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mistystarshine · 1 month

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Guitarspear Rec List

A Guitarspear fic rec list for @qdkdraws ! I was just going to send them via ask, but I figured I might as well post them so others can enjoy as well. It is short because I am picky and the only category that I am judging by is if it brought me joy. And characterization, I guess, because I'm a stickler about that.

Onward!

Profane by Anonymous

After ending up in hell, Adam finds himself tangled up with the wrong crowd. Bad decisions is the word of the day. Note: This fic deals with heavy subject matter takes a while for the Guitarspear to happen, but it is so worth reading to that point. This series is my favorite thing in the Hazbin fandom. The third fic is actively ongoing!

In Which Hell Is Too Damn Long by Udbsken

If sinners can wake up in Heaven after they die, logic follows… Adam opens his eyes in Hell Note: This one is not explicitly Guitarspear and Lute does not actually show up, but Adam does a lot of pining.

Sinner's Rut by MagnusThree

Lute is approached by Lucifer of all people with a proposition that she would have never expected to hear. But all she cares about is the prospect that Adam is alive, and whatever the state he is in, she is determined to be at his side once again. Note: This one is smut! It is going on the list anyway because it's smut with plot and the angst and fluff changed my brain chemisty.

The Missing Link by Vincent_Levinsk

Во время истребления Лют, командующая армией экзорцистов, успела закрыть Адама собой и, истекая золотой кровью, пала в бою. Тело её было потеряно под завалами других трупов экзорцистов и грешников, поэтому после боя каннибалы никак не ожидали наткнуться на кого-то живого среди гор их кровавого пиршества. Потерявшая свой святой облик, но сохранившая воспоминания Лют, похожая отныне на зверя, осталась в Аду совершенно одна, и единственная её цель — во что бы то ни стало вернуться в Рай. Note: Yes, this one is in Russian. I enjoyed it enough that it's going on the list anyway. The basic plot is that Lute dies and becomes a demon instead of Adam. It is feelsy and hilarious, run it through a translator and be bountifully rewarded!

Twinkle, little star by Cracked_Empire

Hell is forever. This immutable truth was imprinted with pain in Adam's heart. If that heart even existed. But it did, for Adam could feel it stop. And then he opened his eyes and found himself more miserable than ever. Lute finds Adam in Hell. She is given a special assignment to find Anomaly in Hell. She goes down to Hell for Anomaly (she goes down for Adam, even though he now has real horns).

Adam -- First Man, Next to Fall by MagnusThree

The attack on the hotel had been a disaster, especially for the army of Heaven. Their leader, killed; their soldiers, butchered; their weakness, revealed. Lute and those remaining exorcists that had survived the massacre have only just made it home, but she isn't ready to let it go. Not when there's still someone's head to cleave from their body, and while Adam's blood was still fresh on bedrock. Maybe a little too fresh for someone that is supposed to be dead.

Aaaaand I'm going to do some self-promo and include my own fics, because writing them brought me joy and there's nothing to stop me from doing so.

Hypocrisy and Other Sinful Things

“Wait!” the thing cried in that familiar voice. “Lute, fucking— Wait! It’s me!” Lute froze, the tip of her spear pressing lightly against the skin of the sinner’s throat. It stared up at her with wide, horrified, hopeful yellow eyes. Now that she actually looked, she couldn’t deny that she would have known them in any lifetime. The shape of his face was the same. The hair was the same. The voice was the same. But— The creature before her had one more eye than it should have. It had horns growing out of its head — the same shape that the ones on his helmet had been, but real in a way that no angel’s were. Knives grew from the tips of its fingers, impossible to be covered even by the gloves it wore. The thing in front of her was undoubtedly a demon. Adam had been an angel. Adam was dead. - Or; Lute goes to hell during the next extermination seeking revenge. Instead, she gets the crisis of a lifetime.

The Great Overlord Pissing Contest

In which Adam ends up in hell and makes his psychological breakdown everyone's problem. Note: No Guitarspear yet beyond a whole lot of Adam pining, but things will heat up in the next fic.

Salvation on the Radio

“What the hell, Alastor! Why would you bring him here?” Vaggie shouts. Alastor tilts his head to the side innocently. One ear twitches, but his smile never wavers. “Why, our little meeting last week! Charlie did say that the hotel needs new guests, didn’t she?” “Guests, not evil bastards who destroyed the hotel!” “But Adam here is seeking redemption! We do not discriminate between souls in need, do we?” - Or; Alastor drags Adam to Charlie's doorstep like a cat that hasn't killed its prey yet. Things happen from there. Note: Again, Lute doesn't actually show up for a while. So far it's a whole lot of Alastor inflicting The Torments upon Adam and Charlie having PTSD. But we will get to the actual Guitarspear content! ~ Eventually! ~

Vile and Blasphemous

When Lute finds out that Adam is alive as a sinner and under the effects of an unknown curse, she goes to hell to find him. There, she is helped by an amnesiac sinner named Eve. The two hardly get along, but Lute will take whatever help she can get. Yet she can't quite shake the feeling that something is off… Note: Because it's not supposed to be a secret and you can't see tags on tumblr, I'll just say it here. Eve is actually Adam. Lute has unknowingly recruited Adam to help her find Adam and gets to have a gay crisis whilst on her remarkably circular journey. I am having. So much fun with this fic.

#hazbin hotel #hh #guitarspear #guardrock #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel lute #rec list #fic rec list #hazbin hotel fic recs #i feel bad for putting almost as much of my own shit on this list as other people's #i was originally only going to put one but then got indecisive #rip #anyway. if anyone has any fic recs of their own please send them to me #although i'll note that i'm not big on fanon #beyond the sinner adam theory for. obvious reasons

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utilitycaster · 18 days

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Where in the world was Ludinus Da'leth?

With the reveal that Ludinus was indeed telling the truth about being a Calamity survivor, as well as that he "suffered a lot of trauma at the tail end of the Calamity", implying he was relatively young (and indicating he's probably not Avaliran nor Aeorian since those were destroyed at least 50 years prior to the end of the Calamity and likely more, ie, his trauma would date back to much earlier within the Calamity):

#critical role #4-sided dive #ludinus da'leth #this is actually a list of my going theories #i think my fave is northern wildemount unanswered by corellon which also allows him to have set the veluthil fire #i want this man to have destroyed that region two times; makes his actions in molaesmyr really pop #but also vasselheim and blightshore are both a vibe #sarenrae worshipper in vasselheim has a GREAT flavor #god. imagine being born into the worst war the world has seen and being like yeah i'll start more.

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miodiodavinci · 3 months

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head in hands like "maybe i should have realized this about myself sooner" as i am surrounded by neon flashing signs that Very Clearly Indicate the thing i should have realized about myself sooner

#anyway i'm just mulling about the 'tism skdjfhgljhdfg #thinking about how i've been having a hard time on site with my internship because i struggle to make small talk with my superiors #and everything is uncomfortable and terrible all of the time and i feel so so out of my depth #but talking with my university superior about the methodology of our profession #has me feeling like i'm playing just dance on extreme and i'm nailing every single beat w #like quite literally is like one of those rhythm games where when you get a combo it plays a cool sound effect #and i'm playing so well the sound effects are overlapping and the screen is just an explosion of stars w #so yeah i am. very comfortable talking academics and theory and things but. shit in social situations.#when i don't have that to rely on whoops #anyway it's just another thing on the incredibly long list of things i have building in my mind of #'why i should have realized i'm probably on the spectrum sooner'#the thrilling sequel to 'how did i go 20+ years without realizing i have ADHD' w #(speaking of)#(the way my ADHD has been leaping into the spotlight this week)#(biggest highlight was being jumpscared not once)#(not twice!!)#(but THREE times by food i had bought for myself)#(put down briefly)#(and then forgotten about for upwards of 30 minutes to 5 hours)#(like the other day i bought myself a little pastry on the way home as a congrats for surviving another week)#(and i put it on the table when i came inside)#(but i. forgot i did that. and went like 4 hours without even thinking about it)#(until i got up and left my room and saw the bag and went '! ! ! ! ! ! ! OH MY GO D MY PASTRY NOOOOOOO')#(the adhd and the autism . . . . they are attacking my ass . . . . . )

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toxooz · 2 months

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ever since that one ask i keep thinking abt Jakkans timeline with the whole 'Ollie's demonic genetics cause him to age super slowly and outlive everyone else' so hes like 1000 years old but only looks like he's in his mid 40s but hes also like a half cyborg at this point

#like his big horn on his head partly if not entirely replaced by a futuristic tron legacy-esque horn IM #his tusks replaced with ✨futuristic✨ tusks #a theory is the older ollie gets the longer it takes to physically age thats why he aged pretty quickly currently but his aging process get #slower as the decades go on #also maybe instead of a regular skateboard hes into hoverboards perhaps???? or something inbetween #IM NOT DONE him having a semi sentient hologram of kari like some sort of bladerunner 2049 shit #AND oh lord if i do solidify the idea that they bring back Ponti from the dead and when him and Jakkan are on A Quest to 'send ponti back'#nd ponti and ollie accidentally stumble upon eachother like the wave of shock and grieve in ollies face oOUUUGHHH #him being blown back into memories of way back then (now) by the sight of ponti he would be sO SHOOKETH #scraping my claws on the walls i need to draw it already but im so busy drawing wise and i wanna start the next comic section PRONTO NOOO #im at least putting it in my evergrowing list bc i have A Vision #jakkan

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miixz · 1 year

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Been re-reading SVSSS to write fanfic and I've noticed something....

I think SQQ has a type?? Which is obviously LBH, but like, I think he specifically likes strong, but lovable guys.

Had the thought when I was reading LQG's introduction to the story and SQQ is just bgrvfcesxd

Male readers always fervently admired strong characters. Even though Liu Qingge never officially debuted on page, he hadn’t lacked for fans, and Shen Yuan had been especially fascinated with him. In his headcanon, Liu Qingge had been a sharp and manly man, powerful and magnificent. A war god, right?! Shen Qingqiu looked down at that face, as beautiful as a fine woman’s, and his dreams shattered and died. The fantasies he’d always held, destroyed. How could the invincible Bai Zhan Peak Lord look like his spiritual antithesis? This was clearly the face of a charming young master who arranged flowers and plucked farewell willow branches! With this appearance, you’ve totally betrayed the headcanons of your martial prowess fanatics!

He sees LQG and he's like: what a pretty boy (filled with disappointment).

And throughout the story he does say he admired Bing-ge for all his power and being a badass and whatnot, but he's also all "I wish my Binghe would stay this sweet and adorable and innocent forever."

So he's very happy that Binghe does stay like that in the end. He might poke fun of him for being a little crybaby, but he very much wanted this.

Instead of letting Luo Binghe become that pitch-black basket case of a young man who made destroying the world his personal mission, it’d be better if he could stay this delicate little white lotus forever. Shen Qingqiu absolutely wouldn’t have minded keeping this iteration of Luo Binghe by his side and taking care of him for a lifetime.

I see you and your lies SQQ. 👀

Anyhow, LBH is the strongest and cutest guy around, so obviously he's the only man for SQQ.

But if he must ever find anyone else hot, or have had some other crush hidden in his closet, I'd guess they'd also be like that.

Y'all can thank @ladypfenix for encouraging me to share this very important character analysis.

#svsss #shen qingqiu #shen yuan #luo binghe #have my conspiracy theory about this man's tastes #Just imagine SQQ thinking about his list of options there and going:#LBG? Too pretty and not enough cute baby #YQY? Strong dude but too competent SQQ can't baby him #SQH? Fits none of those #Idk in which scenario this would happen but I sure think he'd have fun judgements

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cocoabubbelle · 1 year

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X-Men Evolution Headcanon

#shenanigans #x men evolution #kurt wagner #nightcrawler #mystique #raven darkholme #magneto #not going to list his civilian name bc he has a lot and i’m too tired to keep track of all of them #azazel #xmen evolution #x men evolution headcanons #xmen evolution headcanons #headcanon #headcanons #and yes i know what the popular headcanons and fan theories are surrounding Nightcrawler’s origin bc of what some comic creators said #i’m just adding my own bc it’s fun to think about and fun making Magneto even more troublesome than he already is

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beazt · 8 months

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ok I’ve put together a list of disability-focused books for me read while I have the Seattle library ebook card. I’m not sure what order I’m going to read them in, yet. and obviously this list is non exhaustive, it’s just what I could find & deem worth reading from a surface level glance at the blurbs right now, while I have a migraine. i fully intend to explore other topics and revisit other titles im unsure about/prioritizing lower, I have them tagged separately on Libby.

if anyone would like to join me on this journey— be it by reading/listening to the books yourself at your own pace or just following my own posts about what I read— I’m going to come up with a tag for this journey. suggestions for that are welcome, I just want it to be a near-unique tag because tumblr search is awful

(most of the titles I have selected for this list at least make a notable effort to be inclusive and intersectional, if you’re worried about that. however, I have not read any of these yet, I cannot confirm anything about their actual content. I guarantee there will be excerpts worth critique from books on this list. part of exploring these heavy social topics is critical thinking.)

my current list is as follows, in no particular order:

Fat Girls Hiking by Summer Michaud-Skug — I’m interested particularly in modifying hiking (and other outdoor activities) to be more accessible for myself, as I love hiking but find it very difficult nowadays, the book seems to be at least decently disability-informed

The Future Is Disabled by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha — disability justice for a better future that emphasizes the value of disabled folks. overall interested to see the perspectives and rhetoric presented in this book, along with:

Care Work by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha — I don’t think I can do this one justice in a couple lines of tumblr text. read its blurb yourself, it includes: “a toolkit for everyone who wants to build radically resilient, sustainable communities of liberation where no one is left behind.”

My Body Is Not A Prayer Request by Amy Kenny — appeals to my experience living as disabled and intersex in a rural part of the Bible Belt in an evangelical household

Disability Pride by Ben Mattlin — gonna be honest, I threw this one in without reading its blurb. regardless of its quality, I believe I should read it based off title

Crip Kinship by Shayda Kafai — this book is based around an art activism project called Sins Invalid, exploring some of the messaging of it in a disability justice framework

Against Technoableism by Ashley Shew — from what I can gather, this book touches a lot on the social model of disability

Decarcerating Disability by Liat Ben-Moshe — prison abolition and decarceration with a disability focus

QDA by Raymond Luczak — QDA stands for queer disability anthology, also threw this one in based on the title

#disability #disabled #chronic illness #chronically ill #disability justice #disabled activism #intersectionality #disability studies #theory #idk what else to tag it in terms of actual search tags sorry #if you can’t access a copy of these books for any reason let me know I’ll see what I can do #I may go back and add better descriptions of these books when I don’t have a migraine #it’s not a massive pain migraine it’s more of a dizzy cognitive fog migraine #will create a better version of this list at some point anyway #lous clues

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sableeira · 10 months

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what number on chuuya’s revenge punishment list do we think is “shooting Dazai in the head” when number 189 (the second mildest punishment) was “spinning him upside down a pole”?

#I feel like it’s in the top ten worst punsihments maybe even top five #although I do feel like it would have been more appropriate for the time when Dazai on purpose let Chuuya get tortured instead of helping #I feel like that is worse than almost making him drown #maybe the punishment was increased because of the vampirism and having to go to another country and having to work with Fyodor #bsd #bsd spoilers #bsd 109 #soukoku #dazai osamu #chuuya nakahara #y’all know I have to bring up the stormbringer scene every chance I get #I’m a broken record and I do not care it’s my fave scene in the light novels #bsd stormbringer #my money is on operation goodbye but I like the theory that this is one of the points on chuuya’s revenge list

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dnalt-d2 · 22 days

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Hey guys I've got a question, for curiosity's sake

In light of relatively current events, I'm curious about something, and I wanna put together a list of plot points in QSMP that have been seemingly dropped off for one reason or another. Part of me wants to theorize where some of them were going, but I'm really bad at thinking of things like this off the top of my head without doing a full rewatch, and god knows I don't have time for that. Another part of me wants to try and see if I can piece together what decisions might've led to those decisions, but I'm not sure I'd put that out there, since as I've said before, I'm not a fan of speculation without proof

For example, I'm talking about stuff like SOFIA, Code-Maxo, Luffy and the Eye Workers, etc. Things like that that were clearly meant to go somewhere, but something behind the scenes sort of dropped the ball, or scheduling things came out of nowhere to blindside the people involved

Again, this is mostly just for curiosity's sake. Thanks in advance!!

#qsmp theory #Kind of #I mean it might be #Who knows where tomorrow might take us #I'm just curious is all #I started putting together a list earlier but then I saw something on the main tag that reminded me of something I forgot #And realized I am not going to be able to remember all of them on my own #Especially since I was mostly watching English POVs #I would love to watch the other languages #But my ADHD will not let me watch something I can't keep up with using just audio #Because that'll take ALL my attention #And the gremlin simply won't have that #qsmp

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markiafc · 7 months

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to fulfill my promises to @ananeiah and to expound on @seventh-fantasy's post, there are many conceptions of enlightenment. because buddhism is a massive and old religion with a very robust canon, enlightenment goes by many names, it's articulated and imagined in many different ways. let's play the game of how many of them are adopted by the show...

popular metaphors that embody enlightenment include a refuge, a flame going out, or a firm island - because this world is often described as an ocean. all human beings are floating in the 生死苦海 sea of rebirth and suffering. to escape it, one must make their way to the island or to get on a boat. mahayana buddhism (aka. chinese buddhism) is literally named 大乘 the great vehicle, the primary idea being that enlightenment = to board a vehicle of transport, it will take you away. however, buddhism doesn't just envision this as an ambiguous vehicle. 乘 the vehicle specifically refers to a 船 boat.

the mortal world and the cycle of suffering is a sea and the way out is enlightenment, envisioned as a boat.

an extension of this is the concept of 彼岸 the faraway shore (alt tl: the further shore, the distant shore, the other shore, or at times the opposing shore). it draws on the same notion of 苦海 the ocean of suffering. to achieve enlightenment is to swim to shore, where there is finally safety and stability, free from suffering. this is why the euphemism for enlightenment is to 度到彼岸 reach the faraway shore.

此岸 this shore, is this ever-changing world full of agonies. you wade across the 苦海 sea of suffering, and reach 彼岸 the faraway shore. this is enlightenment.

as @seventh-fantasy depicts in this post, the final shot of ep 40, and as seen in the bonus ep 40.5, this is where llh is. ep 40 ends with the camera moving further into the distance, moving further into the sea. and the bonus ep 40.5 makes it clear again that lxy/llh has found his way to a different beach. llh has crossed the sea to another beach. he is on another shore, the 彼岸 faraway shore, far from 东海 the east sea where everyone else is.

let's look even closer at this.

enlightenment is also conceived as a place: 淨土 the pure lands, 极乐世界 the realm of greatest bliss, and so on. one of the geographical markers of this idea is 西 the west. this "land" accessible only to the enlightened (佛 buddhas, 菩萨 bodhisattvas, and 阿罗汉 arhats) is also dubbed 西方淨土 the western pure lands and 西天 the western heavens, etc.

enlightenment is imagined to be westwards. the opposite direction and away from 东海 dong hai = the east sea. where the story began and lxy famously plunged into; he fell into the 苦海 sea of suffering located in the 东 east. from this starting point, llh makes a meandering journey to his final location in the show. he makes his way 西 west, towards enlightenment, and reaches a 彼岸 faraway shore, the enlightened "after" and what is beyond.

now that we're on the topic of the pure lands, it's worth mentioning that this concept is furnished with a lot of descriptions in buddhist sutras. it is a beautiful, glorious land brimming with lotuses. because, of course, the lotus is yet another ubiquitous image that represents enlightenment.

the lotus position is crucial to the buddhist practice of prayer cultivation, especially in 禅宗 zen buddhism that is built around the central practice of prayer. lotuses are motifs in buddhist art, and buddhist myths (the legend goes that lotus flowers bloomed under the buddha's feet when he took his first steps as a child). people practicing buddhism are referred to as 莲友 lotus friends, 芬陀利花 the white lotus is a synonym for the buddha. lotuses are also integral to buddhist canon; the pure lands are detailed to have seven 宝莲池 treasure lotus ponds. every buddhist has their own lotus waiting for them in the pure lands; it is believed the more you cultivate, the more your bud in the pure lands grows/blooms.

of note, every living thing residing in the pure lands are made from lotuses. in fact, buddhist canon states that the enlightened are reborn inside a lotus bud, similar to an incubation. their new body is reconstituted from lotuses and they emerge anew when the bud blooms. crucially, it is also stated that every enlightened in the pure lands will have 莲花座 a lotus seat. this is a vehicle of transport, usually likened to the magic carpet from one thousand and one nights. it is described as 随心所欲、飞翔自在 something that acts after your heart's desire, something that flies free. the lotus seat is about boundless, freeing travel.

this isn't comprehensive at all, there are tons of other ways lotuses come up throughout buddhism. but the connection to the show is straightforward and self-explanatory. the primary motif in 莲花楼 mysterious lotus casebook is the lotus - a famous marker for buddhism itself. one of the dominant illustrations of enlightenment, the cultivation process to achieve it, and enlightened entities themselves.

the buddhist notions of rebirth are similarly heavily intertwined with the lotus. it is your body; you become it, it becomes you. from then on, you are surrounded by its image and its presence. you even have a lotus vehicle that becomes your main method of travel, a mode of travel defined by carefree contentment. sound familiar? llh's identity and his living carries major markers of enlightenment. it is one of the primary concerns of his character arc.

quick detour. a prominent moniker for enlightenment is the setting of the sun, as yet another epithet utilized by the drama.

detour over. crazy connections time.

discussions of death and suicide is, to my knowledge, particularly prominent in japanese buddhism. but as a whole, a significant portion of buddhist canon and a good number of buddhist media deals with this too. dying as a means to get closer to enlightenment, equating death and enlightenment, the subject of suicide itself. characters seemingly pass away and become enlightened, or characters strive for death with this express purpose as death is connected to enlightenment. this is true. one does not necessarily cause the other, but the concepts are interconnected in buddhism. it comes hand in hand, dissecting one means dissecting the other and vice versa.

most buddhist texts and masters do not condone a direct correlation, suicide is not the way to enlightenment. there is no buddhist value to killing yourself. but the key exception lies in one of the most important buddhist texts: the lotus sutra.

"These include several themes dealing explicitly with death, such as how suicide was committed to speed up rebirth in the Pure Land based on the sanctioning of voluntary death as a superior form of sacrifice in Chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra ..." [1]

the chapter 23 in question talks about a bodhisattva who turns himself into a human candle and burns himself up, in offering to the buddha. there is more to the story, but it mainly functions as a lesson about cultivation and enlightenment.

in the canon about buddhist suffering, there lies a subset dedicated to physical pain and torment. there is a heavy focus on our 5 senses, specifically (that's a whole separate topic i won't go into here). very briefly, to suffer is to experience the world through our 5 senses. to live as a human being is to suffer in a sensory way.

buddhism aspires to transcend this flesh and blood suffering. so annihilation of one's body is an essential step to achieve enlightenment. usually, this theory centers natural death and decay. you accept that you are always aging, your senses will lose their edge, your body is always subject to illness, injury and other failings. let the body waste away, it will do so regardless.

hence, the human body is set on a course of gradual deterioration. this suffering is processed through our 5 senses and is defined by them. in the face of this, the lotus sutra is the only notable buddhist text that looks kindly upon "voluntary death" to transcend it.

similarly, llh accepts the effects of bicha on his body. it mimics the natural decline of the human body, accelerating the degradation of his senses, his immune system, and his physical capabilities in general. his experience of this form of suffering is also emphasized through a period losing his sense of sight. it is a very buddhist torment. but at the end of the day, it is still a man-made, unnatural cause generating this effect. accepting this is not the same as accepting 生老病死 death via age, sickness and other natural processes.

llh embodies the sentiments and themes in the lotus sutra when he consciously chooses to let bicha run its course. he chooses to die, it is a "voluntary death". let this destroy his body. let this suicidal choice (though its more nuanced than simply suicide imo) free him from buddhist physical suffering. thus bringing him closer to peace, a version of himself that will be happier.

finally, enlightenment is about ambiguity.

凡人 the common people are incapable of comprehending enlightenment. it is understood that the human senses and the human mind is too inept and unrefined, too clouded by illusions, to grasp it. there are a million ways to express it, depict it, and name it. but there is a consensus across buddhism that these are simply aids for the common student of buddhism, and they are not accurate to the truth. at the core of enlightenment is an abstraction, an inherent unknowing.

it is, by definition, a departure and a continuation. it is a removal from this world and a transition into another place, another realm. all at once, the phenomenon straddles a greyness between an ending and a beginning. it is unclear whether the enlightened has left, or is it the common man who is so lacking he cannot recognize or even perceive the enlightened? in the theory of enlightenment, buddhism accounts for both factors. but we will never know for sure.

where do the enlightened go? where are they, where have they gone? these are questions buddhists often ask and explore, and it is also the question that the remaining cast engages with. what is enlightenment, exactly? there is a suspicion, some notion of what must have happened. it might be death, it might not be. only the enlightened can answer this, everyone else is left without clarity.

in the end, the seekers get close to the answer but there is no real fruition. and so the search lasts indefinitely.

that, too, is part and parcel to enlightenment.

as for how enlightenment narratives function, i leave you with this.

"Nirvana provides the full stop (period) in the religious story; it gives what one might call, to use Frank Kermode's well-known phrase, "the sense of an ending" - that is, a real ending and not a mere breaking off. Such an ending is only possible within a narrative.

[...]

Nirvana, I want to suggest, is a moment within a discursive or practical dynamic, a formal element of closure in structure of Buddhist imagination, texts, and rituals. One might say that nirvana has primarily a syntactic rather than semantic value: it is the moment of ending which gives structure to the whole. The fact of narrative structure and closure provides a meaningful and satisfying resolution, although in itself nirvana has merely the formal value of a closure marker.

[...]

Earlier I called nirvana the full stop (period) in the Buddhist religious story; now I can add that it is a full stop in an eternal story, a full stop which brings closure to individual lives in a master text which itself can have no final ending." [2]

Sources:

Tragedy and Salvation in the Floating World: Chikamatsu's Double Suicide Drama as Millenarian Discourse by Steven Heine ↩︎

Nirvāna, Time, and Narrative by Steven Collins ↩︎

#莲花楼 #im exhausted and busy #but got caught up in doing this post anyway #deciding to look into what english buddhist canon has going on has led me down a rabbit hole #anyway...... lxy/llh's buddhist arc is very profound and meaningful to me #there's a lot of other buddhist theory i couldn't and didn't really want to get into #but i want to keep this post as just a list of enlightenment themes in llh's story #i wish i could get into like......#eg. enlightenment is a very very varied & diverse concept actually and there are different definitions of it #eg. nirvana isn't a place or something you “enter” or a stage you break through into #even though that's how it's often expressed #it's just a very tricky thing to convey #which is why there's like a 238912839 different names and allegories and euphemisms and metaphors for enlightenment #ambiguity generates people throughout history trying to bridge this gap in knowledge #and i'm so glad that quality was taken into account in the show #some might even say it is enlightenment's defining trait.... that it's a mystery #stressed that i didnt talk about 清净 purity that the buddhist plaque he got llh the name from is about #i think about it so muchhh a prayer quiets and cleanses the heart / lotuses will bloom everywhere.....#maybe some other time #me is mark

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