#bigger badder better etc

[bigchump1994]

Wanted not to share anything of it until it was done but I'm too proud of what I have so far

[swordsmans]

I neeeeeeed to know about "luffy slips into an alternate timeline/dimension where he "died" instead of sabo and meets an older ace/sabo" I live for stuff like this please

sorry this took me so long! i. didn't realize you had sent an ask rip (that stupid sanji post has annihilated my activity page im in hell)

omg this one is actually one that i'm least likely to actually write because it has the potential to be Long (as you can see with the giant outline), but i wanted to kind of play around with the idea of luffy-less world in the post-timeskip era, because i really like time travel/redo fics where everyone is better/stronger but i think it would be NEAT if the straw hats had to fix things that might have happened if luffy died as a kid. think "doomed timeline" (if that means anything to you). even though the premise is technically ASL i am a straw hat bitch through and through so it's actually more of straw hat fic than the original idea.

here's a copy/paste under the cut (you will see that i write a lot of notes to myself in these things)

takes place post-timeskip era

sabo has no connection to the revolutionary war; he and ace set out as pirates together. because of this, they are not associated with whitebeard (therefore no marineford); instead, they are associated with shanks somehow (maybe; not subordinates tho)

they're no longer two captains one ship, two captains (allied) on two ships (SEE ALT 2)

straw hats have all experienced some form of "bad" ending that leaves them jaded, cynical, or (for some) borderline evil

luffy = strength, joy, freedom optimism; most arcs involve rescues, but i dont think any of the straw hats are "weak" enough to die during their initial crises without luffy, otherwise they wouldnt be straw hats--just win at a massive cost and the next three years would be significantly harder

zoro - frees himself from the courtyard and continues being the demon of the east blue but--

nami - gets the money to free her village, arlong refuses to free cocoyashi; nami seeks out the demon of the east blue in order to take out arlong (in exchange for the money she earned and that arlong has stashed). fight is brutal but they kill arlong; nojiko dies, nami ends up traveling with zoro afterwards bc she has no reason to stay behind with nojiko gone.

they become a well-known, ruthless, and efficient bounty hunting duo on the grand line (bc it earns money and zoro wouldnt make it out of the east blue without her); both are jaded as FUCK bc zoro's dream is stagnant and nami is still wrestling with the guilt of failing her family years later, they're also bloodthirsty because money + power fills the void

usopp - kaya dies in the initial plot to kill her, usopp is blamed and flees the village; gets picked up by the buggy pirates (please this could be so funny please but remember this is supposed to be sad but think of how funny this could be though circus sharpshooter usopp he and buggy would be. so funny in the same room together)

sanji - stays at the baratie until the vinsmokes have a use for him. "wedding"/WCI goes through(?) and/or sanji is a member of the big mom pirates; pudding refuses to kill sanji, big mom is going to kill her but sanji bargains for her life; germa mods are awakened; in order to protect zeff+etc, pretends to be emotionless like his brothers, ends up working as a germa agent instead of staying on WCI because now pudding is as much of a liability as zeff or smth (pudding tho??? pls be nice to her but figure smth out). sanji war crimes

chopper/brook/jinbei remain stagnant

franky - whore do not forget this man was a gang leader who did actual violence; franky family is bigger and badder than ever, babyy

robin - can't stay with crocodile (boring bland unoriginal) put her somewhere she can experience problems; maybe she leaves, ends up on water 7, encounters franky; joins franky family(?) for protection but since she's no longer under a warlord's protection she's fair game for marines/bounty hunters; continues to work as an assassin tho and doesn't stay around much to protect the franky family from the people after her

franky family could potentially work as an alt strawhats "maybe i dont want to die actually" environment for robin; franky helps robin stabilize a little but since they're both kind of Messed Up it's less of a "we're fine actually" and more like "we're fucked up but at least we're fucked up together". they run a Criminal Organization together. they are a gang. robin is an assassin. no one is happy go lucky here even if they have found measure of """"""peace""""""

luffy encounters ace/sabo, it's emotional (obvs; this is self-indulgent)

however his brothers are both fundamentally fine, they are thriving and alive--there's nothing here to fix. you know who isn't fine? his crew.

convinces ace/sabo that they need to find them--whether it's to convince them to join their crew or just to make sure they're okay (whats the motivation here besides luffy wanting them to be happy because they're his family? does he need one? does it even matter?)

ALT 1 are luffy's crew here or did luffy enter the doomed timeline alone. if so--everyone? or just a few

interesting interactions: doomed/real zoro (consider the implications of a zoro who has stagnated/given up on his dream; this guy's got issues but our guy has no self-preservation however maybe they both have no self preservation. interesting convo about worth or value of life without drive)

doomed/real nami (LOTS of grief here babes, but maybe an interesting convo here about strength vs vulnerability)

doomed/real sanji (ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my god can you imagine. can you imagine how much that would mess him up to see himself become Sanji Vinsmoke)

luffy has fundamentally changed all of their lives for the better but the straw hats are all strong as individuals (physically and emotionally) even before they join the straw hats. that's the point

even if the "doomed" straw hats encounter/join luffy would their lives fundamentally change for the better or are the experiences they accumulate as straw hats what changes them--it's not just luffy going "ur mine now you're happy" it's the development they go through during events/by interacting with each other; maybe some choose to stay where they are but have a shift in perspective of some kind

at least try with asl here

is sabo still kind of unstable? is ace still depressed? how does luffy's absence change them?

ALT 2 consider that they drift apart without luffy to hold them together; luffy makes an effort to reunite them?

[thoughts-of-the-unheard]

i just finished reading infinity alchemist by kacen callendar and boy oh boy, i loved this book, i think it has high potential to become a new big popular series, it just came out in february but i saw a lot of two star reviews on goodreads, mostly from people who flat out state that they didnt finish the book (which, for me, means you dont get an opinion on it) and as someone who actually did read the whole thing, i very much recommend it,

basically everyone is capable of alchemy on some level but some are better then others and in order to do the cool stuff, you need a license, but its a rigged system, so ash learns in secret instead, he meets ramsey, a deal is struck, hijinks ensue, theres trouble and danger, some people die, some people are saved, callum is a steady hand, and the book ends leaving you wondering

its what i feel to be a true young adult book, touching on adult themes without being explict, ie fade to black moments, or dancing around it, ie velvet wrapped steel,

theres a lot of good representation in the book between race, sexuality, and gender and none of it felt forced or shoved in my face, i did know it was likely polyam going in and i fear that mightve been a sort of turn off for some people

a lot of complaints i saw were about pacing issues and how it wrapped up too easily and i think thats quickly dissolved when you know theres a second book in the works because yes the big bad was dealt with, crisis averted, etc. but you get that bigger, badder vibe at the end, hinting at the next book i assume, so, not everything Did wrap up easily,

the magic system was fairly easy to follow but i do wish we had spent more time with ash learning because i thought it was interesting but i also think it would help readers understand some things more

there was a map and a list of the houses and what they do, ie guards vs merchants, but, like above, i wish there was also a list of the alchemy tiers because all i mainly caught about the tier system was the higher the level, the harder the magic and the more regulated it gets and then that ash can do tier four no problem, i want to know how many tiers there are and what exactly is in each one

all in all, this was not a perfect book but it was still a very good one, and, from my understanding, the authors introduction to ya fantasy, id give it a strong 9.8/10 because there are definitely things missing that i feel wouldnt strengthened the story but as far as a first book goes, regardless of genre introduction, i think it did very well, and ive read far worse books with far higher goodreads scores

mildly unimportant but i did see similarities between ash woods and simon snow which i thought were cool, kacen mightve taken inspiration (i truly have no idea) and that might bother some people but it was still fun for me to see

[ladyluscinia]

I know there's not much point to trying to address the "Izzy Hands is Kylo Ren" takes - they're not going anywhere, the loudest proponents already have me blocked, disagreeing probably mostly serves to get me blocked more, etc. - but they bother me a lot and I've got time and motivation right now...

So. Kicking a hornet nest. Halfheartedly. My argument is meandering and ends when I get bored of writing it. Under a cut because I'm not bothering to structure or trim this down.

I find this interpretation of the fandom response immensely frustrating for a few reasons. For one, I think it's rooted pretty heavily in an anti mindset that basically suggests giving positive attention to a "bad" character or ship as a fan is effectively stealing the attention you owe to a morally better one, and then casts suspicion on your motives. Asking "Why would you like Izzy so much when the pure and good Stede / Edward / Revenge crew are right there?" Accusing people of vilifying other characters if they suggest Izzy might have been wronged in any of the numerous interpersonal conflicts. Assuming the only explanation for sympathizing with him is bigotry (unconscious or otherwise) driving opinions... Which is an insane thing to just drop into discussion like it's obvious and unquestionable before we start introducing relevant concepts like "protagonist centered morality". I also, understandably, object to the take that since I don't write extensive disclaimers on how this character is pure bigoted evil, then the most generous interpretation (aka the only way I'm not a bad person myself) is that I'm just really stupid and do not understand the story. Or got distracted by a Victorian ankle collar flash and my ability to understand "this is a bad person" fell right out with my brain.

Like, fuck, people are not subtle with implying anyone who likes Izzy without a "oh but I also hate him and think he's pure villain" tacked on is either a moron or actively malicious, and problematic to the point of demanding public repentance either way. He's a fictional henchman in a pirate comedy.

And that henchman status leads into the main reason this take bothers me... I think it's just plain incorrect.

Ever since the very first time I saw someone arguing this - and responded to it in dissent as the author had invited people to do, though they did not appreciate someone actually taking them up on said invitation - my immediate complaint was that it hinges on taking the absolute worst faith read of every action Izzy takes from start to finish. Like, you can interpret all these things to mean what you say they mean, but it's hardly the only way and often not even the encouraged way. Example: the writers have openly stated they aren't trying to focus on homophobia and didn't intend the anchor hoist to be an example of Izzy being racially biased. It's one thing to declare the author is dead and keep reading those as inadvertently present in the text and relevant potential explanations regardless of intent. It's a whole different thing to decide that it is objectively wrong for fans to dismiss things like the anchor hoist as a coincidence (which it literally was) because you've decided the character is blatantly racist and that interpretations of his actions with less bigoted motivations are inherently unacceptable excusing of racism. For people that praise the writing so much, there is a lot of hostility to the idea that good writing on an antagonist might entail them being complex and maybe even - gasp! - not as evil as they could be. (Which Izzy very much isn't, btw.)

And on the specific comparison at hand, suggesting Izzy is effectively just Kylo Ren or Walter White or any number of white asshole characters that get idealized by fans ignoring that they are meant to be terrible... there's a pretty big elephant getting ignored. Namely, Izzy Hands is not a character with power. He's a henchman, with a much bigger, badder, scarier boss in Edward (who is on screen even more than he is). He isn't respected or feared by the Revenge crew. He doesn't have an institution of blatant symbolic and literal power backing him up like the Badmintons, despite this being a thing they very much could have done. Some of those extras in Navy uniform could have easily been, say, remaining Queen Anne crew, arriving at Izzy's heel to reinforce toxic pirate culture on Edward (who in this version is presumably traumatized by piracy and desperately trying to escape to a peaceful life). Instead Izzy is alone, and unthreatening, and written with both a noticable aversion to impulsive conflict violence and a fawn response. If these great writers were trying to do a Walter White style external harm and eventual self destruction arc to make a point about toxic masculinity, then this setup looks like they kinda really suck at it.

You can't write a character hitting the dramatic fall part of that narrative if they quite literally never get a leg up in the first place, and the fall is kind of integral to that group of toxic assholes. It provides the moral lesson / message that Izzy enjoyers keep being accused of being blind to. Unless, of course, you are suggesting that he's the "bad writers glorifying a power fantasy" version (more like Kylo Ren than Walter White), though I thought these weren't bad writers and it's a very strange concept of a power fantasy to be the butt of every joke.

You can't make any effective point about a toxic white guy with power without writing a toxic white guy with power. Like, idk, the Badminton brother who falls on his own sword because he's too haughty to take the person he bullied seriously??? Sure, nobody would have the point of Breaking Bad fly right over their head if Walter White had been a loser getting mocked relentlessly on screen and failing left and right, but something tells me "cancer patient who is a bit of dick goes bankrupt and dies, and nobody cares" wouldn't have made the points about toxic masculinity and hubris in the first place. If you want a real lack of media literacy, transplanting an arc and associated symbolism onto a character that doesn't fit the associated archetype and not addressing how it still works and sends the same message beyond assuring that it does is a good example.

I mean, seriously, these arguments are made by the same people who also relentlessly tear into the idea that Izzy is even slightly competent as a pirate. So they can't even pretend that his arc in the show is his fall of hubris (a dumb decision to start him in the show just after the climax turning point, but at least possible), because they are determined to remind you that he never had anything he thinks he's losing in the first place. How is that supposed to work??? Loser remains loser, gets embarrassed a bunch, says mean things that mostly get shrugged off, and look how dangerous and destructive toxic masculinity and arrogance is, kids!

That. Is. Not. His. Archetype.

For the thing that will really piss antis off, Izzy's whole comedic butt-monkey routine does give him a few archetypes he can lean into, and most of them are based around symbolic or literal victimhood. Like how he is kind of the designated toxic masculinity guy, and his life completely sucks for reasons often outside his control. Which does convey messages about how toxic masculinity isn't good for anyone, but in a way where the logical conclusion is that Izzy is also suffering under it and the logical arc (especially in a redemptive series) is to have the audience feel bad for him and root for him to get his own happiness by escaping it (you know... like what people think they are doing in a very flat way with Edward). There's also a semi-karmic element when his own actions backfire, but the endless humiliation conga makes that pretty sympathetic too (he's not successfully evil but still suffering plenty for it), and that puts him in the group of unthreatening antagonists who stumble right into the good side because being evil kinda sucks for them and they aren't as good at it as the other real villains. Think Zuko, or Spike.

Butt-monkey characters do tend to be more sympathetic than not. That's a comedy staple.

But sure, keep pretending he's more like Walter White or Tyler Durden than a character from The Office, and writing extensive posts on how liking the pure evil character you've made up in your head is proof of moral failing and / or idiocy. That's really a great use of time and fandom energy 🙄

Izzy will continue to be Just Some Guy

[stuckysdaughter]

I just watched Disenchanted for the second time, thoughts (and spoilers!) below the cut.

Ok, ok. I freaking love this movie! My family and I have been waiting 15 years for this sequel and it did not disappoint!! I was so little when Enchanted came out, and it was my absolute favorite. So much so that I still have the soundtrack memorized and watch the movie almost religiously every year. I think Disenchanted will also be a comfort movie too, since it is quickly rising in the ranks of my favorites.

The first thing I want to mention is the little nods to original Disney tales even from the opening credits. It uses the old style where the choir opens the film (stopped right around the 60’s/70’s but started all the way back with Snow White and I miss that so much can we bring that back?). It really got me in the mood, like i was small and watching my other favorite Sleeping Beauty. You can start seeing where the town already looks like a fairy tale with small hints at what will change when Giselle makes the wish. The three women who offer to help with Sofia are color coded to be Flora, Fauna, and Meriweather. There’s a freaking wishing well in the backyard that looks exactly like Snow White’s! The clock tower of course, and Melvina right away you pinpoint as the Evil Queen (that one wasn’t subtle). You have the two dumb henchmen, and the meet-cute for Morgan and Tyson (that's like my one thing, who names their kid tyson?!). So right away it feels like a classic Disney film from the 40's or 50's which honestly were some of my favorites (but that's another discussion post for another day lmao).

Next, the soundtrack. My family and I are music nerds, and we were hoping for any nod to the original. We appreciated the small “how does she know” in the beginning. You have to listen a little bit, but you hear it. “Nice” was heard from both my dad and I. I was a bit sad that nothing else made the cut, but I'm more glad that the new soundtrack was allowed to shine as it deserves. Alan Menken is the king of good Disney soundtracks (Tangled, Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Beauty and the Beast, etc) and boy did he deliver. The new songs are so good, and they finally got the good sense to utilize Idina Menzel in a style where she really shines (Frozen didn’t quite hit this like Menken did. Here she sounds more like she did in Wicked 19/20 years ago just before Enchanted came out and the endings are much bigger than Frozen II or even Let it Go). James Marsden didn’t get as much singing attention in this one, but he was so good when he did. It made me want to rewatch him in Hairspray so I can listen to him some more. Maya Rudolph surprised me a bit, I'll admit. I didn't peg her as a singer, but she proved me wrong. Badder is such a good song. "Every good movie (musical) should have a tango" is also heard in my house often. These two women blend so well I almost can't tell who's singing what part when they're together. Amy Adams of course is a Goddess! Who I love!! I think she really found her sound in this (can you tell i go to music school lmao) and obviously she wouldn't sound the same as 15 years ago, but this fits her better in a way. She sounds more comfortable, and was able to show off more in Even More Enchanted (After the Wish). That's another Snow White nod, by the way, it mirrors pretty closely what she sings to the birds at the wishing well. All this to say, I instantly added all the songs to my Spotify, they have now become part of my walks to class. And no, I'm not ashamed of that. (continue later)

I don't know much about film and how it works, but my god there were some gorgeous shots and set design. You can tell there was a pretty big budget for this, and it shows. It was all just so beautiful to look at, and it seemed to flow along really well. There are always those camera angles or transitions you wish were smoother but I didn't see any. It was all very aesthetically pleasing, and I love that you can see Giselle's transformation into a wicked stepmother through her dresses and her hair. She starts the tale with a dress almost identical to her dress for "That's How You Know", and eventually goes full on Lady Tremaine. (I want that red dress so much holy shit) "My hair's so high! And my dress is so low, oh!" I love you Giselle never change please. And Pip's "I feel like the most superior being in the whole world". I have cats and that is so true, we laughed far too much at that line...

The plot!!!! I love this idea so so much! I remember throughout the years hearing rumors of what the plot was (well before we ever had a real announcement from Disney). From what I can recall, the plot was originally (or supposedly, anyway) that they all were living happily in NYC, but Morgan's biological mom came back into the picture and was trying to muck things up. I don't know how that would've worked, which is probably why it didn't go that way lmao. Anyway, this plot is so cool! And I wish that i could watch it again for the first time! I don't think I will ever react as genuinely as I did that first time with my parents. The acting is top notch, and Amy Adams really pulled out all the stops to convince us that there's two of her inside fighting for control. I like that even when the wish occurs, there's still a lot of nods to other tales. Morgan has a whole "Belle"-esque number while dressed like her, and they even have her plot match Cinderella (mostly). Disney definitely did the same thing here with Morgan that they did with Andy in Toy Story 3. The kids who were roughly Morgan's age (like me) who have grown up with Enchanted are now adults in their late teens or twenties, and are maybe struggling to find themselves and what that means. My mom and I were definitely not crying (and by that, I mean, we bawled like children) at the end where Giselle reassures Morgan that she is her daughter, and that her love for her has power. That's something that I (and I'm assuming just about everyone else my age) needed to hear. Even if it wasn't from my own mother, I know the sentiment was shared. And even Robert's feelings of time slipping away from him and his hopelessness resonated with me and I'm guessing others too.

In conclusion, this was a fantastic movie, and the sequel Enchanted deserves. An amazing plot, excellent soundtrack, and beautiful design. I couldn't have asked for a better way to suitably sate my nostalgia while giving me a whole new movie to love. People can criticize me all they want, but it won't change the fact that this movie is brilliant and one of my new absolute favorites.

(what my family sees sometimes when they look at me and my cats)

[imnotgivingupimjuststartingover2]

Back with an even bigger better badder update.

It is now January 2023. The last guy you wrote about (gotta be at least the 8th guy you’ve ever written about on here?! Lololol) well he was an absolute waste of time and thankfully you didn’t waste much time because we found *the guy* exactly a month after you told the time waster goodbye.

Enter —> my future husband, B.🤍

Just a small life update since then, you just celebrate a year a half of living alone in your own place, it’s gotten some cute updates here and there and another large update: I added another kitty to the fam! Now it’s me and my 2 girlies.🐈🐈 I love them to pieces.

Okay back to the updates. Just in time for B to be introduced into my life (by mutual friends☺️) I was also navigating friendship shifts, a new church, a new job, a new cat lol how I made it out on top still is by the grace of God. He blessed me for sure. B is the best thing that’s happened to me. Being in my first romantic relationship as a 27-28 year old is wild, but so much fun and rewarding. Of course I had to unlearn bad habits, be gentle with myself and him, ask lots of questions, be vulnerable and trusting, patience upon patience..but it was all so worth it.

I’m only a week away from celebrating one year officially together. 💞 I know we will get engaged within this next year. It’s so crazy to read from the beginning of my posts when I was a college drop out 20 year old scared, confused, and devastated that my initial life plans didn’t work out. I continued to struggle through it for a few years, it wasn’t pretty, but I kept moving forward and little by little I was built back up, with the help of my family and friends and of course God who had to bring me to my knees to allow me to choose him finally to do life with to bring me back up to where I can lean on him and let him do the heavy lifting.

Also turning 25 and having my brain be fully developed helped as well. Lol. But forreal. Life since 2014 when I thought my life was over compared to like now in 2023 is night and day.

I am a confident, beautiful, successful, daughter of a king, woman, girlfriend, friend, real daughter haha, sister, cat mom, etc and I am so thankful for this life. The world is not my home, it is temporary, but I know that God has me here for a purpose and it is for me to bring glory to his name and to bring it to those he puts into my life and I am more than thankful to be where I am right now in my life and be surrounded by who I’m surrounded by.

The fact that I can be a hopeful and faith-filled person right now in my life is the most beautiful and fulfilling thing that my past self could have read just a few years ago. You’re going to be ok, you’re actually going to be amazing. Things work out. You get the job, the house, the friends, the family, the boyfriend, the relationship with God and the church community. Life isn’t perfect, but that is not what I’m striving for.

We did it, girl. You did it. 🫶

[happy2chat]

01.14.23

Good day and welcome to Day #14!!!

Today is brought to you by TOOL Q: Questions are the answers!

https://www.tumblr.com/happy2chat/656349012533936128/remember-the-question-is-the-answer-tool-q-can?source=share

And from First You Smoked Now You Live:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M9OMJ2NFVbH38im8uAiH0HQpeW-m4H5U/view?usp=sharing

If you are in a negative or less than resourceful mood state... go full TOOL Q to get bigger, badder, better!

So asking questions like:

1) Am I rumination or reflecting?

2) What lesson can I take from this state and lessen my pain (discomfort, low mood, anxiety, stress, boredom, dysphoria, etc.) and help others to heal and learn how to evolve and grow bigger, badder, better too!

Remembering below’s vid.

Peaceful planet is the name of the game and you ARE part of it!

Dr.P

[rarepears]

For the Shen Jiu with Reborn teaching. What if what made his teaching style different is the fact that in that works he's a lot stronger. His cultivation wasn't actually ruined.

In an attempt to accept the trauma from the Qius, he convinces himself that it was the struggle that helped him grow, so that's how to best improve his students.

So instead of the Qius being a training attempt for YQY, it's actually the 'inspiration' for his harsher training.

Wait, are you saying that Shen Jiu managed to gaslight himself into thinking all the trauma he acquired from the Qiu's made him stronger? I... don't think that's possible given just how insecure he's become due to all the abuse he suffered but also due to his background of being the lowest of the low in terms of social hierarchy. He's going to forever have that self-doubt lurking in the back of his head that the struggle set him behind his peers and is the reason why he's struggling with xyz material (without realizing that struggling with that material is normal for people his age).

Basically what I'm saying is that he's going to attribute a lot of his failures due to his circumstances of being a streetrat, a former slave, whatever. This does motivate him to keep working harder as we see in canon or else how does he beat out his fellow disciples and become peak lord? But I don't think that he's going to think that throwing people into slavery and going through what he did will help push people into becoming better.

What I can see happening is that he attributes his disappearance/slavery to Yue Qingyuan's growth and achievements. He sets up more scenarios for his disciples to play "hero" and rescue some person (fellow disciple, maiden, civilian, etc.) from some high stakes situation. Now that's the training he puts people through.

(He's often the one playing disciple, maiden, civilian, etc.)

Some people are too good at playing hero (cough Luo Binghe) and are getting a bit too arrogant and overconfident about their skills, so sometimes he needs to stage other scenarios. Like Luo Binghe's fall into the abyss to fight with even bigger and badder monsters.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Random question but, what do you think (some) slashers/horror characters think of their remake versions and vice versa? So like Freddy, Leatherface, Chucky, Jerry, Pennywise, Michael etc.

Ooooooooh, this is always interesting to think about. I've started many a 'Original Slasher's S/O meets Remake Slasher' posts!... that I have never finished, because it is also difficult! XD Lets see, though, haha XD Sorry, no Pennywise, I cant say I'm real interested in him ):

~

Bubba -> Thomas -> Jed

They are all very unused to other people- even if they are similar to them. Their are parts of Bubba, Thomas and Jed that yearn to reach out and become friends- but most of them have been twisted and manipulated by their family (And solitude, in Jed's case) to not trust anyone- and treat everyone new as a threat. And prospective dinner.

I think if Luda Mae were there she could see the situation for what it could be- a chance for Thomas to bond with people like him. Then he could use his superior size and strength compared to Bubba and Jed to incapacitate them. Then its all a matter of communication... a feat none of these boys are good at in the slightest...

Disregarding that though, if they were able to find a way to communicate... I think these boys have a good chance at being friends/brothers. Way better than the others, at least.

Chucky -> Buddi

"This is a joke, right?" Ohhh, Chucky does not take Buddi seriously, at all. He's weird lookin' and is just a robot. What threat does he pose? He may help Buddi out a bit by teaching him the word 'Whore', and maybe he could make a good minion out of him- That is, until Buddi causes a toaster that Chucky was standing next to to combust and catch him on fire. Then its war.

Buddi just wanted to prove he's useful, to Chucky? That's all? But now Father is wielding a fork at him? He's very confused. Should it have been the smart kettle instead????

Soon the whole kitchen is on fire and Chucky's shaking Buddi to get him to stop setting things on fire but its just frazzling Buddi more.

Drayton Sawyer -> Luda Mae Hewitt

Ohhhhh, I desperately want them to be friends (NOT a couple. Nothing romantic, please. Not here. Just let the guy and the girl be f r i e n d s.). Like, tiny grumpy old man Drayton and Luda Mae 'The One Braincell' Hewitt cooking for their families together? Scolding their families together? Complaining about their families together? Drayton regularly getting into hilarious grump matches with Hoyt over, like, the TV and the car and stuff and Luda Mae doing 'girl stuff' with Bubba cuz she always wanted a little girl (Everyone knows Bubba is a man- he's just a man that's inclined towards 'feminine' activities, and that's more than good enough for her).

Realistically I can see Luda Mae considering Drayton to be no better then his goofy, freaky brothers and rolling her eyes. She's got enough of that from Hoyt and Monty. And Drayton's probably not a huge fan (Or at least not familiar at all) with women and thinking they're so very different from men and not really knowing how to conduct himself apart from being bitter and spiteful.

"Priss."

"Gnome."

Freddy 1984 -> Freddy 2010

It would take me a whole essay to get into all the differences, jesus christ.

Alright lets address the elephant in the room. Many of us like (Like to) think of Original Freddy as... you know... not a pedophile, but even then, I don't think Freddy really cares that his remake is a child molester much at all. He's more concerned that there is knock-off version of him! He's very offended (Why would you need another?? Is he not enough for you people?? He can go BIGGER and BADDER, if that's what you want!)- and even worse? Remake has a full head of hair in human form. That just adds insult to injury.

Remake is a lot calmer (Or grimmer) as a person and is a little less concerned with how he comes off and is a lot more concerned, with his revenge (Cuz at this point, Original Freddy is just here for the chaos- he's already destroyed all the Elm Street kids he set out to kill. Whereas Remake is still working on it). So he's a little too busy to deal with this. But... he is still Freddy.

And there can only be one- that's one thing they can agree on.

Jerry 1985 -> Jerry 2011

"Who is this unrefined ratbag??" XDD Yeah, the creators really went a different way with 2011 Jerry. I mean, I still love him (My Dad perfectly described him as more Serial Killer scary then Vampire scary), but Original Jer probably thinks very little of him. Where did all his class go?

Remake Jer on the other hand thinks Original is kinda uptight, and finds it amusing at best- annoying at worst. He wants to crack open a beer at the end of the night before even thinking about taking a shower, but Original wants to pop open a bottle of wine in front of the fire place. And neither of them want to compromise, so... there's just no conceivable way for them to bond.

Except over how fucking annoying Charlie Brewster is.

So, I mean, they aren't gonna battle royale it like the Freddy's are. They can live on the same street and everything, but theirs gonna be a rivalry.

JC Michael -> RZ Michael

OG Michael finds this mildly irritating. Who is this? Why did he steal his costume? And why is it so icky?

RZ Michael is frustrated by OG's sheer size. So fucking small. Must destroy.

[borom1r]

i'm srry you're having a day too,, kass asks though; i wld like to hear any fun facts you have abt him that just make you happy? or also: if i remember correctly (i can't find th photo rn), he protects kids from bad dreams, right? i wld love to hear a bit more on how that works bc it's very sweet + a trope i'm very fond of!!

aaa Kass.. hes definitely less developed in my head than Adz is but i still love him

anyways funfacts!!

- i def mentioned this in his ref but he smells like banana popsicles! (specifically popsicles vs generic banana smell bc of a few intense childhood memories hehe;;)

- he does! wear clothes! m actually thinkin of commissioning an outfit sheet of him from an artist on twitter — here are a few good examples of his fashion

- he collects LPS animals! his favorites are a little hamster that eats an almond when u push its head down + a 2-pack of kittens in a cardboard box

- he rlly is a werewolf in that under certain conditions he can transform into his “real” form. otherwise he’s just a Marketable Plushie ~

- not only does his stomach glow when u press it, but he has a “heartbeat” — think the kind you can get in build a bears. when u hug him, u can feel it beat

- he LOVES music!!! anything upbeat he can dance to (he is very bad at dancing) (that will not stop him ^w^) Roll With Me by The Orion Experience is a gr8 example of his music taste!! (he’d also rlly like Nelward! esp fizzPOP + Hopscotch)

- it’s on his ref sheet too but Kass uses neopronouns! he uses he/him/his for convenience + bc he does identify as a boy in general, but he also uses wer/were/weres and 🐺/🐺s, so like: “that’s weres sweater, wer leaves it here all the time” “🐺 uses emoji neopronouns because they make 🐺 smile”

- he’s made of fake fur, cuddle minky, a soft flannel (his patterned paw pads), faux leather (claws, teeth, nose) + a sort of soft rubbery plastic for the glowing stomach — the main fabric is th cuddle minky; he’s made of an embossed minky w lil dimples, like this!

+ fr the last part of yr question, yea he does!! hes always “found,” in a garage sale where no one remembers him + the boy gets him for free, in the lost and found when a girl comes to look for her hat and, well, he’s in the lost and found for a reason isn’t he? couldn’t hurt if she took him home. he stays until his current owner outgrows him naturally, whether it’s a couple of weeks bc a newer, better stuffed animal came along or years and years and years— but when they forget about him, he’ll wander off n let a new kid find him.

as far as th dream thing works, well, he’s a werewolf! nothin scarier than that! it works on a sort of Lions, Tigers and Bears logic— nightmares are real creatures, and when a person is sleeping their plushies come alive and fight them off! adults are naturally less susceptible than kids, but it works the same! Kass has definitely come out w/ a couple of battle scars that usually get lovingly patched up (a mysteriously split seam, an ear coming off, etc) and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. his knee was from a really nasty fight, a kid who was going thru a very difficult patch nd therefore was kind of a beacon for bigger and badder nightmares. to th kid’s delight (and Kass’s surprise), when the hole in his knee was discovered, th mom was able to track down the same fabric as his paw pads online to make a patch for him! Kass wears that lil blue heart with pride!

[redphienix]

I'm trying to make it a point to rave about stuff I like in games because it's a good excuse to share thoughts so:

Phasmophobia?

That's a good fuckin' game.

I was of the impression that it was a good, like, "youtube/stream" game, but not much outside of that, but no.

Phasmophobia is a good game, highly recommended if you have at least 1 other person to play with (because I've yet to play with randoms).

I'm basically parrotin' a thing I typed to "review" it on steam but: The game is really fun- as in the challenge you're tasked with is fun- the scary stuff doesn't really work on me (yet, current build etc) but I'm so entertained that I don't mind.

And if you're playing with anyone who IS scared it's 10x better lol.

Keep an eye on that one, it seems they are trying to make it something special once it breaks free from early access and I'm prone to believe them because everything that's there right now is way better than I expected.

Honestly? It's something special already. Finding out what type of ghost you're dealing with is fun as hell, the tools are fun to use and are getting updated and expanded over time (yesterday they changed a lot about the parabolic mic's utility for instance, as well as adding more nuance to how temperature works).

It has early access-itis in some places, like progression is kinda meaningless. You do hunts to get money to buy the tools you use for hunts, a feedback loop is fine (most progression systems are that, like monhun, "do fight, to make thing, to do fight") but whereas other games either offer BIGGER, BADDER hunts that REQUIRE the shiny new tools- phasmo doesn't really scratch that yet for a couple reasons.

1) The hard ghosts are still the same tasks, just generally more aggressive (more likely to die etc) or bigger spaces (more splitting up to find them), that's not the same as like "Bigger new challenges in monster hunter" (I'm sorry I keep saying monhun, but it's a coop PVE 4 man game where you go on ghost HUNTS, it's comparable)

2) The build up you feel from getting the better tools isn't there, like at all. There aren't enough tools and there aren't enough "big, good" tools. At the moment there just aren't enough things to buy with the money you earn to feel like any sort of progression or even investment because if you DO die and lose your items then it's just like a strong flashlight and a tripod that you have to buy again.

So right now it can stand to improve on progression feel- like making hard hunts a bit more interesting (two ghosts? They'd have to improve things like the spirit box so you could ID each independently)- Or (DO THIS) expanding what we invest in within our progression. More, better tools to make it feel like you're progressing a bit.

Although they could go another way and just expand the things we can research about the ghosts and make it a wider pool of tools instead of a more vertical "weak to strong" pool of tools. That wouldn't feel like fun progression but it would feel like a good addition of depth to the challenge of IDing a ghost which would counter-act the progression feeling lesser.

But then they'd have to expand what a ghost can react to significantly, because it every ghost only reacts to 3 stimuli and you add 30 types of stimuli then more hunts would come up where the players just don't have the right tools to know what they are dealing with- that's not fun either.

But if the ghosts react to like 10 things AND we gain the ability to add "Not Evidence" to our journal to cross out some stimuli then players would probably still be able to find the ghost more often than not.

I rambled for fun.

Good game.

[whumpprompts]

What are some motivations that whumpers could have I feel like how i'm writing right now is too two dimensional because he doesn't have a purpose.

Hmm, that’s an excellent question, and the answer isn’t that simple, since it really depends on your plot.

Unless of course you’re writing plotless whump (which I know I have written so many times, ahh, who needs plot when you’ve got pain and blood?) in which case you can just jump over to the generic reasons at the bottom.

I can give you generic reasons for someone to hurt someone else, but my advice here would be to think about your plot, and even more so, the conflict of your story. What is it that your main characters wants? What’s keeping them from getting it?

Basically, purposeful plot points (and that includes whump) connect to the big plot. Purposeful whump, like all other scenes in the story, either slows down your protagonist or helps them on their journey towards their goal — or both at once.

If the whumper is an antagonist, or just generally someone who is trying to keep the protagonist from reaching their goal, you could try to tie the whump to that. The bad guy hurts the good guy because that keeps the good guy from getting to their goal — or because that aids the bad guy in reaching their own goal. How that looks, exactly, depends on your plot, characters, and setting.

For example, your protagonist might want to get to the magic egg to save the city, but the antagonist wants the egg to themselves to sell it for profit. So, the antagonist kidnaps and hurts the protagonist because they don’t want to kill the protag, but just incapacitate them enough to make them useless. Cue whump. Afterward, the protagonist is able to escape, but they’re so injured the antagonist makes it to the egg before them, and now the protagonist needs to both heal as well as figure out a way to get the egg before it’s lost to some overseas buyer with too much money and power. Then, even later, they face off with the antagonist. Because of their lingering injuries, the fight seems hopeless, but as they’re losing, they remember the pain and helplessness they felt while being tortured and decide they won’t be beaten again. With newfound motivation, the protagonist manages to win and gets the egg. They save the city and all’s good.

But take that same setting and change it a little. Now, the antagonist kidnaps and hurts the protagonist because they have nothing better to do. They torture the protag a little, the protagonist escapes, and then makes it to the egg. They’re a little injured, but nothing a bandage around the wounds won’t heal. Then, they face off with the villain, win because they’re basically healthy, and save the town.

The second option could work in certain stories, but generally speaking, option number one is much better, because 1) the villain has a plot-related reason for hurting the protagonist, and 2) the torture has real consequences for the characters and the story.

So basically, if the whump in your story feels two-dimensional and without purpose, chances are, it doesn’t connect to the plot, or at least enough.

Okay, rant over. Now, to the general reasons!

The whumper wants money or other valuables

The whumper wants power

The whumper wants revenge on the whumpee

The whumper wants revenge on someone who loves the whumpee

The whumper wants to impress and look worthy/evil/ruthless in the eyes of an even bigger and badder bad guy

The whumper is bored

The whumper wants to scare the whumpee or someone who loves the whumpee

The whumper is some sort of sadistic person who creates art (etc) by mutilating bodies, live or dead

The whumper is trying to teach the whumpee how to be ”strong” (etc)

The whumper is trying to get information from the whumpee or someone who loves them (but just remember that in real life, torture doesn’t really make the tortured person tell the torturer any real information)

The whumper thinks that hurting the whumpee is showing them love and affection

The whumper is trying to slow down the whumpee

The whumper didn’t want to hurt the whumpee, but they won’t shut up/stay still/etc so they’re ”forced to”

The whumper gets drunk/angry and loses control of their actions

And that’s about all I can think of right now.

Hope this helps!

[quibliography]

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Synopsis: This book is a series about a group of people in 1920s New York called the Diviners. Evie O’Neill can read people’s secrets from their possessions. That and her sharp tongue got her shipped off to her uncle in New York. There she meets Theta, whose hands produce fire, Henry and Ling, who can dream-walk, Memphis, who can heal, Sam, who can command invisibility, and Jericho with inhuman strength. They want to hide their abilities; but when an evil in a stovepipe hat threatens the soul of the nation, they must confront their fears and join together to prevent catastrophe.

My Quibs: It took me many years to finish this series since I unwisely started when she published the first one in 2012. The breadth of the books, with a cast of 6+ main protagonists, is hard to hold onto over eight years. It would’ve been better to have read them all together. But putting that aside, Libba Bray met my expectations. She uses a lot of context (Fitter Family tents and eugenics, Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, etc) to speak about the condition of America in the 20s - which I can’t help to compare to present-day. It’s a message that’s been broadcasting in my echo chamber for years and though it’s an important message, I’m weary of hearing it. I am grateful for the diversity in her very large cast - she has a LGBT character (Henry), an immigrant (Sam/Sergei), BIPOCs (Memphis and Isaiah). Man, and she gives Ling every representation to carry: a handicapped, half-Asian, lesbian character. Is there a liberal platform she doesn’t represent? The plot moves like a four season TV series. There’s a big baddie to defeat at the end of each, which only gets bigger and badder with every season. So entertainment value is there. Her writing is not award-winning but it is engaging enough that it doesn’t distract from the storytelling. My only critique is that the characters didn’t develop as much as I would’ve liked. They are at the prime age (late teens, early twenties?) to grow the most. Not to mention they go through enough chaos to learn something. But there’s only point A, the beginning of book 1, and point B, the end of book 4; we were naive and now we’re woke. It’s not wholly believable without moments of growth in-between, which are also important for the reader to grow and digest the story’s message. But it’s a fun read and she leaves with a really (2020 gut-wrenching) loose end of a Nazi rally radio speech. You know I love towards-the-future kind of endings, but this one coupled with today’s reality was bleak.

Should you read it? If you like the roaring 20s and epic supernatural stories (and you don’t mind a big soapbox message of a plot - it came off like a Dem’s version of “Make America Great -er!”).

Similar reads? Her Gemma Doyle series. Not for the content - they are very different - but for Bray’s style.

(Spoiler  Alert!) There isn’t much to spoil: they defeat the King of Crows and save the world. I suppose the deaths leading up to the finale were unexpected but not surprising. I didn’t predict Jericho would make the ultimate sacrifice, but seeing as he resolved his romance issues and couldn’t stop visualizing his ghostly commander, it now seemed heavily foreshadowed. Bray gives us what we want and expect. Nothing more, nothing less.

What did you think of The Diviners?

[undeadcourier]

Hey so I have a somewhat random question. Since you have ocs that come from Texas do you have any personal headcanons, ideas, etc about Texas in the Fallout universe?

i'm still working on a more complete post but i'll share a few now

- rising sea levels means houston is underwater and mcallen is a coastal city

- fort hood was nuked, direct hit. the surrounding areas are home to a lot of ghouls, lucid and feral

- there are also ghouls living in the alamo and mutated ducks in the riverwalk in san antonio. the día de los muertos celebrations are a sight to behold

- everything west of abilene is... pretty okay, all things considered. you get some roaming raider gangs and giant roadrunners, sure, but life goes on

- (borrowed/adapted from @falloutmexico's creature ideas about mutated jaguars) there's a wasteland creature called la llorona that's a mutated mountain lion. with her hunched, furless back, she's often mistaken for a human from afar, and her wailing cries are said to have made many a man die of sheer fright. 'course, better you're already dead when she tries to eat ya. [did you know? jaguars, margays, and jaguarundi used to range north of the rio grande. ocelots are rare but still spotted (😉) from time to time. this has been Animal Facts with julian undeadcourier]

- speaking of mutated critters, watch out for the javelinas... they're bigger, they're badder, and they'll make entelodont look like wilbur. what's worse, they still roam in large herds, and if you're not careful you might end up facing 20 or 30 of the bastards at once

- the horned toads are big boys now, too. they still squirt blood from their eyes, not just as a defense mechanism, but to stun and disorient their prey. they frequently hunt feral ghouls and pronghorn

- armadillos ain't all that different, still cute, still skittish

- if you thought regular jackrabbits were creepy fuckers... well, the rads didn't do em any favors. good eatin if you don't get the shit boxed out of you tryin to hunt em

- skunk spray now adds +20 rads

[comicstoastonish]

My Top 10 Favorite Comics of All Time (2019 Update)

Hi guys,

A few of you have been asking what are my favorite comic books? I usually send them to a post I made a few years back about this same question. But as time goes on and more books are discovered, my favorites have changed a little. Apparently not as much as I thought but enough to update the list. Judging by most of the panels I post, you can tell I like humor. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the books I gravitate toward aren’t heavy in darker tones. Not saying I don’t read them too, just saying they aren’t my favorites. So here are the top 10 books I enjoyed the most. Please leave your judgments in the comment section.

10. Invincible The tag on almost every issue says “The best superhero comic book in the universe,” and I have to say, it holds up. Invincible is the story of Mark Grayson, son of the greatest superhero of all time. When Mark finally gets his powers he becomes the hero Invincible to keep on the family legacy. Robert Kirkman does a great job of telling the story of a teenager discovering his powers and finding out his origins may not be what he’s been led to believe. This book is just fun. No more explanation needed.

9. New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis This book will always have a special place in my heart. It’s the book that brought me back to comics and I loved every moment of it. 6 months after the Avengers disbanded, a massive prison break forces Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Sentry to come together to put an end to the riot. The book follows the newly formed team on their mission to track down the 42 escaped prisoners, all while trying to solve the mystery of who started the break out and why? New Avengers also brought some of the best characters in Marvel including Wolverine, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and more, to join the team. The book became the center stage for Marvel Comics from 2005 until 2012 running through events like House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion, all the way to Avengers vs. X-Men. It’s a fun super hero book that really throws you into the world of Marvel Comics.

8. Paper Girls If you like the show “Stranger Things,” you’ll love Paper Girls. Taking place in the 1980s, 4 middle school girls, on their morning paper route get caught up in the strangest day of their lives. To ninjas, dinosaurs, time travel, clones, to apple products, Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang hit you with a sci-fi nostalgia story that will keep you guessing where the next turn is.

7. DC The New Frontier A book paying tribute to the Silver Age of DC Comics. Focusing on the Macarthy era, a time where America couldn’t be less trusting, the story focuses on the super heroes, once praised for their services, now find themselves ridden off as outlaws. Multiple perspectives from Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Flash, Superman, etc, as they fight for truth, justice, and the American way, all accumulating to the upcoming battle with “The Center.” Darwyn Cooke tells an amazing story that you all should check out.

6. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man volume 2 For years my favorite super hero was Spider-Man but then in 2011 I was introduced to a better one, Miles Morales. We all saw “Into the Spider-Verse” so you know what’s up. Brian Michael Bendis’s run on Ultimate Comics Spider-Man makes you really love the character of Miles. The story of what happens after Peter Parker dies and a new clueless Spider-Man must fill the void, is nothing short of great. It puts you in the shoes of a new character trying to figure out who he is, all while trying to keep the memory of Peter Parker alive.

5. Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Two Avengers books on one list? That’s right. In my opinion the greatest era in Avengers history. Jonathan Hickman pulls double duty writing two parallel stories of heroes at their greatest and heroes at their worst. On the one hand, the Avengers are expanding and they are responding to bigger and badder threats. From Ex Nihilo’s attempt to terraform Earth, to the universe eradication of the Builders, to Thanos invading, to the attack of evil Avengers. One the other hand unknown to everyone but Iron Man, Mister Fantastic, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Black Bolt, Beast, and Namor, parallel Earths are crashing into each other, destroying the multiverse. The only way to save their own is to destroy worlds. But after you destroy a world is there anything left of your humanity?

4. Justice League International The late 80′s had one of the greatest Justice League runs of all time. Keith Giffen and J.M. Dematteis pumped out some of the funniest and most entertaining comics to date. Focusing on the Justice League as a work place comedy, this massive run follows the adventures of a newly formed Justice League made up of mostly second string characters. The satisfaction of Batman punching out Guy Gardner, the comedy duo of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, GNORT! If you want your super hero books to be fun and hilarious, this is the book for you. Starting in Justice League #1 through 6 and transitioning to Justice League International, then splitting between Justice League Europe and Justice League America.

3. Saga If you’re not reading Saga, you are missing out. A Romeo and Juliet story set in a sci-fi fantasy space adventure. In the middle of an intergalactic war, Alona and Marko leave their worlds behind to risk everything for the survival and protection of their newborn Hazel. Hunted by both sides of the war, the two travel across the stars and encountering creatures from all over the galaxy who either want to help them or want them dead. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples take a story about the ups and downs of parenting and throws it into a cosmic and crazy story of awesomeness. Look out for Izabel, Prince Robot the IV, and Ghus. You will smile every time they are on the page.

2. Scott Pilgrim I cannot recommend these books from Bryan Lee O’ Malley enough. 6 graphic novels in total, focusing on Scott Pilgrim’s desire to date Ramona Flowers, his journey to defeat her 7 evil ex’s, and the challenge of being a responsible adult. This book is filled with post high school confusion, punk rock, video games, anime style action, and heart. If you liked the movie, I promise you, you’ll love the book.

AND NUMBER ONE….


1. Mister Miracle by Tom King and Mitch Gerads Everyone should read this book even if you’re not a New Gods fan, it’s amazing. Mister Miracle and Big Barda are two of the greatest comic book characters of all time and in this book it really shows. Scott Free is royalty among the New Gods of New Genesis but Scott would rather live in Los Angeles and be the world famous escape artist known as Mister Miracle. Scott eventually grows bored of his stunts and attempts suicide in order to escape death. The book follows Scott and Barda through their responsibilities as New Gods in the war with Apokolips, to Scott’s performance work, to their marriage, to Scott’s suicide. It’s a beautiful book filled with action, humor, great art, and a whole lot of heart. Of everything on this list, Mister Miracle is an absolute must read.

[reallyshinycrusade]

A Theory on Why Crowley Was Like,,, THAT,,, in Rome

I saw a post on Crowley’s hair change over the years and it got to the point where op went “but what happened to him in Rome??” And that’s a valid question

During the wonderful time skip sequence that fed us backstory, we see crowley greet aziraphale and start up conversation every time they met, making obvious effort to get closer to the angel relationship-wise. But then we get to rome, and theres multiple things that the rest of us viewers noticed: he’d changed his hair, started wearing shades, and was a totally different mood than in previous encounters and took a bit of persistence from aziraphale to get the usually magnetically attracted crowley to open up. But what could've caused this?

CROWLEY THEORIES:

That Crowley was betrayed by God: This makes better sense if you’d read my writing on Crowley being a Seraphim based on the Gnostic creation myth, but a crucial detail you must understand here is that there is a “God”, but in the gnostic texts there is also the female aspect of god- and her name is Sophia (and god in goodomens is a woman too,) and she sent a serpent, her most trusted seraphim, into the garden of Eden. But the absolutely wonderful thing here is that this female aspect of god who also represents wisdom falls from the heavenly host herself. God questions itself. But what I want to focus on here, is the time stamps from episode 3, where Aziraphel and Crowley are at Christ’s crucifixion. Christ’s Crucifixion is significant, because (skipping over the rest of the creation myth) to Gnostics Jesus was seen as the gnostic savior, and his death (as we’ve heard in Christian belief) was so “we” could be forgiven etc. this included saving god herself, apparently, and it restores Sophia back into heaven as a bride to god so that they could be one whole again (who hitched a ride in jesus as a vessel.)

So imagine Crowley. Imagine having had fallen by “asking too many questions” and being told that you’d done the wrong thing when you’d only been following God's orders, just the wrong “aspect” of the same part of a whole of Him, and you’d spent who knows how many years (because we’ve only started counting years since we could, and there's an unknowable before,) thinking despite the fall you hadn’t done the wrong thing, because She had fallen too,

And then she gets saved.

But you don't.

And this is crowley, the one who obviously wants to be with aziraphale from the get go (whether he realizes or not) and would give to spend as much time by his side if he could. If you think about Sophia, a bigger powerful entity who had done a considerably “badder” thing than a seraph ever could, and this former seraph had been believing he had done the right thing under said bigger powerful entity, but they get saved; restored back into heaven, forgiven, welcomed back home and allowed to stay by ‘something’ that loved you,,,

I’d be bitter too 👀

and bc this is Crowley I bet he’d have hated that he’d been foolish enough to hope he’d be forgiven, and it’s why he later says “I won't be forgiven. Not ever. Part of a demon's job description. Unforgivable, that's what I am.”

there’s another theory I had from Islamic texts about Idris (who is also Enoch?) and on his travels he finds an angel who’d incurred god’s wrath with their hair and wings cut off and I thought “oh, Crowley’s Rome wardrobe change?” but after a lot of fucking around with calendars, 41 AD I’d around 3801-3802 in the Hebrew calendar, and in the Hebrew calendar Enoch was born in 622 and went to heaven (not dead) 365 years later, which isn’t nearly enough to magically think that Aziraphel or Crowley fit into this theory 😔

anways, thanks for sticking around! ;)