#in a world without stagnation does anything still mean anything?

[misterbrick42-slaytheprincess]

Mmmmhmmmhmm i can't keep this secret in Intertwined I'm planning to have an inverted version of Happily Ever After that's called To Be Continued

[charismabee]

I like STP swap aus in theory but I find how I've seen people do them a little strange (not bad tho they're still cool n stuff and I like them very much)

Like they're just... making the princess bird shaped without actually examining what swapping the Shifting Mound and Long Quiet's role in the narrative would mean. (Not meant to be negative)

Let's take the Narrator for example. In Slay the Princess he wants to kill the Princess because he wants to stop death forever. But the Long Quiet isn't death, he's stillness, lack of change. This completely changes the Narrator's core motivation. It can work though. Maybe he's in a world that has stagnated, no change, no innovation. It feels like rot, so he decided he had to find a way to be rid of it. Or maybe some other explanation. This would change his core world view, what he might consider a good end, how he acts a bit, lots of things.

Speaking of the good end, that's definitely not going to be an eternity of stagnant bliss, we literally just killed the personanification of stagnation. You could think around that too. Remember I the stranger route when everything was happening at once and it was the same as nothing happening? Maybe that happens. Without stillness the Princess is met with a barrage of constant change and stimulation, everything happening at once. The Princess could realise it is Nothing as much as it is Everything and that gets her out of it.

The Long quiet would be interesting too, because he doesn't change, it isn't in his nature to. Instead, he fractures. Perhaps instead of finding his multitudes you are shattering him. Breaking off parts of him so he can see them from the outside and know them. Once enough pieces of him have been broken off he will shatter completely and finally be able to see all of him, would talons pick up his broken pieces, would wings made of textured nothingness wrap around them and embrace them tightly? Would he reside on a hill of squirming hands or bodies, lost in the centre of the shifting mound?

Perhaps without a need for agency, or someone to make a decision the Voices would just exist as their own thing. First one that claims to be a Hero, who claims to have agency in their story (a part of reflected in her, the Long Quiet does not need to shatter to be able to see him), quickly joined by a Paranoid and terrified victim, an Opportunist Scammer, a Stubborn opponent. Different, but not changed. Not the one person molded into another.

Even the construct itself would be changed by who it is created to kill. Perhaps when the Princess first arrives on the path in the woods it is autumn, a sign of the seasons changing, there is life and death and nature and cycles, but on that 3rd Chapter, it is summer. The leaves are green and waxy, everything is preserved in a completely silent stillness. Maybe there is a horror in that no matter how you get there those silent woods are always the same, unchanging.

Unlike the Long Quiet, the Shifting Mound does change. She is naturally malleable. She has no need for voices because whatever action you take becomes what she would have always done. Perhaps her body changes, giving her new advantages, the body of a vicious Beast stalks towards the cabin, hunger tinting your choices through a cabin twisted to suit her needs. A goddess glides towards her temple, willing it to be large enough to fit her. A dainty Princess hurries to find her Prince charming in a fairytale cabin. The land twists under her will, whether she realises that or not, only giving resistance when too close to the 'monster' kept down there. She is change, it is only natural she causes it.

Even stuff like how to get rid of him would change, because can you actually kill the absence of something? The natural state of things before they shift? The shifting mound is motion and for everything to be in motion all the time means nothing can ever really happen at all. There is no fulfilment in anything you do if your opinion on what to do changes every moment you exist. Perhaps to truly 'kill' him she needs to make him smaller, change what cannot be changed to make the stillness that will be broken, the things to be changed. Perhaps he will break them out of there and thank her. Perhaps without a way to know himself he slowly fades into a nothingness, trapped in an eternity of stagnation that change herself refused to save him from.

It is still a love story, he is naturally inclined to help her, she will always love him, but things have changed.

Anyway this is just a dumb little ramble because I was thinking and it's nearly 3am so this is probably nonsense anyway. I do really like swap ideas they're interesting and stuff <3

[lazyyogi]

On Effort and Effortlessness

In spirituality, there is often the question of effort versus effortlessness. Misunderstandings regarding the role of effort can lead to stagnation, confusion, or even deeper ignorance.

The teachings on effortlessness reflect the fundamental nature of reality, as no amount of effort can make the Real any more real than it already is—or make Divinity any more divine. These perspectives may be found in dzogchen and advaita. Sometimes this perspective is called the Ultimate or Absolute.

Whereas teachings on the effort required to overcome the momentum of our ignorant habits and self-based illusions speak to our relative experience in daily life. Such teachings and their respective practices are necessary for any tangible, real world results to free us from suffering. In contrast to Absolute teachings, these are called Relative teachings.

Both the Absolute and Relative teachings have important roles to play in spiritual practice but it is the relative level that shows us where to begin. Some spiritual seekers are tempted to fixate on Absolute teachings and ignore the Relative, which results in spiritual bypassing.

For instance, if the average person were instructed simply to let go and just be, the most likely result is that they would let their ego take the wheel. They would continue to be pushed around by their habitual compulsions, aversions, and perceptions. Because letting all that continue requires less effort than breaking free.

The reality is that our preferences, judgments, habits, and imaginations have controlled us all our lives—perhaps over many lives. And so it takes a wise application of effort in order to disrupt those cycles.

So what does that look like?

The most practical example is meditation. In the Jangama Dhyana technique that I practice and recommend, the instruction is to close your eyes and gently focus your attention on the space between your eyebrows. Do not repeat mantras, contemplate, or visualize anything.

Of course the moment you sit down to actually do this, seemingly endless thoughts and images will flow forth. Then you react to those thoughts, following them down trains of thinking. Before you know it, you have entirely forgotten that you are meditating.

It is here that effort is required.

Once you realize that you have wandered off in thought, you must shake it off and return your attention to the point of focus between your eyebrows.

For most beginners, this is how meditation sessions will play out for a while. You focus your attention between your eyebrows, you catch yourself wandering off in thought, and you bring your attention back to the point of focus.

You do this over and over, as often as necessary, while also remaining generally relaxed.

With daily practice and patience, eventually your attention will stop wandering off. Your attention will remain focused between your eyebrows even while you feel at ease. It will begin to feel more effortless and natural.

Thoughts may still pop up but by keeping your attention focused, those thoughts will also vanish instead of pulling you into further thinking. At this point there is nothing you need to do about thoughts popping up and vanishing, you just remain focused without analyzing.

It is around this point in your practice that you will get a real sense of what is meant by effortlessness. An entire separate post would be necessary to discuss that further, so I will leave it here.

To summarize, it is the application of effort in your spiritual practice that will lead to an understanding and experience of effortlessness. And with continued practice, the very notion of effort versus effortlessness will lose all meaning regardless. But until that point, you must be ready to put in effort.

Much love!

LY

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

Why increasing public sector wages won’t cause inflation.

One of the current Tory arguments about wages is that if they increase public sector wages, inflation will go up. Even by their own logic, this is clear nonsense, and there’s a reasonably strong argument that increasing public sector wages could actually stimulate the economy too.

So, where does this idea come from? Well, it comes from business, where the idea is that if you increase wages, some or all of that price rise gets passed on to the consumer, and prices go up. Of course, even this is false, because in many cases the consumer will say “fuck that” and not buy the product, or choose a cheaper alternative. Thus, the company must instead reduce profits to retain consumers (and let’s not be fooled, a lot of companies are still making huge, untaxed profits right now). Or they cut hours and provide a less good service.

But this doesn’t apply in the public sector. Increasing wages of people in education, or in healthcare or in the civil service etc has no direct impact on the price of anything, because the public don’t directly buy our services.

However, it may actually stimulate the economy more widely.

In general, when you give rich people more money, they save it, or possibly “invest it”- meaning it basically goes out of circulation and doesn’t further benefit anyone.

If you give people right at the bottom more money, then they almost inevitably spend it right away, usually on essentials- which benefits the economy because more money is being spent, so companies have more money to pay wages, etc etc. But this doesn’t work soooo well, because people always need essentials, and will find some way of getting them, generally, if they possibly can. Of course, we want a world where everyone has access to these essentials easily, but we’re trying to think like an economist right now.

Most public sector workers are somewhere between these two extremes although some are definitely in the second category.

Right now, however a lot of people like teachers, nurses, junior doctors, junior civil servants etc etc are “feeling the squeeze”- caught between high housing prices, rising bills and stagnating wages, there’s less and less money to spend on “luxuries”. People might cut back on eating out, on take aways, on buying new clothes, on buying presents, on “treats”, on non-essential travel, on buying things like books and nice stationery, on make up and toiletries, on haircuts and getting their nails done- the list goes on.

These things aren’t essential to survival, you can do without them. So if you can’t afford to buy them, you don’t. But of course, if a lot of people stop buying these things at once, it hurts the economy. Companies that make or sell these things see profits go down, perhaps reduce hours or lay off staff, which in turn gives them less money to spend, and it all becomes a vicious cycle which shrinks your economy- i.e. the worst possible thing if you’re a Tory, supposedly.

(Investing in education and health also has long term pay off, but anyway).

If the people at the bottom and the people a bit above the bottom had a bit more spare cash, there would be more spending, and more businesses would see a proportion of that spending. And so they can offer staff more hours, pay higher wages, employ more staff. There’s more money going around and it’s a virtuous circle. The economy grows.

Would some companies then put their prices up? Maybe. Companies will often raise prices whenever they can. But the pressure to increase prices tends to come from increased costs, not increased custom. And it would matter less because everyone or nearly everyone would be earning more.

Cutting and cutting just leaves everyone poorer. We know this.

So why do the Tories keep going on TV and spouting bollocks? It might be because they don’t actually understand the economics of the situation (scarily likely) but it’s also likely to be ideological. They’d rather “win” the fight with the unions than do something that could actually help everyone.

[mimiruku]

It's me again!! For Mimi: "Self: How is your OC's relationship with themself? Does your OC like who they are? Is there anything about themself that they would change?", "For Good: Is there anyone in your OC's life who had an undeniable positive impact on who they are as a person? How did knowing this person improve your OC's life?" And "Intimacy: Is your OC the type of person to engage in long-term relationships, or are they more casual in their intimacy and affection? How do they feel about intimacy and relationships in general?"

█  𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐎𝐂 𝐀𝐒𝐊 ⸻ ( ⚝ )

╰┈➤  SELF   :   How is your OC's relationship with themself? Does your OC like who they are? Is there anything about themself that they would change ?

I've answered this ! have some out of context memes instead.

╰┈➤  FOR GOOD   :   Is there anyone in your OC's life who had an undeniable positive impact on who they are as a person ? How did knowing this person improve your OC's life ?

Fundamentally , Miruku would have found some semblance of positivity in meeting someone irregardless of the pain they might have brought him, at the very least it would have been a great story to tell or a learning lesson. Still, those that greatly impacted him for the better are those that were able to imbued and in spire personhood in him , he did not come preinstalled with many things that may have been 'commonsense' and much as he tries, there's only so much introspection he can do.

Luqman, Momina, it terms of goodwill and friendships   :  They were only children when they first met, but she had been what primarily propelled him to spread out, in such a way Miruku were more willing to socialize and extend acknowledgement to those who are around him, I could not iterate more how solitary he is and how far removed he is from any sort of social engagement, more so expecting him to build relationships ( or appreciate them). If Miruku were any sort of kind to you, the cause might just had been Momina "A friend of his friend, is also his friend." Reborn, the appreciation of life   :   Miruku might have completely stagnated not for Reborn. He is a person without any particular dreams, aspirations or will ; bored and painfully dull, but Miruku would not have pushed against the current - meanwhile Reborn dors not take kindly to wasted potential and crude personalities , so the world's greatest hitman pushed, pushed and pushed and Miruku marched along and found great many interesting things along the way. " He made life fun again. " & The great many colors of love :  Many, many more of them were able to give Miruku a 'gift'. Kyoko & Ryohei were what made him understood siblinghood. Haru made him understand passion for better or for worst, Gokudera thought him patience, consideration, love that don't ask back and loyalty. Tsunayoshi's kindness and tolerance will always be strange to Miruku, but a little bit he's happy that he extends such things to him too. He learned tenderness from Takeshi in a way he'd like to offer him the same comfort he offers his friends. He wants to be like Kyoya, resilient, strong and knows who he is and he wants to be as forgiving and loving as Lambo had been. Much later in his life, he'd wish he were like Dino too, who is able to carry extraordinary burdens and responsibilities in his shoulder's proudly, it would have been nice if he were able to do the same for him and carry him too!

TL ; DR : Miruku is grateful to you all in more ways than one.

╰┈➤   INTIMACY   :   Is your OC the type of person to engage in long-term relationships, or are they more casual in their intimacy and affection? How do they feel about intimacy and relationships in general ?

Aromantic  & painfully ignorant   ⸻  romantic relationship does not come easy if only because he doesn't understand coherently what it may mean to the other person ; if he likes you , to a degree that you are his best-beloved, most favored, his choice , engagement in long-term relationship is as easy as telling him so, asked it of him and he'd say yes. ( He'd love you the best he could and the way you'd have wanted to be cherished. He'll learn, teach him how you want to be love. ) However, his naiveté would win out if you don't communicate what you want from him , if not careful it's very likely for him to be intimate and affectionate to a ridiculous degree with a handful of people all at the same time - carefulness is key, because he's not intimate / physical in the first place ; so if you are touchy, he's likely only responding in kind. ( Later, he'd start initiating if you get it into his head that it's what you want, also! fun for him too! )

As a rule of thumb, Miruku does not care too much about intimacy, affection and relationships in itself, but if he likes you, he likes you & if you want to do things with him, then why would he ever say no ? If you want him all to yourself? Then he supposed he'll stick with you forever and only look at you , though that would mean handling his annoying freak ass forever ?

[sonnenreich]

a collection of muse headcanon questions inspired by the major arcana of the tarot  /  send the corresponding number(s) for headcanons surrounding the given prompts !

asked by my beloved @nepnthc :

00.  the fool  :  what are your muse’s thoughts on new beginnings ? does it frighten them or excite them ?

⸻ excites him, most definitely. it's a natural thing and yet holds a lot of meaning for him. most witch's wheel festivities are celebrating new beginnings or the start of a new cycle. it's important, let go of old vices, perhaps even the past. not like he's good at that, though.

09.  the hermit  :  how introspective is your muse ? how often do they self - reflect ?

⸻ i believe he's pretty good at reflecting his own thoughts, feelings and motivations, he's just not that good at altering them. in a way he has come to terms with how he is and how beneficial it is to achieve his goals. he never regrets nor does he do anything without considering all consequences.

12.  the hanged man  :  how open is your muse to new opportunities ? do they constantly look for them or do they simply take whatever comes their way ?

⸻ both, actually. to stagnate in his profession would be a death sentence to his goals, so he always looks for a new way to get closer, but he also greatly enjoys lucky circumstances and beneficial revelations.

my love @vasted asks :

16. the tower :  what event drastically changed your muse’s life ? do they resent that event or are they glad of it ? ⛅️

⸻ the possibility of losing his family and all that he deemed joyous had made him desperate. to save them, he had to sacrifice a part of himself. losing all regardless does something to you, especially when people who you love suddenly turn their back on you. he isn't glad in a sense that he wouldn't want it any other way, but it has helped to understand that love is just a term and loyalty just a concept.

wondered by my adored @gottesgrauen :

18.  the moon  :  what does your muse long for ? is it a realistic desire ? (obviously<3)

⸻ he longs for so much that he has lost sight of most of it a long time ago. a lot is just something lurking in the back, a longing he passively feeds, physically and mentally. he is still at the beginning of his journey, but the further he'll get, the more achievable it's going to be. the question is, will it be satisfying? will it be worth it? will it change anything except himself?

the wonderful @shevampyre cares to know:

21.  the world  :  is there one thing in life that your muse must accomplish ? what will they do when they complete that goal ?

⸻ that's something hard to answer! he'll achieve his goal some day, he's too stubborn not to, but it is uncertain to what extent. and once he does, I don't think he'll stop there. there's more to everything.

14.  temperance  :  does your muse make plans ? how impulsive are they ? has this gotten them into good / bad situations and how have they dealt with them?

⸻ half-half, actually. he has major goals, less minor ones. which means he has a plan for the overall goal, but all in between is a series of coincidences. he's not impulsive at all, as that is too dangerous and risky. he has to watch his steps. whatever he shares he shares with caution. he had been different as a teenager, but he learned from his mistakes, as well as his strengths and weaknesses.

19.  the sun  :  in general, how optimistic is your muse ? does your muse appreciate the small things in life ?

⸻ he's a total optimistic. all his life everything went his way (just 1 exception), he knows how to convince people and he does what he deems necessary. setbacks are just another opportunity. zeev has been raised in touch with nature, he had been loved most of his life. mundane and simple things have filled his days, he knows how to enjoy them, he even needs to, just to keep himself grounded.

blooming with interest by @vikasgarden :

04.  the emperor  :  how much respect does your muse have for authority ? why is this ?

⸻ depends on what kind of authority. he isn't disrespectful, that's just not his nature, but he doesn't care much about what e.g. the police would have to say. his mother though had been highly respected. now though? why listen to anyone who got no say in his matters? why listen to anyone who doesn't know what he knows? "authorities" have threatened his existence — and he made them forget. so who's the winner?

05.  the hierophant  :  what are your muse’s morals / ethics ? do they follow their moral code strictly ?

⸻ as a member of the solar coven you are considered a good witch, your intentions pure, you exist to help; humans, nature and all wildlife. you know pain and hurt, but instead of indulging in hatred and revenge, you work with harmony, self-love and seek help from others. you aren't one to harm. zeev isn't following most of those teachings anymore.

13.  death  :  is there anything in your muse’s life that they should be letting go of ?

⸻ his grudge probably, it has turned rather passive. like an itch of unknown origin. he seeks knowledge and wants his family to see their fault, but he's not really aware of what that actually means and causes in the long run.

[emmetverse]

Roach did not like all this waiting around. He had no idea what they were even waiting for. At least back home he could build random stuff or annoy people or talk to his friends. Here it was just... Eerie.

The more he paced around, the more he noticed how every inch of this place seemed to be Kragled. Not even a scrap of rock was uncovered. That's what he assumed, at least. There was nothing else it really could be. The idea of a timeline where Business won made his insides squirm. The whole world like this. But hey. Time, frozen, stagnating - those are the kinds of worlds they relied on to even keep surviving here.

Still.

He kicked one of the pews lightly. His foot left a scuff on the translucent surface. Somehow, that was worse.

He eventually found the other Emmet in one of the back rooms of the cathedral. The smaller, mousy-haired one. He was sitting by a couple of bags, trying to rearrange them for the upcoming trip.

"Hey."

The man squeaked, dropping a bottle of water and spinning around with wide eyes. His shoulders relaxed only a little when he saw who it was.

"Just me," Roach chuckled anyway. "Uh.. You need help?"

"Oh. Um... No, thank you." His voice was very soft - nearer a whisper than talking. He turned back to his work without another word, checking the little bottle was alright before tucking it into the side of the bag.

Roach just sat nearby, knee bouncing steadily faster, chewing his tongue.

"What's your deal, anyway?" He blurted, taking himself somewhat by surprise.

The man hesitated. He glanced to the door before he answered. "How do you mean?"

"Like... Who are you? You magically healed me and then left while that guy was being all cryptic." Roach gestured vaguely. "If you want me to just, I guess, pretend you don't exist then sure. But frankly, I'm understimulated as hell, and the idea of treating you like some doormat is extremely unappealing."

That made him smile. Finally, something other than an expression like a deer in headlights. He looked to the door once more before sitting himself on the cold floor.

"Well, um... I'm Emmet."

"Well, duh."

He laughed softly. "Right. You all gave each other nicknames to make it less confusing, didn't you?"

"You guys haven't?"

"Not much point when there's only two of us." He shrugged. "He calls me 'magic guy' sometimes, among other things."

"That's boring."

"You get bored easily, hm?"

"Don't psychoanalyse me."

He shook his head lightly, still smiling. But his voice didn't get much louder.

"Um... I'm a Cleric."

Roach tilted his head. "Like a priest?"

"Hm," He hummed. "Not really. I mean, it does mean that. But it's more a term for..." He paused again, thinking of how to word it. "A servant of a god. So - well, not a monk, they're martial artists - but... I don't know how to explain it. My god helps me channel magic. I guess it's religious, but I didn't really choose him, so..."

"The Man Upstairs?"

He nodded quickly. "Yes. I've heard that all of us know of him in one way or another."

"Tell me about it," Roach huffed, leaning back and stretching his legs out. "So he forced you to...?"

"No, no. A paladin. But only for three levels."

"... What?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It's something I've learned doesn't really exist anywhere else."

Roach raised an eyebrow, studying him for a moment. Then shrugged. "Well, Cleric, it's a pleasure to meet you properly."

"And you, uh.." His face fell. "You never told me."

And Roach hesitated. Because he could say anything. But god, his brain was going blank. He blinked himself out of his thoughts, looking up to see that soft, understanding smile.

"You don't like the nickname they gave you, huh?"

"Wh- I said don't psycho-..." He pouted. "It's that obvious?"

"A little."

"Man, if only the others were that perceptive."

"It's a talent," he shrugged. "It's a pleasure to meet you anyway, buddy."

The door slammed open before he could say a word, shaking the building itself. The man stood there. Scowling. Without a single word, he turned and left, leaving the door to slowly creak back shut.

"Jeez."

Cleric swallowed, waiting for the footsteps to leave before relaxing. Their voice was barely a whisper. "He likes quiet."

"And people say I can be intense..."

[translationandbetrayals]

Mushoku Tensei and why it's so good

This is a series that can be misconstrued as a "redemption" story, when in reality it is a story about a man getting a chance not to redeem himself, but to start over from zero in a new life. Also a pioneer of the isekai genre that contributed to the eventual "isekai boom" in japanese media. It can be experienced in light novel, manga or anime form, and the LN and anime are by far the most recommendable for their high quality.

The story of Mushoku Tensei is the story of Rudeus. At the very start of the story he is a broken 34 years old japanese guy who is a loser and a hikikomori. He's overweight, depressed and underdeveloped from locking himself in his room for close to 20 years after suffering severe bullying and trauma in high school. He has lost the ability to bond with others properly, he is terrified of the outside and he has stagnated in his personal growth, basically being an oversized child who has wasted decades of his life. One day he is thrown out of his house and ends up dying, however, he is reborn as a baby in a world of fantasy set in a medievalesque time, and in this newfound life he decides he will take this chance to live a life that he can be proud of, unlike his first one. It is important to note though, that he keeps his memories and experiences as he's born anew, and thus he carries over not only his knowledge, but also his flaws and defects, which he must learn to handle as he tries to do better, find purpose and meaning for himself and have a life with no regrets.

This is an exceptional story that explores Rudeus with great depth and watches his progress as he learns, grows, makes mistakes and fixes them if he can. I've found all of its elements great all around. The writing itself, the characters, the lore and worldbuilding, it's all really good. The locations the characters visit are detailed and fleshed out with their different races, environments and cultural differences, the characters feel truly alive, they all have their distinct personalities, relationships with each other, goals, motivations, flaws and development.

The story also excels at different things, it's a great adventure story when Rudeus and his party must travel to the opposite end of the world to return home, it's a calm and enjoyable slice-of-life-like story when Rudeus goes to university, finds friends and settles down, it's also dramatic, action-packed and complex at different times as we follow Rudeus as he ages throughout the story.

There are certain disclaimers that must be mentioned regarding this story. First, that with this being a fantasy world, certain things like polygamy or murder are not viewed like we may be accustomed to. The other is that Rudeus at the start of the story is still a scumbag and a few scenes might be offensive to sensitive people or might turn people off from continuing with the series, I wouldn't say anything particularly terrible happens but viewer/reader discretion is advised.

Now, it's not hard to see why a lot of people hate Rudeus, mostly because he's perverted from being surrounded by things like hentai, eroge, videogames and anime in his past life, and ending up desensitized to reality from his decades of only interacting with those instead of actual people. His social skills and his treatment of particularly girls in the earliest portion of his new life are poor because he has no clue how to actually interact, and until certain events, he thinks of his new life as something without consequences, like a game of sorts. That said, he does learn from this mistake, as he eventually realizes that his behavior is not good and he must do the maturing he didn't do in his first life. His development doesn't make him a saint, but he turns from a piece of crap into a morally complex character (like most people are). His experiences slowly lead to him coming to terms with his trauma, like how being a father figure himself helps him realize how wrong it was to take advantage of his own original parents, or like how his sister's and his close friend's painful experiences remind him of his past self and make him think he must reach out and do something to help them, as if he was in a way helping his past self. Little by little his new life experiences help him reach closure on his past life, and by the end he is unrecognizable after the development he's gone through, he has truly improved and grown without forgetting or abandoning his past self and bad traits. The viewer must also come to terms with the fact that while he lived until 34 before being reborn, in the majority of his life he did not mature, grow as a person, or even interact with another person, which is at the root of many of his mistakes, and to an extent, mentally he might as well be a kid closer to his new physical age than to an adult.

One of the strongest elements of Mushoku Tensei is in its characters, which are generally very fleshed out, and with everyone having their own motivations, virtues and flaws, they truly feel alive. Of course, Rudeus greatly stands out, but just like him the others also do their share of growth as well and one can easily imagine their journeys even when they're out of focus, sometimes for years in the story. The writing is so well done that one can imagine many of these characters as protagonists of their own story, like Ruijerd's journey to redeem the reputation of his race, Paul in his adventurer days with his old party or in his later days trying to be a good father, Norn and her life trying to find her worth as a regular person surrounded by people with huge talent, Orsted's travels trying to achieve his goal and many more.

The art in both the LN and anime (the best ways to consume this story) is great. In the anime, the direction is completely on point, the animation is astounding and the sound design and soundtrack (including elements like foley, music and of course the amazing seiyuu) are superb, all of these have received ample praise not only from the community but also from experts in fields like composing and cinematography. I'd love to dive deeper here as well, but for the sake of this post's length I won't.

The anime in particular is being made by a studio that was formed specifically to animate Mushoku Tensei (Studio Bind), and it has been critically acclaimed and praised for its quality and for being a great adaptation of the source material.

With 26 volumes, the length of the LN feels just right, it never rushes or feels stagnant and it's consistently engaging and fun. Comparing the LN and anime, the anime is a faithful adaptation, but there are several portions of the story that couldn't be adapted (a common issue of anime adaptations), which gives value to experiencing both rather than just one. There are also several spin-offs centered around other characters, for example Roxy and Eris, and side stories at different points in time that tell stories about a multitude of characters like Rudeus' sisters, most of his children, a few of his friends and other characters, including a prequel (that is meant to be read after the main story because otherwise it would spoil the reader).

As I have said before, the story of Mushoku Tensei is the story of Rudeus, and this is important because it's not the story of the world he lives in, and Rudeus is just a guy living life in it. Mushoku Tensei, as good and grand as it may seem, is in a way a prequel to certain events that are foreshadowed throughout the story and that have brewing in the background, events that are fated to happen later down the line. The author has said that he intends to write the sequel which is something to look forward to. Season 2 of the anime will be released in 2023 as well.

Overall my enjoyment of Mushoku Tensei was incredibly high and I'd definitely recommend the series, while minding the disclaimer I mentioned. I believe this is a great coming of age story about a character that becomes the best version of himself he can to protect those he loves and who makes the most out of his life.

Felipe Arenas

[ishikawayukis]

it’s like these people want svt to stagnate hdjsjkskandjs people are so hung up on their old sound (freshteen, specifically) that they have a hard time stomaching anything that deviates from that. svt themselves have said sooo many times that their music reflects their experiences and growth as people, so why tf should their music not change along with them (not to say that people cant dislike it, but theyre being little shits about it for sure)

also. as an asian (in asia) i hate talks about “breaking into the western market”, particularly when they act like that’s the most important thing in the world. i know svt are already secure in asia and pledis is indeed focusing on growing svt’s western fanbase but they’re doing so through ads and incentives and promotions. NOT by making svt release music specifically to pander to the west (except darl+ing maybe). it’s so western-centric. why would they?????? sorry idk if that’s still related to what you said but i just have beef with the people who think that charting on the billboard hot 100 is the be-all and end-all. like shut up and let svt release music that they’re proud of even if you don’t like it, even if it’s not palatable to the clearly superior westerner

exactly this. like i said it in my first post it simply wouldn't make any sense for them to keep doing music like the one they did when they first debuted, most of them are closer to being 30 than 20 so why would they keep making the same music as before it simply doesn't make sense. and it's not like their previous musis evaporated you can still listen to it i still go insane listening to pretty u but i also appreciate whatever they're releasing now because i'm also growing older and looking for different sounds.

no but same, while my country is geographically in the west, latine america is rarely considered in that category and every single time i've asked someone from the states why for a group to be considered popular does it mean that they have to become mainstream in the states, like why are they the ones meassuring success and popularity. what makes any of their awards more important than any awards in korea, why is billboard like you said more relevant than melon for them. and no one can answer that without having a clear superiority complex even if they're not aware of, because they're used to anything coming from their country being the standard. but then again that is another whole ass conversation. and also whenever people say any group is trying to make their music more palatable to the western audience, besides it possibly being in english what does it even mean, because kpop has always been influenced by western music so it's always such a moot point

[spheresofdaydreams]

No Temples of the Philosophies

Temples of the imagination in the mythical world that has been designed, there are no physical temples or churches; they don’t exist, perhaps they once did. If there is any spirituality, it’s in mind; there are no mass thoughts, no dogma. Even if there is none, a tree on the hill is imagined by each individual practitioner that is his or her personal spiritual thing; the closest in our world is the animist religion, but that is still far away from what the people of that world think. A bowl of water near a window is all needed for the imaginative temple of the mind. It's enough to be in communion with nature and everyday reality as it is. Nothing is more important than the here and now. There’s a reality of doors opening in the open air as if the world was cut into with an imaginary knife. In our world, entries to other planets are considered impossible. But in the mythical, it's an everyday routine. Perhaps what other people say about an imaginary temple or thing other people can’t see is real. Things are known to talk to unseen people. But some previously unseen things revealed themselves as a vertical shaft of light in the dark and the ringing of distant bells or music with no origin in mechanical or human means or anything physical. People know what has been imagined is a reality, yet they don’t doubt the sincere existence of imaginary spirituality. Such practitioners are well educated and versed in mathematics, the sciences, the arts, and the humanities of their cultures and time in the mythical world.

The rulers and administration of the mythical, it doesn’t matter what country, village, town, or city, they never interfere with the people's spiritual beliefs because they have their own and don’t wish to interfere with other people. Council members know nothing of other people’s spiritual stuff, and some philosophers speak out about things they read and listened to. People add some of these elements of the philosophers to their spirituality.

Philosophers are not religionists or spiritual leaders; they only teach and have no leadership of anything spiritual or religious or government at all. They are similar to the shamans of the mythical world. People don’t often listen to them, or they get mocked; they mainly teach others philosophy. For example, people in a city are all considered philosophers. Professional philosophers have studied many books and scrolls; there are also the viewing of stone tablets and other devices that impart knowledge. Sometimes the ongoing study has stagnated them. The people’s philosophy was living life as it is, with no fancy stuff. People confuse psychology, religion, and politics as the same concepts. In all forms, psychology, psychiatry, political philosophy, philosophy and religion are and were considered nonsense by the people of the mythical world.

There are personal, those individual people in their secretive spirituality speaking with beings who give them advice and guides them throughout life. Within a room and meditation, they talk with them, these beings are teachers, and they teach only that individual.

People are not allowed to gain power through anything spiritual, religious, or political; this is punishable by lengthy imprisonment; in the past, it was the death penalty. No one is permitted to gain followers without proven intelligence and long years of study approved by the people.

The arts are the closest thing to a sort of organized religion; art is considered a form of spirituality communicating with nature and heaven. Artists are considered gods because they are creators. It's been asked people, does art create the artist, does the artist make art or both? A physical temple could be considered a builders temple. People in the arts are considered builders, and the building is spiritual. People can feel many things as spiritually as they wish; there are no limitations. When an artist builds something, it comes to life: a being with thought, independence, and power.

Most people in the mythical world don’t care about philosophy or spirituality. Whatever daily existence gives to them is philosophy; because of the struggle, they develop a type of wisdom that could lead them to a better life. They open their thoughts and feelings to other people, listening and giving their opinions, that back and forth creates a philosophy through shared lives.

They look into themselves, realizing they are one moment of a raindrop; that is why a wise ruler of the mythical world never became autocratic because the people's experiences are a philosophy they listen to and use to shape their lives. From rulers to everyday people, life is looked at and experienced, forming pools of wisdom.

One temple existed thousands of years ago; some say eons, but no historian knows when. A legend says a temple came to the earth from a place before the earth's sun was born. They may have been celebrating the newly born sun, but the temple awaited the physical existence of the human race before appearing; it was not particular culture; it was a tree with a shaft of concrete shaped into a basic shape of cubes stacked vertically, surrounded by ocean, the tree was of no particular species, it appeared to be as it was never described in writings from that time. Philosophy was imparted to the people from the tree, and from such a place, they developed their philosophy. Eventually, the temples disappeared from the world. Perhaps it's still in the world ready for a return when evil philosophies come that mislead the people, but that time hasn’t come. As it was said and written, what is dishonorable and good is subjective in many words. Eventually, many temples settled on the earth in a way that served as parts of the whole temple separated by time, distance, and place; the pieces were the whole, and one was not better than the next separate but whole. Eventually, as the temples didn’t come anymore, the natural things associated with where the temple once resided became a thing of reverence. Such as water, soil, grass, stone, and anything associated with that place. People came to view themselves as the temple of the self, religion, spirituality, and all things to what higher thing they were praying to or believing in, and evolved into a personal “celestial father.”

A device put people into a trance; they meditated in front of this thing and could read, think, write or draw. As the practitioners called them, thoughts or voices received ideas and inspiration. Another device shaped like a window was probably a window; some called it an oracle, and the power of the practitioner's mind made it “speak.” That was how it was activated, but it had an independent reason if it didn’t like the practitioner, it wouldn’t answer.

In this part of the mythical world, no masses are coming to a place of worship; they are connected through the mind in the practice of telepathy. The various connections, parts that are all different with their path, never physically connected, only communicating sense to reason with only a few.

Robert J. Matsunaga

[anagramtransitory]

10. They ideally would have told me if I’m built to be a weapon and am intense like one and have darkness like one, then that’s just another way they can have a player for the good side infiltrate and tolerate and understand the enemies on the bad sides. Which I can, which I’m good at, which I can use my natural social skills and natural situation-diffusion skills (both of which only available if I’m not mad) in tandem with my ability to understand darkness, to communicate with and to fight evil types, without looking like a fool who has no social skills and fights because of that and/or wants to fight because they didn’t try to avoid it with words and social skills at any time, and who doesn’t understand and is swinging blindly at a misunderstood (therefore victimized) opponent. They did not. They only showed their good, only to this day acknowledge and value my good, and I’ve done the rest, the heavy lifting. Anyone can show only their good side and anyone can praise the good side in their children. I think sometimes when you’re blinded by love you refuse to or are unable to see the bad for what it really is: genuine badness and darkness that can hurt people and make a person hurt themselves and which demands to be seen and allowed to exist in response to a world that seems to fit well with having a dark side as a dangerous smart animal with thumbs and resources at its disposal to do all kinds of things to meet its many needs and desires and fix its problems and balance out darkness with numbness. Right? All that seems reasonable. Except I have to believe if they knew how to give the kind of love and support I needed they would have, if they knew how and were able to they would have and would to this day, but as people they do not, they’re just Americans, in that way. They just couldn’t for some reason, and still can’t. It takes a village, and I’ve had to be most of that village. I like the idea that I can be the whole village. That that’s what being the best and most functional version of an adult will mean. Because the last villagers not a part of my personality and self are the selves of all the parents I’ve had who I’ve respected and loved back very much to this day, for the way they’ve insisted on using love to establish a stable and safe place, as far as they could reach their arms into my life and it’s future, and not just between us as people when physically together and talking. I want to adopt the strength and stability in their arms. I can invent the instructions they’d give me. The way that living well is a process in the middle of the day, and not resting after working hard. I stagnate, I’m unsure of what to do, I’m unsure of everything. All my parental figures make the grievous mistake of assuming what I need is resources and official references from them on resumes and education and good jobs and happiness, and think I’m smart enough to figure the rest out. When really I’m smart enough to figure all of it out just enough to wing it, but being smart enough to know what to do doesn’t make you sure at all of anything. You can drive, but you’re a scared and brake-heavy driver and nervy and therefore bad driver, scared of breaking laws, too scared and unsure to remember details and steps under pressure all the time. I don’t list them on references. I don’t want to include them in my bullshit. They shouldn’t have repercussions via phone calls about my character who they haven’t seen or spoken to in years out of the blue whenever I mess up or quit one job due to personal instability. But it matters they have offered and I use that confidence in daily life. However. I just wish that I’d had a parental figure who, like, made sure I associate being a functional non-chaotic space-occupier was something I associated with being loved and being sure of myself instead of fear and pressure to conform and pressure to do it perfectly and exactly the way everybody else in America does it rather than some other better way of our own. I’ve been too accepted for my problems rather than asked why I live so badly.

[shawnjacksonsbs]

🫶 11-11-23

"What is a master but a master student?

And if that's true, then there's a responsibility on you to keep getting better . . ." - Neil Peart

1 1 1, 1 2 3~Hmm. . .

Before I get into it today, a very dear friend. . .a brother lost his mother this last week. Please keep my friend in your thoughts, in your hearts, and if you pray, pray for peace for the family.

~

Now, I feel like I'm a pretty decent guy overall.

And I'm still trying to find different ways to be better and/or to do better.

It's the try in me that allows for folly and fumbles to be overcome.

It is a whole ass lifestyle.

I know I could probably sit back, kick my feet up, and still sleep peacefully at night, without anything to keep me up, stirring over without ever trying to progress any further.

But what fun would that be? Maybe it would, unintentionally, make me feel lazy and pointless.

The drive is everything.

It allows for everything.

It is the purpose.

Purpose I had to find.

Wandering around in emptiness is one way to live, and as long as it's not hurting one, even your absence, then more power to ya. Like I said, it's one way to live, but it's no way to love.

Some of us are called for more. An inner peace holds tight as more and more healing can take place.

If I stagnate, then those little healing come ups, stop.

I'm good on all that.

It helps me to see the person inside an opponent or the "opposition".

It helps me to find what limited beauty can be found in someone else's religion, or why their heart sides the way it does politically.

It helps me to love the way I do and better.

The old me still holds onto the reins with the new me, but I can value some old code - while learning to write new. Without that old code. . .there would be no me.

At 6:30am on Wednesday, November 8th, I didn't think I'd be writing this Saturday's entry, but at least there won't be any last minute shuffling around trying to figure out what to write that, maybe aims last week theme in a healthier(?) direction.

Life won't always equal love, but pulling the side of love to bring balance back to ⚖️, is easier if maintained.

The other side of the scales is being pulled constantly, without break. It'll always be a thing.

Find your light and exploit it, or don't. You're right, technically you don't owe anyone anything, as long as you're not causing anyone pain.

But man, what a miserable existence in such a limited and precious lifetime.

Greatness is a matter of perspective. 💯

I'll close this up now.

Go out into the world and help someone, love others, and share your love and your laughter with as many people as you can. I mean, why not?

Until next week;

"Imagine you are walking in the woods and you see a small dog sitting by a tree. As you approach it, it suddenly lunges at you, teeth bared. You are frightened and angry. But then you notice that one of its legs is caught in a trap. Immediately your mood shifts from anger to concern: You see that the dog's aggression is coming from a place of vulnerability and pain. This applies to all of us. When we behave in hurtful ways, it is because we are caught in some kind of trap. The more we look through the eyes of wisdom at ourselves and one another, the more we cultivate a compassionate heart." - Tara Brach

[turborun97]

Universe 2008 Mini-Con Bios (Part 1)

Some bios I made for the Universe 2008 Mini-Cons, who never got any characterization (besides Stockade sorta in Beast Wars: Uprising). Starting with the 10-Pack Mini-Cons since they’re the only ones I own.

Battle Support Team

Sky Shadow: Sky Shadow is the leader of the Battle Support Team but finds himself ill-suited for the role. Back when he was part of a team with Crosshairs and Treadshot, Sky Shadow was content to let others lead while he took to the skies and bombed enemies from above without being seen. But the Mini-Con Civil War changed everything and Sky Shadow now finds himself leading a band of Mini-Cons that are just trying to stay alive in a world that is unfamiliar to them. While he does his best to keep everyone in line, sometimes he will let his guard down and allow others (namely Overcharge) to exploit him for their own means. The others recognize this and do what they can in helping him build up his confidence, even if they do sometimes get impatient with him from time to time.

Overcharge: Nobody really likes or even trusts Overcharge. Whenever he does something for someone, it’s almost always with the expectation that he will get something in return, usually in the form of monetary compensation. This infuriates his teammates to no end, who only tolerate his presence because of his keen sense of direction and knowledge of obscure paths and back roads that no one else knows, which comes in handy when the Decepticons are on their tail. Originally part of a Mini-Con trio, Overcharge joined the Battle Support Team after losing his teammates, and because Sky Shadow felt sympathetic for him, showing a soft part that the other members silently resent their leader for.

Ransack: Despite his fearsome appearance, Ransack is actually quite kind once you get to know him. While he is quite thorough when it comes to smashing things, he always stops to make sure that it is something that actually needs smashing rather than jumping the gun and doing it anyway. It is thanks to this foresight that he is able to restrain his friend Stockade from doing just that, something which his mentor Windrazor is grateful for. In a past life, Ransack had been the type of destroy things without much thought, but after seeing how both the Great War and the Mini-Con Civil War has affected people, he has come to realize that total destruction rarely accomplishes anything and that is far more productive to build rather than to break down.

Stockade: Stockade likes to think with her head, but not in the way most people view the term. Impatient and reckless, her first instinct when presented with an obstacle is to charge headfirst into it and worry about the consequences later—or, better yet, let others deal with the consequences. The only one who is able to hold her back is her good friend Ransack, who is always trying to convince her that not everything needs to be knocked down. Still, when some heavy muscle is actually needed, Stockade is the first to be called upon, and as frustrated as her teammates might get with her impetuous nature, even they have to admit that she gets the job done.

Windrazor: Windrazor is old, perhaps one of the oldest Mini-Cons to have ever lived. Once an advisor to the Council of Sages, Windrazor withdrew himself from society when civil war broke out, feeling that his advice had not been heeded. Taking his mentees Ransack and Stockade with him into exile, Windrazor eventually returned to join the Battle Support Team and give advice to their leader Sky Shadow. While nearly everyone else on the team believes that he would be better suited for leadership, Windrazor insists that his time of being a leader has come to an end and that it is time for others to lead for once. After all, it was the stubbornness and stagnation of the Council of Sages that had led to disarray in the first place, and he would be remiss to allow history to repeat itself again.

Ground Surveillance Team

Crosshairs: Crosshairs may have a keen military mind and an excellent strategist, but his people skills make him a terrible leader. He is constantly berating and verbally abusing those serving under his command, treating them like worthless pieces of scrap. He also has poor communication skills, always expecting everyone to know exactly what he is thinking and carrying out his plans exactly as he has foreseen them. Naturally, this creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where his lack of communication causes his team to mess things up, which causes him to berate them and then not speak to them out of spite, repeating the cycle again. The only reason the others put up with him is because they have no one else to go to and because Crosshairs seems to be the only one who knows what’s going on and where they’re going.

Longview: Longview is easily distracted. Soaring in the skies in her eagle alternate mode, she often finds her mind drifting off as she stares at the wonderful scenery around her. This infuriates her leader (and sole flying partner) Crosshairs to no end, and he constantly has to threaten her with repercussions to get her head back in the game. When she is centered and focused, Longview is a ruthless fighter, diving at Autobot foes and attacking them with her talons. While this might make her great fighter, her absent-mindedness causes her to fail in her primary function as aerial reconnaissance; the only reason Crosshairs keeps her in that role is because no one else on the team is suited for it and he has yet to find a Mini-Con willing to join him to take her place.

Scavenger: Scavenger’s function is his name, as redundant as it may sound. Still, it’s a function he carries out well, perhaps better than anyone else on the team carries out theirs. His keen olfactory sensors make him ideal for seeking out energon and other resources, and he has no qualms with picking things off of deactivated bots if he has to. Perhaps his greatest drawback is his ego; he is always bragging to anyone with functioning audio receptors just how good he is at his job and that Crosshairs could not have found a better bot than him to do the job. To say this annoys his teammates would be an understatement, but there is little they can do about it. If they complain, then Scavenger might find reason to withhold energon from them, and Crosshairs certainly isn’t going to listen to them over his most trusted follower.

Snow Cat: Snow Cat hates people. The only reason she is with the Ground Surveillance Team is because she still needs energon as much as any other ‘bot, and because she has run out of places to keep a low profile. She can’t stand her teammates’ personalities and the only orders she listens to are the ones that involve her clawing out Autobots’ optics. The only Mini-Con’s presence she can tolerate even slightly is Longview’s, and that’s only because Longview spends most of her time in the sky, away from Snow Cat, and is too distracted by other things to bother Snow Cat with pointless conversation.

Treadshot: Treadshot loves shooting things—a bit too much, actually. Twitchy and apprehensive, he is the physical manifestation of the phrase “jump the gun.” As soon as something or someone enters his line of sight without warning, he whips out his gun and starts shooting at it. Even when it’s a fellow teammate he’s shooting at, Treadshot doesn’t care and will proceed to brag about how good of a shot he is straight to the faceplate of the Mini-Con he just shot at. While the others would be more than happy to get rid of him, if only for their own personal safety, Crosshairs keeps him around because he would rather have a loose cannon he can control rather than have Treadshot end up with someone who could use the hyperactive tank against him.

[somewhereinneptune]

All About Your Path!

Hello and happy full moon!! Hope everyone reading this is doing well 🧡 I finally uploaded a new pac cause it's been a while since I've done one and I hope you like it! This PAC will be split into two parts, what's holding you back from moving towards your path and what your path looks like

If you don't know how it works : we have four piles today, from the left is pile 1,2,3,and 4! Take your time and choose the pile you most feel drawn to. If you feel drawn to more than one pile, then there's more than one Message in more than one pile and if by chance you don't feel drawn to any pile, it means there's no message for you here and that's okay 🧡

Pile 1

What is holding you back from charging towards your path :

First is little habits that create this stagnation, little things that become major like waking up late with no energy, being distracted and always mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, telling yourself you'll do it tomorrow and never actually getting it done or choosing to play a game instead. All these things may seem so small but they actually do lots of damage. I'm going through it myself and It's really easy to dismiss it and just be like it's not that deep but it actually affects the entire plan you have for yourself and it dulls your energy more, especially when we keep saying "just this once" cause it becomes twice and thrice and four times. There is a need for self discipline and/ or creating an organized plan and sticking to it, even though I know how difficult it can be no matter how many times you can try but starting small and trying what you can really makes the difference over time. If you have ADHD then I strongly feel for you and I know how especially difficult this can be, but also trying is enough and doing it the way it works for you, being patient with yourself is also important 💖

The second is some of you seem to be gaslighting yourselves regarding this path of yours. Whatever you're dreaming of and trying to achieve, there's the energy of not trying because you have this belief that this is too big for you and that you're incapable of achieving it and seeing it through. It's as if you're saying "ay universe thanks for giving me this opportunity but take it back cause it's not mine" but it is! Just the fact you can imagine it and day dream about it means that you've already done it in the 4D and that it's yours. Each one of us is meant to do great things and create legacies If that person desires that kind of life and if they were to believe they have what it takes to do it and that they're like everyone else

Third is some are taking this way too seriously and being very logical or even firm about it that it's making them exhausted. Spirit advises you to be like a child and have the enthusiasm of a child. If a child wants to fly, all they know is they want to fly and that they will, they don't let anything or anyone get in their way even if flying isn't exactly possible but they believe so much of what fills their heart and it lights them up. You're asked to dream like a child and embrace this path of yours so enthusiastically without so much logic and seriousness and this light spirit will take you places cause it'll fill you with so much excitement and energy 🧡

What's this path about / what does it look like :

It's full of unlimited possibilities, it's more than you have ever envisioned and dreamed of. It's this door that has a door inside it, there's just so much you can do , so much that you wouldn't think is possible for you or that you could even do or that could be presented to you. It could also be something linked to your childhood. For some, it's something you loved doing as a child and something that lit you up but you simply just left it there in childhood after you grew up, this could still be something that your soul wants to do. For others, it's something you're meant to do in this world, something that was handed to you since you were a child but you might have not understood it then cause it was bigger than you, yet now it could take you places if you were to cultivate it. Lastly , there's something about you dreaming so much of things but never actually pursuing them, like you having so many day dreams or even seeing things in dreams and the message is if you could just take action on what you see yourself doing , you could be this person with so many talents and skills that can almost do anything

Pile 2

What is holding you back from charging towards your path :

The universe :))) the message kept repeating and it's very straightforward that this is divine intervention. What's interesting is that you're actually trying so hard to charge forward,but what's happening is the universe is giving you a big ' STOP' and the reason seems to be that 1. It's simply not time 2. You need to retreat and take a break as soon as possible because it's either that your energy is gonna crash or it crashed already. You're not ready to move forward because you need to take care of yourself first and give yourself the treatment and time you deserve. If you will ignore the universe's message, it will only try to stop you in different ways until you can't move. For some of you , because of your energy you're either not able to see the path ahead ,or you're stuck between two different paths or it's just everything seems so stuck and confusing. Same message applies, you need to step back and take care of yourself so that you can get your energy back and be in a clear state where you can think properly. Lastly, some of you are giving your energy to others or absorbing from others and there's also the message to pause and take your energy back to yourself. If you know how to protect or cleanse, please do so and set clear boundaries with the people around you

What's this path about / what does it look like :

Another interesting answer that I didn't expect :)) the universe is not willing to tell you or let you know yet because it wants you to 💫rest💫 but instead it's giving you messages. First is to cleanse your social circle , if anyone is making your energy fluctuate or giving you mixed signals or the bare minimum then they're not for you and you deserve a peace of mind instead of chaos. If there's anyone you don't have a good feeling about then that's definitely a sign they're not meant to be in your life

Second is you're asked to be in an energy of tranquility where you offer some self love and compassion for yourself, where you listen to your body and mind when they need something without judging, where you accept when you simply can't keep going longer and that everything happens in the right time and that we won't lose something if we try to rush, we will only affect ourselves.

Lastly is- this pile seems to be the pile with a lot of masculine energy, the pile that likes to be preoccupied all the time and be on the go . There's the energy of "what's next" all the time and you're asked to learn to pause , that it's okay to just chill on your couch and watch something and be 'lazy' cause it's not bad , it's okay to just lie in bed and rest for a bit or have nothing to do, it's okay to order food and just binge watch some show if you feel like it or to go out and just sit in nature or somewhere you enjoy. You will always have work but you will not always have your health and it's important to take care of it 🧡

Pile 3

What's holding you back from charging towards your path :

I want to say nothing really is holding you back because you're simply not ready. This pile seems to be exactly where they need to be. Basically you're not ready because you have things you need to heal first regarding your confidence, you're not able to see the full potential of your path because you're still not able to see the full potential of yourself and you're not expected to because there are certain things that need to be released and transformed first and the good part is you're already doing it, you're healing yourself and your heart and it's slowly opening up. You're in your cocoon but you're slowly getting out of it. Basically you're taking your time and that's exactly what you need to be doing. After this healing process, you will start to see life differently and you'll also start to realize that you have the right to living a great life, that you're deserving to live the life of your dreams where you pamper yourself and give yourself whatever you desire . It only takes some time and it's okay 🧡

What's this path about/ what does it look like :

The transformation is incredible, I'm already so proud of you :(( because you're going from someone who's in their shell and who isn't confident in themselves to someone who's at the top of their game. You're going to create the life you desire all by yourself, you'll be putting all the effort, taking all the steps, doing whatever it is you need to do and all of your effort will pay and multiply. This is the kind of life where you're satisfied with what you have, the kind of life where you can provide whatever you need for yourself and the kind of life where you're feeling good in your own skin and feeling good about yourself. I see you sharing with the world how you got there to the top, sharing all the difficulties you had to go through and all those times you thought you could never get something right, you'll share how you climbed all those mountains and how it's possible though you thought it wasn't. You'll inspire those who will be going through the same and need such comforting words

I also see you working with some people. Whatever you will do that'll bring you success, it seems in collaboration with others but you're the one who call the shots, you're the one who has the last say

I also see a significant someone in this path and it might be your significant other. You will either work with them and that would bring a lot of opportunities and open so many doors or you will just get to experience so much with them . Overall this seems to be such a fulfilling life and you seem to be such a confident person who's sure of themselves 🧡

Pile 4

What's holding you back from charging towards your path :

Your mental health :(( First and foremost, I send you my love, my prayers and I share my hope and positive energy with you , you're not alone

You guys seem to be going through a heavy state and I feel for you. For some it's depression and it's really making it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel and to be in an optimistic state. I can see how difficult it is to see the path ahead when you can barely bear to get up in the morning. I also see a disconnection with the self and with the universe, all there is is this racing mind and those dark thoughts and I really wish I could send some protective energy your way

You guys seem to possess sharp mental energy, some calculating skills and skills with planning or management but it's being used in the opposite way as overthinking and getting lost in negative thinking so of course even though the path is in front of you, it's really difficult to see it. You're asked to be more gentle with yourself cause you might be pitying yourself for the way you feel. Don't , please, it's definitely okay to go through such a state and though it's extremely difficult and painful, trust me it passes in the end. You're not pitiful for feeling this way, you're tired and you need so much love and care and if you can't give it to yourself, don't feel afraid to ask your loved ones or reach out on the internet even, there are many people (including me) that would want to talk to you and help you through this. There's also a message that words are powerful, they multiply so whatever we tell ourselves we start to believe and attract at times. Though it's difficult to see light in this state, saying things like "even darkness ends" or "the sun shines each morning after a dark night" can help even if you will not believe it at first, the mind works with habit so whatever you tell it, it starts to adapt to it

Again, you're not alone and if you need anything, don't hesitate to send a DM 💖

What's this path about/ what does it look like :

This path seems like it's not very far from you, something like it's happening soon. Are you manifesting having someone in your life? Cause I see you meeting someone of great significance, someone whom you may be connected with on a soul level. This person will be by your side and try to restore the spark back to your soul or lead you back to the light. You could start recovering and have the will to want to do things for yourself, you could even start doing many things so you can maintain a stable mental health and not slip into the ways of your mind. I see you battling and trying very hard to not go back to the state you were in before, and though it will be difficult but you would not give up. This will help you overcome some things you were struggling with a lot and you might reconnect with yourself in a way or start believing more in the universe or the possibilities of things 🧡

Don't give up 🧡

[stellocchia]

Got some sleep, so now I'm on the Manifold grind!

Stream starting with Jack spending his birthday alone, drinking in his empty hotel is... quite depressing man...

"I don't think I left this room in 80 days" damn, welcome to the world of depression man...

He's wearing the L'Manburg uniform as well. Haven't seen that since Tommy's death

He's gonna tour the smp

He also keeps having "momentary blindness" (the screen going black) and I'm pretty sure he decided it's canon

Jack and Shroud one interaction my beloved <3 ("We're the only one on the server, guess that means we gotta become friends" yes, yes you do)

"It's been quiet without him, you know, Tommy. It's been really quiet. I'll be honest I've actually- there's been very little to do with him gone" man... it really does makes you realize how much Jack was reliant on his semblance of a connection to Tommy (the whole "muse" thing Wilbur mentioned in his own stream seems to apply quite a bit for Jack)

Ooooh, he's talking about the heist that he, Quackity, Tommy, and Tubbo did! Man... remember the cartel? Good old days...

Jack just discovered the remanents of the beetroot cult

And now he's going to the museum. Glad that that museum is getting the attention it deserves

Mood immediately going down upon entering the final control room as it usually is. Though Jack wasn't actually there for that but, you know, he joined just one day after

"I miss that part, I miss L'Manburg. This was a lot easier when we all were friends. And, I mean Dream- I mean, there were enemies, sure, but, I don't know, we fought them together. Everyone feels so distant now" I wish c!Phil heard this when talking about his bs on how people are better off now that L'Manburg is gone...

"This [Manifoldland] was my cut of- cut of the woods. And it was untouched as well until I-" o7

And now he's going over where Tommy was exiled through the Nether, trying to find the point where he was killed

*staring into lava* "I don't think I wanna visit this place. I don't think I wanna look at this one. I think I wanna go back. This isn't really where I wanna be" Jack your trauma is showing

"Since when was Tubbo's house back? Didn't Tommy burn that down? I think? It's what Tubbo told me" One of the times for sure, but wasn't it destroyed the final time by Dream? Do I remember that wrong?

"Let's go to Fundy's place. I have not seen him in FOR-EVER. I don't even know what he did. I don't even remember what he did after L'Manburg" In all fairness, Fundy also probably doesn't remember...

Oh yeah, I forgot that Jack was the one who built Fundy's tower. And now it's blown up... man...

"I don't know if you could tell, but I've been pretty purposeless for the past 80 days"

"I just wish that someone would have logged on" See, that's why I say that it would honestly be beneficial for Jack more than anyone if he and Tommy mended their relationship. He just really desperately needs a friend...

"Everything I care about on this server gets blown up or destroyed or taken advantage of or... or they- it betrays me"

"I know Niki became an anarchist or whatever- at least she's happy. At least she's happy" My rocket duo crumbs for the month...

Also, Jack noticing that Quackity's business offer fell through, though, to be fair, Las Nevadas is also without customers and still unfinished

"I've never done anything for me. Anything at all" That's sort of a stretch of course. I mean, he wasn't trying to kill Tommy for someone else. He didn't take over the Hotel for someone else. But I get why it feels that way to him...

And his new objective is to create a place for himself, that caters solely to himself and where he's the only inhabitant, which will not end well for him because clearly isolation has not worked this far either

"No one came looking for me"

Final thoughts under the cut

I genuinely enjoyed the stream. It feels like he brought up quite a few of the stagnation problems there have been with the server lately and he integrated them well in his own storyline. I do hope that this is gonna go somewhere though. Maybe get integrated with the sort of bigger storyline we got going on? The one revolving around Las Nevadas and Quackity in particular at some point. Because it feels like season 3 so far has just been a bunch of loose threads that never gave us any kind of payoff.

[diabelosa]

🔥 Infernal/Demonic Language HCs 🔥

Part 2: Celestial/Angelic Language HCs

What is Infernal? Basically the name that the fandom has given Obey Me's hypothetical Demonic Language. In game, one supposedly exists but we have a total of 2 (two) mentions of it. So far.

I will put the references to them + some other posts about it below the cut after the headcanons to keep this from getting too long. If anyone finds anything else feel free to let me know!!

The Actual HCs (minor spoilers for season 3)

🔥 Old Infernal (Pre-Great Celestial War) was very different than Modern Infernal (Post-GCW)

🔥 The Great Celestial War was after the creation of humankind in OM lore, and we also know that angels such as Belphegor and Lilith loved spending time with humans. It's possible that there were other angels who felt the same way

🔥 The means that a decent number of the angels likely picked up on human language (ignoring the possibility of them using magic to have an infinite lexicon)

🔥 Demons also were able to speak some human languages since it made it easier to possess and tempt humans. Sometimes they just spoke in Infernal to give people a good scare for fun

🔥 Biblically, 1/3 of the angels rebelled. Once fallen and thrown into an environment with a language they didn't speak, they began to use human language as a way to communicate with their new demon brethren

🔥 This ends up resulting in the eventual decline of Old Infernal, which is something Diavolo's father would have spoken, and the gradual shift to Modern Infernal

🔥 Hang on, but what about a Celestial Language? Well, the concept of Fallen Angels became big around 500 BC - 70 AD and Hebrew began to die out as a spoken language around (guess) 600 BC - 300 BC. This almost directly overlaps with concept of Fallen Angels so I'm going to ignore history put it in the context of OM lore

🔥 This could possibly mean that Hebrew was initially a language that was spoken in the Celestial Realm (plus Hebrew is often considered to be the first language or the language of God in biblical contexts)

🔥 So when Belphegor, Lilith, and the other angels visited the humans (or their father himself, depending on however you want too look at it), they passed on their own language in exchange for what was spoken, such as Semitic/Sumerian/Egyptian or whatever else could be found in the biblical regions

🔥 If demons actively visited humans, it is possible that they were able to pick up on this language as well (although I doubt they'd be really wanting to start speaking a Celestial tongue)

🔥 This could mean that Modern Infernal/Demonic language is based off an initial conglomeration of Semitic, Ancient/Koine Greek, Aramaic, etc. Hebrew would be another potential shared language but, like I said, not sure if the existing demons would be fully willing to adopt this into Infernal

🔥 The Greek script ended up becoming an official writing system for Modern Infernal, but the Old Infernal system is used for legal documentation (see below cut in Reference 3)

🔥 High ranking angels (Lucifer, Michael, etc.) learned Old Infernal before the GCW for communication purposes despite it being discouraged. This eventually allowed Diavolo to reach out the the Celestial Realm and begin his push for peace between the two realms. However, the masses did not have this knowledge, forcing the evolution into Modern Infernal

🔥 A variation of Hebrew is still the Official Celestial Realm language, particularly due to the fact that the angels who did learn other human languages were likely the ones who fell.

🔥 We've seen in game from the Angelic event that the Celestial Realm is big on keeping things very controlled. After the GCW, there was a huge transition to keep angels in line - this extended to limiting interactions with humans, which resulted in a stagnation of language through outside contact (not to say that there wasn't change in Celestial language, it was just much more limited)

🔥 So while Infernal was evolving, Celestial remained stagnant. Maybe in just more ways than language, y'know?

🔥 Simeon was originally one of the few who was taught Old Infernal, however that knowledge became obsolete with the change to Modern. Even the human languages that he once knew and that had influenced Modern had changed so much that they were not much help

🔥 Angels and Demons are able to learn languages more quickly than humans. When Simeon and Luke came to Devildom for the exchange program, this allowed them to transition much more easily.

In Game References to Language/Writing

Reference 1: Chapter 22-A

"But Ray, Luci's talking about a writing system, not a language."

TRUE. However, the two are usually pretty intertwined, and if anything you are more likely to find a language without writing vs the other way around. So to preface, I'm talking about spoken language, NOT written (although I'll touch on that in a bit.)

Reference 2: Chapter 45-11

Unfortunately, this means absolutely nothing. Below I have the closest possible matches as to what it could mean, but tldr its nonsense for the most part.

dann : "then" (German)

deldaim : ???

parastoka : "ordinary" (Finnish)

kyom : "why" (Hindi)

Since this is in quotation marks, I'm assuming that what Satan is saying here is how it would be pronounced/directly transcribed without any funny business (with the exclusion of "ai" as a dipthong)

I'm going to hold off on dissecting it further for reconstruction for now and will do a follow up post that goes more into detail.

Reference #3: His Highness Unwinds SSR Card

See that G R E E K?! I did a post on this a while ago when someone brought it to my attention and I went into it in a bit more detail here. But as a tldr; the devs just keysmashed some Greek letters.

Thanks to the Lucifer dialogue, we know that Devildom has their own form of writing, but not all languages have their own writing system. Languages like English, French, German, etc. use Latin script and Farsi, Arabic, Somali, etc. use Arabic script.

However, Lucifer does specify "human world" script... and Greek technically would fall under that. So this could possibly mean a few things:

1. The boring but most likely option: Devs just picked a random writing system and it happened to be Greek

2. Lucifer is under the assumption that the MC writes in a roman script (another boring one)

3. There are multiple writing systems, one of which is the original one that was used in Old Infernal and often used for legal purposes.