#rich people and their NEED to display wealth

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

So this hairstyle:

I love it so much. I imagine some rich person being all like, "I don't have enough places to display my gold. What shall I do? Surfaces! I need surfaces!" And then some brilliant fashion designer was all, "What if we turned your hair into a surface?" And everyone agreed that it was the best thing ever.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

50 Character Personality Traits + Meanings (For writers, worldbuilders, and artists) Part 1

Adventurous - Enjoys trying new experiences and exploring the unknown.

Ambitious - Driven to succeed and achieve their goals.

Analytical - Tends to think critically and examine things in-depth.

Artistic - Highly creative and expresses themselves through artistic mediums.

Assertive - Confident in expressing their thoughts and feelings.

Caring - Shows compassion and concern for the well-being of others.

Charismatic - Has a natural charm and appeal that draws people in.

Clever - Able to come up with creative solutions and make astute observations.

Compassionate - Displays empathy and a desire to help those in need.

Confident - Believes in their own abilities and is self-assured.

Conscientious - Reliable, responsible, and attentive to detail.

Curious - Eager to learn new things and explore the world around them.

Cynical - Tends to be skeptical and distrustful of others' motives.

Dependable - Can be counted on to follow through on their commitments.

Determined - Persistent in pursuing their goals and overcoming challenges.

Diplomatic - Skilled at navigating social situations and resolving conflicts.

Eccentric - Displays unconventional or unusual behaviors and interests.

Empathetic - Able to understand and share the feelings of others.

Ethical - Guided by a strong moral compass and a sense of right and wrong.

Extraverted - Enjoys being around people and draws energy from social interactions.

Flexible - Adaptable to changes and open to trying new approaches.

Forgiving - Willing to let go of past hurts and give people second chances.

Friendly - Approachable and enjoys building positive relationships with others.

Grounded - Practical, down-to-earth, and focused on the present.

Hardworking - Diligent and dedicated in their efforts to achieve their goals.

Honest - Values truthfulness and integrity in their words and actions.

Idealistic - Driven by a vision of how the world should be and a desire to make a difference.

Imaginative - Possesses a rich inner world and creative problem-solving abilities.

Independent - Prefers to think and act for themselves without relying on others.

Indecisive - Struggles with making decisions and often second-guesses themselves.

Introverted - Finds energy and fulfillment in solitary activities and introspection.

Jealous - Experiences feelings of resentment or insecurity towards others.

Kind - Gentle, considerate, and thoughtful in their treatment of others.

Leaders - Able to inspire and guide others towards a common goal.

Logical - Approaches problems and decisions through a rational, analytical lens.

Materialistic - Highly values the acquisition of possessions and wealth.

Organized - Maintains order and efficiency in their personal and professional life.

Perfectionistic - Strives for flawlessness and can be overly critical of themselves and others.

Pessimistic - Tends to focus on the negative aspects of situations and expect the worst.

Resilient - Able to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to changes.

Risk-taker - Willing to take chances and step outside of their comfort zone.

Sarcastic - Uses irony and witty remarks to convey their thoughts and feelings.

Sensitive - Deeply affected by the emotions and experiences of themselves and others.

Stubborn - Unwilling to change their mind or compromise on their beliefs and opinions.

Suspicious - Inclined to doubt the motives and intentions of others.

Thoughtful - Considerate of the impact their words and actions have on others.

Timid - Shy, reserved, and hesitant to take risks or assert themselves.

Trustworthy - Reliable, honest, and worthy of confidence.

Unpredictable - Displays an element of surprise and spontaneity in their behavior.

Witty - Possesses a quick, clever, and humorous way of expressing themselves.

Hey fellow writers! I'm super excited to share that I've just launched a Tumblr community. I'm inviting all of you to join my community. All you have to do is fill out this Google form, and I'll personally send you an invitation to join the Write Right Society on Tumblr! Can't wait to see your posts!

[endearing-dalliance]

Arcane Team's Bias Bastardized Piltover and Zaun

I am not an LoL player, but I read up on the lore because I was that fucking disappointed in season 2. Some key points of original Piltover and Zaun lore, which the team kept parts of. Emphasis on parts.

Geography and Symbiotic Economy:

Zaun was established first. A geographic disaster literally split the earth and sunk part of the city, splitting it into what we know today. Many of the wealthier citizens and those involved in the profitable sea trade ended up on a cliffside and industrial parts of Zaun were now across a river and below. They then became separate city-states in a symbiotic relationship.

"Zaun thrives, its people vibrant and its culture rich."

Zaun has multiple levels of "good" areas like the college and Bridgewaltz market where both citizens shopped for music, food, technology in addition to progressively more polluted and dangerous lower levels.

Piltover’s wealth has allowed Zaun to develop in tandem

Zaun's issues like the Gray were attributed to their own factories and labs that benefitted their own people

Culture and Relationship:

Zaunities collectively take great pride in themselves and their thriving city. Many choose to live there, especially scientists and inventors who find Piltover too restricted, because "their right to do as they please is what makes Zaun the freest city-state on Runeterra"

"A citizen of Piltover is typically self-reliant, does not expect handouts, and always aspires to do better."

Piltover has an elected "very empathic and progressive" government and is "one of the least militarized city-states"

Zaun's technological progress and academic institutions are described as being Piltover's only technological and academic rival. 

Both cities' citizens augment their bodies. Piltover's are more flamboyant and display their wealth, even if they are originally necessary; Zaun's are more practical and "necessity is the mother of invention" very much applies.

So this was what they had to work with. I can understand why many people would prefer to live in Piltover, but Zaun is treated as an equal place to be, with its own distinct and proud culture, complex structure, and thriving economy.

Moving on to Arcane (finally lol) and the now infamous original Arcane pitch. Either Christian posted that while every sane person was asleep, or none of them realized how profoundly terrible it makes them look. 

There's a lot in here that's problematic. Piltover is a gleaming wonder, a pure and magical place while conveniently leaving out why its this flourishing utopia. The next bit frames the entire conflict as Piltover's decision. It screams "Mommy and Daddy need to punish the naughty kids or they'll wreck the house." Except the starving kids are locked in the moldy basement and trying to break the door down to escape.

Now about Zaun...here its called the underground district. This becomes more important later, when you realize how many different and contradictory labels they give Zaun. Its an undercity, sister city, part of Piltover, wannabe Nation of Zaun. It establishes again the underlying superiority of Piltover. And of course it is, because Zaun's people are boiled down to dangerous, manipulative criminals (bonus points for an antisemetic reference!) with no morality.

I firmly believe this team has a fundamental deliberate misinterpretation of what LoL Piltover and Zaun are, and it is due to their own biases and privileges of a team that is primarily white, middle/upper class, able-bodied, and mostly male. It is abundantly clear that they see as Zaun is objectively lesser and that its their own fault. They're just a foil for Piltover and source of enemies. Three quotes from Arnaud-Lois Baudry:

"My role as a Production Designer was to make sure we don't negatively impact other teams at Riot Games and contribute to adding value and enriching the worldbuilding of those cities."

"Once we figured out the shape language of the wealthy city of Piltover, Zaun needed to be its dark mirror. We started by combining Victorian architectural pieces and some old industrial elements and added some asymmetrical flourish ornaments made from handcrafted upcycled pieces."

"Canonically Zaun is supposed to be super-dark, oily, and dirty with green smoke everywhere." Dude it is literally called The Gray. Zaun's marketplace, college, and an example of their architectural style from the LoL website:

Zaun is literally an afterthought. And I think its very telling that once again, Piltover was the priority. Magical, pure Piltover with its moral code...and Zaun was literally just designed to be its opposite. They claim that the show was designed to show the good and bad parts of both, but they failed to include any direct evidence that the problems in Zaun are entirely due to Piltover's treatment of them. They literally just took LoL Zaun, scooped the top (more prosperous) levels off, and buried it under Piltover. Piltover was enriched, and even benefited by inspiration from Eastern European culture like Nikola Tesla and Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. And then gave Viktor the only "foreign" accent in the show to further emphasize his disadvantaged upbringing and displacement in Piltover society. As someone with an Eastern European/Slavic background, I cannot emphasize this enough: fuck. every. last. one. of. you.

*sigh* Moving on to the "value and enrichment" given to Zaun:

cities described as "dissonant halves of the a greater whole" rather than symbiotic

Piltover came first, and the undercity later develops into Zaun. No mention of historical or present-day Zaun having anything to do with Piltover's success. Literally nothing is explicitly connected, though we do get Cait committing war crimes using tech her Mom installed to help the Zaunites from suffering the effects of pollution.

Speaking of pollution, AoA explictly states neither city has "big industry, there are no factories". Uhh then where is the pollution coming from?

It is portrayed unflatteringly with two notable exceptions (the Last Drop and Firelight tree), specifically in the ways that are in real life associated with racism, classism, body shaming, and cultural shaming. Its subtle at times, but a constant theme in their book, interviews, and the show itself.

In AoA, the Piltie extras are "understudies" and the Zaunites are "a motely crew".

Piltover has “normal” food like tea and sandwiches, while Zaun has what appears to be slugs in a muddy sauce from an unsanitary food stall that also displays drooling animal heads and tentacles.

All the Pilties are thin; the only overweight people (who are also usually morbidly obese) are from Zaun.

In Art of Arcane (AoA) they talk about how they specifically chose to design the Chem-Barons "more cartoony than grotesque" and that they made sure to have "a few landmarks, like the bridge, so it doesn't feel too cartoony" when designing Piltover.

Only the Zaunites use augmentation. Its a defining characteristic and objectively "bad". AoA explicitly correlates Viktor fixing his leg and spine with losing parts of his humanity. Lord know what they think of the multitude of augmented-out-of-necessity Zaunites. Coincidentally, the other character most associated with augments is Smeech, the cartoony drowned-rat-looking antagonistic Yordle, whose fight serves as a humorous scene endearing Jinx to the viewers.

They created the Piltover Council and then decided to make the Chem-Barons their direct counterparts, because DUALITY! Seriously, is anyone in Zaun NOT somehow just a "worse" version of a Piltie?

[batbabydamian]

The Boy Wonder #3 by Juni Ba rambling about how cool this series would be to read in a single sitting...it's all so connected!!

rambles for issue #1 and issue #2!

i don't have as much personal interpretation for this cover besides it being a solid piece of art in shapes and silhouette! ALSO. bi bg lighting lol. Damian's "X" posing of his cape and swords parallels with Tim's "X" chest straps + the Robin emblem in the center. Tim's closed Red Robin wings frames Robin's own outstretched cape wings; and on top of that, the shadows cast inside the wings nicely frames Damian's demon mask.

Joe and Merle's dynamic has been so fun, especially with the mutual enthusiasm over the storytelling 🥺 Joe also opens up about his circumstances that led him to this moment, which perfectly sets up the setting of this issue! Even his very first introduction becomes a relevant detail when a fancy rich couple drops a champagne glass, uncaring of the people literally below them, saying “some poor sap down there’ll appreciate it” when it bonks Joe’s head.

it all comes around!! and tbh this issue proves how much this series would slap to read in a single sitting (GET THE COLLECTED EDITION)

Going beyond first impressions seems to apply to the color palette in this series. From #1 in the first page of Gotham, we see the gold of upper society to the blue of the downtrodden → from issues #2 and #3, it’s the warm gold of inner Gotham to the cold blue of the rich. there’s a sense of community displayed among the poor - even part of Jason’s intro avenging Bill, a generous man mourned on panel by many. The rich gives off a sense of individualism, celebrating themselves and their excess.

With the change in scenery, this issue steps into the more civilian side of things through a spy theme - fancy suits and lil gadget intros! Going down the civilian route with Tim feels very fitting since it's what makes Tim's run as Robin so charming!

i love that Talia’s taught Damian to be conscious of the rich’s effects on society, especially in the following page of small panels zoning in on the details of wealth and overindulgence. but also LIL DAMIAN. HIS LIL ROUND EYES AND HANDS 🥺

Damian’s aware of the facts, and his disgust is clearer after having just been through lower Gotham and seeing firsthand the poverty directly caused by the wealthy (also not sure if that old lady is the same one from #1 with similar hair and clothes, but pls she can't a break…)

i mentioned Damian’s “inciting incident” for this journey to be the intro of a demon for Damian to prove his worth but i’m correcting the use of that term!! the intro of the demon is more the beginning of plot, whereas the actual inciting incident is beheading the thief!! it’s the main reason he’s in this situation where he felt the need to prove himself, and atone. Most notably is that the beheaded thief is a consistent character that quite literally haunts Damian every step of the way.

The statue of Batman’s head being popped off becomes a significant visual, because while Damian started this journey to prove something to Bruce, the only one that really seems to have (quite literal) eyes for Damian’s journey is the thief. Why does he make more of an appearance than the actual Bat? Even his statue’s head doesn’t make a figurative presence; whereas the only one looming over Damian is the thief. Guilt over killing him may be driving him just as much as his desire to be worthy. Alternatively, it could be that Damian needs to reexamine his motivations since the thief is really getting in Damian's face now.

Damian is proud to be a positive influence on Tim, but the moment is short-lived. It’s an ironic moment to me because Damian doesn't even know the impact he's had on Jason just in the previous issue!! 😭

Damian's so desperate to prove his worth, yet he's been making choices in every issue to help others!! Helping the old woman up in #1, being vulnerable with Jason in #2, and now sacrificing himself for Tim!

The Ra’s "Weakness" panel has been reoccurring since #1, but it's the first time Talia has been included. Being great figures in his life and mind, their silhouettes consume Damian's, similar to a few of Batman's appearances below. This latest disappointment was such a blow to Damian, that Talia (who he might have the most respect for) becomes an added voice in his head.

Final thoughts!!

Like Rok, does the thief actually have a connection to the al Ghuls or is this beard just in fashion at the moment.

Lex is clearly referencing one of the Underwell warehouses that Joe and Merle are presently, so wondering if whatever he and Tim discuss here will be affecting them later.

Ending with Talia’s cover for extra hype!! i’ll probably go back to this for the next ramble, but i’m already gearing myself up to wail about Talia just based on this cover. The Mary and Jesus imagery (more prominent with Damian’s lil crown as a “prince”) but most importantly Talia weathering the flames for Damian…her own shroud/shawl wrapped around Damian and burning… oh boy

[15-lizards]

ASOIAF modern AU class/wealth distinctions bc in the wise words of Mod Sam from the Inn at The Crossroads Discord: “i love modern aus where theyre like oh yeah the lannisters are filthy rich and here's the starks, piling into a minivan to go to public school. they would not fucking do that”

Lannisters: Private jets and COO/CEO/CFO positions at the family company and plain white tshirts that cost $5000. 1% of the 1%. They’re the Roys we already know this no need to elaborate.

Starks: they’re a rugged type of Minnesota/North Dakota/Wyoming wealth. Land rich. Own ranches and mining operations and oil drilling companies. Ppl think they’re normal bc they look like average farmers until they get a tour of their 300,000 acres and private mountain. Seem down to earth but grew up breeding ranch horses, don’t really understand what a car note is, and Nedcat paid for all the starklings college apartments. Also wear normal looking vests and ranching jeans and boots that cost absurd amounts

Tyrells: masters at the “quiet wealth” bullshit. Wayyyy older money compared to the Lannisters, and aren’t aggressive/scrappy like them bc of it. Literal aristocracy like lords or barons or some shit. Multiple residences, family tradition of politics, and loads of passive income. Maybe run a newspaper or two and own some global shipping companies bc of their merchant roots or whatever. Margaery was at one of those international debutante balls for the ubër-wealthy.

Tullys: Not as rich as the Tyrells or Lannisters but still nothing to scoff at. Not upper middle class but more like lower rungs of the upper class. Family tradition of sending all the kids to boarding school (that’s where Lysa got pregnant 🙂‍↕️) and they have some nice yachts and the like. Have one really nice permanent house on the river, a summer house upstate, and an apartment in the city. Normal enough to blend in with most people at their school. Also made their money thru shipping lanes.

Martells: Southern oil barons. Nymeria emigrated over and immediately discovered oil on her apparently shitty piece of land. Thousands of acres dedicated to drilling and cattle ranching. Awful for the environment but greenwash the fuck out of their business. Good at being a man of the ppl despite literally being in the one percent. Very publicly donate to progressive charities and causes to offset the backlash they get from pay the people who work for them slave wages. People stan them on Twitter because they’re hot and not like other billionaires.

Baratheons: slightly newer money but old enough to have no excuse to act the way they do. Loud annoying displays of wealth. Made their fortune mostly because they were good at being overly aggressive when it came to the stock market or sales or smthn idk what they do. Robert buys an egregious house in Florida where him and some other rich repulsive republicans do Labor Day weekend on their yachts with women they paid to be there. Absolutely terrible at saving their money (except Stannis and kinda Renly) and quite literally have to have their accounts frozen by their investment bankers. Actively going bankrupt.

Greyjoys: Not even rich anymore. Had a sizable shipping company at one point before they got poached bought out by the Lannisters. Also they engaged in too much tax fraud and embezzlement so now no one wants to touch them with a ten foot pole. Still live in their dilapidated cliffside house that’s literally ab to crumble into the sea. Theon got to live with the Starks bc once the Greyjoys got audited Ned felt bad.

Targaryens: REAL old money that stretches back like at least 500 years. Have had multiple income sources over the years and almost all of it is blood money of some kind and extracted through violence :) Giant ass portraits of their ancestors in their multiple residences, they all speak Valyrian at home, and they don’t even go to school it’s just private tutors. Obscene wealth that isn’t even fathomable to most people. Famously bred race horses and hunting dogs for a while until there was some familial infighting about ownership of the racetracks and stables and that collapsed. Got audited and investigated twenty years ago and Aerys just killed himself instead of going to jail.

[whencyclopedia]

According to UNESCO, an estimated three million shipwrecks are scattered in the oceans’ deep canyons, trenches, and coral reefs and remain undiscovered. These shipwrecks preserve historical information and provide clues about how people lived in the past. The term ‘underwater cultural heritage’ refers to traces of human existence and activity found on ancient sunken ships or retrieved cargo such as bronze statues and priceless artworks. The Spanish treasure galleon, Nuestra Señora de Atocha, is the world’s most valuable shipwreck, estimated to be worth over USD 400 million. It was part of the Tierra Firme fleet of 28 ships bound for Spain from Cuba in 1622 and carried the Spanish Empire's wealth onboard – creamy pearls from Venezuela, glittering Colombian emeralds, and over 40 tons of gold and silver. The Atocha sailed into a hurricane off the coast of Key West, Florida, and sank. Its riches were discovered in 1985 by famed treasure hunter Mel Fisher (1922-1998). Thanks to virtual exhibitions and tours, you do not need diving skills to explore the oceans’ underwater cultural heritage. You can take a panoramic tour of Henry VIII of England’s (r. 1509-1547) favourite ship, the carrack Mary Rose, which sank in the English Channel during the Battle of the Solent on 19 July 1545. Want to see a 2,700-year-old Phoenician shipwreck submerged in the central Mediterranean? The virtual museum ‘Underwater Malta’ has a 3D model of the ship and app on Google Play. Fascinated to know what the wealth of the Spanish Empire looked like? Take a tour of Mel Fisher’s virtual treasures and the Atocha. There are countless virtual maritime museum displays, but let us take a look at five shipwrecks with interesting stories to tell.

[phayz]

you are like a rot

i just dont get it i feel like im losing my fucking mind actual real human beings are being starved to death and facing a genocide and people are still raving about the met gala and eurovision and useless extravagances of the west the disconnect is sickening i feel like throwing up how many people have to die for the world to fucking care like at all

[breathlessaura]

Consequences • Rafe Cameron

Pairings: Rafe Cameron x fem!oc (John B's sister)

Josie stepped out of the truck and covered her ears with a grimace. Loud music was booming through the Cameron residence, polluting the whole neighborhood with noise.

You must be asking yourself why Josie Routledge was at a party thrown by the most obnoxious kook in all of Kildare island. Well, the truth is that she didn't entirely know herself.

Her younger brother's friend, JJ had been boasting to anybody that would listen about his extravagant plan to sneak into the party, it was his idea of heaven; free alcohol, women and a chance to piss off Rafe and his posse. And of course Josie was roped into attending, she however did refuse to sneak in.

Her eyes were full of judgement as they scanned over the exterior of the grand home. It was an extravagant display of wealth - something not exactly out of the ordinary for Ward Cameron or his son. Hoardes of drunk teens flowed in and out of the house. Some were throwing up, others opted for guzzling down more alcohol in an attempt to numb the nausea.

Her feet met the ground with rythmical thuds as she trudded over to the arched gate of the entrance. It was beautiful, intricately carved strands of metal woven together to create a breathtakingly prepossessing pattern. Thin vines tangled themselves around the metal - it was ethereal, something that was a stark contrast to the activities of the Cameron family.

The music thumped through the walls - echoing the chaos of a kook party. As Josie sauntered through the crowd, a wave of insecurity washed over her, surrounded by perfectly styled hair and designer clothes. She was never the type to be ashamed of being a pogue; of being 'less than' the self absorbed snobs on figure eight, but she couldn't help but feel a bit envious of their freedom and ability to do or say things without so much as having to think of the consequences.

In the corner of the room, she caught sight of him, Rafe Cameron. He was facing away from her, leaning against the bar with a smirk painted heavily across his face, only accentuated by the way his eyelids sat over his drunk eyes. An air of confidence surrounded him. Everybody else would put that down as him being a spoilt rich kid but Josie knew that Rafe Cameron was genuinely insane. She knew that he thought he was god's gift to earth.

The brunette grimaced and glanced away momentarily as his laughter mingled with the noise around him. It reminded her of the times she'd witnessed him do unspeakable things to countless people on the island... It was always the same psychotic laugh.

Rafe was wearing a checkered button up shirt with the same style of shorts that he was always sporting. On top of his head, a back to front baseball cap sat, hiding his brown locks.

"Josie!"

An arm draped around her, ripping her gaze from the bar and towards the source of the voice.

"What are you doing here?"

Her eyes landed on a familiar face, one belonging to who the pogues refer to as the 'Kook princess'.

"Oh" Josie muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear from out of her eyes. "Sarah, it's good to see you again."

The blonde rolled her eyes playfully and softly squeezed Josie's shoulder.

"I haven't seen you in school since before your dad.." Sarah's sentence cut short as she realised that the subject was not exactly ideal for a party, or at all really.

"I'm so s-"

"It's fine, honestly, promise" she wiggled her pinky finger in the air, something that Sarah and her would do with kie as kids. The action brought soft smile to both girl's faces.

Before the pair could reminisce any further, a familiar voice rang through the air. Josie's head whipped to the left and she rolled her eyes - a deep sigh of exasperation escaped her lips as she laid her eyes on Sarah's boyfriend, Topper.

"Sarah! Come on, we need to go!" He yelled above the music.

The blonde girl looked back at Josie with an apologetic glance.

"We need to catch up soon!" She exclaimed as she walked backwards so that she could see Josie's reaction.

"Sure, I'll text you."

The kook simply smiled and turned around, she walked over to where topper was waiting for her with an outstretched arm.

It had been an hour since Josie arrived at Rafe's party and she had been trying her absolute hardest to avoid him and his friends; resorting to milling around in the kitchen and the array of unnecessary rooms scattered around the first floor of the house.

One room in particular that drew her attention the most was a room that she could only assume was for guests. It was a smaller bedroom in comparison to the others but it had an ensuite and a small balcony that overlooked the ocean, providing an etheral view of the coast of Kildare island.

The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings. Paintings of ships and planes, of islands that seemed untouched; unexplored. Josie ran her fingertips gently over the hard metal frames, the intricate patterns and bumps made her fingers jitter slowly as she did so.

It was as if the room was a portal to another realm, as if he heavy energy of the Cameron house vaporised as soon as your foot crossed the threshold. She wanted to stay for a while, to escape the drunk teens and bask in the comfort, the homeliness and familiarity that she felt there.

So, she sat down on a chair in the corner of the room, a bottle of some expensive wine in her hand as she sipped and absentmindedly tapped her foot on the hard tiled floor in rhythm with the beat of the music that could still be heard clearly through the walls.

John B and the other pogues were nowhere to be seen, likely meaning that their plans were derailed or they simply ditched JJ's plan entirely without telling her... Like usual.

Ever since their father had gone missing... died ... John B had become enthralled with the idea that he was still out there somewhere - unable to come home - worrying about his children. And when Josie didn't show the same concern and urgency, he retaliated by distancing himself from his older sister.

At first it was small gestures that showed his distaste for her unconcerned demeanor; he wouldn't speak to her for hours, sometimes days. Then, the teen's anger translated into him subconsciously trying to remove every single trace of her from his friendship circle. He wanted to punish her for not feeling the same way about the whole situation, for moving on with her life and continuing life as normal because for some reason, he couldn't.

But what the frustrated boy didn't understand was that Josie had to grow up a lot quicker than him. Nine months may not seem like a great deal, but when their mother abandoned them and ran off to frolic around Colorado without so much as a second thought about her family, four year old Josie was thrust into reality. She realised at a young age, that relationships are fragile. That not only did her and her brother have to grow up without a mother, but their father had to navigate life as a single dad for the first time. (Something he didn't particularly excel at)

By the age of Nine, Josie Routledge was practically a mother. She would wake up hours before everyone else and clean. She would cook dinner and make sure that her brother had lunch every day before dragging him out of bed. She comforted him when he was taunted by the kook kids at school or when he had night terrors and climbed into her bed at ungodly hours of the morning. She sacrificed her childhood so that her brother could have his.

Big John didn't do much. Sure, he loved his children; in his own warped kind of way, but he was so caught up in his undying greed and hunger for more, that he failed as a father in Josie's eyes. He was never there for her recitals or parent teacher days. He was never there for her brother unless he had to be and that was why Josie was almost relieved when he decided to go off sailing in search for the stupid 'treasure' he always gushed about. It was why she didn't shut down from the grief of his disappearance; nothing changed for her, she continued her same routine every single day. The only difference was that her father actually had a reason to not be there.

The brunette girl was so deep on thought that she didn't realise the bottle of wine in her hand was empty until she brought the rim up to her lips and nothing came out.

"You know...."

Josie looked up from the floor too fast, dizziness impaired her vision for a few moments before she could decipher who the oddly familiar voice belonged to.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to realise that you've been trying to drink from an empty bottle."

His voice was deep and gravely, the tone; a dead giveaway that the man was drunk.

She didn't speak until the spinning in her head came to a halt, her eyes fluttered open and landed on him.

Rafe stood at the doorway with an undecipherable expression.

"Well it was about ten minutes... If you were... are curious." The words that flurried from his mouth were slurred.

Josie's eyebrows knitted together.

"Well I'm not." She placed the empty wine bottle gently onto the floor and moved back on the chair.

"Curious, that is."

There was a long pause, neither of them uttered a word. Josie could practically feel his eyes burning crater sized holes at the side of her face as she stared at one of the paintings on the wall.

"Where's your brother?" Rafe's words fired out in quick concession. "Wherever there's one of you, the others are never too far behind."

She finally looked over at him again with her eyebrows contorted together in confusion and annoyance.

"That's none of your business."

He rolled his eyes at her response and took a few steps closer in her direction.

As he drew nearer, the smell of cologne and whiskey flooded her nostrils. Rafe was still an arm's length away from her but the smell of him was potent enough for it to permeate the room.

"Well," he began, the words that left his mouth were laced with a tone unfamiliar to Josie's ears. "Y'know you're in my house... at my party."

The tension in the room was thick, palpable enough that the brunette girl thought she could almost grab at the air.

Rafe's shoe cladded foot collided with the pale green glass bottle that she had placed on the floor just moments ago.

"And that's my alcohol you're drinking there."

He took a few more steps towards her, almost closing the distance between them entirely, his tall muscular frame was now towering over her with his hand pressed firmly against the wall behind her.

"So I'd fix that attitude."

Rafe rolled his eyes and turned around, he began walking back towards the door but stopped dead in his tracks.

"Why are you here?" He turned back around and let his eyes rake up and down Josie's frame.

"It's a party, who's going to turn down free booze?" Josie exclaimed in an almost deadpanned expression.

The man let out a low chuckle as his eyes fell to the floor momentarily.

"Who said it's free?" He smirked knowingly at Josie before finally turning around and beginning to walk out of the door.

"See ya, Jo"

And with that, he left the room, leaving Josie with nothing but a lingering headache and the faint smell of his cologne.

[fromville-divorce-lawyer]

We need headcanon about Jade before fromville

I'm stoked about this ask, so this is going to be waaaay too long! I have a very specific perspective on this as a software engineer for a small company that was sold recently for a lot. (Sadly, I did not get all that money.)

In the beginning, I wasn't sure what to think of Jade. My experience in tech has shown me two common types of tech guys (tho not limited to only these two) 

1. Men who are the smartest person in the room and 2. Men who only think they’re the smartest person in the room. 

Unfortunately, the average person (and average television writer) tends to think the ones who display the behaviors of the latter are the former. (The best example of this is thinking Elon Musk is a tech genius when he is/was only rich and good at talking.)

With Jade, I wasn’t sure which we were getting. From his original cockiness, I expected another Elon Musk parallel. Fortunately, we got the opposite. Sure, he’s rich. But that’s where the Musk similarities end. I can’t exactly detail why, but Jade reminds me of the guys I’ve worked with who are extremely competent software engineers and the chill guys who created my company.

So, circling back to the original question. Before Fromville, some things we know about Jade are that he formed a company that did quantum computing, he sold it for multiple millions, he’s “done a fuckton of drugs”, and he frequently used unusual techniques like forming the symbol out of bottles to get a new perspective on a problem.

Given all that, I think Jade was one of the kids that found school so easy that he tended to look for activities to keep himself from going stir crazy. He used weed to slow his mind down and relax and psychedelics for entertainment. 

Jade saw the need to take time to relax (his “proclivities”), so people at his company probably had a good work-life balance. He spent his time off work hanging out with mostly Tobey and he didn’t have many other straight male friends because, as a bisexual man, he couldn’t relate to cis white male culture.

He probably had a partner or employee who helped him with stuff like not pissing off investors the way he’s pissed off everyone in the town.

When he lamented to Bakta, it made it seem like the sale of his company was very recent. He and Tobey might have been on their way home from celebrating the sale, and Jade never actually got to use his new wealth. (Like Bakta never got to quit her job.)

[attollogame]

ames my dearest, i have a question

i could've sworn you mentioned some kinda mods that enhance either ur physical or mental abilities

like i think i read abt hypatia getting a memory boost? sorry if i got that wrong i'm asking purely based off my memory

so anyway i was wondering if this is common in attollo or something only really available for rich people - is it comparable to plastic surgery for us?

is it frowned upon or seen as a display of wealth/strength? do people who get it keep it a secret (bc it's considered shameful to have to resort to mods to be strong/better) or is it super common (like working out to improve yourself) and do most citizens have some type of mods?

are they also physical (so cosmetic/plastic surgery) or is it mostly to boost skills like memory or speed?

sorry for the lengthy ask LMAOO have a good one

Don't apologize for lengthy asks I EAT this shit up fr

You're right!! Hypatia has had cybermodifications done (a lot, actually), as have a few other Generals (like Azizi). Markos has not, though, which is very hm.

It's definitely more for the... wealthy, which brings in some interesting issues of privilege that has been a hot topic in Attollo since cybermodifications really became "mainstream". It's essentially like a plastic surgery, but more technical, and a lot of the people who do these surgeries need excess certifications beyond what plastic surgeons need.

It isn't frowned upon by everyone, although it's definitely met backlash because it caused the issue of bias for employment. Employers are more likely to select someone with powered abilities fitting the job, then someone with a cybermod fitting the job, and then someone with neither; this, too, is a hot issue in Attollo that's been picked up in recent years. You won't find a lot of people with mods unless someone has paid for it, they have the money themselves to afford it, or they get black market mods from the Under City, which in itself is a high-risk venture.

Most mods are with purpose, like Hypatia's, or one's done to repair cataracts/non-congenital blindness. But some people get them just for the flair, like what Azizi did. Those are more for a show of wealth then anything else. So most people don't hide that they've had work done.

[giftofgaypoetry]

Small piece for the xmen toh au:

Hexside Academy for Gifted Youngsters was built in the skeleton of an enormous colonial mansion, the kind built by Englishmen when they were inexplicably struck with homesickness after moving to America so they could pull every built of wealth out of its soil, tearing riches from between roots and among bones. It’s a home for people with so much wealth they can scarcely comprehend it, the wealth one can only make by extracting it through human suffering, the wealth that possesses one to build homes with the purpose of status and symbol, not for living as humans but as gods among men.

It’s Georgian architecture, stretching out languidly with its wings and courtyards. 3 stories and a basement, with dozens of rooms to fit an impossibly large family. Wings, observatories, courtyards, pavilions. Oak floors, tile floors, marble floors. Stone walls, wooden walls, walls lathed in centuries old Chinese wallpaper. The main entrance into the enormous mezzanine, and a dizzying number of entrances for the army of servants that historically tended to it, and all sorts of doors leading out into gardens and the other buildings that have been built in proximity, ever expanding as its purpose changes from country house to academic institution.

Amity grew up in a house like this. A mansion, a plantation house on the river, a stain on the landscape of starved dirt and thick air. Edric had told her it was a real plantation house, that he’d found all the evidence in the library, and she had sighed resignedly because what else does she say to that. How does she think about that and not throw up at the dinner table in front of Mother, how does she think about what their house was and not rot her food on its plate with her lack of discipline.

The Blight Estate was a place of death and misery, a place where suffering was calculatedly inflicted to extract as much potential wealth and usefulness as possible. It had done so for 203 years. Every single day Amity had been trapped in that goddamn place of ghosts, she had lost her mind just a little bit more. Too shameful to leave, too weak and undisciplined to be allowed the privilege of the outside world. A stain on the Blight name. Never as useful as her siblings.

Getting out of that mansion and being trapped in another should’ve been a unique kind of hell, a maddening taste of freedom snuffed out cruelly as though she had not earned anything. As if the punishment for her birth-shame would continue. Forced to endure more isolation, but without the quiet and privacy and familiarity.

Where her house had rooms of emptiness and calculated discomfort, entire caverns of awkward conversation and garish decorations and rooms without purpose, not a single inch of space seems anything but downright homely and comforting in the academy.

The library is well stocked and constantly recycled. More than a place to present books for display, to signal an imaginary intelligence and prestige from owning enough of the things one needs an entire room, it is a place to read. There are kettles for tea, and armchairs so comfortable one could melt between its cushions forever. The windows are open to let in the rich sunlight, and the chatter of study is as soft as the wind.

The north-west corner drawing room with windows that stretch to the ceiling, that would’ve been decorated in pillaged artefacts and endless paintings of greyhounds, becomes a music room. Guitars along the walls, a grand piano she’s been itching to try, a full acoustic drum set, beanbags and arm chairs, Persian rugs. Places to sit by the window and watch Edric fumble with a bass guitar hopelessly while she reads some more.

The ninth grade common room is too loud for her tastes, too stifled with bodies for her to be anything but still with terror at the hypothetical brush of a hand against her own, but it’s a place designed for the happiness and social behaviour of teenagers, and that in of itself is such a novelty she’ll still go to watch the Banshees play crude card games, and sit with company while she studies.

Counsellor Hooty gave her instructions for the art room, one of many places she still hasn’t been in, even over the course of her weeks at the academy. He hadn’t said anything about what sorts of arts were taught in the classroom, and she had no idea how to read his avian face for a smile, but he’d recommended it highly. Amity did not consider herself an artistic person, but when Professor Darius had seconded the advice, she had figured that she could at least bring herself to visit the room when she had no other engagements.

The enormous oaken doors open near silently, into the east wing parlour connected to the smallest observatory. The floorboards are scuffed and paint-splattered to such a degree she’s sure her mother would go into immediate cardiac arrest upon seeing it. There’s a heavy smell of plastic glue and paint in the air, and projects of varying degrees of completion strung up all over the room. A bust of what appears to be electronic components, fairy lights and broken glass stands by the window, glittering etherally in the sunlight.

“- that the spine was working so hard to bring down to its food supply. Well, we don't have a lot of the cranial material. We have the braincase and little else. Uh, so we restore the rest of it after Dicraeosaurusand, now partially after Bajadasaurus, which was described last year.”

[cooknumber3]

Luffy and the sign of Taurus (Part 1)

Normally, when it comes to authors assigning zodiac signs, they tend to do it in a very surface-level way. Most of the time, it would actually be more accurate for the audience to analyze and assign the signs themselves.

I don’t know why I mentioned that because it’s not what we will be doing today. In part 1, let’s take a look at the correlation between Luffy and the decan of Taurus and see how well it translates. In part 2, I will focus more on the personality traits of Taurus and how they show in Luffy as a character.

First, since there’s no specific birth time for Luffy that would allow us to check his entire birth chart, we can find specificity in the decans, which divide each sign into three parts. Luffy was born on May 5th, making him the second decan of Taurus. When it comes to decans, I will be referring a lot to Austin Coppock’s book 36 Faces, which is an awesome read.

The second decan of Taurus is represented by a man holding a key, symbolizing success and achievement. Its Tarot card is the Six of Pentacles, which shows a rich man holding scales to distribute wealth fairly, symbolizing generosity and justice. This card also represents charity—giving to those in need. When this card appears for you, it suggests that you don’t really need to work hard; simply ask, and you shall receive what you want. This is such a fantastic reflection of Luffy liberating countries simply because people who gave him food or whom he likes ask him to.

This Tarot card also represents not just material wealth but also the wisdom of how success is achieved through a harmonious combination of passion and disciplined effort. This can be seen more in Luffy post-timeskip—not that he’s more disciplined exactly, but he no longer operates purely on idealism and heart. He has faced the reality of the new era, and to achieve his dream, he needs to be sharper and more discerning in his own way, which he actually does.

After facing the crushing reality that he wasn’t strong enough yet in Amazon Lily, he regroups, refocuses, and adapts. He grows stronger and sharper, but of course, this doesn’t change his core as a character. Simply put, he has now grown strong enough to be completely himself, more than he ever could before.

The first decan of Taurus is associated with fears of poverty and the need to work hard on the land. But in the second decan, the focus shifts to a different and much more powerful idea—it speaks of the rewards that come from practicing good virtues consistently over time. This applies to Luffy as well. After repeatedly doing right by people and himself, he gains a crew with the kind of bond that most envy, crewmates who are strong enough to stand on their own and protect him, an almost unprecedented reputation, and later even a pirate fleet of his own, whether he wants it or not.

This decan is linked to the time of year between the spring equinox and summer solstice, celebrated during festivals like Beltane or May Day. I find it very interesting that there’s a strong emphasis on the Sun and the Earth in this decan, since these festivals celebrate their union.

While earlier depictions openly displayed themes of fertility and sexual union, later images toned down these elements, focusing instead on more refined virtues like justice and success. Luffy has almost always succeeded in what he does, and his idea of “justice”—or more accurately, his idea of right and wrong and what it means to be a pirate—is world-defining. He’s so successful that the world has to rearrange itself around his own ideas.

This decan is also called a linga-yoni. The term "linga-yoni" is deeply rooted in the idea of complementary forces coming together to generate life and maintain cosmic harmony.

Now, let's relate this concept to Luffy:

Union of Opposing Forces: I think this is shown more clearly in what he does to others around him, with him uniting contrasting qualities in others.

He has the ability to work with others and win them over without necessarily making them his subordinates—look at Kid and Law, for example. They can work together and complement each other, even changing the trajectory of each other's lives, but they never stop being on the same level and having their own battles to conquer.

Within his own crew, the most incredible strength comes from the absolutely beautiful union of a volatile combination—his wings—Zoro and Sanji.

Creation and Renewal: Just as the linga-yoni represents creation, Luffy is often a catalyst for change and renewal. He challenges the status quo, liberates oppressed people, and brings about a new beginning.

Sometimes, when it comes to Tarot, I think another card that encapsulates him well is the Tower, a card that destroys only what doesn’t have a good foundation. Luffy only destroys things that no longer make him or his people happy.

Connection to the World: Luffy’s Gear 5, which draws on mythical and natural elements, symbolizes the culmination of this balance and his ultimate connection to the world around him; he can now affect the world on a physical level, making anything he touches turn to rubber.

In summary, Luffy in One Piece can be seen as a living embodiment of the linga-yoni, symbolizing the balance of opposing forces, the power of creation and renewal, and the importance of unity—working together, not alone—in achieving greatness.

[princess-of-the-corner]

honestly anything TA says about Chloé and her background and motives is just like, a display of shallow understanding on how society works. People don't care if the customer service workers (from waiters to doctors and any job that serves a customer, which is pretty much all of them) do their job for money or because they genuinely like said job so long as they get good service like they were promised. Privilege is part of a whole ass System and you can't say just *this one specific person* has privilege when literally a majority of the cast has white privilege, all of them are at least middle class, and Adrien, who is one of the main characters, and Felix and Gabriel, two other big names in the show, are upper class white males. the last two are people who get off scott free from all their crimes which is probably what would happen in real life because of said privileges. And even then, the money all the rich kids supposedly have? Not even theirs. They're all broke dependent children with Adrien being the only one with a job and even then where's that money going? Does Kagami get fencing prize money? Is it hers or is it her mother's? Also anyone can be abused and have trauma and mental illnesses and whatnot, and full stop. Doesn't matter what you have or don't have.

Yeah no exactly like.

If we pretend for a hot second that having wealth cancels out any other trauma, then it should cancel out at least every traumatic experience for Gabriel, Felix, Adrien and Kagami. Not to mention you have to ask where the line is drawn because a lot of the Miracuclass is pretty well-off even though they're not quite in the 'Scrooge McDuck Money' category. (seriously we have discussed the class's financial situations before and of those whose families we've seen the only one who /might/ not be some kind of rich is Mylene.)

But these things don't exist in a vacuum.

You can have all the money in the world and still have trauma from various things! Since we were just talking about a certain AU, let's gesture over to Batman who is famously very rich but also traumatized as fuck!

Someone wealthy can have fucked up events happen to them. They can have parents that abuse them. They can have partners that abuse them. They could be born with some chemical imbalance that makes them depressed despite the fact that they 'have no reason to be depressed' because fuck man that's what depression does!

And while wealth can help, as it has access to resources to help fix your problems, it doesn't solve things.

But yes! Chloé being a child has another layer to it! Because her wealth is not her own and she /can't/ use her money to fix her problems! Even if Chloé did realize 'hey I need therapy', she'd need to get her parents' permission and have them pay for it.

At the same time, she has no way to escape her situation. She is underage and needs a legal guardian of some sort. Her parents have enough money that she can't report them for child abuse and expect to be removed from their custody. She has no access to income of her own and/or skills to get income where she could petition to be emancipated from them.

And even when she /does/ become an adult, there's the question of what will happen. Because maybe they cut her off and leave her to flounder with no skills as soon as she turns 18. On the other hand, they could keep controlling her like a child because she has no skills thanks to their shitty upbringing and can't survive without them, so it's a game of 'you'll get money as long as you do exactly what I want'.

This stuff does similarly apply to Adrien, Felix and Kagami as well. They seem a bit more ready to function in the world, but even so they're still children at the whims of their parents and can only escape through their parents fucking dying.

[itchykneeson]

Saltburn is a film demonstrating the fears of the very wealthy and their beliefs surrounding middle and working class people.

To be working class is to be a charity case they can save, the rich are fascinated by their lifestyle and want to adopt areas of it to become more ‘down to earth’

To be middle class is to aspire to be wealthy, the higher class view them to have a desperate want to become upper class. They see middle class people as people who don’t want to be middle class, but as people wanting to be either of a much higher status, or an interesting charity case.

This is what Oliver represents in Saltburn, a middle class, intelligent but lonely boy who wants to be in with the wealthy and powerful crowd. He had two ways to go about it, fake money or fake poverty. And he chose false destitution. By doing this he created a faux reality of helplessness, purely to create interest behind his story and to fuel his fantasy.

By having Oliver take the lives, wealth and power from the Catton family, it displays (in an exaggerated sense) the fear the upper class people have of the middle class and what they think their ‘desperate need for extravagance’ will lead them to. This exhibits how uneducated the wealthy are in real world matters, excluding the academic intelligence they often gain through privatised education.

[scotianostra]

On October 2nd 1931 Sir Thomas Lipton, grocer, tea merchant died.

Say the name Lipton, and most people nowadays think of tea, although some of usthat are a certain age will recall the supermarkets. But behind that brand lies the extraordinary story of a rags-to-riches tycoon, self-publicist, philanthropist and sportsman who was honoured as "the world's best loser".

While his father worked in a succession of poorly paid jobs, young Tommy Lipton’s siblings all died in infancy, leaving him as the family’s only son.

Tommy had to leave school aged 13, because his parents needed an extra income to make ends meet. He also attended night school at the Gorbals Youth School. In 1864, he signed up as a cabin boy on a steamer running between Glasgow and Belfast and seems to have been taken with crew-members’ stories about the United States, so in 1865, Thomas used his savings to pay for a passage to New York spending the next five years there travelling across the country.

During this time he held many different jobs, including work at a tobacco plantation in Virginia; as an accountant at a rice plantation in South Carolina; as a door-to-door salesman in New Orleans; as a farmhand in New Jersey; and as a grocery assistant in New York.

Thomas returned to Glasgow in 1870. After spending some time helping his parents at their shop, he established one of his own, Lipton’s Market, at 101 Stobcross Street in the Anderston area of the city. This proved highly successful and Lipton went on to establish a chain of shops, first in Glasgow and then across Scotland, before expanding to cover the whole of the UK over the next ten years.

Meanwhile, the demand for tea was increasing among the middle classes and in 1888, by which time Lipton had 300 stores, he set out to bypass the traditional lines of supply for tea by investing directly in tea plantations. The Lipton Tea brand he established offered good quality for low prices and proved hugely popular, expanding the market for tea to all parts of society and establishing it as the national drink of choice.

Lipton was a big fan of promotional stunts. When his first 20,000 tea chests arrived in Glasgow he put on a party, complete with a brass band and bagpipe parade. In 1893 Sir Thomas Lipton officially established the Thomas J Lipton Company, a tea packaging company based in Hoboken, New Jersey . He felt that tea should be a drink for everyone, not just the wealthy , so he strived to make packaging and shipping less expensive.

Instead of arriving in crates, Sir Thomas packaged his loose tea in multiple weight options. The tea was also standardised, so Lipton customers knew exactly what to expect.

Thomas Lipton developed a passion for yachting, between 1899 and 1930 Lipton challenged the American holders of the America’s Cup through the Royal Ulster Yacht Club five times with yachts he named Shamrock through Shamrock V. He never won the cup, but he was awarded a special trophy as “the best of all losers”. This may sound double-edged, but one effect of his efforts to win the cup was to make his name well known across the United States, and his tea very popular there.

Although Lipton, through his yachting, became a friend of royalty, as a self-made man he still had difficulty breaking into some corners of the highly stratified British society of the day. He was, for example, only accepted as a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron shortly before his death.

Lipton died at his home in north London in 1931. He left most of his wealth to his native city of Glasgow. His yachting trophies are now on display at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Sir Thomas Lipton was buried alongside his parents and siblings in Glasgow’s Southern Necropolis.

Liptons continues today as part of the multinational Unilever brands, their teas and other beverages still bear his name and are a world known brand, not bad for a young lad born in a Glasgow Tenement to Irish immigrants.

[tawakkull]

SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM: PART 47:  FAQR AND GHINA (POVERTY AND RICHNESS)

For Sufis, poverty means that an initiate claims possession of nothing and is freed from all kinds of attachment toward worldly things, and that one feels total neediness and destitution before God in one’s relationship with Him, which is based on servanthood and God being the Sole Object of Worship.

It is not poverty as understood by ordinary people, nor does it mean begging from people by displaying one’s privations.

The Sufi way of poverty involves severing relationships with all that is other than the Eternally Besought-of-All, and depending only on Him to meet one’s needs. For this reason, the more detached one is from whatever is worldly and temporary and the more annihilated one is in depending on Divine Attributes and Essence, the more one has attained poverty and can repeat the saying of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings: Poverty is my pride. [ Al-‘Ajluni, Kashf al-Khafa’, 2:87 ]

As it is stated in a blessed saying, when poverty becomes a dimension of faith and submission, one no longer depends on the help, will, and power of that which is not God. Even if such a person has enough wealth to fill the whole world, since it is subject to decay and exhaustion, one does not depend upon it, but rather turns to God with all of one’s strength and feeling, conscious of his or her essential poverty and helplessness. How beautiful is the following couplet of Nabi, a seventeenth-century ce Ottoman poet:

Do not despise poverty, O Nabi!

Poverty is the mirror where the independence of others is reflected.

Rumi made another fine observation about poverty:

Poverty is the essence and all else is form;

Poverty is a remedy and all else the disease.

The whole world consists in vanity and conceit;

But poverty is the real core and meaning of existence.

Even if a person cannot discern his or her essential weakness and poverty with the light of belief, it is a reality that he or she is weak, poor, and needy. God Almighty declares: O mankind! You are poor in your relation with God, while God is He Who is the All-Wealthy and Worthy of Praise Who returns abundantly whatever is done for Him (35:15). As everybody absolutely needs His act of choice, will, and decree to come into existence, His Self-Subsistent and All-Subsisting Existence is also needed at every moment to survive.

An individual’s poverty and neediness before the Almighty is not a means of humiliation; rather, one’s increased awareness of one’s poverty engenders higher degrees of dignity, for such awareness before the Absolutely Wealthy One is richness itself. The believer becomes aware of his or her non-dependence on others, and acquires the consciousness of independence to the extent that one feels in his or her conscience that God is the sole source of power and wealth. His help is sought, and it is there-fore to Him that one turns. Even if such a person is materially poor, he or she feels no need for anything or somebody else.

The believer is convinced that whatever or whoever exists, including himself or herself, essentially belongs to the Almighty, for all elements of creation are only shadows of the shadow of His absolutely independent existence. This degree of conviction of God’s Unity is called annihilation in God, two steps ahead of which is subsistence with God. Concerning this, Hayali says:

Hayali, cover your naked body with the shawl of poverty;

This is their pride, they know not of satin or silk.

Poverty is the goal of saints, the (natural) state of purified scholars, and the most manifest sign of love of God. The Almighty has placed poverty in the hearts of His friends so that those hearts may prosper through it. Poverty is a key of light to open the eye of the heart to the inexhaustible treasuries of God. One who has this key is the richest person in the world, for poverty is the door to richness. Those who pass through this door reach (in their conscience) the infinite treasuries of the Owner of All Property and discover that poverty is identical with richness. For this reason we can say, as Junayd al-Baghdadi did: Richness is no more than the final, perfect degree of poverty. [ Al-Qushayri, Al-Risala, 273. ]

When one is perfectly conscious of one’s essential poverty before God and one’s absolute dependence on Him, one is absolutely rich, for such a person no longer feels any need. This is what must be meant by the famous saying: The real richness is the richness of the heart. When one has attained this degree of richness, it is as if he or she has found a credit card that is valid everywhere. One who has such mysterious capital can be considered neither poor nor powerless. This is what is described in the following lines:

His is power, by which we are powerful.

We are well-known by His Name or fame.

We go beyond peaks and continue our way;

We overcome all difficulties with ease.

We possess nothing worldly but are absolutely rich,

And are dignified and respectable by His Dignity.

We follow the way of contemplation, so

Whatever exists is a source of knowledge of God for us.