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mortalpolykule · 5 months

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Lay All Your Love On Me

Chapter 1: Sweat

Bi Han x Shang Tsung x Liu Kang

An au in which Bi Han doesn’t betray his brothers and they capture Shang Tsung. No guarantees that there will be much plot after this. Mainly just connected short stories about the character relations. This first part is mainly just laying the groundwork for character interactions and providing context. The pacing is a bit clunkier than I wanted, but fuck it we ball.

Warnings: None for this one, although there may be smut in future chapters

Bi Han, Kuai Liang, and Tomas had returned from their mission with Shang Tsung in tow as a prisoner. The sorcerer had his hands tied behind his back and his mouth gagged with a strip of cloth. His eyes dragged slyly around the room, likely plotting his escape. Kuai Liang and Tomas briefed him on the mission. There were a few hiccups along the way, but the trio was ultimately successful in disrupting the enemy’s plans. Liu Kang praised them for their efforts. Throughout the conversation, Bi Han had his eyes fixed on Shang Tsung. On the surface, it appeared that he was just keeping a close eye on the prisoner, but there was some underlying tension between the two of them.

“And what shall be done with the sorcerer?” Bi Han spoke up. His gaze was still deadly focused on Shang Tsung, who opted to ignore him and observe Liu Kang instead. Liu Kang could feel the sorcerer sizing him up. He realized that this was their first meeting in person since he defeated his counterpart and began constructing the new timeline.

“Shang Tsung will either be turned in to Outworld’s authorities to be tried for his crimes, or he can remain here in the temple under my supervision. I leave that up to Shang Tsung,” Liu Kang explained. Bi Han did not like that answer.

“He tried to tear my family apart and bring disgrace to the Lin Kuei!” He growled. “And the only punishment you have in mind is to babysit him?”

“I will explain all in time,” Liu Kang reasoned, his tone soft in an attempt to deescalate the situation. However, that only seemed to enrage Bi Han further.

“I have grown tired of your vague statements and half truths!” He roared.

‘Ah. So that is the source of his anger,’ Liu Kang noted.

“Bi Han!” Kuai Liang called out. His brother’s temper was making him increasingly nervous. Liu Kang did not react to the outburst, much to Kuai Liang and Tomas’ relief.

The Fire God knew that he must nip this conflict in the bud before it resulted in disaster, and he realized exactly what he needed to do.

“Kuai Liang, Tomas, please take Shang Tsung to my quarters. I must speak with Bi Han alone,” He said.

The two brothers bowed quickly and exited the room, tugging Shang Tsung with them, much to the sorcerer’s disappointment. He very much wanted to observe the Fire God and Grandmaster together.

Bi Han watched Liu Kang intently, his body still tensed, ready for a fight. Liu Kang decided that they weren’t going to make any progress with him amped up like this. Liu Kang calmly walked over to him and placed a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder. Bi Han flinched, expecting a blow that never came, but he made no move to push his hand away.

“I understand your anger Bi Han. Come with me, and you will have the answers you seek,” He said before turning and exiting the room. Bi Han decided to indulge him if it meant getting an explanation for Liu Kang’s lax punishment for Shang Tsung. They walked silently for a few minutes. Bi Han had spent a limited amount of time at the academy, so he was unfamiliar with this path. Eventually they came upon an isolated clearing. There were racks with various weapons placed around a grassless circle. It was much more simple compared to the other training grounds he had seen around the academy.

“Spar with me,” Liu Kang stated. Bi Han looked at him incredulously.

“I thought we were discussing the sorcerer,” he deadpanned.

“We will do that as well, but I need your mind to be clear for what I’m about to tell you,” Liu Kang explained. Bi Han’s eyebrows raised. Now, his curiosity was beginning to outweigh his frustration.

The two of them opted to fight without weapons or powers, relying only on hand to hand skill and strength. Bi Han figured the fight would not be easy, considering Liu Kang was a literal god, but he had confidence in his own fighting prowess as well. Liu Kang matched his every blow and was able to counteract him with ease. He played on the defensive side while Bi Han was on the offensive. After a while, Liu Kang finally began to speak.

He explained everything from when he took control over the hour glass to now, how he created this timeline to be be better than the last, crafting everyone’s fate to create the most peaceful outcome. He didn’t divulge much information about the previous timeline, but he did tell how Shang Tsung was a powerful sorcerer and had caused much chaos across the realms, so in this timeline Liu Kang wanted to neutralize him by giving him a meaningless life.

The fact that Bi Han was right about the sorcerer being a danger to them all only brought a small bit of comfort, for he was beyond shocked and angry. How much control did he really have over his own fate? His blows came down harder than before and his pace was beginning to grow more frantic.

“Talk to me Bi Han. Voice your frustrations freely. I will not judge you for them,” Liu Kang stated. He was still largely unaffected by Bi Han’s onslaught, which only increased the cryomancer’s ire. Bi Han could feel ice beginning to form on his hands, a physical manifestation of the heightened emotions storming inside of him. Still, he concentrated on keeping his powers in check. The Fire God had kept up his end of the bargain, and Bi Han wasn’t about to pull out his ice for his own convenience. He had more honor than that, honor that Shang Tsung had tried to strip away. The mere thought of the sorcerer had him in a fury before Bi Han even realized it. His form had gotten sloppy.

“Bi Han. Tell me what’s going on,” Liu Kang tried again. He remained calm and collected, merely blocking Bi Han’s blows as they came. He had been so focused on reading Bi Han’s expressions, that he failed to anticipate a sweeping blow from Bi Han’s leg, knocking him off balanced and sending him to the ground. Bi Han wasn’t even sure if he himself was expecting it either. A small gasp left Liu Kang as his back collided with the floor and the air was knocked out of his lungs. Out of all possible reactions, Bi Han didn’t expect Liu Kang to let out a hearty laugh and sit up, brushing the dirt off of his clothes.

“You caught me off guard. Well done,” he said with a smile, no evidence of anger or embarrassment on his face. Emanating from him was an aura of fondness and…. pride? Bi Han was so taken aback that he dropped his fighting stance completely. His eyes were wide, analyzing Liu Kang for any tricks. He would deny forever that a blush had crept up onto his cheeks and ears. His mind was swimming. His instincts and his starvation for praise were fighting amongst each other, and there were still the revelations from during the fight. This man-this god that sat before him was so much more than Bi Han had ever imagined. Liu Kang reached a hand out and gently pulled Bi Han down to sit next to him.

“Would you like to talk about it?” Liu Kang asked, still smiling gently. Bi Han couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with him. Liu Kang had to have noticed his blush. He noticed everything.

“I…,” Bi Han began, but in that moment, words failed him. Where would he even start? There were so many things he wanted to say to him. To shout at him. He wanted to punch him and then gently hold his face in his hands.

“If you need time to process everything, I understand. I apologize for any distress that I have caused you and I promise to be more forthcoming about my decisions in the future,” Liu Kang said.

Bi Han simply nodded with a grunt.

“I also realize that it is important for me to admit when I have made a mistake. I believe this is the case with Shang Tsung. I weaved his fate out of spite and a desire for vengeance, and because of that, his suffering is my own doing. I must rectify this.” Liu Kang stood up and reached out his hand to Bi Han. “I will not ask you to forget your feelings, but I hope that you will be more patient with Shang Tsung from now on.”

Bi Han sighed. He had no energy left to argue, but he did take Liu Kang’s hand.

“Very well, but you better keep your promise.” Bi Han grunted.

#mk1 #mortal kombat 1 #mk1 2023 #shang tsung #liu kang #liu kang mk1 #bi han #shangliu #liushang #bishang #Bi Han x Shang Tsung x Liu Kang #liu kang x bi han #Spotify

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threetrenchcoatsinatrenchcoat · 7 months

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Late-Stage Capitalism Was Never An Option: The Politics, Economics, and Morality of Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game is a 2019 one-to-two player puzzle comedy video game developed by independent studio House House. It is known for its slapstick humor, soundtrack made of Debussy snippets, and simple abstract visual art style. These whimsical components belie the piece's robust canvas for critical discussion of the morality of western capitalism. Despite the richness of the source material, we couldn't find such an analysis existing already. Further scholarship is encouraged. In this essay we will examine Untitled Goose Game in the context of economic policy through such concepts as private ownership, the responsibilities of businesses, law enforcement, and alienation from the self. I'm not kidding.

The primary question to answer with regard to a player's experience is: What makes being a horrible goose so fun? The player character is not shown to have a long-term motive, nor any danger from which to escape. The goose in fact plays the part of the instigator in several of the hostile relationships formed with the world's humans throughout the game. It is satisfying to trick said humans in the way a successfully pulled prank may be satisfying, deserved or otherwise. But achieving tasks in Untitled Goose Game feels morally right in a small but consistent additional sense (source: I played it, and it felt real good). There is an undercurrent of retribution we will discuss, but to consider any angle of retribution, we must first analyze the goose's motives or lack thereof.

The goose may intend simply to steal a few objects initially, but may have been intending the entire arc of the game upon starting. It is tempting to assume the provided lists of tasks implies the latter interpretation, but we argue the opposite. The game finishes when the goose places a bell gathered from the end of the game into a pit near the game's start. For one last joke, the pit is seen to contain several other identical bells, indicating the whole story has happened many times over and will happen again. Because of this fact, as a literal understanding of the lists of tasks, we could say these lists started small but grew and were refined over several cycles. We shall instead say simply the tasks and the story of the game therefore exist effectively outside of time. The goose isn't rotely following the tasks, nor are the tasks simply notating the goose's whims as they appear. The tasks are themselves the goose's present and future aims. The goose will always enter the garden, the gardener will always chase it out, and the goose will always subsequently spray the gardener with the hose.

When looking at analogues of trickster gods, such as Coyote, Anansi, or Bugs Bunny, the ethical code leading up to a great trick tends toward a sense of comeuppance. The trickster god will never aim to cause a conflict, but can end one with aplomb. The potentiality of the goose’s designs are less clear than of the aforementioned examples. The clearest cases are with the first tasks provided in each of the game's five areas. Three of them are explicitly to enter: Enter the Garden, Enter the Pub, and Enter the Model Village. The goose must choose to take on these tasks, yet the crimes of trespassing are rather benign as initial infractions, especially to a presumably illiterate animal.

The other two starting tasks are even harder for which to fault the goose: Break the Broom and Make Someone Break the Fancy Vase. The broom in High Street can only be broken after the shopkeeper attempts to shoo the goose away, whose only crime at this point is again trespassing. And the vase in Back Gardens isn't even broken by the player character; the goose moves the vase to a different backyard, and the human's lack of regard for others' property and high regard for property ownership causes them to lob the vase back over the fence, resulting in anguish for both involved humans. These instances highlight a consistent story component: the goose doesn't initially want to cause damage, but simply doesn't care about imaginary lines of personal property ownership.

Placing the player in the role of a wild animal, with no assumed responsibility for understanding western economic rules is a powerfully subtle reframing of those economic rules. The humans of the world, with a few notable exceptions, believe unwaveringly that certain lines must not be crossed, especially in fields of private ownership. A view of the goose's precedental actions as agnostic to this human concept then criminates as the cause of the game's chaos a belief in private ownership itself. Untitled Goose Game invites the player to a context not only wherein property law visibly begets disaster, but direct criminal action in its opposition is made liberating and joyous.

About half of the tasks in the game are facilitated by a human’s effort to hamper the goose. For instance, when filling up the sink in the pub, the easiest way to keep the worker from finding the player and turning the water off is to first, intentionally be loud and visible at the other end of the pub. In several of these tasks, a human calmly allowing the goose to coexist in their space would make it impossible for the player to get away with their antics, let alone the possibility that a human decision to do so may entirely remove the desire for the goose to pursue such antics. In addition, even if the player fails to engage with the motivation of each of the goose's initial acts, the goose's intent and opportunity to escalate makes a clear statement on the enforcement of those initial laws.

A dogged pursuit of a culprit and punishment-based justice occasionally inconvenience the goose, but always lead to harming the humans enacting such enforcement. The first three sections end with a task whose success depends on a human erecting an anti-geese sign. Whether by personal choice, or the perceived responsibility of a business, the humans behave with intolerance to their own detriment. This clarifies the morality with regard to trickster god logic: the initial stone cast is not the goose's if and only if the goose is considered outside of or even above private ownership. In fact almost all tasks in the game exist in one of the following categories: Problems caused or partially enabled by human hostility, Problems enabled by humans unable to recognize their possessions, and Frivolous recreations of human activity.

The first category is detailed by the last paragraph’s discussion, so we will continue with the second category. Problems enabled by humans unable to recognize their possessions consists of at most one task per area: Make the Groundskeeper Wear His Sun Hat, Make the Boy Wear the Wrong Glasses, Make Someone Buy Back Their Own Stuff, and Get Dressed Up With a Ribbon. The groundskeeper doesn't necessarily fail to recognize the difference between their hats, but we include it in this category due to their ambivalence after the switch. These tasks provide a strong representation of human self-alienation. While the humans consistently take assiduous care in protecting their property and seeking it out when missing,

in a few instances, they cannot even distinguish their items from improvised replacements. Griffin McElroy, I mean The Boy on High Street, will wear whatever glasses are presented to them, and if their vision is lacking upon the interchange, they don't show it. The Shopkeeper, when presented with the Boy's airplane toy will assume it is one of their own goods for sale. Despite the Boy's protests and having no direct analogue in the market with which to be confused, the Shopkeeper refuses to let the Boy recollect their toy without some payment. This confusion isn't even the Boy's fault, but the Boy plays the victim of this scheme, making it the prank that feels the worst to a player (source: I played it and felt kinda bad). As uncomfortable as the player may be, this task demonstrates how alienation from one's own lived experience can hurt others around one as well as oneself.

Interestingly, because of the modular nature of the game's design, this task can be repeated indefinitely, so even if unintentionally, the Shopkeeper is shown to be so disconnected from their work, they will mindlessly repeat an infinite cycle of reselling the same object to the same customer, acting as if this dehumanizing spiral is indistinguishable from the rest of their clocked hours. The Woman in Back Gardens will be incensed in dragging their goose statue back to its position, but when the statue is hidden, they will appear unable to tell it from a real goose even when tying on a ribbon. Each of these cases may be due to extreme unawareness as much as presumed societal pressure to perform normalcy, but in either case, the effect of alienation is clear: In their social and economic reality, humans must act like they deeply value their possessions while remaining removed from any tangible attachment thereof.

The third category of task drives home Untitled Goose Game's statement on capitalism: Frivolous recreations of human activity. There is one such task that consists of nested subtasks in four of the five areas. The other categories of task mentioned above present what is wrong, what is not identifiable with the world relative to the goose. This third category presents the clearest window into the goose's true beliefs, what is right, what is identifiable. The goose, and to an extent the player, does not look down on the actions of the in-game humans. The actions of preparing a picnic, going shopping, doing laundry, or setting a table, are all beautiful and fun. But only because the goose is free to choose their doing. These are the most laborious of all tasks in the game, and they are indeed rote chores to a human. It is the conditions of anti-authoritarianism and novelty that elevate the goose's perception of what could be tedium. The goose is not required externally to set a table and is certainly not required to set a table dozens of times an hour. The inescapability of the professional pressure is what removes the fun from an act that is presented to the player as a game to play. Here, Untitled Goose Game points at several cracks in the practice of western economics, and points just as precisely at a better way to live.

We previously stated these three categories comprise almost all tasks in the game. A few of the exceptions are simply flippant chaos as further, albeit indirect, just desserts to interactions humans started. But there is only one task in the game that cannot be categorized by flippant chaos, nor any of the previously listed: Be Awarded a Flower. Two patrons of the pub are notably unbothered by the goose's presence and go so far as deliberately playing with it. After the goose mimics a few behaviors for their delight, they will happily grant it a rose from their table. Everything about this interaction stands out from the rest of the game.

The patrons don't chase you, they don't snitch to someone who will, and they are themselves willing to break from rules of individual ownership: the rose appears as a table decoration, and yet they avail themselves to a handy gift for their new avian friend. It is striking that the brightest moment of community in the game is the exchanging of an object neither party legally owns. Both of these patrons are depicted with dark skin, one with a head scarf, common in Black hair maintenance and fashion. This choice of ally hints at an interpretation of the goose as a member of a marginalized community, perhaps itself an immigrant and/or person of color. We leave this topic open to further research and here make our own argument for what the goose represents: the eponymous untitled goose is change incarnate.

Keeping these foundations ahold, allow our perspective to take a step back. From here, we may observe each area is a close exploration of the themes’ elements. The first area is the Garden, wherein we explore the concept of the Individual in the context of western capitalism. In the Garden, we begin discovering a lone human’s reluctance to engage with a force of change interested in causing small disturbances. The Gardener is very protective of private property, especially with the boundaries of land, and their primary drive is toward a state of emotionlessness and order.

The second area is High Street, which centers on the concept of Commerce. Here we witness the detachment of the worker from both their work and their customer. The human drive for order and a status quo continue as we see the Shopkeeper attempt similarly to repel the harbinger of change away, but from the interests of a business rather than a citizen. Notably, the avatar for businessgoer is the young boy who is the only NPC in the piece to run away from the goose when confronted, instead of toward the goose with ill intent. Those unlucky humans dependent on interacting with capital from a position of less relative power are also driven toward a mistrust of change, but employ this mistrust without land to defend—disengagement is the only reaction left to the customer.

On Back Gardens, we explore the interactions of Society. The neighbors have a comically unmalleable sense of remove from each others’ beings. They may only listen at the hedge for gossip and communicate directly when grievances are to be had as society under an economy and culture of alienation sprouts rigidly divided compartmentalizations. The humans will angrily chase the goose when their own goods have been taken, but only up to the lines of legal property. Once that bound has been overstepped, the humans will entirely drop their anger and forget they had losses to cut. The lesson is that no matter what a citizen cares about, they value it far less than the potential pleasure of letting a force of change become someone else’s problem.

The Pub is where these pieces come together to be considered from an even greater distance: the old man acts as an Individual, the pub’s staff act as Commerce, and the dissociation between those two as well as the delivery workers and other patrons fill out our picture as Society, reprising the motions we’ve come to understand from the previous three sections. The primary task of the Model Village serves simply to reinforce how separate each of these elements must be: the citizens throughout the town will try to grab the bell from the goose as it runs back home, and yet will never go further than the bounds afforded them by their given cultural archetypes.

The goose exists as a wind of untamed progress into a town with an almost entirely wrought-iron viewpoint. The townspeople are resistant to the goose’s mere existence before any threat to their day is presented. They struggle in vain toward a veneer of order, often at a greater cost than of the order lost. Their stance against the goose forces them to expose the flaws in their rules and run up against their own self-imposed boundaries—occasionally literally as in High Gardens and with the bell after the Model Village. In most areas, the goose can’t move on until the humans put up a no-geese sign, as if this supernatural force will not leave them be until they have sufficiently reckoned with it.

The humans are not universally opposed to the goose, but the couple exceptions are not necessary for the goose to move on. Change comes, like it or not. Making this manifestation of change a cute animal is an efficient way to arouse empathy. A goose can’t be expected to know its actions are considered unlawful, but once the humans have clearly aimed their energies against it so, its persistence in its behavior and the players’ awareness of its criminality are, in effect, the same. Untitled Goose Game contrives its NPCs’ logic and behaviors just enough to make out-of-game economic realities appear as farcical as they already are flawed, then it gives the player the chance to undermine, challenge, and exploit what have become visibly unfair and immoral systems with an angle parallel to that required of critical political activism and reform. That’s why being a horrible goose is so fun.

We have no conflicts of interest to report, although House House if you wanna pay me for this hmu lol.

#why am i like this #having a normal saturday how bout you #untitled goose game #gaming #capitalism #analyzing the themes

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frozenjokes · 3 months

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hi um. can i ask what the cloth mother/wire mother chart means? me and my friends have been trying to break it down for like half an hour of back and forth constant debate and external sources. we understand the experiment, but could you explain each point separately as an axis?

we think that the monkey/mother is what mother they prefer.. but then what is the object? the object cant prefer a mother as an object, so then does that mean that they /are/ the mother? it.. has been a topic of much debate please explain your research i am fascinated and need to know more

let it be known, this is the best ask I’ve ever gotten. you are in for it. For reference, here is the blank graph.

short answer: this is a personality chart. The measure is How Much ____ person is Monkey/Diabolical Object vs Cloth/Wire Mother

long answer: AUTISM. let’s talk about autism shall we? yes… I think we will. Autism. I do not choose the inanimate objects I identify with. The autism chooses. And if you are a psych major in college you may know that every professor on the face of the earth talks about harlow’s monkeys. They are everywhere. I’ve been lectured on the monkeys MANY a time. Now when you’ve seen these videos about this experiment over and over again (as well as watching them on your own time because as established, your ass is not normal) you start to.. identify with them. SPECIFICALLY when you are a blunt, outwardly colder kind of person. Someone with sharper edges. Someone who has a hard time making friends and fitting in and finding people who YADDA YADDA YADDA THIS IS TUMBLR YOU (reader) GET IT. Now we see wire mother yes? Do you see a similarity? Do you see all those memes about her, DISRESPECTING HER, MISUNDERSTANDING HER, SHE’S TRYING HER FUCJING BEST AND YET SHE IS OUTCAST, SHE IS DISCOUNTED.

she also looks like this. actually, let’s take a look at all of them, shall we?

no further comment. this is peak design. diabolical object in particular is ?!!??!!!?? great. more pictures now.

NEEDLESS TO SAY. I am wire mother. I am a wire mother (on the graph I fall between wire mother and diabolical object) and I am so abnormal about it, if any person that vaguely knows me sees any post on any platform that so much as mentions this experiment it goes Directly to me.

Maybe this isn’t important. But maybe it is. Maybe you need to get to know them, to know them like I do. But now for what you’re really here for. What does it mean.

Let’s begin

THE X AXIS: Cloth/Wire Mother is primarily about Warmth. It’s about Affect. (psych term for the way people emote, simply. You can have a positive affect, a negative affect, a neutral affect, it’s used often in the context of neurodivergence. For example a person with schizoid personality disorder expresses an extremely low range of emotion, and therefore, often shows neutral or negative affect. It’s a useful descriptor for autism as well.) Do people feel comfortable around you upon first meetings? Do people feel comfortable around you upon first meetings when you AREN’T masking? How easy/difficult is it for you to mask? Do you feel the need to mask at all? Sociability is big here. It should be noted the x axis has nothing to do with someone being a ‘nice’ or ‘mean’ person. This entire graph isn’t about Nice or Mean, it’s about perception, it’s about how people hold themselves.

Cloth Mother: Cloth Mothers are warm, they are approachable. These are the type of people you’re drawn to, the type of people that make others laugh. Cloth mothers do not have to be socially adept, but they often are, or at the very least they’re outgoing enough to provide the illusion of adeptness. For example, one of my good friends is very socially outgoing, very extroverted, but at the same time, struggles with social cues in the ADHD way of not always knowing when to stop or start talking, etc etc. Cloth mothers typically have a more positive affect. They can be passionate and excitable, you take one look at them and you just know they’re so happy to be here! :D

Wire Mother: Wire Mothers tend to be colder, not as approachable. They often struggle to reach out, especially among neurotypical friend groups, and may often be perceived by other people as sad or unhappy due to a neutral or negative affect. Other people think Wire Mothers don’t like them, or that they’re mad at them, when in reality, Wire Mothers just look like that. Wire Mothers can make people who don’t know them uncomfortable, but they’re literally just vibing, I’d try not to worry about it. There’s so much joy stored in the Wire Mother, it just doesn’t always touch the surface like it does for more expressive people. It does come out though; you get a Wire Mother going and you’ll be there all day. Cat coded.

THE Y AXIS: Diabolical Object/The Monkey is definitely a bit harder to describe. I think this relies more on personal identification, as a lot of it Is Vibes. The Y Axis is about personality, but it isn’t to be taken too seriously. But put simply. Do you air on the softer side of insanity, or do you bite with teeth. Are you a little more sensitive to the world or is your typical approach BITING RIPPING TEARING GGRRBBARKKABRKABRKABKR KILL KILL KILL KILL. Do you feel a little bit bad/aren’t very good at (MUTUALLY) making fun of your friends or are you engaging in gorilla warfare, claws, teeth, kicking and screaming, all of it. It’s sopping wet and pathetic vs LITERALLY EVIL. :) vs >:) The most important thing about the Y Axis is that Being Soft versus Complete Bastard is that both sides can go completely apeshit about literally anything. Being soft does not mean you any less crazy than the Diabolical Object. You may have a little more chill But You Are Still A Monkey.

The Monkey: You take things a little slower. You are not (outwardly) as intense as your other friends. People look at you and wonder if you were raised by two inanimate objects, periodically having your pants shit by The Embodiment Of Pure Evil, and then afterwards were unable to reintegrate into regular monkey society. (Harlow’s monkey reference) You’re 15lbs sopping wet. If you have a bigger build or any muscle at all, the fandom would probably draw you as a twink. They’d probably do that anyway if you were evil, but it’s just a little more baffling in your case. This is about TangoTek. There’s more to be said about The Monkey, but like. Idk man. You’re a monkey. Everyone does a little 🥺 from time to time, but for some reason people associate it more with you.

Diabolical Object: You have zero chill all of the time. You take things way too far, you’re running at 1000% constantly and you are Going to crash and burn in a fiery explosion, but dude it will be SO SICK. You couldn’t give less of a fuck. You REALLY want people to think you couldn’t give less of a fuck. You are a devious, evil little creature. Rats, We’re Rats, We’re The Rats <- YOU. People think you’re evil. They’re right. You are the bane of your friends’ existence, and proudly at that. Part of you needs to see how far you can push everyone else’s patience because GOD you just want them to Snap. Sometimes this is with love. Sometimes you’re just bored and want to see how much of a nuisance you can be before getting kicked from the voice call. You are the cat that starts the fights.

And so here we have it again. Further questions are welcomed and encouraged. Maybe I’ll spend another hour answering them! I hope someone reads this entire thing without realizing it was, in fact, a Minecraft post. Who cares. This shit is so much fun, I highly recommend throwing your own ocs on it or other fandom stuff who cares, it’s a good time. Maybe it’s Just me.

#hermitcraft #long post #harlows monkeys #wire mother #cloth mother #psychology #psych #autism #neurodivergence #life series smp #diabolical object #the monkey

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muraar · 1 year

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ＦｌｅｅｔｉｎｇＲｕｍｏｒｓ

hello genshin Tumblr, tis me, yet another misguided writer. posting on here once again after my initial pit of depression.

me trying to act like everybody missed me (no one knows who I am)

synopsis: rumor has it that lifting the artificer is a favorable test of strength 🤯🤭 wc: 4027, gn!reader, isekai fic if yk then yk THERE SHALL BE NO CONTEXT PROVIDED, but dw its digestible even without context (hopefully)

The world of teyvat was as fantastical as it could get, an abundance of mysteries that ran from fallen civilizations to cute cabbage-like creatures.

And dragons… because no fantasy was complete without them.

You, coming from a relatively tame world like the one back home, had grown accustomed to all this.

Well for the most part at least, you already knew the world of teyvat being the avid player of genshin impact that you were, so that certainty was a major factor in your nonchalance.

Barring the fact that you were in the new world entirely, at the very least your conscience didn't have to suffer through the crisis of being thrown in a world completely unknown to you.

Genshin was fine, at least you were familiar with this world. Imagine being dropped into a world that you had no clue about, cursed with no foresight, leaving yourself open to all sorts of nefarious entities.

You were at the very least somewhat thankful to the isekai deity that dropped you here, ignoring the fact that you wanted to sucker punch them in the face for making you lose all your relevant game progress. But that was a whole another can of worms.

At the very least your assimilation here was rather smooth, everyone mostly liked you or was neutral towards you. Now that just might be because of your abilities but you liked to think your personality was the main selling point here.

And perhaps that is why you are able to ask for your somewhat arbitrary whims.

"hey diluc" you spoke out, catching the attention of the said red-headed man, who then proceeds to respond to your call. Turning to look at his side -at you- with an attentive look on his face.

"You use a claymore, right? And primarily they are huge and bulky weapons."

"yes… claymores tend to be big and hefty but they are powerful in their own right. Regardless, it's the weapon of my choice. "

And he answers almost automatically, not having to think too much about your observation because you were just stating facts, which he feels like are a build-up to something.

Although he could never be sure with you.

"strong indeed, but they've got to be heavy right?"

There you were again stating the obvious and all known.

"They do have some weight to them but I'm used to it. Why is this a concern?"

He asks quizzically and you straighten up at his remark, as if your next words require you to be upright.

And they do.

So you position yourself right in front of Diluc Ragnvindr before claiming.

"then… You should be able to lift me right?"

And Diluc just looks confused for a moment before realizing what you're getting at and you see his eyes widen a tad bit.

"... you want me to lift you?"

He asks just to be sure that you aren't joking around and that there is actually an underlying meaning to this request. Although his cheeks already seem to be flaring up at the mere ideation of the action.

"Well, you swing around a claymore with such ease... I think it should be possible for you"

you say most casually. Not like you have any doubts in his strength, humans in this world were something else entirely.

"I suppose. I should be able to," he says almost to himself, blushing and queasy still. But you catch those words anyway and show no mercy. Grinning and practically beaming up at him.

"excellent " comes your rather enthusiastic response, as you step further and closer to him. Making your suggested whim all the more obvious and irrefutable.

The action only ends up making diluc sigh, averting his eyes with the wishful thinking that it might calm the feeling in his chest. It was ridiculous how easily you could stir him up like that. Embarrassing… And exhilarating at the same time. Though he would never admit that out loud.

And yet…

He finds himself relenting against you once again, lowering himself to wrap one of his arms behind your knees and the other that goes around your back. A millisecond of a wait before he quite literally sweeps you off your feet, making the action seem all the more effortless than you ever expected it to be.

"Woah woah woah"

You gape and reach out your arm towards him and rest it across his shoulders, more so to stabilize yourself than anything - Even though it was highly unlikely that the man would lose balance of you- but for your sake you keep your arm hooked across his rather broad shoulders now that you take notice of them. Not just that, it's all of him really, Diluc Ragnvindr feels solid and strong underneath you. And despite all that his hold on you is as gentle as it could be, like an actual gentleman.

“Is this alright?” he asks softly, his voice sounding calm and controlled although his tone was one of uncertainty and you can tell he wants to know if this is okay - Which is understandable as he didn’t anticipate this request of yours at all. And you are quick to reply nodding up at him in affirmation, not even trying to hide the fact that you were highly impressed.

“okey wow,” you start lightly with an amazed smile.

“you made it look so easy. I mean I'm almost as tall as you are and defiantly on the heavier side” The admission comes in honestly, and you find yourself reminiscing about your own gym days.

“I mean even I used to lift a little but id probably break my back if I tried picking you up.” comes your remark that ends up with you chuckling lightly as you imagine yourself trying to pick him up. All be it with a smile you shake away that thought and instead focus back on Diluc, the mirth and amusement astute on your face as you say.

“I think humans of teyvat are just built different, do I even weigh anything to you?”

The tease in your words is evident and Diluc can sense your enjoyment from your tone itself. He tries very hard to ignore the heat in his cheeks that he can feel spreading throughout his body, and tries to focus on your question and answer it. And perhaps humor you with a proper reply of his own.

“Of course you do. But it's a weight I’m more than capable of handling.”

Diluc's words sound firm and direct almost as if he's making a statement, and he is. His face is a lot calmer, though he's still blushing softly, he's not as embarrassed as before. Instead, his gaze locks onto yours and he seems determined enough to get his point across. Your heart skips a beat at his words but you are quick to respond by raising your eyebrows and grinning mischievously.

He certainly has a way of putting everything into perspective with just a few simple words.

You hummed, giving him a knowing glance and a smirk before answering him.

“And I dont doubt you in the slightest.”

But the redheaded man gets no chance to reply or respond as a third voice chimes in.

“[Name]- oh… am i interrupting something?”

making both you and diluc turn your heads toward the source of it all.

And just a few feet away right at the entrance to your recently build garden stands the Sumeru Akademiya scribe, looking impassive as ever. Although there is a clearly interested look on his face as the eyes the two of you, well more like you in the arms of Diluc Ragnvindr. And you dont even get the time to reply before another figure trods in. This one looking clearly agitated, almost as if he’d had to run and catch up with Al Haitham to reach here.

And given that it's Kaveh, it's all the more likely that Scribe just didn't bother waiting around for him.

And Kaveh is about to give Al Haitham an earful but he stops midway as he too spots the pair of diluc and you. And given then he is much more well-versed in reading social situations it takes him mere minutes to point it out to his supposed companion.

“Of course, you are interrupting something!” he quickly chides the scribe almost ready to drag him away before shooting towards you, the both of you as his gaze swaps between you and diluc, an embarrassed and apologetic look.

“Sorry [name] we’ll be out of your hair in just one second-”

Kaveh’s voice is rushed and quick, he's midway in his actions to drag Al Haitham away too, but it's your apparent and loud voice that stops him in his steps.

“It's alright you aren't interrupting anything, I was simply testing out my curiosities and diluc here.” you pat his shoulder lightly, “well let's just say I managed to rope him into indulging me.”

The light touch on his shoulder is effective in bringing Diluc out of whatever trance he was struck in. And on hearing and processing your reply the only response he can manage is a sign. Before proceeding to lower you, placing you on the ground. He watches you step down, his eyes looking at you intently, hands lingering for a few seconds longer than necessary and then withdrawing completely.

“You certainly did” he voices out and you can practically feel him going back to his usual stoic self.

You eye the red-headed man briefly not at all surprised at the sudden change of tone, but rather smirking at him smugly.

“Well I had a thought and I had to test it out,” you answer while crossing your arms, very much feeling like a child coming clean to their parents.

“Understandable but still I would like to apologize on behalf of Kaveh, because as you just witnessed. He’s quick to jump onto conclusions.”

The Scribe speaks out, seemingly content with your explanations but ending the statement with a nonplussed look towards the resident architect.

“Why? You little- I do not jump onto conclusions, I only reasonably responded as every sensible individual would have, not like you would have any understanding of that.” Kaveh fires back, half irritated and half abashed because he did very well assume that you were-

“You mean on impulse and without any critical thinking and questioning?” Al Haitham is still less than impressed as he replies to his roommate, the feeling evident in his face and actions as he too crosses his arms in front of his chest.

And while the two go on at it again, Diluc on witnessing this whole ordeal only slides you a questioning and worried look. One that you reply with a shrug and a sideways nod of your own. Before lightly uttering the following words.

“It's just like you and Kaeya.”

The winery tycoon all but sours at the mention of his brother’s name. But part of him does start to wonder if this is truly what his and Kaeya’s conversations sound like to you.

“Just shut up alright? Arguing is not what we came here for.”

Kaveh says loud enough and exasperated enough that even Al Haitham stops with the curt replies of his own. This finally leads you to wonder why were they here in the first place. Not how because pretty much all the people you knew had a realm dispatch for this serenitea pot of yours, and that list obviously included these two Sumerian gentlemen.

“Yeah I mean any particular reason that you're here?” you think your thoughts out loud anyway it's when they both turn to look at you that you realize that you've said them out loud too.

“Not that I mind of course,” you add on quickly, not wanting to make it seem like the opposite.

“Well, Kaveh insisted on me seeing this Archaic Pallvillion that he claims to have constructed in this realm.” Al Haitham answers cooly as he steps further in to explore the said garden. With Kaveh following close behind, all the previous embarrassment forgotten as he walks forth with his chest puffed up, and pride literally oozing out of his person.

Because of course, he was proud. Getting to work in this magical adeptal realm that could handle all of his wildest designs? Having all the materials required available on a whim? And getting paid for it? It was too good to be true but that's the deal that you struck with him when you proposed the idea of him taking over the creative reins of your realm. He had half considered that this was just another dream of his but when he pinched himself and nothing seemed to change, that's when he remembers standing starstruck.

Your concerned face at his silence and the fact that you insisted that he could refuse if he so wished, ah well that expression still brings a smile to his face. It would be a foolish decision to refuse an offer as gracious as this… and you too now that he thinks of it.

Which leads us back to the place at hand, Archaic Pavillion, the said garden he had designed and materialized in this adeptal abode. Kaveh’s latest creative endeavor and the reason for his and Al haitham’s presence here. He wanted, to put it into simpler terms show off, and have a chance to meet with you too given that this provided for an opportunity for it. Convincing the scribe to come along was a task of his own but even he relented quickly enough when Kaveh mentioned you being there.

“Archaic Pavillion huh? nice choice of name.” you point out, having connected the dots together and doing a brief look around the entire place, very much satisfied with the aesthetics, not like anything less could be expected from the light of Ksharwar.

“Fits the place perfectly.” you smile up at the architect, very much appreciative of his ingenuity. And he puffs up even more, much like a peacock.

“It doubtlessly is exquisite.” surprisingly enough it is Diluc that voices his thoughts, seemingly appreciative of all that stood constructed. He might not be the most into design and aesthetics but he knows excellence in works when he sees one. It was all very much different from the buildings back in Mondstadt but this was not all Sumeru style either. Sure there were similar elements here and there but everything had a distinct feeling of you, The batch of small lamp grass that blossomed carefully cultivated in the vicinity was evident enough. A keepsake or rather a reminder of your first day in this world, however bizarre that was for you and him.

This was your place and the architect seems to have kept that in mind when he went about designing all that would subtly hint at your likeliness. A statement that Diluc himself would attest to, the blond man had certainly gone out of his way to capture your essence with the place.

Kaveh was on cloud nine soaking in the praise of both you and Diluc but his merry time is all but interrupted when the resident scribe opens his mouth.

“I agree, this is quite remarkable. And quite literally by your standards.”

Comes the abrupt awakening by Al Haitham’s hands as it doesn't take long for Kaveh to catch up with his offhanded compliment.

“What's that supposed to mean huh?” Kaveh shoots back, all ready to defend his latest creation

“It means you've done a good job for once.” The grey-haired man’s reply does nothing to quell Kaveh’s growing offense though and he is already to bite back but Al Haitham acts faster in getting his inquiry for you out.

“Anyway, [Name] what were you testing? If you dont mind me asking.” Al Haitham leaves for you a choice to not answer, but one look at him it's obvious that he wishes to know. Even Kaveh abandons his previous offensive in favor of listening to your answer.

Well, it's not like you had any intentions to hide it in the first place.

A pinch of awkwardness that you feel at being put in the spotlight and your hands drifting to the back of your neck.

“Well Diluc is a claymore user, and understandably claymores are quite bulky weapons to wield… but people here wield it with such grace and ease.”

“I was wondering if they would be able to lift me then.” one small look towards Diluc.

“Needless to say, it clearly no big task for Claymore uses.” you smile faintly at him.

“Certainly not for Mr. Ragnvindr” and once again Diluc starts to feel warm at your words but the man chooses not to humor you with a reply this time, only by his classic and standard hmph.

Al Haitham who has been intently listening to your assertions only nods at you. Of course, Diluc would be able to lift you there was no doubt of it. In spite of being a claymore user, the winery master was a formidable man. The scribe might not know a lot about him, but he does know that Diluc Ragnvinder more than knew his way around a conflict. Which makes his tendency to follow through your whims all the more curious of an affair.

But all his pondering seems to be disrupted when Kaveh points out yet another obvious.

“Well, I wield a claymore too.”

One single statement and that's all it takes for all three of you to stare blankly at the Dendro Claymore user. Kaveh does not even seem all that fazed by the stares either, not when he was claiming that what was true. He is proficient in the use of the said weapon, not to mention the prospect of getting to hold you in his arms is enticing and right up his alley.

“So lifting you should indeed be piece of a cake,” Kaveh speaks looking at you directly, looking very much pleased and confident with himself.

“What do you say [Name]? Do you wish to be swept off your feet?” Kaveh asks and you're sure he's teasing you, but the question comes across so earnestly sincere and genuine that you find yourself feeling flattered regardless. The strive in his voice is more than enough to let you know that he’s willing to go through it too.

So who were you to refuse-

“I am hardly confident about that endeavor.”

Another moment was once again ruined by the esteemed Akademiya lunatic. And this time Kaveh doesn't even bother hiding his vexation and while the act of Al Haitham riling up the architect is no stranger to you, it is very much new to your Mondstadtian companion. But even he seems to be observing with interest.

“Your opinion matters little here because I am more than capable of lifting up them should I choose to.”

Kaveh essentially hisses out his response, the clenched fists at his side a clear indication of his annoyance.

“The skill set you might have might be somewhat similar to Diluc, but your abilities vastly beg to differ.”

Al Haitham explains cooly, keeping his gaze fixed on the apparent Claymore user. His arms crossed, almost as if explaining something elementary to a child no less.

“Wielding a greatsword is clearly a much-practiced skill for Diluc but that’s barely the truth for you Kaveh, given that most if not all of your actions are through or aided by Mehrak.”

And the architect all but rebounds at his statement, taking offense at the insinuation against him.

“My actions aren’t solely by Mehrak’s hand. You simply don’t understand the nuances of the connection between us.”

Comes Kaveh’s response sounding a lot more defensive now. His cheeks too, starting to color a little at being flustered and cornered like that. And while yeah what Al Haitham said was true.

It wasn't all on Mehrak to do the heavy lifting.

“Nuances like making your weapon essentially weightless? And have it follow along with your hand gestures?”

Al Haitham really wasn't intending to make it easy for Kaveh and the scribe really makes it look obvious too. Making his words seem like facts rather than carefully articulated jabs. But you know him well enough to understand that it's not true. Al Haitham’s replies to Kaveh are thoughtful and articulate, for better or for worse.

“It's not like you can do any better, wielding that sword of yours.”

This looked like it could go on for quite a while and you have half the mind to call in the shots for peace, but that was before the direction of the quarrel changes entirely.

“Heh, and you claim that you dont jump to conclusions, unlike you I dont rely on any gadgets for my sword wielding.” he huffs out a reply of his own before adding.

“In fact, I would have a much easier time lifting [Name] too.”

And you wonder to yourself just how did the tables turn like this? A few sentences changed the entire course of the ordeal, Kaveh muttering something along the lines of ‘impossible’ underneath this breadth, and Al Haitham now staring at you with an expectant look, wanting to get a nod of approval from you before proceeding.

Hell in even Diluc looked mildly interested in this entire ordeal. Considering his flickering amongst the three of you.

“By all means then.” You reply in a resigned fashion to them all but especially Al Haitham you seem intent on holding your gaze the entire while as you went about speculating. And only gives you a nod in affirmation as he approached you.

And much like diluc before, his body lowers itself, one of his arms hooks itself behind your knees, and the other goes about to support your back. You have to admit though that his touch does give you a little jolt. But it's not long before within one swift moment he's standing upright, with you secured within his arms.

And although no gasp of disbelief leaves you this time, your arm almost instinctually moves to set itself across the expanse of his shoulders, the tail ends of his hair faintly brushing across your arms, which turn out to be surprisingly soft.

That and the fact that his rather unrestrictive choice of clothing means you're able to feel just how well-built he is. It's rather distracting though and you'd much rather concentrate on your current predicament, rather than thinking about how very, very close you were to his chest, with how broad and strong his biceps look underneath his tight sleeves. At least in the case of Diluc, it was all hidden within layers of clothing, but with the scribe that was currently holding you?

You clear your throat awkwardly, not wanting to go down that trail of thoughts, and then give in your verdict.

“Perhaps I shouldn't underestimate sword users after all.”

You look up at him briefly, his features are unreadable, and his face is set into a neutral line but he does turn towards you, catching your gaze instantly.

“You shouldn't jump to conclusions either, dont let Kaveh’s impulsivity rub off you,” he says in an almost amused tone, before turning to look at the architect himself.

Unable to form a reply of your own you reside to follow his gaze and at the end of you you discovered a borderline fuming Kaveh, shooting daggers at the grey-haired man, almost bubbling with barely contained indignation.

He swiftly moves closer to the pair of you, pointing right at the scribe, as he proclaims.

“Put them right back down and I’ll show you just how easy it is for me as well.”

The challenge is very much evident in his tone, which does nothing to faze Al Haitham though, the man promptly looks at him before starting to settle you back onto the ground.

All the while you can only think to yourself, just what the hell did you end up starting?

And here my dear readers lies the origin of the rumor that lifting up the Artificer is a favorable test of strength. Needless to say, it does end up becoming quite popular amongst the netizens of teyvat…

Bonus

“Hah, you see Al Haitham? I can lift them just as easily!”

“Huh, perhaps you do have some semblance of strength after all.”

“...Is that a suitcase glowing behind your back” (noticed by diluc btw)

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

yk what im in a very good mood , so random fic be upon ye

Feedback is ✨appreciated✨

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #diluc ragnvindr #diluc x reader #al haitham #al haitham x reader #kaveh #kaveh x reader #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #🔆 Writes

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muddyorbsblr · 1 year

Text

the lion and the lamb

See my full list of works here!

Part of the 500 Follower Celebration Requested by: Anonymous

Summary: Loki has some questions for you after Shaun called you two 'lion and lamb'

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Warnings: implied smut; slight horndog vibes from both Reader and Loki; some language Mr Satchel would shake his head at; cringe lines from Twilight [let me know if i missed anything]

Things to be aware of: established relationship

"Miss Y/L/N, my systems are detecting an override on your apartment door," FRIDAY announced into the quiet of your bedroom. "It's Mister Laufeyson. Shall I grant him access to your apartment? This has proven to be a pattern since you two have begun your relationship."

"No," you answered the AI, an amused smile pulling at the corners of your mouth. "Let him work for it a little." You stifled a giggle as you heard the front door of your apartment open.

"Perimeter breached," the AI announced.

"FRIDAY, honey, I'm gonna have to encourage you to turn a blind eye because I guarantee you once he gets here he'll be breaching more than the perimeter."

If disembodied AI assistants could blush, she definitely would have by now. "Very well then. Goodnight, Miss Y/L/N."

"Night, FRIDAY."

You tried to progress what you could with the remainder of your paperwork from the latest mission before Loki reached your bedroom, providing the details of the drives you and Shaun had recovered that were still pending further analysis courtesy of you and Natasha…which would then set off a whole new set of paperwork to file out. The mere notion of it made you groan and sigh in exasperation.

"Now that is a sound I do not wish to hear unless I am the one eliciting them from you, darling." You couldn't help but smirk as you grouped together all the tedious forms and placed them back in your "todo" folder and placing them inside the drawer of your nightstand. That smirk quickly grew into a smile as you felt the bed dip beside you and a pair of arms wrap around your waist to pull you towards him, situating you between his legs, your back flush against his chest.

The feel of him pressing his lips to your cheek as he tightened his embrace had you sighing in contentment.

"That is a much better sound, my darling," he mumbled against your skin, trailing his kisses down to your neck. "I have been looking forward to this all day. I've missed you." He kissed his way back up to your ear, making you giggle as he playfully nipped at your earlobe. "Before I get sidetracked, however, I will need your…extensive knowledge on modern Midgardian literature, dear heart."

"You mean my knowledge on cheesy campy pop culture?" He hummed his agreement against your skin, pressing another kiss, this time closer to the corner of your mouth. You turned your head towards him, letting him capture your lips in a tender kiss, more chaste and playful than anything really. "Ask away," you prompted him, smiling into his kiss.

"Xu made a comment earlier likening our relationship to some animals…?" he trailed off, his confusion evident in his tone. It took nearly all your self control not to let out a chuckle as you began to narrow down the possibilities of what Shaun could have possibly said.

"And these animals would be…?"

"A lion and a lamb," he finished. That did it. You turned your head away from him and your body began to shake in laughter, leading him to once again tighten his arms around you and pull you against him as he audibly mirrored your amusement. "I take it you know the context of the remark?" Your giggles quickly melted into whimpering moans as he pressed numerous kisses along the column of your neck.

"I do," you breathed out, lightly tapping your hand on his thigh in a signal to cease his attentions and allow you a moment to gather your thoughts. With a final lingering kiss to the particularly sensitive spot between your neck and shoulder, he pulled away. "You better buckle in, sweetie, because this is a particularly bumpy ride. We're taking a deep dive into my adolescent years."

You tried moving out of his embrace so you could grab your phone, but his hold on you didn't budge. "What do you need, darling?"

"My phone," you answered him, chuckling as both your phones suddenly materialized in his hand in a flash of green. "Hmmm thank you, Mischief," you said softly, craning your head to press a quick kiss to his lips as you reached for your phone, already starting to type in the search engine. "It's a reference to a book and movie series called Twilight. It was this whole phenomenon back in the late 2000s until the early 2010s. Paranormal teen romance, vampires, werewolves…love triangle between a vampire, a human, and a werewolf…people took sides on who to choose between the vampire and the werewolf…"

"And may I ask who you chose in this…riveting crossroads of adolescence?"

You scrunched your nose at his sarcasm, answering with no hesitation, "The vampire. What can I say? I've always liked my men tall and pale. Oop, sorry." You brought your face a few inches closer to his. "I like my gods tall and pale, too."

Somehow your playful words elicited a guttural sound from him, moving him to close the distance between you and claim your mouth in a decadent yet possessive kiss. As if he was trying to remind you that you were his and his alone. Not that you needed the reminder; you'd quietly pledged yourself to him long before he even made it known that the attraction was mutual.

"Watch your words, darling," he groaned against your lips. "Lest you wish for this conversation to take a more…intimateturn."

"Okay okay I give," you laughed against him.

"Now tell me about this lion and lamb business," he prompted, smiling against your skin as he proceeded to press his lips to your cheek once more.

You quickly typed in the words "twilight lion and lamb" into your phone in order to pull up the quote to aid your explanation. "The author really thought that she was being slick with this analogy," you started with a sardonic chuckle. "The quote is being said by Edward, the vampire, likening himself to a lion, a predator. And he's saying it to Bella, the human, likening her to a lamb, the lion's prey."

"How elementary," Loki groaned, covering his eyes with one of his hands in visible mortification. "Centuries of evolution and that was truly the best that humanity could manage in the realm of literature?" You shrugged, giving him a look as if you were apologizing on behalf of the entire human race. "I beg of you, darling, tell me this paltry piece of adolescent fiction had at least a few better utterings?"

You quickly pulled up a short list of the most popular lines from the first book, handing him your phone so that he could peruse through them at his own pace that was comparatively – hilariously – faster than yours.

"I fail to understand how Xu would make that comparison, however. I would never prey upon you. You are not food to me," he grumbled, pressing kisses to your hair as he continued scrolling through the lines. "You are the woman I love." Your heart fluttered at his words. You'd both said it before, of course, but it never hurt to hear the words. Especially when he found so many ways to say it.

"Might be that Shaun said that because comparatively, I'm…well, weaker," you offered with a casual shrug. "I mean let's look at the stats, shall we? You're an Asgardian, a god, a master sorcerer, and a frost giant. I'm a little girl with a license to carry a gun. From an evolutionary standpoint, I would be prey to your predator." You motioned towards him. "Lion." And then motioned towards yourself. "Lamb. Well…at least I hope that that's how Shaun was trying to articulate it."

"Oh Norns," he groaned in audible mortification. "Please tell me that this line did not ignite something in you when you were younger, my love." You gave him an expectant look, prompting him to feed the line. "Do I dazzle you?"

You physically recoiled in his embrace as you broke out into a fit of laughter. "At least now I know that there are lines so bad that even you can't save them," you answered. "And for the record, no. That line never did shit to me. I hear that and I go dry. Like sand."

"This is still quite elementary," he said after scrolling through another page. "But it's less horrendous. If I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it," he whispered into your ear before proceeding to press his lips to the skin just below it. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I've dreamt of you since the day I first laid eyes on you. You consumed my every thought so masterfully, so thoroughly, that I first assumed you were a sorceress playing tricks with my mind."

"And now?" you queried breathlessly as once again the god found a way to string words together in such a way that you were surely ensnared in his relentless attention, mind, body, and heart.

"Now…I know simply it is because the moment I saw you that every ounce of my being chose you right then and there. That I would gladly spend my days loving and protecting you; having you return my affection was simply a blissful bonus." His lips traced the outline of your ear as he murmured the next words that completely melted you against him. "My new, glorious purpose."

"That is so much better than you are my life now," you sighed as you leaned back against his chest. "Now I'm conflicted. I don't know whether to thank Shaun for the comparison or kick his ass tomorrow."

"A decision to be made tomorrow morning, my darling mortal," he chuckled as both your phones disappeared once again in a flash of green magic, allowing him to wrap his now free arm around you as well. You turned your head towards him, silently requesting for a kiss that he more than happily granted, his lips moving languidly against yours as he ran one of his hands down the length of your torso.

You squeaked into his mouth when you felt his fingers playing along the waistband of your pajama bottoms. "What're you doing?" you giggled as he continued to press his lips to yours.

"Well, my darling, you mentioned something about going dry," he cooed against your lips. "Allow me to remedy that."

A/N: This took a while to finish, but I'm happy how it turned out in the end! I hope you like it, Anon! There were some things I changed because mostly I couldn't write in good conscience that Y/N had a copy of the books just lying around 🤣

Everything tag list: @lokisgoodgirl @lokischambermaid @imalovernotahater @mygfloki @lucylaufeyson3 @thomase1 @springdandelixn @fictive-sl0th @mochie85 @laliceee @xorpsbane @gigglingtigger @silverfire475 @cabingrlandrandomcrap @vickie5446 @salempoe @lokixryss @sinsandguilt @lokidbadguy @alexakeyloveloki @glitterylokislut @arch-venus25 @freefrommars @littlemortals @cakesandtom @girl-of-multi-fandoms @mischief2sarawr @thedistractedagglomeration @five-miles-over @goblingirlsarah @peaches1958 @huntress-artemiss @lilibet261 @iobsessoverfictionalmen @holymultiplefandomsbatman @lovingchoices14 @avoliax @devilsadvocactus @purplegrrl27 @lokiprompts @sititran @imherefortomhiddleston @ladyjames78 @stupidthoughtsinwriting @kikster606 @evelyn-kingsley @kats72 @ronnieissupermegafoxyawesomehot @creationsbyme @coldnique

#loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki laufeyson fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfiction #muddyorbs writes #fic requests

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aita-blorbos · 9 months

Note

AITA for putting my little brother in a violent and dangerous situation to free our family and friends?

TW: suicide, racism, violence, violence towards children, child death, referenced child abuse

To briefly summarize the situation, I (12NB) willingly sacrificed my life for his people’s freedom, as part of a plan we both agreed to beforehand, but my brother (10M) failed to follow through after I was dead (reduced to a spirit only perceptible to a single host, which is how I’m conveying this posthumously) by refusing to harm anyone, even in self-defense, which got him killed as well.

For those who wish to further understand what happened, allow me to provide some context. My family’s entire race has been forcibly confined to a small region by another race, which I shall call the Oppressors for the purposes of this post. By killing a small number of Oppressors, their people could free themselves.

My brother and I were the best of friends, perhaps each other’s only friends, even though he was the sort of sensitive person who would cry over a dead butterfly or something, and I was… decidedly not. I had been…suffering, mentally, before the fateful plan was made. Part of my distress was anger at the Oppressors, and I worked with my brother to find a way to aid his people. The crucial fact is, I was adopted - I was born as one of the Oppressors and ran away at a young age, ending up in my *true* family’s small region. By taking my own life, I could give my brother the power unleashed by the death of an Oppressor, allowing him to escape the barricade and kill the six other Oppressors required to gain freedom for his people. I had several Oppressors in mind who deserved it, such as my abusive birth parents. I killed myself by poisoning, and pretended for our parents’ sake that I suffered from an ordinary illness, as they never would have allowed my sacrifice had they known of it. It wasn’t until I had already taken a lethal dose and was on my deathbed that my brother voiced his second thoughts and told me this was a bad idea. It was too late to save my life; there was nothing either of us could do except go forward with what we agreed to. He seemed at first to follow this after I died, telling our parents that I had wished to be buried outside the place his people were confined to and making his escape with me, both hosting my spirit and carrying my lifeless body. When we ran into a group of Oppressors and they attacked him, however, instead of calling on the power I’d given him in death and defending himself, as he needed to do to free his people, he shut down and refused to hurt them, even as they were killing him and I was pleading with him to fight back. In the end he just barely managed to crawl back home before dying of his wounds, further traumatizing our grieving parents. I never meant for him to die; I intended for him to return and be hailed as a hero, and for him to finally be free, along with our parents and everyone we cared about. There would have been relatively little risk to him if he had been willing to use the power I had died to give him. I now regret what I did, however, and I especially regret the way I involved my little brother in it, placing such an awful yet crucial responsibility on such a softhearted, overly sentimental kid.

Knowing all this, would you consider me “the asshole”?

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality #SUICIDE #child death #child abuse mention #racisim #FANTASY RACISM

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moonchild-in-blue · 7 months

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Sleep Token x The Phantom of The Opera

Spooky season and ST brain rot gave me ideas - this has been on my drafts for quite a while now, and finally I've had the time to finish it. @polteergeistt here as promised! I hope I made it justice! Please accept my humble offering 🙏🖤

[brace yourselves folks, this is a LONG post]

So, for context. We know that Sleep is a deity that comes in dreams (and nightmares). We know that Vessel has been visited by that deity, and offered his worship in exchange for glory and such. I know there are plenty other theories of what is Sleep, but for this to make sense, let's go with this one (the og provided by the band). With this in mind, let's take a look at the POTO's title song lyrics, shall we?

[Christine to Erik aka The Phantom]

In sleep, he sang to me In dreams, he came That voice which calls to me And speaks my name

Hummmm. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Let's proceed.

[Erik to Christine]

Sing once again with me Our strange duet My power over you Grows stronger yet

Oh???? You see where I'm going with this right?

[Christine and Erik alternately]

Those who have seen your face Draw back in fear I am the mask you wear (It's me they hear)

Funny how Christine is the metaphorical mask, or vessel, for the Phantom's music and talents, and Vessel is a literal vessel for Sleep, donning the mask as to signify the connection with Sleep. Both Vessel and Christine bear their phantoms' faces and spirit on their voices - Vessel taking it further and giving up his own identity in lieu of them.

[Christine and Erik in unison]

Your/my spirit and my/your voice In one combined The phantom of the opera is there Inside my/your mind

There we go. It is hard to ignore the Sleep x Vessel parallels in this. Seeing Sleep as a deity that not only inspires, but instructs and maintains a mentoral (?) relationship with Vessel, carefully curating and polishing his talents, and slowly taking over him. Of course, in POTO, Erik doesn't actually comes in dreams - for he is not a phantom but a man -, but in Sleeps case it is very much fitting. Both of them have a deep connection to the dark, the night, the subconscious. In the last verse of the song above, they mention a labyrinth, as a dark place where the Phantom lies. "Thread the Needle" is a perfect companion to it (that whole ep and most of Sundowning in fact)

Thought the musical, both the Phantom and Christine refer to each other as "Angel of Music". For Christine, the role Vessel embodies, she sees the phantom as a supernatural entity directly connected to her voice, to her music, to her father. A real angel in all senses of the word. She also mentions that the Angel of Music is someone who looks after her, who teaches her; someone who protects her - a shelter. In his music, Vessel often alludes to Sleep and/or their relationship/love as a shelter, someone or something that protects him (or should at least - in "Higher" we see that's not quite the case).

Also important to notice, Christine is as much in awe by the Phantom as she is frightened - she knows something about him isn't quite right; he holds a tremendous amount of power over her, the only one who seems to be aware of his existence; he his as seductive as he is possessive. She later describes his eyes as "eyes that burn", eyes which there is no hiding from, for he sees all. All of these qualities can be applied to Sleep, even more if we consider the romantic and sexual aspect of their relationship with Vessel, and how much more entwined they are in each other. Just like the Phantom is "inside her mind", Sleep resides within Vessel, possibly taking over him at times; possibly having dominance over his mind

For the Phantom, however, he sees in her the pure, bright, untarnished qualities of an angel. She represents the life he always longed; the love he never received; the praise he deserved yet was never offered. "Heaven" in a sense - Erik spent his whole living in hiding, living in the shadows, taking cover in the dark, without any real opportunity to show his talents an his face. Much like Sleep - a being that lives in shadows, in obscurity. An untangible being who has no face, but manifests itself through their vessels. A being who's "eyes like fire" hide behind a literal mask.

Let's look at some of the lyrics from "Music of The Night" (the Phantom to Christine):

Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation Darkness stirs and wakes imagination Silently the senses abandon their defensens Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor

Like I previously wrote, we know how important and symbolic the night-time is to Sleep Token. The night is when God and Worshipper, Apparition and Human, can finally reunite and be with each like lovers. It is also when Sleep's influence and power seems to be heightned. The night represents divine bliss, the moment where, for a moment, Vessel and Sleep are somewhat equals (in the sense that they can at last look at each other face to face). The night is tender, vulnerable, safe. The night comes down like heaven.

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar And you'll live as you've never lived before Softly, deftly music shall caress you Hear it, feel it secretly possess you Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind In this darkness which you know you can not fight The darkness of the music of the night

If this doesn't scream "Fields of Elation" and "Calcutta" to you, I don't know what it does. I just really love the idea that Sleep is the one who sings their music to Vessel, that they are directly responsible for Vessel's success and "glory". If we take the supernatural aspect into account, we can see this as the moment Vessel truly surrenders to Sleep and becomes "one" with him - he becomes literally possessed by them, thus gaining his title as Vessel.

Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before Let your soul take you where you long to be Only then can you belong to me

Isn't this so seductive? So sensual? So manipulative? Hmm, mmh. Delicious. I love toxic vibes by sexy masked singers. The rest of the song is incredibly sensual, almost like Sleep's version of "Give", "Sugar" and "Hypnosis", or the conversation that led to them. There is however one verse that I want to highlight:

You alone can make my song take flight Help me make the music of the night

In the musical, this is Erik basically confessing how actually powerless he is. As much of an intelectual and musical genius that he is, his talents mean nothing if he cannot show himself and share his music with the world. He needs Christine perhaps even more than she needs him.

However, in the ST lore, I want to refer to all those instances Vessel mentions Sleep's place is, or was, in heaven. Songs like "TNDNBTG" "Levitate", "Blood Sport", "Euclid", etc etc. Could be interesting to think that Sleep had once belonged to a place like heaven (making them an actual angel), but for some reason has been cast away (from Eden? Ooh this is good). And Vessel's worship, love, and devotion somehow helps them get there again? Or maybe heaven is just a metaphorical place to the state of mind they're both in while in love. Not sure, but there's something there right?

So if your wings won't find you heaven I will bring it down like an ancient bygone

Just to cement this point, here's this verse from "Stranger Than You Dreamt It" (the song directly after this one, also from the Phantom to Christine):

This loathsome gargoyle [referring to himsef] Who burns in hell, but secretly yearns for heaven Secretly, secretly But Christine Fear can turn to love You'll learn to see, to find the man behind the monster This repulsive carcass Who seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty

You see what I mean? This powerful, scary deity, who is both seductive and frightening, is not quite so omnipotent as they sometimes look. They too have a weakness, they too want to find (or go back to) beauty and glory; true divinity. Maybe it's because of this flaw, of this desire, that Vessel and Sleep find some sort of comfort and understanding in each other. For Vessel it may mean to become free of his mortal pains, of his torments. Or to atone for whatever his "sins" are. For Sleep, could mean a chance to regain their long lost glory - or perhaps just a convenient opportunity for a power-hungry, sadistic being to feed and have fun. There's a lot of room for interpretation, and if I go there I will never finish this "sHOrT bLuRb" (lmao).

So let's do a time skip and jump to (my personal favourite) "Point Of No Return". At this time in the story, the Phantom is fully unhighed and murdery, and Christine and her boring, wet-rag of a fiancé Raoul (he's so boringgg; who wouldn't want to be with a wet-cat masked goth man who plays music and does magic tricks?? anyways-) are now trying to capture/face him. Not gonna explain the whole plot (because let's face it, if you've read this far, then surely you're as much as a POTO weirdo as me), but basically Christine is still somewhat conflicted and allured by Erik, even though she knows how Not Nice he is, and is terribly afraid of him and what he might do to Raoul.

(side note from one horny yearning op: this whole scene in the 2004 movie is soft-core porn to me: Emmy is SERVING, Gerard is looking Fine in that sluty suit; Raoul is on the verge of tears because he knows he could never be HIM; THAT EMBRACE??? Ai Dios mio, I totally did not just rewatch this scene over and over, no sir)

[Erik to Christine]

You have come here In pursuit of your deepest urge In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent (...) In your mind you've already succumbed to me Dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me (...) Past the point of no return No backward glances Our games of make-believe are at an end Past all thought of if or when No use resisting Abandon thought and let the dream descend

This to me is pretty much Chokehold and The Summoning from Sleep's perspective. It's them luring Vessel once more, knowing how entwined in each other they are; knowing Vessel is too week to resist.

[Christine to Erik]

You have brought me To that moment where words run dry To that moment where speech disappears into silence (...) I have come here Hardly knowing the reason why In my mind I've already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent (...) Our passion play has now at last begun Past all thought of right or wrong One final question How long should we two wait before we're one? When will the blood begin to race? The sleeping bud bursts into bloom? When will the flames at last consume us? [Emmy EATS this line on the movie - she's a queen]

I couldn't help but put here most of her verse, because really, this is pretty much ST's whole discography. The man is constantly yearning, and aching, and feeling defeated. Tell me that this doesn't remind you of "The Offering" or "High Water". Tell me those last lines are literally just "Vore".

[Erik and Christine in unison]

Past the point of no return The final threshold The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn We've passed the point of no return

Nothing to add. Let's just apreciate how beautiful and raw these lines are. Seriously, if you haven't heard or seen the musical, or if you just know the title song, do yourself a favour and listen to "Point of No Return". The composers went HARD with this one.

[Erik to Christine]

Say you'll share with me One love, one lifetime Lead me, save me from my solitude Say you want me with you here, beside you Anywhere you go, let me go, too (...)

After this beautiful love confession (suck it Raoul), which ironically is much more fitting to Vessel towards Sleep then the reverse, Erik kidnaps Christine and takes her to his underground chambers. This is where POTO and ST differ the most. Christine is once again forcibly taken and deceived by the Phantom, and wonders if she is there to feed his "lust for the flesh". The Phantom, while someone who was terribly mistreated and misunderstood, is very much a villain (especially book! Erik, the musical does soften him quite a bit), while Christine remains the "pure, kind heroine" until the very end.

In ST however, there really is no "evil" one - Vessel and Sleep are both flawed, both corrupt, both toxic. They are consumed in and by each other, hurting each other and themselves in the process. He is never really forced to do anything - coerced perhaps, but it really depends on how you choose to interpret - all of the pain and suffering he endures seems to be by his own volition, often welcomed as a desperate attempt of connection. Of course it's much more nuanced than that, but in comparison to POTO, and to simplify things, he is not exactly a damzel in distress (he is, however, a babygirl).

While the Phantom recognises his shortcomings and ultimately lets Christine and Raoul go, we know that Vessel is the one who is trying to set himself free from Sleep's clutches. He doesn't seem to want to go (Rain and Euclid are very clear in this), and yet he knows how damaging it is, and that he must. Because Sleep is no guardian angel, no shelter, nor do they wish to give him up (The Apparition is the most obvious reference, but I'd argue that the whole of TMBTE is that final moment of taking action and leaving; of change).

The story ends with Erik feeling remorseful and sad about his actions, touched by her choice to show him kindness despite his horrible treatment, and the love and devotion Christine and Raoul have for each other - willing to die or live a life in the shadows for the other to escape.

In ST, as far as we can see, the only one who feels remorseful is Vessel. After all, why would a God ever show regret or remorse? For me, Sleep seems to be imensly arrogant and fickle, a true sadist who thrives and feeds off Vessel's pain (and he is not innocent either). Vessel is still very much a human, no matter how corrupted or entangled with Sleep he might be. Sleep, unlike the Phantom - a man of flesh, bone, and sadness - is no human. I'm very curious to see how ST's next album will fit into this narrative, seeing as the trilogy has a very final, or at the very least decisive, tone to it.

If you've actually read all of this, please know that I apologise for any incoherences and mistakes, and that I am eternally grateful for having someone out there who is as passionate about the Phantom Of The Opera as I am. I'm always elated to talk Phantom Matters™. 🖤🥀🎭

#oof. this took a lot out of me but I'm sooo happy I've finished it!!#i hope this makes sense for someone out there lol #I fisnihed this while watching the movie for the full effect - very great reccomend #sleep token #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged #phantom of the opera #poto #the phantom of the opera #sleep token x poto

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neros-w · 11 months

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On Nihilism and the Idealist

This post goes into deep analysis of Buddhist philosophy and the events of A Parade of Providence, spoiling both the event and the events of the Inversion of Genesis. Please read at your own risk!

In concluding Sumeru, I had to give some thought on the big event of the region and wanted to understand why it was that it featured Kaveh so heavily, why Wanderer was chosen for Vahumana, and what exactly it was trying to say about Sumeru overall.

... This also may have been research for an upcoming fic but that is neither here nor there.

Now, all that's left is the evidence.

Lofty ideals may provide no defense at all against nihilism, but perhaps little decisions can. By their own choice, the idealist seeks to bring happiness to all, while denying themselves the same. Thus they shall never reach even the borders of truth until they wipe away the ignorance that blinds them. — Alhaitham, in his investigation on Sachin’s disappearance

No one, not even I included, can understand [truth] in its entirety. All of us are somewhere on the path toward truth. — Nahida, The Arc of Intellect

On the last quest of the event, it's revealed that Nahida ordered Wanderer to join the Championship to make sure that whoever inherited Sachin’s research wasn’t going to use it to harm people.

Allegedly.

(This investigation seemed to largely skip over Matra jurisdiction as well, with Nahida planning to let Wanderer mete out extrajudicial justice, when deemed necessary.

… Unless Wanderer is part of the Matra now. Now, that certainly is a thought.)

Sachin’s essays involved experiments confirming his allegedly bleak nihilistic views re: the future of mankind. These essays are, in fact, philosophies in Madhyamaka (which seems to just be referencing Tantric Buddhism… which just so happens to be what Wanderer is designed after).

Madhyamaka, for brief context, is a path of Buddhism founded by Nagarjuna, who further expanded upon nihilism in Buddhist texts. Nagarjuna, of course, also exists in Teyvat under the same name, founding the Order of Skeptics.

In the investigations around Sachin and Kaveh's father, it seems that Sachin's point of interest in desert research had been the Nagarjunites– the lost Darshan, so to speak. After eight years, Sachin came to the conclusion, after seemingly having met with the Order of Skeptics, that humanity is doomed to forever keep the suffering suffering, keeping them from ever reaching the thrones of Celestia due to their own selfishness.

The inclusion of his inheritance and the diadem in the Championship is one of Sachin’s last experiments, a challenge to see if showcasing greed and the promise of power and wealth urging humans into beating each other down would draw out a like-minded idealist who wishes to seek similar truths among the rabble.

Which, it did. Twice.

Kaveh’s Philosophy

Nahida’s point in making Wanderer watch out for the developments of this particular experiment means that she might have known what happened to Kaveh’s father 20 years ago. She must have wanted Wanderer to watch what Kaveh would have done, had he accepted Sachin’s inheritance and research. As an extension, she must have wanted him to either learn from or understand Kaveh’s own philosophies as an idealist. She wanted Wanderer to either help Kaveh or learn from the guilt erupting from turning a blind eye, had he let Kaveh die or get hurt in that experiment.

Backing this, Nahida believes that Kaveh’s philosophy on the truth is an unpopular but very wise interpretation that Sumeru should adopt as a whole. From his own Character Story:

The selfish cannot understand wisdom's final destination. Though all of us might claim to have a place in this great hall of learning, we must understand that it is people, and not knowledge, that make our world what it is. Without a vessel, knowledge shall have no home. Universal values must naturally have some merit to be named such, and denying their general meaning does not mean that minority viewpoints will arise accordingly. This is the case with aesthetics. Beauty is something objective that exists in human hearts. It will not lose its value simply because some people cannot understand it. To view oneself as some mighty vessel is to fall to the narrowness of the researcher. Know that truth has never existed for the sake of individuals. The logic of the world coexists with nature, and this will not easily change whether it is interpreted as such or not. Excessive belief in the object is self-disclosure just the same, a manifestation of a lack of confidence in the subject. Moreover, one who is sufficiently self-confident will not need to constantly use plural forms of address, such as 'we.' I alone am sufficient to sustain this position — this I can assert.

In this sense, Wanderer and Sachin’s beliefs that a history of conflict is a self-perpetuating cycle is one Nahida does not contest. It lays in Alhaitham’s note at the beginning of this post.

Lofty ideals may provide no defense at all against nihilism, but perhaps little decisions can.

As change is the only constant in Buddhism, a butterfly effect occurs.

Because Wanderer does improve himself in the Championship.

In every challenge, he assists contestants while not even participating in the event itself. While it is true that he doesn’t want the prizes, or the diadem, while it is true that he’s under direct orders to participate, challenging Layla’s lack of self-confidence, handing Tighnari water in the desert, and making sure Kaveh doesn’t fly off-course and wins the final round are all acts that equally amount to nothing.

And yet he did so anyway.

Like little decisions as a defense against nihilism.

#a parade of providence #3.6 event #kaveh genshin impact #nahida genshin impact #the wanderer genshin impact #the wanderer #kaveh #nahida #character analysis #genshin analysis #this one... took me all night.

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circulars-reasoning · 1 year

Text

Let’s discuss the screenshot together, shall we? I’m an English teacher, and reading comprehension is something we focus on strongly as kids enter 6th grade. So, eyes and ears students! We're going to have some fun today. Got your textbooks?

Let’s comprehend. Then, we can move on to analysis.

First, the most crucial part of comprehension (imo) is context clues. So let’s see the context.

“Here’s some more things that are normal in DID/OSDD systems, and some weird myths, in no particular order”

This was a collection of myths and non-myths about CDDs. With this context, we now know that the screenshotted text was intended to clarify a truth or debunk a myth.

Having spoken directly to the author, as a dutiful researcher, I have found that the post that instigated the creation of this post was from a system who was seeking help identifying if their experiences were standard for a CDD system. With this further context, we now know that the screenshot was taken from a post that was intended to inform people about what is standard for CDD systems, as stated explicitly by the author.

Now we have some context; time for content.

“The dysfunction criteria” is specifically referring to the criteria within the diagnosis of DID to be “dysfunctional.” Now, as much as I would love to simply say “google the definition,” we’re not talking about English terms. This is what we call jargon.

Jargon is words that are specific to a group, and while they might be words that are used in other ways, they have a specific meaning in the group they’re used in. For example, we know that in math, “acute” triangles are triangles where every angle is less than 90 degrees - but in the medical field, “acute” means a condition that comes upon someone suddenly. It’s the same word, but it has a different meaning because of where the word is being used.

So, for “dysfunction,” we can’t Google it - we need to know what the diagnostic manual defines dysfunction as. Thankfully, the DSM has provided many places where it defines the word "dysfunction." Let's look first at how it is used to help define mental disorders:

(From Page 20 of the DSM-V)

Simply put, mental disorders are ailments that disturb an individual's thinking, feeling, or actions, in such a way that there is a clear issue with the body (whether mental, physical, or genetic) that affects the brain's functions. This disturbance also cannot be simply caused by cultural responses (like death) or defined simply by deviance from society. It 100% has to cause problems within the person.

Therefore, dysfunction is being defined here as things that cause a problem for an individual beyond the scope of normality. When paired with a mental disorder, we have problems caused by internal functions that are not functioning properly - disorders influenced by dys-function. A function that isn't functioning right.

Does that make sense?

(It is crucial to note that dysfunction does not mean unable-to-function. It simply means there is a problem in functioning. Nowhere in this screenshot does it imply that those with mental disorders are incapable. Simply that their functioning is affected.)

Back to the original screenshot. "The dysfunction criteria is redundant and circular." This is to say, the criteria for a disorder (which is defined, as we just saw, as internal problems caused by dysfunction) including dysfunction is like saying "this thing that is caused by dysfunction must be caused by dysfunction." This is, indeed, an example of circular reasoning (in which you attempt to provide evidence of a claim by restating a claim: an example of this could be "We know the text is accurate because the text says it is.").

"The dysfunction criteria is redundant and circular, where the symptoms themselves fulfill the criteria,"

Well, this simply continues our circular reasoning. If the DSM defines mental disorders as having dysfunction, then obviously, a symptom of the disorder is dysfunction. This is starting to feel a bit like Emperor's New Groove...

"The dysfunction criteria is redundant and circular, where the symptoms themselves fulfill the criteria, and as per the DSM, doesn't imply any inherent need for treatment or distress,"

"But Circ, isn't dysfunction distressing?" Yes, often! But the DSM clarifies that it does not need to be in order to be dysfunctional.

(Also from page 20 of the DSM-V)

"However, the diagnosis of a mental disorder is not equivalent to a need for treatment." Having a disorder does not require treatment. Allow me to rephrase: Having a problem caused by dysfunction does not always demonstrate itself as requiring treatment. Treatment must be done on a case by case basis, as per the DSM, with the following kept in mind: symptom severity, symptom salience, distress associated with symptoms, disability related to the patient's symptoms, risks and benefits of available treatments, and other factors.

Therefore, one could say, a diagnosis of a problem that is caused by dysfunction does not imply an inherent need for treatment, as many individuals do not experience all of the following (severe symptoms, salience of symptoms, DISTRESS, disability, or other factors)."

Let's return to our screenshot!

"The dysfunction criteria is redundant and circular, where the symptoms themselves fulfill the criteria, and as per the DSM, doesn't imply any inherent need for treatment or distress -- so being happy, loving your system, feeling like your system helps you more than it hinders you, all normal (and good!) but still DID/OSDD."

That's the full screenshot! So let's review what we know:

The text was addressing common myths about DID/OSDD. This was done in an attempt to inform anyone interested in what is standard with the disorder.

In a section of the text, the author addressed some jargon, "dysfunction," and (by using the definitions provided through the field where the jargon comes from), debunked a myth surrounding DID/OSDD.

Through this information, I can infer that the myth SysmedsareSexist was debunking was the very common myth that DID/OSDD must involve constant suffering and feeling as if your system is hindering you. As someone who has DID, I fact this myth constantly. It's lovely to see a post that discusses the fact that my disorder does not need to be doom and gloom; that I still have DID, even when I'm happy to be plural. Even better, the individual knows their stuff, and used the correct terminology ("dysfunction criteria" versus what I almost always see referred to as "clinical distress criteria").

How do we know it's the correct terminology?

The text they reference tells us so!

"However, in the absence of clear biological markers or clinically useful measurements of severity for many mental disorders," (such as DID/OSDD), "it has not been possible to completely separate normal and pathological symptom expressions contained in diagnostic criteria." (Meaning, we struggle sometimes to differentiate what is normal and what is part of a disorder). "This gap in information is particularly problematic in clinical situations in which the patients symptom presentation by itself (particularly in mild forms) is not inherently pathological and may be encountered in individuals for whom a diagnosis of 'mental disorder' would be inappropriate." (Note: this is like the difference between "I feel sad sometimes" and "I am clinically depressed." Refer back to the definition of a mental disorder if you're a bit confused here!)*

(Oh here's the important part)

"Therefore, a generic diagnostic criterion requiring distress or disability has been used to establish disorder thresholds, usually worded 'the disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."

So, to put it all very simply:

The diagnostic criteria for DID only includes "the disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning" because it needed to be made clear to everyone that mental disorders are, in fact, mental disorders, which cause dysfunction, because mental disorders are inherently dysfunctional.

So... the criteria is saying "in order to have a mental disorder, you need to have a mental disorder, which is defined as having a mental disorder."

Now, it wouldn't be a Circ Classroom Lesson if I didn't ask a very important question. Why is this important?

Well, on a surface level, I'm sure y'all have seen the Syscourse(tm) today and yesterday. With individuals deciding to tear into others for no reason other than what appears to be ignorance or distrust. It's obviously why I wrote this post. I wanted to illuminate what @sysmedsaresexist, a very close personal friend of mine, was trying to say in their educational post. I thought it was fairly clear and easy to understand, when I read it.

Sadly...

Sigh.

I am understanding of students in my classroom who struggle to comprehend, and I am understanding of Sophie here now. I try my best to see good faith in everyone, even those who hurt me. It's something I actually work closely on with my therapist, as I work on not blaming myself (or others) for facts of my life.

But I won't lie and say it's not frustrating to have the same exact conversation, over and over, because I haven't cracked the code on how to help that student learn.

And I'm seeing the same trend with you, Sophie.

Yes, I know, I have you blocked. I also know you'll see this, eventually, somehow, someway. I don't particularly want your response - while I usually support open communication, there does come a time when, well...

So please, please, I am literally begging:

Listen.

Dude posted this long educational positivity post because I had specifically been discussing my experiences with CDD in the plural servers, and his post to ashenphoenixflock resonated with so many of those I was speaking to. I explained to him how much his post resonated with many in the plural servers I was in, who expressed they hadn't known these things about DID/OSDD, or that they related more to traumagenic plurality than they first thought.**

Upon seeing the impact he was making, Dude then made the post the screenshot discussed here came from. That's why the title of the post was "I’ve heard one of my posts is causing waves." He heard it from me.

He posted this to endogenic tags because I was encouraging a transfer of information with inclusive plural spaces. I was the one who encouraged him to post in endogenic tags. It wasn't malicious, as you tried to spin it. And had you simply asked, or even just minded you own business, you wouldn't have published disinformation (information that is not true in an effort to cause harm) about my friend.

Dude's educational post is not arguing that individuals who do not meet the diagnostic criteria of a disorder should be diagnosed with it. It was simply trying to demonstrate that the dysfunction criteria does not, in fact, mean that those with DID must be in constant suffering. Nothing more, nothing less. Was there more meat there he could have posted? Obviously! But the post was not intended to be an argument against plurality or dismantling the DSM. It was simply busting myths and spreading positivity and normalcy for DID systems. And you saw issue with that.

It is not dangerous in the slightest to explain what the DSM means by dysfunction. If anything, it would have helped me greatly to understand my traumatic experiences and come to terms with them far, far sooner than I did. I (and many, many, countless others) convinced themselves they were functional enough, and therefore, could not imagine themselves as being "disordered." Proof of this was sent to Dude, which inspired another post with another worthwhile discussion to be had.

Tell me, do you genuinely believe that reassuring this person that you can still be disordered, in need of help, and receive that help, even if you are """functional""" is... malicious?

Why are you screaming? You are in agreement. Dude never once argued that you don't need to fit all the diagnostic criteria to have the disorder. He argued that the criteria is repetitive. You're the one who read his post wrong.

Furthermore, you read the source you used incorrectly as well.

Shall we refer back to the criteria Loewenstein is referencing?

"This gap in information is particularly problematic in clinical situations in which the patients symptom presentation by itself (particularly in mild forms) is not inherently pathological and may be encountered in individuals for whom a diagnosis of 'mental disorder' would be inappropriate. Therefore, a generic diagnostic criterion requiring distress or disability has been used to establish disorder thresholds, usually worded 'the disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."

Loewnestein is arguing that tulpamancy is different from DID because DID is a disorder. That's it.

And let's review why it's so fucking important to share this information, based on the article you yourself linked. Let's look at how Shea responds to the distress criteria.

"It causes dysfunction it makes them unable to take care of themselves."

"She feels like she has a good sense of when mental illnesses do cause distress."

Ableism. What she has is a good sense of ableism. The exact myth that Dude was attempting to debunk. The exact myth that Dude was attempting to help educate people on. I wonder what Shea's reaction to the education would have been?

But given that she practices tulpamancy, she could potentially be a fan of yours. And what does she see?

"Not needing to be bedridden is medical misinformation."

"Not needing to be unable to care for yourself is medical misinformation."

"To be diagnosed with a disorder, you need to meet this criteria, no questions asked."

Which, to people like Shea... Wait. This reminds me of something.

"You must suffer to have DID. It's a serious trauma disorder."

I thought it sounded familiar...

And since you wanted a dialogue with me, here.

This is the true problem with reading comprehension. And why I made this entire post. Nowhere, anywhere, in the OG screenshot, did Dude say "ignore the criteria." You're the one who took that step. You are the one who chose to see malicious intent where there was none. And not even logical malicious intent! If Dude were to be the top-tier most anti-endo ever, would he ever, EVER, argue that the diagnostic criteria for DID be less specific?!

I am glad we are in agreement, then. You attacked a positivity post.

Class dismissed.

#syscourse #sophiecourse #long post #*this clause is not a discussion of endogenic plurality as neurodivergency is considered pathological #**This is not nondisordered individuals being manipulated into thinking they are disordered but merely connections between plurals occuring #Armageddon Comes While I'm Sleeping

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 10 months

Text

By: Sam Harris

Published: Mar 15, 2011

youtube

In the aftermath of the House hearing on American Muslims, Representative Keith Ellison appeared on HBO’s Real Time to further testify to the benign nature of Islam. Attempting to bring some glint of reality to the conversation, Bill Maher posed the following question:

Have you read Sam Harris’s book, The End of Faith?… [Harris] says, “On almost every page, the Qur’an instructs observant Muslims to despise non-believers.”

The Congressmen rejected this description of the Qur’an as “absurd, ridiculous and untrue”—the result of taking certain passages “out of context.” When Maher asked how jihadists can justify their actions by reading these same passages in context, Ellison claimed that jihadists do nothing of the sort. Rather, they think in terms of “political grievances,” not religious doctrine, and those who oppose them have the true doctrine of Islam on their side.

It is not my purpose to defend the House hearing on American Muslims (which I did not get a chance to watch). But it is growing increasingly disconcerting to see moderate Muslims reflexively lie about the tenets of their faith. Of course, it’s hard to know whether Ellison was actually lying or is merely unaware of the contents of the Qur’an. But I have witnessed too many of these exchanges with Muslim apologists, both in public and private, to ignore the general trend. Who will reform Islam if moderate Muslims refuse to speak honestly about the very doctrines in need of reform?

Here is the section of The End of Faith that Maher was referring to, in which I provide five pages of quotations from the Qur’an. Please know that these are not the only passages of this kind in the text. I simply broke off the litany of sacred hatred once I felt I had proved my point. Even worse passages appear later in the book (in chapters 8 and 9, for instance).

(from The End of Faith, pp. 117-123)

Open the Koran, which is perfect in its every syllable, and simply read it with the eyes of faith. You will see how little compassion need be wasted on those whom God himself is in the process of “mocking,” “cursing,” “shaming,” “punishing,” “scourging,” “judging,” “burning,” “annihilating,” “not forgiving,” and “not reprieving.” God, who is infinitely wise, has cursed the infidels with their doubts. He prolongs their life and prosperity so that they may continue heaping sin upon sin and all the more richly deserve the torments that await them beyond the grave. In this light, the people who died on September 11 were nothing more than fuel for the eternal fires of God’s justice. To convey the relentlessness with which unbelievers are vilified in the text of the Koran, I provide a long compilation of quotations below, in order of their appearance in the text. This is what the Creator of the universe apparently has on his mind (when he is not fussing with gravitational constants and atomic weights):

“It is the same whether or not you forewarn them [the unbelievers], they will have no faith” (2:6). “God will mock them and keep them long in sin, blundering blindly along” (2:15). A fire “whose fuel is men and stones” awaits them (2:24). They will be “rewarded with disgrace in this world and with grievous punishment on the Day of Resurrection” (2:85). “God’s curse be upon the infidels!” (2:89). “They have incurred God’s most inexorable wrath. An ignominious punishment awaits [them]” (2:90). “God is the enemy of the unbelievers” (2:98). “The unbelievers among the People of the Book [Christians and Jews], and the pagans, resent that any blessing should have been sent down to you from your Lord” (2:105). “They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter” (2:114). “Those to whom We [God] have given the Book, and who read it as it ought to be read, truly believe in it; those that deny it shall assuredly be lost” (2:122). “[We] shall let them live awhile, and then shall drag them to the scourge of the Fire. Evil shall be their fate” (2:126). “The East and the West are God’s. He guides whom He will to a straight path” (2:142). “Do not say that those slain in the cause of God are dead. They are alive, but you are not aware of them” (2:154). “But the infidels who die unbelievers shall incur the curse of God, the angels, and all men. Under it they shall remain for ever; their punishment shall not be lightened, nor shall they be reprieved” (2:162). “They shall sigh with remorse, but shall never come out of the Fire” (2:168). “The unbelievers are like beasts which, call out to them as one may, can hear nothing but a shout and a cry. Deaf, dumb, and blind, they understand nothing” (2:172). “Theirs shall be a woeful punishment” (2:175). “How steadfastly they seek the Fire! That is because God has revealed the Book with truth; those that disagree about it are in extreme schism” (2:176). “Slay them wherever you find them. Drive them out of the places from which they drove you. Idolatry is worse than carnage. . . . If they attack you put them to the sword. Thus shall the unbelievers be rewarded: but if they desist, God is forgiving and merciful. Fight against them until idolatry is no more and God’s religion reigns supreme. But if they desist, fight none except the evil-doers”(2:190–93). “Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. But you may hate a thing although it is good for you, and love a thing although it is bad for you. God knows, but you know not” (2:216). “They will not cease to fight against you until they force you to renounce your faith—if they are able. But whoever of you recants and dies an unbeliever, his works shall come to nothing in this world and in the world to come. Such men shall be the tenants of Hell, wherein they shall abide forever. Those that have embraced the Faith, and those that have fled their land and fought for the cause of God, may hope for God’s mercy” (2:217–18). “God does not guide the evil-doers” (2:258). “God does not guide the unbelievers” (2:264). “The evil-doers shall have none to help them” (2:270). “God gives guidance to whom He will” (2:272).

“Those that deny God’s revelations shall be sternly punished; God is mighty and capable of revenge” (3:5). “As for the unbelievers, neither their riches nor their children will in the least save them from God’s judgment. They shall become fuel for the Fire” (3:10). “Say to the unbelievers: ‘You shall be overthrown and driven into Hell—an evil resting place!’” (3:12). “The only true faith in God’s sight is Islam. . . . He that denies God’s revelations should know that swift is God’s reckoning” (3:19). “Let the believers not make friends with infidels in preference to the faithful—he that does this has nothing to hope for from God—except in self-defense” (3:28). “Believers, do not make friends with any but your own people. They will spare no pains to corrupt you. They desire nothing but your ruin. Their hatred is evident from what they utter with their mouths, but greater is the hatred which their breasts conceal” (3:118). “If you have suffered a defeat, so did the enemy. We alternate these vicissitudes among mankind so that God may know the true believers and choose martyrs from among you (God does not love the evil-doers); and that God may test the faithful and annihilate the infidels” (3:140). “Believers, if you yield to the infidels they will drag you back to unbelief and you will return headlong to perdition. . . . We will put terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. . . . The Fire shall be their home” (3:149–51). “Believers, do not follow the example of the infidels, who say of their brothers when they meet death abroad or in battle: ‘Had they stayed with us they would not have died, nor would they have been killed.’ God will cause them to regret their words. . . . If you should die or be slain in the cause of God, God’s forgiveness and His mercy would surely be better than all the riches they amass” (3:156). “Never think that those who were slain in the cause of God are dead. They are alive, and well provided for by their Lord; pleased with His gifts and rejoicing that those they left behind, who have not yet joined them, have nothing to fear or to regret; rejoicing in God’s grace and bounty. God will not deny the faithful their reward” (3:169). “Let not the unbelievers think that We prolong their days for their own good. We give them respite only so that they may commit more grievous sins. Shameful punishment awaits them” (3:178). “Those that suffered persecution for My sake and fought and were slain: I shall forgive them their sins and admit them to gardens watered by running streams, as a reward from God; God holds the richest recompense. Do not be deceived by the fortunes of the unbelievers in the land. Their prosperity is brief. Hell shall be their home, a dismal resting place” (3:195–96).

“God has cursed them in their unbelief” (4:46). “God will not forgive those who serve other gods besides Him; but He will forgive whom He will for other sins. He that serves other gods besides God is guilty of a heinous sin. . . . Consider those to whom a portion of the Scriptures was given. They believe in idols and false gods and say of the infidels: ‘These are better guided than the believers’” (4:50–51). “Those that deny Our revelation We will burn in fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than We shall give them other skins, so that they may truly taste the scourge. God is mighty and wise” (4:55–56).

“Believers, do not seek the friendship of the infidels and those who were given the Book before you, who have made of your religion a jest and a pastime” (5:57). “That which is revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase the wickedness and unbelief of many among them. We have stirred among them enmity and hatred, which will endure till the Day of Resurrection” (5:65). “God does not guide the unbelievers” (5:67). “That which is revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase the wickedness and unbelief of many among them. But do not grieve for the unbelievers” (5:69). “You see many among them making friends with unbelievers. Evil is that to which their souls prompt them. They have incurred the wrath of God and shall endure eternal torment. . . . You will find that the most implacable of men in their enmity to the faithful are the Jews and the pagans, and that the nearest in affection to them are those who say: ‘We are Christians’” (5:80–82). “[T]hose that disbelieve and deny Our revelations shall become the inmates of Hell” (5:86).

“[T]hey deny the truth when it is declared to them: but they shall learn the consequences of their scorn” (6:5). “We had made them more powerful in the land than yourselves [the Meccans], sent down for them abundant water from the sky and gave them rivers that rolled at their feet. Yet because they sinned We destroyed them all and raised up other generations after them. If We sent down to you a Book inscribed on real parchment and they touched it with their own hands, the unbelievers would still assert: ‘This is but plain sorcery.’ They ask: ‘Why has no angel been sent down to him [Muhammad]?’ If We had sent down an angel, their fate would have been sealed and they would have never been reprieved” (6:5–8). “Who is more wicked than the man who invents falsehoods about God or denies His revelations?” (6:21). “Some of them listen to you. But We have cast veils over their hearts and made them hard of hearing lest they understand your words. They will believe in none of Our signs, even if they see them one and all. When they come to argue with you the unbelievers say: ‘This is nothing but old fictitious tales.’ They forbid it and depart from it. They ruin none but themselves, though they do not perceive it. If you could see them when they are set before the Fire! They will say: ‘Would that we could return! Then we would not deny the revelations of our Lord and would be true believers’ (6:23–27). “But if they were sent back, they would return to that which they have been forbidden. They are liars all” (6:29). “Had God pleased He would have given them guidance, one and all” (6:35). “Deaf and dumb are those that deny Our revelations: they blunder about in darkness. God confounds whom He will, and guides to a straight path whom He pleases.” (6:39) “[T]heir hearts were hardened, and Satan made their deeds seem fair to them. And when they had clean forgotten Our admonition We granted them all that they desired; but just as they were rejoicing in what they were given, We suddenly smote them and they were plunged into utter despair. Thus were the evil-doers annihilated. Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe!” (6:43–45). “[T]hose that deny Our revelations shall be punished for their misdeeds” (6:49). “Such are those that are damned by their own sins. They shall drink scalding water and be sternly punished for their unbelief” (6:70). “Could you but see the wrongdoers when death overwhelms them! With hands out-stretched, the angels will say: ‘Yield up your souls. You shall be rewarded with the scourge of shame this day, for you have said of God what is untrue and scorned His revelations” (6:93). “Avoid the pagans. Had God pleased, they would not have worshipped idols. . . . We will turn away their hearts and eyes from the Truth since they refused to believe in it at first. We will let them blunder about in their wrongdoing. If We sent the angels down to them, and caused the dead to speak to them, . . . and ranged all things in front of them, they would still not believe, unless God willed otherwise. . . . Thus have We assigned for every prophet an enemy: the devils among men and jinn, who inspire each other with vain and varnished false- hoods. But had your Lord pleased, they would not have done so. Therefore leave them to their own inventions, so that the hearts of those who have no faith in the life to come may be inclined to what they say and, being pleased, persist in their sinful ways” (6:107–12). “The devils will teach their votaries to argue with you. If you obey them you shall yourselves become idolaters. . . . God will humiliate the transgressors and mete out to them a grievous punishment for their scheming” (6:121–25). “If God wills to guide a man, He opens his bosom to Islam. But if he pleases to confound him, He makes his bosom small and narrow as though he were climbing up to heaven. Thus shall God lay the scourge on the unbelievers” (6:125).

Yes, the Bible contains its own sadistic lunacy—but the above quotations can be fairly said to convey the central message of the Qur’an—and of Islam at nearly every moment in its history. The Qur’an does not contain anything like a Sermon on the Mount. Nor is it a vast and self-contradictory book like the Old Testament, in which whole sections (like Leviticus and Deuteronomy) can be easily ignored and forgotten. The result is a unified message of triumphalism, otherworldliness, and religious hatred that has become a problem for the entire world. And the world still waits for moderate Muslims to speak honestly about it.

This is the religion that demands you respect their holy book, because of how dear and beloved it is to its followers. A book that wants to murder or enslave you, and if you say anything bad against it, then somehow you're the one perpetuating "hate."

Those are literally just the first 6 surahs. The quran consists of 114 in total, and we haven't even gotten to the Verse of the Sword in surah 9, Surah at-Tawbah.

Islam is a religion of war, domination and supremacy. You need never feel guilty for criticizing, mocking or disparaging it, especially when Muslims themselves refuse to admit how openly hateful their doctrine is.

#Sam Harris #islam #islamic violence #islamic supremacy #quran #religion of war #religion of violence #religion of hate #religion is a mental illness

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okage-kirana · 1 year

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Let's talk about the adults of the 1st floor shall we? This is a scene of their conversation concerning the dolls during the debut game

First pic is Joseph speaking:

Second pic is Sophie speaking:

Context: Dorothy and Ryan were talking about how Shaun and Emilico should've had used cruel means to eliminate their friends,they were talking about Ram, Shaun, Emilico, who were already friends at that time

Then both Sophie and Joseph shot down their cruel resolutions which the dolls should use on the basic those three are already friends so they wouldn't use such methods, which made Dorothy and Ryan feel that the other two shadows sitting opposite them were real killjoys

********************************

The last one is both Dorothy and Ryan's literal synchronized thought:

I think this scene show us the First floor adults' personalities:

:::::::::::::::::

Ryan and Dorothy are sadistic,cruel,they said cruel things and act very bold so they possibly resort to unethical measures so things would go their ways

Ryan is much more barbaric, it's said in his description that he's "a violent man who has perverse thoughts",he wanted to see losers rather than winners too,he gets angry if everyone wins,the guy said that himself

Dorothy is often more elegant so she wouldn't throw hands unlike Ryan,rather she uses her words,we see her playfully mocking the dolls condescendingly and even laugh when Shaun walked into a trap and fell into a pit hole during the Debut's game. She sounds very strong when she demanded Aileen too

xxxxxxxxxx

Sophie and Joseph are calm, reserved,composed. Their ways of speaking are also logical and polite too,not outright insulting like Ryan and Dorothy

Joseph is a logical and calm gentleman pretty much contradict his big size, he provides reasons, information for arguments rather than claiming something which isn't proven right away like what he said above,the mentioned dolls are friends so they wouldn't backstab eachother like what Ryan and Dorothy said they should do. He also pointed out at Dorothy and Ryan's lack of knowledge which is not reading the profiles that were provided on the participants

Sophie is pretty much the same as Joseph,she wouldn't say things based on predictions alone. Dorothy even mentioned when she gets excited she acts unusual to her normal behaviour,her calm demeanor. Just like what Sophie said above,Ryan and Dorothy were talking about what they would've done if they were Shaun and Emilico,which is backstabbing their competitors/friends,to which Sophie counteracted that they aren't Shaun and Emilico so they shouldn't say that. Put it in more bold terms,it's an insult to their lack of knowledge too:"You both aren't Emilico and Shaun so don't go making up stupid what-would-I-do solutions like that. It's a waste of breath" .Which added more salt to injuries on what Joseph said before that

Joseph and Sophie were also on par with eachother too, barely a second after Joseph finished his statement, Sophie already continued on and further proven, supported what he said

********************************

Their seatings are also telling of their relationships. Usually you sit with someone you're close with or someone you're on a good term with right? Dorothy and Ryan are seated next to eachother, opposite to them are Sophie and Joseph who are also seated next to eachother

The two pairs are seated opposite to eachother which can implies that the pairs are literally polar opposite correct? It could also even hinted at the relationships of Dorothy and Ryan as well as Sophie and Joseph as having been close with eachother prior to the current time too,maybe since they were in the children's wing?

Yes we saw these four were on a somewhat decent term in the first episode. Sophie and Dorothy were modelling for a portrait together,Joseph and Ryan were playing cards and drinking wine together too. Still it wouldn't mean they have very close relationships,after all Dorothy and Ryan did say Sophie and Joseph were so unlikeable to them, which also means Dorothy and Ryan do not like it when someone disagrees with them

Even when doing the children selections, they go in pairs too, Sophie-Joseph and Dorothy-Ryan. After all why would you go do an important duty with someone you don't like unless forced? It's usually quite unlike that

In conclusion,Dorothy and Ryan usually act bold,mean,arrogant while Sophie and Joseph usually act calm,reserved,logical. Both pairs have a somewhat acquaintances or coworkers relationship

I also theorised that the pairs might be engaged or even married. You see how each pair act with eachother, I heard engagement and marriage mentioned in the story many times now, I don't think that was unimportant, I heard that the children can get engaged so when they become adults,they can get married. It's fun to think about honestly, I even thought that sweater-like upper clothing Joseph is wearing was made by Sophie, since she's butterfly themed,she probably reared silkworms herself and then made a sweater from the silk produced by the silkworms, the texture of Joseph's sweater-like upper clothing doesn't look like it was made from wool. These are just speculations, I'm not that adept in clothing

Hope you like this analysis!!!!

My, that was a lengthy post! I love your theory and analysis so much. Even I, who questions things a lot over everything, couldn't write out detailed possibility of things out from my brain!

Regarding their relationships, I'm aware and agree with your analysis on which one is closer to who based on their personalities and speech manner to each other. I can see both pairs either being engaged-married or just higher-ups coworkers, but I do love the headcanon of Sophie x Joseph being together just because, especially for the last part of your explanations ww

Thank you so much for your insight, it was fun to read! <3

#shadow house #shadows house #SH Askbox #Kirapost #Shadow House theory

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amorosebeing · 2 months

Text

Trees Don't Grow Through A Single, Dull Branch

Feel free to let me know what you think, or what you assume the context I wrote this in was.

Two years ago, just like you, I sought to see what lay ahead at what shall pass as the clock spins fast I gazed down the path ahead, my heart beating like a drum And The World demanded a clear way to run a thousand branches and more laid out, with marks scratched in the bark by every climber before me

a clear way to run, a single path right now, no time to perceive the flowers blooming between nor the shafts of sunlight filtering down through the leaves choose your fate before you have found it it’s bait to think you can wait with youth. I was at the same point as a billion every one of us brilliantly aware of our given order

Straight ahead, straight forward, no room to slip If you only once lose your Grip, debt will be there to catch you.

The thoughts of my Grip had churned with the most terror in a quiet school, a labyrinth of pale stucco walls and deep-blue banners. I didn’t know where I would be after those walls not much at all yet an ordinary clerk gazed through the sterile white sunlight streaming through the window; and through the painted-over concrete wrapping around her sight of the road ahead so unbothered, her fright nowhere seen working day in and day out, but little despair to show little fear of what could come and so I asked how she could see so far, so much

“I don’t” “I cannot see ahead with perfect clarity, but I didn’t get here through perfection” “Don’t try ten choices and get them all perfect. Make a thousand and get nine hundred right” “For when you slip, you’ll have plenty enough to regain your grip”

Even in plentiful times, the thought of slipping down wears at one’s soul a bubbling mix of one’s anxiety for self and loved alike along with the nagging chains set to our world’s Towers, never failing to pull, but merely giving slack all the late nights your mother has worked, and all the news stories of a million students slipping, further into owing We cannot ignore the pains of each shackle, but why not twist within them, as to dance? As to live and breathe? I hope to see these chains crack and fall industrial steel and gold melted down into something new, and messily alive but for now, I will stretch as far as I can within them taut ties tend to snap, after all;

And now that I have made five hundred choices, now that I have reached out now that I have climbed another rung of learning now that I have grown up, spoken out, sought Providence I find nine of ten a high standard not the Chasm it once seemed; would you rather know nothing of the journeys you could take? Or live, and make a few mistakes for your sake? My grip slackened, yet never fell; clicking, falling into a new gear

Yet the worry of challenge persisted, far in my soul Would I really be enough to fight hardship and strife, strength and fright? Surrounded by paperwork and rooms that scant went empty, she had another word “You can’t avoid Doing. But cliché as it might be, you can find something you love to Do” “I hope that answers your question.” it wasn’t much, truly just words of advice sandwiched between stationery and the thrum of the breeze from a woman I knew, in some sort of passing an acquaintance, though a friendly one. perhaps I have even exaggerated it, made a galaxy of a star but is that not what art does? To expand, to create? To let a whisper echo?

They were not the sermon of a preacher, in gold embroidery beneath stained glass nor the shout of a researcher, wrapped in a silver cloak above hadrons colliding just words whispered on the wind

But we cannot forget the value of such things Was there not a man whispering to his daughter of the wolves in the dark and the love in the light a hundred thousand years ago? Weren’t there families, huddling together in the cold and dust of the Great Depression a century ago, whispering of better days? Weren’t you and me once young, new things, finding the most precious love from the murmurs of a parent, friend, or sibling?

It is so easy of think of the ultimate, the absolute, the perfect But to think of that only is a sin The sun is bright, and the darkness terrifying But I find the greatest sanctity in the stars between In a million pinpricks, so much larger, in truth, than the sun could ever be Don’t forget the words of a stranger you’ll never see again, a friend you might only hold again a decade from now, or a teacher whose way you have largely parted For in the years since, I had found her quite right I cannot avoid challenge, for strength and change comes from its embrace I cannot avoid fright, for I have a great height to fall But I can do my best to avoid suffering Smell each rose Love each bug, hiding beneath the bark As we all must

Work the best you can in the branches of a broken world And do as you can to make it better, growing leaf by leaf, flower by flower

Don’t forget that Fate is not inevitability but merely the ripening of the consequences of what has been done, and what has happened What has been loved, and lost For I still do not know my path, but we are not bound to a single, dull branch.

#hopepunk #poetry #amateur writing

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