#i am right. at least i believe that i am. but righteousness doesn't have to translate to being mean. and i do that a lot

[lilacerull0]

thankful for everyone on here, but the thing is i *was* pretty mean today

[junebugwriter]

Pride

Exploring pride is a complicated matter for me.

Growing up religious, the number one most important and most dangerous sin one could commit would be the sin of Pride. It's pride that brought down Lucifer, the light bringer, who sought to dethrone God. It's pride that corrupts, imagines we are more important than others, and that others ought to be subservient to us. Pride feeds the other sins--Greed, Wrath, etc.-- and is a matter of serious danger for the soul.

Reinhold Niebuhr talks a lot about pride in "The Nature and Destiny of Man," and I think his breakdown of it is instructive. He posits that pride shows up in three ways: pride of power, pride of knowledge, and pride of virtue. Pride of power is obvious: this pride comes from being more powerful or believing one's self to be more powerful, than others. Pride of knowledge is knowing or believing one's self to be smarter or know more than others. Pride of virtue is self-righteousness, thinking you are more virtuous than others. All of these lead to abuse, violence, and often the subjugation and oppression of others.

This is the kind of pride that Christianity is right to be wary of.

However, it's a very different thing from the kind of Pride one sees with queer pride. A very different animal, indeed.

Because Pride for LGBTQ+ folks is NONE of these things.

No, queer Pride is a matter of survival. Because for so long (at least in Western, Christian dominant countries) being queer was a matter of shame. Pride -- the dangerous, sinful kind a la Niebuhr-- was in fact the weapon used by Christianity to oppress queer folks. It was the manacle that kept queer folk in captivity, puts us in conversion therapy camps, tells us to be married to people we don't truly love, tells us to be locked into the gender identity that doesn't truly capture our actual nature.

It's pride of power that keeps us in control.

It's pride of knowledge that tells us that they know us better than we know ourselves, which is impossible.

It's pride of virtue that tells us we're sinful abominations.

So in fact, it is Christian bigots who are guilty of sinful pride.

Whereas queer pride? Why it's the reverse. When we are shamed by bigots, we are emboldened to be proud of knowing the power that comes from our community. When we are told to stay under control by those who hate us, it is pride that frees us and says "we actually do know better about our own lives than you do, thank you very much." When we are demeaned as sinful abominations, queer pride holds up the mirror and says "Clean up your own house before you try to wreck ours."

I'm new to being honest with myself about my queerness, but I'm not new to being queer. I've been queer all my life, even though I may not have known it. When I first encountered and learned from queer Christians that yes, in fact, God does love and support queer folks, I cried. I didn't know why I cried. But I did. Because I realized I didn't have to hold onto a harmful ideology if I didn't want to.

God loves us just as we are. And we can take pride in how strange, how wonderful we are.

This is my first ever Pride that I get to be a part of, knowing now that I am and have always been queer. I know I'll get things wrong. I know I have to have a lot of humility in learning more about the queer community and the queer experience. But there is nervousness and excitement intermixed.

I'm learning what it means to have pride in myself, for the first time. To be proud of how far I've come, and of what I am. And none of that pride comes from wielding power over another person. None of it is sinful pride.

All of it is queer pride. And I'm learning just how beautiful that is.

[wisegirlandseaweedbrainforever]

Everyone talks like you either believe in redemption or you don't when it comes to villain redemption critiques. But the the thing is as a Christian who believes in redemption for all, I still have a lot against the way villain redemption is treated these days, and it has a lot to do with how redemption is treated biblically vs how everyone likes this gray hero thing. And yeah, I know y'all are going to point out my love of anti-heroes, and we will get back to that. But basically, what I dislike is when we got this villain, they don't change how they act, they feel no remorse for their past actions, but "hey they're on our side now! so it's all good! :D" In christianity that is called a wolf in sheeps clothing, we are told not to even eat with such a one. We are evil wretched and poor yes, but redemption isn't an excuse to keep being evil, it is a call to "go and sin no more". So if your villain doesn't repent and at least try to live more like a hero than a villain, then I am not going to call that a redeemed villain, I am going to say our heroes have no back bone, and now question their morality, and their ability to fight for justice, because they have none within themselves. So now why do I like the anti-heroes and redeemed villains I do? So lets start with an anti-hero like Jason Todd, why he works is that his whole deal is about this exact conscept, he can not stand that certain individuals keep getting let back into the public because they "are bettering themselves" when they so obviously have not, there are "whole graveyards" of proof that they are not. The question is not about the righteousness of Jason's goal but in whether he is going too far in thinking the only way to remove these criminals is through death/manipulation. It's an important thing to ponder whether you can take justice too far, and judge that within yourself. A good anti-hero does that, raise questions on what is good and what is evil, and where we aught to draw the line, and where the line is already drawn, but maybe is taking things too far. Then we have redeemed villains, I going to use the over used and use Zuko as my redeemed villain. Where I feel people get his arc wrong is in saying that the show, showed him as "having goodness already inside him" when that isn't really accurate, what it does do, is start him out as already questioning good and evil, honorable and dishonorable. Yes we see parts of his childhood where he appears "innocent" but I feel that is a missreading of those scenes, where I would say that what we are seeing is him ruminating on both the justice and injustice he'd witnessed in his life and making or trying to make a decision about who is right in them. That is key to us coming round to him being a hero, that is him learning remorse. Then lastly is his actions in the last half of season three, from the moment he leaves the palace onward, everything he does is the opposite of what season one him would do, he trains the avatar so the fire nation can not have him, brings justice for the water tribe as best as he can, and lastly goes absolutely feral when he thinks that the gaang is just going to let the fire nation win/the Earth Kingdom be destroyed. He proves with his whole being season one him/villain him is dead, and the person he is now is someone completely different, he is redeemed. If you want me to be okay with your villain working with your heroes do that, truly redeem them, don't just make them sexy.

[lemonhemlock]

Which one do you think is stronger Grrm's boner for Daemon or Ryan and Miguel's boner for Aemond?

Definitely GRRM's Daemon boner. FB!Daemon is a lesson in bad behaviour,* yet he gets so rewarded by the narrative to infuriating levels.** Whereas HOTD!Aemond is given a believable backstory. Even though he's meowified, it's not done to a degree that it excuses and legitimizes his mistakes, nor is he rewarded for them. For example, even though his hatred for Luke is shown to be understandable and his death is an accident, it's framed as a horror story, not as Aemond avenging himself righteously. This doesn't make B&C "justified" or "rightful payment", it's very much a monstrous act, but Aemond's actions have consequences, he's not just gallivanting around Westeros doing whatever with no negative karma biting him in the arse. It's a similar story to him claiming Vhagar - he did not steal anything, he was the wronged party, yet his action garnered a reaction, it did not exist in a void.

*Honestly, I am raking my brains trying to think of one instance in which Daemon was just nice to someone without some ulterior motive. He loves Viserys and Rhaenyra, but he's an arsehole to them, and is generally-speaking transactional in his dealings with them. Maybe when he gave Viserys his Stepstones crown? But that wasn't ever his in the first place, it was a stupid claim to a territory he could never hold, nor was he interested in holding or "ruling" - at most, a symbolic gesture devoid of any actual meaning. So what was he actually giving up here? Maybe his relationship with Laena? He is said to have loved her, the text gives no indication they didn't get along, but also doesn't really delve into the intricacies of their dynamic, and she was also super young when they got together, so you know. In the show at least, in the books she's 23.

**Here I am compelled to admit that, at the very least, GRRM DOES kill Daemon, thank god, he doesn't get off the hook completely. This is something that I generally appreciate within ASOIAF, that the narrative ultimately does punish transgressors. But the bias shines through the fact that Daemon gets a badass death scene where he's the star of the show, even though the shit he pulls off at 50 years old doesn't make sense, but even so, the laws of physics are bent so that Daemon can go out on his own terms. He is rumoured to be involved in the deaths of a bunch of people (Harwin, Laenor, Rhea is suspicious in the books, he kills the son of the Sealord of Braavos) with zero consequences AND his unhinged behaviour somehow doesn't affect Rhaenyra's military alliances, all his children live, both his sons get to be kings - I mean, come on.

[shannara810]

"It's a new world, Raphael".

Indeed.

Your return to the world of the living is a succession of new faces and new rules. Nothing is familiar to you, not even Heaven.

You open your eyes to the kind smile of a child? Nephilim? You're not sure. You can feel your Father's power inside him, together with something that resembles you; yet nothing makes sense.

You were dead. You're sure of this, but for how long you don't know. You died fighting for your family but it seems that what you did didn't matter, because everything you know doesn't exist anymore.

Everything... except Castiel.

He is there, glaring at you and murmuring rushed words to this child. Words you do not need to struggle to understand. The child stops him with a hand and smiles at you.

"Hello, Raphael. I am Jack. And Castiel is my dad... well, one of them. I freed you from the Empty because we need your help. Heaven is crumbling down and we need all the power we can get to repair it".

There's truth in this child's words, but something is still amiss. You're confused and suspicious and a thousand questions burn your mind.

"Where's Father?"

"Chuck..."

Chuck? The Prophet?

"I can show you, if you want".

You nod. You do not trust this to not be yet another trick of the traitor Castiel, but the child's calm behaviour makes your Grace hum with happiness so you give him a chance. He touches your head and a rush of memories follow one another in your mind.

Leviathans, Amara, other worlds.

Gabriel, Lucifer, Michael.

Your Father. His lies. All his lies.

The child who is God now shows you this and more and you want to scream and rant and destroy everything.

Lies!

Despicable, useless lies!

Castiel is talking to you, threatening you, but you ignore him.

"Shut. Up!"

You don't care for his self-righteousness, you don't care for the pity you see in this child's eyes. Instead, it irritates you even more. So you spread your wings and fly away.

It's a new world and you don't understand it. You have questions, so many of them. You died while at war, trying to save your brothers and sisters, to protect them from Castiel's inane desire to give them "free will". You died trying to free Michael from the Cage, the only one who could have known what to do to stop the rebels and their demon friends from destroying Heaven. But that war has came to pass and new ones have been fought and you had no part in them.

Your name is Raphael. You're an Archangel and you don't know what's your place anymore. You're not sure you have ever known.

"It's a new world, Raphael".

Your brother is the one who finds you. You have been sitting here for days, on a rock overlooking the Geikie Gorge National Park, trying to make sense of the memories you have been shown.

There's a coldness inside your Grace: like a piece missing, a hole. The skin of your vessel is tight like it’s wrong somehow but you don’t understand why.

This husk looks like the first one you wore on Earth, but you don't feel it as yours. You start to think that the child who is god made a mistake when he revived you.

Maybe it was Castiel. His lust for the power you Archangels had was always great, like an ant desiring to play with things it could not touch. And his time with the Winchesters had made him worse. His... attachment to the eldest one always made you feel... uneasy.

"You know, I would have expected the brooding act from Michael. But you were always so happy to copy brother dearest, after all. Hello, Raphi".

"Gabriel".

"Maaaa, maaa. You scared the kiddo, Raphi. He was so happy to have you back. You could have at least stayed and listened, Jon Snow. He has great plans for us."

There's a barb somewhere in Gabriel's words, but you don't understand the joke and your brother's words don't make you feel any better. "We had Father's instructions".

"Father left us a fucking B movie script! I can't believe... no, right, I can believe you never asked questions. It's soooo you, ugh!"

Gabriel waves his arms, pissed; and you feel something akin to shame. However this feeling is quick to dissipate before being replaced with anger. How dares he? How dares Gabriel... the one who ran away... to one who left his duty behind... his family behind! to judge you?! He knows nothing of the sacrifices you had to make to save Heaven, while he was hanging out with his lowly pagans. How dares he?

You blink, slowly. You call for your sword, while Gabriel points at you one of his beloved human candies.

"It's a new world, brother. No more scripts to follow, no more fights to death, no more Devils to ban. We are free! And I, for one, am going to enjoy this life!"

You're tired, so so tired. Tired of being angry, tired of being unheard, tired of everything. You just want to understand.

You are a healer... were a healer. Your role was to cure your Brothers while they fought the Darkness, but their forces were not enough to cage her so your Father made a weapon out of you too and left before he could right his mess.

His last words to you were: bow to humanity, my masterpiece. And after that everything went to Hell.

Lucifer was banned and Gabriel ran away and Heaven was in disarray and the Host demanded answers and you and Michael did your best to protect everyone and keep some kind of order.

Gabriel sighs and shakes his head. A warrior, he never was. "Do you want answers so badly, Raphi? I can't give you those, but I know who can. 1630 Revello Drive, Windom, Minnesota. It's the house with the blue door".

It's a start, at least.

"You're welcome, Raphi! And don't forget to ring the bell!" You hear him shout before you fly away.

"It's a new world, Raphael".

The house with the blue door stands in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of Windom, like many others along the street.

The color of the front is new though, just like the shutters on the windows. The owners have carefully mowed the grass in the garden, a riot of colorful and blooming flowers and imposing trees.

The mailbox bears the name of the family who lives here: MILLIGAN, A&M.

Truth be told this house is nothing special and you would have never paid attention to it, if it hadn't been for the dome of grace that keeps you out. A barrier not too different from the ones surrounding the interrogation rooms in Heaven.

You wait outside for three days, invisibile to human eyes while you search for a way to enter. The house is inhabited, of this you are sure. A tall blond man goes out often: to talk to the neighbors, the postman or to carry inside bags with food. A time or two you have had the impression that the blond man would stop to watch you, which is impossible. No mortal can notice your presence.

And yet...

On the fourth day, you decide to follow Gabriel's advice: you ring the bell. Doing something so... so human makes you feel pretty stupid, but the lack of results from your stakeout leds you to a change of course: no more reconnaissance. It's time for a direct approach.

DING DONG

"A moment! I'm coming." Someone shouts from the inside. A minute later the door opens to reveal the blond man.

"Oh, it's you." He seems to recognize you and this baffles you. How?

Suddenly the man's eyes burn with Grace and you find yourself face to face with your eldest brother.

"Michael..."

Your brother grabs you by the shirt your vessel wears and drags you inside, slamming you against the door. The paintings on the walls shake before they fall to the ground.

"Raphael!"

Michael is here, Michael is free!

"Why are you here, Brother?" He spats.

Michael looks at you with his cold blue eyes, searching for a proof that can make you a threat.

Why, why is Michael here and not in Heaven leading the Host? It makes no sense.

"Brother..."

Chuck had destroyed Michael during the last battle. You don't know why: Jack's memories were pretty confusing on Michael's last moments but it's Michael! He was always the best of you! What happened that day doesn't matter because Michael is here and now everything will be alright.

"I won't ask again. Why are you here, Raphael? Jack knows we don't want to be disturbed in our exile".

We? Who is we?

"Gabriel... Gabriel said I'd find my answers here".

"Fucking Gabriel..."

Michael looses the grip on your clothes and you fall to the ground, speechless. Never! Never in all the years you were together, you heard your brother curse like... like a human.

"Why? Why are you not in Heaven?"

Michael looks at you doubtful, almost as he is trying to figure out how much he can trust you. His icy blue eyes make you feel small and your Grace trembles under his gaze. Away from Heaven or not, he is still the Viceroy.

"What did Jack tell you?"

"Father... Father did try to destroy the world, because... because he was unhappy with humanity. The child..."

"Jack".

"Jack took over his Powers and now he controls Heaven with Castiel at his side. Michael... how could you leave your post? Heaven is in the hands of a nephilim and Castiel... don't you know what Castiel is capable of? He tried to..."

"I don't care."

"What?"

"I don't care, Raphael. Jack and Castiel can reign over Heaven if they want. My place is here."

"Here? Here in the middle of nothing?!"

Michael doesn't answer. Not an excuse, not an explanation. Your words meet only silence.

"A child! A child is leading Heaven, Michael! A child who knows nothing about us! About what we are, what we believe in! Father..."

"Father cared for nothing. Least of all for his children". His words are cold and uncaring and you feel as they could pierce your Grace like a burning sword.

"Brother..."

"Father only cared about himself and his ego. It was just a joke for him, Raphael. The angels, the humans, the Apocalypse: he had already decided everything to make his play more compelling, but guess what? He got bored. My fight with Lucifer? Only a pebble in the stack and not even the main one. Oh, no! The Winchesters were the stars of his plot. Us? We were nothing! Side characters he could use at his leisure."

"You... You're lying."

"I was there, brother. I have seen with my own eyes what our Father was capable off: he didn't have an ounce of love in his heart".

"He was our Father! He must have had his reasons!"

"He tore my heart away! After leaving me ten years in the Cage he took the only thing I had, Raphael! And he didn't even care!"

Your brother’s voice echoes in the room with a power you have rarely seen in the eons you've been together. His eyes shine with unshed tears, while his body shakes. For rage or sadness you don't know.

"Michael..."

Your mind is blank. No one has ever taught you what to do when it's your general, the Hero you have always believed in, the one who gives up. Your older brother is here, broken and even your last certainty shatters. The emotion Michael is showing is an alien concept to you, incomprehensible.

You take a step in his direction, when suddenly his eyes burn bright and it's not your brother anymore the one in front of you.

The vessel brings a hand on his chest. He smiles, softly. "We are okay, Halo. He won't hurt you anymore. We are together."

The human...

"Who..."

"Raphael, right? I can understand you have been away for a long time and I won't judge you for this. But it's enough."

"How dare you to give me orders, human?"

"I dare. And the name is Adam, Archangel. Michael is important to me and I won't let anyone hurt him".

The human... the vessel stares at you defiantly, heedless of danger. Does he really believe he can protect your brother, Heaven's most dangerous weapon, from you? His behavior is almost amusing and on a different occasion you might have even let such impudence go but not now. Right now his meddling just pisses you off. This confrontation is about you and your brother: there is no place for a human.

"Stay out of this." You hiss.

"I'm where I have to be, thank you so much."

"Michael doesn't concern you!"

"Michael's well-being is my business too. He is my family!"

How dares he? What gives him the right to make any claim on Michael? Him, a puny human not worth to be anything more than a body of blood and bones for a higher being?

Yet, this human doesn’t back down a step like he really wants to fight you for Michael. You're left speechless.

Unexpectedly a cry tears the air and Michael takes control again. He gives you one last look before running up the stairs. The house shakes under the explosion of a new grace, so silently you follow him. What does your brother hide?

"Shhhh, it's okay Luke. Father is here. There's nothing to be scared of".

You should have never come here.

Michael stands there, in the middle of a human nursery, cradling a child and trying to calm him down. The air sparkles with energy under the sound of the child's tears and for a moment you wish to kneel before him. The power of this child takes your breath away.

Michael has called himself "his father".

Nephilim.

Your brother's eyes never leave the child. He smiles, your brother is smiling and the child calms down. "I can't follow you, Raphael. Luke and Adam need me".

"You have a forbidden child".

"I have a son and a husband I love more than anything. I... I know you can't understand, Brother. But they're my whole world".

Michael's words rip the ground right out from under your feet, making you wonder if it was ever there to begin with. Your Brother, your guide, has committed the worst sin ever, something Heaven would never forgive him for. A nephilim.

A forbidden child.

You have to get away from him.

All around you the world whirles and you wonder why you had to came back if nothing makes sense anymore. Even Michael, the only one you could always count on, has changed.

You are losing your mind.

"Raphael!" Your brother calls you one last time. "Heaven can't know about my son. Please, Brother..."

You run away because how can you not? It's a new world, one you don't want to have a part in.

_________

"It's a new world, Raphael".

Time goes by and things don't get easier for you. Instead the chaos that greeted your return worsens.

The monotony of your work in Heaven is the only thing that keeps you sane. And for this you are grateful.

Jack is a sweet character: too young to lead Heaven, too full of hope and compassion to control the Host. His policy of staying away from Earth is the most naive thing you have ever heard of and who is he kidding? With Castiel so worried about the Winchesters, that child is doomed to slip sooner or later.

Despite your disgust with your brother's choices, you start to return to the house with the blue door more and more. You're still angry for Michael's decision, you still feel betrayed by his behaviour but he is your brother. The one who never left you behind. So you keep his secret.

("It's called Witness protection program, Raphi. I came up with it!"

"I know, Gabriel.")

Heaven cannot know about Luke, so you add your own wards to your brother's home to conceal the boy. You tell yourself you only do this because Castiel would mess the child up, demanding to take care of him or worse! To give him to the Winchesters. You have no love for Michael's son.

However Michael's human offers you a room in their home and suddenly Gabriel wants one too, since he is "the funny uncle" and they can't leave him out his nephew's life... your nephew's life.

And when Luke is five, he gets Lucifer back from the Empty because the child wants to know his namesake. (Your brother's human and his strange deranged humor).

Day after day you ask yourself how could God... Jack not be aware of four Archangels in the same house (well, three and half: Lucifer is as strong as a Cherub now), but you cannot find a logical answer.

It's a crazy new world, but for a change luck seems to be on your side.

It's the first time since Lucifer's Fall, you four are all together in the same place and the only thing you want to do is strangle your brothers.

Millennia of lies and misunderstandings and guilt are still there and it's not long before someone starts to shout - maybe Michael? - and weapons are drawn and you're ready to fight to death, but Michael's human has other ideas.

He calls you all douches, says you're still following your Father's bullshit and if you can't talk like adults, you can go to your room and stay there! He doesn't have the time to raise other children: he's already got his hands full with his half-breed.

You, Gabriel and Lucifer are all stunned by the boldness of this puny human, till Michael starts to whine because it's not his fault his brothers behave like babies!

The human makes him shut up too. At least your brother's pet is fair.

Adam Milligan makes you sit around a table and talk about your "feelings". He orders you to not leave the room till you can get your act together. The baby is asleep and if you wake him, you're all doomed.

You laugh. Your brother's vessel still believes he is something more than an ant. What can a stupid mud monkey do to you, an Archangel?

However the human doesn't flinch at your words. Instead he smiles at you in a way you don't like and says "I've been in the Cage with your brother for more than a thousand years. Trust me, Raph. You won't like what I've learned".

And if Michael's face becomes whiter... well, the projection of his face, because your brother still persists in sharing his body with this impudent human... a wise general does not seek battle without reason.

Again time flies and this would not be your life without an Apocalypse (to foil this time).

Jack loses control over his Powers and tries to destroy everything to make this world "perfect". Personally you think that only a fool should have entrusted a nephilim with both God's and Amara's powers, but you keep your opinion to yourself.

Dean Winchester is resurrected to Castiel's delight, even if you can't see how this could help you. Jack is out of control and you should trap him like you did with Amara.

Lucifer protests vehemently and for once your brother and Castiel are on the same page.

You're ready for a new war, one you have no desire to fight; yet Luke is the one to solve everything without much bloodshed.

He grows up in a night and takes over Amara's role as the Darkness. A new balance is set and the world is again at peace.

In spite your bias against nephilims, you have to admit that Michael's son has a good head on his shoulders: he makes four lieutenants to help him with his job, someone who can understand duty and politics and how to treat with monsters and other hellish beings.

One of his lieutenants is Crowley and you don't trust him, although you're not so blind to not see how the ex demon knows exactly how to deal with the Winchesters.

Amid all this, you start to value Michael's human more. Adam Milligan is firm, enduring and with the peculiar ability to being able to talk with all of you Archangels.

He shares jokes and candies with Gabriel, helps Lucifer with his writing, gives Michael peace.

He likes to discuss your job. He is a healer too.

Adam teaches you new words for the things you don't understand and you are grateful for his help, even if you don't show it. Gender-theory, asexuality, non-binary. New words for all those questions which still make your brain hurt. However now you can admit how being with your family, all of them, doesn't erase the hole you still feel inside but makes it different, more bearable.

You start to switch your male vessel with a female one when you feel you need it and Adam asks you if you need new clothes too. You say yes.

So he takes you in town and shows you the best shops you can browse at. And he talks about you as his "in-law" without dubbing you as brother or sister and you feel lighter.

Lucifer frowns at the sight of your new clothes, saying you have the same taste as a white collar worker but you care not for his opinion.

Yes, to switch between vessels makes you feel good.

"It's a new world, Raphael".

Luke and Jack talk for a long time after the failed Apocalypse till they reach an agreement you find... groundbreaking.

The judgments given to the souls are no longer permanent. Souls can now be forgiven and ascend to peace or choose to be born again whether they're the souls of humans, monsters or demons.

Hell and Purgatory can only trap forever the souls without hope and if a monster wants to achieve Heaven, it can. Your old home is not the final goal to aspire to anymore, but a simple step on the long run.

Luke makes his lieutenants responsible for the monsters who still walk on Earth: to fight the bad apples and to protect the ones who need help. Above all from humans.

Looking at all those changes, you can’t help but think that Chuck's old management would have never considered an arrangement like your nephew's, but the argument Luke gives you has its merit: given the chance, everyone can learn. Nothing is fixed and only a stupid would think so. To live is to change and if you're stuck and can't adapt, Hell will be overstuffed again and Purgatory out of control.

Everyone should work together to make things easier for all those involved.

Your nephew's idea is a revolution to everything you have always known but if it makes the Winchesters pissed, it's even better. You may have had to let go a lot of things, but you're still of the opinion that Castiel and his paramour should have died and stayed dead a long time ago.

("Boy Toy, Raphi. Dean Winchester is Cassie' Boy Toy. You can say it".

"I shall remember this, Gabriel. Thank you".)

Of the four lieutenants Luke has made, the one who intrigues you the most is Ellen Harvelle.

She is strong for a human, loyal and just. A little outspoken, but you can enjoy how she doesn't take shit from anyone. She is the one who gives orders, makes her brethen fall in line and whose's counsel Luke defers to.

When you ask Luke why he chose her, he says that what his group really needed to work together was a mom. Someone to scold you when you deserve a scold and hug you when you need a hug. A parent. A glue.

You point out how you are all supernatural beings: the notion of parents cannot be applied to you.

At this Luke gives you a smile and a pat on the shoulder. Like Adam takes care of all of you and the Winchesters do the same with Jack, Rowena is the one to "mom" Hell. So yes, even supernatural beings need a parent one or twice.

To celebrate the creation of his lieutenants, Luke builds for them new headquarters.

Not a trace of white, not a trace of marble: in your eyes, they look a lot like an old human drinking establishment. Dean Winchester quite enjoys them.

"Does anyone know why a hurricane is hitting New York right now? I feel like I'm watching a movie written by J.J Abrams". Lucifer gulps down his second drink with an improper name.

Your brother has a notebook open on the table, his "working station". Apparently, hanging out with Adam Milligan and with the human therapist Michael's mate had forced Lucifer to see made your brother discover his gift for the written word. Under the guise of Lucille Morningstar, he has become quite proficient in writing human romance.

Gabriel sits beside him, looking at the flat screen on the wall with ill-concealed joy. "Ohhh, our sweet nephew must have told Michael the pagan knocked him up. Soon this world will be swarmed by a new bunch of tiny super-powered freaks. You know, I'm almost proud of Mike and of his army of handsome monsters."

"Are you jealous, Gabe?"

"Haha, Lucy. Hilarious. Still can't believe Adam really named the boy after you. I can't say if he is a genius or as spiteful as fuck!"

"Ohhh, my sweet Gabriel. I'm proud Luke's named after me. I’ll never get tired to remind you who is Junior's favorite uncle". Lucifer's smile can be described almost as... dazzling. "The Winchesters' brother roots for Team Archangels: it's the best thing I could ask for!"

You let their words slip away, drawing your attention back to the tea in your hands. It doesn't concern you, after all. If Michael wants to smite the pagan who has defiled his son, he has every right to.

"Nah, your brother will calm down soon. It's hard, as a parent, when you have to admit your kid has grown up with a life of their own. We all have been there. And Percy is a good boy".

"I won't know. Father was... he chose to let us believe he was dead, because he didn't want to deal with his creation".

Ellen Harvelle stops drying the glass she has in her hands and pours herself a finger of the same amber liquid your brother drank a few minutes ago. "He sounds like a douche, angel".

"Yes... yes, he was".

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her words... the concern her face shows - a concern for you - hits you in a strange, new way. A pleasant way.

So you find yourself telling her about your life while she tells you about her daughter Joanna Beth, who died during the first Apocalypse.

Before Adam Milligan, before Ellen Harvelle, you never had someone to talk with outside your family. And as much as you love your siblings, you’ve always felt too different for them to really understand you.

And that's how your friendship with the strong and just mom named Ellen Harvelle begins and it will affect you on the following days in ways you can’t even imagine.

"It's a new world, Raphael".

What you're about to do is crazy and risky and it's not like you at all, but you don't care. For once in your long life you're not going to follow logic but your "gut instinct", as your friend Ellen loves to say.

Away from the chaos of Heaven, you find a quiet place to start your project. After all Jack did give you a leave to "find yourself" and Gabriel can handle the reconstruction. Should the need arise, there's always Michael.

Your quiet place is in Australia. It's a wild land, a mix of mismatched things you feel reflects your being.

The first step is the hardest. You tear a small piece from your grace, ignoring the pain: you cannot gain something without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That's what your human family has taught you.

So you take this small fragment of grace and blend it with the genetic material Ellen has given you, shaping them in a small vessel not too different from the Darkness' children.

This is an easy task. Two arms, two legs, a singular head. A generic human shape. You don't want to impose your will on them, your likes and dislikes. A generic shape will do for now.

The small fragment of grace sizzles and expands, strengthening those almost human limbs and blooming in two small wings of lightning.

Now it comes the tricky part: you need a soul to inhabit this husk of bones and grace. Michael said that Luke came to them with Amara's help.

After merging with the energies that weave the universe, your oldest brother had sung the love he feels for his human, his regrets and his belief till an old soul had listened to his plea and came.

So you sing your Grace away: your doubts and your discoveries, your love for your family and what you've learned in your time among humankind, your loneliness and your desire to be part of something more.

You sing and sing and sing, you don't know for how long. And when your words are not enough anymore, you let your thoughts roam free and after them, those strange human notions called feelings.

You sing and sing and sing, you don't know for how long. And when your voice starts to lessen, you sing some more.

Maybe you are doing something wrong, maybe there's no one out there who wants to listen to the plea of an Archangel so different like you. Yet you stand up and try again. Your will is set and your wish is pure. You’re strong enough to make your own path.

There.

You feel a change.

A sparkle old and young at the same time, who understands duty and loneliness and feels anger for having been treated like a miserable tool in a greater design.

You draw new energy from this response and your voice gains vigor, while the soul listens attentively.

It circles around you as you explain what you want to do, what it means to get into the husk you have created.

It listens and thinks while you wait, hoping for the first time. Then the soul brightnens with the power of ten thousand suns, burning your eyes till it disappears. You did it!

"It's a new world, Raphael".

You can finally breath. Your vessel doesn't need air to live, but breathing makes you focus as you help the soul shape the husk as it wants it. It still remembers its old human body, so it tries to fuse its memories with the material you have given it.

While the hush morphs, you talk about your family old and new; about how the world was when you had watched the first stars light the sky. Stars which only live in your memory now.

And the soul listens and changes and becomes something new.

Then there's only silence.

Suddenly the nephilim you helped create opens his cerulean eyes and you can finally understand Michael's words. You can see the beauty of the whole universe in the gaze of this tiny being, this old soul born anew, quiet and introverted like you but with a mind full of questions and thoughts.

And if your brothers can change, can find joy and a purpose in this new world, so can you.

Your name is Raphael, you're an Archangel and you like to switch your vessels to suit your mood. You're male and female: you're neither and you're both.

You love your siblings (even Lucifer!) and your nephews and your grand-nephews. You still want to smite Castiel and like to drink tea with a woman named Ellen Harvelle, who was once human and now works for the Darkness.

You love the nephilim you made and who loves you back. You will protect them till your dying breath and beyond.

You're a parent.

The nephilim... your child smiles at you and a warming sense of love lights up your Grace. You finally have your purpose. The hole you have felt in your Grace since your return is no more.

"Jason, I will name you Jason. It means "the one who heals" for you have healed my Grace".

Jason Grace Milligan. It has a nice ring.

@darkcrowprincess @summonademon

[hughungrybear]

Me watching Only Friends Ep. 9:

1. For this ep, I just want Sand to run as far away as possible from Ray (although based on previous ep's preview, I know that wouldn't happen) 😔

2. I don't know, it's too unrealistic for Top to change that fast. I do think that he is just not used to losing anything, which is why he is trying hard to win Mew back. As for Mew, I guess it is also the first time that he was wrong about someone (although, I pretty much doubt that) especially when he prides himself of "knowing how to accurately read" people (see episodes 1 and 2). I still see these two people trying to prove to themselves that their sense of self is not entirely wrong.

3. I'm beginning to think that Sand is either a hopeless romantic or an effing masochist. Wtf. He already knows Ray is toxic. He KNOWS RAY WILL CONTINUE TO HURT HIM (and himself). If he has any self-respect, he will walk away.

4. <on videoing Ray making out with Sand) There's the Top I know.

5. I still don't know Atom's angle in this scene. I mean from being in a cis relationship then jumping straight to gay s*x. With Boston, of all people. Why? I don't think he is fuelled with plain ole curiosity. He practically seduced Boston (although let's face it, it doesn't take much to get Boston h*rny)

6. I think I can recognise Pisaeng's (BMF) campervan lol. Hurray, for Team Second Option! Get an effing move on, gods dammit. Well, at least Sand is aware he is a masochist lol 😅

7. Yo and Mew. Really, don't start relationships that you actually don't want. The fvck. 😑

8. I love Khaotung, but Ray. Ray is trash. At this point, he is using his pain as excuse to be a manipulative, little sh*t to everyone. Also, I guess Mew's brain has been addled badly with drugs and alcohol to believe that Ray's "the word love makes most sense with you" is anything but a confession of Ray's toxic dependency on him.

9. Frankly, I don't think these kids should have romantic relationships. Especially Ray. Ray should just stop dragging everyone to his personal hell.

10. Atom is acting like a possessive bf. AFTER AN EXPERIMENTAL ONE-NIGHT STAND. I can't believe I am siding with Boston in this argument 😂😂😂😂 but fvck, here we are.

11. Maybe Sand and Nick could try it as a couple. I mean, they are both decent people. Maybe they can work it out. 😅 <after 5 seconds> ooof, Nick read my mind lol. Too bad, the kiss started nothing 😅😅😅😅

12. I just want the mums to smack some sense into Mew. Maybe, it would also get rid some of his self-righteousness and feelings of moral superiority 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

13. No, Nick. You left Sand to be fed to a smug, manipulative wolf.

14. Can I push Ray in to that lake? Right now, I have a strong urge to drown Ray and leave his dead body in that mountain top. I mean, Ray is making Top looked good IN MY EYES. Pretty sure the mums prefer Top at this point too. The fvck.

15. Is it just me, or Dan just feels creepy? This show is triggering all my paranoid senses lol 😅😅😅 Also, Nick is not known for his good judgement, he lets his hormones lead the way.

16. Oh, Nick. You poor, crazy sod. Why are you still following Boston??? Your need for closure is driving me nuts. 😑

17. Waiiit. Is Boston actually regretful? Really? Boston? Or is the sight of Nick smiling with somebody else triggering him too?

18. Is this a premonition? Will Ray die at the end of this series? 🤔🤔🤔 I mean, Ray is perpertually high, drunk, and destructive. Pretty sure he is heading to an early death at this rate.

19. Ah, Sand. You really should stop sticking your d*ck in crazy.

20. Ray, Mew looks okay even though you technically cheated on him. Should be your cue to understanding that only you thought you were boyfriends. Mew just needed a rebound.

21. Ngl, I was expecting Mixx in that elevator, not Mond! What is he doing here anyway? Is he another one of Top's exes???

We are almost at the finish line and I'm undecided who needs a sharp smack in the head the most lol. I guess, with Mew and Ray 'breaking up', there's a chance that Sand will not be a sad boy anymore. Although, I still have a strong urge to m*rder Ray after all was said and done.

I still don't know what Atom's deal is. It just seems so sudden that he is in "love" with Boston. Looks like Boston will do some self-reflection but why is Nick still there? I guess, the man just loves the hurt. Also, looks like Mond will play the ex, Boeing. I always thought it was gonna be Mixx.

Well, one thing's for sure — the show is about to get messier. I think Im'ma need to go to church now 😂😂😂😂

[leonbloder]

The Truth About The Beatitudes

Recently, I came across a quote from an essay in 2004 by the late Kurt Vonnegut that resonated with me, so I thought I would share it and reflect on it a bit: 

For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere.  “Blessed are the merciful” in a courtroom? ​“Blessed are the peacemakers” in the Pentagon? Give me a break!

Twenty years ago, Vonnegut spotlighted a severe problem of American Christianity, which has since become a tragedy.  

What constitutes mainstream Christianity in America right now seems absolutely devoid of Jesus' teachings, and even when Jesus is mentioned, the Jesus that is depicted, described, and lifted up doesn't resemble the Jesus of the Gospels in the least.  

The Jesus that far too many Christians seem to imagine is not only white but is absolutely jacked and wearing jeans, ready to take down anyone who disagrees with him.  Kind of like this: 

Or maybe negotiating a business transaction like this: 

The above painting has always intrigued me. What is the businessman on the right saying? "I'd like you to meet my COO, Jesus. He'll take over the nuts and bolts of this multi-million dollar acquisition from here."  

Look, I'm not trying to say that I believe Jesus was a kind of hippie guru, creating a cult following full of people with flowers in their hair and folk songs on their lips.  

But he probably would have had more in common with Pete Seeger than Kid Rock. 

Kurt Vonnegut nailed it perfectly. The Beatitudes from Matthew chapter 5 begin what is known as the Sermon on the Mount and are some of Jesus's most daring and radical teachings during his three-year ministry. 

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn,     for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek,     for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,     for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,     for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,     for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,     for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I'm with Vonnegut.  Can you imagine having these words on display in public places?  Can you imagine Christians doing their best to place these words in government buildings to remind those who walk the hallowed halls of justice, power, etc., of what true religion is really all about? 

These are the forgotten, glossed-over, and explained-away words of the One whom so many Christians claim to follow. The seemingly pervasive belief in mainstream American Christianity is that the Beatitudes belong on Hallmark cards or tiny motivational signs in the kitchen.  

Because it's not cool to be poor in spirit. 

It's not strong to be meek.  

It's better to hunger and thirst for power than righteousness (justice).   

Mercy is for the weak. 

Peacemakers never win.  

This highlights a startling truth about Christianity: Following Jesus is not easy.  

It's not easy to resist the prevailing winds of triumphalism and Christian nationalism in our current culture and embrace Jesus' teachings about losing yourself to discover the kingdom of God. It's difficult to wade into conflict to make peace instead of a point. It's not easy to be merciful when mercy seems to take a back seat to retribution.  

But if we are to be followers of Jesus and adherents to his teaching, we must engage in the difficult task of actually believing what he taught and doing what he would have us do.  

May it be so.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.  

[rebuke-me]

im giving you permission to ramble more about the ever after high au

I AM KISSING U ON THE MOUTH /p

okay. okay. im gonna ramble under the cut bc i have so many thoughts.

crash course for new readers: son of cinderella jeremy, charming kids brooke and jake (they're cousins), pied piper kid michael, daughter of the boy who cried wolf jenna, beauty and the beast kid chloe, alice in wonderland daughter christine, and goldilocks kid rich.

chloe and brooke are constantly at odds. they're always together because they're both princesses. they HATE each other but cant ever seem to leave. chloe keeps putting brooke down because chloe has a story, a destiny, and brooke doesn't. she's a princess, she's beauty, she's a big deal. and brooke's just a charming, not even a specific princess. she doesn't have beautiful hair or glass slippers or anything. she's just... a damsel. in distress. but she's kind and caring and wants to help, but she's not beauty, right? and then chloe ends up being the beast. she's the beast and brooke's HER beauty, and brooke puts her foot down and says no. she's not going to be in chloe's shadow anymore. she's not going to bend over backwards for HER story, for HER development. she's not going to be nice and kind just because chloe needs her. and that's how brooke becomes a rebel.

rich has a lot of pressure on him, ever since he was a kid. he's always told to be just right. he's goldilocks, the pretty little girl who takes over a poor family's life and cares so much about perfection. too tomboyish, too awkward, nothing's just right. he doesn't feel right pretending, either. so he cuts off his golden curls. he shears them off and finally, for once in his life, he feels just right. he goes by rich now, and the gold theme finally feels earned.

jenna rolan will never be believed. she knows no one will listen to her, even if she tells the truth. because no one can EVER think she's telling the truth. she never can, anyways. there's always a little white lie that slips in. she can't help it, her mouth runs for her. her friends all keep her around for gossip with a grain of salt inside. she's not even a BIG story. she gets eaten by wolves, and she can't even feel righteously angry about it. no one will ever believe her, and yet she still keeps pouring as much of her truth into her words as fate will let her.

christine's always a little out of the loop. she's from outside this world, but not quite. she should be fine. she's alice, of course, she's just a normal girl who happens to fall into wonderland. but she's too curious, too wild, too eccentric. she's seen as not quite one, not quite the other. too wild for wonderland, too normal for ever after. she lays awake at night, wishing she could hear the narrators, like the other wonderland kids. or wishing that she could know the right words to say, like the ever after kids.

michael loves his music, but keeps most of it to himself, playing it over his headphones instead of out loud. he's not a villain, not technically, but he doesn't like it when people have the idea that he's somehow making them do things. he doesn't play his music out loud, doesn't want to call a plague of rats to him, doesn't want to bring kids away. he was adopted, anyways, maybe these powers will go away. but he knows that it'll happen, and he'll leave, and it'll be fine. but he still takes the first opportunity of rebellion.

jeremy and jake know each other since childhood. they're royals, of course. they don't get along at first. jeremy's a princess kid, and clearly. and then his story's started early, with his stepmother. his only solace is his little sister, the destined ugly stepsister. he doesn't want that for her. doesn't want her to feel ugly, or evil. and jake's the charming, going to be the beast and the prince of chloe. or at least, they think so. but things shift. they talk again, and it's easy now. they get along, they have things in common. they risk their happily ever afters. and then the storybook of legends, and the signing. jake was going to sign anyways, of course. he didn't know not signing was an option. but then he sees what the future holds for him. he's not chloe's prince, he's not the beast they've wanted him to be. he's jeremy's. he whisks him away, he finds his shoe, he... pulls him away from his sister, his family. there's no ending where jeremy has both. but selfishly, he signs. and then rich refuses to sign, refuses to be just right. and jeremy doesn't sign either. and jake doesn't tell him that he signed because he saw them together. because he doesn't want to make jeremy choose between him and his family, between a happily ever after and the right to freedom. and jeremy thinks that jake saw his future with chloe and chose her over him, because of course he would. why would jake ever choose him in the long run? isn't that a tragedy?

[veliseraptor]

Hii! How are you? Hope the new year is treating you well

Love your Jiang Cheng/Meng Yao/Xue Yang everything, they are all excellent characters (especially JC my beloved)

Wanted to ask why you don't like Nie Mingjue? (Totally genuine btw, I'm mostly indifferent towards him but I like hiw tou do character analysis and am curious?)

Happy new year and take care :D

oh boy, okay. I waffled for a while about responding to this only because I tend to...avoid wading into things that might get me in trouble, and this feels like something that could get me in trouble, because I'm talking about my (negative) feelings on a relatively popular character and that can provoke some pretty intense responses.

but I don't really want to foster that impulse, at least not all the time, and I try to be fair when I talk about these things, so, hey, might as well. under a cut for anyone who doesn't want to read the following (counts) nine paragraphs of rambling about this subject

first off I feel like I should say that it probably seems like I dislike Nie Mingjue because he comes into conflict with Jin Guangyao, and while that isn't not true, characters being in conflict with each other does not preclude me liking both of them. I mean, I would hope that was obvious.

I think the biggest reason me and Nie Mingjue do not vibe is actually - and this occurred to me as I was writing this response - the same reason that I used to dislike Stannis Baratheon back when I was active in the A Song of Ice and Fire fandom. (Not so much anymore, mostly because now I just find him kind of funny. Sorry, Stannis.) Namely: he's inflexible and utterly convinced of his own rightness/righteousness.

One of my least favorite qualities in a person is self-righteousness, and while that can work for me in a character it very much doesn't here, I think because it comes with that inflexibility. Nie Mingjue's sense of morality and order is rigid with very little room for his judgment being affected by circumstance or external context. To him, those considerations are irrelevant at best and viewed as excuses at worst.

I'm someone who is, meanwhile, allergic to universal statements, particularly universal statements of good/bad, evil/righteous, etc. I don't like them, I'm incredibly wary of them, and while, again, me disliking these things irl doesn't necessarily preclude enjoying them in a character, it is going to be at least somewhat of a barrier. I feel like it would be less of one here, honestly, if I didn't feel like fandom often endorses Nie Mingjue's perspective on this, as opposed to acknowledging it for what I think it is actually in the text; I have more I could say on this but I'm already writing an essay so I'll just note that I think the fact that Nie Mingjue's corpse can't distinguish between Jin Ling and Jin Guangyao is thematically important.

I don't need a character's morality to align with mine to like them, obviously. The greater crime is finding a character frustrating or irritating, and that's what this particular quality of Nie Mingjue's does to me.

"But what about Xiao Xingchen," I can hear somebody saying. "Doesn't he have the same rigid perspective?" Yes, arguably; his also breaks horribly over the duration of the story, and that's the part of his arc that I find compelling! I find Xiao Xingchen most interesting when his initial understanding of the world has been irrevocably changed and he has to reckon with the fact that justice is not as simple as he thought it would be.

I also - and I know how this is going to sound, I feel like - do not vibe with characters who really strongly believe in state-supported violence. I don't care if characters kill people - the more the better! murder all you like, my darlings! - but I do care if they're advocating the death penalty from a position of political power/authority. Which is actually not a distinction I'd necessarily realized was important to me, but apparently it is. As far as my fictional taste goes: personal violence is fine. State violence is not. I'm sure there are exceptions here (there usually are) but it is generally true that the more violence comes from a position of authority/power in the sense of "this is structurally supported by some form of government/systematic structure", the more I'm going to feel badly about it and the less kindly I am going to feel toward the character in question.

Nie Mingjue is very, very invested in state-supported violence and very eager to dole it out on a personal basis. We see it with his almost killing Xue Yang while Xue Yang is on trial; we see it with Jin Guangyao, multiple times. "Well, they were guilty!" Yeah, I know, that's not the point. The line Nie Mingjue draws between legitimate/illegitimate violence doesn't work for me.

There's also some other stuff that's more fandom-related around the fanon characterization Nie Mingjue often gets that frustrates me because of the way I feel like it increasingly departs from the text, which has (as usual) more of an impact on my feelings about the original character than it perhaps should. Probably because I feel like it's such a misreading of the point of his character. Everyone in fandom is extrapolating from the character on the page/screen - lord knows I do it. But I do feel like I have a limit that I hit where that extrapolation feels like it's reading against the text and what the text is saying, and/or making them a "type" built on a generalized mold, and that's where my patience really runs out.

anyway this has all been very wordy and probably unnecessarily harsh but...I think some of it was useful for me in terms of thinking out just why, even beyond fandom-related frustrations, Nie Mingjue was never a character I could care about or like.

[emilyrox]

ouat for the ask game?

OUAT!!!

Favorite Male: Killian Jones. There's no contest. Just Killian.

Favorite Female: Emma Swan. There's no contest. Just Emma.

Favorite Pairing: Ok I'm gonna list both my favorite main pairing and favorite side pairing.

Favorite Main Pairing: Captain Swan. You all knew this was gonna be my answer don't lie. Finally watched the Captain Swan wedding for real and it is the best thing ever. Also started season 7 officially and THEY'RE HAVING A BABY!

Favorite Side Pairing: Mr. Hyde x Mary Lydgate (I don't know what the ship name is someone plz help). Gonna be honest I don't exactly know why I think about them as much as I do. Maybe it's because Hyde is also a favorite, or because of their dynamic in general, or because I wish we saw more of them, but I just think about them a lot and what they meant to each other. I'm attached to a pairing that was together for ONE episode??? It's more likely than you think.

Least Favorite Character: uhhhhhhhhhhhh I got a few

Fiona "The Black Fairy". I did not like her. Yeah she's a villain so she's meant to be rooted against but other villains in the show are at least ENTERTAINING. Regina was an entertaining villain (and the og). Zelena was fucking hilarious (and still is as a hero I'm glad they kept that part of her). Cruella de Vil is a cruel dog murderer but I was always interested when she was on screen. But Fiona? She was just a bitch, and not an enjoyable one. I just wanted someone to finally end her. Was so satisfied when Rumple killed her for good.

Mother Superior/"The Blue Fairy". Just because I don't like Fiona and she and Blue were foils doesn't mean I like the Blue Fairy. I agree with the rest of the fandom that she was shady as fuck. She does some good things but also a lot of rude and shady ones. The way she treated Tinkerbell was awful, and her overall "I art holier than thou" attitude was just unpleasant. I could never really tell if she actually wanted to help the heroes or not, which would have been an interesting thing to think about during the show if not for her over-the-top self-righteousness.

Rumplestiltskin (Season 4, Season 5B-Season 6A. Season 7 TBD). He has had many opportunities to redeem himself and be a good person, which he claims he wants to be, but over and over again he kept clinging to "muh power." He is entertaining as a villain overall, and I do like Rumbelle, but not when he is being borderline abusive and possessive of her. I specified specific seasons where I don't like him because those are where he fucks up the most imo. 5A could have been his perfect redemption arc, and he was finally free of the Dark One Curse, but he willingly chose to take that power back. Which makes his actions more irritating in 5B. 6A Rumple was god awful. However, I am glad that by 6B he got his shit together (most of the time) and ultimately did the right thing. *I will say that I enjoy Rumple the most when he is in full-on Dad mode. Which is part of why I like him again in 6B. He genuinely cares about his sons, and I believe him when he says he would do anything for them.* Rumple in Season 7 has yet to be determined as I have not finished it yet.

Who's Most Like Me: Ok imma be completely honest I don't actually know. I feel like my answer, if i have one, would just be me projecting myself onto the character and not actually looking at canon.

Most Attractive: Killian is the obvious choice but ngl more than half of the entire cast slays. The costume department is a big reason why. I agree with the idea that most of the budget went towards the costumes and honestly that is 100% valid of them to do.

Three More Characters I Like: Here ya go:

Elsa. Fuck y'all the Frozen arc was great and Elsa was great and she cares about Anna and Kristoff and becomes besties with Emma and doesn't understand talking phones with Killian and she's great and I may or may not have shipped her with Liam (the first) at one point even though there is literally no way that could ever happen but consider this: it'd be cute.

Zelena (Season 5B and onward. Season 7 TBD). I mentioned how she was a very entertaining villain but ngl I think she's even more entertaining when she's on the heroes' side. She still has 100% of her sass, it's just now directed at people who deserve it. Like Fiona for example :D. I also love when she and Regina work together and help each other. I also believe, like Rumple, that she genuinely cares about her daughter, and seeing her go mom-mode is great. Overall, I think she became a much more likeable and enjoyable character after 5A, and especially by mid 6A. Zelena in Season 7 has yet to be determined as I have not finished it yet.

Lily Page. So from what I've seen online I'm not the only one that was hoping to see more of her after Season 4, right? I thought she was an interesting character, and I'm happy she finally reunited with her mom, Maleficent. Lily being her daughter was a plot twist I don't think anyone expected, but I really liked it! I would have honestly loved to see an episode where Lily and Emma, and maybe a few others, go searching for Lily's dad. They introduced that arc for Lily in the Season 4 finale, but then it didn't go anywhere. (Ok so I have been spoiled that it's revealed in Season 7 at the very end but I wish we got more than that ngl). I like Lily, I just wish we got to see more of her.

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. - Ephesians 6:12 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: - Colossians 1:6 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.… - Hebrews 12:1-2 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” - Matthew 8:31

I find it odd that a professed Christian is willing to accept the "Magic Man in the Sky" concept while mocking the "principalities and powers of this world" as naïve. If you accept the one, the other must at least be plausible.

As an Adventist, I would expect an even greater sympathy for the unseen given that there's an elaborate "investigative judgement" as part of our soteriology to prove the righteousness of God to the universe/cosmos.

I think there are several threads of thought here that I'm trying to untangle.

The first is an overly materialist view of the Universe, an Atheistic Therapeutic Deism view of life. I have no idea what the person who wrote this article thinks heaven might be like, if he even believes in a heaven or if that idea slips into his category of superstitious fantasy. What about a bodily resurrection - realistic, or fantastic? What exactly does he think Christianity is if not acknowledging and engaging with the powers of light and darkness that surround us? Is all "demon possession" merely an imbalance of the humors, or perhaps, just "an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato"?

It's hard to say. He seems to be intellectually conflicted, and completely unsure as to what he believes.

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. - James 1:8

Depending upon a man's disdain for the spiritual, this line of thinking could lead to a very narcissistic Theology. One that emphasizes embracing and enjoying modern materiality culture such as lust, ambition, and avarice over the spiritual fruits of the Spirit.

The second thread of thought here, after embracing materiality over spirituality, is the idea that the Bible can't be trusted.

Now, I've made it clear that I'm not necessarily a Sola Scriptura kind of guy, but that doesn't mean that I replace it with modern notions of critical scholarship that throws out what I don't like, and interprets the rest to conform to my biases, proclivities, and passions.

Big No.

I look to those who think and write in the oldest Christian traditions I can find. Some of them may actually be modern, but all have been immersed in the waters of an ancient Christian Orthodoxy that predates Luther and even Pope Leo IX.

Thinkers who write in a tradition that predates all the Christian Schisms in the West. St. Isaac the Syrian, St Athanasius the Great, St. Gregory Palamas, St. Anthony the Great - many of the desert fathers to be sure - St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Irenaeus, St. John Chrysostom, St. Symeon the New Theologian, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, among many, many others.

The truth is, if you believe in God, and in his angels, then you must also recognize that Satan and demons exist too. They are two sides of the same coin. To think otherwise is to assert that we live in the best of all possible worlds - because only God and his angels exist.

I contend that we do not, in fact, live in the best of all possible worlds.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy upon me, A Sinner.

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

Is smoking a sin? There are no verses on it and we know the Prince of Preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, was a cigar smoker, but I doubt that it is good. Yet, seeing how someone like Spurgeon smoked, can we call it a sin? Doesn't that mean Spurgeon went to hell?

It is not wise to determine something is right or wrong based on whether or not you admire a person and vice versa it is not wise to judge another believer's salvation based on something that you have determined to be wrong.

To the first part of your question, no I do not believe there are any verses that indicate smoking is inherently sinful, though personally I think it is gross, unhealthy, and at least in my culture at this point in time does not lend a positive image to Christ. There can be sin issues involved if a person is dependent on smoking for relief. A person who "can't quit" has allowed something besides God to become his master and that is a sin, not the act itself but the idolatry (1 Cor 6:12).

I have no idea if Spurgeon was mastered by smoking or not, but I'm pretty sure it didn't have the same stigma attached to it in his time and place. Let's say he was dependent on it and his heart was given to idolatry. So is every believer. Our hearts are idol factories and we all have sins we commit, many of which we are not aware of. God is patient with us and helps us become more convicted of sin and put on righteousness day by day (2 Cor 3:18; 4:16).

Being wrong about a moral issue or struggling with a besetting sin doesn't send you to hell if the righteousness of Christ has been credited to you. I am confident that Spurgeon is in heaven, not because he was the prince of preachers, but because the Prince of Peace is faithful to forgive all the failings of those who trust in Him.

[thesketchyheartist]

03/26

Kersten- Neo-Nationalism and the "Liberal School of History"; Kobayashi- Sensoron

Today's post would not be an anime but a manga and scholarly article, focusing mostly on the manga.

Fun fact: our professor translated the original for this course because according to Wikipedia, official translations are not a priority. Considering how much early manga (ones that the average international manga reader probably never heard of) got translated about a decade ago, this says something. After reading this, I wonder if "no plans" means there was a plan to avoid translation, whatever that could mean.

The mangaka (is it even manga?) is the self-insert narrator who presents and argues why modern education on Japanese history, specifically from the wars and violence from the past 100 years is both inaccurate and detrimental to Japan's future. While the passion to argue and purpose to the argument is real, I am skeptical on the medium of choice.

Given the time this was written, I know the Internet and colored television should be relatively available. I don't know how scholarly articles were shared in the past, but I imagine books are timeless, and even argumentative essays are more sophisticated than manga. Not to slander manga, but the use of chibi style mixed with black and white photos does not feel like a good contrast to create a mood, rather I feel confused as to what I should consider.

Nevertheless, I can still see a long essay written into a book with the same pictures, and even the same emotional anecdote example to convey a point can still be effective in a book. I imagine the audience, and I believe Kobayashi mentioned it as well, was geared toward younger and a broader audience. Be that as it may, the photos are quite blurry, even for a manga. I know I should research the photos myself and not criticize them without consideration, but I don't think the author knows what he is talking about.

And if a word is mentioned more than three times, it's probably important: the uncomfortable issue of comfort women. Earlier in this course we read about how comfort women were implemented by the Japanese government to pacify the occupied American soldiers post-WWII. However, Kobayashi argues that such a concept does not exist and that women were already selling themselves, so there is no issue outside of their pre-existing presence in history. Of course, to win back the audience he assures the audience that there is sympathy needed given how feminism was not as strong as it is now, but I should say this was the rise, but not the boom, of the #metoo era. Getting back on track, he then goes on to say that by having people argue about the coercion and abuse these women faced, it distracts them from the "issue[s] at hand".

My main issue is really the logic. Say the Westerners want to practice imperialism on the Allies' powers post-WWII treaty; of course, any power dynamic that gives one entity the superior class and another the inferior class regardless of the benefits the inferior class can receive from giving power to the superior class, it still doesn't make it "right' because sooner or later, even a sliver of power imbalance will eventually give rise to the inferior receiving abuse and the superior receiving hate and prejudice.

But his approach to education is faulty. Where have people seen in history a country enforcing its power under the guise of justice and righteousness over another to ensure they will not repeat their sinful mistakes? I expect everyone to name at least a handful because thousands of years of human history have seen this everywhere, every time. And what has the "superior" empire (or its descendants) done? We sweep it under the carpet never to be seen again so as to not "horrify" the descendants' eyes of their cowardly ancestors, but we never see ourselves as "bad" citizens because of them. Ideally, we tell the truth: yes, your ancestors or founders committed an unforgivable sin against these people. You only live the luxuries you have because of that. But, we cannot wallow in guilt or else they will continue to live that way, nor can we ignore it because they will still live that way. We must learn and LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES.

Likewise the inferior class: it may be easier to play the blame game (it is being played, but that's why learners must seek truth from ALL sides UNbiased) without making themselves look like weak damsels that were "tricked by the conniving [insert superior's derogatory name]." Ideally, people learn not to hate each other for hurting or getting hurt (that easily) because the people who committed those sins are not you. We can only focus on who we are now. I don't know what is the best approach, but I'm glad I learned the one of billions of ways not to heal a generation.

It may be confusing what to do now. All my life I was only who I am because I grew up in where I was. Now I'm here in a place I do not know where. I'm expected to just be happy because I have grown from where I was. But where I was was home for as long as I know. This is not home. At least home was a place I could be, even if not myself. Look around you, you are free as you say you are to be. When you realize you are not, you are still free. Now go be free to make that new world the way you want. Ironically, parties are called "wings" but we are not birds, we are flightless mammals who must depend on others and our brains to survive.

Google had like max 20 photos of this manga, and I'm pretty sure one was from a blogger from this course that I refuse to use. Pretty sure kids would be censored from this stuff, but what do I know? I'm just The Sketchy Heartist.

-03/26/24

[ducksbellorum]

Pro Aris (listen/download)

a CHBOLC mix - part one - arranged by ducksbellorum

l.i.f.e.g.o.e.s.o.n. - noah and the whale

What you don't have now

will come back again

You've got heart and

you go in your own way

walk it talk it - migos

Heard you signed your life

for that brand new chain

Think it came with stripes but

you ain't straight with the gang

nothing suits me like a suit - neil patrick harris

To score a 10 would be just fine

But I'd rather be dressed to the nines!

It's a truth you can't refute

Nothing suits me like a suit

both - gucci mane ft. drake

I don't usually do this

'less I'm drunk or I'm high

But I'm both right now

and I need ya in my life

i’m a believer - smash mouth

Then I saw her face,

now I'm a believer

Not a trace of doubt in my mind

I'm in love

feel it still - portugal the man

Am I coming out of left field?

Ooh, I'm a rebel just for kicks now

I been feeling it since 1966 now

Might be over now, but I feel it still

walking on sunshine - katrina and the waves

I feel alive, I feel the love,

I feel the love that's really real

I'm on sunshine, baby,

Oh, yeah, I'm on sunshine

big god - florence and the machine

You need a big god

Big enough to hold your love

You need a big god

Big enough to fill you up

mama do the hump - rizzle kicks

Yo, it's been a long week

How I've got this much

energy is beyond me

I just want all of these girls

grenade - bruno mars

I'd catch a grenade for ya

Throw my hand on a blade for ya

I'd jump in front of a train for ya

You know I'd do anything for ya

thunder/young dumb and broke medley - imagine dragons and khalid

You always say I'm wrong,

I'm pretty sure I'm right

They say you're basic,

they say you're easy

tomorrow - annie

The sun will come out

Tomorrow

So ya gotta hang on

'Til tomorrow

party like a rockstar - shop boyz

Party like a rockstar,

totally dude

I'm on a money makin' mission

but I party like a rockstar

the bus is late - satellite high

Waiting for the bus

Where is the bus?

The bus is late

Waiting for the bus in the rain

proud to be an american - lee greenwood

I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free

And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me

And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today

'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land! God bless the U.S.A.

lord i need you - matt maher

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

party up - dmx

Y'all gon' make me act a fool

Up in here, up in here

Y'all gon' make me lose my cool

Up in here, up in here

holy is the lord - chris tomlin

It's rising up all around

It's the anthem of the Lord's renown

And together we sing

Everyone sing

stir fry - migos

Dance with my dogs

in the nighttime

In the kitchen,

wrist twistin' like it's stir fry

livin on a prayer - bon jovi

We've gotta hold on

to what we've got

It doesn't make a difference

if we make it or not

don’t stop believing - journey

Livin' just to find emotion

Hidin' somewhere in the night

Don't stop believin'

Hold on to that feelin'

(i’ve had) the time of my life - dirty dancing

I've had the time of my life

No, I never felt this way before

Yes, I swear it's the truth

And I owe it all to you

these streets - bastille

We'll walk upon these streets

and think of little else

So I won't show my

face here anymore

i’m in the lord’s army - cedarmont kids

I may never fly o'er the enemy,

But I'm in the Lord's army!

Yes Sir!

I'm in the Lord's army!

soldiers of god - bing crosby

Soldiers of God, we serve Him faithfully,

And march in His name

Through thunder and flame

Wherever the call may be.

[unsolicited-opinions]

Thanks for unmasking.

You've acknowledged your antisemitism, openly hoping for more dead Israelis. So much for your insincere and short-lived claims of love.

You've again demonstrated your ignorance.

Gaza was never an open air prison except to the extent Hamas made it one. You obviously can't define the word "genocide," but you use it because you see others doing so.

You deny the right of an indigenous people to have a presence in their homeland in the Levant, but I'll bet you feel differently about the Maori, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, and the Native Americans of North America. Why? Because you're an antisemitic hypocrite.

At no point did I claim Israel has a right to exist because of scripture, but that doesn't stop you from lobbing obvious straw man attacks. At no point did I make a claim about God, but you attack based on your radical, willful misunderstanding of my religious views.

Lacking knowledge, all you have is misinformation, disinformation, and talking points from propagandists, plus invective. You're a poster child for the new antisemitism of the left. Dead Israelis, dead Jews are fine with you. We get it. We see you for what you are.

There are countless legitimate criticisms for the Israeli government and the IDF. They're all over Israeli media, in English, and you could choose to familiarize yourself with those complexities, but it is easier for you to just spout antisemitism, justified by your willful ignorance into shrill self-righteousness. You're not just intellectually lazy, but self-righteous about it, convinced that your ignorance is just as good as our knowledge. That shtick used to belong to the right, but you make good use of it now because it makes your hatred feel righteous.

We see you. We know you for what you are because we've known people like you for centuries. We understand you'd have preferred if the refugees from European displaced persons camps who established Israel should instead have died. You'd have preferred the Mizrahi and Sephardi died. We understand that your morals demand them to alow themselves to be butchered and not lift a finger to protect themselves or their children. Those are your morals. That's what you believe in. We understand.

Still, Am Yisrael Chai...whether or not you approve.

At least now you're admitting your hatred openly- and I prefer that, I suppose. It's preferable to your short-lived, dishonest claim of love.

We saw how little it took for you to unmask and how you respond to facts and reason. We know what you are, even if you do not, and it clarifies our resolve. We understand that you're going to stick with your self-righteousness and willful ignorance.

We, however, will continue to love each other, argue with each other, and push each other to do better. We'll continue to love facts, to love reason, to love truth, and to disagree vehemently in good faith.

That's who we are. It's who we've always been.

Am Yisrael Chai. We don't seek your permission or approval to survive.

(Also? It's HILARIOUS you refer to yourself as "anti semantic." Given your use of words you cannot accurately define, I'll concede that you ARE anti semantic.)

To the Jewish folks of tumblr: I'm sorry. I know this has been a stressful, scary time, and it doesn't look like it'll be letting up yet. The Right's hate has been bold for a while, and the Left has completely thrown you under the bus. I can tell that y'all feel completely alone in the world.

I wish I could make sweeping promises of definite change for the better. I can't. But I can promise that I will remain a friend to the Jewish people. I know I'm just one goy. But one friend is better than none. I'll do what I can.

[freelosophy]

Fil-osophy #1 - There is no God. pt1

There is no God. 

Alright, now I think I got you hooked at least a little bit. So let's disect that statement some more and elaborate on what I mean by it. First of all, the entirety of the following is my opinion. I don't propose that what I claim is simply.. a true fact. I do, however, believe (yes, very ironic, you are allowed to chuckle) that it is the most logical explanation of what governs the universe out of the exaplanations available to me. In case you disagree with this statement or any of the arguments below, I would honestly be glad if you told me why and provided a counter-argument.

But before we get into my claim, there is still the issue of "oh yeah, but why should the most logical explanation be the best one, huh?" to discuss. And.. you know, fair enough. In the end, belief in science is just that.. a belief. Very much like belief in God is. There is a difference between them, though. You have two possible approaches to thinking about what what is and why. You can either believe something, or you take your worldly experience into account and through logic or experiment or other ways you try to figure it out. And yes, in order for the second approach to work, you have to believe that what you experience reflects the truth but that doesn't mean it's not a possible approach. Believing has its presuppositions, too. You must assume that there is a you, that the concepts you believe reflect truth, and that the process through which your brain allows you to believe them is one capable of generating something reflecting the truth, while being something you can identify with. That's not nothing. AND! You have to assume that there is a "truth" to be believed to begin with.

And, well, if you still think believing is somehow purer that rationalizing, let's have a look at a third possible approach. The only possible approach, to which there is no presupposition, would be to end where René Descartes started. Let's call it "unassuming", as only when you admit you can assume nothing and end there, can nothing be assumed. But I'm certain even religeous people would agree that assuming (haha again) that approch will simply take you nowhere. You have to assume something to be able to even start to look for the truth. And you have to assume a lot in order to believe in something. Yet believing, just like unassuming can only take you so far. 

At this point, if you're a believer, you have gone the way of unassuming as far as it could lead you and you made a smart move. You made up a set of rules, a system, which does the least amount of assuming possible, while enabling you to get further. But it is here that you are stuck! And when someone of a materialistic persuasion comes along, you tell them their way of thinking, which includes more assuming, is flawed. It is a righteousness that is synonymous to hypocracy. The only thing that person does is take your method, go your way as far as it can stretch and when they meet its end, they make up a system. A system, which does the least amount of assuming possible, while enabling them to get further! 

Now your options are three. 1) You hold on to your belief and basically say "I have done the right amount of assuming. Any less is wrong, and any more, as well." For someone, who's belief system is founded on the idea that they are ignorant, you sound, well.. pretty ignorant in this scenario (well done, i guess? :D). 2) You go back on your belief and admit that if assuming is not the way to get to the truth, you both must go back to the way of unassuming. Learning nothing. Ever. 3) You admit that should your method be right, so is the other persons's, only more developed.

Finally, I hope you either have better arguments, which I am excited to read, or agree with me on this. The last thing to discuss before what should've been this post's main topic is the limits of the rational approach. Is it the best one? Until somebody figures out a fourth approach, it would seem so. Hence, why can it not answer all that can be asked? And the answer to this is.. time. The rational, logical aproach has brought us knowledge our first ancestors never even dreamed of. And that's how knowledge works. You know a little, you know you could know quite a bit more, and there is a ton you don't even know you could know. We now know multiple of these tons and they have opened up unimaginable masses of more questions we don't yet know the answers to or which themselves are for now unfathomable to us. What we do know, nevertheless, is that the amount of information we have has been growing exponentially ever since we had started with the search for answers.

What makes you think any unanswered question you have will be an exception to this rule?

PS: I know I haven't even started with what I intended this to be about but this post is long enough already. If you're curious to get a further deep-dive into my thoughts, stay on the look-out for part 2! :D

PS2: And thank you for reading!!