"Washing the taint" - Wishpoint quest

[Jubaris]

Task: Develop a self-cleansing process (in spiritual way), how would it look like in MD, what would it require, etc. Post your entry in this topic.

Stuff you can use for example: Rituals, usage of specific scenes to enhance symbolism of your act, abandoning anything that connects with your tainted identity to this point.

You can present your thoughts in any way you deem right, although they need to be backed with some words and description.

It can just be an 'essay', it can incorporate drawings (but it doesn't have to), if you get an inspiration just follow it.

 

Wider description: Too many contests about devising torture or killing methods have haunted MD quest history. Too much Necro tone for my taste. Help cut off the corruption and taint the environment has stimulated in you, return to the beginnings and the truth, your ritual represents starting a new 'life', putting your sins and wrong decisions behind, becoming purified and your own again.

 

Reward: WP for the best entry, no matter the amount of participants, but some minimum quality will be required, especially in case of a single entry or something like that (subjective category I'm afraid, but don't worry about it)

 

Ineligible for my WP because of being the last 5 awarded by me: Clock Master, dst, Soothing Sands, darkraptor, Samon.

(can be fixed if someone else sponsors a WP, sponsorship is generally very welcome, although not necessary)

 

Judging criteria: Reputation points on your post in combination with my personal opinion (that won't vary radically from the rep points high score, but has potential of changing the order)

[Ary Endleg]

Blasphemy! Why would you do this?

 

The only way to get rid of the taint is to embrace it fully. Trying to purify yourself in any way is just delaying the inevitable or merely switching one taint for another.

 

Taint always finds a way unless death finds you first.

[Jubaris]

Extra points for proving Ary wrong! :P

[DARK DEMON]

Ary is incorrect; that is not the only way.

 

There are two ways of dealing with the Taint: either embracing it or mastering/conquering it.

 

There is no "drink this potion and you will be purified!" method to this.

 

DD was Tainted, as strange as it may seem, by two different people: physically by Assira and mentally by Granos. The way he 'mastered' it is as follows. (yes, this is my submission)

__________________________________________________

 

In talks with Granos, the concept of three relics came into discussion. One of these was the Corroded Gauntlet, the second was the Spectral Shard, and the third was lost and unknown. Now, these three relics together were a "trilogy to keep a balance". Naturally, the first question that would come to one's mind is: if there are two relics that promote Taint, and the third one (supposedly the one that keeps balance) is lost, then isn't the balance broken?

 

...

 

I don't think so. Despite the odds, DD set out to find this lost and forgotten relic. For a very long time he struggled onwards, his mind constantly battling the Taint, resisting its controls and whispers. The voices eventually became so loud that he sought refuge in the deepest dead ends of the Labyrinth, hoping he could give himself time to clear his mind out. He had little success, and time passed until one day he came to a realization: all that fighting against the Taint for so long and not letting it take control of him had made him stronger and "bigger" than who he was. He realized that the third relic indeed didn't exist. But he didn't need it to exist anymore. He had already won. 

 

Setting out to search for something lost and forgotten that didn't exist in the first place, is the purpose of the trilogy of relics. It is a test/challenge to be able to show that much determination and resilience. Only you and your efforts, and pure hard will, can cleanse the Taint off your mind. And the scar on your wrist is a physical reminder: a lesson lasting a lifetime.

________________________

 

The "what you need" section:

 

1) Labyrinth

2) Time

3) Determination/Resilience/Patience

4) Pure Will

5) Peace (aka don't get involved in chaos)

6) Perhaps the most important: reassurance and motivation from those you care about and care for you

Edited April 28, 2015 by DARK DEMON

[Syrian]

@DD, i think the taint princ was talking about is not the same kind as the granos one

[DARK DEMON]

I've heard that before and I honestly still think that there is just one "Taint". But that is a separate discussion and we can do it later rather than in this topic.

Edited April 28, 2015 by DARK DEMON

[Jubaris]

@DD, i think the taint princ was talking about is not the same kind as the granos one

 

Indeed, the case is I was talking about general corruption of one's soul, however, I won't refuse entries that are referencing Granos' taint.

[Jubaris]

But gotta add, I'm sorry to see you, DD, making an entry that in my view seems not-that-personal because of the reference to a magic-originated taint.

For lengthy periods of time you felt uneasy with events and people in MD, and certainly all of that has affected you. Being mad at the world, that people used to label on you, usually eventually stimulates change in yourself.

You have an opportunity to use drops of that passion and create something here, based on your true feelings that you can connect with the purpose of the quest, and by that making a very quality entry.

 

Not that I discourage people from just being creative... But maybe it's a waste for some not to use extensive material that they have when making an entry for this quest. :)

[Aethon]

Ritual of Self-Renewal

Intro

 

Sometimes we become lost. An instance in our lives  may change our circumstances, causing us to veer from the path we once believed to be the correct one. 

 

An example of this would be losing a loved one, one that we held dear to us. Such a loss can lead to "rituals" of self-destruction like drowning emotions in alcohol, becoming angry and hateful at all reminders of the person, sometimes even at the deceased one, thinking them selfish for leaving you and causing you such pain. But the most common reason of all? Sorrow.

 

Sorrow, when allowed to overwhelm us, changes us, whether we mean it to or not. This could be through loss of appetite, depression, quietness; all of these change us, lead us on a new path

 

Ritual

 

This ritual is one of self-renewal after loss, removing sorrow before it overwhelms.

 

For this I am going to use an example, a ritual of self-renewal I saw when I first arrived. Molquert's "Fat Tuesday".

 

Now, this came in two parts - the rather sombre procession and the merriment of drinking. I will explain the "ritualistic" sides of both.

 

Procession

 

         A procession like Molquerts allows us to remember him and relieve our sorrows, whilst being able to support and comfort friends and/or family going through the same bereavement process. 

Walking through an area - often one that held meaning to the deceased - brings back memories we might have had of them there. Remembering the times they were happy and alive. Walking in a group allows people to show support to one another, helping those that struggle to remember the deceased or their times of joy. This gives people the strength to stand back up, brush themselves off and fight through the feelings of depression and loneliness, as they remember the good and understand they are not alone, that they have people there to help them if they need it. 

 

Standing in silence at the deceased one's grave allows for the time to say "goodbye", showing your final respects and giving time for those last floods of sorrow to escape.

 

Both of these together allows for the person grieving to understand that whilst they might be gone from this world, they are never gone from our hearts of heads; lending some comfort to the situation.

 

The Wake

 

       A wake can be one of pure respect, remembrance and a final time to release for those grieving or it may be a merry one with songs, games, dance and alcohol. Both of these are fine to do, it depends on the people involved: both what the living want and what the dead would have wanted.

 

Dancing, drinking, partying, these all raise the spirits of the mourners, allowing them to remember the deceased through happiness and laughter, helping to push out those last few drops of sorrow.

Again, this fortifies the knowledge that they aren't alone, that there are others around them that are going through the same process, giving the person the strength to fight on, not just for their sake...but everyone else's.

 

"Conclusion"

 

Although this process doesn't work for all, the "What to do" remains the same :

  

      Mourn >> Remember >> Rejoice

 

Ruminating on thoughts of sorrow will lead to destructive actions and consequences, so it is essential to be happy, remember the good and surround yourself with those of similar feelings so that you can support each other and know you're not alone. Sadness is normal and expected, but don't allow the sorrow (deeper feelings of sadness) to destroy you.

 

Doing this at any stage of sorrow, the beginning or 5 months in, will help you to find the correct path again. Though, the longer you leave it the harder it becomes. It won't be easy but determination is the key.

 

(This is more of a generic "ritual", using the Fat Tuesday as an example. Hope that's allowed? :S) 

Edited April 28, 2015 by Aethon

[Jubaris]

(This is more of a generic "ritual", using the Fat Tuesday as an example. Hope that's allowed? :S) 

 

 

It's allowed alright, although the connection with Magicduel itself is a bit loosen, the rest is up personal liking and disliking of the audience and is a legit entry  :)

The context can be applied, if for "the lost ones" we use "the ones that stopped playing" as equivalent.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Rhaegar Targaryen

[Jubaris]

I hope this helps a bit for future entries:

Repentance, confessions, mantras and prayers, self-punishment, baptism...

Many examples you can use in reality, every religion/philosophy should have practices of its own to clean the mind or to wash away something.

 

Cutting off your hair is a symbol used by many individual women through history after traumas, or decisions to go in a different direction.

 

How would you do it here?

[Myth]

It is all a matter of time and/or patience.

 

I can spend quite a while coming up with rituals for the purpose of cleansing one’s self, to no actual effect. The truth – my truth – is that there is only one way; you could even call it a ritual. In order to bring one to its initial, untainted (or pure) state, you simply need a Fenth Press.

 

If we follow up on the belief that initially we are energy, it’s only logical that anything and everything which attaches to this energy is some sort of taint.

 

Now, this is me disproving Ary’s first 2 statements, with consideration to what was mentioned above:

1. Embracing the taint does not rid you of it. Time (through Death) or a Fenth Press does.
2. Trying to purify your self isn’t delaying the inevitable or switching one taint for another. On the contrary, it hastens the inevitable (returning to one’s pure form) AND removes taint altogether.

 

Unless the Taint Ary refers to is Death itself, I believe he has been disproven.

 

Unfortunately, his last statement I cannot disprove. Any and all alien information merging with the initial state of something is a taint which becomes present with time and evolution, and can only be removed through the means I stated above.

 

All of this applies for both physical and spiritual taints, considering they can both be represented by information.

 

In conclusion, what one needs to enforce true cleansing is:

1. Death, through Time
2. Or a Fenth Press along with someone to operate it, if impatient.

[MRWander]

Sit in the light of the angien shrine for 7 days each day being cleasned by someone who has an angien at least 7 times each day

[Ary Endleg]

MRW is almost correct. Sit at Angien Shrine in shade of Tainted Angien for 8 days and you both will be purified.

[Rophs]

Material:
Wiiya Bubble
Enough Wiiya to fill the Wiiya Bubble (About 7 or 8 will do for a Rophs-sized Wiiya Bubble)

Float in the Wiiya Bubble with your eyes closed and focus on your breathing. After a few minutes and your breathing has grown relaxed try to exhale various parts of your identity and inhale some Wiiya. Then try exhaling another part of your identity and inhaling the part of your identity that was previously exhaled. Practice this for as long as you need to master the technique. After you feel comfortable enough exhale the tainted part of your identity and inhale some "blank" Wiiya Gas (Wiiya that does not yet have a specific identity associated with it). Your taintedness will be gone and you will have a pure speck of identity that can become whatever you wish it to be.

[Jubaris]

Approximately two more weeks until the end of the quest!

PM me if some clarifications are required regarding new entries.

[phantasm]

Having just recently experienced "death" as we call it, I feel this "taint" in a very strong way.  Rituals work fine and dandy, most times when using trying to help other people.  Often I find to heal ones self, you must examine ones self.  "Meditation" is often the best way to self-cleanse.  I choose Tree, because even though it looks dead, at times shows the life it really has.  Much is the same way with a "tainted soul".  While you may look at them from the outside and see death, the potential for life is exponential.  Negativity and violence create a void in yourself.  A hole that most times is best mended on your own.  Others that help, do help, but only so that you can find the truth yourself.

 

Meditation can come in many ways.  Some find a game of chess meditation.  Others may find quiet self reflection meditation.  Some may find war their form of meditation.  Your soul is drawn to a certain type, and it is the task to find that type.  Once you have reached a level of meditation where nothing else matters, but the matter a hand, you will find yourself free from taint.  You will only experience the here and now, which is the only thing that really matters.  The past can not be changed, and the future can not be told.  Therefore to be free of taint, we must live now.

 

So here I sit, with Tree and Z, meditating until I find myself whole again.  Perhaps the taint can not even be fully cleansed, only controlled over.  Can we truly move on and forgive our past? All we can do is try.

 

So steps:

1.  Realize you are not yourself

2. Find your own form of meditation

3. Find the right place to meditate (Tree is best for me)

4. Realize you must forgive yourself

5. Realize that it is in the here and now.

6. Confirm in yourself your solution and stick to it, no matter what (even if you are wrong in others eyes, you are still true to yourself)

[Aeoshattr]

Though being a Necrovian myself and also not having a comprehensive grasp of the said "Taint", I shall have an attempt at this. I may be awfully wrong or awfully right. (I.E. No harm in trying, I suppose).

 

1. "What you need"
   • ​Gazebo of Silence - Though potentially a bit obscure, the purpose is the symbolism in the name: Silence, which in my mind simplistically implies "no sound". No sound can be fairly poetically interpreted as "no Wind" - which is the main purpose.
   • Mineral Water - Again, fairly symbolic - Mineral Water is generally found in the "depths" and is considered "filtered" through earth, thus incorporating two elements (to an arguable extent). 
   • Heat stones (x5) - What could possibly be done without heat? And even more, how could anything be "reversed" without expending energy? Heat will therefore be needed.
   • Syntropic Dust - ​Last but most certainly not least... Syntropy! Reversal of what may (or may not!) be viewed as an increase in disorganisation. To reverse the Taint, one must expend energy and also make use of the principle of Syntropy.
   • The Shroud of Night (nightmode) - Maybe a bit controversial, but again, this is included mostly for its poetic value - nobody can purify you, you have to purify yourself. And what better way to be alone than Nightmode? To face your own fears, pain and anguish - and to be consumed, or emerge pure. 
2.  ​Procedure
   1. ​The ritual takes place at the Gazebo of Silence and involves a preparatory period: An entire Day must pass in Silence. The one to be purified must be at peace with their decision and remain quiet (in-chat!) for a period of 24 hours, as to not upset the quietness.
   2. Once the preparatory period has passed, the five Heat stones must be placed as follows: 1 towards each of the 4 corners of the Gazebo and one to be held by the person itself.
   3. The person bathes in Mineral water - unleashing a first wave of heat, to steam off the water and crystallise the dissolved minerals in their skin. The heat must be promptly prayed away in silence. The only sounds must be those of mineral water splashing and steaming away. 
   4. The second wave of heat must be released - this time, right before entering the Night. Again, as the one in question falls into the darkness, they must pray the heat away in silence.
   5. Once the fading is complete, the Silence must be broken. The ritualist is allowed to let out a single scream - and as such, it must be carefully poised. There is no room for screaming without putting your full passion into it - you either shriek until you are sore, or the ritual is useless. The more passion, the more of "yourself" you put into it, the more you disturb the "Silence" and stir up the calmed Wind, the greater the odds of success.
      • This step is crucial! One must pour all their anguish, all their suffering, all that which taints them into the scream. The preparatory Silence should be used to meditate on what the ritualist believes is tainting them, so that it might be focused into the scream.
   6. As the Wind is fully stirred, the last step is upon the ritualist. The last heat wave is released, but this time, it is not prayed away. This time, the heat is meant to be used to subdue the stirring Wind, using any necessary method. Failure to subdue one's Wind before all the heat fades will result in failure - and future attempts will prove increasingly difficult. Combat, spells, items may be used - there are no rules, other than those that your own mind imposes on its own. There is nobody to judge the fight between you and yourself other than... you.
   7. Should the ritual be successful, the newly accomplished state of purification must be sealed in, by using the Syntropic Dust. The Dust will be used to draw a simple circumpunct on the forehead of the ritualist, to symbolise a crowning of the achievement and will be "sealed in" by praying all remaining heat - the more the better.
   8. The ritual must be completed with another period of Silence - to not stir Entropy and to allow the Syntropic reversal to fully settle in. One full hour of Silence is required, during which Syntropy must be demonstrated: a silent prayer at each pillar of the Gazebo, followed by cleansing the Gazebo of whatever the ritual might have stained it with, to leave it as pristine as before. 
   9. All remaining materials must be gathered and the Gazebo must be left in Order. 

 

Ending Statements

I relied on some of my own personal symbolic references, along with a few assumptions of what might be Tainting an individual - hopefully the symbolism will be interpretable not only by myself and will be deemed suitable.

[(Zl-eye-f)-nea]

The Pub - Admitting there is something wrong.

First, gather a close friend. The sort of friend you can be truthful with. The sort who will judge you, but who you accept that from. Then take them to the pub and get extremely drunk. Drunk to the point of forgetting what you're saying, when girls start crying and boys start punching each other. That sort of drunk. As the night rolls on, and before you both pass out on the table in front of you, you will no doubt have a very frank discussion. It is in that discussion that you will find the bits that might have gone awry. Whether that be it just comes out of you, or they let you know.

 

In a dream - Subconsciously putting the pieces together

As you sleep, the sandman will guide your thoughts around the discussion you just had. Hopefully that will help you to identify the aspects that shouldn't be there.

 

Walk of Shame - Painful considerations

On your long walk back from the pub, you will have time to consider what has just been revealed to you, or what you revealed to yourself, and you will have a choice to admit something is wrong or carry on pretending. The nagging pain in your head should help to remind you that you need to fix things, and will guide you to want to be better than you are.

 

Gazeebo of Equlibrium - Watch the system

Sit yourself on the gazeebo steps and watch the masses. When someone's actions aggravate you, try to pinpoint if this aspect of them is part of the thing you found out about yourself. Also consider the things about them you enjoy, and think on whether those things are associated or not. You will need to sift through the people around you, to work out which bit of this taintedness was actually positive, and which bit is truly tainted and needs to be removed. Consider every aspect.

 

Seek the Timeline

Speak to people who knew you before the event or series of events that cause this thing in you. Try to re-connect with the you that didn't have it, whilst keeping in mind the areas of you that allowed it to enter. Similarly, create a version of your future self in your mind, one that is free from this taint, which remembers it, but is no longer afflicted by its negative aspects. Walk yourself from the house of tainted times out in to no man's land.

 

Shift the Timeline

Thank your friend for the drunken night, thank yourself for your honesty and thank the people you used to know for their memories. Cement what you have done so far in to your very essence. Now run. Run as fast as you can. Consider yourself beyond light, no longer human, no longer thinking, no longer anything but movement. Run to an edge and leap out into water.

 

Emerge

Return from the depths, and if you are lucky, you afford yourself a shift in consciousness to cut a section of the timeline and keep only what is needed.

 

Solidify

Re-run the tainted event in your mind over and over. You need to recall it. You must not allow it to release completely or it will happen again. Re-run it, cold. Then carry out an action that makes you feel proud of who you are.

 

Z

[Jubaris]

*cling cling cling* Two more days! 

[Jubaris]

Evaluation time!

 

I ask for some patience until I announce the results (number of days).

[Jubaris]

Sorry for not finishing this yet, just giving a bump so you know I didn't forget.

By 1st June I hope for every entry to be described by me and winner determined.

[Jubaris]

Thank you for your entries! Each was pretty much special in its own way and unique, it was very hard to compare it with each other.

I'm sorry there were no rewards other than the one for the first place.

 

I managed to narrow down my dilemma to Phantasm's and Zleiphneir's entries.

Here are my thoughts on the entries so far:

 

[spoiler]

dark demon:

 

more of a summary rather than an elaboration on how to cleanse the taint, which is the reason why it scores lower.

if the steps were worked through, it could have been pretty good.

 

aethon:

 

the construction is pretty good, but i have problems with shifting it to MD perception, it reminds me too much of RL self-renewal rather than MD self-renewal process.

the fact that it has +2 reputation (others having 0 or -1, my rep votes are not counted) brings it close to the edge, but i simply can't give it victory.

If there were more spots, it would be 2nd or 3rd ranked.

 

myth:

 

very interesting entry with a crude method to take care of the job!

however, i am not quite sure the fenth press can do the trick! the altars in their usual use kills the creature, depletes it of its personality, but return its knowledge and energy to the owner, therefore it seems to me that even though we can target the tainted parts of ourself, the press would only return it in different form!

 

MRWander:

 

his one liners can't be disapproved, even by ary!

however, not a wishpoint winner this time

 

rophs:

 

another very interesting entry for me!

other than the wonderful meaning of wiiya, the process reminds me of meditating in quiet and peace, which does seem useful in combating your personal taint. That argument Phantasm used in the following entry:

 

phantasm:

 

very nice and simple entry, gets to the point.

 

Aeoshattr:

 

Imaginative :D Nice ritual, but avoids hitting the point and meaning, I am not assured the practiser would purify himself, it might get the opposite, being overwhelmed with your troubles in all that silence. Although you do speak about the fight with yourself, so it's not that you assume it is bound to be productive.

 

Zleiphneir:

 

Very good entry.

[/spoiler]

 

To be able to get to the bottom of this, I ask every participant other than Z and Phantasm, to vote anonymously to me via forum PM for one of their two entries. Adding a why do you vote for that specific one would be welcome, but not entirely necessary.

Based on their votes I will determine the winner.

I trust none of the two will try to influence the voters based on my perception of their characters.

 

Deadline: week from now, sooner if the voting is done fast.

[Jubaris]

Everybody voted in the period of a day or two, except Aethon, who hasn't logged into forums since May 29.

The week deadline is expiring soon, and the results will be posted.

[Jubaris]

Aethon is the only one that didn't respond (inactive I guess). ^{I was pondering how fun would it be if he voted for Phantasm, from pure number of votes perspective it would be 3-3, which would annul the point of this phase.}

 

The votes went 3-2 in favor of Z, but, I proclaim Phantasm the winner, because the 2 votes were argument backed, while the 3 in favor of Z were plain votes. It was a really close race, both of the works were very good.

I will emphasize again the seemingly subjective part of the quest aside the pure protocol aspect, which lead to this conclusion.

 

Still, before awarding the WP, I will leave a bit of time for possible objections, etc.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Jubaris