#anyways here's a creation myth

[astronicht]

Okay I'm almost done with Fellowship, here's an incomplete list of shit I noticed and thought was buck fucking wild on my first ever read-thru: medieval edition.

In literally the second line of the book, Tolkien implies that Bilbo Baggins wrote a story which was preserved alongside the in-universe version of the Mabinogion (aka the best-known collection of Welsh myths; I promise this is batshit). This is because The Hobbit has been preserved, in Tolkien's AU version of our world, in a "selection of the Red Book of Westmarch" (Prologue, Concerning Hobbits). If you're a medievalist and you see something called "The Red Book of" or "The Black Book of" etc it's a Thing. In this case, a cheeky reference to the Red Book of Hergest (Llyfr Coch Hergest). There are a few Red Books, but only Hergest has stories).

not a medieval thing but i did not expect one common theory among hobbits for the death of Frodo's parents to be A RUMORED MURDER-SUICIDE.

At the beginning of the book a few hobbits report seeing a moving elm tree up on the moors, heading west (thru or past the Shire). I mentioned this in another post, but another rule: if you see an elm tree, that's a Girl Tree. In Norse creation myth, the first people were carved from driftwood by the gods. Their names were Askr (Ash, as in the tree), the first man, and Embla (debated, but likely elm tree), the first woman. A lot of ppl have I think guessed that that was an ent-wife, but like. Literally that was a GIRL. TREE.

Medieval thing: I used to read the runes on the covers of The Hobbit and LOTR for fun when I worked in a bookshop. There's a mix of Old Norse (viking) and Old English runes in use, but all the ones I've noticed so far are real and readable if you know runes.

Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you once spent months of your life researching the early medieval art of galdor, which was the use of poems or songs to do a form of word-magic, often incorporating gibberish. If you think maybe Tolkien did not base the entirety of Fellowship so far around learning and using galdor and thus the power of words and stories, that is fine I cannot force you. He did personally translate "galdor" in Beowulf as "spell" (spell, amusingly, used to mean "story"). And also he named an elf Galdor. Like he very much did name an elf Galdor.

Tom Bombadil in fact does galdor from the moment we meet him. He arrives and fights the evil galdor (song) of the willow tree ("old gray willow-man, he's a mighty singer"), which is singing the hobbits to sleep and possibly eating them, with a galdor (song) of his own. Then he wanders off still singing, incorporating gibberish. I think it was at this point that I started clawing my face.

THEN Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you've read the description of the scop's songs in Beowulf (Beowulf again, but hey, Tolkien did famously a. translate it b. write a fanfiction about it called Sellic Spell where he gave Beowulf an arguably homoerotic Best Friend). The scop (pronounched shop) is a poet who sings about deeds on earth, but also by profession must know how to sing the song or tell the story of how the cosmos itself came to be. The wise-singer who knows the deep lore of the early universe is a standard trope in Old English literature, not just Beowulf! Anyway Tom Bombadil takes everyone home and tells them THE ENTIRE STORY OF ALL THE AGES OF THE EARTH BACKWARDS UNTIL JUST BEFORE THE MOMENT OF CREATION, THE BIG BANG ITSELF and then Frodo Baggins falls asleep.

Tom Bombadil knows about plate tectonics

This is sort of a lie, Tom Bombadil describes the oceans of old being in a different place, which works as a standard visual of Old English creation, which being Christian followed vaguely Genesis lines, and vaguely Christian Genesis involves a lot of water. TOLKIEN knew about plate tectonics though.

Actually I just checked whether Tolkien knew about plate tectonics because I know the advent of plate tectonics theory took forever bc people HATED it and Alfred Wegener suffered for like 50 years. So! actually while Tolkien was writing LOTR, the scientific community was literally still not sure plate tectonics existed. Tom Bombadil knew tho.

Remember that next time you (a geologist) are forced to look at the Middle Earth map.

I'm not even done with Tom Bombadil but I'm stopping here tonight. Plate tectonics got me. There's a great early (but almost high!) medieval treatise on cosmology and also volcanoes and i wonder if tolkien read it. oh my god. i'm going to bed.

edit: part II

[foone]

whats your favourite narnia book if you have one

Since I grew up as an autistic christian, I have many Narnia Opinions!

So, my favorite book for it's own reasons is probably The Magician's Nephew. I'm always a slut for worldbuilding and backstory and that novel is basically just only that. Some guy we know from another book goes on an adventure and in the process gets to be involved with the creation of one world and the destruction of another? kick-ass.

Best book to adapt? The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. 1988 BBC version, 1979 Cartoon version, 2005 theatrical? All good, in their own ways. The BBC version is just perfectly 80s and the costumes are amazing (because they are costumes! they did all the monsters by sticking a guy in a big costume and I love it), the cartoon version captures the fucking whimsy of a story where SANTA SHOWS UP AND GIVES EVERYONE PRESENTS and the first person to offer any serious lore about the situation is named MR BEAVER. And the 2005 film has the big battles and CGI and Tilda Swinton as the White Witch which is... so much. I love them all.

But the best book adaptation is the 1990 BBC The Silver Chair. Hands down. It's got Tom Baker's Puddleglum, Warwick Davis playing an owl, 0£ BBC budget greenscreened giants (MULTIPLE TIMES), a group of people discovering IT'S A COOKBOOK and one of them being offended by the cookbook saying they don't taste very good, the bad guy turning into a giant rubber snake. a witch trying to gaslight some humans into believing the sun is a myth, and the ultimate salvation of Eustace Scrubb: a boy who almost deserved being named that.

And since I can't not list basically everything Narnia ever made, BBC's 1989 Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is pretty good too. It's a fun "road movie", in that it's an odyssey into a fictional Mysterious Ocean of Here There Be Dragons.

Lotta hits in that one. It's also got a "collect the macguffins!" plot where they're trying to collect the Seven Lost Lords.

But yeah, it's like... the first Island gets them a lord and they get to end slavery. Next up, Dragon TF island (The dragon is Greed... but it's also just a literal fucking dragon). Next, Gold TF island. Gold, it turns out, makes you go insane in your lust for wealth, even if you're already a Prince of a whole country. The gold is Greed, but it will also just fucking kill you because you'll be turned into gold.

Then it's the island of the ugly invisible one-foot guys and it turns out they cast a spell to turn invisible so no one could see how they're ugly but they're not ugly, they just think they are? and then it goes "HEY LUCY COMPARE YOURSELF TO YOUR OLDER SISTER" and she's like "I'm ugly.... unlike her. Maybe I should use magic to STEAL HER BEAUTY?!" and it's like, wow. Is there maybe a theme here about self-esteem in your appearance? and Clive Officemax Lewis is over there going I'LL NEVER TELL.

Anyway it's got the good line about how the Wizard in charge of the ugly invisible one-footed pogo-idiots is that how he eagerly awaits the day that they can be ruled by wisdom, instead of magic. It's a fun approach to magic: it's something that is a shortcut, a crutch, and it's a poor replacement for Wisdom, even when used by "the good guys". Tell me, Mr. FedexKinkos-Lewis, do you have any opinions on the complicated relationship between Christianity and magic? oh, you do? I never would have guessed!

They also find The Island Where Dreams Come True. They don't land there, they just fish a screaming man out of the ocean who is trying to escape it. The sailors hear it's The Island Where Dreams Come True and are like "wow, I could have my own ship!" and he yells no, you fools, not dreams like your wishes and imaginations, your actual dreams come true on this island.

and everyone agrees: Get us the fuck away from this island and lets never return.

Anyway I'm not gonna talk about THE ENTIRE MOVIE/BOOK but it's got a great weirdness at the end where they reach the end of the world (which is flat. It's okay, this is Narnia, a completely different world with different physical rules than Earth), and it's a waterfall, but a waterfall going up?

It turns out Heaven is on the other side of it. They turn around, but the anthropomorphic mouse is like "ehh, I'll take that journey" and becomes the Elijah of Aslan's Country, their equivalent of heaven.

Narnia, won't you?

[mer-acle]

do you have any headcanons about the other gods?

Lol naturally hehe (that's also so much lmao)

I think I'll just try to add one for each Olympian besides Athena and add links if I already made bigger posts about them. (The non-EPIC gods might get a little shorter)

Zeus: Makes the biggest gestures, in debate, at dinner, just whenever he's talking. It's great for who's sitting next to him (usually Hera and Athena respectively) bc who doesn't love being almost hit in the face every two seconds?

Poseidon: Involves himself in arguments all. the. time. Nobody cared, nobody asked, he knows like half of the facts and has no idea what the problem is but SURE shout along.

Hades: A lot more measured and chill than his brothers, but lets himself be drawn into debates and he CAN get pretty heated if the arguments get too nonsensical.

Hera: Has a massive garden and tends to it herself. It has a peacock fountain and stuff, it's really beautiful.

Demeter: Will 100% cry if she gets a gift from one of the kids.

Hestia: The best. Gives people a bit too much space sometimes. Like, yes, all her nieces and nephews are stubborn but some of them really could need a venting session or a hug down the line, but she just leaves them be. (It is not her responsibility but she wouldn't mind them venting, she just assumes they'll come themselves)

Athena post here.

Hephaestus: Is actually a really good singer (we're not talking musical world rules where everyone can sing, normal world) Like mostly it's too loud in the forge but he sings to himself anyway and he has a good voice.

Aphrodite: Is an amazing swimmer. Basing this on her ocean-born creation myth even though I am more of a fan of her being Zeus' kid for my own version. For the same reason, I always picture her with pearls

Ares post here.

Artemis: In council, I believe she's the most confrontational actually. Yes, more than Athena. Athena lies to get what she wants. Artemis doesn't live on Olympus, she just comes for the council meetings so she might as well speak her mind even if it means the meeting is even more chaos than normal. In general, she never backs down from what she believes in.

Apollo post here.

Hermes: God of eavesdropping and gossip. Seriously. Do you really have to know every single thing that's going on? Also I think his funny persona is a coping mechanism but it's so deeply ingrained it would be literally impossible to shed.

Dionysus: Randomly says the most insightful shit you've ever heard. Like, Athena is speechless levels of deep stuff. Like... is it because of the drugs or is he on drugs because otherwise his being would transcend the universe, we will never know.

__________________________________

Okay that was fun hope you enjoyed :D

[blueskittlesart]

where do you think eow falls on the timeline? i had assumed it was the alttp incarnations (because it's the same art style as the la remake) but since she doesn't know him, that would only make sense if eow is an alttp prequel, which seems unlikely

this is my current theory. there are several things in EOW that point to it being at a point on the timeline where the kingdom of hyrule and the authority of the royal family has been recently established or reestablished, most notably the fact that very few people outside of castle town recognize zelda and that she's able to introduce herself with the royal family's ancestral name to multiple other characters without immediately getting clocked. this suggests that the hyrule kingdom we're seeing in eow is significantly weaker in terms of influence than, say, botw or oot's hyrule kingdoms.

initially I was thinking about placing it somewhere after alttp and its sequels on the timeline, as that fits the bill in terms of a less-influential kingdom and the map similarities are glaringly obvious. However, there are a few things that make me think that's not where EOW goes. the most noticeable discrepancy is the triforce and how it's referred to in-game. games in which the triforce is not referred to by name usually do so to suggest a level of removal from the creation myth of hyrule--in both twilight princess and botw, it's implied that the triforce is never outright named because, for some reason or another, the people of hyrule forgot about it. because of that, I don't really want to shove EOW in after alttp on the failure timeline, because then we have to somehow justify how the triforce faded in and out of public consciousness so quickly.

what makes much more sense, in my opinion, is to place it on the timeline directly after the zonai era of totk. there are a few reasons for this. It fits the bill in terms of setting--I ascribe to the new-hyrule theory when it comes to totk's timeline placement, so a newer, less-established kingdom makes sense here, and the map is JUST similar enough to botw/totk in terms of major landmark placements for me to justify it. the one glaring flaw is the fact that the rito are missing from eow, but nintendo has historically said some insane things to justify when they exist and when they don't so i've decided it doesn't actually matter. there are a million different ways I can think of to justify that discrepancy if necessary. Similarly, the lack of knowledge about the triforce is consistent with what we know about zonai-era totk--it's never directly named, but does still exist in some form as a symbol of divine power.

The thing that really sold me on this being the placement of eow, though, is the existence of might crystals. To me, this is pretty transparently zonaite by a different name. I think the fact that it's no longer widely used or understood suggests maybe a few hundred years of removal from rauru's hyrule, but not so much that it's completely fallen out of use like in botw. Hell, if I wanted to get a little less canonically backed I could definitely make a connection between the eow rifts and the depths of totk. you see the vision.

anyway tldr i think it's after zonai-era totk but long before botw. hope this helps!

[daemon-in-my-head]

Durgetash(?) asks - I'm slowly running out of coherent titles edition

But back to serious business. Well as serious as my asks are anyway.

What's Durges creation myth? Not the 'and then there was a gore baby'. Give me the details, what did Bhaal actually do for Durge to torment Toril in a few years?

Did Bhaal always plan for Durge to just eradicate all life or did he originally have a different plan before his death and revival? What exactly did the lord of murder have in mind when creating that particular spawn?

Was kid Durge a usual child before the Urge awakened or were there some signs indicating smth was off about the kid? How did the environment react to them?

Did Durge steal anything for themselves during the heist, or did they only took the crown?

What did pre tadpole Durge think of Jergal? Was that mindset in any way influenced by Bhaal?

Orin is pretty young. At which point did Durge introduce their lovely sister to their new tyrannical acquaintance and how much of a shitshow was it?

What were Durges and Gortash's first words towards each other? (Be as vague as u want)

What were their last words towards each other? And who really got the final say? (Same as prev, be as vague as you'd like)

Durges opinion on the nine hells and the archdevils ruling them. Also is Gortash aware of their honest opinion or did they not bother disclosing that?

The most fucked up thing they did together. The absolute plot, mephista or hall of wonders heist doesn't count.

What portfolio would they have claimed if they ever got to ascend? Would they simply usurp the current dead three or ascend and claim an unrelated portfolio of their own? What's going on there?

What did the promise of death at Durges hands mean to Gortash?

Ask prev when u reblog, be nice, this isn't strictly romantic, bla bla bla yk what I usually put here. Basically, have fun, go wild, save a fading fandom or smth

[cherllyio]

What if there was a twist were turns out nuwa and monkey king are mks parents?

Like they were supposed to take care of him

Oh Yes! That might acutally happen and here are the evidence for it!:

First of all, we know that MK is probaly not complete, as theorised in a twitter post here:

This was also later theorised upon by RV sketch on Youtube here, where they theorised that something happen to Nüwa, therefore why MK never got completed, and then somehow ended up at Pigsy's.

And we also know that Wukong knew of MK! Well... sort of atleast?

David Breen said, that Wukong didnt know of MK, when MK was a stone atleast:

As @imminent-danger-came mentioned here though, there is diffrence between these scenes, and this scene:

The first one, is Wukong trying to find MK in the scroll, but keeps ending up at the stone (as mentioned in the tweet he doesnt know why, he ends there).

Meanwhile, this second scene is a flashback, so Wukong (in some way), knew there was atleast something, going on.

Again check out that theory, its awesome!

But this would bassicaly mean, that Nüwa made MK, and used Wukong's stone (without him knowing), to help create MK.

And here the "Wukong and Nüwa being MK's parents", start making sense, because of two things:

Nüwa in her original myth was incredebly lonely, and that was the reason she made humanity in the first place. So i theorised here, that MK was supposed to stay with Nüwa, and not live without her like the rest of her creations. (This then going wrong as I just talked about)

Nüwa problay noticed that, like her, Wukong was also lonely, in a sense that he kept pushing people away. Therfore, MK would be a way to get Wukong to break down thoughs walls that he built around him. (A sort of "kill three flies in one swing", with the third fly being the fact that Nüwa also made MK to be some sort of "weapon")

Anyway there is a lot more to this, like why MK was made of Wukong in the first place (as i talked about here) or what happend to Nüwa and why she isnt in the trailer (as i talked about here)

(I just couldnt fit any more into this theory, or this would get very confusing in a sea of snake moms and monkey dads)

[justpoliteconversations]

Breakdown [Isekai!Reader + Legend/Marin] (Part 1)

In which Isekai!Reader has a breakdown and then proceeds to break reality.

This fic is purely for my own satisfaction as I've yet to find this particular topic explored and I have a mighty need. I've taken liberties. This is self-indulgent trash.

PART: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Masterlist

TW: Choosing not to display warnings. Read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

You'd tried not to get close. From the moment you were tossed through the portal (conveniently right at the Chain's feet), you did everything possible to prevent either side from growing unnecessarily attached.

Didn't stop them from strong arming you into joining them though. As an abnormality from the portal, it was in their best interest to keep you close and monitored. Which was fair, so despite your misgivings you went along peacefully.

Though you made sure to let them know where you stood in all this.

You weren't cruel, per say, but you made sure to keep your distance and openly expressed your disinterest in opening up to them. You just wanted to find a way home, and for the most part they did their best to respect that.

Most of them anyway. Wind was an absolute menace. The boy was relentless in trying to wiggle his way into your good graces, always trying to include you in all his little side-quests and jokes.

It would be cute, honestly, if you didn't know he was trying to pump you for information. Clever, using the kid, if you didn't already know who these men were.

(If you're going to try to act friendly with the target Wind, remember to disarm yourself of obvious weaponry before approaching. Silly boy.)

You'd put money on Warriors having orchestrated most of the interactions between you and the youngest. You may not have as advanced senses as them, but you're not blind. It's obvious Wind is reporting to Warriors and Time the nights Wind takes extra pains to interact with you.

(Not that there was much to report. You stuck to your story. Came from a more futuristic world, don't know why you're here, the Heroes of Hyrule are just stories- myths- where your from. You don't know much about them. Yes, you have some secrets. No, they're not harmful to their merry little band. Pot, meet kettle. You'll show them yours if they show you theirs. No? Okay then. Last you checked, they forced you into their group. "Have a good night Time, I appreciate everything you guys do for me. Goodnight Warriors, Legend, Four. Sleep well.")

For being such powerful, experienced heroes, they're not always the brightest. Must be the influence of their Tri-force alinment. It takes a special type of person to do what they do afterall. YOU certainly wouldn't.

But you degress.

Yes, you did everything within your power to keep yourself separate from them without making them your enemies. Slept away from the group, tried (and sometimes failed) to percure your own food. Refused any gifts, money or luxuries offered to you that did not directly involve your continued well-being.

Hell, you even took to cutting grass in your spare time, just so you had something to offer up with you inevitably needed thier assistance. And wasn't that a shock, to find rupees just laying around in the grass. Money literally grow in plants here.

Mind blown.

("No Wind. You found that one, so it's yours. Thank you for the thought though.")

Overall, you thought you'd done an excellent job of it. They- usually- kept to their part of the camp, you stuck to yours (lonely though it was). You rarely talked to them unless strictly necessary or Wind managed to back you into a metaphoric corner. During travel you watched the world go by, acting as another silent pair of eyes.

You thought you'd managed to keep yourself in check.

What a fool you were. To ever think you could keep yourself from loving these kind, selfless, traumatized, courageous goofballs. How shortsighted, to think you would ever be able to stay impartial to their plight, to their pain.

When the divines cast a hook, you took it with both hands and didn't let go.

You're such a damned idiot.

It'd been one hell of a ride to get to the point of no return. Somehow, you'd stumbled though a second portal just as you and the chain had finished exiting the first. Literally, just walked out the first, moved 5 feet away from Legend (your portal crossing partner that time) and promptly stepped into another portal that'd opened right in front of you.

You'd heard Sky's alarmed shout, the beginnings of Wild's bellow, saw Legend try to make a grab at you from the fading entryway. You witnessed Legend flinch back in shock as a wisp of light pulled from his hand and disappeared into the portal. Saw him fall to his knees, seemingly crumbled in pain.

And then you were gone.

You fell onto warm sand, blinded by bright, warm sunlight directly in your eyes. The smell and taste of salt was so strong you can almost feel it coating your insides.

The sea, you quickly realize. Your back hurts from being tossed from the portal, but you're so, so thankful you landed on dry land and not somewhere in the middle of the ocean. A little pain is worth not succumbing to exhaustion and drowning after a desperate, futile struggle.

You laid there for a moment, shocked and grateful and shivering from adrenaline.

You noticed the portal didn't disappear, and none of the chain came charging through to save you either. You watched it for a while, taking deep breaths to calm your heart and waiting for something to happen.

Should you try to go back through? Why is the sound it makes so damn irritating?

"Are you alright?" A lilting voice asks unexpectantly, startling you from where you're sprawled on the sand. "Oh! Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!"

It didn't click at first who this woman was. Long, beautiful red-blond hair, freckled, sun-kissed skin and a little red flower swaying in the sea breeze above her head. A sweet but sad smile, with just a hint of grief in her soulful dark eyes.

You were surprised she didn't notice the portal. You wondered why.

"My name's Marin. What's yours."

It should have clicked.

"It's..."

It didn't.

You broke your own rule, unwittingly though it may have been. Don't interact unnecessarily. Don't get involved. Don't put yourself in a position to get attached. Don't think about it too hard.

Don't. Get. Emotionally. Invested.

"Oh! What a lovely name! I wish we'd have met before-" Her eyes flickered sidewards, and it was then you noticed the biggest egg you'd ever seen on top of a volcanic mountain peak. Just there. A nightmare wrapped up in a pretty bow, waiting for someone to open it.

And he did.

It started to break right before your eyes. Light seeping out through the cracks and pouring down the volcano and into the surrounding land. It was not how you remember this going down, but you knew (without a doubt) what this was and what was happening.

The shock must have been evident on your face because she started talking again, soothingly, though her voice cracked with emotion.

You barely heard her, eyes fixated on the sight of a mountain slowly starting to disintegrate. On the sounds of screams in the distance. Of little shapes moving away from the light, like roaches across the mountainside.

Your eyes flickered to the portal, still there, waiting, emitting the most horrendous noise. A long dark corridor stretching out into a vast nothingness.

The sceams continued. Some cut off suddenly. It was a small island, and the mountain tall. It let their voices carry into the lands below.

Your body was cold. Your skin numb and prickling.

You noticed Marin still talking. Her eyes frightened, though she was trying not to show it.

She was trying to distract herself, you realized. "We should go to the village. Say goodbye. I'll-I'll introduce you to my father. You can be part of our family. No one deserves to- to without having a f-family."

You looked at her. Eyes wide open. Throat tight. Heart beating. Mind numb.

That was where she should have been right now, wasn't it. But she wasn't because she was talking to you. She was too far away to reach it.

(She was never meant to reach it.)

She knew that. You could see it in her eyes.

This world could not be this cruel. It couldn't. It just couldn't.

She looked to you with such sad eyes. Wet with unshed tears. So very aware.

No.

She reached out for your hand.

No.

Her fingers cradled yours, warm and soft.

No.

She tugged you slightly, inching closer. Other arm stretching, stretching. Embracing.

No.

Her skin was warm, like sunshine. She smelt of sweet fruit and clean sweat. Her heart was thundering.

No.

It was warmer still where she hid her face in your shoulder. Wet. Damning.

And then a whisper. The flutter of lips.

A secret, breathed like a confession.

"I'm sorry Link. I wish I could have lived for you."

You bent.

You twisted.

You ached.

"Marin. If you had the chance to survive this, no matter how slim, would you take it. Even if it meant giving up everything? Even if it meant having to live with the pain."

She stared at you, bewildered. And then-

Clarity.

"You're like Link. Aren't you?"

"Yes."

Her expression shifted. Beneath the sheen of tears, a fire ignited in her dark eyes. Hope, so strong it scorched the world.

It burned you too. That unyeilding will to survive.

"Take me to him." Her eyes softened, but were no less determined for it. Instead, her resolve set like obsidian. "So we may grief the loss of our family together."

Hook, set. Bait, taken.

Now.

Pull.

---

It was agony. From the moment you grabbed Marin's hand and attempted to enter the portal, it felt as though your entire bloodstream was on fire. Like being unmade and reforged all at once, originating from where your hand connected with hers.

You wanted to pull away, but you didn't. She wouldn't have let you either way. Her grip was an iron vice. Deceptively strong.

She didn't even flinch despite the sweat you could see gathering on her brow, the way her jaw clenched. Her entire body was covered in goosebumps, the hairs on her arms standing on end.

You couldn't imagine what she must be experiencing, if the feeling of her hand alone was enough to arrest your breathing.

You took another step forward. She matched it. It was like walking through wet sand, sticky and unyielding, but not impossible.

You moved one step at a time, slow and steady. Open mouthed panting, sweat running down your faces and soaking your hair, plastering it to your scalps. Your skin was flushed from exertion and you guys hadn't moved more than a few paces.

You weren't even out of sight of the entryway when the light was suddenly ripped away from behind. Leaving nothing but a yawning void.

Marin stumbled, as though her strings had been cut, and you followed. Your entire body was molten lava, bones scorched to nothing.

Someone was screaming. Or maybe you both were. You couldn't tell. Marin was gripping your hand with all her might and you gripped right back. The point of contact felt melted into her skin, like you were a part of her.

Or she was part of you.

Eventually, you felt her start to rise, pulling you with her. You couldn't see, but you knew she still had that fire searing in her eyes. No amount of tear stains could hide her will to live.

She took a step forward, and you followed her into the dark. One, two, three, four....

Time lost it's meaning. You'd long since lost count of the steps you two stumbled through together.

It was getting harder. Each step forward seemed to add another weight to your shoulders. It hurt to breath, it hurt to blink. You stopped opening your eyes a while ago. Your skin felt blistered and cracked.

You and Marin had tried talking, but it wore on her too heavily. She was gasping for air even more desperately than you were, breaths raw and ragged.

More time passed. Each step got harder. You were stumbling more than you were walking.

You were sure your nose was bleeding. You could taste the iron in your mouth, where liquid dripped over your upper lip. You couldn't feel your face.

Then Marin threw up. Fell to her knees and just kept puking and puking, struggling for precious air, whole body convulsing. You reach down blindly with your other hand to try to get her hair out of the way.

You overshot and your hand ended up in the spray (it was perfectly smooth like water, not at all natural). It felt like liquid metal across your skin, ripping a scream from your throat.

The smell of burning flesh hit your senses as you curled around your arm, the limb pulsing under you.

You could feel tension building in your body, heavy and foreboding.

Marin was crying. She was shaking. She retched again.

She clutched your hand like a lifeline, desperation corded into every muscle in her fingers. You squeezed back with everything you had, reassurance you were still there in the total darkness.

The tension snapped.

Then her hand went limp, only your grip keeping her from fully slumping to the ground. Dead weight.

"Marin?" You rasped, voice shaking with pain and shock. "Marin?"

She didn't respond. She didn't move. Her limp body slumped against your side, like a branding rod searing through your clothes.

Your heart raced in panic and it gave you the strength needed to pull your still burning arm from beneath you and feel for her pulse.

You found it. Faint. So faint it was a mere whisper, but there.

Ahead of you, an endless void. Behind you, the gapping maw of nonexistence. Nothing in all directions but the limp body leaned against your leg. The sound of the portal just kept growing louder, like metal scraping in your ear.

Your body was so heavy. Your skin seemingly peeled back and exposed, burning against the agony of existence.

You broke.

You shattered.

You felt.

"It doesn't get to be this way." You panted, eyes open, seeing nothing and stinging like hornets. "No. You don't get to do that."

Emotion rose like a tidalwave within you, boiling under the surface of your skin. You turned your eyes up, casting your gaze into the void there.

"You don't get to do that to them. You don't get to keep hurting them like this. They're not toys. They're real."

You swallowed thickly.

"They're real."

The emotion boiled over. The dam broke. Everything else was lost to the Rage.

"YOU!" You screamed, voice shrill, hot liquid falling from your lips as something stretched and burst. "Don't! Get! To! Keep! Hurting! Them! You don't get to do that! They're people! They're real people with real feelings and pain, Goddamnit!"

You were lost to that rage. The feeling that had haunted your every waking moment since the moment you fell through that first portal. Since first you realized where you were.

From the moment you realized who they were and what that meant.

"You don't get to take anything else from them! You hear me! Not a single. Damned. Thing. More!" You spat. "I will not allow it! I! Reject! It!"

You hauled Marin forward inch by agonizing inch with strength you should not have, using spite that ran so deep it tore at peices of your soul.

You weren't even looking forward anymore (what need have you to know when the torment ends, when you're never going to stop. not until death takes you). Instead, you'd braced your feet firmly and started hauling yourself backwards, back arched so far you were nearly sitting.

"I will not let you keep hurting them for your entertainment!" You screeched, not caring how it hurt. Not caring how spit and snot and blood ran down your chin. How sweat soaked straight through your clothes, stinging against the aching rawness of your skin.

You pulled, both hands latched onto Marin's one. The universe pulled back, trying to take this precious being from your grasp. Your progress was halted.

You snapped.

"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU NITENDO. FUCK YOU GAME PEOPLE. FUCK YOU PLAYERS! AND FUCK ME TOO! FUCK ME FOR EVERYTHING I EVER DID TO HURT YOU! FUCK EVERYONE WHO EVER HURT YOU FOR FUN!"

You screamed then, rasping, tearing and wordless. Just kept screaming and pulling against the universe. Against the pain. Against the unfairness of it all.

The universe pulled again and you snarled like a beast, grip so tight on Marin's wrist you felt something cracking. She felt like Hellfire under your hands.

It only enraged you more.

"You don't get to have her! You don't get to hurt him anymore! You don't get to hurt any of them! They're mine now! You! Don't! Have! The! Right! THEY'RE MINE!"

A choked rasp, iron flooding your throat as the nosebleed gets worse.

"Marin is mine! Legend is mine! Hyrule is mine! Wind is mine! Warriors, Sky, Four are mine! Time and Twilight are mine! Wild is mine!"

Another step back, an inch gained.

Again, and again, and again.

"I'm going to take back everything you stole from them!" You howl into the void, uncaring of how absolutely broken your voice had become. "The moment you let your guard down, I'm taking everything! You. HEAR! ME!"

"I'M TAKING EVERY-"

The universe let go and you fell.

...and Marin fell with you.

Suddenly, there was gentle light filtered through leaves, cool spring air and the faint call of birdsong. No endless darkness or scorching magma in your veins or the infernal screech of portal magic in your ear. Just bliss.

And then your body reminded you that it was not fine.

Your muscles seized, tightening in painful reminder of the strain you had put them through. Your skin stung like sandpaper burn from head to toe, your lungs ached so fiercely it drew tears to your eyes.

Eyes tightly closed and teeth gritted, you curled around the limp body sprawled at your side, limbs intermingled as your body spasmed through the pain.

Then, there were hands on you and you cried out in agony.

Someone shushed you, soundly oddly choked and quiet as another pair of hands gently tried to move you. Then several.

You refused. Arms tightening around the precious being trapped in your embrace. You fought with what little strength you had left, sobbing as the hands managed to pry you loose.

You wailed in dispair.

Someone sobbed with you.

You finally succumbed to your body's desperate demands to escape the pain. You drifted away to the feeling of gentle arms cradling you close, of soft whispers in your hair.

Finally, peace found you. If only for a time.

---

Perhaps there will be a part two. Maybe even venture into yandere territory. Who knows.

I must return to the shadows once more to recharge.

[mxlinoe]

Mollymauk and the Modern Dionysus

Something that has always driven me insane is the weird accuracy of mollymauk/lucien/kingsley’s story to that of Dionysus. Like, it’s a tired thing to equate Mollymauk to Dionysus - i’m sure everyone in the fandom at some point has done that - but i cannot stress enough how entirely accurate it actually is.

Lets start from the beginning: dionysus’s creation myth.

Parts of it vary here and there depending on who you ask but the story goes Zeus is having his nth affair with Semele. Hera finds out, but instead of just outright killing her, disguises herself as an old women. In disguise she speaks with Semele who reveals shes pregnant with Zeus’s child. Hera deceives Semele and tells her to ask Zeus to show his godly form “and deceived by Hera she asked that he would come to her as he came when he was wooing Hera” (Apollod. 3.4.3). This means basically come to me as your godly form, and when zeus did “came to her bridal chamber in a chariot, with lightnings and thunderings, and launched a thunderbolt” (Apollod. 3.4.3) it fucking killed her. From there, Zeus sews the childs heart to his leg and months later Dionysus is born from Zeus. Theres another version of the story where Zeus impregnates Semele by giving her a liquid version of Dionysus’s heart?? “Liber, son of Jove and Proserpine, was dismembered by the Titans, and Jove gave his heart, torn to bits, to Semele in a drink” (Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 167). Keep in mind this constant idea of death.

Anyhow, where the story really varies is who ends up raising Dionysus. Obviously, Semele is dead, and Hera wants him dead so he can’t stay on Olympus. Apollodorus states that he’s raised by the king and queen of Thebes as a girl (keep this in mind). A whole other version of this story is Dionysus is the child of Zeus and Persephone. This gives him connections to the underworld, death, and rebirth. Another version of the myth has him raised by nymphs? It all jumps around and I can’t find concrete textual evidence for anything but what Apollodorus states.

That’s where the story pretty much stops varying. From this point on it’s agreed that Hera drove Dionysus mad to wander the world and he teaches people about wine while he wanders, then he gets back to Greece and yayyy hes on the pantheon. 

Second thing to look at: Madness

In Euripides’s ‘The Bacchae’, Dionysus returns to Thebes to learn that worship of him has been banned and to clear his mothers name. He returns with a group of “bacchants”. When he arrived in Thebes, Dionysus drove Semele’s sisters mad - and then they fled up Mt Cithaeron to worship him. In the meantime (still in disguise) Dionysus is arrested and begins to drive King Pentheus of Thebes mad. The funniest part about this is how EXTENSIVELY Dionysus is physically described: 

“Well, stranger, I see this body of yours is not unsuitable for women’s pleasure— that’s why you’ve come to Thebes. As for your hair, it’s long, which suggests that you’re no wrestler. It flows across your cheeks That’s most seductive. You’ve a white skin, too. You’ve looked after it, avoiding the sun’s rays by staying in the shade, while with your beauty you chase Aphrodite” (Euripides. Bacchae. 564-571) 

LIKE??? Anyway. He starts to drive Pentheus insane by tricking him, causing a fire, and an earthquake. He persuades Pentheus to go undercover IN DRAG to the maenads (the women driven crazy on the mountain). Dionysus knows that this will be his death, but Pentheus doesn’t. So he goes up the mountain and is promptly torn apart by the women who believe they’re actually tearing apart a mountain lion (because they’re also mad). 

There’s also a myth where Dionysus gets captured by pirates during his worldly travels because they think he’s so cute so he drives them mad and then turns them into dolphins. Dionysus also drove A king of Edonia in Thrake (north of Greece) mad and in this madness the king killed his family. Dionysus really enjoys driving people mad. Like, I lose count of how many times he’s driven mortals mad for disrespecting him.

Thirdly: historical evolutions and aesthetic

Dionysus is an ancient god, believed to be as old as wine itself (which was invented in 6000 BC). He’s gone through a good few aesthetic changes over the years, but my favorite and most important thing to note is that Dionysus once had horns. HORNS! Because of these aesthetic changes, he’s also sometimes split into three separate “eras” - Mycenaean, Orphic, and Hellenized. The first is the oldest known Dioysus, he’s depicted as an older, beared figure with horns. It seems he was more worshiped for his connections to the Underworld and e was associated with marriage, death, sacrifice, and sexuality over wine. Orphic (of Orphisim, from Orpheus) is a younger, androgynous figure with horns. Dionysus was a central figure in Orphism because of his connections to death and rebirth, which correlated with Orpheus going to the underworld (and also correlated with Orpheus being torn apart by the maenads). Hellenized Dionysus is the modern day one. He’s still androgynous but doesn’t have horns :(, and the main thing people cared about regarding him was being the god of wine.  

Dionysus is also half the time wearing women’s clothing. Here’s some quotes about Dionysus and how he dresses from Lucian’s “Dialogue of the Gods’:

“Well, Zeus, I should be ashamed if I had such a son; so effeminate, … tying up his hair in a ribbon, indeed! and spending most of his time among mad women, himself as much a woman as any of them;” 

“Anyhow, my dear, this wearer of ribbons, this woman among women…” 

I also want to mention that Dionysus is cited multiple times being. Uh. the bottom? The receiver? I have no other way to say this that is pg lol. I make this note not to sexualize but to highlight the fact that out of all male gods who had fellow male lovers, he is the only one to “fulfill” the “women’s role” in sex. The rest of them were doing it, but it was only being done to him. Everyone’s favorite myth is Dionysus and Prosymnus and the creation of the “toy”. In that myth he, yknow, does it to himself on Prosymnus’ grave. There’s also a quote that describes is androgyny as:

“Androgynos (androgynous) : [A word applied to] Dionysos, as one doing both active, male things and passive, female ones [in sexual intercourse].” (Suidas s.v. Androgynos)

So, finally, with everything I just said in mind, how does this related to the threeleafs? Let’s make a check list to see the amount of overlap!

Queerness? Check and check. Mollymauk is so aggressively bisexual and gender-nonconforming it hurts. I wish Molly lived longer so we could see more of the transness that totally was going to happen but alas, the dice rule. I know we don’t know where Molly lands in bed, but most people see him as a bottom anyway so I thought I’d include the facts above about Dionysus’s position in bed.

Madness? Check and check! Focusing on Lucien a little more here I sort of equate the “pattern” from the Somnovem to be akin to the madness Dionysus emposes upon people. Mostly because when you are driven mad by Dionysus you’re seen as a maenad - and when you’re exposed to the pattern by the Somnovem, you’ve got yourself an extra few eyes. 

Death and rebirth? Check and check and check and check and check and check!! Must I even spell it out for you? It is the MAIN part of the threeleafs! 

Three different “eras”? Check and check! I feel like I’m stretching the link here but I thought I’d mention it. The fact that there’s three versions of the same person in one body - that all each have a defining difference between the three of them - reminds me a lot of Dionysus. Lucien being the oldest and more associated with his madness. Mollymauk more associated with the parties (by the fandom mostly) and sexuality. Kinglsey closely associated with identity. It’s really interesting to me to see the shift in how important wine was to Dionysus’s characterization over the three “eras”.

Horns? CHECK AND CHECK. When I learned Dionysus once had horns I went so crazy. He had bull horns, and bulls were notoriously used in ritual sacrifice for Dionysus. Bulls and serpents are some of his sacred animals. While Mollymauk may not have bull horns, he definitely has a snake tattoo!

I’m sure there’s more things I could link between the two of them but these four are the main things that have been driving me absolutely insane for a few years. I know Taliesin said he was really inspired by mermaids but I have a really hard time believing that when there’s THIS MUCH STUFF that lines up between the characters and Dionysus. 

Soooo, that’s basically it. I’m sure I forgot something I wanted to say but whatever. Mollymauk was so right when he said “I am your god, long may I reign”.

[aphrodieties]

The Death of Narcissus—self is the center of creation

After an approximately 3-month-long hiatus, I have decided to return—I recently collaborated with @gorgeouslypink for a Christmas-themed Law Of Assumption challenge that I think you all should check out! Anyways, here is another Law Of Assumption guide inspired by Greek Mythology. I hope you all enjoy it!

Self is the center of creation and the most integral part of being. There is nothing without self as man is unable to perceive anything outside of his consciousness. Despite this fact—many individuals continue to prioritize the physical elements of manifestation and completely disregard anything to do with imagination and the self. That is setting yourself up for failure as manifestation is not about the physical.

The Death of Narcissus

The Law Of Assumption

Nothing and no one to change but self

The Death of Narcissus

When Narcissus came to a pool in Thespiae to drink from its water, the youth saw his own reflection in the pool and fell in love with it. Narcissus was unable to obtain the object that he had fallen in love with, just as so many suitors of Narcissus had been rejected.

Narcissus would die of sorrow by the pool, despite the pleadings of the Naiads and Dryads who had observed Narcissus wasting away.

A funeral pyre was built for Narcissus by the nymphs, but when they came to place the body of the handsome youth upon it, they could not find it, as all that was left was a flower, the Narcissus flower.

The Law Of Assumption

The Law of Assumption is based on the notion that the world around us is a reflection of our assumptions—what we are aware to be true about ourselves and the world around us. Neville Goddard States that, "Man is incapable of seeing outside the contents of his own consciousness. If I now become detached in consciousness from this room by turning my attention from it, then, I am no longer conscious of it. It can only live within my objective reality If I keep it alive within my consciousness." — inspired by @sexyandhedonistic

The reflection in the clear spring would represent the world around us, and Narcissus would represent consciousness or self. Narcissus (self) was being reflected in the clear spring. Narcissus (self) was overcome with desire when he saw the reflection of himself—he desired himself and spent his life trying to capture his reflection. He failed, why did he fail? Narcissus failed because he never realized that it was himself being reflected in the clear waters of the spring. He wasn't aware of the fact that he was already that which he desired and so he stared aimlessly into the spring—desiring something that seemed so close yet so far, never realizing that all he needed to do was recognize the reflection of himself in the spring.

Narcissus (self) should've turned his attention away from the reflection in the water and looked inward to realize that it was merely a reflection of self.

No one and nothing to change but self

Narcissus was overcome with desire when he caught a glimpse of himself in the clear spring waters of Thespiae. Narcissus attempted to obtain the object of his desire, he reached into the natural mirror and attempted to grasp the reflection of himself—only to fail, as the reflection would escape him every time he attempted to obtain it. Narcissus would stop trying to capture his reflection eventually and live on in despair and desire as an onlooker—Narcissus died without ever having obtained his desire and became a beautiful Narcissus flower.

It's a beautiful but tragic myth—I see the story of Narcissus repeating itself many times in the manifestation community. Narcissus lived in desire and died in desire; he chased after his reflection and spent his life making futile attempts to catch it, never realizing that he was that which he desired. He was trying to obtain himself—as the water merely reflected his being and had he realized that he would've still been alive. Narcissus need only become aware of the fact that the reflection in the water was himself. He need only turn his gaze inward and he would've experienced fulfillment of his desire to have himself.

The same could be said about many of you in the manifestation community. Do not become another Narcissus—do not focus on the reflection of self in the 3D; instead, become aware of the fact that you are that which you desire. Turn your gaze inward and experience fulfillment, only then will you not continue to live in desire.

[ossidae-passeridae]

I'd be fascinated to hear more about gnosticism in tlt if you ever feel like writing about it.

I honestly don't know what's already been written r.e. gnosticism and TLT, so might be reinventing the wheel here, but I'll do a brief description of the overarching themes present throughout the books?

The uh, first layer of the gnosticism onion, as it were.

So to start this off I'm going to give a broad and at least partially incorrect overview of gnosticism:

Gnosticism is a tenth century mess that's loosely based off of Christianity, but then gets Weird. Thanks to some fun political situations in the Gulf, the Christians in the South were isolated from other Christians for decades thus spun off wildly from "mainstream" Christianity. We mostly have fragments left, and a lot of them contradict each other, so working out exactly what they believed/meant is Very Fun and also Somewhat Impossible. (Like the fragments of documents left in Canaan House, you could say...)

That being said, parts of their beliefs we do know better than others. They have the bible, of course, but on top of that they also have this pre-Bible creation myth regarding how God came to be in the first place.

It goes something like: In The Beginning there was a sort of primordial god-soup. This god-soup occasionally emits binary pairs of entities, also known as aeons and (later) twin flames. These binary pairs are two souls made for one another and with one another, and together they are balanced, and perfect, and full of Holy Light(tm). Each binary pair had one grammatically-masculine name, and one grammatically-feminine name. These names do not necessarily relate to perceived gender, and in fact the binary pairs are often referred to as if they are Beyond Gender Altogether. (*stares pointedly at the Lyctors*, *stares even more pointedly at Gideon's name*) [I could probably write a whole thing on this alone, honestly, they're sometimes referred to as like, the fingers on God's hand which, yeah.]

Anyway, in this pure and godly space, there is no matter, only Holy Light. But one of the entities, known as Sophia, goes off on her own and interacts with the shadowy chaos that exists outside of the godly soup. She's half of a whole, unbalanced. And through her meddling she (unintentionally) creates another half that's not pure and holy and full of godly light, but instead a dark reflection of what he Should Be. This is generally referred to as the Demiurge.

Unlike all these other beings, the Demiurge is made of matter. He is the first thing of matter to exist and he looks around the void that he's birthed into, bare aside from him, and concludes that he and he alone is God. (Hi Jod)

Then he makes earth, and heaven, and a bunch of other things besides, the things we know as the universe today. In the immortal words of Douglass Adams — this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

The problem is — all of these things that the Demiurge has created are made of matter. And being made of matter, they're cut off from the light of Godness (which is incorporeal and made of Pure Energy), thus inherently flawed. What's more, they're never meant to have existed in the first place. The Demiurge is tormented by his failure, but unable to create anything that is not inherently Wrong. (oh look it's the Nine Houses, I'd bet money that there's a link between being cut off from Godly Light and the Nine Houses being the only stable thanergenic planets here)

Sophia, who has watched these unintended consequences unfold and the suffering they've caused, cannot undo what's been done, but she can descend into the material world to share the light of wisdom and try to alleviate what suffering she can. So she does.

The story culminates with Christ being born and teaching all of humanity Gnosis — a special, mystical knowledge that can only come from the Divine, we are not really given specifics here — before he's sacrificed in order to make humanity's ascent beyond their material prison possible.

So that's the broad strokes of gnosticism as a religion, and also first layer of the TLT gnosticism onion. Just the really broad spectrum thematic *waves hands around* Stuff. I've refrained from speculating on the end because until Alecto comes out we really don't know.

If you want anything more specific anon, let me know?? I've been in the gnosticism soup for so long I can't always tell what's common knowledge and what isn't.

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 11/06

@ben-guy asked: […] Imagine the Greek god level drama that would have unfolded with those 12 drama machines if they all went God tier. Even if they all entered the human universe without the two teams fighting over who gets to rule it, there would be no ending the divides that would form for any and all reasons, from quadrants to rulership over Kanaya's new trolls. Kinda curious about your takes on all this, even if it will take a while for you to see this :]

That's exactly it. Vriska's assuming that having a more powerful team would be strictly beneficial - which is hilarious, coming from her.

Like - Vriska. What have you done with your God Tier powers, lately?

Did it benefit the team?

Anonymous asked: its really interesting how the first time vriska kills not out of necessity or due to any extenuating circumstances, she almost immediately regrets it

Yup.

I think it's beginning to dawn on Vriska that she has nothing to hide behind this time. She's stopped being forced to kill, and has graduated to choosing it. It's little wonder she's falling apart.

Anonymous asked: for what it's worth, i've always taken vriska's interpretation of sburb at face value. it's a setting, or a stage, moreso than a character or an organism

Sburb certainly feels like a narrative, which is closely tied to its coming-of-age themes. John isn't John in the game, he's a character called the Heir of Breath from Consort mythology, and it's predestined that he'll fulfil this narrative role - or else.

Sburb is a play. And if you mess up your lines, the stage will collapse underneath you.

@manorinthewoods asked: You know, during your original analysis of the Creation Myth reveal, you made a lot of notes about how the Denizen grist caches must have been comically large, or multiplicative, to allow the alchemisation of universes. Clearly there is no need for that, given the Genesis Frog, so… what is it for, do you think? ~LOSS (7/6/24)

This grist is confirmed to be for the Ultimate Alchemy, which I've been assuming is synonymous with the creation of the Genesis Frog. I guess Jade's currently creating the Frog without any Denizen Grist to speak of, but I assume it'll come into play later on.

My best guess? The frog has to literally eat the Denizen Hoards to grow into a full-sized universe.

Anonymous asked: I wanted to stop by and say your liveblogs are super interesting!! Back when I first read homestuck I didn’t really bother with analysis, just kinda screamed inchoherentoy at my friends, so actually seeing the narrative and char arcs broken down like this into understandable chunks of why might it be written this way, what is the char thinking, why are they thinking that, how does that play into what might happen - it’s super cool thank you for all this !! Anonymous asked: finally catched up with your liveblog, i have been a homestuck for like a semester and i am rlly happy to see someone go this in depth on a liveblog about it! Anyways! Whats the character you relate the most to, so far? - bralsra

Thank you very much!

It's funny. I've talked before about how I was never great at writing analytical essays in English class - but I'm essentially doing the same thing here, and I'm having a great time. I guess it's just more fun when it's a science fantasy webcomic and not, like, Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Who do I relate to the most, I wonder? To be honest, it's probably Kanaya, which probably isn't too surprising if you're a regular reader.

I've said things that are 90% similar to the shit she comes out with. She's so great.

@manorinthewoods asked: I'd like to hear your thoughts on each individual blood caste[…]. ~LOSS (7/6/24)

It's hard to generalize the blood castes, since we've only seen one example of each blood color thus far. Broadly speaking, we're aware that:

Lower bloods have more psychic power.

Higher bloods have more psychic resistance.

Highbloods appear to be physically stronger.

Kanaya's blood color is extremely rare, which implies that, contrary to my expectations, higher blood isn't always rarer than lower blood.

Beyond that, I can't say much more. Based on Karkat's position in the Trollian friend list, he was probably 'supposed' to have green blood, but I don't know if mutating out of the spectrum has actually changed his biology in any way.

He's not psychic, so we can at least assume he doesn't 'count' as being on the bottom of the hemospectrum.

@john-egbert-rose-lalonde asked: the searcherrrrrrrr

"why so discarded" - the drawer

Anonymous asked: Hey, since you like to experiment with stuff, what dl you think would happen if a Tier 2 Sprite prototyped itself into a Tier 1 Sprite?

Great question. I went in-depth into it during a previous ask - although I can imagine it's quite a rare occurrence. How often are two unprototyped Sprites on the same Land?

Anonymous asked: While I think a discord server is a good idea, I think it might be best for everyone if it's one where only you and those helping you with the blog can post anything. That might ruin the community aspect a little, but I feel like it'd be worth it to not get spoiled if you do ever make one. Feel free to completely ignore this- not exactly riveting things I'm sending here.

Right! Quick update on the Discord situation.

Initially, I was going to have Cat help me set it up, but she's been incredibly busy with her thesis lately. Plus, she hasn't really used the platform either, so we had no idea what we were doing. Might need to shelve the Discord server idea until later, or until it becomes necessary.

@krixwell asked: John Egbert when he's told the Earth is done for: John Egbert when his friend is his sister and his dad is his half-brother: John Egbert when he dies ignoble deaths at the hands of manipulators: John Egbert when Fruit Gushers are a Betty Crocker product: MENTAL BREAKDOWN

Dude's got his priorities straight.

@mhafanlol2000 asked: I’m taking an IT course next year, and I want a head start during this summer. Would you know any free beginner’s courses to any languages that would help in that department?

I'll always champion W3Schools as a great first port of call for tech self-learning. All the resources I've found there are well-put together, and let you test your code out in-browser.

As I mentioned to a previous asker, I'd recommend starting with the C language if you're genuinely interested in programming. It's a little harder to use than other, more high-level languages, but it'll teach you more about programming than they will. I'd liken it to learning to drive in manual, rather than automatic. You lose nothing, and acquire skills you wouldn't otherwise know about.

@caliquill submitted:

i'd like to briefly point out this tidbit of the first conversation eridan has with kanaya @krixwell asked: Gamzee to Equius, page 2221: "iF i CoUlD mAkE yOu SmIlE iT'd Be ThE bEsT fUcKiN mIrAcLe I eVeR dId PaRt Of." @dopplesgryndthloggle asked: I'm just gonna put this here: pg 2221 TC: WhAt CaN i Do To MaKe A bRoThEr FuCkIn ShApE hIs ShIt Up? TC: iF i CoUlD mAkE yOu SmIlE iT'd Be ThE bEsT fUcKiN mIrAcLe I eVeR dId PaRt Of. TC: hOnK hOnK hOnK! :o)

...this comic is going to go absolutely wild on a reread, isn't it?

Anonymous asked: oh god no, the clown got you :(

Thanks for the migraine, Gamzee!!

@5am-nztime asked: Insert the one millionth "The Heir of Void, Devoid of Air" joke you've probably gotten. I love dramatic irony

You're actually the only person who sent this one in - and I'm glad you did. It's kind of killing me.

Anonymous asked: a common interpretation is that equius smiles because he knows nepeta might find his body and he doesn't want her to think he died in pain :((

Shit, that's kind of devastating. That said, he had no reason to think Gamzee would leave his body where it was - but that said, he clearly wasn't thinking straight at the time.

Anonymous asked: fun little detail: the ==> leading to equius taking an arrow to the knee is replaced with an arrow, -->

He used to be a Sgrub Player like us :(

Anonymous asked: The idea that he somehow has the freakin' WARHAMMER OF ZILLYHOO in his jokerkind specibus but he STILL only brings out a low-tier pair of juggling clubs is somehow even more intimidating

Where did he even get the thing? When did he get it? Is this from before or after the Pen-Pal got their hands on it?

...if Gamzee is the Pen-Pal, I'm quitting the comic.

@morganwick asked: Well, as long as you don't know for sure whether Nepeta died, you could say�� she's both alive and dead until she's observed? @ipunchvampires asked: By cutting away from Nepeta's fate, it's technically ambiguous right now whether she's alive or dead, since we cannot observe her. So you could say that she… heh heh, that she's Sch… she's Schröding…

....oh, god damn it.

Anonymous asked: I feel like there should be an intermission style counter. 4/12 Alien Children Murdered.

If you include Aradia and Vriska, the tally's up to seven. Murderstuck started a long time ago, it seems.

Anonymous asked: i would like to think equius says b100 like how boris johnson says blue in that one interview where he mentions the us brand new BLUE passports or whatever

I also think his voice suits Equius's character fairly well...

Anonymous asked: To be fair on the “overwhelmingly violent purplebloods” angle, Gamzee was stoned out of his mind basically 24/7 until they got to the meteor, so they probably would’ve thought it was a nonissue. […]

I suppose. But if everyone knows purplebloods are habitual murderers, I don't know why you'd ever let one into your friend group. There's always a possibility that one day, his slime delivery will be late, and he'll snap your neck for fun.

@wickedsick asked: You know, this would be the perfect spot for a paradox space intermission. You can read the fluffy comics to wash the taste of blood out of your mouth!

I thought about it - but in the end, I decided to liveblog the Paradox Space comics at the point in the comic where they were released.

Otherwise, Cat'd have to spoiler-check each comic with a fine-toothed comb, and I'd have to delay many of them anyway. Better to get them all out at once.

Anonymous asked: considering that eridan was on feeding duty for gl'bgolyb and had to kill lusii year round under apocaliptic threat im not surprised his response under pressure is to kill something

It really says a lot about the difference between him and Vriska, doesn't it? Vriska's reaction to killing Tavros was a full on existential crisis, but Eridan's first reaction to killing Feferi was to immediately kill again.

@witchoflight asked: hey sally i just wanna remind you of the conversation that dave and gamzee have, specifically about the line: "TC: My mInD'S NoT ThAt sHaRp nOw tHoUgH, iT'S BeEn aGeS SiNcE I HaD A GoOd pIe" gamzee hasn't had access to sopor for WEEKS, not since they entered the game. […]

Was he sober, though? He's still acting stoned, and using his original quirk, so if he did sober up, he must have immediately decided to pretend he didn't, and then arbitrarily reveal himself as sober later on.

To me, it feels like it just took a while for the slime's effects to fully fade. It might genuinely have taken a month for it all to leave his system.

@mimescantscream asked: Now that Gamzee has swiftly become the most important character, any thoughts on his transformation?

It's weirdly drastic, isn't it?

Like, if he was hiding this personality under sedatives this entire time, surely we should have seen some hint of it, in all the time we've known him. We've even been in his head, and he seemed like exactly who he appeared to be.

Was Gamzee unaware of this latent personality? Do we have a Jekyll and Hyde situation on our hands? He does say he's 'both' of his messiahs...

@elkian asked: You've now reached the point where I can (probably) say that the common fandom Exile match for Kanaya is Problem Sleuth, as he has the Vampire schema mode. (Plus a jade-green ultimate attack.)

Oh, I love that for her. We better be seeing Team Sleuth in some form before the end, even if it's just a cameo.

@krixwell asked: I think you're blaming the wrong chat program. Trollian is an advanced alien chat program powered by futuristic sci-fan shenanigans, with features specifically designed to allow the user to choose the timeframe at which they try to contact someone. Pesterchum, not so much. Pesterchum if anything is retro, with only the most barebones of 1-on-1 chat features, a status setting that barely changes anything unless you're rancorous, and a block feature that seemingly fails to recognize incoming Trollian connections from the same user at different times (possibly Trollian's fault). Even setting aside the frogskin barrier, it's a wonder the two programs can communicate at all. So when someone uses Pesterchum to contact a Trollian user whose timeline is entirely separate from their own, with no interface to pick a timeframe on, how exactly is either program supposed to know when to contact them?

I guess most of our nonlinear conversations have been Trollian-to-Pesterchum.

Karkat has tied himself into knots over memos, but that is admittedly a slightly different use case.

And can I just say, I love the concept of a 'frogskin barrier'. These two parties have been beaming messages from frog-to-frog this entire time, and the walls between their dimensions are literally made of skin.

@captorations asked: consider: this means that the sbahj joke that following kanaya's death was actually foreshadowing given the comic it's from

I can't fucking believe this.

Anonymous asked: tbh i'll never get over how the presumable FIRST THING kanaya did upon coming back to life was just. to wade through the horn pile to drink blood from a corpse.

Vriska's getting a little competition for Troll Of All Time!

@morganwick asked: I mean, technically Jade was already in the Fruity Rumpus Asshole Factory, it was just with two Karkats and Dave only made a brief appearance.

16-player fruity rumpus argument or we riot

Anonymous asked: do you think you'll liveblog tsg if you read it?

I wasn't planning on it, but if there's a lot of demand, I'll definitely think about it. If I was to liveblog any fanfic, it'd probably be that one, since it's a proper 'event fanfiction' from the author of TLT.

Anonymous asked: re: the ultimate riddle: karkat actually already explained it on page 1903. basically its just some more timeloop/alpha timeline predestination stuff

The sense I got was that there was a section of the conversation that we missed.

On Skaia, John begins a conversation with an early version of Karkat about the Ultimate Riddle, but the camera moves away before they really get into it. Then, on the Veil, an early Karkat shows up to continue a point he was making about the Riddle, implying that there's a section of this conversation that was deliberately obfuscated.

I initially thought that the Riddle was the mystery of Sburb itself - ie, what the point of the game is. I still think that's probably pretty close, but I do wish we got this full conversation, just in case.

Anonymous asked: “Scratch positioned [Vriska] as someone who will perpetuate a monumental, large-scale mistake, and I don't think there's anything she could do on the Veil that fits the bill.” When John was about to prototype jades sprite with a broken doll, Vriska made him fall asleep, and Becquerel jumped in the sprite instead, leading to Jack Noir becoming an unbeatable boss and destroying the trolls session. I think that could be the perpetuation of a large scale mistake.

Possibly. But as violent as Jack is, I don't think he's a huge threat to the rest of the multiverse.

He takes hours to rampage through a session, but there are presumably trillions of sessions out there in the multiverse. From a top-level perspective, he's not doing meaningful damage, and it's certainly within Vriska's comprehension.

I actually think Vriska's going to do something much worse than make Jack. If she contributes to the creation of Lord English, for example, she might be breaking something that can't be repaired.

Anonymous asked: Honestly its a little sad though right? That the troll kids are snapping and dying? Like yeah they were raised on a violent murder planet but also, they're all still 13 years old and have been without their means of Sleeping Naturally for a while (the sopor slime is how trolls usually get sleep) not being an apologist or anything but the murders could've been prevented with healthy moraillegences and good nights sleep.

Oh, it's horrific, that should go without saying. If the trolls had got some decent shuteye, it'd have kept them stable for at least slightly longer.

[straynoahide]

tolkien meta: the melodic structure of the ainulindale, arda's endgame, and the doom of men

so basically this is about what one can learn and connect to the rest of the legendarium's lore from the ainulindale, and also peer into tolkien's psyche as a side effect i guess. expect excessive theology or more fun imo philosophy of divinity and lengthy tangents about melkor, the nature of evil and theodicy

a small disclaimer - this touches thorny topics in philosophy like the problem of evil, the nature of redemption/salvation, death...

this isn't about my beliefs but presenting and reflecting on tolkien's own within the history of ideas. i acknowledge anyone who reads this also has their own, and can agree or disagree with tolkien. my views may seep in unintentionally but i try to go deeper than that.

pd: I write Eru/One/God indistinctively on purpose. it's for rhetorical emphasis, not so much out of (cultural) christianity.

part I - introduction (in this post) part II - the themes/structure, discussion part III - discussion (cont): themes of arda and life part IV - discussion (cont 2): theme of the children part V - discussion (cont 3): aftermath/second music

Introduction (i rec reading even if you're versed in the lore)

for those who are not so familiar with parts of the legendarium but still interested in a deep dive, the ainulindalë ("song of the ainur") is the creation myth of tolkien's world.

i rec just reading it if you haven't even if it's after reading this. it's quite beautiful and unique and it's brought admiration even from ppl who study that kind of thing professionally about real cultures. i'm not given to flattery but idk just check it out.

so anyway, the ainur, spirits born from the One creator's mind directly, sang under (or despite) His direction and the melody (both harmony and discord) that resulted, is the history of the world.

by the world we have two concepts here, the entire universe (eä) and the planet (arda) 'earth', of which middle-earth is a later-stage continent. the music itself was a creative process that the ainur partook in before knowing the full implication of their singing.

God showed the ainur the vision of what their music had created and when they saw the world they wanted to live it, to dwell on it and experience it.

God granted this but said they had to remain in it until the full music, the full story had played out.

this includes everything that happens in the Silmarillion, the LOTR movies and sequels/prequels, the TROP series, games, etc, and in some stages of Tolkien's opus, our own world (WWI, WWII, etc).

the Discord refers to the rebellious effect of Melkor on the music as much as his part of the music - the dissonance born from his part's coexistence with the rest of the melody that is in harmony, and takes a 'life of its own'.

this is not unimportant, but i'm not going to discuss it at any point. i will point out here that it has been argued -controversially- by some people to be relevant in compatibilizing or explaining otherwise difficult-to-reconcile lore points that deal with "non-Melkorian evil". this is about things like Ungoliant or the nameless things 'whose mention darken the light of day', whose in-world origins are unclear.

on a broader note, this represents two very different intuitions about evil and divinity (Tolkienian v Lovecraftian, we could say). these are difficult to compatibilize and more than Tolkien's psyche, represent ancient tensions within monotheistic religions themselves, i think. so within Tolkien's world, which has an Abrahamic/monotheistic god, you still find traces of Lovecraftian horror.

all that follows is about Tolkienian evil (meta) i.e. Melkorian evil (in-world), that is uncontroversially and explicitly under the governance of the One, although non-Melkorian evil is a fascinating subject.

[youkaigakkou-tl]

(sorry in advance for the long ask) i feel silly for not noticing earlier but i realized that "Sano Mikoto" follows the same "__ no mikoto" name pattern that several japanese gods have. but that also made me wonder: if the 佐 from sano's name means "help" then his whole name sounds like "the god of help/assistance". but based on how that doesn't align with his yakubyougami nature and how ebisu reacts to hearing the name in ch 53 (his reaction is a bit more clear in the jpn raws) (1/2)

佐 doesn't really mean "help" on its own, it only somewhat means that when it's part of the word 補佐 "hosa" , which means "assistant" (in an organizational structure to a chief or leader) rather than like "helping people". Most of the time 佐 is just used as a kanji to represent the sound "sa", which is somewhat frequently the case for the on-readings (similar to chinese pronunciation) of kanji.

This is particularly prevalent when it comes to ancient literature like the creation myths and stories around gods, where the stories originally only existed in verbal form, and when japan adopted the chinese writing system some 1500 years ago, they applied certain chinese characters to the sounds that existed in japanese (the 50 or so hiragana that exist now) in order to put the stories into writing.

(and then over time 50 or so kanji got simplified into hiragana for normal use but thats neither here nor there. but names got to keep their kanji, which is why creation myth gods often have stupid long names that are 1 kanji per syllable, and the kanji used dont mean much of anything by themselves)

(theres also that often the kanji chosen will have been positive words, stuff like "fast" or "wise" or "powerful", in addition to the chinese word sounding like the japanese syllable (which was the more important part). Its unclear whether all these attributes were all applicable to the god named, its just as possible people afterwards applied those attributes to them in future retellings of the stories because the kanji was in the name. sort of a chicken and egg problem. and anyway, does it really matter what the one "true" interpretation of a story is, if one exists at all? it's a very modern sensibility to demand one, when for much of history stories only existed in the air between a storyteller and a listener. im getting off track here)

this is a lot of words to say, what is significant about the 佐 in "sano", is that it's the same one as in susanoo-no-mikoto. susanoo, notable for being associated with storms and disaster, for being exiled from heaven after causing some sort of destruction, and for being a child of izanagi and izanami and born after their first child hiruko (or rather, ebisu).

the thing about the yakubyougami thing, as with every other youkai and everything about folklore, is that at the end of the day, it's a story. youkai are just a set of attributes and circumstances that are wrapped up as a story, and in turn given a name and a face. a kamaitachi is just the occurrence of "wind whipping up suddenly and dust and leaves cutting someone" wrapped up as a story of "what if an imperceptibly fast weasel with knives did it?!"

it's why there can be so many different versions of stories for the same youkai, with behaviors and appearance differing from place to place, or the same "story" being given a different "name" in different places

(relevant to the latest chapter, i sort of suspect this is why theres like 10 different monkey youkai whose lore is just "this monkey is a FREAK")

what im getting at is, this isnt really like scientific taxonomy classifications, where theres genes you can sequence or criteria you can check to see if something is the right species. (and even then, there's birds stranded on isolated islands, fish sealed in caves, microorganisms in general, etc etc) there's not like a "youkai auditor" that goes around auditing if you're Really the youkai you say you are.

nor is it like you intrinsically know what youkai you are and all the lore about it and what behaviors youre supposed to have and what powers you have etc. you're told that by your parents, and in cases where that isnt possible, you figure it out somehow. like with beniko (popped out of a house and raised by humans), they looked it up and people have come up with a name for the phenomenon, which was called "zashiki warashi". or in cases like odawara where you really do just come to life alone, i imagine you either make a name for yourself, or humans who come across you will make a name for you.

which is a lot of words to say, sano can call himself whatever the hell he wants to make his life easier and not have to explain his backstory or have classmates make guesses at his backstory, as long as his traits somewhat fit. especially since recently he's often in the same scenes as kurahashi, who is now confirmed to straight up not be who or what he says he is.

[prettyboykatsuki]

the devil who adores you | k. bakugou

✮ tags ; angel!bakugou x devil!reader, forbidden love, religious imagery, angst (?), mentions of creation, reader is implied to be older than bakugou by a lot but it's ambiguous, angel creation is not like human, birth, gn!reader (only physical attribute is them having horns)

✮ wc ; 1.1k

✮ a/n ; this is something i might expand into a fic one day ngl. a few clarifying things about the au.

god can't interfere in purgatory realm like he can in the human realm. devils can't enter heaven and angels can't enter hell.

they have an "age-gap" but there's not really a concept of like age. angels and devils have existences like light and dark that accumulate over time before they take on a physical form and start working.

godliness is a inheritance thing. yagi has been in the seat for all of katsukis existence but reader has been there since nana was in the seat

✮ synopsis ; katsuki wants to convince you to join him. he wants to love you in the light

“Ah, Mr. Angel. Did God finally send you down to me to be saved?” 

Katsuki glares at your form through the leaves. The two of you are currently in purgatory. In name and myth it’s a place between Hell and Heaven for lost souls. On paperwork and functionally, it’s a place where Devils and Angels can interact without interference. They can interact in the human world too, in reality. 

But they’re more restricted in how they speak and act. It’s easier here, quieter and more peaceful. You spend a lot of time in the area. A forest clearing with a little babbling brook. Purgatory has all sorts of sights, a copy of the human world so not to freak out the souls travelling through. 

It’s unusual for Devils, really - to choose a place so in line with God’s cretation to rest. Katsuki clicks his teeth as he walks through the thickets. The robes of fabric that hang over his waist brush the leaves as he finds you where your sit. 

“As if a damned Devil like you could ever be saved.” He grumbles. You laugh pleasantly, wearing the same get-up as always. Wearing fine red silks in a plain color, and those plain black shoes. A lot of the Devils he knows wear more flashy outfits, but you always look unusually plain. You hum at him, leaning back to rest on your palms. 

“You’re pretty harsh for an angel. You’ve been like that since your creation but,” You turn your head to glance at him “Never stops being surprising.” 

Katsuki never knows what to say at times like this. You’ve been alive alot longer than he has, and worked in this place a lot longer than him too. His only memories of you have been as a devil. Countless times, you’ve found each other to the same place through history. 

But you never stop with anymore than  a passing glance. Devils have certain qualities to them. Frivolous and arrogant, and unusually sadistic. Maybe it’s your age or that weird placid attitude you’ve always had. But hearing you tell him he’s not very angel-like feels ironic. 

“You’re one to talk, you old bag.” 

You laugh at that, not bothering to get angry. Instead you get this passive look on your face that Katsuki can’t read. You turn yourself to face him, hands reaching out for his wings. Your fingers are delicate, even with your nails pointed so razor sharp. They don’t cut Katsuki at all. 

“Mm, that’s true. But,” You glance at his face, then smile. Katsuki can’t help but look. Devils have specific beauties to them. The kind of entity that draws mankind to them. You’re no different, but it’s not something you do on purpose “I can understand why you were made to be one anyway.” 

“Haah. You’re the first person I’ve ever heard say that.” 

It’s true. Katsuki got a lot of shit for being an angel with his ‘bad personality’ to the point even God couldn’t give him answers. Yagi was newer in his seat, but he’d always seem confident in his pick. Despite being created together with another being, Katsuki had always felt secondary. 

His counterpart, Deku was everything an angel was meant to be. It’s surprising to hear you say it, and he wants to ask why but is too embarrassed. It doesn’t take anything for you to continue. 

“Angels have particular qualities but there’s only one thing they all have in common. A sense of responsibility towards mankind. Despite your looks and foul mouth, you harbor those very feelings.” 

Being read like that makes him blush. You laugh a bit at that.  

“I can see your heart. It’s pure as light, which is why God favors you and your counterpart. You are well loved.” 

Katsuki blushes again, harder this time. He can’t figure you out at all. You’ve worked in the realm longer than almost anyone, but he still has no idea what you’re thinking or why you are the way you are. Time and time again, you’ve done things that don’t feel quite right about being a Devil. He can’t understand it, or the way you look after others. 

“What about you?” He asks, before he has a chance to stop himself. All furious and flushed, arms folded in his lap and halo bright with feeling. His wings twitch “What makes you a Devil anyway? You’re nothing like those damned punks.” 

“Oho? You think I should become an Angel after all?” 

“That’s not—don’t twist my words, you horned miscreant!” He says, angrily grabbing your collar. You laugh again, hard this time before Katsuki shoves you away. 

You fold yourself over your knees smiling mischeviously. 

“What makes you think I’m not devilish?” 

Katsuki frowns, but you seem to be sincerely waiting for an answer. He turns his head to face the other way, eyes catching the forest beyond. There’s light pouring through, spilling into the stream. He sighs. 

“Dunno. You speak pretty highly o’humans or whatever. And you’re not some arrogant prick even while you’re doing your job. Picky about your clientele too. It’s all weird. If I threw a halo and wings on you, you’d just be another angel.” 

You grin at his evaluation. 

“Really. You think that highly of me?” 

“Who said that!” 

And you’re laughing again and Katsuki feels something in his ribs ache. It’s a real laugh, soft as feathers and rounded. Almost childish. 

“I can never become an angel and I won’t ever try. I’d rather become a human if I must change.” 

‘“But..why? Some Devils can redeem themselves and—” 

“Katsuki,” You interject, expression remaining warm “Wanting to make me an Angel so we can be together in the end. It’s the exact difference between you and me.” 

His mouth clamps shut. You don’t seem angry despite how see through he was being about the entire ordeal. He’s hurt before anything. 

“...So you don’t actually care about being with me? Was it all another frivolous fucking expirment for you? Do you—” 

He’s crying then. Soft tears down his cheek, when your hands go to cup them. You wipe them off for him. He grabs your wrist to pull you away but has no strength to do so. You lean into him closely, his face cradled gently in your palms. What Devil could ever be so loving? Could mean it so much?

“See, my love? That’s just the thing. You want me to become good. I would tear this whole world apart if you’d let me. I’d wreak havoc on mankind to hold you in my arms. You wish for worldly order and I wish for you.” 

“Damned Devil,” He cries. Curses. You kiss gently.

“Yours for eternity.”

[bet-on-me-13]

Dp x Dc x Miraculous: Deified Siblings AU Pt. 1

Based on 2 Prompts.

One is the Deified Batman AU , which you can read here

The other is a Prompt where Danny, Damien, and Marinette are raised together in the League of Assassins. I can't find it at all, so I will go over the gist of it here. (Edit: Found it!, thank you to the person in Replies who linked me)

Danny is the oldest, about 3 or 4 years older than. The other 2. He is the favorite child.

Danny is 10, Damien and Marinette are 6

Damien is seen as the spare, Marinette is seen as the unfortunate addition.

As the Prompt goes, Danny wants to escape the League and takes his little siblings with him. Damien, fully brainwashed by the Leagues ideals, stabs Danny in the back and drops him off a cliff into a River below, thinking he killed him. He tries to take Marinette back, but she backs away and runs.

Damien returns, tells the League that Danny tried to run away and got himself and Marinette killed in the process. Damien only survived because he wasn't stupid enough to try and leave the League.

Damien stays in the League for a while, before he is eventually taken to his father, The Batman when he is 10

Danny survived his murder attempt, but he lost all of his memories and washed up on the shore of the river miles away. He was found by the Fentons, who were in Europe on a research trip, and was adopted. Canon goes the same for him.

Marinette ran away, using her skills to get all the way to Paris before managing to get adopted by a loving couple. She becomes Ladybug at 13, the same as in Canon.

This is where the Deification happens.

...

Lets go Oldest to youngest.

Danny became a God the moment he died. As a Demigod, he was already partially Divine. When he lost his Mortality, he became what was essentially a God with no Domain. So, he built one up.

He became known as a Protector Spirit, as a Winter Spirit, and after defeating Pariah, as a Death God.

By the time he was 16, he was a fully fledged God.

This did help his amnesia a little bit, and he did have a vague sense of what his life was like before he lost his memories, as well as some flashes. But he knew that he preferred his new life, so he never really looked into it.

...

Damien is the only one who would eventually ascend to God-Hood through Natural Growth.

Damien takes the Mantle of the Robin. And as such, he links himself directly to his father's source of Power, and creates his own Legend, his own Myths. He becomes his own God at around 14.

He is a Vengeful God, one who is Violent. But at the same time he is an Animal God, one who takes care of the abandoned Animals around him. Probably a carry over from his Dad's Protector God Domain.

...

Marinette became a God last. She had it easiest though.

Marinette was born as a Demigod, and later became Linked with Tikki, who is basically a Small Part of the Goddess of Creation tied to the Miraculous.

Her own fledging Divinity mixed with Tikki'a Divinity and helped her Acsend to God-Hood after about a Year as Hero when she is 14.

She would have done so anyways as a Hero, but without the Gotham Pantheon to attach herself to, it would have taken many more years for her to grow enough to Ascend.

She became a Minor Creation Goddess. She also became a Goddess of Creativity, and Protection as well.

If you are worried about the Balance between Creation and Destruction don't worry, Adrien also becomes a God soon afterwards. His Ascension is mostly because he is a being made of Magic (as a SentiMonster) who was linked with a God through his Miraculous.

(I don't like the stories where Adrien is mistreated for no reason, so here he at least gets to be Ladybugs Equal)

...

This is the basic premise of the Prompt. I am planning on writing out the potential Story in a Part 2, but until then what do you think?

(Honestly looking at this after finishing writing it, it feels absurd. 3 different Fandoms, plus 2 different Dp x Dc Prompts. You need to be DEEP in the Crossover Fandoms to really understand this. Imagine a casual fan finding this! It would look like Pure insanity!)

[the-mononoke-facade]

Random thought I had trying to go to sleep at four in the morning

I wonder if Genkei and Oyou are meant to bring to mind Izanagi and Izanami from the Shinto creation myth and then kind of flip the whole thing on its head? (here's a source on the story in question)

Izanagi and Izanami were siblings and spouses tasked with developing the earth beyond an endless ocean and gave birth to the islands of Japan, and Genkei and Oyou are siblings who supposedly want to be joined as husband and wife but can't be, and Genkei's holding onto this and his own guilt and regret gives rise to the Sea of Ayakashi instead

Izanami died giving birth to the kami of fire Kagutsuchi and was sent to what roughly equates to the underworld. Izanagi went to go rescue her only to change his mind and treat her as an evil entity once he found out she's already turned into a decaying corpse. Genkei was meant to be a human sacrifice to calm the tumultuous seas of the Dragon's Triangle, but his terror at the prospect and his unwillingness to give up his "bright future" for the sake of his village has Oyou taking on the role of sacrifice in his place, thus being consigned to the underworld. Genkei then has half a century to swear up and down to himself that her vengeful spirit is the root of the evil of the Sea of Ayakashi and not his own remorse and anxiety (Oyou wasn't actually consigned to the underworld or anything of the sort, she was at peace with her role and ready to face the Pure Lands, though in a way she's still dragged into that darker place posthumously because of Genkei and his truth being the only one remaining). He doesn't consider his sister's salvation until after he sold her out and gave up on her, only for her to not need it to begin with

Izanagi sealed Izanami in the underworld with a giant boulder, the hollow boat was sealed with an entry point that otherwise wouldn't budge, and it was expected that Oyou was going to be waiting there with a vengeance by the time they finally manage to get it open, just for it to be empty (and it was the vessel that would have supposedly sent her to the underworld)

Izanami is portrayed as the somewhat tragic villain of the myth, to the point that Izanagi has to go through a purification ritual after having encountered Izanami like that, even though it was Izanagi's not being able to accept Izanami's death that made this an issue in the first place. Genkei tries to cast Oyou in the same role to deflect having to face the reality of what he did, keeping himself caught in this trap between self-flagellation over his unresolved guilt and self-soothing that he's doing all this fretting to try to atone for it, also creating this situation because he can't accept his role in her death and can't just let her pass peacefully like she was prepared to do

I also wonder if it's relevant to contrast Genkei's role as a prominent Buddhist priest with this foundational Shinto myth, but then the discussion of the blurry divide of Buddhism and Shintoism isn't really one I'm equipped to handle with the nuance it deserves, so I'll just leave it as a mention for now

Anyway, just something that occurred to me as maybe having something to it