#once again i am not a believer

[skin-slave]

Piss Christ is just to make conservatives mad. It's not that deep lmao

I get it, anon. I truly do. When I was a kid, it was included in so many sermons. It was held up as an example of the disrespect of the secular world and of "degenerate art." (I don't recall how it was phrased, but there were literal burnings during my attendance. Call a spade a spade.) And I loved it. I loved how much they hated it. I wanted to see their power crack, to be free of their control. And to hurt them back, bc sometimes the wounded lash out.

But I was wrong. Does it have that effect? Of course. Is that the point of the piece? No. The artist created it from a place of belief. It was intended to be Christian art.

It asks questions that are worth asking.

Is that small, mass-produced plastic crucifix a holy object? It's a piece of plastic, shaped and dyed overseas by ppl who were likely not believers. Does that matter? At what point between assembly line and bookstore shelf does it become more than a piece of plastic?

Is it the image it's formed into? How much authority does that give it? Has the image been elevated to something near (if not directly) idolatry? Is it as important as faith? Is it more important?

Is that what faith is? A little plastic crucifix to put on the wall? Something with a price tag? Something simple and easy? Something to set this particular household, this family, apart from the heathens next door?

Is it an expression, or a performance? Do we know the difference?

Why is this little plastic crucifix something to be protected, while children eat cross-shaped chocolates at Easter? While you throw forgotten drawings of the crosses on the hill into the trash when Sunday school is over? While we print it on t-shirts to wear to Wal-Mart, on bumper stickers to fade and peel off? On tracts to be crumpled in pockets and dropped on the ground? What makes the treatment of this image, in this situation, different from the way it's treated by other believers?

Was Jesus' physical body also holy? Are you prepared to think of him as a man who picked food from between his teeth, and pissed, and got BO and morning wood? Is being in a body so shameful that you can't accept his body as it was? Is the idea of perfection so important that rejecting him as a man is justified? Is that what faith is?

How many believers have insisted that they would kneel at the cross? Would they, really? Could a person who can't handle a photograph stand to kneel in the mud made from his sweat, blood and piss? Could a person who collects sterile plastic crucifixes stomach the smell? Could a modern believer watch a man die, screaming blasphemy while speedrunning the stages of grief?

Are those ppl - the dirty and ugly and needy and angry and dying and blasphemous - "the least of these"? If not them, then who? If not them, then why?

How many, who would right now be claiming that their faith is strong enough to do that, have no idea wtf they're promising? How many pay a nurse to bathe their elderly parents? How many cross the street to avoid ppl who haven't bathed in a while? How many look down on ppl who sweat for a living, who do the unglamorous work, who can never quite get the smell of diesel or fryer oil off of their hands? How many expect others to cover up scars, birthmarks, deformities, disabilities and illnesses? How many are impatient with those who need help, who are living inside of their pain, who blame god?

The piece is uncomfortable bc it juxtaposes something clean and convenient with something gross and messy. It's uncomfortable, so ppl sent the artist death threats. It's uncomfortable, so ppl committed vandalism in museums. It's uncomfortable, so ppl printed off copies of it to burn in effigy.

Is that what faith is?

[isjasz]

a hazy temptation -> stealing your breath definitelynottober day 9

well the prompt basically told me to do it so 💥👍

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Bonus 8: How met your mother (CSSR design by @qourmet!)

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[egophiliac]

BIRD SSR????????????

NOOOO I wasted all my keys on Platinum Malleus, HOW CAN THEY DO THIS TO ME

(I do kinda love that this is officially "Raven Jacket" Crowley though) (does this open up the possibility of a selection of future Crowley fashion cards)

[dittydipity]

going INSANE. what is he thinking. why did he say this. why does he do all of this. i am thinking so hard.

we know he's seeking arceus to recreate the world bc in his eyes the world is cruel and unjust and it needs to be destroyed and remade. he's set himself on a mission to create the better reality he's envisioned for his whole life.

but everything else he does. the way he spends his time on pasio making people smile with togepi. even if he justifies it as something purely transactional to get more customers, we know he doesn't really take his merchant job seriously. the way he loves his pokemon so much that they will pop out of their pokeball to excitedly tell whoever will listen how much they love volo back. him trying to capture these moments of happiness tangibly because they never last long and can be wiped away any second.

he still hangs onto hope so much despite what's implied to have happened to him. in spite of all the anger and bitterness that's festered in him, he doesn't really want to destroy everything as he says.

it all started with a wish for the world to be a better place, for the good in the world to outweigh all the cruelty. he's still trying to spread what happiness he can.

but at the same time his past drags behind him and reminds him that he can't afford to trust in the goodness of the world.

that self-assigned mission to usurp arceus's power and rewrite everything.. to him, it's his duty now. he has to do it for himself and, as he rationalizes to himself, for the world.

so he ignores the flaws and holes he finds in his own reasoning. he can't help but seek out the brightness and happiness and goodness that does exist in the world, yet he has to dismiss it to justify his goals.

... all this to try and explain to myself why volo's asking all these questions and making all these comments that seem to go against what we'd expect given his ulterior motive and plans. and it's like he's asking the few friends he has to remember him as the one who seeks joy, even when he does the worst to fulfill his dreams

[foxstens]

i feel like we tend to forget about this when we talk about kevin

[mohntilyet]

they hated illario because he was a d1 yapper who was bad at assassinating people and was so annoyingly drunk and grief stricken at his cousin’s wake that viago had to drug him to shut him up (so what if he was also the guy who set his cousin up to die/disappear) . and also for working with the venatori and selling out the antivan crows i guess.

[plusultraetc]

stop he's a baby 😭

[escaping-peril12]

BRO??!?!??1?!?

[itspileofgoodthings]

anyway my family, especially my parents, are suffering so much so if you could say a prayer I would really appreciate it!

[golyadkin]

this fake dating thing is tough

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

Still very wild to me when people try to gotcha Jason with the whole "if you can kill other people for being evil why can't they kill you" when jason is like. One of the most passively suicidal characters I've ever seen. What if man

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Laios's three Boy Best Friends. And yes, they hate him.

[just-a-sewer-goblin]

Simon has a bad dream about you, it's not specified what he dreams but if you read the comics, you'll know what I'm referring to....

Simon looks at you, devastation is his eyes and when you try to touch him he draws back.

"I dreamt of you.", he rasps and it makes something in you squirm uncomfortably. Evidently it was not a good dream.

"What happened Simon.", you ask carefully. He sighs and looks to the ceiling but you still catch a glimpse of the way his eyes are glassy and wet.

"Lovie, I...", his voice breaks and he looks at you wet eyes begging you to help him. "I did things to you. Horrible horrible unimaginable things. I... what the fuck.", he whispers and you see the first tear fall.

You knew Simon struggled with violent thoughts and fantasies. The only blessing he was given was that they had never included you.

You eyes find his and you're face is nothing but pure love. "It's okay, Simon. It was just a dream."

He shakes his head. "How can my brain even think of something like that. The usual thoughts and dreams are bad enough but you?! I would never do that to you."

When you hear the shattering guilt in his voice you step into his space and wrap your arms around him. He doesn't return the gesture but he allows you to hold him, which is a good sign.

"Exactly, darling. Human brains come up with fucked up shit a lot. Having those thoughts does not make you a bad person. Acting out those thoughts would make you a bad person. But instead you choose the opposite.", you soothe and he finally wraps his arms around you as well, hiding his face against you.

"There you go, Simon. I've got you. You choose to be soft with me, even if you have violent thoughts, and that is who you are. Your thoughts don't define you, your actions do."

He exhales shudderingly and cradles you in his arms, as if you'd break if he moved wrong. Soaking up your gentleness like it's the only thing keeping him alive.

"I love you.", you murmur.

Simon squeezes you in his arms twice in response.

[scorpiusmalfoylovesoscarwilde]

yall know that "you're on the edge of the bed, you're bout to fall off" sound that's going round tiktok rn? anyway, that's so drastoria on their wedding night fr

draco is often depicted as very sexual and experienced and dominant in fanfics, especially in dramione. but leik,,, did we read the same fucking books?? 😭 does that look like a man comfortable with being vulnerable and naked with someone??? absolutely NOT, he is blushing and stuttering and on the edge of the bed thank you very much, he does not know what to do with himself.

draco malfoy is a chronic virgin, pass it on

[messiahzzz]

When I came across that "joke" from Tav to Quill and Z'rell's comment (plus Halsin), I had to take a minute to process what happened. Gale might be a bit silly and eccentric but he's the kindest, sweetest and most passionate character in that party. No wonder the poor man has deep insecurities to solve, so many people reduce him to an easy target! Ofc one of the side effects would be overconfidence and ambition as a defense mechanism. He's obv lonely; only Tara and Morena ever loved him for him.

his eccentric nature might be a part of it. he is loquacious, outgoing, and doesn’t see the point in hiding his enthusiasm. he is considered to be the weird one. naturally, wizards in general being seen as somewhat squishy and physically weak might also add to it.

personally, i really don’t like the implications of the (widely considered) autistic-coded character being the one who faces the most ridicule by far by other characters and fans (and larian) alike.

some might disagree with me on that, but i don’t find it funny by any means either. mostly it just makes me feel bad. “he deserves it. cocky, arrogant, hubris-ridden wizard needs to be taken down a peg” like he isn’t… y’know… already at his lowest. it also disregards the fact that much of his bravado is part of his carefully curated Great Wizard of Waterdeep™ persona that he has skillfully adopted to mask his general feeling of being defective. being fiercely proud of your skill and knowledge and being doubtful of having something truly worthwhile to offer are mindsets that can coexist. according to fandom, gale is either secret hubris incarnate that is only waiting to be unleashed upon the world or pure baby that can do no wrong. instead of a character that is just as flawed and traumatized as all the others, but no less deserving of genuine love.

to me, the constant ridicule just reads as further feeding into his deep-rooted insecurities and his belief that he (as gale, the person) isn’t someone who holds inherent worth. it really, really doesn’t sit well with me.