#you cannot love God if you are actively rebelling against Him

[an-idyllic-novelist]

dark schenider with shinobu!reader headcanons

Warnings: ooc, violence, KNY manga spoilers, Bastard!! anime season two spoilers, mentions of night-terrors and PTSD.

If you are not comfortable reading this type of story, please push the back button and read something more pleasant.

Hey guys, welcome to the fluffier version of the yandere headcanons, featuring the handsome, arrogant wizard Dark Schneider of the Netflix's anime series Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy and the character!reader who is Shinobi Kocho from the beloved world of Demon Slayer aka Kimetsu no Yaiba! The link to them will be here.

Special thanks to @anniespostssworld for helping me bounce back ideas and scenarios that would work best for these headcanons, so this dedicated to them and to all of the other fellow Bastard!! fans.

If you haven't seen either of these shows, I highly recommend them as to me, they are well worth watching and give me a good laugh after a particularly long day at work. Please bear in mind that Bastard!! might not be suited for everyone and does have some moments that may not be ideal for photosensitive viewers.

So with that being said, sit back, relax, and enjoy this ride of heavy metal, magic, and blossoming romance :)

PART TWO

Yoko was starting to worry about you. These last two years hiding in A-Ian-Maide haven’t been easy. Between training and helping the samurai fight back against the Dark Rebel Army, the high priestess barely had time to herself but she did care about you. You and Lucien, that is. If she was lucky, she would see you in the compound’s dining hall or holed up in the medical wing treating patients with that small, patient smile of yours. 

Still….she couldn’t help thinking you were actively avoiding her too. 

Could it be…that you still carried the guilt of what happened in Meta-llicana in your heart? Is that also why you have been training too? Trying to hone your swordsmanship and expand medical knowledge to the point where Joshua has carried you in his arms, collapsed from utter exhaustion? 

How could you even think like that when the downfall of the kingdom wasn’t even your fault? Is that why you looked like you haven’t been sleeping well? 

You were being suffocated again. The flowery cologne was the only thing you could smell, tinged with the coppery undertone of your own blood as strong, cold arms held you close to a man whom you despised with your entire being. Douma. Douma, the cult leader who had devoured his followers as a way of showing them true enlightenment even when he didn’t believe in the gods or the afterlife. Douma, the monster who murdered Kanae and drove you to the point of twisting your body’s organs with high concentrations of wisteria poison for an entire year. Douma…the person who had embraced you in your final moments, your ninichrin blade sticking through his chest as he absorbed you, declaring that you were his strongest opponent and his love for you under the same disgusting breath. 

Go to hell! 

That was the last thing you said to that rotten bastard before you lost consciousness. You would soon be found by the High Priest Geo Noto Soto in a sea of blood and blade fragments….and the rest, as they say, is history. And then the fall of Meta-llicana. Your current, precarious situation.

But why are you here again, trapped in Douma’s arms and listening to the same words, feeling the pain from your battle with him as if the gods took delight in seeing this macabre play rehearsed over and over? Is this truly someone’s idea of a joke? Or….is it a reminder that no matter how hard you tried….you cannot save everyone? That the hours you had dedicated to nurse warriors back to health, to reading medical texts until late hours of the night and getting stronger….it will never be enough?

You wiggled in the demon’s arms, snarling and writhing as you felt yourself being sucked into his body. No. Your mind was racing, heart pounding against your ribcage No, you are still alive. You’re alive, and so was Yoko, and Lucien! You tried to help them! You tried to help the knights evaluate the citizens of Meta-llicana before rushing to help the others fight against Abigail! 

“Who said you could be forgiven?” An icy hiss ticked your ear. “Who said you could live when others had died that day? If anything, you deserved to die, not them. You have and always will be the weakest Hashira of them all.”

Frustrated tears began to swell in the back of your eyes as a sob lodged in your throat but damn it all you refused to let it crawl up and be released into the air for this bastard to see your moment of weakness, even if this is all an illusion. 

You are the Insect Hashira, and you will always be ready to lay your life on the line for the people you cherished, past and present. Just as these words echoed in your mind, you felt someone else’s arms coil around your hips. With a hard yank, you were pulled away from Douma’s body and then…you were free. Weightless, boundless, floating in a bright white space that you no longer recognize as part of the Infinity Castle’s lotus pier. 

That was when you felt warm fingers lightly caress the top of your head, calloused pads brushing against your clammy skin. The hand did not belong to someone you knew; it was gentle, cautious, and  even a little scared. It’s as if the person was trying to comfort you, but was afraid of your reaction. 

You immediately thought of Kanae, and that was when the dam in your mind broke. The tears easily spill out of your closed eyes, followed by an anguished wail that causes more tears to slide down your face. Finally….finally you can let everything out, to be weak for just a moment. In this moment of vulnerability, the hand became two, then stretched to muscular arms that enclosed your body in a warm embrace. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here now, nothing bad will happen to you as long as I’m around.” 

Dark Schneider is the greatest wizard in the entire universe with a limitless arsenal of magic at his command. He hadn’t expected, however, that he had nearly depleted his magical reserves in the fight against Abigail. What little remained after the Helloween spell was used to perform two spells at the same time: resurrection of the fallen ones, and teleportation. In his case, he had made sure Yoko and [First Name] had gotten as far away from the kingdom as possible before it was destroyed, and he regressed back into the recesses of Lucien’s mind. 

Two years. It took him this long to restore the magic he had lost into his body as he had no other choice but to let his weaker half take control. Last year, about six months after Meta-llicana’s destruction, he finally woke up…and saw the world through Lucien’s eyes. Sleeping for that long left him drowsy, so hearing Yoko’s voice after being surrounded by silence for so long should have been a blessing. And it was, though the dark wizard wasn’t exactly glad to be on the receiving end of her abrasive attitude, again. Granted she did take care of him as Lucien for as long as he could remember; fed him, made sure he ate and did his fair share of the chores, and so on. 

Is it really necessary to always hit him as soon as she thought he was being a disgusting pervert as the handsome, bad-ass Dark Schneider or sighed in exasperation, wishing that he would grow more of a backbone as Lucien? 

Quite frankly, he’s surprised himself for being so patient with her, and this is only the second season of the anime. He really thought she was his woman, the one who was worthy of bearing his children in the far, distant future once he had conquered the world. But now that he’s had all the time in the world to think…he doesn’t feel that way anymore. If anything, his feelings for Yoko had simmered to the affection towards an annoying older sibling who thinks they know you better than everyone or can boss you around just because they ‘raised you’.

And he never went past first base with Sean Ari or Kai Harn, so far as he’s concerned, he’s been a saintly hero in this show. 

Even thinking about the women at this base, all who were actually quite attractive in their own way, felt wrong when the image of [First Name]’s pinched smile flashed across his vision. And it’s been like that for a while now. 

[First Name] may not possess the powers of a cleric, a highborn status or trained rigorously under Kai in the art of the Hariken Slashing Implosion swordsmanship, she did treat others with respect and kindness as Yoko did, and a bit more. She even provided medical aid to people who had once been an enemy. 

But above being a good-hearted apothecary and an exceptional swordswoman, the Insect Hashira adored Lucien. She loved his weaker self, and respected Dark Schneider. She never tried to control either of them, instead giving them attention and praising them for doing a good job. She never raised her voice at him, and occasionally snuck some candy to him behind Yoko’s back. 

[First Name] Kocho loved Yoko Tia Noto too, in her own way…though she had almost attacked the high priestess in the middle of a night-terror just a few nights ago. Yoko naively went to check on the apothecary when she heard screams coming from [First Name]’s room and instead got pinned to the bed with a knife to her throat. 

Yoko forgave [First Name], but [First Name] could not forgive herself. She threw herself more into her work; spending hours in the medical wing’s laboratories to create a poison strong enough to destroy three different types of demi-humans, including a paralyzing agent that would require just a small dose to knock down an ogre, or sparring with the samurai until late at night. Skipping meals periodically became a habit, and now rumor has it that she hasn’t slept in her own room since the supply runners had come back grievously injured after an encounter with one of the Shogun Sorcerers. 

Scowling in Lucien’s form, Dark Schneider snuck out of his room and headed towards the medical ward. He had a silent agreement with his weaker self: under the condition that his intentions are only to ensure [First Name] did not keel over from overexhaustion when Yoko was too busy with being on the frontlines with the samurai, the wizard would take control but he still needed to use Lucien’s quirks so the cleric didn’t get suspicious of them. 

It did not take him that long to arrive there, stealthy evading the samurai stationed for night-time patrol in the hideout. Dark Schenider quickly found his woman thrashing on one of the empty beds, eyes closed and hands clawing at the sheets, tears running down her face. 

He gritted his teeth. Damn it. He cautiously approached the side of the bed just as [First Name] suddenly curled into a small ball, clutching the sides of her head. He might’ve raised Arshes and Kall-Su, but they never came to him when they had nightmares, nor did he ever really care unless Arshes wouldn’t leave his room until he allowed her to sleep in his bed for the night. That was then, this is now. 

Would just holding her even make a difference, when he had no idea why she was having night-terrors and she never breathed a word about it? How’s she supposed to take care of anyone when she can’t even take care of herself? Idiot. He thought. Still, he had to try something. He brought a pillow and blanket with him, so Yoko wouldn’t think twice if she sees him, Lucien, curled up with [First Name] because it’s happened before in the past. 

Sucking in a deep breath, Dark Schneider removed his shoes and climbed fully into the mattress, laying the pillow down first before covering himself and [First Name] with the blanket. 

The reincarnated wizard then began to stroke the top of her head with his hand, softly whispering words into her ear before a choked sob left her mouth, followed by more tears that he wiped away with his thumb. When he saw her breath begin to slow and deepen, he daringly lowered his down to her side, alternately between patting and rubbing the Hashira’s trembling frame until she relaxed under his touch. 

Her frown soon morphed into a tiny, content smile as she sighed softly. Dark Schneider was about to leave and let his woman get the sleep she needed until she leaned forward, placing her head on his small chest, an arm loosely wrapped around his waist. 

No, his face was not burning and no, his heart wasn’t pounding against his ribs. The great Dark Schneider isn’t some innocent maiden in love! He’s just here for [First Name] because it’s been decided that she will become his future queen in a world he’ll one day conquer…and the only woman who is worthy enough to bear his children. 

Against his better judgment Dark Schneider leaned forward, pressing his lips against the crown of [First Name]’s head before hugging her close to his smaller body. That was the last thing he remembered when sleep claimed his drowsy mind. 

[Part Two, anyone? 😉]

Taglist:

@sleep-all-day-everyday

@theanimekid

@ccruzmoon

@cassanderasblog

@technikerin23

@justamegafan

@myrisan-melodies

@harame

@saltyfruitbat

@nunezs-stuff

@mitra555

@platonicyanderewrighter

@xoxo-shy

@currentlyinhell

[avesblues2]

"Christians shouldn't judge" you are right, we aren't the final judge, God is. However, it's clearly written through scripture to speak up about unrighteousness and sinful behavior. To call a brother or sister out when they aren't acting in a manner that aligns with the Spirit. We are to call out sin for what it is, speak the truth in love. You cannot love without truth for truth is love. God is love and He is truth. His commandments are for our flourishing not His. Calling out sin and immoral behavior is not casting judgement it is calling it for what it is. Christ reminds us in John 14:15 that “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” You cannot love God and openly rebel against Him, actively living in sin and justifying it. You cannot serve two masters.

[sleepingfancies]

helloooo I'm back! what are the ramifications of killing the Lovely Prince?? why do they want to kill him (it?) in the first place?

HELLO THANK U HI ^_^ kicking my feet and giggling !! SO

Daciana wants to kill the Lovely Prince because his Inquisition has been kidnapping vampires on his order, for reasons unknown. The last three victims are her brother, her sister, and Jarek Botezatu. Daciana saves her, but she does not recover her own brother and sister, and loses the trail of the agent responsible. She begs the Grand Coven to take action against the Inquisition, but they deem it too dangerous (the Inquisition having already occupied the City of Gears in clear threat numbers). So Daciana takes it upon herself to seek out and rescue her brother and sister, find the Lovely Prince, and kill him to kneecap the Inquisition and put an end to the threat against the City of Gears. Her whole motive is highly strategic and sort of one of a fifteen step plan, but her main priority is rescuing her siblings.

Mortimer wants to kill the Lovely Prince to destroy his tether: a blood oath (and physical collar) that he cannot remove. Mortimer served as the Lovely Prince's personal reaper, advisor, and secret third thing for awhile. As a gesture of good faith and trust, the Lovely Prince convinced him to forge a tether: Mortimer would be collared, and the Lovely Prince branded. The terms being that should the tether ever be activated by the Lovely Prince, Mortimer would be forced to do whatever the Lovely Prince commanded. The idea was that the Lovely Prince would never activate it. Except he recently pawned Mortimer off to Rebel Queen Alycen Foxhale, and had her share his brand. The tether CAN be undone voluntarily by both parties, but Mortimer knows the Lovely Prince (he'll never do that).

Vidar wants to kill the Lovely Prince in order to consume his power. By eating the Lovely Prince, Vidar hopes to gain the powers of godhood he possesses, which would give him a leg up he desperately needs against another fey: Eydis Arcnor. See, the fey queen recently died, and her only heir abdicated years ago. Vidar and Eydis are the final two contenders for the crown, both proving the most ruthless and clever against their competition. Critically though: Vidar is 30 years old. Not several centuries old and looks 30, he is for real just 30. Eydis Arcnor is several thousand years old. She is stronger, faster, and now that it's just them, no longer distracted by bigger threats. Vidar can and will die quite horrifically if he does not figure out how to become stronger fast, and cannibalizing god is the best idea he's got.

Kadija does not initially want to kill the Lovely Prince. The Lovely Prince, while she knows he is not her biological father, has "raised" her for her entire life. She joins the crew on a lie ("the Lovely Prince has been stealing my automatons and mass producing them for the Inquisition"), and originally plans to delay and eventually stop them from killing the Lovely Prince. Her motives change as she gradually learns about him from the others. She had no idea Mortimer existed, she had no idea what the Inquisition was doing, and she never knew she was not randomly orphaned, but closer to kidnapped by the Lovely Prince. After Kadija learns of and witnesses some of the horrors the Lovely Prince committed and continues to commit for his own gain, she decides she sincerely wants to kill him. Kadija ends up being the only one who succeeds in even getting close to killing him.

--

The ramifications of killing the Lovely Prince are immediate =) the largest being that Kadija stabbing him in the heart was exactly the outcome he was hoping for. The deathbringers crew win nothing by killing him, and in fact make everything worse and more dire for all parties involved.

Because you see ^-^ !!! "Godhood" is one single entity that has been passed down from person to person over the eons. These transfers have all happened the same way: the successor murdering the predecessor, and absorbing their "godhood." It is the only way "godhood" knows how to move from one host to another.

EXCEPT!!!! All non-human entities are the "offspring" of this godly transfer !! Think of it like the nails that pop through the walls as a house settles. Non-human entities are the ejected extra matter of godhood as it settles into a new host, and that matter is given consciousness and form. There are inherently wisps of "godhood" in all non-human souls. "Godhood" recognizes its own. It will obey the laws of its spawn because they are like footnotes of its own. Vidar, as a fey, absorbs the power of whomever he cannibalizes. That is his natural law. In the fight against the Lovely Prince, before Kadija stabs him in the heart, he takes one good chomp. "Godhood" is obligated to obey his natural law.

SO bringing it all back to Ramification #1: "godhood" splits in half. Half of it goes to Kadija (exactly what the Lovely Prince intended), and half of it goes to Vidar (not at all what the Lovely Prince intended). There have never been twin gods before, and there were never meant to be twin gods made from the same singular godhood. It is excruciating for both parties, but particularly for Kadija, who received the more volatile half.

Ramification #2: the Inquisition becomes horrifically divided, to everyone's detriment. Inquisitor Benedek knows both Kadija and Daciana personally, and although he's distraught over the Lovely Prince's death, he suggests upholding Kadija as the Daughter (a title she rejects). His suggestions fall flat, though, and half of the Inquisition ends up launching an attack on the City of Gears in retaliation for the Lovely Prince's murder.

Ramification #3: Vidar does not gain the power he needs against Eydis. As long as "godhood" is split from itself, he does not have the means to beat her in a fight. Eydis is coming for him, she will find him, and he no longer has any ideas for how to survive her. His death is imminent and his efforts were for nothing.

Ramification #4: the Aphelion Scourges have no master. The Aphelion Scourges are dog-like creatures of grafted non-human souls, acting under the command of the Lovely Prince to seek out and deliver astrumite to him (astrumite is a metal that, when consumed, can temporarily soothe or restore "godhood" to a less volatile state). Without the Lovely Prince's command, though, the Aphelion Scourges consume astrumite - and anything that resembles "godhood" - mindlessly. They prowl the deepest caverns yet undiscovered by the deathbringers crew, but they are an immediate problem in book 2.

Ramification #5: King Warren Bullgrove is murdered, destabilizing the entire continent. In lieu of being able to kill the Lovely Prince, Daciana goes and takes her vengeance out on King Bullgrove. She is not in the best state when she does it; after brutally killing him, she puts on his crown and pronounces herself King Daciana. She then collapses from blood loss.

Ramification #6: much like the Spire, what maintenance was being performed on a planet still healing from an apocalypse begins to fall apart. Since neither Kadija nor Vidar have the power to control the larger aspects of the world, natural disasters increase rapidly. Landslides, earthquakes, and catastrophic flooding all wreck the continent in quick succession. As long as "godhood" stays split, it cannot perform to the standards it once could.

There are more but. The TL;DR of it all is that the Lovely Prince's death does wayyyy more harm than good (although it was, overall, the right thing to do) and the deathbringers crew are kinda fucked for awhile.

[gatekeeper-watchman]

Daily Devotionals for February 16, 2023

Proverbs: God's Wisdom for Daily Living Devotional Scripture: Proverbs 8:13(KJV): 13 the LORD fears to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Thought for the Day

Proverbs gives us a good explanation of what the "fear of the Lord" is. Some people are confused by this concept when they see in the New Testament, that "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment…" (1 John 4:18).

To reconcile these seemingly opposing truths, we must understand what it means to fear the Lord. The Hebrew noun Torah comes from the verb yare', "…to venerate, reverence." It means to be humble toward God because we acknowledge His power and authority. A small example of this would be the sort of reverence we have toward our parents. We should respect what our parents say. If our father warns us of the danger of smoking, we will not rebel against him. We will fear the consequences of what might happen to us if we get addicted to cigarettes. This is a healthy fear that protects us; it does not torment us. Likewise, fearing the Lord means we respect His Word and apply it to our lives.

We read that "perfect love casteth out fear." If we love God and desire to please Him, we will want to obey Him. If we do not disobey Him, we have nothing to fear. This does not mean we must be perfect since we all fail God at times, but because of our love for God, we strive to obey Him perfectly. When we fail, we must confess our guilt to God, or the devil will be able to torment us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

If we fear the Lord, we will hate evil. We will ask Him to deliver us from arrogance and a perverse mouth. If we tolerate evil in our lives, we do not fear God. We may think that God is overlooking wrong attitudes if we are not immediately punished for them. We need to realize that God is being merciful, giving us time to repent so that our sins do not activate the principle of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7-8). The fear of the Lord turns us from sin. It causes us to seek His help to resist evil, and it stirs within us a desire to walk in the truth.

Prayer Devotional for the Day

Dear Father in heaven, I am thankful for Your love and patience toward me, to help me overcome the things in my life that are not pleasing to You. I realize that I cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit. I am calling on You to empower me to be that overcomer and help me to come to the place where I love You so much, that I will never want to hurt You by going my own way. I humbly ask You to remove all pride and rebellion from my heart. Cleanse me, and may I always have the "fear of the Lord" in my heart. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. From: Elder Steven P. Miller Founder of Gatekeeper-Watchman International Groups Jacksonville, Florida., Duval County, USA. https://www.facebook.com/groups/Sparkermiller.JAX.FL.USA https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gatekeeper-watchman https://www.facebook.com/ParkermillerQ/ Twitter: @GatekeeperWatchman1, @ParkermillerQ, @StevenPMiller6; #GWIG, #GWIN, #GWINGO, #Ephraim1, #IAM, #Sparkermiller, #Eldermiller1981

Instagram: steven_parker_miller_1956 URL: linkedin.com/in/steven-miller-b1ab21259

[technicallyr43]

I’ve had this stuck in my head for awhile, so let me lay out the bones of a story for y’all. Watch me obliterate canon for some fandoms.

The apocalypse, where Lucifer led some angels and rebelled against god and were subsequently banished from heaven. Some say that it was due to them not agreeing that humans should be a part of Gods love. Some say they didn’t agree with Gods plan. But the truth is that it was never about the humans. It was about a brother.

The Archangels were all brothers. The first born, Gabriel, the might of god, who was his first and spread his word making the others. Michael, who was like god, who carried out His wishes without hesitation . Raphael, who healed like god, a kind soul who treated anyone and everyone without prejudice. Lucifer, the light of god, who led the younger angels in worship and led them. Uriel, the judgement of god, who sought justice for all and burned with fire. Amenadiel, the warrior of god, who upheld the law of all that was foretold and wouldn’t lose a battle.

With the creation of Angels, and their sub-species, the archangels had a hand in governing over the younger brood. And then God created humans. The Angels viewed the humans as beneath them, and wondered why God would create a lesser being. Some questioned outright, others to themselves. Lucifer asked the most questions, raised the most concerns. But none that were enough to be exiled. Until a tragedy struck.

The first born, Gabriel, was murdered. His soul disappeared and his grace dispersed. It was such a shock that it caused unnatural disasters on earth, and all the beings felt it. Everyone was in shock. How could such a powerful angel suddenly die? The Archangels pleaded with God to ask what happened, but God remained silent. And so, the unrest continued until the 2 sides broke apart and started the War.

The apocalypse lasted years, until finally Michael struck down Lucifer and the other angels, causing them to fall to Earth, and then keep falling. They fell past the dirt and the stone into Hell, and then God spoke to Lucifer.

“This is your realm now. The deepest pit of the darkest corner contains an evil that even I cannot contain. Protect it and you shall have free will.”

And so Lucifer did. He raged against it but when he found out who was behind the prison, he reluctantly guarded it. The fallen angels became demons, and humanity grew.

With the fall of Lucifer, the death of Gabriel and the disappearance of Raphael, the upper echelons of Heaven scrambled to put it back in order. Angels were promoted to higher places, and prophecies were spoken as everyone knew that another war would happen. And then the events of Good Omen happen.

After Adam says no to the apocalypse, Heaven and Hell are making new plans, but then Lucifer leaves Hell, and the good TV show we know as Lucifer starts. And because it’s now been brought to my attention that Lucifer is also part of DC, Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl are here too. Superman finds a little girl and he takes her to Flash Bc she’s got some weird power to rewind stuff.

So one day, a battle starts out, and an evil creature named Lilith starts destroying the world. The heroes are trying to fight her but she’s too strong. Then Lucifer comes to fight, and the archangels too. They don’t know why they fee the need to fight, but they do. Crowley and Aziraphael are there too, and the battle rages on and everyone takes refuge in a crumpled church. They’re all tired and injured, some dying, and it’s clear they’ve lost. And then they hear someone ask them if the battle must go on.

Everyone looks up at the altar and see a long blonde haired man looking at them warmly. The flash crew recognize him and Cisco is like, “yo gabe! Wtf, you disappeared like months ago and ur showing up now. I got some shitty timing”. Gabe just laughs and Crowley is looking like he’s seen a ghost, and says, “did you call him Gabe?”.

Aziraphael asks if he’s alright and why that matters, but Gabe just answers, “it would be you to recognize me like this, Raphael.” The other archangels lose their shit, Bc they realize that Crowley is the missing Raphael and this man is their supposed-to-be-dead brother. They explain that the apocalypse happened Bc of Gabriel dying, and are understandably upset. Gabe just smiles and starts singing “You will be found” from Dear Evan Hansen. (I found that the lyrics are pretty spot on for what happens in this plot)

While he’s singing, their wounds start healing and they feel rejuvenated. And suddenly the little girl screams out “Papa”, and runs to Gabe. Her little horn activates and her rewind power envelopes the whole planet as it rewound to before Lilith started killin people. By the time they’re done, Lilith has noticed Gabe and is boiling in rage.

Because before the Archangels, God created something else. He created Leviathans, a grotesque creature that devours all good. Recognizing his mistake, he create the first archangel, Gabriel to fight them. The both of them successfully lock them up in the prison that the Goddess is locked up in, separated but contained. Well, after God created Humans, a Leviathan broke out due to a human being curious, and immediately went to Heaven to feast of the angel grace up there. Gabriel was able to stop them from entering the gates, but was seriously wounded by the beast. God entered the fray, and was able to immobilize Lilith, the leviathan, but was distracted by Gabriel quickly dying AO she escaped to another dimension. God immediately used an enormous amount of energy to take Gabriel’s soul and fling it to a dimension where he could be born again and find his grace when he’s ready. But after that, he was too weak to speak to the other angels without hurting them. So remained silent until he was able to gather strength to speak to Lucifer about the prison.

And Gabriel was reborn in the MHA world as Hizashi Yamada. He became a hero, a teacher, a radio host, a husband and a parent, before Lilith found him and yanked him and his daughter, Eri, into the dimension she was in. Gabe was able to get back his grace and flung Eri to somewhere she would be safe before ripping his grace out of him and flinging it back to his world and dropping from the dimension stream. He found himself in the Flash world, with no memory. His grace split apart, finding itself into his husband, Aizawa Shouta, and his children, shinsou Hitoshi and Eri. And then enough found it’s way back to him so he could remember and perform the miracle he did at the church. And when Eri found him again, he gained a large portion of his grace, allowing him to fight Lilith and cram her back in the prison, with the help of Lucifer.

And that’s the end of this book. The second part will be up tomorrow.

What the fuck have I done

[scarletarosa]

Theistic Luciferianism/Satanism and Values of the Faith

Those of us who follow Lucifer as our god believe in following his values of freedom and enlightenment; we do not stand for cruelty, as many would have you believe. Since Lucifer was the first Rebel and waged war against the Usurper who tried to overthrow the other gods, we follow Lucifer’s example and pledge ourselves to him. We may also work with other infernal gods as well, such as Queen Lilith and the Goetia- for they represent these values just as much.

Enlightenment 

The goal of Enlightenment in Luciferianism is that we all must seek to become our best and wisest selves. We do this through healing our past and current traumas, through overcoming self-doubts, finding confidence despite adversities, and by constantly seeking wisdom and knowledge. 

Compassion and Guidance

The value of being open-hearted towards mankind and not allowing the evils of the corrupt cloud our hearts towards the entirety of people. We must seek to eliminate our ignorances and help guide others to do the same- but if someone refuses, that is their own choice and must walk a path of harsh learning. We strongly value life and generosity, those who claim to be part of this religion and perform human sacrifices are not tolerated.

Questioning and Truth-Seeking

As Lucifer is a god of knowledge and wisdom, we of course hold this very important value. All throughout history, oppressors make up lies, religions lie, books, media, and so on. It’s never-ending. We need to be in the habit of questioning everything, even question your own beliefs. This is the only way to find the Truth, and yes, it will be uncomfortable. The path to the towers of wisdom is a rough and winding one, but if your mind remains open, and you only believe in what has been totally proven, you will find yourself becoming free.

Self-Love with Humility

I know Lucifer is always said to be prideful, but his pride is more of a great love for his needs and a respect for his own freedom. We cannot be free if we are slaves to our ignorant pride, we must overcome that and recognize that we are constantly growing, never perfect. And that is just fine, we are ever-evolving works of art. Respect yourself so that you can see your truth, so that you can stand up for what is right. But know when you must be still and listen.

Freedom for All

No type of ignorance or oppression is tolerated in this religion. We are supporters of freedom and need to actively spread the word on the sufferings of others and help in what ways we can. If we stay silent, we give the oppressors more power. Everyone is allowed to have free-will, but this is only acceptable if there are no evil intentions behind it. Therefore, we accept people of all races, gender, gender-identity, sexual-identity, and so on. 

Preservation and Innovation

This world is not a place we should let rot, it is special and holds so much potential. With Lucifer, Lilith, and their demons working to preserve the Earth, we need to be doing this as well in any way we can. Even if it’s just picking up trash outside, recycling, or giving to charity. Find ways to help improve the word and share your ideas and talents- we need progress more than ever now.

[disneydreamlights]

Anidala Fic Recs

I got asked for fic recs for these. NSFW will be in a private post (that I’ll make later GOING THROUGH YOUR AO3 HISTORY IS TEDIOUS) for easy DMing purposes. All recs under a read more.

So first for authors:

Just about anything by SkywalkersAmidala and Gemma’s Writing (@gemmaswriting​)

Everything I’ve read by them is absolutely fantastic, and believe me, I’ve read pretty much everything from them. Multiple times in some cases. They’re just very good. SkywalkersAmidala in most cases writes more silly lighthearted AUs and Gemma’s Writing does a bit of everything, all of which are good.

Padme Lives/Anakin Doesn’t Fall:

(Anything on my Vaderdala fic recs list, you need Padme alive for Vaderdala)

Precipice by Shadowsong26

An AU in which Anakin Skywalker does not follow Mace Windu and the others to Palpatine’s office after they leave to arrest the Chancellor. As a result, he doesn’t get that final push over the edge, and doesn’t Fall.

(Padme returns to the Senate with Luke, Anakin to lead the Rebels with Leia. Things get better is the absolute best way to summary this one.)

To These Memories by KatieRoseFun

After Darth Sidious is defeated, everything changes. Some for the better, others not so much. Mostly better though. (Or: Anakin becomes a dad. Rex rehabilitates clone troopers who no longer want to be a part of the army. Ahsoka gets a call from an old friend. And maybe Obi-Wan finds out it’s not just his enemies who don’t stay dead. Basically, everyone gets the happy ending they deserve.)

Pocket Full of Sand Verse by Philthestone

Anakin goes missing, Padme is captured, and this causes Leia Skywalker and Luke Amidala to meet.

Clash of Fates by AliceBDS (In Progress) 

Sometimes, the course of life is changed with one decision.

When Ahsoka Tano requests the help of her former master in liberating Mandalore, a twist of destiny sends them to Coruscant to rescue Chancellor Palpatine instead, altering the course of galactic history forever.

When Dead Men Walk by Ellapromachos

Anakin hesitates just a few minutes longer, and the entire galaxy is better for it.

or; Anakin is at the Temple for Order 66, but not as Darth Vader. And when Palpatine comes for him, he plays his cards just a little bit better. He digs his heels in, and prepares for the long con.

My Loyalties Lie by Stranestelle (In Progress)

When Anakin initially rejects Palpatine's offer to 'help' him, the Sith Lord, in a rare moment of hastiness, ships him off to Kamino to have a control chip implanted.

Nobody Needs to Know by Elizaham8957

The twins are born in the middle of the Clone Wars, and Anakin and Padmé try to continue hiding the fact that they're married and now have two children.

Nobody buys it. Like, seriously, nobody.

Hunter by Zinoviev

Leia is offered a chance to escape Bespin when Boba Fett enlists her help to prevent Luke from falling into Vader's clutches. She has plenty of questions, however. Who is this mysterious bounty hunter, and what does he want with her friend?

The Bantha in the Room by Estrangedlestrange

concept: anakin sitting in the council room bouncing baby luke on his knees as he adamantly denies having children or attachments

Time Travel:

Stand the Hazard of the Die by KeelieThompson1

Baby Luke is sent back in time by Obi-Wan to the prequel era. Needless to say, things change.

Just One Wish by LadyVader23

On a trip to Dathomir, Anakin Skywalker finds a spell that will grant him one wish. Anxious to return home, he wishes for a way to end the war. As a result, he ends up accidentally kidnapping his future children...moments after they've escaped Bespin. Luke is quite done dealing with his mess of a father, and Leia is convinced telling the future Darth Vader about the future will only make it worse. Desperate, Anakin calls in the only person they might listen to: Padme Amidala. Too bad Padme has a surprise of her own...

Temper With the Stars by Pipionem

After being pulled through the World between Worlds, Ahsoka finds herself in the final days of the Clone Wars, on a Separatist ship holding the recently kidnapped Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Saving the galaxy from the horrors to come is a lot to get done in a week, but Ahsoka has lost everything before - this time, she won't let that happen. Of course, that doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

Skywalker Family Fics:

Skywalker Family Values by Ariel_Sojourner

Camp Chippewa is proud to be the Empire’s foremost camp resort for privileged young adults. Located on the picturesque forest moon of Endor, your child will have the opportunity to participate in wholesome outdoor activities and socialize appropriately with their peers. We invite your offspring to join us for the experience of a lifetime and a bright future in service of the greater glory of the Empire.

On opposite sides of the galaxy, on opposite sides of a civil war, Darth Vader and Padme Amidala unwittingly send Luke and Leia to the same camp during school break. Chaos naturally ensues.

Mild AU:

Desideratum by Sithanakin (In Progress)

As a young Initiate in the midst of a childish crush, Padmé had always dreamt of Anakin Skywalker becoming her Master. But she was to turn thirteen too early for that to be possible.

Then, at sixteen, she loses her Master in the battle of Geonosis. In the confusion of all her grief, she does not expect newly-knighted Anakin Skywalker to offer to take her on as his Padawan.

The Wise Thing by Stranestelle

Warning: Very dark, not happy ending.

Padmé Amidala may not be all she seems. Anakin Skywalker wears his heart on his sleeve. People have crushes every day, it’s not the end of the world. Is it?

or, if you will, a sith!Padmé AU

Bonded by Betts

(Okay I’ll out myself slightly with smut but just one on my mostly SFW recs.)

Padmé had always been better at the mental half of the Jedi code—coercion, manipulation, meditation. Anakin had always been better at the physical half—beating shit up with his lightsaber.

Heirs to the Empire by Aldojlc

Alternate Universe. En route to Endor, Luke, Leia, and Han during the events of ROTJ find themselves transported into a different universe and a different Empire, with a different Vader.

Heavy AUs:

(it’s not so bad) being dead like me by Estrangedlestrange

Recently deceased Anakin Skywalker (killed in an taco truck explosion) finds himself not in the after life but recruited as the newest member of the undead, he’s become a grim reaper. He’s told that it’s his destiny but really he thinks it’s just rotten luck. Rotten except for the fact that one of his fellow reapers is Padmé Amidala, the most beautiful woman Anakin’s has seen, dead or alive. As he struggles to come to grips with his death and his new role in the universe, Anakin finds that taking souls isn’t the easiest job out there, he also finds himself falling in love.

Skyborn by Silverdaye

Senator Padmé Amidala enjoys spending her time in a bookstore, one made of real flimsi books where each one costs a small fortune. It is there she meets a strange man, Anakin Skywalker, who is searching for long forgotten planet, Kesh. 4,500 years ago a ship crashed on Kesh. The survivors told the natives they were their gods, the Skyborn. Anakin is one of them.

For Even the Very Wise Cannot See All Ends by UncorrectGrammar

When people think of Anakin Skywalker, they think of the Chosen One, the Hero With No Fear. They think of an accomplished duelist, of the best flyer in Hogwarts, of the prophesized savior of the wizarding world.

They don’t think of gardens diligently kept or dirt under fingernails.

Or: Anakin Skywalker and his legacy. Hogwarts AU.

General Prequel Era (Non Anidala Centric, but still contain Anidala)

Like Fire In Our Bones by AcuteNeurosis

With all of the most important things in the galaxy literally exploding around her, Leia is given the chance to go back and help keep a promise she never personally made.

But then, for Skywalkers, saving the galaxy was always a family matter.

Well It Goes Like This by Corde_and_Dorme

At the end of it all, the thing is: Palpatine breaks his heart.

(or the one where Anakin makes the hard choice, the right choice, the other choice. Then he keeps making it.)

Vode An by Epsiloneridani

There are millions of lives on the line, clone and Jedi alike. Every second brings them one step closer to the chip's activation - one step closer to the endgame. The truth is shrouded in secrecy and clouded by doubt. The clock's ticking down.

It's a race against time.

Fives is gone. Echo finds the courage to ask why.

Bonus: ObiAnidala

For We Are A Woven Thread; Find the Strand by Shadowsong26

The night before Obi-Wan was to leave for Utapau, he and Anakin and Padme agreed that, regardless of the Council's orders, Anakin should go as well. They split up over the course of the battle--and when Order 66 is given, they cannot find one another in the chaos; Padme, on Coruscant, is left with the knowledge that neither of them is coming back.

This story covers the next four years in their lives; how they survived and coped with the loss; how they began to fight back--and how they found their way home.

[virlath]

halam'shivanas: the sweet sacrifice of duty

It implies the loss of something personal for duty’s sake

===

How tragically ironic would it be if Solas, the rebel god and breaker of slave chains, is in fact bound to Mythal’s will, much like Abelas or the drinker of the well of sorrows is?

We can assume his duty was to advise/protect Mythal, as based on the imagery and statues that depict him. Mythal’s murder would have meant he completely failed at his duty, meaning he is still bound to her even after banishing the false gods and creating the veil.

This is why he cannot be swayed on his path. He walks the dinan’shiral because he is bound by his duty to the people, and to Mythal. He can’t just walk away like Abelas can at the well. He can’t even tell the Inquisitor the truth even if he wants to because his duty to Mythal always comes first.

We all know Bioware love their tragic characters and this would just be the icing on the already delicious cake that is Thedas lore.

Note: Assumptions and theories ahead are based on speculation and theorising only- this is simply a potential take on Solas’ motivations. 

===

Firstly, why would Solas even agree to serve Mythal?

Fen’Harel statues are often seen as a symbol of guardianship. In the Temple of Mythal he is depicted as a guard dog. Guard dogs infer protection and servitude to its owner. That’s the impression I get from his statues - that he guarded Mythal willingly and with great pride.

The only reason he came to be remembered as a god at all is because he takes the form of a powerful wolf beast, and walks amongst all factions freely as a rebel leader against slavery.

If Mythal is “the best” of the evanuris (and remember, the evanuris are self proclaimed gods who all owned slaves in some sense), how could Solas lead a slave rebellion while he was still on good terms with Mythal? 

It can be assumed from clues throughout the game that Solas used to be a pure spirit in some sense before manifesting as a material elf. He refers to a person’s essence through their “spirit”, and it seems like he very much misses being a pure spirit himself.

Cole: You don't need to envy me, Solas. You can find happiness in your own way. Solas: I apologize for disturbing you, Cole. I am not a spirit, and sometimes it is hard to remember such simple truths. Cole: They are not gone so long as you remember them. Solas: I know. Cole: But you could let them go. Solas: I know that as well. Cole: You didn't do it to be right. You did it to save them. Inquisitor: Solas, what is Cole talking about? Solas: A mistake. One of many made by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything. Cole: You weren't wrong, though. Solas: Thank you, Cole.

(if Cole becomes more human)

Solas: How do you feel, Cole, now that you dealt with the Templar? Cole: I don't know. He hurt me... hurt the real Cole. I'm angry at him. Cole: I can't let that go. I have to become more, let it make me real. Solas: You may well become fully human, after all. I never thought to see it. Cole: When did you see it before? Solas: I did not say that I had. Cole: No, you didn't. It's harder to hear, sometimes. Sorry. Solas: Good luck, Cole. You have taken a difficult road.

Could Solas have been a pure spirit of wisdom before he took on a physical form to be at Mythal’s side? Did the ancient elves use spirits to do their bidding, and those with greater power used physical bodies to transcend singular character traits to gain the full complexity and spectrum of emotions and actions? Perhaps that seemed appealing to Solas at the time - to become more than he currently was?

To gain wisdom you have to actively seek it. That means travelling and learning, a trait that Solas embodies. He elaborates on more of his travels if you ask him at Haven.

“The Fade reflects the world around it. Unless I travelled I would never find anything new.”

“The Fade reflects and is limited by our imaginations. To find interesting areas, one must be interesting.”

I have explored the Fade more than anyone alive, but even I can only visit in dreams. 

Then in Trespasser, Cole cryptically reveals more snippets of his past (presumed). 

Cole: He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face.

Cole: He wants to give wisdom, not orders.

So, why would Solas willingly serve Mythal if he is so against slavery and servitude? 

I presume it is because he actively sought more wisdom and inadvertently fell into Mythal’s will to attain more knowledge. Whether or not he deliberately became Mythal’s servant/advisor is up for debate. His circumstances could mirror his personal quest in DAI, where Mythal summoned him as a spirit to be her advisor, turning him from wisdom to pride. Or, this could just be a red herring.

Abelas sheds a bit of light on what serving Mythal actually entails:

“Brave it if you must. But know you this, you shall be bound forever to the will of Mythal....Bound as we are bound. The choice is yours.”

I personally think Solas could very well have chosen to attain more wisdom at the cost of serving Mythal- becoming her personal guard dog if you will. He was after all, cocky and thought he knew everything. 

In any case, in forming a physical self, he inadvertently came into great power, becoming Fen’Harel, deified in his own right. 

And once you have power, you always want more. It’s what forms a part of being human- he touches on this a lot in banter and dialogue throughout the game. To a wisdom spirit who simply sought more wisdom in the world, it makes sense he would always want to learn more and know more and be more. 

To gain more wisdom, he had to constantly seek out greater things, and being in a position of great power as Mythal’s right hand man allowed him to collect this wisdom he so desired. 

Solas traded wisdom for a physical body, thus he lost his spirit form permanently. He traded the simplicity of being a spirit of wisdom, for the complexity of being a mortal elf with all the emotions tied to it. He traded the very essence of his being to become one of Mythal’s own trusted advisors.

That was the cost of him gaining more knowledge through Mythal’s position of power- without this sacrifice of self, he would never have seen more, or known more, or been more than the singular trait of wisdom.

This is perhaps why he feels so lonely and betrayed and like he can’t trust anyone- because as a spirit, life was simple, he simply collected knowledge and passed it on. As a physical being, he learnt the brutality of war and the cost of betrayal. These events define his overall perception of physical beings, which is why he doesn’t view people as people. He simply views them as pawns to be used, like a game of chess. “He wants to give wisdom, not orders.“

It could also explain why he disdains physicality and envies Cole - he simply wishes everything were that simple, but it can’t because he is now a material being. When he realises his love for the Inquisitor is real, and that the companions in the Inquisition are real, it shakes the entirety of his core beliefs about what makes people, people. He only falls back to his sense of duty because he has to. He failed Mythal when she was killed, and she wants revenge. To achieve vengeance, she needs her guard dog to do her bidding.

===

Solas’ purpose changed 

As the ancient elves warred between themselves, Mythal would have needed advisors and trusted friends. She would have relied on Solas heavily, because he was a willing servant full of wisdom and advice, and his wisdom would be invaluable during a civil war. What Solas was to the Inquisition, he was probably even more so to Mythal.

This may be the reason why Mythal actually uplifted Solas as the dread wolf, helping him shape the image of fear and rebellion. She allowed him to be free of his vallaslin and create his rebellion- it was all subterfuge and part of her master plan to create chaos amongst her rivals and their slaves.

The side benefit was Solas took the fall for her in almost every respect- she came to be remembered as Mythal, the patron of motherhood and justice, while Solas came to be remembered as the trickster “god”, the dread wolf who sabotaged Mythal’s enemies while freeing slaves at the same time.

It was a symbiotic relationship for both of them as their actions aligned with each other’s motivations. It wasn’t out of love that Solas served Mythal, but his bonds of duty, personal desire for wisdom, and eventually his personal quest to end cruelty and slavery. He says himself he did not lead a rebellion without getting his hands bloody. Solas is not a saint and it’s easy to forget that- he was part of the institution as well.

===

Solas’ is a mortal mage whose weakness is pride

Solas isn’t infallible and he knows this. He makes so many mistakes out of arrogance it would be funny if it wasn’t sad. I mean, he gave his orb to Corypheus...what possessed him to think that was a good idea?

His pride is his weakness and he severely underestimates the complexity of human emotions and motivations. Where once he simply desired more wisdom, now, he thinks he knows better than anyone else because of his pride. He thinks modern Thedas is full of “tranquil” because he is so arrogant to believe that his past was better than the future he helped create, even though ancient elvhenan was chock full of slavery and cruelty. 

In fact, his position of power was enabled through the evanuris, and Mythal herself, who was at the top of the pecking order. 

Somewhere along the way, Mythal used him as a general or commander in the war. That is when I think Solas changed from an advisor to one that embodied pride. In doing so he took on the form of a reptilian wolf / dragon hybrid. “I would not have you see what I become...”

If you drink from the well, and have high approval with him, he will be very upset after the fact:

“You gave yourself into the service of an ancient elven god!...You are Mythal’s creature now. Everything you do, whether you know it or not, will be for her. You have given up a part of yourself.”

Solas knows what the Inquisitor has given up because perhaps he also gave up a part of himself for her.

===

Solas vs. Mythal

At the end of DAI, Flemeth specifically says to Solas “I knew you would come”

When he says “I am so sorry” to Flemeth, she responds in kind. “I am sorry as well...old friend”. 

It’s not a “I’m sorry you failed” sorry. It’s a “I’m sorry for what I’m about to get you to do” sorry. It’s hard to be certain at this point exactly what power Mythal bestows upon Solas, but I think the fact remains, Solas isn’t simply Solas anymore. Through his bonds of duty to Mythal, his actions will be for her whether or not he knows it. 

With the essence of Mythal’s power, the things he will do in the name of saving the elven people will likely also form a part of her master plan for vengeance against the other evanuris.

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

Kingdom Collisions XIV

Masterlist for other parts, more jercy, crackships and bad ideas

writing fic=more description=(hopefully) improve writing

no prewritten chapters=sporadic updates=as surprised as you about what happens

Tell me your thoughts, I'm insecure about this chapter. Also sorry for the long ass wait I haven’t felt in the writing mood but hopefully I'm back.

together or not at all. find him. find him. find him.

Crown Prince Jason’s dream starts as all his dreams do. Him sitting on a cloud looking over a burning meadow. He feels himself wince as if his body already knows its going to be hurt and then he is pulled under, under, under and suddenly the dream is a memory. One he had forgotten about, one he wishes he'll live through for the rest of his life.

"Prince," A soft, warm voice calls. "Are you in here?"

There is a moment of quiet, the crackling of the fire and the turn of the page the only interruptions.

"I'm here." The reply is gentle, and sweet, and full of the brightest days.

Jason blinks, looks through long blonde lashes. "Hello my Ardor"

Leo sinks into the couch, grabbing his hand with the need to be close and comfortable and together. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I had some things to research before tomorrow meeting with FreedomtoFeed."

The Captain of the Guards raises an eyebrow and gives a pointed look to the raunchy cover of the novel he has clasped in his hands. "That looks very appropriate for a feeding-the-people initiative."

He blushes crimson and shuts the book with a huff of embarrassment. "I finished the research."

Leo pulls them together until their foreheads bump gently, "I'm only teasing. But you should go to sleep."

"Will you join me?"

The fingers dancing at the nape of his neck still, and smoldering brown eyes catch his. "Of course."

They release twin breathes and move impossible closer, until lips brush against skin and oxygen is sparse.

"You are so beautiful," The Prince whispers, kissing his jaw. His cheek. Nose. Throat.

"Please kiss me." Leo is shaking with anticipation, arousal.

And who is Jason to refuse such a precious request? He brushes his lips gently across his Ardor's and groans at the softness he finds. Pillows, and peaches, and sweetness that only intensifies when it deepens. Their tongues dance, explore each other languidly. Like time is nothing but a suggestion. His fingers brush silken warm cheeks and dance across Leo's skin until they're resting on his thighs.

Jason is breathless when he breaks away, "You are—" His words are cut off as the Guard pulls their faces together.

"No talking now my Prince. Tonight we only feel."

Jason feels himself frown, as the memory becomes hazy, disjointed. This wasn't how it happened.

‘Together or not at all. find him. find him. find him.” Leo gasps, his head falling on the Prince's shoulder. "Jase, I can't—" He's cut off by a cry.

And suddenly all his beautiful brown skin is turning to ash under Jason's hands. He tries to grab on to anything, any part of Leo, but the more he holds the more ash comes away.

"Ardor?" He cries. This isn't how it happens. This isn't the way it goes. He can't go like this. They can't leave each other. He just got him back.

He can't, he can't, he can't, he c—

Prince Jason Grace wakes up with a scream, blunt finger nails tearing into his chest as he attempts to rid himself of the nightmare. And when his eyes adjust to the world he only knows darkness and despair. The love of his life is still dead and he is still far away from his dear kingdom. Actually he has no idea where he is at all. That thought is the final pick in the ice and suddenly his body is wracking with sobs. His life is a complete fucking mess. And he doesn't want to do this anymore. Every event piles onto his chest like boulders until he can't breathe, until he is hyperventilating.

Far from home; Leo is dead; kidnapped; tortured; his husband is—

Wait where is his husband? The thought shocks him out of his panic so fast he's reeling as he sits up. The cold floor underneath his fingers ground him to the present and he pushes off the concrete onto shaky legs. He feels so weird, like his body is not his own, like he's been forcibly removed from it and shoved into a whole new one and now he has to learn how to be human all over again. He feels like he's died. Slowly he stumbles around until he hits a wall and then plastering his right hand to it he walks. Or more like drags himself along, nails scraping against the brick and a bare shoulder scratching against the roughness.

His eyes are useless for anything further than his feet and he sees no evidence of light. But the room, or what he's beginning to suspect is a hallway, continues so he to keeps going. Someone will fill in all the blanks in his memory but first he has to find his husband. There is a deep chasm in his chest and he has the ugly feeling it will only start filling when he sees those green eyes and floppy curls. It almost disgusts him how much he needs to see the Prince of Mare. It's like his body, his heart, has forgotten about Leo entirely. He feels sick to his stomach at the thought so he banishes everything but the need to get out of here. Suddenly he hits a wall, hard enough that he knows there’ll be a bruise tomorrow. With a silent prayer to gods he didn't care to believe in, he turns his body and keeps walking. Right hand still on the wall.

There is nothing and no-one. He feels likes he's in the inside of a black hole. There is not even the faint sounds of outside. It is just his dragging feet and his cracking nails and the ringing in his ear from the sheer lack of sound.

He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will get out of here. He will—

There's a scraping sound. Someone gives a sharp inhale. A pinprick stings his neck. He is never getting out of here.

together or not at all. find him. find him. find him.

Prince Jason clutches his rolling stomach, and without warning throws up the little contents that may have been in there. Before he even opens his eyes he knows whatever he will see cannot be good. Even behind his eyelids it is unnaturally bright and he can hear hushed whispers coming from somewhere. They sound angry. He will get the brunt of it.

"Well well well," A rapsy voice echoes around him.

He forces his eyes open and blinks back the harsh neon lighting to see Annabeth Chase, his previous kidnapper, and Grover Underwood.

"It's such a pity you don't remember me." She pouts unhappily, but there is nothing but viciousness in her grey eyes.

He wonders what he should remember.

"How do you feel Jason?"

"Like I died. Like I want to get out of here. Like I need to see my husband." He spits at the man leaning against the wall so casually.

"All in due time. But while we have you here I think we could use you."

"Why should I help either of you?" He curls his lip, anger making his vision blur, "You," He points a disgusted finger at the blonde girl, "Kidnapped me and Percy and then proceeded to torture us." She giggles and he wants to bury that sound six feet underground. "And you," He looks to Grover, the advisor to Mare and Percy's friend. He looks every bit the enemy. "I don't trust you one bit. Not if you can have her in your presence so calmly."

"I'm not looking for your trust Prince," The man, the being, scoffs. "I just need your cooperation. Otherwise Annabeth here has permission to get as creative as possible."

Grover tilts his head to her, a silent conversation passing between them, and then he leaves without so much as a glance to him.

"I'll never tell you anything." He growls at her.

She grins, pretty white teeth gleaming in the horrible light. "Let me tell you a story Prince Jason Grace, about the day you lost your sister."

"My who?"

She gives a secret smile and begins.

Twenty seven years ago a girl with blonde hair and grey eyes was born to The King and Queen of Mare. She was a sweet little girl with pigtails and a sharp mind and she kept her parents on their toes every second. One day this little girl's mom came to tell her that she would soon be getting a little sibling to play with and care for. The little girl was undeniably excited, or as excited as you can be when you're three years old and get told you're getting a small person just like you. Needless to say a little boy with blonde hair the exact same shade as hers, and blue eyes as bright as the summer skies was born. While she had eyes the exact shade of her mother’s he had their father’s eyes. And it was dangerous, but nobody knew that then. The little girl loved him immediately and with all her heart. They spent every moment together. Growing up and learning and loving each other as if it was the only natural thing to do. But when the little girl turned eighteen she received some horrible news. Her mother had died. Her brave beautiful mother who gave her kisses and taught her chess and spent hours reading to them. Understandably the family was devasted and they took it very hard. The girl— not so little anymore, grief will do that to a person— was angry and broken and unwilling to listen to the world that had so unfairly taken from her. So she rebelled against their father and lost their mother. And in her quest to feel something she engaged in nefarious, sinful, delightful activities. It was there that she met the love of her life. The Crown Princess of Hekima. Reyna. They got married within a year and have been together ever since. But the girl found out something about her mother's death and she was so furious as she rightfully should be that she renounced her title and vowed to bring down the very thing that killed her beloved mother.

together or not at all. find him. find him. find him.

“You are terrible at telling stories.”

Annabeth smiles like a lion ready to pounce. "Figured out who the little girl is?"

"You." He heaves, chest constricting as he takes her in.

"And her little brother?"

"How come I don't remember you?"

"When we kidnapped you we put a serum in that would make you forget certain aspects of your life." She shrugs as if she's discussing the weather.

"And you feel no remorse for hurting your brother?" He spits at her feet.

Her grey eyes flash like steel and she gets into his face. "I have no family."

"Why tell me at all? Why not just let me be ignorant?"

That makes her smile- no, bare her teeth. "Because unlike me Jason Grace you would do anything for the people you love, for the people you think you owe. No matter the cost."

"I'm not telling you anything." His voice is hard. Like the concrete he is pressed into. Like thunder.

"Nah uh," She grins at him, "I'm your sister remember. You wouldn't deny your sister the information she wants."

"Try me."

It must be a sibling thing because a challenge enters both their eyes and it shines bright enough to dull the horrid neon lighting in the room.

"How do we kill Crown Prince Perseus Jackson?"

He blinks at her. Blinks again. And then he starts laughing. Knee slapping, stomach aching, wheezing kind of laughter. He can't breathe. He can't even see because his eyes are so filled with tears.

"I'm serious." She grinds out.

"How the fuck should I know? We don't discuss ways to kill each other," He rolls his eyes, muttering "Even if we do think about it."

"You must know. You have to know. It is woven into your DNA. You meet each other in every lifetime and die. You have seen it for centuries."

His fading laughter vanishes completely as he whips his head up to look at her. "What?"

"You and Perseus. You guys are immortal deities who appear whenever the world needs to be remade.” Her voice is impatient as if he should know this. As if she’s explaining it to an incompetent child. “You as the healer and him as the destroyer. But people and beings alike have been killing you for centuries because your presence means they will cease to exist. You have watched each other die multiple times. You have revived each other multiple times too."

"So you're saying we're soulmates?" He can hardly believe what he's hearing. It sounds like the biggest load of bullshit he's ever heard.

"No. You're more than that. You aren't just two halves that fit to make a whole. You aren't even two wholes that fit to make a pair. You are each other. You do not exist without him. He does not exist without you. You are not bound by souls or hearts or whatever us humans believe is the epitome of love. You are bound by life."

"I don't believe you." He rolls his eyes. This is garbage. This is nonsense. This is not real.

"I don't really have time to argue with you about it. Just tell me what I need to know and you will be spared."

"Why should I?" He's not even considering it. He would never betray his husband like that. Would never put the Prince in such volatile danger.

"Because if you don't," She gives another of her terrifying grins, "The kingdom you know and love will crumble to nothing."

"You're lying."

"It's already started Jason." She cackles, "The more time you spend with Perseus the more he will bleed into you and you into him. There are already cracks in the castle. Do you really want to risk it?"

His heart is pounding but she is wrong. Isn't she? "I don't believe you." He says again.

"Oh Jase," She gives him a pitying look and he wants to rip her eyes out and toss them in a lake to watch the fish. "The Castle of Caelum is falling to the ground. Your Prince's blood spilled on mom's roses and they crumbled to dust. There are splinters in the stone. They will become chasms. Either you help us or you risk your precious kingdom turning to debris right before you."

"And what's in it for me?"

"You'll be spared from the slaughter of the monarchs."

"And my husband?"

"He will die. This is non negotiable. One of you must, to stop you from fulfilling your fates. We have someone with him right now."

Wrong answer. But he bows his head and pretends to mull it over. Inside his thoughts are whirring like a new machine and plan after plan formulates in his mind.

"Okay Annabeth Chase, my sister," He smiles soft and sweet. She returns it in triumph. "I will join your rebellion. I will tell you how to kill my husband."

And as she picks him up from the floor and removes the invisible ties keeping him pinned to the concrete he allows himself a secret smile of his own. It hints at the malice, the destruction, to come. They made the biggest mistake of their lives when they took him away from the Prince. They will pay.

I'm coming for you Percy.

So Crown Prince Jason Grace loops his arm through his sister's and makes friends with his enemy.

together or not at all. find him. find him. find him.

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

I don’t really know how I feel about this part. Feels a bit all over the place but at least we’re getting some clarification which is cool. Also are Annabeth and the rebels the good guys or bad guys for wanting to save the world from Jase and Perc? *raises eyebrow curiously*

Tags (if you want to be added to/ taken off the tag list just let me know, all my channels of communication are open):

@nishlicious-01​​

@queen-of-demons-and-hell​​

@leydiangelo​​

@sparkythunderstorm​​

@makos-bi-awakening​​

@aalikun​​

[avesblues2]

"The Law’s purpose is to promote personal and societal flourishing. Just as a loving parent lays down ground rules for his child to follow to lead a safe and successful life, God the Father gave us the Ten Commandments to help us lead our best lives with regard to our relationship with Him and our relationship with each other. The first four Commandments deal with our relationship with God, and the last six Commandments deal with our relationship with one another. The New Testament affirms that the Ten Commandments are still essential laws that should govern a Christian’s life today. The Ten Commandments serve not only as a moral code of conduct for today’s Christian but as a stark reminder that we are all in need of a Savior because no one can perfectly abide by all of the Commandments all of the time."

[morganas-pendragons]

child soldiers, part four - dogma 

i’m just going to be pasting the ao3 link from this point forward because it’s the easiest way to read the whole thing, but every part is in my master list! 

warning: attempted suicide in this chapter. self-deprecating thoughts.. this is not safe for anyone with triggers. this is your warning, do not go further if this applies to you. 

tag is OPEN: @tinypnut / @a-lil-perspective / @my-own-oracle / @xnyerox / @fractiouskat / @notreallybeccab / @klay97 / @painkiller80 / @pedrhoepascal / @beskars / @obiorbenkenobi / @sacred-things / @halzore / @colorfulloverbatturkey / @findhimfives / @iwannaclonetrooper / @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky / @captainrexstan

the rest of this series should be relatively lighter in regards to the darkness, but this one is def the hardest to write. i’d appreciate any and all you have to say about it, guys - enjoy! i played with dogma a little here given that we know so little about him 

lol i said tup’s was short, this is shorter 

Dogma can’t stop his hands from shaking. It’s only been a matter of hours since the assassination on Krell, but his brothers have been trying to console him over his fear of being court-marshaled and being decommissioned. 

Clone trooper Dogma executed a rebel Jedi. 

He saved the world… but he murdered. 

With his own hands. 

Which won’t stop shaking. 

***

All his brothers are asleep. There are only a matter of them patrolling the base while the Jedi convene in the comms tower. No one will disturb him in the dead of night. No one but he, himself, and the demons raging havoc in his mind. 

You see that blaster? 

His eyes flicker to the door of the armory. The end of a blaster sounds like mercy. Like if he goes in there, grabs that gun, and eats the end of it…. It’ll be better then what the Kaminoans inevitably have for him when he’s returned to Kamino. The vode hear whispers about the threat of decommissioning before they’re deployed to their respected battalions upon finishing their training as cadets. 

Follow your orders. Follow your orders, do your duty… or face decommissioning. 

He is among the youngest of the brothers in the 501st. He is the youngest, and he was the most loyal until he defied Krell’s orders to save his vode… and he is most definitely the one who is most prone to succumbing to his fear.

Dogma is young. He’s young, he’s tired… and he does not want to hurt anymore. 

Pick up the blaster, Dogma. 

He snags the first DC-17 he sees and enters the bathroom. It’s vacant. The air is frigid here as he turns, locks the door, and sets the blaster down on the sink. You useless skug. Do you not get it? Dogma’s eyes flicker back up to the mirror in which he’s greeted with his own worst nightmare. Himself. What use are you now? You know this isn’t going to go as it was supposed to. You did the one thing that’s surely going to drag you down. Why don’t you do it first?

Dogma can’t hear him, but Tup has trailed his brother through the base and to the bathroom. He’s panicking. He can’t see his vod’ika but Tup can hear him… and he’s crying.

  “Dogma!” He can’t shout. Tup cannot shout because that means he’s going to alert Rex or someone of a higher power, and then Dogma is going to be kriffing screwed because then he’s gonna get sent back to Kamino with no question and Tup will be alone, without his batchmate. “Dogma, vod’ika it’s me-“ 

His hands are trembling so hard that he cannot keep a grip on the gun. His eyes burn. If Dogma looks at his reflection, all will be lost. He will be a coward. Dogma is not a coward. 

He made that shot. His own hands took that life - despite how much Hell that Krell had put them through - and the things he can do, the capabilities he has… It terrifies him. He terrifies himself. 

And really this world will be a much better place without you in it. Do it. Put your finger on that trigger. 

The bathroom is deadly silent. Tup is three seconds from kicking the door down because there is no karking way this is happening on his watch. This is his little brother. His batchmate. The one he’s supposed to be protecting. 

Dogma closes his eyes, breathes in, and puts the blaster into his mouth. He prays to whatever God the Mandalorians believe in - because that is his livelihood, that is what he knows, he wants to believe someone might be listening - and curls his finger around the trigger. 

His whole life flashes before his eyes. Most of it is cold, sterile, emotionless.. but if he peers through the haze that clouds his mind - through the paralyzing fear of the end - he sees his brothers. All of them. 

At the front is Tup. Tup is always there. His older brother, his batch mate. 

Bang. 

The door rattles on its hinges as Tup kicks it in. It’s an older model of door, and it really shouldn’t do that, but Dogma can't find it in him to care as terrified brown eyes meet those of his older brother. 

He can’t do it. He can’t meet Tups eyes. 

  “Dogma-” 

  “I’m scared, Tup.” The blaster falls from his hands and clatters loudly against the floor. Hard enough to make Dogma wince as he falls to his knees in total and utter surrender. Tup scrambles to meet him. “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be decommissioned for saving our vod-” 

There in that bathroom, it is not two soldiers of the 501st Legion. It’s not weapons having this conversation. It’s not a weapon holding a bleeding heart in its hands. It’s an older brother consoling his little brother who desperately just needs to be held. 

Touch is a crucial part of being a clone of the Grand Army of The Republic. 

  “You acted on your heart, Dogma. That’s not cowardice. That’s bravery. That’s love. You love your vod.. and we all know it. We know. And we thank you for your service to us. More then you realize.” 

His words are in vain. They bring him no comfort, not when they return to Coruscant and Dogma is court-marshaled. He never sees Tup again. He never sees the light of day again, he never sees the sun. He knows only Kamino. Only the cold. 

And when Order 66 is activated, Clone Trooper Dogma thinks this might be a better mercy then the one he tried to give himself. 

He no longer knows fear. Knows pain. Knows suffering. He knows only himself, the strength of his hands, and the cold. 

It’s always cold on Kamino. 

Even when he’s no longer on it. 

[fialleril]

i'm not christian so i apologize if this is a gross overgeneralization but it's weird how Certain Types of christians seem to exclusively prefer to depict and refer to jesus as a baby or a dying/dead martyr... almost like Alive Adult Jesus might have some opinions that don't gel with their lifestyles lmao

You are definitely not alone in observing this, anon! In fact it’s a perennial discussion both among academic theologians and in the pastoral community.

If you’re into Christian history, there are definitely periodic trends in terms of which aspect(s) of Jesus are most emphasized, and they are unsurprisingly very much related to the social and cultural context of the people “doing theology.”

So for example, I’m personally most familiar with early/classical and early medieval Christian history. The earliest Christology was focused primarily on the resurrection (with Jesus’ death seen as an important step on the road to resurrection, but the emphasis always being on resurrection, not the death in and of itself), and the language used by the early church was explicitly the language of liberation. Salvation meant freedom from sin and death, and crucially, sin included what we might now call “social sin”: that is, the sin of inequality in this life. The first Christians preached resurrection, and as a direct result of that, they also preached communal living and a welfare system that would see every member of the Body of Christ taken care of.

They certainly didn’t get everything right. St. Paul encouraged Christian slave owners to free their Christian slaves and consider them siblings, but he never actually called for an end to the institution of slavery or acknowledged it as inherently evil. But we have historical records of Christian communities where the common social divisions of classical Rome were more or less completely broken down, where slaves and free, men and women, people of different cultural and class backgrounds all interacted as equals. In fact, the oldest versions of Christian baptismal creeds we have (which can be found as quoted bits of poetry in a couple of Paul’s letters) make explicit reference to egalitarianism as the greatest hallmark of Christian life.

And that was what worried the Romans. If you grow up in almost any Christian tradition, you’ll hear stories of the martyrs. Christians love our martyrdom stories, you’re absolutely right about that, anon. But all too often we miss the actual reason for the early martyrs’ deaths. They weren’t killed for being “followers of Christ” in the kind of generic, near-meaningless sense of “belief” that so many American Christians often consider to be “following Christ.” The Roman imperial authority, as a rule, did not particularly care who its subjects worshiped, so long as they paid their taxes, didn’t rebel against Rome, and didn’t rock the social boat. The majority of early Christian martyrs were killed for things like refusing to sacrifice to the emperor (which was seen as a symbolic act of rebellion against Rome, as making sacrifices to the emperor was a pledge of political loyalty), refusing to serve in the Roman military, rejecting the authority of Roman governors, upsetting the social order (with all that egalitarianism), and, in the case of the vast majority of women martyrs, refusing to get married (which is another form of upsetting the social order, and a particularly dangerous one because it represented a statement of female independence, both socially and financially).

In the early church there was a heavy emphasis on the the death and resurrection of Jesus, but that doesn’t actually mean that his life was overlooked. It would be truer to say that, for those early martyrs, his life and teachings were intimately tied up with his death and resurrection.

Because here’s the thing that we American Christians, in particular, often either gloss over or entirely forget: Jesus, too, was killed by the Romans. He lived as a second class non-citizen in an occupied country, and he was killed by the occupying authority because he was seen as a threat to that occupation. That’s a historical fact that gets covered over for a variety of reasons, not least the fact that the gospels themselves actively attempt to disguise it. (Why? Because the gospels were written by and for people who were still living under that occupying authority, and who were therefore concerned to make it clear that they were not, in fact, an existential threat to Roman power and did not need to be eliminated.)

And, of course, once Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, it was also in a position to benefit from the privilege of imperial power.

Jesus’ life - and his death - were profoundly anti-imperial. That’s...a really awkward fact for a religion that has become the backbone of empire to reckon with. So the emphasis of Christology changed. The emphasis now was on Christ as heavenly king, conqueror, ruler of a kingdom of God which looked, for all intents and purposes, exactly like a heavenly version of the Roman Empire.

And American Christians are very much in the position of those imperial Roman Christians. America is an empire. We have vast wealth and resources, much of which we’ve obtained through war and colonial exploitation. We are literally a country built on the backs of slaves, and we used the Christian scriptures to justify that slavery. We use it to justify slavery still. We have a thousand metaphorical explanations for what Jesus may have meant by “sell all you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me,” because we are terrified of taking him literally. We are profoundly concerned with policing sexuality and gender because that early message of Christian egalitarianism, where there is in Christ no slave or free, no male or female, but all are one is every bit as threatening to the American social order as it was to the Roman order two thousand years ago. We don’t like to talk about Jesus’ cry for justice, about his eager anticipation of the toppling of empire, because we are that empire.

But that’s conservative white American theology. The liberation theology of Latin American, the post-colonial theology of Africa, the womanist theology and the poor people’s campaign arising out of the African American experience of Christianity - it’s no accident that these theologies are far more focused on the life and teachings of Jesus. Because any attentive reading of the gospels cannot fail to notice that, more than any other topic - practically to the exclusion of any other topic - Jesus is profoundly concerned with the liberation of the poor and oppressed.

[kitkatt0430]

So here’s a little rant/list/thing about why Sha’uri from Stargate is awesome and undervalued and why no one had better mess with my revolution leading, kickass, favorite character of the movie.

(I love the show, but what they did to Sha’uri there was unforgivable.)

Inspired by the rewatch I found over on Tor where my lady Sha’uri was maliciously maligned by someone who clearly wasn’t paying any attention to what was happening on the screen when Sha’uri was in frame.  :/ 

"And Sha’uri, with dreary predictability, is confined to the standard female roles of love interest, damsel in distress, and general walking plot device. Sigh."

Yup, definitely not paying attention.  I mean, did we even watch the same movie???

Okay, so first of all, Sha’uri is very rebellious.  Does she walk into a tent to marry Daniel on her father’s orders?  Well, yes.  She’s doing what she thinks is necessary to protect her people from the potential wrath of the gods at any cost, no matter how personal.  It’s really, really brave of her and you can tell in that scene she’s terrified that she’s done something wrong to offend Daniel and that her sacrifice has been for nothing.

And then instead of getting angry and hurting her, Daniel doesn’t take his frustration over the communication barrier out on Sha’uri.  And when she takes her leap of faith on him... that’s when we see her rebelliousness start to shine.

She draws the symbol on the ground.  It’s the small acts that speak the loudest.  Sha’uri knows the gods forbid reading and writing and that to do so is an act of disobediance against everything she’s been raised to believe.  For all she knows, Daniel is testing her devotion to Ra and by drawing the symbol she’ll fail and die and bring punishments down upon her people.  She does it anyway.

Sha’uri then takes Daniel to the caves full of the forbidden history of her people.  She not only corrects Daniel’s pronunciation, helping him to learn the modern version of the ancient language Daniel knows, but she actively learns how to read the symbols of her ancestors.  Sha’uri becomes the first person of her tribe to know the truth of their people in thousands of years.

When Daniel, Jack, and the rest of the team are taken prisoner, there is a powerful and underrated scene where Sha’uri takes her brother aside and tells him that they aren’t going to settle for being slaves anymore.  It’s heavily implied that she’s about to teach Skaara the history of their people and the truth about their so called gods.   

(Let’s just reiterate that that last point for emphasis.)

Skaara doesn’t know what to do.  He’s the younger sibling and he’s confused.  The weird outsiders that he likes so much have been taken by the gods, their people have been punished for helping those outsiders and mistaking them for either gods or emissaries of the gods, and their father can’t explain why this is all happening just that they should keep their heads down and hope it all blows over.

And then here comes Sha’uri.  His beloved sister.  She tells him that what has happened cannot stand.  That they have to fight back.  That in their ignorance they’ve been slaves to people who are not truly gods and that this is an insult to them and to their ancestors and it stops now.

Sha’uri started the rebellion right there in that scene with her brother.  Because of her, Skaara and his friends are able to save the gate team during the execution scene.

One woman’s anger - one woman’s defiance - radically changes the course of history for her people.

All of this tells us that not only is Sha’uri rebellious - seeking something greater than her current lot in life - it tells us she’s intelligent.  It tells us she’s charismatic.  She had to convince not only her brother, but his friends that their religion is a lie and that they must commit an act of rebellion that could lead to their people’s destruction because it’s the right thing to do.  People get killed for speaking that kind of heresy, but those teenagers listen to her and believe her.

So while the boys are off defying the gods in person, Sha’uri makes sure they have someplace safe to hide when they’re done.  She makes sure they have shelter from sand storms and water to drink and food to eat.  A rebellion is nothing, after all, if the rebels starve to death after striking their first blow.  So not only is she the flame that lit the fire of rebellion on Abydos, she’s the one who kept that fire from burning out immediately afterwards.

So yes she’s the love interest and she gets killed so that Daniel can have his dramatic moment bringing her back to life with the sarcophagus on the ship.  And the show treats her so badly that they can’t even get her name right (they call her Sha’re instead of Sha’uri) and turn her into Daniel’s plot coupon that he’s desperately searching for during the first several seasons.  But she’s a lot more than that.  And you can’t take her out of the Stargate movie without having half the plot fall apart.

Sha’uri is one of the most undervalued heroes of the movie.  And she deserves to be remembered for her bravery.

[trueislamfacts1]

Is Islam a Religion of Peace?

Islam was founded upon principles of peace and harmony to establish love, affection and collective responsibility towards the spiritual, physical, and mental wellbeing of all of society. ‘Islam’ a name given by God Almighty to this religion (Qur’an 5:4), is an Arabic word which literally means obedience and peace. ISLAM is derived from the Arabic root “SALEMA” meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. So ‘Islam’ means the path of those who are obedient to Allah and who establish peace with Him and His creatures. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) defined a Muslim as one whose word or deed cause no harm to others. ‘Peace’ is the greeting of Muslims and ‘Peace’ shall also be the greeting of the dwellers of Paradise.

Hence, any person that does not adhere to these principles of peace, harmony and collective good, is outside the boundary of this definition.

Deeper Dive – Who speaks for Islam?

So, what about all of the negative media rhetoric against this peaceful image of Islam? Well, first and foremost we have to ask who has an authority to speak about what “Islam” is and what it stands for? Is it Media? Is it ISIS? Is it the president of a ‘Muslim’ country? Or the Muslim down the street from you?

None of these. The truth is that when we desire to know what any organization, company, country etc. stand for, we must look at its constitutional document. What any other person says or thinks is irrelevant, and if any person associates their actions towards this constitution, then cross-examination can easily manifest the truth from falsehood.

So, what is this constitution and basis of Islam? It is the following:

The Holy Qur’an (the perfect revealed word of God) Sunnah (practice of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)) Passed down through practice, from the time of the Holy Prophet (sa) to present. After a few early decades, some practices were recorded in books. Ahadith (sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)) Traditions and narrations passed from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) to his companions, and eventually future generations. These have varying levels of authenticity, for which early Muslim scholars developed an entire science of examination. The most important rule to remember is that a narration should not contradict the Holy Qur’an.

DOES THE QUR’AN TEACH PEACE?

The Holy Qur’an is categorical on its teachings about peace, after all, it is the key text of the religion that literally stands for peace. Let’s examine what it says about any and all sort of violence against an innocent person:

Whosoever killed a person – unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land – it shall be as if he had killed all mankind. (Al Maidah, Ch.5: v. 33)

Explaining this verse, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community states

‘A person who kills a person unfairly or who kills someone who had neither rebelled, nor became a source of violating peace amongst the people nor created disorder in the land, it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind. In other words, to kill a person without any cause is, according to God Almighty, like the murder of the entire human race. It is obvious from this verse, how big a sin it is to take the life of another person without reason.’ (Lecture Chashma-e-Ma’rifat pp 23-24: Commentary by the Promised Messiah Vol.2: p.405)

In fact, he goes even further to state emphatically the need for peace and kindness:

He who abandons kindness abandons religion. The Holy Qur’an teaches that whosoever kills a person without justifiable cause will be as if he has killed the whole world. In the same way, I say that if someone is not kind unto his brother, it is like he has been unkind to the whole world.’ (Al Hakam Vol. 9 No.15 dated 30 April 1905 p.2: Commentary by the Promised Messiah, Vol.2: p.405)

Freedom of Conscious and Religions

Let us look at another core and fundamental pillar established by the Holy Qur’an regarding religious freedom over 14 centuries ago:

لَاۤ اِکۡرَاہَ فِی الدِّیۡنِ There should be no compulsion in religion (2:257)

The Qur’an has given a clear-cut message of religious tolerance and freedom in this verse. Any person that suggests or acts otherwise steps completely against the command of Allah the Almighty and the practice of His Chosen Prophet (sa)

The Holy Qur’an protects freedom of conscious and religion in an extremely lucid and clear manner while stating:

‘It is the truth from your Lord; wherefore let him who will believe, and let him, who will disbelieve.’ (Ch.18:V.30)

Hence, there exists no injunction on any person to be forced or coerced into following Islam in any manner whatsoever. If force had ever been the desire of God Almighty would it have been difficult for Him to compel all of humanity to believe? Absolutely not. It is to this effect that God states in the Holy Qur’an:

‘And if thy Lord had enforced His Will, surely, all who are in the earth would have believed together. Wilt thou, then, force men to become believers?’ (Ch.10:V.100).

Highlighting this crucial verse, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (aa), Supreme Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community, stated in an address:

“This verse clearly states that God, as the Possessor of all Powers, could easily force all people to adopt the same religion; however, He has instead given the people of the world the freedom to choose – to believe or to not believe.” (Address at Houses of Parliament in London, UK on Centenary of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in UK 11 June 2013)

This can clearly be seen in the practice and life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and his companions. When the Banu Nadir were exiled from Madinah when they failed to fulfil their promise to maintain peace. At that time, they also had many children of the Ansar (Muslim inhabitants of Madinah). These children had begun to live amongst the Jews, because in the pre-Islamic days of ignorance, amongst the Arab tribes of Aus and Khazraj, those who had no male children used to pledge that if the next child were born a male, they would make him a Jew. Thus, there were many boys from the Aus and Khizraj tribes who had been handed over to Jewish families. When the Jews of Banu Nadir were exiled because of their transgression, the Muslims wanted to get back their own descendants from the Jews. The Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) refrained them from their action on the very basis that ‘there is no compulsion in religion’ that once you hand over your own son to someone else and that someone else makes your descendant a follower of Judaism, you cannot take him back: he would have to go with the Banu Nadir.

Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (aa) describes another incident relating to a slave of Hazrat Umer (ra):

“Then there is the account of a slave of Hadrat Umar (ra) who narrates that although he was a slave of Hadrat Umar (ra), Hadrat Umar(ra) never forced him to become a Muslim. Hadrat Umar (ra) most certainly used to explain to him with love and affection to become a Muslim but the slave would refuse and Hadrat Umar(ra) would only say: There is no compulsion in faith and fell silent after that. Finally, before his death, he set this slave free. Now who can, therefore, say that there is any room for compulsion or causing a breach of peace in Islam?” (A lecture at the Universite D’Abomey-Calavi Cotonou, Benin. 8 Apr. 2004)

Therefore, there should remain no confusion regarding this aspect of Islamic teaching. Islam is against any and all type of compulsion in religion, and lays the accountability of belief at the behest of God Himself. No other entity, organization, structure, or person has any right to do or say otherwise.

LIFE OF THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD – THE PARAGON OF PEACE

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) is the primary practical exemplar for all Muslims. His practices and sayings are held sacred, after the Holy Qur’an, perhaps there has never existed any other individual who has ever been emulated to this capacity. So, let’s see what his life tells us about whether Islam is a religion of peace or not.

First and foremost, we have the testimony of the Holy Qur’an regarding the preaching efforts of the Holy Prophet (sa) and his burning agony for the guidance of people while focusing entirely on peace:

‘I swear by his repeated cry “O my Lord!” that these are a people who will not believe. Therefore, turn aside from them, and say, “Peace;” and soon shall they know.’ (Ch.43 Vs 89-90)

This verse also states that in response to the Holy Prophet’s(sa) message of peace, his opponents did not only reject his teachings; they even ridiculed and insulted him. Indeed, they went even further and opposed him with enmity and created disorder and strife. Upon all of this the Holy Prophet(sa) pleaded to God that:

‘I desire to give them peace, but they do not give me peace. Leaving that aside they even strive to inflict pain and agony upon me.’

In response, Allah the Almighty consoled him by saying:

‘Ignore whatever they do and turn away from them. Your only task is to spread and establish peace in the world. You should respond to their hatred and transgressions by simply saying “peace be with you” and tell them that you have brought peace for them.’

The Charter of Medina – the First Constitution based on principles of Peace

Prophet Muhammad (sa) actively promoted peace, tolerance and compassion for all non Muslim minorities living in Arabia. He did not simply demand religious tolerance of his followers; his Sunnah was to provide legal and constitutional protections for religious minorities. This is perhaps best illustrated by two historic documents prepared by Prophet Muhammad (sa). The first document is the Charter of Media written in 622 A.D. – a formal agreement between Prophet Muhammad (sa) and all of the significant tribes and families of Medina, including Muslims, Jews and non-Muslim Arabs. Many scholars refer to this document as the first ever written constitution of a nation-state. The Charter of Medina pre-dated the English Magna Carta by almost six centuries.

The Charter consists of 47 clauses which set forth the formation of a sovereign nation state with a common citizenship for all communities. The Charter protects fundamental human rights for all citizens, including equality, cooperation, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. Clause 25 specifically states that Jews and non-Muslim Arabs are entitled to practice their own faith without any restrictions. In short, the Charter of Medina was the first document in history to establish religious freedom as a fundamental constitutional right.

Then, secondly there is the Charter of Privileges that was granted to the Christian monks of Sinai. Western Islamic scholar, Marmaduke Pickthall, comments on this letter as follows:

“The Charter which Muhammad (sa) granted to the Christian monks of Sinai is a living document. If you read it, you will see that it breathes not only goodwill, but also actual love. He gave to the Jews of Medina, so long as they were faithful to him, precisely the same treatment as to any Muslims. He never was aggressive against any man or class of men . . . The story of his reception of Christian and Zoroastrian visitors is on record. There is not a trace of religious intolerance in any of this.”

What About All the Wars (Jihad) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)?

So, if the prophet of Islam taught peace, then why did he engage in so many wars? This is often a very naïve question raised against the holy personage of prophet Muhammad (sa), while ignoring the facts of history completely. Let us look at the entire picture.

Makkans, the place of the Holy Prophet’s birth and early preaching, outright rejected the message of the Holy Prophet (sa) to a large extent. The few that followed the prophet of Islam, were heavily persecuted. They were dragged through the streets, starved, cursed, boycotted, and even ripped apart in front of their family members. What was their crime? Simply that they believed in one God, and followed Muhammad (sa).

When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) had finally established a just and peaceful society in Medinah, the Makkans were furious and vowed to destroy the Muslims. They could not let them live in peace even in Medinah. Hence, God Almighty finally gave permission to the Muslims to fight back in self-defense in the following command:

اُذِنَ لِلَّذِیۡنَ یُقٰتَلُوۡنَ بِاَنَّہُمۡ ظُلِمُوۡا ؕ وَ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلٰی نَصۡرِہِمۡ لَقَدِیۡرُ Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged — and Allah indeed has power to help them

الَّذِیۡنَ اُخۡرِجُوۡا مِنۡ دِیَارِہِمۡ بِغَیۡرِ حَقٍّ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ یَّقُوۡلُوۡا رَبُّنَا اللّٰہُ ؕ وَ لَوۡ لَا دَفۡعُ اللّٰہِ النَّاسَ بَعۡضَہُمۡ بِبَعۡضٍ لَّہُدِّمَتۡ صَوَامِعُ وَ بِیَعٌ وَّ صَلَوٰتٌ وَّ مَسٰجِدُ یُذۡکَرُ فِیۡہَا اسۡمُ اللّٰہِ کَثِیۡرًا ؕ وَ لَیَنۡصُرَنَّ اللّٰہُ مَنۡ یَّنۡصُرُہٗ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَقَوِیٌّ عَزِیۡزٌ “Those who have been driven out from their homes unjustly only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah’ — And if Allah did not repel some men by means of others, there would surely have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft commemorated. And Allah will surely help one who helps Him. Allah is indeed Powerful, Mighty” (Ch22:V40-41)

Fair-minded commentators have utterly rejected the false barbaric image of early Islamic wars. De L O’Leary, for example, writes:

“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.” (Islam at the Crossroads, p.8)

Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (aa) states regarding this issue while highlighting the need of the time:

The underlying point to consider is that the use of the sword or force is only permissible when a religious war is waged against Islam. In today’s world no one, be it a country or a religion, is physically waging war and attacking Islam on the basis of religion. Thus, it is not justifiable in any way for Muslims to attack any other party, in the name of religion, because this clearly violates the teachings of the Qur’an. )”   (A lecture at the Universite D’Abomey-Calavi Cotonou, Benin. 8 Apr. 2004)

The fact is that the Islamic wars were in self-defense after the Muslims had been pushed beyond all bounds of reason.

After 10 difficult years of fighting to establish religious freedom and peace, the Holy Prophet (sa) returned triumphant and victorious to Makkah. What did he do at this time? Kill his enemies? Destroy their houses and property? No. He proclaimed:

“There shall be no punishment upon any of you for I have forgiven you all.  I am a messenger of love and peace. I have the greatest knowledge of Allah’s attribute of being a ‘Source of Peace’ – He is the One Who gives peace. Thus, I forgive you of all of your past transgressions and I give you a guarantee of peace and security. You are free to remain in Makkah and to freely practice your religion. No one will be compelled or forced in any way.” (Bukhari)

The Holy Prophet readily granted amnesty to his persecutors, the magnanimity of which softened the hardest of hearts. Bitter enemies of the morning became warm friends by midday. Even the most die-hard enemies of Islam could not resist the healing balm so generously and so effectively applied by the Holy Prophet.

Commenting on this conquest of Makkah, the Rev. Bosworth Smith writes:

“Now would have been the moment to gratify his ambition, to satiate his lust, to glut his revenge. Read the account of the entry of Muhammad into Mecca side by side with that of Marins or Sulla into Rome. Compare all the attendant circumstances, the outrages that preceded, and the use made by each of his recovered power and we shall then be in a better position to appreciate the magnanimity and moderation of the Prophet of Arabia. There were no proscription lists, no plunder, no wanton revenge. From a helpless orphan to the ruler of a big country was a great transition, yet the Prophet retained the nobility of his character under all circumstances.” (Muhammad and Muhammadanism)

PEACE IN ALL ASPECTS

Therefore, Islam promised peace and delivered peace. The later fanatical politically fueled agendas of the extremist ‘Muslims’ that we see today have nothing to with Islam. Islam is a complete code of life, and promises to deliver peace in all aspects of life. From individual to family to social to international. No other religion delivers such a complete teaching without falling short on any matter.

[archivedazmenka]

@dracharenae / Write a meta about Maron’s experiences warding under Stannis and maybe his views on that crack show family

     DRAGONSTONE IS A BLEAK, GREY, WET, COLD, UNWELCOMING AND MOST OF ALL UNCOMFORTABLE PLACE. IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE HOME. the first few weeks Maron spends confined to bed in the chambers given to him. not in the Stone Drum, mind you, but the Sea Dragon Tower, not far from the prison cells. with both his legs broken after his fall from the wall at Pyke, he cannot do much but rest, brood, and hate on everybody daring to step too close to him. he is fifteen, alone, afraid, and full of rage, flinging insult after insult at Stannis’ stoic face whenever he comes to see him in his room. nontheless Stannis sends Maester Cressen, again and again, to tend to Maron’s broken bones. they set splints for him, going so far as to secure them in his legs with nails. all wounds are tended to, his pain is relieved whenever necessary, and almost three months into his stay, Maron is equipped with crutches to help him navigate his way around the tower.

       it’s not going well at first.

      he won’t let anyone of Stannis’ household touch him, hissing and spitting like a feral little animal whenever approached. with Stannis largely living at King’s Landing, only returning sporadically, Ser Axell Florent, castellan at Dragonstone, often despairs with the young Greyjoy. until, one day, after an almost-tumble down to the doors of the tower, he encounters a boy a mere few years older than him. Allard Seaworth, unafraid of the Ironborn hellion, calls for his younger brother, Matthos, and together they heave Maron up and help him hobble back up the stairs. it is the beginning of an unlikely friendship. while Maron continues to hail insults at everyone in Stannis’ household, the Seaworth children quickly capture his attention and, soon enough, affection, too. they are the same age, all of them a little rowdy and very much drawn to the sea. Dale, Allard, and Matthos, some more patient than others, become Maron’s legs, helping him recover bit by bit, step by step.

       Stannis, though sceptical at first, allows for a companionship to bloom between the boys, hoping that a friendly influence on Maron will turn him a little more mellow in time. the plan works. Maron is Ironborn and strong, recovering quickly from his injuries, and fortunately he is entirely unafraid to train day after day, daring more and more each time he leaves his rooms. about half a year after his arrival, Stannis, during one of his visits home, calls him into the Chamber of the Painted Table and offers him a place as a squire to a highborn knight once his injuries are fully healed. Maron spits at his feet. partially offended, partially impressed does Stannis change his mind then and orders Maron to various duties around the castle. errand boy, kitchen boy, stable lad, polishing the entire content of the armory, whatever Maron can do physically, he is ordered to do. for a while, he even helps Maester Cressen take care of the ravens, considering that the old man can hardly reach the rookery any longer. various fights over their respective faiths, however, have Ser Axell separate the two again.

       while there is absolutely no fondness between Stannis and Maron, something akin to mutual respect at some point begins to grow. there is no trusting the boy, Stannis knows, but Maron proves a lot more approachable than previously thought. and for an Ironborn, the boy is remarkably clever, too. Stannis has Maester Cressen set aside their differences and orders Maron to learn how to read and write. as part of a largely illiterate folk, Maron is strangely curious about it, and quick to learn.

       four years into his stay, now almost nineteen years old and a man grown, Maron is allowed to move freely about the castle, and occasionally helps Cressen with letters sent to Dragonstone. he spends the warm summer days building rafts and sailing with the Seaworth boys, and in his downtime wanders to explore every part of the island until he knows every cave, crevice, tower, and bay like the back of his hand. whenever Stannis is home, Maron may sit in council meetings and watch while Stannis tends to his duties as Master of Ships and builds up elaborate fortification plans for Robert’s purposes. thrice, Stannis takes Maron back to King’s Landing with him, not, mind you, to teach him even more, but because either Selyse or Ser Axell begged him to take the boy off their hands. unknowlingly, Stannis teaches Maron a lot about the workings of the realm, the most prominent houses, and the art of war. it was Maron, too, who first read a letter to Ser Axell, in which Stannis told of his suspicion that the boy Joffrey and his siblings may, in fact, not be Robert’s children, and he was present when Stannis arrived in the dead of the night after Jon Arryn’s death.

       while the relationship between Maron and Ser Axell had warmed over the years, with Maron only occasionally defying the knight on purpose, and the sons of Ser Davos having grown into brothers to the young Ironborn, the one obstacle within the castle forever was the Lady Selyse. since the boy’s involuntary arrival, she had made no secret of her hatred and mistrust of him. he was forbidden from various rooms in the castle, particularly her own quarters and later, after Shireen’s birth, the baby’s chambers, too. his inclusion into the household and the countless opportunities Stannis granted Maron did not sit well with Selyse. she calls him sly and deceitful, believing everything he says to be lies. granted, Maron doesn’t think much higher of her. the height of their dispute happens shortly after Shireen’s birth, when Maron mocks her inability to bear sons, reminding her painfully of her inferiority to his own mother who bore Balon three strong, healthy sons. Selyse publicly has him whipped for it; a faux pas that Maron has never forgiven.

      out of spite, he spends the following years trying to get close to Shireen whenever possible, only to unsettle her mother. he soon, however, begins to feel pity for the girl, even going so far as to make a sacrifice to the Drowned God to help her survive the greyscale. the fact that the illness merely left her disfigured but has indeed not killed her, serves as more proof for Maron that his god is the one, true god. to Shireen, Maron is but another shadow in a castle she is largely forbidden to see. until this day, he isn’t entirely sure whether or not the girl was actively aware of his presence at all.

       with the arrival of the Lady Melisandre however, everything changes.

      while the Seven go largely ignored by Maron, the Lord of Light poses a personal offense that he cannot quite explain to this day. perhaps it is Melisandre’s insistence that R’hllor is the only god, perhaps it is Selyse’s love for that faux deity, nobody knows for sure, but something in Maron compells him to rebel against Melisandre at every given opportunity. her mockery of the Drowned God doesn’t sit well with Maron, and it leads to the two of them openly fighting at every given opportunity. whenever Melisandre brings up the superiority of the Lord of Light, Maron proceeds to dip a candle into a cup of water while looking her straight in the eye.

      it is this tension, amongst other things, that gives Stannis reason to send Maron back home shortly after Robert’s death. with his own plans of taking the Iron Throne slowly building up, he believes Maron has witnessed enough already. the tension in his household and the ongoing feuds between Maron, Melisandre, and Selyse, are too high a risk for Stannis, as well as a distraction he doesn’t need. with Matthos Seaworth, Maron’s closest companion at the time, and much more a brother to him than Rodrik or Theon ever were, now believing in the Lord of Light as well, Maron feels utterly betrayed and abandoned by a person he had previously loved.

       after almost ten years, he leaves Dragonstone with a mixture of hatred, disappointment, and sadness in his heart. he owes much to Stannis, he knows. he wishes no ill for Ser Davos, Dale, and Allard either. and Shireen, sweet little Shireen, he knows, deserves better than that cold-hearted bitch of a mother. everyone else on that godforsaken rock, however, can be swallowed by the sea for all he cares.

meta questions / always accepting.

[leidensygdom]

1, 2, 12, 13, 26!

OKAY SO I’m gonna try to focus on the campaign  I’m running myself (Gharmyra) because I’ve had so much RP over all these years and so on I wouldn’t ever stop talking otherwise. It’s gonna be a good way to talk a bit more on what has had Syg been invested into for the past half year!

1. A favorite character you have played.

I think that out of all the NPCs in the campaign I’m running, I’m enjoying Vest the most. He’s an old character of mine (Vor’kalth/Veth’shal, as he’s gone through many names in-character) who I really enjoyed back in the day but couldn’t RP since forever. While working on the campaign’s prep, one of the players mentioned he’d be multiclassing to warlock, and it was both a great way to introduce watchers early on (since Vest, as an undead, is a watcher) and getting to use him again. And I’m really glad I did that, because he’s been hella enjoyable and was probably a much better choice than a possibly edgy-brooding-patron instead.

2. Your favorite character that someone else has played.

oh god this one is just too hard to answer I hate playing favorites with other people’s characters. But p much if I’ve RPed with you I love ur character xoxo

12. Your in game inside jokes/memes/catchphrases and where they came from.

OH god so we have a few--

There’s a running joke over Yu’Yden, that cutie up above, being the BBEG. To the point we have an exclusive channel in which I keep track of the times he’s been called evil. So far, he’s been called evil 44 times

Another one of them is bacteria. It came up on accident, I think it was @eine-krone​‘s character (Hákarl) who mentioned it, and then we realized “shit, this is an industrial setting, bacterias aren’t a thing”. So canonically his... character, who’s an artificer, has invented a soap that kills bacteria. Except nobody knows what are they. Just a marketing thing.

Hákarl’s character also scores very bad in medicine, to the point he often gets crit-fails. As he put it, “he’s a machine-doctor, not a human-doctor”. Most times he checks for someone’s health, it leads to an “inconclusive analysis” on knowing if the person is either dead or alive. He’s currently writing a report on another party member’s defunction, despite how she’s alive. And well. And talking and so on

The monk eats about anything. Including magic items. Specially magic items. Anytime we come in contact with something edible-looking or just... shiny, he rolls a wisdom save to determine if he’ll eat it or not. This is getting problematic, since he once ate a puzzle piece, and he went through a room filled with poisonous pies and ate a couple of them (and he didn’t eat the rest because the party was examining those). One of the things he ate sometimes whispers him stuff. (and for the record, the character’s a human. A regular human)

The roguelock just never sleeps okay. Being a kalashtar, she should be able to have nice sleep, since she literally cannot have nightmares per se, but- She just doesn’t. This is also dice-rolled, and she rarely, rarely scores anything over 10. And if she does, seeing her feeling okay usually scares the rest of the party

Actually, she just has awful luck. Like, she defies all statics overall. A grand majority of her rolls are below 10, or even below 5. She has a +9 bonus to perception, but rest assured, she’ll never score more than 15 on it.

In the same manner, Vest (the roguelock’s patron) can use his own cantrips to do stuff, as long as it’s for comical purpose and not actually interfering with battles or the plot. He will use these for nefarious reasons. Or to steal shinies. Specially to steal shinies. 

There’s a cutie pink tiefling NPC, Isolde, who can be summoned at any point by holding chocolate. No matter what. She’s also effectively inmortal as far as we know.

One of the players has this sheet where he keeps track of all the incognitos, questions and theories about the plot. It’s two-sided, and he filled one side already. And I think the only item they have solved for now was because I officially confirmed “no, there are no aliens either”

I wanna mention Eine did a whole mind map to keep track of the plot too. It’s complicated

13. Introduce your current party.

Ok so lemme introduce my player’s characters!!

This cheerful guy here is Glar, the human monk. He was sold by his family to a thieves’ gang to settle down a debt, and was raised rough. The thieves’ gang kinda disbanded after the two guys in charge got in a big fight, and he’s been trying to figure out his life ever since. Chaotic to hell and beyond, often the comic relief of the group.

This guy here is Hákarl (Cousin Hákarl, legally), a dwarf-goliath artificer and @eine-krone​ ‘s character. Dwarf goliath means he has the proportions of a dwarf but the height of a goliath, and everything about him is pure cryptid fuel. He owns a business which invents all sort of weird gadgets: Everyday items made into weapons, soap, plushies, etc. In his backstory, he... Split his soul in half and put the other half in a warforged as his bachelor’s thesis. Except all the nice things about himself were in that side of the soul. So, the warforged (Ténn) is a sweet cinnamon roll, while Hákarl is certainly cursed. He also wants to destroy Gharda (one of the nations) and commit deicide.

And this one is Laestis Luvali, the rogue-warlock kalashtar. She’s baby, really. Born in the first caste (akin to nobles in this setting), she’s has been realizing her peers are actually pretty awful. Her and her family have now cut ties with the first caste and have moved with The Chain, the rebel ludite group that’s actively fighting against them. She’s a kalashtar because of the sword, a family relic passed down generations that their ancestor fetched from a war from a millenia ago, which... turned out to be sort of cursed. It has a watcher within, one of these crystal-undead beings. Vest, her patron, has been trying to reach the Luvali forever to maybe get himself out of there, and Laestis has been the first one to answer the call. And their friendship gives me life tbh

26. What was your favorite scene to write and show your characters.

oh gods i have so many i want to show them but HUH stuff I’ve done-

I really enjoyed when I introduced them to the first (enemy) watcher they had to deal with, Nilodus, and what happened after. 

It was just ominous as heck, and it was the point in which the players realized what kinda stuff were they facing. At the same time, I enjoyed a lot when one of the villains they had been facing (Uth’gaeel) transformed into some big crystal eldritch horror, with an animated battlemap and everything. The boss fights have been overall very fun, and I’m doing my best to homebrew them and make them interesting!! I have one planned I want to s c r e a m about. Overall I just have a lot of plans--

Anyways, thanks a lot for asking! And damn that was a long post