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#ascetic ideal
evuwus · 3 months
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Lan Wangji is a rigid, stern and emotioneless man on the outside but on the inside, he is just a silly guy with so much love to give. He is so overflowing with love and he is terribly afraid that others would see it; notice his vulnerability or even worse, feel like they owe him.
He raised Lan Sizhui and treated him as his own son and younger brother, taught him everything and even protected him from the world and the truth. Anyone can imagine how hurtful that was to Lan Wangji; the fact that he couldn't share the wonderful memories he had with Wei Wuxian to Lan Yuan, he couldn't talk to him about the man that was taking care of him as a baby, the very man Lan Wangji loved. There was no one in the world except Lan Yuan who saw Wei Wuxian in the same way Lan Wangji did. And yet he chose not to say anything, out of unconditional love. He didn't want to impose the burden of the past to him, he didn't want to selfishly take away his happiness. He even burried him in a pile or rabbits, in attempts to give him the joy that Wei Wuxian provided him.
I can't not mention here the fact that Lan Wangji took care of the bunnies of Cloud recesses, feeding them by himself and taking care of them, despite keeping pets being against the rules. He had been following rules his whole life and yet when an opportunity arose to take care of some bunnies, he willingly took them under his protection, not caring if he would be seen as childish or a violator. Even to small creatures like this, Lan Wangji is affectionate and involved.
He appears wherever chaos is, not paying any attention to things such as lofty rewards and fame-gaining expeditions. His actions are out of care for others and commitment to high ideals. His choice of becoming Chief Cultivator in CQL was done out of care for the world, out of his passion for justice and fairness. Holding such a position seems to be against his character; (him being ascetic and staying away from wordly affairs) but he later must have realized his responsibility to create a change in the world, for his people, for Wei Wuxian.
And at last, of course, Lan Wangji has so much love for Wei Wuxian. His love is unconditional in the way that he will take care of him,not expecting anything in return, scared that Wei Wuxian would feel like he owes him his love, to reciprocate his feelings. For this reason (in the novel) he never tried to clear up the misunderstanding with Wei Wuxian, he selflessly accepted all of Wei Wuxian's teasing and flirtations as he was content with giving his love even if there was no hope for anything further. The only condition Lan Wangji had for their relationship is to be able to see the person that he poured the most love into, thrive and spare him a warm smile.
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funeral · 7 months
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“Life, without feeling alive” is how Laing describes the schizoid position, which only now...I am coming to recognize as my own: “This shut-up self, being isolated, is unable to be enriched by outer experience, and so the whole inner world comes to be more and more impoverished, until the individual may come to feel he is merely a vacuum.” First the schizoid distances himself from an external life he deems desolate, especially when compared to the rich life he cultivates within. But after a while he “longs to get inside life again, and get life inside himself, so dreadful is his inner deadness.” [...] The schizoid ideal is a “will to nothingness, an aversion to life,” to quote Nietzsche’s not unrelated genealogy of the ascetic ideal. . . Schizoid life is but a life sentence, served daily in the ordinary world. It is a life lost, and I’m it.
David Kishik, Self Study: Notes on the Schizoid Condition
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libbee · 1 year
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About a water lover
Water men (sun in scorpio/sun in pisces/sun in cancer//sun in 4th/8th/12th house)
1. As authentic as it can get, they tell emotional truth, they tell what they feel, they tell what they think, exactly as it is, no artificial colours, as real as it can get. Often they are not interested in the material ends like money, power, status, but they are interested in the process and the work, since they are very self aware they like to observe themselves how they evolve and grow with effort and work. They need to put the effort to push their boundaries and really grow themselves, realize their potential. This is why, they focus on the process not the goal and once they reach the goal, they pick another goal and dedicate themselves to it.
2. Introverted nature, dont like crowded places, they question everything because they are not concerned with conformity. They will not pretend to be someone just to impress others, you dont like it? Please move on.
3. Want emotional security as much as possible. In relationship, material life, friendships, they want and give emotional security. It is about reciprocation, no hypocrisy. They are very concerned about their ethics and values. They cannot do or say anything that makes them feel ashamed of themselves or lose their self respect. There is core fear of abandonment which is balanced with relationships and friendships where they give a lot of emotional security because it also makes them feel emotionally secure in return.
4. They hide their undesirable emotions like anger, shame, insecurity and actively work on them. On the exterior they will appear cool like ice cube but when probed they show their anger which can be very dangerous and intense, so this appearance on outside can be illusory.
5. Prone to low confidence issue. Especially when sun is in water sign or house, it does not shine bright like in air or fire or earth. In water, sun is submerged and cold. Like a lava ball in Pacific, sun in water sign feels limitation in shining brightly in material world. To the contrary, this sun shines brightly in the spiritual world which makes them very self aware, emotionally intelligent and spiritually awakened. When sun is in the water sign or house, it illuminates what is underwater, spiritual, emotional; it illuminates the depths as opposed to the heights of the sky. It is very literal association but easy to understand this way if you look at this diagram:
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6. They are all about depths and not the heights. But depths and heights are not too far away, as above so below-you know? The deeper you go, the higher you reach. It is about that enlightenment and awakening that society in general does not talk about and appears like a very niche group. For example, if other people are religious for community purpose, solidarity, practice etc then the native is religious because of its core philosophy, idealism, beliefs.
7. Aware of their mortality and not afraid of death. They want to live a life that they are prepared for death when it comes and are not ashamed of anything they did. This is another reason for their authenticity. They also prioritize mental peace over noise/music/sound because they are already acquainted with the chaos in their mind, they dont need any more of that.
8. Of course with the task of spiritual development, they need money, lifestyle and services too, they do not neglect the material life unless they are ascetic in which case Ketu the signification of detachment and separation comes into play.
9. Finally, there is not enough time in life to do self actualization. It is an endless journey, perhaps there is no end, perhaps death is not the end either. Water men know this and so they make the most of their time in life and strive to do as much self expression as possible.
Water men (moon in cancer/scorpio/pisces//moon in 4th/8th/12th houses)
1. Either very talkative or very reserved. When they talk, they appear like such extroverts but then can appear like introverts when they retreat to their solitude.
2. They think and feel or feel and think because both functions are interconnected. But it is not think or feel for them. Emotions are as important to them as reasoning.
3. What do women want in relationships? Emotional security; and who can give that? Water men. Emotional security is also guarantee for loyalty because they won't have sex with someone they are not emotionally connected with and interested in. Sex is not about adventure or power or confidence boost or ego stroke to them, sex is rather about surrender, transformation and dissolution to them. They want to dissolve in the arms of their lover, they want to merge and lose control. They want to exter that state between death and rebirth, where they are transformed and reborn. They crave that little rebirth.
4. Water men can be either immature or mature. Maturity does not mean perfection, maturity means self awareness. Maturity means if they make mistake, they are aware enough to identify it, accept it and correct it. Maturity does not mean that they are flawless and make no fuck ups, maturity means they have experience, wisdom and depth, something more than their age to show that they have lived a life.
5. Water men want water women because it is only them who can understand their nuances, desires, fears, complexity and needs. Who else can understand their needs? Fire will boil them and air will blow over them. Water will mix with water and earth will give them the bed of the ocean. I am associating symbols with zodiac signs because it makes them easy to understand since we are aware of the nature of elements.
6. Please dont try to befriend them if you are both not compatible. They are looking for friends who will not hurt them emotionally, who will keep them grounded and stable, who will understand their chaotic nature. A friend who understand you is an asset, he is more valuable than 100 people with buckets of gold. They really put effort into emotional  bonding, they know the value of their time and that only those who are also willing and capable of bonding with them are welcome in their life. They know the effort and time it takes to create emotional bond, so they only do it with those who are worthy of it. This is why they are very selective in their social networking and prefer few chosen ones only. This is also the reason for stereotype of being possessive because they dont want you to be adulterated by someone else, they dont want someone else to influence you, they dont want someone else to create bond with you. You are a canvas and they are the artist. You are their painting and theirs only, okay? And this service is reciprocal, they are yours and yours only, okay? Promise? It is a mixture of innocence and insecurities but the right person will understand. In case of an immature water man, this possessiveness can be toxic and pathological, but in case of mature water man, it is authenticity and surrender. "You are my painting and mine only":
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7. What is this emotional bonding that I speak of? It is your thoughts aligning with their, your ideas resembling them, your traits similar to them. It shows you are a reliable person, someone they can rely on in danger and weakness. Someone who will stand by them in dark times and not run away in cowardice. Someone who will give them as much as they take. It can a very passionate and mentally peaceful bonding. Passionate because emotional moon and peaceful because they are striving to give you security.
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8. Why are they so loyal and faithful? Because sex is not really about pleasure, it is about confidence, power. We somehow think that somebody who has sex with a lot of people does it because they love orgasm and pleasures but it is not really about that. Only that person can love who knows how to love, otherwise it is just for confidence boosting and to feel powerful. Since water people are the only ones who truly know how to lose control and surrender, they are the only ones who can make love for the sake of love. Water people are the only ones who can set aside their insecurities and fears, and make love just for the ritual and pleasure of it. I don't know why someone who does not have a water placement will claim to know what it feels like to make love.
"Love is like God; both give themselves only to their bravest knights" - Carl Jung.
Note = A birthchart also has other inner planets and placements that can influence the overall personality and preference of the man. I am confident this post will resonate with most water placements but if something doesn't click please avoid accepting that.
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demonslayedher · 2 months
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Things that went through my head while watching this episode: --Herein lies the biggest irony about Hantengu: His transformation into something reminiscent of a Buddhist deity; the sort of fierce and menacing kind that uses violence for justice. Zouhakuten is as convinced of his own righteousness as much as Hantengu is convinced of his own self-pity, and this is what Tanjiro is unable to stomach about him. Tanjiro cares about the strong defending the weak, so it's not just all the lives Hantengu has stolen, it's his blasphemy that makes him hate him.
--In a Kimetsu Kindergarten AU, I want to see Tanjiro and Rui and Zouhakuten all get into schoolyard arguments all the time.
--For as much as I've been appreciating the irony of Hantengu this time around, I do not consider myself well-versed enough in Buddhist iconography to do any detailed analysis of Zouhakuten's character design and name (yet), but suffice to this: The tengu references in Ki-Do-Ai-Raku's designs also borrow from the attire used in practicing Shugendo, because tengu are often depicted as and associated with Shugendo practitioners. Shugendo is a mountain ascetic religion with multiple influences, including Buddhist, and Zouhakuten looks like the sort of deity Shugendo practitioners might encounter in the mountains.
--But if anyone in this episode lives up to the Shugendo ideal, it is Haganezuka. That Taisho Secret with his extreme physical and spiritual preparation? That's what I mean, right there. That hyperfocus, though? If I were to diagnose one character in this series as neurodivergent, it is Haganezuka-san, and that maybe be part of where he gets his hyperfocus. Still, it's built into the plot that he prepared to put his life on the line for this endeavor, so I also give him credit for having also practiced spiritual mastery! For when it counts, anyway. Swords are the only time when it counts.
--Muichiro--both physically and spiritually-- was very vividly saved by Kotetsu's actions, but Haganezuka also deserves credit for having been the perfect person to exploit Gyokko's weakness--his pride as an artist. (You get a 'you tried' gold star, Kanamori-san--for now, because the sword you smithed saves the day later. Truly, everyone's actions are important!).
--Might I just say--OWWWW, Kotetsu's solar plexus might not have been punctured, but that's gotta hurt. And speaking of getting punctured, MUICHIRO FELL FLAT ON THOSE NEEDLES HE STILL HAD STUCK TO THE FROM OF HIM, OW OW OW OW OW OW OW
--The fact that Rengoku-san's tsuba was what saved Kotetsu is another why reason I really, really wanna see Senjuro and Kotetsu become penpals
--I like that even though Tanjiro and Mr. Tokito have a resemblance, Mr. Tokito sounds like a dad. But Tanjiro has so many bags around his eyes in comparison--Mr. Tokito is so much better rested! I guess he's resting in peace.
--I love this bitter side of Muichiro. It's not simply that he picked up a sharp tongue from Yuichiro, but instead, a utilitarian outlook on the world that makes him quick to judge others--or himself--as incapable. Mr. Tokito's words really were such gentle and chiding guidance. I wonder what Yuichiro's reaction to their dad was if he ever tried to have a similar teaching moment with him?
--Jumping back to the first half of this episode, making Tanjiro and Genya barely able to stand under the pressure of Zouhakuten is, well, sort of a convenient way of portraying "look he is powerful" and "now we have the hero converse with a demon." It's not quite as memorable as other times this happens in the series, but it is a signature part of KnY for this to happen.
--Another big difference between Tanjiro and Genya, at least in displaying their potential as Pillars (which Genya agonizingly recognized in the previous episode that he doesn't possess), is that while Genya spend a lot of time thinking "WTF!? W... T... F?!? WTF!!! WTFWTFWTFWTF!!!" Tanjiro is already back to rolling with the new situation. The fact that Tanjiro wasn't killed instantly by those wooden serpents was because he possessed the peace of mind to grab on and use his chances and move around to where there were pockets of safety. If Genya were in that position, he'd probably just take the hit and then flop around until his body regenerates. Likewise, Tanjiro's ability to sense unique demons, their locations, and how powerful they are is something he has continually developed, so he had a general idea how Zouhakuten came to be, but Genya needed to witness it. Again, like started in the last episode, Genya deserves a lot of credit for how hard he's worked and how much more he's able to do than just munch. Even in demon mode here, he mostly uses demon mode for the regenerative ability, and for offense he still reloads his gun and holds onto his broken blade.
--Nezuko, girl, you too. Just charging in and sacrificing limbs without a thought. Girl, you have gotten too used to this freaky regenerative speed of yours and the whole Corp sure is lucky most demons never achieve that.
--Again, I'm not a shipper, but I am tickled by the idea of reframing things with a Genya x Aizetsu angle (probably just one-sided infatuation, or even that they are exes but Aizetsu is still in love). After all, Genya knows Aizetsu's name, but didn't use the names of the other demons! Ohohoho! That sure adds more meaning to Genya witnessing Aizetsu's final moments of terror! (For the record, I do not see any of this in canon; it is simply funny.)
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queering-ecology · 1 month
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Erotophobia And the Colonization of Queers/Nature
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“The rhetoric and institution of Christianity, coupled with the imperialist drives of militarist nation-states, have been used for nearly two thousand years to portray heterosexuality, sexism, racism, classism, and the oppression of the natural world as divinely ordained” and though today’s Western industrialized world claims to be largely secular, these countries with Christian and colonial origins retain the ideology of divinely inspired domination” (122). “All eco feminists who have addressed the topic of spirituality, have observed that Christianity has been used as both an authorization and a mandate for the subordination of women, nature, person of color, animals and queers” (123).  
Christianity originated as one cult among many in the Roman Empire—Christianity is then by its very inception, an urban religion. It appeared during a time of increasing militarization in the Roman state where stoic morality held chastity as ideal--with heterosexual intercourse allowed only for procreation within marriage; the belief was that procreation was the only legitimate reason for intercourse (Greenberg 1988, 219)(124). “To be like the angels was to be spiritual; to be carnal, unspiritual. Sex was the essence of carnality, hence the antithesis of spirituality” (1988, 224).
What distinguished Christianity from the many other ascetic cults of its time was the severity of its asceticism, its complete intolerance of other religions, and its high degree of organization aka hierarchy (124). Two accounts in Genesis have been used in Christianity to legitimize human/nonhuman hierarchy (human domination over nature, Genesis 1) and anthropocentrism (man as the center of creation, Gensis 2) (124). Moreover, the word ‘hierarchy’ itself means ‘holy order’.  As Apostle Paul once said: “Let everyone obey the authorities that are over him, for there is no authority except from God, and all authority that exists is established by God”.
Christianity fit quite nicely with Roman state ideals, and it spread through the Roman military where eventually the cross was adopted as a military symbol and the Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire—the union of church and state as representing God’s will on earth was sealed.
“The inferiority and subordination of women, animals, the body, nature, the erotic, and all their associates was proclaimed by law, decreed by religion and relentlessly enforced” through violent assaults such as the Inquisition, the Crusades, the witch burnings and the ‘voyages of discovery’ (124).
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Monsters Reimagined: Celestials
BE NOT AFRAID
Angels and their kin have been a common request in my inbox for some years now, but It’s taken me some time to actually write this post in no small part because I needed to come to terms with how I wanted them to work in my own world.
The problem was finding a balance in the “all angels are good, if not nice”  angel, and the “gritty, singleminded zealotry” angel that’s become the default as generation after generation of creator has pushed back against an oppressive religious culture and wanted to see the icons of that religion dragged through the mud as a means of validation. 
As I’ve discussed with my post on fiends, I don’t like how d&d does alignments: not just as moral absolutes, but as universal constants that leave no room for debate or faith or contradiction, as belief is systematized and taxonomized, with each good and bad deed having a corresponding outsider and designated parkingspot in the great cosmic wheel.
Here’s my pitch then:  Just as demons embody mortal vices gone awry, and fey embody the natural world, celestials embody ideals, pure concepts that exist one step removed from the practical considerations of physical reality. Not only does this allow you to keep your usual “justice”, “kindness” angels on theme, but it also lets you square concepts that would seem to be contradictory without making hard and fast moral judgements about things that can be good in some cases but not in others. An angel of feasting and good cheer might disagree with an enlightened master of ascetic self discipline, especially about whether their mortal wards should really help themselves to a third round of dessert, but neither would fault the other should the decision go their way. Good is not absolute after all.
That said, there’s plenty of different types of celestials, some of whom might disagree on that non-absolutist take, but to find out about my personal taxonomy, you’re going to have to keep reading under the cut
Angels: While all celestials embody some kind of ideal, the angels are out there being the good they want to see in the multiverse. Just like devils actively work to find fault with mortals or punish them for their transgressions, angels wish to extol and foster their virtues. Including angels in your adventure will typically have them picking someone (possibly a PC, possibly a side character, maybe even a villain) and nudging them towards their better nature. Some angels may even be created when someone’s goodness outlives them, or called into being when a collection of goodness coalesces over time. Angels are not the direct subordinates of gods, as gods exist in an even further removed state of idealization, they do however have closer contact with gods, more akin to that of a higher level cleric.
Fallen angels: just as medicine can become poison depending on the dosage, virtuous behaviour can become a vice if taken to its extreme. Righteousness can become wrath, love can become obsession, selflessness can become martyrdom. Little better than demons at their worst, angels that lose the ability to compromise or see other points of view are at risk of becoming something destructive.
Archons: Embodiments of laws by which people are governed, these celestials were placed in charge of mortals during the chaotic dawn age, in an attempt to give the fledgling cultures and civilizations they cared for a scaffolding to build off off. The arcons were despotic tyrants horever, caring little for the wellbeing of their charges compared to the enforcement of the systems they personified. These draconian despots have long been banished to their own little corners of the multiverse, and adventures involving them will likely revolve around an archon trying to reobtain power, or the unearthing of cruel artifacts they used to maintain it.
Lesser Graces: What could be called “Feral Angels”, these spirits represent minor or incidental forms of benevolence removed from coherency or greater morals. The Reverence of moths towards a lamp, a child’s dream of flying free, the protective spirit of a community of feral cats. These are the celestials most likely to be encountered by players in the early stages of their adventures, stumbling upon them incidently as they explore the untouched places of the world.
Psychopomps: Though often spooky or grisly,  the shepherds of the dead play an important role in seeing the souls of mortal to their final destination, whether that be in the keeping of a god or the great resting place of the underworld. A party is most likely to encounter psychopomps after someone kicks the bucket, though minor spiritguides may linger around graveyards and tombs, looking to escort lingering souls and dismiss the undead.
Indescribable: From a distance the light of the sun warms the world and nourishes growth, but on a greater scale it can scorch a land to lifeless desert and at its maximum is it nothing but thermonuclear oblivion. Such is the case with the indescribable, celestial entities that take concepts like “purity” or “sanctified” and turn it to the absurd.  Ethanol is pure after all, but that’s because it kills any microbial life that it comes in contact with.  Indescribables tend to exist beyond the reality of the multiverse, or else carve off very specific territories within it, and adventures involving them likely involve some holier than thou idiot who’s decided to take an ethical system and drive it into an omnicidal ditch.
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halobirthdays · 5 months
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Happy birthday to Usze 'Taham! Today is his -496th birthday!
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Usze was the son of famed swordsman Toha 'Sumai, who had the privileged of mating with his mother due to his status. Usze was raised by his mother and her husband, a wealthy merchant, while receiving training from 'Sumai, whom Usze believed was his uncle. He excelled at his training and graduated with honors from a top war college.
Usze was soon offered a position on the Covenant Honor Guard. Though a prestigious position, it was largely ceremonial, and Usze made the risky decision to decline, preferring a combat position. Though his superiors warned him that the decision could signal a lack of faith, others respected him for his choice to continue fighting. Still, the decision was not without consequence, with Usze evading punishment and attempts on his life. Though he was faithful to the Covenant, he also joined the Ascetics, a Sangheili order with deep ties to Sangheili pre-Covenant history and beliefs, who existed to preserve their ideals and faith. Unable to be swayed, and otherwise remaining above reproach, he was eventually assigned to the Special Operations division under the leadership of Rtas 'Vadum(ee).
When the Covenant fractured, he remained loyal to the Covenant Separatists, joining Arbiter Thel 'Vadam on his journey to the Ark to prevent the Halo array from firing. After the war, Usze was instrumental in reviving the Ascetic guard, becoming one of their emissaries and a liaison to the UNSC. He worked closely with humans, helping to establish the Riftborn, a joint UNSC/Swords of Sanghelios spec ops unit located on Anvil Station.
During the Blooding Years, Usze was called back home to maintain order on Sanghelios, including thwarting attempts on the Arbiter's life. He answered directly to 'Vadam, who would order him back to the Ark on another joint mission with the UNSC to investigate a countdown signal which suggested that the Halo array was once again set to fire. He was once again paired with N'tho 'Sroam, whom he served with on the Ark, as well as Spartan Frank Kodiak and a team of scientists, including Olympia Vale before she became a Spartan.
After discovering that the signal was being controlled by a rogue AI, Usze and the team were able to stop the countdown, but not without destroying the AI. Usze would form a friendship with Vale, whom he consoled when she expressed that the AI's destruction was a diplomatic failure on her part.
Usze continued to serve directly under 'Vadam during the Created crisis.
In canon (~2560), he is turning 41!
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pushing500 · 7 months
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Hello, I love you. Thank you for giving me an excuse to show off my colony! I think it's my favourite of all the Rimworld colonies I've ever built, and I would love to give you a tour!
This settlement is called Eureka. It's quite big and sprawling, so I'll pop it under here where it won't clog up people's dashboards if they don't want it to:
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Okay, first of all, I'd like to mention that the main ideology of the colony (as well as two out of the three others we have in the colony: Wendy and Laurie's ideology, and Wookshy's little heretical sub-cult) has the City Builders meme from Vanilla Ideology Expanded - Memes and Structures, which means lots of separate buildings instead of one big one.
This makes things like temperature regulation across the colony a bit tricky, but I love the way it looks.
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Here's a shot of the whole of Eureka in all it's current glory. I think it's lovely, though I may be biased in that regard.
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Eureka's very first colonists, Albina, Brennan, Irwin, and Rogan the dog, crash-landed in escape pods right where that obelisk is standing in the middle.
The bedrooms you see here are built from limestone that we salvaged from a large ruin in the area. The top left is Albina's bedroom, beside that is Barghest's bedroom (it was Irwin's originally, but he moved into Connie's room when they got married. Both lads have the ascetic trait, and they love it), then the bottom left is Brennan and Debby's room.
The kitchen/abattoir/dining room/art studio/tailor shop is on the right.
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Here's the hospital, the research lab, and a "monument" we built for the Empire that now stores all our chemfuel. We also have a little field of blueberry bushes and a beehive. Irwin and Connie's bedroom is on the bottom left.
(Don't mind the apparent excess of sickly colonists, I'll address that in a post after this one.)
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Here is the prison barracks, the nutrient-paste vending machine for guests who forget to bring their own food, the water treatment plant, and the duck pen.
I have a lot of chemfuel generators, and this isn't even all of them.
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The northern part of Eureka is home to a luxurious hot-tub room, my lovely school /nursery with its adjoining veggie garden, and the tomb we built to honour cuterpillar Bernie, may they rest in peace.
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More chemfuel generators, the ex-Ancient Danger, the closet of clothes for Eureka's residents to select their ideal outfits, and the landing pad we have repurposed as a shipyard. It appears we are still a long way off from launching a ship, though. No escape anytime soon.
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The wedding chapel with an assortment of instruments that the colonists like to play, and the devilsheep pen.
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The boomalope pens (top for males, bottom for females), and some more bedrooms.
The top bedroom is where Wookshys sleeps (ew) and where Baz used to sleep before he moved into a room with Zonovo.
Below Wookshys' room is Kaz and Fafo's room. It will be equipped with a double bed once they get married.
To the left of their room is Laurie and Candlelight's room, which I only now realise is a terrible idea considering the amount of fights they've been getting into. I'll have to shuffle the sleeping arrangements to remedy that.
The room on the bottom left is Wendy and Tamarind's room, and beside them is the room where Andrei, Kawoo, and baby Andy sleep.
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Here you can see our smelting/machining/smithing/fabricating workshop above our new landing pad (since the last one was repurposed as a shipyard).
In the middle is the off-brand temple that I built for Wookshys' sad little sub-cult for no reason other than to make him and his heretic followers stop whining that they didn't have one.
Beside the temple for the "Wavian Path" sub-cult are two more bedrooms: Vu and Hazrov's room on the left and Baz and Zonovo's room on the right.
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Main storerooms, the temple for the proper ideology of Eureka (The Path of Animism), a bathroom, and the crematorium.
The crematorium has dodgy walls because I didn't realise I was building into the Anima tree's "exclusion zone" until after I'd already mined out the room and started putting up walls. Now it just looks weird, and I have to avoid looking at it.
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The riverside picnic area that Wookshys is banished to most days to do his fishing, where I don't have to see him. It's very pretty, and I think if I were trapped on a distant rim world, I would appreciate a nice riverside park like this as long as there were no Wookshys' around to bother me.
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Our treasured Anima tree, Connie's berrymaker dryad Gauranlen tree, and a little nature shrine that Irwin made out of jade for all the colonists who have the natural meditation focus types, which is a lot of them, apparently.
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Geothermal generators are boring, so I used this steam vent to make a hot spring instead which I like much better. There's also a reasonable selection of guest bedrooms, another bathroom, and our saunas which are separated into male and female rooms.
All our stone cutting is done by the hot spring, and all the cut stone is dumped in a pile with raw steel, bones, and other things that won't deteriorate on the ground outside.
Also, another view of Connie and Irwin's room, along with Albina's room and Brennan and Debby's room.
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Last but not least is Eureka's main farming area. There are little growing patches set up here and there all over the place (which I'm sure my farmers are thrilled about... At least they can get their steps up while they work), but this is the main spot where most zones are organised into one accessible area.
And that concludes the tour of Eureka! I won't pretend to be the most efficient or practical Rimworld player, but I love building things that look nice (to me, at least) and make my colonists happy.
I hope you enjoyed this little insight into the place where all my wonderful colonists live, and thank you again for giving me an excuse to ramble about it. <3
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Iron-Ring Striker (Magus Archetype)
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(art by LukasVasut on DeviantArt)
The magus class, the blending of martial prowess and magic into one smooth, disciplined machine. It only makes sense that there would be many different styles and specializations of that basic concept. We’ve seen mystic archers, shieldbearers, two-weapon fighters, and the like, and now it’s time to look at an unarmed fighter.
Originally, the tradition of the iron-ring strikers hails from Vudra in the Lost Omens setting, gaining its name from the iron rings worn by it’s practitioners. However, like many things, it has spread outward since then.
Dedicated to strengthening not just their body but minds, these warriors are masters of full-contact martial arts combined with magic, two flavors that normally don’t really go together, but their specialized training makes it work.
As a flavor detail, you could claim that these magi use their iron rings as the focus for their magic when they enhance their unarmed prowess… or you could just say that they just infuse the magic directly into themselves if the iron rings themselves aren’t part of the lore in your setting.
In any case, the result is a magus that can punish foes with their strikes and magic even when on the defensive, as we’ll soon see.
With their focus on unarmed combat, these magi put a little less effort into their arcane training, reducing the reserves of arcane power they have for spells.
However, they learn how to add enhancements to the unarmed strikes to compensate, and can learn several defensive, offensive, and tactical enchantments to temporarily bolster their abilities with.
This specialization does mean they can only deliver spellstrikes with their unarmed strikes though at first.
They do, however, train to master the art of dealing harm with their fists and feet, advancing as a monk or brawler would.
Additionally, they train to perfect various combat maneuvers.
In order to bolster said maneuvers, they can sacrifice spells in order to lend mass to their forms, allowing them to grapple with foes many times their size with no issues.
Additionally, they also can learn to conduct their spells as part of these maneuvers, making their grapples, trips, or shoves even more debilitating.
Finally, some of the most powerful can reflexively channel these spells when their foes touch them to try and turn the tables with their on maneuvers, punishing them for trying.
With their focus on combat maneuvers, these mystics almost don’t even need to specialize in unarmed, but the combination of level-progressing damage and the ability to both sacrifice spells to bolster combat maneuvers and conduct them through said maneuvers means that they can not just hit hard but also lay on the debuffs and battlefield control hard on foes. I recommend taking lots of touch spells that lay on debuffs that complement your favorite combat maneuvers well, as well as control spells to keep yourself from being overwhelmed, not to mention buffing yourself as well. And don’t be afraid to diversify your spells. Even if you can’t use a particular spell you prepared, it can be converted into a buff for our maneuvers on the fly!
It's easy to imagine how this specialization blends magic with ascetic practices, even if they do not get a ki pool on their own. Consider how the pursuit of the arcane is similar to the search for enlightenment. Of course, others might just be martial artists with no interest in ascetic ideals, instead choosing to perfect themselves for their own reasons.
The eagle has long been the symbol of the Raptor’s Grasp, an elite military unit of mages and martial artists that blend the two together seamlessly with their signature “Raptor Style”. However, recently there have been allegations that the style is a stolen one, a copy of the Dragonfly Style of Eastern Joukahn.
Last of his noble house, Baron Perrinor wishes desperately to achieve the same heights as his family’s founder, a mighty warrior mage that struck down foes with magic-coated fists, but no matter how hard he tries, he cannot seem to make progress. The obsession has grown so much that he has neglected many aspects of his rule, such as caring for his fiefdom and producing an heir.
The champion of the Vokstead Arena takes the idea of “iron ring striker” to an excessive new height, being covered in piercings. The shackleborn tiefling literally crackles with arcane energy as she tears into foes with spell and fist alike.
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apenitentialprayer · 11 months
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can you elaborate on “how does anyone not read Luther’s personal and spiritual life and conclude…” ? I mean I knew he was foul-mouthed but ngl say more fam
Okay, the foul-mouthedness and the being really angry and vicious towards his ideological enemies isn't great, but it's not exactly damning either; I can point to a bunch of Catholic saints who were also prone to this kind of behavior. It's just something I personally find very distasteful, and am as embarrassed by Catholic saints who engage in that kind of behavior as I would be of Luther.
But really, the parts that bothered me were twofold.
First, Martin Luther's tendency to try to fill spiritual voids and depressions with physical sensations in his later years; he was a compulsive eater and drinker, for example - he used to call this stuffing himself "fasting," because he would eat to the point of finding disgust (and thus no pleasure) in it. (Which, you know, eating can be an ascetic activity for those who have eating-disorders, but when you're exposing yourself to physical sensations purely to stave off feelings of spiritual inadequacy....). In addition to the overeating, he similarly engaged in outbursts or wrath or sexual behavior in order to distract himself from these thoughts. Call it a major bias towards the monastic ideal if you must, but I am deeply mistrustful of this kind of coping mechanism where you distract yourself by indulging the body.
Second, Martin is on record saying that there were often times that he could not pray without also cursing and damning others. I think that an inability to praise God without also wishing death and destruction of your enemies in the same breath may indicate that something is deeply, deeply wrong. Especially when you combine these statements with other statements that indicate a chronic worry that maybe he wasn't actually right and might have been leading his followers into damnation anyway.
I don't like Luther. And there are aspects of his personality that I actively dislike. But having said that, don't let this post make you think my opinion of the man is just as negative as it was when I first started reading the book; there is some stuff about him and his thought that I liked. He's just also... a lot, and I think a lot of what he had to say or do was questionable.
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cliozaur · 3 months
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Hugo filled this chapter with contradictions! We have already grasped that Bishop Myriel is unlike any other bishop, as his ascetic way of life aligns more with the early Christian ideal than that of a prince of the Church in the early nineteenth century. However, Hugo’s juxtaposition of the arts and churchmen’s love of luxury is misleading, as the latter facilitated the former in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Having conceived the Bishop as a royalist, Hugo laments that it would have been better for him not to have any political opinion at all. And then goes on to accuse M. Myriel of not supporting Napoleon during his decline. However, based on what he wrote in previous chapters, it did not seem that the bishop was a great fan of Napoleon even in his prime. It was Napoleon who seemed to win Myreil over by granting him a bishopric and later the title of baron. The Bishop was rather sarcastic about the emperor from their first meeting. And being a royalist, it’s not surprising that he showed more loyalty to the restored king than the self-appointed emperor.
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whitherwanderer · 7 months
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8 // shed
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[ CW: body horror, self mutilation, kinning with a bug. ]
Nexianne’s thoughts had been preoccupied with insects lately. Ever since she’d found the shell of a cicada nymph clinging to her window frame long after the adult had emerged and flown. Alien and beautiful, a fragile image of a creature that traded its form for something greater and was rewarded with a sleek pair of glassy wings.
She’d read about it in a Garlean naturalist’s description of the provincial wildlife beyond the capital. While she’d be loathe to congratulate the enemy on anything more than technological accomplishment, the language around which revolved their taxonomic approach to the star and everything on it was, in itself, beautiful.
Exuviae was the term for this hollow carapace. “Things stripped from the body”.
There were times when she looked in the mirror and did not recognize herself. Times that her clothing seemed to do nothing but scratch at her skin no matter what she did and even the slightest shift of fabric against her was so offensive that she wanted to cast it all off. Burn it. Let the fire keep her warm instead. She kept herself from scratching in an act of self-restraint, but it didn’t stop the fantasy from replaying over and over in her head.
Self-published accounts by the ascetics of the Far East warranted some interest, though eventually she found that her ideals diverged with theirs. The more extreme among them found their purpose in death, but she was not content to wither and diminish. Only to become. But they did provoke a thought. She wondered how much could be stripped from a person before they were no longer one at all, changed into something else that could exist beyond the boundaries of what man only thought was their epitome. How much of a person was exuviae?
Standing in front of the mirror in the dead of night, she found herself tugging at her clothing again. Something on that far plane separated only by glass, her shadow-self, hummed a word at her over and over again until it matched the beat of her heart: Become, become, become. She felt it thrumming under her skin as she stripped off each article of clothing and stood there in the dark, palming her neck, her collar, the backs of her shoulders. If she stood still enough, she could feel the tiny fluttering of wings beneath.
She could make men forget their names, their homes, their histories. She could strip them of individuality and reduce them to feral beasts, if she wanted, guided only by base instinct. Hunger, fear, survival. It was a start, but it was a step backwards from the metamorphosis she was after. That transcendent change rewarded for stripping the self down beyond even blood and bone. Maybe it eluded them because they weren’t pursuing it. Maybe only she was capable of such revelation.
She screamed as she tore through her own flesh to free the wings beneath, but even as they glimmered, glasslike in the moonlight, her reflection begged her to complete them both with its persistent one-word mantra. Dread and agony filled her at the thought of going any further, but the thrill of this breakthrough pressed her on. Pain was but an obstacle, a cry of the cloying self she had to silence. The more of her that sloughed away, the quieter it became until even she no longer screamed. She unraveled quietly in the dark, disassembling herself like a puzzle box until there was no reflection. No separation between she and the shadow. Bare but for a soul.
Nexianne blinked, the flicker of blackened lashes momentarily dispelling the fixation on her soulless mirror image. Her skin no longer itched under her clothing, her ears no longer filled with cries. Her hand lifted and the reflection obeyed. Still herself.
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cookinguptales · 2 months
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yamagata (part one)
So last October, my father and I rented a car and drove around Yamagata, Japan. We were there mostly because I'm a terrible little nerd and I really wanted to see the Dewa Sanzan, but we also stayed the night in an onsen town in the middle of a volcanic caldera.
The trip didn't go entirely to plan... I meant to have three days so we could more thoroughly explore the sacred mountains, but it ended up storming terribly for a couple days, so hiking... Not ideal...
I have mobility issues (and Dad was recovering from an injury) so I have to be pretty careful while doing stairs in the first place, so... doing it during a storm... It just wasn't going to happen. Still, though! We got to see a lot of cool things and we had a nice time.
Explanations and photos under the cut!
To begin with, the Dewa Sanzan are a set of three extremely sacred mountains in Yamagata Prefecture. The three mountains are Hagurosan, Gassan, and Yudonosan. That's also the order in which they're meant to be hiked, and each mountain increases in sacrality.
Which religion are they sacred to? Well... that's kind of a complicated question. When Buddhism came to Japan in the 6th century, it entered into a sort of (sometimes awkward) alliance with Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan. (...more or less...)
You hear the term shinbutsu shūgō a lot around the mountains of Yamagata. Basically speaking, this refers to the syncretic religion created by combining elements of Shinto and Buddhism. There's another concept, honji suijaku, which explains how this was accomplished. The idea is that Buddhist deities were manifesting themselves on earth as Japanese kami, or the indigenous spirits that made up Shinto. In other words, the idea was that when Japanese people were seeing kami, they were actually seeing Buddhist deities who were disguising themselves in order to better spread the precepts of Buddhism.
These syncretic kami-buddha(/bodhisattva) pairs were called gongen. This part's important for where I'm going next.
This syncretic religion wasn't really cohesive or regulated throughout Japan. There wasn't one set list of sacred texts or one set person in charge to make rules, y'know? It spread around Japan largely organically, so there was a lot of variation in belief systems, rituals, etc. Some people would identify more with the Shinto side of things, some more with the Buddhist side.
What I was interested in, and why I went all the way out there, was a mountain ascetic religion called shugendō. Shugendō was a religion primarily practiced in the remote mountains of Japan, and it centered largely around the worship of gongen as well as submersing oneself in nature to meditate. It wasn't exactly easy to learn about where I went to school in Kyoto, so I jumped at the chance to rent a car and go see some mountains that were very sacred to shugendō practitioners, or yamabushi.
(I had originally also had us going to see the Kumano shrines in Wakayama, but after Dad got hurt, I cut a lot of walking out of the trip. So we chose Yamagata because you could drive right up to a lot of the shrines.)
Now, during the Meiji period, Shinto and Buddhism were forcibly separated by the government. (I won't get into the whys right now.) When that happened, a lot of syncretic sites were forced to either choose to be one or the other or be physically destroyed by the government. On Dewa Sanzan, most of the shugendō sites decided to convert to Shinto. It makes it kind of odd, when you're walking around a Shinto shrine that still clearly, clearly has a lot of Buddhist influence...
One of my big interests, when it comes to religious studies, is syncretic religions, so I've been wanting to learn more about all this for ages. But, due to the purposeful destruction of religious orders/sites as well as the remote locations... well, it's been hard. I was PUMPED to get out there.
lmao now that I've given you all a mini history lecture...
Yamagata!
Now, the first day, Dad and I rented a car in Yamagata City and drove out to Hijiori Onsen. It was really out in the middle of nowhere and honestly? Big Spirited Away vibes. I'm over here explaining the concept of kamikakushi to Dad and he is like. Not loving it.
Add to that the fact that it was raining and dreary and kind of awful, and the whole situation was just spooky.
Hijiori Onsen is also known for something in particular -- a thing that I forgot to tell dad about. They're known for making kokeshi dolls, which I guess explained.... uh. what we encountered on the drive up.
Oh? What's that in the distance?
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A giant, deeply creepy kokeshi?
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The terrible weather and empty countryside really did not make these things more reassuring.
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I will be honest with you, the whole area kind of had Fatal Frame vibes lmao.
BUT when we finally made it to Hijiori Onsen, it was really lovely.
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This was our ryokan, aka the only one that had an elevator and would allow my father's tattoos lmao.
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And oh look, more kokeshi. lmao
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It was kind of fun to see the traditional fall decorations (the persimmons) next to more modern Halloween ones.
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It was really lovely inside, though, and this was the view from our room.
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They also had a lot of local snacks, which was fun to try. (Pictured: apple cookies, green tea, and... I want to say candied burdock root?)
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The food was a recurring theme, tbh. They fed us so much that my Dad was like no ;; please ;; we'll die ;;
More kokeshi, this time in the form of a chopsticks rest.
(Yes, I did buy myself one of their kokeshi at a shop in town before we left, lmao.)
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The dining room was pretty, with traditional braziers, soy sauce jars, etc.
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Seriously, though, dinner lasted for like two hours and they must have brought dozens of little dishes.
They cooked the local beef and vegetables inside giant leaves, which was fun and tasted really nice. Kiritanpo rice balls... Sesame-crusted fish...
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Even things I wasn't expecting to like as much, like the horse sashimi (🥲) and the fried fish bones were pretty good. (Honestly, horse is a little flavorless for me, but the fish bones were surprisingly good.)
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I won't show photos of everything (we'd be here all day) but one more highlight of dinner was the imoni, which is a sort of beef and taro hotpot they make in Yamagata in the fall. It was so good. ;; Tasted like sweet gyuudon with potatoes.
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Also, I don't believe I got a photo of it, but when they were like "we have pumpkin :) :) for dessert :) :) happy halloween, americans!!!" I was like "omg, kabocha is my favorite, especially pudding!" and he was so excited, he was like YES, WE HAVE KABOCHA PUDDING! It was really cute.
(They seemed equally shocked and thrilled by my not-great Japanese. lmao. I think they'd had very low expectations of the weird Americans who'd come all the way out to Yamagata for reasons unknown to them.)
And after dinner, they brought a selection of local sake to my room to let me try, including some nigori sake, which is my favorite. It was so nice, even if we almost died from the sheer amount of food. They just kept BRINGING it lmao.
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The baths there were also really nice, though obviously I couldn't take photos of those.
And this was the view from my window the next morning, once it was light out:
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And breakfast, which was again far, far too much food. lmao
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Then we drove around town a little. I forgot to take my phone with me when I got out of the car, like a dummy, so I didn't get great pictures of the tiny shopping district. I got myself a kokeshi, though, and got my father and I a box of karinto manju to split. (YES, I GOT THEM BECAUSE MY FROG GOT THEM FOR ME IN TABIKAERU, SO SUE ME. THEY WERE DELICIOUS.)
We then got extremely lost, but eventually stopped at the public baths. It was seriously pouring and it was cold and miserable so Dad just waited in the car while I took some short baths. Again, I can't show you photos of actual baths I took, but here are a few from online:
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(Caldera Onsenkan)
This one was fun because it was naturally carbonated! They had hot and cold onsen you could bathe in. You couldn't really feel the carbonation in the hot onsen, but you sure could in the cold one. I put my feet in and was like "I am bathing in very, very cold soda" lmao.
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(The cold bath for your hands and feet.)
And you could drink it, too! It was supposedly good for you! I only remembered weeks later that shugendō monks were able to self-mummify (more on that later) in Yamagata because their natural spring water was so high in arsenic!
So uh hopefully that one doesn't come back to haunt me. lmao
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Watch out for the stinkbug.
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There was another one in town that I was interested in, too... They say that Hijiori Onsen got its start as a medicinal hot spring town after a monk fell off a cliff and broke his elbow and then rolled into the hot spring and was instantly healed, and this was attributed to Jizo-sama.
So there's an onsen where Jizo will watch over you as you bathe.
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Which is fun, though I liked the similar experience in Kusatsu Onsen a little more. Gotta love a sacred bath, tho.
So then we left to go to the Dewa Sanzan. In the end, we ended up taking our time and stopping a lot at various shrines and stuff because I realized the weather was just too shitty to get a start on the mountains that day. Dad wouldn't even get out of the car except for lunch lmao. By the end of the day, it was hailing, so I can't really blame him.
The next leg of our trip will be in another post because I'm almost out of images in this one, but here's a couple more photos of Hijiori Onsen.
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And two more for this round, we did get lost trying to get out of the caldera (...lmao) and broooo when I tell you my dumb ass was like "dad we are for SURE gonna get kamikakushi'd out here"
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Tell me this doesn't feel like the beginning of a Miyazaki movie lmao.
(we lived, bitch!!! must've been all those sacred baths.)
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ofthenoseclan · 10 months
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Who is your favorite Touhou character and why? :0
sorry for taking so long to respond to this, i had to charge an infodump spirit bomb. also my original draft got deleted when firefox crashed on me halfway through typing
for a long time i considered renko and merry my favourite characters in touhou as a unit (and they are still definitely second place) but over time another character has grown on me enough that she overtook them in my mind, and that was toyosatomimi no miko!
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her backstory is a bit confusing for those unfamiliar with a very specific period of japanese history, so this is going to be a lot to explain, but ill try my best to recap it:
umayado no ouji, or better known today as shoutoku taishi, was a political figure in japan during the asuka period. he was regarded as one of the primary founders of buddhism within japan, which granted him sainthood status after his death. in recent years, the legitimacy of some texts chronicling his accomplishments has been doubted by scholars, making him somewhat of a semi-legendary historical figure nowadays.
in touhou, his biography is reframed a bit: shoutoku taishi was a renowned regent from a very young age, capable of listening to the concerns of many individuals at once and easily posing solutions to issues of the countrys people. he was incredibly caring for his nation, and so feared for the deaths of his subjects—and by extension, himself, as he believed he was the only one capable of leading his people away from strife. because of this, he sought for a way to live forever.
he was then taught the ideals of taoism by seiga kaku, an immortal taoist hermit, or "xian", who moved to the country from china. he wished to follow in her footsteps to ascend to immortality, but the process would take time away from his position as regent. shoutoku taishi needed to be sure that japans public would not be led to unfair death by an improper ruler while he was focused on pursuing taoism, so seiga recommended he first spread buddhism to the public, since its creed discouraged violent acts and power imbalance.
as time went on, shoutoku taishi noticed his health was dwindling faster than expected. the ascetic training needed to become a xian was something that took a great part of ones life, and he feared he would pass on before reaching immortality. so, he devised a new plan: he would become a shijie, a xian who achieves an unjust form of immortality by swapping their body with an item of great value to them. the object takes residence in their coffin, replacing their corpse, and the consequence of death they have gained by living in the first place gets passed onto it. the practice is said to fool deities who would otherwise come searching for them to take to the afterlife, sacrificing the item in their place. in this case, shoutoku taishi chose his shichiseiken, or seven star sword, as the object to swap places with.
to go through this process, one has to cut ties with their identity and all people close to them in their life in order to prevent deities from tracking them down, so after the former regent performed this ritual, he slept under the earth to lay low. while he laid dormant, his legitimacy as a historical figure began to be doubted by many, so his resting place was teleported into gensoukyou, the setting of touhou, where myths and legends that have had popular belief in them fade away get brought in order to survive.
the saint finally resurfaced in 2011 during the events of touhou shinreibyou ~ ten desires., the 13th mainline title in the series, taking a new form and name to avoid detection and subsequent judgment from deities of death. she is now known as toyosatomimi no miko, shijie xian and crown prince of taoist thought, who aims to convert gensoukyou to taoist beliefs using her renowned charisma and leadership skills.
my absolute favourite aspect of miko is not her backstory, but rather her personality. she is obscenely self-centered, truly believing 100% that she is the only one fit to lead gensoukyou, but nevertheless acts completely composed and dignified to maintain her image. she knows gaining power by force wont lead anyone to worship her, so she attempts to gain political favour grassroots-style, just like she did in her prime. she once showed up to a contest where people compete for the most visually appealing danmaku, and upon appearance said something along the lines of, "i truly hate to steal the victory so easily, but i appreciate the opening act before my arrival." no one could call her out for being insulting, however—because, reluctantly, everyone agreed her danmaku unfortunately was in fact better than the competition. this sense of flair extends to her design as well; she's got a huge focus on royal purples and golds, and her danmaku patterns have motifs of blinding holy light, befitting her high-and-mighty attitude of herself and her ideals.
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she has an ongoing rivalry with byakuren hijiri, the figurehead of gensoukyous buddhist group, who serves as her foil in many ways. despite publically endorsing buddhism, miko disagreed with its principles internally; now that her act is through, she sees it and its spokespeople as no more than an obstacle on her way to the top, and byakuren is no exception. because of the tension between the two, a lot of people ship them together. i dont, personally, but i dont dislike the ship either, its fun.
miko also has a major appearance in my favourite spinoff literature, touhou gumonkuju ~ symposium of post-mysticism., which transcribes an in-universe symposium between three different religious powers in gensoukyou: kanako yasaka representing shintoism, byakuren representing buddhism, and miko representing taoism. the three of them have a dialogue over how best to lead gensoukyou's people politically and spiritually. this book is wonderful to read if youre someone like me who enjoys touhou for its political satire, because it gives so much focus to the ideologies of these three characters and sets up a lot of dry satire and political text between these three characters with extremely varying mindsets. it gives these cast members a lot of time to shine, while setting up the finale of the ongoing arc within the games that introduced all three of them.
im a huge fan of mikos aesthetic in general. she has a really fun outlook and attitude, and whenever she is on screen she becomes the center of attention without fail. she demands attention, she is confident, self-assured, and an enormous prick, and i love her for it all. she is also, if only by technicality, canonically transgender, which is a big point in her favour for me. toyosatomimi no miko has grown on me for good reason; she epitomizes everything i love about touhous cast, plot, and worldbuilding. shes my ride-or-die favourite and likely will remain as such forever!
ps: here, check out a spell card of hers
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admirableadmiranda · 2 years
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Idk why a certain part of fandom keeps trying to rob LWJ of his goodness and morality and act like he was a moron blinded by the rules until WWX instilled them in him by the power of love. They're both special people! They're drawn to each other precisely because their world views match! LWJ always went where the chaos was. That's his thing, which even WWX admits is not as easy as it sounds (sorry if it a bit salty but fandom has been a bit frustrating recently 😭)
No worries, anon! I've been very frustrated by the recent total dismissal of Lan Wangji's character outside of Wei Wuxian's influence, claiming that he was nothing until Wei Wuxian walked in and shook up his world.
Fandom! Wei Wuxian is not a manic pixie dream girl! And he didn't fall in love with a sad, pathetic man with no character, he fell in love with an upright young man who held himself not above rules or principles, but exactly in line with them. Their ideals match, their ethics match, their world views match and there was never anything about him being a Lan following his Lan rules and being his Lan ascetic self that made him less attractive to Wei Wuxian.
In fact, I would argue that those elements made him somewhat more appealing. They both find ways to grow and thrive within similarly restrictive environments (just wait for me to make a meta on how restraining Yunmeng Jiang's supposed freedom was once I get annoyed enough) and find ways to live as their best selves on their own. They lift up and inspire each other, but they started from solid bases and good structure inspired by the worlds that they knew and grew in.
And yeah, people for some reason have been trying to flip Lan Wangji's whole schtick to Wei Wuxian, who happily says that it's a lot trickier than he thought and he used to deliberately choose only the riskiest ones, which just makes him admire his husband all the more that he can do this every day with no regrets or hesitation, and has been since they were teenagers. Wei Wuxian was quite a bit of a daredevil as a teenager, seeking out risk and fun and thrill. Lan Wangji on the other hand was using Bichen to knock branches out of trees for little old ladies.
It's very annoying because it shows a lack of understanding for why Wangxian mesh together and why they come together. Lan Wangji definitely had his world view grow and expand as a result of meeting Wei Wuxian, but the same is true in reverse.
From the very beginning Wei Wuxian was fascinated with him, Lan Wangji caught his eye as he was. He didn't need to be shaped or molded for Wei Wuxian to like him. He wasn't a block of unshaped jade, he already had become someone stand out and good in his own right.
Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian do not stand above the other at any point, from beginning to end, even when they are at odds, they always stand by each others sides. Just as MXTX always meant for them to be.
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It sounds like you don’t think there are many lines in the sand when it comes to Bella’s feelings about Edward (post BD). What would be too much for her? Edward deciding to join the volturi? Sending Renesme to live with the wolves? Deciding to become ascetic and live in caves?
If Edward says a mean thing about Jacob after Jacob's untimely death.
But in all seriousness, no, there aren't too many lines in the sand and none of the things you list would do it.
Edward joins the Volturi? Bella will justify to herself why it's now suddenly the right thing to do or else (more likely) conclude that Chelsea got to him or that he's doing it to protect the family.
Sending Renesmee to live with the wolves? Bella might actually do that herself as she's fully on board with the imprinting adventure at the end of the last book. Further, while she likes the idea of Renesmee, she doesn't like Renesmee getting in her way. Having Renesmee somewhere Bella can tell herself she'll be looked after, but where Bella doesn't have to deal with her herself is an ideal situation for her.
Deciding to be an aecetic, Bella would hate it, but would view herself as the one being lesser even if Edward's gung ho. She's failing to live up to him and being too materialistic.
What would put Bella over the edge is not how Edward treats other people, as Bella ultimately feels they have little to do with her, but how he treats Bella herself.
If he started having a torrid affair with Jacob, or he told his dad to fuck her on their wedding night, something that makes Bella both lose faith in Edward loving her and makes him seem vindictive and cruel to her specifically.
That's when shit will hit the fan for Bella within their relationship.
When it becomes a problem for Bella.
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