#we are evalued by the sacrifices we make for the greater good

[niccola-decapovina]

I think you forgot

- bringing sacrifices into the family

My type of man:

- long hair

- mean as shit

- well dressed

-bites people a lot 🫣

- still not over the crush he had on his sister in law

- bisexual

- murderer 🗡️ 😳

- throws great dinner parties! 🥂 🍾 🍷

- has a harem of evil bitches

- has a terrifying brother (also a murderer)

- creative!

- a gentleman

[l-in-c-future]

Book Reading: Eastern Perspectives Humanistic AI 4a: Reflections on what it means to be human in the advent of AI era

The Ethics of AI and Human Values

With the advancements of AI technologies and abilities, it seems that human beings are facing a present reality and future possibilities of delegating everything to AI performing. A lot of things that human used to exercise our freewill and intelligence to make judgements will be assisted by AI. As AI possess vast quantities of data to compute and to continuosly improve by deep learning, it is very possible that AI can acquire self-conciousness.

If AI acquires self-consciousness, will it able to obtain the abilities to make moral decisions judgements out of ongoing deep learning?

On the other hand, as human beings become more and more relied on AI to perform tasks and make decisions, it is inevitable that many natural born human characters will be weakened. For example, humans are humans because we have FREEDOM, especially freedom from the perspective of MORAL self-discipline.

Human beings should do good for the sake of benevolence out of self-willed proactivity instead of passively driven to. Paradoxically, humans find it difficult to practice such morality out of freewill and self-constraints.

Since human beings can't always make the self-initiated goodwill to do good, some people consider that it may be 'better' to handover the moral questions to AI.

But the problem is once human beings GIVEN UP the HUMAN NATURE responsibilities to make moral considerations and decisions, human beings will stop enhancing and strengthening our moral consciousness.

Human dignity comes from the ABILITIES AND WILLINGNESS to overcome sensational desires and lusts to do good for higher and greater good. It is through human beings self-sacrifice to achieve higher and greater good that makes us shine as dignified species.

If human beings give up these characters, virtures and the abilities and willingness to make moral evaluations, judgements and decisions and hand the decision making to AI simply because we cannot overcome the difficulties and challenges involved in the decision making process, human rationality and autonomy will be harmed.

Those who study humanity, philosophies, especially those who study Chinese philosophies should constantly reflect the risks.

In this article, the author Cho-Hon Yang advocated for insights from Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism's value systems of seeing human beings as balanced creatures who possess both spiritual (the invisible form as Way (Tao) and physical bodies (as vassels). The world is harmonised when human beings can stay on 'the Way' rather than just being vassels without spirits. As spiritual creatures who can seek and stay with 'the Way', we can't treat other humans as tools or instruments to justify means. From this worldview, AIs created by humans can't just be there to feed unlimited desires of humans simply because humans want to satisfy the desires of the bodies (fleshes/vassels). i.e. AIs shouldn't be just some alogrithims being designed to feed human desires like the fat chocolate factory boy. "Tao" or the Way is the highest compass that guide professions of humans BOTH spiritually and physically. Only when AIs being developed with capabilities of improving BOTH the spirit and bodily needs of human beings are truly benefitial to the future developments of humanity.

Confucianism, Taoism, and traditional wisdoms emphaise the balance of 'heaven', 'earth' and human beings, as well as the balance of inner aspects and external aspects of human beings. When applying such concepts to the designs of AI, it may help to harmonise technological progression and holistic human developments.

In addition, the teachings of Confucianism focus on personal growth, and socio-moral responsibilities. Taoism's concept of Tao (the Way) and human relationships with Tao and Buddhism's emptiness princple (human self-constrains of falling into unlimited desires just for the sake of self-pleasures) provide spiritual and moral guaidance. Embedding these concepts to the designs of AIs will provide a more integrated approach that facilitates balance of technological advancements in harmony with individuals and society.

[christian-perspectives]

Present Yourself As A Living Sacrifice To God

How do you present yourself as a living sacrifice to God? In Romans 12, the Apostle Paul instructed his readers how to accomplish that and what that looks like. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1 From the time God freed the Israelites from Egypt, the Lord required them to offer sacrifices. He established The Passover, where each family had to kill a lamb for their Passover meal. They needed to take some of its blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes. God passed over the homes when He saw the blood, making them unaffected by the plague of death. God continued to require animal sacrifices up until Jesus offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for all humanity. He made salvation available to all who call upon the name of Jesus. The death and resurrection of Jesus satisfied God, which ended all other sacrifices except for one. Paul said you should present yourself as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Why does God want you to present yourself as a living sacrifice? Verse one says because of all God has done for you. Then, the apostle followed up with some instructions and warnings.

Present Yourself to God and Not to the World

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 Present yourself to God and change from your worldly behavior. After which He can transform you by changing the way you think. Plus, He will teach you His good, pleasing, and perfect will. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3 When he said, “in your evaluation of yourselves,” he wasn’t talking about standing in front of the mirror. Nor flexing your muscles in self-admiration. Measure yourself from the inside out. God has provided us all with enough faith to move mountains. When Jesus walked on the earth, He marveled over those with great faith. The Lord wants our self-evaluation to start from there.

The Body of Christ

Paul moved from talking about us as individuals to us fitting together as one body. Because of that, He wanted to ensure you present yourself to God and turn away from worldly pleasures. Thus, you belong to something much greater than yourself. Those committing their lives to Jesus make up the Body of Christ. Therefore, each of us becomes a different part of His Body. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Romans 12:4-5 As members of His Body, Paul called the functions of the Body spiritual gifts that every Christian has. He offered a shortlist of these spiritual gifts in this chapter of Romans.  - So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. - If your gift is serving others, serve them well, if you are a teacher, teach well. - Or if your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. - If it is giving, give generously. Also, if God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. - And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8 The apostle hasn’t strayed from the subject he started with about how to present yourself as a living sacrifice. But first, he wanted us to see the connection we have with one another.

The Road Map of How to Present Yourself as a Living Sacrifice

The next section of Romans 12 is a roadmap of how to present yourself to God. It consists of practical ways to offer your body to God as a living sacrifice. Love Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Romans 12:9-10 We start with love since it envelops God’s nature. The verse says, don’t pretend but really love others. If you say about someone that you “have to love them,” then do you really love them? Work Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Romans 12:11 When you present yourself as a living sacrifice, God expects all His children to work and serve. None of us can work or serve enthusiastically if we carry an I don’t care attitude. Rejoice and Patience Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12 Impatience hinders anyone from rejoicing. So, when trouble stares you in the face, be patient because of your confident hope in the Lord. And through prayer, stay in contact with God. Meet Needs When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:13 As Paul continued, he offered another way to present yourself as a living sacrifice. Be ready to help others in need and practice hospitality. Then, he proceeded by offering other practical ways.

Other Practical Ways to Present Yourself as a Living Sacrifice

- Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. - Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. - Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. - And don’t think you know it all! - Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Romans 12:14-17 What Paul wrote in Romans 12 carries more weight than just mere suggestions. The next verse serves as an exclamation point when you present yourself as a living sacrifice to God. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 Lord, thank you for describing to us what it means to present yourself as a living sacrifice. Check out these related posts of the perfect sacrifice - Jesus Is The Ultimate Sacrifice For All Eternity - Jesus' Resurrection, The Most Important Event Of Christianity - Jesus Fulfilled The Law Of The Old Testament - Jesus Became The Ultimate Sacrifice For The World Read the full article

[iabookreviews]

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

This review covers Kelly Barnhill's Newberry Medal winning novel, The Girl Who Drank the Moon. To read this book, I used an ebook to read it digitally. While I do like ebooks, this felt like a book that would better be read as a physical copy in my opinion. For dramatic stories, I like to have the book in my hands so I can flip the pages back and forth to look back at any foreshadowing.

Cover

Genre

The Girl Who Drank the Moon's genre is fantasy fiction, which makes plenty of sense with all the magical aspects to the story.

Target Age Group

The target age group is listed as 8 and up, but the most common readers are middle school students.

Summary

The novel follows a couple of different paths, but all of them lead back to Luna, a girl left in the woods to die as an annual sacrifice to protect the village from an evil witch. However, readers learn that the witch isn't evil, and there's a greater one lurking within the village itself, one that has been hiding under the guise of doing good. The story falls upon Luna growing up and the world changing around her, leading to the realization of where the real evil has been lurking all along.

Justification

Fantasy novels have always been a love of mine, so seeing this novel on the Newberry Medal award list had my attention hooked. The premise sounded interesting, and I found myself wondering how it would handle magic because every fantasy novel does it differently. It was also a longer read and hooked me in further when I saw the page amount. I love long books where I can find a cozy spot and simply read until I have something else to do.

Evaluation

The three elements being evaluated for this review are Style and Language, Plot, and Characters.

The language of the novel is beautiful and descriptive, adding a level of fantasy to the novel. Barnhill doesn’t shy away from using her words to describe the magic and complexities of the world, and it works wonderfully for the story. However, style-wise, there are some issues that come with the way the story is split. It alternates between different 3rd person focuses, with the occasional chapter where the reader is thrown into the position of a character listening to a story being told. This can be a bit confusing, especially when names aren’t mentioned right away and can take a minute for readers to understand who the focus is on for the chapter. Despite the confusion that can come from the focus swaps, it makes sense because there are so many different parts of the story that only began to collide towards the end of the book.

Much like Before the Ever After, the plot doesn’t seem to wield a clear big “yes or no” question. The conflict itself is also a bit unclear until you get further into the book, but the first point in the direction of the conflict is the statement of there being a witch in the woods that demands children be sacrificed, but we learn that that’s a lie when we’re introduced to Xan. It is also revealed early on that those in power and conducting these sacrifices aren’t all that great. Despite the fogginess of the major dramatic question, everything is all wrapped up at the end of the story and ties up any loose ends that remain. It still was an enjoyable plot.

The characters are definitely a strength of this novel because they’re both believable and unique, and have their own defined character traits that separate them from each other. None of them are perfect either and have their flaws, such as Xan making a grave mistake with her spell to protect Luna from her growing magic. The flaws add a level of reality to them, making the characters feel like they could be real despite this being a fantasy novel. Personally, Fyrian was my favorite character because of the lightheartedness he brought when he was present and the moments where the cheeriness faded felt so much more real.

References

Barnhill, K. (2016). The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Scholastic.

[spiritualsoull1969]

Odin's Insights: Spiritual Leadership in Business

Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology, is renowned for his wisdom, knowledge, and leadership. His quest for understanding and his willingness to sacrifice for greater wisdom make him a profound source of inspiration for modern business leaders. By integrating Odin's insights into corporate leadership, we can foster a leadership style that is deeply rooted in spirituality, ethical integrity, and strategic foresight.

Spirituality in Leadership

Spiritual leadership involves integrating one's inner values, beliefs, and sense of purpose into their professional role. It emphasizes leading with authenticity, compassion, and a commitment to the greater good. Leaders who embrace spirituality are often more empathetic, visionary, and capable of fostering a positive and inspiring corporate culture.

Odin's stories, particularly from the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, offer valuable lessons on spiritual leadership. His relentless pursuit of wisdom, often at great personal cost, underscores the importance of knowledge and self-sacrifice in leadership. By channeling Odin's qualities, leaders can develop a more holistic, ethical, and resilient approach to managing their organizations.

Practical Toolkit for Incorporating Odin's Insights in Corporate Leadership

To help corporate leaders integrate Odin's spiritual wisdom into their daily routines, we can create a practical toolkit. This toolkit will consist of actionable steps and practices designed to foster personal and professional growth, drawing inspiration from Odin's virtues.

1. Daily Reflection and Meditation

Purpose: Enhance self-awareness and align actions with core values.

Practice:

Morning Reflection: Begin each day with a few minutes of reflection on personal and professional goals. Consider what virtues (wisdom, sacrifice, foresight) you want to embody today.

Meditation: Spend 10-15 minutes in meditation focusing on a specific theme from Odin's life. For example, meditate on Odin’s sacrifice of his eye for wisdom or his journey to the Well of Mimir. This practice helps internalize these qualities.

Tools: Guided meditation apps, journals for reflection.

2. Weekly Wisdom Sessions

Purpose: Foster continuous learning and wisdom acquisition.

Practice:

Study Sessions: Dedicate one hour each week to study passages from the Eddas that relate to Odin. Reflect on the stories and their underlying moral and spiritual lessons.

Discussion Groups: Form a small group of colleagues to discuss these stories and their relevance to current challenges at work. This encourages collective learning and diverse perspectives.

Tools: Copies of the Prose Edda and Poetic Edda, meeting space, discussion guidelines.

3. Ethical Decision-Making Framework

Purpose: Enhance integrity and ethical behaviour in leadership decisions.

Practice:

Decision-Making Checklist: Develop a checklist inspired by Odin’s virtues. Before making significant decisions, evaluate them against this checklist. Ask questions such as:

Is this decision aligned with the greater good (Odin’s wisdom)?

Does it demonstrate self-sacrifice for a higher purpose (Odin’s sacrifice)?

Is it strategic and well-informed (Odin’s foresight)?

Tools: Customized decision-making checklist templates.

4. Heroic Leadership Challenges

Purpose: Build resilience and adaptability in leaders.

Practice:

Monthly Challenges: Create challenges that mimic the trials faced by Odin. These could be physical (team-building exercises), mental (problem-solving scenarios), or emotional (conflict resolution tasks).

Reflection and Feedback: After completing each challenge, reflect on the experience and gather feedback from peers. Discuss how the challenge mirrored a story from Odin’s life and what was learned.

Tools: Challenge descriptions, feedback forms, team-building resources.

5. Visionary Goal-Setting

Purpose: Inspire and guide long-term vision and strategy.

Practice:

Vision Workshops: Conduct workshops to help leaders articulate their vision for the organization. Use stories from Odin’s quests to inspire thinking about legacy, purpose, and long-term impact.

Goal Alignment: Ensure that individual and team goals are aligned with this overarching vision. Regularly review progress and make adjustments as needed.

Tools: Vision and goal-setting templates, workshop facilitation guides.

6. Mentorship and Legacy Building

Purpose: Foster a culture of mentorship and knowledge sharing.

Practice:

Mentorship Programs: Establish mentorship programs where seasoned leaders (Mentors) can share their wisdom and experiences with newer leaders (Mentees). Encourage mentors to use stories and lessons from Odin’s life in their guidance.

Legacy Projects: Encourage leaders to initiate projects that will have a lasting positive impact on the organization or community, inspired by Odin’s quest for enduring wisdom.

Tools: Mentorship program outlines, project planning templates.

Implementation Strategy

Introduce the Concept: Begin with a series of workshops or seminars to introduce the idea of integrating Odin’s wisdom into corporate leadership. Use storytelling to make the concepts engaging and relatable.

Provide Resources: Distribute copies of the Eddas and related study materials. Provide access to meditation apps and other tools included in the toolkit.

Set Clear Expectations: Communicate the goals and benefits of this initiative. Encourage leaders to commit to the practices and participate in feedback sessions to continuously improve the program.

Measure Impact: Regularly assess the impact of these practices on leadership effectiveness and corporate culture. Use surveys, feedback forms, and performance metrics to evaluate progress.

Foster a Supportive Environment: Create a supportive environment that encourages open discussion and sharing of experiences. Recognize and celebrate leaders who exemplify the virtues from Odin’s life.

Demonstrates Putting It into Action

Odin's insights from the Eddas provide a rich source of wisdom that transcends time, offering practical and spiritual guidance for today's corporate leaders. By reflecting on and integrating the maxims from Odin’s stories, leaders can cultivate a more ethical, resilient, and visionary approach to leadership. This holistic approach to leadership development can drive meaningful change and foster a thriving, purpose-driven corporate culture.

"Odin's Insights: Spiritual Leadership in Business," a fitting poem from the Eddas would be the Hávamál ("Sayings of the High One") from the Poetic Edda. This poem is attributed to Odin and is a collection of proverbs, wisdom, and ethical guidelines that are highly relevant to the themes of spiritual leadership and personal integrity in a corporate context.

Relevant Passages from Hávamál

Wisdom and Knowledge

Stanza 18:

Better to be cautious than to be boastful;

Don't believe in everything you hear.

Each person should be wary,

And only a fool speaks everything he knows.

Explanation: This stanza emphasizes the importance of caution and discretion, which are crucial qualities for a wise leader. It highlights the value of careful consideration and measured speech.

Stanza 54:

Wise and silent let each man be,

and battle mighty in deeds;

No one can a better virtue bring to the fight,

than much sense in his mind.

Explanation: This stanza underscores the virtue of wisdom combined with action, suggesting that true strength in leadership comes from thoughtful deeds rather than boastful words.

Sacrifice for Greater Wisdom

Stanza 138:

I know that I hung on a windy tree

Nine long nights,

Wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,

Myself to myself,

On that tree of which no man knows

From where its roots run.

Explanation: This stanza refers to Odin’s sacrifice on Yggdrasil, the World Tree, to gain knowledge of the runes. It exemplifies the concept of self-sacrifice for the sake of greater wisdom and understanding, a powerful lesson for leaders about the importance of investing in personal growth and knowledge.

Ethical Conduct and Leadership

Stanza 76:

Cattle die, kinsmen die,

You yourself will also die;

But the renown of a good reputation never dies,

for it is the best legacy.

Explanation: This stanza highlights the enduring value of a good reputation and ethical conduct, suggesting that the true legacy of a leader is their integrity and the respect they earn from others.

Integrating Hávamál in Corporate Leadership

Using Hávamál, corporate leaders can draw direct parallels between these ancient maxims and modern leadership principles. For example:

Caution and Discretion (Stanza 18): Leaders should carefully consider their words and actions, maintaining a balance between transparency and prudence.

Wisdom and Action (Stanza 54): Effective leadership requires combining thoughtful planning with decisive action, ensuring that strategies are both well-conceived and well-executed.

Self-Sacrifice for Growth (Stanza 138): Personal and professional development often requires sacrifices. Leaders must be willing to invest time and effort into their own growth to better serve their organizations.

Ethical Legacy (Stanza 76): Building a legacy based on ethical behaviour and a good reputation is essential for long-term success and respect in the corporate world.

Practical Toolkit

1. Daily Reflection and Meditation:

Passage: Reflect on Stanza 18 each morning to cultivate caution and discretion in daily interactions.

Practice: Spend 10 minutes meditating on how you can be more thoughtful and prudent in your communications.

2. Weekly Wisdom Sessions:

Passage: Study Stanza 54 and discuss its relevance to combining wisdom with action in leadership roles.

Practice: Discuss real-life scenarios where thoughtful planning led to successful outcomes.

3. Ethical Decision-Making Framework:

Passage: Use Stanza 138 to inspire discussions on the importance of personal sacrifices for professional growth.

Practice: Evaluate major decisions against the wisdom of making short-term sacrifices for long-term benefits.

4. Heroic Leadership Challenges:

Passage: Encourage team-building exercises inspired by the themes of self-sacrifice and gaining knowledge in Stanza 138.

Practice: Create challenges that push leaders to step out of their comfort zones and learn new skills.

5. Visionary Goal-Setting:

Passage: Reflect on Stanza 76 to emphasize the importance of building an ethical and respected legacy.

Practice: Use insights from the stanza to set goals that prioritize integrity and reputation.

6. Mentorship and Legacy Building:

Passage: Share Stanza 76 with mentees to highlight the value of ethical conduct and reputation.

Practice: Encourage mentors to incorporate lessons from Hávamál in their guidance, fostering a legacy of wisdom and ethical leadership.

Implies Applications Beyond the Discussed:

Hávamál provides a wealth of wisdom that is both timeless and highly relevant to modern corporate leadership. By reflecting on and integrating the maxims from Odin’s sayings, leaders can cultivate a more ethical, resilient, and visionary approach to leadership. This holistic approach to leadership development can drive meaningful change and foster a thriving, purpose-driven corporate culture.

[sillygalaxyangel]

Navigating the Maze: Exploring the Effectiveness of Socially Responsible Investing Strategies 🌱💼

Hey Tumblr fam! Today, let's dive into the fascinating world of socially responsible investing (SRI) and assess just how effective these strategies are in making a positive impact. 📈🌍

🔍 Understanding Socially Responsible Investing: SRI isn't just about making money; it's about making a difference. 🌟 These investment strategies consider not only financial returns but also the social and environmental impact of where your money goes. Think of it as investing with a conscience.

🌿 The Impact of SRI: One of the key questions surrounding SRI is whether it actually delivers on its promises of promoting positive change. 🔄 While it's clear that SRI has sparked meaningful conversations and raised awareness about important issues, measuring its effectiveness can be a bit trickier.

💼 Assessing Effectiveness:

Financial Performance: Critics often argue that SRI sacrifices financial returns for social good. However, recent studies suggest that SRI funds can perform on par with or even outperform traditional funds. 💰📈

Impact Metrics: Beyond financial returns, evaluating the social and environmental impact of SRI requires robust metrics. This includes tracking factors like carbon emissions reduction, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and community development projects. 📊🌎

Corporate Engagement: Many SRI strategies involve actively engaging with companies to encourage positive change from within. This can range from advocating for better labor practices to pushing for greater transparency in supply chains. 👥🌱

🌟 The Power of Choice: At the end of the day, SRI is about aligning your investments with your values. Whether you're passionate about environmental sustainability, social justice, or corporate ethics, SRI empowers you to vote with your dollars and drive positive change. 🗳️💡

💬 Join the Conversation: What are your thoughts on socially responsible investing? Do you believe it's an effective tool for creating positive impact? Let's keep the dialogue going! 💬🌟

Together, let's explore how we can harness the power of finance to build a brighter, more sustainable future for all. 🌈✨

[amimons]

After Optigami aired the fandom was hit with the sad realization that our beloved Ladybug and Cat super duo is entering a rough patch. At this point you’re probably familiar with the take that the Ladynoir dyamnic is beginning to get strained due to Chat Noir’s involvement lessening with Rena’s involvement increasing. 

There is a lot of good with Alya becoming a confidant for Marinette. We’ve seen the affect harboring the secret of Ladybug and guardian stuff has on relationships, it’s not easy to be alone in this. The biggest negative keeping this secret has is that it isolates you from those you care about. So that’s why we should talk about the potential foreshadowing of the negative repercussions this secret will have on DjWifi and how it may begin to parallel Ladynoir.  

It was very clear in this episode how out of the loop Chat Noir while Ladybug had gathered a squad (well a squad with that unknowingly had a senti Nino). Chat Noir didn’t get a chance to debrief on the situation with his partner. In fact the Akuma was defeated before he can formally step foot in the building as Chat Noir. Before he could really conjugate with the fellow heroes Ladybug dismissed themselves so she can collect their miraculous in private. Ladybug even emphasised the point that its their secret identities that prevent Chat from being included in this.  

Before the defeat of Optigami, DjWifi safely found cover while Alya awaits word from Marinette for further action. Lucky for DjWifi their heroic identities are no secret to them but now Alya is hiding something much greater from Nino; the identity of one of the most important heroes and newly appointed keeper of the miraculous, Ladybug. When Marinette finds herself trapped in an evaluator with Adrien unable to transform she asks for assistance from her best friend. But Alya is with Nino so she must leave his side in order to get Marinette out of her predicament.   

Alya sweetly tells Nino they should split up while they wait but Nino assures her they are in this together and he will remain by her side. Sounds familiar right? 

But Alya tells him she will meet back up and dismisses herself. As she is beginning to implement Marinette’s plans, Nino tries to reach out to Alya via phone call to check in on her but he is met with a voice mail. This is because Alya chose to ignore the call in favor of getting in contact with the kwamis to gather up the miraculous. 

This is the first incident we’ve seen of Alya having to distance herself from Nino because she is now involved with a secret bigger than their relationship. Just like how this secret affects everyone in Marinette’s life it will now start to impact those in Alya’s. While sharing this secret can bring people closer, in this care Marinette and Alya, it has the ability to isolate other relationships. Ladybug with Chat Noir and now it’s beginning to affect Alya with Nino. 

The way I predict how this is going to play out, is now that Alya’s time is preoccupied with more hero responsibilities, most of it unknown to Nino, she will have to sacrifice time with him and leave him in the dark. Just like how Ladybug leaves Chat Noir in the dark with certain things. Nino will begin to feel the repercussions of Alya’s new secret within their relationship. There will be a shift that he cannot place because he does not know where this is all coming from and what is causing this sudden change. I think Alya will be just as caught up as Marinette is in all miraculous stuff that she won’t notice that it is causing trouble in her relationship. 

I think Marinette is going to come to the realization of how her secret is now impacting a close relationship of Alya’s. Sometimes you need to have an outside perspective on your own problems just to see them. Ladybug is certainly not noticing the strain that is developing between her and her partner which is caused by her role as guardian and keeping that life away from him. I think she is going to see herself in DjWifi’s relationship and in turn realize that she sees the same happening to her in Chat. 

Alya hiding Ladybug’s identity and secretly helping Marinette with guardian stuff will start to impact DjWifi’s relationship in similar ways that we see with Ladynoir’s. This secret creates distance in once close relationships, causing a huge strain within dyamnic. DjWifi’s relationship will be an eye opening moment for Marinette to realize just how negative keeping close ones in the dark can be and she will see her and Chat’s relationship paralleling with DjWifi. This might not make her include Chat in certain secrets but it also could. Either way it will change her interpretation of her partnership with Chat and this will help her understand how to mend things and to upkeep a healthy partnership. Alya will also be able to empathize with Marinette on this situation and they can help support one another even more so.   

[derangedrhythms]

your poem and prose excerpts are a source of daily delight to me, especially your skill with the compilations of many different lines upon a shared theme. no hurry to get to this request but do you have any quotes that are about joyfully paying a high price for something without regret, or about wanting to be marred or scarred by something good or immense?

It makes me so happy to hear that, thank you!

"What interests me is living and dying for what one loves."

⁠— Albert Camus, from 'The Plague', tr. Stuart Gilbert

"To stay with you for one night I would throw away my whole life, sacrifice a hundred persons, […] be capable of anything."

— Anaïs Nin, from 'A Literate Passion: Letters of Anaïs Nin & Henry Miller 1932-1953'

"Tired of being a prude, I'd seek Satan's bed at midnight / and find refuge in the declivity of breaking laws. / I'd happily exchange the golden crown of divinity / for the dark, aching embrace of a sin."

— Forugh Farrokhzad, Osyan (Rebellion); from ‘Rebellious God’, tr. Sholeh Wolpé

"(Someone tells me: this kind of love is not viable. But how can you evaluate viability? Why is the viable a Good Thing? Why is it better to last than to burn?)"

— Roland Barthes, from ‘A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments’, tr. Richard Howard

"I’d let my house go up in flame for this fire."

— Louise Glück, Firstborn; from ‘Seconds’

“She does not see, she does not feel that she is preparing a poison that will be the undoing of me and of her—and with a carnal delight I gulp the cup she hands me for my destruction.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, from ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ tr. David Constantine

“The need to go astray, to be destroyed is an extremely private, distant, passionate, turbulent truth…”

— Georges Bataille, from 'Guilty’, tr. Bruce Boone

"I want to give up my life, my home, my security, my writing, to live with him, to work for him, to be a prostitute for him, anything, even to be fatally hurt by him."

— Anaïs Nin, from 'Henry and June'

"It's sweet to destroy my mind / and go down / and wreck in this sea where I drown."

— Robert Lowell, Imitations; from ‘The Infinite’

"Hell,” I said, “I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me?”

“Yes. I want to ruin you.”

“Good,” I said, “that’s what I want too."

— Ernest Hemingway, from 'A Farewell to Arms'

"Can we say that there are certain kinds of people who are drawn to fire? Looking for an inevitable result like a moth to a flame?"

— The Sopranos, from ‘Amour Fou’

"…but I would burn down everything to be with him again."

— Janet Fitch, from ‘The Revolution of Marina M.’

"To hell, to hell with balance! I break glasses; I want to burn, even if I break myself. I live only for ecstasy. Nothing else affects me. Small doses, moderate loves, all the demi-teintes— all these leave me cold."

— Anaïs Nin, from 'Incest: from 'A Journal of Love'

"A lover wants to die of his love / like a man with dropsy / who knows that water will kill him, / but he can’t deny his thirst."

— Rumi, Rumi: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing; from ‘That Quick’, tr. Coleman Barks

"She has the look of one who seeks / some greater and destroying passion:"

— Louise Glück, The House on Marshland; from ‘Abishag’

“On more than one occasion I have been ready to abandon my whole life for love. To alter everything that makes sense to me and to move into a different world where the only known will be the beloved.”

— Jeanette Winterson, from 'Sexing the Cherry’

"Fishermen know that the sea is perilous and the storm fearful, but have never thought the perils reason enough for deciding to take a stroll along the beach instead. They leave that sort of prudence to those who relish it. The storm may come and the night may fall, but which is worse, the danger or the fear of danger? I would sooner have the reality, the danger itself."

"…I have risked my life for my work, and it has cost me half my reason…"

— Vincent van Gogh, from 'The Letters of Vincent van Gogh', tr. Arnold Pomerans

"The moment Echo saw Narcissus / She was in love. She followed him / Like a starving wolf / Following a stag too strong to be tackled. / And like a cat in winter at a fire / She could not edge close enough / To what singed her, and would burn her."

— Ted Hughes, Tales from Ovid; from 'Echo and Narcissus'

"…he ate my heart in half / and I was glad."

— Anne Sexton, The Book of Folly; from “The Death of the Fathers”

"To be loved by Susan would be to be impaled by a bird’s sharp beak, to be nailed to a barnyard door. Yet there are moments when I could wish to be speared by a beak, to be nailed to a barnyard door, positively, once and for all."

— Virginia Woolf, from 'The Waves'

"…I desire the things which will destroy me in the end…"

— Sylvia Plath, from 'The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath'

"Some people bring out the worst in you, others bring out the best, and then there are those remarkably rare, addictive ones who just bring out the most. Of everything. They make you feel so alive that you’d follow them straight into hell, just to keep getting your fix."

— Karen Marie Moning, from 'Shadowfever'

"I was not careful. I was reckless, headlong. He was another knife, I could feel it. A different sort, but a knife still. I did not care. I thought: give me the blade. Some things are worth spilling blood for."

— Madeline Miller, from 'Circe'

"...even in my sleep it tore every emotion out of me and told me one thing I could never have known or guessed so far: that not to give what I was dying to give him at whatever price was perhaps the greatest crime I might ever commit in my life."

— André Aciman, from 'Call Me By Your Name'

"What is wrong / with peace? I couldn’t say. / But, sweet ruin, I can hear you."

— Tony Hoagland, Sweet Ruin; from ‘Sweet Ruin’

[astro211]

Developed vs. Underdeveloped traits

Take this with grain of salt. Its not a full list just small descriptions (mostly for fun) Use Sun  Moon  or Rising.

LIBRA

Developed: They are diplomatic and charming people. They can stand on their own and aren’t scared to disagree with someone, because they know how to do so in a respectful manner, and if that person has an issue with it, its okay because libra knows it’s not their problem to fix. They are be polite but more authentic. Certainly the type you can take home to momma. They can create a true balance between things/people. They easily see things from another’s perspective and are great at collaborating with people. They are wonderfully creative and use their creative and romantic abilities to create beautiful connections with other individuals. Low-key mind readers.

Underdeveloped: Can be way too concerned with finding someone to love/having someone love them. They can be dependent and as a result sacrifice authenticity for company. They don’t create real bonds because they may be too agreeable and lack an opinion becoming a mirror of the person/people they are with. They can struggle with the unfairness of the world. They can be shallow, flirtatious and flakey. struggle with being a door-matt. Lack backbone. They say things they think you want to hear. They deeply fear confrontation and are very avoidant and it can create a bad rep. Generally they may be basic and sooo corny. 

SCORPIO

Developed: Fiercely intelligent and their intuition is like a superpower. They can’t be fooled or its not an easy task. They are able to let things go and welcome the changes that come. They transform into something greater. The Phoenix is often referred to with scorpio/pluto. They have a need to change and transform, so they satisfy this by burning away the useless parts of themselves ~even if it’s most of them~ then they are reborn into what is greater and stronger than before. They can get to the root of things and can make for wonderful artists. They know their power (and boy do they have power) and wield it wisely. Charming babes, very perceptive and don’t have time for BS so they keep it real. 

Underdeveloped: Emo babies. They can be way too edgy and people may have to constantly tip toe around them otherwise risking being attacked. This is because underdeveloped scorpio placements can be paranoid, hypersensitive and perceive anything as a personal attack. They don’t know how to deal with the depths of their emotions, resulting in a hypersensitive edge lord that probably can’t handle any sort of lighthearted joke. They perhaps have yet to chop away at the no longer useful parts of themselves and this can result in a self-destructive nature. I predict a tendency towards the ‘fuck it’ mindset which ultimately fucks them over. Intense but in a manner that pushes people away.

SAGITTARIUS

Developed: Glorious sunshine babies who radiate pure joy and deserve to be beloved by all. (Im a sagittarius so I would know;) ). They are honest. They can see the truth for what it is. Even with the cruel realities of the world but they still remain joyful and optimistic. They know when/how to keep their mouths shut. They’re thoughtful and charming. They can see the bigger picture and how beautiful it is and they share that image with those around them, inspiring themselves and others to aim high. They bring up the moods of those around them. Funny and able to roll with the punches. They are fearless and focused. They work hard and their positive outlooks bring them good luck.

Underdeveloped: Blunt. Their honesty can be very misguided and it can create really awkward situations. They can be sooo laid back that they don’t even care about how they impact those around them or even what happens to themselves (similar to scorpios ‘fuck it’ I’ve seen this with both). They can be hotheaded and stubbornly preachy, insisting their way is the only and right way. They exaggerate often because they haven’t developed their inner storyteller. They procrastinate and escape any difficulties because they don’t know how to handle negativity in life. Their escapist nature can make them flakey. Not the best people to lean on because they’ll vanish esp. if they feel like there is too much responsibility on their shoulders.

CAPRICORN

Developed: These babies work hard and they kick ass! They have unstoppable self-care/ compassion for themselves. They don’t fear failure, instead they use it to their advantage and learn from it. They, like sagittarius, look to the future and can see whats possible and as a result they prepare and are very disciplined as they know hard work pays off. They evaluate people and things and easily can determine who and what is worth their time, and are disciplined about not wasting their time energy or resources. Once they decide someone/thing is worthy they are devoted. They are serious at times but its rooted in practicality. 

Underdeveloped: They can be stubborn and struggle to work well with others. Too prideful. They know what needs to be done and they don’t like the idea of other people getting in their way. They can be very cynical and this may skew their visions of the future, for their prepared nature is meant to help them but this may demotivate them instead if they are plagued by self-doubt. Their cold and bitchy when they shouldn’t be. They can be way to serious and constantly be putting a damper on things. Difficulty being open or vulnerable with anyone. They live life alone because its easier and safer than devoting yourself to someone who may stab you in the back and leave you bleeding in the cold. 

AQUARIUS

Developed: These guys are trend setters. Icons. They don’t need anybody’s approval. They change the world. They bring people together. Fearless when they fight for what they believe in. Nothing can hold them back, stares, words of discouragement; they know what they’re doing and not you nor anybody else can stop them. They’re very intelligent. Compassionate as hell and they really love hard. They are the masters of not giving a fuck. They are visionaries. Great leaders. They do their own thing and yeah they probably stand out and are very capable of influencing those around them. Authentic, cool and unforgettable. 

Underdeveloped: Lone wolf. Extreme in a manner that pushes people away. They have to stand out even if its for negative reasons. They distance themselves from other people. They’re too in their head and just observe instead of live. They might do whatever they can to blend in or people please. They want to be part of a group so much it stops them from being an individual OR they consistently keep people at arms length so they feel disconnected from people, and it fuels the idea they’re just too strange and unique for human connection. They may be very contradictory and confusing.

PISCES

developed: Confident, creative compassionate. These folks can create a whole new world and if you’re lucky you’ll be invited in. They have a healing nature/ their positive energy is intoxicating and brings people up. They take care of themselves; they extend their empathy towards themselves /past present future self/ which enables them to take care of themselves. i.e. forgiving past self to move forward// doing things now to help future self. Pisces high levels of sensitivity can make them rather magical. Fantastic artists. Big hearts.

Underdeveloped: Escapists. Cant handle the world, would rather eat, drink sleep, etc.  They isolate and dream but in a damaging way. The world drains them, perhaps because they have yet to emotionally figure out where they end and the world around them begins. They can take on a victim mentality. Lying is another poor energy this sign might lean into. Deception. Laziness. Hypersensitivity. They really need solid boundaries in order to flourish. sure, we all do but Pisces energy is particularly delicate to the energy around them so esp. for this sign.  Directionless and not fully present. 

Part 2

[tomorrow-and-tomorrows]

Gojou, education, and the question that started it all:

“What should we do with him?”

It’s easy to take this moment for granted, but it’s a remarkable teacher-student dynamic indicating how Gojou strives to offer his students an environment in which they can express their own opinions and values, rather than demanding them to sacrifice their individual conscience to serve a pre-determined set of rules.

Megumi had saved Yuji in the spur of the moment by pushing him out of the way of the cursed spirit, but there’s also the follow up to this when Megumi tells Gojou he doesn’t want Yuji to be executed. In this latter instance, Megumi is able to take part in saving Yuji a second time because his teacher encourages and allows for this formative moment to happen.

Once again, education and the environment cultivated by adults sets the background for the devlopment of each new generation.

When Gojou was a student, he was given the command to “escort and erase” Amanai, a mere child, for the greater good. As a student, Gojou did not experience an environment in which an educator thought to ask the younger generation, ‘what do you think is the right thing to do in this situation?’. What the authorities demanded of Gojou and Geto was to sacrifice their conscience in service of the prevailing system. As a teacher, Gojou’s philosophy directly pushes back against this.

When confronted with Sukuna’s vessel, at first Gojou ostensibly frames this as a pop quiz to review what jujutsu regulations call for in this situation.

But the questions he actually keeps open for Megumi are: what do you think we should do? What are the principles by which you want to live your life? What are the risks you are willing to take when deciding who to save? These are the formative questions that resonate throughout all the rest of Megumi’s ongoing character arc and development. These dilemmas did not arise in a vacuum: they were allowed to be developed, rather than suppressed, in an educational context.

In discovering Sukuna’s vessel, the significance of this situation as a historical moment cannot be understated: it’s a once-in-a-million chance vessel for the most powerful curse in history. Ordinarily, no adult would seriously invite a first-year student to contribute any input at all. However, this is exactly what Gojou does: he doesn’t disregard or belittle Megumi as inconsequential.

I think this is because Gojou understands the element of human relationships. He perceives how Yuji is not just “Sukuna’s vessel”, he’s a person who fought alongside Megumi and with whom Megumi now has a relationship and emotional connection to. That is why Gojou, having known what kind of personality Megumi’s had since he was a child, recognizes that Megumi is personally invested in Yuji’s fate.

He acknowledges Megumi as someone who should be given the chance to continue learning what it means to make decisions in accordance with his values. Gojou doesn’t tell Megumi what is the right or wrong decision, but gives him the opportunity to form his own judgment.

This is consistent with how Gojou let even first-grader Megumi decide, ‘what kind of life do you want to live? Based on what you value, what do you think is the right decision for you?’

Again to contrast when Gojou was a student, in the absence of being supported by adults, he and Geto had made the decision together to act on their conscience and save Amanai. Again, their decision was due to the recognition that Riko is her own person, someone who has human relationships with others and individual desires. They recognized this even before meeting and forming their own friendship with her.

By choosing together to save Amanai, Gojou and Geto were, consciously or not, expressing the desire to live in a world in which young people in the jujutsu world are treated as humans first above all else, regardless of what objectified role they must play for the greater good.

Even though they ultimately failed, it is the act of deciding together what kind of world they want to live in and want to create that Gojou wishes to carry on with Megumi and likely his students more generally. No one ever gave Gojou and Geto the opportunity to express their values, and no adult watched over them as they tried to do what they thought was right.

Now, by asking Megumi what to do with Yuji, Gojou is offering him what no one did when he was young.

It’s easy to see the persistence of the old order that Gojou has rejects. (The panels from chapter 137 would also be relevant examples to use here, but I think that chapter deserves a post of its own when considering how Yuta relates to all this with Yuji’s renewed execution order.)

At the same time, by allowing Megumi to participate in saving Yuji, Gojou must also knows the risk of the guilt he’d feel if Sukuna ended up killing people as has now happened.

That’s a heavy burden to place on a young person. In ordinary circumstances, one might question if it was prudent for Gojou to do so. But there are contextualizing factors to this that may support Gojou’s methods here as worth the high risk of it backfiring (as it has indeed ended up happening in Shibuya).

Importantly, the moment deciding whether to save Yuji was made jointly by Megumi and Gojou; it’s a shared responsibility. Realistically, regardless of Megumi’s answer, Gojou would have single-handedly fought the higher-ups for Yuji’s right to live just as he had successfully fought for Yuta’s life. But by inviting Megumi to be implicated with saving Yuji in a political context, Gojou offers his personal philosophy in which that fight is made together with Megumi as someone who will not always be his student, but who will one day become an ally to this mission of changing the jujutsu world.

Unfortunately, Gojou could never have anticipated being sealed away at this point and leaving his students without his protection. With Gojou out of the picture to take responsibility for Sukuna’s rampage, Megumi will take on the full emotional burden even more than he has already, and this time without his teacher present to lessen the weight of that by defending Yuji from the higher ups.

In the context of the most recent chapter 137, Yuta’s reintroduction to the story actually complicates all this a little in the scenario that his individual conscience drives him to want to execute Yuta for the sake of his friends. And even in the case that he changes his mind to support Yuji, more often than not, and even with Geto and Gojou’s attempt to save Amanai which risked Tengen becoming an enemy of humanity, individualistic motivations come with much higher risks and moral ambiguities than the conservative, traditional system that emphasizes collectivism; the former not a straightforwardly positive principle. As always, it will be interesting how these ideas continue to develop as these questions are brought to the forefront again with Yuta, and then with Megumi’s re-evaluation of his choices post-Shibuya.

[elizabethrobertajones]

FFXIV Write: Day 14, Attrition

Takes place during the cutscenes after the "Heavensward" titled quest. Frog is not happe :<

Frog x Hilda, alcohol as a coping mechanism cw.

“What’s this, the Warrior of Light skulking in the belly of the Forgotten Knight?”

Frog looked up from her drink of the bottom shelf… liquid… that she’d been sipping in a desperate act of trying not to flinch or grimace but to show that hardy Hellsguard spirit. Damned if she wasn’t going to be the first roegadyn most of these people saw in a generation and also give the impression they had weak constitutions.

Hilda was leaning on the bar, watching her with the sort of curiosity which may well have been simply to evaluate if this was about to be a problem. She couldn’t have been there long, whether she was low-key patrolling the Brume or simply on a break of her own. Frog wasn’t exactly feeling lost in this drink yet.

“Do you want to join me?” she asked flat out.

Hilda looked up the stairs and then out the door. Looked to the barman, and nodded to him. She pushed herself off the bar and in a fluid movement sat herself at the rickety table beside the guttering fireplace. “Ain’t in the mood to go join all the celebrations up there?” she asked.

“No. I’ve won nothing. And lost too much.”

Hilda’s poise melted just a little, enough that she reached out and placed a hand on Frog’s forearm, squeezed gently, and withdrew kindly after a long moment. “Is this ‘bout your Lord Haurchefant, then?”

“Yes… And no. We lost Estinien and he’s –” She lowered her voice drastically. “Nidhogg is still out there. I was just becoming fond of Ysayle and hoping a brighter future was coming her way and she’s gone. And for all the others you never met… I don’t know what happened to all the other Scions. To Thancred. And if they were out there – if they were alright they’d have reached out even before the Scions were vindicated. Urianger would have known, he’d have told us and we had to drag Y’shtola out of the lifestream and it had nearly killed her so gods know what happened to the rest of them. Only a few weeks before I lost all of them, I watched a new friend sacrifice himself for a stupid magic tower. And now everything is all wrapped up politically. Papered over on the surface and. I’ve got nothing. Same as I was before I came to Ishgard except I’ve lost more people.” She took in a long shuddering breath, and realised that she was crying and had ranted for over a minute at poor Hilda.

To her credit, she had, at some point, taken both of Frog’s hands in hers, and was listening earnestly. “I’m so sorry, my friend,” she said.

“Don’t make me fond of you. Something terrible will happen to you next,” Frog hiccupped, pulling a hand away to scrub the tears from her face. She couldn’t look at Hilda, too embarrassed at this outburst.

“Sweetie, I have more important things to do than sacrifice m’self for some greater good. I’m going to be down here in the Brume until they throw my dead body over the side.”

“Is that what they do with you when you die here?!” Frog asked, distracted into pure alarm.

Hilda burst out laughing. “No, but like as not when I’m old and a slower shot as I am right now, maybe someone will finally get one over on me and that brawl’ll be the last of me. But right now, you needn’t worry ‘bout me.”

“Thank you. Truly. I’m sorry I spewed my heart out all over you.”

Hilda chuckled again, and picked up the neglected pewter tankard Frog had been clutching, sniffed it, and hastily put it down again. “Better than if you’d drunk all that. C’mon, they don’t know their moonshine up here. Lower floors of the Forgotten Knight are still fancier than what some can afford. There’s better places to get a bad drink than here, if you want to follow me.” She stood up and offered her hand.

Frog sniffed, and wiped her face once more. “You know, I think I would like that.” She took Hilda’s hand and let the much smaller woman pull her effortlessly to her feet. She made no attempt to let go of her hand as Hilda led her out of the building and down the stairs.

[confuzzled-and-confused]

Hi! I'm going to give my 2 cents on the ending of aot because I mentally cannot process this yet. Cool? Cool.

So, I think the main objective was the idea of breaking cycles. Eren becoming this monster, the villain, 'the angle hiding behind devil' s mask' in order to make Armin the hero and set the eldians free from the curse of Ymir.

He set up the events in order to break the cycle of eldians being oppressed by the maryleans. Only because of their ability to turn into titans. Now no one has titan powers.

The curse itself was broken my mikasa. Both mikasa and ymir fritz have an unconditional love for their chosen people. Ymir fritz for the king and mikasa for eren. Ymir was not able to free herself from the love she held for the king and ultimately it trapped her in eternal suffering. Mikasa was able to overcome that and eventually kill Eren-ending the curse. Breaking a cycle of enslaved love.

Even though there is still suffering and fighting and pain and hardship and war and misery- we as humans are bound to repeating history and cycles. I think isayama makes a good point of it. Even though there was a common enemy, threatening all of humanity, murdering 80% of the population-immediately afterwards the people left behind fought amongst themselves. A cycle of fear and distrust of the unknown.

As humans we are inherinately flawed. We are selfish and cruel and miserable and petty and broken and hurt: we hurt ourselves and others. But it doesn't mean we cannot accomplish greatness and do good things. Take Armin as an example: he storms through thee crowd like in season 1 and declares that he has killed Eren putting a stop to all this madness. Doing so he accomplished 2 things.

1. Frees mikasa from guilt and burden from having killed Eren allowing her to leave in silence and grieve.

2. The respect he commands in the scene puts a stop to the bickering and fear within the marlayean army-at least for the time being.

Here, armin takes a diplomatic approach to breaking the cycle. Not only does he help break the cycles he helps reconstruct it-'it' being the image of eldians. Not as monsters or titans. Eren and mikasa got rid of them. But as human. As plain ordinary humans with hopes and dreams and wishes and lives to live.

Isayama uses levi to break the cycle of guilt and duty. From the get go, levi devotes himself to the cause-'dedicate your heart'. And he does just that. He pours all his energy and efforts into fighting and surviving and trying to win to desperately against the titan only to see his comrade die.

All to start the cycles of guilt and burden all over again with every death of every comrade.

After Erwin does, levi focuses on one thing and one thing alone-liking the beat titan. Killing zeke. Getting rid of the anomaly in the plan that killed most of the scouts, making his his best friend-hange- half blind and killing the man that gave him a reason to live.

Every death and sacrifice weighs down so heavily on him that he thinks of nothing else other than redeeming himself and making sure their efforts did not go to waste. That loosing the people he cared about was for thee greater good, that there was a reason he was no longer able to see the people he loved so deeply and cared about for so, so long. When levi finally sees all the scouts in the vision, he asks them if they were watching. If he saw that their efforts did no go to waste. That he could finally honor them and gives them the success they deserved after fighting for so long.

So he salutes and dedicated his heart to the people he has loved and lost-to his humanity: breaking the toxic cycle of guilt and duty that most likely has been plaguing him for years.

I think it's important to see here how freedom is such an enticing and construed idea. We fall into cycles and rhythms either morally good or bad. Freedom seems to reside in a realm beyond our underattind of good and bad. Freedom is release. Free, from guilt, burden, unrequited love, duty, pain, responsibility.

In the end it was bittersweet, a lot of us have grown up along side this story, fallen off and then back on again. A wild cycle of out own. Discovering more of ourselves and morals, how we veiw ourselves and the socirt we live in. How we've becaisme more critical of the media we consume and how we are more conscientious of our actions.

Never truly free, but always fighting. Within ourselves, for ourselves and for others.

A cycle as long as human kind has existed.

So eh, here are my thoughts, feel free to re blog and add your own, critique and evaluate even more I'd love to read it. This is juts something I've typed up really quick because ✨thoughts✨ and ✨brain juices flowing✨. I would like to see other people's ideas as well, personally I loved the ending. You may not. Perfectly fine. Just remember to be respectful and grateful that we've had the opportunity to live and read this masterpiece as it has been coming out for the past 11 years. And with that, thank you isayama for all your hard work💙

[rotationalsymmetry]

I'm thinking about wrapping paper this morning.

When I was a, I don't know, teenager I guess, I'd gotten a lot of "save the planet" messages, and not any "maybe a focus on individual consumer choices is something that functions to take the pressure off of business that cause far more environmental harm" like at all*, and one way that expressed itself is I'd feel really uncomfortable about certain things right in front of me (that were relatively minor in the big picture and also generally speaking about pleasure or convenience) -- like wrapping paper on Christmas Day.

Also, smoke from fireworks.

So I'd wrap things up in the Sunday comics (this was before my local newspaper started printing the weekday comics in color) or save gift bags for later or some other reduce/reuse/(recycle if the first two aren't an option) approach. And feel slightly uncomfortable about everybody else just doing the usual thing.

But it made sense at the time. I was a teenager. I had control over almost nothing. Wrapping gifts in the Sunday comics was one thing I did have control over, so I did it.

Ecological devastation is a huge, huge problem that it's hard for one person acting alone to do much about. I found things I could do, even if they weren't much, and I did them, and you know what? I'm proud of my teenage self for that.

But I'm also kind of ashamed of myself for when (occasionally, not often, I was pretty afraid of rejection and I didn't have the option of bullying internet strangers anonymously) I'd pick a few really specific things like biking to work and try to pressure/cheerfully nudge other people who happened to be close to me into doing one of those very specific, limited things.

What works for people is so incredibly individual and personal. What's a worthwhile sacrifice and what isn't. What a specific person's impression is of how big a difference a specific action makes -- and it's pretty easy to get that wrong in both directions. And maybe that seems like I'm saying "well, but being nice is more important than anything else. Not disturbing people is more important than anything else." And that's not what I'm saying. I don't think, anyways. But now? I don't think whether you use wrapping paper or not at Christmas really matters at all. I think it's neutral, ish, in that any small benefit from this one thing in the big picture, is canceled out by that thing where if you're paying attention to wrapping paper that's time and attention you could be paying to something more relevant, and that thing where to a large degree sustainability has turned into this class signifier where wealthier people, who have a much greater baseline environmental impact (bigger homes, more plane flights, maybe investments in extremely unsustainable businesses, etc) get to keep their plane flights but claim a greater level of environmental awareness.

Which is gross. One of my things used to be I never ate at fast food places, because of all the waste. And fast food places are wasteful, but often a lot of more expensive foods take way more water to grow, and...what I mean is, if you're evaluating waste by what you see, you're going to be missing a lot, and there's a lot of cultural biases towards presenting poor people stuff as bad and rich people stuff as good.

I had no sense of proportion as a teenager. "Turn off the lights when you leave the room" and "get double pane windows for your home" were the same thing to me, except I could do one and not the other.

I'm kind of angry, in retrospect.

Thing is, my parents do, and did, care about the environment, to some degree, and if I'd been able to just... talk with them, "this is really important to me and I want to talk about what we can do as a household", maybe the better-insulated windows (that they did get, eventually, which they as homeowners did have control over) would have happened a lot sooner. And I could have spent less time stressing about the small stuff.

I was more or less forced into acting alone, feeling like I was one person fighting against the world, fighting against everyone I knew. And it didn't have to be that way. It could have been a collaboration, a fighting together. I didn't know how, I wasn't told, I wasn't encouraged... "unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot", I did care, but what I needed wasn't caring harder, it was connection. What I needed was to be fighting together, not alone.

What I needed was to be able to trust that the people around me were doing their best, and I was basically told, over and over again, that I should not have that trust.

*You know what causes a metric shit ton of environmental damage? The military. You know what never comes up when people talk about sustainability?

[abri-chan]

A long thread on Giorno’s and Mista’s relationship (platonic or not)

I like the GioMis duo dynamics, mostly because of Mista’s flexibility and friendliness. I’ve written a bunch of posts when the anime was airing, and I’ll try to summarize some of those points here as well.

Ship or not, the GioMis dynamics is one of the few actual cooperations we see in JoJo. Prosciutto and Pesci are another example, but their dynamics is doomed to fail because Prosciutto wants to have full control, and needs to prove he’s macho 24/7.

By cooperation, I don’t just mean characters trying to defeat the bad guy. When Polnareff hit Dio with the street sign to prevent Jotaro’s death, it was different characters doing what they can to fight the enemy. Cooperation means balanced interaction+complimentary contributions.

During the Ghiaccio fight, we see Mista come up with creative ways to use Golden Experience. That shows he understands the pros and limitations of his companion’s stands, and can use it to compliment his own ideas.

If the temperature is very low, grass is fine. Mista isn’t trapped, and Giorno has to put his faith in Mista that, once Mista crosses the channel, he won’t abandon Giorno. On their own neither Mista or Giorno can survive.

But if they trust each other & combine their skills, they can be something greater than the separate parts. Mista’s stand is meant to kill while Giorno’s gives life. Mista also has to trust once his blood splatters all over Ghiaccio’s vision, Giorno will be there to treat wounds.

Their dynamics works mostly thanks to Mista who’s a very chill guy. When Giorno was a newbie, Mista trusts Giorno’s idea, because seniority should not matter in evaluating how good an idea is (Zucchero’s fight).

During Ghiaccio’s fight, Mista is the one to initiate the cooperation, and because Mista is complimentary to, but not against Giorno’s grand scheme of things, Giorno admires Mista’s resolve.

(Abbacchio was giving good advice, but it was against Giorno’s core ideas, so Giorno just didn’t care to listen). Bullets having some sentience and autonomy also helps. During Cioccolata’s fight, number 5 cooperates with Giorno, since Mista is unconscious.

In some ways, Mista’s stand is inconvenient (imagine running out of bullets?). However, being highly autonomous, it can also fight when the stand user is down. Or ask for help.

Overall I have only good words to say about Mista. I think he’s smarter than fans take him for. He just doesn’t want unnecessary trouble, when life can be simple.

Giorno is trickier, because admiration is different from caring. Would Giorno sacrifice Mista? Possibly, because to Giorno ideals matter more than people. If he will put himself on the line, everyone else is fair game too.

Does he like Mista because Mista is easygoing, and thus easier to bend to his will? Mista is moved by feelings, as opposed to logic (that doesn’t mean he’s dumb; it just means some things are worth putting logic aside).

Someone like Fugo would be more problematic, because they go by logic. Fugo would make a great strategist, but maybe not the most trusted bodyguard, because he won’t take your ideals at face value.

(I have some ideas about exploring Giorno’s darker side that I won't disclose yet)

Going by a rumor if Mista was intended to be a girl Giorno rushing to catch him each time Mista falls makes so much sense shonen-wise.

Unfortunately, girls are seen as more delicate and worth protecting in Shonen, as compared to boys. In Gintama, even though Gintoki loves both Kagura and Shinpachi dearly, he’s kinder and more protective of Kagura.

Which is funny, since Kagura is part of the strongest race in the universe, and Shinpachi is just human. There have been times Shinpachi had to toughen up, while Gintoki would run to hold Kagura when she’s falling, or protect her with his body.

So if Mista were a girl, by Shonen rules, you bet Giorno will run to save the only girl, and have her land safely in his arms.

And there's Araki saying he wanted Giorno to be a girl and the entire damsel in distress trope is flipped then.

[snarkywrites]

Juno Retrograde: Balance & Independence

The Juno Retrograde happened on February 8th, 2020 in the sign of Libra and it will go direct on May 26th, 2020. This will impact Air and Fire signs. I debated posting this during Valentine’s Day but did not want to cause any panic. A Juno Retrograde will bring to the forefront issues with established relationships. This does not necessarily mean romantic; it can also impact friendships and other interpersonal relationships that have been on the rocks. In the sign of Libra, we will all focus on bringing balance to the situation and making sure it is implemented moving forward. There could also be issues that echo independence and freedom. Either way, we will all learn a lot about ourselves, our love languages and our ability to sacrifice all in the name of love after this transit.

(Check your Rising sign or the House that transiting Juno falls in.)

Aries/Juno in the 7th House – You will be greatly impacted by this Retrograde since it will fall in your house of partnerships. This does not mean that your relationships will end during this transit but it will bring to light any issues that you have been keeping to yourselves. Allow this period to enlighten and teach you about what you want in a relationship in order to reach its full potential. For those who are single, you will also feel this energy with close friends. You too will understand the importance of respect and balance since this is what the sign of Libra tries to teach us. Focus on stabilizing the energy between both parties and if you are expending more than they are, bring it to their attention and do not be afraid to discuss. Whatever ends during this period, will serve to help you grow more.

Taurus/Juno in the 6th House – You and Libra are both Venus rules signs. The impact of the Juno Retrograde will highlight your work environment and the relationship you have with colleagues. If things have been rocky for you, now is the time to make amends and bring about peace and order in order to help things to continue flourishing for you and those who are in the same workspace. Try your best not to ger caught up with petty drama during this time but focus on stepping up to your role as leader. The Juno Retrograde is here for several months, inspiring you to bring some diplomacy into your everyday life. If you have been the source of the chaos, reel it all in and do not let your anger take over. This is a great period for learning and growing as you come out of this with new insight and more positive perspectives relating to your dynamic with others.

Gemini/Juno in the 5th House – The Juno Retrograde might be a bit of a downer for those who want to find something more solid with their casual romantic pursuits. Do not worry, this is a trial run of what you will be expecting for the Venus Retrograde and you will learn a lot about love in the next year. For many Gemini’s this period of time will be here to teach you to grow, to experience and to learn what it means to truly love and commit. There can be setbacks, but nothing worth fighting for is easy, so just try and keep your head in the game. Your opportunity for growth and change is right around the corner when it comes to the romance department. It will be an interesting year and an eye-opening experience to see just where you are in terms of approaching partnerships. How you view commitment in the long term and how hard you are willing to fight for those impossible connections.

Cancer/Juno in the 4th House – It all comes back to home with you as the Juno Retrograde brings a focus to the connections made at home or to the space that you consider to be most intimate. This is a perfect time to reconnect with family, friends and others that you have pushed away. Creating harmony, the Libra way will provide you a sense of progress when it comes to connecting. The Retrograde will want you to go back to your roots and might make you feel like a bit of a homebody. To the married folks, you will have to find resolutions within your personal environment. Any issues will be dug up by the retrograde, so be prepared. Again, this is not a negative thing, it will serve to enforce a bond and to help find ways to strengthen it. You will have immense courage and faith after this transit.

Leo/Juno in the 3rd House – Juno here wants to have someone to share their thoughts with and will become silent during the retrograde. Remember, that in order to get to the root of a problem, you need to discuss and share because it is the only way for partners to grow. Libra wants us to hear our partners and be respectful of their desires. This also applies to friendships. We need to treat everyone with respect, especially if they have not harmed us in anyway. Retrogrades are a moment in time that allow us to focus on an issue and learn from them. Vocalize your hurt, your truths and reassure your partner with your words. This should not be an issue for the aristocratic Leo, but it will take a lot of pride for you to show your vulnerabilities and weaknesses to others.

Virgo/Juno in the 2nd House – A Retrograde in this house will make you reconsider your position in the world, identity and worth. How much do you value yourself in these relationships? Are you putting too much energy or are you being selfish? You will be focused on your stability and any threats can push you to the point of ending a relationship. Virgo likes to analyze and dig for answers even when everything is absolutely fine. This retrograde should not be a moment of paranoia for you, so do not go looking for issues in a situation that is has no problems. Instead, make sure to think about how you are feeling and your happiness. Libra wants us to find the balance, but the Aries side wants you to think about how happy you are and what you can do to expound on it.

Libra/Juno in the 1st House – The Juno Retrograde will be in your sign. No need to panic since this is just a period of evaluation in your interpersonal relationships. If you have been a bit of a pushover, now is your time to find some qualities that your sister sign, Aries will applaud you for. It is your moment to take control, discuss issues that you might be having with your partnerships and bring about plans to fortify this union. On the flipside, this is a period of time in your life that makes you think of the wonderful qualities your partner has and you will respect them more for it. The Juno Retrograde can bring ends as well as create stronger ties. You are the master of balance and understand the philosophies of unions. Trust your gut in determining which side of the coin you are on.

Scorpio/Juno in the 12th House – This will be a very intense retrograde for you because it will bring your detective skills here in order to break away from those potential romantic partners who are not worth your time and effort. In this house you will have less of a propensity to forgive because what is ended here, has no power to return. The Juno Retrograde will open your eyes to what truly matters when it involves intimate partners. This is also a great position for an evolved union with a partnership that builds upon trust, love and hope. Your partner, if they have the best interest in you, will help you find yourself and grow even in the toughest times. With Mars entering Capricorn, your investigative skills will be unmatched, as you decide whether those you are dealing with are truly friend or foe.

Sagittarius/ Juno in your 11th House – Here you might experience friction in your friend circles as well as with those who you meet. Make sure to bring harmony and not promote divisiveness. You will see those who are loyal to you as well as the ones who do not have the best interest in you or your accomplishments and hopes. Juno in Libra retrograding will teach you to approach situations involving your closest friendships with grace as well as disconnecting from those who are no longer being positive influences in your life. The ones causing stress and pain, you will have less tolerance for. This is a moment of forming even tighter bonds with people you have had years of friendships with as well as establishing boundaries with those who are no longer on the same wavelength as you.

Capricorn/Juno in the 10th House – A Juno Retrograde here will highlight those relationships through work and career. Your connections might be diminishing, or you might feel like you do not have a greater hold on them. With Mars entering your sign, you will get that extra push needed to keep powering through and show those in positions of power just what you are made of. Juno here can also depict that you might be in a position of control and will need to be more peaceful to your fellow co-workers. On the flip side, your passive nature could be pushed as you become more tempted to take on more aggressive tendencies to show just how capable you are. Remember to center yourself because burning bridges is never a good thing to do in a work environment. Practice diplomacy and be patient.

Aquarius/Juno in the 9th House – It will be an interesting time as you apply your ideology into your partnerships. There can be a great focus on expressing your freedom or wanting your partner to conform to your philosophies when it comes to most matters. A Juno transit here wants to break free but remain connected through a spiritual connection or mentorship. You will want more from your partner, an expansive quality that will make you want to change your perception. Communicating to your partners your wants and needs can be the first step in this. Choosing the route to escape and break away might not be the best solution because it will leave your partner in a state of confusion with no resolution.

Pisces/Juno in the 8th House – You are the eternal dreamer. Love as well as romance always manages to bring some joy into your life. This Juno Retrograde impacts you in a way that will relate to overcoming some unfinished business relating to past or current partnerships. These links can be associated with deeper ties, so many of you will experience this with romantic partners and how your relationship currently stands. You may have resorted to utilizing power tactics to take the reigns in a situation. Be sure to understand how the power dynamics are working for you and if there are any negative qualities that need to be changed, such as manipulation or lying (with either you or your partner) this is the perfect time to make changes right before the Venus Retrograde. These are all lessons that will help us become better partners.

[thepilgrimofwar]

Warplanning 3 - Edited Roll20 Log

[Event Start]

The meeting was finally called as twilight began to deepen and Relriah and those in her company had arrived, packing the War Room fuller than usual. It was the first time since the start of the Civil War where Relriah, Judereth, and even Zarannis were all present round the table at once. Though it must be stated that the ex-Ranger General seemed better put together from the last time she was seen in the manor. Her armor was properly polished and there wasn’t a hint of the least bit of whiskey about her.

Stenden looks dour, though great victories had been won this week, it was the manner in which they were won seemed to bother him. Rumours of the massive use of Blood Magic turning the tide of battle seemed to unsettle him. It would not look good if the war was won by something that seemed like borderline necromancy.

Thank you for coming everyone,” Stenden speaks up.

[Blood Magics]

Solendis clears his throat. “The first order of business, and most important, is Blood Magic and its use.”

Relriah responds immediately. Very out of character from the woman he thought he knew. “You cannot deny its effectiveness. Not only in terms of casualties but morale as well. There are even rumors of the Lady in White fighting on our side.”

Vissehn glances between husband and wife with eyes growing wider by the moment. He struggles to suppress a grin.

Renalays squints with her almond eyes over the expanse of the wartable, almost -confused- by the concept that someone would be upset over the use of her powers. "I have no idea what this 'White Lady' the Illthians have been referring to me as -means,- but I make no apologies for using the full of my powers, as is the right of Sin'dorei."

Ethalarian arches a brow from his seat and leans forward, elbows braced across the top of the table. "Unnatural means?" He gestures to Thanidiel and back to himself. "Do you even know who we are?"

Thanidiel then grunts with Ethalarian's toss of his hand towards herself. She's a freak of the Light.

Solendis presses his lips together and shakes his head. “While that is true, Inquisitor- And effective or not, my dear- we cannot be seen to win this war with... Seemingly unnatural means. Our peasants aren't the most discerning of types when it comes to magic use. Light knows many of them have never seen a mage despite their prevalence in the greater Kingdom of Quel’thalas.”

Lirelle now starts to stare at Solendis. Then looks at Renalays, then for Kebha, then herself, then baaaack at Solendis.

Thanidiel spends a long time evaluating Relriah and the Emberhearts more than she does Renalays. A cock to her head and a burrow to her brow. Then the questions swirling there are answered by Solendis' response back to the Inquisitor. But only halfway. "But your Lady speaks of these rumours as beneficial?"

Relriah backs up Thanidiel. "Incredibly beneficial. She's a legend that only appears to punish unruly Lords. Arenias in this case."

Beathyn steps forward in an attempt to physically block the growing tension between the couple. "The price of being the bread basket of the Kingdom. Hard labour is valued rather than education."

Renalays:"Power has little to do with education. If that was the case, Dawnstalker here would be the worst of us." It's a compliment.

Relriah then looks to Renalays. "And I believe we ought to use every tool at our disposal."

Ethalarian nods. "Yeah, exactly."

Vissehn:"So, this Lady in White, she comes up and what-- chastens th'Lords who gets too big for their britches? Why's it a bad thing-- an' why can't we just have our Ladies of Death an' Blood ride front and center and scare the piss out of the defense?" He waves a hand to Lirelle and Renalays.

Thanidiel spoke. "I think you will struggle to find less.. utilitarian opinions amongst us, who have all acquainted with the mainland, Solendis, Lordling. Is this your wish that we hold aside the most 'monstrous' of our powers? Or do you sincerely want the discussion?" She then nods to Vissehn and Relriah's points.

Vissehn looks to Stenden. "Might save some lives, honestly. Fear of the righteous dead is enough to sway more'n just farmers hearts."

Stenden nods at Vissehn and regards his father. "Can you leverage the powers of the Inquisitor into tales of the Lady in White? I'm sure we can spin tales that actually help further legitimize us in the eyes of the people if the Lady fights on our side- The side of justice. It's not like we can win the war... Without unnatural looking means." He gestures towards Lirelle. Literally a vengeful spirit back from the dead- Who had not infact been seen on the field.

Stenden "The supernatural is not to be feared. That's what I was taught." He mimicks words that Solendis himself had told him. Long ago.

"Not if we can make an ally of it." Relriah adds.

Ethalarian nods in agreement with Thanidiel. "I'm not keen on gambling with the lives of the Blood Knights who have rallied to my banner by playing nice with a bunch of uppity locals."

Renalays:"Does this imply I should make myself scarce to your peasantry for the duration of this little squabble?" As if she wasn't already? She's been terrorising the servants with her ways.

Lirelle glances at Judereth. "Are you going to bell her too?"

Relriah smiles at the Inquisitor, privy to her & Lirelle's terrorizing of the house staff. Though the latter was unintentional.

Stenden shakes his head. "You're dressed in white, I think appearing before the peasantry might help our cause if my we can get the White Lady on our side of the war effort."

Stenden looks to Lirelle. Wondering if he could get her to dress in white too.

Lirelle | Not a chance.

Ethalarian turns now to Renalays at his right. "I owe you one, by the way."

Renalays:"You owe me many," she says without missing a beat, "Knight-Captain Dawnstalker." Those are some behind-the-scenes implications. But she brushes right on with a turn of her snooty chin up in the air towards the end of the table, that white mask encompassing her face obscuring anything but her eyes. "Perhaps I ought to make rounds among the skirmish 'lines' then? Inflate these rumours you prize?"

Stenden nods. "If you wish- It'll send a message, one way or another."

Ethalarian shakes his head and goes straight back to leaning back in his chair, only this time with the added benefit of dropping a booted foot on the edge of the table. You can take the bumpkin out of the country...

[Prisoners]

“Speaking of which, onto the prisoners then,” Relriah spoke up. “Excluding the wounded, we have almost two hundred prisoners taken by the Coalition alone. What should be done with them?” She had been responsible for the capture of a good number of them and was curious of their fates.

Lirelle:“Make use of them. They were all fine with taking up arms against you, turn those arms back on Arenias.”

Stenden raises an eyebrow at her suggestion. “What does that entail exactly?”

Thanidiel:"They can change their banners and walk free, or sow fields with a sword at their backs."

Lirelle points to the cluster of tokens on the war map. “Release the militia. As for the soldiers, send them to fight on the front lines.”

Stenden shakes his head at both of them. “Absolutely not. Enemies or not, they are prisoners. They’ve done their duties and their role in the war is over. I will ask no more of them.”

Lirelle regards him with a flat emotionless stare. “They are traitors. They chose to raise their banners and go against you. To keep prisoners is a waste of resources spent feeding and guarding them. Men are going to die on the field. This is an inescapable reality. Why sacrifice the lives of those who are already loyal to you when there is another option? I would wager that if you asked any one of your people whether they would rather the death of a Ilithian traitor or the death of their husbands and sons, not a single one would answer differently.”

Renalays:"I wish," she affirms plainly. "I need to gather up strength, as it were. The Emberglades are more glutted with the dead than the Dead Scar yet they still must be -pulled- forth. The quantities of each battle are too large for consistency. As for the prisoners; something must be done. Dawnbrook has the most efficient option. It's too late to send them back or free. They've seen your roads and your patrols, your armies and the proprieties of the land and villages just by marching in chains."

Stenden gives Lirelle a withering look, the first time he had ever given her one. “And that is exactly why I am a Lord and they are subjects.” He says with all the conviction in the world. Stenden looks at Renalays, then back at Lirelle. “This is not a conflict between warring states, this is a -Civil War- Today’s traitor is tomorrow’s subject. The husbands and sons in my dungeons -are- my people. The Ilithian’s -are- my people.”

“Sederis asked me to build a better realm. A -better- realm. A realm where the people aren’t held accountable for the decision of their traitorous Lord. We have a chance right now to build it, and forcing prisoners to sacrifice themselves on our behalf is not how we do that!”

Ethalarian:"They seem to disagree with you on the whole 'warring states' thing. That said, I don't know that it's worth the risk of them looking for an opportunity to turn on us if we put them at the front."

Lirelle scoffs. “This is a civil war that you still need to -win-. Your ideals are pointless if you’re dead. To sacrifice men already loyal to you in the place of known traitors is a mistake that Sederis would know he could not afford to make. In order to rule with stability long enough to make the changes that you want to sometimes requires an iron fist, and Sederis eventually understood that. You would end this conflict surrounded by just as many turncoats as you would loyalists. Your position will never be secure.”

Thanidiel:"Has anyone -asked- them to convert swords or hands yet?"

Stenden responds to Ethlarian. "So we don't put them in the front, we keep them in chains. Not use them as flesh shields for the battles to come."

Stenden wanted to yell, but held his tongue. Instead he clenched his fist, staring at the war map, then at Vissehn, then back at Lirelle. “Then what’s the point of winning? I’m fighting for a realm where an iron fist is not necessary-” Then something seems to spark from behind his eyes. “-Where an iron fist is not necessary-.” The boy snaps his fingers and looks at Thanidel, then at Shalemarch on the map. “What if they decide to fight on the frontlines of their own accord? Again we extend amnesty. Families safe, property restored, if they fight for their proper Lord. I won’t be betraying my people, you get to turn them against Arenias.”

Thanidiel:"You'll be surprised at the ferocity and loyalty of a man given an option to repent. It was a...strategy, when we were putting down heretic bands in the South in the days before Sin'dorei."

Lirelle folds her arms. “That will work, provided enough of them take the deal. I trust that you or your father will make sure that the numbers are actually sizeable?”

Solendis nods, speaking mostly to his son. "It can sometimes make them fight twice as hard to prove their loyalty."

Ethalarian shrugs his shoulders. "Then put them with me and mine. They might not take quickly to a nobleman or some former Inquisitor, but they might look well on another commoner."

Renalays:"For clarity, I am very much in active service and all that implies of my presence."

Vissehn stiffens. "There's more reason than -Lords- and -Subjects- not to put swords in the hands of those who'd wish us dead for bein' the supporters of an untested Lord. They're your citizens-- and traitors, the lot, but mayhap it was just where they were born. Giving them a choice in it, to serve-- as part of the distribution, the belly of the army, or the lines, just split them up among the loyal, those who don't wanna hang. A drop of vinegar is well disguised in wine. Just split em'."

Stenden sighs. Deeply. Responding to Vissehn. "I will hang those I need to. But the rest? Following orders? I'd have them repatriated after this war is over."

Thanidiel:"Aye, I would normally advocate to work with the commoners as well, but I think they will frown upon my training with Lady Relriah."

[Shalemarch & The Peasant Rebellion]

Judereth clears her throat and speaks up. "Which brings us to Shalemarch."

Judereth continues. "There have been... Complications with my succession of Shalemarch. First of all, a mercenary company, fearing that they would not get their due started looting their way through the province. Lirelle and the Crows have made short work of them. But this has in inadvertently started off something that needs to be dealt with immediately." She gestures towards the map.

Lirelle mostly looks at Solendis when she speaks. "Do not allow your idealism to be taken for softness. Until all the sentiment has been rooted out, you will have no choice but to be constantly vigilant even after this is over."

Vissehn curses at the mention of the unprofessional mercs. "Fuckin' novices."

Judereth | "They are calling themselves the Shalemarchers. Peasants who are drawing others to their cause. Farmers, blacksmiths, and the like. They believe they've been pushed around long enough by the Nobilities and dying unnecessarily for their wars. Especially in the years of late."

Vissehn goes silent at this announcement.

Judereth puts her finger on their token, almost as if squishing a bug. "Normally, putting down peasant rebellions are quick and bloody. But Lord Emberheart, in his merciful wisdom" She said it, almost mockingly- Almost- But with enough respect in her tone to let it slide. "Wants to bring a peaceful solution to this..." she pauses, finding a more appropriate word. "Debacle."

Lirelle chokes down a snort at Judereth. Good girl.

"They're disorganised and banded, right?" Thanidiel asks. "We're 'professional' as far that goes in the Emberglades. All you have to do is corral them with the Crows and infantry backing and starve them out. Burn or take food as they try to march and come upon it."

Judereth nods. "For the time being. Which was why my first suggestion was just that. Come down on them hard and fast and they'll starve out without knowledge of maintaining significant numbers."

Lirelle adds. "The Crows are the only reason they're alive now to organise themselves for bullshit causes. If you remind them of this, force or not, I suspect many will lose the taste for it."

Thanidiel:"I think Garris can do what's necessary if we have to go back to starving them out as they roam. The Crows are fast and know how to quickly strip a village or field."

Vissehn speaks. "Lemme talk to them."

Stenden looks at Vissehn and gestures for Judereth to pause for a moment. "Can you make this such that no one has to bleed or starve over this?"

Vissehn looks sharp to Stenden. "Let me try to end this without the blood-- the way you'd want it. I know what they're thinkin, been in those caches before-- m'uncles would have burned Silvermoon given half a chance. I can help talk 'em to the table."

"Very well," he says with a small smile. "If anyone else would like to go with him, feel free. If not," he looks to Thanidiel and then to Renalays, knowing what the state usually does to peasant rebellions. "We'll do what must be done."

Stenden gestures for Judereth to continue.

Thanidiel seems satisfied with having Vissehn handle it alone.

"Perhaps Dawnbrook should attend to provide the tougher touch when unnecessary.” Renalays says. On the other hand, has a slight narrowing to her eyes as they study Vissehn. Is it distrust of motives or age? However it is - it remains unspoken.

Lirelle nods. "If the reminder of what they are dealing with is not enough, then we will make sure no one has reason to follow this line of thought in future."

Judereth clears her throat. "Lastly. I'm not sure how many of you have heard. But Nelio Goodember is now my Steward. A hostage. But no longer in the dungeons. Which solves two problems. One, the books and numbers- which were surprisingly sound, by the way- will continue without the usual break during successions. Two, with the provisions of amnesty-" He looks at Stenden, who had referenced her plan earlier. "His loyalists will be given a choice to fight for their rightful Lord, tangentially in the name of their former Lord. Their militia will be folded into our ranks."

[Tokens are updated on the War Map]

Stenden nods. "That is good news, he looks to the others at the table. If there is nothing else-"

[The Holdouts of the Black Banner]

Zarannis steps forward. "There is one more thing."

She gestures towards the map, running a line across the mountain range of the Cloudrend Glades all the way to Dawnveil, then places a token, marked with the insignia of Lord Tar'saren, Lord of the Broken Bulwark that had been obliterated in the Phoenix Wars. "There are holdouts of the Black Banner in the mountains. I intend to make use of them."

The Ex-Ranger General looks to the others around the table. "I'll take any volunteers willing to help me. But I warn you, it may be dangerous. Some Tunnels under the mountain filled with scourge from the Fall, and we're in search for a company of men who still think they are fighting the Phoenix War. She looks to Solendis, "that said, I'll be needing Sederis' Banner once more."

Solendis nods. "It will be given. But are you entirely sure it is wise?"

Stenden speaks up. "Wise or no, we ought to bring them home. But knowing their reputation they're likely to join our ranks without question."

Thanidiel:"If we're dealing with undead as well, then the lightweavers should go. But then it's a matter of who we're willing to lose from the frontlines in our final push on Illithia."

Judereth "There's a lot of ground to cover between our current lines and Illithia's fortress by the sea. Besides, we'll need to liberate Kearn and I hear they are without a garrison. So, there will be a small lull to get our house in order before the final push."

"So we're dealing with the east and the tunnels in this current week?" Thanidiel grunts again. "If that's the case, then I'll go with Commander Wintergale," Outdated and perhaps an unintentional sting. "I'd be careful about those reports of Kearn though. It's valuable, and the Empty Fort Strategy isn't uncommon in the treatises."

Zarannis gives Thanidiel a nod of respect. "I appreciate your support."

Ethalarian exhales through his nose and shrugs his shoulders. "I'll go too, then."

Zarannis nods at Ethalarian as well. "I'm sure the Dawnspire Knights and the others of the Coalition will keep things in order on the frontline until we can return."

Relriah responds to Thanidiel. "We will be careful. I do not doubt that when it comes to my father, treachery is not out of the question."

[Event End]