day when I had an interview and two days later when my prayer was played the same company gave me a job offer. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I think God really truly saw into my heart what I needed and wanted, and He chose to shower me with his blessing. So, I just want to say thank you so much for accepting me into your community and I want to continue praying for Elayna and the young man who is going through a hard time with marriage and his mother who is very bad condition. I just want to pray over all of you who have marital problems right now, that God will deliver you through it and will make you stronger and your relationship with Him will be better than it ever was. Thank you.

Heavenly Father I pray for Alicia from Pennsylvania. I thank You Lord that You moved in the heart of Your child to speak out against racism. Lord that You would move in the heart of all Your people called by Your name to realize that there is something that they can do no matter their station to speak against injustice and offer comfort, compassion and even confrontation where necessary. Lord I pray You bless Alicia with the words that she needs just as You blessed Stephen and he spoke before the Pharisees Lord, for her to keep her eyes on You at all times and to speak in truth and in love. I pray Your protection over her, I pray Your wisdom for her Lord. If there are any others Lord that would be so bold as to hear Your call to their heart to stand up in this time of deep, deep division and to offer comfort. We move away from fear and move towards love Lord. I pray Your blessings on all those Lord that will speak truth and power no matter where they are no matter what the situation Lord. May Your people heavenly Father that are called by Your name bring healing to this land and bring it to the place where it’s supposed to be, that we can live up to the truth that is self-evident and all Your children are created equal. I pray Your blessings in Jesus name.

Hey, everyone it’s Margo in Liberia. I’ve got to be quick. I need prayer for a lady that we’ve been trying to help at the hospital her name is Patience. Her husband died last August leaving her destitute basically with two young children. She moved in with a male friend who promised that he would support her and her children. He got her pregnant. He then demanded in abortion. She attempted the abortion which failed. The man kicked them out. She was staying with friends, but a young man attempted to rape her young daughter. She caught him in the act in they all fled. She ended up on the streets. She was selling cookies that she made over a coal fire so that she could survive. That all ended with the coronavirus lockdowns here. She ended up taking her two children to an orphanage because there was no other way they would survive, and she ended up in our hospital. She is due to give birth any time. We’ve been trying to help her as best we can. She’s so depressed. This week an ultrasound has just shown that the baby she’s carrying has no limbs and we are…we are at a loss. We haven’t even told her this yet. She is already in such a bad way. She will probably refuse to keep the baby. That’s very common here. In a culture like this people will think that she has sinned in some way and this is her punishment. And we don’t know what to do. We don’t know what to do with her or the baby if it even survives once it’s born. There’s no…there’s no infrastructure here to care for babies like this. Can you pray for myself and Annette the social worker, that God will show us how we can help in this situation? Maybe we can help this mother to be able to raise this child and help the mother to be able to live with the guilt of the attempted abortion. Please just pray for the situation, that God would come through and provide a solution. Thank you.

Hi DAB family this is Elizabeth from Detroit I’m a first-time caller I’ve been listening for a few months and I wanted to thank Brian and everyone behind the scenes. This is an amazing podcast and outreach. I was not planning on calling in anytime soon since I’m a new listener, but I heard an urgent prayer request on June 10th from Marla in Albuquerque who suffers from depression. I’ve been praying for you. Then a few days later on June 14th I heard your praise report about the medication being…arriving safely at your doctor’s office. That’s such good news. I wanted to say that you’re not alone in the struggle of having bipolar. I have bipolar too and I know how debilitating it can be. I want to pray over you. Dear heavenly Father You know Marla from the inside out. You created her in her image. She’s precious in Your sight. I praise You Father for the Latuda shipment coming in. I praise You Father because I know You’re with Marla in the waiting. You are beside her, You’re behind her, You are before her. Lord I pray that Marla will sense Your presence and her perspective will shift. I pray that she’s alleviated from all bipolar depression so she can get back to…into the daily rhythms and activities of her life. Father renew her strength, surround her with people who will support and encourage her. I pray all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is for the man who lost his baby daughter on May 19th. I can’t imagine the pain that you two must be going through and I’m so sorry that you’re having to deal with or endure it. But I just want you to know that I am so lifted up by the way that you…you perceived it in that God is good and that you’re not blaming him and that you had the honor of holding your baby daughter before she died. And, so, Lord just…just bless this family. I just ask that I know they are going to speak to those who have gone through this same thing. But yet Lord I ask for a miraculous blessing on them of children. I think it’s in Isaiah 54 about the tents being enlarged. And I just ask for that for them in Jesus’ name. Amen.

[flowersforthemachines]

Sekiro Case Study: Kanji Part 2.2 -  Healing items

Just me doing what must be done and continuing with the previous post. Nothing special. 

This one isn’t really big on kanji, because most of them are pretty much the same as the ones used in the previous post. I compensated it by looking into items’ names and descriptions and looking for Japanese trivia on the items. It was wild. 

Now, let’s roll into it! 

1. 続幹　Persimmon\Taro Persimmon (柿\太郎柿)

The first one is 続　(”continue”), just like in pellet and divine grass. The second one is a pain. Well, it was a pain, because 幹 means “tree trunk”, and I had no idea what t was doing there until I realised that 体幹　(たいけん）stands for “posture” in Japanese. So, basically, the kanji in the picture mean “Continious posture regeneration”. 

Persimmon is commonly viewed as a simple of transformation in Buddhism, and six of them represent enlightenment, whereas in Japan in general kaki is a symbol of autumn. They can either be eaten fresh or dried, the duality of which is most likely portrayed in Fresh\Dried Great Serpent viscera items. I don’t know how relevant this is, but Japanese permissions (like a species) are called Diospyros kaki. Diospyros comes from Greek words dios and pyron, which together form the meaning of “divine fruit”. In Japanese, however, they’re simply called 柿の木 - “Persimmon tree”. Japanese is, at times, boring. 

2. 続治　Rice\Fine Snow お米\細雪

Kanji are the same as pellet’s in both variations of this item. I don’t think I have to tell anybody about the importance of rice in Japanese culture. Rice is precious. There’s also a small nuance in the translation of the item’s description. While in English it’s “... the power of the Dragon's Blood brings a bountiful harvest.”,   the Japanese version has a different phrasing,「偽りなれど、竜胤の力　その血は豊穣をもたらす」. It’s not the power of blood, that ensures a bountiful harvest, but the blood itself. further implying that the Divine Child of Rejuvenation is using her own blood to harvest rice. 

細雪 （ささめゆき）is actually not just snow - it means either tiny snowflakes or a light snowfall, which is sometimes confused with falling cherry blossoms. 

On a less related note, I think there is a potential mistake in the translation of Rice for Kuro item. The last sentence reads, 「九郎に届ければ、喜ぶだろう 」In English it probably should be “She [Divine Child of Rejuvination] will be happy if you deliver it to Kuro.” instead of “Kuro would likely be pleased to receive it.” Japanese is hard on skipping personal pronouns and subjects of the sentence, but I think if it actually were about giving, 下さる (well, “to give”) would be used instead of 届ける　(”to deliver”). It’s nothing much, but still. 

3.続治　続幹 Rice ball （おはぎ）

Kanji from pellet are followed by the ones from Taro persimmon. Ohagi is a ball of rice covered in sweet red bean paste, one of traditional Japanese sweets. I found a very interesting interpretation that described ohagi as “a symbol of decisive change”. Ohagi is a part of the celebration of the equinox that in itself brings vast changes to nature and people’s everyday lives. I’ll just leave the rest of it as a quote.  “In Japanese traditions, which are very much coloured by their rural origin, ohagi marks the end of something and celebrates the new that is about to arrive. It is white and red, the colours that symbolize an auspicious occasion. They symbolise a short temporal pause, where people stop and reflect, feeling gratitude for what is ending and hoping for the future.” 

This, I think, is perfectly in line with the description of the second rice ball Kuro gives to Wolf, reflecting both his resolve to severy immortality ties, gratitude for the Wolf’s loyal service, mixed with the pain of inevitable parting, and hope that he’s making the right choice. 

I couldn’t leave this at the beautiful poetic note, so here are some translating mistakes. 

Last sentence from the description of the second rice ball, 「秘められた想いとは、誰もいないとき、一人で呟くものだろう」which came to be “ Such deep emotions tend to be mumbled to oneself rather than shared.” is a little bit off the mark. In truth, it should be more like, “The thoughts that are kept secret may be said aloud should no one else be present.” What I tried to convey with my translation is that the game was hinting to eavesdrop on Kuro. In the Japanese version, that is, because it was kinda lost in translation. 

Next part will most likely be about status abnormalities and the healing items used to repel them. stay tuned. 

[alschain]

I honestly can't post more random shit on twitter so here's where I'll store my garbage brain reading magi comic

- I SHIP TOTO AND MORGIANA how dare you sink my ship with only like 2 chapters

- finally reached them plot beyond anime adaptation and first thing we learn, someone need to water spray Alibaba's horny ass

- Yunan and Sinbad bicker back and forth...? Must be exes (nod) also Yunan you fucking twink

- but he's an intellectual twink I approve

- kou empire being a commentary on ancient china (even china today) and it's ideology of unification by not accepting diversity but promoting a single culture language and customs that are it's own is not a critique of communism rather colonialism....thank you

- maybe it's too quick to judge but good grief I hate people like koumei the most :( being able to rationalize and institutionalize violation of human rights is a lot scarier than any crazy loony. And it honestly is some 1984 shit going on here

- oh.............................

- Ithnan is a gay baby

- so the story of alma toran, shares the same core idea of Jesus Christ Superstar (jokes aside the discussion of power and divinity is really fucking beautiful

- It is incredibly distracting however that in a magical world deeply rooted in Arabic culture, people have names like Solomon or Sheba or Ugo that the ultimate villain is just called, David. Like some guy from work

- final chapter of the arc looping back to aladdin wishing to be friend with ugo....It's fucking poetic, it's fucking beautiful. The whole alma toran story obviously isn't telling us that Solomon's will is just good, or that he did everything right. Just like he once did, aladdin is now questioning the world's principal and all acting from the base desire of happiness. I don't think my sleep deprived mind grasped or made sense of everything going on here but damn, this is good shit

- I read shonen to feel good about myself and the world because they get cool powers and unconditional friends and most importantly through trial and error they actually win. But damn is it suffocating to read magi (but in a good way), nihilism, existentialism, philosophies I contemplate all day every day being presented in such a way is really, idk, making me sad, just like the real world

- Hakuryuu and Judar's fight against Arba is so fucking good..............and my god all these motherfuckers from Kou are scary. But I just want to hug these two sad boys, which is not saying that I think their thinking is rights or makes sense it's just...you can't blame them, and bitch I relate. Being unable to escape a loop of hate and anger for so long and so much that you internalized it to become something much worse.......and that makes you doubt even more about yourself and the people around you. Which is why therapy is important, at least for me lol.

- SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THIS FUCKING FIGHT????? WHY??????????? WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS TO EACH OTHER IT'S SO MISERABLE I CANT-

- Aladdin's expression.......INSTANT TEARS

- he's so pure I'm crying

- Sinbad you actual SON OF A BITCH

- SINBADDDD WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE WHO?????? And putting Sinbad' adventures in his younger days into perspective it's just fucking tragic, if you have to be a piece of shit fine but what about the good people and their good intentions..............

- FUCK I knew one of them is going to die out of the fucking blue and I know I said I hated koumei but, FUCK

- jfc it's so............miserable....................

- human justice change, and as long as we are able to question it, the world would be a better place, and we are able to move forward, to have meaning. I want to hug Hakuryuu until he can't breath.

- oh no kougyoku.......come here that's right Sinbad is a piece of shit

- wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait WHAT

- she..!!! he......!!!!!!! Can she do it to literally anyone furthermore does, does like Ja'far know about......him???!?!????!?!!!????

- damn the opening chapter of the final arc is so beautifully done it's fucking art.

- To think that I was so obsessed with Yunan when I was like 13 first watching Magi anime...he's actually just a sad twink

- they got cars???? They got phones????? They got fucking planes??????? I've only ever seen fantasy + technology as in steampunk but this shit, it's purely magical, and it makes sense holy shit

- the gags in Magi are one of the greatest I swear they are so random

- this is...genius, it's not a conflict of communism and capitalism but rather the culture rooted in Eastern and Western civilizations and the different difficulties they face stepping into this new world.......these two economic system aren't inherently eastern and western either, it's just, cultures, and the conflict created thus.

- and Alibaba are you our socialism icon??

- no wait wtf alibaba WHAT fucking plan is this that's not how, that's not how it works. To introduce a concept previously foreign to the population is not to domesticated it like that...? It suggests that....people can't change, culture can't change, Idk it's kinda worrying. But I do understand, as a temporary measure :/

- ALIBABA. YOU. GREAT. HUMAN. BEING.

- fuck capitalism and monopoly fuck you Sinbad

- this is the scariest shit I've ever seen good grief arba can you not

- I'm going to say it while I still can without being creepy since technically I'm still a teen? Aladdin how is he hot af now

- now that I think more about it Hakuryuu's redemption happens so naturally, it makes me so happy to see the struggle for truth and happiness is achieved through one's reflection, coming to terms with mistakes. Again this shit is fucking beautiful.

- Alibaba Keanu Reeves Saluja ("no, you're amazing"

- YUNANNNNNNNNN NOOOOOOOO

- I fucking love Yunan I just really like this character ever since the first time I watched magi for some strange reason and NOW NOOOOOOOO WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BOY

- Hakuryuu could be in a infomercial about insects repellant by now things would be much easier if you know his arms could stop getting bit/stung by snake/scorpion

- "can I have an Apple now Mr driver" ALADDIN YOU BIG FLIRT I WILL DIE WITH THIS SHIP and damn his change is even more oblivious put next to Alibaba

- crybaby Hakuryuu.....they all changed but hasn't at the same time I'm crying

- is Hakuryuu me?????????? Crying all night after getting wasted

- two minutes after I said I'll die with the ship....the ship died, bye everybody

- just kidding Alibaba and Mor as so sweet it's just I really ship Aladdin and alibaba....I get more and more estranged feeling as I keep reading because it's not silly, feel-good adventures anymore, "少年漫" 里面的 "少年感" 被渐渐冲淡了因为真实世界比魔法对决宏大多了. I mean, it doesn't seem real that Alibaba and Mor are getting married, I still see them as hot headed companions that are teens going for their dreams against a whole unkind world, it just doesn't seem real. But not in remotely any bad way, it's me who hasn't grown up, I guess.

- that said you guys can really just start with, a relationship? Ya know???? "Lets become husband and wife" I can't take this it's too fast lmao

- NO STOP PUTTING ALADDIN AND KOUGYOKU TOGETHER I DONT LIKE IT (they are both lovely people I just don't like it#!!!!!!! They had zero chemistry#!!#!!#!!!!!!!! It's weird!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I refuse everyone's getting fucking married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- stop.......being..........so.............full of yourself, sinbad

- what, the, fuck, is, going, on

- what

- the

- fuck

-Sinbad

[gaperitis]

Your name is Audrea, and you are a vampire. Yet you can’t remember your name or anything from your past. It isn’t until you see a familiar symbol from a stray page that some memories return to you. “What happened to me?” You can’t help but wonder as you see razor sharp fangs and an overwhelming need for blood. Taking that page in hand, you set out to learn what became of you, and if you can be human once more...

Name: Audrea Bion (nobility; strength // life)

Age: 23(?)

Status: ???

Location: Darkwoods - Woodlands

Path: Noble

Class: Undead

Path Action: Living Corpse Act as one of the dead to get passed large groups of monsters in your way.

Talent: Vampirism Dark magic powers are increased, with light magic decreased. When healed with light magic, loses HP instead of gaining; if HP would be zero, will be left with 1 HP.

⦁ Drain (Dark magic. If facing a living enemy, can drink their blood and regain HP. Humans give 10%, monsters give 5%, and inanimate objects give none. Single target.)

⦁ Energy Sapper (Dark magic. When facing a unspeaking enemy, can strike a weak spot and recover SP. Inanimate objects give 10%, monsters give 5%, humans give none.)

⦁ Focused (Raises the accuracy of the user for 2 turns.)

Primary Job: Vampire

Weapon Type: Polearms

Skills: ⦁ Polearm Basher (Strike with a polearm 3 - 7 times on all foes.) ⦁ Moonlight Waltz ⦁ Hypnotize (Stare into your enemies eyes, putting them under your spell. Causes confusion for two turns. Single target, can fail.) ⦁ Sharp Teeth (Opens mouth wide to reveal fangs and blood. Causes terror for two turns. Single target, can fail.) ⦁ Under Darkness (Disappear into the shadows for one turn. Your next attack will strike for critical damage.) ⦁ Crown Assault (Strike with a polearm 5 - 8 times on a single foe.) ⦁ Quiet Time (Slipping behind the enemy, strikes the back of the neck. Causes unconsciousness for 2 turns. Single target, can fail.) ⦁ Galdera’s Vengence [Divine Skill] Releases a powerful polearm strike, dealing proportional damage to how low your HP is.

Skills: ⦁ Darkness (When in caves or buildings, Dark skills do 25% more damage against foes. Equipping this skill with multiple characters will have no added effect.) ⦁ Untouchable (Increases the equipping character’s evasion by 50.) ⦁ Holey Repellent (Reduces Light damage by 0.5%) ⦁ Bloodbath (Increases the amount of HP and SP recovery moves by 10%. Equipping this skill with multiple characters will have no added effect.)

Hello Octopath fandom did you think I forgot to give you more about my OctoOcs?

Well uh. I kinda did actually jkdhgkudfjhg whoops!

I was wanting to do more drawings of them and then drop their bios. And then 2 years past! So I’m just posting it like this ; v ;

Andrea was the first of the ocs I made she is my Baby!! And yes if anyone is wondering she will indeed eventually go back to being a human. It’d be after Gates stuff and be like a new game plus thing where she’d get a new class \o/

Here’s some concept art when I was deciding her hair! They’re cute hairstyles, but didn’t Scream Audrea ya know? Very happy with the final hairstyle <3

Here’s a version where Audrea’s glasses are off

And here’s a version of her skin, hair, and eyes for when she’s just plain human!