#God and sacrifice and the nature of such things etc etc

[raspberryzingaaa]

I need a "less intense about Bible studies" mode.

I gotta feel uncomfortable in a "still attempting to make a good impression" sort of held together way.

[ubeb0nes]

Things Sevika says as your lover…

❧ ❧ ❧

Let me do it. / I'll handle it. / Don't worry, I'll take care of it.

She wants to take care of you so, so bad. Whether that's opening every door and pulling out every chair for you, or wiping someone off the face of the earth in your name.

She's in her element when she's of service. Deep down, she thinks that as long as she proves useful then your continued affection is almost guaranteed.

Can't do that anymore, my woman/partner said so. / Wrap this up. I gotta get home to them.

She is yours, no ifs or buts about it. And she makes sure everyone knows how fiercely loyal she is, she will not be doing anything to disrespect your boundaries or your relationship.

Obviously her work and her abrasive nature will put a natural strain on some parts of your relationship, but she's never intentionally causing you distress. Loyalty's her most important personal value, and you have the most of hers.

No, get behind me! / I said stay here. / I need you safe, understand?

You're a culmination of everything she's fighting for. All the beauty of Zaun, her reason for sticking her heart in this city, you are all of that personified. So you can't die. You can't get hurt.

If she has to lock you in the house to keep you from following her into a death mission, she will. You'll understand. She's always taken a beating for the ones she loves, the role thrust upon her that she now clings to like a hardy mask.

Stand down. / Down, baby. / I don't care if you don't like it, follow orders.

If you follow her into combat, good luck with getting bossed around like crazy. She always keeps you in her line of sight, preferably also within three feet of you so she can jump in front of you to sacrifice another limb if need be.

She's also absolutely zero nonense while working. She isn't flirting with you or showing vulnerability in front of her crew, but she is relishing in getting to tell you what to do (and she expects you to heed immediately).

'S all for you, doll… / Mm-mm, you're not getting up… / Pretty thing… so warm… love you so much…

She only ever talks like this when she's sleepy, or just waking up. She doesn't say I love you much (outside of when she's leaving for work), as to her, it takes away from the weight of it (WRONG imo, but in character i think lol).

The sweetest sweetheart ever when she's all wrapped up in your arms. Her voice is even lower in the mornings, with a distinct gravel to her tone. She uses it to her advantage, whispering such sweet things in your ear as she "subtly" traps you in her arms to keep you in bed.

She keeps repeating the same things over and over again, praising you and professing her love like there's no tomorrow. Her favorite love language switches to words of affirmation while she's drowsy lol.

So good to me, god you keep me sane. / I'm gonna fuckin' give you everything… / You smell so good, I could eat you (she then does actually try to bite you and you scream and push her off the bed)

Nsfw under the cuttt~

Uh uh, don't run from me. / Stop moving. / You're gonna take it either way, don't whine.

One of your favorite games is to see how long you can hold out being a brat (i.e., closing your legs every time she spreads them, shifting your hips away, etc.) before you make her snap and she just manhandles you.

Her displays of strength are usually subtle, like lifting you steadily off the floor and laying you down slowly on the bed without struggle. But when you do finally get her to snap, she's flipping you over on the bed like a pancake, and holding you up against the wall with just her human arm as she fucks you. She barely breaks a sweat holding you down on the bed, no matter how strong or how determined your bratty ass may be.

I'm never fuckin' sharing you, baby. / Look at me. Don't look away, those are *my* pretty eyes, I wanna see them. / Is that good, doll? Whose making you feel good? Mhm, and don't forget it…

Chances are that you end up being the jealous one in your relationship rather than her. But she is extremely possessive. When she gets especially in a mood, she's intent upon fucking you until your brain melts and you're nothing but putty in her hands, obsessed with her.

She reminds you how good she makes you feel, and how she's the only one that can fuck you that way. You're always extra cuddly and touchy in the days following, and she loves it because she knows it means she's stuck on your mind.

[undeadmagick]

Broke Boy Guide to Altar Offerings

Hey! Are you broke but still wanna offer something up to the gods? Don't worry! (So am i) So here's a guide of things that are either free, low cost or that you probably already own to slap onto those altars. Mind you: These are mainly modern offerings that I attribute to these different classification of gods. I'll likely update as time goes on with other classifications :)

General Offerings to Deities:

random flowers from outside

random sticks from outside

hand written letters/prayers

plushies of the animals they're connected to

raw/cooked meats as "sacrifices"

drawn symbols

Art/Creative Deities:

symbol painted bottle caps

pens/pencils/markers

old sketchbooks

stickers/prints

origami

comic books

figurines

Death Deities:

bones or meat from your meals

dirt from a dead plant

dying flowers

skull imagery

coins or other gifts for those passing

photo/belongings of your late loved ones

Familial/Household/Protector of Children Deities:

photobooth photos

jewelry gifted from family

baby teeth from your children

breast milk

old baby shoes

framed photo of family

cookies/bread

homecooked meals

Fire Deities:

birthday candles

charcoal discs

burnt herbs

alcohol

incense

tobacco

matchbox/lighter

Healing Deities:

your current medications

bandaids

water

skincare

vitamin gummies

spell jar in an empty pill bottle

Knowledge/Wisdom Deities:

old books & textbooks

pens/pencils

mini chess pieces

written down philosophical quotes

good test scores/report cards/degrees

Love/Lust Deities:

origami 3D hearts

chapsticks

unused makeup

love letters to deities

love letters about S/O or crush

current perfume/cologne

current lotions

apples

Nature Deities:

plants dedicated to them

herbal tea packets

feathers

milk

fruits/vegetables

spells using recycled materials (toilet paper rolls, etc.)

bread

acorns

Sea Deities:

beach sand

shells

sea water

tiny sea animal figurines

shared fish dinners

makeshift spell jar using a shell

Trickster Deities:

laffy taffy joke wrappers

cards against humanity packs

other comedy card games

[weirdoldmanhoho]

I know it's kind of exaggerated as a joke to say that FMA ends with Ed "punching God" but it's actually really thematically important that Father is not, actually, a God

for all his power, for all of the souls he sacrifices to create Philosopher's Stones, he can never actually achieve Godhood and that's the point

in fact one of the BIGGEST themes in FMA is how ultimately impossible and also disastrous it is for mortal beings to play God, whether that comes in the form of trying to reverse death, using alchemy to experiment with and twist human beings, or seeking immortality

Ed and Al trying to reverse the natural process of death, Father Cornello making himself a god in the eyes of his followers, Shou Tucker playing with his daughter's life in the name of creating a new creature, the attempt to create life leads to the main villains of the series, the king of Xerxes's search for immortality leading to the destruction of his nation, Father's plan to create more Philsopher's stones leading to constant bloodshed, the implication that the emperor of Xing's search for immortality could do the same to Xing, etc. etc. etc.

every single character that tries to play God faces consequences - either for themselves or for others - and Ed is only able to reverse his and Al's consequences because he finally recognizes that alchemy can't ever make him more than human. "Well done, Edward Elric," Truth says after he expresses this - as a direct opposition to his introduction in the Cornello arc, in which he claims that alchemists are the closest thing there is to God

and Father goes through the exact opposite. Father ultimately doesn't fall to Ed but to Truth, because he NEVER gives up his arrogance, and Truth punishes him for it.

[cozymochi]

Coziiii I gotta know, if Nyoka were to ever have a lover how would he be around them? What’s his love language, how attentive to them is he, does he communicate well with them, etc?

Hmm. Normally, I swerve this sorta thing due to the genre of the series I shoved him in being so lover-phobic (half joking). But, lately, I’ve been having a change of heart in terms of just letting hypotheticals roll. (That, and I finally have an answer to toy with.)

Disclaimer: Solely about an established relationship, no courting mention, no mention of the type of person this hypothetical “lover�� is since it’s mostly irrelevant to the question.

Nyoka is the kind of person who is awkward about communicating any feelings outright. He wants to be taken seriously, so using flowery words of love are not exactly in his vocabulary. So, no words of affirmation here, that would have to be displayed through what he does for them instead.

His love language is a mix of quality time and acts of service. He would give undivided attention; actively listen and engage in meaningful conversations.

He’s one to plan out activities without distraction and create special moments. It’s hard to pin if he would even bother being traditionally “romantic” considering he rarely, if ever, would want to stray away from being taken seriously.

At most, giving undivided attention and allowing this person to be in his shared presence for as long as they would like is perfectly acceptable.

In an established relationship, Nyoka would already consider this person as a prospective member of his clan and as such, he would like them to act befitting of the family name. Mind, this is something he values highly for himself and takes pride in, so he considers valuing something similar for this person to be also of upmost importance.

Nyoka would probably try to have this person to shape up and exhibit more dignity and stronger manners to his level, however, would not want this person to be meek or weak-willed either if in an established relationship.

If this was pre-established relationship or from anybody else, a cold correction or scathing investigative question would happen at any faux pas. He’s too serious and is naturally skeptical of people and always would want to investigate their intent. However, since this person is in a different status in his mind now, he would not be as inclined to do so. If there is an established relationship at all that means all the barriers got broken down already, so there’s really no reason to get into it.

He would do unspoken tasks, like go out of his way to make sure they wake up on time, eat when they are supposed to, or make sure they are doing their own obligations in a timely fashion. Nyoka can be rather butler-like at the end of the day. He will act on his own accord but just as easily do what he’s asked to at this person’s request.

He is NOT one for spoiling nor coddling despite all of the above, however.

All that being said, he probably would not want that person to change drastically for his sake at all.

Nyoka would still have his own habits, and he might not voice it, but he would want that person to know that he does care immensely. He ultimately wouldn’t want them to feel any kinds of the same pressure and burdens that he imposes on himself all the time as a result of his upbringing.

He probably would sacrifice his own pride and values for that person if it came down to it. Which is probably pretty important of a demonstration of how serious he is if words aren’t substantial.

…

Not that it matters, none of this is going to occur anyway amirite lol

Well this was only really about communication and love language so I guess I’ll stop here prematurely. It’s a read more cut anyway.

[To be continued if prompted by somebody else cuz god knows I have issues about being shameless at all 👍 Assuming any of this was read. Probably not. Who knows. This ask showed up months ago.]

P.S said person would be allowed to do this to him.

[pubbamoon]

03. KRITTIKA NAKSHATRA (26°40' ARIES - 10°00' TAURUS)

Krittika is the third nakshatra in Vedic astrology. It starts at the late degrees of Aries sign, while it continues and ends in Taurus sign. This nakshatra is ruled by the Sun, the planet which represents the father, authority, norms, light and illumination. The combination of the Sun and Mars (Aries' side) shows boldness and initiation, while the combination of the Sun and Venus (Taurus' side) shows more nurturing and stable side of this nakshatra. If you have Sun, Moon, Ascendant, chart ruler or Atmakaraka in this nakshatra, then we can say that you have prominent Krittika nakshatra in your chart.

The meaning of Krittika is the one who cuts. The symbols of this nakshatra are sharp objects, such as knife and axe. So, Krittika relates to cutting through illusions, seeing things as they really are and criticizing. People with prominent Krittika nakshatra in their chart might be direct, sharp, bold, courageous and ready to criticize, whether themself or someone/something else. These people can be very judgmental by nature.

Krittika nakshatra is the Star of Fire and the deity of this nakshatra is Agni, the Hindu god of fire. By saying that, Krittika nakshatra is associated with purification, cooking and intense drinks, such as alcohol and coffee. Prominent Krittika natives may be coffee lovers or work as the cook, commentator, entrepreneur, owner of a coffee shop etc. Also, there's an exaltation point of the planet Moon in this nakshatra, specifically at 3° of Taurus. In order for the planet Moon to function optimally, it needs warmth, purification and stability, which Krittika nakshatra is all about.

The power of Krittika nakshatra is to burn, associating with the explosiveness, forcefulness, independence and will power. Prominent Krittika natives might be independent, bright and masculine, since Krittika nakshatra relates to Yang, which is the masculine energy. In order to see things as they really are, represented by the planet Sun, the ruler of this nakshatra, it's crucial to burn away or to separate negative things which bring confusion and illusions. The yoni/animal of this nakshatra is a female goat/sheep, representing spiritual purity and sacrifice. With the female goat as the Krittika's yoni and with the exaltation point of the Moon in this nakshatra, there's also a sense of nourishment in this fiery nakshatra.

Padas of Krittika nakshatra:

Pada 1 (26°40' Aries - 0°00 Taurus) - Sagittarius

Pada 2 (0°00' Taurus - 3°20' Taurus) - Capricorn

Pada 3 (3°20' Taurus - 6°40' Taurus) - Aquarius

Pada 4 (6°40' Taurus - 10°00' Taurus) - Pisces

For example, if you have Ascendant in the 1st pada of Krittika nakshatra in your birth chart (D1), you have Ascendant in Sagittarius in your Navamsa (D9) chart. If you have Mercury in the 2nd pada of Krittika nakshatra in you D1 chart, then you have Mercury in Capricorn in your D9 chart. If you have Jupiter in the 3rd pada of Krittika nakshatra in your D1 chart, then you have Jupiter in Aquarius in your D9 chart. Finally, if you have Saturn in the 4th pada of Krittika nakshatra in your D1 chart, you have Saturn in Pisces in your D9 chart.

Celebrities with a prominent Krittika nakshatra in their chart:

Megan Fox - Krittika Sun in Taurus

Emma Chamberlain - Krittika Sun in Taurus

Jojo Siwa - Krittika Sun in Taurus

Miley Cyrus - Krittika Ascendant in Taurus

Bob Dylan - Krittika Moon in Aries

Bill Clinton - Krittika Moon in Aries

Frida Kahlo - Krittika Moon in Taurus

Mick Jagger - Krittika Moon in Taurus

David Beckham - Krittika Ascendant in Taurus

Jaret Leto - Krittika Ascendant in Taurus

Halle Berry - Krittika Ascendant in Aries

Taylor Lautner - Krittika Ascendant in Taurus

Kate Moss - Krittika Ascendant in Aries

Robert Pattinson - Krittika Sun in Aries

Mark Zuckerberg - Krittika Sun in Taurus

Cate Blanchett - Krittika Sun in Aries

Best regards,

Paky McGee

[asmimir]

Your art reminded of how the Unholy Alliance update made me go from very on the vence about Narinder to biggest Narinder defender will die in the trenches for my wife /hj

Like personally, them finally giving us the reasoning behind the Bishops attack on Narinder beyond vague prophecy changed a lot of the context behind the situation

And while, yes, the intentions behind his actions of resurrecting followers and his opinion on his new find extreme popularity were left quite vague (and why I don't if someone still interprets Narinder as the one mainly/equally at fault). It still doesn't change how it was a betrayal out of the Bishops fear of a possible betrayal. He wasn't conquering and overtaking them, he wasn't actively starving them, they just feared that possibility that he would.

It gets even more fucked up when you remember that all the Bishops ran their faiths by gifting and blessings their followers with the opposite of their domains (food, heath, etc) so Narinder actions where probably completely normal thing to do as a god of death in his mind, like.

In my fucked up fantasies (aka my interpretations of the canon), Narinder was only truly in the wrong when they asked the Lamb to sacrifice themselves. But getting into even more personal headcanons territory, for him it was likely just the natural/necessary think to do. He's a god of death that gave this little mortal life so they could do his bitting (that included them doing their own sacrifices, depending on your own gameplay), them sacrificing themselves was likely a given for him. Probably didn't consider that the Lamb would mind it, like, sacrificing yourself for your god just another tuesday in the life of a follower of death aint I right

So in conclusion, narilamb before post-game was a classic case of doomed yaoi/hurt people hurt people. Narinder asked the sacrifice-survivor to be sacrificed once again and the Lamb betrayed the one who was betrayed in return (pun half-intended)

(Really sorry for the ramble, it's almost midnight in my country and your art plagued me with thoughts. Hope you at least liked reading my deranged screams, I mean, my interpretations of the story. If you didn't, again, Im truly sorry. But Im still interested in your own thoughts regardless, so yeah... feel free to share??? I don't know how to phrase that in a good way, again, its almost midnigh)

no truer words have been said

[spectrumos]

I have to say I love miquella. I adore his aspirations and desire to relieve the suffering of others.

but he has suicide bomb soldiers in the Haligtree!

I aint TRUSTING someone who can charm people and has fucking SUICIDE BOMBERS. No matter what justification you have for that! Whether they figured out how to do that on their own, or Miquella just intended to give them a blessing, or whatever you can think of.

A leader who commands that level of belief and fanaticism, whether intentional or not, NEEDS to look in a fucking mirror.

LIKE, HOLY FUCK

Soldiers shouldn't WANT to sacrifice their lives! A kind leader would want them to try to fucking survive, yeah?

I know I couldn't stand the idea that someone, BECAUSE of their belief in our cause, or worse, their belief in ME!? would choose to MARTYR themselves rather than run!

Edit: I've taken a closer look at the haligtree soldier ashes and it says they only started exploding after he'd been gone for a long time.

But it still reflects on Miquella's existing pattern of leadership.

Idolatry.

I understand that he likely views this as completely normal, due to what culture he was raised in, but you shouldn't be a ruler and literally a subject of worship at the same time. If Miquella never came back, and his charm broke, the people there would still worship him.

Soldiers who decide to blow themselves up just to get you back home rather than organize and work together to improve their situation is highly reflective on you as a leader.

acting like Shadow of the Erdtree was a straight up lie, a retcon, and betrayal of the previous writing on Miquella is honestly very fucking irritating.

It's a consistent expansion on his character. Someone who's so desperate to do the right thing that they're utterly blind to the folly of the actions they've taken along the way, or FAR worse, rationalizes and justifies them?

Someone who's childhood taught him that nobody could be trusted to help him if they're not loyal to his cause. maybe too loyal.

Somebody who refuses to shed blood as sacrifice and instead sheds himself. But dooms the world in doing so (Were the tarnished not there to stop him) with the fucking strongest man in the world at the vanguard?

How is he going to spread his order? Hugs?

I find it disturbing he seems to accept the necessity of war but would rather sacrifice his own judgement than sacrifice lives for godhood.

I don't know of that's weird of me but whatever.

screaming

Additionally, the defense of Miquella's charm being "he used it in an ethical way" is fucking laughable and I utterly despise it.

That power is unethical.

Full. Stop.

Coercion is already evil. (Yes, our society does it all the time. It may effectively be a natural part of life, but it's still used to oppress.)

And directly influencing someone's mind in a way they literally cannot resist (the only person who could resist it was the tarnished because we got his great rune) is far worse!

No person, god, or BEING can just use a power like that ethically. The power to do that is a temptation in and of itself.

Try to look at things from an angle of power imbalance, will yah? There's a reason power corrupts etc. is a saying.

Whenever a person holds great power, no matter how pure their intentions, they will misuse it and cause suffering.

Which is why I could never willingly let Miquella become a god. I'd sooner see him dead than that, because there's no way he could possibly make himself "pure" enough by removing fucking pieces of his very self!

A god who never feels doubt, indecision, fear, and love?

That's just a tyrant with even more tyranny than before!

A leader HAS to doubt their actions! If they cannot doubt, there's no room for anyone to protest their decisions!

The options, given his powers, are coercion, literally either killing those who resist, or fucking brainwashing them!

in the end, this game, and this dlc, are

A FUCKING.

TRAGEDY.

ALWAYS HAS BEEN!

Rant over. Sorry if this hurt anyone's feelings, I'm just so irritated it's turned to anger, and I NEEDED to let it out.

[nynyhaha]

Spider Themes: The illusion of false gods or why the Spider is problematic regardless of morality

Can a cause be worth dying for? Or is it the sacrifice for the sake of something that proves the thing valuable?

There’s two ways to look at the members of the Phantom Troupe, by looking at the things they do to other people,and at the things they do to themselves and each other.

Seeing how much they identify with the Spider,we can throw the theory of them just being selfish psychopaths out of the windows. Neither do they seem manic or crazy,and yet..in a way they remind us of a cult. Besides that,I’ve also found them to have qualities or the following: rebels,revolutionaries,soldiers,robinhoods,martyrs.

Despite committing so much undeniable evil,and despite them never really saying it,there’s clearly a greater good involved. This idea of something bigger is exactly what the story is subverting,and seemingly critiquing. Or is it?

It might be what makes those characters so captivating and interesting-their unquestioning devotion to the entity that is more than just the sum of themselves,what they live trough and die for - The Spider. Why would the proof of criminals like them having principles and loyalty to something be a problem? In a weird way, the Spider has an almost redeeming function - after all it’s a reason and a potential excuse for all their horrible actions. At the same time,isn’t that what makes it a bad thing? If all those people are killing because of that one cause,isn’t it what turned them into who they are now? Isn’t it what makes them do all this evil? “I wouldn’t kill for something that requires murder.” typa issue is what we got here.

The Spider as The Cause

Whether the Spider’s existence itself is what’s most important or if it is still fulfilling a purpose like it did when it was created is up for debate,in fact it’s implied that this is exactly what causes Chrollo to feel lost and unable to understand his own motives. Another reason is that rather than standing for A cause,it merely stands for THE CAUSE,much like how “god” can stand for whatever a person cares about most.

We might wonder endlessly for what reasons exactly the Spiders are doing all of that,and while there are tangible reasons given in their backstory,they work just as well to represent people who are dedicating themselves to whatever,emphasis on dedication. Regardless of specific goals,there will be sacrifices,suffering and pain following whoever cares about anything too much.

The Spider as A Team

Besides loyalty to an idea or principle,there’s also one towards one’s group,regardless of that group’s purpose or function. Without knowing anything at all about motives,backstories,aims,etc we can still see how seriously the members take it. It’s definitely a friend group,one that can’t afford to be a found family,even if that’s what they might be naturally gravitating towards.

The group or team as the greater good is even more fundamental than any additional purpose of said group,as it stays even when the purpose changes. In that regard the Spider is like any other gang,it’s in- vs outrgoup,a small team of partners in crime vs the world.

This “one for all,all for one” dynamic could exist outside of any broader context,even if since the start the Spider was meant as an opportunity for personal fulfilment (as we know now,it was quite the opposite)

The issue comes up when seeing how much the Spider setup hurts its members (as I discussed in the post about their utilitarian approach)

Since the Spider is a villain group,it’s no wonder it’s damaging to the people involved - why would it even be good for their mental health to kill that many people? Of course they’d make enemies and eventually die because of their dangerous lifestyle. But what would really change if they never walked down the path of darkness?

Beyond Morality

Had the Troupe managed to end up as not villains but heroes,would they risk their lives any less? Could they make a bigger change? Would the dynamics within the Spider even change,if it was a more benevolent organisation? Probably not,as there would still be a goal to achieve at any cost and a collective that’s worth more than the individual. Given that it’s taken seriously enough,none of the members would avoid “giving up their lives” anyway. No,they have to give everything up for something,and there we go again.

It’s tragic that Chrollo deemed it necessary to become a villain of all things,but had he decided to protect Meter City in a less brutal way,he would’ve still lost himself in this mission and Pakunoda would’ve followed him,all while vowing to never touch him and never see inside his soul💔🥀

The other side of the coin

^from the 1999 version yorknew opening

Of course it’s the people closest to one that are meant here(I think the song is talking both to Kurapika and Chrollo telling them to value their friends over their cause)

This theme runs all through hxh,it’s present from the very start as characters on a dangerous journey have to constantly chose between reaching their goal or prioritising the safety of themselves and the people around them.

Gon and Killua’s friendship and the fun they have together >> finding Ging

Meruem spending time with Komugi >> grand plans of world domination

Bonds between individual Spiders >> The entity that is the Spider

It’s as if the series is saying “purpose and happiness lies in the here and now,not in what is grand and unreachable”

Another thing supporting this interpretation is this panel from the chimera ant arc:

The tragedy stems from human inability to “just live”,instead we require a greater narrative. It’s neither virtuous nor selfish to devote one’s life to some unreachable goal or mission, but it’s shown as irresistible,as the only way to cope with extreme circumstances.

I wouldn’t say that Togashi is outright condemning hunters,Spiders and assassins in their pursuit of meaning through extreme means, but there is shown to be great harm resulting from that.

Everyone is chasing something,and there’s really no other choice. As much as we want to determine whether the cause is worthy or not (yes because outsiders shouldn’t get away with kidnapping Meteor City’s children,no because it’s no longer about that) the actual reason the Troupe exists is because none of those kids could continue their normal life as voice actors,instead starting a life of a way different format.

There’s technically nothing stopping anyone from just “retiring” in favour of peace and quiet, but in the case of the Spiders especially that’s not even an option,it will never be enough for them.

Chrollo and his friends couldn’t have continued to live normally back then,let alone do that now,but wouldn’t it be nice?

[serpentface]

The Animal Sacrifice Petplay actually gets more directly at what I wanted to know, I don’t know why I was so coy about it. Are there contexts (I doubt ~socially accepted~, but cropping up either subculturally or repeatedly across given dynamics) in which non-standard pronouns are used?

The boring answer is that the inappropriate use of 'ouyii' on a human would mostly just crop up as an act of heavy sarcasm, like referring to someone you're characterizing as self-important like "O greatest of beings, o air that I breathe and ground beneath my feet, of course it is my natural duty that I should take great pains to increase the salt content of (ouyii) soup to (ouyii) exact liking. Should I also perform a full-body ablution before touching (ouyii) most sacred soup-bowl again? Shall I offer (ouyii) a hundred unyoked virgin cattle while I'm at it? Nah fuck off man salt it yourself." (ouyii works in 2nd and 3rd person). Though this would be less common than using exaggeratedly deferential pronouns/parts of speech appropriate for humans (which is something people tend to play with A LOT).

A maybe more interesting answer is that I could see it cropping up in humorous plays and poems, showing disliked foreigners referring to their kings with "ouyii" pronouns and other deified wordforms. Wardi culture has a pretty noted hostility towards deification of humans in Most forms. There are some legitimate philosophical differences between deified humans in Wardi religion and many other forms of god-kings (claiming descent from a god, claiming to Be a god in entirety, etc) but this hostility is largely a 'it's a different thing when WE do it because we're right' thing. There's a tendency for xenophobic depictions of foreign peoples to showcase them worshiping their kings or leaders as gods (and their gods are Wrong, either different/mis interpretations of the Real God or veneration of evil spirits or just imaginary). Showcasing this by having these characters use Wardi deity terms gets the message across and will strike most audiences as comedic.

But there's going to be a very narrow range of social dynamics in which it would otherwise crop up. The Wardi concept of deity is Relatively unique and not as hierarchical as some. If you gave people from this culture a comprehensive rundown of religions in which the human-deity relationship was described as 'worship', most of them would come to the conclusion that the definitions of the English words 'veneration' and perhaps 'duty' are more appropriate for them. The experience is having a sense of interconnection with the world, it sustains you and you sustain it in return. For many people there's a strong sense of love, awe and gratitude in this, for some it's just How Things Are and What You Have To Do, for most it's a little of both. This doesn't translate As easily and straightforwardly to D/S based kink or like, weird abusive relationships as more hierarchical god-as-king religions do.

The reason I keep coming back to the concept of ANIMAL SACRIFICE PETPLAY is it would be kinda conceptually fascinating in this cultural sphere. The 'animal' role is representing God, they're the subject of veneration in this dynamic and the one holding the power. Actual sacrifices involve the priest bowing in gratitude, hailing the animal as God or a part of God, and handling it as gently as possible (in most cases it's a bad sign if the animal is clearly distressed). But the 'sacrificer' role is mechanically dominant, they're the one that releases this power, the animal is restrained and under their physical control (and also like, gets its throat cut). There's no clear-cut hierarchy in the philosophy of this act or in theoretical sex reenactments of it, it's framed as ultimately a mutual exchange (animals that are sacrificed are Valued, they're being given up so that part of God can inhabit their body and give back in the act of death).

What I'm circling back to is legitimately whatever tiny fraction of the population happens to both develop a sexual fixation on the animal sacrifices that are part of religious practice AND finds someone else like this to mess around with would be a notably likely demographic to mess around with the 'ouyii' pronouns in contexts that aren't making fun of someone. Both because it would just naturally be part of the 'scene', and because it gets at a portion of what would likely attract them to the concept to begin with. You're not going to want to sexually roleplay animal sacrifice here for a petplay sorta dynamic where the sub gets fucking euthanized (you'd just roleplay as like, a horse going to slaughter if that's what you want). You're wanting a sense of profound interconnection and mutual dependence with something far bigger than yourself, a sense of such great love or necessity that you will die for it and it will die for you, a sense of paramount importance and honor, etc etc, as a sex thing. (And also you want to do some bondage and knifeplay type shit, perhaps with costumes?). If you want to call someone by 'ouyii' or be called this in a serious manner, you're probably chasing that underlying feeling.

To less dramatic extents I could see people occasionally Trying it as a romantic gesture, but few people would react positively to that. Some love poetry gets halfway there by metaphorically comparing human-human love and duty to the human-deity interaction, but it doesn't tend to go as far as using Specifically deified language. The average response to that would range from "too much, man" to "this is goofy as fuck" to "legitimately insulting" to at most "defiling an icon" (as written characters specific to deified words are treated as icons and have some restrictions to their use).

[katerinaaqu]

People need to stop blaming Agamemnon, Orestes or Clytemnestra, all the blood in the House of Atreus is Artemis and Apollo's blame, they are the true villains of the story. Artemis asking Iphigenia for a sacrifice and, yes, she saved her, but the family didn't knew that and all of them thought she was dead. And Apollo forced Orestes to kill his mother and didn't bothered to adverted him about the Erynies.

Apollo being an asshole in the myths is not a surprise, but Artemis demanding a young girl as a sacrifice, that suprised me.

Actually I should start from the last parts because I disagree. We might say "gods are assholes" as a joke but in reality gods are not just someone with human emotions and weaknesses are also deities; entities that represent things that occur in nature. Apollo also represents sickness. In the case of Orestes mental illness in my opinion. Apollo pushing Orestes to the deed seems part of fate and also symbolism on mental illness. Also Apollo DOES try to help Orestes in "Eumenides". His haunting by the Furies is a natural occurrence of the criminal act of murder in general and matricide in particular. The Furies/Erinyes are the natural occurrence not a godly sent per se. They were also sent by Clytemnestra's ghost aka symbolically Orestes going mad from his own hatred and guilt together. Apollo tried to evict Orestes from them. In Euripides play he even stops Orestes from committing even more crimes such as killing Helen and taking Hermione as a hostage etc.

For the request of Artemis you can also see here:

Artemis is a goddess cruel in her punishments (of course she is. Wilderness and nature are cruel in the first place). She has always been. And she was associated with deaths of little girls before (for example the shooting of Niobe's daughters when her brother killed her sons because Niobe dared to compare herself to their mother). In the name of Artemis in mythology some other people like the Taurians are also associating her name with human sacrifice so to me her demand doesn't seem weird at all. She wanted to punish Agamemnon by asking him the most precious thing he had; his first child and daughter. His daughter also fits the description of women who serve her name (see my analysis up) etc.

However I absolutely agree for the rest.

It is totally not just unfair but criminally incomplete to accuse these two for the entire curse of the House. The house was cursed already from Tandalus who cooked his own son to the gods then to Pelops or Niobe or then Atreus Thyestes and Aegisthus etc. Fate is the one to blame as usual with the Greek myths that involve such things. Human hubris and cruelty and divine intervention in these cases. I think it is totally wrong to just focus on these figures just because it is the trend to hate them.

[martincrushcameback]

I know you said Martin’s true form would be a stag of some sort, but I was honestly imagining he would be a wendigo 😭

Also, what would he and Chris do that also wouldn’t be considered… human? And what was their reaction to Zach telling them that’s now what humans normally do (if something like that DOES happen at least)

The brothers don't eat with utensils and they don't generally cook their food. Raw is delicious but they are surprised at the smell of cooked food and how good it tastes. There is a ritual in a hunt where the first blood spilled from the neck of the beast must be spilled to the forest to sustain continued magic and power.

They bite. A Lot. It's part of being affectionate.

Also imagine that on your wedding night- you're kind of expecting to like be in a soft bed and consummate the marriage. Even if you're afraid, you have resigned yourself to this fate. You're not really expecting to be brought under the light of the full moon, buck naked, and decorated in animal blood and flowers that make your head dizzy and your senses funny. You're not expecting the sheer animalistic nature of this coming together in this way, adorned like a sacrifice to an old god you've never known the name of.

They also just don't do decorum or "proper" behaviour and for a stuffy kingdom like Zach's which is all strict religious rules and any deviations from those rules are blasphemy, the fae are shocking heathens to them. They like being naked, they like indulging in all kinds of pleasures of the flesh from delicious food and wines, to intercourse, music and dancing with swaying alluring motions, all forms of open displays of affection and reenactment of stories with animal bones. It would loud boisterous vocalizing, blunt discussions of any and all topics and enjoying things people would find taboo like.... sexuality is so open and free with the fae, there's no concept of "man and wife", it's "your mate/s is/are your mate/, we bite to show this, we decorate to show this, we scent mark, we do not need to heed the rules of one mate per person".

Chris is happy to have one singular mate because he likes devoting his attention in that way and being the sole receiver of the reciprocated devotion.

Martin though is very open and free with his love. He has plenty of mates in the forest (other fae, does when he's in stag form, humans, etc) and enjoys Donita's company too when she decides to come (as a witch she is not affected by silvertongue and he likes the challenge). He doesn't really like the idea of being Singular.

Polyamory is a normal Fae thing, bit for Zach's kingdom it's blasphemous.

[evilminji]

Sooooo.....

Like? We can all agree, that, all other factors aside? Given the life he's lived and the personality he has? The sheer NONSENSE he's been exposed too (from rays to oozes to powders to magics etc) AND the by definition unfinishable nature of his Life's Work/Obsession?

If Batman lived in a world connected to Danny Phantom's Zone in any way... he's DEFINITELY becoming a Realms Ghost.

Like? It's not even a "possibly" here. It's an inevitability. He HAS to protect just one more person. HAS to solve one more case. HAS to protect his kids one last time. He HAS Too, HAS Too, HAS Too.

He's Batman.

It's etched into his soul. The man's ghost will literally REFORM in that outfit. Batman with a glow. Batman the protection spirit. Kindness and grief and an eternity of "I have to save just one more."

He's not going to get to die peacefully or rest quietly. It would go against his nature.

But! Why is this relevant? Because of the Elseworld stories. Those AUs. The Multi-Verse at large. They ALL... Have Batman.

Consider: Ember McClain. Rocker. Remember that name. Yes, in some worlds she makes it big. But? Tragedy and betrayal in others. Death. Do you think the Ember's of those worlds are fine with passing on silently? Shrugging and being forgotten just because some other Ember got there first?

No. They are Ember. SHE is Ember.

Just as Clockwork is Time.

What makes a Realms Ghost different then someone like Deadman? Than a Shade? A poltergeist? Your average spook?

They are only themselves.

Singular.

Small.

A tiny little fraction, of a fraction, of a part, of a small bitty droplet, if even that. You only get one soul. But! You share it. There are many "You"s. Like the universe itself, exploding out, to live, to experience, BE, and then collapsing back together in the end. Running together like rainwater in the cracks of Realitys. Seeping back into one piece, one person, in the place between places.

It's why one forgets silly things like Names and Pasts. You had so, so many. All of them were yours. Made you. Shaped you. But are not why you refuse to let go. Why you still EXSIST. Outside of Creation and Rebirth, beyond any gods you could possibly recognize. Refined to your truest SELF.

Yet... you might still be Alive. You know that you ARE. Time exists for the living. To balance beginnings, middles, and ends. Why do you care? They aren't you yet. They will be. All of you will eventually come together. You'll become something... MORE.

Ancient.

The wisdom and complexity of a complete Being. More a Person then your average soul. Like giant stars compared to a barely burning dwarves. You know, assuming you don't give up first. Most give up. It takes a certain sort of patience, after all. A LOT of timeless time. Kinda sucks.

Yet! We consider The Bat. Persistence and Stubborn Hope made manifest. Compassion born of terrible grief. Dead. Again and again and again. Dead for those who needed him. Who hated him. Who cursed or forgot or lamented him. In every imaginable age, a story played out the same. Ending the same.

Himself instead of another.

Himself FOR the others.

Himself because none other could.

Sacrifice and Sacrifice and Sacrifice. Desperation to save. Worlds burning and cities falling. Waking up, reaching out, to shield sons and daughters that are not there. That live because he does not. Dragging himself through the stubborn walls of world after world, like a haunting final curse, upon those who harmed his family, his city. His world.

A wraith. Gothams final curse upon those who damn her.

What must it be like? To keep saying good bye? To drag your aching soul, fuller and fuller of terrible memories, across the fields of jagged glass that are portals you tear, to world's on fire. Just to save friends and family. Enemies and strangers. All of whom, must in the end... bury you anyway.

Because you must kill the hope in their eyes. Must die before them again. Because you can not stay and they can not come with you. Or worse... they can, and will soon.

Sitting on fields of battle where you tried. Gave all your spirit could muster. But... it's over now. And all you can offer is the knowledge is that they should not be afraid. You will carry them home.

And are there? Nightwings and Robins and all manner of other family, waiting back in the Zone? In a Manor where Pennyworth lives eternal? Do they also hurt and fight to save their friends? Each new piece of them coming with some great tragedy that they must put right?

Do they give Walker and the Observants migraines? Probably.

Imagine, though: Time travel added to the mix. Dying in the future. Your son managing to turn everything back to before the world ended. The Ghost King is suddenly a Baby again. Every one is freaking out. "Oh no! The king!" Blah blah blah.

But you and your family are more concerned about the world ending threat that kills a part of you. So is the baby ghost king, when you tell him. You show up in your own Cave, freak yourself out. Team up time. Though you ARE growing concerned by the Baby Kings self-neglectful behaviors. Hey, Me, are you seeing this?

.......he.... you know, he COULD use more Parental Oversight. He's a good kid. Seems lonely though. Underfed. ("BRUCE, NO." "Hmmm.")

@hdgnj @stealingyourbones @the-witchhunter @cyrwrites

[relaxxattack]

opinion on yiffy as a mage of mind? imo it works well since every facet of her suffering is because of some decision- her capture is from jade and roses decision to tell jane ab her, her school-based isolation was because of jade deciding to have a baby with a married woman, even her tail is from the decision to god-tier!

this is just like a very interesting way to go about classpecting someone… like yeah everyone’s existence is due to choices made before their birth. tavvy wouldnt have been born if not for jane choosing to intoxicate jake etc

but as for my actual thoughts of yiffy mage of mind… i don’t know! i DO like the theory that the omega kids will represent the four yet-unrepresented aspects, but i’m not sure who would really be what.

the thing about aspects for me is that they are fucking all-encompassing. they paradoxically inform absolutely nothing about a character’s personality and yet also everything. only sburb players can have them, so it’s really just game nonsense— yet sburb players can’t exist without the game, so doesn’t game nonsense really make up their dna?

dave for instance— i don’t think he could be anything but time. it simply isn’t possible, because his fucking dna, his core of self is built for sburb as a time player. people like to theorize that davesprite would have a separate classpect— but he wouldn’t. davesprite completed dave’s time quest. davesprite made the necessary sacrifices to save and preserve time, fought for it and suffered for it. he’s not a real player now, sure, but he’ll always be time because that’s who he is; it’s unchangeable.

simultaneously i do also think that classpects are not as rigid as people pretend. callie describes them like genders; i think this is meant in a different way than most people assume. not because classpects are nothing like gender, but because gender itself works much differently then people think. gender isn’t actually two boxes you can checkmark. gender is a scale, a gradient, a spectrum… or, it you’ll bear with me, a pyramid ;)

what i’m saying is that aspects are like gender in that it’s incredible personal and defining, yet at the same time the rules are not actually real, and two of the same classpect could act totally different. does this make sense?

the difference between aspect and gender is that aspects are a core thing that does not change because it’s quite literally a time paradox built around destiny.

okay, that was way too much rambling about how i think aspects work. all of this to say:

i don’t know what aspects the omega kids will be yet. but i think when we find out, it’ll feel natural, and probably, like it was obvious all along.

that being said i do like the common take that yiffy might be blood-bound. mostly because it’s red. but also because i think it’s really fucked up to give her the same aspect as karkat.

[budd-ie]

Desperately need to break down two people and one cup of water because I have like 10 drafts about xianle trio that I Can't Post because they all feed off of conclusions from each of their answers, except we haven't established what those conclusions are yet. So this is where that starts.

I once had a wake up in a cold sweat realization (the first of many) that the three of them represent three different paths in their respective answers, and how these answers give us so much insight into who they really are and how they typically act. And I realize this is probably a very basic and prevalent thing (especially come book 3) but I haven't seen it broken down recently, so I'd like to. But mostly I need it as my context and support for my other future claims or else they might not make any sense haha. So I’ll be relating these answers directly to events in book 3. Let's get into it.

“Two walked the desert, about to die from thirst, and there was only one cup of water. The one who drinks lives, the one who doesn’t dies. If you were a god, who would you give that cup of water to— don’t speak yet, I’ll ask the other two and see how they answer.”

Mu Qing's answer:

“May I ask who those two people are, what their natures are like, and of their merits? A decision can only be made once all the details are known.”

Feng Xin's answer:

“I don’t know! Don’t ask me—tell them to decide amongst themselves!”

Xie Lian's answer:

“Give them another cup."

TLDR:

When faced with a choice such as this...

Xie Lian will try to save both parties at all costs, even if that cost is himself. His sense of justice is the strongest above all and believes that innocent people should never have to suffer.

Feng Xin will put someone else in charge of the choice and act on their behalf. He isn't as good at making decisions, and feels most comfortable standing behind someone else he trusts.

Mu Qing will choose whatever option brings the best/most desirable outcome that is within his control without sacrificing himself. He is a logical thinker above all else and is used to making moral sacrifices to find the optimal yet most realistic outcome of a situation.

(Book 3 and some book 6 spoilers ahead)

We know that Xie Lian's desire to expand the resource is beautiful but impossible, and we know that giving equal amounts of half the cup of water to both people will still leave them both as dead as not giving it at all. We also know that he learned his lesson the hard way and doesn't stop learning it even 800 years later. We know how Xianle fell and we know that it was doomed from the beginning; there was no saving it, but even if there was, he would have to choose between Xianle and Yong'an. Finally, we know that when he has nothing left to give, he will give himself up for the outcome he desires. We spend so much time with Xie Lian that I won't focus on trying to prove what's already been proven. Instead, I'll focus on the other two.

Mu Qing's answer is unpalatable to most people, because it sounds like he accepts being put in charge of answering the question "who deserves to live and who deserves to die?" It's easy to judge him for his willingness to make these kinds of sacrifices, but this is the exact nature of the question, and the exact situation they find themselves in so often. By both this answer and patterns within his actions, I think Mu Qing can best be described as an extremely logical thinker who will choose whatever option brings the best/most desirable outcome without sacrificing himself too far. That doesn't mean he'll never push his luck, but this is the algorithmic way we most often see him thinking.

By the terms of the riddle, the most logical option is that one person gets water and one person doesn’t, and the giver will decide who gets it to avoid conflict. And Mu Qing doesn’t choose randomly, either; he wants to choose based on their characters, their backgrounds, their merits, etc. So the other two may be treating everyone equally, but sometimes that’s just not within your control. Mu Qing is an incredibly logical person, so to optimize the good that can come from this action, he will make the choice. It’s not easy, and could end either way, but at least someone is guaranteed to live. In fact, this is the only outcome in which someone is guaranteed to live. I'll summarize some other examples of his thought process in the future, but I'll focus on the most relevant example for now.

In book 3, Mu Qing is the first one to suggest cursing Yong’an with human face disease in order to save Xianle. A "despicable" choice as they conclude, but Xie Lian, I will add, does thoroughly consider his suggestions before declining, and while the persuasion is ineffective, it isn't 100% ineffective. In the end though, Xie Lian is weighing the option of “people in the capital probably live and the people of Yong’an as well as the dead suffer for it” and he isn’t willing to make this bargain in the end. He doesn’t know if it could backfire and isn’t satisfied with the amount of bad that could come from it. Mu Qing, on the other hand, is adamant about this decision and gets frustrated that Xie Lian won’t make it. He's even excited about his answer, not because he wants people to die, but because he found themselves a viable way out. It feels so easy to him, because he’s weighing the net good of “we fucking live” and “we fucking die.” Turns out living is a lot more appealing than dying, especially for a character who canonically loves his life and is terrified of death. Isn’t this the same mindset as the rest of the common people?

I've established before that Xie Lian is not the common people. Growing up poor though, Mu Qing is like, common people extraordinaire. Unlike Xie Lian, he’s long since accepted that not everybody can be saved, not everybody can be placated, some people are good and nice and some people suck and are not. Mu Qing is used to making sacrifices for the greater good, ignoring morality to a digestible extent, because it’s something that common people have to do to get by. This situation reminds me of this quote from when the townsfolk are getting admonished for mutilating themselves to get rid of human face disease:

“Your Highness is invincible, so of course you'd call us foolish. But aren’t our conditions so desperate that we had no choice but to try foolish methods?!”

And maybe we fixate a lot on “not everybody can be saved” but I think what matters to Mu Qing is more that some people can be saved. Why are we dawdling doing good because it’s not enough good? Don’t we learn from this that just one person enough? Mu Qing understands that in order to have a chance at saving themselves a decision must be made, and he tries to make his point clear when he says the following:

“Before they reach their bad end, we will have already perished! You don’t have a third path and there is no second cup of water. Wake up, Your Highness! You’re running out of time.”

The amount of suffering the common people have endured until now allows the average person to surpass the moral debacle and choose life above all else. Why did Xie Lian try to steal during his first banishment? Because he was so desperate to save himself and his family that morality became the lesser merit. When faced with the threat of human face disease and the solution of killing just one person to save themselves, the people who stab Xie Lian live, and the one who refuses the decision dies a horrible death. Does Mu Qing make a little more sense now? He saw not only a way to survive, but the expected solution to the problem, and he jumped at it. We as the audience can fixate on the moral implications of his decisions because we aren’t the ones making the decisions, nor are we affected by either outcome.

Speaking of a person not making decisions, this is where Feng Xin becomes relevant. His answer is to make no decision at all, leave it up to them to decide who drinks and who doesn't. While he's absolved from the moral quandary, this path doesn't really solve anything. There might be a chance where they choose peacefully who should drink, but it's much more realistic to expect them to slaughter each other over the resource before either of them have the chance to drink it.

So when faced with a major decision like this, what is Feng Xin most likely to do?

Entrust it to someone else, like Xie Lian.

As much as I love him, our poor boy's arrows are a bit sharper than he is. What’s he doing while Xie Lian and Mu Qing talk about curses?

At first, Feng Xin had listened to their argument glumly, and because he couldn’t contribute any better ideas, he didn’t join in.

Not a whole lot. Actually, he stands silently until Mu Qing insults Xie Lian. After that, he shoves Mu Qing back and suddenly starts going off on him, saying things like

“With an apathetic person like him, you don’t usually see any sign that he actually cares about the Kingdom of Xianle. But now suddenly he’s anxious?”

and especially:

“You really think I can’t tell that you think His Highness is a fool? I can tolerate your sarcasm and those rolling eyes, I can tolerate you always standing where you shouldn’t in the Upper Court. You like to show off and it’s hardly the first time you’ve pulled this shit, so fine, go show off, you’re not good enough to wow the heavens anyway. His Highness doesn’t mind, so I don’t give a shit either. But since you’re gonna cross the line, I’m not gonna hold back. Listen up! I’m not surprised you’d leap at the chance to use despicable means, but His Highness is His Highness—no matter what he decides, you better respect it. Don’t you dare be so critical, and don’t forget who the fuck you are!”

This is only an excerpt of the rant because the first part isn't as relevant but this whole scene is so crazy. Crazy because it's so raw (that last line is so jaw dropping to me like actually. If someone said all that to me I’d go rogue) and also because it tells us so much about them.

First, "despicable" is actually a word Xie Lian used earlier when he said the following:

“Absolutely not! Don’t forget what we called them when they attacked the innocent civilians of the capital: despicable. If we do the same thing, won’t we become just as despicable? How would we be any different?”

Which means this isn't completely Feng Xin's own judgment. Right now, he's just using Xie Lian's opinion as an in to justify his own personal rage. Xie Lian isn't even calling Mu Qing despicable; he fully believes in Mu Qing, understands how he came to his conclusion, and doesn't blame him for having a temper (he already knows he's sensitive and prone to it, he defends him saying he’s “just anxious over the current situation”). While we do know it definitely reflects Feng Xin's moral opinion on attacking innocents (“If it really was them, then I’ll lose respect for them. Fight honestly on the battlefield if you have the ability; don’t use shady tricks to harm innocent civilians!”), it's less reflective of his intentions in this specific instance.

Second, this whole rant is fueled by nothing but pent up rage that was sparked by Mu Qing insulting Xie Lian, giving him a hard time, and going against his decision. Feng Xin judges him hard for his "despicable" choice, but Feng Xin doesn't even have any other opinions on how to solve the actual problem at hand. His opinion is whatever Xie Lian decides, for his highness is so smart and virtuous, clearly that must be the right one, especially when compared to that of a humble servant.

But what would Feng Xin do if Xie Lian decided Mu Qing was right? What if Xie Lian decided that they desperately needed to curse all Yong'an citizens to die so Xianle might be able to live? Would this still be a despicable decision to Feng Xin if Xie Lian decided it wasn't so bad? I have reason to believe that his sense of morality, though great, may be slightly lesser than his sense of loyalty (assuming the person he is loyal to is virtuous and acceptable to him, such is Xie Lian). This is supported by how in the revised book 6 scene, Feng Xin doesn’t leave because he’s questioning Xie Lian’s morality, he leaves because Xie Lian relieves him of his duty and he obeys the order. He’s surprised when this happens and seems hesitant, despite it all. While we don’t really have any specific instance testing this hypothetical, my hypothesis is that any moral complications he could have would come after acting on his highness's word, and if Xie Lian said this was the right choice, he would rationalize it (I also think there’s a graph with an intersection between his morality and loyalty after which morality will start surpassing loyalty when the situation is pushed far enough to warrant it). In any case, the consequences of their actions will not fall on Feng Xin's shoulders, so he doesn't think too hard about the implications of the actions, he just excels at following orders from the boss; that's why its so easy for him to make these judgments.

I also think this explains the way he acts during book 1 where he always looks like he has something to say and never chooses to, always looking just a little lost at what he’s supposed to be doing. He’s given a choice of talk to Xie Lian or not talk to him, but he genuinely doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do and can’t figure it out on his own, so he chooses the safe option of doing nothing. He’s always looked towards Xie Lian to make decisions, but he doesn’t have that anymore. We actually see him start getting more confident in decision making as the book goes on, like when he congratulated him for his 3000 lanterns (I like how he doesn’t question where they came from though!).

Anyways, I forgot how important book 3 was for characterization of these three because everything they do can be drawn back here. The number one reason I like this story is the way every single character is so individual and has very specific motivations and personalities that can and will clash in very specific ways with other characters, which is how a lot of the conflicts arise in the first place (instead of throwing people at a plot and hoping they can carry it). It makes it so interesting when you know why they act the way they do. Also, this isn't a complete character summary by any means, there’s obviously more to these fellas that I didn’t talk about. I can think of other instances that support these conclusions, but because this is already such a long post maybe I'll make a masterlist or something and link them when I finish them (thanks!)

[asrascissorhandz]

Quick little Elijah Volkov biblical Parallels study for you:

Before I get into it... yus I know he would be peter in the Bible.. and I'll get into that too... but I shall also get into elijah from the bible since that is his name and I think it says a lot.

Also disclaimer. I am a freak of nature and MUST over analyze things... so this is very far fetched ... it's just me having fun and linking things together.. don't take all I say as a seriously theory type thing.

🫀

Elijah Name meaning: Yahweh is my god

Volkov: wolf

Elijah in the bible:

He brought about many Miracles.. some which are worth noting are: bringing a boy to life and bringing fire down on the alter.

Elijah was proficised to come before the "great and terrible day". He was sent also to show people the evil of their ways and encouraged them to return to the Lord.

Parallel to Elijah volkov..

Now I believe this is what elijah believed... either what he was told when younger (this name was given to him) or what he eventually started believing by himself...

This feels like something that would help fuel / motivate Elijah's actions..

This obviously applies to the chnt situation that is rather similar to biblical events: preaching about sydneys holiness, *making* others *see* and *love* sydney, the Pyre and the fire, The Day, sydney and his not exactly aliveness, etc etc

Peter in the Bible:

Follower of Jesus. Most prominent apostle.

He is known for denying Jesus three times after Jesus was arrested and for leading the early Church after Jesus' death. Church burnt down.

Peter was first known as Simon. Name was changed by Jesus.

Simon: to hear, listening

Parallel to Elijah Volkov:

This is very yummy information of which to me mostly signifies to what could happen later on in the podcast or what could have already happened before the podcast was set..

Also !! 12 apostles ?? 12 as in the hours on the clock?? As in THE most prominent apostle?? Could he be number 12?? The END of the BEGINNING, the BEGINNING the EMD?? Camp HERE and THERE???

also three times?? Hmmmm...

And then obviously the church.. and the fire.. but then the betrayal ? Hmm

So much I must chew on...

Wolves:

In the bible- false prophets, wolf in sheep's clothing.

"a ravenous wolf; In the morning he consumes the foe, And in the evening he divides the soil"

 the ravenous wolf to refer to the Temple's altar which devoured biblical sacrifice

divine punishment against transgressors.

General symbolism- bravery, loyalty, protection, and wisdom

Parallel to Elijah Volkov:

This simply explains him so very well... need I say more?

🫀

I love this freak...

Lotsaluv Asra