#the difference between a demon and a Demon is far greater than A seems to realise. To B they're like a toddler... or a puppy

[animeyanderelover]

Request: How about Seven Deadly Sins Ten Commandment Meliodas with a royal vampire s/o in an arranged marriage?

Tw: Yandere themes, toxic relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, overprotective behavior, arranged marriage, threats

Arranged marriage with a royal vampire s/o

🐲​Considering that vampires are mere vassels for the Demon Clan during the war, perhaps an arranged marriage was proposed from Izraf, King of Vampires, in hopes of his kind earning more rights by wedding you to the son and successor of the Demon King. The Demon King could easily decline, Meliodas could easily decline, but perhaps there is something the Demon King sees in you thus forcing Meliodas into the marriage or maybe it is even Meliodas who has known you beforehand and for that decides that he can tolerate you enough to accept the offer of Izraf. You have no desire for the marriage but are loyal to your clan and for that have chosen to sacrifice yourself in hopes to aid to the greater good of your kind. Something that Meliodas sees as largely foolish and maybe somewhat admirable. The relationship between you two is very distant though as the marriage is a formality that is celebrated only because it is Meliodas who is now your husband.

🐲​As Meliodas is fighting on the battlefield though as the leader of the Ten Commandments, both of you do not spend as much time with each other. A part of you is almost relieved yet another part knows that you have now duties to fulfill as you need to convince Meliodas to loosen the control his father has over your entire kind or otherwise Izraf will try to fight for the freedom of the clan and you doubt that your kind would stand a chance. Meliodas is aware that this is the main reason why you agreed to the arranged marriage but he dismisses your pleas most of the time as he reminds you that he is the one who has all of the power and control even outside of this marriage. There is no affection nor any love between the two of you so you decide that maybe you should first of all work on the marriage before asking him for any help as he has no obligation to help you. Meliodas isn't much better than his father after all. So you decide to work to gain his love and affection.

🐲​It is quite difficult though as you don't know what to do besides obeying and doing everything you know to please him and keep him satisfied. You do not try to deny it when he asks you if your new strategy is trying to fix the relationship only to then ask him to help you but he doesn't seem to be angry about it, perhaps because he thinks that it'll be useless. He has never loved anyone after all so you aren't going to be any different. He is mainly just entertaining your effort and you are fully aware of this yet you try your best nevertheless. Hard work always pays off though and this saying seems to come true for you as you accomplish what no one has done before you. You worm your way into his heart, something that even Meliodas can't understand. Dark eyes observe you closely, his brows slightly furrowed as he ponders what it is about you that has allowed you to gain his black heart. You have achieved what you had planned to do. Are you aware of the costs though?

🐲​Any rude words or discriminating actions taken against you are suddenly severely punished by Meliodas who has mostly ignored it so far as long as no one would have laid a hand on you. Now nothing is left unpunished anymore as he establishes brutally the rule that as his spouse you should be treated accordingly unless someone wants to face his wrath. He becomes much more possessive as you aren't allowed to walk around unless he can accompany you and whilst the war keeps him busy and he spends time on the battlefield which you often use to sneak outside, he always finds out. You can see that he is displeased with your ignorance of his words. You could get hurt after all. Not only from his own kind or from other clans who might plan to target you but maybe even from your own kind. The distrust that Meliodas holds against everyone is glaringly obvious as the only person he trusts with you is he himself. That is why he is so against the idea of letting you be left alone in the care of someone else.

🐲​You know that whilst Meliodas cares about you though, the same doesn't count for your clan. You plead him for help nevertheless as this is the main reason why you agreed to wed him. Meliodas has always known them. It is only because of the recent awakening of his obsession that his feelings start dramatically shifting about it. He owns you right now. You might not see this marriage as anything more than a way to help your own clan but he sees it as something more now. You are now free of any duties you had to your clan so you can stop begging and pleading for their sake. You have other duties now that you are married to him and those duties are much more important than anything your clan might have asked of you. He asks of you to now focus on him and as your new role as his spouse but you know that the question is more of a demand. Meliodas not only seems agitated when you bring up your clan once again, he is. Your head is filled with the vampire clan to the point where you deny him after all.

🐲​When Vampire King Izraf plots a secret rebellion and the Demon King finds out, your worst fears come true. All of them are defeated by the Demon King and as a punishment and an example for traitors, your entire clan is ordered to be executed. Immediately Meliodas stands up but instead of defending your clan from their grim fate, he only demands of his father to spare you. You are no longer part of the Vampire Clan as you have become a part of the Demon Clan by marrying him and you have been restricted and guarded closely by him which means that you had no part in plotting any of this. He argues with his father yet he is not budging and eventually you are excused and all silent whispers about you are mercilessly silenced by Meliodas. Your desperate pleas for him to save the rest of your clan are all ignored and in tears you realise that you should have never agreed to marry this monster for it would have been more honorable to die together with your clan than to be forever stuck with the possessive prince.

[sugar-grigri]

What if Quanxi became Denji's mentor?

A little thought I'd like to share with you.

I've mentioned it before, but Quanxi and Denji are weapons with a lot in common. So far, Quanxi is the only weapon who has also seen her entourage (her girlfriends) killed before her eyes. I think that even after the brainwashing she received from Makima, she remembers because she wears a lace band around her neck.

Once again, Quanxi marks her points of vulnerability in this way: her activation point is hidden by her eye patch, and the band not only expresses the fact that she's been decapitated, but also symbolizes the grief she feels at having seen her girlfriends after being executed.

The public hunters seem to want to annihilate Denji's identity as a weapon, and he is no longer allowed to claim his demonic identity, to claim to be a hybrid being, and is forced to act as a human.

Quanxi fights most of the time only as a "human", she doesn't have the reflex to immediately activate her activation point to transform.

Maybe you can see where I'm going with this, but just as Kishibe was Denji's mentor (temporarily and in his own way), is there any world in which Quanxi wouldn't become Denji's?

Yes, she has no interest in boys, but Denji has the same reflections and reflexes as she does? To give an extremely privileged status to women? Whether it's their loneliness, the dismantling of their loved ones, or their "values", Quanxi and Denji have a lot in common?

In an arc where Fujimoto has merely repeated Denji's question marks, he has created a complex context that prevents his protagonist from acting: could fighting as a human be his way out?

Because Denji wants us to start seeing "Denji" as well as "Chainsaw Man". Who didn't say that the human in this hybrid being couldn't be appreciated as a hero?

The fact that Quanxi marks her vulnerabilities is not meaningless; it's inevitable proof that, as a weapon, she embraces her human condition to a greater extent than the others, who insist on feeling like supermen.

And again, it's more complicated... because for the moment, each weapon has its own response... or rather, a type of response to the identity crisis that can result from not belonging to either camp.

The whip demon considers herself a superman, while the spear devil has no answer.

Reze, the bomb devil, was the one who most embraced her weapon identity, being a veritable offensive object of Russian propaganda, but that didn't stop the girl from being disturbed by her dual identity, expressed by her desire to go to school but also by the fact that she also saw herself as Denji.

Barem for his part, has yet another answer of his own, as he completely avoids the identity crisis caused by the fact that he belongs to neither humans nor demons. For him, spreading death is a common denominator, blurring the boundaries between species.

Then there are the weapons who added a "-Man" as a suffix

Sugo Miri had mentioned it as a joke, but in reality "-Man" is a different kind of response.

Miri locks himself into denial, convinced that his new instrumentalization by the church is by choice, as if this would transform his situation into one governed solely by free will.

In the same way, Katana Man, when confronting Denji, expresses his remorse at killing even one zombie, that he has retained his "human heart", which is also in itself a form of denial, since all weapons have a demon heart, so he doesn't fully embrace his nature.

Denji is another type of response, even though he has the suffix "-Man", which doesn't express denial but rather gives importance to human condition, whether through freedom as a human characteristic with Miri, pseudo-morality with Katana Man or the need for integration with Denji.

Quanxi is yet another type of response: she has learned to identify herself in a way other than through the prism of the human/demon dichotomy that creates an identity crisis in weapons, she has circumvented the problem by proving her worth other than by nature and her natural gifts by being an outstanding fighter without transformation.

But she's attached herself to beings without barriers, to the point of having romantic and sexual relationships (from a sentimental and organic/bodily point of view) with demons, her girlfriends

Denji is imprisoned by the public hunter's dilemma: either Chainsaw Man or Denji.

Quanxi is also in a vulnerable situation, and I think that even though she still has some memories, the institutions have taken advantage of her state of weakness and confusion following Makima's brainwashing. Makima had turned weapons into weapons for the Japanese government, and although the government has lost control of some weapons, it still retains the use of others. Whether it's Katana Man, who no longer works for the Yakuza, or Quanxi, who works for China, the weapons have all changed owners.

Quanxi is just as trapped in a system that doesn't make her happy and that I think she hates as Denji.

Quanxi, as a fellow weapon in the same situation, is the one who hold the answer.

While the other weapons boasted of their immortality, Quanxi provided the answer in the chapter 143 : her lace neckband symbolizes a single idea, death affects everyone, even immortal beings.

[olderthannetfic]

I feel that sometimes claims about how only fetishizing fujoshis enjoy gay porn or romance with heavy top/bottom dynamics, or any claim that only "straight" people of the opposite sex like X flavour of gay porn, oddly gender essentialist as well. While socialization does mean there are certain trends at play and you can usually tell which gender it's catering too I think it's inaccurate to say there's no appeal for the unintended audience or that it could be an authentic expression of an individual queer man or woman's desire for the same sex that simply aligns with what the opposite gender tends to gravitate towards.

When it comes to porn I think the desires of men and women are far more similar than people like to act, and there's a far greater division between people with different kinks than different genders. I also think there's this tendency to overlook the influences of the larger context that might be mistaken for preference regarding the contents of the porn itself. Like how women tend to be more anxious about live action actors potentially being abused IRL, or find it harder to suspend their disbelief when "scary IRL but fun in fiction" happens to a female character because it hits too close to home. Guys seem to do a lot of performing sexuality as well, including porn consumption, in a way that's less about their actual desires than Performing Manliness even to themselves (which girls do too, just to a lesser extent since truly explicit female sexuality is so invisible or demonized in mainstream culture). And then there's a significant segment of the population that due to poor sex ed doesn't have a firm, conscious grasp on the way porn differs from reality and so will feel like extreme intentionally kink is reflective of someone's IRL beliefs while also getting influenced by more subtle manifestations of sexism in porn that are mainstream enough there's no instinctive flinch, which then makes some women wary of porn in general. I could go on but it's not nearly as simple as "girls like this and boys like this" because even in that context there are so many external factors that have little to do with the sex acts themselves.

--

[extraordinarilyextreme]

on yeqing, opposites and equals.

contains yrzx manhua/donghua spoilers!!!

in an interview, Mi Er said the following:

虽然看上去两个人很迥异，但是会投脾气。

Although these two seem wholly different at first glance, their temperaments are compatible.

and that's something i really like about this ship, which is how complementary they are.

ZGQ explicitly spells out their differences in manhua ch. 228 (donghua s4, ep. 5):

and a wikia page further expands on this idea:

诸葛青不同于王也的“先天下之忧而忧”，他是一个凡事会先从自己和家族的角度出发，做事会以此为优先的人，但也有正常的道德底线，是一个很现实的角色。

Zhuge Qing is unlike Wang Ye, who "is concerned for everyone beneath the heavens before they themselves are worried¹." He is someone whose starting point [of consideration] regarding all things will be from the perspective of himself and his family clan, and he will prioritize this when taking action. But [he] also possesses a normal moral bottom line. [As such, he] is a very realistic character.

half of a famous line from 《岳阳楼记》 Memorial to Yueyang Tower by Song dynasty politician and poet 范仲淹 Fan Zhongyan. the second part goes “后天下之乐而乐” / to be happy only after everyone beneath the heavens is happy.

furthermore, at the end of Biyou Village arc (donghua s5, ep. 12; manhua chs. 307-311), we learn that, since young, ZGQ has been expected to revitalize his family clan and sect.

(yes, Zhuge Bai reveals in manhua ch. 249 that...)

so, with that kind of pressure, is it any wonder that ZGQ would develop a 心魔 / inner demon? ZGQ is just like any other "ordinary" person with desires; it's just that his desire became an all-consuming obsession.

on the other hand, WY is "extra-ordinary." WY considers things like money and wealth or fame and profit as external; even the allure of Feng-hou Qimen, one of the legendary Eight Supremes, can't tempt him—and that's why only he can be its master.

in fact, when WY returns to Wudang, we learn that he's seemingly always had this "other-worldly" personality (manhua chs. 405-410). unlike his same-age peers, he's always concerned himself with things "beyond" the ordinary (or, secular).

(manhua ch. 407)

so it's with these two completely differing mindsets that the two then clash upon Longhu-shan.

the initial contrast between them is especially stark. we have WY who is attending for some greater, world-altering reason that is nearly impossible to fathom in full. and then we have ZGQ who is willing to throw away his life in pursuit of something "material" (the truth of Feng-hou Qimen). and when one considers how WY tries to dissuade ZCL from pursuing the truth in the next match-up, ZGQ's desire seems even more "vulgar."

(LA s1, ep. 14; see also manhua ch. 120)

indeed, upon first glance, the distance between WY and ZGQ seems insurmountable. the peerless little Daoist, who selflessly relinquished his own chance at enlightenment to throw himself headfirst into the chaos of the mortals... and the genius sorcerer, whose pride turned him into nothing more than a foolish frog at the bottom of a well.

(LA s1, ep. 13; see also manhua ch. 110)

of course, we'll soon see that they actually are not so different after all. but the problem lies in the fact that the two of them—for a not insignificant duration—both also believe the distance between them to be real. or, in other words, they fall prey to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

it's not that WY has ever looked down on ZGQ; rather, because he's had such "smooth" life experiences (compared to BaoLan, for example), he admits he wrongly developed a sense of superiority.

(donghua s3, ep. 7; see also manhua ch. 196, LA s1, ep. 23)

and that's why "Beijing arc" is so important. the official title of that storyline is 入世篇 / Entering the [Secular] World arc. it's where WY discovers, for the first time, that he may have been overestimating his abilities. he's not "beyond" the secular or "extra-ordinary" at all. he's not "above" anyone, he's just been privileged and fortunate to have been able to lead such an "easy" life so far—where every aspect of his life has felt as simple and routine as clearing enemies in a dungeon crawl game. that's why he ultimately decides to become a 行者 / traveler and “看看自己到底几斤几两” / "see just what exactly I'm capable of."

HOWEVER. aware WY may be of his limits, the combination of his sense of responsibility, 怜悯之心 / heart of compassion, and fundamental goodness trumps that humility.

as 清虚舟湫 on lofter put it:

老王他……太好了。我现实里其实可能不太愿意和这类人相处，没别的，就是太好了。站在这种人身边你会自愧不如，这人实在太好了；你想劝他别搅和这些事呢，他嘴上好好好然后一如既往的去做；你想帮他呢，他就拒绝，根本不给你能帮他的机会。王也骨子里就是会把自己放在上位，认为自己有能力去改变一些东西，是哪怕会牺牲自我，也要渡众生的好神仙。

lao-Wang, he... is too good. I actually might not be very willing to interact with this kind of person in real-life; nothing personal, [he's] just too good. Standing beside this type of person, you will feel ashamed and inadequate, [because] this person is simply far too good. You may want to advise him to not get mixed up in these matters, but he'll say "OK, OK, OK" and then still [get involved] just as before. You may want to help him, but he'll just reject [you] and not leave any chance at all for you to help him. In Wang Ye's bones is [the instinct] to [naturally] elevate himself, to believe that he has the ability to change some things. Even if he [ends up] sacrificing himself, he will still redeem every living being—this is the "good deity" that he is.

plus, one of the core principles of the 全真 Quanzhen denomination of Daoism is 清修自苦 / cultivating with purity and seeking out hardship. this means WY is meant to live a troubled and bitter life. it's his duty to intervene.

as for ZGQ: like most others, he also puts WY upon a pedestal—but unlike most others, it's not for WY's abilities. it's for WY's character.

when ZGQ spills his heart to Fu Rong in manhua chs. 308-309, we learn that the source of his angst is not just the fact he was unable to master the Zhuge family's True Fire of Samadhi, or that WY possesses a skill more powerful.

(manhua ch. 308)

it's because, for just an instant, ZGQ harbored the venomous thought: if only WY did not exist.

(manhua ch. 309)

that ZGQ feels so tortured actually demonstrates how his character and temperament matches WY's so well. ZGQ claims to be someone completely opposite WY—someone who, for himself, will do anything—but their bottom lines are the same. their 道 / life paths are the same. and not only the same, but equal.

WY began to recognize that as early as their first meeting. the idea of 逆大势而行 / behaving in a manner that opposes the momentum of the times applies not only to their predecessor Zhuge Liang, but to both WY and ZGQ. neither sorcerer made the choice most "beneficial" to them: WY gave up his sole chance at peace to try and stop ZCL (to no avail), and ZGQ was willing to risk his life to understand WY's secrets.

WY understood that they shared this trait, which is why ZGQ's parting promise outside Longhu-shan was even more special.

“我这人不爱被卷进麻烦, 但你有麻烦的话我管。”

"The person that I am doesn't like to be involved in trouble, but if it's you who has troubles - I'll take care of them."

(manhua ch. 131)

despite WY's annoyed reaction, he was secretly very touched by those words. even if ZGQ's true goal was the Feng-hou Qimen, no one had ever offered such a thing to someone like WY before; it's likely, even, that WY had never considered such a thing possible prior to this moment.

ZGQ's sincerity, coupled with WY's own guilt over changing ZGQ's fate without permission (see manhua ch. 222), led WY to open his heart up to this friendship in earnest.

in summary, as a bilibili bullet comment put it: 两个人都问心有愧 / the two of them both have a guilty conscience. in spite of that, they are both putting in the effort to be true friends.

when WY realizes ZGQ might be in danger at Biyou Village, he chases him there without hesitation (manhua ch. 222). because ZGQ wants to “用对等的身姿和他站在一起” / "stand together with [WY] in equal bearing" (manhua ch. 309), he faces his own fears and conquers his obsession (manhua chs. 310-311). worried about how the company is using ZGQ to lure out Ma Xianhong, WY goes so far as to divine the answer (manhua ch. 373). and when the company targets WY, ZGQ tries to lie and downplay their relationship to protect him (manhua ch. 630).

this, then, brings us to the most recent chapters (manhua chs. 675-676).

WY—who can't be contacted by anyone, and has shaken off every person sent to tail him—agrees to meet in-person with ZGQ with just one phone call.

as 昂 on lofter suggested:

大家应该包括张楚岚也联系不上他，有点猜想是王也还没想好怎么处理，不确定张楚岚的态度才不联系，他想找个人商量一下，张楚岚为了自己的目的不一定会给出什么答案，不一定能站在王也的角度，张楚岚这个时候公司那边的，狗头.jpg 我滴天，所以王也一直在等诸葛青联系他吗？

"Everyone" should also include Zhang Chulan who can't contact him. Somewhat guessing that it's Wang Ye who hasn't figured out yet how to deal with [Chen Jinkui's matter]; he's unsure of Zhang Chulan's attitude [on the matter], so that's why he hasn't contacted [him]. He wants to find someone to discuss it over with. For his own purposes, Zhang Chulan may not be [willing] to come up with any solutions; [he] may not be able to [consider] from Wang Ye's perspective. At this time, Zhang Chulan is on the company's side. [doge.jpg] Oh My God, so has Wang Ye been waiting for Zhuge Qing to contact him all along?

shipping aside, i think this is a very reasonable conjecture. 薏仁椰青很美味的！on lofter lays it out very nicely:

梦回北京篇一些月下谈心啊…… “道长你赢得了一个 可以倾心相交的好友” 七年了身边能够倾诉的 还是他

Dreaming back to some of Beijing arc's heart-to-hearts beneath the moon... "Daozhang, what you've won is a good friend that you can exchange hearts with completely." (Ma Xianhong's words from manhua ch. 228) Seven years have passed, the only one beside him he can pour his heart out to—is still him.

in spite of the "distance" between them, the only one who fully understands them—and, in turn, the only one they wholly trust—is each other.

i really like this analysis by sisal on lofter:

怎么说呢，不能只说是爱情，我更喜欢说是宿命。 这张图其实把他们俩想要的都表达了。一个是像内寻“我到底是谁”，而另一个背负着振兴诸葛家的使命。但从现在看，他们都南辕北辙。一个，最寻清净的，折了清净；另一个，心魔缠了许久。他们欣赏对方，理解对方。他们都是极好的人，所以他们的宿命纠缠，反复缠绕，但不会因为利益成为宿敌，而是战友，知己，灵魂伴侣。 而里面的一个石子，穿越了时空，将两个人物命运纽带联系。

How should I put it? You can't only say it's love, I prefer to say it's 'fate.' This image actually has portrayed what both of want. One wants to figure out "who exactly am I" from within himself, while the other shoulders the duty of revitalizing the Zhuge family. But as things are, they've both acted in ways that have thwarted their intentions. One of them seeks peace the most, yet broke [his] peace; the other was haunted by his inner demon for a long time. They admire each other, understand each other. They are both extremely good people, which is why their fates are entangled, and continue to intertwine, yet they won't become mortal enemies for the sake of their interests, but rather brothers-in-arms, zhiji, and soulmates. As for the little stone within [this chapter], it traveled across space and time to connect and link together the fates of these two characters.

the little stone being, of course, not unlike the one WY used during their match to demonstrate Feng-hou Qimen.

(LA s1, ep. 13; see also manhua ch. 110)

but whereas that first stone clearly demonstrated the difference between them, WY uses this one to bridge their disparity.

(manhua ch. 110 / ch. 675)

ZGQ doesn't disappoint either. many readers (including me) were worried about ZGQ's reaction following the ending of manhua ch. 675; seeing WY's Feng-hou Qimen reach new heights, would ZGQ be shocked? envious? unreconciled?

NO! the answer is revealed in the next chapter, as ZGQ delivers a mighty slap across WY's face.

(manhua ch. 676)

who gives a damn about whatever Supreme! what ZGQ cares about is getting revenge for 王也踏青图.jpg (ch. 269) and whether WY is here in-person!

ZGQ has set down his obsession for good, and now he really can stand (sit) shoulder-to-shoulder beside WY—and make good on his promise.

(manhua ch. 181 / ch. 186 / ch. 222 / ch. 676)

if WY is in trouble, ZGQ will face it together beside him.

i've unfortunately lost track of the OP on lofter, but someone also pointed out the significance of YeQing's positions in the little pavilion:

ZGQ faces "life," whereas WY sits behind him at "death." i don't think this is only about WY's failing health, but rather another demonstration of their dynamic.

time and time again, ZGQ turns to face WY head-on—WY who has 出世 / gone beyond and left the secular world, WY who is the enlightened Daoist up on a lofty perch, WY who is untouchable—and grounds him in the land of the living.

"you don't have to be alone," ZGQ is saying. "you aren't alone." at Longhu-shan, in Beijing, at Biyou Village, and now here in this little pavilion.

"you are human," ZGQ is saying. "you are fallible." and, most importantly, "you are still alive." he says this, then sits down at "death" beside WY.

"so," ZGQ is saying, "live with me."

清虚舟湫 on lofter concludes:

所以这更显得老青的重要性了。咱们这位小神仙可主动求救了。

As such, this even more so demonstrates lao-Qing's importance. This little deity of ours is taking the initiative to ask to be saved.

to turn a god into a man: 明知不可为而为 / to do something knowing full well of its impossible nature.

this is the practice WY reveres and admires most.

on the topic of "death" and "life," i also want to highlight the similarity in YeQing's responses to being defeated (by a fellow sorcerer, no less):

(manhua ch. 109 / ch. 377)

see? ZGQ's desire-turned-obsession was never so "vulgar" as it first appeared. it's "secular," it's "ordinary." WY himself—despite his attempts to dissuade ZGQ, BaoLan, and Ma Xianhong—desires his own form of "truth."

(manhua ch. 410)

as expected of a sorcerer (see manhua ch. 108; LA s1, ep. 13).

as expected of a cultivator (see manhua ch. 196; LA s1, ep. 23).

as expected of a human. to want to lead a life with meaning; to want to understand one's true self.

and this is where it gets interesting, right? because at Biyou Village, Ma Xianhong says this (manhua ch. 229):

and what were each of YeQing's decisions?

WY, who prioritizes the world, chose ZGQ.

ZGQ, who prioritizes himself, chose WY.

yet again, neither sorcerer made the "best" choice. but the choice they did make—fully cemented the place the other holds in their heart.

indeed, 飞蛾扑火 / moth to a flame, fatal and fated. each other's moth, each other's flame.

indeed, 冤家 / foes, and also destined lovers.

indeed, returning to the fundamental principle of Daoism: 阴阳和合 / the harmony between Yin and Yang. two beings that appear antithetical and distinct, but truthfully are complementary, interconnected, and transform the other. a false dichotomy; instead, parts of a unified whole.

opposites and equals: one cannot exist without the other.

Moth to a flame, forever altered by the other, buffeted by the winds – such is the share of fated affinity that belongs only to them. (from 水中月，镜中花 | moon in the water, blossoms in the mirror)

[thrashkink-coven]

Let’s talk about Angels!

Hello all,

I am an eclectic witch and I have been working (seriously) with a few angels, mostly Jophiel, Haniel, and Raziel, and a couple others, for about 4 or so years.

Many folks on seem very interested in summoning and contacting angels. I wanted to share some of my insight with you guys as someone who works primarily with angels. I’d love to hear your guys’ perspectives on them as well.

Something to keep in mind: My experiences and perspectives on these infinitely complex and impossible to understand entities are not the one true most valid ones. My experiences will be different from yours and that is okay and to be expected. While we can always converse and theorize together we must always respect and understand that we really truly don’t know shit 🖤🖤

So you wanna contact an angel. What does that mean?

One of the most important things we humans have to consider when working with angels is that our matter of perspective is super important to how we classify entities.

What are considered angels to some, are gods and demons to others. We consider angels to be angelic because of their nature and attitudes, but it is incredibly important to remember that just because one entity may be called “angel” and the other “demon” does not mean that the angel is this happy go lucky chummy fellow, and the demon is some evil bringer of chaos. Both of these entities are capable of being kind, loving and helpful, and both will quickly put you in your place if pushed to. Both will be willing to work with you regardless of your faith and what gods you follow. The difference between these two entities is more political than physiological.

I have consistently observed with many angels that you do not necessarily have to be religious to work with them. They are very subordinate to the idea of God, whichever God that may be for you, but it is not mandatory. They may ask you to consult “God”, but I have come to realize that they mean something totally different than we do when they use the word “God.” (That is super super important imo)

When I first started working with Jophiel, I only “worshipped” the mother goddess. With him we dabbled with YHVH and some others before becoming comfortable where we are now. With every God I’ve worked with, my angels have adjusted accordingly. Some may speak occasionally about “The one true God”, but again, I don’t think that’s something that we have the best understanding of as a species yet.

Invoking angels “in the name of ______” increases their strength and likelihood of manifesting in my experience as, angels naturally serve and aid God. God means many things. For example, an angel I work with who is very close to Father Lucifer will manifest far better when invoked in the name of Lucifer. My saint Haniel manifests with greater ease when invoked in the name of The Mother Moon or Lady Venus. I’ve played around with this a lot and it seems that angels just like to be aided in their energy when we call on them by a “greater” power. Some food for thought!

Believing in the angel themselves definitely is required as this is a demonstration of faith, but angels are not as concerned with religion as you may think. Some may insist that you are some kind of believer, some are very closed to YHVH, others are less so. Some will want you to be some kind of monotheist, others won’t have an opinion on that whatsoever.

Different angels have different natures, classes, and orders. It’s a good idea to have a very great understanding of angelic hierarchy before doing any kind of work with them. A seraphim for example may present themselves far differently than a Cherub, an archangel, or a lesser angel. Fallen angels may act differently as well. Each angel will have their own energy, opinions on things, and correspondences. Some angels are very fond of humanity and are very willing to be of assistance in magical operations. Some angels are very indifferent towards humanity and might not want anything to do with you. If you’re repeatedly being told no, do yourself a favour and leave them alone.

Don’t make this mistake of underestimating them because they are classified as a “lesser” angel or are not considered a “Great Saint” like Micheal or Raphael. The order of the hierarchy does not necessarily speak to importance or power, just their distance away from us on Earth.

Some angels are more accustomed to modern humans, crack jokes, and are in the know about pop culture , others may speak in very broken english and lots of things may seem to go over their heads. Some angels are very physical and will want to touch or caress you, some will keep their distance. Some angels enjoy sex and others don’t have any ability to experience it. All angels have a completely different set of morals than we do. They may seem aloof or ornery at times. Don’t assume they’re evil just because they don’t come off as enthusiastic.

No two angels are the same. Don’t contact Raphael and expect the experience to be anything like contacting Raziel. Make sure you know exactly who you’re contacting and that you have a good reason. Know what they are all about and what they represent. Don’t assume that what worked for one guy is gonna work for someone else. Likewise I suggest not talking badly on any other entities while in an angels presence, even demons or beings you think are “bad”. Many of these angels are related in ways we might not know. Don’t make the assumption that Micheal “hates all demons”. Talking bad on Asmodeus isn’t gonna gain you points with Raphael.

Avoid testing them by asking them questions like what happens after you die. Some may humour you but it’s generally considered rude and they are not here to spill the beans on all of the great secrets of life. Some might, but always ask these questions with reverence and accept “none of your business kid” as a valid answer.

Angels are quite proud of their names and will usually announce them upon arrival. Likewise they will likely correct you if you have them confused for someone else. Always be willing and ready to interrogate your angel in a safe and respectful way. It is important that you are knowledgeable on tricksters.

When you’re working with angels, be sure not to underestimate them. They are not your pets and they do not exist to make you feel good about yourself. They do not exist to simply tell you good things. They are brutally honest.

Higher angels, like Archangels, are *intense* and burn *very bright*. I’ve seen many people share the idea that unlike working with a demon, there are no prices to be paid when working with an angel. This is only half true. Angels usually don’t accept offerings, they don’t make traditional deals like other spirits may. But, they are an incredibly holy and intense thing to witness. Their presence can be mind altering. You really really need to mentally and physically prepare yourself for such an encounter. They will never make any attempts to harm you on purpose (unless you’re extremely out of line), but it can happen on accident if you aren’t being careful. It is in many ways like looking directly into the sun. This will likely exhaust you. Take breaks and don’t go too hard too fast. Some angels are more considerate than others.

Many higher angels don’t fuck around. These guys are not really beginner friendly. An angel like Michael is a holy warrior and is going to expect that you are committed and disciplined. He is a gargantuan energy and the ultimate protector. Do not flagrantly call upon his energy. Not to say that Michael is not incredibly kind and considerate, but that his energy is so INTENSE that his presence should only be invoked with intention.

The angel I work most often with sometimes appears in a form that is so huge I cannot see the top of him, like a mountain. He can appear truly terrible like an Erdrich horror. Other times they can appear so bright that it feels like my eyes might fry out of my skull. Sometimes they can be extremely loud, like cracking thunder. Other times they can seem extremely quiet, like they’ve muted the whole world. They can appear in human or animal form. Male, female, or something in between. Sometimes they just appear as rays of light or waves of energy. We must be not afraid even when they are being weird as fuck lol.

There are many methods. I like to use sigils and scrying mirrors as well as their names as a mantra for meditation. Whatever works for you is valid. 🖤🖤

[wickedsrest-rp]

The sky is quieter, but that doesn’t mean things are going back to normal. Does a place like Wicked’s Rest even have a normal? No, because even though the daily otherworldly blasts have ceased, there’s new problems cropping up. 

Bad omens. Packs of hellhounds are emerging from the woodwork, in numbers far greater than any ranger or slayer can handle alone. Hunters are having to band together to cull these hoofed beasts, and the sudden appearance of so many at once has only ever been a warning of a looming supernatural threat. They’re not the only demonic creatures having a population boom, however—cacodaemons are also arriving on the scene, now only adding to the chaotic confusion that occurs when loved ones start behaving irrationally. Deogen has been straying from its usual haunt around the Wishing Well in Nightfall Grove, and the risk of getting lost in its fog and never making it back out is higher than ever. One thing remains a mystery: where have all the missing people gone?

All of these omens have to be leading to something, don’t they? In this case, there’s reason to suspect they’re harbingers of the enormous, monolithic leg that erupted from the ground, smack in the middle of Wormwoods. Yes, leg. It’s somewhat avian in appearance (or perhaps lizard-like?), being scaled and sporting four long, clawed toes that are so gnarled they almost resemble the branches of a gargantuan, barren tree. Aside from its initial, violent ejection from the ground, the leg has been mostly still. The crowd gathering around it has been anything but, though. Birdwatchers are flocking in from all over the state and beyond to see the leg, adding it to their life list and then checking it off. Wicked’s Rest has, naturally, monetized the leg by setting up a barrier, and charging each person $100 to touch the leg (this, they claim, will help Worm Row’s reputation). Additionally, it has created quite the divide in town: some people want to try and cut it down, to destroy it. Others want to protect it, though it seems like a mixed bag of folks either being terrified of upsetting something powerful, or believing it to be the manifestation of a god that will raise them all from perdition and cleanse the town of evil.

It’s as of yet unclear where the truth lies. But as bad omens continue to pour into the town, there’s little reason to suspect the leg is anything good, and it may in fact be only a preview of things to come.

WHAT ELSE? WELL...

Pieces of rock that look like they came from the Abnormality are jutting out of the ground in the area around the leg. They don’t seem to be encasing anyone like before, but their presence has some people concerned.

The leg has attracted all sorts of birds to perch, from aravo to valravne, and everything in between. This only further entices birdwatchers. There also seems to be a significant presence of various demonic and specter-like entities in the area.

The skyquakes have gotten less frequent, a fact celebrated by pretty much everyone in town. Now they hit about once a week, sometimes less, but the droning does last longer than it did before. The longest one recorded so far was a full three minute stretch, rather than the multiple short bursts. The source remains unknown.

There are dozens of bounties posted in The 3 Daggers for packs of hellhounds (and possibly some black dog variants), all listing different locations where the creatures have been sighted. It’s a good way for hunters to make some extra cash!

Two large sinkholes have opened up in Worm Row and Gatlin Fields. The latter seems to have compromised the structural integrity of the Allgood Death Pit, and has deepened the already-sizable mass grave, spilling remains down into the earth. It has helped with the smell, but no one knows how far down the pit now goes, and most aren’t very keen on going down there to find out.

The sinkhole in Worm Row has claimed a couple blocks worth of apartments that sit very near the Flat itself, and aside from the rubble that still clings to its crumbling edges, seems as deep and dark as the sinkhole in the fields. It’s unclear if the influx of demonic creatures in the town are coming from these sinkholes, but that wouldn’t be a bad guess.

On April 8, there will be a full solar eclipse that will be visible to all in town. Aside from looking awesome, this phenomenon is going to have some far-reaching effects. Supernatural creatures that have an affinity with the sun are going to be feeling especially drained of energy after this eclipse, perhaps even for days or weeks. Conversely, those empowered by the moon will be feeling a little extra pep in their step! Hopefully they can control it. While the eclipse is happening, even those who don’t normally see ghosts or have any connection to the supernatural might be able to peer into another world. Surely no emotional or mental harm can come of that within 4 minutes. 

Believers in the supernatural have been warning others to stay inside when the fog rolls in. It’s hard to tell if it’s normal fog, or if it’s Deogen… and really, it isn’t worth the risk of finding out. This has been especially challenging with the increase of stormy and foggy, wet weather. 

Some people have been blaming the new sinkholes on the local cryptid known as the Moleman. A figure matching his description has been reported lurking in the nearby alleyways of Worm Row, but that can't be true, right? Either way, it’s probably safest to keep your distance.

The authorities mostly disapprove of the monetization of the leg because no one knows anything about it, and it might be dangerous. That hasn’t stopped people from paying to touch it and others from just climbing over the barriers. If you can get close enough to get a scraping of… whatever the leg is made out of, there’s some speculation of it being a helpful ingredient for alchemical amplification of objects—it does seem to trend towards negative effects, however.

[herrlindemann]

Rockstyle - March 1998 - Interview with Paul

Ramstein, a German group, was in France on November 24 and 25 for only two dates in France. Rockstyle was there. For several reasons, first of all to follow this unavoidable phenomenon which, after two albums, has already sold more than two million records worldwide. Then their music, as well as the whole concept developed on disc, and on stage has a very strong meaning that has already seduced more than one editor. Ahh, the scene precisely, let's talk about it. Debauchery of sound, pyrotechnic effects, fire, flames, symbols, homo references, body worship... There was enough to ask a lot of questions, and enough to indulge in many digressions. By looking at this group, several elements put us, we believed, on the right direction. Indeed Rammstein, takes its name from a German city, Ramstein, a martyr city with a large Turkish population which was set on fire by some far-right group. Ah. Not only was it starting to get interesting, letting us go even more to our interpretations, just to make sense of it all, but it all had a smell of sulfur making the aura of the band even more mysterious. Our metaphysical wanderings (all these years of philosophy have to be for something, huh?) were going well: so, finally, Rammstein, it's just a group of bodybuilder neo-Nazi homos, as some press clippings suggested, or is there a simpler, rational, and less disturbing explanation? Meeting these people was going to be really important. Certain live photos, certain live images in addition to the concert reports and associated with what we already knew, namely the Manichean poetry and the lyricism of the texts, hinted at something else. On stage, wouldn't the fire be a tribute to the victims of the massacre? Would the group's answers to our questions quench our thirst for knowledge? Was fire for them a symbol of redemption? Was this simple religious Manichaeism between the angels and the demon hiding something more complex? What does this masochistic suffering represent for them? What about sex in all this?... So many questions to which we hoped to find the answer we were expecting, of course... But our hopes were far from being fulfilled, and our interview with Paul, one of the two guitarists, was going to reserve our batch of surprises.

Paul, you seem much more relaxed than yesterday, the concert tonight (Elysée-Montmarte) don't worry you too much for now?

Yes, everything is fine, and yet I only slept four hours... And I don't have stage fright. But I've been walking around Paris for four hours playing the tourist, maybe that's why I don't feel any pressure.

The romantic poetry of the texts gives us a clue to Rammstein's message?

Everyone must find their own answer. And when we translate these texts, we lose meaning and precision. 'Du hast' is a very good example, because there are two meanings to the phrase 'du hast mich', it means 'you own me', but also 'you hate me'. The whole song is based on this ambivalence of the verb 'haben' and its ambiguity. So when you translate this text it no longer makes sense, it no longer means anything. And generally in all our songs, we try to associate a necrophiliac, morbid side with another full of humor, fun...

The purpose of the texts is only that, to be funny, or is it hiding something else?

If what we are saying was funny, then yes, it would be funny, but we are not able to do that… I like texts that have an impact, that make people think. They even shock them. The effect is even greater with these comic effects, finally I think it would be more appropriate to speak of grating, very dark humor.

And where does the desire to make people think about these particular themes come from?

80% of the texts are composed by Till, the singer, and for the rest it is a group work, work which is largely inspired by the music... What is interesting is that everyone in the group listens to different things, one listens to blues, the other doesn't listen to music at all, one listens to pop, like Abba, the other industrial… We really have eclectic tastes. We just come together to make music, and we never worked to be a successful band, we have, that's good, great, but we never asked why it worked! We are all different and we complement each other, and our common goal is to make music together, that's all. We wanted to do that, we wanted there to be lots of pretty girls in the front row, and that's it! There are never pretty girls usually at metal concerts, maybe we wanted to fill this gap! Besides, it wouldn't make sense to do the same things as all these metal bands again, we're trying to move forward, to offer something else. The story is to try to stand out, it's for example to wear beige velvet pants when everyone is wearing blue jeans... There, it's you we're going to look at. Some will like it, some will hate it, but the important thing is that you got noticed. Besides, it's very easy to get hated! (Laughs)

In your videos, you develop a strong homage to films by Lynch or Tarantino, moreover you appear on the soundtrack of 'Lost Highway' with the title 'Rammstein', it's just a way to spread your passions, or you think this aesthetic is close to your vision of music?

As usual the record company didn't have a clear idea of the video we should do for 'Engel', so we decided to take a passage from the film with Tarantino, 'A Night in Hell' , and adapt it to our sauce. We had lots of ideas for special effects, morphing, and unfortunately not enough money so we made do with the means at hand. For the title 'Du hast' we chose to re-pump on 'Reservoir Dogs', and there the result turned out to be closer, 90%, let's say, to our original idea.

Between these videos and your show on stage, there are quite interesting parallels, and certain symbols keep coming back, Good, Evil, fire, explosions… All this gives a rather Biblical vision. When Till catches fire at the start of 'Rammstein', what does that mean? A rebirth?

Ah! I like it... But I don't really want to explain all these things... Too many people who aren't very smart don't understand what we're doing, and give us rather tendentious comments and desires, so... I think that to understand what we do you have to let go of your sensitivity and your intelligence… Let's say it's just provocation… The fact that Till uses pyrotechnic effects on stage is purely anecdotal. In fact he is very shy, and when he does not bite the guitarists he can even be rather diplomatic! Anyway, at first he mumbled in his corner, and since he doesn't play an instrument, he had trouble having an ease or a natural attitude when he wasn't singing, he even seemed rather stuck because he didn't didn't know what to do! So we had the idea of playing with fire. It is sure that at the beginning with just a lighter, the result was not terrible! (Laughs) Then we decided to develop all this visual aspect, with explosions, flamethrowers… Till has a diploma in fireworks, and he is the only one who knows and has the right to use all that. You really have to be careful because it's very dangerous, but with him, there's really nothing to worry about.

There seems to be a very Teutonic rigor in everything you do: the concerts are ruled like clockwork (sic), there is no dead time, everything seems to be written like a script of a movie. Do you still leave room for spontaneity and improvisation?

Yes, everything is straight, symmetrical, we like this rigor, but we are not the slaves of our machines, and everything is not done as for playback, we are organized, that's clear, but we let a certain room for freedom, even if, to be honest, we don't really like to let ourselves go to long stretches of improvisation on stage, we try sometimes, but we realize that it doesn't go with the music we make, quite simply...

Do you think Rammstein represents an evolution, or an emergence of a new metal?

We don't do metal. I don't really like metal, because I think it's a style that not only has never been able to renew itself, but also that is stuck in reverse. It's like a car, there are five gears, and if they used them, then they would see that it goes! Some are very good musicians, very good technicians, some even have the sound, have very good riffs. The problem is that they should only use one riff instead of seven, eight, because they play so fast that the music doesn't have time to settle. We, with a song of the genre we make seven! And it is much more efficient, like AC/DC, for example. It's more power pop than metal...

[omies-odd-writing-spot]

 Garnets AU In large hands

[This may not make sense I realized outside of being tied to my story Garnets I'm sorry.]

Waking Up Safe:

It was a deeper breath under her that really woke Lily up. Feeling herself rise and lower for a while, and was just now awake enough to realize that it was not waves. There were no rocking like it would be on the water with waves. A lifetime so far on and around the seas had some instinct of what was the right and wrong movements. 

The young woman struggled to wake up, but Lily's body felt heavy and trapped. Her mind fogged a bit more than when she had her tooth pulled. The heavy feeling was not so much as feeling as she woke up more. It was a real weight that was pressing down on and curling around her.

Her right arm and shoulder were wrapped up, and though there was a pulsing, the pain should have been greater. Lily was just able to get her left arm free as her eyes opened. 

It was dark in this place, and surprisingly quiet. All the ever present background sounds and vibrations that came with living on the sea platform were missing.

Lily was lifted with a different sound, rising and falling slowly not with a rocking wave, but a deep... breath…?

Her left hand reached carefully to feel over the closest thing over top and curled around to help keep her right arm firmly pinned. She realized it was the edge of hand at the same time that the rising and falling was breathing under her.

For a moment, Lily paled and gave a faint whine. Had her mother finally gotten a hold of her?

Memories were slow to come, and mixed together. Lily thought she had been quick to get onto the ship that was automatically pulled in and docked. She had been trying to get some new supplies before what used to be her mother woke up and thought Lily was trying to run away.

The massive hand shifted overtop of Lily, as if in response to the small sound.

It was as a large thumb that shifted to rub against her left shoulder and head. Lily was startled to realize the large, left hand over her was both not missing the ring finger, nor was it feminine.

The giant demigod took a much deeper breath under Lily, holding it for a second and then a long sigh came out. He was awake from his doze and very aware of the smaller human. He had to be very careful not to close his hand, but the human was pretty stuck. Thankfully she was not really panicking despite being a tense noodle.

The Slayer flexed his core, shifting his hold just a moment. Hearing Lily's startled squeak as he sat up and she was pressed against his front. He gave a deep rumble as the Slayer lifted his other hand up under the smaller human. Being very,  very gentle to not hurt as she was side into a bit more of a sitting position.

He felt the younger human shiver as his covering hand lifted, at first thinking he had hurt her. Or caught her smaller arms between his fingers. The demigod realized that the blanket originally given was now in his lap. As much heat as he produced, keeping up a forced cuddle likely not good for Lily's mind.

But she was just sitting so… still in his hands.

The Slayer wondered if it was a belated shock, remembering the surprising massive serpent demon that was trying to rip his arms apart. Not to get at his chest like normal, but at the human clinging to his neck, barely bracing on to the top edge of his chest plate. At least before he had the moment to push her down under the thick chestplate of armor after she almost fell off him to the deep sea below the platform.

One large finger gently, oh so very carefully touched her back and rubbed over the spine. She did not flinch but a small gasp came out, then started to move. Careful, bracing again the green covered wall of muscle and the... heel of the hand under her.

She finally looked up at the scarred face. Staring intently before shifting in reaction of being stared back at with a gaze as human as it was inhuman. The eerie blue was not husky blue but seemed to glow from within.

The Demigod hummed, it was a bit broken at first. Or just tuneless as he rubbed the pad of a finger over the small back. Trying to be reassuring to the still human. Thankfully she was not screaming or panicking, but the almost learned passively was somehow worse. He remembered the struggling she had done, but only for a minute when trapped between his pectoral muscles.

This was almost that same exhausted sort of stillness. Like the small human had just given up at last. Surrendering to the new chaos she was in, sitting still against the new giant. Barely reacting as the massive hand curled around her again.

Not quite sure what to do, the Slayer just sat like that. Holding the young human against himself, that broken humming a clumsy attempt to reassure. He was not really sure what to do other than to cup his hands around the smaller human in an attempt to reassure.

"Hmm?" The Slayer offered a small sound, shifting his hold on the human as he looked around the large room he was in. Lifting her, the Demigod gave the startled human a small nuzzle like cuddle, please that got a yip before he got up. A startled reaction but still a reaction that was not numbed. 

Carrying her to the other side of his room, to where his old aids would sleep and live. Carefully lowering his hands for her to slide off to the 'desktop' that was at his scale.

"Oh shite," the human blurted, fumbled and after a moment pulled herself upright, looking around. Seeing the size difference of a few things in the massive room. Actually looking and seeing what she looked at as the giant was moving to pull a stool out from under the… desk she was on. How there was a smaller desk to the back left of it's top, and what looked like stairs.

It really was like a bedroom just scaled up to fit the giant man and incorporated someone human sized around him.

That made her pause as the Slayer was poking around at the assorted boxes on the right hand side of the desk. Then the eerie blue eyes were back on her.

Lily swallowed but reflexively held still where she was sitting on her knees like she did with her changed mother. She gasped as a large hand came around her again, making the young woman whine as her right shoulder had pressure put on it, not really understanding why it was hurting so much. But there was no resisting the massive hand as it mostly closed around and under her. Lifting her off the desktop to move closer between his arms.

It was so surreal, and frightening in a way as Lily realized that she was about the size of a large doll to him. 

…but the massive hands, though solid like metal, and so clearly strong from her memory. They did not hurt her. The skin was thick with calculuses, and almost a spider web like network of scarring, and just thick skin. Yet as her left arm was lifted by a fingertip, he did not… break her.

"...are you real?" Lily finally asked as her arms were finished being inspected. There was a hazy memory coming back, but she could not tell if she was being held underwater by one of these large, armored hands or being fished out of the sea. A lot of the time with and in the storm was just a chaotic mess that washed out.

The giant nodded, pulling his hands away from her at last, gripping the edges of the desk before relaxing. He looked so oddly confused despite the hard seeming face. Then he signed something.

It took Lily a moment to really realize it was sign language. She was not so rusty to not remember the words, as up until the demonic apocalypse, her crew activity used it in the platform to communicate with each other when someone was in the water to those in a sub or inside the platform itself.

"My name is Lily, not flower." Lily said automatically as she watched him. Then winced as she was fully focused on again with a surprised sound that came from the giant.

It was a subtle shift from him but a larger movement from her perspective as the giant turned fully back to Lily. Was this what it was like for her cats? Sure felt like it.

Lily tilted her head despite herself, watching the quick motions of the impossibly large hands. She blinked and frowned, "Um..slow down, please? It's hard to keep track of what… you're saying."

The fact that he was 'speaking' in sign language suddenly hit the young woman like a flood of bricks.

The giant knew ASL?

It almost looked like he started to sign a curse before aborting it halfway through.

Something clicked, and the big thing, person, not so monstrous giant in front of her, was oddly more… human. He was not altered like her mother?

[lightdancer1]

One of the discussions I see come up in fanfics is the idea of Tara being as powerful as Willow is:

I consider that to both miss the point and to be an even more uncreative effort that leaves Tara purely as replacement/better Willow which is a lot of what Joss Whedon, after all, originally intended to do with her to begin with. At least in my own stories reliant on how the canon puts a lot of things in motion Willow Rosenberg is in a unique category all her own. All other people who use magic have magically charged lineages and are knowingly part of the hidden world of magic and demons in the Buffyverse.

Willow was never that, she started it to help out her friends and developed a kind of Doctor Strange/Phoenix tier power better suited to high yield DC and Marvel characters than the average of the Buffyverse. My take on it here also includes things I've mentioned before about a kind of creative balance.

And ultimately with the exception of the Witches and Slayers Willow in my stories literally nothing stops the bad guys from going 'well she ain't bulletproof and I can shoot a lot faster than she can do a spell to stop me' and just going after her with an assault rifle. Whether or not they manage to succeed or not is a different question but they certainly try it. And that one only doesn't count because she both is bulletproof and has the invulnerability spell full-time for reasons that are geared to being less OP than it might seem.

The basic version of that gap between how Willow and Tara work magically is that Willow is an exceptionally powerful amateur whose powers were cultivated down specific lines by circumstances and the selective morality of the show and of her friends. I do opt for the idea that whatever Willow does and doesn't do with the Mall Goth Sauron bit that her friends really DID see her as a big gun superweapon and that as they're all child soldiers in a war it's a dick move and a perfectly understandable one as they're not particularly fond of the WWII Japan version of die gloriously or die trying by being thrown onto boat propellers.

Willow's power is exceptional and distinct among Buffyverse witches and part of what makes her tick as a character and my take on the Buffyverse is that she's essentially this outside context problem.

Tara, like Amy Madison, is a far more conventional product of regular Buffyverse witchery. Her powers are not greater, her overall power and stamina is much less....but she has a great deal of training with what she has to use and how she has to use it, and does reliably use it in ways that would never occur to Willow with much less risk as she knows how to balance out the weight of her powers in a way that never really occurs to Willow because in a blindingly obvious oversight nobody really thought to consider it until the time bomb went off and by then it was too late.

However while this is the author's POV in-universe people really DO assume that the power gap here equals Tara being either weaker or a less effective sorcerer than Willow and that's just not true. Magic-wise Tara is both far more reliable and able to do less with more where Willow's a straightforward atom bomb level destructive force in a fight and is expected to do much more of that than the subtle things.

[cherry-flavoured-thot]

hiii, thinking about barbatos never being able to leave diavolo’s side as his most important butler/right hand and how when diavolo invites mc to get spicey at the castle in his bedroom, because of demons lack of human normalities and for safety, barbatos was in the room, watched mc and diavolo get it on 😳 maybe even getting turned on? maybe diavolo was extra loud to tease him? something along those lines! thanks!

i am ashamed that such a 10/10 idea has been sitting in my ask box so long, forgive me anon

The differences between human and demon culture are numerous, some of them more subtle than others. Most of which you’ve become accustomed to in your stay in the Devildom, others you’ve became more aware of in your relationship with Diavolo. For example, the lack of shame, Diavolo unfazed by nakedness or being in a state of undress around you. You’ve walked into his room without him wearing any clothes, and he’ll casually converse with you without second thought. 

Then there’s Barbatos’ need to be around Diavolo at all times. Privacy an afterthought, if you’re with Diavolo he’s not too far away, lingering in the distance. You hadn’t realised how far this went until Diavolo warned you before your relationship became more intimate that it was possible at times Barbatos would observe due to his responsibilities and that there was nothing that could be done about it. But the first time it actually happens is more jarring than any warning could prepare you for.

Barbatos standing in the corner of the room, holding himself with the usual composure he has. He’s silent, but you could feel his eyes following along, Diavolo unbothered by his butler’s presence, continued taking off your clothes as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "Focus on me, treasure." Diavolo reassured, mouth dragging down your form until his lips press against your sex and suddenly Barbatos is forgotten.

And while yes, it is strange to have an observer in the room, you aren't as bothered by Barbatos' presence. But you think Diavolo might get a greater kick out of it then he lets on. You don't miss the way he praises you for being so good, or for how wonderful your mouth feels wrapped around his cock, or how tight you are, purposefully loud. Occasionally glancing back at the butler to observe any reaction, and to Barbatos' credit he doesn't seem to.

That is until Diavolo decides to test the waters and fucks you while you're staring right at the other man. You're spread out on Diavolo's lap, bouncing on his cock, eyes on Barbatos, who doesn't seem to hold the same composure as normal. His face red, breathing hitched, and eyes tracing along your form with a greater heat than normal. “Consider this a reward for all your hard work, feel free to look as much as you like.”

You see Barbatos’ mouth move in response, with what you assume to be gratitude. Only for the sound to by drowned out by your own moaning as Diavolo slips a hand to toy with your sex while thrusting up into you. 

[soulfairre-slamamancer]

If you are a Zionist, i do not like you!!

Zionism has brought about the modern "state" of israel, a european controlled war colony.

The israeli occupation is a colonizing force meant to stake claim to land and give control to european countries.

Jews do not need a country for our people, what we need is to be seen and treated as equal.

Jews are indigenous to the land of Palestine, and while what you think of when you hear Palestinian may not be all the same as Jews, they are an arabized population, largely assimilated into a culture from the Arabian peninsula-they are our sister people.

They may not be as born from the land as we were, but they belong to it too.

Zionism is the belief that the jewish diaspora can only be safe through the occupation of the homeland.

Jews can be safe, but only once our sistering people are safe too.

As an american jew, i had to stop going to temple as a kid because my mom was so worried due to bomb threats, shooting threats, stabbing threats, so on and so forth. The cementation of the state of israel would not fix this.

The existence of the state of israel implies that we are something else. that we are something different meant to be kept separate.

What we need is an end to the war. What we need is peace back in our homelands, to be able to live there with our sister people, or even just visit, in safety.

Our lands are not safe, not while the modern israel is as it is now.

Just because jews have a right to our homeland doesnt mean Palestinian claims to indigenity are null, it doesn't mean that the Palestinian people do not belong. They have lived there for hundreds of years alongside us, they do not need to be pushed out so that we may have peace.

Israel is killing more of its own people than Hamas is.

Israel is killing hundreds more palestinians than palestinians are killing israelis.

Hamas is a terrorist group.

So is the current Israeli government.

Both are committing atrocities. BOTH NEED TO BE STOPPED.

If Israel dropped their guns today, Hamas would keep attacking until international forces stopped them, and they could let palestinians return to what's left of their homes.

If Hamas dropped their guns today, Israel would continue their slaughter of innocent palestinians, and jews would still not be safe.

Both the Israeli government and Hamas are horrible and are run by horrible people, both are in the wrong.

Nobody wins in war, but Israel is the greatest of the two evils in this.

The line between them is not very thick, but the Israeli government can afford much more dangerous weapons in much greater quantities than Hamas currently can.

A lot of anti-zionists take it too far and speak with antisemitism, but the state of Israel needs to be put to an end, and either disbanded or restructured.

Israel is not just killing Palestinians.

Thats why I'm against the modern state of Israel.

It is not just killing the group it demonized, not just the "them" they have singled out and attempted to make the world's enemy, but its own people.

Israel is killing its own people at nearly the same rate it is killing Palestinians.

That's why i want to free Palestine.

Because to free palestine, the war must be stopped.

For the war to stop, both the Israeli government and Hamas must be handled.

The Zionist/Anti-Zionist and the Pro-Palestine/Anti-Palestine makes it seem so cut and dry.

It is messy and crumbling, if you were to grab it, it would fall from between your fingers like bloody sand.

It is cold and melting, frigid and unstable.

It is hot and wilting, it burns and is crushed in your hand.

It has never been as simple as good vs bad.

No one party is in the right and no one party is in the wrong.

Both sides are groups of innocent people drowned in a messy blanket of the monsters they are lead by.

It takes nuance, understanding, you must always be willing. Read as much as you can from all sides.

It had been simplified beyond sense;

To say you support Israel, you are supporting the slaughter.

To say you support Palestine, you want to free the people and stop the bloodshed.

If you want to support Israel because the people are dying, you cannot support Israel itself.

If you want the want to support Palestine, you have to denounce Hamas.

If you are a human being, you should want to stop Israel's military action. Once it's stopped, almost all damage being done to both Palestinians and Israelis will cease, and once Hamas is dealt with, then is a possibility for peace, for an end to the bloodshed.

If you think it is as simple as "this side all wrong/this side completely right" you are too comfortable. In your privilege and greed you have become blind.

Listen to the people in need. Those in refugee camps do not beg for vengeance, they beg for peace.

[tellurian-in-aristasia]

Source, from the Notes From Chelouranya archives.

What exactly are the Forces of Darkness?

This is a question that goes very deep indeed. Every tradition has always taught about the “Adversary” – the force or forces that oppose goodness and light. In the Scriptures we have the Snake of the Creation (who opposes Creation itself and wants all to be darkness and nothingness) and the Dark Queen of the Mythos of God the Daughter, who sends her minions to torment the Daughter and finally slays Her.

Sai Vikhë is one of the Seven Primary Powers, because conflict is an inevitable part of manifest existence. Metaphysically, it is the constant tension between the four material elements that prevents them from resolving back into the primal element of Aethyr.

Each one of us has a true self and a false self. We all have bad tendencies that we must combat as well as a pure and perfect nature to which we can aspire (the little angel and devil on the shoulder is a humorous depiction of something that isn’t too far from the truth).

This is the overall cosmic perspective. But on a lower level – in certain places, like Telluria – there is also a conflict between the primal Feminine and the forces of an unrestrained Masculine (in other worlds the masculine does not exist and the conflict may take different forms). This certainly does not mean that “men are bad”. Men may be on the side of light. However, our particular mission is one that only maids can effect.

In Telluria the unbalanced rise of the masculine principle has taken the form of excessive materiality, violence, and human conflict. The masculine principle has to do with consolidation and matter, and also with conflict and combat. These are not necessarily bad things in themselves (we are in combat with the forces of darkness, and that is the true “Holy War” intended for maid). But when being able to manage material existence ends in a belief that matter is “all there is” and when combat is turned against humans rather than dark forces, it becomes unbalanced and dangerous.

Now all this is part of a greater cosmic conflict between light and darkness, and the Motherland’s role in Telluria does not directly concern Telluria itself, but a greater cosmic balance in which Telluria (but not only Telluria) is playing an unbalancing role.

That – in strategic terms – is why Operation Bridgehead was needed in Telluria and why Chelouranyans have been sent to work here. Our work takes place on a spiritual level. We are certainly not here to fight the Tellurians, but our work does bring us into direct conflict with some of the darker forces of Telluria.

It is important to recall that, despite the Tellurian doctrine that the material plane is the only one, actually the material plane is not only one of many but also one of the lowest. What happens on the material plane is always a reflection of what is happening on other planes.

The Tellurians themselves have no idea who we are or what we are doing, and even if we tell them they (fortunately) cannot understand. On the other hand the guiding “demons” of the patriarchal-materialist revolution do recognize us and want to stop us.

There are two conditions in which they typically appear:

1. When we are making good forward progress and they want to disrupt it.

2. When they see a weakness that they can exploit.

The first of these is the most frequent, and indeed we often see attacks by the Forces of Darkness as a sign that we are doing well! They often seem to “panic” when we are making good progress and launch all sorts of assaults on us.

That is one way of defending against them – realizing that their attacks are actually accolades. They show we are making headway. This is important because the intention is often to demoralize us, or knock us off course. So it is important to take strength from an attack, and to know it is usually a sign we are on the right course.

The second case is when we are weak or unwell, or when a particular person has bad qualities (jealousy, anger, resentment etc.) that can be exploited. The Forces of Darkness are opportunists and will jump in where they see an opening has been left for them. They love to use our less admirable qualities against us and against our friends.

The best defenses against them are:

1. Prayer and trust in Dea.

2. Friendship of sister believers. One thing they will often attempt to do is isolate us. Encourage us to “go into our shell” and not communicate with our sisters. If they can find ways of isolating us, we are much more vulnerable.

3. Laughter. They hate being laughed at. Darkness can never really overcome the light, although they can hurt us and inconvenience us. In the end their power is all a big bluff. Calling that bluff is what they fear most. In this case laughter is a far distant echo of the laughter of the Mother that created the world. It is a peal of joy about the power of Light and against the sheer absurdity (in the end) of the minions of evil.

Some important things to realize about the Forces of Darkness:

1. They are forcefully drawn to light, almost like moths. The fact that we turn to Dea and the fact that we make good progress are both elements that seem to attract them.

2. They feed on light, as they have none and wish to destroy it out of hate and jealousy.

3. They are very persistent. They will try over and over using different approaches to try and hurt a maid. If deflected in one area, they will try to find another weak spot. We can win by standing firm. They will win some rounds inevitably, but if we stay firm in our faith and resolution they will not win overall. Their whole purpose is to shake our resolution and turn us away from the light. That way they could win if we allow it.

4. They have many agents through which they do their work. Some poor souls may not even know they are being used. In the Pit culture there is a very considerable streak of embracing darkness which allows certain individuals to be used quite easily. People can sometimes be used without necessarily being full-time agents of darkness. Their weaknesses can be exploited on particular occasions for particular purposes. Tellurians have become especially vulnerable to this, because unlike more traditional people they are mostly unaware of spiritual forces, good or bad, and take no precautions.

5. Vigilance is needed in dealing with them. It is necessary to remain watchful of their influence and presence and take measures to counteract their attacks as soon as they become apparent . Being aware of our spiritual surroundings is important for protecting ourselves.

___________________________

A suggestion from Miss Trent:

A thought on how to turn the personal attacks around. If your own bad qualities are triggered or hooked by some person or event, say envy or unpleasant thoughts about someone, one can think, Aha! my weakness is being exploited, but I will take it as a sign that I need to work on this, or be humble about that, as the case may be. Then the Fs of D are defeated because you have turned towards the Light.

A suggestion from Willow Dreamwalker:

I believe that Our Momma would like us to take good care of ourselves. Just like any mother would, and more! When we are sad, we should be gentle and generous with ourselves: go do some shopping, or pamper yourself with a nice hot bubble bath, or eat some chocolate – whichever strikes our particular fancy, we should do. I find that by keeping this in mind and keeping Dea’s own love within us, we can love ourselves just as she does, and be good to ourselves when things go awry. After a while, the Foddies are bound to give up out of sheer exasperation. If they can not take Dea and Her love out of every maid’s heart, even after they have exhausted all of their resources, what are they to do? Nothing, I say!

This is what we can do: not only to love Dea and to love others, but to love ourselves.

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

Thanks to Multiverse of Madness, Wanda may very well have the highest kill count of anyone in the MCU (excluding the TVA):

Think about it: if we follow the (very broken) logic that Multiverse of Madness gives us, contact with another universe of any kind risks the total annihilation of one or both of them. Does that mean it’s possible that prior to the events of the movie Wanda inadvertently destroyed multiple universes? We’re told that 838-Strange caused an incursion just by Dreamwalking, so if Wanda did it before (which she may not have), then did she cause any incursions by doing that? And even failing that, does her sending demons after America count?

That’s not even getting into the fact that by destroying the Book of Vishanti she may well have doomed countless other realities to annihilation.

Bravo Mr. Waldron, you murdered my best girl both figuratively and literally 😒.

The logic behind incursions is a little weird. Either that or I'm an idiot and I can't understand it.

Reed says the larger the footprint you leave behind in another universe different from your own, the greater the risk of an incursion. This basically means you can still travel throughout the multiverse and not cause any problems like America does (or at least I assume she doesn't, I could be wrong).

Mordo and Reed say Stephen had to dreamwalk several times in order to cause an incursion, so I'm assuming unless you interfere repeatedly you should be fine.

In WandaVision, when Wanda hears Billy she doesn't seem to be dreamwalking at all, she's reading the Darkhold and observing. Is that big enough interference? I'm not so sure, it would be like dreams: Stephen says they're windows to other universes but they don't destabilize reality because the dreamer is merely observing and not interacting.

Reed claims an incursion happens when "the boundary between two universes erodes and collides", and I'm guessing those two universes are 1) your own, and 2) the universe you travel to. Like Sinister Strange has his own reality at the brink of collapse, are we to assume no one from 616 has ever caused damage like that because it's doing fine? Dunno.

The way I see it, Wanda only "destabilized reality" when she dreamwalked to 838, and everything before that is just her using her powers in her own universe which shouldn't cause any issues. I mean, NWH is more likely to be an issue far more than Wanda. Or there's something I'm not understanding 🤷‍♀️😂

Still, she might have done bad things but she killed the Illuminati and for that she has my most sincere gratitude 😜

PS. I hate what they did with the Book of Vishanti. It was there just so they could say the word Vishanti but they didn't give a damn about it. Ugh, Waldron.

[thevagabondexpress]

christopher lightwood vs the butterfly effect. fodder. we know he invents a bunch of things, maybe averaging 2-3 groundbreaking things per year and he works with Grace so that could add more. gets along with downworlders like he fits in better with them than shadowhunters, it's not too much of a stretch to assume he probably thinks about mundanes with similar dignity and does have some level of perceived responsibility to protect them from demons downstream from his wanting to make bigger impacts through his inventions (a lot like me with urban design).

anyway, we also know basic history between 1904 and now, and the world of tmi etc has been consistent with ours, and a world in which christopher lightwood's last invention was fire messages. two world wars. bunch of racism and patriachy. ecocide. concerns about the environment and human consumption cumulating in whatever is happening with our weather right now.

would christopher come up with some mathematical relationship of the mundane society events that result in greater demon liveability and breeding rate on earth? would he get into social justice as a result? (I feel like James would for pure social justice reasons if he had the first clue how and another shadowhunter to do it with). or maybe he would do so more passively with his inventions--he wouldn't want to limit them to shadowhunters would he?

anyway my point is society as we know it has massive potential to be Very Different. so go wild. brainstorm it. did ww1 and 2 even happen? is climate change even a thing in this world? are mundanes still kept ignorant of the shadow world or is that exposed for how many problems it causes and is this newfound knowledge helping people rethink racism? ableism? how we get along with other species of living things that aren't human?

you've got 120 years to work with. australia has just become a federation and in many parts of the world racial segregation is so normalised anything else seems absurd to most of society. trickle down economics is yet to scam many. the fossil fuels industries are yet to learn from the tobacco industry about how to prevent the spread of you know, information that isn't mixed with misinformation. the word 'homosexual' has not appeared in any bible ever (and shadowhunters care about religion, all stories are true).

go crazy (or follow this however far you have the time for!)

I've joked before that the show universe is what would've happened if Christopher stayed around, just because of how more open to technology they are. You are right; the world does have massive potential for change. But I also don't feel that he would cause so much change upon the mundane world as to prevent the world wars: they're too big and too soon, too many of the moving parts are already in place: WWI was caused by a domino of alliances, remember, alliances that you couldn't just easily dismantle in the ten years between ChoT and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.

I feel like the Clave has its version of the Prime Directive for a reason, and more than just "we don't want to cause widespread panic among mundanes": they and Downworlders, even Downworlders like werewolves or working-class faeries who seem fairly mundane by Downworld standards, have so much more power than mundanes. If mundanes knew about the Downworld, and Downworlders could interact freely with mundanes as themselves, it'd create a power imbalance that'd just be so unfair for the mundanes involved. I feel like Christopher would understand that. But I do also feel that it would be majorly depressing for him: thanks to mundanes, the world is on a massive downhill slide but there is nothing he can do to stop it, not without creating a whole different kind of ethical dilemma.

But things that really kick in and happen later, like climate change, or trickle down, or some of the rollbacks of progress happening now, those I think do have the potential to change. Not directly through Christopher, but we do know that Downworlders don't have the same strictness of interference policies that the Clave does (Magnus Bane infamously influencing many mundane events) and so we don't know who might bring his ideas out into the mundane world for him.

[sweetthepotato]

The Final Pillar: Chapter 2: Sashiko

Disclaimer

Chapter 1

AO3 Link

Summary:

Kagome takes some time to herself to contemplate her work with the Demon Slayer Corps, as well as life's uncertainties.

Contents

Lots o' thinkin'. There's a shrine? Giyuu is implied to be a sad boy.

The Master bade them all sit the remainder of their meeting inside the walls of his estate. As the day turned into evening, Ubuyashiki's children proceeded to light candles around the room. Kagome proceeded to find her place along the line of hashira, sitting between Tokito, the Mist Hashira, and Uzui, the Sound Hashira.

The man turned sullen and gazed at the ten demon slayers who kneeled before him in the seiza position. With their latest addition now finally joining the ranks, he found his convictions strengthen considerably and for that, he could never show his pillars enough of his gratitude. Already familiar with their feats in the heat of battle, he could now envision the completion of his family's long-held mission.

'My children, it is as you have all reported,' he said, 'The demons' carnage has reached an all-time high. This means that the threat to human life is greater than it has ever been before. There is no doubt that we must bolster the ranks of the demon slayers. Now, what are your thoughts?'

Shinazugawa, the white-haired Wind Hashira, began to scowl, 'The incident on Mount Natagumo says it all,' he asserted, 'The calibre of demon slayers has dropped tremendously; most of them are completely useless. Their trainers must've gone blind, you'd think they could at least tell who's competent or not.'

The other pillars bristled, though the brunette sensed that Tomioka, the Water Hashira, seemed to be the most offended by his remark.

'The more the human race grows, the harder it becomes to control and unify them. In this era, that seems to be especially true,' Kocho, the Insect Hashira, acknowledged.

Himejima, the Stone Hashira, wept, 'We have those who joined us after their loved ones were slaughtered, and those who have hunted demons for generations, but for others it's another matter entirely. Asking laymen for the same or even greater commitment to our cause... I feel this would be much too cruel.'

The Nightmare Hashira internalised the man's words, realising that she had related much to what he was saying as of the last week or so. There was much for the Demon Slayer Corps to be worried about, that was true, and it was easy enough for anyone in the ranks to lose faith. Shizu had talked a little about that, too, in the past, though having to live through it was a different matter in its entirety.

Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, broke her out of her reverie with his burning optimism, 'But we must consider that this boy, soon after joining, encountered one of the Twelve Kizuki! I think he can draw them out, even we rarely get the chance to confront one! I'm envious!'

At that, the brunette stilled, having missed the first part of the hashira meeting. She wasn't sure, but she assumed that this was concerning the teenage boy she overheard before, whose sister had been transformed into a demon and was helping the Corps within her own capacity. Even despite being 'demon spawn' as the Wind Hashira liked to put it, she could imagine that happening in reality. She considered, though, that the same boy had managed to survive Mount Natagumo so early in his career, and Shizu's voice at the back of her head gave a low whistle in response.

'A fair point,' Ubuyashiki conceded, 'However, the fact that Lower Rank Five made such a drastic move, likely means that Kibitsuji is far from Mount Natagumo. Like with Asakusa, whenever he wishes to hide something, he proceeds to create a clever diversion to throw us off his trail.'

Pausing for breath, his eyes narrowed at the manifestation of his own words, 'To be honest, it's quite frustrating, but as long as those demons linger as they do now, freely devouring humans and gaining strength as a result, there is only one thing for us to do,' he argued. 'For the sake of those who have died, I feel you who are present here today, the Corps' hashira, are the finest unit I have assembled since the swordsmen of the feudal era, the very first to use breathing techniques. My beloved children, I look forward to seeing your success.'

--

The next afternoon, Kagome travelled to the nearest shrine outside of the estate, which, thankfully, was far enough from any whisper of wisteria. At the well, she gargled the water and spat it out a few more times than usual, before ladling more of the liquid onto her hands, dousing and cleansing her face of the last few days' travel.

Tiredness seeped into her bones. She imagined the darkness that swept under her eyes, forming a grey caste to her skin, and pushed that picture away from her mind. It was half a moment of contemplation before the brunette forced herself up the stairs, wishing the kami housed in this space to not be offronted by her being there. The smoke of burning agarwood drifted in the daylight, and the torii gate appeared considerably well-kept and painted bright vermillion, an almost too bright of a colour for her mood.

The yellowing of leaves was an uncomfortable reminder of how she puked in front of the other pillars. If Shizu ever heard of this, she thought, he would hang that over her had until she killed herself out of sheer embarass-

-Ah, yes, right, she reprimanded. Shizu would never hear of this.

Maybe this was why she superstitiously walked around the torii gate and dropped a coin into the saisen. Two claps later, and she said a silent prayer, if only to suppress the invasive thoughts that argued that it was actually the shinigami she was praying to. Thinking back to their debrief of Mount Natagumo, she hoped that Shizu didn't suffer much before his death. But that was just wishful thinking, a part of her rebuffed. For their choice of vocation, hardly any of the Demon Slayer Corps received what one would describe as a 'good death', and at that, she thought of what Himejima said once more. Probably at best, it was all that she could hope fore that the afterlife was a comfortable one, but she would've followed Shizu into Hell if he were there.

The shuffling of feet behind Kagome signified the entrance of another person. Eyes now open, she sensed the quiet existence of the Water Hashira, and seeing his mismatched haori confirmed it. Their eyes, blue to brown, met for a pause, and it was as if there was a moment of silent solidarity.

Seeing his posture, slacking at the shoulders, made her wonder if he was at the shrine for similar reasons. She swallowed the instinct to call out and interrupt Tomioka's moment of contemplation, thinking that it was best to not trouble him in case he was in a state of mourning.

The main part of her brain absorbed the tranquil atmosphere of the hallowed ground where she was standing. Watching the oak trees sway in the breeze, she pondered if the man was similar to that kind of effect; a man who hovered nearby others, but never managed to stay close to anyone for an extended period of time. Understanding that the Water user wanted to be alone with his thoughts, Kagome pushed down any remaining feelings of curiosity.

A plan, in any case, was already in the middle of forming, to at least eat something and replenish her supplies. Her sewing kit could use some more thread, after all.

--

The closest town to the shrine went down a winding road, which down another winding road. By the time she was able to request a room at the local inn, not wanting to bother with training in the forest so late, it was clearly nightfall. Just the other day, Kagome resumed her presence hiding technique, proceeding to visualise her sense of self as if she were a normal, human civilian. If she were lucky, there'd be enough time to bathe, and then she could finally inspect and analyse the damage her haori'd received from her previous mission.

The material, which was originally a teal shade, had long faded in some areas to a much pale aqua. Shiori-baasan, who was the elderly caretaker who helped raise her, taught her how to embroider sashiko and repair one's clothes in the event of tearing. The original design, which was now impossible to see from the outside, was a similar kind of print to her stitching, but with the cameo of flowers. However, scraps of fabric soon overlayed on top, and Kagome painstakingly made sure to rely on stitching lines in a criss-cross pattern. The first design, meant ot resemble the holes found in a basket, was her original namesake, and she continued to emulate it in her stitching out of sentimentality.

The events of last week, certainly, proved that there was a need to use sashiko. For one, she'd have to fix the gaping hole where her right shoulder would've fit into, otherwise she'd feel cold in that area come winter. Shizu told her, anyway, that sometimes having more tangible objects on your person was much more convenient that relying so much one one's breathing. And so, with a sigh, she opened up her sewing kit and drew out scraps of fabric, which were the cheapest ones she could find on her travels.

She selected the samples that were closest to the teal colour family. Beginning with the larger gaps, the brunette sewed the patches on with thread in a matching colour to the rest of the material. Then, pulling out her much thicker, indigo embroidery thread, she pulled apart the skeins until they were three-ply. Selecting a needle with a slightly larger eye, she threaded it carefully; when it didn't work the first attempt, the girl then made sure the strings would've pulled together with a little of her spit, and managed to pull it through the second time.

With the needle poking its way up and down the layers of fabric, Kagome embroidered the geometric shapes on top. Over the smaller punctures and fraying ends, she pursued further with string in another colour, weaving the thread through the original fabric until the spots became opaque. Meanwhile, the single lightbulb in her room hummed with her toiling, the light tinting the walls and her hands a slight yellow until the early dawn arrived.

--

Without realising, dawn became noon. Kagome realised that she'd spent the past few hours repairing her haori. Looking back at her work, she acknowledged that it wasn't exactly the prettiest item of clothing one could wear, but she maintained that its purpose at this point was purely functional. It still managed to protect her from the cold, which was the main thing.

Stomach growling, she realised that she forgot to eat something the previous day. Luckily, she remembered that there was a donburi shop that was closeby, and decided that this was good enough as any option when it came to food.

Stepping through the entrance to the restaurant, she was met with a waft of hot air coming form the kitchen. The clanging of pots and pans and shouts coming from the cooks could be heard as she was ambling towards the only available seat at the bench.

She didn't exactly favour having to eat with other people within the same vicinity, despite knowingly stepping into a very public donburi-ya. Although the town was small, the tables were almost completely filled in. She could already see three of the other pillars sitting inconspicuously at the back corner, with Kanroji, the Love Hashira, polishing another bowl and adding it to the pile. Iguro, the Snake Breathing user, gazed upon her patiently, with his heterochromatic eyes tilted upwards, as if in a gentle smile. The last one, sitting opposite the pair, was none other than Rengoku, who had insisted she give her self-introduction the other day. He seemed less occupied by the couple in front of him; rather, he was more invested in lifting a clump of rice and meat from his bowl and chewing. As he gulped down, the world 'delicious' was shouted from his location, which, surprisingly, didn't cause much of a stir from the other patrons.

Thinking about how her first meeting with them went, Kagome decided to sit next to a stranger who appeared to be some kind of businessman. He seemed to be an ordinary kind of person, from the shape and dull colour of his kimono, which suited her just fine.

She ordered a vegetable tempura teishoku set at the counter and grounded herself with thoughts of the kinds of vegetables she'd be finding in her food. It was late October, and so it was possible that her rice bowl would feature the autumnal crops. Pumpkins, she supposed, would be a likely topping of choice, considering that it was more likely prime for picking. Placing a thumb on her chin, she then calculated the probability of sweet potatoes being in her meal, but then her train of thought pivoted to that of supplies... the brunette considered that she might want to pack a few additional spuds in her satchel soon...

Scooping tea leaves into her cup, she sampled the complimentary tea while waiting. Kagome passed about ten minutes of her time watching the water's colour deepen, and her mind drifted to that of the Water Hashira. She hoped that Tomioka wasn't offended by her lack of greeting at the shrine, but she remunerated that as another introvert, she would have wanted to be left alone at that time, too. As soon as she drained her first cup of liquid, a teenage girl with tied up kimono sleeves brought her order on a lacquered tray.

Seeing the set, Kagome noted the small dish of white, pickled radishes on the side of her bowl. The standard accompaniment of misoshiru was there, steaming hot and the miso paste blooming within the dashi broth. With some disappointment, she observed that, indeed, sweet potatoes weren't part of her meal for the afternoon.

Midway through her depressive episode, she was about to pick up her chopsticks from their rest. However, upon laying her finger onto the bamboo, she felt something scaley slide up against her face. For a few moments, she shared eye contact with the head of a white snake, its forked tongue flickering at the air near her. Smothering her shock, she turned around and found Iguro standing behind her, his hand clutching at her shoulder.

[crownamedblue]

On “real names”

To name something is to give it significance. It goes from being a rock, to Rocco the Rock (you can tell it's important because it's in uppercase). Once something has a name, it gains a personality. Some people with names may not have a personality, granted, but that's why we have given them a different moniker entirely: tool. This, in turn, brings me to another point entirely: the difference between a given name and a chosen name. Additionally, which is your real name? Now, as one could expect from one of my articles, I have done far too much research and put far too much thought into this. 

We’ll begin with the Egyptians, who have something of a tiered system of names. It may seem off topic, but more than a bit away from the sandy deserts and ancient pyramids, there lies, in America, a swampy land known as Louisiana. I bring your attention to this polar opposite, if only to point out a certain magic that exists there, among the witch doctors and wilds. That magic, of course, being voodoo. The reason I mention the needles and dolls, is that the hierarchy of names works very similarly. That is to say, that if you possess someone’s “true name,” the name that describes your soul in perfect perpetuity, you can have much of the same effects. 

However, with one notable exception, it is not much of a hierarchy if it doesn't have more than one level (that one exception being the hierarchy of angels- fun little shoutout to my Nightvale article). At the bottom are your chosen names. A chosen name is, as one might guess, a name one chooses for themselves. Consider a nickname or a username online. As previously stated, this other name may very well have a personality attached to it (unless you are a tool). It may be what you use for day to day and it may fit you better than your given, or original name, but nonetheless it is not what you were assigned at birth, and thus it has less power. The next tier, as mentioned above, is the given name, or your original name. This is the one handed to you at birth, the one you used when you hadn't the consciousness to assign another. It is a mix of it being the original and the fact that this is what your most developing period was based upon. This would, therefore, give it priority and thus greater power. The final tier is the true name, which I have already spoken about.

This wouldn’t be one of my articles if I stopped here. Oh no no, you poor thing. You sweet summer child swaddled in the cashmere cloth of innocence, you expect too little of me. Spiraling out of Egyptian beliefs, let's talk about one of my favorite things. That which I love to hate. That's right, it's time to talk about the church. Why? Demons. Specifically demon summoning. I won’t go into too much detail (please don’t censor me editors), but one of the steps required is to know the Demon’s true name. This has a similar effect to the Egyptian voodoo-esq beliefs (or vice versa technically if you based it on chronological order but you can kindly close your mouth). If you know their true name, the demon will do anything you command. The interesting part, however, is where they differ. You see, in the Egyptian mythos, to know one's true name is to control the mind, body, and spirit. You capture one’s true name, and you can order them about. The twist is that they will do it of their own will. It will be as if they want to do whatever you manipulate their name to compel them to do. Their own soul will change in accordance to your will. 

The church disagrees, as per usual. You see, the church has a problem they need to solve. They have peasants to convert, who all follow their own pesky little deities. Step one is to bring some filthy peas- I mean loyal citizens- over to your side and use them to bring even more over. Step two is to declare the gods and goddesses as evil. Step three is to then state that the remaining followers are, in fact, in league with the demons, thus putting on peer pressure and dividing the peoples. Step four though, step four is tricky. See the people didn't much care for the division of neighbors and attempts at conversion. They got testy and decided to resist, and some of them are, annoyingly enough, town leaders and good people and now the trick is to explain why these good people are actually evil. Thus come the Deals with The Devil. See, these people thought that they could control the demons, the church says. After all, knowing their true names allows control of the demonic forces. What the leaders failed to consider, the church continues, is that you only control their body, and demons are experts at finding loopholes. So they meant to be good at first, the church reassures, but the demons found the loopholes and now they own the leaders’ souls which is why you should stay away from them and only listen to us. 

With my mandatory rant against the church over, this leaves me with my closing arguments. Both the church and Egyptians will argue that a true name carries far more power than any other. However, we don’t really have access to those, so what is your real name in our current society? Contrary to Egyptian beliefs, I’d put my money on the chosen name. As someone currently trying to change mine, and who are friends with people who have, your chosen name truly reflects you the best. I've been lucky on this front, and don't experience discomfort from my given name being uttered, but regardless, that can be extremely damaging to a person. For something that I personally do get to experience, it feels so much better when someone does use the right name. So which is someone’s real name? Whatever they tell you. Respect people's pronouns, use their chosen name, and don’t be a tool.

(On pronouns, mine are any/all, so he/him she/her and they/them all work. I identify as genderqueer, meaning currently I have no idea what I am but it certainly isn't what I was assigned at birth)