#It's such a beautiful manifestation of humankind!!!

[kyouka-supremacy]

The culturally accurate Mikus is the best thing to have happened on the internet ever since Goncharov

[aixeko]

──────‹𝟹 SINNERS SAVAGERY ༄ Ѽ✧

IF I'M YOUR SALVATION, WELCOME TO HELL.

2024 Halloween Event | Art credit: Efferwescent on Twitter

𖤐 SINNERS SAVAGERY | or ERISETOBER  is an event that is a mix of Kinktober, Whumptober and Flufftober in a nutshell SMUT, ANGST & FLUFF with Halloween aspects. All prompts are made by me but some of the ones that inspired me are whumptober ofc, and this list. 

𖤐 ONLY HONKAI STAR RAIL AND GENSHIN WOMEN For this year

𖤐 This will be my first time doing the October prompts stuff + I have another event going on so bare with me haha.

𖤐 !! WEEK 1 starts 6 to 13 !! !! WEEK 2 starts 13 to 19 !! !! WEEK 3 starts 20 to 26 !! !! WEEK 4 starts 27 to 31 !!

WEEK 1 | MONSTER AU | | ONESHOT

| Film | TILL DEATH DO US PART | Starring | Kafka as alien symbiote “Venom” x Host!Reader  | Synopsis | A livelihood ripped away by the greed of humankind and faced with impending doom, an alien symbiote by the name of "Kafka" entered your life and made you her host. Originally, the monstrous being harbored one goal: to destroy everything planet Earth had to offer, but plans changed upon meeting you and thus, with her power, you both do whatever it takes to save the planet. Loathing was all that was bestowed toward the extraterrestrial parasitic, but as time passes, a long-lost feeling resurfaces, one that hasn't manifested since your heartbreak; of course, you would rather be brutally killed than confess your endearment. Unbeknownst to you, the woman has suspected you of such intimacy and, with her incredible adaptability to the complex human emotion, has a ploy to make you profess those three special words.

| Film | YOUR LORDSHIP | Starring | Yelan as Leviathan x Mortal!Reader | Synopsis |  When the tempestuous waves crash against the shore and the sky turns a foreboding grey, human shells cower in fear as the mighty lord of the seas, Leviathan, awakens from the darkest pit of the deep, seeking for a human companion to aid her lonely voyage.

WEEK 2 | MYTHOLOGICAL AU | | ONESHOT

| Film | BEYOND THE IMAGINABLE | Starring | Clorinde as Medusa x Blind!Reader | Synopsis | Despised and misunderstood by the world, she was a victim of a scandalous man's wrongdoing, unfairly punished by heaven despite her innocence. During one fortunate day, the woman whose heart had turned to stone melt under the accursed spell of love, wholly captivated by a blind mortal who fell in love with her for who she truly was; even without sight, the virtuous human saw the very essence of her, the beauty within her soul.

| Film | OFFERING OF PURITY | Starring | Raiden Ei as Hades x Mortal!Reader | Synopsis | The townsfolk tell tales of a legend that speaks of how, once in a century, the moon would adorn itself in a deep crimson hue and illuminate its shade onto the world. Under its wrathful light, the god of hell emerges to wreak havoc, and the only way to banish such evil is to offer a youthful virgin mortal; only then will humankind live in another century of prosperity and peace.

WEEK 3 | ANIMATRONICS AU | | SMUTSHOT

| Film | FIVE NIGHTS AT STAR RAIL | Starring | Kafka, Himeko, Blackswan, and Acheron as the FNAF Classic Animatronics x Night-guard!Reader | Synopsis | A newspaper arrives at your doorstep, featuring a job opening for a night guard position at the famous Star Rail Pizzeria. Struggling financially, you quickly seize the golden opportunity. The job's only requirement is 5 nights of work, and if you succeed, you'll be hired as an official employee; what could possibly go wrong?

WEEK 4 | SLASHER/SERIAL KILLER AU

| Film | MINDFUCK | Starring | Slasher!Arlecchino x Investigative-Psychologist!Reader | Synopsis | Demons linger where shadows play; in silence, hearts betray, whispers echo, and desires catch fire in the haunting depths of the night. With every kiss, a scythe may cut, in which terror envelops one's gut; together they dance on the edge of fate, finding beauty in a love that is too late. So let the night weave its spell, for in the dark they know so well, and though demons are whispering fright, in their twilight, the lights are ignited.

[venusianc0mplex]

Children of Hekate

Children of Hekate are mysterious, intriguing, magnetic, and sensual artists who are forced to learn how to alchemize their pain into blessings and gifts for humankind, On the outside they seem to have it all; influence, power, charm, beauty, and success. However, underneath those layers of glory are usually whirlpools of pain that never cease to an end. The tragic but empowering lives of Hekate kids always make the most captivating stories to tell. 

Gifts

Sexy as FUCK and got rizz for daysssss

Naturally draw people in with their aura

Very gifted with magic and spells

Very intuitive people

Extremely creative people

Very in touch with their own emotions

They are very good at making you feel seen and heard

They spot people’s shadow sides very easily

They tend to know what the other person wants

People wants to get close to them or want to dig into their life 

They gain fans very easily

They are very emotionally understanding people

Good at making other people feel loved and cared for 

LOVED by the opposite sex

Exudes sex and can’t hide that

Their emotions really draw you in because they are very intense

They really care about the wellbeings of the underdogs

They are down to help someone for free

Their artwork speaks to people no matter what it is they put out there

Gifted astrologers because Hekate’s mom is Asteria

They are very good at turning their negative emotions into artwork

Takes good care of small animals and kids

Naturally protective and they are naturally fighters

They have the ability to walk out of any darkness imposed on them

They can fight through anything in life even if some people might take longer

They are some of the most empathetic people once healed from their traumas

A LOT of people want a piece of them

They can spot people’s shadow side very easily

They naturally have influence over others

Very gifted prophets

They have the power to push through any hardships in life

Common Themes in the Life of a Child of Hekate

They feel their emotions at an intensity most people don’t get to experience

Prone to developing mental health illnesses due to Hekate’s 3 form’s collective energy being overwhelming on the native

Experience the most emotional swings in life

Thoughts are so powerful they will always have a significant impact on their reality 

It’s best for them to not stick to one career path throughout their lifetime

Their manifestations are so powerful they need to be careful what they wish for

Extremely volatile self-esteem

Most of them grew up with fragmented families

Prone to negative thinking/bad self-talk

They need gentler treatment from people around them

Prone to victim mindset

No matter what happens in life, as long as they try hard, they will always be kept afloat 

They tend to get more help from people of the opposite sex than people of the same sex

Attracts jealousy very easily

They need to choose their romantic partners very wisely

Most of them are prone to falling for the hot but toxic partner

Their family can set them back for years 

They struggle with grasping the truth and getting a good sense of reality

 Maintaining good mental health should be their no.1 priority in life

They are either easily influenced by people’s dark sides or become the toxic one that influence others negatively

They are usually very genuine with their emotions

They are usually the black sheep of their family 

Probably made a contract to sacrifice their early childhood happiness for material success and magical powers

They usually got prominent sideral cancer, aquarius, and/or pisces placements in their chart. (usually a combination of cancer + something else)

Deep thinkers

Need HUGE amounts of spiritual protection to thrive in life

Treats animals very well

People who learned their lessons and worked on their shadow selves usually become VERY good parents

Extremely protective

Natural guides/protectors

A lot of them will always have a kind heart no matter what life throws at them

Challenges

Almost all of them face MASSIVE struggles with their mental health as they are influenced by all 3 of Hekate’s sides but that energy is often times too much for a human to handle

Extremely prone to escapism and unhealthy coping mechanisms

They are prone to drowning in their depressive feelings for a very very long time

They can be too emotional or vengeful to their own detriment

Prone to self-isolation or pushing everyone around them away

Prone to extremities 

They are usually born into dogshit biological families

Struggles with an intense amount of suicidal thoughts

Usually surrounded by bad influences in their early childhood

Too stubborn to change for their own good sometimes

Their negative thoughts can manifest into their actions very fast

“Becareful what you wish for”

They LOVE going for the popular boy/girl whos actually emotionally unavailable af just because it satisfies their ego (Medea’s lesson)

Extremely Stubborn 

Suffer from a lot of jealousy (at them or towards others)

Trouble expressing their vulnerabilities

Spiritually vulnerable and prone to being taken advantage of

People LOVE to disrespect their boundaries

Can suffer really deeply from sexual harassments

Prone to lashing out in very extreme ways that push people away 

Suffer a lot from betrayals, especially from their families

They have to learn to overcome a huge amount of darkness in life

They suffer a lot from the evil eye

Suffer from unwanted attention

Not the best at giving a good first impression

Controversial

A lot of them struggle with BPD, ADHD, Bipolar, and etc

People are usually dismissive of the emotions they struggle with are they are judgmental towards it 

They are usually not given the same grace they give to others

They tend to give to the wrong people until they learn their boundaries 

They attract a lot of problematic people to them 

Their vengefulness can cause them a lot of trouble in life

A lot of them face a horrible amount of abuse in their earlier life 

They have trouble putting their egos down to ask for help

Disclaimer: Everything written above stemmed from my own observations, I'm not claiming to be 100% accurate on everything

[talonabraxas]

I appear in sea, in wind, in soil, in starlight. In the sun I appear. I appear in mountains and desert rain. I am the star and I am the stone. I am bird and fish, sky and sea. One and whole eternally, I come, differentiating, multiplying, refracting like a ray of light through ten thou-sand water-droplet prism pearls suspended in earth's highest sphere. Shining I come, to touch the surface of this matter world in a splashing, multicolored chorus of light men and light women, created to bring beauty, love, order and grace to this sacred dance of atomic form. Stardust. Frozen starlight. You call it matter. It is an art form with which we have worked for twenty billion years. We have sculpted it into star systems, galaxies and a universe of rainbow-spectrum worlds. We are the children of light. We have been given the task of creating dimensional reality. We draw order, structure and beauty out of the vibrating music of starlight.

From the redwood forests to the microbes, from the gentlest feathered bird to the most substantial ocean whale, our spirits manifest the Creator's designs in all the biological life on this planet. Yet only human circuitry has the capacity to embody the full reality of who we are, of who that Creator is—of who, in truth, you are. Come, human children, the truth has always been here. Your prophets have ever made it plain. Wherever you have let us land, wherever you have let our consciousness settle upon the waters of your awareness, the open waters of your human hearts, ever w e have come to inhabit your shores. We are the superior intelligence that you are looking for in the galaxies. We have been in your parks, in your treetops, in your gardens, in cages in your livingrooms. We are the Bird Tribes. And we are returning. We are here to teach you how to fly. Take us out of your cages of concept and archaic definition. Come, join us in the living treetops, where the winds of spirit blow wild and free. We are the Bird Tribes. And we love the flowing, fluid, gentle waters of our Mother's eternal truths, as we love the stars that nourish and support these biological robes of dancing light. We will never be far from water or land, from light or sound, from the Father's fire or the Mother's gentle wisdom. For we are the Bird Tribes, entering this earth to swim beneath her waters as fishes of the sea, to walk on her land as the mammals and the humans of this age and to fly through her heavens on the wings of the Love that created us and creates us anew in each moment. Because we love these oceans. We love these lands.

We love this planet with an eternal fire that takes all the myriad stars to reveal in the fullness of time, but only one star to say to one world, “I love you this much, that I would give you all that I am; my fire, even to your ages of ice; all that I am, until we grow the children, until we conceive the offspring who will be equally a child of starlight's fiery love and an ocean world's gentle truth.” Awaken, humankind. The teachers of love circle round the morning star. Spiraling down. Coming to rest. They land. At the edge of your history's shore. Fluttering into consciousness. The Bird Tribes return. --Return of the Bird Tribes : Ken Carey

[lilacmuse]

A Year of Genocide; an Eternity of Hope

My brother and his family were here for the past couple of weeks, and i made a lot of profound, silly, beautiful memories with my beloved baby nieces; i miss them so, so, so much. I want to write about the beauty and capture the joy before it slips through my fingers, but my instinct to write has been stilled by guilt again; at every moment, even in the depths of my happiness, my heart aches incessantly for the people whose joy and freedom has been robbed from them in every conceivable manner. We have witnessed over a year of one of the most painfully visible genocides in human history, and every week seems to yield new horrors beyond what we'd previously imagined. As i write this, i salute Shaheed Yahya Sinwar, another butterfly recently liberated from the gilded cage of duniya.

Tumultuous times necessitate great bravery, and bravery doesn't always look like missiles and bullets. Sometimes, bravery looks like hope. Sometimes courage is a matter of ferocious human willpower, having the audacity to insist on believing that a better world remains possible- to believe that the ashes of this world, no matter how painfully it burns, will give rise to a free world that the oppressed will inherit. Never again will they know pain. Never again will there be mass funerals, or homes set ablaze, or children withering from starvation at the hands of merciless enemies wishing to hasten their extermination. In the world that waits to be born, there will only be goodness. When that era of harmony finally emerges, the pain and brutality of these days will become a distant memory never to be replicated. I know i'm not the first thinker to hope that i might be alive to see that time; yet i know that in these matters, our only choice is to bow before God's will and know that He alone knows when the golden age of humanity is meant to dawn.

Every time i look at my nieces- when i teach them how to love; how to indulge their wild, curious minds and nurture their laughter and strength, i also know this with quiet certainty: even if the world isn't destined to see justice until long after we're gone, even if our bones are dust and our names are long forgotten, some small part of us will be alive to see that time. Because in every successive generation, a little bit of our love will live on, especially in the form of the faith we teach to our children and impart as our greatest gift and ultimate trust to them.

I believe in the immortality of such love because i see it manifest every year in the land where Imam Hussain (as) and his beloved ones sleep- over fourteen hundred years later, the largest annual gathering on earth is their Arbaeen, proving that death itself is no match for those who love God and have entrusted themselves to Him. That spirit of belief lives on in the soul of every martyr, it remains alive in the staunchly united forces leading the defense of the oppressed, and it remains alive in the conviction of every lover that yearns to see Palestine flourishing and free. We will pray in a liberated Al Aqsa, and if we are not there in body, inshAllah we will be there in love and in spirit- generations upon generations of souls who believed with the entirety of our beings that Palestine would one day be free, that humankind would one day know peace.

May God hasten the Faraj of our awaited Imam and allow us to follow him as he leads humanity toward the peace we've been hoping for all our lives. May the final chapter of the human story be replete with freedom, God-consciousness, harmony, and love. ❤️

x r

[misstallulah]

The Sacrifice of Love: Beyond Memory and Identity

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

In the context of a narrative rich in symbolism and meaning, such as that of Good Omens, a suggestive and purely theoretical interpretation emerges: what if Maggie and Nina were an ex-angel and an ex-demon? Imagining them as supernatural lovers who sacrifice their divine and demonic origins to live a love in human fragility opens the door to a profound reflection on the themes of sacrifice, memory, and identity. Without memory of their supernatural past, the two would be drawn to each other by an invisible bond, surviving the loss of powers and origins. This bond, while lacking conscious memory, manifests itself through an intense and irresistible emotional connection, like two souls destined to meet.

It is fascinating to think that even the protagonists Crowley and Aziraphale might one day decide to live as ordinary human beings, freeing themselves from celestial and infernal duties. This analysis focuses on a hypothesis that invites symbolic and theological reflections, enriching the vision of Maggie and Nina as figures who embody love and sacrifice in a mythological and spiritual dimension. Their story becomes a narrative of search and discovery, in which the absence of memory is not an obstacle but an opportunity to explore and build a new identity together.

The Sacrifice of Maggie and Nina: Renouncing Divinity to Live Love as Humans

Maggie and Nina, when considered under the hypothesis of being an angel and a demon, represent rebellious love and sacrifice. In the supernatural system of Heaven and Hell, any romantic bond between divine and demonic beings is unacceptable and punishable. However, this theory assumes that Maggie and Nina have voluntarily chosen to deprive themselves of their supernatural nature to embrace humanity. This act of self-emptying, or “kenosis,” is a Christian theological concept found in Philippians 2:7, where Christ renounces His divinity to incarnate as a man. The kenosis of Maggie and Nina would symbolize a profound act of love, akin to that of Christ, demonstrating that the choice to abandon power can be a gesture of great humanity.

The connection between Maggie and Nina could be viewed as a spiritual residue of a love that transcends the barriers of time and awareness. Although lacking conscious memory, their bond becomes a symbolic manifestation of the "memory of the soul"—a calling beyond the material world and divine constraints. This memory is not merely a recollection but a deep intuition of love that renders their attraction inexplicable and inevitable.

The Story of Anna Milton in Supernatural: The Angel Who Chose Human Life

Anna Milton, an angel created by God before the birth of humanity, is a striking example of how the choice to live as a human can express the desire for a deeper connection with the emotions and experiences of mortal life. In the series Supernatural, Anna served as the superior of angels Castiel and Uriel, and she was particularly close to Castiel. However, her long observation of humankind led her to develop a deep love for earthly life, desiring concrete experiences such as chocolate and sex, and coming to believe that angels lacked genuine emotions.

To live a fully human life, in March 1985, Anna painfully renounced her grace, a painful process. Anna and her grace fell to Earth separately, appearing to humans as meteorites. This fall can be seen as an act of liberation, allowing her to discover the power and beauty of human experiences.

Reborn as Anna Milton, daughter of Richard and Amy Milton, she found herself fully human. However, from childhood, Anna exhibited a deep unease and some confused memories of her angelic life, so much so that her parents had to take her to a child psychologist. Over time, Anna gradually repressed the memories of her angelic existence, convincing herself that she was simply human. However, the influence of her angelic origin manifested again in 2008, when she began to hear the voices of angels. This crisis led her to a psychiatric hospital, where she was diagnosed with schizophrenia, demonstrating how repressed memories can resurface in unexpected and destabilizing ways.

Connection with Maggie and Nina: Human Life as a Conscious Sacrifice

The story of Anna Milton offers an interesting parallel to the speculative theory about Maggie and Nina. If Maggie and Nina also voluntarily chose to abandon a presumed supernatural nature to live as humans, they might carry traces of that bond and those memories, just like Anna. Anna's choice to renounce her angelic state to experience the authenticity of human emotions becomes a powerful metaphor for sacrifice and love, allowing us to imagine Maggie and Nina as figures who, for love, might have given up their divine or demonic past.

In this view, the sacrifice of Maggie and Nina does not negate their identity but rather allows them to discover a more authentic form of themselves, liberated from the divine structures that separate them. Like Anna, who, while human, experienced inner conflicts related to her angelic identity, Maggie and Nina might also live through a similar tension. Their mutual attraction, without an apparent cause, becomes an echo of the soul, an invisible thread that unites them beyond awareness.

Memory and Attraction: A Love Amnesia as a Call of the Soul

In Christian theological analysis, memory is crucial for identity and consciousness, as suggested by Saint Augustine in his Confessions, where he describes memory as a "house of the soul." If Maggie and Nina were truly an ex-angel and an ex-demon, their choice to abandon their supernatural identity could embody a total emptying of their essence, allowing them to experience love within a human context. Their mutual attraction would thus be a manifestation of divine love, reflecting the concept of "unity" expressed in Matthew 19:6: "What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

The bond between Maggie and Nina stands as a symbol of love that persists beyond the limits imposed by consciousness and memory. Even in this interpretation, their union seems to survive as an attraction that exists beyond any material bond. In this context, the themes of amnesia and memory evoke profound questions about identity and the meaning of love.

The Fall as an Act of Liberation: A Love that Redefines Identity

In biblical tradition, the fall of Lucifer represents not only rebellion and separation from God but also the complex theme of freedom. Imagining Nina as an angel, her path of descent could embody a rebellion with a profound purpose: the possibility of living a human love. During the great war between angels and demons, Nina, driven by her love for Maggie, decides to renounce her grace to join her, aware that an angel and a demon cannot coexist in harmony. Her “descent” becomes, in this scenario, a conscious choice for love, transforming her angelic identity into that of a demon.

On the other hand, Maggie, who does not rebel and maintains her position among the angels, experiences inner conflict: she yearns for Nina but knows that their union is impossible according to heavenly laws. For love, she decides to sacrifice her grace and descend from her angelic status, embracing human fragility to be with Nina. This decision would represent a symbolic inversion: the fall as an act of liberation rather than damnation, an act that allows her to discover the power of love that transcends both divinity and demonhood.

Gabriel and Beelzebub: The Choice to Remember and to Love In Good Omens 2, the relationship between Gabriel and Beelzebub presents a compelling narrative arc that explores the complexities of love beyond memory and identity. When Gabriel loses his memories, he finds himself in a world that feels both alien and familiar, yet it is his encounter with Beelzebub that awakens something deep within him. Their connection, rooted in an ineffable bond, transcends the usual constraints of awareness and the norms dictated by their celestial and infernal origins.

This love story unfolds in a unique way: while Gabriel initially does not remember his past or the nature of his relationship with Beelzebub, the very act of seeking her out reveals an intrinsic desire to reconnect. This longing illustrates that love can flourish even in the absence of conscious recognition. It becomes a universal force that binds them, hinting at the idea that true affection does not solely rely on memories or experiences but can also emerge from a deep-seated instinct to be with one another.

The symbolic gift of the fly that Beelzebub gives to Gabriel serves as a profound metaphor for their relationship. This seemingly simple gesture carries immense weight, suggesting that love can manifest in small, significant ways, even when individuals are not fully aware of its origins. The fly, a creature often associated with transformation and rebirth, represents the threads of their connection that continue to bind them together, even in the face of forgetfulness. It is a tangible sign that love has its own path, one that transcends conscious choice and societal expectations.

As Gabriel regains his memory, the dynamics of their relationship shift. Unlike Maggie and Nina, whose love is grounded in the exploration of identity without the baggage of their pasts, Gabriel and Beelzebub's love matures into a conscious decision to embrace one another despite the implications of their respective roles in the cosmic order. Their choice to stay together, to defy the expectations of Heaven and Hell, becomes a bold act of rebellion. In a world where angels and demons are typically seen as adversaries, Gabriel and Beelzebub’s union stands as a testament to the power of love to subvert traditional narratives.

This choice embodies a deeper message: it illustrates that love is not merely an emotion but an active commitment to one another. It is a decision to prioritize their relationship over the dictates of a predetermined hierarchy. By choosing each other, Gabriel and Beelzebub assert their agency, creating a new narrative that values personal connection over celestial duty.

In this light, their story becomes a rich tapestry that weaves together themes of love, identity, and rebellion against cosmic norms. Gabriel and Beelzebub emerge as champions of a love that is courageous, resilient, and above all, human in its essence—demonstrating that even beings created from light and darkness can find common ground in the embrace of love.

Conclusion: Love as a Power that Breaks Down Barriers

In conclusion, the speculation about the identities of Maggie and Nina as an ex-angel and an ex-demon offers a fascinating interpretation that invites reflection on love and sacrifice. Their story symbolizes hope and resilience, showing that love can break down the barriers of identity and memory. Just as Anna Milton chose to live humanely in search of the profound meaning of existence, Maggie and Nina—despite lacking memory of their past—would demonstrate the power of love, allowing their souls to shine in a new identity.

The idea of love existing beyond awareness and memory becomes a celebration of life and human relationships. Through their union, Maggie and Nina might illustrate that even in the absence of memories, love has the capacity to fill voids and provide deep meaning to existence, transcending time and origins. The narrative of Maggie and Nina's love thus transforms into a tale of exploration and acceptance, resonating in the hearts of all who seek an authentic connection, even amidst the chaos and confusion of life.

Imagining a future where Aziraphale and Crowley, after thwarting the second Armageddon and the Second Coming, choose a similar path allows us to glimpse an even deeper narrative. The Second Coming, in Christian tradition, refers to the return of Christ to Earth, a moment of great apocalyptic significance and transformation. After facing such catastrophe, Aziraphale and Crowley might opt to relinquish their roles as an angel and a demon, abandoning their memories and divine essence to live as humans.

This choice, distant from their celestial nature, would enable them to build a life together, free from the pressures and expectations imposed by their respective worlds. Even stripped of memories and their supernatural identities, their bond would be stronger—a natural and irresistible call to reunite. The connection between Aziraphale and Crowley, rooted in love that transcends divisions and categories, could guide them toward a new existence where, like Maggie and Nina, they would discover that love can exist and flourish beyond memories and origins.

Similarly, the relationship between Gabriel and Beelzebub could evolve in this context. After experiencing quiet, gentle, and romantic moments together, both Gabriel and Beelzebub, deeply influenced by their bond, might also choose to give up their roles in the Great Plan, opting to live as humans. Free from the expectations and conflicts between Heaven and Hell, they would have the opportunity to discover the beauty of love in its purest form.

Imagine Gabriel, with his affectionate and caring nature, and Beelzebub, with her strong yet sensitive disposition, embarking together on a human life, reconstructing their identities in a context that celebrates their relationship. They could become symbols of unity and acceptance, demonstrating that love can overcome any barrier, even those imposed by a long history of rivalry.

Their story, parallel to that of Aziraphale and Crowley, could emphasize the power of the bond formed when two souls choose one another, transcending every conflict and their divine essence. In this scenario, both Aziraphale and Crowley, as well as Gabriel and Beelzebub, would become emblems of eternal love that, even in the void of memory, continues to shine as a guiding light.

Their narrative would represent a powerful message of acceptance and personal growth, demonstrating that love, in all its forms, has the ability to transform and give meaning to life, making the world a brighter and more hopeful place.

And as Buddy Holly said: 'Everyday, it's a-gettin' closer, Goin' faster than a roller coaster. Love like yours will surely come my way.'

[harvardfineartslib]

It’s the season for decorating! If you are looking for something different or need inspiration, why not study The Grammar of Ornament from 1865? Harvard’s Mirador viewer lets you view the entire book! https://iiif.lib.harvard.edu/manifests/view/drs:425343599$1i (Link also available in our bio.)

The Fine Arts Library owns an original folio edition of Owen Jones’s (1809–1874)work, The Grammar of Ornament, one of the most influential color plate books on decorative design and ornament of the nineteenth century.

In the opening chapter, Jones wrote that one of the universal qualities among humankind is the desire to make beautiful things. Jones, an architect by training, assembled more than one hundred plates illustrating patterns and ornament from around the world and over different periods of time. Many of his illustrations were based on what he saw in museums and private collections in England at that time and in the Universal Exhibitions held in London in 1851 and 1855, as well as from his personal travels in Europe and parts of the Middle East.

The Grammar of Ornament employed the latest and most sophisticated printmaking innovations. The readers at that time must have noticed the wide range of colors in Jones’ lithographs. In color lithography, each color is printed from a separate lithographic stone, and the time, commercial lithographic printing usually included a set of only three or four colors. Knowing that color played a crucial role in ornament, Jones employed assistants and set out to create lithograph prints that required as many as twenty lithographic stones. The result was this beautiful publication.

Image 1: Egyptian No.1

Image 2: Egyptian No. 4

Image 3: Nineveh 7 Persia No. 1

Image 4: Greek No. 7

Image 5: Arabian No. 4

Image 6: Detail from Arabian No. 4

The grammar of ornament By Owen Jones ; illustrated by examples from various styles of ornament ; one hundred and twelve plates. Jones, Owen, 1809-1874 [author] London : Published by Day and Son, Limited, [1865] 157 pages, 100, that is, 111 leaves of plates : illustrations (some colored) ; 35 cm English HOLLIS number: 990050472950203941

Color illustration of Nineveh & Persian design showing several different patterns

Color illustration of Greek design showing several bold patterns inspired by plants and flower, mostly against dark background.

Color illustration of Arabian design showing several intricate Islamic mosaic patterns.

Detail from the previous image.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: MISFORTUNES AND DISASTERS: Part 2

In a holy hadith (in which Allah Almighty lets some things known through the mouth of Muhammad (PBUH) by informing him), Allah Almighty announces, I was a hidden treasure, I wished to be known and created the universe. The existence of the universe is considered to date back billions of years; however, the existence of human life dates back tens of thousands of years. The news in this holy hadith had looked to the realm of angels before humankind was created. These blessed beings, which are free from rebellion, have confirmed the news in this holy hadith with their worship, glorification, obedience, knowledge, and love of Allah. The animal kingdom also recalled angels in terms of their souls and leading a life in conformity with their purpose of creation. The plant species and inanimate beings served their duties with perfect obedience. The verse, There is nothing that does not glorify and thank Allah clearly includes everything in itself be it animate or inanimate. Everything glorifies and praises Him. Allah Almighty willed to create another creature that is able to carry out more glorification and worship: Now this sublime creature was to be the man who would be the viceroy on earth. When Allah Almighty announced angels to create a human being out of the soil, a similar question to the one above came from angels and as a response, He (SWT) told them; You may not know what I know.

These new guests, who were to be put into testing and were to excel angels if they become successful, as the verse announces, were created only that they might worship Allah. I have not created the jinn and humankind but to (know and) worship Me (exclusively). (Al-Dhariyat Surah, 51:56) When considered the fact that the word worship in the verse is interpreted as knowing Allah by a number of religious scholars, it is understood that man is charged with knowing Allah (SWT), acknowledging His unity, believing in the infinity of His attributes, beholding and contemplating over the realm of creatures with the eyes of wisdom and object lesson. This select creature would not only be the addressee of the manifestations of the names pertaining to His Glory and s/he will be tested through His names pertaining to His Beauty. Actually, it became and still becoming so. Manifestations such as bounties, endowments, gifts, beauties, health, well-being, welfare are all the manifestations of His Beauty. And man is faced with choosing one of the options as to being thankful or being ingratitude. Unfortunately, with the victory Satan enjoys over men, most of the people are inebriated with the manifestations of Beauty and fail the testing. The other aspect of the testing has to do with the names of Glory such as diseases, calamities, disasters, deaths. Through these, men are put under testing which calls for patience, reliance on and submission to Allah (SWT). Though intelligence thinks of otherwise, this is a truth that those who pass this testing are far more than the first group. For the All-Wise Creator has included in man's nature infinitely vast impotence and boundlessly huge poverty, so that he can be an extensive mirror containing the innumerable manifestations of an All-Powerful and Compassionate One Whose power is infinite, an All-Generous All-Rich One Whose wealth is boundless. Man, who was created for worship and contemplation of Allah (SWT), shall feel his/her impotence and weakness in order to get ahead through this valley, must take refuge in Him, and ask for help from Him.

He shall not refrain from praying and strive to catch welfare. And all of these are possible with calamities, disasters, helplessness, and distresses, which lead man into asking for help and taking refuge in Allah (SWT). Souls, which take refuge in their Lords in despair, take a positive point in respect of passing this-worldly testing. However, in the manifestations of welfare, health, and bliss man may be charmed with these and be drowned in negligence instead of understanding his/her vast impotence. The following is one of the most important aspects of the issue: As far as knowing Allah is considered, one needs to take into consideration of all attributes, not only those of Beauty. Just as Allah (SWT) is Merciful, so is He (SWT), Subduer. It is Him Who makes us taste of both honor and wretchedness. Should only the names of Beauty were to manifest themselves in this world, and should men were to be the addressee of only these names, his/her knowing of Allah (SWT) would be incomplete. In this realm of testing, man has to know of Allah (SWT) with both His names of Beauty and those of Glory. As for the Hereafter, roads will be several. Some people will be admitted into Paradise as a reward of their sincerity, good deeds, and good conduct; and will eternally be the receivers of the manifestations of Beauty such as endowment, munificence, bounty at the utmost level. As for those who follow the road of disbelief and polytheism and engaged in debauchery in this world shall meet with the manifestations of Glory, Power, and grief. Thus, in the realm of Resurrection, the names of Beauty and Glory shall have manifested themselves in their full senses.

[delusionaid]

@apocryphis sent: nervousness is painted all over his face; and has the distasteful idea of manifesting in the very air around them, the winds shifting and changing a little too quickly, like a miniature storm brewing where clear skies otherwise indicate that there should be none. the vigilant yaksha is not really one for celebrations, and thus he wonders, even when faced with the very moment, what had possessed him when he had taken it upon himself to prepare something when he had heard of today's occasion.

... how does one even celebrate the anemo archon's birthday? or a bard's birthday? how about both??

xiao can feel venti's teal gaze on him, and breaks under the pressure; finally handing the bard the carefully (but somewhat clumsily) hand-wrapped present he had brought with him. " ... you do not have to accept it." the yaksha mutters under his breath, barely audible, as the small package is slipped towards venti on the flat surface between them, atop the roof of wangshu inn. in it, venti will find a piece of the purest jade, plucked from the highest peaks of chenyu vale; and still resonating with the song of free winds untouched even by celestia's influence, possibly the last ones in teyvat. along with it, a piece of paper, on which has been written, in a scratchy handwriting, what can only be called an attempt at a poem:

In the gentle breath of morning's rise, The wind brings whispers from the skies. Freedom dances in the breeze, Unfurling dreams among the trees.

Better days lie just ahead, Where fears and shadows dare not tread. The wind's soft song, a guiding hand, Leads us to a brighter land.

Barbatos sits on the tiled roof with his legs crossed underneath him, waiting patiently for Xiao to say his piece. His nervousness is palpable, especially to him, a being of wind, almost tugging at him together with the air around them. Forceful it may be, it doesn't worry him, for it's the good kind of nerves, the kind that signifies change and courage; so he waits it out and lets him find his own words and his own time to speak them. If they have one thing, it's time. Time to spend in each other's company, time to find the truth of their beings, time to enjoy instead of wasting it trying to get somewhere unknown.

His birthday is not quite what humans would consider as such, but it is the anniversary of something beginning and he delights in the opportunity to celebrate like them - and with them. Like many things humans place value on it's not a special day by nature but by their choice to make it so, and who would not appreciate such sentiment if not the god of Freedom. He rests his eyes on Xiao, who meets them without wavering, despite the plethora of thoughts that appear to be running through his head. Venti's gaze is friendly and encouraging; and loving, for he can't help but look at Xiao and feel a deep-seated wish to see him comfortable and at peace - and free. Free to live as he chooses, free to say what he thinks, free to love as he wishes.

"Why would I not accept a dear friend's gift?" Barbatos says cheerfully, eagerly turning the little parcel in his hands. It's heavy and he truly can't guess as to what might be inside. As he unwraps it he places the paper at his side where it crackles in the wind, denying the breeze to carry it away when it tugs at its edges. The piece of jade is raw and beautiful like a fresh bud on a branch, like a clear sky after heavy rainfall - untouched and ephemeral. He lets it rest in both his palms, teal eyes reflecting the glow it holds inside. Then he closes them and listens. Harmony and memory resonate within the stone, sending him to the highest peaks of Liyue's mountains, places few have wandered, where birds hail from and winds rule, singing songs humankind has forgotten to understand; but to Barbatos they speak like old friends. Emotion surges through him and brings a smile to his lips but leave his eyes a little glazed when he opens them again.

"What a beautiful gift you've picked for me," he says, heart throbbing in his chest with gratitude and affection. Only now he holds up the paper attached and reads the lines scribble onto it. The way the text is shaped is enough for him to recognize it as poetry so without hesitation he clears his throat and recites the little poem out loud. As if to applaud the performance, a bird chirps cheerfully in a branch above them when Venti has finished. Silence follows and quite unexpectedly, once the meaning sinks in it drives a heat to Venti's cheeks that catches him by surprise. He's written songs and poems about others countless times and there certainly is no shortage of ballads about Barbatos either. But this is more personal than any song he's heard before and from someone so dear to him that every syllable weighs twice as much.

It speaks of everything he wishes to offer: guidance and comfort on the path to brighter lands, to dreams untouched by darkness and the wrath of ancient gods. There isn't a more beautiful way in which Xiao could have told him this and no better words any bard could have chosen to express the sentiment. Holding the paper to his heart, Venti once more finds Xiao's gaze and smiles brighter yet than he did before, for once silenced by his own emotions - at least for a little moment.

"Poetry is the language of the heart. Words come easier when they're true.. do you agree?"

[a-lwni]

doni keeps using language the only way i can describe it is balletic.

asking how her body feels, scanning over bit by bit, limb by limb, i ask about her lower back and she says ehh

whenever i’m on my period i feel like my body is less composed, my muscles and energy are busy doing other things

posture—physical, corporeal composure.

instinct manifests as something closer to sense memory than conscious knowledge—touch, taste, sight, proprioception, language.

i was listening to a poet talk about mary oliver’s 100 white sided dolphins last week- she praised the poem’s restraint— sitting with the beauty of the dolphins just being dolphins, not relating it to humankind

attention taken to the highest degree is prayer said simone weil, right? attention that erases its own existence, and the fact of the self paying it

[wisdomrays]

SIDRATU'L MUNTAHA (The Lote-Tree of the Furthest Limit)

Sidr literally means Arabian cherry; it also means astonishment or something that is spectacular. Sidratu’l-Muntaha denotes the limit, the final point, the furthest boundary of the realm of contingencies. Some have interpreted it as the final point which death-bound beings can reach. Based on certain Prophetic sayings and reports from either the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, or from some of his Companions, the illustrious interpreters of the Qur’an depict Sidratu’l-Muntaha as a blessed tree which exists to the right of God’s Supreme Throne and below which flow the rivers of Paradise, which have been promised to the God-revering, pious. In order to emphasize the extent of the area it covers, our master, upon him be the most perfect of blessings and peace, says: “If a horseman were to gallop for seventy years across its shadow, he would not be able to traverse it; a single leaf of it can cover an entire nation.” If we use greater units of measurement to express the extent of the area it covers, we would not be exaggerating. For the Sidra marks the farthest boundary of the realm of creation; here it meets with the realm of the initial manifestations of Divine Commands. The realm of contingencies ends here. The branches, shoots, and leaves of the huge tree of creation, which extends in all directions, end here. Also, the views of saintly people who deepen in spirituality and those with progressive hearts who can penetrate the inner dimension of things can extend only this far. The perfected ones, who are always careful of where they put their feet and how they take each step on the way to God, stop at this boundary, without being able to take a single step further. Everyone breathes with amazement here. For what lies beyond is included in the realm of the absolute Unseen, which none other than God can know.

Another meaning of the Sidratu’l-Muntaha is that it signifies such a horizon of astonishment and amazement, and such a peak of passion and stupor that “there is neither space in it nor heavens and earth; and no mind can grasp this state” . Of the many heroes of spirituality that have emerged from humanity from the beginning of existence, none other than the Honor and Pride of Humankind, and the Peerless of Time and Space, upon him be the most perfect blessings and peace, has ever been able to rise as far as that horizon or reach that peak. Those who have reached it in their spirit have been dazzled and bewildered, being stuck in amazement and stupor. It was only the Pride of Humankind whose sight did not swerve, nor did it go wrong; indeed, he saw one among the greatest signs of His Lord (53:17–18). The point where he reached was Sidratu’l-Muntaha, which, marks the sacred horizon between the absolutely Necessary Existence and contingency. The first and last traveler who reached this peak is the Seal of Prophethood, for whose sake the worlds were created. No one preceding him and no one succeeding him has a share in this status. How beautiful is the following couplet:

No one who came before him attained this highest status;

No one has ever been favored with this height.

It is not possible for us to be able to imagine either the depths of Prophet Muhammad’s spirituality or the things he saw and heard or his experiences. We preserve our perceptions and experiences and try to understand them according to the interpretations of purified, saintly scholars.

According to some Sufis, Sidratu’l-Muntaha is the horizon where God Almighty favors the outer and inner worlds of His noble, distinguished servants and their spirits, souls, minds, imaginations, and original natures with the manifestations of, respectively, his Names the All-Outward and the All-Inward, and of His proper Name, His Attribute of Lordship, and His Names the All-Merciful and the Ultimate Truth. It is also the peak where God manifests His Attributes of Glory. No matter how profound and extensive emotions may be, all human information, knowledge, sensations and perceptions end at the Sidratu’l-Muntaha and cannot go beyond. Any claims to have gone beyond this horizon only relate to particular spiritual experiences in certain exceptional states of spiritual intoxication, and have therefore no objective value.

[capsensislagamoprh]

The ice cold wetness of a dream melting into the abyss seemed to echo thrugh the threads of the weave, dripping musty agony into the sleep of the young boy. No amount of silk sheets or soft bedding could take away the physical reaction of his calling. His body burned. He could see the bright, golden light of the warmest, most welcoming spring creep along the edges of his nightmares, turning the pleasant gloom into a bright morning. The closer he got to catching it, the more it glittered, radiating daylight. When finally his hand went to touch it, the sounds it made an angry caress, he felt something try to take him over. Try to squish that light like a fire fly, spreading its glowing guts in a florescent streak, soaking it in, turning his flesh from ashen black to bronze.

The boy knew this hand. Knew this clawed, jagged thing that pretended to be him. It was him. It was what used to be him. Samhain.

He was Samhain. He had been created to let the mortal world interact with that of the Dream. He was how they survived the harshness of winter, faced the terror of death, lived into the next breath of life. With out him... with out Samhain there was no way for things to have meaning. Only reason. With out him the world was orderly and neat and sterile in its brutality. When he was born from humility, kindness, wonder, possibilities, the world of the gods was made visible to humankind. The gods played tricks on their mortal worshipers; mischievous to the last. Their tricks were fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes. Which is why the mortals created this body, this form and it's unwavering abilities. This was the importance of him, of Samhain.

And that light? That glowing summons at the edge of his dreams the previous body tried to capture? Tried to becomes? That was his other half. That was Beltane, the eternal flame of life itself. He was the fire of rebirth that blessed the fields, animals, and community, and maintained the wary, careful balance between the human and faery realms. A veil of unimaginable fragility, burning all who touched it. Survive and you could access the Dream. You could access the great power of Samhain. Many thought the Hero protected mortals, and there for the dream. This was a lie. Beltane was his shield, and with out him, without his bright, glimmering beauty, Samhain would be left bare, unable to protect the very essence of Dream. Need. The boy, tangled in the silk sheets, felt himself manifest the vorpal blade. Felt his armor form on his sweat soaked skin. He could feel his steed calling to him. It cried for battle. His very being whispered into the dread, looking for the essence of Beltane, trying to find that distant light. It was as natural as breathing. It would be so easy to look into the horizon of Dream and see which direction he needed to go to find him.

Go, whispered the shadow, tempting him with death soft whispers. Find, tempting his body with the thoughts of action. Yours to claim, it smiled into his ear. Take, like a pleasant refrain.

The boy suddenly jerked upward, his wakeful mind still lost to dreams. "NO!" Moments latter the au pair rushed into the room, feeling his heated head, cooing and making fuss. Otabek had fought back the Darkness in his dream. It rewarded him with a vicious case of chicken pox. ---- The boy shook, his fervor high. Golden locks soaked with sweat stuck to his head in limp trendels as his dadushka applied cold compresses, urging him to drink tea, sip a little broth. He'd had the flu for over a week, each day worse than the last. Nikoli took the Yuri to the hospital, got the medicine, diligently insured every instruction was followed. It wouldn't let up

Nikoli thought if the sun would just shine, if the snow and grey skies would let up, his vnuk would get better, stronger. Rising, he left Yuri's side to get fresh, cool water for him to drink.

In his fitful sleep Yuri could see a dark, forbidden place waiting for him to explore. It promised wonder and excitement, it offered acceptance and unconditional love. It threatened to meet his fire with calm, his anger with comfort. It offered to be what it was, and to respect what he was in return.

Yuri was tempted.

He felt himself fly at the edge of the shadowed place, trying to get it to come play. It seemed for a long moment that it might. It certainly seemed to want to, but it didn't. Yuri tried to taunt, to tease, to entice. He could feel a longing coming from that cool, welcoming place. It seemed to reach for him, and he was happy. Then it stopped, struggled, the shadows becoming darker than night, pulling in light, swallowing it whole. It frightened him.

The gentleness in the dark place pushed Yuri forcefully away, flicking its will against the wind, letting his small form fly with ease. When he was back in the safety of the warmth of summer, he tried to see what was going on in that gloomy place. For a moment he saw someone standing there, stopping something vile from spewing forth. It began to glimmer in the darkest shades, taking on the form of stories his dadushka told, of the brave people from the T.V. He heard something whispered from the repulsive place. It was threatening to open old scars, to rip open his soul, to bare his mind and feast.

Yuri knew fear.

And then that darkly glimmering being called a single, discordant note. The dream shattered and Yuri was free, his fever breaking. Above him, Nikoli looked relieved, reading a thermometer by the first rays of dawn.

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23, part 24, part 25, part 26, part 27, part 28, part 29, part 30, part 31

[bioedwinmx]

Devil fruits are meta if you think about it

Crackpot theory time!!!

So today I was daydreaming about a fanfic I read while paying my bills (Like an average person) and remembered how it described the X-gene could give mutant powers in Marvel (I swear this will make sense).

In short, the X-gene works like eldritch magic (The Dr. Strange thingy), by basically pulling energy from a random dimension of the multiverse, the human body will proceed to evolve accordingly and maybe get you superpowers and mutant traits (I guess this is how spiderman kinda works as well? don't quote me on that).

Thus, as long as long as you can imagine a superpower, it will exist due to parallel universes being infinite in possibilities. Cool right?

AND THEN IT HIT ME

Vegapunk describes Devil fruits as possible evolutions of humankind being brought by desire (the whole possible/parallel universe/future is kinda similar and my brain made the connection there)

BUT, we can see that with GEAR 5, the superpowers can be a lot more meta in nature, by literally making the reader smile with its silliness :D

So this got me thinking, devil fruits are a manifestation of desire/dreams/wishes right?

In-universe it sounds a bit goofy, one piece kind of goofy though, that, by literally wishing for something to exist, it will manifest itself through sheer willpower (Haki and other shit tends to work like that in this universe, like people becoming more beautiful if they follow their dreams and that stuff)

But from a 'meta' perspective, doesn't this literally mean that any power could manifest itself because it is a shonen manga? that as long as SOMEONE could imagine it, it could become reality by being written in?

If one smoked enough crack, they could even argue that devil fruits have a will of their own because they are being written in with some purpose by the author.

Like, by that logic, of course, Doflamingo got the fruit that let him cage a whole country and control people remotely, its power is literally part of his whole theme as a character and douche bag manipulator!!!

Anyways thank you for coming to my ted talk, I'm gonna proceed to scream into a pillow for a few minutes and then become normal again.

[theoldman]

let us focus on helping humankind. let us learn from each other how to be creators of light. if we can embrace each others uniqueness with love, freedom and happiness we can connect to a higher source. if we can breathe in the aspects of our sacred self that make us feel alive we can manifest miracles. it is by accepting and acknowledging that we as sentient beings have lost our way that will inspire us to not find our way home but to make our home a safe supportive place of positive healing energy. let us be beautiful blissful gifts that enlighten humanity. repeat after me - I am love, you are love, we are love.. 

MicHEAL Teal The Ancient One

[danzinora-switch]

Westworld: What Could Have Been

My friend and I just finished season 4 and so this is my thought dump of a rewrite. Because they had so much potential they could have done with these characters and their themes that just didn’t happen.

Themes Westworld has been exploring: What is Consciousness? What is sentience? What does it mean to be human? What is the true difference between an AI/robot made in a human’s image and the ‘real thing’? Masters vs Servants. Control. Consent. Slavery. Power. How do we rise above our own nature? How can we live together without destroying everything?

My season 4 rewrite:

Point: Delores Abernathy. A version of Delores exists as Charlotte Hale. She is cold, she is controlling, she is cruel. She is everything Delores became over the course of the previous seasons. But something is missing.

Instead of “Christina” we have: TEDDY. He is living in this utopian new world. He’s the one that feels something is ‘off’. He wants to write a sweet story for Olympiad, and not one all about sex and violence. He sees the good, the beauty of this world. Teddy... is also a version of Delores. He is the amalgamation of all her goodness, of all her hope. He represents all the beauty that she sees in others and this world, and everything that is worth protecting and fighting for. Teddy was that for her when he was alive, and so it is his avatar that is manifested where she pools all of her hopes and fragility.

Charlotte Hale talks a lot about transcendence and moving beyond the ‘human body’... but transcendence will come for her once Teddy ‘wakes up’ and they REUNIFY. That is Plot A: Teddy waking up and realizing he is the Good Delores, storyteller of the city, and fighting to be free and whole. Charlotte is Bad Delores, deep down the dark path. The two coming together represents the whole of Delores (and humanity): reconciling with our dark side, embracing our inner child, walking with both to transcend our nature and be our fullest selves.

Plot B: this is not the only way forward. Instead of Nurse/Wife gal being married to Kaleb and raising a daughter, it’s MAEVE. After the events of season 3, they stay together, and (yes, in Blade Runner 2049-fashion) they conceive. It should be an impossibility. And yet, it happened. Frankie is the first true cyborg, both human, and both robot-kind. Maeve leaves to protect Kaleb and Frankie, but can’t stop reaching out for her daughter. When she finally does, Charlotte picks up on her and learns of this miracle and wants to destroy it (because it goes against everything of Our Kind vs Your Kind that she is set to control and destroy). She still wants them both, but Maeve ‘dies’ and Kaleb is captured, at which point he is subjected to experimentations in transplanting a human consciousness into a robot (because seriously? This Frankie child Shouldn’t Exist.). Her fly/parasite plan for controlling the rest of the humans still goes through in the meantime.

Frankie wants to find her mother in the desert, still hoping one day to save her father. She runs into Bernard, who still did his whole Sublime-Simulation thing on how to possibly save humanity and robot-kind. And the answer that he finds is that there are TWO paths, not one.

One path is reuniting Delores with herself - have her come to terms with her darkness and choose the light. To work to fix what she broke, and help all the others come to that same path. This may involve entering the Sublime for robots with multiple versions of themselves. This path is Transcendence.

The other is what Maeve and Kaleb have managed to do: combine both kinds into one new type of being. This could be the next step in evolution for both humankind and robots. This path is Progeny.

Bernard helps Frankie find Maeve and rebuild her. He helps her and the resistance rescue her father, too, but also plants the pieces to wake Teddy up to reunite with Charlotte so that Delores can return.

(Btw, all the faces ‘Teddy’ sees as he’s living and interacting in his simulated world are familiar faces from Westworld’s past).

(I do all this partly because pitting Maeve and Delores against each other has never worked, in my mind. They’re not diametrically opposed forces. They’re two strong women with different goals. So keep their goals different. Sometimes that will bring them into conflict, but it can also keep them together.)

I want Clementine to have more agency. She deserves it after so long. So I want her to help Frankie and the resistance after Maeve and Kaleb are defeated. She has been working as a double agent this whole time: pretending to help Charlotte and William, but secretly helping the free humans and Frankie. She chose her own destiny. (And with her friendship with Maeve, having her help save/raise her daughter I think is very fitting and sweet).

Now, the wrench in the plane: William’s host. The Man in the Black Hat. The Destroyer, the Cockroach. He is the Warning. He is the result when we refuse to change our nature, when we refuse to evolve. He has been down the path of darkness and hurt and suffering for so long, but his cynical worldview and nihilistic outlook will only get him so far: it only gets him death. If you can’t change your nature, if you refuse to change your ways, you get to a point where you can go no further. Charlotte/Bad Delores could so easily be him, so, so corrupted. But she does choose to change and accept herself fully and she transcends forward. William does not. He may be part living in a robot, but that doesn’t mean he’s changed. And so his way will still end in a bullet, in whatever form he takes.

Ending: Maeve, Kaleb, and Frankie are reunited (maybe Kaleb still dies, but after reuniting). Maeve can finally, at long last, raise her daughter, her ACTUAL daughter, not some story created for her. They work with the surviving humans and robots on the way forward, Progeny. Delores is transcended to her whole self, and works on building and protecting Legacy, for both humankind and robot kind. She moves into the Sublime, and works to undo the control imposed on a generation of humans and reuniting multiple versions of Westworld people. She is the historical storyteller. William is dead.

To actually survive, we need to change. Not just our nature, but ourselves. We have to evolve in culture and thought, not just genetics and code. And we need to choose how we evolve, not let someone else choose for us. Freedom is essential.

Westworld: What Could Have Been.

[risalei-nur]

The Words - The Thirty-first  Word - Part 16

So that the beauties of the art He displays will not remain useless, He will choose a guide to teach the purposes contained in them. To inform them of the things that please Him, He will select a conscious being, raise him above all others, and use that person to inform others of those things. Reality and wisdom require this. As the one most worthy to perform these duties was Prophet Muhammad, who performed them perfectly, a fact attest- ed to by the truthful and just witnesses of the world of Islam that he found- ed and the light of Islam that he showed, he would have to rise above all creatures and attain the rank of holding a universal and elevated conversation with the Creator of the universe. In this lies the Ascension’s reality.

In short, Since Almighty God formed, organized, and decorated this universe for mighty purposes and great aims, such as those mentioned above; and since among beings there is humankind to see the universal Divine Lordship with all Its subtleties, and this mighty Divine sovereignty with all its truths, most certainly that Absolute Ruler will speak to and inform us of His purposes. But not everyone can rise to the highest, universal position to receive the Ruler’s universal address directly. Given this, certain special people will be entrusted with that duty. Being human beings themselves, they can teach other human beings. They also should be extremely exalted spiritually, for only such people can receive God’s direct address.

The one who taught the purposes of the universe’s Maker most perfectly, unveiled the universe’s and creation’s mysterious meaning, and best heralded the beauties of His Lordship’s dominion was Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. He would therefore make a spiritual journey and rise above all others and to the most exalted and comprehensive rank; he would make an Ascension by journeying through the corporeal world and then reaching beyond the “seventy thousand veils” of the manifestations of Divine Names, Attributes and acts, and all levels of creation. This is the Ascension.