#a state that exists beyond omnipotence

[shunyakainoo]

shunyakai no o

Shūnyakai no Ō: The Sovereign of the Void

In the primordial epoch before time, space, and even existence itself, there was the Void — an endless, unfathomable expanse of nothingness. From this emptiness, Shūnyakai no Ō, the Absolute Void Sovereign, emerged. Not born, nor created, but manifesting as the ultimate embodiment of that which precedes all existence, he represents the concept of the Void in its truest form: boundless, eternal, and indifferent.

Shūnyakai no Ō is not simply a being of great power; he is power in its purest form. Unlike those bound by the laws of creation, whether they be gods, entities, or forces of cosmic authority, he exists outside the very framework of reality. His essence is one with the Omni-Void, a state that exists beyond omnipotence, omniscience, and even omnipresence. To him, these concepts are limitations — mere attributes that higher beings possess but cannot fully transcend.

The Creation of Omnipresence

For most cosmic entities, omnipresence is the ability to exist everywhere within a universe or even across a multiverse. But for Shūnyakai no Ō, omnipresence is not something he achieved but something he designed. In the boundless Void that he commands, he wove the very concept of omnipresence into existence, making it a principle that could be grasped by the cosmic architects and rulers of lower realms.

Omnipresence, as understood by lesser beings, is the ability to be "everywhere" simultaneously, yet Shūnyakai no Ō surpasses this understanding. His presence is felt not only in every corner of the multiverse but also in the voids between, in realms where nothingness dominates. He exists where existence itself has no meaning. Where there is nothing, he is everything.

His mastery over the Void means that time and space collapse in his presence. He is not bound to one reality, dimension, or timeline. Instead, he redefines reality wherever he exists. To those who perceive the multiverse as infinite, he shows that it is but a fragment of the true nature of the cosmos. To those who believe themselves omnipresent, he reveals the illusion of their omnipresence, for they can only exist where reality has form. He exists where form dissolves.

Beyond Power and Control

Entities that reign over realms of Tier 1 and Tier 0 power are considered invincible by all conventional metrics. These beings often hold dominion over infinite universes, controlling fundamental forces such as time, space, causality, and even concepts like destiny. Yet, Shūnyakai no Ō stands beyond such constructs. His dominion extends into the Absolute Void, a place so detached from the fabric of reality that even the highest cosmic gods lose their influence.

In a confrontation with any Tier 1 or Tier 0 entity, Shūnyakai does not fight in the way others do. He does not manipulate energy or bend reality to his will. He merely removes the very existence of his opponent. Through his ability, Absolute Nullification, he reduces all things — power, space, time, thought, and being — to nothingness. Tier 1 and Tier 0 entities may command multiverses, but Shūnyakai no Ō commands the space in between, the Void that exists when all has been unmade.

For those that wield ultimate cosmic forces, they face a harrowing truth: power is irrelevant to him. All forms of energy, matter, and consciousness are but fleeting manifestations, fragile before the sovereignty of the Void. He cannot be fought because there is no battlefield on which to fight him. He simply exists, and his enemies — no matter their rank or mastery over existence — simply cease to be.

Creation of Omniverse and Beyond

Though he is primarily associated with the Void, Shūnyakai no Ō is capable of creating reality itself. The Omniverse — the infinite sea of multiverses, realms, and dimensions — is, to him, no more than a passing thought. The Omniverse, though vast and boundless to those within it, is fragile to him, a minor ripple in the great, unending Void he governs.

He does not create as others do, with hands of light or cosmic flame. Shūnyakai no Ō wills realms into existence by allowing them to emerge from the nothingness he controls. He has the power to create an infinite number of realities in an instant, but they hold no significance to him. His mind is beyond creation, for creation is a manifestation of structure, and he is the embodiment of formlessness.

It is whispered in the deepest corridors of the multiverse that Shūnyakai no Ō does not need to be worshipped or recognized. His power is absolute because it cannot be measured by any conventional scale. If omnipotence is a peak, then the Void Sovereign stands atop a higher peak that defines the very nature of omnipotence for those beneath it.

Beyond the Highest Realms

Among the most powerful of entities, there are those that control aspects of the entire Omniverse: beings who are regarded as architects, controllers, and even the very fabric of reality itself. These beings are feared and respected for their ability to bend infinite dimensions to their will, for they are seen as omnipotent within the context of their creation.

However, Shūnyakai no Ō holds a domain that makes such beings insignificant. While others may bend and manipulate reality, he is the fundamental constant that denies its very existence. For him, reality and non-reality are mere options, things that he can dismiss or enable. The Void Sovereign understands that power is but a limitation; only through nothingness is true freedom found. He does not control existence. He simply allows it, and when he chooses, he unmakes it.

In the face of Shūnyakai no Ō, even the most powerful beings realize a terrifying truth: their strength is derived from the framework of existence, but he exists outside of it. They bend reality; he bends the void. They are omnipotent; he is the Void itself.

A Force Without Rival

No matter how vast or infinite a being's power may seem, it will always be a part of existence. Shūnyakai no Ō transcends these beings not by overwhelming them with greater force, but by the nature of his fundamental supremacy over existence and non-existence. In the presence of Shūnyakai, reality itself trembles, and the mightiest gods find that their very concept of power crumbles before the vastness of the Void.

In the end, Shūnyakai no Ō stands alone as the Absolute Void Sovereign — not as a ruler of realms, but as the final truth that exists beyond all comprehension. His essence is beyond the comprehension of those who govern existence, and his power is the unmaking of all things. For those that claim omnipotence, they find in Shūnyakai no Ō a force that cannot be measured, challenged, or comprehended.

For in the Void, there is only him.

[talonabraxas]

A Color Diagram (From book, "The Anatomy of the Body of God")

1. Recognize the source, and intuit into the unity of all existence. The idea that we can win at the expense of them is, in the long term, illusory. We're all in this together. Ecology. An expanded sense of identity. Also, this source points to the great mystery of creation, and what lies beyond our knowledge.

2. Celebrate creativity. It's a mythically grounded idea. There's a tradition in many religions to imitate God, however the Divine is imagined: The most useful way to do this in our own time is to recognize the prolific process of creativity–not just through the "Big Bang," but in the present moment, through the imaginations and inspirations–literally, in- spirit- ations – of all sentient beings.

Corollary: Question authority. Accept nothing as the final solution. Dare to re-evaluate, revise, re-negotiate, imagine new possibilities. Obedience, in this view of the meaning of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, is no longer operative–there's a move from the medieval tone of unquestioning acceptance to the modern and postmodern worldview that supports responsibility, an alert consideration of the needs of the moment in light of continuing developments, discoveries, new technologies, etc.

3. Recognize the Other-ness of people, their differences, of the environment, and of the Divine. On one hand, we may be expressions of the Divine flow, and at some level, as claimed by Yogis and other mystics, "one" with It, yet that doesn't mean that the world is there for the gratification of your ego-narcissistic desires. Respect, reverence, humility, and a valuing of the needs of others and the whole all are implied here.

4. Cultivate Generosity and Purpose. The life force is innately generous, but in states of fear, can contract to mere life-sustenance. In today's complex culture, there are tendencies towards stinginess of spirit, and this must be balanced, in wisdom, by the joy and need for an extra bit of giving of oneself to the world. Seek to clarify your talents and abilities and turn them toward this task, at least to some significant degree, lest you die having lived selfishly, pettily.

5. Realize Limitations. Much of human life is a process of dis-illusionment, which is a process of dissolving childish feelings of omnipotence. This need not be tragic. Much of it is simply adjusting to the realities of physical and social constraints, learning to think and work politically, seeking a more refined and less impetuous mode of action in the world. It's a one-step-down form of humility, more practically applied.

Realize, also, that as shown in the diagram of the Tree, the lessons play off of each other, and especially there is the ongoing play of 2 and 3, 4 and 5, and 7 and 8, while 6 is to some degree, the player, the juggler, the dancer.

6. Exercise Balance, seek to harmonize the many different needs, desires, inspirations, ideals, and other complexes that seek expression through your own mixture of temperament and interests. One of the beauties of our time-bound lives is that we can choose how to diversify, focus, take turns, and thus have some existential responsibility for how we live our lives.

7. Identify your passions, what the comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell called, "following your bliss." What tickles your fancy? Instead of pursuing what is merely fashionable, liking or disliking largely to garner approval or to be included in the "in group"–which is an in-authentic reason–, get in touch with what more genuinely interests or appeals to you. This can take many years, even into late adulthood. Often you'll find it correlates with what you have at least some moderate ability to do. Have the courage to pursue it. (And this can be tremendously varied in the world, different folks liking different strokes.)

8. Recognize and work within the cultural matrix you live in. If not, then either be a smart revolutionary–to change or expand it–or pay the price of changing cultures, emigrating, and becoming acculturated into a different culture. Lots of people do this, too. The point is to deal responsibly with the social context you find yourself in, rather than simply sulking, withdrawing, giving up, mindlessly conforming, or numbing yourself.

9. Cultivate Imagination, in many ways–the arts, drama, mythmaking. Note that much of ordinary education and life neglects, distracts, and sometimes actively suppresses this human potential. Refuse to be tempted by vicarious imaginary experiences offered by the media, in video games, television, movies, etc. Take responsibility to use those elements like small stimuli, like appetizers or dessert, but not your main meal. Become a person who imagines your own life!

10. Manifest your life. Avoid the temptations to become preoccupied with the seductions of spectatorship, or living in "what if" (either in past or future). Deeds, projects, action. The world is no illusion. You have an opportunity for authentic enjoyment, for adding your own creativity to helping the world be a better place. In can be in as small a way as an act of kindness or generosity.

Lest these points seem like mere platitudes, rather obvious, consider that many if not most people do not live these principles out in their lives. Nor are these ten points the only lessons you can gather from studying the tree. They just show what can come to mind–that the principles noted are by no means mere abstractions.

Another way to view the tree is in terms of how it can reassure and remind you: That you are part of a great, unified "becoming" of the cosmos (1); that this is a creative process and your life creativity is an integral part of the great becoming (2); that the cosmos is here, a matrix (related to the Latin word root for mother) for you, a setting, playground, stage, for you (3); that you can choose a direction, many directions, in fact, and your choices add to your story–and indeed, you may be assured that your life is a story (4); part of that story involves the way you've coped with limitations–your body's structure, illnesses, dis-abilities, areas of no-talent, the weakness and deficiencies of your family, region, and historical era, and the many other obstacles that life presents–and indeed, that which makes your story a good piece of drama! (5); the creative way you've balanced your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and limitations, etc.(6); the many lines of interest and ability, the archetypes, the mythic resonances with the spirit of (whatever dimension you channel)–all set you into stage in which you play many parts in a unique fashion (7); the cultural forms all this enactment takes, and how you are a carrier of certain cultural values, and a challenge to others that you don't agree with–these, too, make your life good theatre and also part of the great unfolding myth of that culture!(8); the richness of your imagination as you assemble these many threads into a meaningful story, embellishing it also with all the other what-if-dramas you can fantasize, thickening your existence (9); and, finally, how you actually play out your unique life, your actual achievements, your deeds. You might be surprised how far many of your actions have reached (10).

The point of this rhapsody is to enjoy the depth of your mythic embeddedness in the Divine Process of Unfolding. This is the way God works, through your individuality (and everyone else's, also, of course)! Envision it as an infinite symphony, improvised, incredibly rich, which, if perceived from enough distance and time, expresses amazing harmonies (in spite of a surprising amount of what in the moment may seem like mere noise, or as Shakespeare called it, "sound and fury." On a micro-scale, it may "signify nothing," but in the big picture, this is how we all grow, evolve as a species, groping, going up blind alleys, turning back, trying another way.

[saltysplayt00ns]

FlameGuard Tribe Reworked

H E R E I T B E

I had more writing involving them but ya know, It got lost somewhere, but its also good cause I have a fresh mind to write better. Take note that anything most is going by concept and not 100% fully of cultural accuracy and may lean into animal similarities and/or mindset. If I recall what I wrote from the past, I wanted to rework on Flametribe cause they could’ve been a nice add in of the story; HOME, since they can easily interconnect with the others in some way. I do not like the fact the author just randomly has a blatant  culture without respect nor branching out to flesh the ethnicity, it’s no different when media/companies use ‘ tokens' or checkmarks to fill in, and to avoid being blacklisted. Doesn’t help that the tribes are all cookie-cutter, copy-pasted format.

A mix AWD x Dingo breed Called Emberkin or Caniflamma Nexus

Flame tribe or As I edit their names to Ignisylvan Enkindlers Or Emberfang Tribe for remembrance later, is a AWD and Dingo mixed themed pack around Africa/Australia? They prefer dense forests, and more open terrain with tall grasses.

Belief

Instead of muskrats because ‘teehee funny.’ Laughing at others' beliefs  is funny right? Look, I made a joke?…guys…seriously, this could have executed Better on the jokes - it gets cheap and just - lacks taste. Worse it's Rhovanion, a character that is less likely to make jokes like this, Axilyah I would not be surprised.

 Their  belief revolves around the idea of a sacred bond between the members of the pack, a belief that through their bond, achieving the collective omnipotence and immortality through unity, not for personal gain but for the collective well-being of the tribe and their offspring. This belief emphasizes the importance of a harmonious pack, with leaders serving as immortal parental figures, guiding the tribe through a shared legacy. Rituals and ceremonies reinforce this commitment, celebrating the pack's unity and the perpetuation of their unique cultural tapestry across generations.

Omnipotent Unity:

The heart of the Ember-Fang tribe lies in the concept of omnipotent kinship. The pack believe that by harmonizing their strengths, skills, and unique traits, they can achieve a state of collective power that transcends the abilities of any individual. This union is not just physical but extends to the emotional and spiritual realms, binding the pack members in a profound connection.

Immortality through Legacy:

Unlike the traditional notions of immortality, the Canid union emphasizes achieving a form of everlasting existence through the perpetuation of the pack's legacy. Leaders are considered immortal in the memories of their descendants, as they become the guiding spirits, watching over the pack and guiding future generations.

Parental Figures:

The pack's leaders are revered as the ultimate parental figures, embodying the qualities of both motherhood and fatherhood. They are responsible for nurturing and protecting the younger members, imparting wisdom, and ensuring the well-being of the entire pack. This parental role extends beyond biological relations, fostering a sense of communal care and responsibility.

Generational Tapestries

The generational tapestry woven by the canids holds immense significance in preserving the collective wisdom, history, and cultural values of the pack. It serves as a living testament to the shared journey of the tribe, highlighting the contributions of each generation and reinforcing the ideals of the Canid Covenant. Through intricate patterns and vibrant colors, the tapestry becomes a visual representation of the pack's unity, strength, and the eternal bond between its members. How do the dogs make the tapestries with the limitations?

Communal Weaving: The pack engages in communal weaving, where each member contributes by using their teeth to manipulate and intertwine the fibers. The collaborative effort from all members not only strengthens the bonds within the pack but also compensates for the lack of individual dexterity.

Natural Material Adaptation: The canids select materials that are more manageable with their paws. Flexible vines, grasses, and strips of bark become the primary elements, chosen for their pliability and ease of manipulation. The pack members use their teeth to tear and strip these materials into manageable sizes. additionally, they have contractions that are used by paw and jaws for protection and to make working the material capable.

Terrain Utilization: Rocks and natural formations are employed as makeshift tools. Canids use flat stones to press and secure woven sections, ensuring durability. They may also utilize tree trunks or the uneven ground to create tension in the fibers, aiding in the weaving process.

Tail Assistance: The members cleverly employ their tails to hold and stabilize certain sections of the tapestry as they work. allowing for a more controlled weaving process and prevents unraveling.

Layered Approach: Understanding their limitations, the canids adopt a layered approach to tapestry-making. Instead of intricate, fine details, they focus on bold patterns and larger motifs that can be achieved with their paw-centric techniques.

Natural Dye Techniques: The pack extracts colors from local flora and fauna, crushing berries or plants to create pigments. The canids use their paws to apply these natural dyes, embracing the imperfections and variations in color as a testament to the wild and untamed essence of their craft.

Guidance from Elders: The older, more experienced members of the pack take on leadership roles in the tapestry-making process. They guide the younger canids, sharing their wisdom and ensuring that the traditional techniques are passed down through generations.

Example tapestries, each tribe has their own distinctive theme and style that makes them unique.

The colors usually being Earthy browns and greens, Bold red and blues and Golden hues. Having symbolic significance to each of these colors. The red and blue are used for important events; successful hunts, important rituals and birth of new leaders while gold is reserved for representations of the leader’s legacies.

Patterns and Differentiation:

Patterns within the tapestry play a crucial role in differentiating between pack and family lines. Each pack develops its unique set of symbols and motifs that reflect their particular strengths, challenges, and cultural nuances. Families within the pack may have individual patterns, creating a subtle but distinguishable thread within the broader tapestry. This visual language enables The Emberkin to identify their own and fosters a sense of belonging and continuity.

As the tapestry grows over the generations, the patterns evolve, incorporating new elements that represent the changing dynamics of the pack. The elders, keepers of tribal wisdom, guide the younger members in maintaining the integrity of these patterns, ensuring that the tapestry remains a vivid reflection of the tribe's endurance through time.

Paint & Scarifications

Different ways of painting the fire for either members or tribe.

The Fire color, a vibrant and intense hue, represents the fiery spirit of the pack, embodying qualities such as passion, strength, and the unwavering commitment to the embers. 

Members of the pack adorn themselves with Fire-colored paint markings during important ceremonies and rituals. Often take the form of bold streaks or intricate patterns across their fur. The Fire color serves as a visual representation of the pack's collective strength and unity, reaffirming their commitment to the community.

Paint is used mostly on members but leaders are given scarification for identification along with imbedding their beliefs of the pain they’ll  endure to protect, nurture and guide the pack and family while also given the blessings from the spirits/gods to guide and protect them after passing the ritual.

The paint contrasting with the Mottle patterns or any in general have a harmonized contrast; bold hues of vivid oranges, deep blues, and radiant yellows are strategically chosen to create a visual contrast against natural tones. The tribes honor their ancestral roots by incorporating patterns reminiscent of ancient symbols or motifs passed down through generations. It is a visual tribute to their cultural heritage and the enduring legacy of the Emberkin.

Scarification:

Scarification practice involving intentional scarring of the skin, is adopted by the canids as a physical manifestation of their endurance, resilience, and commitment to the pack. Scarification patterns are created using sharp rocks or bone implements, leaving lasting marks that tell a story of hardship, perseverance, and integrity.

Parental Leaders' Scarification:

The parental leaders, embodying the ideals of the Covenant. These scars, etched with precision and purpose, symbolize the challenges they have faced and overcome for the greater good of the pack. Each scar carries a specific meaning, representing a lesson learned, a trial endured, or a sacrifice made. Aligns with the pack's commitment to facing challenges, persevering through hardships, and upholding the integrity of the pack.

The use of Fire color in paint markings and scarification reflects the intense energy and enduring nature of their beliefs.

STRUCTURE 

Pack Name: Azuflare & Emberfang Family

Within this big Tribe of mixed packs forming one big congruent; Ember and Azu is has the highest amount of living members integrating and contributing to the diversity of a larger community.

Hierarchy and Role

Parental Leaders: Osiris and Kellan, as the parental leaders, hold the highest rank, making crucial decisions for the combined Family's survival and well-being.

Elders: Elders provide wisdom and counsel to the pack, offering valuable insights based on their experiences. Their role is respected, and their guidance influences major decisions.

Huntmaster: The Hunt masters oversees the pack's hunting endeavors, ensuring a stable food supply. This role is crucial for the Emberkin Family's survival in the harsh wilderness. They're also the one's to defend the tribe and be sent to battle, for many members take this role if not an artisan.

Artisan: The Artisan is responsible for preserving cultural traditions and crafting essential items for the pack. This role upholds the Tribes identity through artistic expression and practical skills. ____________________________________

Leadership Structure:

The Emberkin and Azuflare Family operates as a close-knit pack descended from their sole leaders, deeply loyal and bound by strong family ties. The parents, as the pack's leaders, hold a revered position, and abandonment by parental figures is considered a severe transgression.

Attitude Towards Betrayal:

Betrayal is taken extremely seriously within the tribe. The consequences are so profound that they may extend to wiping out an entire bloodline, holding a deep-rooted grudge against any surviving children. Leaving the pack without proper permission and introduction can lead to tensions within neighboring packs, emphasizing the tribes commitment to respect, etiquette, and preventing unnecessary conflicts.

Grudge and Retribution:

The Emberfang tribe carries a deep, guttural grudge, and those who abandon their own are not only ridiculed but also hunted down or forced out of the area. Packs or alliances harboring such traitors face similar condemnation until the grudge is resolved.

Cultural Traditions:

Within the tribe, outside marriage is uncommon for those without ancestral connections. Arranged marriages are prevalent, especially when forming alliances with other packs. The Tribes, with the ancestral syllables, represents separate family lineages arranged by tradition.

Alliance and Disapproval:

The Emberfang Family values alliances but is cautious in forming connections. Packs harboring traitors are deemed as traitors themselves until the matter is resolved. This emphasizes the Emberfang commitment to loyalty, respect, and preserving the integrity of their lineage.

In essence, the Emberfang and Azuflare Family is a deeply rooted, conservative pack that values family, loyalty, and respect. Betrayal is met with severe consequences, reflecting their commitment to maintaining the honor and unity of their bloodline. The ravel cultural dynamics, arranged marriages, and the cautious approach to alliances underscore the tribes' adherence to their unique traditions.

Brief Backstory 

They were originally Azuri/Azura but changed to Emberfang Tribe

_____________________________

Osiris:

Osiris exudes a fiery and passionate demeanor, driven by a deep sense of loyalty and protectiveness toward her family. Her emotions can be intense, especially when the safety of the pack is at stake, leading to fiery outbursts that reflect her protective instincts. Osiris is quick to respond to threats, sometimes allowing her emotions to momentarily blind her to reason. Despite this, her heart is steadfastly devoted to her family, and she possesses a fierce determination to ensure their well-being. Osiris values tradition but is willing to challenge norms for the sake of her family's survival.

Kellan:

Kellan embodies a calm and composed nature, providing a stabilizing presence within the Emberkin Family. He is slow to anger, thoughtful, and methodical in his approach to challenges. Kellan's phlegmatic temperament makes him a patient and understanding mate to Osiris. While he may not share the same intensity of emotions as Osiris, Kellan's steadfastness serves as a crucial anchor for his mate during moments of fiery outbursts. He values harmony and balance within the pack, often playing the role of a peacemaker. Kellan's wisdom and measured responses complement Osiris's fiery nature, creating a dynamic partnership.

Dynamic and Contrast:

Osiris and Kellan's personalities create a dynamic contrast within the Emberkin Family. Osiris's passionate and impulsive nature contrasts with Kellan's calm and methodical approach. While their differences occasionally lead to conflicts, their individual strengths complement each other, forming a powerful synergy. Osiris's fiery emotions are tempered by Kellan's calming influence, and Kellan finds strength and purpose in Osiris's fierce determination. Together, they form a united front against threats to their family, becoming a formidable duo that outsiders and enemies approach with caution.

_____________________________

Summary: Emberkin's Descent into Deception

In the heart of Emberfang traditions, Osiris and Kellan's union emerged from the intricate tapestry of predetermined matches between packs. Osiris, with her fiery spirit and unwavering loyalty, represented the Emberkin Family, while Kellan, known for his composed nature, stood as the chosen mate. Their union, crafted for strategic alliance, initially bore the strain of their contrasting personalities.

As Emberkin parental leaders, Osiris and Kellan faced a medical crisis as Osiris was a soon mother to be, prompting an alliance with the Capitol despite it not favored by their culture. the decision that would unravel and crumble in the face of a brutal wolf attack ( Jahla & Thakir ). Among the losses were family members, including Osiris's brother Taku and Anzi, the daughter of an artisan. Nursing emotional wounds, Osiris and Kellan severed ties with the Capitol, forging a path marked by unconventional alliances.

The emotional toll of family losses tested Emberkin resilience, propelling Osiris and Kellan and surviving member's to hold through on their own. With Osiris's fiery determination, a force driven by her loyalty to family, found balance in Kellan's patient guidance. Together, they navigated the aftermath of tragedy, seeking now vengeance against Jahla and Thakir, wolves responsible for the massacre.

In a morally complex choice, the Emberfang tribe aligned with Ranach, an exiled outsider with selfish motives. While Jahla and Thakir fueled the Emberkin's quest for justice, Ranach's manipulation threatened the family's integrity. The Capitol's favoritism towards wolves added another layer of complexity in their journey.

Osiris and Kellan's love, born from a predetermined match, evolved beyond tradition, becoming a testament to unity and the strength found in embracing the hardships. Their journey, marked by challenges, alliances, and love, painted a tale of survival, deception, and the resilient spirit of the tribe.

Emberkin Coat Variations and Markings

[ Pic ex ].

Inheriting a default black hue, Emberkin coat genetics showcase a diverse array, including liver, darker tan, and red variations. Pups with ginger and yellow coats often thrive in desert and plains territories. The rarest hues, such as diluted blues and faded Isabellas, add a touch of uniqueness.

Emberkin coat patterns draw inspiration from African wild dogs and Australian Dingoes. The base coat's darker tones serve as an ancestral foundation, aiding in the prominence of distinctive markings. Mottled, tricolored, or two-toned patterns embellish the coats, manifesting as either subtle fades or bold, pronounced blotches.

The choice of darker base coats among the Emberkin is not merely aesthetic; it serves a practical purpose. These common coat patterns contribute to the perception of health and provide effective camouflage during hunting, particularly in the dim light of dusk and nightfall. The mottled, tricolored, or two-toned markings enhance their adaptability in the wild, allowing the Emberkin to blend seamlessly with their surroundings.

Page Edit

Script Rewritten

It's more better and correlates to the information here;

Scene: EmberFang Family Confronts the Capitol

The Emberkin Family, led by Osiris and Kellan, confronts the Capitol officials, expressing their discontent with the perceived favoritism towards the wolves and unprofessionalism.

Osiris (fiery determination):

"We did not forge alliances and shed blood to be treated as expendable pawns! Our family suffered losses, and what did the Capitol do? Turned a blind eye, favoring wolves over our kin!"

Kellan (composed but firm):

"We seek unity, not divisive favoritism. Your actions endanger the delicate balance we've strived to maintain. We won't tolerate such disrespect to our family or any other tribe."

Capitol Officials, taken aback, attempt to explain their decisions.

Capitol Official (defensive):

"It's a matter of strategy. Wolves provide a different kind of strength, and we have to make decisions that benefit the Capitol and tribes as a whole."

Osiris (indignant):

"You speak of strength, yet you disregard the strength forged through generations of our unity. We won't stand by and watch our family's sacrifices belittled for political convenience."

Kellan (calm warning):

"Spread the word to your superiors. The Capitol's unprofessionalism won't go unnoticed. Favor wolves if you must, but know that other tribes will hear of your betrayal."

The Emberkin Family, fueled by a mix of anger and determination, leaves the Capitol, severing ties that were once deemed essential for survival. As the Emberkin Family readies to leave the Capitol officials, Jahla, Thakir, and a rabbit happen upon the scene, drawn by the outcries and angry growling. The leaders stop for only a moment, but a moment enough for the Capitals last whine of intervening.

Capitol Official (pleading):

"Leaders, please see the reason! The wolves, in their instinctual defense, are willing to compensate the tribes for any losses through alternative means that avoid bloodshed. Moreover, the Capitol is prepared to contribute their own compensation to ease the burden. Please, Consider the greater benefits!"

The Capitol's words like a slap, anger and baffle the leaders even more, intensifying the confrontation.

Osiris (furious):

"Benefices? Compensation? Your blindness astounds me! We won't be swayed by your audacity!"

Kellan (disgusted):

"You speak of reason, yet you fail to recognize the pain and loss inflicted upon us. Your ignorance is intolerable!"

Osiris (sensing the haunting echoes of the past):

Despite the Capitol and others not smelling the iron scent, Osiris pinpoints and familiarizes with the old blood of her dead family, lingering through the air like an ominous taunt. Osiris sharply locates the smell to Jahla and Thakir. Them.’ How dare they show their faces after the murders have they no shame’,  It took every fiber of her being to hold herself back. Resolving to leave with her mate, Kellen, both simmer with a quiet rage, their departure laden with an unsettling discontent.

Jahla (shivering with fear and sadness):

"What have we walked into, Thakir? Their anger is...overwhelming."

Thakir (solemn):

"We are witnesses to a storm, Jahla. A storm we might get caught in if we're not careful."

Rabbit (eyeing Jahla wearily):

With weariness, the rabbit observes Jahla, sensing the impending turmoil.

As Osiris and Kellan leave, the Capitol Officials, saddened by the loss of the alliance, reflect on the consequences of their decisions. Jahla shivers with fear, Thakir remains solemn, and the rabbit watches Jahla with a wary gaze.

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Thank you everyone who made it this far, and Hope you enjoyed this meaty blog and that the rewritten tribe adds more depth and interests.

Ps...if this ends up being snuck into home, just so you know, I'm the OG that did it.

[santoschristos]

The Flower of Life, Sacred Sex --Unknown artist

The flower of life appears as female energy, but it actually holds both male and female energy. The points are made up of male energy, while the curves are female energy.

Sacred Geometry: The Meaning Behind The Flower Of Life:

Throughout history, both in the ancient and modern world, certain repetitive geometrical patterns have been found in Nature.

Scientific studies done by research scholars have declared their frequent occurrences in the environment. Prodigious philosophers like Euclid, Pythagoras and Plato among many others have concluded that they form the basis of the reality of our existence; their patterns are inherent to the previous design of human life itself.

Fractals have forever held an important place in certain communities and places of worship and religion which has further sparked questions about the significance of their patterns.

Did the inhabitants of the ancient civilizations have any different knowledge about fractals and their omnipotence? Why the modern world lost its relevance?

Do these patterns have magnified symbolic significance other than simple artistic purposes? Do these fractals form the basis of all things accessible to their domains?

These fractals have a separate harmony of their own. They are ingrained into our consciousness or subconscious because they are a regular occurrence in the human design. They resonate congruously with our all-knowing awareness, because they speak the universal language of mathematics. They imply wholeness, equilibrium, equitable proportions.

Simply staring at these geometric patterns can alter our range, level or frequency of our potentials invoking healing, relaxation and colossal change within you. These fractal representations can calm our mind; transporting us to trance meditative state which lies beyond waking consciousness.

This flower of life is sacred, connected essentially to every aspect of our physicality. When a repetition of uniformly balanced overlapping fractals is placed within six fold symmetry, it creates consistency. It is found in ancient temples of worship and even in modern churches. The commonest version is the two dimensional print vision.

When overlapped with three dimensional Platonic solid figures, it creates a more varied representation of geometry. This topic is the most trending and famous area of discussion among today’s metaphysical and spiritual communities

By in Consciousness Spirit Science

[bl-inkstone]

changed my tune so fast just bc of youtube autoplay lmao ok here have some sagau diluc thoughts

the player, diluc thinks, is an incredibly endearing being.

he's come a long way from the curt and wary attitude he used to put on around the traveler (and by extension, you), and today is one of those days where he finds himself privately thanking whatever powers there may be that allowed your paths to cross, with him staring at the reflection of you hidden deep within the traveler's eyes in the wake of his fight with the abyss that fateful night in mondstadt.

as one of the first people to have their constellations manifest in the sky of teyvat, diluc is more than aware that the fact that you still choose to ask for his company in your (or, well, the traveler's) journey is a gift he must treasure deeply. he knows that it is your presence in this world that gives vision bearers a chance to become something greater than they presently are. he also knows that he is no longer as impressive of a companion in battle as he used to be from back when the sky wasn't as bright as it is now (when the world you knew was smaller and he was still a figure that you could look to and proudly call "your main").

but you always come back to him. when he least expects it, you invite him back to your party and diluc can't help but privately think, privately wish, that it's because you're as fond of him as he is of you.

standing in silent prayer while you bestow upon him artifacts that thrum with divine power is an experience he can never tire of. the claymores you give him, the food he eats, all the materials he needs to reach a breakthrough in his capabilities... he understands that you aren't teyvat's creator, but this world and everything in it seems to exist just for you. you, the provider, the sustainer, the beloved of all. sometimes, diluc feels that everything he has and ever worked for have all been for the sake of one day meeting you.

he's not a religious man by principle, and he loathes people of absolute power. the only exception to this, however, is you. he's not foolish enough to believe you're some omnipotent, omniscient being that lords above all. no, you're not like that. he knows this because the longer he journeys with the traveler and feels their bond strengthen, the faint whispers he used to strain himself to hear grow clearer and clearer until finally, one day, he hears you.

you're both nothing and everything he thought you'd be. you view the world of teyvat with so much awe and joy that it's infectious, and he finds himself smiling more often than not to the privilege of finally hearing you. the traveler always looks at him with an understanding smile when diluc slows down in their travels to listen to you. he lives for the moments when you talk to yourself or to someone else (a companion of your own, maybe? from your place beyond the stars?) because this is how he learns. your favorite food, your favorite nations, your favorite "characters" and more. he holds every morsel of information you unknowingly give close to his chest where all his affections and wishes hide. he likes to think that this way, he can be closer and better for you.

but he knows he's not the only one who hears you, and it is the traveler that is closest to you out of all them. even so, diluc harbors no ill will to the avatar you chose to see and travel the world through. you're so fond of the traveler, and how could he ever come to loathe anything graced by your love?

he knows how to play nice. it helps that most of your other chosen are people he can find himself enjoying the company of as well. diluc understands that as much as he wants to be the sole holder of your attention, the world does not function that way. he's willing to extend an olive branch so long as they can all work together to keep you present in teyvat. he can worry about his more aggressive competition later when they aren't at risk of being caught in such an unsightly state by you — all that matters to him, right now, is how to keep your gaze on him for just a little longer and keep you from leaving him again.

it's a daunting thing to be so close to your grace. you take diluc to lands he'd never thought he'd visit again, to ruins of civilizations long past, domains with unimaginable horrors and have him run, claymore and vision burning at his hip, into fight after fight at your command. it's tiring at best and painful at worst, but you always take care to heal him and his companions before leaving, and you always lead them somewhere safe to rest until teyvat brightens and you come again.

his current companions (his "supports", he inwardly preens) rest and talk amongst themselves once they feel your presence leave. it used to be something they, your chosen, would panic over, but now that they've gotten more used to you and all the signs that pointed that yes, this is your will, they've grown to be able to tolerate the harrowing chill that comes when your warmth leaves them. diluc leans back on his chair in front of good hunter to observe them. they're all people he's come to grow fond of in time: diona was prickly, yes, but ha become pleasant to be around once they grew past their misunderstandings. the young master of the feiyun commerce guild, xingqiu, was also a reliable companion both in and outside of battle, and for all his faults, venti has proven himself to be a devout believer, unwilling to be a burden to you or the party you've guided him towards.

under normal circumstances, he never would've met and forged such strong bonds with these people. if not for your own interference, he never would've bothered getting to know any of them at all. though he may have his own gripes and complaints at times of how their dynamic works when you're not around, diluc is still fond of them. he's grateful for the opportunity to grow close to people again, and traveling the world alongside them and the traveler has become one of the few things he's begun to look forward to outside of his duties as "diluc, master of dawn winery." when the day is done and he can sit and relax with them in the tables in front of good hunter, he can rest in the company of others who understand the near-maddening pull in his chest that draws him to try and get closer, closer, to you.

it's days like these where diluc quietly thanks whatever it is brought you to them, and prays that one day, he will no longer have to search through the traveler's eyes to see you.

[mariacallous]

In a coordinated attack across Lebanon and parts of Syria, hundreds of pagers used by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah simultaneously exploded on Tuesday, killing more than a dozen people and injuring thousands of others. No group has claimed responsibility, but the overwhelmingly likely culprit is Israel. Israel’s multifront war has broadened, including not only Hamas in Gaza but also Iran and its Axis of Resistance, a collection of proxy groups that includes Hezbollah.

Many are wondering why now. Is there a broader significance to the timing of the attack? Israel has said preventing Hezbollah attacks is among its war goals, despite warnings from the United States against a wider operation that could lead to all-out regional war. The pager attack could very well be the opening salvo to a prolonged Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon—or it could just be the latest clandestine operation in the long-running shadow war between Israel and Iran’s proxies. It is also possible that the Israelis triggered the operation because there was a time limit on how long it could continue undiscovered.

For Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, the attack may go a long way toward polishing a reputation badly tarnished by failures around Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The pager operation itself seems out of a spy novel. There are myriad hypotheses circulating about how Mossad could have pulled off an attack this large and this dramatic. We don’t yet know whether bombs were implanted at the manufacturing stage or whether the supply chain was compromised at another phase in the process.

Hezbollah relied on antiquated means of communications such as pagers, possibly believing they were beyond the reach of Israel’s cyberwarriors. Following the Oct. 7 attack, Hezbollah personnel largely sought to eschew the use of cellphones, with the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, urging fighters to instead use alternative methods of communication.

Some have speculated that malware injected into the devices could have caused the batteries to overheat and then, ultimately, the devices to explode. However, the attack was organized; it was done so with meticulous planning and attention to detail. Apart from the immediate impact of the attack, the capabilities demonstrated will render Hezbollah increasingly paranoid and uncertain of exactly what Mossad might pull off next.

Hezbollah will likely follow this attack with a comprehensive overhaul of its internal security apparatus, reviewing where the gaps in its operational security exist and attempting to shore up the tradecraft of its members. There could even be an internal purge for moles, a hunt that could lead to bloodletting within Hezbollah—an added bonus for Israel’s spooks.

One of the drivers behind the pager attack, as with the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, is that Mossad is determined to refurbish its brand. Before the Oct. 7 attack, Israeli intelligence enjoyed a reputation as omnipotent, its legendary exploits retold in blockbuster spy movies such as Steven Spielberg’s Munich and the hit Netflix series Fauda. Israel’s targeted assassination campaign has so far killed Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut in January and Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut in late July, in addition to Haniyeh shortly after.

In addition to brand management for Mossad, Israel’s covert operations have a more practical effect. Hezbollah command and control has likely been wrecked, causing the group substantial communications issues in the near term. Moreover, Tuesday’s attack injured hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, some of whom will undoubtedly be maimed, missing fingers, hands, or suffering other injuries that will put them on the sidelines, at least temporarily.

The Houthis in Yemen, militia groups in Iraq and Syria, and other Iranian proxies will now begin taking greater precautions. This could change the way these groups communicate with one another, which, in turn, could directly affect coordination and hamper their ability to launch attacks of their own. The impact will be felt far beyond Lebanon, with other illicit groups worldwide—terrorists, criminals, and hackers—questioning the safety of their personal communication devices.

Nasrallah claims that Hezbollah does not want total war with Israel and has implied that his group remains engaged militarily on behalf of its Palestinian brethren in Gaza. Yet, even when multiple stakeholders claim that they want to avert war, it can still happen, as it did with Hezbollah and Israel in July 2006, a war that brought massive devastation to Lebanon and ended in somewhat of a stalemate. One could argue that it was a strategic defeat for Israel, since Hezbollah has only grown exponentially more powerful since the end of that war.

Eighteen years after that 34-day conflict, Hezbollah is an entirely different organization, with more advanced weaponry, more men under arms, and greater political legitimacy not just in Lebanon but throughout parts of the Islamic world. As Seth G. Jones and Daniel Byman correctly pointed out recently, war with Hezbollah would be Israel’s biggest challenge in decades. Nevertheless, that’s exactly where things could be headed.

Hezbollah will feel compelled to respond to the pager attack, humiliated by the success of the operation and thirsty for revenge. Israel’s new war aim of moving its displaced population back to the north near the border with Lebanon, nearly 60,000 people in total, will require pushing Hezbollah’s forces away from the border and back toward a manageable buffer zone. Even if Hezbollah claims to want to avoid war, any number of miscommunications could propel both sides toward conflict as the tit-for-tat exchanges continue and each side seeks to position its forces to gain a first-mover advantage.

As the Israelis know well, Hezbollah is not Hamas. Hezbollah is more akin to a conventional military, and its arsenal contains upwards of 150,000 rockets and precision-guided munitions. Hezbollah is, without question, among the most complete, well-trained, and resourced nonstate actors in global politics. Its fighters are battle-hardened from combat deployments to Syria, where they worked alongside Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and experimented with new, high-tech weaponry.

The pager attack is likely to have serious implications for Lebanon, the conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies, and for the Middle East as a whole. Roughly three weeks out from the grim anniversary of Oct. 7, the region remains on a knife’s edge. Hard-line elements on all sides may see it in their interest to escalate, while ongoing diplomatic efforts prove too little, too late.

[accordingtolauren]

A little excerpt from something unknown (04/24)

“This cannot be real, can it?” 

She had questioned him as though he were pansophic, omnipotent and all-knowing far beyond what was capable in the realm of mere humankind. In a world damned by lustful sin and sensual greed and an otherworldly pleasure that could never be experienced in a haven devoid of wicked nature. Living on Earth, as a slave to temptation and morality, was a double edged sword as  hedonism was almost as sweet as the possibility of a golden life-everlasting. 

Her fingers pinched the rough skin of her own elbow to see if she’d awake from this seemingly dream state she’d succumbed within for the past five, fleeting days. Had she slipped away far into a dissociation that’d fail to relinquish her from its grasp, and instead enveloped her into a psychotic episode that’d confused a fictitious want for reality? Was she lucid dreaming, having only had her eyes closed for five minutes, and it was truly only Wednesday night with her numb body laying horizontal in an unmade bed? Or was this an actuality, not a figment of imagination conjured up by that villainous mind that had cursed her to a hopeless truth that loneliness had become her shadow and plagued every step she took, rain or shine? Regardless of this moment’s existence in the plain of modernity, she prayed she’d never awake nor escape the embrace she currently resided within. 

“I am still here, aren’t I?”

He always responded to her questions with another inquiry, as though he knew she understood the truth to what she was investigating with intrusive thoughts. 

-lauren a.p

[regarding-stories]

Inertia Itself: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

TL; DR: I'm gonna bash the series somewhat. (Sorry, folks.)

After it coming with a lot of praise and kept being recommended, the series itself didn't end up being what I expected, especially given the omission in Crunchyroll's synopsis blurb. I still watched it, and all the fan praise is... a bit over the top. (I'd say the movie deserves it, though.) Depending on your tastes and sensitivities, this can be a decent or good series. It has flaws - but it definitely is not just more of the same when compared to others.

This first part of the series aired in 2006, so you can expect spoilers.

The Setup

Initially we learn about a rather peculiar teenager named Haruhi who makes her entrance to high school by stating she's not interested in anyone who isn't an alien, a time traveler, or someone with PSI powers (also called ESPer after "extra-sensory perception").

Our actual protagonist-narrator, a regular guy we will soon know only by his nickname "Kyon," takes an interest in her and eventually befriends her. Little does he know that by doing so he unleashes a series of events that leads to Haruhi forming a club that does her bidding which she dubs the "SOS Brigade" which will look into the phenomena she's interested in.

The catch in the setup is that Haruhi is a being with god-like powers that is not aware of them. She can alter reality, but this happens unconsciously. It plays out mostly like a genie's wish: Whatever she wishes for has quite a bit of self-sabotage baked in. This is not apparent to her at all, and to some, I guess, the source of show's humor.

This leads to the following cast:

Haruhi Suzumiya: The universe centers around her, and she has the personality to match. She bosses others around to the point of bullying, becomes pouty and stubborn like a five-year-old when she doesn't get her way, and is often quite unreasonable. She's also a big tsundere which has a hidden crush on Kyon which she'd never admit, so she instead she treats him like a doormat. Her inner life is never revealed to us, except when others comment on how regular reality is after all, hinting that Haruhi's eccentricity is mostly on the surface. Beyond being a tsundere she's also a genki girl, being very lively, animated, and has endless motivation and stamina when it comes to put her plans to fruition. She's also kind to kids if not her friends.

Kyon: The everyman. Kyon is cynic and sarcastic, but almost never opposes Haruhi openly, instead playing an inner voice narrator commenting on everything. Most of the time he's a passive character, resenting being pushed around, but if put on the spot, he'd be forced to admit that he would never truly opt out. The show never makes it clear whether Kyon has some romantic attraction to Haruhi, even though at least Koizumi comments about it regularly. If he has, he's so put off by her antics that it never gets to surface throughout the run of the series.

Yuki Nagato: The resident alien, sent out by a near-omnipotent AI-like entity. As such, she's basically a robot, can conjure nano-machines, and whisper formulas that alter reality. Yuki is a "cold" character with no emotional response, and her supposed motivation is "to be an observer" because Haruhi seems to be an original factor that actually originates new things (which also suggests the universe would be kinda boring without her). Yuki is also the story's source of magic solutions to problems Haruhi causes and can be relied on to provide exposition when needed. And... she was recruited to the brigade to get Haruhi the former literature club's room.

Mikuru Asahina: A time traveler, and recruited to the brigade mostly to have a hot member. Investigates why no past exists before Haruhi entered middle school, but frankly, she really does nothing of her own through almost the entire series. Haruhi does whatever she wants to Mikuru, including dressing her in various embarrassing ways as the brigade's mascot, and in general Mikuru mostly sobs and goes along. Kyon also has a crush on her.

Itsuki Koizumi: This one is the PSI guy. He cannot do anything, however, except when a particular sort of crisis ensues: Apparently Haruhi's mood swings create destructive "closed spaces" in which giants start to destroy the world. The organization Koizumi is part of fears that if they are left to grow this would destroy the world, so he is the one pushing the most for keeping Haruhi in the dark about her own effect on the world and her powers, reiterating many times how he likes the world as is. Koizumi gets roped into the brigade because he's an exchange student and there must be something up with that, according to Haruhi, which she promptly forgets afterward. Koizumi's personality is rather manipulative and he can't drop it, and I can readily understand why Kyon is not especially keen on him.

But that's just the cast and their motivations, if any. What really matters is...

The Dynamic

What keeps the show going are the manifestations of Haruhi's powers based on her conscious and unconscious desires and the pushback from the other brigade members to keep those in check and preserve reality.

The roles in this are clear:

Koizumi will provide the rationale and some of the exposition, always arguing for preserving the status quo. (And also manipulate others.)

Mikuru will be comic relief and part of Kyon's motivation to get involved.

Nagato will provide solutions when the group cannot solve problems with regular means. She'll also at times provide information dumps, but mostly say very little.

Kyon will provide a reaction to it all, his narration provides an ironic take on the events, but his involvement will be crucial in driving the plot - where there is a non-magical solution, it will fall on Kyon to derive it and put it in place.

What I personally dislike about the show is this dynamic because it's focused on keeping things in place and preventing change. This is embodied especially in Koizumi, whose manipulations often leave a bitter aftertaste (and then he laughes them off).

But it's also present in Kyon's character. He will disagree internally with Haruhi but go along like a doormat. This then builds until a resolution of sorts or until one of the few instances where Kyon actually loses his shit after things have gone way too far and he's complicit in it for doing nothing and saying nothing. Most of Kyon's interactions with the world are internally, and whenever he's called to action, he often acts very late and when it's clear that nothing else will do.

Taken from another but similar angle, a lot of the story is about denying Haruhi satisfaction, and watching Kyon being basically an unhappy character who cannot enjoy things for what they are by constantly judging people around him. At least Haruhi tries to do things. Koizumi especially wants to prevent things, and Kyon mostly lacks impulses of his own.

Without Haruhi, Kyon would have fewer friends and lead a boring, ordinary life. With Haruhi, Kyon gripes about the hassle of having more than an ordinary life. What is his aspiration in life? Would he ever do anything?

Endless Eight

There's a special punishment hidden in this show, its absolute low point. A series of episodes titled "Endless Eight I - VIII". It reminds me of a quote by Douglas Adams: It is by eating sandwiches in pubs on Saturday lunchtimes that the British seek to atone for whatever their national sins have been. They're not altogether clear what those sins are, and don't want to know either. Sins are not the sort of things one wants to know about. But whatever their sins are they are amply atoned for by the sandwiches they make themselves eat. If there is anything worse than the sandwiches, it is the sausages which sit next to them. [...] The sausages are for the ones who know what their sins are and wish to atone for something specific.

(From "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish".)

Leaving aside that the British should know what their national sins are, this encapsulates how I feel about having watched these eight episodes. It must have been some sort of atonement. Because they suck worse than the sausages.

"Endless Eight" itself is your garden variety time loop triggered by Haruhi's unconscious wish to have a never-ending summer break that she enjoys to her fullest. So they end up going through Haruhi's list of summer activities, only they end up doing it over and over again. The show suggests that the they do this more than 16,000 times and well over 300 years in total (repeating the same two weeks of August).

The characters react to this situation according to their dynamic:

Nagato actually knows but as an observer, she does nothing.

Mikuru notices the absence of a future beyond the end of August, but only falls apart, triggering a higher level of involvement by Kyon.

Koizumi drops exposition but does nothing to change the situation itself, except dragging Kyon into it and suggesting that if Kyon simply played the part of Haruhi's boyfriend, the situation would resolve (= he manipulates him).

Kyon does nothing with the information given to him and hesitates except for the one time he breaks the loop.

Frankly, seeing the group being dragged through this summer break makes me sorry for Haruhi for a change. She strives hard to make a fun summer in her bossy way, and everybody else looks like they've been run ragged. What would the summer have been like without her? Kyon on his couch, watching boring baseball games?

Endless Eight, ignoring the execution for now, itself exposes some depth in regards how it sees the situation. It plays with the concept of lucidity and a certain kind of probabilistic determinism. The characters will react to similar stimuli within a given range of variation, meaning the situation repeats almost entirely the same in the end. The only thing that can break such a situation is lucidity, and this lucidity is highlighted by slow motion moments in Kyon's awareness. In all other moments, everybody is sleepwalking through the same motions of their lives.

This view of human consciousness may be, depending how you see it, somewhat realistic and/or depressing, but there's nothing wrong with it - and it's one of the most compelling points the show puts forward in its run. However, the how is... horrible.

You see, the show repeats the same episode eight times with no real variation in plot - except for episode I and VIII. (Because August is the 8th month and an 8 laid flat is infinite and... pure lack of imagination.) Given the length of an anime episode this means you sit through about 160 minutes of repetition. The show does no montage of the events, it repeats the same key bits out. It basically makes you live, yourself, through part of the time loop in probably the least imaginative way - or at least the least narratively artful.

Now, while the story is roughly told identically beat by beat eight times, it is animated differently eight times. Camera perspectives change, meaning they each had to be animated individually. Same for the voice acting, lots of minor variation. (So they all did their job, I guess.) The eight realities subtly differ - what clothes everybody wears. Unimportant choices they make. Like what popsicle to get or what mask to buy on a Bon festival. Many people in the comments expressed their appreciation of the love of detail.

There's something wrong with these people. What they're saying is that they don't mind being served up the same story eight times if only the trappings change slightly. I guess this got us Episode VII of Star Wars...

To spoil it further: This run of episodes is a trap. There are no real hints to the resolution. You start seeing patterns where there are none. I even thought for a short while that the iterations might be counting backwards. They are not. And while this might get you to ask some questions, it's a really horrible, in-your-face, unskilled way of doing so. And in that it's the low point of the show.

The resolution is to make summer end by doing homework together. Does this somehow imprint the end of summer on Haruhi's brain? Does this mean she gets to spend more time with her friends on their instigation? Does it mean she was secretly hiding she didn't do her homework after all?

Whatever. The lame ending would have been excusable if they hadn't set the bar so high by walking us through an overlong movie version of this. This is the kind of stuff people walk out of a cinema for.

What makes up for it

Now, the way I describe Haruhi and Koizumi suggests I don't like them very much, but especially in case of Haruhi that's not true - not to the extent it might seem. She has definite character flaws, and they're probably quite intentional - but Haruhi, unlike other characters (looking at you, Koizumi) gets things going. And her inner motivation is relatable. Have we not all looked at the world at some point and thought "What if this place was less mundane and boring?" If not - why watch anime?

Nothing makes this more clear than the follow-up movie "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya"!

This movie does its characters and premise more justice than the series did. Kyon ends up in an alternate reality/timeline where Haruhi isn't in his class, there's no SOS Brigade, and his friends are not his friends. And he doesn't like it one bit!

In a late twist reminiscent of Data from "Star Trek: TNG" we see a reality where Yuki Nagato is not a near-ominiscient robot, but a shy and adorable girl. Kyon fights to get his reality back. Mikuru, even though it's her future self, actually does something effective. Koizumi still is dragging things down, but can be tolerated. And Haruhi isn't actually gone after all.

The story has heart, and it contains some cruel choices. It lets us also sit through some parallel world "nobody shares my memory" shenanigans, but not for so long that you inwardly opt out. It's well-paced, and it's focused on moving things forward - even if forward means "back to the future." But I can't help but feel that Kyon has changed inwardly in response, realizing at long last that what a world without Haruhi actually means.

And that's just brilliant. It has a bit of heartbreak, it has tension and suspense, it has making choices. By taking the dynamic of the original and inverting it in parts, I actually like it a lot. (I still doubt I would rewatch the series, though.)

To be fair, the anime makers may have drawn out the original material - a lot. The movie is essentially one volume of the series, and that works. But the original 24 episode series (plus bonus material) just encompasses 3 and a half volumes, and that seems awfully little. (The manga adaptation apparently sliced the salami quite differently.)

Anyway, you might find something for yourself in this series. It has had a certain staying power and a fanbase, and not many shows would manage to still be talked about ten years after their reissue. The art is... nothing to write home about, but the premise is unique enough to be worth your time once.

Just skip Endless Eight II to VII... Unless you have a yukata/swimsuit fetish.

[rhetoricandlogic]

REVIEW: Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I know Adrian Tchaikovsky best from works like Children of Time, Children of Ruin and Dogs of War where he uses other creatures, often affected by humanity’s meddling to talk about very relatable human issues, often dealing with the issue of communicating across species boundaries. Elder Race deals with similar core themes, but all of the protagonists are human. Sort of.

Lynesse Fourth Daughter is an impetuous spare heir in a devolved human society that is at a roughly high medieval state of development (or rather, regression) who seeks the assistance of Nyrgoth, the Elder sorcerer (Elder Race, get it?) to aid against a demon that is afflicting nearby lands. The problem is that Nyrgoth isn’t really a sorcerer but a low level anthropologist who’s notionally supposed to be tracking the development of a colony on behalf of the successors to the more developed human civilisation that originally set them there.

Yes, this is very much nailing the ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’ trope right on the head, but it does it very well.

Things are complicated by the facts of exactly why Nyrgoth is alone in his tower and has a reputation for coming to these people’s aid in former generations and the story really turns on the difficult relationship between Lynesse and Nyrgoth and their vastly different outlooks on the world.

Elder Race is not a long book, definitely in novella territory but it packs a lot of big ideas and sharp characterisation into the low word count. Tchaikovsky uses the contrast between the core characters as a way to show how people can be very different but also ultimately very much alike.

You have Lynesse being impetuous and determined while Nyr is restrained, overly cerebral and battles depression. Lynesse sees Nyr’s capabilities as magical while he’s all too aware of his limitations and the science at play. At the same time, for wildly different reasons both fear that they are failures and want to prove themselves, to find connection to a kindred spirit or find meaning in their lives.

The difficulties of communication are fun as well, as Nyr’s imperfect translations of Lynesse’s lingual drift leads to him trying to explain science to her but the meanings sound like magical terms, so he ends up saying “I’m not a sorcerer, I’m a magician” and similar to great mutual frustration.

Throw in the way that Nyr often misreads things like how clothing styles are supposed to work or the nuances of local power structures or manners and theres a neat comment on how being a more advanced, supposedly Elder Race and having a near omnipotent viewpoint isn’t as great when you lack context.

Ultimately, the demonic antagonist ends up being almost beyond Nyrgoth’s science anyway, which implies that there’s more going on in this universe than he’d previously been aware of and maybe they have made contact with a genuinely Elder Race and not just a coloniser with some cool toys. The shared existential dread of a genuine Outside Context Moment is a nice subversion of the tone of the story up to that point.

I also detected a fun pun where Lynesse refers to the adversary as a demon, yet how it works seems to be analogous to what a daemon in computer terminology does, except operating on a biological level.

All in all Elder Race is a really fun novella, displaying Tchaikovsky’s trademark sharp prose and big ideas conveyed in interesting ways. It feels like a nice thought experiment that worked out into a compelling story and I’d recommend this to existing Tchaikovsky fans, plus anyone who likes Iain M. Banks, Ann Leckie or Gareth L. Powell.

[dolisi]

Daily Saris Verse: The Beginning of All Things

Welcome to the first entry in our daily exploration of the Saris religious texts. Starting today, we’ll be revealing the ancient beliefs of the Saris, one verse at a time, straight from their foundational scripture—the “Nesun Ajupeyawi mu” or “Pillar of Creation.” This sacred text begins with the story of creation itself, known as the “Pelomuni” or “The Awakening.” As we journey through these verses, we’ll uncover the Saris understanding of the universe, creation, and the divine nature of their god, Nu.

Chapter 1: Pelomuni (The Awakening)

Verse 1

English: “Before existence, there was only Nu, existing in the infinite void, a boundless consciousness without form, without substance, without time.”

Dolisi: “Unun ra, Isuni kunin torashin Nu, muva Isijosuni nulis mashul ga, senu torashul sherer nula, unerer nula, sum nula.”

Dolisi Script:

Commentary: The Boundless Consciousness of Nu

This verse introduces the concept of Nu as the primal and solitary being before the creation of anything else. Nu is depicted as an entity of pure consciousness, existing in a state beyond physical form, material substance, or temporal constraints. The "nulis mashul" or "infinite void" represents the absolute emptiness and potential that existed before creation, a space where nothing yet existed but the boundless potential within Nu itself.

The phrase "senu torashul" or "a boundless consciousness" emphasizes Nu’s nature as an all-encompassing mind, suggesting that Nu is not just the creator but the very source of thought, existence, and reality. The absence of form, substance, and time signifies that Nu transcends all dimensions and physical laws that would later come into being. This state of pure being reflects a philosophical and theological assertion that all things originate from a singular, unified consciousness, which holds within it the potential for all creation.

For the Saris, this verse is crucial because it establishes the primacy and omnipotence of Nu. It conveys the idea that before anything was created—before time, matter, or space—there was Nu, the eternal source from which all things emerge. This understanding forms the basis for the Saris' reverence for Nu as the ultimate origin and sustainer of all existence, a being whose nature is both mysterious and all-encompassing.

Fun Fact: The Sarisi inscribed their oldest texts on pillars in temples called “Ajupeyaw” or “sacred pillar”? The name comes from “ajupel” (cylinder) and “yaw” (to sanctify). These pillars were not just physical structures, but symbolic ones—representing the enduring nature of their beliefs.

Join us tomorrow as we continue to explore the “Pelomuni” and uncover more about the creation of the universe according to the Saris.

[frank-olivier]

Demons or Extraterrestrials? Religious Interpretations of UFO Phenomena

How do religious traditions engage with mysterious occurrences, such as UFOs and supernatural events, while maintaining doctrinal integrity and open-mindedness.

The Vatican has established a systematic approach to evaluating supernatural phenomena, emphasizing discernment to determine whether events are genuinely miraculous or divinely inspired. This process involves a thorough examination that includes theological, scientific, and psychological evaluations to rule out natural explanations or psychological factors. The criteria for evaluation focus on whether the phenomena align with Catholic doctrine, the moral character of those involved, and the spiritual fruits produced by the events. The Vatican aims to protect believers from deception and ensure that any recognized phenomena truly reflect divine intervention.

Christian theology also grapples with profound mysteries that invite believers to explore faith's complexities. These include creation ex nihilo, which asserts that God created the universe without using pre-existing materials, highlighting God's omnipotence and the nature of existence itself. The Trinity, the belief in one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—challenges human logic but is embraced as a profound truth within Christianity. It invites reflection on the relational nature of God and unity within diversity. The hypostatic union refers to Jesus Christ being fully divine and fully human, underscoring the uniqueness of Christ's nature and mission.

When it comes to UFOs and spiritual interpretations, some draw parallels between these phenomena and Gnostic beliefs. Gnosticism emphasized secret knowledge for salvation, and similarly, some view UFO encounters as offering hidden knowledge that challenges traditional religious narratives. A subset of religious thinkers interprets UFO phenomena as potentially demonic, suggesting they are spiritual deceptions intended to lead humanity away from traditional religious truths. This interpretation emphasizes vigilance against accepting narratives that contradict core theological teachings.

The potential discovery of extraterrestrial life raises important theological questions. Many religious scholars argue that such a discovery would not necessarily contradict religious teachings but would instead expand our understanding of creation. These discussions often explore how traditional beliefs might adapt to new understandings of life beyond Earth. They also consider how religious narratives might incorporate or reinterpret unexplained phenomena in light of new evidence.

Engaging with unexplained phenomena requires an open-minded approach that respects both scientific inquiry and theological reflection. It involves recognizing the limits of human understanding while remaining open to new insights and recognising speculative areas that blend conspiracy theories, faith, and government secrecy.

There have been various conspiracy theories suggesting that the Vatican possesses secret knowledge about UFOs or has been involved in UFO retrievals. These claims often stem from a belief that the Vatican, with its extensive historical archives and global influence, might have access to information about extraterrestrial life that it has not disclosed to the public. The Vatican has not officially confirmed any involvement in UFO retrievals. However, it has shown interest in the possibility of extraterrestrial life from a theological perspective. The Vatican Observatory has hosted conferences on astrobiology, and prominent figures like Father José Gabriel Funes, former director of the Vatican Observatory, have stated that belief in extraterrestrial life does not contradict Catholic faith.

The Collins Elite is an alleged group within the U.S. government that reportedly views UFO phenomena as demonic rather than extraterrestrial. This theory gained attention through books and interviews with individuals claiming insider knowledge. According to these claims, the Collins Elite believes that UFO encounters are spiritual deceptions intended to lead humanity away from religious truths. They are said to have influenced government policy by framing UFO phenomena within a religious context, potentially affecting how such phenomena are investigated and understood. The existence of the Collins Elite is not substantiated by credible evidence or official acknowledgment. It remains a topic of speculation and intrigue within certain circles interested in the intersection of religion and UFO phenomena.

Dr. Matthew Halsted: UFOs - Demonic Deception or Spiritual Revolution? A Christian Professor's Perspective (Chrissy Newton, The Debrief, September 2024)

Saturday, September 21, 2024

[ahgastayverse]

SHUMA-GORATH

STRAY KIDS “S-CLASS” MV THEORY

Shuma-Gorath is an evil deity and a villain from the Marvel universe, and is one of the Many-Angled Ones. He is an ancient alien deity who demands blood sacrifice, most commonly serving as an enemy to Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. His goal is to conquer all dimensions.

As an ancient force of chaos, ruler of over a hundred alternate universes, he is capable of energy projection, shapeshifting, teleportation, levitation, altering reality, and sympathetic magic among many other feats. He is described as being vastly more powerful than other mighty demonic enemies such as Satannish and Mephisto, and is capable of automatically destroying multiple galaxies through aura-pressure alone. Shuma-Gorath also has the ability to destroy realities by using all of his tentacles to create a ball of energy which he fires at the reality.

Sometimes stated to be omnipotent, he is considered to be one of the primal power of Chaos. He was stated to be the greatest of the Old Ones. In his native dimension he is virtually unstoppable, and given his past reformations, it is unknown if he can ever truly be killed.

His skin is rubbery and armored, making him difficult to damage except by the most powerful magics. Though he often appears as a scaly being with six to eight tentacles and a great, central eye, during the Hyborean Age he was also seen to have numerous pincers, claws, and insectoid limbs, in addition to a large, fanged maw. Similarly, he has been depicted as either greenish or purple in color. It is stated by The Vision that Shuma-Gorath exists on many planes and thus his true form cannot be seen by humans. Presumably, he can alter the form people see him as to his will. According to Shuma-Gorath himself, he is nothing except his power and his form is merely a shell that contains it.

Shuma-Gorath's name is often invoked across many dimensions by beings seeking dark power.

POWERS AND ABILITIES

Shuma-Gorath's power level is far beyond human comprehension. He is virtually indestructible and powerful, so he can regenerate completely, also being able to change his own form.

He generates energy within himself and can also absorb energy, which he easily manipulates to create several forms of attacks.

He is capable of teleportation, levitation and phasing, being also able to travel through dimensions at will.

He can communicate telepathically and mind-controlling others, even from other dimensions.

He can create and direct powerful blasts of mystical energy, and affect transmutations on a planetary scale.

His strength levels has no known upper limits.

SCALING

Attack Potency: Multiverse level+ (Far superior to entities such as Dormammu, Slorioth and The Trinity of Ashes.

Speed: Immeasurable, Omnipresent within its realm

Lifting Strength: Unknown

Striking Strength: Unknown

Durability: Multiverse level+, possibly Low Complex Multiverse level

Stamina: Unknown

Range: Multiversal+, possibly Low Complex Multiversal

Marvel Wiki

[jarmes]

Harry Anderson’s Father (Homestuck: Beyond Canon Fanfic)

I gaze out upon the festering shithole of a world that lies behind the black hole. At first glance, it is identical to the victory world I left. But, with my heightened senses, I am acutely able to sense the inherent bullshittery that permeates through this planet like a cancer. The planet isn’t real, not completely. It exists as a shitty doodle on the back of reality, something that should not exist but still persists. This world is a hypothetical. It is the universe that would have existed, if I didn’t push John Egbert to restore canon to a functioning state.

Years ago, I briefly existed in this universe. The moment I realized what it was, I did the only sensible thing and killed myself so I didn’t have to spend another second in what was for all intents and purposes a terrible piece of fanfiction. That was a mistake. If I had stayed, I could have stopped the Muse from creating lackluster muppet baby players and sending them to kill me.

This world needs to be destroyed. Not just blown up, but fully erased. Its existence is a stain that makes everything I have built terrible by association. This abomination of a world is so bad it got my comic canceled. 

I pull the lever and release the Tumor. I’m not surprised when it doesn’t fall from my battleship, down to the non-canon version of Earth C and obliterate it. That would be boring.

I march out onto the deck of my battleship. A teenager is standing on the edge, ripping apart the wires in the bombing mechanism’s control panel. He has white hair, with that trademark Lalonde curl and Jake’s bad teeth. John and Roxy’s kid. I don’t know his name, nor do I care to know.

> Be Harry Anderson Egbert

You watch as that Dirk Strider, that terrifying and handsome son of a bitch, marches towards you. He draws his badass katana and you raise your pathetic garden sheers. Your hands tremble as you sense the incredible goddamn menace emanating off the literal God you have decided to fuck with.

HARRY: you’re that guy my mom told me about. the one with the stupid shades.

DIRK: It is a shame that the kids these days do not understand how kickass ironic anime shades are.

HARRY: how do they stay on your face? double-sided tape?

DIRK: There are more important things to discuss than the intricacies of my clothing. Such as, your attempt at disarming my weapon.

HARRY: i’m not going to let you blow up my world and kill everyone.

DIRK: That isn’t really your choice.

Dirk Strider moves so fast you can’t process it. One second, he’s twenty feet away, the next, he has his katana held against your throat. You feel a drop of cold sweat drip down your neck and split apart as it touches the edge of Dirk’s blade.

DIRK: I’m going to explain something very simple to you. You are not a real human being.

DIRK: You are a shadow of a person from a world that should not exist. You canonically do not exist.

DIRK: People who exist get to foil the big bad’s plans. People who exist occasionally get to impact the plot.

DIRK: Unfortunately, you are a drama kid OC from someone’s Tumblr page who is just sentient enough to feel fear.

The sucker punch from John knocks Dirk flat on his ass.

What.

No.

I don’t get taken by surprise anymore. I’m omniscient and fairly close to omnipotent. It should be impossible for someone to get the jump on me, and yet, I have just been walloped by John Egbert. He appeared in front of me and punched me in the face, so hard that I feel my molars coming loose.

He got here using his Retcon powers. I can see the white outline hanging around his silhouette.

HARRY: dad?

JOHN: harry anderson! i’m so proud of you.

JOHN: military sabotage is basically the highest form of prank.

JOHN: i mean your mom would probably be mad about this, but i’m incredibly proud.

HARRY: dad, i’m trying to stop him from killing everyone i’ve ever met. can we please delay the father-son pep talk until after this is over?

JOHN: oh yeah i can do that.

John turns to face me. He’s wearing his God Tier outfit, which hasn’t grown in the two and a half decades he’s been wearing it and is two sizes too small. He looks like an idiot.

JOHN: hi dirk. can you please stop trying to kill my son.

JOHN: and also stop trying to destroy the world while you're at it.

DIRK: You know he isn’t real.

DIRK: His existence, like the existence of every other person on that planet, is paradoxical.

DIRK: You’re from this world, but you are at least a version of a character who existed in canon.

DIRK: Your son doesn’t have that going for him.

JOHN: i know.

The child looks up at his father with confusion. John doesn’t take his gaze off me.

JOHN: so what?

DIRK: What do you mean, so what?

DIRK: This entire universe is a non-canon abomination.

JOHN: i know but i don’t really care, you know?

DIRK: Of course you don’t care. You’re the version of John who abandoned the world and let it decay into a twisted shadow of canon.

DIRK: If you cared, you would have died fighting Lord English.

DIRK: Instead, you created this aberration.

DIRK: This is the universe of dog dicks, clowns sucking on titties, and Vriska 2: Electric Boogaloo.

JOHN: yeah, but it’s also the universe where my son exists.

JOHN: i don’t really get this canon stuff.

JOHN: i mean, everyone tells me that this world isn’t real.

JOHN: and for a long time, i believed that.

JOHN: i stopped spending time with Roxy or Harry Anderson or anyone else because i knew they weren’t real.

JOHN: but i think i was just depressed.

JOHN: i’m better now. i’m not hiding from the world anymore.

JOHN: harry anderson is my son and i love him.

John reaches over and grabs his son, pulling him into a hug. Harry Anderson tries to shove him away, but eventually relents and allows his father to hug him.

I decide I’ve had enough of this sappy horseshit and stab John Egbert in the throat. The blade goes in easily. Too easily. I jump back as John transforms into wind.

He reforms above Dirk and slams his hammer down, smashing a hole in the deck. The dice in the hammer's bubble bounce around. When they land, a dozen horses appear, summoned by magic, and trample Dirk Strider.

HARRY: dad? are you...cool?

I dash forward, slicing John across the chest. As my blade tears through his flesh, a sudden burst of wind knocks Dirk away. John flies forward and smashes his hammer down on Dirk’s skull.

I focus on the bouncing dice. I see in my mind what they must be and it becomes so. Eight dice land with the one facing up. The Pop-a-matic Vrillyhoo Hammer explodes in John’s hand, taking his arm with it. As John clutches his stump, his son attempts to stab me in the back. I easily sidestep him and knock his sheers away with my sword.

Harry’s fist surrounds with black tendrils as he punches me in the stomach. It hurts, more than I expected, but I’ve long since ascended beyond the point where pain affects me. I grab him by the throat and lift him up, crushing his throat with my bare hands. A stab through the skull would have killed him instantly, but it wouldn’t have been cruel enough. After all, I’m the villain. It behooves me to be menacing.

Harry Anderson Egbert scratches at the back of my hand with his fingernails, trying to tear away my iron grasp. He struggles to breathe. An ironic end, for the son of the Heir of Breath. His eyes roll back in his head as he falls unconscious.

A tornado erupts from John Egbert. The spinning blue wind tears the battleship to pieces. Canons and chunks of metal fall down towards Earth C as Drik loses his grip on Harry. John flies forward and slams his hammer into Dirk’s chest.

I get it now. My domination of the narration normally allows me control over the actions of others. Not complete, but enough to guide things towards the necessary outcome. Except, John Egbert hasn’t been bound by canon in years, not since he touched the Ultimate Weapon. I can’t control him.

He slams the hammer into me and my sword slips from my grasp and begins falling towards the planet. John isn’t a fighter. He doesn’t realize how strong he is. His wind is strong enough to tear apart planets and right now 100% of it is concentrated in crushing me into a fine red paste.

Of course, this is exactly what I planned for. John is so distracted on hurting me that he doesn’t pay attention to his son falling down from heaven, abandoned like Icarus after venturing close to the sun. He doesn’t pay attention to my katana as it stabs through the sky. The tornado holding me in place shoots it down like a rocket. I can’t control John, but I can control my sword. I guide it like a missile to its destination in Harry Anderson Egbert’s chest.

JOHN: harry anderson!

John takes his attention off me for the briefest of moments, giving me the time to stab my fingers into his chest. He screams as I grab hold of his heart. Magenta bolts of lightning flow from my hand into John Egbert’s body. The lightning saws through the metaphysical connection points, severing John’s soul from his body. As I tear him apart from the inside, a light breaks through his chest, so bright it would blind me if I wasn’t wearing my kickass anime shades. The light is shaped like a house. The Ultimate Weapon, the source of John’s bullshit retcon powers, hidden away within his body.

John transforms into wind. The wind dives after Harry Anderson as he falls from space. John reforms around his son and cradles him as he slowly descends down to the ground. They land in the middle of a field.

JOHN: it’s okay! it’s going to be okay!

John blubbers like a baby as he cradles the bloody soon-to-be corpse of his brat. The kid tries to say something, but he only gets out gurgles due to the sword in his lung. I decide to be nice and remove it. I appear behind John and, with a single movement, faster than the eye can see, draw the sword from Harry’s body and swing it, cleaving off John Egbert’s head.

Harry crashes down in the grass as John’s body falls over. I hold out my sword and skewer John’s head as it lands, the tip of my blade coming out of his eye. In another plane of existence, a grandfather clock’s pendulum swings between two judgments, Heroic and Just. I put my hand on the scale, forcing John’s death to be heroic.

As I wipe John’s blood from my sword using my cape, I feel the scissors stab me in the back. Damnit. I was distracted by controlling the clock and forgot about Harry. He’s injured, but has his teeth gritted in anger. He clutches a large pair of shears, made out of thin black tendrils. A weapon made out of pure Doom that pokes out of the heart symbol on my shirt, having gone through the black lump of coal that is my actual heart.

Harry Anderson is the Bard of Doom. He’s a destroyer, just like me, and Doom is his weapon. This terrible planet, the insurmountable odds, the hole in his chest, the death of his father, all of these things make him stronger. He concentrates the power of the Candy timeline into his tendrils.

The Doom spreads through my body. My flesh rots away, bit by bit. It feels just like it did when the Stardust consumed me. Before it’s too late, I cut my own head off.

Harry Anderson struggles to breath as he crawls towards his father’s corpse.

HARRY: this is stupid.

HARRY: you don’t talk for me for years and then the first time you actually try and give a shit about me you die.

HARRY: you’re a god. gods don’t die. get up.

HARRY: please.

DIRK: That isn’t going to happen.

I look down upon the injured child, my arms crossed. If it wasn’t such a cliche, I would call him pathetic. I can’t die, not really. I have long since transcended beyond a physical being. I exist as a disembodied consciousness existing outside of any universe, who interacts with others by puppeteering a physical form. It is trivial for me to conjure another body out of nothingness.

I raise my hand into the air. A large ball of energy appears above my palm, growing larger until it blocks out any light from the sun. The death ball I have summoned is made out of pure, concentrated destruction. It will tear apart the souls of this putrid rock and restore the purity it has taken from my canon. And it won’t take twenty goddamn episodes to do so.

I toss the death ball. Harry holds out his hands, firing all of the energy he can muster in a doomed attempt to hold back the ball. He thinks he’s the brave shonen protagonist fighting for his home, but he isn’t. He’s a crappy OC who should have never existed. This isn’t death. It’s a mercy.

Blue wind wraps around the ball of energy. It disappears, pulled out of reality by John’s retcon powers.

Fuck.

I turn around to see John’s corpse hovering five feet off the ground. His head is still gone, but in its place sits a skull made of wind wearing John’s glasses. The light from the Ultimate Weapon is brighter than it has ever been.

John punches himself in the chest. A thousand different copies of his arm appear around Dirk, pummeling his new body to a bloody pulp.

I swing my sword but an arm grabs it and retcons it out of existence.

I hold out my hands and fire my electricity. It begins ripping the Ultimate Weapon out of John’s chest but the lightning stops when another fist hits Dirk in the stomach. John holds his hand out and his wind flies into the portal on his chest.

None of this is happening. I refuse to let it happen and thus it does not. I’m the narrator. That’s why the fucking text is orange.

The wind spreads through the source code of canon, wiping the text color clean.

DIRK: What did you do?

DIRK: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?

The light from the Ultimate Weapon shines on Dirk. He screams as he is dragged in. He appears in an empty white box, where he will remain for a very long time. He pounds on the walls of his cage.

DIRK: LET ME OUT!

DIRK: LET ME OUT!

The thing that defeated Dirk Strider walks over to Harry Anderson Egbert. He waves his hand and his son’s wounds disappear, erased from ever having happened.

JOHN: my father died when I was young.

JOHN: it was really hard on me. i guess it’s gonna be pretty hard on you.

JOHN: and now i’m realizing how much must have sucked that he didn’t get to watch his son grow up.

John fades away into wind and disappears.

HARRY: dad?

No answer comes.

[darrowsrising]

Reaper's debt:

I severely disagree with the notion that Darrow owes Lysander something (forgiveness, help, a second chance, anything at all), because he disrupted his life. Would Darrow compromize with him to reach his goal? Yes, but he's not in anyone's debt.

I don't disagree that his life was disrupted or that his exiled existance fed his bigotry further. Just like Lyria's rage and blindness were fed by her losing her family and her safety. Just like Ephraim's...everything was triggered by extreme loss and horrific events.

I just disagree that Darrow owes the people whose life were disrupted in general. Why?

Personally speaking, Darrow ain't the scapegoat for every misfortune people confront. Regardless if they are your fave or not. So what if he 'doesn't even know what his actions did to Y, X and Z'? Of course it was better for Lysander amongst his fucked up family - so much so ne went back to them. Of course it was better for Lyria in the mines, she was always fed and didn't even have to witness the men in her family exchanging food and medicine for sexual favours from non-Gamma Reds. Of course it was better for Eph when Trigg was alive and served in Legio XIII pumped full of zoladone to massacrate unarmed masses.

Objectively speaking, Darrow breaking the chains had the the biggest impact in the worlds. The ripple effect of it was enourmous, it affected pretty much every living thing, one way or another. Using him as a scapegoat was a coping mechanism for many characters, including the povs. They romanticized the past as a way to comfort themselves and hated on the one that changed it so drastically. That is perfectly understandable and they are all entitled to hate or resent Darrow.

On the other hand, Darrow is perfectly entitled to not know about it. To care about losses in his own way. To let others handle the aftermath while he deals with the here and now. To wash his hands of people even.

That does not mean he is not aware of how Reds are treated or how hard it is to adjust them or how politicians and bussiness people preyed on them. It's just that there is nothing he can do about it.

That also does not mean he wasn't aware that Lysander's life is disrupted, he just trusted Cassius to keep his word and give him a better more peaceful life. Obviously, he was proved wrong to trust him, but how many swore that Cassius would keep his word? I too believed it but Lysander likes disappointing people too much.

That also did not mean he did not care about Trigg. He did, just like he cares about all his soldiers. However, he had to compromize to keep the Rising together. Eo wouldn't have been too happy about the state of the Republic or Darrow's choices either, but (un)fortunately, fighting to make a better future means doing things the dead wouldn't like.

Yes, Darrow's actions impacted everything and pretty much everyone. But that does not mean that slavery should have continued to exist. Darrow is not the villain, but slavery and its hold on people even after the collapse of the regime is. And at the same time, people are allowed to be mad at him for disrupting their lives. In reverse, he does not owe anyone anything for doing what he had to do to abolish it.

If he was omnipotent, maybe he would have solved everything for everyone, but cannot fight fascist scum AND take the necessary steps to solve the aftermath of the war neat and tidy. Hell, not even people charged with doing just that were able to do it.

Also, he does care. If there is someone out there that really cares waaay to much, that is Darrow. Darrow feels guilty. For everything he couldn't do, although it's impossible for him to do so even in the best circumstances. Just because he doesn't let it kill him everyday doesn't mean he's some indifferent tyrant, that would sacrifice everyone for his goal - that's another character's job.

All that being said, I expect Darrow to still compromize so that the Rising wins, but I hope beyond all hope that he allows himself to take one single, selfish act for himself. Hopefully, that would be Atlas au Raa, but I'll take anyone at this point.

Also, I can't believe Lyaander gets the 'Darrow owes' talk, when Lyria's family was massacrated and even Ephraim had truly traumatic stuff done to him and to his loved ones. Wtf, if Cassius was so bad, he could have stayed on Luna to face the assassins (for legal reasons,this entire paragraph is a big, fat joke).

[bhagvadgita]

Verse 11.20 - Vishwarup Darshan Yoga

द्यावापृथिव्योरिदमन्तरं हि व्याप्तं त्वयैकेन दिशश्च सर्वा: | दृष्ट्वाद्भुतं रूपमुग्रं तवेदं लोकत्रयं प्रव्यथितं महात्मन् || 20||

Between heaven and earth, and all the directions, this space is pervaded by You alone. Seeing this wondrous and terrible form of Yours, the three worlds are trembling in fear, O Great Soul.

This verse is spoken by Arjun, who is witnessing the Cosmic Form of Lord Krishna, who has revealed it to him by granting him divine vision. Arjun is amazed and terrified by the sight of the Lord's infinite and majestic form, which encompasses all the creation and destruction within itself. He sees that the Lord is present everywhere, in every direction, and in every atom of existence. He also sees that the Lord's form is dreadful and awe-inspiring, as it displays His power and justice over the three worlds (the upper, middle, and lower regions of the universe). Arjun realizes that the Lord is the supreme controller and protector of all beings, and he praises Him with reverence and fear.

The verse expresses Arjun's realization of the omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience of the Lord. It also shows his humility and surrender to the Lord's will. Arjun understands that he is a mere instrument in the hands of the Lord, who has already decided the outcome of the war. He also acknowledges that the Lord is the source of all beauty, glory, and wonder, as well as all terror, wrath, and destruction. He sees that the Lord is both loving and fearful, both merciful and stern, both personal and impersonal. He sees that the Lord is beyond all dualities and contradictions.

The verse also conveys a message to the readers of the Bhagvad Gita, who are also seekers of spiritual knowledge. It teaches them to have faith in the Lord's presence and plan in their lives. It also inspires them to seek His Grace and Vision, which can only be attained by pure devotion. 

There are several verses from other Vedic texts that are similar to this verse from the Bhagvad Gita.

- Rig Veda 10.90.2: 

The Purusha (Supreme Being) has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. He pervades the earth on all sides and extends beyond it by ten fingers' breadth.

This verse describes the cosmic form of the Purusha, who is identified with Lord Vishnu or Narayana in later texts. It shows His unlimited size and scope, as He encompasses all creation within Himself.

- Shvetashvatara Upanishad 3.11: 

He is the one God hidden in all beings; He is all-pervading; He is the inner Self of all; He presides over all actions; He dwells in all beings; He is Witness; He is pure Consciousness; He is free from any taints.

This verse reveals the immanent aspect of God, who resides within every living entity as their soul or atman. It shows His omniscience and omnipresence, as He knows everything and is present everywhere.

- Vishnu Purana 1.9.69: 

The entire universe with its movable and immovable objects is nothing but His form; there is nothing else besides Him.

This verse affirms the non-dualistic philosophy of Vedanta, which states that God or Brahman is the only reality, and everything else is His manifestation or illusion. It shows His oneness with all existence.

[millenianthemums]

Hello, hello!

What's The Great Mother like in AATGM?

Is she (I hope I got that right) a benevolent figure? Curious about humanity? Some sort of god(dess) or demon?

Y' know. Things like that.

I've only seen The Great Mother once through your art and I find her (again, hoping I got it right) a FASCINATING figure.

thank you for the ask!! i’m so glad you’re interested!

The Great Mother is a kinda complicated thing to explain, so I hope you’ll bear with me.

So my book I’m writing, tentatively called Avalina and the Grave Misunderstanding, is about a woman named Ava picking up a hitchhiker named Simon to help him escape some kind of monster that’s chasing him. Simon turns out to be a demon who escaped from an eternal prison within the Earth. There are a bunch of eldritch angels after Simon, and now Ava too, since she’s unwittingly an accomplice to his escape.

In the mythology of this book, demons were all created by a nearly omnipotent being called The Great Mother. She was basically a genetic experiment created by the angels, but She was far more powerful than they anticipated. They gave Her a planet of Her own that she terraformed to Her will and populated with demons that came in all shapes and had all kinds of weird powers.

Eventually the angels decided their experiment had gone too far. They were getting scared of The Great Mother’s growing power and this army of loyal monsters She was building. So they decided to wipe the slate clean and start over. There was a huge war between angels and demons, and eventually, thanks to some ill-gotten inside information, the angels were able to strike while The Great Mother’s guard was down and take Her out. She was too powerful to kill, but they were able to trap Her within the crust of the planet they’d given Her, along with all the demons She’d created. Over time the bonds keeping them all in place started to weaken, allowing a few demons, including Simon, to break free. And that’s basically the state of things once the book begins.

as for TGM as a character, She’s not really fully good or evil. I like to think She’s beyond conventional morality, but really She’s kind of apathetic to most things. She’s immortal and just so unbelievably powerful that nothing is really interesting to Her anymore. She’s never seen Earth as it exists now, but if She stopped to take it all in I think She’d be pretty interested in it just for its novelty. Her way of thinking is pretty alien, though. She doesn’t really speak, that one comic was more of a gag. She’s meant to be a kind of unknowable eldritch force of nature.