#Cross-Cultural Compassion

[artofthechristianninja]

A Police Officer's Struggle with Taking Lives: Overcoming Moral Injury

During one of my recent live streams, I had the profound opportunity to speak with a female military police officer from Turkey who is also Muslim. She shared her deeply personal struggle with guilt after taking lives in the line of duty. This courageous officer opened up about the immense weight she carried and her journey to finding peace and redemption. This isn’t just a story of personal…

[compassionmattersmost]

Tibetan Buddhism: A Path of Mind Training and Intrinsic Wisdom

In our journey of exploring spirituality across traditions, it is time to welcome the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. At first glance, the colorful rituals, sacred music, and intricate costumes may seem confusing or overwhelming. Yet these outward forms are simply expressions of an inner practice that remains deeply practical and profound: the training of the mind. Tibetan Buddhism is not a…

[just-a-ghost00]

A glimpse at your FS

Group 1

Channeled songs : Youtiful - Stray Kids, Mon Amour - GEMINI, Life goes on - AGUSTD Cards : 8 of pentacles, 2 of wands, Temperance, The Wildling, The Outlaw, Love

Lives at a distance from you, cultural differences, likes to travel for fun.

Apogender (doesn't relate to the notion of gender and has no defined gender, doesn't care about what gender people attribute to them) / genderfluid looks / unisex clothing.

Successful at their work place, feels like they can't be themselves at work.

Closed heart chakra, isn't ready to open up to other people.

Longs for deep connections, very sociable but always feels lonely, only has a small number of "friends". Has a very unconventional view of relationships and love or feels like they can't find their match romantically. Feels like an outcast.

Likes to go on long walks, enjoys spending time alone, tends to keep people at arms length.

Chris / Chan from Stray Kids vibes.

Possible meaningful locations : East Asia / Central Asia / Europe / North Africa / Latin America

Developped 5D connection, astral travelling, connecting through dreams or receiving messages from them at night because of time difference.

Very patient in relationships, longs for someone who can understand them but also call them out when needed.

Looks for fun and surprising connections in which they can feel safe and free to be themselves.

They want someone that will be loyal and trustworthy but will keep them on their toes.

Extras : Sagittarius, Gemini, numbers 2/5/8/14, snakes, masks, knives, crosses, blades, cactus, steampunk, boots

💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️

Group 2

Channeled songs : Connected - Bangchan, Comflex - Stray Kids, Lose my breath SKZ version Cards : 2 of pentacles rx, The Star, King of pentacles, The Alchemist, The Seeker, The Explorer

Possible careers / hobbies : arts / influencers / modeling

Well established, possibly famous or at least people in their field look up to them. High status, very experienced.

High level manifestor, high achiever in all areas of life except for love. They have a lot of knowledge and a lot of skills but when it comes to love they're a noob.

Game of Thrones references, especially Jon Snow vibes ("You know nothing Jon Snow").

You are already aware of who they are and they are aware of your existence but they're either ignoring the signs or downright ignoring you. They're not ready and/or they're scared of the connection.

You both have been manifesting this connection. While you are expectant and wanting to move forward with them, they are freaking out because they were not expecting you so soon.

Their energy is all over the place. They're engaged in a lot of projects, events, activities. They don't have time in their schedule to have a love life on top of that.

You throw them off their balance because you're everything they could ever wish for and they were not expecting to be able to have their wish granted, because whether they want to admit it or not this person has been manifesting you and praying for you.

They have a flirty, social butterfly type of energy. They have been indulging in connections, looking out for their person only to find out that they weren't the one. They've done nothing but flirting. They noticed very quickly that this wasn't gonna work so they quickly gave up. They were a busy bee, flying from flower to flower, never really finding their kind of nectar.

They are very spiritual, though they are constantly working on their material life. They receive a lot of downloads from their guides.

A part of them doubts the connection. They feel like it's too good to be true. Also they're too conscious of the differences between you. They're scared of the public opinion.

Extras : letters C/S/T, numbers 2/8/17, wolves, stars, crows, ravens, hands, bracelets and rings, compass, teeth, cranes, Aquarius, difference of status, overseas

💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️

Group 3

Channeled songs : Comflex - Stray Kids, Comfortable - H.E.R, Mon Amour - GEMINI Cards : Underworld rx, destruction rx, Speak truth, knight of cups, queen of swords, The Star

Recently got out of a dark night of the soul / depression.

Is learning to set boundaries and express their truth without fear of being rejected.

Very giving and fair person that only wishes to connect with and love people but life has given them a hard time. They find it hard to believe that people can be genuinely nice to them with no ulterior motive.

They tend to hide their emotional side more nowadays because they're afraid of being taken advantage of. They might be neurodivergent or struggle with ASD.

They are very feminine in their energy. They are deeply connected to their emotions to the point that it can often overwhelm them. They are deeply empathetic and sympathetic. They can sometimes feel other people's pain as if it were their own.

Highly spiritual, highly emotionally intelligent person but also very clever, witty, often sarcastic.

Huge Scorpio vibes.

Will Graham vibes.

Has a hard time being vulnerable with other people, struggles with the notions of intimacy and beauty. Yet, they're extremely beautiful inside and out.

Has a very clear and charming voice. Enjoys singing, chatting about their interests.

Possible careers / hobbies : psychic / healer / doctor / teacher / music / writing poetry / influencer / fishing / research / sharing knowledge

Lives at a distance from you, possibly near an important body of water.

Though they wish for romance, they're not really looking at potential partners and they don't put themselves out there. They're waiting for the right person to just show up out of nowhere, like some kind of white rabbit coming out of a hat.

They have the potential of being a very important public figure, maybe even being super famous but they don't believe in themselves enough at this moment to reach that potential. They're not really interested in fame but I feel it is part of their destiny. They're on their way to manifest greater success.

Alice in Wonderland vibes, only they're the Mad Hatter when people think they're the innocent and naive "little girl" chasing after rabbits. People tend to underestimate their power.

Extras : Gemini, Aquarius, letters C / S, numbers 8/17, long hair, water, owls, hands, scars, wings, crosses, cranes, horses, swords, long and flowy dresses, jewelry

[oroniel]

RoP gave us a kiss that was full of emotion but entirely devoid of romantic subtext, and next episode we're going to get a sword fight so charged with romantic and sexual tension that people are going to actually lose their minds.

Adar is simultaneously praising the beauty of a woman (Melian) and a man (Elrond), while also simultaneously praising the beauty of a Maia and a half-elf. While also caring for his enormous family of uruk children. He is a person who literally changed his state of being from his birth-form in order to obtain the life, and children, he wanted.

Sauron's talking about some messed up masochistic relationship with Morgoth, and crying when Adar recalls how beautiful he used to be. He's doing all kinds of fascinating line-crossing when it comes to gender, like he's just decided to conjure up your worst evil non-binary nightmare as he flirts with Mirdania, minces around in his pretty dress and hair-bow, acts like a clique-y mean girl when Celebrimbor calls him out in front of the other smiths, and then slaughters guards with expert swordsmanship and sorcery.

Meanwhile Galadriel is effortlessly switching from armor to fairytale princess dresses, expressing unbridled rage and endless compassion, being maternal to Theo and a mentor to the Numenorean guard as she tutors them in swordplay, and generally projecting a female character who is, per Morfydd, not raised to feel ashamed the way women are in our society.

This is queer Tolkien. It's messing with our culturally encoded understandings of the signs and signals of relationships, gender, family, and friendships. It's messing with our understanding of how we define the potential of individuals and relationships.

Am I confident that they're doing all of this consciously? No.

But am I any less delighted by it?

Also no.

It is so fun and I love it.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I'm not one to police how "dark" people should make their fan content, or to act like there's something morally wrong with making a character go through hardship or with having a kink, but man, there sure is a noticeable pattern in how zutarians imagine Katara.

Every attempt to "empower" her always comes with some for of humiliation, violence, trauma or loss of identity.

No one is allowed to love her and treat her well. Not her dad, not her brother, not her friends, not her canon love interest. She needs to be just babysitter/cinderella to them. She needs to be made to feel lonely, isolated, disregarded and unloved until Zuko shows up to the rescue.

Gone is her strong connection to her tribe, that made her want to honor it even when she was traveling the world like she dreamed of. Instead she'll long to be part of the nation that almost erased her culture, commited genocide against her people and killed her mother. Gone is her right to be mad at them for it, even though she canonically always stops herself from letting that anger cross the line into blind hatred.

Instead SHE is the one who needs to learn a lesson on "not judging people just because they're different", and making them learn basic empathy towards someone they see as "other" is no longer on them, or on the guy that literally stepped up for that role of his own free will. Nope, that burden should be on Katara's shoulders instead. It's her job to convince the racists that she is, in fact, a human being and deserves to be treated like one.

And she should always be wearing red instead of the colors of her tribe, her children should grow up in the Fire Nation palace, preparing to inherit that throne (aka their father's legacy), and any waterbender she gives birth to will absolutely be taught bloodbending as that is supposedly Katara's legacy - even though she never wanted to learn it and refuses to use it 9 times out of 10 because she finds it immoral AND it is a source of trauma for her, as it was used by a predatory adult to violate her body.

She should not be "Just the Avatar's girl" and "Aang's reward" (even though she was always her own damn self before anything and their romance was a "reward" to both of them), but instead should be just the Fire Lady - after all, in their eyes, Zuko "deserves her more" and that's somehow Not The Same.

Gone is her right to remain a kind, compassionate soul. Instead she needs to let anger consume her and push her to do things she finds morally wrong, like murder or bloodbending, because she needs to hate pacifism so she can hate Aang by proxy.

In fact, Aang should be made to be the REAL source of oppression and violence in her life (combined with her tribe and family of course).

Compassion should no longer be something they both believe in, it should be an idea Aang tries to force into her head. The scars on her hands after he accidentally burns her should be permanent, not healed by Katara herself, to make her more of a victim (with "parallels" to Zuko) and Aang more of a bastard. Aang not wanting to let go of her should be a result of obsession and entitlement, not a combination of his own trauma, the natural desire to be with those he cares about, and the very explicit fact that Katara did not want to be let go of (see her reaction to him leaving in The Awakening).

And more importantly, Aang horribly failing to read the room and kissing her when she didn't want to be kissed, and immediately chastising himself for it because he meant no harm, should be turned into him full on forcing himself on her, preferably more than once. The more traumatizing the better, so Zuko looks like even more of a hero when he saves her.

But that is not say that he needs to be a perfect gentleman when rescuing her, oh no. It's totally fine if what "frees" Katara from the "burdens" that are her family, friends and culture is being taken to the Fire Nation against her will, especially if she's not just a regular prisoner, but instead made to forcibly marry Zuko - or be his sex slave. It's totally fine is this "rescue" involves her being beaten into submission and assaulted until she learns to like it. It's for her own good. It's "feminist" when Zuko does it to her. It's only abuse when Aang does it.

And obviously any anger she has ever felt towards Zuko, even when he sent an assassin after her group, is really just her being "mad at herself" because, secretly, she TOTALLY wants him to do exactly that.

Truly the perfect way to "empower" a character. Mutilate them until they fit in the box you designed for them - and then call people "fake fans" who just "don't understand or care about the character" when they say they liked the original version way more.

Zutarians really shot themselves in the foot with that "holier than thou" attitude. It's IMPOSSIBLE to take their version of "respecting Katara's character" seriously.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hey, I wanted to ask, do you have any tips for numbers and their meanings, For example: what does the number 5 represent?

Writing Notes: Symbolism of Numbers

In symbolism, numbers are not merely the expressions of quantities, but idea-forces, each with a particular character of its own.

The actual digits are, as it were, only the outer garments.

All numbers are derived from the number one (which is equivalent to the mystic, nonmanifest point of no magnitude).

The farther a number is from unity, the more deeply it is involved in matter, in the involutive process, in the“world.”

The first 10 numbers in the Greek system (or twelve in the oriental tradition) pertain to the spirit: they are entities, archetypes and symbols.

The rest are the product of combinations of these basic numbers.

Below are the most generally accepted symbolic meanings of each number.

ZERO

Non-being, mysteriously connected with unity as its opposite and its reflection; it is symbolic of the latent and potential and is the “Orphic Egg.”

From the viewpoint of man in existence, it symbolizes death as the state in which the life-forces are transformed.

Because of its circular form, it signifies eternity.

ONE

Symbolic of being and of the revelation to men of the spiritual essence.

The active principle which, broken into fragments, gives rise to multiplicity, and is to be equated with the mystic Centre, the Irradiating Point and the Supreme Power.

Stands for spiritual unity—the common basis among all beings.

Guénon draws a distinction between unity and one, after the Islamic mystic thinkers: unity differs from one in that it is absolute and complete in itself, admitting neither two nor dualism.

Hence, unity is the symbol of divinity.

Is also equated with light.

TWO

Stands for echo, reflection, conflict and counterpoise or contraposition; or the momentary stillness of forces in equilibrium; it also corresponds to the passage of time—the line which goes from behind forward; it is expressed geometrically by two points, two lines or an angle.

It is also symbolic of the first nucleus of matter, of nature in opposition to the creator, of the moon as opposed to the sun.

In all esoteric thought, two is regarded as ominous: it connotes shadow and the bisexuality of all things, or dualism (represented by the basic myth of the Gemini) in the sense of the connecting-link between the immortal and the mortal, or of the unvarying and the varying.

Within the mystic symbolism of landscape in megalithic culture, two is associated with the mandorla-shaped mountain, the focal point of symbolic Inversion, forming the crucible of life and comprising the two opposite poles of good and evil, life and death.

THREE

Symbolizes spiritual synthesis, and is the formula for the creation of each of the worlds.

Represents the solution of the conflict posed by dualism.

Forms a half-circle comprising: birth, zenith and descent.

Geometrically it is expressed by three points and by the triangle.

The harmonic product of the action of unity upon duality.

The number concerned with basic principles, and expresses sufficiency, or the growth of unity within itself.

Associated with the concepts of heaven and the Trinity.

FOUR

Symbolic of the earth, of terrestrial space, of the human situation, of the external, natural limits of the “minimum” awareness of totality, and, finally, of rational organization.

Equated with the square and the cube, and the cross representing the four seasons and the points of the compass.

A great many material and spiritual forms are modelled after the quaternary.

The number associated with tangible achievement and with the Elements.

In mystic thought, it represents the tetramorphs.

FIVE

Symbolic of Man, health and love, and of the quintessence acting upon matter.

Comprises the four limbs of the body plus the head which controls them, and likewise the four fingers plus the thumb and the four cardinal points together with the centre.

The hieros gamos is signified by the number five, since it represents the union of the principle of heaven (three) with that of the Magna Mater (two).

Geometrically, it is the pentagram, or the five-pointed star.

Corresponds to pentagonal symmetry, a common characteristic of organic nature, to the golden section (as noted by the Pythagoreans), and to the five senses representing the five “forms” of matter.

SIX

Symbolic of ambivalence and equilibrium, six comprises the union of the two triangles (of fire and water) and hence signifies the human soul.

The Greeks regarded it as a symbol of the hermaphrodite.

It corresponds to the six Directions of Space (two for each dimension), and to the cessation of movement (since the Creation took six days).

Hence it is associated with trial and effort.

Shown to be related to virginity, and to the scales.

SEVEN

Symbolic of perfect order, a complete period or cycle.

Comprises the union of the ternary and the quaternary, and hence it is endowed with exceptional value.

Corresponds to the seven Directions of Space (that is, the six existential dimensions plus the centre), to the seven-pointed star, to the reconciliation of the square with the triangle by superimposing the latter upon the former (as the sky over the earth) or by inscribing it within.

It is the number forming the basic series of musical notes, of colours and of the planetary spheres, as well as of the gods corresponding to them; and also of the capital sins and their opposing virtues.

Corresponds to the three-dimensional cross.

The symbol of pain.

EIGHT

The octonary, related to two squares or the octagon, is the intermediate form between the square (or the terrestrial order) and the circle (the eternal order) and is, in consequence, a symbol of regeneration.

By virtue of its shape, the numeral is associated with the two interlacing serpents of the caduceus, signifying the balancing out of opposing forces or the equivalence of the spiritual power to the natural.

It also symbolizes—again because of its shape—the eternally spiralling movement of the heavens (shown also by the double sigmoid line—the sign of the infinite).

Because of its implications of regeneration, eight was in the Middle Ages an emblem of the waters of baptism.

Corresponds in mediaeval mystic cosmogony to the fixed stars of the firmament, denoting that the planetary influences have been overcome.

NINE

The triangle of the ternary, and the triplication of the triple.

It is therefore a complete image of the three worlds.

The end-limit of the numerical series before its return to unity.

For the Hebrews, it was the symbol of truth, being characterized by the fact that when multiplied it reproduces itself (in mystic addition).

In medicinal rites, it is the symbolic number par excellence, for it represents triple synthesis, that is, the disposition on each plane of the corporal, the intellectual and the spiritual.

TEN

Symbolic, in decimal systems, of the return to unity.

In the Tetractys (whose triangle of points—four, three, two, one—adds up to ten) it is related to four.

Symbolic also of spiritual achievement, as well as of unity in its function as an even (or ambivalent) number or as the beginning of a new, multiple series.

According to some theories, ten symbolizes the totality of the universe—both metaphysical and material—since it raises all things to unity.

From ancient oriental thought through the Pythagorean school and right up to St. Jerome, it was known as the number of perfection.

ELEVEN

Symbolic of transition, excess and peril and of conflict and martyrdom.

According to Schneider, there is an infernal character about it: since it is in excess of the number of perfection—ten—it therefore stands for incontinence; but at the same time it corresponds, like two, to the mandorla-shaped mountain, to the focal point of symbolic Inversion and antithesis, because it is made up of one plus one (comparable in a way with two).

TWELVE

Symbolic of cosmic order and salvation.

It corresponds to the number of the signs of the Zodiac, and is the basis of all dodecanary groups.

Linked to it are the notions of space and time, and the wheel or circle.

THIRTEEN

Symbolic of death and birth, of beginning afresh.

Hence it has unfavourable implications.

FOURTEEN

Stands for fusion and organization.

And for justice and temperance.

FIFTEEN

Markedly erotic.

Associated with the devil.

OTHER NUMBERS

Tarot

Each of the numbers from sixteen to twenty-two is related to the corresponding card of the Tarot pack; and sometimes the meaning is derived from the fusion of the symbols of the units composing it.

There are two ways in which this fusion may occur: either by mystic addition (for example, 374 = 3 + 7 + 4 = 14 = 1 + 4 = 5) or by succession, in which case the right-hand digit expresses the outcome of a situation denoted by the left-hand number (so 21 expresses the reduction of a conflict—two—to its solution—unity).

These numbers also possess certain meanings drawn from traditional sources and remote from their intrinsic symbolism:

24, for example, is the sacred number in Sankhya philosophy, and

50 is very common in Greek mythology—there were fifty Danaides, fifty Argonauts, fifty sons of Priam and of Aegyptus, for example as a symbol, we would suggest, of that powerful quality of the erotic and human which is so typical of Hellenic myths.

Repetition

The repetition of a given number stresses its quantitative power but detracts from its spiritual dignity.

So, for example, 666 was the number of the Beast because 6 was regarded as inferior to seven.

Contained within a multiple

When several kinds of symbolic meaning are contained within a multiple number, the symbolism of that number is accordingly enriched and strengthened.

Thus, 144 was considered very favourable because its sum was 9 (1 + 4 + 4) and because it comprises multiples of 10 and 4 plus the quaternary itself.

Lastly: Dante, in the Divine Comedy, has frequent recourse to the symbolism of numbers.

Sources: 1 2 3

More: On Symbolism

Hope this helps, would love to read your writing if it does!

[brucewaynehater101]

Okay so, saw you wonder “How does Space Emperor Tim handle war with his morals?” And I think that Tim doesn’t

More specifically I think he is able to accept that this is where he fails. He’s a master diplomat and great organization leader, and although he is great at tactics as a Robin, he’s not willing to lead a war. He’s not willing to sacrifice his moral compass in this way

And I think the empire respects this because, in spite of his personal objections to leading a war effort, he does not leave the planets stranded and defenseless…

He assigns Cassie as the many armies prime military commander

Each of the planets likely has their own military structure and command, as a mostly decentralized empire. But I think we also have a centralized mixed cultures/peoples/planets military to promote cross cultural exchange as well as the exchange of tactical knowledge

Cassie serves as the head of the military council responsible for overseeing both the centralized and decentralized military forces

Cassie has already been shown to be a capable leader with YJ and I think her Amazonian training has specifically well prepared her for commanding military forces (Idk her lore perfectly so correct me if wrong)

There’s obviously a lot of training and research needed to adjust Earth based tactics to space wars, but the JL and Batman likely already had some resources prepped for that. And as one of the Great Baby Emperors Glorious Consorts, the many leaders under her command are happy to assist in her training

Kon and Bart likely also help her, providing emotional support and serving as sound boards for her ideas, but she’s the military commander right now. And she’s gonna kick whatever alien equivalent of asses these attackers got

Tim probably also continues to help in his own way, managing logistics and supplies (really important for armies). He’s also probably assisting with developing new technologies to help in the battle given his skills in R&D (maybe it’s only medical advancements or maybe he feels okay developing ships or weapons, or maybe that’s where Bart gets to go to town making his fantastical sci-fi space lasers) Tim is not going to abandon his empire, they have stood by him through thick and thin, and he’ll give whatever he knows he is able to give them

So yeah, Tim might not be an Emperor who leads armies, but he doesn’t leave his worlds defenseless and gives Cassie the perfect opportunity to show the Timpire, and really the whole galaxy, just how badass she is !!!

Oh my gods, you are brilliant. Cassie would 100000% be the military commander (I don't know enough about her lore either, but that checks out).

Hmm... The only issue I can see is whether or not Cassie needs Tim's approval to go to war. She won't just do it for the hell of it, but Tim won't really approve of it either. Then again, maybe they should spend hours upon hours upon hours arguing about the necessity of going to war, considering how likely it will lead to casualties.

While Tim won't lead into war, I can see him going over "hypothetical" plans with Cassie. Maybe not in the middle of a war, but I could see Tim stealing GL/JL space war files and going over it with Cassie.

For angst reasons, YJ at first doesn't take going to war seriously. They're kids when this starts. Yeah, they've been through shit, but leading an empire to kill other people for whatever reason they deem is necessary? Probably not.

Instead, they train on space war strategy by making games out of it. Tim and Bart create a hallographic board game that incorporates various space war variables. It's a fun pass time of theirs with the excuse of "training" (not that they ever believe they'll need that kind of training).

After their first war, they never pick that game up again. They do provide it the generals of each planet, though, and have the planets compete against each other for friendly bonding.

Tim does help with the logistics and defense of the planets. None of it is lethal, but he does have extreme measures (I'm thinking about that one panel where he threatens to permanently deafen people).

Bart collaborates with the planets for space travel, war machines, and weapons for the military.

Kon may not lead, but he helps develop creative strategies and plans to assist Cassie.

Tim may be the emperor, but Cassie becomes the name feared among all enemy planets.

[itshype]

Work Experience (DC x DP)

Before he can take his place as King, Danny has to familarise himself with his peoples' cultures. Most ghosts are made knowing all sorts of things about ghost law (for example the Christmas Truce), ghost etiquette and ghost history. Danny got none of that because he's not technically dead.

He spends a year working on maintenance for the Ghost Colosseum in Pandora's Haunt. She offered for him to do exhibition matches as a gladiator but he knew all he needed to about fighting already, he really wanted to learn something in his time here. He didn't know it but that had constituted the passing of Pandora's little test.

He spends a few months working as an Orderly for the Far Frozen as it would take far to long to learn enough to substantially contribute to healing even a single blob ghost.

He spends one week with Undergrowth and Nocturne examining the forces that governed the natural world. Unfortunately, Danny was physically incapable of seeing 'the threads connecting all things across all dimensions' and they kicked him out. Undergrowth filed an official petition to take Sam as his apprentice after her death. Danny said he would consider it and put it aside to show her next time he was 'topside'.

He was slated to spend the greatest amount of time as a Grim Reaper. Unlike humans thought, the dead could get to where they needed to be without any difficulty. It was the not-quite-dead who needed more help. Help to decide if it was worth going back, help to cross the final line if that was what they really needed, help coming back again and again for metas and aliens with preternatural healing.

Once Danny figured out there was a whole species of Ghost who should have helped him through the portal incident, he'd reached out to CW demanding answers as to why he'd had to muddle through on his own. The god of time was ironically, ghosting him, though.

Funnily enough, the Grims are thrilled he's there. As never-alive ghost beings, they often struggle with the best way to complete their work - they've never felt the pressures of being alive or confronted the fear of death or had to assimilate the truth of the afterlife into their worldview. So they basically immediately give Danny all their hardest jobs.

People who really, really should be moving on, their time is up but they just won't let go? People who are ready to depart but their body won't let their soul depart? That one asshole who's soul is cursed to be immortal? Those are Danny's cases. He handles it with as much humour and compassion as he can.

In an unrelated matter, several months into Danny's newest jobs, at a Justice League casual event, several heroes get to talking. Turns out several of them have had near-death experiences recently and they all shared the same hallucination as they went towards the light. Time to investigate.

[anghraine]

i just saw someone say that faramir is infuriating because he's self-aggrandizing in claiming that he won't act in any way that doesn't befit his status, and on one hand - i understand the root of it? he does have a courteous, almost formal style of talking. he does openly claim that he would not take this mysterious power (before he knew about the ring) if it was on the highway. he agrees to denethor's characterization that he wants to appear noble like a king of old.

but on the other hand i'm straining at the bit to defend my baby because - infuriating?? when he lives up to the words he is saying?? when the text shows over and over that he's loved by his people, that he genuinely tries to live by those standards (and seems to succeed) - him not killing even animals unnecessarily, him riding back for his men. even his proclaimed dream to see gondor's tree bloom and peace restored, is supported by him seemingly making that transition from steward to king as smooth as possible?

maybe it's because i instantly liked him so much. it just caught me so off guard because this particular criticism never ever crossed my mind. so funny how people will interpret the same thing differently. to some internet user out there, his words are self-aggrandizing. to me, his words are straightfoward and supported by actions - dreamboat central.

Hi, anon! I'm pretty much with you on this one. I've seen the occasional post like that, and I can understand finding his style grating (though I personally love it) or disliking the general baggage associated with Tolkien's handling of Númenóreanness (there's a considerable degree of classism and racism built in to the presentation of Elves and peredhil/Númenóreans in LOTR in particular, while later texts like "The Mariner's Wife" are relatively more nuanced).

But the idea that Faramir is essentially just performing the appearance of high virtue as a sort of imitation of Númenórean cultural values without actually possessing those values or the virtues of the best of them just seems a profound misinterpretation to me. He has flaws, but he's not a hypocrite and he does not fail to live up to his presentation of himself at any point.

He's exactly what he appears to be, a stern and intelligent young man out of step with the current trends of his culture, who still cares deeply about his people and their allies. He's potentially highly dangerous in the way of Denethor and Aragorn, and like them, his personality is hard and unbending when it comes down to it, but he's also gentler than either—the combination of his willingness to act on the threat he represents if necessary and ethically justifiable, with a deep compassion and sympathy for others (even animals), is distinct and really interesting.

I think there's a very important distinction between Faramir performing virtue and gentleness and putting on the persona of a great Númenórean lord in times of peace, and Faramir presenting himself as he truly is and then suiting actions to words, despite the fundamental antipathy between his temperamental inclinations and the circumstances he's been placed in.

[livefromcastledracula]

Gothic literature fanons I wish would die a death and disappear from pop culture, here we go...incoming ramble.

DracuMina and tragic, romantic Dracula is a big one. It's just not who he is. There are plenty of other vampires who live these tropes. It's not Dracula. It's Barnabas Collins and Louis de Pointe du Lac and Angel from Buffy and Edward Cullen. It's not Count Dracula. Count Dracula is a bastard and his bastardy is what makes him scary and charismatic and compelling as a villain in the same way, say, the Joker or (pre-Angelina) Maleficent is. He doesn't need to be suave or soft or secretly a woobie out for love to be interesting. He is a smug, smiling monster to the bone and we love him for it.

If there's any tragedy at all to Dracula the character it's the vague hints Van Helsing gives that he was once a great man and that man's soul might still be trapped somewhere in this hollow, monstrous husk of a creature, yearning for the release of true death.

But that man is long gone. What Dracula is now doesn't feel any guilt or remorse or compassion or grief. He is, he schemes, he hungers, he preys. He is Vampire.

Okay, Carmilla...well the big one is that she is in any way not a lesbian. Adaptations that make her an equal opportunity seductress. Ha ha ha no. Book Carmilla shows absolutely zero interest in men. They might as well not exist to her. She is ALL about young women her own (apparent) age. There is that vague anecdote about the Baron's male ancestor in her backstory, but at the time 'lover' was also used in a more one-sided context of romantic admirers, of which a beautiful young noblewoman would have many, so it could as easily imply she'd never even spoken to him. Vampire Carmilla, the one we meet and interact with, is all about the girls and especially about specific girls; like Laura.

Frankenstein... oh there's a bunch, pop culture Frankenstein is probably the farthest away from the book. Let's not even go into "Frankenstein is the monster's name" or "Doctor Frankenstein" or "Igor" or "the monster is a mute lumbering zombie" or even the animated with lightning thing...

...the one that actually irks me is the pervasive idea that Frankenstein is resurrecting dead people, or that the Monster is / has the brain of a specific person who just doesn't remember who he is. Even Penny Dreadful did this one! Even the musical did this one!

Nooo, the Creature isn't a frigging zombie. He's not a revived human. Frankenstein specifically says that he can't revive the dead but that someday if his "creations" are successful he might also discover that secret:

'I thought that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible) renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption.'

Also very worth noting that despite the frequent fanon that Victor used a random hanged man for the Creature and Justine or even Elizabeth's body to build the Bride, this absolutely does not happen in the book, at no point does Frankenstein consider 'reviving' his dead loved ones. It doesn't even cross his mind. He's not Herbert West 😆

Back to Creech, Frankenstein specifically says he made him eight feet tall because human parts were too small and detailed for him to work on quickly.

'Although I possessed the capacity of bestowing animation, yet to prepare a frame for the reception of it, with all its intricacies of fibres, muscles, and veins, still remained a work of inconceivable difficulty and labour.'

"...As the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, contrary to my first intention, to make the being of a gigantic stature, that is to say, about eight feet in height, and proportionably large...."

You can't do that just by chopping up a few dead people. You can't get an eight foot giant by stitching together a bunch of smaller dudes. You can't make a bigger heart and bigger bones and bigger organs just by stitching together smaller ones. So what the heck IS Frankenstein doing?

I had returned to my old habits. I collected bones from charnel-houses and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame. In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of filthy creation; my eyeballs were starting from their sockets in attending to the details of my employment. The dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials; and often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation, whilst, still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually increased, I brought my work near to a conclusion.

Okay so we know he IS collecting flesh to use as raw materials, but slaughter houses interests me. This suggests that the Creature isn't necessarily being built of human flesh.

And that makes more sense, doesn't it? How do you build a humanlike body with bigger-than-human bones, muscles, veins and organs? What if you got them from a bull, a horse, an ox?

But here's another point of interest:

...After having formed this determination and having spent some months in successfully collecting and arranging my materials, I began... ...The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit...

Months. It's taken him months at least to build Creech.

This book is set in the late 1700s. There is no refrigeration and Victor is working out of a loft apartment at a university.

How. The HECK. Is his glorious Creation not a pile of rotting meat falling apart on his table? How is he preserving it?

Does his magical mad science also extend to preservation? That's never mentioned, but I could imagine that it might involve a fair bit of, well, pickling. He does compare him to a 'mummy' at least once.

So...

Book canon Creech is an eight foot tall giant with flowing black hair, nice teeth, shrivelled yellow skin stretched over his muscle and veins, and watery yellow eyes in 'dun white' sockets. He is probably a bit 'pickled' and potentially a chimera built partially out of animal bones, muscles and organs, though don't think Dr Moreau, Victor was TRYING to make him look human and nobody ever comments on any visibly animal parts.

I wish the 'serious' movie adaptations would go harder on his makeup and effects. As OTT and steampunk Karloff inspired as the Van Helsing movie was, that's actually the level of "oh shit that's not a human" I expect from a canonical Creech, just ditch the steampunk cyborg bits and give the man some hair. Penny Dreadful did good with his alabaster skin and yellow eyes, and Rory Kinnear's still my favorite performance of this character, though they could've stood to use some LOTR-style forced perspective to make him Huge. If Creech could pass for a tall homeless war vet with a lot of scars, he's not 'creature' enough for me. There's probably something poignant to be said there about him thinking that his mistreatment at humanity's hands is because he's an inhuman monster, But Actually people he meets think he's human, they just treat him like they'd treat any other large, disfigured, confused, potentially mentally-ill homeless person they'd meet.

But that's not Mary Shelley's intent, I don't think. He's not a revived, amnesiac human. He's something much more terrifying, poignant, and mysterious. He's an entire new creature, a newborn, earthbound alien species, and that's what makes it interesting to me, because ... what even IS he? Creature is born as a total blank slate, he doesn't know what he is. Victor doesn't understand him, doesn't really comprehend what he's created, so he can't tell him.

So there's no-one alive that can, and there never will be, it's not an answerable question.

There's a deep, abiding existential horror in Creech's existence that is dumbed down to 'came back wrong' if he is a resurrected human. If he isn't, what the hell IS he? Frankenstein is grounded in science fiction rather than the supernatural, but if there's such a thing in its universe as a soul, does he have a soul? Where did it come from? Is he an amalgam of all the people/animals he's built out of, potentially hundreds of them? Is he something that came from somewhere else to inhabit this meat-husk? Is he something else entirely? He doesn't know and never will, Victor never will, no one ever will.

That's haunting, tragic, and terrifying.

[running-with-the-feels]

yknow, Mileena's backstory as of mk9 actually makes me really sad bc think about it:

You are born to be a replacement for someone else, someone who everyone you meet considers better than you and yet you are expected to exceed her in every way. You do not get her compassion or her beauty or any of the things ppl like about her, all you get is the darker bits, the monstrosity she pretends she doesn't have as though she cut it from herself and put it into you

You are born with the mind of an adult, filled with incredibly complex emotions and lacking any experience with which to make sense of them. You are born alone, surrounded by the corpses of the failed attempts that preceded you, and the very first person you meet is Her, the one you were made to replace.

And she hates you.

She's never met you before, and she hates you, she calls you an abomination and attacks and you have been alive for barely more than a few minutes before someone has decided to kill you.

But then, your father, the king who wanted her replaced, declares you his daughter and heir, and he loves you. All your monstrosity, all your rage and hate and bloodlust that you still don't fully understand, all of it makes him smile, makes him call you daughter and tell you that you will sit in his place some day. The man that made you for him calls you a masterpiece, calls you perfect.

Everyone else betrays you the moment you let them get close, or they simply try to kill you outright for things you have not even done yet.

You were born.

That is your crime.

So you start becoming the thing they call you, because it makes your father proud and everyone else hates you anyways so what is the point in choosing any different? Is it even a choice? When no alternative is offered, when doing otherwise never crosses your mind because why would it when it is so clearly not an option?

Mileena genuinely could have been a good person if people had tried to reach for her. We know that her being half tarkatan is not why she's evil bc mk11 proves that the tarkatans aren't evil, just driven by different cultural values. But nobody did reach for her except Shao Kahn, so she became a miniature version of him bc, for as fucked up as he was, Shao Kahn was genuinely the only person who ever loved her.

But even that love was conditional, we know from mk11 intro dialogues that Mileena was constantly compared to Kitana. Her place in the family is explicitly stated to only be allowed so long as she proves better than Kitana. Is it any wonder Mileena hates her so much? Kitana tried to kill her the day she was born (Which, I get it, Mileena was def being a bit creepy and she is Kitana's sort of clone which would unsettle anyone, but like, come on) and now the only people that treat Mileena with any affection are telling her that their affection will be withdrawn if Kitana wins

Like, shit dude, that would make anyone a little fucked in the head, how much worse would it be for Mileena who was basically an infant with an adult's brain shoved into her head?

[tenebris-lux]

You know, while we’re waiting for something to happen in Varna, I wanna gush (and I do mean gush) about an earlier entry and its performance in Re: Dracula: Seward’s diary, October 1, 4am.

First, a note on a detail in Re: Dracula. The part where all the guys said one after another that they all wanted to meet Renfield….

“May I come also?” asked Lord Godalming.

“Me too?” said Quincey Morris. “May I come?” said Harker.

The way Seward said “said Harker”, he sounds so annoyed! Like, “Ugh, FINE, everybody come. All of a sudden my patient is the most popular guy around.” The delivery for just that little line in Re: Dracula made me grin.

But onto to the meat of the entry.

Renfield pulled out ALL the stops in trying to convince Seward to take him out of the asylum. He did everything he could to impress on Seward that he was on the same page as any other guy, even ahead a little—intelligence, reasonability, culture, diplomacy, you name it. He took full advantage of the entourage that followed Seward. The pointed way Trench said the line, “By the way, you have not introduced me,” had the emphasis meant to put Seward on the spot—‘who appears less civilized here? In company?’ He then shows respect for everyone in the room named, displaying knowledge, grace, courtesy, charm, what have you. He was probably not expecting everybody to show up, so he had to improvise. But right off the top of his head, he was able to impress on each of them that he’s not “lesser”.

The pure charisma he displayed made a slight impression on Seward, kind of a knee-jerk reaction to go, “Yeah, sure, you seem perfectly fine, I’ll draw up the paperwork…” But then Seward catches himself. Unfortunately. Still, if Seward had been at all professional about Renfield in his treatment of him so far, him saying he’d talk to him more about it in the morning might not have been unreasonable. And if Renfield didn’t have an ulterior motive to leave the asylum right then, he could’ve possibly taken the opportunity to try to impress him more; not play Seward’s twisted mind games. Unfortunately, he could not afford to wait. At all. So he insists that time is of the essence and he has to go now.

“He looked at me keenly, and seeing the negative in my face, turned to the others, and scrutinized them closely. Not meeting any sufficient response, he went on:—

‘Is it possible that I have erred in my supposition?’

‘You have,’ I said frankly, but at the same time, as I felt, brutally. There was a considerable pause, and then he said slowly:—

‘Then I suppose I must only shift my ground of request….’”

“Brutally” is right. Jack’s voice was very blunt and short in Re: Dracula, and it was audible in Renfield’s voice that the wheels were turning; like, ‘how can I get through to this guy? I thought I was onto something there, but … Plan B then.’ His Plan B is a little more direct, less certain, and involves more crossing one’s fingers: appeal to Seward’s compassion, and try to tell him why he wants out so soon, which … ugh, isn’t much. That’s why he threw his all into plan A; plan B was extremely uncertain at best.

Still reasonably, he says he has reasons for wanting out, that it’s for the sake of others. But he can’t tell him why. Just … please trust him on this?

Unexpectedly, he just loses ground with Seward, but he’s got Van Helsing’s interest, and Van Helsing’s the type who tries to make a practice of giving the benefit of the doubt.

“He said to Renfield in a tone which did not surprise me at the time, but only when I thought of it afterwards—for it was as of one addressing an equal:—“

Which Jack found weird when reflecting on it later. Because why would Jack even consider Renfield being equal? But anyway, Van Helsing takes the initiative and overrides Jack’s authority by saying, ‘If you can state clearly why you want to go and convince me, he’ll let you and take responsibility.’ Which is kind of a weird gamble, if you ask me. Like, yeah, Seward would probably do it, because it’s Van Helsing, but it still seems odd to me. Van Helsing says later that he knows a lot less of “madmen” than Seward does (should we tell him?), so it’s a risk. But he was much closer to believing Renfield than Seward was. Whatever the case, Renfield couldn’t tell them anything. Van Helsing tried to persuade him to change his mind, because then he’d make so much more progress, rather than if he just kept secrets, right? But he wasn’t picking up that it wasn’t that Renfield didn’t want to say something, or was afraid to.

He literally couldn’t tell them.

“Dr. Van Helsing, I have nothing to say. Your argument is complete, and if I were free to speak I should not hesitate a moment; but I am not my own master in the matter. I can only ask you to trust me. If I am refused, the responsibility does not rest with me.”

The helpless way he says ‘I have nothing to tell you.’ And he’s DROPPING HINTS. He hears and understands Van Helsing’s arguments and if he WERE FREE TO SPEAK … but he is not his own MASTER…. Come onnn, Jack, you’ve heard that word before, right? I think somehow Renfield knows the guys are heading next door, so come on, Jack, put two and two together. Where else has Renfield used that word? And again, I love the added emphasis Felix Trench put on the word “master”. Like, come on, man, take a hint. Yes, Renfield’s addressing Van Helsing, but Seward’s hearing this. Seward’s the one here who knows his habits, his patterns.

Right?

…

No go.

“Come, my friends, we have work to do. Good-night.”

Renfield’s only chance is heading out the door. Reason and trust have both failed. Last ditch effort: pure desperation. Pleading, begging, on his knees, crying. Saying he’ll go under ANY circumstance Seward picks out, even if it comes to torture. Anything. Anything.

And Trench’s performance … oh god, the tears coming, the breathlessness, the way words warp when you talk while crying….

“Can’t you hear me, man? Can’t you understand? Will you never learn? Don’t you know that I am sane and earnest now; that I am no lunatic in a mad fit, but a sane man fighting for his soul? Oh, hear me! hear me! Let me go! let me go! let me go!”

GOD. He’s just so desperate to get ANYTHING from Seward. Is there anything in that man he can reach?

Still no. The way Jonathan Sims said Seward’s next lines—“Come, no more of this; we have quite enough already. Get to your bed and try to behave more discreetly.”—were PERFECT. Sternly chiding a lesser person who’s misbehaving, in tone, but with cold unfeeling words. Absolutely no warmth. No connection.

“He suddenly stopped and looked at me intently for several moments.”

The last check. Is there anything there? Anything in there at all he can reach or connect with?

“Then, without a word, he rose and moving over, sat down on the side of the bed.”

Just … the way he gives up. He’s out of options. Absolutely nothing will get through to the guy he needs to understand him. Or his friends, even the “open-minded” one. They all think he’s crazy and apart from them. He just needed one of them—preferably Seward, but any of them would do—to stand in his corner, and just relocate him somewhere. They can pick any conditions they want, just so long as he leaves now.

But Seward has never understood him. He made it a hobby to “try to understand him” and “know how he works”. And now when he actually needs to, he’s completely off-base. I won’t go so far as to say that if it weren’t for Seward, the attacks on Mina wouldn’t have happened, because it ultimately comes down to Dracula being the attacker. Still, it’s frustrating.

The final thing Renfield says to Seward as the doctor heads out the door—“You will, I trust, Dr. Seward, do me the justice to bear in mind, later on, that I did what I could to convince you to-night.”—was described as said “in a quiet, well-bred voice,” and it certainly was that in Re: Dracula, but it also came across as drained and defeated and … done. Just … ‘I tried.’

And he really did try.

He knows he has a weakness and is susceptible. There’s no telling when his mental fortitude might weaken next. But if/when it does, it wouldn’t be just him that suffers consequences.

….. anyways, that’s my gush.

[just-a-ghost00]

Who is your divine counterpart?

Please if you know the original artist who made these images, can you tell me so I can quote them. Thank you <3

Group 1

Celebrity look alikes - Mamamoo's Hwasa, BTS Suga, Joe Anoa'i aka Roman Reigns, Jonathan Good aka Dean Ambrose / Jon Moxley

Let me tell you group 1, the one thing all these people have in common : they are absolute dorks and I love them to death. To analyze this a bit further, you will notice that there are more masculine figures than feminine. Though Suga is pretty balanced in both energies. Hwasa as well can be pretty masculine in her own way. They also have quite long hair, especially the guys. All of them have rather dark hair and dark eyes. Even if Jon's hair can be a bit lighter and his eyes are somewhat blue, they tend to look dark as well. We have different cultural backgrounds being represented : Samoa for Joe, South Korea for Hwasa and Suga and Ohio for Jon. All of them are quite athletic and a little shy around strangers. However with the ones they love they go all out. So those could be traits of your person. Let's investigate further. Most of them are mutable signs (Suga Pisces, Roman Gemini, Dean Sagittarius).

Physical traits - Hierophant, Magician, King of pentacles

One thing that is striking about their appearance is how strong and trustworthy they look. They have a regal air to them that intimidates people. They appear as quite closed off upon first sight. They also look smart and very attractive. There's a lot of Venusian qualities to this person. They dress well, they smell good, they are naturally beautiful but they also take really good care of their body. They have a strong body structure. The feminines tend to be curvy. The masculines tend to have broad shoulders and defined arms. Physically, they give off very serious vibes. They may look uptight or have that so called RBF (though I don't like that term that much). All these cards together make me think that they look unapproachable and that they would hex the shit out of you if you ever cross them. Think of Minerva McGonagall.

Personality traits - The Explorer, The revolutionary, Get curious

Your counterpart is someone that is very open minded and curious. They have a thirst for knowledge and like to challenge themselves. They are incredibly passionate and bold, self confident, adventurous. They tend to follow their inner compass and morals even though it may get them in trouble. They are not afraid of being criticized or being alone. They are ambitious and they know the path to success can be a lonely road. They are a rebel at heart and a free spirit. They might not be as much into traditions as other people in their family or in their business field. This person likes to innovate and go into unknown territories. Differences do not scare them. They can get along with anyone as long as they have a heart and an open mind. They like to create, to find new ways to do things. They are a natural born leader. They can be stubborn, sometimes arrogant or hard to deal with. They have strong morals and tend to be set in their ways. When they have an idea in mind, they are unstoppable. They have a broad imagination, a knack for charming and talking their way out of situations. They can be a bit kinky. They are willing to shift their perspective in order to understand people better. They can be pretty understanding and adaptable.

Possible jobs / hobbies - Strength, Reclaim, White Numen, Underworld, King of pentacles, The Sage

Your counterpart could work in any job requiring strength, creativity, stability, patience and resourcefulness, a certain degree of competitive spirit. So think about fitness, professional level sports, being a member of a big company, being an artist, working freelance in any field. Looking at the tarot cards it does give me the feeling that this person is working alone most of the time. They have a lot of control over their career and the direction they want to go in. So if they work in a company, they would most definitely occupy an important position. This person likes to fight. But their fight seems to be more against their own demons. They enjoy going to the gym, taking care of their body, improving their health and spirituality. They like to learn especially if it can benefit their career in any way. They are the type to pick up a new skill because it would benefit a project and avoid implying other people. They take pride in doing things on their own. This person could be into martial arts /combat sports like boxing, wrestling, taekwondo, judo, karate and so on. They could be a teacher. If not, I get a feeling that they are often looked up to by their peers. This person could have two jobs : one they do publicly/during day and one that is more private / during night. They take interest in unconventional forms of creativity or occupations, things that may be seen as shady / dark by most people. It could be occult arts, horror movies, hardcore porn and stuff like that.

Letters and confirmation signs : A I O G B B K G E O P X W L H -> leo, boogie, pookie, bio(logy), geo(graphy), wale, Hola, Ali, babe, Babi, Kobe, whole, egg, Exo, box, boob, big, philo(sophy), Phil, Paolo, hope, gage, phobia, book, pale, Paige, page, pole, beg, bake, peak, beak, gig

Group 2

Celebrity look alikes - Liv Tyler as Arwen, Hwasa, Jessi and Kai from GazettE

Okay let's analyze what we got here. Many of these celebrities are of Asian descent. They are mostly feminine. We can note a common thread in the fact that all of them have rather long hair and very intense gaze. All of these celebrities are intense people that are not afraid to go after their dreams and to speak their mind. The feminines tend to have very full and beautiful lips. All of them have a very alluring aura. For those of you who might not know all of these celebrities, we have from left to right and top to bottom : Liv Tyler who played Arwen in LOTR, Mamamoo's Hwasa, Kpop solo artist Jessi and Kai, drummer of the Visual Kei band GazettE. Most of these celebrities are artists and they are fixed signs (Hwasa Leo, Jessi Aquarius, Kai Scorpio).

Physical traits - 3 of cups, Queen of cups, 9 of cups

This person is very feminine in their appearance, soft, flowy, welcoming. They appear as very nurturing. They have a motherlike presence to them that instantly makes people at ease. They may look aloof or dreamy. They are pretty cheerful and optimistic. So they probably are the kind to be smiling a lot. They have sparkles in their eyes and a very childlike look to them. So round cheeks, very bright, big and round eyes. They could be a bit petite. They are more on the curvier side. They could like to wear hats or head bands and stuff like that. Jewelry is also a key feature of their look. They tend to wear oversized cloathes or at least comfortable clothes. They like to feel good in their shoes so they would wear clothes that makes them feel the best first, even if it might shock people. Think about Hwasa and her "no bra scandal". In many ways this person could look like a doll to others. They appear as very kind and friendly. There is something about their appearance that is very pure and sweet. So they would prefer simple clothes over classy clothes, or maybe they like to dress like the younger generations. They basically go with the flow. They could have a very particular way of walking. One that makes them look like they could slither their way through things. They are very flexible and they have a lot of meat.

Personality traits - Get curious, destruction, trust

This person is really curious and open minded, they have a happy go lucky type energy but their mind can often times get the best of them. They may tend to compare themselves to others a lot or to overthink. They may struggle with mental health issues. They are a trust worthy peron and they are also faithful. They like to learn and be mentally stimulated, as it keeps their mind busy. This person can be very observant and smart. They have very strong transformative abilities. Though they know a lot of lows, they always find a way to come back stronger and make the best out of any challenge they are going through. They are incredibly resilient and strong minded. They are very opinionated.

Jobs and hobbies - Black Numen, The Observer, Strength, The Wildling, Lovers, Power

Your counterpart's job involves transmuting knowledge, resilience, communication and helping people find their truth. So this could be teaching, coaching, anything related to spirituality or psychology. This person is definitely into divination arts such as chiromancy, tarot, palm reading. They could be into martial arts and reading. Singing could also be something that they enjoy. That or flirting lmao They love to talk. Maybe they have a podcast or something. They are pretty creative so really it could be anything. They like to dig deep and investigate. So they might enjoy TV series about crimes or psychology, podcasts that are empowering. They may enjoy working out for some. But I have a feeling like for some, intimacy could be a way for this person to relax. They view bedroom activities as a hobby lmao

Letters and confirmation signs :

O D A B L Y V W M V G G Z Y C -> YMCA, yoga, Yoda, bald, Zac, May, vocal, wavy, God, gay, BL, Cody, Maggy, dog, doggy

Group 3

Celebrity look alikes - Stray Kids Seo Changbin, Jonathan Good aka Dean Ambrose, Mark Calaway aka The Undertaker, Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerius

These people are super cheeky. They may be very intimidating (I mean we got The Undertaker here) but they are huge softies. All of them are rather masculine in their energy. All of them have hair that tends to get wavy. We are looking at people who have rather dark hair. Some of them have dark grey/green eyes. No matter the eye color they tend to have a fierce gaze and dress in darker colors. All of them are fit and quite tall. They have a strong body and a strong mindset. They tend to be lone wolves and have a hard time asking for help. They would do anything for the people they love. All of them are fire signs (Kate and Changbin are Leos, Jon is a Sagittarius and Mark is an Aries). All of them have strong morals and don't hesitate to speak their truth.

Physical traits - The Sun, 2 of swords, 4 of wands

They have freckles and their skin tends to be tanned. Their skin is glowy. They have a balanced body figure and are pretty agile. They look sturdy, strong, reliable. People feel at home next to them. So they can definitely have big arms that give the best cuddles, a very comfortable chest to lay your head on. They appear very outgoing and bright. They look like they shine. They are definitely attractive. Their beauty is one that is popular, conventional, a bit trendy. So in terms of fashion, this person would follow the trends of people their age or people of the same culture. Their fashion style can also be quite versatile. They look like they are husband/wife material. What is and isn't husband/wife material varies on people. But usually these terms are used for someone that looks like they would make you feel safe and loved, would take good care of you and match your expectations of a partner. So this person definitely appears as trustworthy.

Personality traits - Manifest, The Alchemist, Movement

Your counterpart is horny most of the time. They have a lot of drive and passion. They are a good manifestor and a bit of a trickster. They can turn anything to gold. They are very crafty and good with their hands. They are quite stubborn but also resilient. They are very adaptable and can handle difficult situations pretty well. They are not afraid of challenges and to try their hands on different things. They are very skilled and witty. They're also very smart and have a lot of healing abilities. Since they've been through a lot, they can spot negative patterns pretty well and find creative ways to counter them. They tend to be harsh on themselves. They have a lot of venom that they tend to repress. This person is likely to have anger issues. They can't stay still. Their mind is constantly working. They can anticipate a lot of things and see into the future. They can take a new idea and make it fit to their own style, sometimes making it ten times better than the original one. They have a very sexy personality. People tend to be drawn to their mind.

Jobs and hobbies - page of pentacles, surrender, knight of pentacles, reclaim, 3 of pentacles, the void

I definitely see this person sharing their knowledge with others and helping younger people reach their goals. They could also be attending college. Some of them may be involved in spiritual and religious practices. They could be spending a lot of time giving to their community, doing humanitarian work, going to Church or any place of cult. For some of you, your counterpart may have decided to change their career and gave up their position to go back to school. They could also be into anything that is related to the body, appearances, learning and sharing. So fitness, modeling, dancing. They could be into meditation or just spending time in nature, far from people to recharge their batteries. They could be into hunting, fishing, camping, gardening, farming. This person may be going through a spiritual awakening and leaving behind hold habits or patterns to live a healthier life. So if they were struggling with addictions or their body image, for instance, they've decided to heal that part of themself and work on it. They could also be a farmer for some of you.

Letters and confirmation signs :

Y G R H E C B P I F A R S L E -> Paris, Fabrice, chase, cars, bars, lace, years, sale, RBF, fly, air, rice, chief, gears, biceps, abs, selfie, selca, fears, far, celeb, Alice, clear, Claire

[howlsofbloodhounds]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! (Hope I'm not late TvT)

GRgehehheh I can't draw rn but I'll give some headcanons I have on the back burner of my mind

- Valentine by Laufey is definitely Killermare's / ColorKiller's song

- The star sanses are the most overworked sanses ever and if they do have vacations they have dates in underswap because they feel the safest there

- Imagine Killer meeting Color for the first time after being with Nightmare for so long, like, His eyes already got so used to the dark that seeing Color literally blinded him or something

- Geno and Dream are secret besties

- Bad Sans poly but everyone has a major crush on killer meanwhile Killer is the most oblivious one out of all of them

- Epic likes to show Delta memes but Delta does NOT know what the hell memes are (I like to imagine he's just a guy that doesn't get into internet culture a lot)

- Domestic ColorKiller but Killer adopts a stray black cat that reminds him of Nightmare (he's coping)

I have more but these are the ones I remember the most shfhwhhdhw

Thank you! Dw, you’re not late!

And I have to give that song a listen to soon, but i love that yall are recommending me songs, please keep doing that 🙏. And the idea of both Color and Delta not being very big online people is hilarious, because they have no clue whatsoever what Epic is talking about, but at least Epic has Cross and Killer.

Bad Sans Poly where Killer is oblivious is adorable, but i raise you that Killer is very aware and just thinks it isn’t real—and if it is real, then it’ll pass.

Honestly i think Color would be supportive of Killer having a cat like that. Killer may be more hesitant, because it’s not like he misses Nightmare for any emotional reasons or Nightmare as a person—he just got used to his presence, the purpose provided, although he definitely prefers what Color offers more—and if he’s trying to “be better,” and “good” then missing Nightmare might be “bad.”

Only Color comes in clutch, reassuring him that emotions are not “good” or “bad”, and no one gets to tell him who he can or can’t miss—regardless of what his relationship with those people might’ve been.

So long as Killer is aware of the harm done to him, that it was undeniably wrong and unwarranted and not deserved at all, hes entitled to feeling or thinking whatever he feels or thinks about nightmare. And that doesn’t make him “bad” and isnt a sign of backtracking or making no progress—and i think killer would definitely be the one focusing on being taught how to be a “good person” part, using color as his moral compass, even though color is just more focused on keeping him safe, healthy, happy and recovering.

{ @orchidlikesgamez }

[shinesurge]

Honestly I got the impression that The Sprawl changes shape. Like the whole reason Phin needed a magic compass was that the way to Kairos Crossing wasn't a straight line, no matter how high in the sky you go.

The roads to nearby towns probably keep working most of the time, but the direction to the nearest town? The distance? That could change daily. Maybe there's even impossible geographic features, should you look at them too closely. Like how The Caravan seems to have been floating down a stream for at least a century? That's a really long river unless it flows into itself

I'm so glad to hear this is the impression because you're correct! Nothing in the sprawl stays where it's put, for various reasons. Part of why all the settlements we've seen tend to be so isolated and vastly different wrt resources and culture or technology is because it's usually really difficult to travel between them, or build one up enough to keep things stable. Even people like Dusk usually have to work around it.

The good news is the more people cluster together in one place the more likely some kind of saint will form to help protect it (or they'll have enough material resource to protect themselves), but bad things can still happen kind of out of nowhere lol. Places like Decodenn usually keep growing and stay in one place, but if you don't keep tabs on them places like Last Chance or the caravan might not be there next time you go looking.

As far as the Caravan goes, the river is in fact a bigass loop, but whether it started that way or it's because of Toulouse's time fuckery is undetermined.

[khaire-traveler]

what are ways to connect with hermes as a psychopomp/chthonic deity? aside from like when an actual death occurs. im realizing i never really have, but id like to!

Hey, Nonny, great question! I don't often see interest in this topic.

A big part of honoring Hermes' Chthonic aspects, from what I have seen, has actually been honoring the dead themselves. During the celebration of the last day of Anthesteria, for example, offerings were given to both Hermes and the souls of the dead, honoring them alongside each other. A specific food offering, called koliva, was given on that day.

With this knowledge, a good way to honor Hermes Chthonios/Psychopompos would be honoring the dead. Doing such things as visiting a loved one's grave, leaving flowers at graves (with permission, of course), and even interacting with ancestors can be ways of connecting with him more. I think another great way of devoting to him is showing kindness and respect to your fellow human. While this can be for Ouranic Hermes as well, I think having compassion to others (not at the expense of yourself) is still a great devotional act to Chthonic Hermes. As a Psychopomp, I'd have to imagine he has to be pretty compassionate towards the souls of the dead to effectively do his job. I'm sure he's helped terrified souls, furious souls, and confused souls cross the threshold into the afterlife, so practicing that same kindness towards others in your life is a great devotional act. Help life be easier and more enjoyable for one another. :) Simply working to enjoy your life can also be good. Trying things you've always wanted to try, engaging in activities that make you happy, volunteering for causes you care about - such activities could all be dedicated to him. Enjoying the life you currently have is an underrated form of devotion, in my opinion, and it's something I've found Hermes likes a lot (he's even actively helping me with it).

Something I like to do to as well is engage with media that discusses death. Two movies I recommend watching with Hermes Chthonios would be Puss in Boots & The Last Wish and Coco (I know Coco is a different culture, but the way it approaches the topic of death is very nice, I think). Also, media like Ask A Mortician on YouTube works because it engages your curiosity - a trait Hermes seems to value - and helps resolve any fears you may have towards death/educates you on the topic.

As for offerings to give to that aspect of Hermes, I would say incense that reminds you of his specific energy is a good option. You can give him classic scents he normally likes as well, such as frankincense, lavender, and myrrh. Black gemstones or rocks make a good offering as well; I'm personally a big fan of black tourmaline to represent Chthonic deities. Dedicating the tarot card Death to him from one of your decks (if any) could be good. Speaking of, any art you make of him works perfectly. In ancient Greece, butterflies were thought to be the souls of the dead, so butterfly imagery would be great, too. Giving him drink offerings such as black coffee, warm milk with honey and cinnamon, and lavender tea would work. Maybe also dedicating water placed under a new moon (I would specifically give it to him at night). A reminder that these are mostly based on UPG (some are historical)!

If anyone else has more suggestions, please feel free to share!

I hope this helps a bit. I hope you enjoy connecting with Hermes on that Chthonic level. Good luck to you, and have a good day/night. <3