#to believe that working is the greatest virtue out there

[geekgirles]

Since all I ask for now is that Amalia gets to call the Osamodas out on their hypocrisy and betrayal, I think it's important to point out Armand never wanted Aurora to rule.

I say this in light of her father claiming she is the rightful heir to the throne when we all know she's actually not.

And I don't just mean her claim on the throne isn't legitimate because a) she's not even a Sadida, or b) she was Armand's Osamodas wife, not even his daughter, which would give her claim some credibility, but because it's clear to see she was never meant to truly be the Sadidas' queen, not even their regent.

I know this all sounds contradictory with the fact that, by virtue of marrying Armand, the Crown Prince, she eventually became his queen, but the thing is, it's plain to see not even Armand wanted her to rule the kingdom on her own, which is what her family is trying to accomplish—although there's also a very high chance they intend to rule through her, rather than let her make her own decisions.

As @vinillain and I have discussed through reblogs, it seems to be implied Aurora was never really meant to rule: not only wasn't she a candidate for becoming her own people's queen, but it is clear to see she was only meant to be given an important position in court but with none of the responsibilities expected from such duty.

This can be seen in her role in seasons 3 and 4; despite being Armand's wife and loving him, she never really acted like a true queen. In season 3 she acted conniving and pretended to have Amalia and the kingdom's best interests in mind when, deep down, all she cared about was strengthening her and her family's power over Sadida politics. And in season 4 she remained passive, aloof, and emotionless throughout. At no point was she shown to feel genuine concern for her husband's people even in the face of an imminent threat.

The most active role she's taken ever since she debuted was playing matchmaker for an unwilling Amalia and trying to find more about the Eliaculus.

From what we've seen so far it's easy to conclude she was always meant to be Armand's consort, but never his actual partner. She was essentially sent to the Sadidas to act as their king's arm candy. Whatever power gap was between them, she never made any efforts to breach it and show her worth.

For all she and her family look down on Amalia, Aurora herself never matured enough to become a suitable ruler, whereas Amalia eventually grew into her mother's mantle; even when his father was still alive, she had already become Queen of the Sadidas.

And I think despite his love for her, Armand knew this. He knew she could never rule the kingdom without him; knew she never should rule his kingdom without him.

Despite his many flaws and not-so-stellar moments, Armand was raised to be king. He was never stupid. He knew the inner workings of politics in and out and how to navigate them.

This is apparent in his interactions with the Osamodas King.

While he maintained a cool head throughout, it was clear to see Armand saw right through his father-in-law's ill-veiled condescension towards his people and his desire to control his kingdom. Which is why I wouldn't be surprised if he had never truly trusted Aurora despite coming to love her.

Because of everything his people had gone through, Armand was perfectly aware his kingdom was practically of no importance to the other races, for they never sent their support when they needed it most. So it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume Armand knew all along the Osamodas' intentions behind marrying him to Aurora went beyond simply providing him with a queen.

Which is why I believe he never intended to let Aurora become regent if he was no longer around.

But my greatest evidence are his last words to Amalia as he was about to sacrifice himself and he put her to safety. I don't have the screenshots for it (so I'd appreciate if anyone could provide them), but he essentially told Amalia she would be their next queen.

That's it. That's all he said. He never said, "Please, help Aurora out", or "You two are co-rulers now", or even "You have my permission to fuck Yugo senseless". He told his sister it was up to her to rule their people, not his wife.

Meaning, between her being the last remaining Sheran Sharm, the second in line when her brother was still alive, and Armand's words, Amalia is the kingdom's rightful ruler, not Aurora. It was never Aurora.  

#wakfu #wakfu season 4 #wakfu webtoon #wakfu spoilers #wakfu analysis #wakfu the great wave #wakfu la grande vague #armand sheran sharm #amalia sheran sharm #yugo the eliatrope #aurora

[lynxgriffin]

Is there a reason Toriel was able to be drawn into the cult and pressured into sacrificing a child? One of the original Toriel's greatest virtues is her integrity - she could never be pressured into going against her morals, even with the weight of a kingdom's hopes and dreams on her shoulders. I imagine some sort of circumstances must have led to this

That's something I have been thinking about quite a bit, since yeah, while Asgore in UT is definitely the sort to fall into things he doesn't want to do to keep the people happy, Toriel very much is not.

I think there's a number of smaller things that, built up, would push ER Toriel in that direction. For starters, she's (at least in my attempts) based more on DR Toriel than UT Toriel...and DR Toriel has a different history and circumstances that have helped shape who she is. She's not in a position of absolute authority like she is as a queen, she clearly finds more stability in religious practice, and at least is in a position to put more weight on being a part of the community.

With ER Toriel, she's in an even more tenuous position...she has little to no authority, she's a human instead of a monster, and she's putting a lot of stock into holding on to the traditions and community that do give her some sense of stability. She definitely witnessed the empire's soldiers directly threatening Asgore's work and even the lives of other townsfolk, and had a real fear of the life she's worked hard to maintain being ripped out from under them very suddenly.

Most importantly, even before all the cult stuff started, I think she had a lot of trust in and respect for Mayor Holiday. And certainly Carol would not have started out with the sacrifice stuff, but built into it gradually, slowly pushing more of what was acceptable, and then necessary. She really does not want to believe that she misjudged the character of someone she considers a leader and a friend so badly, so is willing to add on more justifications for what they are doing until she cannot bear the weight anymore.

That said, the sacrifice did really break her on all that, and while she may seem okay and functional on the outside, on the inside she's in shattered pieces because she knows just how badly she screwed up. Unfortunately, due to her circumstances and the environment here, she's not in a position to just up and leave like she could in UT.

#ask lynx stuff #eldritchrune #ahh I do really need to do some more story stuff with the Dreemurrs and other light world characters #both in comics and just in general

[hawnks]

Okay so there’s this character, and he’s positioned as the mentor figure to some extent, but mostly he stands as a pillar of ideological virtue. He has a thesis, and he is “correct” as far as the story is concerned. Whatever the main characters do, if they are Moving Forward, they are moving toward his end goal.

He also has a more personal character arc, which we get in bits and pieces, but eventually we get the dialogue, “love is the greatest curse of all,” from him. He believes everyone he’s ever cared for will die, badly. Okay.

While we’re finding out why he believes that a question is posed by his love interest one of the series main antagonists, “Are you the strongest because you’re Satoru Gojo, or are you Satoru Gojo because you’re the strongest?”

The audience now knows that his character arc ends with an answer, a revelation about one of these three things. Or hopefully, if the author is good, all of them. That’s how stories work.

Now that the pieces are in place, doubt is sown. He’s removed from the chess board — love, one of his primary motifs, has cursed him yet again. Great, we’re going places.

Then he’s gone. For three years. Literally, three real world years.

He comes back at the eleventh hour to fight the Big Bad. The main characters, the younger generation, the generation that motivates him to create a more humane world, are sidelined for this fight; that’s a death flag, sure. But he wins anyway.

Until he doesn’t. Which, okay, sometimes side characters die, even when they’re vital to the heart of the narrative. Except, this character never got a final word. He never passed the torch on to someone else, so instead of handing off his thesis, the thesis of the series, it dies with him. No one is poised to take his place as the bearer of these ideas.

And none of these loose threads are resolved. And thematically, the story has failed in one fell swoop.

#no I don’t think he’s dead #<3 #jjk 236 #jjk spoilers #jjk manga spoilers #also if you’re gonna have a character die twice PERSONALLY I think they should parallel each other or at least…. #idk do SOMEWTHING with that #I have more thoughts but this is it for now <3 #ripping apart the mechanics of a story is my love language <3

[jointhepartypod]

Welcome to the World of Verda Stello! 🌱 🏴☠️

Campaign 3 of Join the Party is set in the world of Verda Stello, the great green ringed world. This fantastical land is filled with approximately human-sized plant and bug people (give or take some 2 foot tall fruits and giant vines) called the Greenfolk. The main source of life for Verda Stello is the Cascade, a massive waterfall that pours over the whole inner ring of the world.

Over time, the Cascade dried up, leaving all the Greenfolk scrambling for water. But the waterfall revealed the entire center of Verda Stello was a great salt sea, dotted with countless unknown islands, and a prophecy about an Infinite Lake that can save the world and a Salmon that grants your deepest desire.

This kicked off the Tide, a pirate era that has raged for 50 years. People are still searching for the lake and the salmon, and the Tide shows no sign of stopping now.

Find out more about Verda Stello and Campaign 3 here!

The Hothouse

Country’s Motto: Why Suffer When We Can Strive

Known for their ingenuity and extensive construction, the Hothouse is the technological hub of Verda Stello. Hothousers believe that finding the best way to do something is its own greatest reward (except for letting everyone know that you did it with a plaque or statue or signature). You might recognize Hothouse architecture with the incorporations of big windows or a solarium, amplifying the sun to do extra work for you. The ruler of the Hothouse is The Builder, someone who is recognized as the best and the smartest through a series of public and brutal competitions of mind and might.

The official Hothouse Flag was designed by the first Builder, Appleton the Original. The triangle represents the hothouse, as you might have guessed, but the doubled triangle is a symbol of so many values that Hothousers hold dear.  Appleton was known for his patience and care when erecting and planning the major monuments of the Hothouse capital, so scholars and politicians say the doubled triangle meant, “measure twice, cut once.” But it can be interpreted as broadly as “quality over quantity” or “do it right the first time,” as double-paneling the triangle is stronger than many triangles in a line. What is most intriguing is the intersection of the symbolic hothouse and the sun itself, putting them in concert, or at least as two parts of the whole. The construct is not subservient to the sun. In fact, they are relatively the same, as a sibling or partner encouraging the other to be better than they could have been alone.

Open Fields

Country’s Motto: Reap What Is Sown

The people of Open Fields feel the deep connection between themselves and the ground, giving themselves strong perseverance and belief. This allows them to stare at the strangeness of existence in the face, such as how they can harvest produce and greens for sustenance even if it looks exactly like them. Open Field families show this devotion by naming themselves after virtues (in a Puritan sort of way) and both fervently praying and farming.

Unfortunately, there is no definitive account of how the Open Fields’ flag came to be. Many leaders have invoked various legends and parables, usually involving a poor potato farmer, resistance of temptation, and then divine inspiration. One version of the story says the pattern appeared in a bowl of mashed potatoes, when the butter and the mash was swirled together in the bowl. Another version supposes the farmer tried to harvest one of his crop but could not, and only through the collective strength of the entire farmer’s family and friends did they put the largest tuber ever recorded, with the design outlined in the eyes of the potato. The only record of the creation and adoption of the current design comes from the journal of a monk known as Saying-Thank-You-Meaningfully-For-an-Unexpected-Gift-No-Matter-What-It-Is. It seems that Saying’s closest friend at the monastery made woodcuts as a hobby, and created the sun-on-top, shovel-on-bottom image. That night, Saying wrote in their journal, “Saw an interesting image today. Must be the divine.” The colors–especially the deep red, unique in the flags of Verda Stello–and how it became the symbol of the entire country, remains unknown.

Kingdom of the Crags

Country’s Motto: We Cover All

The Crags is the most Game of Thrones out of all of the countries. They find strength in dealing with adversity and sacrificing comfort for something greater. They explore their land, find the great thing that it does, and work with it (whether obsidian from lava or a fruit that gives you the strength of 10 in a mountain or a glowing mushroom in a crevasse). Over time, many families have formed into houses and territories, which has then led to a revolving door of kings and queens as the houses vie for power. As the Craggish saying goes, “Everyone has their purpose, and the royals are dying.”

The modern version of the Crags flag (say that five times fast) was established over six hundred years ago, at the signing of the Brevi Pax. Short for “brevi pax pugnantibus,” or “short peace between combatants” in middle Folkish, it was supposed to be a document that finally codified the system of governance in the Crags and illustrated all rights for Craggish citizens regardless of ruler. At the time of its signing, it was just Pax Pugnantibus, but the Brevi was added after Queen Opaline V was slain by her three sisters only ten days after the document was signed.

Although the peace did not remain, the rights of citizens stayed, as well as a specific agreed-upon design for the Craggish flag, The purple emphasizes the strength of the ruling families, while the white V and the black background stands in for the hard landscape where the people make their homes. There’s an interesting optical trick too; the sprout is in the dead center, but the crag makes it seem lower; what appears worse to others is exactly where the Crags knows is best.

Many of the sigils of the houses in the Crags use inversions or additions of this flag to bolster their claims for royal legitimacy, but they do not risk changing too much as would alienate themselves from the existence of the state. They are not above the kingdom and the Rocky Seat, as there would be nothing to rule.

Overstalk

Country’s Motto: Carry Your Roots

The future lives in Overstalk, but it might linger as more of a dream than actually getting it done. Overstalk is the home of the philosophers, a quixotic solarpunkish country. This led to a vibrant merchant culture, so you buy what you need since we’re philosophizing over here. The beating heart of Overstalk is the Stacked City of Skyreach (think the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but a whole city), where radical but sometimes dangerous ideas flourish and fester.

The historians of Overstalk delight in explaining the symbology of their flag to others, as the metaphor of each color and symbol were, if you will pardon the pun, dyed right into it when the Fourth Congress of the Representatives commissioned local textile artist Cablin Pogostemon to create it. On the left side, the yellow represents the warmth and energy of the sun (but modern philosophers would argue that the top band is ascribed to the mercantile success of the region). The cream is the color of a yellowing page of a book, representing study, while the gray is the smoke of incense, representing spiritualism. As the cream and the gray interest each other and the yellow, you cannot forget the mind for the spirit or vice versa, and they are both integral to day-to-day living (or for modern interpretation, business dealings). The right side is the vertical expansion of Overstalk, as high as the stars themselves. 

This is the only flag in Verda Stello to use green, which some suppose signifies Overstalk’s high view of themselves as compared to the other countries.

Maybe Cablin knew this when they designed the flag, as it came with explicit instructions to never be hung up-and-down, with the stars at the top. It is considered a deep political insult to hang the flag in this way… but it has been accidentally turned during some particularly prickly international visits.

#ttrpg #actual play #actual play podcast #D&D #Dungeons and Dragons #DND #dnd homebrew #campaign 3 #hothouse #overstalk #the crags #open fields

[mime-the]

Hello guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!

It’s time for me to share my CRK AU, which was oh so nicely encouraged to be done by a few little peeps. [You know who you are…]

Ahem, here we go!

Summary

The Mirrored Destinies AU is basically a swap between the 5 ancients and their respective beasts. Shadow Milk swaps roles with Pure Vanilla, and so on! This influences everyone’s personalities to be tweaked for obvious reasons, and for silly new dynamics.

Deceit & Truth

Pure Vanilla Cookie is now the Beast of Deceit. This brings along a name change, and he becomes Vanilla Extract Cookie!

- Vanilla Extract follows an “ignorance is bliss” philosophy. This means that he conceals the truth and twists it to be more “appealing”. He covers up whatever bad deeds his friends do and passes the harder ones as good deeds that were “probably deserved”. This lack of concrete knowledge allows him to manipulate cookies in his favor, as they don’t have the information to allow them to break out of his lies.

- He uses his magic to apply pressure and fog up other cookies’ minds, giving him an opening to sow his own truth. He may not be a complete puppeteer like canonical Shadow Milk, but he still uses others to do his dirty work by whispering sweet lies to them.

- He’s more calm, but still relatively snarky and keen to stand his ground if someone tries to go against him. Vanilla Extract also has a superiority complex, perceiving himself as the master of knowledge and believes that he knows what’s “right” for everyone.

- Vanilla Extract’s greatest ally is this AU’s White Lily Cookie, as the virtue of silence tends to go hand in hand with keeping the truth hidden.

Here’s what the old man looks like:

In turn, Shadow Milk Cookie is now the holder of the light of truth! This too carries along a name change, making him Skim Milk Cookie.

- Skim Milk is the embodiment of the phrase “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” He always seeks out the truth of a situation, even if it may result in upsetting knowledge. He also frequently gives constructive criticism to other cookies, in attempts to make them aware of their faults and where they can get better. This is usually prefaced with a “Can I be honest with you?”

- Like the canonical Pure Vanilla, he is adept in healing magic. Unlike him though, Skim Milk is more willing to use force when necessary. Of course, if a situation can be resolved without escalation he will take it, and frequently tries to deescalate if he sees things getting antsy. He also uses the knowledge he has to write poems, songs, and other such creative things in order to bring awareness to issues or progress of things that people should support.

- He’s pretty high-energy, and is almost always moving or thinking. This means he has a tendency for tapping his hands on items. Personality-wise, it means he is actually relatively optimistic! He always believes things will be better, and that every issue can be worked out in the end. He does also have some sass to him though, but he does his best to keep it at a minimum.

Here’s how the dork looks like:

Their Dynamic

The relationship between them sparked when Vanilla Extract Cookie wriggled out of the silver tree, fully solidifying the connection between the two, even after resealing. They share a mutual hate for each other, as Skim Milk despises how his counterpart keeps waving away the truth in favor of lies, and Vanilla Extract despises how many questions the poet constantly asks him. Vanilla Extract tries to get him to use his writing capabilities to sow in distrust and discord between other cookies whenever the two interact, but Skim Milk always fights back. In return, he constantly tries to interrogate the beast for information about the past and his own life, which pisses him off frequently as he insists that the information doesn’t concern the hero. It’s a constant tug of war between the two…

#cookie run kingdom #Mirrored Destinies AU #pure vanilla cookie #Vanilla extract cookie #shadow milk cookie #Skim milk cookie #they are so silly #They are my sons #so treat them as disrespectfully as you want #vanillaverse #I had a blast writing this lol

[troius]

I just want to say a few things before you get to the end. First up, it's been a pleasure to read your thoughts on the series; like any fan, you have your own unique interpretations and it's always good to read how fans see certain scenes. It's also been fantastic to see fellow fans respond to your posts adding on to what you've written, again bringing your thoughts out more and generating discussion.

Also, seeing your thoughts has made me appreciate scenes and characters I never thought I would -- Yamamoto for instance, who would've thought?! They've also reminded me of why I fell in love with the series as much as I did, from the artwork to the themes to the incredible bonds between the characters. You've reminded me that BLEACH has it's flaws that can sometimes take you out of the story, but when it hits, it 100% HITS! It's a manga that's about the bonds we form, how they can help us overcome challenges and be a source of light in our lives. It's about the ways we overcome grief and the fear of death, whether it's literally fighting your way through it or slowly coming to a state of acceptance as time goes on. It's about the 'hearts' of people, about what they look like and how they're shared between those you choose. I could go on and on, but then this would become an essay and we'd be here all day.

All of this is to say, thank you for choosing to create a Tumblr account and deciding to read the series and give your thoughts along the way. I can't believe you've finally reached the end, it almost feels like I'm saying goodbye to the manga again!! I don't think I'm the only one here who sees you as a big and valued part of the community on here, so I hope you'll be sticking around! :)

Thank you so much Rays! Response under the cut because it went long.

This won't surprise you, but I too have grown in my appreciation for the series over the course of the uh three years that I've run this blog. Bleach has character concepts I've never seen elsewhere. It has moments of storytelling brilliance. It has truly, phenomenally astonishing art.

But more than anything else, I, like you, am impressed by the heart. For a story that's largely about the afterlife, Bleach is shockingly humanistic, locating virtue not in any system of belief, in any group or faction in the various conflicts that provide the setting for the manga, but in people. All people, whether they're our extremely relatable teenage protagonist and his friends, the occasionally sketchy adults in his life, or the various adversaries ranging from evil monsters to supernatural samurai to a regular-ass gang to a foreign apocalypse cult. Bleach never, not once, lets the viewer fall into the comfortable childish space of believing that there's good people and bad people in the world.

There's just people. Sometimes these people want to do bad things, like execute their sisters, or kidnap your girlfriend, or isolate you from your family, or destroy the entire world. Bleach doesn't flinch away from that either. But it (again, very humanistically) locates those bad actions not in the individual human beings, but in our relationships with one another through the systems and structures we've created to organize ourselves.

And yet in the face of the idea that humans do their worst work through other people, that's also where Bleach locates its greatest virtue. Alone, we're nothing. It's the bonds that we have with others that are what make life worth living, that are the source of everything good in this world. And navigating that dynamic, between spiritual bonds and structural shackles...that's really what adult life is all about, isn't it?

Anyhow, my adult life has been greatly enriched by all of you on here. But I'll take the chance to thank you specifically Rays, for being such a source of joy. Your positivity and passion are the sort of thing that makes a humble blogger want to come back for more, and I've deeply enjoyed hearing all of your thoughts, not just on my liveblog, but through your own posts and writing. I'll be sticking around for sure.

#bleach #ask Troius

[mellipit]

JUST RIGHT

Tonowari x Reader

Warning : Grammar mistakes

Angst, comfort at the end

“You are not good enough”

That sentence haunts your entire life, carved a deep spot in your soul, gaslighted you into believing it

Maybe you’re not good enough

And reality hits you hard like a trainwreck, forces you to admit that ‘being enough’ is just your state of denial, is just a delusion far away to be touched. You’ve trained hard throughout your youth, have spared your free time to improve even only a few minutes, and when you succeeded in your Iknimaya, when your age turned 18, it all went downhill

In your clan, those older women who hold important roles in the clan will choose some of the ladies who have the opportunities to become Tsahik to train them, so in case the olo’eyktan longs for a mate, they will be ready.

You waited for this fateful day just for it to be misled, you are not the chosen one.

Despite all your hard work and passion, they denied you, they didn’t choose you.

You’ve got your eyes on the olo’eyktan’s firstborn-Tonowari since you were young, he will follow his father's steps one day in the future and that led to your flight of fancy - become a Tsahik

So when your friend Ronal announced that you aren’t on the list, it’s sad to your core, as if thousands of daggers were aimed at your fragile heart. Tears filled your eyelids knowing that it’s all over, your try-hard worth nothing now that your lifetime goal was ruined

“Y/N, I’m so sorry…” - Ronal said with a sorrowful voice

“It’s fine, I should have expected this sooner, now that Tonowari is the olo’eyktan, there will be so many fine women for him to be with” - Your voice cracked along with your sniffles, Ronal sat down beside you, her hand rubbed your back attempted to cool you down.

“Just know that you will always be the greatest lady I’ve ever known, maybe Eywa settles you with someone better” - Ronal said

“I don’t think I will find someone better than him, I’m going to the shore for a bit, okay?” - You pulled away from her touch then stood up

“Alright, if you’re feeling down just tell me, I’m always here” - Ronal smiled softly, making your waves of melancholy allay.

“Thank you, Ronal” - You responded then left the Marui

Tonowari is two years older than you, he’s serious when it’s about his future and when it’s about becoming an olo’eyktan. Since his birth, his journey has already been carpeted with the virtue name of his father, Tonowari doesn’t mind the role, but the pressure and expectations it holds bother him almost constantly. You wouldn’t affirm yourself as his close friend, but Tonowari always seeks your comfort, seeks your warmth within him, always wants to breathe in all those soft and assuaging words.

Your stillness envelops the reddish-yellow horizon, your silence waiting for the sun to brace itself as if you can feel it is about to speak, about to relieve your sadness with its beauty

You can sense that someone is behind you but you pay no attention, you’re busy watching the sun going down, busy waiting for this painful day comes to an end

“Y/N, I’ve been searching for you” - Tonowari said from behind

You glance at his stiff figure, you have no idea why it is such a shame that his silhouette drives you crazy

“Olo’eyktan” - You blurted out as you stand up

“Don’t be like that, I’m still your friend after all” - Tonowari’s gestures become gentler, his voice softens as he takes your hand, subconsciously rubbing it

“What is it, Tonowari? You’re worried about the clan?” - You can see his eyes are full of concerns, you can always tell thanks to the amount of time he comes to you when he’s blue

“The clan is not what bothers me...my mother said it’s time for me to have a mate, to have a Tsahik by my side” - Tonowari let go of your hand, confiding his anguish

“Tonowari…you shouldn’t be worried about it, our clan has many great ladies! Many beautiful women!” - You said, trying to ignore the heartache echoing nonstop in your chest

“Y/N, they are not what I have always wanted, I’ve got my mind on someone and when I checked those women who got chosen, she’s not there” - Tonowari confessed

“You can love whoever you want, Tonowari, you don’t need to obey your mother when it comes to love” - You cup his cheek, admiring the tattoo he just got today, a grateful tattoo to remember the moment he became olo’eyktan

“But she has been working hard her entire youth to become a Tsahik, I was in disbelief when she’s not there” - He melts into your touch as he lowers his voice to a more lovely tone.

“She must really love you” - You are happy for him that there is someone out there who loves him as you do and you pity your stupidity for not knowing he is not yours, for not acknowledging that he already sold his heart for another woman.

Tonowari stays quiet for a few seconds as he stares at your deep ocean eyes, you swear you can see his lips lift up

“Yeah you must really love me, Y/N” - Tonowari answered as he takes your hand to his lips, you gawk at him, at the phrase he just told

“What?”

“You don’t know? I can see you’ve been working hard for me, Y/N. It would be a shame to admit that I eavesdropped on you and Ronal talking about me a few years ago, but at least I knew what my beloved woman felt for me” - Tonowari smiled like he just told you a small adorable story meanwhile you want to run away of embarrassment, he knew your admiration years ago and you didn’t even know he also feels the same all along?

“You-you know I love you and you don’t tell me?” - You asked with a shocked tone

“I guess you can say I was training hard like you were earlier, sweetheart”

“But-but I’m not a Tsahik, I’m not even on the list! I’m not good enough for you Tonowari! I failed my goal…If I was better, maybe I could-”

Tonowari stopped your words as he brings you to a warm embrace, his muscular arms wrapped around your waist, hugging you even tighter with each breathe you guys share, each warmth you guys give

“Don’t ever say you are not good enough, Y/N, you are and will always be enough, you are…how to say…just right for me” - Tonowari said with his untold heavy heart

Now that you noticed, whenever he lays eyes on you, his pupils mellowed. Now that you noticed, when you’re near him, his tail waving ceaselessly.

“Tonowari…”

Tonowari smiles one last time before he bends down, his lips smashed into yours, giving you all his love as you receive it with pleasure. He takes away your breath, your doleful thoughts, and along with it, Tonowari also takes away the ‘you are not good enough’ that you thought would haunt you for eternity

Now that he’s here, you don’t care if you aren’t enough for others

You are just right for him

#tonowari x reader #avatar the way of water #avatar #reader insert #fluff #comfort #fanfic #atwow x you #tonowari #metkayina

[dreamerwithoutadirection]

Look What You Made Me Do

Min Yoongi was not a man to play, what he desired, he got.

Warning: Yandere, Possessive, Manipulation

P.S: Took longer than expected :( Hope you all like it! Please ignore the typos, I have not proof-read.

“It has been decided that you will get married to Lord Min, at the end of month.” Lord Yoo said to his eldest daughter. 

This was bad, so so bad. Hana was shocked, surprised, scared and worried all at once. 

“I..I..” she stuttered too overwhelmed to speak..

Lord Yoo sighed, he loved his daughter…he knew she wanted to travel and learn. She always had a flair for languages. But he was on the verge of bankruptcy…and his recent losing of his position of Ministry of Defence has already added to his guilt and burden. But what could he do? He needed money and position for his younger daughters and Taxation Minister Lord Min’s offer of money and position in his ministry in exchange of wedding with Hana would change the future of him and his family.  

With hard eyes and heart, Lord Yoo spoke in a firm and final voice, “As the head of this house, I have decided that you are getting married. And that’s final. You are lucky that Lord Min even wants to do something with us after the recent debacle with the King.”

Hana had seen Lord Min before. His cat like eyes with the deep mark across had left her scared when she had first seen him. 

*-------*--------*

Min Yoongi was a man of few words with a mind as sharp as a sword. But perhaps his greatest virtue was patience. And patient was he. It had been an year since he had first seen her in a banquet party held by the King. Mingling among her friends, somehow, she had stood out when their eyes met. She looked scared back then. As if she had just seen a devil. And unknown to her, she had sold her soul as well. 

For an year after the party, he was haunted by her beautiful brown eyes. And tormented by the question of who was she? So, he looked for her. It wasn’t easy as women seldom left the house. So, when the king organised the party once again, Yoongi knew his chance was here. It didn’t take long to know that she was Defence Minister Yoo’s daughter. Power and money can do wonders to know enough about someone. 

“You are really in love with her, hyung?” Yoongi heard Hoseok while sitting with his group of close friends of years. Love? The word felt too measly for what Yoongi was experiencing right now. 

“Maybe..I feel curious definitely” 

“So, you are saying if I went now and talked to her, you wouldn’t mind?” 

Yoongi was on Namjoon in a second, “Don’t try me”, he grunted. 

Seokjin sighed, these kids cannot not fight…even after gaining respectable positions! “Separate at once! You both are now adults and we are in presence of the King, keep your tantrums in check.”

Yoongi glared at Namjoon before returning to his seat. “What I feel about her is not anyone’s concern.”

“But hyung, if you are in love with the lady, that would be so cool! You know her dad is really corrupt…wouldn’t be a problem in taking that old fool down.”

“Hmmm…interesting suggesting Kookie”

Taehyung ruffled Jungkook’s hair to tease him. “Hyaa…I am 24 now, don’t call me that! I have a reputation to maintain!” Jungkook whined. 

“You know, Yoongi, if it’s what I believe it is..I think you need to act fast,” muttered Seokjin. 

“What do you mean, hyung?” frowned Namjoon.

“He’s looking for a match for Lady Hana I have heard..and from what I see..you are just as smitten with her as I am with my wife….if he resists too much…there’s nothing that I cannot manipulate for him to fall in your lap. After all it wouldn’t be hard to pin the recent missing of treasure on him in my investigation.”

   *-------*--------*

“Lord Yoo, how are you?”

“Oh..Lord Min..it’s the same old story of being overburdened with work. Parties like these do give us respite ain’t it?” 

“Hmm..” Yoongi gruffed, eyes searching his bambi. “I heard you are looking for a groom for your eldest daughter.”

“I am indeed, but for my second daughter, Mi-joo, who is of age now…” Lord Yoo said fondly. 

“Lord Yoo, what about your eldest..what’s her name..yes Hana..she’s 22 right now isn’t she? A bit late for marriage?”

“She’s not ready for marriage yet..Min Yoongi” Lord Yoo spoke harshly. 

“Hmm..you know I thought this will be a civil conversation. But I suppose you don’t do civil” Yoongi laughed and then his eyes turned more feline if possible “I will make this clear to you. I like your daughter Hana, and I will be coming to your house this week with my parents with a marriage proposal and you old man are going to say fucking yes.”  

Lord Yoo got up suddenly, spilling the drink on the table and said, “Why would I want a man like you for my beloved daughter? With that scar so big, I doubt, you will find anyone. Don’t test me young man. I can destroy you in second.” 

Poor Lord Yoo did not know what was about to come for him. A fortnight later, he got summoned by the King over the charges of stealing from the national treasures.

Yoongi smirked standing in the King’s court seeing his hyung alledge false charges on Lord Yoo..caught you. I am coming for you, jagi..we’ll be together..soon.

 *-------*--------*

Hana had to talk to Lord Min and convince him otherwise! She cannot marry him..not when he scared the soul out of her. She had felt his eyes all night on her a fortnight ago. And it made her feel sick to the stomach. She knew in her gut he was not a good man..a pretty sight with a devil’s soul. 

And so Hana did, what she does best..she escaped her house and went to find Min Yoongi. It wasn’t difficult to find him..as if he was waiting for her to come out of her den. As she walked in the sombre room at the courtesans place, she saw him sitting with a drink in hand. Looking all so powerful, magnificent and a sinister smile decorating his face. 

“Hana, jagiya...welcome..I was expecting you. After all, you always had a fighting spirit..and you know I love that about you. Always standing up for yourself.”

Jagi? Why was he calling her jagi! He didn’t even know her! “Lord Min..I..have come to talk to your regarding the marriage proposal you have sent.”

“Yes, sure, my love! Don’t worry..our marriage will be an event to behold. I cannot wait to see you dressed for me..prettily..you’ll be finally by my side..like you have always meant to be. But before that come sit, near me..why are you standing so far.”

Hana pressed herself against the door more, if possible. She did not want to go anywhere near him. He was too dangerous. 

“Lord Min. I have come to inform you that I cannot marry you. Please find someone else for your affections, for I don’t return them.”

Yoongi sighed. This will not go as smoothly as he hoped. 

Just as Hana was opening the door to go, she felt herself being turned around. Her back hit the wall harshly, as she looked up to see Lord Min too close to her. He looked so much more terrifying…eyeing her up..with emotions she could not understand. But whatever it was, it was not love..his eyes did not hold love but something dark and vile.

“I was trying to be patient love, but you don’t like patience it seems. So, let me reiterate to you..you..”, he cupped her face..“were mine..since the day I saw you” and then Hana felt his lips on her..all at once everywhere “mine..mine…mine”

Yoongi rasped, “If you don’t want your old man to be dead..be a doll..love and start preparing for our marriage..if you dare go against me..you know your sisters also have to get married, right?”

Hana felt herself crashing down..with Lord Min’s head buried in her neck..kissing her..marking her neck for the world to see. There’s no escaping, is it?

#yandere bts #dark bts #bts yandere #yandere yoongi

[lughatul-qurania]

Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power) 🤍✨

One meaning of the word 'Qadr' is 'greatness, honour or dignity'. The night of Qadr has been given this name because it is a night of greatness, honour, majesty and dignity.

Abū Bakr Warrāq رحمه الله has stated that this night is so called because a person becomes a man of honour and dignity on account of repentance, seeking pardon and righteous acts during this night whilst prior to this he might have lacked honour and dignity on account of an unrighteous life he might have led.

The greatest virtue of the night is that the acts of worship performed on this single night is better than worship in 1000 months (83 years, 4 months).

The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "He who spends the Night of Qadr in the worship of Allāh, all his past sins will be forgiven.

In another narration Allāh's Messenger ﷺ said, "All the angels resident at the Lote Tree of the Uttermost Boundry descend in the leadership of Ḥaḍrat Jibr'īl عليهم السلام and greet every believer, man or woman, except the one who takes wine or eats pork."

In a different narration by Ḥaḍrat Anas رضي الله عنه the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, "When the night of Qadr occurs, Ḥaḍrat Jibr'īl descends on the earth with a huge gathering of angels and all of them pray for every servant of Allāh, man or woman, busy in ṣalāh or dhikr, to be blessed by Allāh تعالى.

The Messenger ﷺ was asked what supplication should be made if one finds the night. The Messenger ﷺ replied,

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّيْ

O Allāh, Indeed You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.

The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ instructed to search for it (the night) in the odd nights of the last ten days.

[Ma'āriful Qur'ān, Volume 8]

Ibn Al-Qayyim says: "If Laylatul Qadr was a single night out of the year, I'd endeavour the whole year until I found it! What then are mere ten nights."

[Badā'i' al-Fawā'id]

"Scholars mention the wisdom behind concealing the Night of Al-Qadr is so that one may become more diligent in striving for it, and work harder in order to attain what they seek. It wouldn't have been the case if the Night was singled out..."

[Fatḥ al-Bārī, 4/266]

#islamic #duaa #muslim #quran #holy quran #hadith #quran ayah #islampost #laylatul qadr

[halfhoursonearth-writes]

As I write through the timeline of Sozin's Comet in my current fic, I'm having a fresh bout of finale feels. In particular, I've been ruminating on how Aang and Katara's romantic ending unfolds in a way that undermines Katara's character arc. (And this rumination has grown into a wall of text. Truly, who let me on this platform?)

I'm not even thinking about the kiss. I've been stuck on that scene at Zuko's coronation where the shot pans around Aang then Katara, gazing dreamily up at the Avatar. You know the one. The moment when we the viewers are suddenly made to understand that she's admiring Aang anew, romantically.

Prior to this, the last time we see Katara and Aang interact is before the Avatar disappears. More specifically, we see Aang huff off after getting frustrated at Katara for trying to help when she doesn't fully appreciate the moral quandary he's grappling with.

For Katara, who has carried the wounds of her father leaving her behind for war most of her life, it is hard to imagine Aang's departure could fail to stir up feelings of abandonment, even if she doesn't believe he intended to disappear. But, like Zuko says to her as Aang first walks away, the Avatar does need time to figure out his way forward alone.

To find a path to victory that does not compromise his ethical framework is a solo undertaking for the Avatar, one his friends have demonstrated they cannot be part of, not even Katara, who has always been there to lift him up before. That he didn't need to rely on his steadiest supporter for this marks important character growth for Aang; we already have been told that letting go of some level of his earthly attachment to Katara is built into his character journey. And the need to uphold his peoples' legacy is an essential character motivation for Aang. There is something powerful about the notion that, as the last airbender, he must seek out the right approach to this last task on his own.

But what about Katara's essential character motivations? As we're told and shown, she will never turn her back on the people that need her. It's one of her great virtues, and we're given no reason to think otherwise. Helping people who need her is where we see Katara find her greatest fulfillment. For most of ATLA, helping Aang is at the heart of this.

But at the coronation? Aang has just come back after appearing to abandon Katara to be celebrated for a victory he didn't need her help to achieve.

And standing next to Aang is Zuko, who acknowledged that he needed Katara's help to embrace his destiny, and who in turn, granted her the opportunity to embrace hers.

I think it's worth pausing on the fact that the show gives Katara a tremendous arc. She transforms from a child whose life has been upended by war—gifted with a power that she can't harness, and burdened with grief and hurt she can't let go of—into a catalyst for global change, one of the greatest-ever masters of her element, and a person capable of offering world-changing forgiveness where it is earned. When Katara was a child, the Fire Nation came uninvited into the heart of her community and upended her life, and in the finale, she arrives in the heart of the Fire Nation to upend the same order that ravaged her home in the name of peace—an achievement that is made possible by both her hard work (bending mastery) and her compassion (extending empathy, forgiveness and life-saving assistance to Zuko).

In the finale, Katara affirms that by helping the people who need her, she can change the world.

In the finale, Aang affirms that singular conviction to his ideals can guide his way, even if it is a path he must walk alone.

Can these visions of self and purpose be reconciled in a healthy partnership? Certainly. In fact, I can see how Aang letting go of Katara's constant help—and Katara letting go of an Aang-centric identity—supports a healthy future romantic relationship for the two of them, where their dynamic finds a balance it never has during ATLA. But Katara and Aang haven't worked through any of that yet. If they have spoken at all before the coronation—if he has, for instance, apologized for disappearing—it was not deemed essential content for the viewer.

And what marks Katara's epiphany of love? The moment when Aang is celebrated as "the real hero" for what he has achieved in her absence. For this to ring emotionally true, for this to be the moment she knows she loves him, she must subsume her character arc and motivations (which are inherently collaborative) to Aang's individual journey. His story, his desires, they come first. It's his show, after all.

And none of this is news, of course. It's barely boot-scuffs on well-trodden ground. The abandonment of Katara's hero arc is canon; where the hell is her statue? etc.

But still, I'm stuck on Katara watching proudly from the crowd. If that moment doesn't feel quite right—it never has for me—maybe you want more for Katara. I'd put her on the dais, but I'll settle for something subtler.

Just for a moment, after she looks up proudly at Aang, let's nudge her admiring gaze a little to the right. Who does she see? Someone who has come to deserve his honorable destiny because he would cast it aside to save a life—her life, the life of a girl he once betrayed to lay claim to that purported honor. Jumping in front of that lightning, Zuko shows he will choose humans over concepts and that, at any cost, he will be there for the people that need him. That's what will make him a good leader. He and Katara, over long-woven arcs, affirmed this truth together.

She looks on admiringly. She made this possible.

She should be proud. Of both of her friends, but more importantly, of herself.

Is this an argument for Zutara over Kataang in the finale? I don't think so. That's probably a different accidental essay.

This is merely a longwinded observation that Avatar the Last Airbender built powerful, beautiful, arcs. But in the very end, it didn't tend them all the same. And after all this time, it still rankles.

#not me getting steamed about this in literally 2023 #truly for why #zutara #zutara meta #sozin's comet #in this essay i will

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

Prefacing this by saying I mean this question 100% genuinely, but I'm not religious and I was just wondering what you meant about secular people not being able to grasp the true value of a human life on your post about humanism? I just find this sort of topic fascinating and I've never seen anyone say that before, so I'm wondering what the theological argument behind it is. Also no worries if you don't feel like answering, I'm sure random non-religious people showing up and asking questions we probably don't even have the vocabulary to ask correctly is probably a bit obnoxious. I'm probably going to try to do my own reading on it as well, just figured it was worth asking for elaboration if you were down.

Not obnoxious at all! It's only obnoxious when it's disingenuous. True inquiry on relevant topics is very welcome, though as you can see, will probably receive a very delayed answer.

I don't recall which post prompted me to say this, but I'll just break it down at face value.

Humanists are man-centered. All that is good about man comes from man and is for man. This is an over-valuation of human worth and a misunderstanding of man's place in the universe.

Because humanists are man-centered, they deny the Imago Dei (aka, the Image of God, in which mankind is created). The Imago Dei means that mankind has a soul & spiritual nature akin to God's which the animals, plants, planet, stars, etc. do not have. This makes us more valuable than all those things (keeping in mind: not by our own existence, but by God's). Humanists cannot explain where human value comes from, and thus, they do away with the compass which determines our place in the universe.

Because humanists cannot explain where human value comes from, they deny Original Sin in a bid to say human value comes from our own existence because we are "fundamentally good," or at the very least, "neither good nor evil." Original Sin acknowledges that, but for the grace of God, the desires of man's heart are evil constantly. If we fight against one evil within ourselves, it is to satisfy another kind of evil.

I'll give an example of how this trifecta works out practically. Imagine two atheist humanists, Millie and Janine, and a Christian called Vera. Millie and Vera are both pro-life and Janine is pro-abortion.

Millie believes that 1. Humans are the greatest good, 2. Their value comes from their potential to do good, and 3. That potential of all human lives--fetus or adult--overrides all other concerns. Therefore, a man who murders a pregnant woman is guilty of double-homicide, but should not receive the death penalty because the value of his life overrides the concern of justice on behalf of the mother and baby.

Janine believes that 1. Humans are the greatest good, 2. Their value comes from their potential to do good, and 3. The value of a given human life is determined by how well they fulfill that potential to do good. Therefore, a fetus who impairs the ability of the mother to do good/live well has less value than the mother, and a man who murders them both still has more potential for good than they do now, by virtue of still being alive, and so should not be put to death.

Vera believes that 1. God is the greatest good, 2. His image gives value to human beings, and 3. that image can be violated in ways determined by natural (God-created) logic, and which are met in proportion by natural (God-created) justice. Therefore, Vera believes that if a man murders a pregnant woman, he has committed double-homicide, and should be put to death, because God has commanded that whoever sheds the blood of man (the ultimate violation of His image), by man shall his blood be shed (not a violation of His image, but rather the only just retribution for the initial violation, because His image is so valuable).

I hope that's a decent primer on how secular views of mankind compare with the Christian view, and how they can often play out in the real world. It should be noted that some pagan cultures have reached similar conclusions about human nature, but because their gods are untrustworthy and guilty of evil, they can never really understand human value in the way Christians do.

#- HK #Christianity #respublica #pro-life #x #humanism

[ome-magical-ramblings]

Love: a big virtue and a essential key to magic.

And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

Faith and hope will cease when the things believed in and hoped for appear. But love then becomes even greater and more ardent.

John Chrysostom

Love is such an essential thing to keep us going, both in magic, and many other occult and spiritual endeavor. Without love the whole process of what we are doing will be a chore, there won't be a push nor enjoyment in our work. Even when we do have faith and hope, Love rules over and is the greatest of virtue in this work, if it is meditation, cultivation, magic, mediumship, divination, spirit work, and so on once you put the love into and cultivate the love within you for it then it starts opening up for you.

Of course something also important is discipline and the Saturnian focus, but that's not what I am trying to bring on the table here at this moment. The love or the crush that you have to someone isn't something that really can be cultivated or artificially generated. Love, which will unite Man through a fraternal link, is a consequence of Plato's theory on universal love as a Law of Nature. Socrates said: "Love is neither a god nor a mortal, but a great devil," that is, a great Spirit which presides over universal love. That's the same way we can see the cards of tarot: lovers, the wheel, the devil, the chariot, and other like moon, sun, and judgement. These all are an expression of love, of working with love, of directing, being directed, and being ruled over by love. Maybe in that sense what I am saying that is think of it even practically can you FORCE yourself to love sitting down to meditate? no, you can't. Love is the outpouring of the heart from the experience of life. This is the practical teaching and open secret to making big progress, to love your work, to love your spirits, to love your divination, to love your rituals, and love your altar, to love gods, humans, friends, and enemies in this joyful heartwarming pouring out of your center/self. in Conclusion and simplicity, let the Love be the virtue that opens all other virtue, be the key and the door, that's why Love can bring guidance if you truly love and yearn for the teaching and guidance, Amen.

#tarot #occult #magic #witchblr #ritual #magick #prayer #folk magic #invocation #tarotblr #tarot cards #love #virtue #christian

[monstersdownthepath]

Deity: Nulrea, Emissary of Eternity

Lawful Evil Velstrac Demagogue of Isolation, Meditation, and Demiplanes

Domains: Evil, Law, Protection, Void Subdomains: Kyton, Fortification, Solitude, Isolation Favored Weapon: Falcata Symbol: An infinity symbol made of dozens of small circles, some of which contain a small environment or depict a creature trapped inside. Sacred Animals: Blind cave animals Sacred Colors: Gray, dark blue

Those who know of the velstrac know to fear them for the depravities that they inflict upon the bodies and minds of their victims. Those who have been rescued from their clutches are almost always irretrievably insane, broken by ceaseless tortures as the cruel fiends sought to shape their bodies into new and aesthetically pleasing configurations. Velstrac are always seeking to hone their craft on others before turning the scalpels on themselves, in much the same way a sketch artist would use scrap paper from a notebook for their practice work before utilizing a proper canvas for their real masterpiece.

The Demagogues among their kind are no different, but they work on a much grander scale. Whereas a typical velstrac works to perfect the suffering of a single individual, a Demagogue may become the architect for the torment of entire nations as part of their latest and greatest project. There are always exceptions to this rule, of course; one of which is the obscure Demagogue known as Nulrea, the so-called Emissary of Eternity. Very few know of this entity's existence, a Demagogue only by virtue of their considerable power rather than by having a large following of servants and fans. Rather than seeking the spotlight and the adoration of their peers, Nulrea prefers an existence of quiet contemplation and meditation, seeking out areas in the Great Beyond where they cannot be reached by any force and pondering deeply on the mysteries of the mind, the soul, and of existence itself.

It is said that the Emissary was born at the end of time and has been living all of eternity backwards, a lofty claim if there ever was one, but one that's nonetheless accepted by many considering the circumstances of their past: that is, Nulrea has no recorded past. As near as any scholar and diviner has been able to discern, the odd velstrac merely decided to reveal their presence to the greater velstrac population after hiding for an unknowable amount of time in an unknown location for an unknown purpose. They have revealed nothing of their past, if indeed they have one, stating plainly "I have no past, only an infinite future," a sentiment echoed by the handfuls of supplicants who have undergone the Emissary's agonizing process of enlightenment, destroying their own past selves through concentrated efforts to induce ego death, leaving room for a brand new self to be born.

Even among velstrac, the mutilations of Nulrea are unique, in that they barely look like a living creature, but seem more fossil than flesh. They appear as a humanoid made of soft stone that nevertheless bears deep and organic-looking scars, some of which bleed as though there were flesh beneath the stone. They possess no facial features, but deep scars along their head give the vague impression of a face. They also have no hands or feet, their limbs terminating in rough, rounded masses of stony scar tissue. When they do deign to move, they do so by hovering in utter silence, looking to all the world like a puppet being pulled along by unseen strings or a doll being carried by an invisible force, leading many to believe that the Demagogue's body is entirely useless as anything but an anchor point to sustain an incredibly powerful mind.

Despite the lack of any teeth or claws, Nulrea can leave hideous open wounds that are difficult to magically heal upon any creature coming too close, all without making a single movement, giving the impression of a victim being torn into by an invisible force. No one is quite certain if Nulrea manifests phantasmal limbs, summons or is guarded by an invisible attacker, or simply rends victims with psychic power, but the end result is the same, and there appears to be no measure that can be taken or defense that can be raised against the velstrac's unusual vector of attack. They prefer to avoid combat if only not to interrupt their current train of thought, striking out with their strange lashing power only until the approaching creature leaves, but if pressed into battle they can unleash even more frightening psychic abilities... or simply be done with a single creature with little more than a gesture.

Floating anywhere from ten to a hundred feet above their head is a halo consisting of thousands of tiny lights, each no larger than a fleck of dust, each providing such scant illumination that even their great number produces little more than candlelight, as not to annoy Nulrea with unneeded light. Every one of these of tiny specks represents a demiplane it has sealed an enemy, annoyance, or supplicant inside, each plane sustained by the Emissary of Eternity's power. Such victims are trapped in environs such as endless sunlit deserts, valleys of ice that go on forever, vast bottomless oceans, labyrinths of twisting tunnels, forests with no edges, cities that continue endlessly into the horizon, and other such spaces... Though victims that Nulrea dislikes may be sealed inside bubbles a scarce few meters across, such as a single room within a house, on a disk that sits atop an infinitely tall spire, or even within a coffin barely large enough for their body. Time passes differently within each demiplane, fully at the whims of Nulrea, and trapped victims may experience the passage of decades, centuries, or even millennia within their prison even as mere days pass in normal time.

With their needs and lives magically sustained and their bodies recovering swiftly from any form of harm, creatures imprisoned in these planes have little choice but to find a way out or go completely mad, and often do both. Escape isn't simple, as Nulrea sets the conditions for leaving each prison plane and gives only the vaguest possible instructions for doing so; complete madness is often required to parse these instructions, and worse is needed to carry them out. A victim condemned to walk through an endless desert may be tasked with finding a single specific grain of sand and consuming it, while someone trapped in an endless city may be required use their own blood to scribe the entirety of their life along its streets a hundred thousand times, and someone trapped in a cave may walk through the tunnels for several lifetimes before figuring out that they must dig their way through the solid stone with tools crafted from their own bones. Each task inevitably requires some level of intense, long-term suffering or sacrifice, often to the point the victim goes entirely numb to it. Rarely do imprisoned creatures emerge from the demiplanes at all, and not one has ever been the same as when they entered.

------ Obedience and Boons ------

Nulrea's clergy is obviously quite small. Very few creatures even know of the isolationist Demagogue's existence, and fewer have reason to seek them out. They offer little to most supplicants, refusing to share the secrets they know with any who are not sufficiently 'enlightened,' and the only way one may achieve a level of enlightenment the Emissary finds satisfactory is to subject ones self to unreasonably extended periods of deprivation, isolation, and silence, until all past personality and potential are destroyed, the hopeful now hollowed out and ready to serve wholly as a vessel for the secrets the Emissary wishes to impart. Typically, this means the price of the Demagogue's knowledge and power is to willingly accept being sealed within one of its demiplanes until total ego death is achieved.

Even other velstrac are wary of drawing Nulrea's attention, lest they end up trapped within a realm of numbness until the madness inherent to the velstrac is eclipsed entirely by new and novel forms of insanity. Some, however, purposely seek it out for that precise result, primarily any velstrac wishing to become the feared Obsignator; a cult of Obsignator known as the Ten-Thousand Moments in Amber--in reference to the Demagogue's halo of demiplanes--and the victims and madmen they've managed to capture/attract make up the largest cult in the Emissary of Eternity's name.

Creatures who manage to escape Nulrea's demiplanes and recover from their madness sometimes develop a deep and unsettling appreciation for the Demagogue's "work," taking a moment to silently thank it for giving them new perspectives on time, suffering, silence, and isolation before making their way back into the world. These blessed souls are regarded by the Demagogue as having taken their first steps towards true enlightenment, though it is up to them to continue their journey. While many of them become mad hermits no longer able to stomach the presence of other beings and retreat to isolated areas to further ponder the mysteries of eternity, some instead become adventurers seeking to either unravel the mysteries they have begun to ponder and the secrets they have discovered in their meditations, or simply make up for lost time and catch up with the world that they have not been a part of for several lifetimes--perhaps several hundred.

As a Velstrac Demagogue, Nulrea may gift especially fanatic worshipers with Boons that are are relatively simple: a trio of spell-like abilities, each of which may be used 1/day. Boons are normally gained slowly, at levels 12, 16, and 20, however entering the Evangelist, Exalted, or Sentinel Prestige Classes can see the Boons gained as early as levels 10, 13, and 16. Note that, as with all Demagogues, you cannot enter the Diabolist Prestige Class to quickly obtain these Boons without DM fiat.

Obedience: Find a spot where you can expose yourself to a single repetitive sensation, such as water flowing over your body, wind blowing over you, sunlight shining down on you, or constant cold. Spend at least one hour completely still, meditating on this sensation. If a creature interrupts your meditation, you must deal at least 1 point of lethal damage to it and drive it away. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus to saving throws against charm and compulsion effects, as well as to saving throws to avoid effects that would inflict confusion, insanity, or madness.

Boon 1: Blindness/Deafness Boon 2: Lesser Create Demiplane Boon 3: Maze of Madness and Suffering

#original concepts #this was written in a single sitting over like 2 hours at 1 in the morning #please forgive any mistakes ill hit them with a hammer later

[wri0thesley]

Sometimes i wish that darling had successfully escaped. But then how genshin men would suffer after this? I'm pretty sure yan Kaeya would be hella angry for abandoning him or how Diluc would make LITERALLY a whole group of detectives or something but didn't contact the knights of Favonius...

OOH. well. obviously, by virtue of being yanderes, they are not going to let you go so easily; and some of them would certainly take it . . . worse than others.

ft: tighnari, diluc, ayato, zhongli, childe

tighnari would take it horribly. fennec foxes mate for life; he chose you for the rest of his life. part of his yandere inclinations are because you wouldn't truly understand how heart-wrenching and soul-destroying it would be for someone of his species to watch his mate - the love of his life, his soulmate - leave him. he gets . . . despondent. honestly, half of gandharva ville's forest rangers are out looking for you to drag you back to him - they not only don't believe tighnari could do something so awful, but they're more likely to blame you for running away.

diluc takes it horribly too. he's already a vigilante, but with you gone, he's probably out every night desperately looking for you. calling in every favour he's ever been owed, listening to every piece of gossip, getting in contact with his old intelligence agency . . . diluc won't believe you've done it on purpose. he's keeping you safe - so, without him, the only option is that you've been taken by someone untrustworthy and you're in danger. at least when he gets you back he'll be too relieved to properly punish you.

ayato takes it reasonably well on the outside; he calls in the shuumatsuban and tells them to find you at any cost, and keeps his face polite and his smile serene. inside, he's raging - but he's a master at playing games to his advantage. he knows you'll be found - and when you're back in his clutches, there'll be hell to pay.

zhongli also takes it reasonably well - at first. it's only when he's alone he lets his full rage out; dragon nature angry that his greatest treasure has been stolen, hands shifting into claws as he resists the urge to call forth pillars and shatter every stone and rock in sight. if you're extremely unlucky, this emotional imbalance on a man normally so stoic might help the erosion along a little . . . and then, the man who finds you and drags you back to his nest home is far more morax than zhongli.

childe is incensed; rages and growls and starts fights with anyone who may have seen you or who didn't manage to keep you under control. he doesn't care about how much he hurts them, how much blood is spilt - they are keeping you away from him, and that's simply inexcusable. he will hunt you down mercilessly; and when he's found you, he'll insist on a little battle to work out his aggression. the battle will almost certainly end with you slung over his shoulder, the victor, as he forcibly drags you back to your prison with the abyss still raging in his eyes. you're not going to be able to sit down for months.

#yandere for ts #not sfw text #genshin impact posting #nat.txt

[ly-sona]

[❀] ❝ enhypen as hogwarts students . ❞

jungwon gryffindor

jungwon was everything a student could be—prefect, captain of the quidditch team, currently rank two in his year. he was loved by students and professors alike—determined, passionate, a true leader. his only downside? his enemy, the slytherin who seems to only ditto him in their own house. of course, his academic rivalry is only a downside in everyone else’s minds. truly, jungwon views the rivalry as a challenge to improve himself—nothing more, nothing else.

special: our own world | yang jungwon

heeseung slytherin

heeseung never cared much for academics, yet he was smart enough to stay away from snape’s condescending eye. heeseung didn’t care about the quidditch team, yet he was the quidditch captain. heeseung didn’t seem to care about much at all—not even the rivalry between slytherin and gryffindor or the stereotypes about his house. he had a secured job, a life determined for him. he was comfortable in his present and future. simply, heeseung didn’t need to care about much. of course—this was in the eyes of the other students. normally, heeseung would agree that he had no reason to care about anything. but how can that be true if he had a secret significant other who seemed to draw attention wherever they went and raise anxiety within his heart? simply, it wasn’t true. he cared.

special: fool’s love | lee heeseung

jay slytherin

jay could be considered the opposite of heeseung—the perfect student, pure bloodline, and elegant mannerisms. he was dedicated, passionate, and smart—he was the face of the 7th years of slytherin. and as the most academic student of slytherin, of course he was head boy. apart from his passions, though, jay seemingly didn’t care for relationships. he went with the flow of the gryffindor rivalry, with the mischevious activities heeseung always participated in, and with all the opportunities that were rather forcefully handed to him. to him, he mattered the most. and he didn’t think that would change anytime soon.

special: perfection topped | park jongseong

jake hufflepuff

jake was the cedric of his times—kind, loyal, strong, captain of quidditch. what couldn’t he do? he had everything he truly needed in life and still stayed humble. even to the headmaster, that is his greatest trait. he worked hard to beat the stereotypes against the hufflepuffs and refused to believe they were weak. of course, that’s also why he’d earned the title of the triwizard champion a year prior. yeah, to say the slytherins and gryffindors were surprised was an understatement. jake held strong virtues, and those same strong virtues led him to choose to be single for the past seven years. he didn’t think he’d meet someone who’d test them, though.

special: cauldron cakes | shim jaeyun

sunghoon gryffindor

sunghoon was talented, handsome, and not necessarily the brightest but charismatic. he was annoying, sure. egotistical? definitely. of course, he had every reason to be egotistical. there wasn’t anyone in hogwarts—no, the wizarding universe—who hadn’t heard his name at least once. he was the best chaser hogwarts had seen in years, and he’d been interning with various quidditch teams within the league each summer since his second year. quidditch was his life. so, anything that shook his love for quidditch simply shook his life.

special: an athlete’s heart | park sunghoon

sunoo ravenclaw

sunoo was dangerous. he wasn’t dangerous for his bubbly, kind, sarcastic, and studious nature. being a prefect didn’t affect his personality one bit. no, sunoo was dangerous for the amount of information he held on everyone. he seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere—he lived to hear the dramatic lives everyone in hogwarts seemed to have. secret relationships? he knew them. cheaters on a test? he knew them. and sunoo knew his information had value. so simply, he’d make a business out of them. might as well become the richest hogwarts student in the process, right?

special: deal | kim sunoo

riki slytherin

riki was young, tall, smart, and most definitely annoying. he was the definition of a pretentious pure-blood—at least, that’s what everyone believed. he was mischevious, a prankster who’d never get caught even by professors like snape. riki was well off, of course. he tried not to hold the offensive viewpoints he’d grown up with, but there wasn’t much he could do. eyes were on him everywhere. one day, riki would think. one day, he could escape from those eyes and free himself from the stereotypes of a pure-blooded nishimura.

special: star-crossed | nishimura riki

#enhypen #enhypen imagines #jungwon #enhypen fluff #enhypen scenarios #enhypen oneshots #yang jungwon #lee heeseung #heeseung #park jay #jay #park jongseong #shim jake #sim jake #sim jaeyoon #sim jaeyun #jake #enhypen hogwarts #park sunghoon #sunghoon #sunoo #kim sunoo #nishimura riki #niki #ni-ki #jungwon imagines #jay imagines #heeseung imagines #sunghoon imagines #jake imagines

[thegodwithin]

Highlights

Changing the feeling of “I” - Neville Goddard

“Your description of the world is a confession of the self that you do not know. You describe another, you describe society, you describe anything, and your description of the thing you observe reveals to one who knows this law the being you really are. So you must first accept that self. When that self is accepted, then you can start to change. It's so much easier to take the virtues of the Gospel and apply them as the word of life, to love the enemy, to bless those who curse us, and to feed the hungry. But when man discovers the being to be fed, the being to be clothed, the being to be sheltered, the greatest enemy of all is that self, then he is ashamed, completely ashamed that that is the being, for it was easier to share with another something that I possess, to take an extra coat and give it to another, but when I know the truth it's not that. I start with the self, having discovered, and start with change of that self.”

“and he by the arrangement of his own mind, by consenting to these restrictions in his cradle and being conditioned slowly through his youth, waking into manhood believing himself set upon would have to be set upon”

“So you and I can be anything in this world we desire to be if we will clearly define our aim in life and constantly occupy that aim. It must be habitual. The concept we hold of self that is noble must not be put on just for a moment and taken off when we leave this church. We feel free here; we feel that we have something in common, that's why we are here, but are we going to wear the noble concept we now hold of self when we go through the door and enter that bus, or are we going to return to the restrictions that were ours prior to coming here? The choice is ours and the hardest lesson to learn is that there is no one in this world that can be drawn into your world unless you, and you alone, call him.”

“So, the changing of the feeling of "I" is a selective thing because unnumbered states are infinite states, but the "I" is not the state. The "I" believes itself to be the state when it enters and fuses with it, so he was presented with a state and without the faculty of discrimination in his youth, he fused with the state and believed these restrictions were true, and it took him three years to disentangle the "I" from these fixed ideas with which he had lived for so many years. Now you may take only a moment or you, too, may take your three years. I can't tell you how long it's going to take you but I'll tell you this much. It can be measured by the feeling of naturalness. You can wear a feeling until it's natural. The moment the feeling becomes natural, it will begin to bear fruit within your world.”

“You can start now from scratch and choose the being you want to be. You aren't going to change the pigment of your skin but you will find your accent or the pigment of skin or your so-called racial background will not be a hindrance, for if a man is ever hindered it can only be the state of consciousness in which he abides that hinders him. Man is freed or constrained by reason of the state of mind in which he persists.”

“When we make that discovery we shake ourselves out of it and boldly appropriate the gift our Father gave us before that the world was. So let me show you the gift. You've read your Lord's Prayer possibly daily, but you read it as a prayer from a translation of a translation which does not reveal the sense of the evangelist. The real translation, you will find in Farrar Fenton's work where in the original it is written in the imperative passive mood, which is like a standing order, a thing to be done absolutely and continuously. So that you can look now upon your universe as one vast inter-knit machinery where all things happen.”

“There isn't a thing to become; all things are taking place, so it is written in this manner, "Thy will must be being done. Thy kingdom must be being restored."

“If you will see all things are now, you don't become, you simply select the state that you would occupy. Occupying it you seem to become but it is already a fact, every aspect of that state in its most minute detail. It's worked out and taking place. You by occupying the state seem to go through the action of unfolding that state, but the state is completely finished and taking place.”

“Now, how will I know that I have changed the feeling of "I"? By beginning first with an uncritical observation of my reactions to life and then noticing my reactions when I think I am identified with my choice. If I assume that I am the man that I want to be, let me observe my reactions. If they are as they were, I have not identified myself with my choice, for my reactions are automatic and so if I am changed I would automatically change my reactions to life. So the changing of the feeling of "I" results in a change of reaction, which change of reaction is a change of environment and behavior. But let me warn you now. A little alteration of mood is not a transformation; it's not a real change of consciousness. Because as I change my mood for the moment it can quickly and rapidly be I would say, replaced by another mood in the reverse direction. When I say that I was changed, as that gentleman changed his mood, his basic mood, his state of consciousness, it means that having assumed that I am what the moment denied, what my reason denied, that I remain in that state long enough to make that state stable. So that all of my energies are flowing from that state. I am no longer thinking of that state. I am thinking from that state. So that wherever a state grows so stable as to definitely expel all of its rivals, then that central, habitual state of consciousness from which I think defines my character and is really a true transformation or change of consciousness. Whenever I reach that state of stability, watch my world mold itself then in harmony with this inner change. And men will come into my world, people will come to aid and they will think they are initiating the urge to help. They are playing only their part. They must do what they do because I have done what I did. Having moved from one state into the other. I have altered my relationship relative to the world round about, and that changed relationship compels a change in behavior relative to my world. So they have to act differently toward me.”

“the double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let not such a man believe that he shall receive anything of the Lord; for he is like a wave that is driven and tossed by the wind." That man never reaches his goal.”

“So we sit quietly and we simply become imitators of our Father. And He called the world into being by being the thing he would call. And so we sit and we listen as though we heard someone congratulating us on having found what we seek. So we go to the end of the matter and we listen just as though we heard, and we look as though we saw, and we try in this manner to feel ourselves right into the situation of our answered prayer, and there we wait in the silence.”

#law of assumption #neville goddard #ng highlights #qt #ng