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physalian · 5 months

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8 Signs your Sequel Needs Work

Sequels, and followup seasons to TV shows, can be very tricky to get right. Most of the time, especially with the onslaught of sequels, remakes, and remake-quels over the past… 15 years? There’s a few stand-outs for sure. I hear Dune Part 2 stuck the landing. Everyone who likes John Wick also likes those sequels. Spiderverse 2 also stuck the landing.

These are less tips and more fundamental pieces of your story that may or may not factor in because every work is different, and this is coming from an audience’s perspective. Maybe some of these will be the flaws you just couldn’t put your finger on before. And, of course, these are all my opinions, for sequels and later seasons that just didn’t work for me.

1. Your vague lore becomes a gimmick

The Force, this mysterious entity that needs no further explanation… is now quantifiable with midichlorians.

In The 100, the little chip that contains the “reincarnation” of the Commanders is now the central plot to their season 6 “invasion of the bodysnatchers” villains.

In The Vampire Diaries, the existence of the “emotion switch” is explicitly disputed as even existing in the earlier seasons, then becomes a very real and physical plot point one can toggle on and off.

I love hard magic systems. I love soft magic systems, too. These two are not evolutions of each other and doing so will ruin your magic system. People fell in love with the hard magic because they liked the rules, the rules made sense, and everything you wrote fit within those rules. Don’t get wacky and suddenly start inventing new rules that break your old ones.

People fell in love with the soft magic because it needed no rules, the magic made sense without overtaking the story or creating plot holes for why it didn’t just save the day. Don’t give your audience everything they never needed to know and impose limitations that didn’t need to be there.

Solving the mystery will never be as satisfying as whatever the reader came up with in their mind. Satisfaction is the death of desire.

2. The established theme becomes un-established

I talked about this point already in this post about theme so the abridged version here: If your story has major themes you’ve set out to explore, like “the dichotomy of good and evil” and you abandon that theme either for a contradictory one, or no theme at all, your sequel will feel less polished and meaningful than its predecessor, because the new story doesn’t have as much (if anything) to say, while the original did.

Jurassic Park is a fantastic, stellar example. First movie is about the folly of human arrogance and the inherent disaster and hubris in thinking one can control forces of nature for superficial gains. The sequels, and then sequel series, never returns to this theme (and also stops remembering that dinosaurs are animals, not generic movie monsters). JP wasn’t just scary because ahhh big scary reptiles. JP was scary because the story is an easily preventable tragedy, and yes the dinosaurs are eating people, but the people only have other people to blame. Dinosaurs are just hungry, frightened animals.

Or, the most obvious example in Pixar’s history: Cars to Cars 2.

3. You focus on the wrong elements based on ‘fan feedback’

We love fans. Fans make us money. Fans do not know what they want out of a sequel. Fans will never know what they want out of a sequel, nor will studios know how to interpret those wants. Ask Star Wars. Heck, ask the last 8 books out of the Percy Jackson universe.

Going back to Cars 2 (and why I loathe the concept of comedic relief characters, truly), Disney saw dollar signs with how popular Mater was, so, logically, they gave fans more Mater. They gave us more car gimmicks, they expanded the lore that no one asked for. They did try to give us new pretty racing venues and new cool characters. The writers really did try, but some random Suit decided a car spy thriller was better and this is what we got.

The elements your sequel focuses on could be points 1 or 2, based on reception. If your audience universally hates a character for legitimate reasons, maybe listen, but if your audience is at war with itself over superficial BS like whether or not she’s a female character, or POC, ignore them and write the character you set out to write. Maybe their arc wasn’t finished yet, and they had a really cool story that never got told.

This could be side-characters, or a specific location/pocket of worldbuilding that really resonated, a romantic subplot, whatever. Point is, careening off your plan without considering the consequences doesn’t usually end well.

4. You don’t focus on the ‘right’ elements

I don’t think anyone out there will happily sit down and enjoy the entirety of Thor: The Dark World. The only reasons I would watch that movie now are because a couple of the jokes are funny, and the whole bit in the middle with Thor and Loki. Why wasn’t this the whole movie? No one cares about the lore, but people really loved Loki, especially when there wasn’t much about him in the MCU at the time, and taking a villain fresh off his big hit with the first Avengers and throwing him in a reluctant “enemy of my enemy” plot for this entire movie would have been amazing.

Loki also refuses to stay dead because he’s too popular, thus we get a cyclical and frustrating arc where he only has development when the producers demand so they can make maximum profit off his character, but back then, in phase 2 world, the mystery around Loki was what made him so compelling and the drama around those two on screen was really good! They bounced so well off each other, they both had very different strengths and perspectives, both had real grievances to air, and in that movie, they *both* lost their mother. It’s not even that it’s a bad sequel, it’s just a plain bad movie.

The movie exists to keep establishing the Infinity Stones with the red one and I can’t remember what the red one does at this point, but it could have so easily done both. The powers that be should have known their strongest elements were Thor and Loki and their relationship, and run with it.

This isn’t “give into the demands of fans who want more Loki” it’s being smart enough to look at your own work and suss out what you think the most intriguing elements are and which have the most room and potential to grow (and also test audiences and beta readers to tell you the ugly truth). Sequels should feel more like natural continuations of the original story, not shameless cash grabs.

5. You walk back character development for ~drama~

As in, characters who got together at the end of book 1 suddenly start fighting because the “will they/won’t they” was the juiciest dynamic of their relationship and you don’t know how to write a compelling, happy couple. Or a character who overcame their snobbery, cowardice, grizzled nature, or phobia suddenly has it again because, again, that was the most compelling part of their character and you don’t know who they are without it.

To be honest, yeah, the buildup of a relationship does tend to be more entertaining in media, but that’s also because solid, respectful, healthy relationships in media are a rarity. Season 1 of Outlander remains the best, in part because of the rapid growth of the main love interest’s relationship. Every season after, they’re already married, already together, and occasionally dealing with baby shenanigans, and it’s them against the world and, yeah, I got bored.

There’s just so much you can do with a freshly established relationship: Those two are a *team* now. The drama and intrigue no longer comes from them against each other, it’s them together against a new antagonist and their different approaches to solving a problem. They can and should still have distinct personalities and perspectives on whatever story you throw them into.

6. It’s the same exact story, just Bigger

I have been sitting on a “how to scale power” post for months now because I’m still not sure on reception but here’s a little bit on what I mean.

Original: Oh no, the big bad guy wants to destroy New York

Sequel: Oh no, the big bad guy wants to destroy the planet

Threequel: Oh no, the big bad guy wants to destroy the galaxy

You knew it wasn’t going to happen the first time, you absolutely know it won’t happen on a bigger scale. Usually, when this happens, plot holes abound. You end up deleting or forgetting about characters’ convenient powers and abilities, deleting or forgetting about established relationships and new ground gained with side characters and entities, and deleting or forgetting about stakes, themes, and actually growing your characters like this isn’t the exact same story, just Bigger.

How many Bond movies are there? Thirty-something? I know some are very, very good and some are not at all good. They’re all Bond movies. People keep watching them because they’re formulaic, but there’s also been seven Bond actors and the movies aren’t one long, continuous, self-referential story about this poor, poor man who has the worst luck in the universe. These sequels aren’t “this but bigger” it’s usually “this, but different”, which is almost always better.

“This, but different now” will demand a different skillset from your hero, different rules to play by, different expectations, and different stakes. It does not just demand your hero learn to punch harder.

Example: Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2 does have more influence than Tai Lung, yes. He’s got a whole city and his backstory is further-reaching, but he’s objectively worse in close combat—so he doesn’t fistfight Po. He has cannons, very dangerous cannons, cannons designed to be so strong that kung fu doesn’t matter. Thus, he’s not necessarily “bigger” he’s just “different” and his whole story demands new perspective.

The differences between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are numerous, but the latter relies on “but bigger” and the former went in a whole new direction, while still staying faithful to the themes of the original.

7. It undermines the original by awakening a new problem too soon

I’ve already complained about the mere existence of Heroes of Olympus elsewhere because everything Luke fought and died for only bought that world about a month of peace before the gods came and ripped it all away for More Story.

I’ve also complained that the Star Wars Sequels were always going to spit in the face of a character’s six-movie legacy to bring balance to the Force by just going… nah. Ancient prophecy? Only bought us about 30 years of peace.

Whether it’s too soon, or it’s too closely related to the original, your audience is going to feel a little put-off when they realize how inconsequential this sequel makes the original, particularly in TV shows that run too many seasons and can’t keep upping the ante, like Supernatural.

Kung Fu Panda once again because these two movies are amazing. Shen is completely unrelated to Tai Lung. He’s not threatening the Valley of Peace or Shifu or Oogway or anything the heroes fought for in the original. He’s brand new.

My yearning to see these two on screen together to just watch them verbally spat over both being bratty children disappointed by their parents is unquantifiable. This movie is a damn near perfect sequel. Somebody write me fanfic with these two throwing hands over their drastically different perspectives on kung fu.

8. It’s so divorced from the original that it can barely even be called a sequel

Otherwise known as seasons 5 and 6 of Lost. Otherwise known as: This show was on a sci-fi trajectory and something catastrophic happened to cause a dramatic hairpin turn off that path and into pseudo-biblical territory. Why did it all end in a church? I’m not joking, they did actually abandon The Plan while in a mach 1 nosedive.

I also have a post I’ve been sitting on about how to handle faith in fiction, so I’ll say this: The premise of Lost was the trials and escapades of a group of 48 strangers trying to survive and find rescue off a mysterious island with some creepy, sciency shenanigans going on once they discover that the island isn’t actually uninhabited.

Season 6 is about finding “candidates” to replace the island’s Discount Jesus who serves as the ambassador-protector of the island, who is also immortal until he’s not, and the island becomes a kind of purgatory where they all actually did die in the crash and were just waiting to… die again and go to heaven. Spoiler Alert.

This is also otherwise known as: Oh sh*t, Warner Bros wants more Supernatural? But we wrapped it up so nicely with Sam and Adam in the box with Lucifer. I tried to watch one of those YouTube compilations of Cas’ funny moments because I haven’t seen every episode, and the misery on these actors’ faces as the compilation advanced through the seasons, all the joy and wit sucked from their performances, was just tragic.

I get it. Writers can’t control when the Powers That Be demand More Story so they can run their workhorse into the ground until it stops bleeding money, but if you aren’t controlled by said powers, either take it all back to basics, like Cars 3, or just stop.

—

Sometimes taking your established characters and throwing them into a completely unrecognizable story works, but those unrecongizable stories work that much harder to at least keep the characters' development and progression satisfying and familiar. See this post about timeskips that take generational gaps between the original and the sequel, and still deliver on a satisfying continuation.

TLDR: Sequels are hard and it’s never just one detail that makes them difficult to pull off. They will always be compared to their predecessors, always with the expectations to be as good as or surpass the original, when the original had no such competition. There’s also audience expectations for how they think the story, lore, and relationships should progress. Most faults of sequels, in my opinion, lie in straying too far from the fundamentals of the original without understanding why those fundamentals were so important to the original’s success.

#writing advice #writing resources #writing tips #writing tools #writing a book #writing #writeblr #sequels #kung fu panda

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everlast-if · 1 year

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CONCEPT DEMO: OUT

"The truth is, time travel is hard, and people are lazy." You're a Traveler. (Traveler with a capital T.) You stamp on the concept of Time to stitch order back into the fabric of the known planes. That is your job. Your life's purpose. Along the way, you indulge in delicacies that only exist for a moment, landmarks that will only last for a century, and cities that will dwindle down within decades. Find comfort (or horror!) in familiar faces, hunt down an annoying time-skipper that seems intent on messing with the world line, and try to ignore an incoming mid-( end- beginning??) life crisis!

Routes (Platonic + Romantic)

Devlin (He/Him) | R+P* You had spent your early years tripping over yourself as you tried to desperately follow the flittering ends of a dark coat. Devlin had cared for you as much as he could- But he had cared for his Purpose far more.

Amanda Rodriguez (He/Him) | R + QPR (Queer Platonic Route) + Poly Reincarnation is a tricky thing you don't enjoy dealing with, especially reincarnation dealing with soulmates. Always very melodramatic. But it seems in every life, Amanda's doomed to meet you and you're doomed to need his sister. So why not try thawing his icy heart?

Aeolus Cae (He/She/They) | R + P + Poly* A frivolous wind spirit and Amanda's intended soulmate. Fate works in cruel ways when the once besotted turn into bitter rivals. It's even crueler when you're forced to play messenger for both of them.

Alcina Rodriguez (She/Her) | R If reincarnation is tricky, immortal witches might be trickier. Alcina's easy to talk to: She's sly and cunning, doesn't ask much questions... But there's something strange bubbling beneath her facade, you catch yourself inclined to find out.

Ka-en Ciksura (They/He) | P / Sub-Route

Shiro (She/They) | P / Sub-Route*

* Certain characters belong to @jemjemini !

Design your Traveler from their name, pronouns, constellation, and (duh) appearance.

Form opinions on the topic of life, death, romance, food and your Purpose.

While you're at it, why not throw yourself into a relationship as well?

#choice script #interactive fiction #interactive game #dashingdon #cog game #interact if #choice of games

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zellkernchen · 4 months

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@unadultary Kaleesh beliefs and holymen/women it is

(This is me right now if you even care)

(Under the cut for length!)

To the Kaleesh belief:

Soooo as it says in wookieepedia: “The Kaleesh were a spiritual people, believing that those who performed great deeds in life became gods in death.” And this is still true in my “canon” but I have decided to expand more on it and not just simply leave it at that because why not I love worldbuilding ❤️🙏

When it comes to their religion there isn’t really an exact name for it. The Kaleesh simply referred to it as “their religion” (aka “Kaleelishaal prediveeni”) and outsiders referred to it as “the Kaleesh religion”.

Pretty much summarised: There’s different categories of gods/ ancestors in their religion. To showcase this I have done a little pyramid scheme.

Pyramid scheme:

What are “pure gods”?

Pure gods are basically the OG gods kinda. Their names may change depending on their regions’ most dominant spoken language before the big language merge took place. But since most regions used to speak old Kaleesh there wasn’t much of a major difference. The pure gods of the Kaleesh people are: Diety of the sun, diety of the moon, diety of water, diety of fire, diety of earth, diety of air, diety of honour and pride, diety of war.

Those are pretty much it. These are what many “versions” of the Kaleelishaal prediveeni would consider their pure gods to be.

What are gods?

Gods are seen as Kaleesh who have impacted all of Kalee at least once. A canon example of this is General Grievous. He united all of Kalee and created one big military out of it basically and almost managed to free Kalee from the Huk. But it doesn’t always have to be good things that someone does which grants them the title of god. In my “canon” there exists a god known as Huza, Goddess of greed. She was a woman with a very simple goal: to posses as many jewellery as possible. She did anything to fulfill that goal: stealing, killing, ect… All for the purpose of adding new jewellery to her already big collection of it.

With demigods things begin to grow tricky. A demigod is someone whose actions did affect Kalee, but not to the same extent a god’s would. The Kaleesh don’t really have a proper criteria for what is and isn’t considered a demigod. It’s just something they subconsciously agree in. In my “canon”, Ronderu is seen as a demigod by her people. The reasons for that are: She was a very skilled in lig sword combat, apparently was an item with the great Khagan (Grievous) but some doubt her existence. After all she disappeared without a trace. Only her swords were found yet they were hidden from the public. They’re hidden somewhere in her tomb. A place unknown to many, sometimes even a myth.

Ancestors who were directly “blessed” by either pure gods, gods or demigods are automatically considered spirits of the holy. But how does this “blessing” work? There’s many ways; being an alleged partial or full reincarnation of a god or demigod, an alleged “Kaleesh disguise” of a god or claiming you had an alleged vision by a demigod, god or pure god and being somehow able to prove it. Because of this, many different regions might have their own spirits of the holy no one has ever heard of. Sometimes even fights occur over it.

“Normal/other” ancestor spirits are pretty much self explanatory imo?? If you weren’t considered a god, demigod or spirit of the holy then you’re a “normal/other” ancestor. They are usually only celebrated and worshipped within their own clan or small community.

Afterlife concept of the Kaleesh:

When it comes to their afterlife, the Kaleesh view it as an eternal spiritual life. They’re brought to the dieties’ version of Kalee where all spirits live out their lives. If you did however commit bad deeds during your life, those who suffered because of it and are dead will definitely punish you for a while.

Differences:

There are some differences from the main Kaleesh beliefs depending on region, family and even oneself.

For one, as mentioned earlier, a spirit or diety’s name might chance depending on the region.

Second: many tales of different ancestors can be remembered and written down differently depending on who’s telling the story if it makes sense.

Also, there are different movements going on of trying to “reform” Kaleesh religion every once in a while.

Now onto the holymen/women:

Basics:

In Kaleesh culture holymen/women are called “Ku’lu” and are their own separate gender, the spiritual gender.

After a Ku’lu has reached a certain age of their choice (usually around their 40s) they must begin to find themselves a successor. There are many different ways in which one can do that and there are no set rules for it either. Except that their successor mustn’t come from their own clan or be their own kin.

For a while the Ku’lu’s apprentice, called Ku’lu- Tur, will spend some years learning their Ku’lu’s wisdom and teachings. After they’ve reached the age of adulthood, they must go learn from their own observations, occasionally either personally reporting or sending documentations to their Ku’lu. Once the Ku’lu deems their apprentice to be knowledgeable, mature and wise enough from their studies/observations, they will be promoted to Ku’lu while the previous Ku’lu gains themselves the rank of elder, Ku’lu- Abma. To symbolise this, the now Ku’lu- Abma will pass on an item dear to them to their former apprentice.

A Ku’lu has lots of roles, which is why big villages and cities are always happy to have more than one Ku’lu available. They console the troubled, pray to the gods and ancestors, take care of the sick, write books about their teachings and discoveries. You probably already get my point. Being a Ku’lu is by no means easy, but it makes one highly educated, something everybody on Kalee wants to be in their own ways.

Depending on where one lives, joining a Ku’lu council is very much to be expected. These councils were created with the premise of helping other Ku’lu’s out if in need to in return get help too.

Some other stuff to the Ku’lu:

- Their plural form is Ku’lih

- And yes, they can get married and have children

That’s it for now :3 Hope you enjoyed!

#star wars #oc #kaleesh #kaleesh oc #star wars oc #my writing #qna #??? idk #worldbuilding #kalee #shaman #this took me way too long to make #but I had fun #soooo #:3

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saiakv · 3 months

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When it comes to Kenjaku's stitches across the forehead, do you think they are visible to anyone and everyone? Or something only people with cursed energy can see? Or something they can even hide from those with cursed energy? Not as in actually hiding them, but playing with the perception upon being looked at more-so (or something similar).

(( ahhh hello :D 1000 yrs later, I respond — but in my defense it was a bit of a tricky question because I was thinking about ways to facilitate interactions with this muse in a way that makes sense and it had me a little troubled.

According to the JJK Wiki and reddit, the technique canonically works with an actual physical procedure of brain transplant, so I mostly stick to that in my portrayal as well ( however with the concept of 'soul' being something that can influence the physical body as well, Kenjaku replacing the brain happens when it is consumed — so it's not like there's one brain that is moved into the empty head but rather, the already existent one becomes devoured and replaced )

As jujutsu relies on the principle of exchange, every technique requires something to be given in order to take, so in Kenjaku's case the leftover stitch becomes the 'price to pay' for the ability to reincarnate through body-hopping.

But the issue with this logic is that, if the visibility of the stitches was a prerequisite for the technique to work, that would mean they are permanently visible to everyone and yet in canon Gojo Satoru did not seem to note them. During the Shibuya incident, Satoru says that all the information provided by his Six Eyes confirm that this is Suguru Geto he's looking at — so I feel that if the stitches were important in the way that they are visible to others to 'give Kenjaku away', then Gojo would have mentioned something about it. He seemed genuinely confused and he has Six Eyes vision, so it doesn't make sense that he would overlook something like that.

That makes me think the binding vow has more to do with something else pertaining to the technique; and it's been pointed out here and there through the art style ( could also be a stylistic change but to me it seemed intentional ) that in previous Kenjaku bodies like Kaori's, the stitches look different. In some of these they come to resemble scars.

And being that during the course of the manga the stitches on Geto's forehead gradually come to resemble scars as well, it is my personal headcanon that the stitch functions sort of like a 'timer' for how long they have been in the body. When freshly taken over, the reanimated vessel will just have a stitch line that, with the passage of time, will blend into the skin and form a scar. The binding vow in that case would not be about the ability to take over a body, but rather the time they are given to occupy said body.

So in practical terms this would mean: body with a stitch = freshly taken over, body with a scar = have been inhabiting it for some time, they have access to all of its memories and functions, body with a fading scar = it's almost time to get moving, scar begins to diffuse completely = you're running out of time here, pal — etc , etc.

Kenjaku's technique is very paradoxical as it includes bringing flesh back to life, pumping blood back in the veins and overall going against nature itself. In that way, it is similar to Tengen's, which also comes with a hefty price to pay. All exchanges in jujutsu seem to be governed by karmic laws that ensure the input does not outweigh the output and vice versa. So, for such an extremely overpowered technique there would have to be an equally hefty price to pay. You get to switch through as many lifetimes as you want, but each lifetime has to be finite — so once the stitch becomes a scar, you're running out of time. It's the same principle behind Tengen's merging, essentially.

Now, so far I've mentioned the scars being visible in threads here and there; but I think I'm going to keep that vague so it's more on a context-related occasion. For roleplaying purposes, I would prefer not to specify because a muse might need to note them for some thread to work, to build atmosphere, etc etc. So it's on a need-to-know-basis for now, but overall the visibility of the stitch is rendered pretty unimportant when Kenjaku's binding vow is viewed that way. )

#( say what u want about them they have NEVER been blonde :D )#( thank you for the opportunity to venture in depth in this!! )#ANSWERED.#HEADCANONS.#CHARACTER STUDY.

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thegreygale · 2 years

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So random AU idea: The Dragon Prince as RWBY.

.Ezran could be a Faunus with the explanation that Harrow is also a Faunus (a bird Faunus specifically shout out to Pip) and Sarai is human which is why Callum is also human

. Callus’s dad could have been a huntsman who died on a mission which is why Sarai ended up with Harrow

. Sarai is a huntress who died fighting a powerful Grimm(Sorry Avizandum) which is the boys’ motivation for becoming huntsmen

. Rayla could be an antelope Faunus due to the similarities between her horns and theirs(though if anyone thinks of something better feel free to add it or whatever these are literally just thoughts that I had at 2AM and am writing hours later 😅) her backstory can be similar to Ezran and Callum: lost parents to Grimm, has thirst for revenge, BUT with her she not only wants revenge against Grimm but also against the huntsman academies because she believes that her family was given a job that they couldn’t handle.

. Semblances are pretty simple here:

. Ezran: Peace Talks: Allows him to speak with and understand animals.

. Callum: Storm Soul: Allows him to channel his Aura into certain elements such as: Air, lightning, and water in order to create effects in the environment. This is the best way I could think to transfer his magic into Remnant without making him Oz’s reincarnation or something, bear with me.

. Rayla: Moonshadow(because when you’re given the perfect name for a semblance you just use it!): Allows her to turn invisible under certain conditions. Now this one is a little tricky with Remnant’s moon being shattered but so ATM the details are still fuzzy.

. Okay so this is where my idea starts getting a little….. ✨WILD✨ so brace yourself:

. First of all Viren and his family? Faunus, all of them. Because all of the talking about how elves and dragons consider humans to be “lesser beings”? Well let’s face it that sounds WAY too similar to how humans treat Faunus on Remnant to not have it be pointed out. So basically because of that I’m having Viren and his family, especially Claudia because frankly speaking the “humans know suffering at the hands of the elves from somewhere deep in their bones” thing could be rewritten to say “FAUNUS know suffering at the hands of the HUMANS from somewhere deep in their bones” and have it be a recruitment slogan for the White Fang.

. That being said there was something else that occurred to me that I frankly felt like would probably be the most fun/dangerous thing in the AU: Aaravos and Salem both exist.

. Basically speaking the concept here is that when Salem was first building her little cabal she came across a Faunus with ambition like hers, she trained him as one of her acolytes but unlike the others HE didn’t worship her, instead he was almost as manipulative and charismatic as her so she decided to do something with him: she gave him part of her magic. Now to a degree I know that there’s pretty much no way in hell that Salem would ever even consider doing something like that BUT she figured that it would be better to keep a close eye on him in case he ever went rogue so she figured that if she gave him the power he wanted and just waited for him to die she would ultimately get it back, no harm, no foul. But here’s where the concept gets kinda crazy (you should know that that means something if you’ve been reading up to this point) when Salem transferred her magic to Aaravos she also transferred part of the curse of immortality. This is because just like her magic the curse is attached to her soul. In finding out that he was now immortal Salem began thinking about ways to use Aaravos’ new condition to her advantage. This eventually lead to him being installed at the White Fang as a sort of false god of animals, bending the organization to Salem’s will indisputably.

Okay! So………. That’s a thing! I’m putting the idea and concept out there for honestly anyone to use…. Or change because this whole post is a mess…… I’m sorry. But yeah, seriously if you want to use this AU idea (or already have in a coherent way, which I can only envy you for) go ahead! I don’t really have any real plans for this idea but I still think it would be a cool idea for someone to run with so….. here😅.

#the dragon prince #dragon prince spoilers #rwby #rwby au #what is my brain #random

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nvrcmplt · 2 years

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//. @zangyo - reply too - ♥

A world created from the soul of the caster - the strongest technique of todays hunters and to think --- Weiss didn't see of them much beyond creatures with some abilities. Though he respected humans to a certain point it wasn't out of liking them - he knew what they were capable of thus it was out of caution, but to think - Sorcerers like Nanami had another skill that even he hasn't seen or heard of yet. Taking in the information with high interest, to feel his core plummet at the knowledge of Nanami's almost demise - it made his footfalls slow to a stop. Staring upon his human with clear distress - though features seemingly never-changed, his eyebrows did waver with a high lift - concern to the highest degree.

To think, Weiss - could of taken one more day longer to not visit this being that intrigued him. One night less of aiding a hunt of tricky curses that roamed the alleyways. One more day possibly - and he'd probably bare witness to Nanami's death? Fate worked in many ways that even his Seer eye couldn't fathom but to think that Nanami was that close to death... Weissager felt rage in a flash of his concern. What and who dared to put him in such a predicament in the first place? Nanami was plentiful strong - stronger than what he's ever seen in humanity but to think because of a wall hit in his power and skills - he'd be nothing to someone else with just a touch more?

The world truly was unfair... For a man that protected humanity for his understanding that if no one else did, who would. Weissager's warmth for this being grew more --- though as he stared upon those heavy shoulders - something else hidden in those words that were not to be told. Weissager looked away to gather himself and sort his emotional impulses before looking back at the blond. "If you had a Domain Expansion --- would you be safer?" He understood the concept of strength but he was not of this worlds curse and energy - though it was familiar and he could fight against it in his own methods. He wasn't so sure of it's worth if Nanami of this strength was still so fragile to someone else's personal world. "If you gained power to break through and master it, would you fair against the one that almost killed you?"

He moved to step forward, walking once more to settle besides them, facing them this time however as he stared up at the taller. "Because I wish not to wait upon the reincarnation of your soul to befriend you yet again, Nanami. I will learn of a way to help you - this technique. I will find a way for you." His hand rose from his side to rest upon Nanami's wrist, his grip almost child like in a desire he shouldn't have but the need to show it. "I will become that strength - in any manner it comes. Please --- do not give them the chance to capture you." A final squeeze upon their wrist and Weiss withdraws his fingers in a slow slide - raising the bag back to Nanami's frame to press it into their chest with a small smile. "I will part ways here, I have much to learn. Eat and rest well, Nanami. I will be home after dinner."

In the next moment, he was gone. Leaving behind nothing but the paw prints of shadow as he leapt for the rooftops and took his leave with determination to learn first-hand - just what a domain did.

#« ( Weissager ) » Answers.#» | × | Weissager&Nanami || Spoken Words Like Moonlight ; You’re The Voice That I Like ||#weiss said @ errycurse; domain? pspspspsps fight me #« ( JJK AU - Nanami's Shadow ) »#zangyo

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everglow-synth-archive · 2 years

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@kcnhub asks... 'Abandoned Mask' 'Mask's Calling' 'Another Mask' 'Try This Mask' (i offer, the little [big] bastard that is grandpa bj blazkowicz and his dumbass not knowing how to turn off a coffee machine in a train... but ONLY if you desire my homie!!!!)

Hoo boy, this is gonna be a long one. Alright ya' bastard, let's tackle this one by one.

Abandoned Mask: A character I no longer roleplay

Luigi (The Four Players)

So, this one's a bit of a weird one, and was admittedly me feeding my own niche interests. This is a take on Luigi from an old Polaris mini-series called The Four Players, which featured grittier takes on Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad, being The Fixer, The Addict, The Star and The Soldier(which is like, the only one I really don't care for lmao).

A mixture of nobody really interacting with him (save for one person; you know who you are and I still love you for it ;D) and just kinda falling out of roleplaying for a while just made me drop him. Would I pick him up again? I dunno, maybe. But he isn't exactly a popular muse from my old blog, so I don't see him making a huge comeback.

Mask's Calling: A character I'm on the fence about roleplaying

So I was having a hard time with this one(it was this one or an OC), but I think I've landed on a decent candidate.

Rimuru Tempest (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)

My girlfriend got me hooked on this anime over the last few months, and we haven't finished it(well, she has, but I only ever watch stuff with her anymore, so I haven't). However, I've been watching TenSura with the thought that I would really like to RP as him.

As it is, I was planning on him maybe taking over my old Villain Deku MHA blog, mostly because I've fallen out of watching My Hero for a good while and the concept I had for Villain Deku was flawed anyway, but I don't know if he would be popular enough to warrant having a whole blog to himself.

Another's Mask: A muse I have on another blog

Cole MacGrath (InFAMOUS 1 and 2) - @the-devils-toybox

InFAMOUS is honestly one of my favorite series. Just ever. For starters, the neon powers used in the game InFAMOUS: Second Son (and subsequently its expansion First Light) inspired Matthew's powers, but Cole is the main character of the first two games.

The basic rundown for the uninitiated is that the series starts off with Cole, a college dropout bike courier, delivering a mysterious package. He suddenly gets a phone call that tells him to open it when he's basically at the heart of the city, an event which causes a massive explosion that kills dozens, but mysteriously grants Cole with electrokinetic abilities.

As the city comes under lockdown, it is full of rioters, looters, and overall just gangs that are trying to take over the city for their own reasons, plenty of them either super powered themselves or run by those with powers. Cole, discovering and learning to use these powers, takes matters into his own hands to either free the city... or to take it over for himself.

I roleplay as both versions of Cole; either the Hero of Empire City, beloved by the people for his selfless acts in the face of adversity, or the Demon of Empire City, a heartless beast who took as much power as he could for himself, ruling the city with an iron fist as revenge against the people for turning on him upon initially finding that it was him at the center of the blast.

...Or I would, if InFamous as a series hadn't fallen out of the public eye. I highly suggest at least giving the games a watch, they're made by the Sly Cooper devs, Sucker Punch.

Try This Mask: A Character you think I can roleplay well

William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz (Wolfenstein)

This one's... tricky. See, I would be willing to roleplay as him, but I haven't the slightest goddamn clue about anything Wolfenstein. As it is, I only just recently got into Doom a bit after 2016 came out, and I'm interested in Wolfenstein as well... but I have a huge fucking backlog so I haven't had the time to really get around to looking into it.

Literally all I know are a few funny scenes from... I wanna say Old Blood? I'd need to go and actually play the series for myself before I can definitively pick him up. Or, at the very least, watch all the cutscenes or something lol.

#;distant beats (ooc)#kcnhub #;making a reservation? (asks)

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thefairyletters · 3 years

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MinaSaku Fanfics

Yes, Minato Namikaze and Sakura Haruno.

Sounds ridiculous, I know. But I can't help shipping this. MultiSaku shippers would understand why we like this. Others, not so much and they probably don't want to know. I'll summarise it for those people – Minato is basically a more calm, collected and handsome version of Naruto (some of his frames are just—damn) (but I honestly can't choose between them) and Sakura has special admiration reserved for people who are cool, confident and good looking, like Kakashi and Sasuke. Sakura also admired Naruto when he first met Sakura after the time skip, and she was impressed with his 'maturity'. Until he ruined the picture of course. Minato might not have made much impression on Sakura when he got resurrected, but she certainly reminded him a bit of his wife, Kushina. Isn't that enough of a reason for serial shippers like us?

I bet nobody saw this coming. Except for anon, who requested this ship some time ago. In my defense, I had lost all changes I made in this list not once but twice (and one time I had successfully completed it! Imagine my frustration) which caused me to give up and go into Neji-mode. However, I wanted to get this done with as well, to remove it from drafts without feeling useless. So here we are.

The Nearest Star: Powderblew || M || Canon AU || Ongoing

The quest for strength comes from the spirit or in this case, the soul.

best character development, perfect romance, interesting plot, hokage!Sakura, slow burnnn, casual flirting, lots of fluff, Minato doesn't hold back his affections, heavy drama, result of Jutsu gone wrong, basically Minato is stuck attached to Sakura's soul

Woodenblocks: Olol || T || Modern AU || Ongoing

Minato never imagined he would be raising little Naruto on his own. Kushina had found the perfect pediatrician for Naruto. She didn't realize she would be finding the perfect person for Minato as well.

ADORABLE, lotsss of fluff, pediatric!Sakura, baby!Naruto struggling-single-dad!Minato, smooth development, not-so-smooth!Minato, I love this so muchhh

Drifting Blossom: Night of the fallen angel || T || Reincarnation AU || Incomplete

Sakura gave into the chance to fix the past. With so many roads to travel down, she just has to make sure she doesn't pick the wrong one. Though, being in the body of Kushina Uzumaki doesn't make her life any easier.

Basically MinaKushi + Sakura, as the reason why this is in this list...this is the first reincarnation story I've come across with Sakura, Sakura in Kushina's body

Covet: || M || Naruto AU || Complete

Just MinaSaku and dark daddy kink

daddy kink, not-so-struggling-single-dad!Minato, AnbuCaptain!Minato, Anbu!Sakura, what plot? only porn, I felt bad because Naru loves Saku, but it's well written and Minato is hot

in the magic hour: Powderblew || M || Time travel AU || Complete

It's not perfect, but everything is beautiful.

Perfect pace, sexual tension, wonderful results of Jutsu gone wrong, introduced me to the concept of beautiful porn, lotsss of fluff, befriending grumpy uchihas

Whisper in the Wind: UNCPanda || T || Time travel AU || Discontinued

Thrown back in time, from a future that needs to be stopped, Sakura has no choice but to keep moving forward, and keep fighting. But life isn't easy, even when you know what's supposed to happen, and love is always tricky.

Lots of relavent drama, Sakura cares about her own future too, Sakura gets adopted, new family found, fluffff, no love/flirting at first sight here, slow burn

Fate's Allotter: Kist || T || Time travel + Fates AU || Complete

Sakura had been standing next to her cousin, smiling carelessly, but then the world shifted, and blink, she was gone. Flung back into the middle of the Third Shinobi War and armed with only a kunai and a hair-clip, she makes her stand. It's not about what she did in the past, but rather what she didn't do. Action, adventure, and a slow, burning romance.

Most dramatic and confusing story you'll ever read, it took me three tries to finish this book, spinning tale, romance is not the focus, Sakura adopts many babies, Minato is a curious little bird, past vs future, fluffy when it counts, heavy suspense!!

Unravel: pinkpetal34 || T || Time travel AU || Incomplete

Years after the war, Sakura was slowly moving on. However once she defeated the allusive snake sannin, she was given a chance to save the future. She was going to change things for the better, no matter what. But, there seemed to be a blonde that took an interest in her, while she wanted nothing to do with him. And the more she resisted, the more he insisted.

Curious!Minato, Tired!Sakura, Minato chases after Sakura, mission: Avoid Minato, he is a puppy, too much fluff, well written, good start, must read!!

The Love Hole: Shanghai Honey || T || Time travel AU || Incomplete

After an ill fated accident occures, Sakura is sent into the past where she meets a certain sexy Hokage. No, its not Sandaime, it is no other than our Fourth! Unfortunately, its annoyance at first sight.

Not the most convincing summary but TRUST ME!, Author may/may not have taken it seriously but I don't, it's CRACK and I love it, OOC Minato, Narcissistic!Minato, Arashi is Minato, read it for shits and giggles only, Minato trying to woo Sakura

A Path to Salvation: jennipher || T || Time travel AU || Complete

When Minato approaches Sakura and a dying Naruto with a proposition to prevent the War, Sakura readily takes the chance, even if that means not being able to come back. As Madara tags along and steals her only means of returning home, Sakura and Minato set out to stop the chain of events that lead to the Fourth War, before it's too late, growing closer with each passing day.

Premise different than many others, fast paced, lots of drama, sexual tension, hints of NaruSaku, bondage

Significant souls: Winged Lady Colette || T || Post war AU || Incomplete

It's during the Fourth Great Shinobi war when Sakura gets a visit from two very unlikely men. Something is coming and they need the Fourth Hokage to stop it. And he has chosen Sakura to help him be reborn. Will she be able to say goodbye to everything and everyone she has ever loved, or will she crumble beneath the shadow of some unseen force?

Gen fic, MinaSaku relationship in this is not what you're expecting, interesting plot, Sakura suffers alone, angst, heavy drama, connection to Boruto era, Sakura-centric (for now), I sincerely hope one day it gets updated

Between You and Me: onemoreword || M || Time travel AU || One Shot

He couldn't do this anymore. The secret was going to kill him... or everyone else.

Yandere!Minato, secret relationship, Jelly Minato, possibly stalker!Minato, sexy times, possessive!Minato

Maybe a little like Hate: VesperChan || T || Modern AU || One Shot

He was madly obsessed with her, too much in fact. So, she did the only thing she could do when Naruto came to her.

Grey!Sakura, Naruto Uzumaki fan? You've been warned, Character death, darkish settings

Passing of the Torch: lilac haze || T || Canon AU || One Shot

They marveled at her strength, her bravery, her resolve but they all failed to see her hurt, pain, and loneliness. She had surpassed her master in more ways than one.

Just Sakura and her failures when it comes to the matters of heart

One More Time: Torikki Jinx || T || Post third war AU || One Shot

He watched her laugh, watched her smile, watched her grow. He was always watching, unable to touch or even speak to her for she can't even see him. But he'd be damn if he gives up that easily. Gods truly were cruel, in this life and the last one. "Thanks, for walking me and carrying Naruto home, Minato." "Anything you want, Sakura." He meant that, he would give anything for her.

Tragic ending, angst, Sakura was born in another timeline, Ghost!Minato

Blinding: moor || M || Modern AU || One Shot

Minato gives Sakura a shelter.

Savior complex, breakup, Naruto being a dick, I didn't like this part as I love NS and can't see Naruto in that light, Minato is a fair father (kinda?), protective!Minato, alternatively: he becomes her daddy

On The Shores of Oblivion: love-warmth-life || M || Fantasy AU || Incomplete

Someone killed her, and she wanted to know why. But first, Sakura needs to learn how to survive in this macabre world known as the afterlife. While struggling to come to terms with her new existence, she discovers that not everything is as it seems…

Interesting concept, dark theme, creepy feels, amnesia!Sakura, too bad this gem is more or less abandoned, must read!

The Beautiful and Damned: Lindt Luirae || T || Time travel AU || One Shot

"Didn't anyone ever tell you, love hurts?"

Poetic, mostly Minato's pov, love at first sight, short but powerful

Ripped Wings on the Floor: BleachedSakura || T || Time travel AU || Incomplete

"Honestly, I think that I'm afraid of being happy." she stared into my eyes. "Because whenever I'm happy, there's always something in my heart that shatters." she smiled that beautiful tragic smile of hers. "I think it's the knowledge that in the end, I'll be the one left broken."

Character death, grieving!Naruto, obsessed!OC, heartbreaking NS, not much MS yet, angst, another gem in the rough but whats the point

Odd Colored Hair: WriterHime || T || Same age AU || One Shot

Minato was certain of only one thing - he seemed to have a thing for girls with odd colored hair.

Short and sweet, some MK angst, just Minato having hair(color) fetish

The Secrets that you keep : FireThatFox || M || Dimension travel AU || Hiatus

Sakura thought she knew what it was to be a loyal Konoha kunoichi. The Konoha she knew is no more. It has been replaced by something darker, more corrupt and more sinister than anything she could ever have imagined. The light that does shine through the dark...comes from a most unexpected source, one she thought she had killed long ago. The past is present, the lines of her reality are warped.

dark!Minato, he is eeeeevil, possessive!Sasori, he is better of two evils, Sasori vs Minato, Sakura is in deep shit, it's a cool plot, who doesn't like evil Minato?

Tourniquet: Lilac haze || T || Time travel AU || Incomplete

She was his tourniquet. She stopped the bleeding, she stopped his bleeding. She stopped his pain, his despair, his loneliness. She was the first face he saw. She was the first person he trusted. She was the first person to keep his secret. She was his tourniquet. He did not love her. He only loved the idea of her.

Slow burn, Minato time travels to future, he is depressed, Sakura wants to help, but she's also a sad mess, good plot but still dropped

Daylilies: Powderblew || T || Time travel AU || Incomplete

Sakura needs both hands to list off her village idiots.

Deaging, baby!Minato, he is a child now and Sakura adopts him, Naruto and Sasuke are not amused, Minato is estatic though, adorable, fluffff

Of flowers and new jutsus: Olol || M || Time travel AU || One Shot

"Hokage or not. If you leave this hospital, I will hog tie you to the bed.” "...you promise." In which Minato ends up in the hospital due to a plant. Sakura is not happy, especially when he checks out without her approval.

Sexy times, bondage, top!Minato, and Sakura is a very happy woman, Minato doesn't take kindly to being ordered around

Summoned In Time: thatsnotmyname32 || M || Time travel AU || incomplete

An overly curious Tsunade and Jiraiya summon Sakura from the future, from the end of the fourth shinobi war. Can they figure out how to get her home? Or will she stay and attempt to change the time line?

Love at first sight, romance: I am speed, Mokoton! Sakura, dramaaaa

Check out thatsnotmyname32. She has written several interesting MS stories, but sadly most fics never got updated past chapter 1-2. If fast pace is your thing, you'll like hers.

Rosemary: Powderblew || T || Time travel AU || One Shot

Sakura is not sure what to think.

Lotssss of fluff, dirty talk with chicken, Minato is cooking, Minato cheats on Sakura, FLUFF, readddd

I have conjured you (for my bidding): SafelyCapricious || T || Time travel AU || One Shot

Sakura is born with a shock of white hair, eyes so pale they look translucent, and what looks like a smear of ink down her side.

By the time she’s a week old, her eyes are a light green and all of her hair has fallen out. The ink smear remains.

After a month her eyes have darkened to a bright green that makes her mother coo “where’s my green eyed girl?” at her and she’s got a soft layer of fuzzy pink hair growing in. If the ink smear has changed, no one has noticed.

They are soulmates, angst, Kakashi is a jerk, Sakura is heartbroken, Minato is heartbroken, InoSaku friendship

Estuary: FireThatFox || M || Dimension travel AU || Complete

The trick to life is to know what you are really looking at, to really see what it is you are looking at and to understand what it means to you and to those around you.

There is a darker side to Minato that he doesn't let people see. He controls it, he hides it but when a certain pink haired kunoichi stumbles across him by accident he finds it harder and harder to maintain his perfect control. Every moment, every look, every accidental touch brings him closer and closer to the edge.

A Nara is a Nara, but not a Namikaze. Madara doesn't know the meaning of failure, but he is a realist.

Dark!Minato, Shikaku is a cutie, Madara is a tragic character here, I don't like MadaSaku much but I LOVE it here, non-con elements, Minato is a stalker AND a sadist, lotsss of drama, no fluff unless it's ShikaSaku, everyone is OCC here, but it's a cool plot

Unbound Shackles: onemoreword || M || AOB AU || One Shot

For years, Namikaze Minato's priorities had been towards his son and the village. Nothing was more important than that. With the death of his mate, there was nothing else that mattered now. He'd failed as an alpha, as a husband. He had no right to yearn for anything else. And so, as though to punish himself, he'd regularly take the suppressants, regularly repress his ruts.

But sooner or later, nature would always overcome any obstacle. The repressed instincts will run rampant. And nothing would get in the way of his inner desires.

Porn with some plot, dubcon, I call it rape but you can blame it on AOB instincts, I felt embarassed reading this, well written, bit hardcore I guess, AOB dynamics, go read for "good" reading material, dark theme, dark!Minato,

thy willing soul transpires: mouseymightymarvellous || T || Time travel AU || One Shot

After everything, after it all, after the war and the loss and the devastation. After everything, Sakura still has yet to find the thing she will not survive.

She's the only one left who remembers now. She does not remember enough.

As she kisses Minato to ruin, she wonders if she will survive this.

As she kisses Minato to ruin, she wonders if she is the only person who will end up surviving this.

Minato tries to flirt, Sakura tries to resist, Alternatively: Sakura wants him but couldn't bring herself to have him

Through The Looking Glass: onemoreword || T || Time travel AU || One Shot

She thought she could trust him. All the people who knew him had always exclaimed he was an intelligent, reliable man. But it was too late by the time she learned the truth.

Dark!Minato, he is not a kind man, set in different dimension, love(?) at first sight, this is not love but ok, clever manipulation, powerless!Sakura, dubious consent, must read!

DDK: Vesperchan || T || Canon AU || One Shot

The Edo Tensei brought him back and he's young enough to try making a new life for himself. Strong and powerful with the right people, Minato Namikaze requests her hand in marriage, and Sakura isn't quite sure how she could refuse

I genuinely felt bad for Minato...until that extra bit, Sakura is confused, Sasuke tries to help but he has never helped anyone before so he doesn't know how, proposals, Resurrected!Minato, guilt trip, confessions, has flufff, more angst

Crush: moor || T || Canon AU || Complete

Minato has a crush.

Minato has high expectations, he is good with babies, implied KS, crushes, resurrected!Minato, Naruto attempts to set her up with his dad (crazy right), fluff with humor

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mbti-notes · 2 years

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Being as you've studied different religions, I'm curious what you think about renunciation. Do you think it should play a role in personal development? Ex. Is it necessary to give up some things for growth?

To be precise, I studied the philosophies of world religions in school, but it wasn't my specialization. Philosophy of religion extracts the fundamental ideas of religion and explores their implications. This is different from religious studies, which focuses more on the content of texts and the practice of rituals. I grew up in a diverse place where the people around me practiced a wide variety of religions. Despite being heavily exposed to religion, I never adopted one myself, but I do believe that some form of spiritual practice is necessary for well-being. That said, I can speak on renunciation as a concept.

If I understand you correctly, you mean to ask about renunciation in terms of sacrifice or asceticism? Many religions have an ascetic component in the form of monastic life. Is renunciation necessary for personal growth? It's a tricky question. It depends on how you choose to define "growth" as well as what you believe your ultimate goal to be. If you subscribe to a religion, the guidelines and goals are already set out for you. Examples: In Christianity, you are advised to renounce sin and evildoing, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of ascending to heaven. In Buddhism, you are advised to renounce worldly attachments and desires, in order to achieve liberation from reincarnation and the suffering of life.

I assume you'd like to know whether renunciation fits into my own conception of growth. Since you haven't given concrete examples of renunciation, I will use the broadest sense of the word. You have to look at the purpose of the renunciation and whether it leads you toward the intended goal. Each individual has their own unique set of challenges to confront in the process of personal growth. Even though my blog is mainly about self-development, I'm not interested in setting life goals for people, and different people come to my blog with very different intended goals, based on whatever "problem" they perceive. Some examples:

If you're looking to resolve a psychological problem, perhaps your "renunciation" takes the form of giving up a bad habit.

If you're looking for closer relationships, perhaps your "renunciation" means learning when it is good to sacrifice your own comfort for the well-being of others.

If you're looking for better direction in life, perhaps your "renunciation" takes the form of removing all your distractions.

If you're looking for meaning in life, perhaps your "renunciation" takes the form of abandoning pointless activities.

If you're looking to get to know yourself better, perhaps your "renunciation" means discovering and rejecting all false identifications.

What is the definition of "growth"? It is an endless process of becoming. Something old must give way to make way for something new. Renunciation has a role to play in growth insofar as one must let certain aspects of oneself "die" in order to become whatever new thing the next stage of growth brings. It isn't uncommon for people to look back at an earlier period of life and lament how "immature" or "stupid" they were back then. This broader perspective on the past wouldn't be possible had the person not grown in one way or another.

However, "growth" can be a tricky thing because it is not always what it seems. What you strive to become might not be what you should become. Take fame, for instance. Famous people will tell you that fame for fame's sake is quite empty and isolating. Many people set fame as their ultimate goal without understanding why. Perhaps the truth is that they felt unloved and they thought fame would solve the problem. In their relentless quest for fame, they neglected their relationships, stepped all over people to get ahead, or sacrificed their moral integrity for status or notoriety. They ended up "renouncing" the very things that they needed to resolve their alienation. Every step of the way, they wholeheartedly believed that they were "growing", especially when they got applauded and praised. But the reality is that they were just sinking deeper and deeper into the original problem of feeling unloved.

Renunciation has a place, but one must also be very careful about it. When your ultimate goal is unclear or you've set an inappropriate goal because your intentions were clouded, then renunciation can work against you or even cause you harm. Bringing this back to you: Do you have the self-awareness to understand why you've set your goals and whether achieving them will actually result in growth?

#development #growth #renunciation #intention #goals #success #religion #ascetism #meaning of life #fame #personal #ask

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stayarmytinyzenmoa-l · 2 years

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Also writing this before I pass out and forget about it anyway I found a draft of an old story I was writing that Fate’s Gamble/Tricky Game of Fate was based on (so the whole reincarnation concept) and basically there’s this one mechanic where every time someone uses magic they slowly lose their minds so finally Male Lead expends his magic and kind of loses it for a moment and looks at Female Lead and calls her by her first life’s name and her, knowing full well that this will be the last time she speaks to him, calls him by his and they have a conversation together as if they hadn’t lived 100 lifetimes together already and it made me CRY anyway does anyone want to read it?

#crys talks #personal #WHAT WAS FRESHMAN YEAR ME ON??

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icouldhyperfixatehim · 2 years

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This or That

tagged by @pharawee and @jemmo to do this. unfortunately for you all i am bisexual and i envision very few true this or that choices being made but let's take a stab at it anyway

crying in the shower or making out in the shower [i simply Understand this more and making out in the shower seems to guarantee that Someone Is Cold]

give cute boy line ID or stalk his IG [i like seeing the soft little looks that privacy grants]

share his earbuds or share his closet

manga or manwha [not enough XP to make a ruling here]

long dangly silver earring or dark leather cuff [we love an aesthetic accent piece in this house]

time loop or reincarnation [this one is tricky bc I don't like either as a rule, but there are always blow everything out of the water trope justifying exceptions: triage and the untamed (sort of) respectively]

blue engineering smock or red engineering smock

kisses at the beach or kisses in the mountains [people still looking put together enough to kiss after cLiMBinG a MOunTAin is deeply immersion breaking to me lmao]

cactus or chili plant

fairy lights or spot lighting

ghost boyfriend or vampire lover [support your local ghost ✊ the narrative ground of hauntings is too rich for me not to yearn for it]

hard sub or soft sub [no opinion as long as everyone has fun and do be themselves]

stray cat or … actually that’s your only option [i accept my cat gift]

Hawaiian shirt or blue shorts [i don't like to yuck any yums but do some people pick blue shorts??]

evil ex-girlfriend or predatory fujoshi [cannibalising this and funneling the raw energy into manifesting gl]

suit jacket or leather jacket

high school or university

kitchen drama or office drama [i come from a heavily cheffed family - struggle to see the romance in the environment, and haven't seen one i enjoyed enough to overcome it]

forehead kisses or cheek kisses [i simply cannot choose between affection 🥺]

Viki or GaGaOOLaLa [yo ho ho and no strong opinion]

Japanese arthouse depth or Korean high concept

pink milk or yakult [oishii honey lemon]

censored Chinese BL or trashy Thai pulps [it's not censored in my heart and the untamed is my ride or die, apologies to the pulps]

body swap or dead body

sexy or story [society has progressed beyond the need for me to choose between these, and they are not/should not necessarily be mutually exclusive.]

back hugs or lap sitting

piggybacks or cradle carry

ty for tagging me 🥰🤍🤍 tagging: @nongnaos @talaypuens @talays-portkey

#@pharawee planning to do your other one separate bc this got long 🤍#liomsa #tag games

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spiritualdirections · 3 years

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Can you be pro-abortion and pro-trans and an atheist?

A lot of people on the political left hold the following three positions: they are pro-abortion, they are atheists, and they are pro-transgenderism. These views all have in common that they involve rejections of traditional Judeo-Christian morality. But, interestingly, all three views involve taking strong stances about spiritual matters, about the existence of God and the soul, and about the relationship of the soul to the body.

For example, atheists take strong stances that God does not exist, and they usually go further to say that spiritual forces do not exist. Some think that everything that exists is just matter, and so human beings do not have a soul.

For example, supporters of abortion deny that the fetus is a living human person, because otherwise, abortion would be the deliberate killing of an innocent human being, and (in general, apart from a handful of tricky cases) that would be clearly immoral.

For example, there are basically three theories for why someone wants to present as a different gender: The transgendered might be (a) mentally ill, or (b) just choosing to be different, or (c) people whose biology does not match their real gender. Now, there are certainly some transgendered who are trans because of (a) or (b), that is because they are mentally ill and/or because they just choose to be different. But (c) seems to be the only view that points in favor of transgendered rights or sympathy for the transgendered precisely because they are transgendered, rather than for general principles, such as that even mentally ill people have some rights and deserve some sympathy.) And to hold (c) seems to require that one has to have a particular view of the soul’s relationship to the body.

I suspect that most people who are atheists and are pro-abortion and pro-transgenderism can be convicted of not having thought through these beliefs. Because the views appear to be mutually inconsistent. I think I can show this by the following map of the possible positions:

1. If you don’t believe in a soul, but believe that people are just material beings, then there is no way to make sense of the claim that transgendered persons can “really” be different than their bodily genders. If all we are is a body, then we can’t say that our body does not reveal what we are.

2. So, to hold (c) above, that the transgendered are people whose biology does not match their real gender, one must believe both that we have a soul that is really what we are, and that the soul’s gender is determined independently of the body’s gender. (Gender doesn’t seem to be an attribute that makes sense in a non-bodily being, but let’s assume proponents of (c) can tell a story about that.)

3. There are four possibilities about the relationship of the soul to the body: either human bodies do not have souls, or the soul and the body come into existence together at conception, or the body preexists the soul, or the soul pre-exists the body. In either of the last two cases, where the soul exists independently of the body for a time, the soul must somehow enter the body, which means that: the soul can either enter the body of its own volition or it can be compelled to enter the body against its will by a force that can act on non-bodily beings.

4. The only account of (c) that makes any sort of sense is for the soul to pre-exist the body, for the soul to be what we really are independently of the body, and for the soul to be compelled to enter the body by a spiritual force after a time of existing outside it. (At least, I can’t think of a reason a soul would deliberately enter the wrong body of its own free choice.) Hindu-style reincarnation and Mormon-style views of pre-mortal life and the First Estate both could explain a purported mismatch between the soul and the body.

5. The deliberate killing of an innocent human being is immoral. Also, you cannot kill what does not have a soul, since death is the separation of the soul from the body. So, to believe that abortion is not the killing of an innocent unborn and living human being, one can either believe that unborn children do not have souls, or that the soul enters the body after conception and the abortion occurs before the soul enters the body. If the soul and the body come into existence together at conception, or if the soul pre-exists the body and enters at conception, then abortion is the killing of an innocent unborn and living human being.

6. So if one is a materialist, one cannot hold (c) that transgendered persons are really different than their bodily genders. But one can hold that abortion is not immoral. [From #1, #5]

7. If one holds that the soul and the body come into existence together at conception, then one cannot hold (c) or that abortion is not immoral. [#4, #5]

8. If one holds that the soul pre-exists the body and enters the body at the moment of conception, then one can hold (c) but not that abortion is moral. [#4, #5]

9. Only if one holds that the soul pre-exists the body, and that the soul enters the body sometime after conception, and that the soul is forced to enter the body against its will by a powerful spiritual force, can one support both (c) and early-term abortions (#4, #5). But the need for a powerful spiritual force to assign souls to bodies against their wills seems to mean that one cannot be an atheist as well as a supporter of trans rights.

The above seems to be the conceptual map of the possible positions. I don’t know that many defenders of (c) have ever given an account of the relationship of the soul to the body, or how the soul gets assigned to the wrong body, so I can’t analyze concrete positions that prominent thinkers have advocated. But it seems to me that they have to have a picture something like #4 above. If any readers know where someone has provided a theory for how the soul of one gender could get “assigned” to the body of another, I’d appreciate hearing about it.

#atheism #transgender politics #pro-abortion #soul #relationship of soul to body #abortion #when life begins

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semi-imaginary-place · 2 years

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post eva rebuild thoughts because im going feral

ok time to google everything. oooh so instead of the adam embryo kaji smuggled this was the thing gendo used to become inhuman. “ Fuyutsuki and Gendo were removed from power at Nerv, following the end of Ha. Kaworu became commander, and Kaji became Vice-Commander.“ what is Ha? oh... in the movie it seems like there’s only minutes between when unit01 and shinji start the near third impact and when kaworu stabs them with a spear. but in actuality there’s a large time between these two events. ahhh thats what that scene about detaining nerv personnel witnesses was about. adams are different from angels... see this is why im googling things. adams, angels, and the fruit of life are all pretty separate. adams are the gods everyone keeps talking about with the halos and wings which ironically makes them closer to christian depictions of angels. huh so i guess kaworu isn’t adam’s reincarnated soul in rebuild. if the 4 south pole angels were sealed inside the evas 9-12 that mari ate.... what does that mean???? 4 adams from the south pole an 4 spears. but unit 13 is also an adam? is that because it evolved at the end of 2.0 and became a god? but then where did the 5th spear come from. hohoho so one person interprets the asuka scene as shinji saying “yeah i used to like you too” past tense and another present tense. I’ll need to rewatch the scene and maybe pull up a jp transcript. yeah he means its in the past and he’s let go of those feelings. its said as a goodbye. i was real skeptical they’d actually end the shinji harem wars by declaring an official couple.

mari: adding a new character to an established series is always tricky. there’s always the balance of why bother adding a new character and for the addition to be a waste, it can be easy to overcompensate and have them take over the story in an attempt to justify their existence. rebuild has overall done well. of the pilots shinji, rei, and kaworu are the lore important ones. asuka rounds them out not having a backstory tied to the seele weirdness. but in rebuild asuka is part of it too and mari ends up being connected somehow... part of the original research team? the rapport the show in 3.0+1.0 is odd given how they haven’t spent any time together. the movies didn’t give them a lot of time together but i’ll give this one a pass since drastic changes would have too be made to not destroy the pace and if mari was yui and gendo’s friend that would help explain why she’s willing to go so far for shinji. and for the story in 3.0 she gives asuka someone to bounce off of since reis and shinji over at the nerv base. so overall i didn’t want to like her but her inclusion is alright. sooo verdict is eh. it worked out fine the execution of her as a character was serviceable, but a version of nge without mari would have also been fine.

in the end, rebuild has been just that. a rewrite of nge using the same premise and given free reign for everything else. Sorry og fans but i like the rebuilt movies better than the original series. let’s be real the anime was a mess, in a lot of ways. these 4 movies were far better executed from the production and animation quality to the pacing, they were also more fun to watch. rebuild toned down the pregnancy and penile-vaginal motif which is a change i am in favor of. we got more kaworu. kaworu is one of the most iconic characters in the series everyone remembers and he got like 10 min of screen time tops in the anime so its nice to see marginally more of him. i will say the different lore/worldbuilding between the two series is confusing for me to separate which is which and i do like some parts of the original lore better, but the movie’s worldbuilding was fine. the first ancestral race was a concept i really liked so im a bit sad it isn’t confirmed or denied in rebuilt. i am happy that they creators pulled back on the pilot can only operate the one eva with their mother’s soul in it. again this is still plausible in rebuild but it seems implied that its any soul merged to the core will do which in turn makes shinji and unit 01 all the more special. they also removed the male character centrism that existed in the anime. in the anime female characters exist for their relationship to the male characters: mother, lover, etc. and im so glad they threw that out and let the female characters be people in their own right. like ritsuko and her mother turned into a super computer fighting over gendo was one of the worst plot points in the series, ritsuko and misato have a falling off and misato and asuka’s relationship just drops off the radar. this is one thing i like mari’s inclusion for because at least not everything is about shinji or gendo for once. just for all the girls getting along i would choose rebuild.

my only real complaint is that i think 2.0 could have been denser. like make each angel encounter serve multiple purposes but I understand how that’d be hard. well i lost patience with shinji’s moping in 3.0+1.0 but i never liked shinji to begin with so this might just be me. i know they were going for messy immature teenagers but most of the main cast just ended up in annoying for me. the movies were better at convincing me to care about them. hmmm i overall liked the cast better in rebuild. like pretty much every character in rebuild i enjoyed more than their version in the anime.

hmm im still mulling over why rei, asuka, and kaworu are on one side and the train rails and shinji and mari on the other side. those three were freed/found closure/whatever that last sequence was, but not mari and shinji or at least not in the same way. since this is not a rewind or another timeline, they should all remember each other. and thats why im still not sure what to make of thsi

it finally hit me how kaworu has been traveling the multiverse searching for a timeline to make shinji happy (and himself happy by extension). AAAAAAAAAAAAA (its 5:30am information processing has all but halted and im losing it over rebuild)

people falling. kaji. kaworu. 1.0 rei couldnt live outside of nerv either just like 3.0 rei. final scene representative not literal. to audience:live form bonds despite the inherent gap, touch grass evangelion rebuild really be like: maybe touching grass would fix you.

decreases in some of the more disturbing or sexual content like shinji masturbating to a comatose asuka. less breakdowns from the cast in general really

#nge #eva #neon genesis evangelion #evangelion rebuild #rebuild of evangelion

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