#anchor framework

[blockchaindevelopmenttechnology]

How to Build a Solana Trading Bot: A Complete Guide

Introduction

In today’s rapidly evolving crypto landscape, algorithmic trading is no longer just for hedge funds—it’s becoming the norm for savvy traders and developers. Trading bots are revolutionizing how people interact with decentralized exchanges (DEXs), allowing for 24/7 trading, instant decision-making, and optimized strategies.

If you're planning to build a crypto trading bot, Solana blockchain is a compelling platform. With blazing-fast transaction speeds, negligible fees, and a thriving DeFi ecosystem, Solana provides the ideal environment for high-frequency, scalable trading bots.

In this blog, we'll walk you through the complete guide to building a Solana trading bot, including tools, strategies, architecture, and integration with Solana DEXs like Serum and Raydium.

Why Choose Solana for Building a Trading Bot?

Solana has quickly emerged as one of the top platforms for DeFi and trading applications. Here’s why:

🚀 Speed: Handles over 65,000 transactions per second (TPS)

💸 Low Fees: Average transaction cost is less than $0.001

⚡ Fast Finality: Block confirmation in just 400 milliseconds

🌐 DeFi Ecosystem: Includes DEXs like Serum, Orca, and Raydium

🔧 Developer Support: Toolkits like Anchor, Web3.js, and robust SDKs

These characteristics make Solana ideal for real-time, high-frequency trading bots that require low latency and cost-efficiency.

Prerequisites Before You Start

To build a Solana trading bot, you’ll need:

🔧 Technical Knowledge

Blockchain basics

JavaScript or Rust programming

Understanding of smart contracts and crypto wallets

🛠️ Tools & Tech Stack

Solana CLI – For local blockchain setup

Anchor Framework – If using Rust

Solana Web3.js – For JS-based interactions

Phantom/Sollet Wallet – To sign transactions

DeFi Protocols – Serum, Raydium, Orca

APIs – RPC providers, Pyth Network for price feeds

Set up a wallet on Solana Devnet or Testnet before moving to mainnet.

Step-by-Step: How to Build a Solana Trading Bot

Step 1: Define Your Strategy

Choose a trading strategy:

Market Making: Providing liquidity by placing buy/sell orders

Arbitrage: Exploiting price differences across DEXs

Scalping: Taking advantage of small price changes

Momentum/Trend Trading: Based on technical indicators

You can backtest your strategy using historical price data to refine its effectiveness.

Step 2: Set Up Development Environment

Install the essentials:

Solana CLI & Rust (or Node.js)

Anchor framework (for smart contract development)

Connect your wallet to Solana devnet

Install Serum/Orca SDKs for DEX interaction

Step 3: Integrate with Solana DeFi Protocols

Serum DEX: For order-book-based trading

Raydium & Orca: For AMM (Automated Market Maker) trading

Connect your bot to fetch token pair information, price feeds, and liquidity data.

Step 4: Build the Trading Logic

Fetch real-time price data using Pyth Network

Apply your chosen trading algorithm (e.g., RSI, MACD, moving averages)

Trigger buy/sell actions based on signals

Handle different order types (limit, market)

Step 5: Wallet and Token Management

Use SPL token standards

Manage balances, sign and send transactions

Secure private keys using wallet software or hardware wallets

Step 6: Testing Phase

Test everything on Solana Devnet

Simulate market conditions

Debug issues like slippage, front-running, or network latency

Step 7: Deploy to Mainnet

Move to mainnet after successful tests

Monitor performance using tools like Solana Explorer or Solscan

Add dashboards or alerts for better visibility

Key Features to Add

For a production-ready Solana trading bot, include:

✅ Stop-loss and take-profit functionality

📈 Real-time logging and analytics dashboard

🔄 Auto-reconnect and restart scripts

🔐 Secure environment variables for keys and APIs

🛠️ Configurable trading parameters

Security & Risk Management

Security is critical, especially when handling real assets:

Limit API calls to prevent bans

Secure private keys with hardware or encrypted vaults

Add kill-switches for extreme volatility

Use rate limits and retries to handle API downtime

Consider smart contract audits for critical logic

Tools & Frameworks to Consider

Anchor – Solana smart contract framework (Rust)

Solana Web3.js – JS-based blockchain interaction

Serum JS SDK – Interface with Serum’s order books

Pyth Network – Live, accurate on-chain price feeds

Solscan/Solana Explorer – Track transactions and wallet activity

Real-World Use Cases

Here are examples of Solana trading bots in action:

Arbitrage Bots: Profiting from price differences between Raydium and Orca

Liquidity Bots: Maintaining order books on Serum

Oracle-Driven Bots: Reacting to real-time data via Pyth or Chainlink

These bots are typically used by trading firms, DAOs, or DeFi protocols.

Challenges to Be Aware Of

❗ Network congestion during high demand

🧩 Rapid updates in SDKs and APIs

📉 Slippage and liquidity issues

��� DeFi protocol changes requiring frequent bot updates

Conclusion

Building a trading bot on Solana blockchain is a rewarding venture—especially for developers and crypto traders looking for speed, cost-efficiency, and innovation. While there are challenges, Solana's robust ecosystem, coupled with developer support and toolkits, makes it one of the best choices for automated DeFi solutions.

If you're looking to take it a step further, consider working with a Solana blockchain development company to ensure your bot is scalable, secure, and production-ready.

[5mcsinatrenchcoat]

Sometimes I wonder how many people saw me posting about my Inquisitor and thought my white ass intentionally named my first black character after a candle for an African-American holiday.

Swear on all that is dear to me, back in 2015 I named my DA characters by slapping random sounds together in a way that sounded like a name. My luck had apparently just decided to be hilarious.

(I mean unless that actually sounds clever? In which case uuuh yeah totally on purpose.)

[aaron04jpg]

Indycar crash course

(For this all I’m just going to use 2024 as an example)

I hope this is helpful feel free to ask any questions!!

1. Teams/drivers

* There is no limit on how few or many drivers can race for a single team.

* Most teams have 3 cars but some have as low as 2 and others have as high as 5

* Drivers don’t have numbers, the cars/teams do (ex: David is car #66 but will change to #41 when he changes to Aj Foyt racing)

* Additional Teams/drivers will come in for the Indy 500

2. Circuits

* circuit types – from road and street circuits to short ovals (one mile or less) and long ovals, often referred to as superspeedways.

* From what I have seen most Indycar drivers like/prefer ovals

3. Chassis and engines

* Dallara is the exclusive chassis supplier for INDYCAR. The chassis is made of carbon fibre, Kevlar and other composites, and weighs approximately 770 kg.

* Chevrolet and Honda are the two engine manufactures in the series and supply competitors

4. Tyres

* Like Formula 1, INDYCAR has a sole tyre supplier. But instead of Pirelli rubber, INDYCAR uses Firestone.

* Firestone provides three types of tyres for road and street courses, and one for ovals. On road and street courses, there is the ‘primary’ black tyre. The ‘alternate’ red tyre is a softer compound that allows for higher speeds but wears faster. A grey sidewall tyre is used in wet weather conditions.

* On ovals, only the ‘primary’ black tyre is used and if the rain falls at this type of circuit, Indy cars will not take to the track.

5. Aeroscreen

* In Formula 1, the teams have the halo. In INDYCAR, the aeroscreen is a ballistic, canopy-like windscreen anchored by titanium framework surrounding the cockpit.

6. Race weekend format

* The format of race weekends changes from race to race, however the most common is that Friday consists of two practice sessions – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

* On Saturday, there is a morning practice session followed by qualifying in the afternoon.

* Sunday is race day and it begins with a warm-up session at road and street courses. However, on oval circuits there is no warm-up session.

7. Pit Stops

* Unlike Formula 1 where 16 team members assist during a pit-stop, just seven members of each INDYCAR team are permitted go ‘over the wall’ to execute a pit-stop.

* Team members include: four tyre changers, a fueler, a person responsible for the air jack (to raise the car to change the tyres) and an aeroscreen assistant to clean or pull a ‘tear-off’ from screen to help the driver’s vision.

* Each crew member is required wear a firesuit and helmet for protection.

* Indy cars refuel at each stop and drivers pit depending on the length of the track. In the 10 seconds it takes to fuel the car, all four tyres are changed.

8. Point scoring

* Points are awarded for all finishing positions in INDYCAR.

* First – 50 points, second – 40, third – 35, fourth – 32, fifth – 30, sixth – 28, and so on, going down to just five points for the lowest finishing position in the field.

* Bonus points are awarded for: pole position – 1 point, leading at least one race lap – 1 point, and most race laps led – 2 points.

* For the Indianapolis 500 and the final race of the season, points are doubled in those races.

TEAMS (as of end 2024 season)

1. AJ Foyt Racing

* 14 Santino Ferrucci

* 41 Sting Ray Robb

2. Andretti Global

* 26 Colton Herta

* 27 Kyle Kirkwood (logan’s friend !!)

* 28 Marcus Ericsson

3. Arrow McLaren

* 5 Pato O’Ward (McLaren reserve driver)

* 7 Alex Rossi

* 6 Nolan Siegel

4. Chip Ganassi Racing

* 8 Linus Lundqvist

* 9 Scott Dixon

* 10 Álex Paluo Montalbo

* 4 Kyffin Simpson

5. Dale Coyne Racing

* 51 Katherine Legge

* 18 Jack Harvey

6. Ed Carpenter Racing

* 20 Christian Rasmussen

* 20 Ed Carpenter (ovals only)

* 21 Rinus Veekay

7. Juncos Hollinger Racing

* 77 Romain Grosjean

* 78 Conor Daly

8. Meyer Shank Racing

* 66 David Malukas

* 60 Felix Rosenqvist

9. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

* 15 Graham Rahal

* 45 Christian Lundgaard

* 30 Pietro Fittipaldi

10. Team Penske

* 2 Josef Newgarden

* 3 Scott McLaughlin (twt icon)

[justblades]

hypothesis — anaxa x fem! reader

IN WHICH, your research study piques anaxa’s interest, inducing him to trap you into a collaboration to achieve the end you both desire

TAGS, MDNI. dub con, university setting, drugged sex, mind fuck, not proofread.

Applause rises from the crowd in front, the expressions painted on the majority’s faces are one of shared joy - it was a moment of delight and fulfillment, as marvelous minds clashed and melded with one another to craft such a significant research. Your group stands proud while the research panel awards you the trophy and certificate, hereby marking a significant milestone; the batch shall continue to tread the endless pursuit of wisdom and knowledge after the graduation.

The previous proud grins of some gradually curl upside down, catching your attention as you whip your head to your members’ direction. You pick up from the beads of tears streaming down their cheeks, the other attempting to bite down his threatening sobs, it was when it finally dawned on you: you truly have made it. The sleepless nights of stress and pressure indeed bore fruition.

After what felt like an eternity of suspense and excitement, the emcee then reads her closing spiel, formally announcing the end of the event. The big day comes to an end, loud cheers of the batch naturally follow, resounding all throughout the grove.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans, as it unties the already woven threads of triumph, letting it all loose as the scrutiny of the meticulous professor lands upon you. Seeds of doubt and confusion were sowed in the depths of your heart as you receive a bizarre call, “Professor Anaxa has queries about your research.”

Standing before you now is the infamous blasphemer of a teacher, whose mind is unbridled of moral restraints for the sake of knowledge. Expectedly, as a scholar, that trait of his was highly condemned and yet you find a part of you justifying his actions whenever you come across such wild rumors.

His fingertips slowly glide past the corners of the hardbound pages, skimming through the context of the rigorous part of your thesis: the methodology. Your heart thrums against your ribcage, this time, twice more as Anaxa slides in his pen to mark the part he was focusing on. Subsequently, he hums and looks at you with anticipation.

Slightest hint of disapproval emanates from his stare, to which the professor tries to coat as confusion to test your resolve. “If I’m not mistaken, you were the assigned leader of your thesis, no?” His voice stern as ever, you immediately respond. “Yes, sir.”

Dating back, you never happened to have a class taught by Anaxa. It was just a one time occurrence when you were able to witness how the cogs of his bright mind function when he stood as an adjudicator for a debate event held by the academy, to which he successfully cracks down the fallacies made by the opposing team with just mere questions, with the purpose of catching them by their own words, akin to a fish biting the bait and digging its own grave.

If anything, you knew him more through rumors and gossip, as the last you heard about was him expressing an opinion that scholars who are hellbent on gaining newfound knowledge shall be willing to bend the arrows of their moral compass to achieve such an end. Naturally, his school of thought anchoring on this expression was heavily criticized for the main reasons of ethics and confidentiality in the field of academics.

“Entitled ‘Efficacy of Specialized Alchemy through the Lens of Genetic Modification’ . . . Interesting. But the theoretical framework and methodology do not align.” He states, slate hue fixating on you. “If you were to study the efficacy of a particular object, you’d normally employ a design that encompasses both the quantitative and qualitative nature of the data to be derived, yet you stuck with one that adheres more to the latter. Care to explain how you came up with this process?”

Your brows furrow, bewilderment sits on your facial expression. The rationale of the methodology is already stated in the same paragraph for that question - why was he asking things that are obvious?

“Professor Anaxa—“

“Please refer to me as Anaxagoras.”

“Sir, as expressed in the introductory text, to determine efficacy, qualitative data shall provide an in-depth understanding of the subject, to name the factors that cannot be determined by merely recognizing patterns and trends. It tends to have a nuanced nature as it doesn’t just describe the leverages of the topic, its drawbacks shall also be determined in order to establish possible interventions for its improvement and to ensure your hypothesis is approved.”

“—Additionally, our thesis hinges on the concept of genetic modification with the main focus of improving our five senses, to be able to heighten them at our own volition as we see fit to be utilized according to the circumstance we are in.”

Anaxa pays close attention to your gestures as your hands tend to move on their own, a habit you happened to develop as you hone your dissertation all throughout these years. “However, our paper just touches upon the efficacy, not the practical application of specialized alchemy.”

“And? What are the results?”

Your jaw widens out of disbelief, as if the answers he was looking for cannot be found in the book. The longer this supposed questioning drags on, the more toll it took on you. Regardless, respect shall be shown, so you backtrack the results of your study. “The majority of the respondents strayed from describing the concept as something that can be done right, but rather, for them, it’s an insult to the human life. The quantitative data geared more to it being an impractical method to improve one’s capabilities, which was further supported by the verbatim cited in the presentation part of the chapter.” You recite, breaking off eye contact with Anaxa, head hung low facing the ground. Your fists balled, a bittersweet mood washes over you, recalling the summary of the data you gathered from the respondents.

“And let me guess, you were disappointed with the results.” With one sentence, you look back up at him, this time, more puzzled than before. A question arises, how did he know?

He slightly tilts his head and waves his hand in the air, “It is truly a shame to realize that these people, supposedly seeking wisdom, are the same ones who will never get to quench this thirst as they are held back by their morals. If we do not change up our methods, do you think it will yield different results each time?” His words had weight on them, not seemingly just blank questions one would typically ask in a thesis defense. The whole exchange becomes all the more confusing.

“I suppose you already have an idea where I’m getting at.” The teal haired drops his finality, and like a last puzzle piece falling into its right place by pure coincidence, you were able to see the bigger picture Anaxa prepared for you.

Alignment stems from shared vision, branching into different methodologies cultivated through revisions to obtain an answer from your assumptions. As Anaxa skimmed through your thesis, it was undoubted that he was able to relate your justification with his school of thought. The two of you were willing to tiptoe on the boundary lines of ethics in research - because if not, how will we be able to procure knowledge if sacrifices were not to be made?

“I understand, sir.” It was when you approved of his invitation that the green curls of smoke in the laboratory started to become more visible, carrying minuscule pigments of shimmer as rays of light spill in the littlest crooks of the room. “Wh—“

You were cut off as Anaxa takes steps towards you while you stepped further away from him. A loud thud echoes in the vicinity as you find yourself trapped between Anaxa’s looming aura and his master desk. The sage’s tattooed hand then brushes softly on your supple skin. Starting from your collarbone, making his way up to your neck, “I employed modifications on my genes to test my assumption - but I couldn’t activate those out of my own volition. To determine the efficacy of something, its participant should be willing. Am I right?”

As if you were at a standstill in time, your breathing hitches the longer his skin is in contact with yours. His fingers were rough, some had dry patches, as expected of a practical researcher. Yet the warmth he exudes from his touch feels foreign, a driving force that makes your stomach churn with a whirlpool of mixed emotions.

“Let’s start off with sense of sight. Close your eyes.” Your chest rises and falls, heartbeat pacing faster in each minute. “Sir—“ Unexpectedly, you follow suit to his command, shutting your eyes. Your brows knit even further, wanting to protest against this method but the words you intend to verbalize die down on your tongue in an instant.

How did he manage to make you follow suit to his command? What else did he incorporate to the component?

Darkness graces your eyes, another chilling sensation rides on your skin. It felt hot, but the second it trails away into another direction, it leaves an icy feeling, lingering.

Thousands of thoughts surface in your mind and none of them were of composure. You were astonished, confused, wanting to beg for more time to adjust but here you are being immediately toyed in Anaxa’s palms. As if acting out of desperation to break free from this predicament, a new pseudo dimension forms, to which faint lines of everything around you could be discerned, each having its distinct color.

The surroundings were pitch black, yet every object in the space had its own different hue, the lines materializing as you try to get used to this awakening. Trying to make out of whatever was happening in front of you, with enough focus, you could envision the sage leaving ephemeral licks on your skin, particularly on the back of your hand. Your jaw falls agape to which Anaxa quickly notices, the corners of his lips then tug into a boastful smirk.

It’s as if he had already put two and two together that he realized your sense of sight indeed improved, incomparable to that of a mere human’s.

“Second. Sense of hearing.” As soon as he announces his next step, he prods into your mouth with the same tattooed hand, inserting his index and middle fingers to explore your cavern of warmth. Your stomach turns as Anaxa toys with your tongue, not leaving enough space for you to breathe nor have sufficient time to process everything.

As this act unfolds, you suddenly begin to hear your saliva being mushed with his fingertips, your mouth making slick noises inside, to which you could do nothing but leave mumbles of puzzlement. “A . . . Naxa.” Every splash of the liquids inside reverberate inside your head, which further affirms Anaxa’s assumptions.

After what felt like eternity, you could finally peel your eyes open and see the view unravel before you, Anaxa being a mere hair’s breadth from your face, goosebumps rake your spine. Up close, his brows are knitted in expectation, eyes somewhat heavy-lidded in which excitement gleams from his slate monochromatic iris. With one swift movement, he stops fiddling with your tongue, taking his digits out, leaving a small trail of saliva connecting your lips to his fingertips.

“My patience is wearing thin.” He expresses, wiping away the smeared saliva from the margins of your lips with his gloved hand. Dumbfounded, you could do nothing but just lie in wait to what he’s supposed to do next. “Let’s amp up our methodology. We’ll be testing the remaining three senses simultaneously. I hope you can bear with it.”

Suddenly, your clothes dissipate into thin air, the fibers curling into little burnt cinders until they’re void of anything. “Anaxa—“ he proceeds to fervently crash his lips into yours, a surprising tang of sweetness cracks on your tastebuds. Your stature wobbles and threatens to fall, but the male had already anticipated that as he supports your weight with an arm slithered on your waist. He aids in maintaining your balance, but it was only a mere second that you were able to think straight when his free hand toys with your inner region.

With little effort, your arousal coats his fingers, muddling his skin’s red markings with a cloud white color, your scent inevitably wafts inside the laboratory. Anaxa inhales deeply, taking in everything all at once that is unfolding. Nonetheless, he proceeds, inserting his fingers into your pussy.

Caught off guard, he thrusts in and out, your walls taking the shape of his long, slender fingers. At the same time, your tongue twirls in rhythm with his, the sweet taste gradually enveloping the cranny of your mouth.

It all felt messy, as if Anaxa’s actions override one another, making everything far more overwhelming than it is prima facie. Your mind was lost, yet your body basks in the foreign sensation, pleasure emerging as you feel you were nearing your satisfaction. The male’s gloved fingers wrap around your neck after and breaks the deep kiss, “Are you ready?” He queries, taking a quick glance at your seeping cunt and trail back up to your eyes with a surprising longing gaze in them.

A second passes by, he undoes the buckles of his belt, letting everything loose as he strokes his own erection, wrapping his coated fingers around himself. You eagerly watch at every movement he does, a tantalizing view to etch in the deepest part of your memory. As he deems himself fit, he rubs his tip on your entrance, the position possibly adding up to the struggle.

His breath drops, feeling a short wave of satisfaction once he gets a taste of your slicked pussy. “Time to prove my hypothesis was right.” Anaxa rams inside you, your walls enveloping around his girth as he struggles to keep himself still. “Anaxa . . !” His tangled thoughts were abruptly cut off as he hears your plea, spiraling into an abyss of pleasure as an intense gaze locks his eye with yours.

“Spit.” He orders, a vague one in which you cannot crack immediately. A breathy moan bubbles from his throat subsequently, a rare occurrence of Anaxa showing vulnerability. Regardless, he expounds. “Gather an appropriate amount of your saliva.” As if obedience was coded into your personality, you purse your lips together. “Let it trickle down your chest.”

You follow suit to his command, slightly parting your mouth open, leaving just enough space for it to stream down your dewed skin, leaving such a sticky feeling. The professor wastes no time as his hands glide up to your tits, fingers fidgeting with your perked nipples, lubricating them with your own spit. He traps the buds within his calloused fingertips as you grant him the most lewd noises you’ve ever made in the entirety of your life.

Anaxa wasn’t the type of person to hunger for indulgences like this. But upon witnessing a remarkable sight right in front of him, impulse rush in as he digs into your mounds as well, the tip of his tongue caressing your nipples.

“It’s too warm . . sweet . . and hot.” Mindless musings come undone the margins of your lips, making the sage’s libido hike even more. Additionally, these testaments of yours reinforce the data he supplied in his test drive journal for this study, another victorious feat for him it appears. “Very good.”

He simpers, starting the momentum of his thrusts to your body, nice and slow in the beginning yet with such intensity and impact in each push. Naughty noises echo inside, along the gibberish you’ve been rambling for a while which were descriptions of the changes occurring in your body. Anaxa encourages it, playing along as if he was able to comprehend your barely coherent sentences.

“Sir, I . . . feel like I’m being suffocated.” You yelp, first time among your endless prattles he was able to understand something, your hips grinding along Anaxa’s dick as he fills you to the brim. You look down and see how easy it was for him to prod into your folds, the very entrance curling around the base of his cock with such longing and excitement. “You’re doing great.” He manages to say in between thrusts and hefty breaths, “What else?”

Anaxa’s praises reverberate in your head, like a badge of excellence as he sees you worthy to be his research partner and that in itself is a privilege. Gradually, the male’s pent up sexual frustration reaches its end as strings of cum sprawl out, Anaxa withdraws just in time. A searing heat of temptation pools inside your body, thoughts clouded with nothing but pure carnal desire instilled by the sage.

“If . . If you’re willing to . . as well, I’d be honored to do more of these with you.”

[nilboxes]

The Philosophy of Dr Ratio (Existentialism) and Aventurine (Absurdism)

Philosophy is a highly broad and complicated topic, these are just my interpretations, and I tried my best to make it as clear and concise as possible and to string them back into how it relates to the characters/events of the games.

Dr Ratio, Nihilism, Abandonment by God, Burden of Freedom (Heidegger, Sartre) 

I imagine Ratio’s homeworld prizes knowledge/learning a lot, and naturally because of his intelligence, he was expected to join the ranks of the genius society. Except despite all his achievements even as a young man, Ratio has not earned the gaze. 

When he was not acknowledged even at the height of his supposed success in his erudition and instead was handed a letter from the IPC, it is safe to say Ratio then felt “abandoned” by his purpose (in and relating to Nous) and despite seeking them and their favor. This feeling of abandonment (Heidegger, Existential Abandonment) goes hand in hand with the sudden and unwanted freedom from purpose (Sartre).

Suddenly without purpose, one is shoved into a state of pure freedom. This state of super freedom could be very daunting as the individual who is burdened by this freedom *must* carve a path of their own, or face meaninglessness (Sartre). And as a person who is condemned to this freedom, they must choose for themselves, be responsible for themselves and even the act of not choosing is a choice.

“God is dead” for Ratio, whose purpose (the path of Erudition) has refused him. Not dead in a literal sense, but the relevance of the god and the path that god treads is no longer relevant to Ratio. 

Those old beliefs of scholarly pursuits above all ultimately no longer hold significance to Ratio. He is thus bereft of a predetermined, outlined purpose (Nous’ brand of scholarship) and has to define for himself now what his purpose/existence/meaning must be (again, burden of freedom as outlined by Sartre).

During this, he also realizes how this path does not serve others either and that the Genius’ Societies pursuits are inherently self-serving rather than providing betterment for humanity. Thus again “God is dead”— the established “morality” is not relevant to the reality of the world at present, the “God” is not serving the needs of the world at large (Nietzche).

This is undoubtedly a difficult process. To spend one’s life devoted to a particular framework of belief and to be snubbed by it. So then what happens next, and where does one go from here?

Dr Ratio, the Ubermench and the Will to Power (Nietzche) but Tempered by Universality (Kant)

To be without “God” (ie, higher purpose, predetermined meaning) is to be left with an inexplicably wide freedom that is more terrifying than comforting (Sarte). Without the anchor of acknowledgement and assurance that one’s path is “correct” one now must define for themselves what is the optimal path, and what they define on their own as the greatest good (one’s own morality as defined by Nietzche).

Finding enlightenment (realizing/acknowledging his own potential outside of the gaze of god and adopting the mindset of the ubermench), Ratio doubles down on his humanitarian beliefs that knowledge must serve the betterment of individuals (Kant). To be equipped to think for themselves and be responsible for themselves as they go through life’s challenges and seizes control of their own destinies rather than go along with them (as he did himself). Ultimately, they strive and become the best version of themselves (to become the ubermench).

Dr Ratio asserts “the will to power” (Nietzche) exists in every individual, recognizing potential and capability residing in every person. Hence he is an educator, he believes he can help people reach this potential. One does not need to be a “genius” in order to excel and in order to create good and meaning in the world. One simply has to be equipped with the knowledge and have that will to apply that knowledge and themselves (ie, not being ‘stupid’) for their betterment and then the betterment of all.

Dr Ratio and Universality, Humanity as an End (Kant) 

Dr Ratio believes first and foremost in helping others help themselves more than uncovering knowledge for its sake alone, therefore he believes that the knowledge uncovered must serve a purpose for good rather than be uncovered simply because, thereby adhering to the concept of Humanity as an “End” or rather the goal, rather than knowledge being the end/goal. This key difference is what sets him apart from the geniuses in the Genius Society, who mostly view knowledge as the end all and be all of their pursuits, Ratio asks what and who it can be for.

This idea is what tempers all of Ratio’s beliefs. Undoubtedly the concept of an ubermench may veer towards seeing one’s self as the shepherd of the weak, being domineering and assertive, Ratio instead asserts that one should strive to better themselves than wait around to be saved or to be ruled by their betters—the geniuses, or others. He genuinely believes in the individual’s capability to think for themselves, to contribute good into the world and thus guide themselves into each individual’s ideal/their potential.

Aventurine and Absurdism (Camus)

Aventurine struggles for meaning in his life, marked by seemingly random and senseless wins because of his “luck” he surely struggles with finding any sort of rationale for his own continued survival—but there is none to be had. This is the core of the absurdism in Aventurine, the senselessness and the indifference of the universe to his feelings and his desires, to use his luck for the benefit of his loved ones, as opposed to the reality of it as his luck merely served himself, sometimes dubiously, to propel him to heights of success that has no meaning because those he strove for this purpose is gone. This is the core of the idea of the absurd, the purposelessness of his circumstances.

To further demonstrate the absurd Philosopher Albert Camus presents to “The Myth of Sisyphus” a man who is condemned by the gods to push a boulder up a hill, and when he almost reaches the top, the boulder returns to the bottom and Sisyphus must roll it all back up again. There is no purpose to this act other than it is done, like Aventurine’s endeavors in the IPC, there is no purpose to his victories, save that he has done it at all. There is no inherent meaning, and this is how he further contemplates the absurd.

To face the absurd/the meaninglessness, Aventurine first arrives at the answer of self-deletion. He does not succeed due to his luck however. And, when he arrives at the crossroads to be able to fulfill this wish or not, Aventurine evidently realizes that exiting from the world does not answer the questions presented by absurdism (as he doesn't choose this in the end) because it is merely a “give up” state, to end one’s meaningless life is not the answer to its emptiness at all. If there is no destination to be had in one’s journey, stopping the journey may be one of the solutions, but it doesn’t lend it an answer, it is not anything but an end.

Therefore as Sisyphus is condemned to push the boulder up and down again, a task that does not contribute anything to greater causes or anything but instead of despairing and/or creating one’s meaning, the story asks readers to imagine Sisyphus happy, to revel in the meaninglessness and eschew having to have meaning in order to be fulfilled altogether, effectively walking towards and embracing the meaninglessness.

The game never fully explores what conclusion Aventurine arrives at, yet at the end of 2.2 he decides to go on (with a little nudge here and there) even without getting the answers he seeks. He asks “Are we living just to die?” and perhaps through his journey arrives at a little conclusion that one lives to live, and to simply go on is enough and thus begins a bit of his philosophical indifference—that nothing ultimately matters and that is beginning to be just sufficient enough of an answer. 

Aventio as Philosophical Parallels

Ratio’s philosophy is all about discipline and creativity, shaping one’s own values and living a fulfilled life through them. There is a rigidity in this way of thinking that meaning must be made and pursued because it is out there. And he can take away meaning from it with as much as he wants, because he is actively shaping this meaning. It fits his character as someone who always stands apart and walks a lonely path. 

Aventurine’s extrapolated path in the absurd on the other hand ultimately frees him from any shackles to meaning that he so desperately wants and thus the concept of values will also be thrown away. A person who embraces this supreme indifference is also inextricably free from anything and thus exists in a state of chaos, living for the moment and living simply for living. Fitting for a man who sees himself in a gilded cage.

Each individual character represents an answer to difficult questions about existence itself, and there is no real right or wrong way to go about it. 

I doubt the intricacies of their situations with their aligned philosophies will be fully explored in the game itself so I like to think despite Ratio being a teacher, and thus would pull Aventurine into his brand of dealing with existential crisis, he also recognizes that students must come to a conclusion on their own and when he realizes which conclusion Aventurine has come to, would be approving, but also somehow reel him back in from exercising too much of the value-lessness of the absurd. (In 2.3 he is shown expressing some concern about Aventurine being on this path, to be so free and so uncaring as to begin to be not exactly a conscious being any longer) 

While in Aventurine’s case, he can also be the teacher in this regard and open a new path to Ratio where he can appreciate the vastness of the freedom he has, and imagine himself happy to be in this position, ultimately purposeless and futile as it is in the grander scheme of things, but meaningful to himself.

This has been very long, but I just wanted to outline and share a little about the many ways Aventurine and Dr Ratio are built and written to complement each other in the ways their characters were built up at least in a philosophical sense. I really may have missed a bunch of stuff, but I hope the gist is there!

These videos helped me a lot regarding Camus—

Why shouldn't we commit suicide? - 8bit Philosophy

How to live in a meaningless world - Unsolicited advice

[vriskarlmarx]

The couple functions as both the problem and its solution. If not this one, she just needs another boyfriend, one that will treat her better. A woman may feel the nausea of ambivalence, of being caught between obsession with phallic power and revulsion from it. She does not know which is greater, the melancholia of the couple or the melancholia of denouncing it as a social form. Most opt for the sadness of the couple over the alienation of being cut loose from its grasp. Capital lends a shoulder at every turn, suggesting you watch a rom com with your girlfriends when heartbroken or providing endless ways to personalize your wedding dress. Similar to the framework of electoral politics that limits the scope of critique to the wrong people being in office, the couple-form attributes women’s problems to dating the wrong man rather than to the couple itself. As long as she stays invested in the idea of romantic love as salvation, as the guiding principle against isolation and towards fulfillment, she remains tied to the couple-form.

As another facet of the couple-as-solution, the discourses surrounding austerity measures and neoliberal restructuring frame the couple as a remedy for poverty. One reads tales of young people shifting between poverty and prison as a result of single parenting, especially absent fathers, as if the restitution of the couple could remedy the poverty and structural racism produced by capitalism. State bureaucrats tell women that the couple and the family that it anchors have replaced social assistance programs: you don’t need help with childcare or food stamps; you need a man! The surest way out of poverty is to get married! While many women might never have access to employment, those who do work for a wage face a gendered discrepancy in earnings, likely forcing them to rely on male wages to support their children. These economic mechanisms preserve the vehemence of the couple-form as a trap for women within capitalism, which masks unwaged labor as acts of love and care.

[...]

The logic of the couple penetrates queer relationships as well as straight ones. Homonormativity and gay assimilation have fashioned queer relationships in the shape of straight coupledom. Rather than a subversion of heterosexual social relations, assimilationist, liberal homosexuals have fought for the right to fit into the logic of the couple — to get married, to wear a wedding dress, to create familial nuclei able to protect property relations. Homosexuals perpetuate heterosexual norms and phallocracy through categorizations and role-play, which further codify desires and constitute sex within the logic of phallic centrality and authority. Same sex couples do not escape either the territoriality imposed on desire or the couple’s reinforcement and faithfulness to repressive social relations.

Dismantling the logic of the couple does not indicate distaste for love, but rather a critique of directing love towards a specific object. One must contextualize the couple-form within patriarchy, as so-called ‘love’ arrives to us through the apparatus of gender. Denouncing the couple does not mean shunning giddiness, love letters written in tiny cursive with quill pens, or the feeling of the sidewalk being a trampoline. Rather, critiquing the couple involves an analysis of the way that patriarchy has recuperated women’s desire for solidarity, for intimacy, for excitement, for negation, for the event into a consolidation of phallic power and the accumulation of capital.

Who would not arrive at this conclusion: patriarchy and capitalism thwart any possibility to love in a way that liberates oneself from the logic of the couple or from one’s own oppression. To liberate love necessarily involves the abolition of patriarchy and capitalism. One cannot opt in or out of these structural relations, and the struggle against them will be a collective, historical project.

In this pathetic, stillborn world, we do have feelings. Sometimes we look at someone and think we are in love with them. We must crush the illusion that romance is or will be an avenue for liberation.

Against the Couple Form, Clémence X Clementine and Associates from the Infinite Venom Girl Gang

[astrojulia]

Your Relationship to the Past and the Collective

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The Moon's placement reflects our emotional connection to history, tradition, and the collective consciousness. It reveals how we process cultural inheritance and navigate the tension between individuality and societal conditioning.

Moon in Aries

You strive to distinguish your personal identity from cultural conditioning, seeking to define your choices independently of inherited traditions. This placement encourages boldness and a pioneering attitude when breaking away from the past. While rejecting or ignoring the past, you may unconsciously remain influenced by it. A lack of awareness about these hidden influences can lead to impulsive decisions shaped by subconscious patterns.

Moon in Taurus

You value and respect cultural heritage, especially natural and enduring structures. To you, the past offers nurturing and stability, and you often seek to conserve what is meaningful and timeless. Attachment to tradition can make you resistant to change, overly reliant on established ways, or closed-minded to new perspectives. Your reverence for "how things have always been done" may hinder adaptability.

Moon in Gemini

Curious and mentally agile, you engage with historical and cultural details, finding ways to connect lessons from the past to the present. Your approach is thoughtful yet lighthearted, appreciating diverse viewpoints. You may dismiss traditions and cultural norms as irrelevant, rebelling when they are imposed on you. This tendency can make it difficult to anchor yourself within a shared historical or cultural framework.

Moon in Cancer

Emotionally attuned to your heritage, you cherish the bonds of family, community, and tradition. Your sense of rootedness fosters an intuitive connection to the collective consciousness, and you have a natural affinity for nurturing cultural continuity. Your emotional ties to the past may trap you, making it hard to establish independent values. Susceptibility to collective or occult influences can lead to an overreliance on external validation or outdated ideals.

Moon in Leo

With a creative flair, you draw inspiration from cultural imagery and traditions. You express loyalty to your heritage while adding your unique touch, often celebrating your roots with pride. Your romanticized view of the past can lead to rigid or exclusionary attitudes, making you prejudiced against other cultures. An overemphasis on cultural superiority may create barriers to embracing diversity.

Moon in Virgo

You approach cultural traditions with a practical mindset, seeking to extract useful lessons from history. This placement enables you to analyze the past with precision and incorporate its values into everyday life. You may become overly critical of cultural deviations or idealize the past, clinging to conventions as a standard for perfection. This can lead to judgmental attitudes or difficulty adapting to evolving social norms.

Moon in Libra

Drawn to traditions that promote harmony and fairness, you appreciate cultural norms that foster social connections. Your values often align with ideals of justice, diplomacy, and balance within the collective. You risk losing your individuality by conforming too closely to cultural expectations. To assert your independence, you may feel the need to completely break away from inherited values.

Moon in Scorpio

Deeply intuitive, you have a profound connection to collective consciousness and can imbue cultural symbols with emotional intensity. This placement allows you to explore the transformative aspects of shared experiences. An obsession with the darker facets of culture and history can lead to glorification of power or submission to controlling influences, including occult forces. You may struggle with releasing emotional ties to destructive traditions.

Moon in Sagittarius

You are driven to understand cultural heritage and place the present within a broader historical context. Open to exploring philosophies and belief systems, you often find meaning through global or universal narratives. A tendency toward ethnocentrism or conventional thinking may cause you to defend the status quo against necessary change. You may resist challenges to institutional or cultural traditions.

Moon in Capricorn

You excel at organizing cultural inheritance into frameworks that provide structure and purpose. This placement aligns well with societal elements like governance, tradition, and historical legacy. Rigid views about societal norms and cultural superiority can limit your adaptability. A lack of intuitive connection to collective energies may create blind spots regarding emotional undercurrents in society.

Moon in Aquarius

You distill the higher ideals from collective experiences, focusing on progressive advancement and humanitarian goals. Your loyalty lies with the collective's well-being and its future evolution. Rebellion against traditional values may cause you to reject cultural wisdom outright. This tendency can isolate you from meaningful aspects of collective experience.

Moon in Pisces

With deep attunement to collective energies, you embrace universal compassion and cultural diversity. Your affinity for spiritual and religious heritage allows you to find unity among different traditions. Over-romanticization of the past or blind acceptance of collective conditioning can cloud your judgment. This placement may also open you to manipulation or the fabrication of narratives that serve personal agendas

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

[waitingandwishing]

everything, everywhere, all at once

In the grand tapestry of existence, the multiverse and time are not separate forces but two interwoven threads, intricately bound to one another. The structure of reality, then, can be envisioned not as a linear pathway or even a branching tree, but as a vast and fluid network—one where every timeline is both a singular entity and an extension of countless others.

You sprayed a bit of water from the sink, watching it land on their face with a mischievous grin. The cold droplets splashed across their skin, and you couldn’t help but laugh, the sound light and carefree. But before you could even enjoy the moment, you felt a flick of water land on your cheek. Surprised, you gasped, your eyes wide as the glistening droplets caught the light, and you turned to see their eyes sparkling with playful mischief. The water fight had begun.

You both started flicking water at each other—each drop a challenge, each laugh a victory. Your hands moved quickly, slinging water with abandon as you both danced around the room, ducking and dodging, trying to outsmart the other. Your clothes became heavy with the weight of the water, sticking to your skin in a way that might have felt uncomfortable in another moment, but here, in this moment, it didn’t matter. Every droplet felt like a part of the game, a part of something simple and pure.

Rather than a simple set of parallel universes, the multiverse is best understood as a web of possibility. Each universe exists within a framework of cause and effect, yet no universe is fully isolated. 

Instead, they are connected by subtle vibrations—moments of decision and fluctuations in probability. Every event, no matter how seemingly insignificant, sends ripples that do not echo through a single timeline but reverberate across multiple realities.

You bowed before them, padded knee against the ground as you raised your sword high. You didn’t deserve this title, one that you certainly could not live up to in the grand scheme of things. Sure, you had trained for this your whole life, but… You weren’t ready.

They told you to rise, to come forward. And you did, with your head not daring to meet their royal eyes and your sword by your side. They stood up, reaching their hand to your face and caressing it so gently that you were sure this was a dream. You should be cursed, cast out, but instead were met with a gentle whisper of praise. You did enough.

Time is an illusion of structure. In reality, it behaves more like an ocean than a river, shifting, eroding, and reforming its paths with the weight of existence. The past, present, and future are not fixed entities but shifting constructs. Some moments are more resistant to change—fixed points where the probability anchors them into stability—but most are fluid, subject to alterations caused by interference, both internal and external.

Every night at 2:47 AM, a person appears in your dream. They’d confess their love for you then caress you softly and hold you close. You have no idea who this person is, but every day no matter how horrible or good, they are there. And they comfort you even though they’re a stranger.

You want to find them but can never speak in your dreams, can never change the fact that they are pulled away from you time and time again, but… They’re there. It never sat well with you that you could never find this person who whispered sweet words to you. But there was some comfort that even if you two were strangers, they’d always end up loving you.

At key moments, timelines and universes brush against one another, forming convergence points. These can take many forms. For example, echoes. Residual imprints of events from one timeline appear in another, creating déjà vu or premonitions. 

Or perhaps crossroads, decision points so powerful that they send tendrils of possibility stretching into multiple realities, ensuring that at least one version of existence bears witness to every choice. Or, on rare occasions, merging phenomena. When two or more timelines collapse into one, their histories intertwine into a singular thread where paradoxes are absorbed into reality itself.

For centuries you have wandered the earth, untouched by time. For centuries you have seen your friends and family die. After a few centuries, you have learned not to love. But then why did the lungs that you never knew were there make you lose your breath whenever they looked at you? Why did a heart you didn’t know you had skipped a few beats every time they kissed you? 

You told them stories of places you had been and ancient civilizations you had witnessed, but you never shared the truth. You could feel their growing attachment to you, and the weight of knowing you could never truly grow old with them was unbearable. You saw the glimmers of hope in their eyes, the desire for a future—their future—and you knew that, like all the loves before, this one would be destined to end in tragedy.

While some aspects of existence are seemingly unchanging, the interplay between free will and fate is an ongoing struggle. Within this theory, fate is not a force that dictates a singular path but rather a gravitational pull—one that can be resisted or redirected but not entirely ignored. Some beings exist in multiple timelines simultaneously, their consciousness stretching across realities, while others are bound to the linear perception of time, never aware of their counterparts in distant echoes.

A couple sits side by side at the kitchen table, papers scattered across the surface. The air is filled with the quiet rustling of forms, the clicking of a calculator, and the occasional sigh. There's a rhythm to your collaboration. Every so often, you pause to share a look or a laugh about the complexity of the tax code, both trying to make sense of the labyrinth of deductions.

Despite the stress, there’s a sense of camaraderie between you. You’ve learned to navigate this annual task together, finding humor in the little mistakes and the occasional frustration. At times, you argue over the numbers, but the tension usually dissipates easily. It was all part of the process.

Changes to the past rarely only overwrite reality. Instead, time exhibits a form of self-correction, where contradictions resolve themselves by redirecting the course of events rather than outright erasing them. 

A paradox does not destroy reality but instead forces it into a new equilibrium, ensuring that continuity persists in some form, even if the details shift.

You grab the detergent, carefully measuring out the right amount, your eyes glancing over at them with a smile as they fiddle with the dryer settings. They’re the one who always forgets the fabric softener, but you don't mind—it’s a small quirk that makes you laugh.

There’s no rush, no pressure. Laundry is just another part of your day, but it’s also a chance to enjoy each other’s company in the quiet moments. Folding clothes, laughing at an old shirt that brings back memories, chatting about everything and nothing. The task is simple, but together, you make it something a little more—something shared, something that makes your home feel warmer.

Concluding things, to navigate the multiverse and time is not to travel through space or history but to understand the delicate balance of choice, consequence, and convergence. Reality is not a single truth but a shifting mosaic of infinite possibilities. The past and future do not merely exist in isolation—they are sculpted by the infinite interactions between worlds, each moment a ripple in the great and boundless sea of time.

[wordsfrombudha]

🌙 Moon Men: The Ultimate Male Fantasy

Before exploring the themes of Moon men, we must first understand the role of the nakshatras in the zodiac. In English, the word nākṣatra roughly translates to "that which does not decay," pointing to something timeless and beyond the reach of change. Unlike the material world, which is subject to constant flux and dissolution, the nakshatras, as the fixed stars, remain steady and embody the enduring essence of manifestation. They symbolize unchanging rta or universal order amid the shifting currents of cosmic activity. By offering a stable framework anchored in the heavens, providing an emphasis on divine principles, the nakshatra system allows for precise ritual and calendrical alignment, even as the positions of the Sun and planets continue to shift over time. This is why Vedic astrology maintains its reliance on sidereal calculations, despite extraneous factors like precession.

Unlike the rashis, which are solar in nature and express themselves through tangible resources and qualities of the material world, the nakshatras are lunar in nature. Rather than representing resources themselves, they reflect the management of those resources, the experiential dimension that shapes how we interact with the world. They are shakti, Parvati’s yoni for Shiva’s lingam. In this sense, the nakshatras are more personal than the rashis. For example, while Taurus, ruled by Venus, represents natural wealth and abundance in the world, it is through Krittika, Rohini, and Mrigashira that one becomes driven to engage with this wealth. Think about it: fruit without anyone to eat it has no experiential quality, no power or desire arising from external attachment. The rashi reveals the structure, while the nakshatra reveals the flow of prāṇa that is either projected onto or inherent within that structure. By understanding this, we begin to grasp the function and potency of the nakshatras and what they truly represent.

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Now that the technical foundations are in place, we can begin to explore how certain nakshatras manifest. In the Vimshottari dasha system of Jyotish, each graha governs three nakshatras. In this post, I will focus specifically on the nakshatras ruled by the Moon, with particular attention given to the themes that arise in men influenced by these asterisms. The nakshatras ruled by the Moon in Vimshottari are Rohini, Hasta, and Shravana, though I will primarily focus on their shared expressions as revealed through their trikona (trinal) relationship rather than their individual qualities.

Across time and culture, certain male figures have captured widespread attention. These are the men who dominate the social landscape, holding attention and admiration simply through their presence, ascending to a position of power and influence that others can only dream of. They are the ones who rise above the ordinary and whose natural status seems unassailable. They possess a magnetism that draws people in, and their standing places them above reproach.

Some examples:

It is within this ideal that the ultimate male fantasy begins to take shape.

Few figures embody this archetype of allure and magnetism as much as Chandra, the Moon in Vedic mythology. Myths surrounding Chandra always portray a magnetic power that draws others in without ever striving for overt control. As a god, Chandra is not one to assert dominance in the traditional sense, nor does he seek to command the world through force. His power comes from his very presence, in the way he influences the world around him simply by existing. The Moon's light is gentle, in contrast to the harsh radiance of the Sun. It turns something overbearing into a more welcoming and soft reflection. His presence commands attention in a way that feels both effortless and inevitable, and this engenders desire in others. This can be seen in the way his favoritism toward Rohini stirred jealousy among his other 26 wives, leading him to be cursed. Yet despite the conflict he tends to provoke, Chandra never seems desperate to claim what he desires. His very existence elicits admiration, drawing people toward him without effort. Even his curse, which causes him to wax and wane, only serves to deepen his mystique. It’s this constant shift and this subtle ebb and flow that enhances his magnetic appeal. Chandra’s story is one of subtle dominance, where influence is exerted through an inherent presence of gentle power, an aura of being effortlessly seductive and magnetizing, never needing to strive for what he already commands through his intangible influence.

We can also indirectly see the nature of Chandra through Vishnu's lunar incarnation: Krishna. Born into the Dvapara Yuga, an era of intense desire, struggle over wealth, and the pursuit of pleasure, Krishna moved through the world as someone whose charm and presence naturally pulled people in and elevated him to the position of authority with access to unparalleled pleasures of the era. Though his life was filled with complexity and contradiction, such as political turmoil, familial conflict, cosmic responsibility, he never lost the magnetic ease and sensuality that defined him.

From his earliest days, Krishna was adored. As a child in Gokul, his mischief and beauty captivated everyone, and as he grew, so too did the reach of his influence. The gopis of Vrindavan abandoned everything for a chance to dance with him under the moonlight. Radha, the soul’s deepest longing, became synonymous with his name because of the irresistible draw he created by simply being. As an adult, Krishna’s magnetism only intensified. He became a king, yet never ruled through fear or austerity. He had sixteen thousand wives. Yes, you read that right... sixteen THOUSAND. He did not acquire them through conquest or pursuit, but as women he liberated from captivity, who then chose to initiate a union with him. Despite the sheer number, each believed she held his full attention, each felt seen and cherished. His marriages echoed his ability to be everything to everyone, without appearing stretched or strained. Even Draupadi, though married to the five Pandavas, turned to Krishna in times of need. He was her protector, her confidant, the one whose presence alone brought reassurance and power.

Krishna's battlefield role in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita is yet another window into this lunar quality. He never picked up a weapon. Even though he possessed an unparalleled ability in combat, he vowed not to fight. And yet, he was still the most powerful force on the field. As Arjuna’s charioteer, he guided without command, advised without imposing, and altered the course of an entire war through speech, presence, and subtle intervention. He wielded no blade, yet even the gods deferred to him. Yet despite all of his well-meaning glory, Krishna’s life is filled with acts that invite contradiction. He lies, steals, teases, loves many, and yet remains beloved and exalted. His wrongs are not punished but rather celebrated as plays of divine mystery. The rules that bind others seem to fall away around him. This quality of being above consequence, of being endlessly desired even when he disrupts the status quo, mirrors the archetype formed by Chandra. It is not through aggression, control, or rigidity that he gains influence. Rather, it is through a natural charisma and a sense of being restrained that is so deeply rooted in his essence that it shapes the world around him without ever needing to assert itself. Generally, it's said that Krishna was born during the 8th day of the waning moon, on the 8th night of the dark fortnight of the month Shravana. His birth is also associated with the Rohini Nakshatra, where most accounts of his kundli place his Moon and Ascendant.

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Among all the nakshatras, those governed by the moon are the ones most preoccupied with artha, or material wealth. All three moon nakshatras are situated within the earth signs. The element of earth corresponds to artha, which is the dominant pursuit in the Treta Yuga. Artha is not financial gain, but the broader focus on stability, status, resources, and the means by which one maintains and enhances their position through control in the world. In its highest sense, artha is the structure that supports dharma. It is the foundation upon which right action and spiritual growth are sustained. A person without artha (without land, wealth, or social footing) finds it difficult to fulfill obligations, care for others, or pursue deeper meanings. Thus, artha is not seen to be the same as greed; it is a rightful engagement with the material plane. It is power with purpose. Yet artha also carries a shadow. When detached from dharma, it becomes an end unto itself, status for its own sake, accumulation without higher use. In such cases, the pursuit of artha distorts perception, causing one to identify too closely with the outer symbols of value rather than the inner worth they represent. To master artha is to master one's place in the world. Not to renounce it, but to wield it without attachment. The moon, always waxing and waning, teaches that no possession is eternal. One important thing to note about Artha is that is directly opposed Kama, which is the desire for sensual pleasures. The more pleasure one seeks, the more wealth they will expend, and the more one is focused on preserving their wealth in a miserly way, the less pleasures they will be granted from their status. A wealthy man who never spends his money is not treated like a wealthy man at all. Artha is the dance of holding and letting go, of rising in influence only to remember one’s impermanence and loss. Those who understand this move through the material world like kings whose thrones are made of mist, ever present, powerful, and yet unattached.

When the energy is balanced, Moon men, gravitate toward artha not purely for luxury, but for security, belonging, and influence. They are the most loose with their wealth, so they constantly need to be attaining more to sustain their pleasure-seeking proclivities. This doesn’t only apply to money but also to social capital. The more someone is adored and respected, the more they can get away with. When the energy is imbalanced, Moon men will still seek artha, but their pursuit becomes detached from its original purpose. The accumulation of wealth, status, and influence becomes a form of self-definition, a way to assert their existence among others. What was once a means of securing one's place in an unforgiving world transforms into an obsession with control and image, where the lines between need and desire blur, and the pursuit of artha no longer serves a greater good but rather feeds an endless cycle of self-validation. As mentioned previously, their power lies in magnetic allure rather than force, and they draw wealth and status through visibility, favor, and social capital. This is especially evident in nakshatras like Rohini, where the pursuit of artha merges with beauty, charm, and sensual engagement with the world's abundance. This energy can be seen in multiple media examples where the conflict of the plot centers around accumulating wealth and power for various reasons, such as security, need for admiration, etc.

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Now that we have an understanding of the Moon’s energy in its nakshatras, we can begin to observe how it manifests in modern media. Media offers a valuable lens for recognizing the subtle influences of a person's energy, especially since the nakshatras operate on a subtle, implicit level. With that in mind, I want to explore some portrayals that I think reflect the nature of moon men and show how the energy of the Moon nakshatras comes to life through them. Ok, so first we need to understand what men in general want because it precisely these projections that shape moon men into who they become. So what is it men fantasize about? Once we understand this, we are well on our way to seeing how moon men move in the world.

The first thing many men fantasize about is to be sexually desirable. While women share this longing as well, it’s far more common for men to have to pursue women, rather than the reverse. What men want is the sense of being wanted without having to try or care. They want to exist in a state where they don’t have to perform, where desire is offered freely, and they are irresistibly magnetic to a point where it’s expected for people to fawn over them for doing nothing. Men crave the ability to be effortlessly charming, highly desired by women, and envied by other men, yet without the need for commitment or effort. Moon men often get to experience this magnetic appeal, particularly during certain stages of their lives where the moon's influence is heightened. It’s at these points that they rise to become the ultimate "sex symbols," embodying the archetype of passive indulgence, a kind of allure that says “I’ll give you what you want, but you have to come and get it.” The Moon, being the most sensual of the planets, carries with it an attraction that is inherently sexual, sometimes leading to infidelity or the conflicts inherent to forbidden romance.

One of the most evident ways this manifests is within the adult film industry, where Moon men are especially prevalent. Because they naturally draw more attention due to their sexual appeal, and they are focused on pursuing artha, their magnetic energy and widespread appeal can put them in situations where they use their attraction to make money. This can translate into a level of idolization in the adult entertainment world, where certain male porn stars or sec workers achieve a near-mythical status. The most famous and envied figures in the industry, such as Rocco Siffredi, Johnny Sins, Manuel Ferrara, Jason Luv, etc. are all Moon men. Their combination of sexual charism and effortless appeal resonates with male audiences, while their passive dominance and sensual passion appeals to female audiences, altogether making them icons in the world of adult entertainment as well as symbols of virility and unattainable sexual fantasy for many men.

This can be seen in the media portrayal of Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.

Along the same line of physical prowess and sexual desirability, men want to embody strength and dominance in a way that commands respect and admiration. It is less so about wanting to fight and more so about knowing they’ll be able to effortlessly dominate if they do. They want to be noticed for their impressive physicality and stature. Moon men capture this ideal well. They are in a lot of action hero, lone wolf type roles, where they are never the ones to antagonize but still draw in conflict. They are quiet, brooding, and unshaken. Their presence alone is a challenge. They don’t speak often, but when they do, people listen. They don’t go looking for trouble, but they carry themselves in a way that says they could end it if it came. Their strength is not just physical but psychological. They do not need to prove anything because their capability is obvious. In a world full of noise, they are still. In a room full of people, they command the air. It is like a football captain or sports star whose physical aptitude elevates his status. It’s the kind of physical ability that makes others look up to you and grants you additional social power. In this context, being at the peak of athletic or physical performance is an expression of superiority in both the literal and social senses. I think overall Moon men are more concerned with how easy and enjoyable life is from a position of high physical status. They care more about how they look and are driven to chase the aesthetics as a way to cement themselves a stronger position in society. They seem like they don’t care, but they do. It is not uncommon for them to be bullied or outcast early in life, so many of them are seeking social prowess as a way to cope with the lack of belonging or respect they experienced in the past. It is also sometimes the case that they will isolate themselves to avoid judgment. Yet even when they do that, they are functioning from an external locus of control.

This gif is of David Laid. He was bullied for being skinny, so he started lifting not to fight but to be seen. Aesthetic bodybuilding gave him control. He wanted to be impressive, so he trained to change how people looked at him. The goal wasn’t to gain strength. It was about the visual, perceptive impact. His body became the answer to every insult and every time he was ignored. Now people can’t help but notice. He doesn’t need to act tough because he looks untouchable. What started as insecurity became his weapon. He built a body that speaks for him. Strong, captivating. It makes people look twice and automatically affords him a great deal of respect. It makes them want to be around him, love him, include him, and that’s all Moon men really want for themselves. Moon men tend to be very invested in self-improvement along with the obsession of being the best at everything.

A good example of how this looks together is the show Blue Mountain state

In line with the broader male fantasy of physical and social prominence, many men don’t want to chase or risk rejection. They want to be the gravitational center, drawing others in without having to prove themselves. They crave admiration without exertion, longing to be desired without having to reach. For Moon men, this is more than a fantasy; it is more often than not their lived experience. It is what they strive for, and in the case of many moon men, their presence alone becomes magnetic enough to invite attention, curiosity, and affection. They do not pursue as much as they attract. This passive allure is one of the most recognizable traits of Moon men. In relationships, they are in control and take on a more dominant role, always influencing things, but even so, they are rarely the ones to make the first move or to be the ones actually making decisions. While there are countless media examples that showcase this archetype, I’ll focus on just a few to illustrate how this dynamic plays out in narrative form. The important thing to pay attention to is that the Moon man is almost never the one trying to get someone else's attention or trying to pursue or dominate a woman (or man). The other person almost has to throw themselves at him or chase him down, and only then will he demonstrate his passion. Moon men are even partial to indulging the desires of those they have no initial attachment to. If someone pursues them, they kind of just go with it. They are very passionate and sensual, but this is not exclusive. Like the other Sattvic planets (Sun and Jupiter), Moon men are prone to giving of themselves indiscriminately, but because it is usually short-lived, it is much easier to sustain compared to something like Jupiter, which is all about union, commitment, and generosity. To think of it differently, the moon is like food, temporary but satisfying in its ability to nourish. Jupiter, on the other hand is like fat. It is protective and more lasting than food itself. Food comes and goes, but fat stays with you. It stores what is valuable. It prepares you for the future. The moon gives you what you need right now, while Jupiter ensures you’ll have enough later.

One example of this is Jack Reacher

Another example is Henry Cavill's Portrayal of Superman

You may be starting to notice another pattern in these examples. Each of these men carries a kind of freedom or superiority that places them outside the reach of ordinary consequences or limitations. They can feel that they do not have to answer to anyone, or even if they do that punishment won’t be that dire. This is not because they rebel against the system, but because they exist on the outskirts of it. Whether through wealth, charisma, status, luck, manipulation, or thievery, they have the ability to move through the world according to their own rules. This untouchability is part of their allure. They are not bound by expectations or emotional obligations in the same way others seem to be. Others naturally adjust themselves around these men without needing to be told. In this way, these men can feel above or exempt from the emotional negotiations and social rules that govern everyone else. This usually appears as quiet rule-breaking, con-artistry, underground criminal mischief, subtle disregard for rules, and an implicit belief that they are operating on an entirely different level that they become hedonistic and destructive.

I think hands down the best example for this is the show White Collar. Mirroring Chandra's curse, even though he is technically limited, it really doesn't make much of a difference in terms of the pleasures and luxuries he is able to enjoy. One important difference between sun and moon men is that sun men will steal and break rules out of necessity and a sense of justice, whereas men will steal and manipulate to get rich and because it brings them enjoyment. Moon men are good at it, and it’s fun for them.

Another good example is Catch Me if You Can. He can talk his way into anything, and the standard barriers just don’t seem to apply to him.

A recurring theme that begins to emerge with these examples is intelligence. Many Moon men are portrayed as brilliant minds, particularly as strategists, code-breakers, or hidden geniuses who see patterns others miss. Their intelligence is rarely loud or performative in real life, but in media, it gets hammered hard, with them frequently being portrayed as gifted geniuses and eccentric prodigies.

There are many examples I could give for this as well, from Imitation Game to Good Will Hunting to The Pretender

Ok, that's all that will fit into this post. Thank you for reading! My next post is goi in ng to be about their relationships and bonds.

[wilteddreamsofbaldursgate]

Springtime Caresses

IV. Dadstarion, but he's only just figuring that one out.

Good things were happening to Astarion, at least on occasion. It had taken him years to accept that, to trust that his luck wasn’t about to run out at any given moment; to believe that he was worthy of whatever goodness came his way. And things were good, so very good—the Elven woman trancing in his arms was all the proof he needed, was she not? It was thanks to her magic woven into the protective canvas of their tent that he could feel the late morning sun warm his skin. It was her graceful body entangled with his that anchored him to a present worth living, having him excited for the future. It was her heartbeat echoing through his hollow bones that called him back from unwanted dreams, filling the refuge that was their worn tent with the only sound of life that truly mattered to him. It was his favourite melody in all the realms, one he could pick out in the densest of crowds; a tune he knew by his undead heart. And that was why he was still lying awake long past dawn today, holding his breath, listening. Wondering.

What was this faint, fluttering sound rippling through him where Tav’s bare chest pressed against his own?

For nearly half a century Tav’s heart had been singing for Astarion by now, and he took great pride and care in memorising each of her songs. Every piece in his collection was a personal favourite: the steady hum accompanying peaceful nights spent in each other's arms. The giddy pulsing of excitement whenever they were run out of town for a misdeed they might or might not have committed. The urgent pounding of her heart racing him through the throes of passion…But this strange off-tune beat disturbing his rest now, that one was odd—that one was new.

Astarion couldn’t say when he’d first noticed the unfamiliar sound. It might have been there all night, perhaps even longer; it mingled so subtly with his beloved’s heartbeat that it was easy enough to miss—especially when he’d been distracted by all those divine seductions Tav’s body offered him well into the early morning hours. She had tasted so intoxicatingly sweet with his fangs and cock buried deep inside her; the heels of her feet digging into the small of his back, greedily drawing him closer—deeper—as her blood rushed through him, and her legs and cunt had made the framework that was his entire world. It was ridiculously easy for him to lose himself in Tav. She was the one constant in his existence, the dance to which he could anticipate every next move. But now that his hunger for her was sated for the night, and Tav’s heartbeat had calmed into the gentle whisper of slumber, this novel symphony was deafening in Astarion’s sensitive ears. He wet his lips that still tasted of sweet, darling Tav.

Once, Astarion had been very good at ignoring things. It had been a skill long honed, perfected over centuries—how easily had he been able to just close his eyes, turn his back on the ignorant fools sleeping next to him? It had been such a well-rehearsed dance; him knowing what horrors were about to unfold, how irrevocably a life would change. But, night after night, it hadn’t been his life-changing, and so it had been of no consequence to him. Now, though, it was Tav he watched over as she tranced; whom he’d embraced for so many nights and yet not nearly enough. It was her soft, warm breath caressing his skin, making it impossible for him to unhear, let alone ignore, that ominous sound entrancing him. The moment Astarion had acknowledged the lingering change, it had settled in the thus far unoccupied space between him and his beloved. Already, Astarion could feel it deep in his bones—a shift in his world—and for the first time in many many years, he did not quite know what beat he was to dance to. And so the vampire spawn did what he was wont to do: He watched the even rise and fall of Tav’s bosom, filling his empty lungs with air. Slowly, he breathed in and out, tried and failed imitating that melody that was undeniably Tav and yet, somehow, more.

Very slowly it dawned on Astarion, then. How hadn’t it occurred to him before? It would be impossible for him to fall into that familiar, steady rhythm of Tav’s heartbeat this morning because where there had been one heart beating against his chest for all these years, there were now undeniably two.

Astarion’s useless breath caught in his throat. They’d known it was possible; it had been the probability of it all they’d doubted. And yet, here they were. The vampire spawn stared at the elf in his arms. There had been signs, Astarion realised as he reached for the small hand resting on his ribcage, grounding himself. Now that his world was shaking, he could see all the pieces fall into place. Didn’t Tav tire untypically fast lately, while her trances kept her from him well into the evening hours? And didn’t she smell different, too; taste even sweeter? She’d been changing right under his nose, had she not? He couldn’t even recall when he’d last indulged in her moonblood as he watched a well of memories flutter behind Tav’s eyelids. Her pink lips were slightly parted, brushing the gentlest of kisses against his skin as loose strands of her lustrous hair tickled his chin. She was glowing with life, and Astarion couldn’t help but wonder: did she know? Because, to him, it was suddenly clear as day that something had come alive between them—or rather half-alive, Astarion supposed.

Or half-dead, a mean little voice countered inside his head. 

Careful not to rouse his beloved from her trance, Astarion slowly untangled himself from Tav’s embrace, feeling at once cold at the absence of her touch. Kneeling next to her, Astarion gently placed Tav’s head on the pillow, brushed a stray lock from the face he could recognise blind. Crimson eyes wandered over Tav’s slight form—lean limbs and restless hands; a traveller’s body that rarely saw the sun. A body that could be better fed and more well rested. A body that could be stronger—a vessel that needed to be stronger for the unnatural presence it held. Deep within him, in a place that had lain dormant for many blissful years, Astarion could feel fear and shame settle. Nothing good tended to come of a union made flesh between mortals and monsters. There was a reason dhampirs were this rare; there was a reason mothers to dhampir children were even rarer. The strain of bearing life from death was too great—and it was entirely Astarion’s fault. But what was he to do? Could anything be done about this…predicament, now? All Astarion knew was that he couldn’t bear seeing Tav suffer; wasn’t she paying such a high price for his affliction already?

But Tav didn’t look like she was suffering, not now and not ever. Astarion scoffed at the discontented frown carved between her eyebrows as her hand searched blindly for his, only relaxing when he laced his cold fingers with hers. It was true, Tav was a little pale and her body bore all the signs of a future that had thus far been unwritten. And yet, now that Astarion bent over her, he could see the slight swell of her belly, the firmness of her breasts and recognise them for what they were. Tav was nothing if not resilient, always believing—knowing—that good things came their way. Had she ever given him reason to doubt her?

Carefully, Astarion rested his cheek below Tav’s navel, and there it was—the epicentre of their future, fluttering against his ear as if Tav had swallowed a little bird. He listened closely to the two heartbeats and tried to learn the intricacies of this new song. The sharp ends of Astarion’s fangs pierced his lower lip as he smiled widely against Tav’s belly. For nearly fifty years he and Tav had made love, and now love had eventually made something in return. But it had only just begun, hadn’t it? There was much to consider. They would have to settle down somewhere; being out in the wilderness, going town to town—it wouldn’t do any longer. They needed a safe place where Tav could gather as much strength as possible, a place where their child could thrive. They needed a home. Everything else would fall into place, surely…

There was another change in Tav’s heartbeat, signalling that she’d woken. It only took a second for her free hand to ghost over Astarion’s arm, his shoulders and the nape of his neck before it found its way into his dishevelled curls.

“What are you smiling about?” Tav asked, a sleepy curiosity laced in her voice that made Astarion look up at her face. He wondered again whether she knew of that second heart beating inside her or not, but Tav was a shit liar, and worse at keeping secrets—unlike Astarion.

He considered her a moment longer before he lifted his head off her middle and laid back beside her. Tav hummed contently as he pulled her against him, resuming their earlier position as if nothing had changed. “Just about how pathetically in love I am with you, and how my love for you only grows each day.” 

“Oh, just the usual then,” Tav yawned against his chest, mirroring his smile. “Nothing grand.”

She didn’t know, Astarion was sure of it. And he wouldn’t say anything, not at all. Tav would notice the change in herself soon enough, but for now, it was their secret—Astarion and the little life’s he’d discovered within her. “Nothing grand at all, my dear. Nothing grand at all.”

A good thing was happening to him; he could hear and taste it, feel it grow right there where Tav’s bare chest pressed against his—but who was he to keep that to himself?

“Darling,” Astarion blurted out. “How do you like Baldur’s Gate around…let’s say early Spring, I suppose?”

more Dadstarion content

tag list: @spacebarbarianweird @bardic-inspo @kawaiiusagichansan @darlingxdragon @herautumnmorningelegance  

@ayselluna @chonkercatto  @anukulee  @roguishcat @littlejuicebox

[letthelightshinein]

I want to write a 800000 word ted talk on ZhaoSu and ZhouDu but apparently I actually have to engage in the real world which is so unfair.

For now I just want to say that ZhouDu is an incredibly difficult relationship to adapt within the censorship framework. On the face of it, most of their interactions would not be air-able. Fei Du's deceptive and has many layers to his motivations but his actions and approach to Luo Wenzhou are explicit and forward. He's CONSTANTLY hitting on him with no restraint and that is the key driver of the change of their relationship. If he didn't, Luo Wenzhou probably wouldn't have started seeing him differently. Luo Wenzhou is a bold and straight forward person. He's older (especially amongst Danmei protags), he is confident and self assured. He realises that he loves Fei Du so he says so and he acts accordingly. If he didn't just go ahead and do it, Fei Du would never have been able to accept that he's loved.

Their love story is 2 people who explicitly choose and pursue each other. And if you can't have them do that, what do you really have.

It would have been possible to do the show without the relationship or to just do the famous scenes with changed words that wink and a nod just for fan service without any regard for story flow or consistent characterisation.

The show doesn't do that, it establishes and anchors itself in their past and sets up a deep emotional connection they have from minute 1 of episode 1. Pei Su sits in that therapists chair and Luo Weizhao's presence is in everything he says and feels about the world and about himself. You don't need Pei Su putting a jacket over Luo Weizhao in episode 10 when he's sleeping because it's so obvious that he is probably the most important person in Pei Su's life. They extrapolate from their back stories and their personalities and allow them to naturally develop within the plot. By stripping back what is overt (and would definitely not be allowed) they're showing us the depth of them (and accidentally made it more unbroadcastable... oops).

It feels real becuase Luo Weizhao and Pei Su don't love each other just because Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du love each other. They love each other because they fit, because it makes sense, because they were always going to.

[emmg]

wip whenever

i was tagged by my baes @heylittleriotact @aldisobey @ollypopwrites so im tagging yall three back in turn and adding @thepalehorsevictoria @excited-hiss @jainydoe @rooks-leather-jumpsuit @caffeinatedmunchkin @xxnashiraxx @lavenderprose and everyone else

euh this is from that Hadestown Emmrook AU I drunkenly posted about yesterday. The brain rot is real. I'm putting Emmrich & Rook as Hades/Persephone and Bellara & Neve as Orpheus/Eurydice.

anyway lol

Excerpt from Emmrich’s Research Notes (Unfiled Addendum)

"The Veil is deteriorating at several key fault lines. Surface-level efforts remain inconsistent. Solas and I are in agreement: stabilization must occur from both sides. He holds the Fade. I hold the world. He tends the dreaming. I manage the dead. The Grand Necropolis must serve as a stabilizing anchor, its necromantic field designed to resist volatile Fade incursions at structurally compromised points. The city is not merely a sanctuary for the dead, but a mechanism of containment. Lichdom is not corruption, but crystallization. Ritual intention remains pure. Undeath becomes the framework through which purpose endures. Mortality introduces entropy; emotion distorts the weave. I am—by nature—too human. The living cannot bear this burden forever. The dead do not fray under repetition. She will not understand. Rook fears what does not grow. She believes stillness is stagnation. But stillness is the only reason the walls still hold."

The train to the Grand Necropolis has no windows. It unsettles her every time. She always hesitates, Rook notices. Always. One foot extended, the other still grounded, she teeters at the threshold, suspended between the platform, the train, and the void that lies between. 

But inevitably, as always, she boards. Time snaps back into motion. The whistle shrills, the wheels begin to turn. She almost loses her balance, lurches forward, arms flailing, takes three quick steps to steady herself. Behind her, the doors slide shut. 

It’s always the same: hesitate, glance down, step in, stumble, recover. 

Ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk. She hears the great machine; or maybe she feels it. It travels through her bones as much as through her ears, a pulse in the metal spine of the train as she walks the corridor toward her private cabin.

The one that needs a key. 

The key she wears on a chain around her neck. The key that rests cold between her breasts, always cold, no matter how long it lies pressed to her skin—and that is always. It never warms. It only leeches. 

She stops. Fumbles at the chain, trying to free it. It snags, scratches her collarbone. She tugs. Harder. The chain catches on the top button of her blouse and, with one sharp pull, it snaps. The key flies. 

“Motherfucker,” she mutters, dropping to one knee just as the train jolts beneath her. The key skitters away. 

A foot steps out from one of the cabins—a pointed boot catches it before it vanishes. Then the other foot follows, this one curved, elegant, and false: a gilded, dwarven-forged prosthetic that ends just below the knee. Its owner leans down, humming as she picks up the key, rolling it along her knuckles like a two-penny magician with a coin. A cheap trick. Still, impressive. 

“Thank you,” Rook says, brushing off her knees as the woman holds it out to her. 

“Think nothing of it,” the woman replies. 

Her smile is small. Kind. A touch reserved. 

As soon as Rook takes the key, the woman tilts her head and says, “It must be very important to you.” 

"Why do you say that?"

“For starters, you wear it tucked beneath your clothes, not over. You check for it with your fingers without even realizing it. Twice since you stepped on board. You flinched when it hit the ground. You swore when the chain broke, not because of the chain itself, but because the key was loose. You didn’t run after it; you dropped. Dropped fast. Knees first.” 

She spins the snapped bit of chain once around her finger before handing it over as well. “Also… you didn’t say ‘thank you’ right away. You looked at it first. Made sure it was intact. Still yours. Still there.” 

“Ah,” Rook says, folding the key into her palm. She closes her fingers around it, then covers it with her other hand. It probably looks ridiculous. She doesn’t care. She doesn’t want to lose it again. “Well, then.” 

“Take care, now.” 

The woman offers a small nod, then turns and walks back into her cabin, the one she shares with three others. None of them acknowledge her return. Each stares at something else entirely: the wall, the floor, the ceiling. Anywhere but her. 

She picks up a bound stack of papers, set aside, apparently, to catch her flying key. She licks her fingers, tugs the ribbon loose, and resumes reading. As her head dips, a loose strand of hair slips forward, veiling her face. 

“Just as important as those are to you,” Rook says, nodding toward the papers. 

She doesn’t know why she says it. The woman had clearly meant to end their encounter then and there. Rook should let it go. She doesn’t know why her mouth keeps moving. 

A pause. 

A soft, half-exasperated, half-fond huff. Then, “Yes... though it’d be better if someone hadn’t filled the margins with half-baked schematics.” She lifts a page and gives it a little shake—lines and diagrams scrawled at odd angles, layered between blocks of cramped handwriting. “They’re everywhere,” the woman mutters, more to herself now. “As if her thoughts were leaking sideways.” 

She never looks up. Never looks back. 

No one goes to the Grand Necropolis for fun. 

Rook stands in the hallway, fully aware she’s staring but unable to stop. She wonders who she forgot. Or what.  

The Veil has been faltering for a year now. Sizzling at the edges, breaking apart, only to re-knit itself moments later, as if nothing ever happened. Nothing, then everything. Collapse and recovery, over and over. 

Some whisper it’s better to be almost-dead, half-dead, very-nearly-dead—anything but truly dead. So they board the train. They go underground. They enter the Grand Necropolis.

No one is truly alive there, Rook thinks. 

Not even Emmrich. 

Eventually, she moves. Drifts. Leaves the hallway behind and slips into her cabin. 

The key turns in the lock without resistance, smooth as butter, as always. 

Inside, she presses her back to the door and inhales deeply. 

It never changes. Not really. The same every time. Familiar to the point of wrongness. So strange. So perfect. 

Rivaini spices from the box of loose teas on the table. The warm musk of amber clinging to the upholstery. A new bracelet—gold, always gold. Never silver, never steel. Only gold. The eternal metal. The one that still shines beneath the earth, even without the sun. 

For Gold and Glory, she thinks, or half-remembers. The words come hazy, distant. She’s fairly certain she once shouted them, leaping into a cave to plunder its depths.

She wonders which meaning they were meant to hold. The glory or the sun? 

Both belong to the past. 

One is hers. The other… isn’t.

It is a ritual. 

She sits. Gives the small kettle two taps and waits, silent and patient, for the magic to do its work. Boiling water with no flame, no sound but the faint hiss as heat blooms. Cinnamon, ginger, clove; all ground fine and mixed. Good for headaches. For steadying the nerves. For softening the edges of thought. 

She pours a cup, then reaches for the letter that brought her here. Again. 

Written in her own hand. 

A sigh escapes. A smile follows. And then the impulse, half-dramatic, half-genuine, to cover her face with her hands. As if the gesture might shield her from the absurd sweetness of it all. Something theatrical. Something borrowed. Something Emmrich, certainly. 

Not his voice, but hers, written out in a looping, slanted script. A ghost version of herself, leaving messages in the dark: come home, come home, come back down—look what you’ve made me do. I’ve written it in the mirror for you, the words seem to say, so you’ll catch it next time you look at your reflection.

Yes. That is the trick. Not a summons, this letter—a call, soft and strange. That is how Emmrich writes to her.

He constructs a tableau, precise in its staging, uncanny in its intimacy. He does not sign his name. He does not need to. The handwriting is hers—flawlessly imitated, down to the curl of the descenders, the pressure points in each curlicue—but the voice beneath it is unmistakably his.

It reads as if she is speaking to herself.

Or rather, as if he is speaking through her.

Or perhaps—as it once was—as if they are speaking together, inside the same sentence.

All she ever has to do is arrive. 

You once said you would return when the world cracked open. It is cracking, Rook. The Grand Necropolis hums still, but the rhythm falters. They say it moves souls like clockwork. I believe it only winds them tighter. They do not understand, of course. They were not here when it was soft, when it bloomed. I have missed you. In all the ways you expect, and in those you would not. In silences that shape themselves like your name. If you can come—come now.

And then, a ring. 

It arrives precisely as she finishes reading the letter for the umpteenth time, as if summoned by the final line. It does not fall so much as appear, condensing from the air. Another gift. Another gesture. Emmrich’s handwriting in mineral form. 

Because beneath the earth, it is always cold. And in the cold, there is pressure. There is rock. There are veins that glitter. Jewels curled like thoughts in the dark. There is gold. 

She catches it mid-air, instinctively. 

An emerald. Deep, green, and quiet. 

It matches the bracelet. 

It fits as though it had always been hers. 

Ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk.

****

Bellara’s Workshop Log—Personal Tinkering Notes (Filed: Messily, Unsorted)

"Prototype #227b failed. Resonance sync fractured mid-loop. Neve would say it’s because I didn’t test it long enough. I’d say she’s probably right. Again. She said I don’t finish anything. That I leap to the next idea before the first one even settles. I told her I can’t sit still, that I don’t want to. She didn’t laugh. The truth is, I was building something for her. I just never got to the part where it worked. She left before I could name it. Maybe that’s fair. Maybe I would have left me, too."

[glowettee]

Hey Mindy 💕 @scavengerluv here! Was wondering if you could help create a guide and or link a guide about consistency with routine and sticking to a routine 💕 Wishing you the best!

hi darling @scavengerluv! 🌸 thank you for your sweet ask about building consistency with routines! as someone who has struggled with maintaining routines myself, i'd love to share some gentle guidance on making habits stick. hopefully this cozy little guide can help you. if you have ANY more questions at all. i'll be soooo happy to help!

creating & sticking to routines: a soft guide ⭐️

building consistent routines doesn't have to feel overwhelming or rigid. think of it as creating little rituals that make your days feel more intentional and peaceful. here are my besttt tips when it comes to consistent routines.

start tiny, dream big

begin with just one small habit (like drinking water when you wake up)

gradually layer new habits onto existing ones (it's called habit stacking)

celebrate the tiniest wins because they matter so much

make it feel special

create a peaceful environment for your routine

use items that bring you joy (a pretty journal, your favorite cup)

add gentle touches like soft music or fairy lights

treat your routine as self-care rather than obligation

the power in morning & evening anchors morning whispers:

set a consistent wake time

open curtains to let sunshine in

make your bed feel like a cloud

have a morning beverage ritual

evening lullabies:

dim lights an hour before bed

put phone away (or use night mode)

gentle skincare routine

read something lovely

the secret sauce: habit stacking connect new habits to existing ones, like:

stretching while water boils for tea

reading while having breakfast

journaling right after making your bed

meditation after brushing teeth

when things feel wobbly remember love, it's okay when routines get disrupted. life isn't meant to be perfect. i value being gentle to yourself, in every way. here's how to stay soft with yourself:

if you miss a day, simply begin again

adjust routines as seasons change

listen to what your body needs

keep the core simple, let details be flexible

making it sustainable

start with 1-2 weeks of tiny changes

use a pretty tracker or journal

find an accountability friend (like me 💌)

share progress in a way that feels good

remember progress isn't linear

gentle reminders for the journey

consistency > perfection

small steps create big changes

your routine should feel like a friend

adapt and adjust with love

celebrate every tiny victory

creating your personal rhythm everyone's routine will look different, and that's the beauty of it. maybe yours includes (or can include):

morning pages

gentle movement

nature walks

creative time

restful moments

remember, the goal isn't to create a perfect routine - it's to build a framework that supports and nurtures you. start small, be patient, and let your routine evolve naturally like a garden growing in its own time. i personally tell myself this every time i feel like i'm falling off.

sending you the warmest hugs and gentlest encouragement as you build your beautiful routines! remember that i'm always here if you need more specific guidance or just want to share your journey. 🌸

with love and soft whispers, mindy x

p.s. if anyone would like to share their routine journey, my inbox is always open for your stories and questions! 💕 - mindy

[unsoundedcomic]

What are your thoughts on existentialism v. nihilism? It sounds like you edge up against that boundary, with the "free to make your own meaning" aspect. Though the impermanence of meaning, and the inherent nothingness of the endgame does seem to be a key part of your own anchor.

I don't know that I have a lot of use for existentialism? I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced there exists libertarian free will, which I believe existentialism demands. I mostly think we are little automatons shaped by circumstance, and that we are too hard on ourselves. A tiger can't change its stripes, and we expect too much of the tigers prowling among us. We also allow them too much.

Existentialism is very concerned with centering the individual, while I'm mostly unimpressed by the individual, with misanthropic leanings. At the same time though, I'm all for giving individuals a chance. Because I think there's no intrinsic meaning, it seems very important to me that society do what it can to allow individuals to discover their own meaning while keeping them constrained in a pro-social framework with protections for everyone - provided human flourishing is their goal. Consequently I think child rights and child welfare are the number one most important thing any society should concern itself with.

That's all my silly little collectivist idealism though, and the western world's never really gone for it. We let wolves raise kids and marvel how they grow up into feral adults.

Anyway! My favourite pie is apple and my favourite Calpico is melon.

[maybeelse]

The Problem of Witches

"What is true power" is supposed to be one of those deep, philosophical questions with no real answer. It—and the thought experiments which grow on it like clinging weeds—are meant to become a mirror to the speaker's biases, to reveal how they think about the world. Let that be so.

To my mind, the answer is simple: true power is control of the context in which the world is understood. It is the ability to say "this is what the world is", and be heard.

It is intoxicating, and dangerous, and many-layered.

Seen through the fantastical lenses of works like This Is How You Lose The Time War and The Book of the War it is conflicting frameworks of the Commandant and the Garden or the Great Houses' anchoring of the thread (the creation of history with themselves at the center). It is the pinions which Exordia's Khai place in their subjects' souls, narrative prisons that make the Khai's success inevitable; it's Elden Ring's outer gods struggling for control of what the world will become.

In the real world it's the narratives which bind our comprehension of what the world could be, and what it is; and it's the processes which led to their current state. It's all of the choices that constrain the space of what's possible.

Perhaps this is an unsatisfying answer. Perhaps it is trite. Perhaps I'm just vaguely waving my hands and going "society's the real power, man! It's everything around us!" So be it.

In my own stories, there is magic: the ability to change parts of the world. Sometimes this is fundamentally altering part of the world (sunlight is a honey-thick liquid, that drips and stains and smells of sweet rot); more often it's changing the way something works (as long as you remember to chant these words once a day, your body will become soft and plump) or what part of the setting is like (things around the graveyard doll get spooky and sepulchral).

That's not an exhaustive list, by the way.

And then, there are witches, and the problems they create.

By the time a witchling becomes a small-witch, their existence has already begun to distort the world. Rules stop applying, or get more complex, or more conditional. There are loopholes.

Put too many small-witches in close proximity, and weird stuff happens. Things skew and break; points of disagreement or conflict gather narrative weight. There is always potential for escalation.

And then there are true witches. "A skin worn by a fragment of the Unreal", I said. "The hollow left behind by a hidden heart. Someday a sparrow will wear down the mountains which stand beyond the world and they will watch, uncaring." And then, lest I be misread, "their presence leaks into the world, corrupts narratives, stains souls. They become undeniable. Some call this a curse."

By their mere existence, they shape the world.

I've been grappling with the consequences of that ever since I started writing about them.

Because—think about it. What does that do to a world? What happens?

My forever-unfinished map of the City of Corrade shows that city as a series of thin bubbles, with buildings and forests and suns clinging to their pastel surfaces. Setting cast as a series of moods, as layers, as abstract bubbles of influence; a city seen through the lens of subway trains, connected-yet-disconnected. In many respects this is a concession to my writing; landmarks recur, and moods, but everything around them (and their relationships to each other) shift as easily as a dream's psychogeography.

That, then, is what happens to the people and places within a true witch's influence. They exist within her context, within her understanding of what the world is. In Corrade, capitalism only exists in the city's Downtown, whose striving spires cling tight to the Astral Witch's midnight observatory; the waves of gentrification and decay which lap at the city's client suburbs flow from the blended presence of several lesser true witches. Crossroads Station, HER orbital citadel, a relic of a long-ended war still ringed watchful angels, exists only because of the power slowly leaching from HER still-warm corpse.

And at their feet the lesser creatures squabble and struggle and try to thrive. Some become witches; most do not.

I grew up across the bay from San Francisco, all those years ago, and perhaps that tells you something of why I understand geography in terms of the great powers that affect it, of the titans whose movements shake the world and the fungal outgrowths of the lesser powers which serve their whims. Today I regard them as pathetic, all those child-kings clawing at the edges, desperate for more, for the glory of their unfinished apotheosis, for a final escape from reality's laws and constraints—but that's part of my witches, too. Abusers are fundamentally pathetic; powers grow so tangled in the context they create that they can never break free. They choke and die on their own success, still unsatisfied, still wanting more.

That hunger is all they are.

[hermajestyimher]

Manifestation as a Christian: A Comprehensive Biblical Guide

Manifestation, the practice of bringing one's desires into reality through positive thinking, visualization, and affirmations, has gained significant attention in contemporary culture. For Christians, understanding and utilizing manifestation within a biblical framework can provide a powerful and faith-anchored approach to achieving goals and experiencing blessings. This guide explores the biblical basis for manifestation, aligns it with scriptural teachings, and offers practical steps for Christians to use manifestation while remaining rooted in their faith.

Biblical Basis for Manifestation

Faith and Belief

The Bible emphasizes the power of faith and belief, which are core components of manifestation:

Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Mark 11:24 - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

The tenent highlighted in these verses shows us the importance of believing in what you ask for, reflecting the foundational principle of manifestation which many may refer to as "Law of Assumption" that faith and belief are crucial to bring things forward into reality.

Positive Confession

The Bible also teaches the power of words and the importance of speaking positively, as our words have immense power to bring forward good but also evil into our lives:

Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."

Romans 4:17 - "As it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist."

Our words shape our reality, it's crucial that we become aware of this, so as to not allow corrupt talk to come out of our lips.

God’s Will and Alignment

Understanding and aligning with God’s will is essential in the manifestation process:

1 John 5:14-15 - "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."

Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

These verses stress the importance of aligning our desires with God's will, ensuring that our manifestations are in harmony with His divine plan, which as we will see further below, are plans to prosper us and give us a future to look forward to.

Understanding Manifestation Biblically

God as the Source

In biblical teaching, God is the ultimate source of all provision and blessing. While contemporary manifestation often emphasizes the individual's power to attract or create their reality, the Bible underscores that all good things come from God:

James 1:17 - "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

Prayer and Supplication

Believers are encouraged to bring their desires and needs to God through prayer and supplication, acknowledging their dependence on Him:

Philippians 4:6-7 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Gratitude is a key element in both biblical teaching and modern manifestation practices. Giving thanks, even before receiving what has been asked for, reflects faith and trust in God’s provision:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Action and Faith

Manifestation involves not just belief but also taking actionable steps towards one’s goals. The Bible supports the idea that faith should be accompanied by corresponding actions:

James 2:26 - "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

Ensuring Good Things by Being Anchored to God

Confidence in Prayer

1 John 5:14-15 can be connected with Jeremiah 29:11 to emphasize the assurance of God’s good intentions for us. Jeremiah 29:11 states:

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God's will is to prosper us and give us hope and a future. Therefore, when we pray in alignment with these good plans, we can be assured that God hears and answers our prayers. And when we pray with the assurance of knowing that these things we ask will come to pass, we exercise extreme faith, which is pleasing before God.

Assurance of God’s Good Plans

Knowing that God's plans are to prosper us and not to harm us provides reassurance that He will only allow what is ultimately for our benefit. Even when we face challenges or things don't go as we planned, we can trust that God’s ultimate purpose is for our good and better things are on their way:

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Sometimes what we desire may not come to pass immediately or in the way we expect. Trusting in God’s wisdom and timing is crucial.

Manifestation as a God-Given Tool

Gift of Manifestation

Manifestation can be seen as a God-given tool that allows us to participate in bringing forth blessings and positive outcomes in our lives:

Genesis 1:27 - "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Being made in God's image implies that we have creative power and the ability to influence our reality. There is no greater creator than God, all creation comes from Him, and by being made in his own image, we carry the power to create with us as well.

Anchored in God

When we anchor our manifestation practices in God, we align our desires and actions with His will:

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Seeking God’s guidance and wisdom helps us discern what is truly beneficial for us:

James 1:5 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Protection from Harm

When we manifest with God, we trust Him to protect us from things that might seem good but could ultimately harm us, because ultimately we are bringing forward His will for us, which as we've seen, can only be for our benefit:

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Manifestation, when viewed as a tool given by God, becomes a powerful practice that brings blessings and positive outcomes into our lives. By anchoring ourselves in God and surrendering our desires to Him, we ensure that only good things come our way. This approach integrates the power of positive thinking and faith with a deep trust in God's perfect will and timing. By understanding and believing that God's will is inherently good and designed for our benefit, we can approach Him with confidence, knowing that He will fulfill His promises to prosper us and give us hope and a future.