#Favor and Anointing

[babythegod]

[lordgodjehovahsway]

2 Samuel 2: God Tells David To God Up To Judah To Be Anointed King

1 In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.

2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 

3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 

4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.

When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 

5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 

6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 

7 Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”

War Between the Houses of David and Saul

8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 

9 He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 

11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.

12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 

13 Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”

“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 

16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.

18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 

19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 

20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“It is,” he answered.

21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”

23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 

25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”

28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim.

30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 

31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 

32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

[metamorphosis14]

“Con tremendas cosas nos responderás tú en justicia,

Oh Dios de nuestra salvación,

Esperanza de todos los términos de la tierra,

Y de los más remotos confines del mar.” (Salmo 65:5)

[restorationofthetentofdavid]

MORNING DEVOTION AND PRAYERS, PROVERBS CHAPTER 13, PART 2.

Proverbs 13:13-15 (ESV) Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. By Pastor Lenny Were. Type your email… Subscribe

[revivalfire1]

We Need Grace For Endurance!

[dailyeffectiveprayer]

Arise In Morning Prayer | Give Your Best To God Through This Prayer & Unleash His Anointing & Favor

[witch-of-snow-and-stars]

How to Make a Charm Necklace Magic-Style

✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩‧⁺⋆⁺‧₊☽✧☾₊‧⁺⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

So in a recent post I talked about having a set of charms that I wear whenever I leave the house. I thought it might be a fun tutorial to detail how someone could make a similar thing for themselves! The post is a long one, so the rest of the guide is under the cut!

Step 1: Lay out all of your perspective charms and see what speaks to you and what you might want to put together. When you're choosing pieces, try to think of your goal and intent while you're putting your charms together (i.e. mine is for general day-to-day so I mostly focus the charms around safety, ease of way, and good fortune. Tailor yours to what you need). You don't have to make a necklace, just make sure that whatever you're attaching your charms to and the jump ring(s) connecting everything are sturdy enough to hold the charms' weight.

I have a 'main' components and 'auxiliary' components with the main components being the anchor points and foundation of what I'm working towards (i.e. I have my locket with sigils and my key charms as main components and I'll switch out the other parts as desired). Listed below are some ideas for options that you can combine, but use whatever feels best to you:

Lockets- I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that a locket is part of your configuration. You can fit a slip of paper with spells/sigils written on it AND if it's a scent locket you can add a bit of fabric with a perfume oil or a spell oil that would be safe to wear (check the spell oil ingredients if you're going to use a spell oil).

Bottle/Vial Charm Pendants- these are really good for wearable spell jars (you'd just have to careful about breaking them). You can buy pre-made bottle spell charms (there are a lot of options available) OR you can buy a vial pendant and do a working of your own choosing depending on your preferences/needs (there are also many options for empty vial charms you can buy). You could also keep spell powders/dusts in a vial charm (also usable for on-the-go workings).

Crystal Pendants- If you are someone who utilizes crystals in your practice, having some complementary crystals or crystals that you tend to favor can really add a kick.

Religious pendants/charms- Pentacles/crosses/saint pendants/deity pendants/etc. are all good options for this sort of configuration if they're something that features in your practice or you have a specific figure you want to invoke.

Symbol/Icon charms- similarly to the option above, charms that have animals/flowers/symbols/ whatever else you may want to invoke the properties/help of can be a good addition as well

Bells- bells have traditionally been used in different cultures for sound cleansing and to ward off negative spirits/entities. If that's something you might want (and are ok with making some noise) adding a bell might be a nice touch.

Keys- keys are useful magically for unblocking roads, gaining access, and invoking magic/energy relating to crossroads. Keys/key charms can be pretty easy to get too, so it might be worth trying to have one in your configuration.

Other meaningful charms: as it says on the tin, if it's important to you or you want to keep it on you, try it out in your configuration see if it will work well with it. In the picture above of my own pendant collection alongside more standard pieces there's an antique pen knife that can be worn as a pendant. Put whatever you want on these configurations is my point.

Tip! Some pendants like the pendant on the right have a paste/textured back that you can write on. If that's something you'd want to do, aim for something that looks like the pendant on the right. It's a solid way to hide sigil magic in your jewelry.

Step 2: Prepare the individual charms that you're going to be putting together. Clean/cleanse* everything appropriately (use mundane and magical methods), get sigils written out, anoint anything that you want to anoint, charge/enchant anything that needs it- whatever workings you need to do to the individual components of your charm necklace, do them now.

*If you're using metal pieces (especially if they're old/antique) there's a decent chance you may need to clean those pieces periodically with a metal cleaner/polish. When you clean the metal, do maintenance work for the rest of the configuration by charging/re-enchanting the other charms.

Step 3: Put your charms together and test out your configuration. Sometimes things won't work together as well together or a different component will work better in your configuration.

Ending Notes & Tips

If you put something like this on an object, make sure you focus on how you need/want to effect the object. Like, I have another variation of this on a chain on my bag, and that working is more focused on security and being unobtrusive more than anything else.

Generally I would consider how fragile your individual charms/items are and how likely breakages are to occur. You don't want to be scattering any broken glass/sharp bits and you definitely don't want to cut yourself on anything in the event of any broken charms.

Other considerations should be if individual parts are safe to wear. As previously mentioned, select for spell oils that are safe to wear and for crystal pendants that won't interact with water/skin oils/body products (i.e. selenite melts in water and pyrite will create sulfuric acid when exposed to water). Basically make sure that having this on your skin isn't going to cause any problems for you.

It can be a a good idea to change up individual charms in your configuration to tweak things to your daily needs. Using my usual configuration as an example, I'll switch out my crystal pendants or other charms if I have specific needs/events for a day (like maybe if I'm traveling I'd add more protection/safe travel oriented charms or if I had a date on I'd choose one of my love/attraction charms).

I hope this gave you some ideas for your own practice, thanks for reading💜

✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩‧⁺⋆⁺‧₊☽✧☾₊‧⁺⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊°.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

[lichilly]

"Hello there, friend."

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀🌞⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

I've been playing around with the idea of Jack being the leader of the Cloudy Town cult!

The town is very picturesque and vibrant, with colorful houses, well-kept gardens, and friendly residents. The streets are always clean, and theres a perpetual atmosphere of celebration!

The Sun is revered as a life-giving deity, and to maintain the sun’s favor, periodic sacrifices are made—animals, and in most extreme cases, humans. The symbol of the Sun is a recurring motif in Cloudy Town. found on buildings, clothes, decorations, and just about everything!

Jack is a very well-loved and respected figure in Cloudy Town. He has a special connection to the Sun, often leading prayers, festivals, sacrifices, and much more!

Every morning at sunrise, Jack and the townspeople gather in the central plaza to perform a morning prayer and chant, welcoming the Sun's rise. This helps show their gratitude for the Sun's light and warmth, reinforcing their devotion while also bringing the community together in unity. At sunset, they will gather in the plaza again to pray for the Sun's return, expressing hope and trust in the Sun's cyclical nature, while also strengthening faith.

Once a month, Jack will lead a blessing ceremony, where he anoints participants with a mixture of sunflower oil and herbs under the noon sun. This purifies and bless those in need, ensuring good health and fertility.

Summer Solstice is a beloved celebration for the townsfolk. A special prayer is said at sunrise, kicking off the day with positive energy and high sprits for the special day to come. A grand feast is held at high noon, featuring grilled vegtables, fruits, and meats cooked over open flames to honor the Sun. Dishes are often infused with citrus falvors and herbs lke basil and thyme. Sun-shaped breads and cakes decorated with yellow and orange fruits are served as well, courtesy of Rory's bakery.

The kids of Cloudy Town are welcomed to join in activites like creating sun-inspired crafts and decorations. Sun masks are especially popular, created out of paper plates and decorated with markers and paint to look like the Sun.

As sunset during Summer Solstice, the townsfolk parktake in a fire dance around a large bonfire. Music is played, consiting of joyful singing and instruments. At the end of the fire dance, families will bring offerings such as wreaths, floral arrangments, and sun symbols and throw them in the fire. The smoke that billows from the bonfire will carry the offerings up the sky for the Sun to recieve.

Instead of clown costumes, the people in Cloudy Town wear lightweight, breathable fabrics like dresses, blouses, skirts, and tunics with loose-fitting trousers or shorts, which are more suitable for the sunny weather. The clothes are decorated in sun motifs, often embroidered with yellow stiching that creates beautiful sun rays and abstract swirls across the fabric. Everyone wears a sun pendant around their neck, and are often used during prayers to help feel more connected to the Sun.

In the image above you can see Jack wearing his ritual clothes—a long golden robe with a sun pendant clasping it all together. During rituals, everyone involved wears a sun-themed mask. Special rituals are held at the hidden Sun Temple in the woods by Cloudy Town and are either held at sunrise or sunset. These rituals are usually where human sacrifices are made.

The MC is on a roadtrip with their friends Shaun, Nick, and boyfriend Ian, when their van breaks down a mile or two away from Cloudy Town. With no other option and no cell service, they start to walk in search of a nearby town. After hours of walking, they stumble across Cloudy Town and are quickly welcomed with open arms and warm smiles. The group found the town eerie, far too perfect and welcoming, and is set on leaving as soon as they can. Jack assures the group that he'll get their van fixed promptly and invites them to stay in town for the night. Upon accepting his offer, Jack quickly takes a warm liking to the MC, often making subtle, flatttering remarks about the MC's radiant energy, comparing it to the Sun's radiance.

There still a lot I'm thinking over when it comes to this AU! Some of this info may change with time, but this is the main brain dumb I'm mulling over. I hope you enjoy it!

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀🌞⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

BLOOD VER. UNDER CUT

[whiskeyswifty]

the way everyone is like this man here and this man there and I’m over here like my favorite eternal push and pull in taylor's life is how Taylor and Olivia will be doomed to orbit each other and clash and crash into each other until one of them leaves the spotlight or dies. and how Olivia is what Taylor made her and anointed her to be, but she has outgrown her maker. and don’t you want better for your children? but no wait not better than me... wait hold on... the ego of the mother creating her disciple in hubris saying of course she’s just like me until oh no…. she’s just like me… I was irreplaceable until I created my replacement…. forever intertwined. too resentful to let it go but too enamored with the reflections of themselves they see in each other to destroy. even if they don’t speak the world has shackled them together something something. and I think so much of the album is her hitting the realization head on that nothing lasts forever. nothing. not love not even after YEARS of work put into it and not public favor and not self esteem it took YEARS to build and not even satisfaction both in sex and in life's spoils. but also that huge one like oh and me…. even I won’t last forever. not mortality but worse; the waning moon of my talent being the brightest in the sky. i LOOOOOOVE this meta textual shit and it's a tale as old as time, quite literally a history creator and creation are doomed to repeat. she both hands her the keys to the city on this album and also inadvertently creates a song that is the exact same concept olivia made, but this time Olivia beat her to it like... The future isn't here yet, and it is bright but it belongs to someone else now!!!

[babythegod]

[exhausted-archivist]

Item Lore from Warrior Gameplay Trailer

Images below the cut, they are images of item/weapon/armor stats with their lore blurbs. I am only transcribing the name, item type, and relevant lore. I'm not including the stats or damage as those aren't the focus of this.

Golden Casque (Rare Heavy Helm) Tall and plumed, this fine helmet is the color of gold -- but much harder to dent. This equipment has the Lord of Fortune symbol at the top

The Iron Caste Rare Heavy Armor This armor's vividly sculpted musculature is a testament to Nevarra's unrivaled knowledge of anatomy. This equipment has the Mourn Watch symbol at the top.

Necropolis Defender Rare Targe The elite guards who stand watch at the gates of the Grand Necropolis use these shields to guard against both the living and the dead. This equipment has the Mourn Watch symbol at the top.

Spellbound Longsword Rare Longsword This enhanced longsword is bound with burning magic. This equipment has the Shadow Dragons symbol at the top.

Andraste's Will Unique Ring Andraste was tied to a stake and burned while her earthly husband turned his armies aside and did nothing, for his heart had been devoured. This equipment has the Shadow Dragons symbol at the top.

Amaranthine Loop Uncommon Ring Favored by Crows, the uniform rows of stones add balance and precision to every blow. Also some elegance. This weapon has the Antivan Crow symbol at the top.

Heart of Andraste Uncommon Amulet A charm given to newly anointed Fathers of the Imperial Chantry, the cracked stone serves as a reminder of Andraste's mortal heart.

Blight Killer +1 Rare Longsword (Davrin) An intimidating, one-of-a-kind sword cut from solid obsidian. It is perfectly balanced. This weapon has the Grey Warden symbol at the top.

Reforged Bulwark Uncommon Heater (Davrin) Reclaimed from the ruins of an old Warden stronghold, this shield honors the sacrifices of Wardens past while defending their future. This weapon has the Grey Warden symbol at the top.

[thevelaryons]

I’ve always found it interesting that of the lowborn/bastard women in the DotD, Marilda is the only one who doesn’t get slandered and insulted in the Westerosi history books.

Speaking specifically about the women who were rumored to have had affairs with noblemen, the women (Sara Snow/Alys Rivers/Nettles) in particular get derogatory descriptions for various reasons. The men they are linked to all either die or are unable to do anything about the rumors (Sara: her rumored lover Jace dies and her brother Cregan is far away in the North when those rumors become a thing in the South years later/Alys: her rumored lover Aemond dies and her son is obviously too young to do anything about the insults people are saying about his mother/Nettles: her rumored lover Daemon dies). Regardless of whether any of the rumors were true or not, it's still the women in the relationships who were described in a negative manner. Even men like Aemond or Daemon don't get as slandered, despite their more controversial actions.

Sara may or may not have existed (the fact that her existence alone is doubted speaks for itself) but in the history books she is described as an "unwashed" bastard. Even the fact she was a virgin at the time of her affair with Jace is called into question. Alys gets descriptors like "slattern" and "cow". She is reviled as a seductress and witch who would sacrifice her own children. Nettles gets insulted as well, both by characters around her and the maesters/septons recording the histories. Beyond the classism, there is also a racial angle to the insults with her skin colour always being at the forefront when she gets called "dirty" and "creature". It’s unfortunate but Westerosi society is unfair to women, especially those of a lower social class, and so they do often have to rely on the men in their lives, whether that’s a male lover/husband, their father, brother(s) or son(s) as a source of protection. Characters like Sara/Alys/Nettles don't get that protection.

Then you get to Marilda's descriptions in the book, and it's completely clean. Not a single insult is uttered against her despite her supposed involvement with two different Velaryon men. Whether her affair was with Corlys or Laenor, it occurred at the time when they were married men. Laenor is dead by the time when he's claimed to be the father of Marilda's sons. But Corlys is alive and well. Not to mention, he's a very well respected figure in Westerosi society. That being said, I can’t see Corlys doing any major PR control here since he does not have the means to do so.

Alyn, however, could ensure his mother did not get negative remarks. He's the one said to have fostered close ties to the Citadel and a positive relationship with the Faith. On more than one occasion, he was anointed by the High Septon himself, which is something that's typically reserved for the King or his Kingsguard. So I think Alyn might’ve used that influence to his favor.

While Alyn does seem like the type who doesn’t care much about what others think of him, he clearly respects his mother so I doubt he would want her to have a bad reputation. Even concerning the rumors of Alyn's potential affairs, the maesters are somewhat dismissive about them and call the rumors "unreliable". They don't give much credence to what third parties are saying on such matters. As for Alyn's mother, she is spoken of with nothing but respect and even flattery at times.

History is truly written by the victors.

[eatmangoesnekkid]

Tuscany Italy

Making social media earn my attention more…because when we log into these little devices, social media makes so much money off our attention and as a creative, I am seeing how being responsible for our creative process like we are midwifing our own baby onto the earth plane is essential and mature (like really taking how we direct our attention into our hearts because it is our real currency (and future karma)). And if you were born with a womb, you are always pregnant and in the creation of something by divine biological design. Think about it. I wonder how much genuine organic much-needed creativity has been compromised, numbed, let go of, or deferred to other lifetimes (or in worse case, likely may never happen in the way it was anointed to) because we are always on these apps and being crowded and infiltrated in our life force with fear, distractions, and misinformation that squander or greatly reduce our ethereal healing gifts. We are missing out on making some of the most beautiful love to life around us which can look like many things✨💦. Whatever you do just let your body open and allow the love to wash through your cells and tissues and leak all out into this world. That pure-hearted high frequency love reorganizes you from inside out and favorably impacts the entire electromagnetic field, meaning, the whole world. I have been spending time deep in my body, because too much emotionally-draining processing of life, of relationships, of the future, etc., leads to numbness eventually, and for the life of me, I will never be a numb woman. On God. 🫀🫀🙈🫀

[thejournallo]

Explain the basic: Offerings

Desclaimer: Everything I will talk about is information that I got from books and sites online and even videos on YouTube. In my years of practice, I learned as much as I could out of curiosity and what works best for me. I suggest you do the same by learning as much as you can on your own (I will be here making posts teaching this kind of stuff) from multiple sources.

Offering to deities and entities in general is a practice found in many cultures and religions around the world. Every deity or entity that you make an offering for has its own symbol. For example, Apollo is the god of the sun; music, art, and poetry; writing something or singing for him can be offerings. 

There are many religions that take on the act of offering as a sign of respect and devotion to that specific religion. Here are some examples:

Hinduism: Offerings (puja) often include fruits, flowers, incense, and food, placed before images of deities in temples or home altars.

Buddhism: Offerings may include candles, incense, flowers, and food, placed before statues of the Buddha and bodhisattvas.

Christianity: Candles, bread, and wine are common offerings, especially in the context of the Eucharist.

Shinto: Offerings of rice, sake, and other food items are made at shrines to honor kami (spirits or gods).

Paganism and Wicca: Offerings might include seasonal fruits, flowers, wine, and personal tokens, placed on altars dedicated to specific deities or nature spirits.

All these religions have common practices that we can see and see over time; all of those are not rules but more something you can do or not do. (Especially because no one has the same opportunities.)

Altars: A dedicated space where offerings are made. This can be a simple shelf at home or an elaborate structure in a temple.

Purity: Many traditions emphasize the importance of purity in the offerings, meaning they should be clean and handled with respect.

Timing: Offerings are often made at specific times, such as during festivals, holy days, or particular phases of the moon.

Intention: The mindset and intention behind the offering are crucial. It should be given with respect, devotion, and a pure heart.

These offerings can take various forms, each carrying its own significance and purpose. Here's an overview of the different types of offerings and the common practices associated with them:

Types of Offerings

Food and Drink:

Fruits, grains, and vegetables: Often used in offerings to symbolize abundance and gratitude.

Cooked meals: Specific dishes that are favored by the deity or entity.

Drinks: This can include water, wine, milk, or other beverages. In some traditions, alcoholic drinks like mead or sake are common.

Sweets and desserts: Cakes, candies, or other sweet treats, especially those that are traditional or culturally significant.

Flowers and Plants:

Fresh flowers: Often chosen for their beauty and fragrance. Certain flowers are associated with specific deities.

Herbs:: Sacred or medicinal herbs may be offered for their symbolic properties.

Incense and Aromatics:

incense: Burned to create a fragrant smoke that is believed to please the deities.

Essential oils: Used for anointing or in diffusers to create a sacred atmosphere.

Candles and Lights:

Candles: Lit to symbolize light, purity, and the presence of the divine.

Oil lamps: Used in many traditions, often with ghee or olive oil.

Objects and Symbols:

Statues or images: Placed on altars as representations of the deity or entity.

Jewelry or precious items: Offered as a sign of respect and devotion.

Money and Valuables:

Coins or currency: Offered in temples or shrines, sometimes used to support the upkeep of the place of worship.

Jewelry or precious items: Given as a form of sacrifice or in seeking favor.

Actions and Devotions:

Prayers and chants: Recited to honor the deity or entity.

Songs and music: Played or sung as a form of praise.

Dance: Performed in some cultures as an offering of movement and energy.

Conclusion

Offering to deities and entities is a deeply personal and culturally rich practice. It serves as a way to connect with the divine, show gratitude, seek blessings, and maintain a reciprocal relationship with the spiritual world. The specific items and practices may vary, but the underlying principles of respect, devotion, and intention remain consistent across different traditions.

[dailyeffectiveprayer]

There is greatness in you. God created you in His own image. You’ve been equipped, empowered, anointed, and covered in His favor.

[resurgentclass-stardestroyer]

Okay I'm going to show myself for the obsessive little freak that I am and just highlight the juicy Hux moments in Chapter 6 of the TLJ novelization, because there's so much good stuff

First sentence:

As the turbolift doors shut, General Hux tugged at the cuffs of his uniform, even though he knew they were perfect.

Off the bat — I just love his nervous, fidgeting little hands. He's constantly rubbing his hands together when he's agitated in the movies. It's his Thing. And nervously tugging on his cuffs in the elevator is a perfect image.

He tried not to think how long it had been since Supreme Leader Snoke had summoned him to his throne room aboard the enormous warship known as the Supremacy.

Snoke apparently hasn't summoned Hux for a personal audience in some time, and that makes Hux nervous. Why? I think it could be either that Snoke's presence and the throne room itself makes Hux nervous, or that maybe Hux is reflecting on the fact that he hasn't been in Snoke's favor lately, or both.

Its designers had anointed [Supremacy] the first of the galaxy's Mega-class Star Destroyers, but such a classification struck Hux as essentially meaningless. True, the Supremacy could deliver the destructive power of a full fleet. But that was a decidedly narrow perspective from which to assess its capabilities. Within the armored hull were production lines churning out everything from stormtrooper armor to Star Destroyers [...] The Supremacy's industrial capacity outstripped that of entire star systems [...]

Hux seems to care much less about the offensive capabilities of Supremacy than its immense industrial and technological capabilities. Which is quite interesting, for The General of an aggressively militaristic regime.

But until that promise was fulfilled, the First Order's capital would be mobile. It would be the Supremacy. It was a strategy that Hux had helped formulate. The Supremacy couldn't be cut off from its supply lines, as it carried them with it.

Hux helped to formulate the concept of a mobile starship headquarters for the FO — a little glimpse into how central Hux was to the development of the FO, despite how Snoke dismisses him. Again, Hux was mostly focused on the industrial advantages.

And the name of Armitage Hux would be remembered, too— of that he was certain. It would be exalted as the builder of the First Order's armies, architect of its technological revolution, and the executioner of the New Republic. And, very soon, the destroyer of the Resistance. For which he would earn another reward, Hux mused. Commander of the Supremacy would be an excellent title... surpassed only by that of Supreme Leader Hux.

Big surprise, Hux is a bit obsessed being remembered forever [which I always think carries some interesting undertones, considering he gets the name from his father]. He also wants to be the commander of Supremacy, if not the Supreme Leader. [I am once again feeling skeptical about the actual weight of destroying the Resistance. It still seems to me that wiping multiple planets and billions of people from the galaxy, the FO's powerful political rival, is a more impressive accomplishment than destroying a relatively small fringe military rival. but alas.] [I believe the whole 'Hux wants to be Grand Marshal' thing was introduced in TLJ, which is something I really like, but they don't mention it here...]

The door opened and Hux stepped into that domain, one of the few beings ever accorded the privilege of seeing Snoke in the flesh.

Hux is one of the very few people to ever see Snoke in person.

Hux knew the Force was real -- his body still ached from being slammed to the deck of the Finalizer. But such sorcery was a last dying echo of ancient history, unreliable and unpredictable where technological prowess delivered certainty [...] There was just Snoke, and his loathsome creature Kylo Ren.

I just love Hux referring to the Force as sorcery so much. He acknowledges its existence and its power, but he thinks it ridiculous and primitive; Hux values the certainty, stability, efficiency, and order technology delivers, over the capriciousness of sorcery.

And Skywalker, whom Snoke and Ren had hunted so avidly, at the expense of much else that needed doing.

!!! I'm reading the novels out of order, so maybe this was harped on in TFA too, but — clear confirmation that Hux was miffed with Snoke's hunt for Skywalker, thought it a waste of FO time and resources, which I think is so important. Hux may have taken Snoke's orders without question, and even defended them when Kylo wanted his own way, but he was still critical of them. It's likely that this has been a point of contention between them since at least the Order became aware of the map, if not longer.

Hux's shoulders tensed at the icy anger in [Snoke's] voice. He forced himself to remain impassive. If Snoke had wanted to kill him, he would have done it aboard the Finalizer, where Hux's demise would have served as an object lesson to others. He would't have wasted time by summoning him here to do away with him in secret. "You say you can track the Resistance fleet even after its escape to hyperspace -- something no military force in galactic history has been able to do," Snoke said, and Hux relaxed. Now the Supreme Leader was in Hux's arena.

Hux is a bit afraid of Snoke [and check that automatic fear response], well aware that Snoke could strike him down at any moment of Snoke's choosing. But he's very calculating about others' intentions and motivations. I love how he quickly puts together that Snoke won't kill him here, that Snoke would've killed him earlier as a demonstration if he wanted him dead.

Love how he relaxes and becomes confident when the topic turns over to Hux's interests. He's at least secure in the superiority of his expertise in the this area over Snoke.

"So your solution to this ancient problem is no conceptual breakthrough," Snoke said. "Your invention is a product not of genius, but brute force." "Brute force is underrated, Supreme Leader," Hux said with a smile.

"Brute force is underrated" is such an interesting but lovely sentiment coming from Hux, and, I think, accurate. He may not be physically brutal and he's much more intellectually focused, but his methods absolutely brutal. The militarism of the Order, and Starkiller, are pictures of 'brute force.' Though, it reminds me of a certain 'loathsome creature'...

Also, 'with a smile'........ cute

As Hux got to his feet, the turbolift opened behind him and Ren stepped into the throne room, face hidden behind his black-and-silver mask. Hux couldn't resist grinning at him. "Hux's new toy appears to be working," Snoke told Ren.

Sorry it's just so funny and kills me that Hux is being such a cunt to Ren when Ren's at his lowest. He can't resist taunting him. Bastard. I love them.

Snoke calling Hux's inventions his 'toys' is pretty dismissive of Hux, and I think revealing of their relationship. But it doesn't seem to bother Hux much, because again this is his 'arena' and he's very confident in his abilities. For apparently being dismissive about them, Snoke puts an awful lot of faith into Hux's 'toys.' It almost comes off as insecure.

Snoke had shepherded the First Order through its years in the galactic wilds, transforming a band of Imperial refugees into a weapon forged to reclaim the galaxy. As such, he would always be remembered. But Hux knew the future would need a different kind of leader--one able to direct the galaxies industries and nurture their innovations, while commanding its citizens' respect. Snoke wasn't that leader. And neither was Ren.

Gah. This is so important. Overwhelmingly important. And-? To me this is like, a glimpse of TFA Hux and Hux as he was meant to be. This is less hysterical hotheaded TLJ Hux. This part mostly speaks for itself and I think plenty has been said by others, I don't have anything unique to add — just that 'while commanding its citizens' respect' is so integral to his character, AND it sounds like it came right out of Sloane's mouth.

One thing about this novel, they really push 'Hux is more interested in industry and technology than military aspects', and honestly I love it. It shows Hux thinking far beyond the war they're engaged in, and shows his intentions — his point isn't galactic militaristic domination for galactic militaristic domination's sake, despite how it appears on the surface. He isn't focused on being a military commander forever. Hux is focused on his future as a leader of a galactic industrial and technological revolution.

I wish they went further in what Hux's plans were in regards to Snoke here. Hux clearly senses his future as the FO's Supreme Leader -- but there's no mention of any plan whatsoever on how he's going to take over. Maybe that's why he failed miserably when Ren declared himself SL :/