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unrely · 9 months

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JUDITH HANDS

“ love is never wasted, for its value does not rest upon reciprocity. " ― c. s. lewis

BASICS.

name: judith hands aliases/nicknames: jude age: 50 birthday: march 8 gender: cis female pronouns: she/her sexuality: asexual, homoromantic ethnicity: jewish religion: jewish

APPEARANCE.

Faceclaim: Jennifer Connelly Judith is 5’2” (155 cm) and a healthy weight. She has black hair. It is straight, and often tied up into an efficient updo to keep it out of the way, or perhaps something more elaborate if she has a play on. She has hazel eyes. She wears corsets and simple skirts, often in lighter colors - beige, pale pink, yellow.

PERSONALITY.

alignment: lawful good mbti: infp-t enneagram: 3w2 sp/so 387 zodiac: pisces sun, leo moon, gemini rising temperament: sanguine stereotype: creative, caregiver, advocate archetype: the explorer

―

private, lonely, loyal, competent, poised complacent, diplomatic, kind, friendly, charming, compassionate, altruistic, generous, helpful, empathetic self-critical, disciplined, mature, vain, proud, stubborn, arrogant, ambitious, workaholic, competitive inattentive, gullible, mysterious, dreamer, creative, imaginative, poetic, artistic, open-minded, idealistic, visionary, unrealistic vulgar, wild, rebellious, brash, bold, changeable, commanding, excitable, lively

VERSES.

* i love alternate verses and i can create them in three minutes, if you’re interested in writing in a new verse, please feel free to shoot me a message!

HISTORICAL VERSE: Judith was born on the streets in Bristol. Her family was homeless, and her father died when she was only three. Her mother, Sarah, took care of her and her brother Israel. They were beggars when they needed to be, but more often than not, Judith would bring home coin in the form of performances done on the street - stories that she had heard or written herself, offered for the entertainment of passersby. As she grew older, even as her family left, Judith never let go of the idea of writing stories to bring joy to everyone’s hearts, and eventually became a playwright, running a theatre in Bristol.

OTHER.

fears: being unworthy of love. drowning. likes: plants, snakes, stories. having four or more cups of tea a day. dislikes: the color grey. receiving gifts. messy things (situations or rooms). languages: english, yiddish & hebrew.

TRIVIA.

She is double-jointed at the elbow and shoulder.

She has a pet candycane corn snake named Ophelia.

Her heavenly virtue is charity; her deadly sin is envy.

Very good at impressions/accents.

#; judith #about; judith

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bujorulgalben · 2 years

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INTIMACY & RELATIONSHIP PREFERENCES GUIDE (as always, repost don’t reblog)

for multiple choice sections: bold for always, italics for sometimes, bold & italics for especially likes, strikethrough for never, no emphasis for neutral or n/a remember: “top” means the one penetrating, “bottom” means the one being penetrated. positions will be specified as such. (thanks i nearly forgot)

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: while anica will say that she all of loves her friends deeply, she has only ever experienced long-standing romantic love for the opposite sex. all love is demonstrated with passion and gusto, and the line between romantic love and very intense platonic love can be blurry in places. it can lead to confusion from the onlooker, and indeed, her friends. anica is well-versed in friend-zoning. she will also act defiantly if you ask her about romantic feelings towards another woman.

however, she never really sat down at any point to discern whether her strong emotions towards another woman were romantic. she shoves it aside before the thought has a chance to breathe. that being said, i wouldn’t say she’s closeted at all; just not interested enough.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual. it’d be wrong to say that anica has never been curious in passing about individuals of the same sex, but again, she has never acted upon this. in the past, she has been able to excuse the lack of romantic love before acting on urges she seldom reckons with/knows how to control. the story is different now, and romantic love is a necessity for her to act on sexual attraction. she wants it all.

PENETRATIVE PREFERENCES: i think this is a given. it boggles her mind to think of taking on the penetrative role, and it isn’t something she will rush to experiment with anytime soon. it isn’t that the thought of pegging is alien to her; more that she’d raise an eyebrow to it in private discussion and politely decline. or laugh: how obscene! no, no, she much prefers the penetrated role. it makes her feel ‘whole’.

SEXUAL ROLES: dominant. submissive. versatile.

DOES YOUR MUSE USE A STRAP ON?: here comes that laugh again. she was given one a while back as a joke for being a little too matriarchal/too much of a girl-boss, but she found it obscene and immediately trashed it.

POSITIONS AS A TOP: being ridden. missionary. lotus. doggy. flatiron. legs on shoulders. standing up. standing while partner sits on surface. spooning. side by side.

POSITIONS AS A BOTTOM: riding. missionary (there is nothing ‘boring’ about missionary get over yourselves). lotus. doggy. flatiron. legs on shoulders. standing up sitting on surface (office sex has been a recurring thing). spooning. side by side.

SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS: monogamous. polyamorous. open. swinging. hook-ups (a thing of the past). platonic.

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS: monogamous. polyamorous. open. casual. committed.

RELATIONSHIP ROLES: dominant. submissive (she’s very good at looking it). equal. nurturing. being nurtured. monetary provider. monetarily dependent. shared monetary burden (lol). independent monetary responsibility. manages household. shares household management (you need to negotiate this with her. her home is her castle and she’s an itty bit of a control freak). prefers independent living space. likes having household managed by partner.

THOUGHTS ON MARRIAGE: oh, oh anica would make the most wonderful bride. while marriage is only a ‘maybe’, a dream in her current circumstance which could very well come true, marriage is one of those wonderful virtues she has told herself in the past would simply not work in practice. but that didn’t stop her from acting dutiful and meek in past relationships; perfect to put a ring on. right now, it lives as a pretty little fancy in her head. if not for her role, her duty, this would be the ultimate aspiration. but she has seen all marriages around her crumble, so she can’t help but fear any marriage she entered in - even for love - would be doomed to end in heartbreak. hasn’t she been through enough?

DOES YOUR MUSE GET JEALOUS/POSSESSIVE?: yes. yes, very much so. she is far from shy in letting you know when she’s with someone else at a gathering, to the point of it being insufferable. her past relationships with mortal men have burnt her in the past, so she needs to be reassured quite a bit. gotta love some baggage!

DO THEY LIKE DOM/SUB ROLES IN ALL ASPECTS OF RELATIONSHIPS? (i.e. dom’s responsibility both sexually and in life is to take care of the sub and look after them. sometimes utilizing sexual and nonsexual rewards/punishments to incentivize them to carry out self-care or other responsibilities): she very much prefers relationships to be even, fair and equal. the act of sex, to her, nowadays, is an ultimate testament to a bond. the most intimate and sacred of connections. these sorts of roles shouldn’t be abused, and she very much keeps this sort of behaviour private.

that being said, anica is well aware of how to act dominant to get what she wants, and knows how to instigate something if she feels in the mood - because if she doesn’t, supposedly no-one will - but to abuse this feels so many kinds of wrong.

DOES YOUR MUSE LIKE POSSESSIVE PARTNERS?: it’d be dreadful if she didn’t, considering what a handful she can be. thankfully, she is very much into the idea of feeling wanted and being fussed over. but there is, of course, a limit. naturally, she isn’t too happy when she feels her independence and freedom is being threatened. she’ll communicate this at the slightest, with equal fuss.

WHAT DOES AFTERCARE LOOK LIKE TO THEM?: she won’t let go anytime soon that’s for sure lol. she is clingy, sweet and sappy. the most flowery sweet nothings softly cooed with praises and venerations you might think better suited for a chapel service. she drags you to the shower with her, washes your hair and hums old songs in a warm, low tone. did i ever tell you she takes being a romance nation extremely seriously?

WHAT ARE WAYS THEY PREFER TO BUILD EMOTIONAL INTIMACY?: learn romanian lmao. no but really! she wants to know what makes you tick, what you love and what love looks like with you. what food comforts you, what songs can you not help but sing along to, what makes you laugh and what makes you cry. that sort of vulnerability and being able to share that with her will win her over quickly. her local company can be quite stuffy and cold, so she loves warmth; both with weather and with people.

#this was fun. i never really get to talk about this sorta thing bc anica is. like that. so this was cool!#cununi de flori uscate fâşâiesc ✧ hc

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vajranam · 3 years

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Elimination OF Desires

Milarepa

Elimination of Desires

“One day while Jetson was staying in Medicine Valley of Chu Bar teaching Dharma to several disciples, the Yogi Orton Gendun approached him and asked, "Precious lama, in the teachings of several geshes you are renowned as a buddha. They say you've totally eliminated desire. Is this true?"

Jetsun replied, "So they say. But there are many ways of eliminating desires. None of them are certain to yield buddhahood. You can understand the meaning of the term 'buddha' by listening to this old man's song."

I bow to the feet of great Marpa,

Lotsawa who spoke two tongues,

Who with vision of the three times

Realized the reality of the many as one.

Specifically, one who's cleansed

and totally removed

The mass of negative preconceptions

and imprints

And the obscurations of affiiction and action

Produced by the power of ignorance;

Who's cleared the dark deluded aberration Obscuring knowledge of the objective world And obtained strengths,

confidences, and unique properties

Through gnostic realization of the natural state To such a one who's developed

All the qualities of total omniscience

The term "buddha" is applied.

Such a perfect buddha

Is perfectly free from all desires.

To say that even bugs in trees

And infants lacking clear conception

Are buddhas is the talk of fools.

Though lacking sophisticated concepts

Like possessions and friends,

They're still tormented by reactions

To heat and cold, hunger and thirst.

These root associations gradually develop

Into full-blown concepts of desire.

Outsiders, sages, and the heterodox

Have numerous attainments

Like soaring flight through the sky, Unobstructed clairvoyant knowledge,

Various magical transformations,

And freedom from cravings

for the objects of desire.

But they'll revolve in samsara again and again Through the fault of incorrect refuge-source And lack of the vision

Of analytic wisdom and skill in methods.

Likewise, with Buddhist meditators

Though they've traveled the four absorptions And four formless media

To samsara's peak where desire is gone-

If they're not imbued with wisdom and method, They'll revolve in samsara as before.

Therefore, buddhahood will never be won

By merely stopping desires without integration Of method and wisdom through skill in method. So how is it done?

Study the paths of the three personality types, The six transcendences of giving and so on, The four social means and four infinitudes,

The three vehicles and three bases of practice, And the integration of compassion

and voidness.

Then strive to compile a great store of merit

By transcendence of giving,

morality, and patience.

Build up the store of gnosis

By practicing the transcendences of absorption and wisdom. Vigor assists both

By intensifying mental effort.

Though everything is actually void,

Insistence on mere nominal "voidness"

Without actual voidness realization

Leads to denial of action and result,

The great cause of hell and loss of freedom. Therefore, of good and bad actions and results Avoid the sinful in the slightest degree,

And cultivate virtue to its greatest extent.

Strive also to cultivate inseparable union

Of both wisdom and absorption,

For by absorption the mind is stabilized,

And by wisdom strayings are detected.

Likewise, with voidness and compassion, Cultivate the integration

of wisdom and method,

For by that sublime method

of great compassion

The welfare of beings in samsara is achieved, And by wisdom's view of voidness Dharma-body for one's own sake is realized From planted seed of supplication

Imbued with the sublime method

of compassion

The resultant twofold form-body arises.

And by form-body's inconceivable emanations

The hopes, wants, and needs of beings

Are fulfilled in ways

concordant with their welfare,

Like a gem that grants all wishes,

Or a wish-granting tree,

or a divine tree of worship.

And omniscience also,

free from preconception,

Fulfills the hopes of all trainees

As inconceivable, streaming rays of sun Dissolve the fog of all the world.

The stages of such cultivation

Overflowing the mind of Marpa,

That king of all translators,

Are the range of Mila's realization.

I've explained to you, son Ortiin,

This beggar-yogi's understanding

Bear it in heart, 0 nobly born.

Till the natural state's been confronted

Through union of Dharma

and your essential mind,

Don't disregard cause and effect.

Till you're free from fears of birth and death

By realizing appearances lack true reality,

Don't make empty, senseless talk.

Till you've attained skill

In all sutras, tantras, and sastras,

Don't teach Dharma pointlessly.

Till body, speech, and mind

toward others' welfare are directed

By slashing entanglement

with your own desires,

Don't behave with pretension and deceit.

Till you've slashed entanglement

with your own desires

And can sacrifice life to benefit others,

Don't say, "I'm a bodhisattva."

Till engaged in others' welfare

with four social means

Through inception of four infinitudes in mind, Don't say, "I work for others' welfare."

Till your heart is one with your lama

And you pray to him four sessions each day, Don't say, "I have admiration and respect."

Till beings and world shine as divine,

without attachment,

And illusory-body's purified into clear light, Don't say, "I'm a practitioner

of the mantra vehicle."

Till dakinis gather at your feast

And holy offerings change to nectar

Don't say, "I perform religious feasts."·

Till mastery of white element,

currents, and channels,

And the element can be emitted or held,

Don't perform karmamudra.

Till the force of clear awareness

rises In brilliant, thought-free quiescence,

Don't say, "I meditate the absorptions."

Till essential reality is borne on brow

Through examination

by analytic, gnostic wisdom,

Don't say, "Realization has dawned."

Do you understand my meaning, yogi?

Moved by strong faith, the yogi sang:

Eh ma! Great yogi-repa! Eh ma!

Protector of the three realms' beings! Eh ma! Buddha with human form! I bow to your feet, great Jetsiin father.

Clouds of love and compassion

Gather in the infinite sky of your mind,

And with the resonant thunder of your speech A rain of explicit Dharma falls.

You planted the seed of profound precepts

In the hard, untilled soil of my mind,

Irrigated with dear revelations,

Warded off the ruinous hail

of mistaken thought,

And cultivated with timely,

compassionate skill in method.

Though omniscient fruit hasn't ripened yet

By fault of my own inferior nature,

No one surpasses you in method.

From now till enlightenment's attained

May I accompany you, lord of yogis, Inseparable always like body and shadow.

In your company

may I realize the essence of natural state,

and win enlightenment unexcelled

May I then work for others' welfare

And thereby liberate all beings.”

~ Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs of Tibet's Beloved Saint, Milarepa Translated by Lama Kunga Rinpoche & Brian Cutillo

"Jetsun Milarepa, Tibet's renowned and beloved saint, is known for his penetrating insights, wry sense of humor, and ability to render any lesson into spontaneous song. His songs and poems exhibit the bold, inspirational leader as he guided followers along the Buddhist path.

More than any other collection of his stories and songs, Drinking the Mountain Stream reveals Milarepa's humor and wisdom. Faithfully translated by Lama Kunga Rinpoche and Brian Cutillo, this rare collection - never before available in any Western language - cuts across the centuries to bring Milarepa's most inspiring verses, in all their potency, to today's reader."

#spirituality #wisdom #mindfulness #meditation #religion #buddhism #self care #visualization #zen #tibet

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valianse · 4 years

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under co.

rules.

› an indie canon divergent wolf faunus j/aune a/rc from m/onty o/um’s r/wby. › sporadic activity, i’m trying to keep it relatively chill here. › mutuals are prioritised, but i’m open to other interactions regardless. › standard roleplay rules apply, don’t be a dick and we’re gucci. › personal blogs will be soft blocked. › n/sfw has the chance of appearing here in the form of gore, violence, trauma, etc. please follow at your own discretion. › i go by nine, of age, non binary cryptid running on australian eastern daylight time.

dossier.

name: jaune deor arc. age: 18 ( vale arc ), 19 ( mistral arc ), & 20 ( atlas arc. ) birth date: april 19 ( ☀ aries / ☾ libra / ⬆ gemini. ) race: human, wolf faunus, valean & french equivalent. occupation: former first year student of beacon academy, licensed huntsman. identity: cis male, he / him pronouns, demi bi. allusions: jeanne d’arc / link from the l/egend of z/elda / excalibur. faceclaim: lucky blue smith.

weapon: crocea mors, a sword and a sheath that can expand into a shield. it has been passed down from jaune’s great - great grandfather. team: jnpr ( n/ora v/alkyrie / p/yrrha n/ikos / l/ie r/en ), rnjr ( + r/uby r/ose ) abilities: weapon wielding, increased endurance, increased strength, plus a strategic and adaptable fighting style. semblance: aura amplification. allows jaune to amplify his own aura, or that of anothers. ( canon divergent ! ) jaune’s semblance was activated in bandit encounters by near fatal wounds sustained by ren, and in another incident by nora. jaune was too distressed to note that their wounds had closed by the time they had reached safety. his semblance was only acknowledged by weiss’ wound in volume five. in volume six jaune is shown to be able to amplify the effects of someone else’s semblance, noted by extending ren’s cloaking semblance to protect an entire train. fighting style: swordsmanship. attributes include increased strength, durability, critical thinking, and leadership skills. weaknesses include movements that can be slow and predictable, hot - headedness, and an inability to keep his emotions in check which he is slowly overcoming.

illnesses: separation anxiety, insomnia, ptsd, & depression. phobias: claustrophobia, and mild pyrophobia. talents & hobbies: electronics, engineering, comic books, guitar, songwriting, roller blading, skateboarding, and dancing. inabilities: somewhat clumsy.

parents: dion arc & elodie romée ✝ siblings: seven older sisters ( including s/aphron c/otta - arc ) plus a surplus of brother and sister - in - laws ( including t/erra c/otta - arc. ) extended family: unnamed maternal and and paternal grandparents ✝ significant others: no one by default, otherwise / b/lake b/elladonna / l/ie r/en. closest friends: npr, r/wby, & sn. rivals: c/ardin w/inchester. enemies: c/inder f/all, salem & associates.

eye colour: sky blue. skin colour: fair, freckled, neutral complexion. hair colour: platinum blonde. hair style: short and choppy, recently cut, though growing longer with my portrayal. height: 158cm / 6′1�� weight: 82kg / 180lbs. body build: stocky, toned. speech: uneven tone, raspy, pitched, & fast paced. notable physical traits: jaune has: — dimples. — perfect canine teeth. all of his middle school pictures have braces. — pierced ears in the lobes, the only remnants of a teen rebellion stage on his body.

headcanon tag !

positive traits: adaptable, allocentric, clever, decisive, dutiful, earnest, generous, helpful, heroic, kind, leaderly, loyal, non - authoritarian, passionate, perceptive, playful, resourceful, self - critical, sociable, witty, & youthful. neutral traits: aggressive, ambitious, determined, emotional, frugal, impressionable, physical, questioning, sarcastic, self - conscious, skeptical, soft, solemn, stubborn, & subjective. negative traits: angry, anxious, cynical, dependant, discontented, easily discouraged, envious, fearful, foolish, imitative, insecure, moody, morbid, naive, opportunistic, paranoid, presumptuous, regretful, repentant, scornful, selfish, & vulnerable.

alignment: chaotic good. jung: enfp. primary vice & virtue: envy & humility.

— jaune begins the story as an outgoing, goofy, and friendly person. he treats people equally, and has no trouble expressing himself to strangers. he bonds with them easily, showing a lot of confidence. when faced with new situations, his false confidence leads to bold behaviour, which can backfire on him from time to time. when jaune tries to hard, it can lead to misunderstandings. — a strong sense of integrity makes him willing to put himself in awkward situations, to uphold his family moto of not going back on one’s word. during conversations, jaune never contradicts himself, and while sometimes harsh is always honest with his answers. — jaune has shown to care for his friends and the people around him, being protective of them and having a sense of responsibility as a team leader. he focuses only on his teammate’s well - being physically, mentally, and emotionally, disregarding his own issues to ensure theirs. he steps forward when others threaten his friends, and he has proven himself unwilling to do something that may hurt those he cares about. — at first, jaune’s family lineage leads to an obsession with becoming a hero. however, his lack of formal training led to a lack of self - esteem and assigned a lot of importance on his image as a fighter. he valued his image so much that he was willing to act dishonestly to achieve it. the obsession makes him brash and headstrong in battle, jumping in without considering the risks and behaving predictably offensively. — however, following the fall of beacon, his personality is somewhat changed. after witnessing the attack on shion, he is somewhat cynical. he becomes angry with qrow for his involvement in pyrrha’s death, openly accusing him of using ruby as bait. this is a completely different reaction from a year earlier when he tried to justify cardin’s bullying. jaune appears to prefer to keep his grief to himself, as he has continued to train on his own as a way to cope with the death of pyrrha, listening to her recordings on his scroll. this indicates a deep - seated sense of regret and guilt at not being able to save her from cinder. — jaune’s good nature renders him almost incapable of comprehending the actions and personalities of people like cinder, unable to fathom how someone can be so cold and cruel. this expression of belief at the sheer sadism of others serves to show how idealistic and noble jaune remains despite his trials and losses, ultimately proving him to be a fundamentally humane and caring individual. — while jaune is a good person, he is not above losing his cool, as seen when he punches a hole in the wall of his sister’s house, and when he takes his anger out on oscar over ozpin keeping so many secrets, including how pyrrha died for nothing. it is only when he finds pyrrha’s memorial statue in argus that he finally came to terms with her death, understanding that she had to try to make a difference, becoming inspired, and following in her example.

jaune deor arc was born into a middle class family with an ancient lineage spanning from before the time of the great war, protectors and cavalry of the last king of vale. despite their family coming from generation of warrior after warrior, the arc children were actually discouraged from becoming huntresses and huntsmen for a reason their father and mother would not disclose ( but it does have something to do with their large pools of aura, a fact that none of them have caught onto yet as most have avoided combat - oriented lives. ) despite this, jaune dreamed of becoming a great hero, although continued living an ordinary life after failing out of combat school.

his family were farmers, a pack of mixed human and canine faunus, wherein jaune was the youngest of his seven sisters. he had a large family, all of them very protective of one another, but despite the love he was surrounded with jaune faced difficulties young for his faunus heritage, his own pride and unwillingness to appear weak in front of loved ones meant he would not disclose how he was tormented in school. this lead to the beginnings of hidden anger issues which would get him into fights in middle school. by the time he was in high school jaune had learned to adapt himself to his surroundings, making himself appear docile and friendly so as to gain approval.

he was fairly liked in high school, but despite having relatively successful grades and offers of scholarships from i.t. universities, he still dreamed of becoming a hero despite his father’s efforts to dissuade him. in the end, he faked his transcripts and managed to hack his way into beacon academy. there, his charming and amiable nature, on top of his desperation to be liked didn’t fly as well as it did in high school, and jaune was forced to face challenges that would test the merit of his honesty. while his fraudulent ways throughout high school earned him companions, it was only once he dropped his facades that he started to make genuine friends.

a link to jaune’s wiki !

verses & au.

vale timeline. a member and leader of team j/npr, jaune has faked his way into beacon academy and struggles to play catch up to the rest of his peers in terms of combat prowess.

mistral timeline. following the fall of beacon, jaune and his team accompany ruby to have academy where the perpetrators of pyrrha’s murder were said to reside. he comes to terms with what it means to be a genuine huntsman.

atlas timeline. jaune and his team accompany ruby’s to solitas to continue aiding them in the fight against salem. their bonds are tested as the strain between their party becomes present.

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thornstocutyouwith · 6 years

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Basics:

Character’s Name: Setirasuri

Character’s Nickname(s): Seti, Suri, Little Prince, Brat

Name pronunciation: It’s not that hard to say.

Origin of name: I love the Egyptian god Set, so I looked up the closest Egyptian name to it, and combined it with Ra, I don’t know where the Suri came from. I think it’s just something I tacked on at the end because it sounded nice with the other two names, not that it is a name all on it’s own. lol

Age: 19

Ethnicity: Egyptian

Sex/Gender: Male

Sexual orientation: Primarily Bisexual(Male Preference)

Hair color: A light brown, with a reddish brown tent (Another homage to the god Set~)

Eye color: Green

Height: No taller than 5′10″

Weight: 105

Scars: Several on his neck, his chest, his arms, his hands, his back, and his legs.

Tattoos: None so far.

Birthmarks: A few here and there

Piercings: Several on his ears

Right/left handed/ambidextrous: Right handed

Glasses/contacts: Neither

Apparel:

Clothing preferences: Seti in his Main Verse will usually wear next to nothing, or thin, airy soft fabrics. In a verse set in Modern times he would wear all sorts of colors, t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, he would be adventurous.

Accessories: Seti likes to wear stuff, jewelry can pretty much be found on most of his body parts, in his main verse. In a modern verse he wouldn’t wear too much like he would in his main, he would wear all sorts of bracelets, necklaces and some rings though. They wouldn’t be as flashy as in main, more earthy or Hippie like.

Style: In his main verse he could be viewed as extremely flashy at time, mostly pointing out his princely, royal, status. Though he is more so treated like an object and a lot of things are also just given to him. In a modern verse it’s all more down played, casual clothing.

Trinkets: Probably a few magical items he’s come across. Some of them look like normal jewels, and such.

Favorite possession: A lot of the things he wears, the artifact, The ring Sean gave him.

Equipment: Seti carries around a bag that he has his trinkets in and extra jewelry. Some scrolls, some with spells, or just for reading. A lot of things with text.

Grooming habits: Usually oils, which he massages himself with often. He bathes a lot as well, mostly for enjoyment, and not so much for grooming.

Family and Relationships:

Parents: Seti and his mother and father got along very well. Seti was more of a momma’s boy, though.

Siblings: Seti has several siblings. Husani, the eldest, but not first born of his siblings, is the current pharaoh and treats Seti like a pet or personal object to do with as he pleases. Which causes a lot of tension between them. Despite Husani’s abusive tendency’s toward Seti, Seti still tries to care about his brother. Seti’s elder sister, Isis, is a lot nicer than Husani, but is still a very cunning and powerful woman. She took on parenting Seti after their mother died when he was still very young. Making Seti’s relationship with her a good and strong one.

Grandparents: N/A

Marital Status: Married to Sean

Significant Other: Sean O’Hare

Children: 4 [Julian, Phoebe, Pfieffer, Phoenix]

Pets: A ton of cats at the abandoned temple to keep him company, especially when Husani chains Seti there.

Friends: Seti has some friends here and there who help him when he travels to the kingdoms.

Enemies: He has a lot lol

Close relatives: Quite a lot

Non-close relatives: Unknown

Ancestors: Mekh, Narmar, Akhenaten, Seti I and Tutankhamen bloodlines

Religion:

The religion they follow (if any): Egyptian polytheistic

Beliefs: In Egyptian gods, ritualistic things.

Superstitions: A lot.

Virtues: Unknown

Location:

Country of Birth: Egypt

Place of Birth (State, city, etc): Memphis, Ta-Mehu (Land of papyrus, Lower Egypt)

First Language: Egyptian(Coptic form)

Cultures: Unknown

Traditions: Unknown

Schooling:

Highest Education: Minimal

Degrees: None

Home-schooled/public school/private school: Home schooled

Favorite subject: Anything to do with reading

Favorite teacher: Science Teacher

Least favorite subject: Math

Least favorite teacher: Math Teacher

Average grade: B-

Study habits: None

Special education: Unknown

Graduating year: Never

Work:

Occupation: Nothing

Salary: A lot of monies

Employment history: None

Work space: No where

Mode of Transportation: Walking

Total income: Lots of monies

Boss: Husani

Hours: Life

Experience: Life

Co-worker relationships: Threatening

Rank: Scapegoat

Work ethic: None

Home:

Rent or Own: I guess he own’s it, he’s made it his own ahah

House, apartment, etc: Apartment in the Palace, Home under the Temple

Mode of transportation: Walking

Living space: Quite spacious

Address: In the middle of no where mostly, At the palace

Hometown: Memphis, Ancient Egypt, Lower Egypt

Inner Workings Of Your Character:

Secrets: He was framed for the murder of his father. He has been abused by several people, mainly his brother Husani. Husani’s wife has in the passed forced Seti to have sex with her, in order to make her husband happy when she ends up pregnant with a child, that thankfully have almost all have been Husani’s, the living ones anyway. Can be easily manipulated into having sex with someone when drunk. Has, in the past more so then presently, sold his body merely to spice things up in his sex life. Has also had sex forced on him, whether drunk or not.

Fears: Being crowded, or put in traumatic situations

Worries: Things getting bloody, hurting someone, having a panic attack and losing control over his powers.

Eating Habits: Seti eats in a polite way, usually. Keeping his mouth shut, not trying to talk, if possible as he is chewing. But sometimes he will toy with his food a bit.

Food preferences: Seti prefers sweets and meats. But he is okay with veggies and fruits too. He’s not very picky.

Sleep preferences: Usually prefers to be as comfy and cozy as possible. Though he doesn’t like to feel suffocated, so if he’s sleeping with others it could be a little problematic.

Work preferences: He has none, he doesn’t work.

Book preferences: Anything stimulating for him in the fiction section is pretty good.

Music preferences: Stuff that makes him feel independent or just speaks to him. Other than that he would probably have no other preferences.

Introverted/extroverted: Probably an ambrivert

Optimist/pessimist: He’s more on the optimistic side

Hobbies: Exploring, Table games, Dancing,

Pet peeves: Being stuck in awkward situations. Giving up easily. Referring to any government agency as "the Fed". Characters that have just met each other in movies arrange dates without exchanging any contact or meet information. When you're invited to a party (or any event) with people you have never met, and the host doesn't introduce you to anyone. People who blame anything but themselves for THEIR failure.

Skilled at: Lockpicking, Monster Handler, Cartography, Swords, Bow and Arrows/other ranged weapons, Fire Building, Riding, Hunting, Desert Survival, Deduction, Persuasion, Botany, Hiding, Parry,

Unskilled at: Hand to Hand, Playing Brass Instruments, Tailoring, Survival Arctic, Firearms, Aura Perception,

Attitude: Positive

Obsessions: Snacks, Sleeping in, Sex, Partying,

Stresses: Being in tight spaces, Blood, Being put into situations out of his control,

Addictions: Fruit, Sex, Staying up late,

Handicaps (physical): None

Handicaps (emotional/psychological): Emotionally scarred due to his brothers actions, and recent events.

Allergies: Unknown, so far.

Medical history: Suffers random bouts of sickness, due to weakened immune system and rough life conditions.

IQ: 104

Temperament: Phlegmatic

Perception and outlook on life: Positive, for the most part.

Habits:

Verbal quirks: For the most part, Seti’s speech is clear and he will mostly speak English. Outside of that, sometimes he will carry an accent when in high stress situations. Or mix up words/ slip in some things from his native language.

Physical quirks: Thrives in hot weather, hates cold weather, Has a noticeable scar from a weapon, Plays with hair, Shifts from foot to foot,

Sleeping habits: Wakes up after noon,

Annoying/Irritating habits: Drinks alcohol excessively when around others,uses drugs recreationally,

Eating habits: Is strongly susceptible to “brain freeze”,

Healthy habits: None

Unhealthy habits: Sometimes overeats, Sometimes sleeps too much

Objects Kept In - And Why:

Their closet: Technically he doesn’t have a closet, but wherever he keeps his clothes, they are all fairly well made, considering where he lives. And the time in which he lives in. Thin breathable fabrics that at the bare minimum would cover up from the hip to the knee.

Their bedroom: Styled appropriately, with an abundance of pillows and blankets.

Their purse/bag: Survival items.

Their fridge: No.

Their car: No.

Their desk: No.

Their pockets: Probably small little trinkets, rocks, pieces of jewelry.

Their junk drawer: No

Their glove compartment: No

Their backpack: No

Their locker: No

Their car trunk: No

Their wallet: No

Their suitcase: No

Favorites:

Favorite book: The Journey To The West

Favorite movie: I, Robot

Favorite hobby: Astronomy

Favorite animal: Cats/ Snapping Turtle

Favorite color: Emerald Green

Favorite season: Doesn't matter, it’s perpetually too hot. Spring?

Favorite food: Rice

Favorite drink: Wine

Favorite time of day: Noon

Least Favorite:

Least favorite book: Harry Potter

Least favorite movie: Black Panther

Least favorite hobby: Car Racing

Least favorite animal: Birds

Least favorite color: Grey

Least favorite season: Winter

Least favorite food: Passion Fruit

Least favorite drink: Water

Least favorite time of day: Morning

Other:

Talents: Tanning (furrier), Play Percussion Instruments, Trade, Speak (language), Leadership, Herbalist, Closed Fist, Archery,

Political preference: It’s not important.

Strengths: Curiosity, Judgment, Bravery, Perseverance, Fairness, Forgiveness, Self Regulation, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Logical, Friendly, Open,

Flaws: Blunt, Moody, Indifferent, Intolerant, Naive, Lazy, Strict, Bold, Fierce, Proud, Smartass, Unpredictable,

Social class: Royalty

Blood type: AB

Posture: Bird like, elegant, sometimes hands on his sides, or at his sides.

Speech impediments: None

Spending habits: I’m sure he has some.

#SetiInformation

2 notes · View notes

manjushriwisdom · 3 years

Text

Elimination OF Desires

Milarepa

Elimination of Desires

I bow to the feet of great Marpa,

Lotsawa who spoke two tongues,

Who with vision of the three times

Realized the reality of the many as one.

Specifically, one who's cleansed

and totally removed

The mass of negative preconceptions

and imprints

And the obscurations of affiiction and action

Produced by the power of ignorance;

Who's cleared the dark deluded aberration Obscuring knowledge of the objective world And obtained strengths,

confidences, and unique properties

Through gnostic realization of the natural state To such a one who's developed

All the qualities of total omniscience

The term "buddha" is applied.

Such a perfect buddha

Is perfectly free from all desires.

To say that even bugs in trees

And infants lacking clear conception

Are buddhas is the talk of fools.

Though lacking sophisticated concepts

Like possessions and friends,

They're still tormented by reactions

To heat and cold, hunger and thirst.

These root associations gradually develop

Into full-blown concepts of desire.

Outsiders, sages, and the heterodox

Have numerous attainments

Like soaring flight through the sky, Unobstructed clairvoyant knowledge,

Various magical transformations,

And freedom from cravings

for the objects of desire.

But they'll revolve in samsara again and again Through the fault of incorrect refuge-source And lack of the vision

Of analytic wisdom and skill in methods.

Likewise, with Buddhist meditators

Though they've traveled the four absorptions And four formless media

To samsara's peak where desire is gone-

If they're not imbued with wisdom and method, They'll revolve in samsara as before.

Therefore, buddhahood will never be won

By merely stopping desires without integration Of method and wisdom through skill in method. So how is it done?

Study the paths of the three personality types, The six transcendences of giving and so on, The four social means and four infinitudes,

The three vehicles and three bases of practice, And the integration of compassion

and voidness.

Then strive to compile a great store of merit

By transcendence of giving,

morality, and patience.

Build up the store of gnosis

By practicing the transcendences of absorption and wisdom. Vigor assists both

By intensifying mental effort.

Though everything is actually void,

Insistence on mere nominal "voidness"

Without actual voidness realization

Leads to denial of action and result,

The great cause of hell and loss of freedom. Therefore, of good and bad actions and results Avoid the sinful in the slightest degree,

And cultivate virtue to its greatest extent.

Strive also to cultivate inseparable union

Of both wisdom and absorption,

For by absorption the mind is stabilized,

And by wisdom strayings are detected.

Likewise, with voidness and compassion, Cultivate the integration

of wisdom and method,

For by that sublime method

of great compassion

The welfare of beings in samsara is achieved, And by wisdom's view of voidness Dharma-body for one's own sake is realized From planted seed of supplication

Imbued with the sublime method

of compassion

The resultant twofold form-body arises.

And by form-body's inconceivable emanations

The hopes, wants, and needs of beings

Are fulfilled in ways

concordant with their welfare,

Like a gem that grants all wishes,

Or a wish-granting tree,

or a divine tree of worship.

And omniscience also,

free from preconception,

Fulfills the hopes of all trainees

As inconceivable, streaming rays of sun Dissolve the fog of all the world.

The stages of such cultivation

Overflowing the mind of Marpa,

That king of all translators,

Are the range of Mila's realization.

I've explained to you, son Ortiin,

This beggar-yogi's understanding

Bear it in heart, 0 nobly born.

Till the natural state's been confronted

Through union of Dharma

and your essential mind,

Don't disregard cause and effect.

Till you're free from fears of birth and death

By realizing appearances lack true reality,

Don't make empty, senseless talk.

Till you've attained skill

In all sutras, tantras, and sastras,

Don't teach Dharma pointlessly.

Till body, speech, and mind

toward others' welfare are directed

By slashing entanglement

with your own desires,

Don't behave with pretension and deceit.

Till you've slashed entanglement

with your own desires

And can sacrifice life to benefit others,

Don't say, "I'm a bodhisattva."

Till engaged in others' welfare

with four social means

Through inception of four infinitudes in mind, Don't say, "I work for others' welfare."

Till your heart is one with your lama

And you pray to him four sessions each day, Don't say, "I have admiration and respect."

Till beings and world shine as divine,

without attachment,

And illusory-body's purified into clear light, Don't say, "I'm a practitioner

of the mantra vehicle."

Till dakinis gather at your feast

And holy offerings change to nectar

Don't say, "I perform religious feasts."·

Till mastery of white element,

currents, and channels,

And the element can be emitted or held,

Don't perform karmamudra.

Till the force of clear awareness

rises In brilliant, thought-free quiescence,

Don't say, "I meditate the absorptions."

Till essential reality is borne on brow

Through examination

by analytic, gnostic wisdom,

Don't say, "Realization has dawned."

Do you understand my meaning, yogi?

Moved by strong faith, the yogi sang:

Eh ma! Great yogi-repa! Eh ma!

Protector of the three realms' beings! Eh ma! Buddha with human form! I bow to your feet, great Jetsiin father.

Clouds of love and compassion

Gather in the infinite sky of your mind,

And with the resonant thunder of your speech A rain of explicit Dharma falls.

You planted the seed of profound precepts

In the hard, untilled soil of my mind,

Irrigated with dear revelations,

Warded off the ruinous hail

of mistaken thought,

And cultivated with timely,

compassionate skill in method.

Though omniscient fruit hasn't ripened yet

By fault of my own inferior nature,

No one surpasses you in method.

From now till enlightenment's attained

May I accompany you, lord of yogis, Inseparable always like body and shadow.

In your company

may I realize the essence of natural state,

and win enlightenment unexcelled

May I then work for others' welfare

And thereby liberate all beings.”

~ Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs of Tibet's Beloved Saint, Milarepa Translated by Lama Kunga Rinpoche & Brian Cutillo

0 notes

dfroza · 4 years

Text

my reading of the ancient Psalms and Proverbs for january 31 of 2020

with Psalm 31 and Proverbs 31, along with Psalm 42 for the 42nd day of Winter

[Paalm 31]

A David Psalm

I run to you, God; I run for dear life.

Don’t let me down!

Take me seriously this time!

Get down on my level and listen,

and please—no procrastination!

Your granite cave a hiding place,

your high cliff aerie a place of safety.

You’re my cave to hide in,

my cliff to climb.

Be my safe leader,

be my true mountain guide.

Free me from hidden traps;

I want to hide in you.

I’ve put my life in your hands.

You won’t drop me,

you’ll never let me down.

I hate all this silly religion,

but you, God, I trust.

I’m leaping and singing in the circle of your love;

you saw my pain,

you disarmed my tormentors,

You didn’t leave me in their clutches

but gave me room to breathe.

Be kind to me, God—

I’m in deep, deep trouble again.

I’ve cried my eyes out;

I feel hollow inside.

My life leaks away, groan by groan;

my years fade out in sighs.

My troubles have worn me out,

turned my bones to powder.

To my enemies I’m a monster;

I’m ridiculed by the neighbors.

My friends are horrified;

they cross the street to avoid me.

They want to blot me from memory,

forget me like a corpse in a grave,

discard me like a broken dish in the trash.

The street-talk gossip has me

“criminally insane”!

Behind locked doors they plot

how to ruin me for good.

Desperate, I throw myself on you:

you are my God!

Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,

safe from the hands out to get me.

Warm me, your servant, with a smile;

save me because you love me.

Don’t embarrass me by not showing up;

I’ve given you plenty of notice.

Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,

leave them stupidly shaking their heads

as they drift down to hell.

Gag those loudmouthed liars

who heckle me, your follower,

with jeers and catcalls.

What a stack of blessing you have piled up

for those who worship you,

Ready and waiting for all who run to you

to escape an unkind world.

You hide them safely away

from the opposition.

As you slam the door on those oily, mocking faces,

you silence the poisonous gossip.

Blessed God!

His love is the wonder of the world.

Trapped by a siege, I panicked.

“Out of sight, out of mind,” I said.

But you heard me say it,

you heard and listened.

Love God, all you saints;

God takes care of all who stay close to him,

But he pays back in full

those arrogant enough to go it alone.

Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up.

Expect God to get here soon.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 31 (The Message)

[Psalm 42]

Book 2

The Exodus Psalms

Psalms of suffering and redemption

A Cry for Revival

For the Pure and Shining One

A contemplative poem for instruction, by the prophetic singers of Korah’s clan

I long to drink of you, O God,

drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure

flowing from your presence.

My longings overwhelm me for more of you!

My soul thirsts, pants, and longs for the living God.

I want to come and see the face of God.

Day and night my tears keep falling

and my heart keeps crying for your help

while my enemies mock me over and over, saying,

“Where is this God of yours? Why doesn’t he help you?”

So I speak over my heartbroken soul,

“Take courage. Remember when you used to be

right out front leading the procession of praise

when the great crowd of worshipers

gathered to go into the presence of the Lord?

You shouted with joy as the sound of passionate celebration

filled the air and the joyous multitude of lovers

honored the festival of the Lord!”

So then, my soul, why would you be depressed?

Why would you sink into despair?

Just keep hoping and waiting on God, your Savior.

For no matter what, I will still sing with praise,

for living before his face is my saving grace!

Here I am depressed and downcast.

Yet I will still remember you as I ponder the place

where your glory streams down from the mighty mountaintops, lofty and majestic—the mountains of your awesome presence.

My deep need calls out to the deep kindness of your love.

Your waterfall of weeping sent waves of sorrow

over my soul, carrying me away,

cascading over me like a thundering cataract.

Yet all day long God’s promises of love pour over me.

Through the night I sing his songs,

for my prayer to God has become my life.

I will say to God, “You are my mountain of strength;

how could you forget me?

Why must I suffer this vile oppression of my enemies—

these heartless tormentors who are out to kill me?”

Their wounding words pierce my heart

over and over while they say,

“Where is this God of yours?”

So I say to my soul,

“Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed.

For I know my God will break through for me.”

Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again.

Yes, living before his face is my saving grace!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 42 (The Passion Translation)

to be concluded by the 31 verses of Proverbs 31

[Inspired Word]

King Lemuel’s royal words of wisdom:

These are the inspired words my mother taught me.

Listen, my dear son, son of my womb.

You are the answer to my prayers, my son.

So keep yourself sexually pure

from the promiscuous, wayward woman.

Don’t waste the strength of your anointing

on those who ruin kings—

you’ll live to regret it!

For you are a king, Lemuel,

and it’s never fitting for a king to be drunk on wine

or for rulers to crave alcohol.

For when they drink they forget justice

and ignore the rights of those in need,

those who depend on you for leadership.

Strong drink is given to the terminally ill,

who are suffering at the brink of death.

Wine is for those in depression

in order to drown their sorrows.

Let them drink and forget their poverty and misery.

But you are to be a king who speaks up on behalf

of the disenfranchised

and pleads for the legal rights of the defenseless

and those who are dying.

Be a righteous king, judging on behalf of the poor

and interceding for those most in need.

[The Radiant Bride]

Who could ever find a wife like this one—

she is a woman of strength and mighty valor!

She’s full of wealth and wisdom.

The price paid for her was greater than many jewels.

Her husband has entrusted his heart to her,

for she brings him the rich spoils of victory.

All throughout her life she brings him what is good and not evil.

She searches out continually to possess

that which is pure and righteous.

She delights in the work of her hands.

She gives out revelation-truth to feed others.

She is like a trading ship bringing divine supplies

from the merchant.

Even in the night season she arises and sets food on the table

for hungry ones in her house and for others.

She sets her heart upon a nation and takes it as her own,

carrying it within her.

She labors there to plant the living vines.

She wraps herself in strength, might, and power in all her works.

She tastes and experiences a better substance,

and her shining light will not be extinguished,

no matter how dark the night.

She stretches out her hands to help the needy

and she lays hold of the wheels of government.

She is known by her extravagant generosity to the poor,

for she always reaches out her hands to those in need.

She is not afraid of tribulation,

for all her household is covered in the dual garments

of righteousness and grace.

Her clothing is beautifully knit together—

a purple gown of exquisite linen.

Her husband is famous and admired by all,

sitting as the venerable judge of his people.

Even her works of righteousness

she does for the benefit of her enemies.

Bold power and glorious majesty are wrapped around her

as she laughs with joy over the latter days.

Her teachings are filled with wisdom and kindness

as loving instruction pours from her lips.

She watches over the ways of her household

and meets every need they have.

Her sons and daughters arise in one accord to extol her virtues,

and her husband arises to speak of her in glowing terms.

“There are many valiant and noble ones,

but you have ascended above them all!”

Charm can be misleading,

and beauty is vain and so quickly fades,

but this virtuous woman lives in the wonder, awe,

and fear of the Lord.

She will be praised throughout eternity.

So go ahead and give her the credit that is due,

for she has become a radiant woman,

and all her loving works of righteousness deserve to be admired

at the gateways of every city!

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 31 (The Passion Translation)

0 notes

lilbcy-blog · 7 years

Text

Lars Croft (OC Muse) Info (UNDER CUT)

VERSE: Main FANDOM: Tomb Raider DATE: 4/10/2017

FULL NAME: Lars Alexander Croft NICKNAME/ALIAS: L.A.

ORIGIN: His mother’s family is an entrepreneuristic line of archaeologists, most famous of all, his mother. PET NAME: Kiddie, squirt, Purple-bud, Mini-Lara, Little Croft SIGNATURE: (What is their handwriting like?) GENDER: Male GENDER ROLE: Masculine gender role. ORIENTATION: Heterosexual Heteromantic (Single-Interest, Straight) REAL AGE: 26 (Main) AGE APPEARANCE: 7 years younger. BIRTHDAY: Friday, February 14th, 1989, 9:49 A.M. (Main), 2013 (Survivor) BIRTHPLACE: Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, England, UK ASTROLOGICAL SIGN (Western):Aquarius ZODIAC SIGN (Eastern): Tiger IMMEDIATE FAMILY:

Richard Croft (Grandfather) †

Amelia Croft (Grandmother) †

Atlas DeMornay (Grand-Uncle)

Benjamin Croft (Great-Grandfather) †

Rose Croft (Great-Great-Grandmother) †

Almina Marie Croft (Ancestor) †

Thomas Edward Croft (Ancestor) †

Scarlett Croft (Ancestor) †

PARENTING: Lara Croft (Mother), Unknown Father. UPBRINGING: Strict yet adventurous.

(on a scale of 1 - 10, how good was):

INFANCY: ([0-2]) 9.5 CHILDHOOD: ([3-12]) 10 ADOLESCENCE: ([13-17] Teen years) 10 ADULTHOOD: ([18+]) 9.6

SPECIES: Human ETHNICITY: English-American BLOOD TYPE: (Self explanatory) A+ PREFERRED HAND: Ambidextrous FACIAL TYPE: Oval EYE COLOR: Greenish-brown HAIR COLOR: Dark brown HAIRSTYLE: Pushed-Back SKIN TONE: Peach BODY TYPE: Mesomorph BUILD: Strongish face, toned arms, more durabily, more flexibility. HEIGHT: 5′11 WEIGHT: 143 lbs FACIAL HAIR: Shaven SHOE SIZE: 14 BIRTHMARKS/SCARS: Scar, across his face DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: None to tell ... except, maybe something on his hand. HEALTH: 7/10 ENERGY: 8.5/10 MEMORY: 10/10 SENSES: 8/10 ALLERGIES: Cinnamon HANDICAPS: Lumbar spinal stenosis MEDICATION: Numerous nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) PHOBIAS: Macro-Ophidiophobia (fear of large snakes: boas, anacondas, other constrictors), Thanatophobia. ADDICTIONS: LSD MENTAL DISORDERS: Death-induced depression & anxiety STYLE: American roc (sometimes Metal) MODE OF DRESS: Professional adventurer GROOMING: Semi (between messy and well-kept) POSTURE: Straight GAIT: Moderate COORDINATION: 8.7/10 HABITS AND MANNERISMS: (tbh) SCENT: Mix of fancy colognes. Sometimes Degree and Old Spice. MOOD: Mostly Cheerful ATTITUDE: Willing to interact, yet semi-private STABILITY: Emotionally 6/10 EXPRESSIVENESS: Somewhat Extrovert WHEN HAPPY: Plays electric guitar. WHEN DEPRESSED: Plays sad American rock. WHEN ANGRY: Goes out for an adventure. CURRENT RESIDENCE: Praça Gen. Tibúrcio - Urca, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22290-270, Brazil

RELATES TO: His mother. Pets/Familiars: 10 German shepherds.

WARDROBE: (Character’s closet.–formal, casual, or other kind of wear?)

FUNDS: Unknown, but by heritage, millions or billions of pounds. HOME: Pendennis Castle, Castle Drive, Falmouth TR11 4LP, United Kingdom

TRANSPORTATION: Rolls-Royce Wraith. LICENSE PLATE NUMBER: U-BL0K3 COLLECTIONS: Ancient artifacts, animal skins, skulls (human and animal), sculptures MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: (In money) PRIZED POSSESSION: One of Tutankhamun’s death masks

LOVERS: A few college students. MARITAL STATUS: Single TURN-ONS: Cute laugh, piercing eyes, intelligence, charisma POSITION: Dominant PLAYS: Roleplay. ELEMENT: Water OCCUPATION: Tomb raider, adventurer, archaeologist, student, hitboy. WORK ETHIC: Very hard worker – in all occupations. RANK: (From 1 to 50) 22 INCOME: 89K in US Dollars. WEALTH STATUS: Upper (wealthy) EXPERIENCE: High-moderate. ORGANIZATIONS/AFFILIATIONS: Croft Royal Family, British Royal Family, Endurance Crew, British Special Services, British Historians’ Society. IQ: 213 average. EDUCATION: High. SCHOOL: King’s College, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK GRADE: Almost all A’s. SPECIAL EDUCATION: Not held back, or skipped. Made 2 honor rolls. SOCIAL STEREOTYPE: Geekish Punk. DEGREES: Bachelor’s INTELLIGENCE: Interpersonal EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:Archery and soccer. RELIGION: Calvinist CRIME RECORD:

11 murders

MOTIVATION: Love for his family. PRIORITIES: First, God. Second, Family. Third, Business. PHILOSOPHY: Nothing is impossible. POLITICAL PARTY: Republican Conservative ETIQUETTE: Good at the table CULTURE: Mostly tidy. INFLUENCES: Mom, Dad. RELATES TO: Dad. TRADITIONS: Calvinist traditions, English traditions, Christmas, Easter. SUPERSTITIONS: m i r r o r s . . . HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Firearms, hunting, history. SKILLS/TALENTS: Studies, sculpting, art, writing, guitar, singing, dancing, survival SENSE OF HUMOR: Propert, rarely naughty. PET PEEVES: Disloyalty and arrogance. SUPERSTITIONS/BELIEFS: Illuminati DREAMS/NIGHTMARES: Death of his mother. QUIRKS: Sleeps upside-down. SAVVY: the political/military/underground lingo. CAN’T UNDERSTAND: Vietnamese. CLOSET HOBBY: Adventuring. GUILTY PLEASURE: 420-blaze-it.

LANGUAGES: English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Latin, Japanese, etc. ACCENT: English VOICE: Semi-hard SPEECH IMPEDIMENTS: None. GREETINGS AND FAREWELLS: Greetings. STATE OF MIND: Interested COMPLIMENT: ‘You are stunning.’ INSULT: ‘Bloke.’ EXPLETIVE: ‘Shyte.’ TAG LINE: ' however ... ’ SIGNATURE QUOTE: ’ i walk a lonely road, the only road that i have ever known. ’ HOROSCOPE: Aquarius JUNG: ESFJ: Providers. Traditionalists all the way. They are also quite sociable for an Earth sign, and they like having things planned out. ENNEAGRAM: Type 5 : The Intense, Cerebral Type; Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated MORMAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good SIN: Lust VIRTUE: Humility COMPARISON: Bobcat SYMBOL: Holy Grail with books inside MOTTO: none as of yet THEME SONG: ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ by Green Day

WEAPON:

Webley Mk. VI - .455 Webley (2x)

Lee-Enfield No. 1 Mk.III* (HT)

Sten Mk II (2x)

Trench Gun

5 TNT

5 Grenades

TROPES: Just-Like-His-Mother

[ WEALTH ]

$ Financial : wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty / subsisting. ✚ Medical : fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable ✪ Class or Caste : upper / middle / working / street trash / slave / unsure ✔ Education : qualified / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record : yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but has not been caught yet

[ FAMILY ]

◒ Children : has a child or children / has no children / wants children / verse dependent / is a child (in primary verses) ◑ Relationship with Family : close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased / estranged ◔ Affiliation : orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent / not applicable / verse dependent

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES ]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between ♦ disorganized / organized / in between ♦ close-minded / open-minded / in between ♦ calm / anxious / in between ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between ♦ cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between ♦ outspoken / reserved / in between ♦ leader / follower / in between ♦ empathetic / unempathetic / in between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦ traditional / modern / in between ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ BELIEFS ]

★ Faith : monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic / it’s complicated ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✮ Belief in an Afterlife : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯ Belief in Reincarnation : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ❃ Belief in Aliens : yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✧ Religious : orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical : yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality : heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual / Demisexual ❥ Sex : sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / clueless ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / curious ❣ Sexually : adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious / inhibited ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners : male / female / agender / other / none / all

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ≡ Literacy Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills : excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☁ Smoking : trying to quit / never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✿ Other Narcotics : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ✌ Medicinal Drugs : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ☻ Indulgent Food : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess $ Splurge Spending : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess ♣ Gambling : never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

( obvious aesthetics in bold. secret aesthetics italicized )

[ COLORS ] red. brown. orange. yellow. green. blue. purple. pink. black. white. teal. silver. gold. grey. lilac. metallic. matte. royal blue. strawberry red. charcoal grey. forest green.apple red. navy blue. crimson. cream. mint green. chartreuse.

[ ELEMENTS ] fire. ice. water. air. earth. rain. snow. wind. moon. stars. sun. heat.cold.steam. frost. lightning. sunlight. moonlight. dawn. dusk. twilight. midnight. sunrise. sunset. dewdrops. acid.

[ BODY ] claws. long fingers. fangs. teeth. wings. tails. lips. bare feet. freckles. bruises. canine. scars. scratches. wounds. burns. spikes. feathers. webs. eyes. hands. sweat. tears. feline. chubby. curvy. flexible. short. tall. normal height. muscular. piercing. tattoos.

[ WEAPONS ] fists. sword. dagger. spear. arrow. hammer. shield. poison. guns. axes. throwing axes. whips. knives. throwing knives. pepper sprays. tasers. machine guns. slingshots. katanas. maces. staffs. wands. powers. magical items. magic. rocks. mud balls

.[ MATERIALS ] gold. silver. platinum. titanium. diamonds. pearls. rubies. sapphires.emeralds. amethyst. metal. iron. rust. steel. glass. wood. porcelain. paper. wool.fur.lace.leather. silk. velvet. denim. linen. cotton. charcoal. clay. stone. asphalt. brick. marble. dust.glitter. blood. dirt. mud. smoke. ash. shadow. carbonate. rubber. synthetics. latex. spandex.

[ NATURE ] grass. leaves. trees. bark. roses. daisies. tulips. sunflowers. lavender.petals.thorns. seeds. hay. sand. rocks. roots. flowers. ocean. river. meadow. forest. desert. tundra. savanna. rainforest. caves. underwater. coral reef. beach. waves. space. clouds. mountains.

[ ANIMALS ] lions. wolves. eagles. owls. falcons. hawks. swans. vultures. snakes. turtles. ducks. bugs. spiders. birds. whales. dolphins. fish. sharks. horses. cats. dogs. bunnies. praying mantises. crows. ravens. mice. lizards. raccoons. minks. foxes. werewolves. unicorns. pegasus. dragons. rats.

[ FOODS/DRINKS ] sugar. salt. candy. bubblegum. wine. champagne. hard liquor. whiskey.beer. coffee. tea. spices. herbs. apple. orange. lemon. lime. cherry. strawberry. blackberry. blueberry watermelon. vegetables. fruits. meat. fish. pies. desserts. chocolate. cream.caramel. berries. nuts. cinnamon. burgers. burritos. pizza. tacos. ambrosia.

[ HOBBIES ] music. art. watercolors. gardening. smiting.sculpting. painting. sketching. fighting. writing. composing. cooking. sewing. training. dancing. acting.singing. karaoke.martial arts. self-defense. electronics. technology. cameras. video cameras. video games. computer. phone. movies. theater. libraries. books. magazines. cds. records.vinyls.cassettes. piano. violin. guitar. electric guitar. bass guitar. harmonica. harp. woodwinds. brass. bells. playing cards. poker chips. chess. dice. surfing. skateboarding. snowboarding. motorcycle riding. eating. climbing. running.

[ STYLE ] lingerie. armor. cape. dress. tunic. vest. shirt. boots. heels. leggings. trousers.jeans. skirt. shorts. jewelry. earrings. necklace. bracelet. ring. pendant. hat. crown. circlet. helmet. scarf. brocade. cloaks. trench coats. dusters. corsets. doublet. chest plate. gorget. bracers. suspenders. belt. sash. coat. jacket. hood. gloves. socks. masks. cowls. braces. watches. glasses. sunglasses. visor. eye contacts. makeup. greasepaint

.[ MISC ] balloons. bubbles. cityscape. light. dark. candles. war. peace. money. power. percussion. clocks. photos. mirrors. pets. diary. die-ary. fairy lights. madness. sanity. sadness. happiness. optimism. pessimism. indifference. loneliness. family. friends. assistants. co-workers. enemies. loyalty. smoking. drugs. kindness. love. hugs.

#▇ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ'ˢ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵐᵉ ᵗʰᵃᶰ ᵇᵉᶤᶰᵍ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡᶤᵏᵉ ᵐʸ ᵐᵒᵗʰᵉʳˑ ▇ (MUSE)

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serenitykrp · 7 years

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—WARNING : suspect may be armed and dangerous! WOO JISUNG, code named LYRA, is a CREW MEMBER on an unidentified firefly-class ship, traveling through the ‘Verse under the radar. They are known for being creative, open-minded, compassionate, sincere, and flexible, but beneath the surface, they have proven to be reckless, withdrawn, foolish, indecisive, and self-indulgent. Although their origin lies somewhere on their home planet ARIEL, they have been caught by stardust and lost to the great expanse.

YOU ARE YOUR OWN EXPLOSION, BRING US YOUR VERY BEST VIOLENCE.

jisung is many things, many contradictions. he is reckless and naïve, jumping headfirst into most situations he feels strongly about without considering the consequences, often assuming the best when he’s met with the worst. he is an idealist through and through, even though he’s had to learn to tamper that with what he knows of the world now. despite his recklessness he is often indecisive outside of what is important to him, and tends to rely on authority instead of himself. a lifetime as a son of the alliance has led him to be particularly deferential and occasionally brownnosing, but that sort of behaviour is less accepted on the ship and he’s learnt to stand up for himself (well, partially), but he’s still as eager to please as before.

his virtue is kindness; his vice is sloth. jisung is deeply empathetic and compassionate, and is always friendly and generous. sincerity comes easily to him, and he means what he says most of the time, if not all, and makes for a good listener even if he doesn’t have good advice. but he doesn’t know exactly what he wants from life, and lacks conviction in many things (especially himself). he fears emptiness, filling up the void with anything within reach, and desires a purpose he thinks the serenity will give him.

THERE IS NO NEWS, THERE IS ONLY THE TRUTH OF THE SIGNAL.

newton’s first law – on inertia

the first time he sees the serenity, it’s the day of his father’s funeral.

the world is waking up beneath him, the slow rumble of life just beginning. it’s a cruel contrast to how he feels. he hears the roar of the wind before anything else, as his mother reaches out to him, but jisung is held in rapture when the ship speeds past, sleek and sharp. it’s the first time he feels anything other than the dullness that passes for emotion since his father’s death, screeching against his breastbone, wings scraping the sides of his ribcage. and so he follows it, running through the cemetery until he can’t anymore, staring as it disappears into the clouds, still radiant.

it’s as if seeing the ship has jolted him back to life, hotwired into action. he’d applied for the military division of the alliance five times, but had always failed the psychological exam (unlike his father, who passed it on the first try, for whom he’d applied to for in the first place). it always came back, bold red letters on his screen – CONVICTION: WEAK. he hadn’t understood why that had been such a big deal. did they think he would suddenly give himself up, throw himself to the enemy?

it takes him all of the next afternoon to find it, navigating the databases he would browse for entertainment with renewed purpose. he hadn’t recognised the ship on sight – not an ariel ship, then, or part of the alliance’s fleet. perhaps military of another one of the planets? he thinks his psych evaluator would be proud of him, of the fierce conviction he has charging through his veins right now, determined to find the people who own the ship, to join whatever company or organisation or military it belongs to. anything, he thinks, to feel more than just the wretched stagnation he’s mired in, unmoving ever since his father’s death.

but it turns out they were right, and he’s thrown himself to the enemy.

instinctively he’s repelled; how could he not be, the son of an alliance colonel, the son whose father was killed in unnecessary combat. he throws up when he realises the source that’d helped him, that’d stirred him back to life, and his mother cries. it feels like betrayal, to his father’s memory and his own heart, the striking wrongness of what he wants. jisung deletes the entirety of his research on the serenity, no, he banishes it into the virtual netherworld, impossible to relocate and restore, even for a person with his skills.

going back to his day job is easy, plastering on the smile he’s known for. the company is a start-up in a sea of start-ups for video games, ariel’s most popular industry among people his age. he revamps the game he’d been working on, deletes it and starts from scratch thrice over, and finds himself crafting a story about ravagers. he deletes the game in anger, and gets himself fired the next day. it’s alright – the company is only a start-up in a sea of start-ups. he can find another job, another purpose, fill his time up with movement or employment or something. he’ll find it.

life is fucking futile.

newton’s second law – on the rate of change of momentum

jisung kicks himself back into gear, throws himself into researching even the most miniscule rumour about the famed ravage ship and its crew. he has to jump through hoops to get his file back, the one he’d hidden in the recesses of the darkweb, picking up stray pieces of information on the ravage ship collected while retrieving his research, but he finds it, eventually, and creates his own database, a private network with as many firewalls as he can develop. he sets up notifications for the smallest hint of activity from the serenity, rerouted through his network from government sources and , and he waits.

there are other crews, other ships, more widely regarded and famed than the serenity and its band of smugglers, but jisung finds himself drawn only to the serenity. it’s become an obsession, in the place of everything else he lived for, but he doesn’t have anything else to replace it.

most of the whispers don’t yield anything with regards to the crew, or the ship, but he diligently follows through with each one, trying to find the ship. he doesn’t know, honestly, what he’s going to do when he does manage to find it – it’s almost a game of chance, but one that’s skewed against him. he figures out how to hack into the communications of the alliance (it takes him a month) and to listen in on the task force (a week and a half, to interpret the code they use). it proves more useful, but only slightly.

he keeps up with news, social media, all his accounts on alert for the keywords he’s inputted, and then – there’s a sudden spike in every single one of the words he’s highlighted, ranging from angry and fearful and indignant and confused. jisung parses through the loud, opinionated pieces, about the failures of peacekeeping and the justice system, and the soft gossip that slips through most radars, except his. he finds them, eventually, smoke leading to fire and now, in a week, the serenity will stop by ariel, their planned docking station two districts away from where he lives.

it’s the exact combination of recklessness and naiveté that leads jisung to stowaway.

newton’s third law – on action and reaction

he’s found almost immediately, of course – he hadn’t expected anything less, from what he’d learnt, but he also hadn’t quite expected to be knocked out cold four minutes and a day into being on the ship.

when he wakes, it’s to the acrid smell of asphalt and fuel, and the sour copper taste of blood in his mouth. he assumes the crew’s taken the small rucksack storing his clothes and whatever tech he’d thought would be useful. it takes him a beating and interrogation and finally, verbally guiding one of the crew to access the network he’d created to prove he isn’t part of some task force, just a really fucking stupid guy. and great mercy, he’s given a chance to prove himself an asset to the crew.

they let him play to his strengths, and hacking for information is naturally his forte, even if he has to learn that listening in to the commands is not at all like giving them. he dives headlong into it, and learns to coordinate their operations with the information he finds integrating himself into the crew. jisung has to learn to bite his tongue occasionally, to know his place, and a million other things he’d never thought useful but it turns out are necessary for surviving on a ship like the serenity. but for all that they are ravagers, they are also human, he’s certain, and falls into the pace of the crew quickly.

(and yet – he spends their nights off awake in bed, until the lights from the stars and the ceiling swim into a vibrating mass, unable to shake of the feeling of guilt that creeps up whenever he lets his guard down. he blames his father, his upbringing, recalibrates his moral compass each night, and slips back into the rhythm of the ship each day.)

when the captain grudgingly accepts him, allows him a permanent room and the uniform, jisung grins and salutes them, and bites back the bile that rises in his throat. he chose this for himself, and he’s sticking to it.

#sy: follow #matthew kim

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my-timing-is-digital · 1 year

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Starter for @gnosticpriesthood

The ear deafening cries of sirens permeated the air and resonated from every direction, bouncing off buildings, off the tarmac road, and reverberated aggressively inside his duranium skull. Up to a dozen airborne vessels were in pursuit, and had been for a considerable amount of time; his commandeered shuttlecraft had crash-landed approximately 25 kilometers in close proximity of the outskirts of a major city. Data had not the faintest idea where he was — his pursuers had disabled the navigation systems and impulse engines shortly after he had dropped out of warp —, but judging by the large number of human faces that fleeted past as he careened down the street, he inferred that this planet was, in all probability, a Federation colony — just his luck...

‘Android! Stand down or we will open fire!’ an electronically amplified voice ordered peremptorily — the Federation law enforcement officers were no quitters. But neither was he.

It was naive and egocentric of him to assume the Federation would exclude him from the ban on synthetics that was precipitated by the pandemonium and subsequent tragedy on Mars, more than a day ago. The second Starfleet Command had ordered them to discontinue their rescue operation in the Romulan sector, and requested their immediate return to the Sol system, he should have prognosticated that the chances of apprehension and decommission were extremely feasible. He should have known the law would also applicable to him. If he had not been so injudicious, he could have had a head start! Perhaps he could even have had a safe hiding place in the mountains of a distant planet by now! But he had been acquiescent — his loyalty to Starfleet and Admiral Picard had clouded his judgement. And look where his excessive fidelity had gotten him... He was a fugitive. A fugitive of a crime he had not even committed! But he would not yield to the Federation’s demands. He wanted to be a free sentient being; he did not want to be deactivated and probed for any fatal coding errors that might have corrupted his systems in the near future! There were too many uncertainties and he refused to submit to the Federation’s trepidation toward synthetics!

Without a warning, a laser beam incised the surface of the tarmac road less than 60 centimeters away from him. He could feel the persistence of the heat press against the profile of his right hand side, and as he glanced down he could see that the blistering heat had singed his already battle-marred Starfleet uniform.

‘Android! This is your final warning. Cease this idiocy and surrender yourself to the authorities, or we will be forced to open fire!’ the same electronically enhanced voice shouted down at him.

Data disregarded it; as long as he was in a major city, there was still a possibility that he could shake off the law enforcement in one of the narrow alley ways. Deftly, the android leapt over the bonnet of a stationary vehicle and accelerated his velocity; his positronic brain computed the route of his escape at high speeds in order to prevent colliding with civilians.

Tall buildings loomed over him and obscured him from the pilots’ sights. The sound of the sirens decreased as he doubled back, but never once did he stop to look behind; this was the advantage he had been aiming for! And if he could remain under the radar for several hours, he could find himself an adequate vessel and escape this sector.

A hopeful sensation welled up in his chest, but his optimism was premature; he had nowhere to go, and finding temporary accommodation in a city that would soon be swarmed with guards and other such security measures was virtually impossible. This notion caused his determination and attentiveness to waver, which, as a consequence, resulted in a collision with an innocuous pedestrian. The dishevelled android attempted to veer aside, but to no avail; the individual’s velocity was not so dissimilar to his own...

The impact that ensued downed the both of them, and due to the high speeds at which he had been travelling, the android rolled a couple of meters away from the unfortunate soul he had crashed into, before he became stationary. A quick systems scan. All systems were operating within acceptable parameters. Immediately, he recovered his equilibrium and rose to his full height, hesitating to check on the individual. She could be one of them. But maybe she required medical attention?

He cautiously approached her, and for a nanosecond, he was engulfed by paranoia. What if she was, indeed, working for the Federation and sent to apprehend him, like an agent clandestinely posing as a civilian? Or what if she was capable of notifying the law enforcement officers of his present position? Or what if...

Try to reattain your equanimity, he thought to himself. Just ensure her physical integrity is not compromised, before you continue running...

Reluctantly, Data knelt down beside the individual and titled his head to the right in an attempt to assess her condition.

‘Are you... Are you all right?’ he enquired softly, his left hand prepared to exercise the Vulcan nerve pinch should she draw a weapon or attempt to apprise the others of his location.

#starter #gnosticpriesthood // flye fisher #verse // virtue is bold and goodness never fearful #ooc: ai shenanigans here we goooooo!#I didn't know how to introduce them to each other so I just had data run into her - literally

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readbookywooks · 7 years

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A LETTER FROM CAPTAIN GULLIVER TO HIS COUSIN SYMPSON. WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1727. I hope you will be ready to own publicly, whenever you shall be called to it, that by your great and frequent urgency you prevailed on me to publish a very loose and uncorrect account of my travels, with directions to hire some young gentleman of either university to put them in order, and correct the style, as my cousin Dampier did, by my advice, in his book called "A Voyage round the world." But I do not remember I gave you power to consent that any thing should be omitted, and much less that any thing should be inserted; therefore, as to the latter, I do here renounce every thing of that kind; particularly a paragraph about her majesty Queen Anne, of most pious and glorious memory; although I did reverence and esteem her more than any of human species. But you, or your interpolator, ought to have considered, that it was not my inclination, so was it not decent to praise any animal of our composition before my master HOUYHNHNM: And besides, the fact was altogether false; for to my knowledge, being in England during some part of her majesty's reign, she did govern by a chief minister; nay even by two successively, the first whereof was the lord of Godolphin, and the second the lord of Oxford; so that you have made me say the thing that was not. Likewise in the account of the academy of projectors, and several passages of my discourse to my master HOUYHNHNM, you have either omitted some material circumstances, or minced or changed them in such a manner, that I do hardly know my own work. When I formerly hinted to you something of this in a letter, you were pleased to answer that you were afraid of giving offence; that people in power were very watchful over the press, and apt not only to interpret, but to punish every thing which looked like an INNUENDO (as I think you call it). But, pray how could that which I spoke so many years ago, and at about five thousand leagues distance, in another reign, be applied to any of the YAHOOS, who now are said to govern the herd; especially at a time when I little thought, or feared, the unhappiness of living under them? Have not I the most reason to complain, when I see these very YAHOOS carried by HOUYHNHNMS in a vehicle, as if they were brutes, and those the rational creatures? And indeed to avoid so monstrous and detestable a sight was one principal motive of my retirement hither. Thus much I thought proper to tell you in relation to yourself, and to the trust I reposed in you. I do, in the next place, complain of my own great want of judgment, in being prevailed upon by the entreaties and false reasoning of you and some others, very much against my own opinion, to suffer my travels to be published. Pray bring to your mind how often I desired you to consider, when you insisted on the motive of public good, that the YAHOOS were a species of animals utterly incapable of amendment by precept or example: and so it has proved; for, instead of seeing a full stop put to all abuses and corruptions, at least in this little island, as I had reason to expect; behold, after above six months warning, I cannot learn that my book has produced one single effect according to my intentions. I desired you would let me know, by a letter, when party and faction were extinguished; judges learned and upright; pleaders honest and modest, with some tincture of common sense, and Smithfield blazing with pyramids of law books; the young nobility's education entirely changed; the physicians banished; the female YAHOOS abounding in virtue, honour, truth, and good sense; courts and levees of great ministers thoroughly weeded and swept; wit, merit, and learning rewarded; all disgracers of the press in prose and verse condemned to eat nothing but their own cotton, and quench their thirst with their own ink. These, and a thousand other reformations, I firmly counted upon by your encouragement; as indeed they were plainly deducible from the precepts delivered in my book. And it must be owned, that seven months were a sufficient time to correct every vice and folly to which YAHOOS are subject, if their natures had been capable of the least disposition to virtue or wisdom. Yet, so far have you been from answering my expectation in any of your letters; that on the contrary you are loading our carrier every week with libels, and keys, and reflections, and memoirs, and second parts; wherein I see myself accused of reflecting upon great state folk; of degrading human nature (for so they have still the confidence to style it), and of abusing the female sex. I find likewise that the writers of those bundles are not agreed among themselves; for some of them will not allow me to be the author of my own travels; and others make me author of books to which I am wholly a stranger. I find likewise that your printer has been so careless as to confound the times, and mistake the dates, of my several voyages and returns; neither assigning the true year, nor the true month, nor day of the month: and I hear the original manuscript is all destroyed since the publication of my book; neither have I any copy left: however, I have sent you some corrections, which you may insert, if ever there should be a second edition: and yet I cannot stand to them; but shall leave that matter to my judicious and candid readers to adjust it as they please. I hear some of our sea YAHOOS find fault with my sea-language, as not proper in many parts, nor now in use. I cannot help it. In my first voyages, while I was young, I was instructed by the oldest mariners, and learned to speak as they did. But I have since found that the sea YAHOOS are apt, like the land ones, to become new-fangled in their words, which the latter change every year; insomuch, as I remember upon each return to my own country their old dialect was so altered, that I could hardly understand the new. And I observe, when any YAHOO comes from London out of curiosity to visit me at my house, we neither of us are able to deliver our conceptions in a manner intelligible to the other. If the censure of the YAHOOS could any way affect me, I should have great reason to complain, that some of them are so bold as to think my book of travels a mere fiction out of mine own brain, and have gone so far as to drop hints, that the HOUYHNHNMS and YAHOOS have no more existence than the inhabitants of Utopia. Indeed I must confess, that as to the people of LILLIPUT, BROBDINGRAG (for so the word should have been spelt, and not erroneously BROBDINGNAG), and LAPUTA, I have never yet heard of any YAHOO so presumptuous as to dispute their being, or the facts I have related concerning them; because the truth immediately strikes every reader with conviction. And is there less probability in my account of the HOUYHNHNMS or YAHOOS, when it is manifest as to the latter, there are so many thousands even in this country, who only differ from their brother brutes in HOUYHNHNMLAND, because they use a sort of jabber, and do not go naked? I wrote for their amendment, and not their approbation. The united praise of the whole race would be of less consequence to me, than the neighing of those two degenerate HOUYHNHNMS I keep in my stable; because from these, degenerate as they are, I still improve in some virtues without any mixture of vice. Do these miserable animals presume to think, that I am so degenerated as to defend my veracity? YAHOO as I am, it is well known through all HOUYHNHNMLAND, that, by the instructions and example of my illustrious master, I was able in the compass of two years (although I confess with the utmost difficulty) to remove that infernal habit of lying, shuffling, deceiving, and equivocating, so deeply rooted in the very souls of all my species; especially the Europeans. I have other complaints to make upon this vexatious occasion; but I forbear troubling myself or you any further. I must freely confess, that since my last return, some corruptions of my YAHOO nature have revived in me by conversing with a few of your species, and particularly those of my own family, by an unavoidable necessity; else I should never have attempted so absurd a project as that of reforming the YAHOO race in this kingdom: But I have now done with all such visionary schemes for ever. APRIL 2, 1727

#GulliversTravels

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dfroza · 4 years

Text

Today’s reading in the ancient book of Psalms and Proverbs

for Tuesday, march 31 of 2020 with Psalm 31 and Proverbs 31, accompanied by Psalm 13 for the 13th day of Spring and Psalm 91 for day 91 of the year

[Psalm 31]

A David Psalm

I run to you, God; I run for dear life.

Don’t let me down!

Take me seriously this time!

Get down on my level and listen,

and please—no procrastination!

Your granite cave a hiding place,

your high cliff aerie a place of safety.

You’re my cave to hide in,

my cliff to climb.

Be my safe leader,

be my true mountain guide.

Free me from hidden traps;

I want to hide in you.

I’ve put my life in your hands.

You won’t drop me,

you’ll never let me down.

I hate all this silly religion,

but you, God, I trust.

I’m leaping and singing in the circle of your love;

you saw my pain,

you disarmed my tormentors,

You didn’t leave me in their clutches

but gave me room to breathe.

Be kind to me, God—

I’m in deep, deep trouble again.

I’ve cried my eyes out;

I feel hollow inside.

My life leaks away, groan by groan;

my years fade out in sighs.

My troubles have worn me out,

turned my bones to powder.

To my enemies I’m a monster;

I’m ridiculed by the neighbors.

My friends are horrified;

they cross the street to avoid me.

They want to blot me from memory,

forget me like a corpse in a grave,

discard me like a broken dish in the trash.

The street-talk gossip has me

“criminally insane”!

Behind locked doors they plot

how to ruin me for good.

Desperate, I throw myself on you:

you are my God!

Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,

safe from the hands out to get me.

Warm me, your servant, with a smile;

save me because you love me.

Don’t embarrass me by not showing up;

I’ve given you plenty of notice.

Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,

leave them stupidly shaking their heads

as they drift down to hell.

Gag those loudmouthed liars

who heckle me, your follower,

with jeers and catcalls.

What a stack of blessing you have piled up

for those who worship you,

Ready and waiting for all who run to you

to escape an unkind world.

You hide them safely away

from the opposition.

As you slam the door on those oily, mocking faces,

you silence the poisonous gossip.

Blessed God!

His love is the wonder of the world.

Trapped by a siege, I panicked.

“Out of sight, out of mind,” I said.

But you heard me say it,

you heard and listened.

Love God, all you saints;

God takes care of all who stay close to him,

But he pays back in full

those arrogant enough to go it alone.

Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up.

Expect God to get here soon.

The Book of Psalms, Poem 31 (The Message)

[Psalm 13]

Prayer Turns Depression into Delight

For the Pure and Shining One, by King David

I’m hurting, Lord—will you forget me forever?

How much longer, Lord?

Will you look the other way when I’m in need?

How much longer must I cling to this constant grief?

I’ve endured this shaking of my soul.

So how much longer will my enemy have the upper hand?

It’s been long enough!

Take a good look at me, God, and answer me!

Breathe your life into my spirit.

Bring light to my eyes in this pitch-black darkness

or I will sleep the sleep of death.

Don’t let my enemy proclaim, “I’ve prevailed over him.”

For all my adversaries will celebrate when I fall.

Lord, I have always trusted in your kindness, so answer me.

I will yet celebrate with passion and joy

when your salvation lifts me up.

I will sing my song of joy to you, the Most High,

for in all of this you have strengthened my soul.

My enemies say that I have no Savior,

but I know that I have one in you!

The Book of Psalms, Poem 13 (The Passion Translation)

[Psalm 91]

He who takes refuge in the shelter of the Most High

will be safe in the shadow of the Almighty.

He will say to the Eternal, “My shelter, my mighty fortress,

my God, I place all my trust in You.”

For He will rescue you from the snares set by your enemies who entrap you

and from deadly plagues.

Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers,

will protect you under His great wings;

His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.

You will not dread the terrors that haunt the night

or enemy arrows that fly in the day

Or the plagues that lurk in darkness

or the disasters that wreak havoc at noon.

A thousand may fall on your left,

ten thousand may die on your right,

but these horrors won’t come near you.

Only your eyes will witness

the punishment that awaits the evil,

but you will not suffer because of it.

For you made the Eternal [your] refuge,

the Most High your only home.

No evil will come to you;

plagues will be turned away at your door.

He will command His heavenly messengers to guard you,

to keep you safe in every way.

They will hold you up in their hands

so that you will not crash, or fall, or even graze your foot on a stone.

You will walk on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the lion and the serpent underfoot.

“Because he clings to Me in love,

I will rescue him from harm;

I will set him above danger.

Because he has known Me by name,

He will call on Me, and I will answer.

I’ll be with him through hard times;

I’ll rescue him and grant him honor.

I’ll reward him with many good years on this earth

and let him witness My salvation.”

The Book of Psalms, Poem 91 (The Voice)

to be concluded by the 31 verses of Proverbs 31:

[Inspired Word]

King Lemuel’s royal words of wisdom:

These are the inspired words my mother taught me.

Listen, my dear son, son of my womb.

You are the answer to my prayers, my son.

So keep yourself sexually pure

from the promiscuous, wayward woman.

Don’t waste the strength of your anointing

on those who ruin kings—

you’ll live to regret it!

For you are a king, Lemuel,

and it’s never fitting for a king to be drunk on wine

or for rulers to crave alcohol.

For when they drink they forget justice

and ignore the rights of those in need,

those who depend on you for leadership.

Strong drink is given to the terminally ill,

who are suffering at the brink of death.

Wine is for those in depression

in order to drown their sorrows.

Let them drink and forget their poverty and misery.

But you are to be a king who speaks up on behalf

of the disenfranchised

and pleads for the legal rights of the defenseless

and those who are dying.

Be a righteous king, judging on behalf of the poor

and interceding for those most in need.

[The Radiant Bride]

Who could ever find a wife like this one—

she is a woman of strength and mighty valor!

She’s full of wealth and wisdom.

The price paid for her was greater than many jewels.

Her husband has entrusted his heart to her,

for she brings him the rich spoils of victory.

All throughout her life she brings him what is good and not evil.

She searches out continually to possess

that which is pure and righteous.

She delights in the work of her hands.

She gives out revelation-truth to feed others.

She is like a trading ship bringing divine supplies

from the merchant.

Even in the night season she arises and sets food on the table

for hungry ones in her house and for others.

She sets her heart upon a nation and takes it as her own,

carrying it within her.

She labors there to plant the living vines.

She wraps herself in strength, might, and power in all her works.

She tastes and experiences a better substance,

and her shining light will not be extinguished,

no matter how dark the night.

She stretches out her hands to help the needy

and she lays hold of the wheels of government.

She is known by her extravagant generosity to the poor,

for she always reaches out her hands to those in need.

She is not afraid of tribulation,

for all her household is covered in the dual garments

of righteousness and grace.

Her clothing is beautifully knit together—

a purple gown of exquisite linen.

Her husband is famous and admired by all,

sitting as the venerable judge of his people.

Even her works of righteousness

she does for the benefit of her enemies.

Bold power and glorious majesty are wrapped around her

as she laughs with joy over the latter days.

Her teachings are filled with wisdom and kindness

as loving instruction pours from her lips.

She watches over the ways of her household

and meets every need they have.

Her sons and daughters arise in one accord to extol her virtues,

and her husband arises to speak of her in glowing terms.

“There are many valiant and noble ones,

but you have ascended above them all!”

Charm can be misleading,

and beauty is vain and so quickly fades,

but this virtuous woman lives in the wonder, awe,

and fear of the Lord.

She will be praised throughout eternity.

So go ahead and give her the credit that is due,

for she has become a radiant woman,

and all her loving works of righteousness deserve to be admired

at the gateways of every city!

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 31 (The Passion Translation)

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