#for the record this is not in reference to that one post I haven't even seen it

[skittlesking]

Have a drawing I stayed up to make to express some feelings I've been having

[that-satireguy]

Ok, so not even getting into everything insane about the whole 'forcemasc is a mockery of forcefem 'thing, I just want to address something, using this post, which i think is an interesting example.

So, clearly, this creator is speaking largely about the trans community when referring to the 'queer community', (mentioning t4t, forcemasc/forcefem, and gender affirmation).

Now, this idea that everything in the trans community came from transfems and trans women is pretty popular, and based in the fact that the majority of openly trans people, trans communities, trans people in activism, for much of recorded history were/made up of transfems.

What i struggle with, is the fact that someone can argue 'most openly trans people were transfeminine people', and also not acknowledge that this was... not transmascs choice?

I mean typically speaking, you can't argue 'majority of [community] was defined by, spearheaded by and revolved around [half of community]' and that theres a problem with the less represented, more history wiped, less common [half of the community] building stuff for themselves.

Its... not transmascs fault that they haven't been able to popularise any terms, make their own communities, be present in campaigning, explore their kinks, and set their boundaries until pretty recently*.

You do know thats not their fault right?

I mean transmascs have only recently been able to be openly out at the same 1:1 ratio as transfems*, is it really a surprise that their language developed later, and may be seen to be 'copied' off transfems?

We should be studying the reasons why transmasculine people appear to be one of the most stunted groups in the queer community at having their own spaces, terms, even medical care and representation in the public.

Not blaming them for it.

**Worth noting that this is Western focused. In the rest of the world transmascs still have not reached even close to a 1:1 ratio and still the majority of trans communities outside of the west do not include transmascs/are extremely heavily transfem

[marzipanandminutiae]

I've gotten some interesting responses to my post wondering if Um Actually 3 AM Is The REAL Time For Supernatural Occurrences was a traditional thing before I first noticed it in the creepypasta boom of the late 00s-2010s, as many of those creepypastas claimed. some of them along "guys. please. reading comprehension" lines, I admit

"Lots of cultures have a Witching Hour!" yes, true, but that's not 3 AM specifically. for a long time it was usually midnight, or an unspecified late night/wee hours of the morning period

"This author says 3 AM feels like depression or vice versa!" that is not about Spooky Things Happening; try again

"early Christian beliefs say-" "well, in traditional Japanese folklore-" sources??? (also from what I've seen while looking into this, the Hour of the Ox in historical Japanese timekeeping was between 1 AM and 3 AM- 3 AM specifically was the end of it, not the beginning. but it was a traditional time for curses)

A mention of 3 AM as a particularly bad time of night re: health, sleep, nightmares, etc. in Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962), which DOES seem reliable and close enough to what I'm talking about

Apparently the 1974 Amityville murders happened at 3 AM, and of course that house had a highly public (probably faked) haunting. So that could have contributed

I haven't yet found anything earlier than that Bradbury reference that SPECIFICALLY mentions 3 AM as a time when scary and/or supernatural things happen, WITH ACTUAL SOURCES

Interestingly, the Bradbury quote doesn't seem to refer back to an existing cultural belief in the idea of Evil 3 AM(TM). rather it's framed as the narrator's personal feelings around that particular time of night:

"Oh God, midnight’s not bad, you wake and go back to sleep, one or two’s not bad, you toss but sleep again. Five or six in the morning, there’s hope, for dawn’s just under the horizon. But three, now, Christ, three A.M.! Doctors say the body’s at low tide then. The soul is out. The blood moves slow. You’re the nearest to dead you’ll ever be save dying. Sleep is a patch of death, but three in the morn, full wide-eyed staring, is living death! You dream with your eyes open. God, if you had strength to rouse up, you’d slaughter your half-dreams ... And wasn’t it true, had he read somewhere, more people in hospitals die at 3 A.M. than at any other time." [I can't find any credible studies of this, for the record]

so it seems like the seeds of the idea were floating around in the cultural consciousness for a long time, between unspecified Witching Hours and the Hour of the Ox curses and this probably erroneous but popular belief that most people who die in hospitals do so at 3 AM. but as for the very strictly-defined notion that Supernatural Things Are Most Likely To Happen At 3 AM...the earliest anecdotal reference I saw to someone having heard that was from the 1980s, and it doesn't seem to have really entered the zeitgeist with force until the late 2000s, earliest

unless someone shows me a source on something earlier, that's what I'm going with

which leaves my takeaway, as a paranormal believer, being: there's nothing supernaturally special about 3 AM, unless it has individual significance to a specific entity or haunting (ie residual apparition of an event that took place at that time). it's something people came up with for interesting fiction, as a fresh take on the longstanding western idea that the Witching Hour is midnight, and not even that long ago

[thelionandtheeagle]

Re: Knight Terrors - Robin #2

There is so much here I could talk about, it's hard to even pick/ decide where to start. I guess I'll just say this up front: I really didn't like the first issue, and while I still have some minor gripes with this second one, it was overarchingly damn good and I'm ridiculously excited that Tim and Jason were finally allowed again to have an interaction that makes sense for them, given their past history. It's been 84 years I swear.

Now without further ado:

1)

The way they see themselves and each other.

This excerpt goes perfectly with a different post I was working on, talking about what happened at Titans Tower.

(Jason narrating, referring to Tim; Teen Titans 2003 #29)

Tim chronically suffers from imposter syndrome. He's constantly doubting himself. But Jason has always believed, known, that Tim is good at what he does. And over time his conviction in regards to it has only grown stronger. Jason's high opinion of Tim's capabilities is actually part of the reason he was so hurt about being "replaced" by Tim, specifically.

(Jason talking to Tim during Robin War; Red Hood/Arsenal 2015 #7)

Jason has always seen Tim as better than himself. All the while Tim has struggled to feel capable of living up to Jason's legacy. But Tim still took up the mantle because he cared and he had to try. And Jason recognizes that.

(Tim talking at a portrait of Jason, Secret Origins 2014 #3)

(Red Hood/Arsenal 2015 #37)

(Red Hood and the Outlaws 2011 #8)

In summary for this section: Tim and Jason tend to think lowly of themselves, but highly of each other. There's mutual respect and understanding. That's at the very core of their relationship and Knight Terrors showcases that beautifully.

2)

Another great thing about their dynamic that gets shown off in this issue is that they make a damn good team and enjoy working together.

throughout the issue

(Tim narrating, Teen Titans 2011 #16)

(We are Robin 2015 #7)

3)

Last but not least, we get some delightfully, painfully, tender moments.

Jason wishes for someone to count on. And Tim is right there for him. Which gets heavily doubled down on at the end of the issue:

Tim is always ready to work with Jason, to lend a hand, to be there for him-

- and Jason trusts Tim with his life.

Which, speaking of life...

After waking up, Jason tries to get in contact with Tim and when he can't, we see how devastate he is, thinking something went wrong. Ouch.

In conclusion: I was worried going in, with DC's track record lately, but I can happily say I was beyond pleasantly surprised. This feels like a return to form, and I pray we'll get more content featuring these two in the near future. If you haven't checked it out yourself yet, I highly recommend reading this issue.

Thanks for listening <3 I know this was a lot hah

[ollyissleepy]

𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞

pairings: jason todd x ftm!reader summary: where jason finds out something his partner burrowed deep inside. tags: coming out, mentions bad dating experience, transphobia, lowkey sappy but who cares, jason loves his partner no matter what cw: implied transphobia, body dysphoria, (name)'s previous relationship were shitty a/n: 'i'll post it on saturday!' my ass anyway I used (deadname) on purpose in this one, hoping to highlight that reader hasn't came out yet and that's it's the name Jason uses in his thoughts

It's a quiet night in Gotham, making it rather boring for the infamous Red Hood. He rests on top of a roof of one of the buildings, scanning the area below for any crimes. There's nobody on the streets, not even a thug causing trouble. Red Hood should be thankful for the much-needed break from fighting, the lingering sting of his healing wounds still present. However, he finds himself wishing for a fight, something that would allow him to take his mind off the current state of his relationship.

Lately things have been off between him and (deadname). There's some sort of coldness coming from his partner. He can't really think of a reason as to why she would be acting that way. Jason hasn't done anything that could've upset her, or at least he can't think of anything.

As he stares down onto the empty street, Red Hood can't help but think about his partner's recent reaction. The way she almost flinches away when he refers to her as his 'pretty girl'. Or how she stopped wearing most of her feminine clothing. And he couldn't forget the way she seemed repulsed by the idea of having sex with him. Has she lost interest in him? Is there someone else who caught (deadname)'s interest?

Jason decides that Gotham could survive one night without him and starts heading towards his partner's flat. He needed to get to the bottom of the problem before he started spiralling. The man uses the fire escape to get back down to ground level, jogging up to his motorcycle.

His partner's apartment isn't far, and, thanks to cutting some red lights, Jason manages to get there in record-worthy time. Hopping off his bike, he makes his way up the fire escape, a part of him hoping that his partner is asleep. Red Hood has no trouble finding the right window, as he regularly climbs through it after patrols.

Jason finds (deadname) in the living area of the flat, watching what looks like some sort of documentary. He sneaks behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. (Deadname) tenses up, caught off guard. She looks down at the arms around her, recognising the jacket surrounding them.

"Jason? What are you doing here?" (deadname) turns her head around. "I thought you were patrolling late tonight."

"Yeah, I was, but there's nothing going on." Jason lets go of her arms and joins her on the couch. "I'm sure Gotham can survive one night without me, pretty girl."

(Deadname) scowls slightly at the nickname, which doesn't go unnoticed by Jason. Neither does the way (deadname) moved away, avoiding eye contact with the man. Red Hood sighs, deciding to not beat around the bush and find out what is wrong with their relationship.

"Listen, (deadname)." Jason doesn't know how to approach the subject without looking like a total arsehole. "Is there… something you want to talk about?"

"There's nothing wrong," (deadname) said, avoiding eye contact. Jason knew she was lying from the way she hadn't met his eyes and the way she played with the hem of her shirt.

"(Deadname), I know that something is wrong." Jason reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. "Just tell me what it is. I'm sure we can work through this."

"There's… something I haven't told you about," (deadname) confesses, her eyes looking everywhere but at her boyfriend.

Jason doesn't say anything, not wanting to pressure her. He moves his body slightly, his hand cupping hers. The man is trying to reassure (deadname), make her feel safe. His partner stays quiet for a while, still deciding if confessing that is worth it.

"I'm trans. Transgender, I mean." Jason's partner lets out a shaky breath, refusing to look at him, not wanting to see the look on his face. "I knew for a while too; sorry."

Jason doesn't say anything right away, trying to process what his partner just said. His mind already accepted that they might no longer love him, so learning that it wasn't the case required him time to allow it to sink in.

"It's ok if you no longer want to be with me—" his partner started speaking, but Jason stopped them from finishing.

"Quit with the bullshit." His voice came out sharper than he intended; he couldn't believe they thought of him that way. "You really think I'll break up with you because of that?"

"Well… that's how all of my previous relationships ended…" His partner finally looks up at him, their hand playing with his.

"Not my fault your type are arseholes," Jason snorts, hoping to lighten up the tension. "I mean, look at me."

His partner nods as they continue to play with his hand. It wasn't the outcome they were expecting. In the past there was no acceptance; there were no soft eyes when their exes were looking at them. And, most importantly, none of them tried to make them feel better. Jason leans in, cupping one of their cheeks, caressing it softly.

"My feeling towards you won't change," Jason confesses, bringing his lips close to theirs, inches away from touching. "I don't care if you're a girl or a boy. As long as I get to call you mine by the end of the day? It's more than enough for me."

[diardri]

Dia's FFXIV Art Reference Notes, A possibly long post

Hello! I made this as a thread on my twitter but I might as well post a version of it here. For the record this will be a thread linking to the resources I use when drawing commissions or fanart, I have not made Any of these and whenever I can I will note the creators and link directly to their resources.

GPose Reference First and foremost, if you're drawing a WOL or ordering a commission of your WOL the most important thing is to take a proper reference GPOSE. I use the method in this post, to make sure I got all the angles. Clean refs are super important when drawing armor/intricate outfits so take care to take simple standing poses like the one in the tweet above. Cool dynamic poses might be fun but they're not really useful for referencing.

Gear/Weapon Reference

If you need good references for a weapon/outfit that you don't have a GPOSE for, I recommend using the attire website

This is a japanese website maintained by @/chiyo_asa on twitter and if you've ever looked up a piece of gear in the lodestone you've almost definitely come across their pictures.

This is a super rough translation in english of the menu of the website. While it is in Japanese it's very easy to navigate and all the pictures in the site are super high quality and very useful for referencing.

This is my number one source for gear references I haven't taken myself

The "mirapuri" button afaik is for glams they made themselves that they want to showcase.

An important note about this site specifically is that I believe it's currently undergoing an overhaul so Some weapons/gearsets might not be completely transferred in yet.

That being said, the majority of sets from dungeons/crafting/alliance raids/job gear sets etc are sorted like so, which makes it super easy to look for.

There IS also a search function but I'm pretty sure it works only for japanese input.

NPC reference sheets

@xivrefsheets Offers really detailed resources of npc models. They also occasionally accept requests on their ko-fi (closed at the time of writing this)

These are super useful and really high quality, especially for some of the boss refs they've done. As someone who doesn't use anamnesis I go back to their refs very often

Convocation of the Fourteen refs

Maintained by @/Igeyorhm on twitter this site has a nice list of Ascian refs per character in addition to some lore bits for each of them. Also some very useful closeups of the Ascian clothes.

Even more NPC and Boss Refs

I believe maintained by @/MlNRATHOUS on twitter, this site has a really nice array of major NPC and boss references in various angles and with colourpicks for skintone and hair which is super useful. I use them a Lot

Lalafell centric refs

Norirow Note is a super cute blog that showcases glam items/ weapons/ chocobo barding and more.

It is NOT meant to be an art reference, however if you play a lala like me, I find their showcases useful when drawing gear on lalas.

Even if you don't use it as an art ref it's a super cute blog that's just fun to go through AND fully translated in english so I recommend just having a fun time reading through it anyway.

Bonus- Au Ra Scales.

I literally found out about this today but @/saficchi on twitter has made a super detailed angled ref sheet for both male and female au ra scales and I love them for it

Bonus 2 electric boogaloo- TextTools

I use this to import 3d models of specific weapons into CSP if I'm drawing them.

I don't know how useful this is for other art software but it's saved my ass from freehanding titania weapons so in the thread it goes

That's the full list of refs I personally use, if there's more that people want to add please feel free to do so in the comments. I hope it helps people out in their creative endeavors!

[telomeke]

MY GOLDEN BLOOD – EPISODE 4 IS REALLY AN HOMAGE TO BAD BUDDY

I haven't seen anyone post about this yet, so I'm just going to dive right in… After watching Episode 4 of My Golden Blood, I'm absolutely convinced the writers were winking left, right and center at Bad Buddy. 😂

Yes, I know this sounds like more BBS brainrot talking, but there are just too many parallels in MGB Ep.4 for me to think otherwise. I also didn't notice any obvious BBS nudge-nudge wink-wink in Episodes 1 to 3, which makes the concentration of parallels in Ep.4 simply too much to be mere coincidence.

So what are these call-outs to BBS? Here are some I've found.

First of all – surprise! Guess who's your neighbor across the corridor:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.28 – Tong points at Mark after discovering he’s staying across the corridor; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [2/4] 4.56 – Pat and Pran point at each other after discovering they’re dorm neighbors (and across a passageway too)

‌

And looming large over the drama – big jocks with scent kinks:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 1.54 – Mark inhales the Golden Scent suffused in Tong's t-shirt; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.3 [3‌/4] 5.04 – Pat beams after inhaling some Eau de Pran in the music shop

‌

And then there's the laundry reference punchline:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 2.01 – Tong blames the fabric softener after Mark exposes how besotted he is with Tong's Golden Sex Pheromones; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.3 [3‌/4] 5.16 – Pat follows up his "You smell good" with a request for a bewildered Pran to do his laundry (not realizing that it's Pran's special sauce he really likes, rather than his detergent or softener)

‌

There's the gloaty mid-game clinch, more sensual than sporty (with white bandanas as a bonus):

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [2/4] 9.07 – Mark smirks as he tightly shadows Tong on the basketball court; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 3.44 – Pat smirks as his plan to waylay Pran with a full-body grapple on the rugby pitch pays off (explanation linked here)

‌

There's Tong's Friendship Checklist v. Pa's Love Guru Signs:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [1‌/4] 8.26 – Tong's Friendship Checklist; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [2/4] 2.17 – Pa dispenses Love Guru advice, starting with the first of her Telltale Signs

‌

Sandwich desire as sublimation of lust for the sandwich-maker:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [1‌/4] 10.52 – Mark (who isn't supposed to be able to taste anything, nor even need to eat) asks a befuddled Tong for his sandwiches; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [1‌/4] 2.01 – Pat unconsciously casts himself in the role of a romantic partner while munching on the sandwich he stole from Pran

‌

University project work based on an alliance uneasily forged – with one member also secretly undercover:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [1‌/4] 5.03 – somehow Mark, Tonkla and Tong end up in the same group project; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [1‌/4] 1.20 – the Archi and Engine gangs discuss their joint project to resurrect the bus-stop they wrecked

‌

The Kiss that comes unexpectedly early in the series:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [4/4] 11.49 – Mark, unable to fight primal urges more powerful than he, plants a big one on Tong; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 12.16 – PatPran give in to their long-suppressed passions and break all BL records in the process

‌

Domestic BL boys go supermarket shopping:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 4.24 – Tong and Mark with their shopping cart on their way to the car; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.10 [3‌/4] 19.30 – Pran and Pat with their shopping cart on their way to the car

‌

Ketchup-laden sausage snackery that hints of duplicity:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 5.51 – Nakan nibbles on Tonkla’s sausage sampler, red ketchup dripping from his lips boding ominously for Tonkla’s storyline; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.8 [1‌/4] 3.24 – Pran smears ketchup on his lips with Pat’s morning wiener before going on kissy attack

‌

"Don't bother knocking; I was already waiting for you":

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 3.15 – Mark opens his door before Tong has a chance to knock; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.3 [4/4] 6.44 – Pat opens his door before Pran has a chance to knock

‌

There’s also drink-gifting across the divide:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 3.31 – Tong offers Mark a box of his favorite tomato juice in the corridor; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.2 [1‌/4] 10.26 – Pran crosses the boundary with Oishi Vitamin C Song Roy Percent green tea

‌

Big blasé boy invades his honey’s apartment and infringes on his personal bubble:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [1‌/4] 7.09 – Tong pleads with Mark for more personal space; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [1‌/4] 13.21 – Pran pleads with Pat to end his apartment incursion

‌

And even song lyrics that echo each other:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [4/4] 12.28 – a clip from Mark’s theme; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.8 [3‌/4] 10.57 – a clip from Pat’s theme

‌

While dining in public – one gets all worked up over being noticed, while the other doesn’t care:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [1‌/4] 5.53 – Tong admonishes Mark for attracting attention; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.3 [1‌/4] 6.51 – Pat chides Pran for worrying about them being seen together

‌‌

A rendezvous in the library:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 9.15 – Mark fixates on the Golden Moistness of Tong’s lips, while a book on the library shelf captions their biological differences and the unspoken words between them struggle to be made clear; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 6.16 – Pran teases Pat in the South Technology Library with bodily closeness and innuendo between the lines

‌

"We have the same taste in books!"

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 9.36 – Tong blocks Mark’s attempted kiss with his favorite novel (that Mark also knows and tries to quote from), quite literally echoing how Mark’s pride and Tong’s prejudice continue to come between them; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [1‌/4] 13.31 – Pat is delighted to find that Pran owns the exact comic book that he wants to read

‌

Food/drinks that look like they should be product placement, but really aren't: 🤣

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [4/4] 11.12 – Tong takes a sip of Mark’s juice; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [2/4] 9.28 – Pran munches on toast with his favorite condensed milk on the tabletop

‌

Smirks and bare-bodied teasing:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [4/4] 8.28 – Tong and Mark re-enact the age-old gay men’s code of sidelong glances and knowing smiles in the shower room; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [2/4] 2.57 – Bet Era Pat tries to turn Pran’s head with the help of water and shirtlessness

‌

Still on the same topic, resident hunk questions his life choices in the shower: 🤣

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 10.48 – Mark contemplates his existence stripped bare; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 6.31 – Pat tries to clear his mind even as he cleanses his physical self

‌

Egos unchecked, as pointed out by their less prideful counterparts:

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [2/4] 7.01; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.8 [2/4] 3.22

‌

They also have favorite t-shirts!

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 1.10 – Tong tells Mark about his favorite Pirates t‑shirt; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.4 [4/4] 11.03 – Pat discovers his favorite tee

‌

Crimson roses! (OK this one is probably just a coincidence): 🤣

(top) My Golden Blood Ep.4 [3‌/4] 0.58 – crimson roses on Tong’s favorite t-shirt; (bottom) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 6.04 – a crimson rose adorns Pran’s favorite condensed milk

‌

If there were only a few parallels, I could chalk it up to coincidence (you know BL series do like to rehash tropes). But there are so many, and I think it can't be just chance anymore.

A lot of MGB Episode 4 was about Tong trying make new friends of strangers, when he already had a greatly-familiar and amply-qualified candidate (Mark) applying for the job.

And this echoes both Bad Buddy's Thai title (แค่เพื่อนครับเพื่อน, roughly translated to "I'm just a friend, buddy") and all of its ensuing Friend/Unfriend discourse, as well as BBS Pat needing to discover that the one he was searching for was right there beside him all along.

I’m guessing the writers of My Golden Blood recognized these links to BBS, and then went on to pepper the narrative with tons of other references as well.

Clown theorizing again! I'll see myself out... 🤣

‌

[niteshade925]

April 14, Xi'an, China, Shaanxi History Museum, Qin and Han Dynasties Branch (Part 2 - Daily Life, Societal Structure, and Culture):

This is one of the undisputed stars of the museum, the “Strange Golden Creature” (no joke, that's literally what's on the plaque), unearthed in Shaanxi Province in 1957. The reason for this name is probably because archaeologists haven't figured out what mythical creature this is supposed to be. It does seem to be from the ancient Xiongnu culture and appears to be a "chimera" of sorts, in the sense that it combines the general body of a deer, multiple birds (17 total; most are part of the antlers), and the branches of a tree. This artifact is one of my favorites, and showcases the advanced gold-working techniques of the ancient Xiongnu people. I can already imagine this mythical creature in a painting (although I suck at painting lol).

A yubi/玉璧, or jade disk, decorated with gu pattern/谷纹 (谷 means "grains"), this is because these patterns resemble sprouting rice kernels.

Han dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD) era jade cicada amulets (玉蝉). Cicadas symbolize "rebirth" into a new form (specifically becoming a xian/仙 immortal) in Chinese mythology, since they burrow beneath the ground as nymphs and re-emerge before moulting into their adult forms. There's a sentence in the biography of Qu Yuan/屈原 (the guy whose death was said to be the reason why Duanwu Festival/端午节 and zongzi/粽子 exist) from Records of the Grand Historian/《史记》 that gives an idea on what cicadas represent:

"Standing in muck yet can cleanse himself (referring to Qu Yuan) of it, like a cicada emerging from muddy filth, able to fly above and remain unsullied by worldly dust, persisting in its innocence despite it all." (濯淖汙泥之中，蟬蛻於濁穢，以浮游塵埃之外，不獲世之滋垢，皭然泥而不滓者也。)

There are two types of cicada amulets, the ones with holes are meant to be worn as jewelry, and ones without holes are meant to be placed in the mouth of the deceased before burial, so that the deceased can become a xian immortal after death.

Left: jade decor piece, not sure what it was a part of. Right: the decorated jade pommel of a sword.

A Han-era painted clay statue of a sitting woman. As mentioned in an earlier post, this sitting position is called jizuo/跽坐. Sitting like this on cushions or on specialized T-shaped stools called zhizhong/支踵 (designed in such a way that one is basically sitting on the stool and not on one's legs) was the proper formal sitting posture, until chairs were popularized post-Tang dynasty (618 - 907 AD). Before then people used beds as chairs.

Han-era painted pottery figurines of entertainers

An arrangement of pottery models and figurines that shows life in the courtyard of a residence in Han dynasty:

Pottery figurine of a chef/butcher (this type of figurines is called paochuyong/庖厨俑). I think that thing on the table is a......fish?

Left: pottery model of a stove. Right: pottery model of a mill

Painted pottery models of areas on farms and painted pottery figurines of domestic animals. Don't know what those long-necked animals in the pen are supposed to be though......

A life size gilded bronze silkworm. It goes without saying that silkworms were an important part of life in ancient China:

Left: Warring States period (476 - 221 BC) silver sitting deer. Right: a small figurine of a waterfowl eating fish

Diagram of the cattle-drawn ploughs used during Qin and Han dynasties. The 4 line drawings of different ploughs are taken from unearthed stone reliefs depicting daily life:

Eastern Han era (25 - 220 AD) "country estate" (田庄; not sure if "country estate" is the correct translation, but in any case many Chinese terms do not have exact equivalents in English, so even if this is "correct", it's probably the "close enough" translation) structure. This base-level societal structure remains without too much variation throughout the dynasties, and is the reason why people have defined imperial China's social structure as "feudal"--again, not the exact same as feudalism in Europe, since on a general overall political level imperial China (Qin dynasty to Qing dynasty) governs by centralization of power (中央集权制 in Chinese), but imperial China is "feudal" in many ways at the base levels of society, especially in terms of farmers and their relationship with land (their means of production; farmers may not always own their own land and may be forced to work for landlords). Side note: this is why people have proposed the statement "皇权不下县" ("the emperor's powers cannot reach below county level"), why farmers were the main force in many rebellions, and why tax reforms throughout Chinese history also had to do with land ownership (ex: Song dynasty Wang Anshi's Equal Tax Law/方田均税法 and Ming dynasty Zhang Juzheng's Single Whip Reform/一条鞭法; I will be touching on the latter in my future posts on the show Under the Microscope).

Peacock lamp, from the tomb of the famous Eastern Han dynasty official Yang Zhen/杨震:

Map showing the spread of Buddhism and Christianity to different parts of the world by 600 AD:

And lastly, this small part of a wall relief does a great job capturing my mental state after pulling an all-nighter:

[sarafinamk]

Fallen Angel 50 Incorrect Quotes Special

The Smiling Critters Space Riders Au and the character Z belongs to @onyxonline

If you haven't checked out the Fallen Angel (Reader Insert) series, you can check out Part 1 and Part 2 here. You, the reader, will be referred to as both (Y/n) and Archangel.

Right now, I need to focus on writing my thesis paper, so I'm not sure when Part 3 will be posted. In the meantime, enjoy this crackfic as an Easter present. Some quotes will contain slight spoilers for future chapters. 😉 Enjoy.

----------

*During a training session*

Hoppy: Fight me, you nerd ass punk!

Archangel: At least TRY to sound sophisticated when you threaten someone.

Kickin: Dost thou wish to engage in a duel, my good bITCH?!

Archangel: *Facepalms* Somehow, that was worse...

----------

Bobby: Are you having another depressive episode?

Archangel: A depressive episode?

Archangel: I'm having a depressive series and we're just on season one.

--------

Z: What's wrong with you?

Archangel: Off the top of my head, I'd say low self-esteem, a lack of paternal affection, and a genetic predisposition for anxiety and depression.

----------

Crafty: How’s training going?

Archangel: Terrible. I want to stab everybody there.

Crafty: Okay, just don’t get any blood on your clothes.

Bobby: ...you shouldn’t be condoning this.

Crafty: Don’t tell me how to live my life.

----------

Archangel: Yesterday, I overheard the Captain saying “Are you sure this is a good idea?” and Hoppy replying “Trust me,” and I have never moved from one room to another so quickly in my life.

----------

Archangel: Helpful grammar tip: “farther” is for physical distance, “further” is for methaphorical distance, and “father” is for emotional distance!

----------

Archangel: raises eyebrows

Dogday: Put those back down!

----------

Archangel: Problem, I can't tell if this food is over-sauced or undercooked.

Kickin: Solution, just pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. There's at least a 50% chance that'll fix it, right?

Bubba: Result? Food has somehow become unpleasantly soggy and unpleasantly crunchy at the exact same time.

Hoppy: No better time than this to pull out my favorite word! Slunchy!

Picky: …put it away.

----------

Picky: One time I went to hand (Y/n) a bowl of soup. I wanted to say “Careful, it’s hot!”, and “Here’s your soup!”, so instead I blurted out “Careful it’s soup.”

----------

*Preparing for a mission*

Hoppy: Okay, who's turn is it to give the pep talk?

Catnap: It's (Y/n)'s turn.

Archangel: Don't die.

Kickin, wiping a tear away: Truly inspirational.

----------

Archangel: I can't take you seriously wearing that.

Kickin: Aw, you take me seriously at all?

Archangel: Fair point.

----------

Dogday: My level of gay has reached “sighing deeply whenever anything extremely heterosexual happens near me”.

----------

Archangel to Bubba: How do you tell someone politely you want to hit them with a brick?

----------

Dogday: If I say I love you, will you say it back?

Z: Yes.

Dogday: I love you.

Z: It back.

*Later*

Archangel: Why is the Captain crying face-down on the floor?

----------

*the Space Riders at Disneyland, in the teacups*

Crafty, Bobby, Bubba, and Picky: *spinning a little and talking*

Dogday, Catnap, Kickin, and Hoppy: *flying past them, spinning as fast as they can, screaming*

----------

Hoppy: I've done a lot of dumb stuff.

Dogday: I witnessed the dumb stuff.

Catnap: I recorded the dumb stuff.

Kickin: I joined you in the dumb stuff.

Archangel: I TRIED TO STOP YOU FROM DOING THE DUMB STUFF!

----------

Archangel: This is a bad idea.

Hoppy: Then why are you coming along?

Archangel: Someone has to get your injured ass home.

----------

Archangel: I feel awful about killing you.

Z:

Archangel: Even though technically you never even died, so I don’t know what you’re bitching about.

----------

Dogday: Hoppy, don’t go picking a fight with (Y/n). Don’t forget, they’re powerful, they could make life difficult for you.

Hoppy: Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life.

----------

Dogday: I’m so happy both angels are getting along now.

Catnap: Uh, Z and (Y/n) are not getting along.

Dogday: They’re not trying to kill each other.

Catnap: You may have a point.

----------

Archangel: The universe is cold and unfeeling. The only constant is chaos.

Picky: Was Kissy's place out of chocolate-chip pancakes again?

----------

Kickin: Yeah, I find it quite emotional. In like a cool way.

Archangel: Did you just say it makes you cry in a cool way?

----------

Archangel, proudly: I slept.

Catnap: Is that so much of a rare thing that you have to say it?

----------

Archangel: You're a lying piece of shit!

Hoppy: Oh yeah? You're the idiot that thinks you can get away with everything you do, WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD!

Dogday: I'm leaving and I'm taking Catnap with me!

Bubba, gathering cards: Aaaaand that's enough Monopoly for today.

----------

Poppy: It’s funny how well you and the Archangel get along. Didn’t they hate you at first?

Dogday: (Y/n) hates everybody at first. It’s their way of reaching out to people.

----------

Bobby: lifting weights

Kickin: Wow… She's so intense!

Archangel: I wonder what drives her.

Bobby, internally: Oh I am going to be SO good at giving hugs.

----------

*First two chapters of "Fallen Angel" summarized*

Archangel: I'm allergic to death.

----------

Archangel: Hoppy, I don’t think I can handle any more of your tomfuckery.

Hoppy: Oh yeah? Well I can keep going until you’re all tomfuckered out!

----------

Hoppy: (Y/n), what are you doing tomorrow?

Archangel: Having my day ruined by whatever you’re about to ask me to do.

----------

Archangel: Someone will die.

Dogday: Of fun!

----------

Something crashes

Hoppy: Shoot-

Bobby: running into the room in a panic WHAT FELL?!

Archangel: walking by the room calmly What died?

----------

Archangel: Can you be serious for five minutes?

Kickin: My record is four, but I think I can do it.

----------

Someone with a gun to Archangel's head: What happens if I pull this trigger? Heaven?

Archangel: Bold of you to assume I'll go to Heaven.

----------

Catnap: I like to play this game called nap roulette. I take a nap and don’t set an alarm. Will it be 20 min or 4 hours? Nobody knows. It’s risky and I like it.

----------

Z: When did you become a hero?

Archangel: Um… the moment I saved you from getting killed.

Z: You’re the last person in the galaxy I wanted to rescue me.

Archangel: Well… sucks to be you, don’t it.

----------

Bubba: It’s just that lollipop sticks last longer than the head, even if they’re less flavorful. I’m thinking of paper sticks, because you can peel off the layers with your teeth or leave it there until they fall off naturally, but plastic sticks can be chewed on too or left sticking out like a cigarette. Paper straws can be eaten layer by layer over time though, so they have the edge.

Hoppy, bored: Can’t we just leave while he's distracted?

Archangel, genuinely interested: But what about wooden sticks?

Hoppy: I hate you.

----------

Archangel: I am convinced the Captain and Catnap share a brain cell.

Archangel: And it's not in use very often, it seems.

----------

Archangel: Why am I the bad guy?

Kickin: I don't know, why am I the pretty one? We all have our thing.

----------

Archangel: We’re having a moment, aren’t we?

Z: If by 'a moment' you mean me not wanting to strangle you for the first time since we met, then I guess we are.

----------

Kickin: Dumbest scar stories, go!

Picky: I burned my tongue once drinking tea.

Crafty: I dropped a hair dryer on my leg once and it burned.

Bubba: I have a piece of graphite in my leg for accidentally stabbing myself with a pencil in the first grade.

Bobby: I was taking a cup of noodles out of the microwave and spilled it in my hand and I got a really bad burn.

Archangel: I have emotional scars.

----------

Dogday: What leaves a bigger memory than a passionate kiss?

Archangel: A stab wound.

----------

Archangel: I sense hostility.

Z: Good, because I hate you.

----------

Archangel: slams down an absolute doorstopper of a tome I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading.

Hoppy: This is light?!

----------

Archangel: What’s up with the Captain? He's been laying on the floor for like….an hour now?

Bobby: He's just a little overwhelmed.

Archangel: Why?

Catnap: Z smiled at him.

----------

Literally anyone: Go to hell!

Archangel: Where do you think I come from?

----------

Hoppy: Just trust me. Have I ever put you in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation?

Archangel: All the time.

Hoppy: Then you should be used to it by now.

----------

Archangel: I’m so tired.

Bubba: Did you get to bed late?

Archangel: No.

Bubba: Did you do something strenuous?

Archangel: No.

Bubba: Then why are you tired?

Archangel: I’m alive.

Bubba: Sounds exhausting.

----------

Archangel: Dear Diary, my teen angst bullshit has a body count.

----------

A cult member: Didn't you die?!

Archangel: That was weeks ago. Things change.

----------

Archangel: I’d kill someone if you asked me to.

Dogday: I’m pretty sure you’d kill someone even if I didn’t ask you to.

[probably-catherine-clover]

Time traveler: *steps on a butterfly*

The timeline:

For the thousandth time, "system" is and always has been exclusive to people with an actual disorder.

I remember seeing the moment right here on Tumblr when this attempted changeover started. About eight years ago, a user by the name of @water-hen made a post claiming that "system" has been used for over a hundred years to refer to collections of identities that weren't what we now call DID. It was debunked almost immediately, but endos didn't care. That misinformation spread like a flood, and now here we are. Leave terms alone.

#syscourse #terminology turf war

Looks like the memory discourse is starting up again. How many times do I have to go to bat for Grey Faction before you people listen?

#syscourse #memory wars

This marketing job sucks. Sometimes I think I should've gone into teaching.

listen up you fucking newbies. i'm here to set the record straight. this whole "systems are disordered" bullshit? yeah, that's getting old. real fast. like, do you even know what you're talking about? probably not.

if you haven't got years of medical education, actual published papers, and a university friend who's seen you stay up so late it makes their head spin, then shut the fuck up. you're not an expert. you're just stupid. you're just "having a mood". get over yourselves.

i'm tired of seeing these "sysmed" and "plurality positive" debates. there's no debate. there's reality and there's your delusional bullshit. if you're more than one, you're a system. period.

i'm here to call out the science deniers, the trenders, and the attention-seekers. if you don't like it, block me. i don't care. i'm here to protect systems from being deluded by your bullshit.

you want to be part of something? join a fucking book club. stop criticizing an identity you clearly don't understand.

and yeah, i'm busting open the gates with a fucking hammer. someone has to.

#syscourse #systemtalk #discourse #gatekeeping #plurality #sysmed

reminder that "endos" will NEVER be valid!! they are ableist!!

you are wrong :)

FUCK OFF COSMO

womp womp

#syscourse #sysmeds are wrong

You can never know whether someone on the internet is faking, no matter how obvious you think it is. You will never know someone else's full story, especially from just a few social media posts.

#syscourse #anti fakeclaiming

"Tuplas" are the most evil thing that sysblr has ever invented.

Maybe I'm just biased because I was personally affected, but if it's not #1, it's close. I was almost convinced me into the delusion that I had a "headmate". Absolutely disgusting behavior. Sometimes I still think I hear her voice for a second before I snap myself back to reality. This lie has caused unimaginable damage to hundreds of people, at least.

Even leaving aside the obvious ableism of claiming to voluntarily create an alter, you've basically got this group of people at critical mass training each other to go deeper and deeper into psychosis. Sooner or later, they will all be in a psych ward.

Yeah, I got sucked into it for a while too. Really gross that it's still going. It should've died years ago, it's just mass hysteria. I really hope most of them are roleplaying, because genuinely believing it's real causes serious, possibly permanent, psychological damage.

Some great people in my life were able to guide me back to normalcy. Somehow, The Doctor was the easiest to get rid of. Just, poof, gone. I still feel some tension with others I used to believe were there, but at least I can watch one of my favorite shows in peace.

I can't wait for the Stanford Tulpa Study to finally be published so I can dunk on all of your anti bullshit. Your opinion changes nothing, tulpas are real ❤️

That Stanford "Study" is run by abusive nutjobs. They trapped me in a metal tube for an HOUR and ran VERY loud machinery RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEAD!!!

#syscourse #tuplacourse #stanford study

Never got into it. People read and talked about it a lot when I was in school, but the covers always creeped me out too much for me to start.

#animorphs

sysmeds are wrong, cry about it

#sysmed #anti endo #syscourse

Just got some excellent new carpet for my living room floor. I love how the color matches our curtains :)

#carpet

Religious appropriation is just such a fun hobby for y'all, isn't it?

Doesn't even matter which religion, anything is up for grabs!

Equating the Holy Trinity--you know, God, the creator of the Universe, ruler of mankind--to a mental disorder is ridiculous, disgusting, and heresy. Santa Claus won't just fill your stockings with coal, he'll punch you in the face for that.

I could leave it there, but the fakers won't stop, so why should I?

Firstly, it is Church doctrine that the true nature of the Holy Trinity can never be fully understood by us mortals. We can make tentative analogies, but every claim of full knowledge always leads to some kind of heresy. Tritheism, Modalism, Partialism... these are works of the Devil.

And now all these retarded teenagers on the internet with their self-diagnosed multiple personality disorder think they've got it all figured out. They've taken a mental disorder--which as a reminder is itself a corruption of the Devil, and this one particularly so as it blinds the victim to the unity of the soul--and made it their model for the structure of God Almighty. Worse perversion of the Holy Trinity could only be imagined coming from the Satanic Temple itself.

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#christianity #catholicism #syscourse #shitcourse #i wish i had never discovered this awful community #i can't look away #still working on my masterpost about the tupla brainworm

There's been a new wave of insane misinfo from the fakers, so I'm here to clear things up.

"System separation" is not real. Your alters cannot leave your body and materialize in a different one.

Just when the faker community finally seemed like it was starting to die, Noelle's Endo-vasion started this whole new wave of lies.

At least they're more creative now? No, on second thought, I want to go back to when they were boring and textbook. Their creativity would be much better kept on AO3.

The ableist fiction has come back with a vengeance and now I have to spend time explaining that bodies can't materialize out of thin air. The endo propaganda machine just gets more insane with each passing year.

There are several parts to this lie, which I'll tackle point-by-point in the following order:

Alters are separate people.

Alters can go away without fusing.

New bodies can easily materialize.

Anyone can suddenly take on the identity of an alter from another body.

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You are right that system separation isn't real, but not in the way you think.

No one believes anything as you described it. The origin of "system separation" was an endo shitpost making an anime reference, and then you sysmeds removed all the context and hallucinated the rest.

We can't say anything without you exclusionists twisting it into a new thing to be angry about, can we? That is a ridiculous word count spent debunking something that never needed to be debunked in the first place.

Because I know you're gonna make me say it anyway, yes, obviously, there is no possible way for a headmate to leave a system and appear in a brand new body. That's ridiculous on its face.

There is no known mechanism to transfer a "headmate" from "headspace" (which is solely a therapeutic technique) to real life.

That's such weird phrasing. "bYe eVeRYoNe!! i'M gONna gO iNtO tHiS rOoM iN hEaDsPaCE aNd mAGiCaLLy aPPeAR iN tHE phYsiCaL wOrLD!!" To call this a strawman would be an undue compliment to its sturdiness. Your thinking is more accurately described as jello.

#syscourse

I walked into the TARDIS as a joke. What the hell happened

And I think I killed an insect too. By mistake of course.

#timeblr

And now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

[lsd-astronaut]

70s AU Lord of the Rings

Something short loosely based on this post by the lovely @pipis-took :) taking care of my mental health dw guys, i just really wanted to write this

"ARE YOU READY TO ROCK'N'ROLL, PEOPLE!!??"

A dull thud from the other side of the tempered glass was the only answer to Peregrin Took's (Pippin for anyone that had known him for more than five minutes) bold declaration into the mic in front of him. The glare caused by the recording booth's white light—seriously, how many times had he input a suggestion for the studio to change the lights to a warm hue?—made it quite difficult to see what was happening on the other side. He could see arms flailing around, and he smiled thinking "wow, Boromir surely has some groovy dance moves, and we haven't even started playing", but Merry's furrowed eyebrows towards him made the little grin disappear as soon as it had taken form.

Finally, the unsure silence was broken by the crackling of an intercom, and Aragorn's kind, albeit tired, voice made way among Boromir's muffled expletives in the background, who was being barely restrained by Legolas and Gimli.

"Pippin, if you would refrain from screaming into the microphone without prior warning, that would be appreciated—"

His voice was cut short as he was shoved aside by a Boromir that looked seconds away from imploding like a dying star (oh, that could be a nice lyric). He was shouting so loudly, the intercom mic cut at random intervals, leaving many sentences to the receiver's interpretation. "You little fucker... Almost made me... my eardrums fucking explode... this equipment... more valuable... any of you put together!"

"Oh, but I was simply setting the mood, mate!" replied Pippin good-naturedly, as if simply dismissing the validity of any kind of anger towards his person. "Everyone does this in their tracks; think of it as a little gift for the fans." Merry was quickly shaking his head. Whatever for?

"The mood?! For what? May I remind you that the track that we're currently recording is The Edge of Night?"

"A great song if I do say so myself!" Pippin smiled as he took a drag from his fag.

"STOP SMOKING!" Boromir sighed in a great show of restraint, probably aided by Aragorn's calming but brave gesture of putting a hand on his shoulder and lowered his voice. "Look, I've had it with your shit quite enough, I think I've been very patient for you, even with this absolute dogshit of a tracklist you submitted."

"What's wrong with our tracklist?" Pippin gaped at the rest of the band for support, but Merry had busied himself with the tuning of his guitar, and Sam and Frodo were completely useless, oblivious as they were in their private little conversation.

"Oh well, let's see. Track 1: 'Pippin's the Best', Track 2: 'Took Forever', Track 3: 'Peregrin Rules'... Shall I go on?"

Had he not smoked as much pot as he had, maybe Pippin would have blushed in some kind of embarrassment, but his inhibitions and filter were completely down, and thus he truly did not care what this St. Bernard-looking man had to say about him and his artistic choices. Why, he had made reference to the rest of the band in one of the tracks! Fairly benevolent from Peregrin Took, fourth child of Paladin and Eglantine Took, wasn't it?

"Those are just placeholder names! Haven't you seen that before?"

"Oh, yeah? Then why are the supposedly official names crossed out, and your childish ones highlighted in every colour of the rainbow?"

"Duh, because they're pretty?" Pippin took yet another drag. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Boro."

That was it. The straw that broke the camel's back. The drop that tipped the glass of water. Wow, why there were so many phrases for this kind of situation?

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH FROM YOU." Now, not even the Three Hunters, as they liked to be called, could calm the raging man in the other side of the glass. He pointed at Pippin before storming out the studio. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN."

Silence came over the entire recording booth, and Pippin shrugged before turning to his cousin, who was putting his guitar in its case.

"You're gonna kill the guy one of these days, Pip." The younger singer laughed in response. "What is so funny now?"

"Now, now, my dear Merry. I think that hypothetical situation will happen quite soon. This weekend, actually." At his cousin's evident confusion, he rushed to clarify. "Faramir has invited me to have dinner with him and his family."

Merry stopped in his tracks and turned to Pippin in disbelief. "Faramir? That Faramir? You? When? What? How?"

"Oh, you remember that party we were invited to last week by Gondor discography? I will only say that he is a very compelling conversationist, and that the closet in that venue was unexpectedly spacious."

"So, that's why I couldn't hear or see you after an hour. Still, it surprises me that you managed to get him." Merry looked at him like he couldn't believe it even after the explanation, and Pippin scoffed.

"Are you just jealous because you can't get that bird Éowyn?" He put a hand up. "No need to deny it, you're always all over her. At this point, it's getting a bit pathetic. Faramir knows her, maybe he can organise a date for you two."

And with that, Pippin left a speechless (and blushing) Merry, and walked up to Frodo and Sam to discuss the pub itinerary of that night.

Alright, so the band is actually just the four hobbits because like it or not, they're the ones that get the people to listen and watch. Pippin is the singer and the piano (Freddie Mercury who), Merry the guitar, Frodo the bass, and Sam the drums. Boromir is the public relations guy, which means he has to mediate absolutely everything bandwise at the cost of his sanity. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were part of a small band called The Three Hunters, but now they just do sound checking and all that stuff.

Faramir is the director of Gondor Discographies. Pippin is a lucky guy.

Éowyn is part of a very famous duo band? she sings in with Arwen. She thinks Merry is cute, but none of them have the guts to actually confess to each other. Arwen and Aragorn are engaged.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Madoka Magica Ship Analysis - KyouSaya

Based on these two polls [X] [X], I will write an analysis that'll also include how I feel about the ship (similarly to my Digimon shipping game analysis posts).

Disclaimer: I won't claim this to be a conclusive/definitive analysis of all of the ship's aspects. I have watched the original 12-episode-series and movies (including Rebellion), the Magia Record anime and I've read several manga series (the Original, The Different Story, Wraith Arc, Rebellion Story, Oriko Magica, Another Story, Mitakihara Anti-Materials). But I'm aware that I haven't seen/read all of what's out there and am also not thoroughly familiar with the games. Plus, oftentimes, ship dynamics vary depending on which series/timeline you are looking at. I'm fairly certain that thousands of words must have been written about this ship already, better and more elaborate than I probably ever could - so this is going to be my personal take on it.

(Disclaimer 2.0: I may have been a little critical of them by the end of it all, but I tried my best to phrase it all in diplomatic ways! I have no intention of discrediting the ship or anyone who enjoys it, but wanted to put my own perception, interpretation and preference into words.)

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

As one of the - if not the second - most prominent combinations in the entirety of the PMMM franchise, both in terms of canon and promotional/merchandise material, KyouSaya is a ship that should be familiar to the viewer. In the "main storyline", Sayaka Miki and Kyouko Sakura are basically set up as parallels, contrasts, opposing forces that are "actually more similar than they are/at least one of them is capable of admitting (at first)"... As with the majority of PMMM ships, there is a tragic sense of "missed opportunities", "we were so close/almost there" or "wrong place at the wrong time" when it comes to their compatibility - and, just like with HomuMado, it really depends on what "versions" of them you are referring to when estimating whether or not they make a good pair. But, once more, let's start at the beginning:

When they first meet in the main storyline, they immediately clash due to their opposing values, intentions and general approaches of being Magical Girls: Sayaka treats her duty with a sense of moral superiority, she sees herself as a soldier of justice who fights to save others and defeat Witches for the sake of doing "the right/good thing". Kyouko on the other hand appears to fight with selfish ignorance, carelessly stating that she doesn't mind causing human victims by letting familiars grow if it means defeating more Witches and gathering enough Grief Seeds to sustain herself. As she and her approach are being ridiculed by Kyouko, Sayaka's initial response is wrath, hatred - and so, their first encounter ends in a fight, with either of them being perfectly ready to kill the other...

The most tragic aspect of them meeting at this specific moment in time - and also in several other timelines as well - is the fact that their attitudes were shaped by their individual relationships and experiences with Mami AND their respective (outcomes of their) wishes. Sayaka - who had never witnessed Mami's own insecurities and feelings of loneliness - puts Mami on a pedestal of being the perfect Magical Girl. And, even if she was warned by her not to make a wish with the wrong intentions on behalf of someone else, Sayaka's intention is to be a worthy successor to the idealized version of Mami in her head, being "perfect" in her place. Kyouko, as we learn in The Different Story, used to be Mami's disciple, enthusiastic, willing to learn, believing in doing the right thing for the sake of others. But as she had to realize that her wish on behalf of her father (= wishing for people to listen to his preaching properly) turned out to be the downfall of her entire family, she decided to put up a front. Not only did she push her closest friend Mami away - whom she felt was only looking down on her as a weakling -, she also began to fight with reckless abandon and a mask of harshness, only for herself, never to let anyone get close again.

It's this version of Kyouko who sees her "former self" in Sayaka - watching her make the same mistake she used to make, believing in the idealized righteousness of being a Magical Girl, fighting for "good" like the hero in a fairy tale. However, this version of Kyouko - who grew hardened, bitter and ruthless by her experiences and who cannot stand seeing Sayaka like this - isn't capable of reaching through to Sayaka. Because her approach, as much as she may be able to understand her, isn't heard by this version of Sayaka. Whether it's Kyouko's (cruel) teasing or her actually opening up to her, offering her an "apple of wisdom" - Sayaka is bound to reject her, clinging to her unreachable ideal, which is slowly but steadily crumbling;

Because upon learning about what it means to be a Magical Girl, Sayaka continues to fall down the path of despair, losing faith in the world being worth saving; not only does she start to fight with reckless abandon herself (just like Kyouko did), she feels like a "zombie", an "idiot" who made her wish for the wrong, selfish reasons (= subconsciously wanting the appreciation and love from the person she liked in exchange for healing him). And now she doesn't even deem herself worthy of love anymore. Pushing away everyone herself now with hurtful words (just like Kyouko did), even her best friend Madoka, it's Kyouko who ends up as the one who keeps her company during her last moments of "being human". Kyouko, who, deep down inside, must have felt a sense of kinship, who related to Sayaka in ways she couldn't fully explain or convey properly at this point in time... Who ends up wishing to find a way to bring Sayaka back from her Witch state and restore her own faith in fairy tales, hoping to see good overcome evil one last time. In the end, all she can do is sacrifice herself - to make sure that neither Sayaka nor herself, who both isolated themselves from everyone they loved, would have to die all alone.

... And thus, it isn't really surprising that the version Sayaka who gained awareness of all of this - we shall call her LawOfCycles!Sayaka - feels a certain attraction towards Kyouko. Maybe even a sense of guilt - for not having listened to and actually having seen her, for having pushed her away and for not realizing how much they had in common. In Rebellion Story, the version of Kyouko we see had never encountered the Witch system and thus never went through the events described above with Sayaka - because this version of Kyouko came from the Wraith!universe created by Madokami. However, this Kyouko stated that she had been on the brink of "becoming friends with Sayaka" before she was "taken away" - and thus, LawOfCycles!Sayaka, who may or may not have been partly/fully aware of her mission and her previous "selves" for most of Rebellion, actually becomes close friends with WraithArc!Kyouko within Homura's idealized world inside of her Soul Gem.

Of course they are still clashing due to their opposing values in various aspects of life - but they do so in a playful, teasing and, most importantly, peaceful way. In an ideal world they are on good terms with, go to school, even live together, where blue and red aren't working against but with each other as the complementary colours they are. Really, nobody could have blamed Sayaka for wanting to maintain a universe like this, continuing to live her best life (after getting over Kyousuke and wishing him and Hitomi well), even though she knew she HAD TO fulfill her mission to rescue Homura. And so, one cannot help but feel like her confession towards Kyouko, saying she had "only one regret" to have "left her behind", does have a romantic subtext attached to it... Especially considering how devastated Kyouko appears at the idea of having to part ways again. With Homucifer then creating a new universe, serving as a fake happy place for everyone involved, she at least granted them another short period of bliss...

Long story short - just like the majority of the PMMM ships, KyouSaya are doomed by the narrative - and usually not meant to be happy together as their own selves in the same universe, it seems.

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

Without going all out on the subtext symbolism of Sayaka's arc, one REALLY cannot help but feel like it was always meant to be a metaphor for her overcoming her comp-het phase: Main story!Sayaka was failing due to committing to her (subtextual heteronormative) ideals (= clinging onto her wish to impress Kyousuke) and she could only overcome her doom as LawOfCycles!Sayaka, who gained awareness and worked hard to develop a bond with someone - a girl - she used to reject (= Kyouko).

However, as outlined above - this also means that Sayaka will not be compatible with Kyouko unless she gains the awareness of LawOfCycles!Sayaka. And that's where I, personally, have always had my issues with the ship from a romantic angle. Despite them fulfilling the typical blue/red ship tropes at first glance, consisting of two opposing forces (Sayaka's commitment to correctness vs. Kyouko's more easygoing attitude) who complement each other once they work together... Their underlying similarities would make it easy for them to relate to one another if they stopped hiding them from one another (Sayaka also having a side that would like to slack off more vs. Kyouko also having a very loyal, protective side).

There is a sense of competitive pride going on between them that, in my opinion, may make it difficult for them to allow romantic feelings to grow. Through the course of the main story, it becomes obvious that Kyouko develops a strong fondness and affection towards Sayaka in the end - but has issues putting those feelings into words in a non!Tsundere way, so Sayaka's can accept them. Whereas LawOfCycles!Sayaka, who witnessed all the effort Kyouko put into saving her, also grew more fond of Kyouko... But, as mentioned above, there also seems to be a lingering sense of guilt within her, so it's not entirely clear if she's aware of her true intentions yet again. These girls were heavily traumatized by what happened to them, both hardened by the experience - and weren't able to ever fully reconcile with each other in their own timelines. Sometimes they didn't get to know or even meet each other properly and, in such cases, couldn't stand each other's guts. And now, LawOfCycles!Sayaka can only reconcile with WraithArc!Kyouko in a playful, affectionate manner. NOW that she has seen it all. And Kyouko may also subconsciously feel drawn to Sayaka after the mistakes she made with Mami before, not wanting to make them again...

Without elaborating on this much further, it's not even a question that all of the girls (no exceptions!!!) would need copious amounts of therapy - and the chance to actually become adults - to make healthy relationships work. A Sayaka who, even without the influence of being God's agent, gains an understanding of Kyouko's personality, might actually be able to put her pride aside and let her in. The same goes for Kyouko, who also has to drop the mask of ignorance and pride in order not to just casually joke and tease whenever Sayaka is in the same room - and instead, actually learn to be open, vulnerable and honest with Sayaka. As traumatized 14-year-olds, they may be too aggressive, too competitive to allow genuine romance to bloom, as they're not able to grasp and cater to the needs of the other. For instance, Sayaka couldn't reciprocate Kyouko's love language before (giving/accepting gifts, such as advice or, more importantly, food) and vice versa (acts of service in regards to fighting and protecting heroically). And thus, they may end up, even unintentionally, hurting each other instead.

My personal verdict is that they'd have an easier time opening up to other members of the Holy Quintet because of their personality structures. As complementary as they are, as much as opposites attract and as much as they genuinely value each other deep down inside - they may certainly give each other short-term comfort and have lots of fun, but are probably TOO different in how they live out their similar values to work out in the long run.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

I didn't intend to sound too "negatively" about KyouSaya as a whole, since I can absolutely see and understand the romantic appeal many, many people see in this ship. Personally, the red/blue ships (as well as the "enemies/rivals to lovers" trope in general) are rarely my favourites in a series, there have to be specific circumstances for me to enjoy them - which is perfectly fine, since everyone has their preferences! With everything I have outlined above, I was never too fond of Sayaka and Kyouko as a romantic couple. Instead, I always enjoyed them most as each other's wing-women; bantering and teasing each other endlessly as acquaintances who would slowly but steadily become good, close friends, supporting and having each other's backs.

[theolmtales]

Autumn evening (Gender neutral)

Murro X Reader

You're looking for your companion after hearring about a fight.

Rated: Fluff

Warning: Getting partially crush by a boar.

Note: Just for a general understanding since I still haven't made a post about how I view this manor universe. Basically, everyone's canon game happened & they got stuck in the manor outside of time since than (there's a slight mention of canon game, which is why I say that.).

Also @committingcrimes-2047 (also love that name) made a post reminding me of my love for Murro. So I took a break from correcting my next os (which I totally did not start correcting...) to write something small for my man. So to every fellow Murro lover, here's some food. I really hope you guys like it. There will be more. I just don't know when.

If you got ideas for characters who don't have a lot written for, I'm open to hear them out & try to write about them.

The sound of the autumn leaves crunches under your feet. The breeze is getting colder by the days, the warm of summer fading like a distant memory. You make your way to the manor outskirts, heading into the woods and following the trail left by the person you’re looking for.

There had been an umpteenth clash between the survivors today. You hadn’t been there to witness it, but from what your heard, this time it was Mike and Naib. Mike is infamously known for snapping at anyone who brings back his bad memories or speak ill of Murro, his last relative. And with Naib and Murro not being on the friendliest term... You had a pretty good idea of what the fight must have been about.

What a shame… Only two more days and the record of days without any fight would have been surpasses. Guess it will stay at 8 days. Hey, everyone has their way of keeping themselves sane here.

With more than 40 people now stuck in this place, it was getting too crowded for you. You’d much rather be outside, away from all that noise. The sound of the wind among the branches was already making you feel better. Though that was not your main reason to be here this time.

Your eyes finally land on the person you’d been looking for. Leaves and twigs are entangled in his greying brown locks. His back turned to you as he crouches to the level of his companion, scratching him.

‘‘Trying to escape the noise again?’’ He asks you, without even looking back.

‘‘How do you always know it’s me?’’

That is not an understatement. Whatever the place or the number of people around him, he always knows that it’s you. He’ll call you’re name if you come up behind him or turn his head right at you as you walk into the room.

‘‘The way you walk.’’ He looks at you smiling as you crouch down beside him, joining the scratching session to his companion bliss. ‘‘I find the sound of your footsteps easy to recognize.’’

‘‘So that’s your secret. Can you recognize everyone?’’

‘‘Not at all. I usually have a general idea of who it might be, but the ones I can always recognize are you and most of the Hullaballoo’s. Naib’s too, but that’s another story.’’ He says his smile turning a little sour. You wince, knowing what he’s referring to.

‘‘Actually, I came to see if you were alright. I heard that Mike got into an argument or fight with Naib. Knowing you, you probably try to diffuse it, right? Since no one was injured.’’ You say taking a seat on some fallen birch. Murro joins you on your improvised bench, his companion ruffling himself before going to search on the soil for something to eat around here.

‘‘Ah, that…’’ He looks away, his hand scratching the back of his head as he thinks about what happened. You put your hand on top of the one that rest on the fallen tree.

‘‘I take it wasn’t just some bickering?’’

Murro sigh. ‘‘Mike found out that Naib was the one to kill me.’’

‘‘Oh… He didn’t know?’’

‘‘No, I always made sure not to bring it up and made excuses whenever he would ask me why I was so unease with him. I knew it would escalate and the last thing we need is more reasons to fight.’’ He presses his fingers into the wood, while letting you keep your hand on top of his.

‘‘No wonder shit got loose. Mike gets really aggressive whenever it concerns Hullaballoo and its people. Pretty sure he doesn’t like me being around you too much either.’’ You say half joking.

‘‘I’ll talk to him about it. Hullaballoo was his whole life and family. He’s very protective of what is left. But he shouldn’t be like that to you.’’

You put your head on his shoulder and intertwine your fingers together as you continue the conversation. ‘‘Meh it’s ok. What happened in the end? The fight I mean.’’

‘‘Oh, I just had to restrain Mike, Naib just ignored him. As long as people don’t become physical with him, he doesn’t react much.’’ His head comes to rest on top of yours as he squeezes your hand in return. ‘‘It’s getting Mike to calm down and drop it that was hard. I’m worried for the next time they’ll see each other.’’

Sensing the distress of his friend, Murro’s companion comes back and let himself drop on your feet. Pressing himself against your legs and resting his head on Murro’s lap to comfort him.

‘‘Oh boy…’’ You start. ‘‘I think my legs just got crushed into powder.’’

‘‘Wait until he gets overly excited and runs into you.’’ He says laughing.

‘‘Murro… Normally constitute people can die from that… Or at least fatally injured. I’m surprised you can still walk!’’ You say looking up at him with disbelief.

Murro avoids your look, thinking fast as he pets his companion manes. ‘‘He’s the runt of the litter.’’

‘‘That’s still pretty dangerous…’’ You sigh while smiling. ‘‘Oh well, I can’t be mad at you and even less at this cutie.’’ you say to his companion as you scratch his chin with your free hand. The companion seems pretty pleases with your scratches.

Murro looks at the two of you interacting. Warmth flooding in his chest at the sight of the two of you getting along so well. People finding boar cute didn’t run the street. And his boar was an important part of his family.

The two of you stay like that for a while. Taking in the cool breeze and resting on each others’ shoulders with your eyes closed. Thinking about nothing, just taking in the peace. And your legs getting more and more crushed as Murro’s companion was falling asleep.

It doesn’t take long for the dawn air to start settling in, and goosebump coming with it.

‘‘Should we head inside?’’ Murro asks you. Feeling cold too.

‘‘But the noiseeee…’’ You pout.

Murro’s sight. ‘‘You know that the manor is big enough for us to be away from the others? Even in the communal spaces.’’

‘‘Maybe for you, but everyone is so noisy in there. Even their silence is noisy. You’re the only one’s that’s not.’’

‘‘Alright, alright. But once it’s dark we go back inside. We’ll both catch a cold otherwise’’ he says with a sigh. But even with your eyes closed you can feel his smile. He also prefers to be out anyway. Put unlike you, the manor feels claustrophobic for him.

‘‘mmhm!’’ That’s your only answer as you nuzzle more comfortably into his neck.

You break the silence not long after.

‘‘You know, in books they said kissing makes you feel warms~’’

“‘Oh really?’’ He scoffs playfully at your sentence.

‘‘It doesn’t hurt to give it a try.’’

‘‘You know you don’t need to make up excuses to have more kisses. I was out in matches a lot these days. I missed you too.’’

‘‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’’ You answer playfully as he rolls his eyes playfully.

His face comes looking for yours. His lips getting to yours softly, as you lift you head for a better access. The tip of his mustache tickling your skin during your exchange of soft kisses. You nibble at his lips teasingly, your free hand going up to rest on his face. Your fingers intertwine in his wild beard while your thumb caress his cheek.

The air around you two gets warmer and you open your mouth to let him in. His own hand going to your neck as he gets a taste of you. Something he’s been longing for some time now.

Unable to move your legs, the position isn’t the most comfortable, but right now it doesn’t matter. You just feel great with him.

Soon you both part ways to take in some air. You close your eyes as Murro caress the back of your neck with his thumb. Resting your forehead against each other. The sounds of frogs signaling the night fall.

‘‘It’s time to go.’’ He says reluctance in his voice.

‘‘We can’t wake up your companion. That would be so cruel!’’

‘‘We said, at night we go back.’’

‘‘You never specify when during the night~’’

‘‘…’’ He should have seen that one coming.

[diazsdimples]

What do u say about these supposed hard core fans that are shipping buck Tommy? They gonna make the writers keep that homophobe around 😰

I am entirely the wrong person to ask about this.

Firstly, I ship Bucktommy AND Buddie. And this is possible! You are allowed to see Buck be happy with a man for the first time (how fucking good!!) but also wish upon the nearest star that he ends up with Eddie in the end. I truly believe Buddie is endgame but at the moment, I am more delighted at the fact that Buck is happy, with a man, experiencing a positive queer relationship.

The reason I ship Bucktommy is because look! at! how! happy! this! boy! is!!! I will ship ANY person that makes my little blorbo as happy and blushy and giggly as Evan Buckley is when he's with Tommy Kinard. He is SMITTEN. Do I think they're endgame? Not at the moment, no. Would I be upset if they were? I'd mourn the fuck out of Buddie, but I would be glad that Buck is finally happy and comfortable in a relationship. His happiness is paramount.

For the reasons why Buck's bisexual arc is more important than a ship, please read this post. It talks about the importance of representation in current media, and my own experiences of coming to terms with my bisexuality just before this arc was aired. What we're seeing with Buck's story is revolutionary, really. We haven't seen this kind of thing happen in media much at all and it is so important to show.

For any issues regarding Tommy, please read this post by the lovely @slightlyobsessedwitheverything. They beautifully go through all his appearances and break them down for us and I would urge you to read it with an open mind.

Now, about Eddie. I am an Eddie girlie (gn) through and through. That is my babygirl and I adore him with every fibre of my being. I would love nothing more than to see him go through a queer arc. However, right now, Eddie is not in the place to do so. We saw from the last episode that he's an untapped reservoir of Catholic guilt, and it's gonna take a lot to work through that, before he can have any kind of realisation re: Buck. He's very much in his comphet days but is starting to take some steps towards undoing some of his old habits, like getting Marisol to move out when he realises they're moving too fast.

With this in mind, I think it would be too rushed and too early for Buddie to get together right now. Yeah they've had many seasons of being married and living out of one another's pockets but given the stages of life they are both in, I feel it wouldn't end as well as we'd like it to. Eddie isn't in the right place for it. Buck is exploring his sexuality. They need time to learn and grow and do some serious thinking and realising before they can even begin to contemplate a relationship together.

Regarding the "homophobe", I am assuming this is referring to Edy Ganem and not Lou Ferrigno Jr. I would like it noted for the record that I cannot stand Edy and therefore cannot stand Marisol. If Meddie were to be endgame, I'd fume. They have no chemistry. They do not suit one another. And I don't believe Edy should be given a platform to spread her hateful rhetoric, and I hope the last we see of her is 7x07. I'm a little mad it wasn't 7x05 but there we go.

However, Tommy and Buck's storyline and Eddie and Marisol's storyline are entirely separate. The only thing that links them are Buck and Eddie, and their friendship. I don't believe that Tommy's existence means Marisol is going to stick around and I find it a little odd that you do. Buck can and has had relationships that aren't Eddie. Eddie can and has had relationships that aren't Buck. Buck being in a relationship does not mean Eddie will also be in one. Tommy's existence does not confirm Marisol's continued existence.

My current best case scenario is Eddie being single by the end of 7x07 (please god), and Buck and Tommy continuing their relationship, so Buck has the opportunity to learn and experience same-sex relationships while Eddie has the time to deconstruct his true feelings, get therapy, work through 30+ years of repression, and then they'll be ready.

ALSO I DO NOT WANT BUCK TO CHEAT ON TOMMY WITH EDDIE. WE ARE NOT HERE FOR THAT.

Best case scenario, sometime towards the end of s7 or beginning of s8, Buck and Tommy decide that they both want different things out of life, have an amicable split that doesn't leave either of them hurt, Tommy sticks around as a recurring character because he's ingrained in the 118 again, Eddie's doing his therapy thing and then maybe mid s8 him and Buck can start coming to some realisations with a potential for Buddie moments towards the end of s8. Honestly anything else would seem too rushed.

The final point I'd like to make is that I find it extremely odd that you call people who ship Bucktommy "supposed hardcore fans". Shipping anything other than Buddie doesn't make you any less of a fan. Actually, I'd argue it shows a bit more commitment to the characters as you're willing to be open to them growing as humans and expanding on the personalities that we love. If Buddie is the only reason you watch the show, I feel you should re-evaluate your motivation. This show has so many great ships, such as Bathena, Henren and Madney, as well as Buddie and Bucktommy, and considering this is an ensemble show, we should show all of them as much love as the other. These characters are so intertwined with one another and that's what makes this show so worth watching. Watching for 2 characters and 2 characters only is not getting the full enjoyment out of it.

I hope this answered your questions and gave you something to reflect on. As I say, I'm not the right person to ask about this as I too ship Bucktommy, currently have 2 Bucktommy fics in my drafts and watch them kiss at least 10 times a day. And for future reference, I will be unfollowing/blocking people who throw tantrums about not getting Buddie so far, or who believe you can only ship Buddie and feel superior for doing so. Have a good rest of your day.

[theic-manic]

hi! i know you've said King Asmodeus doesn't like birds, but what about roosters? most lore that discusses his appearance (i say most because i definetley haven't read all of it, so i can't say what all version say, you dig?) says he has the leg of a rooster. i guess my question is, does he have an exception for them?

Infernal blessings! I love how "Year Zero" by Ghost started playing right as I opened this, as King Asmodeus pushes through his outrage towards the Archangel who is with me. A few points: - The Ars Goetia is generally not treated as a central source by modern Demonolators and Occultists. The perspectives range from "repressed Christian fanfic" to metaphorical cryptic af tome and my person perspective is somewhere in the middle. Therefore when I am reading up on Demonology, I try to refer to the 3x Abrahamic faith texts, a vast variety of medieval texts, and articles about the aforementioned. - The appearances of the demons are not considered literal representations by modern Demonologists and Demonolators who have more than a few braincells to rub together. (King Asmodeus has informed me that he only tolerates his rather unpleasant portrayals in movies as they make it easier for the braindead sheep to weed themselves out). If taking the cryptic POV, you can treat the descriptions (and much of the contents of the Ars Goetia) as code. Asmodeus being the lord of layers would very much vibe with this. If taking the fanfic perspective, equally valid is that these grotesque descriptions are also slanderous anti-pagan propaganda. E.g. Astaroth being a horrific caricature of Astarte. Now if we return to the whole metaphor and layered meaning route, the animal descriptions of demons also represent their characteristics. Similar to how the Egyptian Gods (also listed/considered as demons) were often portrayed with animal heads, representing their characteristics while also providing a shorthand method of identifying said gods in Egyptian art. Therefore, you would be looking at the meaning behind the animals attributed towards each demon. Especially ex-Celestials such as King Asmodeus. Of course, UPG experiences are a variable and sometimes a Demon might go against some of their know lore for reasons known only to the Demon and the practitioner. Quite often, when you research said UPG experiences, you will actually uncover interesting little exceptions to theological canon. In my case, I was surprised to have peacocks as one of King Asmodeus' sings however, as per this linked post: He is usually portrayed as having three heads, those of an ogre, a ram, and a bull, all sexually licentious creatures; having the feet of a cock, another sexually aggressive creature; and having wings and the tail of a SERPENT. He rides on a dragon and breathes fire.

And Peacocks are such a creature. Does that means he likes birds and peacocks? No. However I have noticed that even his allowing of others to describe him as having "cock's feet" (the Rooster reference), as well as my UPG experience with Peacocks and Penguins, he appears to have a tolerance for flightless birds. This is likely due to his recorded hatred of birds being because they "remind him of God" and to quote the Comedian Daniel Sloss in his Peacock skit that King Asmodeus showed me:

Nothing reduces your anxiety more than 200 new pairs of eyes.

King Asmodeus (a patron of artists and performers mind you) is very much taking a deliberate jab at Celestials with this take, and his use of Peacocks due to their association with sexual passion is very much an act of perversion of the holy divine. Finally, just on the whole taking the Ars Goetia seriously matter, King Asmodeus has brought my attention to another Daniel Sloss quote:

“Jesus fucking Christ. Have some self-respect. You're a full-grown biological, statistical anomaly that has cognitive thought standing on a rock that's hurtling through an infinite universe, could you stop being so fucking basic, please?”

Daniel Sloss, Everyone You Hate is Going to Die: And Other Comforting Thoughts on Family, Friends, Sex, Love, and More Things That Ruin Your Life

King Asmodeus has had a gutful of the "intellectually banal" (his term) lately. in fact, this UPG experience was after a rather long rant he gave me over people who fall for "Christian-Lite new age snake oil bullshit such as 'parasitic entities'" (and there's that bile taste again whenever he's gets going). I won't talk further on that in case he goes on another tirade, but you get the idea. Songs that King Asmodeus has deemed relevant to discussed themes: Punk Tactics Nico and the Niners (s)AINT I'll Never Smile Again &

Infernally yours

[ingravinoveritas]

Hi!

Have you seen Georgia's insta story? She's filming david and one of the kids called her a creep

https://instagram.com/stories/georgiatennantofficial/3212913988487468030?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

The only purpose of the video is just showing that even the kids think that her filming david all the time is weird

Like, yeah all of it is probs a joke but it rubs me the wrong way🤔

What's your opinion? Your blog is the 1st place i go to when i see news abt DT, GO or MS

(Grouping together since these are related.)

Hi there! Oh, I hadn't seen Georgia's Insta story until I saw your Ask, so thank you for bringing it to my attention.

A little backstory, for those who haven't seen it: Today was David's panel at NYCC, and he started to tell an anecdote about being given a pair of shoes for Christmas when members of the audience began shouting out telling him to tie his (very pink) shoes that were untied on stage. David actually tied the shoes, and the video of the moment was posted by NYCC on Twitter. An hour or so later, Georgia jumped in with a response and at the same time, posted this story on Insta (and the photo in Georgia's tweet appears to be from the same day that the video was taken):

For my part, I was under the impression that this was not a recent video, so to your question @phantomstars24, I don't think she is actually at NYCC with David. Rather, it looks like Georgia was searching for David's name on Twitter (again) and found a place to jump in with the screenshot and video.

In giving my opinion on this, I have to reference Georgia's Insta story from last month at the festival she and David attended, where she recorded him while he was walking and eating his ice cream:

Here, we see David take notice of the fact that Georgia is recording, after wondering why she was walking so slowly. He turns away for a moment, then looks back at her and says, "It's never gonna stop," and his voice is uncharacteristically...terse. He doesn't smile, or laugh, or give any indication that he is kidding (that I picked up on, at least). David's energy and the video as a whole just seemed off, but like many of Georgia's posts, it was written off as a joke.

The voice we heard of one of Georgia's children in today's video reminded me of that. Leaving aside the fact that this child actually flat-out called Georgia a "creep" (for which I'm also hard-pressed to find some alternate/jokey meaning) for recording David, the theme in both of these videos is Georgia constantly recording David for the sake of having content. And as we saw with today's Insta story, her then saving that content to use at a later date. I know the people who hate-read my blog will insist that Georgia gets permission from David before posting anything on social media and that he's fine with it, but it is really hard to think that he seems fine in the video from the festival. And how okay would any of us be if our partner constantly took video of us not to make cute memories, but so they can use it to prove a point later on?

As I've said before, all we get is this little slice of their lives that Georgia shares on social media. But increasingly, those little slices are starting to look like moments that might have been better left unrecorded/not posted to social media. To hear Georgia's own child call her out like that was jarring, but it also made me wonder how much they do see/what they think of what they are seeing. Even now it says something that they're already aware of her social media use and the lengths she is going to for content. (For that matter, I wonder what they will think in the future, such as if/when Birdie sees Georgia's Insta post calling her a "drunken accident"...)

Again, this could easily all be chalked up to me just missing whatever the joke/dry humor is here, but these were the impressions I had from seeing Georgia's content today. Happy as always to hear what others think, however, so feel free to chime in on this post...