#like to be clear i want them to suffer its the natural conclusion of the choices they make from a thematic and character perspective

[bitchthefuck1]

Something tells me they're not gonna close the portal tonight

[guiltycorp]

Damn i really want to know tf happened in the writing room of arcane s2. Some of the downgrades were inevitable due to the show's corporate limitations (not being able to progress the class war story in a meaningful way, having to tie things back to league of legends in terms of making playable characters more appealing to well, play... rip Mel and Viktor in particular), sure. But i still feel like it's even worse than that? There are so many bad decisions that i couldn't even start listing them all... the characters, plot, pacing, themes, it's just such a mess? Even the dialogue writing, it feels much more mm Marvel at its worst i suppose. What i am most bothered by is probably just the straight up harmful messaging so um... Cycles of violence and abuse can be broken by individual decisions to become a better person! Got nothing to do with systemic oppression, living conditions, mental health issues, you can just conveniently ignore aaall the social context, live laugh love and then things get better automatically yep, oppressors famously stop oppressing you when you show them that you're harmless and won't put up a fight anymore. Literally three out of three suicidal characters dying to redeem themselves? Not even in a tragic/cathartic way but in a bittersweet 'they finally atoned for their mistakes' way? Groundbreaking lmao. Romantic relationship between Vi and Caitlyn including no communication about their biggest fight, just conveniently skipping to sex and getting back together - would have loved that if it was framed as the unhealthy fucked up thing that it is, skipping over Vi's hurt and her background to once again become a cop, her girlfriend's direct underling at that (!) due to her not having any other support systems... But nope that was our cute lesbian romance wrapped up, a good thing all around, not concerning at all. Jayce telling Viktor that what he 'always admired about him' was his disability and his deadly disease (??? from a character who spent the whole s1 and first act of s2 desperately trying to help Viktor find a cure? sure) and that those imperfections don't need fixing, just wtf truly. Magic bullshit was also weird, some implications of 'natural magic is ok, but achieving that power through other means corrupts you into a crazy robot bitch or just wilts your trees i guess', but tbh it was written in such a weird and inconsistent way that we can skip this one... Yeah actually a lot of things were just such a mess that I feel silly pointing to specific moments or lines I didn't like, I mean duh, it barely makes sense as a story at all... I am happy we have s1 which comparatively was a masterpiece, and i also really enjoyed s2 act1, i truly believed it would lead somewhere good at the time, my mind still kind of cuts off the story at that point when i think about it, that WAS the open ending of the show to me (is it possible that there were rewrites? targeting act 2 and 3? idk, wishful thinking perhaps). Despite my extremely negative feelings about this season's conclusion i remain glad that so many people appreciate the show regardless, it is clear that there was STILL a lot of love in the process of its creation (although i'd argue that even some of the visual aspects of the show suffered in quality, once again i have to wonder about behind the scenes mood of it all) and i get very upset when i see creatives online despairing over reception of their projects even when i'm absolutely in the disgruntled crowd hahaha... ...however yeah, this wasn't great In a world that increasingly grows more and more right-wing politically... we really needed something different i think.

[4dkellysworld]

When suffering happens

When unpleasant things happen in life, in an effort to understand it and find peace, we (our egos) often either try to find reason and understand why something happened/is so or immediately jump to conclusions and label it, often linking it to our identity like "oh it's because I am _____" or "it's because I did/thought/felt _____ which caused this, I shouldn't have done that!" or "This always happens to me ugh!!!" yet I find this habit ends up causing more harm than good and it is this self-identification that then ends up causing further spiralling and a pattern of similar events later in the future.

M: Detach yourself from all that makes your mind restless. Renounce all that disturbs its peace. If you want peace, deserve it. Q: Surely everybody deserves peace. M: Those only deserve it, who don't disturb it. Q: In what way do I disturb peace? M: By being a slave to your desires and fears. Q: Even when they are justified? M: Emotional reactions, born of ignorance or inadvertence, are never justified. Seek a clear mind and a clean heart. All you need is to keep quietly alert, enquiring into the real nature of yourself. This is the only way to peace. Chapter 8: The Self Stands Beyond Mind - I Am That, Nisargadatta Maharaj

Leave poor Vanessa alone and stop assigning her the responsibility and accountability of everything that the dream shows. The entire dream is all an expression of the Infinite Being, not hers (the ego) which she is just one more creation of. And it doesn't have to be your (the Self's/I AM's) dream anymore when you stop identifying with it.

This is why it's so important to let go of our ego, to let go of the unpleasant thoughts with indifference, reject any claim over them and detach any association with your I AM (the Self's identity) rather than intellectuallise what happened with the mind. You can cut it off and break the cycle right there.

Understanding this was truly the turning point that launched me into earnest and honest study of 4dbarbie's teachings and by extension, Lester Levenson and Nisargadatta Maharaj's teachings. I was just so sick of going through the same shit, being stuck in the trenches and going nowhere. At some point you're going to get so fed up that you just want to give it all up and not care about anything anymore.

The thing about nothing though is that it's the only thing that can take the shape of everything. 1

Isn't it so much more freeing to just say "fuck it all, it doesn't make sense and I don't care to think about it anymore. This isn't mine", let it go and move on?

Imagine you see a random couple out in public fighting about all their relationship problems openly. What goes through your head when that happens? For me, I go "phew yikes, I'm glad that's not me. Not my circus, not my monkeys. Not my problem", feel a sense of relief and gratefulness that it's not my burden to bear and move on with my day.

When nonsensical or unpleasant things happen in your life, treat it the same way you do when nonsensical or unpleasant things happen in your sleeping dreams for they are both I AM's imaginary creations. Just let it go, detach it from Self and move on - no matter what happens, it is not yours.

Important distinction: I am not saying to physically ignore your body and ego's needs, do what needs to be done but you (the Self) do not have to identify with it, you do not have to claim it as yours. You know it's not you and you are just observing everything, unaffected.

"When the mind is quiet, we come to know ourselves as the pure witness. We withdraw from the experience and its experiencer and stand apart in pure awareness, which is between and beyond the two. The personality, based on self-identification, on imagining oneself to be something: 'I am this, I am that', continues, but only as a part of the objective world. Its identification with the witness snaps." Chapter 6: Meditation - I Am That, Nisargadatta Maharaj

Stop trying to find reason as you are only further sustaining its reality by doing that.

"By resisting evil, you merely strengthen it." Chapter 72: What is Pure, Unalloyed, Unattached is Real - I Am That, Nisargadatta Maharaj "You may try to trace how a thing happens, but you cannot find out why a thing is as it is. A thing is as it is, because the universe is as it is". Chapter 4: Real World is Beyond The Mind - I Am That, Nisargadatta Maharaj

Just let it go. Letting go is what gives ultimate peace and freedom.

Not yours, remember? Repeat. Not yours. You won't lose your mind, you'll only lose your misery. See this world and the body as not real first. What is true is only what I AM is identified with, right now this body which is not in that TV show (your desired reality). Correct this first by letting go of thinking it's you 2

Just let go of the ego, that’s how simple it is.

[haggishlyhagging]

For heterosexual couples, procreation and, more specifically, motherhood represent the last realm where, even among progressives, the "Nature" argument, which we have learned to distrust in almost every other circumstance, still calls the shots. We know that, down the centuries, the most bizarre— and most oppressive —theories have been justified by the "obvious and unquestionable" proof apparently furnished by "Nature." For example, in 1879, Gustave Le Bon confirmed that "The brains of many women are closer in size to those of gorillas than to the more developed brains of men. This inferiority is so evident that no one could gainsay it for a moment: only the degree of difference is worth any discussion." With time, the absurdity of this kind of thinking has become abundantly clear. These days, we avoid attributing any particular disposition or specific behavior to any physical feature. In progressive circles, for example, no one will tell gay and lesbian people that their sexual practices are problematic, that they are attracted to the wrong people and that their organs haven't been designed for use in this way; no one would ever venture: "Excuse me, but did you misread the manual? Nature actually says . . . ." And yet, as soon as were on the topic of women and babies, it's a free-for-all: the result is a carnival of biological Freudian banana skins, if I may put it this way. Suddenly you find yourself surrounded by fervent advocates of the very narrowest biological determinism.

They have a uterus: this is the truly irrefutable proof that women ought to have children, right? We appear not to have advanced an inch since the eighteenth century, when the entry for "Femme" ("Woman") in Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopedia comprised a description of a woman's physical appearance and the conclusion that "all these facts demonstrate that the purpose of women is to have children and to feed them." We continue to believe unshakeably that women are programmed to want to be mothers. In earlier times, this was put down to the independent volition of their uterus, a "formidable animal," "possessed with the desire to create children," "lively, resistant to reason, working in the interests of fearsome desires to dominate over all." The self-motivating womb has now relinquished its place in the collective imagination to that mysterious organ known as the "biological clock," which no X-ray has yet managed to locate, yet whose relentless ticking is easily detected by putting your ear to the belly of any woman between thirty-five and forty. "We are used to thinking about metaphors like 'the biological clock' as if they were not metaphors at all, but simply neutral descriptions of facts about the human body," observes essayist Moira Weigel. The term "biological clock" was first used to refer to women's fertility in 1978, in a Washington Post article titled "The Clock is Ticking for the Career Woman." In other words, this expression was an early harbinger of the imminent anti-feminist backlash, and its dazzlingly successful integration into the female anatomy makes it a unique phenomenon in the history of evolution—it would have given Darwin pause for thought. Since women's bodies give them the option of carrying a child, of course Nature would prefer that women also change the resulting infant's nappies, once born, that they attend all meetings with pediatricians and, while we're on the subject, that they mop the kitchen floor, do the washing-up and remember to buy loo roll for the next twenty-five years. This is known as "maternal instinct." Yes, Nature orders precisely this, and not, for example, that, in order to thank women for taking on the major task required for perpetuation of the species, society do its best to compensate them for the inconveniences they thereby suffer; nothing of the sort. If you thought that might make sense, you haven't really understood Nature.

-Mona Chollet, In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women are Still on Trial

[bioethicists]

hey i'd really love it if you could say more about biopolitics? i hadn't heard that before and it seems fantastic.

😅 u guys humor me too much- these type of asks are like catnip for me i am rolling around on the floor

biopolitics was originally conceptualized by foucault in a series of lectures- the very simple explanation of it (which foucault scholars probably would feel doesn't do it justice) is that the state has a vested interest in creating citizens who are "healthy" (as defined by the state usually by military/work readiness) + reproducing more "healthy" citizens (in this way it often intersects with outright eugenics). people often refer to it as the politics of "making live + letting die" (necropolitics by achille mbembé is an incredible analysis of this second part, focused on colonial power's interest in determining who dies)

what this means is that, at its core, the state engages in programs to improve the "health" of the population not out of altruism but because it needs a supply of work-ready, combat-ready, reproduction-ready individuals. the concept of "health" is tied up in one's ability to perform labor in service of the state, so much so that disorder or the severity of disorder becomes defined by this ability. public health efforts center not on decreasing suffering but on restoring the population to a condition in which they can once again perform labor (including reproductive labor) + serve the greater needs of the state.

my friend cora at umadison did an excellent presentation on how the u.s evokes within "anti-obesity" campaigns a concern that "obesity" is a threat to military readiness. messaging concerning family planning/abortion are often engaged by the state to coerce certain ppl into having children + others NOT to, based on the idea of the Type of Citizen they want. on a deeper level, this haunts us from birth- were there programs to try to improve your mother's pregnancy? public school health surveys? scoliosis tests? presidential fitness tests? irt COVID-19, whose death was seen as acceptable + whose death was seen as worth preventing? was prioritizing a 'return to work ' an out-of-the-blue approach or a natural conclusion of a public health system structured around producing + maintaining a steady supply of labor? none of this is asserting that state public health intervention is inherently BAD, just that its core motivations are not altruistic but rather political (so it has no interest in expanding into a public health model where fitness to work/serve/birth is NOT seen as the marker of health).

a very cynical read of the opioid epidemic would be that the state is so heavily involved now because it is finally impacting individuals that they want to Make Live. harm reduction is reluctantly being adopted (thanks to the tireless work of incredible activists!) but only if it can fit into the framework of Making Them Live Until They Can Become Sober. sobriety is the unspoken end goal not because it reduces suffering but because it allows for workers. the truly liberatory logic of harm reduction, which focuses on autonomy + safety + reducing suffering, is antithetical to the motivations of a state which openly despises those who don't 'produce' proportionately to what they receive.

my interest is in reimagining medicine + the body + disability + suffering outside of this biopolitical framework by acknowledging that our very definitions of all of these things have been engraved in the public imagination with labor production in mind. i'm not interested in trying to create new state programs that are 'untouched' by biopolitics because that's impossible + i can still extract tangible benefits from it (for example, i got all my covid vaccines early + for free bcuz my labor was important enough for the state to invest in my life). the idea is to engage with these programs clear-eyed + willing to look at who we Make Live + who we Let Die. most importantly, we can find what lies outside it all + envision new ways of living

[aesolerin]

Did you ever hear about that digital presentation/lecture one of the Red Hook fellas gave on how they put together the game visually and inspirationally? (Fun Fact: Jester turned out the way he did because Bourassa hates the DnD Bard stereotype, lol) I'm mentioning this in particular because he went over Leper as an example in terms of symbolism incorporated into his design

(which, side tangent to that: Leper's blocky and metallic aesthetic was inspired by Iron Man! the more you know, lol)

This was put out onto YouTube before Red Hook made it fully clear DD2 was gonna be a thing, which made it all the more notable when people later realized that one of the pictures used on that slide was of Leper's DD2 character design. So, everything he was talking about here was likely with Leper's canon DD2 backstory in mind. This is important because:

One of the points Bourassa mentioned was the fact that Leper has a "broken sword for a broken man".

That by itself is already brutally sad, but rest assured! It gets worse if you think about it long enough. After all, do you remember when that happened in his backstory? If not, lemme stop being coy for a moment to help you in drawing some conclusions:

The Leper's sword broke in killing off his advisors.

It wasn't the diagnosis that got to him. Neither was it leaving his kingdom behind. It was in breaking the oath he made to himself that he would protect everyone in his kingdom. Because, treacherous or not, his advisors were still part of his kingdom. It was only a small handful of people, sure. And yes, it's true that they couldn't be trusted to take actions in good faith once he was gone. And it likely was the right thing to do, at the end of the day.

But justifications don't erase the stark truth that he murdered his own subjects in cold blood.

And THAT shattered him (and his sword) more than a simple diagnosis or self-exile ever could.

Because, the thing is: someone can believe that their actions were objectively the best possible option and justifiable, while considering those same actions subjectively horrifying and unforgivable. After all, murder is still murder no matter the motivation, and some folks deeply take that to heart.

~~~~~~

Of course, this is only true if I remembered that presentation correctly, as I haven't tried to look it up to verify it, lol. You got any thoughts on it, yourself? Assuming you hadn't already realized that on some level, of course - for all I know, you could have drawn this conclusion a long time ago and never brought it up because you thought it was obvious! xD

Or, on the other side of it, there's no reason you should feel the need to change how you characterize our fave Leper buddy, y'know? Though, imo, it's not particularly contradictory to how we normally characterize him. This is just another angle you could look at him from if you wanted to in your writing, shippy or otherwise!

(Though speaking of shipping: this creates another interesting level to think about Leper's dynamic with Jester, no?)

(Maybe Jester needs to get his king to forgive himself by comparing their past actions. If Baldwin finds nothing wrong with what Sarmenti did, which was spurred on by a much more selfish - if entirely sympathetic - motivation, why should Baldwin go about putting his own actions on a pedestal of guilt? Unless he's implying that he's supposed to be morally better than Jester, which I'm p sure both of them would hate to draw as a conclusion.)

(Or maybe Leper sees it as another way they can understand each other that others may not grasp. That while they may be stained by their past actions, it doesn't make the two of them inherently unlovable or deserving of suffering. It's a burden they can help each other bear due to their own personal experience with it.)

(Or maybe Jester is tired of all this masturbatory self-flagellating fuckery and would much rather he and Leper get down to something a bit more literal in its sexual nature. Wouldn't put it past the Silly fella)

thank you much for providing that link to the video! which i will in turn provide in full, because it is a very fun and thought-provoking talk overall, not just the Leper stuff!!

(and, as someone who's played lots of bards, ☹ [but i will point out i've never played one of those horny bards at least])

i do very much agree that retaliating and killing his traitorous advisors was a huge turning point for Leper, and a source of at least some degree of internal conflict for him.

was it a moment of freedom and liberation, finally justified in doing something about those poison-tongued sycophants?

was it a moment of horror and regret, killing treasonous-but-still-subjects of his?

was it a moment of resignation and cold calculation, defending himself against attackers seeking to kill him?

was it a moment of inevitability and hollowness, knowing something of this magnitude was bound to happen after his diagnosis?

some bits of all four? fluctuating day-by-day, nightmare-by-nightmare?

as Bourassa said, a broken sword for a broken man. no matter the literal golden facade he puts up, Leper is still a broken man looking for something as he battles the horrors of the Hamlet/the world. at least this is an unexpected connection he shares with Jester, right?

i will admit it's not something i've commented much on in my fics, as Jester's trauma is just so much more, but i certainly have thoughts!

way back in my first DD fic, Dreams, Jester notes that royal blood on their hands is something they share, and Leper smiles as he says “Hence the beauty I see in your bloody finale. Such cruelty and abuse should be responded to in kind."

in Bow, something about the assassination attempt seems to have severely fucked up the Veiled Emperor's sense of trust.

believe me friend, when it is finally revealed, i am going to have so much fun 😊

these are some wonderful(ly painful) thoughts you've shared, and again thank you for putting this talk on my radar!!

[thrashkink-coven]

Had a very intense and interesting session with Prince Cerberus today. We spoke at length about the principles of Death, the deathly realms and the power of Lady Death. He made his warnings very clear. Never should I abandon his side or disobey him in that place, or I will forever be lost in the infinite darkness. He then introduced me to her, and she immediately commented on my patronage to Lady Inanna, saying “this is far from the realm of your Goddess, her authority is abandoned here.”- basically making it loud and clear that I am in HER house and will be subject to HER laws.

The place was pitch black. The only sense that can be made is through the complete trust and guidance of the soul. There is no logic here. There are deep rivers of blood that constantly flow. However, even with that movement, the realm is extremely still and extremely quiet. Every living breath I took was extremely noticeable and loud. I felt very much like I was in a place I shouldn’t be, like I was doing something very wrong. It’s extremely easy to get lost there if I don’t keep my entire attention on following Cerberus. Looking around and snooping about is not advised. I can’t speak too much on the layout of the place, but I can say that there were multiple sets of gates that only Prince Cerberus could enter.

Death is a stern, absolute, but gentle energy. She is closer to us now than she has been in quite some time, and that is a little bit disheartening to think about. There is rampant war, genocide, and violence on this planet, especially now. She had no opinion on this, but stated that She was happy to offer a comfortable and soothing conclusion to so many chaotic and miserable lives. When she spoke, it was like the entire world spoke. When she was quiet, everything was quiet.

“I know not why it is in the nature of man to slaughter its brethren, I care not for the deeds of man. I am always here to guide these lost souls, to ensure that their flame is correctly snuffed and that their energy is correctly dispersed. In this infinite darkness, I am the last companion, the only companion, that can offer solace to these wandering creatures. I am peace. You’ve known my son, the holy gatekeeper, and seen his mighty dominance. He is my guardian, of which I am very proud, for he has contained the Dead, and refused the Living. You continue to harbour life here in this place, only through his guidance and my mercy. You may not return to this place under the authority of any other, for if you dare, you will be trapped here forever. Hear my words. As I dismiss you, you shall leave this place. You are not to look back nor hesitate, or I will keep you here, and you shall never leave.

Many before you have questioned my authority and the strict rules of my domain. You ask why I am cruel to the sick and the young? I am not cruel, nor violent or vengeful. I collect every being indiscriminately. You have always been promised to me. I do not harm, I deliver from suffering. I have seen every suicide, genocide, and unjust killing, and I have made them just. I have settled every impurity of every living creature, and it is I who will settle the Gods and the Earth and the Sea and the Heavens. All shall become mine. I am Mother. I am Death.”

She showed me a couple things that I will keep to myself, and as we moved through the realm She became more friendly, and even smiled at a few of my answers. She is fascinated with living creatures. She is extremely stern, but She obviously enjoys her role and having conversations with humans. We seemed to be on some kind of time limit, because after some time She looked to Cerberus and told us to leave. She said I did well, that made me feel really good.

There’s something very beautiful about the vulnerability that we experience with Death. She sees our most desperate moments, our inner child that just wants to be held, and despite all of our deeds, she holds us. Cerberus is the terrifying fall, the fear that comes with unknown destination of death. He is intense and dangerous, strong and chaotic, but his Lady Death is quiet and subtle.

Death didn’t feel cold and scary like I though it may have. It was comfortable. Serene and quiet. Like being cradled, held and cherished. Protected. I felt like I was curled up beneath a big warm blanket in a swaddle, innocent and pure as if I was still an infant in my mother’s womb. Nothing could harm me. I was safe. Consuming and whole, infinite, gentle, comforting darkness. Something about that is very satisfying.

I think we’re all going to be okay.

[calf-cover]

Hello! Do you think this was all? Oh, no - I came back with the second part of

The Mini-Analysis of the Alchemical Aspect of Alagadda (part 2)

This time we will analyze the second Lord of Alagadda – the Wearer of the Mask of  Diligence - White Lord and their stage. It won't do without headcannons either, and let's start our trip right now! 

But I warn you, this analysis is three times longer than the previous one!

*And you can read the first part, if you miss it*

Want to say that alchemy and its sources are extremely disordered and often contradictory. I tried to make sense of them and organize by virtue of my knowledge and the logic of the ritual. 

But it is a little daunting to read with eyes opening wider and wider three pages about the "Virgin Mary's uterus", so that in the end came to the conclusion that this is purely a reference to a freaking return to the womb of the mother, rebirth and all the other stuff that already WAS IN A BUNCH OF RITUALS AND CULTURES And IT WAS CLEAR FROM the FIRST MENTION!!? And about the rest of the texts, I'm generally silent. As you read the alchemical treatises in the original it becomes clear why there are constant orgies in Alagadda. They just honor the origins, so to speak…

But let's get back to the analysis. Oh, it will be long and very interesting!

The White Lord, Wearer of the Diligence Mask personifies the stage of Albedo. And if Nigredo is a nightmare, Albedo is a waking up after it. In this stage we get purified, liquefied and crystal-clear matter capable of turning any metal into silver, the second most perfect metal after gold.

Spiritually, Albedo is a stage of contemplation and "growing up". This is the ablution from past sufferings and the entry into a new stage – after metaphorical death and rebirth in Nigredo, the rite of initiation comes to an end. The body is dissolved, and the spirit is purified and tangible. "The soul at this stage feeds on milk, like a infant, preparing for grow" says the description of this stage in one of the treatises, and the spiritual meaning here interests us more than the chemical one. It can be assumed that the "milk" here is a new experience, new powers and opportunities that a person receives by passively analyzing and absorbing the world around them.

In our analysis, I want to pay special attention to the fact that Albedo is very similar to the outcome of the initiation rite (rebirth in a new form after "death" in Nigredo), which makes it associated with duty. In all cultures, such rituals were often a "test" of a person's readiness for new responsibilities and a solemn endowment of them.

Hence, perhaps, the status of the Lord – "The Mask of Diligence". That is, given the nature of this stage, it can be assumed that the White Lord has some special powers and a role different from those of the other Lords, possibly related somehow to order and maintaining stability, while the other lords seem more chaotic and prone to destruction. It is also worth noting that this word has far more than one meaning – it means both "assiduity" and "perseverance", "patience", "thoroughness". And surely these qualities are also inherent in our Lord.

The symbols of this stage are the white swan, the moon, Jupiter and silver. The swan is a symbol of the perfection of the spirit, but also a link between water and air, the Moon and Jupiter, which refers to the Chemical Wedding – the end of Albedo, the mixing of two metals, "female" philosophical mercury and "male" philosophical sulfur – volatile and liquid. By the way, it results in a divine hermaphrodite – Rebis, their fusion and child. Therefore, it is likely that the White Lord, as a symbol of this stage and process, are intersex – and given their nature, this is not an ordinary "human" hermaphrodite, namely a mythical Rebis – that is an intersex squared with a fascinating chthonico-cosmic concept of gender. Finally, a character I can fully associate myself with

The moon emphasizes the connection of Albedo with water, as well as with the feminine principle and the fragility of the emerging alchemical compound. The light of the moon is still cold, barely discernible, it is far from the final clarity of Ruberdo. And consciousness is still wandering in the twilight, still tender and alert, but seeing and greedily absorbing everything it can reach.

Jupiter, on the contrary, is already an established, strong union – it is the reins of order, luck and confidence, and the patron saint of science, philosophy and law. It symbolizes immense knowledge, and the opportunity to touch them, expand the boundaries and know things that seemed forbidden and unknowable. Venus also has some influence at the end of the stage, but most of the time the process takes place under the auspices of the Moon and Jupiter. Venus, on the other hand, accompanies Albedo to the next stage, which we will talk about another time.

Silver is traditionally a magical, healing metal, second only to gold. It is a symbol of the majesty of purity, clarity, as well as strength and perseverance, because it withstands the effects of many aggressive mediums. It is a symbol of the feminine principle and the moon, providence and purification from the impurities of the soul.

Having gathered together all the information received, we can present an approximate portrait of this mysterious Lord. It is a powerful entity that most likely orders and balances the wild, unbridled nature of Alagadda and other Lords. And here I want to note an important point. As we remember, Albedo has a special connection with liquids – more than any other stages. And apparently, it is with liquids – the four humors of the body, the dissolutions necessary for transformations that Alagadda is extremely firmly connected. It would not be surprising if it was the White Lord who would act as such a link.

As for the character – apparently it will be restrained being, that immersed in secret knowledge and constantly analyzing and ordering everything. However, they will be endowed with strength and stubbornness, steadfastness, under the onslaught of which anyone will kneel.

As for appearance, the Albedo stage in alchemy is often depicted as a woman with a pale face in white dress and a crown. So most likely it will be a monstrous Snow Queen, cold as a cosmic abyss, deceptively fragile and infinitely mysterious. Truly worthy to carry the status of the purest divine unknowable Rebis, from the mere presence of who space itself freezes.

Well, now let's move on to my cross between a reclusive theorist, Dr. Frankenstein and my goofy ahh technician grandpa (who almost sawed off my fingers along with a piece of iron), a being more like a monumental iceberg than a thin ice queen, possessing the emotional range of a dried acorn.

I love my White Lord. I love their dissimilarity, I like their manners and character, which is reflected in their appearance, and the fact of their extremely perverted and at first glance not manifested sense of humor despite complete external and internal coldness. And there is still some irony in their "true" appearance in comparison with traditional images.

However, it is probably an omission that they were originally made without delving into alchemical symbolism - despite all the similarity of the final results. Instead, a strong emphasis was placed on their connection with fluids and lymph – humour, responsible for the brain and "hydration". Also, because of the translation in my native language, they were literally called "The Lord of Perseverance", so in the end there was more stubbornness than decency in them.

In my text to their tarot fan art, I mentioned that their body size is not increased because of fat at all. And I think it's worth revealing this fact so as not to torment the audience with guesses. Their tissues are saturated with lymph.

The lymph acts as a layer between their skin and muscles, the lymph protects and nourishes the mighty flesh around the gold-yellow bones, the lymph binds deceptively human insides and flows through the veins, binding any poisons and cooling burns before they have time to do any harm. The White Lord can literally absorb almost any damage and calmly continue moving, and this with their vulnerable humanoid form! And they are really needs that...

The White Lord is looking for answers to many questions. Why do Lords look so much more like people than ordinary peasants? How does the complex system of Alagadda work? Where are the limits of their fluid management abilities?.. They are an obscenely broad profile scientist, deeply studying, among other things, the nature of Alagadda, which remains a mystery even for the Lords. For this, they often get comeuppance from the Ambassador, then from Alagadda itself, accidentally getting into its dangerous processes, then from the offspring of their experiments, but after that they just shake themselves off and continue working. The fact that the Lord is orderly and follows certain rules does not mean that these will be the rules of the local government…

But in addition to personal research, the White Lord works to order, whether it's creating new drinks, alloys and fancy tools, or extracting a narcotic slug from places where it clearly shouldn't be. Of course, not for free. All the Lords are forced to seek their assistance one way or another.

They like everything to be orderly, studied and in its place, and at meetings they often act as a conciliatory party, restraining the ardent temper of their brethren. After all, they are is the only one who can tolerate the Black Lord, and often softens his violent nature.

They are infinitely calm, persistent and logical, but at the cost of their own feelings. They get no pleasure from anything other than mental work, have almost no attachments and do not feel the slightest regret when they see suffering as well as gratitude in return for kindness. If the Black Lord is an emotional being and perfectly aware of what pain and rid of it is, the Yellow Lord experiences a range of complex emotions and the most subtle and diverse variations of hatred, and the Red Lord deliberately ignores the feelings of others, putting his delight above the someone’s sufferings, then the White Lord, even with telepathy, is not able to fully understand what others are experiencing.

Usually they regard people as things – either neutral, or interfering, or giving an opportunity to extract something. And probably, including on this basis, they got together with the Black Lord. But you know, two evil geniuses in the same city sounds like an extremely explosive mix…

[yuhuozero]

NARUTO: THE SPECTATOR

01: The Arrival

"A Spectator, the audience of play, a person who watches the show, the observer of stage"

In the deepest part of the forest, an unusual occurrence is happening. With so much density of chakra that can now be seen with the naked eye, a boy aged between 9-10 appeared as if by magic! The sun shines even brighter as if illuminating the boy, the leaves flutter, the earth rumbles, the wind roars, and nature awakens as if rejoicing the arrival of the chosen one.

And a moment of silence, the boy opened his eyes, the dense chakra dispersed, the sun returned to its original brightness, the leaves stilled, the earth calmed, the roaring wind vanished, and nature slumber once more. And everything returns to normal as if nothing happens, as if nothing special arrives in this world.

Huh? Where am I? Everywhere I look, I see only trees, small trees, and big trees! A bird? Rock?

Where?

Help! Did I get kidnapped? Who? And for what?

And I remember a kid and... I died.

Sh*t, I'm sure, I died...

Where could I be? Hospital? (Surely not),Heaven? (I will gladly accept it, open arms!), or Hell?? (No way!), I need to find something—civilization or any information.

*****

In a large, open area, a burial ceremony is happening. Some people are digging with shovels, and some are carrying caskets to be buried.

"Cease you crying, Itama! A Shinobi must never show any weakness," a stern old man said to his own sons.

"But father," was immediately answered by one of his sons, to protect his youngest brother.

"Your weakness will get you killed! A path to a world that is free of battle is not easy to pave!" As the old man walked away, he added, "Sometimes sacrifice is needed for greater good. Raising one's children to become full-fledged is the sign of parents love!" 

Unaware of their knowledge, a boy aged 9–10 is observing them.

"Hashirama, Tobirama, Itama, and Butsuma? Confirmed, I'm transmigrated into the Narutoverse!" 

After 2 weeks of wandering around, I came to the conclusion that, seeing them, I'm sure this is the warring state period before the Konoha is built. Only thanks to this strange energy I can feel around, I learn to hide and manage to protect myself in case techniques misfire in my direction. Is this chakra? No, it's different from what I remember; chakra came from a body combination of physical and spiritual energy, while this strange energy came from everywhere, like trees, mountains, and rivers. So what is this? Maybe I'll remember it later...

*****

"Mom..."

"Be sure to eat healthy food and remember to sleep and rest; don't overwork yourself. We know that you're already an adult, but for us, you'll always be our baby boy. Mother will always love you."

"Father..." 

"Son, be strong; that's the path that you wish to take. With your mother, we'll support you. Our little angel, spread your wings and fly. I love you, son."

"Brother..." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Little bro, wish anything you want; your big brother is super strong; this big brother will raze anything that blocks your path, so... so you'll be safe, and remember to be always happy. I love you so much, little bro."

In the clearing inside the forest, a little boy was sitting on the ground and hugging his knees as if hiding away his grief, his anger, and his sadness. He wails. He cries until his tears dry up. Only the comfort he has is his own.

The world is truly unfair; why does this pure soul need to suffer? A sheep is thrown into the pack of wolves, waiting to be slaughtered.

Sometimes the darkness needs a light to see the truth; where's the darkness, The light will Arrive.

[a-student-out-of-time]

Like I'm pretty sure that SDRA2 tells that in killing game you should trust nobody think about that. Kokoro end up trusting Teruya that he protect her but he mess up and she died. Setsuka end up trusting Hibiki and her sister and end up dying. Shinju was one of characters who says that they need trust each other end up be a tool that Nikea used for his plan. And Syobai survives who was isolated and trust nobody and he survivor unlike people who trust in someone.

//I think you're misunderstanding the real issues here. One, this is a terrible message in general because you can't get through any sort of game like this without trusting someone.

//Two, LINUJ absolutely has this very cynical perspective on human nature, but it feels incredibly selective and haphazardly applied. For example:

He's talked about how he created Kizuna to be the most hateable character in DRA and someone you'd want to suffer the worst death, yet he gives her some very sympathetic moments and backstory elements that show there's depth to her behavior. Everything about her sudden turn to murder doesn't feel like she's showing her true colors, but a contrived turn out of left field to make her a villain because that was the plan.

He'll talk constantly about how we should hold characters accountable for their actions and how no element of their backstory makes what they do okay. And he'll say this no matter how much those characters clearly show compassion, camaraderie, regret, guilt, sorrow, or how tragic their backstories are. He has this weird habit of giving them understandable backstories, but instead of using them to contextualize behavior or provide some sympathy, it's like he tells the audience "No, you can't agree with them, they're bad people."

Despite that, when Sora deliberately tries to save Yuki's life by using an unconscious Nikei's hand to injure Shinji, he was baffled and hurt that a lot of people were angry at her, when he felt she deserved sympathy for that. Honestly pretty hypocritical there, ngl.

When his characters aren't regressing as people or dying, they're just stagnant. Iroha doesn't undergo any kind of growth in this game, and her true colors turn out to be those of a self-centered coward. It honestly gets pretty insufferable, yet he hasn't really had a bad word to say about her.

He also has this uncomfortable desire to see the nicest and kindest characters suffer the worst deaths, and for no other reason than its emotional impact on the audience. Yet he's also sad that he did it and wishes it didn't have to be like that?

Third, your points don't make any sense within the story's logic:

Syobai does not survive because he "doesn't trust anyone." He survives because he has literal cheat codes and can leave the simulation whenever he wants. Plus, as a Broker, he makes deals with people, and deals require trust. He even made a deal with Emma and only broke it when it was clear his life would be in danger if he still upheld it.

Kokoro died not because she made a mistake trusting Teruya, but because she made the absolutely boneheaded decision to confront Emma about her status as a Void and her abusive father without any protection at her side. Bringing Teruya with her would not have been hard at all.

Setsuka's death happened because Kanade is a jealous clingy freak, and also because she read ahead in the script. Hibiki didn't betray Setsuka, she was in her puppet state and couldn't act on her own at the time, having no conscious awareness of her actions.

The closest you could really say was genuine betrayal was from Nikei, but that had nothing to do with Shinji. It was because Nikei wanted to ruin Mikado's plans out of petty spite, and that meant hurting Yuki by getting him to kill the guy who was there for him the entire game.

//Moreover, SDRA2's themes are so weakly-presented and executed that any messages you take away from this game feel accidental at best. Yes, it's the conclusion of the Another series' story, but there's no obvious exploration of themes or ideas in place, so I really can't say LINUJ had an aesop he wanted to share with us.

//So, no, it isn't saying anything about trust or betrayal. It's not saying much of anything beyond "Let's watch Yuki Maeda suffer for 6 chapters."

//LINUJ is capable of good ideas, but he has this very bad habit of failing to take advantage of them, undercutting them or throwing them out in favor of bad ones instead.

[pikagatogirltits]

There's something I've been thinking about a lot lately everytime I see people talk about the Magic story. Particularly people who express disappointment with how the story unfolds. And I think I've figured out (one of) the main sources of that disappointment. Mostly, it comes down to those fans having misidentified the intended tone/genre/story structure of the Magic story.

The way I see a lot of people talk about the Magic story, it's clear to me that they're interpreting the story through the lens of it being a high fantasy action/adventure novel. They're comparing it to stuff like R.A. Salvatore's Drizzt novels, the Dragonlance novels, Eragon, any number of generic fantasy novels that ape the aesthetics of D&D, and even the old Magic novels. (You also get a bunch of people who seem to want Magic story to be more like Game of Thrones, but those people are just wrong because Magic has never indicated that it's trying for that level of dark and gritty fantasy.)

But here's your first problem. Magic story isn't told in novels anymore. It's told in serialized story chunks. The structural needs of these types of stories are completely different! You can not tell a novel style story with the type of word count the Magic story has now, and the act structure of these types of stories are completely different as well.

As for tone and genre tropes...the high fantasy people aren't too far off, because there's definitely some high fantasy flavor in the soup of Magic's narrative influences. But the modern Magic story also owes a lot to pulp fantasy and modern super hero comics for its tonal influences and the types of tropes they play with.

It's a classic recipe for disappointment. When you set your expectations and something fails to meet them, it's only natural to be disappointed.

Of course, some of the blame definitely rests on WotC for this. Some of the weird pacing issues the Magic story suffers from make a lot of sense when you look at the people they're contracting to write it. A lot of them seem to be primarily fantasy novelists, and there's a good chance that not all of them are necessarily familiar with the structural needs of this style of story telling. Plus, this definitely sends some mixed signals to the fanbase as to what kind of stories to expect.

I don't know if I have a conclusion to this, but I thought they were some interesting observations I had made and felt like they had the potential to start some interesting discussions. Feel free to chime in with what you think.

[madameseal]

We took turns sawing the work piece. There are only two jigsaws in the workroom.

At first I wanted to make just one toy and leave it there. But the teacher was very insistent, "Were you going to make two toys?".

Some made two or three toys to take one for themselves, and leave one or two at the university as payment for materials and tools. This is a natural practice for us. Just like

working out for two to five years according to the distribution of the specialty after graduation from university or college.

I asked, "Did you like my capybara so much?". The answer is yes.

After the couples, I went to the workroom with a classmate. She has a toy of a complex shape - an oven. She didn't have time to make her detail. I made two more round work piece.

Well. I came to the conclusion that when you have to pay with your blood for mistakes, learning goes much faster. But in case you suffer from your own aftereffect, and not someone scolds. Six blows to the fingers with a jigsaw, five broken jigsaw blades, four blows to the shoulder. Progress. I am more gentle, slower and more careful with the instrument. The tool did not beat off all my fingers, did not cut anything and allowed me to cut the workpiece without constant rubbing with a candle. Sewing was much more difficult.

Due to the haste and incorrect grip of the jigsaw, the circles came out very uneven. Especially the second workpiece. On the third, we found an approach to each other. The master at the end of sawing brought the workpieces into a presentable appearance on the grinding machine. Surprisingly smooth, smooth and smelling of fresh wood. Slightly different diameters, but according to the master, "Irregularities make it clear that it was done by hand. A machine can't put its soul in. Soul and hand-made things are worth a lot."

It was very cozy. Because of the warm lighting, falling snow outside the window, soft warm clothes, not the best central heating (as can be seen in one of the photos, because of the cold, some were sitting in pairs in jackets. We can. The teachers are also in them. ), the smell of tools, comfortable silence, good relationships between those present, created the feeling of a grandfather's house in childhood, when he sawed something and brought it into the house.

[archielonglondonrugby]

RFU Championship: Doncaster Knights Granted Clear Pathway Whilst Ealing Trailfinders are Denied the Green Light

Rugby in England has a curious way of shooting itself in the foot. From refusing professional status up until 1995 to debilitating tackle height laws in grass roots, rugby in England has seen a gradual decrease in interest as the RFU continuously spoil a promising product. The tier system in England is one of efficiency and sporting fairness, however, what we’ve seen in the RFU Championship may not support such values.

This time last year, Ealing Trailfinders won the RFU Championship in dominant fashion marking the conclusion of a fairy-tale climb from the National Division South third tier, all the way up the English rugby pyramid, to the promised land of the Gallagher Premiership. However, the celebrations were short lived as the RFU ruled that Ealing were not eligible for promotion and would have to remain in the countries second division for at least another season.

Like a sulking child, Ealing obliged and set out to make history once more. This they may do, as they lead the Championship table going into the closing stages of the season. Though, winning the league this year would make history in another way as they would become the first club to consecutively win the Championship without going up.

This is because in their most recent ruling, the RFU have stated that Ealing Trailfinders will be denied promotion, seeing them play yet another season in England rugby’s second division despite leading the league for the second year in a row. The RFU’s reasons to block the promotion is due to Ealings stadium capacity, which holds 5,000 people, half of the required 10,000. In February 2023, the RFU confirmed that for another season, Ealing will not be allowed to go up.

‘I’m disappointed, we’re all disappointed’ states Tom Hawking, a media professional at the club. ‘We’ve all been working so hard and its hard because we clearly have the skills and talent to move up’.

Ealing had finished runners up for six consecutive seasons before finally winning the league and their instruction to remain in the league meant no teams would move between the two divisions including those who suffered relegation from the Premiership. ‘It feels strange that in a professional sport, there can be stagnation after a season. I don’t think it’s good for the game to be honest. I don’t know how long they can allow this as people will get disinterested with the jeopardy element lost from the game’.

Hawking also believes that this strict ruling from the RFU is bad for the individual clubs being told they can’t go up, not just the league system itself. ‘You begin to ask; “what’s our goal here?” because if we’re already the best team in the league and there’s no opportunity for us to improve against better opposition then we’ll have waisted that potential and begin to rot away in the league’.

He continues by admitting it can be difficult to stay motivated due to Ealing’s goal in promotion continuously taken out of reach. ‘You work hard for months and at the end of it all you read the news headline saying that it was all for nothing. It’s really frustrating, sometimes you think; “what’s the point?”

However, despite the frustration, Hawking claims that he fears there may be no simple solution to the issue Ealing finds itself in. ‘We’re not like most clubs in the sense where all departments here are close and we all talk so naturally we’ve spoken about this and it doesn’t seem hopeful’. He continued to claim this may be due to the RFU’s lack of transparency over the dilemma. ‘Initially we needed planning permission but being in a built up area it’s more realistic to move which wouldn’t be easy by any means. Some of us believe that the RFU aren’t supporting us, its almost like they don’t want us to be promoted’.

However, a club that will be motivated with the recent RFU ruling will be Doncaster Knights who will be granted promotion if they win the Championship. The south Yorkshire club satisfied the minimum standard criteria and are eligible for promotion to the Premiership at the end of the 2022/23 season. Despite Castle Park, Doncaster Knight’s home ground, holding a capacity of just 5,000, the club have received planning permission that would extend the capacity to beyond 10,000 and therefore adhered to the RFU’s criteria for promotion. The club have additionally provided detailed information regarding the safety assurance process to be undertaken by their local authority which has prompted the RFU’s enthusiastic seal of approval.

‘Were delighted but this has only given us more incentive to work harder’ said Paul Strait, an analyst at the Doncaster Knights. ‘As it stands we’re only eligible to go up but we’re not in a position in the table where that’s possible so we’ve got to take this as motivation’.

Doncaster Knights currently sit 6th in the RFU Championship table and therefore wont get promoted if they finish in this position, even if a club that’s not eligible for promotion wins the league. ‘The reality is that it will be very difficult to go up this season’ stated Paul, “having said that, its an important moment for the club, it’s like a confirmation that we’re moving in the right direction’.

Doncaster Knights hold the title of being the most promoted club in the English rugby tier system yet have never climbed as far as the Premiership. However, Strait believes this could change in the upcoming years; ‘if you look over the past decade and beyond, we’ve had an upwards trajectory and I think when you look at our performances in the Championship, especially last year, we can definitely see Premiership rugby as a realistic goal’.

The English top two divisions will endure a second consecutive season of stagnation as no teams will be promoted nor relegated which will demand questions over how beneficial this is to a game that’s already decreasing in popularity in England. However, with revenue numbers at a critical stage, how likely is it that the RFU make a change to their strict promotion laws?

Gallery of Images

(Taken by Archie Long – Follow Link to Instagram)

(Taken by Archie Long)

(Taken by Tom Hawking)

(Taken by George Tewksbury)

(Taken by Archie Long)

(Taken by Archie Long)

(Taken by David Rodgers)

(Taken by John Ashton)

(Taken by Archie Long)

(Taken by Archie Long)

[a-weird-cryptid]

Hey uh. As a system who read Elle(s). Please don't advertise as a comic about a girl with DID. That's not what she has. You can say it can be interpreted as DID but it is not about DID

SPOILERS FOR ISSUE 2

it's revealed that she was in the womb with 5 other embryos. And that they merged into her. That's not how DID works. As a system that sought out this comic after seeing this post, I did feel like it was a bit of a slap in the face. It's not your fault the comic falls into some actual misinformation but I feel like it was never meant to be about did

I think issue 1 leans into the DID coding a lot and I was very excited for issue 2. I think it's very DID coded but stating that its explicitly about DID is a bit inaccurate

Thanks for the criticism!

(Don't worry, I'll leave my comment spoiler free. But if you want to know what it's referring to, I'd recommend reading the spoiler section to the comment I'm reacting to, to get a basic idea.)

Again, I'm only half way through the first volume and I sadly didn't know that that's revealed in the second book. I can't tell my own opinion on it, because of the same reason, but I most likely will when I get there.

I wasn't intending to advertise Elles and I'm sorry if I accidentally did. The post was ment to be a simple, subjective review about the part of the graphic novel I've read so far. Since I'm new on this app and I wanted to try out a new type of post, to see what my audience would most likely want to see more of.

And I'm extremely sorry if I made anyone upset because I posted this review, not knowing that the series would end up being misinformative.

I def didn't expect the post to blow up that much. But since it did, I see it as my responsibility to correct this mistake, even if I didn't made it, nor could have known about it until I now. (If this person didn't made this comment to put my attention to it, I still wouldn't be aware of it. Again, thank you a lot. I think it's really important to stop spreading misinformation as soon as you see it.)

I can't really judge the accuracy of this reveal, because I'm NOT a mental health professional or similar, nor somebody suffering from DID (as far as I'm aware). But based of my own research, it's def misinformative and a mistake the writer (or whoever is responsible for the basic story) of this comic made. And I won't defend them for doing so, just because I like Elles so far.

DID is NOT formed like shown in the second comic. Instead, it's formed by extreme, repeated childhood trauma (most of the time of sexual nature) before the age of about 8. (And that's already simplified.) I most likely won't give my own, "full", explanation of this dissociative disorder on my blog. Unless there's a high demand. Since they're many ACTUAL systems and mental health professionals who did that WAY better than I ever could, already.

I will correct my post to make all of that more clear. But I won't take the it down, simply because of the positive feedback I got from the DID community. Which I assume means that it's still a good comic for DID representation. At least when it comes to the first comic book.

As well as the fact that, when searching about "Elles", most reviews, as well as real advertisement for this comic talk about different "personalities". Which is another term often used instead of "alter", as far as I know. I even saw some websites straight up stating she has undiagnosed DID. Which, in combination with the rest of the story, lead me to the conclusion that it most likely is about it nonetheless. Or at least it is suppose to be. Accurate or not.

Which makes it all the more disappointing to find out about the reveal in the second novel, in my opinion. I think it's such a "missed out" and rare opportunity to NOT show what DID is actually all about. And how it's formed. I thought they didn't mention it in any kind of way so far, simply because it's undiagnosed and noone really knows abt it. So I was hoping there'd be some kind of "big reveal" later. A few panels or even just simple sentences could have been enough to depict it more accurate, without accidentally triggering sb. Or making it less kid/ya friendly.

[the-far-bright-center]

Bringing this post back because, as always, it's still relevant. In case of tl;dr, here are some excerpts...

1) my views on why the Skywalker saga MUST end with RotJ in order to retain its original intended meaning:

As it stands, Lucas’ six-film saga is a universal tale, a story at once modern and timeless. A ‘created-myth’ that, through its dual nature as a tragic, cautionary tale of how Fear leads to a fall from grace, immense loss, and imprisoned suffering and an inspirational story of how unconditional Love leads to redemption, restoration, and release from bondage, has the power to resonate with all of humanity...past, present, and future.

In light of the above, the importance of Return of the Jedi as the official ‘ending’ of this particular story cannot be overstated. Its uplifting conclusion and ‘redemptive restoration of meaning’ is crucial to the mythic status of the saga, and necessitates that any and all further stories about the Skywalkers remain in the realms of our imagination. By 'imagination’ I mean anything from fanfiction, to an ‘expanded universe’, to other forms of ‘unofficial’ supplementary material. It is crucial that we feel free to dream about all (or none) of our preferred possibilities for the post-RotJ period. And equally crucial, in my opinion, that no one single version of these infinite possibilities is enforced upon us. The happy ending is happy only insofar as we have the freedom to believe in it indefinitely, if we so choose.

Now, to be clear, there was a time, prior to the release of the Prequels, when 'continuing' the story after Return of the Jedi might have at least been understandable. After all, this is why there were indeed so many 'Expanded Universe' stories written during that interim era between the release of the two trilogies. But once Anakin had been established as the Chosen One who would 'destroy the Sith' and 'bring balance to the Force', it made it so that 'the saga' and 'Anakin's story' were now one and the same. As Lucas himself noted, once Anakin comes back to the Light and fulfills his prophetic role and destiny, the story is OVER.  

That is not to say that there couldn't have still been films made that were set after RotJ. But there was never any need to actually 'continue' the *Skywalker saga* itself, other than for, imo, entirely commercial reasons. When first starting out, Disney did not have the confidence that audiences would want to watch anything under the name of Star Wars unless it was DIRECTLY related to the Original Trilogy, and to the Original Trilogy alone. They did this even though there was zero 'need' for a continuation after RotJ — not from a storytelling perspective, at least. It was all just marketing strategy, just like everything that Disney does with this franchise. It’s important to understand that Disney wanted to convince people that the main saga 'had' to continue indefinitely as an endless cycle of soap-opera-esque family tragedies SOLELY so they could continue to make money off it. I think it’s now become clear to many that you cannot continue the Skywalker saga past RotJ without retconning the hell out of it in a negative manner (which they did), and thus destroying its meaning (which, once again, they did...or rather, attempted to do).

2) why Disney's insistence on creating an infinite body of mandatory 'official' canon (instead of treating their additions as optional material like the Lucas-era Expanded Universe) is stifling to fandom creativity and freedom of imagination:

...as I have mentioned before, there IS such a thing as ‘too much canon’. I feel that Disney is putting out SO much material that is not merely ‘optional’, but which they are claiming as ‘canon’, that it is actually beginning to infringe on people’s abilities to feel free to imagine things for themselves. To imagine things how they want them, or need them to be, when ‘off-screen’. The problem is that there is no ‘off-screen’ anymore: Disney seems to think that every single moment in the life of a character needs to be told via film, book, comic, tv series, or otherwise. Where is the room, in their brand of ‘canon’, for headcanons and fanfiction?? The answer is there IS no room for fan-imagination in their version of this franchise. In the Lucas-era, Expanded Universe material was OPTIONAL. It was considered secondary canon at best. But now? It’s being forced down our throats. This is yet another reason why I have to ignore most if not all the Disney output these days, because it is just. too. much.

3) how I separate Disney's 'canon' from the Lucas saga in my mind, and how others can do the same if it's helpful to them:

One approach I’ve used to help me hold on to a positive view of this story even in the face of everything, is to first and foremost view the original, pre-existing saga as a True/Real Myth that transcends any on-screen material, and is instead a retelling of a deep and meaningful cosmic/universal Truth...much in the way that all good stories exist beyond even the pages/screen/stage, and linger in our hearts and minds. If we view it like that, then we can also understand that its essence is untouchable by greedy corporations and by arrogant wannabes who think they know better than the original story. It can then exist forever, and not be at the mercy of anyone or anything. 

And most importantly, it can exist in our minds in the way that we each as individuals need it to.

No one should feel obligated to continue to follow the new films, tv series, or each and every piece of Disney's endless SW output if it is upsetting to them.

4) the importance of fanworks in freeing oneself from Disney and reclaiming one's preferred version of canon:

In addition to the above-mentioned intangible ways of shifting my own mindset towards SW and redefining in a manner that makes sense to me, I’ve also found that immersing myself in transformative fanworks really, really helps. Both my own and others. Whether it be fanfiction, fan art, fanvids, edits, meta, and anything else under the Twin Suns. It helps to both erase the shitty aspects of the so-called ‘official’ canon, as well as to learn how to reclaim this story for ourselves as fans. It’s a way of defiance against the tyranny of false authority that claims the ‘official’ canon is the only ‘valid’ one. No one should get to decide that for you, in my very strong opinion! 

✨ May the Force be with you! ✨

And may anyone who is still sad, angry, or disappointed about Disney's version of Star Wars find solace in their own preferred version of canon, whatever that might be. :')

To those still struggling....

It truly saddens me when I encounter people saying that because of whatever awful thing that supposedly happened in Disney’s incoherent version of ‘canon’, Star Wars is now 'ruined’ for them. Not because I cannot relate, but because I understand the feeling all too well. It’s one of the reasons I have refused to watch the rest of the so-called 'sequels’, because even just seeing TFA was enough to almost destroy any warm or positive feelings I had about SW forever. Thankfully, I managed to come back to it again, but I know how impossible it can seem when in the midst of it. 

To those who are still struggling, I wish I could convey to them the beauty and meaning that I still perceive in this story. I wish I could show them that there IS a way back, but it really is something that people have to discover for themselves and in their own time.

For now, all I can do is humbly offer my own perspective and experiences, and explain how I have managed to re-discover and hold onto my own preferred understanding of Star Wars…even in the face of so much that is constantly threatening to rip it from me at every turn. 

Keep reading

[aromantic-misguide-to-romance]

Angels Falling - Luke

Thinking about how the brothers fell and ended up turning into demons, I started wondering about further possibilities – how would the two celestial exchange students fall, why and how would they adjust to their new nature and new home. Note that this is significantly darker and heavier than OM! ever is and shows the angels from a really much worse side and messed up, so proceed with caution.

Starting with... Luke.

He was made believe that angels are superior, shining with brilliance over all three realms. Humans are to be protected and guided, innocent lambs straying into a wolf’s den if left unsupervised. And demons… Demons are filthy. This was what he believes when he arrives to the Devildom.

However, as he gets to know demons and humans, his world broadens greatly. His views get more flexible, he gains a lot of understanding to each of the worlds. Even if he himself strongly identifies with angelic values and despises the demonic ones, he starts to see that there are people behind those words. He meets humans and demons who now have names and faces, now they have some kind of connection. They’re not abstract concepts anymore. His mindset starts opening up, more accepting towards the difference and he starts to think on his own instead of relying on guidance of older angels, which is anyway lacking on the demons’ turf.

This doesn’t mean though that he would give up his own angelhood or lose his faith in the importance of angels. Quite the opposite. He firmly believes that angels bear a special mission for all worlds and can change them for the better. His visit to the Devildom makes this vague idea much more refined and clear.

In a way, even if he develops a deeply personal connection and sympathetic views, his newly acquired experience makes him more keen to see angels as saviours of all those poor, suffering sin-ridden souls. If he was older, he would probably advocate in a more reasonable way and do plenty of good as his views develop, but the thing is, he isn’t. He’s a child that tries to make sense of the world without any reliable guidance.

And starts seeing that the angels he idolised and respected don’t align with the ideal anymore in his eyes, not when they’re this blinded by prejudice, lazy in evaluating their judgements.

Being an idealist, he grows distrustful towards other angels – he starts seeing that they’re not aiming to become the perfect angels like the ideal he’s chasing, and that realisation isn’t something that he as a child can constructively process alone.

It just upsets him in a non-productive, destructive way as he starts rebelling against the angels he deems double-faced and hypocritical and cannot trust their guidance anymore. He doesn’t understand nuances yet – and doesn’t understand that the world isn’t so simple. That flaws can be worked upon, but won’t disappear overnight. That ideals are simply not achievable. That no one can be perfect, even the highest of angels.

He needs a simple world and so he distrusts those who don’t fit what he imagines angelhood be like.

This inflexibility mixed with anger and rejection are a recipe for a disaster, especially in a world that doesn’t want to listen, that’s just stewing in its status quo.

His new opinions are blamed on the corrupting effect of the demons and add fuel to the brewing celestial conflict whether or not to keep diplomatic relations with the Devildom. The views he had at the beginning are common, brewing under the surface of the seemingly gentle and benign mask and break through at the chance.

He’s used as an anti-example, and all the blame is tossed onto the seven brothers. Obviously, it only makes his anger even worse. He notices the laziness of the Celestial Realm’s thinking, when angels treat him like an oblivious child, reject his ability to decide and come to his own conclusions… and blame and scapegoat demons who have done nothing to deserve that.

The feeling that he isn’t listened to, that he’s looked upon by those who don’t even try to reach the ideal, just make his opinions even more black and white, make him challenge the Celestial Realm even more – the more he’s scolded and the more patronising the advice and scolding he’s getting. He’s growing prideful – as pride has always been a part of him, first in his disgust at demons, then in his own strong identity as an angel. In the mission that angels have.

He knows that has not been corrupted. He knows that he’s voicing his opinions driven by his deep faith in the celestial values. It’s the other angels who never noticed that their brilliance isn’t as bright and their shine is cheap.

At some point, the conflict grows too big. Luke refuses to stand down, but the Celestial Realm isn’t lenient to rebels. Even those who are going through a completely normal part of development that children generally go through as they reach their teenage years and start establishing their place in the world.

However, the Celestial Realm has already been easy on him and gave him chances, specifically because he’s a child and has never been considered a threat. But it cannot accept a truly incorrigible individual he’s becoming.

But Luke doesn’t notice the dark clouds looming over him. At this point it is unlikely that he’d tone down even if he did see what was on the horizon.

The fall came as a shock – until the very end Luke never expected to be banished. He thought it could happen only to the seven brothers who were already tainted by their revolt and rejected their own angelhood. Luke hasn’t done that – there’s been no fault in him, he’s been trying to achieve the better world. He’s been trying to be the one that deserves the title of an angel.

Even as he lands in the Devildom, he’s in deep denial of what is happening to him. Too shocked to see what’s actually happened to him, not accepting he’s been turned into something as far from an angel as only possible.