#or that our beliefs couldn't overlap

[romcomeon]

❝ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐉𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆. . . ❞

╰┈➤ THEY'RE MY EVERYTHING... | HEADCANON POST

question : "Can a demon possess loyalty?" AKA demon brothers vs people trying to pry their way into their relationships.

pairing.s : Lucifer x MC, Mammon x MC, Leviathan x MC, Satan x MC, Asmodeus x MC, Beelzebub x MC, Belphegor x MC [all separately]

note : my first try on headcanons! or, honestly, posting my headcanons. These are just little sillies I thought of while listening to the first part of "There Are Other Ways" and I want to explore more on it. Sure we get snippets of the brothers rejecting people in the game, but I wanted to look more into it. So, here we are!!

In our story, let's put the brothers in a simple experiment.

It's a common belief that unfaithfulness is linked to a demon's trickery. So much so that many partners caught in the act would blame the devil's work. "A Temptress" they'd speak, ridiculing both parties. As much as the act of sin contributes to their power, would they so much as indulge in such?

HOWEVER. . .

It's also a common principle to fuel your own power. As people of status, you'd care for your the fuel of your strength, wouldn't you? In the end, it's all trickery. It's all just a tempting vice. It was only temporary. Although, even then, there seem to be exceptions to the rule. No matter the amount of mock temptation, they remain the one thing contradicting the premise of their power: loyalty.

LUCIFER ; "It's disgusting how you even thought of trying."

Excuse you? He's offended by that question.

Let's ignore his position of giving Diavolo his absolute loyalty — these are two completely separate cases.

Although yes it falls into grey areas that overlap with one another, though what's the change?

Demon Prince aside, Lucifer is utmost loyal to his beloved lamb. It was simply equal in priority.

In fact, he takes pride in his love for you no matter what others suggest. He's a private man, he doesn't need his relationships to take center stage.

Oh sure he's not as affectionate as he is behind closed doors, but does it equate to anything else? He belongs to you as much as you belong to him. His.

Anything less was pitiful, a stung at his pride. Settling for someone who doesn't meet the standard of his beloved is such a sad, sad thought...

You'd be delusional to think he'd do that.

So when he went on as an escort for an all-powerful witch, watching them all doe-eyed and fawning over him, Lucifer couldn't catch a break.

Convincing him to drop everything with his lamb and start anew is on the same plane as Solomon trying to make a pact with the avatar.

You'd be correct to say that the answer was impossible.

The audacity of this vixen is palpable. Perhaps even admirable.

Lucifer would immediately dismiss their actions. He doesn't have the time to engage with others — much less someone testing his patience.

He'd go and talk them out of it, making his feelings clear.

The quicker he's out of this ordeal, the better. What a bother... he wished he could ask for a more tolerable person.

Those pet names and whistles mean nothing to him, as he continues to walk away. If they follow him then he'd give them a well-deserved scolding. If he's feeling particularly stressed that day, then whoever witnesses the cardinal display ought to keep their mouth shut.

We wouldn't want any issue now, do we?

As soon as that's dealt with, Lucifer grabs his DDD. After all, don't ignore the message that orders you to come to his study later that night.

It's a stress relief; more or less.

MAMMON ; "What's ya deal? Yer getting on my nerves.."

Was that even a question? Are you challenging him, babe?

Ya better put more trust in yourself if you think the GREAT Mammon's going to be replacing you; hell he doesn't care if it's for a one-night stand.

His type consists of you. YOU.

And he's a greedy demon. Very much so. As soon as his sky-blue eyes lock their gaze on any precious item he wants, it's over. Much like the inherent nature, being greedy for a particular item allows someone to disregard everything else.

Yes yes it's bad for a mortal but does it even matter? You're his only for as much as he is yours. Your first.

When out at the Fall, Mammon would get the occasional flirts and staring. Honestly, it's an ego booster, plus, he's a model so can ya really blame them?

But when one particular candidate steps too far and tries to get passed his comfort zone... well...

This wasn't entertaining at ALL.

Though he really swears to his father. This bitch...

It was annoying. Very fucking damn annoying.

Hello? Are they deaf? He said he's not interested. They'd think they're better than his dear treasure? Pft-- a turd among diamonds. No more than a lowly piece of shit that will never do garbage justice.

If it's just the talking stage, then Mammon would just scoff and walk it off. He's impolite? Stop wasting the Great Mammon's plans, will ya?

The words that escape that bitch's lips were really ticking Mammon's desire to punch them in the face as a warning.

Instead, what he does is strain their ego. While pushing them away he goes on and about how you were just as GREAT as himself. He sees himself as having no partner other than you.

E..er- of course you don't find out! You'll never do... [You eventually did]

If things ever do get physical, then... Sorry darling. The Devildom was the last place you'll ever be shown mercy.

And don't mind if he goes clinging onto you as soon as he's back at HoL. His hugs are tighter than usual? No it isn't. Stop, you're hallucinating.

It's merely a reminder of how in a world of foolery he's struck gold. You're his jackpot and losing you to someone of lower value is...

Alright, quick, calm him down. Reward him, won't you? You don't have to, but he'll be happier.

LEVIATHAN ; "It's stupid, OK!? Can't even fucking aim .."

Him? Are you serious?

He can't even properly make eye contact with someone for the life of him and you expect him to even think of flirting back at others?

You give him too much credit that it makes him blush. Like- It's- well... actually is like (un)holy jeez you're adorable for that.

"But what if they want to be his duo partner?"

It's not very poggers of you to say that.

You're his only friend on Nekopets that he sends gifts to, if anything HE should be the one worrying about others flirting with you.

Levi swears that you're too good for this world.

But you know better. The otaku rarely sees how his classmates are probably crushing on him since he's only been focused on his syntax error self-esteem. Gamer boys are all the rage, especially a cute one that just so happens to be one of the lords of anime hell so...

Yes, he has experienced them. He was less than amused, wanting to just shy away locked up in his room --- preferably with you so that he can game all night, watch anime, and board games are up, yeah? Away from all the normies? That's the life.

The ones that do get annoying are those who flirt with him online. Like, oh, that's a new level of ew.

Like, excuse you? Are you really flirting with him on VC while he [and the other league members] are actually trying to defeat the enemy team?

It gets worse when the person acts like they no nothing about the game, or have a purpose sloppy gameplay in hopes that "dEaR lEv1aChAn WoUlD cArRy ThEm"

Ya know what's sexier? Actually playing the game you—

—well, that trash-talking aside, clearly he's off-limits. He'll even go as far as ranting about it in whatever group chat comes first. It goes especially worse when it causes him to lose focus/his MVP streak.

He has then never played online for a week after that encounter.

It is less likely to happen face-to-face out in the open, and he'll very much express discomfort.

But if the beloved snake boy texts you to come to his room all lowercase with a period? Be there and don't forget to bring snacks.

And a charger, because you'll stay there for a long time.

SATAN ; "Mercy? Oh, I'll make you beg for mercy..."

You got to be fucking kidding him.

The mere thought of someone even thinking of taking him away from his dear sends his blood boiling.

What's that? Do they think a mere act of seduction is enough? Pathetic.

He already knows what he's gonna do, would you ever prefer an option ranging from "immobilized" to "dead beyond repair".

It's all a sum of deathly solutions, but can you blame him? He sees no one but you who is capable of showing him the light in this darkness.

And so whenever he gets reminded of the thought, be sure to be there at his side.

Hold him, talk to him, in your room or anywhere where you're both away from the peering eyes of the world. Your presence alone is enough to satiate whatever wrath urges to burst out of his system.

You're the only one who makes him truly satisfied, and there's no one else. You should be grateful that he even lets you near his vicinity without being reduced to blood and ashes.

The threats aren't as serious when it comes to you.

So in this case where he was enjoying his leisure time alone, he was then approached by someone.

When they started talking it did irk him. 'Don't you have someone else to annoy?' would be his first thought.

Yet things do get worse when things escalate.

This person has some audacity to flirt with him while he is taken.

Asking him out in the library was one thing, but peering over him? Practically pinning him to the shelves?

How improper of them.

While it looks like he doesn't care at all for the other's actions, even so far as to seemingly reciprocate their feelings [which, honestly, really? dream harder], Satan had felt something fuming inside of him.

It was taking him a lot of willpower to not just outright lunge at the person's throat and make them regret every single word that escaped their mouth.

To maintain decency, Satan had also ratted them off for their actions. While sounding oddly polite, one could hear the anger in his tone. All flat and sounding like a mockery.

When it starts getting physical, that's where the Avatar of Wrath draws the line. The already paper-thin line was shattered to pieces as the surroundings get just a bit darker.

How foul their words were, and as how Satan would phrase it: disgusting.

Any nearby demon would go and lock the library as silently as they could. No one would dare become the fourthborn's next victim.

Some can say how the harsh threats turn into incoherent growls, as the screams draw quieter...

They'd hope they'd be lucky enough to just crawl out of this room permanently mute after the next few hours.

ASMODEUS ; "Sorry darling but this doll isn't for playtime."

[GASP] How rude~!

Real talk, he is MOSTLY the reason why we're having this discussion in the first place.

An oh, darling, if only the answer was just as simple.

You see, Asmo here has found a sweet grey area on all of this. Of course, his sin partially drives the force of desire towards himself.

As much as the Avatar of Lust adored the attention he gets from fans. they're nothing more than that. All the #asmobabies out there are nothing but his fans.

He likes to put on a show, he likes to play pretend; flirting back to get a cute reaction or blowing a kiss to hear the masses squeal.

Though, play close attention --- it's all an act. Half of these sweet compliments are empty calories.

Asmodeus is a showman, yearning for the world to have all eyes on him, and he loves it that way. He himself knows it's an act because at the end of it all was his heart tied to his one and only biggest fan.

Of course it's you!! Aren't you just the cutest? It's too cruel to disagree!!!

Though let's push him in the experiment anyway. Just because you embody all of lust doesn't suddenly mean you're a master of "no feelings necessary".

What a lucky day! One of his fans fiercely goes up at him as they're both isolated at the back of the RAD building.

Aww... how adorable...~

Indulging and using his sin against him? Someone's rather naughty.

Like the other occurrences, he'll tag along. That's right, boo, all doe-eyed for his captivating presence. Chant him praises --- he's heard half of those over a lifetime, honey~!

Oh? We're feeling a bit creative now, are we? Whoops! Distances, baby!

Hand on his waist? Peering over his shoulder? Whispering to him in a low tone? Asking him out for a drink?

Ah if this wasn't any least bit entertaining then Asmo would roll his eyes at them. This was practically the classic Asmo fan bingo [homewrecker edition].

To all that, Asmodeus looks at them with a mischievous smirk. Taunting them to move closer, maybe even grabbing their chin in the process... and what does he do...?

His gaze darkened amidst his sweet tone. All remnants of seduction in his voice were replaced with a playfully dangerous tone. It was a mystery on whatever did the Avatar of Lust said, but a few witnesses have commented on how it was one of the hottest scariest moments they have ever heard.

Anyhow~! That's just the final trick! Most of them back off as soon as Asmo starts singing sweet praises for his dearest!

Seriously, it just made him want to be even more affectionate with you.

BEELZEBUB ; "I appreciate your feelings, but it's a no."

At first, he probably hadn't heard the question, too busy munching down some food in your company.

He looks down at you with a confused glint in his eyes.

Okay? He acknowledges their feelings, but his heart already belongs to someone.

He has dealt with a lot of admirers in his many years. Look at him, tall, kind, one of the powerful lords of the realm, and also athletic? He practically hits the jackpot.

Most of the time they were equally as nice, understanding how the glutton won't ever return their feelings.

Though seriously, he gives the aura of a heartbreaker.

Beel has never realized how many hearts he's broken. The kindest rejections oftentimes are the ones that hurt most.

As far as the others go, he's more respectful when dismissing others' advances. A simple word, no questions asked, and you're good to go.

An example of it was when someone, probably a person he talked to once at RAD, approached him after one of his Fangol practices.

He vividly recalls them clutching onto a reddish-orange envelope, their face was very red.

Okay so the person offered to be his new partner -?? That was weird. They went on this weird tangent on how they'd cook him meals for eternity, offer water on all his games, and just overall blurted their heart out.

Beel was surprised. It's not every day that you get confessed to, and there was more in the letter? Should he be... glad? Would that be wrong?

Though as soon as they got too touchy for comfort that's where the orange-haired golden retriever jolted out a "No!"

He explained to them how he was not interested in this relationship, and that he was more than content with his current status. And with his precious pumpkin pie.

Though that person never stopped, leaning over desperately chattering out how they were better than that coltish human and it was..?

Let's just say that when he heard your voice calling his name from afar, he pushed the person away.

He was mad, but even then he apologized before running off to his sweetest. Hell's Kitchen? Beel was practically salivating at the mouth.

It was an odd story.

BELPHEGOR ; "I've already told you. Now scram."

Simple: Are ya the human? No? Fuck off.

That's a wrap, we can now end it here.

No one dies.

He barely even interacts with anyone so what gives? Do you pity him? He doesn't think so.

Alright, ugh, I'll give you a proper answer... You owe him at least a night's worth of cuddles for this.

You're one of the only exceptions. Be glad.

It doesn't get simpler than "Is this his cuddle bug or some asshole?" and it works 100% of the time.

Belphie doesn't get as much amount of these "harassments" as his brothers. He cares for very few people to even notice anyone gawking eyes at him.

But once he does notice, he sighs.

He knows it's his fault.

Therefore he initiates one of the few actions he's a master at while not requiring as much energy: ignoring people.

What? If ya aren't talking back then they'll just give up.

That was how most of those times went.

Like that pitiful moment when someone just kept going on while Belphie works on something else [sleep] without a care in the world.

Seriously, how long was this?

Belphie interfered when things were getting physical. And EVEN THEN he still looked up at him, infuriatingly annoyed, while flatly saying "Can you shut up? I'm trying to concentrate. Now, scram."

After that no one ever dared to confess to the avatar of Sloth while he was asleep.

Maybe if he is awake? Good luck with that.

If there's even a millisecond where he isn't in your close proximity.

ADDITIONAL A/N: I apologize [not] for how unserious half of these were :sob: But woo! First official post on this account! Can't wait to see what comes in the future. Oh, and, lemme know what you think! Do you agree? Do you have different scenarios? Are they a bit OOC or do they fit perfectly with the character? Let me know!! <33

divider/s by @/cafekitsune | artwork by NTT Solmare

[rubrumacai]

Preface for the sake of my anxiety: I very much hope that me getting excited about this au is exciting for you or at least neutral and not annoying or weird. For in sols and time, my opinion is that it’s pretty obvious that Bonnie can only be shuanshuan (small child). It’s also been established that Siffrin is Yi (player character, the whole dying thing). You’ve made poles to get opinions on the other 3 main party members. Now I’m curious about the major characters outside of the party. (Loop, Euphrasie, The King, Petronille, maybe Claude, maybe Change God+Universe).

For Petronille I would like to put on the table that if Bonnie is Shuanshuan, Nille must also be an apeperson, therefore, the options available are 1. Shennong, 2. Shuanshuan’s parents (dead), or my least favorite, 3. The shaman or guru.

1 has quite interesting comedic value, and 2 has some incredible angst potential if Siffrin is still the one to propose the various Occurrences relating to New Kunlun.

For The King, both of my ideas are ones that overlap with possibilities for other characters, Jiequan could be possible mostly because of the villainous intent, but also the belief that the torture is genuinely a good thing, because The King does think he’s helping. The other is Eigong, also pretty simple reasoning. Eternity + the connection to Yi/Siffrin.

Loop could be Ji, for less of a specific reason and more just vibes. Weird annoying little fella, Knows things, something something immortality. This is of course assuming that the plan isn’t to strictly maintain twohats.

For Euphrasie if you enjoy the Euphrasie is an islander thing (technically confirmed non canon but still an enjoyable au) and also make The King Eigong, there’s also that connection because Goumang was also a student of Eigong (I’m pretty sure).

Other way you could do it is have Euphrasie be Eigong and Claude be Goumang. I’m not sure who else Claude could be if Euphrasie is Goumang.

For the Change God+Universe and their associated religions, they could be something with the two major contrasting ideologies in nine sols. I’m not certain which would be which, or how close that aspect would even translate.

Questions about different aspects:

Who lives?

Full time loops or closer to nine sols with regeneration?

Are you planning a tragic, bittersweet, or happy ending. Or multiple with a branching timeline (leads to next question)

mentioned before, but is loop still a Siffrin who gave up? Couldn’t get a happy ending but helps our Siffrin get there?

Alright this is a lot so I may take a few chunks at a time here...

Starting off, yep! Bonbon is the shuanshuan, obvious choice as the child and even has the added bonus of 'im helping by cooking for everyone' being a shared motivator for both kiddos. If shennong isn't in the defender role (which seems likely with how the polls are going rn) then he is defo the petronille standin, big unc got frozen and shuanshuan ran out of the village just in time to avoid the big freeze.

Some of these roles are still in the air (hence the polls) because I just couldn't nail down which 'combo' I wanted for the main party- a big part of that being Heng and ji's involvements.

Heng is... Gone .... In Canon but the tree connections are strong with her and I could see her making a wish at the tree™ to bring her brother back(so a sort of reverse loop situation, kinda). If she is the mira this complicates things because then it would be more likely that she would be the looper with the trigger centered on her brother...

and ji-while sharing the knowledge and disposition of loop to a degree- has no real connection to yi himself outside of the 'Long awaited death'. Ji would make a great head housemaiden actually (not that I'm using him there). His agelessness would also be a thing to work around- how long was he there? Before the loops?

You were pretty on the mark with the eigong prediction, the 'roots' stabilizing her head would instead flow out like the kings hair and so that imagery of viney hair snaking thought the 'house' would be retained. I toyed with the idea of there being a nebulous 'terror' boss and then eigong being a corrupt head housemaiden of a sort (kind at first, then you realize what's wrong- but at this point no one would believe you type deal) but ultimately decided that'd go way too fast with how yi's logic brain works.

The 'claude bomb" would be the equivalent of the gene eradicator- something goumang crafted up but never finished and requires your usual components to get made, it disables the final boss's attacks every few turns(like jiequans fight). goumang was kinda tough to place but yeah- the 'fellow student/housemaiden' role fits her well and I couldn't see her anywhere else in the game except maybe in town before the gang goes to the 'house'

I am not planning on adapting taoism into the change belief (I don't know nearly enough about tao to adapt it in any way except from the aesthetic in nine sols itself) so it will be pretty standard isat-verse religion going on- with the added bonus of the wishing trees being a little quirky~ and the island being a bit remixed away from the stars theme.

If lady E isn't the Mira then she will take up the head housemaiden role, still polishing that up so not much to say there.

Some of the sadness(mutant) bosses are going to be reskinned into more familiar faces- specifically the floor bosses like the twins( °v° ) and the big ball head.

Seeing as loop is still undecided I can't say for sure the tone of the end arc, but I love me some terrible gorey whump leading to a fluff fest so brace yourself accordingly. There will be death- but in the 'only the king dies and all of those gruesome things we saw were in the past loops so they can't hurt us" way. There will be a Bonnie act 4 equivalent so fair warning for that, but a lot of the self loathing will be toned down in favor of frustration for yi as the protag.

If I can't put jiequan anywhere main role wose maybe I'll put him as an optional boss or sm shit, or he's that dude with the "totally awesome secret book" with the key in it- I will put him somewhere!

Thanks for showing interest in this silly au, I'm very excited to peice this thing together!

[darkshrimpemotions]

Hello! I've been following your blog ever since the finale of The Winchesters and really love all of the metas you've done, they're all very well made.

I have a question about your thoughts on The Leak. I saw that you had made 2 vague posts about it and how the SPN side of tumblr has been treating it, namely poorly (to speak in delicate terms). I'm currently writing a piece about why potentially this attitude is going on, and why it is so pervasive. I'm asking you since you have obviously been in this fandom far longer than I have, and would like to get a second opinion from someone who may potentially have a more comprehensive view on this issue.

However, I completely understand if you don't respond to this as this is an issue that deals heavily with spoilers. I just thought you're 2 posts about it were interesting and would've liked to hear more from you about it as someone who is a diehard heller yet doesn't agree with what's been going on.

Hi hello. I am finally answering this since Good Omens 2 is now out. I didn't want to draw yet more attention to the leak ahead of time, but the time is come so here I go.

There are a lot of overlapping things factoring into some Hellers' overall reaction to the Good Omens leak and Good Omens 2 in general, but I do not have the bandwidth nor the desire to give anyone a crash course in Heller History & Psychology. It mainly comes down to the fact that Hellers, especially those who've been with the show and ship for years, are wounded more than most of us would like to admit by years of queerbaiting, and a bit defensive as a result.

Many of us are in our late 20s, early 30s, or older and grew up without ANY positive representation at all. What little visibility queer people in media were allowed to have was steeped in themes of deviance and tragedy. And the few truly joyful depictions of us that did exist were not accessible to many of us in our communities, especially before the advent of widespread internet access. As a personal example, I only saw the film Big Eden (2000) in the last five years. I didn't know it existed before then!

Queer representation only became more normalized on television once I was well into my 20s. And even then, it was only normalized within very specific limitations. A character could be introduced as queer or have a Queer Life Script type of story. But the majority of these characters were still steeped in negative stereotypes, and it was basically unheard of for a show that didn't set out to be inclusive to suddenly make one of its main characters queer in canon.

(Tangent: I still remember the first time I saw an unexpected queerness reveal on television. Two men were staring intensely at each other in the midst of an argument and I jokingly said "now kiss" at my television screen. And then they did. And after about 5 seconds of wondering if I had magical powers, my entire brain was rewired forever (it was an episode of Cold Case).)

The point is, it was really easy for a long time for general audience members and fans who didn't like Destiel as a ship to tell us we were stupid and crazy for shipping it, because they had the entire history of film and television in North America backing them up. Not to mention the cherry-picked comments of certain actors over the years, and the behavior of moderators at conventions. And many anti-hellers took full advantage of all that, and still do, and don't acknowledge at all the role that real homophobia plays in supporting their stupid little one-sided ship wars.

All of this to say, Destiel fans have every reason to be defensive and prickly.

That being said, I think malicious spreading of the GO2 leak untagged and unwarned-for was extremely shitty. Ruining something important for someone else because we couldn't have the thing we wanted is childish and self-absorbed beyond belief. Shitting on actual, canonical queer representation because it isn't the ship and show you wanted it from is just shitty, full stop.

And for what? It's not like Warner Brothers is going to wake up one morning and say "wow those Hellers really shit on every other queer rep on offer, guess that means it would be lucrative and smart from a business standpoint to resurrect a cancelled show just to give them canon Destiel after all these years!" But then let's be honest, there's no logic behind this kind of behavior. It's just meanness, bitterness, and spite. And while I sympathize with the bitterness, the meanness and spite are inexcusable.

Finally, the veiled-to-explicit accusations that Good Omens was trying to somehow supplant or copy Destiel are unspeakably stupid.

For one thing, I can think of few things further from "trying to be like Destiel" than taking a queer interpretation of a work that was not really intended by its authors and running with it full speed ahead. Supernatural is an example of how homophobia makes a story worse by flattening its characters and wasting its potential. Good Omens the show is an example of how a willingness to embrace queer interpretations of a story can give it new life and dimension.

So if anything, that's an inversion of what happened with Destiel! Supernatural is a straight man's straightwashed fanfic of a censored version of a queer story. It was forced into the closet at every turn by a homophobic network despite the efforts of queer and queer-friendly writers to course-correct throughout its 15-year run. The sheer number of bisexuals SPN took inspiration from only to straight-wash and queerbait for as long as it did is almost as ridiculous as claiming that a show that did the opposite of that was trying to emulate it.

I also find it stupid because Good Omens the book was published fifteen years before the fifteen-year hate crime that is Supernatural ever aired a single episode. The elements of queerness that the show teased out and expanded upon existed back when Eric Kripke was still what I can only imagine was an insufferable teen proto-filmbro making some poor underpaid high school English professor take up drinking to cope with his hypermasc Americana edgelord bullshit in every essay.

Much like when SPN fans started yelling that Matt Ryan's Constantine was a ripoff of Supernatural and Castiel, this is just embarrassing. If anything, the inspiration for Destiel came from Good Omens, not the other way around.

As for any worries fans express (in their adamant denials) about the Ineffable Lovers "replacing" Destiel, I have to ask...for who? Pretty sure no diehard Heller is going to burn their Castiel handprint patch from Stands as a sacrifice to the gomens gods to prove their loyalty. And anyway, nothing is ever going to approach being the "new Destiel" without at least a dozen years of will-they/won't-they slow burn angst and enemies to allies to enemies to friends to coparents to lovers shenanigans. It's just implausible! We can't even get a show to have five whole seasons anymore nowadays.

I know Destiel is important to Hellers. I'm a Heller. It's important to ME. But we aren't doing ourselves or anyone else any favors by acting like every star-crossed queer love story that comes along is somehow copying or devaluing Destiel. That is just laughably untrue. The Ineffable Lovers will never be Destiel, sure. But who ever said they were trying to be? I thought the whole explicit canonicity bit made it pretty clear that wasn't the case.

TL;DR: Hellers including me all have terminal brainworms from being gaslit since we were impressionable teenagers by Eric Kripke and all his successors, but that's no excuse to intentionally spoil big moments or be shitty about other shows giving their audience canonical queer rep. From the bottom of my Heller heart, grow the fuck up besties.

[meowmica]

Mitsuri Kanroji and Obanai Iguro

(Assuming this scenario unfolds after a battle with a demon, during which Mitsuri had been single-handedly holding the demon at bay. However, by the time Obanai arrives on the scene, only Mitsuri remains, and now she is the demon that he must kill.)

Perspective: Obanai Iguro ₊˚🎧⊹ ♡

My mind is often a brash place. Conversations with my mother and even my own inner dialogue frequently fill the space. You could say it's a bit noisy, but I've grown fond of it. It serves as a way to preserve their memories—voices, moments, even if they were very little to begin with.

Mitsuri had me captivated from the very start. Her kindness and unwavering beliefs were admirable qualities. However, it didn't temper her hatred for demons; she was merciless in her fight against them. She possessed a unique blend of compassion and strength that made me feel less guarded in her presence.

I, It made me trust her. I looked up to her. But now, I gaze upon someone I do not know. It's not the same Mitsuri I once knew. Instead, I see a haunting transformation, and it fills me with fear. I'm afraid she might influence me in a way that hinders my duties as a Pillar.

Her once gentle, pale-green eyes now gleam with madness and hunger, yet they also appear teary. It's as if her own body is betraying her ideals and thoughts. I struggle to comprehend her feelings, but I yearn to. She looks wounded and exhausted, and I can't help but feel concern for her. What must I do? I am incapable of ending her life. Even if she were to consume me, I doubt I could stop her. All I can manage is to delay her advance. It's as if I am more of a vessel than she is, Mitsuri, who now appears to be under Muzan's control, a ranked demon.

As thoughts consumed me, Mitsuri noticing my still unguarded presence interrupted them with a rather heavy tone, "You were late." Her statement was swiftly followed by another voice, shrill in tone, overlapping Mitsuri's. This individual accused, "Mitsuri, this man had the chance to rescue you, but he failed. He betrayed you, Mitsuri."

She remained still, completely motionless. Her emotions were beyond me. I have never known what a demon felt like, because they didn't hold much importance to me. Just as I was about to delve deeper into my thoughts, she swiftly swung her blade, nearly missing my throat. "Obanai, you shouldn't be idle like this," she exclaimed.

As our blades clashed and screeched, she would occasionally burst into laughter. Sometimes, she would shed tears, and sometimes, she did both. Despite her transformed appearance, every moment spent with her felt endless and kind, just like before. Her essence remained unaltered. It led me to ponder, could it be that demons were, in some way, just like us too? "You're distracted," she finished with a frigid tone as she etched a diagonal scar onto my chest, rendering me incapacitated and struggling for breath. Despite the turmoil in my mind and the injuries I'd sustained, I couldn't allow myself to succumb to death. As a Pillar, it was my responsibility to defeat her, even if it meant facing her, Her.

As we continued our intense battle, I noticed a shift in her usual rhythm, and her movements became more predictable. Thankfully, she hadn't fully transformed yet. Facing her at full strength would have been exhausting. However, something troubled me. She seemed to be slowing down, which was unusual for a recently-turned Pillar. Was she in need of humans to regain her energy? Was she fatigued? Seizing the opportunity presented by her reduced speed, I closed the distance between us, aiming for a spot on her neck that was not aligned with her sword.

But just as I neared her, Mitsuri displayed an unexpected burst of agility. She swiftly ducked and maneuvered behind me, dangerously close to my neck. It was then that I realized something profound. Oh, This whole time, it had been her, Her. She whispered softly into my ear, "Don't leave me." It was Mitsuri who spoke, and I understood her desires.

"Even if you've embraced the darkness, Mitsuri, I'll remain your light," I responded slowly, as she sank her sharp teeth into my neck and injected a vial of blood into my body. "Mitsuri," I gasped, before losing consciousness.

[kaithonks]

So I’ve had some Thoughts about Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle by Warren Pleece

You know, I picked this one up from the library thinking this would be my break. A little reading away from disappointment of... well, the world. But then you know the world happened, and well, I probably couldn't have timed reading this any better. Or worst. My feelings are still mixed on that.

But let me get something out of the way first. All art, including comics, are inherently political in some way or another. Yes, you can practice escapism through it, but there are still messages and beliefs in the art. And while I personally think Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle could be more subtle to be more effective, recent events have shown sometimes subtle is not the way to go. But what got me with Sunny Luna was the coloring. Most of the story is in a yellow gray tone, reminiscence of old film, or a constant dust storm. There are few exceptions to this. The start, and then a few places in the middle and end. I don't really want to spoil, as I am currently recommended people read this. But it's a visual cue to the readers that Esta, our protagonist, is going through something.

I'm not fond of how these experiences are explained in the book; it feels like the story runs out of time, but I do think there are enough hints to it that I'm not too annoyed by it. And the rushing does sort of work against the story, as Esta is racing against the clock to warn her mentor of something, but the mentor decides this is the best time for a lore dumb. That feels like a nitpick though, as I do think enough of the comic has good foreshadowing for it.

The dusty color over most of the story does a good job of lending to an atmosphere of disaster despite how everything seems to be generally fine in Esta's world. But what is interesting is the colored section has strange and disturbing imagery, but because it's in color, it feels more normal. This is all important to the theming of the story.

On that note, I will always be on board with a story that advocates for reading, especially a comic book. Comics hold a special place, as their combination of art and words can make them easier for some people learning the language. There is overlap between picture books and a comic, obviously. But the comic's value often gets a little diminished because of that accessibility. These are board statements, and not everyone is going to find a comic easier to read. Personally, audiobooks are the best for me in terms of comprehension. But setting back to Sunny Luna, it makes a few direct literary references, with those being the novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. And while I could love to go into the importance of these two stories about worth, morality, and identity being mentioned here, I also want to mention Charlotte Bronte's poem "The Wood". (There is a Keats poem too, but that is for another time)

Now poetry is not my strong suit, but I have a fascination with its twisting on the English language to convey themes (this mostly coming out of my love-hate relationship with Gertrude Stein), but what I love about who Sunny uses this poem is how it breaks up its stanzas. It only uses stanzas 2—4, with two and three each getting their own panel. 2 is accompanied by an outdoor shot, as the poem describes an outdoor seen. Stanza 3's panel cuts to Esta and Wanda, her sort of mentor, with it showing Esta is reading to want. Now here is what is interesting: Stanza 4 gets broken up with the first part being a close-up of Esta and Wanda, then second, As Esta gets to "The Knife of Treachery," there is a closeup of Esta looking around nervously. So the visual ties to the poem are delicious, and I find the new break in the poem interesting as it creates a new space in reading as the poem gets to the darker visuals.

There are also some more purely visual references, mostly to Alice in Wonderland. Sunny Luna uses all their references not for show but for it's theming of literature's importance for passing culture and messages. To learn and see outside our small personal worlds.

Art, reading, books, and comics are political because even when used for escapism, it is giving you a new experience. Away to broaden the horizons and think more critically about your world. Art has a story and a message, and Sunny Luna Travelling Oracle maybe wasn't the reminder of that I wanted at this time, but needed none the less.

[thereallucifer666]

Lucifer almost couldn't believe his eyes. She had made it. This disease which had claimed so many, and she had beaten it back somehow. She still look absolutely wrecked, exhausted beyond belief and still had some healing to do, but Heaven above, her breathing was clear for the first time in weeks and her eyes held a glimmer of that former strength behind them.

He leaned into her touch and gave a small huff of laughter at her humor. Overlapping her hand with his, he found the familiar coolness he had missed for such a long time. Her fever had broken, finally. Her body temperature was back to normal.

"I think we both do. We spent all night in our own sweat," He said, already hating the feeling of his clothing sticking to him. "Here, let me carry you. You've already had quite the night."

Tucking his arms under her shoulders and behind her knees, he lifted her up as he stood and held her close. They had both been put through the wringer this night, but the night had passed. Finally.

"I'm so proud of you," "He whispered as he made his way back to the house.

The sauna had long since turned off by itself by the time the sun rose. It was still very humid and foggy in the box, but nowhere near as bad as it had been. Both of them were still sticky and sweat-covered, both looking like they'd been through a war as they slept against each other.

Waking came slowly for him. Like his dreams, him waking was sluggish and slow. He felt awful, sullied and dirty from sweat. He needed a cool bath and a stiff drink, and days of sleep on top of that. He didn't know what had woke him for about a minute until his mind caught up.

He gasped and sat up, eyes going wide and looking down at her. He could hardly believe his eyes. She was still there, covered in sweat and mucus, looking absolutely wrecked, but alive and breathing so easier than she had in weeks.

"Chloe..." He whispered, feeling his throat close up with rising emotion. He ran a hand through her hair, blinking back tears. "Hello." He choked out.

[knightofpentacles]

been thinking a lot about the fact that i have a stronger belief in spirits and things whereas my bf believes more strongly in aliens

[mbti-notes]

1-How to let the go of the past mistakes? Specially if they're not reversible? I'm an INTP. I was always a good student...until the last two years of high school. For various reasons, I got depressed, anxious and lost my concentration and study motivation. As a result, I couldn't do well in the test and didn't get into med school. I didn't try more and chose to study something else. It's not bad and it's still science related, and I even continued my education, but it's not med.

[con’t: I deeply regret it. Everytime I hear from my family that someone I used to know got into med school, I feel jealous and regretful. I hate myself for not doing my best and for distracting myself at the wrong time. I can't forgive myself for giving up easily. I was reading somewhere that in order to get rid of the heaviness of our old wounds and regrets, we must take a lesson from our past mistakes. It's just that I'm in my late 20s and it's late for me to persue that. But how do I know what lesson I have to learn for now? How do I take a practical step to have a good life despite not being a medical doctor? How to get some self-worth back when I can't go back and fix the things? If there was a time machine, I would assume my goal is to go back in time, study and know the consequence of not trying hard enough for what I want. But that's not possible. How to take my lesson and get back to normal healthy life?]

People use the word “regret” very loosely to describe various psychological states. What is labeled as “regret” is often something else in disguise, though they may overlap in some cases, e.g.: 

Sometimes, regret is actually guilt. Guilt means that you did not live up to your moral standards or values. Guilt is a form of self-punishment, as you make yourself pay for your past mistakes with your own happiness. It is up to you to calculate just how much punishment is required for finally forgiving yourself, and whether it is commensurate to the mistake that was made. If you’ve paid your dues, then you get to move on.

Sometimes, regret is actually remorse. Remorse means becoming fully aware of having caused harm/hurt (to others and/or yourself) and wanting to redress it. Remorse prompts you to seek redemption through learning from the mistake and becoming a better person, specifically, to change the negative aspects of yourself that led to the harmful behavior. A successful change brings you solace in knowing that you’re no longer the same person as before and now living a more meaningful life. This allows you to put the past into the right perspective, since it was essential to your personal growth.

Sometimes, regret is actually grief or lamentation. Grief means that you are mourning a loss, unable to let go of what was lost, often because you have (mistakenly) defined it as an integral part of your life or identity. Grief is resolved through closure: accepting the fact of the loss, closing the door on the past, orienting yourself to future goals, and redefining your life or identity in new and different terms.

Sometimes, regret is actually longing or yearning. Longing is born of an authentic desire located deep in your heart and soul. To feel longing as regret means that you are holding yourself back from obtaining what you need/desire, even though you are certain that it would lead you to greater fulfillment in life. People are usually held back by fear of failure, irrational pessimism, or faulty beliefs. This self-sabotage creates a nagging feeling of being haunted from within, as your authentic self refuses to be silenced despite your efforts at self-deception.

Dig deeper, through self-reflection, to figure out the truth of what’s really going on. Only you have access to the truth of yourself. Knowing the deeper truth of your “regret” should inform you about the right solution to it.

[vivdunye]

present day, present time

and you don't seem to understand

fabled adages of science

so i was watching the snyder cut of justice league the other morning, i couldn't really begin to tell you why other than i needed 4 hours of background noise . but i tuned in at one point when the fictional super Israeli, wonder woman, narrated a scene explaining an alien technology "that was so advanced that it almost seemed like sorcery", and wouldn't yknow, that's a real concept actually, i recognized it immediately as clark's third law:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

it's perhaps the most well known and oft quoted of the three, but i always felt like arthur c. clark's first 2 laws don't ever get quite enough love . i've been thinking heavily about the first law lately:

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

i've been thinking about it in relation to this one quote from wernher von braun that i always liked:

Nature does not know extinction; all it knows is transformation. Everything science has taught me, and continues to teach me, strengthens my belief in the continuity of our spiritual existence after death.

many people are afraid of death; of ceasing the awareness of life, because they don't know what will happen to themselves after, where do they go if anywhere? it's much more nebulous in the secular sense if you haven't a construct for the afterlife already . i've been thinking about death more and more often lately to a worrying degree . however, scientific thought for all its clinical detachment from all things spiritual has strangely enough always felt like the perfect module for contemplating the metaphysical . so i decided to do some research .

i want to recall right now thomas edison's first intended use for the phonograph . edison had originally envisioned the phonograph primarily as a means of preserving the voices of loved ones after death . he later went on to try and develop a "ghost box" or "spiritphone" . this device would allow humans to communicate directly with the dead . he was unsuccessful .

if hauntology has taught us anything, we technically do have ghost boxes now, but maybe not in the way edison intended or even predicted . we carry them everywhere and can check them anytime, channeling messages through them constantly . we actively become digital ghosts, online we are both present and absent . the present implodes with the past, we've over-documented everything so now we can experience an instant nostalgia . today's future becomes archaic, we live in the archive to try and remember what the future once was .

'haunted' and 'futuristic' become one and the same .

by this token i'm reminded also by transhumanism . as the technological singularity fast approaches, as progress charges forward at a constantly increasing speed, current estimates posit the 2040s as the point in which technological improvements will occur at a constantly self-replicating rate . in the time between now and then, transhumanism and the eventual merging of human consciousness with machinery are theorized outcomes of technological progress . one day we might be able to leave the shackles of our human bodies and transcend our physical forms as a joined digital consciousness .

and in relation to this i also think now of clark's second law

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

through the wired

this is the stage on which the anime Serial Experiments Lain is set . a story, that while constructed on the patchwork of fiction, is nevertheless symbolic of certain phenomena based in reality .

also i apologize if it wasn't apparent that this post was going to be about Lain . im lainposting boys

the first few episodes exist to misdirect the viewer right from the beginning . and only by returning to these episodes having thought through the rest of the show, does their purpose become clear . the first episode, aptly titled "Layer 01: Weird" , is meant to show us exactly one thing, that lain is fucking weird . we can't tell what she's thinking, we can't tell what she's doing, and that's exactly how everyone around her feels . lain is totally and completely disconnected, she doesn't keep up with current events at school, she doesn't communicate with her family, near as we can tell she has no actual interests besides her stuffed animals and totally phasing out of reality. the inciting incident of the series happens when someone tries to make a connection with lain, and that person happens to be dead...

or at least there body is dead, their consciousness seems to have escaped into the wired . lain's decision to pursue this connection is what lead's her to ask her father for a new navi (the series' name for a personal computer) and that's all that really happens in this episode . coming back to it from later episodes we know that lain is probably thinking a lot throughout this episode . the decision to not entreat us to any of her thoughts is intentional, it is to make us feel distant from her as viewers, the same way that the world around her is distant . as lain forms connections throughout the series, so too, will we form a connection with her .

we do not know how much time has passed since then and the second episode, but whatever has happened lain has already developed a significant presence in the wired . this episode is tricky in its presentation as it doesn't make us privy to which things lain is lying about and which things she's honest about . in it we have lain talking to someone on her navi, she types sporadically in an encrypted language, and someone who looks just like her appears late one night in a night club downtown . while lain won't admit it to her classmates it's apparent at the end of the episode that it was her at the club all along . the key to understanding her actions throughout the episode is to realize she is trying to keep her existence in the wired and her existence in reality as separate entities . the realization she has by the end of the episode, which she uses to terrify a gunmen into suicide is that there is no escape from the wired, no matter where you are you are always connected .

made in the late-90s, Lain was quite ahead of its time . it predicted not only how in the early 2000s the internet would be regarded as a separate world where anonymity and personas reigned—it also predicted how the internet would eventually and inevitably overlap with the real world, once people in the real world realized that the internet is the real world . people have a tendency to see one part of themselves as their "true selves", whereas the parts they show to others are personas, they think of these things as separate when in reality a person is an amalgamation of all of their personas . lain tries to change her personas by dressing and acting differently from when she's in the wired-mode and in normal-mode, but she doesn't realize how people have been doing this way before the wired existed . her classmates are all 15 but they all pass for adults when they've dolled up and hit the club . if the characters in the show seem a bit young for their attitudes then you may not have met enough tech-savvy teenagers before . the purpose of this episode is to ultimately to prove to lain that the so-called real world and the wired are merely two layers of one reality, which couldn't be more true of the world today .

let there be light300pMTK. .

in mythology, psyche was the mortal princess who fell in love with and, eventually, married the god cupid; in religion and classical philosophy, psyche came to mean the human soul, and in the modern, literate world, it retains that meaning as the human spirit; in freudian analysis, psyche refers to the totality of the human mind: the id, ego and superego .

every meaning of psyche is distinctly human: a human princess who achieves godhood, the soul or mind of an individual . if previous episodes introduced the blurring of the real world with the wired, then episode three; "Layer 03: Psyche" is the episode that starts to blur human identity online and offline . one doesn’t even have to venture into the wired to ask what is human .

by this point we know that lain is definitely up to something . at this stage it's hard to tell what, but all we get are little glimpses into her actions . she still seems to be hiding a lot from the world around her and from the viewer in turn . ironically, lain's blank-faced silence and response to the questions of those around her it's own incrimination . when a police officer tells her to speak up (regarding the gunman's suicide) even if she had nothing to do with it, he doesn't realize she's being silent precisely because she does have something to do with it . but her deer-in-the-headlights persona gets her out of it .

the lain of the wired and the lain of reality are slowly starting to mesh into one whole . it remains difficult to interpret the physical existence of "other lain" so to speak, and the show refuses to outright show her playing that character . at the least, we do get to see lain access the wired in all its chaotic glory and she does begin to take an active interest in expanding her knowledge as she learns about and installs the "Psyche drive", a computer circuit that lain procures in hopes of it enhancing her computer's processing power . on the smaller scale, when lain applies the psyche processor to her navi, she is installing a spirit or soul, an animating element, to her machine . notably, the psyche does not replace the main processor; psyche augments the main processor, interpreting the data that flows through it . the soul is not simply the brain, it is an elevated consciousness or meta-self. by this point in the series lines become blurred and the lains begin to merge (hehe) . all of this is set against the backdrop of lain trying to decide if she should remain in the physical world or fully integrate in the wired . she hears one voice telling her that death feels amazing, and god exists in the wired, that there is nothing left for lain in this world . however, lain begins to establish a connection with her classmate alice, saying her name out loud and commiting it to memory for the first time, alice asks why her friends are not more shaken up after watching someone shoot himself in the head the previous day . it's almost as though lain is clinging to alice as an excuse to stay in the physical world out of fear for changing over . this all sets the seeds for what eventually grows throughout the series .

i want to recall the final meaning of the word “psyche". that the word also meant “butterfly,” which is how the greeks imagined the soul to appear . no doubt the symbolism of a creature that begins as one thing and transforms into another is not lost on us here .

every event serves to emphasize the existence of one's own personal reality, and as individuals from all others, we desire a place to belong . however that too is an egotistical concept . in order for there to be a mutual understanding, it is necessary to recognize here and now, like the brain synapses, we are all—in a logical yet chaotic manner—connected .

each is seperate—yet they are one . by connecting, humanity gains first awareness of its function as a seed . and by connecting a human no longer remains a mere endpoint, a "terminus", but becomes a junction to another point, having won the right to continue itself . in a sense, the ability to connect is the ability to continue . this not only applies to the connection of axial coordinates but temporal coordinates as well . therefore, at the time when a conscious, intentional connection is made, surely the dead will rise from there intended place, appearing at the time coordinate of the connection's origin .

in that moment, the realization will dawn that the time in which we inhabit our physical bodies is but the starting point of the connection, and the very meaning of possessing a physical body might be questioned .

we recognize we are connected .

serialize thyself .

[neechees]

I'm under the impression you're Native American and if you don't mind I have a question. I'm wanting to get into my Celtic heritage but a lot of it is nature magic and I don't want to be offensive to the natives of this land and practice nature magic when there is already a lot of beliefs tied to nature here, so my question is, is it appropriate for me to practice my beliefs here in America? Sorry if it's a bit confusing idk how to phrase it. I googled and couldn't find an answer :(

I sure hope ppl get that impression considering my blog title is my Cree name in syllabics & I call myself an Indian in my description lol.

And this is sort of a weird question like I'm not sure exactly what you're asking? It SOUNDS like you're trying to avoid cultural appropriation via Celtic beliefs that might be similar to indigenous beliefs? But before I answer your question I want you to question what you think appropriation means and why you think you practising celtic magic would somehow be offensive to us. I feel like this also comes from a misunderstanding of how Native cultures deal with Nature in our own beliefs, in which there are hundreds, many of which overlap but may be similar or different in any given geographical areas. If you were any other religion would you be asking this question? Why would it be unacceptable for you to practice magic or a different religion in the Americas?

Different religions and beliefs can coexist in the same area, that's the way it is everywhere (or should & is supposed to be, at least). If you want to avoid offending us in some way with your celtic magic would be like harvesting plants (esp maybe something like endangered, sacred plants) or foraging on Native land, going to sacred sites to perform any rituals but not following any protocol to respecting that area (tbh going there to do something like this would be disrespectful to begin with), or something like that. I can't even really give a concrete example because this question is kind of assuming that all Native traditions or cultures are the same & would somehow all come into conflict with Celtic beliefs regarding nature magic regardless of where you are in the Americas, and you're kind of asking me to be a spokesperson for all those hundreds of beliefs. That's why I'm unsure of what you're asking.

Practising Celtic nature magic alone in the Americas, with no other context, by itself, is not inherently offensive to Native beliefs. Any potential offensiveness you may cause can be determined by what you're doing, where you're doing it in the Americas, the potential Indigenous Nation(s) in question regarding the offensive action, and their beliefs surrounding what you're doing & the land its connected to & THEIR culture(s). Like idk learning a bit about a Native people in a given area & how you can respect us can go a long way?

[iamoncewas]

So I looked into Deep Dive, and other stuff, and dear god, what did I get myself into? Tons of things I'm still making sense of, so I apologize if this is disjointed or unclear. Gonna be more, it's just a lot of thangs XP It doesn't exactly change a whole lot per se, but my perspective has shifted greatly, and now I have to look at things differently. It mostly just adds... more levels to what's going on. Pretty sure I killed my own MoM theory XD But I do like where this is going even better.

The scene in Days/KH2 and the scene in Deep Dive aren't the same scene. 1) The conversation is different 2) In KH2/Days, Roxas appears through a dark portal, this doesn't happen in Deep Dive, and 3) again, Roxas doesn't have yellow eyes. The differences and similarities are intentional however.

Before going into yellow-eyed "Sora" in Deep Dive, I have to talk about the other buddy. This is something I had never considered being... a thing, but I'm pretty sure, he's Riku's Nobody.

... I know right? I suppose I should start with logistics and why exactly I think so.

I believe he was created right after Sora defeated Ansem-possessed Riku. There were two hearts in Riku's body until this moment, signified by their overlapping voices. This is when they separated. Riku's body seems to just sink into the ground, and his [extremely bright white] heart vanishes.

Sora then stabs himself with the Keyblade of Heart that Riku forged, creating Naminé, Roxas, and his Heartless.

Ansem then manifests from a Dark Portal as his physical self, completed by Riku's darkness (since all a Heartless's body is, is the darkness of the heart made physical), and Riku's heart momentarily manifests to prevent him from pursuing Kairi and the others. After they escape, Riku's heart then goes to "a place of darkness where hearts are gathered." And Mickey tells him it was "too late for his body." 

By this point Riku's body and soul had already become his Nobody, and his heart couldn't return to it, even though his heart had overpowered Ansem's. Riku's heart "won the battle against darkness", so he wasn't taken over permanently by Xehanort like Terra was, which is why Terra never created a Heartless or a Nobody. His heart remained in the Guardian, enslaved by Xehanort, and his body was taken over. His spirit went into Lingering Will.

So then, the nature of Riku's Nobody's birth, and that of Ansem SoD, is unique. Riku and Xehanort's hearts were merged, and Riku's body held both of them simultaneously. After Sora defeated his body, Riku forced Ansem from his heart, succeeding in taking it back, but his body was already occupied. Not by Ansem though, because his body is Riku's darkness made physical, wrapped around Xehanort's heart. [So like Riku asks in his Kingstagram post, he is indeed the reason Ansem looks the way he does.] This is where Terra failed, his heart couldn't overpower Xehanort's. 

This "place of darkness where hearts are gathered" is Kingdom Hearts. The Door to Darkness was the door to Kingdom Hearts. Everything Ansem said about Kingdom Hearts in KH1 was true. He just doesn't understand the other side of it, what it is that creates light in the heart. KH3 immediately references KH1 because it turns out KH1 is like... everything.

Kingdom Hearts is the conglomerate of all hearts, and is therefore connected to all hearts. The darkness in every single heart, is the realm of Kingdom Hearts. "All hearts begin in darkness, and all so end." Truth bro.

The light doesn't come from Kingdom Hearts, the light comes from us and our bonds to the things we cherish.

When the Door to Darkness opens, you can see darkness start flooding from it. But when Sora states his belief that Kingdom Hearts is light, light floods from the door. Not because this was really the Door to Light, but because that light behind the door was created by Sora's belief in the light. His belief in Riku. Their bond.

When Sora believed in the light, and it consumed Ansem, it returned Riku's physical body back to him, like Kairi's belief in Sora returned his body when he became a Shadow ["Consume the darkness, return it to light."]. And like Sora and Kairi, Riku returned to his human form without destroying his Nobody. This is also exactly how Riku got his body back from "Ansem" in KH2. Being bathed in the light of Kingdom Hearts, after protecting the others.

From Ansem/Riku's KH2 journal entry:

“Riku began calling himself “Ansem”, perhaps as a sign of resolve. He would live in darkness if that’s what it took to wake Sora.”

“He had clad himself in darkness in order to wield it, and had even changed in appearance. But when the real Ansem’s Kingdom Hearts Encoder exploded, Riku returned to his old form. You could say it was a miracle -- worked by a heart no darkness could eclipse.”

Ansem was shocked to see light flood from the DtD, because he was not expecting Sora and Riku's bond to create such light, given what had just happened between them. He knows the darkness in Riku's heart, it's what he's made from. And he knows exactly where it comes from. The desire to possess Sora’s heart, and his fears about telling him so.

Riku admitted on two occasions after this, to feeling like a "nobody." (ie: Like he had no heart, no emotion, no purpose. As if he didn't matter.) First to Xion, and then to Sora and Kairi during the Reunion.

Castaway - Lost or unclaimed person or thing; Person who is unwanted, not accepted; Thrown away; Abandoned

Out of all the characters, I think Riku's situation embodies most what it means to feel like a nobody. He gave up everything, including his own emotions [his heart], even his form, so that Sora could be happy, which he believes Sora will be, with Kairi. So he hides his own feelings for Sora, resolving instead to keep him safe. "He would live in darkness if that's what it took to wake Sora." Literal and proverbial darkness. [This is why, in the KG after everyone else dies, he reached out his hand, about to comfort Sora physically, but he decided against it. Instead, he protected him. I actually started bawling while writing this, thinking, Of course Riku would have a Nobody.]

Xehanort's heart was within Riku's body when his Nobody was created, like Ventus was within Sora when Roxas was created. So I think he looks exactly like Young Master Xehanort, but his skin, hair, and eyes are the same colour as Riku's. The body and soul he was made from however, are Riku's, and he would therefore identify with Riku. Even though I believe he looks just like YMX. This is why both Terra and Sora have had visions of Riku becoming young Xehanort and vice versa. Not Ansem, YMX specifically.

In DDD, YMX straight up told Riku that he wanted him as a vessel. So, in the added scene with Xemnas in KH1.5FM, I don't think he was comparing Sora to Roxas. He was comparing him to Riku's Nobody. Whom I believe he fought and attempted to recruit into the Organization, but failed. Sora was later their target as one of Xehanort's vessels, because, like YMX said, they moved down the list. Riku’s Nobody doesn’t have the air of hopelessness that Roxas did when he was created, because he knows that his “heart”, his purpose, is the same as his Somebody’s: protecting Sora.

In -Another Side, Another Story-, a heart appears around Roxas, seemingly at Riku's whim, creating a barrier between him and the Neoshadows. This is the same heart from his Dark Mode, the Heartless symbol without the X inside. This is the symbol used on his chess piece in KH3, and it's also Way to the Dawn's token. The symbol we most associate with Riku. Granted, you cant see the bottom three points, but you can tell its elongated at the bottom, and therefore must make the symbol. This isn't associated with Roxas, it's associated with Riku, so he must have made it appear.

In Deep Dive, this symbol also appears. In light, of all things. Riku made the symbol appear around Roxas, Sora's Nobody, and he made it appear here too, on... yellow-eyed "Sora".

"Even in the deepest darkness, a light always shines through." A connection.

Then there's the framing of this shot. The light. There's a similar shot in Yozora. [Almost looks like the bright white light of his heart]

He also sits at the Dark Margin, the shores of which touch that of the Destiny Islands. Even though hes a Nobody, rejected by the RoD and the RoL, he sits right in the center. Twilight and dawn, the middle road.

Riku was pretty down to chill at the Dark Margin in KH2 too, and this is where he and Sora saw the door to light.

Gotta stop here though cuz no more room for pics and I neeeeed them XD