I am in highschool and am trying to join the national guard I know my life will be very busy but I am wanting to seek help in how to practice my beliefs in the gods I do a nightly prayer to doing Thor and tyr I am trying to find the best ways to practice and show my beliefs so I got a necklace with mjolnier and have a tattoo that is a symbol of the yggdrasill I am seeking guidance I am proud of what I believe in and I live in Tennessee and every other corner there’s a Christian church and my family is extremely Christian but I still want to show my beliefs

Introduction:

Hello, Hello everyone! I hope yall are doing good, and a Happy Pride Month to any and all who celebrate it. With a new month, comes a new challenge, and this one was right up my alley. Some of you will remember this concept from a couple of weeks ago, when it was a mere rough concept, but after taking feedback and seeing this month's challenge, I have fully ironed it all out. This is also the first time I have designed a Support Champion instead of a Carry or Bruiser style, and as you can probably tell from my submission history, I love making Mechanically Complex and Unique Champions. A Mechanically Complex/Unique Support was difficult for me, but as I mentioned, I got a lot of good feedback from people, and was able to create O'Rin, Lady of Butterflies
O'Rin is an Ionian, Vastaya that is supposed to be a mix of Battle Mage (or Warlock as I like to call them) and Enchanter, similar to Karma in that intrinsically she is a Support Champion that needs to be with an Ally in order to function, however she provides extreme amounts of Battlefield Utility and Damage, in this case through her Butterflies. Unlike Karma however, O'Rin is almost firmly set as a Bot LaneSupport Champion because her abilities revolve and rely on her allies. She could be a Mid Laner, in conjunction with a very tempo-oriented or Snowballing style Jungler, however she has very little tools in her kit that this would require, namely waveclear, consistent damage abilities and Lane Pressure of her own. On the other hand, just like Karma, O'Rin is designed to forego the traditional Support Items, barring World Atlas and maybe Imperial Mandate, in favor of AP Items as she scale incredibly well with Raw AP and Mage items in general. I foresee her Core build being World Atlas (Zak'Zak's Realmspike) > Imperial Mandate > Rabadan's Deathcap > Banshees's Veil/Cosmic Drive/etc in order to maximize the AP that she can get to turbocharge not only her Butterflies but also her abilities, especially considering that the abilities come with decently long cooldowns.
As to how she support's her Allies, O'Rin provides devastatingly powerful effects at the cost of long Cooldowns and Conditional Activation that relies on her teammates. She is very clearly designed to work in Higher Elos with Higher Skill pilots, however she provides a vast array of tools within her kit. The Butterflies on their own provide True Damage, Nearsighting. Crowd Control Amplification, Executes, %Max Health Burn Damage, Damage Amplification and Healing. Of course you cannot access these effects at the same time, but similar to Viego, participating in a Takedown Chain will allow you to rapidly cycle between effects of your choosing, allowing you to rapidly inflict whatever effects you want while in the middle of combat. In addition, her actual abilities provide Knock backs, Stuns, Heals, Shields, and of course work with her butterflies, creating a very potent Support Champion, at the cost of being incredibly squishy, incredibly complex and incredibly team reliant. More specific detail will be talked about in the Analysis Section below.

Base Stats:

Base Health: 530 + 90/Level
Health Regen: 4.0 + 0.5/Level
Base Mana: 400 +35/Level
Mana Regen: 7 + 0.5/Level
Armor: 30 + 4/Level
Magic Resist: 28+ 2/Level
Base AD: 50
Base AP: 70
Movement Speed: 335
Attack Range: 575

Abilities:

Passive: Butterfly Swarm:
O'Rin has a swarm of 3 Butterflies surrounding her, increasing by 1 when she reached Level 6, 11 and 16. Damaging Abilities and Applying Crowd Control send a Butterfly with a Unique Effect to that enemy. Healing or Shielding an Ally will instead send a Butterfly to them, empowering them to send a Butterfly of their own via the same conditions. Butterflies will stay with Allies for 15 seconds, before returning to O'Rin. If an Ally dies while bonded to a Butterfly, the Butterfly will immediately return to O'Rin.
Enemies can only be affected by a Butterfly' sent from the same Host every 10 seconds, unless Monarch's Ascension is used, Once a Butterfly has applied its' effects, it takes 1-5 Seconds, depending on distance from O'Rin, to return to her, and it cannot be sent to an enemy or ally until it is fed again.
O'Rin's Butterflies apply Unique Effects, depending on what plant O'Rin has fed them. Once all of O'Rin's Butterflies have been sent to an Enemy and returned, they must be fed again for the next 1.5 seconds, during which they are unable to be sent to an Enemy or Ally. O'Rin can choose what plant to feed them, to change what effect they apply:
White Lotus: Butterflies will deal an additional 12.5% Current Health True Damage to their Target
Black Nightshade: Butterflies will Nearsight Enemies and reduce their Movement Speed by 50% for 3 seconds. Additionally, the duration of any Crowd Control Effects applied within this time is amplified by 50%
Green Hemlock: Butterflies will Execute target Enemies if they fall below 7.5% Max Health. This effect will apply up to 1.5 seconds after the Butterfly lands on a target.
Red Wisteria: Butterflies will burn Enemies for 7.5% Max Health Magic Damage over 3 seconds
Blue Jasmine: Butterflies will deal an additional 40 + 20% Bonus AP Magic Damage to the target, and heal O'Rin or the ally which they where bonded to by 150% of the damage dealt.
Additionally, Butterflies will apply O'Rin's On-Hit and On-Damage effects only, however an Ally's Attack or Ability will apply their On-Hit or On-Attack effects like normal, via their own Attack or Ability.
Q: Chrysalis Kunai
Passive: O'Rin can store an amount of charges of this ability equal to the maximum amount of Butterflies she has. She regenerates a charge every 3 seconds. When she runs out of charges, O'Rin must be out of combat for at least 5 seconds before she will start regenerating charges again. Each charge has a 0.5 second, static cooldown between uses.
Enemies hit with 3 Kunai within 3 seconds are Knocked Away from O'Rin. If they hit Terrain, they are stunned for 0.75 Seconds, and a Butterfly is sent to them, if one is available and will apply its' effect, regardless of Butterfly Swarm.
Active: O'Rin throws an enchanted Kunai at a target enemy, dealing 20/30/40/50/60 + 35% Total AP Magic Damage.
Static Cooldown: 0.5 Seconds
Static Mana Cost: 25
W: Nectar of the Ancients
Passive: On Takedown, O'Rin can re-feed her Butterflies.
Active: O'Rin gives a target Ally some of her Sacred Nectar, healing them for 50/60/70/80/90 +40/45/50/55/60% Bonus AP and giving them 25/30/35/40/45% Bonus Movement Speed for the next 2.5/2.75/3/3.25/3.5 Seconds.
Cooldown: 15 Seconds
Mana Cost: 75
E: Flight of Beauty
Passive: While under the effects of Flight of Beauty, Allies cannot receive a Butterfly from O'Rin via Nectar of the Ancients, or Items, unless O'Rin is the target, in which case all of her Butterflies will contribute towards this ability.
Active: O'Rin surrounds herself or an Ally with half of her Butterflies, prioritizing ones that must be fed, granting them a (30/40/50/60 + 15/20/25/30/35% Total AP) per Butterfly, Shield for the next 2.5 Seconds. During this time, if any of the Butterflies can still apply their effects, and O'Rin or her Ally attempts to send a Butterfly to an enemy, then they will leave their Host and the Shield will decrease by the aforementioned amount.
Cooldown: 22/19/16/13/10 Seconds
Mana Cost: 125
R: Monarch's Ascension
Passive: If O'Rin dies while her Butterflies are in a Frenzy, the Butterflies will leave their hosts, and the Frenzy will dissipate.
Active: O'Rin summons all of her Butterflies back, feeds them with a plant of her choosing, puts them into a Frenzy for the next 15 seconds, and then sends her Butterflies to all of her nearby Allies. While in a Frenzy, they gain the following benefit;

• Butterflies can now apply their effects 3 times before they must be fed again
• Butterflies will now travel 2x faster to and from Targets, Allies and O'Rin
• While in a Frenzy, Butterflies will return to their Host instead of O'Rin
• Butterflies from the same Host can affect the same Target every 3 seconds now

Once all Butterflies have calmed down, they return to O'Rin and must be fed once again.
Cooldown: 180/120/60 Seconds
Mana Cost: 100

Lore:

Long Ago, when peace and harmony covered the land, the Spirits walked freely across the Land of Ionia. With them, the Vastaya did as well, romancing the humans and embracing the calm and steady life that Ionia was known for. Each Spirit took the form of an animal native to Ionia, and roamed the land, wholly unknown to the commonfolk and sustaining the Spirit of Ionia itself.
Mirithra, the Spirit of Nature itself, was oft to take the form of a Large, Colourful Butterfly and roamed the land, making sure that the Humans and Vastaya alike kept it proper. Myths and Legends grew from this, describing either a gentle, protective Butterfly that blessed those who came upon it, or a monstrous, cannibalistic flying creature that consumed any and all who dared tread foot on its' land. Nobody knew which story was true, yet all who walked amongst the sleepy forests, along the ivory coasts, up the craggy, granite peaks kept this story in mind. At the same time, others dismissed such things as the story that it was.
Indeed, there where some that took this the other way, and instead of treading carefully, took it upon themselves to hunt and slay this creature, not understanding what it actually was. Most failed, however after the son of a Lord was killed, the Spirit was hunted and slain. The beautiful butterfly that once flew through the forests, was cast into the depths of a dark cave. Its wings broken, its body full of stone and lead, it reverted into a Chrysalis and the Spirit went into a deep hibernation.
Millennia passed, and the tectonic forces of the world eventually revealed the entrance to the cave once more, and this was how O'Rin's ancestors found it. Still in the Golden Age of Ionia, her ancestors nurtured the Chrysalis, for they where stewards of the land instead of defilers of nature. After many years, the Spirit awoke yet again, but this time forsoke its bestial form. The only remnant was an intricate tattoo in the shape of a butterfly, that lain upon the chest of the clan's newborn child. But this was no ordinary marking, for rather it was a blessing by the Spirit upon its' caretakers, that gave them an extended life of eternal youth and the ability to commune with the Spirits themselves.
The ones marked by such a tattoo where elevated to Matriarch or Patriarch of the clan itself, for such powers where a sight to behold, and came with great wisdom and a long, powerful life. Yet for all these gifts, only the first born child of the Blessed could be granted such powers as well, and upon that child's birth, the Blessed would be found dead and a Butterfly would be found amongst the child's cradle. The butterfly would be a lifelong companion of the new Blessed, as they grew and matured both into a caretaker of Ionia and as the head of the clan.
O'Rin was the newest in this line. Just as previous generations had, her mother had died in childbirth, and her father had vanished, and in their place O'Rin was born with the tattoo upon her chest and a venom black butterfly resting upon her cradle. Such an ominous sign was not forgotten by the clan's elders, for this was the first time in history that a Black Butterfly was found with a child. In a quick, panic-driven, fear-induced coup, they cast out O'Rin as the head of the house, throwing her into the deepest, darkest prison within the massive estate.
Located amongst the high peaks of Northern Ionia, within the dense granite, the prison was O'Rin's home for the first part of her life. Yet within the darkness, amongst the cool air, isurrouunded by unyielding stone, the Black Butterfly found its way to O'Rin and just as previous generations, accompanied her as she grew within the the Prison known only as The Well of Despair. Yet instead of despair, O'Rin grew and matured with a sense of defiance. Instead or murderers, rapists and all other sort of criminals, she found instead people who where loyal to the estate rather then the Elders. Unbeknownst to the recent generations, the clan's elders had slowly corrupted and consolodated power to themselves, deposing all who stood in their way, and turning O'Rin's family into a puppet, while they ran the estate for themselves. With the Black Butterfly at her side, these former soldiers, stewards, clerics and advisors raised O'Rin in the ways of her ancestors. Reading by the ghostly candlelight, sh learned of the legends behind her family. Training by the handful of hours fo snlight, she became adept at a multitude of martial arts. Speaking in echoes through the mountains, she learned the Common Languages and the Uncommon languages.
In time, her Vastayan Roots came to fruition as well. From a young age, her skin was mottled and grew into rough scales. Her tongue, grew longer, and eventually split into a fork during her teenage years. Her irises changed from wholly circular to narrow slits, yet her vision became acutely stronger. Through her childhood, such changes where met with awe, and could not be controlled,yet in her teenage years she became adept at changing herself at will. She could disguise her mottled, scales as pale, smooth skin. She coudl shorten and fuse her tongue for a short time. She could rapidly grow out her hair after much exhaustion, to lose it days later.
Soon, her day of reckoning came, for upon her ascent to womanhood, she and her adoptive family escaped from the mountain prison, and set off for her ancestral home. Behind her a massive vanguard followed, made up of all those who who where falsely imprisoned with her, but also the humans and vastaya alike who where downtrodden by the clan's elders. Yet beside her always, was the same Black Butterfly that had been with her since birth.
She and her allies quickly overwhelmed the Elder's soldiers, and she retook her ancestral position back. With great speed and brutal efficiency, she purged the corruption and rot within the estate and instituted people who where not only loyal, but also capable in their place. Nevermore, was anything like this going to happen to her family again, and indeed the estate continued to thrive. Notably, she had her people hide and protect her lands with the strongest magic they knew of. Nestled between a mountain ranges, and amongst sleepy forests, these magiks guaranteed their survival from any potential physical and political invaders.
By in large the estate functioned like normal. Her vassals continued with their life, living in peace and prosperity like all before them, but she instituted a strict return to the stewardship that had been lost generations ago. Her land, while physically hidden, was quite easily accessible, and it became a respite for the Spirits, be they escaping from Human Hunters, or the Azakana that opposed them. Make no mistake, Humans, Vastaya and all in between lived amongst her estate, but only the Spirits could come and go as they pleased.
The heart of this Stewardship, was the Butterfly Shrine, where not only the original Spirit of Nature, Mirithra, permanently lived, but any other Spirit could visit to rest and recover in either their Mortal Form or their Animalistic Form. The Butterfly Shrine was half in the physical realm and half in the Spirit Realm, and was the crown jewel of O'Rin's estate. Humans could come and go, offering prayers and offerings to the Spirits, while the Spirits themsleves could rest, safe from the influence of physical hunters and Azakana alike.
The smoke from prayer incense drifted constantly through the air. Silent prayer took place amongst the Courtyards and Gardens. Food and other offerings where placed at the numerous shrines. The Gardens themselves where tended and amongst the plants, an incomprehensible collection of Butterflies lived with the Spirits. Notably, O'Rin's signature Black Butterfly could always be seen amongst the swarm of rainbow colored insects, for just like her ancestors, O'Rin had the power to commune directly with the Spirits directly within the realm, and served as bridge between worlds, and Mirithra had quickly bonded with her, re-uniting her family line, with the Spirit itself.
It was her duty as the Speaker of the Spirits to commune with them, but it was also her duty as Aegis of the Ancients to protect them as well. Such was the case, when invaders pierced the veil between worlds and began to defile the land with chaotic, dark magic. Yet as quick as they came, they fell quicker still for O'Rin wielded powers that where hitherto unseen. The gardens of the Butterfly Shrine, home to Butterflies and Spirits alike, rose up against the invaders. Thought quite beautiful, the Butterflies where capable of destruction themselves and O'Rin was their caretaker.
In time, she met a handful of outsider, that somehow traversed through the Spirit World and had arrived at the Butterfly Shrine. She knew not how they had survived, nor why they had come, yet all who arrived where clearly strong enough to survive amongst the Spirit Wilds, and respectful of the Spirits themselves to travel amongst them for so long. She met a tall, lithe swordsmen, with a red mask bound to his face, bleeding from many wounds and collapsed upon the forest's floor. She met a Ninja Master and his Apprentice, traveling amongst the Wilds, in search of the Spirits themselves, in search of harmony. She met an armored warrior. and his Acolytes, wielding shadowy, chaotic magic also in search of a Spirit. She offered them a respite, amongst her people and Spirit's alike and it was only their respect of the Spirits that kept them alive. As for keeping the Butterfly Shrine a secret, O'Rin bound all of them with a Blood Oath before they left the refuge, cursing them to hold their tongue lest they immolate in unending Spirit Fire.
In time, she found herself growing older, and with it came new responsibilities. She was of child-bearing age, and Tradition and Fate meant that she was to take a lover and give birth to a new heir, one who would take up the mantle as Speaker of the Spirits and Aegis of the Ancients. Yet O'Rin took care in whom she pursued, for haste was of nigh importance to her. She did eventually take a lover after many years, and many years after that they married, and years after that she found herself heavy with child. By no means, was she her young self that had overthrown the Elders but nor was she an old, demented Lady like the Elders that she had overthrown. Her pregnancy would be long and hard, but she was determined to uphold her duties till the birth of her daughter. In her mind,she knew that her life's end was near upon her, yet she felt a serene sense of happiness, knowing that child would be born into a safe world, accompanied by a Butterfly of their own, and would serve the Spirits as she had, reaping the same benefits she had.

Quotes and Interactions:

Pick Quote: Behold! The Butterfly Swarm takes flight!
Ban Quote: The Swarm will not rest!
Zed: My Butterflies will devour you and your dark magic, Defiler!
Shen: My praises, Spirit Walker. The Spirits themselves bow to you...
Akali: Careful young one! Your blades are Sharp, but my Butterflies are hungry!
Kennen: Where you to visit the Butterfly Shrine, you would achieve the Enlightenment that you so desperately desire...
Syndra: I pity thou. An unjust fate, for a woman whom was destined for greatness...
Karma: Your play at serving the Spirits! My family has served for Millennia!
Yone: The Azakana have been culled, and for that you have my thanks!
Xayah: Your actions are admirable! Mayhaps you would join our Sanctuary?
Rakan: A pity that you are spoken for, but your loyalty is admirable nonetheless!

Inspiration:

I was debating whether to put this above, but I decided to put it here. Apologies in advance to TheHerald for having to read all the way down here in order to see if this qualifies for the competition. This champion qualifies for the competition under the Art of Inspiration. My initial Inspiration was from Vincent van Gogh's Butterfly Series, however the specific Inspiration behind the Butterfly Swarm Theme and the Feeding Mechanic is Long Grass and Butterflies as well as Grass and Butterflies. The paintings are an abstract work where you can interpret the paint as either long grass in a field while blowing in the wind, or Butterflies feeding upon grass in a field. This became the initial inspiration, and of course I took it and ran to create the fundamental mechanics behind O'Rin.

Gameplay Analysis:

Writing a Gameplay Analysis is almost as fun as designing the champions themselves. It allows me to explain how my vision for the Champion and their gameplay, while also allowing me to reflect upon the design process and fix any errors or ambiguities that arise. But anyway, I digress.
O'Rin's main Mechanic is of course the Butterfly Swarm that she manipulates. Just a disclaimer, this is the first time I have ever build a Support Champion, however I think I did a decent job. Initially the effects that the Swarm can apply look to be incredibly strong on their own, in fact when I designed them I thought about what sort of passive would I give to a BruiseHypercarry, ie:

• %Current Health True Damage is very similar to Fiora's passive, and incredibly strong in the hands of a Bruiser or Assassin
• Nearsighted and Crowd Control Amplification are rare enough effects that a Support's entire Passive could be just this and it would be strong.
• Green Hemlock is The Collector's Passive but slightly better, and while you don't necessarily build The Collector for the Execute, and Execute is an Execute. This is incredibly good for Bruisers and/or Marksmen
• Red Wisteria is Burn effect that scales with Max Health. Everyone knows how annoying Brand is, and the ability for multiple people to apply this is similar in that vein. This could very well be a Mage's Passive on its' own.
• Blue Jasmine is a decently strong Damage Modifier, that also heals for a huge portion of the damage dealt. On its' own this could be the passive for a BruiseAssassin

However, these strong effects are gated behind some conditions that neuter O'Rin from spinning out of Control. Namely, that you can only apply these effects from the same "Host" once every 10 seconds, or in the case of her Ultimate, once every 3 seconds. Coordinating these effects would mean having a team that actually knows what O'Rin does and can function around her, which is the second Mechanism that keeps her balanced. O'Rin's intrinsic Butterfly Mechanics rely on your ADC/Team as a whole to understand what they do, and how it affects the rest of the kit. For example, Flight of Beauty is a shielding ability, but it can also be turned into an Offensive Ability at the cost of the Shield itself. The final effect that gates O'Rin, is the fact that all of her Butterflies have the same effect, which means that based on your Gamestate and Team Composition, you may want a different effect. For example, if you have a high octane, early game comp, White Lotus and Blue Jasmine are going to be more valuable compared to Black Nightshade or Red Wisteria. Consequently, if you are facing a heavy BruiseTank/Juggernaut Comp, then Red Wisteria and Green Hemlock will be more valuable. Even if you are skirmishing in 2v2s instead of 5v5s, then Black Nightshade would be more valuable then anything else, because you can lock down and kill the carry int he skirmish fast. What ability to use and spread to your Allies is going to depend on a lot of factors, and having a good team that can capitalize on your decision is also important for O'Rin to function properly
As mentioned, Flight of Beauty and Nectar of the Ancients are the abilities that synergize the best with the overall Butterfly Mechanic. Nectar of the Ancients is a decently strong, scaling heal, but more importantly this is the main way that O'Rin can get a Butterfly onto an Ally. Butterflies will only go to an Ally if O'Rin can heal or Shield them, so she needs one of each type of ability. The Heal itself scales incredibly with AP and also applies a MS Bonus that scales with rank in how long it lasts and how large the bonus is. Truth be told, this is a very powerful ability on its' own, but combine it an the Butterfly Mechanic, and you have an Enchanter that is unquely suited for more aggressive ADCs instead of scaling Hyper Carries. Flight of Beauty is the shielding ability, and uniquely it scale not only with rank, with AP but also with Butterflies. Specifically, the AP Ratio increases with Rank, and because O'Rin intrinsically scales the amount of Butterflies that she has, it also increases the total Shielding AP Ratio that is used.
Then we come to the Coup de Grace of the kit, Monarch's Acension. In essence, t is really simple, because it is a huge stat boost at the end of the day, but it allows O'Rin to make her Buttrflies and in extension her teammates extremely lethal and punishing. First, it automatically allows O'Rin to re-feed her Butterflies, which means that she can change what effect they apply just before or just after a teamfigth starts. From there it provides utility, such as the ability to re-apply effects on the same target every 3 seconds instead of 10, as well as being able to apply said effects 3 times instead of 1 before needing to be fed. This makes her O'Rin absolutely lethal in team fights, as applying something like Black Nightshade or White Lotus on a significantly lower cooldown and with the ability to do it multiple times means that unless O'Rin is dealt with immediately or before a fight, it will be very hard to combat, given the sheer amount of stats and effects that she allows her team to apply. However, killing O'Rin will dissipate the swarm, and therefore if you can kill her early in the fight, then the combat pressure she applies will also be gone
The main point behind having such High AP Ratios that scale as hard as they do was to incentivize O'Rin to not build Support Items, but rather AP/Mage Items. All of her abilities scale incredibly hard with AP, and this is because I wanted to push her towards a more Karma-esque build path. My intended, or rather predicted build path would be a World Atlas (into Zak'Zak's Realmspike) into a Blackfiretorch, followed by an Imperial Mandateand finished by a Rabadan's Deathcap. This gives the Mana and Raw AP, which O'Rin desperately needs/wants to turbo charge her abilities, whilst till providing some form of Support Utility. Namely, Imperial Mandate is arguably the best Support Item in the game, and O'Rin perfectly synergies with it, given her poke with Chrysalis Kunai and the Crowd Control Effects on Black Nightshade. Dipping into Imperial Mandate reduces the total amount of AP you can get in 3 items, which realistically Supports most commonly hit only 3 items or so, but the Coordinated Fire effect synergizes too much with the kit to not dip into it. Blackfire Torch gives her the Mana she needs, and also AP, but more importantly the Burn from BFT will spread via her Butterflies that deal damage. This means that with the help of her Allies, she can very quickly spread the Burn to many enemies, which in turn amplifies her AP temporarily, which in turn amplifies her Healing and Shielding. Rabadan's Deathcap is a must for any AP Centric Build, so that is why its the Capstone of this build.
Rune Wise, I actually think that O'Rin would take Unsealed Spellbook more then any other Keystone Rune. She is unique in that she does not really benefit from any other runes specifically, as the entire kit is really around enabling her teammates, but on the flip side, the traditional support runes really do not feel like they would fit either. Summon Aery would be the other potential Keystone Rune, but at the same time O'Rin actually benefits from being able to cycle her Summoner Spells because it would give her the flexibility she needs in order to survive or switch gears to help her teammates. Beyond that, I catered her Base Stats to be very Mana Hungry, so going Inspiration Primary with Boots + Biscuits > Sorcery Secondary with Mana Runes would probably be her most optimal Rune page.
Finally, in terms of weakness, O'Rin is designed to be incredibly squishy and immobile. Her Cooldowns are pretty long, and her envisioned build path has little little CDR. As well, her abilities are impactful when used offensively or on other people, so not wasting it on herself and using it on the proper target is important. Additionally, her high dependence on AP means that she is goign to be buying the most expensive item in the game, being Rabadan's Deathcap, which not only has a terrible buildpath but is coming off the income of a Support. In total, O'Rin really wants to play aggressively and snowball her lane matchups, while simultaneously being incredibly squishy and immobile. As well, she wants to be paired up with an aggressive ADC, which means that she will often be putting herself in danger, but if she can be piloted correctly, she can take over games on her own, given how strong her Butterflies are and how fasts he scales with AP.

I live in regret of a divorce that happened almost 8 years ago. Feel free to psychoanalyze the old version of myself. I am no longer that person. I feel I ruined that marriage completely, all while blaming him.
I was 21 when I first started dating him in 2014. We separated in 2016, and divorce finalized in 2017. We were married on paper, not living together, but I managed to ruin the marriage completely within 30 days of us getting married.
I could list all his wrong doings, he wasn’t perfect, but I won’t. I just want to focus on me 100% and take the blame.

1. I would leave him constantly, for any little thing, and refuse communication/counseling. I constantly wonder what would have happened if I saw the light and wisened up back then, did the counseling, changed, would we have made it? I remember one time I left in the worse way. It was because he wanted to pick me up one morning that I slept in. He texted me to come out. I got angry he woke me up via text, and I broke up with him. Like how disgustingly immature is that? That wasn’t even the final break up. There was more thereafter all done by me 🤦🏻‍♀️ So I would continually break up, I would talk to random guys online. Well eventually he caught onto what I was doing. One time, on the dating profiles I talked to, one of the profiles was actually him. He was catfishing me. Where I showed how easy I was to a random stranger. So he found out at that time what I really was up to when I use to break up with him. Man I wish I wasn’t the way I was back then.
   
2. He would complain about the sex life and I would say “I’m tired of you nagging me about the sex life” versus hear him out respectfully, and submit to the frequency he wanted. Which is odd because I absolutely loved having sex with him. But I belittled his needs, and didn’t even care to hear him out.
   
3. I would make him feel crazy for being jealous. Even though I would leave for every little thing, go see other guys, and gaslight him into making him believe I just left because he did something worthy enough to leave, and there was no one else involved
   
4. I would bad mouth him to my family. And even pick my family over him. I was so submissive to my family instead of him that it took my mom snapping me out of it by saying “stop picking us over him.” my ex would call it out, and I never believed him. He even went as far as to text my dad saying pretty much to stop butting in and to try and stop the enmeshment. The weird part is my parents didn’t even treat me that well. My dad would say things like “your (now ex)only is with you cause he’s crazy, and you deal with it cause you’re fat” or throwing a passport at my face and calling me a prostitute when he found out I had a tattoo. And that’s only a few out of many things.
   
5. I would be randomly mean to him. I remember during our honeymoon period where love was flowing in the beginning, we were sitting in his car, and I just randomly told him “I don’t love you and I don’t think I ever could. You’re just not someone I see myself loving.” He burst out into tears. Why? If I could go back and slap myself across the face, I would. Weird part is, I didn’t mean it, but why say things like that….. it’s beyond me. That’s just one of the many times I was randomly mean and bullying him until he cried. It’s like I got some weird pleasure out of it
   

Maybe there isn’t a psychoanalytic explanation. Maybe I was just awful. Maybe I was just wounded. But I’m floored by how awful I was. I have had dreams of him till this day. Or dreams of my current husband shapeshifting into my ex. I have dreams of my ex a lot.
Now I’m married to a guy who does the same things to me. Minus the leaving. He has threatened to divorce me many times, and has seen others while we are married and his addiction to porn. I guess through my current husband, I have learned how awful my past behavior was. I have changed, grown, come to Jesus truly, done deliverance, etc
I understand my ex and I are done. I accept that. But why if I have accepted it? Do I find myself crying in prayer sessions begging God to hear my cries and I start crying out the words I wish I would have said back then. I then pray for my ex. I apologize to God. Why do I feel heavy remorse? How do I move past it? If it’s therapy, what type of therapy do you recommend?
I still hope in my current husband and pray constantly for him, although at this point it may be hopium and an endless cycle. I have tried counseling with my husband, and maybe my current husband is just too wounded (he has bipolar and is on medication) for it to work? Regardless, how do I work through this guilt, shame, and regret? When my husband is nice to me, I don’t feel it as strong. But when we are disconnected, it comes on strong…. don’t know what to do or think? Or just leave these feelings alone?

CMM.World & CMMTheology.org
The Great Harvest is here. Christ's Mandate for Missions and CMMTheology build strong, organic relationships globally as we worship, grow and equip together. Like Joshua and Caleb and the Apostle Paul, we see with faith what He sees in each person (to help each reach fullness), group (many streams and backgrounds in unity) and nations (sheep vs. goat nations). Our passion is to love, connect, equip and send with the simplicity, fullness, and power of the Gospel.
The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence! Inbox
By CMM.World CMMTheology.org - November 10, 2022
Dear Mighty One,
I see the Lord's eye upon us we discover by revelation the 'new thing' He is doing in our lives and of those of us who, beyond the present darkness, gaze into His eyes. The 'tuning fork' of Yahweh is orchestrating the sons and daughters of our living God in growing holy remnant unity to withstand as we stand with Him fearlessly in the boldness of the faith of God in this hour. Egypt is behind us, and the covenantal promises and prophetic words we have received (1 Tim. 1:18) empower us by His Holy Spirit to advance in warfare, humbly growing in the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Yesterday as I encouraged some friends, I said, 'stay in the blissful extravagance of His presence.' Today I saw in Psalm 34 His eyes are upon us in vs. 8 & 9 and v:15 about the 'uncompromisingly righteous.' We are to be holy as He is holy. That leaves no room for any more compromise or seeking to please man or the traditions of men, being free of the fear of man, the religious spirit, and any demonic activity. We are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Lord, help us understand by revelation to walk in all the authority we have been given by Jesus Christ.
Psalm 34:8-9 'O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear.'
v. 15 'The eyes of the Lord are toward the [uncompromisingly] righteous and His ears are open to their cry.'
Chuck Pierce shared this amazing word from Penny Jackson that is right on for this season: https://christsmandate.blogspot.com/2022/11/chuck-pierce-shares-powerful-word-from.html
May YOUR November be full of Thanksgiving and Praise for you and yours as YOU enjoy The Uncompromising Blissful Extravagance of His Presence!
Thank you for praying for CMM and all your fellow CMM Global Family worldwide. Pray for all the missionaries, schools, and students in CMM College of Theology in the US, Ecuador, Canada, Cuba, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Thailand.
Pray for the new wells and the living water and safe water recently drilled or soon to be drilled in Tanzania, India, Malawi, and Pakistan.
Pray for our upcoming Christmas gift campaigns to bless children and youth in many nations. Many of them are precious, beautiful children (orphans). As the Lord leads, pray about giving any amount to bless dear CMM children this Christmas. https://cmmworld.kindful.com/
Pray for each other, dear friends. We all know we each need prayers going up to Heaven for all those on the front lines. We each are on the front lines!
Please pray for me as I speak tomorrow online to a crusade with 8,000 expected to attend in Pakistan. In December, I will speak at conferences in Liberia and Kenya with fellow CMM Ordained ministers Robert Bimba (Liberia), Tom Omukhobero, and Daniel and Christine Oyoko (Kenya).
We are working on plans and trips for 2023. If you would like to have some of our awesome CMM family speakers for a conference in your area or would like to join or lead a missions trip, we would love to hook you up with dear friends in many nations.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Louis Blom of Judea Harvest as Associate Director of Missions at CMM. This strategic alliance multiplies the efforts and impact in building the Kingdom of our God, for His glory. https://youtu.be/HXfP8tCySRc

Many blessings and shalom from us all here at the home office and around the world.
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Hi, I'm hoping this is a good place to post this question. I am seeking two prayers, ideally as historically accurate as possible, and somewhat shorter then some I've come across before. The first is to Frigg to bless and protect my children, The second is to either Thor or Odin to protect me from misfortune and grant me strength to fight my battles.
I plan on getting them translated into Norse Runes and having them tattooed on my forearm, so that I can see and recite them regularly whenever I need to ask them for help.
Any advice would be appreciated, I have two in mind which I've crafted myself based off the sources I've been reading but there are those here much more knowledgeable that can hopefully advise something that would mean more to the gods and provide the help and blessings I need

I’m looking to get a Sanskrit tattoo. Where can I get a relatable translation and anyone know where I can find different calligraphy/fonts?

Hi, I would like a message translated into Sanskrit which is fine as I can use google translator but where can I find different sanskrit font styles add the translation to give to my tattoo artist?
For extra context, I know very little about tattoos. Only got my first one the other day.

Not sure if this counts.
So years ago, I remember seeing an advertisement about an app called CONNEXT. It was on YouTube and instead of skipping the ad, I stayed because it had a catchy jingle. A really catchy jingle, that the ad's basically tattooed on my mind.
I remember a guy singing about CONNEXT while holding a phone and there's a plane flying with a banner. It had Thai text I couldn't understand. (Or was it Sanskrit?)
I watched this on my old laptop, which got broken a couple of years ago, so basically I just can't go back and check my history because it's not only in my other account, but also in a broken device. I also remember showing the ad to my sister and we've been trying to do (almost) everything just to find this "lost" media.
That's all. I hope this gets found.

We can all see without much debate that it makes sense to disallow a tattoo artist to permanently modify the body of an 8 year old (even with parental consent). And we can probably agree that Sunday school, FHE, daily scriptures, daily prayers (talking to imaginary friends) etc causes permanent modifications to the mentality of a person.
So why is the regime of imprinting a supernatural world view upon children a thing that descent people would do? It seems like actual real supernatural truths could wait to be accepted by adults with full control of that faculties. Why is it so important to force this on children to perpetute it?

We are very confused since the names from these alphabets are either too common or too unique. Also, we want a meaningful name for our little boy born on Ganesh Chaturthi and with immense prayers to Hanuman ji
We liked the names Raghav and Rudra but both are already there in immediate family
Could anyone suggest good names? I liked Rishank but not sure whether the word really has the Sanskrit meaning that Google claims (devotee of Lord Shiva)? Please help

Not sure if this counts.
So years ago, when I was a kid, I remember seeing an advertisement about an app called CONNEXT. It was on YouTube and instead of skipping the ad, I stayed because it had a catchy jingle. A really catchy jingle, that the ad's basically tattooed on my mind.
I remember a guy singing about CONNEXT while holding a phone and there's a plane flying with a banner. It had Thai text I couldn't understand. (Or was it Sanskrit?)
I watched this on my old laptop, which got broken a couple of years ago, so basically I just can't go back and check my history because it's not only in my other account, but also in a broken device. I also remember showing the ad to my sister and we've been trying to do (almost) everything just to find this "lost" media.
That's all. I hope this gets found.

"What distinguished the Indian system from that of the ancient Western world is the absence of slavery. The caste system made formal slavery unnecessary in ancient India." - from The Two Classes of the Four-Fold Caste System, by Sudheer Birodkar.

In Nikken's Threefold World, which is "the world of unenlightened beings who transmigrate within the Six Paths" [Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Humanity and Heaven] ... the 1st chapter describes the structure of Nikken's World of Heaven.

Table of Contents

Part I: What did Nikken do?

1. What Is The Transfer Box For Nichiren Shoshu?
2. How Did Nikken Steal The Succession?

Part II: How did Nikken do it?

1. How Did Nikken Get Away With It?
2. Definition of Hunger (Gaki)
3. Getting Some Help
4. The Survivor Gita

1. How Did Nikken Get Away With It?

It is one thing to seize the day, and another to keep it.
So how did Nikken hijack such a large institution, with so many warring factions and keep it within his grasp?
[Ibid., Koitabashi]

Nikken's First Challenge Was to Put Jiun Sugano Under His Control
In sadness, the head temple was making preparations for the funeral ceremony of Nittatsu Shonin. The Gohonzon was enshrined at the reception room of the high priest's quarters with his futon placed with his pillow to the north.
While three hundred people, including the general administrator, executive priests, other priests, acolytes, and priests' families were chanting and awaiting the return of the high priest's body, the car carrying the high priest's body arrived at the head temple at 6:40 AM. General Affairs Bureau Director Eido Fujimoto, Giko Hayase, Takudo Hosoi, and Shoken Hagaihara all returned to the head temple with the body of the deceased high priest.
Kando Tono later described how the body of Nittatsu Shonin was handled, in the article he wrote for Dai-Nichiren, monthly magazine of Nichiren Shoshu, under the title "On the Informal Funeral of Nittatsu Shonin." His article served as an official report of the informal part of the funeral:
"As the rain continued to fall in sadness, with clouds covering the eastern skies, Mr. Kaname Sugiura held up a large, ceremonial umbrella. Financial Bureau Director, Rev. Hoko Yamaguchi, Rev. Jijo Doizaki, Rev. Zuido Ito, and Rev. Todo Miyake, each wearing a pair of white gloves, carried the body of the deceased high priest from the entrance gate to the reception room. "After changing the clothes of the deceased high priest and putting three kinds of ceremonial robes on him, the general administrator (Nikken) led the recitation of the sutra and the chanting of daimoku. The high priest's body was laid on the futon in the reception room. After the sutra recitation and daimoku chanting were done, the general administrator shared a few words. He stated that, even though all the priests were naturally saddened by the sudden passing of the high priest, they should realize that it was time for the entire Nichiren Shoshu to unite for the protection of the True Law. We must show our appreciation to the late high priest by conducting his funeral ceremony with all our sincerity.
"After words from the senior director (Mitsuhisa), the recitation of the sutra and the chanting of daimoku ceaselessly was led alternately by executive priests and the high priest's representative disciples. This continued until 7 PM, when the coffin of the high priest was moved to the Grand Reception Hall for the temporary wake that would be held in the evening. Incense smoke offered for the repose of the high priest filled the reception room of the high priest's quarters."
The high priest's family members, relatives, and many other guests made a line to offer incense for the late high priest, while the senior director of the Internal Bureau handled all the visitors. The high priest's bereaved family and disciples shaved the head and face of the deceased high priest after 9 AM. In the meantime, the Internal Bureau was busy making a schedule for the informal and formal parts of the funeral, reserving places for these ceremonies, and dealing with mass media.
What were Nichiren Shoshu priests thinking in the midst of this turmoil?
Their thought was: "Nittatsu Shonin passed away all of a sudden. Yet, the heritage of Nichiren Shoshu that has been transferred from high priest to high priest must never be severed even a moment. This is hossui shabyo, the principle in which the heritage of the Law is transferred just as the water in a cup is transferred to another cup… How should we resolve this situation, where obviously no transfer ceremony occurred between Nittatsu Shonin and any other priest who could be his successor."
Complicated emotions and heavy feelings enveloped the hearts of the executive priests of Nichiren Shoshu. As a matter of fact, as Nittatsu Shonin's body returned to the head temple, some priests had already begun to maneuver about who would succeed him.
Nichiji Hayase, former general administrator, openly asked Misako, the former high priest's wife, "Madam, is there anything that is written?" Irritated a bit by Hayase's insensitive question, Misako is reported to have replied, "I have no idea."
About the same time this conversation took place between Hayase and the wife of Nittatsu Shonin, Giko Hayase, husband of the late high priest's second daughter, was seen going through Nittatsu Shonin's memos and writings in the Gohonzon-transcription room in the high priest's quarters.
What did not make sense at all was the remark that Nikken made in the Nishi-okuban room: "Did you hear anything about who'll succeed him?" The question that Nikken asked Keido Hosoi, Takudo Hosoi, and Jiun Sugano did not sound at all like something uttered by the person who would later claim that he had received the heritage from Nittatsu Shonin. At the point when Nikken made this remark, he was not saying that he had received the heritage from the former high priest – he was asking who had. Obviously, Nikken's remark indicates that he was a third party with regard to the transmission of the heritage. In other words, he was asking from his point of view as general administrator, expressing his concern about who would succeed the former high priest who suddenly died.
However, Sugano's response was "Didn't you receive the heritage..." which Nikken did not expect to hear from Sugano. We wonder how Nikken felt after hearing this response.
Nichiren Shoshu priests in general knew that Nikken was eager to become a high priest. When he was the chief priest of Heian-ji temple in Kyoto, he had his wife send to the head temple a gorgeous basket of mushrooms worth tens of thousands of yen to amuse Nittatsu Shonin.
At one time, the tombstones of the successive high priests were moved to another location. It was during the time of the construction of the Sho-Hondo. On that occasion, part of Nikken's father's ashes could not be located, but it was decided that his tombstone would still be moved regardless. Angered by this decision, some of Nikkai's disciples were ready to complain to Nittatsu Shonin about this treatment. But Nikken and his mother, Myoshuni, begged them not to do so, saying, "If you should go ahead, it would hinder my future success." This episode is well-known among Nikkai's disciples, who felt badly toward Nikken because of it: "You don't care about your father's ashes simply because you want to become the next high priest."
Here is another laughable story. A notice board was put up at the time of the completion ceremony of the Sho-Hondo. When the notice board was brought to the place where it was supposed to be placed, Nichiji Hayase and Shinno Abe reportedly said, "This is written so poorly. Who wrote it?" As soon as an acolyte said, "Nittatsu Shonin did," Nikken is said to have replied, "On second thought, this is really written well." This is another episode that shows how careful Nikken was to not displease Nittatsu Shonin. Is this not the World of Animality?
Nikken, with complicated feelings in his heart, led the recitation of the sutra and the chanting of daimoku for the deceased high priest at 7:15 AM. After that, Nikken realized, due to his conversation with three members of Nittatsu Shonin's bereaved family, that "They did not hear anything from Nittatsu Shonin about his successor. Sugano, who I at first thought might succeed him, seems to have received no heritage from Nittatsu Shonin. Not only that, surprisingly, Sugano nominated me as next high priest."
What became clear to Nikken was that Nittatsu Shonin passed away without transferring the heritage to anybody. He realized that Nichiren Shoshu would need to get through this very serious situation where no new high priest has been nominated. It was imperative not to break the lineage of the transmission of the heritage of Nichiren Shoshu. And he realized that the Hosoi family had chosen not Hayase, but Nikken as the successor. He realized that becoming the 67th high priest was in his grasp. Resisting feelings of joy, Nikken racked his brains to conceive of a conspiracy, the most important one in his lifetime.
Nikken said to himself, "When should I say I received the heritage? It can't be too recent. It should be at least one year ago. What is the best timing for me to make this announcement? I'd better start at tonight's wake. Do I have to do any groundwork? I'd better talk to Sugano first to make him side with me without fail. Then, I'd better hold a meeting of the executive priests. Is there anyone who would oppose my ascension? Nichiji Hayase would possibly be one."
It was then that Nikken, using the date of "April 15, 1978," created a scenario to take the position of high priest in Nichiren Shoshu. During the recitation of the sutra and the chanting of daimoku for the deceased high priest, what occupied his mind was not his prayer for the late high priest but a plot to appoint himself as high priest. This is indeed a scheme beyond most ordinary people's sensibilities.
After the first ceremony was over, Nikken lost no time in taking action. First, he had to have Jiun Sugano, head of the Myokankai group that is the foremost group in Nichiren Shoshu and husband of Nittatsu Shonin's daughter, side with him. A witness testifies, "I think it was between 8 AM and 9 AM, after the ceremony, that Nikken and Jiun Sugano had a serious talk that lasted about half an hour at the general administrator's room. Several people saw them speaking."
The content of their talk must have been extremely serious. As soon as Nikken came out of the room, he saw some acolytes who were there to serve tea, and he said to them furiously, "What are you doing here? Were you here while I was talking inside?"
Around 9 AM, Gakkai leaders, who arrived at the head temple, visited the high priest's quarters to pay homage to the late high priest. They encountered Jiun Sugano, who was fresh from his talk with Nikken, when they were about to enter the reception room. Sugano seemed elated and surprised the Gakkai leaders by making this irrelevant remark: "I understand my turn will come after the next high priest."
Sounding intoxicated, Sugano is said to have mentioned to a person close to him, "I'll persevere for at least ten years."
There is no knowing what was discussed between Nikken and Sugano during their half-hour conversation. >From Sugano's remarks, we can guess what they discussed. Nikken must have said to Sugano: "You'll be high priest after me. I'll do it right for you, so don't worry." It is easy to believe that Nikken gave Sugano a promise like that. Additionally, Nikken must have promised Sugano an important position under his new leadership, in return for asking Sugano to support him against the forces of Hayase's group.
And in fact, on August 2 right after Nikken took office, Sugano was appointed to the position of General Affairs Bureau director while also maintaining the Overseas Bureau Director. It was extremely favorable treatment for Sugano.
However, their sweet relationship did not last long. Many of Nittatsu Shonin's disciples became active against Nikken and formed the Shoshinkai group to fight against him. Jiun Sugano became the symbol of anti-Nikkenism among activist priests in Nichiren Shoshu. Nikken released Sugano from his new position after only three months; he must have realized that it would be dangerous to keep Sugano in that position.
As a result, Sugano has been excluded from the mainstream of Nichiren Shoshu for the past twenty years, while Nikken still stays in power. Sugano was completely fooled by Nikken's promises.
Nikken Makes Sudden Revelation at Special Session of Executive Priests Time went by quickly. At 11:10 AM, an executive priests' meeting was urgently convened in the reception room of the east quarters of the high priest's secretary. Present were Nikken as general administrator; Hoei Shiina (Niccho), chief executive; and Nichiji Hayase, a representative of the noke priests.
An executive priests' meeting can be defined as a Nichiren Shoshu officers' meeting. If the high priest were alive, this meeting would be attended by the high priest (chief administrator), the general administrator, and the chief executive. With the passing of High Priest Nittatsu, the members of the executive priests' meeting were just Nikken, the general administrator, and Shiina, the chief executive. But Nikken also dared to include Hayase, who was not a formal member of the executive priests. Nichiji Hayase at first could not see why he had to attend this meeting, but it is said that Hayase, surprised at the unexpected invitation, made himself attend it, even if he was not so excited about it.
Hidden behind the idea of involving Hayase in the executive priests' meeting was Nikken's agenda. He must have thought: "Now I have Sugano under my control. Next I'll do the same with Hayase." His reasoning must have been something like this: "A problem would arise if a decision were formally made at a meeting where Hayase was not present. The Hokikai group, which upholds Nichiji, would not be quiet about my ascension to the position of high priest. It would be much better for me if I could invite Hayase to the executive priests' conference and move everything toward my succession. Clause 3 of Article 14 of the Rules of Nichiren Shoshu stipulates, 'In case the high priest cannot select his successor for unavoidable reasons, the general administrator, the chief executive, or noke priests shall discuss who will be next high priest.' Even if problems should occur later, I could insist that (with the inclusion of Nichiji in the executive priests' meeting) the meeting was actually a meeting for selecting the next high priest as stipulated by the Rules of Nichiren Shoshu."
Thus, the scenario that Nikken created was successfully put into action. He succeeded in involving Nichiji in his scheme to usurp the position of high priest in Nichiren Shoshu. Nikken had Shiina say in the announcement during the temporary wake for the deceased high priest, "With the special attendance of Rev. Kanmyo-in (Nichiji) at the executive priests' meeting …" which gave the impression to everyone that "Nichiji agrees with Nikken's succession." Using Nichiji was a particularly sneaky move by Nikken.
At the executive priests' meeting, Nikken stated: "I've not told anyone this, but on April 14 last year, the high priest and I were alone together at his quarters at the head temple, and he privately made reference to his intent to transmit the heritage to me. And at that time I received from him profound instructions about the teachings. This I would like to disclose now." (Dai-Nichiren, September 1979 issue)
It was at that moment that Nikken defeated his foremost rival, Nichiji Hayase. His first strike was decisive enough for him to win, even before Hayase realized there was a battle being fought. Later, Nikken triumphantly described his honest feelings at that moment. Reform priest Kodo Yoshikawa stated, "Right after Nikken took office as high priest, he spontaneously said, 'I thought Mr. Hayase may have received the heritage from Nittatsu Shonin, but Hayase remained quiet. So I decided to take the position of high priest.'" Mr. Yoshikawa said that quite a few young priests heard Nikken say this.
It is obvious that Nikken is a self-appointed high priest. He has provided no evidence to justify his assertion. When Nikken stated, "When the high priest and I were alone together…" no one could present any proof that Nikken was lying. Even though the story was implausible, there was nothing any one could say. All Nichiji Hayase, who could have become the 67th high priest, could do was to just watch how things unfolded in favor of Nikken. Thus, the executive priests' meeting ended with confirmation of Nikken's self- appointment as new high priest.
Hayase must have felt awfully chagrined, as soon as he realized that he had been taken in by Nikken. He must have said to himself, "I didn't expect that Abe would bring up even the specific date…. Damn it."
Suppressing his usual hot temper, Nichiji barely attended the temporary wake for the deceased high priest. As soon as the wake was over, Nichiji hurriedly returned to Tokyo. It was a harbinger of the subtle relationship between Nikken Abe and Nichiji's Hokikai group.
Nikken may have successfully bested Nichiji Hayase, but he was still very much concerned about whether the Hokikai group would support or oppose him. Some priests related to the Hokikai group shared this information: "On the morning that Nittatsu Shonin passed away, Nikken, fresh from the executive priests' meeting, said to me very seriously, 'Please support me, as I have accepted the responsibility as new high priest.' At that time, he also said, 'I'll be OK even if Mr. Kanmyo-in (Nichiji Hayase) should play the role of high priest for a while.' All I could say to him was 'It would be great if you became high priest.' How could say to him, 'Yes, you're right. Mr. Kanmyo-in should have the position.'"
This statement eloquently depicts Nikken's exact frame of mind about his self-appointment. His casual remark that "I'll be OK even if Mr. Kanmyo-in (Nichiji Hayase) should play the role of high priest for a while" signifies that Nikken's story was self-made. The above statement also shows that the transmission of the heritage is a very political issue in the minds of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood.
In contrast to Nichiji, who was so disappointed, Nikken began to behave convincingly as the new high priest after the executive priests' meeting.
There was a discussion going on outside the room where the executive priests' meeting was held. Responsible priests were talking about where the wake should be held. Taiken Hisamitsu, chief director of the head temple, insisted, "Since the midnight gongyo is always conducted at the Grand Reception Hall, we should use the Grand Lecture Hall for the wake. Nikken, who happened to join the discussion, said, "I'd like to hold it at the Grand Reception Hall." Hisamitsu, who was Nittatsu Shonin's chief secretary (and may have wanted to show his authority), would not change his original idea. A witness says this turned into a dispute between Nikken and Hisamitsu. Neither of them showed any sign of changing his original idea, and the discussion came to a halt. At last, Nikken said, "Mr. Hisamitsu, you don't understand. I'll be the next high priest." This statement by Nikken had the result of giving him the final say. Hisamitsu had no choice but to succumb to Nikken on the spot. The wake was thus decided to be held at the Grand Reception Hall, where an altar was set up for the ceremony.
Gakudo Nomura, chief priest of Myoko-ji in Tokyo, tapping a desk with his fan before the executive priests' meeting, is said to have spoken a little high-handedly to Nikken, "Shinno, what will you do later?" Because Nomura was senior to Nikken in the hierarchy of Nichiren Shoshu, Nomura used this casual language to Nikken.
Nikken went to the executive priests' meeting. As soon as they heard that it was decided at the executive priests' meeting for Nikken to be the next high priest, Nomura and other priests all prostrated themselves to Nikken, showing their absolute obedience to the new high priest.
Chief Priest Hoshin Nakajima stated, "On the way to the wake, I met with Shinsho Abe, Nikken's son and had a talk with him. He said, 'Who will become a new high priest?' I replied, 'I wonder who.' Then, we found out that Shinsho's father had become new high priest, which astonished me."
At 2 PM, Nittatsu Shonin's body was placed in a coffin with shikimi leaves all over it.
In the early evening, his coffin was moved to the Grand Reception Hall in a procession led by Aoyama, director of the head temple. Nikken carried the Gohonzon, General Affairs Director Fujimoto carried the late high priest's posthumous ihai, followed by Keido Hosoi, Takudo Hosoi, Gyokudo Hosoi, other disciples, the high priest's bereaved family members and relatives. After the coffin was enshrined, the sutra was recited and daimoku was chanted under the leadership of Nikken.
A black and white bunting was hung all over the eastern side of the Grand Reception Room.
The Gohonzon was enshrined with shikimi decorating the altar covered with white cloth. Seats were prepared for the high priest's family members and executive priests. Behind the seat of the ceremony leader were placed a number of incense burners. One side of the audience was occupied by priests, while the other side was reserved for lay believers with Soka Gakkai Honorary President Ikeda in the front.
Sudden Announcement Made about New High Priest During Daimoku Session for Deceased High Priest Incense was offered in the following order: the chief executive, the assembly chairperson, Nichiji, officers, Taiseki-ji priests, general priests, the high priest's family members, acolytes, Soka Gakkai leaders, Hokkeko leaders, and general believers. Recitation of the sutra was done at 8:05 PM. Hoei Shiina, chief executive and chairperson of the funeral, shared his words. He then made a sudden announcement of the transmission of the heritage. Shiina said:
"I have an important announcement. At 11:10 AM this morning, an executive priests' meeting was urgently convened at the head temple, and this meeting was attended by General Administrator Abe, Chief Executive Shiina (that is myself), and Mr. Kanmyo-in, who is noke and was specially invited to attend this meeting. Discussions were made about matters following the passing of High Priest Nittatsu. "General Administrator Abe served as special chairperson of this meeting, and he made an important announcement at the outset of the executive priests' meeting." (Here, Chief Executive Shiina exactly quotes what Abe said.)
"High Priest Nittatsu had been experiencing health problems for the past few years. Especially because of his heart problems, he had to be hospitalized several times for the treatment of his heart. Since he knew his heart ailment could suddenly take his life, he prepared for the situation that might arise after his sudden passing. His profound consideration made him assure the ceaseless transmission of the heritage, the most vital issue of this school. His profound preparedness and consideration impresses us.
"This disclosure at the executive priests' meeting deeply moved all of us who were present, and we all vowed to follow the new high priest with absolute obedience.
"I hope that all of you, both priests and lay people in Nichiren Shoshu, respect the new high priest, and achieve true unity between priesthood and laity under his leadership to deal with these difficult times inside and outside Nichiren Shoshu. As we do our very best for the great objective of kosen-rufu under the new high priest, let's repay our debt of gratitude to the former high priest, Nittatsu Shonin. This concludes my announcement." (Dai- Nichiren, 1979 September issue)
Hisamitsu's speech publicly endorsed Nikken's ascension to the position of high priest in Nichiren Shoshu. However, the truth is not that Nikken privately received the heritage from Nittatsu Shonin but that Shinno Abe, through his scheming on July 22, 1979, stole the positions of chief administrator of Nichiren Shoshu and 67th high priest of the head temple. Hoei Shiina's announcement at the wake did not necessarily give the priesthood a good sense of security about the appointment of the next high priest. Quite a few priests felt that things had gone too smoothly, for on July 20, two days before the passing of Nittatsu Shonin, two priests, Kyodo Seto of Jakunichi-bo lodging temple and Jisei Nakamura of Sessen-bo lodging temple went to see Nittatsu Shonin at the hospital. At that time, Nittatsu Shonin said to them, "I am OK. I am sorry I worried you all. I'll be back to the head temple after spending four or five days here for recuperation, so please don't worry." There is no wonder that some priests expressed their concern about the too smooth announcement of the appointment of the new high priest.
Also, Nikken's nichi-go issue came out, as introduced in the prologue of this book.
It was announced: "The decision was made. His nichi-go title is Nikken. Because his father's nichi-go is Nikkai, he chose Nikken for his name."
This announcement was made by Yagi at midnight and it made some priests realize that Nikken's ascension to the position of the high priest was actually a political decision, while other priests wondered if Nichiren Shoshu would fare well under such a shallow-minded high priest.
An elderly priest, who resided at the head temple, shared this impression: "I thought that the new high priest would be Nichiji Shonin. The headline of next day's issue of the Shizuoka Shimbun read, 'The successor is Abe Nichiji. However, coupled with his father's name Nikkai, the new high priest's name became Nikken.' At first I thought he was playing with his name. But later on, I found out he was serious about this new name, and I became concerned about his integrity as high priest. I wonder how he is taking the nichi-go title that he received from his mentor. He really showed a poor example here. His arrogance and frivolousness concern me."
Incidentally, there is a follow-up story about Nikken's self-naming. Hoei Shiina, who played a vital role in making the announcement about the new high priest at the wake ceremony, became noke half a year later, and named himself Nikken (a different Chinese character for the ken part of Nikken). Because of the same pronunciation as the new high priest's nichi-go title, Nikken asked Hisamitsu to change his nichi-go name, and Hisamitsu, following Nikken's request, changed his name from Nikken to Nitcho.
It is obvious that Nikken obtained the position of high priest through lies and conspiracies. As we go over what actually happened before he became high priest, we see so many questionable things that surround his ascension. Later on, those young priests who left Nichiren Shoshu and formed the Shoshinkai group began to doubt Nikken's story about receiving the heritage from the former high priest.

An alternate definition of Hunger (Gaki) below ... would simply have a picture and the name of Nikken Abe.
But there still remains that nagging question ... Nikken & Nichinyo, where's the Transfer Box for Nichiren Shoshu? And what are you going to use for the transfer as you hand the High Priest position to Nichinyo (Gikan) Hayase as the 68th High Priest?
Here's what I have envisioned (and written previously) that they simply had to do, as an expedient, to get around this pesky problem:

A NEW Transfer Box has been constructed and prepared for the transfer of the High Priest's office in Nichiren Shoshu. It will now function as the old, outdated Transfer Box did, as the physical proof of the heritage of the High Priest that was transferred from the last High Priest.
Shinryo Ishii, who has had some experience with boxing things up (he receives his illegal porn shipments at Taisekiji in fake boxes of Gohonzon), was naturally just the trusted Uchideshi for this job.
This was tricky, because Nikken has never seen the original Transfer Box, at least not up close !!! And he can't trust anyone who has, to tell him what it looks like. (We would hope that the approximation is SOMEWHAT close if he counterfeits the box. It would be extraordinarily embarrassing to find out in court, that he missed some key detail.)
The problem comes from the lineage chart, which is in the hand of over sixty successive High Priests and presents a profundly difficult challenge in forging a new one.
I believe this won't be a problem though, Nikkenism is not Nikko's Fuji School anyway.
So, the NEW Transfer Box for Nikken Shu has the same dimensions and appearance (we think) as the old, out-dated one for Nichiren Shoshu, but with ALL NEW contents.
The list of the High Priest's names who participated in the Transfer Ceremony has only one name on it, which never appeared on the original list for the lineage of Nichiren Shoshu: Nikken Abe.

This is what will constitute an all new form of transfer, in the Nikken Shu. It's either that, or a Marcel Marceau pantomime with a non-existent Transfer Box !!!

2. Definition of Hungry Spirits (gaki)

From the SGI Dictionary:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/H/84
hungry spirits ［餓鬼］ (Skt preta; Jpn gaki): Also, hungry ghosts. Spirits who suffer from hunger and thirst as karmic retribution for their greed, selfishness, and jealousy while they were alive. Buddhist scriptures describe hungry spirits as beings with throats as small as needles and distended bellies. The realm of hungry spirits is said to be located five hundred yojanas beneath the earth, above the realm of hell. In that realm, food and drink turn into flames and torment the inhabitants. The realm of hungry spirits is one of the three or the four evil paths. From the standpoint of the doctrine of the Ten Worlds and their mutual possession, it represents a potential state or condition of life in which one is tormented by relentless craving. Hungry spirits are called preta in Sanskrit, which in ancient India meant the spirits of the dead. In China and Japan, the story of Maudgalyāyana's saving his mother from the realm of hungry spirits is well known. See also service for deceased ancestors.

3. Getting Some Help

If you are a Nichiren Shoshu Priest, or a Hokkeko member from anywhere in the world, and are thinking about switching to the SGI call (310) 260-8900 or contact the Headquarters at SGI Plaza.
Tell them that you are a Nichiren Shoshu Priest or Hokkeko member, and wish to speak to someone about the SGI, and what to do.

4. The Survivor Gita

Nikken, the self-appointed Usurper King of the Rats at Taisekiji, has been replaced by Nichinyo, who is an angry member of the elite, due to too many blows to the head in fights. A little punchy, he rules from weakness, since Nikken publicly had plans for his son to take over.
One thing that is known for certain: There will be a new Rat King. And then there will be another.
Another thing that is known for certain: All the alliances will change, and more than once. Anyone that has watched Survivor knows this.
Rule Number Zero:
The War of the Rodents can only be won by ... King Rat.
More to come ... These questions will be answered !!!

I want to translate the English phrase "The fire must burn" (from the Hindi phrase "Aag jalni chahiye") into Sanskrit.
The translation I found that I prefer is "अग्निः अवश्यं दह्यते"
Please verify if this translation is correct and please suggest how to pronounce it. I believe the pronounciation is "Agninh avashyam dhastye"
I want the translation to be within 3 words and want to know the right pronunciation as this phrase is an idea for a tattoo.
Thanks!

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Have a good weekend! Go check out the Polo

THURSDAY - MAY 30th

Ongoing - Happy Hour @ MFAH @ 5PM Meet your friends at the MFAH for the best night of the week. Explore the campus, visit the galleries, and get a drink at the bar. General admission is free.
Michael Palascak Stand Up @ Houston Improv @ 7:30PM
Leo Skepi Live Show @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM Viral Internet personality Leo Skepi brings his honest and inspirational opinions to a live stage!
‘Moana’ Screening @ Trebly Park @ 8PM
P.O.D. @ House of Blues @ 6PM
Roar @ House of Blues @ 7PM With Norma Jean, Bad Wolves, & Blind Channel
Vision Video @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM With Missing Delores Galore
Summer’24 Concert Party @ Warehouse Live @ 5:30PM Featuring Emma Ogier, Midnight Beverage, April Company, & more!

FRIDAY - MAY 31st

Astros vs Twins @ Minute Maid Park @ 7:10PM Promotion: Alvarez 00s Black Replica Jersey, Friday Night Fireworks, Pregame Happy Hour
Dave Matthews Band @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7:30PM
Brit Floyd Concert Experience @ Bayou Music Center @ 8PM The world's premier Pink Floyd tribute act Brit Floyd is celebrating the 50th anniversary of ‘The Dark Side of the Moon.’
Samara Joy @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 8:30PM
Treaty Oak Revival @ 713 Music Hall @ 8PM
Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Josh Abbott Band @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6PM
TX2 @ Last Concert Cafe @ 8PM
Bresh @ Warehouse Live @ 10PM
Sapphic Factory Party @ White Oak Music Hall @ 8:30PM
Emo Forever Party @ Scout Bar @ 8PM

SATURDAY - JUNE 1st

Astros vs Twins @ Minute Maid Park @ 3:10PM Promotion: Girls Night Out, Mauricio Dubon Gold Glove Bobblehead
Ongoing - Saturday Stargazing @ George Observatory in Needville Water Lantern Festival @ North Houston @ 5:30PM Experience the magic of the Water Lantern Festival where you’ll enjoy tasty food trucks, fun music, and an incredible sight of thousands of floating lanterns reflecting unique messages.
Artisan Market @ Grand Central Park @ 9AM Come stroll through a unique selection of handcrafted treasures and discover locally made foods, flowers, arts, and crafts.
Coffee and Cars @ POST @ 8AM Come out and enjoy an amazing display of machines at POST!
‘The Sinatra Experience’ Concert @ Crighton Theatre @ 7:30PM Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of music, laughter, and a zesty lineup of Frank Sinatra’s most popular songs starring Dave Halston.
Accordion Kings and Queens Concert @ Miller Outdoor Theatre @ 7PM Enjoy a night dedicated to the enchanting sounds of accordion music, shining a spotlight on Texas’s rich musical heritage.
Maggie Rogers @ Woodlands Pavilion @ 7:30PM With Japanese House
Olga Tañón @ Smart Financial Centre @ 8PM
Teezo Touchdown @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Azizi Gibson @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Bleachers @ White Oak Music Hall @ 6:30PM With Samia
Alejandro Escovedo @ The Heights Theater @ 8PM
Borgeous @ Stereo Live @ 10PM
Sabai @ Warehouse Live @ 10PM With Julienne By

SUNDAY - JUNE 2nd

Astros vs Twins @ Minute Maid Park @ 12:05PM Promotion: Yoga Day, Astros Belt Bag, Kids Run the Bases, Family Sunday
Livingston Memorial Cup @ Houston Polo Club @ 5:30PM Experience a world class polo match, player parade, live music, expert announcing, traditional champagne divot stomp at halftime and special trophy presentation.
Blackwood Farmers Market @ POST @ 2PM Shop, taste, and support fellow Texan makers and organizations working towards the city’s green future.
Family Day @ MFAH Bayou Bend @ 1PM Visit Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens for an afternoon of family-friendly fun.
‘Dial M for Murder’ Screening @ MFAH @ 5PM See this Hitchcock classic on the big screen for its 70th anniversary revival.
Jazzy Sundays @ Discovery Green @ 5PM Featuring Melvin Johnson and the Electro-Akoustics
Hunxho @ House of Blues @ 7PM
AJ McQueen @ House of Blues @ 7PM
Dreamer Boy @ White Oak Music Hall @ 7PM
Trixter @ Warehouse Live @ 6PM
The Last Ten Seconds of Life @ Scout Bar @ 6:30PM

All Weekend

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - Strauss Festival Concert @ Jones Hall Music Director Juraj Valčuha leads one of the natural wonders of the music world, Strauss’s ‘An Alpine Symphony’ in an epic concert together with world renowned soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen.
All weekend - Nimesh Patel Stand Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend - Houston Tattoo Arts Festival @ NRG Center The world’s largest tattoo convention tour returns to Houston!
All weekend - ‘Taking Venice’ Screening @ MFAH Enjoy the Texas premiere of this hit documentary making waves in the art world.
All weekend - ‘Mayerling’ Ballet @ Wortham Center LAST CHANCE - An epic triumph in classical story-telling, this titillating three-act ballet tells the dark tale from Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s psychological thriller of the same name.
All weekend - Disney’s ‘Newsies’ Musical @ The Hobby Center LAST CHANCE - Inspired by real-life events, this smash-hit musical is an extraordinary story about fighting for what’s right... and staying true to who you are.
All weekend - ‘Murder Ballad’ Musical @ Art Factory Following a married couple in a break-up, this addicting rock-opera is an exciting theatrical experience that explores the decadence and dangers of desire.
All weekend - ‘Othello: The Remix’ Musical @ Stages Repertory Theatre This production takes ‘The Tragedy of Othello’ to a whole new level in this lit Hip Hop remix as an onstage DJ spins Shakespeare’s legendary masterpiece of jealousy, revenge and passion.
All weekend - ‘A Case for the Existence of God’ Play @ Stages Repertory Theatre Told with humor, empathy, and wrenching honesty, this award-winning play follows an unlikely pair of men as their lives entangle in a story that is both small and big at the same time.
All weekend - ‘The Emporium’ Play @ Alley Theatre LAST CHANCE - Thornton Wilder’s unfinished masterpiece comes to life for the first time, and the audience gets to be an active participant in the very fabric of the play!
All weekend - ‘Dial M for Murder’ Play @ Alley Theatre Greed, fear, jealousy… protecting someone you love. All motives for murder, all here in this sharp new adaptation of Hitchcock’s classic thriller.
All weekend - ‘On Midnight, Friday the Thirteenth’ Play @ Ensemble Theatre LAST CHANCE - Help investigate a murder mystery in this intriguing and exciting dark comedy.
All weekend - ‘Appropriate’ Play @ MATCH This haunting thriller play follows the Lafayette family as they return to their late father’s crumbling estate and discover a new disturbing truth about their own family.

Ongoing Special Events and Museum Exhibitions

Ongoing - AAPI Restaurant Weeks Enjoy special fine & casual dining menus at participating restaurants in celebration of Asian & Pacific Islander heritage month!
Ongoing - ‘Space Explorers: The Infinite’ Immersive Experience @ Silver Street Studios NEW - Embark on an immersive excursion through new breathtaking videos that reveal the many wonders of space exploration.
Ongoing - ‘Jurassic World’ Exhibition @ Katy Mills The limited-time globally sold-out exhibition immerses audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the beloved film. Discover the science of jurassic world and walk in the land of jurassic giants, closer than ever before!
Ongoing - Dinosaurs @ Houston Zoo Trek through a lush forest trail to see life-sized animatronic creatures, including the fan favorite T-rex, Brachiosaurus, Edmontonia, and more!
Ongoing - Sloomoo Exhibition @ Marq E Entertainment Center Immerse yourself in the joy of sensory play with Sloomoo Institute’s colorful world of never-ending, hand-crafted slime, yummy scents, and soothing ASMR delights.
Ongoing - ‘Jacolby Satterwhite: A Metta Prayer’ Exhibition @ MFAH NEW- Artist Jacolby Satterwhite’s expansive multimedia installation fuses choreography, video, animation, lighting, and music to reimagine a kaleidoscopic, computer-generated world.
Ongoing - ‘Eye on Houston: High School Documentary Photography’ Exhibition @ MFAH The annual exhibition documents and celebrates Houston’s diverse neighborhoods through student photography that captures daily life in our communities, identity, and future.
Ongoing - ‘Ruth Asawa Through Line’ Exhibition @ Menil The exhibition presents drawings, collages, watercolors, and sketchbooks showing the breadth of Ruth Asawa’s innovative and profound practice.
Ongoing - ‘Janet Sobel: All-Over’ Exhibition @ Menil See the pioneering work of Janet Sobel and her ‘All-Over’ abstract expressionist painting technique which inspired generations of artists, including Jackson Pollock.
Ongoing - ‘Olivia Erlanger: If Today Were Tomorrow’ Exhibition @ CAMH Across an installation, a video, and a series of commissioned sculptures, artist Olivia Erlanger continues her decade-long investigation into what it means to call a planet home.
Ongoing - ‘Resonant Earth: Contemporary Perspectives on Land and Body’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts NEW - ‘Resonant Earth’ explores the connections between the human body and the land through the practices of six contemporary artists, each contributing a personal perspective and unique approach.

Part Three: The proofs of your ambition
Chapter 11
Location: Azathanai Settlement
POV: Arathan
Arathan's party is in a place with ruined houses. Some burnt. The houses are arrayed in a haphazard way. Some were even still occupied. Arathan is disturbed by this place. It is not welcoming. Draconus leads them to a house more apart than the rest of them with strange swirly patterns on the wood. Draconus turns to Arathan and says, "You might think, that your thoughts are your own." Draconus tells them that the place is only reflecting their thoughts. They didn't notice the flowers or other beautiful stuff in the town. Arathan asks if the Jheleck still raid. Draconus responds that there is nothing of value. A tall nearly naked man stands in the doorway. Arathan dismounts and struggles not to shiver or gasp. Everything was so perfect that the air wouldn't go in his lungs. Draconus tells Arathan to come near him if he wants to stay. Once next to his father, he is able to breathe again. Arathan asks who's this guy and how can he stay here. Draconus says Azathanai, but also says that name is misleading.
Arathan asks if they are gods. Draconus says, If so, "they are gods in waiting." Arathan asks what they wait for and Draconus says worshippers. He knows Tiste education says that gods must be worshipped into existence, but that's not the case. He makes an analogy to horses and how they view people as gods, but people are cruel gods. Arathan asks then what god would break us. Draconus says not this one. Most Azathanai do not want to be worshipped, surrender can taste bitter to them. The man steps forward and a globe of light follows above him. Draconus says his aspect is cold and airless. If Arathan steps away a bunch of horrible shit will happen to him. Draconus says the Azathanai hasn't picked a name, which is annoying. The man was only a little older than Arathan and ring like tattoos adorned his skin. The unnamed Azathanai asks Draconus how long it has been, and then tries to give a time reference, but Draconus stops him and tells him they won't speak of time.
Draconus asks if he will be the one to give him the gift. The Azathanai says no. Your gift is in another village. Draconus is irritated and calls him Old Man. Old Man thinks the gift is perhaps dangerous and says the use of night was unprecedented. He says some believers are furious. Draconus asks if they will challenge him. Old Man says no, they will weep and seek redress, "In the healing they seek, they reach deeply into the Vitr. We do not know what will come of this." Draconus says they are fools and asks who reaches into the Vitr. Old Man says he's heard Ardata's name mentioned and the Sister of Dreams. As he is heading back to his house he tells Draconus there is more news. The High King has built a ship. At this Arathan feels a pressure pushing him away from his father. He starts to gag. His father grabs him and says sorry. He says, "I’m never good, with displeasing news."
POV: Rint
Rint and Feren are watering their horses. In the middle of the pool is a rough statue. Rint guesses that it's supposed to be a Thel Akai. Feren says of course, so much pain. Feren wonders why they put it in a pool without a pedestal or anything. She is also just being mean to Rint. Maybe he deserves it. Rint says this village reeks of magic and he doesn't like it. Raskan agrees. Feren says someone approaches. The Azathanai that approaches is a once fat woman with loose skin. She tells them that they do not know her and that the Dog-Runners do. They worship her and see her in the fires they light. She would prefer a shapely body, but her worshippers keep feeding her. She puts her hands into her stomach opening previous wounds. She pulls out a small bulbous clay figure covered in blood and ichor. She tosses it at the feet of Feren who steps back. Feren then picks it up. The Azathanai asks Raskan if she frightens him and if he wants to feel her weight and the wetness of her gift. Raskan is trembling. She says she can make him kneel to her. She tells him to get on the ground.
Draconus shouts Enough!. She says she was only amusing herself. No harm. He tells her, "Begone, Olar Ethil. Skulk your way back to the Dog-Runners. These people are under my protection." She responds contemptuously, "They need it. Tiste" Feren drops the figure and reaches for her sword, but Rint stays her hand. Raskan runs away his hands covering his face. Olar Ethil says she can take them all and Draconus can't stop her. He says things have changed and invites her to quest deeper. She says, "Oh, no need, Draconus. Night rides your breath. I see where you have gone and what you have done and you are a fool. All for love, was it? Or am I being too … romantic." She makes a gesture and the figurine explodes cutting Feren's face. Feren calls her a fat hag. Olar tells her, "Touched by the goddess! You carry a child, woman, yes? A girl … and oh, the hue of her blood is most unusual!" She asks Draconus if he wanted a grandchild, says it must be disappointing. She tells Draconus to come no closer and if he stares at flames too long she will steal his soul. "Shall I utter your truths, O Suzerain of Night?" Draconus says if she comes to their campfires at night they will battle to the death. Olar tells him not to speak of death as an Azathanai has now committed murder. He is shocked. She tells him it wasn't a Tiste so he doesn't have to avow vengeance. "Nor a Dog-Runner, or so I have since discovered, which absolves me of the same. Nor a Thel Akai – although that would have been interesting. Neither Jheck nor Jheleck." It was Karish a Jaghut. Draconus is suddenly anguished. Rint pulls Feren back and looks at Arathan. He sees him watching Feren. As she turns to see Arathan watching her she whispers, I'm sorry. Draconus invites Olar Ethil to his fire. She says the Dog-Runners drive her mad with their prayers. She lays her head on his chest.
Rint wonders who Draconus is. Draconus asks where Hood is. Olar tells him chained in the Tower of Hate, so he doesn't start a war with the Azathanai. Feren drops to the ground starts weeping. Rint feels sick and wishes Ville and Galak would come back, so they could all leave. He would break the contract. Draconus tells Rint to make camp and tells Arathan to help Raskan.
POV: Arathan
Arathan finds Raskan against a wall. He tries to stand, but can't. He's distraught. Raskan tells Arathan to go away. Arathan tells him that he can't. He says he doesn't know what Olar did to him, but he knows it was cruel and that he should be allowed to be alone. Raskan tells him again to stay away or he might harm him. Arathan says, "Sergeant, my father has met my eyes. I am his son. I am not here to ask you. I am here to command you." Raskan says this was supposed to be Ivis's task and he would have been better. Arathan asks what she took from him. He says he begins to see and that Draconus and Olar know each other from long ago. Arathan asks again what did he see. Raskan says, "Azathanai blood is what I see. It needs chaining and that’s what he’s done. Chained it down. By his will alone you are held back, made normal to our eyes. You fool – not once did she look at you!' Arathan doesn't understand. Raskan stumbles away and he follows. Arathan wonders if his mind is broken. He also wonders why Draconus waited until now to pronounce Arathan as his true son. Raskan is attacking the hillside as he moves toward the camp. Arathan reminds him of all of his deeds and duties. He regains himself and apologizes saying he misspoke. Raskan resumes his walk to the camp only now calmer.
Arathan tries to follow but then thinks about Feren and the girl they made. He is terrified. He forces himself to walk. They made a child, but Feren needed nothing else from Arathan. In giving one thing to her, he gave everything of himself. "What is given away for free comes back wounded. Value is not always shared and some hands are rougher than others." He thinks this is the message that Old Man was giving to Draconus, but Draconus wasn't listening.
POV: Feren
Rint has sewn up Feren's cheek wound. She is angry that Olar laughed when it happened. Olar had confirmed that she was pregnant, but now her baby felt alien and she was worried she couldn't love it. She thought the hole in her would be filled by this, but it isn't. Olar said the boy was something more and that worries Feren. She forgets her troubles as she sees Raskan walk up. Olar had stolen much more from him. Rint tells Raskan that every witch's touch is awful, but it wears off. Raskan says that she's Azathanai. Rint says even the Jheleck know Olar Ethil, "They call her power Telas." He says they've all stared into a fire and been entranced. Raskan asks if Olar has touched Rint. He says yes, but he did not know it at the time. Arathan arrives and Feren notices that he is not looking at her. This is good, as to look at him pains her.
Rint hands Raskan a flask. Raskan remembers an old saying, "Drown the witch". Rint and Feren give there blessing for him to get drunk. Raskan looks at Arathan and asks, "Lord Arathan?" Arathan gives his blessing too. Feren thinks, "Lord Arathan.’ It is done, then. He met his son’s eyes and knew them as his own. ‘Of course he’d know them,’ she muttered under her breath. They just needed a few hundred wounds first."
POV: Olar Ethil
Draconus says to Olar. What I shall deliver to Kharkanas-. She interrupts him and says it will heal nothing. She says Mother Dark has unmanned him. Draconus says that is the woman he loves and he will not yield another step. Olar says, "It is not you I doubt, Draconus. You gave her Darkness. You gave her something so precious she knows not what to do with it." She says Mother Dark may choose what's expedient over him. She says there are Jaghut among the Dog-Runners. "Those who rejected the Lord of Hate. They amuse themselves ordering and reordering what does not belong to them. They make fists and call them gods. Spirits of water, air and earth flee before them. Burn dreams of war. Vengeance." Draconus asks if all that they made will crumble. Olar answers that she will respond with fire and that they are her children after all. He says that she is no different than the Jaghut.
Olar asks about their terrible children. He says they are terrible. She asks if he will visit Arathan's mother. He says no. He tells her they won't make love tonight. He tells her of his plan to get to the next village, then send everyone back except Arathan. They will continue to the Lord of Hate. She assumes that Arathan knows nothing. Draconus confirms. Olar says, "For all that I am fed by my Dog-Runners, I do not understand them; and for all that I nurtured Burn, at my own breast, still I underestimated her. I fear it is that fated disregard that will see the end of me some day.’" He asks if she will see death coming. She says she'd rather it was instantaneous. She asks him the same and he says he will die many deaths. She looks at the sculpture of the Thel Akai titled surrender that Caladan Brood made knowing it's honest and hating him for his talent. Olar says she sees Arathan's mother in his eyes and that it must be hard for Draconus. He says yes. She pulls another figurine out of her belly and gives it to Draconus to give to Arathan. He says Arathan is not hers to protect. She says even so. As he's walking away she asks what name he gave his son, he tells her and she starts laughing.
POV: Arathan
Arathan has a horrible dream with dead babies floating in a pool that he has to step on and then falls through. Raskan thought Olar Ethil was his mother, but he knew she wasn't. He knew she was Malice's mom as they looked alike when Malice was younger. Draconus gives Arathan Olar's figurine. He tells him that he will send back Raskan and the borderswords and they will go on. Arathan tells his father not to hurt Feren. Draconus tells him not to be foolish and that he will leave them alone. Arathan goes back to sleep and the dream returns. Only now there is a woman at the bottom of the pool pulling babies out of her belly and cutting the cords letting the babies drown. Women came to the edge of the pool and stuffed the dead babies in their bellies. One woman remains at the shore, but there are no babies left. In her sorrow she turns to go and does not see one baby boy break the surface and struggle. He also sees his father cutting ropes.
POV: Raskan
Raskan wakes up hung over. He notices some horses are gone. He asks Rint where they went. He thinks he shamed Draconus. Feren tells him the lord commanded them to go back. Raskan catches himself staring at Feren. He sees a swell to her, but knows that's impossible this early. Raskan thinks Draconus will now discard him, but remembers Arathan fondly thinking that he will never see him again. Rint says they should get going and Feren says she will meet them at the pool. She says she'll say hi to the witch and loosens her sword in the scabbard. Rint hurries to saddle his horse and tells Raskan to hurry. Raskan says he will catch up.
POV: Feren
Feren intends to try to kill Olar Ethil, though she doesn't know if it's possible. She was tired of feeling used by Azathanai. If she harnessed her rage she knew it would burn away all the bad shit she'd done and allow her to make violence. She makes her way to the pool with the Thel Akai statue and finds Ville and Galak, "And the smiles they gave her shattered the fury within her, and she rode out from it as if from under a cloud"
POV: Rint
The night past listening to Feren cry and Arathan whimper he thought about killing Draconus. He thought a knife in the neck would do it, but every time he opened his eyes, Draconus was standing awake. He began to believe in the power of Night. Mother Dark was no longer a Tiste. Even the title goddess seemed less than what she was now. He didn't understand how a person could transform in this way. He now suspected that Draconus shared some of that power. The Azathanai met Draconus eye to eye as equals. The Tiste who would force Draconus out were right, but they were fools to think him a mere Tiste. The Suzerain of Night is brutal and profoundly dangerous. Agents of Urusander's legion had come to the borderswords telling them that Mother Dark needed a husband, but the borderswords were tired of war and rejected them. The next time they asked, he would offer his support to their cause.
POV: Raskan
Raskan hears a voice behind him say, "I am not always cruel." He turns and sees Olar Ethil. He moans and backs away. He tells her to go away, but she gets closer. She says his fire is unhealthy and to let her douse it. Let her heal him. He says please and she misinterprets it as an invitation. He falls to his knees and she takes his head in her hands. She says she can end his torment. Her hands begin to meld into his skull. She tells him to open his eyes and he sees only her belly. She says, "Whence you came, Raskan." He tries to pull her hands away, but finds only wrists. Her hands are embedded in his skull. She presses his face against her belly and her scar opens. He tries to breathe, but fluids fill his lungs. She puts his head in her belly and the wound closes around his neck and decapitates him. In his last moments he feels real satiation and joy.
POV: Olar Ethil
Olar wipes her hands and climbs into a tree. She uses sorcery to make the lichen enwreathe her. She hides in waiting to see Raskan's companions find him. She wants to see Feren and the wound she gave her again. "Not always cruel, it was true. Just most of the time"
POV: Rint
Ville and Galak tell Rint about their journey back. They don't mind getting here and turning right around. They don't like this place. They said Sagander went willingly to the monks, but Galak does not trust him. Something's not right in his eyes. Feren sees Raskan's horse and asks if he went back to sleep. Rint sees Raskan curled up, but knows somethings wrong. Rint moves to dismount, but freezes. The horses are agitated. Feren dismounts and studies Raskan's body then looks at the tree and draws her sword. Rint dismounts draws his knife, but doesn't see what Feren sees. Feren tells him she's in the tree. Feren yells, "Azathanai! Witch, come down and meet my sword! You so liked my blood – give me some of yours!" She strikes the tree with her sword, but it rebounds out of her grip. Rint moves to grab his sister. Feren calls Olar a murderer and curses her for the murder and the blood she took from her. Rint tells Ville and Galak to wrap up Raskan's body and throw it on the horse. They need to leave. Feren is scratching and clawing at Rint to try to get free. He sees that they are doomed. Their future is blood and murder. He lets go and Feren gets free. She grabs her sword and sheaths it. A clay figurine lands at Rint's feet and Olar Ethil laughs. Rint tells Feren to lead them down the hill and that he won't be long. She goes. Rint looks through his saddlebags. He takes out some oil and puts some kindling at the base of the tree. He says fire probably won't hurt her, but maybe it will if the intent is there. "I do this wanting to hurt you, Olar Ethil. And I want that to matter." The tree bursts into flames. Olar Ethil begins screaming and he rides away.
POV: Feren
Feren hears Olar scream and it makes her smile. As they ride through the village, the Azathanai come out of their houses and look at the burning trees (the fire spread). They then look at the borderswords. Feren offers each one a smile.
Location: On the road to the next Azathanai Settlement
POV: Arathan
They had been riding since early morning. Shortly after noon, Draconus reins in and looks back the way they came. Arathan says, "father?" Draconus says that Raskan is dead and that Olar thought it as mercy. Draconus asks if that makes a difference. Draconus says he feels the bordersword's rage and admires them. He says they struck back and that Olar will be terribly scarred. He says Feren is remarkable and that Arathan is right to love her. Arathan says he doesn't and that he no longer believes in it. Draconus looks at him and Arathan continues, "But, she will be a good mother". Arathan leaves that world behind.

My friend got her first tattoo a couple weeks ago at a tattoo convention. She got the ‘R’ and ‘L’ letters on her hands as a funny joke. To help the placement was on the side of her hands by the thumbs, so like if you put your hands together in prayer mode you can see the L and R.
She had it wrapped for the full 24hours and then the plastic. Came off.
I kid you not, within less than 2 weeks the tattoos are gone, not faded but straight up gone. It looks as if she had only written on her hand and the pen washed off.
Is this normal? It was a fine line tattoo but I didn’t think they could just disappear.
Also she’s getting a huge thigh piece done by the same artist and I’m low key scared it’s going to fade also.

"What distinguished the Indian system from that of the ancient Western world is the absence of slavery. The caste system made formal slavery unnecessary in ancient India." - from The Two Classes of the Four-Fold Caste System, by Sudheer Birodkar.

In Nikken's Threefold World, which is "the world of unenlightened beings who transmigrate within the Six Paths" [Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Humanity and Heaven] ... the 1st chapter describes the structure of Nikken's World of Heaven.

Table of Contents

Part I: The Roles

1. The Hindu Caste System and Brahminism
2. The Nichiren Shoshu priesthood and Nikken Abe

Part II: The Actors

1. The First Rank of Nichiren Shoshu (Brahmin Caste - Priests and Teachers)
2. The Second Rank of Nichiren Shoshu (Kshatriya Caste - Warriors and Proxy Rulers)
3. The Third Rank of Nichiren Shoshu (Vaishya Caste - Farmers, Merchants, Artisans, etc.)
4. The Fourth Rank of Nichiren Shoshu (Shudra Caste - Laborers)
5. The Fifth Rank of Nichiren Shoshu (Untouchable Caste or Eta - Polluted Laborers)
6. Definition of Heaven (Ten)
7. Getting Some Help
8. The Survivor Gita

As Nikken Abe's successor Nichinyo moves ever closer to the moment that he will no longer be the high priest of Nichiren Shoshu ... those interested in the future occupants of Taisekiji will have in mind a question ... how will events unfold ?
What I will attempt to do in this polemical series laced with satire, is to give a view from which the seeming random or enigmatic quality of the various moves made by the priesthood, can be revealed to be more predictable and easy to understand.
In the analytic method that I have chosen, the grid for analysis, is the Hindu caste system.
The theme that will be employed to portray the flow of events to come is the "Survivor" series from CBS.
Think of it as the "Survivor Gita".

1. The Hindu Caste System and Brahminism

First, let's get a cursory understanding of what the phenomenon of "Brahminism" is all about.
From "The Caste System and the Stages of Life in Hinduism", by Kelley L. Ross, Ph.D, (abridged):

The Bhagavad Gita says this about the varnas (color):
Brahmins (white) - Priests and Teachers: The works of a Brahmin are peace; self-harmony, austerity, and purity; loving- forgiveness and righteousness; vision and wisdom and faith.
Kshatriyas (red) - Warriors and Rulers: The works of a Kshatriya are: a heroic mind, inner fire, constancy, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and noble leadership.
Vaishyas (Brown) - Farmers, Merchants, Artisans, etc.: The works of a Vaishya are trade, agriculture and the rearing of cattle.
Shudras (Black) - Laborers: The works of the Shudra are service.
Untouchables (Outcastes - no color) - Polluted Laborers.
[chapter 18, Juan Mascaró translation, Penguin Books, 1962]
Associated with each varna there is a traditional color. These sound suspiciously like skin colors; and, indeed, there is an expectation in India that higher caste people will have lighter skin -- although there are plenty of exceptions (especially in the South of India).
So, there are these visibly separable classes of people, which perform specific functions, and which form the basic hierarchical structure of ALL theocracies, explicit and implicit.

An explicit Brahminist theocracy would be the Vatican, where the Pope and Cardinals = Brahmins, the Bishops = Kshatriyas, the Priests tending the flocks = Vaishyas, the Monks, Nuns and the Laity = Shudras, and finally the poor = Untouchables, except for once a year when the Pope washes a foot or two.
An implicit Brahminist theocracy would be the a 10-year-old high tech firm, where the Founder and the Board = Brahmins, the corporate officers and top managers = Kshatriyas, the middle management and technical leads = Vaishyas, the line managers and churn and burn salaried workers = Shudras, and finally the hourly, temp and out-sourced workers = Untouchables.
You get the picture. The need, which is held by all humanity, to improve their own and their family's condition ... is used to betray and undermine their own humanity and render the effect of slavery within a system that appears personally voluntary, however socially coercive it may be in reality.
Ross goes on ...

The twice born [Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas] account for about 48% of Hindus. The rest are Shudras and Untouchables. The Shudras may represent the institutional provision that the Arya made for the people they already found in India. The Shudras thus remain once born, and traditionally are not allowed to learn Sanskrit or study the Vedas. Their dharma is to work for the twice born. But even below the Shudras are the Untouchables, who are literally "outcastes," without a varna [color], and were regarded as "untouchable" because they are ritually polluting for caste Hindus. Some Untouchable subcastes are regarded as so polluted that members are supposed to keep out of sight and do their work at night: They are called "Unseeables." In India, the term "Untouchable" is now regarded as impolite or politically incorrect (like Eta in Japan for the traditional tanners and pariahs).

These kinds of divisions of people only become more bitter, over time, as more and more distinctions need to be drawn to demonstrate clearly that one is not a part of a lower group. (Like the insanity of "Colored" water fountains in the South, when I was a child.)
Following the ritual tenets of animality and thereby preserving the pecking order become the overriding preoccupation of anyone desiring a better life. These demonic activities will ultimately attempt to occupy 100% of all human effort, since this particular evil is determined to undermine humanity's true mission of Kosen Rufu.
Ross finishes with ...

The Untouchables, nevertheless, have their own traditional professions and their own subcastes. Those professions (unless they can be evaded in the greater social mobility of modern, urban, anonymous life) involve too much pollution to be performed by caste Hindus: (1) dealing with the bodies of dead animals (like the sacred cattle that wander Indian villages) or unclaimed dead humans, (2) tanning leather, from such dead animals, and manufacturing leather goods, and (3) cleaning up the human and animal waste for which in traditional villages there is no sewer system. Mahâtmâ Gandhi referred to the latter euphemistically as "scavenging" but saw in it the most horrible thing imposed on the Untouchables by the caste system. His requirement on his farms in South Africa that everyone share in such tasks comes up in an early scene in the movie Gandhi. Since Gandhi equated suffering with holiness, he saw the Untouchables as hallowed by their miserable treatment and so called them "Harijans" (Hari=Vishnu). Later Gandhi went on fasts in the hope of improving the condition of the Untouchables, or at least to avoid their being politically classified as non-Hindus. Today the status of the Shudras, Untouchables, and other "scheduled castes," and the preferential policies that the Indian government has designed for their advancement ever since Independence, are sources of serious conflict, including murders and riots, in Indian society.

If you had a difficulty in understanding precisely what tied together the "Gandhi, King and Ikeda" exhibits around the country ... perhaps the point will become abundantly clear after reading this article, since all three of these men fought to end the exploitation and oppression of a large number of hard-working common people, who supported a parasitic caste system.
Gandhi, King and Ikeda are the three Anti-Brahminist heroes of the Common People, for the modern era.
Some argue that the SGI has Brahminist tendencies, and like all human organizations, that is surely exists ... but it is also true that those tendencies are sporadic, impermanent and rapidly shifting as the SGI undergoes it's own human revolution with the broadening of the Soka Gakkai activities to include all places where Dai-Rokuten-No-Mao (the Devil King of the 6th Heaven, or arrogant authority) might appear in the leadership of any organization, or group.
But let's go a little further in understanding the phenomenon of Brahminism. And then we will talk about the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, Nikken and his successors.
From "The Two Classes of the Four-Fold Caste System", by Sudheer Birodkar:

The Brahmin-Kshatriya combine was thus the appropriating section as against the Vaishya-Shudra combine who represented the productive section. But although the two appropriating and the two appropriated sections of society performed different functions like the ritual worship undertaken by the Brahmins, warfare by Kshatriyas, cultivation by the Vaishyas and menial work by the Shudras they were essentially two broad economic categories with antagonistic interests of sharing the social surplus product which only the Vaishyas and Shudra created.

Dai-Rokuten-No-Mao is defined as the function of rapturous exploitation of the efforts of others, while grinding those others underfoot.
There is always a gloating rapture present. (Remember the gleeful pictures of those happy Southern men standing around a burning black corpse in the lynchings of last century? Remember how much they are enjoying themselves proudly in the Abu Ghraib pictures? It is the same function, the same demon.)
And there is always a hierarchy being enforced, which is a denial of the Lotus Sutra's universal equality.
Birodkar goes on ...

... Dana along with dakshina (a voluntary payment made to Brahmins for religious services which they rendered), has been represented as an offering to the clergy at our innumerable religious rites. Thus the spiritual clasp of the clergy on the general population came to play a vital role in appropriating the surplus in favour of the clergy, rendering coercion unnecessary and in perpetuating social practices which had lost relevance with day-to-day life.

The reference to day-to-day life and social relevance is indicating that those activities which were initially tribal social functions involving redistribution of food in an agrarian tribal culture, were no longer serving the function of allowing farmers to survive a bad year, or a flood in one part of the locality not affecting another part.
Birodkar goes on ...

The clergy firmly rooted in the minds of the masses, ideas about Karma - faithfully carrying out of duties assigned to each person on virtue of being born in any particular caste. Ideas about rebirth fostered a belief that sufferings of this life were a result of deeds of one's past lives and the faithful execution of duties that fell upon one in one's present life would hold a promise of rebirth in a higher caste. With their minds enmeshed in such dogmas, the masses mutely accepted a secondary status in the social hierarchy for centuries together.

The idea of waiting until the next time around, instead of enjoying this one and only precious instance of YOU, which will not recur in anyone's religious tradition ... this is the worst slander of humanity: wasting one's life, voluntarily, for the foul rapture of another.

2. The Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood, Nikken Abe and His Successors

There are many complaints about the behavior and activities of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, related to their pursuits of having a good time with bad women and expensive food, drink and parties with the member's money. It is not my intention to defend those activities, but my view of those activities is frankly, sociological. Impossibly bad and flagrantly unacceptable social behavior is to be expected when great evil is enthroned.
So, I do not expect Nichiren Shoshu priests, especially the priesthood elite, to behave well. This is secondary. It is an effect or symptom, or think of it as the warning label on a pack of smokes, or the nuclear symbol on a container of Plutonium. (It lets you know that you should keep your distance, for safety.)
Indeed, in all cases when the correct practice of Nichiren's Buddhism is considered, secular issues fade into insignificance.
From Nichiren Daishonin's Gosho "On Prayer", WND p. 345:

It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they [the protective functions] will invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty; one does not ignore the sandalwood trees because of the foul odor of the eranda trees around them; and one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond in the valley where they grow is not clean. If they ignore the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, they will be going against their vow.

The issue is the correct practice. THAT is my complaint against Nikken and his Nichiren Shoshu successors like Nichinyo.
From "Moral Philosophy and Dealings With Priests", written by myself (sorry about the self-quote):

1. Nichiren Shoshu and the Hokkeko have always called themselves followers of Nikko's Fuji School, but from the beginning (1912) they have followed priests that disobey the 25th Admonition against sexual abstinence, and they have followed priests that were trained by Nichiren Shu (5 Senior Priests) at Rissho University - disobeying the 2nd Admonition, and hence according to Nikko they are not his followers, but are instead followers of the Five Senior Priests. (Nikko would have kicked them out of the Fuji School just for training at Rissho.)

From the end of Nikko Shonin's 26 Admonitions:
"I have set forth these 26 articles for the sake of the eternal salvation and protection of humankind. Those who violate even one of these articles cannot be called disciples of Nikko."
In 1969, Daisaku Ikeda founded Soka University to train the future leaders of the Soka Gakkai, among others. This was a necessary move, because of the corruption seen in attitudes of Japanese Academics, and their determined resistance to recognizing the Soka Gakkai as a valid religious organization and worthy of respect. Witness the academic quotes in the LOOK Magazine article (1963) by the President of Rissho University, Rev. Shobun Kubota, D.T. Suzuki of Zen, and other academics, that the Soka Gakkai "can not be Buddhism".
' The Rev. Dr. Shobun Kubota, vice-president of Rissho University of Tokyo, concurs. "The principle of Buddhism," he says, "is to restrain man's desires, such as sex, hunger, wealth and fame, but Soka Gakkai promises the possession of these desires. It uses man's weaknesses as a tool for its own expansion. It has the same characteristics as Nazism. Finally, it is a corruption of Buddhism."' - LOOK Magazine, September 10, 1963
This from academic Buddhists who signed up unanimously, institution by institution, to bear the Shinto Talisman, and promote Imperial Way Buddhism and Imperial State Zen militarism for the God-Emperor. In support of that self-same Nazi Reich, while Makiguchi and Toda alone bore the brunt of oppression to the end. Such evil-doers call themselves Buddhists. Their tongues should rot in their mouths.
Soka University has created at least one academic environment where the Soka Gakkai can be viewed with objectivity by students. This was and remains an absolute good.
Nichiren Shoshu continued to allow the training of their future leaders by the Nichiren Shu Minobu Sect at Rissho University, even though they were aware that this was a slander of Nikko's school, and made them not followers of Nikko.
Excerpts from http://www.geocities.com/smimoza/vol275.html, the "Fake [High Priest]" Newsletter: "My view of the teachings of Nichiren Shoshu has been polluted with Minobu's wicked teachings," Nikken confessed at the opening ceremony for the Fuji Gakurin School (Dai- Nichiren, May 2000 edition).
Fuji Gakurin is the school that Nikken started to belatedly replace Rissho University as the source of priest trainees for Nichiren Shoshu. Apparently, he only took this action after people started talking about the 26 Admonitions publicly (Living Buddhism article by Daisaku Ikeda in 1998). The sad fact is, that Nichiren Shoshu has violated all 26, most by the letter of the admonition, but all 26 by their intent.
In relatively short order after being rebuked in 1998, Nikken officially opened the Fuji Gakurin School on April 10th, 2000. Many attended and heard his statements: Nichijun Fujimoto, Nichiyu Yoshida, Nitto (Juken) Ohmura, Nichijo (Gikan) Hayase, Nissho (Shinei) Yagi, Chief of the Overseas Department Kotoku Obayashi, Chief of the Public Relations Department Kogaku Akimoto and Vice Chief of the Study Department Kosho Mizushima.
Nikken went on to state that "he had been contaminated by Minobu's teachings"...
"I once attended the University run by Nichiren-shu. The hardest thing for me in my campus life was that the teacher said many false things about the teachings and history of Nichiren Daishonin. I had always thought that I should refute these false ideas. However, I cannot say that that was my true intention, because I was only a student."
"When we constantly hear false things, we will be caught up in false ways of thinking, or I can say, we will be trapped in it. As I recall my early days, false ideas did exist in my view of Nichiren Buddhism, especially regarding the legitimate teachings of Nichiren-shoshu. At that time, I was not able to straighten out my thoughts sufficiently from the viewpoint of faith, action, study.... If I were young now, I could study with you, young fellows, in these classes, taught by these engaged teachers."
But his distorted views from Rissho were not left there at the University.
We are reminded of Nikken's words on October 8th, 1985, when he attended the completion ceremony of Komyoji Temple, Hachioji City, Tokyo. Kotoku Hirayama, the chief priest of the temple, asked Nikken, "What is the biggest obstacle you had in your practice?" Nikken answered, "It is that I could not truly believe in the Gohonzon. I cannot believe truly now. I have to really try."
Also, we are reminded of Nikken's statement that "Daigohonzon is a fake" from the Kawabe memo. This statement seems to be influenced by the author of "view of wood honzon is false", Minobu priest Bentetsu Yasunaga, who is an associate professor at Minobu's Rissho University and chief priest of Zenshoji Temple.
'In recent years, the exchange of Minobu priests and Nikken sect priests has become more frequent. Monks of the Nikken sect make pilgrimages to temples of Minobu sect with Hokkeko members, or they invite Minobu monks to Taisekiji. General chief of the Hokkeko federation, Kisoji Yanagisawa, made a pilgrimage to Kuonji Temple, the general head temple of the Minobu sect. We [the Fake Newsletter] have mentioned this issue before, and even "Emyo," one of organ papers of Nikken sect, could not argue against this. Taisekiji priests Kaido Seki, Jikei Maekawa, Kosho Mizushima, Sonfuku Ochiai, Gishu Funabashi, all made visits to Minobu's temples themselves. They later made excuses during lectures at their temples or in their temple newsletters, saying, "We went and saw the temple but did not chant."...etc.'
The proof of Rissho's heritage is on their own website, the page on "History of Rissho":.
'Over 120 Years of Tradition and 70 Years of History as a Modern Educational Institution'
'No other institution of higher education in Japan has a longer tradition than Rissho University.'
'Our founding dates back to 1580 when the "Iidaka- Danrin School" was established to educate student priests of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. The school took its name from its location, Iidaka Town, which is now Yoka- lchiba City in Chiba Prefecture. Some of the ancient wooden structures have been carefully preserved and form part of the Hanko-ji Temple. These structures include the lecture hall, gate, drum tower and bell tower, which are designated as "Important Cultural Assets" by the Government. The school closed its gates in 1875. During its 295-year history, it produced a great many talented figures who made prominent contributions to promoting Buddhism and education in Japan.'
'Shortly before it [Iidaka-Danrin School] was closed, the "Nichiren-shu Shukyo-in" (Nichiren Religious Academy) was established in 1872 at the Jokyo-ji Temple in Takanawa, Tokyo, to succeed the "Iidaka-Danrin School" in modern times.'
'In 1904, the Academy was moved to Osaki,Tokyo, the present site of the main campus of Rissho University.'
'Authorized by the Government ordinance concerning colleges issued that year [1904], it opened its gates as "Nichiren-shu Daigakurin" (Nichiren Religious College).'
'When the Government issued an ordinance concerning universities in 1924, the University was reorganized into Rissho University with Faculty of Letters newly opened. Its doors were opened to both Nichiren priests and ordinary students.'
Hence, Nikken is more than simply an enemy of the Soka Gakkai and a very bad High Priest at the Fuji School.
Nikken is clearly not a follower of Nikko's School and never has been at any time. He is a follower of the Five Senior Priests and a minion of Minobu, in spite of what his conscious mind tells him. Consciousness is, after all, only one of Five Components.

THAT is my problem with Nikken and Nichiren Shoshu priests, in general. It is not that they hang out with bad women or good women.
Nikko's intent on that is absolutely clear in the 25th Admonition:

25. My disciples should conduct themselves as holy priests, patterning their behavior after that of the late master. However, even if a high priest or a priest striving for practice and understanding should temporarily deviate from [the principle of] sexual abstinence, he may still be allowed to remain in the priesthood [as a common priest without rank].
(from Living Buddhism 4/1998)

Nikko did not want the priesthood to be a self-sustaining community, where priesthood positions could be handed down to the kids, like a family business. He clearly intended that every priest should come from a family of lay believers, or spring forth spontaneously from the new membership.
This is abundantly clear, since abstaining priests cannot even donate to a sperm bank for artificial insemination. THEY CAN HAVE NO CHILDREN.
Frankly it is not my concern that that imposes an unhappy restriction on priests. Nichiren, Nikko, Nichimoku and Nichikan followed all 26 Admonitions abundantly well, and I only need to have those four priests in my life. I don't need any false priests that are lay-person wanna-bes.
And I am not the author of these restrictions, Nikko is. Argue with him (heh).
For myself, I have ABSOLUTELY no argument with Nikko, I follow all 26 of his admonitions, even the 2nd and the 25th: I will not lower his standards on training at Nichiren Shu or in accepting a priest who does not practice abstinence. PERIOD. Never. Not for anyone.
I will accept a priest that has never had any contact with, or priest-training from a follower of the Five Senior Priests (Nichiren Shu or Shoshu, or any other slanderous funeral Buddhism), and who practices abstinence and follows all 26 Admonitions of Nikko. From an excommunicated (Gakkai) family or off the street (common mortals are the true Buddha, according to Nichiren), either source is fine.
It is Nikko's undying determination in action ... that having violated any of the 26 Admonitions in a clear and obvious way ... one will then proceed to violate all the rest, including Admonition #1, which requires us to practice Buddhism in exactly the same way as Nichiren.
They may erect statues of Nichiren at Taisekiji and worship them, in the same way that the Tendai and Nichiren Shu worship statues of Shakyamuni, but there is ultimately no difference between these two slanders. Idolatry is not Nichiren's Buddhism. The Gohonzon is the "supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvīpa."
From "The True Aspect of All Phenomena", WND p. 384:

A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies, and a true Buddha. A Buddha is a function of the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case, though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. On the contrary, it is common mortals who endow him with the three virtues.

"A common mortal is ... a true Buddha". And Nichiren and Shakyamuni are endowed with the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent BY the common mortal, who is the true Buddha.
If Nichiren and Shakyamuni are somehow "special people", then we cannot match their accomplishment, and attain their Buddhahood.
They are NOT special humans. And we CAN attain their fierce determination for Kosen Rufu, which is no more and no less than their Buddhahood.
Indeed, we MUST attain that determination, or we shall surely fail to accomplish the ultimate intent of the Thus Come One (our true self).
This is why it is a slander for common mortals to worship statues of provisional Buddhas (they are all just humans, not objects of devotion).
This is why we have the Gohonzon, which reflects the Thus Come One inside our very own Sense Field = Six Components in Three Realms.
This is why we do shakubuku. The common mortal (true Buddha) we shakubuku endows the three virtues upon us, and that is our provisional Buddhahood. Without shakubuku, there is no Buddhahood.
So ... slander of Buddhism will always identify itself, by raising one person over another: over the common mortal. In the end, slanderers of the Law all make the same appearance, by worshiping statues of someone or other. (And, by the way, appreciation of your mentors: those who helped you along ... is NOT worship, it is merely showing your gratitude. We need to discard that fallacy.)
Next in Part II, we will apply the grid of the Hindu caste system to the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. We will talk about some of the priesthood's socially unacceptable behavior, but really ... I only mention these instances to show pattern and connections between priest families.