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obeyme-and-you · 4 years

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King Solomon the Wise Part 1

(Take 2)

What wisdom will you bestow upon us today?

Since he decided to drop a bomb on me after I practically finished the first draft :)

Gabriel is Italics

Kimimela is Bold

Verses are Normal

King Solomon is a big figure biblically, having his life primarily discussed in three books, has two Psalms with his name, wrote three canonical books, has two books of poetry bearing his name, is attributed to “The Wisdom of Solomon”, has a legend written about him in the “Apocalypse of Adam”, “wrote” the “Testament of Solomon”, “The Greater Keys of Solomon”, and “The lesser Keys of Solomon.” I am being punished for my hubris. So, because of this Solomon will be a multipart affair :)))). I am unsure of how much of any of these will actually be of use and how far I’m willing to dig my grimmy little fingers into this but that will be a problem for future Gabriel. The webpages I’ve used to gather some information:

http://www.lastgasps.com/Solomon_-_The_Testament_Key_and_Legematon_of_Solomon_(unabridged).pdf

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solomon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon

(Do NOT at me for using wiki, this isn’t for some English class so I don’t particularly care)

The last two were just for gathering some information of where he appears in the biblical canon and it turned out it was much worse than I realized since he also has other books about him or written by him. Everything I quote will be directly from the pdf file which is a transcription of The Testament of Solomon, The Greater Keys of Solomon, and The Lesser Keys of Solomon. This particular essay will only mention The Testament of Solomon, which is the first 35 pages of the pdf. There is a good chance that this may later be revisited and edited based on what Obey Me decides to throw at me, since, ya know, already doing this a second time cause Obey Me Solomon is a coward while cannon Solomon is,,,wild.

*Note: even though I am using the Testament of Solomon because it is important in understanding and explaining Solomon in Obey Me, it is not considered a biblical canon. In fact, even though it’s said to be written by him, it’s debated on when it was actually written. Even in real life Solomon is shady.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testament_of_Solomon

Well, let's get to it then.

MAJOR OBEY ME SPOILERS UNTIL CHAPTER 36

King Solomon the Wise Part 1

What wisdom will you bestow upon us today?

The Testament of Solomon is about King Solomon forcing demons to follow his orders in the construction of the First Temple. He was given a ring by God, delivered to him by the Archangel Michael, that would allow him control over any demon. The majority of the text describes the demons brought before him, and who they are weak to (usually the name of an angel that when used forces them to leave). While some of the demons mentioned are important to mention, they will not be discussed in this essay. Instead, we will look into prophecies stated by demons, and some events that transpired with King Solomon.

Page 2, paragraph 5

(In reference to a child being attacked by a demon nightly)

"Now when I Solomon heard this, I entered the Temple of God, and prayed with all my soul, night and day, that the demon might be delivered into my hands, and that I might gain authority over him. And it came about through my prayer that grace was given to me from the Lord Sabaoth by Michael his archangel. [He brought me] a little ring, having a seal consisting of an engraved stone, and said to me: "Take, O Solomon, king, son of David, the gift which the Lord God has sent thee, the highest Sabaoth. With it thou shalt lock up all demons of the earth, male and female; and with their help thou shalt build up Jerusalem. [But] thou [must] wear this seal of God. And this engraving of the seal of the ring sent thee is a Pentalpha."

In Obey Me chapter 2 part 2 Lucifer says to MC “Seeing as you’re both human, it’s fine if you associate with him, but know that he can’t be trusted.

He may be a mere human, but he has a ring imbued with wisdom, and he wields powerful magic. He’s the type of man who will try to subjugate even a powerful, greater demon if he gets the chance.”

So we do know that Solomon of Obey Me has the same ring that King Solomon was delivered to him by Archangel Michael.

Obey me chapter 29-5 Solomon says “It’s the ring of wisdom. Made from brass and iron. I got it from Michael long ago. It was at a point in my life when I was a bit lost and unsure what to do. That was when I met Michael, and he gave it to me. When I put this ring on, it granted me the power to control demons.”

While MC has yet to meet Michael, he is a named character in game. We also know that Solomon has been to the Celestial Realm before (chapter 23-5, Solomon to Mc, “Well, looks like we made it here in one piece, huh? This is actually my second time in the Celestial Realm.”), and while it doesn’t state that King Solomon has been to heaven, it is important to note because this shows that Obey Me’s Solomon has a close relationship to the Celestial Realm the same way King Solomon had to God. King Solomon was able to control demons (keep in mind, by force, not through pacts), with a ring, while OB Solomon “has a ring imbued with wisdom, and he wields powerful magic.” King Solomon’s ring has the power to lock up demons and use them with force, and Lucifer states that “He’s the type of man who will try to subjugate even a powerful, greater demon if he gets the chance.” (Which he in fact has but alas, that’s a different essay).

Note: Chapter 29-5 Solomon says he originally had to force demons to obey him

“Anyway, I’m not sure if it’s because I had to use force to get them to obey, or because I expended more magical energy than necessary…

…

“I mean, nowadays I can do that sort of thing with no problem at all. But not then.”

On pages 18-19 King Solomon is told a prophecy by a demon he gets under his control.

Pages 18-19 paragraph 65

“I used the seal of God, and the spirit prophesied to me, saying: "This is what thou, King Solomon, doest to us. But after a time thy kingdom shall be broken, and again in season this Temple shall be riven asunder; and all Jerusalem shall be undone by the King of the Persians and Medes and Chaldaeans. And the vessels of this Temple, which thou makest, shall be put to servile uses of the gods; and along with them all the jars, in which thou dost shut us up, shall be broken by the hands of men. And then we shall go forth in great power hither and thither, and be disseminated all over the world.

And we shall lead astray the inhabited world for a long season, until the Son of God is stretched upon the cross. For never before doth arise a king like unto him, one frustrating us all, whose mother shall not have contact with man. Who else can receive such authority over spirits, except he, whom the first devil will seek to tempt, but will not prevail over? The number of his name is 6442 , which is Emmanuel. Wherefore, O King Solomon, thy time is evil, and thy years short and evil, and to thy servant shall thy kingdom be given.””

From the information that can be gathered from this and Obey Me, we do know that both King Solomon and OB Solomon have built a temple. In Obey Me chapter 29-5 Solomon mentions a “large house” he built. “The first time I put multiple demons under my control, I was trying to build a house. Let’s just say it was a bit larger than your average house.”

In the Testament of Solomon, King Solomon is actively getting demons under his control while the Temple is still being built. In the beginning of Obey Me Solomon already has all 72 demons under his control (This is Stated in a Devilgram Guided by Desire) and says that he had once built something long ago (big house my ass). Because of these two factors we can assume that this has already happened, at least in part.

Theory time (I guess look away for potential spoilers for later into the story?)

I believe we’ve already seen the temple built by OB Solomon, in fact we have been there multiple times. Where could we have possibly visited that would’ve been King Solomon’s temple?

Lord Diavolo’s castle

So we do know that Solomon from Obey Me built something but why would it be Diavolo’s castle? What could possibly suggest that? (this also wouldn't be the first time a human structure ended up in the Devildom considering the story about the House of Lamentation)

“And the vessels of this Temple, which thou makest, shall be put to servile uses of the gods”

I cannot say with certainty who the vessels are for sure in this sentence but my two guesses could both work in this situation.

It’s talking about King Solomon specifically or

The demons under his control

(I’m pretty sure it’s the second one when discussed in The Testament of Solomon)

Technically, in the case of Obey Me at least, it could be both of these. We know that OB Solomon was already picked for the exchange program when it was first suggested. This could have been because he is referenced as the “the most powerful sorcerer in the history of mankind.” by Satan in chapter 2-A, but it could also be because he’s already working under Diavolo. We know that he has been working with Diavolo because in chapter 28-8 Diavolo has to leave your discussion early because of urgent business and instead of taking Lucifer he asks Solomon to go with him.

(Diavolo) “There’s no need for you to come along, Lucifer. Solomon. Would you come with me?”

(Solomon) “Wait, you want me to come along instead of Lucifer…? I don’t mind, but…”

(Diavolo) “Wonderful, let’s go. Take care, Lucifer. And you too, MC.”

Chapter 28-C Lucifer and Diavolo have a conversation about Diavolo taking Solomon and not him

(Lucifer) “Where did you and Solomon go yesterday, and what did you do there?”

(Diavolo) “...It still isn’t the right time for me to share that with you.”

If it’s the demons under his control this could still play into the fact that he has to listen to Diavolo, since he controls the demons with his ring, Diavolo Controls the demons via Solomon. We do know of two demons that have been named in Obey Me being under Solomon’s control that are both technically under the control of Diavolo too. In chapter 2-A Asmodeus says “Take Solomon and me, for example. We’re in a pact together already, right? ...Oh yeah, and he’s got one with Barbatos, too.” Asmodeus is one of the seven student council members that work under Diavolo, and Barbatos is his servant that directly works for him and follows his orders. (Boy I can't believe I missed this to be honest in the SECOND chapter)

“Shall be put to servile uses of the gods”

While Diavolo isn’t technically a god, he is a very powerful demon, and is the prince of the Devildom. Even though we don’t know many details about his father, it is possible he’s either strong enough to be considered a god, or is a self proclaimed god. Remember kiddos! Lucifer may be the avatar of pride, but every demon is a prideful bastard!

“Wherefore, O King Solomon, thy time is evil, and thy years short and evil, and to thy servant shall thy kingdom be given.”

This sentence plays into the last part and the fact that I’ve been suspicious of OB Solomon since the second we were introduced to him. You can’t tell me he’s not evil. I will bite you. What evidence do we have to suggest that OB Solomon is evil though? Couldn’t he just have an evil smile and actually be a good guy? Good question! No.

When you’re first introduced to OB Solomon after he picks up MC’s DDD after they dropped it (i have a whole other theory about how he did something to it when MC wasn’t looking but that is just based off gut instinct and my trope sensor going off and i have no proof so i sit here in a silent scream). When he leaves Lucifer mentions how he can’t be trusted.

2-2 “Seeing as you’re both human, it’s fine if you associate with him, but know that he can’t be trusted.

He may be a mere human, but he has a ring imbued with wisdom, and he wields powerful magic. He’s the type of man who will try to subjugate even a powerful, greater demon if he gets the chance.”

“But Gabriel! Lucifer’s a demon! Of course he wouldn’t trust someone with power like that!” Neither do I. While that is true, it’s important to note because Lucifer at this point doesn’t particularly care about MC, but still makes a note to point out his distrust of Solomon. Lucifer has been alive for a very long time and has not at any point been shown to be an idiot, not to mention he’s also the avatar of pride, someone with that much pride isn’t going to admit distrust about someone, to someone they barely know unless it’s a big deal. These two factors show he has the intelligence to know that someone isn’t trustworthy, and the fact that he would admit it even though he is the embodiment of pride, raises red flags.

2-A “Now, now, I’m not like you demons. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t accuse me of behaving like one. I am but a simple human, an innocent lamb.”

(Satan) “I’m surprised you can say that with a straight face, considering you’re the most powerful sorcerer in the history of mankind.”

After Solomon says he’s completely innocent and a simple human, Satan calls him out on it. This could be argued that Satan was specifically talking about him being a simple human (which is a fair argument i’ll admit) but i personally don’t believe that’s the case for two reasons. The first one is that Satan is very intelligent and would know about Solomon’s power and ability and no competent demon will completely trust a human like that. The second reason is the wording Solomon uses.

“Now, now, I’m not like you demons. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t accuse me of behaving like one. I am but a simple human, an innocent lamb.”

This wording alone raises red flags because, let’s be honest here, no one who’s innocent calls themselves “an innocent lamb” that’s reserved for people hiding something that makes them in fact, not an innocent lamb. Not to mention the “Now, now, I’m not like you demons.” reads like someone who goes “I’m not like other girls” and it’s like yeah you are, there’s nothing wrong with it but now you’ve made an ass outta yourself so like, congrats I guess.

7-7 (Mammon) “And it’s not like Solomon and Satan and me realized we’ve got shared interests and common goals because Solomon wants some magical items that belong to the Demon King…”

Solomon wants something from the Demon King’s castle, that much is obvious, but what is he looking for and how does this make him evil?

6-4 (Beelzebub) “The grimoire Luke is holding has the power to control a demon-to make him do anything, even if it’s in violation of a pact. Everything that we are rides on that book. We can never allow it to be stolen under any circumstances.”

Look, you don’t drop a bomb like this unless it’s going to happen later on.

“But Gabriel!” you say, “You said that his ring was all controlling of whatever, what could he possibly need that book for?”

(I’ll being coming back to the second half of the sentence “Wherefore, O King Solomon, thy time is evil, and thy years short and evil, and to thy servant shall thy kingdom be given.” but i have to discuss something else first)

Page 34-35 paragraphs 129-130

“And when I answered that I would on no account worship strange gods, they told the maiden not to sleep with me until I complied and sacrificed to the gods. I then was moved, but crafty Eros brought and laid by her for me five grasshoppers, saying: "Take these grasshoppers, and crush them together in the name of the god Moloch; and then will I sleep with you." And this I actually did. And at once the Spirit of God departed from me, and I became weak as well as foolish in my words. And after that I was obliged by her to build a temple of idols to Baal, and to Rapha, and to Moloch, and to the other idols. I then, wretch that I am, followed her advice, and the glory of God quite departed from me; and my spirit was darkened, and I became the sport of idols and demons. Wherefore I wrote out this Testament, that ye who get possession of it may pity, and attend to the last things, and not to the first. So that ye may find grace for ever and ever. Amen.”

You like how he blames her even though he was just horny even though he claimed to have 700 wives and 300 concubines? All men are idiots in the bible, I swear. (He had one job)

King Solomon let his new wife convince him to worship her gods and build temples in their honor which angered the Jewish/Christian God, and caused him to abandon King Solomon. When God left him, King Solomon didn’t just lose his God, he became weak, foolish, his spirit was darkened, and then had to deal with all the demons left with him. What could he have lost to make him weak and also now stuck with these demons that were under his control before? His ring would have had to stop being powerful enough to properly hold them. Now, biblically, it probably meant permanent, as in, he has zero control or now they have control over him. In the context of Obey Me, it would be a different take on this, because we obviously know he actively has pacts with 72 demons. I theorize that instead of having full control like he would have with the ring, he lost that and instead had to have control via pacts. So in Obey Me, the ring still works to an extent, but now it actually takes him magic and wisdom to control them instead of being able to do it at will because of God.

Edit: We do know that he did struggle with muscle pain when he first used to control the demons, and he’s unsure if it was because he had to force them to obey or over used his magic. Which could also suggest that he did actually force them into pacts before he was left.

“my spirit was darkened”

His soul would have darkened after this transpired. That “innocent lamb” comment was probably very much a joke to him, because he is very much aware of who he is. This also explains why Lucifer is suspicious of him; his soul isn’t exactly pure.

“I became the sport of idols and demons.”

Having 72 demons under your control, and then suddenly having God not in your corner anymore can definitely put a small damper on things. He went from having no demon able to talk him into anything, to having 72 right in his pocket wanting a piece of his mind and being able to.

Okay, so now that this has been mentioned, lets go back to the sentence “Wherefore, O King Solomon, thy time is evil, and thy years short and evil, and to thy servant shall thy kingdom be given.”

Who were King Solomon’s servants?

:) Well, there was about 72 of em

(Note, in the Testament of Solomon it doesn’t name all 72, later ones are mentioned in the other books but everyone says King Solomon and his 72 demons, I’m not about to confuse myself and everyone else because he had less than that in his Testament)

So, now King Solomon is under the influence of a bunch of demons, and was told that this temple he had built was going to be given to his servants, which were demons, and to top it off his ring isn’t quite working right, now what? Remember what I said about Diavolo’s Castle being the First Temple? That’s what.

Considering everything OB Solomon has eluded to with him being THE King Solomon (he straight up called himself King Solomon the Wise, it doesn’t get more obvious than that) and all the information that has thus far been presented in general, it’s safe to say he’s not a reference to King Solomon, but is King Solomon (In Chapter 36, brand new when this was edited, he says he is very old. I took satisfaction at calling him an old man.). Then taking into consideration the information that has been used specifically from The Testament of Solomon, it makes sense that this information could’ve been used within the game. The First Temple is very important to the story of King Solomon, and Diavolo’s castle has been an important story element within the game too. Then we have the relationship between OB Solomon and Diavolo that seems like a weird professional dynamic. To me, there seems to be information pointing towards his castle being The First Temple.

“to thy servant shall thy kingdom be given”, King Solomon’s servants were technically demons, so his kingdom would be given to the demons. And all the demons, at this point in time, are under Diavolo’s rule, so therefore, OB Solomon’s kingdom is now his. He lost his temple to Diavolo’s father, but because he’s sleeping, Diavolo is in charge.

“Okay so why did you include the whole grimoire bs?”

I’m glad you asked!

Because I needed that in the back of your mind when I discuss a future essay! :)

(I wanted to put it in this essay but it’s gotten way to long so it’ll be talked about later)

Hopefully I tied up loose ends cause otherwise I might just make zero sense hahahaha.

Summary: This essay definitely went a completely different way than I imagined anyone expected, including myself. Solomon sucks, he’s evil, I called it the first time i met the guy, he got bad vibes all over. God I just feel like there’s so much I want to say about this man but like, all of it is just conjecture and there’s a good chance I make zero sense but at this point it's too late ya know? God, I hate this man so much.

#obey me #obey me!#obey me shall we date #obey me theory #obey me swd #obey me solomon #obey me spoilers #swd solomon #obey me fandom #solomon #solomon swd

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olivedoesmagic · 4 years

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Journal 3: “Olive how are you doing this?” -Sans

I was naive. That’s where I should start this one off. When I was skiso I tried dabbling in pop culture magick. I know. I know how this entry is going to sound. During this…”time period” I guess you could call it. I became “friends” with pop culture spirits. I became familiar with the likes of Sans the skeleton, Azula from avatar, and Tracer from overwatch. I know, I know how it sounds. Hence while I did it while insane. It seems buffoonish now. That you could become friends with pop culture characters.

Now and days I chalk it up to my schizophrenia. I do spirit work. But that? That was all if not mostly delusion. I mainly work as a magician with demons and demonic evocation. I summon Lucifer, Beelzebub, Belial the whole lot. They’re all from this book called the Lesser Keys of Solomon. Which is serious and very dark work. I have a much more public journal where I detail my workings with them. All you need to know. Is that. They’re kind to me. They don’t hurt me or harm me, and I’ve passed many of their tests. Demons aren’t evil and they don’t wish to harm you given you go about it the right way with the proper expectations and that is a hill that I’m willing to die on.

Point is I’ve touched the pop culture throne. It’s one that outside occasional ramblings I don’t mess with. I bring this up because Sans still on occasion visits me. Pop culture magick in the way it is properly explored is a mask for the spirit, tied to an association, a concrete vessel, but while I was crazy the last experience I had with it was as follows. I was in the underground. I was projecting as my godform. He’s blonde, a cisgender male, has 6 arms and a halo. I was in a blinding flash of light in the middle of Snowden their realm by Sans’s house, and Toriel was watching. Sans said to me “Olive...How are you doing this?” and I stopped projecting and the memory fades. Theirs more to it but I can’t recall.

That could easily be seen as a form of reality shifting. I hate the nonsense of it all. I hate popculture magick. I look down on it as a form, as an art. I despise it. I dislike it and it burns my tongue. Through popculture magick I was able to visit Dionysus on his coordination day through the doctor's tardis. The Doctor was one of my spirits during this time period and while I never became a companion and he kept me on a leash he offered me one trip. I can’t say pop culture magick didn’t serve me well. I’ve learned alot about this world through popculture magick. But it’s a child’s toy. It’s completely and utterly a child’s plaything. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I only mention it here, because my alias Olive Brimstone leaves me totally and completely anonymous so I am free here to be myself and speak of things completely humiliating such as my ventures into that chaos.

I’ve become acquainted with a tick tock user known as Steller.Chaos. Tick tock is a lipsyncing/Short one minute video hosting app. It will eventually fade from memory and history. But it’s pretty popular in the states right now. His videos are what got me into the concept of reality shifting which is mostly what I want this journal to be. I plan to self publish it. I already have a tumblr set up for a few of the entries, so I will keep myself holding up an online presence. The thing about tumblr is that it allows complete and total anonymity. The hellsite that it is. Tick tock is a great place for discussions of magick, though be them limited in their timeframe. Here are some gems I’ve bothered to painstakingly transcribe for you.

Nervrockk: “Can you quantonshift into a anime universe?”

Gaiussorcery:” I’m like- first things first. Alternative parallel realities dimensions, realties whatever is not proven. It’s not scientifically, proven um so that’s always weird. So I don’t think people can shift realities. What it sounds like to me is like a form of lucid dreaming or a form of imaginational journing which means like getting so involved in your imagination that it feels like you're there. That’s valid. That is very valid. But um I- I worry that people are using it as a form of escapism and um you don’t need to escape. Reality is strange enough. First off magick’s real okay? Also you are an ape living on the bones of a dead god. Literally, everything on earth was a center of a star at one time. Exploded and shot its own corpse across the cosmos and you're literally on the bones of a dead god hurling around another living god that will die one day okay? Which hurles itself around a completely reality destroying galactic, reality’s strange enough you don’t need to escape”

Gauissorcery is someone who’s content I routinely dive into and enjoy but on the topics of the Goetia he doesn’t seem very knowledgeable and on this topic it seems his input is also rather lacking. I remember at one point he bothered to question if the methods in the keys of solomon were actually harmful to the spirits and as someone who’s based most of my work around that frame I can promise you, that yes it does infact if done by the book without any kind of modding, hurt the spirits. My familiar is a demon who told me not to waste my time on reality shifting but that is what this entire journal is dedicated too. There’s not much out there on this topic, and I want to be an explorer of sorts. I fear myself one of the first. Gauissorcery is right about one thing however. People do use reality shifting to escape. I fail to see how his argument would convince someone who was down that rabbit hole not to use it for such a purpose. Sure the nature of existence is fascinatingly strange. But if someone feels the need to escape their life, just stating that isn’t going to do much for them. Once someone sees reality shifting as a means to an end, that’s what they will use it for. Here's another list of gems. I dug through Steller.Chaos’s content to find these.

Steller.Chaos on how to reality shift answering a question from a fan: “Okay so it’s hard to explain. Well sometimes but I'll explain that later. That you can’t just waltz in there like it’s a place. Okay okay okay. So how to do it. Make sure you’re somewhere like in your room. Preferably your room. Make sure you are not like outside. Or around other people because if you reality shift, the people in the same room with you, will feel the effects. Imagine the room that you’re in. Only the room that you’re in. Imagine it moving. Imagine it kind of traveling through a portal. Shit will start to not feel real. It will feel like your somewhere else but it won’t quite look like it. But your walls will kind of look squigly. It’ll look kind of blurry. But that’s because your shifting and that’s what shit will look like when your shifting and sometimes when your shifting um things will be things that people call “glitches in the matrix.” Basically you’ll set something somewhere and suddenly it’s on the other side of the room. Pictures might switch places it’s really weird. But eventually you will reach another reality.” -Steller.Chaos

Crow.Cospaly: So this is not lucid dreaming/astral travel?

Steller.Chaos: “Okay so I’m going to explain different types of scapes. There are dimensions/universes, scapes and realms. The astral realm is technically a scape. Why it is not called a scape is similarly to why the Caspian Sea is not called a lake. Because of the sheer size of the realm and then theirs the dream scape, and the mind scape. The dream scape is of course, the dreams. Where they take place. Then theirs the mind scape which is basically the mind and I’ll explain that later because way to much to go into. Because this is a practice where people are very afraid to kinda come out with their findings, there is not a definitive, term for the scape that you go to, to reality shift. I’m thinking something among the lines of multiscape or glitchspace, it’s hard to explain reality shifting separate from astral projection. Because of the similarities in how it’s done. It’s like the difference between a tiger and a lion. Both different animals. But both still cats. I hope some of that made sense.” -Steller.Chaos https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJAfYv1m/

I found these passages in my mentors journal. He keeps a pretty public diary similarly to myself, though his far longer and I tend to model my own after his. If you know him, you know him, if you don’t you don’t. His “Secret diary of” fails to be very secret especially if you’ve visited BALG. But regardless I digress. I’ve been minorly shifting for a while now. I got a flash of a reality where I was messaging a ticktockr I follower named Dust. I don’t know him in this world and I’d hardly consider us friendly, he doesn’t even know I exist so that’s something.

Overall I have yet to intentionally shift, or find a reality where that has been my goal. Apart of me is cuios about the fictitious implications of traveling to a fantasy world as so many have claimed. Though I’m skeptical of the applicability of such a notion. Right now I feel a species spying on me, another self from a canon I have created in my own fiction. It’s hard to get into so I won’t but I suppose that I will leave this here. Goodnight journal. Things are feeling weightless again.

-Olive Brimstone

10:50 PM

9/17/2020

#pop culture magick #reality shifting #journal #journal 3 #3 #olive brimstone

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kaisermatthias · 7 years

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On the Nature of the Correspondence, or One Correspondent’s Observances on the Origins and Implications Thereof.

Professor K. Matthias, Correspondent

You catch on fire a great deal in my line of work. On the Surface, one speaks of the fire of passion, the heat of emotion, and the blazing light of discovery. In the 'Neath, these phenomena are literal. Especially when one begins to investigate that peculiar language of ancient days - the Correspondence - which has several different origins depending on whom you ask. To name a few:

They say it's a gate that opens in the stalactites behind Wolfstack Docks. They say you can see it in Mrs Plenty's mirrors. They say it's the only sure way to tell the weight of your soul. They say it’s the only map of all the Unterzee, scratched on the keystone of the Neath. They say it predicts every price change in the Bazaar for the next hundred years. They say it’s a script that you cannot write and live. They say every piece of deep amber has a fragment of the Correspondence at its heart. They say it's the mathematics of Hell. They say it's the geography of Time. They say it was invented wholesale by a honey-sipper sitting giggling in a cramped and filthy room on Hollow Street, and it's been driving gullible scholars insane ever since.1

Of course, several of these are known to be patently false. For one thing, the honey-mazed, alleged inventor of the Correspondence was in fact a scholar who had been driven quite mad before his honey habit began. Reliable sources indicate that he was, in fact, using honey as an attempt to travel to a place where it was possible to restore his sanity, rather than being simply vacant.2 Further, of course, any number of scholars have managed to successfully write down the Correspondence. This, of course is no trifling matter.

Nonetheless, regardless of origination, the language known to us as the Correspondence cannot simply be written off as insanity, nor can it be terribly effectively harnessed. This is because the very nature of the language appears to be wrapped up in impossibilities. That is to say, that it is a record of things that violate the very Ordering of the Universe. For the initiated, this would be referred to as the Law of the Judgments. That vast, spiraling coil of power that descends even into the 'Neath, and rises even into the true stars of the Surface world. It is impossible to break this Order on the Surface. In the 'Neath, removed as it is from the gaze of the Judgments, there are still dire consequences to its violation. Most commonly, the would-be Correspondent is set aflame by their efforts. Perhaps their paper catches fire, perhaps their eyes, perhaps a piece of their mind. It is the ever-grasping power of the Judgments that ultimately threatens the life and sanity of a Correspondent, not the powers of the other Worlds, great as they may be - such is not the conjecture of this premise.

With the threat of fire so great, as a reaction to the power of the Law, more than mere paper is required to record the sigils of the Correspondence. Because of its alchemical neutrality, thick sheets of lead are the preferred medium. By carving into them slowly, one has the greatest chance of successfully violating the Law without catching on fire. This method, sadly is not foolproof, as has been testified to by the frequent fires at the University. Until quite recently, the unofficial department called only ___ was considered to be on the verge of discovering a way to practically harness the Correspondence. In this way to draw the power of Her August Majesty('s), may she live forever, Empire onto even footing with the Masters of the Echo Bazaar. It is one of the great sorrows of all occultists that the Senior Reader in ___ was murdered by the Provost of Summerset college in order to cover the latter's tracks regarding his private meetings with devils. Through the use of a trained sorrow spider, and some still barely understood transportational properties of mirrors, this case was nearly unsolvable. At any rate, the Senior Reader's notes on more advanced uses of the Correspondence were only understood by his Radical Postgraduate, who has been locked in a state of some confusion ever since the death of the Senior Reader. Attempts to glean knowledge during controlled visits to the Royal Bethlehem hotel have been of little use.3

Despite the difficulty in recording the Correspondence, it is shockingly simple to come by new sigils. The one absolute failsafe is to bribe the Urchins of Spite and the Flit. It has as yet escaped my insight as to how such a thing is possible, but the minds of children who live on the street appear to be immune to the Law of the Judgments. There are absolutely no documented cases of a street urchin catching fire. Indeed, these marvels of nature are able to sing the songs of Drownies, recite the Correspondence, and even speak its words aloud - all without deleterious effect. Of course, due to ethical restraints, I have not had the opportunity to discover whether or not it is possible to obtain the same knowledge from children of Quality. Nonetheless, if one can prove oneself to these creatures of shadow and sheer dexterity, they are a font of endless new discoveries.

The commonly considered notion of the Correspondence is that it represents an outgrowth of the Western Occult tradition rooted in the study of the great work begun by the ancient King Solomon who first recorded the Ars Goetia. The Occultists of the Surface have long spent their time digging through the writings of the Ancient world looking for clues about the powers of individual demons. Surface occultists work to find alignments of celestial bodies that will give them further control over summoned demons. Many of these celestial alignments are painstakingly checked against both known movements of the celestial bodies, and the predilections of greater and lesser demons.

Of course, on the Surface this is entirely a matter of conjecture. Here below, we need not guess. In the 'Neath, Mount Palmerston is a scant journey of 4 days by ship if the Zee is kind and your captain brave. Admittedly, the Zee changes from time to time, and it may take as long as 2 weeks to reach Mount Palmerston even if the waves do not rise up against you, and your trip remains relatively free of terrifying encounters with Zee creatures. It is far safer to bribe the devils of the Brass Embassy here in London to tell you what the current moods are in Hell. Armed with this knowledge, it is possible for the occultists of the Neath to make significantly more accurate predictions. Or rather, would be if the magickal language were less potent. As has already been mentioned, the Correspondence violates the Law of the Judgements. What follows is my first conjecture as to why.

On the surface, it is a safe matter to record runes. To inscribe ancient phrases in Latin. It is a routine affair to draw the Key of Solomon and other circles of power that invoke archangels and dukes of hell on paper. Here in the 'Neath, those who draw such things must be significantly more careful. Not because matters of the Surface are more magnified, but because we are closer to the source of power. Hell is a place one can travel to. We have access here to names in infernal tongues. But most of all, the occultists of modern day London must take great care because we have begun to replace the stars of the surface with the false-stars of the 'Neath-roof.

We track the movements of the constellations above. Shifting lights that both are and are not stars. There are those who purpose to claim the constellations are in fact creatures from another reality that inhabit the ceiling. Certain monks living in a distant citadel they refer to as Godfall indicate that one of these creatures died and serves as their object of worship. Referring to it as "St. Stalactite," the so-called monks who alternate between the activities of drinking and fighting also claim that this "Neath-roof creature may have been a God. There are also chilling tales in London of a creature known as a moon-miser which secretes a variety of dangerous substances, including a toxin which will cause you to become obsessed with a lover. These creatures are also the source of glim - a byproduct of their molting.

What has this to do with a magickal alphabet it is dangerous to record? It is a matter of perspective and knowledge. On the Surface, the world and everything in it is ruled by the order imposed by the Judgments. By the Ordering of the Universe reflected in the very patterns of the stars. By replacing the bodies of the heavens, those things ruled by the Judgments, with the erratic movements of the moonmisers which constitute our false stars, we lessen the impact of the stricture of the Universe's Law. What strictures you might ask? Why the strictures that state troubling matters such as: "All men must die," "Magick is highly limited," "mirrors only reflect light," and "love conquers all" to name a few. The highly erratic nature of the Correspondence is likely related to the fact that it is ultimately derived from Chaos itself.

If, indeed the Correspondence is simply reflective of the quest for greatness. Then it is likely that chaotic results and very little else shall ever come of plumbing its depths. Yet, there is a second theory. That the language itself is as old as the 'Neath, and may have been an instruction manual to earlier cities. It is believed in certain circles, particularly those academics who seek the source of the 'Neath's power over death in Gardens of the Elder continent, that residents of the Second City to be purchased by the Masters of the Bazaar may indeed have fluently understood and used the language we know as the Correspondence. Those who hold this belief also hasten to explain that such use is what ultimately destroyed that City.

The latter part of this theory is quite credible. The Correspondence is powerful beyond imagining. A single sigil has the power to burn down a building. Stone seems to hold up better than paper, but can still be destroyed by the most powerful known symbols if a single error in transcription is made, or if the Will of the scribe is not prepared. As such, if a people had literally done all of their work in this language, it stands to reason that at some point the very chaos inherent to the violation of Law would consume the city and all those within it. I tread dangerous territory with this discussion, for which I apologize. As many know, the Second City is a hotly censured topic. Mention of the Second City, which was reportedly a blaze of turquoise and copper, will send most Masters into a rage. It appears to have been a city from Egypt based on fragmentary evidence from the Forgotten Quarter. The Master who is no More, called by some Mr. Eaten, was notedly fond of Egypt and its Royalty. As for the rest of the Masters of the Bazaar, they have a regrettable hatred of both their former compatriot and all things related to Egypt. So, the greatest source of information is cut off to us. What we do know is that during the time of the Second City, entities known as the Stone Pigs were awakened that the Masters go to great lengths to keep asleep. Rumours abound of their power being harnessed to drive the Engine's of the Bazaar, and allow travel to distant lands.4

Somehow, the Echo Bazaar itself is covered in glowing symbols of the Correspondence. They emit a dull, red light that illuminates the entire area around the Bazaar. Many of the sigils are not understood, in no small part because the mind forgets them the moment you turn away. The Bazaar spires appear to be made out of some manner of vast shell . Though, exactly what shell could have been so blackened by the passing of ages without becoming brittle or consumed by the scribed Correspondence, none can say.

There is a third theory that comes to us from the enterprising voyagers of the Zee. Extrapolating from the log's of Captain T.S. Eliot, and his predecessor, the master of the Dreadnought Indomitable the following information has been gleaned.

The Zee should not be possible. All the waters of all the world would not fit about an ocean this vast. And yet, here in the 'Neath it is and has been. The depths contain creatures that do not make sense. They should not be able to maintain being alive, and yet, they do and have done. It is rumoured5 many are the failed experiments of a Correspondent who was overeager to test their pot of Violant ink without first understanding fully the nature of the sigils they were burning into reality. For it is said that the Correspondence mixed with power can bring life. Have you heard that the Eternal Mountain speaks Correspondence fluently? That the Bazaar itself is made of the skin of gods who were the living embodiment of power? This is language, but the embodiment of Law, but the breaker of Law. It remembers what it once was, what it could do. It hungers to do it again. It whispers to those who dare scribe it. Giving instructions in dreams. Always misunderstood....6

At this point, the log lapses into rambling and indecipherable Zailor-speak. Nonetheless, Eliot is not the only wayfarer of the Zee to have experienced such things. Indeed, in his legacy, of which he is the fifth Captain, there have been a number of improbable sightings. Of course, the most notable Captain of the legacy is the fourth. The Master of the Dreadnought Indomitable, which zailed to the farthest ports, betrayed the Empire of Hands, exalted London in the eyes of the Port Carnelian, and plumbed the deepest mysteries of the Isle of Visage. On one such journey, they had opportunity to examine the puzzling city of Varchas, which does not appear to have come to the 'Neath via the Echo Bazaar. Instead, their mythology is written out in carvings upon the wall of their temple.

In the first panel, Mihir is depicted as the sun, beaming rays of thinly hammered gold onto a Surface city both peaceful and prosperous. The Five Towers are carved with loving detail, barely recognisable without the wreaths of fungal-flowers and curling vines. In the next panel Mihir blinks, and the city turns to shards of onyx and jet, slowly crumbling away.

Mihir then becomes a broad-shouldered, sorrow-faced man stalking the false-starred blackness of the Neath in search of his lost city. His eyes are picked out in orange-red carnelian, and seem lit with inner fire.

Varchas as-it-is-now is conspicuously absent from the carvings, as if the Stone-Carvers could not bear to chip its Fallen outlines.7

It is telling to note that this is a definitive unChristian city. As is the case of many primitives they project their lack of civilization onto outsiders, referring to all by the universal moniker of Tamaas, denying properly shriven Londoners their Christian names. Despite this lack of courtesy, the people of Varchas exhibit a distinct capacity for rational thought. It appears to be the focus of their religion to keep the lights ever-burning, in the hopes of catching the attention of their sun-god whose attention wandered. What is truly fascinating is the lack of Correspondence in their culture. What might it indicate? Since the peoples of the Khanate Née Karakhorum are aware of the Correspondence, could it be simply a creation of the Masters of the Bazaar?

Ultimately the history of the Correspondence may not matter so much as its future. The work of pioneering scientists such as Dr. Schlomo may well soon render a casual visit to an alternate world a possibility, rather than an accident of one's nightmares. The efforts of Her Majesty's Navy to expand the airship programme and reach the skies may indeed send us into the Great Wilderness of the 'Neath roof to further catalogue and understand the nature of moon-misers. The unspeakable works of the Iron Republic and the Dawn Faction may find a way to fully suspend the Law. All of these things may either liberate, or destroy the Correspondence. In the meanwhile, it shall remain my charge to continue investigations.

Faithfully,

Prof. K. Matthias, Correspondent.

1From the collected investigations of K. Matthias, Correspondent.

2Scholomo, Dr. ???? On the Potentialities of Healing in Parabola, The Mirror Marches, Polythreme, and Irem: A Study in Exotic Locales and Their Known Impacts Upon the Psyche and Physic.

3From the collected investigations of K. Matthias, Correspondent.

4These last rumours cannot be accurately sourced, and I beg the indulgence of the Reader to please exercise caution in repeating them. There may, in truth, be absolutely no validity to them.

5The Captain was quite coy as to whether he has actually seen these creatures. I am given to understand that Zailors regularly purge their memory through prayer to the Gods of the Zee, who are occasionally merciful and blank the mind. It may well be that such has occurred here.

6From the Log book of Eliot, T.S. Captain of the HMS Elsie Marley and Notes from the Indomitable: A Legacy to Future Captains.

7Notes from the Indomitable: A Legacy to Future Captains.

#fallen london #spoilers #echo bazaar #character rp

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