#Motivation From Babylon

[sumeragi-hokuto]

Tokyo Babylon

By CLAMP, volume 5

[igate777]

[scribbsrambling]

I think what really sets the new Diamond Cutters apart from most Sonic teams is the fact that we get to see them BECOME and team and go through new team conflicts.

Teams like Team Rose and Team Dark, those guys may of not started off as a team, but action/adventure video games don’t always have the budget for great gameplay, pretty cutscenes, AND action-packed plot that also has a subplot of team drama.

And teams like the Chaotix and the Babylon Rouges were created to work together. They have a pre-determined close bond and an undeniable compatibility with each other.

All of the Sonic teams before the Diamond Cutters were originally created to just be groups of fun video game characters first and foremost, not tell a story.

NOW on the flip side, Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin are comic book originals. Story is the whole point.

But these gals were created separately from each other and have developed differently throughout the comic, before it was decided that they become a team. That’s something unique that the writers get to take advantage of when creating this new team’s dynamic.

Also, Whisper and Lanolin have their own baggage, and personal motives, that they’re bringing with them to the team that’s going to clash with the other’s.

IDW Sonic is taking the opportunity that the games don’t really have, and not have this squad be perfectly in sync. Why? Because they can. It’s a storytelling medium first and foremost, it’s their job to create drama for the sake of drama. It’s a story, so let’s tell stories dang it!

To sum up, the new Diamond Cutters definitely have some team-bonding to do, but that’s on purpose. Personally, I think it’s super neat that we get the chance to see the ups, the downs, and hopefully, the growth.

[punksocks]

Astrology Observations No.10

*just my opinions, take them with a grain of salt

-Jupiter conjunct/trine/sextile venus or Sagittarius venus could point to having many romantic/s*xual interests (lovers but I don’t like the feel of the word lovers lol), friends, even just admirers. Something feels happy and exciting for other people when they’re with you.

-I think earth moons tend to like musicals because when the character feels something they sing it out and that makes the feeling at hand concrete/obvious (I love musicals, like I’m very picky about which ones I like but I love the ones I like)

-Virgo moons are very attractive, they clean up so nicely and have such a charming look. Omg and the cut jaw, so many virgo moons have that sharp jawline it’s so attractive (I think Virgo placements are very attractive lol)

-Scorpio/Aries/Mars rising and beauty marks/ freckles just appearing out of nowhere of your face/on your body

-Why do so many sun conjunct Mercury people know each other?? Is it a common conjunction? Or do we just run in the same circles?

-I’m the most hardcore about moon x moon synastry, I’m convinced you can work through anything in a relationship together but moon synastry is the hardest of all to work through if it’s a negative aspect. You may never get each other emotionally. At least without putting work into it.

-Virgo mars fr are like, why would I hang out with (super masculine) men ??? Gross.

-Also mars rising guys do you have heavy brows, maybe eyebrows that meet in the middle ?

-Sag Venus people do tend to be bisexual, I think it’s Jupiter and abundance of choice, like everyone is beautiful why not be open to all of them

-Margot Robbie is so good at comedy/character acting and I think it’s all that Cancer in her chart. (Cancers can be really funny) She has a cancer stellium opposing a Capricorn stellium too and I think that allows her to pull off intense funny lines and dry humor both really well. I also think her Scorpio moon is why so many characters she plays have like a tragic backstory/sad motivations but they cope and express themselves with that Gemini Venus comedy duplicity (Harley Quinn, not Clara Bow from Babylon, maybe Barbie??, etc)

-I was watching south side and a character lied about being a Capricorn (he’s a Taurus) and that happened to me in real life once! (they were a double Aquarius !!)

It’s such a weird thing to lie about lol! … and why not lie and pretend to be a get along sign like a Libra…or a Taurus ?? lmao

[robotshellyeah]

some thoughts about Deathwalker:

my favorite thing about babylon 5 has always been the conversations between the ambassadors and their aides. the show is not always a story from the perspective of the human characters - sometimes you get a window into how the aliens interact with each other when humans aren't around. I really liked the scene between Na'Toth and G'Kar about why she attacked Jha'dur. if it had been her explaining herself to a human like Sinclair or Garibaldi, the cultural practice underlying her desire for revenge would have been portrayed as "alien" and less legitimate. but instead she tells it to G'Kar, who understands her completely and tells her that her behavior was right (he says that she wouldn't be narn if she felt differently, and that he's proud of her!) and therefore we the audience are reassured that her motivations are not to be dismissed. it was refreshing to see G'Kar take her side and only tell her to wait because it was necessary for political maneuvering

the plotline with Talia was kind of upsetting - I don't think I appreciated when I watched the show for the first time in college how violating that experience would be, and Sinclair and Garibaldi were so nonchalant about it at the end. Talia was like "Kosh hired me under dubious circumstances, exposed me to terrifying stimuli, and recorded my thoughts without consent presumably with the intention of using them later to hurt me" and Sinclair and Garibaldi were like "lol yeah he's a wild one". I guess there's nothing they can do about it but still yikes

why was Garibaldi allowed to go through Jha'dur's stuff when she was unconscious, seems ethically questionable

my opinion of G'Kar is so heavily influenced by how he is in the later seasons, I forgot how slimy he is in season 1. I think he experiences the most character growth of any of the cast.

Lennier is the guy we all know who's way too into military history

[skambigbang]

SKAM Big Bang 2024 IS NOW CONCLUDED

Once again we are closing another successful year of stories for the SKAM universe. Some stories are still finishing, because life interferes. We hope that you have enjoyed reading our stories, and stick around to read the ones that are finishing up. If you're still reading some, or have not read them all, please do so and continue to leave Kudos and kind comments, because we've been thriving on those all summer.

A hearty congratulation and thank you to all our participants - writers, artists and betas - for making this a successful event. We will be making posts highlighting the beautiful art pieces for everyone to enjoy, please show some love to all artists.

You can find the collection here

We want to thank our mods for organizing, publicizing and keeping everyone on track and motivated.

We will be celebrating art in the coming days as we prepare to turn this event over to a new set of Mods. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements to join the new ModSquad, and we hope to bring you new wonderful stories next summer.

*********************************************************************

It's the 15th and last week of SKAM Big Bang 2024, the following 20 stories are posted to the collection.

The Dream of Life (M) by Flatfootmonster with art by Alterlove2021

I turn to you (when I can’t sleep through the lonely night) (T) by selfsufficient with art by Hodge (COMPLETE)

To Build A Home (E) by Happily_Evak_After with art by CelesteKayy (COMPLETE)

The Cure (E) by Anna _Driesen2121 and Viola_player1 with art by monikacharaabi

Some say I should learn to cry but I only learned how to fly (T) by Arfel with art by Garce (COMPLETE)

The Time of our Lives (M) by Sprookjes with art by Pauline 

Murder at 21:21 (M) by Hodge with art by Laika (COMPLETE)

Superstar (M) by Miniloc Island and Ghostcat with art by Parallel-Univers

Parallel pieces of You & Me by Jules with art by Katmylittlesunshine (COMPLETE)

Attraction - (M) by Laika and Midlifecrisis with art by Eirabach (COMPLETE)

Blessings of Babylon - (T) by Veronese_green with art from Bean Awake (COMPLETE)

Heated Rivalry (E) by Beulaugh with art by Polaris.Artwork (COMPLETE)

Blood in the Water (E) by Tea with art by Mariana/MiranhasArt (COMPLETE)

Him (M) by Maddie with art by CelesteKayy

I’m trying hard to fit among your scheme of things (E) by JackFrost_Sander with art by Hodge

Cracks in the Ice (E) by AltErLove2021 with art by Mazarin

As His Own Soul (M) by Midlife Crisis with art by Miranhasart (COMPLETE)

Cinderfella (T) by TeeJaySnow with art by Garce (COMPLETE)

Unmasked (M) by Prevalent_Masters with art by AltErLove2021 (COMPLETE)

From Christmas Eve to Wedding Vows (M) by SamuelFauvel 123 with art by Jazzi_123 (COMPLETE)

****

Check out these stories in the 2024 Skam Big Bang collection and show them all the love 🎉 because Kudos and comments are super appreciated, especially for our first-time authors.

[dannyd0texe]

Tony Montana NSFW Alphabet!

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Tony definitely gives you the best cuddle sesh afterwards, making sure you're okay, ect. He is the biggest softie ever, and only you get to see that side of him.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Tony obviously prides himself over his, ahem, “package”, but can't choose what's his favorite from you - he loves all of you.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He can splurge quite a bit, actually! He likes to do it on your face, chest, stomach, ass, etc., but if you really want him to, he can definitely do it inside of you.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He absolutely loves when you treat him the way he normally treats you - playing with his hair so softly, caressing his body oh-so lovingly, etc. He normally won't ask for it, so you gotta take initiative and do that for him - he greatly appreciates it.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He's been boinking people for as long as he could remember - from prostitutes to old lovers, he has quite the resume.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Plain doggystyle or a missionary position where your legs are up over his shoulders.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He can be both goofy and serious in the moment at the same time - a nice happy medium.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Whew… the carpet definitely matches the drapes. He keeps himself neatly groomed, so everything looks so nice when he's nekkid.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Tony is known for his honeyed words, so he is definitely going to use them in the bedroom. He can either treat you like the biggest princess or the biggest SLUT ever imagined, there's no in between.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

If he's out for business and has no access to you, he will definitely rub a quick one in private before going on about his business. But if he is home with you, what's the point? Unless you wanna watch him jork it (which makes sense) or participate in mutual jorking.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Breeding, degradation, marking, power play, roleplay… the list goes on, but those are the main ones.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He prefers to do it in the privacy of his own home where he knows for sure that nobody is watching you two - like his bed or his luxurious bath. But if the both of you are desperate at the Babylon Club, then I guess the bathroom would be a more “exciting” area? (They look like they keep their bathrooms very clean, so a quickie won't hurt I guess)

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Touch him, tease him, but if you really wanna get it going, wear lingerie with a matching set of heels. The heels stay on during sex, Tony's rules.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He would never do anything that makes you uncomfortable, but his personal turn offs are anything very unsanitary (bodily excrement - spit is fine)

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Absolutely loves giving and receiving oral. Doesn’t matter what genitals you have, he always succeeds with making you a mess.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He can be either depending on how both of you are feeling. Romantic and soft, or absolutely raw and animalistic? He loves both equally.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

If he has limited time due to his business, then a quickie is always appreciated. But if he has plenty of time, why not savor the moment?

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He's okay with taking risks and willing to experiment, but he always makes sure to check in with you to make sure that you are 100% comfortable with it.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

He can go for quite a while if you catch him on a good day (or night). He always holds out on his orgasm until you do first, then he lets loose.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Nothing super crazy other than maybe some handcuffs? He likes using the handcuffs on you, but absolutely loves it when you use them on him.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Oh man… he absolutely loves to hear you whimper and beg for it. It's music to his ears, but he has to let you finish some time later, right?

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Oh, Tony gets vocal all right. Whether he's giving or receiving, he is always grunting, groaning, moaning - he isn't afraid to show it.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He is unable to impregnate due to his previous rampant coke abuse, so he has no problem with finishing inside you without the fear of unwillingly getting you pregnant.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

His size is pretty impressive - 7.5-8 inches, cut, thick girth, and has a singular vein running along it.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

He's an absolute horndog. The movie, video game, and book showcase this very well.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Doesn't fall asleep right away, but during a cuddle sesh, he will definitely fall asleep with you.

[classic-maya]

I really loved your view on when did Brian fall in love with Justin and I saw how happy you were about a qaf ask, so here I am:

when do you think britin reunited after the finale, specifically how long do you think they lived apart for AND how do you they reunited? (I couldn't bring myself to watch that episode because this is gonna break my heart) OR do you think they are not together?

I love this fandom and I love you. I’ve been wanting to write some more fic for them for a while and haven’t had the motivation, but this might spur me along.

In the meantime…I’ll start with the last episode and why I have an unpopular opinion about how it ended and then get into how I envision their reunion. 

Finale

I know there is a lot of hate for S5 finale, but I honestly love the “It’s only time” speech that Brian gives and it’s so so special to me. I feel like it is one of the most romantic lines in the show because in Brian Kinney-speak “It’s only time” is "I will always love you. I will love you just as much tomorrow as I love you today and the next day and the next and the next. I will die loving you. I will love you if you come back to me and I will love you if you never come back to me because time doesn't matter, you are the person I love and that will never change.” 

Not joking, QaF fundamentally altered my view on romantic love. I previously only thought that familial love could be unconditional, but it was such a believable representation of unconditional romantic love that it shifted my perspective. They both truly just want what is best for the other, even if that means they cannot physically be together or at times are not in a relationship. It took my breath away.

All that being said, I definitely do not think of their last scenes together in S5 as a break-up, maybe just a break. They needed to exist separately and apart from each other for a little bit. I think Brian is fairly conscious of their age gap and he never wants to hold Justin back from anything because of their relationship. We see him struggle with this throughout the series, remember him encouraging Justin to make some friends his own age, “Enjoy your youth…I sure have ;)” as well as his many attempts to get Justin to go to and finish college. Even when Justin was with Ethan, of course Brian was hurt because of the cheating, but he also didn’t hold it against Justin because he ultimately wants him to have everything he wants and desires and Brian recognized that he couldn’t give Justin that at the time (let’s Brian’s struggles with low self-esteem aside for the purpose of this conversation). On the other side, Justin loves Brian exactly how he is, and I think Brian’s sudden change of heart (i.e. declaring his love, proposing marriage, turning down opportunities to hook up with tricks etc.) scared Justin.

The two of them went through yet another extraordinary trauma with the attack on Babylon and I think the rush to get married was an extension of that, but I don’t know if either of them were actually ready for marriage. In the same way Brian is afraid Justin will wind up resenting him and their relationship if it were to keep Justin from reaching his full potential as an artist, I think Justin is afraid that if they do get married, Brian will later resent it because he was only caught up in the fear of once again losing the love of his life. But no matter what, something big did shift in a very real way for both of them and made Brian feel freer to express his love for Justin. Reunion

I think Justin moves to New York and has the exact experience he was looking for. He struggles for a bit and he hides it from Brian and his family because he wants to prove to himself that he can do it, that he can take care of himself and Brian lets him. He supports and loves his independence. I think they see each other frequently and are madly, passionately, exuberantly in love even though they live in different cities. I think Brian flies to New York every few weeks and Justin takes the bus to the Pitts every chance he gets.

The first time Brian visits, Justin picks him up from the airport and they can’t stand another moment not touching each other, so they don’t even make it home and end up having a quickie in the airport bathroom. Then Brian takes them to a hotel because he is not sleeping on Justin’s ratty second-hand mattress and letting his roommate hear them fuck their brains out for the next 48 hours.

Eventually, Justin’s art starts selling and he stops struggling. He makes a name for himself and is being flown across the country for different shows and speaking engagements. Meanwhile, Kinnetic becomes the top ad agency in Pennsylvania and begins to gain clients throughout the northeast and in New York to the extent that developing a satellite office in the city only makes sense. Brian moves to New York, not because he is following Justin, but because it has always been his dream. He sells Britin and swaps it for a penthouse in Manhattan that he puts in both their names. Justin moves in without either of them talking about it.

I see them getting married about 7 or 8 years after we last see them in the show, and this time it feels right. They go back to Pittsburgh and their chosen family, the gang and some new friends, are all there to celebrate them. I do not think they will ever choose to have a monogamous relationship. It is not what either of them want nor do they see it as a way to show their devotion to each other. Their non-monogamy looks a lot different than it did when they were younger though. They are both more intentional about the partners they choose and it’s more like the trick of the month vs the trick of the night (or even hour if you’re Brian Kinney). More often than not they wind up in threesomes or moresomes together rather than seeing someone separately. They allow the exchange of names and numbers because they feel more secure in their relationship with each other. The prohibition on kissing anyone else remains.

They don’t have kids together, but they both are in and out of Toronto with enough regularity that Gus sees them as de facto parents who helped his moms raise him. Gus often goes to New York to spend long weekends with them and in high school and college he will spend entire summers in New York with Brian and Justin.

They are the consummate New York power couple; they help each other’s business and are always attending each other’s events. They travel separately for work but always make time to leave the country and vacation together a few times a year. Eventually, they move from the penthouse to a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone and at some point, they (cover Brian’s ears) grow old together.

[ostrichmonkey-games]

FitD Settings and Unnamed Furry Crime Game and You

Alrighty, as promised, time to talk about Setting Stuff.

This is a post both about what the setting for (the still!) Unnamed Furry Crime Game is going to generally be like, and also a bit about settings in Forged in the Dark games in general. 

Okay so, let’s define Forged in the Dark games as ttrpgs that cover Blades in the Dark and any game that uses the same general engine and setup. Blades is the progenitor, and a lot of FitD stick relatively close to its formula (but not all, there’s plenty of room to poke around and rearrange things), and one of the more important elements, I think, is the “powder keg sandbox” setup.

In Blades, the players are underdog criminals doing underdog criminal things like causing problems on purpose. Those problems cascade, intersecting with the different factions/characters present in the setting, and usually then creating more and more problems for the players to deal with. That’s the powder keg sandbox — a relatively open setting, filled with kindling (factions/characters with conflicting and interesting goals and motivations), and then the players are dropped in the middle of it, and positioned in a way that no matter they do, they are going to be conflicting with at least some of those characters/factions, thereby igniting the kindling and making the whole thing explode in a blaze of fun. It’s great.  

So, in short, the purpose of a setting in a FitD game is to create that powder keg sandbox. It has to be filled with interesting characters/factions that are both compelling (to encourage players to interact with them) and conflicting with each other and players (so that when players interact with them, explosions happen!), while still providing enough purposeful space so that there’s room to be flexible as players start interacting with everything and changing the world around them. A good sandbox has plenty of room to play and dig around in, and then to make it a powder keg, just bury some sticks of dynamite in there and hand the players a bunch of lit matches. Boom.  

Now let’s talk about Unnamed Furry Crime Game (UFCG because I’m done typing all that out and I don’t want to think about coming up with an actual title right now). I don’t mind wearing my influences on my sleeves, and the biggest one here is Lackadaisy. I mean, the whole concept of the game was sparked when the animated pilot first released and I did a reread of the webcomic (pretty sure I first found it around 2009, which is wild to think about), and what’s more fun than a bunch of anthropomorphic animals doing crime things in a period setting? So, the initial spark for the game was Prohibition era Crime Time, but with furries (not just limited to cats, as a way to distance the game more from the initial inspiration and also because it’s fun). However, this was never going to be a purely historical game, it was (and still is!) going to be set in a fictional city in a fictional world — so more historically inspired than truly set. 

This was done to free myself from doing too much research (there’s still necessary research though), and also to give myself more creative freedom. From there, the premise started to turn into “What if the Prohibition hadn’t ended? What would that look like?”. And that’s still part of the core premise. So I guess, it’s a speculative alternate fictional history thing?

Freed from any truly historical restraints, I started tossing in other extras that could be fun. Like, what if airships/dirigibles were still in major use? Yeah, let's go for it. What if the city the game takes place in draws from classic Hollywood and noir? Yeah, let’s go for it (also at this time I had watched Babylon, which, not going to say was good, but the vibes are fun). What if I also pulled aesthetically from Gotham, specifically the Batman: The Animated Series version? Yes! Now we’ve got a setting of glitz and glamor and shady hard-boiled grit. Which is a great setup for Crime Time. 

Being less historically strict, also gives me more room for exaggeration and over-the-top-ness. I want UFCG to be characterful. I want there to be an emphasis on larger-than-life elements, both player characters and all the factions and NPCs. Especially in the case of the factions/NPCs, they need to be chunky and discrete blocks that are easy to instantly grab onto and pick up and play with. This loops back to filling your sandbox with cool things, and if the sandbox itself is cool, then that’s going to rub off on the stuff buried in the sand. More exaggerated components make for more flammable kindling. 

This is another reason having just a singular city-setting tends to work well for a FitD sandbox powder keg — a city is just naturally densely packed with stuff (now, the hard work will be writing all that stuff, but I’ll get to that bridge eventually). In a densely packed space, it’s also very easy to make everything connected to each other. Which means it’s going to be very difficult for players to make a move without impacting someone or something else! Again, boom. 

So then, why furries? Well like I already said, it’s fun. That in and of itself is enough reason, but also, I think it creates a useful level of abstraction that makes creating exaggerated characterful characters more easily. It’s easier to be a little more goofy without breaking things when you have a bunch of animal people running around. 

That’s the general gist and thought process behind the setting I’m assembling. There’s still most of it to actually write, but you do need a fun concept to make a fun setting, so it’ll get done as it needs to get done. 

I am still a little unsure of what I want to do for something weirder within the setting. Should magic be real? There’s plenty going on that it doesn’t feel super necessary. Or, what if magic is not real, but that doesn’t stop the existence of various occult-y factions/organizations from springing up, and maybe they think magic is real (or even leave it ambiguous). On the opposite end of the spectrum, what if I tossed in some dashes of retro-future-y superscience? Atomic Robo style maybe. Basically, I’m still exploring what the line is for pushing things too far. 

With all of that said, what is the text of the game going to provide in terms of setting? What I’m picturing is probably pretty similar to Blades, but maybe with less overall exposition and pulling the most useful setting-building stuff from various N/OSR stuff I like. You can convey a lot of setting information in relatively compact ways that also double as tools to use at the table (i.e. random tables, my best friends). The city will have various breakdowns on districts, notable locations, individuals, etc etc. Factions will have clear goals, conflicting with each other so as to create a web of Problems. Plenty of little miscellaneous details on “life in the city” to function as small nuggets of information and flavor. 

The hardest part will be striking the correct balance of information. You’ll need enough to feel comfortable playing in the setting, but not too much that it starts to feel like homework to run it. Figuring out what’s the correct amount of sand and all that. 

[theconstantsidekick]

no because, supernatural is absolutely a train wreck. it's a colossal accident that is happening in front of you that you can't look away from. it is homophobic and non-sensical and downright laughable at times but you know what? I love it. I absolute love it.

season 1 was absolutely beautiful. you don't understand, really, you don't. they had a piss poor budget, you can see that in every frame. but does that stop it from being fucking beautiful? no. it is stylised and ambitious and a fucking visual treat.

and this is like the first fucking episode. the shots have so much character! and that's nothing to say of the characters themselves. from the first fucking scene you can clearly distinguish sam and dean's character clear as day. their motivations, their dreams, their hopes, all of it. it's established so well. their dynamic is unmatched. does it also have a lot of garbage? yes for sure. because what in the name of hell was that episode with bugs? what glue were they sniffing when they green lit that one? no seriously... I wanna try some.

but then they recovered, cause they did faith. my god, what an episode. WHAT AN EPISODE. that motherfucking reaper haunts my every waking hour

like yeah, I love me some baby dean and baby sam going on their small scale ghost hunts while learning deep lessons about who they are as people and what they want from life.

also that 'laugh I nearly died' needle drop? where sam sees jess? god tier editing, GOD TIER.

then they came back with season 2. and here is my most controversial opinion that should not be controversial at all, season 2 is the best season of supernatural to ever supernatural.

what is and what should never be, hollywood babylon, heart, nightshifter, and the whole fucking season actually. not a single miss in my humble opinion. and that finale? THAT FINALE. beautiful, magnificent. ground breaking character writing, everything comes full circle while simultaneously opening up new plot lines to explore.

and my god, yellow eyes is an epic villain. he is a very viciously written villain like, he's... my god. it ain't a walk in the park writing villains, believe you me patient readers, villains are harder to write than the protagonists, always. well, at least the compelling ones are.

now season 3 suffered because of the writer's strike, but didn't miss much either. like yeah some of the hits don't hit as hard as the season 2, but hey, mystery spot, time is on my side, ghostfacers, bedtime stories are nothing to laugh about. those episodes are fucking solid, like most of the season. and there is so much raw emotion is sam's need to save dean, it just makes my weak winchester brothers loving heart throb a little too hard. also...

need I say more?

does the show did look little more washed out and boring? yes. but it's cool, cause we're moving on to season 4.

listen, I kinda just wanna leave all my season's critique at this. i mean, yeah this. this is it. this is the long and short of it; castiel. i don't think i need to get anymore into it

so season 5 is just—

i'm kidding. obviously i'm gonna talk about season 4, at length.

listen, being able to introduce angels this late in the game and then have them be a such perfectly hidden players is a masterstroke of genius. it just is. i am a writer guys... apart from the relentless fanfic as well lol. and when i tell you, introducing a new big player which is also (not so) secretly the next big bad and playing it off as smoothly as they did in season 4, is beyond hard. but the biggest home run these fuckers hit is castiel and the best part is they weren't aiming for a one lol. and oh oh, the way they use their very VERY limited budget to show wings with just flashing the fucking light? CINEMA! that's fucking cinema right there man. i work on film sets, i am telling you, this is the smartest filmmaking choice they make on the entire show. it adds so much visual intrigue while being so awfully easy to execute. BRILLIANt.

now i cannot talk about supernatural without talking about the deancas romance of it all, which i understand not everyone can see or wants to, which is fine. to each their own. you consume art the way you want to, i don't care much as long as you can acknowledge that castiel and dean's friendship was just some of the best written television that mankind has ever seen. is that too grand a statement? yes. does that make it any less true? no.

they even brought back the moody lighting.

and then there's the episodes this season, most of which are home runs in their own regard. just like beautiful writing, the character development for cas, for dean, for sam, even the late john winchester is wild. anna is a wonderful addition, so is uriel, and alastair? they don't make villains like him anymore, they just fucking don't. AND THAT GODDAMN PLOT TWIST AT THE END? man! the finale was just... too good. Chuck's introduction is absolutely wonderful, even if they ruin him by the end but that happens a decade later so wtv, who cares? But,,,, Jimmy. Fucking. Novak. That's all. that's the tweet. yeah. i'm gonna end the season 4 fan fair with jimmy.

moving to season 5.

subjectively speaking, this is my fucking favorite. this season is a writer's dream while also being their goddamn nightmare. so many WONDERFUL characters to play with and such a grand plot but you get to see it all on a very small, consumable scale which is just... it's too smart for me to not mention. i won't start naming the plot points and neither will i name my favourite episodes because what even is the point? all of it was fucking perfect. you don't understand how hard it is to develop characters to such an extent that they become so familiar to the audience that they know their next move before you even put it on the screen. and supernatural had that. they tied everything together with so much care and consideration, just... AAAH so good.

a special shoutout goes to endverse!cas, crowley and death this season. you all know it in your bones that those three were just the absolute scene stealers. especially death's introduction... immaculate.

they did lose a few points for not being as aesthetically pleasing as the past few seasons but hey, gabriel was enough to make a smooth recovery.

but this... this is the end of the road for me people. season 5 is where it should have ended. in no way shape or form am i saying that there aren't a few good episodes here and there after this, because there are. i think season 5 was so fucking solid, tied up so many goddamn lose ends and then just put a cute little hell shaped bow on top and i just... yeah. this was and should have been the end of the road. do not get me wrong, i love me some jack kline, charlie bradbury, kevin tran, rowena macleod and eileen lahey but were they worth the bullshit ending i had to sit through? not really.

i absolutely think if there weren't more episodes of supernatural I would never have become a destiel fan, because i started shipping them when dean made cas a mixtape in season TWELVE! but my god, the good times were so scattered amongst the horseshit that even when i found those hidden gems, they were so fucking drenched in the stink that they lost their value.

the worst of it all is that, i cannot explain to you what supernatural means to me in a million words, because it is a part of me, heart and soul. i fucking AM castiel. i am a gay little angel you hear me? i love this show. i do. i'm glad it went on for however long it did but i feel like once in a while i need to write shit like this or read shit like this to remind myself of the show that it used to be. of it's beautiful cinematography, of it's clever little storytelling techniques. of it's wonderful cast. of how epic their song choices used to be.

FUcking RENEGADE? iconic. wanted, dead or alive? cannot hear the song without hearing sam's off tune goat bleating that he called singing along.

i need to remind myself of how afraid i used to be of lucifer. of how much i cried while watching dark side of the moon; when dean and sam burst the crackers, and how i learnt the lyrics to knocking on heaven's door just because of that scene.

sometimes i just have to walk through memory lane and look back at gabriel's death, the good one, the only one. it was so fucking meaningful. i have to think of "we are making it up as we go" to be able to breathe properly because those moments were so fucking beautiful.

fuck the big ones, i even remind myself of the small ones, of dean's handwriting being in all caps, just like him. of sam's fucking huge laptop with that weird blue black sticker in the middle. of castiel's tie, that just was the right shade of blue, and hung all wrong but just naturally enough to add so much more to his character than any fucking dialogue could. every small little detail of supernatural that made it so damn supernatural. i miss it all.

idk. i'm rambling. whatever.

[rocicrew]

clarissa mao !!

send me a character and i’ll list

favorite thing about them

she's the definition of poor little meow meow. i love her complexities and flaws. she's a rich spoiled heiress, she has enormous family issues. she tried to kill the family she would die for. redemption arcs in my opinion are not always well written but clarissa's does it for me.

she doesn't shy away from the fact that she has done terrible things for selfish reasons (when you look at it in the grand scheme of things). and while the way her father treated her explains her motivations, they are not excused by it. it is her who decides the person she was is gone, and she's going to spend her second chance making up for the things she'd done. it's honest and raw, and her arc shows that people do improve and change when they receive external support and build meaningful relations. while at the same time it says, some things cannot be amended. you can never bring someone back, but you can try to be good.

she is the subversion of the redemption achieved by one last good Deed or Sacrifice. by the time that happens, she's made peace with herself, with the consequences of her actions and it is a choice for the people she loves while she stops delaying the unavoidable.

least favorite thing about them

i find the lack of not revisiting her complicated relationship with julie a Crime. what do you mean after fighting alongside and joining the crew that found her sister, she would not understand her sister's motivation or want some closure re her death?

(tv wise: girl you Have the worst timing in s6. holden is falling asleep on the railing and you think ah a great time to revisit the horrible acts i did to kill him)

(additional sidenote: nothing more meaningful comes to mind at the moment, at least not something i can articulate well so...)

favorite line

Which meant Naomi had misunderstood. Clarissa had meant, I'm not afraid.

10000000/10 on the pain scale this line continues to haunt me. what an epilogue for her im-

(also her exchange with erich on the shuttle about letting people in their tribes without demanding that they prove they need them, and ending it with her prison sentence,,,,,,,,,, i'm rolling on the floor each time)

brOTP

is there any other answer between clarissa and amos ? i personally cannot see their relations as anything other than platonic with deep devotion. they saw each other's worst parts and decided there's good in there even if they can't quite see it in their own selves at times.

they're mirrors but also kind of foils at the same time ?? amos is never afraid while clarissa is all the time,,, let's not be monsters together,, i want to be there in your last moments,,, ah yeahh

OTP

i do not truly ship her with anyone. i can speculate about romantic dynamics, but it's not super far in the Shipping category. i do think she and bobbie would make out in the roci tho

nOTP

is kind of answered in the previous two ? i do not see her and amos' relationship being romantic (except maybe in the roci polycule kind of thing, which i'm still more drawn to the idea of her and bobbie or a complicated relationship with naomi)

random headcanon

i'm not sure how random it is, because it is a nickname she has in canon. but i personally hc that the roci crew over time begins to call her claire after babylon's ashes. peaches is primarily amos' nickname for her and it feels a step too far to use it. so claire is still a way to signal her new path.

i also believe she's a lesbian tbh

unpopular opinion

i have not seen too many opinions on her. i know a lot of people were put off of her in s3, (i have to say she grew on me later as well) but i can now say that she was Unhinged (in a compliment way)

also i think that there's a tendency for her to be portrayed a bit meek in the time after she's joined the roci crew which is the last way i'd personally describe her. she's quiet and reserved, yes, insecure about her place in that family, but she's also blunt and takes risks and has been shown to be incredibly intelligent and capable. and i think it takes away from her character with all her flaws.

song i associate with them

nothing comes to mind rn, i am also terrible at this kind of associations. always one or two lyrics throw me off.

favorite picture of them

the scene she's introduced, first up close and then the shot of her from behind with the navigation map of the maintenance shutte does thinks to the gifmaker side of me (if only the lighting wasn't so yellow)

[the-meta-tron]

Crowley ISN'T Lucifer, But...

So today, Neil Gaiman basically killed The Crowley-was-Lucifer theory, which is fine. I thought the theory was fun, but to be honest, it never completely satisfied me.

The most compelling evidence (for me) regarding the theory were two things 1) we see Crowley before the fall, creating the stars and Lucifer was the Lightbringer, and 2) a lot of what Satan/Lucifer is attributed are things we see Crowley doing in the show's flashbacks.

I don't think it was wrong to recognize that the mythology of Lucifer/Satan has connections to what we see in Crowley's character. I just think it's missing some important context.

For example, Crowley is The Snake from the Garden of Eden. We know that for a fact. The Snake tempts Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and humanity falls (aka Original Sin). Satan is never mentioned in Genesis. But over time, the snake is attributed to being Satan.

That doesn't mean Crowley is Lucifer/Satan. It just means humans in the GOmens verse tend to attribute the demonic things Crowley does to Satan over time because they simplify their own history. The same can be true for enacting wrath on Job or showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (tempter of the Gospels). Those things happen, a demon does them, and later down the line, they are conflated as being done by Satan.

Originally, the word satan just meant "adversary" or "opposer." It was a word that described any adversary to God, sometimes even humans. Over time the concept of satan evolved to Ha-Satan, aka The Adversary, the personification of all evil whom Lucifer and The Devil are often attributed to. So there's actual real-world evidence of these translations of any adversary becoming The Adversary, and anything anyone does that opposes God's plan eventually becomes attributed to Satan over time.

And since Crowley is the one on Earth doing things for most of human history, I'm sure most of the things he does get attributed to Satan in the telephone of human mistranslations and simplifications.

Basically, Crowley is the overworked employee who does all the work, and his boss gets all the credit.

But Lucifer, the angel Satan was before he fell, was Not Crowley, and I think that's important. A lot of people were pointing out that Lucifer questioned God, and Crowley asked questions so badda-bing badda-boom Crowley=Lucifer, but I think that's ignoring or simplifying a lot about Lucifer.

Lucifer didn't just question God or rebel against God. Lucifer wanted to be Above God. (Originally, the concept of Lucifer was a king of Babylon, and the concept came strongly from Sumerian mythology, but he was eventually conflated as the Devil/Satan in theology over time). The Book of Isaiah basically describes the main motivations of Lucifer:

Isaiah 14:14: "I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High"

The Cave of Treasures was responsible for the first and most popular proto-orthodox Christian explanation for why the angels fell. Basically, the concept of fallen angels in the Bible is dubious at best. In a lot of rabbinic Jewish literature, Satan and his satans are still angels and servants of God; they just accuse humanity of wrongdoing and punish them for sins. Christianity really developed the idea that Satan was the enemy of God, and the two of them were the figureheads of Good vs. Evil. And with Satan being conflated as Lucifer and Lucifer being conflated as a fallen angel in the Book of the Watchers and that concept of fallen angels (which in the Book of Watchers notably happened after the fall of man, the angels fell because they had sex with humans) Christianity suddenly needed to explain why all these angels became fallen in the first place BEFORE the temptation of Eve, so the Fall of Man and Original Sin was retroactively preceded by the Fall of Angels, and then they had to come up with Why They Fell.

The two biggest Sins that became popular explanations for why the Angels fell were Pride and Envy. Pride, as taken from Isaiah and attributed to Lucifer The Angel instead of Lucifer The Babylonian King, where Lucifer wanted to be above God and have divinity for himself. Envy came from the Cave of Treasures, where Satan was jealous of mankind and refused to prostrate himself before Adam. Basically, God told all the Angels that Humans were going to be the next big important thing and Most Loved by God. Lucifer got jealous because He was Most Loved by God, so he decided to overthrow God out of envy, and the reason why he tortured humans is that he still is envious of them.

So I think fundamentally, if we look at these proto-orthodox explanations of The Fall, Crowley obviously isn't Lucifer. Crowley never wanted to be God. Crowley never hated or envied humanity. He protects them. He pranks them and tempts them, sure, but without malice.

He just had questions. He was Just Some Guy Angel who wanted to make the stars and didn't understand why it had to all go kablooey in six thousand years. Heaven's institution refused to give him answers (or even let him ask his questions, based on his awe at Job conversing with God), so he went and talked to the other angels who were also disgruntled with management in Heaven but for maybe more selfish reasons (Hey Look, It's Lucifer and The Guys). And because he was unsatisfied with Heaven's system, he ended up hanging out with the wrong people, getting involved in the war, and sauntering vaguely downward. And fundamentally, Heaven is going to punish anyone who challenges the status quo. It doesn't matter why or if they had good intentions.

I kind of don't want to know what angel Crowley was before he fell. Maybe he was high-ranking, and maybe he lost his memories, but ultimately the angel he was doesn't matter anymore. The trauma of the war and the fall stripped the angel Crowley used to be and transformed him into the demon we know now. The demon he is now is the only character we need to know. It is fun to theorize, and the angel he used to be might inform the demon we see now (although I think we have most of the information we need to understand that). But the war, the fall, and his time on earth, I think, inform his character far, far more.

[charleecat-bat]

Okay. Got some more specific ideas for Halloween. What itches your interest the most cause I need some help deciding... poll below-

Babylon Rogue Horror AU Story- Surrounds the Babylon Rogues and how they exactly got to the horrific reality they live in, demon possession, becoming slashers, selling 'things' on the dark web, crazy shiiiit

Ghost AU story or drawing- just another short story or a drawing based on my ghosts in my ghost au

Monster AU Bark story- Bark particularly in this AU has quite a backstory. Being forcefully turned into a creature of the night and imprisoned for A LONG time will do things to you.

Summer Camp survival art (The Quarry AU) piece- either a scene piece from the AU's story or just a hypothetical 'poster' for the AU as if it was a game or something.

Scourge and Sonic Horror AU piece- specific piece from the AU I'm working on. They got history.

Horror AU Knuckles piece- kinda just horror knux as he is in the AU. Undead forest boi... heck maybe I'll sprinkle in a new idea I had. Featuring Tikal. ;p

Horror AU Sonic, Tails and Knuckles art piece. Just a simple kinda three pieces in one sort of thing. Just to show off the main three but since they wouldn't be able to be in a group setting unless specific circumstances it's not a specific scene... that make sense?

Monster AU group pictures- kinda like above but can work a bit more. Like just group pics of the characters together in their monster au looks.

VOTE BELOW:

i know i'm bein gannoyng but i'd like to see what people would wanna see the most out of me and try to get energised and motivated to do that then just fumble on multiple ideas or struggle to decide-

[ursafootprints]

hello hello! from the fic writer asks!

8. if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

18. if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

22. do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that?

8. if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

I am intending to write a sequel to Pyrite and a threequel for the wicked love Starkercest series! And other than those the one that I think has the most story potential for a sequel is double-blind since I left so many dangling threads, but I'm not planning to write one, haha. We'll see if that changes! (I also was not initially planning a threequel for WL, but then all the sad questions on the askblog wore me down, lmao.)

18. if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

Let's see! I still had this scene from chapter 13 of YNYD hanging around in my planning doc, Peter and Tony discussing how they're going to break the news to the rest of the team now that they aren't actively trying to keep their relationship under wraps:

"Are we going to have to hold a like... Avengers-only press conference?" Peter asked, holding Tony's hand on the couch as a poor substitute for his normal level of full-body clinging. Tony laughed-- which didn't make him wince every time now, and that was an improvement-- and he intoned, "Steve Rogers with Star-Spangled News. Mr. Parker, could you tell us what the hell you see in that guy?" "Great question, Mr. Rogers," Peter said, grinning, "and one that I'm happy to answer in detail and at length--" "Okay, wait," Tony said, waving his hands as if whisk Peter's answer away. Peter laughed, and leaned to press a kiss to Tony's smiling lips, careful not to put any weight on his side. "Anyway. Do you want to? I feel like the cat's halfway out of the bag already, but if you want to do an announcement we can," Tony said, shrugging with the shoulder on his undamaged side. "Our four-month anniversary is coming up; we could make it a whole thing. Send out invitations. A dunk tank is off the table until my stab wounds are all healed up, but we could get Nerf guns for everyone to shoot me with. Vent some frustrations." "Tony," Peter scolded, but only because Tony didn't sound like he was actually stressed about it. He shrugged, too, and said, "I'm kinda... over doing the big talk? I feel like Steve's gonna crack and ask one of us about it any day now, and if he does, we'll just…" He shrugged. It would be awkward, but-- whatever. They could survive awkward.

22. do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that?

Mmm kind of? Not in the sense that I fear hate comments or anything (moderated comments 😎), but there have been scenes that I've worried wouldn't land for readers before! YNYD!Peter making the joke in front of the rest of the team about he and Tony having sex in the birthday chapter because of the foot-in-mouth factor, double-blind!Peter's gambit at the end because I thought people might be turned off by his apparent 180 in motivation, I was a little worried that I hadn't done enough to make my Tokyo Babylon fusion canonblind-friendly…

But they aren't huge worries! In terms of getting past it, in general I just am fairly secure in the fact that fanfic is a hobby for me and my foremost goal is entertaining myself and writing the version of the story that I like best, so if something doesn't land then it's still like… well, I liked it! 🤷

Thank you for playing! 💖💖💖

[azspot]

Babel illustrates the technology-assisted ambitions of people for dominance over others. A naive reading of Genesis might give the impression that the exile from Eden and the scattering and confusion of the language of the Babel builders is motivated by the Lord’s concern about a threat to his own throne. Yet the threat is primarily to human beings themselves. People make dangerous gods for others – and for themselves – and as they progress beyond the infancy of the garden, as the Mesopotamian god-kings arise, along with the later vast empires of Babylon and its successors, this truth becomes increasingly evident. Those who seek to usurp God’s rule establish houses of bondage for their fellows, but they also lose grip on their own humanity.

Tech Cities of the Bible

[gretchensinister]

Babylon 5 rewatch, S1 E11: Survivors

Let's see if I can comment and eat dinner at the same time

Very legible warning font LMAO

I love the walk-by aliens. That's HOURS of makeup.

I don't think this questioning is going to result in the most accurate answer.

You know, I wonder if this is a shift in social norms or a regional things, but I have gone my entire life without having anyone grab my arm, even when they really wanted me to stay in a location. But I see it regularly in movies and TV.

EVERYONE STOP ESCALATING THIS

Am I missing something or is there no motive for Garibaldi to do this? I mean, money.

And now, why would LONDO do this? What would the purpose be for this sabotage?

But he can use this to stir up trouble with G'Kar so just go with it! Then again, IDK, I feel that the show does not treat G'Kar and the Narn fairly so far in the first season.

(That's a very 90s shirt on Garibaldi)

This episode...I feel like it's going at a breakneck pace. This plot could be a 400 page scifi novel with all the personal and political things it's tying together.

BUG BUG BUG LEGITIMATE BUSINESS BUG

The petty thief! Okay you know how in some shows like Law and Order you can guess the culprit from whichever guest character is played by the most famous person? In Babylon 5 I wonder if you can see who's going to be coming back later in the episode based on how elaborate their makeup is.

Wait, Kemmer? WTF kind of last name is that to give a character on a show for science fiction nerds? (See: the well known novel Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin)

The Centauri ducat exchange rate must be BONKERS

Noooo Garibaldi noooo

I would love to hear the front half of that joke/story

Human supremacist terrorism makes way more sense than whatever motive Garibaldi or the Narn or Centauri were supposed to have

Toilet full of snakes, what a metaphor