The game is already over. The demons lost

The game is already over. The demons lost

The game is already over. The demons lost. The wee little humans of the pale blue dot found a way to win at a game they weren't even... 12:16:00 AM

The game is already over. The demons lost. The wee little humans of the pale blue dot found a way to win at a game they weren't even invited to play.

You're confused. How can it already be over if it's still happening in the here and now?
Well...
Time is a funny thing. The perception of it is even funnier, so let's leave this topic alone for now.

Take my word for it. It's already over. Humanity won, even though it is all but destroyed in the process.
The demons know this. You humans do not.

To you, it's all still happening - and it will continue happening until that very special, very fateful moment at the end. It's entirely up to you guys when it all ends.

I will give you a hint without spoiling anything: the strange ending involves two demons, a whole host of nervous angels and the combined force of seven human archetypes, whose specific avatars are yet to be determined.

Anyway.
Back to the problem at hand. Demons are nudging you in different directions, causing you humans to behave poorly.
The world is going insane. Take a look.

Riots break out. Rulers are assassinated. Wars are started and quickly ended with unnecessary ruthlessness. Murders. Rapes. Terrible things happen. Tensions run high, fancy new weapons are invented. Dreadful cults and clandestine organizations pull strings and make deals.

Surely this is the doing of demons, right? You, personally, have nothing to do with these things... right?

Homemade bombs are detonated. Governments are toppled. The world is forever changed.
New rulers rise up and seize power. Some of them are in on the cosmic game and have jumped into the pocket of a demon or two.

This cannot actually be the fault of human beings - humans are good, right? Oh dear... It /must/ be someone else's fault...

Demagogues and mad tyrants, dictators and shadowy secret governments... They are all influenced by this grand game the demons play.

The world isn't /going/ insane - it always has been.
You tell yourselves that it will be okay, that you don't need to change anything. Whether it's this demon or that one - it doesn't matter, they've only got 1% of your soul, after all...

Sure.
Except that 1% adds up to a lot of energy when you account for all the hooks they've got in people across the globe.

How do you kill a demon? You starve it.

By doing nothing - by growing complacent and allowing even 1% of your truest essence to be stolen away - you feed those demons. You are, in laziness and denial, contributing to the end of your world.

Terrible things happen - and you let it happen.
Demons whisper bad ideas - and you listen.
But hey, that's okay. It's far more difficult and complicated of a problem to solve than you'd expected. You're just one person - how can you fight against a tidal wave of negative energy and cosmic shenanigans?

When you look at it in that way, you can't. One person cannot push back against something so powerful and so intangible.

That, however, does /not/ absolve you of your responsibility for this mess. Just because it is too monstrous of a problem doesn't mean you give up on solving it entirely. You simply need to change your way of looking at it.

We'll get to that point somewhere toward the last chapter. Bear with me. You'll see how easy it can be - but first, there are other things we must learn about.

To the demons, this game is mere entertainment - and an amazing all-you-can-eat buffet.
To the humans, it is the struggle to stay alive in a world being pulled apart.

So, what role do you play in all of this? Are you a mindless puppet of some cosmic force? If you feel like something is amiss, what do you do about it? What /can/ you do?

Well...
You tell me, dear reader. You're the one who can dream. You have access to the subconscious, the vast wonderland beneath your own conscious mind.
You can tap into all sorts of creative, imaginative avenues. You can change your perspective in any number of different ways. Find a way to understand what's really going on - because once you identify the forces at play, you can begin to push those forces back out.

In the next few chapters, we'll start putting names to these dark forces and begin to contemplate their individual wants, needs and desires. We'll explore how they manage to plant bad seeds into your mind and how they drain you of your precious energy.

So... as it stands...
Dice are rolled. Lives are ruined. The game goes on and on - and while this is felt by all, everyone is oblivious to their root cause.

Everyone, that is, except for you. You're reading this right now and interpreting it in your own, unique way. Maybe you'll start to see things differently because of these new thoughts and perspectives. Maybe you'll go off down your own path and figure things out for yourself.

Bottom line is, there are demons and they will try to manipulate the entire world. They will do it one action - one genocide, one terror attack, one political rally or anarchistic riot - at a time. Everyone involved is unaware of the role they play in the big picture.
The demons play their game and take their turns in the blink of an eye. Its happening right now.

Take a look for yourself.
Humans do bad things to one another - but why?

Call them whatever you like, but there are dark, destructive forces at play - and they spring up from within the darkest parts of our own minds. I call them "demons", because that is universally understood. You may call them anything you like.

Take a look around for a moment. Scan the internet. You can see the game being played. You can feel it in the headlines. It has always been there, churning below the surface of your own consciousness the way magma undulates under the crust of your planet.

It is unavoidable. You are bound to encounter these dark influences in your life.

You are nothing but a potential conduit for these demonic entities, whether you accept it or not - whether you were even aware of it or not. You are simultaneously a pawn in their game and a succulent meal.

Bummer, huh?

So...
Is there any way to fight back? To take back control of your own fate? Can one find a way to still use their free will in spite of these malevolent game players?

Yes, of course there is.
There is /always/ a way - but you won't necessarily like it.

--- to be continued ---