#restless spirits distilling

[astrolovecosmos]

Aries - Libra Axis: Tells a story about taking action vs. indecision, inaction, and procrastination. Tells a story about selfishness but also giving to the detriment of self, lack of boundaries, assertion, charm, persuasion, force, peace and war, leadership and cooperation, independence vs. partnerships, passion, romance, self-awareness vs. shallowness and detachment, insensitivity vs. tact, cheating and deception, winning and losing, honesty and bravery. Tells a story about lovers and fighters.

Taurus - Scorpio Axis: Tells a story about control, power, jealousy, resentment, stubbornness, indulgence and sensuality, comfort and thrill, safety and danger, possessive behavior, materialism, emotional strength and influence, inner security or contentment and inner empowerment and passion, willpower, revenge, grudges, manipulation, obsession, seduction, self-destruction, transformation and rebuilding. Tells a story about self-mastery and self-esteem.

Gemini - Sagittarius Axis: Tells a story about communication, learning, knowledge, teaching, exploration of mind, body, and the world, trickery, con artists, betrayal, support, lies and truth, versatility, duality, variety, curiosity, superficiality vs. depth, philosophy, morals, logic, spontaneity and fickleness, symmetry vs. asymmetry, restlessness, carelessness, freedom, exaggeration vs. factual, movement, cunning wit and intellect as well as wisdom, optimism vs. skepticism, dissembling, analyzing, deception, schemes, gossip, boasting, charm vs. tactlessness, and promises. Tells a story about storytelling - lessons and adaptation.

Cancer - Capricorn Axis: Tells a story about protection, self-preservation, endurance, practicality, emotions and rationality, defense vs. offense, vulnerability, attachment, clinging vs. self-reliance, sentiment, nostalgia, home and family, ambition, purpose, clans, tribes, societies, private world vs. external/outer world, moods, cycles, authority, parents/mothers and fathers, caution, responsibility, duty, patience, compassion vs. cruelty, intuition, shrewdness, strategy, contentment vs. dissatisfaction, security vs. insecurity. Tells a story about needs and being uninhibited, as well as control and discipline.

Leo - Aquarius Axis: Tells a story about leadership, charisma, confidence, individuality, self-expression, creativity, innovation, the power of one vs. the power of the many, attention, compulsion, pride, ego, play and discovery, experimentation and rebellion, drama, curiosity, socialization, influence, dignity, generosity, benevolence and/or common good, chaos, destruction, passion vs. dispassion, humanity, divinity, fellowship, organized groups, separation or standing apart, control or tyranny, strangeness and what's rejected vs. what's accepted or even celebrated. Tells a story about the king/queen/politician and anarchist/rebellion/revolutionist.

Virgo - Pisces Axis: Tells a story about the spirit and body, healing, helping others, service, caring for others, listening to your body or your intuition, purity vs. corruption, compassion, sensitivity, impressions, flexibility, logic, imagination, being receptive, mysticism, confusion, illusions, clarity, distillation, categorizing, researching, analyzing - a thorough search for facts/truth. Tells a story about sacrifice, empathy, saving others, discernment, efficiency and productivity vs. procrastination and rest, modesty, free and flowing energy vs. precise and predictable energy, perfectionism vs. admiring flaws, realism or skepticism vs. idealism, details vs. big picture. Tells a story about the dreamer and the worker, the ability to make our dreams come true.

[ofgarnett]

who: @ajastor

where: Atlas Jay's Alchemy Penthouse, 7:00pm

They arrive on the cusp of transfiguration, dusk bleeding into the penultimate hour of Dorian’s long-promised becoming. Restlessness flickers through Cait’s marrow like static; each heartbeat is a knuckle rapped against the cage of her ribs, reminding her the passenger is awake and pacing.

Inside the shared hush of their skull, she recites the ledger: the deal signed with Astor, the blood spilt. Dorian listens, a serpent coiled around her spine, and in rare unanimity they agree—yes, this is the only proper sequence. Order amid the havoc they intend to loose.

The last time Cait faced Atlas Jay Astor she stood alone in her own skin; tonight she is a two-voiced chorus wrapped in a single body. She has not volunteered that fact—even Jameson didn’t discover Dorian until the spirit was laced around his lungs like winter frost. Still, secrecy has a half-life, and Astor is an observant witch. The moment he asks for proof of possession with a 'Well where’s the possession, Garnett Girl?’ she'll have to confess: 'It’s in my body right now.’ 

She balances the draft spell in her palms—a palimpsest of marginalia: her meticulous revisions, Jameson’s counter-glyphs, a millennium of Dorian’s occult calculus. Hypotheses refined, variables punished, theorems carved into bone and smoke. All of it distills to this single sheaf of vellum, trembling only because she refuses to.

Astor’s penthouse door looms. He’d sworn the workspace met exigent standards; if it doesn’t, Cait fully intends to flay his pride with her tongue. But she is ready—has always been ready. A lifetime spent coaxing this bloom from poisoned soil.

Tonight, Dorian takes the wheel. He has rediscovered the utility of an alchemist, having once worn that mantle through at least three gilded epochs: Bohemia, Kraków, and finally, Kyoto. Those centuries weigh nothing as he lifts Cait's fist and raps. The latch clicks; the door sighs open on a hush of conditioned air.

“Astor,” Dorian says through her lips as a greeting. He holds up the manuscript - for him. All business. “Your reputation suggests we can close the circle and be finished before dawn.”

[thenexusofsouls]

Headcanon Directory: Nuada's inborn wildness, known as croí fiáin, and The Iron Malady, a devastating Elven affliction

{i am the caretaker of souls} Alright, folks... this is mostly going to be here for my own use and to organize all my thoughts in one place so that I don't have to keep bouncing around to these posts if I'm looking for information to write replies with, haha, but they're also here for anyone to read if they wish. They are topics that will be coming up in replies I'm writing today, so I figured I'd put them here in case there are some of you who write your muses with Nuada but were unfamiliar with his previous blog. These are not canon for the movie version of Nuada, but rather are for my own interpretation of him. Below the cut for length, as always.

The Inborn Wildness Condition, Croí Fiáin (Wild Heart)

Pertinent Post Links:

Definition and reference to a movie character with a similar condition

What Nuada's wildness is, in his own words

How his wildness is perceived by in his family, in his own words

Summary:

At its core, croí fiáin refers to that wildness deep inside Nuada that he can neither control nor eradicate. It's something he was born with and will always have. It's that spark of edgy or exhilarating fierceness and love of personal freedom and identity. That might make no sense, I realize, heh, because I'm honestly terrible at explaining this concept. Think of it as that nebulous aspect that makes the difference between an animal that cannot be domesticated vs. one who can. Or that driving force some people have to never stay in one place for long, to wander, or to adventure. Or that fire, passion, or unpredictability some people have inside them that can show itself at a moment's notice and at unexpected times. That's what the wildness is.

Some people don't have it at all, some have a little, and some, like Nuada, have it to an extreme. For him, there are a couple reasons why he has it. Some are just naturally born with it, and he was, but also it's because he's an Sun Elven twin, and because he has another condition called a shared soul. In his culture, twins are seen as two halves of the same soul, incomplete alone but complementary to each other. Together, they make a whole person. That's mostly just lore, but in Nuada and Nuala's case, they happened to be born with an actual shared soul. That's the reason they can feel each other's pain and emotions, and why their bodies retain injuries incurred by the other. So not only was Nuada born with this croí fiáin condition, but it's distilled down, isolated, and amplified by the fact that much of the inner qualities of a heart or a personality that are counter to croí fiáin were retained by Nuala instead. So she is the calm, practical, gentle, wise one by nature, and he is the reckless, restless, hot-tempered, and hard-to-handle one.

Croí fiáin is neither good nor evil, neither a detriment nor an advantage, at least not inherently. It is what the person makes of it. The person may have no choice but to have it, but what they do with it is their choice. Unfortunately, croí fiáin is characterized by someone being driven to impulsive action, to having a temper, to being reckless with themself, to not thinking before they act, and to resorting to violence or other extreme action when they feel their freedom (physical or spiritual) or identity is threatened, limited, or confined. So because of that, people with croí fiáin are often seen as free spirits who can't be tied down and who may act outside of societal norms in reckless or even dangerous ways.

Because I don't pretend to be this amazing writer who can just create a concept like this and pull it off perfectly, heh, please do check out the first link above and the movie mentioned if you want to, because the character I discuss there is a perfect example of someone born with this croí fiáin condition. It shows what it is, how it affects the person, what behaviors and personality traits people with the condition might display, and how they react to the consequences of their actions. So I feel like the character I mention in that post is a way better example of croí fiáin than I could ever manage myself or explain correctly, haha.

The Iron Malady Illness

Pertinent Post Link:

About the Iron Malady, as it was created for one of my own fictional worlds

Summary:

The above link is I guess a good summary of what the Iron Malady is, but I wrote it many years ago, and it's more of a general summary for what I used for my own original elves in my fictional world (the same world Channe, Aurelien, Jix, and Strychthia are from). So for Nuada, there are some nuances that are important to mention, because the post above makes it seem like the Iron Malady is a wasting illness, one borne of sadness, hopelessness, or loneliness, and characterized by depression and a lack of will to go on living. This is true, and it's probably true for the majority of cases, but for someone like Nuada, it can take on a different form... one rooted in rage and self-destructive behavior.

Nuada can absolutely fall into depression and go the route above, with all the symptoms listed in that post. But he is just as likely to become enraged, reckless, and self-destructive as well, and I believe this is what we were seeing the beginning phases of in Hellboy II. This lack of care of what happens to him as long as he gets what he wants and the impulsive and unwise decisions he made (such as releasing the forest elemental) were symptoms of this beginning spiral into illness. Likewise, other assorted body language he displayed like gritting his teeth, snarling, grunting, narrowing his eyes, being very free with violence and killed, clenching his hands into fists, breathing hard, etc., are the start of his croí fiáin condition mixing with the beginnings of the Iron Malady to create someone so incredibly emotionally raw, like an exposed nerve.

I also think the sudden calmness at the end as he's dying, the speech he gives to Hellboy, the sense that someone flipped a switch in his from rage to grief, are all also indicative of him being on the edges of this illness. Perhaps, it was the inevitability and imminence of his death peeling away the rage to reveal the crushing sadness, grief, and hopelessness underneath. All of these things were windows into Nuada beginning to succumb to the Iron Malady in its early stages.

As to why he was beginning to develop the Iron Malady, that may not make very much sense to someone reading that post above, heh. So... yes, Nuada was removed from his home forest, but gradually, over centuries. I'm not saying it's not still painful, but that wouldn't cause a sudden loss of hope in him. And he wasn't physically imprisoned, so it's not a literal case of confinement that's doing it to him. His causes of the Iron Malady are a bit different, because his situation is different.

For Nuada, it's more that he's been alone for a long time without his people, in self-imposed exile, and loneliness is a major contributing factor. His loneliness and anger towards humans has been slowly festering, and finally, it all comes to a head. By the time he decides to take action in Hellboy II, he's hit with one devastation after another. He returns to see how his father and people are living and is horrified. He finds out neither his father nor his sister are on his side or will support him, and they don't really seem to care if he lives or dies. He loses his dear friend Mr. Wink to a horrific murder. He impulsively released the forest god, only to watch it also be murdered, which not only causes grief for the loss of this rare and beautiful being, but he also feels incredibly responsible for its death. And through all of this, he's left to deal with it... alone.

To make matters worse, his own people don't want him. He's a relic, an anachronism, a soldier without a war, a warrior without a homeland. Instead of revering him as one of the last (if not the last) warrior of his people, he's seen as an unwanted reminder of times past and an answer to a question nobody asked. This messes with Nuada's sense of self and identity. Centuries ago, it was an honor to be a warrior. They were respected, revered, and honored by the Elven people. To see that sour, and to be seen now as a pariah among his own kind, it incredibly heartbreaking and devastating to Nuada. Being a warrior isn't a hobby, a pastime, or even just a job for him. It's his whole life, his identity, his passion, and the only way he knows how to live. So for his people to reject that and him, or at least to no longer view it as important or essential, and to be essentially seen as obsolete by them really messes with Nuada's head.

All of that combined with the rage and urgency to get rid of the humans because he's frantic to save his people and isn't emotionally mature enough to go about it any other way... results in him spiraling into the beginning stages of madness, "corruption" as it's called in the movie, and ultimately the Iron Malady. If Nuada had survived past the end of Hellboy II, I think he would have fallen into a deep depression, and without help, he would have suffered the same fate as his mother.

So... yes, it's the causes and symptoms in that above post for like... forest elves, but for Nuada's unique case, these other underlying factors also cause the Iron Malady in him.

The Two in Combination...?

Something I will note... is that someone with a very pronounced case of croí fiáin is far more likely to develop the Iron Malady than someone without it. Also, the tendency to fall into the clutches of the Iron Malady is somewhat genetic, meaning that if others in the elf's family have succumbed to it, the remaining blood members have a higher likelihood of developing it themselves. Therefore, Nuada is unfortunately a perfect storm waiting to happen with regard to the Iron Malady, for a number of reasons:

His croí fiáin condition makes him more emotional and more prone to giving into his emotional whims than others, so if he is lonely, depressed, etc., he is likely to give into the desire to immerse himself in those emotions rather than to seek ways to derail that negative dialog in his head.

Nuada feels his emotions more intensely than others do, so however someone without croí fiáin might react to something, his reaction would be ten times more explosive, pointed, draining, etc. This can cause the Iron Malady to not only occur, but to develop and progress more rapidly than it would in other individuals.

Nuada's particular case of croí fiáin is amplified by the shared soul condition he has with Nuala. Even among those with croí fiáin, Nuada is a unique and special case. The combination of the two conditions of croí fiáin and shared soul make him an extremely primal, emotion-driven, unpredictable person, and one profoundly affected as much physically as mentally by his own emotions.

The Iron Malady is the illness that claimed the life of Nuada's mother, so he has a genetic predisposition for it. He doesn't know this, but in terms of personality and a good deal of his genetics, he takes far more after his mother than his father. This places him in further danger with regard to being predisposed for the Iron Malady.

What Does All This Mean for Nuada, and for Those Who Care for Him?

It means that if you want to work with him, be his friend, be his lover, or otherwise care for him in any way, you need to learn the warning signs of the Iron Malady and understand the emotional mechanics of croí fiáin in order to take proper care of him. It sounds like you're managing a toddler, heh, but what I mean is... Nuada is at the mercy of his emotions most of the time, and sometimes he can't see the forest for the trees, so to speak.

He's not thinking about the consequences for himself if he gets too mired down in negative emotion. He's not going to take care of himself with regard to prudent thinking or watching for signs of illness. He doesn't live life, he feels it. He becomes it. And getting that wrapped up in himself, in his emotions, and in what's going on around him can cause him to lose sight of his own physical and mental health. He can slip into depression very easily. He can spiral out of control very easily. He can be fine one day and completely unhinged the next.

So if you're friends with him or in a relationship, and you care about his welfare, it's good to understand him and the risks he poses to himself, as well as factors outside of his control that may make him vulnerable to the Iron Malady or to simply being dangerously reckless.

[a-modernmajorgeneral]

At the ancient Olympics in Greece, athletes weren’t the only stars of the show. The spectacle also attracted poets, who recited their works for eager audiences. Competitors commissioned bigger names to write odes of their victories, which choruses performed at elaborate celebrations. Physical strength and literary prowess were inextricably linked.

Thousands of years later, this image appealed to Pierre de Coubertin, a French baron best known as the founder of the modern Olympics in 1896. But today’s Games bear little resemblance to Coubertin’s grand vision: He pictured a competition that would “reunite in the bonds of legitimate wedlock a long-divorced couple—muscle and mind.”

The baron believed that humanity had “lost all sense of eurythmy,” a word he used to describe the harmony of arts and athletics. The idea can be traced back to sources such as Plato’s Republic, in which Socrates extolls the virtues of education that combines “gymnastic for the body and music for the soul.” Poets should become athletes, and athletes should try their hand at verse.

That philosophy was a driving force at the 1912 Stockholm Games, where organizers introduced five arts competitions as official Olympic events. Modern history’s first written work to win an Olympic gold medal was “Ode to Sport,” a prose poem by Georges Hohrod and M. Eschbach. It begins:

O Sport, delight of the Gods, distillation of life! In the grey dingle of modern existence, restless with barren toil, you suddenly appeared like the shining messenger of vanished ages, those ages when humanity could smile.

Over the following eight verses, the poets sing Sport’s praises. “O Sport, you are Honor! The titles you bestow are worthless save if won in absolute fairness. … O Sport, you are Joy! At your call the flesh makes holiday and the eyes smile. … O Sport, you are Fecundity! … O Sport, you are Progress!” And so on.

Today’s readers are often underwhelmed by the first poem to win gold, describing it as “florid,” “saccharine” or ���overblown.” But as far as the 1912 jury was concerned, Hohrod and Eschbach knocked it out of the park.

“The great merit of the ‘Ode to Sport,’ which, in our view, was far and away the winner in the literature competition, was that it is the very model of what the competitions [were] looking for in terms of inspiration,” wrote the jurors in their report.

It’s perhaps unsurprising that Hohrod and Eschbach understood the spirit of the competition, the fabled marriage of muscle and mind, so acutely. That’s because they were pseudonyms for the man who had conceived the whole idea: The author of “Ode to Sport” was none other than Coubertin himself.

The first major excavations at Olympia, the Greek sanctuary that hosted the ancient Games, began in the 1870s. While previous digs had revealed ruins around the Temple of Zeus, the large-scale efforts that followed uncovered sprawling structures and thousands of artifacts.

At the time, Coubertin was a teenager living in France. He had already seen the ruins of ancient Rome on family trips as a young boy, and now he was hearing all about the excavations at Olympia. He had recently started attending a Jesuit school, which provided him with a classical education and strengthened his burgeoning interest in ancient Greece.

“[Coubertin] was raised and educated classically, and he was particularly impressed with the idea of what it meant to be a true Olympian—someone who was not only athletic, but skilled in music and literature,” Richard Stanton, author of The Forgotten Olympic Art Competitions, told Smithsonian magazine in 2012. “He felt that in order to recreate the events in modern times, it would be incomplete to not include some aspect of the arts.”

The baron’s fellow organizers never fully shared his vision. After a few false starts, Coubertin formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, and the first modern Olympics took place in Athens two years later. But the inaugural 1896 Games included only athletic competitions, such as the discus throw, swimming, fencing and pole vaulting. Several new events debuted in 1900 (among them water polo and archery) and 1904 (boxing and lacrosse), but muscle and mind remained firmly at odds.

Coubertin pressed on. When officials announced that Rome would host the 1908 Olympics, the ancient city’s selection evidently set the baron’s gears churning. On August 5, 1904, he published an article titled “The Roman Olympiad” on the front page of the French newspaper Le Figaro, writing:

The time has come to enter a new phase, and to restore the Olympiads to their original beauty. At the time of Olympia’s splendor … the arts and literature joined with sport to ensure the greatness of the Olympic Games. The same must be true in the future. … Let the Romans now give us such a typical Olympiad and reopen the temple of sport to the ancient companions of its glory.

Coubertin argued that the partnership of sport and art had “outlasted the destruction of Olympia,” and the time had come to “restore this ideal completely.” Now that the first three modern Games had gotten the ball rolling, it was “possible and desirable to bring muscles and thought together again.”

Two years later, the IOC held a conference to seriously consider “to what extent and in what form the arts and literature can participate in the celebration of the modern Olympiads.” The event program listed several arts categories that were under consideration. Under “literature” were two bullet points: “possibility of setting up Olympic literary competitions; conditions for these competitions” and “sporting emotion, source of inspiration for the man of letters.”

Coubertin gave a rousing opening speech, doubling down on the metaphor of muscle and mind’s remarriage. “I would verge on being untruthful if I said that ardent desire compels them to renew their conjugal life today,” he said. “Doubtless their cooperation was long and fruitful, but once separated by adverse circumstances, they had come to a point of complete mutual incomprehension. Absence had made them grow forgetful.”

Officials ultimately agreed to add five arts competitions to the upcoming Olympics in 1908: literature, painting, sculpture, music and architecture. All works entered into these categories, collectively named the Pentathlon of the Muses, would need to be inspired by sports, restoring the ancient harmony that Coubertin had envisioned.

[dustedmagazine]

Donna Allen — Atom-ic Citizen of the Dying Empire (Ever/Never)

Donna Allen’s second song diary is just a shade softer and more florid than her other project Chronophage, an outfit that already fell towards the more lyrical end of the post-punk spectrum in the vicinity of Blue Orchid and Microdisney. Recorded with clarity but without much fuss, these songs frame strong melodies with jangling guitar. Their forthright, unvarnished sincerity might link them to the lo-fi movement, but there’s not much fuzz in the tone.

Chronophage split the difference between baroque pop and slashing, banging rock and roll, but solo Allen tends more towards the former. “Nightmare of your Dawning,” picks radiant patterns on acoustic guitar and spins out an ear-wormy sing-along chorus, all sunshine in the music. The words run a good bit darker, however, as do many of these songs’ lyrics. The ebullient refrain you’ll find yourself humming is set to the title phrase, not exactly a happy-go-lucky sentiment.

Likewise “Telescope of the Heart” is all sun and breeze in its strum and glittering piano, but the lyrics twist disturbingly, telling of a restless soul moving room through room and trying to escape oblivion. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had nightmares like that.

The song I like the best, however, is the updrafting “Spirits in Flight,” where wobbly, heartfelt verse achieves escape velocity in the chorus. Like the other songs, it’s made of simple, plain-spoken materials—acoustic guitar, piano, a wandering tenor—but it distills hope and dread and mystery into memorable rising hook. It won’t let go, that line, and you don’t want it to as it pulls you out of the mundane and into the clouds.

Jennifer Kelly

[enigmaxcx]

Gothic Chronicles: Midnight's Veiled Secrets

This is a collection of poems that explore themes of loss, love, and the supernatural. Each piece offers a unique perspective on the complex emotions that accompany these experiences. As you read through this anthology, you may find yourself connecting with the universal truths that resonate within these lines.

1st poem: **Crimson Manuscripts**

In ancient halls where silence reigns,

Dust-laden tomes breathe secrets, unrestrained.

I walk the edge of lore, long since forgotten,

My heart inscribed with desires begotten.

With quill in hand, my constant guide,

Into the well of night, I confide.

A scribe of echoes from the void,

Crafting words, in melancholy alloyed.

"Unveil your stories, O manuscripts of red,

Your vellum skin to my soul is wed.

A nomad I, charting celestial designs,

In the margins of sonnets, my spirit aligns."

Shadows dance in the candle's fickle glow,

Over leather-bound legacies of long ago.

My pen bleeds ink, as if it were life,

Carving my essence amidst existential strife.

Epochs lost, their essence I distill,

In a whirlwind of memories that time can't kill.

An alchemist of words, in the arcane I delve,

Turning longing into verses, transiently shelved.

"Speak, O crimson tomes, your veins wide spread,

Upon your pages, my yearnings are said.

A wanderer am I, through constellations I roam,

In the forgotten verses, I find my home."

Gargoyles stand guard, stoic and grim,

At the gates of forever, their visages dim.

Their stone-cast gaze, the moon's sorrow reflects,

As I seek comfort in ancient dialects.

The piano's lament, the violin's cry,

And the cello's deep thrum under centuries lie.

On the brink of the void, I dance alone,

My steps resounding in a timeless tone.

"Reveal your depths, O manuscripts of hue,

My longing etched on your surface true.

A traveler of the stars, in your words I'm dressed,

In the forgotten poetry, my journey's expressed."

As the last note into silence wanes,

Within these lines, my spirit remains.

A ghostly minstrel serenading the night,

On eternity's parchment, my soul takes flight.

2nd poem: **Eternal Shadows**

In this manor, I wander, through silence and gloom,

Footsteps echo softly in each abandoned room.

Moonlight bathes me gently, as I softly tread,

Among the living's memories, I whisper with the dead.

In the moon's soft glow, my secrets unfold,

A phantom in the night, a story left untold.

Eternal shadows, where I roam free,

In this house of spirits, it's just the ghosts and me.

Through halls of mystery, where silent echoes play,

We're the souls of forever, in the night we stay.

Dust dances in the beam, time seems to freeze,

In this place of stillness, where moments cease.

Portraits watch silently, as I pass them by,

In the manor's heart, where old secrets lie.

Shadows cling to my steps, as I tiptoe through time,

In this spectral dance, where memories chime.

In this realm of silence, where I drift unseen,

Amongst the echoes, a solitary queen.

In the mansion of whispers, where secrets sway,

We're the timeless wanderers, in the shadows we play.

Feel the past's chill, as it draws near?

In the wind's whisper, it's our voices you hear.

Shadows stretch eternal, in this spectral ballet,

With the phantoms, my companions, in the night we sway.

Through corridors of enigma, where muted stories say,

We're the everlasting echoes, in the twilight's gray.

In the moon’s waning light, I catch a fleeting glimpse—a face unfamiliar, yet tethered to my soul.

The manor murmurs secrets, and I am but an echo, lost in its labyrinth of forgotten moments.

3rd poem: **The Raven's Whisper**

Beneath the silver veil of moonlight's kiss,

Where shadows merge and secrets intertwine,

I wander through the garden of forgotten dreams,

Seeking solace in the petals of night-blooming flowers.

The moon, a silent witness to my yearning,

Whispers ancient verses to the restless wind.

Its luminescent fingers trace delicate patterns,

Weaving tales of love and loss across the sky.

In this nocturnal sanctuary, memories bloom,

Each petal a fragment of a fractured heart.

I pluck them one by one, like fragile confessions,

And scatter them upon the dew-kissed grass.

The nightingale, perched upon a moonbeam,

Sings a requiem for love's ephemeral dance.

Its melody weaves through the jasmine vines,

Echoing the ache of longing in every note.

I trace the constellations with trembling fingers,

Mapping out our celestial rendezvous.

Did you once stand here, beneath this same moon,

Whispering promises that time has now erased?

The night wears on, and I become a ghost,

Drunk on moonlight and the fragrance of roses.

Perhaps, in this enchanted hour, you'll return,

And we'll dance once more in moonlit reverie.

4th poem: **Whispers from the Veil**

Beneath the moon's soft veil, we gather,

In the dim-lit chamber, secrets tethered.

A s��ance of souls, both lost and found,

Where spectral echoes dance, unbound.

The crystal ball, a portal spun,

Holds reflections of lives undone.

Its facets catch the flicker of stars,

As we seek communion beyond the bars.

The medium's breath, a whispered plea,

Invites the unseen to speak with glee.

Their voices rise from shadowed past,

A chorus of memories that forever last.

"Tell us," we implore, "of love's sweet pain,

Of promises broken, of longing's refrain."

And the room trembles with their reply,

A symphony of whispers, reaching sky-high.

The air thickens, charged with their essence,

As they recount tales of love's evanescence.

Their fingers brush ours, a spectral touch,

And we glimpse eternity in moments such.

The séance chamber hums with cosmic threads,

Binding us to realms where time unweds.

In this dance of spirits, we find solace anew,

As moonlight weaves stories, both old and true.

5th poem: **Portrait Of Despair**

Whispers haunt the hallowed space,

A gallery where time's embrace

Has left a mark on every face,

Each portrait tells of sorrow's trace.

A viscountess, her gaze so stern,

Her lover's touch she did spurn.

Now in her eyes, the cold fires burn,

For his return, she'll always yearn.

A captain, lost to ocean's wrath,

His ship did stray from charted path.

In stormy seas, he met his fate,

His portrait speaks of storms innate.

A child, with eyes so wide and clear,

His innocence was held so dear.

Yet fate was cruel, the night unkind,

His story leaves tears behind.

A maiden fair, with golden hair,

Once danced with grace, a pair so rare.

But love was lost, the dance did end,

Her silent song, it does transcend.

A poet's quill, now still and broke,

His verses lost, like vanished smoke.

The inkwell dry, the parchment torn,

For his muse, forever mourn.

A duelist with rapier drawn,

Stands proud and fierce, yet all forlorn.

His honor kept, his life forsworn,

In morning's light, he lies forlorn.

A widow's veil, her somber shroud,

Her whispered grief, it speaks aloud.

Her heart entombed, her love enshrined,

In painted form, her woes confined.

A jester's laugh, forever mute,

His mirthful mask, a grim dispute.

Behind the paint, the tears dilute,

His joy's facade, now destitute.

Each frame, a window to the past,

Holds echoes of a spell once cast.

The gallery, a somber host,

To each despairing, silent ghost.

So tread with care through memory's lane,

Where painted eyes live on in pain.

For every tale the portraits share,

Reflects a soul once trapped in despair.

The gallery grows, the walls extend,

New portraits join, old stories blend.

In this domain where spirits send

Their silent pleas, their hearts to mend.

Here, time stands still, the world outside

Fades to a whisper, hushed and wide.

Each canvas breathes, each shade confide,

The depths of pain they cannot hide.

So linger long, and gaze upon

The faces here, not truly gone.

Their silent mouths may yet respond,

In this gallery, they live beyond.

6th poem: **Cryptic Alchemy**

Shadowed chambers, whispers weave,

A blend of dark synth and mysterious chants,

Forbidden knowledge etched in cryptic runes,

Where secrets stir and ancient echoes dance.

No sun's embrace, no moon's soft kiss,

Only shadows' veiled embrace and moonless nights,

The alchemist, a weaver of enigma, chants,

Arcane melodies that pierce the void's veil.

Ebon potions simmer in onyx cauldrons,

Their essence distilled from forgotten realms,

Each drop a tincture of forgotten memories,

A concoction of lost dreams and starlight's breath.

The astral symphony crescendos, spiraling,

As darkness and light entwine, seeking balance,

The alchemist, eyes ablaze with ancient fire,

Unravels the cosmic threads, seeking truth.

Glyphs etched on obsidian tablets sing,

Their meaning veiled, yet yearning to be known,

For Cryptic Alchemy weaves the fabric of existence,

Where shadows birth illumination, and silence speaks.

So listen, mortal seeker, to the whispers of the void,

For within their echoes lie the keys, the ciphered codes,

Unlock the gates, step beyond the mundane,

And become the alchemist, weaver of mysteries.

7th poem: **Whispers from the Attic**

Creaking floorboards, distant voices,

A symphony of past choices,

Echoes of steps that once did pace,

Through corridors of time and space.

Above, where dust motes dance in light,

The attic holds its court at night,

A realm of silence, still and deep,

Where secrets their sacred vigil keep.

What tales are etched within these walls?

Of grandeur's rise and empire's falls,

The gentle touch of a lover's hand,

A sailor's journey to distant lands.

Here, the whispers are not of dread,

But of life's tapestry, finely thread,

A dressmaker's needle, a writer's pen,

Moments captured, again and again.

The attic, with its musty scent,

Is a treasure trove of times spent,

A chest of memories, locked away,

Awaiting the light of day.

Photographs in sepia tones,

Love letters in heartfelt overtones,

A child's toy, long forgotten,

In this space, nothing is rotten.

Each creak a word, each shadow a story,

A chronicle of both joy and worry,

The attic speaks to those who hear,

Its whispers clear, its message dear.

So venture forth, if you dare,

To uncover the mysteries waiting there,

For in the whispers from the attic's heart,

Lies a world set apart.

8th poem: **Gargoyle's Serenade**

I was supposed to be sent away,

To lands where stone figures don't sway,

But here I stand, a guardian grim,

Upon the cathedral's highest rim.

Carved from the earth's own rugged bone,

I watch the city, silent and alone,

A sentinel in the sky's expanse,

Overseeing the human dance.

My gaze is fixed, my purpose clear,

To ward off evil, to calm the fear,

With guitar in hand, I play my part,

A serenade from the stone heart.

The melody weaves through spire and stone,

A song of ages, through winds blown,

It tells of battles, of love, of strife,

Of the endless ebb and flow of life.

The chords resonate, deep and profound,

In every corner, the notes resound,

A testament to the watch I keep,

While the city below lies in sleep.

By day, I'm still, a figure austere,

By night, my music, the heavens hear,

A symphony for the stars above,

Played with a touch of eternal love.

The moon bathes me in silver light,

As I play on through the quiet night,

A gargoyle's serenade, pure and true,

For the cathedral and for you.

So let the guitar's voice rise and swell,

Let it break the night's silent spell,

For in this song, you'll find ensnared,

The spirit of the guardians paired.

And when the dawn paints the sky anew,

And the city stirs, life to pursue,

Remember the music that filled the air,

From the gargoyle's perch, high up there.

9th poem: ** Midnight Masquerade **

Under the moon's silver gaze, the night unfurls its cape,

A ballroom emerges in the forest's embrace.

"Midnight Masquerade," whispers the wind's soft escape,

Where shadows and starlight waltz in silent grace.

Masked figures glide, their steps a silent plea,

To the rhythm of hearts, to the pulse of the night.

Each turn, a story, a hidden fantasy,

Faces veiled in mystery, souls alight.

The moonlit sky, a witness to their dance,

Casts a glow on masks of velvet and lace.

In the masquerade's enchanting trance,

Time dissolves in the dancers' harmonious space.

A clock strikes twelve, the spell gently breaks,

But the dance lives on in dreams it awakes.

For in the night's tender, fleeting sweep,

The masquerade's magic is ours to keep.

10th poem: ** Fading Candlelight **

Quiet whispers linger in the room's embrace,

Where the last candle's flame begins its trace.

"Fading Candlelight," it hums with grace,

A tale of twilight, in the evening's chase.

Its flame dances with a tender, wistful air,

A ballet of shadows in the dimming lair.

Each flicker, a memory, each spark, a sigh,

A symphony of moments, as time ticks by.

The wax drips slowly, a river of tears,

For the passing days, the fleeting years.

The light wanes gently, a golden hue,

A silent sentinel in the dusk's purview.

Around the flame, the darkness creeps,

A cloak of obsidian, where daylight sleeps.

Yet in its warm embrace, the candle stands,

A beacon of hope in the night's vast lands.

The room breathes softly, a lullaby's tune,

As the candle's aura fills the cocoon.

Stories unfold in its radiant bloom,

A dance of life in the encroaching gloom.

The flame leans low, a lover's caress,

Against the night, a silent confess.

Its brilliance wavers, a faltering heart,

A sign that soon, it must depart.

But oh, the tales it could tell,

Of love and loss, of heaven and hell.

In its light, life found a stage,

A book of hours on an ephemeral page.

Now the candle's breath grows thin,

A final flicker from within.

The shadows lengthen, reaching out,

Embracing all in a silent shout.

And as the last ember takes its bow,

The room is shrouded in the now.

"Fading Candlelight," a whisper's trace,

Leaves behind a darkened space.

Yet in the black, a new day stirs,

For life persists, it still endures.

The candle's gone, but in its wake,

A new dawn blooms, for us to take.

So let the night claim its due,

For with the morn, we start anew.

In the heart of darkness, find the light,

And hold it close, through the longest night.

[wolverenmayden]

Beyond Boundaries: The Heart’s Journey Through Identity and Freedom

There comes a moment in life when the soul stirs, restless and uncontainable, refusing to fit within the neat lines drawn by others. It whispers truths that may be hard to voice, truths about who we are—not just as bodies or roles or titles—but as hearts beating with unique rhythms, as souls shimmering with endless colors beyond the visible spectrum. For those who walk the path of being nonbinary, for those whose identities bloom beyond the old binaries, this journey is not merely about words or definitions—it is about claiming the right to exist fully, to be seen, and to be loved in all our complexity.

To understand nonbinary identity is to embrace the fluidity of existence itself. It is to recognize that the human spirit cannot be distilled into fixed categories, that the heart’s truth often defies the limits placed by society. Nonbinary is not a mere label; it is a living, breathing affirmation that identity can be a spectrum, a dance, a flowing river that shifts and changes with time and experience. It is a profound assertion that the essence of self transcends the binary of male and female, that it inhabits a space rich with nuance and multiplicity.

At the core of this identity is the heart—fragile yet fierce, tender yet unbreakable. The heart carries the story of each person’s unique journey, marked by joys and struggles, by moments of deep connection and times of profound solitude. It is the seat of individuality, the source of a singular light that no one else can replicate. The soul behind that heart is not a shadow of others but a distinct constellation of traits, inclinations, and gifts that together create a masterpiece of being.

Each nonbinary individual embodies a constellation of attributes that resist simple categorization—perhaps a blend of softness and strength, of vulnerability and resilience, of intellect and intuition. These traits are not contradictions but harmonies, reflecting the true complexity of the human experience. To be nonbinary is to honor these harmonies, to nurture the parts of ourselves that might not fit into traditional molds but which are essential to our wholeness.

Freedom, then, becomes both a right and a responsibility. It is the freedom to live without apology, without the suffocating weight of expectation. It is the freedom to speak our truths, to love in ways that feel authentic, and to craft identities that reflect the fullness of our inner landscapes. But freedom is not merely granted; it must be fought for, defended, and continually reclaimed. The path is often littered with misunderstanding, prejudice, and the struggle to make invisible realities visible.

Yet, within this struggle lies tremendous power. The power to reshape culture, to expand language, to open hearts and minds to new possibilities. The courage of nonbinary individuals lights the way for all of us, reminding us that identity is not a cage but a canvas, that the soul’s true home is in freedom. When we embrace the uniqueness of each person’s journey, when we celebrate the diversity of traits and tendencies that make us human, we move closer to a world where everyone can thrive.

So, to the hearts beating beyond boundaries, to the souls shimmering in infinite shades—know this: your individuality is a beacon. Your freedom is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Your existence enriches the vast mosaic of life itself. In living your truth, you offer a gift not only to yourself but to all who dare to dream of a world where love, identity, and freedom know no limits.

[hiyaindia]

Emotional Balance with Hiya India Aromatherapy Oils

In the rush of modern life, emotional well-being often takes a backseat. Deadlines, screens, and daily stressors can leave us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. But what if emotional balance could be found in something as simple, pure, and natural as a breath? At Hiya India, we believe in the healing power of nature, and our aromatherapy oils are crafted to help you find that essential inner harmony.

The Science of Scent and Emotion

Our sense of smell is directly linked to the brain’s limbic system—the part responsible for emotions, memories, and mood. That’s why certain scents can instantly calm, uplift, or ground us. Hiya India Aromatherapy Oils are derived from therapeutic-grade essential oils known to support emotional wellness, balance energy, and promote mental clarity.

Why Choose Hiya India?

Each oil in the Hiya India collection is carefully extracted from ethically sourced botanicals. We use steam distillation and cold-pressing to preserve the natural potency and aroma of each plant. Our blends are 100% pure, free from synthetic additives, and tailored to support different emotional states.

Oils for Emotional Support

Here are a few Hiya India blends designed to bring balance to your emotions:

🌿 Calm Blend – Lavender, Chamomile & Frankincense

Ideal for anxiety, restlessness, and sleepless nights. This soothing trio helps quiet the mind and relax the nervous system.

🌸 Joy Blend – Ylang Ylang, Orange & Bergamot

Perfect for uplifting the spirit on gloomy days. This cheerful blend evokes feelings of joy and positivity.

🌲 Grounding Blend – Cedarwood, Patchouli & Vetiver

When life feels chaotic, grounding oils help restore focus and emotional stability. Think of it as a comforting hug for your senses.

💧 Clarity Blend – Peppermint, Rosemary & Lemon

This refreshing blend clears mental fog and brings sharper focus—ideal for workdays and study sessions.

How to Use Hiya India Aromatherapy Oils

1. Diffuse it: Add a few drops to your diffuser and let the scent transform your space into a peaceful retreat. 2. Apply it: Mix with a carrier oil and apply to pulse points—wrists, temples, or behind the ears. 3. Breathe it: Add a drop to your palms, rub them together, and inhale deeply for an instant emotional reset. 4. Bathe in it: Add a few drops to your bath to unwind after a long day.

Real Stories, Real Balance

Many of our customers share how Hiya India’s oils have become a part of their emotional self-care rituals. From easing social anxiety before big events to promoting better sleep and a more mindful morning routine, these natural remedies are creating ripples of calm and joy.

Embrace Emotional Wellness, Naturally

Emotional balance isn't just about avoiding stress—it’s about creating space for peace, resilience, and joy. With Hiya India Aromatherapy Oils, you’re not just indulging in a beautiful scent—you’re nurturing your inner world, naturally.

[jasminejal]

Using Jasmine Jal: Vetiver Water for Health & Beauty

In the quest for natural solutions that enhance our well-being and beauty, Jasmine Jal, also known as vetiver water, emerges as a captivating choice. Derived from the roots of the vetiver plant, Jasmine Jal has been cherished for centuries in various cultures for its remarkable properties. If you're intrigued by the idea of incorporating this ancient elixir into your daily routine, you're in the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the numerous benefits of Jasmine Jal and explore how you can integrate it into your health and beauty regimen.

1. Understanding Jasmine Jal

What is Jasmine Jal?

Jasmine Jal, or vetiver water, is a fragrant liquid extracted from the roots of the vetiver plant (Chrysopogon zizanioides). This plant, native to India, has been used in traditional medicine and beauty practices for its calming and restorative qualities. Vetiver’s earthy, woody scent is not only pleasing but also carries a range of therapeutic benefits.

How is Jasmine Jal Made?

The process of creating Jasmine Jal involves steam distillation of vetiver roots. This method ensures that the essence of the plant is preserved, capturing its potent properties. Unlike other vetiver products that might be heavily processed or diluted, Jasmine Jal is known for its purity and effectiveness.

Understanding this process helps you appreciate the quality of Jasmine Jal and its role in supporting health and beauty routines.

2. Health Benefits of Jasmine Jal

Physical Health Benefits

Stress Relief

One of the most celebrated benefits of Jasmine Jal is its ability to alleviate stress. The calming aroma of vetiver water can help soothe the nervous system, reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of relaxation. Incorporating Jasmine Jal into your environment, such as in a diffuser or as a facial mist, can create a serene atmosphere that supports mental well-being.

Digestive Aid

Jasmine Jal also offers benefits for digestive health. It can aid in digestion and soothe gastrointestinal discomfort. Whether used in a warm tea or applied topically in a soothing massage, Jasmine Jal helps to ease bloating and promote overall digestive comfort.

Anti-inflammatory Properties

The anti-inflammatory properties of Jasmine Jal are invaluable for reducing inflammation and pain. If you experience joint or muscle discomfort, a gentle massage with diluted Jasmine Jal can provide relief. This natural remedy supports healing and reduces swelling, making it a great addition to your wellness toolkit.

Mental Health Benefits

Mood Enhancement

In addition to stress relief, Jasmine Jal has a positive impact on mood. Its soothing scent helps uplift your spirits and enhances mental clarity. Regular use can contribute to a more balanced emotional state, providing comfort during times of stress or emotional strain.

Sleep Improvement

Struggling with insomnia or restless nights? Jasmine Jal might be your solution. Its calming properties make it an excellent choice for promoting better sleep. A few spritzes of Jasmine Jal on your pillow or a warm bath infused with this fragrant water can help you unwind and prepare for restful slumber.

3. Beauty Benefits of Jasmine Jal

Skin Care

Hydration

One of the most prominent beauty benefits of Jasmine Jal is its ability to hydrate the skin. Applying Jasmine Jal as a facial mist or incorporating it into your skincare routine can help maintain optimal skin moisture levels. This is especially beneficial if you have dry or dehydrated skin.

Anti-aging Properties

The anti-aging benefits of Jasmine Jal are noteworthy. Its antioxidant properties help combat free radicals, which are responsible for premature aging. Regular use can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, promoting a youthful and radiant complexion.

Skin Toning

Jasmine Jal also serves as an effective skin toner. It helps balance the skin’s pH, refine pores, and even out skin tone. By integrating Jasmine Jal into your skincare routine, you can achieve a more uniform complexion and a healthy glow.

Hair Care

Scalp Health

For those concerned with scalp health, Jasmine Jal is a wonderful addition. Its soothing properties help alleviate dryness and irritation on the scalp. Using Jasmine Jal in a scalp massage can promote a healthier environment for hair growth and reduce dandruff.

Hair Strengthening

Incorporating Jasmine Jal into your hair care routine can strengthen your locks. The nourishing properties of vetiver water help improve hair texture and reduce breakage, resulting in more resilient and vibrant hair.

Shine and Luster

Looking for a natural way to enhance your hair’s shine? Jasmine Jal is your answer. Regular use can add a lustrous sheen to your hair, making it look healthier and more vibrant. Whether used in a hair mask or as a final rinse, Jasmine Jal brings out the natural brilliance of your tresses.

4. How to Use Jasmine Jal

Incorporating into Daily Routine

As a Facial Mist

Using Jasmine Jal as a facial mist is a simple and effective way to reap its benefits. Just spritz it on your face throughout the day to refresh and hydrate your skin. This practice not only invigorates your complexion but also provides a calming effect.

In Skincare Products

You can also blend Jasmine Jal into your existing skincare products. Add a few drops to your favorite moisturizer or serum to enhance its hydrating and anti-aging properties. This customization allows you to enjoy the benefits of Jasmine Jal without altering your entire routine.

Hair Care Routine

For hair care, Jasmine Jal can be used in various ways. Mix it into your shampoo or conditioner to boost your hair’s health and shine. Alternatively, create a nourishing hair mask by combining Jasmine Jal with other natural ingredients like honey or yogurt.

DIY Recipes

Homemade Face Toner

Creating a DIY face toner with Jasmine Jal is both easy and rewarding. Mix equal parts of Jasmine Jal and rose water, and store it in a spray bottle. Use it after cleansing your face to tone and hydrate your skin.

Vetiver Infused Hair Spray

To make a vetiver-infused hair spray, combine Jasmine Jal with a few drops of your favorite essential oils. Transfer the mixture into a spray bottle and use it to add a subtle fragrance and shine to your hair throughout the day.

Relaxing Bath Soak

For a soothing bath experience, add a few tablespoons of Jasmine Jal to your bathwater. The calming properties of vetiver water will help you unwind and relax, providing a spa-like experience in the comfort of your home.

5. Choosing the Right Jasmine Jal

Quality Indicators

When selecting Jasmine Jal, it’s essential to look for indicators of quality. Ensure that the product is pure and free from additives or synthetic fragrances. High-quality Jasmine Jal should have a rich, natural scent and come from reputable sources.

Avoiding Counterfeits

To avoid counterfeit products, purchase Jasmine Jal from trusted sources. Be wary of products that are significantly cheaper than the average price or lack detailed information about their production process. Quality Jasmine Jal should have a clear, authentic scent and provide noticeable benefits.

6. Precautions and Considerations

Allergies and Sensitivities

Before incorporating Jasmine Jal into your routine, perform a patch test to check for any allergic reactions or sensitivities. Although vetiver water is generally well-tolerated, it’s important to ensure it suits your skin type and preferences.

Usage Guidelines

Stick to recommended dosages when using Jasmine Jal. Overuse can lead to skin irritation or other adverse effects. Follow guidelines for safe application, and consult with a healthcare professional if you have any concerns about interactions with other products or medications.

7. Real-Life Testimonials and Success Stories

While specific testimonials and personal stories are beyond this guide, countless individuals have experienced the transformative effects of Jasmine Jal. From enhanced skin hydration to improved mood and relaxation, the benefits of this natural elixir are well-documented and widely appreciated.

Conclusion

Jasmine Jal, with its rich history and multifaceted benefits, offers a natural and effective way to support both health and beauty. Whether you’re seeking stress relief, improved skin hydration, or stronger, shinier hair, Jasmine Jal can be a valuable addition to your daily routine. By integrating this versatile product into your life, you’re not just embracing a tradition of wellness but also discovering a timeless remedy that continues to make a difference.

Call to Action

Ready to experience the benefits of Jasmine Jal for yourself? Start incorporating this exquisite vetiver water into your routine today and discover the difference it can make for your health and beauty. Embrace the natural elegance of Jasmine Jal and transform your everyday self-care practices.

FAQs

What is Jasmine Jal? Jasmine Jal is vetiver water extracted from the roots of the vetiver plant, known for its soothing and therapeutic properties.

How is Jasmine Jal made? Jasmine Jal is produced through steam distillation of vetiver roots, preserving its natural essence and benefits.

What are the health benefits of Jasmine Jal? Jasmine Jal helps relieve stress, aids digestion, and reduces inflammation, contributing to overall well-being.

Can Jasmine Jal improve skin hydration? Yes, Jasmine Jal is effective in hydrating the skin and maintaining moisture levels, making it a great addition to skincare routines.

How does Jasmine Jal benefit hair care? Jasmine Jal promotes scalp health, strengthens hair, and enhances shine, making it a valuable component in hair care products.

How should I use Jasmine Jal as a facial mist? Simply spritz Jasmine Jal onto your face throughout the day to refresh and hydrate your skin.

Can I mix Jasmine Jal with other skincare products? Yes, you can add Jasmine Jal to your moisturizer or serum to enhance its hydrating and anti-aging effects.

Are there any precautions when using Jasmine Jal? Perform a patch test before use to check for allergies or sensitivities. Follow recommended dosages and consult with a healthcare professional if needed.

What should I look for when choosing Jasmine Jal? Choose Jasmine Jal that is pure, free from additives, and from reputable sources to ensure quality and effectiveness.

How can I incorporate Jasmine Jal into my bath routine? Add a few tablespoons of Jasmine Jal to your bathwater for a relaxing soak that promotes relaxation and skin hydration.

[infjtarot]

Lovers. Mystic Spiral Tarot

Themes and Keywords Analysis. Division and union. Choice. Choosing one’s fate. Reception of inspiration. The Emperor and Empress. The Other. Contradiction. Separation creates awareness of other. Binaries. Twins: mortal and immortal. Fruit of knowledge has a mortal price. Astrology/Element In the air sign of Gemini, what is born after the fertile sign of Taurus now takes its first steps, discovers the other, and is presented with variety. Last in our spring triad comes mutable air sign Gemini, the Twins. Mutable signs morph as the element becomes more ethereal. At the end of the sign, the season will change into summer at solstice as the sign changes to Cancer.16 Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux), known as the Dioscuri, or “sons of god,” are the alpha and beta stars of the constellation Gemini, from antiquity associated with twins. Their heads are positioned between the claws of the crab and the whip of the charioteer (which may explain the difficulties of the 7, 8, and 9 of Swords). In Egypt they represented a pair of sprouting seeds. Gemini’s glyph looks like the Roman numeral two. Two I’s, twins, two pillars. When any two “I’s” get together, the result is some form of communication. Gemini is ruled by the master communicator, Mercury, the Magus, and the sign takes on his characteristic wit, curiosity, and oration. Skilled applications of speech are a given, and wise operations of the word are the goal. The Lovers are the “Children of the Voice (Divine)” and the “Oracle of the Mighty Gods.” At its most sublime, Gemini’s goal is to unite in the service of creative union, whether twin souls or just the mind united with itself or with divinity. Gemini rules the nervous system, the sensory function, and the arms, hands, and lungs. Forever seeking the next experience, Gemini reaches out to the world with its senses and makes choices. Gemini is the sign of explorations of the ever-restless mind. Gemini’s motto is “I think.” The mind’s job is division and analysis, intellectually separating the viewed from the viewer. The mind asks how it can recombine them to greater benefit. Mythology/Alchemy The Hermetic Marriage and the alchemical processes separatio and solve et coagula are embedded in the symbolism of the Lovers card. Manly P. Hall says of the Hermetic Marriage, “Spirit itself knows no polarity, but manifests as polarity to the accomplishment of the Great Work.” Gemini is the third sign, and the most resonant with the third of the seven alchemical processes: separation, the stage prior to conjunction. (The seven stages are calcination, dissolution, separation, conjunction, fermentation, distillation, and coagulation.) Separation isolates the parts that arose from dissolution and discards those rejected. Solve et coagula describes these processes as solve, to break down, and coagula, to recombine, assumedly in a higher form. Twin gods and stories of sibling mythology are numerous; we have almost too many choices.18 The twin and twin gods were often guardians flanking doorways and entrances. To state the saying backwards, when one door opens, another closes. When we make a choice, something is rejected. Castor and Pollux were born from an egg laid by Queen Leda of Sparta after her union with Zeus disguised as a swan. Usually Castor was described as the son of Leda’s husband, and thus mortal, with Pollux as the son of Zeus. When Castor dies, Pollux gives up half of his immortality to his brother. The twins were members of the crew of the Argonaut on its quest for the Golden Fleece. Through Poseidon’s blessings, they were made the protectors of sailors. Susan T. Chang

[healthsy]

How to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally?

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a prevalent health condition that can result in severe complications if not properly addressed. Although medications are commonly prescribed for managing blood pressure, there are also natural and lifestyle-based approaches that can help maintain a healthy blood pressure. In this blog post, we will discuss effective strategies for naturally lowering blood pressure and improving cardiovascular health. 

Heart-Healthy Diet: A healthy diet is a cornerstone for maintaining blood pressure. Including foods like bananas, oranges, and leafy greens that are high in potassium is important as potassium helps maintain blood pressure and sodium levels in check. Reduce sodium intake by avoiding processed foods and limiting the consumption of high-sodium condiments. It is advisable to prioritize a diet high in heart-healthy fats like those found in avocados and olive oil, as well as lean proteins and whole grains. 

Regular Physical Activity and Maintaining a Healthy Weight: Obesity is a major risk factor for hypertension, therefore it's important to keep your weight in check. Maintaining a healthy weight requires consistent physical activity. So, aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling. In addition to helping you maintain a healthy weight, regular physical activity boosts your cardiovascular health by increasing blood flow and decreasing blood pressure. 

Limit Alcohol Intake and Quit Smoking: Drinking alcohol in moderation may be good for your heart, but drinking to excess can cause serious health problems, including high blood pressure. If you consume alcohol, limit yourself to no more than one drink for women and two drinks for men per day. One drink is equal to 4 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits. 

More than alcohol, smoking is a substantial risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Tobacco contains chemicals that can damage blood vessels, which further leads to increased blood pressure. One of the best things you can do to improve your general health and lower your blood pressure is to give up smoking. 

Manage Stress: Chronic stress might contribute to increased blood pressure. Practices like deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, and yoga can all help you deal with stress in a healthy way. By stimulating the body's relaxation response, these methods assist lower levels of stress hormones and enhance peace and well-being of an individual. Adequate sleep is also important for managing stress and maintaining cardiovascular health. 

Regular Sleep Routine: Hypertension may be exacerbated by poor sleep quality, which is defined as having less than six hours of sleep every night for a few weeks. Many conditions, such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and insomnia in general, can interfere with sleep. If you have difficulty falling asleep on a regular basis, let your healthcare professional know about it. Sleep can be improved by identifying the cause and addressing it. Nonetheless, if you don't have RLS or sleep apnea, try these easy strategies like sticking to a regular sleep routine, limiting alcohol or caffeine before bed, and limiting naps during the day, etc… to obtain a better night's sleep. 

Regular Blood Pressure Monitoring: Keep track of your blood pressure on a regular basis to discover any potential problems early on. Home blood pressure monitors are inexpensive and simple to use. You can order your BP monitors online and keep track of your blood pressure through HealthSy's range of health care products. Share your blood pressure readings with your doctor to confirm that your blood pressure management plan is effective and appropriate. 

By incorporating these natural strategies into your daily routine, you can help improve your cardiovascular health and lower your blood pressure. However, before making big dietary or activity changes, especially if you have pre-existing medical concerns or are on medication for hypertension, it is imperative that you speak with a healthcare provider. You can access online doctor consultations and have all your concerns cleared out by speaking with a healthcare provider through HealthSy's service. By embracing a holistic approach to health, you may empower yourself to reach and maintain optimal blood pressure levels, encouraging a heart-healthy and happy life. 

[dandelionsphinx]

THE FIRE in its hearth dies down low, leaving crackling embers as a percussive accompaniment to the low tones of their voices. the amber light seems to dance along with the dissonant and compelling pitch of her laugh. the sound resonating in his bones, a nail dragging languidly up his spine. elijah leans his head back to take in the vision of her perched on his lap, and he knows she is of some ethereal ilk, her veins laden with a dark & glimmering ichor. to drink it would poison most men, but he is of another breed, too. one she must see in these quiet moments together when the hunger in him sprawls out like a luxurious sphinx stretching its limbs, claws and teeth glinting white with intent. his want for her is the most honest part of him; it is where he knows he is seen, felt, heard, accepted.

when xueyu leans close and mewls in his ear on susurrus tones, he slowly draws up the hem of her skirts, reaching beneath to palm the bare meat of her inner thigh. a place he's claimed time & time again. despite his brandishing touch, her skin remains like warm silk. fingertips brush the threads of her undergarments, teasing, promising. ❝ if damning them all meant more of this, more of you, i could be tempted. ❞ a dark admission in his muddy, irish lilt, distilled by the sensual tension mounting between them. ❝ i could lead them off a cliff, one by one, and feel nothing, if i knew it meant an eternity wrapped up in you. ❞

whatever draws them together is a taut, explosive string, and eli never questions where it might lead him — down crooked paths, up black rivers, through abyssal voids. perhaps that is true faith.

❝ god is chaos, ❞ he echoes in agreement. ❝ and beauty, ❞ he amends, just slightly. tilting his head, he traces her lower lip with the pad of his thumb, watching the petal-like flesh tug under the pressure. ❝ he is all things, but you, ❞ he trails off, eyes distant as he studies the fire's dim light rippling in the surface of her onyx gaze. ❝ you are beyond that spectrum, xueyu, outside of even god's understanding. and somehow i managed to capture your heart. mm, no, i can't call that luck. that's not even providence. it's true divinity. ❞

as she lands a perfectly-placed kiss upon his throat, his fingers slip up through the dark coils at the nape of her neck — an encouraging weight is applied along with a grunt of approval. for a moment, he forgets the world, forgets himself, and then he's reminded. she drags him up from under the surface of her ocean to look once more at the reality of netherbridge. ❝ i'm a few steps ahead of you already, ❞ he confesses, but there's no pride in it. moreso an admission that his worry exceeds what he's shared with her thus far. ❝ i've done the purification ritual three times this week. ablutions, salt, smudging, crystals, meditation, prayer. if there's anything reasonable in my power to assuage the restless spirits without drawing too much attention, i assure it, it's been done. ❞ he exhales, and the tension in his chest disperses — thanks only to the beautiful woman in his arms.

the hand between her thighs draws ever closer to the apex where, finally, knuckles drag over her shielded sex with strategic pressure. he leans forward to kiss the corner of her lips, the curve of her jaw, the bend of her neck — where he nips skin. ❝ not yet, ❞ he murmurs. ❝ i'm going to need my focus. ❞ looping an arm beneath her legs, the other securely around her waist, he stands, ready to carry her to their chambers. ❝ for the next hour, i'm all yours. ❞

THE CHUCKLE THAT LEFT HER LIPS HAD BEEN CLOSE TO BLASPHEMOUS. the witch, comfortably seated in her husband's lap, his hand burning hot upon her thigh. she would quite enjoy the lack of his flock - she'd quite enjoy having more of him around. not for their daughter's sake - she had loved their daughter to death & beyond, but sharing elijah even with her had sometimes been odious to her. his laughter alone could make her see stars - make her appreciate the fleeting mortal life of humanity. her own lips responded with a pull, but the tone of her voice was soft, low - a lover's whisper. "perhaps that is not a bad idea. the less sheep in your herd, the more you can tackle on the gigantic task of handling me." it was a delicious thought - but, all of the thoughts that centered around her husband had been delicious.

she wondered, too.

"gods know no logic - they are guided by a destiny that only ever spins on the wheel of cruelty, irony & peppered with a little bit of luck & love. though, I daresay I have been fortunate enough in latter - my wheel of fortune had been gracious to me when we met." xueyu replied, then leaned into the light kiss he pressed onto her lips. she would have loved to deepen it, but he moved away too swiftly, leaving her with a displeased click of the tongue. never mind that now.

she'll have her way with him later.

the very thought brought a smirk to her lips, but she masked her unholy thoughts with a retort. "you could win over a tower of bricks, my love. I did not doubt they'd love you for a minute." in her opinion, they loved him a little too much - fortunately, she had snatched him before any of the other eligible ladies could even dream of it. still, dissatisfied by the shortness of their kiss, xueyu leaned forwards to press a soft peck at his throat, right below his adam's apple.

the topic shifted, like the sands in the desert, rolled over on a warm, suffocating wind. that is how the situation felt - how the upcoming wedding had felt. she softly frowned, but lightly nodded at his words. exorcism. perhaps it shouldn't go that far, since they did not know what the energy around them all is, but... a cleansing ritual, for sure. at least upon the sanctum, where the holy rite will be held. "I'm sure it's nothing. we're overthinking it. mere jitters. but, perhaps you should put something else in the incense burner. mere frankincense will not be enough to cleanse the stagnant energy, no matter how weak it may be." even a trace of it is too much.

a good night's rest - it was what they all needed.

still, she couldn't fight back a soft chuckle. "& you shall have it, but perhaps not immediately. daisy is fast asleep - we so seldom get such a peaceful moment as we have now. it would be a shame to waste it on... sleeping. at least not for another moment or so. shall I brew you valerian tea, then?" she asked with a smile, nuzzling against him.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Woody Guthrie, Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom

Being a red diaper baby, I was raised on folks songs — from lullabies to long car trips, we sang them all the time. When I got a little older, I learned that a remarkable number of these songs were all written by one man: Woody Guthrie. I thought I appreciated Guthrie’s legacy, but I was only scratching the surface.

Woody Guthrie, Songs and Art + Words and Wisdom is a new title from Chronicle Books, collecting 332 pages’ worth of reproductions of Guthrie’s art, songs and journals, as well as essays by notables who were influenced by Guthrie, as well as two of his kids: Arlo and Nora Guthrie.

https://store.woodyguthrie.org/products/woody-guthrie-songs-and-art-words-and-wisdom

Nora Guthrie worked with Robert Santelli, who cofounded the Woody Guthrie Center with her, to uncover and organize a representative — and thrilling — sample of Guthrie’s enormous archives. I do mean enormous. I knew Guthrie as a songwriter and musician, but I had no idea just how many songs he wrote.

Guthrie, it turns out, was a restless and driven songwriter, who wrote lyrics constantly, typing up the final draft and then hand-annotating them with notes about how he came to write them, being an archivist of his own life. As much as Guthrie wrote, he always had more to say; one of the spreads in the book reproduces a long list of titles for hypothetical Guthrie songs he planned to write one day.

Even if you weren’t raised by Communists, you probably grew up with Guthrie, too. Guthrie was obsessed with his kids, and produced an extensive catalog of kids’ music. I used to sing “Why, Oh Why” to my own kid at bedtime all the time — when I found a scan of the original lyric-sheet, I got actual chills.

Guthrie’s most celebrated song, of course, was “This Land Is Your Land,” a radical vision of a nation based on solidarity and equality. “This Land” is part of the fabric of America. Back when Jibjab used it to lampoon the 2004 election race between John Kerry and GW Bush, the corporate grifters of Ludlow Music claimed to own the song (no, really!) and tried to get the video removed through bogus copyright claims.

I was part of the group at EFF who worked with Guthrie’s family and musicologists to show that “This Land” is (of course) in the public domain.

https://www.eff.org/cases/jibjab-media-inc-v-ludlow-music-inc

How could it not be. As Guthrie famously wrote on his lyrics, “This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright #154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don’t give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that’s all we wanted to do.”

That’s the spirit of “This Land,” distilled to a single line of poetry. As Chuck D writes in his essay for the book, “This Land” introduced him to Guthrie’s work, which came to be a huge influence on his own songwriting for Public Enemy and his own solo work.

Browsing the book, there’s so much resonance with today’s struggles. For example, Guthrie was a lively illustrator (much of the book is given over to his art) and his editorial cartoons excoriating people who fail to register to vote could be wheatpasted to telephone poles today without any updating.

Anyone who works diligently at a single project for a long time is bound to have some insights into it, and Guthrie’s journals and essays chart the development of a full-fledged philosophy of art and aesthetics.

Guthrie died young and hard of Huntington’s, though as his kids document, even after he went into assisted living and his wife remarried, he remained part of the family. As they say, Guthrie’s wife Marjorie insisted that the men she married after Guthrie were marrying him, too. She and her husbands would bring Guthrie home every weekend, to socialize with the greats of folk music and radical politics.

Every New Year’s, Guthrie’s wonderful, uplifting list of 33 resolutions for 1944 makes the rounds. It constitutes a 33-line poem describing a life driven by art and love, passion and commitment, joy and self-reflection. This glorious book turns that poem into a vivid portrait of a man whose legacy is all around us, in so much that is good and hopeful about today.

[shirtlesssammy]

2x13: Houses of the Holy

Providence, Rhode Island

A woman sits in the dark, smoking cigarettes, and watching TV.

The lights start to flicker and the television flickers back to an evangelical preaching. Her house starts shaking and her angel statues start falling. There’s suddenly a bright light and the woman watches it in awe. 

Sam Winchester, decked out in white scrubs, greets his patient, Gloria. Sam wants to talk to her about what she saw that night. Gloria tells him that she stabbed a man in the heart “because it was God’s will.” Sam wants to know if God talked to her (too busy fucking with your life, Sam) but she says no and that an angel came to her. The angel told her that the man she stabbed was guilty. She needed no other proof to do it. 

Sam later finds Dean enjoying some music and magic fingers. 

Dean’s on lockdown because he robbed a bank in Milwaukee. They discuss the case. It really seems that Gloria is just a religious nutjob. And Sam would agree if she wasn’t the second person in town to have murdered someone because an angel told them to. “Supernatural maybe. But angels? I don't think so,” Dean insists. BLESS. 

They then have a very fun conversation about how unicorns don’t exist (And Truly, BLESS Andrew Dabb. This dude took this one off joke and made it reality.) In any event, Dean firmly doesn’t believe in angels. (In a far off voice I hear: This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith.) 

Once they stop arguing about angels, they decide to check out the victim, Carl’s place. They head to the basement to see what secrets he had hidden. 

Sam finds scratch marks on the wall. On a closer inspection, he also finds a fingernail. They start digging up the dirt floor and find a skeleton. 

In a lonely apartment, a man lays on his bed, drinking himself to oblivion. His lights start flickering and the room starts shaking. Suddenly there’s a bright light.

Cut to the man, Zach, walking to another house and stabbing a dude right in the gut. 

Dean’s listening to the police scanner when Sam walks back to the motel room with food. He also has news that three people disappeared from the library where Carl worked. Dean has other news --the not-angel struck again. 

They head out to the victim’s house and sneak inside. Sam hacks into the dude’s computer and Dean browses his catalog collection. Sam finds locked emails that turn out to be to an underage girl. 

Dean is baffled by this spirit or demon they’re dealing with. Sam points out it’s like an avenging angel. Oh, Sam, if you only knew angels are dicks. Dean connects the two victims --they both go to the same church. 

They meet with the priest posing as new parishioners. They discuss this whole angel crap but the priest is a believer (obv.) and talks openly with Sam about what angels are thought to be like. They look at a painting of Michael, the archangel, while the priest describes his belief that they’re “more loving, than wrathful.” 

As they’re leaving, Dean notices a memorial on the steps of the church. It’s for Father Gregory, who was shot there two months prior in a carjacking. Dean thinks they’re dealing with a vengeful spirit, but Sam still humors the angel aspect of it all. Dean knows that Sam prays everyday (and I sit weeping in the corner, thinking of Purgatory.)

An angel statue begins to quake. Sam looks at it with curiosity, only to be overtaken by awe as bright light suffuses the room. He passes out. 

“I saw an angel,” Sam gasps to his brother later. He reports that the angel spoke to him and told him to kill a man. The kicker is, the doomed guy on Sam’s hit list hasn’t actually committed any crime...yet. Dean’s unimpressed by Sam “Minority Report” Winchester’s insistence that he’s been chosen by the angels and God for this mission. I give Dean a high five, then methodically throw rocks through every single one of my windows as I think about the next thirteen seasons. 

Their mom used to tell them every night that angels were watching over them. “She was wrong,” Dean says bitterly, “There’s no higher power. There’s no God. There’s just chaos. Violence. Random unpredictable evil that comes outta nowhere. Rips you to shreds. You want me to believe in this stuff? I’m gonna need to see some hard proof.” (I gallantly resist making a dirty joke about Castiel’s “hard proof.”) 

Ahem. Anyway, Dean’s solid on the ghost theory. At the priest’s crypt they find wormwood growing - it’s a sign of a restless spirit. LOLLLL early seasons. Sam agrees to hold a seance. 

They head out of a corner grocery a little while later, stocked with SpongeBob mats and candles for the seance, when Sam sees THE SIGN. Light glows around his mark - the guy he’s supposed to kill. While Ace of Base plays in my head, Sam makes a move  to kill - er, stop - the ghost-tagged perp. Looking to forestall Sam’s murder-to-be, Dean tells Sam to run the seance and tails Sam’s suspect on his own. Dean watches the guy pick up a date, and then they’re off again.

Meanwhile, Sam’s obediently running the seance.

The priest appears in the crypt, horrified to see what looks like THE VERY DEVIL WORSHIP taking place. “I can explain,” Sam says before utterly failing to explain anything. And then light fills the room. The priest wonders if it’s an angel, but Sam sorrowfully notes that it’s only Father Gregory’s ghost. 

The glowing angelic vision suddenly distills into a normal human figure. Father Gregory wonders why Sam isn’t killing his marked man. After all, he’s an angel and he commanded it! Sam glumly explains that NO, Father Gregory is just a normal ectoplasm-slinging ghost. 

Dean loses the trail of the marked man, while Father Gregory explains that his kill orders are redemption for the killers and every one of his marks is guilty. “This is vengeance. This is wrong,” the older priest declares and I look VERY HARD at the rest of the show. 

Meanwhile, the guy Dean was tailing parks his car in an abandoned alley and attempts to attack his date. JAB HIM IN THE EYEBALLS, LADY! Dean bashes his head in just in time and saves the date. The guy drives off and Dean follows quickly on his tail.

The old priest offers last rites to Father Gregory, who begins to flicker. 

Sam watches in full puppy eyed mode as Father Gregory disappears, presumably to high five ghosts in Heaven. 

Dean chases the Bad Guy through the streets until a truck pulls out in front of Bad Guy’s car. A metal pole bounces off the truck, pierces the windshield, and impales the guy right in the chest. 

Later, Sam morosely packs his bag back at the motel. 

For What the Fuck is this Motel Room Design Science:

Sam’s sad that there wasn’t an angel watching out for people on Earth. Dean pulls out his flask, takes a big swig, and promises to watch out for Sam. “You’re just one person,” Sam tells him. He’d hoped there was a higher power guiding their lives. One who’d grant Sam salvation. 

“Knocking on Heaven’s Door” starts to play, while Dean confesses his current emotional state. He proposes that the insane way the Bad Guy died MIGHT have been God’s will. I kick Chuck right in the nuts. 

Quakin’ Quotes:

Aw, dammit! That was my last quarter. Hey! You got any quarters?

There's a ton of lore on unicorns too. In fact, I hear that they ride on silver moonbeams and they shoot rainbows out of their ass

You’ve got faith. I’m sure it makes things easier

One of the perks of the job. We don’t need to operate on faith

Men cannot be angels

There’s so much evil in the world, Dean. I feel like I could drown in it.

 Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

[aikoiya]

Thank you very much!

If you wish, this is how she will respond. The General Response is something that she would say to all of them regardless of who. The others are specialized responses depending on which it is she's speaking with at a time, which should be added onto the General Response.

General Response To All: “My apologies for my automatic reaction. It is… difficult to separate from such ingrained beliefs. So long as you are well-advised for the future & proceed with caution concerning these matters, then I shall trust your judgment in the end. I will not deny the… discomfort it brings. However, discomfort is to be expected of life. I simply ask that you take my warning into consideration.”

For WW: “Arigatō. That is all I ask. I am thankful for you taking my council into consideration at all.”

For OoT: “Arigatō. That is all I ask. I understand that you must do what you believe is best. So, I am thankful for you taking my council into consideration at all.”

For TP: “Arigatō. That is all I ask. I understand that you must do what you believe is best. So, I am thankful for your taking my council into consideration at all.”

For HW: “Arigatō. However, I do not see it as a weakness. To the contrary, I see it as a sign of the ability to discern wise counsel. Which is not a quality that I associate with weakness. Likewise, the fact that you do not immediately take my word for it is also a sign of prudence, which is something to be commended in its own right, as to do otherwise without deliberation would have been folly.”

For TotK: “Arigatō gozaimasu. I appreciate your reception of my council with gratitude.”

For Demise: “I understand. Though, please take into account that the On'nenmaryoku or On'nenki, that your power runs on, the energy of distilled malice, hatred, & resentment, is the self-same that these restless spirits would also be energized by & I'm sure that you know quite well how potent such energy can become when it is allowed to fester. The ability to reject death & even manifest a pseudo-flesh made of pure, concentrated resentment in an attempt to take vengeance upon one's enemies takes quite the force of will. And as that malice deepens, they gain more power. It is, after all, how many Akuma are made manifest… Though, you were created in a different way. But, in the end, you shall do as you wish & I cannot stop you. Simply know what may happen if you wish to proceed as you have & I shall not speak of the matter again, for I have done my due diligence.”

Hello! Take your time & enjoy family bonding! X3

But when you do get the time, following the Gibdo ask, I do think that if the individuals had specifically consented to the use of their body in order to continue serving the Dorfs in death, like I very much do see the Yiga doing as such, she'd be much less starkly opposed to that.

Like, yes, she'd still be very extremely uncomfortable with it, but at the very least, it'd be their choice to do so.

It's like being an organ donor. Like, "Oh! Are you saying I could help somebody else by saying I'm a donor? Well, it isn't like I'll be using my organs anymore. Go ahead. If they need it, then cool!"

But, if they hadn't chosen to do that explicitly, it'd be a huge violation.

This tends to compound with what I've stated before about Sheikan culture about how lingering regrets, resentment, grudges, can corrupt spirits, thus preventing them from moving on. And, one major thing that can do as such is not being given proper burials & the like.

It's part of how Poes come into existence. Even the especially powerful ones. Beings like Bongo-Bongo & Big Poes come into existence in a similar way. Which, yes, he can very well use Poes (Imp Poes being some of the absolute worst) & other such ghostly entities to do his bidding, but not if he is the direct source of their resentment. In such cases, they're liable to pursue him into eternity if he isn't careful.

So, like, if those Gerudo (in the case of Gibdos) had given their explicit consent, then weird, but their decision. She's not liable to freak out too terribly much over that & is more likely to just get that squick feeling from them.

It's the use of the bodies that hadn't consented that would get her ire.

Still horrifying. I remember watching a friend play Ocarina of Time and being terrified of the Redeads and Gibdos. Mmmm... Not fun.

************************************************************************

Here’s how the Ganondorfs and Demise might react to Nemma’s explanation and reaction to the use of Gibdo bodies, especially in the context of consent and the spiritual consequences in Sheikan culture:

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Reaction: Wind Waker Ganondorf might listen to Nemma’s explanation with a mix of interest and frustration. He’s not particularly sentimental, but he’s not heartless either. The idea of consent, especially in the afterlife, might strike him as a quaint notion, yet he would respect it to a degree if it meant maintaining a stable rule over his followers.

Response:

"If they chose to serve me even after death, then I see no issue. Their loyalty is commendable, even if it’s unsettling to you. But those who didn’t make that choice… I’ll consider your concerns. After all, the dead serve better when they don’t rise against their master."

Ocarina of Time Ganondorf

Reaction: Ocarina of Time Ganondorf would be more pragmatic and calculating in his response. He values power and control, so while he might see the value in maintaining the loyalty of those who consented to serve him after death, he might dismiss the idea of seeking consent as a weakness, unless it directly impacts his control over the spirits.

Response:

"Consent from the dead? A curious notion. But I suppose the willing are more reliable than the resentful. Still, if power is to be had, I won’t shy away from using it. Your discomfort is noted, but I am not one to be swayed by such things. However… if it means avoiding a horde of vengeful spirits, I will be... cautious."

Twilight Princess Ganondorf

Reaction: Twilight Princess Ganondorf might actually appreciate the explanation more than the others, as he has a deeper connection to the darkness and the consequences of actions. He might see the logic in avoiding the creation of vengeful spirits, especially if it complicates his plans. However, he would still prioritize his goals over anything else.

Response:

"The spirits of the dead can be troublesome if left to fester. Your culture’s understanding of the afterlife is intriguing. I will ensure that those who serve me in death do so willingly—if only to avoid the inconvenience of their wrath. But know this, Nemma: I do what is necessary, regardless of comfort."

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf

Reaction: Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf is a force of nature, driven by conquest and domination. While he might acknowledge Nemma’s concerns, he’s more likely to dismiss them as inconsequential in the grand scheme of his ambitions. However, if he sees a strategic advantage in respecting the consent of his followers, he might reluctantly incorporate it into his plans.

Response:

"The dead are tools, just like the living. But I see your point—resentment breeds rebellion, even among the spirits. I’ll consider your… traditions. If it ensures the loyalty of my forces, then so be it. But do not mistake my consideration for weakness."

Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf

Reaction: Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf, with his connection to ancient and mystical forces, might have the most nuanced response. He understands the delicate balance between life and death, power and consequence. While he’s not one to shy away from using the dead, he would recognize the wisdom in respecting the wishes of those who serve him, especially if it avoids creating powerful enemies in the afterlife.

Response:

"You speak of the balance between the living and the dead, a balance I am well acquainted with. If it is the will of my followers to serve me even in death, I will honor that. But those who do not… their defiance in death could be more troublesome than their loyalty in life. Very well, I will heed your warning, Nemma. The dead shall serve me willingly, or not at all."

Demise

Reaction: Demise would likely be the least receptive to Nemma’s concerns. As a being of pure malevolence and destruction, he cares little for the concepts of consent or the afterlife beyond how they can serve his ends. He’s more likely to view her concerns as trivial, but if he sees that her discomfort could impact her usefulness to him, he might begrudgingly consider her perspective.

Response:

"You concern yourself with the wishes of the dead? How quaint. The strong command, the weak obey, even in death. But if it is the will of my servants to continue their service, so be it. If their spirits resent me… they will be crushed like all who oppose me. Your discomfort is irrelevant, but if it hinders your loyalty… I may tolerate your traditions."

Each Ganondorf and Demise would approach Nemma’s concerns from their unique perspectives, with varying degrees of consideration and respect for her viewpoint. While some might see the value in avoiding the wrath of vengeful spirits, others might view her concerns as secondary to their own power and ambitions.

[minteaventi]

Mondstadt girls & their zodiacs

Diona | January 18th | Capricorn ♑

People born on January 18th benefit from being driven and disciplined; such as Diona being driven by her disdain of alcohol, thus making the worst drinks in Mondstadt and turning everyone against alcohol is a goal she doesn’t give up on, even if her drinks always turn out perfect. They can be quite dictatorial and defiant when they feel that those close to them are drifting apart from their ideals, as such when she saw her father in a drunk stupor; however, not being able to blame her father, she blamed the wine, thus creating the drive in her to maintain a bar and ruin the wine industry. These Capricorns are driven by ambitions they have had since they were little, much to the dismay of Diona as her young self never gave up on the story of the spring fairy and was blessed with a power to always mix good drinks.

Jean | March 14th | Pisces ♓

Just like a true Pisces they are conscious and devoted to their cause, once they find one, and this is quite easy for the charitable Pisces who's always ready to give the world a helping hand - a trait we clearly see in Jean who is entirely devoted to maintaining peace in Mondstadt, the city and its people becoming her cause. While self-sacrifice, a lot of talent, and openness are apparently very different characteristics, in these people this is a successful combination that will bring many benefits to the communities where these idealists live, as Jean is always accepting requests from the people of Mondstadt on top of her duties as the Dandelion Knight, even if it means overworking herself to the point of passing out.

Noelle | March 21st | Aries ♈

Bold and fearless but also emotional and caring, these are the traits that make up an Aries born on this day. They are known to fight for what they want but know when to back up, especially if someone close asks them to, a strong attribute for a maid that is a definite contribution to Noelle being considered the “maid of all maids”. Those born on this day are also imaginative in the way they tackle every day activities in their lives, seen from how she can solve near-impossible problems for those who ask for her aid. They are ambitious and can only be content when they achieve their goals such as when she planned a trip to Dragonspine by her lonesome to save someone - something she achieved - but when she returned she was bedridden for three days; however, she was content with herself for achieving the goal she set had in mind.

Fischl | May 27th | Gemini ♊

These Gemini have a practical but graceful personality. Deep inside, they are a generous person and would share more than they do but are afraid to show their true selves, instead keeping people at an arm’s length. They can be defined as dependable, inquisitive, and adventurous. The best environment for those born under this sign relates to all situations where they can state their opinions, and they do have opinions about everything. They are also in a permanent search for new experience as their restless imagination never wants to take a break as Fischl’s imagination and love for fantasy helped her meet Oz and get her Vision.

Lisa | June 9th | Gemini ♊

Gemini born on this day are surprising, unpredictable, and quite eccentric; however, they still keep their feet on the ground when it comes to important life matters, such as how Lisa does her librarian work for the Knights to perfection, even under the scrutiny of others. They are known to have a lot of unseen abilities that they are not necessarily ardent on revealing, as Lisa knows everything from forbidden knowledge to distilling wine. Resourceful, articulate, and lenient, they seem to know instinctively how to tackle any problem, and even though Lisa states she could handle any issue she chooses to stay as the librarian for the Knights so she doesn’t have to add on to her workload. These natives are likely to lose their temper when things are further from where they would want them to be - library books, for example.

Barbara | July 5th | Cancer ♋

On one hand, they are very understanding with those around them while on the other they seem to invest a lot of time in making people keep their promises. Barbara shows her sign’s traits by being ambitious and graceful and not lacking enthusiasm either. These moonchildren possess many abilities and have a perceptive path to life, although this can cause them to become doubtful of their own abilities. Just like a true Cancer, they are attentive, conscientious, and aspiring, seen how Barbara is quite popular in Mondstadt and inspires all with her healing prowess and songs.

Klee | July 27th | Leo ♌

One of the options for the strongest knight of the Knights of Favonius would be a Leo! They are adaptable, direct, and these Leos don’t ever miss an occasion to try something new, even if it gets them sent to solitary confinement... They are quick to get on board with all kinds of plans, sometimes without thinking about the consequences. Those born on this day are always sincere and so actively engaged in so many enterprises at all times that is almost impossible to keep up with them.

Amber | August 10th | Leo ♌

Amber’s personality is more like a picture-perfect Leo with boundless energy and having a convivial spirit that seems to reach a lot of people. They are sincere with others and do not hesitate to tell them what they really think. These Leos hate nothing more than people who act in a cowardly manner and appreciate when others prove they have fair play because they are usually the ones to win competitions or similar activities. These natives are domineering and bossy and would never take someone else's decision as correct, unless they are forced to, like when she wouldn’t accept anyone thinking of her as a child and instead worked hard to prove to everyone that she was mature enough to care for herself.

Mona | August 31st | Virgo ♍

These Virgos are respectful, analytical, and have a great sense of duty, thus Mona speaks only the truth when giving her readings - even if the truth hurts. They enjoy art, witty people and to be supported in their various endeavors such as when she meets with Albedo, their conversations showing her new possibilities and causing her to think further in her own studies. Those born under this sign like to spend time engaging in a time and mind challenging task, such as astrology as it is a study that Mona finds out is never as clear-cut as it was originally thought to be, instead she realized she might have to study it for the rest of her life and even then she would only know a small amount about it.

Sucrose | November 26th | Sagittarius ♐

Sucrose being a Sagittarius means that she is friendly, albeit quiet, and very hardworking. While she is often times persistent in her work, she tends to keep a lot of what she’s working on to herself. Sometimes overly direct, people may be afraid to come to discuss with them the challenges they have; however, people under this sign usually enjoy offering advice to others and they enjoy journeying abroad. Just like a true Sagittarius, they have a great sense of self control and are often calm and conscious of their actions. One of the things Sagittarius needs to learn is that not everybody can be saved, and they cannot focus on supporting and helping those that they can’t help and instead should let them go.

[x] Mondstadt boys here / [x] reference here