#and a normal binah too. hi

[rosewoodconch]

RWCH Readathon 2024: Day 5

Undercover Princess - Chapter 12

This is so so fun i love this chapter it makes me so happy so if this is rambley im sorry

Her first letter to ollie is in their 2nd week there??? Im upset on his behalf

Can we also appreciate that we get to see them studying? That never happens. I really love these quieter moments where they really just get to be normal students for a bit

Also im on ellies side here, but i knew it as bodmas. Can someone from england (im assuming) tell me what BPRMDAS stands for. Whats the pr????

Binahs puzzle astounds me and i wanna know if connie did it herself? My theory is Evan Edinger helped make it.

On that note... heres my girlfriends notes from when she ACTUALLY WORKED IT OUT

So she figured out the puzzle before it was revealed (and was like omg the school founder??? Why???) @infartoomanyfandoms im infinitely impressed by you 💙

Because i forgot to include it in the earlier one. For those that don't know: The Company of Wolves is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. You can find out more here!

The "thats why they invented sneaking out" is so iconic and was in fact my twitter bio for 3 years

This chapter is fun because it really kicks off the mysteries for real! It gives you a long term mystery of who left the book and nkte, but binahs puzzle keeps our characters b plots interesting too!

[socialjusticevampire]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Lobotomy Corporation, Library of Ruina

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Characters: Binah (Lobotomy Corporation), Chesed (Lobotomy Corporation), Hod (Lobotomy Corporation), Hokma (Lobotomy Corporation), Ayin (Lobotomy Corporation)

Additional Tags: Character Study, Disability, Unreliable Narrator, Mass Death, Medical Torture, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, State violence, Strangulation, Self-Harm, Restraints

Summary:

All you ever did was follow the path that was laid out before you. There was no obstacle you could not conquer. No challenge too great. Nothing that you could not throw yourself at and come out on top of. You were perfect, and they held you to those standards of perfection, which you surpassed at every turn. You did everything right. And in the end, you were rewarded for it with the world in your hands. The regeneration of nervous tissue is a process which can take weeks-to-years to unfold, and injury sustained by the nervous system is, more often than not, irreversible.

~

Hi, I am so normal about Binah and this fic definitely also completely normal and I think everyone should read it :)

[ottisbuns]

why do you dislike warm hearted woodsman?

Ok look listen this is gonna get long because I have feeling on this asshole I have Warm Hearted Woodsman in the Welfare Department of my facility and I HATE HIM SOSO MUCH he is BY FAR the worst Abnormality I have in the WHOLE FACILITY, and I have SILENT ORCHESTRA in there

Let us compare him to a different Abnormality who lives in my facility who is very similar but I dislike infinitely less

The Scarecrow Stealing My Eyedbarls You see, with the Scarecrow Stealing My Sightballs I have a very simple containment procedure, which is that I recruit a guy with 1 prudence, max Temperance and just 3 in Justice and Fortitude as is standard. I also have the Portrait of Another World in the same department as Scarecrow Stealing My Lookorbs, so I generally have the agent equip that just as a safety measure with their low Prudence

Now, due to having such a high Temperance, this boyo can safely work with nearly ANY abnormality in the upper layers that don't have a special condition about what stats the Employee can have (I.E. they can't work with Spider Bud), so I don't just have an employee who is around ONLY to work on Scarecrow Stealing My Visionspheres

AND CRUCIALLY, MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALL OF THIS, is that if I have a boy with too much Prudence work on Scarecrow, IT BREACHES, which means all I have to do is beat it the fuck up, which isn't that difficult because it's just Scarecrow all he does is walk around and slap people. Very nice. I don't even NEED a specialized agent for it, it just makes it easier.

NOW WARM-HEARTED WOODSMAN ON THE OTHER HAND

This ABSOLUTELY BITCHIN BASTARD of an Abnormality requires you to have LOW TEMPERANCE to work on him, which means LOW WORK SUCCESS CHANCE. AT THE SAME TIME, if you get a BAD RESULT he ALSO breaches, and you are MORE LIKELY to get a bad result because YOU NEED TO HAVE LOW TEMPERANCE TO WORK ON HIS ASS, and crucially, the fact that the agent's temperance is low means THEY CAN'T WORK ON OTHER ABNORMALITIES, meaning whoever I have to work on WHWM can ONLY work on that fucker

But the ABSOLUTE WORST PART is that this ABSOLUTE FUCKER OF AN ABNORMALITY

DOES. NOT. BREACH.

IF WHEN SOMEONE WITH THREE OR HIGHER TEMPERANCE WORKED ON HIM HE JUST SAUNTERED OUT OF HIS LITTLE CELL I WOULDN'T HATE HIM NEARLY AS MUCH BECAUSE I COULD JUST HAVE SOME GUY WITH GOOD GEAR STATIONED THERE TO BEAT HIM UP AND IT'D BE FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE

BUT NO

INSTEAD WHEN HIS COUNTER REACHES ZERO, THE NEXT TIME SOMEONE ENTERS HIS CELL HE JUST FUCKING EXECUTES THEM AND THEN BREACHES

AND HE CAN STILL SUFFER FROM FUCKING MELTDOWNS WHEN HE IS AT COUNTER 0

which normally isn't a problem because I just like ignore the Meltdown oh boo hoo I lost some energy and your Counter became 0? It was already zero you bastard

BUT THEN

WHWM AND BINAH ARE IN FUCKING KAHOOTS!

KAHOOTS I FUCKING TELL YOU!

SO NOW WITH BINAH'S CORE SUPPRESSION I AM FORCED TO WORK ON HIS ASS, MOST LIKELY SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THERE ARE THRE EEEE PHASES AND EACH HAS THEIR OWN MELTDOWNS THAT FUCK ME IN A FRESH NEW WAY

SO I HAVE TO HAVE A SPECIFIC AGENT THAT CAN ONLY WORK ON THIS BASTARD STATIONED IN THE WELFARE DEPARTMENT WHO HAS NO OTHER USE SIMPLY BECAUSE THIS ONE FUCKING BINCH SUCKS SO BAD

I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him I hate him hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate

[aetherose]

@dinomites sent: 🕯️ Aelia for Binah!! And Roland too :)

Send me 🕯️to hear my character's inner thoughts about your character.

The Patron Librarian strokes the hair of the sleeping child that lay in her lap in this moment, as she thinks.

'I never did anticipate I would come to care for a child this much. Or for anyone, for that matter. I cannot say I am displeased with how things have turned out, however. Her perspectives are fascinating. And...she is in desperate need of guiding hands to lead her through the dark.'

A hint of a smile seems to appear on the normally fairly inscrutable former Arbiter's face.

'I am glad I can serve as one for her. Whatever the future holds, I will help her pave a path that is her own. Perhaps she will never get to truly be a normal child. But to live a good life does not entail the need for normalcy...only to persist forward in face of the obstacles that lay in your way...and realize hope still remains, that you are not alone. She will be alright in the end.'

She watches Roland from afar as he delivers books to her floor and converses with some of her assistants, sipping her tea with a hum.

'I knew from the start the road that he walked, and I must say, he has changed greatly from when I first met him to where he is now. Once a revenge-focused man who had nothing left but his rage and sorrow, now realizing he need not continue to descend into the abyss.'

She places down her tea as he leaves.

'He may not believe in himself to be able to raise his daughter, but he is not alone. He may find it difficult not to lose sight of what is in front of him, but those around him will pull him back to the present. He has already recognized his problems and wishes to do better...and that is more than many people will do. He will be fine in the end, no matter how he may struggle to believe that.'

And she stands, with a slight smirk on her lips.

'It will not save him from being messed with, however. He is quite entertaining.'

[ancestorsofjudah]

1 Kings 7: 13-22. "The Tops."

Continuing our discussion of the Cubits, the "motherly counsel" within the Tanakh, we head to the Furniture Store. As with all aspects of Judaism, we have to ask the sages what is really meant by this: too much has been lost with the suppression of the Jew and his Religion, and none of this is intuitive or a habitual part of our lives to make sense without research, called Midrash in Hebrew.

To complete a Midrash, an "investigation" one must employ what is called Chabad, Chochmah, Binah, Da'at, "theory, analysis, evidence", and continually upgrade the level of the theory till one reaches the Infinite, which God says in Exodus is worship through happiness. For happiness to take place, first comes the home and then comes the furniture.

"And Moses agreed with Betzalel that, under normal circumstances, one should first transform one’s environment before focusing on a specific action.

Yet, initially, Moses told Betzalel to first build the furniture and then build the home. Why?

Because Moses knew that unusual times would be coming. There would be times when a person would feel that the darkness is too great, that the unholiness is too dominant, and that he or she is too weak to build a shelter from the storm. Moses taught us that in those times, we should first create the furniture—the action. We should choose just one moment of our day and use it for a divine purpose. Even if we don't have a protective home, we can and should engage in holy actions.

Moses told us to fill our lives with moments of holiness. And the energy produced from these moments will ultimately empower us to build a beautiful home, full of material and spiritual blessings.2"

The most blessed houses will be positively filled with good tops, rife with circumference:

The Temple’s Furnishings

13 King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram,[g] 14 whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali "struggles against injustice."

Solomon means "completed peace" and Tyre has several meanings, about which we will assume the positive since Solomon wanted to have dealings with it:

The Semitic, and thus original, name for Tyre is pronounced Zor or Zur. In Biblical Hebrew this name looks exactly like words coming off the צור and צרר root-groups.

צור

Verb צור (sur I) probably means to lean or incline. Noun צואר (sawwa'r) means neck and צורון (sawwaron) means necklace.

Verb צור (sur II) means to confine, secure or besiege. Noun מצור (masor) means siege and מצורה (mesura) means stronghold. This verb relates to verb צרר (sarar I).

Verb צור (sur III) means to be an adversary. It relates to צרר (sarar II).

Verb צור (sur IV) means to form or fashion. Noun צורה (sura) means form and noun ציר (sir) means image. This verb relates to יצר (yasar).

Verb צור (sur V) probably relates to verb צרר (sarar III) and probably means to be sharp. The important noun צור (sur) means rock, and is equivalent to the Greek noun πετρα (petra), from which comes the name Peter.

צרר

Verb צרר (sarar I) means to bind and relates to צור (sur II). Adjective צר (sar) means narrow. Nouns צר (sar) and צרה (sara) mean distress and yield denominative verb צרה (sara), meaning to suffer distress. Noun צרור (seror) means bundle or parcel. Noun מצר (mesar) means distress.

Verb צרר (sarar II) means to show hostility and relates to verb צור (sur III). Noun צר (sar) means adversary. Noun צרה (sara) means vexer or rival-wife. Denominative verb צרר (sarar) means to create a rival wife.

Verb צרר (sarar III) probably means to be sharp and relates to צור (sur V). Nouns צר (sar), צר (sor) and צרור (seror) mean flint or pebble.

יצר

Verb יצר (yasar) means to fashion or form and relates to צור (sur IV). Noun יצר (yeser) denotes that what is formed, and noun יצרים (yesurim) means forms or members.

צרה

Verb צרה (srh) probably describes the bleeding of an odoriferous tree. Noun צרי (sari) denotes a kind of costly balsam.

Let's define Tyre then as "flint" a rock hard enough to chisel away at other stones and is also found in tinder boxes.

Huram means "Father's nobility" and he did "bronze work":

Huram was filled with wisdom, with understanding and with knowledge to do all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him.

15 He cast two bronze pillars, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[h] 

Bronze is an amalgam of metals, it is also the color of the Oracle Serpent, and bronzed men are the most handsome; to build pillars of bronze is to merge all that available materials into one vehicle through which the physically available and subjective beauties of the male Jewish man are expressed.

Tyre was a pagan outpost. In spite of common misperceptions about paganism, one can learn from pagan practices and beliefs, but one may not worship a pagan God. Pagan gods, which include handsome men with bronze serpent penises cannot be worshipped in spite of the temptation to do so, but one can indeed teach and learn in their presence.

[I've clearly decided to embrace pronoun proliferation.]

As for the twin bronze pillars and their dimensions, we need Gematria to understand their meaning.

= 5551, = 5x5x5x10=א‎בה‎י‎ paternal, or "father and son."

The most famous father and son were Abraham and Isaac, whose myth explain how God does not want our laughter sacrificed during the practice of religion. There is also a reference to Melek Taus, the Archangel, that is interesting:

"Melek Taus Wants To Save Everyone Except The Child Murderers And Animal Abuser."

The value In Gematria Is 5551.

16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars; each capital was five cubits[i] high. 

The Two Bronze Tops are Jerusalem and Hebron, "Peace and Federation."

Each capital was lost. The Gematria for five cubits is 1124, א‎א‎בד‎‎‎, "the objects of my desire, I lost."

17 A network of interwoven chains adorned the capitals on top of the pillars, seven for each capital. 

18 He made pomegranates in two rows[j] encircling each network to decorate the capitals on top of the pillars.[k] He did the same for each capital. 

Chains connecting pomegranates to the Capital Tops are the ongoing, never ending relationships that transmit the ever growing body of knowledge throughout the Jewish Federation.

Within pomegranates, which might be likened to the little library of smith knowledge in each human being's brain, exists the substance by which humanity has come to know and worship God and through His influences AKA "the Seven Days", become quite successful and comfortable.

We don't value this like we should and instead allow chowder heads and losers to threaten to take it from us all the time, but certainly not under duress. We willingly give it all away to them. The Tanakh says we must be chained together, unwilling to part from what belongs to us.

19 The capitals on top of the pillars in the portico were in the shape of lilies, four cubits[l] high. 

Four cubits= 740, ז‎דאֶפֶס‎ zed-efes, "infinite justice".

So the bronze pillars with their lilly white tops were a total of 9 cubits high. = דטח‎ dash, "to heat up, to consecrate".

20 On the capitals of both pillars, above the bowl-shaped part next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows all around. 

200 pomegranates above the bowl shaped part of the network= 469, "da'at" דו‎ט‎ ‎.

200 is also Gematria for the union of knowledge with poverty in order to create a civilized society. The ultimate union of these took place in the coupling of David "persistent beauty" with Bat Sheva, "hope for humanity" = Solomon, the "complete peace."

21 He erected the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jakin[m] and the one to the north Boaz.[n]

 22 The capitals on top were in the shape of lilies. And so the work on the pillars was completed.

(S) "Intelligent", Jachin= certainty, (N) "What is uncertain," Boaz=strength.

By certainty and strength the peace and its federated principals, David and Bat Sheva, the Pillars of Judaism are established and poured from one era into the next.

As for religions and politics like the Mormons and their Republican shit puppets, for which there is no evidence of happiness or lasting peace, it is time for them to be sundered, things of the past.

[saintadeline]

Other various art for the angebinah fans out there

[multyfandoms-imagines]

That would leave me with Tiphereths (platonic of course), Chesed, Hokma and Binah if i remember correctly

Spoilery, Reader(or S/O) is injured in various ways, hospital related things (like being bedridden, taking meds) so dont read if you dont feel comfortable

Tiphereth A/B (platonic)

•when Tiphereth A finally comes down with terms that Tiphereth B will one day perish forever. News about you being hurt made her incredibly upset

•Tiph B, of course, has no clue of what is going on. But he doesnt want Tiph A to be upset. So, while she needs to calm down (thank god for kind people like Hod), he goes to check you

•you dont have much injuries aside from being exhausted for having such a long day, so Tiph B tells the good news

•aaaand here goes Tiph A running at you, with Tiph B right behide her to keep up

•she bawls her eyes out, thinking that she lost you too. But a group hug and words of reassurance that you wont leave them yet is enough to have them both happy

Chesed

•Chesed, being in charge of the Welfare department, learns really quickly that with his damage type error, he did made you take sometimes x4 buffed damage

•even then, he asks. How badly did he hurt you? Other people? How many died or in critical condition? Its his job after all

•he checks on you first, but Chesed already prepared for the worst, being yelled at or asked to leave you alone. Because with the scar of what he presumes was from buffed Big and Will Be Bad Wolf he thinks that its over between-

•but you seem to be happy to see that your mr. Coffee Addict is back to normal. Despite the pain he made you feel during the day

•you ask if he has time to talk, but being honest, Chesed says that he needs to make sure that the rest are stable first. Tho, promises to come back. So you rest in your bed with meds

•and he comes back, true to his word. With ans extra cup for you

Hokma

•it would be a lie to say that he was not upset in the slightest. He is actually very upset that he got you hurt

•at least the Manager and the others managed to pass the ordeal he created

•pretty sure you all lc players out there just forgot that pause existed during his meltdown and maybe abit after it xd

•much like Chesed, he asks how many are hurt/dead/critical condition. Just to take a note on that

•but he has eternal debate... Should he visit you right now? Should he just check others? Hokma is not really sure. But with you being his S/O, decides that its better to hear what do you think of him right now, rather then to wait and torment himself from the inside

•and it would be a lie if i said that Hokma was not relieved that you still want to continue the relationship. There is a small chat, before you two make a schedule for visiting hours during your recovery

•he promised not to mess with your perception of time again

Binah

•she knew how dangerous she is, how hard she pushed everyone to their limits to pass the test of her own.

•Binah also knew you would never leave her but... She hurt you pretty bad

•she could care less about anyone else. They will all die sooner or later. But... She loved you. And even someone as sadistic as Binah would be devastated if you were to leave her be

•so, for once, she is slightly nervous about your relationship

•thankfully, its all just her overthinking things. You were hurt, yes, but still haply to see Binah all fine and dandy

•she makes you tea and for herself and you talk about things. Binah questions about your decision to still be with her, despite pretty much yeeting a pillar in your face

•and you just talk about love and all that. While cheesy beyond belief, it still makes her smile that no matter what hardships you two face, you will always have each other

[imaginecorporation]

As a proper first request while I wait for other bees anons to return, let's get into the spooky spirit and have the sephrot deal with agents celebrating Halloween.

(Forgot label, it was I, beenon who has sent the Halloween prompt. Just for tagging sake) -beenon

BEENON. MY BELOVED. ANYTHING FOR YOU. CONSIDER THIS A WARMUP BIT BECAUSE I HAVEN’T WRITTEN SINCE THE TIME I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED MY BLOG AND THUS NUKED THE HORROR AU BLOG I HAD ALONG WITH IT :(  - MOD FINN

Halloween! The one day where everyone in the corporation can go about their lives pretending things are completely normal and that your coworkers dying left and right is just part of the fun!

With some twists, since some of the older hires finally talked their sefirot into dressing up, and letting employees do the same!

Chesed shows up dressed as Gebura. “Nothing is scarier than an ex, right?”

Someone help this man, he’s going to spend the day being chased around by Gebura. Who, somehow, managed to make a VERY REALISTIC NOTHING THERE COSTUME, THANK YOU GEBURA VERY COOL (AND TERRIFYING)

We don’t talk about Binah’s costume. We don’t talk about her agents and clerks’ costumes, either. We don’t talk about the Extraction Team during Halloween.

Tiphereth A and B share a costume (at B’s insistence); they’re just two small children-robots in a trench coat. Tiphereth B thinks it’s hilarious. Tiphereth A keeps saying she only agreed because Biph asked for it, but everyone agrees she’s enjoying sitting on top of him and being tall a bit too much. The power of being taller is getting to her head.

Netzach... does he show up? Yes, he does. With a blue wig and yellow contacts. Hilarious with the cognition filter, but even funnier with everyone who sees him as a box. Just.. keep him away from Angela. Nobody needs the fallout from “We were told to dress as the scariest thing we can imagine.”

Hod, bless her soul.. she’s a sheep. “We already see so many bad things, so I decided to dress up as something nice!”

Malkuth, on the other hand? Herself, but with angry eyebrows.

Whether because the entire Control Team decided she’s scary when mad, or because she wants to be recognizable in case of emergency, we’ll never know.

Hokma just added a visible clock to himself. Nothing is scarier than the passage of time. He is correct.

Yesod did not choose his costume, the costume chose him.

Or so everyone says.

The truth is he planned on not dressing up at all.

Until his agents tossed a homemade snake costume at him, and, well, he couldn’t NOT wear it, now, could he?

Some of the Abnormalities get word of what happens, and some attempt to join in on the fun for the day!

You’d think it’d be impossible to go through a day full of Alephs without a breach, and you’d be right; luckily, many of the sentient abnormalities are in the spirit of Halloween, and Red and Freischütz are on top of suppression!

The next person who goes in Nothing There’s containment finds it with a pumpkin hat. Yes, it is very cute.

 Dakota, the brave bastard. Don’t ask them why they put a pumpkin on Nothing There of all abnormalities, but it seems very cute and docile for the time being!

The children abnormalities get reverse trick-or-treated; that is, everyone sneaks candy into their containment. The Dreaming Current knows nothing but joy for the entire day. It’s the best day ever for all of them.

[binah-fae]

The Matchmaker

Based on that soulmate AU where the first words your soulmate say to you are tattooed on your arm.

***

Ellie pulled Jamie down the hallway so ferociously that he nearly tripped on a couch leg in the hallway.

March break at Rosewood University was unusually quiet but Jamie didn’t mind. He liked it when there weren't crowds of people.

Most people went home for the week but Jamie told Ellie’s parents he’d watch over her and she decided to stay at RU because Lottie stayed.

Jamie could just make out the letters on Ellie’s left arm: Excuse me? It was the words her soulmate first said to her.

Lottie Pumpkin, Ellie’s soulmate, had something a little less polite. She had the words: You’re in my spot, Pumpkin-head tattooed on her arm forever.

“C’mon, hurry up!” Ellie moaned. “You’re as slow as cold molasses running up a hill!”

Jamie rolled his eyes but picked up the pace anyway.

Apparently, they were seeing The Matchmaker, a student at the university who had an uncanny way of figuring out someone’s soulmate and then setting them up to meet each other.

Ellie had gone to The Matchmaker in order to find her own soulmate last year. The Matchmaker had apparently told her to just go to all of her classes the next day.

Then, in Ellie’s Women’s Studies class Lottie had been sitting in Ellie's usual spot.

Lottie had been told by The Matchmaker to sit in a different spot than her own in all of her classes.

Jamie didn’t know what to think of this matchmaker. He just assumed that Fate would soon bring him and his soulmate together.

He wasn’t impatient like Ellie.

But ever since Ellie had met Lottie because of The Matchmaker, Ellie had been hounding him day after day for him to go to this student to find out his soulmate.

Finally, Jamie had relented. Sure, it would be nice to finally get to know his soulmate but he didn’t want to rush anything. What if it wasn’t the right time?

Ellie stopped so suddenly in front of a door that Jamie almost ran over her.

“Here we are,” Ellie grinned. She knocked on the door. “I’m so excited!” She exclaimed quietly as the door swung open.

A short, black, girl answered. Her face poked out of the door and she looked at Ellie before turning her gaze to Jamie. She cocked her head to the side and pushed up her circular glasses. “Jamie Volk?”

Jamie nodded. He recognized the girl from his Computer Programming class. Binah Fae, if he wasn’t mistaken. She was a computer whiz and even the professor was baffled by her smarts.

Binah smiled and her eyes lit up. “Good! Ellie told me she’d be bringing you around now, come in, come in.” She opened the door wider.

The first thing Jamie noticed when he and Ellie stepped inside was that it was a single room Jamie could only describe as an organized mess.

Dozens of different types of plants were surrounding the bed and window while piles of library books littered the floor. The bed, however, was immaculately made and Jamie couldn’t see any dust.

Binah sat down on a little pile of books around the foot of her bed and gestured for Ellie and Jamie to do the same.

They sat.

Binah had a twinkle in her eye as she reached out her hands. “Can I take a look?”

It took a moment for Jamie to realize she was talking about his arm. He didn’t really know what else she could have been talking about but it hadn’t really processed in his mind. Jamie pulled up his sleeve and showed Binah what his soulmark said.

Eyyy, twinsies!

Jamie rolled his eyes just looking at it.

Binah inspected it for what seemed like an hour before nodding her head. “Ah,” was all she said with a nod.

“So? Do you know who it is?” Ellie asked, bouncing her feet around while sitting on the pile of books.

“Perhaps,” Binah said with a mysterious smile. Her eyes twinkled as Jamie pulled his sleeve down.

“So?” Ellie asked again, starting to become impatient. “What should Jamie do?”

Binah pursed her lips in thought. Then, as if she had figured out everything, she said, “hmmm, I’d say, Jamie, tomorrow for lunch go to the cafe across the university. Would that be okay?”

Jamie furrowed his brow. “Uh, yeah. Sure.” He had been there plenty of times third wheeling with Lottie and Ellie, not that he minded much.

Binah clapped her hands. “Great.” She stood up. “Then Fate will do the rest.”

Jamie and Ellie both stood up and were about to exit Binah’s dorm room when Ellie, a couple of paces behind him, suddenly exclaimed “wait! You don’t have anything on your arms!”

Jamie turned around and glanced at Binah whose arms were very much bare, not a phrase on them.

He had heard of people without soulmates but he had never met one before.

Jamie, however, had a filter while Ellie did not. He grabbed his friend’s arm and began yanking her out the door. “That’s rude, Ellie.”

Ellie began wiggling her arm out of Jamie’s grasp. “Hey!”

Binah didn’t look fazed by Ellie’s comment. She simply just shrugged. “Yup.” She held her forearms out for them to see.

Ellie finally pulled away from Jamie who gave up and crossed his arms instead.

“Don’t you want a soulmate?” Ellie asked again, her mouth drawn down into a frown.

“No, not really.”

Ellie looked utterly floored. The idea that someone wouldn’t want a soulmate had caused her to go momentarily speechless. A rare occasion, in Jamie’s book.

However, Jamie knew that soon Ellie would cross a line. He didn’t exactly know how but he could feel it coming. He knew Ellie well enough and he knew it was now the time to leave. He began pushing Ellie out the door. “Thank you, Binah. I really appreciate it.”

Ellie, still at a loss for words, opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water.

Binah waved. “Oh, no problem. I love working out puzzles.”

As Jamie pushed Ellie out into the hallway, he quickly turned around and mouthed a quick ‘I’m sorry’ to Binah who was at the door.

Binah just grinned even wider. ‘It’s okay’, she mouthed. Then, out loud, “bye guys! Have a nice day!”

***

The next morning, Ellie knocked on Jamie’s door at 8 o’clock in the morning.

“What are you doing up so early?” Jamie asked, surprised. He had been up for a couple of hours already. “I thought you didn’t get up before ten.”

Ellie snorted and rolled her eyes. “Not today. It’s an exciting day for you!”

“Binah said at lunchtime. Not breakfast.”

Ellie shrugged. “Who said you can’t be a little early? Besides, I want to help you get ready! You have to look your best!”

Jamie rolled his eyes. He would rather just wear what he’d normally wear—a nice plain shirt and some pants. But he sighed. He didn’t know why he relented but he did. “Fine.”

Ellie grinned mischievously.

“But nothing too loud,” he added in quickly.

In the end, the two of them settled for a deep plum button up and denim jeans. Not too bad. Except for the single ruby earring Ellie insisted on him wearing, saying that it would make him look “super cool”.

Jamie hadn’t felt like arguing (nor had he felt “super cool”) but he had let it go. “Why is there only one?” He asked.

Ellie laughed. “I bought it at a yard sale and they only sold one.”

Yard sale? Jamie repeated in his head, his eyes widening and hands immediately going up to his ear—

“—Chill! I cleaned it in hot water and sanitized it. What kind of monster do you think I am?” Ellie asked.

Jamie’s arm dropped back onto his lap.

Fifteen minutes later, they found themselves in a booth in the cafe Binah had told them to go to. Lottie was with them now, snacking on a blueberry muffin.

Jamie drained his second cup of coffee. It was 9:30, nowhere near lunchtime.

He wasn’t usually a fidgety person but the concept of sitting in a cafe for hours on end wasn’t exactly how he’d like to spend his time when he could be actually doing something.

Jamie stood up. “I’m getting another coffee.” He glanced at Ellie and Lottie. “Do you guys want anything else?”

Ellie glanced over at Lottie who shrugged. “No, we’re good.” As she said this she swiped a bit of Lottie’s muffin.

“Hey!” Lottie pouted.

Jamie stepped out of the booth and headed over to the ordering table where he asked for a refill.

As he neared the pickup counter his eyes connected with someone else. It was a guy with a short afro who was getting his coffee order ready. He wore a bright red bow tie which definitely did not match the light purple apron he had on. His name tag read Raphael Wilcox.

As soon as Jamie met his gaze with a cool stare, Raphael immediately averted his gaze and stared at the coffee machine.

Jamie leaned against the metal dividers, absentmindedly reading the menu above the counters.

Raphael grinned toothily as he held out Jamie’s coffee and slid it across the counter.

Jamie gave him a tightlipped smile with a nod. He was in no mood to exchange pleasantries with someone.

This was when Raphael was supposed just turn around and begin another order or something. But he didn’t. Instead, his mouth dropped open in surprise and his eyes lit up like a child opening gifts during Christmas. “Eyyy, twinsies!” He exclaimed, gesturing to Jamie’s single ruby earring and then at his own ear which held the exact same earring.

Jamie dropped his coffee in surprise. The scalding hot coffee splashed onto his body. “Shit.”

[rosewoodconch]

RWCH Readathon: Day 20

Princess in Practice - Chapter 9

Something sleeping in the air... this chapter does such a good job of setting up the unnerving feeling of the unknown and you really anticipate whats going to go wrong.

It sets you up to try to stay vigilant yourself

Binah not knowing something really adds to this too, she knows everything, so when something even escapes her, is really eery

Schrodingers Binah is hilarious and i will be stealing that for when i wanna know if my friends know something but i cant ask or theyll know

DELORES AND MICHAEL

Fucking nuts

I remember when we found out their real names and we lost our minds

We were so flabberghasted

ITS HIM. I hate the pronoun game. Ugh just tell us

PRELINGUAL WHAT MY DUDE

Ah sign language

Binah use normal words i beg you. Ive read this and i dont understand you sometimes

PERCY I POVE YOU

RAPHAEL IVE MISSED YOU OH MY GOD

Yall i cannot explain the joyous little breath i just breathed. I need this boy to bring some fun its all so serious please god

And we get more subtle info about how she changed her name to pumpkin... hmm

I cant believe that raphael was so left out of everything this is so horrific i want to give him a hug. His best friend isnt talking and his other friend was secretly evil? AND HE STILL DOESNT REALLY KNOW BECAUSE NO ONE WILL TELL HIM

I love more representation

WHY WOULD JAMIE KNOW ASL. MARADOVA WAS A BRITISH COLONY NOT AMERICAN

Ugh

I really like jamie trying to teach raph and him picking it up so easily and being proud of himself! I like that it doesnt assume that they would all just know sign, and that yes they need to learn AND THEY MAKE A POINT OF IT.

Fabulous.

[thatrosewoodwriter]

Explore A New Leaf Pt. 4

Pt. 1 || Pt. 2 || Pt. 3 || Pt. 4 || Pt. 5

━━━━━━━༺༻━━━━━━━

“All by MYYYYYYYYYYseeeeEEEeeelf,” Raphael belted as he sprayed a table with vinegar per Jamie’s request.

“It’s only Corona Virus...” Jamie mumbled through this mask, scrubbing his work bench that would normally be occupied by a tray of food. “It’s just us, if you want, I can play some K-Pop for you.” Never in his life had Raphael been so excited. As Jamie connected his phone to the speakers, Raphael peaked over his shoulder.

“Oh my God, you’re phone battery is 69%,” he noted, cackling at his own observations.

To take Raphael’s mind off of his phone battery, he pulled a megaphone from Ellie’s personal storage. “WIPE, WIPE, WIPE WITH THAT VINEGAR!” he demanded. “Whoever cleans slower than the other has to wear makeup,” he challenged with a playful smirk; a rare occurrence. Swiping another cloth from behind the counter, Jamie and Raphael pushed through the arm cramps. There were high stakes and they were going into battle. When District 9 reached Jamie’s eardrums, he smiled on the inside, cleaning to the beat of the song. While carefully yet thoroughly cleaning the keyboards and computers, he glanced at the dirtiest area in the cafe. “Dirty. Clean that shit.”

“Clean your own,” Raphael retorted.

“You have 3 seconds to-”

“ON IT, BOSS!”

━━━━━━━༺༻━━━━━━━

“I literally dried this surface 10 minutes ago, what’s happening?” Raphael wondered, irritably whipping the cloth from his pocket out and drying the surface once more. He growled at the sight of a trail of clear liquid all along the floor. As he wiped up the substance with a mop, he bumped into Jamie’s back. “Oi-” He stopped and peered over his shoulder. The phone screen was covered in the mystery liquid. “Are you crying?”

Jamie turned around and showed him a photo of Woojin on his phone. “He’s gone...” At his heartbroken tone, Raphael felt the tears come as well.

“Dude... I cleaned the place twice for you...”

“You did?”

“Yeah, man...” In his moment of emotional vulnerability, Jamie ignored the social distancing rule to give Raphael a gentle hug, hiding his face in Raphael’s shoulder. The moment View by SHINee began, both boys tightened their grip and fell to the floor in a fit of tears.

“ARE YOU GUYS CRYING?” Lottie exclaimed, rushing over to the boys.

“Woojin is gone...” Lottie’s face contorted into sadness. “And Jonghyun is gone!” Jamie wailed, clinging to her torso. This was not Jamie-like behaviour, and at first, everyone who had just come in thought he was possessed, but nonetheless, took advantage of his emotional state.

The next 10 minutes consisted of Raphael and Jamie crying, Jamie hugging everyone, Lottie crying because Jamie is crying, Ellie crying because Lottie’s crying over Jamie crying, Saskia was initially crying of laughter but the reality of the situation dawned on her later, Binah was crying because for once, she had no idea what was going on, Lola and Micky are crying because they miss the full Girls’ Generation group, and Anastacia is crying because she’s disappointed her friends - except Lola and Micky - are crying over BOY BANDS and not the fact that Blackpink haven’t gotten their comeback yet.

━━━━━━━༺༻━━━━━━━

Jamie grabbed the mop off the ground, spraying it with more vinegar. “I’m sorry for my emotional moment, I-”

“BRIKTAH!” He paused at Ellie’s outburst and rolled his eyes when he felt her arms wrap around his waist. Snaking his arms around her thin frame, he leaned his chin on her shoulder, wiping the floor behind Ellie while in her grasp. “This virus is affecting everyone and it’s fine to be emotional. You can keep crying like a bitch if you need to.”

“OK,” Jamie responded in an annoyed fashion, clearly over the vulnerability. He turned to do the work he was meant to. “But thanks... I love you guys...” he mumbled.

Everyone froze with their mouth agape. “WE LOVE YOU, TOO!”

[holy-mountaineering]

This spread is for @overcastsilver Thank you as always for the donation!

Here’s the full Qabalistic Tree of Life Spread.. What I’m going to do is go through and briefly explain each card, its position on the Tree, and then I’ll give you a summary/synopsis of the spread as a whole. You know the routine.

Think of this spread as a sort of quantum map, or even the land of a regular map, everything is happening at once, in each place. It’s important to think of yourself as moving “through” the map but you are also simultaneously everywhere at once. For the sake of this specific experiment, think of this as a map. Maybe as a person, the Qabalistic Adam Kadmon.

Where we’re starting the journey from is Kether, the monad, the first sign of creation. We’ll call this your hometown, since it is where you’re from originally. Here we have, well, you, I The Magus or Magician, Mercury, Beth which is a house, house of God, your body, your perspective, you.

The Magus has 4 tools, physical representations of the Elements which he hand crafted. Think of this as your tools or your skill set in your mind which you use to build your perception of the world.

The Magician also has the naysaying Ape of Thoth who follow him around contradicting everything he says. The is your doubt or “Pit of Because” which if you fall into you’ll “perish with the dogs of reason.”

So, you are in charge of what you are in charge of. You have the skill set to alter your Universe, fashion yourself tangible skills with what you know and your experience. You create your perception and can only influence it.

In Chokmah, which is like your freeway getting you out onto the road out of  your hometown is the Prince of Cups, the airy part of Water.

Thinking about how your feel, ideally, this is being smart about emotions and connections to other living things and people. This is the need to intellectualize and integrate how you’re feeling and connecting to life. This isn’t just thinking, this is airy water or steam moving the fuck away from situations that make them boil. The Eagle pulling the chariot here hovers above the water and is only connected by the evaporation and out pouring, like the rain cycle. The Eagle is a form of Scorpio, which has been described as a bit mysterious, so the air and thinking could expose some of those mysteries of feeling and connecting.

Do like steam and get away from the heat. Do like the Eagle and stay above shit that makes you boil. Your emotional states and connections to people that seem confusing just need some clear thought and the ability to pull away if it gets too heated.

In Binah, which is ruled by Saturn and for the sake of this reading we will call the first stop on your roadtrip. You haven’t really arrived anywhere but you’re stopping and getting a chance to repack your car in a more efficient way. Sitting in Binah is the self-care card, so to speak, the 3 of Cups, Abundance.

Like all 3s this is the first shape (triangle) the suit takes, in this case Water or emotion, intuition, and connectedness to life. This card is about taking care of your basic emotional shit that connects you to other people in your relationships so that you might build and move on intelligently. The intelligence and communicative abilities of Mercury are in the maternal and intuitive Cancer.

Try to put some basic form to how you’re feeling right now. Don’t focus on a finished product like healing every relationship you’ve ever had, just start putting it together the most basic way you can so you can move forward in a new and more complete place.

In Chesed which is ruled by Jupiter and again for the sake of this experiment we’ll say involves your influence and benevolence in your current trip is the Queen of Wands, the watery part of Fire or how you feel about what you do.

This is ideally feeling great about what you do. The perspective on the card shows this Queen 10 feet tall and seemingly bulletproof. Her animal the cheetah, known for being fast and a spazz, is subdued under her calm hand. Her legs are spread and the wand of Bacchus  showing all her passions can be controlled.

If you want to feel good about this and what you do, control your knee jerk lower ego reactions. Choose Will not want.

Across the Tree in Geburah, which is Mars Town, where you find your drive and what you’re trying to accomplish/conquer is the Princess of Cups, the earthy part of Water.

We could consider this the substance in water or water hitting substance head on. This is the idea of the canyon wall being ground down over the millennia by moving water. The nutrients and minerals in the earth are transported down river to the fertile delta. This is the natural, “following your feelings” within your daily life. Try not to fool yourself, follow your intuition, not just passing whims. Feel, don’t necessarily react immediately.

Go with what you feel and intuit, let yourself go with the flow, if you will. Allow your situation to move with your emotions and be patient with your progress.

In Tiphareth, the Sun and center of gravity holding all this in place, the heart pumping the blood through this, your heart is the Prince of Disks, the airy part of Earth or thinking about what’s going on in the material/normal-ass world.

This prince is a map maker, an amateur cartologist. Holding his globe, he is pulled along by the sturdy bull of Taurus who is familiar with the terrain so the prince can gaze down and take note of where he is, where he’s been, and where he might be going. In other words this is learning about how to navigate life.

Pay attention to where you are and what you’ve been doing. Take notes. Have you been here before? Do you know where this leads? If not, mark it out in your globe so you know if you ever get there again.

In Netzach, Venus town, where you have the realization about how this is going to change you as a person with a personality is the 2 of Wands, Dominion.

This is the suit of fire beginning to formulate into something beyond its raw, possibly destructive roots. This is your war or motion (Mars) having a new surge of growth (Aries). Take control over the basic things and your direct sphere of influence in life.

Start to reformulate the basics of how you go about doing things when things seem scattered or raw. You must take responsibility for your domain.

In Mercury Town Hod-ville, where all the Universities are and everyone has real intellectual shit going on is an always welcomed sight, X Fortune, Jupiter, Kaph.

The “wheel of” Fortune is the rotating of things from confusing and/or destructive to beneficial. The gods Hanuman and Sobek to Crowley represented these ideas and the spinning ‘Wheel of Fortune, ol’ Fortuna is the constant motion of life and our experience stuck in it.. The Sphinx on top has waited through the turns patiently and meditatively and now It is on top again.

Expand your influence through patience. It’s getting better just you wait.

On the Moon in Yesod, the receptive and reflective place that is alot about the feelings that you’re picking up from all this is III The Empress, Daleth, Venus.

Daleth is the open door, like you’d leave your bedroom door unlocked if your lover were coming over, you want them inside (pun sort of intended). This is not passivity but waiting for the spring (or Aries her partner IV The Emperor) to energize what you have. Like the symbolic Pelican (phoenix also) spitting its breast open to feed its young, or like a pregnant person, the brunt of the responsibility for your future growth lies in you.

Be ready and prepared for new growth like springtime, but remember, this all hinges on you and your openness to growth.

Down here in Malkuth-istan, the everyday life mundane, waking up pooping, and going to work world is the 2 of Cups, Love.

Like all the 2s the deuces of Water is building towards completion. This is the ever becomingness of love. Love never dies, it is simply transformed like any other energy. Love isn’t a competition or something you can measure. You never stop loving someone/thing because you have “reached maximum love levels”, shake hands and walk away from it. There is no end-game to love and that’s why it’s scary and makes people act like idiots sometimes. Astrologically,   Venus in Cancer can be interpreted as nurturing your emotional growth.

Build on what you’re feeling and don’t try to think about anything too concretely emotionally or intuitively. This is a building process so try not to focus on the final outcome but work with what you have now.

So, in short, if you can use the tools in your mental, emotional, and spiritual toolbox, don’t go getting yourself mired in other people’s emotional fuckery, and focus on healing yourself, you’re gunna start to feel great about what you’re doing. Allow yourself to “go with the emotional flow” but know when you’re caught in an eddy and have a map to figure out how to escape it, you’ll once again have control over those things in your life you feel powerless against, change your Fortune and open up to all the good and invigorating things that will come your way. Live from Love, especially of yourself and your struggle and you’ll have this all in the bag!

Ta Da! Hit me up with any questions, comments, concerns, qabalistic inquires or for further clarification!

-Frater N0vght

[everything-lobotomy-corporation]

Monitored -Chesed x Fem!Reader-

My favorite Sephirah! I love him so much, time for some fluffy stuffs 

------

He swirled his mug in his hand in a half baked attempt at stirring his coffee. He was waiting for you. You were supposed to be by his office soon, after handling your normal manager business. He couldn’t wait to see you, grinning ear to ear at the thought of embracing you. Hear the door opening he couldn’t contain his excitement. So you can imagine his disappointment  when Angela walked in. He groaned, putting his coffee down on his desk and eyeing the box in Angela’s hands. “...Good to see you.” “Expecting someone else?” Angela asked, raising a brow. The tone of her voice made Chesed uneasy. It was like she knew. Of course she did. “I’m sure she’ll be here after her break-” “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Chesed offered flatly with a weak smile. “That for me?” “A is a requesting a camera in all Sephirah offices.” “Excuse me?” He panicked, Angela walking to the corner off his office and scoping out the location. “What- No, you can’t-” “A wants camera’s in all offices now.” “Are they going up in the bathrooms too? Employee housing?” He joked, picking his coffee back up. Angela didn’t entertain his comment “Just putting up camera’s in the Sefirot offices.” She repeated.  He took in a deep breath, shaking his head lightly. He took random sips from his coffee, rolling his eyes to discover it was cooling. “Why?” “Probably because you’re fooling around with the manager-” He choked on his coffee, quickly putting the mug down and turning away from Angela. I mean... It’s true, but to hear it so blatantly. He was silent for a bit, just trying to compose himself before he broke the silence. “......So he knows about us.” “He’s very aware.” She said quickly, “Not only that, rumors have reached his ears that you are doing more than paperwork in your office-” “Angela-” “I’m going to install the camera. We’ll see what occurs from there.” ---------

Chesed sat in his desk chair and just stared up at the camera, feeling the eyes of A on him at every moment. He didn’t even hear you open the door, walking quickly to his desk. He gasped, feeling you lean across his desk and plant a kiss on his cheek. For a brief moment, that camera didn’t matter. He swung around, pulling you over his desk and into his lap. The moment your lips were locked his hands here on your hips, rubbing light circles into your sides. Your giggles were responded with a low growl. You wrapped your arms around his neck and suddenly he snapped back in reality. He pushed you off, pushing his chair back and making you stand up. He spun the chair around, jumping to his feet and walking at least a foot away from you. “....Daniel-” “No, please, Y/N, We can’t do this.” “Is everything okay?” You asked, shifting foot to foot nervously. Chesed hated seeing that he was upsetting you and cringed to see you looking at him so apologetically. You had nothing to be sorry about. You both had been going pretty hot and heavy for a couple months. “....We have eyes in the skies.” He said, motioning with his head to the camera watching diligently in the corner of his office. You looked up at it fearfully and then back to your boyfriend. “Yeah... They’re monitoring us now.” “What the hell-” “We can’t...um.. ‘Go at it like Rabbit Team’ in my office anymore-” “You know I hate when you say that.”  You snorted, lightly pushing him. He snickered, always happy to get on your nerves. The lens of the camera focused on you both as you sweetly said your goodbyes.

------

“I Know you’re not doing well.” Netzach started, walking alongside Chesed as they went on a brisk walk through Welfare Department. Chesed said nothing, Netzach being the brunt of the conversation. “You miss her.” “The woman that I’ve been spending every minute of my life with since we started dating? Yeah, I miss her-” “You see, you don’t have to be a dick about it.” He joked, patting the blue haired man on the shoulder. “I sympathize man, I really do.... Block the camera-” “Do you have any idea how fast Angela would be in my office if I obstructed that camera?” “Fuck somewhere else.” “There are camera’s everywhere. And even if there aren’t any in places like the bathrooms, there are some outside. If we go in any secluded non monitored area together, they’re going to send Angela.” “.....Quickies?” “You’re not even trying anymore.” “Well, at least I was trying.” Netzach noted, crossing his arms. “You’re ready to just give up.” “Because we’re trapped. There’s no where that we can go together that’s not suspicious that and has no cameras.” A Chesed lamented, Netzach’s mouth dropped open. He slammed his hand on Daniel’s chest, stopping him from walking. He looked at Netzach, unsure of what had him so surprised.

“.....I just had a really stupid idea..”

-----

“Well, as the manager this is exactly something I am allowed to do.” You said confidently, putting in your orders as Angela stood beside you, simply flabbergasted.  “Why the sudden interest in working directly with the abnormalities? Especially  Schadenfreude?” You couldn’t help but smirk, walking away with your head held high.  “I have my reasons.”

--

Sudden ending because I’m pretty sure you guys put the pieces together

-Mod Binah

[tomasorban]

Malkuth

Malkuth, מלכות, means ‘kingdom’. It is the tenth, bottom-most sphere on the Tree of Life. On the grandest scale it represents the entire physical universe, populated with galaxies beyond number. On a lessor scale it represents our galaxy, and lessor yet, the tiny spec of a planet, physical Earth. Scaled down even further it represents yours and my physical self-conscious body’s sphere of sensations. This is where we start, and here we are. Within the physical body is where we begin our Road of Return. It is in this same body – or another after reincarnation – where we complete the Great Work. If physical transition comes before we complete the work this round, we pick up where we left off in our spiritual work and continue with the new physical vehicle, again and again, until we mature consciously and cooperate toward reunification.

In the Sepher Yetzirah (Book of Formation), the tenth path, sphere, is named שכל ממזהיר, Sakel Mezhir, the ‘Resplendent Intelligence’. Mezhir is equally translated as ‘brilliant, shining, glowing’ and other descriptions along this line. Arthur E. Waite’s commentary: “...because it is exalted above every head and has its seat in Binah; it enlightens the fire of all lights and emanates the power of the principle of forms.” Binah represents the ‘substance’ aspect or mode of the One Thing. That One Thing is the Limitless Light, Ain Suph Aur, which comprises everything we can possibly sense. Therefore, Malkuth, that is, the physical universe, and our physical bodies, is made entirely of that same Light Substance. Malkuth “has its seat in Binah”. When we personally come full into The Self in Tiphareth “it enlightens the fire of all lights...” Accomplished Masters and Avatars shine with a Light from within.

Another name for Malkuth is כלה, kalah, the ‘bride’. Kalah sums to 55. Fifty-five is the Theosophical Extension of 10. The same letters in kalah, interchanged, spell out הכל, ha-kal, ‘the All’. There is a Qabalistic axiom which states that: “Malkuth is in Kether, and Kether is in Malkuth, but after a different manner.” This can be illustrated three ways: 1) Sphere 10 reduces to 1, the implication being that the end of things (Malkuth) holds the beginning of a new round (Kether); 2) Kether is pure undifferentiated Spirit, while Malkuth is the physical manifestation of that pure Spirit. Reduce all physical matter and it becomes Kether again; 3) The quotation in the Kybalion:

“While ‘all’ (Malkuth) is in ‘THE ALL’ (Kether), it is equally true that ‘THE ALL” (Kether) is in ‘all’ (Malkuth).To him who truly understands this truth hath come great knowledge.”

The root of Malkuth, מלך, malek, means ‘king’ (one name for Tiphareth), but with the feminine plural suffix, ות, oth, it may also be translated ‘queens’ as in the Song of Songs 6:8. Malkuth then, may be considered both masculine and feminine. The early Qabalists well knew this. The genuine medieval and Rosicrucian alchemists were also aware of the subtlety and recorded so in their writings with the Latin term Rebis, the ‘two-thing’ (see Rebis in the Glossary section). We are each of us a two-thing. We are the conscious half and the sub-conscious half while in this physical world. Whether we reside in a male or female physical body, in the alchemical sense, the conscious mind is masculine, the sub-conscious mind, feminine.

Plato wrote somewhere in The Symposium, his dialogue on love and the erotic, that every being longs to find its complement, its missing half. He also developed the theory that all things are imperfect mirrors or shades of one ideal archetype. Plato might have been Sagittarius, they seem to love philosophical ‘ideals’. He claimed that imperfect objects strove to become the ideal. His theories were not too far off from the Rebis. Each half of the two-thing within strives for its complement. The True Self is that ideal within us all.

Within the average, normally, psychologically healthy human being (whatever that means) these two modes of our ‘consciousness’ express themselves in very different ways. And, depending upon the degree of our ‘average, psychological healthiness,’ their expressions can be extremely helpful or disastrously detrimental. The conscious half may plan and scheme a certain direction for ourselves, trying to make things happen, while the sub-conscious half thwarts or even subverts entirely the whole endeavor in the most subtle ways. This is because one part of us is scheming the path of Cain’s descendancy while the other part is very aware of Seth’s inclinations. On the other hand, we might perhaps harbor strong sub-conscious inclinations for ourselves, to perform great things for ourselves and/or others, and yet, consciously we hesitate, or we talk ourselves out of the plan for a multitude of reasons or fears.

For many of us, indeed far too many of us yet, these two aspects are at odds with each other. In some of us, they might even be considered at war with one another. Those of us who have this war raging within us are at detrimental odds with the opposite sex. When enough of us are at war with the opposite sex a culture is created at war with itself which expands into nations. Consequently, individuals with this inner imbalance find or create inharmonious relationships with their chosen mates. To the degree that we are individually in harmony with ourselves, to that degree do we find and maintain a complementary harmony in all our relationships. Pretty basic psychology.

For alchemical purposes, however, the ‘two’ must function as one, equal to each other. No small feat. In fact, alchemists and Rosicrucians through the centuries have termed this endeavor Magnum Opus, The Great Work.

The number within Malkuth, מלכות, sums to 496. In recognition of the immense effort at the very beginning of the Great Work, Qabalists were aware of another appropriate term holding equal gematria with לויתן, levithen, ‘Leviathan, the Great Devourer’. Because, in the very worse case scenario, are we not that? Did we not through the centuries destroy and devour everything in our paths? Are we not yet continuing this course? Are we not at the very brink of self-annihilation today, given our continuing insatiable appetites? To reverse this course, individually, is our primary mission, especially if we are to progress anywhere with this Magnum Opus.

And yet it can be done if we truly recognize that surrendering to THAT WHICH IS WITHIN is the only sane course for us individually and collectively. Number 496 is the Theosophical Extension of 31 (1+2+3+... to +31 = 496). Number 31 is the numeric symbol of אל, el, the ‘strength, power, might’ of the One God. This is the complete extension, therefore the fullest expression, of the powers represented by אל, attributed to Chesed. Paul F. Case’s commentary: “AL is 31, and 31 reduces to 4. 10 is the numerical extension of 4, thus the name of the 10th Sephirah is the numerical extension of the name of God attributed to the 4th Sephirah. 31 is also the number of לא, lo, ‘not, or no-thing’, Malkuth is the full manifestation of the divine strength which is itself no-thing."

We are that full manifestation. This One God resides within us. What we can sense through the entire physical manifestation, from countless galaxies to yours and my body, is actually an illusion. Do not misunderstand the word ‘illusion’ in its most pejorative sense. This world and the entire physical plane is real to all our physical perceptions, as real as a granite rock. Pick up that rock and boink it against your head and you will curse. Then you’ll stop. What is meant esoterically by the term ‘illusion’ is that our perception of this physical world is not a true perception. Our senses deceive. The physical manifestations are not what they seem. All that is manifest is the fullest extension of the ONE and ONLY GOD. That God is a Spiritual essence, an infinite ocean of Light Substance, condensed and coagulated into such compaction as to appear as something solid to our senses. The ancient philosophers had countless names and expressions for this ‘ocean of Spirit’ because that Spirit may manifest as all the objects we can name. They wrote: “Our matter has as many names as there are things in this world; that is why the foolish know it not.” The ancient Qabalists knew and understood it by the title Ain Suph Aur, the Limitless Light.

The mass mind in any generation has always believed that to prosper to any degree in this physical world we must fight on some level. The physical world is inimical to existence, we believe, therefore we must use our conscious minds to cleverly manipulate all we can for ourselves against all others attempting the same. This is one of the biggest illusions we face, and we are adamantly entrenched in it yet. This is the staunch opinion of Rebis. And Rebis is mostly at odds with itself.

The conscious half of Rebis cannot control anything, especially Ain Suph Aur, which is everything! The conscious mind, as Qabalists have taught through the centuries, can only effectively perform acts of attention and concentration. The subsequent manifestation of anything put to attention and concentration is the function of the sub-conscious half of Rebis. Since these two aspects are yet at odds with each other within the mass mind chaos is the result. Look around you.

Moreover, the illusion Qabalists speak of is getting greater, and more powerful. We can philosophize and say it may have begun in the most innocent manner, when technologies first appeared on the horizon. Long after the printing press appeared around the 1490s, photography made its debut around the middle of the 1800s, a novelty back then. The phonograph amused masses shortly thereafter, followed by the zoetrope and other pre-film animation devices. Telephones, movies and television continued to arrest attention. The internet emerged from television; addiction soared. Unfortunately, in many cases, technological knowledge spread rapidly, but the sense to use it wisely lagged. The ‘toys’ were grasped by some unfit persons only to abuse the power behind it all. Telephones have now evolved into addictive attention arresting devices such as the i-phone and smart phones accessing social sites like Skype, Facebook, Twitter, etc., to the point where highly organized criminal elements (and I am NOT suggesting ethnic ‘families’ or mafias here, but corporations) actually manipulated duped users into an addictive state where a sub-conscious need has surfaced to stay connected...to nothing.

What is coming next on the horizon may be worse yet. Virtual Reality was being perfected as this was being written. These powerful devices will possibly arrest all the senses simultaneously to the point of total addiction. Already being advertised and flaunted as the ultimate entertainment experience the true underlying purpose will be to enslave and control. And everyone will must have one. Imagine. We are already more or less entrapped in the illusion of a physical world due to our deluded senses. It is difficult enough to free the spirit of its grip. How much more so, then, will the grip of Virtual Reality enslave? We will then be trapped in the illusion of an illusion. Very spooky.

Why has אל, el, the ‘strength, power, might’ of the One God done all this, and continues to do so? To guide us into evolving, into maturing, and into changing the course for ourselves for the ‘return home’. Humanly manufactured inventions and devices will bring us no closer to a true, lasting happiness any more in the future than they have in the past. It will all be merely accelerated continuation with more illusions to delude. The delusions will continue to bring suffering. And it is that very suffering which will eventually disgust each and every soul, in its time, to become fed up with all of it, declare “Enough,” and take up some effort toward return.

It is inherently built into the Grand Illusion to never satisfy completely. If any aspect of that illusion were to satisfy totally, we would never seek return and become one and whole again. We would choose to remain in the perpetual state of separation and create more chaos. And that is not possible since the past, present and eternal future condition of the entire universe is One. The Creator manifested a physical universe for the sole purpose of giving all its creation pleasure; to enjoy, not to selfishly take and hoard at the expense of others. When joy is abandoned for the pursuit of ‘personal’ happiness, the illusion begins to seduce. We are more enamored by the pleasure of senses gone amuck than seeing the joy in creation. When the second Commandment was given: “Thou shalt not have strange gods before me,” it was not merely suggesting other gods of ‘other’ religions, for indeed, all religions themselves are ‘strange gods’ are they not? Anything we hold so dear as to worship on some level or other is actually a ‘strange god’. Our cars, our stocks and bonds, our religion, our houses, clothes, careers, habits...anything we consider MINE above all else is a ‘strange god’. We will not be punished for coveting these places and things. The suffering inherently attached to all those things of the illusion is punishment enough.

Attempting to conquer or change the whole physical manifestation around us in the pursuit of happiness is the height of delusion and folly. We can only change ourselves individually. When enough individuals are changed, then some degree of change in the greater arena may be affected. Some old schools of Qabalah call this change, תקון, tikkun, meaning ‘correction; repair, improvement; reform’. The ‘correction’ is gently moved from within us. We cannot and do not change for the better willingly. We change when current conditions become unbearable and eventually intolerant. Change only becomes permanent, however, when we realize it is actually we ourselves who created the intolerable condition in the first place. Then we will cease chasing our tails in the pursuit of happiness ‘out there’. Rebis begins to adjust, to correct.

- Gordon James -

[tamisdava2]

Lobotomy corp: Before the start. part 6

*Um hour later or something like it?*

Hokma: Angela, about what you want to talk? I know you wouldn’t called me for a friendly chitchat

Angela: I am just really interested how can you let your emotions that you have toward both Tipereth control you that much! *glaring*

Hokma: It is my business.

Angela: Seriously Hokma its sad that A didn’t puted in your programs to be emotionally numb, also the sad fact is that he belives in your loyalty, and he didn’t even erased your memories! but i am sure, if those children would call you, you would go crawling to them!

Hokma: Anything else to say Angela?

Angela: Ah, you know if everything would be at my hands i would just get rid off of both Tipereth.

Hokma: How dare you-

Angela: You showing off your weakness, Hokma, i thought you would be wiser. You know that i’ll use your love towards them against you? And you know if someone is going to hear about the corporation’s plans, the first two who will suffer will be both Tipereth, nu i dont know about the boy, i may just turn him off, but this little girl will suffer like she never did.

Hokma: I would never do such a stupid thing Angela, i thought you knew it.

Angela: I am just checking, its my job after all, but it would’ve been easier if A would just erase your memories and to make you feel nothing.

Hokma: I guess you already got rid off from B? [Angela, you'll never be able to catch me]

Angela: No, he isn’t, that lucky bastard knows everything, and he is still running free!

Hokma: What about the new managers? who are they? [Again that kid with her sister or she is with someone new this time?]

Angela: Just two sisters.

Hokma: Why we need two managers anyway? You seem so happy when you are talking about them, i guess you already gathered all information about them, like always.

Angela: Nu mostly, so-so, they are both are special, but one of them is more special.

Hokma: Why? What is that special about them

Angela: She is only 13 years old and her older sister is 17 years old.

Hokma: Are you serious? Even adults cant do the work normally, and now you are bringing here children? [Not that little brat again! When will she get tired? She reseted for 4 times already]

Angela: The lil one is quite special, she is good at adapting. I think that she would do better without her sister.

Hokma: You what, think that controling child is easy? It would be harder for you Angela, child's curiousity will turn mountains upside down. [I already know that child wants to hear the truth from me.]

Anegla: I think that you are giving too big meaning to a child Hokma.

Hokma: I am still worried. And i think that they wont be able to do the job propely.

Angela: You'll see. I think when you'll meet them, you can become friends or enemies, because there is one more special thing they have.

Hokma: [Yes, i already know it, better than anyone else] And what its?

Angela: Why wont you'll see it by yourself?

Hokma: Sure, if they would be able to come near to my departament.

*after a hour or something like it?*

Binah: Hokma!!!

Hokma: [oh god what it is now? Just ignore her]

Binah: Hokmashka!

Hokma: [what i have sinned that she became my punishment?]

Binah: Lets talk! About Tipereth.

Hokma: *looks calm, but sure he is angry* I dont have time for chatting Binah, i have to do work. I cant waste my time. *looks at his clock*

Binah: I dont know Hokma but everyone already noticed how you care about both Tipereth, even sephirahs from upper part, not going to talk about Angela, she knows everything after all.

Hokma: *rolls eyes* You are done already? *takes files*

Binah: If lil boy will ask such a dangerous questions infront of our new managers then you know what will Angela do, our lil girl is in a such danger as her twin, because she is keeping asking you those questions. I think you know what happend to our past manager, and Tipreth, your little princess will count it as one more lie, because you aren't going to tell her about it.

Hokma: *ignoring*

Binah: What you dont want talk? Hokma everyone already understands that you know more than us, they wont believe any of your words. And if they aren’t asking anything about it, it is just out of respect or out of fear. Now cause you wont listen i'll leave you to work, see ya.

[theshatteredrose]

This Can’t Be Normal… (Guardian Chronicles) - Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 Fanfiction

Summary: Flavio had just wanted to ask Lynus how scared he should be about Chloe making friends with the Pinkettes. He was not expecting to be crash-tackled and forced to hide in a bathroom with a skittish gunner and a survivalist he didn't even know...

AN: This turned out a bit longer than anticipated. Don’t take this too seriously ^^ I just felt the need to write something light-hearted and fun, so I hope you enjoy reading~

~*~*~*~*~

Flavio ascended the stone stairs to the second floor of the inn. He knew that Lynus’ room was located a few doors down from the stairs, and he wanted to ask the medic a few quick questions about…a certain group of pink-haired girls.

As a survivalist, he felt it was important to get a handle on what he should expect to deal with. It probably won’t help with the humiliation factor, but he should at least have some kind of idea what to expect, right? And maybe he could get some tips on how to avoid them?

The sound of pounding feet, akin to someone running or in a desperate hurry, pulled Flavio from his musings and caused him to lift his head up to look in front of him. A blur of someone wearing a forest green coat skidded around the corner, somehow managing to stay upright despite their speed and sudden change of direction, and immediately returned to a sprint.

They made eye contact and Flavio vaguely recognised him as the Guardians’ gunner, Macerio, before Macerio suddenly skidded to a stop next to him and…

Flavio felt the wind knocked out of him when Macerio literally crash-tackled him around the waist. His back hit something behind him, a partially open door probably, with a loud thud and he landed on the floor with an equally loud crash. He uttered a loud ‘oof!’ when something landed on top of him.

The weight atop of him abruptly vanished and Flavio drew in a sharp breath of air as the sound of a door slamming shut rung through his ears. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment as he lay sprawled on the floor with his arms outstretched on either side of him.

Ok, first; ow! Second; what the hell?!

Flavio sat up and clutched his stomach as he stared in utter bewilderment at the brown haired gunner who was frantically engaging the lock on the door. "W-what are you-?" he wheezed.

"Shhh!" Macerio hissed at him as he pressed his back against the door and tilted to the side as if to hear whatever could be on the other side. "She's coming."

Flavio was about to ask who would be so feared that Macerio would crash-tackle him through a partially open door and into god know who's room when he heard a soft tinkling of...bells? Wait, he had heard that sound somewhere before. What was it…?

“Macerio~”

Ah, that was right. Binah. She had chased Macerio through the inn when he had first encountered the gunner. Who of which dove into his room to find shelter. Did he have the habit of ducking through any partially open door he came across in his desperate attempt to avoid the pink-haired troubadour? Ok, sure, Flavio could kinda understand his fear, especially now that Chloe seemed to have made friends with Binah, but wasn’t crashing into someone else’s room rude? Not to mention dangerous?

…Maybe that was a risk he was willing to take?

Good god, what kind of trouble was Chloe going to be dragging their guild through now?

“Macerio~ Come out, come out, wherever you are~”

That sounded more haunting and scary than he thought possible, especially coming from a young girl.

Despite being incredulous of how dangerous the situation truly was, Flavio unexpectedly found himself holding his breath in fright as well when that scarily cheery voice and tinkling of bells suddenly stopped just outside the door.

“Hmmmmmmmm,” came an ominously drawn out hum before followed by a loud, disgruntled huff. “He’s not here. Ugh, so rude! Whatever, he’s gotta come out of hiding eventually!”

Macerio winced and covered his head with his hands as he cowered, and Flavio couldn’t help but grimace in sympathy for the gunner.

“Chloe? Your guildmate is around here somewhere, right?”

Flavio felt his eyes widen as he subconsciously tensed. Chloe? She was out there, too?

“Yup, Flavio should be close by.”

Gah, she was out there, too! Wait, him? She was going after him?!

“He’ll be our next victim, then~” came a girly giggle.

Victim?! She wasn’t even attempting to hide her evil plans for him!

Flavio was torn between feeling utterly bewildered and utterly terrified as he sat numbly on the floor, listening to the sound of footsteps and tinkling bells as they faded from hearing range. Finally, he couldn’t hear a thing. Only silence.

Macerio breathed out a huge sigh of relief and slump against the door. “That was too close…” he muttered under his breath.

Now that the, ah, threat was gone, Flavio’s ribs and stomach started to ache, and he rubbed them subconsciously as he turned a pointed gaze at the gunner. “Look, I know she’s scary, but was this really necessary?”

Macerio immediately sat up straight and bristled as he pointed a finger in his direction. “You should be thanking me! They were after you, too!”

Yeah, well, his back and ribs weren’t feeling too thankful at the moment.

“Thanking you?!” Flavio shrilled and bristled at the same time. “You literally crash-tackled me into someone else’s room and probably fractured a rib or two in the process!” He then paused when he realised that, yes, they were indeed in someone else’s room.

Oh crap…

“W-whose room are we in anyway?” he asked as he subconsciously hunched his shoulders, almost afraid to look around in case he found someone standing just behind him looking utterly pissed.

“Ours,” a familiar voice unexpectedly answered.

Macerio immediately perked up at the sound of the voice and his gaze turned to look over Flavio’s shoulder. “Lynus?” he questioned before he sagged against the door in utter relief. “Axel, oh thank god.”

Flavio quickly turned to look over his shoulder as well to find his gaze locking on with that of a familiar violet-eyed medic. He had to admit that he also felt a surge of relief upon seeing Lynus smile at him with friendly amusement.

He wasn’t alone, though. Axel was there, too. Though there were two beds in the room, they were both occupying the one. Axel was sprawled out on his back atop of the bedsheets with a couple of pillows propped up behind his head. And Lynus sat on the edge of the bed, close to the bedhead and were Axel was lying. He was curled slightly towards him and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that Lynus had been previously running his fingers through Axel’s hair.

Flavio couldn’t help but notice just how…comfortable yet intimate they looked together.

Lynus suddenly tilted his head to the side, regarding Flavio with a sense of curiosity. “You all right there, Flavio?”

“A-ah, yeah,” Flavio replied stiffly before he gave the medic an embarrassed smile and shifted to face him fully, but still sat on the floor nonetheless. “Wasn’t expecting to be tackled like that, but other than that, I’m fine.”

“That certainly was an interesting entrance,” Axel commented as he peered at them through one eye, a half smirk of pure amusement on his lips.

Macerio managed to flush and bristle at the same time. “Yeah, w-well, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Both Lynus and Axel laughed softly, but good-heartedly nonetheless and Flavio couldn’t help but marvel at how easy-going the two were. If a guildmate tackled someone into his room before slamming the door shut in a panic, he would be asking a million questions and demanding swift answers. Something like that didn’t happen every day!

No, wait, maybe it did for the Guardians?

“You're welcome to hide out here,” Lynus said with a knowing smile before he shook his head slightly. “But please keep your voices down. Axel has a headache.”

Macerio quickly stood to his feet and pushed away from the door to walk into the centre of the room. “What happened?” he asked with genuine but subtle concern as he looked over at Axel on the bed.

Lynus smiled reassuringly as his hand sought out to play with the red strands of Axel’s hair. “Zeryn and Simmons had a bet to see who could ride a raptor the furthest.”

Flavio honestly found himself deadpanning at the explanation. Really?

Axel grunted in pure disgruntlement and a scowl appeared on his face. “I will murder those two one day, I swear it.”

“Yes, yes,” Lynus chuckled softly as he turned his full attention toward the red-haired landsknecht and began to soothingly run his fingers through his hair. “You can murder them after you've gotten some sleep and rid yourself of this headache.”

Flavio felt as though he was intruding (which, technically, he was), but he was also somewhat fascinated by the gentle but strong bond that Lynus and Axel shared. There was no nervous jittering, no awkward or shy smiles or conversations. They were so comfortable, relaxed with one another, uncaring of who or what was in the room with them.

…Could he reach that level of comfort with Fafnir…?

Flavio shook his head violently to rid himself of that train of thought and cleared his throat in a desperate attempt to prevent those feelings of frustration and disappointment from rising in his chest.

“Quick question; how screwed am I really now that Chloe has made fast friends with the Pinkettes?” Flavio asked bluntly as he looked at the two on the bed.

Lynus blinked at him before he shared a glance with Axel and then the two of them simultaneously looked at him with nothing but pity in their gazes. “...You'll be in our prayers,” Lynus said.

Flavio’s shoulders drooped in defeat. “I was afraid of that.”

A strange sound, like that of a grunt of exertion, suddenly rung through the room. They all fell silent as they glanced around, sharing confused glances. Axel suddenly sat up and abruptly pulled Lynus toward him, manoeuvring him over his lap to the other side of the bed, where he pressed him against the wall. He then slid off the bed, purposely positioning himself between Lynus and the open window.

Flavio felt a bubble of alarm in his chest, brought on by Axel’s reaction. He was about to take to his feet as well when someone hastily, and rather swiftly, scrambled in through the window from outside and practically threw themselves into the room.

Wait, weren’t they on the second floor?

“Ryker?” Axel questioned before he sighed and slumped back down onto the bed, immediately relaxing his defensive stance, and clutched at his forehead in an agitated manner. “The fuck, man?”

The man with blue hair and dressed in the garbs that were similar to that of a survivalist, scrambled across the table that was situated under the window and skittishly backed away. “Only window that was open,” he said as he clutched at his left elbow as if it was painful in some way.

Lynus sighed as he noticeable relaxed and scooted away from the wall. Instead of sitting on the edge of the bed like he had done before, he positioned himself onto his knees and leaned against Axel’s back, his arms slipping around Axel’s neck comfortably and rested his cheek on his shoulder. A small smile found its way onto Axel’s lips and he lazily tilted his head to the side to nuzzle his cheek against Lynus’ hair.

…They were really comfortable around each other, weren’t they?

“Are you hiding from Darrell again?” Lynus asked idly to the survivalist.

The survivalist (Ryker was it?) winced and tightened his grip on his elbow. “Yeah, well, you know what he’s like with me. Too damn protective for his own good. For heaven’s sake, it’s a grazed elbow. Ok, so I entered the labyrinth alone, but it was to the first floor! Christ, can’t I even do that?”

“Dude, no good hiding here,” Macerio suddenly said, cutting the man off mid rant. “Binah's circling outside like a FOE.”

“Oh course, perfect, just what I needed. Shouldn’t have gotten out of bed today,” Ryker mumbled. “Speaking of bed, if Darrell gets his hands on me, he’s likely to tie me to the bed again.”

“So didn’t need to hear that…”

Flavio was stunned into silence once more. D-did this kind of thing happen often around here? Or…just around the Guardians themselves?

“Ryker!” a voice suddenly bellowed from outside the window. “I know you’re in there somewhere!”

Ryker jumped a foot in the air before he lurched forward to hide away from the window and darted behind Flavio. “Oh shit oh shit oh shit!” he muttered aloud under his breath.

“Macerio! I will find you, I swear to god I will!”

Macerio also jumped a good foot in the air before he, too, started to panic. “Why won’t she leave me alone?” he whimpered.

“The bathroom,” Lynus unexpectedly said around a chuckle.

“Right!”

The next thing Flavio knew he was in the bathroom, crouched on the floor with his back against the door of the room with a survivalist he didn't know on the right of him and a gunner who was all but trembling in fear to the left of him.

Definitely not how he imagined his day would turn out when he got out of bed this morning.

Why was he even here?

The blue-haired survivalist next to him suddenly stuck out his hand to him, as if he wanted to introduce himself with a handshake or something. “Ryker,” he said simply.

Choosing to simply go with the flow despite the absurdity of the entire situation, Flavio shook his hand and introduced himself in turn. “Flavio.”

Ryker gave his hand a firm shake before releasing it to cradle his elbow again. “What you in for?”

Unexpectedly, Flavio felt a wry smile slip across his lips at the question. “Teammate teamed up with the Pinkettes and seems to be on a matchmaking frenzy.”

“Dude.” The way Ryker said that, it was filled with nothing but sympathy and empathy.

Despite just how ludicrous everything was, Flavio felt a chuckle of genuine amusement bubble up from his chest. “Yeah.”

“I'd rather deal with Darrell than those girls.”

“They've already got Hrothgar.”

“No one is safe, huh?”

A sharp knock on the door of Lynus and Axel’s room caused the three of them to plunge into a sudden silence. Flavio felt both Macerio and Ryker tense on either side of him, and he found himself briefly wondering just what he had done in life to result in him hiding in a bathroom of someone else’s room. Who did he manage to piss off to get to this point?

“Hello, Darrell,” Lynus was heard greeting after he opened the door.

“Where is he?” a gruff voice asked.

“Who?”

“You know who.”

Ryker grabbed the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his face. “That’s Darrell’s voice,” he muttered.

“I thought you said you're rather deal with Darrell?” Flavio couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Not when I don't have to,” Ryker retorted sharply in response. “He's a decent guy normally, if know-it-all asshole, but he's dangerous when he's in doctor-healer mode.”

He must be if Ryker was desperate enough to climb in through someone’s second story bedroom window and hide in their bathroom.

“Tell that idiot that hiding is only delaying the inevitable,” the voice that must belong to Darrell said sternly. “I will not hesitate to tie him to the bed again.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him that,” Lynus said in a pacifying manner before there was the sound of the door to his room falling shut and the lock engaged.

Well, one down, right?

“How long are we expected to hide here?” Flavio asked as he looked over at the gunner to his side.

“For as long as it takes,” Macerio replied bitterly, but with a strong sense of stubbornness all the same.

Oh, joy…He better find a way out (without it resulting in pure humiliation) before Fafnir came looking for him. That would lead to a different type of embarrassment.

There was another sudden knock at the bedroom door, softer this time, but they all fell into a tense silence nonetheless.

“Are they all hiding in here?” a somewhat familiar voice asked, causing Macerio to perk up and utter a sound of relief. “Binah's helping Hanna in the kitchen, Darrell has been called back to the hospital, and the one named Chloe has wandered back to the restaurant with her guild.”

Macerio abruptly jumped to his feet and threw open the door of the bathroom. And Flavio and Ryker followed, Flavio sheepishly, while Ryker still appeared skittish. Macerio immediately flung his arms around Lirit’s neck, the orange haired troubadour only partly surprised, but patted his back in a sympathetic manner as Macerio mumbled into his shoulder.

“Best make your escapes while you can,” Axel said idly as he flopped himself back down onto his bed.

That sounded like a good idea.

Though, he…was reluctant to tell Fafnir and the others what had transpired here. He certainly wasn’t going to tell Chloe.

Instead of approaching the door like the rest of them, Ryker chose the window. “Good luck, boys,” he said as he gave them a quick salute before he clambered through window and disappeared from view.

…What’s the deal with explorers and windows around here?

As Lirit guided a still skittish Macerio out of the room with an arm around his waist, Lynus turned his attention to Flavio and gave him a soft, but somewhat amused smile.

“Like for me to escort you back to your room?” he unexpectedly asked.

For a moment, Flavio felt indignant. It was bad enough that he had been crash-tackled into Lynus’ room without warning and then forced to hide in his bathroom, but asking the kind medic to actually be his bodyguard to protect him from a small group of pink-haired girls was beyond humiliating. He was a trained survivalist, for heaven’s sake. An explorer and a member of the Midgard Library. He could handle himself. No need to drag Lynus into it.

However...

“J-just for insurance, yeah?”