#LDS movement

[navigating-zionism]

I have found myself struggling with this too.

Like, think about if a holy place for Mormons in the United States (/Turtle Island) was originally a holy place for an indigenous tribe. Would we really view the Mormon claim of the place as equally valid?

maybe this isn’t the most coexistence-pilled sentiment but i get so angry sometimes when i think about how people took our g-d and decided he was everyone’s g-d, took our holy texts and decided they were everyone’s holy texts, took our holy land and decided it was everyone’s holy land, and we’re expected to just accept that. goyim think they can tell us we’re worshipping our own g-d wrong because they decided he was their g-d too. they think they can criticize how we engage with our own torah because they stole it and changed it and added shit and rewrote it when it was ALWAYS OUR TORAH. they call yerushalayim “the holy land of three religions” because apparently if you colonize someone hard enough you get to claim their holy land as your holy land too and the entire world will just nod their heads right along because the entire foundation of their global society is based on the colonization of ours. and i know it’s antithetical to peace and so i push aside this feeling when i talk about actual solutions and real world actions and consequences but that deep angry part of me does think it’s complete fucking bullshit that christianity and islam get to plunder our entire culture for themselves in between mass murdering us and nobody calls them on it

[strwberri-milk]

i have a teensy request,, lds men helping you remove your makeup after a super long and exhausting day out because they don't want you to sleep in that pretty please ... i've always thought that this particular scenario is so soft and intimate 🥹

Zayne is very gentle in his movements across your face. You don't even know if he's removed anything but he shows you a mirror to make sure he hasn't missed anything. He also goes through whatever skincare routine you have just through memory, making sure you go to bed nice and clean the way you want to. He laughs a little at how sleepy you look, telling you just to focus on rest right now.

Xavier might need a bit of help getting things set up but once you're ready he is too. He makes sure not to hurt you as he removes everything, almost too gentle to avoid irritating your skin. You don't mind though - the cute look of determination on his face is more than enough to make up for any spots he might miss.

Rafayel teases you for needing him to help you remove your makeup but his touch is so gentle. He peppers your face in kisses once your makeup is gone. He also follows your skincare routine, gently massaging a lotion into your face before burying his face into your neck to coax you to finally go to sleep.

Sylus is a little rough by accident at first, not realising that he didn't need to put in that much effort to remove your makeup. He makes up for it with a quick kiss to your forehead, sure to be careful as he goes through the rest of your look. He also spoils you by gently massaging your temples to stave off any oncoming headaches, calling you spoiled despite knowing that's totally on him.

[lamamasjamas]

Can you write a fic where gn reader finally washes Qimir’s greasy hair after he comes home from a sith mission. Thanks ❤️

Late Night

A/n: Thank you for the request! ❤️ For context, Reader has no idea Qimir is a force user and assumes he’s just some guy that makes potions. Also I was eepy when I wrote the last part and I’m yearning for my ld bf so…

Warnings: A little heated (of the sexual type), but it’s fluffy and cute! Some angst and stuff too. 🤭

The night was still young. You were in bed, looking up towards the ceiling, the candlelight at the tonic shop's entrance still illuminating into the corner of the room further inside and past the counter.

You kept the curtain to the bed bunk open so he would come in at his leisure. Most times he was still in his soiled robes and got into bed next to you. He claimed he was too tired to wake you, or even freshen up.

You'd wake up to his hand lightly placed over your shoulder.

Sometimes your side or stomach. Sometimes squeezing, as if he wanted you closer.

But you weren't anything but a colleague. You watched over his small business whenever he was out for "ingredient collection". He was a sort of boss to you. A friend at most.

You think, considering you barely knew anything about him and yet he knew everything about you.

You often wondered where he even found such rare materials and why he'd come back so grimy.

The front door opened and the first thing you saw as you sat up was his back. You were rarely awake by the time he came back from his travels. You rubbed your eyes clean of sleep quickly and stood as quietly as you could.

But it was like he could sense you awake, he turned to you with a smile on his face, pulling his hood down to his shoulders and lifting the baggy of some root he needed for a medicine playfully.

The first thing you do is cringe, his smile falters. His hair was always a mess. He knew that himself.

You point to the washroom and rush to get a bar of soap and a rag from the drawer above his bunk before he could come any closer to his bed.

...

"What do you expect to find, exactly?"

Your lips twitch and curl in mild disgust, the strands of his hair separate from how drenched they were in dirt, oils and sweat.

"A snee nest," you muttered.

His head was leaned back against the tub, the water below steaming and warm. His eyes were closed, and a faint smile was adorning his face as he breathed in and out deeply. It reminded you of when he was napping, and no one happened to walk into the store for a couple hours.

It was relatively silent. As it usually was for you around him.

It irritated you how little he spoke with you. Then again, you weren't one to partake in conversation. But neither was Mae.

Sure, he joked and had his quirks with you. But with Mae? He was practically a chatterbox. She obviously didn't reciprocate his enthusiasm though, ever.

You refuse to ask why she would come to the shop and ask to speak to him privately every other week. You didn't want to know.

You stare at his brows, his eyelids and the bridge of his nose as your hands massage his scalp gently, using a cup to scoop water and pour it over his hair.

Your gaze led to his lips. They stay there. You didn't even notice that he was staring back up at you and that your hands had stopped their movements.

"You always do that."

You startle and pull away in surprise, but his hand grips your wrist to keep your fingers pressed against his head.

"Sorry-“

He quirks a brow and smirks, his eyes trying to connect with yours.

“what are you talking about?" you stutter at his intense gaze.

You pull away again, confused. He sits up quickly, his damp hair dripping and spraying you lightly with droplets. His tunic dampens and he crowds you as he leans closer.

He holds you in place by not letting go of your hand. He knew you would have been several feet away if he didn’t have you in his hold.

"You always... stare."

His fingers tap at the pulse of your wrist at your silence. His eyes roam over your face, his head tilts. He wanted you to respond.

“No…” your eyes bounce around the room briefly. You feel childish denying what was so obvious.

“I don’t,” you mutter, half embarrassed from being caught and half upset he even brought it up. It wasn’t his business if you stared anyway.

“I’m not dense-“

“Maybe you are,” you retort quickly, swallowing thickly after a beat as you realize that he was still your boss and you had in fact indirectly called him dense.

His laugh booms across the room. For a second you are mortified, but then you’re enthralled by his chortle. It was infectious.

You could feel yourself smile and huff, your shoulders losing their stiffness. He loosened his grip on you and allowed your hands to fall to his lap.

He sighed as his chuckles died down, he leaned closer.

“What are you hiding?” His eyes flicker to your lips. “Talk to me…”

In that moment you reminded him of a hare, skittish, cautious but very observant and curious. Stubborn to a degree. He felt you pull into him like a magnet, still unsure but very wanting.

Your noses brushed and before you could cower away he whispered.

“Show me.”

The kiss was short. He stayed still, waiting for you, his eyes gently roaming over your face as you lingered on his lips afterwards as you separated.

It was like he knew what you were going to do. What you’ve been wanting to do for a while. You yourself had barely made that discovery it seemed.

He was patient enough to wait for you to lean in for another kiss... then another... then another.

Until you had no choice but to make a small noise as his hand reached behind your neck to pull you impossibly closer.

One hand reaches your hip, the other cupping your head firmly. Your own hands move up from his lap to his chest.

He groans in approval and he tilts his head to kiss you deeper, his knee coming between your kneeled thighs.

You didn’t know whose tongue slipped first. All you knew was that it sent an electrifying feeling down your chest to you belly, your belly to your core.

His hand roamed to the swell of your ass and pushed you down onto his thigh roughly. He swallowed your moans, he wanted to devour you completely.

Your hand thread throughout his hair as if they were braided together. Droplets of water glided down your arm as a result.

His mouth followed, his tongue darting out to collect the drops greedily. You let him claw at your tunic, struggling to pull it up your shoulders to get the last drops, desperate to lick your skin clean.

One hand slithered to cup you, his hand grinding down upon your center and distracting you from the way his struggling grip on your tunic caused it to rip and expose your upper half.

The shop door slides opens quickly. The sound of a cold gust of wind makes you tense, immediately making you pull away.

His head jumps from being nestled between your shoulder and neck and he flips you to lay down below him on the tile.

The realization of your current position and state of being finally catches up to you. You could hear Mae call for him.

You feel something stiff poke at your soft stomach. A heady moan escapes your lips unexpectedly as you glance down and realize it was his swollen crotch. His hand covers your mouth quickly, his eyes neither scolding or concerned but very frustrated at the intrusion.

He calls out that he was in the fresher loudly. Mae huffs and groans as he calls out again a beat after, stating he’d be out in a minute.

He sits up and presses his finger to his lip then places it against yours with a smirk. Your eyes flutter at his touch.

The door opens and closes quick enough to allow you to see the shop lights now on.

They weren’t close enough to hear. Most noises were murmurs and mumbles. Teasing remarks made by Qimir about how he would require extra payment for the nightly visit.

The shop’s doors open and close after a couple of minutes. He comes in to see you staring at your half torn tunic, resting against the tub with half lidded eyes.

The exhilaration from before was gone and replaced by drowsiness. It was almost sunrise and you had yet to get a full nights sleep.

His crouches down before you and lifts you. For a second you question how a potions shop owner could carry you with such ease.

The sight of the bed made you quickly forget and lean against his chest. Your hands are lightly placed over his bicep as if you were afraid of him losing his grip and letting you fall.

You woke up that same afternoon with his head buried in your neck and his arms wound around your waist.

His even breaths lulled you to sleep. You snorted weakly at the sight of his hair before falling back into slumber with him.

Despite your efforts, his hair still looks like it could do with a wash. You’d bathe him properly, you thought.

—————

A/n: Reblogs and Comments appreciated! 💋❤️

[wheeloffortune-design]

"why are you participating in crab day and giving your money to tumblr?!?"

Because I like this site. I spend a lot of time here. All my stuff is here.

"But they changed the interface and it's bad!"

When aren't they doing that.

"But there's still nazis and ch*ld p*rn on this site!"

And I'm still going to hold them accountable and push for them to fix this.

"But it's so cringe!"

Baby I was born cringe.

"This movement was started by Terfs/prolifers!"

And fuck terfs and prolifers. Thankfully, I'm not giving money to them. They don't profit of this. I'm giving it directly to tumblr.

"You're a bootlicker"

Shit, tumblr aren't cops, or a repressive government. They're a website.

"Why are you giving money to a website?"

I like their product. It's not perfect but I do get a lot of enjoyment and work from it. I want to encourage them to keep making this product.

"You should give your money to artists/causes/other noble thing"

Who says I'm not though. Do you really think you can support one cause and nothing else? That's not how money works.

"You really should put your money in more important stuff"

Get your eyes off my wallet. I worked hard to be in a place where I can encourage artists and causes and yes, the free products I use.

"Not everyone can afford to throw money out the window!"

Yeah I know, I was one of those, and I remember hating the fact that I couldn't help or invest in things that are important to me. So I'm glad to help support tumblr for them.

.

I like this site and I want to stay on this site and if I can help by sending crab-shaped pixels to a person I like on this site, I'll be glad to send them money.

🦀

[tamamita]

it's māori language week here in aotearoa, and I discovered that there does exist a te reo māori translation of the Quran, but after doing some digging I found it was produced by an Ahmadiyya org, which I'd heard from various muslim friends as being not islam at all, or somewhat analogous to mormonism's relation to christianity.

I'd been somewhat interested in getting a copy, but knowing about it being produced by an ahmadiyya org, I'm unsure as to whether I should bother getting it, lest they have some specific interpretations that discolour the meaning of the original text; would it be wise of me to avoid it?

The Ahmadiyyas are a movement within Sunni Islam, which means that their transliterations of the Qur'an are just as valid as any other Qur'an. We all share the same unchanged text. The only difference is in HOW we interpret Scripture. However, they're a persecuted religious group and a lot of Muslims will excommunicate them, so there is gonna be a bias against them. I have personally never read their transliteration of the Qur'an, but since they follow the Hanafi school of thought, I'd assume their transliteration is fundamentally similar to the Sunnis with some of their own theology. Anyways, comparing them to the LDS is not correct, since the Ahmadis are not part of a cult and is just considered a revivalist/reformist movement that follow Sunni Islam in terms of fiqh (jurisprudence) and aqeedah (theology)

You do what you wanna do. Personally, as a Shi'a, any transliteration of Qur'an is valid, however, the way we extrapolate the esoteric and exoteric meaning from the verses differ fundamentally, which means that I wouldn't rely on any non-Shi'i interpretation of scripture for obvious reasons.

[shatnerihardlyknowher]

"Oh, him? He's harmless. Part of the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley in the sixties. I think he did a little too much LDS..."

[thejewitches]

Hey there! I really liked reading your post about messianic Judaism. I was just curious, would you say the LDS faith falls under that umbrella? I promise I am genuinely asking. Thanks!

No, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known as the Mormon Church) does not fall within the Messianic Christian umbrella.

In a very short explanation, Mormonism comes a different branch of the Christian tree in the 1830's. The family of Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, had 'religious differences' with his mother's family being, according to Britannica, involved in various Protestant movements (including Congregationalism, Seekerism, and Presbyterianism). He had access, by all accounts, to the King James Version of the Bible.

The Messianic Movement is a distinct movement that grew out of Protestant Christianity in the 60s-70s, specifically the Hebrew-Christian movement which sought to missionize to Jews.

It can be confusing, however, when Mormons do things that feel like they seemingly cross over into "Messianic" territory like..

appropriating the term 'gentile' to mean 'non-Mormon' rather than its real meaning of non-Jew.

Baptizing dead Jews into Mormonism, including Holocaust victims like Anne Frank, and Jews of note like Maimonides [note: this is done to others as well as Jews]

"Members of the LDS Church believe themselves, in a general sense, to be members of the House of Israel, many of whom believe themselves also to be the literal bloodline descendants of Ephraim, Joseph of Egypt's youngest son, but inheritor, notwithstanding, of Israel's "firstborn" birthright blessings."

Teaching that they're members of the 12 Tribes...."The official position of the LDS Church is that those who have accepted the teachings of the church or those who are members of the Latter Day Saint movement are primarily from the House of Joseph, either by blood lineage or by adoption, when the recipient is not a literal descendant of Jacob, who is also known as Israel. Individual church members are told about their tribal affiliation through a patriarchal blessing."

Mormon discussion can also be extraordinarily philosemitic and fetishistic, which can evoke similar feelings of unease.

[nerdygaymormon]

The Civil Rights movement for African Americans culminated in 1968. 10 years later in 1978 the LDS Church changed to give African Americans the priesthood and let them get married in the temple. During those 10 years, the membership of the church changed their views to be more tolerant and accepting and thus the change wasn't so disruptive. It's been almost 10 years since gay marriage, do you think the church will announce a change in 2025?

I truly think it would be amazing if such a change were announced next year. While there has been progress, I just don't think the leadership is ready to make that jump, and many of the membership would have a big problem if suddenly gay marriages could be performed in the temple.

However, I do see signs that may point towards what you're suggesting. In 2022, the LDS Church surprised many by issuing a statement in support of the Respect for Marriage Act which made gay marriage part of federal law. There's currently several married gay couples who attend church and are not excommunicated nor disfellowshipped. When my friend who is trans visits Florida and attends church with me, many ladies line up to greet her. Maybe 2025 is too soon, but I do think we're heading there.

[eri-pl]

Tengwar <3

It's the best thing Feanor made. Seriously. Nobody will murder you for using Tengwar. Nobody will hack your brain when you use Tengwar in the wrong moment. (The lamps are ok, but kinda meh, Tengwar is better)

Did you know, just did you know, that every consonant has a name, and the name is a noun, and some are really cool (and foreshadowing)? (chart and translations below the cut)

So, if you want a chart, here is a chart. And the names are (I don't have diacritics, so I just double the long vowels) (Quenya mode, with some historical notes from LotR appendix and elvish.org):

"Normal stuff Feanor had on his desk" row:

T tinco - metal

P parma - book

K calma - lamp (like those Feanor made? Or... like those Aule made)

Q quesse - feather (birds are important!)

"Things that keep you trapped" row:

ND ando - gate (like... the Door of Night?)

MB umbar - doom (doesn't need a comment...)

NG anga - iron (also, used in sword names, even for non-iron swords)

NGW (in TA changed to NW) ungwe - spider's web (foreshadowingsight on Feanor's part? :) )

"Mountain things???" row

S suule - spirit or breath (Manwe Sulimo... king of winds and stuff...) | TH thuule - spirit or breath, but I'm a Feanorian, or at least I'm a linguistics geek and love the phonetic scheme (me! but otoh it sounds dumb :( ), or I love the Teleri and/or Sindar, who use it as th (Finarfin, iirc).

F formen - north

H (h before t) harma (voiceless velar fricative phonetically /x/... I think. the sources are confusing. In TA mostly softened into a breath h.) - treasure (my precious Silmarills...) | aha (later renamed, idk when) - rage (my Silmarils! and, even more importantly, my father!)

HW (like "wh" in "why" especially the fancy British way of saying it where it's actyally h-w, not w-h) hwesta - breeze

"We need to name a row after places of articulation" row

NT anto - mouth (couldn't you think of a better name? I get it's a place-of-articulation row, but i don't like it anyway)

MP ampa - hook

NC anca - jaw

NQ unque - hole

"Things that Melkor likes" row:

N nuumen - west (Numenor...)

M malta - gold

NG (by TA: N) noldo - Noldo, as in type of Elf. Yes, it was initially Ngoldo. I mean, initially initially it was a gnome, so...

NW nwalme - tornment

"I have no idea but vaguely positive-metaphysical?..." row

R (pre-consonant or end-of-the-word R | non-vibrating r, whatever this means. My bet is that it's "r" as in Japanese --- position like "r", movement like "d") oore - heart (or: rising. Guess whose name includes this component. funny that it's the same word as heart, especially given that heart is also defined as conscience here)

V vala - power (duh.)

Y (? it has some history) [there was a consonant here]anna - gift (totally not made into a sus word by now...)

W/V (Initially W, by TA changed to V) wilya - air / lower sky (funny how those two names are next to one another. )

"Really, I think Feanor ran out of ideas for coherent name sets" row

R (vibrating, typpical "rrr") romen - east (the same sound being written with "East" and with a word alternatively translating to "heart" or part of Melkor's name --- I love it! Why? See my recent post. I love that. Call it a coincidence, but I love it)

RD arda - realm

L lambe - speech

LD alda - tree (!)

Now we are not in regular rows, so, the extra letters:

S silme - starlight (or... metaphysically important light in general? because guess what word is connected to this one. Also, funny how it's just after "tree"). It's always S, never TH.

(nuquerma is just "flipped" or something I guess)

Z aaze - day / sunlight (in Noldorin changed to Z - aare) | SS esse (Numenor and later, because they did not use the "z" sound, I think) - name

HY (Numenor and later: H) hywarmen - south

I yanta - bridge

U uure - heat

(doesn't have a sound, in Sindarin it's A) osse - terror (I guess he isn't a very nice Maia?)

H (voiceless h: /h/ not /x/; in TA replaced by harmen) halla - tall | gasdil - stop

(short wovel carrier) telco - stem

(long carrier) aara - dawn

The Tengwa names after directions are also used as marks in the compass (like we use NSWE) And snarky comments aside, I love the schema and how the names connect into many interesting and often Silm-events-related patterns. I love how each (almost) row is named after a set of similar things.

I'm not an expert, and if I made some mistakes, I'll be grateful for corrections.

[tanadrin]

according to john hamer, a historian of the whole restorationist/LDS movement, the first draft of the book of mormon is a lot less impressive bc it has a bunch of idiomatic constructions of the "they was a-comin'" variety that read as hopelessly backcountry to most english speakers, but were simply an authentic element of how joseph smith spoke

which is hilarious, because the text was being translated with divine assistance. but also i kind of wish the mormons had kept that in! it would have made it a more authentically american religious document. maybe been a minor cultural antitude to kjv english as Ye Olde Religious English

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

to be brutally honest the more I learn about Mormonism/LDS the more I freaking lose it.

WHY IS HEAVEN PAY TO WIN???? HOW, AND WHY GENUINELY!

like if there was a genuine reform movement I think they could totally fix all the bad shit.

BUT WHY IS HEVEAN PAY TO WIN???

[creature-wizard]

You’re being racist/xenophobic/religiously intolerant to mormons now!? i suppose hoteps and neorevivalist movements are next :/ god u suck

Did you ever think the LDS Church wasn't on my shitlist? Looooooooooooool.

[baileys-writing-desk]

When a parent needs parenting

Lanayru works himself to exhaustion, and Eldin is not pleased.

[Misfits of the 3 Dragons]

AO3

“ZINGA-DINGDING!”

The Thunder Dragon flies over Skyloft, a few people waving to him from the Knight Academy’s balcony. Although Link and Zelda no longer live up here, the locals have gotten to know him a little from his frequent visits. It is quite nice to be around people…something he was deprived of for centuries.

“Mighty Thunder Dragon!” a young boy calls out. “Sing for me!”

Lanayru groans quietly, aware that his strength is beginning to fade. The fatigue from being so active the last few days has finally gotten to him. But it would be a shame not to please the boy…and so he slows his glide down slightly and opens his mouth to sing.

The sweet melody of the Song of the Hero, the same song he performed for Link all those years ago, fills the air. He tries to ignore how it takes some breath out of him, and his spinning movements through the sky are flimsy and uncoordinated. His deep, booming voice still echoes through the clouds and makes its way to the young boy’s ears.

“More! More!” the kid chants. “Sing another song!”

“Now now, dear. I think you’ll have to wait.” A woman puts her hand on the kid’s shoulder…most likely his mother. “Mr. Thunder Dragon, you don’t look quite right. You should go home and rest.”

Well…shit. Of course this lady noticed. Lanayru floats on his back and lets his eyes droop closed.

“Mr. Thunder Dragon?” he hears her ask, but he is too absorbed into the calming feeling of resting at last.

“Lanayru?”

He snaps his eyes back open. “Ah, yes…my apologies.”

“What’s wrong with him, Ma?”

“Overworked, I assume,” she answers. “Gully, go see your father. I’ll be right with you.”

The boy turns to jog away, giggling, and mutters Lanayru’s signature line repeatedly:

“Zinga-dingding!, zinga-dingding!, zinga-dingding!, zinga-dingding…”

Gully’s voice fades off into the distance, and Lanayru brings his focus to the mother. He chuckles slightly, but she only frowns.

“Please go, Mr. Thunder Dragon. Go lie down, I’m serious.”

Lanayru scoffs. Besides the hero Link, he never likes to take orders from someone a fraction of his size. But this woman seems persistent. A little too persistent.

“…Fine, I guess…”

“Good. You can come back when you’re better, okay? Gully will love it.”

The Thunder Dragon grins, giving her a thumbs-up with his claw, before pushing himself forward through the clouds. I can’t look that tired, right…? His condition must appear even worse than he thinks…surely the lady was right. He does need to lie down.

“Tell the boy I’ll be here tomorrow,” he calls out, most likely loud enough for her to hear.

Leaving Skyloft behind, he continues straight until he approaches the yellow beam cutting a large hole through the cloud barrier…the one Link and his sword spirit created at the start of the hero’s adventure. Squinting from the incredibly bright glow of the beam, he dives down into the skies over Lanayru Desert. His former home. The air warms up, sunlight beating down onto the sand, but Lanayru doesn’t mind too much. He can handle the heat just fine.

His body continues to weaken from the effort of flying, like a robot slowly running out of power. But he pushes on, past the dry sands of the desert and into the grassy area beyond…closer to his current home. The tops of trees become visible soon, and he starts tilting his glide down to meet their level.

You’re almost there, he assures himself. Almost there.

He wonders how Faron would react if she found out about all this…the Water Dragon would definitely not be happy. Especially since she’s always on his ass about caring for his own health.

As he reaches his large forest clearing, the place where he normally resides, he finally slows to a stop. A few LD-301’s scurry around, carrying various materials like sticks and pinecones, but his eye is quickly drawn to something else. Or rather, someone else, lying right on the grass of his sleeping area, the sun brightening the oranges and reds of his body…

“Eldin?? Wh-what are you doing here? I told you—“

Oh.

The Fire Dragon’s eyes are closed, and his breaths are deep and even. He’s asleep.

In my territory??

As Lanayru lowers himself to the surface, taking a seat on the grass in front of Eldin, he rubs his temples with a groan. Too tired to yell at his brother and push him around for breaking several rules, he simply nudges Eldin on the shoulder, digging his long pointy nails into it to wake him.

“Hnngh-ahh!!” Eldin gasps, eyes snapping open. “Wha…?” His gaze meets Lanayru’s. “Oh…guess I dozed off, I’m so sorry—“

“No need for an apology, fire boy. I’m not pleased with you, but I’m letting this one go.”

“Wait…really?” The Fire Dragon yawns, rubbing his eyes before squinting at Lanayru. “Hold on, something’s not right…oh, you look awful.”

“Well, thanks a lot,” Lanayru mutters. First the Skyloft woman, and now Eldin…Although he figures that is most likely true, if he does indeed appear as worn-out as he feels.

Eldin’s brow furrows. “Lanayru…have you been overworking yourself again?”

…Shit.

“What? No, of course not! I—“

“Nuh-uh. I can literally tell by looking at you, Lanayru. I know how much you like to zip through the air and do your singing and take Link for rides and all that…but you got a limit, old thunder man. Ho! You like to think you’re invincible! But you’re not.”

“You…do remember what happened to me, right?” Lanayru asks, arms folding across his chest. “All those years ago?”

“Of course. Yeah, you nearly lost your life then, but you don’t seem to have learned! You’re a bit weaker than Faron and I, that’s just how it is, and so you need more rest and more breaks.”

“…Ugh, I know…” The Thunder Dragon tries to ignore the dull aches throughout his large body.

“You are so darn stubborn. Like you’ll admit to your tiredness when you’re parenting us, but not now?”

“That’s because you and Faron exhaust me so much more…” he mumbles. “You two act like five-year-olds sometimes and it takes a lot out of me.”

Eldin gapes at his brother. “Five-year-olds?? Since when have we acted like—“ He pauses, seemingly in thought. “You know what, you kinda have a point. But what you’re doing now isn’t much better.”

“…Stop it. Just…stop it.” Lanayru’s head begins to throb at Eldin’s booming voice. “I’m fine.”

“Totally not fine! Can’t you admit to neglecting your own health at least once? Isn’t that how you fell ill in the first place??”

“…I don’t know, Eldin, it was so long ago, I…I don’t really remember how it happened.”

“Well, I can bet ya it was from your stubbornness, thunder boy. Cause ya know, you claim to be the Mighty Thunder Dragon and all…but that almost killed you. And Hylia blessed us with eternal life, Lanayruuuu.”

He scowls at the way Eldin whines his name. It would have killed him had Link not intervened…he knows that. Eldin knows that.

“I get it, okay? I was really bad…but not anymore. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Well, if you keep this behavior up, I will.”

Lanayru breathes out a long sigh, a light fog beginning to fill his aching head. Maybe Eldin is right…perhaps he is too stubborn. But the last thing he wants now is to admit it.

“Mrmmm…” he mutters. “Your call, fire boy. I won’t change…”

Eldin’s face begins to blur, darkening at the edges, and Lanayru feels his head loll slightly. He snaps it back up, blinking several times to focus once more. But it’s beginning to get harder now.

No. Don’t fall asleep, Lanayru. Not now—

“Haha, someone’s feeling reeeeally sleeeeepy,” Eldin teases, cackling. He reaches a claw forward and waves it back and forth in front of Lanayru’s face. “Veeeryyy sleeeeepyyyy…”

“Shut up.” Lanayru pushes the claw away, his lightning bolt ring clinking against one of Eldin’s. “Maybe if you go away I’ll sleep.”

“Nope, can’t trust you! I’m not leaving til you’re out like a light, thunder man, because you’ve been at this too long. Link can wait.”

Eldin rises up from Lanayru’s sleeping area, floating behind him with another laugh. Soon Lanayru feels the Fire Dragon’s warm claws pushing up against his back. He is much larger than Eldin, and normally he’d be able to resist it…but this time he doesn’t have the strength; he lets his brother shove him down onto his back with a thud.

“Now, do you want a bedtime stooory?”

Lanayru glares at him with all his might. “No.”

“Or maybe I’ll sing you to sleep with the Song of the Hero.”

“Nnngghhh…no.”

At last, he lets his heavy eyelids close as his body sinks into the warm grass. “Don’t…need that…”

But Eldin doesn’t seem to have listened. Soon the Fire Dragon’s mighty but calming voice fills Lanayru’s ears, a bit more higher pitched than his own. The Song of the Hero indeed.

It is this melody, one they each know all too well, that lulls the Thunder Dragon to sleep.

[corsair-princess-nenime]

In the cursed halls of Liraesh, Nenime, the Space Wolves, and their relentless foes clash over relics of unimaginable power

(HH2.0) Zone Mortalis Mission: Relics of the Crone

Players: Loyalist Space Wolves & Aeldari Relic Hunter vs. Traitor Warbands

Mission Type: Zone Mortalis, with custom Arcane Objectives.

Mission Special Rules

1. Warp-Touched Battlefields:

The Crone World’s residual psychic energy seeps into everything, affecting both sides unpredictably.

At the start of each turn, roll a D6 for each unit on the battlefield.

On a roll of 6:

Warp Empowered: The unit gains +1 Strength until the end of the turn.

On a roll of 1:

Warp Drained: The unit suffers -1 Toughness until the end of the turn.

2. Clarity of Purpose (Loyalists)

The Space Wolves' drive to return to their Primarch sharpens their focus.

Whenever a Space Wolves unit completes a successful charge, they gain +1 to their Attack characteristic in the Fight phase of that turn.

3. Shadowed Foes (Traitors)

The Traitor forces are bolstered by malevolent warp echoes within the Crone World, granting them an unnatural resilience.

Traitor units gain +1 to their Leadership when in combat within 6" of an Arcane Objective and can re-roll failed Morale tests.

4. Phantom Whispers

The palaces of the Crone World are haunted by the echoes of tortured Aeldari souls. These whispers linger near the relics, confusing the minds of those who venture too close.

At the beginning of each turn, any unit within 3” of an Arcane Objective must pass a Leadership test or reduce their Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill by 1 for that turn as the voices of the past unnerve them.

Primary Objective: Arcane Relics

Three Arcane Objectives (relics) are scattered across the battlefield in strategic positions. Each objective represents an ancient, potent artifact, attuned to the psychic resonance of the Crone World.

Activation: A non-Vehicle unit in base contact with an Arcane Objective may attempt to activate it at the end of the Movement phase. Roll a D6, adding +1 if Nenime is part of the unit:

On a 3+, the objective is activated and claimed.

On a 6, the objective is overcharged. Consult the Arcane Objective Table below for a bonus effect.

Points Scored: Each Arcane Objective controlled at the end of the game is worth 5 Victory Points.

Secondary Objective: Protect the Relic Hunter

The Traitor forces have recognized Neni’s importance to the Space Wolves’ mission. They’ve been ordered to capture or eliminate her.

Victory Points: If Nenime survives until the end of the game, the Loyalist side scores 3 Victory Points. If Nenime is slain, the Traitors score 3 Victory Points instead.

Deployment & Game Length Deployment:

Both forces deploy at opposite ends of the Crone World ruin. Game Length: The mission lasts for 5 turns or until one side is completely eliminated.

Arcane Objective Table

If an Arcane Objective is activated with a roll of 6, roll a D6 on the Arcane Objective Table to determine the artifact’s unique effect. This effect applies to the unit that activated it.

D6 Roll Artifact Effect

1 Crown of Cruelty: The unit gains +1 to their charge rolls for the rest of the game.

2 Aegis of the Dominion: The unit gains a 5+ invulnerable save for the next two turns.

3 Veil of Shadows: The unit may be replaced anywhere on the battlefield, at least 9" from an enemy unit.

4 Sword of Khaine: The unit gains +1 Strength and +1 Attack for the next Fight phase.

5 Prophecy of the Fall: The unit may re-roll all failed hit rolls in the next Shooting phase.

6 Soulstone Menhir: The unit gains +1 to their Leadership and ignores Morale tests permanently.

~🍋~

NENIME

Unit Type: Unique Character, Infantry

Points: 130

M: 8" | WS: 5 | BS: 4 | S: 3 | T: 3 | W: 3 | I: 6 | A: 4 | Ld: 9 | Sv: 4+

Wargear:

Ghostblade of the Lost Stars: +1 Strength, AP2, Rending (5+), Master-crafted, Ghoststrike: Re-roll failed wound rolls against targets with higher Toughness.

Aeldari Refractor Field: 4+ invulnerable save.

Neuro-Disruptor: Range: 12", Strength: 4, AP2, Pistol 1, Instant Death, Shred.

Raven-Feather Cloak: +1 Leadership to friendly units within 6" and immunity to morale-based psychic effects.

Special Rules:

Lightning Reflexes: 6+ Feel No Pain.

Walked the Eye of Terror: Once per game, Nenime may add or subtract 1 from the result on the Arcane Objective Table.

Grace of the Banshee: Enemy units within 3” must pass a Leadership test or suffer -1 WS for the turn.

Eldar Battle Agility: Nenime ignores penalties from difficult terrain.

Bonds of Necessity: Nenime can join Space Wolves units without penalty; units she joins can re-roll failed charge rolls.

[localcryptic]

i saw you reblog the sidestep asks so 👀 being honest I don't know any of your sidesteps so lets start with some introduction questions: 1 + 3 + 4 + 17 for sidestep(s) of choice?

thank you for asking !!

what is their secret identity? do they have any nicknames? what is the meaning behind them?

Taliesin Becker (they/them/he) usually goes by just Tal. they hadn't even considered going by a nickname after picking out a name for themself, but Ortega started calling them Tal back when they were Sidestep, and it just stuck. it's how they introduce themself now.

3. what is their villain name? why did they choose it?

Retribution. Tal believes in enacting justice and taking down those in power. they want revenge against the specific people who hurt them, as much as they want to destroy the systems that allowed for any of this to happen in the first place. so, embodying that sense of divine punishment feels right to them.

and also yeah, when i first played Rebirth in like 2019 or whatever i was like :O woah that sounds cool... AND ITS THE NAME OF THE SECOND GAME??? and it just stuck. a runner up name i've considered for them is Ruin

4. what does their villain armor look like? what is their typical style of dress?

Their armor is shadowed, mirrored and mysterious. they want to remain as anonymous as ever, remaining faceless and seeming almost ghostly in their movements, making them impossible to place.

since Tal is quite tech-savvy, i imagined the armor to have a lot of technical detail even available on the surface, going off of sort of cyberpunk armor designs for inspiration. the multiple metallic planes almost make it harder to tell what you're looking at when they're in motion- creating a camouflage through the visual noise.

since they have enhanced armor as one of the design choices, i always imagined it built out with more structure, padding, plated portions, and with additional supports to head, neck, and spine, to avoid major injury.

even though they like to seem mysterious, they'd allow a little ornamentation: ridges of armor to protect their back follow the skeleton underneath, and their helmet appears spiked, emulating horns. there's a visual cross between Techwear, Human Anatomy, and Gothic Architecture.

oh, and a cape, of course.

their regular fashion sense is much more boring. i think they ultimately dress for comfort, but have embraced some more off-beat, grungy and edgy styles, especially now that they don't have to worry quite as much about standing out. Tal prefers masculine looks, baggy clothes, and of course, lots of layers (wish them luck in the LD heat). even though they can afford to get new things, they prefer to shop second hand or mend what they already own. they're no stranger to a DIY project and it's easier than trying to go to some place like a mall with all those people and security cameras. since the events of Rebirth, they've upgraded their grown out haircut to a more intentional edgy sideshave/queer mullet vibe. it compliments their new piercings very well :)

17. what is their ultimate goal?

i answered this a little bit earlier by accident oops but Tal wants to dismantle the system and create some real change. obviously the government has too much corruption for anybody to fix the issues from the inside, so an outside force has to be the next best thing. they can't help the idealist inside of them.

Tal became Sidestep back in the day because they thought that was how they could make a difference and do some good for people. but since Heartbreak, and going back to The Farm... the only way to keep this from happening to anybody else, to get the justice they want, is to break the world as they know it. disrupt the system, break the cycle, expose the corruption.

honestly, they're terrible at being a villain <3 but the vigilante route already failed them, so there's only one way out

(here's a link to all the questions, thank you again for asking!)

[stackslip]

Do you have any book recs on mormons and cults? I wanna know more about them for a school presention and I think you mentioned that they're your special interest a while ago, but I'm not sure. If you have any other media recs on them, that would be helpful too. Sorry in advance if I got you mixed up with another user, just ignore this if I did

yeah you got me there i am indeed the person who has a special interest in mormons for some fucking reason. anyhow.

my entry point to learning about them was actually the podcast mormon stories, who mostly do interviews with ex members or people who are a lot more nuanced today and went through a faith crisis. it's accessible to nevermos (aka people who were never mormon) and while it has its issues (the hosts being insufferably liberal for one) there are some genuinely great in-depth interviews from people from all walks of life who talk about being raised in the faith or converting, missions, gender roles and the construction of the mormon family, practices and other issues. many of them express that they believe mormonism to be a cult, some are more hesitant to do so--but they make compelling arguments that it's at least a high control group that has a high exit cost--in terms of family and friends cutting or icing you out, in terms of general support, in terms of how much it shapes your worldview and how difficult it is to even consider leaving, even when staying is actively harmful.

the podcast also hosts a series called LDS discussions which focuses on mormon truth claims--about the veracity of the book of mormon, historical developments in the mormon church (including polygamy and joseph smith), racism in the church, and more. however they're long and also i think you need a certain amount of familiarity with the subject--the goal of the series is mainly to reach out to members of the LDS church and try to give them information they might have been deprived from, since the church actively hides or partially obscures information about things such as polygamy or the construction of the book of mormon. this would be a bit too long to look into for a class tbh, so instead i'm gonna give you other resources and this is just if you ever wanna dig more into the subject.

the podcast unfinished: short creek is specifically about the flds cult--fundamentalist polygamists who are known bc their prophet warren jeffs was arrested for child sexual abuse. the podcast focuses on the history of the cult, including its origins in mainstream mormonism and how it's at odds with the lds church today, as well as how current members try to continue living their faith in increasingly restrictive conditions and while having to live in the same town as "apostates", ex members who either left voluntarily or were forced out of the flds but decided to stay in the city. it's a genuinely fantastic and compassionate podcast series which tbh is a good way to segway into the history of the modern LDS church and if you're interested in cults, compare and contrast this to the church.

in terms of books, here are a few that are definitely more accessible and digestable than these long podcasts. keep in mind in terms of sources you might be looking for that mormons have a long tradition of publishing their own histories on the subject (and sometimes doing semi decent to pretty good academic work, although the latter tends to be reprimanded by the church if it strays too far out of bounds) and that there's also a huge anti-mormon evangelical movement who will post a lot of true shit mixed with bullshit about the lds church not bc they're worried about its actual issues, but because they believe mormons are fake christians they need to save.

a bit of a pop book, but really fascinating entry into the subject of the mormon church and its culture past and present is the book under the banner of heaven by jon krakauer. it's a comparison to the origins of the LDS church in the 19th century and a murder that took place in the 80s by a splinter group of mormons who claimed to have rediscovered the true church. please do not watch the tv series.

if you want more "academic" stuff, the book mormon america by joan and richard ostling is a general decent overview of the history of the church, its theology and its practices by the early 21st century (keep in mind its practices are evolving and some aspects are outdated) and some of its main issues and demography. i think it tries a bit too hard to be "neutral" at times and it's written by christians who are sympathetic to (white, middle class) mormons and try to portray them to their fellow (white, middle class) christians in a more sympathetic light, but it's good in terms of giving some basic facts to non-mormons who might be confused about the basic theology and what makes mormons so different from Regular Christians

if you want more on the early history of the church, the book no man knows my history by fawn brodie, if you can get your hands on it, is one of the first real and non LDS church approved biographies of joseph smith, founder and key figure of the church.

unfortunately i haven't found any decent biography of brigham young yet--which is a shame because the dude is a way more fascinating figure than joseph imo, and *more* responsible for the continuation and establishment of the church than joseph is. blood of the prophets: brigham young and the mountain meadows massacre by will bagley is a good if dry account of one of the worst acts that was at least condoned by him, and it gives context for ealry mormon settlement in utah, but unfortunately not much more.

mormon polygamy: a history by richard van wagoner is a very good account of the practice of polygamy and it gives by proxy a lot of context of the early mormon church post-joseph, as well as the establishment of utah and conflicts between mormons and the federal government.

a book i haven't read yet but gotten extracts from and heard good stuff about it is watchman on the tower: ezra taft benson and the making of the mormon religious right by matthew l harris. it explains how a more recent mormon prophet's anti communist and anti civil right views and activism (and his involvement in the john birch society) have radicalized mormons to this day, leading to the vast majority of them being deeply conservative and voting republican en masse, despite being despised by other white christians. it also talks a lot about the role of race in the church. if you're interested specifically about modern mormons and their political uniformity, this is a good one to read into.

if you want to read more on the church's control on its members finances, i'd suggest to begin with the recent ensign peak scandal. mormon stories has a few eps covering the subject that explains to non members why so many people have been upset by it--including the fact that members have been threatened with excommunication and denied access to mormonism's highest sacriments because they weren't considered to pay enough tithing.

in general on the cult/high demand front, i'd suggest you also check out the subreddit r/exmormon, where a lot of members who are leaving the church discuss these issues and have a number of resources on the subject, including for people just leaving or doubting.

i have other sources but...... it is 3:24am lol. if you have questions on a particular subject please don't hesitate to ask

edit: i forgot to talk about missionaries FUCK. easily the most cultish aspect of mormonism. uhhhh STRONGLY recommend checking mormon stories and looking for stories about missions in particular, many of them talk about how high demand missions are and how their role is less to convert souls and more to radicalize and fully indoctrinate young mormons. they're incredibly unsafe and fucked up and mandate mutual surveillance and constant violations of privacy and tend to work young missionaries to the bone and grind them until they can do nothing but comply