#religions steal things from each other all the time

[oifaaa]

Girl you’re dumb as shit and that person was too. In case you didn’t know Apollo is an Anatolian god who is already poc. Your little white American author removing everything but Greek from him (which still doesn’t make him white 💀💀💀) only means you need to take more history classes and riordan needs his degree taken away. Please go fucking lords sake learn the difference between representation and black washing.

Friend you need to calm down a bit before you break a blood vessel over something that doesn't matter - I'm no expert your right they didn't teach old religions or mythology in my history class - that being said I do know that a lot of different religions (and even people in those religions) can have different versions of the same god it's how apollo is both a Greek and roman god but that being said the apollo that shows up in rick Riordans book is his version of the god its his character not the god himself it allows Rick to take some libraries with the character and that includes their designs - he's not the only one to do this either a lot of people who use the Greek gods in their books, games, shows will usually give them their own unique design on the characters- rick picturing apollo as white or me picturing him as black isn't a big deal

[solecize]

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light now, i just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time ten years of being one and the same with jungkook as the country's it couple is the perfect disguise for the reality of a tumultuous relationship hidden behind the scenes. ten years of lies and love and crawling back to one another. once shy, budding first love that blossomed before the weight of fame, the cracks begin to surface amidst your respective rises to stardom and navigation of your twenties. either finding euphoria or the end of the world, there's never any in between in existence for you and jungkook. as you build each other up and break each other down in front of millions of eyes, there is a crossroads ahead with words of "marriage" and "military" looming in the air - all while ignoring the price of fame breathing down your necks. this is the story of love and the lessons learned from the man you made your religion. and i wouldn't marry me either, a pathological people-pleaser who only wanted you to see her

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: idol!jungkook/female idol!reader and fictional versions of various idols 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄. idol au, on-and-off relationship, angst, i swear there's fluff, (brief) fake dating and themes of first love, growing up, struggles with fame, and marriage (ish) 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. portrayal of a toxic couple (implications of emotional abuse and control), both main characters are very flawed, addiction, violence, infidelity, foul language, substance use (illegal drugs), underage drinking, mentions of the covid-19 pandemic, sexually suggestive content 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄. based off of "you're losing me" by taylor swift. this is a fictional portrayal of real-life people that implement some aspects of real-life events. the series is told in non-chronological order. note that the main character is a member of a fictional idol group. more warnings may be added as the story is written. join the taglist here!

extra. playlist. one - "the confrontation"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤyou welcome your boyfriend back to the country with a surprise party, just as the clock is ticking to say goodbye again. the big day is almost here and enlistment brings couples either one of two things: a ring or a breakup.  two - "first love in a convenience store"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤback when you were fifteen year old idol trainees, jeon jungkook shares ricecakes with you and steals your heart. as sixteen year old rookies with everything to lose, he steals your first kiss. in present day, these memories fade away until they are no longer recognizable. three - "teenage dreams"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤyoung love blossoms even in the harshest of light, as you and jungkook navigate career milestones together. also known as: the first concert tours, the first time you're put on a variety show together and everyone figures out your relationship, and jungkook's first daesang. four - "hotel azure"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤa party at the notorious hotel azure, the hot-spot for the top names of south korea's entertainment industry, goes awry. in front of everyone, your relationship reaches it's breaking point - except, it doesn't. five - "2017"    ㅤㅤㅤㅤa year of a death of a thousand cuts because, no matter what comes your way, saying goodbye is never an option. 

[ismaeldrawsthings]

Thinking about the contrast between Thetis and Mary mother of Jesus ok I am NOT crazy just hear me out

I'm thinking about how Mary just got married with a man she loved so deeply and was chosen by her God to give birth to his child, still a virgin. She felt honored. Her womb, a blank canvas that would paint an amazing story. Her son the embodiment of God, characterized by his gentleness and compassion, how he spent the years of his life spreading the word of God, messages about loving one's neighbor and peace. His child, whom she saw die humiliatingly and cruelly in the hands of a people who feared his message of love and peace. Who she saw coming back to her even after death.

And then we have Thetis. Thetis, daughter of Nereus, maybe the fairest one of them all. Zeus and Poseidon wanted her, and did she feel honored by this? Did she boast of being the envy of her sisters and cousins? Being desired by Olympians is no small thing. Let's say she did. Let's say she was excited to be chosen by the King Among The Gods and The King Of The Seas to dispute among each other for her hand. But then the prophecy, "greater than his father", came, and she was no longer desired. She was feared. Her womb was feared. They all knew what happens to those Gods who are greater than their fathers; Zeus still reeks of Cronos remains. So she was arranged a marriage to this man she knew nothing of nor cared about. In fact, in the standard myth, Peleus rapes her. He was told how exactly to do it. This mortal, who she hated—she couldn't stand mortal blood—, forced his child into her. They get married and her pregnancy begins. In some versions, Thetis has 6 children before Achilles who she kills because she couldn't stand the idea of having a mortal child. It's not fair. What did she do? Why was she being punished for something that was not up to her to decide? She has her son, and calls him ἄχος, suffering, because isn't that all that thing has caused her? Isn't all her suffering because of this dammed thing that grew inside of her? It should be easy to hate him. In fact, she should hate him.

Yet she doesn't. She loves him. She loves her little suffering. And she loves him so much she finds it all unfair. Unfair he will die and she will live carrying all this sorrow inside of her. She wished there was a way to grant him with godhood, but there is none. He is no God. And that is cruelty, that isn't fair.

Even if she tries to protect him, her suffering is sent to war afar from her. And he's full of hate. And isn't all that hers? He was born out her hatred, out of her rage. That's what he was born to feel, that's what he was made of. No matter how much her or the people around him try to do, his destiny if full of hatred, and violence, and blood, and all things bad. He's named the Best Of The Greeks because of how many Trojans have died by his sword. He steals, and kills, and kidnaps. He's not just her suffering alone, now, he's the people's suffering, Αχιλλεύς. He dies and he doesn't come back, because he's mortal, she can't make him a God. And she will live forever with her sorrow.

Jesus was Mary's blessing. Achilles was Thetis' punishment. And yet they both loved their children like only a mother can.

Also to add to that contrast, Mary is dressed really modestly ofc because she's a virgin and God's mother and she has to have a lot of cloth to cover her. Thetis is illustrated showing a lot of skin most of the time. The cultural differences play game into that fact of course but this comparison is not even like implying that they're equivalent to either religion so wooooo woooooooo

Anyway it's 2 AM why am I yapping this much

[flightyquinn]

So, I was reading about the Streets Oracle mystery for Pathfinder (shoutout to @dailycharacteroption), and I had this idea.

What happens when playground rumor and organized religion converge?

In a certain city, there was a group of children. Orphans and outcasts, they lived on the streets, with no one to watch over them. No one but each other. The older kids did what they could to take care of the younger, and when they found new children that had been abandoned they took them in. They were a family, not a cult. It all changed with an innocent question, "Where did you get that?" Of course, the older children did what they must. Whether it was food, medicine, or clothing, if their family needed it, they would steal if they had to...but they didn't want the little ones to know that. So when a girl told her little siblings that "Mother Magpie" had given her coin and food, the others were quick to play along. Going out to steal became "asking Mother Magpie for gifts." When the time came to teach some of the young ones to steal, they were told that they must always give all the credit to Mother Magpie, and no one else, or She would stop providing them with things to take. One boy even had the idea to teach the young children to pray aloud to Mother Magpie for what they wanted, so that the older members of the group would know things to be looking for. Another in the group started making charm necklaces for everyone when one of the little ones pointed out that real gods had holy symbols. Of course, it was just a way to keep the little ones quiet. A fun game, but not much more. At least...until one of the children started having visions. At first it was just a flash here and there. An idea of where to find some desperately needed item. Insight into when shop storerooms and mansions' kitchens might be unwatched. Then it was bigger things, like warning the group the night before their hiding place was to be raided by the guards. However, it was the first time their gifted friend cast a cure spell that the whisper spread like wildfire among the older children...Mother Magpie was real.

Mother Magpie is a Chaotic Good deity whose true identity is unknown.

She is a goddess of thieving and trickery, but also of providence, compassion, and protecting children.

Her associated domains are Chaos, Community, Good, Luck, Protection, and Trickery.

Her subdomains are Whimsy, Family, Friendship, Imagination, and Thievery.

Although her most sacred animal is the magpie, she also favors any animals which scavenge from the leavings of society, such as crows, pigeons, racoons, and opossums.

Her holy symbol is a crude rendition of a black and white bird, which is sometimes depicted clutching a rolling pin, or other symbol of maternal status.

[mambodork]

A question perfect for the holidays!

On the several aus of boatem or just hermitcraft in genera. What would they do during Christmas?

For example, Isekai! Au, villain boatem! Au, and hotguy and the watcher/cuteguy

Hurray !! Merry late christmas :3

For the isekai au, the world building in the novel works differently from the real world. They have a different calendar system, religion, days of celebration, etc. So there's not really "christmas" in it.

I'd imagine Grian would see that the calendar is nearing its end and would mutter "Oh... it should be around christmas by now." Someone else would overhear him say it and ask what christmas is, in which Grian would continue to make up a lame excuse about something his family celebrates as an inside joke, yadda yadda. When Grian mentions that you're supposed to exchange presents, the rest of boatem immediately panics and scrambles to different directions to try and get presents for each other. Grian decides that this is a really good bonding activity that will HOPEFULLY make them not want to kill each other in the future.

The gifts they get ended up being extremely strange and/or explosive. I'd like to think Scar would accidentally trip on one of the presents, activating one of the explosive items and launching all the gifts under the "christmas tree" into the sky, making it look like some kind of firework. Grian just stares at the now lit up sky with his jaw on the floor. The rest of Boatem shoots laser eyes at Scar as he anxiously tries to apologise, only for Grian to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness. Gosh, I love him and the pathetic cats he picked up from the streets so much, guys.

For the Boatem Supervillains, I could imagine a christmas special scheme where they would do some ridiculous thing like stealing all the christmas presents and replacing every single one of them with coal, pelting random people in the face with a snowball machine gun, Maybe even going to the extreme and actually kidnapping Santa 😭 whether or not it's actually Santa the real deal or just some guy in a mall, I'll let you guys decide. Just know that they're probably doing something really really silly.

For the h0tGuY and the watcher au ... I think it's a bit more on the angsty route with the both of them still having to work even in the holidays. Hotguy would continue to fight villains and monsters. He'd look at the occasional family, couple, or group of friends happily celebrating christmas and is just feeling so bittersweet about it. He takes a little rest after battle and Grian approaches him with those deer antlers headband. He's currently having a cold from the weather so his nose is like really red, and it makes him look like rudolph, which is so funny. Grian presents him with a lunchbox that looks like a traditional red present and Scar raises his eyebrows, questioning him since it wasn't time for lunch yet. Grian sneezes and tells him that it was a christmas special and he should just take it. Scar opens the box and cringes when he saw ... pickles ... cut in the shape of the usual christmas cookies ... snowflakes, gingerbread, christmas trees, the whole bunch. Grian sits down on the ground, not leaving until Scar finishes all his pickles like he usually does. And they spend the entire time just chatting until the next monster attack comes.

[sfehvn]

new religion part 2

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Description: AU- Things have gone too far between you and Astarion and he's not sure he'd ever be able to give you what you truly want. Rating: M (18+ minors DNI) Word count: 1,804 Characters: soft!ascended!Astarion x fem!au!Tav

━─━────༺༻────━─━

  Luxurious fur blessed your fingertips, stroking absently at the feline across your lap. You hummed a sweet tune as you continued your project. Astarion had the finest oil paints in Faerûn imported to nourish your new hobby. Looking at the canvas, well, it was very much a mess of colors. So much so that he would not have been able to make out what the picture was intended to be if he had not known. He would praise you all the same regardless. As a token of thanks, you had requested he sit for you in the garden while you paint him. 

  “You will be the first to have an original Tav piece. You can show it off when I’m a famous painter.” You joked as he assisted with setting up the easel.

  The kitten that purred against your touch was also a gift. One comment was made about how you had always wanted a cat but never had the room for one; it was just another opportunity to shower you with all of the gifts you had so deserved. The joy on your face when he presented you with the tiny feline made his heart swoon. Astarion would admit he had yet to think that offering through, though. When you were not present, which was most of the time, he had to care for the wretched little thing. His feigned attitude towards the kitten, which you had so ominously named Georgie, was a facade. He had grown to find comfort in the furball curling up to him in bed in your absence. He even caught himself cooing to the blasted little creature on occasion.

  Astarion sat in the wrought iron chair across from you, a forgotten book propped open on his forearm as he admired the tenacity on your face, tongue jutting ever-so-slightly from between succulent lips as you struggled to work with the paints. How could you be so blissfully oblivious to the beauty you are? He wondered, his head resting in the palm of his unoccupied hand. He had a burning fire in his chest, demanding he show you not only your beauty but that you deserved much more than the small cottage you shared with seven other occupants. Your rightful position was right next to him in his palace. You deserved to have everybody else waiting at your beck and call, not the other way around. You insisted you could not leave your family, nevertheless.

-

  “Stay here with me. I promise I’ll make it worth your while, my pet.” The two of you lay bare, entangled in silk sheets and each other’s arms. Astarion stroked the delicate pink skin of your cheek with the careful tips of his fingers, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. His words caused you to let out an amused giggle at his bequest. His eyebrows knitted together, and a slight frown played at the edges of his lips. He was serious.

  Your smile dropped, and an apologetic look graced your features. “Oh, Astarion.” You sighed wistfully. “I just can’t. Not right now. Papa’s not doing well; I can’t just abandon him. Lillian needs a lot of guidance at this time, and with Alan having just moved into his own home now that he’s married, there’s no one to take care of our younger sisters.” You sputtered out. Astarion noted the stress that marred your face and decided to drop the matter for now.

  “Sh, my treasure.” He coaxed, pulling your head into his chest. “We can address it later.”

-

  Astarion pondered on when he had gone so soft, for lack of better words. Before you, there was no hesitation to steal what he wanted. Much easier it would have been to just bite you, keeping you to himself for all of eternity. He had thought about it when the disdain of being apart grew too great. This was after you, though. You had brought a bright light into his world of darkness, and he knew you would never be the same if he made such a decision on your behalf. 

  Guilt regularly gnawed at a conscious he wasn’t even aware he’d had. He still hadn’t found the courage to tell you of his true nature. You often called the raised tissue on his neck his vampire bite, and he’d always panic at the joke, wondering if he’d been found out. Inwardly, of course, he ensured he remained calm and collected on appearance. Soon, he told himself. He’d let you enjoy the normalcy of your current relationship for just a while longer.

  Your groan fractured him from his thoughts. “Okay, it’s actually terrible. Please don’t laugh at me.” You pouted. 

  “I wouldn’t dream of it, darling.” Astarion assured, setting his book down on the table before him, pushing back his chair, and standing up. He bent down to get a better look at the canvas. “My, that’s a beautifully eclectic rendition of yours truly.” He hums, resting his hands on your shoulders, squeezing in encouragement. He meant it. It was something you had created; of course he would love it.

  “Okay, you are officially the biggest liar I know.” You grinned, patting his hand softly as he shifted away. Georgie stretched in your lap. You placed him down, smiling as he hurried away into the open door of the manor.

  “Your words wound me.” He holds his hands to his chest dramatically. “I’ll display it in the foyer.” His finger reaches to tap the tip of your nose playfully.

  “I guess it must truly be Astarion approved then.” You hummed, recalling how tumultuous he had acted when replacing the art in his foyer. It must be perfect, he had said; first impressions are everything, my dear. “I don’t think your guests would be in agreeance with you.” At this point, you had stood on your tip-toes, planting a sweet kiss on his lips.

  He dismissed your presumption with a wave of his hand. “Nonsense, my love. You question my tastes? When I’ve got you on my arm? I’ve already won.” His index finger taps the underside of your chin, encouraging your mouth to his. You oblige, and Astarion lets out a delighted laugh against your lips. He would never grow tired of how easily you unraveled for him and him only. Without breaking contact, he reaches down to grip the backs of your thighs, lifting you from the ground and setting you on the garden table.

  Your breathing hitched as his hands wrought at the bottom of your dress, pushing the hem up until it pooled around your waist. His fingers brushed your mound over already-soaked underwear. He clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. “So ready for me already, pet? I’ve barely touched you.” Spoken like a purr, causing goosebumps to bloom over your skin. He buried his nose into your neck and breathed your scent in deeply. Chamomile and lavender had become distinctively you. His eyes close as your fingers tread over his scalp, hooking into his hair. “Keep touching me like that, treasure. I’ll fuck you right here.” 

  “Please. It’s been too long.” You murmur. It had indeed, he thought. This was your first day together after being apart for ten long, agonizing days. His fingers push your underwear to the side, the tips hardly swiping over your drenched core. The contact motivated your body further against him. Your breasts pressed to his firm chest, and he brought his unoccupied hand to sit atop them, thumb stroking delicious skin.

  Greedy hands moved to the front of his trousers and at the feeling of his bulge, you ached to feel him inside of you. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and tenderly pushed your hands away. Your expression was one of rejection that panged Astarion’s undead heart, but his demeanor was one of significance. He took your hands in his as he stared deeply into your eyes. “Stay with me, Tav. The manor has never been this airy without you. I mean- I understand you have responsibilities you believe are your own, but I could give you everything.”

  With a furrowed brow, you sluggishly pull away from him. “These responsibilities are my own. This is my family, Astarion.” You pursed your lips, looking everywhere but at the man before you.

  “Pet, don’t be silly. They are holding you back. I recognize you love them, but you cannot put your needs on hold to protect them forever.” He reaches out to brush the hair from your face, but you quickly dodge the touch, pressing him aside so you can stand from your position on the table. His jaw clenches in annoyance, but he allows you your space.

  “So, what? My father will be buried beside my mother soon, and you are so selfish that you can’t even give me the grace to spend his last days with him.” He had never seen the fire on your face; your usual demeanor dissolved.

  Astarion’s jaw slackens, and he shakes his head in response. “I’m just thinking big picture. Where will your sisters go when the time comes, Tav? Are you to give your entire life to them? How is it fair to you?”

  “If that is what must be done, then so be it.” Astarion noted how heavy your chest heaved, your body shaking from anger. You were angry with him.

  “And what of me?” He was mindful of how needy and, as you said, selfish he sounded but couldn’t hold back. “What do you want with me if not forever?” Indeed, you couldn’t expect him to house the entire cavalry that was your family.

  You froze and gulped in a large breath to calm your nerves. Maybe you have been negligent of his feelings as things grew more serious between you two. “I want you, Astarion. I want everything with you. I want to take your last name. I want to bear your children. I want to care for you until we’re both old and gray.” There’s a crack in your voice as you stifle back tears. Astarion’s stare softens, his stomach plunging at the knowledge of only ever being able to gift you one of those things. “I’ve always dreamt of creating a family of my own. Of being a mother to children created with the man I love.” You pause to swipe at your eyes with the back of your hand. “But I can’t leave my sisters to fend for themselves. I won’t.” 

  Astarion observes you as you collect your shawl, exiting the garden without another word. He’d let things go too far. He’d led you to believe this future you dreamed of could be achieved with him and even encouraged the delusions in his own way. Perhaps you would be better off if this relationship came to a close.

[cornyonmains]

So, I really need everyone to understand what's going to happen in the coming weeks and months.

Right now, in this singular moment of time, we are unified. Regardless of our race, gender, religion, and political affiliations, we have all set sights on a common enemy. A common enemy that's killing us regardless of who we are, stealing our grandparent's retirements, and years from all our lives.

This enemy is smart enough not to be divided by the petty things we've allowed to separate us. They're not arguing about Starbucks cups while dancing on our graves. They're planning. They're in ivory towers talking right now about the best way to drive a wedge between us.

The legacy media will likely try to manufacture consent for Neoliberal reforms, like a price negotiation bill. At this point, it's a band-aid on an open wound, and just like Obamacare it will likely be filled to the brim with provisions to protect private health insurers. It'll also likely only be for select medications. Don't fall for it.

They'll do things like what Martha Raddatz did in her interview with Ro Khanna, just flippantly mention how impossible it is.

In between all this, they're going to be digging up every cringelord post Luigi Mangione ever made try to stoke a culture war again. Don't let him. What Luigi believes is secondary to what he did and how fucking free it made us all feel.

Businesses might get spooked, they might do something like what Blue Cross did, which is to roll back their decision on limiting anesthesia. You might see a few of them lower their prices. You might even see some talk about a new and more ethical form of capitalism. A few of the richer companies might even start paying a few bucks an hour extra.

Don't fall for any of it. It's all done in pursuit of keeping us dying too soon in hospital beds, because these businesses don't want to pay the taxes. They want us to be happy with a few extra bucks.

Stay unified, stay focused, and stay mad.

We can do this. Don't let these fucking scandaloids on the news get us scratching each other's eyes out over nothing. Let's empty their pockets for once.

[sclerites]

one of my main gripes with the DC cinematic adaptations is that they don’t capture how absolutely FUCKING INSANE the world is. In the background of superman and lex beating each other up and/ or kissing or whatever, Constantine rolled a blunt made from swamp thing plant stuff to spite the swamp thing who had grown in his flat out of Constantine’s ash tray, only to get possessed by the swamp thing so that he could fuck his wife so they could have a kid or something, while etrigan, a centuries old man possessed by a demon (I think) and the phantom stranger, who is apparently the reincarnation (I think) of fucking Judas from The Bible, watch them. Meanwhile in the 25th century a man who named himself Booster steals some superhero shit from a museum, travels back in time and becomes famous by saving fucking president Ronald Reagan from dying. It is at least heavily implied that magaret thatcher (or at least conservatives, generally) are Actual demons from Actual hell. Actually, scratch that. Fucking Margaret thatcher canonically exists in the same universe as the flash, period. Also, on that topic: the flash, a man who possesses the superhuman ability of speed, as gifted to him by the speed force, one of the seven cosmic forces of the universe which also includes: the emotional electromagnetic spectrum, life force, the sphere of gods, dimensional superstructure, collective unconscious, and faithfulness. And that’s not even starting on the seven hidden forces. Also I might have skipped past it but also fucking god and satan exist, and so does probably every other god from every pantheon and religion but that’s all kinda brushed over except when it isn’t. And that isn’t even scratching the fucking surface, good god.

Big shoutout to DC for being just absolutely goddamn bizarre please never change 💛

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Hi! Could you answer a question regarding your SAGAU world? How do Teyvatians, the Souverigns, and Celestia view the Creator? What are their stances when the real Creator hasn't left? Why do the Tsaritsa and Souverigns hate Celestia? I appreciate your work and effort in writing them, take your time.

Take care!

Hi!

Thanks for your kind words. And, of course, I can answer questions about SAGAU world.

Things to note! I have no intention to offend any real world religions. I didn't try to slander anyone or paint someone in a bad light.

One more thing. That "lore" are only relevant to Self-Aware BSD AU x SAGAU Crossover. Creator lore from Tired Creator AU is different. If the question was about Tired Creator AU, please, send that question in that blog.

__________

To the question.

__________

All groups worship Creator. However, all groups worship different aspects of a Creator.

Teyvatians and Sovereigns worship Creator themselves. They pray and make offerings to make Creator happy. And they will burn Teyvat, if they think, it will make Creator happy.

Celestia worship Creator's laws and rules. They want everyone to follow that rules. No exceptions, to breaking the rules. Creator gave them to Teyvat. People must respect them.

In a nutshell, Teyvatians and Sovereigns will shave a person’s head in order to present a wig from their hair to the Creator.

Celestia will put both a Treasure Hoarder (for stealing) and their victim (for hurting them), into a jail. Because Original Creator were kind, didn't like thieves and when people hit each other.

________

"You have begun to matter more

Then the things you say"

_________

That's why Tsaritsa and Sovereigns hate Celestia, and, in return, Celestia despise them.

To be fair, both sides have a point.

Celestia likes to get their noses into other's business and can be quite brutal, if they think someone is breaking Creator's laws. And their punishment will end in disproportion retribution (in Teyvatians' eyes).

Tsaritsa and Sovereigns are going overboard with their worshiping of Creator. Crucabena will offer House of Hearth children to be sacrificed to Creator. Sovereigns will enslave humans to train them into obedient servants of Creator.

When Fake Creator destroyed Celestia, Tsaritsa saw it as a sign of Creator's approval of their way of worship.

________

And, if Original Creator stayed in Teyvat... It won't end well.

Original Creator aren't a human. And I mean in a bad way. While non-human races from Teyvat (youkais, aranaras, melusines), vishaps, dragons, Sovereigns, abyssal monsters and even common monsters can understand human emotions and reasons. Original Creator can't do that.

They can't understand, why people wanted to do something, or why they will try to reach some goals.

But they still love their creations.

They are like a parent, who love their kid, who want them to have dreams, for them to follow that dreams. And who would hide all toy musical instruments, will edit music from any media and will make sure their child will never want to be a musician, because the parent can't see a purpose in being a musician, and are afraid for their child to end up as an addict and alcoholic.

Original Creator didn't want to rule over Teyvat. They wanted people to be free.

However, they would still look after them. They won't let Akasha be created, because they don't see a point in them.

Creator would change humans, taking away their ability to grief, because they won't understand, why people wanted to be sad.

One by one, Original Creator would take something important from humans. They would stall progress, emotionally cripple people.

All because they love their creations. In a very twisted, for a human, sort of way.

_______

Tag list: @myluckymoon @cocodrilofeliz @c4xcocoa @vvyeislazzy @whisperingwinters @nervousinfluencertidalwave @ayameshu @izzieg3987

[nynyhaha]

Thinking about the way Chrollo represents apathy and passion.

When I first saw him,he gave the impression of someone who is both very serious about his occupation and on some kind of mission,and someone who just lets things happen.

The reason he seemed so enigmatic compared to other troupe members is because we couldn’t grasp what he actually values, besides obviously the spider.This whole line of his about not caring for money,glory or fame.The fact that he sells the loot soon after stealing it.

It doesn’t make sense for a thief to be this indifferent towards the treasures he steals.And while the troupe risked their lives trying to steal from the auction,when things went wrong the loot was the last thing they considered.I always wondered what happened to all the boxes at their hideout.I hope they didn’t just leave it there??But it was never the main focus,

I think he occasionally finds something that fascinates him,just to discard it afterwards.It’s almost like he tries very hard to,excuse me, “fill the emptiness inside him”,with material possessions but is painfully aware that it’s not possible.The troupe are primarily known as thieves but it seems obtaining stuff can’t be that satisfying,at least not to Chrollo. Even if he tells everyone to “just steal” in his character song.

The scarlet eyes might’ve caught his attention at some point but again,he’s very dismissive of the whole kurta theme even when Kurapika demands some response.

So I don’t believe it’s greed that drives him.In fact,he doesn’t know what drives him.

And the reason he’s able to commit all those horrible deeds is because of his disconnection with PEOPLE. Being the leader,he’s somewhat set apart from the rest of the spiders.And there are rules that put the good of the organisation before the well-being of the members.That’s supposed to prevent members from caring as much for one another.Which is tragic.

It all only started because they all cared.

How are characters humanised in hunter x hunter? Trough forming bonds with other characters.

Killua and meruem are excellent examples.Both of them grew to care more about humans in general trough meeting a particular person.

Chrollo lost someone important and that very personal grief lead him to stop caring about human lives.Not just his own,but the ones of his fellow troupe members.

Obviously it didn’t work and they still feel very strongly for each other.The whole yorknew arc focuses on those repressed feelings of camaraderie that aren’t allowed to be experienced fully as that would interfere with the Spider.Pakunoda has to break the rules if she wants to save the life of her friend.

Chrollo can’t do that because the Spider with its rules is all he has.He’s very good at “severing ties” with things like living a save life,the authorities,possibly religion,connections with other people,seeing dead bodies as something to be respected and not as objects.He’s willing to give up everything that made him who he was,but what does he have in turn? Nothing.

The Spider needs to have a purpose but it seems that purpose is lost.Chrollo is lost,all his sacrifices lead to nothing.

He doesn’t even feel hate or anger at the world.He rarely takes things personally.

I think there was some revenge based reason for murdering the kurta clan.The troupe seem like they’d have some reason,even tho it could never be good enough.

But my thesis is that Chrollo’s biggest sin isn’t greed,pride,anger or whatever.It’s apathy.

Nothing prevents him from hurting people who have nothing to do with him,therefore he does.

He’s afraid that things will start mattering again,but at the same time we see him constantly searching for that something.He is scared of it,but he really strives to strive for something so that he can break out of this indifference he feels for everything.

So maybe Hisoka will awake some of this rage buried inside and with it make Chrollo once again seem like a very distressed human.

[wifelinkmtg]

There's "spaghetti western" and then there's whatever the hell this Chef Boyardee shit is

Hello! and welcome back to Wifelink. We're talking about Outlaws of Thunder Junction today, Magic's second product in a row set in a version of Nevada, and let me tell you something: I am not impressed. The mechanics are uninspired, the setting is undercooked, the story is overstuffed, and to top it all off the whole thing smacks of settler-colonialism. AND they yassified Vraska, the monsters!

WE WILL GET TO THE HOT WOMEN, BELIEVE YOU ME, BUT FIRST I AM GOING TO COMPLAIN SOMEWHAT, AS IS MY RIGHT AS AN AMERICAN, AS A HUMAN BEING, AND AS A GAMER

The mechanics we've discussed elsewhere, and I will skim over the main storyline except to say that very few of this Big Villain Heist Team-Up gets enough spotlight to justify their inclusion here beyond getting recognizable names on cards, and that Rakdos' presence on the plane alone ought to be an apocalyptic calamity. I appreciate Jace & Vraska going full blackpilled accelerationist, stealing a baby, and aiming to destroy the multiverse & start over (a novel hybrid of Raising Arizona and Doctor Strangelove,) but I also know, sure as the sun rises, that whatever happens with their villain arc will be a underwhelming let-down.

What I actually want to complain about, though, is the setting. Thunder Junction ain't real, and I don't mean it's fictional, I mean it's plywood facades on a backlot. It's the set for a cowboy film. You feel me? This ain't a plane, it's a god damned sound stage.

Lemme go over the facts: we know Thunder Junction has been settled for a bit over a year. A year! - and yet there's multiple towns, multiple railways, and an honest-to-god metropolis. Less than two years and we already have ghost towns! This is not the product of a bunch of people on various planes all individually deciding to seek a new life in the off-world colonies. All of this represents a staggering quantity of people, material, wealth, and labor, being moved between planes, directed and organized - but by whom? For what reason? How, even? The story is totally uninterested in these questions.

One of the few silver linings to the way the Phyrexian invasion storyline ended was that the Omenpaths had a lot of interesting potential! Different planes would come into direct contact with each other for the first time ever! Different technologies, different philosophies and religions, different kinds of magic colliding, coming into conflict, adapting and adjusting to each other. And after a couple of sets where the interplanar contact was limited to one or two particularly adventurous individuals, we finally get to see what interplanar contact at scale looks like here in Thunder Junction... and it just looks like a John Wayne flick. Did people not bring their culture with them? Is there a big rack of hats and boots and dusters right where people step off the Omenpath? Shuck off those old Ravnican rags, kid, get changed. You'll spoil the aesthetic. I mean, it's baffling.

Luxurious Locomotive (art by Leon Tukker). This is one of the few man-made parts of this plane that I can look at and know where it came from: this is a Kaladeshi design. More of this sort of thing would have made Thunder Junction feel more like a real place and less like a Sergio Leone joint.

There's a side story, No Tells, by Isaac Fellman, which I quite like actually: it's about guilt and betrayal and the inevitable regrets of having moved into a queer housing co-op, and one of the things that makes it great is that we know where Yuma came from (New Capenna), we know why he left (the limitations of "be gay do crimes" as praxis under capitalism), and we know what he brought to Thunder Junction with him (cocktails, pool tables, and his co-op's emergency funds). Fellman has written nothing else for Wizards and doesn't play Magic, and even so he's done more to make Thunder Junction feel like a real place situated in a real history than the rest of the story team combined - which goes to show, one, that we should only let trans people write magic story for the next decade or so, and two, that what I'm asking for in terms of worldbuilding is not unattainable, or even that difficult.

And all of this ties into the colonialism, right? Thunder Junction is being colonized, and asking questions about who benefits, who's sponsoring this breakneck settlement of the plane, what they're after and so forth would require the story to take a good hard look at the process of colonization itself, and Wizards is flatly unwilling to engage with anything that thorny in their products. So, just as Ixalan involved a limp-wristed slant reenactment of the Spanish conquest of the Americas - but it's fine because they're the bad guys and they're technically not even trying to colonize Ixalan and they don't win anyway so no one gets hurt! - Thunder Junction is attempting to present a Disneyland version of Western colonialism. Untamed wilderness! Bringing civilization to uninhabited deserts! How cool and heroic these hard frontiersmen and -women are! I'm told they brought in Navajo cultural consultants for the Atiin, a fantasy equivalent, and I hope those folks were well compensated! The Atiin seem cool, and the one Atiin character we spend any time with is well-written, but the Atiin are not indigenous to Thunder Junction. They're not being colonized. And if there weren't anybody being colonized, I'd probably still dislike the colonial vision of a wild land inhabited only by animals, just waiting for us to shape it to our will with railways and violence, but there is in fact a native race of sapients on Thunder Junction, and these cactus folk get no voice in the story, so if they have some kind of opinion on the rapid colonization of their home and the clear-cutting of their cactus forests, we don't get to hear about it.

Prickly Pair (art by Brian Valeza) Too much of the extremely-limited presence Thunder Junction's only indigenous sapients have on the cards is devoted to cactus-based puns like this one, which is pretty distasteful given, you know, the colonialism.

I'm talking about colonialism not because I think that replicating colonial myths in fantasy fiction is an unethical thing to do - although it is - but because you can see, right, that Thunder Junction's lack of verisimilitude is intertwined with the colonial vision of the world at play here, yeah? The story wants to have cool cowboy shootouts and train robberies and it does not want its cowboy fantasy to be complicated by uncomfortable realities, so it has to avoid all of the basic worldbuilding questions that would tell us who the colonization benefits and how they're profiting off the plane, and in the end we're left with nothing but an empty aesthetic, like a duster hanging off a scarecrow, blowing in the wind.

ANYWAY SO WOMEN

To be honest, under the circumstances I'm not really feeling like giving the fine women of Thunder Junction my usual more elaborate treatment, so we're going to lightning-round this shit, which is at least thematic.

Blood Hustler (art by Anna Pavleeva)

Vampire MILF.

Rattleback Apothecary (art by Loïc Canavaggia)

Snake MILF.

Wrangler of the Damned (art by Michal Ivan)

Cis lesbian haircut, good with a rope.

Obeka, Splitter of Seconds (art by Ryan Pancoast)

BIG

[traegorn]

Hey-o! Tis the season for people to talk about how the holidays were "actually pagan" and I'm on the hunt for sources about how that's really not the case, if you have any you'd recommend!

Okay, so the problem is there are so many weird "Christmas is stolen!" bullshit memes going around, it's so hard to just give you a comprehensive list of sources. Christmas celebrations have evolved as the religion has spread, and different things come from different times...

The key here is to go for academic sources. This is a question of history, and a well supported historical research is going to tell you whether they're operating from primary, secondary or tertiary sources.

So while I can't give you a simple list, let me give you a couple of examples off the top of my head and give you tips on how to investigate any the dumb claims that get passed around.

Christmas being in December: So a lot of people go for the "Christmas is in December so it can steal from [INSERT SOLSTICE CELBRATION]" is ahistorical... because we know exactly why Christmas is in December. Because the guys who made the decision argued with each other and left behind written documentation. The two big names you need to look up are  Clement of Alexandria (who pitched January 6th) and Hippolytus of Rome (who proposed December 25th). This is around the turn of the third century, and you can find both of their writings. Some folks have questioned the authenticity of some of Hippolytus of Rome's writings, but Clement of Alexandria's seem well supported. These were internal arguments about when the birth of Christ took place within the early church, and when they settled on late December. There are reasons for this, and you can read their arguments (it largely has to do with the importance of when Jesus was conceived -- they wanted that to be an important date and then added nine months to it). Importantly though, because linear time is a thing, this means Christmas was set in December before the Christianization of the Germanic and Norse tribes... so anyone who says Christmas was set to December to correspond with Yule doesn't understand the concept of "coincidences."

The Christmas Tree: The Christmas tree was invented in 16th century Germany. That's... that's just written down all over the place. Now, there are legends about Martin Luther being the first who did it -- but I'm pretty certain that's just an embellishment that got added on. There are preceding traditions where part of an evergreen was brought into the home as a part of solstice traditions (though some will claim the Egyptians did this? Which is wild -- likely misinterpreting their use of palm fronds as the same thing), but the act of taking a whole ass tree, cutting it down, putting it in your house, and decorating it? That's 16th century Germany all the way. You can rabbit hole so many sources on that one, but honestly just pick apart the citations on the Wikipedia page. Putting a branch in your house and dragging a whole tree in are very different acts.

Jesus's story is copied from [INSERT RANDOM GOD]: There are so many of these, and some are just downright disrespectful to major world religions (the Krishna version of the meme especially). The answer is... just see if what the meme is saying about the god is supported by the mythology. Like I've seen ones that says Dionysus was "born of a virgin." If you know anything about the Greek gods, you're probably already laughing on the floor. Horus gets dragged into this too, because Gerald Massey was trying to pull a "White Goddess but with Dudes." But any serious research on Horus will tell you the supposed parallels aren't supported by the mythology.

So sorry, this wasn't so much sources you can use as it is how to look for them to begin with. Because there's just so, so much. This isn't even covering cases of syncretism, where pre-existing cultural traditions got continued post-Christianization. Because it's almost always the case that if a pre-Christian practice endured post Christianization, it's because people decided to keep doing it -- not because the church was trying to "steal" it. The latter means there was some mustache twirling plan behind it, when the former means (usually) the church went "Well, they're paying their tithes and saying it's for Jesus, so who gives a shit?"

I'm just going to finish this off with linking to my podcast episode on this, along with Ocean Keltoi's great Yule video on the topic. Hopefully that helps.

[recentadultburnout]

Chapter 21: Religion (Buddhism)

This chapter will mostly be my viewpoint and opinion rather than a concrete fact lol. It will be pretty messy even when compared to just my own writing.

I actually touched on this topic a bit before in Ch. 5 (beliefs about merit, sin, and karma), Ch. 7 (Buddhism ceremony), and Ch. 13 (percentage of each religion), but I think this chapter will be where I put all the Buddhism-related topics in from now on.

There are five religions in total that are officially recognized by Thai law as religions. Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Brahmanism-Hinduism, and Sikhism.

The biggest religion here is Buddhism.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Thailand

According to the National Statistical Office, in 2018 there are about 93% of the population who are Buddhist, about 5% are Muslim, and about 1% are Christians.

As you may know, Buddhism and Thai culture are tightly intertwined, but what you may not have known before is that, at the same time, Thai people are not a religious bunch.

The most basic thing Buddhism asks people to do is follow five precepts.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_precepts

Don't kill, don't steal, don't commit sexual misconduct, don't lie, don't use alcohol or intoxicants.

Most of us are Buddhist. very few of us actually strictly follow that very basic request Buddhism asks.

Kill some ants or mosquitos, drinking, gossiping, lying. Is it bad? Yes. Do people do it all the time? Yes.

Many would also casually get into other beliefs while at the same time not renounce their Buddhist status.

Someone could say they are Buddhist but also worship Hindu gods, random ghosts, Shinto gods, Greek gods, or whatever at the same time, and no one will bat an eye.

The reason why it is like this, in my own personal opinion, is due to the nature of Buddhism itself.

Buddhism is pretty loose on how one should live their life.

Islamic teaching is pretty clear about how things should be done on a daily basis, right? (Let me know if I'm wrong😅)

Buddhism teaching is pretty much like, Here are some principles you SHOULD learn and do. Go study it and see for yourself if it's good. Interpret it yourself. You don't want to? Ok, it's up to you. How should you live your life? You are the only one who can decide.

And while there are things that are said in Buddhism as good or bad, there are no punishments from Buddhism.

There are social judgments. There are laws. There are effects of it on your body, your mind. And that's about it.

There are no real incentives for people to practice Buddhism either. Other than it would be good for your mental health, there are no rewards. Heaven could be real, or it could be just a fairy tale.

There are no gods or deities out there that will give something to you. They might or might not exist, and that is irrelevant anyway. You still have to do everything yourself.

If you do something good, then you probably get something good, and if you do something bad, then you probably would get something bad, all because of some kind of logic.

The concepts of the afterlife, heaven, and hell are there but not reinforced by society as a whole as something that really exists.

Different from other popular religions, Islam or Christianity, for example, where there are rules from God. What Buddhism has is some guy's teaching.

He is a great guy that we believe in, of course. But he is a teacher who already passed away 2567 years ago, not a god or some powerful being that will personally come at you for doing something or not doing something. The pressure isn't that much.

If we can follow his teaching, then it would be great for our own self. But if we don't follow his teaching, then we don't follow his teaching. We might end up where we regret it deeply, or maybe we won't.

It's kind of like when you know you should exercise but still choose not to, you know?

Ok, now let's talk about Buddha's lore.

Here is the Wikipedia page.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_mythology

And if you want something else, I'm sure you could find some out there.

Here is a short version by me.

There is a prince who one day becomes aware of the fact that life has an inescapable suffering built in with it and wants to find a way to stop the suffering. He left everything behind and went searching for the way, trying many ways from many beliefs that already existed and still couldn't find it.

Eventually, he finds the way himself and becomes a buddha. (The inescapable suffering is still inescapable. We just have to know how to deal with it when it eventually happens.) After that he spends his life teaching that knowledge to people.

There are many miracles in the story. But most people regard that aspect of the story as a fiction rather than a fact. Some may even go as far as to say everything in the story is fictional. (For Buddhism, that is not as controversial as saying that the Bible is entirely fictional. As a Buddhist, you shouldn't believe something just because anyway. See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kesamutti_Sutta)

It's not important, though. Whether the lore is true or not is irrelevant to the point of Buddhism.

While Buddhism lore is part of Thai culture, Thai society, the core of Buddhism, is about one's relationship with themselves, what we choose to do, what we don't, what we think, and not whether or not those miracles ever occur.

And because it's not important. How much and what a Buddhist believes about our own lore are pretty varied. Some people believe heaven and hell are actual places that we can go to. Some believe that they are all metaphors.

My mom believes in rebirth until one achieves enlightenment but not that heaven and hell exist. I believe in none. I believe that heaven, hell, and enlightenment are all states of mind, and after death there will be no mind at all.

We are close. We talk every single day, but I didn't share her opinion. In fact, I only know her opinion about this now because I just asked her now because I was writing this. Why is that? Because it doesn't really matter. It just isn't.

Next topic. As a queer series enjoyer, some of you may wonder about Buddhists' views on queer people.

Is being queer a sin? According to some beliefs (not a core teaching. Many beliefs that are popular among Buddhists are labeled by a smaller number, but still quite a few other Buddhists, as superstitious and not true Buddhism.), being born as something is due to karma from your past life.

Being born misfortunate is due to bad karma (sin).

Being born as a queer person, which makes your life more difficult, would be due to your past life's bad karma but not a sin in itself.

There are rules about ordaining that prohibit gay or trans people from being ordained. That is a fact. Interpret it as you will.

Personally, I take that it is for the sake of maintaining order between monks. Also, there is a rule that a monk is prohibited from touching a woman to be absent from lust. It's probably about the same principle.

Many of the rules and traditions are about society and not about Dharma teachings.

To be honest, some of them are straight-up just there because of patriarchy and no other reason.

Index

[cooking-with-hailstones]

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A post shared by Bisan Owda (@wizard_bisan1)

In case you were wondering: are the campus protests even important? Do they matter? Are they making a difference?

Yes, yes. They are making a difference.

Video description: Bisan, a young Palestinian woman, is speaking directly to the camera. She is wearing a black shirt and a keffiyeh.

Video transcript (I did my best but missed a few words)

I’m 25 years old. I’ve lived my whole life in Gaza Strip. I’ve never felt hope like now. Never. I mean it’s magical feelings running in my veins right now. In my head, I’m in Gaza city, in the north of Gaza Strip rebuilding my city after this genocide has ended. Even started to dream that my friends from Yafa, Haifa (unsure), majdal, are returning to their cities after being displaced for 75 years. These young heroes in universities at America and around the world are stronger than the last occupation in history. And for the first time in our lives as Palestinians, we hear a voice louder than their voices and the sound of their bombs and even stronger than their control in all aspects of our lives. 

In the 70s, the occupation, Prime Minister said, after decades of killing Palestinians, stealing the lands, establishing the state of Israel over the lands that “the adults will die, and children will definitely forget.” 

Wait. Is that the greatest (unsure) in history? Because it’s children and youth who are leading the movement for a free Palestine. everything they have on the line to demand justice and end of the genocide, and a new era of the world, not based on oppression, exploitation or colonialism. 

Do you know what the best part is? demonstrations and calls for boycott in the academic institutions are not limited to a certain people from certain religion, culture, color, religion, race, or maybe economic level. We are all different so we can no longer be accused of anti-Semitism, serving some agendas from outside, we are just different people calling for the same thing. People to people and people to justice. 

200 days I’ve spent escaping death every single minute were not in vain. And those 40,000 innocent souls were killed during these days were not also in vain. And this is the first time to feel and tell you this. 

Keep going because you are our only hope and we promise we will hold our ground and tell you the truth always. And please, don’t let their violence scare you. In Arabic, we say (Arabic phrase). In English, that means “they don’t have other options, but trying to terrify and silence you” because you are demolishing decades of brainwashing. You are making the change. The real change. Their violence means that we’ve begun to affect them deeply. Believe me, we are in the bottom of this bottle and we’re very very close to the end of this genocide. Maybe even closer than anytime before. Thank you. Thank you for each one of you, because you made us, me and my people feel that we are free. We are heard. We’re going back to our homes, and land. 

(Through tears) I have spent the whole night thinking about every video I see, you shouting for Palestine, you protesting for Palestine, you are dancing, singing for Palestine I feel it here in my head that I am going back. And I am free, and one day, we will celebrate it in, in Gaza together. Keep going and we will too. Salaam. 

(if anyone can help with my transcript, it would be much appreciated!)

[weirdlookingsnakewithlegs]

Go on give us a headcanon for each seeker. Not all of them of course just 99 of them :3

Bet >:3 we going in wiki order bc I forget names </3

Starscream - Starscream has a sweet tooth, aggressively so. Thundercracker and Skywarp have to hold him back from adding as much gold flakes to his energon as he can.

Thundercracker - He startles easy, very jumpy and flinchy. Not for any reason mind you, he’s just like that.

Skywarp - He mixes up things a lot but he knows his geology and chemistry, he surprisingly loves chemistry. It’s why he was so excited to go to Iacon with Starscream.

Dirge - If you need a mech with completely useless knowledge on literally anything, he’s your mech.

Thrust - He got into a fight with a chicken once, lost.

Ramjet - Once his aft is asleep he is NOT waking up, unless Thrust gets too close.

Bitstream - He is constantly on edge, very uncomfortable being in the war. Shrieks like a child.

Nacelle - Nacelle is basically just a mom to his trinemates, if you see Nacelle scowling it means Hotlink and Bitstream are in trouble.

Hotlink - Constantly figuring out new gadgets, none of which survive for more than ten minutes thanks to Bitstream

Blackout - Surprisingly chill for a seeker and abhorrently friendly at times, he’s basically down to do whatever as long as it sounds fun for him.

Slipstream - The reason seekers started eating grounders, she also has a thing against sad animal movies because and quote “I’m an air captain, I’m not crying over a stupid earth movie” after watching Homeward Bound and clinging to her Turbofox.

Acidstorm - Goes out of his way to annoy other seekers at times, acts like he didn’t do a thing and waits for Novastorm to step in.

Novastorm - Had a conjunx and two sparklings before the war, his loss is what encouraged him to take in Sunstorm, Chemtrail, and Blazewake

Ionstorm - A cunt, fucks with people on purpose and is a manipulative bastard at times at the smallest inconvenience. Made him drop his energon cube? Congrats you got the gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss package.

Sunstorm - Extremely religious, definitely ended up reading into human religions out of curiosity as well.

Cloudcover - Cloudcover is a cliquemate of Sandstorm’s, the two lost the rest of their clique during the bombing. Their close relationship may be the reason Blazewake is alive… but he isn’t exactly aware of that.

Sandstorm - Putting it out, Blazewake is Sandstorm’s brat, Sandstorm taught Blazewake as much as he could and loved his sparkling dearly. Before his death, his last thought was if he was doing Blazewake right by staying in the war.

Avia - Avia is a tiny seeker, on par with Slipstream but just a smidge taller. Unlike most seekers she has a love for squeezing into small places. Places she definitely shouldn’t be in. One of Chemtrail’s not-so siblings.

Chemtrail - Chemtrail is a young seeker that never got to know her sire and creator as they died in the bombing. She was taken in by Wheezingarrow and then was taken in by Novastorm when he passed.

Blast - A rebellious little dipshit, he likes to steal things from Autobots to inconvenience them rather than snuff sparks. One of his favorite moves is flying low and snatching blasters from their opposing faction. He also likes throwing the mechs themselves so maybe he does like snuffing sparks.

Redwing - While he may be a seeker medic, he is not kind. Sympathetic to those injured, he will still bark at you for getting injured in the first place. Has a heavy soft side for sparklings after the bombing.

Blazewake - After Sandstorm’s death, Blazewake became increasingly stubborn and apathetic towards others almost to the point he refused to trine. However, he did, after much nudging from Chemtrail and Blast, they’re best friends.

Wheezingarrow - Before his passing, he had a nack for finding sparklings in need. He raised and cared for as many as he could. Because of this, Chemtrail has a few not-so siblings.

[girls--complex]

I just came upon your blog and it's given me Lots of Thoughts, even though I don't particularly believe in any God (that is to say, I think there might be something more out there, though I don't think it's God as it's portrayed by any religion and I need some sort of tangible evidence before I can confirm or deny that something like that exists. All that to say I'm agnostic lol), but I do think you have some very good points about a lot of things.

I find it kinda hard to understand some of the things you write since you use a lot of long and complicated words that aren't in my vocabulary since English isn't my first language and I've never left my home country, but I'm doing my best! (With the help of an online dictionary)

Either way, I really love your art and I'm taking some inspiration from your style to practice, if that's okay with you! I just really like how flowy, creative and loose it is and I really need to loosen up a bit about making things instead of constantly adding more detail and perfecting it until I lose interest because it becomes stressful instead of enjoyable to create something.

I also wanted to ask, since according to your comics you've done shrooms before, how would you recommend going about shrooms to someone who's not used to doing much of any substance? (I barely drink alcohol and I smoke weed so rarely every time I do it I end up extremely disoriented until I manage to calm down no matter how little I smoke).

I'm asking cause a friend of mine whom I've known for years recently told me they have some, and that he'd be willing to share them with me, and I'm curious about trying them out and seeing if I can learn something from that experience, but I wanna stay safe while making the most of it :3

Hi thank you for a long & thoughtful message

YOU ARE ALWAYS ALLOWED TO COPY OR "STEAL" OR WHAT EVER FROM MY DRAWINGS seriously this is so normal and allowed. I do this with other cartoonists and all the cartoonists I know also do this. We do it to each other. "I like how she draws eyes" or whatever and we absorb it into our own style. Or just copying drawings/ paintings/pages. This is good. Do it.

Thank you for taking the time to decipher my words. I know I use lots of large/obscure words N trying to get better at making me language accessible (& maybe use my beloved obscure words in enough context that a reader can figure out the meaning).

I think using psychedelics is something better to talk about with people who know U in person and can respond to your needs and goals. Maybe your friend can give some guidance or knows someone who has a shamanic streak that can. Or you can always go on erowid or reddit whatever kids are using now to do a lil research.

I don't really feel comfortable giving specific advice or even general advice that might color the experience in a certain way, hope u understand...

Thank u for saying Hi