#good omens!!! a better guide to romance

[rogueartgallery]

but i pray for her each night, dreaming that it might catch her ear

i’ve been working on a good omens au inspired by the album burn pygmalion!!! a better guide to romance by the scary jokes. hoping there might be some crossover there but even so my gomens friends have been pretty enthusiastic about the concept ( ^3^)~! i’m planning on writing a fic for it as well!! very excited

gonna include the concepts i drew for the character designs under the cut <3

[skiptomyylu]

The Time Has Come Again! HAPPY FEMME AZIRAPHALE FRIDAYYY

Peeks Head In...

HIIIIII!! HAPPY FEMME AZIRAPHALE FRIDAY!!!

WELCOME TO THE 9TH FEMME AZIRAPHALE FRIDAY RAAAHHHHHHHHHH

I've been SLACKING but I'm here- IM HERE!! Here to share some amazing works that have populated the [#Femme Aziraphale Friday] tag!

Really quickly though, if you aren't aware of what Femme Aziraphale Friday is, please click HERE for a little more information!!

And if you'd like to share art/participate, please do use the [#Femme Aziraphale Friday] tag! We'd LOVE to see your work :> I hope you're ready to read a LOT of caps locked text and keyboard smashing!! Now...LET'S GET ONTO IT!!! *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

@fawnim

I made a little sobbing sound opening this post again to grab the link /VPOS/AFF SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL AREIBJAHEHBRRRRRR I'M SO SO SO AUUGHGERHIREHRHJ Those curls, that dress, those eyes, that expression... This is true happiness Nim, how do you do it... Thank you my dear <3 AAHHEHBREJH WE'RE SO LOCKED IN FOREVER!! MY TWIN!!

Do Check Out Nims Page, Nims Comm Sheet, and Nims Ko-Fi!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

@fangirlsjustwannahavefun

JUST LOOK AT THAT LOOOVELY LADY!! Sporting a green dress and a smile!! We've got a looovellyy depiction of Femme Aziraphale right here folks! I just wanna give her smooches on the cheeks MWAH MWAH MWAAAAHHH!! RRAAAAAHHHGAREHLIBGAERJHGBJHGABELJGHABERLERLJHBRGJEHBHLHJBERLHB WHAT A CUTIEPIEE RRRRRRRILJGREH

Go take a peek at Becks page!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

@tartan-tart

OH GOD!! WHATS HAPPENING TO ME!!

🧍🏾🧎🏾🐕

IM BARKINGG!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOODDDDDD!! LET ME ZIP HER UP!! ME ME ME!! WHAT DO I EVEN DO BESIDES YELL I am going to come to your home and extract some of your skill- you've got too much of it (/silly)

Take a gander at Tart/Dantes Page, Pinned Post, and Link Tree!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

@freerangewhales

I NEED HER FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR RRRRGJRRJEHEJRBG She's SO CUTESY (so demure) RRRRHIBGAREHLEHJHRAEJLGEHRJGHER I wanna take her out out to a nice lunch, and treat her to the works, and then take her out on a boat ride on my super huge shiny yacht that I totally have, and drive her around in my super expensive imported sports car that I totally totally have!!

Skidaddle Over to Monas Page and Link Tree!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

@rogueartgallery

CHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMPCHOMP GGUYYSS LOOK AT HERRRRGRELHABGLREHBGHBEGHJRELAJB I love love LOOOOVEEEE this artstyle (inspired by Burn Pygmalion if I remember correctly!) ITS SO GORGEOUS RRRIHBREHBEHRRRRRR She's so beautiful please tell her I wish for her hand in marriage!! Put on your skates and roll over to Rens Page and Pinned Post!!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

@ramennoodleghost

THIS ARTWORK HAS ME AEGRIJLAGREHGHBJREHJBSGREBHJREGBHJGSREHBJJBHKRBHJEBJH TAKE ME NOW AZIRA IM READY!! IM REAADDYYYYYYY!!!! OH LORD IN HEAVEN ABOVE PLEASE!! PLEEEASSEEE!! I have no calm, cool, nor collected words to say guys I wish I did, but I truly dont LMAAOO Get a wiggle on to RamenNoodleGhosts' page!! (Now I want noodles) *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

@skiptomyylu (The Art is for 18+ Audiences, Thank You!!)

The Dragon Warrior- IT'S ME!! (/ref)

As some may know, I doooo have a goddess Aziraphale AU in the works! Andddd I just wanted to draw more of them and it got quite sauuccyy HUEHUEHEEHUEHUEHEUHE!! Throw your eyeballs to my page out if you'd like!!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ

And that's all folks! Thank you so much for stopping by for another FAF!! There's more art (and fics) under #Femme Aziraphale Friday!! Take a look-see at those too!

I can't wait to see what else is made in future!! Hugs and Kisses to you all, and have a wonnnderrfulll Femme Aziraphale Friday!! Toodleoo!!

[practically-an-x-man]

Tell me about Calypso, Fangs, and/or Maleficent?

Thank you!! These are some of my more interesting ideas, I'm eager to talk about them!!

Under the cut for space :D

Calypso is the nickname for a future OC x OC Good Omens fic (yes, you read that right, this one's not an OC x Canon fic! what a surprise lol).

It involves an angel named Ithuriel/"Rue", the angel of community and music, who falls in love with a human woman (named Calypso) in Ancient Rome. They have a few years of beautiful romance, and Heaven doesn't pay much attention to it... until Calypso finds out that Rue is an angel, and Heaven punishes them both. Rue becomes Fallen, and Calypso is blinded (for looking upon an angel without being a prophet) and has her memory wiped. Rue keeps an eye on her from afar, keeping her safe and extending her life and even comforting her on her deathbed (though Cal doesn't remember her, and doesn't even entirely realize she's there).

For centuries she grieves, not only for her lost love but the love that was taken from her in Heaven's punishment, and then... in the modern age, she's out busking in a local park and finds a familiar voice singing along to the ancient hymnal she's playing. As it turns out, Heaven's punishment was out of line, and God made Calypso an angel after her death (the angel of small pleasures, like all the times she brought Rue a meal while she was out busking in front of her restaurant).

____

Fangs is an idea I came up with after reading the Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. It takes the book's themes of subtle abuse/manipulation and how the most "perfect" homes often house a darker side. One of the main characters in the book, James Harris, is a vampire who appears outwardly very charming but secretly is the cause of a lot of distress, and hardcore manipulation, to the other members of the town. In the book, he's a bachelor, but I wanted to explore the idea of him manipulating a romantic partner the same way he manipulates the other people he comes across.

Enter Rembrandt "Remy" Duvall, a werewolf from the 16th century and James' longtime romantic partner. Remy believes they're entirely in love - he's gentle, he's romantic, he helps her through her painful and dangerous lycanthropic episodes - but a deeper dive into their relationship proves that James Harris has only been using her for his own gains. People are more accepting of a couple than a single man in these sleepy towns, it keeps the illusion up, and he's been feeding on her when other victims are lacking.

Eventually, Remy does become a part of the titular Southern Book Club, and having positive female relationships does lead to her understanding the manipulation and abuse she's been tolerating for so many years now. The club takes care of James Harris, ensuring he'll never come back... and Remy, once she's learned to be her own person again, ends up striking up a connection with one of the other members of the book club (who canonically divorces her husband at the end of the book, for his similar manipulation tactics, and I want her and Remy to become life partners and support each other)

____

Maleficent is the code name for another unwritten fic, though this one does have an actual title: Of Cliffs and Deserts. It's primarily linked to Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, where we get more backstory into the Dark Fey and where they come from.

This fic in particular starts with Sable, a young Dark Fey from the rocky, windy cliffs at the far edge of the continent, who's moved to the Nest with her father after being discovered and attacked by human invaders. Because her home biome is incredibly stormy and windy, she's a skilled flier even as a child, and only gets better as she ages. Her other principle skill is camouflage: her particular branch of the Dark Fey had their magic evolve into the casting of illusions instead of growing plants, since there was such little plant life on the stormy cliffs where she's from.

She strikes up an immediate friendship with Borra (they're both about 6-7 at this point), which ends up becoming an incredibly strong bond that lasts years. They're inseparable... until Sable is seventeen, and her aging and chronically-ill father decides that the Moors will be a better place for them than the Nest. She goes with him, afraid he'll get hurt if he's on his own, and promises that she'll be back as soon as she can.

Two months later, an injured Fey from the colony that went to the Moors comes flying back to the Nest, warning them that humans came and slaughtered every Fey they saw, including all of the Dark Fey there. Borra is, justifiably, heartbroken, and it's part of what eventually prompts him to become the leader of the Dark Fey and call for war against the humans.

However, unbeknownst to the Nest, two Dark Fey survived - Maleficent, of course, hidden away in the depths of the Moors; and Sable, who had her wings cut off and was made into a "human" servant girl for a wealthy lord. Her illusion magic is captured in an amulet, which provides such a strong illusion that not only does she appear completely human, she genuinely believes herself to be Samera, a human girl who tends the queen's orchards.

Long story short, during the war they will reunite, and Borra eventually starts to suspect the illusion magic at play and tries to break Sable out of it.

That's all I'll say for now, I've rambled long enough.

[nothererightnow369]

Okay, so I have been trying to work out what type of omen this is because I have nothing better to do.

I get that there is a strong desire to lump the jackdaws in with ravens because Odin had ravens (Huginn - thought, and Muninn - memory), and the goat is an offering to Thor, who, yes is the god of thunder, but is also tasked with protecting mankind. The goat not being destroyed signals a bad year (It survived 2019, then we got covid in 2020. It didn't burn in 2014, and Trump was elected in 2015. I could go on, but I feel like I made my case.), so burning/destroying the goat seems to signal the sacrifice to Thor being successful. Essentially, it's how we pay Thor protection money. with this in mind, It would symbolize Odin, the "all-father" and god of war, wisdom, healing, and death, coming to collect knowledge (specifically signaled by the birds) on behalf of Thor. This leads me to believe, if we analyze this from a Norse mythology exclusive end, lump all corvids together, and ignore the duck, we can interpret this as a sign that family or community will come together for the good of humanity.

Unfortunately, that interpretation requires us to ignore a lot of things, and make very loose connections, so let's break it down without sticking exclusively to Norse mythology. Literally the only thing we are keeping from the previous argument is that goat destroyed = good.

Jackdaws are incredibly intelligent (they can recognize different people's faces), loyal (they mate for life), and resourceful.

In many Christian cultures, due to the fact that they often nest in churches, Jackdaws are seen as holy protectors.

In Celtic mythology, the jackdaw is seen as a guide, and a symbol of good luck and transformation.

I am going to ignore the Greeks because they were stupid. They thought the jackdaw was a symbol of stupidity and hubris, and overall their idea of jackdaws doesn't line up with scientific facts about it's abilities. Greek mythology sucks and Aesop can suck it.

We are overlooking the singular duck helping to destroy the goat. Ducks are social creatures and they are very protective.

The migratory pattern of the duck has led many cultures to view them as symbols of transformation and transition.

The fact that ducks can fly and swim has contributed to them being associated with, again, transition and duality.

Celtic mythology views ducks as symbols of power. In fact, the duck is heavily associated with Sequana, a river goddess associated with healing.

In many eastern cultures, the duck is associated with love. In China in particular, it is heavily associated with romance. Hinduism often uses the duck as a symbol of good fortune and prosperity.

Okay, so the consistent themes with these two birds are intelligence, loyalty, transformation, and love. What are these birds doing to the goat, a symbol of tradition? They are destroying it (which is good for us) by transforming it into food, a symbol of togetherness, as most cultures use food to bring people together for celebration. They are taking something that is traditional and decorative, a symbol of hubris and vanity, and making it useful in a way that brings others together. In other words, I think this is a very good omen.

The birds eating the Gavle Goat are jackdaws, which are corvids, but not crows.

People also call the family corvidae the "crow family" but that family includes ravens, jays, rooks, magpies, etc. So, I guess you could call jackdaws crows if you really want to, but if you're going to do that you should commit to that classification and call bluejays crows as well.

The jackdaws are, however, very cute, and very good for taking up the mantle of destroying the goat.

[leos-regression-cove]

Fandom content Info:

If you have any agere content you'd like to see, hit up my inbox and I'll write a little blurb for you :)

What fandoms do I write for?

(Starred fandoms are open during limited requests.)

Marvel (I specialize with Loki, but I'll write for most character/franchises)* (Loki or Mainline Avengers⭐)

Parks and Recreation ⭐

Good Omens ⭐

Bee and Puppycat

What We Do In The Shadows⭐

Our Flag Means Death⭐

Abbot Elementary⭐

Ghosts UK ⭐and US

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (I haven't finished season 5)

Community⭐

30 Rock

M*A*S*H

Futurama

Adventure Time

Transformers (Original Series)⭐

Steven Universe

Animaniacs

Monk ⭐

(*To an extent*) Better Call Saul (and CG!Jessie Breaking Bad)

(*To an extent*) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia⭐

*Note: it has been brought to my attention how BIG the Marvel Cinematic Universe really is and the fact that I have missed MOST of the tv shows. Please be patient about: Daredevil, Punisher, Agents of Shield, She Hulk, Moongirl & Devil Dinosaur, Werewolf by Night, and Moon Knight while I catch up.

If it's not on the list, shoot over a DM or ask and I'll see what I can do.

What content am I willing to write?

agere content (please specify if you're requesting physical regression)

non-agere content

Violence (It will be properly tagged and warned for.)

Whump, angst, and hurt/comfort

Xreaders

Shipping/romance (not used while a character is regressed, otherwise underage, etc. Keep it legal, keep it ethical.)

Fluff!

AUs

Chapters for preexisting fics!

No real people. (No bands, YouTubers, or actors)

(If you have a writing prompt which is nsfw please go to my main blog @goatmilksoda and I'll answer it there. I'd like to keep this blog sfw)

All pieces of writing uploaded on here will also be uploaded to AO3. If you don't want this, or don't want your username in the notes, please note that in your request.

Ongoing fics and AO3:

Also I write on AO3! You can find my work under the name goatmilksoda (just like my main blog)

Here are my main fics:

Nothing In The Parenting Books Prepared Me For This: my longest running fic, It's >200k words of cute regressor!Loki and flip!Sylvie with (usually) caregiver!Mobius fluff.

All The Lessons I Never Learned: a modern New York AU about permaregressed preschooler!Thor coming from Norway to live with Loki, who hardly knows him. As they adjust, they meet little!Sylvie and caregiver!Mobius who help guide them through some everyday challenges.

Lets Get This Over With: Post-season 1, Loki is pushed through the portal into a version of Asgard where Littles are common and everyone expects him to be the royal baby.

If you'd prefer to access my fics via Tumblr here are the masterposts for three: All The Lessons I Never Learned, Nothing in the Parenting Books, The New Little. [NOTE: as of February 2nd 2023, Tumblr accessible updates will cease. All new chapters are exclusively uploaded on AO3]

[timothyomundsonss]

Shassie Fic Recs Pt 2

Cause this is stil my life and these are still my choices. Also, please check them out cause they’re great and shower the writers with kudos and comments, they deserve it.

- Drinkity/Druggity (Meow Meow Meow) by rispacooper

Three stories about relationships and various forms of love, taking place between Henry and Shawn and Juliet and Carlton in which Shawn and Lassie have some things to work out. There is, as you might notice, a theme of intoxication (or lack thereof).

Shawn is insecure, Jules and Lassiter are tied up and Henry is just about done. Also, “You’re still here…” “So are you.” still gets to me, every time.

- Just Desserts (Or: How Lassie learned to stop worrying and love chicken soup) by Attic_Nights

When trickster god Loki blows into Santa Barbara, a fake psychic would seem like the perfect person on whom to work his mischief. However, chaos reigns when Lassiter is the one who's granted psychic powers.

Sorta crossover with SPN, but not really. However we do have Psychic!Lassie and it’s both really funny and really troubling to see Lassiter like that. Also, Shawn does have “connections” to the supernatural, but it’s probably not what you think.

- And They Say Romance is Dead by pointyshades

For two people who hate each other this much, Shawn and Lassiter sure do kiss a lot.

Sorta enemies to sorta friends to sorta lovers, what else can I say? Takes place on season 1 (sorta) and it’s very very funny, especially cause Lassie preferes to lie about having a dog than admiting to being attracted to Shawn. (It makes sense if you read the story).

     Ordinary but Still so Extraordinary by disturbinglynic

Post Season Six. One small decision and everything changes. When a soaked and desperate Spencer shows up at his door, Carlton, against his better judgement, lets him in. Spencer doesn't leave and they soon form a friendship that has Carlton questioning everything. When Marlowe is released from prison, buried feelings become known and Carlton finds himself in a relationship he would have never imagined wanting nor that it would be the best thing to ever happen to him.

- How to Ruin a Proposal: A Guide by Shawn Spencer by veterization

Despite all of the signs and omens warning Shawn that proposing to Lassiter is a bad idea, he's never put much stock into good ideas.

Very fluffy, very funny fic. Established relationship that also works as a kind of character study for Shawn. One of my favourites.

[trashcatsnark]

WHY THE FUCK WERE UP SO LATE??? FUCKING UR SO LUCKY I CANT BEAT UR ASS OTHERWISE ITD BE KNUCKLE CITY

anyway, speaking about johnny boy i was thinking about him + nibbles and our like collective desicion that he is essiently a cat and it is really weirdly fitting that it just makes me like ???? so like cats themselves are a reoccuring motif within the game from the start, when u go to viks, when ur chatting up takemura and at the end with the rooftop that also doubles as like the millionith matrix reference. they follow v and they take up the role of the bakeneko, which i think in the game is defined by them appearing near death ? or just disaster. the obvious thing is that it is to do with v's inpending death and their whole sitation but like the general point is like the cat symbolises the death that follows v as the cat follows them. this puts johnny in an interesting sitation from his catlike nature to how he seems to like and get along with nibbles, he is linked with cats. he is also the parasite that is killing v. he is V's bakeneko. their signal of death. the events start because of his relic, jackie dies for him, and soon does most of the cast from act 1, and a large part of the death from then on is a direct result of them trying to solve the relic and johnny's whole presence is a signal for hey v ur fucking dying. he is death for them. the bakeneko.

makes me wonder if his catlike attributes were intentionally done cause that boy aint right or we just accidently walked on a really thematic fitting landmind

Spoilers within, again, also leave my sleeping schedule alone, I do not function. Additionally, I have a lot to say about Nibbles, omens, cats, and pets then how they all relate back to Johnny so congrats on opening a flood gate my friend!

 think the thematic thing with Johnny and cats and the bakeneko has to 1000000 percent be intentional, because he even sees a cat when Alt is kidnapped. And that goes back to Cyberpunk Red. Like that was used and utilized and then became such a large part of the story. 

Johnny is clearly meant to be a bakeneko; he’s actively next to the cat in that conversation, leaves when it does, see the same cat before Alt’s death, and is again the visual representation of what is happening to V. He is the symbol of their death, whether he wants to be or not. 

I think it’s also interesting to note, the Bakeneko, which is described as an omen of death and misfortune isn’t the only way we see cats used thematically within the game. Albeit, this way is more subtle and perhaps intentionally so. We also see the maneki-neko; the lucky cat statues are everywhere in game. In V’s apartment, Misty’s shop, Vik’s clinic. Everyyyyyywhereeeeee. 

So, we see two mythological cats from Japanese culture. One brings misfortune and one brings good luck. And Johnny exemplifies both. 

Johnny is a visual representation of all that is destroying V. His mere existence and presence a constant reminder that their death is around the corner. An ever present omen that V’s clock is ticking. He also often pops up to have a comment just before massive relic malfunctions and disasters. The end of every main game quest is punctuated with a relic malfunction and a lecture from Johnny. 

But without the chip and by extension Johnny, V would already be dead. If the chip hadn’t been the exact right place to be damaged and activated by the gunshot; it would have killed V right then and there. And while this wasn’t an active choice on Johnny’s part, he is the visual representation of the chip. Even then, he later does make an active choice to save V’s life. When V is hit with the worst malfunction yet; Johnny grabs them, “you aren’t dying yet, I got you” and he takes them to safety. He refuses to watch V seize and die in a puddle of their own sick in the middle of nowhere (for me it’s always at the sunset hotel, idk if this changes based on the order you do the events tho) So, he takes control, he eases their pain and takes them somewhere safe, somewhere that means something to him, and swears to die for them. 

Luck both good and bad. Fortune and misfortune. A sign of better days and an omen of death. A maneki-neko and a bakeneko. The time bomb in V’s head and the guy who saved their life. He is both. 

Now, stepping away from the mythological aspects. Lets talk about Nibbles the cat, Johnny, and pets within Cyberpunk 2077. Animals and by extension pets are considered a luxury in Night City. They’re taxed to fuck and back, generally only the wealthy can have them. Its also often brought up that real friends and family who stick by you are very difficult to come by. V becomes through Nibbles one of the rare people to have a pet. One of the other people who had a pet is, Barry their neighbor. 

Barry and his mission is one of the first you can unlock and see in the game. He’s V’s downstairs neighbor and his story is played out so fucking similarly to V’s. Barry lost his best friend, he’s quit his job because he can’t handle the weight of the NCPD’s corruption, and he’s thinking of taking his own life.  V has lost Jackie, its stated in game they get less work than usual because of Konpeki (cant be put on a crew), and very early on can say to Misty “be better off putting in my head”. 

But for Barry that friend ends up being a pet tortoise. And its clear what that tortoise represents; a constant companion, a safe place, and a comfort. Something Barry couldn’t find among his peers until later on when they learn just how much he’s been hurting. And this is treated as such a tragedy, that he only has a pet to turn to. 

And so V gets a cat, because they too are fucking hurting and having a little meowing bundle of skin running around their apartment helps. Something to come home to, something to make that apartment a little less empty, a little more alive. 

So, how does this particular aspect of Nibbles/cats/pets relate to Johnny, I hear you wondering (as well as wondering when Im going to shut up). Well, we know Johnny is linked symbolically with cats and thats the choice of pet for V. And we knows pets have been likened to support without judgement; a companion who you can tell everything too and they won’t abandon you. 

And while Johnny has heaps of judgment and is a dick. He is V’s only constant companion. I know a good junk of people don’t like him or his commentary; but imagine V’s life without Johnny in it through the game events. Imagine how lonely they’d be. 

Johnny is the only one who knows everything and is there with V from the start to the final moments in Mikoshi. 

Vik and Misty know, but they’re no edgerunners, they have no idea everything V is doing out there. Part of why as much as I do love Vik, his frustration with V hurts so much in the end because he talks like V hasn’t done anything to save themselves. Because, Vik doesn’t know what V’s been doing this whole time. 

Each part of the main quests in Act 2 are linked to an NPC; Judy, Panam, and Takemura. And not one of them know or are there throughout the entirety of V’s journey. Judy doesn’t get told the full details of what’s happening until later in and stops helping V one Evelyn is saved. Panam doesn’t learn the full details or anything really about the chip until much later. And her quests become her own personal journey once V finds Hellman. And then depending on V’s choices, Panam can come in to help at the end. Takemura knows V is dying and is there to help with the parade and then he’s gone; either dead or in hiding. He refers to anything that doesn’t involve him as V’s shady dealings and leaves it at that. He’s there to interrogate Hellman but he doesn’t know all V did to find him. None of them know everything, none of them have been there the whole time. And that’s not a condemnation of them, I do not expect them to drop everything to be glued to V’s side 24/7 but, I can’t fucking imagine how alone V feels. 

River has no involvement in any main quests and only finds out anything if V chooses to romance him. Kerry knows what Johnny told him and depending on the ending may even leave V. Again, wanna be clear, that isn’t a condemnation on his character. I understand why he does this and i understand his hurt and how it led him to that. 

But this is about how truly fucking alone V is in all of this. Not a single person there start to finish, not a single person knowing all that they have suffered, all that they have been through and are going through. 

Except Johnny. He tells V in the oil fields, closest to him by far, there 24/7, yet they don’t seem to hate him. And he’s that for V too; there the entire way, their demon never leaving.  Johnny knows everything happening; because he’s part of what’s happening. He’s been there through every struggle, every step, every slap in the face as V’s tried to save themselves. Has felt their pain as they lose themselves, has known the people who’ve had to die for them to get this far, as felt their heart break when all they found was betrayal by the Voodoo Boys, Ai Alt asking how V’s life is her problem, getting recommended a hospice by Hellman. 

And as dickish as he is, his comments help. V always has someone there, as much as he sucks. He always has something stupid or naggy to say to help keep some of that weight off their shoulders. Imagine if they didn’t even have that. If Johnny never talked to them, never showed his face. 

A constant companion, like a supportive pet cat except he can talk and did a lot of meth. 

And this is a sidenote that has nothing to do with cats specifically, but that through Samurai music this isn’t the first time Johnny could be compared to an omen. Its no secret that the music was largely created around the game and as such, many of his songs have direct parallels and messages related to the game. Never Fade Away while in universe written in regards to Alt’s death also has so much in common with his journey with V. This brings me to the song Black Dog.

“Black Dog inside my head, guiding me until the end.”

Black Dogs are figures in Irish Mythology  who much like bakeneko’s are talked about in game; are omens of death and misfortune. I just find it interesting I suppose, like Johnny is either a dirty alley cat or a big mangy dog, but either way he’s here cause someones about to die.

Okay this is well over a thousand words, Imma shut up now. This is probably a mess, but anyone here for coherency is in the wrong place. 

[rmelster]

okay, so now for the fully detailed, heavily descriptive C1 report:

The Elster Man

THE TITLEEEEEEE. I’m flattered hehehehe. For a more etymological approach, elster (which is indeed a surname) means magpie in German. In western culture, magpies are object of countless superstitions, and is believed to be a messenger of ill omen and death; they also have traditional links to witchcraft. That’s a good choice of a (sur)name for such a mysterious and eerie man like this one 😉

- a secret hideaway, where I could curl up with a blanket and a cup of tea, and lose myself in a Georgian adventure or a Gothic romance

FR. There isn’t a better feeling in the world that being half-hidden behind dusty piles of books in the back of an antiquity shop, reading one of those books.

When Louis Daguerre had succeeded in reducing a camera’s exposure time from hours to minutes, the popularity of portraiture had exploded

It is very noticeable that you have taken your time to investigate further about the history of photography. My respects for that! Very well done 🫶

I withdrew a lock of dark brown hair, long and curly, bound with a red ribbon tied in a bow. I handled it with the utmost care, afraid of damaging the centuries-old strands. Then, on an impulse, I sniffed it.

Imagine if Rick just entered through the door then 🤣

This photograph was never meant for my eyes - it was a secret message between two lovers, who in their time period would’ve lived in the shadows.

That awkward moment when you accidentally find out of a deep homoerotic relationship of a century ago.

I’d been piecing together the jigsaw of his life, and in a strange and maybe stupid way, I felt like I’d gotten to know him

Relatable feeling nº1

This man had been happy, beautiful, and by the looks of it, exciting; and the thought of him being forgotten hurt

Relatable feeling nº2

My hands had begun to shake. It was the same person. Unmistakeably so. Indistinguishable, down to the slight asymmetry of his eyes. Even an identical twin wouldn’t be such a perfect match.

Me finding that one picture that looked a little too much like my OC.

My mouth opened and closed, but all speech had deserted me.

Love this love this love this…

If you feel it’s insufficient, please feel free to swing by Elster House whenever you’re in the area. I’ll give you a guided tour without the entrance fee, and I promise you’ll leave happy.”

GIRL.

The Elster Man

The antique shop on Allenbrought Street was, to me, the most magical place in the world. Even though it was the first paying job I’d managed to get after university, I was in no particular rush to move on - it was preferable to the waitressing job I’d had at school, and it appealed to my love of the vintage and forgotten. For as long as I could remember, I’d been fascinated by the concept of antiques, so this was the closest I thought I would ever come to a dream job.

I’d only been working there for about six months, but to me, the shop had become a safe haven - a secret hideaway, where I could curl up with a blanket and a cup of tea, and lose myself in a Georgian adventure or a Gothic romance, while the minimum wage trickled into my pocket. The ticking of the grandfather clock was like a lullaby to me, and sometimes I would doze off with the book in my hands, until being woken by the sound of the bell above the door, signalling a customer’s entrance.

My life changed on a Monday afternoon - always the quietest time for our shop, since people were too busy with work or school to come and gawk at antiques. The owner was sick, so it was just me: the only employee, diligently manning the till, sweeping the floor, and dusting the shelves. I’d only had two customers that day - an old man searching for photo albums or soldiers’ diaries from the Second World War, and an elderly woman looking for vintage ornaments - but I didn’t mind. I liked the peace and quiet.

As I pottered around the shop, I was struck, as I often was, by the cosy, cluttered charm of the place. The shelves were stacked high with a beautiful chaos of miscellany - ballerina music-boxes, candlesticks, lampshades, silverware, egg cups, biscuit tins - while the walls were hung with framed photographs and wooden cuckoo clocks.

Sitting on chairs were stuffed animals with button eyes and porcelain dolls with real human hair, and looming over everything was a large, ornately carved grandfather clock, whose pendulum swung to and fro almost hypnotically. Every object had been crafted by skilful hands, whose owners were long-dead; and I took my role seriously as the caretaker of their legacies.

I finished rearranging a teapot, teacups, and saucers on a tray, then looked around for something else to do. I took advantage of the down-time to start unpacking a delivery we’d received the previous Friday: several beat-up cardboard boxes of items from Elster House, an eighteenth century manor-house somewhere in the south.

In order to fund the upkeep of the twenty-bedroom, twelve-bathroom mansion, the aristocrat who lived there was in the process of converting it from a private residence into a public attraction. Tourists and history buffs would come flocking to admire the topiary and old paintings, and hopefully leave a few coins in the donation box. But first, the attics needed to be cleared out.

And so here I was, kneeling on the floor, elbow-deep in a cardboard box stuffed with old bits-and-bobs, sorting the tat from the treasures.

Porcelain figurines of blushing cherubs and graceful Regency ladies gazed down at me as I worked. With a keen eye, I inspected each piece closely, looking for any scratches, scuffs, or discolouration that might decrease their value. I set aside a gilded snuff-box, and my gaze fell upon a rectangular tin at the bottom of the pile.

It wasn’t an antique, but a fairly modern storage tin, maybe from the 1970s or 1980s, painted with a rather gaudy floral design. It looked out-of-place among its Victorian companions.

I picked it up, and turned it around several times to admire the pattern. Then I attempted to open it, struggling to dig my fingernails under the lid. Gritting my teeth, I exerted more pressure. The lid finally gave up with a wheeze of escaping air, and the contents were revealed: a mess of old photographs, grey or sepia-toned, unmistakeably and authentically Victorian.

I scrambled to my feet, wincing as my stiff knees protested. I hurried to fetch a pair of cotton gloves, specially bought for protecting old, fragile documents from skin oils. Hastening back to the box, I sat cross-legged, put on my gloves, and reached into the tin.

The first photo I picked up was an unremarkable portrait. A young man sitting in a chair, wearing full Victorian garb, staring off into the distance in an aloof, regal fashion. His expression was dignified and stoic, his pose statue-like. When Louis Daguerre had succeeded in reducing a camera’s exposure time from hours to minutes, the popularity of portraiture had exploded; but having one’s photograph taken had remained a serious event, and smiling hadn’t yet become acceptable.

I peered more closely at the faded image. The man was strikingly handsome, in an angular and somewhat haunted way, his dark hair slicked with pomade. His large, shadowy eyes seemed full of secrets and deep, unknowable thoughts. A Gothic beauty, complete with an aura of mystery. Judging by his fine clothes and aristocratic bearing, he was probably an ancestor of the current owner of Elster House. The plain background and lack of other objects ensured that my gaze focused on him.

I turned the picture over. Written on the back in elegant cursive were the words:

Richard Mariah Elster

His Lordship on a fine Friday

October 13th 1843

To my chagrin, many of the photographs were heavily damaged - covered in splotches and scratches, the corners faded and curling. It seemed as though they’d been tossed carelessly in the tin with no regard for proper storage, yet a loose chronology seemed to exist. As I flipped through, I realised that they were all of Lord Elster. It was a collection dedicated to one man - one beautiful young man (or young to my admiring eyes, at least).

In most of them, he was alone, sitting or standing in various attitudes; but in some of them, he had companions - an elderly couple that I assumed were his parents, a male contemporary who was probably a university friend, a young woman whom he may have been courting. All of them seemed to pale in comparison; my eye was always drawn to him.

Each picture was its own little enigma. Who was he, and what circumstances had brought him to be photographed that day? Was he marking a significant event in his life, or had he simply wanted to show off his new clothes? My gloved hands carefully turned them over, checking for writing, but most of what I found was illegible.

As I searched, my fingers found something that wasn’t paper - something soft and ticklish. I withdrew a lock of dark brown hair, long and curly, bound with a red ribbon tied in a bow. I handled it with the utmost care, afraid of damaging the centuries-old strands. Then, on an impulse, I sniffed it. It may have been my imagination, but I thought I could detect the lingering, sweet fragrance of perfume. I wondered if he’d requested it as a keepsake, or if his lover had offered it as a token of her affections.

Picking up another picture, I experienced a momentary shock to see Lord Elster’s dead body propped upright, bereft of its head; but I quickly identified it as a joke photograph. In the 1880s and 1890s, there had been a humorous fad for “headless portraits”, in which the subject posed for two photographs in succession, and both photo negatives were combined to create the illusion that they were holding their own severed head by the hair or cradling it on their lap. Sure enough, the lord’s “decapitated” head was sitting nearby while his hand pretended to stroke its hair. I snorted with laughter, and put the picture aside.

The one that followed wasn’t a single image, but a collection of eight, arranged in two rows of four. I recognised it as a “visiting card” from the 1860s or late 1850s. At the time, it had finally become possible to take quick, casual photographs and print them onto a single sheet of thin paper, usually showing a person in the same setting but in different poses and attitudes. The low cost and simple production of such photos had led to their boom in popularity, as they could be easily traded among friends and family - one of the earliest examples of social media.

In all images, he was standing with a top-hat and cane in his hands. Sometimes he was posed in a serious and stoic manner, but sometimes he appeared grinning and playful. The images were too small to make out details, but I was struck by his humour - a long-dead man captured forever in a moment of amusement. It was a jarring reminder that people had been just as silly seven generations ago as they were now. Looking at him, I realised I was smiling.

But when I put it aside and saw the next picture, my smile died and my heart dropped. The young lord was sitting in an armchair, his eyes closed, his face slack, his mouth a sliver of blackness as it hung ajar. He looked like he was fast asleep, but I knew that he was dead. The sight came as a gut-punch to me. I’d been piecing together the jigsaw of his life, and in a strange and maybe stupid way, I felt like I’d gotten to know him. Now he sat in front of me, dead, motionless, his existence reduced to a scrap of paper.

There was nothing written - no date, no tribute, no expression of grief. I wondered what had happened to him. Had he died peacefully or violently? In bed after a terrible illness, surrounded by the tender care of his loved ones? Or in the middle of the street after a sudden accident, surrounded by gawking strangers? Morbid curiosity compelled me to peer closer at the photograph, looking for any clue as to what may have killed him - but he was fully dressed and immaculately hairstyled, hiding any possible sign of injury.

He was undeniably dead, and in accordance with the customs of the time, his family had decided to take one last picture of him.

I hadn’t come to work that day expecting to get emotional. Perhaps it was just the dust, but my eyes had begun to sting. I moved on, eager to shake off the image of his lifeless face.

The following photograph was decidedly less formal - probably a private memento. He was standing up, one foot crossed in front of the other, leaning his arm on the back of a chair in a casual manner. His hair had grown longer, and hung in easy-going curls to his neck - quite unusual for the time period, when most men had worn their hair short, slick, and sensible.

He appeared to be in an exquisite garden lined with marble columns, with a fountain in the background, but I couldn’t tell if it was a real place or a studio backdrop. Maybe it was a corner of the Elster estate, or maybe it was just paint on a canvas.

I held the precious picture in both hands, glad to see him alive again, then gently put it aside.

What I saw next caused me to freeze for a moment, as if my heart had skipped a beat. The young man was sitting naked on the floor, and smiling at someone out of frame. His long, dark curls were gathered loosely back, exposing his pale shoulders, and his expression was one of eager delight. Compared to the formality and pomp of its companions, the image was shocking in how alive and intimate it was. The subject was aroused, happy, and in motion.

I turned the picture over. Scribbled on the back in messy cursive were the words:

My darling, delicious Rick. A souvenir. Nothing tastes sweeter.

Something about the penmanship made me think it was a man’s. I felt a sudden guilt. This photograph was never meant for my eyes - it was a secret message between two lovers, who in their time period would’ve lived in the shadows.

Moving on, I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire - the next picture was even more scandalous. His unrestrained hair tumbled in disarray about his face, and he was wearing an embroidered dressing gown that hung open, revealing that he was nude underneath. He was draped over a chaise longue in a languid pose, one bare leg crossed lazily over the other. To my modern eyes, the pose was no more shocking than a Greek statue, but for the time, it must’ve been outrageous.

Staring at him, I abruptly realised that it was his hair I had sniffed. His perfume I had imagined a whiff of. For some reason, the fact was embarrassing.

On the back of the scandalous photograph, I discovered the words:

To my dearest Rick. I found this and had to share the memory.

Wednesday 6th June 1866

This time, the handwriting felt feminine to me - painstaking, graceful, the result of years of strict schooling. I wondered how many lovers he’d had in his life, and which one he’d married to continue the Elster line.

Wait…1866? I squinted at the number. No, I’d definitely read it correctly.

I returned to the first portrait, dated 1843, and examined his face with a more critical eye. If I was generous and assumed he was in his early twenties at the time, he still looked remarkably youthful two decades later. Perhaps the hand holding the pen had made an error, or perhaps Richard was simply blessed with good genetics. Oh well, this mystery was above my pay-grade - correctly identifying the pictures would be the museum’s job.

I was approaching the bottom of the tin, and already wondering which museum to call first. These photographs belonged in a safe place, not a dusty antique shop, and I felt curiously protective of them. This man had been happy, beautiful, and by the looks of it, exciting; and the thought of him being forgotten hurt.

Suddenly, my eye was caught by a pop of colour. Something blue amid the grey and sepia. I reached for it, drew it from the pile, and my blood ran cold.

It was a Polaroid, and the face smiling back at me was Lord Elster’s. From what I could see, he was wearing a blue denim jacket over an unbuttoned tie-dye shirt, and his hair was gathered back in a loose mess. Seeing him in colour came as a shock to the system. Even in the faded, washed-out Polaroid, his curls were a rich and lustrous brown, his eyes a deep green. Even his pale skin seemed to be a dozen hues of pink.

My hands had begun to shake. It was the same person. Unmistakeably so. Indistinguishable, down to the slight asymmetry of his eyes. Even an identical twin wouldn’t be such a perfect match.

I knew it was him, but I also knew the idea was impossible. Although colour photography had ceased to be experimental in the 1930s, it hadn’t become the norm until the 1960s, and the Polaroid Corporation hadn’t dominated the world of instant cameras until the 1970s. If the man in front of me was the same man who’d sat patiently for a portrait in 1843, he would be almost two centuries old.

The sound of the shopkeeper’s bell jolted me from my reverie, a resonant chime informing me that a customer had entered. Sure enough, I heard the door swing shut with a decisive thud, and a male voice calling cheerfully:

“Hello?”

“One moment, please,” I answered, quickly returning everything to the tin and putting the lid back on. I heard his bouncy, blithe footsteps striding across the floor towards me, and realised I was covered in dust. I brushed myself off and emerged from behind the shelves, the floral tin in my hands. “How can I help - ” I began, but then I saw his face and the words died in my throat.

“Ah. I was looking for that. Thank you.”

His voice was youthful and sweet. He plucked the tin from my unresisting hands, paused, and peered closely at it. I realised I’d failed to rotate the lid back into the same position I’d found it, resulting in the flowery pattern being disrupted. My mouth opened and closed, but all speech had deserted me.

“You’ve been nosy, I see,” he said, “No matter.”

He smiled brightly, and slapped a stack of bank-notes down on the counter without counting them.

“There. Whatever awkward questions you have, this should be all the answer you need. If you feel it’s insufficient, please feel free to swing by Elster House whenever you’re in the area. I’ll give you a guided tour without the entrance fee, and I promise you’ll leave happy.”

He turned, and with a flick of his dark curls, was gone.

For @rmelster

[thebestbookrecommendations]

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears. Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere. What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex. In short, it's about everything.

Read if You Like:

Fantasy/Fairy Tales

Romance

Humor/Satire

Adventure

Witty Books

Recommended if You Enjoy:

Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman (Good Omens)

Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

The Princess Bride (Movie, 1987)

4/5

[rogueartgallery]

and can you be everything i need?

more good omens!!! a better guide to romance. i need you all to know how ridiculously dramatic crowley is in this au. girl is going through it. threw this together in between all the bigger pieces i’m working on rn, i drew this traditionally a while back (see under the cut).

SONG: no leverage / no pleasure the scary jokes

[evilphrog]

Thanks @prettydjarinsoloinspires for tagging me!

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to know better.

Three ships: I don’t so much OTP ship as I project hard onto one specific character and then ship them with every single other character in the media (and sometimes outside of it).  The one exception to this would be Crowley and Aziraphale from Good Omens, because those two are so codependent I can’t really picture them with anyone else.  My top 3 current projections are Darcy Lewis (Marvel), Dirk Gently, and Ford Prefect (Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).

Last song: Fred Astaire by Jukebox The Ghost. I love the energy and the easygoing romance of it.

Last movie: Kids made me watch Space Jam over the summer.  It was cute. 

Currently reading: Recently finished the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, want to read the last 2 books in the series, but am struggling to find the motivation to read the 2 in between. I really don’t care about any of the characters except Nikolai Lantsov, so I want to jump to the books about him.

Currently watching: Recently finished Loki.  I don’t watch TV or movies too often.  Not in an “I think not watching TV is a personality trait” way.  I just get motion sick easily.

Currently consuming: Vegetarian ravioli my husband made. He’s awesome.

Currently craving: A full night of sleep

Tagging @dont-offend-the-bees @yoshiyakiryu @the-timelord-a-tardis-stole @maniacalmole @sirnotappearinginthisblog @mimisempai @charlottemadison42 @kitundercover @devouringyourson

[aktiophis]

Timing by the Stars: Days, Hours, and The Moon

This will be the first in a little miniseries of posts on astrological timing, specifically as it concerns the making of Talismans, but the principle could equally be applied to a one off ritual. Originally, I was just going to write one post but it got quite unwieldy to talk about so many different concepts all at once, so instead I’m starting at the beginning. I’ll get into more complicated things whenever I feel like writing them frankly, and I’ll probably edit this post with links when I do. (This part alone is long enough Jesus Christ)

It can be useful to think of the election you choose for a Talisman to be its time of birth. Someone born with a very dignified Venus will most often have an easier time doing Venusian things, to be very, very broad with the astrology. But the gist is; planet is more better=person is more good at planet things. Naturally, then, a Venus Talisman made when Venus was very strong and well placed will also be very good at Venus things, and thus good at whatever it’s purpose is. This is the basis of talismanic magic using astrology.

First, though, I’m going to talk about the barebones of astrological Talisman timing, namely the days and hours. I’m including the moon also because it’s the other key consideration for astrological magic generally.

The Days and Hours

[Credit: Digital Ambler]

It isn’t a coincidence that the planets in Romance languages are named after the planets. Even in English (and I would assume other Germanic languages although I’ve never checked, but if they don’t I’d be very surprised), the Gods for each day line up with their Greco-Roman approximate counterparts. As such, each day has an affinity for its namesake planet. That’s why so many spells call for a Friday, and so many curses for a Tuesday or Saturday. At the very most basic level of astrological timing, with no knowledge of anything else, this is how you would time a spell or Talisman, probably at some auspicious time like dawn.

Something not as well known by non-occultists is the concept of planetary hours. Unlike civil hours, these aren’t regular in length and have nothing at all to do with what time it says on the clock for the most part. Planetary hours are divided into two sections. Here are some points to get you the gist before we continue:

The planetary day starts at Dawn, so even if it’s 2:00am on Tuesday, you are in a planetary hour of Monday

The first hour of the day always corresponds to the planet the day is named after, in our example, at Dawn on Tuesday the first hour is Mars

There are 12 day hours, and 12 night hours. The day hours begin at sunrise and end at sunset, while the night hours begin at sunset and end at the sunset of the next day.

Each day hour is exactly 1/12 of the time from sunrise to sunset, and the equivalent for night hours.

The hours cycle in the Chaldean order, which is ascending mean speed:Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon

 As you can see, there isn’t much the same between civic hours and the planetary hours. You can calculate these by hand, but if you’re like me and use them a lot there’s no need to bother because there are dozens of apps. For those curious, the Placidus house system can also be used to find the planetary hour, as each half of a house corresponds to a planetary hour. I deeply dislike using Placidus for natal astrology but for that reason I sometimes use it to find the planetary hours (not the houses, though).

These two things are the most basic considerations for Talisman making. For a Solar talisman, the hour of the sun on Sunday. Bam. Specifically, the first hour is often considered the best because it coincides with dawn/sunrise, i.e. the daily birth of the sun and illumination of the world with spiritual light etc. but any of the correct planetary hours will do the trick.

One thing to note is when I start getting into more complicated electional stuff, you might find a great election that isn’t in the right day or hour. By no means disqualify it because the day doesn’t fit. If Mercury is at the most powerful it will be for the next few months after but it’s a Friday and the hour of Mercury doesn’t fall within this very specific timeframe (Like say it’s Cazimi in Gemini, in its bounds conjunct the midheaven, or something, Idk), do it anyway honestly. You’ll never get everything to be just as you want it, and frankly days and hours come every day/week, and some things only happen once every 20 years.

The Moon

[credit: Honestly no idea]

That’s right, it’s not just for Wiccans! The state of the moon has been a big consideration for ceremonial magic, folk magic, you name it, for a long ass time. Even in astrological Talismans not concerning the moon, as the planet associated not only with magic but also with collecting and reflecting the ‘astral light’ onto the Earth, the condition of the moon is an important consideration.

Anyone who has read a 101 book on magic will have seen that “waxing to increase something, waning to decrease” thing, and that’s the gist honestly. For Talismans though, you want a waxing or full moon. The talisman might be protection against evil, but f you did it when the moon was a waning crescent it wouldn’t be the evil decreasing so much as the protective Talisman. I’m not going to discourage people from doing stuff in a waning moon, I do all the time, just be aware it’s not necessarily the best, especially in the case of Talismans and astrological magic. To be quite frank I feel like this can sometimes be overlooked as a factor, but if it’s an important thing it can wait until the moon is growing

Now, with just that and the days/hours you’re honestly pretty much set, but I’m writing this to eventually get onto more complicated things so there are some more bases I’d like covered.

The Lunar mansions are the obvious thing to talk about next. The Zodiac Wheel of 12 signs is intrinsically a solar schema for astrology. The beginning of the Zodiac at 0 Aries is at the moment of the Spring Equinox, when the days are equal to the nights. All of the cardinal signs, in fact, are so called because the next season of the year begins as the Sun enters them. There is, however, a similar system for the moon, of 28 mansions, each of just under 13 degrees, starting also with Aries. The Picatrix is what I’d direct you to if you want to read more about them specifically, especially since I haven’t used them in very much in practice.

The mansions were widely used in Arabic astrology, apparently quite often in electional astrology generally, not restricted to magic (as a side note, by all means study in the hour of mercury and treat-yo-self in the hour of Venus, even without magic. Tune into the rhythm). One mansion might be good for travel but could also cause strife between friends, while another might bring ill health but be good for buying livestock, that type of deal. It’s always worth checking if the time you have in mind for a Talisman happens with the moon in a favourable mansion for that purpose.

I will touch on this passingly because it really belongs in my next post, but if the moon is in a hard aspect with Saturn or Mars that can also be a bad omen for an election, although if the moon has good aspects or is particularly strong otherwise I would personally still do the thing because otherwise I would probably only do astrological magic once a year waiting for the perfect time.

Void of Course

This is something that frankly puzzles me to no end because half the resources I could find when I first looked into it clearly were using the phrase without having a clue what they meant, and the other half gave me a number of different definitions. I personally use the definition as given by the medieval astrology guide, whose site I’ll link at the end, because it makes the most sense to me.

All definitions of a Void Moon stem from the same basic idea, which is that the Moon will not perfect an aspect to another planet any time soon, sort of as if the moon is running in the dark on its own. The most common modern definition says the moon is void if it doesn’t perfect an aspect before leaving the sign it’s in, which basically means it happens every couple of days like Clockwork. I use a different definition (when I even remember to consider it) that is, the moon is not within orb of perfecting an aspect, without consideration as to the sign. So, by my definition, if the moon was leaving a sextile aspect with Saturn at say, 29 Aries, and was applying to a trine with Venus, even if it didn’t make a perfect trine before entering Taurus, the moon wouldn’t be void of course, because it was still in an applying aspect at the time. More broadly, I only consider a moon Void when it isn’t applying to an aspect (look into moiety for more on what I mean as far for more details on application). I encourage you to come to your own conclusions about this though, so don’t take my word for it.

[credit: Skyscript.co.uk]

A Void moon is generally bad for magic because to be literal the moon isn’t really doing anything much, at least as far as aspects go. That being said it isn’t something I look at unless I’m planning an important thing and I wouldn’t stress about it unless you were doing an important thing too. To be frank I often forget to even check what the moon is doing even for some slightly more important stuff.

And that is about it or what I wanted to cover, I think. The next post will probably be about Essential and Accidental Dignity, which was really what I wanted to write about in the first place, but here we are.

TL:DR

Time for the day of the planet

Time for the hour of the planet

Time for a waxing Moon

Avoid the Void moon

Some Useful Links/Sources (Some I didn’t even reference but they’re still good so I’m including them)

The Picatrix

www.sykscript.co.uk

www.Medievalastrologyguide.com

Secreti Geomantici (Great little geomancy book, also has useful things on timing. Thanks @nightjasmine for reminding me about it)

Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune, Chris Brennan (not about magic but this is just a great book on astrology overall, especially Hellenistic)

www.Rennaissanceastrology.com (I have issues with some of Warnock’s work, but his information is accurate and his site is great for these purposes)

 (Looking back I suppose I could’ve just made a post of resources but I’m in too deep now).

[collaborationandresearchproposal]

Thursday 29th April, Research Report: Lycanthropy and the hays code

Notable points * lycanthropy seems  to be synonymous with homosexuality- parallels between Teen Wolf and Buffy The Vampire Slayer's respective coming out scenes. * The Queer-ness of the character Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter books and film series. Many fans head cannon and write slash fics about Remus and Sirius' romance and relationship, reading the characters as queer. The ship, named 'Wolf Star' is quite popular and well known within the fandom. Many fans feel there is enough evidence to build this relationship on; Remus and Sirius' ghosts stood next to each other in the resurrection stone, mirroring Harry's parents,  a canonically married couple. They also bought Harry a joint present for his birthday and know the intricacies of each others personalities. Dumbledore also infamously told Sirius to 'lie low at Lupins.' But the problem here, as the article points out, is that Rowling doesn't acknowledge Lupin as queer, despite the homoerotic cues in the writings,  and instead gives him a female love interest and admits that Lupins Lycantrhopy is a metaphor for AIDS/HIV. She has further dismissed any alternative readings of the character, disappointing fans' hopes of there being a shred of representation in a queer monster who is actually queer. This sort of behaviour from authors and creators is what turns Queer-coding into the more harmful and frustrating Queer-baiting. A large majority of queer representation comes from connotations and interpretations. the clues are there and queer audiences do pick them up. However this grey area allows allows straight culture to use queerness for pleasure and profit in mass culture without admitting to it. Modern examples of this are CW's Supernatural and BBC's Sherlock. I can't personally speak for Supernatural but having watched Sherlock with the advantage of a queer eye, I can say with confidence that it is a prime example of queer-baiting. there is clear homoerotic subtext between Sherlock and John and even Sherlock and Moriarty. I Personally think it's entirely romantic as I head cannon Sherlock to be Asexual or at least on that spectrum but the point is, it is not just wishful thinking or pushing of a narrative. It's manipulation. Queer-baiting takes advantage of an already vulnerable group of people by preying on their desire for representation in the media.

In modern media werewolf's are often portrayed as having chiselled bodies and looming over each other. The 1985 Teen Wolf received a television reboot and it's fair to say it got reasonably more progressive.  It seemed interested in queering the werewolf narrative and in a sly moment of gender-bending the traditional Little Red Riding Hood narrative, protagonist Scott receives the Bite from a male werewolf while wearing a Little Red Hoodie (‘Wolf Moon’). Additionally, the show features LGBTQ characters while Scott’s human best friend Stiles visits a gay bar and makes friends with a group of drag queens in startling contrast to the gay panic of the 1985 film’s version of Stiles. By midway through the show’s second season, the slash pairing that had proved dominant in the fandom was Stiles and wannabe-Alpha Derek Hale. The two characters, who operate in the narrative as belligerent and begrudging allies, rapidly became a slash phenomenon, due, in part, to the chemistry and comic timing between actors Tyler Hoechlin and Dylan O’Brien. The narrative is further subverted when Derek is raped by an adult  human woman.

The pair 'Sterek' gained so much traction that it caught the attention of MTV and the cast and crew behind the show. So much so that they released a video of Hoechlin and O'Brien cuddling on a boat, asking fans to vote for Teen Wolf for this  years Choice Summer TV Show at the Teen Choice Awards. This  was big as it acknowledged fans and slash flics and the pairing itself as a possibility and many queer voices who watched the show felt heard and validated. However this didn't last long. MTV released a video on the official Teen Wolf Facebook, this time featuring O’Brien asking fans to vote for Teen Wolf in a TV Guide Poll. O’Brien joked that if fans did not vote, then the show would kill off its sole remaining gay character and one of the few remaining non-white characters on the show, Danny. The Teen Wolf Facebook released the video with the following caption: ‘Keep #TeenWolf in first place! Heed Dylan and Linden’s advice or we might have to. #KillDanny’ (Teen Wolf). The show’s social media team then attempted to make the #KillDanny tag go viral on Facebook and twitter, but fans, understandably, were not amused, primarily using the tag for outraged tweets to MTV (Baker-Whitelaw).Such blatant disregard for fans’ concerns about queer representation on the show alienated a large number of fans, especially when coupled with Jeff Davis’ more frequently dismissive and condescending comments about the Sterek pairing where he had been enthusiastic and even encouraging of the ship. As seasons wore on without any indication that Sterek would indeed become canon, it became clear that MTV and Jeff Davis had been queer-baiting Sterek fans as a marketing technique and that the unique interplay that fans had enjoyed with Davis, which offered a new kind of truly interactive fandom had, in fact, been something of an illusion. ' serial killer Hannibal Lecter and his love interest Will Graham in Hannibal, and reanimated gay corpses Kieren, Simon, and Rick in In the Flesh. Notably, both series have received an overwhelmingly positive response from fans and critics who have applauded the series for taking their queer monsters beyond mere coding and into explicit text. The warm reception of Hannibal and In the Flesh’s handling of queer representation by fans, and the continuing frustration with Teen Wolf’s queer-baiting and the appropriative nature of Remus Lupin’s narrative in Harry Potter, belie a desire not only for better queer representation, but also for more complex re-articulations of queer monstrosity' the symbolic and narrative trappings of monsters are often used as metaphors for queerness without actually acknowledging the positive behind that queer identity or even confirming the queer identity at all. Another positive example is the miniseries Good Omens. Based on the book of the same name, written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Pretty much the whole fandom believe That the two leads, Crowley and Aziraphale are in a romantic relationship. They've known each other for centuries and perhaps what was the main fuel to this ships fire was the episode 3 cold open. Even fans who have only read the book seem to support these two as a couple and what's perhaps even more amazing is Gaiman’s response on twitter. "I wrote it as a love story. They acted it as a love story. You saw it as a love story. How much more proof do you need?" and "I wouldn't exclude the ideas that they are ace, or aromantic, or trans. They are an angel and a demon, not as make humans, per the book. Occult/Ethereal beings don't have sexes, something we tried to reflect in the casting. Whatever Crowley and Aziraphale are, it's a love story." It's beautiful because not only does it confirm that they are in love but it also leaves room for interpretations of what kind of relationship they have together.

https://dialogues.rutgers.edu/images/Journals_PDF/2017-18-dialogues-web_e6db3.pdf#page=164

In the year 1922, when cinema was gaining traction and popularity, The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA) hired a devout Presbyterian, Will H. Hays as its head. Eight years later, in 1930, the MPPDA ratified the Motion Picture Production Code. Also known as the Hays Code, these guidelines were set up as “a list of rules that studios could follow to avoid the censors’ wrath” one specific line read “sexual perversion or any inference to it is forbidden” This era in censorship set the stage for a culture in which the stereotypical behaviour of homosexuals, or any behaviour deviating from the traditional gender roles, is seen as dangerous, evil, and even fatal. By representing coded homosexual characters as depressed, perverse, and succumbing to punishing ends, it shifted social subconscious beliefs of LGBT individuals in real life to those represented on screen. Media often teaches us how to feel about others and ourselves – e.g., it promotes specific body types and clothing styles. In the same way, by promoting gendered behaviour and banning homosexuality, it spread a message that homosexuality was not fit to be viewed openly. Although themes of homosexuality were banned they were definitely alluded to and that continues today.

[big-edies-sun-hat]

It was somewhere north of Tunica on Highway 61, above the crossroads but below the Calvary Baptist Church, back when there were no casinos, back when there was nothing but Moon Lake and the level Delta soy and rice and the three roadside crosses, that I laughed harder than I had ever laughed in my life, because of this:

        4. And bye the border of Naphtali, from the east side untoe the west side, a portion for Manaffeh.         5.  Buggre Alle this for a Larke. I amme sick to mye Hart of typefettinge. Master Biltonn if no Gentelmann, and Master Scagges noe more than a tighte fisted Southwarke Knob-befticke. I telle you, onne a daye laike thif Ennywone with half an oz. of Sense shoulde bee oute in the Sunneshain, ane nott Stucke here alle the liuelong daie inn thif mowldey olde By-Our-Lady Workefhoppe. @ *“Æ@;!*         6.  And bye the border of Ephraim, from the east fide even untoe the west fide, a portion for Reuben.

When I was twelve, I could still read in the car. I was riding back from Memphis with my mother, and we had been to a bookstore there. I had picked up the newly released Good Omens because the cover compared it to Hitchhiker’s Guide. With the Buggre All This Bible, it had already delivered, but it would bring me more than that. It was a book of revelations.

In a Mississippi Christian school, you did not joke about Heaven and Hell, except with sugary, malicious pastor’s jokes about who got to go where. I had already come to understand that I was going to hell for a lot of reasons, all of which I would learn many years later were part of the Weird Little Girl Expansion Kit. I was obsessed with Egypt and with curses--today, this is widely known as a sign of a healthy intellect, but back then, only my parents and their friends approved of me. I was outwardly defiant and inwardly afraid that, as another roadside sign had told me, HELL IS HOT--HOT--HOT.

Good Omens introduced me to the idea that Hell was simply a side. It was a nasty side, to be sure, but so too was Heaven. The book suggested, naturally and easily, that humanity was not a playing field, but a player itself: wickeder than hell, braver than heaven, better than anything going. In short, it gave me my first lesson in humanism. It is not always a fine thing to be strongly influenced by British fantasy when you are an American kid from the hinterlands; it can help make you twee and insufferable and convinced of your own superiority. And I was certainly that. But at that age, would I not have been anyway?

Like Adam Young, I was crazy about old copies of the Fortean Times and dug through my father’s collection for signs and wonders. (They took some time to filter down to Mississippi through the postal mail, but they did.) I took naturally to Adam’s wonderment and delight at the world, and to the idea that he did not have to be bad, that he could be as gentle and good as his father--his real father--with his soul like a “leather armchair.” It encouraged me, too, to see that Adam, being a boy, could choose to be good, when it seemed that,here in junior high, every boy I knew--had known for years!--could suddenly choose to be nasty at the least opportunity.

I did not then know what shipping was, which is probably for the best. At twelve, I would have hated it, not because of homophobia--I had just become enamored with Freddie Mercury--but because romance was a dark place to me then. I did not yet understand that there could be romance without making someone suffer, and I would never have believed that either Aziraphale or Crowley could ever have been cruel enough to each other for that. They were bumbling and thoughtless, but they were decent, and when it was important, they had chosen to be kind. Here on the shores of middle age, I have, among other questionable decisions, read a lot of fics; and the best of them--which are very good indeed--center on kindness.

Whether or not you care about shipping,* this is a book, and a show, about choosing to be more than kind--to be human--on a cosmic scale. The rest of Pratchett’s works taught me a great deal about this; Good Omens was just the first one that made the lesson clear. I will always be grateful for that.

-----

* I do now, of course, I mean, this is Tumblr, what are we even doing here

[msclaritea]

~Mr Azira Phale, Angel~

It struck me during the church scene that perhaps the Germans were calling him Mr. Fell because they thought Phale was his last name. So, I took a closer look at the two halves that made the whole.  

~Azira

...Arabic in origin, it means A Rising Star. Interestingly, Pre-Islamic Arabia practiced Vedic religion, and in Vedic Astrology, Azira is a common name for babies born within Krittika Nakshatra, the older name of the Pleides Constellation.

Krittika..."literally means a "sharp flame" or "sword of fire." Alternatively, the word "Krittika" may be derived from the Sanskrit root krit, which means "to twist threads" or "to wind as a snake." This clearly is related to the symbology of the Caduceus and the May Pole. The root 'krit' also means "to separate, cut asunder, or divide." This secondary meaning refers to the division of souls into two groups that occurs on the Day of Illumination. The subtle energy associated with the Pleiades constellation is considered a Sword of Fire because it cuts asunder or separates knowledge from ignorance. It separates light from darkness."     

~Phale

The name is actually of what is known as Pictish-Scottish origin. "The Picts were a confederation of Celtic language speaking peoples who lived in what is today eastern and northern Scotland during the Late British Iron Age and Early Medieval periods. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from early medieval texts and Pictish stones. Their Latin name, Picti, appears in written records from Late Antiquity to the 10th century."

"This interesting surname is of Scottish and Irish origin, and it is an Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic "MacPhail", and the Irish Gaelic "MacPhoil", both patronymics from the Gaelic forms of the given name Paul, derived from the Latin "Paulus, meaning "small", and is has always been popular in Christendom."

Now of special note is Paul, the Saint, originally Saul of Tarsus, considered by many to be the actual founder of early Christianity, who very much believed in Angels, spoke of them appearing to him, and who at first, was bent on persecuting Jesus, only to become an Apostle after he appeared to him in the famous story of his travels on the road To Damascus. I came across an eye-opening article, theorizing that not only were Paul's writings edited and twisted, making him a patriarchal misogynist, but that he in fact believed in equality, was hugely inspired by Plato, and may very well have been Gay.

From: The (Possibly) Gay, Elite Apostle Who Believed in Radical Equality for All by Jay Parini

"I tend to agree with Bishop John Shelby Spong, a brilliant theologian and church leader, who argues that Paul was “a rigidly controlled gay male,” as he writes in Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism (1991). Be this as it may, Paul was clearly at war with his own body, tormented by the idea if not the reality of sexual desire, and eager to withdraw into the company of his male companions:  Luke, Timothy, Silas, and others. His conflicted feelings about his own sexual nature may account for the “thorn in his flesh” that he wrote about in his second letter to the church at Corinth. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)"

Galatians 3:28: “In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free man, neither male nor female. In Christ, all of these are one.” ~Saint Paul~

 Saint Paul was later decapitated by Nero! Oh, and one last thing...

              Azira is actually a girl's name.

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE.

For those who have looked closer, you may have discovered that Petronius worked for Nero.

Petronius was chief advisor to Nero and helped with the planning of all debauchery, orgies, feasts and crimes. He was known as Arbiter of Taste.

And Petronius wrote the infamous Satyricon.

Influence Of The Satyricon Upon The Literature Of The World.

"...It is to the author's recognition of the importance of environment, of the vital role of inanimate surroundings as a means for bringing out character and imbuing his episodes and the actions of his characters with an air of reality and with those impulses and actions which are common to human experience, that his influence is due...This class of literature, though modified essentially from age to age, in keeping with the dictates of moral purity or bigotry, innocent or otherwise, has come to be the very stuff of which literary success in fiction is made. One may write a successful book without a thread of romance; one cannot write a successful romance without some knowledge of realism; the more intimate the knowledge the better the book.."

"Petronius writes cynically and satirically about Roman decadence, about a society that’s corrupt and materialistic. Paul, to a certain extent, is writing about the same thing. He is certainly not humorous most of the time; he’s expressing his straightforward outrage about what he is seeing around him."

Petronius, set up for a treason charge by a rival, was threatened with death but chose to take his own life in quite a dramatic fashion, which is described in the notes to Satyricon. He died a year before Paul.

*Satyricon is compared often in style to Au Rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans, and one translation published in Paris,1902 has been attributed to Sebastian Melmoth aka Oscar Wilde.

Now, was St. Paul an influence in any way on Shakespeare? The Bard of course wrote about Religion and Politics in his plays but due to his enormous influence, St. Paul managed to touch Shakespeare's place in a much different way. This has led to the discovery of a place I had never heard of from this time period...and a new head canon.

During Shakespeare’s lifetime, the area around old St Paul’s Cathedral was a hive of activity and industry...the main gathering place for acquiring (and spreading) news and gossip, purchasing the latest fashions and commodities, and, of course, for being seen. Under its Nave, as known as Paul's Walk, while the people who went there and into the churchyard were known as Paul's Walkers.

Complaint of Thomas Dekker in 1608:

‘What swearing is there; yea, what swaggering, what facing and out-facing? What shuffling, what shouldering, what jostling, what jeering, what biting of thumbs to beget quarrels, what holding up of fingers to remember drunken meetings, what braving with feathers, what bearding with mustachios, what casting open of cloaks to publish new clothes.’

Indeed, with its dozens of booksellers, Paul’s Churchyard was the centre of the London book trade, and was popular throughout the entire country.

"Booksellers on Paternoster Row became a source of competition in the latter half of the century, eventually winning the prominent position in London bookselling, but Paul’s maintained its supremacy well into the seventeenth century."  This link has a beautiful rendering that can be expanded to show the individual publishers." 

I imagine Aziraphale would have spent hours here, likely with Crowley beside him, eagerly pouring over the thousands of books available, excitedly meeting other writers, getting lost among a mixture of saints and sinners, just enjoying humanity. And I head canon that THIS is what gave Aziraphale his idea to open a bookshop.

What kept bringing me back to St. Paul?

It's imposing presence caught my eye during the WW2 sequence. Turns out, it was bombed during the last days of December 1940, but survived due to the hard work of British firefighters.

“There are a lot of secrets in the design—a lot of buried subliminal stuff,” he reveals, noting that he hopes an eagle-eyed fan will find all the Easter eggs in Good Omens." Michael Ralph, Production designer, who also says that he based Azira's bookshop on the design of a compass.

Purposeful or no, using St. Paul as a guide through Good Omens has been a fun history lesson.

  @consulting-nerd-of-many-things @ineffable-janthony @feifeicuttie @sarahthecoat @honeybeelullaby @echosilverwolf @englandwouldfalljohn@thegoodomensdumpster @fuckyeahgoodomens @artfulkindoforder @iamjohnlocked4life @artemisastarte @fellshish @brilliantorinsane

The Satyricon

https://www.uscatholic.org/church/scripture-and-theology/2012/04/putting-paul-his-place

The Influence of St. Paul on Shakespeare

An awesome podcast That Shakespeare Life on St. Paul's Bookshops

x x x  x x x

[ninja-muse]

Introducing the “This Again?” Challenge!

A.k.a. the hype and fandom challenge, a.k.a. the booklr callout challenge, but, like, in a loving way.

Rules:

Runs for the month of July.

Do as many posts as you want.

This is not just a photo challenge! Discussion, meta, read-alikes, moodboards, etc. are all welcome and encouraged!

Use the titles as prompts, not directions. Get creative with them like you would with any other booklr challenge.

Do not use the book of the day to fulfill the prompt. Posting Six of Crows content on July 1 is not cool. Posting it on July 2 is fine.

Unlike my #bookoween challenge, you don’t win anything by doing this. You just get to have fun.

Further explanation of rules 4 and 5: Let’s say July 32 is Red, White and Royal Blue. You could post a stack of books with those colours, or take a book pic in front of the Union Jack, or give a list of American history recs, or riff on a theme like international relations. You should not take a picture of your copy or talk about your undying love for the characters or post a fake Henry Fox Mountchristen Windsor Instagram profile. Reccing queer romances is okay, as long as RWRB is not among them.

Edited June 29, to add that you don’t have to use any of the books in the prompts for this challenge. No, seriously. And don’t overthink this if you don’t want to. I’m really not intending this to be a bunch of posts about all the books that everyone’s already posting about.

Honestly, my thought process was:

I want to run a book challenge!

Hey, book titles might make good prompts!

Lessee, what’s an interesting theme…

Post prompt list

????

Success?

That said, if you’ve already got pics taken or days scheduled, you are 1000% not doing anything wrong! I know this is a weird challenge and I haven’t been clear.

And yes, this was inspired by @booksforthoughts‘s 2019 challenges. :)

The prompts again, if you want better readability:

Six of Crows

Les Miserables

Twilight

The Prisoner of Azkaban

A Darker Shade of Magic

To All the Boys I Loved Before

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Book Thief

A Song of Ice and Fire

The Fault in Our Stars

Clockwork Angel

The Lies of Locke Lamora

Circe

The Cruel Prince

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

The Cask of Amontillado

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Lightning Thief

The Name of the Wind

The Raven Boys

The Secret History

The Hunger Games

The Lord of the Rings

Fifty Shades of Grey

The Thief

The Great Gatsby

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Good Omens

Pride and Prejudice

Cinder

Carry On