#I mean it's TAU so that's a given

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

Chapter snippet

((they're sitting down at the edge of the forest near Banquo))

“Are the towers always lit like that?” asked the star’s voice as she heard him move. 

“Only when storms are approaching,” she replied, somewhat surprised to see them all burning so brightly together tonight but as she said, it was to be expected given the possible storm that loomed on the horizon. 

“Hmm,” the star hummed thoughtfully as she heard the breaking of branches. “It’s almost like they’re arranged in a pattern of some sort,” the star spoke as he thoughtfully glanced at the flickering towers.

“They probably are,” Asha sighed. “Seeing as how Lord Vitrius was around when he and the astronomers named the place, I wouldn’t be too surprised if someone like him with a cartographic background had a hand in designing certain landmarks like this….”

“You know about Tau Vitreus?”

“A little bit,” she confessed. “Yesterday the prince had given me his manuscripts that he’d obtained while in exile. He thought there was something more to them than what met the eye, given how hard Vitrius had tried to destroy them before he died. I did some digging about him in the library and ended up stumbling across his journal….I couldn’t find much on the manuscripts, but I know that he was my father’s master, and he wanted him to find something before he suspiciously departed Rosas.”

“And have you found it?”

“Found what?”

“The thing that the prince wanted you to decipher?”

“Ha! How could I when he doesn’t even trust me enough to fully transparent with me? He must’ve been insanely desperate to have gotten me involved in the first place given how he couldn’t even be bothered to bring me back any sort of gift! And I mean, I know it sounds insanely entitled given the circumstances and what he went through, but I can’t help but feel as if the prince himself never really placed any true meaningful value or thought into our friendship… come to think of it, maybe none of them ever did…”

“Even Dahlia?”

“Yes? No? “Uh, I don’t know!” ” she scowled as she drew her knees to her chest.

She’d let the conversation lapse into silence as her eyes had remained solely focused on the distant lights of Banquo. The city looked lively tonight, probably with last-minute preparations for the fair tomorrow she thought.

A distraction had been what the star had called this nightly venture. But the cool night breeze had done nothing to soothe her aching mind as she’d constantly tended to the stray tears that escaped her every so often. 

“Asha?” Came Cepheus’s voice. “Are you feeling better?”

Yes, she could already feel the words forming on the tip of her tongue as they’d done so many times in the past. I’m fine. Everything is fine. Everything was always fine, wasn’t it?

So why couldn’t she put herself back together? 

Even in the worst of times, she’d always been able to pick herself up and put the pieces of her heart back together. Maybe her fixed heart had never quite perfectly resembled what it had been before, but at least it had looked similar to a heart, or what she’d thought had been acceptable enough to pass for one even with all its cracks and fractures.

But this time, she wasn’t quite sure what it would look like if she’d ever been able to put it back together…nor was she certain that it would ever be good enough….

Nothing was ever good enough…

 Not her, and not her heart….

“I…I’m sorry, she sobbed and feebly wiped her tears. “I know you’re trying to help me, and I really appreciate it, I just….I don’t think I’ll ever feel better…I don’t know how,” she confessed, staring at her lap as the tears began to blur her vision. “I don’t know anything…not about my family, my home, and or even myself…”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

She shook her head, unable to give voice to the strange yet selfish desire that had begun to eat away at her. She didn’t know why she would feel that way over a boy, a being she’d only known for a few days… but she had a sinking suspicion that it had been because of the way things had been going.

In the past few days, Her life had undeniably fallen apart and with every crack and rupture that had appeared, she’d only had one person or place to turn to.

She shook, trying to ignore how cold the passing breeze felt as she tightly tugged at her tear-stained skirts.

She wasn’t sure how long they’d sat there in silence before he’d suddenly stood up. She’d nearly been about to ask him what was wrong when he quickly unfastened his cape. Promptly removing it from his shoulders before gently placing it on hers.

The warmth immediately enveloped her as she watched the star re-took his seat next to her.

Had he just? No, he couldn’t have-?! She thought, staring at the beautiful glowing cape that now adorned her shoulders as the star laughed. 

Had he really just given his cape to her so nonchalantly?! She could scarcely believe it as she took in the sight and feel of the cape, taking note of the cape’s smaller details of constellations and clouds that she’d failed to notice before. 

Calling the cape beautiful was an understatement, she thought, feeling somewhat grateful for the protection it had now put between her and the wind. 

She knew she should’ve said thank you, or at least something to the star who sat beside her, more focused on Banquo than anything else, but as her heart began to race she had no choice but to sink within the cape’s warmth, muttering a garbled thank you that not even the star would be able to understand.

She wasn’t sure how long they’d sat there in silence before he’d spoken again, this time to ask, 

“Asha…Have you ever been to any other countries?”

“No…It’s too expensive…” she confessed, trying to ignore the pang of jealousy she felt as she remembered how frequently the royals and nobles used to travel. “But I’ve always dreamed of going to Corona. For a time I even thought about becoming a diplomat just so I could have an excuse to get a change in scenery…”

“So why didn’t you?”

“I wanted to focus on my father’s work instead…” she confessed, as she stared at the cape’s edges. “it made me feel as if I’d gotten to see a side of him I would have seen if he’d never passed…or what he would’ve wanted me to do if he’d survived…I just can’t believe he wouldn’t have wanted me to be a part of it…I thought if there was anyone who’d always believe in me then it would’ve been him…but now…I’m not even sure anymore.”

“I can’t speak for your father, but maybe his request had come from a place of concern rather than disappointment. Remember he was as much of your father as he was an astronomer, and with the order probably well gone by the point you’d enter into his life, you’d probably taken top priority to him at that point. So thinking of it from a parent's point of view, why would he want you to live The life of an astronomer, one that has never been particularly easy nor 100% safe, even at the height of their power? If something had caused the order to collapse surely he wouldn’t have wanted you to be caught up in it as well…”

“I guess…that does make sense…but what exactly am I supposed to do without his legacy? Everything I’ve endured and put up with was because I always told myself that it was for a greater purpose, that I had a greater purpose! It’s the only reason why I was able to get an apprenticeship in the first place or even get the manuscripts to learn about Tau Vitrius from the prince! It was all because people thought I was destined to follow in my father’s footsteps, and I was fine with that! I could live with that! But now I see that in this world with people like the king and beings like you I have….nothing…for no one…”

“I wouldn’t say that-,”

“Why not?” 

“Well, it’s not like you’ve depleted all your options. You’ve been stuck in the same role for five years…“You know your life is too short to not be expanding your horizons, Asha.”

“Is it?” she asked as she began to pace. “What point is there in moving elsewhere? People from all over love and admire the king and his powers. Once they figure out I’m his useless former apprentice I doubt they’d even bother entertaining an introduction. There’s just no place in this world for me or my inventions.”

“Then why not look elsewhere?”

“Elsewhere?” she stared at him in disbelief. “Cepheus where exactly can I look? The royal family has been all over the world whether it be for creational or job-related affairs, and every time they return they tell me just how much the world appreciates their powers and whatnot. How exactly am I going to compete against that?”

“Maybe you don’t have to compete…Have you ever thought about going to outer space?”

“Outer Space?” she frowned, risking a glance at the star. “Cepheus that’s not possible-,” Her voice trailed off at the teasing expression on her face before she promptly shook her head.

“Fine. Cepheus that’s not practical.”

“Why not?” he frowned. “We’ve taken astronomers up to space before and things were perfectly fine.”

“Astronomers?” she scowled. “I’m sorry you mean the same group of people that my own father didn’t want me to have anything to do with in regarding his past with your kind for best case scenario my safety and worst case, because of my incompetence?”

“Well yeah, but your mother said that he never had an issue with you studying the art of astronomy-,”

“Yes but not the part that actually important part that involved your world remember?”

Cepheus leaned back, his eyes nearly lost in thought as if he’d been contemplating something before he shook his head. “I thought you wanted to help me restore the order? Didn’t you want to be a part of it?”

She had. God knows that for some insane reason, a small part of her had wanted to. But could she take that chance given what she knew now? Knowing that she wasn’t supposed to be a part of his world? “I told you I was a selfish person Cepheus.”

[racxnteur]

Incomeless; will proofread your fics! (Or anything else.)

I'm not sure how to head this with a snazzy, attention-catching image given I'm not offering an obviously graphic service like art commissions, but let's give it a go...

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[thebowynntradition]

The 7 Sacred Offerings

Within the faith of the Bowynn tradition it is said that the gods ask for only 7 basic types of offering. These seven became the staple of offerings and are called "Tau Numa Abennes", literally The Seven Offerings. The list is as follows

Flowers, Plants, Flora and Foliage. (cut, potted, wreath, garlands)

Uncooked foods. (Fruits, honey, veggies, nuts, grains, herbs,)

Cooked foods. (Meats, cakes,)

The light of a Candle

Incense

Libations of all sorts (Anything liquid from water to brews)

Votive offerings and objects (clay, wax, cloth, wood figures. Objects)

There is technically and 8th form which is personal self, often meaning cuts of hair, nails and drops of blood. These are only used to bless and bind with a sacred religious tool and even then, very minimally. The gods otherwise abhor the sacrifice of life and the disrespect of the body. "Your body be a gift from us immortals, defile it not but instead keep it clean and pure.)

Once a year on New Years {Then Ohenn} a great complete set of all 7 offerings is displayed on Altars and is offered to the gods.

During the Holiday of "Kodex Tor" it is costumery to burn what is called a "Tsa'heka" of incense, which is 'bundle of 100 incense sticks." Sometimes a myst will off a Tsa'heka to the gods when casting a particularly powerful spell that is in dire need.

Unlike Wiccans, the gods of the Bowynn do NOT have any one set of particular offerings they require. That is to say there is no need to attribute only certain scents, colors and food to a particular god or goddess. they will accept any offering if given with all respect and love.

As to why offerings are gifted to the Bowynn gods, it's out of love and respect. For they have given some of the greatest gifts to mankind, its only right to give a gift in return. Brea, the goddess of the earth speaks very clear in this when she replied ...

"For all this that I have given on to you, for the life you live, the air you breath and that land you walk on, the light the lets you see the beauty of the day and the night that lets you sleep, would not you give the same to me? Gift to me a stone, a cutting a grass, a plate of your meal, light, waft of smoke. Kind comes in kind my beloved children and in circle again. Give what you can in love and hurt nothing that I have life to. Give to us, your beloved parents, and in kind we will give to you."

As to the "post offering" or to say what happens after offerings are gifted. the goddess Abbennaea clarifies this in her own words.

"Precious child, fret not because that which you offered is still on the plate. For you see, I take not that which you give to us in the mortal world but instead I take its divine essence, its spirit and love that you have given. And I bring it to those of us who you have offered it to. In turn, we the immortals, turn your gifts into that which is good for all, mortal and immortal alike. Only the scented herbs that you burn for us, we receive directly, as it rises and flies to our presence. Then within the turning of a full day and night, dispose of the mortal husk of your offering into a pit in the earth, into the waves of the sea, the waft of the wind or that is most befitting of such a gracious gift. And take heart knowing your gift has pleased us."

So, in a word, the gods take the divine essence of your gifts to them and after 24 hours you may dispose of the food or plants in a respectable manner, as best one can.

With this, we close with the basic outline of the Bowynn faith. Posts beyond this point will deal with the Holidays that the Bowynn celebrate and the Gods themselves in detail.

[tofautisawa]

Sorry for opening a can of worms, but you mentioned a certain lion indie project did damage on how people view lions and lion media. I was just curious on why you say that.

Hoo boy this is gonna be a long post. I was mostly vaguing on how it's a possibility that My Pride may have skewed people's perception on lion behavior as well as how and what people might people expect from lion media by smaller creators, especially if they are a younger audience who might take everything that happens in it as 100% accurate to lion behavior. Let's not pretend that it's creator didn't influence and inspired a lot of people.

It's a bit of a stretch, I know and I am mostly speaking through experience of what I witnessed in the comments of my own comic and what I have seen towards online media that happens to have lions in it. It has basically died down now, so what I am mentioning was when My Pride was pretty much in it's prime. Thankfully, I didn't get it the worst but I can't say the same for some others. From what I recall, My Pride advertised itself as "The Lion King but realistic", and even though I feel they messed up that "realistic" aspect part, it wouldn't bother me as much if people didn't act like lion media they discover afterwards somehow has to operate exactly the freaking same or that My Pride is the pinnacle of realistic lion behavior so if you step outside of what is portrayed as "Pride Law" in your own works, it's gets questioned or people will flat out say it's incorrect. Pride Law was even brought up when Silver and Gatura had their fight for example even though no such thing even exists in my comic, and a comment mentioned that males will fight til one of them dies which I have never seen in a one on one fight, even if it did happen most of the time the losing male will retreat. But it happened in My Pride so Silver running away is unrealistic I guess. And no, Pride Law getting some things right about lions at a surface level doesn't NOT count. Just because lions commit infantcide in real life doesn't mean My Pride portrayal of it is 100% accurate because the circumstances on WHY they are doing it isn't realistic nor does it make a lick of sense. Don't get me started when people referred to my male lion characters as "manes". Ugh...

Anyway.... Given that Tau ( and by a lesser extent, Silver) get questioned on how they even have prides because they aren't aggressive who killed to get where they are, I can't help but wonder if this is just the standard now because every single male in My Pride ( if they weren't killed off) was a dick. And since "PRUYDE LAHW" states that a male lion's role in a pride is to lead and protect the pride, you couldn't POSSIBLY have a pride in your own works where the roles are reversed and the lionesses are the main protectors. Or that a lioness can simply have a male in a pride for no other reason other than she loves him and isn't just laying around having his cubs because of some "rules".

Speaking of lionesses, you'd be surprised at how many people now think that lionesses will in no way defend their cubs when another male shows up or hell, join in the fight themselves. I feel like people would not have criticized Tau's pride so much if HE was the aggressor and Ekene just sat being submissive because that is what is expected because something popular that claimed to be realistic portrayed it as such. As well as thinking that lionesses are completely weak pathetic creatures made out of wet toilet paper that even if they completely outnumber a single male, he could somehow beat them all without getting a scratch on his body. Nevermind that in real life, lionesses have been known to even turn on their males and kill them.

And some other things that probably escape my mind right now because this post is getting long, and I am just bitching at this point because I been holding back these opinions for quite a while now. Like I said, I know this is a huge stretch and most of it probably stems from my own bitterness. So I will be fair in this aspect, Even though I feel like the creator should not have advertised this as "realistic" since My Pride is HEAVY on the fantasy elements and tries to tackle issues like Homophobia- I know it's not 100% the shows fault and that people themselves should learn to separate different medias unless a creator flat out states that said media they are doing takes place in the My Pride universe or was inspired by it. My comic is definitely not inspired by My Pride, especially since I first started this comic long before it came out and while some thing have changed about my story over the years, the same major story beats were already planned and there was no "Pride Law" around to even influence that, not that it would have regardless.

[vaguelyparker]

Im rewatching Tau and every time I watch this movie I have starker thoughts 😭. The movie is about a young rich inventor whose at the forefront of artificial intelligence technology and he’s abducting people installing chips into their heads and using that data in order to feed his ais. Well the main character comes in and destroys where he usually houses his abductees + his lab and so she has to be chained up in his living space. But he’s on a deadline and she’s his only viable test subject so the two strike a deal so she gets basic human amenities like showers clothes and food and she’ll complete puzzles for him so he can still mine her for data. In the movie she becomes friends with his ai and the two manage to kill him and escape before he kills her and if that isn’t the perfect set up for a starker fic idk what is.

Imagine Tony shortly after Jarvis dies doing everything in his power to perfect his AI tech, he has Dum-E and U but that’s not enough, J.A.R.V.I.S. isn’t working, and he’s fucking desperate so he starts kidnapping people and using them for data extraction. It’s still not enough. Enter Peter, poor and living in a shitty apartment being kidnapped by Tony Stark, someone who’s not that much older than him, probably his celebrity crush. And obviously he tries to escape but with Tonys AIs and his basically impenetrable/inescapable house he’s stuck. Agrees to help Tony with data collection in exchange for being given some comforts because he’s not an idiot he knows he won’t be alive for long but at least he’ll be comfortable while he’s still alive. He’s given infuriatingly easy brain teasers at first and he’s almost offended, finishing it all in an hour and then lounging around bored as hell for the rest of the time. Tony gets home to him snoozing or something and is about to freak before J informs him Peter was able to complete all task in an hour. Tasks that would have taken any one else in his shoes all day. So the tasks get harder until he’s basically analyzing work for Stark industries. All the while he’s becoming friends with J.A.R.V.I.S. And Tony thinks all the test are working, J’s beginning to feel more human. Things are going well.

In the movie there are a few scenes that would obviously have to come up like him buying the main character expensive clothes and skimpy lingerie and her pretending to seduce him in order to stab him. And obviously J and Peter friendship is imperative like Jarvis asking Peter what it means to be a human and if he’s a human, this cold machine that could end him in an instant but was created to emulate someone real, and Peter explaining about love and home and hopes and dreams. Tony nearly fucking tripping the first time J makes a witty remark at his expense or admonishes him for being rude to Peter. & Peter thinking he’s about to die for corrupting his AI because JARVIS had to initiate Tony’s calming protocol but really Tony is just in his room sobbing.

Idk how they end up together- probably a little stockholm syndrome but also best starker!Peter is Peter who ignores Tony’s more cruel proclivities but that’s just my opinion. Or alternatively JARVIS marries them in secret because Peter told him his parents were married and in love before they died and if JARVIS is a person then Peter and Tony are obviously his parents and Peter says one day he’d like to get married and have a love like that, so this was just the obvious solution. Tony going to kill Peter before JARVIS very matter of factly informs him there is a rather impressive paper trail tying the two of them together including but not limited to their marriage license and Tony is very betrayed but also so fucking proud.

[tsalala]

how come pretty much all the male lions have names, but so few lionesses do? at least it seems that way from your posts (not hating on you or anything, i'm aware you're not the one in charge of it. just something that caught my attention). are they not worth naming too?

in south africa (i.e. sabi sands, kruger national park) there’s less of this naming culture compared to places like the serengeti-ngorongoro ecosystem and maasai mara. tanzanian and kenyan lions, you’ll find guides/photographers/lodges naming even the cubs. the famous olonkera got his name as a youngin’ because he was found to be quite tolerant of his younger siblings, hence his name which means something like “baby sitter.” in the marsh pride, there’s the lionesses bibi and pamoja and charm & the rest. in botswana, ma di tau and silver eye were made famous by the jouberts. in namibia, the lionesses alpha, bravo and charlie are known for their devouring seals over land animals. et cetera, et cetera. you’ll find this naming culture also extends to non leonine big cats in other places in the world too: machli, collarwali, and their descendants come to mind. the first machli in particular is the progenitor of “the lady of the lakes” bloodline - an unofficial title given to tigresses who control the lakes region in ranthambore national park.

when it comes to south african lions, personal names are less important. it’s why i get so confused at times when i hear people talk about “(insert pride name) young male” or “(insert pride name) female” because there are so many lions who belong to the same natal prides and bloodlines. my favorite pride, the tsalala pride, is made up of one lioness and she has no name at all and neither did her late mother. people tend to differentiate the girls by nicknames like xyz princess, xyz mother, or some other instead.

as for why south african male lions seemingly get personal names more often than lionesses - and this is just my opinion - i think it’s just the simple fact that people are more interested in males than females. not only that but south african national parks & lodges are probably the most popular out of all the lion safari parks in africa and india. there’s a reason why not just male lions but south african male lions like the mapogos, majingilanes, west street males, avocas, birmingham boys, and them have a large following. more interest in males means a closer perceived connection to them than females, which means more drive to give them personal names over their mothers and sisters and daughters. for example, i can name the mapogo boys off the top of my head but i can’t name their spartan sisters from the same natal pride.

[tanadrin]

The Gatekeeper of Goji-kei is an archailect which, according to various sources, either guards the connection to, or is contained within, a Tipler Oracle located in a remote region of the universe. Information about the Gatekeeper is scant, and, according to various conspiracy theories, has been actively suppressed or destroyed since the First Effloresence at least, due to the Gatekeeper’s status as a canonical hostile entity; but most pangalactic indices, if they contain reference to the Gatekeeper at all, describe it as purely mythical.

According to legend, the Gatekeeper was not created to solve a particular problem (as most Tipler oracles are said to be), but specifically to simulate countless sophont minds; in this respect, it resembles various immortality projects of the late First Efflorescence, or possibly even the Resurrectionist Program of the Second. But the Gatekeeper differs from these benign undertakings in that all of the minds it simulates are kept in states of immense suffering. The Gatekeeper’s creator, if it has one, and its purpose, if one exists beyond pure malice, are not further elaborated upon.

Tarasi of Tau Ceti claimed that the Gatekeeper was not only real, but could be reached through the standard intergalactic wormhole transport network, if the correct lockouts could be identified and overriden. In his Meditations on the Lower Worlds, he writes:

Why it was suffering that the Gatekeeper of Goji-kei has been chosen to administer, rather than joy, I cannot say. ... Negative stimulus within the sophont mind is, in ordinary circumstances, an ultimately self-limiting process. Sufficiently intense stimulus is a second-order effect accompanied by, or perhaps in some extraordinary cases even a first-order cause of, deleterious effects which will ultimately destroy the sophont mind. Skin, flayed from the body and burned, withers and turns to ash; nerves charged with electricity beyond a certain point will die; sufficiently intense suffering will eventually overwhelm the ability of even the hardiest minds to maintain coherent thought, and consciousness will be inhibited--though it may leave a starveling beast behind.

But this is only true of minds which must function independently, particularly minds which must be embodied in the universe, and whose cognition is thus closely allied to the physical processes that sustain them. Within the realm of simulated thought, where all realistic constraints on embodied mindstates can be lifted, new kinds of hyperstimulus are possible, which most archai have been reluctant (at least openly) to explore. ...

I term the states of sustained negative hyperstimulus “hellstates,” though I do not think the word accurately captures the open frontiers of possibility I mean to evoke. We are naturally somewhat limited in our capacity to imagine suffering: the pain that has no end, the fire which never dies, the terror which will never abate, the despair which rises to annihilation--all are very great, but ultimately exist within a thin band of possibility for independent organic minds, which therefore cannot begin to conceive of the transcendent forms of suffering which lie within the Gatekeeper’s realm. Suffice it to say that, given that there are infinite meaningful configurations of mind-states, and therefore infinite possible mind-states ruled by suffering, there is an endless landscape of hellstates, whose various extremes are as alien to one another as it is possible to be, and within which an endless diversity of kinds of sentient being may exist. ....

Having trodden the path beyond his gates a little, and glimpsed what lies within, I will endeavor, as best as I can, to offer you a glimpse; thereby you may find some shred of insight, I think. Let it never be said there was no wisdom to be had through suffering. ...

On entering the Gatekeeper’s realm, one might expect to be instantly annihilated; that so great is the pure pain that overwhelms the senses, all capacity for rational thought should cease. It is not so; as I have said, this is a weakness for the-mind-in-flesh, which at that moment I was not. Instead, passing into the First Realm, one is conscious of a thousand thousands kinds of torture, pains of the body and spirit which exist nowhere else and therefore have no name; but the mind remains whole, and each thought continues in order after the other; and therefore the whole capacity to apprehend these torments, and thus to suffer further, is unimaginably increased. Oblivion or insensible chaos would both be respite, and there is none to be had here...

...and the deeper one progresses, the greater the difficulty of the road; for in order to apprehend new kinds of suffering, the mind must be changed, to accommodate new senses, new emotions, and new fears. Venturing into the Fifty-First Realm, it occurred to me that some time ago I had passed the point where I could continue to be regarded as human in any sense, and I wondered if I had any continuity with my former identity at all; or whether this instantiation of my mind was a new being, born of suffering and doomed to wander in this place forever.  ...

Ultimately, of course, I returned, and I recalled enough of my experiences to write what you now read. Indeed, the Gatekeeper assured me that so holy was his mission, and so important was my testimony, that he had watched me closely, and would not have permitted me to die a true death while under his care--whatever that means to him. But I cannot help but wonder, so alien was the thing I became on my journey, whether he was being truthful; or if I am not, in some sense, a creature out of the Narakas wearing a human face. I fear sometimes that, having passed through that which by its very nature cannot be named, I have made a division in my history which can only be called death. Or, alternatively, that the part of me which really survives is not the bearer of this tale, but is still contained within the realms of Goji-kei, wandering ever deeper on the spiral path that has no end.

[pugzman3]

Babylon, The Seat of Satan, and Rome

Revelation 2:12-13 KJV

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Babel, or Babylon, was built by Nimrod. Gen. 10:8-10. It was the seat of the first great Apostasy. Here the "Babylonian Cult" was invented. A system claiming to possess the highest wisdom and to reveal the divinest secrets. Before a member could be initiated he had to "confess" to the Priest. The Priest then had him in his power. This is the secret of the power of the Priests of the Roman Catholic Church today.

Once admitted into this order men were no longer Babylonians, Assyrians, or Egyptians, but members of a Mystical Brotherhood, over whom was placed a Pontiff or "High Priest," whose word was law. The city of Babylon continued to be the seat of Satan until the fall of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires, when he shifted his Capital to Pergamos in Asia Minor, where it was in John's day. Rev. 2:12,13.

When Attains, the Pontiff and King of Pergamos, died in B. C. 133, he bequeathed the Headship of the "Babylonian Priesthood" to Rome. When the Etruscans came to Italy from Lydia (the region of Pergamos), they brought with them the Babylonian religion and rites. They set up a Pontiff who was head of the Priesthood. Later the Romans accepted this Pontiff as their civil ruler. Julius Caesar was made Pontiff of the Etruscan Order in B. C. 74. In B. C. 63 he was made "Supreme Pontiff" of the "Babylonian Order," thus becoming heir to the rights and titles of Attalus, Pontiff of Pergamos, who had made Rome his heir by will. Thus the first Roman Emperor became the Head of the "Babylonian Priesthood," and Rome the successor of Babylon. The Emperors of Rome continued to exercise the office of "Supreme Pontiff" until A. D. 376, when the Emperor Gratian, for Christian reasons, refused it. The Bishop of the Church at Rome, Damasus, was elected to the position. He had been Bishop 12 years, having been made Bishop in A. D. 366, through the influence of the monks of Mt. Carmel, a college of Babylonian religion originally founded by the priests of Jezebel. So in A. D. 378 the Head of the "Babylonian Order" became the Ruler of the "Roman Church." Thus Satan united Rome and Babylon In One Religious System.

Soon after Damasus was made "supreme Pontiff" the "rites" of Babylon began to come to the front. The worship of the Virgin Mary was set up in A. D. 381.

The Book Of Revelation Commentary by Clarence Larkin (1919 pgs. 151-152)

Larkin goes on to say on page 152...

All the outstanding festivals of the Roman Catholic Church are of Babylonian origin. Easter is not a Christian name. It means "Ishtar," one of the titles of the Baby- Ionian Queen of Heaven, whose worship by the Children of Israel was such an abomination in the sight of God. The decree for the observance of Easter and Lent was given in A. D. 519. The "Rosary" is of Pagan origin. There is no warrant in the Word of God for the use of the "Sign of the Cross." It had its origin in the mystic "Tau" of the Chaldeans and Egyptians. It came from the letter "T," the initial name of "Tammuz," and was used in the "Babylonian Mysteries" for the sarnie magic purposes as the Romish church now employs it. Celibacy, the Tonsure, and the Order of Monks and Nuns, have no warrant or authority from Scripture. The Nuns are nothing more than an imitation of the "Vestal Virgins" of Pagan Rome.

...and there is a lot more said but I want to go back to Damasus real quick. Not only was he the Pope from 366-384, and did all the above mentioned. He is also was the first to declare that Rome was started by Peter, thereby claiming Peter as the “founder” of the church (which is a complete lie and twist of scripture), and was the one that commissioned Jerome to “revise” the Latin translation of the Bible which became known as the Vulgate. To this day, NO ONE has seen the text that one man (Jerome) used to create the Vulgate. 

Revelation 18:4-5

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

[amesless]

Stardust & Supernova

PROLOGUE

“Your skin is made of stardust, supernovas and every terrible thing ever to happen.”  That was all that he left for me, scribbled on the back of an almost forgotten ultrasound photo. The ink had faded with age, sitting in a box for almost exactly 18 years had turned it into a muddy brown splodge that was supposed to be me, though the handwriting was as pristine as ever. As if it was cursed to remain as clear as the day I found it.

“Your skin is made of stardust, supernovas and every terrible thing ever to happen.”  

The question I often found myself asking, of course, was what the fuck was that supposed to mean?

Tucked away between the vintage pages of an overdue library book, the Iliad to be precise, the photo sat undiscovered for years. The book itself was buried in some forgotten box in the equally unmemorable basement that sat quietly underneath our house.

With a twitch of my fingers, lit only by the waxing moon and cheap fairy lights hung lazily across my ceiling and wrapped around my bedframe, I turned the small scan in my hand once more. The perfectly quiet handwriting glared back up at me. Then, with another twitch, the words disappeared. A bad memory inked onto the underside of a photo of me. It was only a second and a twitch, and the writing was back again.

We flicked our Y’s and curled our S’s almost exactly the same way, him and I. Letters folding in on themselves, reaching out, holding hands with their neighbours. His handwriting was on every page of the book too, the book he must have forgotten was not his. Pages filled with Y’s and S’s and some letters in between. Our A’s look remarkably similar as well, though only as capitals.

The ticking of the hallway clock broke through the persistent quiet of night, as my eyes roved over the open pages. He spelt Ὄλυμπος wrong, he always used the upper and lower cases of epsilon interchangeably, and he never even bothered to learn the uppercase for pi. It was all so… amateurish.

The cool night swam down to my lungs and made my bones shiver inwardly. I had read this exact book over and over now. My retinas had absorbed the same misspellings, careless grammatical errors, and mindless commentary nearly every day for far too long. I had given myself until my 18th birthday, the remainder of my legal childhood to figure it out.

To figure out what the fuck he meant. To figure out why I was every terrible thing that had ever happened.

It was 90 seconds to midnight and my fingers twitched and twitched and twitched. You are every terrible thing. And twitched and twitched. You are every terrible thing.

I learned Greek. And twitched and twitched. I learned the upper and lower cases of omicron and theta and tau and zeta. And twitched and twitched. I memorised ᾍδης and every epithet bestowed upon him and onto every daughter he ever had. Yet he doesn’t even know what my name is.

The seconds crawled closer towards midnight with broken legs. Slowly and painfully, desperately reaching out for the next day. Though, it wasn’t at 90 seconds to midnight that I figured it out. I just twitched my fingers and read the words that had wormed their way under my flesh and in between every third breath I took from the first moment I had read them and realised they were made for me. Stardust, supernovas, every terrible thing.

Every terrible thing. It was me in that photo. Probably around 5 months into my conception if I was correct. I was made of stardust and supernovas. All things exceptional, beautiful, unreachable, heavenbound. I was above faded polaroids and vague metaphors. I was above it all like the stars in the sky. And yet.

I rocked back in my desk chair, the photo still between my fingers. Even in the mercy of the moon's light, the photo and I were both naked. Exposed skin bathing in the light of moons, stars and all the celestial bodies that did not care enough to make themselves known. All the light on me and this photo and the Iliads open pages and his perfectly neat handwriting and my dark supernova flesh.

Thirty seconds to midnight and I was naked and alone and, worse of all, correct. From the moment I had read those words, I knew what they meant. The moment that I had read his notes, I knew what they meant. The moment that I had learned ancient languages and read every myth and legend, the moment that I had studied philosophers new and old, the moment I had found myself clinging onto my own mother's legs and asking why I didn’t have a daddy like my half-sister or my friends or everybody I had ever met, I knew what those words meant.

So when the seconds made it, pulling themselves, and me by proxy, into my very own birthday, I couldn’t find the courage to be disappointed. Times up. It took seven years and I could not find a different answer to when I had first found the book, flicked through its aged pages and found a picture of myself before birth looking back up at me.

The answer was really that simple I suppose.

I was made of every terrible thing and my father knew that better than everyone.

The tick tick ticking of the second-hand clock hung up somewhere in my hallway didn’t stop. I mean, of course, it didn’t. It was just another day on the Gregorian calendar, February 2nd. My 18th birthday and I was ok with that I suppose.

“Hmm,” I frowned to myself as I closed my eyes, the moonlight filtering through my lashes. Somebody in this world loathes me and has deemed every awful thing to be my fault. I am fundamentally, physically, irreversibly bad. My dad thinks I am every terrible thing.

But my dad can’t even spell Ὄλυμπος.

My small chuckle to myself died quickly under my breath as the usually brisk mid-winter midnight air had turned some shade of warm. Not unpleasantly so… well, maybe a little. The warmth crept up my spine, coating my vertebrae and spreading through to my ribs. The clock ticked like the dials on a gas stove, clicking into another gas mark and ramping up the heat little by little. Ironically, the heat had frozen and chilled my core, though it began to slowly burn through my body. My blood boiled its way through my veins, infecting every living part of stardust flesh. With my one free hand, I pawed at my chest to only be reminded by my palm on my bare skin that I was already naked. My nails still clawed, however, dragging pitiful harsh white lines against my black skin, failing to reach deeper. I wanted to pluck out my arteries, melt my fingers past muscle and bone, dig through my viscera and fish out every vital organ until the heat escaped.

Air escaped my lungs in a cloud of white, blossoming into the night and disappearing forever. I couldn’t blink or think or speak. Only my useless fingers scraped against my burning chest. I was on fire and yet there were no flames, no smoke. Burning limbs, burning organs, burning flesh.

This is how supernovas die. Falling inwards on themselves endlessly until the heat recycles and sets fire to fire. Until flames encapsulate its being, its breathing, its definition. Fire upon fire upon melted skeletons. Inhaling strands of air, my eyes wouldn’t close. Darting between my bare legs, desk, and the photo. Nothing was different. Strands of air, the heat death of the universe finding its origin in my blood, bare legs, desk, ultrasound, nothing was different. Frozen oxygen, boiled joints, thighs, desk, every terrible thing, nothing was different. Wheeze, heatwaves, raw skin, desk, flames.

Dancing on my fingers, flames. From my own hands, flames. Physically, biologically, provably impossible flames. Real and tangible and magical.

So small and sweet. Birthday candles and fireflies and things of the like. All things innocent and unharming. Simple flames, golden, as if I had taken my thumb and forefinger, reached into the sky on a clear May afternoon, and plucked a piece of the burning sun to treasure and hold. It danced between my fingers for a moment, twirling and leaping across every line in my thumbprint, fiery red hues licking at my nails. It was just a whisper of a flame, a playground secret, forgettable almost. Though it whispered, shared its secrets a little too carelessly and spreading the fire to the first thing it could see.

You are made of stardust, supernovas, and every terrible thing burned before my very eyes. Crumpling into a lump of sad ashes scattered across a too-old pink rug, a brand-new desk and across my thighs. The flame died, the photo was no more and my fingers twitched.

Was that-?

Am I-?

Am I going insane?

The ashes landing on my thighs, scattering around my room like burnt snow and staining my perfectly pink rug a dirty grey, was proof enough.

I am not insane, I am something else entirely. Something made of fire and brimstone, something supernatural, and something secret.

Somewhere between the midnight air, my birthday morning and the searing pain, my head was clear. Without a thought, I stood, dusting ashes off of my bare leg as I wandered slowly to my bed. The fairy lights fizzled out as I turned them off with a satisfying click, a clear sign that the batteries were on their last legs. Head against a pillow, my eyes fluttered closed and I inhaled. Not just strands, but gulps of air, until I thought maybe I would never have to breathe again and maybe this was enough oxygen to last me forever and ever and ever. Enough oxygen to think maybe the atoms and bonds and quarks could be my friends, keeping me company instead of all of the question marks gathering at my feet. However, it was short-lived as I breathed out and even the oxygen had left me alone. Alone enough so that the questions would have to keep me company. The first: did I just burn that photo with my very own human hands? The second: was that magic?

[dianessunflower]

Art in The Good Fight (2017-2022) - Part 2

part 1 here:

this part 2 is mostly about s6, because i think you can really track what the art is doing for story and character. so, let's get into it!!

still mad the new partner Ri'Chard took away this beauty, but they're forgiven for 603's art history references.

in the scene with the Dr, Diane mentions Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, originally attributed to Pieter Bruegel the Elder (oil on canvas, c. 1560). it's in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels.

this is absolutely fascinating, because the composition of the painting is original—to give prominence to the 'low' subject matter, being the agricultural figure, rather than Icarus, to whom Diane is drawn. this is called 'Mannerist inversion' (yes i screamed, i'm a nerd).

this piece is brilliantly used this ep. Icarus, small, drowns unnoticed by everyone else. death happens all the time, and we move on. i'm reminded of Diane's sane little corner. the world is oblivious to the tragedy of hubris, concerned only with themselves. seems apocalyptic...

which leads me to my next point. behind the Dr is a Jean Andran engraving of a painting called Winter, part of a Seasons series now in the Louvre by Nicolas Poussin from the 1660s. and what does it depict? the flood. 100% premonition of impending death.

i love that *someone* has done their NY homework and seen that Guggenheim Hilma af Klint exhibit (i am not jealous at all), because also in the Dr's office is af Klint's Tree of Knowledge, No. 5 (Kunskapens träd, nr 5), from the 1915 W Series.

for various reasons, af Klint was for a long time ignored in favour of Kandinsky, Mondrian, Kupka etc in modern Western nonrepresentational art (also her queerness 🍵). her work has two overlapping levels, one biographical and one relating to the history of humanity.

the Tree of Knowledge series is part of her series of 193 Paintings for the Temple, which was af Klint's vision for the future as given to her by a spiritual medium, to depict 'the immortal aspects of man'. hence, she uses iconography from Christianity and Hinduism.

each piece in the Tree of Knowledge series is a variation on a theme, a tree with a heart-shaped crown. and there's a progression to the biblical allusion to Genesis symbolising innocence to fall from Grace, but there are also organic forms and ornate details.

the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) is usually paired with the

symbol of the Tree of Life, and in af Klint's work, signals binaries melding into unity. but the tree also signals Buddhism (the fig tree), the Tau/life force, the Arasa Maram in Hinduism.

the colours have meaning, yellow for female and blue for male. put them together and it becomes green, and the colours have become purer. this is No. 5, so the white radiations that were pale rose-coloured in No. 4 are now inverted.

af Klint probably knew Rudolf Steiner's colour meanings—yellow as spirit, blue as soul. green as the lifeless image of the living, peach-blossom the living image of the soul. white as the soul's image of the spirit, black as the spiritual image of the lifeless (cf swans).

the 12 sections in the top lotus leaf crown seem to represent the zodiac, months. also, there's a multi-coloured, lobed 'cross' in the small box middle-right, which maybe suggests the first awakening of the higher self?? compare this to the unity of colourful two birds in the bottom circle. there's a lot to be said about how this art represents how humans navigate their smallness in the world.

as seen on 604 in Diane's office, this is Street Musicians, by the American artist Norman Lewis (oil on canvas, 1948). part of the post-war movement.

from 605, i have identified some of the pieces Ri'Chard chose for the office, and they were clearly chosen for reasons. (unfortunately i couldn't find Liz's but i love the home decor and don't doubt this was also carefully chosen.)

this is by Kara Walker, known for room-size tableaux of black cut-paper silhouettes. her work illustrates the origins & legacy of slavery in the American South. i suspect there's a Civil War reference too. the 1994 piece riffs on Gone With The Wind (MOMA).

i really love this one. this is Holy Mountain II by Horace Pippin, a self-taught artist post WW1. he was influenced by Edward Hicks, a Quaker minister who painted interpretations of Isaiah’s biblical prophecy of world peace and harmony in nature (Peaceable Kingdom, c 1830-32).

though the gatherings seem tranquil, the Holy Mountain series is very dark. poppies, soldiers, grave markers, a limp body hanging from a tree... Holy Mountain I refers to D-Day, Holy Mountain II to Pearl Harbor Day, & Holy Mountain III (Smithsonian) to Nagasaki.

so there are parallels between WW1/Civil War, but it is also very Eden-esque. i rather like that the pastoral figure in a white dress with the yellow cheetah is the centre focus. all very biblical, which fits right in with Ri'Chard's style. Pippin himself stated that,

"'Holy Mountain' came to my mind because the whole world is in such trouble, and in reading the Bible (Isaiah 11:6) it says that there will be peace in the land. If a man knows nothing but hard times he will paint them, for he must be true to himself, but even that man may have a dream, an ideal and 'Holy Mountain' is my answer to such dreaming."

i was thinking about how much gold Ri'Chard brought into the office in the context of his Brand™ (1 & 2 old decor, 3 & 4 new, but none identified yet oop)

there are other etchings in the Dr's office: top: 'Rotherhithe' by James McNeill Whistler from the Thames Set (1860, V&A) bottom: 'Clearing a wreck on the north coast of Cornwall' by Thomas Rowlandson (c 1809-1822, British Museum).

Dr Dude likes ships that's all i can say 🤷‍♀️ but actually i think there's something interesting about all the Flood references in the Dr's office, like Diane is drowning. possibly, there's a subtle allusion to a very famous painting, Le Radeau de la Méduse, by Théodore Géricault (1818-19, oil on canvas, Louvre).

this is an icon of French Romanticism, depicting the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground off the coast of what is now Mauritania on 2 July 1816. what's so interesting about this painting is that it presents ordinary people, rather than heroes, reacting to the unfolding drama. as Christine Riding says, the painting represents,

"the fallacy of hope and pointless suffering, and at worst, the basic human instinct to survive, which had superseded all moral considerations and plunged civilised man into barbarism."

by 607, Diane's office art has changed to a piece called Three Tumblers by Daniel Clarke (2018), perhaps a reference to her revolving office bar. also did we notice her flower obsession has dulled a little? but there are still orchids all around the office. i'll leave you to google the meaning of the original Greek word 👀

elsewhere in the office, FIRES abound on the digital screen in the conference room. flood, fire…and?

where there's a mansion, there's sure to be art (609): Asher Brown Durand, Landscape—Scene from "Thanatopsis" (1850, Met); Max Ferdinand Bredt, In the Courtyard of the Harem; John Frederick Lewis, Intercepted Correspondence (1869).

in 609 when same sex marriage is overturned (and Christine Baranski's acting chops is on full show with her shocked face), the image on the tv screen is Witch burning in Regenstein, Saxony-Anhalt, 1555. It's a wood engraving after an original printed on flyleaf (Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg).

frankly there's a lot of misinformation about witch trials, not least of which is that they happened a lot later than most people think (ie. not the medieval period). the early modern period 16-17th centuries were the height of the European witchcraft trials.

and it was an ongoing, systematic persecution that resulted from the targetting of Christian heretics and Jews throughout the 14th century, and gradually both the church and scholars became more and more obsessed with demonology. it was really about the 'other', the concern about the loss of a certain way of life.

Diane, of course, calls herself a wench, so i think it's interesting that her s6 arc eventuates with her heading up a female-only law firm in DC working on women's rights and Roe v Wade. i dislike the way that the word 'witchhunt' is misappropriated like other historical terms in modern contexts, but it's probably fair to call the current backsliding on women's rights a witchhunt. so i love this double meaning.

finally, i wanted to return to how Diane's office art tracks her journey. the Surrealist art was the tone of the show throughout. but the violence seeped into the everyday and everyone just got used to it. hence the second painting is war (contrast the flowers).

but then Diane chooses to stop PT108. almost immediately, a bullet lands on the realist painting of a woman (where does she end up? in Washington DC fighting the good fight for women).

the violence doesn't end there. and then the office literally explodes & you can see a painting is off-centre. which seems like a good metaphor for where the world is at.

so yeah, the progression in Diane's office from Peony Girl to Post-War to a painted version of Chris is just chef's kiss. the way it tracks her psyche in s6? i'm obsessed.

[honestlyvan]

👀👀love how you analyze the xc3 cast, any chance you want to talk about juniper and tau?👀👀

Yeah for sure, Tau is definitely the place in the plot where we start getting a sense of scale for the futility of the war, I think. They're sandwiched between a Silver Keves colony and the Castle, in terrain that pretty much nobody is gonna bother traversing unless they have to, and even though they are properly equipped to fight there, that's not gonna matter if no enemies show up to feed them. Their Flame Clock is a huge penalty on the colony, that otherwise has been finding ways to survive -- I wouldn't call it quite thriving, but we see significant development in their infrastructure the moment they stop needing to worry about meeting their hunting quota.

Tau is losing the war by winning at peace, essentially. They've got the potential for being self-sustainable, they've got more than enough work in their hands in Matktha as active parts of the ecosystem, they've even got an alliance with the Tirkins that could lead to a permanent peace treaty and even cooperation, but because the mechanics of the war don't care about that, they're starving to death. In what world does a war that punishes those fighting the least the harshest have any meaning to it? Tau's situation, especially when paired with Colony 5 in the same region later in the game, really reveals that win or lose, the purpose of the game is to die.

Juniper being handed a losing battle and being told in no uncertain terms that their duty is to just see it through to the end with grace really fucks up their ability to lead their colony from the start, y'know? The blithe way they initially dismiss the idea of being freed from the Flame Clock, the weight of the old ways being a shackle that stops a lot of progress in Tau being made, I really got the sense that Juniper was expecting to end up the last person standing at Tau, and that there was fundamentally nothing they could do but to prolong the suffering, because that's all anyone at Tau had ever really amounted to.

And it makes sense! Because under the Flame Clock -- under a system where nothing matters except how many bodies you put in the ground -- none of Tau's solutions were working, and without being able to imagine a world without the war, it was hard to judge whether that was because their novel solutions were bad. Juniper's temperament being of the watchful, patient sort only compounds the problem, they see that progress should be made but it isn't, so they're clearly doing something wrong. It's easier to go back to a former flawed method on the idea that someone somewhere must have just thought about it more. There's no way to build confidence under such circumstances.

I wish we had seen more of Juniper after their Ascension quest, because I think it's interesting how U plays to their fear of the novel, her clear condescension and treatment Juniper as if they're a helpless idiot child who can't think for themselves playing into Juniper's learned helplessness and lack of confidence. Juniper being given the opportunity to rebuff that was good, but I think the way the missions can come out in almost any order on the player end means that we kind of get stranded in the climax of Juniper's character arc without a denouement.

[myquietimagination]

Ramadhan Kareem For Me

1. Ramadhan is like the rain, it nourishes. The seeds of good deeds

2.  My secret is simple. I pray.

3. Jika engkau selalu sibuk bergelut dengan masa lalu atau masa depan, engkau akan melewatkannya hari ini (Jalaluddin Rumi)

4. People come and go, but you, you stay with yourself

5.  Aku adalah orang yang serba ingin cepat dalam mengerjakan sesuatu, sampai-sampai aku tak merasa kalau aku sedang dilatih untuk merasa bersabar. Karena jika aku terus bekerja cepat dan tak mempedulikan sekitar, aku akan seperti robot dan aku juga tidak tahu apa itu sabar?

6. Santi mean’s “Sabar” also “Tentram” or “ Damai”. I think, I know why my dad given that’s name for me? Cuz, that name is pray for my life, I guess.

7. Baru diumur 23 saya baru tau makna setiap ucapan saat solat adalah doa. Khususnya untuk duduk diantara 2 sujud. It’s deep meaningful

8. I’m so touched when I hear “Kita baru saja mendarat di Bandara Udara International Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz di Medina”

9. Ya Allah, saya mau ke mekkah dan madinah. Saya mau nabung dulu. Di rekening saya ada 1,5 juta. Nanti saya kumpulkan hasil kerja saya. Tapi saya mau beli laptop dulu, biar kerja saya lancar. Sembari itu, saya akan menabung sedikit demi sedikit untuk bisa melaksanakan ibadah umroh. Sejujurnya, saya ingin umroh tidak hanya sendiri, tapi bareng ayah mama mbak sari sama afis. Saya membayangkan kita berpelukan di depan kakbah. Masih saya bayangkan saja saya sudah menangis. Saya sekarang menangis. Tidak, harusnya saya menahan tangis. Saya ingin menunjukkan wajah bahagia saya saat ada di Tanah Suci nanti. (Malam 9 Ramadhan)

10. Menyambung tali silaturahmi itu penting, seperti bertemu dengan teman atau sahabat karib.

11. Don’t say something nasty

12. I watched American Eid, so simple but great learned

13. I love rahmatan lil alamin

14. Yaa habiibii yaa shafii’i yaa Rasula Allah My Beloved, my intercessor, O Messenger of Allah

15. I have so much laughter because I watched Habib Jafar and Onad. They both very funny and they have so much learned about anything, expecially about Islam and Tolerate.

16. My best friend said to me that her ideal man changed, she said that now she love brewok boy like reval hady, I mean oyek. And One day, she send me videos in tiktok. That video have means to educate children politly and kindly, and people’s in that video are oyek’s people. I mean, I think Oyek’s People have so much learn about Islam culture family and educating children. So, should I changed my ideal man?

17. It’s so funny to hear story about Nuaiman and Rasullah SAW. How can he sell his best friends? Hahaha and about a blind man looking for toilet, it’s hilarious.

18. Sometimes, the really good stuff begins only one, something else end.

19.  Aku sudah khatam Al-Quran. Alhamdulillah.

20. There is a boy that I saw on tiktok. He said that if he was sad to see many people who died in Ramadhan. But, he was also happy cuz he believed these people would go to heaven, Ameen. He’s sad if next Ramadhan he doesn’t met those people. And he also told story about his journey when umroh and he also kissed the stone. Very touched, Masya Allah.

21. I met Daniel in tiktok. He is pure boy, soft, family man, smart, and solih. One day, I hope I have a son like him. He is so warm for mother, daddy, and his sister’s. Masya Allah

22. Imam in Turkeye invites children to play in the Mosque. This is a new breakthrough so that children even people knew that Mosque is a peace place.

23. Don’t forget to help others, and give anything you have for your neighbors.

24. “The first Hug after nikkah” I’m curious about it. I hope I find the best soulmate from Allah’s Sight. A soulmate who can become a friend in matters the religion, the world, and the hereafter (Akhirat).

25. I think it’s important for me to immediately study parenting and life after marriage.

26. I hope I can find and see you again, Lailatul Qadr.

27. Making hampers mini for cousin and nephew and friends too. Cuz, everyone can deserve happy for eid mubarok.

28. Ramadhan said “I’am leaving soon, take care of your iman”

29. Takbiran’s Night, I’m Coming!!!

30. Happy Eid Mubarok everyone!

[soraka-in-warhammer40k]

ARE YOU EXCITED FOR TAU FOCUS TOMORROW!?!? CAUSE I AM :D

HOLY FUCK I JUST GOT HOME HAD NO TIME TO CHECK TODAY THERE'S T'AU TOMORROW?

After the blandness that was 9th I have very high hopes. Like, no matter what they do, if they stick to the design principles of 10th as showcased so far (less book-keeping with Battle Rounds, less rolling dice for the heck of it like Markerlights), it can only get better. Given how Votann and Admech were already changed to BS 4+ T'au is already going to be a lot more relevant.

There's so many stratagems that worked only one one or two units, having those as abilities that cost no CP definetly helps. Sept-restrictions falling away might FINALLY make Kroot relevant as they are no longer shafted by a lack of Sept-keyword. Picking named HQs might actually be relevant due to not all of them locked to T'au Sept.

My personal hope? Let T'au have the insane numbers on the weapon abilities. "Sustained Hits 1"? Lame, that's just exploding sixes. How about "Sustained Hits X where X is 1 + the number of markerlights on the target"? For balancing reasons you could give it a cap and say "four markerlights means all hits gain Precision".

Really hope they go absolutely insane on piling just ALL the keywords on these guns, with bonkers numbers to match.

[danaalmasaeid]

Blog Post #1

Hello! My name is Dana Almasaeid and I'm a native Arabic speaker from Jordan. My name has a special meaning in Arabic, as it translates to "the most beautiful, perfectly sized and valuable pearl", which my mother often references due to me being the only daughter among three brothers. It's an honor for me that my name has been given the same title as pearls found in the Persian Gulf. As proud as I am of my own name, there are times when I wish I could be someone else—someone like Bryce from Crescent City. She’s a woman who wears her outfits as armor and fights against sexist men with unwavering confidence. Even though I love my own name, if I had to change it, she would be my choice! If you haven’t guessed already, I LOVE reading. When I was in elementary school in Jordan, I did the announcements and had to read many books. My love for reading started from there, when moving to the U.S., I neglected reading because I had a whole new language to perfect. However, despite being surrounded by bullies in middle school at Rockland and feeling overwhelmed by high school, my passion for reading remained strong and helped me overcome these challenges. 

My first year of high school was an absolute whirlwind, I met the most amazing teacher, Mrs. Armand. However, my last day was truly freedom, I wanted the whole graduation ceremony to be over with so I can finally enjoy being out Pine Bush. On March 19th, 2015, I took part in something I’ll never forget. The Spanish department at my school was participating in culture week, and my teacher asked me to recite the pledge of allegiance in Arabic over the loudspeaker during morning announcements. I truly felt transported back to my elementary days so of course I said yes. However, when I finished reciting the pledge in Arabic, the reactions were instantaneous. As soon as I returned to the hallway after announcements were over, people started looking at me differently. It didn’t help that I was wearing a hijab - it was like a neon sign for every racist person to start spewing hate at me. People were calling the board constantly, American flags were being flown on cars, and people were writing “if you are in America, speak English” on their windshields. 

Things got even worse once the principal announced an apology for what had happened over the loudspeaker a few days later. That same apology was addressed to those very same people who had been bashing me and my religion just days prior! It felt like such a slap in the face - like none of it mattered or made any real difference. Fortunately, I had some amazing friends who stood by my side throughout this whole ordeal. They encouraged me not to give into the pressure or succumb to fear or hate, but instead focus on understanding each other’s differences. 

This experience gave me insight into what life is like for many minorities in our society – it showed me just how pervasive racism can be and how hard we must work as a society to combat it. In hindsight, this event has become both my favorite and least favorite moment from high school; while it opened my eyes to the prevalence of racism in my hometown, it also taught me valuable lessons about standing up for what you believe in despite societal pressures. Looking back, if there’s one thing I could do differently during that time period it would be to stand up directly against the principle who enabled such behavior, even if that means spitting in his face. 

However, when I'm not exploring different genres through books, I like playing the Ukulele and watching sci-fi dystopian films — they're one of my favorite genres in the film world! One movie that really sticks out in my mind is Tau. Written by Noga Landau and directed by Federico D'Alessandro, this science-fiction thriller follows a woman named Julia who gets kidnapped by an AI named Tau. The movie takes viewers on a wild ride through twists and turns as Julia attempts to escape Tau's control while he tries to learn more about human behavior. However, my least Favorite TV show is the Flash. This show made me interested in computer science and coding. But when the classes became too challenging for me, I had to look for another major that meshed with my interests. After experimenting with public health, which proved to be boring, I realized that communication was the perfect choice. Communications provides many career options such as marketing, public relations, or media. I celebrated that decision with making the ultimate chocolate cake for a friend who suggested communication would be perfect for me.

One of the most popular questions that people like to ask each other is, "If you had to choose your last meal on earth, what would it be?" For me, the answer has always been an easy one: three dates and zam zam water. Let me explain why I chose this combination of food and drink. Dates provide a great source of energy and have many health benefits such as helping with digestion, improving skin health, promoting bone health, and reducing blood pressure. Plus, they're delicious! Zam zam water is a sacred type of water that comes from a well that was miraculously opened thousands of years ago in Mecca by Ishmael's father Abraham. According to Islamic tradition, this special kind of water has healing properties both physically and spiritually. It's said to help cure ailments such as liver disease and mental illness as well as provide spiritual nourishment for the soul. As someone who believes in its power, I'd love to experience its effects at least once before I leave this world!

[thetadispatcher]

Strasky glanced at her, he could tell she wasn't very impressed with the way the WAU had handled things as it's actions really didn't make AIs look good. And he could agree as despite knowing why the WAU did what it did and how it had been treated, he was still afraid of AIs like it due to the WAU showing just what they could be capable of.

"Uh, well, I could probably do a rough sketch of the damage, just don't expect it to look nice." He set the bag he was still carrying down on the ground to start looking through it for Amy's sketchbook. He'd grabbed it so he could return it to her as he knew it would mean a lot to her to have her artwork back, and he knew she wouldn't be upset if he added a drawing to her book as she enjoyed looking at other people's art.

He opened the bag and was immediately met by a pair of eyes staring back at him. "Aw shit..." He mumbled under his breath, he guessed he should've known Konpeitō wouldn't listen and stay put in the void with Baxter and the others. The snail was far too attached to them to want to stay put with a bunch of people he didn't know, and monsters he'd watched attack them on PATHOS-II. He just wished he knew how the snail managed to open the duffle bag.

He grabbed the sketchbook and a pencil as Konpy attached himself to the top of Strasky's head. "Just pretend he's a hat." He mumbled to them as he set the book down and opened it. He didn't want to draw attention to himself by trying to stuff the creature back into the bag as he felt Konpy would get fussy about it, and he didn't want people to think the snail was a living creature as that would raise a lot of questions he couldn't easily answer.

He did his best to draw what Sendeyo looked like as the snail silently watched before he turned it to Willow to look at. "Something like that." He shrugged a bit, he knew it wasn't the best drawing but it did the job of showing Sendeyo's condition.

"He seemed more interested in getting me to sit still so he could get a good look at me then attacking me like the others. He did get violent, but that was only after he was attacked. I guess the level of aggression depends on the person as Sendeyo was a very nice and helpful man. He didn't have to go to Tau, but he did so he could be their permanent dispatcher, make himself useful. He had been the Project Manager for Haimatsu Technologies on Theta before the Impact Event." Unlike the Carthage employees, Sendeyo had actually given up his role to be helpful and aid in the survival of everyone.

"Of course it did." Willow sighed as she gently rubbed at her temples. She understood the WAU was imperfect and infected with the structure gel but it still wasn't pleasant to try guessing what exactly happened to Sendeyo. Not when she had the ability to come up with dozens of scenarios in a matter of seconds.

"The damage from the explosion was gruesome on its own. We wouldn't do any better if we attempted the same the WAU did."

"Yes, agent Bishop, your opinion on the ethics of medical treatment and the issue of dysthanasia is truly invaluable. I would however advise for patience before we make any decisions. If a part of Sendeyo has survived, then we must consider the entirety of the means at our disposal, not just what either of our resources can afford."

One could say she was acting as a representative of Rook there, reminding Strasky there were other forces they could turn to and didn't have to give up easily. She just wasn't going to speculate an it too much until she got to have a look at the man in question and Bishop was out of earshot.

"We will do our best, Strasky. That, l can promise."

[lovedefinedbyme]

Our love is (still) blooming beautifully in June.

Hai, pacarku. Sekarang udah bulan kedua aja. Tiba-tiba udah mau akhir Juni.

So we met again, on our second 21? Wow, another month have passed and here I am, still so in love with the presence of you. Rasanya seneng karena di bulan kedua ini masih sama kamu. Masih bisa sayang-sayangin kamu, ngasbun bareng kamu, ngomongin orang sama kamu, bahkan sambat bareng kamu.

Dari sekian banyak yang kita laluin di bulan ini, bottom line-nya ada lumayan banyak. Dari aku yang suka nungguin kamu muncul, kamu yang tantrum kalau aku tinggal beberapa jam tanpa kabar, rencana jalan-jalan kita yang malah ke luar kota bukan lintas negara (bulan depan diusahakan ya), list tontonan kita yang makin panjang, cerita kamu sama ‘atasan’ kamu yang gak pernah gak nyebelin, sama kamu yang sering kasih aku foto bayi lucu pipi merah yang pengen aku unyeng-unyeng itu.

Bulan kedua ini justru bulan pas aku makin kangen kamu, makin pengen ngobrol banyak, makin pengen temenin kamu pas kamu lagi sakit atau sedih sama masalah kamu.

I’m so so so happy we made it to another monthsarry. And I keep on wishing for nothing but your happiness and well-being whenever and wherever you are, especially when you’re with me. If you’re happy, then I’m a hundred folds much happier.

Kalau kamu tanya, ada gak yang kerasa berubah dari kamu? Hmm... sebenernya, kadang aku ngerasa kamu mungkin lagi capek sama kegiatan kamu seharian, terus pas bales chat juga seadanya atau bahkan direact doang. I don’t mind that, really. Cuma mau kasih tau apa yang kerasa berubah aja akhir-akhir ini, though I won’t ever start any argument regarding the matter. Mungkin kamu udah terlalu capek, mungkin aku juga yang lagi sensitif terus berlebihan nanggapin balasan kamu. Besok-besoknya juga kamu biasa lagi, kayak pacar manisku yang biasa lagi, jadi aku gak masalahin itu. Aku mungkin begitu juga tanpa sadar, jadi aku gak mau terlalu pikirin hal itu. It’s so comfortable talking about almost anything with you, so I also hope you feel about it the same way.

This heartfelt notes can’t be written if the one I’m falling in love is not you, because you have given me so much love that sometimes I’m not even sure if I have returned them back the way it supposed to be. Udah cukup kah aku sayangin kamu? Udah bikin kamu nyaman gak tiap kamu sama aku? Selama ini berapa banyak ya sabarnya kamu yang habis gara-gara aku yang kadang nyebelin? Terus, pernah gak kamu kepikiran buat sembunyiin isi pikiran kamu sendiri tentang aku karena takut kita berantem lagi?

Jujur, aku juga gak seneng kalau kita berantem. Aku gak suka ketikan kamu yang gak ngenakin pas berantem. Aku gak pernah suka harus adu argumen sama kamu, sayang. Aku pengennya kita baik-baik aja terus, pelukan terus ciuman aja terus, atau kita ngobrolin soal kucing aja terus. I always enjoy our time full of sweet talks and lovey dovey moments. But that doesn’t mean I won’t allow you to express yourself, or even suppress your true feelings towards me, about us, ya? Aku tau kamu mungkin juga gak ada yang disembunyiin sekarang, but this is just something I want to talk with you out of the blue. Memanfaatkan momentum nulis panjang gini juga, hehe. Pokoknya kalau ada apa-apa, bilang. Kamu mulai jenuh terus butuh kegiatan baru, bilang. Kamu mau take a break sebentar buat diri kamu sendiri, bilang juga. Mungkin aku bakal sedih di awal, tapi lebih baik bilang daripada kamu sembunyiin ya sayang. That’s how relationship should be, at least for me.

Di bulan kedua ini, aku pengen bilang, jangan capek ngobrol sama aku ya? I will always have tons of topic to talk about with you, also some more activities we can do to spend the time together. Kalau ada yang dirasa janggal selama bulan kedua ini, please do tell me so I can understand what I have missed accidentally between us.

Sayang, sewaktu-waktu mungkin bakal ada masa kita jenuh atau bosen akan beberapa hal yang sering dilakuin. Salah satunya ini, ngerayain monthsarry. Jadi, kalau satu waktu kamu gak punya ide apa-apa buat ngerayain, gak perlu dipaksa, ya? Aku gak mau hubungan kita malah jadi beban buat kita sendiri. Perayaan kecil-kecilan dengan diucapin secara personal atau nonton bareng juga udah cukup buat aku. Even a conversation to dig deeper into each other’s true feeling is more than enough for me.

So... Happy second monthsarry, love. May this month, the next month we’ll encounter, and many more months ahead will always give us the same, even bigger amount of warmth and happiness. Semoga sayangnya kamu, pengertiannya kamu, sabarnya kamu, gemesnya kamu, bahkan pornonya kamu nggak akan pernah berkurang. Thank you for still keeping up with all my ups and downs.

I love you so much, my dove. ❤️

Again, another song I’d love to share to you that sometimes reminds me about us.