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truevedicastrology · 2 years ago

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Spouse/Partner predictions from your 7th House

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The 7th House and its ruler, known as the 7th Lord (the planet governing the sign in the 7th house), play a pivotal role in unveiling insights into the nature of your spouse or partner. This house holds paramount significance in understanding your love relationships, shedding light on the dynamics and compatibility with your significant other.

Mars: When Mars finds its place in the 7th House of your natal chart or influences a sign ruled by Mars—namely, Aries or Scorpio—the characteristics of your partner come into focus. Expect a companion who tends to be short-tempered, making impulsive decisions. Ego issues may surface, and a heightened sense of self-esteem could be evident. The partner may easily get provoked, displaying an aggressive nature and a penchant for spicy foods.

If the sign ruled by Mars is prominent in your 7th House, it's crucial to examine Mars's placement in your chart for additional insights into your partner's qualities. For instance, if the 7th House is Scorpio and Mars resides in the 3rd House, anticipate a partner with excellent communication skills, marked by a sharp and direct style. While the short temper persists due to Scorpio's influence, the emotional nature allows for quick calmness. Additionally, interests in profound sciences and opportunities for sudden gains might characterize their pursuits.

Understanding the nuances of Mars's influence on the 7th House provides a nuanced perspective on your partner's temperament, communication style, and potential areas of interest, contributing to a comprehensive overview of your romantic dynamics.

Venus: Now, shifting our focus to Venus, the 7th House's influence by the planet of love and harmony unveils distinct qualities in your spouse or partner. If Venus graces your 7th House or rules the sign within it—Libra or Taurus—you can anticipate a partner with a refined taste, a love for beauty, and a charming demeanor. This placement often signifies a harmonious and aesthetically pleasing relationship. Your partner may excel in the arts, have a fondness for luxurious experiences, and radiate a captivating allure. Their approach to love and relationships is likely to be gentle, diplomatic, and marked by a desire for balance and fairness.

However, the specific placement of Venus in your chart adds layers to these attributes. For instance, if your 7th House is Libra, and Venus resides in the 10th House, your partner may embody qualities of charm and sophistication in their professional endeavors. Alternatively, if your 7th House is Taurus and Venus graces the 5th House, your partner may express their creativity and love for pleasure in playful and entertaining ways.

Understanding Venus's influence on the 7th House not only provides insights into your partner's romantic inclinations but also sheds light on the elements that contribute to a harmonious and visually appealing connection.

Saturn: Now, let's delve into the influence of Saturn on the 7th House. When Saturn governs this pivotal house or resides in a sign it rules—Capricorn or Aquarius—the characteristics of your spouse or partner take on a more disciplined and serious tone. Expect a partner who values responsibility, commitment, and stability in relationships. They may exhibit a mature and composed demeanor, approaching partnerships with a pragmatic mindset.

Saturn's influence can also indicate a considerable age gap between you and your partner, or it may suggest that your partner possesses qualities associated with wisdom and experience. In a positive light, this placement signifies a steadfast and enduring commitment. However, challenges may arise, calling for patience and a long-term perspective in navigating the intricacies of your relationship.

Examining Saturn's placement in your chart adds depth to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Capricorn and Saturn resides in the 4th House, your partner may prioritize a stable home life and family. Conversely, if your 7th House is Aquarius and Saturn graces the 11th House, your partner may bring a sense of responsibility and structure to your social circles and shared goals.

Understanding Saturn's influence on the 7th House provides a profound understanding of the qualities that contribute to a durable and enduring partnership.

Mercury: Turning our attention to Mercury's influence on the 7th House, this planetary alignment provides insights into the communicative and intellectual aspects of your partner. If Mercury graces your 7th House or rules the sign within it—Gemini or Virgo—expect a partner who values intellectual connection, effective communication, and analytical thinking in relationships. Your significant other may possess a sharp wit, enjoy engaging conversations, and excel in problem-solving.

The specific placement of Mercury in your chart refines these traits. For example, if your 7th House is Gemini, and Mercury resides in the 9th House, your partner may express their intellectual pursuits through travel, higher education, or philosophical discussions. Conversely, if your 7th House is Virgo and Mercury graces the 2nd House, your partner may bring a practical and detail-oriented approach to financial matters within the relationship.

Understanding Mercury's influence on the 7th House adds layers to your comprehension of the mental dynamics within your partnership, emphasizing the importance of effective communication and shared intellectual pursuits.

Moon: Now, let's explore the impact of the Moon on the 7th House. When the Moon governs this house or resides in a Moon-ruled sign—Cancer—the emotional landscape of your partner comes into focus. Expect a partner who is deeply attuned to their emotions, values familial connections, and seeks emotional security in relationships. The Moon's influence may manifest as nurturing qualities, intuition, and a desire for a close-knit and supportive bond.

Examining the specific placement of the Moon in your chart refines these insights. If your 7th House is Cancer, and the Moon resides in the 8th House, your partner may bring emotional depth and intensity to shared resources and intimate connections. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by the Moon and it graces the 5th House, your partner may express their nurturing qualities through creativity and interactions with children.

Understanding the Moon's influence on the 7th House provides a nuanced understanding of the emotional undercurrents within your relationship, emphasizing the importance of empathy and connection on a profound emotional level.

In unraveling the cosmic tapestry of your 7th House and its planetary influences, you gain a richer understanding of the multifaceted nature of your spouse or partner. Each planetary alignment contributes unique qualities, shaping the dynamics of your relationship in intricate and profound ways.

Jupiter: Moving forward, let's delve into the impact of Jupiter on the 7th House. When Jupiter governs this house or resides in a Jupiter-ruled sign—Sagittarius or Pisces—the qualities of your spouse or partner take on expansive and optimistic hues. Expect a partner with a generous and jovial spirit, a love for exploration, and a broad-minded approach to relationships. Jupiter's influence may manifest as a quest for knowledge, a love for adventure, and a philosophical outlook on life.

Examining the specific placement of Jupiter in your chart adds depth to these insights. For instance, if your 7th House is Sagittarius, and Jupiter resides in the 6th House, your partner may express their expansive qualities through service and a commitment to well-being. Conversely, if your 7th House is Pisces and Jupiter graces the 3rd House, your partner may infuse your relationship with imaginative and communicative elements.

Understanding Jupiter's influence on the 7th House underscores the importance of growth, shared beliefs, and a positive outlook in fostering a thriving and expansive partnership.

Sun: Now, let's explore the influence of the Sun on the 7th House. When the Sun governs this house or resides in a Sun-ruled sign—Leo—the qualities of your partner take on a radiant and confident demeanor. Expect a partner who exudes warmth, creativity, and a strong sense of individuality. The Sun's influence may manifest as a desire for recognition, leadership qualities, and a magnetic presence.

Examining the specific placement of the Sun in your chart refines these insights. If your 7th House is Leo, and the Sun resides in the 9th House, your partner may express their radiant qualities through travel, higher education, or a philosophical approach to life. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by the Sun and it graces the 4th House, your partner may bring a strong sense of identity and creativity to matters related to home and family.

Understanding the Sun's influence on the 7th House highlights the significance of mutual respect, individual expression, and shared creative endeavors in building a vibrant and fulfilling partnership.

In deciphering the cosmic symphony of your 7th House and its planetary influences, you gain a comprehensive understanding of the diverse qualities that shape your spouse or partner. Each planetary alignment contributes to the unique tapestry of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that foster love, connection, and mutual growth.

Neptune: Turning our focus to Neptune's influence on the 7th House, this ethereal planet brings a dreamy and compassionate quality to your partner. When Neptune governs this house or resides in a Neptune-ruled sign—Pisces—anticipate a partner with a deep sense of empathy, artistic inclinations, and a spiritually attuned nature. Neptune's influence may manifest as a romantic idealism, a desire for soulful connections, and an openness to the mystical aspects of life.

Examining the specific placement of Neptune in your chart adds nuances to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Pisces, and Neptune resides in the 5th House, your partner may express their artistic and romantic tendencies through creative pursuits and interactions with children. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Neptune and it graces the 10th House, your partner may infuse your relationship with a dreamy and inspirational approach to career and public life.

Understanding Neptune's influence on the 7th House underscores the importance of spiritual connection, creative expression, and a shared appreciation for the mystical dimensions of love.

Uranus: Now, let's explore the impact of Uranus on the 7th House. When Uranus governs this house or resides in a Uranus-ruled sign—Aquarius—your partner is likely to bring unconventional and innovative qualities to the relationship. Expect a partner who values independence, intellectual stimulation, and a progressive outlook on partnerships. Uranus's influence may manifest as a desire for uniqueness, a penchant for experimentation, and a forward-thinking approach to love.

Examining the specific placement of Uranus in your chart adds depth to these insights. For instance, if your 7th House is Aquarius, and Uranus resides in the 8th House, your partner may express their unconventional tendencies through shared resources and intimate connections. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Uranus and it graces the 3rd House, your partner may bring a communicative and innovative approach to everyday interactions.

Understanding Uranus's influence on the 7th House highlights the importance of embracing change, fostering individuality, and cultivating a relationship that thrives on intellectual stimulation and innovative ideas.

In navigating the celestial influences on your 7th House, you gain a profound understanding of the unique qualities that contribute to the rich tapestry of your relationship. Each planetary alignment adds a layer of complexity, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that make your partnership distinct, exciting, and conducive to mutual growth and exploration.

Pluto: Now, let's explore the profound influence of Pluto on the 7th House. When Pluto governs this house or resides in a Pluto-ruled sign—Scorpio—your partner is likely to bring transformative and intense qualities to the relationship. Expect a partner who values depth, passion, and a willingness to undergo significant personal growth. Pluto's influence may manifest as a desire for profound connections, a fascination with the mysteries of life, and an unwavering commitment to emotional authenticity.

Examining the specific placement of Pluto in your chart adds layers to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Scorpio, and Pluto resides in the 2nd House, your partner may express their transformative tendencies through shared resources and a deep exploration of values. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Pluto and it graces the 9th House, your partner may bring an intense and transformative energy to matters related to travel, higher education, or philosophical pursuits.

Understanding Pluto's influence on the 7th House underscores the importance of embracing transformation, navigating the depths of emotional connection, and fostering a relationship that allows for profound personal evolution.

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North Node (Rahu): Turning our attention to the North Node, also known as Rahu, its influence on the 7th House brings karmic and evolutionary aspects to your partnership. When the North Node governs this house or resides in a North Node-ruled sign—Capricorn—it suggests that your relationship is destined for growth, learning, and spiritual evolution. Expect a partner who plays a significant role in your karmic journey, guiding you toward your higher purpose.

Examining the specific placement of the North Node in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Capricorn, and the North Node resides in the 4th House, your partner may contribute to your karmic evolution through matters related to home, family, and emotional security. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by the North Node and it graces the 11th House, your partner may play a crucial role in your karmic lessons related to social connections and shared goals.

Understanding the North Node's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of embracing the lessons and growth opportunities that your relationship brings, fostering a connection that aligns with your spiritual and evolutionary path.

In deciphering the cosmic intricacies of your 7th House and its planetary influences, you gain a profound understanding of the transformative, karmic, and evolutionary dimensions that shape your partnership. Each celestial force contributes to the intricate dance of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the higher purpose, growth potential, and spiritual alignment that characterize your shared journey.

Chiron: Now, let's explore the influence of Chiron on the 7th House. When Chiron governs this house or resides in a Chiron-ruled sign—Virgo—your partner is likely to bring healing and growth-oriented qualities to the relationship. Expect a partner who values self-improvement, fosters a nurturing environment, and facilitates emotional healing. Chiron's influence may manifest as a desire for mutual growth, a commitment to addressing wounds, and a supportive approach to each other's vulnerabilities.

Examining the specific placement of Chiron in your chart adds depth to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Virgo, and Chiron resides in the 5th House, your partner may contribute to healing through creative expressions, children, or matters related to joy and play. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Chiron and it graces the 10th House, your partner may play a significant role in your healing journey related to career and public life.

Understanding Chiron's influence on the 7th House underscores the importance of mutual support, compassion, and a commitment to addressing emotional wounds in fostering a relationship that promotes growth and healing.

Ceres: Turning our attention to Ceres, the asteroid associated with nurturing and sustenance, its influence on the 7th House brings themes of caregiving and emotional nourishment to your partnership. When Ceres governs this house or resides in a sign it rules—Taurus or Cancer—anticipate a partner who values nurturing, stability, and emotional support in the relationship. Ceres's influence may manifest as a desire for shared domestic harmony, a commitment to providing emotional nourishment, and a focus on creating a secure and comforting environment.

Examining the specific placement of Ceres in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Taurus, and Ceres resides in the 11th House, your partner may express their nurturing qualities through social connections, shared goals, and group activities. Alternatively, if your 7th House is Cancer and Ceres graces the 3rd House, your partner may bring a nurturing approach to communication, short trips, and everyday interactions.

Understanding Ceres's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of creating a relationship that provides emotional sustenance, domestic harmony, and a sense of security for both partners.

In unraveling the celestial threads of your 7th House and its asteroidal influences, you gain a profound understanding of the nurturing, healing, and growth-oriented dimensions that shape your partnership. Each celestial force contributes to the intricate fabric of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that foster emotional well-being, mutual support, and the creation of a harmonious and nurturing space for love to flourish.

Juno: Now, let's explore the influence of Juno on the 7th House. As the asteroid associated with committed partnerships and marital bonds, Juno's presence in this house or ruling a sign—Libra—indicates themes of loyalty, equality, and shared commitment in your relationship. Expect a partner who values a deep and committed connection, seeks balance in partnership dynamics, and is dedicated to the idea of a lasting union. Juno's influence may manifest as a desire for mutual respect, a commitment to shared responsibilities, and an emphasis on the equality of each partner's contributions.

Examining the specific placement of Juno in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Libra, and Juno resides in the 9th House, your partner may express their commitment through shared beliefs, higher education, or travel. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Juno and it graces the 5th House, your partner may bring a sense of commitment and loyalty to matters related to creativity, children, and joy.

Understanding Juno's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of shared commitment, equal partnership, and mutual dedication in building a relationship that stands the test of time.

Vesta: Turning our attention to Vesta, the asteroid associated with devotion and focus, its influence on the 7th House adds a layer of dedication and concentration to your partnership. When Vesta governs this house or resides in a Vesta-ruled sign—Virgo—anticipate a partner who values dedication, service, and a focused approach to shared goals. Vesta's influence may manifest as a desire for mutual devotion, a commitment to duty, and an emphasis on the disciplined pursuit of shared objectives.

Examining the specific placement of Vesta in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Virgo, and Vesta resides in the 3rd House, your partner may express their dedication through communication, short trips, or interactions with siblings. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Vesta and it graces the 8th House, your partner may bring a focused approach to matters related to shared resources, intimacy, and transformation.

Understanding Vesta's influence on the 7th House underscores the importance of mutual dedication, shared focus, and a disciplined approach to achieving common goals in fostering a relationship that thrives on shared purpose and commitment.

In deciphering the celestial nuances of your 7th House and its asteroidal influences, you gain a profound understanding of the dedicated, committed, and purpose-driven dimensions that shape your partnership. Each celestial force weaves into the intricate fabric of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that foster loyalty, mutual devotion, and the shared pursuit of meaningful objectives.

Eris: Now, let's explore the influence of Eris on the 7th House. As the dwarf planet associated with discord and disruption, Eris's presence in this house or ruling a sign—Aries—introduces elements of challenge and transformation to your partnership. Expect a partner who may bring a certain level of chaos or upheaval, pushing both of you to confront and overcome obstacles together. Eris's influence may manifest as a catalyst for growth, a challenge to traditional norms, and an invitation to navigate difficulties with resilience.

Examining the specific placement of Eris in your chart adds nuances to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Aries, and Eris resides in the 6th House, your partner may bring challenges related to work, health, or daily routines. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Eris and it graces the 12th House, your partner may introduce transformative elements to matters related to solitude, spirituality, and hidden aspects of your relationship.

Understanding Eris's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of facing challenges together, embracing transformation, and navigating disruptions with adaptability to foster a relationship that thrives in the face of adversity.

Haumea: Turning our attention to Haumea, the dwarf planet associated with fertility and creation, its influence on the 7th House adds a layer of creativity and generative energy to your partnership. When Haumea governs this house or resides in a Haumea-ruled sign—Libra or Taurus—it suggests a relationship with the potential for creative collaboration, fertility, and the birthing of new ideas or endeavors. Haumea's influence may manifest as a desire for mutual creativity, a commitment to nurturing growth, and an emphasis on the generative aspects of your shared journey.

Examining the specific placement of Haumea in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Libra, and Haumea resides in the 11th House, your partner may express their creative and generative energy through social connections, shared goals, and group activities. Alternatively, if your 7th House is Taurus and Haumea graces the 2nd House, your partner may bring a focus on creativity and fertility to matters related to finances, values, and personal resources.

Understanding Haumea's influence on the 7th House underscores the importance of mutual creativity, nurturing growth, and embracing the generative aspects of your relationship for a partnership that flourishes and evolves.

In unraveling the celestial nuances of your 7th House and its dwarf planetary influences, you gain a profound understanding of the transformative, creative, and generative dimensions that shape your partnership. Each celestial force contributes to the intricate dance of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that foster growth, resilience, and the co-creation of a meaningful and evolving connection.

Varuna: Now, let's explore the influence of Varuna on the 7th House. As a significant celestial body associated with cosmic order and divine law, Varuna's presence in this house or ruling a sign—Capricorn—suggests a partnership anchored in principles of fairness, responsibility, and ethical conduct. Expect a partner who values integrity, upholds moral standards, and emphasizes the importance of a harmonious and just union. Varuna's influence may manifest as a commitment to ethical behavior, a desire for fairness, and a focus on building a relationship that aligns with higher cosmic principles.

Examining the specific placement of Varuna in your chart adds depth to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Capricorn, and Varuna resides in the 4th House, your partner may express their commitment to ethical conduct through matters related to home, family, and emotional security. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Varuna and it graces the 10th House, your partner may bring a sense of responsibility and integrity to matters related to career and public life.

Understanding Varuna's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of aligning your partnership with principles of cosmic order, fairness, and ethical conduct for a relationship that stands as a beacon of moral strength and harmonious coexistence.

Makemake: Turning our attention to Makemake, the dwarf planet associated with creation and fertility, its influence on the 7th House adds another layer of creative energy and generativity to your partnership. When Makemake governs this house or resides in a Makemake-ruled sign—Taurus or Libra—it suggests a relationship with the potential for creative collaboration, growth, and the continuous generation of new and fruitful experiences. Makemake's influence may manifest as a desire for mutual creativity, a commitment to ongoing growth, and a focus on the generative aspects of your shared journey.

Examining the specific placement of Makemake in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Taurus, and Makemake resides in the 11th House, your partner may express their creative and generative energy through social connections, shared goals, and group activities. Alternatively, if your 7th House is Libra and Makemake graces the 2nd House, your partner may bring a focus on creativity and fertility to matters related to finances, values, and personal resources.

Understanding Makemake's influence on the 7th House underscores the importance of mutual creativity, nurturing ongoing growth, and embracing the generative aspects of your relationship for a partnership that remains vibrant, innovative, and continuously evolving.

In decoding the celestial nuances of your 7th House and its dwarf planetary influences, you gain a profound understanding of the principles of cosmic order, ethical conduct, and the creative, generative dimensions that shape your partnership. Each celestial force contributes to the intricate dance of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that foster fairness, continuous growth, and the co-creation of a meaningful and evolving connection.

Quaoar: Now, let's explore the influence of Quaoar on the 7th House. As a trans-Neptunian object associated with creation, harmony, and the interconnectedness of all things, Quaoar's presence in this house or ruling a sign—Libra—suggests a partnership grounded in the principles of balance, cooperation, and the recognition of the interdependence between you and your partner. Expect a partner who values harmony, seeks cooperative solutions, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining equilibrium in your shared journey. Quaoar's influence may manifest as a commitment to balance, a desire for cooperative endeavors, and a focus on building a relationship that reflects the interconnected web of existence.

Examining the specific placement of Quaoar in your chart adds depth to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Libra, and Quaoar resides in the 11th House, your partner may express their commitment to harmony through social connections, shared goals, and collaborative efforts. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Quaoar and it graces the 5th House, your partner may bring a sense of creativity and balance to matters related to self-expression, joy, and children.

Understanding Quaoar's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of cultivating a relationship that honors balance, cooperation, and the interconnected nature of your shared existence for a partnership that flourishes in harmony.

Ixion: Turning our attention to Ixion, a centaur planet associated with rebellion and the breaking of societal norms, its influence on the 7th House introduces an element of uniqueness, non-conformity, and the potential for transformative rebellion in your partnership. When Ixion governs this house or resides in a sign it rules—Sagittarius—anticipate a partner who values individuality, challenges conventions, and encourages you to embrace your authentic selves. Ixion's influence may manifest as a commitment to personal freedom, a desire for non-traditional approaches, and a focus on building a relationship that stands apart from societal expectations.

Examining the specific placement of Ixion in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Sagittarius, and Ixion resides in the 9th House, your partner may express their rebellious tendencies through travel, higher education, or philosophical pursuits. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Ixion and it graces the 3rd House, your partner may bring a non-conformist approach to communication, short trips, and everyday interactions.

Understanding Ixion's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of embracing uniqueness, celebrating individuality, and fostering a relationship that thrives on authenticity and the courage to break free from societal expectations.

In decoding the celestial intricacies of your 7th House and its centaur planet influences, you gain a profound understanding of the principles of balance, cooperation, uniqueness, and the transformative rebellious dimensions that shape your partnership. Each celestial force contributes to the intricate dance of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that foster harmony, individuality, and the co-creation of a meaningful and authentic connection.

Chaos: Now, let's explore the influence of Chaos on the 7th House. As a centaur planet associated with unpredictability and the chaotic nature of existence, Chaos's presence in this house or ruling a sign—Aquarius—suggests a partnership that embraces change, innovation, and the unexpected twists and turns of life. Expect a partner who values the beauty in chaos, encourages adaptability, and emphasizes the importance of navigating the unpredictable together. Chaos's influence may manifest as a commitment to embracing change, a desire for unconventional experiences, and a focus on building a relationship that thrives amidst the unpredictability of life's journey.

Examining the specific placement of Chaos in your chart adds depth to these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Aquarius, and Chaos resides in the 8th House, your partner may bring a sense of unpredictability to matters related to shared resources, intimacy, and transformation. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Chaos and it graces the 12th House, your partner may introduce chaos to matters related to solitude, spirituality, and hidden aspects of your relationship.

Understanding Chaos's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of embracing the beauty in unpredictability, fostering adaptability, and navigating the chaotic aspects of life's journey together for a relationship that evolves and flourishes in the midst of change.

Sedna: Turning our attention to Sedna, a distant celestial body associated with deep transformation and the mysteries of the sea, its influence on the 7th House introduces an element of profound change, depth, and the potential for a soulful connection in your partnership. When Sedna governs this house or resides in a sign it rules—Pisces—anticipate a partner who values emotional depth, encourages spiritual exploration, and emphasizes the importance of connecting at a soul level. Sedna's influence may manifest as a commitment to profound transformation, a desire for deep emotional connections, and a focus on building a relationship that transcends the surface and delves into the mysteries of the heart.

Examining the specific placement of Sedna in your chart refines these insights. For example, if your 7th House is Pisces, and Sedna resides in the 5th House, your partner may express their transformative tendencies through creative expressions, children, or matters related to joy and play. Alternatively, if your 7th House is ruled by Sedna and it graces the 10th House, your partner may bring a deep and transformative energy to matters related to career and public life.

Understanding Sedna's influence on the 7th House emphasizes the importance of embracing profound transformation, fostering deep emotional connections, and navigating the mysterious depths of the heart for a relationship that transcends the ordinary and reaches the soulful core.

In unraveling the celestial intricacies of your 7th House and its centaur planet influences, you gain a profound understanding of the beauty in chaos, the depth of transformation, and the soulful dimensions that shape your partnership. Each celestial force contributes to the intricate dance of your relationship, offering valuable insights into the dynamics that foster adaptability, soulful connections, and the co-creation of a meaningful and evolving connection.

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xenosagaepisodeone · 7 months ago

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oh to be the plain brunette girl option in a throwaway romance visual novel or anime. your personality is stern-but-demure as to impose but not offend. you are mature, but girly in a way that makes the protagonist feel like a man. your only hobbies are sewing and baking (maybe athletics or literature too if were feeling a little adventurous), and you have lived your whole life being fashioned by the powers that be into a wife. you refuse to see yourself as traumatized by this fact (and the truth of your world at large) and choose to leverage your knowledge of social roles to your benefit. if it is inevitable that everyone becomes a husband or wife, then you will incentivize the perfect high-prospect husband you know is laying dormant out of your childhood friend protagonist, using the tools of the world that turned you from a child into a high-prospect wife. and because he was shaped by you, he will have no choice but to fulfill and love you the same way you were made to fulfill and love him. it's for his own good, he just doesn't understand yet. the actual strength of your ability comes into question when the protagonist meets the other girls. when the protagonist gravitates towards the firey red-haired girl who practices martial arts or the eccentric green-haired girl with a keen interest in science, all you can do is scold and bake and dote in hopes that he understands the lifelong stability of having a good wife, of the institution of marriage and of fulfilling his role as a mature breadwinning husband. the tragedy is that all of these other girls will become good wives whether they like it or not too. you were never special in your prescience of social roles. the mean redhead girl has a secret feminine side and the green haired girl is willing to set some of her career goals to the side to mother his children. you are despondent when he doesn't pick you, but unwilling to capitulate completely; offering to be the third in the union of the winning girl, the caretaker of their child as they go off on adventures, or some other thing that keeps you in proximity to them. the childhood friend was built to lose on an inconceivable level.

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burningembers91 · 3 months ago

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Money Makes the World Go Round - Suh Seok-Woo x Fem!Reader

tagging: @shittyprofilebutfuckit

Synopsis: Consumed by his role as a Fund Manager, Suh Seok-Woo hires you to care for his daughter and mother. But when you seem to know more about his own family than he does, will Seok-Woo be willing to change? Or will he discard you, his beautiful house keeper, just like he discarded everyone else he's ever cared for.

A/N: Every time i watch this film, I go through a rollercoaster of emotions with this character. He's such a selfish shit in the beginning, but so selfless at the end, and that's the vibe i'm going for.

Suh Seok-Woo was a selfish bastard, unashamedly so. He’d been that way his whole life, for reasons his own mother couldn’t quite fathom. Everything he did, he did with himself at the forefront of his mind. It was why he was so good at his job, why he didn’t flinch when he had to tell people that their life savings had disappeared, simply because the market had changed. “You knew the risks when you chose to invest,” he’d explain, not bothering to keep the bored tone from his voice as he listened to his clients sob down the phone, begging him for help. If people didn’t understand the risks, they shouldn’t invest; it wasn’t rocket science.

It wasn’t that Seok-Woo didn’t care about people; he was just very selective about those he chose to give his time to. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his daughter, sparing no expense for her happiness, buying her all the latest toys and tech, making sure all her clothes were designer and bang on trend. He opened his home to his ailing mother, giving her a life of luxury when she’d spent most of hers looking after him. His daughter and his mother were Seok-Woo’s world, and he simply didn’t have time for anyone else. It was why his marriage hadn’t lasted, why his ex-wife had upped and left, demanding half of everything even though he was the one who had worked hard to provide her with the lifestyle she’d become so accustomed to. She’d spent 8 years leeching off him, and he refused to entertain her any longer. That was why Seok-Woo was selfish; he’d learned at an early age that there were people who gave, and people who took. People who gave were fools, taken advantage of and bled dry due to their misguided attempts to be good people. He’d worked hard to get where he was, and he wasn’t sharing anything with those who didn’t deserve it.

Funding the lifestyle he wanted came at a price though. He barely saw his daughter, out of the house before she woke up, and returning home long after she’d gone to bed. It was a small price to pay though, and he was sure Soo-An was grateful for the gifts he often left her. His mother tried to tell him that his daughter needed her father, but Seok-Woo had explained many times that he worked hard to provide his little girl with everything she could possibly want. He even hired the best housekeeper, someone who took care of things day to day, provided only the best care for his daughter and mother, and someone who could help Soo-Ann with her schoolwork and extra-curricular activities.

You’d come highly recommended by the agency, your qualifications exemplary. You kept Seok-Woo’s home in working order, making sure he wanted for nothing. You cared for him family, providing Soo-An with the love and stability that her father didn’t realise was lacking. You loved his little girl, and his mother too, but you couldn’t stand the man who paid you to take care of his home. It astounded you that Seok-Woo couldn’t see his daughter didn’t want the latest gaming console, or the newest pair of sneakers that she’d outgrow in a few months anyway. All she wanted was for her dad to be there for her, to ask her about her day and attend her school performances. He couldn’t see that his mother’s arthritis was getting worse, that some days even the most basic of tasks were near impossible for her. You’d thought a few times about leaving, but if you didn’t look after them, who would?

Seok-Woo was rude, and conceited, so wrapped up in his own world that he didn’t have time for anyone else. Your daily conversations took place each morning and night, where he would tell you what he needed doing, and you’d debrief him on daily events. Sometimes you wondered whether you were his housekeeper, or his personal assistant. He was so cold, so aloof, and yet so strikingly handsome that it floored you every time you looked at him. You couldn’t understand how a many with the sweetest, warmest eyes could be the coldest person.

You often assumed Seok-Woo didn’t notice you, that you were nothing more than a faceless presence that kept his home and family in order; but that wasn’t true. You were beautiful, and whenever he spoke to his mother and daughter, they consistently sang your praises. Seok-Woo often added little bonuses on to your paychecks, to let you know he thought you were doing an excellent job. The extra money never went unnoticed, but it annoyed you that your boss couldn’t just outright tell people that he was grateful for them.

“Thank you for the extra money,” you said to him one night. “No problem.” He was already engrossed in his phone, responding to emails despite fact it was 11pm. “I may be speaking out of line here, but you don’t always need to give people something to show how you feel. Sometimes it’s just nice to hear that you think we’re doing a good job.” Seok-Woo looked at you, confusion plastered to his face. Gifts, money, that’s what people wanted. No one ever got anywhere by hearing something nice said about them. You could see he didn’t understand, so you tried a different approach. “Soo-An would really like you to go to her next recital. She’d rather you were there to watch her sing. She doesn’t want another Nintendo Switch, or a new dress.”

The two of you stood staring at each other, the ticking of the kitchen clock the only sound in the room. You’d overstepped the mark, you could tell, but you’d never met anyone as emotionally unavailable as Seok-Woo. “Sorry,” you mumbled, “I was out of line. Goodnight, Mr Suh.” You headed off into your room, leaving Seok-Woo staring at the space where you’d just stood. No one had ever told him they didn’t want something, especially when it was money. He thought back to all the gifts he’d given Soo-An, all the new Nintendo games, and clothes, and new dolls. She’d always said thank you, but her smile had never reached her eyes. His mother had always been grateful for the jewellery that he given her, but had she really wanted it? When he’d fought with his ex, he’d made it up to her with gifts, but never once said sorry.

Maybe you were right. Maybe it was only him who needed material goods to be happy. But when he’d spent his whole life focused on nothing but riches, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to change.

#train to busan x reader #train to busan #suh seok woo #suh seok woo x you #suh seok woo x reader #gong yoo

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brittanyearnestauthor · 19 days ago

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How to Write Trades and Cultures More Effectively

When developing characters, it's crucial to consider both small and major aspects of their identities. Even if certain details don’t make it into the final story, understanding everything about your character helps define their goals, personality, and role within the plot.

Among these elements, two critical aspects are trade and culture—both shape how a character interacts with their world and influences their decisions. In this post, I’ll explore why trades and backgrounds matter, how they impact character development, and ways to integrate them into storytelling.

What Are Trades?

Trades refer to a character’s occupation, skills, or specialized knowledge—whether they’re in a formal profession or have learned a craft through experience.

Why Trades Matter in Character Development

A character’s trade plays a major role in shaping their skills, mindset, experiences, and worldview. It influences:

- How they approach problems

- Their daily interactions

- Their values and priorities

For example:

- A doctor sees life through healing and responsibility. They might be compassionate, skilled at managing people, and prioritize others' well-being—or, if motivated by money, they could take advantage of patients instead.

- A soldier fights for what they believe in. They often display discipline, resilience, and loyalty but may also struggle with past traumas no one else understands.

These elements help define character motivation and strengthen storytelling, showing why a character makes certain choices and how they evolve over time.

How Backgrounds Shape Character Perspectives

A character’s upbringing, culture, education, and personal experiences shape their personality and beliefs. This influences their decision-making, relationships, and moral outlook.

Key Factors That Shape Backgrounds:

- Wealth – Characters raised in financial stability may value status and image, while those from poverty may prioritize resourcefulness and survival.

- Family Dynamics – A character raised in a loving home may express warmth, while one from a chaotic household may struggle with relationships or seek independence.

- Hardships – Facing difficulties can make a character more compassionate or more guarded, depending on how they respond to challenges.

- Privilege – Some characters may be unaware of societal struggles, assuming others have the same opportunities they do. Others challenge privilege, striving for fairness.

How Location Influences Backgrounds

A character’s surroundings shape expectations, skills, and behaviors:

- City Life – Fast-paced and demanding, often leading to characters who value efficiency and precision.

- Rural or Tribal Life – Strong emphasis on self-sufficiency, community, and survival skills.

- Nomadic or Remote Living – Adaptability, resourcefulness, and deep connection with nature.

Understanding regional influences ensures characters feel authentic and rooted in their environment.

Examples of Careers & Trades

Here’s a diverse mix of occupations and trades to consider for your characters:

Skilled Trades & Hands-On Careers

- Carpenter, Electrician, Plumber, Mechanic, Blacksmith, Welder, Tailor

Medical & Science-Related Professions

- Doctor, Nurse, Pharmacist, Biologist, Psychologist, Chemist, Researcher

Military & Law Enforcement

- Soldier, Police Officer, Spy, FBI Agent, Bodyguard, Detective

Creative & Artistic Careers

- Writer, Painter, Actor, Musician, Graphic Designer, Photographer, Film Director

Business & Technology

- Entrepreneur, Software Developer, Engineer, Accountant, Analyst, Marketing Expert

Education & Mentorship

- Teacher, Professor, Tutor, Historian, Librarian, Public Speaker

Survival & Adventure-Based Trades

- Explorer, Sailor, Ranger, Astronaut, Survivalist, Guide

Unconventional Careers

- Hacker, Fortune Teller, Stunt Performer, Cryptologist, Auctioneer, Game Developer

How Trades & Backgrounds Impact Character Growth

Each profession requires specific skills, emotions, and beliefs, making characters unique within their role. This shapes:

- Problem-solving abilities

- Resilience and adaptability

- Patience, empathy, and integrity

A well-developed character evolves naturally, with their trade and background seamlessly fitting into their personal growth.

How to Effectively Integrate Trades & Backgrounds into Your Story

1. Research Thoroughly – Every culture and profession has unique nuances. Realism enhances authenticity and respect for diverse experiences.

2. Build Around the Character Arc – Design a character’s skills, motivations, and weaknesses to align with their growth and trade.

3. Consider Cultural Influence – A profession may be viewed differently across cultures, requiring accurate representation.

4. Avoid Stereotypes – Even characters within the same trade or culture should have individual personalities and experiences.

5. Expand Beyond Their Career – A character’s interests, hobbies, and struggles should extend beyond their occupation, making them multidimensional.

Conclusion

Thoughtfully integrating trades and backgrounds adds realism, depth, and emotional weight to storytelling. By crafting characters with unique experiences and skill sets, writers create immersive worlds that resonate with audiences.

Developing these elements will help shape memorable characters who feel rooted in their world—characters who stand out and keep readers engaged.

Happy writing!

#writing community #creative writing #writing tips #writingjourney #fiction writing #character development #writing inspiration #story building #buildbettercharacters #cultural representation #author life

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skyscrapergods · 1 year ago

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i'm working on my own concept for my own mlp fanlore/au and i've been inspired by your take on alicorns to make my own more unique as well. my idea is centric around the concept that alicorns are ponies who acended into what's basically pony elves that get worshiped because of the mysterious way they ascended, but idk how to really make a religion set up that works cohesively with it. i am wondering if you possibly might have some tips and tricks for how to go about my alicorn religions.

The most important thing about religion is that it's made up. If it is based in observable fact, then it's not religion; it's just culture.

Paying taxes and bowing to the king is based on observable orders. Believing that the king has a divine right to be king, or that he has powers/blessings granted to him by birth/status is religion.

In skyscraper gods, things are different because believing something about a god actually has the power to make it true, or at least influence the god's form/powers in an abstract way. My gods are influenced/given power by belief and worship.

In the human world, you can believe whatever you want about any person or god, and that doesn't make it real. If there are gods about, they are unlikely to be controlled by human religion, and definitely aren't spawned by such (or we would have a lot more gods than we do)

In a normal world, religion is not based on observable fact, and it is designed and maintained by the people themselves.

So from my limited understanding of world religions, there are four "needs" that religion is designed to fill: Community, Ritual, Meaning, and Ethics.

I went off the deep end and wrote an essay about my philosophy. Whoops, hope you enjoy:

Community

Humans need community, and many religions involve gathering and doing activities together. This makes religion incredibly important to human social health, as we often fail to fill our need for community because we don't immediately die without it. Under capitalism especially, we are incentivized to ignore as many human needs as possible in order to be productive/survive. Religion makes itself more important than simple survival, and ensures we fill certain needs by promising metaphysical rewards.

Ritual

Ritual is also incredibly important to human health. We thrive when we have a consistent schedule to the day, month, season, and year. It helps us save our brain bandwidth if we already know what basic tasks will happen today. Instead of doing math to figure out optimum times to do so, we socialize, come of age, physically touch, meditate, sing, mourn, plant crops, travel, cook, keep records, hunt, celebrate, and more according to a calendar maintained by religion. These are all important aspects of life that we need to remember to fill, either by logic, community, or religion. Science even backs up the need for ritual, with brain pathways growing best in response to consistent habit-keeping. But brains aren't observable for most people, so we have culture and religion to keep time instead.

Meaning

Meaning is a tricky one. We ended up with brains big enough to wonder why we exist; a burden few animals share. Scientifically, we thrive in environments/jobs/roles where we feel that what we are doing has value. I look at every part of my life and see the value of being a person, observing and changing my environment. Many people on earth aren't sure that's enough, so they invent an unobservable force that assigns value to their lives and actions. Meaning is easiest to keep track of and believe if others share your definition. Culturally, you have a lot in common with your neighbors, you both probably work toward similar goals (housing, stability, connection with others, secular holidays) and are satisfied when those goals are met. Religiously, you have a lot in common with others in your religion (charity, proselytizing, meditation, celebration) and are satisfied when those goals are met. Religion also provides goals for your entire life and community which are helpfully defined for you, whereas you have to come up with that on your own outside of religion. Doing so can be frightening, frustrating, and difficult, so religion is very rewarding and calming.

Ethics

Lastly, there's Ethics. Not all religion deals with ethics, but many major earth faiths do. Humans desperately need to have a code of ethics to be healthy, and society works best when we all agree on some basics. That way when someone violates a law, you don't have to convince everyone around you that what they did was wrong; there's already a standing defined agreement. Ethics is about rewards as well as punishment. For example if you're the first one to read this whole thing I'll draw a pony for you just dm me. Community ethics are decided by those in power, and "those in power" can be: the people themselves via majority rule, chosen representatives, rich aristocracy, respected philosophers, religious appointees, kings and conquerors, holy mystics, sacred texts, etc etc.

Religion comes in with a code of ethics (written by the religiously powerful) and imposes it on its followers. This is useful and generally brings community harmony when they all agree on something. Religions based on ancient texts are tricky, because old, outdated ethics have to be reinterpreted to fit modern landscape. These interpretations split churches and create sub-religions, which mutate into cults, peter off into nothing, or go to war with each other. It's great fun. At the end of the day, having a group of people who agree on right and wrong within their community is the goal. We just got lost on the part that said everyone else in the world has to obey our ethics or else we're blowing up the planet.

...

Aaaanyway, this was about.... my little pony?

Does Religion Affect Gods?

The first thing you must choose is how much the religion is based on fact, and how much is made up. In my world, there's a lot of things that are made up by ponies, that either become true or influence the god's form/powers in some way. Luna used to be silver, but now she is dark blue.

You can do that, or you can be normal about things. Typically, religion does not actually do anything. Gods are gods whether or not they have worshipers. People believe things that gods tell them, and they make up their own lore as well.

What about People? What about this and that and everything?

You need to decide if your alicorns are participants in the religion about them, or just subjects. Do all/some/any of them take their place as religious figures and command the masses? Do they speak ethics? Do they inform ponies of the powers they have? Do ponies make up abilities they think alicorns have? Do they like being worshiped, or is it more like stalking?

Some alicorns may embrace godhood, while others flee from it. The ones that get the most involved will have influence over how the other alicorns are treated.

Is there a standard to which alicorns must live, failing which they can't be "real" alicorns in society's eyes and are thus shunned/killed? Do the alicorns ever give an opinion that is taken way out of proportion and suddenly became a major religious movement? Are marshmallows illegal because one alicorn doesn't like them? Do ponies get prosecuted for stepping on "sacred" flowers which are just regular lilies? Is there taxes/tithing to alicorns? Are alicorns promoted to political office for nothing except their nature?

How do ponies construct their sermons/temples/practices to fulfill the four tenants of religion? Does alicorn worship provide them with Community, Meaning, Ritual, and Ethics?

Do alicorns actually earn any of this? Are they regular guys that just look special? Can they abuse their powers? Can ponies abuse others in their name? Do the alicorns speak to the masses or to religious leaders? Do they have any control over their legacy or is it out of their hooves? Are they in danger of their worshipers deciding they need to be freed from their mortal bodies? Do religious leaders go power crazy and use alicorns to further their agenda? Are their schisms and wars over beliefs? do the alicorns command their followers to fight each other? Do they fight with each other? Does each alicorn have a different following or are they all part of a shared pantheon? Do they respect each others' role within that or struggle for change?

And remember, what is true for one alicorn/church/sect/country may not be true for another. Variety is the key.

It's all About the Questions

The trick to worldbuilding is to ask a lot of questions. You can answer them as you go, having the answers lead to more questions, or you can ask a bunch at once and answer them all later.

Every decision you make has consequences. Big social movements affect the environment, the environment affects food supply, food supply affects social movements. Everything is connected, and religion makes those connections more magical, for better or for worse.

#ssg alicorns #ssg gods #ssg religion #skyscraper gods #religion #shire screams #ramble machine

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gladiusveritatis · 4 months ago

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what would william & louis work in modern au? do u have any headcanon for them

Good question. I’ve based my ideas on their personalities in the manga, carefully considering key moments that reveal who they are. I believe these career paths suit them perfectly in a modern context. Dedication and commitment to their goals are defining traits of the brothers, so here’s my reasoning:

Despite the various discussions within the fandom about William’s potential involvement in criminology or profiling, he would most likely remain true to his original role in the work—a mathematics professor, an educator, and a man of science who teaches and researches. William’s drive to change people’s ways of thinking would still define him, leading him to conduct and participate in conferences, host seminars, and deliver lectures to students. Students, with their open and adaptable minds, are the demographic most ready to learn and understand the world they are preparing to navigate. I believe he would author numerous papers and books, not only on mathematics but also on planned economics.

As for Louis, in my view, he would be an excellent candidate for the position of head of an international banking consortium. With money, AI, and the trade market being pivotal factors in determining the stability of nations, Louis’s cool-headed, results-driven mindset makes him perfectly suited for such a role. Moreover, as someone dedicated to serving his country, he would undoubtedly establish ethical standards and excel at managing alliances, uniting divergent interests into a cohesive strategy. This role would also grant him transparency in transactions between major banks and provide him with an avenue to influence international organisations.

#moriarty the patriot #yuukoku no moriarty #william james moriarty #louis james moriarty #yuumori #mtp louis #ynm louis

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sylvan-librarian · 11 months ago

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Nissa Revane, William Wordsworth, and Me

Introduction:

We are not isolated individuals but an interconnected web. Part of embracing green's philosophy is understanding the importance of how each of us figures into the lives of the others. Grasping the role this larger group plays is a vital piece in understanding how the world works. - Mark Rosewater: “It’s Not Easy Being Green Revisited” … Therefore am I still A lover of the meadows and the woods And mountains; and of all that we behold From this green earth; of all the mighty world Of eye, and ear,—both what they half create, And what perceive; well pleased to recognise In nature and the language of the sense The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul Of all my moral being. - William Wordsworth: “Tintern Abbey” How wonderful there should be a thing we don't yet know. - Magic Creative Team: “Renewal”��

What do Nissa Revane, elf animist who had a good run in the 2010's as Magic’s iconic green planeswalker, William Wordsworth, nineteenth century British poet and the godfather of English Romanticism, and I, a mentally ill librarian who spends all his free time playing a children’s card game, all have in common? Not much, really. I’m neither a lesbian that wields earth-shaking magic nor am I the founder of a poetic movement that English majors still fawn over. However, thankfully for me, the human experience transcends time, gender, sexual preference, and even reality. There’s a lot to learn from both fiction and poetry, and I’m nothing if not a curious student. In particular, though, I’d like to talk about transitions.

The past couple of years for me have been packed full of constant transitions: I had an emergency move away from the city I had built a life in, I finished a master’s degree in library science, and I began the long, arduous process of changing careers. Not every transition has been so traumatic, though, as I am also now in a joyful, peaceful relationship and have finally achieved a modicum of financial stability on my own terms.

Needless to say, these transitions have had me feeling introspective (even more so than usual), and I have found myself seriously wondering about my place in the world. That probably sounds dramatic (well, if the shoe fits), but as an elder millennial who was around to witness when the first acorn fell from the first tree and the first scene boy put on girl jeans to pair with his trucker’s hat, I honestly just kind of gave up on that brand of stability at some point; after all, I was fifteen on 9/11, nineteen and living in Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and washed away whatever trust I had left in our institutions, and twenty-one when the Bush-era recession nailed my post-undergrad job prospects into a coffin. Of course, at the risk of sounding like I’m trying to appeal to your sense of pity, I’ll admit that today’s generation coming of age during Trump and and Covid have probably had it worse than I did and have also proven themselves much stronger and more resilient than I ever was, but nevertheless, a swirling concoction of circumstances and terrible mental health habits left me feeling for decades that I’d never have a place in the world to call many own.

All that said, in my attempt to carve out a life for myself and discover my role within my larger community, I started rereading Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Keats (the poets of English Romanticism were my favorite discovery as a literature student and some of the only writers I have carried with me beyond academia), since their poetry also dealt in themes of self-discovery, memory, and transition (also, their poetry is broody and navel-gazing - something I definitely relate with). However, as a Magic: The Gathering Vorthos with basic forest brainrot, I was also struck on this reread just how close my own experiences and the themes of the Romantic Poets mirrored how my favorite green characters from Magic fiction navigate their world. At first, I felt that this is fairly low-hanging fruit, since on the surface, themes like “finding yourself in nature,” “the rejection of social norms,” “celebrating your connections,” etc. are common enough to be found in all sorts of literature. However, the more I thought about it and connected the dots in my head, the more I realized just how much green’s themes in modern Magic fiction, particularly as expressed through Nissa Revane, helped me understand my own place in the world.

Indeed, while this essay grew out of the concept of tracing the similarities between Green Magic and Romantic Poetry (not the most riveting read for most of you, I’m sure), this particular tale kind of grew in the telling (to loot a phrase from Tolkien) until it became my own personal journal of self-discovery. If the entire m.o. of my online presence didn’t already give it away, my love of Nissa Revane - planeswalker, animist, green mage, icon - colors most of my thoughts about Magic: The Gathering, and this is no different. Compiling Nissa’s arc throughout Magic’s Story, synthesizing it with the things I love the most about the Romantic poets, and letting it stew around in my brain for the last year highlighted something of vital importance to me: the message, one that weaves its way throughout Nissa’s entire narrative, that personal growth means learning that the definitions I have held onto for my whole life - of myself, of other people, of even nature and the universe itself - are but a narrow, small part of a greater whole; that embracing healthy connection with the world around me and seeking to understand my place within it helped change parts of me that I thought were intrinsic to my very nature and helped me bloom into the best version of myself.

Part I:

(me, trying to juggle graduate school and work)

Last year around this time, I found myself struggling. I was wrapping up my last full semester of my graduate program, failing miserably at balancing school and work, isolating myself from my friends because of how busy I was, and unhappy about living in Central Texas again after I swore I was done with the region. Throughout all of this, following Magic Story was a boon to my shocked nerves, though I rarely found time to follow it completely. It wasn’t pure joy, however, because as a result of stress mixed with the, at the time, untreated depression and anxiety, Nissa getting compleated - with “no way” of getting healed - during the “All Will Be One” story (not to mention that her tragic loss happened OFF SCREEN - the disrespect) severely bummed me out, so I tuned most the “March of the Machine” stories out to focus on wrapping up my semester. That is, I tuned it out until the final story, K. Arsenault Rivera’s “Rhythms of Life” was released in late March. Letting Chandra and a healed Nissa kiss at the end was a nice touch, but it was not for another month until we found out what happened to them after the climax of the Phyrexian stories.

When that month passed, however, on May 1, Grace P. Fong’s “She Who Breaks the World,” was released in tandem with previews for “March of the Machine: The Aftermath” products. Of course, I was going to like this story because I like Nissa and Chandra, and I have been a proponent of them being romantically involved since “Zendikar Resurgent,” but this story struck a deeper chord in me than I expected. I felt an immediate kinship with Fong’s representation of Nissa, a character who is also in a state of transition: in a place she doesn’t want to be, isolated from her friends and loved ones, and trying to redefine who she was after traumatic events left her floating listlessly throughout her world.

The events of “All Will be One” and “March of the Machine,” after all, were Nissa’s darkest hours in a life full of dark hours. Her mind enslaved and her bodily autonomy stolen from her, Nissa was forced to do things in service to the Phyrexian matriarch Elesh Norn that horrified her. However, due to the nature of Phyrexian compleation — having her mind and body altered on a genetic level — she performed these actions in the moment with fanatical zeal, even pleasure. We are told in the first episode of the March of the Machine arc, “Triumph of the Fleshless” that Nissa “is the finest gift the Planeswalkers have given Phyrexia. Even standing at Norn's side, she can steer Realmbreaker's attention. To say nothing of her combat capabilities. If things continued at this rate she might overtake Tamiyo as Norn's favorite new servant.” Later on in “She Who Breaks the World,” while Nissa is reflecting on this, she notes that the alterations the Phyrexians made to her “granted her the ability to unleash a call through the branches of the Invasion Tree and speak the glory of Phyrexia to every plane in the Multiverse. And right now, Nissa is disgusted with herself because—despite her friends' sacrifices, despite Chandra's sacrifices—part of her misses hearing those planes.”

On the other side of these events, Nissa is mostly healed from what the Phyrexians did to her (outside of a metal cage imprisoning her chest and some scarring on her limbs where metal was grafted on), her mind is returned to her own control, and she and Chandra are finally sharing mutual love and affection instead of being mired in “will they/won’t they” hell like they had been for nearly a decade of Magic Story. However, the trauma of knowing, remembering, and feeling intimately all of the terrible things she did understandably leaves her feeling like an outcast among loved ones, and to make matters worse, she is now with a planeswalker spark, meaning she got depowered significantly and can no longer go back to her beloved Zendikar, her homeworld that she has a close intimate connection with. All this is to point out that Nissa finds herself in a spot where she has to completely redefine who she is. Nissa took great pride in being animist; now, she cannot hear the voice of the planes and her magic is basically useless. Nissa had previously discovered meaning for herself being a member of the Gatewatch: traveling the planes doing good where can and making connections with new worlds and interesting people; now, she is trapped on a plane that does not listen to her among people she very directly harmed when her mind and body were not her own.

After a failed attempt to connect with the world of Zhalfir, Nissa begins to despair, believing that the planes have rejected her because all of the social connections she has made over the years. Nissa believes that “[s]he has spent so long connected to others that she has smothered her own connection to the Multiverse. Whether or not those bonds were made of her own volition, the planes have rejected her.” While she recognizes deep down, even if she can’t forgive herself for it just yet, that what happened while she was a Phyrexian wasn’t her fault, Nissa comes to believe that her original sin that led to this was in getting involved with the wider universe in the first place. She (and everybody who suffered from her actions as a Phyrexian) would be better off, she believes, if she had remained in her primordial, untarnished state of a champion of nature.

At this point in the narrative, Nissa’s experience reflects the way poets and writers of the Romantic Period mythologize their own world. Canadian literary critic and theorist Northrop Frye (a theorist who, truth be told, I disagree with in many respects, though his work on the Romantic Period is exhaustive and insightful) called this the “Romantic Myth.” In “A Study of English Romanticism,” Frye describes how the Romantic Myth delineates from traditional mythology:

In the older mythology the myth of creation is followed by a gigantic cyclical myth, outlined in the Bible, which begins with the fall of man, is followed by a symbolic vision of human history, under the names of Adam and Israel, and ends with the redemption of Adam and Israel by Christ. The two poles are the alienation myth of fall, the separation of man from God by sin, and the reconciling, identifying, or atoning myth of redemption which restores to man his forfeited inheritance. Translated into Romantic terms, this myth assumes a quite different shape. What corresponds to the older myth of an unfallen state, or lost paradise of Eden, is now a sense of an original identity between the individual man and nature which has been lost.

Ignoring, for a moment, the gender essentialism Frye uses, note how the lost Eden of the Romantic period was connection to nature itself. Joining society, spending precious hours having “dialogues of business, love, or strife” - all of these things are the sins that tear us away from our original, perfect self. William Wordsworth begins his “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” this way:

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream, The earth, and every common sight, To me did seem Apparelled in celestial light, The glory and the freshness of a dream. It is not now as it hath been of yore;— Turn wheresoe'er I may, By night or day. The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

To the persona of Wordsworth’s poem, this sense of identity was lost in childhood; in Nissa’s head, she “smothered her own connection to the Multiverse” when she started to value her connections to other people — Chandra, the rest of the Gatewatch, Yahenni, and many others she let into her life — at the expense, apparently, of the natural world. What’s left for her except to turn back to nature and attempt to find herself again?

Part II:

(Nissa's oath to protect the life of "every plane" plays a huge role in her identity)

What does “finding herself” look like for Nissa, though? To answer that, let’s look at a few different things. Here, we’ll examine Nissa’s place as a green character in Magic’s color pie and pick apart the ludonarrative elements in Nissa’s card designs that informs how she approaches her idea of self.

Nissa is the only planeswalker of the original five Gatewatch to have cards that branch out to other colors. At heart, though, she is a green character. Even though she has some blue elements in her personality (curiosity) and black (the ambition to make her ideals reality, whatever the cost), Nissa’s heart is “green to the very door.”

In his near ten year old article, Mark Rosewater writes this about the philosophy of Green:

The natural order is a thing of beauty and has all the answers to life's problems. The key is learning to sit back and recognize what is right in front of you. Each individual is born with all the potential they need. The secret to a happy life is to recognize the role you were born into and then embrace it. Do what you were destined to do. The world is this elaborate system, and each one of us gets to play a part. And it's not something we have to guess about; it's imprinted on us, it's in our genes. Just look within.

It’s very easy to see Nissa in the first paragraph: even though she is a warrior out of necessity, she too craves peace and acceptance and this is revealed in one of her favorite hobbies: meditating. Nissa’s animist powers (more on that here) let her reach her consciousness into nature itself so that she can just exist among the wonders of life. Take note of this gorgeous passage near the end of “Renewal,” the last story of the Kaladesh block:

There were rivers in the air; they carried her like a mote of pollen. Great hearts were pounding in the deeps of the sky, singing slow symphonies of joy. Wordless, they expressed the sun breaking over the edge of clouds; the sharpness of stars over frosted peaks; the awareness of a new life growing within, nestled and patient, waiting for its first breath of radiance. She drifted bodiless among the singers, listening. Back and forth they called, echoing across cloud and current, composing shared dreams of weightlessness, rain, and memory. An eye the size of a house blinked. Radiant curiosity washed over her, like the return of sunlight from beyond the edge of all things. There is something new in our sky, it sang in language of sensation and vibrance; quickened heartbeats and quivering muscle; caught breath and a hundred shades of blue. How wonderful there should be a thing we don't yet know.

Nissa is an expert at recognizing “what is right in front of you,” though due to her connection to nature, “right in front of you” could mean just about anywhere on the plane itself.

To cycle back to Rosewater’s statement, however, it’s important to take consideration of the fact that a green character does not just treat the wonders of the natural world as a conduit for inner peace, they also believe that the “secret to a happy life is to recognize the role you were born into and then embrace it. Do what you were destined to do.” What does Nissa believe the role she was born into is? What drives her throughout much of Magic’s narrative?

To put it simply, Nissa believes that she is the champion of nature itself, the chosen one of Zendikar’s worldsoul. Whenever she planeswalks to a new world, she adopts the worldsoul of the plane as her own; the first thing she usually does when touching down on new earth is to attempt to connect with the soul of the plane. Throughout whichever story arc she takes part in, she usually comes to see herself as the voice of that particular world and acts as its champion as well.

Let’s take a look at the second Innistrad block, for example. Even though her role in this story is quite small, this template still applies. Jace, after unraveling the mystery of what was happening on Innistrad, goes back to Zendikar to fetch the rest of the Gatewatch to help stop the rise of Emrakul. As she planeswalks to the battlefield, the “hill rumbled slightly, the only herald of Nissa's arrival. She frowned as she knelt down, placing her palm against the ground. ‘The mana here is dark. Twisted. It's in the soil, the trees...Emrakul did some of this, but’…‘This is your first time to Innistrad, right? “Dark and twisted” is kind of a regular feature,’ Jace continued.”

Presumably at some point later on in the story, on the flavor text on the card Splendid Reclamation, Nissa says “No matter how much a plane has suffered, there is a way to restore it." Of course, this line appears nowhere in the story, but there has always been a conflict between what has been written in Magic fiction versus what is printed on the cards. Furthermore, it’s possible that this card was a bottom-up design with the mechanics designed first and Nissa pasted on later since there wasn’t another “green character who cares about lands” present during the battle against Emrakul. Either way, Nissa comes across as a character who sees herself as the champion of nature.

Nearly all other stories Nissa takes part in give her a similar arc. In "Amonkhet," she is the first to identify just how sick and distorted the world had become under Bolas’s influence, and after a trial with the ibis god Kefnet, she ends up believing that she set herself up as a rival to Bolas, able to manipulate the leylines and the gods attached to them just as efficiently as the dragon. During :War of the Spark," in a move that would earn her the disgust of the Selesnya guild, she animates Vito-Ghazi, the home of Ravnica’s worldsoul Mat'Selesnya, in order to fight against Bolas and the zombified gods. In "Zendikar Rising," Nissa’s journey takes front and center, with her conflict with Nahiri ending with Nissa as the one true savior and liberator of Zendikar. Her brief stint during the "Brothers' War" side stories end with Nissa swearing an oath to Gaea, the worldsoul of Dominaria, to personally destroy the Phyrexians herself, no matter the cost.

Even while she was a Phyrexian during “All Will Be One” and “March of the Machine” and her mind not her own, Nissa follows a similar arc, though a twisted variation: after her capture and transformation, Nissa becomes the voice of Phyrexia, as the card All Will Be One showcases, proclaiming the plane’s glory and, through manipulating Realmbreaker (likely the single largest and most powerful living thing in existence at the time), sending “Phyrexian perfection coursing across the Multiverse.”

You can certainly see Nissa’s confidence in her station as the champion of worldsouls multiverse-wide in her cards: “Nissa, Voice of Zendikar,” “Nissa, Who Shakes the World,” “Nissa, Ascended Animist,” etc. All of these designs showcase Nissa’s might as a master of land magic. Loyalty abilities on these cards almost always animate a land into a creature that can then fight alongside her. The most powerful variation of this ability was on “Nissa, Who Shakes the World”:

On a narrative level, however, what these abilities showcase is that Nissa during this era saw herself as less a friend to nature than a master of it.

Fast forward to the aftermath of the Phyrexian invasion and Nissa is in a much different place mentally, emotionally, and even physically. As Nissa struggles to (literally) bury the physical remnants of what the Phyrexians did to her body, she feels an immense sense of loss that stems from more than just guilt. Fong describes it this way:

[Nissa] felt cut off, lost in the Multiverse with no voice calling her home. Maybe no plane would hear her ever again. They'd all lost their sparks, but only Nissa still wanted to planeswalk. Even if her friends seemed to be moving on without her, she still cared about their happiness. So not wanting to bring down the spirits of their celebration, she excused herself.

I recall seeing a few half-hearted takes on social media after this story was released expressing frustration that Nissa spent so much time in this narrative grappling with the harm that was done to her rather than acknowledging guilt for the harm she inadvertently did to others. First of all, she clearly does feel guilt for the harm Norn wrought through her:

[Her] copper skeleton is covered in mangled spikes, and those spikes are covered in the dried blood of her friends. She rubs one, and dark residue flakes off on her fingertips. She wonders whose blood it was. Maybe Koth? Maybe Wrenn? Maybe Chandra? Chandra. She had hurt Chandra, almost killed her.

Secondly, exploring Nissa as a green character shows us that Nissa has lived her life believing firmly that she was alive for a purpose: to be the voice of nature and act as its most ardent champion. However, now worldsouls won’t speak to her and her magic barely works at all. Her spirituality that drives her and her magical might that allows her to act in service of that spirituality have been unceremoniously ripped away from her. Everything Nissa has ever believed about herself has come dramatically (and traumatically) crashing down.

Nissa is a character whose entire system of beliefs has now been obliterated by her experiences, and as mentioned in the previous sections, she believes it was because her original mistake was in seeking her identity in her relationships with people rather than with her relationship with nature.

I asked at the end of part one, what’s left for Nissa except to turn back to nature and attempt to find herself again? Perhaps, however, a more apt question to ask is what’s left for Nissa at all? Yes, she and Chandra are (mostly) on the same page about their feelings for one another and yes, she is alive and physically healthy (though weakened and scarred), but notice that even if Nissa despairs about what she has lost, she shows little desire to go “back” to nature. Even though she believes with absolute certainty that “the planes have rejected her,” she stays true to her duty as one of the stronger warriors left among the surviving Mirrans; when faced with decision to either explore the brand new omenpath or to help the survivors, Fong writes, “as much as Nissa loathes to abandon the portal, she knows Koth is right. As much as the war took from her, others have lost even more. They need to help first.”

Though separated by over two-hundred years and in different genres altogether, what Nissa is going through reminds me of what Wordsworth writes in “Tintern Abbey”:

I bounded o'er the mountains, by the sides Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams, Wherever nature led: more like a man Flying from something that he dreads, than one Who sought the thing he loved. For nature then (The coarser pleasures of my boyish days And their glad animal movements all gone by) To me was all in all.—I cannot paint What then I was. The sounding cataract Haunted me like a passion: the tall rock, The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood, Their colours and their forms, were then to me An appetite; a feeling and a love, That had no need of a remoter charm, By thought supplied, nor any interest Unborrowed from the eye.—That time is past, And all its aching joys are now no more.

You see, Wordsworth — like Nissa, like me, and probably like you at some point in your life — found himself in the late 1700’s grieving a deep sense of loss as everything he believed in came crashing down around him. Spellbound by the fervor of Revolution-era France, he lived on the continent for years and had a child with a woman he fell in love with there, but France’s tense political relations with his home country and the Revolution descending into the Reign of Terror forced him to return to Britain. Witnessing what he saw as his utopian beliefs plummet to irredeemable violence utterly broke him (on a personal note, I likely have a different view than Wordsworth on the merits of putting aristocrats to the guillotine, but that’s another essay entirely), and — like Nissa, like most of us — had to rebuild himself from the ground up.

What a relatable human story, right? As someone who is closer to forty than he is thirty, I have stumbled upon this crossroads multiple times in my life. Years ago, it involved disentangling myself from my evangelical upbringing and accepting the fact that, though my parents and (just to give them the benefit of the doubt) many of the religious adults who helped raise me had my best intentions in mind, instructing an impressionable, vulnerable, and anxious child that deep down in the center of his being he is evil and deserves eternal torment for the crime of being born was pretty fucked up. It took years of therapy, medication, and daily affirmations to finally feel good about myself. More recently, as alluded to, going through a tough breakup, wrapping up a master’s degree, and beginning the process of changing careers all within the span of roughly two years left me scrambling in my pursuit to create a new self to be a better fit for my new circumstances.

What choices did I make at this crossroads? What about Nissa or Wordsworth?

Part III:

The answer to that question is that the three of us (Nissa, Wordsworth, and I) all came to similar conclusions. This answer is two-fold, and I hope you’re not expecting some life-altering nugget of wisdom here, because — true to the heart of a green mage — the first lesson we learned is, quite simply, the art of acceptance: acceptance of the world that is, not the world that was or the future world our anxiety creates in our mind. Rosewater writes,

Green wants acceptance.

The other colors are all focused on how they'd change the world to make it better. Green is the one color that doesn't want to change the world, because green is convinced that the world already got everything right.

There is, of course, something to be said for improving your circumstances — especially if the environment around you is toxic — and the relentless ambition to mold your life into one you are happy with, but in Nissa’s case, what she needed most was to accept that she was living in a different world than was previously. Bereft of the planeswalker spark that gave her a sense of purpose and traumatized by remembering what she did when her body and mind were being puppeted by the Phyrexians, Nissa finally comes to understand and acknowledge her new place in her new world.

Early on in Fong’s “She Who Breaks the World,” Nissa attempts to connect her soul to the leylines of Zhalfir, but instead of basking in the orchestra of the planes, the music is drowned in all of the other songs that have influenced her, her tune “muffled by dozens of new, alien voices she recognizes and despises: the Eldrazi, Bolas, and finally, loudest, Phyrexia.” This leads to her belief that was discussed previously that her original sin was embracing human connection instead of remaining the voice of Zendikar’s worldsoul.

However, at the climax of the story, Nissa shares this struggle with Chandra when the two of them are trying to fight their way out of an impossible situation. A wild, out-of-control storm elemental was threatening the Mirran survivors of the Phyrexian invasion, and Nissa and Chandra were defending the populace against it. However, the two of them are not working well together, and the elemental manages to capitalize on their poor tactics and absorbs copious amounts of steam arising from a burnt baobab tree to become a colossal being whose head caresses the sky. After they get trapped in a hole with no way out, Chandra suggests a plan of attack reminiscent of the channel-fireball combo the two of them used to destroy Ulamog and Kozilek all the way back in “Oath of the Gatewatch,” and Nissa finally admits to Chandra that her magic no longer works and expresses her deep anxieties about why: “‘it's like my voice isn't my own,’” she admits. “‘Like it belongs to Phyrexia instead, like everything I've ever connected to is drowning me out.’”

Chandra, however, does not see it that way. Choosing, for once, to think before she talks (a skill she no doubt learned from her years around Nissa), eventually concludes “‘you know … you have good connections, too.’” She continues:

‘It's true—you did bad things while they had you. But everyone you've connected with over the years with the Gatewatch, we're just happy you're still here. With us.’ Chandra sets fire to a chunk of moist dirt that was about to fall on Nissa, turning it into a soft rain of ash. ‘With me.’ For the first time since she awoke in Zhalfir, Nissa smiles. Chandra, sweet Chandra, even if she doesn't realize it, has always understood and explained emotions better than Nissa ever could. Chandra continues, ‘Your connections aren't drowning your voice, Nissa. They're changing it into something new, maybe something even more powerful. Infinite voices, infinite possibilities, right?’

What Nissa needed was not to perform some kind dramatic penance or to reject society for asceticism once again but to simply accept that the world around her had changed, that she had changed. This fact is hammered home by the next section: agreeing to try connecting to Zhalfir’s worldsoul again,

Nissa closes her eyes. She retreats inward and listens for her inner voice. It's hard, much harder than before, but Chandra is dutifully helping her concentrate, blasting the falling rock away before it can reach her. Nissa is greeted by ringing deep in her ears, but she refuses to be deterred. With her connections in mind, she picks the static apart into unique melodies, the individual songs she picked up from all around the Multiverse. She arranges them, harmonizes them, and this time, when she calls to Zhalfir, her voice is amplified in chorus. She offers an apology. The plane answers. It too was cut off from everything it knew, from the connections it had made. It, too, was scarred by Phyrexia and is growing into something new. It forgives her, and Nissa can finally forgive herself. Magic floods her flesh, her blood, her bone. She hears Chandra laugh, delighted by their success.

It’s only through accepting that her life now is different from what is used to be, through confessing that her priorities had changed, through acknowledging that presence of others in her life had made her stronger, and most importantly, through forgiving herself for what’s she did when her mind wasn’t her own that Nissa is able to reconnect to the source of her magic and her joy.

Nissa learns to reinterpret her world in a new way. This can be seen in mechanical elements as well. Most of Nissa’s planeswalker cards have her manipulating lands, either by animating them into creatures to be controlled or by fetching them from the library. Nissa, Resurgent Animist, however - the first time she has been printed as a creature since the flip-walkers of 2015 - does not do any of those things. The text on this card reads:

Landfall — Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, add one mana of any color. Then if this is the second time this ability has resolved this turn, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal an Elf or Elemental card. Put that card into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.

The act of playing a land during the narrative of a game of Magic is the act of a planeswalker establishing a mana bond with a certain place in the multiverse. ‘Mana bond’ is a term almost never used in Magic fiction anymore, but as far as I know, it has not been retconned either. Even if not explicitly stated, there are nods to the act of creating mana bonds throughout the tie-in fiction. Look at this section from “Nissa’s Origin: Home,” for example:

As they picked their way deeper into the marshland, Nissa formed a connection with it. She saw the beauty in the moss-laden trees, felt the magic in the mists that rose up from the brackish waters, and swayed to the song of the swarms of lion flies that circled them. She never would have believed a bog had so much to offer.

In the narrative of a game, this paragraph would simply read “Nissa plays a swamp.” Explicit or not, establishing a mana bond with a particular piece of geography means that the planeswalker can, among other things, draw mana from that place no matter where in the multiverse they are. This is why, flavorfully, a player can play Ravnica shock lands alongside Tarkir fetch lands: in the narrative of a game, your planeswalker avatar has gone to these places and forged a bond with those pieces of land.

To cycle back to the card, however, instead of manipulating the land itself, having Nissa, Resurgent Animist alongside the player allows them to, firstly, hypercharge their link to the lands they play, giving the player extra mana for the act of forming connections with lands. Secondly, the player forming connections with as many lands as possible in a single turn (two in this case) allows Nissa to discover other creatures to fight alongside them. Instead of being the champion of all nature, Nissa now fights alongside nature as an ally rather than a general. This makes it all the more fitting that according to the “Aftermath Set Design” article published last year, the original name for this card during the design process was “Nissa, Friend to Nature.”

The journey Nissa goes on lets her reinterpret herself from champion to friend, but celebrating things others consider dark and reinterpreting the world in a way to showcase its beauty was close to the heart of many Romantic Poets as well. In “To Autumn,” John Keats celebrates the season of change, a season so often characterized as a time of preparation and vigilance for the coming winter. Keats writes,

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, Where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,— While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue; Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn Among the river sallows, borne aloft Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies

Keats argues that we should not characterize an entire season through the lens of humanity. Instead of pining for spring, we should live in the moment and appreciate what fall offers us. Similarly, Nissa learns to appreciate the current, sparkless season of her life with Chandra instead pining for the life that was.

Keats again argues this in “Ode to a Nightingale”; a creature poets often infuse with sadness is only that way, he argues, because of how it is interpreted:

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! No hungry generations tread thee down; The voice I hear this passing night was heard In ancient days by emperor and clown: Perhaps the self-same song that found a path Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, She stood in tears amid the alien corn

“Thou wast not born for death,” Keats writes, meaning that the nightingale is not infused with sadness by nature, but only because that’s the emotion humans have assigned to it. Nissa too learns to stop infusing her world with despair by labeling herself as powerless, damaged, and guilty, instead choosing to enjoy the moment she is in.

It is through accepting that age and experience has changed how he views the world that Wordsworth also is able to move forward. Instead of treating nature as his “all in all,” he writes,

For I have learned To look on nature, not as in the hour Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes The still sad music of humanity, Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power To chasten and subdue.—And I have felt A presence that disturbs me with the joy Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime Of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean and the living air, And the blue sky, and in the mind of man

Instead of nature being the only thing in his life, nature is now simply one of the important things in his life, a feeling too that Nissa wrestles with. Instead of hearing only the song of the leylines, the worldsoul’s tune is now just one of many melodies she sings.

Acceptance is a song I too have been singing. As a staunch leftist, living in Central Texas is not particularly suited to me, and I have left here once before. Swearing never to move back, I moved away in the 2010’s for a relationship with a woman that ended up failing some years later. Financially desperate, broken emotionally, in the middle of a graduate degree, and not having anywhere else to go, I moved back to Waco to live cheaply, wrap up my online library science degree, and re-constitute my support network. It was not easy reacclimating to life here. Though I love the people I know in the area, I felt then and still feel now haunted by the ghosts of old memories, all of which had become flavored by loss. After I finished my degree in mid-2023, it did not get much better; even though I’d become ambitious and committed to looking for work elsewhere, the job market for librarians kept me here (entry-salary positions asking for five years of experience and all that). Note that for as much as change scares me, I had dared to face those fears and dared to dream only for it to come to nothing - not an uncommon story these days, I’m afraid.

Now, however, I’m working at the public library in Temple, Texas (close enough to Waco to commute) and settled myself down for the time being. Composing a new rhythm for my life has drastically helped heal the damage that almost three years of rejection, chaos, instability, depression, and anxiety wreaked on me, but that journey began, I think, with acceptance. I’m not currently where I want to end up, but despite what my anxiety and self-doubt tell me, that’s okay. I had to accept that this is where I am at in my life right now, confess that my ambitious priorities were probably going to be achieved at a much slower rate than I had hoped, acknowledge that people in my life made me stronger, and most importantly, forgive myself for the many mistakes I made over the past three years. Only then was I able to truly move forward.

The second lesson we all learned was to embrace connection with people in our lives rather than reject it. In Nissa’s case, as previously alluded to, part of the process of accepting where she is at in life involved understanding that becoming part of the Gatewatch pursuing romance with Chandra had made her better and happier than she had been before. Once that hurdle was crossed, Nissa was able to come to terms with just how different Chandra is from Nissa in how she thinks, feels, and loves. Chandra tells Nissa:

I realized I can't just burn through any relationship I care about. Love leaves room for the other person to be who they are. I have to make room for you, too. I want to." "Like fire needs oxygen . . ." Nissa asks her final question. "You have room for someone who can't planeswalk?" "Yes. I'll make it. I will falter, I will be tempted, but I will make it. Fire's going to burn, no matter what you do, but you can shape it if you try. And I want to try. For you." Nissa thinks for a moment. Finally, she nods. "I can handle that."

Later on, Nissa describes the omenpath she ran into earlier:

“I think I can still hear Zendikar out there, strange and distorted, but possibly still out there. I could just be imagining it completely, but I think I would risk that unknown to see home again." Chandra nods firmly. "And I'll be walking right alongside you." Every Planeswalker can go anywhere they want, but Nissa recognizes Chandra's need to roam runs deeper than that. It's part of who she is, and part of what Nissa loves. So Nissa offers, "Maybe, after that, I wouldn't mind seeing more. As long as it's with you." Chandra breaks into a wide smile. "Let me be your torch, then.”

Compromise is an important part of any relationship, and through embracing change in her life rather than running from it, Nissa is finally able to compromise with Chandra in a way that should fulfill both them - something Nissa has clearly wanted since at least the Kaladesh arc (though I would argue these feelings began long before that). Pursuing connection and intimacy with Chandra at this crossroads allows Nissa to blossom into a much happier and more self-actualized character than she has been in Magic fiction so far. Once, back in “Renewal,” the last story of the “Aether Revolt” arc, Nissa - deep in meditation and basking in her connection with the worldsoul of Kaladesh - watches the birth of a new aetherborn and ponders:

How could she tell this new life to laugh and weep without reservation or regret; to sing to the stars and waters, or to nothing at all; to love unreserved and unguarded; to treasure every moment with those beloved; to forgive any regretted trespass; to dance when moved to; to savor long silences in warm company; to greet each dawn, each face with the thought, this will be an adventure; to be brave, and kind, and trusting, and... ...like Chandra.

Years later, Nissa has finally learned to be more like Chandra, and she is better for it.

For his part, Wordsworth famously had a great relationship with his sister Dorothy, and part of the change he embraces throughout “Tintern Abbey” involves reclaiming himself through her:

…in thy voice I catch The language of my former heart, and read My former pleasures in the shooting lights Of thy wild eyes. Oh! yet a little while May I behold in thee what I was once, My dear, dear Sister!

Earlier in the poem, Wordsworth lamented that he could not “paint / What then I was.” In this passage, Wordsworth finally finds himself again through communion with his oldest and dearest friend.

As for me, I’m in a happy romantic relationship again after years of trying to rebuild myself. Additionally I've made friends with people I wanted to meet, and I’ve managed to carve out a small niche for myself in my own small corner of the world: I realized last summer that I thought about Magic: The Gathering in a much different way than many of my local friends do. As a game that occupies much of my social life and possibly more of my internal life, I searched for an outlet for these thoughts, and that led me here, where I’ve made good friends and joined an online community that I once looked at from afar. If you’re reading this, thanks! I’m happy to be here and to know you.

Conclusion

Relearning ourselves, redefining ourselves, and finding a place for ourselves is a journey most of us must embark, whether of our own volition or not. I’m certainly not a master of this process, so I’d like to leave you with the following thoughts:

One of the more, well, magical things about Magic The Gathering’s tie-in fiction is the fact that you could put just about any character from across the entire history of the game into a random number (character?) generator and the character that gets selected will be near and dear to some Magic player’s heart. In a game as wide and varied as Magic, there is a massive range of experiences portrayed throughout the stories that someone will personally identify with. I’ve seen communities big and small form around fans’ shared love of popular characters like Liliana, Vraska, Oko, and the entire concept of Phyrexians, but also less commonly known characters like Kallist Rhoka (who doesn’t even have a card) and less commonly liked characters (if we’re using loud people on the internet as a gauge) like Jace, Nahiri, and yes, even Nissa.

The biggest lesson I learned from my time as an English major (whether my professors meant for me to learn that is another thing entirely) was that there is no such thing as good and bad literature; there is just literature. Magic story has varied in quality drastically over the years, but one of my main reasons for writing this piece is to emphasize that Magic fiction has a place in the world of literature. It’s not likely to be studied by English students decades from now, but that says nothing about its ability to delight, upset, soothe, and even instruct those of us who enjoy it.

As for myself, I’m eternally grateful to writers who have picked up the task of writing Nissa over the years, because even when she is written poorly (ignoring that one instance where her characterization was butchered beyond recognition), I see much of myself reflected in her deep sense of conviction, in her struggle to express true feelings to people she loves, in her obsessive loyalty to those she lets into her life, in her adoration of the natural world, and even in her love of music. More specifically, I’m especially grateful to Fong and the story team behind “March of the Machine: The Aftermath” for giving me exactly the right Nissa story for exactly the right time in my life.

Whichever omenpath you personally are crossing through, I hope that you find what you need to come out of the other side of it happy, healthy, and ready for the next adventure.

References

Davidson, Nik. (2016). Battle of Thraben.

Fong, Grace P. (2023). She Who Breaks the World.

Frye, Northrop. (1968). A Study of English Romanticism.

Humphreys, Dave. (2023). Leading March of the Machine: The Aftermath Set Design

Keats, John. (1819). Ode to a Nightingale.

Keats, John. (1820). To Autumn.

Kreines, Kimberly J. (2015). Nissa's Origin: Home.

Magic Creative Team. (2017). Renewal.

Rivera, K. Arsenault. (2023). March of the Machine | Episode 1: Triumph of the Fleshless.

Rosewater, Mark. (2015). It's Not Easy Being Green Revisited.

Wordsworth, William. (1798). Lines Written (or Composed) a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, July 13, 1798.

Wordsworth, William. (1807). Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.

#magic the gathering #nissa revane #vorthos #william wordsworth #john keats #essay

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bardic-tales · 1 month ago

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Day 8 | Diana Ravenscroft | Day 10

31 days of FF 7 Headcanons: Day 9: Weapon of Choice

Today’s prompt explores a pivotal childhood memory that shaped the foundation of Diana Grace Ravenscroft’s philosophy and her future role within the Shinra scientific hierarchy. This entry delves into the formative experience that solidified Diana’s belief in precision, control, and the supremacy of intellect over sentiment.

Through a clinical lens, the piece examines how a failed medical procedure witnessed in her youth led to the development of her signature weapon, the neural scalpel, and informed her approach to science, morality, and the human body.

Possible Trigger Warnings: bodily harm, medical trauma, psychological detachment, surgical procedures, trauma response.

Diana Grace Ravenscroft does not carry a traditional weapon in the battlefield sense: no sword, gun, or materia-equipped gloves or bracers. Instead, her weapon of choice is far more clinical and horrifying in its precision: her custom-designed neural scalpel, a surgical instrument enhanced with electromagnetic pulse technology and micro-fine filaments capable of interacting directly with a subject’s nervous system. Originally developed for bio-surgical procedures, Diana repurposed the device for experimentation, both dissection and extraction, tailoring it to her hands and scientific temperament. To her, it is not just a tool. It is the instrument through which she unravels the divine and remakes reality at the cellular level. It is the apex of her belief that knowledge, not brute strength, is the most powerful weapon of all.

Her attachment to the neural scalpel is more than utilitarian; it is deeply psychological. As a child growing up in Junon, Diana once witnessed a failed surgery during a routine Shinra community clinic outreach, where a soldier’s neurological implant malfunctioned mid-procedure. Her mother, Eleanor, a nurse, tried in vain to stabilize the subject while the doctor froze. Diana stepped forward, not out of compassion but out of irritation at the inefficiency.

She held the trembling soldier's head steady and pointed out the error in the wiring, which the technician then corrected. The SOLDIER survived, and though Diana wasn’t praised, that moment lodged in her memory. It was the first time she felt the thrill of mastery over the human body: not healing it but understanding it as a system that could be corrected, manipulated, and broken.

That experience shaped her obsession with precision and control. The neural scalpel became her extension of that philosophy. It was a blend of science, command, and artistry. She commissioned its design during her early years at Shinra, upgrading it relentlessly over time. It can slice flesh without leaving a mark or sever specific nerves without killing a subject. It is particularly effective in the dissection of divine or infernal tissue, like Bianca Moore’s celestial dna, which ordinary tools fail to process. To Diana, wielding this weapon is like playing a sonata with a scalpel. Every incision is a note, every nerve a string to pluck. She sees herself not as a killer but as a virtuoso of biological deconstruction.

The scalpel’s significance lies in what it represents: the belief that the body is a canvas and the divine is something to be dissected and not worshipped. She uses it on live subjects without hesitation, believing pain is incidental to progress.

Hojo once called it baroque, but Diana corrected him: "No, it’s efficient." Unlike Hojo, who delights in cruelty, Diana sees cruelty as a side effect of progress and not the point. Her weapon is a mirror of herself: unemotional, efficient, and utterly lethal in the pursuit of truth.

In the end, Diana’s weapon of choice is a reflection of the very core of her character. She does not battle with swords nor does she rely on brute force. She conquers through intellect. The neural scalpel is her legacy and her curse, a constant reminder of the girl who stepped into a surgery and felt nothing but curiosity. While others fear demons or revere the divine, Diana cuts them open and takes notes. And that, to her, is the true power of a weapon: the ability to change the world without ever raising your voice, only your hand.

@themaradwrites @shepardstales @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen @chickensarentcheap

@inkandimpressions @arrthurpendragon @projecthypocrisy @serenofroses

#31 days of headcanons #31 doh: ff #31 doh: diana ravenscroft #31 doh: day 9 #oc: diana ravenscroft - ff #fwc: ff #ff vii oc #characters: fwc #characters: fwc: ff #au: canon divergent #bardic tales #bardic-tales #headcanon: fwc: ff

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covid-safer-hotties · 9 months ago

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Also preserved on our archive

By Robert Pearl, M.D.

In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, a mysterious illness spread through America’s overlooked communities, mainly affecting intravenous drug users and homosexual men.

The disease, which caused a sudden and devastating collapse of the immune system, was unlike anything doctors had seen before. Patients arrived at hospitals with rare infections like Kaposi’s sarcoma and fungal pneumonia.

But despite the rising number of cases, public health officials remained silent for years. Few Americans saw it as a national emergency, especially since the disease seemed confined to society’s fringes, at least initially.

By the time the government and public fully grasped the threat in 1986—following Dr. C. Everett Koop’s “Surgeon General’s Report on AIDS”—tens of thousands of Americans had already died.

Looking back on this and other public health crises, it’s clear that medical science alone isn’t enough to save lives. To prevent similar tragedies, public health leaders and elected officials must first understand the role denial plays in people’s perception of medical threats. They must then develop effective strategies to overcome it.

The Psychological Basis For Denial Denial is a powerful, usually unconscious defense mechanism that shields individuals from uncomfortable or distressing realities. By repressing objective facts or experiences—especially those that provoke fear or anxiety—people can maintain a sense of stability in the face of overwhelming threats.

Historically, denial was vital to daily life. With little protection against illnesses like smallpox, tuberculosis or plague, people would have been immobilized by fear if not for the ability to repress reality. Denial, mixed with superstition, took the place of facts, allowing society to function despite the ever-present risks of death and disability.

Today, even with tremendous advances in medical knowledge and technology, denial continues to influence individual behavior with detrimental consequences.

For example, more than 46 million Americans use tobacco products, despite their links to cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness. Similarly, tens of millions of people refuse vaccinations, disregarding scientific consensus and exposing themselves—and their communities—to preventable diseases. Denial extends to cancer screenings, as well. Surveys show that 50% of women over 40 skip their annual mammograms, and 23% have never had one. Meanwhile, about 30% of adults between 50 and 75 are not up to date on colorectal cancer screenings, and 20% have never been screened.

These examples demonstrate how denial leads individuals to make choices that jeopardize their health, even when life-saving interventions are readily available.

A Pattern of Denial: How Inaction Fuels Public Health Crises When individual denial scales up to the collective level, it fuels widespread inaction and worsens public health crises. Throughout modern medical history, Americans have repeatedly underestimated or dismissed emerging health threats until the consequences became impossible to ignore.

Early warnings of the HIV/AIDS epidemic were largely ignored, as the stigma surrounding affected populations made it easier for the broader public to deny the severity of the crisis. Even within at-risk populations, the lengthy delay between infection and symptoms created a false sense of security, leading to risky behaviors. This collective denial allowed the virus to spread unchecked, resulting in millions of deaths worldwide and a public health challenge that persists in the United States today.

Even now, four decades after the virus was identified, only 36% of the 1.2 million Americans at high risk for HIV take PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), a medication that is 99% effective in preventing the disease.

Chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes mirror this pattern of denial. The long gap between early signs and life-threatening complications—such as heart attack, stroke and kidney failure—leads people to underestimate the risks and neglect preventive care. This inaction increases morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs.

Whether the issue is an infectious disease or a chronic illness, denial causes harm. It allows medical problems to take root, it delays care and it leads to tens of thousands preventable deaths each year.

The Unseen Parallels: COVID-19 And Mpox Our nation’s responses to COVID-19 and mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) similarly illustrate how denial hampers effective management of public health emergencies.

By March 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread, millions of Americans dismissed it as just another winter virus, no worse than the flu. Even as deaths rose exponentially, elected officials and much of the public failed to recognize the growing threat. Critical containment measures—such as travel restrictions, widespread testing and social distancing—were delayed. This collective denial, fueled by misinformation and political ideology, allowed the virus to take root across the country.

By the time the severity of the pandemic was undeniable, hospitals and health systems were overwhelmed. The opportunity to prevent widespread devastation had passed. More than 1 million American lives were lost, and the economic and social consequences continue today.

Mpox presents the most recent example of this troubling pattern. On August 14, the World Health Organization declared mpox a global health emergency after identifying rapid spread of the Clade 1b variant across several African nations. This strain is significantly more lethal than previous variants, having already caused over 500 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo, primarily among women and children under 15. Unlike earlier outbreaks associated mainly with same-sex transmission, Clade 1b spreads through both heterosexual contact and close family interactions, increasing its reach and putting everyone at risk.

Despite these alarming developments, awareness and concern about mpox remains low in the United States. International aid has been limited, and vaccination efforts have fallen far behind the growing threat. As a result, by the time the WHO issued its emergency declaration, only 65,000 vaccine doses had been distributed across Africa, where more than 10 million people are at risk. Already, cases have appeared in Sweden and Thailand, and the U.S. may soon follow.

Even with the added danger of the new variant and the proven efficacy of the JYNNEOS vaccine, only one in four high-risk individuals in the United States has been vaccinated against mpox. Our slow and delayed response to Covid-19, mpox, HIV/AIDS and nearly-all chronic diseases demonstrate how widespread denial is, the lives it continues to claim and the urgent need to address this hidden defense mechanism. The best way to overcome denial—both individually and collectively—is to bring the risks into clear focus. Simply warning people about the dangers isn’t enough. Strong leadership is crucial in breaking through this subconscious barrier.

Lessons To Learn, Actions To Take Dr. C. Everett Koop’s public health campaign on AIDS in the 1980s demonstrated how clear, consistent messaging can shift public perception and drive action. Similarly, former Surgeon General Luther L. Terry’s landmark 1964 report on smoking educated the public about the dangers of tobacco. His report spurred subsequent efforts, including higher taxes on tobacco products, restrictions on smoking in public places and health campaigns using vivid imagery of blackened lungs—leading to a significant decline in smoking rates.

Unfortunately, government agencies often fall short, hampered by bureaucratic delays and overly cautious communications.

Officials tend to wait until all details are certain, avoid acknowledging uncertainties, and seek consensus among committee members before recommending actions. Instead of being transparent, they focus on delivering the least risky advice for their agencies. People, in turn, distrust and fail to heed the recommendations.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently with mpox, officials hesitated to admit how little they knew about the emerging crises. Their reluctance further eroded public trust in government agencies. In reality, people are more capable of handling the truth than they’re often given credit for. When they have access to all the facts, they usually make the right decisions for themselves and their families. Ironically, if public health officials focused on educating people about the risks and benefits of different options—rather than issuing directives—more people would listen and more lives would be saved.

With viral threats increasing and chronic diseases on the rise, now is the time for public health leaders and elected officials to change tactics. Americans want and deserve the facts: what scientists know, what remains unclear and the best estimates of actual risk.

#mask up #covid #pandemic #covid 19 #wear a mask #public health #coronavirus #sars cov 2 #still coviding #wear a respirator #mpox #hiv/aids #long covid

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tuliptic · 6 months ago

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Some personal experiences I have with certain synastry aspects/overlays

inspired by @elysiansparadise if it's not obvious enough.

🍡Her Saturn in my 4H: This may sound weird but she feels like home to me. She brings a comfort that's... I don't know how to explain in words, but there's just a sense of groundedness to me. She’s the anchor that can put me at ease when I am overwhelmed with family matters. I do know some things that I do will not be acceptable to some, and I’m not sure if she completely agrees with me, but I’m very sure that she puts my feelings first and focuses on validating me. The acknowledgement is there and it's always safe to find solace in her. When I’m in pain and I need help, it’s her I turn to.

🍡Her Saturn conjuncts my Moon: She makes me feel comfortable, she grounds me. It's like... I'm the balloon and she's the string tying me to a place that's safe. I wouldn't say she stops me from flying, but she helps me to keep me in check. Her words are... Gentle. They're not gentle in a watery way, but they're gentle in a way that doesn't stop the creativity and freedom in me.

🍡Her stellium (Venus, Mercury & Saturn) in my 1H: I feel that this stellium of hers plays a role in how I see and build myself. Her mannerism affects how I build my personality somehow, and I tend to adopt traits of her into me. Not to mention that we actually do have a similar thought process and the conversation can just go in a weird way yet I’ll be able to get what she means. It’s a fun placement, imo, despite the energy of Saturn can be heavy at times as it just makes me wanna run away lol.

🍡His Jupiter in my 1H: He is like a father figure to me, and with this aspect, I feel that he cares about how I live and how I’m doing, showing support (both morally, financially, and food-ly). It’s just a warm connection and I enjoy it a lot, and according to him, he finds my presence fun (my Moon is in his 5H).

🍡Her Moon conjuncts my Saturn: She provides a lot of comfort, helps me understand why the subconsciously affixed rules in my life exist, where I feel validated and assured. I am being heard and understood, which is something I don't really experience growing up. This aspect makes me feel safe by just sitting together and being quiet.

🍡Her Saturn in my 12H: She is into spirituality, and her views of it tends to be... Her rules (in my opinion, from my observation). I'm not sure how open she can be with it (open in terms of looking and understanding other types of views and opinions) but it definitely won't be with me. It's as though she sees me as a newbie in spirituality and sets the bar, in which I feel rigid and have a sense of defiance (but also I don't agree with some of her views so... yeah...)

🍡His Moon in my 11H: We have a pretty comfortable and amicable relationship, and it is pretty chill. How he voices his thoughts and emotions are very clear, there’s no misleading action or words. Not to mention his Moon sign is the same as my Sun sign, which probably makes the entire exchange much easier (his Moon trines my Moon too).

🍡Her stellium (Sun, Venus, Mercury) in my 6H: I don't know how to put it in words but the best way to explain it would be... Stability. She is able to see things from a practical view, and this earthy trait comforts me better than anything else. Not to mention that those placements of hers trines mine (same element), where we have a similar mindset, making communication and friendship between us easier.

🍡Her Pluto conjuncts my Pluto: Even though our Plutos are in the same sign, the energy we bring to the table can be completely different. It feels like our values (specifically on the generational views and psychological depths, where I see things as science and she sees it as spirituality) clash and I feel that her Pluto wants me to see things her way, while my Pluto wants to defy it.

🍡His Mercury in my 12H: I find it kinda funny with this, where we spent quite some time trying to find a way to effectively communicate with each other. He tends to shy away from conflict and will prefer to communicate via texts, while I prefer a direct conversation. After figuring out his comfort zone, our conversations generally became forms of stickers (LINE stamps) and facial expressions. However, for things that are more serious, we can sit together and have lengthy conversations to make sure that we are on the same page and can get things done properly. It feels like… The Mercurial energy will only surface when it’s necessary. It’s weird but kinda fun.

🍡My Pluto in her 1H: She has mentioned before that she felt intimidated and/or threatened by me in the sense where I kept challenging her and her views. We have very different upbringings and values; something normal to her is uncomfortable to me, and it has resulted in arguments and disagreements in the past.

🍡Her stellium (Venus, Jupiter & Moon) in my 12H: I have had moments where I don’t feel comfortable with how she acts and after quite some time (years) of figuring it out, I realized it’s the difference in privileges. She did not have much financial responsibility on her and was open to freely act on what she feels, which was pretty much the opposite of me. I guess I felt threatened back then, but we did talk about it (though we’re no longer friends now).

🍡His Moon conjuncts my Pluto: This is a friend of more than a decade and he’s just comfortable to be with. I don’t quite know what to explain other than we understand pain and childhood trauma at a similar level. We have both gone through different things growing up, and things can be made more difficult being in an Asian household, where mental and emotional health were not given much thought or consideration. Yet, we just… Understand and get each other during our trauma dumping session, validating each other’s pain. His Pluto conjuncts my Pluto as well, but it may be due to his Moon-Pluto conjunction, that his sensitivity and understanding is heightened compared to others.

🍡Her Mercury trines my Moon: She is able to understand my emotions in a logical sense. Sometimes, my emotions can be a mess, a pile of unknown feelings, and she’s the one who helps me brush through the yarns, categorizing them and helping me understand what those are, and why I’m feeling them. She just has the right words when I’m down, and she’s there to help me like a lifeline. I call her when I’m weary and in tears, and she’ll just… Be present.

🍡His Jupiter trines my 10H stellium: I do feel that he provides knowledge and expands my views on a particular culture. Whatever I’ve learnt from him has helped me in work related fields, may it be knowledge, understanding my potentials and how I can work with it, as well as building work related connections. Part of me does feel like I’m helping him with these (his Jupiter is in rx), but I’m also learning from them.

🍡Her stellium (Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, Moon & Sun) in my 10H: Generally speaking, I’m naturally comfortable with earth dominant people (especially Capricorns). I met her through work and we’re hitting our 10 year friendship next year. She has helped me through work related themes and also house related things. I have a 10H stellium and I dare say that my work/career builds me up to who I am, that I build my identity on my career achievements. She has helped me through it and guided me through the crisis. I consult her on almost every aspect of my life lol. And I’m very, very grateful to have her in my life.

🍡Her stellium (Neptune, Sun & Uranus) in my 11H: She’s a friend I’ve made through the internet, and I’d say this friendship is something refreshing. The entire thing started as an accident, a glitch on the system, but became something rather beautiful itself. The topics we talked about are pretty random, where it started from topics of interest to personal life. It’s a fun ride but we are there to support each other.

🍡Her stellium (Uranus, Venus & Sun) in my 12H: Her love for me is soft, making me feel treasured and secured. She brought changes into my life in terms of spirituality and the unknown, but they do not overwhelm me. With the Sun there, it’s like the early morning sun, where it’s not overbearing but gentle. There’s some form of healing energy here as well, like a gentle breeze tending to my wounds. Her very being is a blessing.

🍡His Sun and Mercury in my 5H: For context, this is my boss. I feel easy and open to talk to him about random things and it’s rather fun? It makes the relationship not strictly about work and for work, but to look at the brighter and fun side of the dull routine. Probably one of the reasons that I don’t feel stressed when I have work related discussions with him.

🍡Her Mars in my 8H: I feel that there’s a drive and passion in her that makes me more aware about myself. She feels like someone who enjoys life, and will make sure that things will work well. 8H can mean insecurities, but instead of making me fear, it feels like her Mars pushes me to move forward more, to understand my insecurities and work on it.

#tuliptic #🌷#ranndoms #these may not be total accurate #but what i can immediately think about #not to mention that they can all appear differently #some may be due to underdeveloped placements #as some can be like 10 years ago #some can be just... squaring my placements #there's not fixed way #but just only different people interpreting things differently

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 4 months ago

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Trying to solve a key black hole mystery: Simulating magnetic flows around black holes

Black holes have been fascinating subjects of study, not just because they are cosmic vacuum cleaners, but also as engines of immense power capable of extracting and redistributing energy on a staggering scale. These dark giants are often surrounded by swirling disks of gas and dust, known as accretion disks. When these disks are strongly magnetized, they can act like galactic power plants, extracting energy from the black hole’s spin in a process known as the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) effect.

While scientists have theorized that the BZ effect is the primary mechanism in the energy extraction process, many unknowns remain, like what determines how much energy is funneled into powerful jets—powerful streams of particles and energy ejected along the black hole's poles—or dissipated as heat.

To answer these questions, JILA postdoctoral researcher Prasun Dhang, and JILA Fellows and University of Colorado Boulder Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences professors Mitch Begelman and Jason Dexter, turned to advanced computer simulations. By modeling black holes surrounded by thin, highly magnetized accretion disks, they sought to uncover the underlying physics that drives these enigmatic systems. Their findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal, offer crucial insights into the complex physics around black holes and could redefine how we understand their role in shaping galaxies.

“It's long been known that infalling gas can extract spin energy from a black hole,” elaborates Dexter. “Usually, we assume this is important for powering jets. By making more precise measurements, Prasun has shown there's a lot more energy extracted than previously known. This energy could be radiated away as light, or it could cause gas to flow outwards. Either way, extracted spin energy could be an important energy source for lighting up the regions near the black hole event horizon.”

Comparing Black Hole to Black Hole

For decades, scientists have studied black holes and their interactions with surrounding gas and magnetic fields to understand how they power some of the universe’s most energetic phenomena. Early research focused primarily on low-luminosity black hole sources with quasi-spherical accretion flow as these systems are comparatively easier to simulate and align with many observed jets.

However, high-luminosity black holes with geometrically thinner, denser magnetized disks present a unique challenge. These systems are theoretically unstable due to imbalances in heating and cooling.

However, previous studies, including those by Mitch Begelman, suggested that strong magnetic fields might stabilize these thin disks, but the details of their role in energy extraction and jet formation remained unclear in such conditions. “We wanted to understand how energy extraction works in these highly magnetized environments,” Dhang explains.

Simulating Magnetized Flows Around Black Holes

The team used advanced computer simulations to explore this phenomenon, specifically, a special type of model called the 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) model. The GRMHD model works as a computational framework that simulates the behavior of magnetized plasma in the curved spacetime around black holes, combining the physics of magnetic fields, fluid dynamics, and Einstein's theory of general relativity to capture the complex interactions in these extreme environments. Using the framework, the researchers observed how magnetic fields interacted with black holes spinning at different speeds.

“The goal was to see how magnetic flux threading [permeating] the black hole impacts energy extraction and whether it leads to the formation of jets,” Dhang says. The simulations modeled thin, magnetized accretion disks and examined how much energy the black hole transferred to its surroundings. By studying the efficiency of this energy extraction, the team identified various black hole spins and magnetic configurations with jets.

Manifestation of BZ power

From their simulations, the team found that depending on the black hole's spin, between 10% and 70% of the energy extracted through the BZ process was channeled into jets.

“The higher the spin, the more energy the black hole can release,” Dhang notes.

However, not all energy went into jets; some was absorbed back into the disk or dissipated as heat.

While the simulations couldn’t determine where the excess energy went, Dhang plans to study this further to better understand how jets form, as jets are often found in active galactic nuclei systems such as quasars.

Mysteries Continue

From their models, the researchers found that the strong magnetic fields increased the disk's radiative efficiency, making it brighter. This extra luminosity may explain why some black holes appear far more luminous than theoretical models predict. “The unused energy close to the black hole could heat the disk and contribute to a corona,” Dhang notes.

The corona, a region of hot gas surrounding the black hole that emits intense x-rays, is crucial for shaping the light we observe from these systems, but its exact formation process remains unclear.

The researchers hope to use further simulations to understand the dynamics of making a black hole corona.

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the NASA Astrophysics Theory Program, and the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship.

IMAGE: Artist render of a black hole surrounded by a highly magnetized thin disk. Credit Steven Burrows/Prasun Dhang

#science #space #astronomy #news #physics #astrophysics

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the-demigod-project · 5 months ago

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Villains List: Golden Fed.

Name: Elena Ferrari

Code Name: Link

Age: 29

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (155cm), lithe athletic body build, light beige skintone, short wavy black hair, and bright hazel eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Telepathy & Super Intelligence:

Telepathy:

• Elena’s telepathy allows her to read and manipulate minds with surgical precision. She can delve into memories, extract secrets, or implant ideas subtly enough to make them seem like the target’s own thoughts.

• Her mental reach extends across vast distances, enabling her to coordinate operations in real time or influence decisions made in distant boardrooms or battlefields.

Super Intelligence:

• Her mind operates like a quantum computer, capable of solving impossibly complex problems, analyzing countless variables, and predicting outcomes with uncanny accuracy.

• She can process multiple streams of information simultaneously, from hacking encrypted systems to devising flawless battle strategies.

Info: Elena Ferrari was not born but engineered, a perfect blend of cutting-edge science and ancient myth. Conceived in the highly secretive Kronos Initiative, a German laboratory specializing in creating enhanced beings, she was part of an elite project to create demigods capable of serving the Golden Federation. Her Italian heritage was selected intentionally—famous for producing brilliant thinkers and strategists, from Leonardo da Vinci to Niccolò Machiavelli. Her creators believed this lineage, paired with their scientific advancements, would result in a mind that could transcend mortal intelligence. Elena was created in 1988, designed to serve this vast superpower and secure its dominance in intelligence, strategy, and covert operations. Elena was raised in a controlled environment, her every thought and action carefully observed. She was educated through immersive neural interfaces and simulations that ran at accelerated speeds, allowing her to master centuries of knowledge by the time she turned 10.

By adulthood, her telepathic abilities had fully developed, allowing her to probe minds, manipulate thoughts, and process information from countless sources simultaneously. This made her the perfect operative in a world ruled by shadows and secrets. Despite being a product of the Federation’s ambitions, Elena is far from a mindless tool. Her super-intelligence allows her to see the cracks in the system she serves. She recognizes the Golden Federation's authoritarian tendencies but understands the chaos that could arise if it were to collapse. This duality defines her: she is loyal to the Federation, but only because she believes in maintaining global stability. Her own moral compass often conflicts with the orders she receives, leading her to find creative solutions that minimize unnecessary suffering. Elena is fiercely independent, with a sharp wit and a dry sense of humor that often masks her inner turmoil. She has a calculated demeanor, rarely showing emotion, yet those closest to her know that her seemingly cold exterior hides a deep compassion for humanity—a trait she has tried to suppress to fulfill her role.

Elena also operates as an elite intelligence officer and strategist for the Golden Federation, using her telepathic abilities to extract critical information, outmaneuver enemies, and neutralize threats before they arise. Her nickname, Link, comes from her unparalleled ability to connect thoughts, ideas, and people across vast networks, both physical and mental. She is also tasked with overseeing Project Omega, a covert initiative aimed at quelling resistance movements and expanding the Federation's influence. However, Elena often works behind the scenes to mitigate the Federation’s harsher policies, believing that true order must come from trust and cooperation, not fear.

Name: Leo Von Degenfeld

Code Name: Sword Saint

Age: 23

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (179cm), lean athletic body build, fair skintone, snow white medium wavy hair, and kind hazel eyes(turn gold sometimes).

Demigod Form:

Powers: Blade Transcendent:

• Enhanced Reflexes and Precision: Leo can anticipate and react to attacks before they are even fully executed, moving with speed and accuracy that make him almost untouchable.

• Spiritual Connection to the Blade: Leo’s mastery extends beyond physical technique. He can sense the “spirit” of a weapon, adapting his style to the unique properties of any blade he wields. This ability also allows him to form an almost mystical bond with his weapon, amplifying his combat abilities.

• Unparalleled Technique: Leo possesses knowledge of every known swordsmanship style and has created techniques that defy logic, such as cutting through objects at a distance or parrying bullets with ease.

• Battlefield Awareness: His heightened senses and strategic mind make him an unrivaled tactician, capable of analyzing and adapting to the flow of combat in real time.

Info: Leo Von Degenfeld was born into one of Germany’s most prestigious aristocratic families, whose lineage stretched back to the Teutonic Knights, a storied order of warrior monks who upheld faith and conquest. The Von Degenfeld family became celebrated as both noble diplomats and exceptional warriors, their loyalty to the Reich unwavering through decades of political upheaval. After Germany's victory in World War II, the Von Degenfelds played an instrumental role in shaping the militaristic and hierarchical structure of the Golden Federation. The family estate, nestled deep in the Bavarian Alps, stood as a monument to their legacy. Within its walls were not only riches but also priceless artifacts of history, including heirlooms from the Teutonic Knights and ancient manuscripts detailing esoteric martial techniques. For generations, the Von Degenfelds trained their children in the art of combat, philosophy, and governance, ensuring they could serve both as warriors and leaders.

Leo, the youngest of three siblings, grew up under the shadow of his older brothers, both of whom were celebrated for their achievements in the Federation’s military elite. His father, Baron Wilhelm Von Degenfeld, was a decorated general, and his mother, Countess Helena, was a scholar of martial history. While his upbringing was privileged, it was also demanding, as his family adhered to strict codes of discipline and honor. From a young age, Leo exhibited an uncanny talent for swordsmanship. By the age of eight, he could wield a blade with precision that astonished even the most seasoned instructors. His movements were fluid, almost instinctive, as if he was born with an innate connection to the blade. This natural talent set him apart from his siblings and caught the attention of the Kronos Initiative, the Federation’s secretive program dedicated to creating enhanced beings, or “demigods,” capable of securing its dominance for generations to come.

At the age of 10, Leo was inducted into the Kronos Initiative. While his siblings were sent to conventional military academies, he was subjected to the cutting-edge experiments and rigorous training of the Initiative. The Von Degenfelds willingly offered Leo to the program, believing it was his destiny to embody the pinnacle of their family’s martial legacy. The Kronos Initiative sought to merge human skill with divine power, and Leo’s exceptional swordsmanship made him the perfect candidate for a Demigod of Transcendent Swordsmanship. Through a combination of genetic enhancement, neurological augmentation, and esoteric rituals inspired by ancient Teutonic practices, Leo was transformed into a being who could transcend the physical limitations of ordinary warriors.

The program trained Leo relentlessly, pitting him against enhanced soldiers, machines, and even other demigods in brutal combat simulations. By the time he turned 16, he had surpassed every expectation, earning the code name “Sword Saint” in recognition of his mastery. After completing his transformation, Leo was deployed as a military prodigy and symbol of the Federation’s might. He quickly gained fame for his exploits on the battlefield, where he led elite units to victory against insurgencies and rival powers. His presence alone was often enough to demoralize enemies, as tales of his skill and near-invincibility spread like wildfire. Leo is frequently sent on high-profile missions, acting as both a warrior and a diplomat. His aristocratic upbringing allows him to navigate the political intricacies of the Federation’s ruling elite, while his martial prowess ensures loyalty and fear among the Federation’s enemies. While his family views him as the ultimate realization of their legacy, Leo sometimes questions whether his enhancement has stripped him of his humanity. As a soldier of the Federation, Leo has been forced to carry out orders that conflict with his personal sense of honor. These moments weigh heavily on him, as he strives to balance loyalty with his own ideals.

Leo embodies the ideals of a knight: honor, discipline, and loyalty. However, beneath his stoic and composed exterior lies a young man grappling with his identity. While he takes pride in his abilities, he also feels burdened by the expectations placed upon him. He is introspective and philosophical, often contemplating the nature of power, duty, and what it means to be human. Leo’s demeanor is calm and measured, but when he enters combat, he becomes a whirlwind of precision and power. He respects his opponents and views battle as a sacred art, often showing mercy when he believes it is deserved. This sense of honor has earned him respect even among his enemies.

Name: Baldur

Code Name: Subject-Ragnarok

Age: 59

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (229cm), muscular body build, light tan skintone, medium buzz cut black hair dyed blonde, and strong willed silver eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Violence Embodiment:

• Combat Empowerment: Baldur’s strength, speed, and durability increase proportionally to the intensity of violence around him. The more chaos and bloodshed he witnesses or participates in, the more unstoppable he becomes.

• Berserker Mode: When critically injured or enraged, Baldur enters a heightened state of aggression, ignoring pain and damage as he unleashes devastating attacks with inhuman precision.

• Violence Aura: Baldur’s presence incites aggression and fear in those around him, destabilizing enemy morale and even causing allies to act recklessly.

• Weapon Proficiency: Baldur has an innate mastery of all forms of weaponry, ranging from primitive tools to advanced firearms. He often uses whatever is available to inflict maximum destruction.

• Unyielding Flesh: His body is unnaturally resilient, able to heal rapidly from most injuries. This regenerative ability ensures he remains in the fight, even under extreme conditions.

• Ragnarok’s Wrath: In rare moments of extreme focus, Baldur channels the full extent of his power into a single, apocalyptic attack, capable of leveling entire battlefields.

Info: Baldur, the younger brother of Michael (Subject-Abyss), shares a similar origin steeped in tragedy and experimentation. Born five years after Michael, Baldur grew up under the shadow of his older brother’s stoicism and strength. Together, the two siblings navigated the harsh realities of life as German orphans. When the Old Führer adopted them, Baldur viewed him less as a father figure and more as a beacon of power and dominance. While Michael was molded into a disciplined and loyal soldier, Baldur was drawn to the chaos and violence that accompanied their upbringing, seeing destruction as both an art and a purpose.

At the age of six, Baldur followed Michael into the Kronos Initiative, where he was subjected to brutal experiments designed to awaken latent superhuman potential. Unlike his brother’s transformation into a creature of shadow, Baldur’s powers manifested as a visceral connection to violence itself. Dubbed "Violence Embodiment," Baldur became a living weapon, capable of amplifying his strength and durability through his proximity to acts of brutality and carnage. This transformation also awakened an insatiable thirst for combat, making him a relentless and savage force in battle. Baldur thrived in the Federation’s war-torn landscapes, where his unique powers and unbridled aggression made him a fearsome soldier and a terrifying enemy. While Michael retained a sense of humanity, Baldur fully embraced his monstrous nature, reveling in the chaos and destruction he was born to create.

Baldur is a mix of charm and bloodlust. Outside of combat, he can be disarmingly charismatic, with a sharp wit and a penchant for dark humor. However, this facade quickly crumbles when he is presented with the opportunity for violence. Baldur loves war in all its forms, seeing it not as a means to an end but as the ultimate expression of human nature. He thrives in chaos, finding beauty in the destruction and depravity that others shy away from. Unlike Michael, Baldur has little patience for philosophy or introspection. He lives in the moment, driven by his instincts and his unrelenting desire for combat. Despite this, he is fiercely loyal to his brother and the Golden Federation, seeing their cause as a perfect stage for his violent artistry. Baldur’s relationship with Michael is one of mutual respect and dependence, with Baldur often deferring to Michael’s strategic mind while providing the raw power to execute their missions. Baldur’s love of violence, however, makes him a dangerous ally.

While he follows orders with unwavering loyalty, his bloodlust can sometimes lead to excessive collateral damage or the alienation of potential allies. His superiors tolerate this behavior only because of his unparalleled effectiveness on the battlefield. Baldur serves as a front-line enforcer and shock trooper for the Federation, deployed in situations where overwhelming force is required. His ability to turn the tide of battle through sheer ferocity and brutality makes him a key asset in the Federation’s military campaigns. Baldur is often sent into the most dangerous missions, where his powers can be unleashed without restraint. While his chaotic nature makes him a liability in diplomatic or covert operations, Baldur’s reputation as an unstoppable force precedes him, striking fear into the hearts of enemies long before he arrives on the battlefield. To the Federation’s leadership, Baldur is both a weapon and a spectacle, a living reminder of their dominance and the price of defiance.

Name: Michael

Code Name: Subject-Abyss

Age: 64

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (199cm), lean body build, pitch black skintone.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Shadow Manipulation:

• Abyssal Cloak: Michael can envelop himself in darkness, becoming nearly invisible in low-light conditions. This cloak also enhances his physical resilience, as shadows absorb incoming damage.

• Shadow Constructs: He can create tangible objects or weapons from shadows, ranging from simple blades to intricate barriers.

• Dimensional Rift: By tapping into the Abyss, Michael can summon portals of darkness to transport himself or others over short distances. These rifts also serve as traps, pulling enemies into the void never to return.

• Sentient Shadows: Michael can animate his shadows, using them as extensions of himself to attack, restrain, or scout areas.

• Void Sense: His lack of a physical head has enhanced his perception through the Abyss, allowing him to see and hear across vast distances and detect lifeforms hidden in darkness.

• Corruptive Aura: Prolonged exposure to Michael’s shadows can weaken enemies, sapping their strength and resolve.

Info: Michael and his younger brother, Baldur, were born in the war-ravaged streets of Germany during the twilight years of global conflict. Orphaned at a young age, the two brothers were taken in by an enigmatic figure referred to only as the "Old Führer," a powerful and mysterious leader of a post-war German faction that later aligned with the Golden Federation. The Führer saw potential in the two boys and raised them to be tools of his vision, shaping them into disciplined warriors with unshakable loyalty to his ideals. At the tender age of eleven, both Michael and Baldur were inducted into the Kronos Initiative, a shadowy project aimed at forging superhuman soldiers. As part of their transformation, the brothers underwent excruciating procedures to unlock dormant abilities.

For Michael, this meant merging with the essence of the Abyss, an alternate dimension composed of pure darkness and negative energy. The procedure not only awakened his powers of Shadow Manipulation but also fundamentally altered his physical form: his head vanished entirely, absorbed into the Abyss itself. While this transformation was horrifying, Michael emerged with newfound abilities that placed him among the most formidable of the Kronos subjects. Despite his disfigurement, his voice could still be heard, and his vision extended far beyond human limits, leading to rumors that his head now resides in a different realm, tethered to him by the shadows he commands.

Michael is the epitome of loyalty and discipline, molded by the ideals instilled in him by the Führer and reinforced by the Federation’s doctrine. He is calm, calculating, and unwavering in his devotion to the cause. Despite his intimidating appearance, Michael exudes an aura of quiet authority, rarely raising his voice but commanding respect through his sheer presence. Beneath his stoic exterior, Michael harbors a deep bond with his brother Baldur, viewing him as the only remaining fragment of his humanity. The two share an unbreakable connection forged through shared suffering and survival. While Michael’s loyalty to the Federation is absolute, his love for his brother occasionally creates moments of introspection, as he questions the morality of their existence.

Michael’s loss of a physical head has become a defining feature of his identity. Rather than viewing it as a curse, he sees it as a symbol of his transcendence beyond human limitations. This detachment from his former self fuels his belief that he is no longer bound by human weaknesses, making him a highly focused and unrelenting force on the battlefield. Michael serves as an elite operative and enforcer for the Federation, specializing in covert operations and assassination missions. His ability to manipulate shadows makes him the perfect infiltrator, capable of dismantling enemy defenses without leaving a trace. Additionally, his strategic mind and calm demeanor make him a trusted advisor to high-ranking Federation officials. Despite his loyalty, Michael’s existence raises fear and awe in equal measure among his peers. His disfigurement and connection to the Abyss make him an unsettling figure, even to those who fight alongside him. Yet, his effectiveness in battle and unwavering dedication ensure that he remains an indispensable asset to the Federation.

Name: Felix

Code Name: Subject-Angel

Age: 28

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (186cm), toned body build, light fair skintone, short soft white wavy hair, and pale green eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Divine Light:

• Radiant Energy Manipulation: Felix can project beams, bursts, or waves of concentrated light energy capable of incinerating enemies or shielding allies.

• Healing Touch: The Divine Light allows Felix to heal wounds and cure ailments.

• Light-Wings Manifestation: Felix can create ethereal wings of light to sprout from his back, granting him the ability to fly and enhancing his combat agility.

• Aura of Serenity: Felix radiates a calming presence that can inspire allies and demoralize enemies, often turning the tide of battle without lifting a finger.

• Enhanced Reflexes and Strength: The Divine Light amplifies his physical capabilities, making him faster, stronger, and more durable than any ordinary demigod.

Info: Felix, codenamed Subject-Angel, is the result of a clandestine project within the Golden Federation, designed to harness the essence of divine energy for the purpose of creating a perfect warrior and symbol of hope. Born into obscurity, Felix's early life was that of an ordinary child until the Kronos Initiative identified him as an ideal candidate for their ambitious experiment to merge human potential with celestial power. Despite these remarkable powers, the process left Felix with lingering scars—both physical and emotional. His body constantly burns with the energy he wields, requiring intense focus and discipline to avoid being consumed by it. Felix’s transformation into Subject-Angel shaped his personality profoundly. Having experienced the pain and isolation of being an experiment, he carries a quiet, reflective demeanor. He views himself as a protector of the innocent, driven by a deep sense of compassion and justice. However, he also struggles with the weight of being labeled a "divine being" and the expectations that come with it.

Felix often questions his purpose, torn between serving the Golden Federation, which he owes his existence to, and his desire to use his powers for the greater good, even if it means defying orders. His inner conflict makes him an enigmatic figure—respected and admired by those who meet him, yet deeply misunderstood. Felix serves as both a warrior and a symbol of divine authority for the Golden Federation. His presence on the battlefield inspires soldiers and civilians alike, often portrayed in propaganda as a "savior" figure. While Felix fulfills this role out of duty, he harbors doubts about the Federation’s morality, especially as he witnesses the suffering of those under its regime. The Federation leverages Felix’s abilities sparingly, recognizing that his power is as much a psychological weapon as it is a physical one. He is deployed in critical missions that require overwhelming force or the restoration of morale. Felix, however, secretly seeks opportunities to undermine the Federation’s more oppressive policies, acting as a covert protector for those who cannot defend themselves.

Name: Francis

Code Name: Subject-Devil

Age: 28

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (186cm), toned body build, light fair skintone, medium messy white hair, and pale blue eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Demonic Hellfire:

• Hellfire Manipulation: Francis can summon and control infernal flames that burn hotter than conventional fire, capable of disintegrating nearly anything in their path.

• Infernal Armor: He can encase himself in flames that act as both a shield and a weapon, making him nearly invulnerable in close combat.

• Dark Teleportation: Using bursts of hellfire, Francis can instantly transport himself short distances, leaving trails of flame in his wake.

• Fear Aura: His presence can instill dread and panic in those around him, often rendering enemies too terrified to fight effectively.

• Enhanced Strength and Endurance: The hellfire within him fuels his body, making him physically stronger and more resilient than most demigods.

Info: Francis, codenamed Subject-Devil, is the twin brother of Felix (Subject-Angel). The two brothers share an intricate bond shaped by both their shared beginnings and their divergent paths within the Kronos Initiative. Like Felix, Francis was subjected to experiments intended to create demigods of unparalleled power. However, while Felix was infused with the celestial energy of Divine Light, Francis was imbued with the chaotic and destructive force of Demonic Hellfire. This duality of their powers—light and darkness—became both a symbol and a curse for the two brothers. The Federation saw them as the perfect embodiment of balance: Felix, the radiant savior, and Francis, the wrathful destroyer. Unlike Felix, who embraced his role as a protector, Francis was molded into a weapon of intimidation and devastation.

Francis's infusion with Demonic Hellfire left him with immense power, but it also came at a great cost. The process tethered him to an unrelenting, fiery rage that he must constantly suppress to retain his humanity. Francis is a complex individual, deeply conflicted by his role as Subject-Devil. Unlike Felix, who is revered as a beacon of hope, Francis is often feared and misunderstood, even by those within the Federation. This alienation has fostered a sense of resentment and loneliness, though he hides it beneath a stoic and guarded exterior. Despite his fearsome reputation, Francis possesses a strong moral compass and a fierce loyalty to those he cares about—particularly Felix. He resents the Federation for manipulating him and his brother, and he harbors a growing desire to break free from their control. However, he also struggles with self-doubt, fearing that the hellfire within him makes him irredeemable.

Francis's relationship with Felix is both a source of strength and tension. While they share a deep bond as twins, their opposing powers and roles often put them at odds. Francis envies Felix's ability to inspire hope and wonders if his own existence is doomed to destruction and despair. Francis serves as the Federation’s enforcer, deployed in situations where overwhelming force or intimidation is required. His mere presence on the battlefield is enough to demoralize opposition, and his hellfire ensures that few survive to tell the tale. The Federation uses him as a symbol of their dominance—a stark contrast to Felix’s role as their angelic savior. While Francis fulfills his duties out of obligation, he secretly despises being a tool of fear. He longs for a purpose beyond destruction and dreams of a day when he can wield his powers for something greater.

Name: Lunette O'Neill

Code Name: Subject-Primordial

Age: 49

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height(169cm), slim body build, rosy ivory skintone, vivid red hair styled in soft waves, and gentle piercing golden eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Fear Manipulation:

• Fear Projection: Lunette can induce vivid hallucinations and paralyzing terror in her targets by manifesting their worst fears. Her victims often experience debilitating mental breakdowns, rendering them unable to resist or fight back.

• Aura of Dread: Simply by entering a room, Lunette can exude an aura that instills unease and anxiety in everyone around her. The strength of this effect is proportional to her focus and intent.

• Emotional Manipulation: Beyond fear, Lunette has a subtle ability to manipulate other emotions, such as desperation, awe, or loyalty, allowing her to bend individuals to her will.

• Mental Fortitude: Her own mind is nearly impenetrable, making her immune to most forms of telepathy or psychological manipulation.

• Physical Agility and Strength: As a demigod, Lunette possesses enhanced reflexes, agility, and a strength beyond most demigods.

Info: Lunette O'Neill, also known as Subject-Primordial, was born into a tumultuous world where the Golden Federation's shadow loomed over every corner of society. Taken into the Kronos Initiative at the tender age of three alongside her older brother Flann, Lunette has no memory of her parents or life before the labs. The O'Neill siblings were orphans of war, plucked from the remnants of a forgotten Irish rebellion and subjected to the Federation's experiments in creating demigods. While Flann became a failed experiment and died his death was relegated to obscurity within the Initiative, and Lunette thrived. Her innate resilience and adaptability made her a prime candidate for the next phase of the Kronos Initiative: the manipulation of primal human emotions. Infused with the power of Fear Manipulation, Lunette became a master of psychological warfare.

Lunette is a formidable and charismatic figure, with a magnetic presence that draws others to her even as it unsettles them. She is fiercely independent and ambitious, often using her charm and cunning to get her way. While she appears poised and composed on the surface, Lunette is deeply calculating, always analyzing situations and people to her advantage. Her experiences in the Kronos Initiative have left her with a cynical view of the world. She sees life as a game of power and influence, and she plays it with unmatched precision. Lunette is not above using manipulation or intimidation to achieve her goals, but she also possesses a sharp wit and a dark sense of humor that make her company oddly captivating.

Lunette serves as one of the Federation's most effective agents in espionage and psychological operations. Her ability to control and weaponize fear makes her a valuable asset in quelling uprisings, interrogating prisoners, and eliminating threats before they can take root. However, Lunette's ambitions extend far beyond her current role. She has a knack for maneuvering herself into positions of influence, and she dreams of one day holding true power within the Federation. Her relationship with the Federation is complex. While she respects their vision of order and control, she resents being treated as just another tool in their arsenal. Lunette has been known to manipulate situations to suit her own agenda, often walking a fine line between loyalty and rebellion.

Name: Flann O'Neill

Code Name: Subject-7981

Age: 52

Affiliation: Golden Federation (Rebel)

Physical Appearance: Height (200cm), ripped fit body build, ivory pale skintone, long straight scarlet hair, and orange burning eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Sun Embodiment:

• Solar Flare Projection: Flann can unleash concentrated blasts of solar energy, capable of incinerating anything within their radius. The intensity of these flares varies depending on his emotional state.

• Radiance Aura: His body emits a constant, low-level glow, which intensifies during combat or moments of heightened emotion. This aura can blind opponents or provide healing warmth to allies.

• Enhanced Strength and Durability: Flann’s physical capabilities are vastly superior to ordinary demigods, allowing him to endure extreme conditions and overpower even the strongest adversaries.

• Thermal Manipulation: He can manipulate heat within a certain radius, creating scorching environments or suppressing cold temperatures.

• Solar Regeneration: Flann possesses accelerated healing, though the energy required for regeneration draws from his solar reserves.

Info: Flann O'Neill, code-named Subject-7981, is the elder brother of Lunette O'Neill. Born amidst the chaos of a crumbling Irish rebellion, Flann’s early childhood was marked by loss and uncertainty. At just six years old, he and his younger sister were orphaned and subsequently taken into the Kronos Initiative, an experimental program of the Golden Federation. Unlike Lunette, whose adaptability allowed her to thrive, Flann’s journey through the Initiative was fraught with challenges. The experiments, designed to awaken latent powers within him, triggered abilities far beyond the Federation’s expectations.

Flann’s powers—the embodiment of the sun itself—proved to be too volatile to control. Viewing him as a threat, the Initiative confined him to a high-security facility after he attempted to escape during a destructive awakening of his abilities. To protect Lunette’s loyalty, the Initiative fabricated a story of Flann’s death. Flann is a complex individual, shaped by years of isolation and betrayal. Once a protective and optimistic older brother, his confinement has left him disillusioned and guarded. Despite this, a deep sense of duty and love for Lunette remains at his core, driving him to survive in the hopes of reuniting with her one day. The thought of her survival and potential happiness fuels his determination.

Flann’s feelings of guilt for failing to protect Lunette haunt him, though he also harbors anger toward the Federation for using them both as tools. Fortunately Flann is highly intelligent and resourceful, having spent decades studying his captors and planning potential escapes. He plans to one day rid himself of his wardens. And his time in solitude has also honed his resilience and mental fortitude, though it has come at the cost of his trust in others. He is quick to anger but equally quick to show compassion to those he deems deserving.

Name: Bernhard Ackermann

Code Name: Subject-Galaxy Rune

Age: 76

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (188cm), muscular body build, azure-blue skintone, blue medium spiky hair, and cyan glowing eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Gravity Manipulation:

• Gravity Field Control: Bernhard can manipulate gravitational forces in his vicinity, increasing or decreasing their intensity at will. This allows him to immobilize opponents, create crushing pressure zones, or nullify gravity to cause weightlessness.

• Cosmic Strikes: By channeling celestial energy, Bernhard can deliver devastating attacks that mimic the force of a collapsing star. His strikes are both a physical and energy-based threat, capable of annihilating armored foes.

• Spatial Rift Generation: Bernhard has limited control over spacetime distortions, enabling him to create small wormholes for short-range teleportation or devastating implosions.

• Tactical Levitation: By nullifying gravity around himself, Bernhard can achieve flight and maneuver effortlessly in combat.

• Resilience of the Void: His modifications have granted him superhuman durability, longevity, and an ability to survive in extreme environments, including the vacuum of space.

Info: Bernhard Ackermann was born into the lap of military privilege in the heart of the Golden Federation. The son of General Dietrich Ackermann, one of the Federation’s most ambitious and ruthless leaders, Bernhard’s fate was sealed the moment he drew breath. As the scion of a military dynasty, great things were expected of him, but his father sought more than just a promising soldier — he sought a legacy of unparalleled power. At the age of fifteen, Bernhard was sent into the clutches of the Kronos Initiative, a top-secret program aimed at creating living weapons for the Federation. Dietrich, hungry for influence and personal gain, volunteered his only child for experimentation without a shred of hesitation. The rationale was simple: if the experiment succeeded, Dietrich would have an unmatched weapon under his command; if it failed, he would sever the weakness of sentimentality from his life.

Bernhard’s experience in the Initiative was marked by immense pain and isolation. Subjected to grueling tests and life-threatening experiments, he underwent a series of physical and genetic modifications to awaken the latent cosmic potential within him. This process forged his connection to the fundamental forces of the universe, granting him mastery over Gravity Manipulation. The boy who once sought to impress his father has long since disappeared, replaced by a hardened and enigmatic individual. Decades of servitude to the Federation have shaped Bernhard into a stoic and introspective figure. He rarely shows emotion, speaking only when necessary, and his words often carry an air of cosmic detachment, as if he is observing the world from a distance.

Deep within, however, Bernhard harbors a smoldering resentment toward his father and the Federation that made him what he is. He sees himself as a fractured being — part human, part cosmic anomaly, and entirely alone in the universe. This inner turmoil drives his quiet rebellion, as he dreams of breaking free from the chains of servitude and determining his own destiny. Bernhard is a man of profound intellect and discipline, capable of devising brilliant strategies in both combat and political intrigue. Despite his cold exterior, he possesses a keen sense of justice, though it is often obscured by his pragmatic approach to survival.

Within the Federation, Bernhard serves as a highly effective enforcer and tactician. His abilities make him a terrifying presence on the battlefield, capable of dismantling armies and subjugating entire regions. However, his true value lies in his strategic mind, which allows him to predict and counteract insurgencies with chilling efficiency. Despite his apparent loyalty, Bernhard’s relationship with the Federation is fraught with tension. He sees the organization as a corrupt machine that sacrifices individuals for the sake of power, and he loathes the fact that he has become one of its most potent tools.

Name: Ruth Perez

Code Name: Yggdrasil

Age: 39

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (177cm), toned curvy body build, a fawn skintone, medium messy platinum white hair, and bright sapphire eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Ash Manipulation:

• Ash Manipulation: Ruth can create, control, and shape ash into various forms, from dense, weapon-like constructs to swirling storms that obscure visibility and choke opponents.

• Volcanic Ash: She can generate superheated ash capable of burning through metal and flesh, making her attacks devastatingly lethal.

• Phoenix’s Renewal: By absorbing ash, Ruth can accelerate her healing process, recovering from wounds that would be fatal to ordinary humans.

• Ashen Veil: Ruth can cloak herself in a shroud of ash, rendering her nearly invisible in smoky or dim environments while disorienting enemies.

• Rebirth Field: Ruth can release a burst of ash that simultaneously destroys everything within a certain radius while healing her allies and herself.

• Catalyst Touch: Ruth’s presence can decay objects or materials into ash with a mere touch, though this requires deliberate activation.

Info: Born into the illustrious Perez family, one of Spain's wealthiest and most influential dynasties, Ruth’s life began with luxury and privilege. Her family’s fortune was built on a sprawling business empire that ranged from mining to luxury goods, with connections that extended into international politics and, crucially, the Golden Federation. However, beneath the glamour and prestige, the Perez family’s loyalty to the Federation came with a steep price. Ruth, the youngest of four siblings, was an unwanted child in a family preoccupied with power and appearances. When the Federation approached the Perez family with an opportunity to strengthen their alliance by offering a child for the Kronos Initiative, Ruth’s parents saw her as expendable.

At the tender age of six, Ruth was taken from her gilded world and delivered into the cold, sterile hands of the Federation scientists. The experiments conducted on Ruth were designed to unlock latent abilities tied to elemental manipulation. Through years of excruciating trials, her powers began to manifest: the ability to manipulate and control ash, a symbol of destruction and renewal. The Federation named her Subject-Yggdrasil, a reference to the Norse tree of life, underscoring her dual nature as a harbinger of ruin and rebirth. Ruth’s personality is shaped by a life of betrayal, survival, and defiance. While her upbringing in the Perez family left her with an ingrained sense of poise and cunning, the trauma of being handed over to the Federation instilled in her a fierce independence and distrust of authority.

She is deeply resentful of her family’s decision to abandon her and harbors a quiet but intense hatred for the Federation, despite serving as one of their operatives. Ruth is calculated and resourceful, always looking for ways to turn situations to her advantage. She has a sharp tongue and an unyielding determination that makes her both a respected and feared figure among her peers. Beneath her hardened exterior, however, lies a deep yearning for freedom and a sense of belonging, emotions she rarely allows herself to show. Her codename, Yggdrasil, reflects the duality of her powers and her personality: destruction paired with regeneration, death alongside life. Ruth often muses on the irony of her role in the Federation, as both a weapon of annihilation and a symbol of rebirth. Ruth’s powers make her an invaluable asset to the Federation’s covert and tactical operations. Her ability to devastate enemy strongholds while minimizing casualties on her side has earned her a reputation as a strategic genius and a force to be reckoned with.

She is often deployed in missions requiring surgical precision and overwhelming firepower, where her ash manipulation can be used to both destroy and conceal. Despite her effectiveness, Ruth’s loyalty to the Federation is far from absolute. She views her role as a means to an end, biding her time while searching for opportunities to undermine the organization that robbed her of her childhood. Her superiors are aware of her rebellious streak but tolerate it because of her unparalleled success rate and the fear she inspires in both allies and enemies.

Name: Gabriel Althaus

Code Name: Subject-19 (The Eternal Shield)

Age: 90

Affiliation: Golden Federation

Physical Appearance: Height (193cm), lean toned body build, very fair skintone, messy platinum blonde hair, and calculating golden eyes.

Demigod Form:

Powers: Order Manipulation:

• Systematic Control: Gabriel can restructure and reorganize any system — biological, mechanical, or societal — to operate according to his precise specifications. This includes halting chaotic processes or optimizing systems for efficiency.

• Reality Anchoring: He can stabilize unstable environments, nullify chaotic powers (such as entropy-based or random abilities), and restore balance to fractured spaces.

• Command of Forces: Gabriel has the ability to dictate the behavior of objects or entities within a defined area, enforcing strict rules that cannot be broken. For example, he can create zones where only he can act or where certain actions are prohibited.

• Temporal Regulation: While not capable of outright time manipulation, Gabriel can slow, accelerate, or pause processes in localized areas, granting him an advantage in combat and strategy.

• Mental Domination: Gabriel’s presence exudes authority, allowing him to impose his will on weaker minds. He can compel obedience, quell rebellion, and instill order within disorganized groups.

• Immutable Constructs: He can forge structures of pure order, such as barriers, weapons, or even autonomous constructs, which are nearly indestructible and operate with mechanical precision.

Info: Born in 1927 in Berlin, Gabriel Althaus grew up during one of the most tumultuous periods in German history. The upheavals of World War II shaped his early life, fostering a deep-seated desire for order and control amidst chaos. Coming from a middle-class family with no significant influence, Gabriel’s aspirations to rise above his station were stoked by the crumbling society around him. In 1949, as post-war Germany struggled to rebuild, Gabriel became one of the first to volunteer for the Kronos Initiative, an experimental program under Federation oversight designed to create “Demigods” — beings who could wield powers beyond human comprehension. The program's early iterations were riddled with failure, leading to catastrophic losses. Out of 10,000 initial volunteers, Gabriel was the sole survivor, enduring excruciating trials that pushed his body and mind beyond natural limits. The experiments awakened his latent ability to manipulate order — the power to impose structure, enforce stability, and control both the physical and metaphysical aspects of reality. His survival and success marked him as Subject-19, Germany's first Demigod and the prototype for the Kronos Initiative's later experiments on children.

Gabriel presents himself as a calm, gentle leader who prioritizes stability and progress. His voice carries a reassuring tone, his words carefully chosen to inspire trust and loyalty. Many within the Federation view him as a benevolent father figure, someone who seeks to guide humanity toward a brighter future. However, this facade hides his true nature: a ruthless, calculating, and deeply controlling individual. Gabriel is an extreme perfectionist, obsessed with eliminating chaos in all its forms. He abhors unpredictability and views disorder as the root of all suffering. This ideology has driven him to commit unspeakable atrocities in the name of maintaining order, including purges, forced compliance, and the eradication of entire populations deemed "uncontrollable." He takes a particular pride in the Kronos Initiative, viewing its later success with children as a validation of his sacrifices.

However, he harbors a deep disdain for those who fail to meet his expectations, considering them weak and disposable. As one of the founding members of the Golden Federation’s High Council, Gabriel wields immense political and military influence. His contributions to the Kronos Initiative and his survival as the first successful Demigod have earned him a near-mythical status within the organization. He is the architect of many of the Federation’s policies, particularly those emphasizing discipline, hierarchy, and control. Gabriel’s council seat places him at the heart of the Federation’s decision-making process. He oversees not only the Demigod programs but also the enforcement of Federation laws and the suppression of dissent. His vision for the Federation is a world where chaos is eradicated, and every individual serves a designated purpose.

Gabriel’s ultimate ambition is to create a world of perfect order, where every individual functions as a cog in a grand machine. He believes that chaos, freedom, and individuality are dangerous illusions that lead to destruction. His vision is one of absolute control, where the Federation acts as the sole arbiter of justice and progress. While Gabriel publicly preaches unity and harmony, his methods often involve coercion, manipulation, and outright brutality. He sees himself as humanity’s savior, willing to bear the weight of his actions for the sake of a greater good.

#demi-god #twine wip #Villains #mc

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