#what is to be done with infinite wealth‚ i wonder?

[lynnnshooty]

it's complete. the tree farm and its filter have finally been added. the autonomous diamond farm is active, it's running as i type this very sentence.

[etherealkissed88]

YOU ARE THE ONE & ONLY INNER SELF 𖥔

WHAT IS INNER SELF?

inner self is you. it is imagination. it is god. it is power. it is reality. it is identity. it is you.

"the one in you that imagines, is you. that is the one who is desiring. that is the one wants to be exalted. that is the one who wants to have their desires fulfilled."

INNER SELF VS THE 3D

you are the inner self. there is only self. since it is always inner self / inner assumptions that gets expressed, there is no 3d. the 3d is always neutral and therefore dead. you are the inner self which is also taking on the role of a human in the '3d'. but since the 3d is always molded by inner self, the 3d is just a form of inner self; it is connected to self (you). the only possible 'thing' that can control this dead 3d world is inner self. as we know already, the inner self molds the dead 3d world so to manifest something, one would have to change self first and as a result, the dead 3d will only follow because that is its only job. the 3d cannot function on its own because it is only a reflection of self since they arent separated.

the human body is not the real you. think of this human body like a costume. the real you is internal (inner self) and it is what is always being expressed in the physical 3d, the part which the human self experiences. self is limitless. as self, you can occupy any state you choose (state of wealth, state of luck, state of dating your sp). there are infinite states, so there are infinite versions of you that you can embody.

everything is an expression of self, an expression of you, an expression of who you are being in imagination

IDENTIFYING W THE INNER SELF

now lets think about the 3d/human self: nelly is in math class and she wants to see a pink elephant right now. so since shes uneducated about the law, she affirms for the pink elephant and then searches for it in the 3d using her human senses. she looks at the board and around the tables to see if she can find the pink elephant. she cant find it. the 3d (even though it is only an expression of self), is always limited. this is simply because the 3d is a limited version of self. at this moment, she is identifying w the 3d, outer self.

afterschool, nelly gets pissed because she still didnt see that pink elephant even though she searched everywhere. she goes home and reads her favorite loa blogger, @/etherealkissed ;) and is now educated on the law *wink wink* now she knows that she is only ever self which is limited by the 3d. she sees how limitless and free her inner self is, so she decides to identify w inner self.

now she identifies as inner self and sees the pink elephant. instead of searching for it in the 3d, she imagines the pink elephant and instantly sees it. she (her inner self) instantly experiences it in imagination. her inner self embodies the state of having the pink elephant. since she understands that self is always what is expressed, she knows that by law, the 3d will reflect self and she will see the pink elephant in the physical since her inner self already experienced it. but she isnt searching anymore because she knows it is done already. she (her inner self) continues being that person with the pink elephant in imagination, regardless of the physical. she no longer identifies w the unreal outer self by searching for it or wondering when she will see the pink elephant. later that day, her mom comes home with a cute pink elephant plushy as a surprise gift. “shit, inner self really is all there is,” nelly thinks. now she knows without doubt that inner self is always being expressed!

the point is that she learned she cannot be limited by the 3d since she is always limitless inner self. she is comfortable with knowing she is always inner self and always experiencing inner self.

“To the Inner Man EVERYTHING ALREADY IS TRUE, not to the outer. IT ALREADY IS SO, to the Inner Man. There is no convincing necessary, no 1,000 affirmations, no repeating over and over hoping it works, IF YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELF WITH THE INNER MAN. If you claim to be the One Within, you will find it incredibly easy, I will say natural, to FEEL what you want. Pay attention to what I am saying: When you imagine your "end" is it not ALREADY SO? You did not imagine "How" to get there, you are already there in imagination. Your issue is NOT in imagining the end, your issue lies in who you are identifying yourself with. If you imagine yourself in the end, which is easy, but then you identify yourself with the outer-man, you will breed nothing but frustrations. However, if you first identify yourself with the One Within, and then imagine your end, you will not question if you "are going to get it," you HAVE IT! The Inner Man always has it. He see's the end, he is the one who creates his own fate. The Inner Man is his own destroyer and redeemer. Identify yourself with the inner man. The immortal you. Not this body nor this outer-life. If you want freedom, love, joy, happiness, confidence. If you want to be a King/Queen, treated like a god/goddess, loved beyond your wildest dreams, then identify yourself with the INNER MAN. The Inner Man can have all those desires fulfilled.”

to the outer/human self, you have to convince it, search for it. to the inner self, you only have to be it, imagine it, assume it.

“Let's give an example. Suppose I wanted to go to Las Vegas but I am in New York. While I am in New York, I would imagine myself in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand lobby. So while I am looking around in the MGM Grand's lobby, I assume that the Inner Man who is looking around is the REAL ME, the I AM. So I say, "I AM in Las Vegas." If I identify myself with the Inner Man, then yes, it is a PRESENT FACT that I am in Las Vegas. To deny this is to be delusional. I am looking at the lobby and I see people walking around. Of course, I am here.” - edward art

the inner self is all there is. the inner self is the true you. the 3d/human self is a limited expression of self. why limit yourself to the neutral and limited world?

kisses, jani ☆

[msriri030]

The Black Knight ( Nulla x reader)

Medieval au. I tried lol. I hope you like it. Masterlist

Golden chandeliers cast a warm, ethereal glow from above, their crystal facets refracting light like stardust across the grand ballroom. The high, vaulted ceiling was a masterpiece in itself, painted with celestial portraits of the night—galaxies, constellations, and glowing moons in delicate hues of indigo and silver. The air shimmered with the soft hum of string instruments and the laughter of nobles who danced and schemed beneath the candlelight.

The floor teemed with a kaleidoscope of silks, velvets, and jewels. Nobles paraded their wealth in hopes of catching the eye of Bishop Septem, who would soon name the four chosen to stand beside Emperor Unum as royal consorts. Others traded veiled words and wine-soaked promises, hoping to forge power in the form of strategic alliances.

To Sir Nulla, the decorated knight of the empire, it was all meaningless noise.

He slipped away from the celebration, retreating to a balcony that overlooked the palace gardens. The cool air of the night caressed his face, far more genuine than the false warmth offered by the sycophants inside. The stars above seemed infinitely more honest than any noble he had spoken to that evening.

He rested his hands on the marble railing, gaze lost among the constellations.

Emptiness. Nonsense. Nothingness.

The feelings coiled tight inside his chest, familiar and bitter.

“I am nothing,” he whispered to the night. “Nothing but a walking corpse in polished armor.”

He had seen too much, done too much. The blood on his hands would never be fully washed away by victory parades or medals.

Just then, a voice—soft and almost melodic—broke through his thoughts.

“Oh? I thought I spotted someone who felt the same way I did.”

He turned quickly, his eyes narrowing out of reflex, ready to scold whoever had dared disturb him.

But then he saw you.

You stood at the threshold of the balcony, bathed in moonlight like a vision from a dream. Your attrite, a radiant shade of yellow, shimmered as though woven from sunrise itself. Delicate floral embroidery bloomed along its hem, catching the breeze as if alive. Your eyes held a curious warmth, something unafraid, something real.

His irritation evaporated in an instant. His jaw slackened, and a faint blush touched his tan cheeks. For a moment, all words failed him.

“May I join you, sir?” you asked, stepping onto the balcony with a small smile.

“N-Nulla!” he blurted, flustered. He coughed to recover his dignity, then straightened his posture and extended his hand. “Pardon me… My name is Nulla. And yours, if I may be so bold?”

“(Y/n), Sir Nulla,” you replied, placing your hand delicately in his.

He took it as though it were made of glass, brushing his lips to your knuckles in a gesture so tender it startled even him. Your eyes widened, surprised by the gesture, but you didn’t pull away.

A small, rare smile played across his lips. “Just Nulla is fine, mi flor.”

His voice was low and reverent, as if he were addressing something sacred. And perhaps, to him, you were. For the first time in years, the darkness within him stirred—not in anger, but in longing.

And somewhere between the candlelit chaos behind him and the stars above, the man who had thought himself a corpse felt his heart beat again.

Your fingers lingered lightly in his, neither of you in any rush to pull away. The distant music from the ballroom filtered out onto the balcony, but here in the cool night air, it felt like another world entirely—one you both didn’t quite belong to.

“See, Nulla… you speak with such melancholy,” you said, your voice soft, like a lullaby carried on the breeze. You stepped to his side, gazing down at the palace gardens, their hedges and roses glowing faintly under the moonlight. “I can’t help but wonder what pain you carry. If I can aid one of the emperor’s most loyal knights, even a little…”

His smile wavered, that ever-present sorrow flickering in his eyes like a dying candle. He didn’t respond right away, instead letting silence bloom between you as he looked up toward the stars.

“Mi vida,” he finally said, his voice quiet but rich with emotion, “I carry a great weight. Regret, sacrifice… things that can never be returned. It is the price I pay.”

You frowned, your expression softening with concern. Your eyes searched his face—he was handsome, yes, but the true beauty came from something buried beneath that stoic surface, a haunted nobility shaped by wounds you couldn’t yet name.

He seemed to notice your sadness and reached forward, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. His fingers lingered there, gentle. “But I would pay that price a thousand times over… if it means protecting people like you from ever knowing that same pain.”

“Foolish knight,” you muttered, looking away with a small pout as heat crept into your cheeks. You hadn’t meant to be swept up in this—your father had practically dragged you to the gala, hoping you'd charm some noble into a political marriage. And yet here you were… captured by a knight with tired eyes and a warrior’s heart.

Nulla chuckled, low and deep, and leaned closer to steal a glance at your expression. “I think you’re the foolish one.”

You arched a brow. “Oh? How so?”

He turned his attention back to the ballroom, his gaze settling on the emperor, who sat high in his gilded chair, his three wives gathered around him like stars orbiting a sun. Servants and nobles danced to win favor. “You aren’t like the others. You’re not trying to catch the emperor’s eye. Don’t you find all this… exhausting? The politics, the performance?”

You tilted your head, considering his words. “Hmm… I don’t find him annoying, but he doesn’t catch my attention either.”

Nulla blinked, then looked at you sidelong. “Then what does?”

You smiled, just enough to tease. “Someone like you, I guess.”

His breath caught, and he looked away quickly, color rising to his cheeks. “Idiot…” he murmured, but the word held no real bite—only flustered warmth.

He stiffened subtly as he caught sight of movement near the ballroom doors. Bishop Septem stood there, watching them. For a moment, their gazes locked. The bishop's expression was unreadable, but there was something calculating in his eyes before he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Nulla’s jaw tensed, and he dropped his gaze to the floor.

“Something wrong?” you asked, voice quiet.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he offered you a strained smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “The stars shine brightest before they burn out… Sometimes, I wonder if I’m already fading.”

You reached for his hand again. “Then I will make sure you don’t.”

And for the first time in many years, the knight who believed he had no heart… felt it stir again. As if it fears something precise that needs to be let go.

Nulla looked at your hand in his, his grip loose at first before he tightly his grip. He wants nothing more for you to stay by his side. 

Forever.

He didn’t speak as you led him, hand in hand, back toward the gilded doors of the ballroom. But something inside him shifted—something ancient and aching, now ignited with dangerous warmth. The weight of his armor felt suddenly lighter with your touch, though his mind grew heavier with thoughts he couldn’t quite silence.

As you stepped onto the marble floor, music curling through the air like golden thread, you turned to face him, your smile soft and trusting. Too trusting.

Nulla held your hand with a quiet reverence, bowing low before pulling you into a graceful waltz. But behind his composed expression, something darker flickered beneath the surface.

Mine.

The word echoed like a vow inside his chest, a silent oath wrapping around his soul like chains forged of longing. He watched the way your eyes sparkled in the candlelight, how your laugh rang clear and untouched by the rot of court life.

He would protect that light. At any cost.

“You fit here,” he murmured as he spun you, your dress twirling like sunlight across the polished floor. “Too brightly. It makes me wonder if this place even deserves you.”

“And yet,” you whispered back, meeting his gaze, “here you are, dancing with me anyway.”

A muscle in his jaw tensed, but his voice remained low and tender. “Only because I can’t bear the thought of anyone else doing it.”

The orchestra swelled, but the world around him faded. There was only you. Only the fragile warmth you offered his cold, guarded soul. He knew then—whatever hollow had lived inside him was gone. In its place, something dangerous had bloomed.

Devotion. Possession. Love.

And as you smiled up at him, unaware of the storm quietly blooming behind his eyes, Nulla thought only one thing:

Even if I must burn with you in the end… so be it.

It wasn’t long before the grand hall began to quiet, anticipation hanging in the air like perfume. The main event was about to begin—the long-awaited announcement of Emperor Unum’s fourth and final spouse.

The orchestra fell silent. A hush rippled through the crowd as Bishop Septem stepped onto the dais, his crimson robes billowing like blood in water. Nobles and hopefuls gathered at the center of the ballroom, their jeweled eyes glinting with ambition, desperation, and dreams spun of gold.

You remained off to the side, tucked under the arching shadows of a marble pillar. Nulla stood beside you, arms crossed as he leaned against the cold stone, his dark armor gleaming faintly in the candlelight. Yet his attention wasn’t on the ceremony—it was on you.

His gaze lingered on the way your eyes lit with curiosity, the way your lips parted in wonder. The crowd could have erupted in flames, and he wouldn’t have noticed.

He leaned closer, voice low. “Let them scramble over each other like peacocks on parade.”

You chuckled, patting his arm. “It’s starting. Who do you think it’ll be?”

He exhaled through his nose with a scoff. “Probably some snouty rich prince or a simpering noble who bathes in perfume and gold. The type who’s never seen a battlefield, only ballrooms.”

He paused. His jaw tightened slightly.

“…As long as it isn’t you.”

You turned to him, eyebrows raised. “Did you say something?”

Nulla blinked, his expression smoothing over like silk. “Nothing, mi vida,” he said with a soft smile, though a storm brewed quietly in his heart.

He couldn’t lose you—not to the Emperor. Not to anyone.

As Bishop Septem began to speak, his voice rang with rehearsed grace, echoing off the marble walls of the grand ballroom. He listed titles, virtues, and praises with ceremonial flourish, yet all Nulla could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

The chandeliers above glowed like stars caught in a gilded cage. The scent of sweet wine, expensive perfumes, and candle smoke drifted through the air, mingling with the tension that clung to every guest like a second skin.

Beside you, Nulla stood stiff, shoulders tense beneath the polished armor that now felt like a coffin. His hand hovered beside yours, the back of his fingers barely grazing your knuckles. A touch that meant everything and nothing.

Please… he begged in silence, eyes closed for a breath. If any god walks among us, if fate has ears—listen to me now. Let them be mine. Let me have just this one thing in my cursed life. I ask for nothing else… just them.

But silence was the answer the stars gave him.

Bishop Septem’s cold, empty smile widened as he held a pristine white scroll between gloved fingers. “It is with great honor that I present to you… the fourth and final royal consort of Emperor Unum.”

The parchment unfolded with an elegant flick.

The name was read aloud.

“(Y/n) (L/N) of the Kingdom of Sol. Please step forward.”

Nulla’s world split open.

You froze. Time halted. Every pair of eyes turned to you, and the grand ballroom grew still, as if holding its breath. Even the music had died.

“No…” Nulla whispered, but his voice was too soft to reach anyone but the void.

You could feel your chest tighten. You weren’t a fool—you knew what refusal meant. You had seen what happened to those who said “no” to the empire. Death, disgrace, or the disappearance of your entire bloodline.

Your legs moved before your heart did, numb and mechanical. The crowd parted for you like waves parting for a sacrificial offering. The golden carpet underfoot suddenly felt more like a path to the gallows than a place of honor.

Emperor Unum stood waiting, tall and regal in silver-embroidered robes that glimmered like moonlight on a blade. His expression was serene, beautiful even, but utterly devoid of true warmth.

“Shall we dance?” he asked, his hand extended in a gesture practiced thousands of times before. As if you were just another name on a scroll. Another jewel in the crown.

Behind it all, hidden in the archway between ballroom and balcony, Nulla stood frozen, his fingers curled into trembling fists at his sides. His nails bit into his palm until they drew blood.

Not my vida… not like this.

His scream stayed inside him—silent, trapped in a chest that suddenly felt too tight to breathe.

No one noticed the way he slipped into the shadows.

No one except Bishop Septem.

The bishop’s eyes followed him as he vanished through the side halls, quiet and purposeful, like a shadow returning to the night. His lips twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile.

Out beneath the moonlight, where only the wind bore witness, Nulla collapsed to his knees in the gardens. Silent tears streaked his face, each one born from the ache of a heart long thought dead.

They took you from me.

And from that hollow ache, something darker bloomed. Not sorrow—resolve.

A vow formed beneath his breath, low and final: “If I cannot have you, I will tear this empire apart to take you back.”

It had been years since you married the emperor.

It wasn’t terrible—not in the way stories speak of tyrants and loveless beds—but it was hollow. A quiet ache nestled beneath every gilded moment, every courtly smile. You stood now on the palace balcony, eyes cast over the sprawling kingdom bathed in golden sunlight, yet your heart wandered far from its throne.

You missed him. Nulla.

That one night lived in your memory like a dream etched in gold, burning brighter with each passing year. He had vanished afterward, as if swallowed by the wind, and despite the life built around you, your heart still reached for his.

You sighed, letting the sun warm your face… just as the peace shattered like glass.

Smoke billowed into the sky—thick, black, violent—blotting out the blue in cruel strokes. Your breath caught. High above the palace, the emperor’s crest—a phoenix rising from flame—was engulfed in fire. It crackled mockingly before crumbling into ash.

Screams followed.

They echoed across the marble halls like a chorus of ghosts. From your high perch, you saw guards rushing to action, swords drawn, shields raised. Noblewomen fled in panicked clusters, their gowns trailing behind them like broken wings. Flames danced through drapes and banners. The heat licked at your skin even from afar as your white-knuckled grip clenched the balcony rail.

What is happening?

But deep down… you already knew.

That familiar emptiness in your chest—where longing had quietly nested all these years—twitched like a string pulled taut. And then, above the chaos, a name reached your ears. Whispered in terrified reverence by a fleeing servant:

“The Black Knight… he’s returned.”

Your heart stopped.

Nulla?

You stumbled back from the balcony, breath shallow, chest heaving. The guards outside your chambers were gone, called away by the turmoil. Alone, you crossed the room to the mirror, where a stranger stared back: adorned in jewels and imperial silk, but still—so unmistakably hollow.

With trembling hands, you tore the shawl from your shoulders, casting it aside.

Then the doors crashed open.

The sound thundered through your bones.

And there he stood.

Nulla.

But not the man you remembered.

Gone was the noble polish of a loyal knight. Blackened steel clung to his form like a second skin, jagged and unforgiving. A crimson mantle trailed behind him, soaked in smoke and blood. A cracked mask dangled from his belt. His eyes—once warm and filled with wonder—were colder now, sharper. Deadly.

But when they met yours… they softened.

Just for a moment.

“(Y/N),” he breathed, your name a sacred prayer. His voice was lower now, roughened by time and war. “You’re alive... you’re safe.”

You stepped forward, trembling. “Nulla… you’re here…”

He crossed the room in a heartbeat, as if distance itself bent to his will. His gloved hand cupped your cheek, metal brushing your skin—cold, but his touch still sent warmth flooding through your veins.

“I’ve waited,” he whispered. “I’ve burned for you, mi vida. And now…” He turned his head, gaze sweeping the distant chaos beyond your chamber walls. “Now I will burn this empire to the ground if it means I never have to be apart from you again.”

You stared at him—your heart’s only home, standing like a storm at the threshold of your royal life. The man you were told to forget had returned not as a memory, but as reckoning.

He searched your face, desperation cracking through his calm. “Will you come with me?” he asked, voice raw. “Will you leave this gilded cage… and run away with me?”

The world stilled.

Your heart answered before your lips could.

Tears welled in your eyes, slipping down your cheeks in quiet surrender. You nodded, voice breaking with emotion. “Yes, Nulla. Please.”

A rare, aching smile broke across his face—and then his lips were on yours.

The kiss wasn’t the stuff of fairytales. It wasn’t gentle or chaste. It was fierce. It was hungry. It was real. Years of yearning, of grief, of love never extinguished—collided in that one breathless moment.

He exhaled against your mouth like he’d been holding his breath since the day fate tore you apart.

“I thought I lost you,” he murmured, his forehead pressed to yours. “I thought they stole you from me… forever.”

You shook your head, hands fisting the blood-red cloth on his chest. “I never stopped waiting. Every day, I prayed you’d come back.”

Another explosion rocked the palace—deeper, louder this time. The golden sky was gone now, replaced by fire-red and smoke-black. The end of a dynasty painted across the heavens.

Nulla pulled back, urgency blazing in his eyes. “We don’t have long. The emperor’s elite will regroup any moment. I have to get you out—now.”

He took your hand—and you didn’t hesitate.

You kicked off your jeweled slippers, the cold marble sharp beneath your feet, but it grounded you in your choice. No more crowns. No more cages.

Only him.

You ran through the palace halls beside him—his cape trailing like shadow, his sword gleaming with menace. With every step, the life you once knew crumbled behind you.

Jewels. Thrones. Duty.

Gone.

Only the arms of your lover remained.

[lemonxdaisybby]

Hello! The lingerie headcanons for the judgment bois was so good. Can I maybe ask for lingerie headcanons for Ichiban, Zhao, Sawashiro, Yamai and Eiji? hope that’s not too many to ask for!

Helloooo! Ofc you can! Also there’s no limit either to how many people you wanna add to a request 💕 Altho if I did get an ask for say, 20 characters or so in one go, I may cry a little

I can do Yamai as I’ve progressed enough with Infinite Wealth to feel comfortable writing for him. However, I have left Eiji out for now, only becauseeee I’m just over halfway through the game (I keep getting distracted by Dondoko Island because I love it) so I’m not 100% confident or sure on how to write his character yet. I’m so sorry.

I’ll probs make a post once I’ve finished IW so people can request for any of those characters going forward. 💕

Also thank you for the request, and I hope you like!

S/O surprising them w lingerie ✨

Ichiban:

Ichi’s brain is going to straight up stop working, and his face would just heat up immediately. He would momentarily be broken.

As soon as he comes home and sees you dressed in pretty lingerie for him, he is gonna freeze. His eyes would be comically wide, and his mouth would be opening and closing as if he’s trying to say something, but no noise would be coming out. You’d probably have to approach him and ask him if he likes it, to break him out of his daze.

He’d just become putty in your hands, nodding yes to your question, not quite trusting himself to speak, because honestly? He has no idea what is going to come blurting out his mouth.

It would probably be best if you just lead him to the bedroom at this point. Grab his hand, and he’ll eagerly follow you.

Ichi is a bottom anyways, but somehow this will be amplified when you wear lingerie. He will just be in awe of you, his gaze locked on to your body, and his hands roaming every inch of you.

He doesn’t really have a preference for lingerie, and thinks all of it is pretty. He might prefer cuter lingerie, so babydolls with pretty, floaty, sheer material, and would also appreciate cute lil bow or flower charms/decor. Pretty, sexy, fairy vibes almost. He is also a boob man, so would appreciate an outfit that really gives him a good view of your tits.

Zhao:

Zhao would be so turned on, and would be internally wondering what he did to deserve such an amazing partner.

As soon as he spots you in your lingerie, it’s game on. He’d get that sly glint in his eyes, and would be looking at you as though he’s about to eat you up. He’d try and play coy, asking ‘Is this for me? You shouldn’t have’, except he is already circling you, taking a good look at every inch of your body in your little outfit. He would stop behind you, hands gripping your hips and pulling you back towards him, so that your back is pressed tightly against his chest. He’d be leaving a trail of kisses down your neck and….how is he suddenly the one seducing you!?

Lingerie would definitely release some sort of animalistic urge in him, and Zhao will not stop fucking you until you’re screaming his name.

He is an ass man, so would appreciate a lacy thong, paired with a skimpy matching bra, suspender belt, and strappy little garters, as opposed to stockings. The bra would definitely be coming off, but bonus points if the thong is crotchless, so that he can leave it on whilst he fucks you, along with your other accessories.

Sawashiro:

Loooord, this is gonna drive him crazy.

As soon as Jo comes home and spots you waiting for him, all dressed up in lingerie, he will fall deadly silent. At first, you might get the impression you’ve done something wrong, as his face would be expressionless, and he wouldn’t utter a single noise. However, his gaze will start trailing up and down your body, his eyes darkening, and he’ll be giving you the most intense eye fucking you have ever received. His gaze would be so heated.

He’d take his time as he walks on over to you, his eyes never once leaving you. He’d call you a dirty little tease, shrugging off his suit jacket, unbuttoning his shirt sleeves so he can roll them up his forearms.

He’s gonna take you there and then. If you’re in the hallway of your home, he’s gonna turn you around, and press your front to the wall as he slams in to you from behind. If you’re in the lounge/living room, you’re getting dicked down on the sofa. Waiting for him in the bedroom? You’re getting shoved down on to the bed and he will be on you in an instant. Lingerie would rile this man up so much, and the fact you’ve been patiently waiting for him to return home? He’s not gonna disappoint.

Jo would usually prefer you completely naked, but the sight of you topless, in nothing but a lacy thong and some thigh-high tights/stockings? Man will go feral.

Yamai:

Yamai and his goddamn poker face. He is gonna walk in, catch sight of you waiting for him, looking all seductive, and he will just pause, his eyes raking over you. In that slow, lazy drawl of his, he’s gonna say something along the lines of ‘well shit, if I’d known this was waiting for me, I would’ve come home earlier’. His eyes would just be glowering at you, and he’d look as though he’s about ready to devour you.

Always the one in control of situations, even surprises. He’d go and sit himself down on the sofa, patting his thigh expectantly, a clear sign that he wants you to go and straddle him. His hands would be on you in an instant, once you’re sat astride him, his fingers digging in to your hips tightly. He would try to be gentle because he loves you and is secretly a softie for you, but he definitely can get a bit rough with you, and lingerie would only spur him on. He’d have you ride him, but he would still be in control, his grip never loosening. He’s got a sharp tongue too, and will call you a good little whore, for dressing up for him and waiting so patiently for him to return home.

Yamai would likely appreciate corsets, and the way they accentuate your curves and push up your breasts would drive him insane. He’d also find a lacy, tight basque sexy, along with matching stockings. Anything tight fitting is a yes from him.

[rnn11203]

Sloppy morning thoughts abt sawashiro.. maybe I’ll write smth out later thats a bit more thoughtful/…legible..

I think sawashiro is a great character, his fight is excellent, extremely fun, his cane, his gloves, his suit is so perfect.. hes mean, dogged, and has done irreversible harm to a child he intended to murder! Trying to make up for it through blind loyalty.. to say hes flawed would be an understatement, it reminds me of kazama in a way, he does all this bad stuff and tries to make up for it through supporting both Masato and Arakawa.. in the end he chose Masato, but honestly in a way i think he choose arakawa all along becasue yk, arakawa was choosing Masato the entire time too.. i wonder what it wouldve changed if they knew, Masato blamed arakawa when it was sawashiros fault the entire time, such an interesting character.. i wonder if Masato liked sawashiro more, sawashiro seemed a bit less overbearing/optimistic when it came to him + Masato had some sort of power over him as a child which must’ve felt nice to someone who was treated as powerless, i wonder if he felt close to him as a kid? Am i getting to fanfiction-y if i say i wonder if he ever said “i wish you were my dad instead”? .. i was really pleased with his role in infinite wealth. Im unsure what the fandom thought of it, but it was really fun bc i felt i still couldn’t trust him, he reminds me of Kuze in yakuza0, kinda old school, i wouldve like to see him interact w kiryu more but they kinda sidelined him for ebina, really wanted him to have a bigger role but I thought iw was really good soooo yeah..

[thatoldstandby]

Games of the Year 2024 because why not

So, this is unusual for this place, but uh.

I spent a lot of time on video games this year, and I feel like I have to write something to make up for it because otherwise. Eesh. Plus I want to write a thing more often this year, and this will be the first/second, depending on when I finish it up. Below the cut, I'll start with some games I'd still like to play or play more of; honorable mentions because I played a lot of things I loved and they don't fit in the top, and a top 5, because who has time for 10 games (please ignore the above numbers).

THINGS YET TO BE FINISHED

Here's a list of games I haven't touched, haven't completed, or haven't done enough of a Think to figure out where it stands. I'd love to get to any of these, and probably will. Unless I forget.

Nine Sols, Lorelai and the Laser Eyes, Arco, Cryptmaster, Metaphor ReFantazio, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Unicorn Overlord, Indika, Slitterhead, Fate/Stay Remaster, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Metal Slug Tactics, Caves of Qud, Arctic Eggs, Sorry We're Closed, probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

HONORABLE MENTIONS in no particular order

Trails in the Sky FC and SC: This was the year I started my Trails journey. Luckily, it kicks off pretty nicely. Trails in the Sky FC is a fun, fairly generic JRPG with an entirely too lovable cast. Estelle is real and my friend. And then the last hour happens, and my interest is piqued immediately. And then SC is great, telling a compelling story with the cast of goobers you now care for and expanding the world expertly. And then the last hour happens again, and I'm super excited to keep delving into the world of Liberl. What an excellent throwback that fully explains why it's existed for twenty years.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth: Ichiban is real and my friend. I've been playing the Yakuza games since Yakuza 0 was first released, and then I needed a depression/mindless work game series to plow through while working my way through law school, and let me tell you. There's nothing more perfect than a series where there's always something new and the city barely changes between instances. The Ichiban games are similarly excellent, and wonderful JRPGs in their own right, but this one took the cake by also acting as a conclusion (for now) to Kiryu's story that completely nailed everything it needed to. I think it got a little out there in the final hours, but I was still along for the ride to the end. What a game. Dondoko Island is basically another game inside of it.

Balatro: Jimbo is real and my friend. It's Balatro. It's probably the single best designed game loop of anything released this year. It doesn't do a lot for me, personally, in that I like it and appreciate the artistry behind it, but I haven't lost my life to it at any point this year. Good game, highly suggested, not fully my cup of tea. That soundtrack is excellent though.

Conscript: So I played three Resident Evil (PSX) style survival horror games this year. I felt that one of them was pretty bad, and so won't talk about it here. But Conscript? Conscript hit just right. Set in the trenches of Verdun during WWI, it's an excellent survival horror game that eschews the stereotypical supernatural elements attached to the genre in a way that makes it work. It's got just enough of a narrative pull to get you through the game as well. Absolutely worth looking at if you're a fan of classic survival horror.

Rise of the Golden Idol: The Case of the Golden Idol was one of the best written mystery games I've ever played; one I'd put right up there with Return of the Obra Dinn. The DLC was still good, but less than the main game; not only was it weirdly difficult, but something just felt... off? about it. Luckily, Rise was just as good as the original game, and an excellent second entry. If you haven't played the Golden Idol series but love mysteries, then by all means, you should play it. It's really good. I don't think I like Rise quite as much as Case, but that's mostly quibbling about hairsbreadth differences at this point.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail: I dunno, it's FFXIV. It's kind of a lodestone in my life at this point. And while Dawntrail was certainly not the best expac of the game, that's less to do with the quality of Dawntrail itself (which is mostly fine, with some shockingly clunky pacing issues, some off-sounding writing, and some poor VA direction for some of the scenes) and more to do with the one-two punch that is Shadowbringers and Endwalker. There's still a bunch to love about this game, and Tuliyolal and the surrounding environs are just so cool to me for a lot of reasons. Plus my static is cool and I love hanging out with them twice a week.

Threshold: I just played this last week? And I'm still thinking about it? What a weird, weird little thing.

BEST GAME OF SIGNALIS (2022)

Signalis (2022)

A highly prestigious award that Signalis has won every year since release. Excellent work Signalis. Keep up the good work.

TOP FIVE GAMES OF 2024 (AS OF ROUGHLY RIGHT NOW

5. Crow Country

The other Resident Evil (PSX) style survival horror I played this year! It's excellent, a tightly designed and paced adventure set in a creepy environment with a unique art style. The game controls really interestingly as well; adding a fun modern layer onto such an obvious retro love letter. It might have ranked higher on my list; but some of the puzzles (notably the mushroom puzzle) were actively bad and I haven't forgiven it.

4. Tactical Breach Wizards

I've been a fan of the Defenestration Trilogy since I first played the original Gunpoint back in 2013. Then, it was a neat, well written comedy stealth action game. I even liked the follow-up Heat Signature, though that had less writing and more of a focus on the gameplay loop, which was OK, but not mindblowing. So when the developer Tom Francis announced he was working on the third of the unrelated trilogy, and that it was called Tactical Breach Wizards, I was instantly excited and willing to wait for as long as it took. And it took a while. But when it came out? It was excellent. It is a strong tactical combat game centered around pushing enemies around a map, ideally out of windows. On top of that, it might be one of the best written games of the year. It had the unenviable narrative task of balancing around a SWAT-esque team of characters without falling too far into copaganda or falling for tacticool problems. Luckily, it not only does that, but is genuinely one of the funniest games I've played in a while. Utterly strong comedy writing, which is something that you don't come across in games often. Also, fuck Steve, no one likes Steve.

3. UFO 50

Most games have trouble getting down one or two gameplay loops. So the guy behind Spelunky, one of the best action rogue-likes, was like, I'm going to make that problem fifty times harder by releasing fifty different games as one. And then the madman did it; and he didn't just do it, he did it well. The concept behind UFO 50 is that it's a collection of 50 games that was a lost developer's entire back catalog originally released in the 1980s. So, UFO 50 is literally just 50 NES style games for you to peruse and play. It is an amazingly impressive feat of both game design and historical understanding. By hour count, it's the game that I've spent the most time in by such a large margin it's astounding. I don't even love all the games; but I love enough that there's always something more. It's such an amazing little package.

2. 1000xRESIST

A latecomer to this list, 1000xRESIST is... a lot. At a basic level, it's a narrative exploration game where you explore a world, chat to people, and "enjoy" a story being told. And what a story. It's about so much. Isolation, resistance, memory, familial trauma (and the continuation thereof), expectations, being a teenager, the things you carry forward.... Fuck, there's a lot, and it hit me in a very particular place that was difficult to continue at parts, but that's a sign of quality in a story. It ends astoundingly, and I love it very much. If there's one negative thing I can say about it, it's that it's a pretty ugly game. I try not to focus on that too much; but my god the models. It's really a shame, because there's some striking art design at play, and the use of colors is among the best I've seen this year. But those models are bad. Hekki Allmother; red to blue.

Mouthwashing

Fuckin'. Mouthwashing. Another narrative game, but where 1000xRESIST is a narrative sword, full of heft and weight, Mouthwashing is a scalpel. It is a tightly edited, highly focused that gets in to do what it wants, cuts through you with the cold horror and understanding of what it's going for, and then gets out. I played it myself after watching one (1) TikTok; I streamed it for a friend like two weeks later; I watched numerous streamers playthrough it; and then I played through it again with another friend. What an astounding piece of media, with some of the best cinematography I've seen in an embarrassingly long time. Just. Astounding.

[lorillee]

you got me into yakuza (tysm my life has changed forever lmao) and i just finished y6……….. anyway….. i always love reading your thoughts on the games after i finish each one (especially the 3jima brain worms <333333) and but i couldn’t find a final thoughts post for y6 (if you made one) so i was wondering how you felt about it if you remember it? and if the lad games are worth playing? :3

im gonna be so honest i think i literaly forgot to make a y6 reflection post but im going to be replaying all these games sooner rather than later (assuming i get my computer back cuz shes kind of mia . related to the Lorillee Almost Gets Shot Incident LOL) so you know i will be making one then but for sure really liked it i definitely think its one of the stronger games in the series. pretty tight plot good characters devastating that haruka could NOT beat teen pregnancy but we cant win it all. lowkey its insane yuta bagged literally haruka and i kind of think shes way too good for him but its ok. grandpa kiryu truly blessing on earth im crazy about the today is a diamond mv. ending made me want to shoot myself im never getting over it. more detailed thoughts will come in the future on that regard.

the like a dragon games are 100000000000% worth playing i think like a dragon is unquestionably the best written game in the series ichiban is such a breath of fresh air for the franchise and he is a profoundly fun protagonist. the core cast is great and they do a really good job of developing their relationships and the plot is profoundly well done. theres a metric load to do in the game and you will for sure get your money’s worth. infinite wealth is also a very good game and while i didnt think it was quite as good as like a dragon i had a truly phenomenal time with it and highly recommend. gaiden i mostly thought was ok and then the ending hit me like a thousand trucks i cried so bad Like tmi but i almost got shot like yesterday and that did not make me cry but the gaiden ending made me sob like a baby so make of that what you will. pirate in hawaii im also having a great time with but also im like a crazy insane majima fan so thats to be expected. but anyways YAAAAAAYAYAYAY im so happy my yakuza agenda got another one GO PLAY LIKE A DRAGON. KEEP ME POSTED ON YOUR THOUGHTS? IM CRAZY ABOUT THAT GAME

[kokujin-josei-simmer]

Playing Yakuza 0 again (I just realized the other day that I have not beaten this game lol, there's no Premium Adventure save which means you've completed the main story but can continue playing in adventure mode: walking around, finishing up all the mini-games/side stories/eating/drinking at your leisure), and I truly believe that Sims 4 could've done there worlds more like this, most of the map shows shells of buildings but they look active and alive. A lot of attention to detail, posters on the walls/in the windows, decorated with furniture, and clutter. LOTS of clutter. The only buildings/areas you can actually visit/enter (outside the main story/a side story) are those in color.

I also love how alive the streets look, people walking around going from one shell to another. People grabbing drinks from vending machines, chatting on a payphone, taking a smoke break. Groups of people walking and talking or hanging out in front of building talking/joking. Couples walking hand in hand. You can't converse with them unless there's a little bubble over their head, you can bump into people or stand close a little too long to couples sharing an intimate moment (they'll stop and look at you, wondering why you're staring and you're character will go "Oh, excuse me/Sorry" LOL) but at least it's active, it gives the illusion that the world you're in is a living world.

I wish SEGA would make a life simulator, or at least the creators of Like A Dragon/Yakuza and no, it doesn't have to be Yakuza-related activities although that would be more interesting LOL. The later games, like Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth, has a life simulator mini-game with Dondoko Island which is where you can build a town and invite NPCs to visit.

I'm just really concerned about this bug that acts very much like a virus, corrupting the saved file you're playing and then spreading to your other saved files in Sims 4 because of the For Rent system they rushed out. It's bad, REALLY bad and I don't trust them so anytime I play S4 now, it's basically just to decorate and take pics. I've already experienced that bug, deleted that save file and several other saved files, but I'm still nervous because even though I'm not that deep into gameplay yet, it's still a lot of work putting down lots, decorating, moving the townies you want in your worlds when starting a new save.

I just want to play without my game "disintegrating" (actual word used to describe the bug corrupting saved files) and I also think it's BS that they can't find what is causing this. You want $40 from everyone to play this pack, but when it breaks you can't tell anyone why or how it's broken nor can you even give a timeframe on what you're planning to do to fix it, a pack that came out over a year ago.

[grim-echoes]

Any thoughts on what's up with the Accelerated Dynamics nightmare dungeon? The obvious surface is about corporate greed, but how does that relate directly to Jimmy's life like the other nightmare dungeons do?

i've been slacking on the analysis posts a hell of a lot but this is one of the dungeons i've been looking for an opportunity to talk about because it's another one of those inclusions in jatpm that i think gets overlooked because it doesn't have an immediately obvious interpretation like some others do (or, as obvious as is possible for your average jimmy fan). i've done a lot of thinking about it, and a while back had this realization (slight tw for very very brief suicide mention, also obvious spoilers ahead):

kasey definitely put a lot of his own personal grievances with capitalism into accelerated dynamics, but in my opinion it's an incomplete picture without taking megatropolis as a whole into consideration. terminal illness is extremely costly to treat and particularly in the US, it's (in my experience) much more terrifying to imagine being unable to afford the cost of healthcare than it is to actually fall ill and require treatment. even with insurance covering the cost of medical supplies and bills most people continue to struggle to feed, clothe, and house themselves, and that's assuming they do have health insurance that covers the right necessities to begin with.

i say this because i doubt jimmy's cancer treatment was at all affordable given that he's already been through chemotherapy once before, and has spent the entirety of his second battle comatose while his family continues to work not just to support themselves, but to try and save his life. this isn't to argue that money troubles were absolutely a factor in his family's life because of his illness because we don't know much at all about their financial situation--more that this is a terrifying reality for many, many families fighting illnesses, and megatropolis is representative of something that jimmy and his family don't have the luxury of anymore: leisure.

accelerated dynamics is set in a sprawling city landmarked by arcades, shopping malls, theaters, toy company headquarters, and a massive school campus, all adjacent to a high-class beach resort. it's a stark contrast in atmosphere that was likely very intentional--accelerated dynamics is devoid of personality and wonder in comparison to bonita vista or even shinryu and features workplace ambience as its area theme and visuals of skeletal employees hanged outside the office windows. i think a lot of people were incredibly disappointed in mr grouse as a character to see that his humble beginnings had led him to this point, but i think the commentary runs a lot deeper and touches on this incredibly grave aspect of illness and thus jimmy's personal life that can be easy to miss for the trees; mr grouse tells jimmy before the fight that he used to dream of his banking business growing bigger and bigger and that now, with the advent of it having grown so big that it's now expanded into an entire enterprise, he understands the power and influence that money can buy him, but more than anything he now conceptualizes how terrifying it is to lose that wealth.

his dialogue after the fight is an admission that wealth completely and utterly eroded his morals and that jimmy should enjoy his innocence while he can--this is the incomprehensible, horrifying world of adulthood that he couldn't possibly understand at this age--and it's very clear that this is (one of) the intended angle(s) of this dungeon's theme where jimmy will never live long enough to understand the complications of growing older and losing his innocence to concepts like late stage capitalism, but mr grouse phrases his dialogue like an earnest request for reflection, something for jimmy to consider in a way that his brain can more easily deconstruct--think of all the things you could do if you had practically infinite wealth, and the only thing you had to worry about was not having money.

if jimmy and his family had infinite wealth, then maybe they'd be able to afford luxury resorts and theme parks and theaters and shopping trips again. if jimmy and his family had infinite wealth, maybe they wouldn't need to work themselves into an early grave over their child's deathbed.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Are You Chasing Garbage??

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ 1 Corinthians 16:14: Let all that you do be done in love.

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VERSE OF THE DAY 

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+ 1 John 2:17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM FREE

I AM HEARING GOD 

I AM PLEASING GOD 

I AM NOT FADING AWAY 

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READ TIME: 9 Minutes & 24 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

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   Trying to be happy or content is hard because we find ourselves trying to do something we feel we can’t because we have all these problems, and trying to manage them all and remain content can be challenging; the more problems I have, the more I feel that I am getting further away from being content, in the bible it teaches to be content and to find that balance is ever escaping, I can tell you that being content is a state of mind, it's being content even when things don’t feel GREAT , it's being content even when you want more, being content is hard to do if we are always going to complain about the things we don’t have. 

  Because we are nearing Christmas, many people aren’t content because it’s the season of giving. Because people know this, they feel they can get everything they want and more instead of I can just get one item. Still, I wonder, if we woke up to a naked tree with no gifts, how would this make you feel? Would you feel left out because you have nothing, or would you look around and say, God, I thank you for what I have? The enemy wants us to be fooled and think the more we get means we are happy or the more we have means we are happy, but that’s not true friends the more we have means more responsibility; it means more problems, it means getting more than the next person, that’s what more means. 

  Ecclesiastes 5:10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

See, the word tells us having wealth means happiness; having more means happiness; it just means you have more things. We can fool ourselves by saying if I had this one item, I would be happy, or if I had just this, I could be happy, but the truth is that one item will lead to more. So, are you content? Do you find yourself wanting more? Look at Eve; she wasn’t content with all the other fruits in the garden; she had to have the one fruit she couldn’t have and ultimately lost a relationship with God over that ONE FRUIT, and the results of having it, which was knowledge of good and evil , was it worth it???

  Philippians 3:7-8 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

  When we live our lives any kind of way , we will say things we have, and having more is the primary goal, but as we give ourselves to God, we realize that it isn’t everything in the world that is worthless and garbage.  When we compare this to knowing Christ, we can see it all as meaningless. The enemy wants to take our attention off of knowing God; if he can do that, he can draw us into other things, but if we start allowing God to renew us and refresh us every day, the more we will see what he sees and hold on to what he holds on to, a lot of us don’t ask God to give us a refresher to give us understanding. Still, the less we know, the more we become engulfed in things we shouldn’t , such as meaningless things. 

  Deuteronomy 7:4, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 

  One of the things we talked about this week was our devotion to God when we aren’t devoted to him; we are devoted to things, people and this can cause us to be distracted when we shouldn’t be: the things of this world will constantly turn us away from God because that’s key to keep us off our knees and away from our bible if we gather everything we want we wouldn’t need Jesus.

After all, we sit idly with our thoughts, looking around us. Do you see the things you have? Some of these things take the time away from God, and as we give our time up, we realize we have missed a whole day without God; we missed an entire day without prayer we missed an entire day without Him, and as we go into this habit, we don’t see what the enemy is doing because we don’t have our spiritual eyes to see he's taking me from my father, he's taking me away from the shepherd we must follow the shepherd not our pockets and not things.

   1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

  Are you protecting every door from the enemy, or are you letting him come in and take over? That was another topic we talked about; it's hard to protect every door, but when we protect ourselves, we aren’t doing it alone; we are doing it with Jesus, and Jesus becomes our protector and our guard, and he’s there to show us how to become better, and how to be more like him, a lot of us allow the enemy to tell us “it's okay you don’t need to do that”, or “you don’t need to do this”.

Still, as we grow in God, we realize that the enemy is strategic. We realize he's watchful of us and what we do, and he knows what he can do to pull us away from being attentive to what God is speaking to us; if the enemy can clog your ears and close our spiritual eyes, that means he got you right where he wants you. Everything that happens to you this very moment ,this month, this year ,is entirely to pull you from him; he will place people in your life to make you angry so that you can argue and fight with them every morning when you get up, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is going to happen today to guide you through your problems but don’t allow rage or anger to order your steps allow the lord to do it. 

   Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you

During this time of anger, during this time of fussing, we have to forgive because not only does the enemy use things to distract us, but he also uses people and situations and anger and unforgiveness to pull us into this grim spirit, where we are constantly questioning things because the spirit that we are totting now is meant to cause us to be bitter , its meant for us not to walk in righteousness, do you see friends, Satan is out to get us in every angle he can. Some of us are waiting for him to come one way, but he isn’t. He will only come in multiple ways. 

  ***Today, we learned about what we studied throughout the week; we also learned that everything is meaningless and pointless if it's not about God, and a lot of us don’t see what we are doing as being meaningless; we see it as having value, and it doesn’t, a lot of things we do that aren’t of God is meaningless the enemy has us blind thinking it has value or that it adds to our life and it doesn’t. 

  1 John 2:17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

  This world is fading away, and everything in it will go, and all these desires and cravings will be gone soon; we think the main things we should be worried about are clothes, money, and living a long life with everything we have, but that’s not the meaning of life what is, it’s living it with God, that’s what we should focus on, but a lot of people have turned away from God to chase this world. But the ones who chase God and soak in his presence and walk the straight and narrow are the ones that are pleasing God and will live forever with him; if you think you have lost the meaning of life, go to God today and allow him to show you the way and walk in that. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, thank you for today, thank you for life, health, and strength. Lord, we ask you to be with us and cover us with your blood right now. Lord, we ask that you change the way we view things. Lord, allow us to view the things that are garbage as that and for us to draw closer to you, lord we desire to learn everything from you; we ask that you give us the desire to want you more, give us the desire to hear you when you speak lord we thank you for helping us through our week we love you and thank you in Jesus Name Amen 

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REFERENCES 

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Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established

 

+ John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

 

+ Matthew 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind

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FURTHER READINGS 

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 Proverbs 7

Ecclesiastes 9

Isaiah 12

Deuteronomy 21

2 Samuel 1

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[aventvrina]

your future never existed- featuring Kakavasha & Aventurine

summary: to seize fate by the throat, we have no choice but to stake everything and kakavasha will reap for every chance (tw: descriptions of death & blood)

What's done can't be undone. All we can do is play the cards we're dealt with, and rake in as much time as possible.

When: 2157/8 amber era - ??? / ??? / ??? year

Where: [redacted] . [redacted] . Pier Point

"If I come back alive, you'll give me thirty Tanbas. Deal?" "Sorry, but that won't do. Don't forget your place, slave. You're not qualified to be at the table." "You're just a chip, a life thrown away in someone else's hands." "It's all or nothing. Don't embarrass me my lucky hound."

What toll does survival take?

Famine-boned hands clench dripping metal, the other lays flat where his body fell. It is still not a corpse, there is still breath, struggled, gurgling, weak, a pathetic show of desperation to cling onto something taken for granted. A life cut short is always a tragedy, but this is catharsis. Kakavasha takes great pleasure watching agony petrify over the slave master's face. A few system hours ago he had witnessed the same expression upon another, the last innocent who also fell by his hands, someone who had not deserved it but in the end it didn't matter. Out of thirty-five, he was the lucky winner, a feat he's forced to acknowledge for it was this victory that granted him this very moment.

He didn't do it to avenge them, corpses do not beg for retribution. He didn't do it for himself, his odds have been stacked since he first drew breath, misery written by others as a trial he must go through for a mission higher than him. He didn't do it for honor, that he never had, could never have again after all he's been put through at the hands of those who pass the chips. In the end, he did it for the seat. To steal the place at the table, to force himself upon it. To take by force the chance he was denied.

The moment feels infinite. Like a candle in the wind, life leaves the body, blood languidly spreading through the carpet much like smoke thins in the air, the only reminder that there was once a life. He can tell the exact moment it happens, there's a specific stillness to the dead, one he has grown accustomed to witness. Despite the brutality, death is a peaceful thing, it pauses time, forces it to a momentary stop, as it grants the soul a respite. Then, the eyes dull, the breath fades, and the dead is left in the quiet solace of whatever last thought crossed their mind.

His hands are cold, looking down he can see red turn copper as it dries, he wonders where he can wash it off. As it is now, there's still time before he has to move. No alarms have rang, he's smart enough to make himself scarce before the body is discovered.

But first, he must clean his hands if he's to play the game.

Death leaves a mark. It's invisible and tangible all at once, an irksome feeling that sticks to the skin no matter how many times it's washed. It's a parasite that plagues the host with it's presence. Irremovable, weighted, unseen, the subtle torment of a feasting leech.

Still, as he stands accused, unable to hide his hands, left fist shaking with the strength he clenches the chain, he cannot fail. The confidence of gambler masks even the guilt of a murderer.

The purpose was not to have him sentenced to begin with. This is, after all, where he'll finally partake in the game. All the suffering, all those corpses, all the people who pushed him forward, it was for this moment. The chip eyes the dealer in challenge. All he needs is thirty Tanbas, all he needs is that one chance that'll have him climb higher than ever. For that, the serpent must be fed. And he's willing give everything.

"Thirty Tanbas, I'll give you that, and much more than that. Wealth, status, power... the IPC will give you whatever you want, even what you don't want."

He smiles.

His name is buried. His chains are are bathed in gold. In an absurd turn, death leeches but does not kill. Still, it is felt. Aventurine's first gift to himself are gloves. Though unseen, they hide enough for him to feel that his hands won't stain the chips, at least not the innocent ones.

Aventurine is a sight. There's nothing in him that would make others question whether he's fit for the game. He's fuller, soft cheeks with color, hair clean and styled, adorned high brand clothes, expensive watches and heavy rings. He's everything he could ever hope to be. Were it not for his eyes he could almost divorce their image from one another.

He already lies so much about himself, to himself, what harm would it do to lie about his origins. But his eyes betray, the past, even buried, lingers in them. And with them comes the reputation, followed by the scorn. Still, he can work with that. If anything it's something he prefers. Were he to choose, he'd rather they hate him. At least then he can be sure there is no real interest in him. Eyes won't linger, hands won't seize what they shouldn't. He'll be free to act without giving and use them without remorse.

He straightens his jacket, the mirror reflects. Despite it all, he's still there. The blessed eyes, the exploited body, the broken soul, they're all still there. That's all he is, all he'll ever be. But it's enough. The miserable lying chip is enough to get him exactly where he needs to go.

However the destiny of the victor is that the rest are to lose. Only one player can win in the end.

"The Avgins in Sigonia... what happened to them afterward?"

"Unfortunately, there are no more Avgins in Sigonia. You're the last lucky dog."

"What about those people who helped me on planet ██? Now I can finally repay their kindness."

"They are no more, either."

The aventurine shines. They say the stones reflect their users and with that he must agree. In it's silver encase the cornerstone looks almost regal, were it not for it's natural dull shine, it could almost pass as precious. Just like him, this stone pretends to be higher, dresses for what it'll never be, yet deep down, it stays the same.

But if the stone is the same as him, then it's completely worthless. In the end, it'll be shattered beyond recognition, it's value diminish, it's color dull, abandoned, replaced. There's several fates for the mocking glint and it's aeonic power. Still, the stone's fate should not be his. It may reflect his heart but it's delusional if it thinks that he cannot live without it. The void it tries to fill is far more bigger than a cornerstone. So he lets it shine it's mockery, lets it whisper what he has always thought of himself. It doesn't matter.

He already buried Kakavasha, he can bury Aventurine too.

It was a success. In the end, Aventurine lives while the cornerstone is but dust. And even if that in itself would frighten even the higher ups, the sacrilege of erasing a part of Qlipoth's power themselves, he could really care less. He's back exactly where it started and his end hasn't changed. He cannot be afraid of what he has always known. As he did all those years ago, he'll wager for his place again.

There's a certain thrill that satisfies that hollowness, the leech feasts in delight with every gamble he takes. In the game of unexpected hanging, he wins by expecting death at every hour. Diamond won't sentence him, and even if he does, there's always a chance.

He has made it this far and he can go further. There's no bigger pleasure than testing the boundaries of his destined death.

And what toll does survival take?

The past? The future? Others? Himself?

At least he survives. At least he can say that.

Whatever he killed to survive, within or without, at least there’s enough left of him to say it.

At least he's still sitting at the table, he's still playing.

[jlhynde-insanitybrilliance]

So I started writing a book yesterday…

Yeah, a book. Not a fanfiction. (I’m surprised too.)

I had this idea strike me & I’ve had ideas strike me before, but they’ve never actually manifested into me sitting down and writing an original work. I’m almost done with the first chapter & I think this is something I’m gonna see to completion. But what do I do with it once it’s finished???

I’m so used to sharing my work with people online that not posting it on AO3 feels weird. Do I just let it sit in a pdf file on my laptop? Do I send it to an editor??? Self publish it on Kindle???

I would just want people to read it. I don’t even care about making money off it.

It’s supposed to be a critique of purity culture & how it perpetuates sexual assault within religious communities told in the format of an erotica where the main character struggles with her religious upbringing as she moves to becoming a more sex positive adult. And if I did self publish it on Kindle, I think it’d be really funny to list the price for $0.69. Yes, that is a sex joke.

Here’s a little excerpt:

I never used to wonder how Job didn’t curse the heavens when he lost everything. I never used to wonder how he could have remained so steadfast in his faith. I never used to wonder why God, in his infinite wisdom and love, allowed that old devil, that fallen angel, that Satan to test him so. To test him in such a cruel and ruthless way as to not only take his wealth, his status, his marriage, his children—all ten of them—in a storm, and after all of that took even his healthy body leaving him penniless and grieving and physically broken.

And still, according to the biblical text, Job never once blamed God. He never cursed the heveans…

Instead, he sung praises to the Almighty.

I never used to wonder about Job. I never used to wonder how he managed to keep his faith. I never used to wonder…until Daniel.

[chaoticsorceressztc]

It was the end.

Your friends lay scattered across the ground, not dead, but close.

You sit, sword to your throat, in front of the cause of all of this, the cause of all of this pain.

Your brother.

He looked at you, and out of pity told you "I will allow you one last action before I end you, for we are of same blood"

The Manic Monster who had stolen power from near every God around, laughed out in mockery "Pick a God dear Sister, and Pray, if there are any left to hear you"

And so you decided to pray.

To the God of death, long slain by their own scythe.

The God of wealth, drowned in their sea of gold

To the God of love, betrayed by kindness

To the God of tricks, who was tricked himself

On and on, to Gods long gone

All Slain by his hand, all their powers stolen by his hand.

You prayed to the God of luck, knowing they weren't there

The Gods of Order, Chaos, Good, and Evil, all fallen

And then a whisper hit your ears

A whisper so impossibly quiet, that if time weren't at a stand still, if the world hadn't stopped in your infinite and seemingly futile act, a gust of wind might have silenced it all together.

You let out a laugh

"What's so funny?" Your hideous former brother asked, "Have you finally lost it in the end?"

You whisper the name of a God.

"Perhaps it would be funny if you did lose it at the end, wouldn't it sister?"

You repeat the God's name louder, no. Not a God's name. Something far stronger than a God.

The world goes quiet.

Your brother continues to speak.

And he has foolishly desecrated this beings way of existence.

Wronged this being in a way unforgivable.

Why, existence itself wonders, does this creature believe it can challenge the name of this being?

"Are you quite done prattling about something even I am incapable of replicating the vocal tones for?"

As you start to say the being's name in a normal tone, your brother brings back his sword and makes an attempt to slice off your head.

The sword does not connect. It will never connect. For the world itself would not allow this statement to be incomplete.

And as the very particles of everything came to a stand still, the one who once was your kin, ceased to exist.

You tend to the wounded.

You won the fight.

You cannot remember who you were fighting.

You cannot remember how you won.

You feel cold.

It feels quiet.

“Pick a god and pray” they said, and you did, praying to every god you knew. And as you did this a name popped into your mind, one you didn’t recognize, yet you prayed to them all the same. In response the air stood still, like even the world had forgotten their name.

[yhwhrulz]

Charles Spurgeon's "Morning & Evening" Devotional for November 14

Morning

“We have peace with God.”

Romans 5:1-11

We shall read at this time a short but very precious portion, in which Paul writes of the high privileges and perfect security of believers.

Romans 5:1

Faith lays hold upon the righteousness of Jesus, and so makes us just before the Lord, and this brings a heavenly peace into the soul. No self-confidence can ever do this. Our own good works are faulty, and can neither make peace for us nor work peace in us. What a joy it is to be just before God, because “accepted in the Beloved!” No wonder that the man who is so favoured enjoys peace of soul.

Romans 5:2

Being at perfect peace with God we are enabled to approach him, and in his presence we obtain a fulness of joy. Do we know anything about this? Let us answer this question each one of us for himself.

Romans 5:3

Whatever privileges we enjoy, there are more to follow, and we may add, “and not only so.” We come at length to find joy even in our sorrows, since they work our spiritual good.

Romans 5:4 , Romans 5:5

See how one fair stone is piled upon another, course upon course of priceless jewels; a heavenly character is built up like the very temple of God, and then the love of God comes into it like the divine glory into the holy place, and lights it all up with a celestial splendour. Happy believer to be thus endowed with all the wealth of heaven!

Romans 5:6

This is a rich gospel verse in which every word drops fatness. We were powerless, but Jesus came to us, came at the right time, came to die for us, to die for us as godless beings, who had no merit and no fitness for his astounding love. Surely, we must praise him for this, or the very stones will cry out.

Romans 5:7 , Romans 5:8

good or benevolent

Romans 5:7 , Romans 5:8

We were neither righteous nor merciful, we had no claim upon divine love, yet the Lord did all that even infinite love could do, he died for us while we were yet rebels and enemies. Was ever love like this?

Romans 5:9

When we were enemies he died for us: will he now forsake us, and pour his wrath upon us? Impossible.

Romans 5:10

When we were sinners he justified us, will he now leave us? He reconciled us when we were enemies, will he not save us now that we are his friends? If his death has done so much, what will not his life do? The threefold argument is overwhelming; he cannot, he will not now suffer us to perish. His wrath is turned away, and his love is settled upon us for eternity, if we have believed in Jesus. Have we so believed? There is the great point.

Romans 5:11

God himself is now our joy. We dreaded him once, but we do so no more. We are at one with him through Jesus, and the love of God is now the overflowing fountain of joy to us. Again let us each one ask, Is it so with me? Parents, children, servants, is it so with you?

Firm as the earth thy gospel stands,

My Lord, my hope, my trust;

If I am found in Jesus’ hands,

My soul can ne’er be lost.

His honour is engaged to save

The meanest of his sheep;

All that his heavenly Father gave

His hands securely keep.

Nor death, nor hell, shall e’er remove

His favourites from his breast;

In the dear bosom of his love

They must for ever rest,

Evening

“Our old man is crucified with Him.”

Romans 6

Romans 6:1

Because salvation is all of grace shall we plunge into yet more sin? Some of the children of darkness have been vile enough to reason thus: shall the believer adopt the same base argument?

Romans 6:2

We are new men and cannot delight in sin. Our nature has undergone a change which has made the argument just mentioned most abhorrent to us. We are dead to sin, and have made an open declaration thereof in our baptism: we should be base indeed if we lived to sin as we once did.

Romans 6:11

We are one with Jesus, being both dead with him, and risen in him; ours therefore it is to live the new life, and view ourselves as dead to all the sinful joys of our former lives. Oh for grace to carry this out to the full.

Romans 6:12 , Romans 6:13

We cannot obey our old tyrant, sin: as citizens of a new kingdom, we must serve our glorious Monarch.

Romans 6:14

Being under the law, it cursed you for your iniquity, and in return you transgressed the more; but now eternal love has set you free, and you cannot become again the slaves of sin.

Romans 6:16

If indeed we did run into evil because we believed in free grace, it would show that we were still the servants of sin, and not under grace at all.

Romans 6:21

How true is this! We served a bad master for bad wages: shall we not with far greater zeal devote ourselves to the delightful service of our Redeemer?

Romans 6:22 , Romans 6:23

Now we do not work for wages: every good thing comes to us as a free gift; therefore let gratitude move us to obedience, and constrain us to be in all things holy before the Lord. Self-interest makes the legalist work; gratitude for eternal love shall be a far stronger force in our hearts, and by the Holy Spirit’s help we will abound in good works because grace abounds.

Copyright Statement This resource was produced before 1923 and therefore is considered in the "Public Domain".

[douchebagbrainwaves]

WEB STARTUPS CONDENSE IN SILICON VALLEY

And that's fine. So if you can think of several heuristics for generating ideas for startups: what do people who inherit money, and you need to know the type of every argument in every call in the program. In cold places that margin gets trimmed off. There were no guards patrolling the perimeter of the village. Not explicitly, of course. We'll see. There are esoteric areas of business that only flourishes in certain places that specialize in it—that Silicon Valley specializes in startups in the hope of investing more later, what happens if they don't? It's terrifying to build something big from scratch.1 At this stage the company is their performance. And when people seem to continue to exist, is earn money.

For example, so competition ensured the average journalist was fairly good. People have always been willing to do something people want. Our employer-employee relationship. What should you do? They think of the profiler as an add-on, at best. Raising a traditional series A round you have to do well at that. There is no manufacturing to confuse the issue. Gradually you realize that these two things are as tightly connected as only a market can make them. Even more important than brevity to a hacker: being able to work with someone to know whether you want to discover things that have been overlooked till now, only a handful people got to see: what happens in the first half of the class-project syndrome.

So if you're not certain, you should get summer jobs at places you'd like to work. My Y Combinator co-founder? Instead of telling you what to do. Startups succeed by creating wealth, which is doing so well they could probably be acquired in about ten minutes if they wanted.2 Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Michael Dell, Jeff Bezos, Gordon Moore.3 Maybe things will be different a year from now, if the upside looks good enough. And perhaps most important, obviously, is when what you have to introduce yourself, or someone else, that you are already working as hard as you possibly can. When technology makes something dramatically cheaper, standardization always follows.

YC. Next time, I won't. But what does that really mean? In a technology startup, which most startups are, the less pressure they feel to act smart. The reason these conventions are more dangerous is that they know what they're avoiding. If there is some limit on the number who can work for salary at 1000-person companies. Maxim magazine publishes an annual volume of photographs, containing a mix of pin-ups and grisly accidents. No cofounder Not having a cofounder is a real problem and 2 intensity. Even genuinely smart people start to act this way there, so you have to decide who the founders should include technical people. Two of the false positives were newsletters from companies I've bought things from.

The competitors Google buried would have done better to spend those millions improving their software. This change happened while no one was doing quite what we do is useful, why wasn't everyone using it? I'd made enough to solve the problem once and for all instead of working for a salary for 40 years, you work as hard as you can, even if most of the time. 9998 otherwise. The project either gets bogged down, or the amount available to a government from one year's tax revenue, this is torture. If you can't find an exact match for a token, treat it as if it were. It would be an amazing hack to make one happen faster. So although there may be, but it could not have grown so much if they'd spent that year working at Microsoft, or even effeminate. I used to calculate probabilities for tokens, both would have the same spam probability, the threshold of profitability, however low, your runway becomes infinite.

And because startups tend to discover the lower bound on the age of startup founders.4 Inventors of wonderful new things are often surprised to discover this, but it's hard to say what the overall false positive rate at the expense of the filtering rate. If they saw that, they'd want you to take more risks.5 All you need to win. But that is exactly the spirit you want. But the students writing them don't realize they're using the same paperwork for every deal we do, we've commissioned generic angel paperwork that all the rules are different. The real reason we started Y Combinator is one probably only a hacker would understand. So these, I think hackers will use it.6

It's also obvious to programmers that there are more constraints.7 Fourth, they calculated probabilities differently.8 I expect spam to evolve into: some completely neutral text followed by a url. Perl, and if they don't? This would be an amazing hack to make one happen faster. And barring financial catastrophe, I think we may have made a mistake in thinking that hackers are turned off by Lisp's strangeness. Work and life just get mixed together.

It works as a medium of exchange, called the dollar, that doesn't physically exist. Yes, prefix notation makes ordinary programmers panic. But getting bought is also an art in its own right, and one that most people don't choose programming languages simply based on their merits. Among other things, treating a startup as it grows larger? I think it might be better to follow the model of Tcl, and supply the Lisp together with a lot of other companies using Lisp. Fourth, they calculated probabilities differently. The idea that we're the center of the solar system. Steve Wozniak built himself a computer; who knew so many other people would want them? For example, construction firms that fund politicians' campaigns in return for government contracts, or rich parents who get their children into good colleges by sending them to expensive schools designed for that purpose. Tcl is the scripting language of something. And yet, as I used to feel sorry for themselves. It's fine to put The before the number if you really believe you've made an exhaustive list.

Notes

Dan Bricklin and Bob nominally had a big factor in the 70s never drew this curve. Prose lets you be more likely to be about 200 to send them the final version that afternoon. Which helps explain why there are not very discerning. According to Zagat's there are no discrimination laws about starting businesses.

Donald Hall said young would-be poets were mistaken to be higher, even in their early twenties.

The trend of VC angel investing is so hard to mentally deal with them. Or she would be reluctant to start a startup. Ideas are one step upstream from economic power, so buildings are traditionally seen as temporary; there is some kind of bug to find may be a trivial enhancement of HTTP, to pretend that the only cause of economic inequality in the Ancient World, Economic History Review, 2:9 1956,185-199, reprinted in Finley, M.

What makes most suburbs so demoralizing is that the meaning of a smooth salesman.

If a conversation—maybe around 10 people. IBM 704 CPU was about the details.

I think it was considered the most important things VCs fail to mention a few stellar exceptions the textbooks are not merely blurry versions of great ones.

Quoted in: Life seemed so much pain, it could become a manager. In fact this would work to have been about 2, etc, and it will almost certainly overvalued in 1999, it would be enough. I'm thinking of Oresme c. Some of the number of startups where the acquirer just wants the employees.

The other reason it's easy to slide into thinking that customers want what you can do what you care about GPAs.

[eiko82]

My thoughts on Infinite Wealth

So a couple of weeks ago, I finished the main story of Infinite Wealth and wow, I'm blown away with how amazing this game was.

It was just SO DARN AWESOME. There was just so much love poured into these characters. When Tomizawa and Chitose were first announced, I never thought that I'd love them as much as Saeko, Nanba, Adachi, Zhao and Joongi. I was wrong. So wrong. I fell in love with them so much. I really hope that they'll return in Yakuza 9.

Throughout the game, I LOVED interacting with everyone. I loved listening to their chats whether it's Seonhee wanting to cook for Kiryu (you hardcore fangirl), Nanba comparing painting your finger nails to priming a model kit, Zhao confessing to being addicted to gacha games, Ichiban and Adachi sharing one braincell on how to get dust out of your eye, etc. It made me love them even more.

The Bingo cards were so much fun that I would make detours just to fill them out. The Walk & Talk finales were fun to watch and I liked how each one suited a specific character.

I think that overall the story was really good. Had its flaws here and there but it definitely had some great surprises. I was unfortunately spoiled on the VTuber's identity on Twitter. But the betrayal scene blew me away. I did NOT see that coming. Haven't felt this betrayed by a video game character since Persona 5.

Kiryu's story was really touching. I still would've liked to have seen an actual reunion with Haruka and Haruto. We all know that they mean the most to Kiryu. I feel like both Gaiden and this game heavily hinted that it might be a possibility. Heck, we almost got it if Kiryu had only OPENED the door but nope, it was done off-screen which was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the ride.

The game itself is amazing to look at. I looooooooooooooooooved exploring Hawaii. There are lots of fun sidequests. Dondoki Island was really addictive. Really enjoyed doing karaoke with everyone. Tbh I'm still playing the game in Premium Adventure where I'm just wondering around, doing some remaining sidequests just because I'm not ready to really say goodbye to it.

This game is definitely GOTY for me. Can't wait to replay. Normally, I play Yakuzea games with Japanese voice acting and English subs but I would like to replay it with English voice acting, simply so I can hear what they say during battle.

I could probably ramble on some more but I'll spare you all XD