#happiness and rejoicing because they're alive

[blamemma]

daniel ricciardo in yallingup, western australia | 15.1.24. | 📸

[blackpilljesus]

I saw this from the female separatism subreddit & the responses are some of the biggest reasons for separatism et al (or extinction if I'm being candid here). Moids cant be reformed they are fully aware of the hell they force women to live in. MaIe achievement & happiness is rooted in female exploitation & life. Their glory days are based on our horrific days. No amount of love, kindness or facts will change maIes and we cannot happily or even neutrally coexist with them.

Main points across answers:

Many want to experiment but not permanently be women

They dont want to be in constant danger or lose their autonomy at the hands of maIes for merely existing

They dont want to deal with childbirth (& periods)

They dont want to have to share spaces with species much stronger than them with ulterior motives

It makes me go crazy seeing people give moids benefit of doubt for their evil like "maIes just dont understand", "we need to teach maIes", or claiming that maIe violence is a result of maIes struggling with (expressing) their feelings. I get that women love maIes and it can be hard to imagine that people can intentionally be so evil but it is what it is. MaIes have no problems expressing themselves, abusing women is what maIes choose to do because they enjoy & benefit from it - that is their expression.

MaIes see the same news of women being abused, raped, and killed like we do except rather than be disheartened or alarmed they're either apathetic or satisfied. It isn't aliens that's committing GBV it's maIes & maIes have no problem reminding women of this when women anger them (such as rape threats & threatening women they'll end up on the news/true crime). The victim blaming, denial, and derailment of misogyny is part of the game to keep the system alive, they know the events occured & are a systemic occurence they just dont care. Hell not only do they not care, they rejoice in it or get off on it.

MaIes set up environments that work in their favour which simultaneously ensures that women will lose. They know women are set up to live in damn near impossible conditions for us. It's normalised for women to defenselessly share personal & private spaces with beings much more stronger than them with ulterior motives for us, it's trap. It's interesting how these moids aren't saying that they'll just cover up and *poof* harrassment gone, or they'll just pick a nice guy & they'll be okay. MaIes know the net negative they are towards women.

MaIes know that childbirth is a painful process & what do they do? Demand it happens and make it even MORE painful for women. MaIes that impregnate women do not love or care for them. Pregnancy itself is dangerous & sometimes lethal, often comes with a range of health issues, to cause someone to be in that condition especially in a environment where abortions are illegal is reckless & unloving. Now imagine how sinister & full of hatred one has to be to impregnate someone and abuse them on top of that. Many women risk their health & lives to reproduce with a Y and they get abused by said Y instead of being taken care of. Deranged.

Realising that maIes are aware of the evil they inflict is one of the things that radicalised me. It isn't a miscommunication or ignorance issue, their violence is intended. They want control. The cruelty is the point. Instead of wasting time & energy trying to change maIes or hope that they "understand" one day, focus on yourself & other women (who prioritise women). Moids aren't oblivious to female pain they enjoy it. A lot of women treat maIe evil like it's a mistake on maIes part but it's calculated terrorism. I know that this will go over many womens heads as they refuse to hold strong negative sentiments about moids as a collective so if you're not a woman like that, take this post as a sanity check. You aren't crazy, it isn't all in your head.

[luwha]

Listen, this is a pretty hopeless vent below. i am rational and know things are going to keep working and laws are getting drafted, but a vent is a vent.

And I felt pretty hopeless.

Don't you feel terrified that even to your best abilities, AI can generate something arguably better, economically viable? Doesn't it make shivers down to your bones knowing your 20 or so years of efforts are now worth pennies, and the future you planned os now only the next 5 years until it's fully trained?

Doesn't it scare you that people who pay to use it are paying to have the privilege to train it and soon enough they too will be replaced? That artistry is one of the most ancient works, a millenary job, the expression of human existence, and it's now commodified with the blood and sweat of every artist that existed before? That those artists, the dead and alive ones, never ever and never would agree with their work being used like this? And that there's people who rejoice on the misery they feel?

That the joy of seeing a new art is dead because you have to make sure you're supporting a real person? That the smile is replaced with a double take, a zoom in on the features?

The complete destruction of the search engines that both show and spit out nonsense, for the untrained eye to be unable to know the reality they love in, as well of the past they'll never get to fully understand, because a machine who knows nothing generated some Greek art? Indigenous? Fake animals? Fake political mishaps?

Doesn't it make you cry that you'll never have money to throw at the problem because your enemy has more money alone than all of the 99% living humans on this earth at this moment? That they're happy never to ever hire an artist again? A voice actor? A designer?

That my dream was once to sell my art on DeviantArt and recently they congratulated the biggest seller they had, who's now an AI generator that makes ladies with big boobs.

That other people who don't know my grief tell me to "adapt" and "use it too" so I won't be forgotten?

To make me wonder how people once made the most beautiful lace by hand and now it's worth less than what I breathe and that's now my future?

That once art brought me joy and now it makes me wonder for how long can I keep doing it?

[yuri-is-online]

tragedy anon back again w u guess it!!! More tragedy!!! Im thinking rn of a Yuu who was always going to die in the end. Like being sent back to their world is the equivalent to a death sentence, and they can't stay in TWST because time always loops and they feel like shit for trapping everyone in a moment when they could all be living their lives if not for them.

Yuu who has always been doomed from the start.... Like maybe yuu has been framed for a crime back in their prev world and when they do come back their execution will commence or maybe it's the apocalypse and when they do come back it's truly only a matter of time when they die. Thinking of the TWST boys who goes to visit them only to find nobody..... But traces of them.... Though I feel like the first scenario is more brutal, imagine you go visit your friend and not only are they dead but they were sentenced to death for a crime you know damn well they did not commit and everyone else is rejoicing.

Rejoicing that they're gone. Rejoicing at the fact that they all had KILLED them. Did Yuu know this was going to happen? If they did why had they not told them?! (they will never know, no one ever will because no one ever asked when they were alive if they were alright and they sure as hell will never get an answer because Yuu is dead and they are gone. Forever. )

:3

Ah tragedy annon, my Billy Shakes if you will, this made me THINK think. Doomed (hehe dyuumed) by the narrative is such a sexy trope. "If you were dead at the end of the story you were dead since the beginning" my beloved.

The main thing that made me think is that in country's that have the death penalty there's typically a lengthy appeals process + a ban on sentencing minors to it, even if they were charged as an adult, that makes it hard for me to see that being Yuu’s situation. That being said I agree that would be an awful, awful thing to come see. I could see someone like Malleus, who hates seeing other people happy when he isn't and is prone to causing storm with his magic, going full Netflix Castlevania and starting an apocalypse in Yuu's world while bringing their body home to be laid in state in Briar Valley. It's his right as King of the Abyss after all. Someone like Riddle might try proving your innocence, thinking about how restoring your good name is all he can do while the Octatrio extract their own kind of justice.

The apocalypse Yuu scenarios are ones I like but haven't played around with much just because post apocalyptic settings aren't my jam but! I could see there being a lot of anger at this Yuu for not telling them their situation. Of course now that the boys are older, they can reflect on their behavior and know why Yuu said nothing. But it's easier to blame Yuu at first than accept that they're grieving. It would take them a long time to work through that I think.

My personal preference for scenarios like these involve Yuu being mortally injured before coming to Twisted Wonderland, either in an accident or an attack, that results in their death when they return. I've also played around with terminal illness that's temporarily cured by going to Twisted Wonderland (my own health issues have made me like that less :/) that Yuu isn't recovered from when they return. Either way Yuu is dead when their friends finally figure out a way to get to their world and they have no way of being there for them. And they have no one to blame but themselves... unless.

Unless...

Maybe they could re-set time again?

[fracturediron]

I enjoy 'I support Non/Phee/New/masked killer murder rights, get those assholes' jokes as much as the next person, but from a narrative perspective, I truly don't think DFF is going to be a tale about the triumph of revenge and the punishment of the 'deserving.' Not when almost everyone's some shade of grey, with the more villainous characters having redeeming moments (or at least moments that make them human and understandable) and the more sympathetic characters having moments of being shitty.

Even if the killers succeed in their revenge, I don't think they'll get a happy ending (at best, it'll be bittersweet).

On a personal level, I don't think revenge as a concept is inherently wrong. God knows I've fantasised about revenge against the people who've wronged me. It all depends how proportionate it is to the wrong committed, how far you go and whether you end up harming innocent parties in the process.

All the characters are shown to be some shade of grey, with even indisputable assholes like Por and Tee having softer moments, or moments of vulnerability that make you understand where they're coming from without justifying their actions.

And some of the most sympathetic characters have ugly moments where they hurt others, whether it's Jin's filming of Non or Phee telling Non to get lost and die.

In ep 4, although we have yet to see the backstory that'll really make you hate on these kids, there have been enough context clues to pick up they did something BAD, as well as general behaviour.

In ep 1, Por's already illustrated to be a bit of a smug, rich dickhead before his impalement. But when Por dies, it's not played as something just or deserved; it's tragic. His friends are absolutely devastated, and not just I think from the horror and brutality of the whole situation. For all his flaws, Por was their friend, someone they knew since they were kids, someone they knew as a kid. Someone they had a laugh with, hung out with, had fun with, someone whose parents they knew. Por was their friend, and now they'll never see him alive again.

And when these kids die or end up paying for their actions some other way, their deaths will bring suffering and anguish to each other on a personal level, as well as to their families, just like with Non.

White is the closest thing to a completely innocent character we have so far. Much as he'll likely be horrified by everything Tee's done, when Tee's downfall comes (because surely it must; he's one of the biggest players in Non's misery), I can't see White rejoicing in it. It's not so easy to switch off your feelings for someone - even in the wake of ugly revelations - and White just also seems like a decent person, who takes no pleasure in seeing other people hurt.

Whatever happened to Non - whether he's dead or so damaged that he's no longer the same - even if the killers triumph, at the end of the day, Non is still dead (or in a bad state), and he still suffered all the things he went through.

If Phee and Tan (actually New) are the killers, then Phee's been lying to Jin this whole time about his motivations. Not only that, but poised to betray him in the most horrific way possible and harming their supposed friends. And if Phee's inadvertently developed feelings for Jin, then that's a sacrifice he must pay if his revenge is to succeed, tearing his heart out in the process.

TLDR; Most of them aren't getting out of this alive, no one's getting out of this happy

[final-milf-ratchet]

Dreadwing/Optimus/Magnus/Predaking again

Optimus and Ultra Magnus have been separated for soo long, they don't even know if the other is still alive..

Optimus is so happy that Dreadwing agreed to live with them, he really had a feeling something bad would happen otherwise.. The rest of the team gets used to Dreadwing at varying speeds (Arcee being chill with him is so funny but also I can see it perfectly). But Optimus *really* gets attached, spending a lot of time with Dreadwing (which makes sense, he's the team leader and the one who convinced Dreadwing to stay !)

Optimus and Ultra Magnus are SO relieved once everything calms down and they can finally rejoice that the other is still alive.. Despite all this time spent lightyears apart, despite the War, they're together again and still as in love as ever..

Though of course, Optimus is quick to explain to Magnus how Dreadwing joined them, how he's gotten attached to him and how he thinks it's more than friendship.. They have a long talk - while cuddling in bed - and Magnus ends it by giving Optimus his blessings to pursue Dreadwing.. though now he really wants to learn to know the guy better ! It's no small feat to snatch his husband's heart.. (Magnus and Dreadwing do form a friendship, at the same time Optimus and Dreadwing get involved romantically)

Then somehow Magnus, after being taken during the fight, convinces Predaking of their side of the story, and soon enough he's coming back to the team with Predaking, and there's some weird thing going on there as well.. Optimus is wary, but as long as Magnus is happy then he is as well. And Predaking seems to get along with Dreadwing - they're both warriors of honor etc, they have quite a few things in common - so really, all is good...

Oh my GOD. Dreadwing and Magnus are already pretty big mechs (a truck and a jet !) but Optimus is HUGE, and Predaking, somehow, is even more huge. The space they take up standing is already a lot, but laying down ? It's ridiculous. Of course, Dreadwing and Predaking HAD to curl up together, no other way around it..

The first thing they do, when everyone is getting settled after winning the War.. is get the biggest berth ever, so they can all cuddle up together and be comfortable..

Now. They have an appropriately sized berth. Perfect to pin down their blue boyfriends.. Dreadwing and Magnus are clingy in bed, so whenever they can they're kissing and holding hands.. Optimus and Predaking LOVE watching them do that as they rail the two into the berth.. watching their kiss get more and more messy the longer they go, until Dreadwing and Magnus are basically just holding and nuzzling each other..

luckily nothing bad ever happened to Dreadwing :) never ever :)

augh.... Optimus and Magnus cuddling and talking about how their lives have been since they last saw each other... Optimus telling Magnus more about Dreadwing..... Magnus HAS to get to know the mech whos captured Optimus' spark!!! Magnus and Dreadwing fwiendship 🥺🥺🥺

Magnus somehow convincing Predaking to at least listen (magussy)(actually it was facts and logic™ and mostly Magnus being a fairly stoic put together guy, but also the magussy definitely was a factor)

ohhhhh noooooooooooo Predaking and Dreadwing have to cuddle. oh no 😈😈 Dreadwing has to be the little spoon to his big buff dragon boyfriend-in-law 😈😈😈 (meanwhile Magnus and Optimus are having very soft cuddle time) a massive berth is a MUST!! maybe its a gift from the other autobots (and because they're tired of hearing everything)

hehehheheheheheheh 😈😈😈😈😈 Magnus and Dreadwing being fucked so hard they can only cling to each and moan~ it's so embarrassing for them at first, but Optimus and Predaking are both SO into it, seeing their cute boyfriends make out is so hot! Ehehehehehe... After they're done they give Dreadwing and Magnus a break, and then they switch sides 😈😈😈😈

[crazylittlejester]

DAILY BRAINROT

Rejoicing in the fact that it is Friday, and I'm home free for the weekend! Which means more time to dedicate to my projects. >:)<

I've been feeling very inspired by somerknights' Burial Rites and Zarvasace's White Walls. They're both very fantastic, creative stories, and I particularly like the way that they use little details to seem more bizarre or unsettling or horrific. I am aspiring to have that level of awesomeness someday.

Anyway, I've been thinking about the AUs again because when am I not thinking about the AUs?

I started thinking about LU EAH AU Fi again. Her story is so tragic because it really was preventable! But nobody did anything, so now she's not exactly dead and not exactly alive. :( And I was thinking that, if she didn't lose her memories, she'd be a very different person.

Best case scenario, simply a sad story about loving someone so much you sacrifice your own happiness because you believe that they're inherently more valuable than you are. Which is the truly tragic part about this whole thing. Fi believes that Hylia's happiness is more important than her own happiness, to the point that she is willing to lie and suffer and give up her entire life for Hylia! And while her soul is being put to good use to save the world, there is absolutely no reason why she should treat herself as less morally valuable just because she's in love.

Worst case scenario, she'd become not only a holy weapon, but a likely corrupted holy weapon. I think it'd be awfully hard on her to be wielded by the reincarnation of Hylia's lover over and over again so that Hylia's reincarnation can be reunited with him, and that would probably allow space for some vices to grow. I get that the whole point is defeating evil and saving the kingdom, but the cycle started because Hylia loved Link so much she gave up her immortality for him. She basically died for him. Which... is romantic, but probably not the best idea.

Honestly, at this point the only person who hasn't died for their lover is Link, and that's probably going to change with the way this story seems determined to emulate Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.

YIPPEE FREE TIME!!

ooooh, i havent read those two. I’m familiar with the authors, but not the fics

OUGH. OUGGGGGH. god im so obsessed with this au and fi’s story for it. grabbing it in my evil little hands and squeezing it with the upmost care and appreciation

[seyaryminamoto]

I'll be in the minority here, but I'd be okay-ish with Rei and Renkai becoming a couple if its handled with care. This is unusual for me since I rarely go for big age gap relationships. Though, to me, its not the age gap itself, but what I call the Maturity Gap. There needs to be a balance of life experience, if that makes sense. There's 20 year olds who've lived through, seen and experienced as much if not more than some 40 year olds. But that's usually rare, so I rarely support age gap ships.

Hahaha, I understand that position, and I'll be honest, while I'm not a huuuuuge fan of age gaps, I wouldn't jump outright to condemn them every single time. Context definitely matters, I don't think every age gap involves grooming, particularly if we're talking about adults. People of different walks of life can absolutely come together to find common interests with someone who's much younger or much older than themselves, so it's not completely out of the question for me.

The maturity gap makes sense, of course. There's definitely some people who are older and do not have the maturity of their age, just as the opposite can be true, someone can be too young to be so wise... but in these cases, I honestly leave it to each person who's in those situations, (provided they're all adults (and always have been across their relationship) and aren't making their decisions under the wrong influences).

In Rei and Renkai's case, though, I don't really think it would be all that instinctive for them to become an item. In a sense, I suspect it might feel repetitive, too -- we already have Song and Rui Shi's romance, and let me tell you, getting those two to GET STARTED was not easy x'D they were supposed to plant the proper seeds for romance as early as the end of the first Pairs Tournament, but it just didn't feel right... so they just hugged and rejoiced in Rui Shi's confirmation that Myeung was alive and safe and sound. So I had no choice but to push Song as hard as I did in the second arc of Part 2 to make her act on her feelings, if for the wrong reasons, or else they would've just danced circles around each other FOREVER. So, if those two took LONGER than Sokka and Azula to get anything started? I guarantee Rei and Renkai would be that much worse x'D And as we've also seen a relationship that has similar dynamics to this one, I feel like it might not be all that interesting to explore another relationship between a commoner girl and the captain of Azula's guards.

Now, going a little further, in terms of speaking about the characters themselves... I don't think Renkai is someone who's really looking for love. Rei? Considering her background, she's looking for the stability of a family that really cares about her, and she absolutely has found that with Azula primarily, with Song and Renkai in second place. Renkai has definitely bonded with Rei and Song, but I think it's a pretty innocent bond. He wants Song to be happy and find her way to Rui Shi again, just as he wants that for Azula with Sokka... and he wants Rei to be happy, too, in the same sense. He doesn't really perceive her all that differently as he does the other two. I don't really think it would be easy for him to think of her as a potential romantic partner for himself. That's really not on his mind at all. In that sense, he's a bit like Mei Xun, both of them are just... not looking for love for themselves, at all. They're happy to support other people in their lives who want and are looking for it, but they're not exactly desperate to find it themselves.

As for Rei, I think she would need like... 5-7 years of calm and stability to finally start thinking if she wants romantic love. I really laughed while writing her first thorough conversation with Song, where she was so confused by the concept of having sex with someone she liked, and she outright asked "would I have to?" because she's just... not really seeing the appeal of the concept at all x'D so, until she finds the appeal and has stabilized sufficiently, I think she's going to focus on pursuing her academic interests, and basically making up for all the time she sacrificed/wasted due to both of her birth parents and the circumstances she was stuck in.

So... would it be possible for something to happen between those two once they're ready? Maybe, and she'd definitely be adult enough at that point where people shouldn't feel suuuuper uncomfortable with the concept, even if they aren't big on age gaps. But there's ALSO the possibility that she might meet other people and fall in love with someone else (who knows, maybe Renkai could, too!). Point is... it's not going to happen within the scope of the story x'D potential-wise, they could have a decent relationship, absolutely, but neither character, at this point in time, is looking for romantic love or needs it all that much, they're motivated much more powerfully by other things instead.

[retrobr]

this is such a great addition to my post, i don't even have words...

you pointed out that he's kind of a left out part of all the groups he's ever been in (ravagers, guardians, maybe something else but i forgot), and yeah, i've had this feeling too but didn't know how to put it in words. or just didn't want to admit that he's so unwanted everywhere, it just makes me so horribly sad.

also i didn't know that he survived the snap, the fact that he probably has spent so many years in loneliness, without ravagers, without guardians, just completely on his own, is so fucking depressing man. no wonder he clung to the guardians and started seeing them as his family.

and well, since we're talking about him, i really wish more people would see him as a cool character, not just a dude for shit and giggles. he's actually a pretty smart one, for example you mentioned that part of him yelling at yondu, but i guess people miss out that he did that not only to express his inner concerns that way, but also to save his own life: he knew what's coming, and he knew that the rioting ravagers wouldn't leave him alive because he was really loyal to yondu. he created the illusion that he's against yondu so he could save him later. i guess that was a smart move.

as for him and peter, i heard somewhere that they're some kind of frienemies, and yeah this is probably because of the yondu's favoritism towards peter. i doubt that kraglin wanted to be left out, so he probably was jealous and because of those feelings he and peter had several fights. but at least they're more or less on good terms in the holiday special and volume 3, which rejoices me.

in general he really deserves more attention, and i'm incredibly happy that they gave him some more screen time and new sides of his personality in the newer marvel projects. i could ramble about him for hours and hours too, because, well, i've been silent for like 4 years and he's my most favorite character ever XD 

it seems like the gotg fandom has already talked about the sad subtext of peter, rocket, nebula, and other guardians' positions in volume 3. but i haven't seen anyone talking about kraglin.

this ramble is about to get pretty long, so bear with me i have a lot to say.

it's just really depressing for me to see him being laughed at in front of everyone, only because he couldn't use the yaka arrow properly. he was just training, trying to somehow get acquainted with the arrow and finally start to use it for protecting the people of knowhere, and his audience just straight laughs at his poor attempts and bullies him.

even cosmo makes him feel like he's a hopeless piece of shit by showing that even a dog could do better than him.

the scene in which adam attacked guardians is not better. when kraglin tried to use the arrow to neutralize him, he failed and once again became the object of ridicule, but this time from adam's side. 

the expression on kraglin's face when he failed, when he realized that he couldn't protect the people, when he realized how useless he was compared to other guardians, just kills me inside. he couldn't do anything to save the guardians, his family.

and i'm not saying "useless" just out of the blue; it's just how he actually felt in my humble opinion. just remember the scene in which he plays cards with other folks and peter calls him, asking for his assistance. he mumbled "my help?" or something like that, as if he couldn't understand why they would need him. he didn't believe that he could help them because he didn't manage to protect them during adam's attack, feeling useless.

but that's not all. that one arrow scene. he was so unsure when he had to use the arrow again, probably fearing that he wouldn't manage to protect the people again. and his expression when he saw and heard yondu for the first time in more than 10 years is just gut-wrenching. all he needed was just a little assurance that he could do it from someone he cares about.

and what everyone else did when he needed that? just laughed at him.

and i'm not even angry at him calling cosmo a "bad dog" and refusing to apologize. in his defense i can say that she made him look ridiculous in front of everyone when he wasn't feeling that great about his blunder. plus they actually made up in the end; the fact that cosmo protected him after all warms my heart genuinely.

justice for kraglin my man hasn't done anything wrong.

[books-and-catears]

Right everyone hold on to your feels, you will shortly be boarding Angst Express 101. Just look at this brilliant and angsty ask I'm speechless. Even the pairings you asked for are so unique and well thought this is a perfect angst concept. And I really hope I could do this justice. Thank you so much for this ask @saltypaperdestiny

So very sorry for the delay, this was the longest ask I've ever written and boy was I delighted. Though I have to admit I had to cry through some of them myself. This is PART 1. Rest of the brothers and the newly Dateables coming soon in part 2.

Who loved you first? Pt1

Lucifer : Simeon

It was time, he decided. After months of being in your presence, his prideful heart had melted enough to recognise his feelings for you. You were the only he'd truly humble down for, because the affection and care you displayed was unparalled.

"MC please get dressed in something nice. I'm taking you to Ristorante Six as a thank you for helping me with Cerebus and the council paperwork" He says to you, barely containing the excitement. He couldn't wait to see the look on your face when he confessed and how you'd blush when you kissed your knuckles and your cheek and wait - What is Simeon doing in your room at this hour?

He didn't want to interrupt, surely it might be nothing to bother about. He patiently waited outside until he heard what Simeon said.

Simeon: MC... You look beautiful, what's the occasion?

MC: Aw thank you Simeon. You're always so kind. It's nothing much, Lucifer is taking me out as a thank you.

Simeon: Oh do you have to leave right away...?

MC: Oh no no. It's okay I have some more time.

Simeon: Well I originally came here to invite you to try Luke's latest attempt at some new recipes but now there's something else I feel like I must tell you. *Blushes* Something I've been holding back for too long.

MC: *joking* Oh what have you been hiding from me, angel? Speak I beseech you!

Simeon: *laughing and then going solemn* MC... *Takes your hands in his* I love you. I love you with all my heart.

MC: ....me? You love..me? But I'm not nearly-

Simeon: You're the most beautiful soul I've ever met. You radiate kindness and forgiveness and everything pure, overcoming the seven biggest evils you reside with. How can I not love you? Tell me, MC, will you accept me as yours?

Lucifer had a half a mind to storm in and laugh in Simeon's face. What a failure this attempt was going to be. His pride grew inside him as he stifled a laugh. MC was his and only his and now he would take pleasure in watching Simeon learn that. Surely MC was going to turn him down nicely but still. He creeped closer to the door, looking through the open crack.

MC: *in tears* Oh Simeon, I love you too! I never thought an angel could ever love me back!

Simeon: *kisses her knuckles* So... It's a yes?!

MC: Yes yes yes! Oh of course it's a yes! *Hugs him tight* My guardian angel who protects me in the dark, oh how I love you.

Simeon: *laughing as he picks you up and spins you around* Oh how happy you've made me MC! I'm the happiest being alive!

MC: *kissing his cheek* So am I, Simeon. I love you with all my heart.

It took Lucifer all his strength to not collapse or go into a violent frenzy. He balled up his fists so tight, the gloves started tearing at the seams. He watched you smiling so gleefully in his arms, looking so radiant. When Simeon dipped his head down to kiss you, the moonlight poured in through the window as if blessing your union.

It was supposed to be him. If only he made it to your room sooner, it could have been him. Embracing all your beauty, being the cause of the shining smile. IT COULD HAVE BEEN HIM.

At his best

"Are you really that happy with him?" he asks you later that night. The blush on your cheeks and that cheeky smile says it all.

"Congratulations MC." You look so joyous even at the thought of Simeon, how could he ruin that?

His temper is worse, more unforgiving towards all his brothers. He has to bear with your absence in the house all day. The fact that he knows you're at Purgatory hall, sipping tea and arm in arm with him pains him to think.

You bring Simeon along to the council to help him too. He outright denies and asks both of you to leave.

He only ever feels calm to see you alone, but that is even rarer with his brothers around to hog his remaining time.

Eventually makes his peace with it, maybe you're better off with someone as pure as yourself than a demon like him.

At his worst

His wrath is back. It's almost bad enough to birth another Satan. His sense of entitlement is through the roof.

He snaps three weeks later when Simeon and you tell everyone about it and decide that you'll be moving to Purgatory hall soon. Everyone claps and rejoices while Lucifer, drunk off Demonus, crashes the fun.

"Simeon, you dirty cheat, pretending to be all pure with your white wings and devious smile. How dare you?!" He says in calm and deadly rage.

"Lucifer... what's wrong-" You approach him to ask. He looks at you and you see the little tears in the corners.

"MC WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE THAT NIGHT. MINE. NOT YOURS. THE ONLY BEING THAT CAME CLOSE ENOUGH TO STEAL MY HEART AND YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME."

Lucifer was louder now, hysterically angry, throwing his glass on the floor. "AND I KNOW THEY WOULD HAVE PICKED ME IF I GOT TO THEM FIRST! I LOVED THEM TOO DAMNIT." Simeon stood in front of you to protect you from Lucifer's rage. You hid your face in your hands, breaking down in sobs. What is happening? Where did you go wrong?

"Look at them, Lucifer. Look. At. What. You've. Done. And don't tell you've forgotten how many times you've threatened their lives before." Simeon said, holding you tight as you cried into his chest. "How dare you still feel like you deserve them?"

Lucifer sees you broken down, clutching onto Simeon for dear life, crying. You were smiling just a minute ago what has he done? Simeon blocked off his view with his pearly white wings. A reminder of what Lucifer used to be and cannot be again.

Mammon: Asmodeus

You were his human. And he was your first demon. No one was more territorial about you than him. So he finally made up his mind to seal the deal. No more lying about his feelings. He was going to claim you, once and for all. He imagined you smiling and running your hands through his hair and kissing him returning his feelings.

"MC! I brought the movie of the day!" He barged into your room excited, but you were nowhere to be found. Where could you have gone? It was your movie night with him. You were supposed to be waiting for him inside. He asked his brothers and they said you were with Asmo. He stomped his way up to Asmo's room and called out your name. No response. Not till he peeked inside the dark washroom. You were holding Asmo who looked very unstable and weak, sitting at the side of the bath.

MC: Asmo why don't you listen to me when I tell you not to drink so much!?

Asmo: I'm sorry MC *hic* I needed it today...

MC: Why? What's so scary that you don't have the confidence to do sober?

Asmo: MC do you think I look beautiful?

MC: Of course Asmo, you always do.

Asmo: Even with my runny make up, red nose and swollen eyes and this horrible complexion?

MC: *grabs his face* You're always beautiful to me MC.

Asmo: I...I stopped sleeping around MC. I couldn't do it anymore. *tearing up* Because to them, I'm only beautiful with a perfect covered up face.

MC: Asmo...they're blind and shallow demons who don't know anything! I know you, and I know how much more beautiful you are inside out. Don't listen to them.

Asmo feeling insecure about his appearance? What a big fat lie. Is this his new ploy to get to you? How irritating. It's not going to work, Mammon knows you're smarter than that. The Avatar of Lust can manipulate in many ways. Surely his human was smart enough to see through that!

Asmo: MC, I knew you were the one only who truly loved me. And today, I found the one I love too. Much more than I love myself. So I needed a drink to tell you this.

MC: Asmo...

Asmo: *holding your face gently* MC you saw past this pretty face. You saw the things I do more than what I am. Or what I pretend to be. I know it's hard to believe coming from the Avatar of Lust... But MC, I truly really love you. *looks down and sobs* But you probably can't believe me right?

MC: Asmo. Look at me. *You run your fingers through his hair and he looks up with teary eyes* I believe you. And I've loved you too. You're the only one who never hurt me. The one who willingly made a pact with me. You've been so sweet to me since I came. How could I love anyone else?

Asmo: MC I want you all to myself. Will you be mine? Only mine? I swear I'll keep you happy always!

MC: Of course Asmo. I'll all yours. I'm your little human. *giggling and kissing his head*

Asmo: *grabs and kisses you* MC, if you want, I can be your actual first tonight.

Mammon fell to his knees. He wanted to barge in and scream. He wanted to wrestle Asmo to the ground. He wanted to break his face for saying the words that were special to him and you. But your response had him paralysed. You...accepted him. You agreed to be his.

Silent tears streamed down his face as he watched you embracing Asmo, peppering kisses all over his face, running your hands through his hair, laughing and frolicking in the water with him. The colored moonlight through the stained glass danced on their skin like a scene from his favourite movie.

At his best

He cries to himself for days. Spends as much time outside as he can.

Maybe he is an idiot for thinking he had a chance with him. How could he compete with Asmo's charms.

Maybe it hurt more because Asmo didn't even have to use his charms.

Only ever tries to talk to you if he's sure your alone. One time he barged into your room and caught you and Asmo tangled up together and it broke him all over again.

He watched as you twirled around in a new outfit Asmo bought. He scoffs. He could have bought it for you too.

You both look so cheerful and in love, he decides to accept it. For the sake of his little brother and the human he loves.

At his worst

Breaks down and lets his emotions out in the worst way possible. Too desperate to win you back somehow.

Asmo and you were just telling Solomon and Simeon about your relationship when Mammon barged in through the doors of Purgatory halls.

"MC look! Look what I got you!" He came in all ragged. He knelt down and pulled out a ring. "Take me instead! I was your first wasn't I MC? Don't let him take my place please!"

"Mammon no... No please don't be this way...I'm sorry..." You kneel down next to him as he screams and sobs like a child. You feel guilty. You caused this. You lead him on. You fight your own tears as you keep apologising.

Asmo yanks you up and wraps his arms around you, staring down angrily at Mammon. "Mammon, leave."

Mammon lunged at Asmo. "I was going to tell them. That night was our movie night. You stole that night from me. YOU STOLE MY CHANCE AND MY MC!"

Asmo mocked at him with a sardonic laugh. "You still assume MC is yours without even telling them. You kept lying about your feelings and hurting them in the process. And yet, when they finally look happy, you come and make them cry. You are a scumbag Mammon."

Mammon looked at your tear stained face, nestled inside Asmo's arms and wings. He really felt like nothing but a scumbag.

Leviathan : Belphegor

Levi fell in love with you since your first act of kindness. As a shut-in whose only conversations were with his own eccentric and dismissive brothers, you were an angel who had brought him the gift of true companionship. Honestly he was okay being your best friend, until the day he started craving more. So he decided it was time to tell you.

'MC come to my room! I have a new game to show you!' It was a virtual dating game where he was going to confess digitally. You always loved his creative ways of doing simple stuff after all. He decided to play your favourite game while waiting for you. He even left the door ajar. Now he wished he didn't.

Belphie: MC do you have a minute?

MC: Yeah I was just heading to Levi's room what's up?

Belphie: I think I fallen in love with you, MC.

MC: .... Huh?

Levi almost burst out laughing hearing Belphie's confession. What kind of a bland confession is that? How can someone say that so easily? No that was definitely a joke on MC or something. Surely MC wouldn't take this seriously.

Belphie: I had a dream just now. About you.

MC: Uh huh?

Belphie: In that dream, we were up in the sky, among the stars. And you looked so pretty glittering along with them all. So I kissed you impulsively. And you kissed me back.

MC: ...that's a sweet dream. *blushes*

Belphie: *takes your hand* I woke up and my first thougt was I wish that was real. And then I realised it can be.

MC: ...

Belphie: I want to be able to kiss you always. I want to be able to take you far away. I want all your time. I love you MC. Be mine.

MC: Belphie I-

Belphie: I know, how can you possibly love your own murderer...? *Sighs* I cannot undo what I did. I'm sorry MC. I can only swear that I won't ever let that happen again.

MC: *smiles and cups his face* You were locked away for 3 millenia I can imagine your endless anger and grief for your sister. I forgave you long ago.

Belphie: So does that mean you'll accept me?

MC: You're already mine, silly. And now I'm yours. You're the only one I can relax with in the whole realm.

Belphie: MC... Come here. *holds you close and kisses you*

Levi's game screen displayed the message "GAME OVER: You lose". Levi couldn't see it clearly. His vision was blurred by the tears brimming on his eyes. You and Belphie looked to distant shadows on the moon.

He blamed himself for even thinking he had a chance with you. But maybe just...maybe if he had gotten there before? He stared at the screen and then at his spare console that he had declared yours. He picked up it, and locked it inside. Probably won't be needing it anytime soon.

At his best

He barely comes out of his room anymore. He tries to return your smile at breakfast but then returns hurriedly, leaving Beel to finish most of his food.

"Are you sure you want to play games? Wouldn't you rather go up to the attic" He mutters under his breath sometimes and then says it's nothing when you ask him.

Pains him when he sees you curled with Belphie in random places, dozing off. Might cover you with a blanket. Just you though.

Spites Belphie. A lot of people have said they look and act alike. But somehow you like sleeping more than anime and gaming?

Just accepts it as his fate. Atleast he's still your best friend, right?

At his worst

He's called the Avatar of Envy for a reason. He can barely hold it in seeing the both of you together constantly.

Belphie you and Beel were having a jolly time watching a movie and eating snacks while Belphie slept curled up in your lap. Levi happened to walk in while you were rubbing Belphie's head soothingly.

For some reason, Levi couldn't hold it in anymore. "UGH YOU FUCKING NORMIES!" he screamed out of frustration.

Belphie woke up drowsily when you stopped at stared at Levi holding back tears in the doorway. "Levi..what's wrong.." you call out to him.

He barges in and pushes Belphie off you and grabs your hands, tears falling and him screaming. "Why do you care, MC?! I'm a just disgusting shut in otaku right?! But guess what even as that I do more than just sleep and drool all fucking day! AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ATLEAST IM NOT THE ONE WHO KILLED YOU! So why him? WHY NOT ME MC?!"

"Levi...no..." You plead with him to calm down, tearing up yourself. You should have known. You should have known this would happen.

Belphie violently pushed Levi off you and grabbed him by the collar. "You were the first one to attack MC in this house. And I'm sure you would have killed them if not for Lucifer. So stop pretending you're better than me, you ridiculous creep. A shut in like you is worthless. The only thing you're good at is making MC distressed."

Levi looked at you trying to pull Belphie back, tears streaming down your face and hung his head low. It was simply an Otome game and MC didn't choose him.

Satan: Solomon

Satan took his time to fall. With late night studying session, every cat cafe date, every trip to the museum - he fell more and more each time. To the point where he wanted to spend every waking moment with you. And he was ready to tell you.

For a whole week, he kept writing and scrapping the perfect love letter for you. Then he realised you were someone who preferred simple honesty. "MC please wait for me in the library I'll be there shortly." He'd said before he dashed out to bring a boquet of your favourite flowers and a book which reminded him of you. He'd almost made it to the library, he saw you waiting inside for him eagerly. That was until someone flew in through the window.

Solomon? What's he doing at this hour? Satan peeked in through the half open library door. He wanted to be alone with you so he'd wait till Solomon was gone. He shouldn't have waited.

MC: Solomon! You scared me silly!

Solomon: *laughing* Your face just now MC...so adorable! Like a scared kitten!

MC: You wooshed in through the window!

Solomon: Okay okay my bad. Now what are you doing in the library so late at night. I went to your room and couldn't find you.

MC: Oh Satan called me out here. Told me to wait for him. Maybe there's a new book he wants to read.

Solomon: Do you guys do that often? Reading books this late?

MC: Haha yeah usually we just read in my room or his at night, in case we fall asleep.

Solomon: *sigh* So unfair.

MC: What's unfair?

Solomon: You and I are the only humans here. Why did they put us in different houses? Shouldn't we... be together more often?

MC: Well logically yes we should. Just classes and magic lessons aren't enough! You should live here too!

Solomon: I doubt Lucifer would be okay with that. But well.. here's the real reason I'm here now. *brings out a little basket*

MC: That's...that's a kitten! Hi baby! What's her name!?

Solomon: MC.

MC: Yeah what?

Solomon: No I named the kitten MC. This way I get to call your name as much as I want haha. The silly things us humans do for love, huh?

Satan had a sick feeling in his stomach. Watching you and him sitting in the moonlight, surrounded by books, cuddling a kitten and confessing...that should be him. Him not Solomon. He didn't like where this was heading. But just like you can't help but stare at disaster - he couldn't look away. What was MC going to say...?

MC: Solomon... *blushes*

Solomon: Does my affection scare you? *reaches for your hand*

MC: Of course not...I.. *gets closer and intertwining your fingers together*

Solomon: Is this your way of showing-

MC: *blushes* Yes. I love you too.

Solomon: I believe I've lived for a 1000 years just to hear those words. *kisses you against the bookshelves*

MC: I believe you've gotten 1000 years worth of romantic lines stored away in that head of yours. *Laughs and kisses him back*

Solomon: Let's take this to the moon shall we?

Satan watched as he took you and kitten in his arms and flew out the window. Satan rushed in not wanting to lose sight of you, dropping the flowers and books. Balling his fists, he choked on his angry tears as he watched you both laughing and kissing against the bright light of the moon. He felt like his own happy ending was stolen from him.

When you disappeared from view, he let out a blood curdling scream, pulling at his own hair and knocking over the bookshelf against which Solomon kissed you. The wrath inside him made him thrashing around in pain, burning him inside out. The flowers he dropped, lay there next to his sobbing body, wilting in his pain.

At his best

He manages to put on his best fake smile and go about his day. Tries hard to hide his annoyance if you bring him up.

But you seem so happy and you often invite him to new cat cafes and shelters. So despite Solomon's presence, he feels calm because of you and the cats.

Is secretly happy you get to spend more time with him than Solomon. Takes advantage of that and hogs you all to himself while in the house

While he can't hold or kiss you the way the Solomon does, you're here next to him, reading his recommended books. That's enough to soothe his yearning heart.

At his worst

The war for love is on. He doesn't care if Solomon already won. He will still declare his love no matter what.

It started out as subtle, he did what he knew Solomon couldn't. Cooking MC's favourite dishes whenever it was his turn to cook.

Tries to subtly reinforce his intelligence over Solomon when you're around. What's 1000 years of knowledge worth, Satan has been there since the first millenia ever

But the day Solomon and you announced you'll be moving to Purgatory Hall, he charged at him, his demon form angry and glowing. "How dare you think you can take them away from us? You think you can win against us... against me? You may have taken my chance with them but I won't let you take them away! They belong here with me!"

You inched closer to Satan's form. You'd never seem him this angry. "Satan please calm down-" Satan wasn't listening. He let out a feral growl and attacked Solomon.

Solomon held MC by his side and made a protection shield Satan couldn't get through. You started crying, watching his wrath take over, he must be in so much pain.

Solomon felt you curl up against him in fear and guilt. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed Satan by the scruff of his neck, like you'd do with a misbehaving cat.

"You say you want to protect them and yet look what you did instead." Solomon said. Satan looked helplessly at you, crying with your face buried in your hands. Glancing at his horns in the mirror, he called out to you sadly, "MC..."

Solomon creeped closer and said in a deadly low voice. "You love fairy tales right Satan? Well in the story of Beauty and the Beast, they could only be together because the beast was actually a human." And Satan was far from being a human.

Asmo : Mammon

It happened the day Asmo looked into the mirror and felt something missing. Suddenly his own reflection wasn't enough anymore. He pondered what it was when you happened to walk into his room and hug him from behind. And then he found the missing piece. You. He simply had to make sure you would become a part of him now.

Now contrary to popular belief, he did get nervous while thinking of proposing. This man is all about lust and a little kid when it comes to love. It's a whole new emotion and he's unsure how to deal with it. With some advice from Satan's romance books he lights your room up with candles, groomed himself perfectly, waiting for you to return to your room. Only you don't come. "What's taking MC so long?!"

He headed out and found you in Mammon's room instead. Asmo saw in the reflection off the mirror, Mammon's shirt off and him lying on his front as you poured ointment over his scars.

Mammon: Oi MC please don't be so upset...

MC: You didn't deserve this. You didn't. I did.

Mammon: MC, not again.

MC: You took my punishment. You took the blame for the broken vase for my sake.

Mammon: I didn't want ya getting hurt ya stupid human!

MC: Don't be calling me stupid and then go off doing stupid stuff yourself! *cries*

Mammon: MC...no don't cry. Please I'm sorry.

MC: Don't apologize for this! Mammon you're too kind... You keep taking blame for others, and the others just UGH.

Mammon: I've gotten used to Lucifer's punishments, MC! I'm more used to it than my brothers so I can take it!

MC: .... You're such a sweet big brother. You can't stop protecting the people you love, can you?

Mammon: *turns around to lie on his back* Now you get why I need to protect ya, don't ya?

Asmo's eyes flew open as did yours. Mammon just confessed to you. Albeit indirectly, but really did. But he felt pity for his older brother. Sure he was caring and sweet sometimes, but mostly he was a thief and a scumbag who constantly gets into trouble. He didn't stand a chance against Asmo's charms.

MC: Mammon... You silly demon. I love you too. *Lays their head on his chest*

Mammon: *blushes and coughs* Of course ya love the Great Mammon, human!

MC: *smiles against his skin* Swear to me, you won't ever do that again else I will fight Lucifer myself!

Mammon: *smiles* He's attacked ya thrice and yer face still loses its colour whenver he's around and yet yer thinking of fighting him for my sake, MC?

MC: OF COURSE!

Mammon: But I don't want that. Ya did too much for all of us when ya sacrificed your life to bring Belphie back. I should know, I held ya in my arms. *Tears up* Ya know ye were smiling still?? So calm and undisturbed as if ya didn't care what happens to ya now that all the brothers are together?

MC: You caught me...

Mammon: And I never want to catch ya like that again, get that human!? I will be a good protector as I was meant to be.

MC: Mammon... you're far too kind to be a demon. *Kisses him and gets on top of him*

Mammon: *grips their arms and holds them close* Stay with me tonight.

Asmo watched as you nodded and took off your top and lay down over him again, your skins in gentle and intimate contact and you both wrap your arms around and you presses kisses onto each other. The moonlight danced on your entangled bodies.

He stared and stared, his insides burning with an alien feeling. He hadn't known envy till you came along. His signature move would be to call both of you out and suggest a threesome, but what you both seemed to have was impenetrable. And in the mirror where he saw your reflections, he couldn't see himself.

At his best

This demon had never known love. He might have if Mammon hadn't decides to confess that very night.

But who cares? What's done is done. It's time to root for the both of you. He still has his followers to turn to.

"Mammon finally confessed huh?" He asked jokingly. Until he saw you blush and nod.

"You both must have fun together huh?" He says with a dry laugh.

Your hugs and headpats still keep him going. He takes you buy new dresses knowing it's to impress Mammon instead.

Tries so hard to conceal his tears and tantrums around you. He doesn't want to lose the small part of you that he had left.

At his worst

He cannot stay home. The sight of you both together makes him irritated and stressed both very bad for his skin.

He drinks and parties uncontrollably, bringing home demons and succubi that always seem to resemble you.

One night, Lucifer had enough and caught him by the collar, forbidding him to go to his room. Asmo giggled until Mammon and you showed up.

He swiftly escaped Lucifer's grasp and lunged at you, holding your face between his trembling hands. You look at him closely, his make up was messier than usual, the cresent underneath his eyes was darker than usual.

"MC...look at me. Look at only me. Just for a little while." Asmo said and his eyes glowed. He'd turned on his charm on full force as he leaned into you for a kiss.

Mammon pushed him back and stood before you protectively. Asmo fell back, laughing like a maniac. "Stupid Mammon they are with you out of pity! How long do you think you can make them stay with that stupid brain and sub par beauty?"

You teared up and screamed, "Asmo stop saying things like that! You dont even know anything about him!" Mammon hugged you tight, trying to calm you down.

And then in a lowly growl he said, "Asmo don't let me see ya laying a finger on MC again. Ya would see how people really see ya if you learnt to look away from your own reflection!"

But Asmo did. He did look away from his reflection. He looked at you. Only you didn't look back at him.

Keep reading Pt. 2

[world-of-horrors-au]

Things i will do after seeing Amara interact with Briar and Jeff:

Rejoice for Amara is alive and hopefully well

cry my eyes out

Also, does this mean slender and amara ineractions? will we see happy son and mother talks? are they related in the manor au?

Yes, they are mother and son (I think) and yes they are very happy. Amara has a human form she uses often and Slender technically does too but she uses hers more than he uses his. I'm not sure if she's the mother to the other three Slender brothers, mostly because I don't know if they're also in this au. We shall see!

[fluffernuttermemes]

A Christmas Carol Sentence Starters

Starters from the classic Charles Dickens novella. Change pronouns and wording as needed.

"[NAME] was dead, to begin with."

"The wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the country's done for."

"[NAME] and [HE/SHE/THEY] were partners for I don't know how many years."

"No wind that blew was bitterer than [HE/SHE/THEY], no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn't know where to have [HIM/HER/THEM]."

"Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry?"

"What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose?"

"What's Christmas-time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books, and having every item in 'em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you?"

"Keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine."

"You're quite a powerful speaker, [SIR/MADAME/MX.]"

"I want nothing from you; I ask nothing of you; why cannot we be friends?"

"Have I the pleasure of addressing [NAME]?"

"We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices."

"'You wish to be anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone. Since you ask me what I wish, [SIR/MADAME/MX.], that is my answer."

"It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's."

"It's not convenient, and it's not fair."

"Darkness is cheap, so I like it."

"What do you want with me?"

"Can you— Can you sit down?"

"'What evidence would you have of my reality beyond that of your own senses?"

"Why do you doubt your senses?'"

"There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!"

"'Dreadful apparition, why do you trouble me?'

"I wear the chain I forged in life,' replied the Ghost. 'I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it."

"Speak comfort to me, [NAME]!"

"I have no comfort to give."

"I cannot rest, I cannot stay, I cannot linger anywhere."

"'Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"

"Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down?"

"Look to see me no more; and look that, for your own sake, you remember what has passed between us!"

"'Are you the Spirit whose coming was foretold to me?"

"Who and what are you?"

"Rise! and walk with me!"

"Your lip is trembling. And what is that upon your cheek?"

"I should like to have given [HIM/HER/THEM] something: that's all."

"Why, it's old [NAME]! Bless his heart, it's [NAME] alive again!"

"You wouldn't believe how those two fellows went at it!"

"If that's not high praise, tell me higher, and I'll use it."

"That which promised happiness when we were one in heart is fraught with misery now that we are two."

"Show me no more!"

"Remove me from this place."

"I am [NAME]. Look upon me!"

"Conduct me where you will."

"Touch it."

"There are some upon this earth of yours who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us, and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us."

"Why, bless your heart alive, my dear, how late you are!'"

"Sit ye down before the fire, my dear, and have a warm."

"[HE'S/SHE'S/THEY'RE] not coming."

"Tell me if [NAME] will live."

"Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die?"

"I couldn't be angry with [HIM/HER/THEM] if I tried."

"Hark! The time is drawing near."

"Have [HE/SHE/THEY] no refuge or resource?"

"Lead on! The night is waning fast."

"I don't know much about it either way. I only know [HE'S/SHE'S/THEY'RE] dead."

"Merciful heaven, what is this?"

"I understand you, and would do it if I could. But I have not the power!"

"There is hope yet, [NAME]."

"Nothing is past hope, if such a miracle has happened."

"If I can be of service to you in any way..."

"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!"

"They are here—I am here—the shadows of the things that would have been may be dispelled. They will be. I know they will!"

"I don't know what to do! I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world!"

"It's all right, it's all true, it all happened."

"That is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon."

"Don't say anything, please."

"I am much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times. Bless you!"

"I have come to dinner. Will you let me in, [NAME]?"

"I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer."

"His own heart laughed, and that was quite enough for him."

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1037 - Initial Thoughts

And we are back, hope y'all had a good new year

Because now it's over and real life has kicked in! It's okay though, we still have One Piece and it's the first chapter of the year (unless you're just following Viz and then it's the second)

King's down, Queen's down, and we're looking like we may check in with Luffy, but there's still a lot of moving pieces so let's see how this one goes

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release

Everybody stop what you're doing and rejoice, Reiju's on the cover story! Baeju confirmed alive! I mean, Judge and Ichiji too but I don't really care about them

We're back in the Fire Festival, but no Hitetsu or Toko, regular people sensing the party's almost over, some bitter, some just living in the glow of the paper mache Toki float

Lanterns are coming out too, with messages written on them on what people desire, still very intrigued how this will come into play

Back with Luffy and Kaido though, and Kaido is now getting boozed up

Least he offered Luffy some, Zoro would be all over that, but it's not like we could celebrate him trying to turn Wano into a pirate hive by squashing the capital and forcing all survivors into slave labour...

Well at least he's being a happy drunk right now, kinda acting like Luffy mixed with Saul

Oda making sure we know that being drunk isn't gonna affect Kaido's threat level, he matrix dodged that Roc Gun

And that was a meaty looking hit

The dome is crumbling, and it's right underneath Big Mom, keep an eye on that it may come back - like I envision Luffy winning will be shown on the Performance Floor but what if the debris KO's Big Mom and it's just Luffy standing over 2 KO'd Yonko? Morgans might die from all the Big News

Kaido's back to his dragon form now, but he's in his Sad Drunk phase, lamenting his inability to stop the castle falling apart...which is weird considering he's dropping it on the Capital knowing that it's loaded with explosives

5 Years to rebuild? Kaido you need a Franky...and if that giant sword gets damaged I don't think you can replace it

Luffy tries to attack, but he does his Dragon Twister, which Luffy parries away with his Haki (according to twitter people think this'd make Zoro fans mad because Luffy deflected something Zoro also deflected with his sword...people are silly sometimes)

Well now we have Hybrid Crying Drunk, a form we have seen before

He goes for the Thunder Bagua, but Luffy's been hit with it enough times to have it scouted

Really well-times move to both dodge and land on the weapon, before giving Kaido la chancla!

Kaido catches him with the tail though, leading to a badass panel of a Conqueror's Coated headbutt clash!

A clash Kaido wins, his Haki has gotten stronger, I wonder if getting drunk improves Kaido's haki, since Haki is tied to emotions too maybe he should've drank spirits

Angry drunk Kaido now, accusing Luffy of almost sobering him up. This is probably what we got in Bakura Town with the first Thunder Bagua

Luffy dodges Kaido firin his lazar but his Roc Gatling is clashed with Kaido's Gundari: Meteor Shower, both sides taking hits in the end

Luffy dodges the swing and gets a brutal kick to Kaido's gut to finish off this session, Kaido's taking damage but he's also still smiling in the face of damage, it's that unnerving tension that while damage is being done it doesn't feel like enough

Now we're going all the way back to Marejois! Sounds like the Gorosei aren't happy with what went down at the Reverie, which tbf is a promising thing since they were about to target Vivi

They are setting sights on Wano, which tbf they should've done years ago I mean I still feel robbed that Tashigi didn't get a part to play in the Land of Swords

'Nico Robin must have been apprehended by now' - Aha boy are you fucking wrong

Now they're talking about killing her? Boy if you think this was a war you have no idea what trying to kill Robin would do to you

The WG ships en route to Wano are being intercepted though, by a 'big shadow'

Wait a Devil Fruit!? You telling me this is a Devil Fruit's work?

ZUNESHA IS A DEVIL FRUIT, AND IT'S HERE IN WANO!

Oda come onnnnn, we've waited multiple weeks for this then you throw another break, not cool!

Well this is a wild chapter

The added focus on the Fire Lanterns makes me feel like they are going to play a role, maybe ghosts, maybe Momo can use the lanterns like Fire Clouds, something's gonna go down there.

Luffy and Kaido are still popping off, I expect that's all we'll see for now until we've wrapped up some more things but it is promising that Luffy is getting hits in and being acknowledged by Kaido, but given how Luffy isn't using any Gear Fourth it's clear that he still thinks Kaido has plenty in the tank. At least we got some variety with Kaido being drunk, tying back to pre-Wano appearances.

But then you go drop a bomb like that!? I mean I was wondering if Zunesha was gonna make an appearance since Momo stuck around on Zou while Luffy was in WCI but what does this mean!? What is Zunesha exactly? Was it Momo who awakened it by giving it an order? Will it be able to help Momo with Onigashima?

The last part I doubt because it's at sea but it may be warding off the WG, do have to wonder though if the BM Pirates will get involved, given how they've been knocked down to the sea thrice now

We'll have to wait...and wait, but Oda keeps throwing us curveballs that make this arc (at this point I feel like we should call it a saga) even more jam packed! 2022 is gonna be another wild year for One Piece.

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Beauty (Beauty and the Beast – the original tale)

Tagged by @ariel-seagull-wings

Favorite thing about them: She's loving, brave kind, selfless, intelligent, open-minded... There's so much to like about her. But what I probably like best is that she's a protagonist in every sense of the word. Unlike some other fairy tale heroines, she's not an empty figure of beauty and virtue, defined more by how others feel about her and by what they do to her and for her than by anything else. She's the central viewpoint character who has the central character arc and whose choices drive the story. Add to this the Beast's constant concern for her happiness and consent, and there's no question that the narrative values as a person, not just as a love object or a role model. I suppose this is partly because the story originated as a literary salon tale, not a simple oral folktale, and partly because its original authors were women. But it makes her stand out in the pantheon of fairy tale heroines as especially relatable.

Least favorite thing about them: Depending on the version, the theme of "Her sisters complain endlessly about their poverty, but she bears it cheerfully" can be a little grating. If she genuinely chooses to try to be content and genuinely realizes she needs little to be happy, then it's fine; it even foreshadows her love for the Beast, since it shows her ability to find happiness in unlikely places. But if the point just seems to be that a good girl never complains, then it just seems to be promoting obnoxious passivity. The same applies to versions where she wholeheartedly forgives her sisters, even though they bully her and despise her enough to want the Beast to kill her – even Cinderella's stepsisters never tried to get her killed! The fact that Disney's Belle unabashedly longs for a better life than she has and unabashedly insists on being treated well by others is one of my favorite Disney departures from older versions of the story.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I love roses.

*I love books and music.

*I try to be open minded and see the good in everyone.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm an only child with both parents still alive.

*I'm nowhere near as brave as she is.

*No one would ever give me the nickname "Beauty" based on my looks.

Favorite line:

From Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont's version, when the Beast calls himself a "monster":

"Among mankind there are many that deserve that name more than you, and I prefer you, just as you are, to those who, under a human form, hide a treacherous, corrupt, and ungrateful heart."

Three lines from Andrew Lang's retelling in The Blue Fairy Book, which was the principle non-Disney version I grew up with:

"The Beast must be very hungry if he makes all this rejoicing over the arrival of his prey."

"Indeed, I should be ungrateful if I did not care for such a kind Beast. I would die to save him from pain. I assure you it is not his fault he is so ugly."

"Oh! Beast, how you frightened me! I never knew how much I loved you until just now, when I feared I was too late to save your life!"

brOTP: Her father; her brothers in versions that include them, since they're usually portrayed in a positive light; her sisters in retellings like the two Robin McKinley novels and Megan Kearney's webcomic that make them sympathetic.

OTP: The Beast/Prince.

nOTP: Her father or any of her siblings.

Random headcanon: Her real name is "Enora," a Breton name meaning "honor." Yes, this is a shout-out to Robin McKinley's Beauty, where the setting is British and the heroine's real name is Honour. But I've always liked that naming choice. Not only is her nickname meaningful, but her real name proves to be fitting too, as she shows her dedication to fairness (trading her freedom for her father's because the rose he took was for her) and, despite the brief delay, to keeping her promise to go back to the Beast.

Unpopular opinion: She's not "more feminist" than Disney's Belle, as critics of Disney often claim, but neither is she inherently less so. Both Beauty and Belle are admirable in their own ways. Beauty shows strength and resilience by accepting her family's loss of fortune without complaint and shouldering all the work that her lazy sisters neglect; Belle shows a different kind of strength by openly wanting a better life than she has and than her neighbors think best for her. Beauty falls for a Beast who treats her gently and kindly from the start, never making young readers think they can change an abuser; Belle knows equally well how she wants a man to treat her and refuses to let the Beast abuse her, only becoming his friend when he earns it by becoming gentle and kind. Beauty is the single dynamic protagonist of her own story, whose journey of learning to see past appearances and love the Beast is the tale's central (and only) character arc, whereas Belle is a more static figure and the Beast becomes "the true protagonist" (as Disney people often say) whose character arc dominates; but Belle is her story's moral center, who, rather than being taught to love a deserving Beast, teaches him to be worthy of her love, which is empowering in a different way than being the one who learns and changes the most. They're both excellent characters.

Song I associate with them:

"If You See With Your Heart," from the Cannon Movie Tales adaptation:

Favorite pictures of them:

This illustration by Edmund Dulac: I love the Persian setting he gives the story!

This illustration by Arthur Rackham (I'm not sure I care for his gnome-like design for the Beast, but Beauty looks good).

This illustration by Hilary Knight.

This illustration by Mercer Mayer.

Kinuko Y. Craft's cover art for her picture book version.

This emotionally raw illustration by Angela Barrett.

This illustration by Pat Cummings.

Josette Day in Cocteau's classic film.

Rebecca De Mornay in the Cannon Movie Tales adaptation.

Beauty from Megan Kearney's webcomic adaptation, whose looks were inspired by Jennifer Connelly in Labyrinth.

[i-mybrunettelady]

Happy birthday El, best wishes for you special day! xD Questions: 1. How do you plan celebrating? 2. What are your thoughts about celebrating birthdays in general? (I heard it's not a sylvari custom)

"Thank you? This better not take too long because I don't want to argue with the restaurant where we're having dinner tonight. I could, but I'm not really feeling like it. Will argue if I have to, though. Commander privileges and all that.

I am aware it's largely dependent on how much I talk here. But, celebrating. Just a small dinner. Nothing too big, unless we decide to go somewhere more wild later. There is... A certain charm to small celebrations. It's Liv and me tonight and... He says 30 is a big year, but he doesn't take into account we emerge from our pods as adults and this is thirty years of adult life and for a sylvari, that's a lot of years.

And yes, you heard correctly, it's not a custom we observe. I think it's because of the whole mortality rate when giving birth with other races so when the child is born, they're celebrated as "hey, they're alive and we should rejoice!" but it's always been a bit of a foreign concept. Sylvari don't die in their pods, usually. And if they did, their existence would live on in the Dream. I only ever heard of birthdays - we're not even born, fuck it - after I left the Grove. I first saw a birthday celebration when I was... 4? To this day, I still don't properly understand them. It's an excuse for a party, though. And gift giving. I love getting gifts. That reminds me-" laughs "-Liv's been barring me from the forge for the last three days. I wonder what he's making. Thorns, I should pester him about it." gets up, and sits down again "But I can be patient. I can wait for a little more. I can. So yeah, the weird custom of a birthdays."

[peanutxparker]

A (very long) list of all of my favorite AJJ lyrics because why not

Candy Cigarettes and Cap Guns (2005)

“Well my great grand-dad he died of cancer, from smoking too many cigarettes. But I must confess that he did quite profess to being the coolest motherfucker I ever met.”

“And cocaine is essentially vegan and they don't give a fuck anyway.”

“And I can't help but miss him even though he hit me everyday.”

“So fuck white people! (fuck white people!)”

“Heaven is a special place in hell where you can watch the people you hate get hurt.”

“You find me quite charming and I find it quite alarming ‘cause I'm gonna take your life. You find me quite charming and I find it quite alarming and I'm sad you won't be my wife.”

“What makes you think you can be so pretty? And what makes you think you can be so great? And what makes you think you can be so intelligent? And what makes you think you can be so far away?”

“What makes you think you can be so wonderful? And what makes you think you can be so keen? And what makes me think I can be so hurtful? And what makes me think I can be so mean?”

“Sometimes I feel like a cigarette, I'm wrapped in paper and I'm suffocating to death.”

“I don't want to be a cigarette anymore. I'll go to hell in my self death all day and night, so please just put me out.”

People Who Can Eat People Are The Luckiest People In The World (2007)

“Rejoice despite the fact this world will hurt you. Rejoice despite the fact this world will kill you. Rejoice despite the fact this world will tear you to shreds. Rejoice because you’re trying your best”

“I'm afraid to leave the house. I'm as timid as a mouse. I'm afraid if I go out I'll outwear my welcome. I'm not a courageous man. I don't have any big lasting plans. I'm too cowardly to take a stand, I want to keep my nose clean. And it's sad to know that we're not alone in this and it's sad to know that there's no honest way out. In this life we lead, we could conquer everything if we could just get the brave to get out of bed in the morning.”

“And I give a thank-you to my father for not raising me, and I give a finger to my step-father for beating me, and I give props to myself for achieving, and god damn I’m glad that I survived, and god damn I’m surprised that I survived.”

“So I looked into your eyes and I saw the reflection of a coward you and I both hate very much and then I grabbed the knife and I let the blood out of your throat and I smashed those tiny mirrors inside of your skull.”

“If I don’t go to hell when I die I might go to heaven, might go to heaven. But probably not.”

“Just happy times and half assed rhymes and mimes because mimes are dears, but most of all I want no more tears.”

“No more racism. No more discrimination. No more fat dumb fucks keeping people out of our nation.”

“We’re all one big band across this land and we should sing in tune. Let us grow the balls to break the walls, we’ve got to do it soon.”

“And I hope our candles flicker and die so that our hearts don’t burn to the ground.”

“First we were babies, we're birthing and dying. Then we were children, we're playing and crying. And then we're teenagers and smoking and fucking. But now we're all grown up and we're sadly sighing.”

“And your manic depression, it comes and it goes. Your parasympathetic nervous system reacts and you're in fight or flight mode.”

“How's the world so small when the world is so large? And what made the world? Could I please speak to who's in charge? Everything is real but it's also just as fake. From your daughter's birthday party to your grandmother's wake.”

“I've tried to know which words to sing so many times. I tried to know which chord to play and I tried to make it rhyme. And I tried to find the key that all good songs are in. And I tried to find that notes to make that great, resounding din.”

“There's someone in your head waiting to fucking strangle you.”

“I've got essays, I've got finals due. I have got lots and lots of problems.”

“Welcome to this world, have as much fun as you would like while helping others have as much fun as you're having. Be kind to those you love and be kind to those you don't but for God's sake you gotta be kind.”

Can’t Maintain (2009)

“I wanna pick up the pieces and plant them in the ground. When a tree grows there I want to chop that tree down. Build it into a boat and float it in a lake. And with dynamite I will explode the thing that makes me make mistakes.”

“Sometimes I get so lonesome I can't breathe. Sometimes I get so scared that I can't speak. Sometimes I get so worried I can't hear my heartbeat. Anyway…”

“I wanna tear out my heart and give it away to a person more deserving one day. If all I see is the worst in everything that's all I'm gonna get, that's all I'm gonna get, that's all I'm gonna get.”

“And people freak me out. People make me scared. People make me so damn self-aware.”

“I get bronchitis twice a year at least. My lungs aren't the way they should be. And I smoke more than a mother fuckin chimney. I declare war on my body.”

“You will cough up crows that peck my eyes and I will do nothing but go blind.”

“We could live there together or I'll live alone, less happy but I'll live... unfortunately.”

“And no one will know how I truly feel ‘cause I can no longer differentiate between what is fake and what is real. I don't know how I feel.”

“And I will always appreciate bad days like this because they grant me a point of reference in regards to my happiness.”

“If the bridge that I was driving over collapsed while I was driving over it that may not be such a bad thing. I would finally meet my maker, I could meet the great creator, and I'd punch him for teaching me how to sing.”

“Don't know if I believe in god but sometimes I pray because the way I was raised keeps me afraid.”

“I hope I can forgive me for having the nerve to exist. I hope someone can help me make some sense of this.”

“Sense and sensibility and peaceful productivity, a pretty girl with broken wings is all that I desire. But there's so much hostility in all the things surrounding me. The awful glow of enmity is trying to stop my shine. So I try to look inwardly at all the things inside of me but sodomy and buggery keep bubbling to the top.”

“I met you once over the phone, you sounded sad and you seemed alone. You left me but I never left you. I never had the chance to.”

“If you spend all your heart on something that has died you are not alive and that can't be your life.”

Knife Man (2011)

“There's no one to blame. People are just fucking mean.”

“So if I see a penny on the ground, I leave it alone or fucking flip it. I'm a straight white male in America. I've got all the luck I need.”

“I've got a pile of broken mirrors and I'm walking under ladders and I'll spill a ton of salt because to me that doesn't matter.”

“You were dead by the time that I had found you. Your blood was spilled on the couch where we had first kissed. So I carried you west to the sea so I could wash you. Your body felt just like a back pack.”

“I hate whiny, fucking songs like this but I can't afford a therapist. Sorry guys, here's a solo.”

“Some days I feel like I'm the weakest and others the strongest. These days are the longest and I've got the weirdest feeling about this and I wanna go away for a while.”

“I wish I had a bullet big enough to fucking kill the sun. I'm sick of songs about the summer.”

“When you have no one, you are no one. Like I said, I used to work at the people pound. All these no ones clumped together, just like a human lost and found. If they left them all be someones there wouldn't be enough to go around. It's better for us all us if there are no ones. And I knew a lot of no ones round that time. They used to all be someones until something took their life and all their someones disappeared while they're stuck there waiting in a line. And for them now, no one seems to have the time.”

“They say ambition is an enemy of weakness and greatness is an enemy of fame.When I pick up my guitar and I try to write a song, I think of what my mentor used to say… “Who fucking gives a rat's ass Steve, just write a love song. Cus they'll keep your belly full and your wallet lined. Don't bother these nice people with your sad sack songs. If you ask me I think they're just a waste of time.””

“Inspiration is the best friend of my sorrow and sorrow is the best friend of my drink. Well I want to look myself in the eye tomorrow but I'm too worried of what other folk's will think.”

“And the troubles in my heart need to get let out. And the troubles in my heart need to escape. And I never liked writing poetry and I never liked doing pottery and God knows that I never learned to paint. So every now and then, I'll sing sad songs. Cus it keeps my spirit light and my conscience clean. And if you don't care to hear I don't mind if you go out for some air. Cus I'm happy that you're happier than me.”

“So I wish I had a cigarette for every time a perfect stranger asked me for a cigarette but I wonder what a cigarette will really do to help that person out. I wish to God I had some spare change for every time a perfect stranger asked me for some spare change but there's not enough spare change in the world to make such an empty gesture count.”

“You can hope it gets better and you can follow your dreams but hope is for presidents and dreams are for people who are sleeping.”

“You don't have it any better and you don't have it any worse. You're an irreplaceable human soul with your own understanding of what it means to suffer and that’s a huge bummer.”

“I'm afraid of the way I live my life. I'm afraid of the way I don't. I'm afraid of the things that I want to do but I won't. I'm afraid of God. I'm afraid to believe and I'm afraid of all the loved ones that I've made leave. I'm afraid that my dog doesn't love me anymore. I'm afraid of the social laziness that let Kitty Genovese die. And I'm afraid of the mob mentality that makes otherwise normal people go blind. I'm afraid of the way that the world works and I'm afraid of the words in my notebooks. I'm afraid that you all know that I am a pervert.”

“It's harder to be yourself than it is to be anybody else. I wish I were a little less of a coward but the big red bird that lives under the city doesn't give a damn about me and it dies every night. So I bought a knife. I am a knife.”

Rompilation (2012)

“I used to be a spiderman, I used to be a cowboy from hell, but not anymore. Now I'm just a clam and I live inside this shell inside this shell I am. God damn I hate my brain.”

“I'll dip my brain in medicine so that you can stand to be with me.”

“Give me your tired, give me your tired, give me your poor. When our government acts like this, I wonder what World War II was for and the rest of the country hates us more and more. Lady Liberty is not a whore.”

“This is not a protest, it's a tortoise slowly pushing through a race. I hope the tortoise keeps its patience while the hare continues to pepper-spray its face.”

“There is no enemy, there's only people that also love their families and they're scared that they won't have enough long after they are deceased. But how much money do they need? Love turns into fear, and fear turns into greed. There is no enemy, there's only dummies that also love their families.”

“And this is not a phase, it's just a matter of time, with diligence and peacefulness, you will reach them and you will change their minds. If you stay there long enough, they'll start to see you.”

“And when you pushed my face in shit how could that have made you feel like a man or like a monster. It's your fault that I can't tell the difference.”

“In the evening I try songwriting. I'm self loathing, but I love singing. I'll try escaping these evil feelings but they keep coming, they keep coming…”

“So the baby's gonna have a daddy, that's wonderful news. He won't be the greatest parent but neither will you! Gotta get out while you can, otherwise you're screwed. Your legs are broken and your eyes are black and blue.”

“And smoking is like hiring a hitman for five dollars a day, and as cool as that is, I don't wanna keep dying this way.”

Christmas Island (2014)

“Shoot him again ‘cause I can see his soul dancing.”

“If you give it to me I’ll give it back much harder. If you treat me like a son, then I’ll treat you like a daughter. Everyone has a future, everyone has a soul, everyone has a heart, they have a mind, they have control.”

“The Coffin Dancer dances like he has something the prove because he does. He sleeps a couple hours in the morning, hates the morning when he wakes up.”

“The Coffin Dancer dances like he wants to make a friend, but he does not.”

“Getting naked and playing with guns. There's a gerbil in the microwave, a baseball bat in everyone. Sharing kisses and building a bomb. We'll set it off like Microsoft in '94.”

“McDonald's PlayPlace before the Xbox, cake frosting, sweet talking, bedroom wall, covered in knives, touching God, burning shit. We'll make a wish and take a trip to Future Town like our daddy did.”

“Have you ever wanted to be, have you ever wanted to see someone better in the mirror? Have you ever wanted to go, have you ever wanted to know somewhere greener, somewhere cleaner. I bet you got something beautiful in mind.”

“I can’t handle astounding works of beauty. I think I like my pretty pretty ugly but the beautiful soul I witnessed in that movie was an entirely different kind of overwhelming. It was a dog that won’t stop barking. Like a cut that never stops bleeding. Arizona sunsets in the early evening. Or a grown man inconsolably weeping.”

“I am the Kool-Aid stains on the mouth of a kid whose name is most likely Cody. He had a juice box for breakfast and he carries a stick that he most likely found in the alley. Cody doesn't have friends and his parents hate each other and he wants to find a better way to love his family and after school he hangs out in the abandoned house behind the Arby's.”

The Bible 2 (2016)

“Oh, I love you cause I love you cause I can.”

“On your last night at Saint Mary's you were way too intoxicated to breathe. So I used your ribs as ladders and I climbed up on your chest and I jumped up and down just like a trampoline.”

“Confused and rude. Such a special kind of way to be cruel.”

“If I were one of the things, I'd be american garbage. The most beautiful thing. The most beautiful american garbage you have ever seen.”

“No more shame, no more fear, no more dread.”

“And if you don't want to feel the feeling, no one should ever make you feel the feeling.”

“I thought I saw you before I knew who you were.”

“I just wanted to rage but all I got was tired”

“I showed him all the books that I was raised on. Your Madeleine L'Engle(s) and D'Aulaires' Mythologies.”

“And his eyes became a beacon, an LCD projector, broadcasting all my memories in a clear and vivid picture. His tongue became a staircase, his uvula - The knocker of an ornate wooden door that lead me straight into my future. His throat became a hallway with a thousand baby pictures and I became forgiveness, I transformed into the closure that I lost when I learned about the tragedy of all of us. I lost it when I learned about the tragedy of all of us.”

Good Luck Everybody (2019)

“If you don't give it to them they'll starve to death and that's alright.”

“I've got the normalization blues, this isn't normal, this isn't good.”

“I'm detached and I'm distracted, all keyed up but unproductive, vacillating between being all excited and disgusted and then dozing lackadaisically in this bubble where I've made my mental home. Connection's more important now than it ever was, but I'd rather be alone.”

“And when we talk about the president, we're either pissed off or we're giggling about an atrocity he's committing or some stupid shit he's tweeting. He's a symptom and a weapon of the evil men who really run the show. The ones who melt down human beings into money like a cruel Sorcerer's Stone.”

“This is the golden age of dickotry, probably the last golden age of anything, and the ugliest word in the English language is anthropocene. Good luck, everybody. Good luck.”

“But before that, you'll be a doormat, for every vicious narcissist in the world. Oh how they'll screw you, all up and over, then feed you silence for dessert.”

“I'm sorry that you have to have a body, filled with infection, one hundred scabs singing in unison, eyes and hands, sometimes bullets, uninvited, passing through us.”

“Oh to be awake for such a shitty dream. A bullet in the head of every decent thing.”

“The lake of dead black children that America created is getting fuller than the founding Fathers even wanted. The ghost of great America was underestimated and now it rages like a cold sore on the lip of this dumb nation. Again we've slipped inside a pit of absolute despair. That's where we live.”

“Rewarding our worst cruelty, they destroyed our shared reality, and now they upsell us our dignity like some fucked VIP package.”

“There is no absolute, these days there's no such thing as truth and you don't need to be a dick about it.”

“I'm a burnout and a fool, oblivious to all I do. I move my lips when I read and breathe with my mouth open, wide open. Timid, meek, and cruel, this is the best that I can do. I need to speak my truth, yet here I'm broken wide, wide open. My resentment, big and strong, and all the things that I can't change. They'll buckle me beneath the weight. I will drive myself insane with all the things that I can't change. I hate all the things that I can't change.”

“You're a loudmouth and a tool, and as it turns out I am too, and you don't need to be a dick about it.”

“Because I know that you know what I need more than me and I know that you need me more than that.”

“For all the pussies you grab and the children you lock up in prison, for all the rights you roll back and your constant stream of racism, for all the poison you drip in my ear, for all your ugly American fear. I wrote you this beautiful song called Psychic Warfare.”

“I hate you with all of my heart. I hate you with all of my art.”

“I went back to the desert, little Midwest in me, and now I am colder than I used to be. I live in a fortress the shape of my body, and now there's a coldness, and it's shaped like me. Now I don't suffer any more bullshit gladly. Even though everything's bullshit now, here in 2019 and you can bet it's gonna be a bunch of bullshit too out in sweet 2020 or whenever this album's released.”