#my contribution to the stem verse

[diamondwerewolf]

But what is it...?

on yet another pokemon related note, I have some questions about eternal floette's flower. why...is it described as terrifyingly powerful? Ominous??? Well, yes, that's a good word for it. Ominous, Mysterious, Unexplained. I'm sure she's very strong by herself, but what is going on with JUST this particular flower?

AZ [based on the ultimate weapon's leaked concept art] designed it to not only look like the flower she carries around, but to function exactly like it.

Floettes pour themselves into their 'sceptre', combining their energy with the power already contained in the flower of their choice. The ultimate weapon, made of organic material of mysterious origin, has thick roots instead of circuits that links it up to a power source. Xerneas', in the case of Pokemon X. It could be the roots of the tree that the pokemon sleeps in, but maybe not.

Xerneas [ and the energy of several other pokemon] replaces a 'floette' in this case. Channeling power through those roots, instead of a bright red stem to cast an exceedingly powerful fairy 'spell'.

My thoughts aren't as organized about this, I still have some details to chew on. But what I think I'm getting at, is that AZ designed his 'machine' after something that could use a hell of a lot more explanation. Bare bones exposition is not going to cut it for me.

A powerful floette, with a fearsome flower. It's like a relic of its own.

It's like, a regular sword, verses a rare sword of idk smite III or whatever... A powerful little wizard with a powerful wand. I hope I am making some kind of sense. What is that flower. Why is it so special that it's the blue print conduit for eternal life or mass destruction. Why does it look like shadow the hedge hog.

Why and Where did AZ's mother find it. Because she was Eternal Floette's trainer first.

i didn't make that up. that's real.

[ There's an entire sprinkling of subplot in the background of AZ's past that you can blink and miss if you don't take the time to read it and process it in game. It's a little bit of text with staggering implications I'm really going to have to talk about his Mother and Younger Brother later but I don't want to go completely off topic because what do you mean your brother was trying to usurp you in the middle of a war ]

returning to the point of this post

[these screen shots from the pokemon short animations on youtube always come in handy don't they...]

Look at the base of the ulimate weapon's 'control area'. Not exactly what you think of when you're told of a machine... Makes me question AZ's arboreal knowledge again. Makes me question how much Floette influenced his research or, clearly extensive knowledge of how to manipulate power to do what it is that he wants.

Here I was thinking AZ's 'technology' contributions to his kingdom may have been more ''traditionally mechanic'', but I'm starting to think his expertise may be in pokemon and organics. Hell...Alchemy??????? Is AZ an Alchemist?

what am i even talking about

this has been a post

[cearthduo]

Decoding c!George: The femininity of cGeorge as a character and the fandom's unfortunate aversion to it. + Reasons to stop making your George design boring for the sake of being "canon"

This will be a kinda short discussion since, honestly, there's not much to talk about. I made this post because I think cGeorge's depiction in both art and writing is heavily criticized for being "too feminine" by people who aren't to well versed in her as a character.

If anyone reading this is familiar with my blog, you will know that I tend to depict cGeorge as hyperfeminine and even use she/her pronouns for the character. While I have my own headcanons that contribute to that, my main reason I do it is because cGeorge is kinda a feminine character.

Dsmp characters are mostly non-gendered. Only a few characters have explicit genders that were given to them by their CC. When it comes to the majority of characters, people are comfortable with any gender headcanon. The one and only exception to that is cGeorge.

The reason for this actually stems from the way the fandom treated ccGeorge in 2020-21. The streamer was often extremely feminized in art and writing, often to the point of being unrecognizable. Over time people became uncomfortable with this depiction and would attack anyone who feminized ccGeorge. People outside of the DreamSMP fandom would often criticize this as well, attacking artists and authors and even causing them to receive death threats.

Because of incidents like that, any and all depictions of George that wasn't a masculine cishet man were seen as cringe, fetishism, and problematic. Even now that the fandom has largely separated the dsmp characters from their creators, the aftermath of this incident still makes people adverse to any feminization of cGeorge.

This is, I believe, part of the reason that cGeorge designs tend to be less creative compared to other characters. Most cGeorge designs are just his skin with minimal changes or as close to the appearance of ccGeorge as possible.

Often times when people draw cGeorge in feminine clothing, they're still criticized with people saying "He would never wear that. He's a grown man." and similar things. But are criticisms like that valid?

Does feminizing c!George mischaracterize her?

Short answer? No.

Long answer? I'd argue that it does the exact opposite.

Depicting cGeorge as a masculine character, while accurate to ccGeorge, isn't automatically accurate to cGeorge. I believe the insistence that cGeorge must be masculine is due to the fandom at large not seeing her as separate from the streamer. If cGeorge, in a lot of people's eyes, doesn't have her own lore; then how could she have her own gender?

The truth is, cGeorge does have her own lore, and the fandom majorly ignoring this fact actually contributes to her femininity. How?

Well, throughout the lore, cGeorge is placed in a role that is stereotypical feminine. Her only worth as a character, to most, is being the love interest of a more important male character. The other characters even see her as an extension of cDream, often blaming her for things he did. cDream even acknowledges this fact and believes that cGeorge is only capable of following his lead.

cGeorge is never treated seriously by other characters. She's seen as incapable, naive, air-headed, and in constant need of protection. She's even been criticized for her emotions, with many characters calling her "dramatic" and "a crybaby" for being reasonably upset. The way other characters treat cGeorge is very similar to how women are treated in media and by society at large.

Having cGeorge's gender, or at least gender expression, reflect this actually helps visualize that aspect of her character in a way that a masculine depiction doesn't.

Other parts of cGeorge's character also convey femininity, albeit very stereotypically. A good example is her enjoyment of flowers and lack of interest in fighting. She's also feminized by other characters for example being called "the huntress" by Quackity, showing that the people around her feminize her in comparison to someone more stereotypically masculine.

What about designs? Doesn't dressing her stereotypically feminine misrepresent her?

When it comes to outfits, a lot of people go for things that are very practical. I see a lot of masculine clothing that consists of pajamas, sweats, or just (again) the default skin. A few of the times where I've drawn cGeorge, I've been condemned for drawing her in non-pratical hyper-feminine clothing. I've had people tell me that it doesn't make sense for cGeorge to dress up when all she does is sleep.

And I think takes like that miss a very crucial part of cGeorge's character, which is that: she sold her soul for the dsmps equivalent of designer fashion!! cGeorge is not a modest dressing person, at least not by choice. She's canonically obsessed with having the best there is. I mean, the entirety of early smp cGeorge's lore was that she was so obsessed with enchanting all her items that her friends felt they needed to kill her to get her to contribute to the server.

Not to mention the fact that cGeorge still sees herself as the King of the dsmp and holds the title of prince of Kinoko. cGeorge in general seems to have almost this grandiose view of herself, still believing that the smp belongs to her. It makes wayy more sense for her to dress extravagantly than to dress comfortably. Especially since 9 times out of 10, she isn't even going to sleep on purpose. Meaning that she likely dresses herself expecting to be running around the server.

cGeorge also doesn't fight much. That means that putting her in clothing suitable for moving about isn't necessary for her the way it would be for a character like cDream or cTommy. This gives more freedom for designs! Even if you want to be realistic to the character/setting they're in.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, your depiction of cGeorge is your depiction. Whether you prefer to depict the character as feminine, masculine, or even androgynous, have fun with it! Don't make her a certain way for the sake of "being canon" or "not wanting to be seen as someone who fetishizes fem men." cGeorge isn't real. She doesn't have a gender. And playing around with ideas doesn't make your depiction wrong. Don't let anybody tell you what you can't do and don't go around policing other people's designs.

But uh you should be more creative because I'm so tired of cGeorge just being "guy in t-shirt" while all the other characters look cool and unique. I'm getting sick.

Alright, that's all. I'm going back to writing my cDnf analysis now. I'll post again in 10yrs xoxo.

[foresight-studio]

Hi, I'm Ben! And I'm happy to be here.

I'm a neuroscientist by training and also by trade (though these days I care mostly about stem-cell epigenetics). When I'm not doing science, I'm probably thinking about stories, the ways we tell them, and how the act of storytelling structures our lives in ways both obvious and imperceptible.

You're probably here because I make games. I've been writing/designing/illustrating/laying out games and supplements for a little over a year now! Here's a few of them, in no particular order:

DO/OMED. Explore the disintegrating landscape outside of a utopian domed city, and discover the nature of the secretive Namesake Project. Inspired by Annihilation plus a pinch of Jewish tradition, written and designed by me, based on RP Deshaies Breathless system.

The Cross Stitch. In this self-contained folk horror adventure, you'll explore a missing town, meet its unusual denizens, and uncover the dark mystery at its heart. Written, illustrated, and designed by me, for MÖRK BORG (but adaptable to the system of your choice). It's also my only project currently available in print.

Hillbrook Glen: Manifest your Dreams. Attend an exclusive, luxurious wellness workshop in the Adirondack Mountains, and bring your dreams to life. No, literally, your dreams are alive. And they're hungry. Written and designed by me, as the first of a 4-part series currently in progress.

Public Access. In this game of nostalgia and analog horror from Jason Cordova & The Gauntlet, you'll investigate strange mysteries surrounding TV Odyssey, a notorious TV station from the '80s and '90s that disappeared without a trace. I contributed a very tiny bit of writing to this, but mostly I did the layout and graphic design.

Decomposer. Take on the role of a worm, a fungal spore, a seed, or some other tiny creature, and decompose the remains of a dead god into a new world. Written and designed by me. (And it's free!)

I also have a few upcoming projects to look forward to:

Hillbrook Glen: Follow your Bliss. Explore a shifting meditation garden and face the branching paths your life could have taken in this post-it crawl adventure. Just be careful not to lose yourself. Coming September 2023 (I hope).

The Silt Verses RPG. In this TTRPG adaptation of the popular horror/weird-fiction podcast The Silt Verses, you'll traverse the Peninsula, hunting down stray deities while exploring your own complicated relationship with unsanctioned faiths. It's written by Gabriel Robinson & Jason Cordova, and I'm doing graphic design & layout. Coming soon.

Triangle Agency. As an employee of the Triangle Agency, it's your job to make sure the world doesn't collapse into chaos. You'll go on missions to apprehend dangerous anomalies while wielding anomalous powers of your own, battling bureaucratic nightmares along the way. TA was a runaway success on Kickstarter earlier this year, and I'm writing a mission for The Vault collection and laying out the book(s)!

Ex Nihilo Ad Nihilum. People vanish every day in the City of Y. But this one - this one is different. Or so your contact claims. Search for a missing scientist and uncover a potentially world-ending conspiracy in this surreal noir horror adventure for CY_BORG. Coming in the fall.

While you wait for those projects, you can keep up with what I'm working on via my newsletter or the Foresight Studio discord server.

So, hello tumblr! I hope something I make resonates with you.

[rphunter]

🌹

Twenty-one+ need only respond! Thirty~one year old here looking for a roleplay revolving around the Beauty and the Beast trope. I will take on the female!Beauty role, and you will take on the male!Beast role. However, I have a few different ways in which we can mix up the plot. I’ll be posting those ideas following my expectations.

As a literate-advanced/novella style writer, I cannot work with short replies. My own responses average the length of the Discord (which we will be using) Nitro limit. Please be eager to contribute to plotting, as I adore continuously building up our little world and characters. This is intended to be long-term, and I can be a fairly speedy replier. I do not expect you to reply as quickly as I do, but it’s certainly nice when I meet someone who can keep up. We will use real-person faceclaims, but I do not accept requests, nor will I request anyone specific for your character.

Here a a few different iterations of the B&B trope that I’d love to expand upon with you.

1.) Greek Myth verse — Beast is a Minotaur trapped within a labyrinth that he was cast into when he was cursed with his bestial form. Beauty stumbles into his maze, and after witnessing her confusion takes pity. He will protect her within the labyrinth, but in exchange for her life she must stay. You do not have to follow the historical lore stemming from Crete, I’m merely using the era as a backstop, and as such do not expect historical accuracy.

2.) Classic Princess and Dragon — Beast is a mighty dragon who instills fear in townsfolk near and afar. For reasons unknown (up to you, or we can figure it out together), he begins razing the lands near to a grand castle. Ignorant as to why this is happening, the King and Queen decide to send their frail (in the sense that she’s prone to illness, not meek) daughter as a royal sacrifice. This dragon could be cursed, or could simply be an at-will shapeshifter.

3.) The God’s Bride — Beast is a cursed god to whom a devout community sacrifices young women to be his bride. Once he was beautiful, but his vanity led to his downfall. The bride is always to be an eldest born, however the bride (Beauty) whom is sent is actually standing in for her sister. Will the beast accept her regardless?

4.) Modern Era verse — Rather than cursed, Beast is a celebrity, or modern royalty, who has become visibly disfigured (in an accident or self-inflicted), and has hidden himself away from the public view. Because his attitude has soured, he’s pushed many people away, however his personal assistant promises to find a replacement before she, too, abandons him. Beauty is the poor, naive woman who doesn’t realise she’s been assigned to the world’s grumpiest man. I love a Glasgow smile, and I would love if he hid the disfigurement from her for as long as possible.

5.) Pygmalion — Within a vague, Renaissance Era type setting, Beauty is a young, but blind sculptor. Despite this, she is well-renowned for her ability to recreate anyone’s visage with striking accuracy. She meets Beast, who is an unconventionally handsome, older man who believes he’s ugly, especially as a curator amidst a world of beautiful art and artists. Beauty is to work with him for an exhibition. Lots of chaste, tender caressing please.

If you’re interested in any of these ideas, please keep in mind that our main characters must be over the age of 18, and i do not write sexual NSFW. Thanks for bearing with me! Hope we can write together soon. 🖤

.

[darkrpfinders]

🌹

Twenty-one+ need only respond! Thirty~one year old here looking for a roleplay revolving around the Beauty and the Beast trope. I will take on the female!Beauty role, and you will take on the male!Beast role. However, I have a few different ways in which we can mix up the plot. I’ll be posting those ideas following my expectations.

As a literate-advanced/novella style writer, I cannot work with short replies. My own responses average the length of the Discord (which we will be using) Nitro limit. Please be eager to contribute to plotting, as I adore continuously building up our little world and characters. This is intended to be long-term, and I can be a fairly speedy replier. I do not expect you to reply as quickly as I do, but it’s certainly nice when I meet someone who can keep up. We will use real-person faceclaims, but I do not accept requests, nor will I request anyone specific for your character.

Here a a few different iterations of the B&B trope that I’d love to expand upon with you.

1.) Greek Myth verse — Beast is a Minotaur trapped within a labyrinth that he was cast into when he was cursed with his bestial form. Beauty stumbles into his maze, and after witnessing her confusion takes pity. He will protect her within the labyrinth, but in exchange for her life she must stay. You do not have to follow the historical lore stemming from Crete, I’m merely using the era as a backstop, and as such do not expect historical accuracy.

2.) Classic Princess and Dragon — Beast is a mighty dragon who instills fear in townsfolk near and afar. For reasons unknown (up to you, or we can figure it out together), he begins razing the lands near to a grand castle. Ignorant as to why this is happening, the King and Queen decide to send their frail (in the sense that she’s prone to illness, not meek) daughter as a royal sacrifice. This dragon could be cursed, or could simply be an at-will shapeshifter.

3.) The God’s Bride — Beast is a cursed god to whom a devout community sacrifices young women to be his bride. Once he was beautiful, but his vanity led to his downfall. The bride is always to be an eldest born, however the bride (Beauty) whom is sent is actually standing in for her sister. Will the beast accept her regardless?

4.) Modern Era verse — Rather than cursed, Beast is a celebrity, or modern royalty, who has become visibly disfigured (in an accident or self-inflicted), and has hidden himself away from the public view. Because his attitude has soured, he’s pushed many people away, however his personal assistant promises to find a replacement before she, too, abandons him. Beauty is the poor, naive woman who doesn’t realise she’s been assigned to the world’s grumpiest man. I love a Glasgow smile, and I would love if he hid the disfigurement from her for as long as possible.

5.) Pygmalion — Within a vague, Renaissance Era type setting, Beauty is a young, but blind sculptor. Despite this, she is well-renowned for her ability to recreate anyone’s visage with striking accuracy. She meets Beast, who is an unconventionally handsome, older man who believes he’s ugly, especially as a curator amidst a world of beautiful art and artists. Beauty is to work with him for an exhibition. Lots of chaste, tender caressing please.

If you’re interested in any of these ideas, please keep in mind that our main characters must be over the age of 18, and i do not write sexual NSFW. Thanks for bearing with me! Hope we can write together soon. 🖤

.

[intheholler]

just scrolled thru ur blog til my phone overheated n crashed lol. wish we could be friends.

curious, no pressure to answer, what bible verses most haunt u still?

firstly, we can so be friends 🥺 i may not be around 24/7 but my inbox is always open.

to your question... honestly, revelations as a whole fucked me up as a kid. it took a long time for me to divorce myself from christianity entirely, as even once i thought i felt secure in my lack of belief, i'd still get intrusive thoughts about some of the descriptions in revelations.

it would make me question if i really *didn't* believe after all. like maybe i was just pretending, because i would be afraid i was still going to hell even though i thought i no longer believed in it. and if i was pretending and denying god, then i was *definitely* going to hell.

revelation 14:9-11 especially fucked with my head, because the idea of original sin contributed to the ocd id go on to develop.

like what if i was already dirty and tainted? how was i gonna get the mark off me, spiritually speaking? it felt like a losing race and i started the race a mile behind the starting line. i never felt like anything i could do would clear me of what i was born bearing and it terrified me.

i also especially hate pretty much anything in deuteronomy. i remember it was so graphic and hateful and violent.

the first church i went to was a southern baptist with a fire and brimstone preacher who seemed to particularly enjoy terrifying us into the pews every sunday. i remember a lot of deuteronomy shouting

...i feel kind of odd and a little vulnerable openly admitting this to all 5k+ of you but i know i can trust y'all to understand.

anyway, this is an interesting ask, because it's making me see that i have a lot of misplaced religious guilt and that a lot of my trauma seems to stem from it. thanks for asking and making me think

[rodolfoparras]

Hello, I write smuts and stuff a lot, and I’ve been feeling inspired by the characters in Castlevania nocturne, but I want to ask your opinion. I’m a cis-female who’s bisexual, but I want to write something for Olrox or Mizrak, because I find them interesting and I want to help there be content, but is it ok for me to write? It would be for a gender neutral reader like most of my work, but I don’t want to intrude somewhere that would make people uncomfortable. How do you feel about that? /gen

Disclaimer: I’m just a dude behind a screen so you don’t have to listen to me, I do not speak for the whole community but only my experience but I do appreciate you asking.

I want to highlight that I’m not 100% sure if Mizrak or Olrox are gay or bisexual. I just know they’re both mlm and I also know that Olrox’s previous lover was a man but I’ll give you these questions to make your decision

1. Is it appropriate for me to take a canonically/ implied gay/ lesbian/ bi character and change their sexuality to suit my fic?

Let’s imagine an implied/ canonical lesbian character. What can I, a male reader author, write about a woman, who’s explicitly only shown interest in other women?

One might say that queer people take canonically/implied straight characters and change them for the sake of a fic. Straight is the default sexuality. Usually that means the creators have put little to no thought in who the character is attracted to while a queer character’s sexuality was created with intent, that intent being to represent a group who rarely see themselves on the big screen.

When we take a canonically / implied straight character and change their sexuality we take maybe a cherry or two of content that makes up a whole cherry cake. When we change a queer character’s sexuality we are now taking limited accessible content and making it inaccessible for a certain group of ppl.

2. Is it inclusive?

This is where the discussion of gender neutral pieces is raised.

In my opinion gender neutral pieces are rarely written with a potential male reader in mind seeing as fem aligned people often think that omitting pronouns is what makes a piece gender neutral but there’s so much more to it.

“gender neutral” smut pieces for example, more often than not center around piv sex meaning that the gn piece in question is most suitable for a bottom male reader. That is all fine and dandy we cannot include everyone (that being top male reader or even a verse male reader) but majority if not all of these gn smut pieces are only suitable for a bottom male reader

In terms of plot, more often than not gender neutral pieces will perpetuate heteronormativity in such way that the male character that the story revolves around will often take up a stereotypical masculine role while the “gn” reader is pushed into a stereotypical feminine role for example: the male character will ask the “gn” reader out on a date, never the other way around. Although it’s just one example, this is usually the pattern that follows in these gn neutral pieces. Such pattern can even be seen in the language that is used in these gn pieces, more specifically the descriptive words that are used to portray the supposed “gn” reader.

With that being said I am fully aware that the exclusion of male readers does not have malice intent. A lot of it stems from the lack of knowledge (I suppose) for what a gender neutral reader is because sometimes pieces will intentional be written for a fem reader in mind but be tagged as gn reader. Other times it’s because fem aligned people are so used to being catered to, they cannot see the elements that contribute to one’s exclusion. Or it may as well be because they’ve grown up with fem reader centered pieces and their work is bound to reflect that in one way or another.

As of now a lot of us male readers do not engage in gn pieces because 1. A majority will intend to write for a fem reader but tag it as gn 2. Majority is piv smut pieces that are bound to exclude a portion of the male readers. 3. The only thing the author has done in question is omit pronouns and slapped a gn reader label on it

[shrinkthisviolet]

Samtory, Lawrusso, and Danmiko for the ship bingo!!

Samtory/Lanichols:

I love this ship! I doubt it’ll be canon, and tbh I’m fine with that, because generally there are only a few authors I trust to write it well anyway (and within the canon, Samguel has been the driving force throughout all the seasons, so it would be bizarre to throw that away). Canonically, I just want Samtory friendship. Thank you s5 for that (even tho Sam apologizing to Tory first was weird…literally why)

I think Sam and Tory have a fascinating dynamic that some fanfic authors make brilliant use of—and yes, I did color in “they could fix each other” and “they could make each other worse” because tbh it could go either way and I think it goes both ways at times 😂 in fanon, they’re amazing! I have 3 fics about them in my AO3 recs, which I highly recommend 💞

Lawrusso:

I’ve talked before about how I don’t like this ship as much as I used to, and it’s because I liked it back when Johnny was a more interesting character who seemed to have an actual arc and growth going for him. There was even a time when I shipped Lawrussomanda (aka the ship with no good OT3 name), because the three of them had such a great dynamic in the early seasons!

But my dislike of Lawrusso now stems from my dislike of Johnny as a character. So much regression and so much backsliding and pointless drama *sigh* I only like them when Johnny is written as a better character (which is why it depends who’s writing them and how they write Johnny).

(However if you wanna read a great fic about them…Root Beer Floats and Green Tea by @desolateice is super long but so incredibly worth it imo 💞 it’s movie-verse and picks up right after KK1!!)

Damiko:

In the movies, they’re my absolute OTP 💞 in the show, Amaniel’s married, so Damiko besties. Hence, it’s complicated 😂 I liked a few of their s3 scenes, but some others felt like ship-teasing (and I somewhat believe that they dropped the Chozen x Kumiko tease because they realized that they implied emotional cheating and had to cover it up)

I will always, however, side-eye the show writers for not making Damiko married at the show’s outset when it would’ve been so easy to get them back together. Like?? Would that not also make Sam’s arc more interesting?? A half-Japanese kid (maybe one who looks white passing, if they wanna keep Mary Mouser)?? Especially if they kept the white-passing aspect, it could’ve contributed to Sam’s conflict between karate/heritage and fitting in! I just…*sigh*

(This series, btw, is a fantastic Damiko post-KK2 AU, I can’t recommend it enough 💞)

[darkestrellar]

gladiolus :   describe a moment from your muse’s life that they will never forget . // hydrangea :   how much does your muse value communication in their relationships with others ?are they prone to being misunderstood ?

Botanical headcanon prompts

Gladiolus — Describe a moment from your muse's life that they will never forget.

Normally the go-to answer for this is his first exposure to the Shadow Crystal, but that's slightly different in fandomless verse and I haven't got all the details sorted in my head, so I'll try something else.

A moment Svern remembers well is when he first actively reacted against his cousin (who does not technically have a set name yet, but for some reason I keep referring to him in my head as Luke, so let's call him that). Luke is a few years older than Svern (or Sylvester then), and was the biggest single source of bullying for Svern's yet-unmasked Issues.

Luke didn't like Sylvester because Sylvester was a little weirdo who never talked to you unless he had a reason (which usually meant correcting you for something or just being obnoxiously Smart and Better than you), who was never happy, was never upset, talked in a weird monotone voice always and also was unfairly good at everything.

There is also an unfortunate thing that happens when you're known for not reacting to anything ever, and that is if you hang out with the wrong kind of kids, they see you as a curious thing to poke and prod.

Svern had been tolerating this kind of poking and prodding, verbal and physical teasing, for years, and over years it just got worse. For a long time the only way he reacted was passively: ignore, turn away, leave. Since Svern is not a very reactive person, and back then was very bad at expressing himself, he could put up with a lot, seemingly, without being bothered (which only fed into it getting worse). When he did get bothered enough to either leave or (stoically) tell Luke to stop, Luke took this as a victory as well and made a big deal of how the emotionless weirdo did get annoyed after all. Svern spent years of not reacting much beyond that and quietly building up resentment toward not only Luke, but other people who weren't quite so obviously bad about it but still were in their own ways.

So, Svern will always remember when that finally hit the point where he did feel recognisably, truly angry, and took an active reaction against Luke.

It was a year or two after he had started masking successfully, which contributed, as Luke both had used this as another way to try and get under Svern's skin (look who's gotten so good at pretending, but we both know you're a little liar, so you're even creepier than you were before) and Svern had now learned how to act in ways that he wouldn't have beforehand. Unfortunately this also marked the point where they both got a lot more malicious in their behaviour toward each other in general.

Hydrangea — How much does your muse value communication in their relationships with others? Are they prone to being misunderstood?

Svern delights in leaving others hanging and not being clear with his intentions, leading them along etc., so I would say his value of communication in interpersonal relationships is pretty low. Then again, a lot of this stems from the fact that he is constantly maintaining a certain distance from everyone else, lack of communication feeds that distance, and it's very hard for relationships with him to go beyond a certain depth (the depth where he would start properly caring about how this communication or lack thereof affects the other person more).

He is aware that good communication is valuable to relationships, and he knows how to achieve it, he just doesn't do so most of the time.

Prone to being misunderstood? Yes, again with the caveat that he could easily make himself less misunderstood, but at least half of the reason he's misunderstood is on purpose. If he's not actively being confusing, he's at least playing into other people's uncertain views of him.

Considering so much of him hinges on nobody really knowing what's up with him, and he specifically likes it that way, he's not going to be winning any awards in clear communications anytime soon.

[mementofloreo-archived]

DASHBOARD BIO; NETTLE REED(G//NP//CT OC)

Updated and in-depth biography for my primary g.en..p.act OC, Nettle. Under a cut for length!

FULL NAME: Nettle Reed

NICKNAMES/ALIASES: Ned, Netty

GENDER/PRONOUNS: trans man, he/him

ORIENTATION: Bisexual; leans heavily toward men

AGE RANGE: Early/Mid 20’s, verse dependent

HEIGHT: 5’ 1” [154cm]

BUILD/BODY TYPE: Somewhat delicate and slender, with some wiry muscle underneath. Has ‘soft edges’, just a little extra fat and barely any muscle toning.

HAIR: A springy, light and warm green. Soft and a little wispy; cut in a loose asymmetrical bob and kept a little shorter around the neck/collar. He often wears cute hairclips or small flowers as accessories.

EYES: A sharp citron orange, with richer copper tones toward the inner iris.

FACE: ‘Fey-like’ features, somewhat dainty and soft just like the rest of him, but there are some more rigid lines along the frame of his cheeks and chin that give a solidly masculine note.

SCARS/OTHER FEATURES: Many scars of varying nature/severity and age along all of his body; ‘inverted T’ scars from top surgery. Left upper leg has a full sleeve tattoo with a floral/rose motif, mixing together healthy flowers and withered ones. Multiple piercings- four in each ear, a stud piercing on his tongue.

PHYSICAL HEALTH: Severe asthma & chronic cough. Mild/moderate immune deficiency. ‘Eleazar’ illness from birth with fluctuating severity up until the eradication of the disease in its entirety.

MENTAL/EMOTIONAL HEALTH: ASD, ADHD. Severe PTSD, depression & dysthymia, severe anxiety disorder. Frequent nightmares.

VISION/COMBAT: Dendro vision; wields a polearm.

DEFAULT VERSE BIO/BACKGROUND ->

Nettle’s mother suffered from the ‘Eleazar’ illness stemming from the Withering in Sumeru and died during childbirth. Nettle also suffered from symptoms of the disease from birth, which may have contributed to the formation of his other health problems, and was always very frail and sickly.

He was raised by his father up to age ten. Devastated by the loss of his wife, Nettle’s father was distant, absent and often even negligent as a parent. Though never cruel, he was never affectionate with his child. The two lived a nomadic lifestyle, the father doing a range of odd jobs from simple manual labor to mercenary work. He fell further and further into self neglect as time wore on until, eventually, he simply wasted away.

With no home, no relatives, and no family acquaintances Nettle was left to fend for himself. He was a very inquisitive child despite his poor health, and as such he had learned a great many things in his short life quietly and all on his own. From reading to counting money and preparing basic meals. He continued drifting from place to place, never thinking to seek help because he had never been cared for by anyone to begin with.

It was over a year before a young doctor stumbled across him near Caravan Ribat, scuffling about and foraging edible weeds and flowers. The doctor, a trans woman named Amaranthe Reed, approached Nettle and before long took him in and adopted him. Though listed officially as his foster mother, he addresses her as his elder sister, as she is only 13 years older than him.

Nettle began transitioning under Amaranthe’s care and also learned much of her trade from assisting her hands on with her work as a dispatch for the Adventurer’s Guild. Eventually Amaranthe would marry a woman called Thalia, who was previously a theater performer and taught Nettle music. In his late teens, Thalia gave birth to her and Amaranthe’s first child, Briarly, and Nettle has helped raise him.

The family relocated to Monstadt roughly six months prior to ‘Stormterror’ arriving, and Nettle currently works as a field medic for the local guild branch.

GENERAL PERSONALITY/DISPOSITION: Because of his intensely isolated and lonely childhood, Nettle is unaccustomed to dealing with people and has very few friends near his own age. He can seem standoffish and sarcastic at times and has a hard time accepting praise or compliments. Still, he has an intensely compassionate and gentle heart and hates to see people suffering or in pain, and dedicates himself to helping anyone he can in whatever way he can- even to the point of self neglect. He cares very little about himself, but very much about everyone else; all his drive and will to live come from the desire to help and be ‘useful’ to others.

He loves music and flowers equally and most of his free time is spent pursuing related hobbies.

[ocrpsearch]

🌹

Twenty-one+ need only respond! Thirty~one year old here looking for a roleplay revolving around the Beauty and the Beast trope. I will take on the female!Beauty role, and you will take on the male!Beast role. However, I have a few different ways in which we can mix up the plot. I’ll be posting those ideas following my expectations.

As a literate-advanced/novella style writer, I cannot work with short replies. My own responses average the length of the Discord (which we will be using) Nitro limit. Please be eager to contribute to plotting, as I adore continuously building up our little world and characters. This is intended to be long-term, and I can be a fairly speedy replier. I do not expect you to reply as quickly as I do, but it’s certainly nice when I meet someone who can keep up. We will use real-person faceclaims, but I do not accept requests, nor will I request anyone specific for your character.

Here a a few different iterations of the B&B trope that I’d love to expand upon with you.

1.) Greek Myth verse — Beast is a Minotaur trapped within a labyrinth that he was cast into when he was cursed with his bestial form. Beauty stumbles into his maze, and after witnessing her confusion takes pity. He will protect her within the labyrinth, but in exchange for her life she must stay. You do not have to follow the historical lore stemming from Crete, I’m merely using the era as a backstop, and as such do not expect historical accuracy.

2.) Classic Princess and Dragon — Beast is a mighty dragon who instills fear in townsfolk near and afar. For reasons unknown (up to you, or we can figure it out together), he begins razing the lands near to a grand castle. Ignorant as to why this is happening, the King and Queen decide to send their frail (in the sense that she’s prone to illness, not meek) daughter as a royal sacrifice. This dragon could be cursed, or could simply be an at-will shapeshifter.

3.) The God’s Bride — Beast is a cursed god to whom a devout community sacrifices young women to be his bride. Once he was beautiful, but his vanity led to his downfall. The bride is always to be an eldest born, however the bride (Beauty) whom is sent is actually standing in for her sister. Will the beast accept her regardless?

4.) Modern Era verse — Rather than cursed, Beast is a celebrity, or modern royalty, who has become visibly disfigured (in an accident or self-inflicted), and has hidden himself away from the public view. Because his attitude has soured, he’s pushed many people away, however his personal assistant promises to find a replacement before she, too, abandons him. Beauty is the poor, naive woman who doesn’t realise she’s been assigned to the world’s grumpiest man. I love a Glasgow smile, and I would love if he hid the disfigurement from her for as long as possible.

5.) Pygmalion — Within a vague, Renaissance Era type setting, Beauty is a young, but blind sculptor. Despite this, she is well-renowned for her ability to recreate anyone’s visage with striking accuracy. She meets Beast, who is an unconventionally handsome, older man who believes he’s ugly, especially as a curator amidst a world of beautiful art and artists. Beauty is to work with him for an exhibition. Lots of chaste, tender caressing please.

If you’re interested in any of these ideas, please keep in mind that our main characters must be over the age of 18, and i do not write sexual NSFW. Thanks for bearing with me! Hope we can write together soon. 🖤

interact and anon will reach out!

[novella-writers]

🌹

Twenty-one+ need only respond! Thirty~one year old here looking for a roleplay revolving around the Beauty and the Beast trope. I will take on the female!Beauty role, and you will take on the male!Beast role. However, I have a few different ways in which we can mix up the plot. I’ll be posting those ideas following my expectations.

As a literate-advanced/novella style writer, I cannot work with short replies. My own responses average the length of the Discord (which we will be using) Nitro limit. Please be eager to contribute to plotting, as I adore continuously building up our little world and characters. This is intended to be long-term, and I can be a fairly speedy replier. I do not expect you to reply as quickly as I do, but it’s certainly nice when I meet someone who can keep up. We will use real-person faceclaims, but I do not accept requests, nor will I request anyone specific for your character.

Here a a few different iterations of the B&B trope that I’d love to expand upon with you.

1.) Greek Myth verse — Beast is a Minotaur trapped within a labyrinth that he was cast into when he was cursed with his bestial form. Beauty stumbles into his maze, and after witnessing her confusion takes pity. He will protect her within the labyrinth, but in exchange for her life she must stay. You do not have to follow the historical lore stemming from Crete, I’m merely using the era as a backstop, and as such do not expect historical accuracy.

2.) Classic Princess and Dragon — Beast is a mighty dragon who instills fear in townsfolk near and afar. For reasons unknown (up to you, or we can figure it out together), he begins razing the lands near to a grand castle. Ignorant as to why this is happening, the King and Queen decide to send their frail (in the sense that she’s prone to illness, not meek) daughter as a royal sacrifice. This dragon could be cursed, or could simply be an at-will shapeshifter.

3.) The God’s Bride — Beast is a cursed god to whom a devout community sacrifices young women to be his bride. Once he was beautiful, but his vanity led to his downfall. The bride is always to be an eldest born, however the bride (Beauty) whom is sent is actually standing in for her sister. Will the beast accept her regardless?

4.) Modern Era verse — Rather than cursed, Beast is a celebrity, or modern royalty, who has become visibly disfigured (in an accident or self-inflicted), and has hidden himself away from the public view. Because his attitude has soured, he’s pushed many people away, however his personal assistant promises to find a replacement before she, too, abandons him. Beauty is the poor, naive woman who doesn’t realise she’s been assigned to the world’s grumpiest man. I love a Glasgow smile, and I would love if he hid the disfigurement from her for as long as possible.

5.) Pygmalion — Within a vague, Renaissance Era type setting, Beauty is a young, but blind sculptor. Despite this, she is well-renowned for her ability to recreate anyone’s visage with striking accuracy. She meets Beast, who is an unconventionally handsome, older man who believes he’s ugly, especially as a curator amidst a world of beautiful art and artists. Beauty is to work with him for an exhibition. Lots of chaste, tender caressing please.

If you’re interested in any of these ideas, please keep in mind that our main characters must be over the age of 18, and i do not write sexual NSFW. Thanks for bearing with me! Hope we can write together soon. 🖤

Like if interested!

[prpfz]

🌹

Twenty-one+ need only respond! Thirty~one year old here looking for a roleplay revolving around the Beauty and the Beast trope. I will take on the female!Beauty role, and you will take on the male!Beast role. However, I have a few different ways in which we can mix up the plot. I’ll be posting those ideas following my expectations.

As a literate-advanced/novella style writer, I cannot work with short replies. My own responses average the length of the Discord (which we will be using) Nitro limit. Please be eager to contribute to plotting, as I adore continuously building up our little world and characters. This is intended to be long-term, and I can be a fairly speedy replier. I do not expect you to reply as quickly as I do, but it’s certainly nice when I meet someone who can keep up. We will use real-person faceclaims, but I do not accept requests, nor will I request anyone specific for your character.

Here a a few different iterations of the B&B trope that I’d love to expand upon with you.

1.) Greek Myth verse — Beast is a Minotaur trapped within a labyrinth that he was cast into when he was cursed with his bestial form. Beauty stumbles into his maze, and after witnessing her confusion takes pity. He will protect her within the labyrinth, but in exchange for her life she must stay. You do not have to follow the historical lore stemming from Crete, I’m merely using the era as a backstop, and as such do not expect historical accuracy.

2.) Classic Princess and Dragon — Beast is a mighty dragon who instills fear in townsfolk near and afar. For reasons unknown (up to you, or we can figure it out together), he begins razing the lands near to a grand castle. Ignorant as to why this is happening, the King and Queen decide to send their frail (in the sense that she’s prone to illness, not meek) daughter as a royal sacrifice. This dragon could be cursed, or could simply be an at-will shapeshifter.

3.) The God’s Bride — Beast is a cursed god to whom a devout community sacrifices young women to be his bride. Once he was beautiful, but his vanity led to his downfall. The bride is always to be an eldest born, however the bride (Beauty) whom is sent is actually standing in for her sister. Will the beast accept her regardless?

4.) Modern Era verse — Rather than cursed, Beast is a celebrity, or modern royalty, who has become visibly disfigured (in an accident or self-inflicted), and has hidden himself away from the public view. Because his attitude has soured, he’s pushed many people away, however his personal assistant promises to find a replacement before she, too, abandons him. Beauty is the poor, naive woman who doesn’t realise she’s been assigned to the world’s grumpiest man. I love a Glasgow smile, and I would love if he hid the disfigurement from her for as long as possible.

5.) Pygmalion — Within a vague, Renaissance Era type setting, Beauty is a young, but blind sculptor. Despite this, she is well-renowned for her ability to recreate anyone’s visage with striking accuracy. She meets Beast, who is an unconventionally handsome, older man who believes he’s ugly, especially as a curator amidst a world of beautiful art and artists. Beauty is to work with him for an exhibition. Lots of chaste, tender caressing please.

If you’re interested in any of these ideas, please keep in mind that our main characters must be over the age of 18, and i do not write sexual NSFW. Thanks for bearing with me! Hope we can write together soon. 🖤

give a like and anon will get back to you

[bookandcover]

In October, I went with my friend who works at the New York Public Library to see Richard Powers speak about his new book Playground. I didn’t, yet, have any context for this novel and I went into that author talk blind. I’d read The Overstory, but ultimately my experience with this novel far surpassed my earlier Richard Powers read. This transcendence was, I think, both the product of Playground’s particularities and of me as a reader. Playground feels, structurally, like the work of a more mature author: tightly crafted, complex yet essential in structure, broad without being unnecessarily rangy. I, too, was designed for this book, with my strange (inexplicable to myself) fixation with the ocean, the questions I circle around as an educator in the age of AI, and the complexities of how fields in STEM and the Humanities may rise to the forefront to save humanity from ourselves. 

The author talk at the NYPL compelled me to read this novel. I was immensely taken with several comments Powers shared and these have lingered with me as I read this book. First, I was struck by Powers’s framing of his own literary project: He steps beyond the human to look more clearly at humans. He supposes that the best way to perceive humans, for what we truly are, would be from a non-human point of view. In Playground, this POV is both ocean and artificial intelligence—two forms of complex intelligence for which our current understanding may constitute only the surface (calm, non-descriptive of the invisible raging depths). Another poignant comment was Powers’s recognition that, while those of us in the Humanities may recoil from the excessive record-keeping of the tech world, isn’t the project of STEM and the Humanities fundamentally the same? To record, to make meaning, to preserve, to make immortal—to capture the essence of another beyond the bounds of passing time. I was put in mind of Ted Chiang’s short story “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling,” where advancing technology allows a perfect record of our entire lives, available to revisit at any juncture. What in this change, this advancement, this transformation terrifies us? Is this not akin to Shakespeare’s preservation of the passions of the heart in verse? STEM and the Humanities both seek the eternal and seeing these quests played out in Playground’s two key figures—Todd and Rafi—illuminated and unpacked these disciplines shared end goal from different angles. 

In his NYPL talk, Powers also spoke of the love story (his words) between Todd Keane and Rafi Young—their intellectual and competitive spirits that locked them together from a young age. This, too, as a plot arc immediately drew my attention. Powers spoke of protagonist (debatably anti-hero) Todd’s asexuality, which is not stated with this exact term in the novel (but Powers used this identity indicator in his talk) and, with this context, I felt Todd’s identity infusion every page of his story. Todd loves Rafi, as he loves no one else. In a different way, he loves Ina. With neither of them does he seem to experience normative attraction; his life-long passion and fixation is with play and the development of spaces like his tech platform Playground. Todd and Rafi’s love story is very much the type that draws me: in many ways, their love is only suggested through the lines of intensity and fixation, an enduring understanding of each other that surpasses most human connections. Late in the novel, when Rafi writes to Todd to demand monetary compensation for his creative contributions to the ideas that launched Playground, Todd’s response is the most compelling indicator of his love. For a man consumed by strategy, his response to Rafi’s email is in no-way strategic (something for which his lawyer later berates him) and is glaring evidence of his emotional override of all “regularly scheduled programming,” in the case of Rafi Young. Rafi, it’s worth noting, is playing the game. But perhaps the game is the very thing through which he connects with and perceives Todd. Rafi thinks the lawsuit is a game; but, Todd is not playing. 

The development of Rafi and Todd’s friendship constitutes the compelling middle section of this book. United at a quality Chicago private high school, the boys are seemingly opposites: Todd is a privileged yet neglected rich white kid from the suburbs; Rafi is a Black boy growing up with little, pushed by both family members and teachers with a troubling fixation on Black exceptionalism. Rafi is granted a scholarship to attend Saint Ignatius—a scholarship in the Keane family name. From wildly different contexts, these boys share something that cuts across other boundaries and borders: a love for play. In facing off against each in chess and later the complex game Go, their animosity is transmuted into respect, the reckoning of two equal minds. In play, in strategy, in debate, in intellectualism—pitted against each other only as a broader joyful collaboration—these two see each other. Their intense friendship, which takes twists and turns through college, graduate school, and their professional life, is never quite what it once was during their bright high school years. 

Beyond Rafi and Todd, the big “hook” of this novel for me—the thing into which I sunk my teeth, the emotional space I lived inside—was Evie Beaulieu’s love of diving. From her first test of the aqualung to the stunning descriptions of the underwater world throughout her sections of the story, I resonated with her character, with her longing for the sea. I want to know the ocean like she knows it. I felt the strangeness, the mystery, the unseen stories—all of it, that the ocean still has to offer. I loved the overlapping sense of the ocean as playground and the tech world as playground. School, too, was playground, as Rafi and Todd did it. The mind wants to play and animals share this spark in common with humanity. One of my favorite memories is of snorkeling off Kicker Rock in The Galapagos when I was startled by a shape suddenly hurdling upward at me from the depths. At the last moment, the sea lion peeled off course. I spluttered backward, inhaling water at the surface. The sea lion was looking at me, head out of the water too and, at my dramatic reaction, gave what was unmistakably a chuckle at my expense. I hadn’t known we were playing. But, it was so special to witness and be a part of this animal’s sense of humor and creativity, and I’ll long feel Evie Beaulieu’s intrinsic need for this magic. 

The third strand of this novel is the narrative thread of life on the pacific island of Makatea, a once-colonized community faced with the probability of outsider interference once again. Late in the novel, the Makatea plot line is revealed to be the generated product of Profunda (Todd’s developed AI) which is feeding the story back to Todd, it seems, as an act of wish fulfillment. Much of the Makatea plot line is revealed to be disconnected from reality—Evie and Rafi both exist on the island past their real dates of death—and the narrative structure of the Makatea plot allows for the exploration and tying up of the central themes of the novel: the relationship between exploitation and consumption, the stability/instability of friendships, the complexity of power dynamics and the impossibility of understanding another in an unequal landscape, the role of art and technology in cataloguing and making meaning of our disparate experiences. 

The choice to end the novel with Profunda’s diagnosed “ending” to the story throws our understanding of endings themselves into new relief. How ought this long match to end? Profound asks, and answers its own question. The ending we get is not the “true” one, so much as it is the “right” one and that is the narrative impulse of AI. While Profunda’s design of the Makatea narrative contextualizes the narrative itself (and I’m still struggling with how this story being AI-generated undercuts its meaning for me: Does it make the narrative less worthy? Perhaps, instead, different, revealing of something different about humanity?), there is much in the Makatea plot line that was thought-provoking, independent of Profunda and Todd Keane. I was most taken with the scene of the islanders' vote, as they deliberated whether or not to let the sea-steading project make its foothold on their island. The scene of the vote itself is lengthy, cycling through the frameworks of value and the modes of decision-making all humans might bring to complex choices. Through these islanders’s actions, we see so many diverse ways of making a choice—and how deeply any choice is tied to our sense of self. The Makatea plot line allows readers to get to know each of the characters and to see our understanding of them played out within the complexity of this singular, pivotal event. 

I have been thinking a lot about AI lately and how casually we humans welcome any innovations. It is so easy to accept the new—unaware of what it might entail, curious and excited—and to let the new transform us. Surely this is a strength of humanity. We are adaptable. But, lately, I have been more afraid of this capacity for acceptance. We welcome innovation after innovation, seduced by potential, inconsiderate of consequences. I find this fixation in myself interesting, as I have often known myself to be someone curious and charmed by the new, confident in my ability to trust people over the tools themselves and to see the potential in creative innovation. Am I just getting old? Is this what aging looks like? Or is there something different about AI, specifically? Like meeting an immortal being that has read everything ever written, that knows everything science knows…surely such an encounter would not be a casual one, but one that reshapes us forever? Or is AI just a tool at our disposal, becoming whatever we make of it—a mixture of helpful and harmful, connective and divisive—like the internet, or cellphones, or cosmetic surgery. 

I don’t have easy answers to these questions, but I feel more at peace about them because of this novel, because writers are asking the complex questions too. Writers like Richard Powers are expanding my thinking and challenging my assumptions: How might AI be the perfect tool for the human losing themselves to dementia (just like Twitter might be an apt fit for the writer struggling through writers’ block, the perfect and immediate mirror for the self)? Do we face an AI with the awe/terror with which we face a Great White Shark or a Humpback Whale? Should we? Something that might be deeply human is the recognition that it’s okay for us to exist with these questions, rather than immediately answer them. The process of wondering looks a lot, to me, like play.

[drjameslongjr]

Devotional: The Cause of Conflict is Sinful Desire

“Counseling through the Word” Devotional: The Cause of Conflict is Sinful Desire

Conflict is an inevitable part of life, but have you ever wondered why it happens? Why do disagreements escalate into fights and quarrels, even among believers? James, the brother of Jesus, offers a powerful insight into the root cause of conflict: our own sinful desires. As we reflect on his words, let's examine our hearts and seek to understand how God calls us to respond to conflict in a way that honors Him.

Scripture: James 4:1-6

"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"

Devotional Thought: The Cause of Conflict is Sinful Desire

Conflict is something we encounter in our relationships, but as James points out, the root of conflict often lies within our own sinful desires. Our passions, driven by selfishness, are in constant turmoil, and this internal strife leads to external quarrels and division.  When we covet what others have, or when we seek fulfillment outside of God's will, we inevitably clash with those around us. The truth James reveals is that much of our discontent and conflict arises because we either fail to ask God for what we need or we ask with wrong motives, seeking to satisfy our own selfish desires. In verse 4, James uses the harsh term "adulterous people" to describe those who turn to the world for satisfaction instead of turning to God. Friendship with the world, seeking approval or fulfillment from its values, is at odds with being faithful to God. When we pursue worldly desires, we make ourselves enemies of God.  But there is hope. James assures us that God gives more grace, especially to the humble. Those who recognize their need for God’s help and turn to Him in humility will receive the grace to overcome their selfish desires and pursue peace.

Bringing it Home: Applying What We Learned

- Recognize the Source of Conflict: Much of the conflict in our lives stems from our own sinful desires. Take time to examine your heart and ask God to help you see where selfishness might be driving your actions. - Seek God in Prayer: Instead of striving to get what you want through conflict, bring your desires before God in prayer. Ask with a pure heart, seeking His will above your own. - Pursue Humility: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Commit to seeking humility in your relationships and allow God to change your heart.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times when I let my selfish desires cause conflict and division. Help me to seek You and Your will in all things. Grant me the humility to admit my faults and to pursue peace with others. May I be a reflection of Your grace and love, living as a peacemaker in a world of conflict. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Questions for Reflection (Managing Conflict in Godly Ways)

- What are some recent conflicts in your life, and how might your own desires have contributed to them? - How can you align your desires more closely with God's will? - In what ways can you practice humility in your relationships this week? By recognizing the root causes of conflict and seeking God's grace, we can transform our relationships and live as peacemakers in a world of conflict.

Take the Next Step on Your Journey

Thank you for joining me today. If you found this lesson helpful, I encourage you to explore more resources and support on my website, https://jameslongjr.org/. You can also watch my video on my YouTube channel. Finally, would you consider joining our Lessons for Life monthly membership or our online group coaching, where you’ll find powerful coaching videos, a supportive community, and step-by-step guidance for lasting transformation? Remember, true change is possible when you walk in God’s grace and for His glory. Until next time, may you find peace, hope, and joy in Christ alone. Blessings! Read the full article

[vinceleemiller]

God’s Favor: A Magnet for Allies and Adversaries | 1 Samuel 18:14

Do you feel attacked by adversaries?

Welcome to the Daily Devo. I am Vince Miller.

This week, we are reading 1 Samuel 18. I've titled this chapter "Allies and Adversaries."

In this chapter, we will get an inside look into the King's house and see the chemistry between David and Saul's family. The tension between them is palpable, like watching an episode of The Kardashians. We will watch as some within Saul's family attach to David and others attack him. They either love or hate, fuse or frustrate, attach or attack, and all stem from the declaration in verse 14, which reads:

And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. — 1 Samuel 18:14

When the Lord is "with you," a blessing is evident. Sometimes, this blessing prompts reactions from those around you that are not always positive. Godly success can incite attachment and acclaim as well as attack and animosity.

This dynamic is no different in your life. If you walk closely with the Lord and pursue his will, you will encounter the same. People will either understand and attach or feel threatened and attack. This isn't a response to you (sometimes we think it is) but a response to God's favor, threatening others who want that success, blessing, and praise for themselves.

This is a reality of the Christian life. It comes with advocates and adversaries. Advocates who praise, support, and sustain us. Adversaries who are fearful, threatened, and conspire against us. It's critical to humbly embrace our advocates and be undeterred by the attack of our adversaries. Adversaries will unsettle you and draw out sinister thoughts and intentions, but your commitment to God when attacked by them is a testament to God's blessing and his continued success.

If you are being attacked by an adversary today, leverage these attacks to deepen your reliance on and relationship with God. Be faithful to his blessings and his success. Don't let adversaries draw out selfish and sinister thoughts and intentions. They aim to steal your success and blessings because they think they are possessed when they are not. Success and blessings are an overflow of an ongoing relationship with God that is stewarded and never possessed.

#FaithAndFavor, #HandlingOpposition, #BlessingsAndBattles

Ask This:

How do you respond to the success and blessings in your life when faced with criticism or opposition? How can you adjust your reaction to remain focused on God's purpose and avoid being derailed by negativity?

How can you better support and encourage others experiencing God's favor while also dealing with adversity? How can you be a source of positive reinforcement and avoid contributing to their struggles?

Do This:

Respond correctly to your adversaries without nullifying the blessing.

Pray This:

Lord, help me to remain steadfast and faithful even when faced with criticism or opposition due to Your blessings in my life. Grant me the strength to embrace Your favor with humility and respond to adversity with grace and trust in Your plan. Amen.

Play This:

Belong to You [Enemy Can't].

Check out this episode!