#And Shine Heaven Now

[leifandthorn]

Recently had my “20 years of making webcomics” anniversary. These strips were posted about 2 decades apart!

And Shine Heaven Now, June 9, 2003:

Leif & Thorn, July 30, 2023:

The art style has gone through a ton of development…but sometimes a good opening is a good opening, you know?

[erinptah]

Rewatched Hellsing Ultimate. Reminisced fondly over your Hellsing webcomic. Went to see if it was still there and was pleasantly surprised to see it was. Found your Tumblr. Followed. Realized somewhat belatedly that Alucard strongly influenced my big bad in my DND homebrew with all those eyes and teeth. Nice to see you're still around after all these years!

Thank you!

I figure, as long as I’m still getting out-of-the-blue “hey, I remember that comic and it makes me happy” messages once or twice a year, it’s worth keeping up =)

(Hellsing fancomic website link, for anyone who followed this blog more recently than 10 years ago and doesn’t know what we’re on about!)

[kaiser1ns]

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

I AM A GOD

(The assignment I was genuienly hoping I was lucky enough to make a 70 on?? I made 100. AND extra notes praising my "Relevent analysis" and "Professional level formating"- aka, I am a god)

[shannonsketches]

he's so important to me

[starheirxero]

not to sound dramatic but those 2 scenes of them interacting are gunna be like crack 2 me

[xluciifer]

We as a collective have decided to revoke your internet privileges and put Lucifer in baby jail until you are permitted back.

⸺ ❝ IIIII just wanna tell you how I'm feel-ing. Gotta make you understand. Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you doooown. Never gonna run around and desert you. ❞

[aleatoryw]

there's something interesting to me about two artists i really like - MIKA and Gerard Way of MCR fame - both being raised catholic and realizing they're queer, but in adulthood making art that goes in completely different directions about it.

MIKA makes this bright, campy, bubblegum pop that utterly rejects a the premise of sinfulness placed upon him. his lyrics often rejoice in being gay - even before he was publicly out! (see: we are golden) - while still reflecting a struggle to find worth in the larger world. he only occasionally dips into anger at the church for how it treated him (see: promiseland) but you can see patterns of choosing the joy of being himself over the rejection of family and society and religion throughout his discography. His art says "you were wrong about me, i'm not a sinner, queerness is beautiful and God means nothing in the face of gay love" (see: origin of love).

and then MCR makes this violent, powerful, satanic-panic-inspiring, and sin-drenched music that pulls from the darkest, gothest parts of catholic lore to create stories of death and irredeemable foulness and guilt, while still ultimately rejecting the premise that because we are sinners, we are unworthy. gerard sings about bad things they've done dragging not just them, but everyone to hell (house of wolves, mama), they sneer openly at salvation in life (thank you for the venom), but ultimately, some of their most popular songs have a glimmer of defiant hope (famous last words). Their art says "you were right about me, i'm a dirty sinner, and isn't that kind of beautiful? don't i still ache and bleed and yearn? don't we all?"

[snowychicken]

MEET ME IN THE TIME OF HARMONY

SIP ON SUNBEAMS 'TILL THE NEW MOON

I'M NOT SURE OF ANYTHING I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S TRUE

I KNOW THE GLOW YOUR ESSENCE TENDED IS THE ME I CHOOSE

[smtown-tourist]

Somewhere in Heaven, Jonghyun is throwing a major hissy fit over Minho’s latest instagram story

*translation: What I grew 0.2cm taller!!!!

[sayonaramidnight]

I finished the game

[giantkillerjack]

WHAT UP THE CONFLATION OF SUFFERING WITH LOVE IS EXTREMELY QUESTIONABLE

Tags on this post, by @saint-ambrosef and @mariposasmonarch, isolated here because they accidentally hit on EXACTLY what I think brought about my original line of thinking:

#of course christ dying wasn't “necessary” #but damn if it isnt the most visible and obvious way to show someone that you love them #a person snapping their fingers and giving you everything you wanted isn't nearly as impactful as that person willingly enduring personal #suffering in order to give it to you #thats what we mean when we say “christ died for us” #not because he strictly had to but because he wanted to show us just how far his love goes #we puny humans can know in our lowest moments that god incarnated himself to be brutally murdered #just to make his “i love you” absolutely clear #its not a guilt trip...it's reassurance in its purest form #<- YES #and if this isn’t the most beautiful and touching expression of True Love #the Selfless Love #Love which is Willing the Good for the other for no reason but just that

I disagree with this. All of it. I genuinely think that dying for someone is a shitty and stupid gift, especially when you didn't need to do it and it provides them with no tangible benefit. I think this is a dangerous and irresponsible thing to teach your children.

Martyrdom and suffering are not inherent expressions of love.

I believe in good for others for the sake of good, and kindness for the sake of kindness. But what always throws me for a loop is the Christian idea that suffering on its own is a form of good. I disagree. I disagree with my whole heart.

As a child, I was taught that the best thing I could be is Christlike. And I was Not Okay.

I lived my life ready to set myself on fire to prevent someone else from feeling a chill, and this impulse still follows me over a decade after I lost my faith. (There were other factors also, but religion played a big role in this attitude.)

It has been devastating to my health, nearly to the point of death on multiple occasions. The idea that the best and purest form of love is to suffer - It's gross. I think it's gross. I don't feel loved; I feel like if someone tortured themselves to death and then I was told to rejoice, for they did it all for me! And I'm like... oh. I didn't... ask for that?

I've lived my entire adult life without proper healthcare. I would argue that someone snapping their fingers and giving me everything I ever wanted would actually be a LOT better for me than if they suffered and died. Like, magnitudes better.

I believe that the purest form of love is to LIVE for another person.

I've done that. I do that. I've seen people suffer pain worse than death and still not die just because they loved me. And I felt loved not because they were suffering but because they were doing whatever it took to live by my side and to live in happiness.

Sacrifice is a part of love, but it is not inherently loving. It has to have a reason or it is just pure performative loss, which actually does feel like a guilt trip!

I just-- I've gotten a ton of completely different dogmatic answers today, but to me, these tags are what strikes at the heart of it all.

The idea that we need to place every single other living thing before ourselves even and perhaps especially to the point of self-destruction.

For an example, in the Catholic church, most of the Saints are martyrs! And they were taught to us like action heroes with superpowers and everything! My little sister with their childhood OCD collected cards of saints like they were Pokemon cards! Which is really cute until you consider that they were a compulsive child idolizing a pantheon of people whose defining trait was brutal self-sacrificial death. They were one of the most anxious children I've ever met.

For me, as an autistic kid, the idea that suffering was somehow inherently good helped me to endure a lot more extreme sensory pain than I otherwise would have. I was terribly proud of my ability to endure pain. But now as an adult with crippling cPTSD, I can't help but notice that none of those sacrifices I made actually helped anyone!

I don't personally believe that gods are real. But if I did, I think I'd be awfully angry at the Christian god for killing himself and having the nerve to say it was for me.

I've literally had a loved one who believed they were a burden offer to kill themselves for me. It was a heinous idea for a gift, and I told them so. They were terribly disappointed when I chose the other, much more difficult and beautiful option, which was to live for each other. Live and grow and love in the light. To plant gardens for each other and cook them into meals. To build and nurture and know. THAT is the most beautiful and sure form of love. I will accept no substitutes.

I hope someday someone shows you love in a way that feels more beautiful to you than crucifixion - literal or metaphysical. You deserve love that isn't defined by pain.

[freedomsbounty]

Relationship Tags

bond || Zarya x Vivian: you’re my victory so I’m gonna soldier on bond || Kassandra x Evie: everything that you hold you make it shine like gold bond || Zarya x Odessa: tell me your nightmares and fantasies sink into the wasteland

bond || Kassandra x Soma: share this world. the seas. the stars. eternity my lady; fall into me

bond || Sevika x Xu: from hell with love I write confess my passion crime

bond || Zarya x Satya: she lit a fire and now she’s in my every thought

bond || Sevika x Satya: you’re my heaven in my heartbeat and my one true bliss

bond || Vi x Caitlyn: with my heart in your hands don't let go

bond || Sevika x Mel: Cus the rest of you. The best of you. Honey. belongs to me

bond || Pharah x Ashe: They look at me like I’m a scar upon their perfect skin

bond || Vi x Emily: You were my beacon of salvation; I was your starlight

[spatio-rift]

oaugh i love heavens so much

[saintlesbian]

been getting really into oatmeal lately

[gonzodangerfeels]

Today the winds call out to some ass-tastic flip if the script

We love our Danny boi but hate musky masa