The cage chapter summaries

All Hail Nicolas Cage!

2011.10.23 02:28 ArcWinter All Hail Nicolas Cage!

This is a subreddit dedicated to Nicolas Cage, the deity. Here, we worship and collect all content relating to the Cage, through which we hope to discern His Holy Word. We welcome all, as the Lord would, but still fight against the temptation of John Travolta. Come, come, and hear the Truth!
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2018.09.26 02:38 Tokyo Revengers Subreddit

Welcome to the community subreddit for fans of the Tokyo Revengers manga, anime adaptation and live-action, from creator Ken Wakui.
[link]

2015.10.28 05:11 Zodiacd Quantic Dream's Detroit: Become Human

This is a subreddit for Quantic Dream's 2018 game Detroit: Become Human.
[link]

2024.06.07 20:15 whyB2 (Offer) Lots of Universal Rewards Point titles. Once Upon a Deadpool (CA). Premium Rush HD (not SD). Appleseed Alpha. Much more. (Request) Will OVER trade for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Also, lists.

Movies split where possible. Please only redeem the portion listed. Assume loyalty points have been used.
Vudu is now Fandango at Home
Immediate redeem only, not for re-trade.
----------Collections / TV / Bundles / Other----------
----------4K----------
----------HD----------
----------Request----------
submitted by whyB2 to uvtrade [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 20:07 CaptainSmith1617 A Falcon of Summer Chapter 66 Headaches and Family

Title: A Falcon of Summer
Author: Lawkeeper
Rating: T
Language: English
Length: 440k words
Status: Ongoing
Link: A Falcon of Summer work
Chapter 66 Headaches and Family
Summary: At Riverrun in the one night before marching off to war with Robert Baratheon, Jon Arryn sires a son with Lysa Tully. Jasper Arryn is an untested green boy, a lord of summer, but when the king who sits on the Iron Throne commands him to hand over his wards, history repeats itself. As High as Honor!
Chapter Summary: Cersei is Cersei and is the most rational actor ever. Tommen has to take a break from the war to deal with his lovely mother. Garlan uncovers a conspiracy. And Edmure is a good man in the Kingswood and adopts a feral wolf
If your want a fic where the OC is a flawed guy like the rest of the asoiaf characters and things change from the canon line very quickly this is your story. If you want some interesting plot point changes. Heres some spoilers. Joffrey is exiled from the realm at the Trident. Melisandre believes Robert is the chosen one. Not Stannis. No War for the Five Kings. Different war is launched. Jon Snow gets a white cloak instead of a black.
Another chapter down in theory I only have 17 left(Technically 19, but being the silly guy I am I already finished two chapters out of order. One is a battle chapter which was a blast to write.) My goal is to try to finish this fic by the end of the year. Probably a fools hope (I'm just as bad as George I guess XD) I do wish sometimes I had help for this and someone could split the workload. I'd be very happy if that ever happened, but I suppose thats unlikely by this point. I just have to keep chugging along until I get to the end. I can see the end, but we still have several miles to go. Assuming every chapter is on average 5K I still have 95K of unwritten materials as a conservative estimate likely more like in the 115-120K range given most chapters are at least 6K in words.
submitted by CaptainSmith1617 to AsoiafFanfiction [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 20:06 CaptainSmith1617 A Falcon of Summer Chapter 66 Headaches and Family

Title: A Falcon of Summer
Author: Lawkeeper
Rating: T
Language: English
Length: 440k words
Status: Ongoing
Link: A Falcon of Summer work
Chapter 66 Headaches and Family
Summary: At Riverrun in the one night before marching off to war with Robert Baratheon, Jon Arryn sires a son with Lysa Tully. Jasper Arryn is an untested green boy, a lord of summer, but when the king who sits on the Iron Throne commands him to hand over his wards, history repeats itself. As High as Honor!
Chapter Summary: Cersei is Cersei and is the most rational actor ever. Tommen has to take a break from the war to deal with his lovely mother. Garlan uncovers a conspiracy. And Edmure is a good man in the Kingswood and adopts a feral wolf
If your want a fic where the OC is a flawed guy like the rest of the asoiaf characters and things change from the canon line very quickly this is your story. If you want some interesting plot point changes. Heres some spoilers. Joffrey is exiled from the realm at the Trident. Melisandre believes Robert is the chosen one. Not Stannis. No War for the Five Kings. Different war is launched. Jon Snow gets a white cloak instead of a black.
Another chapter down in theory I only have 17 left(Technically 19, but being the silly guy I am I already finished two chapters out of order. One is a battle chapter which was a blast to write.) My goal is to try to finish this fic by the end of the year. Proably a fools hope (I'm just as bad as George I guess XD) I do wish sometimes I had help for this and someone could split the workload. I'd be very happy if that ever happened, but I suppose thats unlikely by this point. I just have to keep chugging along until I get to the end. I can see the end, but we still have several miles to go. Assuming every chapter is on average 5K I still have 95K of unwritten materials as a conservative estimate likely more like in the 115-120K range given most chapters are at least 6K in words.
submitted by CaptainSmith1617 to TheCitadel [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 19:55 BellaBrowsing My interpretation of the "In Summation" Poem

Before diving into the poem itself, I want to explain my overall opinion on the concept for this album. While it is in a lot of ways about her relationship(s), it's also in just as many ways (if not more) about Taylor's relationship with herself, the media, the industry, and her fans.
In my opinion, one overarching theme of TTPD is the parasocial relationship these groups have to her and the well crafted PR machine that has been created for her. Throughout her career people have speculated on which relationships her songs are about despite very little confirmation from Taylor. She has made the comment in her career that fans think it's one thing because "they didn't see a picture of it, so it didn't happen." They think they know her and know what is best for her, but in reality we only see what Taylor wants us to see (Mirrorball is literally about this). But what Taylor is telling us throughout TTPD is that we DON'T always know what's going on and we absolutely DON'T get to tell her how to live her life.
Last year, when news broke that her & Matty were dating, all hell broke loose. Her fans wanted it to be ANYTHING other than a real relationship because they have crafted this persona of her and Matty did not fit into their box of who Taylor Swift is. So many of the lyrics on TTPD are exaggerated, heightened for emotional effect. Because she is feeding into the public narrative that she MUST have been crazy to date him, he MUST have been a rebound when she was in an emotional state.
(Reminder: Taylor plays with pronouns a lot. Not every HE is a bout a man. She wrote an entire song called The Man, Taylor is James in the teenage love triangle, etc. Also, more importantly, she is unreliable narrator).
Enter The In Summation poem: A satirical plead to the public to forgive her for her "bad judgement." Because they act as Judge, Jury, and Executioner of her life.
At this hearing I stand before my fellow members of the Tortured Poets Department With a summary of my findings A debrief, a detailed rewinding For the purpose of warning For the sake of reminding
As you might all unfortunately recall I had been struck with a case of a restricted humanity Which explains my plea here today of temporary i n s a n i t y
You see, the pendulum swings Oh, the chaos it brings Leads the caged beast to do the most curious things
Lovers spend years denying what’s ill fated Resentment rotting away galaxies we created
Stars placed and glued meticulously by hand next to the ceiling fan
Tried wishing on comets. Tried dimming the shine. Tried to orbit his planet. Some stars never align.
And in one conversation, I tore down the whole sky
Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues Then a crash from the skylight bursting through Something old, someone hallowed, who told me he could be brand new
And so I was out of the oven and into the microwave Out of the slammer and into a tidal wave How gallant to save the empress from her gilded tower Swinging a sword he could barely lift But loneliness struck at that fateful hour Low hanging fruit on his wine stained lips
He never even scratched the surface of me.
None of them did.
“In summation, it was not a love affair!” I screamed while bringing my fists to my coffee ringed desk It was a mutual manic phase. It was self harm. It was house and then cardiac arrest.
A smirk creeps onto this poet’s face Because it’s the worst men that I write best.
And so I enter into evidence My tarnished coat of arms My muses, acquired like bruises My talismans and charms The tick, tick, tick of love bombs My veins of pitch black ink
All’s fair in love and poetry ;)
submitted by BellaBrowsing to taylorandmatty [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 19:50 G0FuckThyself Please read 'Hatarakanai Futari'

If you want something very relaxing and fun please do give a try to 'Hatarakanai Futari(The jobless siblings)'
It a slice of life about a Neet brother and sister who goes about their daily life with their friend and parent while helping them and having fun.
Here's summery:
A slice-of-life story about two siblings, both jobless shut-ins. Haruko is a teenage girl who shares with her brother a love of laying around the house in sweats, watching television and playing video games. Her brother has a few friends, but Haruko has a lot of problems with social anxiety. The two of them pass their days happily playing together, though their mother worries about how she's going to get Haruko to shape up enough to find a husband.
But this summary doesn't do the justice there is alot going on, its chapter based(usually less the 3 to 5 page per chapter) with no actual story to progress but characters do have some development.
Also, there is no ecchi content that might be inappropriate although there are quite a few poop jokes.
Here Mangadex link: https://mangadex.org/manga/52d4ad1e-d02c-4fef-81d6-1e758e699d31/hatarakanai-futari
submitted by G0FuckThyself to animeindian [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 19:49 AdamLuyan 12.3 Four Empty Stillness

12.3 Four Empty Stillness

12.3.1 Edgeless Empty Stillness (cf. fig. 12.0-4)

After attaining the fourth meditation, migrator deeply contemplates the faults of the color laws and intends to eliminate all color laws. With one heart to aggregate empty, the migrator spells empty no renunciation, then the immediate color stillness fades, but empty stillness does not arise, there is also intermediate meditation. At that time, diligently advances, one heart spells empty no stop, then its heart yieldingly carries out the operation, self-dwells in empty factors, also name as Nonarrival Land Phenomena. Afterward, the heart is openly in tune with emptiness, bright and immaculate, neither bitter nor laugh; beneficial acceptance grows.
https://preview.redd.it/0a1d39wzs65d1.jpg?width=2178&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cc949de8b5f2696df94bed575d106a819c75a41
In the deep stillness, the only can be seen is the emptiness, without all the colors (note 1). Even though the being aggregated is edgeless vague emptiness, the heart is not dispersed. And since there is no color bondage, the heart is clear and quiet, is free from any obstacles, and is self-sufficient, such as the cage is broken and the birds come out, soaring freely, therefore the name of proving vague empty stillness (cf. fig. 12.0-4). When one has testified the stillness, there is no loss or regression, at the end of the life, will be born in the edgeless empty place, but there are the feeble four colorless nodes (note 2).
Note 1, in Buddhism, color is the meaning of transformation and obstruction, see section 11.4.1 on Color Node. The empty color seen here is the emptiness that unconsciousness defaults to emptiness, so it is not the color in real life.
Note 2, the four colorless nodes are the acceptance node, the think node, the migration node, and the sense node, see section 11.4.

12.3.2 Edgeless Senses Stillness (cf. fig. 12.0-3)

When a migrator has attained empty stillness, scolds many faults of the empty place to conveniently abandon the empty place; all attach to present heart senses, spell and spells, not giving up, to the future and the past are also like that. Constantly spells sense, desires to match with, extra efforts to concentrate, migrator doesn’t calculate weeks or months, one heart to meet senses, without different spells. The empty Stillness fades, but Sense Stillness isn’t arousing, so it is called the intermediate stillness. Then yieldingly operation at will, migrator itself dwells in sense factors; this is named as Nonarrival Land.
After that, migrator matches with senses, still heart doesn’t move. Among the stillness, the migrator doesn’t see other things, only heart senses, spell and spells do not dwell, still heart is brightly immaculate. Sense thinks are broad, quantity-less, and edgeless (cf. fig. 12.0-3). Sense law support heart, no loose intents. The stillness is easy, seclusive, immaculate, and quiet. Proofing this and not losing it, next life will be born in Edgeless Senses Place; also, has feeble four colorless nodes.

12.3.3 No Objective Have Stillness (cf. fig. 12.0-2)

It is also known as the "no use place stillness" (note 1). When a migrator has attained the sense stillness, scolds the faults of the sense place, to abandon the sense place, and attaching heart to “not objectively have place”; in the center of the heart there is no regret, and concentration without laxness, on it with perseverance, and is pure in the heart. Empty, not objectively have (note 2), not seeing laws, silent, seclusive, heart doesn’t move, this is testament of “not objectively have stillness” phenomenon. When entering the stillness, agreeably silent extinction, thinks don’t arise. Even not seeing phenomena of heart, not to mention other laws, no objective differentiation; this is proofing “not objectively have stillness” phenomenon (cf. fig. 12.0-2). Testified this, not losing it, next life will be born in “not objectively have place”, also having delicately weak four non-color nodes.
https://preview.redd.it/9lgwcvc5t65d1.jpg?width=1425&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f6617059650e4e54d62cee35cb15dafb7d62c44
Note 1, This is a synonym for the practice of “non-efficacious migration”, also known as Still View, Sanskrit Samatha-Vipassana, aka. Arrival Ark.
Note 2, What is seen is the pervasive constant silent light. That light which is either turquoise or yellow or red or white is the constant of heart, is nameless, innumerable, and infinite. That light is only present quantity and ineffable, so reader should know that the author me is incorrect in what I say.

12.3.4 Neither Think nor Non-think Stillness (cf. fig. 12.0-1)

When a migrator has attained the “no objective ‘have’ stillness”, deeply scolds reprimands the faults of “not objectively have place” to give up the “not objectively have place”, views to “neither have nor none”. Constantly spellings no stop, one heart concentrates on the effort, puts extra works continuingly, heart carries out the operation as wish, (migrator) dwells in the aggregative factors. Afterward, suddenly, the true stillness arouses, not seeing the appearances of have and nil, silent extinction, being completely silent, the heart is unshakeable and tranquil and pure, as in the phase of Nirvana (i.e., above “not objectively have place”). This stillness (cf. fig. 12.0-1) is a delicately wonderful, is extreme among three boundaries (note 1), like an inchworm moving to the treetop, has no further to go. Upon proofing this, not losing it, after life will definitely be born in “neither think nor non-think place”. In the stillness, one still has the feeble four colorless nodes.
https://preview.redd.it/e6enctu6t65d1.jpg?width=1204&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89828ab2a9ce8e24bf4f4ecdeaa5aee66205820b
Note 1, The three boundaries are the desire boundary, the color boundary, and the colorless boundary, as shown in Illustration 12.0.
↪️Back to Catalog of Chapter 12 Meditation
submitted by AdamLuyan to LifeTree [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 19:31 Beginning_Parfait261 New to this

Hi so I read the manga but as we know it stops at chapter 18.2, I’m not much of a reader for novels, I was wondering if there’s summaries I can read though? Or YouTube videos with summaries per volume similar to the classroom of the elite ones?
submitted by Beginning_Parfait261 to GimaiSeikatsu [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 18:19 limerite Summary of the last few side story chapters

i write summaries of the side story for tumblr but i'd love to see more redditors interested in the side story so i'm reposting them here with edits for readability :) please check out this for information on where to read the side story!
LHH had used ORV to check on his companions a few chapters ago, but kimcom's constant thinking of KDJ had forced him over to view them as well. Last chapter had yjh reminiscing about a memory from during his time in space:
While he's resting in another world, Biyoo tells him to imagine a life without the scenarios, which he can't do well. After some conversation (Biyoo: "maybe in another life you wouldn't be unemployed. i feel sorry for captain.") He hears a boy's voice in the distance and immediately gets up and runs to grab his shoulder. As he reaches the boy, a gruff boy grabs his arm, while a small girl moves to protect the boy. He apologizes and lets go.
Watching the three walk off, he starts to think. That boy who sounds like Kim Dokja, the gruff boy with a strikingly similar aura to himself, and the small girl with a mole on her cheek... he knows they couldn't really be who he's thinking of. Even so, somewhere out there, a story like that might just exist.
+ my translation of the above scene:
The voices of young children were heard from the bottom of the streamlet. One girl shouted "Let's go to the PC bang!", and another boy frowned. And a pale, slender boy headlocked the frowning boy.
"Ah! Let's go!"
The moment Yoo Joonghyuk heard the boy's voice, he suddenly rose from his seat.
[Captain?]
Yoo Joonghyuk began to descend the hillside. His slow-moving legs gradually began to quicken. Yoo Joonghyuk ran to the boy and grasped the boy's shoulder, forgetting his lack of breath.
The boy looked back at him with a frown.
"Who are you?"
"What is it, ahjussi?"
A blunt-looking boy grabbed Yoo Joonghyuk's arm, and a small girl who stood in front of the boy as if to protect him scowled at Yoo Joonghyuk.
Yoo Joonghyuk quickly let go.
"I'm sorry. I was mistaken."
The children went back on their way, grumbling weakly.
Looking at their backs, unfamiliar yet somehow familiar, Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly started to imagine like that.
「Maybe that boy.」
Isn't it that, similarly to Biyoo, that boy is a reborn Kim Dokja, finally forgetting all the tregedies after reincarnating?
Yoo Joonghyuk eyed the boy and the girl next to him. A blunt-looking boy with an oddly similar atmosphere to him, and a girl with a beauty mark like Han Sooyoung.
Of course, the kids were not Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung. Even though he knew that, Yoo Joonghyuk kept experiencing strange feelings.
What if, somewhere in the universe, there really was such a story?
The voice of the lowly smiling Biyoo reached his ears.
[See. I told you, even Captain has a story that he imagines.]
After this, he senses LHH watching him, which scares the shit out of LHH and he switches to someone else.
Now, he finds himself possessing the kkoma KDJ that kimcom has been taking care of. He can see Cha Yerin and Ji Eunyu struggling in the carriage while he's passed out, but as he tries to deactivate ORV, there's an error... he watches them for a while, listening to their thoughts.. and while watching them, he loses confidence in his plan to change the 41st round. What happens to kimcom after the 41st round is changed?
Yoo Joonghyuk walks in then, shouting Kim Dokja's name. YSA tries to ask what's going on, and YJH just keeps repeating that Kim Dokja was here. And then he sees the kkoma KDJ. He immediately sprints over with [Red Phoenix Shunpo] and grabs him. lhh is frantically trying to release orv while yjh glares at him. kimcom tries to explain that it's not really kdj, and points at the screen showing LHH.
But then they notice that he's passed out. And knowing the skill that KDJ uses when he passes out... kimcom gather around LHH. a silence sweeps over the group. and they all come to a conclusion.
"Let's lock him up."
LHH panics.
"Should we buy a cage for now?""Does the 'Dokkaebi Bag' have that?""Why don't you ask Bihyung?""What about a leash too?""What kind of dog is ahjussi?"
ORV is still erroring out. He can't cancel his skill. Yoo Joonghyuk is STILL holding him, and staring at him with a strange gaze. He starts to think he'll really be locked up.
YSA finally decides to calm everything down and tells the group to stop playing jokes.
LSH, walking in with an animal cage: We were joking?
He's asked a question, but in his current form he can't talk. A system is set: He'll blink once for 'yes', and twice for 'no'. Each person will ask one question, and Lee Gilyoung goes first.
"Dokja hyung... it's you, right?"
The most important question to them. Is he Kim Dokja?
He blinks. Three times.
It's true, and not true. He is Kim Dokja, but he is also not Kim Dokja. Each member of kimcom accepts that response in their own way. LSH then warns that LHH's condition is off. ORV's condition is unstable. It's only natural that it would be, as crossing worldlines is normally impossible. Yoosung pleads for him to stay. She knows he has a place to go back to, that he has people who need him. But them, too... She chokes up and can't continue. But as he's acting as the Demon King of Salvation right now, his incarnation's voice was clear.
「We need ahjussi too.」
By Lee Seolhwa's estimate, LHH has around 5 minutes left. Everyone steps back, letting Shin Yoosung ask the last question. She asks why he came here. it's a question he can't answer. YSA hugs Shin Yoosung and rephrases the question.
"Did you miss us?"
Shin Yoosung looks up then. Maybe this was the question she really wanted to ask. Lee Hakhyun decides to think as Kim Dokja.
He looks at . Shin Yoosung, Lee Gilyoung, Yoo Sangah, Lee Jihye, Yoo Joonghyuk... and even Han Sooyoung, who wasn't there. He wanted to remember their faces. Like taking a picture, he slowly blinks once.
Tears well up in Shin Yoosung's eyes, and the rest of the group have similar reactions. Yoo Joonghyuk is still looking at him with that same strange gaze. YSA moves close to him, and whispers something that only he could hear.
"We know. Dokja-ssi isn't the 'Kim Dokja' we remember."
"Even so, we still think Dokja-ssi is Dokja-ssi. No one can deny that."
Yoo Sangah then moves back, and speaks again in a voice everyone can hear.
She says that he can stay here, if he wants. They can provide the probability for it. And they can help the 41st round. The rest of them start to speak up, and as they talk, the story of begins to speak.
Lee Hakhyun can see the space between the lines. The side of that was never shown. Several from kimcom were not here. And yet they didn't blame him. They were saying it was fine for him to stay on top of the lines they had created. Is his own story really that important? Maybe Han Sooyoung was right when she said he wasn't qualified to write the 41st round. It already has an ending, and it can't be changed. He could spend the rest of his life here, for Kim Dokja's Company's sake, who would be comforted just by him being here—
On the screen, he hears the voice of the 41st Yoo Joonghyuk.
Even as Lee Hakhyun is here, the 41st round's Yoo Joonghyuk continues to forward forward. Toward the end of a story that would end in failure.
Seeing him, he finally understood why Kim Dokja had not stayed in the 1863rd round.
Shin Yoosung desperately asks if he would stay. bBut all he sees is darkness, as she has covered his eyes. She tells him not to answer.
In the darkness, He hears yoo joonghyuk's voice.
"Listen, Kim Dokja.""Regardless of the story you want, we will continue to create the ending we want. And you cannot stop us."
With a spark, ORV starts to release. LGY helps the crying SYS as YSA thanks him for coming. Seeing kimcom, he's convinced yet again.
Kim Dokja would have wanted to come back to them no matter what.
So why didn't he? What forced him to leave the people he loved most?
As his conscious fades, he hears a voice.
【Do you really want to know?】
He could instinctively feel it. He knows the owner of that voice.
【Even if that truth could ruin you forever?】
submitted by limerite to OmniscientReader [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 18:10 flags_fiend Long Deadline Profile Exchange

It's finally Friday, so it's time for the Long Deadline Profile Exchange
HOW IT WORKS: This is a subreddit event where everyone posts their AO3 (or FFN) profile with some information about the kind of fics they write. Then, the other participants will look through their profiles, read a one-shot or chapter by the author, and then leave a comment on one of their works. (A kudos would be nice too!)
DEADLINE FOR ENTRY is Sunday 9th June at 5PM BST/WEST (UTC+1)
DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION is Saturday 15th June at 5PM BST/WEST (UTC+1)
What Are the Rules?
Post your profile link and a short summary of the kind of stories that one might find there (fandom, genre, rating, etc.). Please spoiler anything triggering or NSFW.
Once you enter, you will have to review at least 4 stories/chapters from 4 different profiles (one from each). Please include in your submission "Reviewed 0/4" so we can keep track.
Your reviews should be thoughtful. The writer should be able to tell that you read the story. Say what you like about the story. Was something funny? Did something touch you? Make you want to throat punch one of their characters? TELL THEM ABOUT IT! At least 50 words/3 sentences per review. ConCrit and/or stating you are "fandom blind" or "from Reddit" are opt-in only. After you've left a comment, reply to their post on here to let them know.
I would like to continue to challenge folks to read at least one person who is new to them as possible.
If you enter the exchange, DO NOT delete your entry. You must complete the required reviews for the exchange. Please talk to the mods if something comes up and you have concerns about doing something timely.
But above all, have fun and happy reading and reviewing!
submitted by flags_fiend to FanfictionExchange [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 17:35 Blyckert Movie Auction Weekend update - June 07

It's been just under a week since the movie auction supplemental was released. We're now approaching the new weekend releases, and since I like data crunching I thought I'd do a summary/update on the progress so far.
Standings-wise Eric is in the lead at the moment, just ahead of Geoff. They've been close all week, down to as little as $300k separating their totals. Andrew's Garfield pick has netted him a comfortable 3rd place so far, we'll have to see how it fares over the weekend, and if The Watchers draws in the moviegoers. Nick's picks have had a decent ROI so far considering he's only spent 5 points, but they haven't brought in the big bucks. He also has a long wait ahead until his next releases. As for Gavin...well $15 is something at least.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die releases today, so that'll hopefully help Gavin start catching up some before his big pick next weekend, Inside Out 2. Also releasing today is Andrew's The Watchers. The previous horror film on the list (The Strangers: Chapter 1) has had a decent showing so far, we'll have to see if that has satiated the horror fans or if they'll come out again this weekend to watch the new release.
Other interesting notes so far:
So what do we think? Will Bad Boys have a better release than Furiosa and give Gavin a chance? Will IF continue to pull in viewers to help Geoff gain 1st place? Will The Watchers have as high a ROI as The Strangers and give Andrew the boost needed to reach the top?
I hope everybody has a nice weekend, maybe some of you'll check out the new releases. (Though I secretly hope Bad Boys gets delayed at the last minute just because it's funny to see Gavin's total of $15).
If you want to check the numbers yourself, the spreadsheet is here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LoDwppVer-abg4Ehuksgq4LIwbXdFZrAnvIFOB8_nZk/edit?usp=sharing
EDIT: The Untitled New Line horror movie Geoff picked seems to have disappeared from the release lists. The link I had for it now leads to The Watchers. It's possible the story that David Chase & Terrence Winter are making a horror film for New Line was conflated with the release schedule for The Watchers. When I made the spreadsheet The Watchers release was marked as limited, it has now changed to wide.
submitted by Blyckert to theregulationpod [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 16:55 harlotofupdog The Serpent and Thistle: Chapter 6

The Serpent and Thistle: Chapter 6
Pub jizzy jizz jizz 6.
Summary: Aziraphale is a Met officer who transfers to a small village police station. Crowley is the local publican. They don't see eye to eye.
There is also a plot (seriously, I promise)
Rating: E (for eet is getting there)
CW/TW: Nothing in particular, but there's some tension in the very last bit that relates to an animal. I'll chuck a bit of a summary in the end notes for anyone who wants to check (also, if anyone is feeling worried, please check the tags)
Eternal thanks to glorious sun-ox u/Paperclip_Ninja for beta-ing and cheering and being constantly marvellous.
Excerpt:
A week goes by. As promised, Hastur picks up the boxes from the back room. Crowley doesn’t think about where they might end up. He serves customers, and wipes tables, and waits for the dishwasher to finish its cycle before he packs it again. When Dagon moans at him about the quality of the latest vegetable delivery, he simply walks out of the kitchen and into the beer garden, pulling a packet of Silk Cuts from his back pocket. It’s an expense he can’t afford, but it hardly matters—he’s so far in the red at this point that a few extra pounds won’t make a difference.
“Crowley? Boss? Are you alright?”
Dagon sounds almost worried, and it makes Crowley wince. The cook should be worried. It’s unlikely any other pub within a fifty mile radius will tolerate his constant grousing, even if he does make the best beef bourguignon that Crowley has ever had.
“It’s fine. Just taking a break,” he replies, not looking at the man. He lights his cigarette, and waits until hesitant footsteps retreat back to the door. When he hears it close, he finally exhales. The smoke hangs in the chill air for a moment, and he almost relishes the sting in his eyes.
Something nudges at his elbow, and he automatically lifts his arm so the little goat can wedge her way in against him. She begins to lip at the hem of his shirt, leaving smears of greenish saliva on the black fabric.
“Hey, Thelma,” he says.
Continue reading on AO3
submitted by harlotofupdog to GoodOmensAfterDark [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 16:49 ElysiumLeo90 HAPPY BIRTHDAY GLEAFER!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GLEAFER!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU WONDERFUL QUEEN u/gleafer. This was a joy to write and dive back into your Reverse Omens sandbox again. I recommend a nice cuppa with this fiction it's a doozy of an adventure
Starbreaker Rating: E
CW for the story: Reverse Omens Au, BAMF Crowley, Rescue mission, Angel Crowley is named Anthony, Demon Aziraphale is named Azrafael, Historical settings, Cryptids, PG-13 Action/Violence, Non-Graphic Mentions of Non-Human Blood and Injuries, Soul Bonding, Smut (Heed AO3 tags), Established Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Top Azi/Bottom Crowley, Brief Wing Kink, Mentions of Trauma and Poor Coping, Brief Mention of PTSD
Summary:
Rougarou: a variant pronunciation and spelling of the original French loup-garou. For the Rougarou, story-telling has been used to inspire fear and obedience. One such example is stories that have been told by elders to persuade Cajun children to behave. According to another variation, the wolf-like beast will hunt down and kill Catholics who do not follow the rules of Lent.
It's been 100 years since the events in New France rocked Azrafael and Anthony's world. While nightmares and trauma continue to plague them over their harrowing experience, both the Dove and the Dragon continue to find new ways to shower each other in love and affection, taking great pains to hide their romance from their warring factions.
But when the two find themselves tasked with battling a terrible epidemic in the swamps of Louisiana, a new terror thrusts them back into a nightmare they left behind years ago. And when Azrafael finds himself the target of the Rougarou, it's Anthony who must take charge to save his dragon from an enemy neither of them expected to encounter in a million years.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/56398924/chapters/143304244
submitted by ElysiumLeo90 to GoodOmensAfterDark [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 16:00 arekban Harmless Human Sacrifice 9

Synopsis: Markus is summoned from Earth by evil beings looking for a 'weak and primitive' creature to use as sacrificial entertainment. What they got instead was a human. Immediately after arriving, Markus awakens to an ability so rare, so powerful that it makes every god on Firellia desperate to recruit him as their new champion.
Learning to control his innate mastery over mana, Markus will devour the very essence of any monster, demon, or god that dares get in his way, determined to never lose his freedom again.
——
First Prev Next Patreon
Markus growled. Picking a path between the three he’d been offered wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
The first option was straightforward, offering easily applicable crowd control in return for a small quantity of mana. It sounded easily applicable and fairly useful, especially if combined with higher grades of Frost Mana.
Then there was the Frost Barrier. That one was more easily discounted. Markus was sure that most things in this world could kill him in a couple of hits as it was, so while this might scale into a useful passive much later if he were to start gaining access to higher levels of Frost Mana, you don’t play to scale in a scenario where you might die any damn minute, and the paltry 5% physical damage reduction he’d have received from his G Grade Frost Mana just was not worth it. He was sure of that.
That left the only other applicable option being Frozen Tomb.
Frozen Tomb seemed like a no-brainer. It gave almost everything. Damage, crowd control, an attack accessible through the field he created, and a benefit for maintaining the spell for a long time. It was almost like a domain expansion.
Only… it sounded like it could get expensive fast. Like, really fast. 2 Frost and Spirit a second was 120 of each a minute, and with his capacity being 1390 right now, he had only really planned to store a few hundred points of Frost and Spirit Mana in total at a time, considering he was still saving space for other mana types.
Maybe he needed to be more frugal and store more of his excess. He was still at 68% of his capacity right now with everything he’d put away and his recent mana increases. Was he being greedy right now? Trying to hold onto too much?
He needed to be realistic with himself. It would be stupid to take an ability that he was unable to make proper use of, no matter how powerful it might sound. If he could only use it for moments at a time, what was the point?
Only… he really wanted to have some form of advantage. Everything else sounded so weak by comparison!
Markus scowled, dumping his remaining 10 points into Spirit and bringing it to 60. He watched as his mana total increased once more, from 1390 to 1590, and as his current capacity subsequently went down from 68% to about 60%.
He supposed it wasn’t the worst option, even if it forced him to commit to no more points in Agility or Constitution right now. If he wanted to see the fruits of this Path, he needed as large of a mana pool as he could get.
Besides, absorbing Mana Cores only made his pool larger. Passively absorbing them in combat might pay dividends later. The increased mana generation they might bring was worrying, but that was only if he affixed them. Considering that was a choice, he should be fine absorbing any Mana Cores he could get his hands on.
Markus attempted to dump more Blood Mana into the essence stone, which so far was holding a fair portion of his mana without seeming to be having any issue. He had to stop feeding Blood Mana to the stone when he had around 5% though, as he felt himself starting to get woozy.
It was like literally giving blood. That was the only feeling he could equate it with, and knowing as much, he worried even more what might happen if he were to try and drain all of the Life Mana from his body into the stone.
Would he just keel over and die? Surely it didn’t work like that… right?
Could a being exist without any mana in their body? Did all creatures have it? Was it a form of life energy?
Good thing Mystic Mana wasn’t an essential thing to staying alive, or he might’ve keeled over earlier from dumping it all in an Essence Stone first chance he got.
So many questions plagued his mind, but Markus found that while it was slightly more difficult to parse and took a bit more focus to pull off, he could draw a specific type of mana back out of the stone he’d placed it in.
He got his Blood Mana back up to 7% before beginning to feel okay again. That seemed to be the minimum, and he pulled it up to 10% just to be safe. Wasn’t like things didn’t make him bleed down here.
Once he’d cleared up ample space, confident that he could at least spare half of his current mana pool as space for the Frost and Spirit Mana he’d passively generate, he finally selected Frozen Tomb.
He’d had to optimise a fair deal to make it work, so he was really hoping it’d come in handy. So long as it did more than the other two skills would, and didn’t make him keel over dead from lack of mana, he’d probably be fine. Damn. Who knew that after all this time spent trying to reduce the mana in his body, he’d suddenly be worried about using it too fast?
Strange how extremes worked, though this was clearly a place chock full of them. Once Markus had finally made his choice, he went to lock it in, only for the system to flash in warning.
[50 points of G Grade Mystic Mana required for Path Awakening.]
Well, shit. There was a use for it.
Took Markus a minute to find the Mystic Mana in the other stone and begin to pull it out. Once he’d gotten an ample amount prepared, he tried selecting the path again.
Barely any of his Mystic Mana got used. It asked for 50 points of G Grade Mystic Mana, and used like 6 points of the D Grade Mystic Mana instead.
…did that mean that despite the higher grades of mana being way stronger, they took the exact same space as far as his core was concerned? Were higher grades just compact, concentrated energy with the exact same measure of internal weight?
He supposed that made sense. Hell, considering that, he should have enough of this Mystic shit to last him ages for Path Awakenings, assuming they didn’t get way more expensive.
Which was a good thing, considering he had no earthly clue on how to find more of the stuff. He hadn’t encountered it once since he arrived.
Once he’d gotten finished with that, he moved straight on to [Regeneration]. That sounded like something he definitely wanted a Path in, and fast.
Ember barked as he pulled up yet another screen, finding the necessary text and beginning to read through it as he scratched the rowdy creature’s chin.
[You may now awaken a Basic Path for Regeneration. You have three slots for new Paths remaining. You may forget, combine, or evolve previous Paths in order to learn more. Paths unlock new skills, as well as new features and passives, allowing skills to grow much more powerful or gain unique effects.]
[Basic Regeneration Paths are as follows:]
[Respite I: The natural healing rate of your body is increased by 225%, increasing to up to 450% during periods of sleep and relaxation. Natural healing is modified by Constitution and may be increased with more points invested. Meditation can be induced in a quiet and safe environment to heal one targeted area of the body at 950% of its usual rate and regain mana of one type at 160% of usual rate for up to two hours per day. Healing during Meditation is modified by Constitution and Spirit. Mana Regeneration is modified by Spirit.]
[Lifesteal, G Grade: Heal for 2% of the physical damage that you deal and 1% of the elemental damage you deal. This healing will directly affect your injuries from most to least critical and will consume 10 points of G Grade Blood Mana for each injury you sustain from in combat.]
Huh. Just the two options this time.
Markus picked Respite without hesitation. He was getting injured far too much already, and Lifesteal sounded more like it should’ve been named Bloodlust, because from the sounds of things he was the one who the Blood Mana was getting consumed from every time he hit something. That wasn’t stealing. It was robbing himself.
He supposed you were meant to combine it with something that stole Blood Mana from others, or some kind of passive drain. Maybe if he got one of those down the line, the option would be more appealing to him later.
For his current skills and limits, however? Respite sounded way more useful. In fact, he was planning to use it right away.
He still had a couple of skills to left to check out, but he felt fucking dead. Pushing the mana in and out of the stones like that had absolutely drained him. He sat against the bars of the cell, crossing his legs like he figured you had to in order to meditate and then swiftly allowing them to unfurl as he fell straight to sleep against the iron bars, a huge, fluffy ball of fire soon curling near his feet.
Markus awoke to tepid water being splashed on him, then immediately splashed on him again.
“Wake up, prisoner!” came the sneer of an imp much uglier and more hunched than the one who’d originally brought him to his cell. This one was male, and looked as if he’d spent all of his life wishing he could be a jailer, just so he could direct that ugly fucking mug at someone and make them feel bad about the fact he’d likely been bullied all his shit life.
“Ah, shame… was having an awesome dream about being kicked in the balls over and over. Beat the hell out of this place.”
“This is hell, you dumb stinking animal,” the imp guffawed, splashing him once more as he did so, seeming to revel in his feeling of control. “Least for you it is.”
More like revelling in the existence of bars between them. Markus had been having a nice dream, and he wasn’t above using this little freak as a football if he kept this up.
As he made to stand, brushing himself of freezing droplets that stubbornly clung to his hands, he realised with a start that something was missing.
Not the stones… those were in his pocket. No. It was Ember!
He looked all around the cell, wandering blankly as if he’d misplaced his keys or phone, the jailer watching him quizzically as he aimlessly span around the small, empty space.
She hadn’t chewed her way back through the bars… those were still sealed. Randall had seen to that, the prick. And there were no windows down here to speak of…
Where the hell did she go?
“Hear you’re fighting goblins today,” the jailer grinned, shaking his keys and preparing to unlock the cell door. He paused for a moment, staring into the cell, sniffing the air. A moment later, he got back to unlocking it. “Much easier fight. Drathok don’t want ya dead, now that they’re all bidding over you.”
“Bidding over me?”
“The order you’re being visited in. Whoever pays that greedy fuck the most gets first priority. Of course he wants you alive, or he won’t get shit out of you!” The jailer gave him a side-eye as he opened the door. Immediately, Markus’ leg was bound to the imp’s by an ethereal chain, just like the means by which he’d been taken here. “If anything, this fight’s just a chance for you to show off your prowess, drive the price up some more.”
Markus could almost taste the bitterness in the air. This guy wasn’t subtle.
Markus frowned, attempting to shake his leg to no avail. “From the sounds of things, I’d be really sticking it to that fuck if I died right about now.”
“...yeah. You would.”
The imp started walking, and Markus’ body was compelled to follow. The two of them walked side by side through the cells, this time with Markus being cognisant enough to realise his surroundings.
All manner of beasts were present within these cages, everything from a massive ogre-looking creature with three eyes, polishing his boots as they passed his cell, to a three-headed cat happily feasting on an oversized rat it had caught. There were creatures of shapes Markus recognised from books and media, and horrors more transcendent of common folklore that he could scarcely begin to describe, made up of oblong angles and unsettling visages.
“You sound like you’re not too fond of Drathok either, then.”
Markus spoke to break the silence more than anything. While it was true that he was fishing for something to use, realising this creature was pretty loose-lipped, he also wanted to distract himself from the horrific creatures staring at him from the other sides of thin bars, and conversation helped with that.
The imp barked out a dry laugh. “What imp is fond of an imp baron?” He paused, causing Markus to skid to a halt, staring up at him. “You not have imps where you’re from?”
“No. Just stories about imps, I guess.”
“We are a noble and storied creature, yes,” the imp nodded, before stopping to hawk and spit an unhealthy portion of phlegm onto the floor. “Well, go on. What stories have you heard? Tell me!”
“Uhh…” Markus rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to come up with a convincing lie. “Just how powerful and great you all are. How imps really aren’t to be trifled with, and—”
“Get your tongue out of my arsehole.” The imp spat again. “You tell me how the fuck such a powerful creature gets to slave his life away ferrying little prats like you around.” He ground to a halt again, faced Markus directly. Got up in his face. “Well? Go on!”
This was difficult. Markus completely regretted ever opening his mouth. This guy clearly had a chip on his shoulder, and any line of conversation was gonna lead to this one way or another.
Maybe he was all hot air. Markus was an arena fighter now. He’d taken down a D Grade monster. That had to have some intimidation value.
“Get out of my face.”
“Or what, you smooth-skinned freak?!”
“Or I’ll use you as a warm-up for the goblins, that’s what.”
The imp laughed maniacally, looking as if he’d just heard the funniest joke known to man. His laughter soon turned to a snarl.
“Hey. Why’d you say that?”
Markus felt like he’d been hit like a flashbang. What the fuck kind of question was that?
“That thing about the goblins. Why’d you say it?”
He looked genuinely perturbed. Upset, even. Markus wasn’t sure how to deal with him at this point. He was utterly insane.
“Because I—”
“Are you comparing me to a goblin, you fucking bigot?” The imp’s snarl graduated into a growl as he marched forwards in a frenzy, dragging Markus along with him. The pace at which he walked was almost impossible to keep up with without tripping over, and even focus his mana was completely impossible. “How dare you compare me to a stupid, stinking fucking GOBLIN!”
“Compare you? I just threatened to—” It was all Markus could do to even stay on his feet as the imp dragged him out of the prisons and into a wider, torch-lit hallway. An amalgam of creatures stared as Markus was dragged along by this creature a third his height, the binding around his ankle unwavering, the tendons in his foot aching as he was forced to lurch forwards again and again.
“No, that’s all right, you think I’m not worth being compared to a goblin. That’s fine! That’s just fucking FINE!” He progressively grew louder as he walked, taking a sharp left, pulling Markus down another hallway. “No, that’s alright! It’s fine that you can’t tell us smaller creatures apart, and it’s FINE that imp barons made us just smart enough that we could understand how much we were being tortured spending our whole lives wiping their FUCKING ASSES! It’s fine! It’s fine. It’s fiiiine!”
Markus could see the armory ahead. He recognised it from before. He could see the same tentacled guard from before, sat at his desk through the open door.
Some familiarity was a welcome change. A witness in case this fucking lunatic tried to kill him was an even better change.
“Hey. Hey, you. You know what? You know what? You know fucking what?!”
The jailer planted his feet. Markus ground to a halt. He almost felt afraid to ask what ‘what’ was. Somehow, this little creature was more terrifying than any god or devil he’d encountered thus far.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to ask. Thankfully, this jailer spoke his mind without being even remotely invited to.
“You know what? You’re right! I’m not very fond of Drathok. I can’t directly disobey him, either. No no no, CAN’T DO THAT! But you know what my orders were this morning, passed down from my esteemed master? Fetch the human! Check him for injuries. Make sure he’s ready, then bring him to his fight! Well aren’t you a prize fucking princess!”
“Well, you’re doing a great job at it, and I think it’s real shitty that you get treated that way, and—”
“You know whattt?” The imp made a sharp heel turn right before the armory, causing Markus to be yanked in the other direction before he could even skid to a halt, vertigo wracking his brain. “I think you’re ready! I think we can take you straight to your fight, right now! Doesn’t that sound fun?!”
“But I don’t have a weapon yet, I—”
“You don’t need a weapon! You told me that yourself! That’s what I’ll tell Drathok after you get sliced to fucking pieces, and good luck arguing that from beyond the grave!”
Fuck. This was turning south fast. “Hey, slow down. If I die out there, your boss is gonna get really, really pissed, and—”
“And what? Put me out of my misery? No. Flay me and string me up? Throw me in a boiling pot? Put me on twenty years of toilet duty? HE’S DONE IT ALL BEFORE!” The imp giggled ferociously, like something from a mental patient’s nightmares. “I’m willing to roll the dice. I’m bored. Wanna see what happens when his new cash cow winds up DEAD. Can’t WAIT to see the look on his face…”
Markus tried as he might to struggle and strain as the imp began to march him away, but it was to no avail. Whatever this spell was, it was clearly potent, and nothing in his current repertoire was going to have any chance of breaking it. “H-hey. You don’t have to do this. You can easily not do this. Just let me grab a weapon and—”
“You’d really be sticking it to Drathok if you died, right? HAHAHAHAHA!”
Fuck. Guess that had come back to bite him. It was an idle comment, not a fucking suggestion! How was he meant to know the guy was fucking mutinous!
“Hey! Hey!” Markus shouted back to the armory guard as best he could as he was being dragged away, desperate to gain his attention.
“What?” the tentacled creature asked, rising from his seat.
“Help me! Stop him! Grab me a weapon! Anything!”
“...you got money?”
“Yes!” Markus lied.
“...I still don’t want to.”
“Holy fuckkk—ARGHH!”
Markus couldn’t help but scream. This place was making him lose his fucking mind. Yay! An easy fight! Let’s go to it with our fucking fists! That’s surely not gonna get me killed!
Markus hurriedly pulled up his system as he was dragged to the arena gates, ignoring the insane ramblings of the jailer along the way.
The system didn’t seem to want to respond straight away, almost as if it was being interfered with by the spell. That might’ve explained why he was struggling so much to focus his mana right now. Either way, he needed to brush up on what his new Mana Manipulation skills did now. If he was gonna get through this next fight, he needed every ability he had at his disposal.
Thankfully, he’d generated a fair bit of mana as he’d slept. Frozen Tomb should be available for him. As for these two new skills…
[Empower I: Enhance your next strike or ability with up to two extra mana types. Different mana types yield different results when used in conjunction with abilities, and strikes using differing mana types may cause either additional strike damage, or compound effects when used in combination.]
That… sounded useful. Thank god, that sounded useful.
With a laugh of sheer demented glee, the jailer shoved him through the arena gates, immediately severing the tie between them.
As soon as he did so, Markus felt the mana swirl inside of him. It hadn’t been so obvious he’d been suppressed until he’d been unshackled. Now, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever not noticed it.
Markus began to shuffle forwards, approaching the arena as slowly as he could, trying as he might to read his second ability in the tiny amount of time he had left.
God, this was fucked up… how had he ended up in yet another fight with no real preparation again?
[Manifest I. Using mental command of the Spirit Mana within your body, draw upon your desires to create them unto this world, using the mana of your body to construct physical extensions of your will that may remain tangible until your focus wanes. Larger objects require concentration to maintain, and any and all objects are dissipated upon taking damage. Cost is dynamic depending on object’s size and weight and complexity.]
Right. Okay. So he had a weapon. Maybe. Potentially. If he could figure out how the fuck to use this thing right, he maybe had a weapon. One that’d disappear from him if he got hurt.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF SUN CITY, THE ESTEEMED KILLER FROM EARTH RETURNSSS!”
Markus looked out. There were seven goblins waiting for him.
Seven. All of them brandishing swords, shields, polearms, axes, and one of them a large club.
He stared. He sighed. He counted again.
Yup. Still seven of the bastards.
Time to start subtracting.
//
First Prev Next Next [Patreon]
A/N: Hey! Hope you're satisfied with the decision made this chapter! As for what comes next... jeez. I really can't wait to share the upcoming fight. Hope you got a laugh out of this chapter, and you're excited to see what comes next!
If you wanna help support me and this story, or you just can't wait for the next chapter, the next eight chapters of this story are available right now on my Patreon!
submitted by arekban to HFY [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 15:40 Honest_Ad_2157 Jun-07 War & Peace - Book 8, Chapter 17

AKA Volume/Book 2, Part 5, Chapter 17

Historical Threads: 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 No post in 2023* 2024 …
* No posts until 2023-06-08, Book 8 Ch 18 (2.5.18)
Summary courtesy of u/zhukov17: Anatole prepares to set off to take Natasha, but not before a toast by Dolokhov and lengthy speech from Anatole ruminating about life. When Anatole gets to the Dmitrievna house for Natasha, he’s met at the door by her very large footman Gavrilo. They know the plan and are demanding that Anatole come in and admit to his plot. After shouting for Anatole, Dolokhov gets involved in a minor struggle, but breaks free and is able to spring Anatole before they lock him into the compound.
In 2018, u/tomius explained why everyone sat before Anatole left. u/Honest_Ad_2157 made an observation about the aristocracy and this custom way back in Book 1 Chapter 5 in 2024, when commenting on how the aristocracy didn’t seem…Russian.
Wikipedia has a persuasive explanation of why Russians used to smash glasses, and it stems from a misunderstanding.
This chapter is covered in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 by “The Abduction” (Youtube soundtrack) (Apple Music, Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Links
  1. Today's Podcast
  2. Ander Louis translation of War & Peace
  3. Medium Article by Denton
Discussion Prompts
  1. Anatole seems to be taking his forthcoming eloping scheme somewhat seriously in this chapter. Do you think this is all posturing?
  2. The big warm coat being prepared for the runaway Natasha is a genius move. They also have a servant acting as a mole inside the house. Does Dolokhov have experience in these matters? Because he is a total pro at this stuff it would seem.
  3. The plot to steal Natasha away is foiled at the last second by Marya Dmitrievna's house servants. How do you think Natasha will react to this? What about when her father finds out? Or her mother back in Petersburg?
Final line of today's chapter:
... “Dolokhov bundled the porter away with a last desperate shove, grabbed Anatole, heaved him out through the gate and ran off him back to the sledge”
submitted by Honest_Ad_2157 to ayearofwarandpeace [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 15:18 CheeseKingAB Fire and Fury Chapter 5

Title: Fire and Fury Author: AbandonedBy (me) Rating: Mature Language: English Length: 18.2k+ Status: Ongoing Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54727114/chapters/143513752 Summary: After his death, Robert is sent back to the time of his birth, but, as a girl. Years later, Robetha Baratheon is betrothed to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, when she discovers the existence of a new Prince, by the name of Maekar. But there are far more mysteries to this prince than those which meet the eye.
submitted by CheeseKingAB to TheCitadel [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 15:18 CheeseKingAB Fire and Fury Chapter 5

Title: Fire and Fury Author: AbandonedBy (me) Rating: Mature Language: English Length: 18.2k+ Status: Ongoing Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54727114/chapters/143513752 Summary: After his death, Robert is sent back to the time of his birth, but, as a girl. Years later, Robetha Baratheon is betrothed to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, when she discovers the existence of a new Prince, by the name of Maekar. But there are far more mysteries to this prince than those which meet the eye.
submitted by CheeseKingAB to AsoiafFanfiction [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 15:02 Ok-Summer2528 Liberating Vikalpas

Liberating Vikalpas
(Tantrasara chapter 4 part ⅕)
When a person intends to gradually refine & purify their understanding [of reality] in order to enter into an experiential realization of his true nature as described above, s/he employs a process of contemplation (bhāvanā-krama) that presupposes sound reasoning & discernment (sat-tarka), access to authentic tradition (sad-āgama), and instruction by a teacher of Reality (or ‘a true teacher’—sad-guru).
To explain: due solely to the power of conceptualization (vikalpa), living beings imagine themselves bound, and this egoic conception is the cause of the repeated bondage that is the cycle of suffering (saṃsāra). Thus, [when] a thought-form (vikalpa) that opposes that egoic conception has arisen [and become stabilized], it crushes the thought-form that is the cause of saṃsāra, and thereby [indirectly] causes success [in one’s practice, i.e. liberation].
(Therefore continual contemplation of Vikalpas which are in alignment with reality is called “refining understanding”. Through this process the false conceptions of oneself such as “I am impure” or “I am a pawn of others” ect. fall away until only those pure vikalpas remain which are the opposite of such views.
Replaced with thoughts such as “I am the pure light of awareness, there is no impurity in me.” And “I am autonomous Consciousness, who could make me their pawn?”
Then, even those pure vikalpas leave and one is left abiding in their own true nature free of mental constructs. During this process of refining Vikalpas others practices, either subtle or external, should be taken up to support it such as Yoga, Puja, Japa ect. Especially those offered in the Tantras and agamas)
And that [liberating vikalpa] has such a nature: “The one and only ultimate reality is pure unlimited Awareness—transcending all the Principles (tattvas) that are by nature limited, up to [and including] Shiva. THAT is the ground upon which all things are established. THAT is the life-force of the universe. By THAT the universe lives & breathes, and THAT alone am I. Thus what I am is one with everything and yet transcends everything (viśvottīrṇo viśvātmāham).”
(This Vikalpa is a great one to contemplate on)
Abhinavagupta’s summary verses for Chapter Four:
A bound soul who has any of these convictions—‘I am dense, I am inert matter,’ or ‘I am completely bound by my karma,’ or ‘I am impure,’ or ‘I am a pawn of others’—may seek to attain the steady conviction of the opposite of these views. If s/he succeeds in this, s/he immediately becomes the Lord whose body is the whole universe and whose soul is Consciousness. 8 [4.1]
In whatever manner such a conviction may be attained, a Tantrik yogi should cultivate it at all times. He should not allow his perspective to become divorced from the real nature of things and thus be led into doubt by the mass of foolish teachings in the world. 9 [4.2]
Translation:https://hareesh.org/blog/2019/1/5/the-empowered-method-tantrasaara-chapter-four
Chapter 4 part 1 reading by Christopher Wallis: https://youtu.be/nQTJBvA-QtM?si=4-B38k_R1C7KWUAK
submitted by Ok-Summer2528 to Shaivam [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 15:00 Ok-Summer2528 Liberating Vikalpas

Liberating Vikalpas
(Tantrasara chapter 4 part ⅕)
When a person intends to gradually refine & purify their understanding [of reality] in order to enter into an experiential realization of his true nature as described above, s/he employs a process of contemplation (bhāvanā-krama) that presupposes sound reasoning & discernment (sat-tarka), access to authentic tradition (sad-āgama), and instruction by a teacher of Reality (or ‘a true teacher’—sad-guru).
To explain: due solely to the power of conceptualization (vikalpa), living beings imagine themselves bound, and this egoic conception is the cause of the repeated bondage that is the cycle of suffering (saṃsāra). Thus, [when] a thought-form (vikalpa) that opposes that egoic conception has arisen [and become stabilized], it crushes the thought-form that is the cause of saṃsāra, and thereby [indirectly] causes success [in one’s practice, i.e. liberation].
(Therefore continual contemplation of Vikalpas which are in alignment with reality is called “refining understanding”. Through this process the false conceptions of oneself such as “I am impure” or “I am a pawn of others” ect. fall away until only those pure vikalpas remain which are the opposite of such views.
Replaced with thoughts such as “I am the pure light of awareness, there is no impurity in me.” And “I am autonomous Consciousness, who could make me their pawn?”
Then, even those pure vikalpas leave and one is left abiding in their own true nature free of mental constructs. During this process of refining Vikalpas others practices, either subtle or external, should be taken up to support it such as Yoga, Puja, Japa ect. Especially those offered in the Tantras and agamas)
And that [liberating vikalpa] has such a nature:
“The one and only ultimate reality is pure unlimited Awareness—transcending all the Principles (tattvas) that are by nature limited, up to [and including] Shiva. THAT is the ground upon which all things are established. THAT is the life-force of the universe. By THAT the universe lives & breathes, and THAT alone am I. Thus what I am is one with everything and yet transcends everything (viśvottīrṇo viśvātmāham).”
(This Vikalpa is a great one to contemplate on)
Abhinavagupta’s summary verses for Chapter Four:
A bound soul who has any of these convictions—‘I am dense, I am inert matter,’ or ‘I am completely bound by my karma,’ or ‘I am impure,’ or ‘I am a pawn of others’—may seek to attain the steady conviction of the opposite of these views. If s/he succeeds in this, s/he immediately becomes the Lord whose body is the whole universe and whose soul is Consciousness. 8 [4.1]
In whatever manner such a conviction may be attained, a Tantrik yogi should cultivate it at all times. He should not allow his perspective to become divorced from the real nature of things and thus be led into doubt by the mass of foolish teachings in the world. 9 [4.2]
Translation:https://hareesh.org/blog/2019/1/5/the-empowered-method-tantrasaara-chapter-four
Chapter 4 part 1 reading by Christopher Wallis: https://youtu.be/nQTJBvA-QtM?si=4-B38k_R1C7KWUAK
submitted by Ok-Summer2528 to hinduism [link] [comments]

2024.06.07 14:57 AlienNationSSB Alien-Nation Chapter 204: Across the Stars

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Better Nate than Lever

The hallway had deep-settled dust diffusing the flashlights, spare a couple sets of bootprints, and a few lines where someone had been dragged on their heels.
Depths-damned officers can't count, the sergeant noted. Five sets of prints in, two sets out. Assuming she'd carried one of the wounded and dragged the other, that still left someone inside.
"Got a heat signature, third floor." Goshen really hadn't wanted to be found, it seemed. And so up the flights of small stairs they went in silence, rifles at the ready until they arrived at the threshold of the abandoned building's room.
"Clear the room, watch the corners, this piece of shit may have had helpers."
There was a faint sound. The kind that tugged at every woman's heart. A whimpering male cry. The Marines' rifles all wavered, flashlights in the dusty warehouse showing how unsettled they were. Worse when the translator kicked on: Help.
They fell into formation outside the door adjacent to the crime scene, and then flooded into the room, screaming orders. It was only a half second until they forgot all discipline, because all eyes fixated on the boy in the middle of the room, bound to a chair and barely conscious. Red blood spackled on the floor and dripped onto the boy's shirt.
"Shit." the rookie was frozen to the spot, unable to move.
"Tacs, get the medical crew up here. Kick that sick bitch Goshen out of the medievac to make room if you have to. We're not leaving him here until Penn decides to send another."
"One was already on its way, just in case."
"Well tell them to hurry. Link our comms to their pads so they know where we are."
The sergeant took point and crouched next to the boy, and he flinched back. Everything about this was wrong, and evil. At least there weren't any traps wired to him, and it bothered her that she'd even have to check. But a year's service in Delaware hadn't left her a fool, though it pained her to see him whimper when she touched him gently to check for wires. Just what did she do to him? From the bleeding and swelling, it seemed there was no shortage of them.
"All clear," she announced. "Tell the crew he's awake and alert, just in a lot of pain. Shelms, have you got painkillers?" Shelms tapped her bag, before the Sergeant cut in. "No, I mean stuff that'll work on a human, obviously!"
The pod medic shrugged helplessly.
"Alright, you're gonna be okay," she muttered.
"Help..." he was moaning the word in trade shil' now, over and over. Somehow, that just made it worse.
"Hey, hey, it's going to be alright," she tried to comfort him, though her next words were ones she knew he didn't want to hear. "We're gonna have to move you, though." She stood and unlocked the restraints. "I'm going to cut him free and get him ready for pickup. Hold him upright."
Visions of violent retribution echoed through her mind with every gentle step she took, and she didn't even know the boy's name. Such was the way of the galaxy.

Across the Stars

Natalie felt she must have drifted off, though she couldn't say for how long.
She whispered 'I love you,' but still felt a burning anxiety in her, a desperation building she'd never felt before.
Words alone wouldn't be enough to confess the confusing but powerful feelings stirring inside. She had to do more than talk, she had to act. Shuffling around on the bed, she pulled back just enough to give him a quick kiss on the forehead. He stirred slightly, before murmuring something softly, then tucked his face into the crook of her neck, hot breath from full pink lips making her want to squirm. Forcing herself to stay still just so he could rest was torture, but for him, she could endure, until at last the need passed.
She couldn't say how long they stayed like that, bound in intimacy, her mind empty but for a million fleeting thoughts that never fully materialized, and yet every second was blissful. Every worry was dashed against the impenetrable shield that was the bond shared between them, any intrusion guarded against by Morsh and that door, until at last he stirred and yawned, parched lips dragging over her shoulder and making her squirm.
Natalie reluctantly let go as he came up for air, blinking awake and looking up at her in momentary confusion before the weight of the world settled back on his shoulders, and his face turned focused.
"Hey," Natalie whispered, both hoping to interrupt, and also that he was done being worried. Her voice had come out an awkward rasp and she wished for just an instant that she could have stayed as cool as she'd felt just a moment before.
"Uh, hey," he managed back. "Sorry, I must have passed out."
Natalie just nodded, trying to swallow with a dry mouth.
"For how long?" He yawned, trying to sit up and separate. Natalie reluctantly let him go, and sat up straight in the bed, noting with some pride that he at least looked less exhausted.
"I don't know. Not long?"
"My head..." he muttered, gazing around the room at various things, then dragging a hand up to rub at a temple with a thumb. "It doesn't hurt as bad. I feel a lot better." A moment's silence passed between them. "You're real, right?"
She laughed. "Yes, we talked about this. Remember?" Only a heartbeat's pause was enough to send her worrying that he might not, before he nodded slightly, his forehead touching her shoulder again and making her ache to put his head back there. As it was, he seemed happy to be using her forearm as a pillow.
"Right. Sorry, just checking." Her mirth disappeared when his troubled expression deepened. "I suppose we have a lot to talk about, don't we?"   Here goes everything. "I'm so sorry for running away." She just belted the words out.
He blinked at her in surprise and the suspense hung. "It's okay," he managed. "I'm sorry, too. I mean, I think I'm sorry."
At least she wasn't the only one who hadn't prepared for what to actually say when the moment came.
Another awkward silence stretched time.
"How did you get the shirt?" Would Elias be upset at her answer? No, there was no time for lies. She had to tell him.
"I broke into your house. I'm sorry. Your parents said I could go inside, you see and-"
"-They're okay?" He interrupted.
At least she could offer him some good news. More tidbits flew out of her in rapid-fire.
"They left during the fighting, and they're up in Chester. When I found them, and didn't find you with them, I was afraid you had died in the fighting."
His eyes grew distant, and for a moment she worried he'd drifted off to sleep again despite his eyes still being wide open, until he sucked in a deep breath and shuffled in place and met her gaze again. "It was close." She hadn't quite seen him say anything that way before, but then again, what sort of things had he seen down there? It was bad enough watching it from orbit. Some veterans didn't come back as they were, she could just hope that Elias was still the same boy she fell in love with.
"It looked close," she commented.
"You were watching?"
"From the auxiliary bridge of the destroyer, until they started throwing orbitals."
He nodded mutely, the beginnings of facial hair tickling her arm. "I guess with the fire and dust... that must have obscured things for miles."
He didn't say anything else for a few seconds, and Natalie wasn't sure what she could even say. His eyes started sweeping the room and he squinted as he looked up at the light fixture. "There's no one here but us," she promised. "Noblewomen prize their privacy. The interior is *always *trying to find anything we do that's wrong."
"Sometimes for good reasons," he muttered darkly.
"Sometimes. But hey, sometimes those reasons aren't so bad, and end up saving your sausage." She hoped she'd gotten the saying right, but his confused expression told her she hadn't. Or maybe he just didn't know what she was talking about. "Remember how you told me what you thought we were doing wasn't that bad? And how there were some really, really big trees in the woods around your little fortress? Those were some of Mom's Special ones, I'm like, really sure. She was pretty unhappy about that, and looked like she was ready to start chewing on neosteel."
His bright eyes widened, and then he gave a slow nod. Natalie knew they were now both doomed if she was wrong about there being any devices in the room, but couldn't bring herself to care. She was too happy at seeing his expression, and at having gotten the human idiom correct. He focused a bit, and then shuffled around in the bed.
"The sentries did capture a civilian worker snooping around Camp Death. She wouldn't say why she was wandering around alone in the woods with really unusual equipment. We couldn't figure it out, and she wouldn't help us."
'Camp Death' had to be their name for the fortress that he'd been fighting from. "I overheard something about that. I guess Mom couldn't tell them where the worker disappeared without the soldiers investigating stumbling over her forbidden science project, and she couldn't exactly check it out herself. I mean, without sending Morsh or something, and that would have been a really big problem."
"Then that was a Near Miss."
"The contractor hit something?"
Elias's face turned into one of utter confusion. "No? She didn't? What are you talking about?"
"Wait, then what's a 'near miss'? Almost went unmarried? A nearby unmarried woman?"
A smile cracked through his exterior and he shuffled and strained up to situate himself upright, before putting a hand on the top of her head, playfully toying with her hair and then leaning in for a quick kiss on her cheek, right through the rogue strands of hair he'd pushed into rebellion from the loose bun. "What?" She asked, confused, only for him to start laughing. "I asked you if 'Nearly missed' meant 'almost missed, but didn't' but you said 'no' and now I don't-?" She tried to voice her confusion, except she had the distinct feeling he wasn't listening.
He kept on laughing until he ran out of breath, and then played with her hair again for another second. He sucked in a deep breath and rose slightly from the bed, as if admiring and evaluating his crude handiwork at having made her look ridiculously unkempt before lying back down, apparently satisfied with his efforts.
"You're so curious about those little idiosyncrasies in our language. No one else would know to put something like that into my head, and it isn't something I would have considered. Just, it's definitely you."
"Oh." It was a little upsetting that he hadn't believed her a moment ago, when she'd told him everything in front of him was all real. How long had he lived this way, telling everyone one thing, while privately holding onto his own suspicions? It had to be exhausting.
"Well, as opposed to what my mind would tell me is you, if I wasn't really here, you know?" She just stared. What was he talking about? "Okay. So, we're alone." He took a deep breath, his eyes flitting around the room one final time. "I'm sorry that I hid that I was Emperor from you."
"That's-" she wanted to say 'okay,' and wished for a moment instead of daydreaming she'd thought of something to say when this inevitably came up. "It is what it is."
"It is." He echoed, nodding along sagely.
At least that human saying made sense, even if it tended to lead to these awkward silences, where they ended up looking at each other.
Now what?
"Who else knows?" She blurted out. The selfish question that had sprung to mind was one that had burned at her since she'd fled home, and could no longer be contained.
"I can't tell you who without putting them and you in danger." He looked genuinely sad to say it, at least. "Well, except Larry. He knew, and he's gone." He seemed to grow quieter, as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. The suddenly vulnerable boy looked down at his hand, and then up at her, and his expression seemed lost. "I-"
She watched his bravado break apart, and he shuddered as his words failed him, like a power core that lost connection or a signal that cut out, he just stopped dead. She reached out to touch him, but the moment she did, he twitched.
"I'm sorry-" she backed off immediately, only to find him shaking his head slightly.
"It's okay. Thanks, even. It's just that, I can't even mourn, you know? There's always too much going on. I appreciate it, though. I see the temptation to sink into your arms again, and just let the world pass me by. Let everything fall where it may. I just can't, though."
She let the moment pass before remembering what they'd been talking about. "You shouldn't rush the recovery. You can take as long as you need."
He shook his head in disagreement, but didn't say 'why.' Even now, she felt locked on the outside. "We'll see, but I don't think I'm going to process that right now, mid-conversation," he smiled without joy, in that grim sort of way he always did.
"Well, then if you can't tell me who else knows, can you at least tell me who doesn't?" Just how many people knew before she did? Where did she fall in line?
"My parents, for one. I mean, wait, the shirt- did they see it?" Now he seemed anxious, flitting between different emotions like a boy unsure of what to wear for his Debut might try on outfits. He was probably just overwhelmed, unsure how to react.
"As far as I know they're still up somewhere in Chester. I don't think anyone else even knows where they are." She had weighed telling Amilita their whereabouts, but didn't want to complicate matters. "I thought it might have been evidence, so I brought it with me. Do you want them here?"
"No, I don't." He looked distant. "Frankly, my mother would try and make excuses, and my father...I don't know. It would stress the family, let's put it that way." He looked at her bag again, and then shook his head. "Good thinking," he complimented. "I was exhausted, not thinking clearly at all. I think I might have been concussed, or at least I was at the time."
"You're all better now, though?" She wanted to ask about how his eyes had sparked at the mention of the nearby rundown town, but decided it was less important and tucked a few of the rogue strands behind her ear.
He flexed a hand, and then pulled a forearm up from under the sheets and tried flexing his forearm. "I'm feeling better, at least. I don't know if I actually am a hundred-percent, though." He yawned and then began picking the sleep out of his eyes and flicking it into the sheet, then blinking until his eyes were fully wide, pushing away from the wonderful position he'd been in. She immediately missed the weight of his head and the warmth of his breath. "At least, I feel better. We'll see how that goes when I'm up and moving around. By the end of..." he trailed off as his mind wandered into more recent events. "Where's Goshen? What happened to her? And Nate?"
"Wait, 'Nate'? As in Nate from school? He was in the insurgency with you?"
"He was being interrogated. But like, if you're asking whether he was in the rebellion?" Elias shook his head slowly in a way that humans usually meant 'no,' but then shrugged. "I don't know? Maybe? We all worked to keep each others' identities secret from anyone outside their own cell. Remember Jordan?"
"No?"
"The kid you tackled at the track party."
"Oh! Yeah, him!"
"He was in it."
"He is?" Wait. "Was?"
Elias let the sentence hang meaningfully, before repeating: "Was."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you two hated each other?"
He let out a heavy sigh, and his eyes went unfocused, before shaking his head, though he might've just been scratching an itch on his face with the pillow for all she knew. "There's time for all that later. We need to focus on what's happening right now."
"Right. Uh, for Nate...well, we passed another couple of medievacs, that were coming from here, so they probably brought them both here. I know the military likes to take care of their own, but...well, she's probably here, too, after how hard Amilita says she hit her."
"Then Goshen's here, at the hospital? I mean, I am in a hospital, right?" He glanced around, craning his neck and then turning it into a stretch.
"Why?"
"Natalie, the military knows. Or at least I think Goshen does. I was certain she was acting as part of a larger military operation, and she was leading some small unit to keep everything clandestine and under-wraps."
"What? Why would she do that? Wouldn't capturing Emperor be a big deal to her career?" Not to mention the reward, either.
"It would have been a huge scandal if it got out they got their asses kicked by a human boy. If I went to trial, especially as Elias Sampson, it would have been even messier after they pinned the medal to me. It'd implicate nobility, the military, the plans to put me forward...honestly, there's no shortage of interested parties that would be embarrassed if the story got out."
"I can't see Goshen agreeing to stay quiet, though. They have to have promised her something."
"Maybe they said they'd pave her way forward for a promotion in exchange for silence, and pay her out the reward anyway. Then they shoot her when she's done, just to make sure it doesn't get out."
"They'd really do that?" Did the dark world of power really flow that way, or had he seen too many holodramas? Maybe boys really were just better at drama, intrigue, and social plots, and that was how Emperor always stayed one step ahead of any effort to trap him.
"I mean it makes sense. If I die as Elias, I'd be just one more dead person. They might even blame the insurgency. But think about the outcome: Emperor stays dead, meaning Azraea didn't die for nothing. Goshen's losses are an embarrassment, but now she's not their problem to suffer anymore. So what worries me is that maybe they'll just try something more direct."
Whoever told Goshen might tell Amilita, and then what? Natalie didn't want to think for too long about that- except she found the flaw. "Wouldn't they tell Amilita?"
"Would she believe them? Whatever they said was enough for Goshen."
"If these people are real, they started on Goshen for a reason. Amilita probably wouldn't cooperate, she handed me a laspistol, after all."
"Oh, that's in my bag, too."
"Thank you," he said. "That may come in handy."
"But really, I don't think anyone told Goshen anything. Otherwise, wouldn't the interior have done it themselves?"
Elias paused, and then took a moment. "I suppose you make a good point. One I didn't consider. Why rely on Goshen at all? Goshen probably came up with it on her own. That's still a problem, though. She might still blab what she knows, or thinks she knows."
"No one is going to believe a boy-basher like Goshen. That's why she acted alone." He didn't seem convinced, but did let her keep going. "Nothing for us to worry about."
"No. You're missing the point." He seemed hellbent on making himself stressed out.
"What? Did I miss something?"
"Maybe Goshen doesn't have friends- or would-be-backstabbers in high places, but you're wrong to think that she's harmless. If Goshen goes to some kind of a tribunal or trial, and starts laying out whatever evidence led her to me, then other people might notice those same connections and arrive at the same conclusions. People who aren't crazy and discredited. I'm almost certain that if they start asking questions, my answers will not be good enough."
Natalie almost asked about the 'almost,' he'd left in, but she was raised better than to question a victim of boy-bashing.
"So far, she hasn't said anything to anyone else, right? That means there's still time for me-" he tried to push himself out of the bed, and instead let out a pained groan as he tried to shuffle past Natalie. "Jesus. I'm not sure what the ambulance techs and doctors did, but I'm still sore everywhere. Hold on." He clenched his teeth and threw the bedsheet back off, and tried to push himself over her and out of the bed again.
"Sit down!" Natalie urged, pushing him lightly. "Please," she added at the challenge he seemed to take her words as, until he finally seemed to think the better of continuing to strain himself. His eyes challenging her, he finally stopped trying to crawl his way past.
"Why?" He asked, cocking his head in that peculiar human way. "Look, Natalie, like I just explained- if I don't take out Goshen, then-" and she decided she'd finally had enough. There was a time for ladylike behavior, and there was a time for being forthright and blunt, as Elias so often was.
"Don't you know by now that you can count on me? You never call for help. Ever. I didn't know why *until I realized that you'd been left behind in Delaware by your own parents. You don't count on others, because you don't think help is ever coming. You don't think things will ever get better unless *you do something about it. You don't want to be let down, because of what it'll mean. That you're unloved, and unwanted. So you never give anyone the chance. I'm here to tell you though that it's okay. You don't have to keep fighting alone forever."
He seemed stunned by her outburst, for all of a second, and then closed his eyes. He didn't try to say anything for several seconds, and instead seemed to almost start gathering energy and momentum, as if fighting to contain something that wanted desperately to burst free from deep within. He was almost quaking as it broke through thresholds.
"Elias?"
Like the cap of a volcano rumbling until it blasted off with a thunderclap, he rounded on her, eyes shooting wide open as he couldn't hold it back anymore. "You know why I don't?" He finally snapped, his voice harsh as a whip. "Why do I, as Elias, never bother asking, and even turn people down even when they've offered to help me?"
The question was rhetorical, but Natalie wasn't going to just stand there and let herself be yelled at. She'd been through too much to put up with it. "I can guess!"
He hadn't expected that but his anger was unresolved. "Then... then go ahead! Guess!"
She took in a breath, forcing herself to calm down. "It's because even though your parents are here in Pennsylvania too, they're still not here." She expected to be slapped, and braced herself for a blow that never came.
He clenched his jaw in fury, and he finally jerked his head to the side, looking toward the window overlooking the city, one far larger and grander than Wilmington.
"I'm not wrong, am I?" She asked, breaking the sudden silence.
"You're not entirely wrong," he ground the words out, and she sensed all of that built up energy fizzling out. All those emotions wafting off him could still spark, but it could either blow up or just immolate him. So she kept quiet and watched him work through his words and defuse himself. "They're not here. I doubt they even know I'm here, to be fair. But even if I asked, what would they even do for me, right now? What could they even do?"
Natalie wasn't sure. Keep him company? Wasn't that normal to find comfort in? She'd been left to fend for herself, and she'd been scared to be left there alone, and that was just a bad flu or something. Before she could think to ask if their presence would at least be a comfort to him, he answered his own question.
"I think they'd stick around out of obligation, but there's nothing I'd ask them to do- hell, they'd just get in the way of our talking. But all that aside, I'd feel guilty for disrupting their lives for every moment they'd be here, anyway. They'd eventually leave, just further confirmation of what I already know." He shook his head.
"What do you mean?"
He stopped shaking his head to let it hang as he practically deflated from the depth of the sigh he let out. The last gasp of the tension he'd let burst out from underneath left him, until he looked almost hollow."If I ask my Father for something, he'll check first with my Mother before daring to follow through. Doesn't matter what it is, because I'm pretty sure now that she never wanted me to succeed at all, not unless it's in a way she approves of. She's practically doing it to make a point- no help until I shape up. She's been looking to punish me for not living up to whatever standard she imagines, and so the answer is almost always 'no'. In her eyes, I didn't turn out right somehow, even though when compared to Jacqueline I don't do half the things wrong that she- and yet- but then I- "
He started to choke off his sentences, then taking several deep, rasping breaths. She'd never seen Elias act this way. He was almost out of control of his emotions. The resentment, pain, and whatever else he had kept buried had finally bullied its way out and burst, until it threatened to run down from his eyes. It was ugly to see, but she still let him talk. At least when he had finally sparked on those emotions, it was just the dregs and wisps, rather than that initial outburst. Too small to become a conflagration, until his words came to a convulsing stop, like one of those primitive engines they used for their cars breaking down.
"Elias?" She wanted to give him a hug, and instead held his hand as if it was made of the thinnest, most delicate crystalline ice.
Slowly, his breathing steadied out.
"Sorry. Let's just not talk about her. I guess there's just no point in asking them for anything."
"But you can ask me. I'm not them."
He fixed her with a tired smile, one that she eventually understood as 'she just doesn't get it.' She hated seeing that face- and wanted to pry, wanted to dig until she did understand. "Thanks for saying so. Sorry I kind of blew up at you. Family  and trust are sore subjects for me at the moment."
The level of neglect was terrifying to Natalie. Her dad Brynmor had gone through his whole life being doted on by all his sisters, and later on by his many wives, even though with his business he earned more than all of them combined. A rarity, but none of it slowed his wives in their affection and impulse to protect and provide for him. The tendency went beyond something taught. So hearing all this felt wrong to her. This twisting in her gut at hearing this wasn't just another culture shock, it went beyond that.
"You know I'm not them, right?" She had to keep poking at the topic. She'd defused him slightly, even if he was worn out. Natalie needed him to know she was on his side more than she needed air.
He looked back from the window, slowly, and leaned back into the reclining bed.
"For the longest time, I just thought everything between people was transactional. I worried that if I didn't know what the other person was getting out of it, then I was either overlooking something, unknowingly putting myself in their debt, or else they were being stupid. Larry- that guy I just told you about? He told me that people who love each other help each other just because." That one of the members of the resistance had such a positive impact on him was strange to her. Everyone had wondered if the insurgency had turned Elias against her, or what terrible lessons they imparted on each other to take up arms and fight an unwinnable war. She'd never thought about what else they might talk about or discuss.
"Even with me?" Was all she could think to ask.
"Yes, even with you, I was always looking for what someone else wanted in return, and I'd try to find something else to pre-empt what I thought they wanted. Like the perfume thing, for help with the bike thing. And I'm sorry, I know you wouldn't have done anything like, too awful, but at the time that's really how I saw the world."
"You were free to say 'no'. I wasn't going to ask anything else if you did- except maybe more lessons on Earth cultures and history which we were already doing anyway. I really just wanted to get to know you better, and getting to talk more about Earth while we waited for the next grav-car to leave the base seemed really nice."
"And it was! I loved doing that with you, Natalie. But all the money I was making made me feel like I was just further in debt to you, so I started spending it quickly on things that I didn't have, but needed. Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, skincare products, and clothing. Other things, too. Stuff like...well, you know, things I could use in the other part of my life."
Oh great, so I directly funded the rebellion. If he'd meant to make her feel better, he hadn't.
"After what Larry told me though, I started to let go of that feeling of nervousness I had around you and let you actually start helping me. Maybe at some point in my life or another it actually was 'smart' of me to reject the random offers of help from strangers and shil'vati I didn't know, but it was still weird to me that anyone would offer to do things for me that my own family wouldn't. And I guess I'm sorry I didn't trust you at first."
Some part of her heart melted at being told that he did trust her, now. At least, that's what she thought he was getting at. "I had thought it really weird, the way you'd decline, and then take the help- and then go right back to declining it. I gave you that ride home, remember? From the track party. And when you got hit with the car?"
"I always thought whenever anyone offered to help, it was only out of some social ritual. You know, when people ask how you're doing, they just want to hear 'okay,' and not actually get a real understanding of your situation. They ask if you need help, but they're not prepared to step in and actually help, and they're not actually going to. So you're supposed to just say 'no, I'm good, I'm fine,' and keep on doing whatever you were already doing and hope it works out."
"But you actually wanted someone to help?"
"Why wish for something that isn't real? Asking people for help would be answered with a 'no,' and people offering to help weren't actually willing to. So why bother wanting what will never come? It made me resourceful, but...yeah, hard to take you up on your offers. I was...yeah, I guess I was a bit scared." There was that hangup of boys here, to admit to being afraid, again.
"Scared of me?"
"No, just that if I ever actually asked, I'd just be showing you helplessness- and wouldn't be trusted to handle myself after that. I'd need a bodyguard, an escort. To you, to everyone, I was this boy who could handle himself, and that was neat to you all. Useful, maybe even. Who I was in your eyes mattered a lot to me- and I'm not used to caring what other people think of me. I mean, remember how I would walk down the hall with my nose in a book, and how I dressed and looked? I didn't care how weird I looked to other people. Suddenly, though, I cared a lot."
Natalie felt those words rattle around in her own soul. How often had she felt that way? Afraid, lost, but not even able to ask for help because of who she was? A noblewoman was supposed to be the one people looked to for help, and if she was lost then what good was she to anyone? Just being friendly hadn't worked, all the other girls at Braxis had turned competitive and guarded toward each other- and her. She felt stuck trying to piece things together herself until Masarie's unexpected call- and as much as she was helping Masarie with her vision, Masarie had also helped Natalie piece together what was really going on, and understand what she had to do.
"I can relate to that, at least a bit," she muttered.
"I kept having this thought: 'Maybe my Mother's right to try and punish me'. Good people don't do the kinds of things that I did. The concept of the soul, and whether mine was something other people could see and sense. Yet I also would do those things I did all over again, because they were the right things to do. The people who mattered to me and helped guide me were happy that I was doing them, and that I was leading. They valued me because of it, and so I couldn't just walk away. I often wondered about that, you know. If there was some other, more peaceful way that I'd missed to resolve things. Maybe telling Amilita or whoever about Ministriva's relative, trying to go to the police or interior, or security forces with what we had figured out. I could have gone streaking across the base and begged for help. But every time, it felt like I was leaving everything up to the chance that they'd understand and help me, rather than the certainty of taking action, and so I- I-"
Elias shook his head, slowly at first, then faster until Natalie couldn't stand to see the frantic motions and leaned forward, putting a hand on his face, feeling the warmth. He wavered, as if he'd made himself dizzy. She still stayed quiet, her hands still frozen where they'd raised to help. What did she even do in this situation?
"I'm sorry," she finally offered, hoping the words helped. "I still love you," she added.
"I know," he said sadly. "And I- I love you too. When you ran away I guess I felt like I didn't deserve what I'd had. Like I *was *as bad as everyone says. It doesn't help that when I did point out the mind-wiping, supposedly it's banned now. At least, in Delaware. It beats having to kill my own family to stop the practice. But that just kind of means that maybe all of it was unnecessary, and I just did it because I wanted to kill, like Vendetta." He looked so lost and afraid, she never imagined he carried these kinds of inner doubts.
Here was baring his soul, and all she could think to try was remembering a good time she'd shared with him. She had to come out and tell him the truth. "We don't think you're bad. At least, a lot of people don't. Remember the video game?" She tried on a smile for him. "Remember, you were playing- well, Emperor?" She chuckled.
He looked back to the window and she noticed he seemed suddenly very flushed and red in the face. "Not just 'bad.' I could have settled for that, but no, they think I'm some kind of a sex icon," he mumbled darkly. "They don't see me, or what I'm fighting for. So, really, what was it all for? I mean, I got everyone killed, and what do I have to show for it? A pile of bodies, but no real changes. Azraea will be replaced."
"They don't see you as Elias," she admitted. "But some of them at least understand that you're fighting for something more than yourself. You knew Myrrah, meaning you knew Masarie too, right?"
"She and I only really talked a couple times."
"Well, you certainly left an impression. She called me when I was alone in my room. I was...considering the revelation you were Emperor, and how I felt about all that." She barely managed to keep from calling it 'moping'. Moping was undignified, after all. "And you know what? She had a lot to say to me about you that was really interesting."
"Wait, does Masarie know?"
"No," Natalie laughed. "Nothing like that. We talked about what your goals- Emperor's goals had to be- I mean, you can't possibly hope to kill every Shil'vati. Not if you let her go, and I knew not if you had protected me, too. And you're aware, as Elias, of just how many planets we have, and how many people. So you're not really our enemy as a people, are you? And you're telling everyone what's going on here- and some of them are *listening. With Ministriva, with the mind-wiper, with *everything. And the conversation helped me to see what I had to do, and why you were doing it, and that's why I'm here now, you know? I'm here to tell you that it's okay that you're Emperor."
He was quiet for a few moments. He let out a sigh, shuddering, and then came out. "You're sure?" And then winced, almost as if he'd dashed his chances, giving her a second chance to reconsider.
"What, do you think I'm going to say 'actually, you know what, it's not okay'?" she laughed, hoping to raise his spirits. "It wasn't a small or easy choice. I mean, I'm not celebrating, you know? I don't approve of everything you've done. I just understand why you're Emperor, and what you're trying to do. And I guess I support it. Not just because I love you, but also because I see where you're coming from."
"You understand?" He asked dubiously. "Really?"
"I think I do. In a way that only someone who really knows both sides of you can. The books- you made such a big deal out of rescuing them. You showed me around the state with the omni-pad. What you said over dinner on the rooftop in D.C. with that fat creep, even though it was rude to our host- those were things that mattered to you, and are why you're doing this."
"You think it's about a museum? Or the Odyssey in particular? Or whether or not the books people read are old and dusty?"
"No! No no no, it's about human history, culture, and achievements. What I said was all part of that, but not even close to the entirety. Monuments. Statues. The language itself, and the things your people achieved before we came. There's so much more to it. You told me once: You have to have a past to understand yourself. You have to forge your own identity if you want to have a future. I think... I think you felt like all of it was being taken away. Twisted and warped, you know? To serve someone else. No past, so you don't understand yourselves, and you're more ready to believe whatever we tell you that you are. That way, when we say you're all sex addict boys who do..."
That topic was easy to discuss in her head when it wasn't in front of a boy. Of all the times to get flustered, afraid of what he'd think, or how he'd react. Now isn't the time to be flustered!
"...all the things that our imaginations say you can, you'll believe us. And then you'll be nothing more than that, because we trivialized everything else. Maybe that's convenient to some woman out there somewhere, but not me, and it certainly isn't who you are. You have to carve out your own future, your own life."
"We're meant to be more than what they imagine us to be."
"You are, and you can be. There are dead civilizations that we have discovered the ruins of as we've explored the galaxy, and added the names of their races and empires to our language to mean 'more advanced than we can understand.' We've since shot far past them technologically. If we found them now and added them to our dictionary, what would the word mean?" She shook her head. "I think in our paranoia and fear of you hurting yourself, we intervened, and we never should have, at least not the way we did and have been doing. And it's not too late to change the course. And if I can be a part of changing that course, then I will. I'll do anything."
A few moment's passed. She hoped she was right. She hoped against hope that he heard her, that he wouldn't just laugh at her and tell her she was stupid, and that he was some kind of madman, out to kill them all. No, even that she could live with, she decided. She'd hate herself, but would take it as a lesson.
She'd expected some kind of outpouring of relief, but instead he just seemed to be waiting for her to say something. "You want in, then? You don't think you'll have any regrets?" He seemed less defeated, at least. Some of his energy was back. That could only be a good thing, right?
"I don't think so?" Natalie asked. "If I do, that's just life isn't it?"
He shuffled slightly closer.
"Then where's Goshen?"
Special Thanks to Tumbleman, Miku, and CatsinTrenchcoats for helping with this. I hope the flow of action/details isn't too screwed up.

Chapter Summary:

Amilita and Morsh square off in the hallway. Elias gets comforted by Natalie
BuyMeACoffee for the Author
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2024.06.07 14:24 TriumphantLioness Fluffy/Funny Friday's Review Exchange!

Review exchange for fluffy or funny fics!
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2024.06.07 14:22 Rustin_Swoll Barron Read-Along [29]: The Croning, Chapter 1 - Chapter 2.5

Barron, Laird. The Croning. pp. 1 - 48. Night Shade Books (2012). My paperback version of The Croning is the 2013 Night Shade edition.
Read-Along/The Croning Spoiler Note
This and following write ups for Laird Barron’s novel The Croning are intended for first time readers as well as seasoned Barron fans. As such, the write ups will not include spoilers from later chapters or The Croning in total. Please refrain from forward-looking spoilers in the comments section of these articles.
Chapters Summary:
The Surgeon General warns that contact with Rumpelstiltskin, corrupt Mexican Federales, and The Great Dark can be hazardous for your health and memory.
Chapter One:
In the first chapter of The Croning, Barron immediately drops us into one of his Antiquity worlds, which in this case is a grimdark perversion of a children’s fairy tale. We are introduced to The Spy, who is the son of Miller. He is the half-brother and apparent lover of his half-sister, The Queen. The Spy has been tasked with learning the identity of a creepy Dwarf, who has blackmailed The Queen over her newborn child…. and so The Spy toils.
We learn of The Spy’s and The Dwarf’s reputations early in Chapter One. The Spy is described as having “a ruthless nature and innate talents for subterfuge and skull-duggery”; early in his investigation into The Dwarf he bloodily beats and then murders the merchant Theopolis by dropping him into a river in a bag weighted with stones.
The Dwarf is described in more sinister, otherworldly terms: “[e]veryone knew of the Dwarf, but not his name or whence he came. He was a shadow flicking in and out of reality… those who spoke of meeting The Dwarf made the sign against the evil eye and spat, or clutched their crucifixes”. The Queen describes him as an “imp of Hell”, and others suggest he consorts with “worms and the Lord of the Worms.”
To uncover the identity of The Dwarf, The Spy travels through a dark and ruinous landscape. He questions villagers and locates a temple, and eventually a decrepit castle.
At the temple, as The Spy explores deep within its recesses, he discovers a crude ziggurat, with a broken ring symbol created from human bones. The Spy also meets an odd woman who portends ominous tidings. She explains the temple is “The House of Old Leech” and that “all flesh is food of the god.” Upon questioning she describes herself as a “traveler” not a “priestess.” She warns The Spy to abandon his investigation. “Go back, go back. There are frightful things. The stables never prepared you for this.”
After this encounter, The Spy meets a Peddler, who shares a destination in visiting the aforementioned castle, Castle Mock. The Spy and The Peddler meet the castle’s spine-chilling habitants, the “doddering shell” of Count Mock, and his daughters Irina and Yvonne. This encounter raises The Spy’s suspicions, and as he remains in the castle overnight, he discovers a hidden area of the castle and “the croning” ritual the odd woman mentioned to him earlier. A savvy reader might make a connection between the croning ritual and the title of this book. The croning is a ghastly spectacle. The odd woman from the temple is lashed to a rock and mutilated, by daggers, tearing, and rending, by Yvonne and Irina, The Dwarf, and the aforementioned Limbless Ones. The Spy escapes from his vantage of this horrific scene but not before madness sets in, “[his] perceptions bent and buckled inward and smote him senseless.”
After his escape from witnessing the carnage of the croning, The Spy confers with The Peddler. The Peddler discovers The Spy’s true identity (spy for The Queen, and the son of Miller) and confessed he learned of The Spy’s many moons prior by The Dwarf, who gave him a message to relay: “There are frightful things, Groom. Time is a ring. My name won’t save you or your sister. We who crawl in the dark love you.” Later that evening, The Spy is taken or kidnapped (with only bloody footprints as evidence of his departure). The Peddler does provide The Dwarf’s name to The Queen, but we learn their mission was unsuccessful. “Knowing his name didn’t save The Queen or anyone else.”
Chapter Two:
In the second chapter of The Croning, the focus shifts from the world of Antiquity to Mexico, 1958. We are introduced to Donald Miller “the first time [he] almost died.” Don has forgotten the events of Mexico, but his body and blood remember, “as does the black sap of his subconscious.”
Don is on vacation with his wife Michelle, in Mexico City. Her colleague Louis Plimpton pulled the strings for their luxurious trip. The couple eats gourmet food, takes tours of the city, and engages in playful bondage sex. Don has been worried about the intensity of his wife’s research, when just afterwards she received a work-related call and disappears. Thus begins Don’s odyssey to find her in Mexico City’s grimiest corners.
In his frantic state, Don connects with a university head of security, who refers him to a group of corrupt Mexican Federales (Ramirez and Kinder, and eventually Clubbo and Günter). Don recognizes the error in relying on their “help” during his booze-addled and hallucinatory experience with them. After an episode at a seedy bar (and the likelihood that Don has been drugged by the agents), Ramirez explains that his ancestors “danced to the [celestial] music of the old black gods”; more references are made to hailing “Old Leech” in this timeline.
Don believes the Federales will take him to locate Michelle, but instead they take him to the Cave of the Ancients. It becomes apparent to Don he is intended to be a blood sacrifice to their dark gods. The Federales strip, don demon animal masks, and sing a dreadful song in preparation for Don’s sacrifice. Someone or something intervenes. Don is able to glance at “the wondrous sight of Ramirez levitating as if a puppet jerked off his feet by a string, then flying in reverse into the greater darkness of the cavern. He shrieked piteously and flailed with the torch and vanished.” Don cannot see the other Federals but he hears their screams and we can assume they befell similar fates. Don is left alone on the slab in a pitch dark cave, and he hears a whisper. “Let the dark blind you on the inside, Don. There are frightful things.”
Don (barely) survives his ordeal in Mexico. Michelle describes her absence to him as a simple misunderstanding. As time passes, he remembers “nothing of his escape from the cave” and has only vague recollections of his time in Mexico City. His wife never speaks of the incident again.
Chapter Two Point Five:
In the third chapter of The Croning (an interlude, intentionally titled Chapter Two Point Five), we are taken to Wenatchee in the year 1980 and introduced to Agents Crane and Barton. They have just presided over the untimely demise by suicide of Louis Plimpton, Michelle’s well-connected colleague. Plimpton was a Person of Interest to the agents.
Agent Crane is more deeply impacted by this event. He mentioned to Agent Barton that he had trouble making out Plimpton’s last words. After the suicide, in his hotel room, Plimpton’s last words come to Crane during a terrifying euphoria of night terrors and memories from life crashing into him from all angles: “They Who Wait love you, Tommy.”
Connections to the Barronverse:
The two stories of Barron’s that I most connected with in these first three chapters are his novella The Light Is The Darkness (2012) and “The Broadsword”, from Occultation and Other Stories (2010).
I chose The Light Is The Darkness largely because Don’s experiences with the corrupt Federales remind me a lot of Conrad Navarro’s experiences and relationship with corrupt CIA operatives.
I read Barron’s stories largely in publication order (Man With No Name snuck in there out of order, luckily it is in its own universe), and “The Broadsword” was one of the first Barron stories I read in which he just puts his cards on the table. The hideous glory of his Old Leech mythology, in plain view, is just as or more horrifying than many of his more cryptic or elusive stories.
There are a ton of other connections to Barron’s work thus far, but I will avoid including the usual resources to his work for first time readers.
Questions/Discussions:
  1. As these three chapters occur over disparate timelines and in differing worlds, do you feel the introduction to The Croning has the makings of a vast, global conspiracy? Are global conspiracies already a Barronism in your mind at this point in his catalog?
  2. Other Barronisms I noted and referenced are corrupt government entities, time being a “ring” (think “Bulldozer” from The Imago Sequence and Other Stories), and the Children of Old Leech’s messaging (I noted this in my write up of “—30–“ earlier in this Read-Along). What other Barronisms and Barron themes have you noticed in The Croning so far?
  3. One of my all-time favorite Barron scenes is in Chapter Two, in which the Federales attempt to sacrifice Don and someone or something intervenes (I experienced a bout of insomnia when I started The Croning, and this scene? Holy shit.) My theory is that Old Leech himself intervened, rather than any of his Children (the ones we continue to encounter in these stories). Who or what do you think saved Don and “pulled” the Federales’ “strings”?
  4. How do you feel the protagonists of The Croning (The Spy and Donald Miller) compare to other protagonists in Barron’s body of work so far? How are they similar, or different? Do they remind you of any of his characters in particular? Please remember to be mindful of spoilers in the comments (if you are someone who knows what happens to either character!)
Lastly, shout out and thank you to our (very benevolent) overseer Greg Greene. He made 85 edits (!) to this article, and I made 84/85 of those changes. Greg continues to do the work of the old black gods here.
The art in this article is credited online to an Anatolii Leoshko. I image searched for “Children of Old Leech”, not sure if he intended to draw a Limbless One or just a badass worm.
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2024.06.07 13:22 lifebygita Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Summary- Part 1 of 3: Do your part, but don't get attached to the outcome.

"The Yoga of Knowledge" - Sankhya Yoga

Do your part, but don't get attached to the outcome

Imagine you're working on a massive project at work. You've poured your heart and soul into it, but the pressure to succeed is immense. Chapter 2 tells you to give your best effort, act with skill and focus (like Arjuna, the skilled archer). However, it goes beyond just physical action.

Detaching from outcomes is liberating

By letting go of attachment, you're not being passive. You're approaching life with a sense of equanimity, like a balanced scale. This doesn't mean you don't care. It just means you find peace in the present moment, focusing on the action itself, rather than the future reward.

Buddhi Yoga: The Yoga of the Intellect

This chapter introduces Buddhi Yoga, which translates to "Yoga of the Intellect." It emphasizes using your intellect (Buddhi) to discern your true Self (Atman) from the temporary body and its desires. This discernment helps you detach from outcomes and focus on fulfilling your duties (Swadharma) with the right mindset.

Deep Concepts:

Modern Application:

Think of a student stressed about grades. Chapter 2, through Buddhi Yoga, would advise them to use their intellect to understand that their worth isn't defined by grades. They should focus on learning and understanding the subject matter (Swadharma) with passion and dedication. This shift in focus, fueled by Buddhi Yoga, brings a sense of fulfillment and purpose to the act of learning itself, regardless of the outcome (grades).

The Path to Liberation:

The additional verses from Chapter 2 complement this path:
This is a lifelong practice. Detachment and using your intellect for self-realization take time and effort. But by following the wisdom of Chapter 2, particularly Buddhi Yoga, you can approach life with more peace, purpose, resilience, and ultimately, move closer to self-realization.
In the part 2 and 3, we will discuss some deep verses of Chapter 2 and their key teachings related to modern world.
Please comment your reply about the above Key Teachings if you found helpful.
Radhe Radhe!
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