#virtual worship encounter

[kinkandkreep]

♡︎ 𝐂𝐖: 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

♡︎ 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭

♡︎ 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭

Mikey's not one hundred percent sure what compelled him to step out on you. 

He only knew that now that he was in so deep, he couldn't turn back. 

It was much too late to consider the potential consequences of his actions now. 

He felt guilt, of course; you had been so good to him throughout all these years, tolerating him even when he was at his worst. 

He knew that if…when the truth came out, virtually no one would have his side. 

He knew, as loathe as he was to even consider the possibility, that you would hate him once his unfaithfulness was revealed. 

But the urges, the dark impulses, call them what you will, proved too great a temptation. 

He wanted to have his cake, and eat it too. 

Perhaps, in truth, it started out as a bit of fun on his part. Mikey couldn't deny that he enjoyed being desired: he'd been practically worshipped in his younger years, revered by all who knew of his strength and charisma. 

While he hadn't been particularly popular with girls back then- almost entirely on account of his reputation and focus on other things, as Mikey matured he naturally garnered the attention of many young women, some of whom sought to gain the affection of a former feared gang leader and some who had only sought to possess the heart of the handsome man Manjiro had become. 

As pitiful as it perhaps was, Manjiro craved the attention. 

It's very likely that he always had.

Initially, it started out as mindless, harmless flirting with a few women here and there. Nothing noteworthy, mostly just some flirtatious looks and light touches thrown around. 

But then, it escalated. 

Mikey encountered a woman who was incredibly persistent, unwilling to loosen her metaphorical grip on his mind. 

Mikey always knew it was wrong, to let his thoughts be occupied by another while you were in his arms, but it seemed he couldn't help it. 

She excited him, made him feel powerful, a feeling comparable to when he'd been a teenager, and everyone feared the Invincible Mikey.

While you always made Mikey feel high from your love- floaty in a pleasant, fulfilled way- she made him feel drunk off of the power he wielded over her mind, her body, her very heart.

She existed solely for Manjiro, she'd told him as much, one night as his hands sat wrapped around her throat, his hips ground into hers and the scent of smoke and sex permeating the air.

You were much too strong for something like that, had too much respect for yourself. 

And while Mikey thought that was great, it also became a little frustrating at times. 

Though the notion angered him, he began to feel slightly emasculated, a wholly foreign sensation of being...unneeded because of how independent you were.

He supposes he could have just brought the issue up to you before deciding to find what he needed in the arms and between the legs of another, but again, it’s too late for that now.

What’s done is done, and Manjiro knows the blame sits squarely on his shoulders. 

He knows that it’ll be much harder to clean up the mess he’s made, harder than it ever was to make it. 

ᵃ/ⁿ: ᵒᵒᵒᵒʰ ᶜʰⁱˡᵉ?? ᵐᵃⁿʲⁱʳᵒ ʲᵘˢ' ᵃ ᵈᵒᵍ ᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵉᵃ'. ʷᵉˡˡ, ᵃᵗ ˡᵉᵃˢᵗ ʰᵉ ᶜˡᵃⁱᵐˢ ᵗᵒ ᶠᵉᵉˡ ᵍᵘⁱˡᵗʸ. 🙄 ᵃⁿʸʷᵃʸ, ⁿᵒʷ ʷᵉ'ᵛᵉ ʰᵃᵈ ᵃ ᵇʳⁱᵉᶠ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ⁱⁿᵗᵒ ʰⁱˢ ᵖᵒᵛ, ˢᵒ ʷᵉ'ʳᵉ ᵍᵒⁿⁿᵃ ˢʷⁱᵗᶜʰ ᵍᵉᵃʳˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ʳᵉᵛⁱˢⁱᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ. ˡᵉᵗ ᵐᵉ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʸ'ᵃˡˡ ᵗʰᵒᵘᵍʰᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰⁱˢ ˢᵉᶜᵒⁿᵈ ᵖᵃʳᵗ ᵃⁿᵈ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵗʰᵒᵘᵍʰᵗˢ ᵒⁿ ᵐⁱᵏᵉʸ'ˢ ʳᵉᵃˢᵒⁿⁱⁿᵍ ᶠᵒʳ ᶜʰᵉᵃᵗⁱⁿᵍ. ⁱ'ˡˡ ˢᵉᵉ ʸ'ᵃˡˡ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ⁿᵉˣᵗ ᵖᵒˢᵗ! 👋🏾

#tokyo revengers #tokyo rev #sano manjiro #manjiro sano #mikey sano #manjiro sano x reader #sano manjiro x reader #cw cheating #tw: cheating #cheater manjiro sano #cheater sano manjiro

[askmerriauthor]

Pokemon S/V - Story Themes: Failure and Abuse

Something I actually really like about Pokemon S/V, which is somewhat ironic given the state of the game itself, is that its underlying story theme is about how the adults of the setting have utterly failed the younger generation.

General discussion and rambling about Pokemon S/V after the jump, as there's sure to be spoilers. This is a long one, so buckle up.

Throughout the many stories Pokemon has told over the years and its iterations, the role of adults in the series and how they relate to the kids - ostensibly, the Player themselves as well - has varied wildly. They've been mentors, friends, allies, enemies, or even just odd folk we encounter. But, for better or worse, they've always been fairly direct in a What You See Is What You Get sort of way.

Pokemon S/V subverts that a bit in that all of the adults - even those we don't meet and only hear about through dialogue - have completely failed the children of the story. The results of those shortcomings range from very mild to absolutely disastrous, but nobody is untouched by it. Even the Player isn't spared.

Right up front we've got the Friendship Trio: Nemona, Arven, and Penny. Being the core to the story, they're the biggest examples one has out the gate. Common themes they all share are that they're each left without support from their families or peers, and that they're each desperately lonely as a result. Nemona is a star pupil, a battling prodigy, and daughter to a wealthy, powerful family. But despite all her talents she's left adrift without aim or goal. Her younger sister is the one being given control of the family business and Nemona's own talents set her apart from other students, meaning she struggles to find peers. Her family seem all too happy to focus on the younger sister, while Geeta from the Pokemon League and the academy itself happily makes use of Nemona's skills for their own ends. Nemona is constantly eager to please, always looking up to powerful people like Geeta and Professor Turo/Sada, but admits that she's just sort of floundering without any anchor. The people she looks up to only see her as a tool to be used and immediately discarded until the next time they need her.

A lot of Players joke about how battle obsessed Nemona is toward the Player, or how yandere jealous/possessive she becomes immediately upon meeting us. She even stands up to Geeta - who she absolutely hero worships - about our attention being poached. But can you really blame her for realizing there's finally someone who not only matches her skill, but seems dedicated to following a route the game itself states virtually nobody else in the region ever comes close to achieving? Nemona is not only the youngest Champion ever, but the only Champion in years, until the Player shows up. Regardless of what the person holding the console feels toward the Gym Challenge, in-context of the story the Player is proving through their own actions that they value Nemona as a friend/rival and are putting in genuine effort to meet her. When you defeat her, especially at the very end when she goes all out in a way she's never been able to with anyone else, she's thrilled. To Nemona, it's got to be the most amazing validation she's ever had in her life. Why wouldn't she hold on dearly and enthusiastically when nobody else, let alone her own family, are able to keep up with her or offer her the validation she needs?

Arven is just absolutely wrecked by his parental failure. His parent (Turo or Sada depending on which version you're playing) was so obsessed with their research in Area Zero that they threw away their entire family. Their spouse left them and took Arven, leaving the boy growing up constantly feeling the void of that missing part of their life. They keep hearing about the things their Professor Parent has accomplished and how well-regarded they are, but that's always just a reminder that the parent put more effort into their work than into being with their child. When Arven tries to go into Area Zero to find their parent himself, his Mabosstiff (his beloved Pokemon companion he's had literally his entire life) is near mortally injured as a result and Arven spends the rest of the game desperately trying to save it. Later, it's revealed that the Professor's work is endangering literally the entire ecosystem and stands to destroy Paldea itself, leaving Arven with the knowledge that not only was he abandoned for the sake of research, but that research was both ultimately harmful and pointless.

By the time the Player reaches the depths of Area Zero and meets the AI Professor, they find out a few things about the Professor. Namely that they're dead. It turns out that the Box Legendary they brought through time killed them years prior and the person the Player - and Arven - has been interacting with all throughout the game is just an AI replica left behind. While exploring the Professor's various labs, the Player first finds an empty picture frame that had its photo removed and, when in the final lab in the heart of Area Zero, they find the photo pinned to the Professor's work board. A photo of Arven as a tot with his beloved Pokemon (still an unevolved Maschiff at the time). This yields two big realizations. One is that the Professor still absolutely harbored love for their child and family, but allowed their drive - or possibly insanity - to overcome them. They were lying to themselves all those years saying "I'm doing this for my family" while outright ignoring said family entirely. Second is that the Player is the only one who learns outright that the Professor was killed, which means they - albeit off-screen - were the ones to break the news to Arven. Even in death, with the AI Professor's remnants of its creator's memories showing love for Arven, they failed him again and again. It's always up to Arven himself to carve his own way through his parent's wake, relying on his own abilities and the help of his friends, to struggle through the mess his parent left him.

Penny is failed on multiple fronts and to multiple degrees. She's a complete introvert and clearly suffers from a fair level of social anxiety due to the bullying she endured during her time at school. She's not shy, per say; when it comes to interacting with the Player and others, she's actually rather outspoken once she feels comfortable. But there's absolutely a wall put up that she doesn't let anyone past until she's ready, controlling her level of exposure and interaction through mediums like only communicating via phone or intentionally restricting her in-person time behind excuses.

At the most basic level, Penny is failed by her own father who doesn't understand her. She mentions that he's always doting, giving her childish nicknames and basically fawning over her. That sounds great on its face - exactly the sort of thing Nemona and Arven crave - but it shows that her father doesn't understand his daughter. Penny doesn't enjoy or respond well to that type of affection and it's being forced on her, causing a wedge in her home life. Next up are Penny's friends, the bosses of Team Star. They gained that rank and gang affiliation because of Penny; she's the one who set it up as a means of rallying all the students who suffered from constant bullying to stand up for themselves as a unified resistance. By that point she was so emotionally battered that she couldn't even stand to be in the company of other people directly, isolating herself and communicating only through phone calls. The Team Star Bosses and Penny all considered each other to be the closest of friends, yet they had never once met her face to face. While it's not explored as much (criminally so, I say) each of the Team Star Bosses show that they're in a similar state as Penny; they rely on each other for support but also self-expression and validation. It's shown throughout their stories that they're let down by the systems they trusted and their families, not able to find what they need from those establishments and instead turning toward one another.

As it's revealed through the events of the Team Star story, the previous administration of the Paldean Academy allowed a brutal level of bullying to go on at school. So much so that it resulted in the targeted students dropping out, falling to truancy, and literally forming a gang just to protect themselves from their aggressors. When Team Star finally did put their collective foot down (peacefully by both intent and action), they were wrongfully branded as the villains of the story and stigmatized. Team Star was shown that not only would adults not protect them, but would actively punish them for protecting themselves. The school admin at the time - who were fully aware of the whole situation - not only allowed it to happen but then actively attempted to cover it up for the sake of protecting their own asses. They were content to sit by and allow their own students to suffer, ultimately leading to drop outs and expulsions, just for their own sake. This led to both the admin and the entire teaching staff to resign and be replaced by the staff we see in the game, and Director Clavell starts to fall into the same error as his predecessor.

When the Player gets involved, Clavell is about to expel all the Team Star members for good (and there's a TON of them). But, hey, credit where it's due; Clavell really puts in the work and goes to considerable lengths to uncover the truth of what happened. He puts into motion the start of healing those wounds by setting aside not only his time, but his own ego for the sake of understanding his students, protecting them, and rectifying the mistakes of those who came before him. There's a part at the very end where Clavell outright apologizes to Team Star for the abuses they suffered at the hands of the previous Academy staff and deeply bows to them. That may not seem like much on its face, but one has to consider the context of this being a Japanese game. A major authority figure like Clavell bowing and apologizing to those younger than himself, let alone those he's an authority over, is a MAJOR demonstration of genuine regret.

That's not to say Clavell is perfect though. Far from it; while he succeeds in this area, he fails in others as he readily allows Geeta to use both the Academy and its students as she pleases. Geeta outright takes advantage of the students for unpaid labor - the Player included - even though none of them actually work for her. The teaching staff themselves, while all good people who are trying their best, show similar failures to varying degrees. Saguaro doesn't show who he really is because he's afraid of disrupting the image students have of him. Miriam - beloved by students for her skills and nature - languishes unable to fulfill her desire to be a teacher because the credential testing (presumably set by Geeta, who establishes similar needlessly exclusionary tests) keeps knocking her down. Hassel is endlessly harangued by his family to give up his passion for art and teaching to take the lead of their House.

It continues with the Gym Leaders and Elite Four as well, given how Geeta readily abuses her position of power to her own ends. All the Gym Leaders readily discuss their dislike of Geeta, how she holds them back or interferes with them, and the various shortcomings of their lives due to structural failures in their society. People like Larry, Brassius, Grusha, and Iono are wholly at the whims of capitalism in a region where the economy itself is tied directly to the Pokemon League they work for. Larry and Hassel pull double duty as both a Gym Leader and Academy Teacher, as well as members of the Elite Four, further showing how much Geeta is intentionally intertwining all these systems together into a narrow, unstable medium. Poppy, a LITERAL TODDLER, is somehow a member of the Elite Four - when Geeta doesn't even pay adults a living wage to be Gym Leaders/Elite Four and also readily takes advantage of students for free labor, you cannot possibly tell me Poppy isn't an overt case of child labor abuses. Seriously, who are this kid's parents and where the hell are they? Later in the game, Geeta calls the Player on their phone out of the blue and one of the responses you can give is "How did you get my number?". She replies that because you're a Champion, she has access to your personal information. Information you did not consent to give her, that she used her position to look up and privately contact you - a child - for work, without the consent or awareness of your parent. Geeta has set the Pokemon League in a way that best suits her desires and warped the entirety of Paldea around it, endangering and weakening other institutions as a result.

There's actually a lot more to this scattered throughout the game, such as a student who's languished in the Academy system for twenty years without graduating because he's constantly failing. Or everything that has to do with History Teacher Raifort. But this has already gone on long enough of a ramble. In summary, Pokemon S/V has some honestly interesting explorations of institutional and personal failure from the past and how it impacts the future. Themes of generational trauma wasn't what I expected out of a Pokemon game. I hope to see it expanded on in the coming DLC content or, even better, in the upcoming anime series.

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokemon sv #pokemon nemona #pokemon arven #pokemon penny #pokemon geeta

[bi-hop]

spider-byte headcanons

while this blends her singular intro comic, elements of the movie, and my own thoughts, this shouldn't really have any spoilers. still, if you haven't watched across the spiderverse, read with caution

anyway Earth-22191 in my personal content is basically The Matrix. Hear me out.

Essentially, if you crossed over into Earth-22191, every person you would encounter is either a person hooked up to what I am tentatively calling the World Computer or a simulation so perfectly constructed that it is impossible to tell the difference. Unlike the Matrix however, everyone knows this and it is distressing. You ever heard of philosophical zombies? It's a whole thing, but for these people, an uncertain number of people around them - even their own parents - used to seem like behavioral zombies to them:

Endless paranoia ensued about this and being a cog in a giant machine for centuries, so scientists worked hard to find a solution. They settled on virtual reality. More specifically, they settled on an extra layer of virtual reality. The aim was to continually give people access to various forms of virtual reality that were fantastical and abstract so paranoia would die down and socialization would flourish. Once this was successful, society was reconfigured to incorporate this technology as much as possible. It allowed this world of expendable tech parts to escape into worlds that soothed their minds.

Enter Margo Kess, a... let's say fifth generation teen post the advent of this VR tech. To us, her attachment to her headset would be seen as unhealthy. She uses it as much as the current legal limit allows, only stopping when absolutely necessary (sleeping, bathing, walking to class). But, in her world, her avoidance is normal. Why have that boring family discussion in your dining room when you can all meet up on a simulated beach and have it in paradise?

Earth-22191's reality is one where socialization and education mostly occur by necessity in cyberspace. Unfortunately, so does crime.

Flesh crimes, as they're called, are on a steep decline. This is mainly because they bore people. Stabbing someone in PERSON? Ew. Who does that? It's so gauche. Hacking into your worst enemy's locked server and carefully drowning them with mods you managed to find and downloaded? Now that's fun and compelling. It's a new age of catfishing, thievery, and murder. As the one and only Spider-Byte, Margo tries her best to address complex crimes of passion and fraud. She's a vigilante, so she doesn't exactly work with the Cybercrimes Division. Instead, it's more like a game where the best of you can adapt on the fly, split yourself in two, and code like no one else has ever seen.

Other random details:

The Databank is a structure located inexplicably both in the true reality, the not true reality, and the modified false reality. It displays ever changing text and code. Some worship it as a god and spend years trying to translate its ‘wisdom’. Pilgrimages occur

Miguel worked with Margo to be able to project her digital self across dimensional lines, not really out of the goodness of his heart, but because she would be a liability otherwise

the Databank is strange. No matter what filter you put over it in the modified reality it never changes. It’s tall. Sleek. Shiny. Almost slimy. All black and jutting out of any landscape without a clear reason

its lights pulse like a heart

Margo HAS friends, we see them in her comic debut. But she’s not very good at socializing in person. This spider rescue team delights her only because she gets to do that! Except… her body is in another dimension-

all non-humans you can think of (mutants, Inhumans, etc) are called Bugs. This isn’t that bad of a term. It’s just because they display code deviations that weren’t intended by God, in the eyes of Databank worshippers anyway. Margo's a Bug

her Green Goblin is Normie Osborn trying endlessly to impress his grandfather and failing, it's kinda sad. said grandfather is now preparing to be the first person to enter this VR space full time… hm

that's all for now

#spider byte #margo kess #earth 22191 #across the spiderverse #spider man: across the spider verse

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Opening Prayer

Father, we gladly surrender our lives to you in worship and praise this Sabbath day. We thank You for the honor or worshiping you virtually and we invite Your beautiful Holy Spirit to move freely amongst us. Come dwell in each of our hearts. Equip us, challenge us, comfort us, teach us. Inspire us as we learn more about your majestic ways. Father, as we meet now may we behold Your beauty and encounter your grace. We ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen.

[tarmac-rat]

6, 13, 17, 23 for Riley beloved!!

AH YES I SHALL THANK YOU!

6) Any flowers you associate with your OC?

Black-eyed Susans and Star Cacti! Black-eyed Susans are symbolic of survival, strength, and justice, and Star Cacti flowers represent resilience and endurance. Riley's personal favorite flower, however, is a California Gold Poppy.

13) Does your OC have a good relationship with their parents or no?

Riley had a consistently good relationship with her mother Ivy up until she split from the Bakkers when they dissolved into Snake Nation. Riley and Ivy were virtual copies of each other in appearance and personality and folks in the Bakkers used to call Riley "Lil' Ivy" as a joke when she was growing up and going through her training. They were consistently each other's partners on raids and Riley spent many years worshipping the ground her mother walked on, pretty much accepting that her path in life was going to lead to her inheriting her mother's position as head of the Bakker's scouts. When the clan dissolves (in part due to Raffen raiding and killing a good 80% of them in a surprise raid), Riley and Ivy have a huge 3-day fight regarding the Snakes and the pair of them don't talk for a good three years, only meeting back up well into a planned fix-it. They're very close overall, but with them being so similar in personality, it was inevitable that something as earth-shattering as that would cause them to be at odds with each other, especially since Riley basically saw it as her life as she'd known it ending. Riley never knew her father-- a smuggler on the Texas-Mexico-New Mexico territories named Felix Moreno-- growing up and only encountered him after actively seeking him out in 2080 when she was around 27. Felix and Riley are about as opposite you can get in terms of personality; he's very theatrical, easygoing, quick to trust, something of a wisecracker, and does not know how to keep his mouth shut when he probably should, so Riley was naturally going to not really get along that easily with him right off the bat. They warm up to each other after a while, but Riley doesn't really ever take to Felix in the way she took to Ivy, though she definitely does like having him in her life.

17) Does your OC have a pet?

Johnny Nibbles! Nibbles is a male in my canon and Riley's first ever real pet. She never really intended to adopt him, she just kinda took him in for a night and gave him half a burrito and a pile of clothes to sleep in, but then the morning came and her bleeding heart couldn't bear to kick him out. She's pretty careful about NOT letting people see him, though, since she doesn't have the money to pay a $40k penalty if someone realizes she has a pet without a license, so when people are over she relegates the cat to the ammo room and hopes against hope that people don't want to check out her guns lol. Post-Temp, Johnny and Nibbles go through some...ups and downs together, but he eventually does hold onto the cat and lets him stay in the apartment at West Wind Estates. The closest thing she ever had to a pet growing up was this one time her brother caught a king snake when they were eight and they kept it in a plastic tub and fed it scop-SPAM for a week. Ivy was NOT jazzed when she found out lol, and they were forced to release it back into the wild. Riley wanted to name it Wiggles but Kai named it Sammy (after Samurai, go figure) and because he caught it, his choice won out.

23) Is your OC religious and what religion? If it’s a fictional religion for your story please give a summary of the core teachings of their faith?

Riley isn't religious at all. The closest thing to a religious belief she subscribes to is belief in the cycle of karma and that every wrong will eventually be righted by the universe/a higher power, but there isn't an organized religion she herself belongs to. Riley didn't even realize how widespread religions in the NUS even were until she moved to Night City and started living with the very Catholic Welles family.

Thank you again for asking!

#togepies #V #My V #Riley Aldana #HEY MOM LOOK HOW HARD I CAN PROCRASTINATE *proceeds to write all this* #aldi speaks

[knightofhylia-sageofthetriforce]

Romhack as Worship

Hello friends! This may sound very silly but I’m beginning the process of learning how to make a romhack in order to create at least a small personal area that serves as a sanctuary where I can hold a virtual practice worshiping Lady Hylia inside Ocarina of Time. Undecided yet whether I want to build a temple for her or a sacred grove. I also hope to add a couple of small Goddess Statues in certain areas of the world. Most notably in the Temple of Time and on the island in the middle of Lake Hylia that has the warp seal. I want to do this because it will serve as a creative expression of my faith and also provide me a custom digital sacred space I can interact with.

Digital worship spaces are actually really useful and fairly common for various different pop culture based religions. It’s incredibly helpful as well if you either don’t have space for a physical altar or you are in the closet about your faith.

I think the most genuinely unhinged part about all of this is how I received the inspiration. I was thinking back on a person I encountered online who I genuinely hope seeks professional help someday. This person was making a romhack of Ocariba of Time that honestly made me feel disgusted and incredibly offended because he was recreating the Temple of Time but filled it full of Bible verse posters and the antechamber was filled with church pews and a pulpit from which Link preached to the people of Hyrule. He also edited the Hyrule creation story to erase the Golden Goddesses.

That isn’t even the half of it but I will leave the story there at this time. My point is that I have to facepalm and chuckle that this person of all people still blessed me with inspiration even if I had an intense dislike for exactly what he was doing.

I just wanted to write this to say two things:

Don’t discount any potential source of inspiration because you may find yourself surprised.

Certain activities within the games can serve as devotional times in your practice!

#hylia #triforce #spirituality #pc paganism #goddess hylia #mudoran #goddess #hylian faith #hyrulean religion #goddess farore #rom hack #ocarina of time #legend of zelda #link and zelda #pop culture #pop culture paganism #meditation #worship #veneration #digital sacred space #sacred space

[lokahjarta]

"In the past 20 years or so there's so many untapped areas of study that aren't getting any attention. In particular a critical period of the development of internet folklore is going virtually undocumented -," - headspace-hotel, via tumblr. (X)

Loki worship as a practice is by and large in its infancy - and Lokeanism as a doctrine even moreso. As such, our documentation of its praxis is scattered like shreds of paper across virtual domains. If you've ever tried searching for a specific resource and found yourself digging through three blogs, four facebook posts, and your google docs just to come up empty, you know how difficult this knowledge is to assemble, despite it's apparent availability.

So much for the information age when searching for modern mystic writings feels a lot more like decoding the Discord posts of Nicholas Flamel.

Though the gods have been around for since the heat birth of the universe (or longer), the current incarnation of Norse deity worship is a strange and multitudinous beast which reaches widespread corners of the internet, the only place we can all gather to discuss our alchemical findings, so to speak.

I recall the parable of the blind men and the elephant.

Having never encountered an elephant before, the blind men learn and imagine what an elephant is like by touching it. Each man feels a different part of the elephant's body and when they use their limited experience to describe the elephant to each other, they find vast disparities. How can the same beast which one describes by it's tusks be the same as the one described by its legs?

Exploring Loki worship via internet platforms is to be a blind man with an elephant.

In a community that is spread by physical distance, internet platform usage, and virtual anonymity, there is but one common thread which binds us together; Loki alone.

In that sense, Loki is our elephant.

And here we are, blind men, feeling out a god based on intuition, divination, and the ever-shifting mystic landscape that parallels our realities. We are brought together by our love of the god alone, but ah! How do we find each other now? How do we share our experiences?

"How do you document real life when real life's getting more like fiction each day?" - Jonathan Larson, RENT (1996)

The truth is that nothing the blind men describe about the elephant is untrue. The elephant DOES have long, smooth tusks. It does have leathery, wrinkled legs. It has a back, a tail, a tummy. Our task is not to defend the part of the elephant we've touched as either its or our sole reality, but guide our fellow mystics to the mouth of the elephant, as they guide us to it's soft, warm ears.

This is where poetry steps in.

Our task is to describe. Not only so that we may learn more about the god, but so that we may learn more about each other. I said the sole thread that links us together is Loki, but that wasn't true, either. By writing, reading, and engaging with poetry we are connected to the tradition of Norse poetry that binds us to the Skalds, to Ođroerir, to the Eddas, and to the oral tradition. This is how we and the people like us described our mythic reality.

"Where do we diverge?" is an important question when considering the experiences of other mystics, both ancient and modern, old and new.

Likewise, and an even more important question to me, is "Where do we come together?"

I have never felt more connected to a community than in reading the work of other Lokeans nor have I felt more inspired to pursue aspects of his personhood than after finding pieces of myself in someone else's poem.

Before Lokahjarta, finding the personal writings of other mystics was a matter of going to that individual's blog or website and sifting through what may be hundreds if not thousands of other posts to find what you're looking for. Those of us using tumblr will know that although we have a tagging system, posts get lost - often.

As for published books on the topic of Lokean poetry, we have but one, which is wonderful! But not all of us are interested in publishing our work. The vast majority of Lokean writers post on individual blogs on a poem by poem basis.

This is where Lokahjarta steps in.

The purpose of this website is to document Lokean poetry. It is the heartbeat of our community.

"Poem that opened you - The opposite of a wound. Didn't the world Come pouring through?" - Gregory Orr, "Poem that opened you -", How Beautiful the Beloved (Copper Canyon Press, 2009)

I remember the poem that opened me. I knew Loki and Odin and the folk of my imagination as purely characters in folklore that I had a "normal" amount of interest in. This poem had nothing to do with them. It was neither about them, nor to them, nor for them. It was not even I poem I read. It was one I heard a girl at my high school recite. She giggled a little when she was done and I understood.

In the desert

I saw a creature, naked, bestial,

Who, squatting upon the ground,

Held his heart in his hands,

And ate of it.

I said, "Is it good, friend?"

"It is bitter - bitter," he answered;

"But I like it

"Because it is bitter,

"And because it is my heart." - Stephen Crane, In the Desert

Its simplicity struck me; its honesty. I felt it in me as though I had wrote it. It felt true. It felt like it had happened to me.

It wasn't until 9 or 10 years later that I shared this poem with the gods - not as characters or figments of imagination, but as living beings just as impacted as words by I am and was. I shared it with Them as though, it too, was a heart. As though it was my heart, as though it was Theirs.

This is the power poetry has. This is the power that yours, mine, and all us writers have. The power to pour the world through.

We will not let our work be lost to time - it is too important. This is our mission with Lokahjarta - describe to me an elephant.

#Lokean #Lokahjarta #devotional poetry #poets on tumblr #norse polytheism #norse pagan #norse deities #Loki deity

[yamayuandadu]

What do you know of Aphrodite's origins? What makes the most sense to you? Was she actually derived from the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia or were her origins found elsewhere?

Two Aphrodite questions in one day is a bit much. I think the assumption that Aphrodite started as a deity worshiped on Cyprus is perfectly sound and seems the most plausible to me just because it's very straightforward. It does have to be highlighted that Cyprus did have a history of contacts with Syria - we even know of some members of Ugaritic royal family being banished there - and there were cases effectively "naturalized" cults of imported eastern deities but the two best attested ones, ie. Resheph (already attested in Cypriot context in Amarna letters) and Anat, who actually were still a big deal on Cyprus when they generally fell out of favor on the coast (note Anat did keep a cult center deep inland in her point of origin, ie. on modern Syria-Iraq border, but this is another matter) do not offer a good match for Aphrodite to put it very lightly. Note that while there was a huge Phoenician diaspora on Cyprus in the 6th century or so, the eastern deities on Cyprus were not really Phoenician and instead seem more typical for northern Syria/"Middle Euphrates", too. It would be hard for Aphrodite to be derived from anything "Phoenician" as usually understood, seeing as Phoenician city-states only arose to prominence in the early centuries of the first millennium BCE, and we know virtually nothing about the religion of most of them before like 500 BCE afaik, save for like, Byblos. Where the lead deity was Baalat Gebal, "lady of Byblos", who is demonstrably not Astarte, character-wise seemed to have more to do with civic matters and commerce than love, and had very little in terms of Greek reception before the Hellenistic period (and Greek reception of her was not consistent, Philo of Byblos calls her Dione which seems the most "accurate" seeing as he was, well, from Byblos). It is undeniable that Astarte and Aphrodite came to be interlinked later, obviously. Greeks definitely did see Astarte as they encountered her and Aphrodite were analogous, but I really do not think Aphrodite developed from Astarte for the very simple reason that Aphrodite shows none of the traits the earlier Ashtart exemplified. She was not a hunting goddess, her connection to war is not really there, and in turn Ashtart had nothing to do with love and her astral aspect was at best secondary.

[olympianbutch]

Heyo, just popping in out of curiosity!

I've perused a bit of your blog and would love to hear more about your approach to myth. Do you take mythos literally, metaphorically, or somewhat in between? What historical factors do you consider in your interpretations? How does your understanding of the myths affect your relationships with the gods?

I haven't seen your approach widely expressed before, so I thought I'd ask!

I won’t lie, anon, I’ve been eagerly anticipating an ask like this! :) For the sake of time, though, I’m going to be limiting this post a great deal by discussing my approach to Greek mythology specifically as it’s seen via the medium of literature. The reason being that the visual arts and epigraphic record are beasts in their own right.

When I’m working through Greek mythological texts, I always begin by separating ancient material from modern retellings. Most Greek mythology books I’ve encountered are a mishmash of unsourced Greek and Roman works, which is doubly frustrating when the authors don’t distinguish between periods, regions, or genres.

I then begin sorting out all the primary sources I’ve collected. Not every antiquitous source is created equal. For instance, a writer from the Hellenistic or Roman Imperial period isn’t going to know nearly as much as Homer or Hesiod when it comes to Archaic Greek religion. After sorting the material by period and region, I break it down even further by establishing the genre. Mediums like comedy and tragedy have to be handled carefully since they satirize and exaggerate ancient Greek mythology.

That said, where does Greek mythology even come from? If you were to ask the ancient historian Herodotos, he would tell you that “I think that Homer and Hesiod were older than I by 400 years and no more, and they are the ones who created the divine genealogy for Greeks, gave epithets to the gods, distributed their offices and their crafts and marked outward appearances” (Histories). Quite a few modern scholars are loosely inclined to agree with him. Walter Burkert tells us how “the Library of Apollodoros to a large extent repeats the Hesiodic Catalogues” (Greek Religion, pg. 6) and that this clearly shows an impressive level of mythological continuity from the Archaic to Hellenistic period.

This, of course, is a very broad, generalized explanation for the origins of Greek mythology. Virtually all ancient Greek historians agree that the gods and their mythologies existed long before either Homer or Hesiod. If anything, Homer and Hesiod’s works are culminations of an oral and religious tradition that had been well-established long before their time. Like hundreds, if not thousands, of years before their time.

Unlike ancient theatrical takes on Greek mythology, the Archaic Epic Cycle and Hesiod’s Theogony are said to have been divinely inspired by their respective authors. I’ve already touched on divine inspiration as it’s seen in Homer, so let’s focus on Hesiod.

Hesiod tells us “Here are the words the daughters of aegis-bearing Zeus, / the Muses of Olympos, first spoke to me. / ‘Listen, you country bumpkins, you pot-bellied blockheads, / we know how to tell many lies that pass for truth, / and when we wish, we know to tell the truth itself.’ / So spoke Zeus’s daughters, masters of word-craft, / and from a laurel in full bloom they plucked a branch, / and gave it to me as a staff, and then breathed into me / divine song, that I might spread the fame of past and future, / and commanded me to hymn the race of the deathless gods, / but always begin and end my song with them” (Theogony, 24–34).

Hesiod goes out of his way to tell his listeners that the Muses—the goddesses of ultimate memory and divine inspiration—know how to tell many lies that pass for truth, as well as the truth itself. This line has been instrumental to me and my worship. I’ve always interpreted it as them saying that they don’t necessarily tell the ultimate truth, and instead tell us mortals what the gods want us to regard as true. This leaves room for free thought and regional mythological variations. These variations are sometimes regarded as contradictory, but “These kinds of discrepancies must be admitted and respected because polytheism, . . . has the potential to adapt the figures of its gods and to modify their representation according to the requirements of the specific context and using its own specific language” (The Hera of Zeus: Intimate Enemy, Ultimate Spouse, pg. 297).

I think that Panhellenic legends are especially unique in this regard because they suggest that, sometimes, the gods want us to know only one consistent truth. An example of this would be the abduction of Persephone by Haides. Regardless of what genre or medium you look to, there is not a single antiquitous source discussing the beginnings of their marriage that excludes her violent kidnapping.

Turning back around to me and my approach to Greek mythology, I don’t consider myself a literalist, nor am I exactly an allegorist. When it comes to mythological literalism, I don’t think it’s possible. Dogmatism is inherently incompatible with the open system that is polytheism, and we know too much about religious variety to be able to take such a strict approach. I’m not an allegorist either, because taking a metaphorical or archetypical approach is similarly limiting and doesn’t account for the Greek cosmologies or aetiological myths. Allegorism can also be used to explain away the gods by reducing them to simply being metaphors for phenomena in nature, which I don’t at all agree with.

I don’t use Greek mythology as a means of supplementing my understanding of recorded history or science. It’s hard to explain how exactly it plays into the many different aspects of my life and thought process, but that could be because my religion permeates all facets of my being. I can say with certainty, though, that mythology has informed my understanding of the divine genealogy of the gods, their epithets, offices, crafts, and outward appearances.

#hellenic polytheism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic polytheistic #helpol #hellenic reconstructionism #hellenism #hellenismos #ancient greek religion #greek religion #greek mythology #greek myth #greek gods #greek goddess #classics #ancient greece #greek pantheon #Meleagros answers

[hadit93]

Are pagan religions like Wicca and Odinism inherently based on race like some practitioners claim?

I am not completely familiar with Odinism. But I am of the opinion, and it is a controversial one in some circles, that religion, spirituality, and spiritual beings cannot be owned by one race of people. This is because race is a human construction- we are all one race of people just different l physical features depending where our ancestors settled in relation to the equator. Furthermore if we look at the ancient world we see that syncretism was the norm- people were mixing and matching gods from all over the place. Sharing stories, experiences, and magical technology.

It is only in the modern world that such things have become taboo and some people have found mixing intolerable. It is a bizarre one to me, and only something I have encountered on the internet usually from people who do not know what they are talking about and are only virtually involved in the work.

I doubt Odin cares were you were born or your skin colour. He is the All-father. Sadly Norse movements have been dominated by white supremacists and so there is a racist narrative floating around. I believe it is thoroughly nonsensical.

Wicca is a tricky one. There are different forms of Wicca and it is based upon British Traditional Witchcraft. So I believe original Wicca is largely linked to the British Isles. This does not mean that you have to be British to practice it, but there is a link to the land. This does not mean spirits are solely linked there or that things can be adapted. There are some who believe the god and goddess of Wicca only reside in Britain (their names a secret passed on through initiation). I believe this is also nonsense. Gardner created Wicca from scraps of information and through his knowledge of ceremonial magic and anthropology. I doubt the origins of the god and goddess were even British to begin with. Most Gods, as I have already mentioned, have arrived from a different land- British people worshipped Roman and Norse Gods as well as Gods from elsewhere.

So long story short, no, I think the obsession with race and division is thoroughly a modern practice. Of course there are closed traditions, but they aren't based on race per se, but rather trust, proximity, and individual circumstances. The exception being some forms of Dianic Wicca that will only accept females, and even then only cis-females. But I don't really think much of them.....

[muse-rising]

A Question About Diem's Pearl

Diem is a pearlcatcher based off an OC who belongs to Saronai across several different settings. -------- Lundlaeva on Flight Rising asked a question about Diem I am about to answer. It contains spoilers about Diem across all story AUs. Including (and primarily) a Dungeon's and Dragons virtual tabletop campaign with friends. Some of these AUs might be made into a series later (including their flight rising story). Only read beyond this point if you're fine with spoilers!

Q: "[...]What happens to their pearl if/when they turn into another breed ...? (Or, if they aren't originally a PC, then do they have a fake/stolen pearl??) A: Sidenote of interest: The purple-rose-wreathed pearl icon of this tumblr is meant to be Diem's pearl (unedited source can be found at this link):

So, in D&D a changeling always breeds true, no matter which species the changeling parent breeds with. It gets tricky translating this into FR terms, of course. Diem's mother is a pearlcatcher, their father was the secret changeling dragon. My personal headcanon is that most changelings start off looking like an infant version of their mother. In part this could be to encourage the bonding, but also it's a bit of subconscious copying of someone else's physical characteristics they've spent the most time with in the egg (or during pregnancy for the non-dragon versions lol). A bit of non-verbal: You're supposed to look like this. Diem's mother had a pearl, so Diem (named Lake by their mother) also has a pearl. It became an instinctual ability to have that piece of them separate the way pearlcatchers do. Throughout their childhood they were encouraged to hide this ability and only occasionally copied other pearlcatchers or altered their looks without changing their dragon species. Once they left home, however, they discovered quickly enough all the ways they could stretch the muscle of this ability, so to speak, going beyond the pearlcatcher form. As with all pearlcatchers, their pearl is formed by the same natural processes, starting with the material of their eggshell. We'll say that the same way they will eventually be able to take on the qualities of other species as a feat is how they learned to do that with pearlcatchers since the first day of incubation - tons of intimate, first hand experience via their mother. I think, as a part of them, they're still able to shift it alongside the rest of them. However, given the nature of it being outside their body and unattached, it transforms into a variety of iridescent decor just as under their control as the rest of their form. Jewelry, a trinket of some kind, maybe iridescent, filigree markings. Any number of tertiaries can be faked with the pearl material. I just now made this up thinking about it lol. These days, the fast answer is that Diem's pearl is most often in the possession of their patron, Ulaigh. Point in fact, that wreathed pearl icon? It's in Ulaigh's bio, not Diem's. Given how other pearlcatchers usually feel about seeing one of their kind without a pearl, I think that Ulaigh's magic allows Diem to create an illusory copy of their pearl when they are in a pearlcatcher form, but otherwise? Ulaigh has it in the safest keeping as part of their accumulated treasures. That bit is a nod at the fact that they are an archfey Diem encountered by chance after a shipwreck who helped them understand more about their changeling nature and was the first time they felt special and wanted. They are entirely naive, love and worship Ulaigh and without fully realizing it, by the codes of the fey, have willingly sold everything they ever were, are, or will be to Ulaigh. They would be dedicated loyally to Ulaigh even if they knew though. Fortunately, though ancient, dangerous, and a bit beyond human understanding and compassion at times, Ulaigh is good-aligned and treasures their favourite pet warlock (the name of Diem's class in D&D: Warlocks are spellcasters whose powers come from superpowerful immortal beings such as archfey, fiends, etc. in exchange for service, favours, etc.). So yeah, D&D Ulaigh technically owns Diem - life and soul. Flight Rising Ulaigh totally owns their pearl as well. I do think the pearl is still magically connected, Diem regularly adding to it the way pearlcatchers do. Ulaigh doesn't keep them separated. So I think sometimes the pearl is some type of fake tertiary element or disguised as apparel when they are not a pearlcatcher, but sometimes it's magically popped off magically through the veil into Ulaigh's safe-keeping. Sidenote: Their accent is meant to represent one of their earlier spells in D&D called Armor of Agathys which creates a defensive aura of spectral frost around the caster (gives temporary hit points and deals cold damage to attackers). So their pearl doesn't always look like that.

#Diem #Silver Scale Pack spoilers #Diem spoilers #Flight Rising #Pearlcatchers #Lore Questions #Ulaigh #my original characters as dragons #Ulaigh belongs to Telurin

[travelerdriveblog]

Exploring Ambala: A Traveler's Guide to Must-Visit Places-Travelerdrive

Investigating Ambala: A Voyager's Manual for Must-Visit Spots

Welcome to Ambala, a city overflowing with history, culture, and unlikely treasures ready to be found. Settled in the northern territory of Haryana, Ambala offers a plenty of charming places of interest that take special care of each and every voyager's taste. Whether you're a set of experiences buff, nature lover, or essentially looking for a quiet escape, Ambala has something for everybody. Go along with us on a virtual excursion as we investigate the top traveler puts in Ambala and set out on an extraordinary experience.

1.Ambala Cantt Rail line Station:

Start your excursion at the notable Ambala Cantt Rail route Station, a clamoring transportation center that fills in as a door to the city. Respect the frontier engineering of this memorable rail line station, which traces all the way back to the English period. Go for a comfortable walk along the stages, absorb the energetic air, and witness the consistent mix of custom and innovation.

2.Bhawani Amba Sanctuary:

Then, submerge yourself in otherworldliness at the worshipped Bhawani Amba Sanctuary, devoted to the Hindu goddess Amba. Situated in the core of Ambala, this antiquated sanctuary draws in fans from all over. Wonder about the complex design, offer your requests, and participate in the quiet vibe that overruns the sanctuary premises. Remember to catch the stunning perspectives on the encompassing scenes from the sanctuary's vantage focuses.

3.Sister Ganj Gurudwara:

Experience the rich Sikh legacy of Ambala with a visit to Sister Ganj Gurudwara, a hallowed spot of love respected by the Sikh people group. Dive into the profound lessons of Sikhism, offer your appreciation at the Gurudwara, and take part in the langar (local area kitchen) to encounter the quintessence of Sikh friendliness. The serene environment and soul-mixing songs will have an enduring effect on your heart.

4.Rani Ka Talab:

For nature lovers looking for comfort in the midst of picturesque environmental factors, Rani Ka Talab is an unlikely treasure not to be missed. This beautiful lake, encompassed by lavish vegetation and manicured gardens, offers a quiet retreat from the hurrying around of city life. Enjoy a relaxed boat ride, catch spellbinding previews of the verdure, or essentially loosen up by the serene waters as you absorb the excellence of nature.

5.Badshahi Bagh Gurudwara:

Adventure further into Ambala's social embroidery with a visit to Badshahi Bagh Gurudwara, another noticeable Sikh journey site. Arranged in the midst of rambling nurseries and great design, this Gurudwara radiates a quality of harmony and otherworldliness. Pause for a minute to reflect, offer your requests, and embrace the amicable environment that plagues this sacrosanct spot.

6.Jain Mandir:

Find the structural magnificence of Jain Mandir, a worshipped Jain sanctuary prestigious for its complex craftsmanship and profound importance. Respect the lavish carvings, sensitive figures, and dynamic wall paintings that enhance the sanctuary's insides, mirroring the rich social legacy of Jainism. Honor the heavenly gods, participate in the customs, and loll in the heavenly air that encompasses this purified dwelling place.

7.Ambala City Market:

No visit to Ambala is finished without investigating the clamoring roads and dynamic business sectors that embody the city's mixed appeal. Meander through the clamoring paths of Ambala City Market, where a gold mine of nearby crafted works, customary materials, and luscious road food is standing by. Submerge yourself in the lively varieties, sounds, and kinds of the market as you cooperate with well disposed local people and enjoy a shopping binge.

Leave on a remarkable excursion through the captivating vacationer spots of Ambala, where history, culture, and regular excellence join to make an enhancing travel insight. Whether you're looking for profound edification, verifiable bits of knowledge, or essentially snapshots of serenity in the midst of grand scenes, Ambala vows to enrapture your faculties and leave you yearning for more. So gather your sacks, hit the road with TravelerDrive, and let the undertakings unfurl in the beguiling city of Ambala!

#travel destinations #travel

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Saw someone recategorizing Legendary Pokémon and thought I might give it a try myself.  Obviously this is long-ish, there are a lot of Pokémon to cover, but I’ve already committed to this bit where I care deeply about Legendary classification so what the hell.

Arceus: It’s fucking Arceus what more do I need to say -Arceus

Mythologically Significant: They have specific legends associated with them and are usually thought of as gods. -Kyogre -Groudon -Rayquaza -Uxie -Mesprit -Azelf -Dialga -Palkia -Giratina -Tornadus: I’m not entirely sure with the Forces of Nature, but PLA really reinforces them as incarnations of the seasons so I’ll put them here. -Thundurus -Landorus -Enamorus -Xerneas: Debatable?  It controls life energy but probably isn’t the source of all life energy…still, my gut says it goes here. -Yveltal: Also debatable, don’t think it’s in charge of all death, but this placement feels right. -Zygarde: Governs the balance of the ecosystem, role-wise it has more in common with the Weather Trio than Xerneas and Yveltal.

Mew: So like.  I wouldn’t say Mew is exactly tied to mythology?  It’s definitely significant, but I don’t know if I’d directly link it to culture either; it’s, like, ecologically or genetically significant, I guess.  Also it has a fixed encounter in BDSP so I’m not going to count it as Mythical. -Mew

Culturally Significant: Specific legends, considered a big deal in certain regions and/or have had a direct impact on human culture. -Raikou -Entei -Suicune -Lugia -Ho-Oh -Celebi: Fixed encounter in Virtual Console Crystal…buuut that’s no longer available for purchase, so this could also still be considered Mythical.  I’m going to put it here since the method does exist, and it’s honored as the guardian of Ilex Forest. -Regigigas: Ancient civilization sealed away the Regis after worshipping them, apparently, and Regigigas is said to have moved continents.  Still, none of these feel as important to the world as a whole when compared to the Weather Trio or the Creation Trio.  Also there seem to be several specimens of the original three Regis so they might belong in Super Rare Pokémon?  For simplicity’s sake, I’ve split the difference and the whole family is placed here. -Regirock -Registeel -Regice -Regieleki -Regidrago -Jirachi: Fixed encounter in BDSP, so that rules out Mythical.  Hard to say for sure, the lore is limited and doesn’t really tie into much.  Honestly I’m mainly counting this as culturally significant due to its real world association with Tanabata. -Cobalion: I don’t know that I’d say the Swords of Justice have much cultural significance, but there are specific legends about them so I think this is the best fit. -Terrakion -Virizion -Keldeo: Fixed encounter in Crown Tundra, no longer Mythical. -Reshiram: While the Unova dragons represent Truth and Ideals and…emptiness?  They don’t embody those concepts in quite the same way as other trios.  So I think their significance is more cultural than mythological. -Zekrom -Kyurem -Meloetta: Fixed encounter in Indigo Disk so no longer qualifies as Mythical.  While a bit obscure, its association with the arts makes me feel like it should be considered culturally significant. -Tapu Koko: The Tapu are regarded as deities so could be moved to Mythologically Significant, but they’re linked more to Alola and its people than anything else; their cultural significance is what’s most important. -Tapu Lele -Tapu Bulu -Tapu Fini -Zacian -Zamazenta -Eternatus -Glastrier -Spectrier -Calyrex -Wo-Chien: The Treasures of Ruin…might not have quite as much significance, per se, but they seem to be unique and have a very specific legend passed down in Paldea, so I think this is the best spot for them. -Chien-Pao -Ting-Lu -Chi-Yu -Okidogi -Munkidori -Fezandipiti -Pecharunt: I struggle with this one.  Officially, it’s a Mythical.  But it has a fixed encounter in the DLC.  There is an event item you need to trigger it.  But I think the item’s available indefinitely?  Meh, I’m just going to say it’s non-Mythical, and while we did get that cool video explaining its legend, I don’t know there’s anyone who would be telling that legend in-universe?  Still, it’s the reason why the Loyal Three came to Kitakami in the first place, so I’ll consider it culturally significant for now. -Ogerpon -Terapagos: Meeeeehh…I mean it’s only rare because it was thought to be extinct, and the only “legend” about it was in Heath’s book and was so heavily obscured no one even knew its name.  The Terastal Phenomenon derived from it has made a huge impact on Paldean culture, though.  It’ll go here for now.

Mythical Pokémon: It’s a sub-group and you can’t tell me otherwise.  I’m being a little strict here and only including Pokémon that are entirely exclusive to events, so a lot of Pokémon introduced as Mythicals aren’t listed here because there are now fixed, repeatable ways of obtaining them.  I don’t really have a good in-universe metric for this category, you see. -Victini -Diancie: I guess?  Lore-wise she’s a mutant Carbink so I want to say this is just an evolution we haven’t fully figured out yet, but at the moment you can only get her through events so I kinda have to put her here. -Hoopa -Volcanion -Marshadow -Zeraora -Zarude

The Folly of Man: Artificial Pokémon that yeah I guess can still be counted as Legendary, y’all would crucify me if I said Mewtwo wasn’t actually a Legendary. -Mewtwo -Genesect: Also qualifies as a Mythical but I think this category is the better thematic fit. -Type: Null/Silvally -Magearna: Fixed encounter through the QR scanner in Sun and Moon, so not Mythical.  Artificially constructed, though it doesn’t quite have the same “crime against nature” vibe as the above three.

Ultra Beasts: Pokémon who access our world exclusively through Ultra Space/Wormholes.  These ARE Legendary Pokémon, I don’t care what anyone says, they’re strong and weird and are involved in legends; also including the Cosmog family and Necrozma here for simplicity’s sake. -Cosmog/Cosmoem/Solgaleo/Lunala -Necrozma -Nihilego -Buzzwole -Pheromosa -Xurkitree -Celesteela -Kartana -Guzzlord -Poipole/Naganadel -Stakataka -Blacephalon

Paradox Pokémon: Pokémon brought to our present time (world?) by Sada/Turo’s time machine.  Whether or not these are Legendaries is a debate worth having, but I’d personally count them as such. -Great Tusk -Scream Tail -Brute Bonnet -Flutter Mane -Slither Wing -Sandy Shocks -Roaring Moon -Koraidon -Walking Wake -Gouging Fire -Raging Bolt -Iron Treads -Iron Bundle -Iron Hands -Iron Jugulis -Iron Moth -Iron Thorns -Iron Valiant -Miraidon -Iron Leaves -Iron Boulder -Iron Crown

Super Rare Species: Rare?  Yes.  Powerful?  Yes.  But there are a comparatively large number of these buggers running around, and I don’t think they even have any specific legends associated with them aside from just being rare.  So I don’t think I’d call these Legendary after all. -Articuno -Zapdos -Moltres -Latias -Latios -Deoxys: Fixed encounter in ORAS, no longer Mythical. -Heatran -Cresselia -Darkrai: Fixed encounter in PLA, so no longer Mythical.  I can’t justify it as mythologically significant, and the lore surrounding it feels on par with standard Pokédex lore.  Sorry buddy. -Manaphy/Phione: Fixed encounter(s) in PLA.  These two have always been in a weird spot, I’m just gonna leave them here. -Shaymin: Fixed encounter in PLA.  The most specific legend I can think of is it creating a field of flowers, which is extremely tame when it comes to Pokémon. -Meltan/Melmetal: Repeatable so long as you have Go and Let’s Go, non-Mythical. -Kubfu/Urshifu

Borderline: You could probably make a case either way for these?  For now I’m going to categorize them as non-Legendary. -Unown: Rare, mysterious, featured in a movie, shown to have some kind of connection with Arceus, can’t breed.  But probably not Legendaries themselves?  My own personal theory is that the Unown are part of Arceus in a similar vein to how Zygarde works, but take that as you will. -Larvesta/Volcarona: I feel like we mainly accepted Volcarona wasn’t a Legendary was because it evolves and breeds, but all conditions are out the window at this point so I think we need to re-evaluate.  Volcarona definitely felt Legendary when it was introduced, but now it’s much easier to find Larvesta, so…maybe not. -Gimmighoul/Gholdengo: All over the hecking place…but, can’t breed, have a ridiculous evolution method and a busted Ability, and their Shinies are event-locked for some reason.  Also special due to Gholdengo being Pokémon #1000.  How we feeling about this one?

#Pokemon

[techflye4]

How to Leverage Church App Development for Maximum Impact

In this rapidly changing digital age, it has become increasingly important to use technology to strengthen connections between churches and their communities. One useful asset in accomplishing this association is the improvement of the church mobile app. In this article, we'll investigate the vital components and advantages of church app development, revealing insight into how these applications can expand effect and encourage a more grounded feeling in the local area.

The Rise of Church Mobile Apps: A Digital Transformation

With the rise in smartphone use, there has never been a greater need for information that is easy to find and accessible. Enter church portable applications, furnishing gatherings with an immediate line to their confidence local area. These applications work with consistent correspondence, empowering chapels to share occasion refreshes, lesson accounts, and significant declarations in a split second.

Enhancing Engagement and Community Building

One of the essential advantages of apps for church improvement is the potential for expanded commitment. By coordinating elements, for example, message pop-ups and occasion schedules, places of worship can keep their individuals informed about impending exercises and get-togethers. This constant correspondence cultivates a feeling of having a place and empowers dynamic cooperation in the existence of the church.

Besides, church applications can act as a virtual center point for local area building. Highlights like conversation discussions and petitioning heaven segments make spaces for individuals to interface, share encounters, and back each other. By transcending physical boundaries and fostering a sense of unity among the congregation, the app transforms into a digital extension of the church.

Tailoring Content to Spiritual Growth

A very much-planned church mobile app goes past fundamental correspondence; it turns into a significant asset for profound development. Church can use these applications to give individuals admittance to message files; books of scriptures concentrate on materials and reflections. This improves the opportunity for growth as well as obliges various inclinations and timetables.

By integrating highlights that help internet giving, houses of worship can likewise smooth out the gift cycle. This guarantees a reliable progression of monetary help for the church's main goal and exercises.

Conclusion

All in all, church app development addresses an amazing asset for upgrading correspondence, encouraging local areas, and advancing otherworldly development. As exhibited by the application at the reference connect, places of worship can use innovation to meet the advancing necessities of their gatherings.

By embracing the computerized wilderness and putting resources into chapel portable applications, strict organizations can overcome any issues among custom and advancement. These applications act as impetuses for more grounded associations, more profound commitment, and a more lively feeling of the local area inside the congregation. As we keep on exploring the computerized scene, the job of chapel applications in working with significant associations is ready to turn out to be much more articulated.

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[jdgo51]

If God Is Real, Why Is He So Hidden?

Today's inspiration comes from:

Is God Real?

by Lee Strobel

"'Along with the problem of evil, the problem of divine hiddenness has become one of the most prominent arguments for atheism. ~ Philosopher Travis Dumsday, “C. S. Lewis on the Problem of Divine Hiddenness,” International Journal for Philosophy of Religion"''

Interview with Kenneth Richard Samples, MA

"'Rocked by the suicide of his brother Frank, Kenneth Samples began to seek answers to deep questions. Frank had plummeted into despair after struggling with drug addiction and incarceration, and Ken started wondering, What do I have in my life that’s really meaningful?

His spiritual curiosity had already been piqued when his sister gave him a copy of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Later he had a vivid dream in which he encountered a Christlike figure with scars and bruises on his face. “When he spoke — I kid you not — it was like thunder,” Samples told me. This resulted in an insatiable urge to study the Bible and attend church.

He became a committed Christian and immediately gravitated toward apologetics. He earned an undergraduate degree in history from Concordia University and then a master’s degree in theological studies from Biola University.

After working alongside legendary countercult apologist Walter Martin, Samples now serves as senior research scholar for Reasons to Believe, a nonprofit that focuses on science and faith. For more than twenty years, he has taught at Biola and lectured at universities around the country. His books include Without a Doubt: Answering the 20 Toughest Faith Questions and Christianity Cross-Examined: Is It Rational, Relevant, and Good?

Seated at a desk and wearing his gray hair cut short, Samples spoke in a sincere tone with an even cadence, unruffled by questions that might challenge his faith. After all, there are virtually no objections to Christianity that he hasn’t addressed over his career.

God’s Silence through the Centuries

I began by referencing several theists through history who struggled with the apparent silence of God and yet didn’t abandon their faith. For example, the Hebrew psalmist cried out,

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?... I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.1

The prophet Isaiah wrote,

Truly You are a God who has been hiding Himself.2

“An important component of ancient Israel’s worship was the engagement of divine absence,” said Old Testament scholar Joel Burnett.3 He added that in ancient Israel, “the sense of divine absence [and the sorrow and suffering that goes along with it] is regarded as a normal part of human experience.”4 Nevertheless, observed Michael Rea of the University of Notre Dame, none of the biblical texts that wrestle with divine silence ever question the reality of God.5

I turned to Samples. “Why do you think that many theists have struggled with the so-called hiddenness of God and yet never jettisoned their belief in Him?” I asked.

“I would start by defining faith — it’s a confident trust in a reliable source,” he began. “That means faith is not trust in any source or every source, but we put our faith in something that’s reliable. By that definition, faith has a rational component to it.” He paused, then continued. “These individuals put their trust in the one true God, someone they determined to be reliable and trustworthy. It was a faith that made sense and was fully rational. Of course, as C. S. Lewis said, you have to feed your faith.6 I believe they did that and ended up building a robust and resilient faith that could withstand the times when they felt perplexed by the seeming absence of God.”

“How did they feed their faith?”

“Through regular prayer, the study of Scripture, being part of a faith community, for example. And when you invest in your faith that way, it can sustain you even during those times when God seems distant.

“Sometimes when I talk to people who have walked away from faith, I ask them about their prayer life and their connection to a church, and there isn’t anything there,” he added. “Without that firm foundation, a person’s faith can crumble during times when God seems particularly distant. I know in my own life that when God appears hidden, it’s often at a time when I’m at a spiritual low.”

A quote by Corrie ten Boom sprang to mind:

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”7

Her faith remained intact despite her painful circumstances during World War II because she knew that God could ultimately be trusted.

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. ~ Corrie ten Boom

“Put Your House in Order”

I gestured toward Samples. “What about you personally — have you ever felt exasperated because God didn’t make Himself more apparent?”

“Well, the answer is yes,” he said. “When I was forty-five years old, married with three children, I came home one day feeling sick. It turned out I had contracted a rare bacteria that resulted in a large lesion on my right lung and six brain abscess lesions. I remember the doctor telling me, ‘What you have has a mortality rate of 80 percent.’”

My mouth dropped open. “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, when the doctor gave me that percentage, it was like a cold breeze ran through my soul. I ended up going through a difficult period.”

“I can only imagine.”

“I remember being hospitalized and having lung surgery. Through it all, there certainly were times when God seemed present, and that was comforting. But then one night, my family and friends went home from the hospital and I couldn’t sleep. I thought, Lord, where are You? I’m in a tough spot.”

“Did the silence of God threaten your faith?”

“Not in a serious way. As I began to think more clearly, I started to fall back on some things I had learned through the years.”

“For instance?”

“I realized this experience of God’s silence didn’t invalidate the fact that I had encountered God before. And it certainly didn’t rule out the solid argumentation that I had discovered about God’s existence and the truth of Christianity. So, yeah, there were times when I thought, Lord, where are You? Admittedly, that can be scary. But when I fell back on the spiritual practices that I had nurtured through the years — prayer and worship, for example — the dark thoughts dissipated. Just reading the gospels raised my spirits.”

“Were you concerned you might die?”

“I remember the doctor saying to me, ‘Hey, put your house in order.’ I started by asking myself, What do I really believe about life after death? That prompted me to go through all of the evidence for the resurrection that I had researched through the years.”

“Was that helpful?”

“No question, it really buoyed me. I realized that the evidence was sound when I first came across it, it remained sound, and I trusted that it would continue to be sound into the future.”

“In the end, did this experience make you more sympathetic to people who wrestle with the silence of God?”

“Absolutely,” he replied. “I can relate to what they’re going through. And yet at the same time, can we really say that God has been hidden when the second person of the Trinity took on a human nature and entered into our world? I remember the theologian J. I. Packer saying that the incarnation is greater than anything in literature. I’ve found that just the practice of bringing that to mind has been an encouragement to me.”

Psalm 22:1–2. Isaiah 45:15. Joel S. Burnett, Where Is God? Divine Absence in the Hebrew Bible (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2010), 149. Burnett, Where Is God?, 117. See Michael C. Rea, The Hiddenness of God (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2018), 6. See C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1943; repr., New York: Macmillan, 1960), 123–24. Corrie ten Boom, Jesus Is Victor (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1985), 183"'.

Excerpted with permission from Is God Real? by Lee Strobel, copyright Lee Strobel.

[bishopclimate]

Awaken Your Miracles: Step into a Realm of Breakthroughs at the Morning Glory Special Miracle Incense Service!

Dear Child Of God  Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We are excited to share with you a divine and transformative opportunity at Bishop Climate Ministries . every month, we hold the Morning Glory Special Miracle Incense Service, and we invite you to be part of this powerful and sacred gathering. Date: 1st Sunday of Every Month Time: 9:00 -3pm The Morning Glory Special Miracle Incense Service is designed to be a time of prayer, worship, and praise, taking us to a new level in our spiritual walk. Guided by divine instruction from God, we will sanctify ourselves using the Sanctification Oil, preparing our hearts to encounter the presence of the Almighty. During this extraordinary service, our esteemed Bishop Climate will employ special anointed frankincense, filling the sanctuary with its fragrant smoke, just as described in Revelation 8:13 (NIV): "Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God's people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God from the angel's hand." The power of frankincense, symbolizing our prayers ascending to God's throne, creates a unique atmosphere for miraculous encounters and divine breakthroughs. Dress Code: Strictly All White To reflect the theme of holiness and purity, we kindly request that all attendees come dressed in All White attire. As we seek the face of God, this symbolic dress code represents our dedication to walking in righteousness and drawing closer to Him. Prepare Yourself for Divine Instructions We encourage you to come to this special service with all your prayer requests for the specific month. Prepare yourself physically and spiritually, as the Lord is set to release powerful instructions and revelations during this gathering. Powerful Testimonies From the Frankincense Service We have witnessed the remarkable impact of the Frankincense Service in the lives of our congregation. Many have experienced powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit, visions, and breakthroughs. Testimonies have poured in, recounting healing, deliverance, and answered prayers. This could be your moment of divine visitation! Submit Your Prayer Requests Online If you are unable to attend physically, we have made provisions for you to join us online with our virtual family. Submit your prayer requests online, and our dedicated team will personally include them in the service, offering them before God in the sanctuary. Activate Your Breakthrough with Giving As we approach the Morning Glory Special Miracle Incense Service, I want to encourage you to take a step of faith by sowing seeds and giving special offerings. By clicking the link below, you can make your donation or special offering. Your act of faith and obedience will be a seed sown, and God, who sees your heart, will surely bless you abundantly in return. Through the same link, you will also have the opportunity to submit your most urgent prayer requests. These requests will be printed and presented to the altar during the service. As the incense burns, our beloved Master Prophet, Climate, will lift your petitions before God as a fragrant offering, just as the scriptures describe in Revelation 8:3-4. Mark your calendars and invite your friends and family to be part of this life-changing experience. We believe that as we gather in unity and faith, God will move in extraordinary ways. Remember, the Morning Glory Special Miracle Incense Service will take place on the 1st Sunday of every month at 9:00 AM, at The Kingdom Church, London, located at 93 Camberwell Station Road, SE5 9JJ. We eagerly look forward to sharing this powerful encounter with you and witnessing God's hand move mightily in your life. Blessings and love, Master Prophet Climate  Read the full article