#creation of lightning sage

[its--ali]

Hm. HM.

[frozenfries]

Cozy Café : A VALORANT Headcanon

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written for this game, but inspiration struck at a random time. This totally hasn’t been sitting in my drafts since last January

Prompt: If the agents worked at a café, what would their roles and/or signature drink be?

Amidst the chaos of battle, a quaint café stands as a sanctuary for the weary agents. Here, they can take refuge from their high-stakes duels, and trade their weapons for aprons to pursue a different kind of mission: the art of brewing the perfect cup of coffee.

Phoenix: with his vibrant personality and quick reflexes, he’s the charismatic face of the café. Entertaining customers with his barista skills comes naturally as he conjures up dazzling coffee concoctions with a flair of his hand, a burst of flame and a confident grin. His signature drink, The Ignition Latte, is a fiery blend that invigorates even the most exhausted of patrons. Jett: agile on and off the battlefield, she brings her lightning-fast speed and precision to the café. With a swift motion of her finger, she effortlessly crafts delicate latte art, transforming each cup into its own masterpiece. Her Cloud Burst Cappuccino is a smooth delight, creating a moment of feather-light happiness for those who drink it. Viper: the formidable chemist brings her scientific expertise to the world of coffee. With a touch of her gloved hand, she infuses her creations with unique flavors and aromas, leaving customers in awe. Her Venomous Mocha is a mysterious blend that tantalizes the taste buds and leaves a lingering, addictive aftertaste. Sage: with her nurturing personality and herbal knowledge, she adds a touch of serenity to the café and its menu. Her Rejuvenation Tea is a calming infusion that restores both body and mind, providing a moment of tranquility amidst the chaos of everyday. Omen: ever the enigma, he brings an air of mystery to the café. With a flick of his wrist, he conjures up ethereal and smoky concoctions, leaving people wondering how he manages to capture such unique flavors. His Shadowy Cold Brew is a chilling experience that takes customers on a journey through darkness and light. KAY/O: the robotic agent assists in the day-to-day operations of the café, precisely measuring ingredients, ensuring efficiency, and maintaining the coffee shop's cutting-edge technology. KAY/O's presence adds a futuristic touch to the atmosphere, making customers feel like they've stepped into a realm where man and machine coexist harmoniously. Sova: a master archer, you can find him behind the counter carefully crafting his signature drink, The Tracker's Shot: a potent blend of espresso and a hint of blueberry syrup, topped with a delicate foam art of a wolf's paw print. Sova takes great pride in his creation, often using it as a conversation starter with customers, enthralling them with tales of his adventures in the wilderness. Cypher: the watchful surveillance expert provides security for the establishment. He has a keen eye for detail, which translates seamlessly into his signature drink, The Watchful Eye Latte: a meticulous combination of steamed milk, a shot of espresso, and a dash of vanilla spice syrup, served with a meticulous swirl of latte art depicting an intricate camera lens.

Chamber: the polished agent with a mysterious past has a taste for the unconventional, which is reflected in his signature creation, The Trademark Mocha: a rich concoction of dark chocolate, a double shot of espresso, and a hint of cinnamon, sprinkled with a dash of edible gold glitter that gives it an otherworldly shimmer.

Astra: with the ability to infuse her cosmic energy into any environment, she can elevate even a simple drink into an otherworldly experience. The Celestial Brew starts with a base of rich, smooth espresso, followed by a fusion of steamed milk and vanilla syrup, creating a swirling galaxy effect. To top it off is a dollop of homemade lavender-infused whipped cream, a touch of stardust and a sprinkle of edible glitter.

[thecreaturecodex]

Zap Kraken

Image © Turtle Rock Studios

[Sponsored by Soluman Blevins. The second of the Evolve monsters I've done, other than the warpwraith. Mechanically, the Kraken is interesting, but design wise, it's a little drab. Because it's just a Cthulhu. The lightning bolt wings are a cool touch, but otherwise, it's very much a Cthulhu. And in a game that already has Cthulhu and his star-spawn, I wanted to differentiate it a bit. So I tied it to one of my favorite one-shot weirdo monsters from the 3e era.]

Zap Kraken CR 16 CE Aberration This immense creature has a roughly dinosaur-like body and the head of a colossal cephalopod. A vertical maw stretches between its beard of tentacles, and two large jointed appendages grow from its back and crackle with electricity. Its long tail is segmented like the vertebral column of a great beast.

Zap krakens are rare aberrant creatures that use electrical energy for both offense and mobility. Although they are enormous, they fly with surprising grace by manipulating electricity, essentially creating wings of lightning that hold them aloft. They are remarkably stealthy for their size, and can sneak up on prey from above before dropping to melee or merely blasting away with channeled lightning bolts.

Zap krakens are territorial, and maintain their territory by creating banshee mines, so called for the shriek of their explosions. These mines home in on creatures that get too close, and the zap kraken can also visit them to see what it has seen, similar to a prying eyes spell. Although zap krakens typically view other creatures as prey first and foremost, they have a mutual fondness for zeugalaks. Both species have tentacled maws and an affinity for electricity, and sages speculate that they are related to each other. A zap kraken often views zeugalaks the way a nobleman views their prized hunting hounds, using them to flush out prey or occupy melee combatants. 

Zap Kraken CR 16 XP 76,800 CE Gargantuan aberration Init +7; Senses blindsense 120 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Perception +17

Defense AC 30, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (-4 size, +7 Dex, +1 dodge, +16 natural) hp 225 (18d8+144) Fort +14, Ref +13, Will +15 DR 10/magic; Immune cold, electricity; SR 26

Offense Speed 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (good) Melee 2 claws +18 (2d6+8), tentacles +17 (4d4+8), 2 wings +16 (2d6+4 plus 1d6 electricity) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. (30 ft. with tentacles) Special Attacks banshee mines, lightning strike, shock pulse

Statistics Str 26, Dex 24, Con 28, Int 11, Wis 19, Cha 19 Base Atk +16; CMB +28; CMD 46 Feats Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Hover (B), Mobility, Multiattack, Stand Still, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Acrobatics +20 (+28 when jumping), Fly +21, Intimidate +17, Perception +17, Stealth +16, Survival +17; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth Languages Aklo

Ecology Environment warm hills Organization solitary or band (1 plus 1-4 zeugalaks) Treasure standard

Special Abilities Banshee Mines (Su) As a standard action, a zap kraken can create up to three animated mines. Treat these as the eyes generated by the prying eyes spell, only when a creature approaches within 30 feet of them (all creatures or of a type set by the zap kraken on creation), they fly towards that creature and explode. Treat this as a ranged touch attack using the zap kraken’s modifiers (+19 for a typical specimen). If it hits, the creature struck takes 4d6 points of electricity damage and 4d6 points of sonic damage. Whether the mine hits or not, it explodes, dealing this damage in a 5 foot radius (Reflex DC 23 halves). A zap kraken knows when one of its mines has detonated as long as it is within 1 mile of the mine. A zap kraken can create up to nine mines a day, but can have a maximum of three in existence at a time. The save DC is Charisma based. Lightning Strike (Su) As a standard action, a zap kraken can call down a bolt of lightning within 160 feet. It fills a column 60 feet high with a 20 foot radius, dealing 16d8 points of electricity damage to all creatures in the area (Reflex DC 23 halves). A zap kraken can use this ability once every 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma based. Shock Wave (Su) As a standard action, a zap kraken can release an electrical pulse in a 60 foot radius centered on its body. All creatures in the area take 16d4 points of electricity damage and are pushed back 10 feet. A successful DC 27 Reflex save halves the damage and resists the knockback effect. A zap kraken can use this ability every other round. The save DC is Constitution based.  Tentacles (Ex) The tentacles of a zap kraken are treated as a single primary natural weapon

[nacrelysis]

wanderer as nahida's right-hand is perfect. they both have a history of abandonment, neglect, and exploitation, plus for similar reasons.

nahida was imprisoned in the sanctuary of surasthana for centuries, left to wither as a failed god her people chased the shadow of a 'better' ideal: greater lord rukkhadevata.

wanderer was abandoned by his mother in shakkei pavilion because he was the failed prototype for her ideal ruler of eternity: a puppet who could execute the lightning's will without regret, whom she intended to create after having makoto die in her arms.

the people involved in wanderer and nahida's pasts - both, in a sense, have convinced themselves that their actions were for the greater good. the sages don't even see nahida is a god, much less a human - to them, all she is is the reminder of what sumeru once had and never could again.

raiden ei abandoned kunikuzushi because she saw him cry, and, knowing he could never be the shogun she needed, left him to his own devices. it's been stated in canon that ei believed she was setting kunikuzushi free. and maybe she was, during those dark days after inazuma's first archon died. but, perhaps, what drove kunikuzushi to assign her actions as 'abandonment' was the fact that he was, in a sense, a lesser god. that he was created for reasons he didn't know. the first thing kunikuzushi did upon creation was cry - in the same way that a baby's first instinct is to cry, because their first impulse is to seek help. from this perspective, the thing kunikuzushi needed the most was guidance and acceptance from his creator (because he knew he was created by someone), while the thing ei thought he needed the most was solitude. miscommunication in the delivery room, am i right.

raiden ei's motives were not the same as the sages - you could argue that she really did believe she was doing it for kuni's benefit. i think she did. but what stands is that both these acts feature a theme of abandonment and neglect. they were carried out by people in the aftermath of grief, executed as neglect upon the people they were done to. and these acts catalyzed nahida and wanderer's development into the characters they are now.

they are not the same as the other archons.

venti's arc is focused around mending the wounds of the past, though it could be implied that he is re-assessing what "freedom" means for his nation. zhongli stepped back as yanwang dijun to allow liyue to move forward on its own while he could re-integrate as one of their common folk. ei is brought forward to re-evaluate her decisions as inazuma's absentee god.

good or bad, they all have experience with being a god.

nahida doesn't. she was intentionally kept from fulfilling her duties as archon for hundreds of years. anything she learns now, once free, is the first time she's learning it as kusanali.

wanderer can't. he tried. he took the electro gnosis and tried to transplant it into his own body - but, at the moment as we know it, gods technically can't be artificially created. the closest dottore could get was a mimicry.

so you have this unique circumstance, where nahida and wanderer both have no idea of what being a god really entails. but they don't need to know what being a god is like, do they? they just need to know how to be an archon: how to protect, how to decide, how to execute.

nahida is very forgiving. in my opinion, she's too forgiving (only because i hate the sages and would've called cps on them if i could). she sees the best in humanity. she works to engage with her people. she tries to listen to their hopes and dreams while moving towards a collective vision for the nation.

wanderer is cynical. he's been betrayed three times, in his words, and been taken advantage of far more than thrice. wanderer has seen the worst of humanity, and he continues to carry this critical eye. he's not afraid to do what nahida can't do (go undercover + beat up people) and he's not afraid to confront people when their motives stray towards the worse.

wanderer can demonstrate the things that define the worst of humans, while nahida can show wanderer the things that make humanity worth preserving. wanderer can execute orders with precision and make decisions on the fly (ha), but nahida is here to level his head and point out clues, motives, or implications that perhaps were not considered before.

and, isn't it a fitting conclusion to the sumeru archon quests? two former puppets, both alike in dignity, in sumeru where we lay our scene. together, they can reconcile the pains of their past - and together, they can build a better, kinder future together...the kind that both must have, at their worst, dreamed of living.

[randomthefox]

Preview images for the Sonic Tarot Deck

Judgement is spot on. In the traditional deck, Judgement depicts a scene from the book of Revelations, where gods faithful are resurrected before being ushered into the kingdom of heaven. The Judgement card represents self-evaluation, awakening, renewal, decisiveness. The Judgement Card representing Perfect Chaos destroying the world, specifically the mural art from the Lost World level ending, fits the imagery of the judgement card where the sea gives up its dead.

My best guess is that the Master is supposed to be the the Hierophant? In the Paul Christian deck it's called The Master of the Mysteries. Though I personally would cast the Master Emerald as The World Arcana if it was up to me. I'm sure it'll be more obvious which Major this one is supposed to be when the deck actually comes out.

Water = cups

Rings = pentacles

Lightning = swords(?) or wands. Once we know what the fourth suite is it'll definitely be easier to say for sure lol. Seems like Shadow and Sage are both of the Lightning suite because they're both creations of Robotniks? We'll see once the deck is out.

super hype for this. I love the tarot lol.

[shannonsketches]

I have a headcanon I'm curious about your opinion on if you don't mind, as I've seen many differing opinions on this.

In BotW, Urbosa brings up Nabooru by name, even stating her to be the namesake of Divine Beast Vah Naboris. The Divine Beasts are also believed to be based off of the masks once worn by the ancient Sages, and to me the way the avatars wear the old sage helms when you put on the Divine Helms all but confirms it.

The Nabooru we know and love, I am not sure how likely it is her name alone survived all the way to Hyrule, especially having the ancient part of TotK being over 10,000 years before the Era of the Wilds, and OoT being even further before that (at least as I headcanon it. Hyrule has been destroyed and refounded before. Why couldn't it have happened again?)

That being said, I believe that while the tale of the Sage of Spirit may not have made it to the creation of the Divine Beasts, her name did, often being a beautiful and strong name for young Gerudo. Eventually this name landed upon the young girl who would eventually grow up to harness the very power of the skies, gaining the graces of the newborn kingdom of Hyrule and fighting against her people's corrupted, demonic king, donning a mask that would inspire a machine that embraced her power and then mothering a bloodline of strong matriarchs who would carry her command over lightning in their blood.

Therefore: I believe that the Sage of Lighting from the Era of Myth is named Nabooru, likely unknowingly sharing the name of another great Gerudo hero from a time long forgotten.

That's a great headcanon, and it works well within your framing! And I agree that there's probably been thousands of children named after the original sages. It sounds solid to me!

I haven't read much on the differing headcanons, so I'm in no place to really compare them opinion-wise, as I personally don't place the Wilds Era with the other timelines. It feels to me like a retcon/consolidation of all the games, so I don't try to place it in concurrence, but I salute those of you who do! It's hard work!

This isn't intended to debunk anyone's theory, I'm just gonna ramble about neat things in Game Design real quick lol

I do think there are very distinct and intentional design pulls from Nabooru in the SoL's design that are not (as far as I know) consistent with other Gerudo design, including Riju and Urbosa. Though her design is Completely Different from Nabooru in OoT, there are a lot of very subtle detail references:

Credit to @/sidonisms for the model pull

The most obvious to me is the color of her secret stone: Despite the color for lightning stones in both BotW and TotK being topaz (Ganondorf's favored gem and pre-triforce ability in OoT) and it becoming more of a gold on Riju, this sage's stone is specifically the color of the Spirit token from Ocarina of Time (shown more clearly below). It's also the same shape, but I've dismissed that since they're all the same shape.

She also appears to be one of the few if not the only?? Gerudo with a vertical earring, where most of them wear hoops (also true in OoT! The other Gerudo wear studs like Ganondorf did pre-timeskip -- fun fact, Ganondorf wears hoops in TotK).

While most Gerudo wear an arm band or two, most of them are solid bands. The Sage's, I suspect, is intentionally complex (albeit much more simplified than OoT's) to be reminiscent of Nabooru's. The placement and shape language in her necklace, the placement and stone pattern of her belt, the golden leg braces that only resemble Ganondorf's also imply references to me (only Nabooru and Ganondorf wore the star shaped crests in OoT), and her neon lip color! Which I take to be a reference to Nabooru's original Ganguro Girl design influence.

ALTHOUGH,

It's also very possible that they split Nabooru's aspects into two separate characters; As this woman's high ponytail in a golden cuff, distinctly shaped/colored necklace, and apparent status as Ganondorf's right hand also appear to be direct references to Nabooru:

Maybe it's like Majin Buu and they split her into Nabu and Ru.

Or OOOOH MAYBE it's the SAME character, and it IS a direct reference to OoT Nabooru, since they both have the same eyes and lips and skin tone (and nail polish!), and she just changed her look when she started doubting Ganondorf. I think I just gave myself a new hc, haha, thank you for making me think about this.

ANYWAY!!

For me and my headcanons I feel exactly the same way about the Sage of Lightning that I do about TotK Ganondorf in that -- Yep, that's Nabooru. Also, it's not Nabooru at all. It both is and isn't. It's Naboo-AU-ru.

But my personal hcs aside, I think yours work very well within your framing and make a lot of sense! My opinion is "Yes, Good."

[weirdmageddon]

i still think link botw/totk would be a knight of space. breath comes sort of close but hes also a bit too dutiful to everyone as a community, but not in a karkat knight of blood way; the breath/blood axis isn’t what he’s bound to. he’s definitely on the space/time axis. you look at me and tell me this isnt link. link protecting people through space and protecting space (and time gets involved as well…..which could signify a connection to space/time aspects. but his arcs, where he is most in his element and zone, are more involved with the present, while zelda’s is more involved with the past and future)

bularia tells link that he has a “flair for the absurd” after talking about fusing a mushroom to a spear, a wink to creative players who made the world their sandbox back in botw and inspired the totk creative team with their magnesis minecart flying machines. but this also means “flair for the absurd” this is part of link’s canon character attributes

(x)

ever look at your hero’s path mode on the map? doesn’t this description seem familiar? what totk did was give the sandbox plenty of toys, and made it somehow even more obvious with the green-colored power motif. the free rotation of objects on three axes and the abillity to glue them to other objects in any way and detach them at will. the ability to fuse weapons and objects to weapons, exploiting space / “creation” literally as a weapon. oh yeah and straight up ascending vertically through solid objects

about the knight, link’s functional relation to this aspect, should be obvious and fits the boy like a glove:

the funny thing is that the zonai secret stones are kind of like aspects in of themselves arent they?

the aspects of the secret stones are more physical than conceptual. wind, water, fire, lightning. and then spirit for some reason but that would be kind of close to heart aspect (self)….minus the conceptual side. wind is also sort of analogous to breath but minus the conceptual side of breath, just literally windy thing.

time is time. i wonder if there are “different” time users, because all we’ve seen so far is one ability: recall, used by sonia and given to link, is sending an object’s path back in time at the small scale. or when more powerful capable of sending the object as it is now back in time outside of itself like zelda did, so instead of zelda sending herself back to when she was conceived over 100 years ago as a zygote, she accidentally sent herself back to like the equivalent of caveman times in real years but she is still the same chronological age as she was right before.

anyway but there’s only like, two classes we know: sages and kings. rauru is a king of light. oh yeah there’s a light secret stone power also. light in zelda seems to be analogous to hope in homestuck though in that its a upheavel darkness/“rage” opposed power

ganondorf’s aspect is totally rage dont even talk to me

the sativa edible is kicking in as i write this

[dumpster-lizard]

So been thinking

Im. Not willing to accept Rauru and Sonia were the original original founders of Hyrule cause im not willing to retcon OoT. Get ready cause im gonna go in depth on this haha

The way the Gerudo are treated like outsiders in that game doesnt really match up with them being servants to the royal family or respected sages with a secret stone and everything? Yes i know theres the whole thing the royal family does to the Sheikah, but considering theres a "swearing fealty" scene there too... it just implies the Gerudo were again being conquered when they would have been already. Theres also no reference to the triforce or reincarnation either in TOTK, when it was a pretty important part of SkSw.

Obviously I get that SkSw and OoT weren't created with ToTK in mind. And ToTK doesnt seem to give a shit about the BOTW story either, considering the sheikah have no importance to the major story whatsoever (not even in flashbacks? Come on)

Im sure there are ways to explain away these gripes but hear me out-

I think Rauru and Sonia re-founded hyrule. And the Zonai recreated it. Notice how the Depths are kind of reminiscent of a deep sea environment? How there are fossils that appear to be coral on the walls, how the native monsters (Froxes) appear to be amphibious? How there are several Zonai caches, mines, and colusiums down there, despite them coming from the sky? How Death Mountain and the Deku tree both have roots down there?

That was Hyrule.

After it fell. After the Ganondorf or demon king or what have you finally won, and the Goddesses destroyed it. It was meant to be forgotton.

Then enter the Zonai. Powerful beings who want to play gods. Possibly even related to gods. They want to try their hand at their own creation story, and what better way than to bring back a world that the Golden Three destroyed? Use their own power, the stones, to recreate it, leaving 10 behind. 7 reserved for protecting the land, and 3 given to the most powerful and revered Zonai to become the dragons that watch over it.

Then they leave. Except for Rauru and Mineru. And Rauru wants to go even further. To recreate the kingdom of Hyrule itself. In doing so inadvertently resetting the very thing that caused its downfall.

He could have prevented it, too. There were seven stones left. For Seven sages. Time, Wind, Lightning, Fire, Water, Spirit, and Shadow. He could have given those stones as offerings to the people he offered to join his kingdom, but they were only given out as a last resort.

Ganondorf does call him out on this- for hoarding power, for playing god. And hes right.

Things could have ended differently if the Gerudo were offered stones at the start- Ganondorf (or a sheikah idk)as the sage of Shadow and the unnammed Gerudo as the Sage of lightning- if they were treated as equals rather than pawns in Rauru's dream of becoming a legendary king.

[journeythroughjourneytothewest]

Chapter 23 Recap: Tripitaka does not forget his origin; the Four Sages test the priestly mind

With all four pilgrims now having been “awakened to the suchness of all things,” the begin this chapter “free from the fetters of dust” and thus proceed westward “through countless green hills and blue waters; they saw wild grass and untended flowers in endless arrays.” They travel like this for an entire year, until one late evening in autumn the question is brought up as to where they shall spend the night. After some bickering between Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie over who should haul the luggage, the Monkey King reveals to the former marshal that the horse Tang Sanzang is riding is “originally the son of Aorun, the Dragon King of the Western Ocean,” and that Bodhisattva Guanyin had “appeared personally to take off his scales and horns and to remove the pearls around his neck. It was then that he changed into this horse to carry Master to worship Buddha in the Western Heaven.” Zhu Bajie, however, is unconvinced; he had “heard an ancient saying that a dragon can breathe out clouds and mists, kick up dust and dirt, and he even has the ability to leap over mountains and peaks, the divine power to stir up rivers and seas. How is it that he is walking so slowly at the moment?” Sun Wukong but declares that he’ll make Bai Longma move swiftly, and so “shook his golden-hooped rod once, and there were ten thousand shafts of colorful lights! When that horse saw the rod, he was so afraid that he might be struck by it that he moved his four legs like lightning and darted away,” not slowing until he had run “all the way up a mountain cliff.” “As his hands were weak” Tang Sanzang had been unable to restrain Bai Longma, but the terrified monk did manage to stay on the dragon-horse’s back. His new vantage point also allows him to see “several stately buildings” in the distance.

The other three pilgrims are quick to join their shifu, with Sun Wukong expressing surprise that the monk “didn’t fall off the horse?” After some more bickering Tang Sanzang suggests that they might ask for shelter at what at the distance appears to be a small village. Yet as the Monkey King’s “Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils” allow him to see the truth of the world, he’s able to tell that these structures were “covered by auspicious clouds and hallowed mists. He knew then that this place had to be a creation of buddhas or immortals, but he dared not reveal the Heavenly secret.”

Upon reaching the buildings, Tripitaka is quick to dismount and tell his disciples, especially Sun Wukong, that they must “behave with circumspection” and wait for someone to come out so that they could “request lodging politely.” They wait for a long time without success, and so an impatient Monkey King leaps up from where he had been seated at the foot of a gate and runs inside. There he finds three hallways adorned with all kinds of riches, as well as a “middle-aged woman who asked in a seductive voice, ‘Who are you, that you dare enter a widow’s home without permission.” Sun Wukong is so “taken aback” that he can only tell this woman about the pilgrim’s mission and their request for shelter in a murmur. This seemingly rich and wealthy widow invites the party in with a smile, and it is only after receiving her permission that Tripitaka, Sha Wujing, and Zhu Bajie enter. Zhu Bajie in particular is interested in their host, and keeps shooting her “furtive, wanton glances.”

After exchanging greetings and moving into the main hall, the pilgrims are served tea in white-jade cups. Their host then tells the pilgrims that Her “maiden surname is Jia (Unreal), and the surname of my husband’s family is Mo (Nonexisting).” She goes on to tell them that after her in-laws died, she and her husband had inherited an ancestral fortune of “more than ten thousand taels of silver and over fifteen thousand acres of prime land.” They also had three daughters before her husband died, but mother and daughters are now left in a state where they have “no other relatives…to inherit our vast property and land…We are delighted, therefore, that the four of you have arrived, for we four, mother and daughters, would like very much to ask you to become our spouses.”

Tripitaka is immediately struck “deaf and dumb” at hearing this proposal, and remains silent no matter how much the widow tries to tempt him with descriptions of her vast wealth or her daughter’s intelligence and beauty. Indeed, such words but make the Tang monk act “like a child struck by lightning, a fog smitten by rain. With eyes bulging and rolling upward, he could barely keep himself from keeling over in his chair.” Zhu Bajie, however, “could hardly quell the unbearable itch in his heart!” Finally, the pig asks his shifu how he could “completely ignore what the lady has been saying to you,” to which Tripitaka “gave such a hostile shout that Eight Rules backed away hurriedly. ‘You curse beast! he bellowed. ‘We are people who have left home. How can we possibly allow ourselves anymore to be moved by riches and tempted by beauty?”

The widow but giggles at this show of anger and proceeds to engage in a short debate with the Tang monk over whether it’s better to “leave home” as a monk or “remain at home” as a citizen. Tripitaka does allow that it is “undeniably a good life” to “enjoy riches and glory; you have things to eat, clothes to wear, and children by your side.” And yet, as he states through poetry, only those whose minds are enlightened won’t have to face the “rot [of] age, one stinking bag of flesh!” The widow grows “terribly angry” at hearing this, and further insists that even if Tripitaka had “received the commandments and made the vow never to return to secular life, at least one of your followers could become a member of our family.”

Intimidated, Tang Sanzang first asks Sun Wukong to join the family as a husband. Yet the Monkey King proclaims that he’s “been completely ignorant in such matters since the time I was young,” and suggests that Zhu Bajie stay instead. For all his staring, the former marshal refuses. Tripitaka finally asks Sha Wujing to follow the widow’s wishes, but the sand monk declares that he would “never engage in such perfidious activities!” A now thoroughly angered widow “quickly walked behind the screen and slammed the door to the rear. Master and disciples were left outside, and no one came out again to present tea or rice.”

Exasperated at their loss of food and shelter, Zhu Bajie starts berating Tang Sanzang, as the monk had “ruined all our chances by the way you spoke! You could have been more flexible and given her a vague reply so that she would at least have given us a meal.” Yet soon Sha Wujing and Sun Wukong are encouraging the marshal-turned-pig to stay, as “you will no doubt be given a huge dowry and a nice banquet to greet the kinsfolk, which all of us can also enjoy.” This is also apparently the first time the sand monk learns of Zhu Bajie’s history as “the son-in-law of Mr. Gao of the Old Gao Village.” Sha Wujing and Sun Wukong continue to encourage their swinish companion to accept the widow’s offer, but Zhu Bajie keeps refusing, and even states that “Each one of us is tempted, but you only want old Hog to be embarrassed. The proverb says, ‘A monk is the preta [in Buddhism a restless ghost incessantly tortured by hunger and thirst] of sensuality,’ and which one of us can truly say that he doesn’t want this?” The former marshal then declares his intention to graze Bai Longma and pulls the dragon horse outside. Sun Wukong, sensing mischief, tells Sha Wujing to keep Tang Sanzang company while he follows the pig yaoguai. Tripitaka allows this, but asks the Monkey King to not ridicule Zhu Wuneng. The monkey pilgrim agrees, and changes into a red dragonfly to go after the wayward swine.

Believing he had given his shifu and fellow disciples the slip, Zhu Bajie chases Bai Longma to the back of the house, where he finds the widow and her daughters admiring some chrysanthemums. The girls slip inside the house at the sight of the pig yaoguai, but Zhu Wuneng is able to make his case to the widow, telling her that even though he is “somewhat ugly,” he would make a good husband as he “can work quite diligently.” The widow tells him that if “there’s no great inconvenience, we’ll take you,” but she needs to discuss the matter more with her daughters first. Zhu Bajie then leads Bai Longma back to the front of the house, but he’s beaten there by the Monkey King, who heard the whole exchange and immediately tattles on the pig yaoguai, though Tripitaka “did not know whether to believe him or not.” The monkey goes on to hint to Zhu Bajie that he knows what the pig did when he comes back, which puts the former marshal in a quiet mood. Yet his embarrassment is accompanied by the widow and her three daughters Zhenzhen, Aiai, and Lianlian welcoming the scripture pilgrims into their home, their beauty so great that “Tripitaka lowered his head and folded his hands in front of him, while the Great Sage became mute and Sha Monk turned away completely. But look at that Zhu Eight Rules! With eyes unblinking, a mind filled with lust, and passion fast rising, he murmured huskily, ‘What an honor it is to have the presence of you immortal ladies!” The widow then asks the pilgrims which one of them “shall be betrothed to my daughters,” and Sha Wujing tells her that Zhu Bajie will. The former marshal protests and says they should “discuss the matter further,” but Sun Wukong states that there’s nothing to discuss since Zhu Wuneng had “already made all the arrangements with [the widow] at the back door, and even call her ‘Mama.’” The Monkey King continues to force the issue even while Zhu Bajie continues to protest, and even “caught hold of Eight Rules with one hand and pulled at the woman with the other, saying, ‘Mother-in-law, take your son-in-law inside.” The former marshal is hesitant to go but does eventually follow the widow, while the rest of the pilgrims are treated to a vegetarian dinner and guest rooms to spend the night.

After being led through numerous “doorways and chambers with tall thresholds, causing him constantly to stumble and fall,” Zhu Bajie finally makes it into the inner chamber of the house. There, the widow tells him that she’s yet to decide which of her daughters to give to the pig yaoguai as a bride, as she fears that whatever choice she makes will leave the other two girls offended. Zhu Bajie suggests that she “give them all to me,” as this will spare her “a lot of bickering that can destroy the harmony of the family,” that its very common to “have three or four concubines nowadays,” and that as he had “learned how to be long-lasting in the arts of love,” even if she had “a few more daughters, I’ll gladly take them all…You can be assured that I’ll render satisfactory service to every one of them.” The widow, however, states that his plan is “no good.” Instead, she tells Zhu Bajie to take her large handkerchief and “blindfold yourself…I’m going to ask my daughters to walk past you, and the one you can catch with your hands will be betrothed to you.” The former marshal agrees to this plan, but soon finds that he “could not grab a single one of them.” He’s soon left “Fumbling and tumbling around…sitting on the floor with a bruised head and a swollen mouth.”

The widow tells the complaining pig yaoguai that her daughters weren’t intentionally evading his grasp, but that each was deferring to the other “so that each may take you.” Zhu Bajie proposes that the widow marries him instead if her daughters are unwilling, but she suggests instead that the former marshal try on the silk undershirts that each of her daughters had made, and that he will marry the one whose shirt fits him best. Zhu Bajie agrees, and even declares that if they “all fit me, they can all have me.” Yet no sooner had the pig yaoguai tried on the first undershirt when “he suddenly fell to the floor. The undershirt, you see, had changed into several pieces of rope which had him tightly bound. As he lay there in unbearable pain, the women vanished.”

In the meantime, the rest of the pilgrims wake up and discover that “all the noble house and buildings had vanished…for the truth of the matter was that they had all been sleeping in a forest of pines and cedars. Tang Sanzang and Sha Wujing are panicked at this turn of events, but Sun Wukong is able to quickly assure them that the “women of that household happened to be some bodhisattvas from somewhere, who had waited for us to teach us a lesson. They must have left during the night, but unfortunately Zhu Eight Rules has to suffer.” And indeed, they find a slip of paper on an old cedar tree that show who these bodhisattvas were and why the pig yaoguai was punished for “loving things mundane.” The group also soon hear Zhu Bajie crying for Tang Sanzang to “Save me, please! I’ll never dare do this again!” Even though Sun Wukong suggests that they not “bother about him” and that they should “leave now,” Tripitaka says that though “Idiot is stupid and mischievous…he is at least fairly honest, and he has arms strong enough to carry the luggage. Let’s have some regard for the Bodhisattva’s earlier intention, let’s rescue him so that he may continue to follow us.” And so, not knowing “what sort of good or evil was in store for the Idiot,” this chapter concludes.

[sketching-shark]

This is such a crappy drabble but—

——————————————————————

"I am not here to be your enemy, " smiles the starry xún, his sunny mane golden and deepening into twilight navy. The giant primate(?) holds out an enormous hand, neither callous nor soft, his black nails resembling rock formations of dark limestones. The heaven-born monkey hesitates a little before jumping onto the palm of the sky-sent simian— who, for all that they almost shared the same features, resembled nothing of apes, gibbons, macaques, and other monkeys the Great Sage had ever seen.

"But perhaps we should get to know each other, hm? " He brings Sun WuKong closer to peer at him with his giant obsidian pools as eyes, shining zenith and nadir at the center of his pupils.

"And why should I? " The Monkey King scoffs as he pointed his compliant golden cudgel at the giant's irises. "What if you're just one of Heaven's deities here to take me down because I opposed them? I do not take strangers as friends, even if we share the same face. " he accused, but the other simply chuckled and brought a merry sort of tingling in the recesses of Sun WuKong's bones. Not a forgotten feeling, no, but more like a forgotten afterthought.

"Sharing a face, sharing eyes. That is but the mold in which was used last. I was the first, little King, and you were the finality of that body. "

"What do you mean? "

The ocean moved with the shifts of the xún as he raised one arm and calmed the skies, thunders and lightning marks ceasing as he commanded. "You see, Nüwa did not take it in stride when a life brimmed from the suns. Fiery, arid, and thicker than what makes worlds and constellations. She is the mother goddess of mankind and before Heaven and Earth, things awakened from darkness. Not like you, of course, you were created from nothingness. I had part in every breath you breathe the same way I had part in your creation. " He was very straightforward and blunt, shaking the core of the King's soul.

Sun WuKong watched as the elder star tilts his head, mane resembling rays of the sun falling from his broad shoulders. "I've always known I was something born from stone, but my true life was taken in account of the absorbed essence of Heaven and Earth. " He chitters when a great finger lightly taps once on the crown of his head, almost knocking his backwards. He rubbed that burning spot, "But what does that make you? And who are you anyway? "

The Great Sage watches as the giant primate withdrew from his piercing gaze, pulling back his neck and shoulders before picking the heaven-born monkey up by the scruff of his cape. He dangled many meters from the ground higher than the point of Huagou Mountain.

"Little one, " the xún grins wide with his star points as teeth and shakes his great mane, leaving tiny celestial bodies floating in the air before they dissipated. Sun WuKong feels his breath leave his body and his blood freezing up inside his veins. He thinks as though this was a danger that he won't leave without wounds.

"I am Tiāngān, the Twelve Heavenly Stems."

——————————————————————

So I've decided to give SWK some kind of a family member 👀

NICE NICE NICE. Always neat when the Monkey King gets more family members, especially when they're gigantic monkey yao <3

[tumbler-town-incorrectquotes]

Something I wrote for Auryn and Sage

The goddess of life had but a few fears, one of them being the sound of Thunder. She would try hard to not shake with the walls every time the sound reverberated through her home.

Despite this, the goddess’s younger child found themself loving lightning storms. The way the sky lit up, the mighty sound, the child had no fear. Yet the storms were still unpredictable. Untamed. “Is it that mother doesn’t know when the next wave of thunder shall be that scares her so?”, they would think to themself.

One day, the goddess approached her child with a proposal. “Would you like to Make something?”, she asked softly, lifting the child’s small form into her arms. The child nodded vigorously, eager to Make something incredible.

To start, they took a Blue Jay bird, the one with the most vibrant feathers that it could find. Then, the child drew up a form; a serpentine dragon with a tail of pure energy and a single slender horn on its head. Finally, the child waited for a storm, studying the shapes the lightning made. “I will tame the idea of a storm itself”, they promised.

In the child’s hands was made the power of lightning combined into a slender creature of bright cyan. Thunder Jays. While appearing benign as any other bird when close to the ground, it was within the storm clouds that the creature truly shined, taking the form of small & serpentine electric dragons. And it is said that since then, every thunder strike is perfectly in time with two thunder jays weaving together in dance.

The new being moved at the child god’s behest, after all, it was their creation. And with that power at their disposal, the child turned rumbles into rhythm. The god of lightning storms, rhythm, and jubilation was truly born.

Since then, though it took time for things to change, the goddess of life no longer fears storms. Indeed, she even has a fondness for them. For every lightning strike onto the earth is the start of something new, a careful burn making way for new plants, and love between two Thunder Jays. And every boom of thunder is her dear godlet having their fun.

(Written in a sort of mythological way as this is how I can see the nymphs and other people in the lands below the Archives describing it. Y’know, like in Metamorphoses and stuff, that kind of language.)

[AWWWW CUTE!]

(Auryn & Sage - @sagehyperfixates)

[xiyouyanyi]

JotG S2: The Ramifications

-SWK didn't leave MK to go on a vacation. Well, he tried to say so, but MK interrupted him and asked him if he could go to the Celestial Realm instead, to check on the two immortals who helped them out. And he was like "Yep, that just happened to be my first stop!"

"I don't want them to be in trouble. They…okay, one of them isn't the nicest person, but she still helped me out. Hopefully they won't. But if they do get into trouble, would you like, help them back? For me?" "Sure bud, don't worry. I'll keep an eye out."

-In truth, he got a summon from Thunder Bureau, and proceeded to spend most of S2 lying skillfully in court, trying to conceal his disciple's existence from prying eyes and get a lighter sentence for their helpers, while also bringing attention to the more urgent issue that was LBD.

-He paid a visit to Kui Mulang, now imprisoned inside a much more secure cell, with Thunder Nails stabbed through his shoulder blades. A harsh exchange ensued: SWK pried for intel about Ivory Lady the Ghostly Immortal, Kui Mulang responded with a series of mockeries and scathing remarks, before tossing out this bombshell. 

"I'll tell you everything I know, if you tell me what happened to my children." The Wood Wolf Star said, eyes hidden under the shadow casted by his messy, blood-soaked mane. "The Great Sage is capable of some exquisite destruction, but I do not believe, for a second, that he is a child killer." "...Even if they are alive, do you seriously think you can still get back into their lives? That they'll ever want you in their lives, after what you'd done to their mother?"  "Ah, so they are alive." "..." "I'm not asking where they are. Only what happened to them." Kui Mulang continued. "In exchange, you get to know all about that ghastly acquaintance of mine. Deal?"

-The Dumpling Destruction episode got slightly adjusted to suit the new "court case" scenario: it wasn't the Four Devarajas’ fault, but one of the Four Thunder Generals——Deng, Xin, Zhang, Tao.

-See, having a bunch of thunder and lightning-wielding guys be both judges, lawyers, SWAT teams, and executioners tend to make your average court case…quite heated.

-And during one of those heated arguments that lasted from the Thunder Bureau official halls all the way to the dining room next door, someone imbued their breakfast with Thunderfire and threw it at the other guy, who dodged just in time; the flaming dumpling flew out of the window and fell through the clouds, straight toward the Lower Realm.

-Like, it was still regular dumpling-sized, but that wasn't gonna matter because Thunderfire was more high-grade explosives than flames, and the impact was still enough to flatten half of the city. 

-In fact, searching for this tiny, free-falling object just made the mission even harder, and the first thing people noticed on the ground wasn't the dumpling, but the roaring thunder that accompanied dozens of winged generals as they combed through the sky, desperately looking for the offending object on Lord Wen's orders.

-SWK told MK what all the fuss was about via astral projection, then went back to breaking up the fight in the dining hall, because yes, after casually tossing a mini-nuke out of the window, these four were still engaging in their violent legal debate. 

-Lord Wen wondered, for the billionth time in his life, if one of the Taisui gods or someone in the Dipper Mansion really had it out for him, then sighed and ordered Hanzhi's temporary release, just so the Wind Bureau could assist in the search too.

-Mei, being part of the West Sea dragon clan, was obliged to help out any Celestial Bureaus involved in weather creation by virtue of an ancient accord. She wasn't too happy about it, as MK and Tang set off to find something in FFM's vault that could create a protective barrier over the city, in case the others all failed their spot checks.

-I'm making some tweaks to the treasures we are collecting, mostly by replacing them with ones from FSYY. Instead of the Demon-revealing Mirror, we have the Yin-Yang Mirror(阴阳镜) of Chijing Zi, and instead of the Crimson Jimweed, we are looking for the Chaihu Grass of Shennong.

-Since the full Yin-Yang Mirror is too OP, in this AU, it was split into its white and red halves: the white half can insta-kill anything with a soul, the red half can revive whatever the white half killed, and FFM's vault only got the red one, which was useless on its own.

-Also, instead of Guanyin's vase, the treasure they were looking for was a crystalline vase containing the Divine Water of Triple Light(三光神��)——a substance that could transform ordinary water into a self-regenerating magical barrier, also from FSYY.

-But Tang, who thought "that other God-Demon novel" was boring and not as well-written as JTTW (true), didn't know that. He still found it despite looking for the wrong vase the entire time, while pursued by Spider Queen's minions; a truly incredible feat. 

-The Thunderfire-imbued dumpling was found by Mei and neutralized safely in midair via Hanzhi's tornado, seconds after the Divine Water barrier went up.

-All four Thunder Generals received fifty lashes, on top of the beatdown they received from SWK. Hanzhi, being the natural gossiper she was, revealed her "on parole until mission's over" situation, as well as SWK's involvement in the court case to Mei.

-Of course, Mei told MK, which…only added to his guilt and anxiety. Come Minor Scale, this also changed LBD's approach: instead of telling him that SWK left because he picked the wrong successor, she focused on how his mentor had to clean up his mess, that maybe SWK didn't tell him all the truth for a good reason——he just couldn't be trusted with it.

-One question remained: why was LBD trying to rebuild the Bone Mech, when it could no longer be a vessel for one of the Ten Kings post-deification, and even if it could, the dead Shang kings would not have answered the calls of anyone who wasn't a direct descendant of theirs?

-Because it is less about the soul they are pulling out of the Underworld, and more about creating a passage between the world of the living and the dead, which is why she needed the staff.

-As Yu the Great's extendable ruler, not only can it change its size and length at will, it can also command the Water element as a whole——including the water of the Underworld rivers, the Nine Springs.

-So LBD is using the Bone Mech to create a canal between the two realms, then using the staff to draw the Nine Springs through. Which, like everything Underworld, is the purest Yin-aligned substance you can find, and reacts with Yang-aligned energy in unusual ways: in this case, it creates a living, growing ice that encases Yang-aligned entities upon contact.

-This is how the Ice Hells are constructed: every wall, every floor, is made of condemned souls of the deceased. But unlike in the Underworld, where the flow of Yang energy is predictable, controllable, and quite weak in strength, when the same water enters the mortal realm where Yang energy is so abundant, it just grows and grows and insta-freezes everything it touches.

-With the reverse-flooding also came tons of ghosts, finally escaping their confinement in the Eighteen Hells, but honestly, that was the least of everyone's worries. 

[sunny-days-and-warm-mournings]

"I'm not here to be your enemy, " smiles the starry xún, his sunny mane golden and deepening into twilight navy. The giant primate(?) holds out an enormous hand, neither callous nor soft, his black nails resembling rock formations of dark limestones. The heaven-born monkey hesitates a little before jumping onto the palm of the sky-sent simian— who, for all that they almost shared the same features, resembled nothing of apes, gibbons, macaques, and other monkeys the Great Sage had ever seen.

"But perhaps we should get to know each other, hm? " He brings Sun WuKong closer to peer at him with his giant obsidian pools as eyes, shining zenith and nadir at the center of his pupils.

"And why should I? " The Monkey King scoffs as he pointed his compliant golden cudgel at the giant's irises. "What if you're just one of Heaven's deities here to take me down because I opposed them? I do not take strangers as friends, even if we share the same face. " he accused, but the other simply chuckled and brought a merry sort of tingling in the recesses of Sun WuKong's bones. Not a forgotten feeling, no, but more like a forgotten afterthought.

"Sharing a face, sharing eyes. That is but the mold in which was used last. I was the first, little King, and you were the finality of that body. "

"What do you mean? "

The ocean moved with the shifts of the xún as he raised one arm and calmed the skies, thunders and lightning marks ceasing as he commanded. "You see, Nüwa did not take it in stride when a life brimmed from the suns. Fiery, arid, and thicker than what makes worlds and constellations. She is the mother goddess of mankind and before Heaven and Earth, things awakened from darkness. Not like you, of course, you were created from nothingness. I had part in every breath you breathe the same way I had part in your creation. " He was very straightforward and blunt, shaking the core of the King's soul.

Sun WuKong watched as the elder star tilts his head, mane resembling rays of the sun falling from his broad shoulders. "I've always known I was something born from stone, but my true life was taken in account of the absorbed essence of Heaven and Earth. " He chitters when a great finger lightly taps once on the crown of his head, almost knocking his backwards. He rubbed that burning spot, "But what does that make you? And who are you anyway? "

The Great Sage watches as the giant primate withdrew from his piercing gaze, pulling back his neck and shoulders before picking the heaven-born monkey up by the scruff of his cape. He dangled many meters from the ground higher than the point of Huagou Mountain.

"Little one, " the xún grins wide with his star points as teeth and shakes his great mane, leaving tiny celestial bodies floating in the air before they dissipated. Sun WuKong feels his breath leave his body and his blood freezing up inside his veins. He thinks as though this was a danger that he won't leave without wounds.

"I am Tiāngān, the Twelve Heavenly Stems."

[bhagvadgita]

Verse 13.5 - Kshetra & Kshetrajna Yoga 

ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक् |ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः ||

This has been sung by the sages in various ways, with different meters, and also by the words of the Brahma Sutras, which are based on reason and logic.

The meaning of this verse is that the subject of the field (kshetra) and the knower of the field (kshetrajna), which is the main theme of this chapter, has been expounded by various seers and sages in the past, using different poetic forms and styles. They have also been explained by the aphorisms of the Brahma Sutras, which are the authoritative texts on Vedanta  philosophy, and which use rational arguments and evidence to establish the truth. This verse implies that the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita are not new or novel, but are in harmony with the ancient wisdom of the Vedas and the Upanishads, and are supported by sound reasoning and logic.

Some similar verses from other Vedic texts are:

- Rig Veda 1.164.20: 

द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजाते । तयोरन्यः पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभिचाकशीति ॥

Two birds of beautiful plumage, who are inseparable friends, reside on the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit, while the other looks on without eating.

This verse symbolizes the relationship between the individual soul (jiva) and the supreme soul (Brahman). The former is entangled in the fruits of its actions, while the latter is detached and merely witnesses the play of nature.

- Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6.19: 

न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति कुतोऽयमग्निः । तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति ॥

There the sun does not shine, nor the moon and the stars, nor these flashes of lightning. How can this fire? He shining, everything shines after Him. By His light all this is lighted.

This verse describes the transcendental nature of Brahman, who is the source of all light and illumination. Brahman is beyond the reach of the senses and the mind, and can only be realized by the Grace of a Guru and the practice of meditation.

- Brahma Sutra 1.1.2: 

जन्माद्यस्य यतः ।

From whom is the origin (of this world).

This sutra states that Brahman is the cause of the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. Brahman is the Ultimate Reality, from whom everything proceeds and to whom everything returns. Brahman is the essence of all beings and the controller of all activities.

[sleepyowlwrites]

Bittersweet and Burgundy | Colors and Creation Collection

I come alive next to you The air smells like sage and sea salt Wild roses trail down your back and take root in the moss Antlers in your hair, you are the king here I have forgotten all the darker days The sage burns solemn in the sea Wild berries ripen at your fingers and feed the forest Bark on your shoulders, you are the guardian here I whisper all my stories into your ears of stone If we talk long enough I always turn you into a poem But I’d rather you weren’t breathing leaves Bleeding onto brambles at a fork in the road Fountains of sweet water cold enough to choke I burn the sage on the stage of the sea’s solemn oath Trees bow and bend and break and I- I drag you out from under the unforgiving waves But you will never be the same I come alive next to you And silence reigns

originally in 2020 by M.J. Valentine

poetry taglist: @enchanted-lightning-aes @diphthongsfordays @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @winterandwords @pandawriterstuff and also @ren-c-leyn

[zerogate]

Light, especially, captured their attention. Since it was through the illuminative power of light that objects were known to exist, all things therefore were seen to consist of light: the light of the sun revealed the objects on earth as much as it revealed the sun itself; physical objects were, to these seers, crystallized light. In a sense, therefore, sublime light was the universal essence of every and all particular things. Furthermore, in a way, light gave rise to all things: forms previously laying inchoate and vague in the darkness emerged in the presence of light into their unique shape and texture. As the universal essence and creator of everything, light was seen to be equivalent to being itself, and thereby to truth. To perceive light was thus to gain knowledge of reality.

Reality itself: this was revealed by the play of light. The universe as a whole glowed with the inner creative power of light, which suffused and gave being to all things. Since creative light played on the many surfaces and forms it created, the world as a whole was a world of play; it was a cosmic game, a universal riddle, the meaning of which few could understand. The visionary, poetic sage saw that play, understood those riddles, and sang forth his song in response to the brilliant creation.

Not surprisingly, those seers tended to describe the foundational, formative, and transformative forces that give form and movement to the universe with language that connotes not only effective power but also a kind of shimmering luminance or glow that seems to reflect a deeper and more powerful splendor and brightness. Since the primary luminous objects shining their light onto the world resided in the skies as the sun, moon, lightning, and stars, verbal images of celestial brilliance are particularly prevalent in Vedic songs. Thus, for example, the Vedic noun div, which means “sky” and thus “heaven,” likely derives from an Indo-European verbal root meaning to “shine.’ From the root div comes the important Sanskrit word deva, which as an adjective means “divine” and thus “heavenly.” As a noun, deva means “divine power” and thus “deity.”

– William K. Mahony, The Artful Universe: An introduction to the Vedic religious imagination