#should babies be baptized

[shiningthelightministries]

Baby Baptism For Original Sin? - Bible Study - Shining The Light Ministr...

[songwithnosoul]

[ID: Trigun fan art. Vash is sitting at one end of a bench, holding a pad of paper in one hand and spinning a pen in the other. He's staring at the paper with intense concentration and his tongue sticking out. He says, "I'm trying to figure out a nonlethal alternative to bullets."

Wolfwood, who's stretched out diagonally with one leg dangling over the arm of the bench and his shoulders leaning against Vash's back, replies "Sounds like you need "Wolfwood's Water Weapon" AKA www dot lifehack dot com". He's smiling and holding a water gun, which is spraying straight up into the air.

Vash says "That's a waste of water." Wolfwood replies "Relax! It's also holy water and drinking water. 3 in 1 uses!"

End ID]

Wolfwood is that priest who baptized babies with a water gun during covid

[bloodhoundsandplagues]

Home.

Jinx x reader

Summary: set between Act 1 and 2 of Arcane season 2. You find a moment of calm at home with Jinx, Isha, and a stray dog you've found along the way.

Warnings: spoilers for Arcane season 1, tooth-rotting fluff (I hope) not proofread

No use of Y/N, no pronouns used for reader, no gender specific terms etc...

A/N: WHOO first piece of writing by Lev on this blog yippee!! I sincerely hope you all enjoy this lolsies. Please interact! I'm taking requests teehee

You don’t remember the last time you felt this at peace. 

It is like a buzzing, filling your chest, lifting you practically off your feet as you make my way home. 

This feeling is manufactured- it is not coming from the outside. It comes from deep inside your chest, thrumming happily, snuggled between your lungs, right below your heart. There are reasons for this warmth, this light- well, one reason. Her name is Jinx. 

When you say you’re going home, all you really think of is her. Yes, her lair is home- it is warm, and cozy, and as safe as a hot air balloon suspended above what seems to be an infinite void can be- but without her, it would be nothing. 

She is the light that fills your chest, with her bright smile and ridiculously long blue hair and perfect pink eyes. She is the weight on your lungs, making it hard to breathe when you think of her. She’s all the cheesy, corny shit the romance authors you hated so as a child wrote. Only instead of being a character, only words on a worn out page, she’s real, and she’s only a two minute walk away from where you are now. 

You have a satchel slung over your shoulder, the Dog (you don’t know when it became your dog; it just appeared by your side one day, and hasn’t left since) trotting along beside you. Its fur is matted. You reach down and scratch between its ears as you near the Last Drop, smiling to yourself. Never had you thought you would be living this life- on your way home, supplies for Jinx in your bag, the Dog padding alongside you- it is so domestic, so soft, so clean (despite the grime of the Fissures, the thickness of the air, the moaning of the people crowding the sides of the streets). This life is so unlike anything you remember your parents having. 

You take the quick route into Jinx’s lair, the dog following happily, its pink tongue lolling. You should name it, you think as you step onto one of the propellers. 

After Silco had died, you had expected the place to fall into disrepair; you had thought the lights would stop twinkling, and the tinny music would stop playing, and the workstations would gather dust until finally the propellers snapped and fell, taking Jinx with them. And yes, that had started to happen. But then, Jinx had met the kid. Isha, you had called her. All of you, huddled around an old, matted baby names book one of you had found at a scrapyard, pointing out names to each other. Isha, the kid had pointed at, a huge, toothy grin splitting her round face. One who protects. You had closed the book then, knowing that it was perfect. Jinx had smiled at you over the newly baptized Isha’s head, and you had smiled right back, squeezing her hand in yours. You had tossed the book down, into the void below. 

Now, your home was transformed. Jinx’s creepy dolls were gone, replaced with different colourful toys and gadgets picked out or made by Isha. The walls were covered in crayon drawings of all kinds of things- dragons, flowers, the three of you in fields of green and blue and pink and orange. There was a tent set up in the corner, full of Isha’s belongings. It was where you all slept, huddled together like a litter of cats. You love the place. 

At first, you think they’re both out. You call out, and when no answer comes, you venture further in, dropping your bag by Jinx’s workbench. The Dog sniffs around, its tail wagging as it comes closer and closer to an odd lump covered in blankets. You grin to yourself, putting a hand on your hip, tapping your chin with the knuckles of the other. “Hmm,” you muse to yourself, purposefully ignoring the giggle coming from the blankets, “wowie, I wonder where Isha and Jinx could possibly be.” You go in the opposite direction, checking under the workbench, scratching your head. The Dog watches, its eyes saying Can’t you see them? They’re right here! You wink at it, and it sits, tilting its head. “They must have gone out,” you declare loudly as the giggles intensify. “Guess I have this whole place to myself! Finally, I am rid of those stinky-“ 

As you are talking, you approach the mess of blankets. Before you are able to finish that last sentence, a small orange and blue bundle barrels into your legs, almost knocking you flat on your back. Isha launches herself into your arms, grinning her toothy grin as you spin her around. 

“Oh my goodness!” You cry, “where were you hiding? You really are a master sleuth!” Jinx, still have tangled in the blankets, barks a laugh. You hug Isha to your chest and raise an eyebrow at her, mouthing you couldn’t hide anywhere better? She flips you off, but she is smiling. 

She stands and joins you and Isha, her hand finding the small of your back, the other going to Isha’s shoulder. 

“I have a surprise,” you whisper to the child, “but don’t tell Jinx, mmkay?” 

Jinx tilts her head, still smiling. Isha nods solemnly. 

“I found waffles,” you breathe, looking at Jinx out of the corner of your eye. Isha gasps and puts her hands over her mouth. Through trial and error, you and Jinx had discovered that the little one seemed to live for waffles. You now went out of your way, as the only one with your face not plastered all over the place, to find the sweet treat. 

“Gee, I wonder what the surprise could be,” Jinx says, playing along. She follows as you carry Isha to your bag. You set the kid down, the Dog nuzzling into her hand. You rifle around for a moment, and finally pull out the waffles. Jinx lets out a loud gasp, and Isha turns to her, delighted, pleased with herself that she was able to keep this secret. 

“Waffles?” Jinx cries. Isha claps her hands together, startling the Dog. 

You all sit together in the tent, sharing the waffles off the same plate. Isha (who thinks she’s being slick) keeps sneaking pieces of her food to the Dog, who delightedly licks it off her hand. She giggles every time, earning an affectionate look from you and Jinx. 

Once you have finished the waffles, you push the plate away and lie down. Soon, Isha curls into a ball in the space between your knees and your stomach, settling her head on your legs. Jinx dims the lights, then joins you; the two of you become a protective cocoon around the now snoring Isha. The Dog squishes itself in between you and Isha, resting its head on the kid’s side and looking up at you adoringly. You brush a strand of hair from Jinx’s face and smile. She smiles right back. She’s been smiling so much recently. 

“This is perfect,” you whisper to her once you’re sure Isha is fast asleep. 

She smiles, but doesn’t answer. One of her hands rests on your waist, and her fingers trace soothing patterns there. 

“I thought,” she begins, then stops, frowning. Her other fingers tighten around your hand. “I thought that, with Silco gone, there was nothing left for me.” Her words hurt you; it stings somewhere deep in your stomach to hear that she is in any kind of pain. 

“But then… I met the kid,” she continues. “And then I found you.” 

You feel an overwhelming wave of affection for the girl lying in front of you then. A girl you had once known what feels like a very long time ago; a girl who had once had blue eyes and the same wide, toothy smile as Isha. A girl who had been part of your distant past, who was now back in your life. She was right; despite having known each other your whole lives, you have really only just found each other. 

“And- and I realised that maybe, maybe Silco wasn’t all I needed. Maybe…” she trails off, but she has said enough. You shuffle forwards (careful not to disturb Isha or the dog) so that your forehead is only centimetres from hers. She meets you halfway, pressing her forehead to yours; your noses brush, and you smile, reaching up to cup her face. 

“I love you, Blue,” you whisper. A name, who she has always been to you. Blue. Blue like the sky, like the sea. Blue like the warm, the fluttering bird nestled in your chest. 

For a moment, you think she is going to cry. But she only pulls you closer, and whispers the same words back to you, your name uttered like a prayer. 

You close your eyes and smile, and her breathing slows. 

As you fall asleep, you think: 

You have never felt this at peace before. 

[ozzgin]

Hiiii ozz!!!! I have a question for you!!!! What is our vegetable lamb baby's name? Or does our kid not have a name yet???? Maybe we should give our baby a name????

(Our little lamb is so cute!!! (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠) Little baby!!!)

I hadn't considered a name when doodling him up, so you can go ahead and baptize the kiddo however you'd like! He's going to love it either way.

I imagine his tiny head sprout rustling a little in excitement whenever he hears you calling out for him.

You're playing hide and seek, but you know he always sprints for the vegetable garden.

"I wonder where this cheeky boy went", you shout, then quickly survey the patch of land for any movement. Surely enough, those familiar leaves jingle above a cabbage.

[windvexer]

I actually do think that doing magic takes a lot of work and is kinda hard and there aren't very many good shortcuts, and many modern shortcuts actually just amount to leaving out steps, which means you either have to be powerful enough to brute-force it or it fizzles.

Look, I know some people are just much better at magic and witchcraft; anything they do works with little effort, and the lengths some of us have to go to accomplish magic seems bizarre to them. Those people are cool and I wish I was like them but I'm not.

But I also think some of the truth of how to work effective sorcery gets paved over by these "witchcraft has no rules, do anything you want" support posts.

Because A) that is not true, I believe that witchcraft has lots and lots of rules (it's just that nobody else can tell you what they are), and B) I think do anything you want is taken to mean anything you do should work, which is also not true.

I feel like I always see advice given that you don't need to do things (like use physical tools, or cast circles, or whatever). But I never see anyone explaining the techniques and paths of power that are supposed to replace them.

Let's just imagine for a moment that clear quartz really is a universal substitute. Discordians would say that it totally is. So does that mean all you have to do to sub out clear quartz is to just put it on the altar and do the ritual as if it's something else?

Or do you have to do something more?

Do you have to consecrate the stone as being something other than what it is? Do you have to ritually birth it into a new life and baptize it like a baby? Do you have to spend weeks or months honing your technique of focus and beliefs so that you can mentally shift from consensus reality to a personal reality where there is literally no difference between clear quartz and sodalite?

Do you have to raise energies of sodalite and imprint them into the quartz crystal, perhaps working over it for an extended period of time? Do you have to use energy work to tie the clear quartz into Ideal Sodalite so that it becomes like an avatar?

No, you don't have to use physical tools if you don't want to. But that shouldn't be taken to imply that tools are useless or can be replaced in a way that matters by just visualizing that you have them.

A witch spends six months propitiating a tree, ingratiating themselves with the land, offerings and acts of fealty to the tree, a week-long branch harvesting ritual, blood offerings at midnight on a holy day, then another year curing the wood and crafting a wand. Big effort, right?

And you don't need to do that. But if you want that power, what are you going to do instead?

Same with circle-casting. Same with magic on the full moon. No, you don't have to wait until the full moon. You don't have to wait until the moon is in Libra. But there's a really good reason people do those things. So if you want those effects, what actions can replace those effects?

You literally could not do the spell while the full moon is in Libra. That's fine. But then what will bridge the gap? Will you have to raise more energy somewhere else? Include a new aspect? Modify the spell for the moon you can work with?

"You don't have to follow the moon phase for magic" doesn't mean the moon phase is irrelevant and some witches just like to inconvenience themselves for no reason. But it does mean that you can probably adapt your working to overcome the moon being in the inopportune phase.

Every time I talk about how much time, energy, and effort magic can be I feel like someone always replies, "well, it's just not that hard for me! I do what I want with what I have when I need it and it always just works, with very little effort."

Which I think is very great for them, but I also don't think that most people can get results with such low effort.

So anyway my entire point is that I think sometimes the reason people struggle with getting witchcraft to work is because they are operating off of out-of-context soundbites that make it sound like you can just completely cut out some of these foundational concepts of witchcraft.

Maybe you don't have to accomplish those steps in traditional ways. Maybe you don't need all of those steps for every spell you're doing.

But if you've just cut out swaths of steps only because you heard someone say you don't need them (not because of your own experiments working with magic and determining what works best for you), then is there enough left to constitute a functional system of magic?

[rationaliity]

church — chase atlantic

' i'm about to take you back to church well, tell me your confessions, baby, what's the worst ? baptize in your thighs 'til it hurts cuz i'm about to take you back to church '

requested

you were sunday's favorite. as pure as a lamb, his perfect little toy that he could do whatever he wanted with, even though he wouldn't tell you to your face. no, his actions said all that he needed to say, there was no need to speak his favoritism openly when you accepted him so easily.

you, his darling favorite, were on your knees, looking up at him from where he stood behind his pulpit, your head bowed to him in reverence, one hand curled over the other closed fist in a prayer. " forgive me, father, for i have sinned. " the words flowed effortlessly from your mouth, and he almost found himself unable to keep a calm look on his face, content with your piety.

with your head bowed, all you could hear were his footsteps as you prayed for his forgiveness. fingers hooked underneath your chin, tilting your head up to meet his gaze. sunday loved this view of you on your knees in front of him, your eyes begging for a forgiveness that he was so willing to give, for a price.

" tell me of your sins, " his voice was as smooth as butter, his hand never leaving your chin, forcing you to look directly into his eyes as you confessed. and of course you would, who were you to ever disobey a direct order from sunday ?

" i have.. been touching myself, father, " you admitted, and he swore he could see you melt underneath his piercing gaze. " i know it's wrong, so every time i.. get close, i stop. i know it's not right to orgasm with such sinful intentions, but i.. father, the need.. these sinful urges are taking over my body, my mind. everything. i can't stop thinking about being touched by another. "

sunday is a man who's mind always precedes before his bodily needs. but with you looking up at him, begging him to do something to help you with your urges, even he couldn't turn a blind eye to his favorite believer in need, now could he ?

" this is quite unbecoming of you. i can't even begin to describe my disappointment in you, " although his voice was gentle, his words were biting, reminding you of your place beneath his elegance and divinity. he had the ability to be kind, but he could also ruin you. you could bend to his will, or you could break. he didn't care either way, as long as he had you right where he wanted you.

" i'm sor- "

" i'm afraid apologizing isn't going to make up for your actions. you know as well as i do that acting on such carnal desires are nothing short of blasphemy, " his lips curled into a smirk as he guided your head closer to him, your body leaning in subtly to his, until you were just inches away from him, and his legs were on either side of your body.

" how can i trust you not to act on these desires again ? one should, no, one must ensure that you never act senselessly again. be not afraid, i will take care of your desires. your reverence has never faltered, my precious devotee. i would not be in this position above you if i could not qualm your running thoughts, your aching body. "

" father, please, " you pleaded, the words falling off of your lips like you were about to cry, your bottom lip pouting just a little bit. " i cannot continue to live like this with these thoughts. i need you, father. " you were in the corner of his cage, caught up in his web of desires, but even if the door were open, you would stay.

" then worship me, " sunday commanded, his tone leaving no room for arguments. you only nodded, breathless, as your eyes so lewdly flickered down to his crotch just inches away from your face, his free hand unzipping his silver pants, the sound of the teeth of his pants coming undone enough to make your head spin. you hadn't realized that his hand on your chin had loosened, allowing you to look at him as he freed himself from his pants.

he wouldn't take his clothing off completely, that was entirely off of the table. even when committing such baseless desires. no, he was teaching you how to properly worship a man like him. your god. his hands were clean of sin, it was yours that needed his grace. what was the most efficient way of giving you the body of god himself ?

you didn't need to be told twice to worship him, something that sunday admired from you, always so obedient in everything that he said. you took his cock into your mouth, letting the fat tip of it rest on your flat tongue for a moment as you looked up at him, swearing the sun was in your eyes the way his bright golden eyes were looking down at you, scrutinizing your every move.

sunday didn't move, needing you to prove that you could do such a simple task without his assistance, and a god does not chase after his people, and you did not disappoint. your pretty lips wrapped around his cock so perfectly, your head bobbing up and down as you sucked, eliciting small groans of pleasure from him. drool slipped through your lips and onto your cute little white church dress, dampening the fabric.

your eyebrows were creased together as you worked your warm mouth along his shaft, your focus evident. although he was the one being pleasured, you looked like you were in ecstasy, losing yourself in his pleasure, cock drunk and only thinking about the way his precum tasted in your mouth, like holy water.

" what a perfect little lamb, " sunday purred, his chest rising and falling quickly, his bottom lip in between his teeth. you looked up at him the moment he spoke, your eyes cloudy with desire, but still determined to listen to his every word, hanging off of them as if they were your commandments. " purifying you from within, yes, this is the ideal. my innocent, pure acolyte. your defiling of your own body was sacrilegious, but don't worry. i'll save you. "

sunday was sure controlling you was his claim, his birthright. he could give and take away from you freely as he wished, and you were to give him your everything. and in turn for your everything, of course he could give you his blessings, in the form of exactly what you craved from him. as your mouth worked up and down his cock, the lewd sounds filling up the otherwise silent church, echoing within these holy walls, he felt the pressure threatening to burst out at any moment.

his hand grabbed your hair a little tighter than he expected to, quickly pulling you off of his cock. you hesitated for a moment, the suddenness of his actions catching you off guard, momentarily breaking the spell he had you under, your eyebrows furrowed together as you looked up to him. his free hand gripped his own cock, stroking the length with rhythmic strokes.

" did you think that i would be so generous ? " he asked, his voice holding a hint of condescension. " beg for it. beg for my blessing. beg for your god. "

" fa- g-god- " you stuttered out, his hand in your hair holding your head at the right angle so you could look up at him with your big, doey eyes. you weren't even looking at his ministrations in front of you, solely focused on his face, his radiance. " please- please, i need your blessing, god. i need you to bless this sinful body of mine with your holiness, " the words fell from your lips like a prayer, a mantra that he'd have you repeat over and over again. " my god, please. "

sunday felt his need come to a fever pitch at your prayers, and he threw his head back, moans slipping out as his orgasm exploded outside of him, coating you in his essence. thick ropes of cum splattered onto your face and chest, covering your hair and your forehead like the crown of thorns. his hand dropped his cock, letting it rest on your face, covering one of your eyes as his tip leaked cum into your hair even more as he caught his breath subtly.

" such devotion, your baptism has cleared you partly from your sins. " he murmured, finally releasing your hair, his eyes on how lewd you looked covered in his cum, his cock resting on your face as if that was all you were good for. but his price had been paid, and now he was ready to grant you his forgiveness. " go, sit in the pew. spread your legs for me, and i'll take care of the sins plaguing the inside of your body, too, where the baptism has not yet reached. don't worry, i will make sure your body is completely free of sin, inside and outside, my little dove. "

[hihomeghere]

Here is my collection of Red Dead Redemption fics! I hope you enjoy! All of my fics are f!reader if not specifically mentioned

Smut 💋, Fluff 🪽, Angst 🗯️

Rdr2 Boyfriend vibes

John Marston

Burning Love Set in the epilogue of RDR2. You stumble upon John in Blackwater after being alone for years. When he invites you to visit Beecher's Hope, will you be able to fight feelings that have been building ever since you were kids? 🪽💋

Gloves John goes crazy over you dressed up for a job, more specifically your white gloves 🪽💋

Based off an ask 💋

Right Person, Wrong Time You and John have constantly been at each other's throats until you left the gang after he chose Abigail over you. When you return you find him gone, leaving Abigail and Jack. You create a relationship with Abigail and Jack, but what will happen when John returns? 🗯️💋

Arthur Morgan

Fakin' It After a botched robbery, Arthur and you take refuge in a hotel, hiding from the O'Driscolls outside your door. When they do decide to search for you two, how will you throw them off your track? 💋

Fishing in the Dark You and Arthur have a private evening away from camp on the Dakota river. 🪽💋

Dreams Arthur starts having dreams of starting a family with you 🪽

My Eyes Only Arthur thinks you look like a work of art 🪽

Salt and Pepper Arthur notices his hair is starting to gray 🪽

Deserving. 6. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear. 34. I think you're showing. 36. You're glowing. 41. The baby loves hearing you sing/speak. 83. Was that a kick? 🪽

Blue Ain't Your Color Loosely based on the song, Blue Ain't Your Color 🪽

Little Things Arthur returns from a successful job and wants nothing more than to bury himself in you 💋

Prompts : #30 I just want to be yours. #50 We need to talk about last night 💋

First time : You want Arthur to be the one to take your virginity, you just dont want to tell him💋

Baptized by Fire, Arthur Morgan x Reader x Charles Smith

After running from your past you find yourself facing certain death out in a blizzard. Thankfully you’re rescued, but what happens when you have to ride out the rest of the winter with the two men who rescued you? An RDR2 AU where Arthur followed Charles to Canada. No Y/N. Eventual Smut. Check the tags on each chapter for warnings. 22K word count

Chapter one , Chapter two, Chapter three, Chapter four, Chapter five

Charles Smith

Knight in Shining Armor 1. "Kiss me" "What-", 81. "Your heart is racing." 🪽💋

Prompts : 12 "You look so much softer, so much calmer, I wish you could see yourself as you sleep."13"Sleeping with you was the best sleep I've gotten in years." 54“Here, take my blanket.”55 “You’re cute when you smile, you should do it more often.” 61 “I said I’d take care of you.” 🪽

Javier Escuella

Prompt : #19 You're leaving now? 🗯️

Kieran Duffy

Prompt : #66 Were you touching yourself? 💋

[thecapricunt1616]

Dad!Carmy x Beach Day

Okok guys more Dad!Carmy brainrot! It’s time for a walk *gently grabs your hand* okay okay so your first is away at summer camp for the first time, that was it’s whole ordeal (Carmy cried the whole first week they were gone intermittently bc he missed them esp. after you put your littlest to bed bc ‘the routine just feels odd babe we’re missing one’) so to turn his frown upside down you had been planning little outings so he wouldn’t just sit by the mailbox every day like a sad puppy waiting for the letters your kid sends home. Todays outing: A beach day! 

(More BTC 🫶) 

So as soon as your Toddler got up that morning and told you she wanted to make sand castles that day, the choice was easy. Seeing your sexy man carrying your little girl on his shoulders while you relaxed and enjoyed premium beach snacks that he’d pack for you and get some well needed tanning time? That was always a good day. 

By this time - Carmy has gone full dad mode because having a son old enough for sleep away camp and a daughter out of diapers that’s about 8 years of dad-ing, he has it all. Meaning, the man has yes - he’s gotten a truck. *Keep walking don’t look at me that way* because imagine he’d be like 

‘Babe- think, when we take the kids camping, or when we go on trips- we need something with a lot of space, plus it’s so comfy inside! And seat warmers! So you won’t get cold in the winter. And I can get a snow plow for the front so i don’t have to keep spending hours doing the driveway in the winter, and grocery shopping! Whenever we go to Costco we never have enough space and it’s so much safer you should see the safety ratings on this thing the guy really sold me on it. Unc was for it babe! He told me to go for it’  

Like he would have an endless amount of reasons but let’s be real. Little man, big truck - plus your son would think it’s cool. So you’d be all comfy up front with your cooled seats, your daughter in back in her little princess sunglasses and flip flops chewing on bubble gum to be like dad because after 6 years he’s just replaced cigarettes with nic gum and he hasn’t even considered quitting. Of course she’d have one of those little screen things on the back of the seat and bluey is on deck, or Ms Rachel if he’s feeling particularly educational that day. 

He would of course stop at Starbucks when you and your daughter ask and get her a lemonade and a cake pop, get you your signature drink he’d already have memorized for years and then a black cold brew for himself - I still can’t picture the man having anything in his coffee he still seems like a black coffee dude to me!!! 

When you get to the beach he has the whole set up. I’m talking he has the truck bed loaded, he has a beach cart and everything. You are a beach cabana family you are that family. Because let’s be real if Carmy is anything he’s prepared and every family needs that guy so Nat and Richie and all the nieces and nephews would also come hang!! He’s researched and found you the comfiest beach chairs, he has a timer on his watch and is carrying the baby to the tent and baptizing her ass in sunscreen but it’s funny because you have to force him to let you get his back 

He would totally be the sand art uncle, he would help his daughter make the sickest sand castle ever, he would teach Evie his ways too like he’d have a whole method with adding water to build a base he would be in there. Oh!! And he would loooove taking his daughter hunting for seashells. Like imagine you’re just watching as he walks back and forth with her on the shore, bright blue bucket in one hand and her little hand in another, crouching down whenever he finds a cool one and doing the same when she finds one she wants to show and bring like

“Wow! That’s a pretty one baby, I can’t wait for you to show mama that one!” He would be so supportive omg. Also teaching her how to write her name in the sand 🥹. Don’t even get me started on him bringing her swimming. She would absolutely love the game of holding onto his back while he dives under the water and he’d tell her like “take a deep breath we’re gonna go under ready!” And he would just tire her out within a few hours so that she could take a nap on his chest in the cabana after you have lunch and get a chance to talk. Premier sandwiches of course, Carmy has mastered the beach sandwich. Doritos, the whole lot. 

Oh!! Oh!! And he is a total grill master. He has a little charcoal grill he makes you guys smash burgers on the beach and you get to hang and watch the sunset, around the 4th he would always bring sparklers for the kids they would be heavily supervised of course because Carmy plus fireworks is a nervous wreck but sparklers are ok 

And of course on the way home your daughter would beg to stop for ice cream and he would be suckered in because he is absolutely the pushover parent. 

To end the day if you came home and checked the mailbox and there was a fat letter from your son detailing all of the stuff they’ve been doing that week along with a ton of pictures from the polaroid camera you sent him with it would be a day he gushes about literally forever ingrained in his memory. 

Okay, I hope you enjoyed our walk 🫶

[ofthemorningstars]

One Step at a Time (Part 1)

TerzOmega ~ Smut ~ Domestic Fluff ~ Resurrection AU 3.5k words Part 2 Ao3 Version Following the birth of their first child, Terzo and Omega get some much-needed alone time.

Content Warning: mentions of implied mpreg(cis)

---

“Is this really necessary?” Primo huffed indignantly. “You know it is, Uncle Primo ,” Omega said with a wry smile as he adjusted the straps of the baby carrier to Primo’s body.  Terzo fretted over the infant in his arms, smoothing out her clothing, pressing his face to her soft white hair and inhaling as though trying to commit her scent to memory.  

“We are just going across the way to another wing, surely I can be trusted to simply hold her, rather than having to deal with this contraption.” “I do not want you dropping her, old man.” The tone of Terzo’s voice was a warning, one which Primo ignored. “Bah. As though I haven’t held and baptized hundreds of babies in the name of Satan in my lifetime.” Primo looked down his nose haughtily at his little brother while he spoke. Terzo ignored the boast, choosing not to dignify it with a response. “If one single hair on her head is out of place when we pick her up tomorrow, I’ll send you back to the pit again myself.” Terzo hissed, and the threat wasn’t idle as he silently took inventory of all the forms of vengeance available to him should any harm befall his precious daughter while in Primo’s care. “You worry too much,” Primo said, rolling his eyes but seeming to drop the matter. Terzo looked down at little Starlight, who was now reaching for her uncle. For reasons that Terzo would never understand, she had quite an affinity for the grumpy old fool. She giggled as Primo stuck his tongue out at her, pulling a face. Indeed, even more puzzling to Terzo than his daughter’s fondness for Primo was Primo's fondness for her, his sharp edges seeming to soften in her presence. He accepted it for what it was, grateful that Starlight had more people in her life who loved her. Omega reached for their daughter, but Terzo stopped him, yanking her out of his grasp. Omega sighed, putting a hand on Terzo’s shoulder.

“Amore, it’s time for them to go. Everything will be alright, I promise. She’ll only be away until tomorrow afternoon,” Omega assured him. Terzo tightened his grip. Terzo wasn't even the one who wanted this “break” from his child to begin with, it had been forced upon him by everyone else in his life.

“Brother, after all the trouble we went through to bring her into this world, after all of the research and late nights and dark magic, WHY would I let anything happen to her?” Primo was growing impatient. Terzo glared daggers at him.

“You could try just being a loving uncle instead of looking at her like a science experiment, you–” Terzo cut himself off, refraining from throwing around the language he wanted to use right now while he was around Starlight’s keen little ears. “That too,�� Primo chuckled, unphased. 

Omega’s grip on Terzo’s shoulder tightened; it was time. Terzo gave her one last once-over, memorizing her features; his own nose was framed by Omega’s chin and cheekbones. His white eye stared back at him, next to Omega’s violet, both framed by long, snow-white eyelashes. Elegant horns curved back above her head, just like her Daddy’s. Her cheeks had a rosy glow that shone through her dusky grey complexion. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight, and he was reluctant to tear his gaze away from the tiny ghoul’s face.

In the rational part of his brain, Terzo knew that Starlight was in good hands, as Primo had practically raised him and his other brothers. Despite this, his protective new parent instincts were in overdrive. He needed to make sure she was safe. 

“Please,” Terzo met Primo’s eyes, his voice sincere and threatening to break. “Take good care of her.” Primo nodded, no snarky quips this time.

Terzo let Omega take her from him. He wrapped his arms around himself, unsure of what to do with his now empty hands. He missed the comfort of her weight already. He watched as Omega secured her in the carrier, sitting snugly against Primo’s chest as she babbled up at him. Terzo crossed the room to where they stood, wanting to give her one final farewell for the evening. 

“Sleep well tonight, la mia piccola principessa. Have fun with Uncle Primo.” Terzo pressed one last lingering kiss to the top of her head. Too soon for Terzo’s liking, Omega was bidding her his own goodbyes before ushering them out the door, closing it quietly behind him. When Omega turned back around to face him, Terzo was chewing on his nails, a bad habit that he had picked up since returning to the realm of the living. His once long, dainty nails were too often bitten down to nubs, and while he’d been more successful in growing them out since Starlight was born, today was threatening to send him backsliding. Omega gently pulled his hand away from his face before wrapping him in a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you, tesoro. You did a good job,” Omega spoke softly in Terzo’s ear. Terzo took a moment to return the embrace, body still tense. He buried his face in Omega’s shirt.  “What if something happens?” Terzo croaked out meekly. In her 6 months of life, they’d never spent a night apart, and his mind was racing with the potential for tragedy. “Nothing is going to happen, I promise. She’s safe, everyone is safe. You have my word.” Omega’s voice was patient and full of love as he ran a hand soothingly up and down Terzo’s back. “I’ll draw a bath, it’ll help you relax.” Terzo nodded after a moment. A bath didn’t sound like a terrible idea. 

As Terzo trailed his way after Omega to the ensuite, he stopped in front of the mirror to get undressed, his reflection having caught his eye. He stripped down to his underwear, examining himself.

Terzo had always had a complicated relationship with his self-image, particularly his face, but his body had always been a point of confidence for him. It was the one thing he could control. He had prided himself on his physique and worked to maintain it. Since having Starlight, however, he hadn’t had the time or energy for exercise, and the stress and lack of sleep certainly hadn’t helped. His once lean, angular body had become softer, his hips wider. Stretch marks spanned his stomach, his skin not as tight as it used to be. A large C-section scar was still healing between his hip bones. It wasn’t anywhere near as gnarly as the jagged scar that spanned the circumference of his neck, but it was an uncomfortable reminder of the bizarre changes his body had gone through in order to bring their little girl into this world. He’d never come close to regretting it, but it did leave a feeling of disconnect between himself and his physical form, at times. 

Omega appeared behind him, already naked, his arms wrapping around Terzo’s middle as his lips found their way to his neck. He met Omega’s eyes in the mirror, his own full of a hundred different types of heartache. Omega’s expression was pained, upset at seeing his husband so distressed. “Mio amato, she’s going to be fine–” Omega began. 

“I know, I know, so I’ve been told,” Terzo cut him off, eyes now fixed on the ground. “It’s not just that.” There was silence as Omega waited patiently for him to continue. “I have not been feeling like myself, lately. I do not… look like myself. I don’t recognize the body I see in the mirror.” Terzo’s voice was hollow, detached. Realization and grief dawned on Omega’s face simultaneously, his features softening. They were silent for a long moment. 

“Terzo…” When Omega spoke, his voice was heavy, full of emotion. “I can’t imagine how difficult this all must be for you. But I wish you’d be easier on yourself.” Omega buried his face in the crook of Terzo’s neck. “This scar brought you back to me,” he spoke against Terzo’s skin, kissing along the mark that still looked angry after all these years. “And this scar brought us our little girl,” he continued, delicately tracing his claws along Terzo’s C-section scar. Terzo felt tears begin to well up, but fought them back. “Your body has worked so hard, been through so much. It’s defied death… And it’s carried our kit.” Omega ran a hand across Terzo’s belly. “It’s persisted through the impossible. Everything about you is miraculous. Your body has done so much that shouldn’t have been possible, and yet here you are. I would never judge you for your looks. I wish that you could appreciate yourself more. That you’d be easier on yourself.” Omega gave Terzo another kiss, this time on the cheek. Terzo still looked uneasy, looking away from the mirror. Omega ran his hands up and down Terzo’s sides. “I think you’re incredibly sexy,” Omega breathed in his ear. Terzo scoffed, but had to fight back a shiver. “I want a taste,” Omega added, giving Terzo’s shoulder a gentle bite, not hard enough for his fangs to break the skin. Terzo let his head fall back. He was beginning to relax a little, enough to allow himself to be led to the bathroom. Omega went into the bath first, beckoning Terzo to join him. Terzo finished stripping and climbed in after Omega, reclining in his arms, leaning heavily against him. He sighed as he felt the hot water penetrate achy muscles. 

Terzo relished having so much skin-to-skin contact with his husband; he had forgotten just how good it felt, how right it felt. They’d had encounters here and there since the birth of their daughter, but always rushed, urgent. They never got to take their time anymore, and they certainly didn’t get to bathe together; someone always needed to be watching the baby. Throughout all of their decades together, as long as they’d had the opportunity, they had always bathed and showered together. Giving that up was a sacrifice they'd been willing to make to have a family, but Satanas, this felt good. Terzo twisted in Omega’s hold to press their lips together. What started as an almost chaste kiss slowly built as they took their time with each other. Omega pulled Terzo’s bottom lip into his mouth, biting gently with his fangs. Terzo wanted to turn to face Omega fully, to straddle him, but he was unwilling to break the kiss. Too soon, though, Omega pulled away with a soft sound, wrapping his arms around Terzo and pulling his body against his own tightly. “I missed this,” Omega said, his voice wistful as he tucked Terzo’s head under his chin. Terzo hummed in agreement, stroking Omega’s forearms just because he could. Terzo sighed, leaning back hard and trying to let himself relax. Omega could sense his lingering tension, though, and released his hold on the smaller man to begin to massage his shoulders, working away stress with the pads of his thumbs, doing his best to avoid scratching with his claws. Terzo wouldn’t have minded if he did. 

Between the heat of the water and Omega’s clever hands, Terzo felt like he was going to drift off, fighting to keep his eyes open. Omega chuckled when he yawned, ignoring Terzo’s protests as he pulled his hands away. “Let's get to the bathing part of the bath and get you to bed before you pass out in the tub.” Terzo could hear the smile in Omega’s voice. They took their time washing each other, hands lingering, relishing the other's touch. When the water began to cool, Terzo reluctantly agreed to get out, knowing that Omega would worry about his human mate getting sick if he didn’t.

After toweling each other off, they headed to their bedroom. Terzo grabbed a bottle of his favorite lotion from his vanity and was about to start the process of moisturizing, a key step in his routine as he got older, when Omega swiped it out of his hands. Terzo met his eyes, a questioning look on his face. Omega smirked. “Let me do that for you, tesoro,” Omega said, his voice low and sultry, eyes hooded. Terzo felt an electric jolt run through his body and swallowed hard. Omega guided him to sit on the edge of the bed.

Omega’s touch was warm as he spread lotion onto Terzo’s skin, making sure to work it in until it absorbed. He was thorough, touch trailing, starting at Terzo's shoulders and ending at his feet. By the time he was done, Terzo was already half hard and trying in vain to hide it. When Omega “accidentally” grazed him, Terzo bit back a hiss. Satisfied with the job he’d done, Omega put the bottle back, tracing a clawed finger across Terzo’s cheekbone when he returned. “Turn over,” Omega commanded, ever so softly, but not spoken as a question. Terzo, feeling his heart flutter, complied, guided into lying down on the bed on his stomach. When Omega straddled his hips he felt his heart stop altogether for just a beat before hammering wildly in his ears. Omega leaned down to place a kiss to Terzo’s shoulder, trailing his way up his neck. “You’re still so tense. Let me give you some relief,” Omega whispered. 

Omega’s hands began kneading at Terzo’s shoulders again, touch gentle but firm. Terzo let out a quiet groan, relaxing into Omega’s touch. As Terzo’s muscles became looser, Omega’s touch began to wander, meandering down his arms, his back, until his fingers grazed just above the curve of Terzo’s ass. If Terzo had felt a stir before from all the attention he was receiving, he was now beginning to throb. He let out a soft sigh. 

Omega’s touch slowed at Terzo’s lower back, teasing, before moving his body further down Terzo’s legs. His touch was light at first, claws skating across supple flesh, before stroking Terzo’s ample ass, cupping and squeezing. Omega pressed his hips into Terzo’s thigh, letting Terzo feel his erection. Terzo exhaled shakily, and Omega’s mouth returned to his shoulder, this time kissing every inch of skin available to him, taking his time. His forked tongue came out to taste, and Terzo began to subtly grind on the bed, unable to stop himself. He couldn’t help but think of all of the other things he knew that brilliant tongue of Omega’s could do. When Omega began to lick his way up Terzo’s back, Terzo sensed that the both of them were losing hold of their control. “Omega,” Terzo called, voice unsteady. “I need you. Please…” Terzo begged, feeling as though he might combust. Omega growled in Terzo’s ear, nipping before getting to his feet. Terzo mourned the loss of Omega’s weight, watching as he rifled through the nightstand to find a bottle of lube. Omega prepped himself in front of Terzo, wanting him to watch as he stroked himself in long, slow passes, precum beading at his tip. Terzo salivated, hungry for more. Terzo couldn’t breathe as Omega approached, body trembling when he climbed on the bed behind him. Omega mounted him, Terzo arching his back. Omega kissed between Terzo’s shoulder blades. “Are you ready?” Omega asked, voice sweet and dripping with lust. Terzo nodded, finding himself unable to speak.  When Omega slipped carefully inside, Terzo cried out, pressing his face to the blankets. He gave Terzo a moment to adjust before cautiously starting to move. 

“How does that feel, tesoro?” The question was earnest. 

“Nnnn… So good…” Terzo panted, pushing back against Omega’s hips. It had been a little while, and he had missed this terribly. Omega set a slow, tender pace. Mesmerized by the roll of his hips, Terzo let his body relax further, surrendering to pleasure. He felt Omega’s quintessence brush against his awareness, reaching out, asking to be let in. “Yes, Omega. Please...” All at once their sense merged as their minds connected, the borders between their bodies and souls blurring. Terzo felt the sensation of sensitive flesh being enveloped by his own tight warmth the way that Omega did, and knew that Omega could feel what he was experiencing as well. He shivered at the sense of closeness, of oneness. 

They moved together, breathed together. Omega kissed everywhere he could reach, running his nose along the back of Terzo’s neck. When he began to bite, a part of Terzo wished that he would break the skin, craved the feeling of his own blood trickling, but he knew that wasn’t what either of them needed right now. Omega caught the passing thought and chuckled. “So greedy, amore.” Omega’s voice felt like it was reverberating through Terzo’s skull. Omega nipped slightly harder, but didn’t give Terzo what he wanted. No, tonight wasn’t about that. It was about reconnecting. Omega gave a particularly forceful thrust, as though emphasizing the point, and Terzo groaned. He wished he could kiss Omega. 

Time ceased to have any meaning as they lay entwined together, Omega moving in languid thrusts. Terzo wanted to be in this moment forever, to never leave, but the pressure building at the base of his spine was threatening to cut their time short. Sensing this, Omega put nearly his full weight down on Terzo, pinning him to the bed as he began to move faster. He was chasing Terzo’s release, relishing the feeling of Terzo trying desperately to cling to his composure. When Terzo began to slip in earnest, Omega held him back, just long enough to say something, both with his mouth and with his soul.

“I love you,” Omega whispered.

Terzo was sent tumbling off the edge, but not before dragging Omega with him as he tightened around him, the feeling of Terzo’s release buzzing through their bond, too much for Omega to handle. Omega dropped fully down onto Terzo as he lost himself, crushing him as he filled him with his seed, giving a few last lazy thrusts, but Terzo didn’t mind, consumed by pleasure as he was. When Omega finally seemed to realize where he was after a minute or two, he gingerly pulled out of Terzo and rolled off of him, going to get a towel. Terzo felt lonely in his brief absence. He cleaned Terzo up and then lay back down beside him, pulling him tightly against his body and covering them with the blankets. Terzo was practically purring, his upper body on Omega’s chest, listening to the steady thump of Omega’s heart.

Omega pulled Terzo’s face up to meet his in a searing kiss, full of gratitude as unspoken feelings shimmered along their bond. Terzo had to fight back tears as his senses were overwhelmed by Omega’s outpouring of affection. What he couldn’t fight back, though, was a yawn as fatigue hit him all at once; he was absolutely exhausted. It had been a long, emotionally taxing day for Terzo. Omega chuckled as Terzo rubbed his eyes, running a hand up and down Terzo’s back. He could feel just how tired Terzo was. “I was going to make us dinner, you know. I had a movie picked out and everything. But since someone can’t stay awake, I suppose it’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” Omega teased, kissing the top of Terzo’s head. Terzo nuzzled his face against Omega’s chest, unphased, feeling warm and secure as Omega reached over and turned off the lamp on their nightstand. He drifted off to the feeling of Omega tracing his claws lightly over his skin.

When he woke the next morning, it was to an empty bed. This wasn’t terribly uncommon, as he was quite the heavy sleeper, when he wasn’t having night terrors; Omega was an early riser and usually up taking care of the baby before he was, wanting to let Terzo get as much sleep as much as possible. Today, however, Terzo had been secretly looking forward to spending a lazy morning in bed together.

He sighed, about to get up and find his husband, when Omega walked through the door, dressed in his robe and carrying a large tray. The scent of maple syrup and bacon hit his nose, and his mouth began to water. Terzo sat up further in anticipation, propping himself up on the headboard. Omega crossed the room to him, unfolding the legs of the tray and carefully setting it down over Terzo’s lap.

“Good morning,” Omega greeted him cheerfully, kissing him on the cheek before settling down beside him. “What’s the occasion, amore?” Terzo joked, but his heart felt full to bursting at the gesture. “Don’t need one. I just wanted to do something nice,” Omega replied, ruffling Terzo’s hair. “Especially since you can actually sit down and relax this morning, since it’s just the two of us.” Terzo felt a pang of sadness at the reminder of Starlight’s absence and grimaced unintentionally. Omega seemed to realize his mistake and tried changing the subject, directing Terzo’s attention to the food. “I made all of your favorites, just the way you like them.” Indeed, he had. Spread out before him were french toast with powdered sugar and real maple syrup on the side, extra crispy bacon, a mushroom and chive omelet with swiss cheese, orange juice, and a cappuccino with an extra shot of espresso. Omega knew him very well, and evidently this morning he had decided to absolutely spoil him. Terzo gave him a wide grin, returning the kiss on the cheek.

[annoyingann]

you thought this was the end? NOOO

Let me introduce you to all the characters in a little more detail! This will be described in several posts. And we'll start with Izm!

As in the BP canon, Izm is a demon, but not just a thief imp. Izm is a special demon, called "бес" [Bes]. In life, he was a "shameless person" according to society and the church. He even admitted that he had no such feeling. He was a thief, a deceiver, an impudent person, which is why he did not stay in one place for long. His behavior was long overdue in some way. During his life, Izm paid for his actions only with periodic fights without serious bloodshed. As you understand, the fights were not easy for long, since Izm is no longer in human form.

Still, his shamelessness led him to the devil. "and for this, the king of the underworld took pity and granted him remarkable strength" - as the demon himself explains. In some ways, he is right. According to the hierarchy of power, Bes' are in the group of capable demons. Today it is emphasized that Bes' were presented as "absolute evil", but this does not apply to Izm specifically.. For all his impudence, Izm is nothing more than an annoying imp with a love for pranks. Now he is in the familiar group of settled travelers :з

By the way, funny joke. Rire is considered a lower class demon than Izm! but in fact Rire is much stronger and more experienced than this boy

And here is Marcus! He is Igosha, the spirit of an unbaptized child.

CW: BURN ON A CHILD + will be described below

In folklore, he is sometimes described as an invisible baby without arms and legs, so Marcus has no limbs, but since he is a spirit, this does not prevent him from moving and taking objects with the help of a ghostly projection of lost body parts.

The burns on his body were left after a fire in his native village, where he died with his family.

The articles often note how to deal with the Igosha:

"Anyone could baptize the spirit by tearing off a piece of shirt or other clothing and throwing it at the cry with a certain spell. It was believed that Igosha was then freed and left the place where his body was laid to rest."

As you understand, it is not so difficult to put the spirit of the Igoshi to rest. So why hasn't his spirit been released?

crying children without eyes look scary, in my opinion so this doodle Will be at the end of the post

In bad weather they "scream". That's how they scream, begging to be baptized and to rest their souls. In general, their screams are not dangerous, but pregnant women or young mothers should beware of this (there is a risk of getting seriously ill). In theory, Marcus could beg for peace immediately after becoming an Igosh, but the situation says otherwise.

Marcus screamed. Right after becoming an Igosh, he really screamed a lot, hoping to get help and the cherished peace. However, after the village was burned down, absolutely nothing remained in this place. His screams were useless.

Time passed and on the site of the burnt village a small settlement of unclean, a priest and a gunsmith was formed. Now Marcus is one of the quietest Igosh. He managed to make friends with new neighbors and feels so bad about her.. here is the answer to the previous question:

Marcus no longer wants to go to the world of the dead

[prolifeproliberty]

Anencephaly, major heart defects, major lung defects, trisomy 13, holoprosencephaly, hydranencephaly, renal agenesis, thanatophoric dysplasia, and triploidy. These aren't "disabilities" ; they are death sentences. You are for forcing women who find out a heart breaking truth to know for months they won't be able to have a baby. You are for forcing an infant into the world only to know torture and agony and pain.

You are a monster, full stop. This is not freedom, this is torture.

Allowing a mother to spend every moment she can with her dying child and also giving her the comfort that she did everything she could rather than the guilt of knowing she had her child killed - that’s what you think is torture?

No family should go through this alone, and there are great resources for perinatal hospice that should be made available to parents.

Also, the number of times doctors have been wrong about a diagnosis or survival chance…

Not to mention new options for correcting issues by performing surgery on a baby in utero to save lives:

Heart surgery for Trisomy 13 and 18, surgery for spina bifida, Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy for renal agenesis, placenta-derived stem cell therapy for spinal bifida, just to name a few

My husband’s parents were told he wouldn’t survive. They were told to abort, and they refused. They planned to say goodbye to him in the hospital after he was born. All the family came. He was born, baptized by his grandpa, and rushed to surgery.

As you probably figured out, he survived (since he is now my husband). He has no lingering effects of the condition that doctors said would kill him, except that he only has one kidney (and doctors now say he has normal kidney function because his single kidney grew to compensate).

Doctors aren’t omniscient. Conditions that were death sentences 20 years ago are now treatable. New surgeries and procedures are constantly being developed.

We’re not going to sentence babies to death because a doctor says they’re going to die. Sorry not sorry.

[itsmebytch001]

Y/n Davis + Morales Fam Things.

Auntie Rio rubbing hot peppers into your nails because you won't stop chewing them.

Uncle Jeff taking you bowling, only for you to call him boring saying he needs some real hobbies.

Cousin Miles trying to teach you how to skate, turns out he can barley do it himself so Y/n just watches him tumble trying to do a flip.

Miles: "I got it! This time for sure!" *Trips backwards down stair case face slams into cocreate*

4. Dad Aaron getting his daughter baptized as a baby and having Jeff and Rio being the God parents, baby Y/n refuses to be held by Uncle Jeff and screams and thrashes until he hands her to Rio or her Dad.

5.Auntie Rio who buys you a beauty bag for your 14th birthday with Mascara, lip gloss and liner and teaches you how to put it on well.

Rio: "No no Y/n just slightly overline it, yes like that, now add the gloss"

6.Miles and Y/n who watch trash TV together, like The Idol.

Y/n: "Lily rose is a pretty girl but the Weeknd is kinda ugly"

Miles: "Your lying to yourself, that man is fine"

Y/n: "LOOK AT HIS HAIR"

Miles: "...Yeah that's the character not him"

Y/n: "He beat Lily's character with a brush, you still think he's fit"

Miles: "That' the character!"

Y/n: "and I quote 'make that throat wet for me' "

Miles: "I-"

Y/n: " 'You should sing like you know how to fuck', You think that's hot?"

Miles: "The weeknd and the character are SERPRATE"

Y/n: "You heard that man say those things and you still thinks he's fit?"

Miles: "STAP, LET ME HAVE THIS!"

*Aaron from the next room*

Aaron: "BOTH OF YALL SHUT THE HELL UP!!"

7. Uncle Jeff seeing you skipping school while walking down the street.

*Police siren*

(Over the speaker thingy) Jeff: "Y/n Davis, aren't you supposed to be in school?"

Just keep walking, he'll go away eventually

Jeff: "Y/n Davis I see you...You ignoring me now?"

Just keep walking

Jeff: "Come on now, I'm just gonna keep following you till you answer me"

*Follows her for 3 blocks*

Jeff: "okay, Ive waited long enough PDNY Y/n Davis Stop where you are"

Y/n: "Are you serious?!"

Jeff: "So now you talking to me?"

Y/n: "GO AWAY"

Jeff: "Get in the car, your going to school"

Y/n: "I think not"

Jeff: "You really want your Auntie finding out your skipping out? I will call her"

Y/n: "I don't care"

Jeff: "Really now?" He pulls out his phone up Rio's contact.

Y/n: "FINNNNNNNNNNEEEEE"

*Y/n sulking in the back of the car*

[whereispearlescentmoon]

This is for the two other people who are obsessed with Ghost Quartet (it’s my favorite musical please listen to it I have CHARTS FOR THIS), here is my analysis of who in the Divorce Quartet is who (note for non-GQ fans, there is a character named Pearl in the show. To lessen the confusion, I’ve color coded.):

Pearl- Rose Red. Rose as a character is someone who feels wronged and abandoned and then uses that to hurt others in every lifetime, namely Pearl (who I am assigning to Cleo). She looks to The Bear (who I’m assigning to Martyn) for help in getting her revenge, but he is uninterested in helping, which causes her final spiral, like how Martyn leaving Pearl in episode one led to her being alone for the series.

When Pearl is the Soldier, Rose manipulates her by flirting and steals her honey, then shoots her. When Pearl is Lady Usher, Rose’s manipulation of Roxie as a child and later stealing Starchild is what leads to Lady Usher’s descent into madness and her death. When Pearl is Scheherazade, Rose callously takes her last piece of stardust. When Pearl is the Victim, Rose chooses not to help her, letting her die. And through all of this, until after it’s reveled that it was all for nothing, Rose sees her actions as righteous vengeance against Pearl. There is a parallel to be made here about life series Pearl killing Cleo over and over, still bitter from Double Life.

There is also something to be said for the fact that the person who gets hurt by Rose the most, besides Pearl, is Rose in other lives. Roxie and Starchild are the most obvious examples. Rose lies to Roxie as a child, leading her to become a tortured ghost when her expectations of heaven aren’t met, and she steals Starchild from her mother, baptizing and then abandoning her. Double Life Pearl, in her effort to hurt the person who wronged her, spends the season torturing herself.

Cleo- Pearl. Besides the irony of the name, see the above. Ultimately, it’s the Astronomer who betrayed Rose Red, not Pearl, yet Rose’s anger manifests in hurting herself and Pearl. And, in Rose’s defense, Pearl did act selfishly. She started a relationship with the Astronomer, knowing that her sister loved him. And we can see this from how untrusting all of Pearl’s lives are, similar to how Cleo behaves towards her allies. The Soldier is apathetic towards the idea of dying, knowing Rose’s flirting isn’t genuine. Scheherazade knows that the story she’s giving Rose is the last piece of stardust she has, and she gives it anyways, not because she is selfless but because she wants to rest. When Lady Usher is killed by Roxie’s ghost, she still sees her as her little girl.

I mean, I feel like these lyrics could sum up Cleo and Pearl in the life series pretty well honestly:

“This has all happened before….And the dead girl leapt upon her mother//And her sister//And her daughter//And her lover//With the rage of four generations”

No matter who Cleo is to Pearl, Pearl kills her in the end. No matter who Pearl is to Rose, Rose ends up killing her.

Scott- The Astronomer. The Astronomer is, in my opinion, the real catalyst of the show, even if the focus is on Rose and Pearl. He uses Rose for her observational skills and gets close with her before ultimately choosing Pearl over her, which you could parallel to Scott choosing to ally with Cleo and ditch Pearl in DL.

However, The Astronomer, like Scott, is not truly an antagonist. He is a man, who as we can see both from the songs The Astronomer and Fathers & Sons, acknowledges his faults but can’t find it in him to get better. The Astronomer wishes he could sing and see beauty the way Rose does, but he doesn’t practice and he’s “CONFOUNDED BY MUSIC// AND BABIES AND LAUGHTER//AND STORIES AND GOODNESS//INFINITY AND LUCK//I’M CONFUSED BY THE NOTION//THAT SOMEBODY LOVES ME”. We see this in the Astronomer’s other lives too. Lord Usher says that he knows he’s a bad lover and deadbeat dad, telling The Son that he should leave and never look back. David plays the piano in the palace of the Shah even as it hurts him and even after it has been determined that humans don’t deserve music, because he is begging for forgiveness, which you could parallel to the way Scott kills himself in DL as an apology to Pearl.

Martyn-The Bear. The Bear is a character who acts solely on impulse and base desire, which fits in line with how Martyn is often characterized as someone who acts before he thinks, whether out of love or rage. Martyn ditched Pearl in the heat of the moment because he felt hurt by Cleo’s rejection, and spent the rest of the season begging for Cleo back. Instead of being honorable in the final duel with Scott and Impulse in LimL, he indulges in his bloodlust. Half the time in SL when he got guesses wrong as a yellow it was because he was goaded into guessing and couldn’t resist.

The Bear, similarly, is a creature of instinct in every life. He sends Rose on a wild goose chase just because he wants honey. As The Son he leaves his grieving family because he wants to go join a band in New York. All the Shah wants is to drink, eat, and indulge himself in mindless entertainment. The Pusher gives no consideration to the fate of the Victim when he shoves her onto the tracks, he just takes a swig of his drink and pushes.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s5 episode 17 thoughts

omg!! after complaining of lack a of scully last time, this episode’s description specifically mentions her by name- and with a priest, too! is it time for scully catholic lore?! i am so excited! i fear i should lower my expectations, but it sounds promising!

it’s been a solid week since i’ve watched an episode, so i’m ready to dive in. 

post episode thoughts: idk, this one didn't really do it for me. and i don't know exactly what "it" is. despite checking many of the boxes that i think personally make a great episode (solo scully time and catholic guilt to name a few) this one felt just... too dark and convoluted for me. i literally had no idea what was going on, and then when i started to pick up on it, we circled back to the emily story, which still makes me feel very frustrated and i feel they could have handled it so much better. it also, once again, denies scully any autonomy, which is very frustrating.

surprisingly, in this scully-centric episode, the MVP for me was... mulder? yes, i'm genuinely shocked. he was so protective and caring even while being very grumpy. the way he leaned in to grab her shoulder... calling her back in the rain... gently teasing her and then realizing it wasn't a teasing sort of situation... wow.

and also, as i mentioned before, he looked really good. arguably at his best here.

(this might be my longest post so far LMAO)

very dramatic music is playing as this priest arrives at a house to baptize a young girl. i actually know very little about the whole baptismal process, so maybe this is accurate and maybe it’s not.

this girl, dara, has been baptized, and now the thunder is going wild, which seems spooky. 

also, she either has 6 toes or i cannot count.

did she get out of bed on her own despite not being able to walk before??? and now she’s walking towards a scary man while hearing evil voices. 

she’s on her knees praying to this guy who her father cannot see…. and HER EYEBALLS ARE BURNT OUT OF HER HEAD????????

huh. hey. a lot of things just happened very quickly. 

did the holy water burn her eyes? is she supposed to be a demon? i thought they were going to go with the “holy water healed her” route, which has its own problematic implications, but whatever these implications are, i’m lost. 

(author's note: and i was going to stay lost <3)

shortened intro, i clock you each and every time

scully is entering a church!!! she has on a blouse and not a suit, which feels strange. OHHH, SHE PULLS OUT THE BABY PICTURE OF MELISSA :(

god. she keeps it on her. i'm emotional.

it’s confession time. she’s talking to the confessor about her FBI work coming in conflict with her beliefs. it was father mccue who we saw before baptizing dara, and he said this family needed scully's help. hmm... what for?

scully is crying. OH MY GOD “father, i had a daughter who died” <- WHAT?? ARE THEY ACTUALLY GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS?????

i'm shook. i thought we were simply never going to speak of emily again.

so father mccue thought that helping this family would help scully process her grief… 

SHE’S SAYING SHE DOESN’T KNOW IF HE CAN OFFER FORGIVENESS? SHE LET A GIRL DIE??

woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, let’s go back a few steps……. oh my god. did scully need more grief to wear like an iron backpack? NO. WHAT HAPPENED HERE???

let a girl die. what. i just cannot imagine scully "letting" this happen??

a week earlier she had gone to easter mass. and she looks so beautiful in white and cream :,)

father mccue wants to speak to her in private. this church seems like it’s hopping, so it must be pretty important.

she’s been coming more often!!! :,) aww i'm happy for her. don't tease her too much father mccue, i'm watching...

but he needs her help. the kernofs lost their daughter dara in a very strange situation. and he thinks that her words might help them.

she looks so pained at this moment. but she goes anyway. god. god. scully. feeling obligated to help despite visibly not wanting to. knowing it will tear her open again. and doing it anyway.

frankly, it seems a bit cruel of father mccue to send her on this mission, but maybe he sees things with a lens i, a mere layperson, cannot

she’s chatting with the couple and they’re explaining how they adopted dara. lance (the father) is angry at god. 

they’re saying she might have been struck by lightning??? she was wheelchair bound and somehow got up, walked out, and was praying. struck by lighting... that would be so weird

the mother says something about god letting this happen to an innocent girl and god. emily. i am still mad at your plot line for feminist reasons, but grief. new grief and old grief and inexplicable screaming at the sky.

back in the confessional booth, scully says she felt drawn to the couple. they were angry at god, and so was she, although she refuses to say that.

“as much as i have my faith, father, i am a scientist. trained to weight evidence. but science only teaches us how… not why” <- OHHHHHHH toss that in the bucket of quotes i will use to psychoanalyze dana scully forever and ever

now she’s chatting with the doctor, who also says that maybe dara was struck by lightning. she asks if scully is religious, and scully replies with “why do you ask?”, which i think is very interesting as a character choice for her to put that space between directly answering. especially since they're in a lab setting. it's less of a pause of making a purposeful separation between faith and science, imo, and more of a cautiousness that comes from thinking her faith will somehow be taken advantage of. but it’s also funny because her cross necklace is very visible. so. you can guess the answer to that question.

dara was found genuflecting??? even in death. and there’s a scar on her hand from where an extra finger was removed. but i def saw an extra toe earlier.

no other signs of trauma… “it’s as if god himself struck her down” oh…

this is going to be a very un-fun time for scully.

who is this man with an upside down cross in his car, entering a psychiatric hospital?

there’s another girl in the hospital, who also has extra fingers. it seems this new father gregory character has come to adopt this paula! but there was a mix-up. there was no approval from the social worker, and he cannot take her home until the paperwork is in order.

but social worker seems like he is lying… based on that zoom in shot…. i know this show and its narrative tricks...

scully is at home looking at the photos of dara, then pulling out the photo of melissa :( oh god :( she really has lost so much :(

she’s biting back tears as she answers the phone. she must be really out of it, because she answered with “hello” and not “scully” like always :(

it’s mulder, somewhere in a phone booth in the pouring rain! oh god bless that man, finding a phone booth to call her back from even while out and about. 

he’s tailing a potential suspect but still makes time for the call, even though he's in a hurry… then he runs into an x rated film showing. now, what is going on with that? hope you catch the guy, buddy.

he wants to know more, but she cannot tell him anything until he gets the birth records on dara :(

back to paula at the hospital. someone is approaching…. and when he approaches, she also hears the scary voices and genuflects like the other girl did!!! and there is a huge flash!!!

what is going on.

scully is at the scene, and finds the cross in her room hung upside down. is satan afoot.....?

MULDER ENTERS!!! “aren’t you the secret squirrel” <- LMAOOOO WHAT A WEIRD THING TO SAY!!! let the record show that this man is my baby girl.

ohhhh, she quietly explains she’s doing this as a favor :( i think he gets the idea not to press or make any other rodent comparisons

but he starts nerding out over the implications of the flipped cross. maybe the guy he was tailing last night is the same guy who did this?

(author's note: there was actually no relation whatsoever, and i think the writers just meant him watching the scandalous film as a weird gag, but for a brief moment there, i thought the narrative stars were going to align. alas!)

anyway, paula and dara were sisters!! they were quadruplets!! so there must be 2 more out there, and they must be in danger!!

(mulder has this five o clock shadow thing going on, and it’s kinda intoxicating)

“look scully, i know you don’t really want my help on this, but can i offer you my professional opinion?” (she nods, almost smiling) “you got a bona fide, super-crazy religious wacko on your hands”

average mulder sentence. he points out the prevalence of eye imagery in the bible, of gouging and smiting and other such cases. and in walks the social worker, who is sure there was not a cross on the wall there before!!

i’m overcome by something pulling at my heart strings while looking at mulder and scully standing together.

paula was about to be adopted, so they journey to church of st. peter the sinner, which has the upside down cross iconography outside and a sign that reads “the darkness is upon us” oh boy! i feel very welcomed /s

mulder is coming too because he is a nice guy in his leather jacket and jeans :)

he really has no life, huh…. god bless him

(i feel like he is in some sort of league basketball every other weekend, and probably goes to the library very often, but this is likely the extent of his social life. aside from sleepovers with the gunmen, of course. and that can be so beautiful)

they find a book of st. peter the sinner, and he immediately identifies it as full of apocrypha!!! which is hot. while someone seems to be watching them from a corner. less hot.

“i’m surprised there’s nothing here from jesus christ superstar” <- A MAN OF CULTURE???????

(i know this man is singing showtunes in his car. oh, i just KNOW it. and i bet he WOULD love jcs. and he was at oxford when some big west end shows were playing: phantom, les mis, evita, cats. a 2 hour bus ride from oxford to london is nothing for a massachusetts boy. just keep these facts in mind while making headcanons)

((and i do feel like he grew up watching musicals, too. just seems like something that happened in that household. they had the money to go see live theatre, but he also grew up in a golden age of movie musicals. idk, just try and tell me he didn't hear songs from west side story and the music man in his house growing up. i bet he thought it was annoying as a kid that his mother was always playing them, but now he looks back at it with fondness. whatever))

they break the news to father gregory that paula has died, which he didn’t know, and he seems to be overcome with emotion as he says he was trying to adopt her. yeah. this is unfortunate.

mulder asks why he wanted to adopt her and he is NOT messing around

“why adopt her?”, he asks. “what, you think i was interested in harming her?” “why. adopt. her” <- OHHH he is NOT going to be going easy on this case when scully’s heart’s on the line!!! everyone say thank you to protective mulder!!

father gregory says he knew the girl’s mother and was trying to protect her, but when they ask who the mother is, he says she died. hmm. yeah. i think having 4 babies at once is pretty unsafe. i can imagine this happening.

but still... he said he knows where she is… and then says she died. which is suspicious. like, why not just say she’s dead? i feel like he's lying.

father gregory says that he used to be in the roman catholic church and he was her confessor before he started his own church, and divulging her name would violate his code of faith. okay, that is great and all. but her kids are being murdered, so maybe pray on it and ask god if you can make a special exception.

this dude is very strange. 

“and yours, i see” he says, glancing at scully’s necklace

ohh…. allow mulder to stride in angrily. “you said you wanted to protect paula. from what?” yeah that is right. you don't let him mess with her.

what the fuck? this dude is so off putting. “whatever your intentions, your secular prejudices blind you from seeing what’s really happening here. two girls are dead- not by the hand of man. unless you accept the truth of god’s teachings that there is a struggle between good and evil for all souls, and that we are losing that struggle, you’re but fools rushing in. you put your own lives in danger. as well as the lives of the messengers”

(deeply pensive scully as father gregory walks away and someone continues to pant from the corner of his church)

wow. so i guess he thinks god just kills poor kids sometime for fun. sounds like a great god. i sure do want to join your church and worship him now. /s

(i'm still so baffled after watching the episode. so he thought the demons were killing the kids? it wasn't god doing the killing? but god lets demons kill kids sometimes unless people like him intervene? but actually it was the seraphim killing the kids and bringing them home to good? which would be a good thing, right? i just don't know what this episode was trying to sayyyyyy)

back to scully in confession. she brought mulder on the case “to help temper my feelings… to keep them from clouding my judgement. i wouldn’t admit it to him, but… as well stood there, i felt as if father gregory were speaking directly to me. in a language only i could understand”

well. i don’t understand it either, so i can’t analyze it. i'm sorry, queen, because i love to analyze you. but i'm glad she brought him along for the ride.

mulder holds the door open for her as they leave, and remarks on how gregory seems deeply suspicious (“he thinks he’s doing god’s laundry” is an exquisite line)

he’s definitely hiding something. 

“but, basically, you’re ruling out any element of the supernatural?” (careful mulder pause) “what do you mean?” 

ohhh, are they going to have this fight again? he seems to be holding something back. like he's trying to carefully measure his words despite being pissed off.

she points out that dara was baptized before she died

“and why would god allow this to happen, and why do bad things happen to good people? religion has masqueraded as the paranormal since the dawn of time to justify some of the most horrible acts in history” (heavy massachusetts accent when he says "horrible", btw, just noting that)

“i was raised to believe that god has his reasons, however mysterious” 

“he may well have his reasons, but he seems to use a lot of psychotics to carry out his job orders”

wow. there’s so much to analyze there.

well, it's not outright denial of her beliefs, which is an improvement from before. he can clearly pick up on how much this case is impacting her, which i commend, especially for a guy whose ahab tendencies in the past have caused him to be oblivious to all things emotional. i will never be over that time he was like "i'm sorry your dog died :( btw i think we are dealing with the loch ness monster who somehow made his way to america. here are a bunch of dinosaur facts-"

mulder says she should autopsy paula before whoever it is has a chance to find her sisters. i think this is a fair judgement.

he is cranky. but he was trying to hold back. and i do appreciate that. cranky man who needs to shave. has he ever looked better??

i get the sense that this is one of those episodes i’ll have to rewatch to analyze more stuff in later. if i can bring myself around to it.

autopsy time. she finds something on both of paula's shoulders.

OH MY GOD, SHE LOOKS OVER AND SEES EMILY ON THE TABLE??!!

SHE STARTS CRYING??? AND SHE HEARS EMILY SAY “MOMMY PLEASE”???

BUT SHE TURNS BACK AND THE BODY WAS JUST PAULA??!!

hey. what. hey. emily jumpscare. what does this mean? she knew that alien child for like 2 weeks. please do not spiritually torment her.

back in the confessional booth, she says she wrote off what she saw as a hallucination based on her emotional connection to the case, but she clarified that is not what it was

damn. little did this confessor know he was in for a WILD story time when she sat down.

she says she was meant to see emily for a purpose. so she could save them. taking on the need to save others... this is such a scully thing to do.

mulder on da phone. he has a lead on the third sister!! 

(dramatic sunglasses removal as they stake out the area)

why does he look so good?? it’s making it hard to focus on the tragic plot at hand. 

he says the third sister wandered into a teen crisis center, which is odd because the other two could not walk at all. and scully points out that there’s some sort of degenerative bone disease in paula.

“and uh, i know you’re going to think that i’m crazy… but i swear i found evidence of something winglike”

DOES SHE THINK THESE GIRLS ARE ANGELS BEING BROUGHT BEFORE GOD FOR CRIMES?? THE REBELLIOUS ONES LIKE LUCIFER?

“well then, maybe she flew here, scully” <- lmao. not totally appropriate for him to say, but lmao.

uh oh… he finds another upside down cross outside the joint. she has more to say, but he has to go.

someone is chasing another girl… LEAVE HER ALONE!!!!!!

mulder approaches...

and this girl, too, hears more of those horrible overlapping voices, there’s a dude with the face of an alien (angel? devil?) and the blinding light?? and she’s doing the same pose as the others!! the genuflection!!

MULDER HAS HIS GUN…. who is here?! it’s father gregory!!! he says it’s too late!!! and that the girl is dead!!!!

and sure enough, her eyes are burned out as well, as a dove flies to the light. i see what you did there, souls ascending and all that.

(but i thought she was taken by the devil, so the soul going to the light seems contradictory... you know what? never mind ❤️)

now they have father gregory brought in for questioning, and mulder has a casual shirt on, which looks strange. “you know, they say when you talk to god it’s prayer, but when god talks to you, it’s, uh, schizophrenia” (he smiles at his own joke)

“you’re not interested in the truth” “i am ONLY interested in the truth!!” <- do not get between this man and his Truth. rest assured, that is his God

all jokes and jests have been forgotten at this point. he’s screaming at father gregory, asking what could possess him to burn those poor girls’ eyes out, with scully watching in the back. 

father gregory makes scully explain the upside down cross… st. peter would only be crucified upside down. out of reverence for christ. sure. okay. seems weird he makes her explain it. feels manipulative somehow.

(very interesting how the upside down cross represents both st. peter and the devil... makes following the plot of this episode even harder)

he says he has risked his life to protect their souls because the devil wants them. well, idk if you’re doing a very good job, tbh. you're 0/3. 

(mulder glares at him before leaving the room) 

but father gregory taunts scully, saying she knows what they are, and if the devil finds her, his victory will be complete. 

man, idk what they’re talking about :(

they think they found the fourth girl, and father gregory asks to be let go or else no one can save her. scully explains in confession that she knew she was meant to save her.

she says the devil didn’t take their souls, but the threat was real, and he gave his life to protect them.

anyone wanna tell me what’s going on?

back to the case. mulder's talking to her and then he asks what’s wrong. ohhh, he bends down to look in her eyes. “scully? scully. don’t let this guy get in your head. that’s the last thing you want” <- oh my god, he’s worried :((((

"you’re not going to find her. i think you’re being misled", she says

“by who?" (heavy pause) "scully, i think you’re the one who’s being misled. and not just willingly, but willfully. i’ve never seen you more vulnerable or susceptible or more easily manipulated. and it scares me because i don’t know why”

he is at once doing his very best and still manages to be a bit condescending, but he is also doing a very good job, at least for him, of saying what he means. so i’m proud

“i saw emily” OHHH she says it. i thought she would keep it to herself “she came to me in a vision”

he grabs her shoulder and pulls her in close: “i think you should step away” ohhh :( ohhh no :(

she tells him to go find the girl and let her finish up with father gregory, and he takes the case file from her hand, lingering over it, holding onto the image of the last girl 

the case worker made his way into father gregory’s room!! asking where she is!! “the others were taken from me” hey, who are you? 

oh my god, he starts burning father gregory????? “tell me father. save yourself” is he the devil?? a demon??

scully goes to talk to him again and the door is locked. father gregory is dead on the floor!! all burnt up!!!

mulder is arriving at the house of the fourth girl.  he is NOT playing around. her father says she’s at school, and he points out she hasn’t been at school for a week. he won’t unlock the basement door, so mulder is going to kick it open. 

her father is saying a priest would take her off his hands!! father gregory said he would take her and let him keep the disability checks!!

huh.......

scully is getting to her car, but she gets a call. “yeah, hi scully, it’s me” aww

(she drops her keys and hears the horrible demon voices as mulder yells at her on the phone to answer him)

before her is a bird alien lion thing???????? the CGI goes crazy!!!

poor mulder is yelling to her while she is witnessing the plot of revelations irl. he's gotta be so worried.

back to talking to father mccue. she says she has seen things. visions. a man with four faces. 

this is troubling to father mccue, who fetches his bible. he’s showing her a page. it has an angel with four faces, which he calls a seraphim. the seraphim fathers four children with a mortal woman, whose babies are the nephelim, the fallen ones. souls of angels, but weren’t meant to be, they’re deformed and tormented. so the seraphim smites them with his glory and they go back to god?

i do not remember this story from sunday school.

“you think that’s what i saw?” “no” <- oh, i didn’t think he would say that… i thought he would be supportive. actually pretty gagged here.

“no. i think what you saw is a figment of your imagination, a half-remembered story from your childhood that surfaced because of this case” <- is he trying to be helpful here?? reassuring?? dismissive??? 

she insists that she saw it. and i cannot get a read on father mccue.

“the text in which it appears isn’t even recognized by the church” <- okaaay, that makes me feel better for not knowing the story.

he is certain god has his reasons. it is how he rewards our fate. which is a nice thing to think about.

the case worker is here, claiming mulder has been trying to reach her. there is latin chanting as they go to father gregory’s church. everything is quiet and the footsteps are clear. 

ohhhh she sees devil horns in his reflection… and he says he knows the last girl here. 

and she finds the girl!!! she was who was watching them earlier!! he’s yelling out to her…. 

she says she won’t hurt the girl, that she’ll get her out of there, take her someplace safe.

she’s trying to guide her out and the demon is saying to bring her the girl. but she’s trying to go forward to him!! 

emily is here?? “mommy, let me go” HUH?? let her go to the DEVIL??? she lets emily go and she walks into the light???

scully is crying. the demon is gone, leaving behind only the dead girl. 

(author's note: i'm pretty sure i actually misunderstood this scene, and the seraphim came and intercepted the girl from the devil- at least, that is what wikipedia says happened. but this was not very clear, and you can imagine my shock at the thought of scully releasing her dead child to the devil. which will make my confusion in the following paragraphs make more sense)

back to the confession… she was sure she was releasing the last girl's soul to heaven. but she cannot reconcile this with the physical fact of her death.

“has it occurred to you that maybe this, too,  is part of what you were meant to understand?”

”you mean, accepting my loss

“can you accept it?”

“maybe that’s what faith is”, she says, crying 

the end.

hmm. hmm.

so scully couldn’t reconcile bringing that girl to heaven with her actual death. 

but i was so confused, i swear the caseworker had horns, like he was the devil!! but then i guess the seraphim swooped in?

so she can only understand the loss of emily through faith, which makes sense, but the emily plot line still makes me frustrated, so idk how i feel. 

you ever get so confused you go to wikipedia?

so the devil took their souls? the devil being the social worker? but then at the last minute the seraphim took the last girl and brought her to heaven even though she died.

so the devil actually got the first three girls? but the bird went up to the light, and scully said she was confident they went to a better place? so must be the bright light guy was the seraphim and he saved them from the caseworker?

listen. listen. i’m going to throw my hands up in the air and admit defeat on this one. i don’t know what the hell went on. but i do believe it was important to scully.

i also believe it was an attempt to wrap up the emily plot line and that it probably won’t ever be addressed again in a meaningful manner because woohoo! we did it! we wrapped it up! /s

hmm. hmm. mulder did endear me today. he was cranky, but he genuinely wanted what was best for her. i think. even if he was lying about tailing a suspect to go watch some illicit films. and i don’t want to think about that. it’s far funnier to imagine him actually tailing someone and having to watch that as a result. 

after watching this episode, i feel very strange. i mentioned before it just didn't do "it" for me, and again, whatever "it" is, i couldn't tell you. but i can tell you this: i am desperate for scully to reclaim agency in her life. and i find that subjecting her to divine will is not agency. maybe you could interpret what happened here as god testing her, or offering her a way to understand her pain, or perhaps even taking god out of the equation, because of the unconfirmed nature of all supernatural elements of this show, she is imagining all of this as a way to deal with her pain. but it doesn't really allow her any freedom or autonomy.

i don't think i can fully articulate my qualms with this episode without diving into the murky waters of if god allows for free will, which is above my pay grade. but i will say this: it felt like scully was thrust into this situation, and her own free will was once again denied, whether you think it is due to father mccue getting her involved or god using her to save these girls and wrestle with the nature of faith versus reality.

and i want to see scully make her own choices. this is a critique of the writers, and not of the fictional character of scully. why is she consistently denied her ability to make choices about her own life? why is she put into these situations that deny her the ability to make choices? why does this happen to the woman in the show and not the man? why does it focus heavily on her ability to bear children? you see what i'm saying? why is the plot happening TO scully but being driven forward BY mulder?

i feel like it is hard for me to analyze what happened in this episode because so little of it involved scully making her own choices. she did choose to get involved with father mccue's request, and she chose to find meaning in her experiences, and even chose to communicate the distress she was in with mulder, but plot wise it was "god is torturing scully again. does he have no one else to torture?"

the emily thing is still always going to rub me the wrong way. it was always clear from the start of the abduction arc that the plot was going in this direction, but that doesn't make me like it any better.

in conclusion: i didn't like this one because i feel it, once again, relied on removing scully's agency and autonomy, and after 5 seasons this is growing old. also, i didn't know the seraphim lore, so i had no idea what was going on.

what did you think? specifically my scully fans: do you agree with my critiques? am i being a hater? did you know what was going on? did you like this episode? i'm always down to listen to someone try and convince me to like an episode! i need to know everything in brutal detail.

[mononijikayu]

the horrifying what happened to aemma in episode one about this is that it is only when the woman is ACTUALLY dying or are already dead that c-sections are performed. that told me they do not care of about the historical telling of the story AT ALL. so i just wanna break down the situation and why i dont think that scene in episode one was necessary in the way it was.

now we have a precedence of this shown in the form of queen dowager alyssa velaryon in f&b. the first birth of her marriage to rogar had not been good, she was already weakened by that and her second pregnancy in the marriage was worse, to the point she was dying.

the maester informs that alyssa was already dying and that the only solace they could give is dreamwine. if she had consented or never woke up, we dont really know - but either way the baby, jocelyn, would actually die if they hesitate longer and that if nothing is done, alyssa could take the baby with her as well.

so jaehaerys and alyssane are told and its jaehaerys that tells rogar - that alyssa is dying and the babe could be as well, but they would have to cut her open. rogar was horrified but its something that had to be decided. yet it was a hard choice to make, because no matter the outcome, there would be pain and death - brutal one at that.

but because alyssa was already dying, it was offered as an option and hence it aligns heavily with the medieval standards. in fact, we can find this in a book by historian renate blumenfeld-kosinski called not of woman born where she talks about this.

there's a passage where she mentions saint thomas aquinas and the conundrum of conducting a c-section as soon as possible to annoint the child in holy baptism, to 'save its soul' from damnation — which details a conversation but saint thomas wrote against that, in defense of the mother and explicitly details that he rejects killing the wives.

if the mother is already dead but child is still alive, that's where you move to cut open because the child would die just the same as the mother. thomas rejects the idea that you should kill the mother in order to baptize the child. it is so interesting that the church is against abortion, but one of its outspoken individuals has this sort of perspective.

in fact, there is a passage on three instruction manuals for women's health and medicine called trotula (the little work of trotula) in medieval italy in the 12th century. the midwives who study these texts are encouraged to take care the mothers first. this was at a time where people are HIGHLY religious and would have caused such a social taboo. it was a shock wave to the population seeing these radical ideas for the first time.

the text on c-section on the trotula goes as follows: "whan the woman is feble and the chyld may noght comyn out, then it is better that the chylde be slayne than the moder of the child also dye." - which means it was highly encouraged that they ONLY CUT when the woman is already dying or is dead. this text tries to tells that the mother and child need tp be looked on but women need to be cared for as much as the child. if there is any other way, it should be taken. only in the event of no more choices should there be cutting.

in fact the woman who was behind ideas in trotula — trotula of salerno was a radicalist in her time. she believes both women AND men can have defects. specifically how men's semen can be medically unfit to conceive a child. and that WOMEN should not be suffering at child bed, discussing the use of opiates from herb plants to help with pain and just like saint thomas, she believes that women are not meant to suffer or die from childbirth and that women should not have to make up for the sins committed by even in eden.

in fact, c-sections were also heavily regulated by local authorty. jakob nufer in 1580s for example was a veterinarian who found that his wife was having such a hard time with childbirth that he was so concern and begged to be allowed by local authorities to perform a c-section on his wife because he feared she would die and he succeeded, which his wife surviving AND that child living a long life according to the records.

historians have said that this would not happen just without any reasonable cause to do forced c-sections on their wives for the fact that their wives are also belonged in other royal houses and strong noble families. the people in charge needed these alliances and connections in order to keep the peace going. foul play cannot be a must, the childbed is risk enough for these alliances already. marriages and childbed tied the peace together. alas, the best childbed care is a MUST.

aemma's death would have been fine as a regular death in childbirth or even a similar situation as alyssa's, which would have at least dignified her death. unless it was the natural progression of childbed and or foul play, aemma arryn would have no need to die like that on her childbed. this was not a good way for aemma to die.

it was just insulting to the book material, historical record and aemma herself. not to mention to viserys i. losing his son was tragic enough but having him decide prematurely without her consent, without her actually nearing death or without discussing it in depth with the maester and or not insisting any other way was so off to me. he would have been making a bunch of questions, this was his wife - she was tied to house arryn and she was a high ranking woman. he would not HAVE had her cut open like that when she was not dead yet or actually on her death bed.

[windvexer]

I LOVE your post on ritual gestation and birth, thank you so much for sharing it! It was initially brought to my attention by @aesethewitch as something very useful to consider with a crockpot recipe commission, and I agree that it would be so cool to apply this to kitchen witchcraft involving my slow-cooker, things that marinate, pickling things, fermenting things, etc. But I wondered if there were any potential hazards I should consider when it comes to going full hamster and eating your own spell-baby after it's born? It almost felt vaguely wrong in a very funny-to-me way, not that it would necessarily stop me from doing it.

We are in reference to this post

going full hamster and eating your own spell-baby after it's born

Sentence of the year award 😂

I'm not articulate enough to explain myself how I want to, but my answer is no: I do not believe that there is any special taboo about eating spells which you have manifested through an enlivening ritual.

I do like a spell that's a bit creepy, and if it's sort of creepy to think that you've just baptized your pickled carrots and named the Devil as their godmother, and now you're eating them in a weirdly quasi-cannibalistic way, then all the better, I say. Even better if you fed it your blood because that's extra cannibalistic.

This is my blood-fed Devil goddaughter pickled carrot baby named Merciful Rest and I'm going to eat her with a nice Chianti.

If doing a human-baby-centric ritual is a little too weird, though, there are many options. All of them weird.

You could envision the crockpot recipe, when born, as being the first part in its life cycle; you must eat it to complete its destiny.

The spell-baby is surely a life, but what manner of life is it? If you like to garden, friend, consider the lifespan of the annual vegetable. You seeded a tomato plant, celebrated when it sprouted, tended to it with love, then ate its fruit and watched it wither and die. Maybe pulled it out by the root early for the compost pile so the garden beds could be mulched for winter.

So the plant angle I think is a decent one; it's not that weird to bring life into the world just to consume it.

Hmm. I have nothing left to say. I dunno if this was helpful. I hope it was!

Eat your spells. It's shockingly effective. Feed spells to other people, too. Just maybe not if it's got your blood in it.