#beef with church and state

[ancientcraftnoccultism]

Introduction To Candle Magic

Ancient Craft & Occultism

___

By KB

Introduction

Welcome back witches in training! We've been covering a lot of ground bases lately, especially within the realms of spellwork. Today, we're going to take that a bit further by opening our horizons to the infinite world of Candle Magic! In this lesson, we're going to discuss basic color magic, the history of candles, and how to use candles in your craft. Let's get to it!

A Brief Candle History

The exact origin of the candle is quite a debate among historical scholars, but there is a large sum of evidence that suggests candles made of beeswax were used in Egypt and Crete as early as 3000 BCE. Other early candles were fashioned using tallow-soaked tapers manufactured from fibrous materials like rushes. Rushlights were one of the first types of enclosed light we are aware of, yet they were unlike candles as we know them today because they lacked a wick. The impoverished continued to utilize them for centuries because they were also inexpensive to produce.

It may come as no surprise that the Romans are credited with creating the first wicked candles by continuously dipping a roll of papyrus into tallow, a converted form of beef or mutton fat, while wrapping it around a length of twine. Candles were still used in the same manner, but they had superior quality and a longer lifespan than rushlights.

However, candle production was not only practiced by the Romans. Wicked candles were "invented" by numerous other ancient civilizations who also used local plant-based waxes. The eulachon fish, which is so oily that when dried, it would burn like a candle when you ignite one end, was used as a candle by tribes in Alaska and Canada. The Chinese used wrapped ricepaper as wicks. In India, wax was created from the fruit of the cinnamon tree.

Candles, in any form, were a significant component of religious rites throughout this time. The Jewish Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, was originally documented around 165 B.C. Constantine, the Roman emperor between 306 and 337 A.D., mandated the use of lamps during Easter celebrations. Indeed, from roughly the time of Constantine, lights have played a significant role in religious events and signify the purifying light of God.

Candle flames were seen by ancient peoples to reveal enigmatic things. One could experience an altered state of consciousness and see gods, spirits, or the future by gazing into a flame. In a magic ceremony for "dreaming true," or getting information from dreams, the late Egyptians of the third century B.C. utilized lamps and possibly candles. He retired to a pitch-black cave that faced south and sat there gazing into a flame till he saw a god. Then he went to sleep, hoping that the deity would show up in his dreams and provide him with the answers he was looking for.

The Roman Christian scholar Tertullian fiercely objected to the ancient Pagan practice of lighting candles and lights during religious ceremonies, calling it "the useless lighting of lamps at noon." Candles and lamps were used in Christian rites from the fourth century, but candles weren't put on church altars until the later Middle Ages, starting in the twelfth century. Consecrated holy candles are used in ceremonies for blessings, atonement for sins, and the exorcism of demons, all of which were instituted by the Catholic Church.

Using Candles In The Craft

Candles have long been used as versatile tools, but in witchcraft, they can also be used for divination, spirit sensing, casting spells, and a variety of other things. Let's jump right in.

Divination - Reading the wax and observing how the candle really burns are the two most popular techniques for candle divination. You must observe the candle's burning pattern, including its height, flickering, and the presence of many flames, in order to make a prediction based on how it burns. Two flames could indicate assistance from the afterlife in achieving your objective. Even the hues of the flame may give you a clue as to how well your efforts are going. However, there is no agreement on what these indications signify. While some practitioners hold that a candle that burns tall and strongly indicates that one's request will be granted, others draw attention to the fact that the wick's length and quality, as well as an air vent, can affect how the candle burns. Prioritize your intention over the candle's burning process. You can always read the wax once it hardens, or pour the wax directly into cold water for it to harden and then interpret the symbols, much like you would with bone throwing, or scrying. Personally, I also like to pay attention to the smoke and interpret the way the smoke from the candle flows in order to interpret surrounding energies.

Spirit Work - Fire scrying is the most common way to communicate with spirits, and as it's the only method with candles I have experience with, that's what I will be discussing here. I encourage you to do your own research into spirit communication outside of my suggestion, because I'm sure there are plenty other methods out there. Again, there is no base consensus in a means to interpretation, as spirits and practitioners alike have different ways of communication. Just like with any other scrying, its imperative to stay connected to your personal energy while connecting with surrounding energy to properly interpret the signals you are receiving. Connecting with deities is also possible using this method of Candle Magic.

Rituals/Spellwork - In rituals and spells, candles are used to increase vibrations, represent specific elements and other important objects or creatures, use symbolism, and seal items like letters or spell bottles. Even candle spells can be created simply lighting a candle with intention. It is very common to carve, dress, and anoint candles in aid for ritual and spellwork as well. Fire being the main force driving the work, of course.

Worship - Candles are often used as offerings for various deities. Symbolism, color, and dressings can all play a part of this as well. They are also used as a beacon for an entity to guide you through your working.

Candle Correspondences

When undertaking serious candle work, choosing the right candle colors is crucial. Each hue has a unique meaning and possesses unique abilities. It's crucial to pick colors that align with your aims while working with candles in spells or rituals. Please remember that this is a very basic list and that the things you will read in your personal correspondence are far more significant than anything you will read here.

White - Attraction, Purification, Protection, Balance, Clarity, Grounding, Healing, Hope, Innocence, Optimism, Peace, Truth, Willpower

White can take the place of any other color when not available. Just a bit of visualization is required.

Black - Acceptance, Afterlife, Banishing, Binding, Determination, Endings, Justice, Loss, Release, Break, Security, Grief, Negativity, Patience, Persistence, Rebirth, Strength, Self Control

Red - Assertiveness, Courage, Creativity, Energy, Desire, Loyalty, Motivation, Power, Survival, Change

Yellow - Action, Communication, Learning, Finances, Business, Intellect, Inspiration, Knowledge, Wisdom, Stimulation

Pink - Acceptance, Affection, Beauty, Compassion, Healing, Family, Harmony, Kindness, Longevity, Nurturing, Partnership, Prosperity

Green - Abundance, Agriculture, Beauty, Creativity, Family, Fertility, Healing, Luck, Environment, Nurturing

Purple - Authority, Enlightenment, Spirituality, Emotions, Imagination, Influence, Truth, Wisdom, Overcoming Fear

Orange - Adaptive, Ambition, Confidence, Courage, Discipline, Energy, Freedom, Justice, Positivity, Pleasure, Stimulation, Travel

Blue - Honesty, Truth, Trust, Dreams, Sleep, Mental, Wisdom, Leadership, Fertility, Marriage, Healing, Study

Brown - Endurance, Animals, Balance, Courage, Grounding, Stability, Protection

Silver - Awareness, Intuition, Money, Purification, Potential, Stability, Success, Celestial

Gold - Abundance, Ambition, Money, Happiness, Power, Influence, Solar energy

Even if you aren't aware of it, the type of candle and the type of wax it is made of may have an impact on your craft. It can all come down to functionality or magical implications.

Taper Candles

Taper candles are tall, thin candles with a tapered top; they are often placed in vintage, smaller candle jars and are more ornamental and symbolic. Shorter taper candles are typically used to seal objects with wax. They can, however, be utilized for any task.

Pillar Candles

There are many different types of pillar candles, but these are the ones I see used almost exclusively. They differ from being short and fat to being tall and slim. They can be utilized for a variety of purposes, but I've found that rituals are where they're most useful.

Votive Candles

Votive candles are little and barely taper more at the base. They are frequently placed in glass candle holders and are used as offerings to deities. Given that their modest, tapering size is what makes them votives, their sizes rarely fluctuate. But they do come in a variety of colors. They are often white.

Tealights

Tealights are tiny, thin, and short candles. You can use them to make offerings, perform spells and rituals, decorate, or even keep wax warmers warm. I frequently observe this kind of candle being used, largely because they are the least expensive candles available.

Now, let's go over some of the different wax types.

Beeswax

It used to be difficult and dangerous to obtain beeswax, which added to the candle's mystique and spiritual power. Beeswax is a natural substance that burns more slowly, making it a premium item among contemporary candle spiritual practitioners; yet, because of its price, it may not be the best choice. Beeswax candles are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and hues and can be rolled, poured, or dipped. Longer ancestral rituals that demand higher vibrations and purpose work best with these candles.

Soy

People who use earth magic sometimes like soy candles since they are natural. Although they tend to burn for a shorter period of time than beeswax candles, they keep fragrances quite well. When dressed, they can also be extremely fragile and challenging to mold or carve. The majority of soy candles are already housed in glass. They are most effective when utilized in ancestral rituals for healing and rebirth.

Paraffin

Since it's a byproduct of the petroleum industry, many people consider it to be less natural than the available alternatives. The fact that it releases chemicals like toluene into the air makes it a poor choice for poorly ventilated areas. Other than providing the foundation for candles, I haven't discovered any sources that discuss the magickal powers of paraffin itself. I found a few for petroleum jelly, which is frequently used as a foundation for herbal salves, but they mainly praised how simple it was to use as an ointment. Even our non-human ancestors may have used petroleum, according to some sources, which makes it a solid foundation for ancestor magic.

[sistersorrow]

Finished Harrow the Ninth a couple hours ago

I'm not a reviewing type, so I'm just gonna include a bunch of things that made me have reactions and other miscellaneous things about my experience with the book

I don't care what Gideon says, the waters may be choppy, but the Harrow x Ianthe ship ain't sunk yet

TV Tropes is a godsend for me, cause it wasn't until I read the Foreshadowing page that I remembered a bunch of details I'd completely forgot about

I didn't bother to actually google how you pronounce Ianthe until 300 pages into the second book

People sold Gideon the Ninth as "lesbian necromancers in space" but Harrow the Ninth is the one where Harrow and Ianthe are both down horrendous

I had a vague inkling that The Locked Tomb was set in our future just because there were nine houses on nine planets and the Ninth House sounded like Pluto, but I did not expect this to be all but confirmed through a 10,000 year old immortal necromancer referencing the "It's for church honey" Facebook post and God himself mentioning None Pizza Left Beef

This does not however explain not 10,000 year old Gideon referencing Llamas in Hats

No one is allowed to say they Fucked Nasty Style anymore unless it involved cutting off your partner's arm and replacing it with a necromanticly animated bone one

The author confirmed on Reddit that partway through writing that scene she realised how sexually charged it felt and ran with it

My pronouns are She/ cause I'll never be Her (toxic immortal lich wife Ianthe, who killed a man and ate his soul to attain unlimited power and get her face on posters)

The author has stated that Ianthe is a very intentional Draco in Leather Pants character with the core differences being that she's a woman and as a sense of humour, which is why she is in fact Best Girl

I was left wondering if I'd imagined all the memes being referenced cause TV Tropes didn't make mention of a single one, so I checked the Locked Tomb subreddit to make sure I had not performed The Work on myself

If there are any Homestuck references, I didn't notice, cause I have expunged most of my knowledge of it

Dad jokes are the pinnacle of all humour

The Emperor is really bad at gaslighting

Harrow may have died with the last thing she ever saw being a nudie mag that doesn't exist, which is just hilarious

Ianthe did everything wrong, and that's why she's the best

Reading this book has reminded me I'm very bad at picking up on foreshadowing, hence scrolling through TV Tropes right after finishing the book

That threesome is the most uncomfortable I've been in weeks, which makes it good writing

I'm probably gonna read the short stories next then start Nona the Ninth sometime next week

[jade-kyo]

Non-Red vs Blue fans guess the fake fact: results!

Find the og post here

Alright time to finally review the results! Correct answer is at the bottom of this post for those not interested in all of the results and explanations!

So the most highly voted option at 23% was Elijah Wood which I’m sorry to say is incorrect! Elijah Wood was a voice actor in the series. He played the role of Sigma! What this big name actor is doing in a random web series I have no idea but it’s still one of the wildest things to me.

Now the aspirin overdose comes in with 17.3% and got mentioned a lot in the notes and it is also incorrect. However I will admit to some poor wording on my part because it was actually an allergic reaction not an overdose. That’s a genuine oopsies on my part 😅

Florida sinking into the ocean gets a 10.1% and is also incorrect! The state of Florida does in fact sink into the ocean and it’s implied this was to cover up the disappearance of Agent Florida (who is also the guy who dies from the aspirin)

The gay guy, who’s name is Donut btw, becoming Jesus comes in with 8.3% and is in fact very real. He even walks on water. It was wild and tbh I barely remember it cause it’s from a season I dislike but it was too wild not to include.

With 7.2% I can say for sure that the giant killer robot is indeed dressed up in cute hats! Specifically a sombrero! Also the robots name is Freckles.

CPR for a bullet wound in the head gets 6.7% and is in fact considered effective medical care. Now I will say this later gets retconned and it turns out the guy didn’t actually get shot in the head the bullet just grazed him and his armor locked up making them all think he was dying- hence the choice of word being considered. The characters fully believe it but the CPR did not actually save him cause he wasn’t even hurt to begin with.

The crazy love triangle comes in with 4.7% and is also very canon and is exactly as it’s said. There’s literally just this insane love triangle for like two seasons- honestly the only love triangle plot I ever enjoyed.

With a solid 4% I can say that there is in fact canon mpreg! Hurray? Idk man this one’s exactly as it sounds. Dude got knocked up by an alien.

In last place with 2.5% of votes is the main character dying repeatedly. This is also incorrect. First off this guy is named Church which very funny on its own. Secondly it’s actually one of the first running jokes in the series how much this dude dies. Until it’s not a joke 🫠 also a few people pointed out RvB doesn’t have a main character and while I agree I felt it was simpler just to call Church the main character for this poll since it’s designed for people who haven’t seen RvB and I would argue that the majority of the narrative centers around Church even when he’s not there.

And now for the correct answer, coming in at third place with 16.1% is Caboose is god!

Now I will fully confess to being sneaky with this one. This is actually a joke made within the series but it is not true at all. Caboose is not actually god and the platypus is just that fucked up. I knew nothing I could come up with would be able to match the absurdity of this series so I decided to twist a few words so that way everything seemed equally fucked up.

And that concludes the poll! I will now leave you off with a few honorable mentions that did not make the Final Cut:

They have a Spanish speaking robot. None of them speak Spanish.

He’s a ghost but not actually a ghost but actually a highly advanced computer program

Woman has mega beef with an AI copy of her dead mom

The highly advanced computer program can’t aim for shit

The first 5 seasons were revealed to actually be a prolonged torture session

Dude chases his dead gf through multiple iteration of the same memory

Woman developed a sibling like bond with an AI copy of her extremely neglectful father

[breelandwalker]

@sonnabug reblogged your post:

#is myth the right word if they were the ones who felt they were being persecuted? #not siding with them just wondering about word choice and technicalities #because its true our history was founded on what they decided to tell us but is it an outright lie or did they truely feel persecuted

Oo oo oo, a teaching opportunity!

Okay, so the Puritans came to power during the First English Civil War - the one where they axed Charles I afterward and abolished the monarchy. Their whole beef was that the new Anglican church wasn't STRICT enough and still had too many Catholic trappings (and way too much tolerance for the remaining Roman Catholics in the country). So they kept pushing for Purity and Piety, in personal and business spheres, basically insisting that a strict Protestant moral doctrine should govern every aspect of life, from the management of the home to the running of businesses to interpersonal relationships to the governing of the country and its' policies abroad.

Sound familiar? Their whole rhetoric puts me in mind of a particular line from Elvira: Mistress of the Dark: "The local council is horrified if someone in Fallwell, wherever or whatever, is having a good time."

Anyway, all this religious kerfluffle (plus a couple of other factors) eventually led to the complete destabilization of the English government and the execution of Charles I. And then when the monarchy was restored under Charles II and the country was like, "Oh thank goodness, we can have things like beer and Christmas again and maybe a little less religious conservatism," the Puritans promptly went, "Well this won't do at ALL." Most Puritan clergy with separatist leanings resigned from the Church of England and many Puritans packed up to move to the colonies, where they could "practice their religion in peace." (Read: "Where they could be as stodgy and strict and bigoted as they wished and created a system of laws based on religion instead of common good.")

There's a lot more to it than that and I'm simplifying and glossing over quite a bit, but that's the nuts and bolts.

The mess the Puritans made both in England and in America was one of the reasons the vaunted Founding Fathers insisted on Separation of Church and State, as well as why Freedom of Religion is part of the First Amendment. They'd seen England tearing itself apart over a Wabbit Season / Duck Season tug of war between Catholicism and Protestantism for a good century and more, and they did NOT want to repeat those mistakes in the new country they were trying to build. (They got a lot of stuff wrong, but at least they had the sense to be like, "Yeah maybe religion shouldn't run the government.")

So while it's true that the Puritans may have felt persecuted, it was for basically the same reasons that conservatives and fundamentalists claims to be oppressed today - people generally don't like it when their stodgy uptight neighbors try to beat them over the head with a Bible and demand that one particular interpretation of a single religion should be the driving force behind the running of every aspect of an entire country.

But since they got to write the earliest chapters of American history with no one to provide a strong counterargument, we get this pervasive self-created myth that the Puritans were these poor ragged refugees, fleeing religious persecution for a new land where they could live in peace and harmony and...decimate the local indigenous population and murder their own neighbors in the name of piety. The Pilgrims were assholes and we've been fed pretty lies in our schoolbooks for decades.

(For modern context, religion wasn't a strong part of American politics until McCarthyism happened, at which point we got the God references in the Pledge of Allegiance and on our currency. Then the Moral Majority movement got Reagan elected in 1980 and we've been fighting modern Puritans in government ever since. America has never been a Christian nation, but conservatives keep doing their damnedest to try and turn it into one.)

Hope this helps to clarify things! 😊

[bee-ina-boat]

hello gay people. i mentioned awhile back about a possible concept for a tma au but its mixed with mythology/religion based stuff. i have since finished this chunk of concept/reference art of the Ceaseless Watcher for this au!!!

im dubbing it: The Magnus Mythos!! please talk to me about it i am insane

putting my rambling au nonsense under the readmore!!!!!

edit!!!: new mythos post just dropped :3

alright- bare with me because my thoughts are everywhere lol

random various au information:

the fear entites are instead more general gods, much like those from various mythologies (greek, norse, egyption, etc.) like the eye, rather than an entity that feeds on the fear of being watched, is rather the god of knowledge and sight!

all of the gods have influence over the world, some mortals will devote themselves to one specific god entirely, others will become devout to multiple, and some will simply be neutral among all 14 and live life out as they please.

avatars are mortals who have been blessed with power by the gods while creatures (like mr spider, the not them, etc) are simply beings who have been born into the world by the gods power seeping into it. artifacts are items that have either been blessed/cursed by the gods or avatars, or have been affected by the gods power seeping into the world also.

theres multiple sects, cults, and churches for each god much like how many real life religions have different sects with their own rules and standards. some have beef, others do not.

the gods themselves are entirely morally neutral, they have their own interconnected relationships with eachother, and kind of view mortals as pets in a way, picking favorites and seeing them as of lesser importance in comparison to themselves.

since the gods here arent necessarily evil and theyre actually sentient beings, their titles are changed to be more fitting (the mother of puppets -> the mother of fate as an example)

the story is set in an era resembling the early 1900s because idk. vibes are neat i guess

thats all the basic world building crumbs for now, ill go deeper into it when i have more art and story stuff ready!

for now- heres some actual lore :3c

Jonah magnus is basically eye jesus. thousands of years prior to the start of the story, the eye favored him and he became a messiah of sorts.

the House of Magnus is a church sect of the eye founded in what is now london. but it doesnt operate JUST as a simple church. many sects of the eye devote themselves to gaining knowledge of the world around them and the House of Magnus is no different there. operating with a library, research centre and all. the research not just on history and knowledge, but also the holy and divine. documenting stories that deal with the divine powers and researching cursed/blessed artifacts aswell.

its a common legend that if one tells their story under the eyes watch (either in a church of the eye or directly to an avatar of the eye) that theyll receive good fortune and foresight, and since the House of Magnus has become a well known sect of the eye, many will come far and wide to detail their accounts under its roof

all of this documentation leads down to the Magnus Mythos, a large archive under the church where the written documents are filed, curated and cared for by the head Archivist. as such, the position of Archivist has become a most sacred role among worshippers of the eye comparable to the head of the church itself.

they arent just revered for their care of the mythos (though the devotees of the eye view the care of documented knowledge to be a sacred and ever important responsibility) Theres a prophecy, hand woven by the Mother of Fate herself, one that states an ordinary archivist will one day be gifted by all 14 of the gods and awaken the great change, bringing about a new and blessed age.

but is this newest archivist even ready for such pressure and commitment? and what if the prophecy is more devious than one might think?

oooOOOOoooOO mysterious lore- i know this is heavily self indulgent but i refuse to apologize for that because im havin FUN. if you read all of that just know i love you so much and i hope you liked it ;w; im very excited and ive been working on archivist +archival assistant lore for the past few days and im excited to do art for them ;_;

[wasted-women]

ROUND 2B, MATCH 3 OUT OF 4

Cause of Death & Propaganda Under the Cut:

Padmé Amidala

Cause of Death: Childbirth & "losing the will to live"

Propaganda:

SW (especially older SW) is not great with women. Padmé has so so so much potential, but after Phantom Menace, mostly gets reduced to Anakin's love interest. And it's not even a good romance. And then she dies of heartbreak? Like, I think that's stated to be what killed her. It wasn't the assault from her husband who ~lost his temper~, it was the heartbreak. And her final words are like "I know there's still good in him" or some shit. Like, girl, he killed you.

Jadzia Dax

Cause of Death: Killed with an energy beam

Propaganda:

(from here) Propoganda for Jadzia: Her death was motivated by nothing except the producer being a dick. The actress wanted to do fewer episodes--not leave the show, just be able to work on other things, an accomodation one of her male colleagues had previously been granted, but was told no. So she was murdered by the main series villain, who she didn't actually have personal beef with, just because she went to a church she didn't attend to thank gods she didn't believe in for letting her be able to get pregnant. And then all the male characters angsted over her for many episodes of the next season while her best friend and only female colleague had zero reaction to her death, and was replaced by another character for the writers to mistreat (but that's a different story).

[brb-on-a-quest]

Well im back now and I have found my history notebook (debating whether I should throw it away but I did a good job decorating it)

so. @igotthisaccountunderduress let me tell you about Aaron Burr.

Aaron burr was an orphan raised by an uncle, went to lawschool, stopped lawschool to fight under benedict arnold (ha. ha. ha. this really shouldn't be that funny but it is -> benedict arnold was a traitor from US to British ppl). He got appointed to George Washingtons personal military cabinet before both men realized they got a long like stray cats (not very well at all) and Burr was transferred to some other not-as-important dude.

Then him and hamilton got Beef (very famously) but this kind of all started when Burr beat out Hamiltons Father In Law in political stuff and then FIL beat out Burr during the next thing so things are all dandy.

And then he got in as vice president under jefferson. How this worked back then (doesn't now) is that whoever got the Most Votes is now in charge and whoever got second most votes is now VP.

As you can imagine this doesn't lead to really great coworker dynamics especially if you and ur boss/vp are like so opposite. Like when Thomas Jefferson was VP to president John Adams, Adams hated Jefferson so much that he didn't let Jeffy have a say in anything. Like thomas Jefferson did one thing once in all the two terms John Adams was in charge I think, idk, it was something rediculous.

But anyway, all this to say, Aaron Burr is now vp under jefferson. And as you can imagine, they do not get along well (Jefferson accused burr of 'secret dealings'). but their differences are mainly due to opposing beliefs on whether we should support or rewrite the constitution fo the united states.

Anyway, time for reelection, Burr doesn't get enough votes for either presidency or VP and he decides to try and get governership of New York where he was actually really popular.

Remember how hamilton didn't really like him becus of burr's political campaign against his FIL? Hammy decides to send a rediculous amount of irl subtweets (derogatory letters) against Burr to get him to lose.

Burr takes this very personal and challenges Hamilton to a duel, stepping from across New York to New Jersey. This is because, although duels were outlawed in both places, penalties were less severe over the border.

Now take this next part with a grain of salt bc it comes direct from the history prof.

Duels were common; but they were never usually fatal. Essentially it was like lukewarm Christians going through the motions on a sunday in church. A lot of the stereotypes still apply. Two people back to back, walked a x amount of feet, turned around and would usually shoot upward or otherwise shoot to miss the target.

Burr was not one of those people. Alledgedly, he told Hamilton he meant to kill him and he didn't care wether hamilton would try to shoot him or not. No one's sure whether hamilton was like "haha bet" and tried to kill him or whether he was like shooting up in the air as the practice usually went. Either way sum of that was Burr: 1 (unharmed), Hamilton: 0 (very much shot due to Burr's word, and died the following day).

Aaron Burr... idk if he didn't think this through but he's now considered a murderer for challenging Hamilton to an agreed-upon duel. So he runs to join his new BFF who is secretly in the pay of pain and wants to take over the US napoleonic style. Burr gets *to into it* to the point BFF turns him into Jefferson. He gets cleared.

he then gets involved with the Essex Junto, an organization in New England, tries to help the secede from the entire country (New England hated US before it was cool to) and then he did the same thing again somewhere in the middle west (I forgot where, sorry Dr. W). He gets away both times because even though Jefferson hates Burr's stupid guts, John Marshall is head of the supreme court (John Marshall also hates Jefferson sees this as a very innocent way to undermine him) and Marshall creates the definition of reason that we still have today that basically says Burr gets off scot free twice because we're not at war so there's no enemy for Burr to be helping.

Burr finally accepts that he is now a persona non grata and fucks back off to NY where he marries a second widow for money (again) and she divorces him on the grounds of adultery. This divorce finally is finalized on the day Aaron Burr dies.

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss (Minnesota State Fair edition)

Nothing better for the Hair Bears than tradition

And more specifically, culinary tradition. As in the Hamline Church Dining Hsll, as in their ham loaf dinner even ... which our own little party decided to sample for ourselves. Especially Huckleberry Hound, my travelling compadre, and the Southern ursine romantics of Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee. And who couldn't resist as much the ham loaf (with rather treacly sweet sauce topping same) as mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, ciabatta roll, bread pudding for dessert ... and iced tea as well?

Asked by yours truly what attracted the Hair Bear Bunch every fair to the ham loaf dinner, all Hair Bear could admit to was that "it was just out of curiosity a few years back ... and how else could it be resisted when all was said and done?"

As for Emmy Lou and Jenny Lee ... "I do have to admit that this is rather interesting, especially for a little ol' Southern gal like myself," Emmy Lou remarked. "Though it'd be interesting if they had those baking powder biscuits."

"You mean," Huckleberry asked, "like those used in the ham biscuits down south?"

"That's an interesting way of puttin' it there, Huckleberry!"

"Quite pleased to hear as much from you, Emmy Lou."

"And has anybody ever mentioned where my cousin Emmy Lou makes perhaps the best ham biscuits around?" chimed in Jenny Lee, with Emmy Lou acknowledging as much, adding that she prefers biscuit-cut ham. Call it a weakness, even after probably thr third or fourth substantial glass of iced tea ...

=============

As for the recipe for said ham loaf, should anybody be asking for it--

Preheat oven to 325° F/165° C/Gas Mark 3. Combine loaf and sauce ingredients separately:

FOR THE LOAF:

1½ lbs. each ground ham (NOT ground pork) and ground beef, chicken or turkey 3 cups dry breadcrumbs 1 medium onion, chopped ½ tsp. each salt, pepper, curry powder, ground sage and allspice 2 cups milk 3 eggs, slightly beaten, OR ¾ cup liquid egg

FOR THE SAUCE:

2 cups packed brown sugar ⅔ cup vinegar ¼ cup prepared mustard

Pack the loaf mixture into a large loaf pan; spoon half the sauce over the loaf. Bake for 90 minutes; drain grease from pan, spoon remaining sauce mixture over the loaf and bake 30-45 minutes more.

(Worth trying when fixing the sauce: Apple cider vinegar and, for the mustard, Dijon or Dusseldorf stylee. Stone ground, even....)

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

@warnerbrosentertainment @passionateclown @multi-fandom-girl-451 @indigo-corvus @groovybribri @moonrock1973 @stuffaboutminnesota @archive-archives @hanna-barbera-blog @thylordshipofbutts @thebigdingle @hanna-barberians @themineralyoucrave @screamingtoosoftly @hanna-barbera-land @warnerbros-blog1 @iheartgod175 @ultrakeencollectionbreadfan @funtasticworld @leftover-hotcheetos @aquablock68 @warnerbrosent-blog

[residents-of-spookys-mansion]

Specimen 9 and 5 origins or general headcanons please

Specimen 9 and backstory stuff:

Ok let’s start off with some canon. So what we already know is that the Taker was a survivor of Unit 731 and seems to be made of a clay like substance. I believe that substance is a dense flesh like matter made from the bodies of anyone he collects.

The taker doesn’t just take from his victims but from any dead person he finds. Like a scavenger of sorts. The more he collects, the stronger he gets. He got taken apart since he was deemed too dangerous and at the end of the game we see him get put together.

-Ok so hc time; this is post bad-ending. During his fight with 14, he got damaged so badly he was in pieces again. Spooky had to manually piece him together again, it was that bad. That’s also why 14 is this red, black color now. It’s just the dried clay like blood of the Taker. Thats how violent he was during the battle.

-So once the Taker got himself back together again, he was immediately given the devastating news that the guy he got killed to is now a permanent resident. He was so upset he stayed in his area and didn’t talk to spooky for a while. Eventually he got over it, but he watched his step now.

-The other specimens view the Taker as a second leader of sorts. Spooky may be in charge but most don’t take her seriously. So spooky enlist the help of the Taker to get them to listen since he’s very powerful. Specimen 8 and 5 are his closest “friends.” -They all have mutual respect for each other and their leader ship skills. They talk to each other in a very diplomatic way.

-The taker kinda talks pretty proper most of the times and spends his time finding any books lying around and reading them. He enjoys literature a lot and he’s knowledgeable in about 4-5 languages, ranging from human to even demonic languages. But for the most part, he remains in a dormant state until someone arrives at the mansion where he starts to follow them. If they destroy items or stand around too long he’ll kill them. He hates loiters.

-Most specimens, monsters, etc are either scared of him or respect him. The Taker also enjoys feeding specimen 3 sometimes too. He also can speak backwards to the Beef demon and they enjoy eating and chatting together

-He is pretty tired a lot of the time and prefers to be left alone in silence.

Specimen 5 time! Back story first

-Specimen 5 was the mother of a cult. She got summoned to the world and was worshipped for being this powerful demon. Bab initially wanted to kill the cult that summoned her but decided to take advantage of them instead, so she made them her followers. Since bab was specific requirements for sacrifices so she could get the cult to do all the work of getting a perfect sacrifice for her. These sacrifices also made her stronger.

-Bab would also get these followers to do her bidding and kill anyone who opposed her and summon more demonic things for her to use. The stronger she got the more her power to manipulate the minds of people grew more effective. She’d use this to keep her followers in line.

-But once they started fucking up her sacrifices she got so pissed she killed them all. This lead to rumor of a church being where people got massacred which got the attention of the GL labs people. Catching Bab was actually kinda easy and she wasn’t happy about that L

Time for the current Hc’s!

-Bab actually enjoys the specimens she’s stuck with and gets along with mostly all of them. Ben, Taker, Deer lord, Tirsiak, Frenzy, and specimen 4 are her closest friends.

-Bab is quite serious and motherly in nature and often gives advice to the others. Her illusions don’t work on the specimens however.

-When Bab “sleeps” she quite literally becomes an inanimate mannequin and sleeps standing up. Like you could knock her over and she’d fall and an inanimate object.

-Bab doesn’t eat or drink and she can’t either. To waste time she either talks to her friends or cares for the womb room. Since bab also has a motherly attitude to her, she also cares for the dolls with frenzy. Since many of them are children, they view Bab and Frenzy as their moms. The hooked doll and Wormy also view Bab in this way.

-Bab can sense other demonic presences and can speak a multitude of demon languages and knows many different rituals by heart

-Bab is the mom of the Mansion and is tired of everyone’s bs

-her sword is kinda melded to her hand which makes sense cause she doesn’t have hands. This is also kinda how she picks stuff up, by melding her arm to it then unmelding it to release it.

[butwhatifidothis]

Also, a conquering force thats fully refusing to compromise versus people defending themselves and have showed to be open to peaceful communications and compromises is. lol. not a conflict of ideals. Ooooh if only they TALKED this all could have been - well yes except there is only one specific party here that is refusing to talk and I dont think everyone else should be blamed for her being a pig-head, actually.

Especially when Dimitri, once his mind settles, straight up says that it was her methods he had his primary issue with, not her ideals

Note that he asks her what her ideals even are here, at the end of the war itself, meaning that they obviously weren't any motivating factor for him to fight her before because he didn't even know what they were. He just wants to know why she did this shit - that he didn't exactly take to her "I had to kill people, or they would have died!" mentality afterwards has shit all to do with everything before that moment.

And especially especially when Claude even straight up says in the beginning of VW that he agrees with her, but that it was literally specifically her bloody methods that made him stand against her

Ideals are, at the beginning, what Claude and Edelgard literally have no conflict about. And he makes the revelation that Rhea was a positive influence after defeating Edelgard, so his change in opinion about her didn't have anything to do with his beef with Edelgard either. His problem with Edelgard, like Dimitri, was her proclivity to murder innocents. Which, uh, yeah, kind of a bit of a deal-breaker there.

And then you have Edelgard, who explicitly and directly states that she wants to destroy the Church, Kingdom, and Alliance to force Fodlan back under complete Imperial control.

THERE AIN'T SHIT ABOUT IDEALS. BECAUSE EDELGARD DOESN'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT IDEALS. THAT IS NOT WHY SHE STARTS HER WAR AND SHE MAKES HERSELF SO, SO CLEAR ABOUT IT.

Like, to be clear, I can't stand the game either whenever it does to some degree try to sprinkle that shit in here to make Edelgard easier to take in, but holy shit do Dimitri and Claude make it hilariously obvious that Edelgard's ideals are not the damn issue here. The fandom clinging on to this idea just to make some limp-wristed "they were all bad in some way!!!!!" point is annoying

[andromedaexists]

WUPDATE: INCORRECT EYES

𝚆𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟸𝟺𝚝𝚑 || 𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰𝙰

Am I finally writing a WUPDATE on time?? YES I AM!!!

I've been working really hard on getting Incorrect Eyes into a workable state to send to beta readers, which means adding a lot of new content and trying to beef up the manuscript. I'm also working on background CMI stuff right now, between a potential audiobook and writing down random thoughts that pop up between chapters of IE

All in all, kinda busy on the writing front at the moment! I feel just as busy now as I was in school, but instead of school work that needs to be done it's entirely just me trying to write and prepare stuff for publishing!

I'm also writing this as I sit in a queue waiting to buy tickets to the next Sleep Token show so my thoughts are discombobulat-NO I DON'T HAVE THE PRESALE CODE I NEVER GOT IT I'M SCREAMING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

But that's not what y'all are here for, you're here for snippies!! CW: Paranoia, hallucinations, blood

For now, I can feel my soul being drawn to the next section of the text. To what the Angels are singing…

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.

I can remember what I was told to believe in church all those years ago. That the chants of the Angels was something to be heard, that it could lift your soul and bring you closer to God. But when I read the words on the pace all I can hear is the screaming and wailing, shouts that beg for atonement and forgiveness. Images pop into my mind: Angels as we knew them growing up, human-like and innocent, with tears of blood streaming down their faces as they grovel before His throne, screaming and begging for His warmth. Seraphim and Cherubim just behind them, blocking the pathetic Angels in, forcing them to submit to His holy gaze. Their screams harmonize in the worst ways, ringing through my mind and spilling through my ears. The mind-numbing pain it causes is only worsened as my eyes are drawn further down the page.

Woe is me for I am ruined [must be silent] because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.

Unclean, unclean, unclean. The word repeats in my mind, tearing through the chorus of terror put forth by the Angels. I am unclean just like he was. I live among people with unclean eyes, just as he with lips. He—I—we are RUINED. My mind conjures the image of the next paragraph, of the Seraphim flying towards me—Isaiah—us holding a glowing coal by means of a pair of tongs. From the altar it came, and as it laid the burning stone in my eyes it spoke:

Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed and your sin is atoned for.

And I scream.

TAGLIST

@winterandwords @crypticcodexcreations @inkspellangel @smol-feralgremlin @joswriting

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[chronicas]

Okay just because this has been on my mind for weeks now. You should never have to choose between food and rent. One, if such a choice comes up, always choose rent, obviously. BUT if not being able to afford food is the problem, there are options. Sorry this post got so long it wasn’t meant to..

Apologies in advance I only know how this works in America, but it’s likely your country has something similar. What you’ve gotta do for this is go to your state government page and find your state’s food assistance program, SNAP, Food Stamps, whatever it is, find that and apply. You’ll probably get around $250 a month for a single household. If you’re low income, you should be eligible. If you’re on SSI/SSDI or Medicaid, you are almost certainly eligible. On top of that you gotta find a local food bank. They might ask you for your income, but they likely won’t bar you from their services if they’re a good food bank. This is a good place to get any kind of canned food and pasta, but good food banks will likely also have meat, eggs, and milk. A lot of food banks have even started delivering straight to your home. I’ve also worked with a lot of Churches to get food. I’m sure plenty of Synagogs and other religions orgs have similar programs, but it depends on how well funded they are.

Use any money you save from this for your fresh produce, but I recommend getting frozen vegetables as they have just as much nutrients as fresh produce would. I also recommend getting an instant pot or slow cooker if you can afford it. Thrift stores might have some that still work decently. I got my instant pot and my slow cooker second hand from family members so I got lucky, but if you can afford them they’re seriously a life saver.

My biggest recommendations of food to keep on hand is bread and stuff you like on sandwiches, always have eggs, always have rice, and always have some frozen vegetables. Invest in spices wherever you can, you can make a lot or really delicious meals that are super simple just by having some good seasonings. If you get on food assistance, spices are covered by that, basically everything consumable is except alcohol.

Spices I recommend to keep on hand: Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Ginger, Red Pepper, Garlic, Onion, any Umami/Mushroom Blend, Rosemary, Marjoram, Sage. That’s everything I use for 90% of my meals.

Also grow your own food! Mainly herbs! The easiest one to start with is green onions, you can buy some from the store, put the bottoms in a small cup with just enough water to reach the roots, let the roots grow a bit then put them in soil after about a week. Basil, thyme, parsley, and rosemary are my other favorites to grow. You can get a devoted pair of kitchen scissors to just cut your herbs directly into whatever you’re cooking! If you have enough space and time on your hands I really recommend growing tomatoes and bell peppers!! Feel free to ask me about gardening!

My Favorite Easy Meals:

Spaghetti with meat sauce: Get canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, mix those in a pan and add as many spices as you want until you like the flavor, you can look online for common spaghetti sauce seasonings. Get some ground beef (btw meat can be frozen indefinitely) and cook that up then throw it in your sauce. Cook noodles while you’re doing that, the whole process shouldn’t take more than an hour if you have an extra pair of hands, hour and a half if you’re by yourself at max.

Teriyaki Chicken: Easiest thing ever, just buy some chicken strips and some teriyaki sauce, marinate that shit then pop it in the oven for like around 20min or until it’s cooked to 165°F.

Egg Fried Rice: One of my favorite easy meals. Pop the (WASHED!!) rice in an instant pot or rice cooker (if you don’t have either a pot with a lid will work fine!), toss in about a tablespoon of mirin in with your rice then let it do it’s thing following instructions. About 15min before your rice is done throw some frozen vegetables in a pan (whatever kind of vegetables you like!! It really doesn’t matter!) cook those a little, put em aside in a bowl. Then take some eggs, scramble em in the same pan, put aside. Throw your cooked rice in the pan then add soy sauce, red pepper, umami blend, and any other spices you’d like (but no salt! There’s plenty of sodium in the soy sauce!).Then add your ingredients you put to the side. If you add enough eggs or are just tired, this can be it’s own meal! Or you can have it as a side with teriyaki chicken or anything else you think it’d taste good with!

Ramen: Get a bunch of packs of cheap ramen noodles but don’t use the soup packet. Make your own soup with any kind of broth (chicken or seafood works best, but just pick a favorite), add a tablespoon of soy sauce to a cup of broth, a teaspoon of mirin to cup of broth, some minced ginger (or powered) to taste, any spices you want (I like to add the mushroom blends and some seaweed flakes), cook the noodles for the recommended time in the broth then add an egg cooked in any style you want. You can get fancy with a soft boiled egg, but those take a while to learn to get right. I normally fry my eggs. And if you have any ham or beef strips those also go good with it! Top it with green onions! Takes about 45 minutes roughly.

Omelet: Whisk some eggs in a cup and add some spices (and fresh green onions if you want!), throw it in a pan, add any cheese, meat, or veggies you like on it (I like cheddar, bell peppers, and bacon in mine) then wait for it to cook on one side then fold it in half, after it’s cooked on one of the half sides, flip it over to get the other side, you can stab it in the middle to see if it’s fully cooked in the center. Takes less than 20 minutes.

Buttered Potatoes: You can get some small potatoes, cut em up, throw them in an oven-safe dish with some butter (1/4-1/2 a stick depending on how many potatoes you’re making), salt, rosemary, and black pepper. Cook them in the oven on like 350°F for about 25-30min. You can use this as a side with any kind of meat or anything else you feel it’d go good with! Sometimes it just makes a good snack as leftovers.

Things you can cook up and add to other stuff: cook a bunch of bacon and you can crumble it into stuff like omelets, mac ‘n cheese, salads!

Feel free to ask me for cooking advice! It’s one of my favorite things to do and there’s a good chance I can help you figure out how to make something. I’m happy to help talk to you about dietary restrictions and substitutes also!

I do all this and never spend a penny from my paycheck on my food! Good food is obtainable! Look online for more recipes or try and use some of these methods to enhance a simple recipe you already know!

And remember to fight to keep food assistance programs open and available! It’s an insanely valuable resource for folks in poverty! If your local government acts against these programs, speak up against them! If you can, please donate to your food bank and ask them what kind of food they need. Volunteer with them also if you can!

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

2023 Fandom Year in Review

I'm a bit late on this because I kept being busy, but here! I probably forgot a bunch of stuff in my answers - c'est la vie.

✨Dollsome’s Fandom Year in Review!✨

Favorite new (to me) shows of the year:

Rectify

Joe Pera Talks With You

Reservation Dogs

Dave

The Righteous Gemstones

The Gilded Age

The Buccaneers

Beef

Somebody Somewhere

Vice Principals

Feel Good

Creamerie

Colin From Accounts

Poker Face

Favorite shows with new episodes this year:

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH!!!!!!!!!! 🏴‍☠️💘

Good Omens

Succession

Ted Lasso (kind of? 🫤)

What We Do In The Shadows

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Great

Abbott Elementary

Sanditon

The Nevers

Black Mirror

Some favorite TV show episodes watched for the first time this year (one per show! Just for a challenge!):

Our Flag Means Death - 2.04 “Fun and Games”

What We Do in The Shadows - 5.05 “Local News”

The Great 3.07 “Fun”

Succession - 4.09 “Church and State”

Ted Lasso - 3.10 “International Break”

Good Omens - 2.05 “The Ball”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - 5.06 “The Testi-Roastial”

Beef - 1.10 “Figures of Light”

Dave - 3.10 “Looking for Love”

Reservation Dogs - 2.04 “Mabel”

Black Mirror - 6.05 “Demon 79”

Joe Pera Talks With You - 2.01 - “Joe Pera Talks With You About Beans” and 2.04 “Joe Pera Guides You Through The Dark” (Cheating and picking two because the episodes are so short!)

Favorite books read this year:

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Favorite song, album, or artist to listen to this year:

I discovered this album a few years late because I got tickets to a concert by them this year, but Bitter Better by Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards! I also loved Guts by Olivia Rodrigoooooo. 

My favorite song is “Misbehavin’” from Righteous Gemstones, a bop like NO OTHER.

Favorite movies of the year:

No Hard Feelings, Saltburn, Barbie, M3GAN, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Rye Lane, Next Goal Wins, Quiz Lady, Eileen, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Cocaine Bear 🤣

First fandom of the year:

In January I had a major Jurassic Park/World resurgence wherein I watched all the Lego Jurassic World shows about Claire and Owen on Netflix and also read all of Tess Sharpe’s tie-in novels, while also feeling nine zillion feelings about Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler on the side because they are THE movie otp. I regret none of this, it was fun as hell.

Best new fandom discovery of the year:

The Gilded Age. I can’t believe I was living without Bertha and George Russell, and Julian Fellowes’ extremely stupid yet incomparably enchanting writing, for so long.

Biggest fandom disappointment of the year:

Ted and Rebecca not happening and also not getting nearly as much significant screentime together as I wanted. 😭 That one hurt me real hard, even though I always kind of saw it coming. I somehow just knew all the way back in season 1 that it was too wonderful and refreshing to happen. But even more disappointing to me was Keeley and Roy not getting back together. (And the fake-out of them seeming to get back together and then not really doing so. Ouch!) I wish they hadn’t broken up at all! That whole plotline gets a million thumbs downs from me. It made me feel so, so bad inside, a badness that never healed.

Honorary mention: Roman and Gerri’s last ever interaction getting deleted from 4.09!!!!!!! FERAL SCREAM!!!!!

I also really didn’t like what they did with Orlo’s character in s3 of The Great.

Biggest squee moments of the year:

(I can’t possibly narrow ‘em down well but let’s try.)

Like the entirety of OFMD season two, but I’ll narrow it down with great restraint to Mermaid Stede, the conversation on the sofa in “Fun and Games,” and the “You wear fine things well” redux kiss.

Roman watching Gerri recite the limerick and being besotted! Gerri caring about Roman with her eyeballs at the funeral! Roman’s Gerri tribute martini! Gerri smiling at Roman making fun of Greg that one time even though he didn’t know she was! It was a rough season, okay!

Guillermo dancing in the Pride Parade episode! Nandor always knowing that Guillermo didn’t have what it took to be a vampire and helping him become human again! The vampires doing the news!

Old ladies Midge and Susie making each other laugh at the end of TMMM! What a perfect way to go out.

Rebecca spitting her tea in Ted’s face in an act of fond vengeance. I really thought we were so happening after that one, mates! (And that moment in the hallway! And the Ted’s A Work In Progmess scene! Everything that made it feel like it might be happening!!!)

I also squeed during the Morning After Ted In Rebecca’s Kitchen Fakeout until I was dashed back down upon the rocks of cruel reality. Congratulations, show: I 100% fell for it. (Though part of that was because the people watching with me were like, “Wow, congratulations! It happened!” as if I had somehow personally willed it into happening. And you know I would have if I could have!)

Crowley and Aziraphale’s big scene at the end of Good Omens. It was a squee moment tinged with terrible pain, but such a squee moment nonetheless!

Also, Aziraphale’s “Smitten, I believe” lil’ look/remark. Will delight me forever.

Gregory and Janine kissing on Abbott Elementary! The flowers!!!!!!

Kelvin and Keefe’s first kiss (finally!) on The Righteous Gemstones!

Also on The Righteous Gemstones: Judy and BJ walking into the party to “Dance Hall Days” while BJ is rocking his shorts-romper ensemble. A moment that simply stunned me!

The end of the first episode (I think?) of Beef where “The Reason” by Hoobastank is playing specifically in the context of, I just found my nemesis whose life I’m going to make a misery. That made me so happy.

Seeing the Doctor and Donna Noble together again!

Favorite Main Character of the Year:

Catherine from The Great. Season three was such a tour de force for Elle Fanning, and I just loved every note of her character’s journey! I’m so bummed that we won’t get to see what happens to her next and I’m going to miss that performance and that character so much. 😢 She is INCREDIBLE!

Favorite Villain of the Year:

The briefly-seen Logan Roy, and the way he haunted his kids and kept tearing them apart after he died, and yet they still stared at him with such love and fondness and longing in that video in the finale and then proceeded to try to tear each other to shreds because that’s what he raised them to do. AAAH!

Favorite m/f couple of the year:

Gotta be RomanGerri. Good lord, what a time we had!

Runner-up: George and Bertha Russell, the morally questionable marrieds of my dreams.

Favorite f/f couple of the year:

I loved Midge/Susie with all my heart and rambled weirdly about them being Luke/Lorelai in (slightly) different clothes for the entire run of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, from the pilot being in that pilots contest onwards (remember that??). So it was just so wonderful and satisfying to have their relationship so loved on in the last season. And to get some canon ‘Susie is in love with Midge’ vibes going on, aaah! (Midge is in love with Susie, too. To me.)

Runner-up: Anne and Mary on Our Flag Means Death. I know they were only there for one episode but I’m god damn obsessed with them and will always dream of seeing them again in hypothetical s3. Staying at Ed and Stede’s inn? Swashbuckling into their lives on the high seas, possibly wearing other people’s faces? I will take ANYTHING!!! They ARE love and romance!!!!!!!!

Favorite m/m couple of the year:

Ed/Stede!!!!!!!! They came back to me!!!!!!! They were so in love and so deranged about it in so many moments that were absolute bangers!!!!!!!!! It was a total dream come true and I will never love another season of television quite in the way that I love season two of OFMD!!!!!!!!!

Also Crowley and Aziraphale, hoo boy. Don’t think I’ve forgotten what season two did to us as a society!!!! It was spectacular and I loved every minute of my deranged feelings.

And Nandermo always always always, and more with every season. Sorry, WWDITS showrunner dude!

Favorite fictional friendship of the year:

I really enjoyed getting to see Mabel and Oliver and Charles again in Only Murders in the Building season three! And the Rez Dogs in Reservation Dogs, which I finally watched! And the return of the Doctor and Donna to finish off the year!

Also, this doesn’t totally count as friendship per se, but George obstinately pretending to be Catherine’s bestie for self-preservation reasons in season three of The Great was riveting at every second and I was obsessed with it.

Your fictional boyfriend of the year?:

Edward Teach, going through every single human emotion and being so god damn beautiful doing it! 🥹

Your fictional girlfriend of the year?:

Gerri Kellman, my love, my light, THE stone-cold killer bitch of all time. 👑👑👑

Fandom that you never expected to get into:

I guess I never expected to get AS into Succession as I did. But somehow that final season really hit the exact vibe of ‘Your dreams could come true but they never will’ that absolutely and lastingly obsessed me.

Fandom that made an unexpected comeback:

Community, I guess? I’ve been really fixated on Community since our rewatch was begun! I always forget exactly HOW obsessed and emotionally invested I am until I am watching it again. And then I’m left in an abyss of feelios.

Fandom that inspired the most crack:

Oh, it’s gotta be Succession. That’s the only way to engage with Succession.

Last fandom of the year:

As mentioned: I am currently very in my Community feels due to my rewatch! Oh, does this show ever dwell in a tender and sweet place in my heart.

Overall favorite fandoms of the year:

Succession, Good Omens, OFMD

Your main fandom of the year:

Oh, gosh. Is it Succession?? I feel like the three above all got some major attention, but Succession might have been stretched out over the longest amount of time. Just, y’know. All that trying to recover!

The most missed of your old fandoms:

My year was definitely too Gilmore Girls lite for my liking! I also already miss Ted Lasso and simply insist that they make a fourth season. Even if they have to do it without Ted anymore 😢, I could dream of Roy and Keeley getting back together and see Rebecca and Nate and Higgins and Beard and the team and all my buddies again. I just feel like season three did not feel like an ending season and there’s still so much more juice in that ensemble.

Fandom resolutions for next year:

Just keep having a jolly time! Maybe watch less TV. Be more discerning in choosing which TV shows to watch so that there are more free hours in my day.

Fandom predictions for next year:

I predict Ted Lasso is going to come back in some form. It wasn’t over! It still isn’t over!! (I know if this happens it probably won’t include Ted, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if the desperate dream of Ted/Rebecca was suddenly back on? And by ‘hilarious’, I mean ‘everything to me’?)

I’m still quietly predicting the Killing Eve fix-it movie. I know it won’t happen, that Jodie and Sandra have moved on, but I’m dreaming of it anyway. And dreams can come true!

I predict that Jeff and Annie will finally get to be in love in the Community movie if it comes out. I am just choosing optimism and sweetness in this moment. I am choosing to believe.

In that vein: I predict that OFMD season three will exist!

I predict that Hugh Grant and Colin Firth will finally make a romcom together as the love interests. WHY NOT. IT'S TIME.

[hangmansvandalizinggoose]

Merry Christmas Darling

Rooster x Y/N - Story below the Gif

Summary: Rooster is missing you at Christmas. Some Angst/Fluffy Ending

Warning: While this is Y/N  it is implied y/n comes from somewhere where it snows on Christmas and is from a larger family. (sorry)

Music Inspired

Title comes from Merry Christmas Darling - The Carpenters 

Other songs mentioned: I’ll be Home for Christmas, All I Want for Christmas is You and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

“Merry Christmas, darling We're apart, that's true But I can dream and in my dreams I'm Christmasing with you”

‘We always get together at the ranch, Christmas Day is bigger for us presents in the morning then church  and a big turkey  dinner.”  Hangman stated,a wistful expression on his face, “What about you, yote?”

Coyote grinned “ Christmas Eve for us. Christmas Eve all the levees are lit up and then there’s bonfires and gumbo. And sometimes we have 13 desserts after midnight and before sunrise. You walk around the next day so full you might burst.” He chuckled. “Bob?”

Rooster found himself not listening to his teammates. He was in a sour mood. They’d been given a last minute deployment that was due to last well into January. He knew every one was in the same boat. Literally. They’d all be away from their loved ones at Christmas.  They were trying to lighten the mood by listening to Christmas music, I'll Be Home For Christmas was currently playing and talking about their holiday traditions.  

He’d been lucky enough to decorate the tree with you and your oldest son Nick before having to leave. You’d  agreed to a fake tree this year as a real one wouldn’t make it through till Christmas. He’d pulled his one he had when you two met, he hadn’t really cared to celebrate  Christmas after his mom's death and the fall out with Mav. You’d  sworn it was nearly a deal breaker, a fake tree, you were horrified. You loved everything about Christmas and would have him a Christmas convert by the end of your first Christmas together. That was 7 years ago, you two were married, 14  Dec - he’d missed your anniversary too, had a house and three kids. He day dreamed back to the first week in December trimming the tree. 

The twins, Pete and Tom, drooled as they stared mesmerized by the lights, baubles and tinsel. His current Home Screen on his phone was Mav and Penny holding the 14 month year olds on the decorating day. You had the house all decorated, though you gave him a heart attack when he came home and you were on the ladder putting up the outdoor lights. He hated being away from his family so much it made his stomach hurt. You’d made last minute plans to take the kids to your family’s house this Christmas so he took solace in the fact that you wouldn’t be alone. 

“ Earth to Rooster, what about you?” Phoenix asked, kicking his boot hard. Hangman was looking at him funny, candy cane dangling from his lips in place of his normal toothpick. 

“Y/n is taking the kids to the in-laws this Christmas.” he began. He had been to your family's house for several Christmases. If he closed his eyes, he could almost picture the house, when he concentrated a little harder, he  could hear the chaos and smell everything cooking. Y/n was one of 5, and they all descended on their parents home at Christmas.  There’d be cousins galore ranging from 3 to 18, aunts and uncles as well , to be honest when he first came on Christmas, the house reminded him of the opening scene in Home Alone, when Harry is dressed as a police officer and the McAllister house is in total chaos. 

“They were super excited about taking Nick to experience the first white Christmas he’ll remember.” Rooster was disappointed he’d miss the excitement on the 5 year olds  face when he saw the white stuff falling from the sky. Nick had been to Y/ns parents house  when he was younger, but this time he’d actually understand what was happening. 

“ On Christmas Eve they go to the children’s mass, and then they have a big dinner, which could be anything from Chinese food or  pizzas or roast beef. It's really weird. I’m going to call them and read to the boys but if something goes wrong, y/n has me reading The Night Before Christmas as a video for them. Then in the morning they light the fire and open up the presents. Then to y/n's aunt's house for a honey baked ham dinner with fresh pineapple.” He answered, the strain in his voice made his longing clear. He  could see you getting ready for church ,  and smell your perfume. He was picturing you playing with the boys holding them on your hip as you pointed out special decorations around your family home.  “What about you Fanboy?” He asked to distract himself 

Before Mikey could start, there was a knock on the common area door. 

“ I’m afraid we’re unable to provide Christmas dinner at least for another couple of hours.” One of the canteen staff called from the opening and the pilots grumbled. They didn’t have time to wait around for dinner, they had only a few hours before they were expected to be back in the air. 

“Come on, let’s see if we can find anywhere in this city that does anything that might pass.” Hangman called, getting to his feet, the others nearly leapt up at the suggestion, had Rooster not been wrapped up in his own head, he might have noticed.

“No man, I think I’m gonna try and call, I can always just get a sandwich.” He tried to deny his wingman.

“Come on Ebenezer.” Phoenix teased. It was clear he wouldn’t be left behind on Christmas.

Reluctantly, Rooster followed aviators off the ship and into the town. They struck out at the first three restaurants they went to. Rooster waited  outside the fourth. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the piano version of all I want for Christmas is you,  he nearly cried. It was  the song he had played in July on the piano at the hard deck, when you were furious at him and threatening to break things off. It was the song you had surprised him with when you  walked down the aisle to it. It was enough to break him. 

He was ready to get out his phone and call you when the aviators returned again, unsuccessful.  His stomach growled loudly and he,  just like all of his coworkers,  was starving.

“ Should we just go back to the ship? Maybe something, anything can be made now?” He asked.

Phoenix and Payback shared a glance. “Let’s try one more place. I think I’ve heard of this place. It’s like a pop up. It’s supposed to be amazing, really exclusive.” Payback pleaded.

“I’ll get you back in time to call your girl and your boys don’t worry.” Hangman promised clapping him on the shoulder.

Pay back lead the way off the beaten path to a … house. This couldn’t be the Place. The shades were pulled but he could see the Christmas lights in the windows and wrapping up the banisters on the stairs leading to the front door. A rather sad looking wreath hung  on the front door.

“ This place looks creepy as shit,” Bradley declared, worried about what they might find if they approached, let alone ate in it. 

“None of us have had any luck, so far Roose, why don't you knock on the door and see if they can take us that stash of yours might persuade them.” Phoenix responded. 

“You just want me to get killed first.” He asserted jokingly, though he didn’t  move.

“Go on you big chicken.”  Hangman demanded giving him a shove. 

Cautiously, Rooster moved up the stairs to the door. He could hear voices inside, so he couldn’t make out what they were saying. The rest of the aviators followed him up the steps. Rooster reached out and knocked the heavy brass door knocker on the door.

The door swung open and bathed them in warm light. When Rooster’s eyes adjusted, he could barely believe them standing before him was Mav, holding Pete, Penny holding Tom and Amelia holding Nick.

You peeled your head around from the door you’d just opened “ MerryChristmas Darling.” You whispered in that voice of yours.

“What the fu..”: he began till you cut him off with a kiss. 

When we found out you’re being deployed here I put the plan into motion, Mav pulled some strings and we  will be here till just after New Year’s. 

“What about the white Christmas?” He asked still dumb founded 

“I think he’d  rather see his dad at Christmas” you replied with a laugh.

Later on as things settled, and everyone had  eaten  their honeybaked ham and turkey,and gumbo, Bob switched the radio in the living room on to a local station as the Daggers and his Family laughed and played together.  On the radio Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas began to play and   Rooster sat back and looked  at the scene. His wife who had moved to heaven and earth to be with him, his godfather and his wife, who sacrificed their Christmas to make his special, his friends who tricked him, but for good reason.  He didn’t even notice Mav sinking into the couch next to him.  

“You OK kid? ” Mav asked 

“You remember that Christmas after dad died?” Rooster asked quietly

Mav nodded softly, not knowing where this was going

“You told me everything will be OK. You were right. I’m the luckiest man alive.”

[rei-ismyname]

Dueling, class, and state violence through the centuries - an amateur perspective.

I wonder when the ancient and idiotic practice of the formalised duel will return to popularity. Most human practices operate in cycles, so it seems inevitable to me. I also wonder what updates/changes might be made due to technology and societal factors.

I find it really funny how much effort the Church put into trying to ban it during the middle ages, and even more so because Dueling was mostly the domain of the chivalric classes. Knights in particular (as they do) interpretated dueling as 'challenge/goad passersby into a fight and beat the shit out of them/rob them.' It seems dueling became even more of a privilege in the High Middle Ages as it was restricted to nobility in the HRE.

From 1580 to 1620 it's estimated that 10,000 French noblemen died in duels (seriously nobility and royalty are so good at dying - they're like inbred lemmings), and the practice remained popular throughout the century - despite Louis XIII outright banning it and Louis XVI trying even harder - though it sadly became less fatal with 10,000 duels resulting in only 400 deaths between 1685 and 1716. Predictably, the class aspect of it tied the practice to vendettas and local wars, as disputes could be de-escalated by judicial duel with mixed results depending on how important and selfish the duelists/slain were - with family continuing the beef if satisfaction or honour wasn't restored. On many occasions, an argument or rivalry between rich dickheads led to gauntlets being thrown. Sometimes the duel settled it. I'd say the worst outcomes were when neither party was satisfied and the landlord parasites would call upon the peasant classes to die in their stead. Basically oligarchs smashing action figures together until they were made to stop, except the action figures were poor people.

I'm not very knowledgeable about American dueling practices, though I know it was especially popular in the South as a 'gentleman's pursuit.' LMK if you do know anything about it or have any stories. I've seen that one Simpsons episode and read one very broad paper.

We've seen organised street fighting wax and wane, and I definitely recall videos of it on early YouTube with folks like Kimbo Slice. As best I can tell there was a lot of exploitation involved. I'm assuming the demographics of participant and viewer both moved to UFC - non-state violence being commodified by capitalists makes a lot of sense.

I was more an urban kid though I occasionally brushed up against suburban kids socially - close enough to observe a trend post Fight Club's release where white boys who didn't get the movie would start a titular club. I kinda wish I'd attended at least one for anthropological reasons, but (anecdotally) there was a class divide. The only kids/teens I knew doing it came from wealth, and not to be cliche but me and the other poors had more than enough violence in our lives to seek more out.

There's been a number of celebrity feuds that looked to become duels (like Zuckerberg and that other guy - when is that happening?) but they seem to be mostly fluff. In a time where state violence is industrial and monopolised perhaps it's unsurprising that the humble duel is still in the hands of the ruling class. I guess the question is 'would we even want it?' This started as me pondering the history of dueling from an admittedly Eurocentric perspective, but it doesn't surprise me to finish it by concluding that the only violence I'm looking to reclaim from the state and the rich is that which is used against them. No war but class war. In premodern times the proles weren't trained in violence so we'd be easier to oppress and less likely to kill our landlord. I think the least we can do is not use it on each other. Maybe that energy could be used building guillotines for Elon.

[kyogre-blue]

OK, onto SS choice and the timeskip!

Due to when they let you save, I've actually played into the very start of the war phase, so I'll just say it here. I was kind of disappointed by how limp-wristed the whole Edelgard situation is? I expected some more "join me and we shall rule Fodlan" kind of thing, but Edelgard is very neutral and almost disinterested about it. Oh, you're not joining her? Oh well.

The Byleth relationship with Claude is rather detached because he has so little stakes in Fodlan and keeps hiding his actual background and motives for so long, but like the tradeoff is that they have no actual beef or conflict and just cooperate well. I kind of thought Edelgard would be more emotionally charged in some way and she... isn't really? Post timeskip, they go through the motions of starting a sword fight, but then just kinda... stop and... part ways... Not sure if Edelgard's rather under-played delivery is part of the issue. I'm not saying her voice actress is bad, but she doesn't really sell the character imo.

Anyway, I am as ever unimpressed by Edelgard.

Live blogging notes:

Edelgard going to Enbarr to be crowned is a secret.

Man, her dad looks very ill. The implication of her dialogue is that it's because of the "burden of the throne" but eeeeeh

Normally, the archbishop should act as a witness to the ceremony, though iirc the original JP script just had "bishop"...?

"By the covenant between the red blood and the white sword"

Man... Both Hubert in their support and Ionius IX here frame it as Edelgard being "stolen away to the Kingdom" but like, no, her mom took her there? And from what I understand, Edelgard was perfectly fine there. The real issue was when Thales posing as Arundel brought her back. But it seems that Edelgard doesn't actually remember that stuff, so are they purposefully lying to her?

It seems like Ionius IX saw his children experimented on. Edelgard mentions seeing him clench his fists until they bled.

Edelgard's first act: putting Duke Aegir in his place and basically imprisoning him in the palace (?)

Ionius IX and Edelgard both keep referring to how the fate of Fodlan is in her hands now, which is kind of lol given that she's technically only taking over one of three countries in Fodlan.

Oh, interesting. In GD (and I believe BL), you fight the Flame Emperor in the Tomb and then break their mask, revealing Edelgard. But here, Edelgard walks in as herself from the beginning and willingly reveals her identity.

Her wehehe evil henchguy states clearly that they're here to take the Crest Stones, and also the bones. Oh boy!

It's interesting that Edelgard can't just order her classmates to stand down. She's their Emperor, so by disobeying her, they're functionally all traitors. In general, I'm surprised we do battle with her initially and only choose whether to side with her after being ordered to kill her directly.

Despite what I kind of expected, Edelgard never really tries to recruit you and isn't at all surprised that you stand against her. Ngl, I expected a "join me and we can rule the galaxy together" pitch. Kinda disappointed...

Yeah, all the BE kids are like "so what if she's the Emperor, we're just gonna do our own thing" but without actually confronting what they're doing. (Update: Hubert at least obliquely threatens Ferdinand if you attack him, with "you have people you care about in the empire, right? think about what'll happen to them if you stand with the Church")

Edelgard's big speech is like "Church wants to rule Fodlan!" and "Church split up the empire to make kingdom and alliance, all to set us against each other" which, I cannot emphasize enough, doesn't really come across as an issue when there's no major history of conflict between the nations. The only actual post-independence conflict was the Hrym-Ordelia business which barely gets mentioned and is also the Empire's own fault... The gold and extravagance thing is just nonsense too.

Oh, lmao. Seteth says that Edelgard "demanded her own father relinquish the throne" but like... I was at her coronation. They either got lazy copy-pasting dialogue from other routes or assumed you'd totes side with her if you saw that scene.

The tone Rhea and Seteth take in regard to the "progenitor god" is a bit weird because Rhea in particular fluctuates between clearly considering Sothis her mother and her loss as a very personal one, and speaking of Sothis as her goddess and a much more detached authority figure.

Ferdinand says that half of the six big noble families declared support for Edelgard. Hubert's dad was assassinated, Bernie's dad is under house arrest and his wife is siding with Edelgard in his stead, and Ferdie's dad his been stripped of his PM position, his rank, and his lands.

Huh, a bunch of the church units auto-recruited.

You can recruit Hilda here, though I don't have enough of... probably axe ranks.

Dimitri has mysteriously come to the conclusion that Edelgard is responsible for Duscur. The month before, his explore dialogue was about how he hasn't been sleeping.

Anyway, time to kill off some children. I want no one coming to the promise day.

It is unexpectedly hard. Normal mode is so easy you have to be trying to lose on purpose, and even then it's hard to do.

The battle starts with the enemy already within the walls (Outer Wall on the map location). The Church is holding out for reinforcements that come in through the left and right entrances, but they are first taken by Imperial forces (Death Knight on the left, Hubert on the right), which have to be cleared out.

There are "Onagers" (basically catapults) that archers can use to fire in the town and "Fire Orbs" that mages can use next to the monastery inner walls.

There are two Winged Demonic Beasts with the Imperial forces. They have creepy masks and hold "Pointy Art(ificial) Crest Stones" which are "artificial Crest Stones with a distorted shape, produced in the Empire." They have enormous wings that are even a barrier ability (lol) and are noted as being very swift.

Rhea's class is Archbishop, she's using the Sword of Seiros (which is also mentioned in the class description lol) and Seiros Shield (interesting point: halves monster damage). She's got A in sword, reason, faith, and leadership, B in fists, but nothing in axes or bows, and only a D in lances. Her abilities include Sacred Power (gives boost to allies and lowers damage taken) and Charm. Walking buff point, I see.

After we repel them, Edelgard sends in the reserve troops and signals Arundel (Thales). (He comes in with more Demonic Beasts and also attacks Byleth and Rhea with dark magic... in his real form lmao, wonder if anyone noticed how their commander changed out for another dude somewhere along the line.)

I saw this before, but why does Claude fight with a sword in cutscenes? Sword here and sword in the Fort Mercius scene against Nader too. Also, funny that he and Dimitri are hanging out together for some reason.

Note that Byleth swings and extends the Sword of the Creator with enough force to shatter a Demonic Beast's mask and bodily throw it off the Immaculate One. Like, dang... those things are big and heavy??