#aferlife

[cordeliatheodoro]

The Day I Met God

Read this poem in AO3!

The day I met God

was the day I died.

I was confident,

perhaps a little cocky,

as I had been prepared for this day all my life.

The day I met God

I found out He wasn't an old white man

with a long white beard and clean white robes.

It was light, only a silhouette,

with hips and curves too much like mine.

The day I met God

It talked to me in my childhood literature teacher's voice

— the one that had a witch's nose and a witch's soul.

It stood before me in all Its glory

and asked me why.

The day I met God

I was confused.

So I could have the eternal life,

I answered.

It was promised to me.

The day I met God

It waved Its hand around

to the white nothing that surrounded us.

And told me, in Its screeching voice:

"This is it."

I freezed.

What do You mean, this is it?

It smiled, or I think It did.

"You are dead. You had your time to taste the world.

When you die, you enjoy the memories you made in life."

But I didn't taste the world! How could I?

It is a sin!

What really matters is what comes next!

The paradise You promised me!

(or, that they said You did).

It stopped smiling.

It seemed... sad?

The day I met God, It sat down with me.

Took my hands in Its bigger ones

And explained.

"I planned every detail, my child.

Every sunlight,

Every falling leaf.

I composed the birds' songs

and the lions's roars.

It took Me seven days to start it

And a hundred billion years for Me to better it.

My beautiful creation is not perfect, and will never be.

But answer me, loved one,

What would be the fun if it was?

Would you be able to enjoy the sunlight

if the night never came?

Would you feel so thrilled by joining someone in bed

if it didn't feel at least the tiniest bit forbidden?"

God moved Its head closer to my ear, and whispered.

(Somehow, Its voice still made my bones tremble).

"The mundane is my gift to you, child of mine.

A flesh vessel for you to decorate as you please;

A thousand delicious dishes for you to taste and fill your stomach;

More songs than you can ever think of to dance for;

So much art for you to admire with those beautiful senses I gifted you!

The world has existed for a billion years

and will exist for a billion more.

You only have, at most, a century, little one.

So eat, and sing, and dance, and lust, and love!

Your time is limited. Make memories you will want to remember for eternity."

The day I met God I opened my eyes

and found myself laying down on cold sand,

the grains clinging stubbornly to my skin

as the ocean water reached my dress.

And I heard Its laugh following me home.

[dame-shambles]

Anyma & Cassian - Save Me [Live from Afterlife Mexico City]

Anyma Afterlife project

[y-rhywbeth2]

Lore: The Bhaalspawn

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess and it's borderline impossible to cover everything. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

I decided to compile all of the information I could find/remember on the Children of Bhaal in one place; drawing on the original games, BG3, WotC "canon", and a magazine article written by the writers of the original games meant for playing Bhaalspawn in pen and paper games. There's a surprisingly large amount of information.

Also prodding a bit at the distinction between a Bhaalspawn, as in a quasi-deity, and their tiefling descendants, who are also called by that name.

As with all D&D lore, sources may conflict, but nevertheless, here it is.

-

There are technically two variants of being that can be referred to as bhaalspawn (three, if we count the Dark Urge as something separate).

The term "Bhaalspawn" is usually applied to a Child of Bhaal, a quasi-deity who has the Lord of Murder for a father. Most are Demigods, born of a mortal parent, although Bhaal has seemingly also produced at least one Titan, who has no mortal lineage at all (hi, Durge). With the exception of that last one, they were all sired before his death during the Time of Troubles. Many, if not most, had Bhaal's priests as their mortal parent - willingly conceived as part of the greater plan to resurrect their god.

As is the norm for half-planar-half-mortals, the offspring of a Child of Bhaal will be of the planetouched (tieflings, aasmiar, genasi). As Bhaal is an evil-aligned god, his grandchildren and descendants are specifically tieflings (or some humanoid equivalent, if they have children with non-humans).

Each Child carries the divine essence of their father, woven into their very being (the god himself specifically derides them as having "borrowed" existences). This divine essence wasn't distributed evenly, and some carried more of Bhaal's taint than others. Some were aware of his influence acting on them from birth, and others never knew what they were until their more powerful and ambitious siblings came knocking to tear their essence out of them.

Being so tied to Bhaal, the souls of his children are inherently tied to him and the Throne of Blood - when they die their essence returns to him and takes their souls with it. A Bhaalspawn can worship another god and receive spells as a divine spellcaster if that deity accepts them, but there is no other afterlife waiting for them except for their father's domain. Specifically, this is the Throne of Blood, a section of Banehold (Bane's domain) which should be on the first layer (Khalas) of the plane of Gehenna (also known as "The Bleak Eternity of Gehenna"). Every single game has placed the Throne of Blood on a different Lower Plane (the Hells, the Abyss, the Grey Wastes), but none have used the one actually given in the tabletop canon, for some reason. Mount Khalas is an active volcano, hundreds of thousands of miles high with slopes of at 45° at their very flattest. The slope is generally more like a sheer cliff face, and falling may "completely shred" the would-be climber. The mountain floats in an infinite void by the border of the Nine Hells. The ground is full of bottomless black chasms and magma flows fed by "waterfalls" of the stuff, and the ground glows crimson from the heat of the molten rock. The air is clogged with pyroclastic ash and it's impossible to see further than a dozen feet in any direction. It also features the River Styx, a river polluted by all the filth and evil of existence that flows through all the Lower Planes. The next layer of Gehenna, Mount Chamada, is visible overhead, glowing faintly, "burning like a small, bloody moon." The spirits of the dead who are sentenced to this plane are those who were consumed by greed and a ruthless and insatiable lust for power in life; in death they are selfishness embodied. The domains of the deities who reside there are carved into ledges on the slopes. Banehold - also known as the Barrens of Doom and Despair - is "an inhospitable locale, filled with vast deserts of black sand and huge plains of dark granite." The sky is blood red and sunless. The only source of water on the plane is the Styx.

Some Bhaalspawn feel the pull of their father's domain so strongly that their soul can be pulled into Gehenna before they die. Should these individuals become sickened or injured enough they will fall into a coma as their connection to life weakens and their soul is dragged into their father's realm in the Lower Planes. It will return to their body once they're healed and that the pull of life is strong enough.

Some Bhaalspawn have reported the ability to "feel" deaths occurring around them, which is also said to be a pleasant experience that calls to them.

Due to their inherently divine nature, every one of them has the latent capacity for sorcery, though not all will manifest it.

It was originally claimed that all the Children perished in the Bhaalspawn crisis, however a small ttrpg supplement published by the writers in a magazine article (meant for playing Bhaalspawn as tabletop characters) claimed that while many died, including all the most powerful of their kind, many "weaker" Bhaalspawn survived the crisis.

There is conflicting information about the free will of these survivors following the foiling of Bhaal's first resurrection. As per the original game's canon, Bhaal's command over them is gone once broken, and these Children were free to act out their lives as they saw fit - bar stuff like the occasional nightmare and inherent urge to go on a killing spree. The power in their blood is their own to repurpose.

Baldur's Gate 2 presented the possibility of a Bhaalspawn being totally cleansed of their father's taint and rendered fully mortal and free of all divine meddling. 5e has retconned this in both tabletop supplements and BG3 canon, and posits that while one of the Children can (seemingly) be unchained from most of Bhaal's control, his divinity is an inherent part of them and they may still become pawns in his designs.

Judging by the first two games it seems that a Bhaalspawn's ability to resist their father's control is related to their own willpower and how tied to death and negativity they are. Being sheltered from death and suffering allows themselves to distance themselves from him, while exposure and harbouring feelings of hatred will destroy the barriers and push them closer.

One of the things Bhaal may try to push his children into doing is interfering with the plans of Cyric, who originally killed him during the Time of Troubles and temporarily usurped him as god of murder.

Bhaalspawn grow in power with age and experience. While signs can start early, by the end of their adolescence they will all have begun manifesting various abilities and signs. What defines "growing in power" is rather nebulous - in game mechanics it's tied to character levels. Technically, a Bhaalspawn could manifest the ability to create supernatural darkness and turn into the Slayer at age 17 and, by the time she's 18, have manifested as much as eleven more powers (and a plethora of dark influences plaguing her to go with them, including an addiction to killing). Or she could go her entire existence never having more than those two traits, a nasty temper, and some horrific nightmares.

Quasi-deities are immortal - ageless and unable to die from natural causes. While theoretically, a Bhaalspawn might not manifest this trait, it would conflict with other established lore on half-deities (because D&D lore loves conflicting with itself). Bhaalspawn immortality tends to kick in at any point in adulthood, at which point their age freezes. They could be in their twenties - and is more likely to manifest at a younger age, but theoretically it could kick in when they're 87 or older.

A Child of Bhaal can usurp their father and take his godhood for themselves: They must prove themselves worthy of being Lord of Murder by deliberately orchestrating a thousand innocent deaths (the method can be anything). They must seek out a portion of their father's flesh. Remnants of Bhaal's slain avatars, such as the remains of the Raveger in the Moonshaes, or traces remaining in the Winding Water from the Time of Troubles are recommended. Bhaal's actual corpse would've been in the Astral Plane, pre-Sundering. What one is meant to do with this chunk of flesh is unspecified. And then one is meant to present themselves for judgement by the overgod Ao, who will decide if they deserve the job. This seems to involve some kind of epic quest in a very dangerous location to prove oneself.

-

The term "bhaalspawn" also seems to be applied to the tiefling children and descendants of the true Children. Tieflings descended from Bhaal show no outward signs of their heritage the way most other tieflings do, appearing as regular members of their species under physical examination and lacking strange quirks - such as those seen on tieflings descended from the god Mask, who cast no reflections. That said, planetouched descended from deities are known to bear birthmarks in the shape of their divine ancestor's holy symbol, so that might be the exception. Like many of the non-Asmodeus tieflings, they bear the taint of the lower planes in their being, and from birth they often feel it pushing them to bend to their whims. In the case of bhaal-spawned tieflings, these urges would be murder ideation and an obsession with death. God-descended tieflings are no more inherently powerful than the regular kind descended from fiends like devils, demons and night hags.

As with all of the non-Asmodeus tieflings, after the first tiefling grandchild the blood tends to go dormant and hide itself for generations, until it suddenly manifests in a child born to an unsuspecting normal family who is unaware that the taint of the god of murder lurks in their bloodline.

-

There are various abilities (and side-effects) a Bhaalspawn might manifest. Interestingly, while a Bhaalspawn can manifest the vast majority of them, they will never manifest all the possible powers available to their "family." Meanwhile, the most powerful of them will manifest all of the dark urges and traces of evil that threaten to consume their kind.

There are no rules given for their tiefling descendants. Tieflings have been known to manifest a variety of quirks and spell-like abilities, such as those that have been provided for the Children of Bhaal, it's not unthinkable that their heritage may cause them to manifest one or two of them. Going off of the tiefling creation chart from 2e, a tiefling will randomly manifest one advantage, and one drawback.

So a grandchild of Bhaal might have poisonous blood and be unable to control herself from going berserk from bloodlust in battle. One might heal at an unusually fast rate and give off an aura of death that causes strangers to respond to them like they're a monster. Another tiefling may be able to temporarily boost his strength to impressive levels, but be consumed by the urge to murder.

While only the most powerful manifest every trait, the signs of being a Bhaalspawn include:

The undead can sense a Bhaalspawn if they're within 60ft of each other - so clearly that they can pinpoint their exact location. Even protective magics that should hide them from the undead's senses won't keep them from being aware of their presence, it will only prevent them from being able to know exactly where they're standing. In BG2, a vampire named Phlydian describes it as being able to "smell the murder in [their] heart."

Being around the Children of Bhaal triggers the fight-or-flight instinct and makes others uneasy; they give off an unsettling aura that causes those nearby to subconsciously pick up on them as predatory, and Bhaalspawn have a harder time convincing others to like and trust them. Divination spells that reveal alignment and intention will detect them as evil, regardless of whether they truly are or not.

Bhaalspawn are harmed by holy weapons, and those who are particularly murderous can also be harmed by holy water.

Bhaalspawn blood is black and viscous, and the divine essence within it calls out to the lower planes. A bleeding Bhaalspawn leaves a "scent" that calls to all fiends of the Lower Planes, including devils and demons. Even if it doesn't have the texture and colour, the blood is poisonous. If their blood enters the bloodstream of another being it will immediately cause weakness and fatigue. If the blood is not purged, the individual will weaken into a coma and eventually die. Of course this won't affect beings immune to poison. According to Phlydian vampires find the divine blood of the Children of Bhaal irresistibly "sweet."

They experience chronic, horrific nightmares that are traumatic enough to impair the demigod's daily functioning. These visions can occasionally be resisted through willpower, but not staved off indefinitely.

Bhaalspawn always want to kill, and may lose control of themselves in physical conflict, trying to strike at everything within reach. They struggle to restrain themselves, and limiting attacks to non-lethal damage requires will saving throws. They are reckless in combat, paying attention to little except slaughtering their opponent/s - not even caring about their own safety, The urge to kill can be a fundamental need, If not met, thoughts of murder slowly overwhelms their willpower, thoughts and their awareness of their surroundings, until they're finally driven to kill somebody. This urge cannot be sated by anything except for the murder of a sapient being. (This is similar to the effects of some hungers that affect the undead, causing them to devolve into mindless, feral animals driven by hunger - it may look the same.)

They are possessed by a constant undercurrent of rage, and when humiliated or frustrated they must keep a grip on their anger or slip into a state of violent killing rage not unlike that shown by barbarians in combat - their strength and endurance is greatly strengthened as they attempt to attack the subject of their ire.

They may actually find their sense of free will is innately weaker than that of regular mortals.

They are drawn to the sight of the dying and the dead, and take involuntary pleasure in the sight.

--

Bhaalspawn are also known to manifest various quirks and spell-like abilities (which they can cast as three times per hit dice/character levels a day. So a level 12 Bhaalspawn with "death knell" can cast it 36 times a day). Again; not every one of them manifests every ability, many will probably never have more than two, but powerful individuals may still manifest most of them.

They are able to boost their strength to impressive or even superhuman levels (depending on base strength) for anywhere between 1-20 minutes.

They are immune to all poisons and toxins.

They are resistant to being wounded, unless the wounds are caused by an object made of or plated in silver. Complete immunity to being harmed by unenchanted weapons is also a possibility for the most powerful individuals. (I've never been clear on what damage reduction looks like - I suppose either it's harder to break their skin, or else the wounds simply close up or at least heal up a bit automatically.)

They can cure moderate wounds like a divine spellcaster.

If they touch a dying creature they can drain the remaining life-force from them, killing them and temporarily strengthening themselves (as in physical strength and hit points, as well as boosting the power of their spells) Some may manifest the similar ability to drain the life force from a target by looking at them, stealing their vitality to heal themselves. The target doesn't need to be dying, and may be perfectly healthy

They are unaffected by any but the most extreme of temperatures, to the point where they're resistant to elemental damage of that kind (this could be cold or heat, or both). Some Bhaalspawn are also resistant to electricity and any magic cast on them.

They can strike mortal dread into nearby beings.

They can use divine energy to smite their foes - or they can maifest it as a 20ft area of darkness and tangible evil ("cold, cloying and greasy" to the senses) that damages non-evil beings within it.

They can create supernatural 15-20ft clouds of impenetrable blackness that extinguishes all sources of light, as per the darkness spell.

One Bhaalspawn manifested the (involuntary) ability to instinctually teleport to safety whenever he panicked - this is just speculation, but I would assume this works the same as the ability available to Bhaal's Deathstalker priests; they can teleport to the Throne of Blood in the Lower Planes, and from there teleport back into Toril at any location not protected by warding magic.

And, last but not least, Bhaalspawn are known to be able to transform into the Slayer when particularly favoured by their father. In one, exceptional, case a Bhaalspawn was known to manifest Bhaal's other avatar; the Ravager.

[liroyalty]

"If Irene is in Hell, she should be in MY hell."

[emeraldcreeper]

I love and hate being loosey goosey with the ideas of biblical Christianity like yeah you’ll know your spouse in heaven, yeah your pets are there it’s supposed to be paradise, no sorrow, no pain, constant singing of praise itd be a terrible paradise if there were no animals and you had no memory of your loved ones from your mortal life it’s up to interpretation anyway too it’s been translated from Greek and shit a hundred times over, of course you gotta be loosey goosey! The looseness and gooseness is Part Of The Religion Thing you can’t just say there’s no animals! You aren’t there! you can’t say there’s not! You can’t say you’re even right at all! When the supposed end times happen, it could be goddamn anything! It doesn’t have to be anything! That’s the real fuckin joy of it all! Not knowing!

[speculative-tuna-sandiwch]

Leviathan: all the music I like

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7B9bAEwmn8Ono8CPkhNqQW?si=ZRDANVtCT5SRoD4bas_JOA

Nirvana: Doom metal, very loud and generally liricless music (I wanted a vibe of music that would play when you're receiving all the knowledge of the universe)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0zln56c5nG6bA9311Dql3m?si=ayJdmHqDQYqBtPLQvZ4juQ

Heaven's skies: Lofi and chill videogame music (a vibe of music I would like to play while flying through clouds)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3t8u8YRKYpEF5W2OOX2qqD?si=TNjjyswdQAK2lCkvJS1z2w

Heaven: City pop, new North American pop, soft rock (I would say this is my "happy" playlist)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6t9bRMn4BvMX8YYqEZCiJs?si=yihakeshTuquPOErAm14ZQ

Naraka: Hip Hop, phonk, old and new school rap (I think this could be a good gym playlist)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jMZJqLA0UvcaCxV7myw7a?si=YBUYYlnoSAKmV-k6n7RZkw

The home of broken memories: Spanish rock, reggae, reggaeton (something closer to my roots)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1UzWmoOUQC93ynHN5sOhhf?si=RgudtdQ8Q5WPVxt615u8nQ

Limbo: Alt rock, dark country (for all my edgelords in the audience)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6heevFNbiovPf3zadMindl?si=gNlB5k7cQ0WjQcca4lAwfQ

The isle of sadness: not one specific music genre, but just songs that make me emotional

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52nUJZ4iLEjubnNgKFdEiP?si=XiBjP6kPQVGp6-HAe1PkNA

Hell: Hard rock, power metal (very energetic, recommend playing at lower volumes)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2CdEpoveYFmfG3vGh2nRHS?si=Z-QTrl4JRPi-G7dJOSc99Q

The sleepful seas: classical music and movie soundtracks (good music to sleep to mostly, there are some intense tracks here)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/07uy3ZCZ1omIrBZxd8cuDZ?si=khO8pqm0RJOKTXSN9FTpbA

The last circle: Dupstep and rave music (could be a sensory overload, it's very intense)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2cOxneC3Ed6oK2uJiw1tq8?si=WSCSomNhRlqazp5a0A-sKw

These are mine: I think it might be fun to tag mutuals to show their playlists :>

@nonebinary-leftbeef @eat-ass-smoke-grass-go-fast @spoonicksmaximus

im bad at introducing myself to new music. can you share any playlists youve made?

here's my personal ever-growing playlist of music i like made up of over 300 songs, just shuffle or scroll through it until you find something you like the sound of

[broomsick]

I want to ask a question. Would Freyja be considered a Goddess of Grief? Considering her tears brought amber over Odr’s disappearance. I know that is more so the realm of Hel, (alas Freyja is a death Goddess in her own right too). I just haven't noticed that aspect delved into. And I've been thinking about it a lot.

In my grief over a recent passing of my father, I immediately felt her presence and from being so tired lately from it. I used my grief and cried as a devotional to her. Healing isn't linear and I go through a lot of bad days but her immediate strength came through after.

Of course we all experience the Gods differently, I just wanted to ask your thoughts! 🐈‍⬛🪻

I love this observation, and I absolutely agree. I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm so glad Freyja has been able to guide you in your journey through grief. It's an experience that's difficult beyond words to navigate.

I've actually associated Freyja with similar concepts for quite some time. If my experience may be brought to bear, she tends to manifest in times of emotional distress, such as when you’re depressed or anxious. I suppose that’s why devotees and people who have worshipped her for a long time sometimes refer to her as a “big sister”, or any other such protective figure. My experience is the same: she’s loving and kind, reaching out to those who are experiencing intense emotions and are having trouble processing them. She will help you to feet, at your own rhythm, and walk alongside you.

Plus, you've made a very good point, and one I've always tought was too often overlooked. She is heavily associated with passing and the afterlife. In a sense, she can be regarded as a figure that welcomes the dead with open arms. While I know it's not a topic that's easy to address, the passing of a loved one can be more easily accepted with the help of spirituality. While I know different people deal with grief in different ways, that's the case for me. And worshipping a Goddess of death to help with grief is not unheard of. You're actually not the first person to ask me such a question! I think turning to figures who have a say in what goes on in the aferlife is a natural instinct for a lot of us.

Now, to make a long story short, I think Freyja could very well be associated with grief. To me, she's a tribute to the fact that emotions, both good and bad, are beautiful. She's proof that even the Gods are not immune to them. You have my sincere condolences, and I pray that no matter how you choose to navigate your grief, you have a gentle journey to healing.

[medicdoodles]

A mashup of IDW and Seige canon of Ratchet and Deadlock, meet and run his underground asylum.

Based on Dialogue trees you get from Futomimi and Sakagahi, when you do the Aferlife Bell quest in SMT Nocturne.

For Ratchlock day.

(Next Chapter) || (Last Chapter)

There's a stain shaped like a human.

Work hard, do your best, and eventually you'll get somewhere.

When Ratchet transferred from the highest ranked schooling from Vaporex to the political charged state of Iacon, he expected pointed comments. He expected turned up faces. What he didn't know was how much he would be pushed into being an engineer.

Sure he has some skill in the field, many of his professors have left comments on it but never has he imagined being one. However, Ratchet found that his study to become a medic was going nowhere. Everywhere he went all of the classes would refuse his application, but he didn't give up.

If he wasn't going to be an official student he could still go to classes. When other mechs would sneak out or skip lectures he would slip in. Medic trainees would pay him to do their homework and he took it. All this hard work pays off, he gets the top scores, his engineering career is going well too. When his colleagues get hurt he can repair them better than the campus doctors. Then he graduated...

He gets hired to work on ground bridge operations. It doesn't excite him but it was honest work, and he could save enough money to carry equipment for a first aid kit. Once he was shipped off to the outskirts of the Dead End, that's where he finds his calling.

Since all fast travel in the area was decommissioned, Ratchet was forced to drive out to all locations. It wasn't too bad, but since he was the only one willing to do this job he was on his own. That's when he sees in person just how much Cybertron has abandon.

Streets filled with broken mechs and ruined buildings. There's no hope here, and his white paint lights up against the ash filled air, stains the vision of the city. It was silent until a siren went off in the distance. Despite him knowing the police's pensions for brutality, seeing it with his own eyes still frighten him.

"You're going to be okay." He hears a bot the panic in his voice. "Just hang in there, I'm going to get you help. Just hold on." Ratchet makes it to the voice. It was two bots in the middle of the road, both covered in blood. However, one person is down, closer to death.

"I don't think I can...", said bot also coughs up more blood. "Just wait for me to pass on. Then you can scavenge my parts."

"It's not fair." The mech brakes eye contact, looking to the sky. Then he looks towards the siren lights driving away. "They killed the wrong bot..."

"Let me try to help." Ratchet walks up to two mechs. The back mind is yelling at him, he's a ground bridge operator, an engineer, never even picked ot study medic. He can't do this, but he also can't stand here doing nothing. "I can't promise anything, but please I want to help."

They both look at him with a befuddled faces. He knows they shouldn't trust him but something must have broken because they allow him to help. They let him operate, and by the end of it all they thanked him, and for the first time since he left his home village, he felt proud of himself.

That's when Ratchet knew the direction of where is life is going. He would make money fixing and maintaining public works, taking other jobs, and making as much money as he could to build a clinc. He set it up in the center of Dead End, chosen it to give it resistance the fastest access to him. He worked himself tirelessly between these jobs and for the first time in his life. He managed to find success and happiness.

Do you think my life was a success?

Yes

>No

I see... yeah you might be right.

Just when I thought I achieved happiness, my fortune collapsed like a house of cards.

Then the outside world gotten word about it. The Senate at first only saw the healing of Dead End's bots. That they would start to walk around and they would fix the left over peices of the city. Had enough energy to walk around and wanted to start working.

However, Ratchet soon discovered that this was unwanted. That if Dead End successfully pulled itself together and made it possible to be something, then the fundamental ideology of Functionism would be thrown into question. If that where to happen, what other mechs would go against the class systems set forward by them.

It couldn't stand, so they made sure it didn't, and so they set off a bomb. Framed as an accident during transit from the military bases, they had approved of it being set off. Then they approved of some police officers to do a quick sweep of firing rounds to hit what remained. They're mission wasn't to kill anyone but if the managed too, it wasn't seen as a bad thing.

At the time Ratchet was sent off planet to see if he could assist in fixing a space bridge from Lunar-2 to Tyger Pax. Of course when it played on the news he tried to ground bridge there, but couldn't. His first transporters where destroyed, when he did get back, his clinc as well. Then when he made it home, his house was raided too.

Nothing made him feel so powerless than when he was stopped at the front door. A mech had pinned him against the wall of his assigned room and warned him away from returning to Dead End. That if they found out he went back he wouldn't be able to keep his face.

Worse was when the said mech had his hands wonder all over his body, and said next time he gets sent out he has permission to do as he pleases with him. Ratchet also finds all of his funds were frozen out, and when he does get access to them all of the money had disappeared.

You should be careful. You never know what tomorrow may bring...

After all of that, Ratchet still tries to help. He still returns to assist all the mechs of the city. They still look at him with hopefully eyes, but understanding that they could never crawl out by their own strength. Many where mad at him for even letting them entertain the idea. Others where mad for him, after all it was one thing to steal from bots with nothing on them. It was another to kick the bot who tries to give a hand to someone who needs it.

Most bots however, joined the Decepticons. They believed that if the government had been threatened by their peaceful solution then they would coware at their revolution. All of this would lead to their planet dying, not that the blame could be one sided. The Senate and later the Autobots would fight them to standstill.

Ratchet would find himself in the middle of it. At first he tried to stay neutral but the bots of Dead End where quick to bring up the attack. Then it was shaking down his person and finally braking into his home and ransacking his equipment.

Traitor was branded on his door, then on his frame. When Ratchet returned to work with a still orange smelter on his left hip, his friend Wheeljack, help him join the Autobots. For a time he was safe, the squad he joined even allowed him to repair any bot whom he wanted, even Decepticons were allowed to be fixed.

Do you think my life was a success?

>Yes

No

That's what everybody else thought, too.

...until that one day.

That was until a superior officer had came down for a vist. When they saw Ratchet repair two mechs with purple badges, they made it clear to him this would stop. If he gets caught again they would charge him with treason and he would be place on the enemy list. That's when he knew he had to go.

Being a deserter was a lighter charge than being a traitor. With his life on the line again, Ratchet has to go, because he could never leave a bot to die. In his spark he could never leave a mech to die without trying. He gives Wheeljack his coordinates, he trust that mech to only uses it when absolutely necessary.

Or at least he did.

The next time he sees his former colleague the bot had brought in toe a former bailiff turned Assassin. They force Ratchet to hand over everything on his person. The bots he was traveling with where tied down and put into custody of the Prime.

For the first time in my life, I had the urge to kill.

He was left on the ground, one push away from the cliffside. Wheeljack had saved his life but at the freedom of others. That's when he tells him to never find him again. That if he truly is sorry, he would only give that location to mechs who need it. They both promised something that day and that would be the last time he would speak to him, or it seemed.

So much anger,

As the war went on, Ratchet would travel. He would make a portable ground bridge went to the next battlefields and collect both parts and bots left behind to die. Like a Grim Reaper, he walks the path of death. However, he wouldn't take life he would do his best to keep it.

Rumor about his presence as a super natural entity made it easier to avoid authority. Many bots who believed in apparitions would come with him quietly. When he repaired them all of them would stay by him. When two bots of different factions would meet, it was almost always up to him to keep them civil.

Then he ran into Deadlock. The bot he gained feelings for. At first he didn't recognize him, but in private the mech tells him about the time they first met. That he was standing in the middle of the road in his friend's arm about to die. Then he adimts about the time he almost turned him to Megatron.

But the only way he could place Deadlock to the incidents is when he spoke those words to him. "Come on Doc, don't think like that. Everyone has kindness in their hearts."

That's when Ratchet's spark drops. This was the mech who was sent to capture him. Who knew of his habit of helping injured bots and almost trapped him into the Decepticons. Whenever he looks at Deadlock now, all he sees is a bot who has changed course, and doesn't he deserve a chance at it.

Ratchet of course also has a bad habit of letting mechs who hurt him do it again. So they both come to an agreement, he repairs Deadlock and takes him to back. The mech agrees to help him out with his operations.

So that's what they did. Ratchet would travel around and Deadlock would follow in tow. Keeping him safe and holding down bots when their reflexes kicked in. Later when their party had gotten too big to travel around and the building became to full. Deadlock drove off without a word.

Weeks became months and when two years passed by the mech came back. He tells Ratchet that he managed to find a bombed down theater that still had functional power. It was large enough for housing and medical care. When he shows him Ratchet is so relieved that he kisses him on the spot.

Deadlock field goes haywire but he doesn't reject it. Instead he grabs Ratchet's frame and frags him hard and wild, places him on the stage. With his groveling voice yells into Ratchet's microphone pick ups that he can't wait when the crew comes in. That after a long shift of picking up bots and patching up frames they would do this again, and next time they will have an audience to perform for.

That was the only time they had. As most of it was being too exhausted with fixing the building. Making sure that it look destroyed from the outside, having to only fix the bottom floors without collapsing the building from the top proved to be difficult. Even with the mechs he saved helping out, many issuses of resources and planning was still too much to worry about.

So Deadlock planned to search again. He spends his last night just sitting next to Ratchet. Telling him not worry, and he will comm every day just to reassure him of his safety. Ratchet gives him his ground bridge. Tells him to come back immediately after he finds something he thinks will help and that he will pick up his calls even if he can't talk back.

That was the last time they speak together, because once Ratchet was properly situated he update Wheeljack of his location.

There's a stain shaped like a human.

That's when he finds Impactor and things spirals out of control. Between Wheeljack taking Optimus Prime here, their entourage raising tempers and talks about Megatron abuse of the Matrix. Ratchet has to leave.

Many of his mechs encourage him to stay. Prime has no power here and if they want his help he should force the Autobots to promise to leave them alone. He doesn't answer them, he knows Wheeljack has betrayed him before. That the army has force his hands, but something tells him complying is the best option.

He turns to Impactor, tells him to tell the bigger bots to take care of the sick. Ratchet knows that mech has turned himself around and regained his spark. So it comes to a surprise that the mech follows behind him. Defending him from Elita-One and even sacrificing his own frame by pulling his comm out.

They violated him and still Impactor smiles at him, stays with him and gives his life for him. He sees his spark give out, but never sees his new found love of life leave his body.

That mankin died. He died the instant he became human. You see humans cannot exist in the vortex world...

As he boards the Arc, Ratchet gets a call from Deadlock. When he reached to answer the distance is to far.

[notimeforlaugh]

ok, so we have some small hints about teleportation acting weird rn???

like on the Elena stream, there was a problem with her taking damage, while using warp plates, and as I understood, today q!Forever got a strange massage while teleporting

so, we r also not allowed in the nether where u go by using teleports, but to get to the purgatory, the train went through the nether portal, also a lot of things that are used for teleportation, in some ways resemble nether portals (I am actually not sure, but like particles and sounds and colours and stuff??)

and in vanilla minecraft using 2 nether portals is like the fastest way to travel, so....

what if all the teleportation is kinda like going through 2 nether portals, but so quick, u don't even notice it

and it's not something exclusively wrong with teleportation mechanics, but the nether itself???

I saw someone theorise that the massage on Forever's stream was from the Evil Cucurucho, and they are kinda connected to nether, with them "playing" with q!Forever there, their office being mostly out of nether materials (as I remember), and q!Quackity's "aferlife" (or whatever) streams starting in there

also they do be appearing out of thin air, as I recall

maybe if Oscurucho controls the nether or something, they also have the ability to control the teleportation??? or like in the moment learning how to????? or getting stronger to now be able to?????????

so yeah, that's it kinda :)

it also might be nothing because the hints are not that big and might not be hints at all

[hellisanhonourstudent]

Veronica mars (series) or the good place (series)?

*Stretches fingers* This anon probably wants to see me get beat up,lol.

Both of them started really strong,but somewhat betrayed their core messages and shat on their own feast.

The winner is Veronica Mars,tho. The feast wasn't wholy ruined,I can salvage by doing my own thing,and there are plenty of people whose homes I can dine at(namely,ao3 and ffn).

Controversial opinions under the cut.

The Good Place started to go downhill on season 3,but the whole "modernity is why everyone goes to the Bad Place" was the cause of death,thinking back. And I have three reasons:

It's anti-historical. Colonization,exploitation and warfare had always existed. Yes,modern Doug got dinged because his cellphone was made on a sweatshop,the roses were planted by exploited workers and the CEO was a creep. However,there was a risk for negative points to ancient Doug as well. He used tools to plant those roses. How were those metals mined? Also,the land. Maybe it was conquered on a brutal war,or anything like that;

It ignores the positives of modernity. I'm not denying the world is still horrible in many ways,but the quality of life of the average human vastly improved throughout history. The medicine,for example. People were being maimed and killed by diseases we have eradicated by now,not to mention how what we know by basic hygiene(washing one's hands,covering own mouth when sneezing) nowadays are literal life savers. Not to mention how the world wide web itself - people can help other people with what's basically pocket money,local tragedies get international support sometimes,groups fighting regional injustices get to influence other people to do the same. Also,all kinds of information,knowing people from all over the world with ease. And that leads to my thrid point. Also,human rights. Things are far from perfect,but pretending we didn't make any advancement is just as counterproductive as pretending everything is perfect;

Despite telling it's pro-human,The Good Place doesn't show it,IMO. They mentioned all the pitfalls of (modern) Earth and decided the sollution was having 4 humans on an aferlife controlled by supernatural beings,and if they earned "paradise" if the got "good enough". The Earth was basically ignored by the narrative when dealing with the whole "everyone goes to the Bad Place". There was little to no appreciation for humanity and it's flawed,messy beauty. Bonus point - it's thesis about death was stupid,IMO. "Life is meaningful because it ends" is an okay message,but having a door one can go whenever they want kinda ruins the point. For humans,life is short(8-12 decades at most) and random(diseases,accidents). Therefore,each moment is precious.

Tahani's and Michael's ending were perfect,tho. They were experimenting new things. Jason should've been chilling and meditating in The Real Good Place for eternity,like a real monk,speaking wisdom to other residents and eventually turned into stardust by spontaneously transcending(maybe his sparkles would influence people on Jacksonville to do good). Eleanor and/or Chidi should've gone to Earth in order to help people out(two writing problems solved). It would respect Eleanor's own words "I know we're doomed,but why not try? Better than not trying!". As for Chidi,he had an innate desire to do good things and (supposedly) learned anything he could've. So why not putting said knowledge to good use in a complicated environment?

Now,onto Veronica Mars. Many people said it better than me,but her character was more or less ruined in Season 4. Basically it was:character regression,glorification of trauma,narratively undermining her relationships... However,Veronica was a glorious character from S1 to Mr. Kiss and Tell. Besides,seeing her finding herself at the movie was amazing. Weevil is also consistently a marvelous character,even being shafted in S4.

Now,onto my massively unpopular opinion: I'm not fond of adult!Logan. He has amazing chemistry with Veronica and is a generally healthier,gentler person but often feels underwritten. And said problem is with him as a Navy officer and a supposed good guy.

My issue it's not that he joined the Navy nor about him benefitting the structure,but how the armed forces are treated not only as perfect but as an automatic sign of a healthy moral compass. It goes against one of the main themes of the franchise. There's police corruption,political corruption,classism,racism,sexism,corporate corruption(Veronica's lawyering job in the firm comes to mind). But somehow,the military is immune to crooked people in power misusing it or being in cahoots with bad people for their own gain. I believe there should be some sort of betrayed idealism from Logan when facing the harsh reality,if he was to be a guy who truly cares about the world and wants to make a positive difference. At the same time,Lt. Echolls could be fighting the good fight from the inside - like someone who knows the ugly truth but keeps being unwaveringly optmistic and truly believes the institution. To top it all,there's no mention of him doing charity or activism(yes,there's the "cycling to save the planet",but I didn't get a hardcore environmental discipline at uni to believe 1(one) guy riding a bicycle is going to do anything about air pollution. Really,Hollywood writers are allergic to Social Studies,lol). It becomes even worse when remebering this is a franchise with delightful good guys like Keith and Wallace 🤡 Thank god for fanfics,tho. They can make Logan an actual hero.

However,Logan's surface-level goodness can be quite interesting if not taken at face value,IMO. He never comments on Neptune's corruption nor makes any complaints about moral complications at his service(someone as outspoken and perceptive as Logan would've noticed and done someting about it - even in the shape of small everyday actions). On the other hand,Logan made a quip about "missing money and power" to Veronica in MKAT. Maybe he wasted it all in his downward spiral- spending on parties/drugs/fair-weather friends,paying off threats(he beat up a guy that belonged to the Russian Mob),probably bailing himself out of jail. And I think that's the one that happened. The Navy gave him structure,discipline and a steady income. So,he didn't give a fuck about actually doing good for anyone outside of his circle. I've seen anayses about how teen!Logan was the femme fatale(no,I won't switch genders) and turned into the solid love interest. To me,the guy manages spectacularly to be both. He's a helpful,caring boyfriend to Carrie and Veronica,but also the perfect Navy Officer. Veronica Mars(and most noir works) questions things that look too flawless and pristine and invites a second look onto it. Therefore,it's logical to imagine Logan being ambitious,ruthless and willing to do anything to get any mission accomplished. Kind of a state-sanctioned mercenary. In fact,that's more or less the angle I'm going for in my fanfic about him(shameless self-promotion).

The winner is Veronica Mars. Besides being more or less consistent with it's themes(they fail,but it's still enjoyable when rewatching scenes,whereas The Good Place is retroactively ruined and only good through gifs and memes). Also,many bad parts of VM can be fixed by making my own headcanons,whereas the bad of The Good Place irrevocably taints the whole thing. To top it all,there aren't many tgp fans unsatisfied with their own show. Glad for them,but many of the fix-it fics in the vm fandom are amazing

[calyroco]

Your man just bitched at you about allowing the dead to peacefully pass on to the next stage of the afterlife instead of arbitrarily suffering through more aferlife poverty cause of a stupid tradition, and y'all didn't even resolve the ideological clash that ensued, but yeah sure this is a great time to make out

[doctor-rainbowfoxey]

2nd panel of It’s Been a Weird Aferlife by rusty_armour link to fic HERE

[nicdevera]

there's a theist gotcha that's asked of atheists: what would it take to convince you that god exists? atheist answers are often wonky and unsatisfying. matt dillahunty goes with "i dunno what it would take to convince me, but god's omniscient/omnipotent, He knows what it would take and He could convince me," kinda judo-ing the question into the divine hiddenness argument.

"what would it take to convince you that the earth is flat?" is a good comparison. possible in theory, but it's a long road to get there: nasa is wrong/lying, massive conspiracy etc etc. you have to convince me my worldview is fundamentally wrong and rebuild to something very different, like Unsong or the weird greg egan universes. fun thought experiment, but that's not the universe i occupy.

a popular apologetic angle now is "you're presupposing a materialist worldview, you're just as closedminded/dogmatic in your rejection of the supernatural." then appeal to consequences, the pointlessness of humanity in a godless universe, a finite life compared to infinity years of death. supernaturalism and the aferlife are the root of theism.

[nomadismrecords]

How to finish this year?

Live, travel, be adventurous, bless and don't be sorry!

And guess what?! Noise88 is back with his new EP Aferlife of deep!

[sairic-pyre]

yeah. probably know what the aferlife is like

I already do. Nothing worth it tbh

[rocksteadydeadboy]

After the Devlin House, Charles had doubled down on the lock and key in his mind so fiercely that he had convinced himself he could handle another 'prick dad goes mental on his wife, covers it up poorly' situation easy as breathing. Wrong phrase, tosser. You don't breathe anymore.

"I got well shown today, didn't I?" he managed, voice brittle like the eggshells Edwin was no doubt walking on. There was nothing to add after that-- of course, his timely partner had been the one to pull him off their now-unrecognizable client mere seconds before the telltale signs of hell flooded the room.

(For once in his aferlife Charles had been grateful for the red light, the way it swallowed up the blood splattered rich over the ground and his knuckles alike. Colored the world the way it had looked in his mind.)

He studied his hands, letting the sound of the tinny record player fill his head, and with a strange sense of disappointment noted that no bruises had been left. "Guess this means we're not getting paid, yeah?" he murmured, eyes humorless and glassy in the lantern light.

🔄 + 🩹 @rocksteadydeadboy

The problem about Charles is—

Edwin paused, scrapped that thought, and stuck his hand more firmly inside the unending bag of mysteries Charles kept.

The problem with Charles is—

No, he didn’t like that either. Charles was not a problem, not really. But there were… issues. Issues that could become problems. Or that were problems. Or at least they were obstacles.

There, Edwin thought as his fingers wrapped around the edge of the lantern handle. Here it is.

The problemS pertaining to Charles began and ended (well, if they truly could end) with how incredibly stubborn he was.

(Pot to kettle? Edwin thought but only for a moment)

“I need more light.” Edwin said and turned on the lantern ‘so he could read’ and then if he turned on a record he pretended not to hate…well, at least one of them liked it.

Edwin was never certain about touching Charles after something like this—when one or the other of their ghostly skins failed for just a moment, burned, and then snapped back. In the moment just past? Sure. Of course.

But home again. Safe again. Would it be welcome? Probably not. This was deeper than just a cat scratch or post iron recovery. Neither of them liked acknowledging feelings certain cases brought them. No, Charles had already smiled and brushed everything off. Oh I’m great—what a load of nonsense.

So Edwin did not try to hug Charles once back in their office. He did not tell him to talk—that hardly ever worked. Instead, Edwin turned on a familiar light and some music and sat down next to him.