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film-in-my-soul · 4 months

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Dark | 1,369 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: Hob wakes to the sensation of being watched by the darkness in his bedroom. He loves it when Dream gets weird.

Werewolf Boyfriends; The Care and Keeping Of | 3,298 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: There are many benefits, Dream reflects during the full moon, to the keeping of a werewolf for a boyfriend.

Intemperate | 4,402 | cuubism / @cuubism

Summary: Was it like this for humans all the time? Dream wondered. This heavy anticipation in his chest, the bodily attention verging on pain? He hadn’t known it was possible to be so intently aware of another person, but there it was, Hob Hob Hob in the pounding heart he didn’t need, a compulsion that wasn’t intellectual or even particularly romantic, but rather a strained desperation that could only be soothed by touch.

Dust on Trial | 4,655 | Griombrioch

Summary: “And..” Hob pauses, “this was good for you? It’s what you wanted?” Dream closes his eyes and sighs out a breath he doesn’t need, if only to make another attempt at dislodging the rock in his chest. He knew what would happen when he approached his previous lover. He knew their nature, and he’d done it anyway. This is his fault. He just wishes the hole inside of him would fill. He despises feeling so hollow. “Oh,” Hob breathes then, as if understanding some complex problem that Dream himself cannot see, and the frown deepens. “Oh, you’re in a bad drop, aren’t you, love?”

all together now | 5,182 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: "You know I do not require this of you," his lover says, and Hob swallows again. This time Dream doesn't even need to look; his eyes are still trained on Hob's throat. "Is it not so that human lovers keep aspects of themselves...apart from their relationships?" "Hiding a thing for obscure fetish pornography isn't quite the same as keeping an entire part of your personality locked up," Hob says kindly.

Please see below for more recommendations!

Handy | 5,612 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: Dream answers the door one beautiful September afternoon to a man so attractive he can barely keep it together long enough to get his sink fixed. Several weeks later, he runs into the same man in a lecture hall.

and oil for the light | 6,387 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: Matthew eyes him with blatant disrespect. "You're one of those," he says. "One of those monsterfucker people. Gets off on tentacles and shit." "Tentacles," Hob says, affronted. "There's never been any tentacles." "Have you asked?"

how longingly | 7,333 | cuubism / @cuubism

Summary: Hob's fingers slip a little higher, just under the sleeve of his coat. He is still wearing his coat, yes, why is that? He feels very warm. "Could find out?" "Are you suggesting I should find some man to bed me?" "Some man," Hob repeats, jaw working. His gaze is hovering somewhere around Dream's collar. "Some man who knows what he's doing, yeah."

I Wanna Hold Your Hand | 7,535 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: Hands are such a human thing, Hob thinks. To make, and shape, and create. The elegance of thumbs. Fashioned by thousands of years of slow and careful evolution for the sole purpose of holding. He wants to hold Dream. To rub their fingers together, that singularly human grasp, to push their palms flat, and their chests close, and he's not sure if he wants to hug his friend or cry on his shoulder, because he should have been there. He should have known.

with both hands | 8,596 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: Hob whistles, low and impressed, and makes one more turn to admire the extremely obvious handprint on his right arsecheek.

Licking the Spoon | 8,636 | Dira Sudis (dsudis) / @dsudis

Summary: "I have spoons in my flat," Hob added, feeling a little reckless with the surge of probably-unneeded adrenaline. "Loads of spoons." His friend raised his eyebrows at that, and jerked his hand away from the spoon on the table, but he didn't follow it by walking out, so Hob hadn't gone too far.

Ecdysis | 8,647 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: The manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer layer or covering), either at specific times of the year, or at specific points in its life cycle. The door swings open, and Hob looks up, as automatic as a blink or a breath. He’s not expecting anything. It’s been three months and four days, six hours and thirty-nine minutes, and all he had been told was more than once a century. Dream is standing in the doorway. He looks like hell.

Relief | 8,753 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: "Your daydreams," Dream pronounces, standing there with his hands in his coat pockets, looking Hob's body up and down like it's a fascinating puzzle. "Are exceptionally loud." Oops.

Fell In Love With a Pisces Moon | 10,651 | LikeMmmCookies

Summary: Dream visits Hob 33 years late, but then he keeps coming back and Hob doesn't know exactly why. He finds Dream isn't the same man he once knew, but he's still in love all the same.

just find the feeling, pass it on | 10,784 | ThirtySixSaveFiles / @thirtysixsavefiles

Summary: There is a new temple in London. This is not so unusual. Dream has been…away, as his sister says, for over a century. Even had he not been, he does not map the Waking so thoroughly as to always see these things when they start. Places of love, of devotion, spring up from time to time. He leaves them be; they are not, generally speaking, his business. What is unusual is that this one is shaped like a pub, and it is very much his business. Dream contemplates The New Inn as he approaches.

Scenes from a University AU the Author Did Not Intend to Write | 10,880 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: Dream and Hob, throughout their time at university together, dancing around one another until something finally gives.

by the minute | 11,267 | issylra / @issylra

Summary: "Why don't you tell me your name?" "Hob." Quite possibly the worst fake name Dream has encountered thus far. There's another pause. "I mean. Not Hob." A punched out breath. "Fuck." "You don't know your name?" "Of course I know my name. But I'm not sure you're supposed to know my name."

Consummation | 11,462 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: Cōnsummāre, To perfect, to consummate. Cōnsūmere, To devour, to take wholly or completely. Turns out, shoving all of your repressed desires into a box lined with teeth will spectacularly backfire when eventually you have to open the box up again. Or, Hob Gadling demonstrates his ability to code switch and Dream goes off the rails a bit.

Saint Morpheus | 11,882 | landwriter / @landwriter

Summary: “Kneel,” said Dream. Hob knelt before him. Dream pressed his own thumb to his lips and wet it. He took Hob’s chin in the other hand and tilted his face up. “Some do this with ash. To acknowledge death. Mortality. It would not befit you,” he said, and smudged his wet thumb in a sign upon Hob’s forehead. “Now you wear my mark,” he said. “I have always worn your mark, my Lord,” said Hob. “Then remember you are mine and to me you shall return,” Dream said.

Wolf and I | 12,054 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: "Shuck," the beast says. "How quickly the memories of men fade! I am no paltry devil, little red. I am the son of the great wolf Night herself, first and foremost among stories! I am older than the seas and the forests! I am..." "Beautiful," Hob breathes. Hob Gadling, hunter for King Richard, is called to fell the wolf that has decimated the deer of Cannock Chase. He finds more than he bargained for waiting for him in the woods.

On sexual dimorphism in C. urophasianus | 13,177 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: "I must court you," Dream pronounces, and Hob drags his attention away from the flowers. Grimaces slightly. "You don't have to," he says. "This will only last a week or two, and then we can go back to being, you know. Normal boyfriends who aren't being driven insane by the urge to put every shiny object in the flat in the bloody bed with me."

Once Upon a Time | 14,055 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: Hob knows the point of storytime at the library is to give parents an hour’s break and maybe a chance to grab a coffee with some other parents at the library café and enjoy the company of other adults for a little while, but when the moment comes to leave Robyn, he can’t face it. Robyn’s all he has left in the world and he really doesn’t want a break, he wants to keep him in his bloody pocket always. But he needs time to be with other kids, away from his hovering wreck of a dad, and so Hob decides on a mature, reasonable solution. He hides behind one of the bookshelves. Which is why the first he ever knows of Dream is his voice.

Midnight in Bloom | 14,389 | CeruleanHeart

Summary: A peculiar species of flowers is spreading in the Dreaming, maddening its residents and threatening to overtake the realm. When Morpheus himself falls under their spell his only option is to confront all the desires for an old friend he’s had long buried within his heart before his own passion can consume him.

Bloodhound | 15,712 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: It's a square gem in an antique gold setting, real antique gold, with the sort of dullness to the metal that tells its age. There's nothing particularly ornate about it. The ruby itself is a simple cut – he’s not a jeweller, doesn’t know what to call it precisely, but it’s square-ish and bevelled at the edges – but it catches the light in such a way that it makes it seem like it has a thousand facets all across the surface of it. The rain creates a stippled effect, and even through two separate panes of glass Hob can see his reflection peering back at himself through the ruby’s deep face. £2500, says a placard set in front of it. Early 1900s RUBY pendant - real!!!

in the absence of memory | 16,089 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: A freak accident renders Hob unable to remember the beautiful man who strides into his hospital room and declares himself his husband. But oh, does he want to. He knows he's loved this man for centuries, that nothing could make him forget. The best he can do is tell him that, and wait. Meanwhile, Dream of the Endless experiences being Hob Gadling's beloved spouse, without any of their past hanging between them, and agonises over the realisation that Hob could have loved him if only he'd been better.

an allowance of pleasure | 16,860 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: Even a being as powerful as the Lord of Dreams may have things to learn. Even a human as insignificant as Hob Gadling may have things to teach. Luckily for Dream, Hob's supplies of tea, biscuits, and patience are bottomless.

New Stranger | 20,709 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: It’s been three months since Hob Gadling attended the funeral of his oldest friend when he walks into the basement café of a bookshop on Tottenham Court Road and sees him behind the counter.

Shelter | 23,345 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: 1924. Roderick Burgess' continued attempts to control Dream result in a shattered cage, eternal sleep, and one very human, very cold, very hungry, very naked, VERY angry Endless. Several days later, Captain Robert Gadling opens his front door, and said very human Endless falls into his arms.

The Knight of Cups | 25,720 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: Hob had fought Lucifer, as Dream’s champion, with his bare hands, rushing in where angels would fear to tread, heedless of anything but the desire to protect.

spilled ink and daffodils | 31,625 | issylra / @issylra

Summary: "I love your tattoos," Hob mimics, in an overly lovestruck tone of voice. He bats his eyelashes for good measure. "Do you have more? Can you show me? It's totally okay if you have to take off your clothes, by the way. I just want to appreciate the artistry." Dream fixes him with what is probably supposed to be a blank stare, but Hob can see the way he's biting back a smile. "Are you done?" "Painting for the day? Yes. Teasing you? No, probably not."

By the Laws of Magic | 32,125 | Lenore

Summary: It’s 1959, and Hob Gadling is working at a London auction house, amazing his colleagues with his uncanny knowledge of art and artifacts from the 14th century on. When he gets the assignment to catalogue a family library at a place called Fawney Rig, he looks forward to a working vacation in the country. What he finds is a house with a preternatural chill where odd disturbances happen daily, an ornate carved door with a secret clearly hidden behind it, and visions of his mysterious stranger every time he turns around.

You're the One I Need | 39,086 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: "Uh-oh," Delirium says. Dream studies the car, the white smoke billowing out from beneath the bonnet, listening to the alarming clunking noise that the engine is making. On his hip, Orpheus, unusually solemn child that he is, gazes soulfully at the car. "Caw boken," he declares.

A Man of Good Fortune | 43,308 | softestpunk / @softest-punk

Summary: Captain Robert Gadling, a man with a fortune of a hundred and twenty thousand pounds in war prizes, needs a well-bred omega to fulfil his ambition of styling himself a gentleman. Dream d'Endless, a penniless divorced omega with an ancient name, requires an alpha to provide for his son, Orpheus. Their purely practical marriage seems like the best solution for everyone. If only either of them were inclined towards practicality.

grist for the mill | 56,226 | jamais_vu0

Summary: The rumor that Hob Gadling, the human who tricked Death herself into granting him immortality, has finally decided he's lived long enough and consented to die is sweeping through the supernatural community like wildfire. It even spreads to the Dreaming, where Dream handles it about as well as could be expected. It is, to say the least, a bit of a shock to Hob Gadling himself, who is still very much alive- and increasingly in need of rescue.

On Broken Wings | 57,191 | Konstadt / @blueberrymffn

Summary: Hob Gadling has seen the same man sitting still like a statue every day for a week and looking terribly upset, all he really wants is a peaceful lunch break but he can't bring himself to ignore someone in need - especially a very gorgeous someone who looks like they're on the verge of a breakdown. A chance meeting becomes far more, and gives Morpheus a means to heal.

The Uses of Adversity | 65,825 | MonstrousRegiment

Summary: What led Hob Gadling — at the time known as Robert Stranger, because he’d been in a permanent state of pettiness from 1889 to about 1904 and now he was stuck with it — to the dank, cold, and dark basement of the Burgess house on March of 1957 was not so much coincidence or fate as it was curiosity. Yeah. Cats isn’t the only thing it kills.

My Stranger, My Dream | 67,154 | SigniorBenedickofPadua / @signiorbenedickofpadua

Summary: Hob has been around death. Living in London throughout multiple plague outbreaks and fires, as well as making a living soldiering and dabbling in banditry, will do that to you. What he doesn't know is that Death has been around Hob as well. He has no idea that when his Stranger left him that night in 1389 after their first meeting, the woman who came up to him, laid a hand on his shoulder and said, “Good luck, friend,” was Death incarnate. Hob doesn’t know that he is one of few things in this world that has been Touched by Death and lived. Had he known this, he might not have been as confused as he is when his body slams into the floor of a dim, candle-lit cellar and he finds himself surrounded by hooded figures and a gold circle on the floor. That is all he manages to perceive before everything goes blurry and consciousness slips away from him again. Here in the Darkness.

Music When You Speak | 72,075 | The_KickIt_Domain / @ml-nolan

Summary: "I should have asked you earlier, but I don't suppose you'll still be in town tomorrow?" Hob says. "It'd be lovely to see you again." The man truly looks regretful as he says, "We won't." It was worth a shot. They hardly know each other. There's no reason for the sick film of disappointment settling over him. "Ah, well. I'm happy to have met you anyway," Hob says, subdued. "Are you doing anything right now?"

If I Please You | 112,103 | Moorishflower / @moorishflower

Summary: “I’ll guard you for a night,” Hob says, “and say I please you, you can either pay me for a day’s work, or keep me on ‘til you reach where you’re going.” “Do you know the way to Canterbury?” the lord asks, and Hob nods. “Oh, yes. It’s a few days’ ride, not more than three or four, by my memory.” “Then you shall have three days to please me, Robert Gadling.”

would you let me know?/ I could make some time if you wanted | 150,934 | BeatnikFreak / @beatnikfreakiswriting

Summary: Dr Hob Gadling's been assigned a new colleague to co-teach his second year class, Dr Dream Oneiros, who is both utterly beautiful and completely unable to act like, y'know, a human being. But Hob's nothing if not indefatigable, especially when faced with a fascinating man who probably needs to talk about his feelings more, and who listens to every stupid thing he says like it's the most profound poetry.

Master Reclist · Personal Masterlist · Blog Nav.

#dreamling #dream/hob #dreamling reclist #reclist #the sandman reclist #fanfic reclist

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taboo-delusion · 1 month

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So, I just discovered something interesting.

This is a bit of a long one, so bear with me. It's important. Seriously.

I just woke up a few hours ago. My meds are starting to kick in. I was having a very serious and genuine, deep conversation (in-head) and it was... beautiful. It wasn't happy, but it was beautiful. Not the point.

Point is:

I had not had a single fucking intrusive thought today until someone made a noise in the other room.

I am so fucking PISSED OFF

Why my brain refuses to realize that intrusive thoughts CAUSED the good feeling to go away, I have no fucking idea. I've known that for almost a year now, yet my stupid fucking subconscious refuses to change anything it's doing

Before I snap my fucking android phone in half and yeet somebody's face into neptune, I thought I'd share the discovery!!!!

Basically:

MY INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS DID NOT START UNTIL SOMETHING STARTLED ME OUT OF FOCUS

AS I TYPE THIS, I REALIZE THAT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS -AT LEAST FOR ADHDERS- ARE A SURVIVAL TACTIC.

Elaborating:

When you fall asleep and your heart slows too much, your body does the falling thing to make sure you're still alive.

It's not that intrusive thoughts are *Just* because your brain gets too quiet, It's because your life has never been completely quite before, or -like me- the few times it is quiet, something interrupts. And even if it doesn't piss you off, even if you don't jump like I do, your brain still registers it as not safe.

Falling asleep, heart slows a lot-

Body: *Sends adrenaline just to make sure it still actually works.*

Drowning, even mostly unconscious-

Body and brain: *Hold onto that last half-breath even if it feels like you're head is going to explode.*

Going grocery shopping or talking to someone you think is cool-

Brain: *Remembers what it felt like the first time your guardian was indifferent or mean about something that made you happy or calm.*

Things around you actually get quiet-

Brain *Sends a thought you hate just to make sure you're prepared for a sudden problem.*

TDLR 1: Your brain isn't mean on purpose, It's just paranoid and still has a will to live.

Listen. I know I'm just some random dude from a weird blog. But I'm trying to translate, to assist. Maybe somebody else needs this realization as much as I do. I apologize for the yelling earlier. I'm still just as upset, but only at my dumbass subconscious. Now some time has passed, and I have regained self-control.

(I also apologize for the above paragraph, my brain nags for me to do this, but I can't remember why. So:)

I am no psychologist. Here are my qualifications (why you should listen to me):

As my friends call it- "Disturbingly self-aware at all times."

Paranoid Schizophrenic with actual (unrelated) OCD, with years of experience dealing with it- more healthily in recent years.

Philosophy and deep thinking is simply my default. I use metaphors, but everything in this post is entirely literal, ...except the angry threat. (*begrudgingly accepts disappointment*)

I am a fiction writer. I don't know about healing people/first aid, but I know a LOT about how anatomy works, with many deep-dives on the psychology/evolution side.

People irl generally consider me a genius? Idk how to gauge that, IQ tests are irrelevant with this type of... smart?. I've been compared to both Da Vinci and Einstein. So, ...actually that's pretty fuckin' cool- (I AM NOT TRYING TO BRAG! I APOLOGIZE IF IT COMES OFF THAT WAY! I've never put it all down like this, and I'm just surprised and questioning my reputation.)

(Also, I love playing detective, so naturally I call myself Batman XD.)

Autistic; I experience the world, and every situation, from a view without any context.

ADHD: My brain automatically -As a guardian I hate describes- "Can watch three different movies at the same time, all in fast forward, and can keep up with all of them." ... Well, yes, but technically no. Idk if other ADHD people do this, but my brain "connects the dots" so quickly, I end up laughing at jokes I've never heard before the 'punchline', because I've already figured out what you're going to say next.

Now combine all that. I am kicking depression's ass and now I want to help you do the same.

I have only mentioned the relevant things. Please keep in mind that ALL of these have both advantages and disasters. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I am running on four hours of sleep. For the love of whatever, I hope this actually helps someone other than me.

Qualifications are noted because: This is all stuff (and stuff like this) that I am just always casually aware of.

TLDR2: Even if I wasn't trying to help people feel better, Apparently I was born with a nat 20 perception/insight check, so please don't argue that I truly understand what I'm talking about here.

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meimi-haneoka · 4 days

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Clear Card Trivia 3 ~ Sakura's journey of growth and self-understanding throughout Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card

Hello and welcome back to my "Clear Card Trivia" series, a collection of informative posts where I delve into certain aspects of the story of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card! ✨

The topic I will talk about today has been on my "to-do list" for long time. It's something I felt the need to talk about, and I won't hide the reason why: the desire to fully eviscerate this topic grew particularly after reading around certain criticism of Clear Card Arc. But also after listening to CLAMP's Twitter Spaces, particularly the ones towards the end of the story.

It's something that, setting aside my obvious love for the new characters, will always make me think that Clear Card Arc has been a very welcome addition to the series.

This post will delve into Sakura's growth throughout Clear Card Arc.

Sakura grew up considerably during the story, and had a character development that sadly not many people truly realized.

I'm not talking about an evolution of the character design which, despite changing and evolving throughout the story (as it's expected for a long-running serialization), kept depicting Sakura consistently with quite young looks...no, I'm talking about her mental growth, in relation to her self-knowledge and her relationship with her magic powers.

A journey that might almost feel "frustrating", because it is full of "up and downs", and Sakura sometimes seems to be taking one step forward and two back. Aside from the obvious practical reasons (the plot had to develop several other storylines simultaneously), it very much reflects the realistic growth of a pre-teen, which is never a straight line but is made of improvements and relapses.

Along the journey, I couldn't really avoid mentioning some bits of the development of Sakura's relationship with Syaoran, which will get its own deep and detailed post another day.

There's also an extra about the significance of the Clear Cards in the story, at the end.

I have to be honest, the post is very long, but I tried to insert visual elements to make it easier on the eye. If you're curious to know how the hell I found so much to talk about for this specific topic, follow me under the cut and dive into Sakura's journey throughout Clear Card (it's also a good way to review the story)! ✨

A Disconnected Beginning

Clear Card Arc starts in a very "festive" and happy way: everything is peaceful, a new exciting chapter of Sakura's educational life is starting with the beginning of middle school, Syaoran is back to Tomoeda, this time to stay forever with his beloved girl...everything seems so perfect. And precisely in chapter 1, before everything takes an unexpected turn, we have this scene here, which I consider the "true" beginning of everything:

Sakura says "I haven't been using this lately...well, that's for the better".

At the beginning of Clear Card Arc, Sakura seems to be feeling disconnected from her natural gift.

Despite she had to go on a quest to collect all the Clow Cards, which later she gave a new life to by changing them into Sakura Cards, we have to remember that Sakura was born with magic powers. They weren't bestowed on her by Kero-chan, nor by the contract with the Clow Book: she always had magic in her blood, and it apparently "woke up" on that fateful day she found the Clow Book in the library of her father.

At the beginning of this arc, Sakura seems to think that the purpose, the meaning of this natural gift which is literally part of herself, has been fulfilled by transforming all the Cards, and splitting Eriol's power as he had requested. Her words here seem to be suggesting a general idea of "if I have to use this key (therefore, my magic powers), it means something troublesome is happening, so it's better if I'm not using it because it means everything is okay".

And although we can't really deny that what happened afterwards is far from being able to be considered "peaceful", this scene here always left a bad taste in my mouth because there's almost a negative vibe attached to the idea of her magic, transpiring from Sakura's words. It's almost as if she's politely rejecting it.

Precisely after she places her Star Key in her jewelry box, probably hoping to never have to use it again, she has her first premonitory dream of the events that will shake her life afterwards. Almost as if her powers were trying to tell her "no my dear, this is you and you'd better come to terms with it as soon as possible".

Then, as we all know, the Cards turn blank. Sakura produces a new key while having another dream and a quest to fight and "secure" some strange phenomena happening around her begins, leaving her in a state of increasing confusion.

This is the beginning of the part of the story that I quite literally call "Sakura loses sight of herself".

At this very early stage of the story, she still doesn't know that she started losing control over her increasing magical power, and it is definitely not a coincidence that all of this began when she thought of shutting her main magic tool away in a box, hoping to ignore it forever. For plot reasons, this also happens simultaneously to Syaoran taking the spirits of the Sakura Cards away from her (because in the beginning, you had to be tricked into thinking he was up to something shady and was the real mastermind behind all the incidents).

Syaoran expected for Sakura to lose control over her powers, as his mother predicted a general period of trouble for her that could lead her to unhappiness, albeit without any clear indication of what could happen: Syaoran came to Japan knowing something was bound to happen to his girl and her powers, and that something was going to lead her to grief, but he had no idea about all the rest. So his uncertain and reckless approach, which ended up in some cases worsening the situation, is also somewhat understandable. He was acting like a worried, overprotective boyfriend at his wit's end.

The strange events, which Sakura materializes into a new set of Cards, surely leave her distraught and confused, not to mention the situation with the Sakura Cards and Eriol's missing replies, but I feel that what really destabilizes her core are the constant dreams she gets, sometimes even in the middle of her waking hours, making her faint on the spot wherever she is.

Premonitory dreams are a part of her natural gift that she began to express ever since the OG manga, but she never seemed to really understand them or take them seriously.

This time around, she keeps seeing this cloaked figure and this terrifying dragon, no one speaks a word despite her relentless questions and the cloaked figure seems to be wanting to take her newly made key away (Lilie!!! what were you trying to do!! *facepalm* she probably tried to pull her closer so she could talk to her), so it's just normal that all of that leaves her increasingly stressed and anxious, even though initially you never see her openly and verbally stating that, due to her overall positive nature ("I'll manage it, somehow" is part of her "everything will be alright" invincible spell, and this is indeed what she keeps telling herself in the beginning of the arc, even though in some occasions it turned out to be a double-edged sword, as sometimes it looked more like sweeping her fears under the carpet, to me).

"Something Is Not Right"

Dream after dream, Card after Card, Sakura begins to have these general feelings of discomfort and of "something is not right, here", as she openly states to Syaoran in this scene of volume 4, chapter 14. There's something about this situation that is pricking her sixth sense, and makes her uneasy, but she can't quite put her finger on it yet. All she can do is to keep "fighting" these phenomena happening around her, hoping to find out more along the way. She reiterates the same feeling of uneasiness at the end of chapter 15, after what I consider one of the most concerning side-effects of her poor control over her powers: Sakura seems almost "in trance" while she leads her guardians to the exit of the maze, and acts in a very uncharacteristic, cold way by shoving her bag in front of Yue to make him hold it for her. It's almost as if her magical sixth sense worked too strongly and warped her personality in that moment: an effect that has been mentioned several times in relation to powerful magicians like Clow, Eriol and later Kaito too, so it's not farfetched at all to attribute this one-off occurrence to her loss of control over her strong powers, which ended up affecting her personality too. Luckily, it didn't happen again in the rest of the story and the capture of this Card was completely changed in the anime (a wise decision imho, since the JP fandom is particularly fussy about the integrity of Sakura's character, and she needed to stay "Sakura" in order to do what she did at the end).

At the culmination of a "mini arc" (the visit to great-grandpa Masaki) characterized by uncontrolled visions of Nadeshiko, another frightening dream (one that ended up dragging even Akiho in, due to the synchronization) and Sakura for the first time ever confronting Syaoran about the things he's been hiding from her, we reach the following scene of volume 5, chapter 23.

"I Wish I Had A Mirror"

I always considered this scene extremely important, because for the first time Sakura spells out clearly the inner turmoil that's been gnawing at her soul ever since this ordeal with the new Cards started.

"The truth is...I'm the worst at understanding myself. And that is probably causing lots of concern to everyone." "I wish I had a mirror. A mirror that could reflect the real me. Then, I would probably understand how to not make everyone worry"

Here, Sakura clearly spells out the frustration of knowing, feeling in her bones that there's something wrong with her, something that she's not understanding about herself, and that something is causing problems, but most importantly, is causing her loved ones to worry about her. Let's not forget that not only Syaoran, but also Yukito, Touya, Fujitaka, Tomoyo, Eriol & his family have all been watching her situation in apprehension, each of them making decisions and moving discretely in a direction they felt was right (and admittedly, not all instances were so).

Sakura can somehow feel all of that, she can feel that it's related to something she still hasn't realized about herself. This tends to be forgotten because it happens in a relatively early part of the plot, but notice how this is the same problem Kaito suffers from. A quite stunted ability to understand oneself. Sakura and Kaito definitely have lots in common, when it comes to this specific part of themselves. Keep this in mind, because it'll be relevant later.

And then, the situation worsens.

Sakura's dreams start to terrify her, because they begin to show Syaoran's face under the cloak of the mysterious figure who's scaring her in her dreams. An apparent truth she cannot accept, she won't accept, even though she's still unsure about what exactly these dreams she's having are. Despite her boyfriend has been acting shady for long time, she decides to trust him and wait for him to talk to her about all the stuff he's holding inside, instead of putting him through the wringer. This also means, though, that Sakura will keep all her fears to herself, eventually bottling up.

Furthermore, Kaito starts to rewind time to fix a situation without a way out (in chapter 28, Akiho was on the verge of going berserk completely and unleash the artifact), creating an additional sense of confusion when Sakura can feel that her finger is numb due to strain, but she can't understand why (she had fought Kaito's time magic unconsciously). Whenever Kaito will rewind time, even later on, Sakura's magical sixth sense will try to wake her consciousness up more and more, giving her these vibes of "deja vu" or making her act in an apparently inexplicable way.

In the first part of Clear Card, Sakura sometimes literally looks like a soul wandering about in confusion, dragged by the events.

I wish to point out that this is not a flaw in the characterization, it is a precise design by CLAMP. Sakura IS, in this part of the story, confused and lost, overwhelmed by the events. She has no idea how to approach this matter other than "treating the symptoms" as they come. This happens because she's still, surprisingly, quite reluctant to embrace a fundamental part of herself: her innate magic power, which expresses itself mainly through her intuition. But we'll gradually get there.

Around chapter 30, before the big realization, Sakura's situation reached a point where:

- her Sakura Cards unexpectedly became blank; - almost everyday (sometimes multiple times a day) there's a new incident that she secures into new transparent Cards; - she constantly sees ominous dreams (in scattered order) with a cloaked figure acting in a questionable way and a scary dragon, and at some point she starts seeing her boyfriend under that cloak; - her boyfriend acts shady, Eriol doesn't reply to her messages; - there's a general feeling of "something is not right" with her magic and some stuff starts to not make sense to her (because Kaito rewinds time)

It is at this point that Sakura finally moves one (giant) step forward and connects all the "puzzle pieces" she collected (particularly, how much more "obvious" the creation of a Card became) and understands that she's been the one causing subconsciously each and every single incident that lead to the creation of a new transparent Card.

"I'm Angry At Myself"

And with Syaoran finally coming clean with her (because at that point he had no reason to keep things hidden anymore, as the thing he was trying to delay ultimately happened - and believe me, I'm sure he partly felt relieved to not need to lie anymore, as that took quite a toll on him too), Sakura can at last give an explanation to at least a part of the things that are happening. And she finally realizes that the doubt that was tormenting her was true: she DID, in fact, not understand something very important about herself, she didn't realize that it was her own power going out of control and that all the incidents that happened bore "her magic signature", so to speak. She failed to "tune in" with her magic.

For the first time ever, Sakura expresses anger at herself.

She will direct that anger (to a lesser extent) to Syaoran too, but I'll tackle that in a separate post.

This is a moment of deep reflection and regrets for Sakura: the poor understanding of herself, the poor "communication" between her heart and her magic powers brought to a situation where her most beloved person was putting himself in danger in order to protect her, while trying to not make things escalate. This is a very sensitive, beautiful and important moment, steeped in conflicting and complex feelings (and remember, Sakura is just a pre-teen. It is normal for a pre-teen like her to not understand herself, but there's just one tiny detail: she's not a common pre-teen, due to her natural gift, and she needs to take that into account). Eventually Sakura calms down, and after creating Rewind, her resolute face while hugging tightly Syaoran suggests that from now on she'll face this matter from another, more courageous and determined perspective.

Or at least, these were her good intentions. Because unfortunately, insecurities are hard to eradicate and in the central part of the story it's shocking to realize how far longer Sakura will insist in shutting away her emotions and refusing to listen to her heart (and intuition) fully.

"It's Just My Imagination"

Part of Sakura's anxiety might have been sedated with the revelation that the Clear Cards are produced by the girl herself, but unfortunately the true core of her problems was not solved at all and will only surface more clearly in the next 20 chapters.

Sakura actively starts having "premonitory bad feelings" when she sees Akiho in volume 7 chapter 34, a bad feeling that she does check with Syaoran, but quickly dismisses as "well, it's just my imagination". This will basically be one of the major problems preventing her from reaching the complete control of her magic. Sakura, knowing her magic potential, should've given way more credit to her sixth sense, but her anxiety, her insecurity and her crippled connection to her innate gift still pushes her to dismiss these "signs" as nothing really important or true. Timely as hell, a few hours later something bad will indeed happen to Akiho, where she completely loses consciousness for the first time and the clan/Association actively starts to absorb Sakura's power through the artifact implanted in Akiho. All of this was caused by the high concentration of magic that "triggered" Akiho's artifact (and here I have to sarcastically "applaud" Kaito, just like Syaoran he's another one who does stuff before thinking through, ultimately worsening the problem).

Once trapped in Akiho's artifact, thanks to her power Sakura can see the most horrifying glimpse of Akiho's past, when she was turned into a magic artifact, by living it on her own skin. And even though Kaito is forced to rewind time once again to save the situation, erasing these memories from Sakura's head, her heart (which is tightly connected to her magical sixth sense - I'd daresay her heart is straight up the source of her magic) DOES REMEMBER, pushing Sakura to act in an apparently irrational way, crying and hugging Akiho tight in empathy. Sakura is particularly shaken by this feeling, still in pain even hours later, but once again she doesn't understand where it comes from. However, she does express with Syaoran an intention to talk to him about it once she's able to put it into words, and in the meantime do her best with all the rest. At least, there's an intention to understand better this part of herself, but it's still soon to see actual results.

Aaand CLAMP really seem to be wanting to test Sakura in this arc, because at this point of the plot, they add the electrocution spell. 😅 No one seems to understand who caused it (it's not Sakura, nor Kaito, but now we know it was none other than Yelan!!) and Sakura's anxiety increases once again. The fact only Syaoran gets affected by it inevitably reignites the doubts in her mind, unwittingly reminded of that terrifying dream of Cloaked Syaoran she keeps seeing...but she stubbornly keeps telling herself "no, it's not like that, it's just a dream". It's undeniable that this situation where she cannot understand her foretelling dreams yet, and the way they show her scattered hints because her power is out of control, has surely contributed to Sakura's insecurity when it comes to trust her own intuition.

Her power is so out of control at this point, that even when Kaito shrinks her and throws her in a hole carved into a tree (landing in a "world" created with magic where he hopes she'll create the right Card) her dreams take over again (it's apparent by the "shaaan" sound and how everything turns suddenly pitch black, a common background of her dreams), showing her Akiho in the dress she was wearing when she was turned into an artifact and, inevitably, Sakura's biggest fear, "Cloaked Syaoran". Pay attention because these visions she's getting here thanks to her power match what will happen later on: what the talking flowers tell her here will turn out to be the beginning of the lyrics of the main theme of the "Alice in Clockland" play. This vision of Cloaked Syaoran seemingly "about to do something" to Akiho horrifies Sakura to the point of screaming in terror and creating one of the most unsettling Cards, "Break". It is after this very scary moment that Sakura starts to wonder very specifically for what purpose she is creating all these Cards. The purpose is actually more than one, but she definitely posed herself THE RIGHT question, as this brings her one step closer to the core of the problem and eventually embracing her own magic abilities.

Then, between chapters 43 and 45 we finally start to see some changes in Sakura: surprisingly, she begins to listen more to her sixth sense, first catching Yukito red-handed while activating a newly acquired magic, and then wondering about a strange painful feeling in her chest when her father tells her that lately she and Akiho became even more similar. We were all lead to believe that this was the foreshadowing of Akiho taking her place (cause everything in the plot at this point deceivingly hints at Kaito wanting to switch them), but she actually was getting foreshadowings of the "rewritten world", where Sakura would genuinely feel wrecked to know that someone important to Akiho was missing, precisely when Akiho would've become part of her family as her twin. In fact, in chapter 45, before falling completely asleep, she hears again the ominous "you won't be able to come back" (the Association's threat to Kaito), wondering WHO wouldn't be able to come back - somehow, Sakura knows that it's not directed at her.

"Just Tell me Honestly How You Feel"

And then, we reach another moment that I consider pivotal for Sakura's growth during this Clear Card Arc. The moment when she's on the verge of breaking down and finally lets all her feelings out.

Her anxiety over the dream with the Cloaked Figure reached the highest peak, so much that she finally manifests a Card, Mirage, that challenges her precisely with that appearance. While Sakura battles that Card (which at the moment she still believes it's an actual person), she seems resoluted to get to the bottom of this story, and to pull down that hood to know the truth. You can really feel that she's so done with all this psychological torture. The fact the real Syaoran appears right at that moment and she finds out the person she saw was just a Card is partly a relief for her, but also throws Sakura again in despair because who the hell is that person in the dream, then??

Syaoran, as the good and attentive boyfriend he is, can just feel that Sakura is stressing over something, so he brings her to his home to help her calming down. And to her umpteenth attempt at sweeping her negative emotions under the carpet, beating around the bush commenting over the tea with a fake smile, he cuts immediately her bullshit and just tells her : "You don't need to force yourself. Just tell me how you feel right now". When she hears that she's allowed to speak out her emotions with honesty, Sakura wears on her face one of the most heartbreaking expressions of the entire manga. She's literally about to break down in tears of exhaustion, as you can see it above. ☝️ Listening to her, gradually, Syaoran encourages Sakura to get out all that's been torturing her lately, particularly about the dream with the Cloaked Figure. It is a very difficult moment for her, because she has to relive the dream, and expose in front of him all the fears and doubts that were trying to tamper with her trust in him. Courageously, she goes through with it, even though her denial ("it's just a dream!") is so strong that she ends up creating another Card: "Dreaming". Sakura at first seems relieved to see the Card, in the hope that everything she saw was indeed a mere messed up dream and nothing else (see? she's again self-sabotaging her relationship with her magic) but Syaoran with his frankness is quick to bring her feet on the ground: the kanji on the Card show "yumemi", and the word can also indicate a "foretelling dream".

Although Sakura seems disheartened at first, her next dream with the Cloaked Figure is much more relaxed, so much that even the dragon doesn't particularly scare her anymore: our girl's intuition makes her correctly feel a sense of loneliness in this dream, which she attributes to the hooded figure, not realizing that it was more likely coming from the dragon itself (aka, Kaito). After all, in chapter 72, Lilie will confirm that her presence ended up distracting her from the one "character" she should've paid all of her attention to. Her intuition, despite being misattributed, ended up having a positive effect through the synchronization with Akiho: the girl will wake up with the same feeling of discomfort of her friend, and as if guided by hitsuzen, she will head to the garden where she'll find a sickly Kaito staring at the moon - most likely feeling the loneliness Sakura perceived in her dream. I like to think that in this scene of chapter 48, Sakura subconsciously helped Akiho comforting Kaito, by waking her up with the unresting feeling, precisely when Kaito needed it the most. Still not completely embraced her magical sixth sense yet, but a significant improvement.

The road between chapter 48 and chapter 52 is paved with lots of struggles, as the Mirror Sakura Card gets stolen by Kaito, Sakura runs the risk of being absorbed into Akiho's artifact again, she meets Momo for the first time and she's even given a hint about Kaito's plan (or what Momo thought was his plan, as he had benignly lied to her about that), but almost all of that gets rewound and erased when Kaito intervenes. Moreover, despite not remembering anything consciously, Sakura is left with a sense of unhappiness when she looks at her home, a remnant of her brief journey in the world of Momo's book which straight up threw her into despair, showing her what her life would be if everyone forgot about her. She also finds once again a Card produced out of nowhere, "Time": I'm convinced she produced this Card because her conscience was awake while Momo and Kaito talked in stopped time, and their conversation triggered her sixth sense to produce Time as a result. Needless to say, all of this worsens her state of mind once again, which leads to the other pivotal, and finally resolutive, scene of chapter 52.

Never Avert Your Eyes From Your Heart

We finally get to what I consider THE scene, the one that will definitively shake Sakura from her deadlock, from the anxiety that stunted her connection with her innate gift and her deepest emotions. And the one who helps her overcoming all her fears is, of course, the love of her life - with a honorable mention for none other than his mother Yelan!!

Chapter 52 got a very, very special place in my heart, because it's basically one giant parallel between SyaoSaku and YunaAki. The two pairings experience similar situations, but the response from one side of each pairing is quite different. Let's remind you for a moment of the part earlier in this post when I told you that Kaito and Sakura, for most of Clear Card, surprisingly have one thing in common: they don't seem to understand themselves well enough, and both have a tendency to look away from feelings that cause unrest to their hearts - anxiety for Sakura, love for Kaito.

Syaoran, always attentive and observant towards his girlfriend, notices immediately that Sakura is suffering, as soon as he sees her at school. Despite being unable to touch her to comfort her, he offers all of himself to support and listen to her concerns. Sakura is visibly and pleasantly surprised of how the boy could read behind her mask, that usual contrived smile with which she tries to dissimulate her emotions and not make him worry. A bad habit she's consolidated lately, but that Syaoran is gently determined to dismantle. After opening up with him (and this is where Sakura differs from Kaito - by having an established relationship made of love and trust with Syaoran, Sakura lowers her walls with him), she falls once again into the usual trap of "but maybe it's just my imagination" and I love to see how Syaoran is her anchor to the ground, making her see the concreteness of this situation: he straight up tells her "you produced a Card out of it, it cannot be 'just your imagination'. " And then, like a precious family gift, he passes on to her the priceless words of wisdom of his mother Yelan, an advice that not only Sakura, but also the other "lost soul" of the other paralleling pairing should listen to:

"People with magical power should never ignore the turmoil and stirring in their hearts, the so-called 'intuition'. And it’s not limited to people with magical powers. People should never avert their eyes from the changes in their heart."

This is a turning point for Sakura. These words seem to positively "break" something inside of her, showing her the correct path to follow. CLAMP beautifully portray this process of "embracing and assimilating" the words she's just heard, by making her place her hand over her heart. I love when they do that (they used the same visual when Akiho heard Kaito's true name, and 'wrote it' on the most important page of the book of her life). Sakura is truly grateful for the words Syaoran relayed to her, precisely what she needed to get out of her impasse with her feelings and magic. She knows she can always count on the support of her soulmate even in the darkest moments, and she's thankful for having him in her life.

From this moment onwards, Sakura will experience several instances where her magical premonitory senses give her signals through the "stirring" of her heart. Contrarily to before, she starts to actively take them seriously, listening, without dismissing them as the delirium of an anxious little girl. This allows her to activate the Siege Card in the fraction of a second, successfully shielding herself from Kaito's time magic, making her the first person ever who achieved that. This also leads her to effectively remember that she saw Kaito using magic, even when time was rewound by him, and contact immediately Syaoran to talk about it, planning how to move from that moment onwards. A little relapse on her bad habit is immediately dispelled by Syaoran, and our girl even goes as far as saying "there's something inside Akiho", even though she's not sure exactly why she's feeling that way. But it's an intuition she's having and she decides to not dismiss it anymore, with everyone trusting and supporting her in that direction. By listening more and better to what her heart tells her, Sakura also decides to not confront Akiho about Kaito and his magic, because she's well aware of the feelings Akiho got for Kaito and she doesn't want to potentially disrupt their relationship. So, she decides to wait for her friend to talk about it first.

Thanks to this better understanding of her own intuition, she also says in chapter 57 that she wants to meet the guardian of the book "Alice in Clockland" once more, despite not remembering if and when she's met her before. This also ultimately leads her to accept the role of Alice in the upcoming play scripted by her friend Naoko, because her sixth sense tells her that it's inevitable for her to do so. It's important to emphasize how the other characters support and encourage her to listen to her innate gift, at this point, without trampling over her self-determination like they did before.

It is a moment of big growth and character development for everyone.

The Ultimate Growth: Finding a Meaning and a Purpose

What happens afterwards is history: the fateful "Alice in Clockland" play unfolds, and Kaito completes his plan to push Sakura to create the Card he needs, exchanging his magic artifact (the watch) with Akiho's one (the book), in addition to activating the forbidden magic to rewrite the memories of everyone, to fit Akiho as part of Sakura's family.

Sakura's intuition will be crucial to wake her true self up while in Clockland, succeeding in beating Kaito's magic multiple times, till Syaoran comes in and gives the "final blow", cutting off the spell definitively.

And even when everything seems lost because Kaito successfully activated the fobidden magic, changing their memories and erasing himself from their existence, Sakura's magic and sixth sense keep making her say things she either already said or heard before in the "unrewritten world". Not only that, but even after meeting Lilie in a dream and forgetting her face (due to the strong influence of the forbidden spell), bit and pieces of that conversation keep coming back to her, and she listens dutifully to every single one of these "feelings". Kaito might have overridden part of their memories (only the ones concerning him, Akiho and the events connected to the creation of the Cards), but the experience, feelings and personal growth of each character were left untouched, that's why the chemistry between Sakura and Syaoran is the same as before the play started, but also Sakura's personal relationship with her magic is far better than before (an information that might have seemed random and unimportant is that now Sakura summons Mirror even just to chat, an indication of her completely changed perspective on her magic).

Now that Sakura finally embraced her magical power, all that's left for her is to find a true purpose for it.

A question echoes in my mind, "What am I creating these Cards for?". Sakura poses herself this question halfway through the story, and she finds the answer to it precisely at the end of the journey.

Her powerful magic intuition, combined with her immense empathy, leads her to realize that somebody is missing from their reality, and that person is the one Akiho loves. At this point Sakura is unstoppable: she wants to listen to the voice in her heart that's screaming "Go and help them!! Give the true happiness back to Akiho!", and everyone can only follow her lead as she assertively puts into practice what her heart is telling her to do.

Sakura in this final part of the story shines brighter than ever. She's more assertive and self-confident than ever. All of this is because there's something she strongly wants to do with her innate gift, as Eriol unequivocally says in chapter 75: her power grows exponentially again, but this time it's not out of her control - it is Sakura herself who's voluntarily boosting it, thanks to her strong wish. And that allows her to control it and use it exactly as she wants.

In chapter 79 her growth reaches the highest peak, by handling the resolution of Akiho and Kaito's personal problems in an admirable way (she steps aside for a moment to give Akiho all the agency she needed), but also finding herself in front of an uncomfortable dilemma, which leads her to an unavoidable reality: Sakura quickly understands that she cannot be on everyone's side and there are lines to be drawn at some point. She can't be a pure and oblivious girl forever. She needs to grow up. There are choices to be made, especially when dealing with real evil people.

And Sakura choses to go on with the people she loves, even if that means she has to "stain" her "moral record" a little bit.

Empowered by this strong wish to fix the situation, she literally gives life to a miracle, protecting her dear friend and her beloved from the grasp of their abusers, simultanously giving everyone their true memories back. The effort exerts her greatly, but what she achieved is by far the most important thing she's ever done with her magic power till now: she helped two dear people lost in a life-and-death situation. Her magical growth went along with her personal, mental one.

This is also the reason why the accusations of "the other magicians should've trained her" end up being in vain: Sakura's problem with her powers was mainly on a personal level, not on a technical one. This was a journey she had to mainly walk by herself, finding the right balance and confidence in her abilities, deep down in her heart.

No one could've done that for her.

Merely training the practical aspect of it would've just worsened the situation, because Sakura wouldn't have been truly "in it" with her heart and mind. She needed to go through this process of growth, before reaching this stage of self-awareness in relation to her magic powers. I truly feel this is the reason why CLAMP made certain choices inside this story. Again, as I always say, a good part of Cardcaptor Sakura does revolve around magic, but the main focus and linchpin of this story is and always will be the main character's heart, her growth and the interpersonal relationships with her loved ones.

This makes Clear Card Arc, in my opinion, a worthy sequel and a full-fledged part of the Cardcaptor Sakura series. I think those who decide to skip it or read it with a superficial approach miss a journey of tremendous growth for our beloved protagonist.

So much for those who kept saying "This is not Sakura's story".

How can all that ☝️ NOT be Sakura's story?

I'll let you judge. 😊

Extra: The Significance of the Clear Cards

I want to digress for a moment about a thorny topic: the significance of the Clear Cards in this story.

Sakura isn't always completely passive towards the events happening around her, but wonders several times during the story why all those Cards are manifesting like that. While the first and easiest answer is of course "because her powers are going out of control" (and this is something Momo herself questions Sakura about in chapter 50), it becomes apparent at some point that the more the story goes on, the more the Cards that are created by her are particularly relevant and connected to the events that will happen in the final part of the story.

I know this is a sore spot for many who complain about not understanding the purpose of the Clear cards. It's because people tend to compare this set of Cards with the ones Sakura captured previously. That's not the right way to look at them, because their origin and purpose are different and change throughout the story. Forget about the Sakura Cards, even though so many of these "Clear Cards" (which are never called so, not even once, in the story itself, but just "new cards" or "transparent cards") might look so similar in purpose to the previous ones.

First of all, the Clear Cards are an outlet for Sakura to vent in a healthy way her power in excess. Power that if kept inside, untapped and confined in her body, might have unpredictable harmful effects on her (<- probably the grief Yelan foresaw). God bless the Clear Cards for existing and allowing Sakura to vent out these bouts of uncontrolled power in a relatively safe way.

The Cards that Sakura produces in the beginning are sometimes reminiscing of the Sakura Cards, because her power manifests itself basing on Sakura's experiences, feelings, thoughts and wishes. The Sakura Cards are an important part of her life (before Syaoran took them, she literally acted like their "mom", keeping them alive with her power) so it's only normal that the first base for some of these new Cards would be a magic tool that she already knows. In this sense, it becomes easier to understand why many of the "captures" seem so easy, way too easy compared to what a reader would expect from a sequel: the goal of the capture here isn't to make her power and experience in capturing cards grow. She already had 2 arcs to do all of that. The capture of the Cards in this third arc becomes something new and unexpected: a "damage control" of a regrettable situation with Sakura's powers, while she learns to dominate them and enter into harmony with her supernatural abilities. The growth Sakura needs here is mainly a mental one. Performing her magical power aimlessly without having a true connection with it and a true understanding will only exacerbate the problem. This is the reason why, despite having a "capture" element, Clear Card derails from the previous arcs in the purpose of the capture. It's a pity that an element that should've brought freshness to the plot was in many cases received as an actual flaw.

In the beginning, as Sakura's power is completely out of her control, some Cards might look completely random too - they don't look based on Cards, thoughts or wishes (like Appear, Reflect, Action, etc.). But pay attention, because the more the story goes on, the more the Cards begin to become particularly specific to something that shook Sakura's heart in that moment, or referencing events/feelings that will become pivotal to the events Sakura will experience later. Especially regarding Kaito's plan. Many of the later Cards Sakura produces are a direct reflection of the feelings and wishes that Kaito infused in the activation of the forbidden magic, with the creation of "the story for Akiho", the one he wanted to absolutely have a happy ending for. Cards like Repair, Promise, Choice, Kindness, True and False, Synchronization, Rewind....many of them didn't even get to express their magical abilities in a "conventional way" (everyone expected to see Sakura literally activating them like she does with all the others), but it's just because at that point the Cards Sakura is producing are born following her premonitory intuition: thanks to the hints/speeches that those Cards give her in Clockland, Sakura little by little regains consciousness of her true self (it's a pity that many English readers will never realize all the times Sakura was about to "wake up" in Clockland, because the translation didn't respect the change in fonts of the JP text). Sakura wasn't supposed to "use" them in a conventional way (how do you "use" Kindness? You force people to be "kind"? 🤨 and what about Choice??), she was supposed to listen to them and let them guide her towards the truth. This is also the reason why all of these Cards bear the face of her loved ones. Think of them as tarots. Which is, incidentally, another use of the original Clow/Sakura Cards. I am basically sure of this interpretation because the kanji of some of those Cards I mentioned above are brought up during the climax: particularly when Akiho talks to Kaito in chapter 78, she uses two specific verbs, referring to Kindness (慈愛 - a kind of gentle and tender love) when she describes the love and support her family gives her in this rewritten world, and to Choice (選択) when she questions Kaito about his choice to disappear completely from her life. So to summarize, the last Cards Sakura produced "accidentally" weren't accidental at all, but were actually specifically produced by her power in reference to Kaito's plan, to help her finding the way out to a dire situation. This represents a very important indicator in the plot: at that stage of the story, Sakura started to listen more and more to her intuition and her sixth sense, finally quitting her bad habit of downplaying it ("maybe it's just me") but actually giving it credit and taking it seriously, trusting her instinct to lead her in the right direction. And this was, of course, all thanks to the speech Syaoran gave her back in chapter 52. It is also the case of the Rewind Card, which Sakura will ultimately understand the purpose of on her own, at the very end of the series. That's the moment where everything will become clear and make sense to her: "This Card, too...I created it precisely for this moment". The Clear Cards ultimately became the embodiment of her foretelling powers. Which then led to the birth of the first two consciously created Cards, Blank & Remind, which will become so important in the climax.

If we ever get a new arc in the next years, we'll certainly deal with a more mature Sakura, who's more in sync with her magical powers 🩷.

#card captor sakura #cardcaptor sakura #clear card arc #ccsakura #sakura card captor #clamp #sakura kinomoto #syaosaku #clear card trivia #I hope this post will make you look at Clear Card from another perspective #I'm sorry for the length but I really wanted to make a deep dive

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highpriestofpalkism · 3 months

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Also, if I may ask, how do you interpret the Creation Trio + Arceus as deities? In other words, do you think they're benevolent and merciful or wrathful and quick to anger? For instance, the story of the human and the sword in D/P/Pt indicates that while they will certainly intimidate, they seem hesitant to kill, even in retaliation. On the other hand, in PMD and the anime, they seem all too eager to eliminate humans because of perceived slights.

Now! This sure is a question, because I've basically created my set of headcanons for all of the Creation family throughout the years, since they're one of my the main objects of my brainrot DJHDGD

To me, they all act differently, and also situationally.

Dialga is the most cynical one. He is benevolent and enacts the role and purpose Arceus gave him fully, and he can show warmer emotions such as gratefulness when in the right situations (PMD2 being the biggest example), but, normally, in my opinion Dialga is neutral at best and has a certain disregard for mortals at worst, thinking of them as mere droplets of water in the vast river of time; thus, he often ignores them and their troubles, unless they do trouble him directly, unless reverence and worship is shown to him. He can also be very merciless.

Palkia is instead pretty emotional. He's the kindest and warmest of the three, and appreciates mortals as their own unique microcosms that should be respected as such, and he offers thankfulness to those who worship him. However he can also turn out to be very ruthless and instinctive in what he's doing, and he doesn't stand when his dominion is messed with by someone or something (PMD2), often harbouring to brute force. Despite his naturally kind nature, he can turn out to be as solemn as Dialga when the situation requires it.

Giratina despises mortals, be it Pokémon or humans. He sees them as the "perfect creations of his father" whom he wants to destroy as vengeance for what has been done to him: not only banished, but also forgotten by all. While probably the most brutal of the three, he is still very subtle most times, being deceptive and persuading to mortals as to use them as means for his own schemes (Volo). For short, in his eyes mortals are just a means to an end, so easily fooled and tricked.

Arceus, instead, is generally emotionally far from the mortal world, but they love their own creations and cares for them from the distance, as they watch over all (PMD2, Legends). They're not very prone to anger, but rather tends to resolve conflict with intricancies behind the scenes as to solve the universe's biggest problems. Regarding the mainline universe, they originally thought of Pokémon as the only creatures to inhabit this world, as humans were born as a "mistake of evolution"; but once the Ancient Hero of Hisuian mythos proved human dignity to them by challenging them in a friendly match, Arceus got that Pokémon and humans deserved equal respect, and even more did deserve the bond between them

I hope I haven't been too long with this DJDGDHDHDH, I know these are mostly headcanons and don't have much concrete proof in the games (be it DPPT, PLA or PMD), but I've grown to imagine them as their own characters, and with such personalities! I hope I answered your question in a satisfying way ♥️😭🙏

#arcy's shit #arcy's headcanons #headcanons #pokemon #creation trio #arceus #dialga #palkia #giratina

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lilithh6 · 1 year

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“I will have you without your armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”

Or, in other words, Amita’s brilliant performance as Inej.

I keep seeing people praising Freddy’s spot-on performance in season 2 (he embodies Kaz Brekker just as I pictured him reading the books, there’s no denying he is the perfect Bastard of the Barrel), but I don’t see enough love for my gal Amita!!! Her Inej is the perfect counterpart to Freddy’s Kaz, and, even though her trauma is far from being explored as deeply as Brekker’s, Amita manages to shine through in all of her scenes. Especially in this particular one.

To be honest, the scene on the show is not quite like I pictured it in the book. To put things into perspective, in the book that conversation happens after Inej confesses that she’s going to learn how to sail and set off to hunt slavers, right near the end of the first book.

“Purpose”, Kaz said thoughtfully.

I think that sets the tone of the scene. Inej has found her purpose, a goal beyond survival and freedom. When Kaz takes her hand and asks her to stay in Ketterdam with him, we can peer into her internal monologue. It doesn’t matter how much she wants to say yes, she won’t settle for what he is willing to offer. And so throughout the whole conversation, Inej doesn’t hesitate. By no means is she harsh or lashing out or even angry, she has just accepted that she won’t have a relationship with someone who won’t meet her in the middle.

Maybe it was because his back was to her that she could finally speak the words. “I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.”

He’s not even looking at her when she says the words. After the tiny bread crumbs of vulnerability that he just gave her, he can’t even bear to look at her when she expresses her wishes. In fact, throughout the scene Kaz is described in a sharp tone (his voice rough stone, with eyes fierce, the face he wore when he was fighting). Inej is not going to settle for this rough façade he’s built around himself. In her mind, she begs for him to say something so she can believe that the boy who saved her is worth saving as well, but Kaz is at the very beginning of his evolution as a character.

Now, on the show, we obviously can’t know what’s going through Inej’s mind, so it’s on Amita’s performance to show us how difficult this conversation is for Inej, not just for Kaz, how she wishes for him to say anything that will show her she’s wrong, that he is willing to take off his gloves (both physically and emotionally) for her. To me, this makes the whole scene a lot lot more softer in an amazing way, and her speech becomes so raw, natural and realistic. The little hesitancy before touch in “so our lips never touch”, the sighs, the way she finally says the quote with the softest softest softest eyes ever? Perfection. The way she holds still once she’s done, looking into his eyes, waiting for him to say something that will prove her wrong.. and then he just gives a tiny nod and you can see the acceptance in her face but also the slight disappointment.

However, this difference in tone isn’t only influenced by the change in medium. If we take into account the context of the show compared to the book, show-Kaz has started to evolve further compared to book-Kaz during this same conversation. The change is a subtle one, but I think show-Kaz has showed many more of his cards regarding how much he actually cares for Inej, even if it’s in his own emotionally-constipated way. By this point he’s already managed to freed her from her indenture, he’s already sort of tended to her wounds and, right before this conversation, he even confesses that he has been secretly trying to find her brother for her (which are all parallels to Crooked Kingdom scenes). To compare his attitude with his book counterpart in the specific scene, book-Kaz won’t even look at her once he realises she’s kinda rejecting him, but show-Kaz, though he struggles, always end up looking right back at her. He is looking right into her eyes as she states what she wants.

And so she knows that he’s willing to do a lot of things for her, but is he willing to be in a relationship that’s not entirely on his terms?

I think that’s my main difference between the show and the book. In the books it feels like Inej is stating facts (this is what a relationship with you would actually be like, that is not what I want even if I love you) while hoping that he’ll give her a reason to stay. However, in the show it feels more like she’s asking a question (is a relationship with you going to be like this? because I love you but that is not what I want) while knowing that the answer is not going to be the one she wishes.

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astercontrol · 3 months

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So…

I just watched Legacy again.

And… I keep coming back to the Ram-Castor theory.

Which first sparked from a paragraph on the Tron wiki, attributed in the footnote to Tron: Evolution…

Disparate accounts of Castor's origin exist. He was reputedly designed and created by Kevin Flynn in TC30 as an interpreter but quickly and naturally exceeded his original directives. Unconfirmed conflicting reports describe his origin as a "low-priority actuarial algorithm illegally co-opted identity of the obsolete protocol. More investigation required for verification."

This blew my mind, because... cryptic as it is, I found it easiest to interpret as:

The program that became Castor/Zuse was originally an interpreter program created by Kevin Flynn.

At some point, another program-- this "low-priority actuarial algorithm" -- took over his identity and took his place.

and… you know where my mind goes when I think of actuarial programs.

As far as I know, only one character ever canonically was described as such.

One who I cannot help but think of in the same category as Zuse (i.e., queer-coded, fun-loving, my favorite character in the damn movie, and died too damn soon.)

But... what would it take, for Ram to become Castor??

My initial impression was:

Ram gets rerezzed on the Grid, before the coup.

Perhaps Flynn sneaks in one of Roy's backups.

(Maybe this backup, unknown to Flynn, has been updated with some hacker code, for purposes of Zack-Attack shenanigans.)

And this Ram 2.0 is the "actuarial algorithm" who eventually assumes the identity of Castor/Zuse.

This was all months and months ago…

But now, having rewatched Legacy just now, the ideas have…

…. expanded.

Into the realm of the… something.

Here goes.

As to how Ram started out on the Grid:

I imagine that Flynn tried to give him something approaching his original purpose. Actuarial math is concerned with calculating probabilities, and this is useful for plenty of things besides setting insurance premiums.

(Ram probably would prefer many of those alternatives over setting insurance premiums, once he learns just how little insurance companies actually help people.)

His actuarial nature might even have him calculating probabilities about Clu, long before Flynn and Tron do… and seeing danger coming miles away.

And you know Flynn wouldn't have listened to his warnings.

Maybe this causes Ram to go into hiding early, before things with Clu go... clearly bad.

Now. Once in hiding, when the Purge starts, of course Ram decides to help the ISOs. He's a helper by nature. And he's lived under oppression and genocide.

Already he'll need to do this in some secrecy.

And this may very well be when he "reinvents" himself for the first time.

So. He hacks his way into the place of this …translation program that wasn't yet doing much of anything.

He takes on the new appearance, and the name Zuse.

Uses his hacking skills further, to control Solar Sailers and the permissions on other programs' discs, all in the name of getting ISOs to safety.

(This is all mentioned in the wiki, as well, attributed again to Evolution.)

(There also seem to be… hints? that Zuse himself is an ISO? but this is not clear on either the wiki, or in Legacy. There may be more data in Evolution? In any case, I'm proceeding on the assumption that he is not an ISO, just a regular program who may have been co-opted or hacked by another one.)

At the point in Legacy where Sam meets Zuse, some pieces fell together rather clearly for me.

When he says:

"Zuse has been around since the earliest days of the gaming grid. By necessity, he has to mind all the percentages, all the angles."

it feels to me that he was clearly talking about his past as Ram, the actuary. Perhaps calculating percentages of probability for gaming purposes-- betting odds and such-- back when the games were just for fun?

But, as he said, it was self-preservation that made him change his identity. With the Purge over, and Clu attaining greater and greater power… he had to reinvent himself again, to stay safe from Clu's wrath against anyone who supported either ISOs or Users. So he gave himself the name Castor, instead, and kept the Zuse identity under wraps.

"Castor" is actually a fairly clever choice of name. If he was going to go the Greek-gods route, "Ares" would have been the obvious code for Ram (the ram being the symbol for Ares/Aries).

(…AND I continue to pray, probably without hope, that Jared Leto keeps his mitts off of Ram completely. But, that's another topic.)

Ares was a son of Zeus.

Unclear whether this was why Ram chose the Zuse name… or whether the program had that name already before Ram took over him. (The wiki suggests that, like many names in Tron lore, it was an allusion to a famous name in computing history. In-universe, Flynn could certainly have named a program with such inspiration.)

In mythology, Castor was… one of the twins born to Leda after Zeus impregnated her. But the pregnancy had two different fathers, and Castor was not the twin fathered by Zeus.

From the perspective of a Ram in hiding, "Castor" could be taken to mean "false disguise for a true son of Zeus."

Not saying that was the sort of thing Ram himself would have come up with.

It's what I would have come up with, in his position.

But I am not an actuarial program. I am a goddamn pattern recognition program. This is obvious.

So, the above is likely all irrelevant.

Moving on!

By this point, Ram/Castor/Zuse might be pretty disillusioned with the Users, honestly.

Flynn's in hiding, doing nothing! He let Tron get corrupted, Yori either disappeared or never got rezzed in, and a tyrant with Flynn's face is in charge of everything!

I would NOT blame him for being unconvinced that changes at the top actually make a difference; that one leader's better than another.

I would not blame him for being earnest in saying, "I believed in Users once before."

And then, of course, the betrayal!

Clu's guards barge in.

Zuse…. stands back and lets everything happen. Gives them free rein to attack Sam. Stands back and watches in glee, as the whole thing goes down.

Watches Sam fighting back. Watches Kevin Flynn and Quorra bursting in to help. Watches the whole fight. Just watches, dancing and firing energy bolts randomly into the whole mess like a madman, as if he has no stake in it one way or another!

It would be easy to interpret this a number of ways.

He has gotten truly vengeful toward the Flynns, to the point of losing his grip on reality.

He has gotten truly vengeful toward EVERYONE, to the point of losing his grip on reality.

Perhaps his personality has even split somewhat-- the Castor and Zuse personas becoming somewhat separate entities?

This would fit with the idea that he started this whole business by co-opting the identity of another program!

Maybe that program's mind was always trapped somewhere within… fighting him.

Maybe it came to the surface more and more often as time went on.. becoming a possessing demon with very different views about everything Ram used to care for.

BUT.

There is one other possibility.

Let's take a look at just what he promised, and to whom, and just how the promises were followed through on.

First, to Sam. He offered Sam "a change of attire," "a forged disc," and "transport to cross the Sea of Simulation."

And then he stood back, and made no attempt to stop either Sam or his helpers or his attackers…

and the fight played out as fate would have it, letting Sam and Kevin and Quorra escape to safety…

as they, most surely, would…

as they could have been predicted to…

from the viewpoint of one whose probability-calculations have always been informed by faith.

One who, deep down, does still believe in the Users.

He might… just possibly… still care.

Also, consider.

Zuse does not allow Clu's guard to take the disc he stole from Kevin. He appropriates it for himself, as a bargaining chip to use with Clu.

For what? "Control of the city. A sizeable request, I know."

Here might be where Zuse finally miscalculates. He was expecting, or at least hoping, that there was a chance Clu would honor his end of the bargain.

If Clu had, indeed, allowed him control of the city, it would have given him an advantage from a large number of "angles"-- no matter how the political side of things played out.

It could have given him leverage to help the Flynns later on, and undo the damage caused by the theft of the disc.

He might, quite possibly, have predicted that Sam and Kevin would both be able to recover from the immediate problem of the disc being lost.

For all we know, that brilliant probability-calculating mind might have already had a plan for that, and for how to help them later.

And even if that plan failed…it could certainly have permitted Zuse to be involved on a much larger scale in the resistance.

(Kevin, deep in his "zen thing," had even said that programs forming a resistance from within could have a better chance of taking Clu down than he himself ever could.)

(Zuse might, at some point, have agreed with him on that, and prepared himself to play a part in it.)

But.

All this seems lost.

Because, instead of honoring the deal, Clu just takes the disc and then blows up the End of Line Club with Zuse and Gem inside it.

However.

We can easily imagine that someone with the previously displayed skills in

hacking

hiding

taking on new identities

calculating probabilities

and playing all angles / planning for all possible outcomes

…might have kept a backup of himself somewhere safer?

In any case.

Whatever was going on in Zuse's mind, in regard to helping or not helping the Users, and preparing or not preparing for Clu's betrayal…

you can't deny two things.

He doesn't give Clu any leads to find the Flynns. He tries to convince him they're already dead.

and, once they do escape…

there just happens to be a Solar Sailer right in reach, waiting for them to sneak on.

A "transport to cross the Sea of Simulation." Just as promised.

Just my thoughts.

#tron #tronblr #tron 1982 #ram tron #kevin flynn #sam flynn #tron legacy #zuse #castor #headcanons

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audreydoeskaren · 2 years

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I was reading some articles about the relatively recent creation of heritage listing for 20th century Chinese architecture, written by Chinese and white authors, and they just read as so colonial and cringe I actually wanted to cry. To prevent me from bursting into tears I produced a small rant.

One of the articles argued that architecture of the early PRC was inherently political because of the communist regime, but I immediately sensed something was off as the author did not pass a single comment about how most if not all architectural discourse and design during the Republican era was informed by Western colonialism, from the adoption of Western historicism and classicism, later a general desire to appear modern (whatever “modern” meant) to physical buildings being built by white architects or commissioned by white patrons for colonial purposes (e.g. missionary work). The authors acknowledged that those styles were “Western” and “foreign”, but no mention of the colonial is made. It’s like the authors recognized that something not indigenous to China was taking place, but failed to reflect on where that came from or the power dynamics it contained. I find it strange that they consider Chinese communism unnatural and something to be marked and taken note of, but Western colonialism is just a part of natural human order, and Western architecture built on Chinese soil is somehow inherently justified and apolitical.

Obviously I am not arguing that no foreign architecture could ever be erected on Chinese soil, quite the contrary, I would like to see more discourse that doesn’t falsely equate “foreign” with “Western”, and doesn’t shy away from identifying colonialism. I would love to read about contributions to Chinese architectural heritage made by non white and non Western architects, where and if they existed.

I am aware that structural racism in architectural theory is not a problem unique to Chinese academia, it is a core problem in Western architectural history itself. Many architectural historians take the term “modern” to mean “good” and “progressive” for granted, casting aside the mountain of evidence that shows early modernist theorists to be firm believers in racial science and racial hierarchies. (Viollet le Duc was close to Gobineau, a founding figure of scientific racism, and Adolf Loos famously argued that ornament was unacceptable for Western architecture because it belonged to peoples from a more “primitive” stage of evolution, like Papuans who tattooed their bodies) It would be an interesting discussion to have to see how this Eurocentric, white supremacist theoretical framework was transposed onto Chinese architects, how they negotiated their status as simultaneously colonized subjects and frequent participators in white supremacy themselves. Well, I guess that’s too much to expect from these particular authors.

One of the authors (not Chinese, for reference) claimed that the creation of this listing was of particular importance to China because we are a country that always wants to rewrite our own history. Aside from the implication that Western countries somehow do not manipulate their architectural histories to suit various purposes being honestly insulting to historians who analyze Western architectural history critically to expose structures of power, it is obvious to me that this comes from a tradition of anti-CCP discourse that reads like NPC dialogues, about an Orwellian society that manipulates its history blabla. History always bears the mark of whoever wrote it, you’re free to argue with their intentions but to pretend like only Chinese historians are politically charged sounds dubious and racist. My problem is not whether this is “true” or not, but rather how the author (and most other people when thinking of China) immediately starts to use this language like a knee jerk reaction. There are certain concepts about China that are intelligible in mainstream Western media and some that are not, and censorship and historical revisionism are two very intelligible ones, so no wonder the author automatically resorted to mentioning them. Their reactions says more about their preordained ideas about China than about China itself. Even though the author phrased it in a way that sounded like encouraging Chinese people to come to terms with history, their article was obviously not intended for a Chinese audience, so it had more power in conditioning English speaking Western readers on how to think about China.

The same author also used the term “cultural treasures” to describe Chinese architectural heritage, which sounded extremely patronizing as “treasure” implies something to be taken, waiting to be pillaged, something that exists outside of history. They could have just said architectural heritage, but that would make Chinese people sound too professional wouldn’t it?

All of the articles abuse the terms “traditional” and “ancient” in describing forms and aesthetics considered Chinese at the time, in contrast to Western classical or modernist features. I find the unironic employment of these terms extremely problematic, as the history and reality of Chinese architecture is simply too vast and complex to be reduced to a unifying style——similar to fashion history. Not to mention what they described as “traditional” or “ancient” would be more appropriately termed “historical”, “historicist” or “classical”. With that said, these terms do have some use as that was genuinely how many Chinese architects of the 20th century saw historical Chinese architecture, as an eternal, never changing mode containing some sort of national essence (which was a concept popularized by 19th century Western theorists mind you). I fully support the use of “traditional” and “ancient” with quotation marks, as it acknowledges that these terms were used by people who believed they had validity and acted in certain ways because of it, but also acknowledges that they are, in hindsight, not actually meaningful terms. The fact that the authors of the articles I read did not put them in quotation marks means they reiterated them rather than engaged with them critically.

Yeah no my vacation forays into architectural history are going well😅

#rant #architectural history #colonialism #republican era #mao era #20th century

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cardicoven · 3 months

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🥀Book Review: Persephone's Pathway: Wisdom, Magick & Growth by Jennifer Heather

Full Title: Persephone's Pathway: Wisdom, Magick, Growth Author: Jennifer Heather Published by: Heather Publishing (seemingly self published) 2020 Good Reads: Link My Quick Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) stars. Persephone’s Pathway which while flawed and at times meandering is perhaps the best resource available for the modern pagan worshipping or working with Persephone and I wholly recommend it. Official Blurb: Persephone's Pathway is one of balance and duality; embrace the dual goddess archetype of Underworld Queen and Spring Maiden in order to achieve harmony. This book shares the wisdom of Persephone, along with spells and rituals to help you in your daily life. Shadow work exercises encourage you to work with the Underworld aspect of the Dark Goddess, whilst flower magick celebrates the joy and gentleness of the Spring Goddess. Blend the dark and light aspects together to experience how they shine a light on each other in this celebration of wholeness and authenticity. Personal Reason for Purchasing: Was looking for a pagan/witchy perspective on Persephone and stubbled across this one. (Bought from Amazon UK)

Overview of the book's contents. Introduction: A solid introduction, focusing on what the purpose of this book will be, and the author’s goals in writing it, namely ‘an exploration of the mythology and Symbolism surrounding Persephone, along with chapters dedicated to a facet of what she can teach us’, ‘both a collection of information and tribute to her’. Chapter 1: 'Who is Persephone': Introduction to Persephone, her role, dual nature, The Eleusinian mysteries, possible connections to Erishkegal (a mesopotamia goddess originating 4000 BC), and of course the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Chapter 2: 'Historic Origins': An exploration of the genesis of Persephone in Mythology, through to the Evolution of her story in present day literature. (A personal highlight). Chapter 3: 'A Myth Retold': A modern retelling of the hymn to Demeter by the author. Chapter 4: 'Symbolism': An exploration of the artefacts associated with Persephone, both modern and ancient, the creation of a unique glyph/sigil for Persephone and an extensive and detailed discussion of association/correspondences, some ancient, some contemporary and lastly her common epithets. Chapter 5: 'Creating an Altar': A collection of suggestions and guidelines on creating your own altar for Persephone and common offerings to gift the Goddess. Chapter 6: 'Persephone Magick: Begins with a basic beginners to magickal practice, followed by a recipe for a Persephone Anointing oils, a guide to connecting to Persephone, an innovation and an adaption of the Orphic Hymn to Proserpina.

The Seeds of Persephone A collection of chapters surrounding what the Author considers to be the six core aspects/values which Persephone embodies. Seed 1: 'Union': Focuses on Shadow-work, divine alignment for body and Spirit union, and includes a spell for Spiritual union of lovers, guidance surrounding meditation, shadow-work rituals, and a recipe for a love attraction oil. Seed 2: 'Balance': Begins with a discussion of how to, and the importance of maintaining balance in one’s life, including a meandering discussion of grounding, living with the seasons, incorporating nature into your life, meditation, seasonal altars, self-care, massage, and yoga. Lastly it includes recipes for a Persephone Beauty Elixer’ cream/lotion, a medicinal tonic, a spell for resolution, and a spell for making a decision. Seed 3: 'Intuition': Looks at ways to develop one’s intuition, including an outline for a Persephone focused Lithomancy technique (10 planetary stones, 6 Persephone stones (named for each of the author’s ‘Seeds’: Fertility, Justice, Balance, Union, Sovereignty and Intuition), three tarot spreads and the script for a guided meditation. Seed 4: 'Sovereignty': Is a discussion of [personal Sovereignty, and self-esteem, with journal prompts. Guidance on enchanting a power talisman, and a spell for protecting personal boundaries. Seed 5: 'Justice': Focuses heavily on Persephone in her Queen of the Underworld Aspect, touching on several myths in which she acted as a Purveyor of justice, (Orpheus and Psyche, and a discussion on Trust in regards to the Goddess. Followed by Several spells for truth telling, reflection on behaviour and fair resolutions. Seed 6: 'Fertility': Focuses on Persephone's Spring/Maiden Aspect. Followed by a discussion of Maiden goddesses, Flower Magick, creating Floral elixirs, cleansing sprays, a flower bathing ritual, and spell jars/Witch’s bottles. Followed by the Associations/correspondences and finally a script of a guided meditation, to meet Persephone in her Spring Aspect. Appendix: The Orphic hymn to Proserpina, translated by Taylor Thomas 1792.

Personal Thoughts and Review. I’m conflicted about this book. The first half is an excellent primer on Persephone and including her into one’s personal practice however, the second half the ‘Seeds of Persephone’ are at times Meandering, unfocused and clumsy, but there are jewels among the ramblings.

The book appears to be self published, so I’m inclined to be kinder to the Author than I would otherwise be; however, Persephone’s Pathway could really use reformatting (text justified etc), and would benefit immensely from an informed and passionate editor. Nevertheless this book is an excellent edition to the libraries of those of us who work with Persephone.

Aspects in detail. General content: The first half goes over a lot of content around Persephone, in some detail and is appropriately referenced through allowing the reader to research further. The Second half (the Seeds) is a mixed bag and approaches certain subjects extremely casually, namely Shadow-work and herbal medicine. Persephone’s correspondences: Primarily contained to Chapter 4, the Correspondences are in depth, reference and diverse. However, there are inaccuracies, the most obvious is a mention of Corn/Maize being cut as a part of the Eleusinian Mysteries. As a New World crop Corn was not in ancient Greece at the time and as such has no historical connection to the Mysteries. From my own understanding the crop cut during the Mysteries was likely Barley, a grain though to have great significance to the Eleusinian Mysteries as a part of the hallucinogenic cocktail thought to be drunk by initiates, barley is also part of the offering given by Oddyseus to summon Persephone (“first with milk and honey, then with sweet wine, then with water; and sprinkle white barley-meal above”). Rituals and Spells: It’s Always interesting to see another practitioner's approach, and covering a very broad scope although, I wish they were indexed since they appear throughout the book. Origin Myth retelling: An interesting retelling, possibly my favourite version, however it is not without flaws. Guided Meditations: Enjoyable and Interesting, these scripts approach many aspects of Persephone’s Mythos. Journaling Prompts: These appear seemingly at random in the latter half of the book, but are nevertheless thought provoking. Recommended Reading: While good to see, it is worthy of note that none of these books reference Persephone, Hellenic Polytheism, or Shadow-work. Which are the topics I would like to see additional material given some of my concerns with the book itself. Bibliography: Extensive and good practice.

The Seeds in Detail. Given their significance to the book I’ll review these chapters separately: Union: a clumsy chapter whose advice on Shadow-work is surface level and possibly dangerous for a beginner or someone who is mentally vulnerable. But this chapter does handle the topic of Love workings with the required levity. Balance: Waffling and honestly feels like filler, of the seeds this one is disappointing and feels like lost potential. Intuition: a major highlight of the book, a detailed exploration of Lithomancy, well written and thought provoking. Sovereignty: A good chapter, if a little long winded. Justice: Spectacular, discussion of Queen Persephone and of how to connect to the Underworld Aspect. A personal highlight. Fertility: An excellent close to the book but desperately needs reformatting.

Final Thoughts. I wholly recommend this book especially as a gateway into working with or worshipping Persephone. Despite its flaws, it is the best resource I’ve found on Persephone from a pagan/witch perspective, and my practice is better for reading it.

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angelicwisdom777 · 10 months

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999 - The Deep Symbolic Meaning of Angel Number 999

This post will describe the deep spiritual significance of Divine/Angel Number 999.

The number 9 is the last number of all the single numerical sequences. This number has the most heightened spiritual energy out of all the numbers. The number 9 is the wisest number, as it contains all the lessons from all the preceding numbers. The number 9 is a symbolic representation of the goal of spirituality and of life itself!!

The Symbolic Attributes of Divine Number 999

The attributes of the number 9 represent - Whom we should desire to be as human beings. What the end goal of spirituality is. The direction life experiences are attempting to steer us towards.

The number 9 is the symbolic representation of the glorified state of God and a reminder of who we should strive to be. The number 9 is a symbolic reminder of the end goal of the spiritual path. An individual that embodies the essence of the Number 9 is a person that can survive through anything. That can heal through anything. That can love anyone and everyone. That can direct mercy and compassion towards anyone regardless of their past, religion, life experiences, or status quo.

Chiefly, the number 9 is the number of Compassion.

Forgiveness. The ability to forgive and pardon others from Heavenly Love.

Releasing what no longer positively serves you.

Accepting endings, but realizing there are no losses only gains. Happy, because endings are portals to the beautiful, progressive new.

Realizing that endings should not be sadly ruminated over, because in life, all things work for your rise. No matter whether the experience is positive or negative - There is always a lesson, an opportunity, a jewel, a gift for your evolution, growth, happiness, and self-improvement.

The number 9 represents the spiritual integration of all attained growth, knowledge, life lessons, and life experiences,

Universal love - Having love in your heart towards all people. The ability to see good in all people. The ability to see the innocence and potential for love in everyone.

Never being judgmental, because 9 understands that some experiences and encounters have led people to be the way they are.

The desire to improve other people's lives. The desire to enrich other people's lives with lessons, knowledge, and resources.

Charitable service – Doing good to others from the affections of love, usefulness, compassion, and progress.

Expressing your beautiful soulful essence through all that you do.

Allowing your soul's essence to radiate naturally.

The number 9 represents the advanced soul that is full of heavenly charm and peace.

The ability to forgive the worst and still see the good in the other person.

Universal loving connection with all people.

Being generous.

The eternal energy of Love and Compassion. Indeed, as compassion is an attribute of Divine Love, it is eternal. God is eternally compassionate, as he is eternally loving.

Respecting and applying the Universal Divine Laws of Creation.

Having goodwill towards all. Wishing the best for everything and everyone.

Wanting everyone to win.

Fulfilling and serving your life's mission and soul's purpose with strength, love, compassion, excitement, and joy.

Acknowledging that life is precious and living your life to the fullest. Cherishing every moment. Not wasting your life.

Making a universal, sustainable impact through charitable services.

The number 9 stirs an inner image within me of having compassion in my heart, while looking at the white sky and experiencing universal soulful energy. The number 9 reminds me of the universal soulful energy of having love toward all. When I was impacted by the energy of the number 9, in my dreams, I would experience heightened feelings of compassion within me.

Compassion is more than just feeling sorry for someone. Feeling heartfelt compassion within your heart raises your vibration. In mainstream spirituality, raising your vibration is typically described as just feeling more spiritually enlightened. When in truth, raising your vibration means raising your heart and mind to a higher divine frequency of Love and Wisdom. Raising your vibration truly means, raising the energy of your internal state to the divine frequency of love that is compassionate to others, and feels and cares about other's emotions, worries, and concerns.

Having any heavenly emotion within you opens up your inner self more to Heaven. The more you think and will things in relation to Heaven, the more your inner self opens up and adapts more to the things of Heaven. For example, when you have compassion in your heart towards a person or group of people, and you desire to do compassionate things towards them, and you utilize divine truths as a guide on how to act wisely compassionate - The more your inner self is becoming more Angelic. The more your heart becomes receptive to Heavenly Affections, the more you advance as a soul. More Heavenly Wisdom flows to a humble, sincere, compassionate heart. For Divine Truth advises - The more loving you are, the wiser you become. God is the most wise and the most intelligent, because he is the most loving!!! Love creates the perceptions of Wisdom. Heavenly Love is the creator and source of Heavenly Wisdom. For example, when you light up a fire, the fire brings a flame of heat. But that flame also radiates light. Spiritually, fire corresponds to love and light corresponds to the perceptions of truth and wisdom. "As above, so below". From the natural things in the physical world, we can also understand spiritual things. Because everything in physical creation corresponds to a spiritual value. Therefore, the example of the flame is comparable to how love is. Love is a flame that gives the heartfelt vibration of kindness, compassion, goodwill, and caring. But love also radiates light. Love radiates truth and the perceptions of wisdom.

Just to add more depth of understanding to the prior paragraph, I want to digress a little to explain The Law of Correspondence in the Heavenly Realms. What gives Angels enjoyment and pleasure in the interior of their minds is the ability to perceive and understand the loving,spiritual correspondences in their external environment. The Law of Correspondence is very active in the spiritual world. Not very apparently active in this world. But very clearly active in the Heavenly/Angelic Realms. The Law of Correspondence means everything physical and external corresponds to a spiritual value and something within. In the Heavenly/Angelic Realms, everything the Angels see in their external environment corresponds to their internal state. In other words, all the beautiful, loving, and wise creations and constructs Angels see in their outer environment - correspond to the beautiful, loving qualities and perceptions of wisdom they have received from The Lord.

Just as the bigger a fire becomes, the greater light it shines. The more you have Heavenly Love in your heart, the more you have Heavenly Light. The more loving and compassionate you become, the wiser you become. The more loving you become, the more you attain greater perceptions of Wisdom. For it is one thing to know something, it is another thing to be able to perceive the truth of the matter and see for yourself whether something is true or false - That is what True Wisdom is. Wisdom is the ability to perceive for yourself, whether something is true or false. Therefore, we can have a lot of knowledge and understanding about Divine Truths. But more significantly, Heavenly Love is the inner force that grants us the greater perceptions of our spiritual knowledge than understanding alone. Heavenly love and compassion is the ultimate Universal Divine Source that awakens and brings our knowledge of truth and goodness to life!

Now getting back to explaining the deep symbolic meaning of Divine Number 999.

Divine Truths serve as the embodiment and representation of Heavenly Love. Divine Truths are like the container for Heavenly Love. We can hear Divine Truths such as "We should treat people, the way we would like to be treated". Hearing and understanding that Divine Truth may not stir deep heavenly love within you. However, when you ponder on this divine truth and reflect on it in respect to your own life, intentions and actions, then the heavenly love contained within that truth becomes experienced within you. The magical experience of Divine Truth is felt through feeling inspired and heartfelt acknowledgment of the Truth - That it is indeed loving and beautiful to treat others as we would like to be treated. The potential to experience within you the Heavenly Love contained within Divine Truths - is mainly why Divine Truths serve as a symbolic container for Heavenly Love. Conclusively, the purpose of our spiritual work and spiritual knowledge is not to be an intellectual people, but to be the most loving, wise, and compassionate people we can be.

As a take-way advice: Direct your prayer - Direct your spiritual work for The Lord to guide with you His Mercy and Grace to help you become more loving and compassionate than you have ever been before. Direct your prayers for The Lord to affect your heart with sincere, deep compassion for others and affectionate love for others. The more loving you are,the more you become a vessel and intimate receiver of Heavenly Wisdom.

The purpose of this article is to inspire you with compassionate wisdom contained within the symbolic essence of the Number 9. A lot of you reading this, may already be deeply compassionate people. However, we can all grow and improve wherever we are on our spiritual journey. A self-improvement attitude is the opposite of spiritual complacency and laziness. Therefore, to increase more life and excitement in your spiritual practice, direct more focus on deepening your inner experience of heavenly compassion. Contemplate about how you can devote more time into doing compassionate acts of service that will heal, serve and nourish others. Ask The Lord every day, what is the compassionate acts of service you want me to engage in today? Everyday, Ask your Highest Divine Self to intuitively assist you in filling your heart and attitude with heavenly, wise compassion.

From what has been discussed in the preceding paragraphs, it is explained that the more compassionate you are, the more heavenly wisdom you can attain and perceive. The intuitive capacity every single human being has to discern whether something is true or not is more easily accessed in a state of Divine Love. For anybody whether good or not can understand Divine Truths. But not everyone can be in a state of Divine Love, until they practice Divine Truths. We only become Angels of Heaven, when we understand Divine Truths and apply them. The practice of Divine Truths begins when the process of spiritual purification has taken place, which is repentance. Inner and outer repentance. The practice of Divine Truths begins when evils and falsities have been rejected and shunned. And instead, focus and intention is directed towards understanding Divine truths and living a life of Heavenly Love.

We become receptive to the truer and deeper perceptions of Divine Wisdom through cleansing, rejecting, shunning, and abstaining from doing evils within our actions, hearts, and mind. For evils and falsities are comparable to a black cloud that prevents the sun from shining fully and completely. Evils and falsities block and obstruct the natural flow of God’s Divine Influx of Love and truly perceived Wisdom. We can invoke divine support to do this successfully by invoking The Lord's help, which can be done through prayer:

· Go into a room alone, a sacred space, the beach or anywhere you feel most comfortable and divinely connected.

· Request from your heart, "O Lord God Jesus Christ, the source of all Goodness, and Truth, the source of Mercy and Grace, the source of all True Righteousness. Help me to do no harm. Remove the love, pleasure, and affection of evil from my heart, thoughts, intentions, and actions – in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. And instead, Lord God Jesus Christ, fill my heart with genuine goodwill, genuine compassion, genuine empathy, care, and love for my family, all I know, and all around me – in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. And so it is."

Any evils and falsities within, reject them with the power of a Divine Truth that rejects the specific evil. Go To The Lord and sincerely ask for the inner power to reject, shun and remove a particular evil and falsity –You will immediately feel the inner power and guidance of God. God always answers our prayers, every time. However, it's very important that you listen to the thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and ideas you get when you pray. A lot of times, the inner revelation you receive after you make your prayer request, accurately contains the answer to your prayer.

I coined the term "inner revelation" to be ideas, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and insights you get from God. Pay attention to the inner revelation you receive from The Lord, when you pray. When you cultivate a regular prayer practice and are attentive to any inner revelations you receive from the Lord - You will become more intuitive, as you are practicing the spiritual skill of being attentive to God's voice and communications within you. Consequently, you become familiar with that Higher Voice within you and have the trust to allow it will guide you.

Additionally, through the practice of effective prayer, you will become more attuned to God's Voice within you and be appreciative and proactive of its guidance, knowing it will lead you to the best path in life.

To be most receptive to an inner revelation when you pray: After you make your prayer request, do a meditation and get into a meditative state. In that silent meditative state, you will be more sensitive and perceptive of any inner revelation you may receive from God, in response to your prayer request.

The inner revelation could be an idea you get as you go about your day, that answers your prayer request. The inner revelation could be a perception that answers what's spiritually blocking you from attaining the desire of your prayer request.

As the topic of this article is compassion, pray to The Lord God Jesus Christ, to remove any spiritual blockage, evils, and falsities that may prevent heavenly love and compassion from entering your heart. For The Lord God Jesus Christ, is seeking to supply Heavenly Love to all, but he cannot do so, until particular evils and falsities have been removed with our own consent. For anything that is in alignment with our will cannot be removed by force, only by our consent. For instance, in the spiritual world, The Lord God Jesus Christ is seen as the Sun, and is constantly radiating his Love and Wisdom towards all, including the Hells. However, as the Lord's Divine Love and Compassion radiate out towards the Hells, it is perverted and converted into what is in agreement with their evil loves. Heavenly Love is not in agreement with hellish loves. Therefore, when the Divine Love and Truth of The Lord radiates into the Hells, they are continuously perverted into that which is evil and false. For example, The Lord radiates out the attitude and energy of "love towards the neighbour" towards all, including the Hells. However, that love towards the neighbour, is received by the Hells and perverted into hatred towards the neighbour. Therefore, the inhabitants of hell can never receive love towards the neighbour, because their will and consent have decided to be in hatred towards the neighbour. Evils and falsities can only begin to be removed through our own will and consent. Evidently, the starting point for us to receive Heavenly life and become deep, spiritual people is the willful and deliberate removal of evils and falsities within, and then The Lord can more easily flow the heavenly love and wisdom into our inner self for our own happiness, peace, growth, and self-improvement as human beings.

Let's deepen our spiritual experience and deliberately direct our focus towards being compassionate. I got an intuitive download from God and the Angels that Heavenly love and compassion can be cultivated through engaging in charitable activities. Charitable activities allow the experience of doing compassionate acts of service without desiring to gain a reward or remuneration in return. Especially since it being a Universal Year No.7 this year, it would be wise to find an opportunity that allows getting involved in a useful charitable activity that helps those in need and removes unnecessary suffering. For God does not create suffering, humans do. God has created everything we need in infinite abundance. Man is the one that creates lack and scarcity. So anchoring in that heavenly energy of support, kindness, heavenly love, and compassion through engaging in charitable activities, is a hugely impactful and effective practice and resource for our spiritual advancement.

There are an abundant number of opportunities even online to engage in charitable activities.

The Lord God Jesus Christ is the Sole and Ultimate source of compassion. Therefore, when the Lord flows the energy of compassion into the heart, that is more profitable than the wisdom any book can give. Simply, through doing, the love flows into you. The practice of Divine Truths allows the corresponding heavenly affection to flow into your heart. The purpose of Love is to do, act and serve. Love has its goal to express. The expression of love is useful service. Love serves. When God gracefully flows compassionate emotions into you for others, its purpose is for you to take inspired action on those compassionate feelings. To make a loving, useful action towards another from the motive and affection of compassion. Acts of compassion are acts that are not sourced from self-interest motives such as the desire for gain, influence, honour, or reputation. Otherwise, it is not an act of compassion but an act for self. When someone dwells in the essence of God, which occurs when repentance has taken place. Acts of compassion flow from a state of sincerity, but also joy and affectionate pleasure. As Swedenborg states that the spiritual reward for those who have done spiritual purification work is a reward of joy and pleasure experienced from doing good, being compassionate and kind. This spiritual reward immeasurably surpasses any kind of earthly or material reward.

Therefore, if the work of spiritual purification has started and satisfactory work has been done in this aspect, there is a major potential benefit for us in strengthening the energy of compassion within our lives - The spiritual reward of experiencing otherworldly pleasure, joy, and fulfillment when performing acts of compassion for others.

Swedenborg taught in his Writings, that the more compassionate we become, the more we enter into a closer relationship with The Lord. The purpose of compassion is not just to feel pity for someone. Having compassion in your heart is truly a sign and urge from God to do something to help the other person in need.

The truth that I find even more amazing, powerful, and nearly ineffable is that what connects us to God deeply stronger and can create an advanced connection to God is through having affectionate love in our hearts towards our neighbour. Some people are not well-versed in spiritual knowledge, but they are deeply loving, compassionate, and kind, and the Lord is strongly present with them in degree to the depth and intensity of their love. Even more present with them than people who have a lot of spiritual knowledge, but are not that loving or compassionate. Knowing that when we are compassionate and do compassionate things, the Lord is strongly present with us …….......Then one of our key utmost spiritual goals is to begin the spiritual process of being sincerely compassionate, as it allows us to be closer to He who is the Source of Happiness, Blessedness, Intelligence, Goodness, and the Source of our Righteousness.

Compassion is a beautiful, loving emotion to have. In my inner experience, I interiorly acknowledge compassion as a beautiful emotion that can open up the interiors of your heart deeply.

The heart becomes more opened to heavenly emotions through compassion. Compassion is a nourishing spiritual energy. It is a divine energy that heals itself. When you have compassion, it becomes easy to forgive. Compassion allows us to interiorly perceive and feel the truth that - nothing happens to me, but for me. All things works for my rise. Therefore, even the most negative situations have a blessing, a lesson, an opportunity, and a jewel of wisdom for my growth. It makes no sense for me to be angry and engage in the energy of unforgiveness. Truly, compassion brings about spiritual freedom.

The number 9 frequency is the ultimate stage of development that we all need to attain. The most conclusive essence of the number 9 is spiritual elevation and spiritual expansion. Spiritual expansion means expanding your heart and mind to uncommon higher celestial levels. Expanding your heart to higher expressions of love. Expanding to love deeper with pleasure. Expanding your mind to higher divine truths that has been previously hidden or uncommon to you in the past. Not being afraid to expand your intellect to the depths of deep divine truths. This is how you become a spiritually expansive person with a large expanse of love and a large expanse of wisdom.

Spiritual expansion is the spiritual state by which you can attain a universal connection to all.

Compassion is a significant attribute of the number 9. However, Compassion is a divine energy that is equivalent to Universal Love. And compassion or universal love is attained through spiritual expansion. When you are compassionate, you love all, because you see the potential goodness in others. You don't write people off, because of their past mistakes. For you understand that there is a reason why people think, believe, and act the way they do. Unless you know the reason, it is unwise to judge others. Yes, we should condemn evil and evil actions. We should not validate or endorse people in their evil actions. However, we should not write people off, as that is not compassionate.

The significant importance of compassion is that it allows the attainment of Universal Love. The kind of love The Lord Jesus Christ had for the entire human race. For compassion allows us to interiorly recognize and believe that people even with their darkness, falsities, and trauma can be healed and elevated into the divine frequency of love, peace, and wisdom. Compassion is a higher expression of love. An expression of love that allows us to have the attitude of taking the time to understand people first and seek to transmute their darkness into light through healing and love.

Wise Compassion

Compassion is not only about just trying to understand people and giving them loving advice to change. Wise compassion is compassion that produces effective results for another. Wise compassion is when compassion is practiced lovingly, intelligently, and wisely. However, I market the proposition that not everyone is receptive to wise compassion. As not everyone wants to change. Not everyone is willing to recognize how their trauma and negative experiences had led them to commit heinous acts. Some people have the inability to see the wrong in their actions. They need to develop the resolve and desire to conquer the inner darkness. The resolve to never dwell in darkness or evil. And not allowing negative circumstances and past trauma to determine one's future. But instead, being willing to render loose all garments of negativity and trauma with compassion. And instead, wear the garments of love, righteousness, goodness, wisdom, and of healing.

Wise compassion is practiced in a way that does not validate anyone in evil or wrongdoing. But emphasizes and supports positive change. Wise compassion does not support someone in staying in a victim mentality and does not support the justification of doing evil because of past trauma. Wise compassion is supportive, but healing and righteous. Wise compassion understands that all things works for your rise. Even deep darkness can be transmuted into deep light. Believing that all experiences including trauma have a blessing of deep healing, an opportunity of growth, an opportunity to love yourself deeper than before, and a jewel of wisdom that will elevate someone from a state of spiritual hunger and pain into a state of fulfillment, blessedness, and wisdom. Wise compassion has the motive of seeking to bring people put out of a state of darkness into Light. Out of a state of evil pleasure into the affections of heavenly pleasures such as the love of doing good and the joy of being kind.

I hope you enjoyed this message and found it spiritually nourishing.

Key Remembering Points for Taking Action!

Learn and apply the principles of Heavenly Life, which are sourced from God himself for the purpose of salvation and our spiritual ascension.

The spiritual reward of compassion is attained when the process of spiritual purification begins.

The application of Divine Wisdom leads and should lead to spiritual purification.

Spiritual purification means using Divine Truths as a spiritual mirror to reflect on your thoughts, intentions, and actions. And see where negativity needs to be removed and healed. Consequently, filling up your inner self with universal, divine love, wisdom, and righteousness.

When the process of spiritual purification has begun, we become receptive to receiving goodness, perceptions of truth, the spiritual pleasure of being compassionate and doing good, and soo much more infinite blessings that are waiting for us - once we spiritually open the door for The Lord and for our spiritual ascension to occur through beginning the process of spiritual purification.

This message served as an introduction for my next post on this Angelic Number. In my next post, I will share my channeled message concerning this Divine Number. You"re in for a treat!! Wish you all the very best. You"re doing so well!

This is my first blog post and I hope it served as a strong introduction to my new blog, Heavenly Exquisiteness.

-AngelicWisdom777

If you enjoyed this content, like and reblog this post!

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thefirstknife · 10 months

Note

speaking of the unveiling, and bc im interested in hearing more of your thoughts on it, ive always been of the opinion that even as a parable or a metaphor or allegory or whatever you want to name it, because of the nature of the setting and how destiny largely tends to approach its own metaphysical "rules" in conjunction with its various narrators, that just because something is a metaphor doesn't necessarily mean it isn't also literal? if that makes sense. maybe it's leftover from when i was more of an elder scrolls girlie, but in my mind the two are not as mutually exclusive as one would think when it comes to fantasy/scifi especially in settings like destiny. there could very well be a "garden" and a "game" but exactly what and where (i believe these maybe more metaphysical concepts than physical and im open to being completely wrong) could be something completely inaccessible to human understanding if it even exists at all. that being said, im with you in wondering why everyone is getting angry over what i thought was kind of obvious.

Yeah, absolutely! I really love how Brookes phrased it:

“Unveiling is a parable. It is effectively a religious text. And how much of that is propaganda, how much of that is myth, how much of that is fact is deeply unclear in the nature of the text.”

Note how he never said it isn't real or literal. He said that we just can't know how much of it is myth and how much of it is fact due to the nature of the text. Most notably, due to who is telling it; the author being a biased party that is selling us a pitch to sway us to its side is super important.

If Unveiling is the result of the Witness peering behind the Veil and, well, witnessing the origins of the universe and therefore coming to a conclusion that everything is meaningless and that there is no greater purpose or a specific goal, the way the Witness would then try to present these origins of the universe would be painted by its conclusions. It has to make sense, the Gardener has to be meaningless and it has to prefer purposeless complexity over anything else and therefore the way the universe was constructed has to reflect that. So the Gardener and Winnower have to fight in a garden where everything was fine until the Gardener decided to make a change and that's why the universe exists as it does. And of course, don't forget that a part of the pitch is also to make us believe that the Gardener is not the right way to follow.

So an interpretation of these incomprehensible events would always to an extent fit the narrator. That means that we're basically dealing with a single interpretation of events that transpired which are impossible to factually see and measure. Someone else who looks at the Veil and uses it to see everything about the history of the universe will probably come to a different conclusion and will tell a different story based on the same events.

All terminology in the text is also very deliberately structured for human readers. There are references to big and small things that are specifically about only humans so this text would not work on any other species; it would have to be altered. This is immediately suspect because it shows that this was written for us and isn't just something that sprung out of nowhere fully formed with facts.

Among the references; the flower game which is literally just Conway's Game of Life (you can play it here btw) and it's a conscious reference since it mentions specific terminology from the game; the whole thing about the protein p53 which specifically calls it by our human terminology; the Cambrian Explosion which references geological eras and evolution of our planet; and super interesting reference to a specific individual, philosopher Jakob Böhme which is mentioned in two different pages. Someone did a deep dive into his philosophy in regards to the Veil because the Unveiling explicitly says that "he was right and it matters more than anything." Here's a really neat post about this on reddit if you want to dive into complex philosophical stuff.

These are hints that the author of the text is trying to put things into words that would make sense to us, humans, and that would additionally sway us to believe that the author is correct. So if you're trying to explain the origins of the universe to a human that you also want to sway to your position, you would naturally have to create a mythology that a human would be able to digest and believe.

I do believe that there's facts in Unveiling, as I've noted some like for example the Vex in my post about it. How do we explain existence before existence to a human and make them believe us? Use familiar terminology (garden, gardener, winnower, vex), construct a myth that neatly answers all questions, sprinkle references and facts about the real human history to show that the author is familiar with what they're talking about and then write in a way that's approachable.

So yeah. Something must've been there before the Big Bang. Our human brain really struggles to conceptualise this and humanity has been trying to figure it out since the dawn of time; through religion, philosophy, mysticism, science and all combinations of those. It might be literally impossible to figure it out and explain something like "initial singularity," especially in a way to make some humans decide that your story is interesting and worth following you for.

It's much simpler to boil it down to a "garden" with some relatable characters who are playing a game and get into a fight. It's easier to explain that the Vex may have preceded the existence of the universe by just saying that they escaped a garden where two cosmic beings fought over a game. This "place" (if we can call it that) might still exist, but by the virtue of being outside of our comprehension, it's easier to describe it as a garden with characters and a tree and some strange lifeforms. It's certainly more captivating than reading about real theoretical physics like for example this (as incredibly fascinating as it is, a lot of it will absolutely fly above people's heads, including mine).

The point is, the story could absolutely still be based on facts, as Brookes said, we just don't know what those facts are. The text itself is not telling ONLY facts because that's not its purpose, not to mention that it's easier to explain and entertain people by giving a cool myth with fundamental forces of physics and existence being shown through personifications who talk and argue and fight. People taking those personifications literally has always been weird to me because the text itself tells us they're allegorical. It's admitting that it's trying to explain things that are difficult to explain and is using a way for us to conceptualise this (showing itself as a benevolent entity that is eager to give us information), while also using this conceptualisation to weave its own propaganda in it at the same time.

Some of this will clear up soon. I'm very eager to find out if we'll ever get more of the Traveler's perspective on any of this. I would love to hear the Traveler say something at some point again. That would probably help us do our best to figure out more about what's fact and what's myth, but even that would be biased, in a way, even if the Traveler is the Gardener; the Gardener would still be telling us its own view of things. But another perspective would definitely help. Either way, it's a fascinating piece of text and an interesting dive into some really intriguing scifi concepts. I'm definitely not expecting some substantial 100% provable fact on how the universe began, as that question exceeds what a video game story can tell us, but will there be something that fits the setting? Some sort of an answer, as close to the truth as possible? Maybe!

To close this off, I always liked the story about the origin of the universe of the species called the Tiiarn, as told to Caiatl by her childhood mythkeeper, the psion Ahztja:

"Imagine the universe as swirling chaos," Ahztja said softly. Caiatl closed her eyes and saw it. "Among the chaos stands Irkyn La, the First Host, who blinks herself into existence with the First Thought: chaos must come to order." Caiatl saw a creature, tremendous beyond belief, in her mind's eye. "And so to satisfy the First Thought, which would become the First Law, Irkyn La consumes the chaos of the void and gives birth to the ordered universe." Caiatl opened her eyes, and they were bright with intrigue. "That is how the Tiiarn would say the universe began," Ahztja said. Caiatl looked at the toy in her hands, and then back at Ahztja. "Where does this giant woman live?" "The Tiiarn would say she is the very fabric of the universe. When you look to the sky, when you look out into space, you are looking into Irkyn La's mouth."

Who knows, maybe there's some truth to this myth as well.

#destiny 2 #unveiling #witness #ask #long post

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putschki1969 · 4 months

Note

Hi Puts!

I just wanted to gush my thoughts to you about Keiko's recent performances! I was really surprised by the recent Magia live as Keiko hadn't been this dramatic since her Kalafina days. Then I saw some footage of the YK Shanghai concert on VK and... she's actually just like how she used to! With all the energy, the dramatic and cheesy hand movements - everything!

Ever since she started her solo career, it seemed to me like Keiko never wanted to perform like she used to. Even her FictionJunction performances were boring stage-presence wise. It seems like recently she's finally felt like getting back into how she used to perform and honestly it made me really emotional. Watching Keiko having so much fun when performing with FictionJunction in Shanghai, she was really stealing the stage at it just felt like I was watching Kalafina again! A small part deep inside of me thought she somewhat resented Kalafina, but these latest performances has made me remember that she really just loves Yuki Kajiura's music probably more than anyone and I love that about her.

This isn't really an ask, I just wanted to gush!!!

Hi there!

Another reply that's long overdue, I am so sorry!

Absolutely, Keiko's love for YK's music is certainly unparalleled. I'm sure she likes her solo stuff well enough but it's nothing compared to what she feels about YK's work. From what we know, Keiko very much appreciates contributing to something meaningful, having a purpose and knowing her place in the grand scale of things. Being part of the YK family achieves all of that. Her solo work on the other hand is not as structured or target-oriented so Keiko probably just views it as a bit of casual fun on the side.

As for Keiko's stage-presence in the past few years, I personally do not feel like Keiko's performances have ever been truly lacking in that particular department. Maybe some of her solo gigs are a bit stilted and awkward (which is to be expected I guess) but when it comes to FictionJunction performances, I still vividly remember being blown away by her enthusiasm at the YK Live in Taiwan back in 2019. And let's not even mention the most recent Budokan live XD That was on a whole new level of epicness.

I would say Keiko is the type of person who heavily feeds off of her fellow stage members. If she is alone on stage, there's no one to take cues from. However, if she performs with someone she feels comfortable with and who exudes passion, she will naturally let loose too. Another thing to consider is the fact that all the FJ performances we got to see in the past few years were official recordings for home video releases or online broadcasts. These tend to be a bit more toned down in general so Keiko will often fall back on a sort of "business-mode" for those.

Anyways, I am glad you are enjoying Keiko's performances. There's a lot to gush about indeed.

PS: I have really been enjoying your YouTube uploads as of late. The "LIVE Evolution" videos are so much fun to watch and truly fascinating. It must have taken forever to put all the footage together so thank you for that!

#kalafina #reply #keiko #keiko solo work

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poemnic-tarot · 11 months

Text

Pick a Poem To See Your Messages!🐋

(Disclaimer : This is a general reading please only take what resonate. For entertainment purposes only)

🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫 You Are Loved 🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫

Pile 1⚡️ - Where am I tonight? by @cant-find-my-name

Where am I tonight?

Although I search for myself

Long and Hard

Still, I could not find

Who was I looking for?

Who am I?,

When I shine spotlight on it

It seem difficult to define,

'To define is to limit"

Then, I must not be

Who I thought I would be

But hopefully, whoever I will become Would still be me

And maybe that person

May be the person I was looking for,

Eventually, I will reconcile the me now

And the Me

I wish to be

Meaning:

This poem is about looking for yourself. Sometime, you don't even notice that you are not who you thought you are. In this 3D world, there are a lot of projections from people, whether that would be from families, friends, school or organisations. That would have definitely distorted yourself image. An image of yourself, you thought you are this type of person, value this thing until one day, you realised that was not you at all. When you finally have time to get to know yourself, a lot of your initial impression of yourself changed. I could never do that, I would never do this. That's definitely not me. Example, I'm not the type to dance to a cover song and post it online. I will never see myself sing publicly for millions to see.I would never dye my hair blue, etc. But when you uncovered yourself bit by bit, possibilities are endless. Things you would never thought that you would do, you find yourself seeing the possibilities for the first time. Trying to reconcile a part of you that you have no idea who she/he/they is/are. One part said, 'I could never start my own business’ the other part would go, ‘let's try it!.’ Whatever I want to be?, successful, brave, hard- working, relax, blue hair?, that's who I'm going to be.

The Messages

There's a natural progression to your self evolution. You might not notice but you have grow a lot Pile one. Steadily, becoming someone you alway admire. Now you're standing in that position or could be in that position. Example, you saw a singer on stage doing an amazing job and she really inspire you and you want to be like her one day. Well, one day is here or will be here shortly. Give yourself some credit, you grew up beautifully despite going through horrid events after events. Heartbreak after heartbreak. You bloomed purely, and will continue to do so. One minute you're a child and the next you are a teenager and a young adult. And next an adult. Life moves fast but you did not waste time. You used it to your advantage. Time did not used you. Maybe who you are chasing to become, has alway been there all along.

"What if we already are, who we been dying to become" this quote is from the song you got, Four by Sleeping at Last.

Have more faith and trust in yourself. You are progressing naturally, beautifully, unfolding.

Quote- "Because we can't see what's ahead, you have to trust that the dots will connect in your future."

Trust that the person you need in any situation will appear. Appear almost alway, it's you. You are that person.

Affirmation : "I give myself permission to be alone, connect with myself and appreciate my solitude"

Signs: 77, 678, VII, baby breath, Mirror

Song : Four by Sleeping At Last

What if we already are Who we've been dying to become In certain light, I can plainly see A reflection of magnificence Hidden in you Maybe even in me

🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫 You Are Loved 🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫

Pile 2🍊 - “Life Lesson” by @cant-find-my-name

Human aren't perfect

The lesson wasn't learn

So let try again

And learn it one more time,

You'll get infinite chances

Who to say enough is enough?

Except you of course, remember

You have all the say

You are the Authority of your life

No one should drive it

You must make your own decisions

And live by it

Or else, resentment will come

If you give your life control

By someone

Meaning:

This poem is about learning the same lessons twice, thrice or even fourth times. Doesn't matter as long as we are still trying to learn. As long as we are alive and growing. As long as it take to learn the lesson of life. As long as you don't give up on life. Chances are infinite, if only you give it to yourself. People tend to give limited/ restricted timeline to their life for whatever reason. Example, I should have marry before turning 30 or I'm 39 why aren't my goals and dream coming true?. The one to accept those as truth is you and only you. You have to make your own choice. This poem talked about making decision for you, no one else. Or else when you have to live a life by that decision, you may find yourself hating the person you made it for. Example, I made a decision to go to college and did medicine, not because I want to but I did it for my parent. That mean the lesson has not been learn and you are living a life not for you. And there will come a day, the choices will come again, and it will be up to you to make the decision. Will you continue the same path, the same pattern or will you choose yourself for once?. This is the idea where the poem is based on.

The Messages:

It's okay to start again. The new ideas or project or business plan that you are considering, Go for it. It is alright to begin anew, leave behind what didn't work out because it was just an experienced. We shouldn't judge an outcome from our experienced whether they are successful ones or not so successful. Because all of them are equally ours and all of them were necessary to teach us what we needed to learned at that time. Time for a new outlook, you are afraid to be disappointed like before but you are not the same person as you were. If your goals is abundance, isn't it better to try every ways we can towards it?. Give it its rightful justice by trying many different paths towards it. Trying just one path or one way and called it quit, seem inconclusive.

It is time to start again, with experienced, so we can heal what didn't work out, so we can become more secure in our decision. So we can trust our decision again. We can alway trust our decision, even when it lead us where we didn't want to go. But it will alway lead us where we needed to be. Expand our usual path and see if we can get to our goal a different way. Get yourself to a place where, 'it's okay if it happened and it's okay if it doesn't happen'. The outcome doesn't affect my sense of self. Don't give up on your dreams even if it doesn't work, this time. It just mean you are giving another chance to do it again, differently.

Affirmations: "I am brave enough to do what I need to do. I believe in myself. I can do it."

"I am strong enough and will be okay with the outcome"

Signs: 34, SWORDS, Ginger, Ranunculus, snail

Song: AM I DREAMING by Lil NAS x Miley Cyrus

Every song Every dream filled with hell from beyond As I'm sinkin', I relive the story Every try Every breakthrough and every cry As I'm sinkin', I relive the story

🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫 You Are Loved 🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫

Pile 3🍉 - “Let It Go / Dandelion” by @cant-find-my-name

Let it go, Dandelion with the wind

Don't let the failures

Tattooed on your skin

Cause nothing is ever worth your

Peace

Even if it is war

Even if it didn't work out

Now you know

You deserve so much more,

Rejection isn't a destination

It is part of this journey

Giving in doesn't mean giving up

The most important lesson in life is

Knowing when

Enough is enough

Meaning:

This poem is about accepting 'failures' or things that didn't work out, such as a relationship, a goals, a destination. We all have things that we planned or things that we expected it to be. Like I entered into a business partnership and I expected it to be going well. It is important to focus on the positive side of thing but when it didn't work out like how you hope, which it will alway happened, can you accept it?. Most people find it easy to accept success but find it difficult to accept failures. Which is understandable, however, that won't do because success and failures goes hand in hands and things that didn't work out is part of life or should be part of normal life not an end all be all situation.

This poem is also about giving up. Not in a ‘give up on life' kind of energy buy more of surrendering the outcome to the Divine. If and when you tried your best and it didn't go your way or even when it did, the outcome you want doesn’t serve you anymore. It is alright to give up, it is alright to quit. To change our mind. To change our mind is not alway equating failure. It just mean the things we're going for is no longer in alignment with us anymore. Such as, changing your major halfway through college, changed career path, your goals, your values, your style, etc. These things within us are ever changing. This poem summarisation is that things are ever changing and that it is OKAY. We need to know when enough is enough, with ourself, our goals, our life.

The Messages:

Keep going as you are. Do not stop. Keep your momentum because you will get to where you are headed. Even if it by fears or desperation or anxiety. Still, take your step by step. Concentrated on the positive, what worked out for you not what didn't. You will have a choice to make in regards to your stability and security. In a way, that is what you're going towards. A place where you can make a choice. To be able to choose is a privilege. To be able to choose is empowering. A position where a limited mindset could never be in. 'There's no choice or it is how it is', you know that's not true. That's limited mindset. You alway know that everyone have a choice, they just choose not to have one and blame external circumstances. But when you're in your power and honour yourself, the most empowering choice would be, choosing yourself. Most won't do it, because it's too much to take. But despite your hesitant Pile 3, you are asked to choose yourself and keep going. Start choosing yourself and never stop, because one day, you will reach that inner security you're alway craving. It isn't in any external things, money, status, groups, but within us, there's a voice that have never been heard because we never listen. But once you do, they are not stopping you Pile 3, whoever you're looking for to guide the way, that person is YOU. Repeat the affirmation to yourself Pile 3, "you are not a failure. You are talented, capable, strong and are going places."

Affirmation: "I am capable, I am talented, I am a gift"

Signs : 248, 24, Horses, Twin, Baby, Greek Goddess, Red Rose

Song: You're on your own, kids by Taylor Swift

From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this I hosted parties and starved my body Like I'd be saved by a perfect kiss

The jokes weren't funny, I took the money My friends from home don't know what to say I looked around in a blood-soaked gown And I saw something they can't take away

'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned Everything you lose is a step you take So make the friendship bracelets Take the moment and taste it You've got no reason to be afraid

🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫 You Are Loved 🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫

Pile 4⭐️- ‘Safe Blanket’ by @cant-find-my-name

The world seem to be against

But you whispered in my ears

'That's not true, why don't you look closely'

Stop telling yourself lies

The sky only bring you calm

The trees evokes your peace

The stars shared your longing,

Curious eyes filled with

Mystery,

The world is here for you

If only you let yourself be

And let yourself see

The Meaning :

This poem is about not being negatively bias because human tends to do that. We tend to look for the flaws first, for things that didn't work out. For things that we don't have, for things that's wrong. It's natural to do that but again, Negatively bias brain. Because in reality, it is not as bad as it seem. This poem is to act as a reminder that the Universe is working for me, not against me. There are tree, ocean, sky, beautiful nature all around. As long as you live on this earth and respect it, it will do the same. You are not targeted, you are not the only one feeling pain, no one is out to get you. The tree will only give you peace if only you let it. We must opened our eyes and our heart to truly appreciate earth's beauty. Our first Mother will alway be Mother Earth, Mother Gaia and we are her children. Mother earth is our home and where ever you go , there are nature, and where there are nature, then that is also your home. This poem remind us that we belonged in nature, within this earth. If when ever you feel unsafe, ungrounded, alway look for the tree, go towards nature because she is alway there for you.

The Messages:

Success is yours Pile4 , what ever success means to you. It is your birthright to shine in this world. Victory in life is your birthright. So rest, let the worries, the what's if? the doubts go. Let it flow down the drain and let us bath in this world divinity. Let the world carries you towards where you aim to go, to your destination. Anything you wish for will be aided by the Universe.You know Pile 4, that you are very lucky, very privilege in this life. You are in a position people would envied. People see you and goes 'that person got the best end of the stick in life’. And acknowledge that but in a way, it's because you alway believed that the Universe is working for you and never against you. You rest assured that The Universe alway have your back. And when you believe in something like that, there's nothing in life you can't do. You don't limit yourself to what you can or cannot do. You don't limit yourself to what you can or cannot have. To who you can and cannot be. “The world is against me...." is just an excuse and a lie.This poem helped you see that you got the biggest allied at your side. So go through life knowing you are loved and supported. Cause you are. Go through life rest in the knowing that you are okay or you alway will be okay and you are not alone on your journey.

Affirmation: "I release limiting beliefs and empowered myself to achieve more."

Signs: 77, leaves, horse, Yellow house, Gold

Songs: The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives

Tell me once again I could have been anyone, anyone else Before you made the choice for me My feet knew the path We walked in the dark, in the dark I never gave a single thought to where it might lead

🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫 You Are Loved 🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫

Thank you so much for reading!. Please let me know what you think. See you soon!

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☀️Check out @cant-find-my-name for more of my original poetry

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🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫 You Are Loved 🐋 🦢 ☁️ 🫧 💫

#Youtube #pick a card #tarot messages #tarot reading #messages #sprituality #original poetry #poems and quotes #poetry #poem

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elzifelzi · 1 year

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My Ben ten takes cuz why tf not

Kevin and Gwen while being the best canon relationship in the series only really works because there wasn't the usual slow burn for them to get together that cartoons of that era usually had. If it was dragged on the way other relationships in media was it wouldn't have ended up as good as it is.

Omniverse has the best artstyle and asthetic in the whole franchise next to classic..and Ben ,Gwen and Kevins designs feel like a more natural evolution of the characters appearance than UAF.

And while i do love UAF if you try to act like it's designs are better than omniverse you're wrong.

Anodites are a neat concept but wasn't executed too well with gwen,her being 1/4th anodite is a interesting concept on paper but is overshadowed by the fact that they don't treat her like she's 1/4th anodite

They act like she just isn't human at all.

UAFs main appeal were the storylines and while the buildup to alot of them were great most of them feel flat towards the end..with the exception of the hybreed invasion.

Eon being an alt ben is a way better idea if you ignore R.A.T but still not properly executed enough to be enjoyable.

Omniverse putting Kevin and Gwen on the backseat should’ve lasted for only a season or 2.

They should've been more present for the incursian invasion as well as for the timewar stuff.

Rook issa dope character but sometimes i swear bro is written for the sole purpose of making ben seem dumb.

Ultimatrix didn’t do a single thing noteworthy and should only be used by Albedo.

Omniverse is the only series that makes Bens expanded arsenal actually feel like he has an expanded arsenal.. cuz while Ben had access to at least 40 aliens in UA he still uses the af season 1 playlist so often that it never feels that way.

Kevin being part alien isn't dumb but his father being a plumber kinda is.

Ben and Julies relationship was boring and believe it or not OV did them a favor by finally ending it.

The reboot follows the exact same structure and format as the classic series and if it wasn't for the artstyle and 11 minute runtime yall wouldn't have so much shit to say about it.

#ben 10 #ben tennyson #ben 10 omniverse #ben 10 reboot #ben 10 uaf #ben10 alien force #ben 10 ultimate alien #kevin levin #gwen tennyson #gwevin

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twistedtummies2 · 3 months

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