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ancientcraftnoccultism · 8 months

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Beginner Class - Casting A Circle

Ancient Craft & Occultism

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By KB

Introduction

Welcome back to class everyone! ♡ As you may have noticed, we're moving out of getting familiar with our own energy and beginning to establish our own path in the craft! It's important to note that everyone's path will be different, which is one of the main reasons for so many various forms of the same essential practices. Today we will be discussing casting circles in ceremonial work. Casting circles IS NOT ESSENTIAL when it comes to ceremonial work, although specific paths do adhere to this tradition. It's also very beneficial when starting your path to find what does & doesn't work for you! Let's get into it.

What Is A Circle?

Essentially, a circle is an energetic barrier that is used as protection, concentration, and raising energy. The magic circle represents fullness, perfection, and unity as well as the cosmos' creation, the womb of mother Earth, the seasonal cycle, and birth-death-regeneration. It becomes possible to transcend the physical and to awaken the mind to greater and deeper levels of consciousness inside the circle.

Since ancient times, when they were drawn around the beds of sick people and new mothers to shield them from demons, circles have had a magical, protective connotation. The ruins of stone circles in Britain are evidence of the significance of circles in early paganic rituals. Modern Paganism and Witchcraft use sacred circles that are derived from Western ceremonial magic. Despite these significant variances, there are some parallels.

In ceremonial magic, the circle stands in for a sacred location where the magician summons and controls deadly and elusive spirits and entities. The circle must be carefully cast in order to protect against them. In order to avoid having a summoned entity seize him and strike him down or experience something terrible, the practitioner must never leave the circle while performing a ritual, not even accidentally swinging his arm outside of it. Detailed directions for casting the circle with consecrated ritual materials during specific astrological conditions and hours of the day or night are provided in grimoires and other magical texts. A floor that has been well cleaned is used to form the circle, and salt might be used to emphasize the border.

In modern Paganism and Witchcraft, circles are formed based on the amount of space available, the number of participants, and the goal. They can be measured out with a string or traced on the ground, or they can simply be established by traversing the circumference. Outside, circles might not be perfectly round. A circle is cast after expelling bad energy. The high priestess in Wicca may symbolically sweep it away with a broom. Participants' consciousness is prepared through esoteric techniques like breathing exercises, drumming, visualization, and meditation. The circle area contains the altar and the necessary ritual supplies. Pagans and witches working alone could just have a few tools. The four quarters, or cardinal points, are marked with candles, stones, or other things placed on the ground. These circles can be cast for protection, for example, to ward off psychic attack or protect a home against intruders. magic circles do not last indefinitely; protective ones must be periodically recharged through ritual.

Why Cast A Circle?

Ritual magic can be hindered by a variety of things, including distractions from the real world, other people's opposing wills, and chaotic entities who feed off the practitioner's efforts, to mention a few. Casting a circle might help you block out outside distractions and maintain your attention on the task at hand. Many practitioners cast the circle with psychic protection in mind because a magical trance can be a psychically vulnerable state.

The inner barrier of the circle is just as significant as the outer one. Like all energy that we are aware of, magical energy has a propensity to ricochet and disperse throughout the cosmos. Its natural habit is motion. The basic idea behind ritual is to temporarily focus part of that energy for a specific reason. You may gather more energy and hold onto it longer in a circle. A well-constructed circle provides spirits or deities with a comfortable landing area for the length of the ritual if your activity entails calling forth spirits or deities.

All of this can be summed up by noting that a magic circle serves two main functions: to keep outside disruptions out and to keep ritual energy inside. Without a doubt, this is greatly oversimplified. So let's suppose the circle is a tool to help your magick be more powerful.

How Do I Cast One?

Well, this one is honestly all up to you. As with most things in witchcraft, everything depends upon the practitioner. Regardless of whatever way you decide to cast your circle, all methods share a form of concentration/visualization and commitment to self belief.

Four cardinal points are evenly spaced around the circumference of a conventional circle. They are connected to the Wiccan seasonal calendar, the four directions, and the four elements. The Quarters, in my opinion, are legendary beings that have made appearances in numerous world faiths. You can think of them as tent poles to balance the energy and form of the circle. All of them are typical procedures in circle-casting: Visualizing the circle's boundaries, walking around it, cutting a boundary with a dagger or sword, calling the Quarters, lighting candles, setting objects along the circle's edge, and performing a ritual cleaning inside the circle. You might incorporate some or all of these components into your casting.

Some individuals favor using an athame, a length of cord, stones, or candles for each of the four quarters when casting the circle. Setting up the circle's boundaries can be made much easier with the use of these tools. Since participants may not be familiar with the ins and outs of circle-casting, more tools are typically employed in larger and more public rituals. Numerous calls, shrines at the Quarters, chants, and textual evocations are frequently used in large public circles to increase visibility. There isn't a technique that is superior to the others. The participants' will and other circumstances will affect the circle's strength.

Here's a small guideline to help those who aren't sure where to begin this exercise.

Ground & Center Yourself

Set the four cardinal points with correspondences if you wish

Light an incense (or visualize) and use it as a wand to "trace out" your circle.

As you face each cardinal point, call to the spirits of the direction if you wish.

You will have a very distinguished energetic feeling, which will feel different for everyone, but you will know once your circle has formed a solid foundation.

Of course, there are MANY ways to cast a circle, this just may be the most basic for those who aren't sure where to begin.

#elder witch #baby witch #witchblr #beginner witch #witchcraft #dark witchcraft #astrology #tarot #aesthetic #divination #witchcraft 101 #traditional witchcraft

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yelenasdiary · 1 year

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Secret Mission

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff, Carol Denvers, Maria Hill, Pepper Potts, Yelena Belova & Kate Bishop x Reader (All Platonic)

Summary: You & the girls go out for the monthly ‘secret mission’

| Fluff | No Warnings | 0.9K |

AC: This idea comes from @libraylove754 sending me gifs of Wanda, Yelena & Nat followed by a gif of a cup of coffee! I hope you enjoy this x – sorry about the ending, I found this rather tricky to right for some reason!

Once a month, you and the other girls get together for coffee, something normal, away from the boys to just chill, chat and relax. Originally it was Kate's idea, trust the most social one to drag you all out, right? The boys back at the compound always questioned where you all would get too but none of you told them that it was just a simple coffee catch up, so, like men, they joked about it and called it "The Girls Secret Mission".

As you walked into the local coffee shop, the staff had already reserved a table of 8, ready for you all. You couldn't see anybody else insight has you stepped on it, your eyes searched the small shop that was slightly busier than usual but still, you couldn't see any of your friends.

"Ah, you made it!" Carol came up behind you, almost giving you a fright. "Me? Looks like you're late too!" you chuckled, the two of you walking over to the reserved table, "I wouldn't say we're the late ones by the looks of it" Carol smiled, pulling her chair out.

"Actually, you guys are kind of late" a Sokovian accent made you turn slightly to see Wanda smiling softly with a donut and coffee in hand, "I have a feeling you were craving this?" she ask before placing the coffee mug and donut in front of you. "Thanks Wands! How did you kn-" you paused when you realised she'd read your thoughts, "never mind" you added with a chuckle.

"What about mine?" Carol jokingly pouted, "well, maybe when you make up your mind on what you want to drink then I'll get your order too" Wanda replied with a smirk before taking a seat next to you. "Nat's in the bathroom and Yelena is finding a park" Wanda added.

"Good morning! Sorry I'm a tad late, I couldn't get Tony to shut it about his new project!" Pepper sighed lightly before taking a seat across from you, next to Carol. "Don't stress" you smiled, "Yelena, Maria or Kate aren't here yet" you added before taking a sip on of your latte.

After a good solid 10 minutes, everybody was finally seated and waiting for their order, well, not everybody. Kate came into the café, hands full of shopping bags that she dropped at her feet before taking a seat beside you, "Kate Bishop, nice of you to finally join us" Yelena looked at her friend. "Yeah, sorry about that! I was trying to do a quick shop around for clints birthday, I couldn't decide what he'd like best so Natty Nat, I need your help" Kate smiled proudly at the red head across from her.

Natasha looked up at the young Avenger in an almost disgusted look, "did you just call me Natty Nat?" she questioned with a cocked brow.

"S-sorry, I didn't think" Kate slumped down into her chair before the rest of you all chuckled.

The café was already loud enough but ask any other customer, most the of chatter and laughter was coming from the table full of Avengers. "I could go for another latte, anybody else want anything while I'm up?" you offered as you stood from your seat. "A latte isn't a real coffee, Y/n Y/l/n" Yelena commented before taking another sip of her coffee.

"And boxed mac n cheese isn't a real meal" you looked to the blonde with a smirk.

"I'll come up with you" Maria smiled before downing the rest of her coffee.

You and Maria took the others second order while the others started to secretly talk about the surprise that had been planned for you.

"They have no idea!" Kate smiled proudly once more, "yeah the excuse for presents for Clint worked a charm" Carol replied.

KB: Uh? Oh no, most of these are actually for Clint.

NR: But his birthday is still two months away?

KB: I know but he is so hard to shop for!

YB: She always shops months early for people, the apartment is currently full of crap she needs to return once she works out the perfect gift.

KB: Hey! it's better than what you gift people

YB: Nothing wrong with gift cards, they get whatever they want, and I don't have to think too much about it.

NR: I'm with Yelena on that one.

PP: Guys, the surprise party. It's tonight, do we have anything ready?

CD: Yeah, the boys are setting up the compound now.

NR: Peter said something about Aunt May had been up since 5am cooking.

PP: She has, that's where I'm headed after this. Maria too.

NR: I'm taking Y/n bike shopping so that'll but you all more time.

CD: Shh, they're coming.

Carol's shush wasn't as quiet as she thought, you took your seat and looked around the table at the others. "Did I miss something?" you asked, they all shook their heads, "Why are you guys all acting weird all of a sudden?" you added.

"We were just making fun of Yelena and her love for mac n cheese" Kate pitched in before pulling one of her shopping bags onto the table, "do you think Clint would like this?" she asked, distracting you from the odd behavior from the group. She showed off a new arrow sack.

"He has that one" Natasha replied, causing Kate to sigh. "It's a lovely idea though" you patted Kate on her back.

For the next hour, all of you enjoyed your last cups of warm goodness before all parting ways. You and Natasha went motorbike shopping, not that she was really looking for anything, but it was enough to keep you from guessing what was really going on. Your birthday was just around the corner, 2 weeks away in fact and for once the entire team wanted to surprise you without you finding out like you always did.

Safe to say, the surprise went undetected and you even made Natasha buy a motorbike!

#marvel #wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #carol danvers #Maria hill #pepper potts #yelena belova #Kate bishop #x reader #fanfiction

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leavemebetosleep · 1 year

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self indulgent fanfic idea: Bowuigi Corpse Bride-inspired AU

Bowser has been attempting to force Peach to marry him for a long time, and one night attempting to practice the perfect proposal accidentally catches the attention of an undead Corpse Bride Luigi.

The land of the dead is evershade valley/boo woods.

Bowser isn't happy, as this is not who he wanted to marry, (even though Weeg is an absolute sweetheart and introduces him to polterpup a-la the wedding gift scene) and tries to ditch him and find Peach.

Peach tells him she's still not interested, and when Weeg catches up his feelings get hurt when he realizes he's not wanted, and after a piss poor attempt to smooth things over, Bowser gets his ass dragged back to ghost town.

Peach recognizes that Luigi looks familiar however, and runs off to tell Mario.

Then the piano playing make-up scene can commence (which might be the whole reason I came up with this AU lel). E. Gadd can be Elder Gutknect and reveal the marriage isn't valid oops. (not because Bows isn't dead though, it's just that saying a proposal out loud in the woods isn't a real way to marry someone LOL)

Bows overhears, but has come to like Weeg, and has accepted him and Peach ain't happening, so decides to marry him for real, aww.

Mario didn't initially believe Peach when she told him, but kinda has to when ghosts suddenly come out of the wood work into town, and oh, there's his dead bro getting married.

Mario interrupts because holy shit his bro is back from the dead. It seems like a happy reunion, but then King Boo shows up (maybe he can in the BG doing stuff in the lead up idk), reveals to audience and Bows he killed him by tricking him. KB had just been locked away bc ofc Mario and Peach went and kicked his ass after that.

They all kick his ass again, the ghosts and boos turn on him because they've come to adore their Corpse Bride and dont' want to listen to him anymore, and he's dragged into hell or whatever.

The boys finally get married and Bowser has a spooky perky goth bf. The end.

#bowuigi #corpse bride #anyone who knows me is completely unsurprised by this post #unless they're just surprised I didn't make a post like this sooner lol #luigi #bowser

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thatsatricky1 · 1 month

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𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 || 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: Eight of the top ten most popular players in Korea are invited to be the first people to test out the newest device and gameplay by NEO a video game company known as of recent to be the best of the best. An opportunity of a life time handed to them to be able to trial and get a contract to promote it later on. The eight couldn’t resist as they gladly accepted the invitation. Not being able to predict what was to come. A trail test that wouldn’t just be focused on graphics and playablity, no this would test relationships, strength, resolve and many more unpredictable things.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Nct Dream ot7 x Reader

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Angst, Fantasy, Fluff, Gaming, Humour, Romance, Smut (in future chapters), Thriller.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 1,7k+

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: None in prologue.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: This does not depict an accurate picture of Nct Dream and this is strictly fantasy/fiction for entertainment purposes.

“Good morning, welcome to KBS! Today’s first story will interest our younger audience and may just worry all our parents out there.” A well put together broadcast reporter spoke all the while giving the audience watching her through the screen a bright pearly white smile.

“The youth these days seems to be focusing widely on entertainment in the video game area. Well, everyday there seems to be new things coming out but what we have today is something quite extraordinary.” She recited off the teleprompter hidden from sight pointing behind her at the big green screen that showed images and videos to the audience.

“The biggest competitors in gaming in Korea with well known usernames most teens know have all recently been invited to a new project.”

As she spoke on screen were several very well known professional gamers, some showed streaming while others were seen celebrating recently won titles at gaming competitions.

“The project in question is Project Impact. We have all heard of VR, virtual reality but the people at NEO have taken a large step for the gaming community. Unfortunately we don’t have a lot of information on the current project but we will explain what we have.”

“They have worked on a way to make virtual reality more real and as the CEO has promised an experience unlike any other, they have created a way for the player to be able to be in the game with their conscience attached all the while the player is in a sleep-like state.”

As the woman spoke images appeared of people wearing a certain tech wear headgear, seemingly ‘in game’ while their bodies were either laying down or in a sit up position on comfortable chairs.

“The game attached to this new device has also been developed by Neo and is seen to be an in world game with all sorts of challenges and filled with interesting plots. They have confirmed the game is finished.”

“Neo has requested from top players in Korea to test out the tech wear headsets and gameplay, getting many replies and contracts from said players and is due to start testing tonight around 8pm. Though for those interested to see how it plays out, unfortunately it will be under wraps to test out any bugs and glitches at first, but if deemed playable will be streamed and shortly available to the public in only a few months.”

“We have yet to see the whole list of top players that will be testing Neo’s new device and game but those we do have we can list off for you video game enthusiasts, you may just see some of your favourites.”

The reporter, now gesturing at the backdrop once again.

“Mark Lee, also known as Lee Minhyung with the tag name Mork is a Canadian, Korean competitive player known for playing Elden ring, Fortnite and Wow, keeping his place in the top 10 popular Korean players for the sixth year in a row now.”

A video of Mark during his usual streaming was shown with fellow friend Donghyuck, another popular gamer seen in the background screaming his head off at Mark managing to pull his team through for a win.

“Huang Renjun, with the tag name Injeolmi, formally from Jilin ROC now residing in Seoul, SK known very well as a player in Overwatch, King of legend and Fortnite. Placed on the top ten most popular Korean players ranking for the fourth year straight.”

A video of Renjun accepting his award at the most recent gaming event for Overwatch was played also showing a good friend of his, Jeno clapping him on the back for winning.

“Lee Jeno, with the tag name SamoyedJ. Based in Seoul, Sk, another top ten popular Korean player well known for playing Overwatch, King of legend and Valorant.”

A video of Jeno was played from his social media account of his new set up showing off the new branded items he’d received that would help him along. A discord chat with fellow players and friends popped up while he did so.

“Lee Donghyuck, more known by his streaming name Haechan with a gaming tag by the name of Fullsun, holding his top ten most popular Korean gaming title for the fifth year. Known for Valorant, WOW and various odd games.”

A video of Donhyuck appeared of him lounging in his gaming chair animatedly talking with his chat about whatever he had set up for the stream ahead.

“Na Jaemin, with his tag name Nana, another top ten most popular Korean player in his fourth year on the list is well known for Indie games, League of legends and Fortnite.”

Jaemin appeared on screen screaming in terror at another horror indie game playthrough he was doing, camera shaking with him in the dimly lit room.

“Zhong Chenle, also known as Jong Jinrak who goes by the tag name Dolphinlele, formally resided in Shanghai ROC, now currently in Seoul, SK. Having a two year streak being in the top ten most popular Korean players. Known for playing Valorant, Fortnite and Elden ring.”

Chenle was shown on screen one hand moving his mouse clicking around screen with the other arm full with his dog, Daegal sleeping there contently during the stream.

“Park Jisung, with the tag name Jwijwi is based in Seoul, SK a newly added gamer on the top ten most popular Korean players since last year. Mainly known for League of legends, mobile games and Valorant.”

A stream was shown of Jisung sharing food with a friend Y/n on screen as the two spoke to chat while getting ready and picking what two player game to do together.

“The last on the known trail list is L/n F/n, known with the tag T/n, formally based in C/n now residing currently in Seoul, SK, a fresh face this year on the top ten most popular Korean players. Known for Indie games, Cod and Overwatch.”

Y/n was shown on screen playing a game only to be interrupted with a fellow friend and gamer, Donghyuck bursting through the door on screen chasing her cat who went straight towards her desk underneath and between her legs. Y/n scrambling to pause the indie game while Donghyuck whined about her cat not liking him.

Once finished listing off the currently known players entering the trails the reporter pushed aside the small stack of papers on her desk giving the viewers another smile getting ready to say her next rehearsed lines.

“Now I’m sure it’s not needed for me to repeat the list for everyone to have gotten the clue that eight of the top ten most popular Korean players have decided to go through this test trials. Exciting times for their fans I’m sure. These are the current players we know of, the other two most popular gamers could very well have accepted an invitation too but for now we’ll just have to keep our eyes and ears open for any news on that.”

The last photos on screen behind the news anchor was a promotion of the eight players shown wearing similar outfits that were little Easter eggs on previous video games made and produced by NEO to show their official sponsorship with the company.

“We will have more to come on this story later on so stay tuned for that, now onto the weather with my co host who has some exciting news for those who enjoy the warm weather that will surely be quite a good experience for anyone looking to go hiking.”

“Not really sure why we’re wearing outfits for a different old game that has nothing to do with the current game.” Renjun pointed out as he zipped the hood around his face upwards to cover the bottom half of his face.

“Look, we’re matching Junnie, plus who cares this is fun.” Donghyuck nudged his shoulder playfully against Renjun’s, having not zipped his face hood up yet.

“Unfortunately we are.” Renjun grumbled in return harshly zipping up Donghyuck’s zip for him, causing the younger to let out a few muffled complaints.

“Why does Y/n get the grey one?” Chenle whined out his own voice muffled by his knitted mask, hands grabbing and tugging on Y/n’s mask's ears. Her hands flew up to hold onto the mask so it didn’t slip off and ruin anything.

“Let go, it’s not my fault they gave me this character.” Her reply also muffled as she grunted pushing her back into Chenle to make him let go.

“Don’t break it.” Jisung fretted over the duo’s squabble, his hands hanging in the air ready to jump in if needed.

“You look hilarious. Your white hair looks like it’s a part of the mask.” Jaemin teased Jeno pointing at him, holding back a laugh.

“It doesn’t. I’ll smother you right here.” Jeno bit back grabbing onto Jaemin’s mask, tugging it to cover his whole face instead of only half. Jaemin’s muffled screams still loud and clear as his hands flew out blindly slapping at Jeno.

“This is what eight of the top ten most popular Korean players look like, if only people could see us like this our places would be lower.” Mark muttered to himself, his own mask still in hand as he observed his friends' antics.

“Mark! Chenle’s going to rip one of Y/n ear’s off, uh not her real ones the fake ones!” Jisung’s nervous voice cut off Mark’s self monologue as he rushed over to break up the play fight.

“We’ll be taking group photos first before going into individual headshots in two minutes, please be prepared.” The director's voice boomed over to the area the gamers were currently getting their last minute touch ups.

“Two minutes?” A makeup artist asked out in dismay as she and the hairstylist looked over at the eight players who were rough housing.

“Two will be enough to fix up their hair.” The hairstylist spoke reassuring himself since he’d only have to fix the fringes peeking out of their masks.

“How nice for you.” The makeup artist replied to him in dismay, eyeing where Jaemin’s face was currently being messed around underneath his mask.

“You’re right, I’ll ask the director to give us an extra five… ten minutes.” The hairstylist sympathised with his work colleague as he moved away. While the makeup artist rushed over to the eight gamers to do damage control on her previous work hoping she wouldn’t see too many smudges.

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

(If you want to be tagged in my Nct Dream writing comment, inbox or message me)

Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed. Don’t forget likes, reblogs and comments are always encouraged and help keep writers like myself motivated to continue our stories.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

⤻ Click here.

𝐊𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭:

⤻ Click here.

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k-username · 1 year

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#Shameless

The real has come

Extra:

#kbs the real has come #the real has come #진짜가 나타났다!#kbs drama #kbs #ahn jae hyeon #ahn jae hyun #baek jin hee #kdrama #진짜기 나타났다

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dramadaisies · 1 year

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I hate how everyone keeps talking as if taekyung cheated on sejin when they were literally engaged for two weeks, she directly told him he could see other people and pretty much the entire family knew he was being forced into it

nobody has the right to act shocked and outraged about him (supposedly) getting someone pregnant

#dramatalk #milawatchesthereal #the real has come #kbs the real has come

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malt-rants-and-stuff · 3 months

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MALT today I was maladaptively daydreaming (as one does) about kghr fantasy AUs and I was thinking... an assassin AU would be neat. But why would one of them be an assassin and how would they actually meet.

This thought process leads to -> what if hirano became Kagi's body guard but all along he's supposed to assassinate him in the end -> wait a minute.. betrayal... I've seen the name of a similar concept somewhere... -> Knight's betrayal??? -> WAIT A MINUTE WASN'T THERE A MALT AU CALLED KNIGHT'S BETRAYAL AU

WHAT IS THE KNIGHT'S BETRAYAL AU, MALT, I NEED TO KNOW MORE NOW THAT I REMEMBERED I'VE SEEN YOU TAG IT BEFORE

okay first of all, that sounds like such a fun au and the timeline between all of your thoughts is hilarious lol

second of all, don't think I've ever actually fully explained what's up with knights betrayal on here oops. that's on me haha I'm used to just letting people guess what my brainwaves mean. I'll try my best to explain!! continuing under the cut :)

okay so the basic break down of knight's betrayal is that kagiura, a child of a famous and well-respected family of knights, spends his days guarding the third prince of his empire (niibashi) after war has broken out on the eastern half of the continent. he was sent there by his family a year prior to keep him away from the harsh realities of battle and has stayed there until now.

hirano, on the other hand, is a different story. having grown up working for a lesser known noble's household and being drafted at an early age, hirano is a talented swordsman forced to retreat from the front lines after being mortally wounded and losing his left eye. he is given a choice by his captain afterwards: either retire early and be taken back to his old household, or work as an inside man to send information back and forth from the battlefield to the palace. stubborn and not willing to return to his old life, he chooses the latter.

this all leads up to their first ever meeting, when hirano walks into the palace where niibashi lives and delivers a message to his staff while kagiura is standing guard by the prince's side. there isn't much to say about this meeting, since afterwards kagi leaves with niibashi while hirano is taken to the medical wing to receive proper treatment for his eye and other wounds he gained while traveling. then they dont see each other for at least another month and a half ^.^

my main thing with KB is that i want it to be short but feel large, so the story takes place over a large span of time and is only about 20-30ish chapters give-or-take? lots of it is still drafts and things probably will change so i wouldn't get attached to that figure but yeah. it is just generally an excuse to write kagihira as two people who seem to be similar but are from such wildly different backgrounds and hold such different views of the world that it leads to them misunderstanding a lot about their relationships and conversations haha. also gay ass knights.

then, of course, there is the betrayal that comes along with knight's betrayal. Obviously. i will say that the politics are a huge part of the story, but kagiura "unreliable narrator who has been sheltered by his family and never been made to see real battle" akira isn't really focused on all of that. he is aiming for his strangers to lovers mysterious bad-boy with golden heart romance and is not about to let things like "lineage" and "suspicious behaviors" get in the way of that. unfortunately for him, hirano has not gotten the memo and will use every opportunity to sniff out strange faces and rumors that hold a little too much weight.

there's plenty of other things too, like sasamiya bakery romance and shirahama starting a great revolt. there's a side story i wrote ages ago that i have to resist spoiling centered around hanzawa the bookkeeper and tashiro the informant. kuresawa and his girlfriend are acting out romeo and juliet across the continent. poor bodyguard ogasawara is trying and failing to keep archivist eimi from lighting things on fire in the name of her sacred tomes. makimura gets arrested for slandering the emperor. everyone is having a bit of fun :>

the exciting thing about KB's story that has me frothing at the mouth though is that it is in the very end a Tragedy. not in a "everyone is going to die" way necessarily, but everything happens for a reason. everything has consequences. everything.

i'm so excited just getting to talk about it tbh! its been such a silly little thing in my mind for the longest time so its awesome to get to share a bit of it :)))

#this is mainly explaining what happens before the story even starts but yknow. its relevant.#sorry i took a bit to answer my printer exploded and i had to deal with that ^^ hope this kinda gave you an idea of what's going on #im not the best at explaining and this is pretty ramble-y in my eyes but oh well #malt asks #kagiura-akira #knight's betrayal au #knights betrayal au #hirano to kagiura #malt wips #htk au #also if you see typos no you dont

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mariacallous · 19 days

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The April 10 legislative elections in South Korea loom especially large for President Yoon Suk-yeol. After winning his election in March 2022 by the narrowest margin in the country’s history, the conservative Yoon inherited the National Assembly elected in 2020, in which South Korea’s liberals won a historic landslide thanks to the Moon Jae-in administration’s strong response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of the legislature’s 300 seats, the liberal coalition won a 180-seat majority, the largest margin of victory in South Korea’s democratic history.

Two years into his five-year presidential term, Yoon has left a mark in areas that are down to the president alone. Yoon made profligate use of presidential decrees, executive orders that don’t require legislative approval. In his first year, Yoon issued 809 presidential decrees, while his two immediate predecessors, Moon and Park Geun-hye, issued 660 and 653 decrees, respectively, in their first years. Yoon also exerted influence through his appointments—most notably Park Min, the new head of the state-owned broadcaster KBS who sacked popular liberal journalists as soon as he took office. In foreign policy, Yoon capitulated to Japan’s demands to sideline World War II-era Korean forced laborers and release wastewater from the failed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, paving the way for U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation.

But in areas that require legislative assent, Yoon has been stymied. The South Korean Constitution allows the executive branch to directly propose a bill to the legislature. For the first six months of Yoon’s presidency, the National Assembly refused to pass a single bill proposed by the government. Yoon’s campaign pledge of abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, pandering to the toxic misogyny rampant among young Korean men and fueling their conservative turn, has not come to pass because a reorganization of cabinet ministries requires passing a law. (Yoon has responded by simply refusing to appoint a gender equality minister.)

Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Party has leveraged its commanding majority to pass laws that could have been highly damaging to Yoon, such as providing for special prosecutor investigations of the Itaewon Halloween disaster, in which 159 partygoers died in crushing crowds in Seoul’s popular nightlife district, and the alleged stock pump-and-dump scheme on the part of first lady Kim Keon-hee. Each time, Yoon responded by exercising a presidential veto, quickly racking up nine vetoes in the first two years of his presidency—equal to the total number of vetoes exercised by six of his predecessors combined.

Naturally, the Yoon administration and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) are heavily focused on recapturing the legislative majority in elections this month. Yoon was able to win the presidency by flipping a significant part of Seoul from liberal to conservative between 2020 and 2022, by pandering heavily to grievances over rising property tax. The real estate slump since Yoon’s election—Seoul’s condominium prices dipped by more than 7 percent in the past year—threatened to erode that support, as the lower condo price damaged upper-middle-class Seoul residents’ primary investment while the decreased profits and higher interest rate pushed large construction companies to the brink.

In response, South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service audited banks for charging what the regulators claimed were overly high interest rates, in a move seen as a tactic to pressure banks to extend loans to companies that posed a credit risk. The government also delayed the publication of major economic indicators such as the previous year’s budget deficit and the rising price of consumer goods until after election day on April 10.

For its interim leader in the run-up to the election, the PPP tapped Han Dong-hoon, Yoon’s justice minister and heir apparent. Because of his patrician air and relative youth at 51 years old, Han has been hailed as representing the next generation of conservatives. In the words of conservative columnist Kim Soon-deok of Dong-A Ilbo, Han stands in contrast to Yoon in three ways: “First, he does not drink. Second, he is not a stinky old man. Third, he dresses well and speaks with refined language.” With Han at the center, the conservative party has been able to distance itself from the deeply unpopular president.

The Yoon administration also enjoyed a bump in popularity with its proposal to increase the number of medical students by 2,000—a significant jump from the current level of around 3,000. South Korea has a very low number of doctors, which has resulted in a lack of access to medical care especially outside the Seoul metropolitan area. At just 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people, it’s as low as in the United States, which also has a significant and artificially created shortage, and less than half of the number of most developed countries. Doctors reacted strongly, with more than 90 percent of interns and residents going on strike. Nevertheless, the Yoon administration effectively painted doctors as money-grubbers who wished to artificially restrict the size of their ranks to protect their bottom line. With all these moves, by late February it appeared that Yoon and the conservatives had put themselves in the pole position.

Meanwhile, South Korean liberals have been mired in a civil war. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party and a former presidential candidate who opposed Yoon, began as a member of the minority faction within his party. As the Democratic Party finalized its slate of candidates in February, the legislators not aligned with Lee found themselves sidelined from running for their seats again. Many of them—including high-ranking members such as Assembly Deputy Speaker Kim Young-joo—quit the party, casting their lot with the PPP or seeking a third-party bid with former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, who lost a bitter presidential primary against Lee in 2021.

But the campaign landscape changed dramatically in March as a new third party, the Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), took the scene by storm. The RKP was founded by Cho Kuk, who was widely considered to be the heir apparent to Moon as the liberal president’s justice minister. Instead, Cho’s short time in office fueled the rise of Yoon.

As South Korea’s prosecutor general at the time, Yoon conducted a massive investigation campaign against Cho and his family, eventually putting his wife in prison for forging a service certificate that was included in their daughter’s college applications. Yoon’s prosecution of Cho galvanized the conservatives, who saw Cho as a symbol of liberal hypocrisy. Liberals, on the other hand, saw Cho as a martyr whose family was destroyed for the sake of Yoon’s quest for power.

With Yoon’s unpopularity, the latter narrative began to win out. The RKP’s slogan is not subtle: “Three years is too long,” referring to the remaining term of Yoon’s presidency. The new party quickly became the rallying flag for South Korean liberals critical of Yoon but disappointed with the Democratic Party’s internal squabbling. Even moderates began joining the RKP ranks, attracted by the clear message of punishing the Yoon administration. Within weeks of its launch, the RKP became South Korea’s most popular party with approximately 25 percent support.

A major turning point came on March 18, when Yoon made a highly publicized visit to a supermarket—a photo op to show that the president was tending to the wild increase in food prices. In January and February, the cost of food in South Korea increased by 6.7 percent year over year, with popular items like apples rising by as much as 121.9 percent in the same period, resulting in some supermarkets selling a single apple for 19,800 won (about $15).

At the supermarket, Yoon held up a bundle of scallions and said: “I do a lot of grocery shopping, and 875 won for a bundle seems reasonable.” But in most grocery stores around South Korea, a bundle of scallions typically sells for between 4,000 and 7,000 won; the supermarket that Yoon visited just happened to be running a suspiciously well-timed promotion on scallions.

Yoon’s attempt at Potemkin produce, over a household item whose price is common knowledge, instantly became fodder for viral mockery. Especially in the Seoul metropolitan area, where partisanship is relatively weak and election results tend to alternate, support for the conservatives began crashing. Yoon’s gaffe, and the rise of his nemesis Cho, is threatening to reverse the gain that South Korea’s conservatives have made in Seoul in the past two years.

Seeking to recapture the momentum, Yoon took to the bully pulpit on April 1 to exhort the striking doctors to return to work. But the government’s standoff against doctors is now losing popularity, as the public is facing the consequences of a lack of medical care, such as emergency rooms rejecting ambulances and cancer surgeries being delayed indefinitely. The newly elected head of the Korea Medical Association vowed that the doctors would not negotiate unless Yoon apologized and sacked the health minister.

In his April 1 statement, Yoon offered no compromise—a stance that has done little for conservatives as election day approaches. After the president’s address, one unnamed conservative legislator despaired: “I feel like a dinosaur looking up at the oncoming comet, sensing our extinction.”

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einsteinsugly · 4 months

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When it came out that Leia was supposed to be a product of a one night stand; I had this aching suspicion that Callie was casted as Eric's daughter. Not Donna. It wouldn't surprise me if that came out as the truth.

I don't think so, as Netflix had rejected that proposal, and iirc, the creators described a son coming to Red and Kitty's door. And, I think casting came some time after that first proposal was scrapped and after the second proposal was put into motion.

However, I do think the remnants of that idea remained in their second proposal, and its execution. It is readily apparent, by how they cultivated Leia's character, and who they chose to play her.

1. Leia is firmly designed as Eric's daughter, with Donna's traits being an afterthought. She is pretty much a smarter Eric with Donna-ish interests (but cultivated in an Eric-y way).

This would be fine, as a whole, if the other new characters were unique entities, but all the other new characters were made in this way. With the intended OG character as an overwhelmingly obvious base, but with a couple of differentiating traits. Like Gwen is way more extroverted and dynamic than Hyde, Nate is a jock (unlike clumsy Kelso), etc. They did better with some new characters than others. Nate and Ozzie, in particular, are the worst of the bunch.

2. Callie can easily pass as Eric's daughter, but Eric's daughter with someone else. Not with Donna, because there are physical traits that don't mesh with both Eric and Donna being her parents, unless something from two/three generations back suddenly popped up. Her parents and grandparents all have light colored eyes; where did the dark brown eyes come from? Her parents and grandparents are very pale/cool toned, but she has olive skin that tans.

*****

Plus, the first proposal really illustrates how little the Turners care about the characters and the integrity of the OG show (minus season 8, which also had zero integrity). The second, fleshed out version we got is only marginally better, too.

Thus, I think T9S is a result of this weird mix of tunnel vision and adhering to real-life circumstances. With some Star Wars gimmicks sprinkled in for good measure.

1. The Turners were reminiscing about their daughter's Gen X teenagehood in the 90s, and they were willing to discard/contort canon (and ages, as they oddly attempted with Eric) to make it happen. When, obviously, the gang's kids (other than Betsy) would probably be Millennials. Duh.

2. Hyde was omitted (entirely?) due to DM. Jackie and Kelso were plopped together because of Ashton and Mila being together in real life. So JH and KB were likely retconned, as was most of the second half of the show, with only convenient, insignificant details/gimmicks from later seasons remaining. Except for JF and the last few eps, because Mila and Wilmer were putting up a stink.

Thus, T9S is a result of these two major factors, instead of keeping true to the characters. If they did, there would be a That 00s Show revolving around JH and ED's kids, at their houses, perhaps with Eric being a Mr. Feeny type and/or with Hyde being the owner of the kids' default hangout spot, Grooves. But that would never happen, for a variety of real-life reasons, and there's money to be made in an ill-conceived venture instead.

#that 70s show #that 90s show #eric and donna #jackie and hyde #jackie and kelso #eric forman #i answer a thing #my essays

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