#all of this is liberally translated but the gist is there | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

her-satanic-wiles · 11 months ago

Text

Masterlist ⛧ Lost in Translation Masterlist ⛧ Ao3

Words: 10.8k

Reading Time: 43 min

Warnings: angry sex, begging, biting, corruption kink, creampie, cum eating, cunnilingus, dry humping, fear kink?, groping, feelings of claustrophobia, hair pulling, low self-esteem, mentions of grooming (non-sexual), multiple orgasms, nipple play, pain kink, penetrative sex, PIV sex, possessive Copia, primal kink?, praise kink, pussy slapping, rough sex, semi-public sex, this is objectively filthy, unprotected sex (sash the dick to smash the slick, lads), vaginal sex

Taglist: @zombiesnips-blog @da-rulah @teenage-birt-dag @ellenokumura @thew0man @sodoswitchimage @the-real-eggplany @deathmimedream @love-is-all-you-need-13 @kadedoesthings @rosyerato @xshadyladyx @popiaswife @perpetratorwithaquill @punkiy50 @onlyhereforghost @kaijukimchi @copiaspet622 @jaymechaos @akayuki56

As the newly appointed Cardinal Copia struggles with the weight of a looming prophecy, a resilient scholar challenges the narrative, uncovering a conspiracy that reaches beyond the walls of the Ministry. The emergence of a forbidden love ignites a rebellion against a power-hungry Sister, whose thirst for control threatens to reshape the very foundations of the Church. Will the revelation of those schemes lead to liberation or plunge the Ministry into chaos?

Previous Part ⛧ Next Part

🔞 MDNI 🔞

Your conversation with Copia left you feeling perturbed at best. Something didn’t sit right with you. As the Ministry’s librarian and main archivist, you knew most of the prophecies that circled the Church - none of them mentioned the antichrist’s Prime Mover, not that you could remember, anyway. That prophecy ate away at you, gnawing its way into your brain like a worm fig fly burrowing into an unripe fig.

Arriving back at the library, you were bombarded by Aisha and Riley, both of whom had seen Copia talking to you when he should have blessed you. Both had their concerns, of course, worried that you’d fall back into some kind of relationship with him and wind up with your heart broken again, but when they heard what you’d learned, they were just as stumped as you.

“It’s entirely possible that you’re wrong about this, ___.” Aisha said, her tone hesitant but still as honest as usual. “I don’t understand why someone would base their whole lives around a prophecy that wasn’t accurate… or real.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” you replied, animated in your actions, “no one in their right mind would. I feel like I need to put on a tin-foil hat right now and go to my cork board, but I have read damn near every inch of this library. I’ve digested almost every single Satanic, religious text I can get my hands on. I’ve read all the prophecies we know of thus far - I just don’t remember this one specific one.”

“But,” Riley interjected, their tone just as measured as Aisha’s, “there are thousands of prophecies after all. You can’t expect to remember each one.”

“No, but I do expect to be reminded of them as I hear them. Of course, I couldn’t remember every single one in great detail, but I’d remember the gist at the very least.”

Aisha, “Well, there’s only one way to find out, I guess.”

Riley, “What can we do?”

“We? Bitch, I know you’re not dragging me into this stupid charade.”

“Look at it this way, the faster she figures out what the prophecy is, the faster she can move on and we can all forget this debacle.”

Aisha looked at you and clapped her hands. “Where do we begin?”

Well, that was the question. In a library filled with thousand-year-old texts, each with its own historical relevance and prophecies given by each author who just wanted attention or fame, where would one begin? When every book in that room carried mystical contents, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. So, you all chose a large, mahogany table and set that up as your base, comandeering each seat and preventing anyone else from using it or interrupting you. Then, you all searched for and grabbed any historical text in reference to prophesies or the antichrist and dumped them all on the table. How many books were there in the end? How many stacks had piled up so high that you’d created yourselves a small prison? 300. 300 ancient, scholarly texts that had mention to the antichrist and relevant prophecies.

Aisha and Riley took it in turns to manage front desk for you, but both of them took a stack of books and a notepad with them so that they could continue the research in their down time. You, on the other hand, remained at the desk, allowing your other work to fall behind so you could figure this out. It was like your brain could only focus on one important task at a time, and when you discovered that this was important, it ended up taking top priority.

Daytime became nighttime, and nighttime became hazy cycles of reading relics and skimming over pages full of prophecies that blended into one another like a jumble of misplaced words. As the light from the lamp flickered across the tattered covers of the volumes, the library filled with the smell of old paper.

There were open books all around you, their yellowed pages teeming with historical descriptions of apocalyptic visions, and mysterious symbols. The prophecy’s complex language mingled with the deep religious debate, creating a maze of material that seemed designed to confuse rather than educate.

You carefully noted every detail that even slightly referred to the prophecy in question, cross-referenced sections, and compared the subtle differences between translations. Notes strewn all over the pages, a disorganised collage of your efforts to put the jigsaw together.

You kept getting the feeling that you were chasing shadows as you dug deeper into the texts, reaching for something that was evasive and eluded you every time you believed you had a lead. There were creases on your cheeks from exhaustion and the weight of the old books pressing down on your shoulders.

You worked side by side with Aisha and Riley, who translated texts, brought you food, and consoled you when you felt that you could no longer take the frustration any longer. The three of you formed an unofficial partnership to take on the mystery surrounding the prophecy.

Nights became days, and you couldn’t tell which day it was. Every page you turned echoed the murmur of countless seekers who had gone before you, the moments merging into an invisible blur.

And then, in the midst of the seemingly endless search, a faint glimmer of recognition sparked in your mind. A passage, hidden within the dense verses, bore a semblance to the prophecy in question. The revelation struck like lightning, awakening a surge of determination within you.

“No!” You said, much louder than you’d anticipated.

Riley and Aisha snapped their heads to your direction (as did the rest of the library goers who were startled by your outburst.) “What?” Riley asked, standing from their seat and leaning over the desk at you.

“The prophecy Copia and Sister Imperator believes just doesn’t exist. It’s like it’s been conflated from an old antichrist theory from centuries ago. Listen to this, “‘the antichrist will be born on the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year. Only then can he come forth and do Satan’s bidding, bring about the end times and raze a new Hell upon this Earth.’ This prophecy was taken from an old Catholic text and whoever deciphered it left footnotes and opinions.

“The translator doesn’t believe that the antichrist would bring about the end times, not in the way Catholics believe. Armageddon won’t pass as a rain of fire from the sky and the destruction of the planet, but more like a sociological shift that will destroy the Catholic church and bring education to those indoctrinated by Yhwh’s Bible.

“What I’m getting at is that there’s no mention at all of a wife for the antichrist, or if the antichrist will even produce an offspring at all. In fact, the author seems to believe that this sociological shift will become the antichrist’s final act - ‘the antichrist will die at the hands of the non-believers, messiah’d in the same way as their saviour, for only death can bring the motivation of the masses to call for a change of the system’.”

“So why does Sister Imperator place so much emphasis on the ‘wife-with-three-sixes-in-their-birth-date’ theory?” Aisha asked, putting her book down and looking at you.

You shrugged. “Maybe she’s mistaken?”

Riley shook their head. “No. Sister Imperator doesn’t make mistakes - she bends the Ministry to her will to benefit her. She’s far too smart to make mistakes as big as this.”

“You think this is more sinister?”

Riley nodded. “Surely she must have said something to you the last time you saw her?”

You began to shake your head, eyebrows furrowing at how hard you were thinking back to your conversation with her. “She told me to never let them see what they’ve done to me.”

“That was after you saw Copia fucking another person. I’m talking about before, when you felt like you had to go see him in the first place.”

You tried to remember everything that happened during that conversation, but it had become so long ago that the details had become a little fuzzy. “She did say something a bit strange now that I’m thinking about it. She said something like, ‘we didn’t work this hard for the Cardinal’s career for it to fail’ but the ‘we’ was an ‘I’ until she corrected herself.”

“See?”

Aisha, “So you think that Sister Imperator has organised this whole thing? Nah, I’m not buying it. If she organised this then why didn’t she make herself Mama and be done with it?”

“Because,” Riley rummaged through one of their piles of books and flicked to a page, “according to the Emeritus lore… mythology… whatever… the Satanic Church runs as a democratic type of monarchy - we can have a say on who we want to run the Church, but they have to come from the Emeritus bloodline given that they are, supposedly, direct descendants of Lord Lucifer Himself.

“Now, up until he became head of the Church, no one knew for sure who Cardinal Copia’s parents were. The amount of interest Sister Imperator showed on the kid made everyone believe Imperator was his mum, but no one could be certain if Papa Nihil was the Cardinal’s father. Just because the Cardinal has the typical Heterochromia doesn’t mean it’s real. Remember how people whispered about the idea that Imperator made the Cardinal wear contacts every day? It wasn’t until he became Head of the Church that people started accepting the Cardinal’s lineage, because only an Emeritus can lead the Church. Sister Imperator is not an Emeritus. She can’t directly lead the congregation. But her son can.”

“This sounds unbelievable.” Aisha claimed. “If the Cardinal was an Emeritus, then why is he still Cardinal? Why isn’t he Papa?”

Riley thought for a minute. “Maybe because Papa Nihil is still alive.”

“Then surely Papa Nihil would be Head of the Church right now, since Papa Terzo passed?”

“After last time?” You asked. “Nah, he wouldn’t take up that position again. Why do you think Papa Primo took over while Papa Nihil was still alive? Even if Papa Nihil wants to be the Head again, I don’t think the Clergy would let him.”

“Maybe that’s why the Cardinal is still Cardinal,” Riley added, “the Clergy won’t let another son ascend to Papalcy as long as a Papa is alive.”

“Which is why Papas Primo, Secondo and Terzo died.” You said quietly. “She said, ‘we didn’t work this hard for the Cardinal’s career for it to fail’, and we know the previous Papas didn’t die of natural causes…”

“They had to die because they would have fought back against Sister Imperator and her wishes!” Riley exclaimed closing their book and dropping it to the table. “My head is spinning.”

“But she said ‘we’,” Aisha thought aloud, “who’s ‘we’? She couldn’t have done all of this alone.”

“Aisha’s right,” you said, “this had to have been a group coup, there’s no way one woman could pull off three murders and an ascension all by herself.”

Aisha, “Well, Papa Nihil is still alive, so we know he must have been involved somehow.”

Riley, “Who stood to gain from the Cardinal’s ascension? Who did gain from the ascension? Who’s new to the Upper Clergy?”

You, “Cardinal García’s new, he wasn’t around before Papa Terzo.”

“Cardinal Dubois and Cardinal Li.”

“Archbishop Müller was bragging about his payrise in the bar not three weeks after Papa Terzo’s removal back in Sweden.”

“Now Cardinal Al-Farsi was removed from his position in the Upper Clergy, and we know it was because he was actively against the removal of Papa Terzo.” Riley looked at Aisha, now standing wide eyed and frozen in her spot. “Aisha?”

“Sister Evelyn Chandler.”

“Who?” You asked.

“She’s due to be the Cardinal’s Prime Mover in all of this, apparently she has three sixes in her birth date as well. No one benefits as much as she does.”

Your world came crashing down around you once again, your brain ticking into overdrive as you remembered catching Copia rocking against the other woman in his office months ago. During the first and only Mass you’d attended since then, you remembered seeing her wandering into the Basilica behind Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator as a third, important member of the family, but your mind was hyper-focussed on seeing Copia for the first time in so long, you almost didn’t register her. Almost.

In all the time since you caught them together, your mind had been all over the place. If the whole Ministry was talking about Sister Evelyn and the Cardinal, then how could you have missed it? The short answer was that you just weren’t listening. As a way to distract yourself from what had happened between you and Copia, once you’d left your home and re-entered society, you had holed yourself away in your office to work on the translations. Seeing her for the first time (truly seeing her, not just as a lump on Copia’s lap) during Mass, it didn’t register that she was the person grinding into Copia’s crotch, and that she had become important enough to be paraded to the entire congregation.

She never interacted with you, never acknowledged your presence, never looked at you, not that you’d noticed anyway. It was so easy to just not see her. But now it was all flooding into your brain, the idea that she and Sister Imperator could have orchestrated this whole thing behind Copia’s back.

Was Copia in on this?

No, he couldn’t possibly be. He seemed genuinely angry at the “prophecy” and how he’d have no part in it if he was given the option. Besides, no one advocated for Papa Terzo harder than Copia. Copia publicly looked up to Papa Terzo, worshipped him almost similarly to his worship of Satan. He wouldn’t be happy with the death of his half brother, not when he idolised him so much. Watching him from afar for as long as you did, meant you were able to see him in multiple different moods, and he mourned Papa Terzo. He mourned his half-brother for months, almost the whole year he’d been Head of the Church and leader of the Ghost Project. He definitely wouldn’t have gone through with it… right?

“So where do we go from here?” Aisha asked both you and Riley, pulling you out of your miniature crisis.

“Well,” Riley began, “I’m not entirely sure. We have all this circumstantial evidence, but there’s no proof of anything. Like I said, Sister Imperator’s smart, she’d hardly leave any physical proof of her crimes.”

Aisha turned to look at you. “You said you wanted to figure this out and now you have. All you have to do is present all of,” she gestured vaguely to the table, “this to the Cardinal and then you can move on.”

“What if he’s in on it?” You queried, your voice quiet and scared.

Riley shook their head. “Nah. The Cardinal’s a lot of things - ‘dumbass’ would be a word I’d use for him - but he’s not the kind of person to usurp the Satanic throne for his own personal or political gain. I mean, look at the man; he spent all his fifty years trying to be invisible. If it makes you feel any better, I think he’s a naïve and gullible idiot who’s so desperate for his mother’s love and approval, he’d do anything to appease her. You said yourself he doesn’t believe he’s the antichrist, right?”

“Right.”

“Well then, there you go. There’s your answer. He thinks he’s in this position because it’s the right and prophesied thing to do. Not because he’s a puppet in his mother’s games.”

Aisha’s tone was lighthearted. “Honestly, fair play to her. A bad bitch who knows what she wants. I admire that.” Both you and Riley looked at her with a mixture of disappointment and disbelief. “What?” She stood from her seat. “I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.” She turned to walk away and raised her fist in the air. “Go live your best life, Queen!”

Riley sighed. “I hate her sometimes.”

“Mmm,” you agreed. “You gonna help me put these back?”

Riley sucked in air through their teeth and began to back away from the desk. “You know, I would, but Sister Kowalski said she needed help finding books about rituals and, you know, can’t let Sister Kowalski down.” They gestured to the table. “But you got this, right?”

You shot a middle finger at them.

“Atta girl!”

Setting the books back was a lonely task thanks to Riley’s disappearance and Aisha ‘working at the front desk so she can’t leave’. But it gave you chance to think about the situation at hand.

There was a crushing feeling of helplessness that descended over you as you carefully returned those old books to their shelves. With every book you placed back, the magnitude of the problem became more apparent and the weight of the knowledge you acquired felt like a burden. You felt exposed and helpless when you realised you were trapped in a web of deception and surrounded by people who had ulterior motives. The Ghouls and Sisters around you went about their business, oblivious to the storm building within you. You were more aware of your inner struggle in the library’s profound silence.

The sensation that you were just a pawn in a much bigger game lingered as you pushed a hefty volume back into its proper position. Your sanity was being tormented by doubts regarding Copia’s role, Sister Imperator’s actual motivations, and the possibility of Upper Clergy influence. Your impression of being trapped was echoed by the library’s walls, which seemed to be closing in on you.

Copia’s POV

With every passing hour, Copia was more and more convinced that he’d never see or hear from you again - at least in the way that he wanted to. He paced the floor of his office when he was alone inside of it, mind raging at the prospect of living his life without you. He was so convinced that you were running from him - and who could blame you? He felt like a sham, a joker with the hat of a Cardinal and all the responsibility of a Papa. Out of all of it, all the attention and the duties, he only wanted you. And he was tormenting himself as punishment for doing stupid things that could lose you in the end.

A knock on the door interrupted Copia’s thoughts as he paced his office, gripped by the agony of possible loss. Startled, he turned to face the entryway, a glimmer of anticipation replacing the dread etched on his features. “Come in,” he called out, his voice a mix of apprehension and hope.

The door creaked open, and a Sibling stepped into the room. Copia thought he recognised this person, but being the head of the Church and living in the Ministry alongside thousands of other clergy members, everyone’s face was familiar to him. “Good afternoon, Your Dark Eminence,” they greeted cautiously, closing the door behind them. “Mind if I have a word?”

Copia, his expression a blend of curiosity and anxiety, gestured for Riley to proceed. “Of course, Sibling… uh…”

“Sibling Riley Martinez, Your Dark Eminence. I work with Sister ___ in the library.”

At the mention of your name, Copia’s stomach flipped. He was excited to know that you’d sent one of your friends to talk to him, but nervous at that exact fact. What did you not want to say? Or rather, why didn’t you want to convey your message yourself? Why did you send your friend as he would a Ghoul? “Ah, yes. Sibling Martinez, what brings you here? Is everything okay?”

“Well, Your Dark Eminence, no. May I?” Sibling Martinez gestured to the sofa in front of Copia’s desk. Copia nodded, and invited Sibling Martinez to sit.

They cleared their throat and began to tell Copia exactly what they and their friends had discovered. Copia listened carefully as Sibling Martinez revealed the information, each word hitting the weak spot in his heart like a hammer. The information weighed heavily on him, and a hint of resentment started to peek through the gaps in his calm demeanour. Fury couldn’t even begin to cover how Copia felt. His wrath simmered beneath the surface as the truth came to light. His hands balled into fists as he tried to control the flood of feelings that were about to explode; not that Sibling Martinez would know, from the outside Copia looked calm and collected, as if he was just listening to any old story. But on the inside, he was seething…

Sibling Martinez continued to share the discoveries, detailing the inconsistencies in the supposed prophecy and connecting the dots to Sister Imperator’s potential involvement in a larger, more sinister plan. Copia’s jaw tightened, his frustration morphing into a potent mixture of anger and betrayal. “So, she’s been playing me all along,” he muttered, more to himself than to Sibling Martinez. The realisation was a bitter pill to swallow, and the taste of deceit lingered in his mouth.

“Sister ___ also suspects that Sister Evelyn Chandler is a key player in all of this. The three sixes in her birth date, the sudden rise in her status—”

The anger within Copia surged to the forefront. He slammed his hand against the desk, the impact resonating through the room. “Maledizione!” he exclaimed, his frustration breaking through. “I trusted them. I trusted Sister Imperator. And I thought Evelyn was just a pawn, but they’ve been orchestrating this entire thing.”

Sibling Martinez nodded, acknowledging the weight of the revelation. “It seems that way, Your Dark Eminence. Sister ___ would have wanted you to know. She’s trying to make sense of it all, just like you are. She doesn’t know what to do about any of this, though.”

Copia paced the room, the fire of betrayal burning within him. “And you? What do you think of all this?” he asked, his gaze piercing into Sibling Martinez’s eyes.

Sibling Martinez hesitated for a moment before responding, “It’s a lot to take in, Your Dark Eminence. But if there’s a plot against you, we want to help expose it.”

Copia continued to pace the room, his mind brimming and full with fresh rage. The cogs in his brain were ticking over and over. Something about Sister Evelyn’s involvement didn’t quite add up, though. If the plot was based around a flimsy, untrue prophecy, then Sister Evelyn would know that it wasn’t real - yet, she, like Copia, was fully immersed in the whole farce. But what was the answer.

He stopped pacing and turned back to his guest. “Who did you say benefited from my ascension?” Sibling Martinez listed the known members of the Clergy and Copia clicked his fingers together. “You’re missing one. I’ve just discovered Sister Chandler’s involvement.”

“Your Dark Eminence?”

“Of course she benefits - of course she does. She becomes Prime Mover. But, she was unaware of this whole plot, I’m convinced.”

“So how is she involved?”

“It’s not her. It’s her father - Saltarian.”

“Cardinal Saltarian? I don’t know him, I’m sorry.”

Copia shook his head. “Not Cardinal, just Mr. He has no title. Mr. Saltarian has been in my life for almost thirty years at this point, a very good friend of my mother’s. There’s not much that he doesn’t know, to be truthful. He’s a spy to everyone - not a man to be trusted. He may not be a member of the Church per se, but I doubt my brother’s deaths didn’t line his back pockets in some capacity. Not to mention his daughter becoming my Prime Mover. That would give him a power that he wouldn’t have as a mere Cardinal.”

“So what are we going to do about this, Your Dark Eminence?”

Copia stopped and thought for a moment, weighing all of his options. “You do nothing.” Sibling Martinez went to protest but Copia continued. “For now at least. I appreciate you coming to me with this information, Sibling. And please thank Sister ___ for starting this whole investigation. After everything I’ve done to her, I don’t deserve it.”

“Well, she doesn’t want you suffering. What will you do?”

“I’m not sure.”

The truth was, Copia was sure, he just didn’t want word getting back to you. Not yet anyway. The way Copia was feeling, he was more than ready to burst into Sister Imperator’s office and confront her about all of this. It wasn’t until Sibling Martinez had left that Copia was able to straighten himself up and storm to his scheming mother’s office, and unfortunately for her, she was there.

He didn’t knock - he didn’t see the need. He was too angry for pleasantries and kindnesses. Sister Imperator didn’t have a guest, so he could get right to the point without disturbing another person. “Ah, Cardinal.” She said, an amiable smile on her face. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Three sixes in her birth date, hm, Sister? That’s why Sister Evelyn is to be my Prime Mover?” Copia’s attitude was foul, completely out of character for him.

“So the prophecy says.”

“So it is to do with the prophecy and nothing to do with Mr. Saltarian’s involvement in raising me to power?”

She was silent for a moment, just a brief second too long, but that was all the confirmation Copia needed.

“You are despicable.”

Sister Imperator’s expression remained stoic, her eyes meeting Copia’s with unwavering confidence. “Everything was done for the Church, for our cause. The emergence of the antichrist is a crucial moment in our history, and we can’t afford to let it slip away.”

Copia scoffed, the bitterness in his tone cutting through the air. “For the Church? Or for your own gain? Mr. Saltarian’s involvement, the manipulation of prophecies, the orchestration of all three of my brother’s deaths - all to secure power for yourself.”

Sister Imperator leaned back in her chair, a sly smile playing on her lips. “Power is a means to an end, Cardinal. Our mission is to bring about the reign of Satan on Earth. Sacrifices must be made, alliances forged, and obstacles removed.”

Copia’s anger intensified, a storm brewing within him. “You manipulated me, used me as a pawn in your game. And for what? To satisfy your thirst for control?”

“Control is essential in guiding the destiny of the Church. Your ascension was necessary, Cardinal. You were groomed for this role, and now, you stand at the precipice of a new era. To serve as the antichrist just as the prophecies have told!”

Copia shook his head, his disbelief transforming into a fiery resolve. “I won’t be a puppet in your schemes any longer. I won’t let you exploit the Church - and me - for your personal agenda.”

Sister Imperator chuckled, a low, menacing sound. “You’re still learning, my dear Cardinal. The puppeteer does not relinquish control so easily. The Church needs a leader, and you were chosen for a reason.”

Copia’s resolve saw through the complex web of deceit, and his eyes hardened. “I won’t play your games any longer. I’ll expose the truth to the congregation. They deserve to know the extent of your manipulation.”

“Expose me, my dear boy, and the entire congregation will work to overthrow you.”

“So be it. I never wanted this role - this was your dream.”

“You wouldn’t. Now, enough with this idiocy, Cardinal. You have duties to attend to and a ritual to prepare for.”

“I’m going to put a stop to this.”

“Mhmm. Of course you will.” Sister Imperator went back to fiddling with papers on her desk, making herself look busy in order to get Copia to leave.

With a blazing determination in his eyes, Copia left Sister Imperator’s words trailing behind him. The seriousness of the situation weighed on him, but he couldn’t turn his gaze away from the betrayal that had occurred. He wondered where to go next as he made his way more into the Ministry.

There was an unsettling silence in the hallways, and shadows played on the walls. Copia’s mind whirled with ideas about how the congregation would respond, potential partners he might discover, and the impending threat of Sister Imperator’s power. He knew he needed help, and he needed someone he could rely on.

Copia entered the library in search of comfort, the smell of ancient volumes and parchment reassuring him, and guiding him to a familiar room. He discovered you absorbed in your task, a serene determination on your face. The agony and turmoil of the past had given way to a steely resolution, a testament to your resilience.

You looked up as Copia entered, a mix of surprise and apprehension in your eyes. “Your Dark Eminence,” you greeted respectfully standing from your seat with your voice betraying no emotion. Your eyes were just as wide and doe-like as they were the last time he saw this expression on your face, except that time you wore his bedsheets as a dress. That time he ravished you on his dining room table and showed you absolutely no mercy. The mood he was in again, he didn’t want to show you any mercy again; he wanted you beneath him on that desk, screaming his name and taking everything he was willing to give, everything he felt like he had to give.

Was he wrong for feeling this way? Absolutely. After everything he put you through and after promising to wait for your answer, he should be doing that. He should be waiting for you to contact him. He should be giving you the space and time that you needed to work through this. But there was too much anger coursing through his veins, too much adrenaline working through his body with nowhere to go.

There was a look in his eyes that you’d never seen before - an anger that had never been present in all the time you’d observed him from afar, or spent directly in his presence. It terrified you - but had your core tightening in knots and aching for relief you’d not had in weeks. You wondered if you’d let him touch you like that again, if you’d give in to his urges in order to quell your own.

Copia opened his mouth as if to speak then closed it again. Despite his anger, he was still hesitating to get the words out. But he stepped closer to you, slowly, tentatively, as though moving would scare you off like the doe your eyes portrayed you to be. “You need to stop me if you don’t want this, amore.” He told you, his voice dangerously low and rumbling as he spoke. “Any word from you and I’ll walk away.”

Your heart pounded in your chest, breasts rising and falling with the heaviness of your breaths. Each step he took closer to you made you more and more breathless, your hairs standing on edge and your body tingling in anticipation.

He was right in front of you, a gloved hand reaching up to the back of your head and pulling at your hair from the roots, lifting your face to look directly into his and expose your neck. “If you don’t stop me, I’m going to bend you over this desk and take what belongs to me. Will you let me, amore? Will you let me inside you again?”

You whimpered, unable to trust your voice to convey your thoughts accurately. Your mouth was drier than it had ever been, saliva refusing to flood your mouth and whet your lips. Your whimper was the only response you could muster, and it clearly displeased the Cardinal.

He tugged harder on your hair, lifting your head a little further back. “Words, amore. Use them.”

“Y-yes, Cardinal. I-I… want you inside me.”

Though your words were barely a stuttered whisper, Copia still counted them. His lips smashed against yours, teeth banging against teeth as he encapsulated your lips in a rough kiss. The hand that wasn’t tangled in your hair moved to your waist, pulling you closer to his body while he pushed you back against the desk, trapping you between him and the wood just as he did the first time he had you back in London. His tongue entered your mouth, tasting you again for the first time in so long, and groaning at the sensation. He missed this - he missed you. There was a part of him that wanted to be gentle with you, but the rest of him was too tightly wound; he couldn’t bring himself to handle you with care.

He broke the kiss and stepped away from you just long enough for him to grip your hips with both of his hands and turn you around, before he pressed you back up against the desk. His hard cock tented beneath his jeans and cassock, bulging against your ass cheek and reminding you just how much he desired you, how much he craved and needed you.

Your palms were flat to the lacquered wood, leaning against the desk for some support while Copia had his way with you. His hips gently rocked against your body, desperately rubbing himself against you as his lips attached themselves to your neck, kissing and licking at the exposed skin there. In frustration, he pulled your habit off your head and threw it to the ground, before placing his hands back at your hips. But those hands wandered as they loved to do, grabbing and squeezing at your body roughly, getting their fill of you after weeks of being deprived. He gripped onto your love handles, your stomach, moving his way up and groping at your breasts, squeezing and rubbing them beneath his gloves and your clothes. He caught hold of your nipples between his thumb and finger, while his teeth captured your ear and bit down gently.

“Copia!” You breathed, your hands moving to sit on top of his as they tweaked and pulled at your clothed nipples. Small moans escaped your lips as he toyed with your body, your pussy dripping and screaming for some attention.

Copia chuckled and released your ear. “Is she needy, hm? Needy for her Cardinal’s cock?”

“Please.”

“Sathanas - you have no idea how much I missed hearing you beg for me, amore.” He let go of your right nipple and ran his hand down your body, stopping at your crotch. He covered your cunt with his hand and gripped it. “Are you wet enough for my cock, I wonder? Are you ready for a good,” he slapped your cunt, “rough,” another slap, “fucking, hm?”

“Yes, Copia! Please!”

He lifted your habit and dipped his fingers into the waistband of your panties, hooking them against the elastic. “Tell me, amore. Tell me how much you want me to bend you over this desk and pound this cunt.” He pulled them down just enough to completely expose your bare pussy to him, a string of your wetness snapping when the fabric was pulled too far down your thighs.

“I w-want you so deep inside me. I’m so desperate for your c-cock, Copia. Please… please give it to me.” As you spoke, you felt him reach beneath his cassock and fumble with his clothes to free himself. “Fuck me, please!”

His hand came up to your shoulder blades and pushed you down flat against the desk. The other fisted his cock, stroking a few times before lining himself up with your dripping wet entrance.

“I won’t be gentle with you, amore.” His warning was delivered more like a threat, but it had your walls clenching nonetheless.

“Make it hurt.” You whispered.

He pushed in all the way to the hilt, not bothering to take it slow. He let your words go to his head and set a relentless pace inside of you, hitting your cervix deliciously and making you scream out with each thrust. Your cunt opened up for him just as easily as it always did, further proof that you were made for him. His hips snapped slowly, but roughly, making your entire body jiggle with the force of each one, and the heavy desk to slide across the floor.

Sliding into you felt like sliding home. After all the time he was away from you, he couldn’t have you, and hold you in his arms, there was a massive bout of relief that washed over him. This felt good, it felt right. It was everything he needed after all this time. And you felt the same way. You didn’t realise just how much you needed him and missed him until that moment.

Copia’s grunts as he rammed his cock inside you filled the room alongside the loud squelch of your cunt swallowing him whole. His hands were now attached to your hips, gripping onto them as tightly as he could, leaving red marks and bruises in his wake. Copia was so long and thick that he stretched you out so nicely, and he always made you feel so good inside. By the time he was finished with you, you were usually a sore, shaky pile on the bed, with little ability to move or even think. You could feel your knees weakening as Copia rearranged your insides, your whole body turning to mush at his hard mercy - a mercy he wasn’t willing to show you as he picked up his speed but maintained his roughness.

There was a dull ache that came with the head of his cock slamming into you as hard as he did, but you worshipped the feeling. After going so long without feeling him stretch and fuck you, you needed to feel him, no matter how much burning came with it.

Your ass jiggled more than normal as you moved your hips to meet his thrusts and arched your back as far as you could for him. He let loose a torrent of profanities in Italian, each one telling you how you felt incredible for him, wrapped around him and squeezing him so fucking tightly he could hardly breathe.

“Made to take this cock, eh?” He huffed, his Cardinal paints dripping from his face with the exertion of his movements. “Built for me to fuck whenever I wanted to. Cazzo! I didn’t take you as much as I should have. Should have had you hanging off my dick every fucking day. Closest to fucking Heaven I’ll ever get. Fuck!”

“Right th-there! Oh, fuck, Copia! Right there!” You moved your hand down to your clit and began to rub at it, furiously stroking your bundle of nerves and tightening around him, causing him to let out a groan so deep and gutteral, it had you whining for him.

“Always so tight for me, amore.” He breathed as he watched the cream from your pussy gather at the base of his cock. “Always so wet and pliant, taking everything I give you like a good fucking girl.”

He started thrusting more rapidly and erratically. The fingers that had been gripping your hips clenched even more tightly than before, as if he was afraid you may vanish at any moment and leave him without an orgasm.

“Copia! You - fuck! - You’re gonna make me cu-cum!” You could feel your toes curling in your shoes, your brain turning to mush at the feeling of him rearranging your insides like he hadn’t done before.

“Tell me, please, amore! Tell me how much you love this cock.”

“Copia, n-nobody could… compare! Nobody could ever… make me cum… like you. Fuck, Copia, I’m so close. Please!” You continued to work yourself into a frenzy, rubbing quickly over your clit and applying more pressure, your other hand gripping onto the edge of the desk so tightly your knuckles were turning white.

Your cunt cinched tighter around him, making him feel almost choked. As you reached your peak, it became extremely hard for him to move inside of you. Copia felt his knees turn to jelly from the force of his body, forcing him to thrust within you one last time before spilling his load into your twitching hole, a strangled groan falling from his throat as he bent at the waist, sweaty forehead resting on your back while he was emptying himself into you.

But he wasn’t done with you yet.

He pulled out of you, ignoring your whine at the loss of connection. You turned your body as much as you could to watch Copia fall to his knees behind you, groping your ass cheeks and pushing them upwards, in turn spreading your labia apart and watching as his cum spilled from you like honey from a wand. “So fucking filthy for me, amore. What a gift for me, eh? I was blessed by the Dark One, no?” With his hands still pulling your body apart, he dove into your cunt, licking the dripping cum from your hole first before playing with your sensitive clit when he’d deemed your labia clean enough.

His tongue came down on your hole again causing you to cry out in sensitivity as he dipped his tongue inside you, scooping out his seed and swallowing everything he’d gathered. The one hand that played with your clit was now tangled in his salt and pepper hair, pushing him deeper into your pussy as it screamed for a second release.

“Amore, does my tongue feel that good?” He tormented you with his remarks, stroking over your clit with his gloved fingers in place of his mouth for a little while. “It’s that good that I could make you cry like that? Merda! Listen to yourself.” To prove his point, he started to suck on your clit more forcefully, making the squelch of your heat louder with each rough move.

Following his actions you tried again to stifle your cries by biting your lower lip, but it didn’t work. Instead, your cum leaked out of your body onto his face, soaking his moustache as you came a second time. He was moaning at your taste, and you could hear him slurping everything up, like he was sipping from a water fountain. It wasn’t until you physically pushed him away, your body exhausted and shaking that he finally stopped tormenting you with his tongue, and backed up.

Like an old man usually would, he groaned as he stood up from his knees, gripping onto the desk to help him stand as his own body wasn’t responding as it should. You chuckled at him, a lazy laugh spilling from your lips as you watched him rest against the desk, tucking his soft cock back beneath his clothes. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and his chin still glistened with your release, his hands not wiping him clean yet for reasons unbeknownst to you. So, you fought with your own weakness to stand in front of him, and kissed him, your tongue popping out from behind your lips and licking up your juices from his lips. Once you pulled away, you rubbed your thumb over his chin and wiped up the excess of your cum, sucking it into your mouth.

“You shouldn’t do things like that,” he complained, “I’m too tired to fuck you again. Give me a few minutes.”

You laughed. “Rest and recover, old man.” You said, tapping his chest with your hand. You began to pull your panties back up and make yourself presentable. “What brought all that on?”

Copia explained his reasoning for coming to find you, that he didn’t intend on fucking you within an inch of your life, but he saw you and he had too much energy, too much adrenaline, he just couldn’t help himself. You listened intently, affectionately holding onto his arm and pressing soft kisses there every now and then. It wasn’t until he’d been silent for a few seconds that you realised tears were beginning to fall from his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he blubbed upon noticing you’d seen him, “I’m so sorry.”

Copia’s sudden apology caught you off guard. You reached up, gently wiping away the tears from his eyes. Concern crept into your voice as you asked, “What’s wrong, Copia? Why are you sorry?”

He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. “I… I just can’t believe how much I’ve hurt you. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I want it so badly.”

Your heart ached at the vulnerability in his eyes. You sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We can work through this, okay? We can figure things out together.”

He nodded, appreciating your understanding. “I love you, ___,” he confessed, his voice laced with sincerity. “I’ve never felt this way before, and I don’t want to lose you.”

You smiled, leaning in to kiss his forehead. “I love you too, Copia. But…”

He cried a little harder. “No, please, no ‘but’. Anything but that…”

“Sister Evelyn’s still going to be your Prime Mover. And I don’t want to be your mistress and share you with other people. Not like that, anyway.”

He wiped a tear from his cheek and rubbed his nose with his glove, taking a sniff before he spoke again. “I never wanted her in the first place. And I don’t intend on going through the ritual with her. I didn’t to begin with, and I definitely don’t now. Please don’t walk away from me.” He pulled you into a tight embrace, holding onto you as if afraid you might slip away. In that moment, you both clung to the hope that love could conquer the challenges you faced, no matter how complicated they seemed.

You could feel a storm approaching as the weight of Copia’s remarks hung in the air. Even after his sincere admission and your mutual hug, an overwhelming feeling of doubt clouded your relationship. You could not deny the truth of Sister Evelyn’s existence in Copia’s life as he clung to you.

“I can’t promise everything will be okay, Copia,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the silence that followed. “I want to believe in us, but it’s hard when there’s someone else in the picture. And with Sister Imperator pushing for this, I don’t see how we can get passed this.”

Copia’s grip tightened, a mix of desperation and fear painted across his features. “I know I messed up, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. Please, don’t leave me.”

Your heart ached at his plea, torn between the love you felt for him and the reality of the situation. “Copia, I need time. I need time to process everything and figure out what’s best for both of us.”

He pulled away slightly, his eyes searching yours for any sign of certainty. “Time,” he repeated, his voice carrying the weight of the unknown.

You nodded, tears welling up in your own eyes. “I don’t want to lose you, Copia. But I can’t be with you if it means sharing you with someone else. It’s just too much.”

A pained expression crossed Copia’s face, his emotions on full display. “What if… listen, the full moon and the ritual is in two days. Once the ritual is completed, nothing can change it. No Sister Imperator, no Sister Evelyn, no one. What if I performed it with you?”

Copia’s idea lingered in the air, an intriguing yet unsettling proposition. The weight of his words fell on the room, and you couldn’t help but feel a mixture of unease and want. The prospect of sharing such an intimate ritual with Copia sparked hope, but the history of grief and betrayal threw a shadow over the decision.

Your glance met his, looking for genuineness in his eyes. “The rite, Copia, is a sacred and binding ceremony. This isn’t something to take lightly. Are you sure that this is what you want? And can we honestly move on from what has happened?”

He nodded, a determined expression on his face. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. A life with you matters more to me than anything else.”

Despite your concerns, the honesty in Copia’s voice touched your heart. The thought of rewriting the story and starting again seemed appealing. However, the scars of the past warned of caution.“I want to believe in us, Copia,” you said, lowering your tone. “I’m scared. Is it possible for us to move passed everything that happened between us?”

Copia’s hand gently caressed your cheek. “I know it’s not going to be easy. It’s too late to undo the harm I caused you. But I’m willing to go to any length to get back what we had.”

His vulnerability mirrored yours, and for a brief time, you sensed a real yearning for redemption. The thought of standing at Copia’s side during the ceremony, rewriting the tale together, gave you a sense of hope. “One day, Copia. One day to think about it,” you said, your eyes locked with his. “If we’re going to do this, we need to be certain. No more secrets, no more pain.”

He nodded, understanding the weight of your words. “I’ll give you the time you need, ___.”

He kissed your hand and left the room, butterflies forming once more in his stomach. Copia couldn’t ignore the feelings of nervousness and optimism that swirled in his gut as he left your office. The weight of the coming ritual, the decision hanging in the balance, and the frailty of your connection all played out in his head like a symphony of doubts.

Copia returned to his office and slammed the door behind him, providing a brief respite from the turmoil outside. The room felt both familiar and foreign, reflecting his emotional rollercoaster ride. He took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself. His heart was warmed by the hope that lingered from your conversation. The thought of starting again and correcting the past with you by his side was a light in the shadows. Copia slumped on his desk, his thoughts racing with possibilities, worries, and a desire for a better future. For the first time in a long time, he felt a flicker of hope. The notion of sharing the sacred ceremony with you held out the potential of a new beginning. His ambition was fueled by a real desire to repair what had been broken.

As the night of the ceremony approached, the mood in the Ministry became electrified with excitement. The corridors were alive with whispered talks, and the air was thick with the weight of approaching events. The faithful assembled, dressed in ceremonial attire, and made their way to the Basilica di Lilith for the long-awaited ritual between Copia and Sister Evelyn.

You could feel the tension in the air like a physical force among the wave of followers. After careful consideration and talks with Riley and Aisha, the choice to carry out the rite alongside Copia was made. While the uncertainty persisted, a calm resolve grew within you. This was your night, the first night of many where you would be beside the man you loved - provided all went according to plan, of course.

Copia’s Ghouls had split, and the one half had made their way to a secret, smaller chapel in the Papa’s quarters: the Cappella di Venus, named after another woman who had been demonised by the Catholic Church, based from mistranslations, as usual. Catholics mistaking Venus rising before the Sun, bringing light to the world before the Sun had woken and drowned Her out, they had taken this to be a metaphor for the Devil challenging God, and in turn destroying everything She had, just as they had done for countless women throughout time; Hypatia, Jezebel, Lilith, Eve, Delilah. The list went on.

The Cappella di Venus, located in the heart of the Papal Quarters, radiated a sense of intimacy and secret that contrasted dramatically with the grandiosity of the Basilica di Lilith. Despite its modest size, the chapel was opulent and splendorous, providing a more private sanctuary for the Upper Clergy’s private rites.

The chapel’s entryway was embellished with beautifully carved wooden doors containing occult symbols. When these doors swung wide, they revealed an area that glistened with an otherworldly brilliance. The chapel was bathed in a warm and intimate brilliance from soft lights emanating from exquisite candelabras carefully positioned along the walls.

The architecture of the church reflected a bygone era, with vaulted ceilings covered in brilliantly coloured murals depicting scenes of celestial beauty. Every surface was embellished with gold highlights and intricate filigree, catching and reflecting the dancing candlelight. The air was fragrant with incense, producing an unearthly atmosphere that seemed to transcend the terrestrial realm.

The chapel’s centrepiece was a magnificent altar made of polished marble veined with deep crimson and ivory tones. A tapestry portraying the Emeritus bloodline’s symbol hung behind the altar, a quiet homage to the sacred lineage that ruled the ministry.

A life-sized statue of Venus, the venerated figure of love and beauty, presided over the chapel’s focal point. The statue was meticulously carved from marble and showed Venus with a calm look, carrying symbols of love and grace. Candlelight threw subtle shadows on the statue, giving the impression of movement within the stone.

The chapel’s velvet-cushioned pews formed a semicircle around the altar, creating an intimate atmosphere for the limited few who had access to this secret sanctuary. The chapel’s walls were embellished with stained glass windows representing images of historical significance to the Church, and tales from Venus’ mythology, transforming the ambient light into a kaleidoscope of colours that danced across the polished surfaces.

As you and the Ghouls took your places in the dimly lit chapel, the excitement in the air was obvious. Aisha and Riley stood by your side, bringing a mix of comfort and shared concern. The flowing shadows formed by the flickering candlelight created an atmosphere imbued with both mystery and holiness.

The atmosphere in the chapel appeared to increase in tensity as the minutes passed. The gentle rustle of velvet as Aisha shifted alongside you, as well as the occasional exchanged looks with Riley, expressed the shared fear. You cast sidelong looks towards the entryway, the carved wooden doors closed, separating you from the imminent ritual.

The Ghouls lined the chapel with solemn looks, dressed in their ceremonial attire. Their veiled features betrayed no emotion, adding to the seriousness of the situation. It was a dramatic contrast to the turmoil you were experiencing.

You couldn’t shake the feeling that Copia wouldn’t arrive on time, that circumstances beyond anyone’s control would derail the meticulously prepared arrangements. The weight of the impending rite pressed in on you, increasing the anxiety with each passing second.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps echoing in the corridor outside the chapel. The oak doors creaked open gently, exposing Copia standing there in his scarlet cardinal robes, the remainder of his Ghouls following behind him. As you caught his gaze, a rush of relief washed over you, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of anxiety. His eyes were a mix of tenacity and vulnerability, expressing the turmoil of his emotions.

Copia entered the chapel with measured steps, the doors closing behind him with a soft thud. The Ghouls separated to make way for him as he approached. The mood shifted, the coming ritual’s heaviness settling over the chapel like a heavy shield.

He took your hands into his as Aisha took her spot between the two of you, and placed a kiss on the back of them. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, “I had to dodge a few Sibling latecomers.”

“You’re here now, that’s all that matters.” You said, a smile on your red lips.

Aisha sighed. “It won’t be long before Imperator figures out what’s going on, can we get started please?”

In secret, Aisha had taken a white candle and carved it on two sides, one with the symbol of Venus, the other with the symbol of Lucifer - together representing the freedom to love whomever one chooses. The candle was placed in a dish, similar in shape to a martini glass (but the bowl was rounder and the stem was a little shorter) and while you and Copia held it, Aisha lit the candle. “May the Father guide you on your future together,” Aisha said as the candle began to burn down, “and may the Lover bless your union in Her name.” The candle would continue burning after the ceremony had been completed, and once it had burned away, it was said that the remaining smoke would help to bless the couple, and banish negative spirits.

A special oil had been concocted the day before, too, this time by Riley. Using the same book that Aisha was reading from during the ceremony, Riley had crafted an oil known to enhance love and bring abundance, made from roses, patchouli and vanilla, as a symbolic gesture to boost passion, and create a magnetic energy that drew people together. After the candle had begun burning, Aisha took the condiment-sized bowl filled with the oil, and drew the Satanic Cross over yours and Copia’s forehead, right where your third eye would be. “May Lucifer protect you and your union from outside evil.”

Venus, personified in the statue that overlooking the event, cast an ethereal gaze upon it. The warm glimmer of candlelight reflected off the Goddess’s marble face, granting Her presence an unearthly atmosphere, while the light of the full moon bathed the chapel in the rainbow of colours, as if she was bearing witness alongside Venus as well as lending Her power to the ceremony.

You and Copia swapped rings as the rite neared its conclusion, a symbolic union that Satanism kept given its roots in ancient Roman weddings. The ring planned for Sister Evelyn was now on your finger, already blessed and ready for a life bound to an Emeritus.

As the rite came to a close, you and Copia kissed, confirming the tie formed in the sacred chamber of the Cappella di Venus. The bond felt profound, a joining of fates that resisted the tyranny of a false prophecy. The kiss embodied relief, an unconscious acknowledgment that, for that brief moment, the outside world and its difficulties had vanished.

You could feel a gentle presence lingering in the chapel after the rite, as if the ghosts of Venus, Lucifer, and Lilith Themselves were looking over the unhallowed site. The energy left behind was a harmonic blend of celestial elements, and the flickering candlelight seemed to dance with renewed life.

It was done - and no one was able to stop or break it.

Barely thirty minutes after the ritual had completed, chaos broke loose. The consequences of your secret ritual were sure to make an appearance that night, given the fact that Copia had jilted his initial Prime Mover at the altar, and ruined the ritual for another month, but that was before Sisters Imperator and Evelyn had discovered the ritual had already been completed with another woman. They both came charging into Copia’s home - now yours, too - unannounced, Sister Evelyn’s red dress flowing behind her like a hellish princess only to find you and Copia entangled in each other’s arms after enjoying one another’s bodies, the blessed ring nestled comfortably on your finger and an uncharacteristic, shit-eating grin on Copia’s face.

The air crackled with unspoken tension as Sister Imperator’s stern expression deepened.

“What is the meaning of this?” Sister Imperator’s voice cut through the room like a whip. “Copia, explain yourself.”

Copia remained where he was, uncaring who saw you wrapped in his arms. You were both covered by sheets, but even still he felt both exposed yet powerful. “Isn’t it obvious? I chose ___ as my Prime Mover. The ritual has been completed.”

Sister Evelyn’s eyes flickered with a mixture of fury and hurt. “You… you betrayed me, Copia?”

Copia’s grin faded slightly, almost guilty. “Betrayal implies there was trust to begin with. I never intended to go through that ritual with you, Eve, and you know that. I suppose your father will be pissed, though.”

“Of course, he wants the best for me.”

Copia flinched, a cockiness coming from somewhere he’d never used before. It was turning you on to see, if you were being honest with yourself. “Will you tell her, or do I have to? Not fair to keep her in the dark now, is it, Sister?”

Sister Evelyn’s expression shifted from hurt to simmering anger. Her eyes bore into Copia, a storm of conflicting emotions playing out on her face. The revelation of her father’s involvement added another layer of complexity to the unfolding drama.

“I will handle this,” Sister Imperator interjected, her tone firm and commanding. “Evelyn, leave us. I need to speak with Copia alone.”

“No,” Sister Evelyn demanded, “someone is going to tell me what’s going on before I lose my shit at all of you! I’ve been jilted, humiliated and betrayed and now I demand some fucking answers!”

Copia’s defiance wavered for a moment, but then he sighed. “The prophecy is a farce, Eve. It was all a huge lie to get me in power so she could do what she wanted with the Church and your father could get a bit of control.”

“Her dad?” You gasped from beside Copia, earning you a slight chuckle from him. “Oh shit, that explains it.”

While he spoke, he still held onto you, his fingers stroking up and down your bare back softly. “The three sixes in a prophecy is for the antichrist, not for you.”

Sister Evelyn’s anger intensified at the revelation, and she shot a venomous glare at Sister Imperator. “Is this true?” She demanded, her voice sharp and accusatory.

Sister Imperator, ever composed, met Sister Evelyn’s gaze without flinching. “The prophecy was a means to an end, Evelyn. The emergence of the antichrist is crucial for the Church’s future. Copia’s ascension was a necessary step.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened, her disbelief evident. “But I thought… I thought I was meant to be his Prime Mover.”

Copia’s grip on you tightened, a silent reassurance amidst the unfolding chaos. “You were a pawn in this, just like me. I never wanted the ‘Papa’ role, I’m certainly no antichrist, and I’m sorry your fate was tangled up in this so your father could gain some power. Go, be free. Enjoy a new life with fewer responsibilities.”

Sister Evelyn, caught between hurt and anger, took a step back. “I can’t believe I let myself be manipulated like this.” She looked directly at Sister Imperator. “Fuck you. For all of this!”

“Hey, Eve?” Copia said, his voice gentle but the same shit-eating grin appearing on it as before. “We’re looking for a new Cardinal to fill the role in the Upper Clergy - how about it? A bit unconventional but I think you could do well, no?”

Sister Evelyn smiled, eyes never leaving Sister Imperator’s. “I’ll take it.”

Sister Imperator’s nostrils flared, her displeasure evident. She turned back to Copia, angrier than ever. “This disobedience will not be tolerated. You will face the consequences.”

“How?” You said, finally joining in on the conversation to deliver the final blow. “Exposing him means exposing you, too. Would you really want to risk it, Sister?”

A tense silence filled the room as Sister Imperator assessed the situation, her steely gaze shifting between Copia, Sister Evelyn, and you. The balance of power teetered on the brink, and the impending clash of wills hung in the air like a storm about to break. She hated not having the upper hand, not being in control and dominating the underlings. She was, however, a smart woman, who knew when to cut her losses and concede. But if either of you thought this would end here, you’d be wrong. She’d be back with something else, some other way to exert her power and control. But for now she simply muttered, “This isn’t over!” And stormed out, like the world’s worst Scooby Doo villain.

Sister Evelyn, no… Cardinal Evelyn, now with a pep in her step bid the both of you goodbye with the promise of seeing Copia on Monday to make good on his word, leaving the both of you alone in your marital bed.

You climbed on top of Copia’s lap, the bedsheets falling from your body and exposing your nakedness to him in all your glory. “You know, that confidence was very hot of you, Cardinal.” You said, your voice teasing and suggestive.

Copia laughed. “Oh was it, now?”

“Mhmm.”

“How hot?”

“Let me show you.”

And with that, you leaned down and kissed him, a passionate kiss that had him growing hard beneath you again, refractory period now over and ready to take you one final time before you both slept.

Previous Part ⛧ Next Part

Hello, everyone! Mel here.

I just wanted to thank everyone for your continued support since I started posting Kinktober last year, but also now with Lost in Translation. It really means the world to me that you not only read my fics, but also leave comments and share it around, so thank you so, so much! Truly, you don't know how much this means to me.

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theia-eos · 9 months ago

Note

Hello!

small question about "shadows of the crimean liberation"

in chapter 11 how come Janaff and Ulki didn't recognize Soren as a black dragon branded? I understand for story reasons but you mention specifically that they don't know even after meeting Deghinsea and Kurthnaga in Goldoa so I was wondering if there was another reason too?

Ah, thank you for asking! I do plan to go into it more in other stories, but since it would be from the point of view of characters who don't have the whole picture, I'm happy to provide a top down view.

There a few components to consider.

The first being that Micaiah and Soren recognize that there is something powerful and ancient within each other respectively during Radiant Dawn.

Soren: The Maiden of Dawn… What are you? One of the Branded, that’s for sure. But there is something else about you… Power. Yes, I can feel it in you. You possess great power. Micaiah: Yes, and you would know. There’s something very different about you, too. Your energy feels so…ancient. You and I seem to have so much in common. Radiant Dawn, "Blood Contract," Chapter 3-13

So there is some ancient energy within Soren, this is clear foreshadowing to Soren being descended from the Ancient Black Dragon King himself. Micaiah having some unique great power is a likely reference to her being the apostle and having inherited Lehran's ability to hear the Voice of the Goddess and awaken the goddesses.

The other, and most important, component is that Tibarn, Naesala, Reyson, and Caineghis all go to the meeting with Deghinsea and Kurthnaga, and presumably Ranulf, Janaff, Ulki, and Nealuchi all accompany their kings. Many of them speak to, with, and are around Soren, and none of them notice in the game. This despite Tibarn saying later on in Radiant Dawn that:

Tibarn: That Almedha is a formidable woman. At first I doubted her claim that she was the daughter of that useless old lizard. But even I had trouble holding her down. Me! She’s no ordinary beorc woman, that’s for sure. Elincia: I agree. Lady Almedha and Prince Kurthnaga share a striking resemblance, as well. Not just their faces, but their mannerisms, too. Tibarn: Is that how beorc spot blood relations? We laguz use scent, mainly. Speaking of which, something has been bothering me about Almedha. She has no distinct scent. It’s as if she is neither beorc nor laguz. Elincia: She actually told me something that I wanted to ask you about. She said that she lost her power when she became pregnant with King Pelleas. Radiant Dawn, "Unforgivable Sin," Chapter 4-5

The Extended Scripts expand on it a bit more

[ティバーン] そうか…ベオクはそうやって判断するのか。▼ [��リンシア] ラグズは、どうな��るんですか？▼ [ティバーン] 主に匂いだな。▼ ラグズとベオクは大きく違うし、ラグズの中でも種に応じて違う。 …俺たちはそうやって個体を見分ける。▼ が、あのアムリタという女は…… どこかおかしい。▼ Radiant Dawn, "Unforgivable Sin," Chapter 4-5

The basic gist being that each type of laguz has its own unique type of scent in addition to the major difference in scent between laguz and beorc. You can read a fan translation by the always lovely amielleon here.

Tibarn also remarks a few sentences later (fan translation, again, provided by amielleon) that "Parentless" have a scent closer to a beorc.

[ティバーン] 黒竜王がベオクと交わったとでも？それは、天地がひっくりかえってもありえねえ話だろうぜ。▼ ”親無し”は、むしろベオクに近い匂いがするって話だ。それでもないから…分からん。▼ Radiant Dawn, "Unforgivable Sin," Chapter 4-5

But that clearly means they have elements of both laguz and beorc in their scent, just more beorc than laguz. (This makes it clear why laguz who aren't in the know, like Skrimir or Vika, could mistake a Branded for a beorc, but Tibarn is clearly in the know and can pick up on however small that differentiation is).

And yet no one, not even he-who-spoils-the-Black-Knight-reveal-almost-certainly-based-on-scent-alone Ranulf, notices that Soren is dragon branded, let alone related to Dheginsea or Kurthnaga. Or if they do, they are weirdly and uncharacteristically quiet about it. Which some of them would be quiet (Ranulf is more of a quiet investigator, but even he has moments of cheek "I know what your secret is" [though maybe he's just trying not to upset Soren by keeping quiet]), and others (especially Tibarn) would never be quiet about that tidbit of information ("You'd let your own grandson die by sending us back to the Kauku Caves?" [I love Tibarn, but if he knew, he'd say something for certain when they're in Goldoa in Radiant Dawn, despite the fact that the revelation would kill Soren on the spot(of mortification)]).

So, why does Pelleas have to figure it out? Kurthnaga travels with the Greil Mercenaries in Part 4 and can fight alongside Soren in the Tower, and yet, nothing??? His own nephew is right there, and nothing???

I have nothing, no really good info from the games, so I have to come up with my own answers based on what little we do get.

So back to why can't anyone recognize what Soren's scent is. If the games don't give me the info I want, then I'll make it up.

Well. as Tibarn says, Almedha has no scent that is distinctive of either beorc or laguz. Beorc and laguz have different scents, and the different tribes have their own unique notes as well.

I've decided that the "beorc scent" is of different varities of metals (copper, gold, silver, tin, etc.) and the "laguz scent" is more earthy. Beast tribes being herbal (I reference lions having a basil note later on in that story), bird tribes being more air/water (herons smelling of petrichor, ravens like a storm, etc.), and dragons being stony (black dragons having a subtle clay scent, etc.). Soren mostly gains the metallic scent of beorc, as Tibarn describes, and since laguz have difficulty smelling anything beyond metal scents, the more subtle earthen smell is lost, they just know it's not all beorc if they're more aware than the average laguz.

In addition to that, he has an ancient power from his maternal grandfather within him that Micaiah can sense., and Reyson can also sense to a smaller degree. Maybe it alters Soren's scent a little, maybe not. I'm undecided as of right now.

So Soren just sits there, being a little enigma, because you would have to get up close and personal and smell him to get the obscured notes of his dragon scent, and no laguz is doing that. (Would be funny if the dragon laguz scent notes were stronger in his breath since he's a dragon. Like he just sighs very heavily because of someone annoying him and Ranulf or someone else with a sensitve sense of smell sitting next to him is like "!!!").

And that's why no one can tell he's black dragon for the moment.

#fe9/10 #fe9 #fe10 #tellius #fire emblem path of radiance #path of radiance #fire emblem radiant dawn #radiant dawn #fire emblem #taking fantasy settings too seriously #mostly just headcanons #The amount of canon material used in this post #is equivalent to the amount of flavor in La Croix #its there #but not really

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marmota-b · 6 months ago

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Redemption Arcs, Christian hegemony, and why I don't like the former term as often applied

This discussion around redemption and suffering and characters earning their redemption by suffering has been floating around for quite a while, and I’m not a Tumblr user (well, I am now) so I occasionally came across it, and then lost track of it again. It was very, very interesting and thought-provoking, and it sat at the background of my musings for quite a while, until I decided that I still feel strongly about it, strongly enough to join Tumblr and add my two cents (well, given the length of what I ended up with, more like twenty dollars). But I lost track of the original posts I reacted to, so I’m sorry if some of this ended up a bit confusing. I still want to share it because - you may be surprised, but as a Christian, I actually agree wholeheartedly: this idea about redemption arcs and suffering is wrong and needs to go away.

(I still use the term in AO3 tags, because it's an established tag, but I decided to start using my preferred term, too, where applicable. Also, the idea that characters earn redemption by suffering? Heck no, that's not going to happen in my stories - and if you see them sliding into something resembling it, without making clear the nuances I get into below, I BEG YOU to point it out to me.)

Because I would argue that what it says is not based in Christianity at all, it's actually directly contrary to Christianity.

TL;DR: It's not a Christian idea because there is a distinct lack of Christ in it. And we should call it the repentance arc.

Since I wrote the basis of this whole thing in my own notes years ago, I have also come across the term “Atonement Arc”, and how the idea of atonement is rooted in Jewish traditions. I haven’t really read through the discussions of it yet, but I believe the main gist is that the latter has to do with making amends while the former can be passive. And, well, despite the differences, Christianity stems from Judaism so it actually still maintains some of the same ideas - or at least the version of it I grew up in does. So I have zero problems with this distinction, I agree. I just disagree with many people's careless usage of the term redemption. Therefore I maintain that the sort of thing in fiction people are railing against and that we’re used to calling Redemption Arcs should be called Repentance Arcs, and this is a discussion of why. And why you may still use the term Redemption Arc in some very specific instances. Please do read the long version, because the above will hopefully make a lot more sense if you do, and I suspect various aspects of Christianity (and the whole big contradictory mess of various churches) may also begin to make more sense if you do.

Another needed forewarning so you know exactly where I’m coming from: I’m not Catholic. I’m Czech, and a member of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, which, an immediate warning to those familiar with (American) evangelicals, is NOT THAT either, it’s just a bit of a translation hitch that got codified in the English version of my church’s name. The short of it is that we’re a bit of a unicorn and actually came about by unifying different strands of Protestant Christianity, are currently on the liberal side of things, and reside in a country that’s currently overwhelmingly agnostic. So, not Catholic, not evangelical in the English meaning of the word. I suspect a lot of the ideas that may lead to this particular idea about redemption are specifically Catholic(-adjacent), or maybe in some cases may stem from the “us versus the world” attitude evangelicals in the English sense often adopt (which does also seem to make them maybe particularly fond of certain aspects of early Christianity that I will touch on below), and I cannot really comment on either end of the spectrum from an insider POV - what you get here is the POV of someone who knows just enough to possibly be able to pinpoint it exactly, or possibly get it entirely wrong.

All I can say on that subject is that if these ideas do officially exist in Roman Catholicism, it’s probably exactly why there are so many other Christian churches that don’t agree with Roman Catholicism, see Final Notes waaay below. Also, from what I do know of Roman Catholicism, if the idea does officially exist, there’s probably a lot of theological legalism and subsequent zig-zagging around its own limitations that got them there, and it quite likely does not mean entirely what people think it means. My own church gets out of a lot of those theological legalisms and meanderings that other churches can get mired in by openly accepting several different historical creeds and essentially answering many “either-or” dogmatic questions with “Both. Both is good.” While it can make us annoyingly lukewarm about a lot of things, it does help in maintaining a degree of healthy scepticism about human conclusions about God. Two sides of the same coin, really.

Anyway.

The idea of earning your redemption through suffering is definitely an attractive narrative idea; I’ve definitely succumbed to its dubious charms myself many times, and probably will again in the future. But what it actually says about redemption isn’t at its core a Christian idea. It’s just our baser instincts appropriating Christian language; it’s a twisted idea that seems Christian on the surface but isn’t at all at its core. It’s not Christian faith that tells you you have to suffer to earn your redemption; it’s the lack thereof, it’s an insufficiency of faith.

What this idea about “redemption arcs” says is that you can, or indeed that you have to, earn your own redemption on your own.

What Christianity actually says is “You can’t, but you do not have to fear and fret because Jesus did it for you.”

The response to that, then, is repentance: recognising you did something wrong, and atoning for it by making amends and sinning no more.

So, yeah, Christianity doesn’t negate that at all - at least not Christianity as I know it. (Jesus doesn’t tell people “go, it’s okay to do whatever you like now,” nor, ahem, “go and get yourself killed”; he says “go and sin no more.”) Roughly speaking, and take this as my own lay interpretation of course, what Christianity says in opposition to other religions is that your redemption for all eternity and the reparation of your relationship with God isn’t necessarily dependent on how well you manage to make amends before you die, or whether other people accept your efforts, and other things like that that you may not always be able to do anything about. (Can you predict the time of your own death to time your atonement wisely? Of course not.) It can be okay between you and God if you accept that it is because He chose to give you that chance; and now it’s simply up to you to go and act the part.

Zacheus is an exemplary New Testament case hitting all those beats like clockwork. Jesus chooses to visit him; and it’s only after that is already decided that Zacheus announces his intention to make amends and change his ways. We have zero indication that Zacheus suffered anything beyond a change in lifestyle; but at the same time, the story would not be what it is without Zacheus deciding on that change. It’s a sort of mutual process that reflects back and forth, and both sides do their part, but Jesus starts the process.

(My own lay interpretation; but I have heard pretty much this exact description of the relationship between God and people as being started by God but from that point onwards being mutually reflective, from both a Catholic deacon and a minister of my own amalgamated Czech Protestant church, so I think it’s safe to say it’s a more universally Christian idea.)

And Jesus speaks about being given to save mankind, he speaks about the need to repent or else perish, he tells stories about people being saved by someone else’s intervention. In all of that, I don’t recall him ever saying “you need to suffer for your redemption.” Suffering is a result of not being redeemed, or just of living in a broken world, not a prerequisite for redemption.

I think this whole notion above of how the popular idea of suffering for your redemption isn’t really Christian at all may also be a bit clearer to me because I’m Czech and you basically can’t say “redemption arc” in Czech to describe a character’s individual story arc. The Czech term for “redemption” retains the original meaning of “to redeem”: “to buy out (of a bond/punishment)”. And the reflexive form of the verb (“to redeem oneself”)... doesn’t really happen much in Czech. Maybe because we actually have a verb for “to become/make yourself better (in behaviour)” instead that could well be used in the non-religious contexts for that process? But the language does also reflect the fact that you usually need a separate Redeemer for that transaction to take place.

That’s a bit of a language aside (my hobby horse), but it does point out some important things regarding the Christian idea of redemption: It is, so to speak, a transaction where the sinner is an object, not the primary actor. Which sounds kind of weird summed up this way but - the primary actor is exactly where the two ideas about redemption clash, and why, as a Christian, I wholeheartedly agree with the distinction between redemption and atonement.

What’s Christian, admittedly, is the idea that some suffering is involved in the transaction; but the whole point of Christianity is that it isn’t the sinner who suffers it. Without that central idea, it’s not Christianity - if there’s no Redeemer involved, there’s no Christ for Christianity to be named after in the first place!

Of course, most fictional universes lack such a Redeemer, and that’s probably where our baser instincts clamouring for blood crowd back in. I think the existence of those instincts is basically why Christianity does involve the element of suffering: People kind of instinctively know that some offences cannot be so easily swept away. For some people it’s very personal. But that presence of suffering in Christianity is still a message of hope and reconciliation - if both sides can accept it.

If not, I think it’s actually equally a message of hope for the victims in that God knows what it’s like.

There is also, admittedly, some talk of “suffering with Christ”; but as far as I can remember, the people explaining Christianity in biblical times always present it as a consequence / choice, not a prerequisite. I also need to point out the use of “with Christ” rather than “instead of” (duh). I strongly suspect that kind of talk was at least partially a result of the fact that in the beginning of Christianity, the likelihood of you suffering for it was pretty high. (It still is in some parts of the world, isn't it? Also, while we're on the subject, kriff off to some American evangelicals who know next to nothing about the rest of the world and think they're being persecuted.)

Speaking of which, I believe I do actually have something of an idea where Roman Catholicism may have gotten its martyrdom for redemption tendencies, and how that may have filtered down into a much cruder idea that forgets a Redeemer exists. There’s a concept of “baptism of blood” in Roman Catholicism. This comes from stories of early Christianity and persecution of Christians (and I guess also persecution of Christians in other parts of the world in later eras), about people who became Christian by belief but were killed before they were baptised. In other words, it’s a legal loophole for the technicality demanding baptism for salvation. As you may guess… I’m personally a bit wary of thinking God can’t see someone is a believer if they happen to yet not be baptised. As I said, Catholics probably got there by somewhat convoluted theological meanderings. For all I know it probably started out as a reassurance for the loved ones of such people.

It’s easy to see how someone (the whole of the Roman Catholic church, sarcasm adds) can get carried away by such stories of martyrs, and kind of forget that it’s not the death but the belief that matters most. It becomes an aspirational trope instead of an explanation of harsh realities.

One thing to bear in mind here is also that a lot of “Hollywood Christianity” is about as accurate as “Hollywood history” - I guess they often go hand in hand, too. A lot of the things in popular culture, ideas and imagery that you might think are inherently Christian, are in fact more of a fanfiction of a fanfiction of a fanfiction of a fanfiction, where the original fanfic is most likely Paradise Lost or medieval legends steeped in eclecticism. In other words, nothing involved in that chain of inspiration is actually Biblical canon. Or maybe, in some cases, it is one particular aspect of one specific branch of Christianity and its theology, magnified out of proportion. So… maybe roughly Christian in origin, yes, but not at all representative of Christianity’s core beliefs. (Much like, say, the Golem legend is one of the most famous and “typical” Jewish narratives out there, but it hardly has anything to do with the life and faith of practising Jews nowadays, and the various riffs on it in popular culture even less so. I think that’s one pronouncement about another religion I can make safely.)

So, yeah, from my position as a Christian, the term “redemption arc” needs to go - unless there actually is a Redeemer.

(Come to think of it, I may have to start using an Atonement tag on AO3, too, where applicable.)

It’s safe to say that Edmund in Narnia does have a redemption arc; but as that’s the case, it’s also important to note in this context that he in fact lives to apply its lessons. An actual redemption arc does not require the penitent’s death.

An argument could perhaps be made for Darth Vader having a redemption arc, but absolutely not because he dies in the process; it’s because he is loved despite everything and finally chooses to respond to that love. He might arguably have an even better redemption arc if he actually stayed alive like Edmund does (although I guess his death is a neat tying off of loose ends from other narrative standpoints. It’s the sort of thing one could, and fandom does, argue about for decades.)

On the other hand, Kallus in Star Wars: Rebels has a repentance / atonement arc, and it’s a very good one in my opinion. He doesn’t earn his redemption by suffering, he suffers because he’s chosen to make amends and do better from now on and the odds he faces are too high. It’s sort of acknowledged in the show itself, I think, when Kanan tells him “Thank you for risking everything.” Kallus’ risking everything wasn’t a way for him to earn his redemption; it was a sign of his already being one of the good guys now, and so he is thanked for his efforts, because they do count, they don’t exist just to balance his account to zero.

The same applies to Edmund, in fact: he goes on to face the White Witch in battle, and he nearly dies in the process, but that’s actually after Aslan’s sacrifice (and after he’s had his one-on-one conversation with Aslan), and he’s in danger simply because the Witch is a powerful opponent and Aslan’s intervention has given him the courage to fight her to begin with.

I’m trying to figure out where that other famous repenting dead, Boromir, falls in all this; but I think you could make the same argument even there. Boromir sees his fast-approaching death as a failure in the face of overwhelming odds; Aragorn reassures him that he did not fail, that he had in fact won, because he did turn back from the Ring’s influence and chose to do the right thing, regardless of consequences. (I’m speaking about the book here because that’s the version of events I’m closely familiar with.)

With all that said and laid bare, I think I now actually have an idea of how this whole situation may, in fact, have originated in Christianity. But it would have happened in a very indirect manner, with false turns along the way.

Aside from the “baptism of blood” technicality, I think the main source of this annoying trope may be one that kind of got degraded and lost some of its crucial components, especially the faith involved, over time. You see, in openly Christian works, you may get a dying repentant who dies in peace and reconciliation. But the point is, that happens because of the Christian idea that the relationship between you and God is what matters the most. So if you recognise your sins and actively regret and accept God’s forgiveness, that’s what matters the most, so it does not matter that you’re dying and will never get the chance to set things right in this world. It’s a comforting thought; it’s a thought that reassures you that even if you decide to change and then get hit by a car and die the very next day, or the very decision to do the right thing is immediately costing your life, the decision to change was not for naught. And in an openly Christian work, some variation on that may be stated outright.

But then it also may not be stated outright if a Christian writer assumes they’re writing for a Christian audience who knows that.

(The one instance that stands out to me clearly, and that helped me see it for what it is, is Old Wabble in Karl May’s books. KM may be problematic in many respects, but at least here he went out and had his characters say what he meant instead of just relying on a trope.)

From there, of course, it’s only one step to the Boromir situation, where the work itself isn’t exactly openly Christian but the author is and is operating in that mindset. ( It also does support the thought that Darth Vader’s repentance/redemption arc is rooted in Christian ideas and tropes. I’m not really refuting the fact that the trope is probably Christian in origin - I’m criticising its execution in most cases that dilutes those Christian origins and leads to frankly dangerous ideas about the nature of redemption / repentance. And the nature of Christianity.)

Here the problem begins, because then non-Christian authors (or Christian writers who don’t think things through) pick up the narrative device without the underlying thought.

And then you reverse-engineer the underlying thought from the prevalent trope and get it exactly wrong.

So, again, I propose the latter term: We should call it the repentance arc. It hits the beats that pretty much all such character arcs need to hit - even the ones where you might argue for the presence of a Redeemer. The point is the changing of one's attitude, not the suffering. And it’s actually a more accurate term for Christianity, too, one that won’t lead Christians to believe things they shouldn’t. (Just how much suffering is enough? As a Christian, you should not think that way.) So it’s an overall much better term for all sides.

Unless, of course, other religions have other takes on this and disagree with that particular term, in which case we might have to keep looking.

On that note, I also wonder, and can’t really comment on, where other European religions and belief systems like those of Ancient Greece and Rome or the Celts or Old Norse fall on this issue. Because I also think a lot of “culturally Christian but actually not rooted in Christianity” ideas from European/white society may actually originate from that whole period when becoming officially Christian was politically expedient (whether for prestige or safety), and so you got a whole load of Europeans who were officially Christian but retained a lot of their old worldviews. Bang, you get a weird eclectic mixture of contradictory things nowadays called “Christian Europe”. Like, say, the whole Arthurian cycle; there is a lot in there that, as a non-medieval Christian raised on a diet of the Bible and Czech Protestant tradition, I look at and go “what the heck is that even supposed to be?!”

(C.S. Lewis calls some of Augustine's opinions "pagan hangover", which, if you forgive the term "pagan", is quite hilarious, and might be fairly accurate for a lot of "Christian" European culture. I'm not saying that it doesn't form a big part of Christian tradition - just that it's often not a very essential part of it, and that after two thousand years we can probably safely say getting rid of a lot of it doesn't make us not-Christian. And vice versa, clinging too close to some of it does carry the danger of making us barely Christian at all.)

Final Notes:

This owes a lot to Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (although the "pagan hangover" above is from Four Loves). It also owes a lot to my lived experience as a Christian in a church that pays quite a lot of heed to the written word, which paradoxically means it’s rather hard for me to pinpoint my sources. Some sort of textual criticism has been par for the course since childhood, and tends to form a crucial part of what sermons are like in my church (look at a text, compare it to its original form or different translations, compare to context and similar texts, compare to cultural background, draw conclusions on what the Bible is actually saying and what it might be saying to us today). So I have a lot of this critical thinking internalised and can’t remember where I came by it.

And: I’m no theologian, but since this has already turned into “Christianity 101”, and because it feels thematically relevant, this is also exactly why the idea of Purgatory - and potentially also selling indulgences for the Purgatory - is controversial and not at all universally embraced by all Christians. The latter phenomenon’s shtick of “you may have to suffer for your redemption but if you pay us money we promise you some of it will be shaved off” is, of course, super controversial and I believe basically the original reason Western Christianity fell apart in the late Middle Ages/Early Modern Age. (We started the actual falling apart here in Czechia, I think I can claim a degree of lay expertise on the subject.)

Purgatory, in itself, is one of the things I mentioned above as things in “Hollywood Christianity” that are far more than Christian in general actually one particular aspect of one particular strand of Christianity, magnified out of proportion - I suspect even in Roman Catholicism, most people nowadays don’t think about the Purgatory too much on an everyday basis; it’s not what the core of their belief hinges on. Meanwhile, as far as I can tell from limited exposure, Purgatory in popular culture is very often basically a “Christian” (emphasis on quotation marks) version of the Greek netherworld where Sisyfos keeps pushing his boulder and Orpheus may descend into it to rescue his Eurydice but then there are also demons and devils because the writer wants to eat the cake and also keep it, in terms of what tropes and cultural influences to use. (And by this point these tropes are so deeply entrenched in popular culture that most writers probably don’t realise that’s what they’re doing.)

So, yeah, just because something in popular culture is “Christian” does not mean that a practising Christian will recognise its shape, or that they won’t roll their eyes at it or cringe heavily over explicit or implicit ideas that hit far and wide of what Christianity is actually about. Because goodness do I cringe. The “Christian hegemony” often isn’t good for Christians, either.

Well. I think that's about the extent of the twenty dollars my ADHD brain came up with. I hope it helps at least some people see things from a different perspective.

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xenosagaepisodeone · 2 years ago

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so after a few days of my expedition through the way back machine, I finally come across one of these

(it's machine translated but you get the gist)

its not a secret that Xenosaga II initially received a lukewarm reception from fans due to it's aesthetic overhaul, truncated plot and average gameplay. a lot of the jp xeno fansites on the way back machine cease having any archived trace around 2005/2006, not too long after the game was released in 2004. i wasn't quick to assume that fan interest of the game died with II as the mid aughts saw a lot of webmasters retooling their online presence in response to the rapid changes occuring in web culture (and my persistant digging into individual cases often reveals that they just changed domains :p). finding an actual "this broke my heart" in response to a piece of media feels like uncovering some long lost treasure. people are disappointed by art they love all the time, but you rarely see anyone feel betrayed so deeply that they can't bear to look at it anymore. that they feel as if they witnessed something die. you may be "over" the movie franchise that pumped out a bad sequel or some really annoying discourse, but nobody acts like that guy from The People vs George Lucas who smashes all of his star wars merch after seeing the prequel trilogy anymore. some bitter, lingering attachment persists that keeps franchised media alive, forever. there is a hole in this person's heart that fanfiction and doujin were unable to fix, a black abyss that drew cruel borders around art, writing, friends, communities and the website they lovingly maintained to keep these things close to them for years, and enveloped them alongside the devastation of Episode II. this is love stretched into indifference. this is liberation from Fandom Samsara. this is Fandom Asceticism.

#xenosaga #upload #space lesbians

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trenphimdang · 1 year ago

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artist spotlight | Ngọt

Ngọt is a four-member pop rock from viet nam formed in 2013. they continue to push the boundaries of viet nam's musical landscape with their unique sound and music. their songs are rich in nostalgia that cause listeners (me) to melancholically yearn for a distant past; like a sweet dream you abruptly wake up from, forgetting exactly what happened but remembering the feelings that did happen. Ngọt captures this exact feeling well in their music.

Mấy Khi (2022)

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this is the song that got me into Ngọt. Mấy Khi, or "once in a while," (note: this phrase is difficult to translate so i am giving you the gist of what it means) is a song that celebrates the feeling of liberation and freedom, unrestricted by the stresses from life. in the true ethos of punk music, this song resists and opposes oppressive institutions. the group disparages the value of money, by first indicting the debilitating stress of not ever having enough money and the stress of debt in this late-capitalist world and second, mourning the little time we have with the people we love in life.

"mình không mấy khi gần nhau lâu" (i won't directly translate this line into english as i believe doing so would be negligent of the beauty of this line) this line essentially asks "when is the next time we will be together?" i love that this song both grapples with the suffering under a capitalist world yet also illuminates viable ways of living: to love, to cherish, to be free. and thus, my love for this group began.

LẦN CUỐI (2019)

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i would be deeply remiss, even disrespectful, to not honor this song with its own section. if i had a dollar for every time i listened to this song and dropped to my knees, eyes wet, clutching my heart ululating the second chorus, i would have enough money to rent out the largest music stadium in asia for a private concert. i can only dream of experiencing this song reverberate across a stadium both lacerating the walls and healing it with its painfully sweet lyrics. LẦN CUỐI, or "LAST TIME," is a requiem for a freshly ended relationship; two people resigned to a failed relationship scratched with unforgettable pain yet sutured together by moments of deep love and care. lần cuối is not only a song but a painting.

my knees go weak when the soft lines "cay đắng nhưng không đau," or "bitter but it does not hurt" echo in my ear. translation does not capture the resignation, the moment of reluctant acceptance of letting go, of release. it is about holding memories of love and pain close to our hearts to simultaneously remember and to let go.

this song embodies the genuine spirit of "i am sorry."

afterword

i hope this post encourages you check out Ngọt. if not, i hope this post offers you some insight into the diverse musical landscape in viet nam.

as always, thank you for reading. i greatly appreciate your time and attention.

with warmth,

phim

p.s all these songs can be found under the "phim's playlist" tab on the homepage. the link will redirect you to a youtube playlist :)

#ngot #vpop #vpoprock

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etto-etto · 2 years ago

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Nothing consistent about this, but I thought I might start sharing some of the unfamiliar grammar points I come across -- if it helps anyone, cool! But I’m also hoping it’ll help cement the grammar a little more firmly into my own memory. There might be a few different uses of individual grammar points I note down, but the meanings I share are ones based on the context I find them in. I’m also perpetually learning, so I’ll be up front about anything I’m uncertain about and always welcome corrections. ♡

真相に追るたび、二人の大切な仲間たちが生命の危機にさらされていく。(x - synopsis from the 2023 film with Sakurai Sho and Hirose Suzu who play detectives Kazama Naoki and Mikami Anna respectively)

・たびに or たび Meaning: each time〜; every time〜; whenever〜 | Bunpro ☆ Maggie

In this case, there is no に -- and most places show examples using the full adverbial form only, so I wasn’t sure if this interpretation was correct until I read Maggie Sensei’s post (thank you). She says に is sometimes dropped in formal writing and speech, but the meaning stays the same, which is: every time/whenever I do (A), (B) happens.

So in my example sentence, 真相に追るたび is saying whenever (Naoki and Anna) pursue the truth... 二人の大切な仲間たちが生命の危機にさらされていく happens. (Which I am interpreting as: (Whenever Anna and Naoki pursue the truth...) the lives of close friends are put at risk.)

京都を舞台に、イケメンだけど何をするにもワンテンポ早いハジメと、ワンテンポ遅くて周囲のペースから微妙にズレてしまうレイカが、消えた1日をめぐって不器用な恋を繰り広げる。(x)

・をめぐって

Meaning: concerning〜; in regard to〜; about〜 | JLPT Sensei ☆ Takoboto ☆ Imabi

Imabi provides some extra notes on the usage here -- it’s stiff language, and it can sometimes be used in a more literal sense (of passing through or around places), but it more often refers to ‘surrounding’ something that is often translated as “concerning〜”. “In a sense you are surrounding something in an interest and describing it.”

To brutishly translate “消えた1日をめぐって不器用な恋を繰り広げる,” I’ll say a clumsy or awkward romance develops in regards to or concerning a lost day... But to be a little liberal: Set in Kyoto, 1 Byou Saki no Kare tells the story of an awkward romance between the attractive, fast-paced Hajime and Reika, the little sloth that could, when (the memory of) an entire day goes missing.

It’s difficult for me to understand this in a ‘surrounding with interest’ concept, but... ・・・私、頑張っているよね ʅ(ツ)ʃ

映画制作にまつわる人々の奮闘、脚本のもとになった取材先での感動秘話などがフィクションと“湯ーモア”たっぷりに描かれる。(x)

・にまつわる Meaning: related/relating to, associated with, connected to | Bunpro ☆ JLPT Sensei ☆ Nani Blog

The にまつわる grammar point is sandwiched between two nouns (so AにまつわるB), to say B is related to A. In this case, noun A = 映画制作 (film production) and noun B = 人々の奮闘 (everyone’s hard effort), so: 映画制作にまつわる人々の奮闘 = the hard work of everyone involved in the production of this film...

・もとになる Meaning: become the basis for, become the foundation of (noun phrase) | Kanshudo

Ha ha, well, I don’t like this sentence! As much as I searched, I only found the one explanation with one example, so I did what I normally do: look it up on google or twitter for in-the-wild examples. It’s all good, I get it -- AもとになるB, so B is the foundation of A. But, I don’t understand what 湯ーモア means, I’m not sure how to best understand 取材先 in this context, and I’m confused on how to fit in the first part of the sentence for comprehension. So,

Depicting plenty of fiction and “hot water(??),” stories (like the ones shared?) at interviews became the basis of the script

is my gist! Which might be totally wrong! --Moving on!

#japanese langblr #studyblr #japanese grammar #たびに #たび #をめぐって #にまつわる #もとになる #grammartime!#grammar: gt #mangogrammar

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unhingedkorean · 29 days ago

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Korean Protest Songs (in solidarity with Palestine)

In the spirit of solidarity for Palestine, I would like to offer two Korean songs dedicated for the martyrs of violent oppression. (From our own government... but we inherited our fight from the liberationists that fought against Japanese colonization.) I can only provide English translations, but I hope this effectively conveys the solidarity I have for Palestinians.

The free world demands free Palestine.

Marching for Our Beloved

This song was originally created for two of the victims of Gwangju Uprising Massacre. It is also sung at most leftist protests in South Korea. Other countries have translated and sang this song for their protests, e. g. 2016 China Airlines strike, Hong Kong protests, Myanmar Spring Revolution.

1982 original recording

the words said in the beginning before the song begins:

우리가 죽음을 이기고 합쳐지듯이 남녘땅과 북녘땅이 합쳐지소서 just as we defeat death and become united may the southern land and the northern land be united

youtube

a newer version by labor activist and musician Choi Do-eun

youtube

The lyrics are as follows. The versions vary a little because it was primarily spread underground due to government censorship, but the gist is the same.

사랑도 명예도 이름도 남김없이 한평생 나가자던 뜨거운 맹세 동지는 간데없고 깃발만 나부껴 새날이 올 때까지 흔들리지 말자 세월은 흘러가도 산천은 안다 깨어나서 외치는 끝없는 함성 앞서서 가나니 산 자여 따르라 앞서서 가나니 산 자여 따르라

And my own English translation with some poetic liberties:

no love, no honor, no name to leave behind a burning oath to keep going forward our entire lives comrade is nowhere to be seen, only the flag flutters let us not waver until the new day comes the time will pass by, but the mountains and the rivers know the endless roar of the awoken lead the way and the living will follow lead the way and the living will follow

Song of Wildfire

This is a tribute to a labor acitivist who died from torture by intelligence agency

youtube

밤새 내렸던 빗물에 젖어 어느새 들판에 초록빛의 노래 추운 겨울에 눈보라 치면 들불로 타오른 해방의 노래 타다 꺼지면 이몸 마저도 재가 되도록 붉게 타오르리라 이땅의 민중 민주의 그 날은 눈물과 피의 꽃이 만발하리라 캄캄한 어둠의 질곡 속에 불꽃으로 타오르라 타다 꺼지면 이몸 마저도 재가 되도록 붉게 타오르리라 먼훗날 노동 해방의 그 날은 반동의 피로 붉게 도색하리라 해방의 찬란한 길목에서 불꽃으로 타오르라 먼훗날 노동 해방의 그 날은 반동의 피로 붉게 도색하리라 해방의 찬란한 길목에서 불꽃으로 타오르라 해방의 찬란한 길목에서 불꽃으로 타오르라

my English translation with some poetic liberties:

wet from the rainfall all night already a green song on the grass field in the cold winter when the blizzard hits a song of liberation ablaze in wildfire if the fire goes out, even this body will burn up red into ashes on the day of people's democracy on this land the flowers of tears and blood will blossom everywhere in the turmoil of darkness, burn up into flames if the fire goes out, even this body will burn up red into ashes the day of workers' liberation will be painted red with the blood of the reactionaries be the flame that blazes the glorious path to freedom on the day of workers' liberation will be painted red with the blood of the reactionaries be the flame that blazes the glorious path to freedom be the flame that blazes the glorious path to freedom

#free palestine

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terubakudan · 3 years ago

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My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi - Book Review and Impressions

(light reflection) Perfect :D Hoping Tumblr doesn't flag me for this xD

Ok, I'm going to start this off with 'this is probably the first and only book review I'm going to do' xD Because I rarely do read books now, and just as rarely buy them. Also, I would have preferred to buy the English version but alas they only had the Chinese version in stock ^^"

Stumbling upon this on the Internet, I was immediately compelled to buy this, as if I knew I would love it and that Nagata's story would resonate with me.

【Short Version】 I can't recommend this book enough, it doesn't matter what sexuality you are or from what culture are you. Nagata makes sure to tell an honest and 'naked' (without embellishments) portrait of her own personal experiences. How she herself is a college drop-out (having only graduated from high school), pushed herself to live/work while struggling with depression and eating disorders, not being sure of what she wants and feeling that she doesn't 'deserve' things, realizing her own sexuality in that she likes girls, and just not feeling 'good enough'...all through her cutesy and unassuming art style.

I will say again though, cutesy art style aside, the book deals with some very heavy topics. Nagata is very honest and doesn't shy away from the gritty details, and I admire her all the more for doing so. Many yaoi and yuri comics often portray an unrealistic and fetishistic view of the LGBTQ+ community whereas Nagata's story is much more grounded and sincere. This is not an easy read, but it's not an overly depressive one either. Nagata literally struggled for years with her mental health, but ultimately found light on the other side. Not mainly through the help of others, but through her own choice to forgive and love herself.

5/5⭐ Definitely recommend and would read again. And if I could, I'd give Nagata a big hug and a heartfelt 'thank you' for sharing her story.

【Long Version】 While it's written primarily from an Asian (particularly Japanese) perspective, Nagata's experiences are ones that should resonate with anyone who has been through the same or similar things, regardless of one's personal background. And I myself, while being fortunate enough to not have gone through eating disorders or self harm, am no exception.

I grew up in an Asian (Taiwanese/Chinese Filipino) household, while my parents weren't Tiger Parents (no offense but fuck Amy Chua for thinking that's a proper way of raising your children), they still had certain expectations on their children: to find a good husband/wife, have a good education, have a 'stable' career, etc. And while I love my parents very much, I'd be lying if I said there weren't any times where I felt they were smothering me, there weren't any times where they kept on nagging and bugging me for very trivial details. My biggest pet peeve: guilt-tripping me just for wanting to spend time alone.

"For me, my parents' opinion of me is absolute." (NOTE: While I won't be providing exact translations of the excerpts I used here, I'll do my best to summarize the gist of them.)

At the same time, I cared very much about their opinion of me. I made it a point to do well in school, to do things according to their wishes, and just like Nagata, I didn't know what I wanted. This even extended to caring about others' opinion of me, more than my own. In my freshman year of college, I 'went along' with being friends with someone, who while was nice to me, turned out to be a manipulative bitch skilled in passive-aggressiveness xD Being half-Taiwanese/half-Filipino, it was hard to fit in since people always treated me differently, it didn't occur to me I could be choosy with friends, I thought as long as they were 'nice' to me, that would do.

Asian culture is largely a collective one, where we define ourselves by our relationships with others, compared with Western culture (primarily America, I'll be using America as a reference point) where individualism is absolute, where you define yourself as you like. In Asia, it's also normal for children to still live in the same house as their parents well into adulthood, compared with Americans who are expected to move out the house once they finish high school or start college, and they're quite literally 'on their own', having to pay their own tuition, rent, etc. Where I live (Taiwan), it's normal for adults to continue relying on their parents financially well until college. Nagata for instance, while saying her parents really make her feel so pressured, is grateful that she still had a home to stay in (and she's 28!).

If you ask me though, neither a collectivist culture or an individualist culture is absolutely good nor bad. Each have their own pros and cons, and both Asian culture and Western culture could learn a thing or two from each other.

After going through quite a few job applications, one of the interviewers tells her "Ganbatte!" (You can do it!) after Nagata tells her what she really wants is to be a manga artist.

And sometimes that's all we need really, a small gesture or kind remark can do wonders. Even if there's no base or reason for it, it's something worth believing in.

I often have doubts if I'm doing what I really want, if I chose the right major for college, if I'm doing the right thing, if I'm 'good enough'. I didn't grow up with much self-esteem as a kid, and often derived my value from others. But even at my lowest times, a 'you're doing ok' was very reassuring to me, be it from family, strangers, or people I care about. Sometimes that's exactly what we need, it may be small but it could be the difference between continuing to wallow in depression or re-evaluating and choosing to be better to oneself.

I find it's really important to know, that however alone you may feel sometimes, there are other people out there going through the exact same thing. It's something universal, and while a lot of things are really unfair in life, each person has their own lot or burden to deal with. I have a Taiwanese friend who, while being more financially well-off than me, has terrible parents. And I mean parents who are quite so literally toxic, unsupportive of her, and would outright say the worst things to their own daughter.

How depression and anxiety can feel sometimes, we can literally feel like it's impossible to breathe and be in a state of disconnection from the world.

"The sounds that invaded my ears occupied my empty brain, making me unable to think at all."

If you only did what your parents asked you to do, wouldn't days like those be very painful? In the end, only you can understand what you really want.

Nagata's art style is one I would describe as simple, cute, and effective. I personally think had her story been drawn in a more serious style, it would have been even harder to read, much less finish. It's also a choice that has artistic appeal to me, serious subject matter juxtaposed with a 'kawaii' art style.

Nagata also depicts very well her mental state and thoughts throughout her struggle and journey to self-actualization. Depression is a really tough thing to deal with, and sometimes we don't even realize that we have it or if we do, refuse to acknowledge it. In Asian cultures especially, mental health has always been something of a taboo subject and there is a very heavy social stigma associated with it. Nagata herself even said that her parents seemingly refused to acknowledge that their daughter's mental health was in a state of distress. In Japan, there is a concept called gaman (我慢), which is described as 'enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity', and while it is portrayed as an ideal virtue that inspires perseverance, it can be a source of heavy pressure for others. Gaman also means that you are expected to suppress whatever emotion or negative feelings you have, often for the sake of others and no matter how tough the situation becomes for you. And while I agree that through gaman you can become more selfless for others, it shouldn't have to come at the expense of your own well-being.

I was quite fortunate to have grown up in a more liberal Asian household, but even when it came to mental health, our family also adopted the same kind of attitude towards it, by carrying on as if nothing was wrong, or just not talking about it. And to be honest, there were numerous times I wished we had been more open about what was bothering ourselves at that time. Talking and being open about your feelings is not a 'weakness' but something incredibly brave to do, and it's my wish for that to slowly become more acceptable in Asian cultures, which I know is kind of a stretch, but it doesn't hurt to hope.

Nagata makes the decision to clean herself up, by taking a bath everyday, habitually exercising, and no longer wearing worn-out clothes.

Depression especially can be a bitch. It deprives you even of your physiological needs, like your need for food. Nagata had to struggle with that on top of eating disorders for a long ten years. She ate so little and even felt that she didn't 'deserve' to eat, and at one point, anorexia became hyperphagia, and she would feel so guilty for eating almost expired/expired food. Things that would otherwise be simple to do also end up becoming difficult/impossible to do, like taking care of your personal hygiene, getting up from bed, doing simple tasks etc.

Thankfully, after Nagata realizes that she never truly 'valued herself', she starts to turn over a new leaf. Even just starting with cleaning herself up, she takes this as a form of 'valuing oneself' and her mood starts to improve, which her family also points out. In the end, taking care of yourself is not a selfish thing to do, it can even make you a better person who is there for others.

Nagata meets up with the female escort she hired, as a means to experience human sexuality, which she had always repressed her curiosity for and treated as a taboo subject. (NOTE: And I'm glad that she met a really nice girl for her first time too!)

Sex and sexuality is also a subject that I feel is hard to talk about sometimes, which I think also owes itself to most Asian cultures being relatively conservative about it. I myself have only recently identified as bisexual, which I attribute to internalized homophobia, not wanting to admit I was into girls too. And to be honest, 'coming out' is something I'm still uncomfortable about, because I don't want to risk my relationship with my family and it's still something I would choose to be selective about with colleagues and friends. I'm grateful though that as crazy the Internet can be sometimes, it can be quite accepting and tolerant towards things that we wouldn't otherwise discuss with even the closest people in our circle. Nagata's memoir ended up capturing the hearts of many readers ever since she first published it on Pixiv.

Exploring your sexuality doesn't have to be scary, it should be something exciting and liberating. Nagata decided to take matters into her own hands, and while the days leading up to the encounter made her really nervous and she even considered not going through with it at all, she willed herself to continue, because she wanted to do this for herself, it would be pointless if she gave up after coming so far in her decision to value herself.

And it's these series of actions that she decided to do that ultimately led to her life turning out for the better, it gave her the courage to do what she always wanted: to be a manga artist, which lead to the publishing of this autobiographical memoir, something she wanted to create that would 'make people want to buy this book' and from her own preference for reading stories that 'speak of secrets people wouldn't want to tell others'.

Nagata mentions what she calls 'honey': something that varies from person to person. It could be your reason for living, that thing that drives/pushes you, or even your sense of belonging. It may not be something permanent, but you can always find yourself a new one. (she mentions the last time she had her 'honey' was during her high school days, and while she has grown apart from the friends she made, she has found her new 'honey' in the form of being a full-time manga artist.)

Nagata stumbles and trips a lot on her way to being a better version of herself, but who doesn't? She admits to things not necessarily being smooth, but at least she's doing better than before. And it's that decision to at least try that counts. We don't have to be perfect, we're all human after all.

TL;DR My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness is a honest, down-to-earth, and ultimately hopeful memoir about the struggles of mental health and learning about one's sexuality. It's an amazing book, and very much worth the buy.

A big thank you if you read through all of this too. I know it's a mess and writing isn't exactly my strong point, but hopefully I've convinced some people out there to give this book a read! Please feel free to share your thoughts and I'd appreciate it very much too if you reblog/like this post.

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chiaki-translation · 4 years ago

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R Tasuku [Eggplant’s Great Harvest] Backstage Story

It’s been a while, I’ve been distracted by other stuffs and I’m going to start school soon. So I might not be as consistent as before (Not like I’ve ever been consistent though). But yeah, I took some time to fix the spacing in the previous posts too because somehow there are weird spacings popping out when I transfer the script from words to Tumblr. But yeah, I decided to continue with the Yabatan Vegetable series and here we go, with Tasuku and his eggplants~ Summary:

Tasuku is harvesting eggplants. (What else can I say really?)

I’m referring to this card this time:

Disclaimer:

A3! is owned by Liber Entertainment

Translation is under the cut~

The Present is Snacks for Sake

Translator’s Note: I’m really stuck with the title of this Backstage Story but I think that should be the gist of it.

Grandfather:

There’re only 5 days left for your help.

It’s been a great help you give every single day.

Tasuku:

No, I’ve been getting a lot of experience too.

Grandfather:

If that’s the case, really thank you.

Then, for today, is it alright to ask you to plow this field?

Tasuku:

Alright.

Is it okay to use this hoe over here?

Grandfather:

I don’t mind.

Tasuku-san is so strong and reliable.

Tasuku:

You can leave all the heavy work to me.

Granfather:

Then, I’ll leave it to you.

Tasuku:

Yes.

Tasuku:

…. Fuh, I guess that’s it.

Kazunari:

Oh, Tax, aren’t you a pro!

Sakuya:

So you’re plowing the field!

Tasuku:

It’s you guys, what do you come here for.

Kazunari:

It’s going to be lunch soon, we come here to call you.

Sakuya:

Director and the others are cooking the meals.

Tasuku:

It’s already this timing.

When you put the heart and effort to work in the field, time sure flies by fast.

Kazunari:

I know~!

Without realizing it, it’s already time.

Sakuya:

That’s true!

Then, the meals after working hard will be very delicious.

Tasuku:

That’s true.

Then, let’s go.

Director:

Welcome back, good work.

Meal is ready.

Kazunari:

Oh, what a gorgeous looking lunch!

Sakuya:

Woah, the salad, the miso soup, and everything else looks delicious!

Grandmother:

It’s not much, but please eat as much as you like.

Everyone:

Itadakimasu!

Tasuku:

It’s good.

Kazunari:

Right~ With this, let’s work hard in the afternoon too~!

Director:

Fufu, that’s great.

Tasuku:

The director was preparing food, but what were you two doing before this?

Kazunari:

Me and Sakusaku were watering and fertilizing the plants together.

Sakuya:

We had a bit of times left, so we pulled out some weeds too. I feel really happy looking at the beautiful fields afterwards!

Director:

I kinda get that feeling.

There’s something like a sense of achievement right.

Tasuku:

By the way, what can I help with in the afternoon?

Grandfather:

Then, let’s go and harvest the eggplant.

There are a lot of them so we can all go and do it together.

I’ll show you the way when everyone’s done with lunch.

Tasuku:

Alright.

Grandfather:

This will be the eggplant field.

Kazunari:

Oh, so big!

Tasuku:

Is it alright to cut it using this scissor?

Grandfather:

That’s right.

There are some thorns on the heels, so be careful over there.

Sakuya:

Understood!

Grandfather:

There are a lot of eggplants, if you would like to, you can also bring some back as souvenirs.

Director:

Eh, is it really alright?

Grandfather:

By all means, please try eating those you picked up yourself at home.

Director:

Thank you so much.

Kazunari:

Yes! I will have to request Omimi to make some eggplant dishes later.

Sakuya:

If it’s Omi-san, I’m sure he would be able to make a lot of different dishes.

Tasuku:

It seems like it’s going to be a good snacks for Sake.

Director:

Fufu, I’m looking forward to it.

Tasuku:

… We got quite a lot.

Kazunari:

It’s already overflowing from the crate!

Grandfather:

Really, I wouldn’t be able to harvest this much without your help. Thank you.

I will pack it up by the end of the day, so make sure to bring home lots of them.

Tasuku:

Sorry for the trouble.

I’ll help you out for the packing too.

Sakuya:

I’ll help out too!

Grandfather:

Thank you. That’ll help.

Tasuku:

The life in the farm sure is good, but as I thought, the dorm is the most comfortable place.

Tsumugi:

Ah, Tasuku, welcome back.

Azuma:

So you’re finally back. Good work for the past 1 week.

Homare:

Tasuku-kun, I feel that you’re getting more and more muscly.

Tasuku:

I’m back.

… by the way, what’s Winter Troupe doing gathering around here?

Guy:

It’s a good idea to change atmosphere sometimes, so Yukishiro invited us to drink outside today.

Hisoka:

Tasuku’s seat is there.

Tasuku:

Ah.

Tsumugi:

So how’s your farming experience?

Tasuku:

Right, it’s pretty interesting.

There are a lot of heavy works, so it makes a good physical training too.

Azuma:

Fufu, that’s Tasuku for you.

Homare:

Oya, what’s that bag over there?

Tasuku:

Ah, I got a lot of eggplants from them.

Azuma:

Eggplants…

Tasuku:

--Right, should we make something with this to go along with Sake?

Guy:

That sounds good. Is it alright for me to try, I can make something with this Zahran’s spice.

Hisoka:

Guy’s cooking repertoire is getting wider each day.

Homare:

Sounds great. I’ll be looking forward to it, Guy-san.

Tsumugi:

It’s still fresh, so even simple dishes like grilled eggplant sounds good.

Tasuku:

Yeah, that’s good.

We should have enough to make everything.

Azuma:

…

Tasuku:

… Azuma-san?

Azuma:

My bad, Tasuku, but I have to pass from this.

Guy:

Yukishiro?

Azuma:

Sorry, I’ve gotten sleepy somehow so I’ll take my leave first.

Homare:

… What happened suddenly?

Hisoka:

Azuma, I don’t think he’s feeling sleepy.

Tsumugi:

Ah…

Now that I remember, Azuma-san doesn’t like eggplant right.

Tasuku:

Ah.

You’re right, now I feel bad somehow…

#a3!#tasuku takato #a3! translation #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3! backstage #a3! backstory

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suraanahita · 4 years ago

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Ashem Vohu.

“aṣ̌əm vohū vahištəm astī

uštā astī uštā ahmāi

hyat̰ aṣ̌āi vahištāi aṣ̌əm!”

—

Ashem vohu vahishtem

asti ushta asti ahmai

hyat ashai vahishtai ashem

—

Ashem Vohu is the one of the most sacred Zoroastrian manthras. We find it in Y 27.14. Along with the Yatha Ahu Vairyo, Yenghae Hatam, and Airyaman ishyo, they form the 4 pillars of the Gathic canon. It is usually reccommended to recite this 12 or 3 times (whenever it is read).

By it, we invoke the three best forces of this existence: Asha (excellence, ultimate truth, divine order; God’s very self), Vohuman/Vohu (right-minded thought, good thinking/mind; goodness), and Ushta (happiness of the heart and soul, blissful ecstasy; a beaming early light or joyful sunrise).

There are many translations and interpretations of the above prayer. Although the general gist of it is:

“Righteousness is the best virtue

(and) it is happiness

Happiness comes to the person

Who is righteous for the sake of it!”

I’d like to delve a bit into this lovely and poetic prayer.

“Ashem, ashai” is Asha. Asha is cosmic truth or order. It generally has 7 aspects or facets to it: Righteousness, Order, Beauty, Truth, Purity, Law, and Freedom.

Asha or Arta is cognate of Sanskrit “Rta”, “order/truth”. From root “Ár” it means “to fit in rightly, to be orderly”. It means a brilliance, an excellence and great goodness; the very self of Ahura Mazda.

As an Amesha Spenta, Asha is represented as Asha Vahishta (who is written here as well: “Ashai Vahishtai”), the best or most good truth. The element of this divinity is Fire, because like Fire, Truth burns away Druj (the lie), it brightens our lives and keeps us protected, nourished, and warmed. It inspires us; it illuminates the mind. To be a follower of Divine Truth, to be at peace and oneness with creation and God’s way, to live according to that which is truly right is Asha.

“Vohu, Vahishtem, Vahishtai” (adj.) is that which is wondrous and extremely good. It is a virtue that is superb. Although subtly, this is connected to Vohu Manah, the all-great Universal/Divine mind. It was by Vohu Manah that Zarathustra encountered Ahura Mazda. Manah from root “man” is “mind” or conscious/spirit.

This “spirit” is endowed with such a radiance. It is like a higher sense, a spiritual wisdom. In other words, it is the “good mind” that innately knows and understands and can grasp the light of God.

“Asti” means “to be”; “is”. It is an affirmation.

“Ahmai” is translated as “to us”, to the Zoroastrians, to the people and creatures of the world. To whomever is saying this sacred chant.

“Hyat” is invocation to the power of the Manthra. Along the lines of “it shall be”, or “to it ___”.

Finally, my favourite, “Ushta”. Ushta is “happiness”. But it’s not just a material happiness... It is a spiritual or blissful one. A newer and refreshed state of being.

I mentioned above the “sunrise” or “early light”. This is because the word Ushta is given a derivation from “Hausōs”, the Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn (cognate with Vedic Ushas, who plays a similar role, as the victorious bringer of the dawn/dawn’s sunlight). Alternatively, ushta may be derived from ish/ishta, meaning ‘wish’, or desire.

The emphasis on Dawn (Av. Ushah) is associated with renewal, brilliance, driving out darkness, and re-establishing divine order (Av. Asha). The IE root *aus means “to shine”, “to be bright”.

Ushta thus means a radiant happiness. A liberation or awakening from the veil of night. A shining inner contentment.

And so, to finalize everything...

Living according to (Divine) Truth is the most good, the best of all virtues, and it is by such a mindful virtue that happiness of the soul is ultimately experienced. Such bliss comes to those who are Truthful/Righteous for the sheer desire to be or do so.

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“Having said this, Ashem Vohu further proclaims: it is therefore the bounden duty of Ye, the humans to tread on the Path of Asha, so that you will attain Freedom, Frashogard, Mukti.”

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#zoroastrianism #zoroastrian #asha #amesha spenta #frashogard = frashokeriti which is the cosmic renewal (in our eschatology)#mukti/mokti is spiritual liberation #in case anyone is wondering #not my quote btw but the article did not have the author’s name... for some reason

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warsofasoiaf · 5 years ago

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Geopolitics for Writers and Worldbuilders - Part 1: The Players

The essence of worldbuilding always boils down to an essential question: “Will my reader immerse himself or herself in this world?” There are plenty of schools of thought as to how and why this immersion occurs, but a core component is a certain threshold of believability. Entities within the fictional world do not necessarily have to correspond to the rules of the physical world, but they should follow internal rules that are clear, coherent for the reader to understand, and consistent from one moment to the next.

A world is complex, vast thing, and plenty of writers pale at the thought of crafting a large, believable world. This apprehension is perfectly rational: the real world is terrifyingly complex, to the point where entire historical and analytical careers can be built on exploring the facets of one small region in one small part of history, and even the well-documented, recent past can seem distant. This response leads many to not bother trying, convinced of their own failure, or to exert minimal effort, acting under the assumption that they could not hope to possibly generate a believable world and so focusing instead upon crafting the story itself, hoping the characters, action, or prose sell the story over the worldbuilding itself.

This doesn’t have to be the case; a writer can (and demonstrably have) been able to develop a believable geopolitical world for his or her stories to take place in, from fiction novels to comic books, from tabletop roleplaying to video games, where fans write essays and entire literature groups debate components of the fictional world with all the enthusiasm of real-world historians. Whatever the medium, all it requires is the time, the will, and a bit of knowledge to anchor the writer’s ideas. I cannot give anyone time, and I cannot force the will, but I might be able to provide an anchor.

Who Are You? Heads of State and the Nation as a Character

Before any question of geopolitical relationship between nations can come up, the nations themselves have to be built, which is no small task. Even the name “nation” can be considered a misnomer, depending on the time period of the novel. The technological limitations of the world could mean that a political entity could be a Stone Age tribe, a kingdom administered by a feudal warlord and held in dynastic succession, or a remote mining colony on a distant asteroid containing some rare mineral. Even more radically, a group of people bound by a common focal point such as a non-governmental organization or medieval mercenary company could be considered to act as a group. None of these would be considered nations in the modern sense of the world, but as a unit they take actions and have actions taking place upon them, so for the sake of this essay, they qualify, and will be referred to as “nations” throughout.

While there are always exceptions that prove rules, in general, the less technologically advanced a nation is, the more the nation is bound in individuals, and thus the personal becomes political. In more modern societies, particularly after the birth of modern nations, institutions take the place of the personal. While still having its leaders and notable figures, institutions tend to be more static, in the way that a single man is more capable of changing direction than a formation of men. These institutions can still be thought of as characters for the purpose of worldbuilding, but their efforts are geared less towards individuals than they are toward other institutions. As an example, revolutionary movements attempt to overthrow and replace governments; personalization of a hated government figure is a useful tool for these movements, but the ultimate goal often transcends one individual and focuses upon an institution or idea, at least in theory.

It’s worth mentioning specifically that what goes into determining a foreign policy depends greatly on the people who are in charge of making decisions, and this state of affairs changed significantly over the course of history. While researching the mechanisms of a specific time period can help with the particulars of worldbuiding, for a general gist, the head of state and his or her advisors are the primary decision makers. This does not mean that only a small number of people make decisions. In a modern liberal democracy, a head of state is answerable in some way to the electors with their own opinions; stray too far and a politician doesn’t get voted back in. A politician is also answerable their political party and their donors, and any foreign ministry or state department will have a small army of analysts for every department and dimension, all who have their own ideas which will range to all points on the map and in every method from foreign aid to trade policy to tools of political intimidation. Domestic non-political bodies of interest and foreign governments will employ their own analysts and lobbyists, donate to sympathetic politicians, and stage political stunts in an attempt to fulfill their objectives. Any or all of these individuals could be interesting characters, or create interesting drama in any world waiting to be built.

These individuals, then, must be built and built well for them to be able to influence the world in a way that’s both believable and interesting. Their characters, once built, can translate who they are into how they act on the world stage. Aggressive and bellicose personalities might posture aggressively toward their neighbors and rivals. A timid leader might be afraid to take chances, and might pass on an opportunity that a more cavalier leader would pounce upon, perhaps without even thinking. Idealists may attempt high-minded policy, whereas pragmatists might scoff at pursuing impossible abstracts. Combined with aspects of the nation itself - such as the availability of resources, economic and military conditions, and any lingering disasters, these options can give a writer a cornucopia of writing material to work with. Since the end-state of the worldbuilding procedure is the jumping-off point for a novel or other creative work, an author works both backwards from the beginning point of his or her writing project and forwards from the bare bones of the setting and genre.

Similarly, the shape of a government often determines the techniques used by that government. In pre-modern times, dynastic monarchy was the norm, and so the continuity of government was dependent on the monarch having children to inherit the reins of government. Thus, marriage and adoption became techniques of foreign policy, as these actions did actually have serious influence on the actions and succession of the government. So the techniques of government continuity, whether they be succession, elections, or petty warlordism, matter for the purposes of creating believable geopolitics, and must be considered.

In sum, a good way to help simplify the process of creating believable geopolitics is to treat the nation itself as a character, with important characters within it being treated as personality traits or competing desires and goals. The interactivity between personalized nations helps whittle down the scale and make the task seem less herculean. An idealistic nation becomes an idealistic person, whose actions are performed through charitable foregin aid instead of personal donations, who commits to funding wildlife preserve efforts instead of volunteering one weekend a month at a local animal shelter. A cynical nation practicing realpolitik becomes a cynical character, suspicious of others. A paranoid nation produces domestic propaganda and engages in far-reaching espionage the same way a paranoid individual is suspicious of motives and develops rationalizations for interactions in his or her own personal life.

What Do We Want? Determining the Strategic Objectives of a Nation

If shifting alliances, espionage, and other geopolitical intrigue forms the meat of geopolitical thriller, then determining strategic objectives are the bones of any good geopolitical world. A strategic objective is a long-term goal, and in terms of a nation it is often an ongoing process, the pursuit and maintenance in the face of ever-changing circumstances and operational constraints. It is a vital aspect of your worldbuilding; if a reader constantly says “this makes no sense,” the story suffers from poor communication of strategic objectives, even despite quality prose and spectacular character building. If a story loses coherence, it can pull readers out of the story, even making them put down the work for something else.

In order to avoid this outcome, it’s important to remember these questions: what is the expected gain, and how critical is achieving this objective. Once these are figured out, then comes what is the nation doing, and why is it doing this course of action and not something else. This seems counterintuitive, it seems logical to determine what a nation is doing before outlining what it seeks to gain, but decision-making doesn’t work that way. Determining national policy first and foremost means identifying the desired end state, and then working toward it, not establishing policy and looking to reach a goal.

The first objective that the nation needs to take into account is its own survival. A nation wants to persist and wants to take rational action to continue to persist and to maintain itself. Actions taken to this effect include securing borders, pacifying internal unrest, and securing critical resources to sustain an economy. Take into account the strengths of relative neighbors and their ability to project their own power, as much of the main strategic thinking of a nation consists in factoring how its neighbors might act. A small nation might be frightened at a powerful rival pursuing an expansionary policy, while a powerful nation might weigh the benefits and weaknesses of taking over a smaller neighbor, either by establishing it as a protectorate, a vassal, or outright conquest. More complicated scenarios might involve two nations of relatively equal power looking to project themselves as stronger than they really are to deter a suspected invasion, or a nation holding a critical pass playing two rival nations off each other in order to maintain some semblance of independence. A nation with a rare, critical commodity might use trade exclusivity as a means of establishing strength, or threaten to destroy it as a nuclear option to stave off invasion. Nations might secure a system of border forts at critical passes, even incorporating them into toll collection and anti-smuggling efforts to preserve their borders from low-level threats and provide early warning for large-scale efforts. It’s rare, however, that security is exclusively defensive. Nations would employ both diplomats gather information in neighboring countries and to advance their own interests, and employ spies and informants to ensure that they have access to as accurate information as possible to make the most informed decision possible for their nation.

Culture factors into these developments, as it often determine what actions would be considered acceptable or unacceptable. The right of conquest in the modern era is considered an unacceptable justification, an act of unprovoked, naked aggression inviting international condemnation and retribution, but in another time it was considered acceptable. A nation that lacked the military capacity to defend its own borders or its people was once considered not worth the authority it held because it did not enforce peace and stability. The goal is to make the logic clear and consistent, a world lives and dies by the rules the author sets for it.

After securing its survival, a nation will often focus on expanding power to become a regional hegemon. At its most simple, this development is a logical progression and extrapolation from the notion of survival; it is easier to maintain survival when the nation possesses the most power, has much more operational flexibility to pursue its interest, and can react to unexpected circumstances. This idea should not descend to mere militarism: the most successful nations throughout history blended diplomatic power, alliance-building, economic aptitude, trade policy, and military force to create a multi-faceted apparatus of power, a hydra capable of maintaining regional security in the interest of the nation. Military matters will always remain an aspect of concern, if for no other reason than there will inevitably be situations where the nation will have to resort to its military, such as fending off a foreign invasion or handling domestic unrest.

Under the balance of power theory, threatened states band together to form an entity capable of resisting the strength of a regional hegemon. This scenario might be a natural place for an author to start, for a variety of reasons. Primarily Western readers with a smattering of half-remembered history might remember something about the Great Power colonial struggles of England, France, and Spain, the various coalitions of European powers that fought Napoleon Bonaparte, or the feuding city-states of Athens, Sparta, and Thebes in Classical-Era Greece, forming a connection from literature to reader that stirs interest. Similarly, an alliance offers an easy in to portray different nations represented across the author’s world without the need to invest large portions of time on the political wranglings and intricacies that might drag down the prose, and comes pre-loaded with its own conflict to drive story beats within the novel itself. There is a large Big Bad, there is a coalition of smaller nations who are often more naturally sympathetic, and one character can be introduced as a means to personalize the worldbuilding, each hand-built as a representative from each of the nations to emphasize the culture, outlook, and quirks as they interplay off one another. This is a veteran trope, developed everywhere from the Last Alliance of Elves and Men or the Alliance of the Free Peoples in the Lord of the Rings to the Alliance of Lordaeron in Warcraft II. The real history of this is muddled, Rome and Qin China became regional superpowers, but the Congress of Vienna represents a real effort to establish a European balance of powers, so aspiring worldbuilders should neither feel obligated to use this idea nor should they reject it as unrealistic and fanciful.

When the nation becomes secure, it does not mean that the nation can rest easy. Indeed, history demonstrates that maintaining a pre-eminent status is difficult and tedious; however, the alternative is a slip into obscurity in the best case, or left open to a critical vulnerability in more pessimistic circumstances. So a regional hegemon still has plenty of things to do when considering how to secure and maintain its hegemony. Espionage on rivals, securing technological funding to ensure dominance, preventing a coalition of smaller powers, these are all activities a superpower can participate in that can secure its future, and offer rich writing fodder for an aspiring writer within its borders.

I’ll be writing part 2 soon, which will either be alliances and enemies, unless it gets too long in which case I’ll split it into part 2 and 3.

-SLAL

#writing #worldbuilding #essays on writing and worldbuilding

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srinithyananda · 4 years ago

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28 AUGUST 2020, 08:14 PM, FRIDAY - NITHYANANDA SATSANG - ENGLISH GIST *PARAMASHIVA’S MESSAGE DIRECTLY FROM KAILASA: *36 PRINCIPLES OF MY OWN MANIFESTATION, LEARNING BY WHICH YOU WILL INTENSELY MANIFEST MULTIPLE POWERS FOR WHICH YOU ARE HARDWIRED AND GLORIFYING YOUR EXISTENCE AS PARAMASHIVA, MANIFEST YOUR PARAMASHIVATVA. *THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT HINDUISM IS: EVERYTHING IS EXPLAINED ONLY TO MAKE YOU ENLIGHTENED. *DO NOT LEARN ANYTHING WHICH IS NOT DIRECTLY MAKING YOU MANIFEST POWERS AND MOKSHA. *PARAMASHIVA MANIFESTING THROUGH YOUR BODY IS PARAMASHIVATVA. YOU MERGING INTO HIM IS PARAMASHIVA GADHI. EITHER YOU SHOULD BE MANIFESTING PARAMASHIVATVA OR MERGING IN PARAMASHIVA GADHI. *TO ALL MY KIDS, I WANT TO TELL THIS: DO NOT LEARN ANYTHING WHICH IS NOT MOKSHA CENTRIC, PARAMASHIVATVA OR PARAMASHIVA GADHI CENTRIC. *ONE SMALL INCIDENT: MY GURU, YOGANANDA PURI USED TO TELL ME, ‘DON'T EAT IN THE NIGHT TIME. ONCE SUN SETS, DON'T EAT. AFTER SUNSET IF YOU FEEL HUNGER, IT IS FALSE HUNGER.’ *IN TAMIL HE WILL TELL CUTELY, ‘AFTER SUNSET IF YOUR STOMACH FEELS HUNGER, IT IS FALSE HUNGER. DON'T GIVE IT FOOD. TAKE A COLD WET CLOTH. DIP IT IN COLD WATER AND PUT IT ON YOUR STOMACH. IT SHOULD TOUCH YOUR LIVER. THE WHOLE AREA YOU SHOULD COVER AND SLEEP OFF.’ *IN INDIA, THIS IS USED AS DEFINITION OF POVERTY WHERE PEOPLE WOULD SAY, ‘WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR FOOD, SO WE JUST PUT WET CLOTH OVER THE STOMACH AND SLEEP.’ IT IS NO MORE A SYMBOL OF POVERTY. IT IS A SYMBOL OF RICHNESS NOW! THIRD RATE, POOR, LOWER MIDDLE CLASS, EAT LIKE A PIG 3 TIMES A DAY. RICH ROYAL KINGS ONCE IN A MONTH! *STOP EATING AFTER SUNSET. DON'T ASSOCIATE FOOD AND RICHNESS. *AFTER SUNSET IF YOU ARE FEELING HUNGRY, YOUR STOMACH IS LYING TO YOU. IT IS FALSE HUNGER. JUST PUT A WET CLOTH ON YOUR STOMACH COVERING UP TO THE LIVER AREA AND SLEEP. ONLY FIRST FEW DAYS YOU MAY STRUGGLE A LITTLE BIT, BUT DO THIS FOR HEALTH. *ONE PERSON ASKED MY GURU, ‘WILL I NOT GET GASTRIC PROBLEM IF I DON’T EAT WHEN I AM FEELING HUNGRY?’ *HE SAID, ‘GASTRIC PROBLEM WON'T KILL YOU. BUT IF YOU EAT AFTER SUNSET, YOU WILL GET LIVER PROBLEM AND DIE!’ *AFTER SUNSET, YOUR BODY HAS ENOUGH FIRE/FUEL, JATARAGNI, ONLY TO BURN WHAT IS ALREADY CONSUMED. *IN DIGESTIVE FIRES, THERE ARE 3 LEVELS. JATARAGNI HAS 3 FORMS OF EXISTENCE. *AFTER SUNSET THE JATARAGNI DOES NOT HAVE THE ENERGY NEEDED TO RECEIVE MORE LOAD. *AMONG THE BRAHMANAS, THE AGNI GOTRIS AND BHARADWAJA GOTRIS - FLYING BRAHMANAS DON’T EAT AFTER SUNSET. IT WAS BHARADWAJA RISHI WHO WROTE THE WHOLE SCIENCE OF FLYING. THOSE BRAHMANAS USED TO FLY AND MOVE FROM PLACE TO PLACE. *HINDUISM HAD BOTH THE MECHANISMS - AS AN INDIVIDUAL WE COULD FLY HAVING A SMALL ATTACHMENT TO THE BODY - AKASHA MARGA - AND WE HAD THE TECHNOLOGY TO FLY AS A GROUP! WE HAD BOTH TECHNOLOGIES, MECHANISMS. *THE ADISHAIVA VELLALAR COMMUNITY AND THE JAIN COMMUNITY DON’T EAT AFTER SUNSET. *NOT EATING AFTER SUNSET IS ONE OF THE MOST INTELLIGENCE KINDLING TECHNIQUES. *EVERY NIGHT, IT IS NOT THAT YOU FALL INTO THE SAME DREAM STATE OR DEEP SLEEP STATE. DEPENDING ON THE CHEMISTRY OF THE BODY ON THAT DAY, THE STATE IN WHICH YOU ARE GOING TO SETTLE DOWN WILL BE DECIDED. *IF THERE IS SO MUCH OF FOOD, TOXINS IN YOUR BODY, NATURALLY YOU WILL FALL INTO THE SHIT STATE. *IF YOU HAVE DONE NIRAHARA SAMYAMA, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND, EVEN YOUR SLEEP WILL BE ROMANTIC, LIGHT, BEAUTIFUL! *WHY YOU LIKE ROMANCE SO MUCH YOU KNOW? IT MAKES YOU LIGHT. IT GIVES YOU JAGRAT-SUSHUPTI EXPERIENCE: THE LIGHTNESS OF SUSHUPTI AND ALIVE FEELING OF JAGRAT! *IF YOU STOP EATING AFTER SUNSET, THE BODY GOES THROUGH SELF CLEANING. I GUARANTEE YOU THAT IN 11 DAYS, THE WHOLE NIGHT, THAT STATE WILL BECOME A ROMANCE KIND OF A SPACE. *STOP EATING AFTER SUNSET. *FROM MORNING TILL NIGHT, WHATEVER YOU DO, DO WITH YOUR ATMA LINGA. YOU WILL SIMPLY SEE THAT IN THE NIGHT, YOU WILL BE CUDDLING PARAMASHIVA, YOU WILL BE SLEEPING IN THE LAP OF PARAMASHIVA! *LESS FOOD OR NO FOOD IN THE STOMACH IN THE NIGHT, KEEPS YOUR WHOLE STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS PURE. *HALF AN HOUR OF TURIYA STATE OR THE SWEET ROMANCE SPACE, REJUVENATES YOUR BODY AND MIND MORE THAN 10 HOURS OF SLEEP AND DREAM STATE. THE QUANTITY OF YOUR SLEEP WILL DRASTICALLY REDUCE. THE TIME YOU ARE ROLLING ON THE BED WILL DRASTICALLY REDUCE. THE QUALITY OF YOUR REJUVENATED FEELING WILL DRASTICALLY INCREASE. *MY WHOLE LIFE IS FOCUSED ON RAISING THE QUALITY OF YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS. *LAST 26 YEARS, AFTER MY GURUS ORDAINED ME AND GAVE ME THE PEETHA, THE INHERITANCE, THE ONLY WORK I AM DOING, I AM FOCUSSED ON, IS RAISING THE QUALITY OF YOUR EXISTENCE. *KEEP THE STOMACH EMPTY IN THE NIGHT TIME. YOU CAN HAVE COLD WET CLOTH OVER YOUR STOMACH UP TO THE LIVER AREA. IT WILL RAISE THE QUALITY OF YOUR WHOLE CONSCIOUSNESS. YOUR WHOLE SLEEP WILL BE CONVERTED TO MEDITATION TIME AND TURIYA STATE. *IF YOUR STOMACH HAS SO MUCH UNDIGESTED FOOD, SHIT, IF IT IS RUNNING LIKE AN INDUSTRY, IT WILL RUIN YOUR REST, REJUVENATION. IF YOUR JATARAGNI IS CLEAN AND PURE FIRE, AND NOT LOADED, IF IT IS LIKE THE PURE LAMP OF A GARBHA MANDIR OF A TEMPLE, THE WHOLE FIRE WILL REACH THE CROWN CENTER. YOU WILL REACH TURIYA AND TURIYATITA - HIGHEST CONSCIOUS EXISTENCE. *I GUARANTEE: ANYONE WHO DOES NOT EAT AFTER SUNSET LIVES HEALTHY, RICH, LONG LIFE. *HEALTH IS NOTHING BUT A SMART STRATEGY TO BE USEFUL TO OTHERS AND MAKE THE WORLD USEFUL TO YOU. THAT DEVELOPS IN YOUR SYSTEM EVEN IF YOU ENJOY TURIYA AND TURIYATITA STATE FOR A FEW MINUTES A DAY. *WITH NO FOOD IN THE STOMACH AFTER SUNSET, AUTOMATICALLY YOU WILL FALL INTO TURIYA AND TURIYATITA. *I HAVE A SHASTRA PRAMANA FOR YOU FROM SUSHRUTA SAMHITA, 64TH CHAPTER, 85TH SLOKA - सायं प्रातः मनुष्याणाम् अशनं श्रुतिचोदितम्। नान्तरा भोजनं कुर्यात् अग्निहोत्रसमो विधिः।। SĀYAṂ PRĀTAḤ MANUṢYĀṆĀM AŚANAṂ ŚRUTICODITAM। NĀNTARĀ BHOJANAṂ KURYĀT AGNIHOTRASAMO VIDHIḤ।। TRANSLATION HUMAN BEINGS SHOULD EAT (ONLY) IN THE MORNING AND IN THE EVENING, AS PER THE VEDIC INJUNCTION. FOOD SHOULD NOT BE EATEN IN BETWEEN THESE TWO MEAL TIMES. THIS RULE IS EQUAL TO THE RULE OF AGNI HOTRA VIDHI. *I WANT ALL MY DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW THIS. *IF YOU HAVE BECOME MY DEVOTEE/DISCIPLE RECENTLY AND HAVE POT BELLY, IT IS TOLERABLE. BUT IF YOU HAVE BEEN MY DEVOTEE/DISCIPLE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AND HAVE A POT BELLY, THEN SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG. YOU ARE SOMEWHERE CHEATING… *THOU SHALT NOT HAVE POT BELLY. THOU SHALL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF KAILASA ONLY WITHOUT A POT BELLY. I HAVE MADE THE ENTRANCE OF KAILASA IN SUCH A WAY THAT POT BELLY PEOPLE WILL BE STUCK! *DON’T SAY, ‘GANAPATI ALSO HAS A POT BELLY.’ HE HAS THE WHOLE BRAHMANDA IN HIS POT BELLY. BUT YOU HAVE SO MUCH SHIT IN YOUR POT BELLY! *BEING SLIM, TRIM, HEALTHY IS THE BASIC QUALIFICATION OF NITHYANANDA’S DISCIPLES. IF YOU ARE NEW, IT IS TOLERABLE, BUT NOT IF YOU ARE MORE THAN A 1-YEAR-OLD DISCIPLE/ DEVOTEE. *IN HINDU TRADITION, ANY TATTVA WE EXPLAIN IS ONLY FOR LIBERATION, FOR MOKSHA CENTRIC LIFESTYLE, MOKSHA CENTRIC KNOWLEDGE. *ALL THE BEST HEALTHY, RICH, LONG LIVING COMMUNITIES - BHARADWAJA GOTRA BRAHMANAS, PRACTISING IYENGARS, ADI SHAIVA VELLALARS, CREAM OF THE JAIN COMMUNITY WHO PRACTICE SALLEKHANA DON’T EAT AFTER SUNSET. *MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO SAY, ‘ONLY GHOSTS WILL EAT AFTER SUNSET. IF YOU EAT AFTER SUNSET, YOU WILL BECOME GHOST!’ *YOU CAN BECOME INTENSELY ACTIVE, ALIVE, RICH, HEALTHY, LIVING LONG LIFE, IF YOU JUST TAKE UP THIS SIMPLE PRINCIPLES. *AND IT IS NOT THAT YOU NEED TO STRUGGLE WITH THESE PRINCIPLES FOREVER. NO! JUST FIRST FEW DAYS IS ONLY PRACTICE. ONCE YOUR BODY STARTS TASTING THIS LIFESTYLE, EVEN YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DESTROY YOURSELF. THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF THIS GREAT SCIENCE! *ESPECIALLY NOW WITH THIS PANDEMIC FATIGUE, I CAN SEE THE WHOLE WORLD GOING THROUGH THE DELUSIONAL ARROGANCE. EVERYBODY IS READY TO DIE BUT DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANY MORE RESTRICTIONS OR QUARANTINE PRINCIPLES. *PEOPLE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF THE QUARANTINE PRINCIPLES OR TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS. THEY ARE NOW READY TO DIE! *IT IS NOT THAT THE NUMBERS OF DEATH DUE TO CORONA HAS COME DOWN, BUT THE RESTRICTIONS ARE RELAXED. PEOPLE ARE READY TO DIE BUT DON'T WANT TO RESTRICT THEMSELVES. THIS IS WHAT I CALL PANDEMIC FATIGUE, DELUSIONAL ARROGANCE. *UNFORTUNATELY POLITICS GOT MIXED INTO CORONA. LET US KEEP THE PURE SPIRITUAL TRUTHS AS IS. *TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS, LISTEN: STAY HOME, STAY SAFE AT LEAST TILL DECEMBER 14TH. LET THIS PRALAYA BE OVER. *36 TATTVAS CAN BE EXPLAINED FROM VARIOUS ANGLES, FROM THE ANGLE OF PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY, ALCHEMY. *I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN FROM THE ANGLE OF ENLIGHTENMENT - PARAMASHIVATVA AND PARAMASHIVA GADHI. *PARAMASHIVATVA MEANS PARAMASHIVA MANIFESTING IN YOU. PARAMASHIVA GADHI MEANS, YOU RESTING IN PARAMASHIVA, YOU BECOMING ONE WITH PARAMASHIVA. *THIS WORD ‘SHIVA GADHI’ IS THE EARLIEST RECORDED BY TIRUMOOLAR. சிவசிவ என்கிலர் தீவினையாளர் சிவசிவ என்றிடத் தீவினை மாளும் சிவசிவ என்றிடத் தேவரும் ஆவர் சிவசிவ என்னச் சிவகதிதானே. SHIVA SHIVA YENGILAR TEEVINAIYAALAR SHIVA SHIVA YENDRIDA TEEVINAI MAALUM SHIVA SHIVA YENDRIDA DEVARUM AAVAR SHIVA SHIVA YENNA SHIVA GADHIDAANE IT MEANS: PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW THE VIBRATION ‘SHIVA SHIVA’ FALL INTO THE LIFE NEGATIVE. THOSE WHO KNOW THE VIBRATION ‘SHIVA SHIVA’, WILL REACH THE SPACE OF DEVAS. ALL THEIR LIFE NEGATIVITY WILL BE DESTROYED AND ULTIMATELY THEY WILL HAVE THE SHIVA GADHI. *DETOXING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS SUPPORTING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS FOR IT TO MANIFEST IN YOUR BODY IS THE PURPOSE OF MY LIFE. *I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS 36 PRINCIPES FROM THE ANGLE OF ENLIGHTENMENT, HELPING YOU TO MANIFEST SHIVA GADHI. *BEFORE STARTING THE DEEPER LEVELS OF EXPLANATION, I WANT ALL OF YOU TO SIT STRAIGHT. KEEP YOUR ATMALINGA AND JNANANJANA NEXT TO YOU, SO THAT EVERY PRINCIPLE I EXPLAIN WILL DIRECTLY GET INTO YOU AND JUST START OPERATING. *SHIVA, SHIVA, SHIVA, SHIVA….. *AKSHUBDHA BINDU - IS THE PURE PARAMASHIVA SPACE. *I BOW DOWN TO PARAMASHIVA GANAPATI. I BOW DOWN TO PARAMASHIVA. LET PARAMASHIVA’S AKSHUBDHA BINDU STATE MANIFEST IN ALL OF US AND MAKE US ALL REALISE THESE 36 TATTVAS FROM THE SHIVA GADHI. *I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN THESE 36 TATTVAS FOR ENLIGHTENMENT TO MANIFEST PARAMASHIVATVA AND PARAMASHIVA GADHI AND WITH THE REALIZATION OF ESTABLISHING PARATVA. *THE SUPREMACY AND ULTIMATE STATE OF PARAMASHIVA, பரமசிவ பரதத்வத்தை உணர்ந்து (PARAMASHIVA PARATATVATTAI UNARNDHU) - REALIZING THE SUPREMACY OF PARAMASHIVA OVER THIS WHOLE EXISTENCE, I AM EXPLAINING PARAMASHIVA’S VIEW OF THIS 36 PRINCIPES FOR ALL OF US TO MANIFEST PARAMASHIVATVA, PARAMASHIVA GADHI, PARAMASHIVA PADHAM. *THE FIRST AND FOREMOST REQUIREMENT FOR THIS AKSHUBDHA BINDU STATE IS ‘DHEERAHA’. DO NOT STOP ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN WHEN YOU ARE GIVEN WEALTH, OR ANYTHING ELSE, TILL YOU REACH THE PARAMASHIVA STATE. *ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS YOU WILL HAVE WHEN YOU START MANIFESTING POWERS IS NOT ‘NOT HAVING’ WHAT YOU WANT, BUT YOU WILL BE HAVING ‘TOO MUCH’ OF WHAT YOU WANT, AND YOU MAY START GETTING STUCK WITH THIS PSYCHODRAMA OF WANTING AND HAVING, WANTING AND HAVING AND FORGETTING PARAMASHIVA. *POVERTY WILL NOT BE YOUR PROBLEM. TOO MUCH OF WEALTH, LUXURY WILL BE YOUR PROBLEM. DECIDE YOU WILL BE DHEERA. YOU WILL NOT STOP ANYWHERE BY BECOMING DEVA OR DEVENDRA OR ANY OF THE OTHER HIGHER STATES. *YOU WILL HAVE THE GUTS AND COURAGE NOT TO STOP TILL YOU MANIFEST PARAMASHIVATVA. *TAKE THE SANKALPA AND REQUEST PARAMASHIVA TO SUPPORT YOU IN THIS SANKALPA. YOU SHOULD MANIFEST PARAMASHIVATVA. TILL THEN YOU SHOULD NOT STOP. *I AM NOT SAYING, ‘DO NOT ENJOY THE LUXURIES OF DEVALOKA OR BHULOKA.’ I AM ONLY SAYING, ‘DON'T BE STUCK THERE. DON'T STOP THERE!’ I AM ONLY SAYING, ‘STOP GETTING STUCK.’ *HAVE A BIG COUCH. YOU CAN REST THERE, BUT YOU CANNOT PUT THE SEAT BELT ON THE COUCH AND BECOME A COUCH POTATO UST BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT IT FOR 2000 DOLLAR! *WHENEVER YOU ARE STUCK WITH YOUR LUXURIES, YOUR LUXURIES BECOME MORE VALUABLE THAN YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS. *I WANT TO SELECT AND ELECT KAILASA ADMINISTRATION AND PEOPLE FOR HINDU PARLIAMENT. *BEFORE THAT I WANTED TO DEFINE THIS 36 PRINCIPLES AND ONLY PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND THESE 36 PRINCIPLES, I WANT THEM TO BE PART OF KAILASA ADMINISTRATION AND HINDU PARLIAMENT. THAT IS WHY I AM EXPANDING ON THESE PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS. *DO NOT BE STUCK IN ANY LUXURY. LET YOUR LUXURIES NOT MAKE YOU FORGET YOUR AKSHUBDHA BINDU STATE - PARAMASHIVATVA, PARAMASHIVA GADHI, PARAMASHIVA PARATVA NIRUPANAM. *I WANT TO ESTABLISH THE SUPREMACY OF PARAMASHIVA, ULTIMATENESS OF PARAMASHIVA, SO YOU WILL NOT GET STUCK IN ANY OTHER LUXURY, COMFORT, OR FULFILLMENT OR ANYTHING ELSE. *FEW DAYS AGO I WAS TELLING IN THE SATSANG, ‘WHEREVER I OBEYED MY GURUS 100%, I GOT MANY NOT ONLY KNOWN BUT UNKNOWN BENEFITS.’ WHEREVER I DID NOT LISTEN TO MY GURUS’ WORDS DIRECTLY, NOT ONLY I GOT OTHER REPERCUSSIONS, I GOT MANY UNTOLD PROBLEMS. *TAKE THIS SANKALPA OF BEING A DHEERA. DHEERA MEANS, ‘BEING BOLD, COURAGEOUS, POWERFUL, FEROCIOUS AND WILL NOT STOP ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN TILL I MANIFEST PARAMASHIVATVA, PARAMASHIVA GADHI, PARAMA PADHAM.’ TAKE THIS SANKALPA! *EVEN IF INDRA LOKA IS OFFERED TO YOU, EVEN IF YOU ARE MADE AS KING OF HEAVEN, DON'T BE STUCK THERE. TELL THEM, ‘THANKS FOR YOUR OFFER, BUT I WANT TO BE WITH PARAMASHIVA. THAT IS PARAMASHIVA PARATVA NIRUPANAMA.’ *THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL VERSE IN VAISHNAVA TRADITION பச்சைமா மலைபோல் மேனி பவளவாய் கமலச் செங்கண் அச்சுதா. அமர ரேறே. ஆயர்தம் கொழுந்தே. என்னும், இச்சுவை தவிர யான்போய் இந்திர லோக மாளும், அச்சுவை பெறினும் வேண்டேன் அரங்கமா நகரு ளானே Pachai Mamalai Pol Meni Pavalavaai Kamala Chenkan Achyutaa Amararere Aayar Tham Kozhundhe Yennum Ichchuvai Thavira Yaan Poai Indira logam Aalum Achchuvai Perinum Vaenden Arangama Nagarulane *DEVOTEE OF VISHNU CRIES TO VISHNU, ‘THE TASTE OF ME CELEBRATING YOU, SINGING THE GLORY, THE TASTE OF ONENESS, FEELING CONNECTION WITH YOU IS BEST. EVEN AS RULER OF INDRALOKA, I DON'T WANT THAT. I WANT ONLY THE FEELING CONNECTION WITH YOU.’ THAT IS THE DHEERA OF A BHAKTA, DEVOTEE’S DHEERA! *ALL OF YOU SHOULD HAVE THE DHEERA THAT PARAMASHIVATVA, PARAMASHIVA GADHI, PARAMA PADHA IS THE ONLY GOAL. *TILL THEN, YOU CAN ENJOY WHAT COMES IN THE WAY, NOTHING WRONG. YOU CAN ENJOY, BUT DON'T BE STUCK. YOU CAN SIT IN THE COUCH, BUT DON'T PUT SEAT BELT! *HAVE YOUR BEAUTIFUL PURITY. IN VILLAGES, WHEN THEY CUT the JACKFRUIT, THEY WILL APPLY CASTOR OIL ON THE HAND, SO THAT THE GUM IN THE JACKFRUIT WILL NOT GET STUCK IN THE HAND AND MAKE IT MESSY. *POUR CASTOR OIL EVERYDAY IN YOUR SYSTEM. THE NEGATIVE PATTERNS IN YOUR BIO MEMORY WILL NOT GET STUCK IN YOUR INTERNAL ORGANS. IT MAY LOOK VERY FUNNY BUT DO IT, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. IN THE BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 18 SHLOKA 55, IT SAYS: भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः। ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम्।। BHAKTYĀ MĀMABHIJĀNĀTI YĀVĀNYAŚCĀSMI TATTVATAḤ. TATO MĀṂ TATTVATO JÑĀTVĀ VIŚATE TADANANTARAM.. TRANSLATION: BY DEVOTION HE KNOWS ME IN REALITY, WHAT AND WHO I AM; THEN HAVING KNOWN ME IN REALITY, HE FORTHWITH ENTERS INTO THE SUPREME. *YOU SHOULD KNOW, PARAMASHIVATVA, PARAMASHIVA GADHI, PARAMA PADHAM, IS YOUR ONLY GOAL! *EVERYTHING ELSE IS OK ON THE WAY TO ENJOY BUT NOT TO GET STUCK. *I WANT ALL OF YOU TO UNDERSTAND: ANYONE WHO DECIDES TO BE DHEERA, THE PURE PARAMASHIVA STATE STARTS BLESSING YOU, SUPPORTING YOU, GUIDING YOU, AND STARTS MANIFESTING ITSELF INSIDE YOU. *DECIDE WITH DHEERA, ‘OH MAHADEVA! PARAMASHIVA! I BELONG TO YOU. I WANT ONLY YOU TO MANIFEST IN ME. LET ME NOT GET STUCK WITH ANYTHING ELSE.’ *WITH THIS, THE MOMENT YOU APPLY FOR VISA TO PARAMASHIVA FOR KAILASA, HE STARTS LOOKING AT YOU, NOT JUST FOR ISSUING VISA, BUT HOW TO GET YOU TO KAILASA AS A CITIZEN AND TRAIN YOU TO BECOME HIM, AND MERGING YOU INTO HIM. *YOU PLAN FOR KAILASA VISA, HE PLANS FOR MAKING YOU PARAMASHIVA! *YOU LOOK AT HIM FOR VISA, HE LOOKS AT YOU AS SHIVA! *THESE INITIATIONS I AM GOING TO SHOWER ON ALL OF YOU WILL BE SO INTENSE, SO ENERGETIC, SO ALIVE, MANIFESTING POWERS, JOY, ECSTASY, THAT POVERTY WILL NOT BE YOUR PROBLEM, RATHER, LUXURY WILL BE YOUR PROBLEM! DISEASE WILL NOT BE YOUR PROBLEM, RATHER, HYPERACTIVE ENERGY WILL BE YOUR PROBLEM! *DON’T STOP TILL YOU REACH PARAMASHIVATVA. *LET ME EXPLAIN DHEERA! ONLY IF I MAKE YOU DHEERA, ALL MY 36 PRINCIPLES DEFINITION WILL BE USEFUL FOR YOU. OTHERWISE, IT WILL BE USELESS FOR YOU. IN TIRUMANDIRAM, 1536th VERSE: சிவகதி யேகதி மற்றுள்ள எல்லாம் பவகதி பாசப் பிறவியொன் றுண்டு தவகதி தன்னொடு நேரொன்று தோன்றில் அவகதி மூவரும் அவ்வகை யாமே. 1536 SHIVA GADHIYE GADHI MATRULLA YELLAAM BAVA GADHI PAASA PIRAVI ONDRUNDU TAVA GADHI TANNODU NERONDRU THONDRIL AVA GADHI MOOVARUM AVVAGAI YAAME TRANSLATION: SHIVAGATHI ALONE LEADS TO TO ETERNAL LIBERATION SHIVAGATHI ALONE IS THE ULTIMATE PATH; ALL OTHER STATES, GATHIS - PATHS WILL =LEAD ONLY TO THE CYCLE OF BIRTH AND DEATH; BONDAGE COMES BACK TO YOU; ANYTHING OTHER THAN SHIVA GADHI SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED. WITH YOUR PENANCE, TAPASYA, PUNYA, CHOOSE ONLY SHIVA GADHI, NOT ANYTHING ELSE. ANYTHING ELSE WILL LEAD ONLY TO THREE MALAS - IMPURITIES AND BONDAGE, BIRTH AND DEATH CYCLE, DELUSION. *FUNDAMENTAL QUALIFICATION FOR ANYONE TO BE PART OF KAILASA IS DEFINITE DHEERATVA - BEING FEROCIOUS WITH YOURSELF, ‘I WILL ACHIEVE ONLY SHIVA GADHI. ANYTHING WHICH COMES ON THE WAY IS OK, BUT I WILL NOT BE STUCK OR STOP WITH IT. I WILL NOT BE CONSCIOUSLY DECIDING TO CHERISH, ENTERTAIN, ENGAGE OR BE WITH THOSE INTERMEDIARY STATES, SPACES, POSTS, LUXURITES, COMFORTS. *SHIVA GADHI IS THE GADHI! SHIVA PADHAM SHIVATVAM PARAMASHIVATVA PARAMASHIVA GADHI PARAMASHIVA PADHAM *WITH THIS PARAMASHIVA PADHAM, PARAMASHIVA GADHI, PARAMASHIVATVA - KEEPING THIS AS GOAL WITH DHEERATVA, WITH FEROCIOUSNESS AND COURAGE, IF YOU START UNDERSTANDING THE 36 TATTVAS, YOU WILL START MANIFESTING POWERS IMMEDIATELY. *THAT IS WHY PATANJALI TEACHES SAMADHI PADA FIRST. THEN HE TEACHES ALL THE OTHER PADAS. *I WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND ON THE 36 TATTVAS IN FURTHER SATSANGS. *ONLY WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE ULTIMATENESS OF PARAMASHIVA AND DECIDE TO BE WITH THAT, YOU CAN BE PART OF KAILASA ADMINISTRATION OR HINDU PARLIAMENT. SO FIRST I AM DOING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FIRST! *SO SIT STRAIGHT. LET US ALL ENTER INTO PARAMASHIVATVA, MANIFEST PARAMASHIVA GADHI AND PARAMASHIVATVA. *I HAVE A SHASTRA PRAMANA FOR YOU ON DHEERA FROM THE SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM, 3RD SKANDHA, 6TH ADHYAYA, 45TH SLOKA - तथापरे चात्मसमाधियोगबलेन जित्वा प्रकृतिं बलिष्ठाम् । त्वामेव धीराः पुरुषं विशन्ति TATHĀPARE CĀTMASAMĀDHIYOGABALENA JITVĀ PRAKṚTIṂ BALIṢṬHĀM TVĀMEVA DHĪRĀḤ PURUṢAṂ VIŚANTI TRANSLATION: THE DHEERAS, BY THEIR SHEER POWER OF SAMADHI - ALWAYS BEING IN ONENESS WITH THEIR TRUE SELF - THE PURE CONSCIOUSNESS, CONQUER THE POWERFUL PRAKRITI - THE WHOLE MANIFEST WORLD AND ALSO THEIR OWN ANTAH KARANA - INNER SPACE WHICH ARE INFLUENCED BY THE THREE GUNAS - SATTVA, RAJAS, AND TAMAS AND ULTIMATELY INDEED ENTER INTO YOU OH LORD! *WE WILL NOW ENTER INTO THE PARAMASHIVA GANAS MEETING WITH THE COMMITTED BRAHMANAS, KSHATRIYAS, VAISHYAS AND SHUDRAS. Read the full post here: https://www.facebook.com/138595819561610/posts/4283922591695558/

#Nithyananda #KAILASA

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haillenarte · 5 years ago

Text

full steam ahead;

Here is a translation of the dialogue between Ran’jit, Minfilia, and Thancred in “Full Steam Ahead,” the level 77 Shadowbringers main story quest.

First, a preface: This translation is not a word-for-word translation, though it is slightly more loyal to the Japanese script than the official localization. As always, the Japanese text is enclosed for you to make your own comparisons and judge my decisions if need be. I have some more comments about where I departed from the original text at the bottom of the post.

FULL STEAM AHEAD 廃都ナバスアレン "the sealed city of nabaath areng”

ランジート : ……無様よな、反逆者ども。我が主に従っていたなら、かように地を這うこともなかった。ランジート : おお……ミンフィリア……哀れな娘よ……。お前はそのまま待て、すぐに鼠どもを始末してくれよう。

TRANSLATION RAN’JIT: I pity you, apostates. Had you surrendered to my liege when you were given the chance, you would have no need to squirm through the darkness and the earth like rats. RAN’JIT: And you, Minfilia... my wretched daughter. You shall wait there as I exterminate these pests.

LOCALIZATION Ran'jit: Had you only sworn fealty to Lord Vauthry, you would have no cause to skulk about like frightened animals. Ran'jit: You will remain as you are, while I dispatch these villains.

ミンフィリア : だめ……だめです、そんなこと……！ランジート : 何故だ。かつて我は、拾うたびにお前を育て、ともに戦場に立ち、何百何千もの罪喰いを屠った……。ランジート : されど世は変わらず、お前は幾度も、幾度も死に続けた！ランジート : この薄汚い鼠どもはッ！哀れなお前に、なおも戦うことを迫り、混迷の世に招き入れようとしている！ランジート : 惑わされてはならぬ……ならぬぞ……！お前を苦しみから永久に解き放てるのは、我が主、ヴァウスリーのみッ！

TRANSLATION MINFILIA: No... No, you can’t! You can’t... RAN’JIT: Why not? Have you forgotten who I am? It was I who found you. I who raised you, time and time again. I who stood on the battlefield beside you, slaying hundreds and thousands of sin eaters by your side! RAN’JIT: But we accomplished nothing. The world never changed. And I watched you die, over and over and over again! RAN’JIT: What would these filthy vermin bring you?! They encourage you to fight only because they would lead you down a path of chaos we have already tread! RAN’JIT: Do not be deceived, child! Only Lord Vauthry has the power to save us from this endless cycle of torment!

LOCALIZATION Minfilia: No! I won't...! I won't let you! Ran'jit: You forget to whom you speak! Who armed you? Trained you? Fought and killed a thousand sin eaters with you!? Ran'jit: And when you were inevitably cut down and lay lifeless in my arms─who sought out your successor to carry on the futile struggle again and again!? Ran'jit: We seek to bring peace to what is left of this shattered land, while these mad fools would only bring further chaos down upon us! Ran'jit: Do not be deceived, child! Only by Lord Vauthry's hand will this dying world know a sliver of salvation!

ミンフィリア : ……いいえ、私はそんな風に救ってもらいたいわけじゃない。ミンフィリア : 今だって、痛くて、つらくて、とても苦しい……。それでもこれは、ここまで旅してこられた証です……！ミンフィリア : みなさんからかけてもらった言葉を、覚えています。一緒に見た風景を、覚えています……。ミンフィリア : その思い出があるからこそ、苦しいのだとしても…… なかったことになんて、絶対にできません……！ミンフィリア : 伝えたいんです。大好きだと……ありがとうと……。私のこの、命ぜんぶで。ミンフィリア : だから、あなたの手は取りません。そこを……通してくださいッ！

TRANSLATION MINFILIA: ...But I... I never asked to be saved. MINFILIA: I know that fighting hurts. Living hurts. It hurts, and we suffer, through the bitterness and the tears... But that very pain is proof of how far we’ve come. MINFILIA: The things that everyone said to me... I remember them. The things that everyone showed me... I remember them. MINFILIA: Even if having these memories hurts me, I can’t just go back to my cell and pretend that nothing happened. MINFILIA: ...I want to be able to say things like “I love you” and “thank you” because that’s what it means to be alive. MINFILIA: So I can’t take your hand anymore. I won’t accept what you offer me. Please, stand aside and let us pass!

LOCALIZATION Minfilia: I don't know about the world...but I never asked to be saved. Minfilia: However much it hurts, and however hard it gets, it's my life, and I want to live it on my own terms! Minfilia: And those “mad fools” you want me to abandon? The ones I've traveled with, fought with, and may one day die with─they feel the same. Minfilia: So no, I will not be deceived! No matter what you say, I refuse to believe it's all for nothing! Minfilia: They're everything to me. All I have and all I need. And I would gladly do anything for them. Minfilia: Let us pass, or kill me. I'm not leaving here without them.

ランジート : 愚かな……！反逆者どもに染められおって、仕置きが必要か……！

TRANSLATION RAN’JIT: Foolish girl...! Very well — you must be disciplined. If you would stain your hands with rebellion, then you have earned your father’s ire!

LOCALIZATION Ran'jit: How dare you! Very well─if you would cast your lot with villains, then you shall share their fate!

サンクレッド : ……お前が伝えようとしてくれた気持ちは、痛いほど、よくわかってる……。言葉で示せず、すまなかった。サンクレッド : 行けッ、こいつは俺が食い止める！ミンフィリア : でも……っ！サンクレッド : だから誰のためでもない、お前の望みをぶつけてくるんだ。サンクレッド : 俺は…… お前のわがままくらい、いくつだって受け止めてやる……！

TRANSLATION THANCRED: ...I heard what you said. And I understand how you feel. I know it so well that it hurts... I’m sorry I never said it myself. THANCRED: Go! I’ll deal with him! MINFILIA: But — THANCRED: You’re doing this for yourself, right? And not for anyone else. THANCRED: I... If it’s for you, I’ll do anything.

LOCALIZATION Thancred: I heard what you said. And I'm sorry for all the things I've left unspoken. Thancred: You have to go. Now! Minfilia: Thancred, no─ Thancred: Go! Do what you came here to do. Thancred: I'll not have you waste that newfound resolve on me.

サンクレッド : そいつを頼んだ！必ず、「ミンフィリア」のもとまで届けてやってくれ。

TRANSLATION THANCRED: I’ll leave her in your hands. Take her to Minfilia!

LOCALIZATION Thancred: I leave her in your hands. Hurry!

サンクレッド : 行かせはしない。妹と娘、ふたりの家族への想いだ……打ち破れると思うなよッ！ランジート : 笑止ッ……！貴様のような未熟者が、あれの父など名乗るではないわ！

TRANSLATION THANCRED: You’re not getting past me, old man. My sister, or your daughter... which do you think she’d rather be? RAN’JIT: Don’t make me laugh, boy... A brat like you couldn’t possibly call himself her kin!

LOCALIZATION Thancred: Not another step! Your fight is with me. Ran'jit: You think yourself her protector!? Hah! As if a whelp like you could be a better father to her than me!

(After the battle...)

ランジート : ……あの娘は、苦難の星のもとに生まれたのだ。苦しむぞ……これからも……。サンクレッド : 護っていくさ。……あいつが、それを望むかぎり。

TRANSLATION RAN’JIT: That girl... she was born under a calamitous star. She must be shielded from her misfortune... I must... THANCRED: You don’t understand. You can only protect her as long as she wants to be protected.

LOCALIZATION Ran'jit: You would have her suffer and die. I would spare her that fate! Thancred: That is not for you or anyone else to decide─ever again.

サンクレッド : ……でも、一度くらいはちゃんと叶えたいだろ。俺は、お前の、「お兄さん」なんだから。サンクレッド : ミンフィリア…………

TRANSLATION THANCRED: ...Still, I wanted to do it right, just once. Because I’m your big brother... THANCRED: Minfilia...

LOCALIZATION Thancred: One last time, with a little help. I'm so proud to have been a part of your life... Thancred: Oh, Minfilia...

TRANSLATOR’S NOTES

I wound up “rewriting” the script a lot more than I intended to, mostly for emotional impact, but for fairness’s sake, let me note where I really changed things up.

MINFILIA: Even if having these memories hurts me, I can’t just go back to my cell and pretend that nothing happened. To be fair, Minfilia does not mention going back to her cell in Eulmore here. However, I threw it in because her speech about pain being inevitable in life doesn’t really sound like she’s even talking to Ran’jit otherwise. The gist of their argument, obviously, is that he wants to insulate her from all of life’s suffering by throwing her in a cage, but she is trying to tell him that she can accept that pain.

MINFILIA: ...I want to be able to say things like “I love you” and “thank you” because that’s what it means to be alive. This isn’t a significant change in my opinion, but I had to reword the nuance of the original text very slightly or else it wouldn’t make a lot of sense. What Minfilia says in Japanese is something closer to “I want to convey it... [things like] I love you, and thank you, and everything in this life of mine,” but I went with “what it means to be alive” since that’s a much more familiar turn of phrase in English literature and pop culture.

RAN’JIT: Very well — you must be disciplined. If you would stain your hands with rebellion, then you have earned your father’s ire! There’s nothing actually wrong with the localization’s decision to render this as “cast your lot with villains.” I actually might have done the same thing if not for the fact that I try not to repeat the localization unless it’s necessary. What he says literally is “if you would allow yourself to be stained by the rebels,” but I didn’t like the sexual connotations of words like “tainted,” “besmirched,” and “corrupted,” so I avoided all that by turning “rebels” into “rebellion” instead. This isn’t really important enough to be explained, but I just wanted to defend myself against anyone who might think that I misread this sentence. I know it says “rebels” — it was just unpleasant to keep it that way!

THANCRED: If it’s for you, I’ll do anything. Definitely the most aggressive rewrite on my part here, but I think it’s defensible (and would have hurt me a lot more than “I'll not have you waste that newfound resolve on me”). Thancred’s Japanese line, in a really clunky literal way, is “If it’s for your selfishness, I can accept a great number [of burdens/blows]” — but obviously, no one talks like that in English, so I felt it made the most sense to straight up render it “If it’s for you, I’ll do anything.”

THANCRED: You’re not getting past me, old man. My sister, or your daughter... which do you think she’d rather be? Thancred doesn’t call Ran’jit an old man in Japanese here, but I thought the aggressive banter between “old man” and “boy” was charming, so I threw it in. The second line is also a pretty liberal reinterpretation on my part: the Japanese is something like “Sister and daughter, two feelings of family, don’t think you can break it so easily!” — but, again, this is weird as hell in English, so I made it more of a taunting statement on Thancred’s part.

RAN’JIT: That girl... she was born under a calamitous star. She must be shielded from her misfortune... I must... THANCRED: You don’t understand. You can only protect her as long as she wants to be protected. This is, again, a reinterpretation on my part. Ran’jit says something roughly like “That girl was born under a calamitous star, she has always been suffering, even now,” and Thancred replies, “Then I’ll protect her. As long as she wants me to, that is.” I think the English script wanted this exchange to be more about giving Minfilia the ability to decide her own fate, but I thought this take on it gave more weight to Ran’jit’s madness — the reason he’s so hellbent on “protecting” her is because he still thinks of Minfilia as his daughter, the one that was born under a bad sign, and he still needs to protect her, because he’s still her father. The localization probably changed this because they didn’t want Ran’jit spouting random mumbo-jumbo about stars, but I think there’s actually something very sad about Ran’jit suddenly going on about his daughter’s astrological sign, do you know what I mean? He doesn’t at all understand that she’s long gone. There’s certainly power in “That is not for you or anyone else to decide─ever again,” though.

THANCRED: ...Still, I wanted to do it right, just once. Because I’m your big brother... THANCRED: Minfilia... I don’t know if I successfully carried this thought over from the previous sentence correctly, and maybe this was already obvious in English, I'm not sure — but what Thancred says in Japanese is “I wanted to make it happen just once,” where when he says “make it happen” he means essentially, “I wanted to see my dream come true.” Basically, his “dream” is that he wanted to protect Minfilia like a real big brother — both the Minfilia from the First, yes, but also the Minfilia from the Source, whom he feels he failed to protect. Yes... This dork really just wanted to have that big damn hero moment where he gets to protect his little sister from the bad guys that are after her... I also cried...

#thancred #minfilia #ryne #ran'jit #ffxiv

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