#lost in a magic world with Bible

[laurenkmyers]

Bible’s entrance for D7 Lost in a Magic World with Bible. ex

[slickchickchocolatier]

Beauty and the Beast

• Part One •

Warnings: nothing too extreme…yet. Hints of suicidal acts/ideations and cat and mouse chase. Part two is going to be a bit gross though…definitley read this boring part to prepare yourself for part two. Also not proofread so please ignore the mistakes. ✌🏻

Lost in a hypnotic state of bewilderment, your attention is captivated by the beauty of the pink hue emerging from the glass bell jar. The crystal rose magically floats in mid air, leaving you amazed and perturbed. How incredible was it to see something extraordinary that defies the laws of gravity? You reach out to lift the lid when a grueling shadow suddenly casts the entire room. Your sight switches over to the open balcony and witnesses something out of this world staring back at you. The details of the inhuman entity staring became a blur. You didn’t want to stick around to study it–your instincts propelled you to run instead. Immediately, you turned and rushed over to the door when you felt its grip on your arm yanking you back. It shifts you around and takes a good look at you, forcing you to do the same. The creature had two large hooves that propped its magnificently strong figure. It resembled that of a man with large muscle and an extended height. Under his partially open cloak, his anatomy flourished in full display and you shamefully witnessed the creature to be male. His broad chest casted impressive pectoral muscles that were both lean and heavy. His arms were long and his hands were decorated with lengthy claws as the length of his smooth hair subtly drapes loosely over his wrists. His neck was also crowned with long strands that shined black as the granite. His head resembled a large goat head with two large horns that remained predominantly straight at the base, and curved at the tip. You were forced to watch as the rectangular pupils studied you from head to toe. Resembling the eyes of a sheep or a goat, this creature expresses every demonic feature that was written in the darkest tale.

You barely gained enough time to recover from the blasphemous appeal before you. A voice emerges from the creature, setting you back to a stunned state of mind. Your vision snapped forward and straight to his eyes when he spoke in a loud and deep tone. His pitch was not human, it carried the growling purr of a wild beast and the roaring vibration of a demon. “And you are?”

Despite the blank stare, his snarling snout flared his anger. He was every violation of the Holy Bible–the true image of Hell. “P-please let me go…” you shivered out under a shallow breath. It was hard to speak out. Fear overtook your senses as your hands clam up from his tightened grip. “Answer my question or I’ll tear you to pieces.”

Momentarily, the beast releases your arm and thrashes a nearby console table, splitting it in half. You collapse from the destruction cowering in fear. The shattering crack pierces your ear as you scream out begging for the monster to stop. He roars and continues to thrash all the beautiful antique paintings within the room. His beastly form appears in full display as the cloak flies off from the tantrum, revealing a whiplashing tail. Leaving the handsome portrait and the rose untouched, the beast destroys the entire study, leaving it in tatters. You curl up and begin tearing up. Covering your ears, you try to calm yourself when you notice that the clattering halts. You lift your head to view the room. It's empty. The beast was nowhere to be found.

Grabbing your phone and quickly making your way to the door, you rushed down the stairs and through the hall. You couldn’t remember how to get to the main hall where the exit was. Lost inside the mansion, the echoes of the beast's roars from outside caused you to take cover as you maneuvered through the narrow hall. “Shit…”

Seconds pass and the howling stir of echoes become distant, allowing you to rebuild the fortitude to move again. Frantically running, you reach the end of the corridor. Turning the corner, a pair of stabled hands grip your arms–pinning them together. Yelping, a burst of tears emerge when you realize that the one who has you is none other than butler. “Young lady–” his voice was calm, despite witnessing your distress. You shift within his grip. He was surprisingly strong despite his age. Appealing to his sensibility from earlier, you pleaded for his help. “Please–! You have to help! There–there’s something inside this house! It’s a monster!”

“Shh…” he coos you. “You’re alright. Nevermind my master’s rudeness, he’s always cranky when awoken from his slumber.”

You paused at the wording. “M-master?” your brows furrowed in confusion as you inquired for the butler to elaborate. Here all along you mistakenly assumed that the master of the household to be that of a child. “Th-that was the master you spoke about? The one that was napping? What is he? What is this place? Get me out of here!”

You become hysterical as you try to peel his hands off, yet he re-stabilizes you once more. “Young lady, you must calm yourself before he hears you. My master is not one to react kindly to foreign disturbances inside his home.”

His words convince you to calm down. Your sobbing quiets down as he places a finger against his lips and gently hushes you. Another roar from the beast emerges from afar. “He’s in the main hall, we will need to go back towards the study.”

You gasped at his insistence. “What?! No!”

He shushes you once more. “If we proceed forward, he will see you and I won't be able to save you then. The best course is to have you remain in one of the guest rooms and wait there until it is clear for you to leave. Please have trust.”

Hopelessness drapes over as the beast’s roar grows louder. The butler rushes to the nearest guestroom. “Remain here. I will have Mrs. Potts come in to check on you as I attend to my Master. Remember…you must not leave this room.”

Leaving you, the butler rushes in the direction of his master’s thunderous cries. “On my way sir!” he shouts, disappearing into the abyss of the narrow corridor.

Struggling to find comfort in waiting for the butler, you begin walking towards the same direction. “Sir?…” you gently call out, hoping to hear a reassuring response. You continue on the path until you reach the main grand hall, where the chandeliers gently warm the atmosphere with dimmed candlelight. The glass windows shutter, startling you. Something was banging the walls from the other side that resulted in a series of subtle booms and vibrations. You cover your ears as you continue walking, hoping to see someone kind and helpful to aid you towards the exit. In a split second your hopes experienced victory when you saw a figure ahead…yet it was short lived.

The beast stepped into the light and snarled. A magnificent form of power and strength, he slightly hunched over as if taking position to charge. Your heart sinks into your stomach as your vision blurs. What started as a few steps backwards quickly transitioned into a direct one-eighty turn and a sprint. Running away, you hear the pounding hooves behind clash against the marble tiles. They grew louder, stronger, and more dreadful as they closed the distance. Reaching the main study where you first saw the beast, you panic. Making all that progress just to be sent back to square one presented a feeling of hopelessness and the act of surrendering was at your fingertips. Should you just let the beast devour you alive? Or should you jump off the balcony? The options, while limited, were at your reach, however time was not on your side as you heard the beast clash against the heavy door. He rams his form against it a few more times and it begins to crack open. You peer over to the balcony and make your choice. Unfortunately there was no time to mourn and bid the world a farewell. Not even enough time to say a thoughtful prayer.

The beast continues with his destructive rage, beaching entrance as the door begins to hang by the loose hinges. You step onto the stone tiles and view the outside world from a heightened view and take a deep breath. Placing yourselves over the ledge, you station yourself on the opposite end and hang by the shaky grip of the concrete pillars, pressing your lower backside against the coolness of its smooth exterior. You don’t look down. It would only make it harder.

Chest up and facing the sky, you close your eyes. The final release will be based strictly on hearing. The final blow through the sprayed splinters of the mahogany panel will be your que to let go. Let it all go.

The final seconds felt like an eternity. But after hearing him burst through successfully, you release. Your eyes remain closed yet the teardrops find a way to escape from closed lids and decorate your reddened cheeks. You feel yourself slipping forward, knowing that there was no end until your body meets the ground. after fully embracing the end—the most challenging obstacle you’ve yet to overcome, a dreadful moment pangs you from within as you felt a harsh grab around your wrist. It was strong and tight. Your eyes jolt open as you whimper from the yank. Looking behind, you witness the image of monstrosity bringing you back in.

Bringing you back in…

Taglist: @strxwbloody @nshmrarki @aquariushiiiii @addictedtohobi @nuriicata @lilyuwon

[artist-issues]

I have loved reading your posts on various fiction from Christian perspective. I am wondering your opinion on when fantasy/"magic" fiction becomes too much? I used to encounter a lot of people talking about how basically -anything- fantasy was evil. I have struggled with scrupulosity OCD for many years now so I tend to think things towards a legalistic lens. I'd like to be able to enjoy fantasy again, while carefully discerning, so I'd love to hear what you think are the merits/limits of fantasy

Hi! First off, Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." When you're wrestling with scrupulousity, sometimes it helps to see or hear out loud the reminder that life in Christ is one that's supposed to give you peace, not constant worry about doing everything right--even if you've heard that before and you already know it, sometimes it can help to hear it over again from outside your own head. So there it is! 🤝

Next: thank you for asking me! I'm no professional. But someone did ask me this question once before. I am having a hard time finding it on my blog right now, otherwise I'd link to it, but I'll try to summarize at the end of this post!

EDIT: You asked me to talk about the merits and limits of fantasy and I got carried away explaining why fantasy fiction is not outright evil according to the Bible. I moved that to the end of the post 😅 here's what I think the merits are:

All of Reality, our world, our timeline, was invented by God. That makes Him the storyteller, us His characters, and reality His narrative. Just like any storyteller, He made up a system of rules for His world: rules like, "humans sink in water," and "humans can't be cured of sickness by touching other humans," and "the weather doesn't change just because humans tell it to." Then God, the storyteller, broke His own world-building rules. On purpose. He wrote Himself (Jesus) into the story as a human who COULD walk on water and COULD heal other humans with a touch and COULD tell the weather what to do, and it obeyed.

In fantasy stories, when a character can break the established rules of the created world, we call that "magic." We call it "magic" when the storyteller brings in a supernatural element to show that this character is special, powerful, capable, set apart from all the others.

So that's what I think the merits are. Fantasy stories have a special kind of closeness to The Storyteller Who Invented Stories, because of that very element of "make the rules then bring in rule-breaking specialness" that He uses.

That's where you get Gandalf, or even the Fairy Godmother, or of course Aslan and the Deep Magic.

The limitations to the genre, I would say, is that fantasy stories are very tempting for storytellers' egos. Because of Tolkien, there's this generation of storytellers who think that inventing a fantasy world with rules and races and magical systems and cultures and, to sum it all up, a whole universe of their own design, is the POINT.

They think the themes and the message of their story comes second to how thorough and clever they can be with their made-up magical systems, or fantasy-race-relations, or made-up languages.

Basically, in no other genre have I observed storytellers getting so excited to play god-of-their-own-clever-world than in fantasy. Then they forget that the important part of a story is the message, not the brain that's capable of inventing worlds and languages and cool-sounding names and ancestries. What they have to say basically gets lost in how flashy and cool they can be while saying it.

But that's another soap box for another time. Those are basically the merits and limitations, I think, broad-strokes.

On to the Biblical worldview for magic in stories below!

"Magic" is mentioned in the Bible. It's sorcery. Specifically, the Bible is telling Christians to stay away from "real" magic...which is basically just "trying to connect with spiritual forces to accomplish anything supernatural." We were created to have relationship with one Spirit: God. Anything outside of that is like a fish trying to breathe oxygen: it hurts us. So the Bible says, "no real magic."

But.

"Fantasy fiction magic" is not "a real live human trying to connect with real demonic forces and accomplish something supernatural." Instead, "fantasy fiction magic" is just "a real live human making up a story. Playing pretend."

The Bible has no commands, no rules, against that. Jesus told stories. His servants tell stories. We're made to tell stories.

And the Bible has no commands against telling a story that includes magic in it.

Think of it this way: God said "do not murder" right? But then in Matthew 18 Jesus tells a parable where one man tries to choke another man. There's attempted murder in the story Jesus is telling: but just because God disapproves of the act of murder, does not mean He disapproves of telling a story that features murder.

Sin being in a story isn't a bad thing. It's realistic, because sin exists. What really matters is whether or not the story treats the sin like sin, and not like an admirable thing. Because the point of all stories is to tell the truth in a compelling way. If the story treats something sinful like it's not sinful, that wouldn't be truthful. But if the story treats sin like it's definitely bad, then it's doing what God invented stories to do: tell the truth.

Now here's where you might say, "yeah, but most fantasy stories treat magic like it's a good thing."

Right. But remember: most fantasy stories don't have what the Bible calls "magic" in them at all.

When the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella says "bibbidi bobbidi boo," she's not calling upon demons to give her supernatural power (which is what the Bible is talking about when it condemns magic.) She's using a pretend superpower that the storyteller made up, on the spot, for the story. Her "magic" is not what the Bible calls "magic," so it doesn't even matter if it's portrayed as "good" or "bad" morally.

Fantasy fiction is fine. There is no reason, Biblically, for Christians not to read fantasy fiction if their only reason for it is "well there's magic in it."

There's nothing wrong with telling a story that has a supernatural element in it. It's only a story. As long as it's not real humans doing creation-worshipping or demon-contacting practices, in real life it's okay to write and it's okay to read.

Let me know if that makes sense!

[perpetualprocrastinationisme]

Will Ty Call on God Himself to Defeat Lucifer and Release Livvy in TWP?

Bringing back the dead, Johnny Rook had always said, warped the fabric of life, the same way making humans immortal did. Invite in death, and it would stay. Could anyone bring back the dead and have it work? Kit had asked him once. Even the most powerful magician? God, Johnny had said, after a long, long pause. God could do that. And those who raise the dead may think they are God, but soon enough they will find out the lie they have believed. - Lord of Shadows

When reading this excerpt from Lord of Shadows, it makes me consider what consequences Ty will have to suffer in TWP for bringing back Livvy. Invite in death and it would stay. We know that Magnus can sense dark magic on Ty like it's a cloud around him and that there's something like a necromantical string of magic that connects Ty to Livvy. He's literally "warped the fabric of life."

From TDA, we know that it can take extremely drastic measures to remove strong bonds of Magic. To remove Emma and Julian's parabatai bond one of them would have had to be stripped of their marks or they would have had to destroy all the parabatai bonds that existed. Only an act from heaven itself (turning into actual Nephilim) spared them from having to choose between those two options. Similarly, we see that the only way that Clary was able to bring Jace back from the dead is by the help of Raziel himself, a supreme heavenly being. When Johnny says that only God could bring someone back, he was being truthful. So, it seems that the only way for Ty to truly heal or undo the damage he has wrought by raising Livvy is to get Heaven itself to intervene.

TWP will call the whole fate of the Shadowhunting world into question and will change their world forever. I know their fate is most likely called into question because of Janus and whatever he sets in motion. Ash even hints at this in SOBH in a letter to Janus. But what if it's also because of the intervention that Ty will have to receive to solve his necromancy issue? If we think about the villain the TWP gang will be facing, Lucifer himself, then we have to also consider who is archenemy has always been: God. We also know that Cassie has already stated that TWP will turn on pieces of Biblical Mythology and that TWP is set up to be the ultimate closer to the Shadowhunter Chronicles. Well, when looking at the Bible and the Book of Revelation (the last book of the Bible that depicts the ultimate final battle between God and Lucifer), we see God seal Lucifer up in hell with his demons for good in the Battle of Armageddon, epically defeating him.

So, what if Ty calls God Himself down to finally defeat Lucifer and Janus which in turn burns up the necromantical bond he shares with Livvy because of being in the presence of God, the purest and most holy being that exists? We know that Ty has a way of summoning people (like how he did with Annabel) and getting things done that should be altogether impossible (raising Livvy). We also know that being in such close proximity to Heavenly power can destroy things like with Emma and Julian's parabatai bond. It would also check the boxes of turning on Biblical mythology by directly paralleling the book of Revelation and would very effectively change the Shadowhunters' world forever. If Lucifer is banished with his demons by God then Shadowhunters no longer have the one thing that defines their entire life: fighting demons. (I honestly hope that just Princes of Hell get banished and not all the demons. I think it would be an incredibly awful way to end TSC if Shadowhunters just lost their entire purpose for existing.)

I'm quite positive this would release Livvy to the afterlife and I believe that both her and Ty will be aware of this if/when they do call on God. I can very much see this as the moment that Ty comes to fully accept that Livvy is truly gone, that this is what must be done. I also believe this will serve as the moment where Livvy finally gets to take control of her situation as a ghost because I believe they will mutually agree to do this. She'll finally get to be that protector that she's always wanted to be. Plus, they'll actually get to properly say goodbye this time.

I believe that towards the end of TWP, Ty will be a pariah in the Shadowhunting universe for raising Livvy. This could be his moment of redemption in their eyes, could finally give Livvy peace, and would save the entire world in the process. It would also be the most powerful ending the TSC universe has ever seen, which would be fitting for its final one.

(I know this probably seems incredibly out there, but I would really love to see what any of you think of this theory. I also think that they would more likely call on Raziel instead, since he created them if I’m remembering correctly.)

Art at the top: @rowan.artt on Instagram

[squeakintothevoid]

Imagine Dragons lyrics that stand out to me as an exmormon

If you didn't know, Dan Reynolds, the lead singer, was raised Mormon.

And by my own volition I've been a saint, I've been the truth, I've been the lie

I took a photograph of me When I was only nineteen I looked a little lost at sea I keep trying to find me So pray for me, brother, I need redemption I'm just a man, a man on a mission

Dan was an LDS missionary.

And the saints we see are all made of gold

The LDS church has amassed over $200 billion.

This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come

This line just reminded me of the Mormon stress about which kingdom you're gonna end up in when you die.

Everybody waiting for the fall of man

Mormons believe in the second coming of Jesus, which would happen after the world has fallen deeply into sin.

Looking at my years like a martyrdom

"Martyrdom" just stood out to me because Mormons always go on about how the founder Joseph Smith was martyred along with other figures that got killed for their faith.

Never be enough, I'm the prodigal son

This bible story is told frequently at Mormon church.

Pray it away, I swear I'll never be a saint, no way

"Pray the gay away", Mormons believe any gay "behaviors" are a major sin.

Will somebody Let me see the light within the dark trees shadowing?

Reminds me of the story of the "first vision" of Joseph Smith, the founder of the religion.

Does happiness lie in a diamond ring?

Marriage in an LDS temple is basically required to be happy and go to the best level of heaven.

Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check

Dan got kicked out of the Mormon college, Brigham Young University, because he broke a huge LDS rule.

Oh, it's a crooked old tradition By a masterful magician

The founder Joseph Smith claimed to use magic rocks to find treasure and translate the Book of Mormon.

I've been told just what to do Where to look and point my view

Mormons have lots of rules. Mormons get regularly interviewed by their bishop starting as young as age 7 to make sure they're keeping all the arbitrary rules.

We are afflicted by fiction, by fiction Buildin' a case for eviction, eviction, circlin' Guarding a tower of ancients, of ancients

Mormons are big on genealogy. Part of having a Mormon faith crisis is freaking out about disappointing all your ancestors and rejecting your family's traditions.

Since I was young, my ancestry Was marching martyrdom across the Radadada dumbla plains of Utah

Lots of Mormons have pioneer ancestors. And lots of them died.

Have a seat in the foyer, take a number

Okay, this lyric is here just because I feel like nobody but Mormons use the word "foyer", it's just a lobby to everyone else. Here's a foyer to an LDS church. It's the stuff of nightmares, I know. (no joke, I actually did get nightmares about these halls and I'm not alone)

So yeah, maybe I'm reading into some of them, but those lyrics always stand out a bit when I'm listening. Hope this was interesting to some of you.

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: September 2023 ~ 

👻 Happy October!!! 🎃

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post! 

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff!  -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 Senior Love Me? Season 2 - September 1st (Thailand) 🌟 Naughty Babe - September 2nd (Thailand) ✅ 🌟 Venus in the Sky - September 2nd (Thailand) 🌟 Marry Go Round - September 3rd (Thailand) 🌟 Where Your Eyes Linger (movie version with added scenes + commentary) - September 5th (South Korea) 🌟 Y Star Challenge (reality show) - September 8th (Thailand)

🌟 The Promise: Honeymoon Lost and Found - September 9th (Thailand) 🌟 Our Story - September 9th (Philippines) 🌟 Rerun (starring PP Krit) - September 13th (Thailand) 🌟 You Are Mine - September 15th (Taiwan) 🌟 Bump Up Business - September 15th (South Korea) 🌟 Wedding Plan Special Episode - September 16th (Thailand) ✅ 🌟 Right Time, Right You - September 17th (Thailand) 🌟 Kimi ni wa Todokanai (I Can't Reach You) - September 27th (Japan) 🌟 Bon Appetit - September 27th (South Korea) 🌟 Absolute Zero - September 27th (Thailand)

Monthly likes/dislikes

❣️ Naughty Babe - I'm loving this so much lol it's so silly but the comedy is so brilliant and so far I'm enjoying it more than Cutie Pie lol. The story is interesting and MaxNat's acting has improved a lot since CP which is nice. Definitely an unexpected nice little gem and also a band-aid for the soul after the OF-trauma every Saturday dskjhf

👎🏻 ø

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Like - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Live in Love - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Spirit Reborn - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Red Peafowl (starring Max N., Mek J., Boun N., Gun N., Yacht S., LongFrank & others) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Couple or Not - Date TBA (China)

🎥 Ossan's Love Season 3 - Coming January 2024 (Japan)

🎥 The Luminous Begins (Prequel to The Luminious Solution, starring Kaownah Kittipat) - Coming December 2023

Other news from the BL world

❗️ The upcoming Thai adaption of Cherry Magic will premiere in November as confirmed by the cast. The airing date has yet to be announced.

❗️ Actor Est Ravipon (LBC2, Naughty Babe) joined GMMTV.

❗️ The upcoming Thai BL 4 Minutes has been announced to air in early 2024. One of the main actors, Bible W., disclosed that shooting will begin in October and run until December. Several months back his acting partner Build J. dropped out of the production as a result of a defamation scandal. Further details, such as a recast for his role, as well as an airing date, are unknown.

❗️ Santa and Earth (My Only 12%) and EarthMix (ATOTS, MLC) respectively announced that they will be having another project together in 2024. Details are unknown.

❗️ GMMTV actor Gun Atthaphan won an award for "Outstanding Asian Star" at this year's Seoul International Drama Awards.

❗️ This year's GMMTV 2024 lineup event will take place on October 17th.

❗️ The cast for the upcoming Korean BL Jazz For Two was revealed: Song Han Gyeom (OMEGA X), Kim Jin Kwon & Ko Jae Hyun (To My Star), Byun Sung Tae (Happy Merry Ending) will be the main cast.

❗️ A third season for the Japanesse BL Ossan's Love was announced for January 2024.

❗️ At their event "Always More", WeTV announced their 2024 lineup. The following BL productions are included:

Monster Next Door

I Saw You In My Dream (WeTV x DeeHup)

Me And Who (WeTV x Domundi)

Knock Knock Boys (starring Seng W., Best V. and others)

❗️ MeMindY announced their next 2 BL projects:

Love Sea (adapted from an unreleased novel) - Coming 2024

Boy Next World (universe travel plot) - Coming 2024

Both series are adaptions from Mame's novels and will air in 2024. Earlier, FortPeat (Love in the Air) confirmed in a press conference that they will star in another one of Mame's projects, which led fans to believing they will appear in one of the 2 projects, along with BossNoeul. The official cast reveals will take place on October 3rd and 5th.

Upcoming series & movies for October

👉🏻 Sasaki to Miyano - October 1st (Japan, Netflix release)

👉🏻 If It's With You aka Even If I Fall In Love With You - October 5th (Japan)

👉🏻 What Did You Eat Yesterday? Season 2 - October 6th (Japan)

👉🏻 Lucky Love - October 15th (Thailand)

👉🏻 GMMTV2024 lineup event + press conference - October 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 One Room Angel (manga adaption) - October 19th (Japan)

👉🏻 The Camp Fire - October 29th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Shadow - October 31st (Thailand)

👉🏻 Boys Like Boys (dating reality show) - October TBA (Taiwan)

👉🏻 Bump Up Business - October TBA (South Korea)

[magical-regical]

More Caleb things from me because y'all seem to really like it when I talk about Caleb.

I've seen people theorize about what myths the new batch of dateables will have if they do get myths. And it's a bit unoriginal but since I associate nii-nii with apples I got the brilliant idea that his myth can be something Adam and Eve-esque.

Why? Well, tldr; it's angsty, bittersweet, myth-y, and it involves apples. There you have it. If any of you've read the last...three? four? books of Paradise Lost (maybe even a version of it that's not in old english) you'll know what I mean.

As usual, more of my thoughts and crazy rambling under the cut

So we're not completely ripping off the Adam and Eve story, Caleb is instead a guardian for the forbidden fruit and he gives the fruit to MC has heart issues again. And then it ends up with both getting the middle finger from Astra because at this point I wouldn't be surprised if all of MCs incarnations have 'pissing off Astra' baked into their DNA.

I'd like to see those two work out the emotions as they're kicked out of 'paradise' like in Paradise Lost before eventually landing on the conclusion that 'yea our situation really sucks rn. absolute dog shit actually, but if I have him/her by my side, I think I can still find happiness even with all the new challenges we are going to face."

And, and, and you know how in Paradise Lost, Adam gets to see pretty much every major event that will happen from him to Jesus (as they are written in the bible)? What if Caleb's myth just reveals that everything is a cycle? I saw a theory that said the current LIs myths are set in the future and I found that absolutely bananas because Linkon is this super high tech city while say, Zayne's has a more fantasy vibe to it but just imagine, if Caleb's myth ties everything together.

Like, the Linkon we know is destroyed, a new mankind is created as the world kind of regressed back into a time of magic and prophecies as nature reclaims the land and we go through the three current LIs myths and then because of the events in Caleb's myth w/ 'Adam' and 'Eve' being banished from 'paradise' they build civilization back up to the level of the Linkon City we know now and the whole thing just, repeats itself.

Wouldn't that be crazy? 'Philos' and 'Earth' will be like two sides of the same coin that just alternates between each other until the end of time because this one bitch with a paper towel for a heart can't stop trying to one-up god.

[ausetkmt]

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[jaziferret]

Alright i have nowhere else to write this and not a lot of people follow me on here so thats fine.

Im am in some sort of hell.

I have listened to my radical christian father preach to me for 3 hours a nonsensicle word salad about some shit about a child watching her family get killed for believing in jesus and he talks about it like its the most horrible thing on earth, then goes on about the political left and right amd how the right are good and left is bad yada yada yada. God damnit hes doing it again right now.

I wish i could help others. I wish i could support starving middle eastern children with no families and maybe even make myself not feel like shit. Treat myself to a bit of hrt if i feel like it and not be judged for who i am. But as long as these "god fearing" zealots and fearmongerers are still walking this earth then all I have left is living in my fear.

I used to live in faith, i would argue i may have never lost it. But i still lost my faith in others. Those people who call themselves "christian" or "believer". Those who claim to turn the other cheeck but instead throw a punch when no one is looking, maybe worse.

I still listen to church services, all claiming they preach the true gospel. All i hear are the three same things.

1. Only Gods love is real. Not the love of the world, or the love from other people. No other love matters.

2. Nothing is permanant in this world. When we move onto the pearly gates up above nothing down here will matter.

3. Do not ask questions. A christian who asks questions forfeits themself from faith and opens up their mind to influence from the world/the devil.

The heart of christian teachings is to reject all rational thought and feelings for the simple belief that a magical being will judge us and send us to hell if we dont.

The bible school teachings of good samaritans dont matter anymore. Its all about getting angry at people who dont share your beliefs or people who dont and are minding their own business.

My dad told me when he works in the mall and see trans people in public he says he thinks about how god wont let them into heaven, and that they are so blinded my their lust and greed for love from others that they will never be happy. He wants to walk up to them and exorcise their evil spirits (verbally harass them about being trans and to turn to god).

Anyways i moved away from my original point. Im afraid if i do anything that these people will turn and do the very things they claim the (radical left) will do to them. Persecuting me til hell freezes over.

I wish i could flee, but i cant.

I would rather die.

[justgottafinishthischapter]

The Subcategories of Fantasy

As an author who loves Fantasy, I wanted to help my fellow writers understand all of the different elements that fantasy can fall under, ranging from the well-known to the specific. I figured that doing so could help other writers like myself understand exactly what sort of story they’re writing, and how these stories differ from one another. I’ll also be giving examples of these types of stories, as well as my own thoughts on the different genres at the end.

What is Fantasy?

Fantasy in its simplest term, is any form of media that diverges from the mundane reality of our ordinary everyday world in one facet or another. A story does not need to have magic, or dragons, or princesses to be called a fantasy story. While those are common motifs, in truth, all it takes to be considered fantasy is to not adhere to the real world in one form or another. Good Omens is a fantasy story, despite having no dragons or princesses anywhere. A Song of Ice and Fire has dragons and princesses, but magic is scarce and seldom ever seen. The Song of the Sea has a lot of magic, but a lot fewer dragons.

MEDIEVAL FANTASY

 The story takes place in a fantastical world of the author’s design with a medieval or renaissance inspired setting, world view, and/or political structure. Renaissance Fantasy doesn’t really tend to exist on its own, so any setting with Renaissance aspects tends to just get lumped in with Medieval Fantasy. I don’t even really need to explain this one to you. It’s the most common subgenre of fantasy. A medieval fantasy does not have to be set in the real medieval period of Earth’s history, but rather, a medieval fantasy is any story set in a fantastical world that makes use of a medieval-based society as its setting.

HISTORICAL FANTASY 

This is a story in which fantastical elements are included in real world historical settings. This is any historical setting where there’s a King of England but also a dragon or trolls to deal with. There’s almost this sort of unspoken rule that any story set in Ancient Greece will inevitably be Historical Fantasy. Arthurian Fantasy, Mythology Fantasy, and Fable Fantasy could all be considered subcategories of Historical Fantasy, since most instances of these genres would be classified as Historical Fantasy, though there are exceptions. As an example, Once Upon a Time and the Fables comics series are both Fable Fantasies, but are not Historical Fantasy. Likewise, Rick Riordian’s Percy Jackson-verse is clearly Mythology Fantasy, but is not Historical Fantasy. Classic examples of Historical Fantasy would include tales like Beowulf, The Journey to the West, and Robin Hood. It’s worth mentioning that technically, a story is not Historical Fantasy if it’s set in the era it was written in. However, the Illiad was set in Mycenaean Greece, Robin Hood’s rivalry with Prince John was a later addition to the folklore, and most Arthurian mythos was penned long after the supposed real world figure might have lived and died. But, any story set in a contemporary modernity, such as Percy Jackson, will eventually become Historical Fiction as time moves forward, though it clearly was not written to be that way.

MYTHOLOGY FANTASY

Angels, Demons, Gods, the Underworld, mythological heroes, this is a supercategory that encompasses everything from The Chronicles of Narnia to Supernatural, as well as Good Omens, American Gods, Sandman, Rise of the Guardians, Percy Jackson, Paradise Lost, Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel, Smite: Battleground of the Gods, Teen Titans, Dante’s Inferno, and Lore Olympus. Some people get squeemish about lumping Judeo-Christian ideologies in with Mythology (even though it is a mythology) such that the Christian sub-category sometimes gets called Religious Fantasy or Bible Fantasy. But regardless, this is the category for any sort of fantastical work in which supernatural forces are at work. Some divide this section differently. For instance, some will say that since faeries are part of Irish mythology that faeries count as part of mythology fantasy, while others will argue that this is more for the religious aspect of fantasy, with things like vampires and faeries relegated to a subcategory of more generic fantasy creatures.

ARTHURIAN FANTASY

The story revolves around Arthurian mythos. Whether it’s set in the real world of Britain, a fantasy counterpart to Britain, or in some author-created setting, King Arthur is still King Arthur. Sometimes, though very rarely, Arthurian stories have little to no magic, fusing this subgenre with Historical Fiction and not Historical Fantasy. While Arthurian mythos has evolved over the years, the big players are practically household names. Most people are unfamiliar with Sir Galehaut and Sir Dinadin, but almost everyone recognizes Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin, and all the other big players in Arthurian folklore. However, Arthurian myth effectively spans the entire breadth of the Medieval Period, first being mentioned in the Annaels Cambriae which places Arthur in 6th Century Britain, and his stories continued to be written until Le Mort d’Arthur in 1485. Keep in mind, the Medieval Period is from 476 - 1500, and Arthurian mythos spans about 800-900 of those 1,024 years. Due to his story spanning so much time, many elements of Arthur’s story have been forgotten or quietly put aside over time. Try to tell someone that Arthur put every newborn born in the month of may on a boat and sank it to prevent the prophecy of Mordred from coming true, and you’ll probably get a bunch of horrified looks from people who swear up and down that the Good King Arthur would never do anything so cruel. Even other elements shifted around. Ask who mordred’s parents are, and you could argue Arthur, Morgan le Fey, Morgause, Anna, King Lot, and more. Depending on how deep down the rabbit hole you’re willing to go, you can read stories of King Arthur fighting his nephew Oberon for control of Fairyland. Arthurian mythos, like mythology fantasy, tends to get the curbside drive-by approach. People repeat the elements they’ve heard a million times, while never dusting off any of the lesser known elements that would give the story a breath of fresh air.

FABLE FANTASY

Technically, all Arthurian Fantasy falls under this umbrella. Fable Fantasy is the genre term for fantasy based on fables, folk tales, and folkloric figures. Robin Hood, Reynard the Fox, Fairy Tales, Mother Goose, Baba Yaga, if it has persisted through generations of storytelling, and has had a lasting impact on the cultures that know the story, it can be considered a Fable Fantasy. Any story that pulls from these elements can likewise be considered Fable Fantasy because they are pulling from these fabled origins. So, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast is a Fable Fantasy... unless the storytelling has twisted the story so much that it’s no longer in the Fantasy genre. For more variations of this genre, well-known pop culture characters, much like Robin Hood and Fairytale characters, can be considered Fable Fantasy. So, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, Santa Claus, the Grim Reaper, Peter Pan, the Phantom of the Opera, the Wizard of Oz, and other commonly retold folk characters can be thought of as more contemporary Fable fantasies. As such, both Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera can be considered Fable Fantasy musicals, as well as the more obvious Into the Woods. Once Upon a Time and the Fable comic series are both modern Fable Fantasy stories. Not all Fable Fantasy narratives are retellings of classic folktales. Peter Rabbit, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz have all become widely considered folkloric staples, despite being written in the 19th and 20th centuries. Over the Garden Wall, a Cartoon Network miniseries from 2014, is considered to be a modern fairy tale, despite not being an adaptation of any other story, but instead using the tropes and ideas common to traditional old-school fairy tales. When they enter the public domain, I suspect that Dr. Seuss’ characters will likewise be effectively Fable Fantasy, well-known characters that see use and reuse over and over again in other media. Shrek and Disenchantment take a satirical approach to Fable Fantasy, poking fun of Disney and other fairytale narratives and tropes. 

HISTORICAL ROMANTICISM

This setting often goes hand-in-hand with Arthurian Fantasy and Fairy Tales. This is any story that romanticizes and glorifies life in a historical setting. Popular variants include Medieval Romanticism, stories which romanticize medieval settings, Victorian Romanticism or Edwardian Romanticism, for stories that romanticize the time period between 1837-1913, and Period Romanticism, which is more of a blanket term that glorifies the eras popular with Period movies, namely, the 19th century, but sometimes earlier as well. Full of handsome princes, fair damsels, large palace-like castles, and knightly codes of honor, historically inaccurrate period gowns, debutante balls, and steamy Jane Austen-style love affairs, this story paints the past with the most optimistic and flattering image possible. Everything is flowery, poetic, and awe-inspiring. This is the type of setting Sansa Stark thought she was in at the start of A Game of Thrones before G.R.R Martin pulled the rug out from under her and revealed Westeros to be a Cynical Low Fantasy. By the very virtue of the company’s child-friendly marketing, Most Disney movies, and by extension, most movies set in the past aimed at children can likewise be categorized as Historical Romanticism, as they brush the darker side of history under the rug. The Princess Bride, Bridgerton, Don Bluth’s Anastasia, and most versions of Robin Hood and Arthurian mythos fall into this category. For contrast, Downton Abbey is not Edwardian Romanticism even though it tries to make life in the 1910s look glamorous, it’s also not afraid to blatantly point out the economic and socio-political issues that were going in in the world at the time. Downton Abbey does not sugar coat the darker side of history, and can therefore not be considered Historical Romanticism.

HISTORICAL CYNICISM

The exact opposite, Historical Cynicism is the name I give to settings that use the trope “The Dung Ages”. Like Historical Romanticism, the most popular variant of this category is Medieval Cynicism. These settings seek to make life in historical time periods look as miserable and depressing as possible. They are designed to make life seem bleak, undesirable, and disgusting. Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Disenchantment take a comedic approach to this, while A Song of Ice and Fire gives a more Epic Fantasy take. Sweeney Todd makes life in Victorian London look positively putrid, and that’s without the cannibalism subplot. The Witcher games seem to merge Medieval Cynicism with Dark Fantasy and Horror Fantasy. This subgenre hinges on Dark Fantasy, but the two are distinct from one another. Expect plenty of plagues, muted color pallets, a cruel aristocracy that enjoys crushing the lower classes under its heel, and mud or dung on everything.

HIGH FANTASY

 Magic and fantastical elements are abound in this setting. Expect wizards, dragons, fantastical races, and more. Very frequently overlaps with Epic Fantasy, though they are different. The Lord of the Rings is classic High Fantasy. Most Dungeons & Dragons settings are also High Fantasy, as is The Legend of Zelda. Avatar: the Last Airbender is a High Fantasy Wuxia show, though Legend of Korra veers more toward Historical Fantasy, Steampunk, and Magitech Fantasy with its 1920s Shanghai meets New York City hub location of Republic City. The Elder Scrolls is also a High Fantasy, with plenty of elven races, the Beast Races, and star signs that actually impact those born under them. Each province has its own sort of vibe or subgenre, with High Rock being more Medieval Romanticism while Skyrim is more Dark Fantasy or Medieval Cynicism, but as a whole, Tamriel falls under the High Fantasy umbrella.

LOW FANTASY 

A medieval setting where magic and fantastical elements are rare, if not nonexistent. A Song of Ice and Fire is an excellent example. Magic is real and does exist, but it only rarely comes into play. Magic is extremely scarce, and most people one might meet are humans. Even the sight of someone casting the simplest spell is so rare in Westeros that it’s practically unheard of, and the few supernatural elements that do exist in the setting live far out into the wilderness, rarely being seen by people. It’s quite rare to find completely fictional fantasy settings with no magic whatsoever, but they do exist.

EPIC FANTASY 

This is any fantasy story on an epic scale. I’m talking well over 50+ named characters. A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, all of these are Epic Fantasy. Yes, these stories usually end up with long book series and a lot of words behind them, but I am defining a genre, not a reading level. Epic Fantasy is about scope, not page length. Common sights in Epic Fantasy are grand battles, multiple POVs, world-spanning events, extremely high stakes, very powerful players in the narrative, and The Final Battle Between Good and Evil.

QUEST FANTASY

Any fantasy work which is primarily driven by The Epic Quest. Often overlaps with Chosen One narratives. Lord of the Rings, Eragon, The Legend of Zelda, Avatar: the Last Airbender, and the Percy Jackson books are all examples of Quest Fantasy. The bulk of the narrative is centered on The Journey and the trouble the heroes run into along the way, or are otherwise all about The Adventure, not the destination. Our band of heroes have a goal given to them and the story is focused on following the heroes on their journey. However, this is not strictly a Chosen One category. The Legend of Korra is a Chosen One Fantasy, but is not a Quest Fantasy because Korra’s main objective changes every season. Percy Jackson toes the line due to the Oracle’s prophecies, but I wouldn’t call him a Chosen One because his birth wasn’t written in the stars or anything. He just happens to be a child of Poseidon and at the center of the story. If you switched him out for Nico di Angelo or Jason Grace, the story is still functional. In Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is the True King, but Frodo is the protagonist, so I wouldn’t call Lord of the Rings a Chosen One Fantasy either. This can also tip into other genres. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a Quest Fantasy. The entire premise of the movie is Arthur and his knights questing for the Holy Grail. Likewise, The Princess Bride is all about Wesley’s quest to rescue Princess Buttercup from Prince Humperdink. Treasure Planet is a steampunk quest fantasy telling the story of Jim’s search for Flint’s treasure, where the journey there is the bulk of the story. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is a quest fantasy with elements of Historical Fantasy and Mythology Fantasy all about Sinbad’s perilous voyage to the edge of the world to save his friend’s life.

DARK FANTASY

It’s like normal Fantasy, but bleaker and darker. The Witcher and Skyrim are good examples of Dark Fantasy, where monsters roam the wilderness, and people live in fear of the unknown beyond the safety of their villages. The general tone is more cynical, desolate, or hopeless. Some Dark Fantasy is more about just being gloomy or creepy. The movies Labyrinth and Dark Crystal are two good examples of a Dark Fantasy that’s less bleak as they are weird, yet still dark. The Black Cauldron is a perfect example of a Dark Fantasy with a dreary and macabre aesthetic paired with a genuinely horrifying necromancer villain. Pan’s Labyrinth is another good example of a Dark Fantasy. Over the Garden Wall and A Tale so Dark and Grimm are both Dark Fantasy stories as well as Fable Fantasies, reveling in the darker aspects of Grimm fairy tales.

HORROR FANTASY

It’s like Dark Fantasy, but scarier. Expect there to be horrifying monsters unlike any seen on earth. Your protagonist is probably either hunting or being hunted by something horrible. Either a monster is trying to kill them, the world is trying to kill them, the gods or demons are trying to kill them, or magic is trying to kill them. Again, The Witcher is a great example of Horror Fantasy. Geralt is a hunter of monsters, and often fights things like Werewolves, ghouls, wraiths, and lesheys. Red Riding Hood (2011) is a great example of a vaguely medieval Horror Fantasy. Depending on where you stop the line at what’s horror, what’s fantasy, and what’s Horror Fantasy, you could justify just about anything as Horror Fantasy. From The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with its undead Draugr and vampire clans, to Resident Evil VII with its vampires, or even certain Scooby-Doo! media (though Scooby-Doo! is certainly on the mild end of horror.)

PARANORMAL FANTASY

Unlike Dark Fantasy or Horror Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy takes horror elements and spins them to be more romantic. This is where you’d slot in romantic or atmospheric ghost stories. Tales of witches and vampires in a macabre setting where they’re not the villains. The Addams Family fits the Paranormal Fantasy, as does Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, The Phantom of the Opera, Hotel Transylvania, most Scooby-Doo! media, Beetlejuice, the Halloweentown movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas, or Hocus Pocus. Basically, if it could be a child-friendly Halloween story, or was made by Tim Burton, it’s probably Gothic Fantasy. I guess you could also call this Monster Fantasy, Gothic Fantasy, or Spooky Fantasy.

CONTMPORARY FANTASY

The setting is medieval with castles and princesses, but there’ll also be modern conveniences or nods to pop culture in the land and setting. Dave the Barbarian is a good example of this. The royal family are all barbarians (which basically just means vague warriors that wear fur loincloths), but then they also have malls, and Dave made a megaphone out of a squirrel, some string, and a megaphone. Shrek does this too, especially in Far Far Away with nods to Starbucks and Burger King, among other modern franchises. Disenchantment also uses this as a basis for comedy. Typically, Contemporary Fantasy only uses modern conveniences in a medieval setting as more or less sight gags, punchlines, or to poke fun of corporations and consumerism. These are also the fantasy stories most likely to reexamine tropes and shine a critical light on the genre, whether by showing the farm-boy turned king being royally inept, the mental issues caused by locking the princess in a tower for years of her life, or how quickly princesses married the first man that came along without so much as a conversation beforehand.

URBAN FANTASY

The wizard has a smartphone, the prince has a Grindr, and the city watch patrol the streets on motorcycles. A standard fantasy world has come to the modern age, with skyscrapers, internet, cars, and cellphones. The familiar world gives the audience a firmer foot to ground themselves in this sort of story, compared to something set in the past, but it has its own hurdles. Namely, a modern world still needs a rich history. You also need a story that can’t be solved with a gun and an internet connection. Urban Fantasy is a very broad genre, from Hidden World Fantasy like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, to Merged World Fantasy like RWBY. There’s also some head scratchers like the Warriors Cats books. It’s definitely Urban Fantasy. A cat society living in the forest is a fantasy, and the story is set in our modern contemporary world. But labeling the series beyond Urban Fantasy is where it gets tricky. Isekai borders on Urban Fantasy, as the magical overlaps with the modern world. The Magic Treehouse and the Arthur Spiderwick Chronicles are two great examples of Urban Fantasy in children’s literature. Goosebumps is Urban Horror Fantasy.

ISEKAI FANTASY

These are stories in which an ordinary human (or group of humans) are transported to another world in order to learn a lesson, grow, and come back home wiser, stronger, and ready to face the problems they ran away from. The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan and Wendy, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, as well as movies like Stardust, Coraline, and Spirited Away, or TV shows like Over the Garden Wall, The Owl House, and Amphibia are all prime examples of this type of story. The Chronicles of Narnia is an excellent example because as the series goes on, the older Pevensee children stop needing to go back to Narnia. By Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Peter and Susan have learned all they need to from the other world, and don’t go back, leaving only Edmund and Lucy to go with their cousin instead. Because their arcs are over, they have no reason to return.

ROMANCE FANTASY

It’s a romance novel with supernatural elements. Usually, it’s a human falling in love with something inhuman, which we often call Paranormal Romance. However, this can also include stories of a fairy falling in love with a dwarf, so there’s a wider net here. This isn’t just a story with a romantic subplot, this is your Romeo and Juliet type love stories. Your Beauty and the Beast retellings. The romance is the main plot, and the supernatural elements simply make the romance more exciting or the problems of the couple more entangled in cultural baggage. Obviously, Twilight is a popular example, as is The Cruel Prince, The Captive Prince, and Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay.

MAGITECH FANTASY

This is when a fantasy setting has magic-powered  technology. The guardians and Divine Beasts from Breath of the Wild are a fantastic example of Magitech in a medieval fantasy setting, as are the steam-powered automatons of the Dwemmer in The Elder Scrolls. The Legend of Korra sort of fits here. The world of Avatar has advanced to include airplanes, cars, and radios, none of which are powered directly by bending, but benders do work in power plants, performing lightning bending to generate electricity. It’s certainly a middle ground between steampunk and magitech fantasy. However, the world doesn’t have to necessarily include technology, any setting where magic is a power source for anything can work. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a great example of Magitech Fantasy. Eco is a natural magical resource that give magical powers and effects. So, having doors that open when exposed to the electrical energy of blue eco makes sense. And while it’s never stated, Jak II has many automatic doors in Haven City that may very well run on an electric power grid fueled by blue eco veins. But eco largely gets dropped in the sequel games in favor of guns, though the guns themselves may actually be powered by eco as well. So it’s hard to say. RWBY surprisingly fits into Magitech Fantasy. Like Eco, Dust is a magical natural resource that can be used to create magical effects. The world is full of airships, shape-changing weapons, bullets and other weapons being infused with dust to give them magical effects, and Penny, a definitely real girl.

GASLAMP FANTASY

This is what happens when Steampunk has just enough fantasy elements to land in the Fantasy section. Gaslamp Fantasy is any fantasy story set in the era of gaslamps, while still incorporating fantastical elements. Dracula, Springheel Jack, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Sherlock Holmes vs Dracula, basically, as long as it’s set in a Victorian setting and has supernatural elements, it counts as Gaslamp Fantasy. However, it’s definitely one of the less popular subgeneres, and I couldn’t really name any others.

WUXIA

A fantasy setting that focuses more on East Asian history, folklore, and mythology to craft its setting. Wuxia is a broad term, including everything from Spirited Away to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Dragonball. However, often times in fantasy, European-inspired regions are complicated and diverse, while Asian-inspired regions are homogenizing, if not orientalist. We can differentiate Irish, Scottish, and Welsh folklore from English, but somehow, not treating all Asian cultures like they’re the same is too taxing for some writers. So, if you’re going to tackle writing Wuxia Fantasy, do your homework, try to make the cultures thorough and intricate, and don’t profess yourself an expert on another person’s culture if you’re not Asian yourself.

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

Crack Fic (idk if the first one went through)

———

Velvette's chatting with Niffty on a call about one of the cyclop's works.

The work in question is, allegedly, a "tasteful erotica focusing on the journey of two demons' sexual desires" which is just their code for 'Niffty wrote a 200 chapter Bible of Vox and Alastor getting it on lets fucking GO'.

Anyways. She's beta-ing for her best girlfriend because social media is her domain and RPF smut absolutely counts as social media. Velvette is flipping through one of the chapters and marking down and errors and making comments to Niffty while doing so.

She tosses the empty pen behind her and plucks a new one from her pocket as she passes through a doorway.

"In chapter nine I think you should give Al and Vox some type of incentive to keep going at it. I mean, I enjoy reading about two guys fucking as much as the next person, but seriously these two have been fucking for eight chapters straight using just spit as lube and your boss' shadow…tentacles…"

Velvette trails off as she glances up and realizes she's walked into an Overlord meeting, which should be impossible considering she's at home and because there's another Velvette seated at the table in front of her along with a copy of Vox.

Velvette looks behind her through the doorway. She's not at her house.

She looks forward again.

Everybody's still staring at her.

Niffty is still on the phone, repeatedly asking about what caused her to stop talking.

Velvette chuckles nervously and gestures for the Overlords to hold on for one minute. "Ahahaha…uh, Niffty? Do you think you could get Alastor to come pick me up? I think I'm lost. Yes, this is some magical bullshit. What? No, I'm not in a world where everybody's having an orgy. Yes—no—look, just ask Al to come get me. I don't care if those two are on a date I just need to get home. I don't have his magical fuckery or whatever. Yeah, m'kay. Thanks. Love ya hun. Buh-bye."

Velvette presses the end call button and gives everyone a nod. "Sorry for barging in and shit. I'll leave you all to it."

Velvette turns and sprints off, not willing to entertain whatever bullshit this is.

She hears the sound of several footsteps running after her and curses her shitty luck. If Alastor decides to cut his date with Vox early to help her she's going to have to make it up to him big time.

It did not go through the first time for some reason, Niffty is so unhinged bless her crazy mind

[laurenkmyers]

My gift from Bible exploded in my suitcase (genuinely devastated and heartbroken) so I had to do some creative pouring to get it back into its bottle. It may not look at all like the one Bible made for me with its pretty layers but @bestillmyslashyheart (in an effort to comfort me) said that it’s now like we made it together. And I’m trying to be okay with that. 🖤♥️

[sparklepocalypse]

Okay I wanna hear your recs for when you just wanna get lost in another world!

xoxo MJ/kiwiana-writes

Oh hey, @kiwiana-writes! These are multifandom, because there are so many good fics out there in so many fandoms that just provide such good escapism catalysts! They're also, to nobody's surprise, all epic AUs. (And also, hopefully you're not surprised that one of your fics is on the list. 💕)

RWRB: Where the Spirit Meets the Bones by milowren [WIP; Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, E, 48.7k words] I rarely, rarely start WIPs; this AU is one of few exceptions. Alex's mom buys a Victorian era mansion after the end of her second Presidential term. Part murder-mystery, part romance, part modern magic, all fantastic.

RWRB: A Practical Arrangement by you!! (kiwiana!!) [Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, E, 19.8k words] I'm fairly certain that I yelled at you over multiple platforms when I got to the end of the first chapter of this arranged marriage AU... Henry and Alex have been betrothed for three years, and the big day has finally arrived. Just... a phenomenal story.

RWRB: But I love him, whether or no. by @leaves-of-laurelin [Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, E, 77.1k words] Henry moves to NYC to help Pez open a bar. He falls in love with firefighter Alex, who works at the fire station right across the street. Super great friends-to-lovers AU. RWRB: All the Old Showstoppers by @cha-melodius [Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, E, 20k words] This was one of the AUs that really stood out to me when I first started my deep dive into reading fic in this fandom. Alex skips the royal wedding, and three years later he and Henry meet as competitors on The Great Celebrity Bake Off. Delicious.

Five more multifandom recs under the jump; ask me more sleepover weekend stuff!

MCU: A Story We Must Tell by AHM1121 and MissyRivers [Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes, E, 166.2k words] An epic AU in which ex-military author James Barnes and ex-military lumberjack/fisherman Steve Rogers meet and fall in love. This one took me a couple days to read, and I'm glad I took my time because it's beautiful.

Boyband RPF: The Way You Know Him by Kaelie and Bethann [JC Chasez/Justin Timberlake, M, 191.2k words] This is boyband RPF, but it's so AU that you'll have to squint to recognize the pop stars' personalities. Justin is new to a publishing house, and JC is on the board. I remember when this was first being published, I waited with bated breath every month for The Way You Know Him Day because I loved it so, so much. That has not changed.

Star Trek: Take Refuge in What You Know by CorpusInvictus [James T. Kirk/Spock, E, 120.3k words] Kirk is new to his apartment building and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor, Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's a beautiful enigma. This one will hurt your heart in the best way. Mind the tags, though.

The Pacific: The History Books Forgot About Us (And The Bible Didn't Mention Us) by callmejude [Mariell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge, E, 116.9k words] A canon (history?)-divergent AU in which Eugene and Snafu bond in a different way after one of their squadmates is shot.

Smallville: Family Portrait by tzigane and zaganthi [Clark Kent/Lex Luthor, E, 130.6k words] An AU in which Lex Luthor is orphaned at a young age, and his mother's will stipulates that she wishes for Martha and Jonathan Kent to become his guardians. Slow, slow burn.

[annbourbon]

Liminal Spaces

So I wanted to talk about liminal spaces before heading towards my next post, cause things are gonna get trickier. Liminal spaces, are in essence an empty space, something in between.

Think about physical places that are in between like bridges, crossroads, rivers, lakes, beaches, hallways. Corridors, doorways. Graveyards. A forest glade, some valleys.

And when talking about time, because liminal spaces are not only physical but also mental state. Think about the way you feel or think around dawn, dusk, sunset, afternoon and midnight which are perfect examples of liminal spaces through time. Clouds. Yes, clouds (Please note how Saeran wanted to be represented as a cloud) are also considered liminal. Windows and, mirrors.

So why? Why am I talking about liminal spaces when I should be talking about the Cheritzverse? Well, because it does tie.

The word liminal comes from limen. Which translates from latin into umbral. It is meant to be something between destinations. A transition. Usually making the person feel like it’s experiencing an uncanny valley sort of feeling.

There’s a feeling of eerie loneliness, something that shouldn’t be but it is. That’s why you feel weird when you have to stay after classes, when everything is eerily silent. Classrooms are also liminal spaces, but not because of the place, but because of what they represent: Time is passing by. Time that has stopped. Something in between.

It does not have to be physical to be part of a transition. As long as it’s an area or a state of mind where you feel, it has no purpose, or that it has lost the original purpose, it’s a liminal space. They’re threshold-like.

And here’s where things start to get interesting.

They also exist as magical spaces. People know them as “The In-Between” or “The Otherworld” so we even have celebrations around those liminal spaces: Samhain/Halloween being the most popular worldwide speaking.

Samhain it’s known as a celebration where the veil between this world and the other, is very thin, so thin spirits, fae, and dead, can cross.

Isn’t it curious that crossroads are also perfect to make deals with demons? Nothing here’s a coincidence, because these places/spaces are also great for divination, meditation, spirit work, and astral travel.

And this is where the fairies live. Here, there, nowhere, everywhere. In a corner, in middle of the mist…. their world overlaps with ours. According to mythology and traditional stories, they are usually in transit places. Because apparently these places hold certain type of energy that makes them just right for them.

Through a different frequency, the only ones who can see it are those with certain gifts and lucky ones.

From crossroads, highways, bridges, and even forest glades. Fairies seem to root for something in-between. Do you guys remember how I said to you last time that water it’s conductive? Yes, they can be found near the ocean, lakes, rivers, fountains, waterfalls and even, hang onto it: Islands. (I'm thinking about Jumin's, Saeran's, June's and in some cases Harry's too~)

In the cities and our houses they can be find around the stairs, wardrobes, the stairs and corners. See how they're basically liminal spaces?

According to my fairy bible (see bibliography), some people say its on The Hollows, the prehistoric mounts on Ireland where the Tuatha Danann existed once. The creatures where also known as Sidhe. Another concept is called Tir-nan-Og, a magic city located in the west, across the sea. Or so they say~

Have you ever felt like, you shouldn’t be in a certain place? That you’re not welcomed? Or you’re being watched? There are several places around the houses or old buildings where you will feel it’s cold. Places where you feel a change of energy and it’s better to avoid them. Some places will try to lure you, so it depends.

And that's another thing about fairy worlds, their logic it’s different from ours, which means we’re not meant to understand everything or make it fit, because it will never be. According to my fairy bible (please understand I’m roughly translating this from spanish) there are some cities which you can find or meet through dreams.

Gorias. City of Air and East.

Finias. City of Fire and South.

Murias. Water and West.

Falias. Earth and North.

See? This does not only ties directly with The Doll Room in Nameless and The Dandelion Room we ( @smol-grey-tea and @cherrychipheart ) apparently cannot open~ but also its purpose.

Plus it's also tied with the planets, but we'll leave it here and I'll explain that in my next post♡

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆

Bibliography:

The Fairy Bible by Teresa Moorey

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Links:

♡ Faerie Cities

♡ How Space/Time Magic Works

♡ Liminal Space (Wiki)

♡ Moon-LightFaerie Post about Liminal Spaces (This is gold! I'm following her ASAP♡)

⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆⋆ ₊ ﾟ ☽ * ₊ ⋆

Credits to:

@sapphireicecream

@moon-lightfaerie

[cosmic--dandelion]

So how did we get from this

To this?

Let's talk about the history of Beelzebub!

Beelzebub is strongly associated and indeed often conflated with Baal, a Hellenistic era pagan god worshipped everywhere from the Canaanite city of Ekron to Greece (where he was known as Belus) to Egypt as far back as 1400 BCE. He is first mentioned in the Books of Kings (2 Kings 1:2–3, 6, 16) as Ba'al-zəbûb, meaning "Lord of the Flies" in Hebrew, a possible corruption of "Lord of the High Place" meant to denigrate the deity after he was appropriated and repurposed as a false god, then a demon. Baal worship was extremely difficult for the early Christians to stamp out, so they basically stole other people's mythology and used it as a free idea bucket to fill out the Bible's rogues gallery.

While it's true that in some Ugaritic texts, Baal is depicted as expelling flies and causing sickness, he was still held in high esteem in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia as a powerful deity who controlled the sun, storms, and fertility and who defeated Mot, the god of death and the underworld. The ancient world could get pretty scatological at times! After all, one of Beelzebub's contemporaries, the Egyptian sun god Ra, was often depicted as a dung beetle, then a prominent symbol of rebirth.

Some scholars think he might have even been the same god! Beelzebub seems to have been the ancient world's go-to demon because the name has been used interchangeably with everyone from Lucifer, Satan, and even Hades in some gnostic texts.

Unfortunately, we don't have much information about Beelzebub's pre-Christian origins other than some iron age ruins in what is now modern day Israel that suggest his temples were decorated with little golden flies, which is pretty neat.

Interestingly, Jesus himself was accused of being a worshipper of Beelzebub multiple times in the New Testament. Maybe the Pharisees were projecting?

Throughout the Middle Ages, Beelzebub reappeared again in the Lantern of the Light (where he was associated with the sin of envy), De Occulta Philosophia, Princes of Hell, and other demonology texts. 16th-17th Century French Inquisitor Sébastien Michaelis elevated him to the rank of fallen angel in his book The Admirable History of Possession and Conversion of a Penitent Woman: Seduced by a Magician that Made Her to Become a Witch, translated to English in 1613. It was around this time Beelzebub started to become strongly associated with witchcraft. Michaelis should know; he burnt over 14 women accused of being witches!

Unsurprisingly, his name came up repeatedly during the Salem witch trials.

Beelzebub and fellow demons new and old bounced all over different classifications of demons during the 1500s and 1600s. In John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, first published in 1667, Beelzebub was part of an unholy trinity consisting of him, Lucifer, and Astaroth. Occultist Johan Weyer decreed that Beelzebub was the Emperor of Hell, having led a successful revolt against the devil. German theologian Peter Binsfield described him as the Prince of Gluttony in his 1589 Treatise on Confessions by Evildoers and Witches. Before that, he was associated with Envy, then Pride.

We even have his personal signature! (At least according to the Grand Grimoir, an anonymous text on black magic of unknown origin)

Beelzebub's physical appearance is even more diverse. He's been depicted as everything from a leopard, a feminine man as tall as a tower, a snake, a calf with a fly's face to...whatever the literal hell this is:

"'dressed like a bee and with two dreadful ears and his hair painted in all colors with a dragon's tail"

Jacques Albin Simon Collin de Plancy (1793 – 1881)'s Dictionnaire infernal was among the first to depict Beelzebub literally as a fly. No duck feet, no lion's mane. Just a fly.

Still better than this.

As Plancy was a skeptic influenced by Voltaire, the book was first intended as a folklore compilation but was later modified to fit with Roman Catholic theology after he converted, much to the consternation of his admirers. Many of his lurid illustrations later appeared in S. L. MacGregor Mathers's edition of The Lesser Key of Solomon...for better or for worse.

Put Adrammelech in Helluva Boss you cowards.

So basically, Beelzebub has been a public domain character since before King Tut was laid in his golden sarcophagus, and people have been just making shit up about him for millennia. What's your favorite depictation of Beelzebub? This is mine:

Nothing beats 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons artwork.

[cherrygirlystuff]

Indie Icons: A Tribute to the Indie Music Legends of the 2000s

Hey babe! 🌸 If you’re like me and can’t get enough of the raw, rebellious spirit of 2000s indie music, then you’re in for a treat. Welcome to Indie Icons, where we’re diving deep into the legends who defined the sound, the style, and the scene of the indie music world during the early 2000s. Get ready for a nostalgic journey through discographies, rare live footage, and some seriously aesthetic concert photography. Grab your favorite band tee, turn up the volume, and let’s get into it! 🎧✨

The Indie Revolution: How 2000s Indie Music Shaped a Generation 🌟

The 2000s were an iconic era for indie music – a time when garage rock made a comeback, electro-pop got gritty, and bands with names you couldn’t quite pronounce took over your playlist. It wasn’t just about the music; it was about a whole vibe, a movement that rejected the mainstream in favor of something raw, authentic, and undeniably cool.

From the grungy basements of Brooklyn to the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles, indie bands were creating the soundtrack to our lives, one lo-fi, distortion-filled track at a time. These bands didn’t just make music; they created entire worlds that we could lose ourselves in. And now, we’re here to pay tribute to those indie icons who made it all happen.

1. Deep Dives Into Discographies: The Soundtracks to Our Lives 🎶

Let’s talk about the music – the tracks that defined an era and became the anthems of our youth. We’re diving deep into the discographies of some of the most influential indie bands of the 2000s, exploring the albums that made us fall in love with them in the first place.

The Strokes: Ah, The Strokes – the band that pretty much defined early 2000s indie rock. Their debut album, Is This It, was a game-changer, with its raw, gritty sound and effortlessly cool vibe. Tracks like “Last Nite” and “Someday” became instant classics, and Julian Casablancas’ drawling vocals became the voice of a generation. We’ll take a closer look at how Is This It influenced not just indie music, but the entire rock scene, and how the band’s subsequent albums continued to push the boundaries of the genre.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fronted by the fierce and fabulous Karen O, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs brought a whole new level of intensity to the indie scene. With their mix of punk energy, art-rock sensibilities, and Karen O’s unforgettable stage presence, they quickly became one of the most beloved bands of the era. We’ll dive into their discography, from the explosive Fever to Tell to the more experimental It’s Blitz!, and explore how they managed to stay true to their roots while constantly evolving their sound.

Arcade Fire: Hailing from Montreal, Arcade Fire brought a sense of grandeur and emotion to indie music that was truly unique. Their debut album, Funeral, was a masterpiece of orchestral arrangements, poignant lyrics, and soaring melodies. We’ll explore how Funeral became a touchstone for indie fans, and how the band’s later albums, like Neon Bible and The Suburbs, continued to capture the complexity of modern life with unmatched depth and beauty.

Interpol: With their dark, brooding sound and sharp, tailored aesthetic, Interpol brought a sense of mystery and sophistication to the indie scene. Their debut album, Turn On the Bright Lights, was a moody, atmospheric journey that resonated with anyone who’d ever felt a little lost in the city lights. We’ll dive into how Interpol’s music captured the essence of urban alienation, and why tracks like “Obstacle 1” and “Evil” still hit so hard today.

2. Rare Live Footage: Reliving the Magic of Indie Concerts 🎥

There’s nothing quite like the energy of a live indie show – the sweat, the crowd, the feeling that anything could happen. For those of us who were lucky enough to see these bands live, the memories are electric. But even if you weren’t there, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with some rare, must-see live footage that captures the magic of these performances.

Arcade Fire at Coachella 2005: This legendary performance is the stuff of indie folklore. With the sun setting over the desert, Arcade Fire took the stage and delivered a set that was as emotional as it was powerful. The footage captures the band at their peak, with Win Butler’s intense vocals and Régine Chassagne’s ethereal presence creating a moment that felt almost otherworldly.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Reading Festival 2002: Karen O was known for her wild, unpredictable stage presence, and this performance is a perfect example. Dressed in a glittering outfit and with energy that seemed boundless, Karen O led the band through a set that was equal parts chaos and brilliance. The rawness of the footage only adds to the feeling that you’re right there in the crowd, experiencing the madness firsthand.

The Strokes at MTV 2 Dollar Bill Show 2002: This intimate performance is a time capsule of everything that made The Strokes so special. Playing in a small, packed venue, the band delivers a set that’s full of swagger, with Julian Casablancas’ signature nonchalance and the band’s tight, punchy sound. The footage is grainy and imperfect – just like the indie scene itself – but that’s what makes it so authentic.

3. Aesthetic Concert Photography: Capturing the Indie Sleaze Vibe 📸

Let’s be real – indie concerts weren’t just about the music; they were also about the vibe. The fashion, the energy, the sense of being part of something that was just a little bit underground. We’ve curated a collection of aesthetic concert photography that perfectly captures the look and feel of the indie sleaze era.

Black-and-White Grit: There’s something about black-and-white photography that just screams indie. The contrast, the shadows, the way it captures the raw energy of a live show – it’s the perfect way to relive the magic of those early 2000s concerts. Our collection features iconic shots of bands like The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Interpol, taken by photographers who were right there in the thick of it, capturing every sweaty, ecstatic moment.

Lo-Fi Magic: Remember when digital cameras were still kind of a novelty? The lo-fi quality of early digital concert photography gives these images a grainy, almost dreamlike feel. These photos aren’t about perfection – they’re about capturing the spirit of the moment. We’ve got shots of Arcade Fire playing to a packed crowd, Karen O mid-scream, and Julian Casablancas looking effortlessly cool as always. Each photo is a little piece of indie history, a snapshot of a time when music felt like the most important thing in the world.

Polaroids and Instant Film: For the ultimate indie sleaze vibe, nothing beats a Polaroid. These instant snapshots capture the spontaneous, unfiltered energy of the indie scene. We’ve got a gallery of Polaroid shots taken backstage, in the crowd, and during those wild, unplanned moments that made every indie show feel like an adventure. There’s something so intimate about these photos – they make you feel like you’re right there, living it all over again.

Final Thoughts, Gorgeous: Let’s Celebrate the Indie Icons Who Shaped Our World 🌟

Indie music in the 2000s was more than just a genre – it was a movement, a lifestyle, and a way of seeing the world. The bands we’ve celebrated here weren’t just making music; they were creating something that we could hold onto, something that spoke to our souls in a way that nothing else could. Whether you were moshing in the front row or discovering these bands years later, the impact of their music is undeniable.

So let’s keep the indie spirit alive, babe. Dive into those discographies, relive those live performances, and get lost in the aesthetic magic of concert photography. Because at the end of the day, these indie icons gave us more than just music – they gave us a way to see the world, and for that, we’ll always be grateful.

What’s your favorite memory of the indie music scene? Let’s chat in the comments about your favorite bands, live shows, and everything else that made the 2000s such an incredible time for music! 💕