sweatpantshedonist

[noosphe-re]

The tension of the future is unbearable in us. It must break through narrow cracks, it must force new ways. You want to cast off the burden, you want to escape the inescapable. Running away is deception and detour. Shut your eyes so that you do not see the manifold, the outwardly plural, the tearing away and the tempting. There is only one way and that is your way; there is only one salvation and that is your salvation. Why are you looking around for help? Do you believe that help will come from outside? What is to come is created in you and from you. Hence look into yourself. Do not compare, do not measure. No other way is like yours. All other ways deceive and tempt you. You must fulfill the way that is in you.

C.G. Jung, The Red Book: Liber Novus, edited and introduced by Sonu Shamdasani

[usefulquotes7]

The tension of the future is unbearable in us. It must break through narrow cracks, it must force new ways. You want to cast off the burden, you want to escape the inescapable. Running away is deception and detour. Shut your eyes so that you do not see the manifold, the outwardly plural, the tearing away and the tempting. There is only one way and that is your way; there is only one salvation and that is your salvation. Why are you looking around for help? Do you believe that help will come from outside? What is to come is created in you and from you. Hence look into yourself. Do not compare, do not measure. No other way is like yours. All other ways deceive and tempt you. You must fulfill the way that is in you. C.G. Jung, The Red Book: Liber Novus, edited and introduced by Sonu Shamdasani

[the-case-book-of-fanfiction]

The Case-Book {Masterlist}

Hey, I'm Case! My blog was getting a little crowded, so here's a masterlist for the stuff I write.

And here's an {Updates Page} for when I finally make myself a schedule I think I can stick to in terms of posting & to "announce" upcoming work.

Some of this will be a liiiiiittle empty until I edit my work and decide to post it.

Organized by fandom!

Your Favorite's Here {Masterlist} — Eddie Munson Eddie and his band bask in their success over a drink at a restaurant he's never been to before. But Eddie gets far more than he bargained for when he stepped through the front door.

1989 — Eddie Munson Returning to Hawkins after years of helping Eddie through English class (and specifically poetry assignments), you make Eddie watch a new film with you called Dead Poets Society.

Not Quite Dead — Eddie Munson You find yourself alone in Hawkins, a town ripped to shambles despite the sacrifices made to save it. Is it better or worse that Eddie doesn't live to see it? He'll tell you himself.

Like Another Tattoo — Eddie Munson Eddie learns to appreciate the scars he's covered in, one comment and show at a time. His friends also manage to make him cry.

A Kiss Kiss — Eddie Munson The Hellfire Club is one member short, but Eddie refuses to let the campaign slow down. That's where you come in, Eddie's "tutor" turned into his muse.

The Graduation Lineup — Steve Harrington Billy Hargrove comes between you and Steve at graduation—but only by last name. Additionally, you finally find out Steve's middle name (among other things).

Rain-Soaked Kisses — Steve Harrington Steve hates storms but loves the rain—just another oxymoron of his life, like the secret the kids are trying so very hard to dig up.

Bob Seger — Steve Harrington Is there a handbook for what to do when your crush walks into your store to buy a gift for his girlfriend? There should be!

Eddie's Girl — Steve Harrington Steve finds himself pining over the one girl he can't have, and he has no idea how to handle it. It's a good thing you notice before Eddie does, and, by God, is Steve's timing perfect.

The Only Tally Mark — Steve Harrington The 'You Suck' tallies are getting pretty high, but there's a girl in Scoops Ahoy who knows Robin in wrong. If she can just get the courage to open her mouth, Steve's luck is about to change.

steve harrington hcs (pt. 1) corroded coffin setlist detective harrington au idea

(more coming soon...)

Burns Like Rum — Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3) Astarion's hunger worsens every day and you don't have any blood to spare—but that doesn't stop you from inadvertently tempting him at every turn. Luckily for both of you, you've both got the same idea to cure him of his hunger.

Sweet Like Wine — Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3) Your monthly bleed is over—just in time for you and Astarion to find yourselves with a bit of alone time. You might not be able to feed your vampire as easily, but there's another hunger for the two of you to satiate.

Crawl Home to Her — Astarion (Baldur’s Gate 3) As awful the feeling of blood on the skin is, sometimes it can be helpful, you have to admit. At least, when it comes to Astarion, blood is always helpful. You'll have to take his word for it—and that's oh so easy bathing with him.

Love Bites {Masterlist} — Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3) With your memory spotty, you gravitate toward the first person you see—an old friend from a very old past. But Astarion is keeping plenty of secrets...and he's never been the best liar. How long will it take before his deceptions unravel? And what will you do when you realize just how much damage he's done?

When Gods Listen — Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3) Astarion is hit by a memory spell mid-combat. You fear what will happen to him, but Astarion only knows he woke with the answer to his prayers looking down at him.

astarion ancunin hcs (pt. 1)

(more coming soon...)

A Job Unfinished — Santiago "Pope" Garcia It's been days since you last saw Santiago, days after he promised he'd be back. One last (very illegal) mission in Colombia, and then he'd be yours forever. But Santiago is five days late.

(more coming soon...)

Hmm... It's a ghost town in here.

(there's a multi-chaptered Poe Dameron fic currently sitting in drafts)

Operatives One-O-Three — Barty Crouch Jr. Knowledge is a curse, and we know all. Lord Voldemort's regime grows stronger on the daily, and it's up to a ragtag group of teenagers and an undercover operation to stop him: Operatives 103, otherwise known as Operatives One-O-Three (one-oh-three in the official Ministry log books). But there's more trouble than Voldemort for the undercover spies, and the root of it starts in the home. (available on A03 or Wattpad)

(more coming soon...)

Looks like this part of the museum isn't open yet...

(yes that's a hint at my current marvel wips)

Well, uh, I think we'll be in purgatory for a bit, folks.

These are probably hidden in a locked desk in Ketterdam.

I, uh, hate all the old ones I wrote, so I won't be linking those, and I'm gonna sit in my mind palace for a few hours until I can come up with some better ones.

No, no, don't panic! They're in here somewhere. I just have to remember which room...

I need a section for my random stuff! This is it.

(Baldur's Gate 3 content is now under its own label, underneath Stranger Things. Go back up!)

I'm bound to write the strangest one of these at some point, so might as well be prepared.

It's a bit empty in here, isn't it?

REQUESTS ARE OPEN as of May 7!

Check out the... ☟

Have something you'd like to ask me to write? Don't hesitate! Here's what to do.

DM me to make your request and include the fandom & charcter(s) you'd like me to write for, as well as the general "premise" of the fic (such as a prompt). Answer any clarifying questions I send to you and wait for your fic to arrive! I won't be able to get to every request, of course, so please be patient with me! If I can't think of what to write or have no inspiration, I will let you know. Sometimes, the fic just doesn't come to me.

Additionally, chances are I can probably write for more fandoms than are currently on this list. There's a Miscellaneous section for a reason. If you're not sure, it doesn't hurt to ask!

If requests go over well, I'll start making some prompts to make requesting easier for you guys.

Happy reading & requesting!

[astraeasatelier]

Ringing evil phone

Do not reprint, reuse, retranslate, or link this translation on wikias and external sites without my permission. 

Lyricist: Saori Kodama Composer: amazuti

Happy global Ensemble Stars streaming!

I didn't realize how badly I wanted an electro-swing shuffle. Since I can't get the song out of my head, here's a translation for everyone.

Edit 4/29/2024: I forgot a line from Hinata, so I've added it.

Translation under the cut.

Hokuto: Ringing evil phone Natsume: Hello

Hokuto: Your hesitant finger wavers over the private dial Hajime/Ritsu: The border line of reason, what a precarious border line Natsume: Soon your anticipation will outweigh your anxiety Hinata/Hajime/Ritsu: Step across the border line, connect the world lines

Ritsu: Through the receiver I hear you gasp as your breath's taken away Hajime/Ritsu: I can't help but smile Hinata:Just can't help it Natsume: Could you speak a little more clearly? I'll praise you for your confused courage Hinata: Who's calling please? Hokuto: Let's hear out this inquiry, shall we? Now, Hajime: Ringing evil phone

I have a wish that I can't reveal to anyone, Hinata: Ah, what a tempting looking soul Calling-Calling, make sure your request is as clear as possible Ritsu: You want us to make it reality, don't you? Our prices are always fair, without any deception Just say the word once you're prepared Natsume/Hokuto: And say yes with your voice to the contract

Hinata: Perhaps if you just prayed to god, this would have worked out without any issue Natsume/Hokuto/Hajime: A line that's as good as a prayer, a fated secret lie Ritsu: Succumbing to temptation is something you must take responsibility for, don't you know? Natsume/Hokuto/Hajime: This is the secret line you've chosen, welcome to the end of the line

Hokuto: The sound of your voice becoming so relaxed Natsume/Hokuto: Is rather dangerous, but so precious Hajime: So cute Hinata: You're just barely holding onto that facade of being a good person Seems like we'll have some fun in tricking you, huh? Hajime: Whose fault is it? Ritsu: Let's return to back to the topic at hand Now, Ritsu: Ringing evil phone

That wish hiding deep inside of your heart, Hajime: Ahh, what a lonely looking soul Calling-Calling, just leave it to me, whatever your heart desires Natsume: I'll grant them all for you With that, just give me your word as a binding contract Let me hear it directly from your lips

Ringing evil phone... Say yes with your voice to the contract, Say yes with your voice to the contract Ringing evil phone...

Natsume: Hey, all those excuses you're holding on to… Hokuto: Just gather them up and admit them Hinata: Hey, don't you realize that if you take this long… Ritsu: My heart Hajime/Hinata: and my body

Natsume & Hokuto & Ritsu: Just can't stand waiting for you?

Hinata: Ringing evil phone Hajime: I have a wish that I can't reveal to anyone, Ritsu: Ah, what a tempting looking soul (Now) Just leave it to me, whatever your heart desires I'll grant it for you Hinata: With that, just give me your word as contract Hokuto: Let's come to an agreement Natsume: Let me hear it directly from your lips Say yes with your voice to the contract

Natsume: Ringing evil phone

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Laughing Shadow Study (Pathfinder Second Edition Magus Hybrid Study)

(art by DjWelch on DeviantArt)

The hybrid studies of the Second Edition Magus contain references not just to the archetypes of the First Edition version of the class, but also to many classic ways to build the class as well. Last time we did one of these, it was the Inexorable Iron study, which revolved around hitting foes really hard with powerful buffed weapons. Today, however, we’ll be looking at a more agile and subtle choice.

The study of the Laughing Shadow is all about using magic to improve mobility and elusiveness, truly emulating it’s name by making the magus hard to hit and pin down, slipping away like a faint illusion only to return with lethal precision moments later. They always have a trick, and they’re always one step ahead.

To accomplish this, the study pays homage to the dimensional agility line of feats, which are a classic pick for agile magi in 1E. While the second edition version doesn’t quite let you jump around the battlefield striking foes across the battlefield, it does let them vanish in and out of combat with teleportation magic.

There’s even a little bit of the rogue in this study as well as they favor deception and striking from unexpected angles.

As you might imagine, these warrior-mages revel in the combat superiority that their magic gives them, and as we’ll soon see, they use that edge to full effect.

The arcane cascade of this path has two effects, the first bolstering the movement speed of the user, while the second enhances their precision and ability to target the vulnerable points of unaware foes, bolstering their damage output.

Meanwhile, their conflux spell gives them a short-range teleport that they can attack out of, striking from all sorts of angles.

The spells associated with the study include creating illusory doubles, warping perception to make others take the fall for their attacks (or alternatively, a very brief time stop), and of course, a short-range dimensional hop.

Of course, there are feats directly associated with this study as well. With a Distracting Spellstrike, they can use flashes and sparks of illusionary magic to cloud a foe’s vision before striking. With Dimensional Disappearance, they can turn invisible as they exit their dimensional assault, either to catch foes off guard with their attack or to slip away unnoticed.

Other feats they might find useful include Cantrip Expansion, Expansive Spellstrike, Force Fang, Spell Parry, Spirit Sheath, Steady Spellcasting, Attack of Opportunity, Cascade Countermeasure, Capture Magic, Runic Impression, Spell Swipe, Standby Spell, Cascading Ray, Rapid Recharge, Conflux Focus, Arcane Shroud, Hasted Assault, Preternatural Parry, Supreme Spellstrike, or Whirlwind Spell. Naturally, your build will likely vary.

This study is begging for a combination of defensive buffs, battlefield control, and lovely damage-dealing spells both for area effects and intimate single-target damage. Also consider illusion and stealth-buffing spells as well. Regardless, your battle strategy will likely revolve around vanishing and reappearing to strike foes from multiple angles, as well as debuffing foes to leave them open to your attacks as well.

With their focus on magic that makes them really annoying to pin down, it’s super tempting to play these characters as being truly insufferable to their foes (and potentially their allies), and that’s fine as long as you’re not being insufferable to the players themselves, but also consider that they may instead be more the “shadowy expert” sort that are totally in the zone and focused while fighting.

The party is being hunted, an assassin sent by one of their enemies in the form of a mistsoul undine sprite. Despite their unassuming form, they are an elusive killer that uses their mist and cold spells to open up their prey to their deadly strikes. Their only hope it to lure them into an ambush.

Though he has lost nearly all memory of those skills, the hunter wight known as Shadowfang was once a legendary magus who could disappear into shadow and strike from anywhere. Now as an undead, the only echo of his former skill lies in his short-range teleportation.

After their performance in a local fighting tournament, a young magus has decided to become the party’s rival, though his definition borders on nemesis, so eager to challenge and vex them that he has joined up with their other enemies repeatedly, always vanishing when things go south.

[pynkhues]

The challengers

Fall Guy

Anyone but You

Hitman

Thank you!

Challengers

never seen | want to see | the worst | bad | whatever | not my thing | good | great | favorite | masterpiece

So good! I actually talked about it a bit here after seeing it at the cinema, but it's definitely one that's stayed with me. In particular the editing? It managed to be both really snappy and to flow really well, which is no small feat. I'm keen to watch it again.

Fall Guy

never seen | want to see | the worst | bad | whatever | not my thing | good | great | favorite | masterpiece

Of David Leitch's films, I definitely preferred Atomic Blonde, but this was still a really fun movie. The stunts were great, and my sister had done some work on it, so it was also very fun in that context to get to see things on screen that she'd told me about when she was on set. I wish there was less CGI? They did so much practically, that it would've felt a bit more in line with the film's over all thesis on practical effects to stay true to that.

Anyone but You

never seen | want to see | the worst | bad | whatever | not my thing | good | great | favorite | masterpiece

I haven't seen this one! But after watching Hit Man last night, I'm tempted. Glen Powell is a pretty charming rom com lead, and it's kinda funny that it's set in Australia as an exotic location, haha.

Hit Man

never seen | want to see | the worst | bad | whatever | not my thing | good | great | favorite | masterpiece

At anon's recommendation yesterday, I actually watched it last night! Really enjoyed it! Richard Linklater has such an effortless charm to his directorial style, and I think it really brought out the best among the whole cast. There is of course some ethical queasiness given the deception, but I think they balanced that out as best as they could as the movie went along.

Also, I don't think I've seen Adria Arjona in anything before, and I just thought she was so great and worked really well as she had almost as many evolutions as Glen Powell's character did. Plus I'm always happy to see Retta thriving.

Ask me about movies

[wellthatsclever]

Finding A Husband With God’s Help

Roosh Valizadeh

The second edition of my book for women, Lady, has been released. It now contains a Prologue (shared below) intended for Christian women to aid them in their search for a suitable husband while avoiding secular behaviors and traps. Lady is available in eBook, paperback, and audiobook. Click here to learn more.

I originally wrote Lady for secular women who wanted to get married and were ready to make changes after failing to find a husband with casual dating. I was agnostic at the time and attempted to offer an intermediate step between the secular world and the world of God for women who felt that casual dating was wrong but didn’t yet trust God to provide them with a suitable husband.

It would be impossible to retrofit Lady as a Christian work. It contains too many secular ideas and cost-benefit arguments, and promotes behaviors that could be classified as sinful, so instead I have written this prologue for Christian women who want to get the best out of Lady without risking their salvation. Below you’ll find direct quotes from Lady followed by a correction that has been guided by my developing Christian faith.

“In life, there is a time for hearing ‘sweet little lies,’ as the Fleetwood Mac song tells us, and there is a time for knowing the truth so that you can improve your life.” “Improve your life” in what way? In terms of the benefits, comforts, and pleasures you can receive? In the amount of pride you develop for being a beautiful or “good” person? In Lady I advised you to embark on a journey of self-improvement to increase your “value,” but in the eyes of God, your value is determined by your faith, not your skill at appearing better before worldly men. The only improvement you need is to increase your faith and turn away from sin, and doing those two things alone will yield enough for you to bond with a man who has a similar level of faith as you do. The last thing you want is to make yourself appealing on a skin-deep level to a man lusting after external beauty. More effort should be put into improving the internal, in the form of the spiritual, than the external, for if you want to drink from a cup, it’s more important for the inside to be clean than the outside.

“Our basic nature is to survive and pair-bond with our sexual opposite… to accomplish this end, nature gave men and women their own set of specific tools.” Our basic nature is first and foremost to serve the will of God. For most people, His will entails getting married, working out your salvation with your spouse, and sowing the seeds of salvation for your children. It is true that God gave women a set of tools that are different from those He gave to men, but those tools must ultimately be harnessed to serve God’s will, not your own will or goals. If you want to get married and have children, and you’re not praying to God for strength or help to achieve this end, you will be tempted to date many men so that you can make the “right” choice. You will try to find out whether you are “sexually compatible” with a man. You will wonder whether taking a trip to Italy will allow you to obtain a better-looking man with a pleasing accent. Disconnected from God, our choices are likely to be infused with deception, and so God must be involved every step of the way. In the practical sense, this means intense prayer and receiving guidance from priests, monks, and devout Christians around you.

“[T]he point of all this is not merely to get married, but to transcend the material world for the immaterial experiences of love, family, and a life that is compatible with your feminine essence.” I was close with this statement but still off the mark. Where does love come from? God. Who “invented” the family? God. Who created your life? God. Without God, love is lust, family is just a checkbox on your bucket list, and life is meant to be enjoyed in this world only. There is no transcendence if you’re deceived by the schemes of the world. Only God allows you to transcend. Only God can grant you salvation and eternal life. God must be a part of whatever you pursue, and if you can’t see the man who desires you as sent by God, you should wait for another man.

The materialistic goals you pursue are business transactions. You weigh the costs and the benefits, and may even write the “pros” and “cons” on a piece of paper, just like the self-improvement gurus teach. You marry a man because he passed your analysis and is the best you can get, but what happens when the marriage gets difficult? What happens if he gets sick or loses his job? Now your business transaction is not looking so great, your piece of paper needs to be updated, and you’ll want to abandon ship—like so many women do—instead of enduring. But if you believe your husband was sent to you by God, and you are serving Him through the marriage, you will endure the trial as a way to please the Lord instead of running away. You will stay in order to deepen your faith. This is the difference between a secular woman and a Christian woman. The secular woman will remain in a situation only if there are material rewards but will flee when things turn sour. The Christian woman, on the other hand, uses her faith to preserve the family “in sickness and in health” and walks away only if God wills it.

Be careful of making a false god out of motherhood and family. Yes, being a mother is by default the best thing you can do with your life, but motherhood is not the god. Family is not the god. Your husband, an icon of Christ, is how you serve God, but he is not a god. The One God must come before everything in this world, because when isolated from God, you will simply not make the right choice about which man to marry or be able to bear the multitude of problems that happen within any marriage.

“Before you can get into a relationship with a man, you first have to attract him… a man must be attracted to you physically before he will begin to attach himself emotionally.” Your physical beauty comes from your faith in God. You are thin because you turn away from the sin of gluttony. You have long hair and act like a woman because you cherish your God-given femininity. From accepting how God created you, you don’t have to put on makeup, shape your butt in the gym through hours of exercise, or apply fake nails or eyelashes. The natural beauty that flows from your faith is all you need to attract a man. Otherwise, you’ll disfigure yourself into a trendy ideal of beauty with a focus on being sexy, which merely attracts men who want a trendy woman. Women who obsess about external beauty inevitably become objects of sexual desire by men who just want to get laid.

In Lady I explained how the main form of bait you should use to attract a man is beauty, but it should be your faith, because only with faith can you be truly beautiful. You can place a supermodel in front of me right now, with her perfect facial structure and hair, but I wouldn’t see beauty. I would see a fallen woman who sold her soul for fame and money. Many men covet porn stars, but you can imagine the type of man you will attract if you try to imitate them. You don’t want a man who cannot tell the difference between a disguise of beauty and the real thing, but to get there, you must actually possess the real thing, and that only comes with faith. The stronger your relationship with God, the more beautiful you will appear to a man who also has a relationship with God. Think of beauty, grace, humility, and elegance as side effects of leading a Christian life, not the goals themselves.

“I know it’s frustrating that so many men just want to use you for sex, but from the standpoint of men surveying the available women in their local environment, it’s the most logical default option to have.” Wrong, it’s the most sinful default option to have! Just because so many women are bad, that doesn’t mean men should follow them with their tongues hanging out of their mouths, and just because a supposedly “good” man demands sex before marriage, that doesn’t mean you should follow him.

I can’t stress how much of a reversal I’ve experienced when it comes to premarital sex. As of this writing, I’m chaste. I do not fornicate or masturbate. I do not implement game tactics to meet random women in public. I do not date with the goal of physical intimacy, and would only consider traditional courtship. If, after several years, I do not meet a suitable woman, then it is God’s will for me to remain single. I definitely would not whirl up the Tinder app on my phone in a panic or change myself to conform to the fallen world, and neither should you. If there is no man out there who allows you to maintain your walk with Christ, then God may have given you the gift of lifelong chastity, like He may have given me.

Be extremely careful of men who are sexually active, and by that I mean a man who is not against premarital sex, masturbation, or pornography. At a minimum, he should be struggling to reduce or eliminate his sinful habits in order to please God. What is the point of choosing a secular man who will reluctantly wait until marriage to have sex with you but in the meantime masturbate to naked women on a computer screen? Whether he masturbates or fornicates, he is controlled by the deadly sin of lust, and this will damage any marital home in the future. While no man is perfect, he should be ascending to Christ and attempting to control his sins with God’s help when he encounters you. It is not your responsibility to present the Gospel to a man for the first time or be his personal savior.

“If a man has a stable job, has similar family values to yours, and you enjoy spending time with him in spite of his flaws, there isn’t much more you can look for in a long-term partner.” As you would expect, we need to add to that his faith. In fact, it should be number one, because all the family values you seek will sprout from faith. If a man has the right values but doesn’t have God in his life, I must wonder how good those values will be when he is tested, or whether he may be putting on an act in order to achieve his materialistic goal of marriage. On the other hand, if by all appearances a man is in a woeful state but has the right faith, or at least a faith that is deepening, I would put more stock in him than in one who is faithless yet appears more polished.

Since God ordained a husband to lead his wife, a man’s faith should be developed enough that you feel secure following him. While no one’s faith is perfect, you should not identify so many problems with his that you feel he’s doing it all wrong or is deceived. If his faith is less developed than yours, you should at least feel that it’s growing fast enough so that he can soon surpass you. The last thing you want is to serve as your husband’s spiritual leader. God created Eve from Adam, not the other way around; if a man is sorely lacking in the faith department, leave him be until he can fully receive God’s grace.

“[You should] postpone physical intimacy to weed out men who only want sex. I therefore advise you to kiss a man on the lips no sooner than date two and to have sex with him no sooner than date nine. (Oral or anal sex counts as sex.)” If you’re serving Jesus Christ, you should not participate in sex before marriage, or in any other behavior that could potentially lead to sex. This includes lip kissing, cuddling, and holding hands. The ideal is not to do anything with a man who isn’t your husband that you wouldn’t do with your grandfather. Refrain from behaviors that put you or a man in a state of physical arousal, because once that occurs, fornication is not far off. If you’re with a man who refuses to abide by these rules, or makes a big show of not being able to stay in control because you are turning him on, ditch him. He doesn’t care about serving God and only wants to manipulate you in order to receive pleasure from your body.

It’s upsetting to see so many self-identifying Christians throw sexual morality out the window. You will encounter many of them who declare their love for Jesus Christ while fornicating and cohabitating, but the teachings of Christ have not changed in 2,000 years. His expectations of us have not altered. He does not want us to fornicate before marriage. If you love Him as He loves you, abide by his commandment to turn away from sexual immorality. In a sex-obsessed world, this will be an impossible task without His help. Whenever sexual temptation knocks on your door, recite the Jesus Prayer until the temptation fades: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

“If you’re out in public, walk slowly as if you’re not in a hurry to be somewhere [so that men will approach you].” I can no longer advise you to meet men in public. While it is statistically possible to meet your future husband in a beautiful park, you are far more likely to meet a player or secular man who wants to fornicate with you. There is a reason random encounters were the principal means by which I obtained fornication in the past: they are the best way to meet a lot of women in a short amount of time and screen for those who are sexually willing. I gave detailed scripts for men to meet women in bars, cafés, and public venues where social ties were not needed. Men who have no attachment to their community can just pop right in front of a woman, make her feel happy, and take her to bed. There is too much temptation involved with meeting a man in such a way.

That said, it is always possible that Divine Providence will send you a man who appeared out of the bushes in a park, but don’t seek out that outcome. Instead, focus on events that draw in the right type of man. For example, you may want to attend the yearly Armenian Food Festival held by a church, and there in the corner is a man with a large beard who explains to you how his mom makes dolma and börek. For every one woman who meets a man at a food festival or farmers market, a dozen will meet them through their church or social groups. It’s better to invest in community-based avenues than random encounters.

“I do think traditional ways are best for long-term relationships, but achieving this in a non-traditional age is impossible.” This statement is an indication of how little faith I had at the time. If you serve God, you will become traditional without trying. Lean on God and He will give you the strength to resist the temptations that the non-traditional world offers. If I ever have children, I don’t doubt that the family home would be traditional. We would grow our own food and repair things that break down. We would homeschool. We would keep out television sets and damaging entertainment. Most importantly, our home would be centered on Christ, and manifesting from that faith will be what outwardly appears as traditionalism. I’ve met countless Christians who are doing it, and I’m sure that, with God’s help, you can do it as well.

“Experiment in the bedroom with sexy outfits, dirty talk, role-playing, and different-colored wigs. Wear a short skirt in public so that he’s aroused and can’t wait to get you home.” Sex-addict Roosh was talking here. Most secular men fear that their sex lives will suffer in marriage. In essence, they’ve made an idol out of sexual pleasure, putting it above the marriage. If a man does the opposite and puts marriage above sex, he will be able to endure the prospect of never again having sex with his wife if—for example—she develops a serious medical condition. You do not want a man who is obsessed with sexual pleasure, because once the sex gets boring, and it will, he will start to make demands that reduce you to a sex doll or a pornographic actress he saw on the internet. This extends to performing anal or oral sex. If your husband is not satisfied with normal sex, then perhaps the problem lies with him. You certainly have a wifely duty to provide your husband with sex if you are physically able, but you should not have to morph into someone else to satisfy his uncontrolled lust or perverted kinks.

“I know many men who are avoiding marriage solely because of divorce laws.” And you should leave those men alone. Let them remain single and shout to the world that divorce is unfair and life is stacked against them while they pursue fornication or masturbation. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, life has been difficult for both men and women. Traps set by the demons are all around us, but those traps should not stop us from serving God in one of His most important sacraments: marriage. A man who is scared of marriage because of divorce has put worldly concerns above trust in God. He has no faith that God will deliver him from any future tribulation, and is more concerned with his money and comforts.

Let’s say I get married to a Christian woman and she later becomes influenced by Satan and divorces me. She takes my house and most of my money. Should I curse God for this misfortune? Quite the opposite. I should thank Him for putting me through a trial that is designed to deepen my faith in a way that only God knows. Perhaps I would have sacrificed my salvation if I had stayed with that woman. Perhaps the house and money distanced me from God in a way I couldn’t see. Besides, why did I accumulate so many possessions? Is it through serving God that a man’s fortune is amassed? If I marry a woman who I believe is sent by God, and she later divorces me, I have nothing to lament, for that is God’s will. The problem is therefore not unfair divorce laws, or that marriage is rigged against men, but a lack of faith. Christian men should not let Caesar’s laws prevent them from serving God through marriage, an institution that He created for us.

One point I didn’t address in Lady is how to know whether or not a man is right for you. I tackled the problem as if it were something of a checklist, where if a man has certain qualities, he should be good enough, but those qualities are materialistic in nature and do not provide any assurance that he will be a good husband in the future. In the end, only God knows whether you should marry a man based on how the marriage will affect your salvation, and the only way to find out if a man is sent to you by God is to pray about it continually and seek spiritual guidance from elders, priests, and monks who God may enlighten to help you make the right choice.

God may not want you to have a “happy” marriage that resembles a Disney movie. From God’s perspective, your salvation is His utmost concern. He wants you to be saved, and it’s very possible that for you to be saved, you need to enter into a difficult marriage, or a marriage where your husband dies young, or perhaps not to be married at all. By marrying the wrong man from God’s perspective, you may have a great marriage materialistically but risk your salvation. By marrying the better man, your life could have significantly more struggles, but you will be saved. Pray to God for weeks or months about the man who is courting you. Ask Him whether this is the man for you, and to enlighten others around you to help you make the correct decision. Don’t go it alone and don’t depend entirely on your emotions or instincts. Depend on God to make the final decision.

If I rewrote Lady today, God would be on every page. All good comes from God, and if you want to serve Him through marriage, you need to seek out God every step of the way. Thankfully, Lady is not wholly incompatible with the Christian life. This isn’t a surprise, since I wrote Lady right before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He was working through me even though I felt that He was absent from my life. Praise be to God for producing a work that served as a rudimentary beginning to healing the immense damage I had done to both men and women through my prior writings. I pray that He will continue to work through me not only for my salvation, but also for the salvation of those who follow me.

[forest-of-stories]

Throwback Thursday, Fandom Edition: "Shall we turn the page and try again?"

When I caught up with The Magnus Archives, the fourth season was racing toward its finale.  Consequently, I was emotionally compromised by “We could leave here, you and me” and “If it meant now saving him, it was worth it” and “Don’t worry, I know the way” at more or less the same time as the rest of the fans (or at least my fellow Jon/Martin shippers), and I approached episode 160, “The Eye Opens,” almost completely unspoiled.  I listened to it as I walked home from work on October 31, 2019.

The rest of this post will contain spoilers for that episode and some of what follows.

My heart fluttered at the confirmation that Jon and Martin had spent three weeks hiding out in a safehouse in Scotland, to the point where they comfortably bantered about fear diets and good cows.  That missing time is a gift to the fandom (more on that shortly), and I will always be grateful to the writer for it, even – or perhaps especially – considering what he inflicted on us once Martin left Jon alone to read his statement.

The fandom's use of “Hello, Jon... apologies for the deception” as a meme became very tiresome, very quickly.  But as the turning point of the episode – and, indeed, the show as a whole – that line was a punch in the gut.  I might have gasped.  And then I was so absorbed in Jonah’s monologue, as he recounted the purpose behind his years-long manipulation of his Archivist, leading up to the final incantation that turned the entire world into a fear-governed hellscape, that I’m surprised I crossed all the streets at the right time and didn’t wander off my route before I reached my home.

And then I prepared to spend five months waiting for the next season, alongside the rest of the fans.  Here are some drafts that I wrote during the hiatus.

A lot of us pounced immediately on the three weeks that Jon and Martin spent in that safehouse, which we sometimes called the “Scottish Honeymoon” period.  This stretch of time has its own canonical tag on AO3, which, at time of posting, contains nearly 1300 works. In many of those stories, Jon and Martin recovered from the trauma of the previous seasons while navigating their newly acknowledged feelings for each other, because of course there was Only One Bed.  I was always particularly fond of “Martin is still tempted or affected by the Lonely and Jon has to ground him” as a premise.  But no matter how fluffy or sexy any given fic was, the experience was always bittersweet, because we all knew where the story was going.

I’m sure that, between October and April, some fanfics also speculated on how the fifth and final season of TMA would play out, assuming (correctly) that the boys would eventually leave the safehouse and encounter old friends and enemies in their quest to undo the “Eyepocalypse.” I didn’t take any of my writing in that direction.  The end of Season 4 – which destroyed the world – had defied all of my expectations on one thirty-minute walk through a damp, windy fall afternoon.  How could I even try to predict what would happen in the spring?

[getyourblisson]

WATCHING: Francis Scott Key Bridge hit by cargo ship in Baltimore, MD

In the early morning hours of March 26th, 2024 a cargo ship hits a supporting piece of the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing a collapse of the bridge. The bridge was named after Francis Scott Key who wrote the Star Spangled Banner.

More on the bridge collapse at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/baltimore-bridge-collapse-update-officials-searching-for-6-people/ar-BB1kyUsG

The Code Journey - 2024 Edition - written approximately 1 year ago.

Starseed Section in yearly influences January 1st - July 2nd. When Starseeds are present, their energy is also activated in our world.

"This group helps us to see how much we deprive ourselves and how disconnected we become when we are relying on AI to do so much for us. They remind us that we need to be able to do things without it since it is not truly reliable or as beneficial as it has been made out to be."

Yearly Influences - How They Play Out in 2024 - January 1st - May 26th

"The challenges during this period will most likely be connected to where people have to give up addictions or are faced with strong temptations....People may be tempted to cave into materialism or to sacrifice themselves in an even deeper and darker spiral.....Think of temptations as bait sitting in a trap. They look great until the trap is activated, which happens once the bait is taken.....It is during this time that we are likely to see many things come to light.....We must use caution during this time, because those that have chosen a path of corruption are set on getting personal gain. They will lie, manipulate, and deceive people to get whatever they want. The lies they tell, are the bait in the trap."

As I piece these things together, it shows that there is A LOT more that will come out about this. We may find several things connected to this incident. The report says that a mayday alert was called in after experiencing a power outage. Those steering these ships - like a truck driver that drives the same route daily - knows where to steer the ship; and would not turn into it if concerned. There are no details yet on the "mayday" call or if it was actually connected to the outage or something else.

When our ships and other aspects in infrastructure rely on AI; we make ourselves very vulnerable as a country. Incidents like this, remind us that we need to be able to go into more of a "manual" operation mode. Our younger generations and world in general are "deprived"; because we have given up real skills for the convenience of things run by AI and technology. They don't actually have to know how to fly a plane, fix a car, or steer a ship without going by what AI tells them. Many cannot even navigate with maps; because they are fully reliant on a gps to tell them where to go.

I expect that we will find interesting aspects in the cargo itself. Was this ship carrying something other than the normal cargo; perhaps something that would expose something? It is likely that someone was "bribed" or "tempted" to sabotage the ship; either before it left the dock, or through a live person being on board who took over command of the ship, or even both. We will have to see if the person calling in mayday survives or not; my guess is that they may not. Someone may very likely have been willing to sacrifice their life to take this particular ship down - which then puts this into the deeper darker spiral of terrorism. It is also very likely that materialism and personal gain weighs heavy in this situation. The question becomes, who stands to profit or benefit from this?

It is very likely that we are going to see lots of lies, deception, and manipulation present in the narratives put out by mainstream media. The attempt to cover things up with lies, will likely bring a lot of exposure as things will not match up. I am certain this was no simple "accident". The power flickered twice before the ship hit the supporting structure.

The lies have already started. The person trying to discount this being an act of terrorism was named Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field Office just YESTERDAY. It is interesting how many events happen that follow this pattern of appointing someone to the location just before the incident. We saw that with Las Vegas shootings, the fires on Hawaii, and many more. It is something that we can't dismiss. It is like these people are put in place to lie and try to handle "damage control".

I think that we will see much more come out around this; and that it is likely to unfold other things. Hitting this particular bridge is a statement and/or symbolism on attacking America and its freedoms. Almost like a trial run for bigger things to come, and to show that certain players are ready to go.

[submarinerwrites]

sir gawain and the green knight, trans. brian stone

★★☆☆☆

this book was a translation of the middle english romance poem in alliterative verse, composed in the fourteenth century by an unknown author.

i’ve been on a bit of an arthuriana kick lately and i thought this would be an enjoyable read. i found the copy rather serendipitously in a little free library and decided to give it a go.

as i noted before, it is a translation, which i don't exactly love with regards to middle english: my own preference is contemporary transcription with glosses for unfamiliar words. i definitely would have loved a side-by-side translation or something to that effect, but i do understand that many people wouldn’t.

i will note that the translation is, to my untrained eye, extremely careful and faithful to the original text. the poem's alliterative qualities truly shine through. i was actually enthralled by how the meter and alliteration worked together to create a kind of prosody that imo is completely distinct from the non-alliterative middle english poetic tradition. it reads in a way that is completely different from chaucer. the book contained some excerpts of the original middle english, which i enjoyed comparing to the translation. honestly if i were rating this based solely on the translation, it’d be five stars but frankly it had other issues.

i personally wasn’t impressed by the book's approach to scholarship. i maybe am spoiled by the norton critical editions i have and love, but i think that when a huge portion (nearly half the page count) is articles on the work, they should be written by someone other than the translator.

said articles were interesting but lacking in detail. the first was a broad overview of gawain’s goodness, the second an analysis of his virginity, and the third a discussion of a theatrical production of the work. i would’ve loved to see an in-depth analysis of the beheading game as well as scholarship by other authors.

AND: since this is clearly positioning itself as an introductory text, i actually felt like the book desperately needed something about its relationship to malory and the vulgate cycle, as well as arthurian myth as a whole, because i was confused lol.

something else i found annoying was how stone had a whole two pages about the pentacle on gawain’s shield that was mostly nonsense. i don’t think he did a great job of proving his claim that the pentacle’s appearance in this poem is something especially unique.

okay enough complaining. the book was poorly structured and didn’t have great supplementary materials end stop.

one thing i enjoyed was how the author positioned sir gawain and the green knight as a completely unique text. the story (with the exception of the trope of the beheading game) is actually genuinely unique to the poet which shocked me given how much of arthurian myth is recycled again and again.

on the subject of the beheading game, the poem also made me think about connections to shakespeare’s measure for measure, which is also about purity and, of course, beheading. there’s something to be said for how gawain’s disgrace comes not from his being tempted by sexual desires but his deception concerning the girdle, in comparison to angelo’s sexual corruption and salvation through the deception of the bedtrick. interesting reversal that shows the difference in cultural mores between medieval and renaissance time periods.

sidenote but i also couldn’t stop thinking about how gawain wearing the green girdle is about crossdressing. translator didnt even consider that sadly. i also in general think there was a lot more to be said about the lady that he just wasnt interested in lol.

i do think that penguin just generally chooses very conservative translators—which was in this case a benefit to the poem itself and a disservice to the scholarship surrounding it. overall, interesting but a bit of a letdown.

[famebooster]

The Rise of Social Media Buying: Understanding the Purchase of YouTube Views and TikTok Followers

In today's digital age, social media has become a powerful tool for individuals and businesses alike to connect with their audience and promote their brand. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok have exploded in popularity, offering users the ability to share their content with millions of people around the world. With such vast audiences, it's no wonder that many are turning to buying views and followers to boost their online presence. In this article, we'll delve into the world of purchasing YouTube views and TikTok followers, exploring the reasons behind this trend and its implications.

YouTube Views Kaufen

YouTube is one of the largest video-sharing platforms globally, with billions of users watching millions of hours of videos every day. For content creators, getting their videos seen can be a challenge, especially with the sheer volume of content being uploaded. This is where buying YouTube views comes in.

Purchasing views is a way to increase the visibility of a video, making it more likely to be recommended to other users. It can also help to boost the video's ranking in YouTube's search results, making it easier for people to find. Additionally, having a high view count can lend credibility to a video, making it more attractive to viewers.

However, buying views is not without its risks. YouTube has strict policies regarding view manipulation, and if caught, a video could be removed, and the account could be banned. Therefore, it's essential to use reputable services when buying views and to ensure that the views are coming from real, engaged users.

TikTok Follower Kaufen

TikTok has taken the social media world by storm, becoming one of the most popular apps among young people. With its short-form video format and easy-to-use editing tools, TikTok has made it possible for anyone to become a content creator. However, building a following on TikTok can be challenging, especially for new users.

Buying TikTok followers is a way to jumpstart one's TikTok account, giving it a boost in visibility and credibility. Having a large number of followers can make a TikTok account appear more popular and increase its chances of being featured on the app's "For You" page, where content can go viral.

follower tiktok Kaufen

As with buying YouTube views, there are risks associated with buying TikTok followers. TikTok has guidelines in place to prevent follower manipulation, and violating these guidelines can result in an account being banned. Therefore, it's crucial to use reputable services and to ensure that the followers are genuine accounts.

Klicks YouTube Kaufen

While buying views and followers may seem like a quick and easy way to boost one's social media presence, it raises ethical and legal questions. View and follower manipulation can deceive users and advertisers, leading to a lack of trust in the platform. It also creates an unfair advantage for those who are willing to pay for views and followers, potentially stifling genuine creators.

From a legal standpoint, buying views and followers can violate the terms of service of social media platforms, leading to penalties such as account suspension or termination. Additionally, in some jurisdictions, buying views and followers may be considered fraud, as it involves the deception of users and advertisers.

In conclusion, while buying views and followers may seem like a tempting shortcut to social media success, it comes with significant risks and ethical considerations. It's essential for individuals and businesses to build their online presence organically, through genuine engagement and high-quality content. By doing so, they can build a loyal and engaged audience that will support them in the long run.

[wiredupclown]

Very tempting to edit the youtooz plush for an icon because look at them. Adorable and deceptive

[landonmia]

adrianlia headers like or rt if you save

[katkalis-the-fanartist]

Vampire Watcher Sounds!

There's 4 sounds, I guess this is sorta a sound test, but also I'm not sure what else I could do to the original lines other than what I'm doing now.

Either way, enjoy what I've come up with here!

[rothjasmine]

— deception trilogy headers

like/reblog if you like

© rcthjasmine on twitter

[absolute-flaming-trash]

OMG RIIIIII CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Like I’m so happy for you 😩💕💕💕 also I love the event idea like… so much 🫣💋

For the event can I request #25 and #17 with Illumi? Thank you in advance!! 💖✨🫂🧚🏾‍♀️✨

Aaahhh thank you!! 💛💛💛 I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Implied kidnapping, Forced relationship, Escape attempt, Illu being a bit of a creep but what else is new. Not edited.

Word Count: 708

I changed the punctuation on prompt #25 because it works better for the idea I had, sorry but also not sorryyyyy.

There wasn’t any time to waste, but you also had to choose your moment carefully.

It took ages to build up enough trust with Illumi to let him leave you alone after bringing food into the room, but you finally managed to get to that point. He had always insisted he’d watch you while you ate - something that creeped you out immensely and made you build up theories whilst you slowly picked at the bland food he had offered you.

Perhaps it was to make sure you didn’t starve yourself, which was tempting considering the dreadful menu items, or maybe to make sure you wouldn’t try to steal any of the utensils in case you tried to harm yourself or use them to escape.

And to his credit, the latter is exactly what you were trying to do.

The plan you had was a stupid one, but it was the only plausable one that you had ever since he had taken you from your life in the outside world and confined you to what you could only describe as a cell. A lavish one, mind you, but a cell nonetheless.

You didn’t try anything the first time he tested you, nor the next three times after that. He would never give you any praise or acknowledge the fact you had remained obediently in your place, but you noticed that each time he left the room, he left for a little bit longer than the last.

So you waited it out, and when the day came that he would leave you by yourself for over two minutes, you decided you couldn’t wait any longer.

Your hands shook as they jammed the butter knife between the tight space between the window and its frame; wedging it up and down before yanking it out and trying again in another spot. You couldn’t tell if time was slowing down or speeding up, the rapid rate of your heartbeat made it hard to tell, but you kept your eyes focused on your task.

“And just when I believed we were making progress…”

All of your movements halted when you heard Illumi’s monotonous voice from the doorway. Part of you hoped that if you remained motionless and didn’t acknowledge him, the fact he had caught you in the act would suddenly disappear, but the knowing sinking of your heart into your stomach reminded you otherwise.

“I thought I’d have enough time.” You admitted, letting your fingers slide off the handle of the knife in defeat before letting out a small huff. “Seems I’ve overestimated my own skills of escape.”

He didn’t respond as he approached you, wrenching the knife from the window with ease. He eyed the damage to the blade for a moment before returning his attention to you.

“Your skills of deception do not rank among them.”

You winced. “Would you believe me if I said I was sorry?”

“No.”

You nodded slowly, opting not to say anything because he was right not to believe you.

“Credit where it’s due, you did a lot more than I would have expected in under a minute.”

Your eyes snapped up to his face in a combination of surprise and mild horror at the revelation. Had it really been that short amount of time? Why wasn’t he gone for longer? What made him come back so soon?

There were many questions written across your face, none of which you could properly form other than a simple “Why?”

He stared down at you for a moment, almost like he was hesitant to answer before bringing up a hand to cup your face and brushing his thumb across your cheek. You flinched in response, both at the unexpected and rare display of intimacy; and the lack of trust you held towards it.

“I heard whimpers coming from behind the door, and I was under the impression you were crying.” There was a beat of silence before he continued. “I thought you didn’t want to be alone anymore.”

If the irony of the situation wasn’t so damning, you would have laughed.

Instead, you tried your best not to let the tears brim in your eyes while the sinking feeling in your soul told you you never would be alone again.

© absolute-flaming-trash 2022. Do not repost, modify, copy, or claim.