#And you need to have a spine and self-respect but you should also teach people.

[insaneillusionist]

Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani is an incredible movie and I recommend you all watch it, and they have the perfect usage of a sequin shirt.

[thesecretsofthedivine]

The Zodiac (Sun) Signs Pt. 5

Leo/Leo Sun

positive manifestations (evolved Leo): hardworking, glamorous, authoritative, self-assured, and enthusiastic.

negative manifestations (unevolved Leo): performative, high maintenance, controlling, ego-driven, and indulgent.

The grand and demonstrative Leo always knows how to make an entrance. Being ruled by the Sun, their main concerns are to invite warmth into their environment, celebrate self-love, perceive fortitude and generosity as virtues, create a platform to express themselves or champion the causes close to their heart, and reward their hard efforts with the finer things in life. There is a naive and idealistic side to this zodiac sign – one where their inner child is close to the surface of their personality. Generally, this fire sign is a jovial lover at heart and takes pride in how they contribute to a meaningful existence. They are charismatic, resourceful, entertaining, authoritative, and moralistic. These individuals are very conscious of their appearance, which can result in a heightened ambition, need to feel special, or desire to please/control others. Leos are extremely willful and often set their sights on achieving greatness. Even in their most insecure moments, they often feel the need to put on a brave face and fake it until they make it. The personality of a Leo sun is typically extroverted and flamboyant (depending on other placements or aspects within their chart). A Leo’s identity is rooted in becoming self-aware of their impact on others and navigating how to use it for good. In this lifetime, their main soul purpose is to uncover how duty is much more than just a set of traditional rules, control, or debilitating pressure. Duty can also be about emancipation or the balance between being a teamplayer vs simultaneously encouraging others to celebrate individuality & pursue self-fulfillment. This zodiac sign is born with golden intention, but it can take them a while to filter out their personal beliefs from the expectations that have been placed on them early on. A Leo's physique is often tan, durable, voluminous, primal/feline, and attention-grabbing. Because Leo rules the heart/spine/back area, these individuals may often stand with confident posture or be most vulnerable to heart/spine/back-related tension. Their life force is fed by moralistic aspirations, the need to shine/play, and community. They are motivated by the need for respect and passionate engagement with others, which can cause them to have fixed images of how they should appear to others. Oftentimes, this zodiac sign must master equal give and take in their personal relationships or learn to appreciate themselves by creating from the heart instead of performing. In terms of masculinity, Leo is ruled by the traditional masculine planet (the Sun) so this sign is easily interpreted to be an uncontainable beacon of light with ferocity and loyalty like no other. Depending on the potential positive or negative manifestations of this energy, a Leo may have a notorious and warm relationship with their father or one that’s marked by excessive ego and superficial glamor.

Sun in Leo Transit

When the Sun enters Leo, daily life instantly becomes that much more colorful and dazzling. Leo season is often characterized by inner awakenings, leadership opportunities, the power of charm or rose-colored glasses, social festivities, and a heightened desire to pull through tough situations or heal any ailments. Leo season teaches us to be our own saviors or sources of light when the world seems dim. Of course, this transit can affect every person’s birth chart in different ways and will be most relevant to any Leo placements/Leo-ruled house(s) in a chart. But the general consensus is that Leo season can influence you to become the most empowered version of yourself who refuses to tolerate mediocrity. When the Sun is in Leo, the collective energy is more inspired and collaborative. People may often find themselves undergoing new creative projects, changing their hairstyle, wanting to pitch new work proposals, strengthening their divine masculine essence, or turning to glamor magick as a manifestation tactic. During this time, individuals are most concerned with competence and authenticity. However, it’s important to be wary of any control issues, criticism, egoism, intolerance, or reactivity in your behavior. The themes of Leo season heavily involve taking leaps of faith that prove your resilience and pave the way for something legendary to be created.

[ladykatakuri]

Our Dance

Tech x F Reader

Rating: General Audiences

Word Count: 2175

Lyrics used from the song All about us performed by He is We

Summary:“I believe you might have to come to her aid soon. The senator currently trying to keep her attention on him is well known for his more….illustrious desires when it comes to women.” The concern in her eyes immediately urges him to spring to action and before she can even finish her full sentence he is off to the rescue.

Here it is, the Tech fic i was working on. Somehow i had several songs that inspired story idea`s and ofcourse it is with the guys from the Batch and yes i also have something in mind for Omega. Hope you like it and comments / tips are always more then welcome here <3

It was one of those evenings, once more. A senator had decided that it was time for an early celebration of, well something important on his home world and of course that meant guests, a lot of food and drinks, caterers and guards. Normally not a big problem, any time that you were invited to a party by a good friend you would happily accept and you did, but this evening turned out to be a huge annoyance to you and a strain on your self restraint.

During your time serving food and having nice conversations with people from all layers of society you came to be very fond of the clones you met. The Coruscant Guard became steady customers of the shop where you served caf and breakfast most times and all the others were a steady stream of visitors at 79`s, the bar where you would have evening and night shifts, waiting on tables and just having a good time with your new found friends. But this party? You would be happy to leave and if you could leave after giving some of the politicians there a piece of your mind then all the better!

It began with the senator of Scipio and delegate of the Banking Clan, Rush Clovis, mentioning to another senator he did not see why there should be any consideration for the clones. Their conversation was caught by you as you walked by on your way back to your friend who had invited you in the first place, Padme Amidala, but it was more than enough for you to already hate the man. Unfortunately it was not an uncommon feeling among people with a seat in the senate to think of the clones as nothing more but meat for the grinder. They were created on Kamino to fight in the war effort, and when they died? Well there were more where they came from.

With a slight tremble you move forward, handing out the drink to a friend you found among the guests and had a nice conversation with. In the meantime you knew that several clones were there by special invitation. The senator that was hosting this party wanted to display his power and thought it would be fun to have some of those clones around to have fun with. In this case that fun meant that the guests who wanted to, could either talk to the clones or even dance with them. They were no more than props on display for most of the people there and you hated every second of it. Especially when you realised one of your favorite groups of men were also there. You were about ready to leave the party and grab some sleep when you saw that special group of men, especially one very special, tall, goggled man who had been haunting your daydreams from time to time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Tech heard that they were ordered to attend a party he was seriously confused. “They do realise we are considered to be defective clones? Not many senators or other high placed figures would want us around them on purpose.” Rubbing his head he looks at his sargeant and leader, Hunter.

With a deep sigh, Hunter looked at his brother. “Yes Tech, they know. I believe that is exactly why they want us to attend this thing. I suppose there is some ulterior motive to it, but we have to follow this order in any case. So, suit up and be on your best behavior.” The last sentence has the sarge glance at the two most troublesome of his brothers, Wrecker and Crosshair. They were the least likely to really behave, but that was a concern for later.

Tech felt uncomfortable in his black suit, but orders were orders in this case and at least Senator Amidala had been kind enough to start a conversation with him and Echo. Both were surprised at her kindness and how she was genuinely interested in their feelings about the war. Echo had stopped him from rambling about the war too much by pointing out the one person he knew would draw more attention than anyone else in the room.

Take my hand, I'll teach you to dance

I'll spin you around, won't let you fall down

Would you let me lead? You can step on my feet

Give it a try, it'll be alright

For a moment it seemed as if there was only one person in the entire room, and that person was you. Tech looked in the direction Echo pointed at and there you were, walking around greeting and conversing with some of the guests in the room and looking picture perfect while doing so. A string of hair escaped your ponytail and the annoyed glance aimed at one of the senators only made you seem more beautiful. Looking at the senator that seemed to have annoyed you so much, he immediately understood why you seemed ready to hit the man with your fist. Senator Clovis was known to be ruthless when it came to clones and clone rights. When asked, he would always say the exact same thing, “Clones are mere tools in the warmachine. A cog perhaps. They are easily replaced and so, we have no need to mourn the loss of any of them. I see no reason why we would even have to spend any credits on the recovery of the wounded.”

A small grin formed on his lips as he watched you stalk away from the man and move to stand somewhere calm and quiet. Senator Amidala, still in conversation with Echo noticed the slight change in attitude as his eyes followed you around the room. “If you pardon my intrusion, Tech is it?” Her hand taps his arm as she turns to speak to him.

Tech looks at the senator as he answers. “It is indeed, senator. How may I help you?”

Amidala looks at the man currently shifting attention between her and the woman he keeps an eye on as she moves around the room. “I believe you might have to come to her aid soon. The senator currently trying to keep her attention on him is well known for his more….illustrious desires when it comes to women.” The concern in her eyes immediately urges him to spring to action and before she can even finish her full sentence he is off to the rescue.

You know that the man currently speaking to you as if you are just another nobody, who is lucky enough to have been invited to work the celebration taking place is also the same man who not only is a senator, but also well known for demanding personal time with all female personnel and even demanded coruscant guards to remove some women he has used when they became too much of a bother to him afterwards. This time he seems to have set his eyes on you and you are just not having it. “Senator, I must return to my friend now. I apologize for cutting this wonderful conversation short, but if I do not at least spend some time with Senator Amidala this evening, I would be a poor and ungrateful friend.” Though you smile it is obvious even to the senator you only mean the polite refusal to continue the conversation, as much as you refused to dance with him.

“I know you're nothing important in the senate, just a person that Amidala befriended from the lower regions of this planet. You will dance with me, because any offer such as this from the likes of me is an honor and then we will continue our conversation in private.” Just when he reaches for your hand to drag you back, your hand is taken by another man.

As fast as he managed to take your hand before the senator, Tech took the drink from your hand and gave it to another waiter nearby. His arm is already snaked around your waist as he turns you around and walks you to the middle of the room. “I believe you agreed to give me the first dance once you finished your round in the room Y/N. I noticed you were on your way back , so I suggest we make the best of it.

Surprise and gratitude quickly appear and leave your eyes as you smile at the man guiding you away. “Thank you Tech. I almost lost track of time.” The blush on your cheeks as you feel him turn you around to face him brightens when you take him in once more. He looks absolutely dashing in his black suit and light blue dress shirt.

The room's hush hush and now's our moment

Take it in, feel it all and hold it

Eyes on you, eyes on me

We're doing this right

The orchestra plays a slow song as Tech gently moves the two of you around the room. Despite his tall figure and the appearance of a soldier most times, he is absolutely graceful as he leads you in your dance. His hand, warm on the small of your back presses you closer to him while he softly squeezes the hand he holds. Leaning in closer to you his lips almost brush your ears as he whispers. “It seems you needed a rescue. Though from the look you gave that senator, it is highly probable I actually rescued him.” His low chuckle sends a shiver down your spine as he straightens out and swirls you around. “I shall thank Senator Amidala for warning me in time.”

Amidala, your friend. A senator who usually makes her way through all the layers of society and who does her best to help all people. She even spoke to you about clone rights and how to see to it that they would be treated more decently, after she found out that you were one of the people who were strong advocates for clone rights. Soon after that, the two of you struck up a friendship based on mutual respect. She invited you to this evening because of your shared passion for the rights of clones and your contact with many of these men. She felt it might make them feel at ease, seeing a friendly face in the crowd.

Grinning you look up into the brown, bespectacled eyes of your hero of the evening. “I will thank her for sending me a hero.”

The music stops and you are ready to step away from Tech so that he can walk back to his brothers. Tech however is not moving an inch and he is not letting go of your hand. Pulling you back in at the same moment another song is started, Tech gently guides you in another dance.

“You know, people will stare at us. They might even start to talk about us.” A gentle blush on your cheeks, you whisper to him.

'Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love

Spotlight's shining

It's all about us

It's oh, oh, all

About uh, uh, us

And every heart in the room will melt

This is a feeling you never felt dry

It's oh, oh, all about us

Tech has always been kind to you from the moment you met. His brothers, all with their own sense of humor and fun way of flirting quickly became good friends of yours. Tech as well, though you also developed a crush on him rather fast. His fast knowledge of pretty much everything and witty remarks only served to make you fall harder for the man. And now here you were in his arms, dancing to beautiful music, still a little insecure on whether or not you should let him know how you feel.

Without paying any attention to the room, Tech moves the two of you a bit more to the edges of the room. No longer swirling around with all the other couples on the floor, the two of you softly sway on the sidelines. Still in a warm embrace of his arm around you and his hand softly holding yours, he looks down at you and smiles. “People always find reasons to talk about others. It is in their nature to try and find common ground so as to divert attention from themselves at such events.”

You sigh softly and move the hand that was resting on his shoulder all this time to his face. Carefully brushing his cheek. “You could just tell me to let them watch you know?”

A chuckle escapes him as he leans in to you and his lips brush yours. “It's all about us anyway.

When he moves back, he pulls you in closer against him, your head against his chest, his arms around you as you keep swaying to the music. Nobody else in the room exists at that moment, but the two of you.

“All about us.” you whisper, a promise for the rest of the evening and all the days still to come.

@loth-wolffe @catbustours @reluctant-mandalore @nahoney22 @hellothere-generalangsty @allamarisss

[sincerelystranger]

Author: This is kind of a spoiler for my fic, Linger by the Door (I’ve Always Been Yours). It’s basically Lan Qiren acquiescing and giving his blessing of LZ and WWX’s relationship. 

-----

“Before the Twin Jades of Gusu, there was the Jade Dragon,” Lan Qiren says slowly, looking at the boy – man – who has ruined his life.

Wei Wuxian.

What does Wangji see in him? He wonders. What about this boy could possibly be worth abandoning his sect? His path of cultivation?

Wei Wuxian does not move or speak – he just stares at Lan Qiren, something in his eyes unsettlingly understanding. Waiting for him to continue.

“My brother was hailed as the most prodigious cultivator in 100 years,” he continues, his chest aching. He’s never spoken this to anyone – would never have imagined telling it to Wei Wuxian of all people. “He was talented and handsome and kind… and I was proud to be his brother.”

Wei Wuxian nods then, just a slight tilt of his head, as if he understands. Could he understand? This evil boy with no respect for traditions or values. Could he understand the type of pride that came from family? What could this demon know of loving someone so much that their accomplishments felt like yours?

Lan Qiren remembers then, the soft way Jiang Fengmian had spoken about Wei Wuxian. The pride and fondness that thrummed beneath his words. He remembers how Wei Wuxian fought for his sister’s honor, how he suffered happily in her stead.

“It was difficult – is difficult – for me to understand how someone like my brother could he felled by a single woman, but he was.” He has to stop then, the ache in his chest creeping up into his throat. It’s strange how the pain never ebbs. How many times did he watch his brother die, he wonders.

Death in seclusion.

Lan Qiren thinks a part of him also died when his brother chose to hide himself away from the world. His brother, who had shone brighter than anyone, living in shame... because of a woman. Because of love. Qiren couldn’t understand it then -- can only barely understand it now.

And then, dying by slow degrees – heart broken by the death of that woman. Wasting away day by day, unable to take his own life, but also unable to face a world without her.

And finally, dying for his sect.

Strong and courageous till the very end. 

(In secret, Lan Qiren wonders whether his brother meant to survive the Wens at all. Did he ever plan on making it out alive?)

“Wangji is very much like my brother,” he says, taking a sip of his tea to loosen the ache in his throat. “From the beginning, he was impossibly talented… and kind. Xichen, of course, was talented and kind as well… but from the beginning, Xichen was more like me. I could understand Xichen much better than Wangji.”

Lan Qiren remembers the quiet child all those years ago. So steadfast and resolved – so much like his brother. Xichen had always been flexible – understanding of Qiren’s strictness and accepting of his role within the sect. 

Wangji had not understood… but he had listened because he loved his uncle. Qiren had always known that – had always known that Wangji’s obedience did not come from understanding but from love – and it had scared him.

Love.

Love ruined you. Qiren had seen it firsthand. Had experienced it himself. He had loved his brother and watching his brother destroy himself had been torture.

“I was strict with Wangji – much stricter than I needed to be. You have to understand…” he feels embarrassed suddenly, admitting all this to Wei Wuxian – the bane of his existence, “… I watched my brother suffer because of… emotion… and I wanted to do everything in my power so that Wangji would not suffer the same fate.”

Wei Wuxian still does not speak. He just keeps watching Lan Qiren, his eyes still unnervingly kind. He loves Wangji as well, Lan Qiren realizes. Wei Wuxian walked willingly into a place that he knows doesn’t want him because he loves Wangji.

Lan Qiren wishes he didn’t know that. He wishes Wei Wuxian was less brave. It would be easier to hate him. Because Lan Qiren wishes, more than anything, that he could hate Wei Wuxian.

(But he finds it’s difficult to hate someone who loves Wangji so selflessly)

“I realize now that Wangji was suffering,” he admits, shame creeping up his spine, “the 16 years you were gone… he was suffering, and I chose to ignore it. He was dying by slow degrees and I ignored it because – because I thought it was better that he suffer than him have any association with you.”

Wei Wuxian doesn’t flinch at Lan Qiren’s words. Doesn’t look away, doesn’t make a sound. It’s infuriating. All those instances that Lan Qiren asked silence of him and he chooses now of all times to listen. Maybe he finds some sort of perverse pleasure in watching Lan Qiren rip himself open this way.

“What I mean to say,” and embarrassment is hot in his stomach at what he’s about to admit, “is that everything I’ve done up until now is so that I would not lose Wangji.”

Wei Wuxian nods then, as if he understands. As if he knew all along.

How infuriating.

“But the truth is that I lost him 16 years ago,” he sighs, looking away from Wei Wuxian, unable to endure the kindness of his gaze. “I was lying to myself -- that Wangji was recovering from your loss, that Wangji had been momentarily led astray by your wicked ways – but that wasn’t it at all, was it?”

Lan Qiren can be honest with himself now. He can remember the deadness of Wangji’s eyes, the listlessness of his actions. How he went day by day as if he was just passing time. Desiring death but brave enough to endure life.

It’s a stark difference to how Wangji is now. It’s as if Wei Wuxian brought Wangji along as he came back to life.

“Wangji has only come back to us recently,” he says slowly, “and I am loathe to lose him again.”

That’s the truth, at the end of the day. As much as Lan Qiren had tried to teach emotion out of his nephews, he had never known how to do it himself. He never learned how to stop hurting, how to stop loving. How foolish had he been to expect that from his nephews.

“If keeping Wangji means acknowledging you – acknowledging that you will be his cultivation partner… then I will do that.”

It’s his loss again, he thinks sardonically. Cangse Sanren had always bested him when they were students and even in death, here she was besting him again. How irritating.

“Thank you,” Wei Wuxian says finally, “Thank you.”

It’s irritating – Lan Qiren doesn’t want to be thanked. This is the most painful decision of his life. It goes against all he’s ever taught – putting emotion in front of sense. Emotion in front of tradition, in front of rules, in front of right. His ancestors are probably rolling in their graves.

But it’s unbearable, the thought of losing Lan Wangji. The thought of him roaming the world, sect-less, with only this demonic cultivator next to him.

“You should know,” Wei Wuxian continues, “If I could make Lan Zhan love anyone else – I would.”

Lan Qiren wants to tell Wei Wuxian to be silent. He doesn’t want to hear goodness – kindness – come out of his mouth. Lan Qiren wants to hate him, doesn’t Wei Wuxian understand that?

“I know I’m not deserving,” Wei Wuxian says, a small, self-deprecating smile on his lips, “but Lan Zhan has loved me for 16 lonely years – he loves me now – and I will not leave him to love alone any longer.”

Silence, Lan Qiren thinks desperately, his chest heavy. He remembers now, the loneliness that Wangji wore like a shroud. How he had seemed miles away at all times. His nephew had been suffering – dying in front of his eyes – and Lan Qiren had ignored him.

He had been waiting for his obedient nephew to come back, he realized. He had done nothing but wait.

“I cannot promise that I will be able to follow all 3,000 rules – and I’m sure I’ll do many things that you find distasteful, because, at the end of the day, I cannot change who I am,” Wei Wuxian says, “but I love Lan Zhan – no matter what you think of me, please be assured of that. I love him more than my own life and I will love him for as long as he will have me and beyond that.”

The way Wei Wuxian says that does not sit well with Lan Qiren. “Does that mean that you expect that there will be a day that my nephew will no longer have you?” he asks, curious.

Wei Wuxian huffs a small laugh at that, scratching his nose in embarrassment. “I can only hope,” he says softly. He smiles at Lan Qiren, his eyes warm, and Lan Qiren finds that maybe he can understand, at least a little, what Wangji sees in this demon.

“I know you may not believe this, but I want the same things for Lan Zhan as you do,” Wei Wuxian says, “I want him to be happy – I wish that he would walk an easier path.”

“It seems you are not entirely without sense,” Lan Qiren says, “You recognize that him choosing you has opened him to the world’s derision.”

“Of course,” Wei Wuxian nods.

“But you still intend to become his cultivation partner?”

“I’ve never been able to deny Lan Zhan anything,” Wei Wuxian replies easily, “The only thing I can do now is make sure that he does not face the world alone.”

Foolish boy, Lan Qiren thinks. Foolish, brave boy.

“Wangji has never been one to change his mind,” Lan Qiren admits quietly, “Now that he’s chosen to be by your side, I’m quite sure there will never come a day that he does not choose you.”

“I will not shame him,” Wei Wuxian says resolutely, his gaze firm and unyielding. “Whatever Lan Zhan chooses, now and for the rest of his life, I will honor it.”

In that moment, Lan Qiren is reminded that the man in front of him is the man who declared war on the world and might as well have won.

Perhaps… perhaps, Wangji can be entrusted to him.

“Treat Wangji with the utmost respect, you evil boy,” Lan Qiren says, “I will never forgive you if you treat Wangji with any less… love than he deserves.”

Wei Wuxian nods seriously, and moves to get up, sensing that their conversation is over.

He bows when he stands.

“Thank you,” he says, “Thank you for taking good care of Lan Zhan – I humbly ask that you continue that care. I will also be in your care from now on.”

What a evil boy, Lan Qiren thinks furiously, blinking the sudden wetness from his eyes. An evil boy, always full of surprises.

“Leave!” he scowls, his throat aching.

Thank you for taking good care of Lan Zhan.

He’s done his best, hasn’t he?

Later he will visit Xichen. Tell him the news.

And later… much later, he will visit his brother.

He will tell his brother that Wangji is still very much like him, except that he’s braver -- braver than his brother or himself could ever imagine being. 

Also, Cloud Recesses will be a much louder place from now on. 

But for now, he will finish his tea, repeat Wei Wuxian’s words over and over again in his head, and hope that he can swallow down the ache in his throat.

Thank you for taking good care of Lan Zhan.

[breaddaerb]

Headcanons for Jett pls?

(Preferably for her backstory or relationships with the agents, if its not too much trouble.)

[ jett headcannons I ]

✎↷: of course, anon! it’s no trouble at all honestly, jett is one of the agents that i first got a soft spot for! apologies for any errors in here. have fun with these:

joon-hee comes from a larger, more populated city like busan or seoul. it makes sense, considering her card, and she’s most definitely taken part in the street food culture of the big cities. she has an older sister and an older brother, as well as her two parents. she gives off youngest kid vibes, so we’re going to go with it.

the age gap between her siblings wasn’t wide, but a gap enough to where joon-hee was equally influenced by her brother and her sister. she had a taste of everything growing up, but their family was happy. she was victim to various tantrums from time to time, back when her feelings were in jeopardy.

most prominently in her life was her dad’s food stall while her mom made a living elsewhere. in her voice line she mentions chopping 달래, which is wild chives in korean. chives are used frequently in 부추전 (chive pancakes), and is a common street food to find when visiting markets and oriental places. joon-hee has always had that culture born into her blood, with talking to the gossipy halmeoni down the street or giving a snack to the passing highschool students.

she’s been at the front of that shop since she can remember. learning how to cook with her appa was always something she looked forward to when she got home from school, eagerly running out from their home to go help him at the store. eventually, they evolved into a small business when she was in middle school, placed at the corner around their house, and made access to the store easier than before.

joon-hee’s home life was centered mostly on her dad. her siblings didn’t carry the same interest she did in the shop, and though they still knew how to help, it wasn’t the same as her own eager hands. her mother had somewhat of a distaste towards her youngest daughter working so much for their store, but she didn’t voice her dissent for it directly to joon-hee herself. it was clear her mother had a preference for her older siblings, though, and hardly gave joon-hee attention.

at this age, she was still as extroverted and rowdy as ever. good manners have been pressed into her, but she couldn’t resist going out to play soccer with her friends or playing tag. her parents didn’t mind mostly, since she could stay in shape that way, and it tamed joon-hee’s endless energy quite a bit.

she wasn’t the most popular in highschool. friendly, but she was incorporated into a mostly guy friend group with a few girls here and there. aside from working at the store, everything about her life was normal.

a fire. there was a fire in the store and jesus, she didn’t know what to do. her father had passed out in the smoke and she watched as it burned and withered around her. her body had moved on its own that time, and her hands shifted and twisted into fists. and then there was wind, soft like cotton yet harsher than steel. it ripped through the fire, building slowly until it grew more and more.

when it exploded, it didn’t take just her out, but her whole family. and the neighbors. and then the whole district.

by now, radiants had been discovered, but joon-hee never thought that she was going to be one herself. never thought that these ‘myths’ she saw on the news were real, encased in blue spirals that licked up her arm. she didn’t know what happened to these people, so she did what she knew best. she ran.

ran like her soccer practices, ran like she wasn’t a sixteen year old girl who barely had a clasp on the world yet. but she had scowered the streets away from her home and swallowed back the thickness in her throat, the one that had developed ever since she watched her family’s bodies get thrown into her own tornado.

kingdom found her like this. hopelessly lost, in search of a home and somewhere to belong. they took her in, raised her and trained her innocent mind. she was taught how to speak english and was forbade from associating herself with korea and her old identity. now, she was hawk, born out of air and sheer force.

it didn’t mean she forgot, though. her heart was as fragile as her, shriveling away from touch with regret feeling bile on her tongue. they told her that she had potential, that her own strength would pull her through out of any situation. all she had to do was let them help her and the deal was done.

joon-hee was stubborn, but desperate. she wanted her abilities gone, to be able to say that her whole existence and the first light had been a mistake to her. instead, they injected her with poisons, fed her powers to where she wasn’t even sure if she knew herself. this body was artificial, nothing like the lithe canvas used for scraping against grass.

with brain wash and evident threats, joon-hee became hawk. she was harsher, unable to help herself from leaping at someone, with her own management issues going unchecked. but she was the star of the show, not overlooked by either of her siblings. where her dad would encourage her and tell her that his ‘little bird was taking flight already!’

joon-hee encountered sabine while she was there. they didn’t see eye to eye and made nasty comments about each other often, but that was a part of life.

— i realized i wrote more than i had intended for the backstory portion that i’m just gonna.. skip over how jett joined protocol and get into relationships —

brimstone: she likes the man! he’s genuinely like a dad to her, which is hard to say when you look at how she grew up. she’s thankful for him swooping into her life, and while it’s fun to prank him and joke around, jett has always taken his affirmations to heart when it comes to self improvement. she still hates doing the stretches he tells her to do, but she still does them. disrespecting her elders is rude. (they help. but only a little.)

breach: breach? oh, he’s hilarious! jett had laughed her ass off when killjoy told her about how breach had broken her arm when they arm wrestled for the first time, and she holds it against her. it also gave breach respect in jett’s eyes, since such a burly man wouldn’t even go easy on the twig nerd. she challenges him to arm wrestles very now and then, and while she does lose, it’s mostly for jett to use as a measurement for how much she needs to improve. they play games together, too, since he’s such a good sport about it.

cypher: a little cryptic, but she likes him. they’re not the closest agents because of their severe differences, but they occasionally share a sneaky retort to one another after a mission or knock elbows together at the bar. jett has also managed to get him into some of her pranks and jokes every now and then, and they team up on phoenix sometimes when things are just too peaceful in headquarters.

killjoy: psh, her? she’s tech support. though, she did teach jett how to make gingerbread, so she guessed that she was okay to be around. jett likes to go to killjoy to find out what she’s working on and if it’s anything for her. usually the answer is a no, but when it isn’t, the two of them actually make up some pretty chaotic ideas together. if this were a highschool au, jett would totally try to bully killjoy into giving her the homework, and the engineer wouldn’t even need the bullying to give it up. she would rather not be harassed.

omen: he’s spooky, but they get along. omen isn’t a fan of jett’s recklessness, but he compliments her when she does something good, and it made her warm up to him just a little more. sometimes, jett will fly up to omen on a higher up position on site and give him a happy wave or a joke that she heard. the man is dull and numb about it, although one time when she actually got a chuckle out of him, it was like the whole world flipped upside down. jett takes pride in the memory specifically.

phoenix: her partner in crime, obviously. she can go from choking him out to talking about how to end the world together, and it’s one of her favorite things about him. jett tends to have no filter around the man and it’s the same the other way around. they have each other’s backs when it comes to being wingmen for each other or backing the other up on the battlefield. their chemistry is amazing, and while it’s dangerous to have them out together, brimstone would begrudgingly admit that they got a lot done,

raze: blow them all up, raze, jett is here for it! her taste for loudness and explosions goes sated because of the brazilian. the two of them talk about soccer together and play on the weekends, or can be seen in the living room tossing balls to each other by their knees. jett goes to raze when it’s something phoenix won’t understand, and the brazilian has provided to be an actually decent therapist. maybe it should start by opening up first..

reyna: scary. jett can keep up with her, but there’s something about the things that the woman says that sends chills down her spine. she never admits it because she’s fearless and doesn’t give a damn about anyone else, but reyna had told her that she could hear her heart racing and wow, that was really creepy and she may or may not be fearing for her life. they still mingle and talk, and jett can’t help feeling small underneath the woman’s presence. it isn’t to say that she won’t do everything in her power to prove otherwise.

sage: tall and pretty. jett likes having the woman help her out a lot, and the korean can often be seen going in and out of the medbay to check in on her. sage had shared her red ginseng tea for jett’s taro boba drink, and both parties ended up more satisfied than they had initially expected. their relationship is mainly jett flitting around her out of admiration, and they get along well in the whole gal-pals aspect of their bond. sage is like an older sister presence to jett, and she appreciates the woman taking care of her.

skye: skye is entertaining, but it always seems like the woman is a step ahead of her. she’s knowledgeable and buddy buddy with jett, and seems to read the korean so perfectly that the duelist has a hard time countering it. she never gives up, but more often than not, it leaves her feeling flustered and confused. skye pulled jett along to one of her morning ones and had to deal with a sluggish and slow assassin, which was much funnier than skye had thought. she does it occasionally just to dote on the younger woman.

sova: he’s a big baby to her, honestly. she’s seen him melt when sage complimented him before, and her view of him has never been the same since then. jett thinks of him like a walking teddy bear, and talking to him is more relaxing than her regular conversation with phoenix. she has a definite appreciation for him, but she wished that he would get himself out of the sky where she belonged. really, his drone freaked her out. when she mentioned it, he had tagged her with the dart in it, and that had hurt like hell.

viper: viper treats her like a young child. she’s not surprised by it, but it still frustrates her when it rubs in a little too hard. sometimes, the scientist notices this, and quietly reassures jett with something like ‘you did well today, regardless’. she’s back to business immediately after that, making the duelist laugh. jett can successfully talk to viper without fearing for her life too much, and her worries go mostly forgotten until she sees the syringe being pulled out from her lab coat. terrifying.

[lonelyopinions]

A Story of Healing, Forgiveness, Adversity, Wisdom, and Improvement

This is the story of a young man who needed to find where he belonged. A man who felt out of place everywhere he was until he realized what his life was missing. He had to reinvent himself several times before he got it right, but he eventually *did* find his peace. His story is as true as it needs to be for others to benefit and learn from his experience.

It’s also the story, to one degree or another, of everyone who has found themselves in a similar situation.

I hope this helps all of them. Hold on. Things will work out for you.

His name is not important. What his story can teach others is.

Although he did not at first realize it, he was born into a broken and abusive household. His parents never really meant to harm him -- but, as is so often the case, well-intentioned people often hurt the ones closest to them not out of malice, but simply because they are flawed. His mother, to be precise, was the product of a severely abusive home, herself. She also had had a major head injury and, probably, a variety of mental illnesses. Thus, although quite clearly very well-intentioned, his mother often was an extremely anxious, alarmist, and controlling woman. After the young man had become more mature, he would realize that his mother’s behavior was caused not by her being evil, but simply by the fact that she had been quite damaged.

Her husband, the young man’s father, was almost completely dominated by his mother. This was not because the young man’s father lacked a spine or courage or sense (in later years, the man would recognize that his father had all of these virtues and many more in abundance), but rather because his father was not terribly wealthy, and his mother, for the most part, owned most of his family’s money. Throughout their troubled and often horrid marriage, the young man’s parents were constantly fighting, mostly about money. Beyond that, though, his mother was actually fighting for stability and control -- something that, for a person with serious mental health issues, was ultimately very important.

This domination by his mother led to some very unhealthy dynamics in his household.

The young man had an elder brother and a younger sister.

His brother went on to become very ambitious, headstrong, tough, and dedicated. Despite this, his brother had some serious flaws. Perhaps because of this brother’s good qualities, his brother was also often very judgmental, arrogant, and, on occasion, cruel. The young man had, through the stupidities and insecurities of youth, done serious harm to this brother on occasion, and he and this brother fought often and bitterly. Although there was often intense hostility and sibling rivalry between the young man and this brother, this brother would also go on to do quite well, eventually being accepted into a prestigious college after a superb high school career. When he thought back on his early life, the young man would later realize that his brother’s toughness and drive probably came from the severe adversity his brother had had to go through in the absence of caring and attentive parents. The young man would thus eventually come to view his brother with a combination of respect and admiration, and would beg forgiveness from this brother.

The young man’s younger sister did not have the elder brother’s drive and ambition, but had also gone on to make a life for himself. The young man was glad that his siblings had made lives for themselves.

The young man’s own life turned out to be far more troubled.

Although there was never much point in rebelling against the authority and power of his two parents, the young man would spend most of his adolescence fighting a hopeless battle against their unfair rules and restrictions. Not only were these rules and restrictions damaging and dangerous, but they were also so extremely unfair.

Even as a youth, the young man knew that rebellion was ultimately futile. His parents simply had all the power and money, and he had no legal right to insist that they behave fairly or to request that they justify their behavior. Still, he rebelled anyway, if only because his parents’ behavior was so outrageous that it almost demanded rebellion. In the end, he defied his parents simply because not doing so would have made him submissive psychologically.

Perhaps because of this, the young man had a very troubled adolescence. He would often skip classes, run away from home for significant periods of time, and neglect his homework. He was also diagnosed with clinical depression around age 15, and his life at home quickly deteriorated into chaos. As his behavior and mental health declined, his mother’s behavior became more and more histrionic, intense, controlling, domineering, and bullying. These problems led him to do very poorly in school, and he would spend the later years of his adolescence just surviving one crisis or another. Although he would eventually graduate from high school, his performance had been very mediocre, and he had lost a lot of potential to these problems.

Due to these and related issues, the young man would spend most of this adolescence and 20′s simply coasting through life, jumping from one menial job to the next while taking a very light load of college courses. Far too much of his life was spent “just getting by”, without a clear idea of what a meaningful or happy life would be like or a clear idea of how to create such a life.

As it turned out, in addition to his troubled childhood, the young man also had another, insidious problem that prevented him from gaining a strong sense of meaning or purpose from any particular career path or area of study.

Perhaps because of his unusually troubled childhood and life, the young man had, very unfortunately and unwisely, become a “deep thinker”. Although he recognized that this had certain great advantages in helping him think clearly and carefully, he also had a certain odd indifference and apathy towards many of the things his peers and friends found interesting. It wasn’t that he could claim that the things his peers wanted in life were bad -- they just were missing something. It wasn't as though status, money, sex, fun, and prestige were bad -- it was just that the young man was searching for something else.

This would cause the young man a great degree of trouble during his adolescence and early adulthood. Not only would he never feel a strong attraction to any particular area of study, but he would often avoid socializing and interacting with his peers due to this odd feeling that something was profoundly missing from these social events.

It was due to this and similar problems that the young man would ultimately waste his 20's. Before he knew it, he was on the cusp of his 32nd birthday, with few accomplishments to show for it and very few interests. The man often wondered why he was so indifferent toward most of the world and the people and things in it. His life had become a pathetic, apathetic, grey shell of an existence. Would this be the rest of his life, drifting aimlessly from one distraction to the next without any real profound sense of meaning or direction? He hoped not, and because there was still hope that this would not always be the case, he continued surviving -- but never living. In a fit of desperation, he turned toward contemplation of his problems and philosophy as both a consolation and a self-diagnosis.

And that's when it happened. He suddenly had an epiphany. That's when everything changed.

He realized in a sudden flash of insight what his life had been missing. Finally, after so many years of aimless searching, he had his answers. Things finally made sense.

He had been contemplating the many problems he had gone through in his life when it struck him. Without quite knowing what had prompted him to this realization, he slowly came to a conclusion about what his life had been missing -- the something missing that he had never found.

It was simply faith in humanity.

This point needs to be clarified. For most of his life, the young man had been a die-hard pessimist. This was not because he considered pessimism to be edgy or intellectual or cool, but rather because so much of what others deemed so deserving of worship was, ultimately, not what they thought it was. For some people in the young man's life, they had preached the value of their religious beliefs and devotion to God. For others, patriotism and nationalism were their bedrock. Still others simply tried to live as happy and pleasurable a life as possible, thinking these goals were the main reasons for the majority of human civilization and progress. And yet others claimed that he should help his fellow man.

But the young man had seen through each of these. When it came to religion, the young man felt he had very strong reasons to be an atheist. When it came to patriotism, he knew that, while serving other individual people might be worthwhile, his country had done horrible things in the name of national pride, prestige, and power. And, oddly enough, even living life for the pleasure and happiness that one could get from it rang hollow. Happiness, he had realized, was not a result of pleasurable, exciting, or comfortable surroundings. Happiness, instead, was a byproduct of living a good life that one was content with. Perhaps some people could live life happily with only creature comforts, fun, and hedonistic pleasures. However, the young man and most of the human race required something more -- a sense of meaning. He realized that all the luxury, fun, and free time in the world would not satisfy him. At least, not by themselves.

It was service to humanity that appealed to the young man the most -- but eventually it, too, was promptly dismissed. The young man had, once upon a time, been idealistic. He had earnestly believed that the world could be saved -- if only enough people combine their efforts behind a common cause and work toward furthering that cause.

Pessimism and experience would eventually leave the young man disillusioned from this dream. Although many people in the world had shown him the potential for good in human behavior, it had always seemed to him that humanity's potential for immorality was far greater. Furthermore, when people were charitable or generous toward strangers, it was often due to an underlying assumption that the stranger was, in general, someone fundamentally good and worth helping – which, the young man reflected, was not necessarily true, by many people’s standards of the word “good”. Add to this the fact that people had a right to their own opinions and very frequently chose to believe senseless or irrational things or make senseless or irrational choices. Bettering the world was, the young man reflected, a very hard thing to do on any notable scale.

However, in a sudden moment of clarity, the young man saw the flaw in his previous beliefs. Although large scale change might be too hard of a thing to hope for (large scale changes were usually caused by large numbers of people mobilizing), the young man saw a quite different and far more reliable and compelling reason for morality. On the level of individuals¸ a great deal of good could be done. As the young man thought about this more and more, he realized that his biggest regrets in life were the times where he had hurt others out of his own insecurities, and that the proudest moments of his life were the instances where he had encouraged or helped others. Helping other individuals on a day-by-day basis, the young man realized, was worth the effort. For some strange reason, the young man had gotten the foolish and pessimistic idea into his head that only large scale changes in humanity mattered – that, since society at large wasn’t going anywhere, it was ultimately pointless to try to change things.

Now, though, the young man saw the error of his ways. He had a new purpose in life, and a new reason to be the best person he could be, and it had nothing to do with believing that human beings were all God’s special snowflakes, or with denying the hard truths of this world. Going forward, the young man would pay attention to the good that could be done in the world, from the daily decencies and kindnesses toward the people in his life, to the small acts of humanity and generosity he could accomplish. He felt, for the first time in a long time, like he was moving forward and like he had a purpose worth working toward and fighting for.

It was true that he had lost a lot of time.

But he would catch up, he realized.

[space-blue]

Portrait of an Artist in Love

9th competition win. It's a love letter to the world of Love Death + Robot's "Good Hunting" episode.

There is a motto within our guild:

'Your client is your Art.'

It dictates our rules, weaves itself into our practices, shapes our pride, and though our clients are made to understand its impact, the phrase itself is not spoken to outsiders. It is a tenet, a pillar of our teachings, an invisible chain around our wrists. A chain I wonder if inspector Merig has come to tug.

'You are a popular biomata craftsman and a respected guild member, Dr. Parahi,' he says, clearly fishing for a reaction. 'A true artist among steamwrights, I'm told.'

'Inspector, what is this visit about?'

'Just a few questions, if you please. Are you aware of the series of murders that have happened in the Kublai and Kodenshi districts?'

I smile tightly. So, this is about her after all.

'I do read the papers. Even if I didn't, the guild keeps us appraised of such... events as might disturb our work.'

'When did you first become aware of the killings?'

'After the one that happened at the Proctor's party. Since that was only a district over, everyone here was made aware of the case. No one knew then that it was serial.'

'We still don't know for sure,' the inspector says, pulling photographs out of a battered folder, 'but they all have a few things in common.'

He pushes the glossy black and white photographs forward. I find myself oddly surprised. The content might be gruesome, but the police department has a talented photographer on their payroll. All the bodies are angled to showcase the gaping injuries. They lay sprawled in pools of grey, blood diluted in hydrofill, I suppose.

'They were all either augmented or full biomata. They are all missing parts. A lot of parts.'

'Oh, please. Are you suggesting a guild member is behind this? Me, even? No self respecting craftsman would destroy someone else's work like that. Particularly not in such a barbaric fashion.'

'No, rest assured,' inspector Merig says, placating, 'we've already sorted things with your guild concerning alibis. At least in your case.'

Nothing in our code states that we should not try to help the police. There is, however, no incentive for me to volunteer information, and so I stare at him in expectant silence.

'Do you ever work on automata, Dr. Parahi?'

'Never. All of my work is meant for live grafting.'

I wave a hand to encompass the atelier space all around us. The copper and ivory limbs showcased at the forefront all are to exhibit taste and designs. The hands made of tantalum, titanium and tungsten, laid out on the cabinet to our left, are where the craftsmanship is on display. It is all a front, a showroom, as it were, despite the small workbench. That one is for clients in need of repairs or simple cosmetics. There is no automata on display or in use. It would constitute false advertisement in such a curated room.

'Would one be able to craft an automata out of parts taken from such victims?'

I feel a shiver run down my spine at the question. Surely, the real one will soon follow. It takes some effort to maintain the appearance of nonchalance, to not trigger the whirring of my knee joints with an anxious shift, to ignore the weight of the stare of my ancestors, perched in their gilded frames on the wall at my back. Six generations of steamwrights silently judging the last practising scion of their house, readying his lies.

'Of course,' I say, inclining my head with a smile, a show of scholarly indulgence. 'Depending on what they wanted to build. If needed, you could smelt and reforge to fit–well, depending on the material. The only thing you cannot transfer or reuse are the tubing and the cores. The engine needs are completely different, and automata don't require hydrofill. Anyone savvy enough can do this. It is not even considered guild work.'

'What about building biomata with them?'

Here it is... And what can I say? It is another tenet of ours that you should never deny a client the components they bring you. Our work is... a communion, a shared vision. A concept I highly doubt officer Merig would ever understand or appreciate. I look at him studiously as I mull over my answer, though there is nothing of interest to look at. He is what is derogatorily referred to in the milieu as a "meatbag". There is no Art to him. Not even a glimmer of cosmetic copper-gold, ivory or amber, not a whisper of inner mechanism, no murmur of churning steam.

'Obviously it can be done,' I answer, keeping up with the affable professor persona. 'People often inherit parts from deceased relatives and have legacy work done to integrate them. This would not be very different, except the guild is usually involved in the original disassembling process.'

'Could you tell the parts were taken by force, if someone presented them to you?'

'Not necessarily,' I reply, lying through my teeth. In for a copper, in for a silver: 'There are shunts that can be activated to section off limbs cleanly. If these were used, the limb would look as neat as if I'd taken it off the donor myself.'

I tap a ringed finger at one of the photographs, one of the more gruesome ones, as one of the parts removed was the insulation polysheet around the steam core.

'Providing materials has always been a popular way to offset the cost of the operations for our clients. However some of these parts you simply can't smelt or play pretend with. Anyone within the guild would know and call the police. This looks more like trophies to me, it's so pointless otherwise.'

Inspector Merig strokes his bearded chin. Though he appears to be considering my point, his lack of surprise makes me think the idea is not new to him.

'Could someone be out there,' he asks, 'someone not from the guild, enhancing themselves, or someone else, with the parts taken from the killings?'

I smile indulgently at this.

'Inspector Merig. Surely you realise setting a steam core engine inside a living being is nothing like automata work? You need to be a talented surgeon for the client to even survive. The creation of a biomata is Art in its truest form, combining medicine, metallurgy, jewellery, design, engineering, fine tuning more precise than clockwork, and the mastery of the gods' greatest gift: steam. Most of the processes involved are guild secrets too. If someone is out there trying to fiddle with an existing biomata without the proper training...' I tap my chin, thinking, hoping to sell it. 'It's possible... At least they could try. But the guild would take it about just as well as if the imperial botanists heard someone was growing Telura on their roof garden.'

Inspector Merig snorts at the comparison.

'Still, why come to me? Surely all of this could have been explained to you at the guildhall?'

'You came highly recommended. Most popular in the district, I was told.' Merig waves his gloved hand to encompass the shop and its shining collection of limbs and skeletal constructs. 'Certainly looks like it to me.'

There is a certain quality to the man's expression. The way his jaw is set, the tension around his eyes. It is a cousin to the apprehension I see in so many faces lying down on my workbench. A sort of uncertainty. It occurs to me then that maybe Inspector Meatbag here has been given a case in which he will forever be out of his depth. Maybe it's a test, maybe it's a punishment. All it means for me is opportunity.

'Ah, you want help identifying the makers of the missing pieces?'

'Yes. I hope you might also be able to tell me if you've seen any such parts in recent months.'

'I certainly can do that,' I offer, 'but the best person to consult remains the creator of the parts themselves.'

'That might not be possible. You see, all the parts we could trace back to a steamwright led back to a certain Dr. Asiheu, who has been missing for some time.'

'Wait a second... You mean several of the victims were clients of the same steamwright?'

Inspector Merig nods gravely as he spreads more pictures of close-ups on the table and takes notes as I systematically fail to remember ever seeing anything relevant, but offer several names for him to go and consult. It is my honest opinion that the woman first killed in Kodenshi had her work done by someone from the Eastern branch. By the time the Inspector rises again, shakes my hand and heads out with promises of 'being in touch', I am mentally exhausted. I lean against the locked door and lowered blinds, catching up on breath I've never run out of. In the darkened shop I make my way back to the table. I push the lever, one my grand-father so distastefully hid in the branch of a candelabra, and watch the slab of carved stone shift to reveal the staircase to the actual workshop, the one with my tools, the operating workbench and steam reactor.

I can almost feel it at my wrists, the invisible pull Linia has on me, my greatest work of Art.

She lays sprawled on the workbench, like a sultry painter's muse. We have another saying, more informal, that states that a client is never closer to perfection than when the world starts to doubt their humanity. She unfurls herself, titanium plates slithering over carved mother-of-pearl, tantalum rib cage pressing darkly against translucent syndermis, revealing the hydropump's viscous throbbing and the soft glow of her steam core, nestled under her heart. I reach out, brushing strands of hair back from her angular face, fingers gliding over the grooves and embossments etched as verdant jungle ferns across the planes of her brass temples.

'You heard.'

'I did,’ she murmurs against my palm. ‘They’ll never find Asiheu... But it seems I now own you as much as you own me.'

'You owned me from the start,' I say, chiding, and watch her eyes crease in her characteristic smile, the very same she gave me when she first came to me, a mangled toy with very little figure left to her, and figure, in steamwright lingo, refers to meat. Hers was a jigsaw of swollen, septic flesh, patch-worked with steel junk. She had no left arm, her jaw springs were slack and rusting, her hydropump was overheating her innards... She was a mess, a mockery of the Art. A malicious garage job.

'Who did this to you?' I asked.

She'd smiled with her eyes alone–blue eyes like windows into fields of ice that never thawed–arced into cold crescents. She lifted a sack and laid it across the counter between us, the mouth of it parting to reveal the bronze glimmer of joints, rubber fingertips and polycarbon tendons. I'd sealed my fate right then, by hastily gathering up the strings of the bag and reaching to the lever that would lock the atelier's door.

'Come. We can talk once I've given you some first aid.'

I'd seen the blood on the metal-composite fingers. I knew then, and every time thereafter, but she'd offered herself to me in full–this monster, this killer–to be my creation, if only I would make her perfect with the spoils of her vendetta.

And I was ever the perfectionist...

~~ September 2020 – Theme : Steampunk

[meditativeyoga]

Do You Have a Royal Fear of Inversions?

A Newbie's Overview of Yoga exercise's Trick Inversions: Find out how you can encounter your concern of going upside down and why it's so worth doing.

When I announced that it was time for Sirsasana (Headstand) during a workshop I was educating in Philly a few years earlier, a senior female slunk from the room, quickly adhered to by her yoga exercise educator. Moments later, they both came back. Later, I found out that the trainee had left the space since she had never been inverted in her life and also was frightened to attempt, her yoga instructor had actually gently encouraged her to return, telling her that this was the excellent possibility. Reluctantly, the student had agreed.

I assisted her up, kept her there for about 15 secs, as well as carefully brought her down. She stood, grinned, and gave me a huge hug. The following day, the very first thing she said to me was, 'Can you take me inverted once again today?' I've been informed that she has actually been up throughout every solitary course given that. At a spry 82, this woman had encountered her anxieties, empowered herself, and also made herself much more able in old age than in youth.

Since we hardly ever, if ever before, purposefully transform ourselves inverted, an aversion to inversions is all-natural. Yet it's an embarassment to let fear keep us from a lot of advantages as well as delights. Ralph Waldo Emerson as soon as wrote, 'He has not found out the lessons of life who does not every day surmount a fear.'

Why Inversions Are Secret to the Practice of Yoga

A yoga method without inversions is like a marriage without a partner, lemonade without lemons, or a body without a heart-- the essence is missing. Inversions set yoga exercise in addition to various other physical disciplines: Psychologically, they permit us to see things from an alternating point of view. Psychologically, they direct the energy of the pelvis (the energy of production as well as individual power) toward the heart facility, enabling self-exploration and internal growth. Physically, they stimulate the immune as well as endocrine systems, thus stimulating and also nurturing the brain as well as the body organs. When done correctly, inversions likewise release stress in the neck and also the spine.

Because of their myriad advantages, Sirsasana (Headstand, pronounced shir-SHA-sa-nuh) as well as Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand, articulated sar-vaan-GAH-sa-nuh) are taken into consideration to be the king and also queen of asanas, respectively. Sirsasana establishes our capacity for action (fire aspect) as well as enhances our capability to produce (air aspect). Sarvangasana supports our ability to stop doing and get based (earth element) and also promotes our capacity to be still and also reflect (water element). Sirsasana makes us even more alert and also focused, while Sarvangasana makes us tranquil as well as receptive.

To obtain these apparent advantages-- as well as to avoid injury, especially to the neck-- it's important to discover the proper setup as well as placement for each present. Likewise, I recommend that females forgo inversions throughout their menstruation period, reversing blood circulation breaks the body's all-natural desire to release stale blood as well as the endometrial cellular lining, and also it could result in a heartburn of menstruation liquid (referred to as backward menstruation). Various other contraindications include neck injuries, epilepsy, high blood pressure, heart disease, as well as eye troubles. Be conscious concerning your body as you come close to these positions, yet give them a try.

After 36 years of yoga exercise, I practice both positions every day and recommend the exact same to my students. It takes a while to build up a practice of Sarvangasana and Sirsasana, however. Be patient with on your own and also take the time to grasp them, if you do, you will enjoy their benefits for the rest of your life.

Learning Shoulderstand

A healthy sarvangasana calls for a solid opening of the underarms and also a rolling of the shoulders back and toward each other to allow the neck to launch properly.

How to Get ready for Shoulderstand

A great way to prepare for this is to stand with your back near a table, interlace your fingers, area your hands on the table, as well as bend your knees while lifting your upper body. This duplicates the movement required in the complete present yet places no weight on the head or neck, permitting you to cultivate adaptability without risk.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Posture) is another great prep work, because it distributes weight in between the feet and top body while protecting the neck.

Are You Ready for Sarvangasana?

While in Bridge Pose, you could inspect to see if you have actually established the necessary adaptability in your shoulders for Sarvangasana: Lift your hips, leave your shoulders on the floor, and also discover your seventh cervical vertebra (C7), that big bump at the end of the neck. If it's pushing into the flooring, you are not yet ready for the next step, or you will need firm blankets or foam pads to sustain your body. If you use blankets or pads, they need to support your body from your joints to your shoulders as well as top trapezius muscle mass, which cover the upper-back component of the neck and shoulders. If you have stiff trapezius muscular tissues, C7 will certainly likewise relax on the pads. Ultimately, your breast will touch your chin, indicating that your neck is mobile sufficient for you to practice Sarvangasana.

Where to Start

If you feel you prepare to removal on, attempt Ardha Sarvangasana (Fifty percent Shoulderstand). This is done with the hips raised off the floor, the feet on the wall surface, as well as the shoulders rolled under with 2 or 3 carefully folded up coverings or firm pads under them to make certain that the neck is pain-free. The pads must remain in the same position as described over for Setu Bandha Sarvangasana. In time, you will certainly feel all set to do full Sarvangasana by raising one leg each time from Ardha Sarvangasana.

Props

While pads are unneeded for perfect bodies, for the rest people, they are necessary. Eventually, the shoulders themselves end up being the pads and also none of the spinal column touches the floor. In the meanwhile, the stiffer the shoulders, the higher the pads need to be. Though many teachers teach this present without pads, I value my trainees' necks and think about pads to be a vital component of the posture.

The Effects of Shoulderstand

After you come out of Sarvangasana, stay up as well as discover its effects. Your eyelids need to feel heavy as well as your facial muscles soft and weighted, as if your jawbone is mosting likely to leave. If you feel flustered, angry, or stressful, you could have stayed in the present also long or may need assistance with your placement, in that situation, seek advice from an experienced teacher.

Learning Headstand

The gifts of Sirsasana are so great that also if you are not prepared to do the actual pose, you could profit by getting ready for it. The preparations assist you strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscle mass-- the big muscular tissues that affix the arms to the back-- as well as assistance create the recognition called for to spread, lift, and also strengthen the muscle mass around the shoulder blades so that the neck is protected.

How to Prepare for Sirsasana

Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Pet Position) as well as concentrate on involving the muscle mass that spread the shoulder blades far from each various other, far from the flooring, as well as towards the rib cage. This activity will certainly construct the upper-body toughness you will require, when you re-create this in Sirsasana, both your head and also neck will be protected. In Adho Mukha Svanasana, see to it that your shoulder blades are broad as well as your neck is long. (You can allow your visit relax on a block.)

Are You Ready for Headstand?

In Downward-Facing Pet, check to see if your shoulders are below an imaginary line attracted in between your wrists as well as buttocks-- if so, you prepare to go on.

Setting Up

Learning the best ways to establish your arms as well as head is the following step toward Sirsasana. Interlace your fingers and also thumbs on the floor before you. Maintain your wrists as far apart as feasible and your arm joints bear width apart, to ensure that your inner arm joints and internal underarms form a square. Position your head against your wrists and also thumb mounds, your head should hinge on the flooring at your fontanel (the place in front of the crown of the head) or slightly in front of it. You could find the fontanel by understanding of the large bump on the top of your head then sliding your fingers forward, you will really feel a valley (the fontanel) adhered to by a 2nd bump. Come out of the setup.

Props

If you have tight shoulders as well as a rounded upper back, attempt a Sirsasana prep work with company pads versus a wall. This assists flatten as well as open your upper back, develop a soft neck, and motivate the sense of lift in your shoulders that is needed for doing Sirsasana correctly. Establish up your head as well as arms with your knuckles touching the wall surface, after that walk your feet toward your arms and correct your legs. Press your wrists down and attempt to take your shoulders off the pads, as you do so, you should feel your head raising off the floor.

Where to Start

As a start yoga pupil, you ought to have 90 percent of your weight on your lower arms as well as 10 percent on your head in Sirsasana. As you evolve in the stance, you'll put more weight on your head up until ultimately almost One Hundred Percent of your weight is on your head. Numerous novices discover that Sirsasana is not frightening when they realize there is little weight on their head and also neck.

The following action is Ardha Sirsasana (Fifty percent Headstand). There are no equilibrium issues in this primary present, since the arms are on the flooring as well as the feet are pushing versus the wall with the legs alongside the floor. Beginning by kneeling with your back toward a wall surface, and position your arms on a sticky mat established a leg's length from the wall. To set up the pose, interlace your fingers as well as thumbs, area your elbow joints bear size apart, bring your fontanel to the flooring, as well as make sure that your head is not tipped or turned to one side. Raise your shoulders, removaling your shoulder blades up and apart like water moving from a fountain. Gradually walk your feet up the wall till your upper legs and also legs are identical to the floor. Hold the position for concerning half a minute-- being extremely mindful of your shoulder blades raising as well as broadening-- and afterwards come down. If your shoulder blades relocated up as well as away from each various other in the pose, you await Sirsasana.

How to Come Into Headstand

To move into the full present, set your sticky mat beside a wall surface as well as place your knuckles beside the wall. To find up, adhere to the setup directions for the head as well as shoulders, after that, with your legs bent, carefully leap both boosts and also land with the soles of your feet touching the wall surface. Straighten your legs one at a time, pressing them together.

The Effects of Sirsasana

When you appear of Sirsasana as well as stay up, you must feel a peaceful, focused sensation in your brain and also nerves. Your hands ought to be calm and consistent. If they are not, you have actually remained as well long, functioned incorrectly, or worked as well difficult. Never ever stress in this position. Have your instructor inspect your present regularly to see that your head and also neck remain in the correct positioning which your shoulders are raising as well as expanding properly.

Sequencing Your Inversions

Now that you recognize how you can do Sirsasana and Sarvangasana, how do you fit them right into your technique series? Shoulderstand ought to be done after Headstand (although you don't need to do it promptly after), since Sirsasana heats the body up and Sarvangasana cools the body down. In addition, in Sarvangasana, the back of the neck is launched as well as the vertebrae are expanded, releasing any type of stress as well as compression in the neck that a wrong Sirsasana could have caused. In an all-around method session, Sirsasana ought to come after standing postures as well as before various other intense work such as backbends and deep spins. Sarvangasana adheres to, and also then Savasana (Remains Pose). If you have neck issues, it is much better to do Sarvangasana before moderate backbends, because backbends can ease any stress in the neck brought on by Sarvangasana.

How long should you hold the postures? The guideline is to hold Sarvangasana twice as long as Sirsasana yet never ever to the point of strain. I highly suggest servicing these presents in class with a knowledgeable instructor for a few months before doing them at house, although it is smart to maintain exercising the preparations on your very own. A well-trained, knowledgeable, as well as attentive instructor could assist you establish when you are all set to practice them alone.

I hope these words have actually urged you to begin a lifelong method of these stunning positions in such a way that is both secure and valuable. In doing these 2 inversions, the king as well as queen of asanas, you will be experiencing the essence of yoga exercise. May your work aid you discover the fragrant sweetness that is, after all, your personal internal essence.

Aadil Palkhivala is the cofounder as well as supervisor of Alive as well as Radiate Facility in Bellevue, Washington.

[astrology-with-charu]

6 July Astrology Horoscope , July Mercury Retrograde & 31 July New Moon Themes

YOD formation - “The Finger of God” - Destiny steps in to remind us our life’s purpose

Second meeting of Saturn & Ketu/South Node on 4th July, coincides with it making a YOD configuration with Moon in Leo & Neptune in Pisces. This is a brief yet powerful opportunity for guidance to be received on what are we here for, in no uncertain terms. And it’s not for nothing - the inspiration you receive on 5th/6th Jul - you will go back & forth during Mercury Retrograde period from 7-19 Jul leading to you creating it into reality with 31 Jul New Moon over August. So listen in.

Link - https://youtu.be/jct0ybc4vQY

Saturn & South Node are helping us take off the shackles of the past. We can’t be the prisoner to our own old emotional patterns, we need to rewrite the rules of our life. A karmic weakness in our way of running our life which is breeding limitations has been shown to us. What would we do differently? Where did we say yes in the past where we should have said no ? We are setting new rules new boundaries of operating in our material world.

Karmic debt is paid or received so we can move forward with a clean slate. Happy Independence Day! Freedom from past continues till their last meeting in September.

This clean slate has inspiration of a new tomorrow, Neptune has shown us a dream to be more. Neptune brings the height of creativity, walk in the cloud & Saturn brings its practical implementation - the two project their full force of desire on 5th July onto Moon imprinting a clarity of purpose on our soul. This is YOD configuration, this is The Finger of God reminding us of our Mission - pushing us back to our fated path if we have deviated away from it.

Usually destiny intervenes on the date this happens with a fated event but Moon being the mode of communication here, it might be emotional event / feeling / expression.

Under Leo Moon, we receive this clarity of laser beam in our most joyous moments, laughing playing with our children or like a child, singing, dancing, performing, creating, loving, doing what we enjoy the most, emoting, being on a stage, enjoying the child the love the creative within us. So pay attention to your emotions, your heart, your patterns on 5th & 6th - the universe whispers before it brings down the door. What are you here for ?

You will be surprised but children being open vessels receive this the best - watch you child - where are they happy, what are they happy doing - huge amount of information revealed about their future in that one moment.

“Sometimes a dream almost whispers… it never shouts. Very hard to hear. So you have to, every day of your lives, be ready to hear what whispers in your ear. ”

- Steven Spielberg

YOD is a Hebrew word meaning Hand or Pointing Finger - where is it pointing for your sign - let’s find out

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Leo

How and as what do you want to show up to the world. This is a flash of recognition of what brings you joy, what makes you feel like you, what helps you self express in an uninhibited way. The emotional reset today has clues that go deeper than surface - cause they will kick start a reconsideration period of what you want out of your next phase in life. Possibly the existing job / work environment isn’t letting your full potential to express itself. If you are not in a leadership role, if you aren’t uninhibited in your creative self expression - you can’t feel happy or confident. So you might decide to make certain changes in your life path. The flash realisation might dawn now of the gap between what you want and what’s the reality right now.

#Cancer

What investment idea, what asset, what talents which have material value are calling to you. You will be on a journey of financial review, of talent inventory as you are looking to enhance your material assets, possessions, talents, material resources. Your mind and emotions are directing you to an idea, to a new way , to a new talent that you want to put into physical form. Self worth & networth is in focus - good food, comfort, ease with your favourite assets / possessions, can open the gates to some creative ideas which you might review over coming days & put to practice early August to make additional money / feel more confident & happy.

#Gemini

You are who you think you are, that’s never been more true versus now. Your communication talents, your commercial instincts, your ability to market, media production, write, speak make you feel joyful, happy, confident. That’s where you excel and that’s what you take pride in. Today a fun conversation, an easy thought, a sibling discussion, a neighbourhood excursion, a coworker , a casual chit chat can open doors of a new idea that you might go over and over in the coming days leading to a launch in August of a written or verbal communication of influence that you can feel proud of. A small thought download today can become the commercial idea, the publication, the marketing strategy that you can lead with.

#Taurus

A real estate, a family business, a home/ family expansion idea, a place of living calls to you & makes you feel excited. Or just doing something out of your comfort zone where you are center stage in your home & family makes you feel excited. A new parenting idea or download received which you want to imbibe in your personal life might come through, while you are entertaining people a home or just having fun with family or friends who are like family. Home improvement ideas, ways to enhance value in real estate market or of an asset that you hold could also be in order. Next few days are spent in discussing this new idea or negotiating an asset or real estate or discussing home shifts or home improvements before its purchased or implemented in August.

#Aries

Your creativity, your joy, your child within or your first born, your passions are in focus here, cause you deserve all of this & more. So where is it all, you will find it in the simple moments, in easy moments how to access this part of you, for Saturn is pushing your buttons with tests. Sometimes that gives us discipline required to realise our talents, our resources, our strength, our confidence. Your creativity, your business venture, an investment idea, your children might be topic of discussions on next few days as Moon tonight tells you clearly you need to walk the path that brings you passion, joy & puts you in centrestage with you taking a few risks in your personal life & professional life. You go back & forth this month - then early August we take a plunge into taking this fall - a new chapter begins in our creative venture, in our child’s life, in romance - pure joy. Remember you are a Pioneer Sign, you are meant to do a few firsts.

#Pisces

Your work environment, your passion to serve & help those in need are in focus. You are the Sun at workplace from whom people draw energy but are you in that position which allows you to be all that. Are you your own boss, are you working on your terms, is your self expression uninhibited & appreciates in your life of work in your daily routines. If not you will review, you will reconsider & you will possibly change jobs, careers, coworkers, team members, work environments - your health will tell you if things aren’t in line - heart health, spine health are good gauge of whether you are going in the right direction or your potential is suppressed. August is a good time to make this change if you need to, for now be inspired, understand what you want, make a plan, make a blueprint of what you want & what kind of leadership brings you joy💕

#Aquarius

Your partnership business or personal, the clients you cover, the people you work with one on one & who are critical part of you delivering your critical talents come into focus. Are you with the right people, or the equation right, are you able to shine with them or are your needs compromised causing your potential to be suppressed. All that shines is not gold, we are after gold. Reconsideration is in order on what connections & the mode of connecting with clients, partners, even critics - make you feel joyful, self confident & vital. You will get some clues by how you feel today & it will become the topic of discussion. Your partners life can become topic of discussion too but don’t forget where you stand in it. Don’t let your light be eclipsed as you try to help others. August will bring critical changes in life - right now you consider , reconsider what and how.

#Capricorn

Joint finances, intimacy, karmic debt & a transformation is in review & thoughts.

Are you excited with those butterflies in your stomach with the person you share your life, is the intimacy all the fireworks you dreamt of, is the money from that partnership the fireworks you deserve, are you respected & honored and being given the apt returns of your partnerships. This give & take will be under review over the next couple of days with possibly an imbalance or dissatisfaction coming to light in a moment of ease today. A karmic release is in order & you might be evaluating to cut the ties or not when it comes to a partnership - personal or professional. From this crisis like thinking might come a new inspiration of rebirth - what do I want to be in my next life ? That becomes the topic of consideration & reconsideration during coming days with a final answer around 31 Jul. Money intimacy depth are your needs & you need them to shine & be the best - you won’t accept anything less.

#Sagittarius

Belief system, philosophy, purpose of life, foreign adventures - travel, legalisation, relocation - foreign partner, education are in focus. I believe I am more than my current situation & I know it my bones for I believe in more & my expansive belief system is my whole life. Interaction with a foreign person, reading something new, opens my mind to a new possibility - of travel, of education, of publication, of teaching, of relocation, of going in deep by taking a leap of faith with a person different from me. This is a leap that feels natural, that feels like the next step in my life but next few days you will go back & forth to flush out the details of it. Expansion of mind & life is the aim - once you know you can be more you won’t settle for less. You know today in no uncertain terms that you can be more so you would ask for it. August gives the opportunity to take that leap when you can jump in with both feet ! Exciting !

#Scorpio

Career, life path, social status, leadership style is under review. I have a talent, I know it & I can’t hide anymore - I need to ace it, display it, be the boss of it, lead it, champion it. You are pregnant with an idea which you want to pop into a new business, into a new career, into a new leadership position. You don’t want to run your life on another’s terms anymore, you are the executive, you are a leader, you have a fire within you which needs a stage to present on. So you review what kind of platform serves you well as you review your life path in coming days. Today you get a clarity on what’s the path? for it excites you, it makes you feel vital, it makes you feel like the Sun & not inhibited not blocked - it flows & burns & illuminates your whole being when you do what you love. And you will know it in your bones what you love. Planning for it, practicality of it becomes focus of next few days. August bring the chance to start a new chapter in your life path.

#Libra

Networking, meeting friends that illuminate excite you, will give you a new vision of life - a new goal, a new big wealth idea strikes in the easy moments of clinking wine glasses & easy chats with friends & business associates. It sounds exciting, it sounds fun, it has potential to be your next inspiration. It could have an impact on a large set of people if you are able to launch it - it can become a fad or it can have mass acceptance & benefit - You will go over it for next few days before you launch it. You might decide to shift who you friends with as well or who you associate with - as your network is your source of joy & if it’s stale you don’t want to connect anymore. Who is exciting you today, did an inspirational idea or dream come out of a conversation or connection - those would be the questions for today.

#Virgo

In a period of relaxation, meditation, downtime, away from the crowd or on a Long distance travel - something might be made clear to you. You feel you want to do a self less act that gives you joy, that’s healing for others, that heals you too when you do it, that feels like destiny, it pulls you, gives you joy even thinking about it, that’s your clue. Next few days you will think about it under covers, in bed, behind the scene without any pomp and show cause that’s not your style. Creativity or charity or spirituality are in focus & you might look to end a few chapters which don’t bring you joy & satisfaction. Next few days you think of the how & August is a good time for you to serve, heal, finalise this inspired creation💫

[ss-neokagashi-ss-blog]

There are different sects of Satanism. Joy of Satan Ministries is Spiritual Satanism.

Satanism is not a "Christian invention."

Satanism predates Christianity and all other religions.

Satanism is not about spooks, goblins, vampires, Halloween monsters or other related entities.

Satanism is not about "evil."

Satanism is not a "reaction to Christianity."

Satanism is not about death.

True Satanism is about elevating and empowering humanity, which was our True Creator (Satan's) intention.

We know Satan/Lucifer as a real being.

We know Satan to be the True Father and Creator God of humanity.

We know "Yaweh/Jehova" of the bible to be a fictitious entity, and the people behind coercing this lie, to be the true deceivers of humanity and the masters of lies. This is evident in the many contradictions within the Judeo/Christian Bible, revealing this text to be the work of human beings who had occult knowledge and infused it with power to make it credible, and to incite fear in order to control.

We are law abiding.

We DO NOT advocate or participate in any blood or living sacrifice. This act is Judeo/Christian, as stated in their Bible-  Deuteronomy 12:27: "And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh."

We have found Satanism is the original religion of humanity. We have done our research. Satanism is based upon the ancient religions that predated Judaism and Christianity from hundreds to thousands of years.

Christianity was a reaction to the original Pagan religions, labeled as "Satanism" meaning "enemy/adversary" in Hebrew. If you read through the information contained within this website, we prove this.

Christianity was invented to remove spiritual and occult knowledge (the powers of the mind) from the populace and place this power in the hands of a "chosen" few to the detriment of all humanity. The powers of the mind and soul are very real. People who are unaware of or who do not believe in these powers are easy to control and manipulate by those who are skilled in using these energies.

The Original Gods [Demons] were unjustly labeled as monsters and branded as "evil" to keep humanity from spiritual knowledge. Because of this, the human race has drastically degenerated both spiritually and intellectually.

Spiritual Satanism strongly advocates all learning, knowledge, inquiry, and free thought.

Spiritual Satanism supports the separation of church and state. Satanists do not push Satanism or prosyletize.

Spiritual Satanists acknowledge science and believe everything of the occult/supernatural to have a rational scientific explanation. We believe humanity has been held back dangerously in this area due to the hoax of Judeo/Christianity and its relentless attacks upon science for centuries.

We practice power meditation to advance spiritually and to elevate ourselves. Power meditation is as essential for the human soul as food is essential for the human body. The serpent, a symbol of Satan represents the firey kundalini force coiled at the base of the spine, which upon ascending, transforms the human mind and soul to a much higher level of understanding and ability. This is the true meaning of "Raising the Devil." The Serpent symbol of Satan also represents the DNA helix of life.

We work directly with Satan. We believe each and every person who is willing and respectful can have a personal relationship with Satan. There are no mediators in Spiritual Satanism; the Ministry is here only for guidance and support.

We take our tenets and practices directly from Satan himself. For far too long, enemies of Satan such as the Christian churches have been at liberty to dictate lies concerning Satan and Satanism. These lies have been the foundation of occult crimes and other heinous acts that they indirectly promote. True Satanism has been actively and zealously suppressed for centuries and many out of ignorance believe lies about Satan and react accordingly.

Spiritual Satanism is a life loving religion. Satan accepts us as we are, but guides us to advance ourselves to where we evolve to a higher level. Spiritual Satanists are free to live their lives as they choose- responsibility to the responsible. We live by natural law and encourage everyone to develop themselves to their fullest extent.

We know we “save” our own souls as opposed to claims of the Nazarene saving anyone. Satanism is based upon the true transformation of the soul through power meditation. The Nazarene is a fictitious entity, whose identity was stolen form some 18+ crucified Pagan Gods, such as Odin, who hung from a tree and is nothing more than a tool to keep humanity under the control of a chosen few. The Nazarene has been used in Christian masses and services as a substitute for a human living blood sacrifice, revealing their true purpose.

The Judeo/Christian religion is a vicious hoax on humanity of catastrophic proportions. For a hoax to succeed there has to be a lack of knowledge on the part of the victim. The Christian religion and its cohorts actively suppress knowledge and free thought, encourage people to be slaves, and never advocate or teach anything for the betterment or advancement of humanity. As opposed to the stories of how the Nazarene healed people; Satan shows us how we can heal ourselves and perform so-called miracles, using our minds and the powers of our own souls.

Through empowering ourselves, we have confidence, self-respect and achieve spiritual advancement and independence.

Spiritual Satanism places no limits on developing the powers of the mind- known as "witchcraft" or "magick." We believe in justice and just as martial artists are versed in the uses of Dim Mak and other aspects of physical combat, Spiritual Satanists are versed in the Black Arts of "magick" should they ever need them. People who are unaware of these powers are defenseless against them, and the powers that be know this all too well. Satan does not tolerate injustice.

Spiritual Satanism does not in any way condone spirit abuse as taught in the classical grimoires. The Demons who were bound and compelled to do the bidding of the sorcerers are now free and anyone using the nine-foot circle methods and "Jehova" names is inviting personal disaster. The Demons are our friends and with respect and reverence in summoning through Satan, we seek to establish mutually beneficial relationships with them.

Spiritual Satanism advocates individuality, liberty, and independence.

It is obvious that Satan is not the "deceiver of humanity." His followers have been few in number and he doesn't need copious amounts of wealth, power and control to keep his followers.

[derieri]

48-Hour Challenge

I’m late in posting, but I too participated in the 48-hour challenge to write about two characters assigned by a random generator. My pair was Merlin and Zeldris. Please enjoy the first 2,500 words of a fic that I will most likely write more of someday!

Zeldris knew he must have looked a sight as he stormed through the halls: black fury in his eyes, shadow seeping from his skin in tendrils that undulated about him, a murderous scowl on his lips, and one hand on the hilt of the broadsword at his hip. Bitterness and rage emanated from him in an almost-tangible miasma, choking the air around him with his anger and hate.

Despite his dark mood, he did his best not to stomp his way up the hall. He refused to behave like a petulant child when all the responsibilities of the heir to the throne and the leader of the Ten Commandments suddenly belonged to him.

Apparently, those duties also involved spreading the news about Meliodas’ betrayal.

Not one of the many servants and slaves in the castle crossed his path. All the better for them; Zeldris was ready to cleave through anything or anyone who so much as breathed wrong right now.

When he reached his destination, he forced himself to pause and draw a deep breath. If he didn’t calm himself down before he dealt with her then she would not survive the hour, and the weight of his father’s wrath at losing two prized weapons in a single day would fall squarely on Zeldris. It took all the self-control he possessed to raise his arm and knock on Merlin’s door. Maybe he pounded more than knocked, but no splinters flew. No response.

He waited for as long as it took for each of his hearts to beat and then kicked his way into the room.

The loud crash jerked the chamber’s occupant out of her tunnel focus on the text in front of her. Merlin’s head snapped upright and around as Zeldris strode through her door. She blinked a few times, no doubt surprised to see him. Everyone in the castle knew that the two of them did not get along. Personally, Zeldris thought Merlin was closer to the bane of his existence than a mere disagreeable housemate. Now she was his responsibility too, he realized with a resentful lurch in his gut. Meliodas had supervised her training for the last decade.

“Did you need something?” she asked.

Zeldris bristled at her tone. The tilt of her voice was vaguely patronizing as if she found him presumptuous for interrupting something as important as her reading. Fine. He didn’t need that much of her time anyway.

“Yes, I did. I would never suffer your presence just for the hell of it.”

Her eyes lit up, and he couldn’t tell whether it was with irritation or amusement. Knowing her, it was the latter. She loved getting under his skin.

“Of course, I should have known. What is it?”

“Meliodas has defected from the Demon Clan murdered two of the Ten Commandments who tried to stop him. He is a traitor.”

The golden gleam in her eye vanished. Her slightly-parted lips flushed extra pink against her skin as she paled. Despite his stormy mood, Zeldris felt a thin ray of vindictive satisfaction as he watched her crumble.

He was not here to take joy from her distress, however. He’d delivered the message; his task was complete. Without another word, he turned on his heel and left her.

About six paces down the hall, he heard the breathy gasp of a half-stifled sob.

Zeldris paused mid-stride, staring hard at the carpet runner an arm’s length in front of him. Merlin was crying. He ground his rear teeth indecisively. She was not a child, at least not by humans’ developmental standards, and her emotions meant less than nothing to him. He did not owe her any comfort. But Gelda’s admonitions to him to be more sensitive rang in his ears; her nagging that Merlin deserved better than the Demon King’s brutal standard for child-raising and that Zeldris should be the one to provide it to her echoed through his mind. He sighed. Damn woman.

The door hung partway ajar even though he’d pulled it shut behind him, the shattered latch unable to hold it closed. It swung open at the slightest press of his hand. Merlin had not moved from her chair facing the entryway, the only change in her posture how she hunched to cradle her face in her palms. His entry did not stir her.

Zeldris leaned against the wall beside the doorjamb and folded his arms across his chest. A moment later she drew a shuddering breath, and he heard the choke in her throat that threatened the beginnings of a genuine weep.

“Don’t,” he said sharply. She looked up, startled, the sob dying in her mouth. The teasing glow that always lit her eyes had been replaced by a hollow shadow. “Don’t cry.”

She merely stared at him, lost.

Discomfort prickled at his spine. It seemed that that self-assured detachment from the world and the people in it that bothered Zeldris so much, was a front, at least where Meliodas was concerned. She obviously felt attached to him, perhaps just as much as Zeldris himself was. The revelation undercut his impression of her as haughty and belligerent so thoroughly that he wasn’t sure how to proceed. They only ever opposed one another. Now they shared something: the loss of a person who was very important to them both.

He swallowed.

“Don’t cry,” he said for the third time. “The Demon King doesn’t like it,” he continued. “He won’t… tolerate it. You’ll get in trouble, if you weep for him. And today is not a good day to piss my father off.”

She still didn’t speak, but he saw her give him a tiny nod.

“Are you going to burst into tears if I leave again?” A tiny shake of her head. He pushed himself off the wall. “Alright then. You have the day off from training and lessons. Send me your schedule by nightfall and I will start filling in for him tomorrow.”

Meliodas’ betrayal changed their relationship completely. Zeldris stopped avoiding her, at first out of obligation. At some point, he began to spend time around Merlin of his own volition. Gelda was excessively pleased.

He discovered that she was intelligent, exceedingly so for a creature with only fifteen years of experience. She could not keep up with a demon physically nor match their sheer power, but she made up for her deficit in cleverness and razor-sharp instinct. Even the most accomplished human mages were no more than fodder to a demon’s strength; Merlin was something else.

As the war escalated, the Demon King ordered her training to as well. Zeldris enlisted Chandler, who had not had anything to occupy him for nearly a century, to teach Merlin as well. She chased him off within an hour, the ancient demon declaring her ‘deplorably impudent’ as he stormed away and, Kusack informed Zeldris later, ‘terrifying’ in private.

That was the first time that something to do with Merlin filled Zeldris with pride. However, it was far from the last. His personal favorite was when she modified a simple fire spell to mimic the attributes of Enchant Hellblaze and surprised Estarossa with the flames mid-spar. Monspeet’s expression as he spectated was priceless to behold.

Somewhere along the line, Zeldris began to perceive himself as an older brother.

It was a far cry from when he first met Merlin, an encounter he remembered with such clarity that it could have happened within moments instead of decades.

His father summoned him on an otherwise unremarkable afternoon. He was surprised to enter and see Meliodas present as well, looking peeved. The Demon King was impassive as ever.

He closed the door behind him and bowed to the King, then gave a respectful incline of his head to his eldest brother.

“Why did you summon me?” he asked.

“We found her. Belialuin’s Daughter.” Meliodas tilted his head in the direction of a fourth person who Zeldris had not noticed before then. A tiny scrap of a thing with dark hair and a conspicuous lack of a strong magical aura. This human child was supposed to be the legendary trickster? Neither Meliodas nor the Demon King was one for humor, but certainly, this was a joke.

“I thought that survivor vanished.”

His father answered before Meliodas could. “She did. Your brother found her.” Meliodas snorted.

“She recanted her stupid decision of betraying our King,” he explained with a violent glare at the girl, “and chose to serve the Demon Clan.”

Zeldris narrowed his eyes at the child, who stood in Meliodas’ literal shadow with an indecipherable expression. As he examined her further, he decided it was fear—or, at least, something like it. She knew who she was in the room with and what they were capable of, and she was appropriately humbled by it. Damn right after the hell-scape Belialuin became.

“She will be spending most of her time with Meliodas and Gowther. However, I thought it wise to make introductions.”

“I see…” he murmured. He gazed at her as he probed her magic slightly. His eyebrows folded together as he tasted the nature of her power’s weak flicker. “It’s human?”

“Myrdin.” Zeldris barely suppressed his start at the sound of a demon’s name rasping from her throat. No one corrected him when he called her human. As far as he knew, humans were incapable of vocalizing like that. “My name is Myrdin.”

He glanced up at his father, wondering if he already knew she could do this. The Demon King’s expression did not change, but Zeldris knew him well enough to read the expectant look in his eye. A beat of silence passed

“At present, she has chambers here in the castle with a strict guard, to which you will return her now. Meliodas and I have matters to attend to between the two of us.”

“Yes, sir.”

He let the door close behind them before he turned to the left and lead her away. The length of the hallway was silent, and neither Zeldris nor Myrdin spoke a word for several long minutes. She kept pace at his side despite his longer legs and purposeful stride, so Zeldris used the opportunity to examine her more thoroughly than he had in the war room. He could not wrap his head around the idea that this girl had attracted not only the attention but the desire of two gods—enough for them to offer her gifts, at that. She was only human.

“You never told me your name,” she observed after a while. Zeldris thought through the past few minutes, and she was correct.

“I am Zeldris, the Executioner. I am the King’s youngest son.”

Like he had not responded to her introduction, neither did she reply to his. Another silent minute passed. When they were only a hall’s length away from her door, she suddenly decided to speak again.

“You think because I’m human I must be weak,” she said. “That’s stupid of you.”

Any benign curiosity Zeldris had held about her a moment ago evaporated in an instant. In its place, he felt irritation — the very special kind he only experienced when dealing with lesser beings.

He stopped in his tracks and scowled at her, but his face was well above her eye level. She seemed unbothered by his ire. In fact, she walked a few more paces before she realized that he was no longer beside her, and when she paused and turned around her face bore an expression of genuine confusion. No, it only appeared real. In the slight curve of her lips and the glimmer behind her eyes reeked of smugness. She knew her comment got under his skin. In fact, she’d said it just to see if it would.

Politics and manipulation had never featured strongly in Zeldris’ education. He had no talent for restraining himself unless it was necessary. At that moment, he could not help himself but give her exactly what she wanted.

“Seems intelligent enough to me,” he sneered. “Humans cannot fly, you cannot heal or curse, you have no exceptional strength or a bond with the earth, your life spans are brief and your bodies frail. I do not see how that could be construed as anything other than pathetically weak.” She did not flinch.

“Exactly. And in your low opinion of me, I find strength.”

Oh? “And how do you manage that?”

She pursed her lips smugly at his rage. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“If it were not for the fact that my father seems to value you, I would strike you dead for your impudence here and now,” he snarled, glowering.

“I know. Good thing you are such a loyal son,” she snickered.

“That said,” he continued, his voice lowering so that it almost resembled a growl, “I am sure your value can be fulfilled without you being fully intact. You are only a human, after all. In fact, I might be rewarded for humbling you. Clearly, the fate of your village taught you nothing about taunting a demon.”

Myrdin blanched. Zeldris felt not even a speck of remorse at the cocktail of horror, guilt, and grief that bled across her features. He took a half step closer and was satisfied to see her move backward in response.

“Pathetic. Bring up one weakness of yours and you cave. You disgrace your demon’s name.” He bared his teeth at her.

“Get out of my sight.”

He did not miss the flash of hatred in her eyes as she turned and ran down the hall to her room. By the end of the week, everyone called her Merlin instead.

Eight years later, the war Meliodas began was in full swing. Zeldris had been elevated to membership in the Ten Commandments, and his authority grew as the Demon King prepared his retreat to Purgatory.

Merlin’s power grew as her human young adulthood waxed into adolescence. She squared off with the Ten Commandments to hone her capabilities, and on her own strengths and merit, she earned their respect and then their awe. Every one of them was shocked to discover her immunity to the power of their precepts.

As she became more competent and mature, she and Zeldris forgot their bitter introduction. At Gelda’s urging, Zeldris introduced her to Merlin. He had expected them to be too different to get along well, but they hit it off immediately and even began writing letters back and forth. More than once Zeldris wondered if Gelda shared feminine secrets with Merlin that even he did not know about.

In the end, his possessiveness got the better of him, and he and Merlin toed around the topic of his lover whenever it came up thereafter.

All his second-guessing and bitterness about introducing the two women in his life was rendered void about four years after the war began. For there came a moment when Zeldris profoundly needed someone who understood.

To Be Continued...?