#like for me it’s more of an admiration for how this entity interacts with the characters & objects around

[hplonesomeart]

….I think about this moment a lot in my head guys….every single time I judge myself about the silly fictional men my scrambled brain latches onto without any identifiable rhyme or reason….EVERY TIME I’m reminded of this video and put in my place AUUUU

There was really no need to get a whole community called out like how could they expose us like this /j

Mr. Puzzle’s VA (Jello) is so selfaware without even trying jksjsksp. Very educated on how bizarre ace minds operate and that both amuses and scares me that they’ve got us pinned down lol. I think there’s probably something deeper to be said about it…with how being aroace (detached from those emotions and the way it’s traditionally presented IRL) leads you to emotionally attaching to non-human presenting fictional creatures instead but….nah just straight up generalizing and boiling it down to the word monsterfuckers is also fair enough lol. I don’t personally consider myself in that group of aces however I certainly can seem like it if I’m not careful

Aside from making me feel exposed, these guys are so funny I absolutely loved listening to the playthrough and how each of them just had fun together as a group of friends. Go and support them! Highly recommend watching In Stars and Time! Play the game for yourself and then enjoy the talented line delivery dub/reading here (especially for the emotional portions of the narrative/dialogue). I just love VA’s guys they are all so cool and I kinda wish I could find myself a group of people like this. True friendships goals is being able to unapologetically live out your aroace monster loving ambitions and enjoy unapologetically sharing those hyperfixations with others. Oh and play videogames while doing so I guess

[glitter-stained]

Some of the posts I see here y'all gotta stop seeing fanfics as "bad dc takes". Like, it's perfectly fine to not like a trope that's popular in fanfic, but you gotta stop seeing it as character meta is what I'm saying. Fanfic writers are not canon writers, they do not owe you canon compliant, and you don't get to assume that what they're writing comes from a place of ignorance when there are so many reasons to include/not include something in your fic.

Like, allow me to use my own fics as example since they're the only one I have background info on the knowledge and motivations of the author:

-I wrote a fic with Lazarus Rage in it once. Do I know it's not canon? Absolutely. Do I think it's necessary for the understanding of Jason's character? Not at all, I think canon Jason is more interesting without the pit rage. I just wanted to write it once because it looked cathartic and you know what? It was. It was super cathartic. I wanted to write a story about the progression of a depressive episodes and using pit rage to talk about the feeling of loss of control with intense anger issues and sensation of loss and deep self-hatred afterwards, and i thought writing this is gonna feel good and it felt good, for me and for the readers.

-I'm also currently finishing another fic, in which I've simplified Tim's relationship with Jason's a lot (basically Tim is still haunted by Jason's ghost and Dick is still his favourite Robin but the victim blaming is much less intense and there's an intense, genuine admiration for Jason and happiness to get him back). Is it because I hate canon and its complexity? No, I love it, I love when character relationships are fucked up and they make a mess. I'd love to explore that in a different fic, even have the prompt already. But I'm writing a really intense fic about trauma, taboo and lack of communication around sexual abuse, and there are so many characters pov and things happening and I have to do this right because we're talking about things that happen to real people and not being accidentally insensitive or sending a shit message is more important to me than perfect canon compliance, and it's just not the place for it. This story isn't about tim, and it's not about victim-blaming. It's a fascinating can of worms to open, but I'm not gonna open it if I don't have the space to deal with it because I'm not gonna let worms roam freely all over my fanfic when I can choose not to include the worms in my story, because it might rely on base material but it's still a finite story that exists within its own scope because I'm not a comics writer, I'm a fanfic writer and my story doesn't exist as a pure extension of the comics and I don't owe you canon compliance. And how boring would that be if we could only write canon compliant stuff! No more coffee shop aus, no powers aus, fantasy aus, no more non canon ships between characters that hated eachother until the day they died (but had so much sexual tension)... Fanfic is not one single entity that takes place in a simplified version of the canon universe complete with consistent lukewarm tropes and watered down understanding of characters. Fanfics are rich and diverse and yeah canon compliant is great and i want more of it but the universe is so much wider and that's what makes it rich! Do some people write fanfic and also don't interact with or know canon? Sure, plenty of them. Does that fanfic reflect their opinion of canon? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. You don't know that. In the meantime, people are still creating extra content and enriching the fandom experience and if you don't like it, genuinely, the filter tags button is right there. That's not to say there are no racist or classist or sexist tropes in fanfics, but again that exists within the scope of that story. Bad writing exists in canon, and it exists in fanfics, and sometimes a story is canon compliant with a terrible message and sometimes a story is canon divergent with a terrible message and pushing away everyone who writes things that aren't canon compliant is not going to fix these issues in the dc fandom. Telling people to "not write the character at all if you're going to write them ooc" assumes your understanding of what is essential to the character is perfect and The Right Way to interact with a fandom and it's patronising and not only do you take the risk of looking like a moron the second you make a mistake, it is actual gatekeeping and the reason many people find getting into comics/fandom intimidating in the first place. (And it also shits on the potential of AUs like dark reflections, mafia etc. Of course Mafia Bruce who kills people is deeply ooc. These stories are still fun and it's not wrong to write them!)

"This story really should have addressed that thing that happens in canon" did it happen in the setting of the fic? No? Then shut up and let the fic tell its own story, it doesn't have to "address" anything it doesn't have space for. Again, don't like don't read is a thing. Fanfic enriches the fandom, it doesn't take away from it, but you know what can? Canon writing. I'm way more concerned with what dc is having batman represent nowadays than with fanfic I haven't read because I knew I wouldn't like it.

TLDR: It's understandable to be upset when people who don't interact with canon material at all try to assert their opinion on canon as the truth, especially if they call any attempt at disagreeing with the mischaracterization gatekeeping, but that doesn't make you immune to being a gatekeeper. Assuming you know a writer's knowledge and opinions on a character because of that one fic of them is naive and a misunderstanding of what fanfic is. Fanfic writers are still real people who give you cool stuff for free and you don't have to like it but you still have to be respectful about it, and all that negative energy you spend on rants about "bad character and" you've read in fanfics would be so much better spent on bad canon writing because these people do have the power to fuck your favourite character over and they do owe you canon compliance, and with the amount of effort some fanfic writers put into their fics compared to some of the writers who get payed to write canon, you guys could stand to be more respectful about fanfics.

[thepatristictradition]

A Christian's Confusion on Syncretic Paganism

Though I'm an Orthodox Christian, I am good friends with a number of serious pagans-- especially Thelemites. From them, I've observed some controversies in the online and apparently IRL pagan communities. An idea I find confusing (frankly, ridiculous) is that Aphrodite, Venus, Ishtar, Freyja etc., are merely facets of the same essential deity: the "Love Goddess."

Orthodox Christians interact with Paganism in two main ways: First, we believe in the Seed of The Word. Basically, we believe that every religion, more or less, gets something right. Even theistic satanism gets about as much right as the Gnostics of old. It's good that pagans have a spiritually alive world-view-- something that is difficult to come by these days. Faithfulness is a virtue wherever you find it. Second, we believe in spiritual entities besides God. They were created by Him and ultimately work for his will, but they can either follow His deign or turn away from it, exactly as humans can.

There are some Christians that have a tendency to pull a similar sort of syncretism with paganism (Roman paganism in the Renaissance is especially irritating). They insist that figures like Jove were simply a halfway understood facet of The One True God. This is hardly even a historical opinion; the more common opinion is that the ancient and contemporary pagans were worshiping angles or demons, depending on their kind(1).

The Orthodox instinct is against syncretism and towards a highly alive and regional spirituality. Not only are there single guardian angles for each person, but there are angles of families, churches, dioceses, cities, countries, etc.; there are heavenly hosts. There are hosts of angles whose jobs are not to please or protect human beings. He has filled our earth with Spirits. The Orthodox theology on spirits is more similar to the more well-known Mohammadian theology on spirits. Western Christianity would tend to say that spirits who made themselves into demons by accepting worship cannot repent and serve God again, but the saints say differently. It is never our place to try to "convert demons", but it is possible.

Because of this near-animism, it seems natural to me that different regions are filled with different spirits. The recognition of that is something that I admire about paganism and something I wish my protestant brothers and sisters would become more comfortable with.

I want to know how this kind of syncretism is received by other serious pagans. Thus far, I've only met those who are against it.

1) There is argument about what constitutes a pagan culture that has worshiped demons and one that mistakenly worshiped angels. My take, the correct one, is that every pagan culture has done both. Further, there are most likely many spirits being mistaken for one figure. This is the opposite of the syncretic take.

[emypony]

so uh- pls elaborate on ce!hua x sim!hua im here for the agenda

Anon I hope ur still here and sorry i took this long but i just HAD to make something for them. (and also....barking and meowing, drawing Fu Hua oh my god..)

This got heckin lengthy so I will be putting my thoughts down below in a read more <3

I ended up with brainrot 🛐🙏 alas...let me elaborate!! This if ofc in the context if ER was repaired and with new tech they were able to give the sims each their own body to continue living on as a separate entity <3

I will differentiate them by Hua and Fu Hua since it's probably the easiest. And speaking of them

Fu Hua herself has gone through many battles over the years and has met a myriad of people, shaping her into the person that she's become. Grief, Joy, Despair and Relief over the years have eroded her into her most peaceful version yet, more calm and collected and sure of herself. Maaaybe a little cheekier than usual (Senti's attitude has been rubbing off on her, unfortunately) but it's never in a mean way.

All the while Hua herself while having gone through the same amount of years as her, has not got the chance to be so out and about, but got her fair share of interaction from the visitors and successors that came to the realm. Her frequent memory wipes did slow down her progress however, so she's still closer to the original 'Fu Hua' that she was created from so many years back.

Hua was always unsure of herself and what her future would hold, wondering if her real life self would be good enough (would she, as a sim?) but she's never felt like it herself. After all, she's just a copy and that's what she's supposed to be, right?

And yet now that she gets to SEE what the real Fu Hua became, with the inherent knowledge that she's still there and has survived on despite all her hardships (which she would eventually hear about, as Fu Hua vehemently denied syncing their memories, for more reasons than one), it made her be overwhelmed with a multitude of new feelings - relief, admiration, sadness for everything she's endured, hope? for the future, and a new one that she can't quite elaborate on (these new bodies sure feel vastly different from being a bunch of data in a non physical realm, and that includes feelings too)

Unlike herself, Fu Hua now displays great amounts of patience, coupled with the suffocating feelings of kindness and softness (? once again an inexplicable feeling - how can someone act 'soft'! that's a physical feeling and yet it felt like the best word to use)

Of course all their time eventually spent together leads for more feelings of both heartache and inexplicable self consciousness- after all, Hua is just a sim, created in Fu Hua's image (not that the thought ever bothered her, she'd accepted it as a reality as all the others). Now that she's got her own body however, she can't help but feel inadequate being there. Would she be a fighter proficient enough? Good enough to carry the burden of the same name and face? Would she be able to live up to her legacy, her name and her greatness? Could she ever achieve what she did or would she just forever be branded as a 'copy' and nothing else. Would it have been better off if she'd remained deleted by the Herrscher of Corruption? The others are after all...not there anymore, so there would be no confusion to be made. They could carry on their real life counterpart's legacies without issue- but she felt like she was just not meant to be there. Fu Hua was still alive, so why the need for her, too?

It all culminates one day after isolating herself for weeks and becoming more and more of a hermit. Not even Pardofelis could coax her to open up, so who better to work through Hua related issues than Fu Hua herself? It doesn't take long until Hua confesses her feelings in regards to the matter of her existence, and Fu Hua can't help but smile gently, thinking about the amusing parallels between this Hua and Senti.

Hua's skin is burning as Fu Hua takes her hand into hers, and addresses her with the same tenderness as raindrops falling after a hot day. She feels tears prick her eyes as Hua's talking, about how despite being made after her it was so so long ago that it isn't bad that she's different. Fu Hua wouldn't want her to take after her anyway, it's better off if she would just be her own person. There is no need to repeat Fu Hua's mistakes, just to become like her. She's not perfect, after all.

Hua may be derived from the same starting point as Fu Hua over 50 000 years ago, but so much time has passed, and the two of them ended up being shaped by people and circumstance differently, and now she has sort of become her own person. It would be unfair to her own self and legacy to attempt to be like Fu Hua. There's no more Honkai, they have achieved their goal and she'd fought just as valiantly as the others. And that is enough.

here's where my general thoughts stop, but I do have other more funny ones in regards to Senti (and by extension Pardo, because now with a soulium body I'd just put them together like cheese and crackers).

Senti's views on Sim!Hua are also funny because:

Fu Hua: old timer. antique. do NOT tell me we're alike i'm going to start foaming at the mouth. smh my head she cant get it together

Sim!Hua: absolute baby lmaooo look at her. okay she is kind of cute and pathetic. yeah ill help her shes funny (by being a wet sopping scrungly)

I just think they would be interesting friends, and maybe a bit of an easy target for teasing (especially once she finds out that she kinda has a crush on Fu Hua). Obviously enough, getting dating advice from a Herrscher who has never dated is going to end in disaster.

Senti and Felis get together (i swear this is for storytelling purposes this time), all is well and they enjoy each other. Seeing them be happy and such, Hua finally allows herself to think of the possibility of at least confessing. "Oh okay so…a sim(?) and a. real . ? person? (debatable) Herrscher? can be together so maybe i can at least confess… i want to get over this" Hua wouldn't delude herself into thinking that there could be any outcome of her feelings, after all Senti and Pardo's situation was somewhat different than her own.

As much as she hates it, Senti is unfortunately the only one who knows Fu Hua enough so...by extension of asking Felis she has to ask her too and its awfully embarrassing because of how much teasing she expects.

Senti's the first one to react and she goes "LMAO no WAY. Fu Hua?!?"

Felis hits her shoulder. "Senti, be nice !!! this is serious!!"

Senti can't help but almost double over in laughter, but recovers pretty quickly. "Out of everyone you could've chosen smh…sure fine, it''s whatever I'll help you."

Hua was a bit. skeptical. "You're…not doing this just to gloat and laugh at me if it doesn't work, right?"

Senti had half the mind to think better on it. "Eh…I would say maybe, but quite frankly I'll do ANYTHING if it means Hua will shut the fuck up and stop asking me how Felis and I are going. If you confessing to her will get her off my case I'm literally willing to throw petals from above for added effect"

Suddenly Hua doesn't feel that great about asking Senti for help. But what's done is done, so she might as well give her best. Senti goes "Don't worry I'll ease her about the thought" and goes to Fu Hua and asks "Hey so how much do you love yourself?" like with no fucking context. Funnily enough, Fu Hua thinks Senti is trying to talk to her about not sacrificing herself if things get dire, so she completely cuts her off before she elaborates any further and assures her that she will never put her duty before herself or her friends ever again, all of them can rest assured!

Needless to say Senti came back with nothing to show for it except words completely unrelated to what they needed. Hua herself can't help but go "wow, she really is different from me, she's matured so much and learned to prioritize herself" and can't help but feel like she likes her even more, to Senti's absolute disgust ("Good God, you're down bad"). Mission failed.

Senti turns to Felis, going "yeah you know what. they're perfect for each other."

Felis smiles and clasps her hands. "Aww that's so cute, do you mean they seem to be on the same page about feelings?"

"No i mean they're both incomprehensibly daft and delusional but yours works too, probably."

Enough about Hua, we should probably touch on Fu Hua's feelings for comparison. She feels a strange sense of wanting to protect Hua- maybe chalks it up to it reminding her of her past, lost and full of uncertainty about each following day, of losing more people and more sacrifices being made. But those are no longer pressing issues now, so why does she still feel like that, when Hua is clearly capable of defending herself if something comes to be? It's confusing, but she doesn't dwell on it for too much.

...well, until it does end up being on her mind a bit too much, so she can only go to the one person that would understand AND knows enough about the person in question - Felis! ....and by extension (and to her dismay) Senti as well. The two share a 'there's no way this is happening AGAIN' look with each other as Fu Hua is trying to explain her issue.

She confides in them briefly. "I've been having these...weird feelings towards er, Hua. I'm not sure but I find myself wanting to spend more time with her and I feel like I want to protect her. But there's no danger anymore and clearly she can defend herself just as well as anyone else...so why am I...?" she seems lost.

Senti makes a joke which Felis almost chokes to. "Maybe you like her?"

Fu Hua blushes and almost gives herself away. "W-What? N-no, I could never, I...s-she's me- well, not- not really anymore no but she was created from me at one point...that... that would be wrong wouldn't it?" Well. it wasn't an outright no, technically...

Senti continues. "Okay HYPOTHETICALLY...if she liked you back, would you confess?"

For once Fu Hua doesn't seem so shocked about it anymore, she seems almost...melancholic, as if she's thinking about something that's too far out of her reach. "Oh please...she's still got some of my traits and mannerisms...she would know better than to like the person she was made after..." she chuckles longingly. "She's probably got a stronger sense of justice and morals than I have right now, I certainly have mellowed out over the years." Senti sighs, and groans, and almost hits something.

"Oh my GODDD I am leaving. I cannot deal with this you're TOO DUMB!!" and just disappears away in a flash of black feathers. Fu Hua is confused and taken aback and Felis can do nothing but shrug her shoulders because she too wishes she could straight up disappear right now. These two were so different yet so alike and it was so frustrating how stupid they were about it.

---

I've yet to think about how they confess - I'll admit my thoughts stopped there as I got one tracked on doing art for them, but if I happen to figure something out, I might do another post. Idk if I would be able to do a little one-shot though...........unless?

Anyway if u've made it this far godspeed thank you for letting me talk about them 🙏 they're on my mind fr haha.

[ineffablydelighted]

[How exploring the Ineffable Husbands' dynamic in Good Omens can help us figure out what the show/book is all about, Part 1/?]

Also called: This human has, apparently, too much time on her hands and will be trying to Effable the Ineffable for [...] hours.

Ah, Hello! 👋

I'm ineffably delighted to meet you all! 😇

Let's cut to the chase and bear with me as we try together to analyze further the subject of the day:

Aziraphale is in love with Crowley and I am pretty sure he is aware of that fact BUT 

[yes, there is a "but", do not erase me from the Book of Life just yet, let me explain first, homie 🥺] 

I do not believe he can comprehend WHY he is just yet, and what that would mean for him in terms of... well... EVERYTHING he ever stood for.

It will also be the perfect roots to answer the biggest question yet :

What is Good Omens all about, exactly?

[Yeah, it's a tough one. When I say "bear with me", I really insist on the fact that it will be LONG. I will try my best to make it fun to read and to allow some "natural breaks" but know that I would appreciate your unshared attention if you're willing to give it to me. 😇]

Although, would you have the chance to ask him about it (probably looking at a cup of tea as we would all do in Earthy fashion), Aziraphale would have somewhat of an answer to give you, probably in the range of:

"Because, deep down, Crowley is the nicest being I've ever known."

Is it false? No, Crowley IS nice. Swaggeringly nice, occasionally unhinged, but still. Nice.

And that is somewhat the core of the... "problem" for our soon-to-be Supreme Archangel [Yep, the pain is still fresh, thanks for asking, you're welcome for reminding you 😭👍] because, as much as Crowley learned nuances due to past experiences (Falling being, most likely, the most traumatic one,) Aziraphale remains bound to think in absolutes. And everything relates to THIS perfect meme right there:

[Whoever you are, person/entity who has done that, you have forever my utmost gratitude and respect]

I'm far from bringing anything new to the table here, but to Aziraphale, Crowley should NOT have fallen in the first place. Because of how nice he is. Crowley IS an angel, to him. In fact, I'll go even further by stating that, to Aziraphale,

Crowley is more of an Angel than ANY Angel in the "Main Office."

Let's present our other contestants, shall we?

When he ruled, Gabriel was an absolute a** and had an ego the size of, idk, at least A DOZEN GALAXIES. He made Aziraphale feel like... well... poop most of the time they interacted.

That is why, in S2 when Gabriel/Jim tells him "I love you", Aziraphale, even being and considering himself a "creature of love", happens to be utterly unable to either reciprocate or take the compliment. At this moment, later enhanced when he reminds himself of the Job case, he realizes he is able to feel, if not hatred, NOT love NOR admiration for somebody he should somewhat consider a role model.

That is very important for Aziraphale's present and future character development, especially considering Gabriel/Jim's own fate, so please keep that in mind.

Michael? Oh God, Same if not worse: too condescending and ambitious in the wrong way to inspire anything nice to anybody.

Sandalphon just does what they are told but can totally throw a punch if necessary.

Uriel is mostly cold, occasionally cruel, and can also be physically threatening.

[I love the actress, though. Gloria Obianyo deserves a Ph.D. in Resting Bitch Facing for her performance in Good Omens alone and I'm here for it.]

S2 Saraqael seems to be more layered but has also been hurtful to Aziraphale (especially when she ironized that he couldn't possibly be the 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle caster).

Overall, S1 Aziraphale refers to the "Main Office" Angels as "BAD ANGELS!" after their hostile encounter. We could see from his face he would have wanted to use harsher words but couldn't get past his forgiving, decent nature.

Before we talk any furfur-ther [Am I proud of this so-called pun? A-BSOLUTELEH 😎🤭], let's add a really important stone/layer to our favorite Angel's thinking: to him, it is simple maths:

GOOD = RIGHT, BAD = WRONG

And let's save it for later, shall we?

[Killgrave dear is just here to remind you you can take a break anytime to drink a glass of Talisker if you'd like, or, more so, if HE'd like. Also because that character is THE best David Tennant role on television - 10th Doctor being the worthy third, I let you guess which character is our second now - and I might have wanted to use this gif just to be able to say that, who knows? *whispers* Mysssteryyyy...]

Anyway.

To a being like Aziraphale, who mostly thinks in dichotomy, being an Angel requires one main requirement: being GOOD.

[Buy a farrrrrm and be good! Not just "pretendy" good but. properly. GOOD! - NO, I couldn't find the gif and YES, I'm mad about it, but since I'm also unable to make one myself, I'll just shut it.]

That is why he refers to the Main Office Archangels as simply being BAD.

At that moment, they had been mean to him, threatening, and, by doing so, they became somewhat active in Hell's Armageddon project. Making them "bad" angels, but, more so:

Bad at BEING Angels.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is, at heart, the penultimate goody-two-shoes: he does feel bad about himself whenever he does something bad/wrong such as lying (it has started to change, and I'll nuance that statement another time, but you get the grip).

He is constantly scared he might fall whenever he somewhat defies God's will or the idea he built in his head of what an Angel should be(have).

But have you paid attention to how his "Angelmates" NEVER seem to CARE about their own displays of, let's say "unconventional characteristics" for what should be the highest "Representatives of the sole concept of Good"?

Have you ever seen Gabriel or Michael being self-conscious about their narcissism and condescending tendencies? Uriel about their coldness? Saraqael about their sarcastic nature? Any of them about their use of violence? Of course not! They seem to be perfectly fine with it!

They own their characteristics, good AND bad.

Aziraphale does not.

Aziraphale is... soft. Even if he, at times, expresses regrets to be just that, he also applies it to his Angelic nature.

You know who else is soft?

Crowley.

Crowley is soft because he cannot kill children and takes it upon himself to LITERALLY DEFY BOTH GOD AND SATAN'S WILL TO SAVE SAID CHILDREN, including two annoying ones [especially the one who DARED to hit on Aziraphale but that is a topic for another day]

[MASSIVE Bildad the Shuhite fangirl here, consider yourselves warned.]

Crowley is soft because he cannot even kill GOATS.

Defying both God's and Satan's will to save kids? Yeah, eventually, okay.

Defying God's and Satan's will to save goats? Man, that's so effingly. more. powerful.

[Oh, look! A bird flying, normal thingy, nothing to see here, buh-bye!]

Crowley is soft because he proposes/"tempts" Aziraphale to "eat a spot of lunch", especially whenever his Angel experiences stress.

We have barely seen him eat, which might indicate he does not have such a strong taste for it personally. He only goes to the Ritz to enjoy Aziraphale's company and to watch him happily eat scrumptious, comforting foods.

[Okay, also because it morphed into a proper kink at some point but that is NOT today's subject, so stop trying to make me deviate from it! 😣]

Oh, and, before you bring that up, no, the alcohol motive is not relevant since he can, in all probability have a glass of Talisker in ANY sort of pub/restaurant in London.

[As a proper peated whisky lover who happens to be French, let me tell you this is NOT the case in my country and I'm super duper jealous of you, lads.]

Crowley is soft because he takes care of both Gabriel and Aziraphale's bookshop, even if it is clear he loathes the first and expressingly said he would not be a bookseller "even at gunpoint."

And, by "taking care of", know that I MEAN IT: he kept an eye on Jim, didn't wake him up when he heard him snore, answered any question he had, no matter how seemingly stupid they were [Even if Crowley, of all beings, cannot be anything but a raging "There is no stupid question, only stupid answers" representative] and offered him hot cocoa. As for the Booksho-P[uhhhhh *exhales in asthma*], he attempted to repair Jim's messy ordering twice and meticulously rearranged the place after ✨the Ball✨

[What do you mean, "he also Killgraved him into jumping out of the window?" HE ALSO STOPPED HIM FROM DOING SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. #NotBiasedInTheSlghtestIndividual]

Crowley is soft because he shares his Bentley with Aziraphale. Which is a VERY. BIG. DEAL. considering it was, at the time, HIS LAST ONE AND ONLY PRIZED POSSESSION.

[Should I mention that the Bentley FALLS IN LOVE with Aziraphale or is debating on whether or not that falls into the Oedipian complex territory off-topic? Yes, I'll see myself out.]

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale on countless occasions, even though, 99% of the time, that is pretty much unnecessary.

For real, guys: if Aziraphale had been discorporated in the course of his 6000+ years on Earth at any other given moment BUT on the eve of THE WAR with a capital "W", nobody in Heaven would have flinched.

[I do have a theory, though: maybe being re-incorporated takes quite a long time, which would have meant too many years apart from each other, hence the growing Damsel in Distress kink in Aziraphale, idk THAT IS NOT TODAY's SUBJECT, OKAY?!]

Also, Crowley is soft because "doing that makes him so happy".

Do you know who is supposedly "so happy" to save living things, aka GOD'S CREATIONS? Angels.

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale even when it is ACTUALLY ENDANGERING for both of them

He risked: his life, his pretty comfortable position "he carved out for himself", both his Earthy and Infernal homes sort of speak, AND EVEN HIS CAR to save his Angel's bottom/help him out in the direst situations (like stopping time to stop SATAN HIMSELF.)

[Also his past/present/future existence altogether, but the Bentley is more important, as I'm sure we'll all agree.]

[That is a Class A Protective/Helpful Husband, right there.]

Crowley is soft because he encourages Aziraphale to follow his passion for ✨prestidigitation✨

Even though he is pretty... amateurish at it. Not only does he encourage him, but he also HELPS him when he accepts to be his dashing assistant on stage.

[Yes, he does tell S1 Aziraphale to stop doing magic because he "has no idea how demeaning that is" but I'm pretty sure it was BECAUSE of S2 1941's events. Also, #WeStan1941Crowley here.]

Crowley is soft because he works pretty hard to make two humans he barely knows fall in love.

Yes, he also does it to cover his and Aziraphale's 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle lie BUT don't tell me his amazed expression when he thought he was about to witness Nina and Maggie actually falling for each other was not the purest, sincerest of all.

Finally, even if I could come up with more examples,

Crowley is soft because he saved Aziraphale's books JUST because he KNEW and CARED that Aziraphale CARED about said books.

That also, in Michael Sheen's very own opinion [as stated by Neil Gaiman in S1 GO DVD commentary], shared by many fans, and myself very much included, marks the moment

Aziraphale falls in love with Crowley.

[I DARE you to tell me THIS is NOT THE LOOK OF LOVE PERSONIFIED, go on, fight meh.]

So. WHY did it happen at that moment in particular? Well, because, first of all:

As a proper Jane Austen fan, Aziraphale is a slow burner.

Also, to him, an actual Angel, love is everywhere, so differentiating one love from another might be more difficult for somebody who can feel it whether or not it is even their own.

BUT [have you started getting used to my "but"s yet or should I harass you some more?] Let's go back in time to see how every previous encounter (that we know of) led to that pinnacle, shall we?

[Oh and, YES, this sort of essay will be long, and NO, I had no idea how much it would be when I started writing it, and still haven't, tbh 🤷‍♀️]

During part 2, we will also dive a little bit deeper into what Good Omens is all about.

[Yeah... I figured we would all need a break at this point.]

More on that later, then!

Hope I kept your interest at a reasonable peak. See you soon, Angels ❤

Need help to find the rest of this analysis? I've got you covered! Follow me, Angel 😇

Previous - Beginning (you're here) - Next

[yuseirra]

The idea of Hikaru and Ai being "gods"

There's this idea that struck me about onk.. this whole idea of Ai and Hikaru being gods who don't realize they're ones makes even more sense if you think about the relationships they've formed with other people.

When you look at Hikaru's life, it seems he had close to no one who could understand him, while he had so many people who approached him due to "how good he looks". They just take what he can offer, appreciate him a bit, then leave, and he ends up craving a lot of love from people while having never really found anyone who understands how he feels until he met Ai, who he considers to be the only one who does.

This sort of life he's had strangely resembles of how humans interact with gods. We pray to gods and appreciate them for their abilities, but we never really consider things from their perspective or what they want from us, don't we? They're not really entities we befriend, they're something we worship or admire from a distance. We want them to "look good" and grant wishes for us. (And Hikaru mentions about "wishes being granted" quite often when he appears in front of his kids in the later chapters) In this case, maybe Hikaru IS actually a god who wanted to live alongside people and chose to become one but never really blended in until he met someone who shared a similar fate with his.

Ai seems to have had a kind dad from what's been mentioned in the interview, but when you look at how her mother's treated her, she wasn't a good one, and for a really terrible reason. Ai's mother says that Ai was "too attractive" for her age and she got jealous of her, and her family started to fall apart when the mother's boyfriend(who she started dating after Ai's father passed or left?) started eyeing her. That whole situation is horrible and this doesn't excuse her mom or her bf about anything, but maybe there really was something special about Ai that drew people's attention even from such an age...

An "idol" is worshiped and desired as the ideal figure by their respective admirers. This goes both ways for the "job" idol and the god "idol". If you listen to how the song IDOL goes, there are chants in the background going "You're my savior, my true savior, my saving grace". This is closer to the latter- how you react to an "idol" that's "a picture or object that people pray to as part of their religion", more than "someone who is admired and respected very much". I mean, an idol can be someone's savior, it's not impossible, but to wholeheartedly consider a young person in their teens-early twenties to be the saving grace of one's life, huh... I would suggest it'd make sense for Ai to have some sort of godly powers for that person chanting it to believe such a thing. (Or, it could be that the person who's saying that is Hikaru. She IS literally his savior and that makes sense too)

Earlier, I mentioned about what Hikaru's interactions with other people were like. The relations Ai's formed with others were really similar to how his went as well. No one around her really understood her so deeply, and many wanted her to become the "perfect idol" without any human flaws. Ai's desire to form a heartfelt interaction only started to succeed a little when she had her own children, and she wanted to love Hikaru too, going as far to say he was the first person she wanted to love. I think those two were really similar, perhaps even in more ways than one. Maybe they really were drawn to each other because they are similar entities. People are attracted to them, and they gaze at them, but they don't come to understand them. Who'd try to do that with a god other than the gods themselves? But Ai kept trying, by "giving love" to her "fans". This reminds me of how a god would react to their worshipers, love does go both ways, but the way Ai spreads love feels more like a blessing.

Ai is essentially who gives. She tries her best to meet her followers' expectations with all she has. She actually doesn't seem to wish for a lot in return for her efforts. From what I've seen, her mindset is that if she can love someone, that'd be enough. And that's how a god would react to a human being... Of course, Ai is still "just a normal girl you can find anywhere". It's funny how it's Hikaru who says that because if this theory is correct, Ai and Hikaru's essentially the same type of being. They are gods, but they are also "just normal people". Or it could be that they could be gods who chose to become one and live alongside humans. Anyhow, their lives are full of wishing to obtain and give genuine love. The more human type.

Their names are very interesting when you think about it too, Ai's name is hoshino Ai, which'd mean the "love of a star" and hikaru's name's kamiki hikaru, it has the words "god" and "light" in it.

I've written about the significance of "stars" in onk in another post, and in short, I think the stars are actually "gods" in this universe.

So yeah, some food for thought!

[velvetporcelain]

grand rising my love — what a gift to rise again - even though my thoughts haven’t had any real sustainability i don’t really feel sad- I don’t really feel anything. maybe I have been too harsh— but maybe I haven’t- maybe I just simply do enjoy being alive and that is all it takes for me to feel fulfilled- I don’t need to be defined by anything else— life is the defining factor- it why I don’t mind mediocrity, why I don’t want “more” for myself— i do not collapse under social pressure, in fact, i thrive off interaction more than anything. how could one say i am harsh on myself by the job i choose? brainwashed to think we need more more more — it disgusts me in a way that makes isolation more rewarding- we weren’t made to work—- we were made to create and maintain and grow— maybe society has lost its way— but not me, i move against the grain, fitting into the little loopholes of society, enjoying my essence, my vitality, my visions — yes, of course this is a major privilege- but isn’t that odd? maybe i have had too much time in the abyss of things and it has consumed me- maybe i am still making my way to the surface of things— maybe we are born at the top and we drown ourselves in the depths of darkness without ever knowing the reason why- suddenly we just wake up there and feel it all at once- over and over and over again.

i will admit he brings me nothing but pain and disappointment, i no longer think that is because of my own expectations, but because of my own experiences- i know what he is capable of and he holds it from me — dangling it in front of me- why come back to me? i still don’t know what you want from me and maybe i never will— i am tired of playing mind games, maybe he thought i wasn’t real, maybe he thought he wasn’t real— in any case, i am numb, i hope to god i keep the strength to keep him outside of my body, my psyche — the only love that is left remains in my memories and it doesn’t hurt so much when they are flashed forward- they are savored and admired- just as dreams- and suddenly i am back to the entity i was before i knew him, but never the same and that’s okay because either way the absolute is change—- so maybe he saved me. i like who i am when i pull myself from the void- it no longer feels like i am walking down a hallway of lost and irrelevant souls— energy is a tricky thing and i am still learning the truth, the world—- I will try to continue to embrace change in order to consciously cultivate a new world, a world within a world— society is a tool- choose wisely, create wisely.

-x

[shepherds-of-haven]

Caine looks at MC as if they hung the moon but he's currently twelve. Will it stay that way as he grows up ?

I answered this in a Patreon Q&A (and had a devil of a time finding it lol), so I'm just going to copy-paste my answer here!

How would Caine be as a teenager? Would he sneak out to drink while underage, cause mischief and ,y'know, just be a teenager. Would MC be the one to act the parent and scold/ground him?

Would caine ever enter an emo phase

Answering these two questions as one! ☝🏼 Honestly, I think the extent of Caine's rebellious phase is the stage he's in now, as a preteen! While pretty obedient towards authority figures he admires, he does have a mind of his own (as evidenced by how he disregarded Ebert) and, among his friends, he is entering or is in the midst of a mischievous hooligan era, where he fancies himself the ringleader of a small band of troublemakers. Their activities are mostly benign, but they do certainly disregard the rules of other parents/authority figures, and he can be a little bit of a shit and quite sassy to other kids--and a real terror to his enemies. MC just doesn't really get to see much of this side of him because most of the time when they interact, he's in work mode! But when left to his own devices, he's quite headstrong, a bit of a smartmouth and smart aleck, and has been known to flout the rules. Think cackling little pie-nabbers with a missing tooth, that kind of thing. Other parents around the neighborhood aren't nearly so fond of him as the Shepherds are, but that's because none of the Shepherds are 100% aware of what he's up to outside of the compound, lol!

When he's older, I think he's going to go straight into becoming a really sensible, upright, responsible teenager who seems much wiser and more competent than most others of his age. He won't really be sullen, irresponsible, truant, or snippy the way we imagine modern teenagers to be: he's going to be a very sensible, thoughtful, mature, and sensitive teen, who will probably look back on his wilder behavior of a few years back with some chagrin.

(And even if he didn't turn out that way, I don't think I'd feel comfortable with MC being the one to scold or ground him, unless it was on a professional/working basis and as a higher-ranking officer, not as his parent. In my mind, MC is not his parent or guardian, adopted or otherwise, or even really his official employer. I think of them as a young adult (MC) with a young friend (Caine) who are bonded together because of what they've gone through, and they love each other and look out for each other, but I don't think it would be MC's place to "discipline" him by telling him to go to his room or taking away his privileges. He's his own person and recognized as his own entity under the laws of the Autarchy, so it'd be like if I (a 30-year old) had a coworker who was like... let's say 16, and they were rude to a customer or to me, and I told my teenaged coworker I was grounding them and to go home to their room and I was taking away their phone until they earned it back, lol. It's just not done, no matter how good of friends we are! Caine and MC are not living together in the same (legal, literal) household, MC doesn't have any formal rights or power over him, and it would sort of be a strange thing to do, even to other Shepherds--like if Blade "grounded" an apprentice for shirking his duties. It's one thing if MC were to go, 'I don't think I'm going to continue our training sessions together until you can learn to be responsible with the weapon I'm giving you,' or 'Hey, Caine, someone approached me and told me you'd painted on their wall, you know why you can't do that, right?' and another thing entirely for Caine to talk back to them in a snotty way and MC to respond with, 'That's it, I don't like your tone, mister, go to your room and I'm taking away your toys (or whatever teen accoutrements you have) until you're sorry!' It would drastically change the dynamic between them, and I don't think Caine himself would be very happy about it. He has a mother, he wasn't looking for a new one when he started trailing after MC, and he's technically a working person with his own wages in the eyes of society, so it'd be a bit strange if a non-familial adult suddenly started disciplining him out of nowhere. So I think that dynamic wouldn't really translate, even if he did end up being a surly teenager!)

I think the adolescent trouble will come whenever he gets his heart broken for the first time. I think Caine's going to be something of a "late bloomer" (relatively speaking) in the romance department, probably only noticing that other people are attractive to him until like 19-22. I think that's the period that will come closest to his "emo phase," because once he does tentatively maneuver himself into a romantic situation and then get his heart broken, I can see him being really mopey and dramatic about it. If Caine can invest this much emotional energy into hero-worshipping MC, he's certainly going to be very unguarded with his heart in romance, and then he's going to be really droopy and sulky and "woe is me, what's the point of anything" sighing and maudlin about everything in typical teenager fashion around that time. That's how I imagine his emo phase going, and it'll probably take him almost a year to recover from it! 😂

Edit to add: Anyway, all this to say that I don't think Caine will ever lose his deep respect and admiration for MC, even as a (potentially-crabby) teenager. He'll get over being so fanboy-ish and childlike about it and may learn to question and examine MC's decisions now and again, but MC will always be his hero; he'll just be more normal about it and their relationship will evolve into one of deep and abiding loyalty and respect as he becomes an adult, rather than the excitable "MC IS GOING TO PLAY CARDS WITH ME??? WITH MY FRIENDS??? THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!"

[bakerstreethound]

Character ask game for Corinthian and Morpheus please?

Thank you for sending this to me! These are great picks. I had a bit to say so I had to get this out on a document before I could post them here. I hope you enjoy!

******

Corinthian

I like Corinthian’s style, his suaveness, how easily he can persuade someone to do his bidding. There is something both eerie and impressive about his ability to do this and I cannot explain why. He is also extremely unsettling if you look his way too long and idk what it is but it both scares and equally fascinates me. 

I wish more people understood that Corinthian only wants attention and approval from his creator. He wants to be recognized as a useful entity and wants people to see the world as he does, and yet it does get misconstrued the wrong way. Deep down he does have a heart of gold for children, though and would be as kind as he can to them. If he found one abandoned, he would do his best to take them home, because that is the person he is. 

That being said, I headcanon him as being great with children and also being a great father (hence why I gave him Levi in my New Beginnings Universe) and treats them the way he would have wanted to be treated and loved by his creator. This nightmare is also an amazing cook. I know one of my friends here can attest and agree with me. I am looking at you @novaracer

In the Sandman show, I like Corinthians' interactions with Morpheus. It is interesting to see how he simultaneously loathes, somewhat respects, and admires him. It is an interesting power dynamic at play and Boyd and Tom are phenomenal at portraying them. 

I think it would be fun to see him interact more with Hob, especially since I tend to write Hobrintheus x reader fics (maybe I should create an OC specific to that polycule hmmm). Hob clocking him on the dot and nodding to Morpheus who rolls his eyes like “this is the sexyman you were ashamed to show me. About time he showed up.” I think along these lines if Hob and Corinthian did have this interaction, they would so gang up on Morpheus and play pranks on him. At the same time, though, they would desperately try to get the poor lad to rest. Needless to say, they would both be very goofy, yet serious and casual, definitely mess with Morpheus to keep him on his toes while also looking out for him. 

******

Morpheus (Dream of the Endless) 

Morpheus happens to be the type of person I gravitate towards in fiction. A concept of an idea, not even really human, tall, pale, dark eyes, eyeliner, deep resonant voice and had a long dark coat and color palette. Not to mention a tad dangerous if you peeve him. 

I wish more people understood and took into account how awful Morpheus’s marriage record is and how petty and arrogant he is (especially in the comics). We can see it weed out through season one, but he is a class A jerk so I would greatly hesitate to consider him as marriage material until Hob mellowed him out (definitely would marry Hob no questions asked). 

Morpheus likes to sit in a dark ominous looking chair and knit together mini shadow nightmares for his partner(s). I for one think it is cute and a way he can be inspired to ease his mind for a moment. I also think he is also a grade A clinger, though you cannot get him to admit it. He adores the loving touch of his partner(s) but it does take him quite some time to get there, due to his understandable mistrust of humanity. 

In the Sandman show, I enjoyed Morpheus’s interactions with Jed. The small smile he gives the kid is reminiscent of the way he knows how dreams can be a comfort for young kids and I like how Jeb admires him as a hero in some subconscious manner. I wish this man would interact more with his family. I really hope we get a few flashback scenes of the chaotic family dinners and the ridiculous outfits he sports.

Character Ask Game

[imptired]

Fionna & Cake (unpopular) opinions

The series had finally ended!! It was so well written. I loved it. I loved all the easter eggs they included. But the fandom gotta fandom so a lot of opinions are around, and here are mine,

1- Marshall Lee and Gary shouldn't have dated so quickly.

It was super obvious they were a fan service (suddenly throwing away everything even though they've just met)

I HATED HOW MONOTONE MARSHALL'S VOICE WAS..... like everyone loves Donald Glover's voice acting already, but the way they kept Marshall's voice so low unlike the og made him purely a fan service imo :(

Not to even mention (i will anyways) how unlike PB Gary was. Marshall, despite being monotone, was at least as Marceline as possible. While Gary was just sweet as a candy and selfless, both which are not PB at all 😭

I honestly think like the og series they're gonna break up and date again after a while. Because in the og, they dated purely because of their admiration of each other and it ended badly because all they admired all they turned out to hate about each other until they realized what they love about each other is simply loving each other, caring a lot. I wish they didn't rush but i hope they at least get to build a romance again?? Not be a fanfiction

2- The ending was AMAZING

I don't generally like endings of series because i place too high of hopes, but this one showed me that's exactly what i was doing wrong. They wanted to live on their own, by their own, and they decided to do so. It showed to the audience that you should get to enjoy what you have instead of whining for more. Fionna spent every second of first episodes whining how her world sucked, only for her to reject any changes that could happen into it. Because she doesn't get to dictate people's lives. She may be a main character, but her world is as alive and conscious as she is.

3- Betty&Simon's closure was perfect.

Throughout the series, even the characters in it claimed what Betty&Simon had was perfect. And it was not. Just like in real life, they're not stereotypical. Betty sacrificed a lot for Simon (her life THREE times[going to find the book, travelling into the future without hesitation to find him a cure&turning into a chaos entity just to make sure he is okay] to begin with) . We have seen Simon hopelessly in love with Betty, but that was it. Simon loved Betty(even when he is about to confront her to say his thoughts, he doesn't say "thank you" or anything, he starts with the "I have been searching for a cure for you, but I couldn't find it.") That is sweet and wonderful and i am not blaming him for anything. Neither did she. Betty, after all the sacrifices, just wanted to be acknowledged. That's it. She had no regrets as she had said, which was a beautiful altogether. I loved them. Simon acknowledging Betty was not Betty being a bitch, but rather Betty getting the closure she deserves as well(honestly, a GREAT written character.). Simon got his closure as well, because he thought he had dedicated himself to Betty, but it was just him destroying his own life. I think they were perfect. Right people, right time.

4- This is Fionna&Cake's series. Not anybody else's.

People were super upset by the lack of cameo's. Even though we got a lot. Finn was in the series because Simon talked to him, and other easter egg's were because Fionna, Cake or Simon interacted with them. Not to mention Simon was there just to help Fionna&Cake, and realizing he should help himself instead of sitting and whining. This is THEIR series. Yes, would love to see more Adult Finn, PB&Marcy, FarmWorld, other worlds etc etc.. but it's not their time. It's not their issue. There were already so many many cameos and easter eggs in the show, and i'm honestly satisfied they bothered to even put so much into it.

The series was done with love&attention. I love Adventure Time. Seriously. But just like the series had showed, the decisions have been made and instead of hating what you have, you should enjoy it. We will most most likely have many more short series regarding the show in the near future, maybe with less Fionna&Cake's world but we, as the audience, got our closure. They're alive, they're happy and they are learning how to enjoy themselves.

The characters are so well written, that i cannot even imagine the writers heads through writing. The work is done with so much love that they basically wrote themselves.

A great, heartwarming and cozy series. Hope to see more in that universe in near future :)

[reds-skull]

please infodump about the cyberknights au🥺

Well if not one but TWO people give me permission I guess I have to haha

(Seriously tho thank you so much T_T)

All of this can be changed by the time I get to start writing it, so fair warning lol

So last time I really talked about cyberknights I mentioned their world is basically a theoretical future where operation Deadbolt failed (deadbolt being the op to contain the aether/zombie outbreak to Urzikstan in MWZ), around 70 years after the initial outbreak.

Cyberknights is a temporary name for the Knighthood, the organization that is in charge of keeping the aether as far away from the remaining human cities as they can.

I think it will be an international organization, made possible by the aether tears and teleporters (can't remember the official name rn).

What I was thinking about more recently is, that maybe the Knighthood are a separate entity from the state they're from. That is why they can work internationally despite some countries having political tensions between each other.

I was replaying Dishonored (my favorite game <333) and really paying attention to the interactions between the Overseers and the City Watch.

[brief explanation on those if you've never played Dishonored: There are two main peacekeepers in the city of Dunwall, where the game takes place, the City Watch, who are basically policemen following rules made by the parliament, and the Overseers, who are religious officers that follow the Abbey of the Everyman and the high overseer (comparable to the pope in our world I suppose). These two groups have tensions between them in-game, but they're often working together.]

Inspired by the Overseers, I wanted to have the Knighthood be more religious, making the aether a sort of religion by itself. To combine science and the supernatural. Maybe the aether is seen as a curse, and those who often come into contact with it are seen as tainted. The knights do a work no one else wants to do, they sacrifice their own good for the sake of the rest of the population.

The knights are more religious than the general population, prayers and rituals part of their every day life. Their religion isn't just followed by them, but by many outside the Knighthood, but none are as devoted as them.

I think knights would begin training very early in life. If a child has a strong constitution, their parents can consider sending them to the Knighthood. They're likely to never see the child again, so they receive goods from the state for their sacrifice.

The child will be trained in combat, taught how to cleanse aether contamination and use aether tears, and basic mechanic knowledge to work with the technology they're given. After they're deemed ready, they will go on their first mission along with a team, and if they survive they will officially be knighted.

In this structure, the knights won't have much contact with the outside world, and form tightly-knit groups.

The exception to this is Soap, who originally was raised in what used to be Scotland (don't have a name for it yet...), but was moved to the British order after his injury. His accent and mannerisms differ noticeably from the rest of the knights.

Sidenote on the tech they use, I think it will be quite similar to what their equivalent of a military has, except the knights purposely model their armor to be in the image of the original knights. The cyberknights admire the original knights, and in their eyes they continue their legacy of fighting monsters. As they fought dragons, they fight aether worms.

The military sends tech for the knights if they find it will be useful for them, as everyone relays on the knights to hold back the aether. A lot of people question the continued need for the Knighthoods, asking why so many resources need to be wasted on them, but those who know what they do understand that without them, humanity will collapse again.

The newest invention of the military was G.H.O.S.T, a fully functioning robot to aid the knights. G.H.O.S.T is experimental at the start of the story, the first of its kind in any combat situation. Many knights distrust G.H.O.S.T's presence, but the 141 squad learns he's not quite like a real soldier.

Part of why the Knighthood doesn't quite like G.H.O.S.T is because his body works with aether. G.H.O.S.T is able to use field upgrades just like a knight, and his weapons are infused with the same process their's do. Those processes are considered blasphemy for anyone whose not a knight, but the Knighthood assures them G.H.O.S.T's creation wasn't.

I want to design banners for each Knighthood and incorporate them to the outfits for each member respectively. Like imagine having Soap marked by his original Scottish Knighthood, while Gaz and Price have a British banner, with G.H.O.S.T having none since he was never technically knighted. I think that would be really cool.

For the story, I think there will be a lot of knights we will see in temporary collaborations, since the knights aren't limited by physical distance or country of origin. So I'd like to design knight armor for Rudy and Alejandro, and Farah and Alex. Also considering adding Roach for the first time since I will need a lot of characters.

Besides knights, there are also mechanics and aether experts in their base of operation (don't have a name for it yet either), trainers for the children that weren't knighted yet, and of course the amount of people that takes to maintain such large amount of people, like cooks, cleaners, etc. and I want some of those to be characters from canon because it's more fun than inventing people I guess.

As to what the knights do when they go out to the contaminated lands, a lot of their work consists of destroying aether nests, collecting crystals to replenish their supplies, fighting disciples that attract zombies towards human cities. Very rarely, they would fight monsters like an aether worm, if they find it poses a risk.

The knights are always working against the clock, trying to outrun the never-ending storms that ravage through those lands. Getting stuck in a storm often means death for them, as it depletes their aether supply faster than they can replenish it. Aether is fuel for a knight's suit, which powers their weapons and motorcycles (which look like horses and can actually respond to voice commands), but it also makes sure their filtration masks work. Every inch of a knight is covered for a reason - the air in the contaminated lands is toxic for humans.

If knights enter storms, their stay only lasts mere minutes, but if they stay far enough they could last days before returning to the Knighthood's base. Over the years, knights have built shelters in places they frequent, and it is tradition to leave one thing behind if a knight comes across one and uses it. Those shelters have food and water, as well as charging stations.

Knights almost never go out alone, usually having a team of 2–3 people, depending on their task. Like I've explained before, a full team of knights consists of a combat expert, a mechanic expert and an aether expert. A combat expert is always needed, but the mechanic and aether can switch out if the job doesn't require them.

The 141 has four members, with two being combat experts, so they can often split into two teams, and that's why Soap and G.H.O.S.T end up alone in the start of the story.

Out of the three jobs, a mechanic is the least likely to expect combat, and is the least useful. They're still very important, you wouldn't want to be stuck in the contaminated lands with a broken helmet or bike, but aether-mechanic lifeforms are weaker than native aether forms.

[non-native aether lifeforms include regular zombies and mechanic-aether lifeforms, while native aether lifeforms include disciples and aether worms.]

It's for that reason Soap was demoted from combat expert to mechanic after his injury. Initially, he was to be removed from entering the contaminated lands altogether, but after practically begging, he was allowed back. He hates leaving the combat role behind, but because he's got a few loose screws he still acts like he is.

Field upgrades (I'll probably change their name to something cooler in the future tbh) allow knights to use aether to their advantage. They range from healing to hiding the user from the eyes of aether lifeforms, and use up a lot of aether so they're best used in combat only. While in combat, aether is collected from the blood that comes into contact with the various blades of the knights, and because regular zombies are easy to kill it's a good source of energy.

Soap's field upgrade, Frenzied Guard, is usually reserved for combat experts only. It makes it so the user builds up a sort of coating that protects them the more they slay, but at the cost of having every aether lifeform aggravated and focused on them. Field Upgrades can be changed with the right ritual, but Soap refused to do so.

Frenzied Guard actually helps Soap's leg injury not affect him while he's using the upgrade, but at the cost of making him collapse right after it runs out. He doesn't use it often as a result, and is actively discouraged to by his team.

I still need to work out what happened 70 years prior to the start of the story, exactly how much civilization collapsed because of the aether, as well as how are countries now operating, what even their names are... How people react to the Knighthoods. There are a lot of interesting ways I could make the dynamics of the knights and the military go, currently I'm leaning into mutual distrust...

And of course there's G.H.O.S.T's mystery... which I won't reveal here but oh boy if there's not a lot I could do with it...

I feel like this AU burrowed in my brain more than even rev AU because its world isn't ours, so I can world build so much more. I'll admit working within canon restrictions is interesting, leads me to decide things I wouldn't usually think to do if I was left to my own devices, but cyberknights AU is far more of my bread and butter. Before getting struck by COD brainrot I would only work of things that are related to either fantasy or sci-fi (which includes superheroes and supernatural entities in my eyes), things that rely heavily on worldbuilding as they often don't take place in our reality. Overthinking everything is part of the job in those genres haha. So I'm very much enjoying myself thinking about all of this, as you probably can tell by the length of this post...

I also still need to continue my research into Scottish mythology and knight orders from medieval Britain and Scotland (the Scots didn't really have the same vibes as British knights but it's still interesting to look into). I'm currently reading a translation of one of the stories allegedly written by that medieval John M'Tavish and it takes far longer than a modern story would because they use high level words that I never heard of, and English isn't my first language by far so I need to sit with a dictionary and reread the same sentence three times sometimes to understand it lol... but this was the case with the Exeter book as well and I read like 20 poems and riddles from that book for BLOOD||HUNGER so it's not like that's new.

How do I tell people I got into medieval poetry because of a fucking COD fic.....

[bindupthesebrokenbones]

Today's Thankful Thursday exercise is to write a letter of gratitude. You don't have to send it if you don't want to - you don't even have to address it to a single person, or a real person.

For example, I regularly write letters to an angel, who I tell about all the things that are going on in my life. It's not quite prayer, and there's no structure to it, but having a solid entity that I address helps a lot with getting out the thoughts.

So, let's get started!

Step 1: Identify your target

As you may know, all letters start with a salutation. If you're writing your gratitude letter to a specific person, you would write "Dear Aunt Sally," for example, or "Dear mom". If you would prefer to write your letter to an entity, you can try "Dear God," or "Dear Frodo Baggins," or any other being of religious, cultural, or fandom/hobby significance to you.

You can also go with "Dear Diary," or "Dear Journal," if you'd like to keep this letter in your private journal. The idea here is to have a target that you're addressing, whether you intend to pass this letter along or not.

Step 2: Determine your format

If you're writing this letter to a specific person, then the format of your letter is going to center on what you're grateful to that person for.

"Dear mom,

Thank you for always being there for me. I'm so grateful for the way that you have my back in difficult situations, and how you stand up for me when I struggle to hold my own."

If you're writing in more of a diary/journal format, the letter will look a little different. It will be more general and broad, rather than focusing on a single person.

"Dear Diary,

I'm thankful for the bright sun today. The good weather made it easy for me to go out and spend some time with my friends at the park. I had a lot of fun that I might have skipped if it had been cloudy or raining."

And if you're addressing your letter to an entity, a higher being that you don't necessarily interact with one on one, or even a fictional character, you could pick either of these formats, or combine them.

"Dear Mr. Baggins,

Thank you for being the sort of character that I can admire and draw inspiration from. Today I went out with some of my friends, and while we didn't go on a long journey across the continent to save the world, we still had a lot of fun, and being so familiar with your story made me appreciate what I get to have and experience even more."

Just remember, a gratitude letter is different from a gratitude log - you don't have to write the letter like a list of things you're grateful for. Just talk about things that went well, that you appreciate, and that you want to call attention to as being positive.

Step 3: Write the Letter

Now that you've decided who you're writing to and how you're addressing them, all that's left is to write the letter. Try to narrow the focus in to a single incident or event if you can. Even if you're writing to someone and you feel that you have a lot to thank them for, or that your thanks are long overdue, you don't want to go on too much of a tangent - that way lies choppy waters. My recommendation is to write 1-2 pages. Less than that and you're not getting the full benefit of the exercise, and more than that and you might get overwhelmed or stress yourself out.

You can do this! And I'll see you all tomorrow for Finance Friday~

[cathy-gabby]

I’ll Be There, Jin

October 23, 2024 Wednesday

This piece of writing has been sitting in my drafts for several days now. It has gone through several revisions – from being very spiteful to being an absolute downer.  I just wanted to write something very HAPPY for Jin.  But I have to get some stuff off my chest.

This is Jin’s time to shine. And he has been shining so brightly even beyond the grasp of the fandom that left others in awe or in shock. His fans are amazed by what he has achieved and are excited for all the heights he can reach. One cannot help but think that he would have been the most popular member and would have been the most successful solo artist if his star had not been stumped repeatedly by the company which does not want him to outshine other members.

Hah! I sound like I am victimizing Jin.

But his fans who have been here from the very start could attest to their nerve-wracking fear during every group comeback – praying for at least more lines or more screentime for Jin. I was not here yet in 2020 but moots would remember it as hellish time for Jin and all of them – for Dynamite to be a global smash hit but Jin only had a few seconds of song lines and screentime. No wonder he felt imposter’s syndrome which could have triggered his depression. Watching YT contents from that time, I could see what people were talking about – of Jin barely interacting, talking only when asked, zoning out and gazing off into the distance. That was just one example, though. Please don’t get me started on My Universe. Or of how the company has successfully quashed his dream of becoming an actor. Or of how they never defended Jin from the bullying and social pressure for him to enlist even as early as 25-effing-years-old.

But Jin is past all that. All he needed was for all his efforts recognized by an unbiased entity like the military and for everyone to see what an achiever he is. All his successes and accolades in the military are a big fat F U to everyone who bullied him to enlist and those who thought he is a lightweight. And these have exceedingly boosted his confidence! Post-military Jin gets out of the military base guns-a-blazing with confidence and sexiness (without taking off his clothes, mind you!). His six global ambassadorships (and still counting!) are a huge slap on the face of those who mocked him for the Jin Ramen endorsement. Big brands like Kolon Sport and Mini Cooper sponsoring his Run Jin episodes show the trust that these companies have in his impact. When left on his own, without company manipulation, Jin shines like the superstar that he is.

Now Jin is about to release his own solo album. The others had their own time while Jin was enlisted. They had their effing time! (Sorry if I sound angry because I am.) When they enlisted, many fans also left and were on hiatus. Those who stayed are working to keep their biases relevant – holding streaming parties for their biases’ albums even while Super Tuna was newly released, spending huge amounts of money and time to defend a member’s reputation for a ‘scandal’ that has become more scandalous for being dragged for so long now and by giving the media and misanthropes more arsenal for hatred. (Don’t they realize that they are feeding their enemies’ ego by reacting? When will it end?  Of course, it is easier said than done. If it is Jin – heaven forbid – I would have done the same. So I get them.)

Admittedly, the fandom is divided and might have been dissipated. (There is no ot7!!! If there are, they are few and in-between.) So, what does it mean for Jin?

I truly admire the very hardworking Seokjin fanbases and Seokjin girlies who have been working their assess off to promote Jin – buying physicals, pre-saving songs, donating money, posting stickers and posters on the streets so more GPs around the world will know of his album and listen to his songs, and generally hyping anything and everything about him. Do I even have to ask for more from the company? Whether we like it or not, the company has favorites and they have not been subtle about it. Of course, it might have been something to do with the terms of their individual contracts. Only they know.

But Jin has been doubly working his ass off to promote himself, albeit in a subtle way. He starts off by promoting himself to the gp, joining gp-popular TV and YT shows, being an Olympic torchbearer, and attending the fashion show.  He knows his market; hence, the TV show appearances and HAPPY album events exclusive for Japan Jinland. He is very much aware of what makes his fans tick: the concept photos (blond Jin!!!!! Jin with guitar!!!!) are pandering to his fans, Run Jin episodes that make us all HAPPY, song collaborations with people from varied genres (rock Jin! pop Jin!). Jin is truly everywhere. I do not want to be in the shoes of his haters right now.

But I honestly do not care about them.

I am on a Jin-lockdown so nothing and no one can distract me from supporting my man. We have been waiting for all of these exclusive Jin contents for years, so nothing, absolutely NOTHING and NO ONE can burst our bubble of HAPPYness. Most importantly, Jin is very, very HAPPY with everything that he is doing. What better way to make him HAPPY-ier than to make sure that his songs and his album gain the greatest achievement and make everyone HAPPY.

So, on October 25, Friday, 2PM KST, I’ll be there and will be HAPPY from then on.

What about you?

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“The Land before Time:“ The Gorge of the Río Grande del Norte near Taos, NM. Photo: Elijah S Rael (2023) ::  [Scott Horton]

* * * *

The point where grace and synergy are reconciled is worth seeking out. In the meantime, here's a synergy-based perspective.

Being Acted Through :: by Joanna Macy

Here's a discovery we can make along our ecological Pilgrim's Progress: the discovery of what can happen through us. If we are the rocks dancing, then that which evolved us from those rocks carries us forward now and sustains us in our work for the continuance of life.

When I admired a nurse for her strength and devotion in keeping long hours in the children's ward, she shrugged off my compliment as if it were entirely misplaced. "It's not my strength, you know. I get it from them," she said, nodding at the rows of cots and cribs. "They give me what I need to keep going." 

Whether tending a garden or cooking in a soup kitchen, there is the sense sometimes of being sustained by something beyond one's own individual power, a sense of being acted "through."

It is close to the religious concept of grace, but distinct from the traditional Western understanding of grace, as it does not require belief in God or a supernatural agency. One simply finds oneself empowered to act on behalf of other beings—or on behalf of the larger whole—and the empowerment itself seems to come "through" that or those for whose sake one acts. This phenomenon, when approached from the perspective of ecology, can be understood as synergy. This is an important point because it leads us to reconceptualize our very notion of what power is.

From the ecological perspective, all open systems—be they cells or organisms, cedars or swamps—are seen to be self-organizing. They don't require any external or superior agency to regulate them, any more than your liver or your apple tree needs to be told how to function. In other words, order is implicit in life; it is integral to life processes. This contrasts with the hierarchical worldview our culture held for centuries, where mind is set above nature and where order is assumed to be something imposed from above on otherwise random, material stuff. We have tended to define power in the same way, seeing it as imposed from above. So we have equated power with domination, with one thing exerting its will over another. It becomes a zero-sum, or win-lose, game, where to be powerful means to resist the demands or influences of another, and strong defenses are necessary to maintain one's advantage.

In falling into this way of thinking, we lost sight of the fact that this is not the way nature works. Living systems evolve in complexity, flexibility, and intelligence through interaction with each other. These interactions require openness and vulnerability in order to process the flow-through of energy and information. They bring into play new responses and new possibilities not previously present, increasing the capacity to effect change. 

This interdependent release of fresh potential is called synergy. It is like grace, because it brings an increase of power beyond one's own capacity as a separate entity.

[Thanks to Ian Sanders]

[chronicparagon]

💻🥇 😍

Oh, these are hard ones. There are a lot of people I can think of that fits these. I'll start with a few people who fit these and then make other posts with the other people who fit these.

💻 ― excellent writing

@s-talking is not only an excellent writer, but also a talented artist and created one of the best OCs that I know of. I will be including Envy for being a well-developed OC and I always admired the years of work they put into their muses, which includes Envy.

. Their writing is incredibly intricate and illustrates Envy's perspectives and show how dangerous he is. The Mun's writing captivates readers, drawing them into a story of the darkness of an Eldritch entity driving Envy to delve deeper into madness. I always look forward to seeing more of that. I love his interactions with Harmony and she loves him dearly despite the grim secrets he carries.

Most important of all, the Mun is very kind and a cherished friend. The drabbles and threads we have, the art like the gifts and commissions, and the messages exchanged brighten my day. I often look back at them when things get rough and I find comfort in the pieces. Envy-Mun helped me be a better writer and also a better person with their support and advice. My friend has done a lot for me over the years and I always strive to do the same. They deserve happiness and good things to happen!

🥇 ― well-developed oc

There are a lot, and I mean a lot of OCs that are masterpieces in their own way. They deserve all the love and I am willing to make separate posts for these OCs I have in mind because they deserve the spotlight.

@whispers-in-daydreams has a variety of OCs that have their own stories and Scarlett-mun has put so much love into each of them. Scarlett is my favorite of her OCs because I love her style and she's a baker has has no f***s to give. Harmony certainly admires Scarlett for her beauty and talents. I also love the kinds of trouble that these two get into!

@handcavity made an truly unique OC of a doll that carries the soul of a girl who was betrayed by the cult she was raised in. The OC called Her is a kind spirit who longs for company, but bears a curse that brings others who are close to Her dire consequences. This is different from what we see with haunted dolls because Her is not malevolent or see joy in harming others. She is also alluring but also unnerving. However, Her is not sinister. In fact, she is a tortured soul bound to the doll with a powerful demon.

😍 ― admiring from afar

@spectralhunter is someone I always admired from afar. He does amazing work in his writing and with his muses, both OC and canon. Takumi is a well-developed OC who is a paranormal investigator looking for ways to gain fame on his livestreams and channel. I consider the mun as a friend and I am thankful to have him and Envy-mun as my friends and rp partners. These two are a dynamic duo and seeing their is always a treat!

I followed the Mun for years and led me to also meeting other horror roleplayers who became my friends and great rp partners. I'm grateful for his friendship and the threads and drabbles we write.

@b-erserk makes a great Guts! I started to get into a bit of Berserk and made an AU that would work better for that world. I can't wait to write more with Guts in the future!

[whatudowhennooneseesyou]

i saw your discussion post about hypersexualization and i wanted to give my two cents on it since it sounded interesting and ive had this internal conversation with myself on the ethics of it.

going on anon but the only necessary things to know about myself are that:

1) i write and draw fanart of these people that are both sfw and nsfw

2) im somewhere in the aromantic-asexual spectrum

in an objective sense, these idols and artists are definitely being hypersexualized by many fans. there are many who thirst, who definitely try and chase to see the idols in more skin and tight fitting clothes not just for the aesthetic appeal but also because it satiates an inner sexual desire. imho this isnt limited to kpop since celebrities of different backgrounds and industries get similar treatment (exhibit a: pedro pascal) but to be very real, its super prominent in kpop.

i find that bit unfortunate. whenever i consume official content from the kpop artists that i love and admire, i always try to consume them in ethical ways and i always want to humanize them. thats why i always think twice when i buy merchandise directly from stores because im very critical about capitalism and consumerism (im not getting into that now though lol). i genuinely only think that its a real danger or that lines are being crossed when these fantasies are trying to be realized or brought to light in front of the artist. thats why i cringe at fanservice and adjacent things: youre pushing your y/n fantasies on the artist when i feel like you should know if theyre even comfortable about it first. :/

where the lines start to blur is when we talk about rpf (real person fiction) ethics. i personally engage in rpf and even rpf nsfw, which probably should contradict what i just said earlier: i think its a little more different than that. whenever im in these spaces, its like a switch turns because at this point, i dont see any of the “idols” as the artists, but instead i see these as characters based on their onstage personas. does that make sense? for example, if im reading mingi smut, i see the “mingi” in this story as a completely separate entity from kpop boy group rapper song mingi from real life, and this “mingi” is instead a character who shares his name and onstage traits but is altered in many ways. in the same vein, i feel less comfortable reading idol!aus because it seems too grounded in reality when i generally mentally and emotionally separate the two things. these characters in my head and personal interpretation of the fics and art that i create and consume are just versions of the personas and characters that these idols play up onstage. honestly, lets face it—mingi in ateez’s lore universe is a character and not a true reflection of mingi, so in the same vein, the versions of mingi that i write and draw about are characters who are explicitly not reflections of how i see mingi in real life.

thats why in concerts and fanmeetings, no matter how close i am to interacting with these people, i never behave out of my limits as a fan. i always separate fandom or at least this subset of fandom from its source aka real life. i read a quote somewhere where an artist commented on fanfiction (i cant for the life of me remember who said this, i think hes from a rock band, oh my god im so sorry) where he said something along the lines of “its not something i should see since its not made for me, its made by fans for my fans.” that quote stuck with me becauss, even if other artists such as kpop idols may perceive this differently and may not be as comfortable with fanfiction and such, the objective point stands that this should be “from fans for fans,” and not “from fans for the artists and their fans to actually get together and smooch.”

sorry this is long! just wanted to chime in. have a nice day :)

Hey, im just about to go to bed so I can't give a detailed response to this but the points you make are very valid and I'm grateful that you sent posted this in.

I'm going to pop a pin in this and then can you just sent through again on the 1st of May so I can add it to the discussion?

Thank you, and if you want to DM about this. That's okay too.