#The Eternal Evil of Asia

[may8chan]

The Eternal Evil of Asia - Man Kei Chin 1995

[telomeke]

THE SIGN – CULTURAL REFERENCES, MYTHOLOGY AND META

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This post comes on the heels of the one by @respectthepetty about mythology and meta of The Sign, linked here. 😍👍 If you've not read it yet, I recommend you do before watching any more of this series, because it will help things make more sense (especially if you're not familiar with some of the cultural references thrumming in the background).

Anyway, I'd previously done some research on the legend(s) of the Garuda and the Naga in Southeast Asia, and so I'm writing this post to share what I've found because it does have relevance to at least some of what we're seeing onscreen in The Sign, and elaborates on @respectthepetty's post.

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The Garuda and the Naga are mythical beings with origins in Indian mythology that have been transposed into cultures across Southeast Asia.

In Hinduism, Garuda is a single deity, depicted in either full-bird form or part-bird and part-human, and is the king of birds and also a divine sun-bird (with physical attributes similar to an eagle's). His elder brother, Aruna, is the chariot driver for Surya the sun-god, while Garuda himself is the mount of Vishnu.

In Buddhist mythology, the garudas (sometimes also spelt garulas) are a society and race of gigantic predatory birds, sometimes also depicted as part-human in form. The garudas are intelligent, social and blessed with might and magical powers.

Thailand may be predominantly Buddhist, but it has also been strongly influenced by ancient Indian culture and Hinduism, and thus both the concept of a single deity Garuda and the race of garudas co-exist in Thai mythological beliefs.

The nagas on the other hand, are snake-like or dragon-like creatures, whose realm is the water world. (The word naga is derived from Sanskrit and is also etymologically related to the English word snake.)

In mythology nagas and garudas are perpetual enemies, although neither side is actually identified with good or evil – they are simply two groups eternally at war with each other (so occidental-leaning minds should dispel any preconception that the water serpents are necessarily the bad guys in The Sign, even though the narrative seems to be tilting in that direction).

When borrowed into popular culture (as has been done for The Sign) you may sometimes see influences of Chinese dragon and phoenix mythology (as Chinese cultural influence is also present in Thailand, and the dragon/phoenix motif of Sinitic culture nicely parallels the naga/garuda conflict pairing). And because of Garuda's association with the sun in Hinduism, and a parallel with the fiery phoenix of Western mythology, you may sometimes see garudas portrayed as aligned with the sun and/or flame as well.

There are some hints of these in The Sign. The naga that Phaya encounters while struggling underwater during the open sea training challenge in Ep.1 is very Thai in appearance (especially with the curved, forward-pointing crest, making it look much like the nagas that adorn Thai temple architecture). But the array of pronged, backward-pointing horns and trailing antennae appear to be a design nod at Chinese or Japanese dragons (East Asian dragons are also strongly identified with the watery realm, by the way). And in the graphics of the series (e.g., in the poster at the start of this post), the sky (the realm of Garuda) is suffused with sunlight and speckled with what look like drifting sparks, referencing sun and flame.

Because of the wings tattooed on his back and his time in the air force, Phaya is most likely the reincarnation of a garuda in human form (and this is why he struggled with the water challenge, as he was completely out of his element).

This is also possibly why we see him smoking early on in the series (because of the alignment of Garuda with the element of fire), and significantly he does this while Naga Tharn (irked by Yai's teasing at the dining table) seeks refuge in the washroom (which is ห้องน้ำ/hong naam in Thai, literally water room):

‌Billy also describes Phaya's character in the promo video for the series (linked here) as being "like fire, always hot and burning... quite hot-headed." 👍

Elsewhere in the same promo video (linked here), Tharn's good friend Chalothon is explicitly identified as the reincarnation of an important naga, which immediately signals that he and Phaya will be at odds in the series:

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The water deity that saves Phaya during the open sea challenge – Wansarat, whom he drew in his sketchbook – is not just Freen Sarocha in a fancy scuba suit. 😂

If you look at her arm and hand when she reaches out to save Phaya (before she turns into Tharn) the green scales meld into the skin of her human wrist – they're part of her natural covering, and she's really a nakhee/nagin/nagini, a female naga, appearing in human form to save Phaya.

The narrative has made it strongly obvious that Phaya is a reincarnated garuda, while Tharn is the reincarnation of Wansarat, from the lineage of the nagas. And the teaser-trailer (linked here) tells us that Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat are lovers bound to each other through time:

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However, the special promo video (released 24 November 2023) also tells us (in Heng's interview linked here) that Chalothon and Wansarat were lovers in past lives, even while it is Phaya and Wansarat (reincarnated as Tharn) who are paired by fate in The Sign.

And as the nagas and garudas are bitter enemies, the love story between Phaya and Tharn/Wansarat that transcends time and reincarnation cycles is also one that must have been (and will continue to be) forbidden by their respective naga and garuda tribes (especially since Tharn/Wansarat also used to be naga Chalothon's lover), and will undoubtedly be a source of conflict in the series. This is way beyond the Montagues and Capulets! 😍

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So with this as the base, I took a look at the characters' names, and those belonging to Phaya, Chalothon, Tharn and Wansarat especially also reflect their garuda/naga origins. 🤩

Phaya's name (พญา) means lord, king or leader. While it can be applied to the nagas (พญานาค/phaya naak refers to the King of the Nagas) it is also used for Garuda (the Thai national symbol) – พญาครุฑ/phaya khroot, or Lord Garuda (and is what his name references in The Sign).

(above) Billy Patchanon as Phaya

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Chalothon's name (ชโลทร) is rare, but it is derived from Pali/Sanskrit and means river, sea or body of water, reflecting the watery homeland of his naga persona.

(above) Heng Asavarid as Chalothon

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Tharn's name (ธาร) also has a connection to his water-dwelling naga roots. Tharn/ธาร is short for ลำธาร/lam thaan and means stream, brook or creek (and he is thus a naga nong to Chalothon's phi).

(above) Babe Tanatat as Tharn/Wansa

However, Tharn is his chue len. His formal name is Wansa, and is the same Wansa in Wansarat (which the narrative lets us know at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.35).

(above) Freen Sarocha as Wansarat

Now Wansarat is spelt วรรณษารัตน์ in the subtitles (at Ep.1 [3‌/4] 9.02), and I can't find any translation of it that makes sense in the context of The Sign's world-building.

But Wansarat's name is spelt differently elsewhere on the Internet (on Thai drama websites, and movie databases, etc. like thaimovie.org), and I assume they've all based it on official releases from Idol Factory because the spelling is consistent across these other sources – it's วรรษารัตน์ there.

And Wansa/Wansarat spelt this way also reflects the nagas' dominion over water, because วรรษา/wansa (an archaic word, referenced in an older dictionary but not newer ones) means rain or rainy season (from the Sanskrit varsha) – in Thailand the nagas are also associated with rain control, and prayers are offered to them for timely and abundant rainfall when it is needed. (The -rat part of Wansarat is a feminine ending meaning jewel or gemstone, and may echo with meaning for speakers of Indian and Sri Lankan languages, since it's derived from the Pali/Sanskrit ratna).

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Just out of interest (because nobody asked 😂) some of these naga/garuda elements were also present in the early episodes of KinnPorsche – the den of the Theerapanyakuls (nagas, wealthy beings of the underworld) was full of watery elements (e.g., the waterfall, the various pools, and Tankhun's carp – which in Chinese belief are the original, natal form of dragons). The -nak in Kinn's formal first name Anakin (which is not a traditional Thai name) is also a nod at the word naga. Porsche had the tattoo of a fiery phoenix on his back, and was out of his element whenever water was concerned (e.g., his failed pool challenge, the mermaid costume punishment, his misadventure with the sprinkler when he tried to smoke in the store room – water vanquishing the flame). Kinn was unable to make fire when they were trapped in the forest, despite claiming to be friends with the flame, while Porsche could immediately do it.

But I didn't see the KinnPorsche narrative taking the naga/garuda themes much further than these random nods in the earlier episodes. Maybe it did (like Kinn and Porsche could be seen acclimatizing to each other's realms more), but I just couldn't be bothered to look at the show more closely since it didn't really stand up to deeper scrutiny, and after the first few episodes I just went along for the exhilaration of the ride instead. 👍

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Anyway, I'm totally bedazzled by the level of world-building going on in The Sign and look forward to more from the series. If the first episode is anything to go by, I think Executive Producer Saint Suppapong may be on to something! 😍

[imustbenuts]

Reading Grima as an Abrahamic god stand-in in the world of Fire Emblem, and how that is filling in gaps in the narrative.

Preface: this is one possible interpretation out of many, and I will be talking about this pov as a person who resides in SEA.

To get to understand this worldview though, some very dry explanations need to be done, but I'll do my best.

First, an overview of Grima.

Grima in FE: Awakening's story functions as a god of annihilation/death. They are worshiped and brought back into the world by the Grimleals, an extremist religious group in Plegia, which is visually middle eastern desert-ish.

Meanwhile, their Japanese name is actually Gimlé, a reference to the Norse mythos of the place where survivors of Ragnarok (an end of the world apocalyptic event where gods duke it out way too hard) are foretold to live. It's a super pretty place, almost heavenly.

So there is some credence here to hint that Grimleals are the extremist sect, and that Grima inherently isn't good or evil, but possibly a death god closer to the likes of Anubis or Hades. This can then explain why Plegians who aren't extremists are said to be pretty chill.

Anyway, moving on, because I need to explain the next bit to really highlight how much he looks like an Abrahamic god to a someone like me.

FE's world is structurally polytheistic. Or, Shinto Buddhist.

On the surface, FE puts forth the idea of polytheism in the form of multiple Dragons, without a singular clear, definite distinction for what threshold exactly qualifies one to be a legit God vs just-a-dragon. In fact, it can be summed up as "this one is powerful enough to do things, and/or because we decided so" by the people.

So, that tracks with the belief system in place in Japan and really, the whole of Asia in general. Polytheism is the norm, rather than mono. In this view, any being which are not human all belong into the classification of supernatural, so the question of how god-like they are matters after they are able to pass a certain threshold of power or worshiping status.

A popularity contest of spirits/gods, if you want to put it that way. In fact, lots of eastern gods irl are like this. Power often doesn't factor into things, since these gods are very closely associated with nature in some form, and their popularity in history is very dependent on events.

In fact, Japan follows Shinto Buddhism, a polytheistic belief. Technically made of 2 parts.

Shinto supplies the idea that Gods (or rather, kamis) in general cannot be perceived, and that they must be loved and nurtured to gain their favor. Disregarding them brings instead disharmony and destruction. Shrines are one such places where the love and nurturing or the disregard can be seen/done. (Thebes labyrinth, anyone? 😉👌)

The other, Buddhism. Also polytheistic due to reframing gods as just other beings trying to break out of the cycle of samsara. Buddha is technically not a god, but a title, and an idol to look to to remember the teachings of how to break out of this cycle, by understanding suffering and how to end it.

In some ways, Naga, the biggest defacto "god" which is treated as the 'proper' God by the narrative, is actually more of a Buddha. Her voice lines in FEH even points to this:

Meanwhile, Libra uses the plural, gods. Frederick's famous crit quote is "Pick a god and pray."

That is what I mean by FE being structurally Shinto Buddhist.

Meanwhile, Abrahamic religion is monotheistic.

Without getting too deep into the details and scholarly debates of it, or even the multiple branches of religion, the singular God in this family does not want his followers to turn their eyes towards other false gods. One is meant to devote themself entirely to this God, follow his teachings and live a life he deems worthy to live with him in the beautiful, heavenly afterlife.

Failure to do so will mean a divine retribution of sorts, but often in the form of eternal damnation.

Another noteworthy bit, Abrahamic religion originated from the place we call the Cradle of Civilization, also known as the Middle East. Which, you know. Deserts.

And now, the pieces of Grima being a Abrahamic god stand-in starts to form. And that then explains a lot of other mundane unexplained bits too.

Basically, Grima is the patron deity of the Plegians, who reside in the harsh desert.

If we assume that normal Plegians are pretty chill despite Grima being associated with straight up annihilation, then a pretty good extrapolation would be that Grima is a watcher type deity of the afterlife for their worship. This type is typically popular as they soothe the anxiety of what happens to a person after death, explaining that there is something else other than pure emptiness, which frankly can kick many people's existential dread into overdrive.

Which, if one really thinks about it, the Abrahamic religion and their God kind of is this.

God watches a human, then judges them for their actions in life when their time is up. In some interpretations afaik, God can also be seen as a 'system' or a 'higher conscious', but the idea of being able to join with him is still the same. This is still the ultimate honor and bliss, ie, heavenly.

But in order to do so, one must wholly devote themself to him. Spread his word. Ignore all other Gods. You know how it goes.

With Grima, this bit manifests in how Grima kills Naga in the Future Past DLC. Even Tiki became a target, who wants to become the next Naga in it. (Which btw this wouldn't make sense unless one treats the word, Naga, as a title, which tracks.)

So. In conclusion.

What I'm trying to say here is that Grima is easily read as a monotheistic, or even a Christian god to many people on this side of the planet. Because there has been precedent in extremism when it comes to religion associated with Abrahamic religion, and this is how it's being expressed through the writers when they create FE.

And yet, because either the world of FE is structurally shinto buddhist, or the writers are, this is the result, and why I have interpreted Grima as this.

There are also elements of that mistreatment of a god narrative going on in FE:A that I think is worth talking about for Grima, too. I'm almost certain that the writers are not saying Grima is inherently evil, in fact, the narrative of good and evil in FE is often easily explained by characters being dreadfully flawed, and even human. And because of how Gods have this piece of humanity in them, it's possible for so many narratives to be the way they are.

And maaaybe why they decided to put Grima in a cat costume for Halloween banner with all the funny lines that comes with them. I think.

And that's about it, really. Ask is always open. Thanks for reading! 🎃🎃

[coolclaytony]

My take on Adam's Children in Hazbin Hotel:

Scripture from various sources attributes several sons and daughters to Adam and Eve, not counting the times they apparently seperated and had sex with demons. They had at least four girls (Aclima, Awan, Azura, & Jumella) and at least three sons (Abel, Cain, Seth).

In the interest of making it more (handwavily) "plausible" that Adam and Eve are the progenitors of all mankind, I envision each of these kids as indistinctly resembling people from one of seven major geographic regions [Please bare with me, I'm not confident in this idea either]: Abel (Americas), Aclima (Mediterranean), Awan (South-Asia), Azura (East-Asia), Cain (Africa), Jumella (Europe), Seth (West-Asia)

Abel lives in Adam's mansion in Heaven with his twin Jumella, where he cheerfully maintains a farm. He has a very hospitable and accommodating personality. He loves Adam and Eve unconditionally (even if he thinks his dad is a bum). Despite everything, Abel could never bring himself to be mad at Cain.

Aclima made it to Heaven but escaped to Earth where she hangs out with Cain. She has beef with Eve for undisclosed reasons. She is known on Earth as a wealthy philanthropist who operates the most successful charities. Her arch nemesis is a parody of a certain evil children's novelist lady who's name I won't mention.

Awan runs a law firm that helps to settle disputes between winners that had unresolved grievances in life.

Azura is the only one of her siblings still married to her brother, Seth (yeah, everybody thinks it's weird to, Seth especially). She, unfortunately, has not seen fit to define herself further than being Seth's wife. To his credit, Seth really wishes she'd find a life outside of him, but he doesn't want to hurt her feelings.

A popular idea about Cain is that he's the first vampire, having been cursed to walk the Earth for eternity. I like it, let's go with that! While Cain is still bitter over Heaven's rejection of him, he's grown very guilty over having murdered Able and secretly wishes he could apologize to him personally. Despite what people might think, the Cainites don't rule the world, and are in fact supporters of many anti-authoritarian and revolutionary groups around the world.

Jumella adopted her father's appreciation for hard rock music (though she leans more into British punk rock) and is the drummer and lead singer of a band. She throws concerts at the mansion every other night. She still finds time to help Abel on his farm.

Seth tries to maintain a healthy relationship with Abel, since he never got to know him in life. He regards all winners in Heaven as his family and his home is always open to them. If Azura's personality can be summed up to "everybody's mom" Seth's can be summed up to "everybody's dad".

Edit: I made a mistake with Jumella and redid that bit.

[senkusphone]

Dr. Stone chapter 3D trivia post

Hello, um. I hope yall had a pleasant solstice celebration of your choice- I've been pondering whether what we just saw merits a triva post, but let's try to squeeze some for the sake of completion, shall we?

Check out also my trivia posts for chapters 1D and 2D.

They're the same picture.

It took me way too long to notice what was off in this cover, it seems to be nothing but an aesthetic choice. Other than these off colors, this specific suika melon design first appeared during the Treasure island arc, right after Ryusui punted her off the Perseus.

To directly quote what I wrote at one time on the wiki:

Too bad, the ship Chelsea shows up in is not the Perseus D. Monkey from chapter 214 (which itself is a One Piece reference, as Boichi is a big fan).

Interesting that we get a nearly identical shot, instead of Kohaku standing behind her, it's Ruri and Matsukaze.

This posture done my Matsukaze is called Namaste (with other names such as Namaskar), which is used both as a greeting and as an indication of reverence all over the southern parts of Asia, along with other similar gestures. I know this is familiar to many myself included but I had never looked into the deeper details until now.

Figurines showing this pose have been excavated from the Indus valley civilization dating to between 2700 and 2100 BCE, making this piece of cultural heritage at least 7800 years old by the time of this panel.

Xeno has clearly had his hand in the architecture of the Japan side of the KoS, with some new constructions resembling his own Evil Disneyland back home.

Hold back yer tears

Kaseki has lived well. It's hard to tell how old he is now, he lived longer than the timeline's consistency thats for sure, I blame time travel.

At the time Taiju got wed, he was around 70 years old.

Kaseki and Chrome go back way further than the KoS, the fanbook tells us that Kaseki helped Chrome build his shed when he was just a boy.

Feel your heart a bit shakey? hang on there, we now get to talk about whyman's sorrow, and a small observation that I've made

Whyman can have emotions, the circuits that process that can be switched on and off, but the fact that a message can, or needs to be "left" for themselves, as well as his farewell for all eternity, has an interesting implication: once switched off, whyman loses the recollection of any experience they had in the meantime. These circuits allow whyman to feel, and also to then forget. This is useful, as emotions help them survive, but forgetting prevents the emotional baggage from growing infinitely over a virtually immortal life.

"If we remembered every single parting person, it would only be a few generations before the sorrow would pile up to the point it became unbearable. Maybe it is a blessing to forget. Forgetting allows us to get even. Forget sorrows as new ones replace them. Life can go on, if tragically. No accumulating loss that would one day make everyone struggle to survive and eventually pass on; though that last thing does also sound very much like today."

(10B points to the ~2 people who know where this quote is from, I digress)

So that's cool, and heartbreaking, but so what, does it connect to anything we've seen before?

Well...

In ch. 232 we see that Whyman does not know what created them.

How could that be, if they can remember things over deep time?

Maybe it is that Whyman chose to forget their creators, and everything they felt about them. Beings that they may even have loved in the deep deep past, and could not cope with yearning for.

The blonde, bangs & ponytail lineage.

The village graveyard. Last time we saw it, Byakuya's gravestone was opened to reveal the glass record.

A lot of recognizable headstones are still up now, some appear to have moved.

Other headstones might be gone or be different... The one with four dots that was there originally can't be seen in this new shot but it can be seen later in the chapter.

Also, I hate to break this to you, but there's more headstones now than there were before.

I counted 45 in the original shot, 50 in the new one, not including any that Chelsea and Senku may be covering. Granted this is likely just an oversight.

(I should mention that in order for them to match bottom to bottom, the top image is flipped horizontally).

(omg look at the babiesss)

What Xeno is telling Chrome is that if whyman went and altered their own past, then what they are seeing currently is the result of that, since whatever changes they made, are in the past after all.

They already happened and they are part of the timeline that leads them to where they are now.

Assuming they actually found Byakuya (or a petrified time traveler) means that either whyman created some sort of causal loop that is self sustaining (ie, the ramifications of the changes in the past include whyman going back to do them in the first place), or more in line with the many worlds hypothesis, that going back to the past and changing it creates a new parallel timeline where the repercussions of that happen, with no effect in the first one.

In the latter case it means the timeline we see now was altered by the whyman from a parallel universe.

The stone axe is a bit dissonant with where they are, technologically speaking, yes? Thing is, that's the one Senku took to the moon with him.

He's had it since chapter 1.

A few people I've seen mystified about this structure they unearthed at the cementery:

This is a collapsed building just like the structures that the Tsukasa empire occupied.

(shoutout to that guy about to die in the back)

Interestingly, this means that Ishigami Village is established on top of a once urban area.

I am always pumped for any extra bits of village lore I can get.

Did Suika's handwriting trigger your AI generated image senses? it did for me.

We were bamboozled again. If it ends up happening it's gonna be like the tale of the wolf. The moment we stop taking it seriously, Inagaki is gonna smack us across the head with it.

We were actually preparing for the poop on a stick to hit the f.a.a.n on discord. What do I make about the ending? I don't know, I got no big analysis this time around but I believe it's very likely we'll see more at some point.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Preta - Day 48

Race: Haunt

Alignment: Dark-Chaos

June 5th, 2024

Eastern religions are no stranger to demons, ghosts, and the like, no matter how little we may hear about them overseas- most breakouts from things like Hinduism or Buddhism are the gods and concepts, but unique ideas for monsters also spread like wildfire throughout any belief system. Bad karma reaps worse dividends, after all, and sometimes people need something to point at as an example to not be a bad person in one’s own selfish interest, or even just as a boogeyman to punish naughty children. Today’s demon of the day rests in that first camp, however- the eternally starving specter of a selfish soul, Preta.

Interestingly, Preta, directly translated to ‘hungry ghost,’ is a concept seen throughout multiple religions originating in Southeast Asia. While most famous for appearing in Hinduism, the idea of a Preta can actually be seen in Buddhism, Taoism, and even several folk religions in China as well. This idea has had several different names, but they all fit the general ‘hungry ghost’ idea- words like ပြိတ္တာ, 餓鬼, or เปรต each roughly meaning the same idea, that being of an undead, corrupted spirit tainted by greed in a past life. The reason for this is due to the spread of Buddhism- even as the other religions broke away from Buddhism, they kept the idea of the hungry ghost.

A Preta isn’t exactly as evil as I painted earlier, though- for the most part, it was actually used as a term to notate a person’s with low karma’s soul in-between the realms of life and death, wherein the deceased’s family must go through a series of rituals to help guide their soul into the next life. If a person’s family doesn’t do these things, however, their soul shall be stuck as that of a Preta for all eternity, suffering and starving. The connotation between a Preta and being a corrupted human is down to the fact that, typically, those who would form into Pretas were people who were uncared for by society, and demeaned as evil as a result of that fact. The lack of caring for these people, combined with their already low karma needed to form into a preta, is what causes them to be cursed into this state of half-death.

Once reanimated into a Preta, the soul would be cursed to be forever hungry, typically feeling a hankering for something repugnant or bizarre- things like corpses, feces, mud, and random still-living animals, just to name a few. While a preta, on top of this, the person would have their senses utterly corrupted- a river of water would become a river of pollution, trees would turn into filth, and people themselves would look inhumane, emaciated, or broken apart.

A majority of the time, a Preta is depicted as an emaciated human with a protruding belly and a slender neck, a visual metaphor for their inflicted mindset. A good amount of the time, artwork depicting a Preta displays it in mind-numbing pain, starving and curled up into balls, bawling their eyes out. Some of this artwork also depicts them spewing out flames, connected to a common legend regarding them, that being that any food that enters their mouth would be burned in seconds to cinders, rendering it uneatable. On top of this, their punishment worsens in the form of every temperature being incredibly intense, as the moon barely shining on them in summer feels like the fires of hell while the brightest sun in winter feels like being exposed to liquid nitrogen.

In most Buddhist traditions, preta are beings to be pitied- as people who weren’t capable of achieving good enough karma to pass on peacefully, and as inherently pathetic and sad creatures, some even leave offerings to help encourage the restless wandering spirits to try for better karma in their next life. In Hindu traditions, however, they are far less sympathetic, even if treated with pity as well.

A variety of rituals are undertaken to guarantee that a person doesn’t become a preta upon passing in Hindu tradition. Over the course of a mourning period, rice balls are granted to a symbolic representation of the passed-on person, typically in the form of a clay mound, each rice ball representing a different aspect of a new person. All the while, during this process, the family both grieves and has to partake in several restrictions to guarantee the person passes on, such as the chief mourner partaking in light fasting, not sleeping in a bed, or cleaning themselves. Avoiding one’s deceased loved one from becoming a preta is a major part of Hindu tradition, even to this day- on the thirteenth day of mourning, a common tradition is to perform a major ceremony titled “Preta Karma,” which outlines everything I’ve said above.

In Buddhism, preta are one of the forms of existence post-reincarnation, encompassing the existence of being a ghost. Their torment has already been explored above, but in short, life sucks as a Preta, and most want to pass on again very soon.

Now, with all of that out of the way, which was a lot, how are Preta depicted in SMT? Their design is perfect, in my opinion- it encompasses most depictions of a preta throughout history, all the while bringing its own spin to the table. It’s an iconic demon design for good reason, being simple and acceptable as an early-game mook, while still fitting the generally accepted idea of what a preta looks like. In the series, they are traditionally very early game demons, mostly appearing in the first few dungeons, if not the very first. This tradition has kept up for almost every game in the series, a surprising first in this series- they’ve appeared in almost every SMT game, and in almost ALL of them, they’re pretty much throwaways.

But, I gotta say, we need to give some props to the little guys. They may be fusion fodder, but they had a special place in my heart, and that’s all you really need at the end of the day. Overall, in spite of how complicated a topic this turned out to be, this multicultural hungry ghost has somehow grown to one of my favorite demons just due to how pathetic it is. I kinda love him.

[tokyogruel]

hellos!! is there any frame in triage where shidou Does have the same patterned scarf-thing(?) his sons and wife wear? actually do you know what those mean? (<- i only now noticed them skldjlsd)

hello anon! hola!

to answer your question,, well,, no. not really. but also- well, kind of?

the pattern youre thinking of is called paisley. it has a lot of symbolic meaning that i will get to in this post, but.. shidou doesnt really wear it. kind of

i went through triage again and want to point a few things out:

shidous family wears paisley in 3 different places

his wife, around her waist. shidou mimics this with his apron

his youngest, around his neck. shidou mimics this with his jacket(? why are you wearing it like that idiot)

his eldest, around his waist. shidou mimics this almost exactly- except his cloth belt is light blue, not grey, and plain- no paisley

there is, however- one very brief scene where it could be debated that shidou's belt has a paisley pattern. it moves very quickly- and is heavily obscured by light

the pattern is incredibly faint- but look closely. you can see the paisley. this is the only scene that shidou is shown wearing paisley even remotely explicitly.

(and, before i get into the symbolism of paisley- i find it's important to note that triage has a floral-pattern overlay over the entire video. it is subtle, and you can see it better on a higher-resolution screen. but it is there, and it distorts the video slightly, yet entirely)

but, well. why is paisley so important anyway?

paisley, or Boteh-Jegheh (بته جقه), is a design that has been used for centuries, it originates from Iran (considered "Persian")

"So what is behind paisley’s incredible longevity? Its symbolic power has probably played a part. The original Persian droplet-like motif – the boteh or buta – is thought to have been a representation of a floral spray combined with a cypress tree, a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity. The seed-like shape is also thought to represent fertility, has connections with Hinduism, and also bears an intriguing resemblance to the famous yin-yang symbol. It is still a hugely popular motif in Iran and South and Central Asian countries and is woven using silver and gold threads on to silks and fine wools for weddings and other celebrations." (source)

"in paisley people have seen resemblances to a lotus, a mango, a leech, a yin and yang, a dragon, and a cypress pine. Ancient Babylonians likened it to an uncurling date palm shoot. Providing them with food, wine, wood, paper, hatch, and string—all of life’s necessities—date palms symbolized prosperity and plenty. Paisley began its life as the privilege of cosseted, powerful men." (source)

"The circle of paisley’s irony is now complete. A pattern of exclusive royal privilege in the East becomes the pattern of Western capitalist longing. It trickles down on humbler fabrics to working men, gay men, gang members, and Boy Scouts. It signifies free love and forbidden love, belonging and exclusion—a seemingly impossible range of human experience." (source, same as above)

(source)

"In Ancient Egypt, for instance, paisley designs were often used on wall paintings and pottery vessels as symbols of life and rebirth; while in Persian culture they represented heavenly gardens filled with lush vegetation and flowing watercourses – a metaphor for paradise itself. Similarly, this pattern became an integral part of Hindu iconography; being used to depict gods such as Shiva or Ganesh." (source)

"The iconic design consists of intricate swirls and floral motifs which are believed to represent life’s cycle of birth, death and rebirth. It also represents fertility and abundance – qualities that were greatly valued by our ancestors who lived off the land they farmed. In many parts of Asia it was even thought that the paisley patterns had magical properties that could ward off evil spirits." (source, same as above)

"Additionally, the paisley flower is believed to represent the cycle of life, death, and rebirth in many cultures. The intricate design of the paisley pattern is said to symbolize the twists and turns of life’s journey, with each curve representing a different phase of life. The paisley flower is also associated with the concept of inner peace and tranquility, making it a popular choice for meditation and spiritual practices. Overall, the paisley flower holds deep spiritual significance and is a beautiful symbol of life’s journey and the eternal nature of the soul." (source, i recommend reading this page in full- foliagefriend is a site i use often as a resource, and their articles are in-depth and pleasant to read.)

so... thats about it, then!

there have been a few other elements pointed out in these articles though, so ill leave a few resources below to read up on, if youre interested :>

paisley (wikipedia page)

cypress (foliagefriend) // cypress (spiritualunite) // cypress (silentbalance) // cypress (artofmourning) // cypress (meaningsymbolism) // cypress (groovingtrees)

"On the Complexity of Using the Mango as a Symbol in Diasporic Literature"

"In Myth and Literature, the Mango Remains King"

"Leeches in modern medicine"

"Leeches are still used in medicine—yes, really. Here’s why." (this article discusses transplanted tissue)

leeches (wikipedia page, the link directs you towards the medical section of the age)

dragons (worldbirds) // dragons (athsq) // dragons (givemehistory)

yin and yang (wikipedia page) @mukuberry heres your 0510 b/w parallels again

ankh (wikipedia article)

date (allaboutpalmtrees) // date (desertempirepalms) // date (groovingtrees) // date (bateel)

phoenix (wikipedia page)

shiva (wikipedia page)

ganesh (wikipedia page)

gray (colorpsychology) // gray (colorpsychologymeaning)

blue (colorpsychology) // blue (colorpsychologymeaning)

white (colorpsychology) // white (colorpsychologymeaning)

purple (colorpsychology) // purple (colorpsychologymeaning)

(ps. shidou has consistent themes of fertility, ovaries, motherhood, birth/rebirth... the ovarian imagery is very persistent in Throw Down!)

[parallelmk]

So it all started when I was born

That's a lie actually this story's beginning predates my birth

So it all started when the one the matters most dark only know as "The Cheese Mab" but a lesser man may know as """Hyness""" fucked up really bad and god gave birth to millions of children. Millions of little ourple hearts everywhere. And one of those was me. But I wasn't ME yet. I was just another fragment of the god the cheese mab called "Void Termina."

I stuck myself in some Meta Knight guy, and made him start hurting people for fun. Something about his dark impulses idk. Kirby and three other guys beat the shit out of me/him, and I was like "What the fuck" and left Meta Knight's body, but I was like "Yo that MK guy was pretty cool" so I decided to cosplay as him for the rest of eternity, and went to Another Dimension and became Parallel Meta Knight

This is how I discovered Meta Knight is trans and I had copied his biological body, so I had to also transition making me also trans. This is also how I discovered Meta Knight has a face that makes me feel dysphoric so I got a mask just like his to cover it

So I was chilling in Another Dimension with this cool spear I found until four assholes threw green bombs at me until my mask broke. So I was like, "who the fuck were those guys" and decided to head down to Parallel McDonalds to relax and grab a bite so I could recover and plot my revenge, and that's when I saw this absolute hunk of a man telling the cashier how four guys threw green bombs at him. The cashier was like "please just order something" but I realized he must have been pestered by the same four guys so we started talking and eventually we went back to his house and plotted our revenge and partook in only the most sfw of acts.

A few weeks later we met a cloud and a tree who, get this, were attacked by the same four guys. We declared ourselves the Otherworldy Four Kings and vowed to take our revenge. We never talked to the tree again

He keeps calling me but I don't answer

So then I found an icy mountain with my face on it, and a big mechanical fortress carved into it. I decided to call it Mt Halberd for no reason in particular and me and my new boyfriend took apart his castle brick by brick to relocate it to Mt Halberd with the help of his Various Guys

Some redheaded bitch named Parallel Susie showed up and tried to buy Mt Halberd off me, and tried to find a bunch of legal loopholes to claim ownership of Mt Halberd, but Another Dimension has no government, so her legal loopholes were meaningless.

Around this time we started hanging out with Parallel Nightmare and Parallel Magolor, except Parallel Susie was friends with those two and also Parallel Nightmare is like... homophobic??? But it's fun to make fun of him so I allow his presence. We decided we needed a name, the coolest of names, so we became... The Trollslayers

But not 2 weeks after this went by until some green guy (unrelated to the green bomb throwing guys) took over the entire dimesnion and said my house was his house. He made us his evil minions and I got really into it and stole candy from babies

But then a red guy who looks just like the green guy showed up and said the green guy wanted to end the universe and I was like "oh shit I did not know that" So we helped the red guy kill the green guy and also a penguin guy apparently unrelated to my boyfriend named King D-Mind

So some time after this I got married to my wonderful boyfriend and life was good, but for no reason in particular, I went to asia where I decided to blow up a whole mountain with Parallel Meta Bombs (because it wasnt as cool as Mt Halberd) but then I discovered super celebrity Morbius was there fighting an evil robot doppelganger

So Morbius and I teamed up but he was a pussy so I had to defeat Metal Morbius by myself. I'm the one who saved the day. This is canon.

I started following the red guy from before and I learned his name was Null Blade. I hosted a tournament around where he hangs out so I could flex on everyone and prove I'm the strongest, but his ass pulled out an ULTRA SWORD and one shotted me. What an asshole!

Then I went to The Cheese Mab's house to steal his stuff because I heard he'd gone MIA and everyone was crashing at his giant space station house, when I heard someone say they wanted a REAL challenge. There was some guy who looks like Null Blade but was orange and had fire, and he was like "No one can beat me" so I beat him and called him a pussy who has never trained in his life. Then the world ended but got better

I met a green and pink guy who looks just like me named Phantom Meta Knight who likes blood and murder and violence and I said we're brothers and he was like "sure." We don't talk much but we get along all right.

Then, get this, the Grand Doomer hired me to be a torture monster for his secret scary monster room, because Red Sphere Doomer was simping for Sectonia, so I tortured him by explaining the plot of Morbius (not unlike what I did just now) and he decided to stop simping

Then I killed him and he became a ghost (but he got better)

I was chilling with the Sphere Doomers because they were fun to hang out with, when WARIO appeared and tried to kill us, and I was doing a good job fighting him, and Null Blade TOTALLY didn't show up and beat Wario with his op Ultra Sword. Anyway turns out Wario swallowed the Master Crown and it was controlling him but we made him cough it up and he destroyed it

Then the Grand Doomer invited Null and I to go to hell with him.

So we went to hell and there was a squid guy who stole the Grand Doomer's power but the Null and I beat him. Null turned into a red blood mist cloud and used the iron in his blood to make knives to attack the squid guy and he told me how to use the Forbidden Heart Spear Move. It's supposed to take four guys to use but I can split into four so I am four guys, so I seal him inside a Jamba Heart and defeat him. But I will admit Null helped. And the Grand Doomer helped but he didn't do anything particularly noteworthy aside from fight

After that the Grand Doomer decided to sleep for 1000 years and left me in charge of the Sphere Doomers but they all hate me and don't listen to me so I left them to do their own thing. But legally I am their boss

Did I mention I met and befriended Fecto Elfilis some time after Grand hired me, well I am now

So they (Elfilis) decided to host a tournament to determine who the STRONGEST META KNIGHT IS and got every Meta Knight from all the dimensions to partake, even guys I've never seen like Morpho Knight and... Brawl Meta Knight? (what's a Brawl?)

Galacta Knight was also there but I can take him (before you ask "in a fight right" the answer is both yes and i can take him in the other way you are thinking of)

So I won the tournament (I PROMISE IM NOT LYING I ACTUALLY WON ASK ELFILIS) and Efilis decided they wanted to fight me too and challenged me as a surprise final round, but I kicked their ass. Having beat both Galacta Knight and Fecto Elfilis, I took their titles as my own. I am the Strongest Warrior In The Galaxy and the Ultimate Lifeform

One of Null's friends hired me to find a person they wanna fight I think but I haven't found them yet (because I'm lazy)

Dr Eggman appeared with his Death Egg to conquer Another Dimension, but The Trollslayers teamed up to defeat him, and I claimed the Death Egg as my own and renamed it the Parallel Meta Egg, but I don't REALLY know how it works, so I begrudgingly gave Parallel Susie joint ownership as long as I can put my face on it and keep the name. We've kind of chilled out ever since then but I still do not like her very much. I just wont go at her unless she goes at me first.

Then I helped my pal Morbius fight Syn Shenron and Dame Da Ne Guy and Kyogre Groudon and Rayquaza were involved and it was a mess

Currently Elfilis is looking for me because they want a rematch, but when I heard that I started hiding to perfect my Secret Weapon to fight them with, because I suspect they have a reason to believe they think they can beat me this time. If they get to have some secret upper hand so do I

If any of you see them, tell them you don't know where I am

[heavenboy09]

Holi is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna. Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil, as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu. Holi originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent of India and Nepal, but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Indian diaspora.

Holi also celebrates the arrival of Spring in India and Nepal, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love. It is also an invocation for a good spring harvest season. It lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Purnima (full moon day) falling on the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar.

HAPPY HOLI TO ALL OF INDIA 🇮🇳 🔴🔵👩🏾🟢🟠🟣💝🤍🟤🖤

#Holi

[infinitesofnought]

Some have God's words; others have songs of comfort for the bereaved. If I can pluck courage here, I would like to speak directly to the dead--the September dead. Those children of ancestors born in every continent on the planet: Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas...; born of ancestors who wore kilts, obis, saris, geles, wide straw hats, yarmulkes, goatskin, wooden shoes, feathers and cloths to cover their hair. But I would not say a word until I could set aside all I know or believe about nations, wars, leaders, the governed and ungovernable; all I suspect about armor and entrails. First I would freshen my tongue, abandon sentences crafted to know evil---wanton or studied; explosive or quietly sinister; whether born of a sated appetite or hunger; of vengeance or the simple compulsion to stand up before falling down. I would purge my language of hyperbole; of its eagerness to analyze the levels of wickedness; ranking them; calculating their higher or lower status among others of its kind. Speaking to the broken and the dead is too difficult for a mouth full of blood. Too holy an act for impure thoughts. Because the dead are free, absolute; they cannot be seduced by blitz. To speak to you, the dead of September 11, I must not claim false intimacy or summon an overheated heart glazed just in time for a camera. I must be steady and I must be clear, knowing all the time that I have nothing to say--no words stronger than the steel that pressed you into itself; no scripture older or more elegant than the ancient atoms you have become. And I have nothing to give either--except this gesture, this thread thrown between your humanity and mine: I want to hold you in my arms and as your soul got shot of its box of flesh to understand, as you have done, the wit of eternity: its gift of unhinged release tearing through the darkness of its knell.

– Toni Morrison, "The Dead of September 11"

Courtesy of George Saunders [x] in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

[the-daily-tizzy]

Men, like nations, think they’re eternal. 

What man in his 20's or 30's doesn’t believe, at least subconsciously, that he’ll live forever? 

In the springtime of youth, an endless summer beckons. 

As you pass 70, it’s harder to hide from reality. Nations also have seasons: 

Imagine a Roman of the 2nd century contemplating an empire that stretched from Britain to the Near East, thinking: This will endure forever…. Forever was about 500 years, give or take.

France was pivotal in the 17th and 18th centuries; now the land of Charles Martel is on its way to becoming part of the Muslim ummah.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the sun never set on the British empire; now Albion exists in a perpetual twilight. Its 95-year-old sovereign was a fitting symbol for a nation in terminal decline.

In the 1980’s, Japan seemed poised to buy the world. Business schools taught Japanese management techniques. Today, its birth rate is so low and its population aging so rapidly that an industry has sprung up to remove the remains of elderly Japanese who die alone.

I was born in 1948 almost at the midpoint of the 20th century – the American century. 

America’s prestige and influence were never greater.

Thanks to the ‘Greatest Generation,’ we won a World War fought throughout most of Europe, Asia and the Pacific. We reduced Germany to rubble and put the rising sun to bed. It set the stage for almost half a century of unprecedented prosperity.

We stopped the spread of communism in Europe and Asia, and fought international terrorism. 

We rebuilt our enemies and lavished foreign aid on much of the world. 

We built skyscrapers and rockets to the moon. 

We conquered Polio and now COVID. 

We explored the mysteries of the Universe and the wonders of DNA…the blueprint of life.

But where is the glory that once was Rome? 

America has moved from a relatively free economy to socialism – which has worked so well NOWHERE in the world. We’ve gone from a republican government guided by a constitution to a regime of revolving elites. 

We have less freedom with each passing year. 

Like a signpost to the coming reign of terror, the cancel culture is everywhere. 

We’ve traded the American Revolution for the Cultural Revolution. The pathetic individual in the White House is an empty vessel filled by his handlers. 

At the G-7 Summit, ‘Dr. Jill’ had to lead him like a child. 

In 1961, when we were young and vigorous, our leader was too.

Now a feeble nation is technically led by the oldest man to ever serve in the presidency. We can’t defend our borders, our history (including monuments to past greatness) or our streets. 

Our cities have become anarchist playgrounds.

We are a nation of dependents, mendicants, and misplaced charity. 

Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels. The president of the United States unable to quote the beginning of the Declaration of Independence (‘You know — The Thing’) correctly 

Ivy League graduates routinely fail history tests that 5th graders could pass a generation ago. 

Crime rates soar and we blame the 2nd Amendment and slash police budgets. Our culture is certifiably insane. 

Men who think they’re women.

People who fight racism by seeking to convince members of one race that they’re inherently evil, and others that they are perpetual victims. 

A psychiatrist lecturing at Yale said she fantasizes about ‘unloading a revolver into the head of any white person.’

We slaughter the unborn in the name of freedom, while our birth rate dips lower year by year. 

Our national debt is so high that we can no longer even pretend that we will repay it one day. It’s a $28-trillion monument to our improvidence and refusal to confront reality. 

Our ‘entertainment’ is sadistic, nihilistic and as enduring as a candy bar wrapper thrown in the trash. 

Our music is noise that spans the spectrum from annoying to repulsive.

Patriotism is called insurrection, treason celebrated, and perversion sanctified.

A man in blue gets less respect than a man in a dress.

We’re asking soldiers to fight for a nation our leaders no longer believe in.

How meekly most of us submitted to Fauci-ism (the regime of face masks, lockdowns and hand sanitizers) shows the impending death of the American spirit. How do nations slip from greatness to obscurity?

Fighting endless wars they can’t or won’t win 

Accumulating massive debt far beyond their ability to repay 

Refusing to guard their borders, allowing the nation to be inundated by an alien horde

Surrendering control of their cities to mob rule

Allowing indoctrination of the young 

Moving from a republican form of government to an oligarchy 

Losing national identity

Indulging indolence

Abandoning faith and family – the bulwarks of social order.

In America, every one of these symptoms is pronounced, indicating an advanced stage of the disease. Even if the cause seems hopeless, do we not have an obligation to those who sacrificed so much to give us what we had? 

I’m surrounded by ghosts urging me on: 

the Union soldiers who held Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg, 

the battered bastards of Bastogne, 

those who served in the cold hell of Korea, 

the guys who went to the jungles of Southeast Asia and came home to be reviled or neglected.

This is the nation that took in my immigrant grandparents, whose uniform my father and most of my uncles wore in the Second War. 

I don’t want to imagine a world without America, even though it becomes increasingly likely. During Britain’s darkest hour, when its professional army was trapped at Dunkirk and a German invasion seemed imminent, Churchill reminded his countrymen, "Nations that go down fighting rise again, and those that surrender tamely are finished." The same might be said of causes. 

If we let America slip through our fingers, if we lose without a fight, what will posterity say of us. While the prognosis is far from good, only God knows if America’s day in the sun is over.

[jakewienhold]

The Cave of the Apocalypse is located approximately halfway up the mountain on the Aegean island of Patmos, along the road between the villages of Chóra and Skala.

This grotto marks the spot where the exiled St. John of Patmos received his visions that he recorded in the Book of Revelation during a time of persecution under the Roman rule of Domitian in the late 1st century.

In John's visions, notice Rome wasn't even acknowledged or addressed by Jesus in his letters to the seven churches of Asia (modern day Turkey) which formed the basis for early Christianity because Rome has always been the great Harlot masquerading as the "one true church" of Jesus Christ. Rome has always persecuted and murdered true Christians. Many Biblical scholars and Pastors have drawn parallels between Revelation 17 and the persecutions of Bible Believing Christians by Rome identifying Roman Catholicism as "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

https://biblehub.com/kjv/revelation/1.htm https://www.gotquestions.org/Patmos-in-the-Bible.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Apocalypse https://www.conservapedia.com/Book_of_Revelation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Patmos https://www.conservapedia.com/Inquisition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patmos Questions About Eternity in Heaven and Hell https://www.gotquestions.org/content_eternity_heaven.html https://www.gotquestions.org/content_eternity_hell.html

Revelation 21 (The 12 Foundation Stones in New Jerusalem) http://www.preciousstonesofthebible.com/stonegallery.html https://near-death.com/city-of-light/

What Happened to the Seven Churches of Revelation? https://www.imb.org/2018/06/01/what-happened-to-the-seven-churches-of-revelation/ https://www.gotquestions.org/seven-churches-Revelation.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_churches_of_Asia https://www.bible-history.com/maps/7_churches_asia.html https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/revelation/seven-churches-of-revelation/ https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/the-seven-churches-of-revelation-map.html https://www.friendshiptours.com/what-are-the-seven-churches-of-revelation-where-are-they-located/

Get a fresh perspective on the book of Revelation and Jesus’ message to churches in all times. Visit the ancient sites of the seven churches described in Revelation. Gain insights into God’s love for the world, His warning and correction for the churches, and His hope and encouragement for the future. A perfect resource for individual or small group study: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPOUA7GLxXIG-Cc84xHWAB9dw25R2Og3Y

In a historic final interview, filmmaker Aaron Russo goes in depth on the insider knowledge given to him by a member of the Rockefeller family: https://www.banned.video/watch?id=62a0c0b6f3feec02cafe1bb3 Federal Reserve System: https://www.conservapedia.com/Federal_Reserve_System https://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20Government/Federal%20Reserve%20Scam/federal_reserve_is_evil.htm 9/11: https://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20Government/911%20Cover-up/911.htm https://www.banned.video/channel/richardgage911 Feminism: https://www.conservapedia.com/Feminism https://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/Feminism/feminism_is_evil.htm Destroying the family: https://www.conservapedia.com/Destroying_the_family Public school culture: https://www.conservapedia.com/Public_school_culture Government: https://www.conservapedia.com/Government World Debt Clock: https://usdebtclock.org/world-debt-clock.html Mark of the Beast: https://www.markofbeast.net/ https://www.conservapedia.com/Number_of_the_Beast https://biblehub.com/kjv/revelation/13.htm

[jeonqkooks]

ooo I love recommendations and hearing what other people like!! what’s your top kdramas?

I’ve not watched many, but the ones I’ve seen and loved are weightlighting fairy kim bok-joo, our beloved summer & hometown cha cha cha.

kdrama recs!

my ultimate faves, aka ones that i would rewatch:

goblin: if i had to pick a favorite it’d be goblin !!! so so good oh my god. the last episode took all of my tears……….

doom at your service: i’m not big on fantasy kdramas but this was so good (and also so sad)

strong girl bong soon: this has to be in my top !! it’s so cute and park bo young and park hyung sik have insane chemistry :((

descendants of the sun: it wasn’t one of the most popular dramas in all of asia in 2016 for no reason !! will always have a special place in my heart (if u ignore all the shit that went down between song joong ki and song hye kyo afterward lol)

hospital playlist: v cute and heartwarming !! 🥹

twenty five twenty one: a definite thumbs up!! v bittersweet tho

our beloved summer: even though i didn’t like yeon su that much, this was still a v good drama and i’m gonna have to rewatch it soon

crash landing on you: honestly i think the premise is kinda stupid 😭 but it’s entertaining and hyun bin + son ye jin are *chef’s kiss*

reply 1988: my favorite in the reply series (even though i didn’t love the ending). reply 1994 was pretty good too but major second lead syndrome :/

secret garden: one of hyun bin’s best dramas. also has one of the best kdrama soundtracks

hometown cha cha cha: very wholesome and comforting 💕

flower of evil: lee jun ki and moon chaewon’s chemistry is top notch. also lee jun ki is v hot in this 🫡

extraordinary attorney woo: v cute and refreshing. all the side characters are wholesome and it’s the first (i think) kdrama to feature an autistic lead character!

the moon that embraces the sun: i don’t watch a lot of period dramas but this was so good. kim soo hyun’s acting is always top tier

hi bye mama: 10 out of 10 would cry every episode. so freaking sad……

cafe minamdang: i’m watching this rn! it’s so funny, and seo in guk is fantastic in this

ones that i enjoyed but probably wouldn’t rewatch:

a business proposal: this was kinda overrated imo 😭

dream high: an oldie but a goodie!

uncontrollably fond

penthouse: only the first season is good. season 2 + 3 are freaking train wrecks

big mouth

mystic pop up bar

abyss

dinner mate

happiness

was it love?

the k2

the king: eternal monarch

something in the rain

dp

my name: super violent and gory…….. i highly advise you to consider this

weightlifting fairy kim bok joo: the first bit is cute! nam joo hyuk is v cute in this 🤤 but it was so slow for me asdfhkl

prison playbook

suspicious partner

navillera

when the camellia blooms

vagabond

kingdom

hyena

the silent sea

city hunter

my love from the star

fight for my way

my girlfriend is a gumiho

cinderella’s stepsister

a gentleman’s dignity

mouse

there’s a lot more on my to-watch list but these are the ones that i enjoyed the most. do you guys have any recs for me that aren’t on this list? 👀 i can’t live without kdramas if u can’t already tell haahah

[conradrasputin]

Rasputin in don't look at the demon: Tsar Nicholas(when still Tsesarevich) actually visited Singapore and Java back in 1890. Maybe he carried an evil artifact with a demon sealed into it and sold it to some unknown, who then brought it to Malaysia? And that's how Rasputin ended up haunting some abandoned house in Southeast Asia, possessing pretty little twinks

>>>>>>>canon!!!!!

Does my little heart good to know plush lipped twinks are waking up eternally haunted and ravished by Rasputin's supernatural 13 inches 😌

[diamondante]

The Origins of Diamonds: A Journey Through History

Diamonds have fascinated humans for millennia, captivating us with their brilliance and unmatched hardness. The word "diamond" comes from the Greek "adamas," meaning invincible, a fitting name for a gem that symbolizes strength and endurance.

Ancient Beginnings

The story of diamonds begins over 2,500 years ago in India, where they were first discovered in alluvial river deposits. These gems were highly prized for their rarity and believed to possess mystical properties. Ancient Sanskrit texts describe diamonds as "vajra," or thunderbolts, linking them to divine power. Used in religious ceremonies and as talismans, diamonds were revered as gifts from the gods, offering protection and prosperity to their owners.

The Spread Across Cultures

As trade routes expanded across Asia, diamonds journeyed to ancient civilizations such as China, Persia, and Rome. In Rome, they were symbols of courage and strength, often worn by warriors seeking victory in battle. The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder praised diamonds for their unrivaled hardness and protective qualities, seeing them as a ward against evil.

Medieval Mysticism and European Nobility

During the Middle Ages, diamonds were believed to have healing properties, capable of curing ailments and enhancing mental clarity. They became symbols of prestige and authority among European nobility, adorning crowns and royal regalia to signify power and wealth.

History of Diamond Jewelry

The use of diamonds in jewelry has a rich and evolving history. In the 15th century, diamonds became increasingly popular among European aristocracy as symbols of eternal love and commitment. The tradition of diamond engagement rings began with Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, setting a trend that continues to this day.

The 17th century saw advancements in diamond cutting techniques, leading to the introduction of the brilliant cut, which enhanced the stone's natural sparkle. This innovation marked the beginning of modern diamond jewelry design, as jewelers crafted intricate pieces that showcased the gem's beauty.

The Art Deco movement of the 1920s brought geometric designs and bold styles, incorporating diamonds in innovative ways that reflected the era's fascination with modernity and luxury. Today, diamond jewelry remains a timeless expression of elegance and sophistication, representing a perfect blend of art and craftsmanship.

The Path to Modern Appreciation

The Renaissance and Enlightenment periods ushered in a new era of scientific understanding. As gemologists studied diamonds, cutting and polishing techniques evolved, enhancing their brilliance and appeal. Significant diamond deposits discovered in Brazil and later in South Africa revolutionized the market, making these once-rare gems more accessible worldwide.

Today, diamonds are cherished for their beauty, rarity, and cultural significance. From their mystical origins in ancient India to their status as a symbol of love and commitment, diamonds continue to dazzle and captivate, representing the perfect blend of history, mystery, and allure.

// a Diamondante.com article //

[dfroza]

A string of “hellos”

and a warning to stay on guard:

“I am pleading with all of you, brothers and sisters, to keep up your guard against anyone who is causing conflicts and enticing others with teachings contrary to what you have already learned.”

And then a secret being revealed (unveiled):

“… with the revelation of the ancient mystery that has been kept secret since the earliest days, this mystery is revealed through the prophetic voices passed down in the Scriptures, as they have been commanded by the Eternal God. In this time, this mystery is being made known to the nations so that all may be led to faith-filled obedience.”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 16th and closing chapter of the letter of Romans:

I commend to you our beloved sister Phoebe; she serves the church in Cenchrea as a faithful deacon. It is important that you welcome her in the Lord in a manner befitting your saintly status. Join in her work, and assist her in any way she needs you. She has spent her energy and resources helping others, and I am blessed to have her as my benefactor as well.

Give my best to Prisca and Aquila; they are not only my colleagues in my profession of tent making, but more importantly they are my fellow servants of Jesus the Anointed. They put their lives on the line to keep me safe. Not only do I owe them my thanks, so do all the churches of the non-Jews. Send my regards to the church that meets in their house.

Send greetings to Epaenetus. I love him dearly and celebrate his journey to faith because he was the first to believe in the Anointed One in all of Asia.

Salute Mary for me; she has worked hard for all of you.

Give my regards to Andronicus and Junias, who are part of my own family and served time in prison with me. They are well known among the emissaries and have been in the Anointed longer than I.

Give my best to Ampliatus whom I love in the Lord, and greet Urbanus (our fellow worker in service to the Anointed One) and my beloved Stachys.

Send greetings to Apelles, a tried and true believer in the Anointed, and to the entire family of Aristobulus.

Do not forget to greet Herodion, another of my relatives, and everyone in the family of Narcissus who belong to the Lord.

Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, faithful laborers in the Lord, and our beloved Persis, who also has accomplished a great deal in the Lord.

Give my best to Rufus, clearly one of the Lord’s chosen, and also his mother. She’s like a mother to me.

My regards also go to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and all the brothers and sisters who are along with them.

Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and let me not forget Olympas and all the saints who journey with them.

Greet each other with a holy kiss. All of the churches of the Anointed under my care send their greetings to all of you.

I am pleading with all of you, brothers and sisters, to keep up your guard against anyone who is causing conflicts and enticing others with teachings contrary to what you have already learned. If there are people like that in your churches, stay away from them. These kinds of people are not truly serving our Lord Jesus the Anointed; they have devoted their lives to satisfying their own appetites. With smooth talking and a well-rehearsed blessing, they lead a lot of unsuspecting people down the wrong path. The stories about the way you are living in obedience to God have traveled to all the churches. So celebrate your faithfulness to God that is being displayed in your lives—seek wisdom about the good life, and remain innocent when it comes to evil. If you do this, the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet soon. May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King, be ever present with you.

Timothy, my coworker in the spreading of the gospel, also sends his greeting to all of you, as do my kinsmen, Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater.

I, Tertius, the one who wrote this letter for Paul, greet you in the name of the Lord. Gaius, my host here as well as patron for the whole church, sends his best to all of you. Erastus, the city administrator, sends his greetings along with brother Quartus. [May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, touch you all. Amen.]

So to the One who is able to strengthen you to live consistently with my good news and the preaching of Jesus, the Anointed, with the revelation of the ancient mystery that has been kept secret since the earliest days, this mystery is revealed through the prophetic voices passed down in the Scriptures, as they have been commanded by the Eternal God. In this time, this mystery is being made known to the nations so that all may be led to faith-filled obedience.

To the one true and wise God, we offer glory for all times through Jesus, the Anointed One. Amen.

The Letter of Romans, Chapter 16 (The Voice)

Today’s paired reading from the First Testament is the 27th chapter of the book of Exodus:

Eternal One: Make the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It should be square and measure seven and a half feet by seven and a half feet. Make it four and a half feet high. Construct it with horns on each of the four corners so that the top forms one whole piece, and overlay it with bronze. Fashion buckets and shovels for the ashes, basins, forks, and fire pans out of bronze. Make a grate out of bronze, and attach four bronze rings at each of its four corners. Place the grate beneath the ledge of the altar, halfway up from the base. Make poles out of acacia wood for the altar, and overlay them with bronze. Slide the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar so that it can be moved. Make the altar out of wooden planks, and make it hollow—exactly like the pattern you were shown on the mountain.

Then enclose the courtyard in front of the congregation tent with large fabric panels made of finely woven linen on the south side that run 150 feet on silver hooks and rings supported by 20 bronze posts set securely into 20 bronze bases. The north side is to be made the same way: hang a series of panels for 150 feet on silver hooks and rings supported by 20 bronze posts set securely into 20 bronze bases. The fabric panels on the west end of the court are to run 75 feet (10 posts set into 10 bases). The east end of the court facing the sunrise is to be 75 feet wide. Fabric panels, measuring 22½ feet wide, are to be hung on each end of the east entrance, held up by three posts set into three bases. The entrance to the court is to be a 30-foot fabric screen, made out of finely woven linen richly embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. It is to be held up by four posts set into four bases.

All the posts that define the courtyard are to have silver bands and silver hooks, and be set into bronze bases. The courtyard itself is to be 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. The finely woven linen panels should be seven and a half feet high including the height of the bronze bases. As for the items used in the ceremonies held in the congregation tent and the tent pegs used both inside and outside the tent, they are to be made of bronze.

Direct the Israelites to bring you oil from olives whipped until it is clear in order to keep the lamps burning continually and producing the best light possible. From dusk till dawn—inside the tent but outside the veil shrouding the most holy place—Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning in My presence. This directive stands forever and must be carried out by the priests and people of Israel throughout all generations.

The Book of Exodus, Chapter 27 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Saturday, may 18 of 2024 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New) of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about honoring God’s Name:

From our Torah this week (Emor) we read: "You shall not profane my holy Name, that I may be made sacred among the people of Israel" (Lev. 22:32), which the early sages said provides the basis for "kiddush HaShem" (קידוש השם), or the duty to always honor God, even if that might mean enduring martyrdom for your faith.

Jewish halakhah (law) furthermore says we are to think of kiddush hashem whenever we recite the Shema, that our inmost intent should be self-sacrifice (mesirat nefesh), or the willingness to give up our lives to God in complete surrender. After all, if we are not willing to give up our lives for God, how can we be willing to genuinely live for him? The purpose or goal of our very existence is to know and love God, to be sanctified in truth, but if we value our carnal lives on earth as more important, we exist in a state of contradiction. Therefore people obsessed with their own physical safety, health, pleasure, happiness, well-being, etc., do not know the true meaning of life...

Our lives on this earth were not meant to be an end in themselves, but rather a means to the greater end of knowing and loving the Eternal God. Indeed, God's love is better than any sort of life this present world can afford. As Jim Elliot once said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Sanctifying God's Name means that we regard our relationship to God to be an end in itself - our ultimate concern - and there is nothing higher that may challenge our duty before heaven. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33). Our mortal life in this fleeting world is a means to the end of reaching our eternal destiny (Psalm 16:11), and esteeming the means above the end is therefore idolatry (Rom. 1:25). This is called chillul HaShem (חילול השם), or profaning the Name of God...

Our faith in the LORD may lead us into collision with the world and its spurious power structures, however "we ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Taking a stand for Torah truth will make you an outsider to the "crowd" and its endless idols and vanities. Indeed a person of genuine moral conviction may be labeled an “enemy of the state,” may be persecuted as a “terrorist,” and may even suffer martyrdom.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego rightfully defied the king's decree to bow down before the "golden image," and they confessed that they were willing to die rather than betray the truth of the LORD of Israel (see Dan 3). This is a prime example of kiddush HaShem, honoring the truth of God even at the risk of losing our lives. For many Jews, reciting the Shema is a solemn declaration that we esteem the truth of God above all things, that God alone is our ultimate good, and that we must be willing to surrender our lives rather than to deny the greatness and glory of His Name. Many tzaddikim have died with the Shema on their lips...

Kiddush HaShem may be understand both literally and metaphorically. Literally understood, kiddush HaShem (i.e., martyrdom) is a possibility, one of the severest tests that may be given to the soul, and the temptation is to shrink back from the threat of death by denying the faith... Metaphorically understood, kiddush HaShem is a necessity, an essential act of the will that decides to “take up the cross” and follow Yeshua, and the temptation is to minimize the truth, to compromise the faith, and thereby to slowly fade away...

In this connection Yeshua asks, "What will it profit a person if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Mark 8:36). Indeed, finding your life, value, and "place" here is to exile yourself from the promise of heaven. As Yeshua said, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt. 10:39). What is required, in other words, is categorically everything, with nothing left over. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us: "Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life."

We see an example of both chillul HaShem and kiddush HaShem in the life of the Apostle Peter. On the one hand, though he had boldly professed that he would be willing to die for Yeshua, he later denied that he even knew his Savior and friend (Luke 22:33-34). After doing teshuvah (i.e., repentance) however, Peter became wholehearted and fearless, and Christian tradition says he eventually died as a martyr under the tyranny of wicked Emperor Nero...

Likewise, in our effort to relate to people of different faith, we may be tempted to soften the demands of the gospel or to minimize the deity of Messiah. Sadly I've seen this happen a lot among Gentiles who get so enamored with the Jewish roots of the Christian faith that they begin to question, then outright deny the central Torah of our Messiah (the deeper law of mercy). Indeed we must not confuse the covenants of God, for this leads to double-mindedness and is regarded as “spiritual adultery” (see Rom. 7:1-4). It is chillul HaShem - the desecration of the Name of God - to turn away from the meaning and message of the cross of Messiah (Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 2:2). The price of being loyal to Messiah is "mesirut nefesh" (מְסִירוּת נֶפֶשׁ) -- surrendering your life by “taking up the cross.” The cross is a scandal to religion and all other attempts to whitewash the truth about the human condition (Gal. 5:11).

In the Kaddish we read: “yitgadal ve’yitkadash shemei rabba,” meaning “may God’s great Name be magnified and sanctified.” Amen, and may we honor and sanctify the presence of the LORD by turning to Him with all our heart, soul, and strength, knowing Him in all our ways. He is faithful and will help us sanctify His Name...

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

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Deut. 6:4 (Shema) reading (with vital comments):

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/deut6-4-shema1.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/deut6-4-lesson.pdf

5.15.24 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel365

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research