#desire is a powerful motivator and that's why it's important to have some degree of privacy

[bittsandpieces]

I recently bought some hot content from a sex worker, and they got me to pay through their brother's PayPal account and I was of course not thinking about the potential faucest implications that at all, not one bit.

im gonna be honest anon, that makes me WILDLY uncomfortable. privacy in sex work is extremely important for safety reasons and I would NEVER have publicized my legal name or the names of my family members when I was actively selling. even being as stingy as I was about personal information, I had someone track me down and attempt to kidnap me. I can't imagine giving people access to my family's names, knowing how batshit crazy some of my followers were. if I were you I'd warn that sex worker to be more careful and find another way to accept payment

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Social climbers and the relationship with power: Ada's tragedy

You buddies don't dimension how much I raised my eyebrows when I saw this scene:

Ada climbing on top of a deer (a very typical symbolic representation of noble masculinity) who is trying to fiercely shake her off while she desperately clings to him with all her might...

And is THAT what makes her have a flashback of her relationship with Tamerline? Buddy, I'm putting on a hat to take it off.

Anyway, this means I have enough material to talk about Ada.

Social climbers and power

Ada is, apparently, a social climber: she longs for a social space to which she feels she is entitled, but to which she considers herself not to belong. This is something that can give us clues about her socio-economic situation in life: social climbers are extremely common in spaces such as, for example, the child of a first generation of professionals or of parents who have been able to provide better economic passages despite not belonging to social elites.

So, one thing to be clear about the way Ada relates to people in general is through this lens: the way she tries to move up socially (i.e. to power) is through her relationships with people, if she is close to a person who has power or belongs to an elite, then she is accessing these spaces. If that person does not have it, then she uses the relationship to reassert the position she wants to have.

Ada's personal tragedy is that this way of relating to the world puts her in an extremely vulnerable position with respect to her interpersonal relationships because, if they were not asymmetrical from the beginning, she makes them asymmetrical. It's as true that Ada gets into complicated relationships willingly as it is that she is a victim of people like Tamerlane. You know, the same logic of tragedies.

So let me do a little review of all the relationships Ada has had in the comic, how they go and what is the pattern they follow.

The triad of discord

There are three things that all of Ada's relationships have in common (except one, but we'll get to that): 1) She seeks to get some sort of validation from the other person. 2) She tends to push the person's boundaries, even if they were explicitly stated. 3) Even if the person has some degree of affection or sympathy for her, Ada will never be her priority over other things. Be these things other people, personal desires, etc, etc.

So let's review this a bit.

Let's start with the bastard of Thomas Tamerline. If anything their interaction during chapter 110 makes clear to us is that the guy is quite explicit with the fact that this relationship is purely sex for him (and he possibly enjoys the degree of control he exerts over her), Ada repeatedly tries to get some validation or affection from him and the guy barely complies with the bare minimum.

That he ends up murdering her indicates that, regardless of motive, he sees her as an inconvenience to his personal desires that must be gotten out of the way and, as the icing on the cake, puts the responsibility on her.

Now on to Prospero. His resemblance to Thomas is obvious enough to understand why Ada would be attracted to him and constantly seeks to touch him or be near him, no matter how much Prospero tells her that he is not interested in her. This is an attitude she has even before Annabel encourages her by saying that “Prospero is just being shy”.

Eventually it happens what it does: Prospero is fed up with her and doesn't hesitate to tell her so to her face. We can argue whether or not he's justified in being this cruel, but by the standards of this argument that's irrelevant: the important thing here is that Prospero doesn't care about Ada's feelings enough to be nicer.

Let's go now to Lenore. Ada is extremely mean to her until Lenore demonstrates that she was able to pass the maze test on her own. This is, in Ada's eyes, a demonstration of power and she, as she is wont to do, will not pass up the opportunity to get on the good side of a person who could be a potential rising star.

This is cut short by her same group, but they reconnect at the mansion trial. Since Lenore is not interested in relating on power terms (for better and for worse), here they have the opportunity to share on more equal terms on both their parts. Yes, Lenore is also doing this for personal reasons, but it doesn't take away from the merit.

Ada ends up overstepping boundaries and betraying Lenore at the end of the trial. And after she learns of her Ada's involvement in Duke's kidnapping, well, all she has to say when Pluto fills her in is says that shitty relationship is strangely appropriate.

Yes, Lenore may have come to have some degree of affection for her, but Ada is no more important than her friends and after getting into something like that, to hell with her.

With Annabel things start to get more interesting. These two have a cocktail of projection and resentment between them: Annabel is all Ada wants, so she treats her like a pretty accessory that gives her status (something that definitely oversteps Annabel's boundaries, even if she hasn't expressed them because it doesn't suit her) and, to Annabel, Ada is little more than an important piece she can take advantage of.

This take it with a grain of salt because there are some “buts.”

On Ada's side, that she seeks help from Annabel when Montresor is being a fucking psycho is an indicator that she felt, at least, protected by Annabel. But as is often the case with her, the plan Annabel is carrying out is no more important than Ada, she just lets it happen.

Twice. Under the circumstances, Annabel chooses to help Prospero over Ada.

However, Ada is not indifferent to Annabel: she is definitely furious with Montresor after what he did (In fact, this is the only scene so far where we have seen Annabel exercising any form of physical aggression)., she is uncomfortable when Prospero is mean to Ada, and there are a few small frames where she looks at her with sincere pity.

But again, that won't make Annabel prioritize her over her own plans.

Finally, we come to the most interesting relationship here.

Ada definitely cares about Morella, but that won't make constantly denigrating her a reaffirmation of the position she believes (or wants) to have: making comments like Morella's food “is poor.” Ada pecks at the boundaries with a stick, yet these things -for some reason- don't seem to bother Morella, who is able to see the good in her despite her bad attitudes. Until she stops doing it because not only participating in Duke's kidnapping, but also trying to play cool by making excuses is out of bounds even for Morella.

But an interesting thing happens here too, remember how Ada is never a priority for anyone? Well, for a moment in her relationship with Morella it looks like this is going to be different. Morella makes a feeble attempt to defend her when Montresor makes her bark and puts a shield in her face when Prospero attacks her in the mansion trial.

Unfortunately for Ada, Morella is someone too lacking in backbone and too concerned with following the rules to stand up for her when it really counts.

After Ada manifests and bursts into tears, she pushes Morella away from her with a shove.

Morella says she wants to help, but all it takes is for Poppet to remind her that she needs to get back the Merits she lost for Morella to finally give in.

The two people Ada considered her friends have left her: Annabel has chosen to help Prospero and Morella has left.

That's when Montresor enters.

And here begins the first break in Ada's toxic pattern of relationships...but not for the better.

Ada and Montresor

Oddly enough, these two are a good match...for horrible reasons. Montresor, like Ada, is a social climber who uses interpersonal relationships to get closer to power, only in a different way: where Ada sticks it to people who hold power, Montresor uses others to reassert himself in a position of power. So, Ada feeds Montresor's ego, while he can pretend to like her enough to keep Ada happy.

Because yes, Ada and Montresor's relationship fulfills most of the bad patterns in relationships that Ada usually has: she seeks validation in this relationship and Montresor definitely doesn't prioritize her (she constantly has to compete with Will for Montresor's attention, for example). But the important thing here is that, for once, Ada isn't the one constantly pecking at the other person's boundaries: it's Montresor who does it.

He pushes her around, teases her, calls her by other women's names, and it's probably only a matter of time before this starts to get worse. What's interesting is that Ada is able to get upset when this happens, unlike what we see in the flashback to her relationship with Thomas.

So there is something changing here.

Conclusion

I'm not sure where this is going to lead, but one thing is for sure: Montresor is a reflection of a toxic pattern of behavior that Ada has in her relationships and if she's starting to get uncomfortable with it, it's not just because the abyss is staring back at her, but because she's getting herself into a situation too similar to her relationship with Thomas to not know how it might end.

Add to that this:

This is the first time in the comic that Ada has had such a selfless gesture for another person. And that selfless gesture is something as big as putting herself in danger to save someone. As if all this wasn't enough, it's been to save Annabel: one of the two friends who turned their backs on her when she needed them.

I don't know if this will be the start of her character development or we should interpret it as deathflags placed over her head, but one thing is for sure: whatever is going to come out of here has quite a bit of potential.

[drdemonprince]

you are the first person ive encountered in my whole life who has actually attempted to really answer some of the more aggravating questions surrounding children and sex and just reading some of your recent posts has already enlightened me to my childhood situation a lot better. i will try to keep this brief bc my intent is not to air my whole childhood to the masses but to like. present a sort of spiders georg situation to help people understand why these things are important. here we go: (it is relevent to point out that i am extremely autistic and started presenting symptoms from two years of age onward.) i believe that i started being sexually active around four or five years old. i was extremely curious about sex to such a degree that it got me in trouble at school multiple times. it disturbed my mom greatly how often i brought up sexual topics. i discovered porn at the age of eight due to very poor parental supervision and a high level of internet access and i was immediately obsessed. i can confidently say that i watched more porn than any other kind of media as a child. by the time i was 10 id already had dozens of sexual encounters with kids my age and older, mostly initiated by me. i agree now that children cannot consent to sex with adults, but it took me a long time to come to that conclusion. for a very long time i wished more than anything for an adult who knew the ins and outs of sex to have a sexual relationship with me, bc i saw it as the only way i could be satisfied. children do not make good sexual partners when you are essentially ahead of the sexual curve i guess. i received absolutely no sex education until i reached middle school. my parents didnt talk to me about it whatsoever, deflecting everything i said about the subject. the sex education i did receive was piss poor, and i knew it. it was an "abstinence only" model of sex ed. no one took it seriously. my lack of understanding came back to bite me severely in high school. nowadays i understand concepts like consent and boundaries very well, and i think about these subjects deeply and am careful to consider them when interacting with other people. this was not the case in high school. my unusual sexual obsessions in childhood made me very uncautious about it with other people, and my level of autonomy and power was high enough that abuse was extremely possible. i am not proud to say that i did in fact commit sexual abuse in high school. i knew it was wrong. but to me, the wrongness was on the level of severity of stealing a pack of gum from the store. as soon as i had done it, i started to understand the true level of severity of what id done, and that still haunts me. i had up to that point believed that everyone must on some level have an interest in and desire for sex. i would have been ok with someone doing what i did to me, so it would surely be fine if i did it to someone else. i had no real conception of sexual violence and sexual coercion being real things that affected people deeply, both due to my physical and social isolation and extremely skewed perspective from watching porn for years. nowadays, i have very little sex, both because of lack of percieved opportunity, lack of motivation, and fear of committing the same transgressions i did in the past. nevertheless i remain extremely interested in and obsessed with sex, and wish i could spend all day having it. so i guess as someone who was sexually precocious: your kids need to know about sex. they need to be educated about it. a sufficiently determined child will find out about it regardless, and you need to give them the tools necessary to navigate it without hurting themselves and others. and additionally i think it would be a lot better for trans girls if our first exposure to transfemininity wasnt porn the majority of the time.

💯 thank you anon ♥️

[kravchikfreak]

all this "if you think the writing is bad just try to understand why they wrote it that way and what was their thoughts first" just makes me think about all poor written stuff i've ever encountered

and boy or boy am i able to UNDERSTAND where all these young fic writers and "greenhouse academy"-ish writers are coming from, what they were trying to do, what their characters are, WHY they do what they do and what motivates them. it all doesn't make the writing better in slightest

i kid you not, ANY badly scripted stuff can be "explained" and turned into "making sense" by the power of thinking about it and trying to give the thing your own meaning. hell, that IS what art is about, by all means. art is about to look at some random splashes and think about what it means to you. and then trying to sell your meaning as what the author tried to do in the first place

like i think i can explain anything that anyone can call "a bad writing" (i assure you i can explain every mari sue and any plot instrument without personality and even paint them as someone who has a personality) with a power of having imagination and logic and being able to remember that different people react differently in the same situation. so like "the character A did B cause of C" i'd say "yeah, makes total sense for them to react like that". but if it was "the character A did D cause of C" it'd still make total sense actually, cause like i'm sure there also was E, F, G, H before whole C, and if you juggle them all masterfully enough you can make any outcome possible. and also remember the wild card of "just cause", that you can shove in any decision, especially if right after you can tell any consumers "just go figure it yourself why is this all happening"

jinx being relatively stable after silco's death makes sense cause in his death he gave her peace. jinx going full psycho was a strong possibility and still would have had perfect sense cause she's unstable and have a history of being a bit crazy. without his speech her stability would make little to no sense. but i'm assure you it could still be explained if desired. doesn't mean it would be a good writing

but last i checked the show wasn't for psychotherapists only. why do you need a degree in psychoanalysis to have a right to talk about writing if it's bad?

and once again arcane isn't any near aspiring young writers or some other netflix shows level and also all the people who enjoys the second season has all the right to do so, i feel you fam, i myself sometimes too in love with objectively shitty stuff, so i totally understand being in love with good thing

it still sucks this season tho. and just cause i can imagine stuff in my head and fill the gaps that writers left where important events were supposed to take place myself doesn't make it not bad

i don't know anymore what i'm talking about to be honest. i'm just bored again and i love writing essays so here we go. love all you guys who agree or disagree with me. instead of self-righteous shitheads who think they're the ones who right all the time. cause clearly i'm the only one who is right. all the time

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

I just wanted to say that I am really envious of the way you write the Vees. As someone who struggles with making characters woobiefying and with characterization in general, I appreciate how you can write these characters perfectly that the show didn’t have time to portray. I didn’t have a specific request, but now I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to analyze and write a character, even if you have a personal bias towards them?

Awww thank you so much ❤️ I don't have like any degree in literature or anything that would give me credibility in giving writing advice, usually I just go with the flow. But I'll do my best!

Imo the most fundamental thing is the way you think about characters. In fandom spaces, we very often see them as "people we like" - hence all the discourses like in Valentino's case "if you like him it means you are a bad person". I think that woobification is influenced by this cognitive dissonance caused by liking characters that should be unlikeable. For me the way out of it was giving up "characters as people" mindset and changing it for "characters as tools". Bacause that's what they are - tools you use to build your narrative. When I say I love Valentino I don't mean I would shake his hand - I mean he's my favourite toy I can do multiple things with. And it's his flaws that make him so much fun. Because outside of the comedy genre, narrative cannot exist without conflict. The more flaws a character has, the more conflict it causes. That's why villains are such a powerful driving force for stories (here are some great essays about it: 1, 2). Put any character in the room with Val and you have an interesting bit not only because of the usual character differences that could happen between eg. Vaggie and Husk but also because stakes suddenly become high. What will he do? Will he hurt them? We saw what he's capable of. Will he be nice? Man, that's even worse because it means he has his own motive to be nice. What might it be? That's what keeps the audience engaged with your writing. Extra points if you give him some human weaknesses or conflicting desires. When it comes to characterization, nuance is the key. That's why I love VoxVal so much - two characters that are absolutely awful but they are fiercely in love. How could Valentino be capable of simply caring about someone but himself? What kind of human is buried underneath all this evil? So much to unpack here. Nothing I'd like to experience but everything I'd like to see from a safe distance. Consider: would you even like the Vees so much in the beginning if they were just other guests at the hotel? In the show, neither of them has a single redeemable quality. And yet, here we are.

When it comes to writing characteristics it's also important to watch characters from different perspectives - that helps with giving them nuance. Let's take Vox. People seem to like and respect him, he's obviously an influential figure (he has a lot of social power). But from Alastor's perspective, he's just a pathetic little attention-seeking looser (he has a fragile ego and lowe self-esteem). Yet his assistant seemed to be scared shitless while talking to him (he had done things that made people from his closer look aware that he's dangerous). Angel knows he watches his abuse and hangs out with Valentino (at best he's indifferent to other's suffering, at worst he enjoys it). Carmilla doesn't respect him but they are on terms good enough, Vox wants to do business with her (he's a competent business partner). For the rest of Vees he's smart enough to listen to him but at the same time he's their cringefail naurospicy bestie. Add all of those perspectives together and you have yourself a multidimensional character that can interact with other elements of the narrative in vastly different ways. Also, from that point you can build up, asking yourself other questions "What would they think/do/say?".

Also, the last thing: every character needs a clear goal that influences all their decision. Choose it and always keep it in mind. Bonus points: a character has two main goals that are contradictory. When I write Vox he has two goal: power and adoration. He always has to choose which one is more important to him because while he has measures to achieve great power, some things that he would want to do are socially undesirable. In Valentino's case: hedonistic pleasure and immediate gratification vs love for Vox that demands sacrifices and compromises.

So anyway I hope that will be helpful to you <3 And don't be too hard on yourself when it comes to writing, not everything must be Game of Thrones. Especially in fandom spaces, sometimes we all want to indulge in some simple fluff or crack.

[thought-threads0618]

Rebel with a Cause: A Review of 5 Killer Habits by Sree Krishna Seelam

The book “5 Killer Habits: Be a Rebel” by Sree Krishna Seelam suggests habits to develop oneself into success. The book is a combined way of ideas and beliefs that inspires and motivates a person to take action. Seelam preaches the revolutionary ways through which many people attract rebellion against ordinary acts at a time of the highest value given to individuality and innovation.

One of these outstanding features of the book is that it really gets a person into a rebel wake-up routine. Seelam doesn’t describe rebellion or other terrible acts as a desire to be a “rebel,” but just having the courage to not play along with societal must-do things that discourage you from moving forward. It also means not merely fighting for fighting’s sake, but saying no to uninterrogated assumptions and bounds entailed by tradition, authority, or fear of failure. It is a worldview designed to make a person practice courage, creativity, and critical thinking. It encourages readers to look intensely at their lifestyles and call into question everything that goes on in their life and work. For instance, in his chapter ��Stay Curious,” Seelam emphasizes the importance of not settling with misfortune but discovering, and posing inquiries, as well as refusing to settle for mediocrity, allowing oneself to have a proactive life. These principles can unearthly transform the lives of people who mainly repeat the cycles told them by their circumstances. Seelam states true rebels, innovators, inspirers, and leaders show through example in changing their world by overcoming and trying to break down barriers; they are also definitively rebellious people who actually are up to something.

Seelam is good at translating abstract concepts into concretizations, in a format that can be applied in practical terms daily. His five “killer habits,” outlined in chapters such as “Become A Dromomaniac” and “Live A 100 Lives,” serve as pillars of his philosophy, and each is explained with clarity and conviction. No matter what the issue area, be it the improvement of good time management, creativity, or dealing with defeat in the presence of setbacks, the author supports his ideas by narrative and anecdote examples of real life which irrefutably have practical value to the ideas themselves. That is, of course, precisely the reason why the book subverts general readers.

However, as a former reader of several self-help books, I recognize some degree of reduction in the present work. Although Seelam’s principles are true, they sometimes revisit classic premises. For instance, an effort has been made to ascribe importance to the value of sleep and reading, as has often been done in books like “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. But in a different form Seelam’s understanding of these concepts, especially within the framework of rebellion or in actual-world examples, offers a much-needed novelty to the method that enhances its difference from others.

Perhaps most intriguing is the motivational dimension of the book. Writing, indeed, is alive with enthusiasm and a sincere belief in the evolving power of his methodologies. There is this high level of enthusiasm that is infectious and makes the readers want to own their own lives. His anecdotes in “Be A Hero” add credibility and make his advice sound attainable. He is realistic rather than some unattainable pure ideal as a teacher who has broken and risen to do even better and whose message lies specifically at the end of the book.

In conclusion, “5 Killer Habits: Be a Rebel” is a thought-provoking and energizing read that offers a fresh perspective on personal development. Seelam’s emphasis on breaking free from societal constraints and embracing bold habits is a timely reminder of the power of individuality in a rapidly changing world. While some ideas may feel familiar to seasoned self-help readers, the book’s motivational tone and practical advice, the authenticity of Seelam make it a worthwhile read for anyone looking to challenge themselves and grow. Ultimately, Seelam’s call to “be a rebel” is an empowering invitation to take ownership of one’s life and strive for greatness on one’s own terms.

[smqazi]

Can Muslim Make New Year’s Resolutions?

How does Islam view new years resolutions? It seems to me like that are just not a good idea because most are not realistic. Can we have new years resolutions? I've even heard some mesheikh say even celebrating the New Year is haraam, even if you don't drink or anything. Why? Is that true?

Absolutely! It’s only natural that at the start of a new year, either according to our modern calendar or the Hijri one, that one would reflect on the year and make plans to improve.

Be careful that your new year’s resolutions are realistic and that you have good intentions behind them all.

Make sure you don’t make an oath or a vow that you can’t keep, as Islam takes these very seriously. And remember: slow and steady wins the race!

\

Can a Muslim Make New Year’s Resolutions?

With the new year upon us, it is a common practice to reflect on the past year and how one can improve their life in the coming year.

People may come up with specific “resolutions” to change their behavior or to accomplish a certain goal; common resolutions are to eat healthier, quit smoking, and to spend more time with loved ones.

The start of a new year (including the Islamic new year, ith Qudsi says:

“Verily, Allah has recorded good and bad deeds and Allah made them clear. Whoever intends to perform a good deed but does not do it, then Allah will record it as a complete good deed. If they intend to do it and do so, then Allah the Exalted will record it as ten good deeds up to seven hundred times as much or even more. If they intend to do a bad deed and does not do it, then Allah will record for them one complete good deed. If they do it, then Allah will record for them a single bad deed.” (Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim)

If a person makes a resolution to do a good deed, such as giving charity, and they don’t end up doing it, they will still receive a reward for it because they had a good intention.

Take Care With How You Word Your Resolution

In Islamic law, there are different degrees of making intentions to do things.

Oaths, for example, involve a person saying out loud that they swear by Allah to do or not do a certain thing.

Vows involve a person saying out loud that they swear that if a desired event happens, they will perform an act of worship.

Vows and oaths, since they are said out loud and involve swearing to Allah to do something, are considered legally binding and entering into a kind of contract with Allah.

If a person breaks their vow or oath, they are required to pay an expiation for it, which varies case by case.

When making a resolution, especially something casual like a new year resolution that one may not follow through with, it is important to make sure that one is not entering themselves into a vow or oath, unless they are sure that they can keep their resolution and are prepared to offer expiation if they can’t keep it.

Quality Over Quantity

The Power of a Thankful Heart

While feeling excited and motivated about self-improvement plans are admirable, sometimes people get overly enthusiastic and set goals for themselves that are unrealistic.

When people try to take on too much too quickly, or without a strategy in place, they may get discouraged and give up on their goals altogether.

This can be avoided by following the advice of the Prophet, peace be upon him, as mentioned in this hadith:

“The most beloved of deeds to Allah are those that are most consistent, even if it is small.” (narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

Choose goals that are not too difficult and can be done on a regular basis, and stick to them as best you can.

For example, instead of resolving to pray tahajjud (the optional night prayer) every day, start off with just doing it once a week, or even once every two weeks.

Once you get that down, then you can increase the number of days you do it and the amount of time spent during each prayer session.

This way it becomes established as a sustainable habit, instead of trying to do it all at once and then quickly losing steam.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Keep in mind that the Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years.

If Allah had revealed it all at once, it would have been overwhelming to the believers.

Alcohol was not forbidden immediately, but rather gradually, so as to make it easier for those who drank to wean themselves off it.

May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) grant us all a wonderful, happy, blessed new year, and may Allah help us fulfill all our goals so that we may become the best we can be, Ameen!

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) knows best.

[mohdsiraj]

A Complete Guide to Understanding the Function of an Abu Dhabi Notary Public

The function of an Abu Dhabi notary public has end up more and more essential in modern-day state-of-the-art, speedy-paced international, in which commercial enterprise and criminal activity have become extra complex. Understanding the features of a Notary Public, while you would possibly want their services, and how to get in touch with them will let you keep away from losing time, money, or entering into problem with the regulation, whether or not you're a neighborhood or an expat living inside the United Arab Emirates. This comprehensive guide objectives to shed mild at the duties of a Notary Public in Abu Dhabi, consisting of what they do, why their services are preferred, and the way you can utilize them.

A Notary Public: What Is It?

A Notary Public is a public legit legal by the authorities to act as an independent witness at some point of the signing of essential files. Their number one position is to make sure that the parties involved in a transaction understand the contents of the files they may be signing, are doing so voluntarily, and that the documents are actual. In Abu Dhabi, Notary Publics play a vital function within the criminal system by using supplying a layer of verification and consider in diverse private, commercial enterprise, and legal transactions.

What Makes a Public Notary Important?

In Abu Dhabi, the importance of a Notary Public cannot be emphasised enough. Notarized documents are regularly wished in a town that could be a middle for worldwide trade and a melting pot of cultural traditions which will satisfy crook responsibilities on a national and global stage. Whether it's for private motives, like authorizing a energy of attorney, or for enterprise functions, like validating contracts, the involvement of a Notary Public guarantees that the documents are legally binding and identified through the courts. This felony warranty can be critical, in particular in situations wherein disputes would possibly arise or wherein files want to be provided in different jurisdictions.

Common Services Provided via a Notary Public in Abu Dhabi

The services of a Notary Public in Abu Dhabi are various, masking a wide range of felony desires. Here are a number of the maximum commonplace offerings they offer:

Document Authentication:

One of the number one capabilities of a Notary Public is to authenticate files. This ought to consist of verifying the signatures on prison documents, confirming the identification of the signatories, and making sure that the record is finished efficaciously. Authentication is often required for documents like belongings deeds, wills, and powers of legal professional.

Attesting Signatures:

A Notary Public in Abu Dhabi is regularly had to certify signatures on a variety of felony files. In this way, they are able to verify that the signature on a document clearly belongs to the man or woman who's claiming to be the signer. This is specifically vital for making sure that files are legally binding and stopping fraud.

Certifying Copies of Documents:

A reproduction of a record is a real and accurate illustration of the unique, and a Notary Public can attest to this. This is often essential for files along with passports, diplomas, or different critical facts that have to be provided to legal organizations.

Giving Affirmations and Oaths:

A Notary Public in Abu Dhabi can perform oath-taking ceremonies and affirmations for criminal functions. This is usually vital for affidavits, criminal declarations, or while giving proof in felony proceedings.

Notarizing Contracts and Agreements: In order for commercial dealings, agreements, and contracts to be identified legally, they regularly require notarization. This affords an additional degree of security by using making sure that the terms are clear and that each occasion happens on the equal time.

Drafting Legal Documents:

While now not the number one characteristic of a Notary Public, in a few cases, they will assist in drafting certain criminal files, particularly if the matter is simple.However, it is better to talk with a prison expert for extra intricate jail drafting.

When Is a Notary Public Needed in Abu Dhabi?

You might also want the aid of an Abu Dhabi notary public for some of unique reasons. Some not unusual scenarios encompass:

Real Estate Transactions: To guarantee the legitimacy of the transaction, it's far important to have a Notary Public authenticate the office work, whether or not you're buying or selling non-public belongings.

Power of Attorney: A notarized strength of attorney is essential in case you want to present someone the prison authority to behave to your behalf, specially in terms of topics regarding cash, property, or personal care.

Business Contracts: Notarizing contracts can help to avoid disputes and make sure that the agreement is enforceable in business dealings, especially the ones concerning large sums of money or worldwide events.

Legal Declarations: A Notary Public can administer the oath and guarantee that the record is legally valid if you are asked to make a sworn declaration or assertion.

Personal Affairs: From validating wills to certifying copies of essential files, a Notary Public can assist with a wide variety of personal criminal topics.

How to Access Notary Public Services in Abu Dhabi

It could be very sincere to get in contact with an Abu Dhabi notary public. The rapid and convenient notary services are overseen by means of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) within the emirate. Here’s how you may get entry to those services:

Visit the ADJD Website:

The ADJD internet site gives distinctive facts on a way to e-book an appointment with a Notary Public, the charges worried, and the documents you need to convey.

Book an Appointment Online:

Abu Dhabi citizens can ebook appointments with Notary Publics on line via the ADJD internet site. This lets in you to pick a time and vicinity this is convenient for you.

Visit a Notary Public Office:

Abu Dhabi has several Notary Public places of work placed at some stage in the town. These places of work are prepared to handle a extensive variety of notary services, from simple record attestation to more complex prison topics.

Digital Notary Services:

In reaction to the growing demand for convenience, Abu Dhabi has additionally delivered virtual notary offerings. This allows you to finish positive notary duties on-line, decreasing the need for in-person visits.

Conclusion

The position of a Notary Public in Abu Dhabi is important for each people and organizations. Their services ensure that felony files are valid, diagnosed, and enforceable, presenting peace of thoughts and legal protection. Whether you're managing private affairs, real estate transactions, or enterprise contracts, expertise the role of a Notary Public let you navigate the legal landscape of Abu Dhabi with self belief. By knowing while and why to use these services, you may avoid capability legal pitfalls and make sure that your documents are in order.

[birlaprecision]

Find out why hydraulic tool holders are suitable for high precision tool holding operations. 

In the ever-evolving panorama of machining and production, precision is paramount. Achieving and keeping excessive degrees of precision in device preserving operations is vital for making sure the first-class and accuracy of the very last product. Among the myriad of device preserving options available, hydraulic device holders stand out as a top choice for excessive precision programs. In this weblog, we delve into the reasons why hydraulic tool holders are the move-to solution for precision tool protecting operations, with a unique consciousness on Birla Precision Technologies Limited, a leading call in the engineering enterprise.

The Precision Advantage of Hydraulic Tool Holders

Hydraulic tool holders provide numerous distinct benefits over other styles of tool holders, specifically in phrases of precision. Let's explore some key motives why they're the desired preference for excessive precision device conserving operations:

1. Superior Clamping Force: Hydraulic device holders make use of hydraulic pressure to generate a very high clamping pressure. This force ensures a steady and stable grip on the slicing tool, minimizing vibration and deflection for the duration of machining. As a result, the device stays precisely placed, taking into account accurate cuts and constant quality.

2. Uniform Pressure Distribution: Unlike mechanical or collet-based device holders, hydraulic device holders distribute clamping pressure frivolously along the entire length of the device shank. This uniform strain gets rid of any distortion or deformation of the device, preserving its authentic geometry and making sure unique machining performance.

3. Repeatable Accuracy: Hydraulic tool holders offer terrific repeatability, which means they could always go back to the identical clamping role with high accuracy. This function is crucial for operations requiring common device modifications or setups, as it minimizes downtime and ensures constant part quality throughout a couple of runs.

4. Damping of Vibrations: Vibration is the enemy of precision machining, leading to negative surface finishes, tool wear, and dimensional inaccuracies. Hydraulic device holders excel in damping vibrations, way to their potential to take in and dissipate power efficiently. This vibration damping capability outcomes in smoother reducing operations and stepped forward surface quality.

5. Compatibility with High-Speed Machining: With the developing call for excessive-velocity machining (HSM) applications, the importance of strong device keeping solutions can't be overstated. Hydraulic tool holders are nicely-proper for HSM because of their capability to preserve tight tolerances at excessive speeds, ensuring efficient chip evacuation and top of the line device performance.

A Beacon of Precision Engineering

In the realm of precision engineering, Birla Precision Technologies Limited shines as a beacon of excellence. With a rich legacy of innovation and know-how, they have set up itself as a trusted company of modern answers for device holding and cutting equipment.

They manufacture and element a huge range of high-velocity steel cutting tools to each home and international markets. Their commitment to nice, precision, and consumer pleasure units them aside in the industry. As a testament to their dedication to innovation, they offer a complete variety of hydraulic device holders designed to satisfy the exacting needs of present day machining operations.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Precision with Hydraulic Tool Holders

In the end, hydraulic device holders represent the top of precision engineering in tool retaining operations. With their advanced clamping force, uniform strain distribution, repeatable accuracy, vibration damping abilities, and compatibility with excessive-speed machining, they offer unequaled overall performance and reliability. For industries and packages wherein precision is non-negotiable, hydraulic device holders are the clean preference.

For the ones searching for high-quality-in-magnificence hydraulic tool holders and cutting gear, look no similar to them. With their unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation, Birla Precision stands geared up to empower your machining processes and increase your precision to new heights. Visit their internet site today to explore their sizable range of merchandise and solutions, and get in touch with them to experience the distinction precision engineering can make.

[carlaimberlain]

Letting loose the Power of List Building: Methods for Success

Comprehending the Basics of Lead GenerationIn today's hectic digital landscape, lead generation has ended up being an essential component of any successful service. The procedure of attracting and also transforming possible consumers into leads holds the vital to sustainable development as well as boosted profits. But what exactly is list building, as well as why is it so important?Lead generation

describes the process of recognizing as well as cultivating possible consumers for your services or products. It involves capturing the rate of interest of people that have revealed some degree of interest in what you supply and nurturing them with different advertising strategies till they prepare to purchase. Effective list building methods permit companies to target as well as engage with their ideal consumers, leading to higher conversion rates as well as a more powerful customer base.Strategies for Effective Lead GenerationTo thrive in today's open market, services have to embrace effective lead generation techniques. Right here are a few tried-and-tested strategies to assist you create top notch leads:1. Web Content Advertising and marketing: Creating important and useful content is an effective method to bring in prospective clients. By supplying beneficial understandings, suggestions, and also remedies via article, social media messages, videos, and various other material layouts, organizations can establish themselves as sector experts and also build trust fund with their target audience.2. Maximize Landing Pages: A properly designed touchdown web page is essential for converting site visitors into leads. By maximizing your touchdown pages with engaging headlines, clear call-to-action buttons, and relevant lead capture types, you can motivate visitors to take the desired activity as well as supply their call info.3. Make Use Of Social Media: With billions of active users, social media platforms offer an incredible possibility for lead generation. By leveraging social media advertising, engaging with your target market via significant discussions, as well as sharing beneficial material, you can efficiently attract as well as nurture leads.4. Email Marketing: Structure an email list as well as implementing targeted e-mail advertising campaigns can be very effective in generating leads. By providing beneficial material as well as customized deals

to clients, you can support leads and drive them in the direction of making a purchase.In final thought, list building is an important element of any type of effective organization. By carrying out effective strategies such as content advertising, enhancing touchdown pages, using social media, and leveraging e-mail

advertising, services can attract, involve, as well as convert potential customers right into dedicated, long-lasting customers. Accept the power of lead generation and unlock the development possibility for your business.

Read more here sell4u.co.il

[edubound]

WRITE AN SOP FOR BACHELOR OF ARTS WITH US: FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES

A student applying for an undergraduate course finds it difficult to incorporate a diversity of opinions in his or her SOP, however a student applying for a master’s degree or an MBA applicant can.

Nobody would have visited the world or had a huge list of extracurricular activities. The process of developing the SOP for an undergraduate course changes drastically as a result. To begin with, a student applying for undergraduate courses has a wide range of possibilities for the SOP.

What strategy should we employ for this task? Is there a distinction? We’re currently discussing the format for a SOP for bachelor’s degree programs. Visas are needed for entry into Australia, the US, Canada, and Ireland.

The Statement of Purpose guides the evaluation of your application (SOP). It helps the admissions committee assess your perspective on life, your career goals, your convictions, your understanding of the subject matter, and your vision. Simply said, a strong SOP paints a picture of your whole personality for institutions.

This is your chance to convince the selection committee to choose you over the other candidates. A solid SOP can compensate for subpar academic performance by highlighting your long-term goals. A strong SOP also serves as an example of your ability to express yourself verbally in writing.

What information should the Bachelor of Arts SOP include?

There are several important elements that must be included in your statement of purpose.

These include:

● personal history ● financial history ● Justifications for your interest in the selected field ● with regards to extracurricular activities ● If any published works

● if any papers were submitted ● Interests and pastimes ● scholarly details ● Professional experience (volunteer, full- or part-time) ● Goals, both short-term and long-term ● justifications for choosing this particular college for your studies

How to write an SOP for bachelor of arts?

The majority of schools and universities need SOPs to adhere to a set format. On the other hand, the Statement of Purpose (SOP) will vary based on the courses the candidate selected and the numerous universities to which they are applying.

● Each paragraph in the SOP should explicitly indicate the student’s purpose to enrol in the course at a college or university. The SOP can be broken down into three to four parts. In the first paragraph of the SOP, the student’s decision to enrol in the course is discussed. This must include a mention of the primary motivating factor that led the student to decide to enrol in the course. ● The second paragraph discusses the student’s history, academic and professional accomplishments, and short- and long-term goals. The learner must be able to tell the difference between short-term and long-term goals. ● The third and fourth paragraphs should go over the student’s motivations for choosing this course and choosing this university or college, respectively. How will the student’s chosen university help them achieve their career goals? ● The SOP’s conclusion part needs to be powerful and noteworthy. Students can talk about how their experiences will benefit their peers and the university as a whole, as well as what they aim to offer to the institution. Sample format

● Why did you decide to obtain an MBA? Describe your background. ● What are your long-term objectives for the career you chose?

● After receiving your bachelor’s degree, you must justify your desire to pursue an MBA because MBA programs accept applicants from a wide range of backgrounds. ● Give a thorough description of your professional experience; most institutions need it. Don’t limit your SOP to that, though. ● If you lack work experience, you must list the positions of responsibility you have taken on. ● Do some research on the school, then describe your decision. ● Your future plans, whether they are long- or short-term, should be discussed in the SOP’s conclusion.

What to write in a PhD SOP?

● Describes both you and your research objectives. ● You can talk about your study topic, how you approached it, and any additional research suggestions you might have. ● Your passion for your field might be demonstrated by your earlier academic successes. ● Given that it is the climax of all courses, its SOP must be sensible and knowledgeable. ● Give a brief summary of any research papers you’ve written and mention them. ● You must justify your choice to enrol in that particular university’s research program. To make it seem more personal, include their department and faculty. ● Write about your short-term and long-term professional goals. ● You should modestly conclude your SOP.

Below is a list of the five essential steps for writing the SOP for a Bachelor of Arts program:

Make a list of your most noteworthy academic achievements. Three years of professional experience or four to five years of college education are insufficient for undergraduate study. Instead, you can look at your 12-year growth. Your journey has been a long one, so you have a lot more to say. Just make an effort to remember the past 12 years, down to your favourite instructors and the smallest details, as well as the difficulties and the achievements.

It may be your first triumph in a fifth-grade interclass debate or your victory in the district-level cricket tournament. You have a long 12-year history to compile, whatever it may be. Think about each occurrence, and if you can remember it, add it to your list.

Without trying to find a central subject, consider your life’s journey to date. In contrast to the five foundations of how to build a SOP, this is the only step that is completely invalid. We suggest that you keep your attention on the theme of your life’s story at this time. You can talk about all you’ve done and how you arrived at this conclusion in this topic.

You keep doing research, trying to understand, and wanting to learn. You must mention everything; don’t hunt for examples of leadership or any other particular quality. Considering how changeable you are still, modify your SOP as appropriate while choosing no particular instance.

Complete the initial draft. At the UG level, we move this step forward and instruct you to begin by writing it down.

Discuss your lists and write the first draft. Talking it over with friends, family, and, if you share that compatibility, your professors is a terrific way to start whittling down your list. Get their feedback on your manuscript, learn which passage they would like you to skip, and get a list of all the subjects you should address. Ask for help so that your drafts can be looked through and evaluated. Remember that they might be able to look at your accomplishments with greater objectivity and find some of them to be funnier than others.

Put an end to your essay. Now that we’ve talked about the draft and the lists, it’s time to finish your article. We always suggest drafting a piece. Once you’re done, completely rewrite the justification for the action. Make sure everything in your SOP for the undergraduate program is included and be extremely clear about your goals.

Make sure there are no grammatical or typographical issues by proofreading it after you’re finished. Your essay might need to be written and revised a countless number of times. Continue till you’re content.

MORE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WRITING A PERFECT STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

● Keep it straightforward and stay with the overall. Compile a succinct family history. ● Be discreet with your financial information. If you are requesting a scholarship, you will require a separate form of documentation. ● Have business-related discussions. Instead of engaging in water cooler chats, talk about life lessons. ● Use no more words than are necessary. ● Avoid using complimentary language and be direct. ● Avoid overusing technical terms. ● If you lie in your statement of purpose, you risk being denied. ● Avoid using bold or colourful typefaces or paper. ● In your essay, avoid mentioning that college was your second option. ● Use humour with caution since it can backfire!

Start your journey with Edubound! Are you interested in studying abroad but unsure of where to begin? We have your back. Get a free strategy session with us. Begin your trip, follow your progress, join the community as it grows, and much more! We will assist you in your journey from the start to end.

We will help you with: ● LOR ● SOP ● Visa guidance ● Scholarship assistance ● Resume ● Choosing the right course and university ● And much more…. Call us now and get one step closer to studying at your dream university! You can also write to us at info@edubound.in

Read more About:- Abroad Education Consultants

[deepbluewithyellow]

@kingsandbastardz

(I need to ease my mind since I have a difficult exam tomorrow, wish me luck plz:"))

Warning: This post is solely my opinion. Should you not like something in it, simply stop reading. Thanks. Moreover, these ideas are to be used in my own storywriting so give credits in case you're gonna use it. More thanks.

Yun Biqiu and Jiao Liqiao: When a Girlboss Wounds A Man's Pride

One of the downsides of MLC (and apparently every cdrama) is underdeveloped (i. e. cardboard) side characters who play an important part in contributing to the main storyline but their motives remain unsaid and their history unknown.

Here I'm going to attempt exploring just how Yun Biqiu could undermine Jiao Liqiao, with all her bossiness and domineering aura.

Forgive my English in advance. I'm writing this post on the go so it's obviously not beta-read.

Thanks:) Now, on with the analysis:)

(Sorry for the promotion but) In my fic (link in my pinned post), Di Feisheng tells a poisoned Biqiu, "She likes to think she's smart, so you gave her that. I shall applaud you for it."

And I put that there on purpose 😁 since I had the following ideas to go on with this:

I think Yun Biqiu tried to decipher Jiao Liqiao's personality and use her blindspots to his own advantage. Jiao Liqiao is the typical girlboss who's completely lost it and thinks she knows men enough to dominate every one of them. In my opinion, she has too much trust in her seduction abilities (remember when Di Feisheng tossed her in a dungeon full of crazy beings and her face is kinda destroyed, she held lots of grudge against him) and this possibly contributed to her being blind to what men would actually do around her. It's actually pretty easy for a smart man whose pride is more or less wounded by her, to undermine her using the faults of her personality.

I think she was infatuated with Biqiu to some degree: He's (or at least used to be) the handsome sage after all and is a millitary strategist, therefore he has something that a smart girl would look out for no matter how much of a girlboss she is. I say this since Jiao Liqiao is so determined into making Di Feisheng the best martial artist existing and then marrying him, to the point that she seduced Yun Biqiu to stop his defeat. So she cares too much about what sort of men she thinks deserve to be by her side and actually falls for a man's image and not true self, which makes her the most typical woman despite her being a girlboss and everything. Thus she subconsciously looks out for a combination of position, looks, and mental prowess of a man. Di Feisheng is more a martial artist, doesn't care that much about wisdom (in comparison to someone like Biqiu) and isn't known for being too handsome (I haven't read the novel but according to @mademoiselle-red, Li Xiangyi, handsome himself, calls Biqiu beautiful in practically every step he takes within the Sigu sect. That's definitely something to me). This makes me think that Jiao Liqiao sees men too incomplete to fulfill her desires and wants a man too perfect that goes beyond the limitations of this world. She wants the impossible, which cannot be achieved.

She expresses a liking for Biqiu (gentle temperament, mental prowess, great looks). She teases Li Xiangyi (mental sharpness, unparalleled martial arts even when he hits the bottom, good looks to some degree, sweet tongue) to marry him. Di Feisheng (Power, strength, handsomeness, leadership abilities) is her obsession. These three men complete the imagery she has in her mind of a man. They are the puzzle pieces that she seeks to put together in order to fulfill her desires.

I am still puzzled about why exactly Biqiu fell for Jiao Liqiao. When they reunite after ten years, he tells her that "Everyone in the Jianghu admires you and I am no exception." Jiao Liqiao is a seductress but she's also powerful which shows her inner capabilities. This tells me that Yun Biqiu, although having a good sense of aesthetics, likes women who are at least mentally his equal. Jiao Liqiao fits his tastes accurately. But he's scared of looking at her. Do his desires scare him that much? I don't think so. I think Jiao Liqiao knows something about him that no one, even his comrades at Sigu sect, know to full extents. I think he's more afraid that she plays some old card against him and defame him. What are those cards? I have left it to explore in my fic *winks*.

Yun Biqiu is a renowned sage. He's good at creating strategies and designing defense mechanisms (in other words, he's a millitary strategist and mechanical engineer). He's in a sense the most reliable member of Fubi Baishi since he is the one gone idiot with reading and uses his brain the most. It's safe to assume that he prides himself on these despite Li Xiangyi making him swear not to push his disciples towards his own path. He has a gentle temperament and reserved personality. But Jiao Liqiao abuses all of these and ruins all he prides himself on. He is no longer the most reliable. Everyone looks down on him and disrespects him during any heated or sensitive discussion. He's forced to live in seclusion lest the full extent of his sins comes to light. He loses almost everyone whom he loves or admires. All for a woman who lied to her. This is typically too much for a man.

Why do I think it exists? Because even with all the mankind's modern abilities in forensics and discovering evidence, it's a hell of work to prove someone was "seduced" or "bewitched" by someone. We have little to no magic at work across the Jianghu and the detectives of Baichuan Court use hard evidence and deductions (much like us) to solve their cases. So there must be some hard evidence of her manipulation (e. g. a letter of blackmail).

He sits down and reviews what he knows of Jiao Liqiao and Di Feisheng. Yeah she must be helping him again. But wait, he has already deduced that people are merely tools in her eyes; the steps of a ladder she climbs towards utmost power. What if Di Feisheng is also a tool? He should look into this matter more. He later learns that Di Feisheng tags along Li Lianhua with zero complaints. He smells hella rats. Something isn't right here. If everything was the result of simple matters then why has it all resurfaced after ten years? Is Di Feisheng exactly the cold hearted assassin they all think him to be? If he is, why is he tagging along Fang Duobing and Li Lianhua? Why isn't Fang Duobing on bad terms with him? (he wasn't that surprised when all the Baichuan people thought Li Lianhua is in cahoots with Di Feisheng, so he must know him).

He still has some light within himself. He has torn his mind apart these past ten years. He must know where were his weak spots. He thinks he caused too many deaths and has little to live for. Moreover, that supposed card Jiao Liqiao is playing against him will definitely come to light someday and he cannot look into his brothers' faces. So, he makes up his mind about his legacy in this world.

Biqiu is good at spotting the details of mechanical defenses, he is an avid reader and since he's inspired by Confucian philosophy, and Sun Tzu emerged a couple of centuries after Confucius, I can assume he's also well versed in Sun Tzu's strategies. He uses all his knowledge and to his own spite, his good looks, and appears defeated at the feet of Jiao Liqiao. I can imagine that, in order to make sure that she thinks she has the upper hand, he taught her some mechanical engineering but with a lot of holes in it, and he did these during the times he tried to lower her guard by playing infatuated. She would think she has all his mind to herself while he is silently sharpening his sword behind her back, to strike at the right moment. No one else finds out about this since Jiao Liqiao cannot handle having too many men outsmarting him around her and therefore she has chosen her gang members solely based on martial prowess and loyalty.

When she asks for extremely powerful mechanisms, he puts two and two together and realizes that those sorts of traps is meant for powerful martial artists like Di Feisheng. It is safe to assume it is confirmed for him that Jiao Liqiao is the real culprit and Di Feisheng is a tool in her hands. He creates them, takes her to see them, and she is high up in the skies for seeing through these mechanisms this obviously. Biqiu cannot believe she has fallen for his psychological trap. He plays along and praises her for seeing what others won't see, but alas, what he made is for everyone to see.

He doesn't need to dirty his hands to get rid of Jiao Liqiao. This is not considered a victory for a man. What makes him more satisfied is sitting back and watch how she falls due to her own blindness. He knows that Di Feisheng tags along Li Lianhua (and he knows LLH's true identity). Another two and two: Jiao Liqiao wants mechanisms to keep someone like Di Feisheng down. Di Feisheng tags along Li Xiangyi and doesn't kill him despite knowing him (when JLQ knows, he must know, too). So he deduces that there's something more to Di Feisheng that Li Xiangyi knows and he doesn't. He decides to trust that and not to eliminate DFS and let him deal with JLQ. He thinks that, it's a safe bet to make since DFS cares way more about power and doesn't go easy over someone trying to bring him down. He hopes that when Jiao Liqiao's true motives are exposed, he's going to clean the world of her mess. Or in another way, he thinks it's enough to clean the world of his mess, and leave the rest to others.

He thinks he's done enough and stands trial willingly to die. But he forgets that his light will finally find a way out to show itself to the world.

JLQ was supposedly hoping against having to attic wife DFS but she fully had Biqiu prepare an iron shielded room just to cage DFS in. (And who knows what else was in that room?) It takes time to design, plan, source and build something like that. Like... months in advance. It had like... spring loaded and extremely THICK chains meant to capture strong ppl with. So he even planned for someone with actual power levels trying to escape or fight. There were arrays and traps surrounding the entire building, both facing outward for attackers and facing the building for escapees. Which means they were prepared for possible rescuers.

Yun Biqiu designed and built that for her. I honestly wonder what he was thinking or how he managed his character portrayal in front of her. Where he's supposed to be enthralled by her and yet he's building a cage for her obsession. Did he have to fake jealousy and reconciliation to be believable?

We can hear DFS pounding on the walls from within when he gets trapped in there. (And how specific a placement it is to be on top of the wedding/bedroom chambers?) Did Biqiu deliberately mess up the creation of that room like he did with the traps outside? Or does he actually hold any residual feelings for JLQ? Or does he see an opportunity to act out his resentment for being in this situation to begin with?

How easy would it be for this one location to be the one spot that's a true trap? Did he ever think even for a moment that he can rig it so when JLQ enters, the room locks down and entombs her?

DFS, who literally everyone saw is now powerless, would be a dead man anyway. He's just another villian to be taken down as collateral damage. Depending on the situation, Biqiu feasibly could walk away without anyone ever knowing there is anyone up there.

[malinthebodyguard]

August Quotes the Godfather: betrayal, vengeance, and loneliness

I’ve always just slightly annoyed at August saying this, whenever someone asks why the Erikssons  are at the party : 

And yes, I know 80% of the things he says are slightly annoying and goddamn Malte for his excellent delivery of the shittiest comments. 

But still, he’s quoting the Godfather at a Gen Z High School party. Of course,  ‘Keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ is now  just a phrase people say, often with no connection to the film that made it popular. 

 But the fact he’s specifically saying it in English makes me think that August was intentionally quoting the film. And it makes sense that he’d know this films enough to reference them. The protagonist is a sly, attractive man, wealthy enough to disregard the law, all while wearing a stylishly pulled-back hairdo  These films are the stories of  rich men, who control everyone and everything around them. Men who make offers that cannot be refused. Men whose pulse doesn’t shake if they have to avenge their father or kill the brother that betrayed him. Female character are either objects of desire or victims of violence, with little to no agency. 

 August quoting this is telling us, the audience, that he’s the kind of person that values and admires this kind of film. But also that to a certain degree that he wants the people around him to know that of him. He knows these movies, and wants to be perceived as someone similar to its leads not just by quoting the film, but by claiming to adopt one of its most famous tenets. 

 We as the audience also know that  this is a performance for him . August didn’t invite Simon and Sara  so he could ‘keep his enemies closer’. His motivation for lying here is strange to me. Yes, Simon is someone he considers below him, but having Simon get him booze from outside is not something that preposterous. It’s even something that another character suggests. But August had asked Simon that favour out of desperation, because he had no way out. I think his unwillingness to admit that is telling about how much August values his perceived power and ability to get what he wants. We also see how meticulous he can be about maintaining it. 

But I think this quote is also a foreshadowing for what’s to come for August. The quote is something Michael Corleone says in Godfather II, a film that examines the rise and downfall of the Corleone family. Betrayal and revenge are some of the key themes of this story. Michael is betrayed by some of the most important people in his life.  The biggest betrayal of all is his brother Fredo’s. 

Fredo is Michael’s weak and easily manipulated older brother. His betrayal of Michael is one of the driving forces behind this film’s story, the revelation that he’d done it the climax. And in the film, Michael has  to punish his brother’s treason:

I think it’s easy to see how August might identify with this character . By episode 5, August thinks of himself as someone who's been betrayed by everyone around him: his mother, Felice, and Wille.

Of course, we know that’s not exactly what happens  But as far as August is concerned , then this is very accurate description. Felice’s interest in Wille, even when it’s platonic, is a betrayal to August’s own feelings. His mother’s request to sell their art is a betrayal to August’s legacy

The worst betrayal of all is Wille’s. Because Wille doesn’t just  reveal his financial problems, but in doing so he actively destroys the image of power and wealth that August had so carefully constructed. Simon is part of that betrayal as well, since he’s the only person who knew the truth. 

The only way August can take back what Wille ruined is by following along the model he was already emulating. It’s not just that the betrayal must be punished, but that August is justified in doing so.  

But August didn’t watch the film till the end, it seems. 

Michael Corleone is a powerful man, sure. But he’s a lonely violent man, who had the opportunity to escape his family’s expectations and instead chose to embrace them to his own detriment.  

The film ends with Michael alone, surrounded by memories of a family destroyed by his own acts of violence and sitting by himself on a dining table. 

August is seemingly starting the next season in a very similar place. Completely alone, dealing with the consequences of his own actions.

Revenge has been quoted as one of the key themes of this next season, and I’m interested in seeing how this is going to incorporate August into it. 

[divineunderstandingsastrology]

For Saturday, the 4th (February)

Moon ingress into Leo [[exact 0 at 12:47 AM PST]]

Leo moons are about being a little less serious and indulging in things that make us feel more at home within our personality. Leo represents the fire that burns within the core of the self, and helps us feel motivated to experience things as an individual. Leo moons are a good time to get passionate, spend more time with hobbies and less stressful or committal activities, and see things from a more childlike or fun perspective compared to normal. It’s also a good span of time to feel more self assured and make decisions that assist the authentic self to be expressed more brightly. 

Moon in dicossiative opposition with Pluto 

Pluto and the moon are both quite in-depth, and involve the unseen layers of human psychology, instinct and a need for security. Pluto more so promotes security through power and control, while the moon has strong ties to nurture and the fulfillment of needs. When the two are at odds with one another, as they are when in opposition, there can be a disruption of internal comfort, or a true revelation of where our perceived weaknesses lie. The moon in Leo desires a brightly flavored transpiring of events, longs for excitement, and really wants to break away from expectations coming from the outer world, while Pluto in Capricorn still maintains its power play of breaking down structures and enforcing the truth of why responsibility and obligation are important things. Under this very temporary aspect we may feel, to some extent, as though we are not fully ourselves - feeling “off” or somewhat awkward and unsure of how to act in certain situations. Responsibilities may feel insurmountable, even though they’re not, and it may be more important than usual to take the time to recharge doing something fun, in the end. 

Venus approaches exact square with Mars 

This aspect is really close to going exact. I write about it a lot because it’s sort of a big one; it involves two of the personal planets, and personal planets are always felt directly. I’m also writing about it often because I want to understand it better. Venus and Mars in a square can have us at odds in our relationships, and even at odds with ourself. Venus correlates to self esteem as well as relationships, and it also has to do with what we find valuable. We may feel a need to aggressively hold onto certain people or things during this aspect for fear of loss, and our self worth may need tweaking, to some degree. It’s important to not be in resistance, as people are going to have their own collective of emotions within them that is filled with reactions, offenses, resentments and insecurity. People may also come on too strongly during this transit, so one of the main things to consider is the true importance of boundaries.

[etched-in-stone-rosetta]

Mettaton is a False Prophet [OLD THEORY]

To start things off and make sure we have a reference, we need to list off the eerie yet superficial similarities between Mettaton and Asriel:

They both have multiple forms, with Mettaton having his normal form at the beginning, his EX form during his fight, and his NEO form in the No Mercy run. Asriel has his flower form throughout most of the game, his child form at the end of the True Pacifist run, and his “God of Hyperdeath” form also at the end of the True Pacifist run.

This is a minor detail, but they both possess the power to change the application’s name, with Mettaton turning it to “Undertale The Musical” during the track Oh! One True Love and Flowey turning it into “Floweytale” during his boss fight at the end of a neutral run. With the ability to change meta elements like this being traditionally associated with possessing determination in fan theories, we can conclude that there’s a case of overlap here. Another minor detail is that they’re the only two characters who can audibly speak, with Flowey’s creepy “that’s a wonderful idea!” and Mettaton’s famous “oh yes!”

One big similarity is that they’re both products of Alphys, with Mettaton being an attempt to purposefully enfuse a monster soul into an inanimate robot initially with the purpose of being efficient at killing humans, while Flowey was an incident caused by injecting determination into an inanimate object that had the remnants of a monster soul within it.

This is a bit of a stretch, but both characters are artificially inserted into your journey in an attempt to please an ulterior motive, with Flowey enacting his agency at the level equivalent of a player to toy with the same experiences and reconnect with whom he believes to be Chara while Mettaton was conscripted by Alphys to set up an elaborate stage play where she can rescue from him to feel better about herself, acting only at the level of agency as a monster.

The biggest emotional similarity is that both possess a mournful attitude towards a lost sibling, with Asriel on an endless quest of ironic spite against Chara for severing their old friendship by dying while Mettaton leaves Napstablook behind to pursue hedonistic dreams of fame and beauty, destroying the potential they had as a performance duo. Both rectify the holes these relationships left in them, with Asriel destroying the very thing that led to Chara’s death and Mettaton humbling himself reconnecting with Napstablook.

Goal-wise, they both obsess over humans but for very different reasons: Asriel has an obsession with only one human, and the reasons for this are very deep-seated and personal. Mettaton’s obsession however is more vain and is concerned with growing his audience beyond the borders of the Underground and being seen as a sort of vanguard for monsterkind among humanity. Or more insidiously, he feels as if he can assimilate into them. Both seek a form of transcendence that comes with obtaining a human soul: Asriel, as Flowey, seeks one so he can restore a bit of what he lost when he became a flower. Mettaton wants one again for vain reasons; those being to deprive Asgore of the opportunity and claim the title of the “Savior of the Underground” to himself.

Despite this being the most superficial similarity, it’s likely the most important: Both of their ‘ultimate’ forms—Mettaton NEO and God of Hyperdeath—have some interesting similarities between their designs. The most obvious is that they have these large wings jutting out, with Asriel’s having intricate color patterns while Mettaton’s flash between a brighter and darker shade of grey. Other similarities include excessively large shoulder blades and heart patterns on the chest area that are also shared with Undyne the Undying, indicating that this design motif is a trend among all major bosses considered to possess determination. Finally, this form also vaguely resembles the Delta Rune symbol, which I will elaborate on what they mean later. Despite all of this, it’s mainly the wings that are the contentious point of comparison, which I’ll get into later.

Lastly, they both seek a form of integration outside of themselves, with Asriel seeking once again the fusion of their soul with Chara’s, while Mettaton seeks total unification of their soul with their new body, and this is represented in the designs of their ultimate forms, with Mettaton’s ensignia featuring two hearts (one empty and one a monster soul) opposing each other, while Asriel’s features an empty soul within another empty soul. This is likely a metaphor that, despite all of the power he possesses, he’s still empty because he doesn’t have his friend with him. Conversely, this can apply to how Mettaton, despite achieving everything he basically dreamed of (as written in his diaries), feels empty because he abandoned Napstablook.

We’re finally done with comparisons to lay down the evidence for the main point. Now, we’ll get onto the Deltarune prophecy and what it means:

As most of you probably know, the Delta Rune is an emblem that represents the Kingdom of Monsters and is seen on the garments of every Boss Monster. In Waterfall, there are glyphs that describe a prophecy: “The Angel… The One Who Has Seen The Surface… They will return. And the underground will go empty.” If you ask Gerson to elaborate on what this means, he says that some monsters believe that this refers to a bleaker outlook: That the angel prophesied is actually a harbinger of death, and that this freedom actually refers to death.

If you connect the dots, you end up with two conflictingly obvious solutions: The first is that the player is the prophesied angel who appropriately fits both outlooks, being able to destroy the barrier and free monsterkind or free them mortally by attempting to slaughter all of them. However, another conclusion that can be drawn is that the angel prophesied is actually Asriel, and that you’re merely a vessel for his unwitting divine plan. While both are valid interpretations, the second is far more relevant to my point.

Also mentioned in those glyphs is the fact that not a single human soul was taken in the war between humans and monsters, alongside this is the missed opportunity to uncover that one can achieve godhood if they combine a human and monster’s souls. This implies a type of dualism as to whether or not the angel symbolizes the player or Asriel, as it’s more accurate to say that both the player and Asriel—the fusion of their souls—is the angel. This makes sense in both the contexts of the True Pacifist and No Mercy runs (and technically neutral), as both are attempts by Asriel to integrate with Chara again, with the former favoring Asriel’s determination while the latter favoring the player’s.

Now, what if I told you that Mettaton’s character in the story is his attempt to fulfill this prophecy artificially, thus making a false prophet of himself?

It seems hard to believe at first, but considering all the weird similarities between the staging and capabilities of both Asriel and Mettaton, it seems to imply that there’s some similarities between them in the context of the fate of monsterkind. Not only is it common knowledge among all monsters to speak of the prophecy, we also know Mettaton grew up in Waterfall alongside Napstablook and Shyren, meaning that this prophecy could’ve had more meaning to him specifically.

Now, it’s unknown whether or not the intentions to save monsterkind came about because of his hubris or because they were suggested to him by some higher command like Asgore, but considering that he states directly that he wants to kill you to prevent Asgore from taking your soul, it implies that Mettaton’s attempt at fulfilling the Delta Rune prophecy is entirely selfish.

One point of evidence in the camp that Mettaton was intentionally made to fulfill the Delta Rune prophecy is that Mettaton was made to impress Asgore according to Catty and Bratty. If this is true, then his position as a celebrity implies that he was made to be a beacon of hope that could be predictably grown and made to accomplish a purpose that fulfilled everyone’s collective desire. But the hair covering his right eye and its further concealment in his NEO form tells that, if he was created to fulfill the prophecy, then he wasn’t finished for this task and still required further tinkering from Alphys.

It may be entirely coincidental that Mettaton’s motivations as a character parallel and complement Asriel’s, but I find that hard to believe especially given the similarities of being separated from a lost sibling, seeking an integration of souls that’ll grant extraordinary power to embrace humanity to a degree, and possessing soulless objects. What I think really drives it home for me is the similarities between Mettaton NEO and the God of Hyperdeath, both of which are depicted as being angelic with prominent wings, which I’ll go on record to state are the only two boss fights in the game that feature wings prominently.

If Asriel is fulfilled as the angel of death, then the depiction of Mettaton NEO is given a newfound authenticity as he serves as the image of a guardian angel meant to stop you in a place where there is nobody to onlook, forcing him to act in authentic spirit. He now has the duty of protecting both monsterkind and humankind from you, even if he utterly fails at it.

One thing that’s hard to answer is how Mettaton is able to perform actions that imply metatextual awareness of the game and other similar actions Flowey does despite never being implied or hinted at possessing determination. Does this imply that, like Flowey, the process of integrating monster souls into inanimate objects grants them some form of determination? If so, it would grant greater proof as to why Mettaton has such a vested interest in fulfilling the Delta Rune prophecy beyond merely hearing about it. Yet, we know from the True Lab logs that Flowey was injected with determination while there’s no such implication that the same was done with Mettaton. However, we can gather from Napstablook being able to avoid being absorbed into Flowey as he transforms into Asriel that ghosts, as a type of monster, are seemingly immune to things other monsters aren’t. Perhaps this implies that they have metatextual powers like monsters with determination?

Now, here comes the really fun (and fortunately last) part where I draw parallels between these characters and the real-world mythology that may have inspired them:

Now, it’s a factoid among some that Asriel’s name may be inspired by Azrael, who is described as the angel of death in Judaism and Islam, and as part of that title, he separated souls from their bodies. His appearance has been described as being cosmically large, having an insurmountable amount of wings, and possessing a body formed of an amount of eyes and tongues representing every human being. Right away, we can see parallels to the God of Hyperdeath, who also has very large wings that appear to project a cosmic pattern within them. While its appearance may not correspond literally, he is a being composed of every human and monster soul in the Underground, eerily matching the description. Not to mention that Asriel absorbed Chara’s soul into them, equivalent to Azrael’s job of severing souls from their bodies.

Another factoid is that Metaton’s name is possibly inspired by Metatron, another angel of Judaism that, unlike Azrael, isn’t found in the Tanakh but is mentioned briefly in the Talmud. He has a similar job to Azrael in that he records the sins and merits of men, similar to how Azrael was able to see which names were blessed or damned. However, Metatron holds an even more lofty title in Kabbalistic mysticism as God’s mediator between men, being described as one “whose name is like that of his master”, even going as far as to be called “the lesser YHWH.” This is obviously a heretical dualistic proclivity in an otherwise monotheistic Judaism. Further, Metatron is related to Enoch, being described in Jewish apocrypha as the name Metatron used to have before he was transformed into an angel. Now, for all of that backstory, it parallels to Mettaton specifically in transformation: It seems as if Mettaton’s obsession with human reciprocation and the very humanoid appearance of his EX form imply that he wants to integrate into humanity similar to how Enoch entered angeldom.

The hot topic is whether or not Metatron’s power compared to that of God given the texts stating he was a secondary power in heaven with YHWH, but the answer most Rabbinistic scholars give is that he obviously wasn’t despite that it was written that all other angels bowed before him. However, this idea of there being dual power in Heaven is what later laid the groundwork for understanding the nature of Christ in Christianity. But in most Jewish sects, this doesn’t fly and is seen as a dualistic heresy, implying that there’s a falseness to Metatron’s power. Just like how there is a falseness to Mettaton’s power and intentions in all runs of the game. Another neat thing to note is that, as part of accepting Metatron as a real angel, one believes that any time a human believes God has directly spoken to them, it’s actually Metatron acting as his vessel. Perhaps this is parallel with how Mettaton is the voice of the Underground and it’s desire to be free despite himself possessing relatively lacking power?

The angel required a fusion of both a monster and human soul, and while Mettaton is the fusion between a monster soul and a soulless object akin to Flowey, it wasn’t enough to fulfill the role of the angel, falling short of his lofty dreams of being a savior. However, this disillusionment isn’t cruel, especially when you spare Mettaton and he receives a call from Napstablook (implied) that reminds him of his importance to monsterkind, making him reconsider his lofty ambitions to appeal to humanity. This is telling Mettaton that he is not a mediator between monster and humankind that he thought of himself as, for he never had the ability to combine both human and monster soul like Asriel. Perhaps he had the determination to be able to foresee the realization of the prophecy but not enough to put it into effect?

That’s just about everything I have to potentially support this theory, including referents to Jewish mythology. I firmly believe that Mettaton’s presence in the story was to serve as a false prophet to fulfill the prophecy of the Delta Rune, and that explains why his character and origin is so similar to that of Flowey.

[flickeringart]

Satanism - a way to embrace Pluto?

My mind has been occupied with Pluto lately, the planet, god and symbol of “the hidden things”, the occult, the underworld, darkness, fate, rage, destruction, transformation, abduction, man’s primitive nature, life and death, power and powerlessness, fear, violation and fertility. There’s so much nuance to all planetary (archetypal) principles and there’s always more to explore. Pluto especially is a mysterious and threatening figure (force) in our lives and in the world at large. I have talked about it in previous posts, here / here and here… I’ve also explored the 8th house, which is the astrological house of Scorpio and Pluto here and here.

Many people understandably avoid anything that has to do with the darker elements of life and human nature until they are forced to deal with them. This is possibly why Pluto has been associated with violence because we are typically dragged into the depths; we don’t go there willingly. Some people, however, have lives that are marked by Pluto to such a degree that they can’t pretend that he doesn’t exist. By deciding to consciously accept him and embrace his influence it is possible to live a richer life. After all, Pluto is not only a god of destruction; he is also a god of riches. It seems to me, that the worship of Satan (as practiced by members of the Church of Satan) is very much in line with Pluto’s gifts and his riches. It’s an attempt to embrace the carnal nature. However, this Plutonian carnality is not as basic as it seems. It has its own intelligence, its own spirituality and its own laws. It seems to me that Pluto has to do with survival – psychological, emotional, spiritual and physical. He stands for survival and life at all levels of the being. As stated on the official website, “To us, Satan is the symbol that best suits the nature of we who are carnal by birth—people who feel no battles raging between our thoughts and feelings, we who do not embrace the concept of a soul imprisoned in a body. He represents pride, liberty, and individualism—qualities often defined as Evil by those who worship external deities, who feel there is a war between their minds and emotions.”

I think, that this philosophy attempts to treasure the whole (hu)man, to recognize his divinity even in his subjective thoughts and feelings. It’s an attempt to honor the darker aspects of human nature – anger, rage, and instinctual responses. It’s essentially to honor the earth, the dark void, and the merciless existence. Putting faith in external deities is robbing the individual of his divinity; it’s separating him from life. Christianity has, at least in part, made people think of Evil as an autonomous force (an external deity), corrupting good souls and creating fear and panic. By avoiding seeing reality as a whole, Christianity perpetuates fear instead of confronting it. As I understand it, Satanists don’t invest belief in any gods (symbolic of human drives and instincts) because they see that these mind-made constructs are part of their own psyche. Satanists place themselves at the center of their own subjective universe without seeking to befriend or worship mythical entities that are separate from them.

It seems to me though, from studying astrology, that there’s no way to escape deity. In the effort to not have any god, to place the self at the center, as is characteristic of the Church of Satan, one is in fact aligning or siding with an archetype. It’s impossible not to. I think this is made quite obvious when using astrology and analyzing natal charts. The archetypal energies are expressing themselves through and as the individuals.

In fact, let’s take a look at the chart of the founder of the Church of Satan, Anton Szandor LaVey. I would expect him to have a strong Pluto because of the emphasis on embracing the carnal side and the spiritual dimension of it. There’s also a big emphasis on being whole (a solar principle) through recognizing the totality of life, facing the strength and power within oneself and using the necessary tools to improve one’s own life. This would include consciously using symbols and images (like the image of Satan) in order to get the desired effect. If symbols are given autonomous power it’s a problem only if it puts the individual in a disempowered position. Personal integrity and liberty is also of utmost importance, which sounds rather Aquarian to me. Let’s have a look.

The chart of Anton Szandor LaVey, as found on astrotheme.com.

The Sun is in Aries, which is not surprising considering his strong faith in individuality, his initiative to start a “new religion”, to provide a contrasting influence, to place himself at the “center”, to go by no other rules than his own, to welcome opposition, the desire to be his own master and a leader of his own life. Aries as a sign is strongly linked to the warrior archetype, of fighting for what one believes in without compromise, to claim authority in spirit, to conquer, to place subjectivity over objectivity (because there’s no real difference from the perspective of Aries). Selfishness is the basis for existence; it is through honoring the self that one can honor other people’s independence. Mars, which is the planetary ruler of Aries, is concerned with personal strength and potency (note; Mars is sometimes referred to as the lower octave of Pluto). It seems like LaVey lived on his own terms, relying on his own natural instincts and gifts to get by in life. This is all very typical of Aries people, to live of off a self-generated optimism and conviction of one’s own ability. “The rules don’t apply to me” is the overall sentiment – the rules originated somewhere and that which originates from my own self is no less valuable or divine, even if it’s raw, ugly or imperfect it is still of “The Self”, the force that animates existence.

To no surprise, Pluto makes a square aspect to his Sun. He would’ve lived with the threat of his own destructive rage, his own inner violence and uncompromising desire. To him, it was probably difficult to consciously accept this side (the square aspect always represents a conflict) but he certainly tried to acknowledge his “darkness” through founding the Church of Satan. A person with a trine aspect between Sun-Pluto would not have been as motivated or pressed to bridge the gap between the self and the primitive and taboo because there wouldn’t have been anything to bridge. The square relationships between two planets usually motivate the individual to try to solve dilemma of conflicting principles within the psyche through external work. Squares usually force work in a very concrete fashion. When a person is serious about something, and is trying to make something happen it’s usually indicative of a square aspect within the personal chart. For example, I have a Neptune square Mercury aspect. I try to read and write and educate myself to some kind of higher state, some transcendent and elevated experience because the connection is not smooth between these planets. I try to articulate things properly in order to bridge the gap between personal mind and the nuance of collective feeling. I try to reflect the essence or feeling tone of energies through my writing.

The interesting thing about LaVey is that he truly took on the appearance of a devil – he was probably aware of the power of looks, the impact that certain clothing or symbols have. He was undoubtedly theatrical. Pluto in the 5th house might have something to do with this, as it’s the house of individual expression. The 5th house is all about personal creation; it’s the realm of children and play. In a sense, he was no different from a child dressing up in costumes and playing “the dark one”, which is probably why people mocked him for it. Even when Pluto is in the 5th house it is never light-hearted, he is all in, ruthlessly determined. Pluto placed in this house takes play seriously. He takes personal expression seriously. His creations are his and he should be at the center of them. The individual should be credited for his abilities, not the other way around, just as the individual shouldn’t be appreciated because his gifts are “of the gods”. They belong as much to the individual as it does to the deities. This is certainly the spirit of Pluto. He answers to no other god than himself and he sees life as it is, in its most vile forms, without flinching. Life is in all expressions, in the primitive as well as in the sophisticated. This is, in many ways, a deeply honest way to live. Another thing that catches my attention is the bi-quintiles Pluto makes to the MC (public image) and the AC (personal image/persona). The bi-quintile aspect is generally considered to say something about a certain talent or style, a mercurial quality or skill. He truly has the style of Pluto, both in his countenance and in his societal achievements. He looks dark and mysterious, preoccupied with the occult side of life. Perhaps he even had a certain talent for “magic”, at least he claimed to.

Satanists believe in indulgence (which doesn’t imply compulsion) over abstinence, primarily because there’s no belief in heaven or an after life. The individual is placed at the center of his own universe as his own master – through and through. Although many people would agree that self-mastery is a good thing, many also tend promote, in the same vein, that “people make mistakes” and that they “should be forgiven”. As I understand it, Satanism as a philosophy would state that mistakes are only mistakes if the self-mastered individual firmly believes it to be so in complete honesty and integrity. Self-deceit is considered to be a sin, unless of course it’s done intentionally - it would then not be a sin. Going along with roles that other people have cast one in is self-deceit – that is, for example, shouldering the role as a “sinner” because other people have imposed that label or role onto you is not indicative of self-respect, it’s a betrayal of your own reality. Notably, LaVey has an Aquarius Ascendant, Lilith in Aquarius in the 1st house and Uranus widely conjunct his Sun (both in the independent sign of Aries). He is definitely not a person to follow the herd – in fact “Herd Conformity” is one of the Cardinal Sins in Satanism. He leads life through the principle of being his own godhead, his own intellectual genius, and his own unique and separate individual, detached from the norms and conventions enough to go against them if he pleases. Aquarius is a sign that considers the map of life in an intellectual sense. This sign is also the sign of the progressive individual, someone who wants to make a difference on a larger scale. He certainly did, through constructing a thought-system that could benefit people. It’s no wonder that the first of the Nine Cardinal Sins (as found on the official website) is Stupidity. Of course it would be to an Aquarius Rising! “Think for yourself; don’t go along with everything you’re told” is the plea.