#spiritual hungry ghosts

[redreadretale]

This fine art piece is unique- artist Robin Samadhi of Santa Fe, NM- you can frame each page as is or color them in as you please. Title of this book/art pack is “My Hungry Ghosts”. Each page is 11x14, on heavy weight artist paper. He must have had these printed specially, this cannot be done this size/paper/quality on a standard printer. They were for sale in a gallery on Canyon Road. They are likely based off an illustration series he did with this theme, and developed this coloring pack of posters. What a great way to make collaborative work. They are all enticing to color in!

Hungry ghosts are supernatural beings that consume more than they can handle or desires more than they can consume.

I think of it as more of a human condition concept, about our relationship with the world and its elements. What are we taking, what are we giving back. What do we need vs. want. What do we hunger for & when we get it what do we do with it?

Good Art is good for the soul.

There is meaning behind each piece in this book.

I’m selling my art collection. Enjoy oodles of great listings in my Poshmark shop :) I even added a lot of art supplies. photography equipment. my collections. and the usual clothing and household goods.

Follow the links or look up RedReadRetale on Poshmark. New to Poshmark? Use code REDREADRETALE to get 10$ off your first order from any shop.

[sarcophagid]

liu gui mb

[optimalmastery]

Beyond Samhain: Global Traditions to Honor the Dead

Samhain, celebrated at the end of October in the Northern Hemisphere, is a sacred festival for many Pagans and witches. It marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark half of the year. It’s considered a time when the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. Therefore, this Sabbat provides the opportunity to honor ancestors, remember…

[thegoddesscomplexllc]

Hungry Hungry Ghost Festival || August 2024

Ancestor Money and the Hungry Ghost Festival 2024 The Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated in many parts of East Asia, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. In 2024, the Hungry Ghost Festival will be observed on August 11th, the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, when it is believed that the gates of the…

[mycelestial001]

Traditions of the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival. Read More

[robin-evry]

Might as well jump on the band wagon. How about a Yuu that's a Wendigo?

Ask and you shall receive, this story may to Gorey or contained some disturbing matters it may be disturbing towards readers.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐔𝐔 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐎 ☠️🥩

wendigo, a mythological cannibalistic monster in the spiritual tradition of North American Algonquian-speaking tribes. It is associated with winter and described as either a fearsome beast that stalks and eats humans or as a spirit that possesses humans, causing them to turn into cannibals.

( English is not my first language )

Day 5 : wendigo!YUU

Warning : contained cannibalism, self harming as well mild-gore.

I imagine Wendigo!yuu would have been cursed to transform into a wendigo, after being subjected to a desperate situation, symbolizing hunger and survival. The curse is not fully realized, so Wendigo!Yuu retains their human form but is constantly haunted by a powerful hunger they must control.

one of their family members tricked them into eating human meat, since they accidentally eat it and not purposely eat it they weren't aware, where the meat came from. They will still turn into a wendigo but still retain their human form but still have that insatiable hunger.

Wendigo!yuu would be very distant at first towards everyone, only giving very short answers towards any question, they are very calm and collected as well a caring individual but their insatiable hunger caused them to isolate themselves to anyone from them fearing they would cause harm or their hunger will lead into an action they would regret doing.

Every night they have to go to the forest to transform, and hunt for food in the forest maybe a deer, or something. When they were munching on something a flash of light shone upon them, A group of students decided to go to the forest because they wanted to go smoke or were sneaking out to hang out at the forest. The group ran and were screaming heading their way towards the school. Using this moment to head back towards ramshackle cleaning themselves and hiding any evidence.

In the morning Crowley knocks on the ramshackle dorm and questions them, since the dorm is the closest to the forest. Crowley asks them if they ever hear noise in the forest or the sound of their family members, he revealed that there's been recently a sight of wendigo. He explained that wendigos are magical creatures that are greedy spirits that will eat human flesh, when he was describing it wendigo!yuu were sweating and clinching the side of their leg, and finally Crowley ends with there are malevolent spirits that should have been purged. And he warns them to not enter the woods until it's found

The faculty, ghost and housewardens are in the forest looking for the wendigo or there was a trace of their presence there. Unfortunately their research goes empty but the students or anyone have been prevented going towards the forest.

I feel like wendigo!yuu would stop going to the forest being scared of getting caught or they would go to the forest more often due to no students.

During the day time wendigo!yuu would literally do a lot during lunch, they tried to eat at class but got caught and were embarrassed by the entire so they stopped. One time during Mr trein class they were VERY hungry they started to crave, they excuse themselves towards the bathroom. At the bathroom they were trying to control themselves to the point they bit their arm in the bathroom to control themselves, soon that wound healed itself. They don't know what came over them but they started to "eat", they stopped when they realized they were eating their own flesh. They wash up and head back to class.

Soon by eating their own flesh to sustain their hunger, but don't worry their missing limbs will regrow back.

Wendigo!yuu is very normal looking but only do not count the eye bags in their eyes and their skin seems very cold like a literal dead body even tho they look very frail. But during P.E they are able to outrun multiple students their speed is the equivalent towards fae. In their back there is a symbol in their back symbolizing the wendigo curse or a reminder of the sin they committed.

In their wendigo!form. Their bodies have become elongated as there arms and tall as a tree, their skin would pale to a ghostly white or take on a cracked, frostbitten appearance, as Wendigo are often associated with winter. Dark veins might crawl across their skin, giving them an eerie, corpse-like appearance. In some areas, the flesh could look sunken or torn, exposing parts of the bones underneath. Their eyes would glow with a haunting, amber or red light, and their teeth might sharpen into fangs, hinting at their predatory nature. Their mouth could stretch unnaturally wide. A pair of antlers, reminiscent of deer or elk, might sprout from their head, adding to the Wendigo’s iconic look. Wisps of dark fur could grow around their shoulders, back, or neck, giving them a wild, untamed appearance. The antlers could be gnarled and twisted, with sharp points that symbolize the curse's power.

The atmosphere around Yuu would become cold and oppressive, possibly causing nearby plants to wither or frost to form in their presence. Their presence might exude a sense of dread and fear, as if a primal predator is nearby.

Since there have been sight seeings of the wendigo in NRC students are prevented from traveling towards the forest and since ramshackle is near the forest. Malleus was banned from going there by sebek and Lilia. But that didn't stop the fae prince. And by doing this he met wendigo!yuu, he kinda admits he was weirded out by them due to bloody bandages wrap around their body. But they manage to get along.

Lilia always knows something was wrong about the new ramshackle prefect, they will always eat large servings of foods as well as bandages around their arms. He has dealt with Wendigo before during his lifetime. They are cannabis but will act normally to humans he managed to click the dots and during one night he rang the doorbell of the ramshackle dorm he confronted them asking if they're the wendigo that's been haunting the forest. Wendigo!yuu actually admitted and instead of fighting back they asked Lilia to kill them. He was surprised by this and won't let his guards down even tho there was sight about the wendigo but there was not a single soul found dead.

He asked what happened to them, wendigo!yuu what happened of how they were cursed to turn into a wendigo. Lilia brings Crowley towards him and explains the situation to the headmasters.

From them now wendigo!yuu was given a lot of food to control their hunger as well as they are allowed to eat whenever they want and if they can't control their hunger, they have to leave the classroom to eat something. As well are allowed to eat at class. By doing this, it will wendigo!yuu to control their hunger. Meanwhile Crowley or students are trying to find a way to cure their curse.

[angelesca]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐱𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐮𝐨𝐟𝐮’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 - 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬! ʕ •̀ ω •́ ʔ

w.c. total: 6500+ (whew)

this was overdue oops... like who wants to read a halloween post in december?? ┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴ but! im happy to finally get this out of the basement!!! YAY everyone is silly n' goofy ofc, reader is gender neutral

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

feixiao gang goes ghost hunting! w.c. ~1330

content: jiaoqiu is the designated scaredy cat(sorry jiaoqiu it had to be someone), feixiao being awesome as always, moze wants to go home, they are breaking into your house

“o’ wondrous general, you must lead the way and charge first!”

“hey! don’t push me!”

“c’mon, just go in already…”

“moze, heeeeeeelp meeee–aaAaaAaah!”

“...”

the dead of night stirs awake, no thanks to a lively bunch of bright-eyed no-namers, hoping to eternalise themselves in the tabloids (moze does not wish to be associated, he is just tagging along).

despite their spiritual powers, business for this ghost-hunting squad has been dreadful. ever since the formation of the ghostbusters hunters, they have accumulated a whopping number of one hungry dog, one angry landlord, and one confused grandma on their doorstep. that is to say, they have had no customers at all.

if they don’t hit the jackpot tonight, they will, as feixiao exaggeratedly puts it, die.

“okay!” feixiao huffs, keeping jiaoqiu at arm’s distance. jiaoqiu lifts an irritated eyebrow, dismissing the hand that feixiao shoved in his face. “first, we must equip some weapons.” with a click of her fingers, moze begrudgingly reveals himself from the shadows.

a strange bag announces itself with a loud thump when moze throws it down. jiaoqiu holds his head with his hands, mouth gaping open, “hey, be careful!” he rushes down to his knees and cradles the device like a newborn. “this is my portable hotpot cooker!”

feixiao waves her hand. “why do we need that to hunt ghosts? are you gonna eat them?”

jiaoqiu grins.

“feixiao, you are literally holding a gun in your hand.” moze grunts, picking up the only sensible item: a flashlight imbued with a light that reveals all. 

they were certainly prepared to tackle the dangers of their first ever ghost-hunting mission.

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

feixiao punches a window with devastating force, shattering glass as easily as her swatting a bug. moze tips his hood down in shame as he watches the two foxians struggle inside the makeshift entrance.

they successfully infiltrate enemy territory. gulping, feixiao instructs, “moze. flashlight.”

plumes of darkness which obscured, dissipates its shadowy tendrils, tucking into even darker corners. the flashlight illuminates a safe beacon within the room, washing relief into jiaoqiu. “that’s more like it– um, what is that?”

“what is... ” —feixiao turns towards jiaoqiu’s direction. the two are frozen solid— “what… ”

in a corner, the contour of a steep shadow. it squeaks like a frightened mouse, belying its daunting aura. it flees out the door.

“the mission is already starting, huh?” feixiao cocks her gun ready, bloodthirsty. “let’s go, ghost hunters.”

the three nod in unison, finally agreeing for once. they follow the trail, quick on their feet to catch the prize. jiaoqiu points towards a slamming door. “there!” 

the gang rushes towards it with jiaoqiu taking the lead. with haste, he aggressively rips the door open.

an elephant sits on the toilet, shaking. jiaoqiu slowly closes the door. "i am so sorry."

“behind us,” moze indicates, pointing behind them. in the kitchen, a fridge light gleams white, confessing to a tall silhouette which stood hunched before it. 

the three tiptoes closer. the silhouette stops, ears perking. in their hands, a pile of… indistinguishable meat…

“z-zzz-z-zom-m-b-bie…!” jiaoqiu trembles. he steps back, but is unfortunately interrupted as his back collides with a soft obstacle. he turns around– “llll-ll-lion??!”

laying on the floor, a talking lion (impressive) scratches its nose with its paw, yawning. “if you guys are gonna break in, at least do a decent job of it.”

“what’s all this noise?” the intrusive voice, disguised innocently, reeks of a disturbing intention to kill—according to jiaoqiu’s narration. thunderous stomps strike upon the floorboards. there is no mistaking the behemoth in front of them: a mythical dragon towers over them. “who are you?” 

jiaoqiu yelps as if pricked by a million needles. he latches onto moze’s back. “we’re dead!”

…yet, when perilous flames of ye all-mighty scorch the weak of their will, a hero arises from the ashes to reignite a hearth that once blazed a hope so lustrous. 

she, who braves the inferno, shall relinquish herself as a mere plaything of fate to save her people.

and sever her humanity she shall; render her bones brittle if thou must. forswear the tangible vessel that shackles thy to a fragile mortality, to ascend as the hideous terror of gods.

“finally, a real challenge.” the hero forgoes her firearm, cracking her knuckles. she wields her bare fists in front of the apathetic dragon, a worthy challenger. an assertive grin spans her face. “an opponent strong enough to evaluate the effectiveness of my training!”

the hero is none other than feixiao, the esteemed leader of the ghost hunters!

“seriously?! you muscle-headed freak!! moze, capture her!”

with jiaoqiu riding moze’s back, and a deflated feixiao under his arm, the ghost hunter squad dashes off, abandoning their pride at the door.

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

“crap.” you stare wide-eyed at the broken window. never in a million years did you think someone would have balls heavy enough to venture into xianzhou’s infamous haunted house. 

about to enter inside, the door bursts open before you could touch the handle. you jump out of the way of the intruders, who were two foxians now laying on the ground. following closely, a third man walks out the door, surprised to meet your eyes. “oh, are you the owner…?”

“yes…” you stare back, baffled. “did you guys break my window?”

he glances at the foxian pair and embarrassment flushes his cheeks. the purple man groans, rubbing his neck. “i deeply apologise,” he bows his head. “let me know how much you need for compensation(please don’t take us to court) and i'll pass it onto those two-”

“hey!” the pink foxian shoves himself into the conversation, wrapping an arm around the purple man’s shoulder. “we’re a three, right? us three will pay for it!” he wriggles his eyebrows.

“ah, reinforcements have arrived.” the white-haired foxian marches towards you, patting your shoulder. you raise a confused eyebrow. “be careful, this mission is seriously sss-grade difficulty.”

you watch the sweat pour down feixiao’s forehead. her legs wobble dramatically, as if the tremors of an earthquake have struck her. “are your knees okay?” you ask.

“don’t worry, these are the results of my workout.”

jiaoqiu sarcastically interjects, “is pissing your pants a workout now?”

the white-haired foxian clears her throat, ignoring the other. “let me introduce you to the gang: i’m feixiao, this is jiaoqiu, and moze. nice to meet you, fellow hunter.”

“they’re not a ghostbust– i mean, hunter; they’re the owner of this property,” moze explains, pointing a thumb at you.

you nod, arms crossed. “anyways, i kinda need you guys to pay for my window. it’s a lot of money, y’know.”

feixiao gauges you. eyebrows creasing, teal eyes piercing. she hopes that her intimidation will knock a few zeroes off the price. “how much?” 

“let’s see… not only a broken window, but trespassing is a crime too.” you tap your chin. “how 'bout a million?” unfortunately, her tactic is ineffective.

feixiao’s eyes pop open, her soul almost skipping to the afterlife. “one million?!” your attack deals a devastating blow; truly, this mission is of sss-grade difficulty. despite her strength, money is the one weakness that hero feixiao cannot defeat. her eyes frantically shake, shoving a disorganised jiaoqiu in front of her. “i’ll sell him off, he’s very useful! good at cooking!”

jiaoqiu’s eyes brighten at the mention of cooking. “hmm… i propose hotpot, a most nutritious and filling meal. i can boil some homemade broth, perhaps a mala and tomato base, and cook some mild, oily dishes to accompany the spiciness—no coriander. by the way, i’m not a chef or anything i swear i’m a healer.”

although they literally broke into your house, they seem to be an honest-to-good bunch. if anything, you are impressed they haven’t passed away from shock, considering the eerie residents that nest in your home.  besides, hotpot sounds pretty good. “okay, but you guys are paying for all the food! plus my window, of course.”

moze smiles at you. “thank you"

you smile back. a hotpot party, huh? hopefully, they don’t mind the extra spooky guests…

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

2. dragon's tail w.c. ~920

content: dh's tail being sensitive bc it's that time of the year

it must’ve been the 1987469th time you’ve knocked on dan heng’s door.

whatever possessed you to believe this time around would be different, is met with disappointing results as usual.

it is time to adopt another strategy.

you knock again. “dan heng?”

nothing.

“high elder mk2000?”

nothing.

“cold dragon you— woah!” something heavy cuffs onto your wrist through the slight gap of the door, pulling you into shadows.

dan heng’s room is unusually dim. in the dark space, the light of a lamp is the only comfortable shelter your eyes could return to. with its help, you find a faint silhouette on the bed—a tall lump under a blanket. that is when you notice it was dan heng’s tail that dragged you in.

you plop onto the bed. from under the blanket, dan heng peeks at you. “...! how did you get in?”

you hold up your wrist, revealing the culprit. his tail uncurls and tickles your nose.

“it has become restless these days. don’t worry, you can leave me alone for some time.”

“but your tail is all over me-mmphfff!” the end of dan heng’s tail brushes over your mouth, cutting your words short.

his tail flops around like a fish in your lap. “ignore it,” he says, as if it's the easiest thing in the world.

“i just got here though...” feeling mischievous, you poke his tail and it twitches. you are rattled by how sensitive it is.

dan heng scoots over, shuffling away timidly. you observe how he keeps pulling on the legs of his trousers.

shuffle shuffle.

... sliiiiiide.

when he turns his head to look at you, you manage to be even closer than before. a complete opposite of his intentions. "?!"

“it wasn’t me.” you gesture at his tail which is wrapped around your shoulder, like an old friend.

dan heng sighs. “i apologise. i do not mean to avoid you.”

“it’s fine,” you reassure, sitting criss-crossed on his bed. “take your time.”

your words manage to wring a smile out of dan heng’s blank face. he clears his throat. “however, do you really have to keep doing that?”

“doing what?”

he indicates towards your hand which is furiously stroking the soft underside of his tail. you are moments away from collapsing into it and plunging into a sweet dream. his tail seems to like it too, swaying side-to-side.

nevertheless, you stop. “sorry. it’s a force of habit.” 

yet, his tail directs your hand back, requesting that you continue. you look at dan heng who rubs his forehead. they say that a dragon’s tail also represents it’s heart...

you clasp your hands together. “if you don’t like it, i won’t do anything.” 

like a spoiled kid, the tail thrashes up and down. dan heng’s eyes shoot open, as startled as you are. oh boy.

the powerful appendage swirls forceful winds, conjuring a storm in a frenzied rage, a volatile disaster. you have to duck your head to avoid a deadly swing, and swat away a vigorous jab coming for your stomach. "ack!"

dan heng attempts to curb his wild tail, securing it with his hands. "down!"

that one word traps the tail under a spell. with its freedom torn, the end of the tail slithers back and forth, as if dejected.

“... can i still pet it?”

“no,” dan heng promptly shuts you down. your head lowers in disappointment. “don’t spoil it.”

“but it's turning red. should it be doing that?”

dan heng shoos you. “just leave for a bit. it will calm down eventually.”

“you’re sure?”

dan heng nods.

“i was talking to your tail.”

dan heng sighs. “please. just for a few minutes.”

you shrug your shoulders, getting off his bed. “if you say so—uh?”

you swear you were standing up a few seconds ago. how did the door turn into the ceiling?

you get up again, and it’s like deja vu when you blink. nice to meet you again, ceiling. how have you been since the last few seconds that passed? you have a clue on who the criminal is. 

“about me leaving,” you tug at the tail manacled around your waist. with how strong the grip is, you might be chained to dan heng's room for eternity. “you’re really sure?”

no response. dan heng’s back faces you, a wall that separates. despite being in the same space, he seems to exist in another plane.

you sit up. “dan heng?” 

another stifling silence passes. it is unnaturally uncomfortable, like shuffling into a recluse corner in an empty room. and when there’s nothing for your ears to hone in on, you can only examine with your eyes for hints. he’s tugging at his trousers again.

moving closer to inspect, hesitant, you brush his hair behind his ear. they are burning bright red. skin searing hot. “you’re burning up?”

dan heng rubs his arm. “it’s…” he starts, “could you stay for a bit longer?" 

in the months that you have gotten to know dan heng, this is a rare moment that shines golden. “you’re sure?”

“i’m sure this time.”

although he prefers to keep to himself, you appreciate when he does decide to rely on you. you quickly clamp your mouth shut to stop a smile from spreading.

his tail shudders, excited. gradually, it glides across your leg, searching, as if hunting for treasure. 

“... do you need help?” you tease.

“what?”

you point at dan heng’s tail. “i think it’s trying to get in my pants.”

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

3. taste of flesh w.c. ~750

content: blade is jus a zombie cat who doesn't wanna hurt you, also why is this kinda angsty

what’s with the ominous cardboard box in your house?

approaching it, you find a sleepy blade hiding in the isolated space, much too tiny for his size. he gazes up at you, reminding you more of a cat rather than a zombie. “...?”

“what are you doing here?” you ruffle his hair, petting him and scratching his chin. he leans into your touch, eyes shut, almost dozing off again in your hand. “let’s wake up now, hm?”

when your warm fingers leave him, the cold air that manifests reminds him of what he was trying to avoid. to your disappointment, blade hunches over again, burying himself into the box. whatever is concerning him must be pretty significant.

“what’s up?” you crouch down, frowning. “aren’t you hungry?”

“... no,” blade replies, his voice muffled. 

a stomach suddenly growls. 

as demonstrated, zombies aren't good liars, especially when it concerns their hunger. blade follows true to this formula. he loves meat, though you worry about the blood pouring from the almost-rawness he indulges in.

you piece the puzzle together. meat. blade loves meat… blade. blade is a zombie… zombie? zombies eat…

“do i need to kill someon–”

“no,” blade catches on. “it’s nothing…” he seems to be gnawing at something.

“nonsense,” you reject his disregard for himself, scowling. you pull at his wrist but immediately stop at the sight of indents on his arm. bite marks. “blade... don’t hurt yourself. if you need something, please tell me.”

blade wouldn’t say it, but you had a feeling. 

you bet your unwavering trust in him. “do you want to try mine? not sure if i’m tasty, but it’s something.” slowly, you trace along your neck, insisting.

blade shivers, starved eyes lingering. the manifestation of his hunger falters from your face to the slope of your neck. “no…” 

blade clenches his eyes shut.

it’s all wrong.

fragments of memories flicker.

the pedalling of an ouroboros machinates his body. the threads of life weave his limbs back together, strung his muscles fiber by fiber, and pale, rotted fabric for skin stitched like patchwork. sewed together to amass a destructive creation. poured the cursed golden liquor—the mara—and it branched like neurons into his departed body. 

the air freezes. a hollow shadow watches you. it is hard to read his eyes. you cannot trace it and it unnerves you. it’s as if you are meeting him for the first time again. 

from the grave he rose. an insatiable hunger in his blackened guts. a hoarse throat that itched. naive prey wandered over to him. then, their body fell. 

his hand crawls onto your back, digging his fingers. he leans his weight onto you and your bodies fall, tumbling to the floor.

the moon who awoke when the sun slept; the sea who yearned to walk the earth—he was unnatural. those hideous impulses he submerged deep within his depths, locked away in his body like a tomb. confined it with pure restraint, dashed the key away to seal his horrors. 

a thumb feathers over the pulse in your neck. 

but in this moment, the forbidden unlocks. 

hot breaths sterilise your skin. you shut your eyes.

… nothing comes.

blade’s lips are parted but his teeth do not move. you feel a light suction on your neck, an amateur's kiss, then, the light pelting of his wet tongue over the tender patch of skin. just like a cat. his hand rubs circles on your back. “...sorry.” 

“...sorry.” 

“sorry.”

“sorry.”

blade mumbles a million more apologies, each one wrapped and tied together with a peck, tending to an imaginary wound. 

“i’m fine,” you console, “see?” you hold your hands up, urging him to take a proper look at you.

he moves his head, scrutinising you. and blade wouldn’t say it, but his eyes tell it all. there’s an aching in your heart.

you look at the ceiling, glueing and crafting your phrases. you take a deep breath. “... nothing's wrong with you.”

you give a small smile. you have no idea if these are the words he wants to hear—you can't read minds. but it is enough for you if the words can reignite a flame.

the construction of your words were planned for, but it spills out anyways, loose and natural. “go chase the winds, perhaps eat another bowl of rice, or being proud about getting out of bed. you deserve to exist as you are, however you want to, so go do whatever your heart pleases.”

blade doesn’t respond; the silence is what his heart desires. so you let him rest his anxiousness to the soothing lullaby of your pulse, reassuring him that you are alive. 

with your encouragement, he becomes the moon and sea, as well as the sun and earth; blade exists. as natural as can be. 

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

4. triple threat w.c. 853

content: *taps mic* triple jing yuan *cheering*

“drat, i forgot to buy toilet paper for luocha.” you close the cabinet, sighing. 

“i know just the solution,” jing yuan’s voice chirps to answer your worries. he sits by the window, chin resting on his hand. his smile perks up, eyes melting from his lifted cheeks, when your eyebrows elevate to declare your interest. “i do this all the time.”

“what do you mean?”

he clicks his fingers, and you’ve seen this before. in an instant, another jing yuan spawns, clipping through your floor like a video game. 

you frown. that seems painful. “is he okay?” you walk over to recently birthed jing yuan who wears an irritated expression, a stark contrast to original jing yuan. the hand you offer to him is taken up and you root jing yuan no.2 out of the floor.

however, the hand you offer is swatted away just as quickly. you raise an eyebrow at jing yuan no.2 who rolls his eyes. 

your eye twitches. “why is he so mean?” the difference between them is like day and night.

“careful, dear,” original jing yuan wraps his arm around your shoulder. “hmm, i’m not as well rested as i thought. my energy must be low.”

“meaning?”

“to preserve my energy, every new clone seems to inhabit less of my power and is further from the original me. although, their thoughts and memories should remain intact.”

“oh.” you hum, eyeing the other jing yuan. “well. welcome to my haunted house, evil jing yuan.”

evil jing yuan crosses his arms, glaring at you. “what an insulting entrance, to be assisted by…” he looks you up and down. “a human,” he sneers.

“hey, what’s your problem?” you retort.

before you could shed any blood, jing yuan steps in. “there is no need to direct your anger at anyone else but me,” jing yuan replies to his evil counterpart, “i apologise for my mishandling.”

evil jing yuan spits out the foul taste in his mouth, “reducing the aura of my sheer power by delegating me to redundant errands. you are foolish, jing yuan.” 

“but aren’t you also jing yuan?” you point out.

he rolls his eyes. “ugh.” 

you shrug your shoulders, sighing. “what now?”

jing yuan rubs his chin. “what if i did this?” he clicks his fingers.

you are unimpressed when one more jing yuan climbs through your window–why is everyone attracted to your window these days? the newest jing yuan wears an overenthusiastic smile. 

“didn’t you say you have to conserve your energy?” you side-eye jing yuan. 

jing yuan whistles innocently. he really would do anything to avoid being productive. within the time this all happened, you are sure someone could’ve dropped into the shop down the street and got some toilet paper.

“yikes,” evil jing yuan’s lips pucker, tasting the sourness of the newbie’s presence. 

the happy jing yuan beams, jogging over, “evil jing yuan!(that’s just his name now, you realise) how i’ve missed yooouuu- a-aah!” evil jing yuan pinches happy jing yuan’s cheek.

“do not touch me, vermin.” evil jing yuan spews caustic acid.

“boo, no fun.”

although happy jing yuan adopted jing yuan’s friendliness, you immediately notice the wide discrepancy. 

“you’re really energetic.” you identify the exaggerated flaw—it’s like playing spot the difference. this jing yuan had enough vigor to last a whole day, when original jing yuan would be sleeping through 60% of it. 

happy jing yuan eyebrow perks at your voice. a glint of recognition shines in his eyes. “oh? wait, i know you.”

“you do?”

“of course! you're jing yuan's favouri–yeowch!” evil jing yuan stomps on happy jing yuan’s foot.

“huh?” you turn to jing yuan, searching for answers. he turns his head to the side, hand covering his mouth. his ears are flushing red. it is a rare sight to see such innocence undermine the confident lion. you can’t help but feel flustered as well.

“ugh, embarrassing.” evil jing yuan’s face contorts, nauseated. “why would you reveal that?” he rolls his eyes again. he must be well-acquainted with the back of his head from how often he rolls those eyes.

happy jing yuan only laughs, scratching his head. “haha. i forgot we are all the same person, haha. sorry, my fellow jing yuans.”

that confession basically spoke for three jing yuans. this information, you didn’t know what to do with it other than wanting to shrivel as you feel their gazes suddenly burn holes into you.

happy jing yuan winks at you, taking your hand in his. “but i'm your favourite, right~?”

“wha-?”

evil jing yuan clears his throat. “as if. clearly, i outshine everyone—even an eyeless shrimp knows that.” he smirks, linking your other arm with his. “come, we shall rule the universe together! hahaha!”

jing yuan hugs you from behind, partaking in the senseless tug of war. “you said one was enough last time,” his voice blew in your ear, “you’re being greedy.”

“please guys, one at a time,” you joke, “i’m literally sandwiched here.” you might have to wrestle your way out.

with no toilet paper, luocha sat in the bathroom for a long time.

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

5. the office w.c. ~1168

READ MEEE!!! GUYS there's a part (you will DEFINITELY know which) that is stripped from one of my old wattpad stories, no editing just pure cringe written from ages ago. i died re-reading it and it will kill you too but the idea was funny

“hey, hey,” qingque playfully pokes your arm, rousing you from the clutches of sleep. “wake up, sleepyhead.”

you catch your head before it slips off. “say what now?”

countless feet shuffle in the office, stomping an ominous anthem—a thing of nightmares. your spine shoots up immediately, positioning you in a battle-ready stance prepped for war. fixing your uniform, your armour shines radiantly as you equip your weapon of choice in your hand: a forged doctor’s note in case you are accused of slacking off.

“everyone, i have news,” fu xuan, your supervisor, the master diviner of xianzhou’s divination commission–a very short person–announces, “starting today, a new matrix manager will join us. please offer him your warmest welcomes.”

you rub your disbelieving eyes, wondering if you were still dreaming. “wait a minute.” 

the new manager corrects his slanting head.

you inhale a sharp breath. “i forgot to lock the door.” 

“hm?” qingque taps on her phone, eyes glued to a game of celestial jade.

“if master fu xuan asks for my whereabouts, tell her i’m in the toilet!”

“where are you–”

the gears in your legs propel you forward, fueled by your adrenaline. slamming the head office door open, you meet the familiar sight, playing pretend in formal divination attire with a silver pair of thin-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose. most prominently, his hair is jet-black instead of golden. overall, a 10/10 disguise. his hands comb through papers with the mastery as he remains deaf to your outburst.

“luocha?”

the flipping of pages responds to you. 

you march forward, rasping your knuckles on the desk. knock, knock.

this earns you a stinging glare. “i do not appreciate you making a scene.” luocha(?) finally acknowledges your existence. “you should be at your desk working.”

you place your hands on your hips. “and you, should be at home.”

his eyes wander over to the door, waiting. when nothing more happens, he beckons you with a finger, signalling you to close the distance.

you lift an eyebrow. you tread over, standing in front of him. “here?”

that is when you notice that it wasn't numbers and charts he was reading. in his hands were endless pages upon pages of… pictures of his coffin? that probably explains why the photocopier in the office broke this morning. 

luocha grips his heart. “i have infiltrated the enemy’s base today to reclaim what was rightfully mine. oh, how the days were peaceful until tragedy struck.”

“what did you do this time…” you sigh. “are you saying that the divination commission, for whatever reason, has your coffin?”

luocha nods.

you scratch your cheek. the only fear you have is fu xuan snagging you in her talons if she catches you, but you can’t leave luocha alone lest you want to testify to a rampaging elephant. moreover, you were always curious about what lies in the coffin. corpses? treasure? an earphone you lost years ago?  maybe this will serve as a good opportunity to finally ask. you come to a decision. “i’ll help. but you’ll go straight home after this.”

“okay!” luocha smiles enthusiastically. you almost fall over from how quick he pulls your hand.

after the agreement, you find yourselves wandering a corridor in search of luocha’s beloved coffin. surprisingly, it didn’t take much time before you both located the "x" on the map. almost like you were mere pawns roaming a chessboard according to a calculated plan. that begs the question: who is the mastermind stringing you along?

entering an empty meeting room, a coffin stands at attention, a lone soldier in the battlefield of fallen papers, pens as spears, and a whiteboard which has endured countless cleavings of ink on its body. 

you pat the coffin. “that was easier than i thought.”

“indeed.” luocha grazes his finger along the intricate carvings.

out of the blue, you hear familiar footsteps. your body grows stiff. “someone’s outside…!”

“here.” he shoves you into the coffin and follows suit, secluding you in his arms. you gasp when his leg nudges in between your thighs.

the tiny space doesn’t allow you much freedom apart from staring at luocha’s face and being acutely aware of everything that was happening downstairs. you try not to think about it. try not to think at all.

unbeknownst to you, luocha monitors your everything: how you cast hesitant glances, mumbling hot breath that kisses his cheek. while you are trying to distract yourself, he is entirely focused.

luocha breaks the silence. “... it’s hot in here.” 

“???”

the unknown figure is approaching. your heart is playing to the beat of each sinister step.

“shhh, quiet,” luocha says something reasonable this time.

you hold your breath. the rough grumblings of a voice vibrate through the coffin and you can recognise that voice in your sleep. “not here.” fu xuan is hunting for your blood, claws sharp. 

her heels turn and click when she is left unsatisfied. the coast is clear and the tension you held in alleviates. you glance at luocha, expecting him to be equally embarrassed. 

but you are met with a knowing smirk. something about this feels suspiciously like a book trope.

you clear your throat. “we’re safe now.”

luocha nods. opening the coffin, you both try to untangle your intertwined limbs.

“could you move your right leg?” you ask.

“i’m trying.”

“okay, i’ll just hold onto your arm for a bit…”

“that’s my arse.”

“oops, sorry—!”

you trip on something but luocha safely catches your arm in the nick of time. looking down, you realise that there are a bunch of books spilled on the floor. 

you look at luocha who gives a hesitant smile.

in the monotonous pile of words and pages, one clearly stood out. one that you swore to oblivion. you feel your soul claw its way out of the suffocating entrapment of your body, your mouth hung open, not the forbidden collection…

‘secret affairs in the office: uh oh, i’m in love with my boss!’

… shit. 

no wonder this situation felt familiar. 

——

“Shhh, quiet.”

… I shouldn’t be doing this with my boss.

We're so close that I think we exchange breaths with each other, tangled in this small space of ours. I cringe as he leans into my ear, his black hair falling. “It’s hot in here,” he breathes. The hairs on my neck stand erect. 

I face my fears when I glare back at him. He'll be exploring every nook and cranny of my body with the way he stares back, hungrily, on the prowl for my bare skin. His rough hands tug at my shirt.

I smirk. “What are you waiting for then? Undress me.”

——

you wish you didn’t remember that.

“did you like it? i heard the office trope is very popular with humans.”

you lightly thwack luocha’s head with the book, cheeks hot. “what on earth were you thinking?”

“oh, we haven’t done the next part—”

“we are not doing that!” you quickly shut him down. “we’re going home!” and you’ll make sure to burn every single book.

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

6. what if w.c. 320

after another day of work, you could not wait to get home soon. you open the door. entering. turning on the lights. 

flick.

sighing, you throw your bag off your shoulders, stretching your arms. you want to catch up on sleep, but the stress of tomorrow’s agenda ravages your mind. you hum as you think of what to do next, filling the bars of silence with your melody. dinner, probably. 

you head into the kitchen and open the fridge. songlotus cake, puffergoat milk, berrypheasant skewers... why is there so much rice? it's like someone is telling you to eat another bowl or two.

let’s try reading a book. grabbing a cushion and a random book off the shelf, you sit by the coffee table on the floor. you flick through the contents: dragons, zombies, lions, changelings. these old tales, how boring. does anyone actually believe in these superstitions? you yawn. 

when you lean back, you accidentally press on the tv remote. the screen is brought to life. "oh..." you turn it off. after all, no one is watching tv. glancing at the clock, you realise it’s already close to bedtime. you should run a bath and get ready to sleep.

making your way over, you almost trip over something. huh? yet, there's nothing on the floor. you shrug your shoulders. you head to your bedroom to find your change of clothes. however, the task is difficult when your room is a complete mess. where did you put your pajamas again? 

as if on command, in the corner of your eye, a drawer slide opens. “...what?”

walking over, you find your pajamas in the drawer. you scan the corners of your room.

... it must be the wind. what else could it... be?

after your bath, you lay on your bed, comfortably settled. you stare at the ceiling, slowly counting the seconds until your eyes close.

the house is quiet as usual. peaceful. 

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

7. hotpot party! w.c. ~1165

“hot!” you fan the congee in your mouth, eyes tearing. dan heng sighs, handing you a napkin. “hot... hotpot… hotpot…?” slowly, the burning congee helps you recover an important memory: “it’s hotpot night!”

“hotpot?” jing yuan turns away from the tv.

“...hot…pot…” blade wakes up.

“h-o-t-p-o-t.” luocha robotically dances.

the bell rings, and you are relieved that it wasn’t the smashing of a window when you greet the ghost-hunters. 

“hey!” feixiao gleams, flashing a smile. in her hands are bags of ingredients, you assume, noticing the spring onions sticking out. “we’re here for hotpot!”

“i’ll just borrow your kitchen to heat it up,” jiaoqiu quips. 

moze nods at you as you let them enter. but you are too late to warn them when you hear the unison of feixiao and jiaoqiu’s screaming, “g-g-ggg-gg-ggghosts!!!”

“hey, that's rude,” jing yuan says, “after you trespassed into our house too.”

“wait… general?” feixiao points at jing yuan. “weren't you one of the arbiter generals? you’re real? you’re like, one of my biggest idols!”

“uuuhhhh…nooo…” jing yuan averts his eyes, hiding behind luocha. “quick luocha, do something.”

luocha stops chewing on the hair of an agitated blade, concentrating. channelling the strength of his spiritual ancestors to reach new levels of enlightenment, he poofs into a chair (why). blade reaches for his sword.

dan heng weaves through the chaos, finding you at the front door. he leans against the wall, arms crossed. “you didn’t invite more people than this, did you? it’s already so noisy.”

“uuuhhhh... nooo…” you guiltily look away from his interrogating eyes which accuse you. just then, the bell rings again and you open it excitedly. “huohuo! you made it!”

“it’s good to see you again.” huohuo smiles, eyes softening from the rise of her cheeks. by her side are qingque and…

“master fu xuan?!” your heart soars to your throat, astonished by the great, but still short, presence of the master diviner.

“ahaha, sorry,” qingque rubs the back of her head. “the master diviner insisted on coming to check that i wasn’t slacking off.”

fu xuan nods. “qingque said you are hosting a productive meeting on how to strategize for the chartings of ship routes via the jade abacus, and its convergence into predicting future prospects. i have high expectations for your discussions.”

you and qingque stare at each other.

“hmph, what a waste of time,” tail grunts. “mingling with a bunch of peasants, i should get paid for gracing you all with my presence.”

“good to see you too, tail,” you reply. the group head inside.

"hey, hey?!!" you hear more of jiaoqiu’s shouting, "the house will burn down!"

“that’s actually a ghost this time,” jing yuan notes.

suddenly, a wave of heat blasts everyone. “the term ghost," tail roars with the rage of a thousand suns, "cannot be compared to the heliobus race!” 

thunder strikes. you gasp. 

jing yuan walks to the door, eager. “that must be my friend.” the door opens but no one is there. he gestures towards something in the sky, behind the house. you walk outside, dan heng following shortly. 

it is lightning(-wielding thunder-clapping spirit-squashing) lord. they wave at you, magnificent and bright. 

“how will lightning lord eat hotpot with us?” dan heng inquires, genuinely confused. 

jing yuan waves his hand, dismissing dan heng’s worries. “it’s fine. they're just here for vibes.”

when did old jing yuan learn slang? “oh, okay. if they don’t mind.” you wave with two arms at the giant. 

out of the blue, a cold breath trickles down your neck. “hello…”

you are startled, realising someone blue was behind you all this time. her sluggish, bent posture and slow manner of speaking—it reminds you of someone.

“uurk… who invited grandma over??” jing yuan slips behind you.

behind the lethargic “grandma”, another blue person pops out. “good evening, general. and friends.” he greets politely.

you wave your hand. “oh, another friend of jing yuan?”

jing yuan frowns. “how do you not know who he is? he’s our kid.”

“what do you mean ‘our kid’...” you glare at jing yuan, lifting an eyebrow. recounting the numerous stories, you close your eyes in contemplation. “if i remember correctly, you must be yanqing?”

the kid nods, confirming. “thanks for inviting us over.”

you attend to the other blue person. “and this is…”

“jingliu… you made it…” blade is at the front door. he trudges over, wiping the sleep away from his eyes. “why don’t you…come in…”

“thank you… i… love hotpot…” her head bobbles, trailing inside. “thank you… thanks… thank…” 

yanqing assists jingliu. “let’s get you inside, grandma.”

you ask, “was that your zombie friend, blade?”

“yes… cool friend…” blade glares at jing yuan. 

“what? she tried to kill me once!” jing yuan exclaims.

another roaring claps in the distance. it captures your attention.

what in tarnation… 

“my people!” luocha dashes out the door, waving all too happily at the concerning amount of elephants rushing your way, about to bulldoze your house down. where are the elephants even coming from in xianzhou luofu??

you shake luocha’s shoulders as he chants ‘elephants, elephants, elephants!’. “why did you summon a stampede of elephants?! can they even eat hotpot??” 

“haha, no idea,” luocha scratches his neck. blade flicks him on the head. luocha dramatically doubles over, holding a hand out at the elephants and under his silent command, they immediately halt. “they’re well-behaved, they mean no harm.”

“uh, i guess this is okay.” you wave at the elephants, their trunks waving back. “how about you dan heng, did you invite anyone over?”

dan heng observes the sky, silent for a moment. 

you notice his melancholic expression as he points towards a bright streak slicing across the night like a shooting star “they’re busy travelling the universe.” he smiles. “so they can’t make it today.”

“oh?” these must be the dreams he spoke of. so it was real after all. you wave at the sky, hoping that his friends receive your greeting. “another time, then. we’ll have so many hotpots nights from now on, they are sure to come over for at least one of them.”

his eyes glimmer, the end of his tail wagging.

feixiao calls from inside the house, “hotpot is ready!” 

“that’s our cue,” you declare, herding a dragon, zombie, lion, and a changeling all back inside. of course, it is met with difficulty as they try not to tear at each other for bumping shoulders, or when jing yuan craftily pinches some butts and blade pulls out a rifle(thanks for the gift feixiao). 

before you join the festivities, you notice a crystal flake falling on your sleeve. frosty winds bite at your body, and you witness how your breath fumes into clouds. looking up at the darkening sky, you admire the white confetti announcing winter’s entrance. 

then, you study the scene in your haunted house. it’s hell, and it’s chaotic as usual. you laugh. and like magic, you are warm again. 

you close the door. 

⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(¬ ´ཀ` )¬⋆⁺₊⋆♱♡♱⋆⁺₊⋆(┛〃°Д°)┛⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊

some art i scribbled ٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶

what i imagined for office luocha ( ･ิ ͜ʖ ･ิ) (my apology to luocha fans)

a/n: i wanted to finish writing this way sooner but life amirite guys(ﾉД`) a lot did change from what i originally planned, but! i'm biting the bullet and finally posting this so that i can move onto something new! that one part in luocha's story... save me from the cringe... and no i will not be posting the rest of my wattpad story, that is torture ill be posting an update later abt my next work(hopefully)!!! stay tuned~ thanks for reading! ☆⌒ヽ(*'､^*)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Dictionary of Esoteric Terminology

for your next poem/story (pt. 3)

Esoteric—designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone; may refer to the occult

Athame - a ritual dagger used in Witchcraft and Neo-paganism; has a black handle which is inscribed with symbols

Brahmarandhra - the "Gate of Purity"; a spot at the top of the head described as a hidden aperture; according to some, this spot is the exit for the enlightened soul upon the death of the body

Cromlech - a circle made of vertical stones, associated with Celtic worship of the Sun

Dark night of the soul - a phrase used by St. John of the Cross to describe the depression, isolation, and alienation which afflicts some mystics just prior to the realization of transcendence; hence the saying, "It is always darkest before the dawn"

Dracontia - many temples and sacred sites have been associated with dragons, probably because of their connection with primeval earth forces

Dweller on the threshold - a hostile spirit or being peculiar to each individual, comprised of the accumulated "bad karma" of that individual; such a being could be thought of as the personification of all that holds the seeker back from enlightenment; in this sense, it is like a negative Holy Guardian Angel

Ecstasy - "to cause to stand out"; a state beyond or outside reason and rationality; speaking in tongues may be thought of as an ecstatic trance

Flying ointments - lotion or cremes used to facilitate astral or etheric projection. These mixtures usually contain potent psychedelic agents such as belladonna, henbane, and mandrake

Genii - in Islamic tradition, they are an intermediate race of spirits between angels and people, who ruled the earth before Adam; also known as djinn, genn, or ginn

Hsuan te - virtue through emptiness; the cultivation of one's original nature

I shin den shin - "from my soul to your soul"; direct transmission without words

Khu - literally "clear" or "luminous"; the ancient Egyptian word for the immortal part of the soul; the causal body; symbolized by a plume of flame

Left-hand path - defined by some as the path of black magic; others, as the paths which stress doing and action over being and stillness; most magic systems tend towards the left hand path; most religions tend towards the right-hand path

Lustration - from Latin lustratus, "to brighten"; a ritual purification using water; rituals involving baptism or holy water are examples

Menstruum - an alchemical term for that from which all metals are derived; also mercury wherein gold is dissolved; "Our Water is a fire and a salt. This fire is the true Universal Menstruum of Vegetables, stronger than the fire of wood, since it transmutes the physical gold into a spirit."

Nagas - serpent spirits in Hindu mythology who lived in vast and beautiful temples and palaces beneath the earth

Ouroboros - the snake devouring its own tail; a Gnostic and alchemical symbol of cyclical nature, eternity, or the transcendence of duality; sometimes also used to symbolize the world of illusion

Phoenix - a mythical bird of incredible beauty; is the only one of its kind, living in the deepest desert, until at the end of its 500-year span it dies and is consumed in the funeral pyre of its own nest, then it rises from the ashes in the freshness of youth; generally considered to be a symbol of resurrection, immortality, and spiritual transformation

Prasad - the practice of offering sweets, fruit, or other food to a saint or deity

Pretas - the "hungry ghosts" of Buddhist and Hindu mythology; the ghosts of those who died burdened with great desire and are generally considered to be malevolent; supposedly they are continuously thirsty and hungry, but are unable to eat or drink; described as having huge distended bellies and pencil thin necks

Ruach - breath, wind, or spirit; represents the part of the soul which is the rational mind and the powers of reason; also refers to God's ineffable soul which He breathed into man at creation, thus making man in His image

Secret fire - an alchemical term for the hidden or elemental Fire

Simulacrum - an image used in sympathetic (imitative) magic that is considered to be the magical double of the thing represented; a "voodoo doll" would be an example of a crude simulacrum; in ancient Egypt, simulacra of slaves, animals, and other possibly helpful beings were entombed with their deceased owner; also used by some to describe the visualized vehicle or "body of light" used in astral projection

Speculum - any light refracting or shiny surface which can provide a focus for the attention; mirrors, bowls of water, and crystal balls have all been commonly used as speculi

Theurgy - from the Greek words theos, "god," and ergon, "work"; magic used to grow closer to God or become more godlike, to make changes for personal evolution and spiritual growth; the sacrament of the host could be considered a form of theurgy

Source ⚜ More: Word Lists

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Hii, I asked you a question about spiritual qi being transferred. Thanks for replying!

Also I'm a bit shocked. Mo Xuanyu and Jin Guangyao did not develop a golden core yet? I didn't know oh my goodness! I might have missed this in the novel. Do you know where it says so? I need to bookmark this. Or is it only explicitly said so in the interview with mxtx?

Man this makes me view Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng in a way different light. If I remember correctly, Wei Wuxian punched a few meters into the ground while in Mo Xuanyu's body. So the fact that he did it without a core and with a weakened body like Mo Xuanyu's... he's an absolute monster XD. What can't this man do?

And it makes Jiang Cheng a loser even more. He lost to a physical fight with Jin Guangyao XD. Jiang Cheng literally wasted Wei Wuxian's golden core at this point.

(I really really hate you tumblr erasing my posts I work on mid sentence 💜) sighhhhh round two of this:

Hi again anon!

Chapter 1 and 2 of the web serialization and chapter 1 of the published version:

Hanzi:

然而,尚未等到莫玄羽修仙有成、继承他父亲 的���业,他就被赶了回来。

而且是被极其难看地赶了回来。因为莫玄羽是 个断袖,还胆大包天地骚扰纠缠同门,这丑事被当 众捅破,再加上天资平平,修为无所建树,也就没 有让他继续留在家族中的理由了。

My translation:

However, before Mo Xuanyu could even succeed in cultivating like an immortal to inherit his father's position, he was driven back.

In an extremely brutal way at that. Mo Xuanyu was a cut sleeve, he had been so bold as to harrass his fellow disciples and the scandal became public knowledge. Additionally, he was of mediocre talent with no achievements in cultivation, so there was no reason for the clan to keep him.

Sevenseas:

ExR:

(Remember that immortal part in particular because his mother had bragged specifically about Mo Xuanyu achieving immortality as a cultivator and expecting him to be the fastest at it just before this passage when Jin Guangshan summoned Mo Xuanyu to Lanling Jin)

Secondly:

Hanzi:

他索性先打坐一阵,适应新舍。这一坐就是一 整天。睁眼时,有阳光从门缝窗隙漏入屋中。虽然 能起身行走,却仍头昏眼花,不见好转。魏无羡心 中奇怪:“这莫玄羽修为低得那点灵力可以忽略不 计,没道理我驾驭不了这具肉身,怎么这般不好 使?”

直到腹中传来异响,他才明白根本不关修为灵 力的事,只不过是这具不辟谷的身体饿了而已。他 再不去觅食,说不定就要成为有史以来头一位刚被 人请上身就立刻活活饿死的厉鬼邪神。

My Translation:

He decided he would simply meditate a bit to adapt to his new accommodations*. He sat there almost the entire day. When he opened his eyes, sunlight seeped through the cracks of the door and the windows. Although he could stand up and walk, he felt dizzy without it seeming to ease. Wei Wuxian was puzzled, "This Mo Xuanyu's cultivation is so nonexistent any spiritual power might as well be ignored. It doesn't make sense why I can't control this body. Why is it so difficult?"

Until he heard a strange sound from his stomach, he realized that it had nothing to do with cultivation and spiritual power. It was just that this body hadn't practiced inedia, and was hungry. If he didn't seek out food, he might just become the first evil ghost in history to starve to death as soon as he was summoned to possess someone.

(*That first line is pretty funny because Wei Wuxian literally does refer to the body as a new residence/dwelling)

Sevenseas:

ExR:

Now in terms of this, I guess you could say it requires to know some general cultivation conventions (personally why I don't suggest MDZS as a first time cultivation read as well as it being a deconstruction of the tropes). If Mo Xuanyu had achieved forming a golden core, even a low level one, he would be able to practice inedia as that is one of the first things learned by cultivators once a foundation level is achieved. Mo Dao Zu Shi also just... mashes the first three stages of cultivation ( qi formation, foundation level and golden core) into one base at immediate golden core at young age.

We also get told Mo Xuanyu is summoned at the age of fourteen, but did not stay long enough to learn the cultivation to form that essential core (in this jianghu it is pertinent to form these cores early otherwise it is next to impossible unless you are EXCEPTIONALLY talented). If Mo Xuanyu had formed a core his spiritual power should at least be somewhat of note and it is not. No one with a golden core or uses spiritual energy often should be lacking in spiritual prowess as he is. MXTX's interview just reiterates this all.

As for the Jiang Cheng matter... well... Wen Ning was right to say he was lacking despite being given a prodigious core...

[redflagshipwriter]

Red Hot Ghouls 14 part 2/2

Masterpost 

Danny had kind of ignored the most important part of that initial message. Crud. Of course the poor bastard wanted to know about the progress on their spiritual separation. Danny cringed. He typed fast to send a new message before Jason could ask again.

It did not come out easily. He wrote and deleted two drafts before he groaned aloud. “I am not prepared to tell him that the options so far are either to marry and divorce me or to get his ass banished from the ghost dimension.” Danny spent a moment pitying himself. “I just have to say the truth.”

Cringe. Cringe so hard. 

I have two possible solutions but they both suck really hard. :/ Suck so hard you’d be shook. The suckage would change your life.

Jason sent back ellipses. It belatedly occurred to Danny that it might have looked like he was making a blowjob joke. He put the phone back on his chest and stared at the ceiling for a while, wondering why he was this way.

“Jason didn’t see that,” Danny told himself. “Jason is a professional. A professional something. I don't know what.” 

He wanted to believe it so badly that he just decided not to be mortified. Danny lifted the burner phone back up and painstakingly assembled a shrug emoji from symbols. 

Honestly they’re such bad options that I don’t even wanna tell you. Can we change the subject? : (

Jason sent back a series of laughing and crying emojis and then, Fine. Let’s talk about all the other stuff we have in common.

Danny pursed his lips. “...Do we have anything in common?” It wasn’t like he knew much about the guy, but he presumed Jason kept himself busy with some boring adult job, building muscle, and biking around looking hot. Danny crossed his legs at the knee and tried not to think of what a twig he looked like in comparison to Jason. He didn’t feel bad about it, honestly. Danny was too busy to make fitness a part of his personality and he had nothing to prove.

I’m illiterate, he settled on as a response. They definitely did not have a love of literature in common. What else did people do? I uh…. Watched a movie two years back.

Any good?

T’was shit, Danny admitted. Hm. He frowned. “I’m not sure where to take this conversation,” he said aloud.

I’m so hungry. Just got off work and I’m trying to decide what to do.

“Oh, I can do something with that.” Danny felt better. Yeah me too, I would kill for an enchilada. He tried to send a ghost emoji and groaned when he remembered that this was a shitty burner phone with no keyboard downloaded and apparently no access to the app store. Jason had already responded by the time that he gave up.

Ghosts eat Mexican food?

They would if they have human zone money, Danny sent back morosely. Oh no, it wasn’t fun anymore. Ya boy can’t pay in the tears of the damned anywhere on this plane of existence smh. His stomach growled with obnoxious timing. He groaned. The last thing he’d eaten had been that sandwich with Jazz. He could cook… He really should cook. 

Ugh. Effort. 

Danny tried to motivate himself up to the kitchen. “It’s four steps,” he said aloud, trying to be encouraging. “I can make it.”

Ah. No. That was actually kind of depressing. He lived in a shoebox with a monthly grocery budget that was just pitiful.

Haha ur broke, Jason sent, because he was a massive bitch. Danny felt a lot better about flipping him off. But then Jason followed it up with an obviously insincere, I’d get you enchiladas if you were in Gotham. Sucks to suck.

Danny sensed weakness to exploit.

“You’re going to regret that,” Danny grimly promised, and hit the call button.

Jason picked up on the second ring, sounding confused and electronic. “Hey?”

“I can be in Gotham for enchiladas,” Danny threatened. His stomach growled again. “You feeling brave? Huh? Huh?” He punched a finger at the air in accusation. “I’m not scared of you or your dank gargoyles, leatherboy.”

There was a weird mechanical sound. Maybe a snort? A laugh? “I’ll send you a GPS point, if you’re there in ten I’ll buy you all you can eat.”

Danny went still like the predator he was. “Bring your life savings.” He hit the end call button and launched himself off the couch to go stuff his feet into his shoes. He let his apartment door slam shut behind him carelessly. He’d made it to the ground level before the pin point landed.

“Fuck, it’s even in my neighborhood.” Danny laughed, flush with petty victory. He looked left, right, and went invisible before he went ghost. There was no one around at this late hour to see him drop off the visible spectrum.

[brain-depositary]

Okay, here are Arcane spoilers for Act 2. I have thoughts on Viktor, as there's been a lot of back and forth over whether what we're seeing is really him or if he is being controlled by the hexcore/arcane. And people are missing the narrative explanations, which seem to make what happened really obvious. And the biggest sign of this is that Viktor has been hallucinating Sky the whole time. The man has clearly lost his marbles.

The show is very clear that Sky is not there physically, but she's also absolutely not there mentally, spiritually, magically, whathaveyou. Her ghost isn't in the hexcore or whatever. There's simply no way.

It's not that we know for sure there are no ghosts in the world of Arcane. It hasn't been proven one way or the other that they exist. All sorts of fantastical things exist in Arcane and maybe ghosts do, too. But we know Sky isn't one because it makes no narrative sense for her to be.

Thematically, all of Arcane has been about people handling grief and loss not just poorly, but destructively. Powder hallucinates the people she's lost as critical voices and behaves erratically and dangerously whenever they do. Both Vander and Silco twist Vi and Powder's mother's dreams of peace into more violence and oppression. Jayce can't deal with the loss of Viktor and uses the hexcore to save him which Viktor specifically told him to destroy. Caitlyn becomes a dictator after her mother's death and uses the ventilation system her mother created against the very people it was intended to help. Ambessa has gone on a rampage for her dead son who preferred bloodless subterfuge, and I have a feeling Singed's daughter would approve of all the things her father is trying to do to bring her back, had she ever had the chance to know.

But Viktor, after losing Sky and her dreams, just kind of gets her back, and fulfills them? Yeah, no, I'm calling bullshit. Viktor is not going to be the only one exempt from the Arcane pain train. This would be bad writing.

Sky isn't a ghost here. She's gone. The version of her in the hexcore is purely a product of Viktor's imagination. We don't see Sky a lot, but what little we do, she's different, much more confident. It's not her. Viktor is handling his loss badly, too, but his method of doing so is just wholesale denying that it happened. Sky isn't dead, she's right there. Her dreams aren't gone, they're perfectly within reach. It doesn't matter if he dies now because he's succeeded in his goals of helping people. The sick are healed, the hungry are fed. The commune is thriving. Everything is great.

With whatever power he gained from the hexcore, he's able to project this denial onto the real world, at least for a little while. Everything in his little bubble DOES seem great, but the cracks in the facade come early. When Salo talks to Jayce in the overflow chamber, Jayce's breath condenses, while Salo's does not, implying that he's not breathing. Also, Salo's turnover at the commune is disturbingly quick -- his original personality just does not seem to be there anymore, despite his insistence otherwise. The "no weapons" rule, while idealistic, cannot realistically be enforced -- as much as Viktor denied, reality was going to come crashing in and he was going to be unprepared for it, because he just decided he didn't have to be. Huck didn't even seem afraid at all denying a heavily armed warlord and her contingent entry without disarming first when literally his only character trait has been being cowardly. There's nothing in him anymore.

So, is Viktor being mind controlled, or is this the same Viktor we've known the whole time? Well, it's not really either. This is Viktor snapping and having a mental breakdown. This is Viktor's equivalent of Jinx's tea party at the end of season 1, except he has far more power to make it last longer, seem nicer, and drag far more people into it. Probably, the hexcore is taking advantage of Viktor's vision to build its hivemind, but the vision itself is all Viktor.

So, given all this, my prediction is: Viktor will be salvaged and revived by Singed. He will get a reality check, that Sky is really gone, that the people he healed are hollowed-out husks, that the peace he created was too fragile to last -- and he won't care, he will try to get it back by any means necessary, even if he doesn't have the arcane abilities or ability to completely deny reality that he used to have. And this will create a bitter person, similar to the character we know as the Machine Herald from League of Legends.

[thesimmermo]

Season 2, Episode 9

TW: Sickness and Mention of Death

It's Hard To Accept

Saturday finally rolls around and Morgan is dreading the day. They spent the entire night at a football game supporting Drew cheer and when she got home, she could barely sleep. Her heart has been heavy.

She finally manages to peel herself from her pillow and go into her kitchen to start prepping her meal for this evening. All of her kids will be in town and she is excited that they can all be together.

Morgan: What is DJ's favorite again? Morgan: What is Deck allergic too? Morgan: FUCK ME! I can't remember.

She sighs and takes a deep breath. Tears fill the wells of her eyes and she wipes them away quickly. She turns a few pages in her journal and finds the list of her kids favorites. She walks into the kitchen and does what she loves to do: Cook.

Hours past and soon she had the full spread out and ready for the kids to arrive. Fried Chicken, Rice, Potatoes, Collard Greens, and Macaroni all awake their hungry mouths.

They all come in and greet her. DJ stares at her and can immediately see that something is off. She hugs each of them tightly and they sit down.

Morgan feels a wave of dizziness fall over her and she pauses before she joins them.

Dallas: You okay ma? Morgan: *smiles* That's what I wanted to talk to everyone about. DJ: About what? Dirk: *sighs* Be patient. Your mother will tell you. Let her speak. Morgan: I have cancer.

The room goes silent and there are so many different emotions running throughout the room. She presses her lips together and waits for questions but there are none. She then breaks down everything that the has happened over the past few months and explained the overall prognosis.

Daze: Mommy, you can't have canc... Mommy... Morgan: I'm so sorry you all. But I do. DJ: So, you're doing treatment right? You're going to be okay, right? Morgan: *shakes her head and shrugs* I've been doing treatment for months now... My body isn't accepting it. Denim: What the fuck? Daze: *crying* Decklin: *angry* Morgan: I... *holds back tears* I've tried. I'm going to keep trying and keep doing what I have to but.. if my body doesn't react, I have 2 months.

DJ: There's no way. Ma, that can't be true. Dirk: It is. The doctor told her Monday. Daze: That's not fucking fair! You do right by people and, and, and you always treat people good. Why you? Why you when there are so many bad people in the world? Morgan: *Smiles through tears* There isn't a limit on who a disease can affect, Daze.

Morgan glances at Drew who has barely spoken. She's shaking and her face is pale as though she's seen a ghost.

Dallas: This isn't fair. So what are we supposed to do? Morgan: *Sighs and cries* Accept it. Live your life. Everything happens for a reason. It's life, sweetheart. Decklin: Dang, ma. DJ: So, we're just supposed to just be okay with you being gone? Morgan: You'll never be "okay" with it but you can and will learn to manage it, DJ.

Daze slams his hands down and pushes away from the table.

Daze: Ma, this is bullshit! This ain't fair. We can't lose you. You're going to miss so much! I can't listen to this. It's not right.

Dallas: Daze, calm down.

Morgan: *Cries and stares at him*

Dirk: Daze, I know you're upset. We all are.

Daze: *Sobs*

Morgan: *smiles through the tears* Oh baby, I am so sorry. This is not how I wanted this to be. I promise you all. I will keep fighting. I will fight until I can't but I need you all to promise me something. All 7 of you in this room. Denim: Anything mama. Morgan: *sighs* Promise me that you will not let my, death.. DJ: Ma, please. Morgan: Listen! Do not let my death prevent you from accomplishing any of your dreams. Go out there and be the best that you can be. If I am not here physically, I am still here spiritually and in love. Don't dwell in that sadness too long. Go out and live.

The room goes silent as Dirk and Morgan move from kid to kid trying to comfort them. As the older kids start to leave, Morgan notices that Drew is no longer in the room. She goes into the living room and finds her sitting on the couch. Morgan sits next to her and pulls her in.

Drew: How did I not see it? How did I not know? Morgan: Shhhh, none of this is your fault. Even if you saw and knew, there is nothing that you could do and baby girl, that is okay. Drew: Mommy, I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I'm getting sick thinking about it. Morgan: You're going to be fine. You got 7 knuckleheads in the kitchen looking after you and a knucklehead across town to look after you too. Mama will always be here... You just won't be able to see me. Drew: Mommy, mommy, mommy. I love you. Morgan: *wipes away a tear* I love you too baby girl.

[transmasc-wizard]

blinks at you. i <3 vampirism + devastating loneliness can yu tell me more

blinks back with my wide empty eyeballs

cw for parasites, death, blood, etc. vampire stuff. the vampires. with the blood and death and diseases. you expected this

so im currently playing with vampirism as a two part disease. part one is a magical virus that turns old spirits who got lost on their way to the underworld into these decaying, angry shell of themselves, which collapse very rapidly into parasites that search desperately for a host to sustain their energy that should already be gone. the second part is... well, that parasite. the host is what we'd think of as the "vampire" but the parasite is the "vampirism" and the vampire is very much a victim of it. vampirism attaches itself to a person's heart when they come close to death in proximity of it, keeping them alive but forcing them into a trade that never ends. (vampires are often the end result of an angry ghost haunting someone.)

the parasite exists in the same level of reality as magic and spiritual energy do. if you were to carve a vampire open, you could tell there was something wrong feasting on its heart, but you could not cut it out. it's not physically tangible enough for that. the vampirism spends every second of every day begging for spiritual energy, which it takes as either a slow draw from the vampire itself (slowly killing them), from the energy of people around the vampire (this is called weak feeding, and is more like a snack at best), or from the physical blood of people around the vampire (proper feeding). the vampire actively chooses to do the latter two, or else the vampirism takes the first. the longer this relationship goes on, the larger the parasite grows, and the more the vampire has to feed.

this creates a scenario where, to the vampire, they have only one being that they can reliably give to instead of take from: the vampirism. but the thing is, like... it doesn't actually care. vampirism has no feelings. it attaches in a final burst of fear and anger, but in the actual form of a parasite, vampirism isn't the ghost it came from; that ghost is gone. the vampire is stuck feeding something that genuinely cannot even care for it in some fucked up toxic way. it's just hungry. it sees no difference between the vampire and the victims. a vampire can survive for a very, very long time as long as they don't sustain life threatening injuries, but the parasite isn't going to save them if they do. additionally, there is no such thing as a community for vampires. vampires are either people who are infected by the parasite originally, or people who narrowly survive being fed on by another vampire with a parasite large enough that a bit of it broke off. there is no real common thread or community, because they're scared of each other. most vampires despise other vampires. vampires also cannot find solace in magical communities, because the parasite both impairs most of their spells and stops their ability to tell when they're pushing themselves too far, so a vampire who was or wanted to be a magic user almost always has to give that up to save their own life.

most vampires live and die never understanding how vampirism works. many die in the first year because they don't know how to reliably feed themselves. Orion goes seven years surviving on just "weak feeding". the parasite doesn't tell them anything. the only reason vampires can know its there is because the nature of vampirism gives them a few extra powers; increased strength and speed, ability to communicate with and locate/sense the dead, and ability to hold someone's spirit in place when they're dying for a brief amount of time (this is so feeding can take the most of a person's spirit at once). between that and the constant hunger... well, some figure out they are feeding something that is not themselves, and those are the ones who survive. friendships are always incredibly strained, because the majority of vampires will find themselves weak feeding constantly. they need to. so they see themselves, and they understand they are hurting their loved ones and destroying relationships, but they barely know how or why.

Orion in particular was a very community-oriented person before he turned. he wanted to be a doctor. he wanted a family. now he feels constantly stuck in a loop of selfishness and guilt, and that's BEFORE he starts... uh... literally ripping people's throats out and eating them. after he turns, people can tell something is wrong, and they push him away, which furthers his idea he is fundamentally bad. the first person he ever feels like he can talk to is Arthur, and that is because he takes comfort in realizing Arthur is even more selfish than he is, as Arthur is someone who kills and hurts without the threat of a parasitic disease looming over his head.

but yeah. TLDR. becoming a vampire is finding yourself in debt for the rest of your life to something that is a part of you and cannot be carved out but forces you to hurt yourself and others every moment. and it doesn't care. it doesn't love you. it needs you, but it doesn't love you. and it is the closest thing to love you have unless you are willing to risk the constant unending fear of irreversibly harming the real flesh and blood people you care about. most vampires become incredibly isolated because they can't emotionally handle anything else. but that's hard to handle, too. vampires are. sad.

ty for the ask :3 !!

[neuroticboyfriend]

"you have an incurable fatal progressive disease beyond your control, it's not your fault" and "addiction is a spiritual malady. people who use/commit suicide when abstinent (after being in 12 step) don't want sobriety enough/aren't honest enough/etc" are completely incompatible beliefs and i have no idea how i'm the ass for realizing that.

and that's not even touching the fact addiction is not an incurable fatal progressive disease. it is a desperate attempt to cope, stemming from stressors largely outside of our control. and those stressors don't even have to be things like abuse. read In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Dr. Mate explains it better than i could. maybe i'll share some quotes tomorrow. but like. healing is possible! we are not doomed to be sick forever!

also why the everliving hell is the number 1 recommended treatment - to the point of being touted as the only treatment - for addiction essentially just praying it away. in what world is that okay.

[sweatycreature]

On the job

@steddie-spooktober Day 6: Haunted

Getting together, while Steve and Eddie are trying to work on a haunted house.

„This is our biggest chance yet, Steve! Of course, I want everything to be perfect” Dustin yelled after Steve, as he was already hauling their equipment inside the house.

Dustin started working on haunted houses right after college and Steve was quick to follow him. He basically worked as Dustin’s strong-man, moving his heavier things and documenting everything. They worked in famously haunted locations for the most part, so this was a new experience. A home that is supposedly haunted and is still uncontaminated by other ghost hunters trying to contact the spirits.

The homeowner contacted them, in the hopes of them getting rid of the entity. She is also called a ghost hunter, who has a more spiritual point of view, from what Steve got from Dustin’s rundown on their current job. Dustin usually didn’t bother with actually talking to the spirits, he had the belief that it was enough for him to scientifically prove their existence, without communicating with them.

They already set up their base in the dining room, when the front door flung open and someone walked in with confident steps.

„Hello, is anyone here already?” The intruder asked, and Dustin was already on his way to meet the guy.

They walked back towards where Steve was working on their logging and he finally had the opportunity to look at their partner for the job. The guy wore a leather jacket with a white, demon-graphic patterned shirt. His hair was tied up in a bun and he was accessorized to oblivion.

The man spotted Steve and a charming smile appeared on his face and he hurried to him.

„Well hello, I’m Eddie and you are?” He asked

„I’m Steve.” He held out his hand towards Eddie.

„Steve, it is a pleasure meeting you.” Eddie smiled at him and took Steve’s hand in his, kissing it. He had a hungry look in his eyes as he watched Steve blush at his antics.

Eddie was hot and charming. He understood what it was like to have their weird job, basically, he was kinda everything Steve was searching for these days. Maybe if the night went well, Steve could leave Eddie with his number.

„Alright, Steve’s hot, we get it. Now let me show you around the house and we should also talk about what we had planned for the night.” Dustin disrupted them and led Eddie upstairs.

Dustin was going around reading his instruments for a baseline, so Steve was left alone with Eddie sitting around the table. Steve was trying to busy himself so he wouldn’t embarrass himself anymore, but clearly, Eddie had different plans.

„So you’re kinda like that hot, sexy guy who picks up the phone, like in Ghostbusters?” He looked at Steve with a mischievous smirk.

„I’m here to handle the heavy stuff and record when things start to happen. What are you here to do again?” Steve regretted his tone, as Eddie looked shocked at him, maybe his bitchiness was not for him. However, Eddie’s face melted into a wide Cheshire-like grin right away.

„I’m here to contact what’s already trying to reach out. But I could also use a beautiful guy following me around if you’re looking for a new job.” He finished his speech off with a wink and Steve could feel his face heating up again.

They heard Dustin walk down the stairs. „Okaaay, that’s more than enough of that. Let’s stop the flirting for a bit. Can we focus on the task at hand? It’s getting dark outside.”

They had a specific routine for the first nights. Walk around like normal, act as if you live there, and hope for some sort of apparition- So they did just that. Steve made themselves some pasta and they ate in silence, listening out for any sounds from upstairs. When they didn’t hear anything, they moved upstairs, where the owner said the haunting usually was stronger.

Dustin decided to take a shower, while Steve took a last look at their things, making sure everything was working. Eddie took one of his bags and set up candles all around the main bedroom and invited them to watch him work. They sat on the bed, while Eddie sat down on the floor, and turned on his spirit box.

„…Eddie…pathetic….” it ’said’, or at the least, Steve thought it sounded like.

„Who am I talking to?” asked Eddie.

„…Chris…”

„Okay, could you please tell me if there’s someone with you?”

„Wait, shouldn’t we talk to this Chris? Maybe they are what we’re looking for.” - Dustin exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on the bed.

„No, Chrissy is just a spirit who follows me around, she’s great with looking for a spirit that doesn’t really want to show itself” Eddie explained as he wrote down something in his journal.

„And why is she calling you pathetic?” Steve asked him.

„She just likes to bully me a little, that’s all.”

„….Steve…..like…..”

„Ooh, she likes you Steve!” Dustin said, showing Steve with his shoulder.

„…..Eddie…..better….game….”

„Thanks Chrissy, it’s not exactly like that.” Steve shoots Eddie a curious glance. „She’s making fun of my lack of game, and that I can’t get a date with you.”

„We’ll see, maybe Chrissy can make a case for you.” He smiled down at Eddie and the spirit box as if it was Chrissy’s embodiment. Eddie looked delighted, by the

„…Funny….geek….embarrassing….„ she listed, and Steve laughed at the way Eddie acted hurt with one hand on his heart and his mouth hanging open. He beamed up at Steve and saw the way Dustin was staring daggers into him.

„Well, maybe we should talk about this in the morning? We have a ghost to catch, right Dustin?”

[imustbenuts]

Reading of Fire Emblem Awakening with a Buddhist lens and the context of the 'sacrifice mc' ending

Preface: Writen by a person who is a massive nerd living in South East Asia. Not a practicing Buddhist but grew up on the fringes of its local influence. Most points here are copy pasted and heavily edited from a prev post I wrote in reply to felikatze's post about Brave Robin some time ago.

EN: Fire Emblem Awakening

JP: ファイアーエムブレム 覚醒

Awakening is a pretty important word when it comes to religion and spirituality, but specifically when put in the light of Buddhism, it takes on extra meaning. Kakusei 覚醒 in JP language has a heavier emphasis on Enlightenment than just waking up after an alarm bell rings.

In this entry, the word Awakening isn't thrown into the title in reference to Robin awakening to the fell dragon; it's a bad end if followed straight anyway. Trying to read it with a non-buddhist lens will often yield the confusion of why self-sacrifice would ever be justified, and in my experience many anglo speaking fans online have indeed express dislike of the sacrifice ending in Awakening.

Which is understandable. But! To the Japanese and many other Asian players, this overwhelmingly isn't the case. And the reason is I think: culture + Buddhism.

The flow of this post will go in this rough outline while I try to explain it from a more Buddhist pov. Sorry if it's messy :(

Buddhism 101 Crash Course (orange so if you wanna skip it feel free)

Original Timeline Awakening

'Our' Shown Timeline Awakening

Ending

Ok. Let's begin

Crash Course on surface level Buddhism 101 (please please go read more on your own if interested, this is VERY surface):

The core idea of Buddhism is that everything is dynamic, fluid, and fluctuating. Never in perpetual stasis. In Buddhism cosmosology, there are different tiers of being ranging from low to high. The goal of Buddhsim is to break out of the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara), and enter into a state of peaceful non-existence (nirvana). Suffering and yearning is inevitable as a part of life, and is meant to be reduced as much as possible for both the individual and others. Causing more will cause the individual to stray further away from the goal of nirvana. Also, that everything in the world is deeply interconnected, and an action will affect things down the line.

And, the final condition of being able to nirvana is to essentially, let go of attachment.

Buddhism Cosmology 101 and FEverse:

So in Buddhism cosmology, there are tiers of beings. The higher one is in this existence tier, the closer one is to breaking out of the cycle. Humans are the baseline, and animals are the lower while supernatural beings are higher as a general rule of thumb. (theres exceptions to this like the hungry ghosts but not impt here for this post)

IN FEA, we have a few characters who are of a vague but present 'higher' tier. Naga, Tiki, Nowe, and Nah. And then there's Grima, the gigantic Fell Dragon. Though we can interpret these characters as different races of beings compared to humans, if we apply Buddhism cosmology, then these are 'higher' tier being. With Naga being one of the highest tier. In fact she functions exactly like a Buddha.

And still, despite being a higher being relative to humans, Grima isn't out of the cycle. In fact, Grima is locked into it. Contrast Naga where it feels like she could go at anytime but choose to stay behind.

Locked in the cycle and not allowed to change

Instead, Grima is bound to a blood pact with Forneus after being artificially created. No matter how its sliced, Grima is closer a tier to the divine dragons than humans and should technically be closer to nirvana, but no dice. In-lore, this supernatural aspect grants power to Forneus' bloodline and subsequently Validar and Robin, on top of binding them to the plane of the living. Grima gets back into existence over the 1000 years after their initial defeat to inflict incredible pain and devastation and gets sealed for it.

So, Grima isn't able to break out of samsara from a Buddhist pov, and each time they come back they're requested/demanded by the summoners to cause immense pain and destruction. As much as there might be manipulation on the Grimleals' side, it's equally possible its willing to on some degree on their side. Thus the cycle of suffering for both them and the world continues.

But there is one extra nuance here to the reincarnation idea in Buddhism: Buddhists prefer the term 're-becoming' or 'rebirth' rather than reincarnation. Its not exactly a re-inheritance of the same exact unchanging soul in a new body, but the passing on of a mind/consciousness which can be malleable. And since a mental state is a lot more fluid and changeable, it's much more preferred to the idea of a same-ish soul being passed on like a hot potato typical in western Catholic interpretation of the same concept. (eternal paradise or damnation being a big thing from what I understand, so it's a very one soul one life one chance kinda deal.) Subtle differences, but put a pin in this for now.

On the topic of memories

A reincarnated person isn't supposed to have their old memories... at least, at first, the orignal Robin seems to do. Now, while big Buddha himself had his past lives' memories, it was only after he mediated and gained enlightenmnet. If we follow this logic, it's likely something broke original timeline (OT) Robin in the opposite way, leading into a... let's just say false awakening. This leads into the first timeline where Robin, retaining all their current life's memories and told their identity was Grima and not allowed to basically begin anew, destroys the world with a zombie apocalypse. In this timeline, Robin awakens, but not to a cool gucci love and peace Buddha enlightenment. Rather, the cynical, nihilistic all things should die and shut up kind.

In normal reincarnation situation, the reborn person is allowed to begin anew. There is a Buddhist hell which fucntions as a means to cleanse one of their bad karma, and so there is a strong emphasis on this. Grima is being shackled to 1 identity imo, and it sucks a bit.

Semi HC territory with this lens too: It's very likely that despair at various point was exploited for this to happen by their worshippers. Bc what better way to than to cut off a person from the rest of the world, from people, and create a situation where the victim has no one to lean on? Exactly like how baby Grima was cut off like in FE:Shadows of Valentia in that sealed off tower known as Thebes Labyrinth. Ofc, this is pure independence at the worst, and also very textbook cultist stuff.

(Side note: remembering past lives isn't really a loud thing in Buddhist practice, I think. It's sort of egotistical to claim oneself as so-and-so, going against some teachings and practice of it since it makes the claimer seem egotistical and arrogant, and thus it's just... bad form to do so. Also its more often than not used as a tactic to scam/manipulate people >_>. )

So, original timeline was played straight to the title: Fire Emblem Awakening. False Awakening. (I hope I'm making sense so far. x_x;;)

Fire Emblem Awakening's original timeline is true to its title and a bleak world.

This Awakening is just. Wrong. Remember that I mention interdependence being a big part of the core religion's philosophy? Grima shuns this by ignoring bonds and killing all those they might be friends with otherwise. Despite the constant preaching of Buddhism to be peaceful and do good things, Grima kind of murders and kills and is everything associated with darkness and death. Rather than lessen suffering, Grima causes more and takes away others' ability to walk their own path in their goal of total destruction.

Grima also does not even come close to understanding the world and interconnectedness. Thus, Grima with their actions here is doomed to be perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death.

Amnesia zap!

So, stuff happens, Lucina takes on the world and breaks into another timeline. Grima follows, causing alternate (our) Robin to get the big amnesia zap. To do over, basically, to let go of the past and redo it from a clean slate devoid of prior biases and judgement.

In effect, this is as good as being reborn from the Buddhist pov. Remember when I mention not remembering the past life at least in the beginning? And that the mind is fluid?

Later in the game, amnesia'd Robin meets OT Robin/Grima, and it gets. Interesting. The both of them seems to be disturbed by each other. If we follow the logic that these are the same person, then the schism, I think, is rooted very much in their lived experiences and thus take-away of their understanding of their own world.

This characterization further continues into Fire Emblem Heroes. They trigger each others' panic response. It's the maximum uncanny valley feeling, I think, bc it's like looking at a doppelganger: the exact same in appearance, but slightly ever so different in personality, in experience, in belief. To the point that its not exactly them, even though it should be.

At their meeting in FEA, Our Robin the Avatar the MC has already grown close to Chrom and friends. Our Robin understands bonds and their place in the world and finds love and acceptance and a place for themself beside Chrom, and in Ylisse.

This Robin understands the concept of love and interconnectedness. Grima/OT Robin, however, continues to shun it all to the end.

Conditions ok in the new timeline. Let go, Yes/No?

...So in the timeline we're familiar with, what is the Awakening referring to?

If we go by how one is supposed to attain enlightenment in Buddhism, it's by gaining an insight to how the world works, how everything is connected, and letting go of cravings/yearnings. While I think there's possibly a bunch of ways to interpret this in FEA, there is a very simple one.

The easiest interpretation would be that Robin understood their role in the world to be a vessel/reincarnation of Grima, and that it isn't the correct way because bonds are too important, and that no matter how difficult it must be, a worse future must be prevented no matter the cost. Bc they have come to adore their friends and the family of said friends and their future.

And to that future, possibly even the world in which they reside.

Grima however, stands against this. Grima's existence means the future for their friends, possible spouse and children, and Chrom, cannot live. What Grima stands for is annihilation.

There is a way to remove Grima permanently, but that comes at a cost, and that cost is them. Choosing this is to know that Grima as Grima was known cannot be allowed to come into existence, and if they were Grima or even hold the potential, that chance needs to be non-existent. The Grima before them needs to be non-existent. Robin has to be non-existent. (Out of the samsara cycle as you could say hohoho)

The alternative would be to seal Grima away and then let the future deal with them again in 1000 years. To say that Robin is too attatched to their newfound love ones and cannot let go. And this might be more preferable to some.

But we're talking about a game with Awakening in the title made by a bunch of Japanese. And with a somewhat shared culture at least I and my friends here understand. And so, pretty much everyone around me in this part of the world overwhelmingly chose the mutual destruction option.

>Yes

In the sacrifice ending, they let go of their yearning to be with their friends, their possible spouse, their possible children, and Chrom. The world, essentially.

The key difference between Our Robin and the OT Robin is, Robin has hope for the world despite being cut off from his loved ones and knowing they might be in some afterlife hell where they might very well be alone. The emotions of hope and love is just so strong it's convinced Robin that death was worth facing.

This is the True Fire Emblem Awakening.

After the credits, Chrom finds Robin on the ground again, seemingly returned and now fully unchained to the identity of Grima. This is framed as a good thing, as reward for choosing the hard path. (Even tho technically Robin doesn't break out of samsara here but. It's a good job reward for the player I guess)

So when the game asks if you are willing to sacrifice your Robin, it is in effect asking if you the player are willing to accept letting go in hopes of change and the new. (at least in my pov)

And remember the pin? About the soul/mind being malleable?

Grima and Robin are direct contrasts. Line up the themes and they contrast in every way. Past vs Future, Despair vs Hope, Death vs Life. They can be interpreted as the same person or different depending, but it remains that they share the same soul despite being very different.

In effect, this is saying that yes, even indirectly, a complete irredeemable being who has commited so much attrocities it breaks the scale like Grima can change. Can be better. The conditions just has to be there.

Now, all of these is just a reading from a Buddhist pov. There's many many more takeaways and possible routes of extrapolation, so don't take this as me saying it's the only way to read FEA. It is not. It is sooo not there's a bunch of fans out there writnig their own analysis about it.

Also, the Buddhist narrative is not exclusive to FEA. It is in every FE games to some degree. I think FEA and Engage are some of the loudest and explicit. I've written more and complied them here if you are interested in checking out more of my word vomit.

Thanks for reading!