#so when at one point their soul became fully separated from their body

[nexus-nebulae]

neither of us have introduced ourselves here like At All i don't think but. jumping on here for a second to say. this is the first time in i think actually 6 months since we formed that we've actually seen Maxwell genuinely smile

[accala]

Zack Fair in the Lifestream

Can I just mention how Zack managed to NOT dissipate into the lifestream??! If we base it of the lifestream black & white chapters from "On the Way to a Smile," it's a difficult feat to do.

Here's an excerpt from Aerith:

"The woman was an Ancient. Which explained how she was able to maintain her individuality even within the Lifestream. If she so wished she could become part of the planet at any time, but the woman thought it too early for that just yet."

With the way this was phrased, it's implied that Ancients can choose to stay intact and those who aren't an Ancient would find it difficult to maintain individuality (or maybe I'm pulling a leg here but hear me out). Ancients are able to maintain individuality because of their connection with the Planet & the Lifestream. Zack was shown to have individuality in Advent Children. Which brings the question of what happened to Zack’s spirit in the afterlife.

Even Sephiroth in the OG game had a hard time not dissipating into it considering his half disintegrated body in his cocoon form. Although this maybe pertains to his physical body only. I'm inferring he was dying when Cloud stabbed him in Crisis Core (was still semi-alive) and fully dead when the party defeated him. After OG FF7, he was grasping onto Cloud as his point of obsession just so he wouldn't erode into the Lifestream's current.

Mind you, despite being seen as an infection in the Lifestream and in hindsight should have been easy to be rid of, this is the man that became god and took control of a planet-killing alien to make clones of himself. His tenacity knows no bounds and not dissipating is a difficult goal he achieved momentarily regardless.

Excerpts from Sephiroth & Aerith respectively:

“The man knew that if one could hold onto some core of their spirit, then one could remain a separate entity, independent from the planet’s system."

“She rushed through the Lifestream in search of other souls to help her. Ancients, on the verge of diffusing. These fragments of consciousness accepted her undertaking. When she found fragments of consciousness of people she had once known– pitifully few in number– she infused them with her own memories and sought their assistance.”

I think Zack was one of those fragments of consciousness that Aerith ended up finding and infusing with her own memories, which gave him individuality. But that doesn’t explain as to why or how fragments of a SOLDIER First-Class with JENOVA cells managed to stay intact for 2 YEARS (from OG FF7 to Advent Children) before Aerith found them. Lifestream White 2 mentions that spirits can refuse to be absorbed by the Lifestream due to hatred, and by Sephiroth’s case, his obsession with Cloud and his memories of him. But I don’t think that’s what Zack did based on his character. Instead of hatred or obsession, Zack had a strong will.

The fact that Aerith found fragments of Zack despite 2 years of his death implies that he chose to stay and to yet dissipate. I think he might have tried latching onto "some core of his spirit” to probably watch over Aerith & Cloud (the implications of him seeing Aerith's death is making me feral). I think the nature of his death played a part in this resolve. This part is mostly speculation: he died so close to Midgar, just a smidge of seeing Aerith again. And despite passing on his legacy to Cloud, Cloud was just newly reawakened from his coma. He might have wanted to watch over him and Aerith for a while and see how his legacy plays out. So a guardian angel if you will ;) (plays thematically with Crisis Core).

The image of Sephiroth trying so hard to not disappear while Zack is there because he’s just That Guy is funny to think about

[corvarrow]

Aaaand done with the spirit metal art! This also happened to be the first colored piece I've done after tweaking a bunch of stuff on procreate and now the colors actually match my main monitor 8D Very pleased.

ANYWAY as I expected, the basic explanation of these got way long 8') Couple of things I had to just skip over for now but I hope its still interesting! Okay here we go

Spirit Metal is a type of material related to ancient sion's funerary customs. Normally when (any) being passes, their spirit would move on and eventually be reborn one day as someone else. Because the ancient sions were constructs and it took sooo much time and work (and trial and error) before they even became sapient, Ahveph could not stand the idea of any of it's children dying and then their souls going to the beyond. To one day Not be sions anymore. So to combat this, it built them in such a way that when one died, their soul would congeal into "Spirit Metal". The soul itself is basically in a 'frozen' state instead of being aware of anything going on anymore.

In it's raw state spirit metal is a very irregular lump of - you guessed it - metal, or at least that's what it appears to be. The average size is a bit smaller than a closed fist. It has a gray-ish base color with a more golden shimmer, and it glows with a soft light. Most of the time it does form inside their body, though it can form outside as well, depending on how they died or how fast it was. It is worth noting that sions don't decay like a normal fully organic being like humans or shapeshifters do, they actually melt, as being dead their body is no longer producing enough magic to hold itself together. (Ancients are also a little bit different from modern sions here, and they have different body handling practices as well, but this is a whole convo best suited for another day.) Anyway, the point is that its actually not too difficult to get the metal out, usually you can already see a bit and then just pull it out of the melting stuff.

Once you have a piece of spirit metal ore, it can be forged. It's special properties are that it doesn't stick to any other spirit metal, so no, you can't meld individuals together, and that it doesn't separate from itself either, so you can't split it into pieces, it HAS to be worked as one piece. Otherwise, it can be thought of as similar to gold. It's soft for a metal and easy to work with, though at the same time means that it can't be used for armor or weapons - though forging them this way wouldn't be too proper anyway.

The reforged shapes are called "Spirit Houses". The shapes they use vary a bit depending on region and by circumstances*, but most people are going to be reforged into a "good" house. The most common shapes tend to be geometric and kind of flat, though they may have various levels of detail added on - I just did a mega basic example here. Most of these are going to end up in a special type of shrine either hanging or on shelves. Sometimes they will be forged into fancier shapes depending on what the person's interests were. Some examples are fish, feathers, books, etc, even animals like that rabbit. The main constraint is the ore size and not being able to separate pieces.

*In an event with multiple casualties (battle, accident, etc) they will temporarily reform the ore using a quick method, such as sandcasting, so its a lot easier to transport, then they'll reforge it once they get to a more appropriate location.

On the other side of things, there are also "bad" houses that people can be reforged into. These ones are considered to be disrespectful to the spirit and these are usually done deliberately. (In cases of accidentally disrespectful they will be reforged so we're not talking about that here.)

Some examples: Technically, because the metal won't separate from itself, it can be spooled out into thread, but this is deeply uncool. This is said to be "stretching out the spirit" so excessively long shapes are considered bad. Similarly too many holes or too big a hole is "punching holes in the spirit" so those are also bad. Also while they use some thread, rope, etc, excessive rope use is "tying up the spirit". You get the idea.

As I said this is actually done on purpose. For example if ore was collected from a member an opposing group (after battle for instance) then they will forge them into a Bad shape. They will also do this with prisoners (as in uuusually people who have committed some type of major crime) who have met their end one way or another. That Keyhole shape is favored for that as it combines the stretched shape/big hole/excessive rope. Instead of putting bad houses in shrines they may be put on display somewhere else as "an example." Although again, the soul is frozen and doesn't actually care about any of this.

When the cataclysm / plane split occurred, the immense amount of magic involved caused all of the spirit metal to break, finally releasing those inside and letting them move on. The sions that were still alive at the time were just completely obliterated and they directly moved on into the Beyond instead of forming any ore. Broken spirit houses are still found by archeologists today, and while it's fairly clear they had something to do with grave markers, they have no idea what they have now has completely different properties. The houses are no longer malleable and seem to just be broken pieces of fired but purposely unglazed pottery. They even have kind of gritty textures on the outside while the inside seems to have turned into glass.

[angelicbeaut]

I FINALLY REALITY SHIFTED. (02/27/23)

this is my raw feelings about it, might post concisely thought out ones after I get better at it.

so, excuse me if this post gets long. But i reality shifted early this morning, at around 5 or 6am with no warning and I am shook okay. I am shook. When reading this post I want you to keep in mind that everyone’s experience with reality shifting is different, and if you don’t identify with any of this, that is fine. And if you have not reality shifted yet, do not allow this to create fear or any doubt in your heart, because you have only just begun to understand the true power you have.

I was a person who did not believe. I studied LOA, read everything, forced myself to do everything I thought would take me there, and I still did not get there. I would pester myself and berate myself when I did not succeed. I was hard on myself. I never gave myself breaks, I was obsessed with creating an ability that already naturally exists inside all of us.

Well, all of that clamoring came to a stop when my grandfather died of cancer last week. It shook me to my core. Broke me. To the point I could not force myself to do anymore studying, I didn’t listen to subliminal, I cut out the whole world and I had to just be with myself. I took out time to do things that I liked, I sat with my emotions, I processed and I had to just be. And a peace came over me, a peace I have never felt before.

Yesterday night I was happy, kicking it with friends in the chat rooms I surfed through, up until god knows when because I had given myself the rest of Sunday to rest. I was up til around 5 or 6am. And at 6am I became so tired that I actually waded into sleepiness, and I started to imagine sitting in an arm chair, looking at a black flatscreen tv, that was on a brown nightstand. I don’t know why and I don’t know what came over me but I realized I was fully aware that the rest of my body was sleep. I had fought kicked and screamed to reach this state for almost a year and right now I was reaching it effortlessly. I was there. At first it was darkness, but then the image started to appear right in front of me. Now keep in mind I sleep in a dorm room, with my bed lofted in the air, and all of a sudden I was almost in the room that was completely different than where I was, centered on the floor.

I observed and thought it was strange but that I was just going into a dream. Then suddenly, I felt my spirit or soul, I’m struggling to find the right term so please correct me if you have more insight, separate from my body, going downward. Almost like I was sucked out of my body. My heart started to beat so fast, it was blaring against my chest, and I wanted to wake up. I didn’t want to believe I wanted to run from this, but I didn’t. I forced myself to continue. I calmed my mind and spoke to myself in my head which I could hear as if it were outloud. And then all of a sudden, I was in the room. The room I had imagined.

I was so stunned when it came to color and when I realized I could feel the leather arm chair underneath my body. I was there. I looked around and I felt my head move and then I slowly started to move the rest of my body. I actively stood up, and I was actively thinking about everything. I looked around and when I finally got my bearings I wanted to experiment, I told myself “if this is truly real I’m gonna see my celebrity crush in the next room” and there she was, now, I acted on my desires queens and I won’t go any further. You know the deal.

I explored, I ate ice cream of flavors I can’t even describe to you, I felt true peace, I had a blast. But then, my anxiety set in when I realized I had a class in the morning. So I almost summoned back the room, and I sat back in the chair and told myself I was going back to my current reality. At first it went to blackness and faded in and out between my desired and current reality. But then my eyes flew open automatically after I felt myself go back into my body, going up like a fast elevator until I was back in my bed in the dorm.

Now I was so overwhelmed when I realized exactly what happened that I fainted.

When I came to it was around noon. My chest hurt but I was so overwhelmed with joy and confusion that I called one of my best friends who also is into reality shifting and we geeked out, I called my other best friend, I called my parents, anyone who would listen.

Not everyone will believe but what I will tell you is that it is very real. It is true. I felt as if I had someone how convinced myself of a huge lie and I was tricking myself but no, listen to me, NO. it is real.

Today I have not been feeling real, so caught up in what happened, but I am now solidified in the fact that I can reality shift, this is real, I am the universe. I am god and I can do anything with little no effort. I wish I could tell my grandfather this.

Be still, and know that you are god. Trust yourself. Trust that you are this universe and your power is golden. You are amazing. I believe in you. I believe in me.

Don’t give up! I love you!

If anyone has any suggestions or tips for aftercare or shifting or any tips on what I should do the next time I shift, please let me know below!

- Che <3

[ninjago-autism-hours]

@bluetorchsky THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG SO I'M MAKING A SEPARATE POST! The green cousins are, in fact, Morro and Lloyd!! Keep in mind this is almost entirely headcanons!!

So, these two are dubiously cousins- Lloyd is the son of Garmadon, and Morro was sorta-adopted by Sensei Wu who is Garmadon's brother. Now, these cousins were born like- decades years apart, mind you. Morro was born about 40 years before the start of the series, and Lloyd was ~10 when the series began. One of the biggest connections between them is the prophecy of the Green Ninja- that one ninja will rise above the rest to defeat the evil Lord Garmadon and save Ninjago. When the four Golden Weapons were placed before the Green Ninja, they will rise and glow to signal his presence.

So, starting with Morro!

Morro was a homeless orphan, roaming the streets for years. This kid was feral- illiterate, no home training, barely speaking, no name, nothin. Zeph was about 8 and working with 2 older kids when he was found digging through Wu's trash for food. The older kids bolted and left zeph there, and Wu took pity on zephyr. He began leaving food and water out for Morro, and before too long he was able to coax the boy into the monastery. Wu's brother had left mere months before, and the guy was lonely despite the few students already in his care.

At first, Morro was just staying in the monastery- zeph was in horrible shape and Wu felt it would only hurt zeph if they were to train with the others, despite zephyrs growing interest in it. One day, Wu noticed Morro's fascination with kites and birds- really anything that flew- so he bought the boy a kite! He gave Morro the gift, then hurried to pull his kettle from the stove; when he returned, he saw Morro flying the kite by controlling the wind, and with incredible skill at that. Morro was an elemental master, the Master of Wind!

Wu knew the prophecy, knew that an elemental master was most likely to be the Green Ninja- so he told Morro. Wu told Morro of the prophecy, and that Morro could be the one to fill it. Morro, who had lived all his life just trying to survive, being treated like scum, was suddenly told that he could have a higher purpose, could be the one to save the world. That's a lot for an, at this point, barely 9 year old kid. Morro began training, and he trained relentlessly, with Wu being three times as harsh and stern to him in comparison to the other students. By the time zeph was 10, zeph was able to hold his own against Wu himself.

At this point, Wu feels zeph is ready, and sets up the ceremony... only for the weapons not to respond to Morro's presence.

Wu is heartbroken. Morro is even more so. The kid looks up to his sensei, his master, his father, and sees no reassurance. "You are not the green ninja," Wu says, taking away that green gi that symbolized everything Morro wanted to be. Morro became hysterical- that was his! His destiny, his purpose! What was he if not the green ninja?! Wu had promised!

Over the next few months, Morro would become obsessed with proving destiny wrong, with proving himself to be worthy- throwing himself into worsening danger with Wu having to save zephyr. It wasn't long until it all came to a head in an explosive argument, and Morro took off into the sunset in search for the Tomb of the First Spinjitsu Master- surely that would prove destiny wrong. Wu left the monastery doors open for zephyr, desperately hoping his son would return.

Morro died in the Caves of Despair at 14, trapped alone in the firey depths, body left to rot away without a proper burial. Their soul was sent to the Cursed Realm, where the Preeminent whispered lies and stoked the flames of their wrath and bitterness- promised them the great destiny they craved if only zephyr could free Her.

Lloyd was born to Garmadon- not yet fully corrupted by the venom of the Great Devourer, by pure unfiltered Evil- and Misako- a simple archeologist who had played the hearts of both brothers. Things were okay, for just a few months- a husband, a wife, and their perfect baby boy.

Garmadon was barely allowed time to know his beloved son before the venom took hold and he was banished to the Underworld, yet the limitless love for the boy remained a glowing light in his darkened, twisted soul. There was little he could do to reach out to his son- he could only work to escape and trust Misako to make sure their boy was kept safe and raised right.

Misako did not do that. Instead, she abandoned Lloyd at Darkly's Boarding School for Bad Boys at about 4 years old in favor of hunting down clues on how to stop the prophecy from playing out. She knew, deep down, that Lloyd would be the Green Ninja, and she wanted to do whatever possible to save her family- to free Garmadon of the venom, to prevent Lloyd from becoming a ninja, to prevent their inevitable fight to the death. She didn't want Wu to find out about Lloyd, didn't want a repeat of Morro.

Lloyd was raised desperately trying to be as evil as his dad, only to be told he wasn't bad enough. He was too kind-hearted, too vulnerable- evil villains didn't help protect others, didn't cry over their losses, didn't care, according to Darkly's. He was only 9 when he was kicked out to the streets after standing up for a student who had been harmed by a teacher. He was only 9 when he released the Serpentine from their ancient tombs and had his trust and desperation for love taken advantage of by Pythor the Anacondri.

Lloyd was only 9 when Wu took him in, when he was used as a lesson for Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane. "The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend," Wu had said, standing between the scowling teenagers and his nephew who was falling asleep safe for the first time in 5 years. It would take patience to handle this young boy, to undo the training and traumas given by Darkly's. Patience, love, and gentleness, the same Wu had shown all those years ago with Morro.

Lloyd was only 9 when the Golden Weapons responded to his presence. Lloyd was only 10 when he told the ninja to throw the Tomorrow's Tea, taking the hit alongside the Grundle- and the Lloyd that stood back up on trembling legs was 16. His childhood was gone, and it would only be a year or two before he would have to kill his father, and the green gi against his skin symbolized the weight of the world on his too old yet too young shoulders.

Lloyd was 17 when he watched his father get sacrificed in order to end the Second Serpentine War. Lloyd was only 17 when Morro slipped through the rift between worlds with a plan for vengeance, possessing Lloyd and using his body to complete the journey Morro had died to complete.

A child denied the destiny zeph craved, a child for ed into a destiny he did not want. They are a fucking tragedy.

[mable-stitchpunk]

Question: What's the timeline of Baby/Ennard/The Funtimes splitting up in the CGHA universe? Like, when Mari/Mike first go down to ARI are they fighting the whole conglomeration or is Ennard alone? And if it is all of them, at what point did they split?

Alright, here we go!

So, prior to CGHA, both Ben Hansberry and Michael Afton went down to Afton Robotics at separate but close times. Ben was scooped, but the body failed. Michael was scooped and the amalgam of Circus Baby and the Funtimes escaped Afton Robotics. Shortly afterwards, Michael's body failed and they escaped.

Fighting in the group led to Baby getting tossed out by her bandmates and they wandered briefly before returning to Afton Robotics, as their body was weakened without Baby. Unknowing to them, the soul of one of their previous victims was starting to spread further into the body- likely caused by how disjointed things became after they had ditched their leader, Baby.

One by one, their fourth voice unintentionally filled more of the body, and the other inhabitants were forced out. This left Ennard as his own being and the remains of the Funtimes leftover in Afton Robotics until they eventually rebuilt themselves as the Moltens in the basement.

Now, Baby had also returned to Afton Robotics- reluctantly. She gathered up parts and pieces and rebuilt herself into Scrap Baby and then went to confront her old band. However, by time she got there, Ennard had fully overtaken the body, much to her horror. Frightened by her, Ennard fled.

The two existed in Afton Robotics for a while. Baby waiting for another opportunity for 'escape'- Afton Robotics had closed, but there wasn't a realistic way of her escaping into society- and Ennard existing and surviving.

That was, until Mike and Marionette came to Afton Robotics. Seeing her chance, Baby put aside her differences and encouraged Ennard to help her snatch the new body- fully intending to take full control if given the chance. Ennard, tempted by the offer, agreed.

This is why when Ennard first appears it is a mix of Baby and him. She is in control, but the two are working together. Using Ennard's body and wires, they puppeteer the remains of Ballora and the Funtimes to slowly chip down Mike and Mari.

Alas, the plan fails and the two are scooped. Baby separated herself from Ennard and returned to her scrap body while leaving Ennard to pull himself back together. She retreated further into the facility.

But Ennard had a trick up his sleeve. Sometimes before Baby's return, he had partially feasted on Max the Magician's (unknowing he was alive and starved) wiring. With that, he had somehow assimilated his ability for brute force telepathy and used this to lure Mari back to Afton Robotics. He then disguised himself in Baby's old shell.

Mike, Mari, and the others fell for the act and took Ennard with them. The real Baby had not engaged, nor knew of his plan.

So, that's the story! ^_^ Hope that answers your question.

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

My Thoughts About If Earth Angels Had Ranks...And Some Other Stuff.

[Note: Reading This Is Optional...this will also talk a bit about Nonbinary, Transgender and Intersex as well. ]

yeah, not everyone has to agree with this but if Earth Angels did have some form of Ranks, it will be different depending on the half-human & half-angelic soul.

my ideas of the types of Ranks would be:

Earth Angel Princess

Earth Angel Prince

Earth Angel Mage

Earth Angel Knight

Earth Angel Healer

Earth Angel Oracle

Earth Angel Witch

Earth Angel Messenger

Earth Angel Duke

Earth Angel Overlord

Earth Angel Queen

Earth Angel King

and lastly, Earth Angel Newborn which is basically a newborn soul baby who is both physically and mentally a baby and will grow like most children over time even growing to until they reach their mature adult forms.

but once the New Earth Angel that was once a newborn soul reaches as certain age, their rank will change.

I'm not 100% sure if there are boy Earth Angels, even some who are Nonbinary-Boys who go by He/They pronouns.

but it could be possible there are some Earth Angels who have have been born in biological male bodies, and may identify as male.

it could be rare for some Earth Angels who are Male or Female to born into the wrong body that doesn't match their true gender identity.

like for some who are Nonbinary, even if being Transgender is separate but what I'm trying to say is that some who do feel Nonbinary but at the same time feel like they were born into the wrong body and feel like well the pronouns that seem to fit them would be He/They or She/They, it depends on them either being a Nonbinary-Guy or Nonbinary-Gal.

there can be different types of Nonbinary, and while some can still feel a bit more connected to the biological body they were born with even if in a different way, some might not and some could not only be a guy trapped in a girl body or a girl trapped in a boy body, they might also turn out to be Nonbinary as well, but that might only be a few who feel like that.

maybe some will get what I'm trying to say and I hope there is no misunderstandings.

I still suspect I might be one of the Intersex types, because of stuff that happen in my childhood before I became a teenager and at some point later on when I started to have that whole time of the month...it had got dangerous for me at some point, and well what I read about one of the signs of that Intersex type I believe that I am.

it just seem to fit from some stuff I went through.

I don't want to fully say that I am Intersex because some people might disagree, but the info I read before makes me believe I might very well be.

Stevonnie from Steven Universe is Nonbinary and goes by They/Them, and they are Intersex as well.

there are different types of Intersex and yeah ya can still be Biologically Male or Female but it's different for some even those who turn out to be Nonbinary, and there are different types of Nonbinary, not just ones who go by just They/Them.

there isn't just one type of Intersex, and with how some doctors and parents are, it's a good thing some don't notice right away because them trying to "fix" it and not bothering to get it through their heads that might cause more damage and possibly a identity crisis if what they pick, turns out to be incorrect.

if I am right about being Intersex, then I was one of the lucky ones not to be notice as such by the doctors, plus I think my Mom would have sense not to let them try to "fix" me...

Hell Knows No Fury Than The Wrath Of A Mother...

I know that isn't how that goes, but it works in this case.

plus if I was able to, and if my second cat wasn't taken to the vet on time or if those at the vet did anything wrong while trying to help her...

I would so do a Omnigeddon on the 5th Heaven and 5th Ring of Hell, freezing and making them snow and no Masculine would be safe from my sorrow and rage...

yeah as weird as it sounds, the thoughts I had if anything went wrong with my second cat, I would start Omnigeddon.

I know it isn't really possible, the whole Omnigeddon thing.

and I still rather my second cat have a very long life and live for many years to come.

it had hurt what happen with my first cat, and it be nice if they were given to me when they were a kitten like my second cat.

I know that any fluffy baby I get, they will end up being weird. XD

I know I had some form of bond with my first cat, plus the second cat I have seems to be like a more deeper bond, and it be nice it turns out my second cat is the reborn self of my first cat.

but seriously, if anything were to happen to them, like if they had went too soon before it was truly their time...

and if it were possible, I would freeze and have it snow in the 5th Heaven and The 5th Ring Of Hell...

I'm pretty sure there were a few times I went all Feral Earth Angel, well before figuring out that I am one...

like it being a mix of protectiveness in there half the time, not sure how many others went through as type of Feral Earth Angel Mode.

like if you have a cousin or sibling who is being picked on and you end up getting really mad and are about to head over there, but are held back from doing so by others who are family.

and not everyone has to believe it or agree with me on it, but there could be a deep reason why most humans end up being born in the wrong body, like even if someone who was born in a male or female body end up figuring out their gender identity doesn't match with them being really a gal or guy.

but the reasons could have to do with the imbalance, there could be only a few things we are discovering about it.

I still think that Hell wasn't always "Hell" and the Evil and Corruption that formed there could very well be from some form of miasma that was left unchecked along with their being a dangerous amount of Toxic-Masculine Energy.

what we know as Hell, may have been a Quarantine sector of The Earth Queendom, being a part of The Earthly Mother's domain.

which once again, may have had to go through Quarantine so the dangerous imbalance did not spread.

in one of the books I have that is by Nicholas Pearson.

the book "Stones Of The Goddess: Crystals For The Divine Feminine"

mentions about the dethroning of The Goddess, and it could be linked to some percent of the patriarchy being corrupted.

as weird it might be, I think there could be a type of Crystal that could allow to heal and purify souls before they are meant to reborn once again on Earth.

like picture a pure white glowing crystal that is like the Paradox Prism from Sonic Prime.

like souls are meant to go into the crystal and then come out, healed from the trauma that they may have suffered through in their past life and they can either choose to stay in the afterlife or be reborn once again.

as weird as a thought it might be, like some kind of Crystal that is white and large that it could be way bigger than a adult, even one who could be 6 or 7 feet tall.

like such a Crystal being in a type of rocky room, ya know like the room is round but is made out of rocks, like orange and having type of lava around it like a size of a small lake or fountain...

but it once having green grass, with flowers and the lava use to having water that surrounds the said Crystal.

this is just a theory, but what I am describing could turn out to be real......I mean possibly.

it also could also be possible that some souls are born into their human bodies well, placed into their human bodies before being fully born, too soon before their soul has a chance to fully figure out what they identify as, either it be Male, Female or Nonbinary.

so it wouldn't just be one type of imbalance that could be the reason why some percent end up being born in the wrong bio-gender body that don't match their soul's identity.

it can be different for different people, and it could be possible some souls could be Transgender but it could have to do with them reforming that has to do with the consciousness manifestation of light that is their bodies changing to the body that matches who they truly are at their hearts.

so Transgender can be different in the afterlife and celestial realm, because it wouldn't have the same type of pills or surgery.

anyway, there could be some Neutral Souls who could not only have the right balance of Masculine and Feminine energies, but could also have the Nonbinary Energy in there.

it could be possible I have both Nonbinary and Feminine Energy, even if some of the Masculine energy is suppose to be in there as well, but like the Masculine part will always be a part of humans, not just the males.

anyway the idea about the whole Earth Angel Ranks don't have to be taken seriously, but I think the whole Earth Angel Princess thing is already a rank because of that whole heritage I got...

I'm weird, so of course that "Earth Angel Princess" is going to pop into my head...

also I know that being Nonbinary and Intersex is separate, I mean I know I'm Aroaceflux and Fictoromantic and it could be possible I may have been Demiromantic but I'm not 100% sure.

I know I had bad luck with guys, even if some of them were online boyfriends, and any guy in real life I showed a bit of feelings for never truly returned the feelings...it might be thanks to my wearing my gem bracelets that I'm free from that, I can still get crushes of course but I have no interest in trying to get a boyfriend at this moment in time.

even if I did, they would need to respect my space and not touch me when I don't want to be touched or try to talk me into making-out when I may not feel like it....if I am okay with hand holding fine, even playing video games or watching a show or movie together...

but they are not allowed to put their arm around me unless I'm okay with it....

and hugging me from behind when I am not expecting it is REALLY not okay, cause they will likely startle me like a deer...

one of my family did that, and I was so surprised and not in a good way....but they know not to do that again, and I guess they are trying to make sure to remember how I don't like being touched at times...

with all that, and the whole weird thing that goes on with that Modern Radio, which lucky only happens once in a while...

it just reminds me a bit of Alastor from Hazbin Hotel.

I doubt he ever got seizures that were caused by the energies of both people and a place during childhood, so that can be one of the few differences.

I did explain about the weird stuff that happens when I point my fingers at the Modern Radio we have and then take it away, like at times the single will be better or not so much depending on what it will be.

I think it only happens once in a while, so that is pretty good.

I love sweets but even I can have days when I want something else besides sweets. Strawberries are one of my favorites, but there can be some strawberries that don't taste very good because their not as sweet...and it can have to do with the less love that is put into them.

so if a strawberry doesn't taste very good, it is because it has less love than the strawberries that are given the full love and care when being grown.

I'm not sure if I have much to say about the whole Earth Angel Ranks, but it could still be possible some percent of Earth Angels can end up being Nonbinary, some can be Intersex and some can be Transgender.

I still don't know many other Nonbinary Earth Angels, and well maybe there could be some who are Nonbinary besides me.

anyway not everyone has to agree about the whole imbalance thing that could be the cause of some humans being born into the wrong bio-gender body that might not match with their gender identity.

even if I can talk about my thoughts on the possibility, don't mean I will force others to agree. if some did agree, it would have to be of their own choice and free will.

[mademoiselle-red]

The wager that Sifeng didn’t quite win 

(a Love and Redemption analysis + headcanons)

In episode 58 of Love and Redemption, Sifeng challenges Bailin to a wager: he bets that Luohou Jidu is not a heartless demon hellbent on destruction. If he loses, he and Luohou Jidu would go to hell and die together. If he wins, Bailin will never appear in Jidu and Xuanji's lives again. At this time, Jidu and Xuanji are sharing one body. No matter whether he loses or wins, by the terms of his wager, Sifeng would remain by Jidu/Xuanji’s side (in death or in life) and Bailin and Jidu/Xuanji’s will never see each other again. 

Later, things seem to turn out exactly as Sifeng hoped: Luohou Jidu is influenced by Xuanji’s feelings and lets go of his desire to destroy the world. Bailin admits that he has lost the wager, and publicly apologizes to Jidu/Xuanji and asks her to kill him.

Xuanji’s soul takes back control over her own body, and following Sifeng’s wishes, she decides to let go of her hatred for Bailin and tells him: “I have no more room in my heart for hatred. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore.”

At this point in the story, Si Feng seems to have completely won the bet.

(In addition, the fact that Xuanji refers to Bailin as "other people” here is also very revealing: she really doesn't care about Bailin anymore. Xuanji has completely let go of her romantic feelings as the God of War and her hatred as Luohu Jidu. She is unwilling to take the life of “other people".)

But as Luohou Jidu had said in a previous episode, he is not Chu Xuanji. Sifeng knows Xuanji very well, but he doesn't truly know Jidu, and Xuanji, as just one small part of him in his ten thousand years of life, doesn't fully understand her other self either. So they both underestimated his fixation on Bailin. The moment Xuanji announced that she will have nothing more to do with Bailin, Jidu separated from her body. From that moment on, it became impossible for them to be one person again, because Jidu refused to get over Bailin. 

Since Xuanji doesn’t want any part in Bailin's life or death, Jidu finally leaves her behind to deal with Bailin on his own. In Luohu Jidu's life, Bai Lin could never be just "other people''. He stole Jidu’s life and forced him to become his. Now his life is forfeit: he now belongs to Jidu just as much as Jidu once belonged to him. 

So I think here, Bailin, who has lost the wager to Sifeng, wins back half the “prize”. Jidu is unwilling to follow Xuanji in fulfilling Sifeng's dying wish. He is unwilling to never see Bailin again. 

At the end of the story, he and Bailin recall the time they spent together, and finally confess to each other how they never forgot the time they spent together and how much they both cherished their bond.

A thousand years ago, all Luohou Jidu wanted was to be able to drink with Bailin every day. A thousand years later, he still cannot let go of their drinking date, the cup of wine that Bailin never drank, and the feelings that Bailin didn’t reciprocate.

Not only does he want Bailin to die, he also wants to die with him. This was when I started shipping this pairing. In most revenge plots, the protagonist kills the enemy who wronged him, and moves on. Why would he accompany Bailin in death and reincarnation if all he sought was revenge? What else does he want from Bailin? 

He cannot forgive Bailin for his betrayal and cruelty, but I think he also couldn't bear to just kill him and never see him again. The thought of Bailin never appearing in his life again is unthinkable. Luohou Jidu refuses the terms of Sifeng’s wager. He will never let Bailin go. 

A thousand years ago, he showed up to a date with his soulmate (actual word used in the drama) with a heart full of warmth and trust, but all he received in return was "betrayal by the one he loved and trusted". His original heart was dug out and sealed, and replaced with crystal heart. 

After a thousand years, when the crystal heart turned into flesh and blood, he left half of it with Xuanji and gave the other half to Sifeng to return his ten lifetimes of love and devotion (after all, this crystal heart grew flesh and blood because of Sifeng). 

So all that is left with Luohou Jidu now is his original heart, the one that was chopped to pieces by Bailin a thousand years ago. It is a heart full of love and hate, all tangled up. But the object of this heart’s love and of it's hate is Bailin, and only Bailin. 

This heart has been waiting for a thousand years for Bailin's reciprocation. And reciprocate he does. Bailin finally drinks his cup of wine, finally acknowledging who they are and who they have been to each other all these years. 

They look into each other’s eyes as they leave together, their gaze affectionate and gentle. 

[bemotu]

A Cold Freezing Night

Cold was an understatement; that night was frigid, so unusually freezing even for a city like New York. People in the building had brought out reinforcements– heated blankets, space heaters, and the like, anything to brace the winter that had seemed to slip its way into each apartment. At some point in the night, a spark caught; the occupants of the apartment it started in rushed out as soon as they noticed, carelessly leaving their front door wide open for the fire to spread. I was asleep when it happened, peacefully dreaming of whatever six-year-olds dream about when I felt myself being quite literally ripped from my sleep; I don’t think my eyes were even fully open when my mother pulled me out of bed, rushing us out the door.

I could smell the smoke, feeling it burning at each individual membrane of my sinuses, the sensation making me tear up a bit out of discomfort. Amidst the panic of the residents of my floor, including my own parents’, I became separated from them. I stood disoriented and scared on what I think was the 4th floor hallway, the walls and ceiling quickly becoming engulfed with smoke, the distant crackle of fire feeling like it was growing closer; I ducked to the floor, remembering what I was taught in class during fire safety. It felt like hours passed, but it must have only been less than 30 seconds in reality, when the room felt a heaviness lift from it suddenly– I could feel some sort of heat ahead of me, looking up hesitantly to see if the fire had finally reached me, waiting to swallow me whole…

But it wasn’t the fire, in fact, the smoke seemed to have lifted completely. I stood, eyes wide staring ahead at this light in front of me… a figure, something almost otherworldly– No words in any human language would be able to accurately describe this incarnation of sunlight that I stood before. It had no features as far as I could tell, but I could feel it looking at me, peering into my mind, body and soul. It never spoke, never made any noises, but something in me almost like a soft voice coming from my subconscious was reassuring me I had nothing to be afraid of; It didn’t stop me of course from being incredibly intimidated by this ethereal being. Time seemed to once again pass slowly as we both remained in place for god only knows how long… Until eventually, it extended its arm, reaching its hand out in front of me. Unsure of what to do, I paused, staring at it like a child stares at the moon upon seeing it for the first time. The same soft voice from within me reassured me once more, telling me that I could take it’s hand, that nothing bad would happen… So I did. And then the world went black.

After that, everything was fuzzy. I remember hearing muffled yells and being lifted up by thickly gloved hands, bits and pieces of the ambulance ride to Maimonides, the feeling of a cold, heavy bracelet on my wrist, one that hadn’t been there before. From what I was told, I was unconscious for the remainder of the night, but completely unharmed. Despite being in that building for a grueling 13 minutes or that fact 7 other people lost their lives that night; even with the soot on my skin and singed pieces of my nightgown, there was no evidence of any burns or smoke inhalation. Doctors told my parents it was nothing short of a miracle, but knowing what I know now, that’s the last thing I would’ve called it.

I woke up early the next morning, long before the sun had even begun to rise. My parents sat sleeping in hospital chairs, probably exhausted after the traumatizing events that had only taken place hours before. I was hooked up to some equipment, don’t ask me what it was because I couldn’t tell you, but the bed was close enough to the window for me to scoot over and look out. The window was cold against my fingertips as I leaned against it, peering out onto the street below. It was so peacefully empty, the only presence of life being the few nightshift nurses out on a smoke break, wrapping their cardigans around themselves to shield from the light flurry of snow that had started.

As the fog of sleep lifted from my brain, it instead began to rapidly fill with thoughts. I unfocused my eyes, pressing my forehead against the cool window– At the time I questioned if what I saw in the hallway was real or if had just been some near death hallucination; of course I know the truth now, and how that was probably my first time in the labyrinth, but for a long time I questioned everything, making excuses for it all. The bracelet was just a gift, the light being was a hallucination, all the nightmares just a symptom of ptsd, the things I saw for years after… I was just crazy.

But I wasn’t in that moment. Then, I was just a kid, confused but grateful to be alive, enjoying fidgeting with the sword charm on my new bracelet as I watched the snowflakes outside floating around… And if I squinted just right? I could swear, they almost looked like small white butterflies.

[cosmichighpriestess]

Welcome dear ones. Once again we wish you to know that all is proceeding according to plan. We repeat this often because in the face of so many global and personal issues surfacing, many doubt this. Pockets of old but active energy continue to surface on all levels to be seen and cleared.  

Many things you thought would remain as they have always been are changing form or even dissolving. This is because consciousness, from which form manifests, is changing as the result of spiritual evolution. Earth was never meant to sink into its present dense and hypnotized state. Souls chose to experience separation but became lost in its seeming reality allowing it to became their state of consciousness opening them to manipulation. The experiment of separation was never meant to evolve into the dense hardened three dimensional belief system it became.

Always remember that you are not physical bodies with a consciousness, rather you are consciousness with a material body that you yourself chose for this particular lifetime. Those born with or who at some point acquired a less than perfect physical body were aware of and chose the experiences of having that body before incarnation either for their own learning or that of parents or others.  

For those living fully in separation consciousness, life experiences are usually random expressions of duality and separation. However very little is random or accidental once a person begins living from a state of consciousness increasingly more in alignment with their Higher Self. The Higher Self then begins to provide those experiences necessary for spiritual growth and clearing. Learn to look deeper at all your life experiences in the realization that with the help of your Guides you yourself chose your parents, gender, needed experiences, and family dynamic before incarnating.  

A soul often chooses to incarnate into a family that will provide them with the opportunity to experience and reactivate some old energy they have been carrying and suffering from through many previous lifetimes but are now prepared to permanently clear. This is often true in family dynamics of abuse, rigid religious belief or traditions, and alcohol or drug addiction. Know that in every situation something more is taking place than what appearances testify to.

Physical aches and pains always indicate dense energy that remains active. It could be as ordinary as the energy of belief in old age and deterioration or simply the physical cells remembrance and expression of an injury or disease from a previous life. In your quiet time state your intention to gently and easily clear all old energy associated with the particular issue you may be experiencing in order that the already present reality can manifest. 

The surfacing of old energies often brings a person to seek relief through three dimensional solutions. Know that these will always be temporary because they only trim branches from the illusion tree, leaving the root intact. Until the root (the underlying belief) is removed the issue will continue to manifest in some form. You are ready and prepared to remove roots. 

Go deeper, ask for guidance, and state your intention to fully clear all remaining oaths, promises, vows, and any remaining energy from past personal actions (karma) . Large pockets of old energy (Example--Having lived many lifetimes in the same belief system especially those of a particular religion) often clear in increments and take longer so do not be discouraged or think you have failed if you find certain issues reappearing after you thought you had moved beyond them. 

Do not get discouraged or depressed about clearing experiences for they indicate spiritual evolution and graduation into a new state of consciousness. Learn to laugh at the absurd situations that clearings often bring to what may have always been a comfortable and familiar lifestyle. See them as being positive rather than negative even when they are uncomfortable physically, emotionally, mentally, or even spiritually.

-The Arcturians

(part one)

[terrencetheycallme]

Mag7/Dark Souls 2 Crossover: Prompt Piece

Prompt: Something you weren’t supposed to overhear.

Fandom: Magnificent 7 (2016) as a Dark Souls 2 crossover

Characters: Billy Rocks (POV), Vasquez, Faraday

Relationships: Guess.  Pre-relationships round the board, but specifically, pre-Varaday and pre-Goodrocks

Context: I’ve been working on Dark Souls 2/Mag7 cossover versions of each character, and Billy Rocks ended up being my manscorpion (human torso attached to a scorpion body), based on a character named Tark from Dark Souls 2 (who became the way he was as a result of Bad Guy Experiments).  Vasquez is a fire-using pyromancer based on the desert sorceress characters, and Faraday is a dark-magic hex-user.

Also linked to this post I made a year ago, featuring some unfinished designs for Vasquez and Goody from this AU!  I hope to get the rest of the 7 drawn at some point too.

This is a very specific AU, I fully recognize that, but for this preview, there isn’t too much that you need to know beforehand, and I’ve tried to give a basic picture with context clues in the actual story.  I hope to do more for this project, at which point, I’ll give more of a sort of pre-story description of what elements of Dark Souls 2 I’m using.  This was also mainly a prompt exercise to get me into a writing mode, so I wasn’t too concerned with setting the stage perfectly!

(And if some things are a little too confusing, feel free to let me know, and I'll answer questions!)

The basic gist of this: Everyone involved is trying to escape the Big Bad, and snuck into underground tunnels to do so.

Enjoy!

---------------------------------------

Billy moved quietly through the tunnel, thankful for the dark.  It shrouded him, it gave him safety, it meant he wasn’t followed, wasn’t hunted. 

His master disliked the dark, after all.

He moved lightly over uneven ground, feeling carefully as he went, paying attention to tremors and vibrations, listening when he could with his imperfect human ears.

He was so close to freedom.  So close to getting out, to throwing off the chains his master had kept him in.  But not quite.

He had to find Goody first. 

First Goody, then escape, for both of them.

Billy’s jaw tightened and he glared through the dark.

Goody shouldn’t have done that.  He shouldn’t have separated from Billy.  He was safer when Billy could protect him, he should have known that by now. His body was so fragile, so easy to damage. Billy was the one with the nigh indestructible form.

The shudders of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts, the tremors coming from close by.

He stilled.  His body tensed, a familiar but uncomfortable action, his hybrid instincts at war with themselves.  He should dig, hide in the ground and wait for the shake of their footsteps above him.  But no—no, he should hunker down, get as low to the ground as possible, use his spear as they approached—

The footsteps stopped.  More than could be attributed to one person, too few for three.  So, only a pair, then.  There was a thud, as though one of them had dropped to the ground. 

So, they could be injured.  Good.

He crept closer, careful to stay in the shadows, aware of his bulk and its drawbacks.  He came to a stop before he could round a final corner, the potential threats on the other side.

Voices filtered through the dark.  The dim and flickering light of a fire threw itself haphazardly against the rock wall.  Torch?

“Shouldn’t have done that, Faraday.” 

A pained laugh.  “Hey, I been waitin’ to fuck that asshole up for years, a little nick to the side is worth it, far as I’m concerned.”  The man’s voice was heavy with exhaustion, uneven and slurred.

“A ‘little nick to the side?’  I’d call it ‘profusely bleeding from a hole in your abdomen.’”  This one sounded frustrated, his voice tense and unhappy.  Billy tilted his head.  He didn’t recognize either.  “Hold still.” 

A wet cough.  “Don’t s’pose you… you know any miracles, do ya?”

“No.”  Curt.  Short.  Billy’s brow furrowed.  This one sounded like he did when Goody wouldn’t listen to him.  “But I have some bandages I can work with.  And some of that magic salve.”

Billy’s spear dipped an inch.  A healer?  Maybe this one knew Goody…

A low whistle, more air than sound.  “How’d you get that?  Been watchin’ you the whole while you been in that cage.”

“Not the whole while.”  Gravelly and viciously satisfied, with dark ferocity.  Billy’s shoulders tensed.  He pulled the spear back up.

There wasn’t any more talking for a while, though Billy strained to listen. 

Distantly, a part of him wondered why he didn’t just make the attack, why he didn’t lunge from his hiding place and take them out while they were distracted.  One of them was clearly wounded, the other focused entirely on helping him.

A soft muttering reached his ears, a language he didn’t understand, and he paused again.

“Hey, I been meanin’ to ask you.”  There was the injured man again, still sounding tired and hurt. 

The other man only hummed acknowledgement.  There was a soft slapping sound, like a hand smacking against skin.  Like Goody when he reached up to smack Billy’s arm in one of his odd fits of humor, grinning and unafraid.

“Hey,” the tired voice again. “I m… I mean it.  Hey.”

“What, guero?  Trying to keep you from bleeding out, and you can’t stop talking.”  More of the unfamiliar language.

The other voice kept going.  “Why’d you… try to get me out?”

An impatient scoff.  “No ‘try’ about it.  You’re out, aren’t you?” 

“Still stuck in his—his damn tunnels, ain’t we?”

“Not for long, we’re not.  Now, ch.”

The first man didn’t seem to have a response to that, falling as close to silence as he could with his harsh and heavy breathing.  The sounds of the other man’s attempts at healing didn’t slow.  Billy’s spear dipped again, further this time.

“…You didn’t… di’n’t answer my question.”

More hurried movements, frustrated murmurs in that unfamiliar language, the hard abrupt vibrations of something hitting the ground.  A weapon? The other man’s hand?  Fist, maybe?

“Will you—”

“I worked f’the guy who held you prisoner.”  A wet swallow.  “He tortured you.  You know what he did.  You saw.  You should… should want me dead too.”  The ruffle of fabric, frantic movement that Billy couldn’t place.  “I l—I listened to him.”

His voice was rising, a thread of urgency, of something raw and harsh, weaving through it.  Billy’s grip on his spear was so tight it was nearly painful.  Just attack.  Just put him out of his misery.  Both of them.

But his body wouldn’t move. 

“Shouldn’t be here.  Could kill you.”

Goody laughed at that.  It was wispy and broken.

Billy looked up into empty blue eyes.  Goody smiled, wan, and went over to him anyway.

“Yeah,” Goody murmured, light and weak as the dust from crumbled bones. “And you shouldn’t keep letting me in.”  A wink, filled with Goody’s typical fake cheer.  “I’m practically your jailer, after all.” 

And then, he’d leaned back against Billy’s body – the protected parts, the stiff plated parts, where Billy couldn’t bend to reach him with his hands, couldn’t feel his warmth – and closed his eyes.

And then he’d helped free Billy from his master.  Helped free him, and then had disappeared.

And Billy had thought—he didn’t know, really.  He’d thought it was only him, and now Goody, out for themselves against all of his master’s staggering resources. 

He’d thought these two may have been guards sent to recover him.  Would have attacked them thinking that, if he hadn’t listened. 

But now…

“You were a prisoner too.”  The other voice wasn’t so frustrated now, wasn’t so tense and urgent.  It was soft.  Gentle.  “I knew that from the beginning.  From the way you were around him.  I saw your scars, Faraday.  You didn’t want it any more than I did.”

“But I—”

“I wasn’t about to leave you with him.”  The voice was almost too quiet for Billy to hear.  Solid with the steel of the man’s conviction, but tender somehow, like he didn’t want to scare the other man.

“Vas…”  Weak and shaking, that first voice.

“I’m not going to let him hurt you.”  Resolve, determination.  An idea started to form in Billy’s mind.  “Not anymore. We are getting out of here, and we’re going to find you help, ey?”

There was no answer.  For the first time since discovering the two men, Billy found he wanted to see what was happening.

He took in a slow breath, and the stubborn idea grew. 

Goody was still missing.  Billy’s master would likely be looking for them both.  Billy needed to find Goody and get them out of here.

And these two men seemed to have the same goal.  And the way they spoke to each other…

Slowly, carefully, Billy straightened his torso and pulled his stinger back, lowered rather than poised to strike.  He exhaled long and slow, and moved out of the darkness, rounding the corner and revealing himself to the interlopers.

There was only a beat of silence, then an explosion of movement.  The injured man sucked in a breath and reached for a long staff with shaking fingers.  The healthy man, crouched over the injured one, whirled about in one graceful movement, an odd fan jumping to his hand.  Fire began to swirl about his forearm.  Poised to strike, like Billy had been.  Ready to protect, as Billy wanted to do.

Billy held up his free hand.  He very pointedly didn’t move any farther forward.  He made eye contact with both the injured man and the healthy one, letting his gaze linger on the latter.

He dropped his spear to the dirt.

[buggie-hagen]

Sermon for Fourth Sunday of Advent (12/18/22)

Primary Text | Romans 1:1-7

--------------------------------------------------

Dear People of God,

On this fourth and final Sunday of Advent, this season of hope, this season of the Arrivals of the Christ, where we have considered the Arrival of Christ in the future, and the Arrival of Christ in the present, we will now hear about the Arrival of Christ in the past. For the gospel concerning God’s Son, has everything to do with these words “who was descended from David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3).  When you read the holy scriptures, whether it be Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Joshua, the Books of Kings, the Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, they are all there to point us to the Messiah. To this son of David. This Jesus, in whom God became a human being, of the same flesh and blood as us. In what we call the incarnation, which is the whole point of Christmas, in the birth of Jesus Christ God left his lofty abode in the heavens and has forever pitched his tent to dwell with us as fully one of us. To be with us. To save us from our sin. Even now, in the Lord Jesus Christ—who is always both God and a human being—to this day Jesus is not pinned up in heaven far away—he  has come down-to-earth among us “people of the dirt.” He is “in the flesh.” One might wonder, “Why is God even involved at all in this fleshy world. Does it matter? Isn’t the spiritual world better, or more important?” That God became a fleshy human being, as we are, is God’s definitive statement that he truly cares about this created world that we live in. That not just our souls only, but our bodies will be saved. The birth of Jesus Christ showcases that the final condition of the world God will bring about is one where the spiritual and the physical are united! Not separated! It has been a common plague even from ancient times for Christians to imagine that our final destiny is to be a floating spirit completely unconnected to the physical world. But how wrong we are when we think that! For it is the teaching of our Christ and of our common Christian faith that there will be a resurrection of the body—we will be given a body that never wears out. It is humans as they truly are meant to be, not angels, who are God’s most precious creation. The famous 20th century writer, C.S. Lewis, put it very well—we are amphibians. That is, as a frog is just as comfortable on land as it is in the water—so a human being is always both a spiritual and a bodily creature. We are not one of these without the other. When Jesus was raised from the dead he was raised in his body. And so too, when the final hour comes, we will be raised in the same way Jesus was raised—in both soul and body.  

The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, is good news to us because it is God’s word for our bad situation—though we are burdened in sin, oppressed by death and the devil, torn apart in one way or another, the gospel concerning God’s Son reminds us we belong to Christ. Though we fall into sin every moment, and we deserve no good thing from God, yet we have in Christ the Holy One in our Midst who remains as God for us. He is the Messiah, the Son of David according to the flesh, he is the one who has promised put us back together. And he does this by bringing us to faith in him. The same is how he operates with people from all nations. For it is through him whom God will “bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles” (Rom. 1:5). Our gospel does not concern one kind of people. It concerns us all. And when God chooses to give his gospel to a person, he just gives it, by mercy, without regard for what anyone else thinks on the matter. Therefore our God frowns when we choose to direct our hatred to any one group of people, no matter who they are or what they have done. There is not a person on earth for whom Christ did not die. When God put on flesh he put on the flesh of not just the Jews alone, but also for the Greeks, also for the Ukrainians, also for the Russians, also for the Chinese, also for transgender people, also for those with mental illness, also for those who have autism, also for those who are serving a life sentence in prison. That is what the Bible means when it says the gospel is given to “all nations.” In view of this, our Lord commands us to love both our friends and our foes, to be kind to those who wrong us, to forgive as we have been forgiven, to withhold nothing of ourselves in service to our neighbors.

You have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. Because he has called you, you are his. The same God who in arrived in the belly of the Virgin Mary, then born sharing in our flesh and blood, now arrives to you in his word. And through his word proclaimed, these divine gifts are yours forever—grace and peace. Grace because in Christ God has favored you apart from anything you have done. Peace—because Christ has made you his own through word and sacrament—and thus the animosity between you and God is over. Your sins are forgiven. By the word God has claimed you as his own, chosen you from among all nations, and adorned you with grace and peace—in soul and body.  

[n1kolaiz]

The Six Realms

Okay, so I was pretty close to giving up on writing analyses but I'm back LMFAO plus I see we're close to 100 followers and I just want to thank you guys for being so very supportive <3

Alright, I'm not sure if anyone's ever written about this, but if an analysis like this exists, please do let me know because I'm kind of curious as to what other people think about this, too!

Remember that time Fukuchi spoke about bringing "about the five signs of an angel's death"?

I read a little bit more about it, and as a minor content warning: this analysis will focus on a few religious aspects (Buddhism + Hinduism). So if I get any of the facts wrong, firstly: I do not mean any disrespect to either religion, and secondly: please do correct me if I interpret anything in the wrong way.

Spoilers for BSD chapter 90 onwards + BEAST!AU under the cut!

So I'll start by talking about the Decay of Angels. As we all know, the members include Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Sigma, and Bram Stoker, and their leader, Fukuchi Ochi. After Fyodor's arrest, the Decay of Angels came into light with Nikolai murdering four government officials in a week. These murders symbolise the Buddhist cycle of existence, or otherwise known as samsara: the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

"We are the Decay of Angels—hiding here as terrorists, a 'murder association', five people who will announce the demise of the celestial world."

Nikolai Gogol, chapter 57

Samsara is described to be a concept beyond human understanding. According to Hinduism, samsara is the physical world where every being has its soul trapped into a physical vessel. The Hindus believe that everything has a soul, and due to a soul's attachment to desire, it is forced into a deathless cycle of being born, dying, and reincarnating into a different body. In Buddhism, the ultimate way to break free from this cycle is by obtaining nirvana.

Nirvana is a Sanskrit word for the goal of the Buddhist path: enlightenment or awakening. In Pali, the language of some of the earliest Buddhist texts, the word is nibbana; in both languages it means "extinction" (like a lamp or flame) or "cessation." It refers to the extinction of greed, ill will, and delusion in the mind, the three poisons that perpetuate suffering. Nirvana is what the Buddha achieved on the night of his enlightenment: he became completely free from the three poisons. Everything he taught for the rest of his life was aimed at helping others to arrive at that same freedom.

- TRICYCLE'S definition of nirvana

As Fukuchi mentions in the panel above, there are six different realms of existence. These realms represent every possible state of existence, but one cannot live in a specific realm forever. Depending on whether or not one's past actions were morally good or bad, an individual is born into one of these realms. Basically, the controlling factor of which realm a person is born into is dependent on their respective karma. The realms are separated into two categories: the hellish ones and the heavenly ones.

The Deva Realm: where beings are rewarded for the good deeds they have done. This realm is void of anything unpleasant. It is basically paradise— empty of unfulfilled desires, any form of suffering, and fears of every kind. Religious individuals, however, do not seek to be born into this realm since its attitude is more or less carefree.

The Asura Realm: where demigods are admitted. Asuras are driven by greed and envy, and may come in conflict with human beings since they are quite similar. They are powerful beings, but quarrel with each other quite a bit, making this realm quite undesirable to be reborn into.

The Animal Realm: where beings are given the form of an animal (you probably guessed that lol). Individuals here don't actually have good karma to take pride in, but rather, they are born into this realm to work off their bad karma (by being slaughtered, hunted, or forced to work, etc). Being born into this realm forces one to atone for their past sins by living out their life as an animal.

The Hell Realm: where one is punished for their evil actions. The most merciless of realms, where one pays for their transgressions through pure suffering, methods of which include: dismemberment, starvation, and psychological/physical torture. However, once a person's term is fulfilled in this realm, they are presumably promised to be reborn into a higher state.

The Preta Realm: similar to the hell realm, in which beings pay for their past sins (specifically: greed and stinginess) by having to survive through hunger and thirst. This realm is also known as the 'ghost realm,' because some pretas are psychologically tortured by being forced to live in places their past selves have lived in. They are invisible to human beings living at that time, which pushes them to face the depths of despair and loneliness. Your typical horror movie, really.

The Human Realm: the only realm where one's actions determine their future. The status (social ranking, physical wellbeing, and so on) of a human being in this realm is determined by their past actions, but due to the fact that a person has their own conscience to differentiate good morals from bad, the actions they commit in this realm have the power to determine which realm they are sent to next.

Okay, so now that I've got that out of the way, let's shift our focus to the Book. Very little is known about the Book, but the basic fundamentals of how it works is that whatever is written in the book will come into existence only if its contents follow the rules of karma. In addition to that, only a few sentences can be written into a single page of the Book, and it must follow the current narrative of the story.

If I'm not wrong, the first time the Book was mentioned was by Fitzgerald, who wanted it to resurrect his deceased daughter in hopes of restoring his wife's mental health. The next time the Book is brought up is when Fyodor's intentions to possess it are divulged; his goal was to decimate the global population of ability-users. And now, the current arc has the Book as its central focus, with a single page in Fukuchi's possession.

[ BEAST!AU spoilers ]

The Book acts as the central point of multiverses, with each character's lives differing from universe to universe.

Dazai committing suicide in this alternate universe stands in sharp contrast with how he decided to start up a new life in the main universe.

Oda staying alive to act as a mentor to Akutagawa in the ADA differs from how Oda uses his death to prompt Dazai to "be on the side that saves people."

And of course, the way Atsushi and Akutagawa have their positions switched in the two universes depicts how different their lives would be if they were given the chance to be mentored by different people— these are just a few examples of how the Book houses an endless amount of possibilities.

[ end of BEAST!AU spoilers ]

Hypothetically speaking, this kind of reminds me of the differing realms I mentioned before, where suffering is promised in some realms, and better things are granted in the rest, depending on one's karma, or the deeds they've done in their past lives. In this scenario, perhaps one's past life can be understood as one's current life in a different universe. That's just a personal opinion though. Take it as you will.

side note: Keep in mind that the person who is more or less impervious to the Book's effect is Dazai, with his nullification ability. I wouldn't want to propose any theories in this aspect (I don't believe I'm fully fact-checked ;_;), but I could use Dazai as a raw example of how your choices affect your future. If Dazai had decided to stay in the Port Mafia after Oda's death, or if he even decided to go through with his suicidal fixations, life would've been different for him in the root universe (obviously, ryley) I mean, you could basically understand that from how he ended up in the BEAST au, but imagine if he really did slip up in his decision-making in any of the universes.

Many analysts have proposed that he went MIA (early in his life) from the main universe for a while to figure out how the BEAST universe worked, whilst having the Book to his advantage. Perhaps his actions were guided? I'm not saying he's all-knowing, but he's sure as hell smart. I'm not sure if Kafka was trying to highlight the concept of karma when it comes to Dazai, but if he is, then I suppose you could say that Dazai is pretty much unaffected by the rules of karma, existing as the centerpiece of all the multiverses. No Longer Human is the namesake of his ability, but the book talks about disqualification from societal norms and generally, the world. I was talking about it with a friend, and they reminded me that Yozo (the main protagonist) was pretty strong in his views against society. Like he didn't speak out of total defeat, he spoke out of defense. If there was anything Dazai actually lost to, it was his guilt— "Living itself is a source of sin."

Then again, that's my personal interpretation since everyone has their unique perspective of his writings. In terms of the actual adaptation, you could translate the word 'disqualification' to 'insusceptibilty' when if it came to the Book's effects on Dazai? This side note is becoming really long lmao anyways I'll link a few theories which afflicted me with brainrot down below.

Another thing before I wrap up, the name 'Decay of Angels' stemmed from Yukio Mishima's book entitled 'The Decay of An Angel.' This is the final novel to the author's tetralogy: 'The Sea of Fertility.' The main protagonist, Honda, meets a person he believes to be a reincarnation of his friend, Kiyoaki, who takes the form of a young teenage boy named Tōru. The last novel of this series enhances Mishima's dominant themes of the series as a whole:

the decay of courtly tradition in Japan

the essence and value of Buddhist philosophy and aesthetics

Mishima’s apocalyptic vision of the modern era

Again, this could be referred to what Fukuchi goes on to say:

Some people view the concept of samsara optimistically, justifying it by saying that perhaps each individual is given a second (third, fourth, fifth, who knows) chance to refine their actions in order to be birthed into a better realm, with their karma being the independent variable.

On the other hand, other people, specifically the Hindus, view the cycle of existence as some sort of plague. To them, the flow of life and being forced to endure the suffering of mere existence in any form was somewhat frowned down upon. Some Hindus viewed samsara as a trap. Besides, having one's soul being limited to a physical body for the rest of eternity was not very appealing, especially since where they ended up at depended on the karmic value their past actions surmounted.

Even so, particular types of Buddhists don't seek nirvana, but instead, like the Hindus, they make an effort to be good people of society, building up their good deeds to increase the likelihood of being reborn into one of the better realms.

As mentioned before, the Deva Realm was the home of angels, the most carefree, gratified beings to exist. Fukuchi describes these angels as the people who don't get their hands dirty, the people who act as the puppeteers of society: politicians.

In terms of parallels, angels were the most fortunate and powerful, but they didn't have anyone ruling over them. A lack of supervision would lead to the abuse of power, which is what I believe Fukuchi was referring to. Deeming himself the Decay of Angels, he sought to prove himself as the 'sign of death that falls on the nation's greed.'

A few fun facts (okay, not really) about Yukio Mishima: he committed seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) on the day he held a speech to voice out his unpopular political beliefs to the public. Mishima deeply treasured traditions and opposed the modern mindset the nation was advancing forward to adapt eventually. In his last book, The Decay of an Angel, he spoke about the five signs which complete the death of an angel:

Here are the five greater signs: the once-immaculate robes are soiled, the flowers in the flowery crown fade and fall, sweat pours from the armpits, a fetid stench envelops the body, the angel is no longer happy in its proper place.

The Decay of an Angel, p.53

The reviews about this series I've read so far describe Mishima's works to be quite complex; his writings demanded a lot of time to deconstruct and understand. They were highly symbolic, and he was pretty obsessed with death and the 'spiritual barrenness of the modern world.' I think you could attach a few strings from here to the mindsets of the DOA members. Of course, this parallel is completely abstract, but I'll go on rambling anyway:

He should have armed them with the foreknowledge that would keep them from flinging themselves after their destinies, take away their wings, keep them from soaring, make them march in step with the crowd. The world does not approve of flying. Wings are dangerous weapons. They invite self-destruction before they can be used. If he had brought Isao to terms with the fools, then he could have pretended that he knew nothing of wings.

The Decay of an Angel, p.113

I suppose you could resonate Nikolai with that excerpt. As much as Fukuchi takes the lead in this whole murder association, I'd like to believe that each member of the DOA plays an equally interesting part in whatever movement they're trying to execute. Fyodor feels it is his god-sent purpose to cleanse the world of its sins, his motto being, "Let the hand of God guide you." Sigma doesn't know where he belongs, since his origination comes from a page in the Book, and is fueled by the desperation to find a reason to live. Bram holds one of the most powerful abilities which is counted to be one of the "Top Ten Calamities to Destroy the World."

What I mean to say is that the DOA members are incredibly powerful, and they're not your ordinary antagonists (or I'm just biased). It's not just overthrowing authorities, mass genocide, and world domination— you could say that each individual is trying to utilize their purposes to their fullest expenditures, and the way they're trying to assert their plan into action is a little more passive-aggressive (framing the Agency, having a convo with a suicidal dude in jail, etc). They're the gray area between evil and good. As they framed the good guys for their own crimes, they're trying to conquer the bad guys for exploiting the innocent as they please.

This post would definitely age well if all hell breaks loose in the current arc (as if it didn't) and Kafka doesn't give us a happy ending.

That's all I have to say for now I guess! Thank you for reading, and once again, if anyone else something they wanna share, feel free to do so <3

sources (tryna follow Q's example ^_^) :

the six realms

samsara

the decay of angels

beast!au

the book

the sea of fertility

yukio mishima

theory: dazai’s emotional/mental state in beast!au

q’s theory: dazai being the protector of the book

theory: beast!dazai and the book

[borgevino]

here is My wild theory for alecto (Another Great Idea From ME!).

I think John did something hinky with the soul of cristabel oct.

the nun we meet in NONA does not really bear any resemblance to the cavalier we're told about in HARROW. this extract does come from Augustine's horrible point of view, and thus is suspect, but still it is telling: "A total delight. Effervescent. Kind to animals and children. A master of the sword. Did not have the intellect you’d ordinarily find in a sandwich or an orange, and was a sickening twerp into the bargain."

the nun is not given an initial, unlike everyone else at the co(w)mpound. of course, cassiopeia is already C--, but Alfred is introduced as A-- Junior, so one imagines taz could have worked around this

structurally she's been a significant unknown in two books now and so i expect something to come from it. something about cristabel oct is a key to this whole mystery.

jod certainly either fully invented souls for ulysses & titania, or he put someone else's souls in those bodies, or he called their souls back from a pre-necromancy death. either way, we have the evidence of teacher also to attest to john's mastery of the soul

"what your girl took from you not even john should have been able to get back" about kiriona separated from harrow. i don't know exactly how this fits but i am rotating it in my mind alongside these thoughts

so, putting all of these things together, i have some hypotheses.

i can't imagine that resurrecting the nun would have been an easy prospect for john, as she (more than anyone else) understood his relationship to necromancy & believed in it. also her piety might have seemed a threat to him in those early days

thus when he did resurrect(?) cristabel(?), it's possible one of two things occurred:

jod tried to rip out everything in her memory that might cause problems for him and, in the process, removed enough of her personality to make a massive difference;

he never resurrected the nun. cristabel oct is either a different soul entirely or a wholesale invention of jod.

and here is the corollary idea to that last point. what if, after he'd made a fake cristabel and improved his memory manipulation, he decided to resurrect the nun after all? it is i think unlikely, but possible, that mercy's nun became anastasia

[watevermelon]

Cheating!Haikyuu x Reader

✧ Summary: Akaashi and Kuroo getting caught cheating and begging you for forgiveness ➳ A/N: Honestly, I don’t think ANY of the boys would ever even consider it. They’re all so loving in their own ways and for anyone to actually do this would be absolutely horrible to their partners. ➳  Masterlist 

But ask for angst and you shall receive. kuroo’s is funny and akaashi’s is not

----- xXxXxXxXxXx-----

✧ Intro: 

You trusted your boyfriend of the past year explicitly. Your relationship was built on a mutual friendship, going from casual classmates to one day dating when he had asked you out. You were surprised to say the least, this was one of the members of the volleyball team. They were popular throughout school with the entire student body. And so for him to show interest in you? You honestly hadn’t believed it.

But as the months went on and a few became your everyday norm, along with even getting invited over his house to meet his family, you were sure that the man you were dating was the one.

You remembered the first time he kissed you, the first I love you that he ever whispered in your ears.

And so it broke your heart to find out that you were not the only one he was saying these words to.

The school you were attending was known to be a powerhouse regarding volleyball. You were proud of the national spotlight your boyfriend was fighting on. And you fully understood the times when he would be gone or busy for weeks at a time - whether it was for traveling far away for various training camps or just practicing long into the nights for upcoming tournaments.

You remembered the first time you saw it, the text that was very much not from you. The phone had vibrated while he was out of the room and you were not trying to be nosy - calling his name that he received a notification and glancing at it briefly through the motion.

I miss your lips on mine.

You knew from the beginning that Akaashi always had a special connection to Bokuto. Even before you were close to the quiet setter, you admired how he always seemed to know how to lift Bokuto’s spirits. From the preliminary matches against Nekoma to just seeing the two in school, it made you want to foster such a close relationship with him yourself.

And on more than one occasion, you had to remind yourself they were just friends.

Your friends warned you ahead of time, that the two had a strong bond despite being separated by a year and not even attending the same junior high. You knew this and simply attributed it to his patience and overall ability to read people.

When you had once asked Akaashi about his relationship with the nationally acclaimed ace, he smiled and said, “He can be a lot to handle. But I love watching Bokuto-san play when he’s in the zone.” 

You took it a face value, instead relishing in the comfort knowing that your boyfriend was wrapping his arms around you.

Months later, with that insecurity pushed in the back of your mind, it all came swarming out at Bokuto-san’s text. There was no denying what you were reading or who it was from. It was even accompanied by owl emojis of all things - as if there was anything cute about your boyfriend’s affair.

Your attention was caught and you needed confirmation, scrolling up through their conversation and seeing similar words spanning the last few hours alone. Had he been texting Bokuto the entire time he was sitting here with you?

You threw his phone back on the couch and stood, moving before even thinking about how you looked. 

Why would Akaashi do this? Akaashi?? The kind, loving Akaashi Keiji who had the love of the whole school? Hadn’t he chosen you?

Standing in the middle of his family’s living room, you put a hand on your chest to steady your breathing. You felt the onset of panic gripping your chest, threatening to force tears to the corners of your eyes. There was nothing you could say, you just had to see if it was true.

How long had this been going on? Is it possible that this was before you were even dating? Why was Akaashi stringing along the both of you? Were any of the promises Akaashi told you true?

There was no denying the sudden jump of fear you had when Akaashi walked back in the room, a questioning look on his face as he saw you try to level your breathing.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

As if he had no idea, no reason to truly think that he was the cause behind your unease.

You tried your best to feign a smile, but there was no point in hiding anything to someone as cunning as Akaashi, you figured. He was best at reading other people. Instead, you held your frown and motioned to your phone, “I got a bad text from my mom - I need to go home.”

Akaashi was already moving toward you, arms reaching out to steady you at the shoulders. He was such a comforting foundation for you. And yet now, his close proximity brought nothing but anxiety and anger.

He seemed to notice since Akaashi dropped his hands to his sides. “Alright, let me walk you home?”

You nodded in agreement, not trusting your voice. You worried that you were going to unintentionally spill out the word vomit - accusing words ready on the tip of your tongue. He still reached out to encase your hand in his own, silently walking side-by-side for the entire time.

Thankfully, you had different homerooms and could avoid him for the first initial hours of school the next day. Did you have a plan? Absolutely fucking not. But you knew that you had to see them together - see them in their element and see why. 

You needed to know the reason why Akaashi would throw away everything you built together.

You stayed silent to your friends, not even telling your best friend what happened. Not that you were afraid of Akaashi finding out that you knew somehow, but you wanted to see what was naturally between them, without anyone else’s interference.

Akaashi had thankfully given you your space, probably assuming that your family emergency from before was what was holding you down. It also helped that they had a practice match against Itachiyama at the end of the week, so he was called to practice especially more.

He always had such beautiful hands, despite the hours of practice he dedicated to his sport. It made you wonder what he did with them. There were a number of times before where Akaashi would text you late into the night, citing that Bokuto had demanded more practice with his spikes. 

Was Akaashi really setting a ball for five hours straight after your last mid-terms?

You had a million questions in your head as you sat in the stands with your friends, watching the game of Fukurōdani vs Itachiyama. Bokuto was at the top of his game today, none of his usual vices holding him down as he played against his rival, Sakusa. For you and the other students cheering on the team, it could have been easily seen as just another game.

But it wasn’t.

You watched how Akaashi’s gaze would sometimes linger on Bokuto, long legs guiding his stride to a spike. The ace seemed to fly above the net, passion for their shared sport radiating even up in the stands where you were sitting. The fond expression Akaashi had only brought up his earlier words to mind - I love watching him play.

The interaction was so strangely intimate and yet public for any spectator the game. The moment passed, time moving forward as you continued to analyze every smile Akaashi shot the ace. Bokuto’s raised an overjoyed fist in the air in his excitement over the single point. He yelled his usual, Hey! Hey! Hey! And while you found the action usually humorous, you could only stare in blank realization as Akaashi fondly smiled at the spiker’s words.

There was no rising panic this time, nothing inside you screaming at you that something was wrong. 

Your eyes kept following the scene, the game playing out while you stood stock-still among your friends. But your mind was already made up, long before the game ended. You thought about it a few times over the past few days, why Bokuto? Why you?

Why did Akaashi even approach you in the first place?

Thinking back to any conversations you had with Akaashi that surrounded volleyball. All their little volleyball antics - it was always about Bokuto. He got in trouble with the principal, got depressed during a game, even something as simple as being overly hungry before a match. And who was the one to always pick him up? 

Akaashi.

And this was not something that could be as simply waved off as teammates. Neither Haruki nor Konoha were like this with the ace and both of them knew Bokuto longer than Akaashi. Kaori had even joked to you once that Akaashi was capable of reading Bokuto’s mind.

You were a fool.

You hadn’t told Akaashi you were going to attend this practice match in the first place and you honestly had no intention of doing so.

Instead, you texted Bokuto during the game to meet you outside by the entrance stairs, alone. 

Most of the other students had already filled out of the gymnasium, out into the streets on their way home as you leaned against the cold railing. You could hear Bokuto’s quick steps around the corner before you even saw him.

“Hey, (L/N)-chan! What’s up?” He greeted you in a friendly manner, waving with one hand fully outstretched even though you were only a few feet away from each other.

You weren’t going to smile and pretend.

“Bokuto-san.” You stated, looking him in the eyes head-on.

Despite his amicable disposition, Bokuto had quite the intimidating disposition to outsiders. The tall spiker was built with muscles, arms and legs looking seemingly sculpted. And here you were, pointing a heavy glare with your chin held-high at a man who could very easily over-power you.

“Don’t smile at me like everything’s okay.” You started, “I know.”

His smile immediately squashed to a straight line, eyes hardening as they looked down at you. Bokuto crossed his arms, his athletic duffel pushed to the side of his body.

“I won’t apologize for being in love with him.” His voice rang through the calm outdoors, not a single soul to hear his confession other than you.

You scoffed, “How did I already know you’d say that?”

Bokuto kept your question rhetorical, for once staying uncharacteristically silent. His gaze never wavered off of yours, eyes boring right into you as you wordlessly sized each other up.

“I tried to let him go, once.” Bokuto continued, “When you first started dating, I tried and couldn’t.”

They were together before you were even in the picture.

You bit your lip, asking. “And you’re going to ask me not to make you do it again?”

Bokuto paused, uncrossing his arms and looking heavenward for the right answer. How could he? They were already on the road to love before you even really knew Akaashi. Why did he ask you out in the first place? Why progress this far in your relationship? 

None of this was right and you had every bone in your body screaming at you to beat the ever loving shit out of the two volleyball players. But there was one thing you needed to cut off now.

“I don’t need an answer to confirm what you’re thinking.” You stated, “Treat his heart kindly.”

Bokuto sputtered, raising his arms in defense. “Akaashi chose you - he asked you out!”

You almost snarled at the irony, “As if that matters! What’s a label against the fact that he’s been in love with you during that entire time?”

He recoiled, nothing to say against your true question. You were his girlfriend, but how could that possibly matter when his heart continually lingered on the ace in front of you. And, since the volleyball God’s hated you, it was no surprise when the setter turned the corner to your impassioned conversation.

“What’s happening here?” His voice rang out, meeting Bokuto’s worried expression and your hardened one. 

Akaashi stopped in his stride the moment he saw the both of you, not moving closer to you or Bokuto and simply guarding his expression from leaking any of his inner thoughts.

“I thought about this a million times over the past few days.” You said low, but voice strong enough for the others to hear. “How I would yell at you, curse you to your face... But now that I see you, you’re pathetic.”

Akaashi was the master of a blank expression, but now there was nothing but panic and hurt written all over his face. Whatever words he was going to say, to somehow excuse his behavior, died on his lips when you calmly raised your palm to stop him.

How dare he.

"I don’t want to know why you led me on for so long. Or why you decided stringing along Bokuto this whole time would be good to the people you claim to love.” 

Bokuto frowned, looking to the side away from the two of you, but said nothing to refute your statement.

“Don’t ever talk to me again.”

You walked away from Akaashi then, turning away and heading home without looking back. There was nothing left, no words that could ever explain or fix the situation, not that you wanted him to try either. Bokuto’s voice reached you mid-way through the steps, his words low but aimed toward Akaashi.

The words were low and you were surprised you were even able to hear them: She’s not wrong.

The next day at school neither of them were present.

You laid it all out to your best friends at lunch then, all of you sitting under the apple tree and quietly listening to your story. They offered you small condolences, never bringing up the volleyball team or practice matches around you ever again. Konoha shot you a wilted frown in passing, no words enough to even start that conversation.

You only saw Akaashi one more time. It was no surprise that Fukurōdani was progressing to the Spring Nationals and everyone at school were quick to congratulate various team members on their victory. You saw them, preening around the lunchroom as the student body wished them luck.

They were holding hands.

You lingered on the sight for a single second. But it was enough for Akaashi to notice your eyes, shooting a withered smile in your direction. 

There was nothing you wanted to do in response, nothing left for you to say and hope for when it came to the setter. And so you simply turned back to your friends, rejoining the conversation with thoughts of the volleyball team long behind you.

You had to re-read the text three times, your mind whirling in circles to accept the fact that this was for your Tetsurō.

It was only when your hands flew to scroll upwards that you realized yes, this was really happening. It was all so quick - he had left the room to use the bathroom, or whatever, at this point you hadn’t even remembered why. Just his phone, which he always had on him, had vibrated away on your coffee table.

You grabbed it half-mindedly, original intention to bring it to him and maybe leave it at the door in case it was some type of volleyball-related emergency. He was the captain, after all. And so when the actual contents of the texts grabbed your attention, it was all over from there.

The profile picture was of the popular student body president, her shining face radiating even now. The other boys of the volleyball team had always complimented her and brought her up in conversation. Before you were even dating, you remembered that Kuroo particularly agreed with many of her features: long-hair, mild temper, and good grades even in college prep classes.

You were on the average scale of things - average grades in college prep, a member of photography club, but not particularly motivated - you were easily replaceable in the fast-paced world that Kuroo and others were constantly facing. And while you tried not to dwell on it too much, Kuroo was at the top of class with many of the female student body interested in him - there were times he had inadvertently made you felt small.

But Kuroo did try to wave those thoughts away, saying that you were the one he was in love with. It was only for you that he showed his soft side and only you were the recipient of his loving gestures.

And yet now you had in your hands evidence that none that was true.

You wanted to scream - reading all the affectionate phrases he had typed away to this woman.

Were you going to accuse him, then and there? What were you even going to say to him?

Kuroo made the choice for you.

“What are you doing with my phone?” He asked, voice promulgating the silent room.

You were sure that your eyes were glossy as you responded back quietly, “I was going to bring it to you when it kept ringing.”

“Thanks babe, just pass it over.” He said calmly, outstretching a palm in your direction.

You held the phone to your chest, there was no way you could feign a reaction now. This was no longer the simple interaction that you could pretend would pass over, the adulterous text was still open on the screen, open for both parties to quickly see.

His grey-eyes surveyed you silently, not a single word uttered, as if it would break this unmoving conversation. You always found his observant stare endearing, how his greatest weapon on the volleyball court was something he used on you to understand you better. 

And now, you could only imagine what he was truly thinking throughout your relationship.

Kuroo’s fond looks, those kind smiles, they were all calculated actions to keep you on his hook. They were not the loving terms of endearment you believed them to be. They were deliberate ways to sate your relationship, nothing more.

You frowned, handing him the phone and biting out coldly. “I want you to leave.”

“Listen babe, it’s not what you think.” Kuroo was reaching for you, taking steps to close the distance before you fled away entirely.

“Of course! What was I thinking?!” Your voice was raising with every word, anger seeping through toward the middle-blocker. “Some other girl texting you: I dream of waking up to you every day, could be some other context that what I’m too small-minded to know? Right?”

He followed behind you as you traversed through your empty house. You just wanted to get away from him, just the very image of Kuroo was enough to make you angry and inescapably hurt. There was so much you wanted to just yell at him, but at the same time you knew this was the man who held your heart.

And the same one who chose to break it.

What was there even to say to him? You’ve won? Congratulations? Get out of my house?

“Get out!” You settled on that and yelled behind you, your voice weak as you sucked in air between tears. Kuroo continued to follow behind you despite your loud command.

You pushed open the door to your bedroom and attempted to slam it behind you, but a simple kick of his foot and it stayed open. Instead, Kuroo closed it and locked it as he followed.

He had you cornered.

Would it be crazy if you jumped out the window?

Your eyes shot to the opening at the side-wall of your room, but it seemed his gaze followed your own path when he grabbed your elbow and pulled you to him.

Kuroo had his hands on your shoulders, trying to calm you down. “Please just listen to me.”

“Listen to what?” You were trying to push him away, but Kuroo refused to budge against you.

He leaned his chin against the top of your head, one of his arms going down to wrap around your waist. “Stop, you know I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“Then why...?”

“It looks bad. I know it does.” Kuroo started to explain, “But I can prove to you that this isn’t what you think.”

You sniffed, not saying anything as you waited for whatever bullshit response was already formulating on his lips.

What you hadn’t expected was for Kuroo to raise the phone to your ear, the ringing of the outgoing call blasting next to you.

What was he doing? Was he insane? 

You didn’t want to listen to her voice, listen to whatever she was going to say when she picked up the phone. Loving words, teasing innuendo’s, all of that you shared with Kuroo and now he was going to show-off what he had with another girl?

You twisted against him, ready to fight out of outrage of not only being cheated on, but also Kuroo doing the utmost stupid thing he could ever do and showing it off in front of you.

The voice that rang out froze you in your actions.

“Captain! Was my text really bad that you had to call?”

“... Yamamoto-san?” You near-whispered back in recognition.

You heard what was almost a yelp back. He stuttered over your name, before asking, “Ah, you and um. You and Kuroo-san are spending your day off together?”

Taking hold of the phone yourself, you looked at the screen and saw that it was indeed to the same student body president that the call was going through to. Same icon, same everything. So why was Yamamoto on the other side of the line? You looked up at Kuroo briefly, the middle-blocker staring at you right back. He urged the phone back to your ear, reminding you that Nekoma’s ace was still on the other side of the line.

“...Yeah.” You answered back weakly, remembering his initial question.

“... Was there something you needed?” He asked nervously.

“Um.” You bit your lip and looked at Kuroo, “Why is your name saved as our student body president in Kuroo’s phone?”

“Aasdfgh.” The strangled noise lasted for ten seconds before Kuroo cleared his throat next to you. “Captain! You’re there too!”

“Explain it, now.” Kuroo said flatly, his voice plain as his grip on your waist tightened. You put a hand on his chest in an attempt to keep him at a distance. You were still mad, admittedly also confused, but you didn’t want Kuroo to just hug the issue away.

Of course, he pushed your hand away and continued to hold you close.

“Please, don’t judge me (L/N)-san!”

Your confusion was only growing. “Um. What’s going on?”

“somycrushgavemehernumberbuticanttalktogirlsandididntwanttomessupsoiwaspracticingwhattosayonkurooandtherestandthentheygotmadsosometimesitextmyselffromtheirphonenumbersaspractice!” 

The words were so fast, you held the phone closer to your ear in an attempt to decipher anything that was just said.

“Wait, what?”

Yamamoto sighed loudly before exclaiming, “I can’t talk to my crush!”

You tilted your head in confusion, “... Kuroo’s your crush?”

The middle-blocker sighed above you, moving to flick your forehead while Yamamoto was near screaming in outrage on the line.

“No!! I.. I don’t have a lot of experience talking to girls! And then my crush gave me her number and she started texting me! And believe me, I tried practicing on otome games and even they dumped me!”

“Uhh...”

His loud voice kept going, explaining the strange tale, “And so I was begging the guys to help me practice and eventually they got sick of me too! She was really into me too and we were flirting and I wasn’t ready!! I don’t have anyyyy experience, (L/N)-san!!”

You shot a look up to Kuroo, his gaze locked on you without any other hints of an expression on. You were sure that your face was a mix of incredulous and worried, was this for real?

“And then she started texting me dirty things and I wanted to do it back, so Kuroo taught--”

“Skip it.” The middle-blocker stated harshly, cutting off the ace.

“Aasdafhauh.” Yamamoto outwardly struggled, remembering that both Kuroo and you, a female, were on the line. “I thought all was lost and then Kuroo let me practice texting myself and seeing how it looked from his phone!”

Oh.

lmao

“Wait, what?”

Kuroo summarized it plainly for you. “It means he was practicing sexting himself from my phone.”

“Ca-Captain!” His voice rang out.

You could not help your growing, amused smile. “Is it true?”

“I - well, yes...”

His voice trailed, but you held in your chuckle. “Ah, thanks for clearing that up.”

Yamamoto paused before asking, “Did my impassioned words led to a misunderstanding?”

“I’m sure your words are the least of your problems tomorrow at practice.”  Kuroo answered this time, earning an anguished exclamation before the middle-blocker hung-up and threw the phone away.

That was not what you were expecting.

Your mind was in a million places, not sure what to say and what you were just witness to. Kuroo pulled you along to your bed, near throwing you on top while you were distracted in your thoughts.

He hovered above you, placing a light kiss on your forehead and then trailing down the side of your face. You cupped his cheek, still trying to process what the hell just happened, but moved to slot his lips against yours and reassure yourself that this was real. 

Kuroo pulled away and whispered against your lips, “I know it looks crazy, but please trust in me - in us.”

You nodded silently, simply stating an okay when Kuroo continued to stare at you.

“I want this... more than just now in high school.” Kuroo looked to the side, before returning his gaze back to you.

Guiding his head back to yours, you pushed off your elbow to lean up to him. “Me too. I’m sorry for being so quick to accuse you.”

“Stop.” He murmured against your skin, small pecks following his wake. “I should’ve explained it to you before.”

“I mean, it does sound pretty crazy.” You joked, a fond smile growing on your face as Kuroo continued to shower your neck with small kisses. “To think you were flirting with Yamamoto of all people.”

“Oi.” A small scowl was already on his face.

You were ready to tease your poor boyfriend, “Sorry, you were sexting him.”

Kuroo rolled his eyes, a hand already sneaking its way under your shirt. “Why don’t I show you what I was teaching him?”

You felt your eyes comically widen at his boldness, any hint of your previous teasing falling away as your boyfriend’s sly smirk crawled further and further down your body.

The love you felt for Kuroo was undeniably mutual, but you had to learn to trust your boyfriend.

----- xXxXxXxXxXx-----

oop lmao hope you enjoyed these short stories!

Come checkout some of the added-on endings to Cheater!Akaashi’s story: ➳  Masterlist 

[semischarmed]

Chrysalis, Part 2

“Yeah... Steph broke up with me.” I say to him, trying to bring some of the old Kyle’s feelings out to show some semblance of distress but there is nothing to bring out. Instead, I cannot help but go from a fake pout to a giggle. It obviously reads a bit creepy, but Red takes the awkward situation well, nervously laughing to match my giggling before giving a sympathetic grimace. “Oh man, I’m real sorry about that bro, I know you two were super close. Fuck Steph. Maybe we can hang out or do whatever dude, just kind of get your mind off things” he states, as he reaches for a shoulder pat. I reciprocate by pulling him into a hug, much to his surprise, stating “Thanks man, for everything, I don’t think I can be alone right now”. And I never will be.

“Yeah man, anything you need, I’m here for you.” He warmly replies back, giving me a pat on the back. In our embrace, I take a whiff at his chest, remaking on his flavor. Woodsy, fresh cut grass, just a bit acrid and the smell of fresh rain. God he smelled good. I took another deep inhale, moaning imperceptibly before trying to slip inside him. Instead, I am met with disappoint at my inability to get inside my big bro. He pushes me back from my extended embrace with a slight crinkle in his nose, again treating the awkward situation in stride. “But uh, maybe take a shower first” he laughs. 

———

Richard Levi- or “Red” as he was better known- was my Big Bro at Sig Chi. Though, from Kyle’s old memories, it actually wasn’t until I met him a fourth time that I found out his name wasn’t really just “Red”. Apparently, the previous frat president was also a Richard and a less confusing name had to be chosen for the then-freshman. The frat had taken to calling him ‘Red’, on account of his fiery red hair and soon after, the entire school had caught on. Though it was mean-spirited at first, Red never seemed to have been bothered by it, and by the time I arrived, there had only been one “Red” in the frat. Beyond that, my body knew very little about his Big Bro. From these memories it was fairly obvious that he has been trying to connect with the old Kyle after they had been paired, though Kyle was relatively disconnected in their conversations. I’m not even sure why the old Kyle stuck around with all the frat stuff to be honest, since apparently this seemed to occur with all the other members of the frat. If anything, Kyle seemed to only open up around Steph. That is, until I became Kyle. The new Kyle was confident. He was attentive. He was social. In a sense, Me being him had allowed for ‘Kyle’ to be greater than the sum of his parts, we succeeded in areas where the other could not. Where Kyle was oblivious, I was not. Where I could not succeed socially in school, my newly confident self as his body could. In a sense, we completed each other through my possession of him. And I loved every moment of it.

I’ve been living through my forever host Kyle for a few weeks now and it has been nothing short of fantasy. From hanging out with my frat bros to getting hazed to winning a few more games. All of it was worth it. All of it made life feel like life. Even the mundane feels great in his shoes. Waking up, brushing my teeth, exercising. Just living. Knowing it was me inside, me in his skin, using his hands, walking his legs, breathing in his lungs. Ecstasy.

A few of his-well, my- friends noticed the new and improved Kyle. Friendlier, less reserved, smellier. That last bit might have been my fault. I love Kyle, all of him- and that included his musky, putrid odor which has only intensified since his possession. With me running the show, this meat-suit can’t help but respond in kind by rewarding my constant ecstasy in this body with a steady stream of its pheromones. It also probably didn’t help that I had a penchant for covering myself in my team’s scents and for avoiding any of his deodorant. In any case, I found it hot, I wanted people to know what this flesh of mine was. I was Alpha. I was living testosterone. Athlete. Me.

Still, I wanted to make sure I truly did have him forever. My old body had the ability to slip into others and ever since I had become Kyle, this new body has not been able to replicate the same feat. I speculated it was just a byproduct of my fairly recent acquisition but it’s been a few weeks now and I still haven’t had any indication that this body retains my old ability. Of course this came with the worrying thought that, despite all my preparation, all my effort, Kyle was still just a pile of flesh that my old body was just wearing temporarily. No. I can’t think in that way. This is me. I am Kyle.

So of course, I’ve been testing my old abilities in this body, trying with every hand shake, every shoulder hug, any physical connection with someone to get inside them. I’ve been fucking tons of cute guys on campus too, though no one in Sig Chi seems to have noticed. Either that or they had another reason to not bring it up- perhaps they were trying to avoid an awkward situation. In any case, despite all these attempts, I’ve had no such luck with my little possession crusade. At least, I hadn’t until last week. 

The last time I fucked Mark- some cute rando on the 8th floor of my dorm- I left a little of my cum inside him. In just that split second, I felt his mind and body open up to me, and I took advantage of that brief glimpse to jam just a bit of my arm inside. That was when I had my first epiphany. Of course. Me-in-Kyle was like a new body, not just me possessing him, so it only made sense that I had to rebuild my old abilities from scratch. Still, possession in this new Kyle body seemed to operate differently. Maybe it was the extra power from his vitality, but I definitely seemed to maintain the tiniest bit of residual control over Mark. Nothing too crazy, just very slightly influencing some of his decisions the following week like what he wore or making sure he didn’t tell a soul about the half possession. This had some application. My old body had been able to possess groups of people before, though it had some limited uses. For one, they had to be somewhat close to each other, and at some point, I could no longer maintain that state and my physical form had to reconvene, ending the session. This? This was different. Even now I can feel the traces of my control over Mark. Kyle’s sperm must be really fucking virile. Mixed with my latent ability for possession? We were potent.

Before I could ponder what I could do with this new power, I began to feel a bump in the back of this body. Cosmic correction perhaps? Whatever it was, I felt myself being separated from Kyle. From Me. At least, most of myself was overcome with an intense numbness akin to the separation after a possession. One of my arms remained tethered to him, preventing the force from removing me Kyle’s body fully. 

This, of course, chilled me to the bone. I didn’t just possess Kyle... I became him- if we were separated what would happen to each of us? For one, I embedded myself into him, became the crevices of his mind and self. Whatever would left over without me wouldn’t be Kyle or me, so much as it would just be a pile of living flesh. Likewise, what would become of me? The guy who no longer had a separate physical form from Kyle. I looked at my arms, quaking in fear at the events that had just transpired. What I did to me, to Kyle, truly was against the natural order of the universe. Was I on a ticking clock then? Doomed to one day disappear for my sin? I stared at my arms again. That was when I had my second epiphany. I smiled wickedly. So that’s how it was.

Chrysalis. That’s what I called my special little device, my glorified sleeping bag meant to catalyze the process of forever tethering me to Kyle. I have long since disposed of the thing, but it was clear I had need for another run of the Chrysalis. Or rather, a chrysalis. 

The second epiphany came in the arm that I had used to test possession through Mark, the arm that had kept me tethered to my true body, against the natural order. The second epiphany was that I was not complete. It was the need to balance the scales. A separate possession and container were need for me and Kyle to be one. Two became one. So, in much the same respect, what I needed was to balance the books. What I needed was to fully possess another as Kyle, thereby fulfilling the cosmic debt. “One” will stay as one through a process that fulfilled both my of requirements of container and possession. I need to possess someone. I need a human Chrysalis. And I knew just the guy. I immediately started masturbating. I’m gonna need a lot of cum.

So, that’s where I am right now. I’ve been hanging out with Red, nearly every day, making us closer, all the while slipping bits of my seed into him. I started out with just a bit in his water bottle during one of our gym sessions, when he wasn’t looking. God it was hot. I watched him choke a little too, when his mouth came across my wad of goo but nevertheless he downed it like a champ. He laughed the whole thing off but I could tell he was a bit disturbed by whatever was in his bottle. I was able to will him to hug me a half second longer than usual. 

Another time, I baked some nice cookies with a bit of me-juice in them. He found them delicious. I couldn’t help but moan a little when he first bit into it. He moaned too, before sheepishly stating “my bad bro, these are just some really fucking good cookies.” I played along, giving him a “Aww thanks man. Made these special, just for you”. He willfully ignored my wink after.

Half a week ago, I slipped a bit in his shampoo bottle. That was pretty kinky, until I realized he had just washed it all off. So yesterday, I put a big extra batch in his sandwich when he wasn’t looking. That one was apparently extra potent. He took his first bite- big, messy- getting a dribbling of  “Mayo” over his beard. Instinctively, he motioned to wipe it off with a napkin, but stopped him. He watched me quizzically, as I began to scoop the mayo sucking on the little extra I got on my index finger before stuffing the rest in his mouth. “The fuck? Dude...” he chuckled gently as I felt both heat and tension increase. He was huffing, entranced, taking moist, shallow breaths as I tug on his beard, pulling his head closer to mine. “You need a bit more” I whispered, as I began to unbuckle my jeans. Red snapped out of it, pushing me away, whispering “wait... what the fuck man, what was that?” For a few brief moments, we just sat there in awkward silence. He glared at me, before closing his eyes and taking a deep sigh. “Uh, look, I... won’t tell anyone at the frat. ok? Just... don’t ever do that again. Anyways, I don’t even swing... well... Besides-“ he chuckled, returning to his normal self and tousling my hair “You’re my little bro. That’s, kinda... like... incest, you know?”

This one’s a fighter. By now, there’s gotta be a pint’s worth of my cum swimming inside him. Whenever he hangs out with me, I throw a little here and there. A quick squirt here, some extra cream in his coffee there, maybe a little extra icing on that cake. I make sure the parts of me inside him wriggle inside, get him extra hard, slam his brain with some extra dopamine around my scent. By all accounts he should be squirming in ecstasy when I’m around. But Red... he’s a cut above the rest. No matter what I do, he seems to just shrug it off. The most I’ve ever seen was maybe a gaze linger half a second too long.

It’s been a few days of this and I already feel the slightest dull sensation in my body. The universe trying to correct itself. Still, I have faith in my plans. He’s almost ready, I think. And if he isn’t ready, I’ll make him ready. I want this day to be special. The day I become Red and the day I truly become Kyle. 

—End Part 2—

Next one should be up relatively soon...