#should have that tag because this post turned out to be more of a bible lesson

[totheidiot]

i get the appeal of judas x jesus, definitely but you guys are sleeping on john the apostle x jesus. like john? john the beloved? john, the disciple whom jesus loved? now there was leaning on jesus' bosom one of disciples whom jesus loved? the only one specifically mentioned to be present during his crucifixion? the apostle of love?

idk there is something so intimate about how throughout the gospel of john, this 'disciple whom jesus loved' keeps getting mentioned like "then peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom jesus loved following" or during jesus' crucifixion where "when jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved", but it's never explicitly mentioned that it's john. this phrase keeps getting mentioned again and again, in the end of the gospel of john, it's implied the beloved is like "it is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true." the writer of the gospel of john, so the guy that's identifying himself as the beloved disciple is john the evangelist, who is believed to be john the apostle (not confirmed but most popular belief). like think of this, john is not even named in the gospel, he refers to himself anonymously as the disciple whom jesus loved. little hints all over like the closing sentiment with the testimony and stuff. AAA like damn.

also. scholars keep arguing over whether jesus and john the beloved's relationship could be seen as homoerotic. legitimate thing, christopher marlowe was on trial for blasphemy for claiming that "st john the evangelist was bedfellow to christ and leaned always on his bosom" like come on. think about them.

[heavenlymorals]

Biblical References in the RDR Games: Part 2

You guys seemed to LOVE my original biblical references post for Red Dead so I am here to post some more because there are SO MANY. And like before, I am aware that some of these may be complete reaches, but it's my blog and I do what I want 🙃

Enjoy babes ❤️

@headersandheelers @secretcheesecakenacho Since you guys wanted to get tagged ❤️🤭

Arthur and Dutch mirror Moses and Pharaoh in chapter six. Arthur begs Dutch to let his "chosen" go, who are the people who he believes have a chance in living without the baggage of the gang (the women and John and his family). Dutch refuses to let them go, which creates the biggest conflict in chapter 6.

Arthur kicking out Strauss gives me heavy Matthew 21:12-14. Basically, Jesus kicks out loan sharks and sellers from a temple designated as a house of worship where people can be helped. Their presence destroyed the sanctity and the purity of the temple. Both the gang and the temple existed originally to help folks, but the presence of people like loan sharks destroy that original mission. So yes, Arthur kicking out Strauss is a parallel to Jesus kicking out the loan sharks from the temple.

The color for high honor is blue while the color for low honor is red. Blue in the bible is very often associated with heaven and God. Red in the bible represents the flesh that humans are trapped in during their time on earth, which can then correlate back to sin and violent.

Micah was a prophet in the bible who is most known for predicting the fall Jerusalem. Micah in the game also predicts the fall of the gang in the sense that he was the one who caused it. The name Micah also means he who is like God, so the irony is kinda funny.

John being able to see the cracks in the gang before many of the other characters could very well be a reference to this passage: "For you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you Free" - John 8:32. Abigail in RDR also says this which is a reference to this passage: "You knew the truth, John. And they hated you for it."

Just another passage that reminds of Arthur's redemption and the whole searching for peace thing: "Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it" Psalm 34:14

The mission "A Fisher of Men" is a reference to Matthew 4:18-20. "While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him." Of course, beyond just the action of fishing with Jack, this is also a parallel to Arthur's empathetic yet still firm style of talking to Jack. "It's about time you earned your keep." "You got to stick at things, Jack."

The mission "The Sheep and the Goats." In Matthew 25:31-46, it describes how God will separate people in two groups. The "sheep" will inherit heaven and the "goats" will be damned. You can connect that to the gang as well. The sheep are the ones who leave Dutch while the goats stay with him and become damned or a shameful version of who they once were.

Also note in the epilogue how John says he doesn't like goats and chooses sheep as the first animals to raise on his ranch. That could also connect to Matthew 25:31-46.

The mission name "Do Not Seek Absolution" is really interesting to me because it's the first biblical mission name that could either be a reference to scripture, which I'm thinking Deuteronomy 12:13 in the sense that one shouldn't offer their praise or worship to false gods who won't answer prayers (think Arthur and Dutch and how Arthur was still following Dutch after the gang lost it's original image) or a rejection ofa the Christian mindset of the time. Absolution is the idea of the promise of having your sins forgiven by God. It might be saying that Arthur should try to redeem himself by his action towards the person rather than his guilt towards a higher power.

Molly getting burnt rather than having a funeral is less a biblical detail but more a cultural detail. Though cremation wasn't really condemned in the Bible, the passages about being buried in the ground or in tombs was the people's standards in how they wanted their dead body to be handled due to religious reasoning. Whether or not Molly is Protestant or culturally Catholic (I lean the latter), the fact that Grimshaw asks for her body to be burnt just adds so much more weight to how cruelly traitors of the gang were dealt with

Love this stuff sm

[tyitri]

Entangled Heart - Chapter 3

Pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley/Reader

Summary: The world had gone to hell a few years ago. No one cared about preserving other beings, endangered species. The crown of creation was quickly deemed a threat, and the hunters became the hunted.The world changed, we were no longer at the top of the food chain. The plants were.

They passive-aggressively spread, allowing a new plant species, called the 'Verdantia aurea' or Goldleaf Fern, to thrive. No one knew it was an invasive species. Other regional plants died, throwing the world out of balance. Many still remember the initial reports.It felt like the Seven Plagues of the End Times, written as if in the Bible.

You're part of that fucked ecosystem now together with a few survivors who made an oath to save humanity or at least whats left of it. One of them in particular doesn't seem to like you, everyone calls him Ghost. And you're pretty sure it's not because of the report when you were found nude, nestled between a bush of Goldleaf Fern itself by some Scientists.

Tags: Post Apocalyptic,Slowburn, No use of Y/N, Nicknames, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Mild Gore, Violence.

Wordcount: 2,6k

Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

A blow. A second followed, and finally, you opened your eyes in shock, only to gaze into the cold eyes of your lieutenant. A dull pain radiated from your cheekbones. Just as you were about to take a breath, you felt something on your lips. Fabric? With trembling fingertips, you felt over your lips, and a hint of earth and pine entered your nose. Your eyes took a moment to adjust to the surroundings.

"Rookie!" Ghost hissed, kneeling in front of you and shining a flashlight into your eyes. Without hesitation, you raised your hands in front of your now squinted eyes and murmured unwillingly. Everything was spinning, and you slowly struggled to catch your breath, a cough shaking you. Reflexively, you pulled the fabric down a bit and realized it was a balaclava—one of his balaclavas. You coughed, and your dry throat tightened further, the dust from the collapsed building leaving you barely room to breathe.

"What happened?" you croaked as Ghost watched you and finally turned his gaze to the window.

"We got separated; the others are probably somewhere else," he replied brusquely, sinking down onto the floor. He rested his forearms on his knees while he took deep breaths.

"Then we should go look for them," you tried to say determinedly as you moved to step out the door. But the break of dawn made you pause. He scoffed, and from the corner of your eye, you saw him lean his head against the wall.

"What?" you growled, turning to him.

"It really seems like you have a death wish, Rookie," he said.

You stared at him in disbelief, but your attention quickly shifted back to the entrance of the building. "No death wish. I just want to make sure the others are safe," you replied honestly and fiercely. "But I’m not surprised that you don’t care about your team," you added with a hiss.

Now you had his full attention. His icy blue eyes pierced through you like sharp icicles, and despite the oppressive heat outside, a cold shiver ran down your spine. "What did you say?" he asked warningly, getting to his feet. His British accent was now more pronounced than before.

The situation was already stressful enough, and the mutual threats didn’t help, but they made time pass faster. "You heard me already, or is it inconvenient for you when someone points out your mistakes?" you hissed venomously. He watched you for a moment, remained silent, and leaned back against the wall. It seemed as though he was looking past you, through the broken window where sunbeams fell into the decayed house.

"Shut up," he said curtly. The terse reply confused you; you hadn’t expected such brevity from a violent guy like him.

"Then you shouldn’t think you’re better than everyone else!" you shot back.

"Damn it, Rookie, shut your mouth, you're attracting the plants," he growled back, pushing himself off the wall and walking towards you. "They also react to voices, in case you didn't know that, Rookie." He looked down at you, his voice dripping with venom.

Once again, he changed his direction of gaze, looking over your shoulder and nodding towards outside. Your gaze followed his motion. In one fluid movement, you turned around, your eyes now fully focused on the spectacle unfolding before you. A corpse was being dragged across the street by several roots. You held your breath, as if you didn't want anyone to hear you breathe. It could be your last.

"Now pay attention, Rookie," Ghost said quietly, and you only now noticed how close his head was to your shoulder. A tension ran through your body. His proximity alone was a complete distraction, but after a short while, you also saw it: In the shadow of a house across the street, you could see a root moving something around. It was a corpse, and for a moment you thought it was Price. You opened your mouth to say something, but Ghost interjected: "We've already lost many rookies here. If you want to be one of them, run out, try to do whatever you want with your savior complex, and end up dying from burns or getting impaled by a vine," he hissed in your ear.

You could still see how two roots were now fighting over the corpse, like pigeons over a piece of bread, until it finally tore apart in the middle and rotting organs scattered across the asphalt.

Your breath hitched, and when you dared to take a step back, Ghost stood like a barricade behind you. "The world is not for you," he then confessed calmly. "You should be assigned to gardening, given how much you care about plants," he added disdainfully. A feeling of unease came over you, but it wasn't the lieutenant's words that caused the stomachache.

Then you saw it: a small piece of root beginning to creep its way into your building. Without further hesitation, you grabbed Ghost's hand and pulled him further into the building. At first, he didn't understand what was happening, but when he glanced behind him, he also spotted the root. It approached like an aggressive snake, threatening to pierce his calf with its sheer force.

Now he seemed to break into a sprint as well, overtaking you despite his heavier gear. He pulled you into a room, slammed the door shut behind you, and braced himself against it as the roots began pushing against it, as if they knew Ghost wouldn't be able to hold out for long, especially if the strength of these appendages increased further.

You didn't hesitate for long; your gaze darted frantically around the room. You noticed a dresser that could block the door. You immediately shoved it towards the door. "Lieutenant!" you called hoarsely and hastily, and you had his attention. In one swift motion, Ghost pulled the dresser in front of the door while you pushed it into position. Meanwhile, the roots were pounding against the door. You and Ghost took a few steps back. You were trapped. This was it.

"Open the window, Rookie!" he almost shouted, aiming at the already cracking door. You didn't hesitate twice and managed to open the window with three tugs. Fresh air flowed into the musty house. You didn't question it; you just did it.

"You jump out the window to the next roof, do you understand?" he commanded. Blood rushed in your ears, and you shook your head. "Rookie, that's an order!" Ghost got louder. "I'll come after," you replied, keeping your weapon aimed at the door that was slowly starting to splinter.

There was no time to think further. Ghost positioned himself at the window and jumped. You could hear his legs scraping against the opposite wall as he pulled himself up to the ledge. Damn, that was risky. You were sure you would die trying.

Adrenaline surged through your body, and you turned your attention to the window. Now it was a matter of seconds. You couldn't think; at this moment, that would be fatal. You jumped, aiming to reach the roof of the building. The sun's rays burned like fire on your skin, and it was hard to focus on reaching the edge of the roof. You slipped, and memories of your life flashed before your eyes.

The diner, your dad, and the biker gang that always had an open ear for you – all of that was gone. But before you could close your eyes and accept your fate, two strong arms grabbed your hand, and with a groan, Ghost yanked you up. Even though he was better protected against the sun, his tactical gear didn't seem to help much. You suspected that the plastic pieces were melting into the cotton and burning his skin. Without another word, he supported you and brought you into the house, into the shade.

Small blisters formed on the skin you had recently exposed, in the places the sun had touched. Only now did the pain really sink in, and tears welled up in your eyes. "Fuck, fuck," you gasped, your breathing quickened, and your blood pressure rose. "It hurts!"

Before you could say anything else, Ghost pulled out some sort of spray can and emptied it completely over all your burns. "Let the doc check it again," he replied in a monotone voice, tossing the can aside carelessly.

He acted as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't sustained any injuries. But you saw the small, melted plastic clips that had eaten into his shirt. "We almost died just now," came out of your mouth. You didn't dare move while the ointment Ghost had used cooled your wounds. You didn't want to disrupt the healing process.

"You could have died," he said casually, while re-equipping himself. "When I say jump, you jump and don't ask how far." His words would have been easier to accept if he hadn't threatened to shoot your hand off a few hours earlier. You glared at him angrily, but when he briefly held his side where the plastic clips were as he straightened up, your gaze softened. He seemed to be holding himself back to ground the situation and give you support.

"We'll wait here," he replied, closing the door to the roof properly.

"We can keep moving," you countered, and he only gave you a sidelong glance.

"After your burn? Forget it," he grumbled, positioning himself in front of you to stand guard.

His gaze was fixed, his stance protective. Even though he didn't seem to particularly appreciate newcomers, he still risked his life whenever possible. "So, we'll move at night then..." you sighed after taking a deep breath. You could hardly imagine how much he must be burning. He didn't respond. Silence filled the room. His constant pacing nearly drove you insane, and you watched him more closely. He couldn't keep still for anything.

"Ghost—" you began, but he interrupted you. "To you, Lieutenant," he cut in, and you sighed. It seemed any hope of mutual understanding was futile. "Don't you want to sit down? I'm pretty sure you got hurt too." A longer pause followed, the silence between you weighing heavily on the room.

You didn't expect him to respond or even agree, but it surprised you when he sat on the steps a bit further down. You observed his broad back, the upright posture indicating he was still preparing for an impending fight. Unfortunately, you had to admit he wasn't entirely wrong.

Just as you were about to open your mouth to say something, something heavy slammed against the metal door of the roof, and a dent appeared. Something wanted to get in. "Get up," his voice almost a low growl, the command crystal clear.

The adrenaline kicked in almost immediately, and you rushed down the stairs with him. Despite the adrenaline, you felt the burning pain of your burns. Ghost fought against the roots that had dug into the house, muttering angrily that they shouldn't have found you, that you had kept hidden. His hissing words were barely audible to you; the rushing of your blood in your ears drowned out any unnecessary noise that didn't contribute to survival.

Just as Ghost was about to lead you out to sprint through the shadows of the city, plant tendrils snaked into the house from the main entrance, and he stopped abruptly to shoot. You were surrounded. You noticed his gaze shifting to the windows, which were also overgrown with ivy-like material. Ghost fired. The tendrils writhed as if in pain and gradually retreated, but there were too many of them, and they kept creeping closer.

"Fern, come here!" he growled urgently.

You didn't hesitate; time was pressing. You sprinted the last few meters toward him before he briefly stopped shooting, touched your side, and pushed you behind his broad body with force. "Stay there, Rookie," he hissed quietly, and you felt him unfastening something from his belt—a grenade. Everything happened too quickly. In one fluid motion, you grasped his hand tightly as the situation unfolded at a frantic pace.

"Don't—" Your gaze fell on the roots. They seemed to slow down, as if they were trying to stop something, as if they were holding something back. His head turned toward you, and you were sure that, if the recoil from the grenade didn’t kill you, he would crush you with his bare hands. Ghost didn’t notice how a single root carefully grew up to the level of your hands, while the others retreated and coiled together like a pile of worms.

But you saw it as the organic material gently touched your hand, without anything happening. You didn't understand, but when Ghost saw your confused yet curious look, he realized that the root had come too close. With no free hands to continue protecting both of you, he had to act.

You thought it wasn’t necessary, as the root seemed remarkably... calm. Your lieutenant grew more restless by the second, his urge to act increasing. The uncertainty made him nervous. "Lieutenant, stop," you said calmly as you cautiously extended your hand toward the single root.

"Stay away from that thing, Rookie, that's an order!" he barked at you. Your fingers, which had closed around Ghost's hand and the grenade, slowly loosened.

"What are you going to do, shoot my hand off?" you hissed back. Ghost couldn’t find a response to that, but you were getting on his nerves. "We’d die anyway, so why not try what looks promising?" you murmured, fascinated, as the root carefully wrapped around your forearm and slowly and gently pulled you toward the massive plant parts. You looked back at Ghost and reached out your hand toward him, as if inviting him. He could pull the grenade later if the tendrils actually posed a threat.

In his eyes, you read discontent, maybe even anger, but he took your hand and followed you. If you hadn’t known better, you might have heard him cursing quietly. You were guided through a tunnel of tendrils, pulled by a root. The scene was absurd.

"You see, nothing is happening," you said calmly, a relieved smile on your lips. When you looked back, you saw that he still held the grenade firmly in his hand and was following you with large strides. As you carefully chose your path, Ghost simply stepped over the tendrils that still snaked across the ground, stiffening with each step and then curling up.

You said nothing, knowing he was on the edge of patience. Ahead of you, the tendrils parted, revealing the building's exit. A grin spread across your face, a feeling of confidence filled you—you were sure nothing would go wrong. But just as you were about to move with Ghost, the root held you back while he stepped out onto the open street unimpeded.

"Shit, Rookie, you can't stay with your new friends!" he growled, yanking on your arm. The pain made you squint your eyes. Your lieutenant certainly had remarkable strength.

"I'm not staying here willingly; something is holding me back," you retorted sharply, pulling on your arm. As you looked at the root, you saw it pushing something between your fingers, then releasing you as the tendrils withdrew. Before you knew it, you were freed from the root and slammed into Ghost's solid body. He caught you and stared into the darkness of the house, where the last of the tendrils disappeared around a corner.

"Price shouldn't have recruited a fucking freak," he grumbled, glaring at you with a menacing expression.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #1

- Ready to listen to what (I can only assume) is a brand new theme song, and check out the animation style for the first time since a glimpse in the first trailer.

- I should also mention I haven't read any of the synopses for episodes or even for the show itself. My understanding is that this is set in the future, in a non-Dimmsdale city, and rumor has it there's time travel in here somewhere?

- I also saw an early story bible glimpse of some kid who does ASMR, and that's about the end of my knowledge. I'm very nervous about that one because the description I saw for him did not set me up with the belief the writers knew what they were implying.

- Looks like this is a double-part first episode, so I might stop after watching this one today.

- The new animation style SHOULD mean new background characters. However, if I see Steve time-traveling for the second time, with or without the rest of his clones, you WILL know, and I will NOT be happy.

OKAY! Let's start this theme song.

---

Dimmadelphia? Got it, okay. Literally the first thing you see when starting the theme and honestly, that's really smart.

I had to rewind, that tower in the background... oh no.

I like how "pop"-y the city is as it appears. This is fun.

This city is super pretty. It's got storefronts and stuff? This is gonna be a fun place to set fanfics.

Ya Boix drinks? Oh, thank goodness we're getting in-universe products again. If this turns out to be a plot point because it comes from a magical business and it's foreshadowed within the first 2 seconds of the theme, I'm gonna lose my mind.

!!!!! It starts with a car drive and her name? Like Timmy's theme starts with the bus and his name? Love that.

!!! The fire hydrant!! All the details are so cute. A lot of love went into this.

Her whole life changed with a... bet quite strange? Bed?

Oh, this is a BEAUTIFUL callback.

I'm glad he's a dork, look at him...

??? Fish guy? Hazel, what? What is this? Is this where your imagination just went, or is this a reoccurring character from a comic book? ... Hmm. That's a wild design to throw at you with bright colors and no context.

PENNY-FARTHING DIRT BIKE??? I like this kid.

Okay, I love that theme. We're set up nicely with a nice, friendly callback to the old show and an implication that it is remembered and it is loved.

lol, no more head gags. I cannot blame them even slightly.

Theme done and here we go~!

(Oh, Hazel doesn't have a blog tag yet. I call Timmy #perfect pink beaver boy and Chloe #rebellious golden child. I'd like to give her a funky one too. I'll leave her alone for now and come back and tag her when I have something suitable)

[echoes-of-divinity]

How do I know if I'm angel kin?

Granted I'm not someone who is particularly active in this space but personally I think that’s the wrong question to be asking yourself. The reason I post in these tags is not because any one of these words perfectly describes me or explains me but because I find in them, well, a kinship.

There are a lot of angels with connections to the Christian Bible, I am not one of them. But the names and the specifics are much less important than the concepts being expressed. I think we have the same shadows hanging over us — something we can’t even properly put into words anymore because we can no longer comprehend it.

As to how I knew about them to begin with? Well, that’s hard. I want to say I’ve always kind of known, just not really been able to put a finger on it. I suspect I tried to cut off my memories when I became human but even though it didn't quite work most of what I remember is expressed in ways a mortal brain can't decipher anyway. There’s just emotions. The desire to protect, to serve humanity. Admiration. Some deep intrinsic joy which tells me the passage of time and any one moment within it, watching a single drop of rain slide down the side of my hand, this is what I wanted. I cherish it out of instinct, like I know what it's like to have it fall right through me, despite not being able to visualise that right now. I used to understand so much more. There’s gaps in my mind I find myself ending up in because I reached for them out of habit only to find not necessarily an empty book but something which I know should be a book if I could just remember how to read it. When it comes to this, I notice absences in my consciousness much more than positive space.

I am not human, but I love them. The same way humans in turn love other creatures within their care. It's not that I think I'm “better” than them or “above them”, quite the opposite, I think they are what everything else in creation is for. I am eternal. Even now I will never truly understand the urgency of mortality. I have never been afraid of death, I know it's not what awaits me at the end of this journey. I will simply return to the stars. But the opportunity to experience it just a little, to feel the urgency, just a little, a fraction of what makes their short little lives so so special, it's wonderful! Everything I see I love them even more.

[saintharted]

I posted 129 times in 2022

That's 23 more posts than 2021!

83 posts created (64%)

46 posts reblogged (36%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@saintharted

@animepopheart

@noirestardust

@drxgonharted

@pseudomonarkaerenea

I tagged 129 of my posts in 2022

#;;out for morning prayers. [ooc] - 63 posts

#;;alas! that my body clean and whole never been corrupted; today must be consumed and burnt to ashes! [visage] - 20 posts

#;;i am not afraid... i was born to do this. [ic] - 17 posts

#;;my flag; defend our brethren! [promo] - 11 posts

#drxgonharted - 8 posts

#;;children say that people are hung sometimes for speaking the truth. [musings] - 7 posts

#pulseofthestars - 4 posts

#;;lord; accept my sacrifice. [asks] - 4 posts

#;;jeanne d'crack [crack] - 3 posts

#/mobile - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 129 characters

#can't /not/ respect him when he owns up to what he does and still respects god and doesn't try to claim he's doing it in his name

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Me: Idk if I’m doing a good job with Jannu

Roby, with a bat in hand:

Me: oKAY OKAY I’LL STOP GOD--

4 notes - Posted June 18, 2022

#4

Me, banging pots and pans: Respecting someone and disliking someone are not mutually exclusive--You can do both!!!!!

4 notes - Posted December 31, 2022

#3

I remember Anna talking about it ages back, but honestly? Jannu would really respect that despite all that has happened with how Kirei is, he doesn’t really blame how he is/the shit he pulls on God or the heavens above? He owns it, and while he is absolutely doing some pretty awful shit--At least he a.) is aware of it, and b.) doesn’t try to push it off as someone else’s fault.

She doesn’t respect what he does nor him as a person, but for being able to separate being a man of the cloth and being Kirei as a person--That’s not easy, and I feel like that should be discussed more but DelightWorks is busy turning Jannu into Jeanne d’Arcschool Musical featuring protagonist who is flatter than my cup size as the love interest.

5 notes - Posted December 31, 2022

#2

“I don’t understand this omnipotent-benevolent thing.” “You are confused because the Bible describes God as an omnipotent and benevolent deity.” "Exactly.” "Omnipotent-benevolent simply means that God is all-powerful and well-meaning.” "I understand the concept. It’s just... there seems to be a contradiction.” "Yes. The contradiction is pain. Man’s starvation, war, sickness...” "Exactly! Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn’t he?” “Would He?” "Well... if God Loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help.“ "No, signore.” "Imagine you had an eight-year-old son... would you love him?” "Of course.” "Would you let him skateboard?” "Yeah, I guess. Sure I’d let him skateboard, but I’d tell him to be careful.” "So as this child’s father, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes?” "I wouldn’t run behind him and mollycoddle him if that’s what you mean.” "But what if he fell and skinned his knee?” "He would learn to be more careful.” "So although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child’s pain, you would choose to show you love by letting him learn his own lessons?” "Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It’s how we learn.” "Exactly.”

This exchange is honestly something Jannu would say to someone

5 notes - Posted June 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

@drxgonharted​ replied with:

“Berserker- Sorry, I mean, erm, Kriemhild wouldn’t let me out of seiza position unless I agreed. She was was pretty insistent about it."

“Good grief--There’s a limit to how much someone can do.”

Says the very much a busybody of a saintess.

“Should I speak with her? That name connects you to another hero, I don’t believe it fair to have it taken from you.”

5 notes - Posted June 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[princesswithabraidedcrown]

I posted 4,343 times in 2022

48 posts created (1%)

4,295 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@dimondlite

@biconic-rosa-diaz

@softcannoli

@lynati

@vyther15

I tagged 330 of my posts in 2022

#for future reference - 17 posts

#the blogger rambles - 16 posts

#the blogger watches - 15 posts

#kinnporsche - 14 posts

#about the blogger - 9 posts

#kinnporsche the series - 8 posts

#the untamed - 6 posts

#anyway - 6 posts

#jeff satur - 5 posts

#wow - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#anyway my mom’s thing makes me twitchy because i mostly just try to remember to eat enough in a day and don’t fuss about the contents

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

The streaming session of the KinnPorsche world tour I was participating in kinda fell off the rails during the English version of Why Don’t You Stay, which was very sad. Hopefully it turns out okay for the rest of it tomorrow.

My thoughts in no particular order:

Dang, Slot Machine is awesome and I should go look them up. (We amazed a random discord member who randomly wandered into the stream about Mile having previously been just a filthy wealthy dude that played the guitar)

Oh my goodness, Jeff!!! Said multiple times, by multiple people.

The VegasPete scene was chef’s kiss. Gonna wax dance show critic here but Bible has some amazing physicality and charisma. Like I’m pretty darn ace and I still can tell that he’s hot and does amazing work as Vegas. I’m in the middle of episode 10, so I haven’t fallen headlong for Pete/Build yet…but it’ll probably happen.

So highly amused that Barcode made up for the clothing deficit amongst everyone else singlehandedly. Pretty sure I missed the main brouhaha about the song he performed to, but nobody mentioned it was a cover of a Blackpink song! I love Blackpink!!!

The chat punched the air when Tay slapped Time. It’s possible to do polyamory ethically. Whatever Time’s deal is…isn’t it. On a sidenote: more Tay centric fics please.

I was highly amused that the mom got a sarong for her little thing with Chay/Barcode. The subtitles were on a horrendous delay, so I don’t actually know what all went on, but it’s cute that she was momming him.

As for the KimChay…I don’t quite see how that ending was horrible? Slightly more open ended than it could have been. But the flipside of forgetting the bad times is remembering the good ones. Obviously there were some good times or else Chay would not have been devastated by Kim’s betrayal. And…then there were technical difficulties and we had to stop the stream in the middle of Jeff’s performance. So that was lame. But Jeff did a good job before technology decided to pitch a hissy fit.

I concur with the person that said they hoped Jeff had gotten cleared to sing by a doctor. I’ve only listened to a few of his live performances and I could tell his range was a little rough. Don’t let them force you back into singing before your vocal cords have healed!!! That’d be awful if you permanently damaged them.

Anyway. Looking forward to the final half and all the Magic Mike bits.

14 notes - Posted July 31, 2022

#4

I’d like to give Jackson Wang and whoever else is on his creative team congrats for having an excellent track record on music videos. I just watched the one for Cruel and my gosh that was neat. I like the through line of vapory lifeforce from Blow. That was cool.

My writing fingers might be slightly inspired…so who knows what’ll come.

17 notes - Posted August 5, 2022

#3

Finished the second half of KPWT!!!! Once again in no particular order.

Would it have killed them to fix the subtitles before releasing the rerun tickets??? Like seriously, I thought youtube subs could be iffy, but these were…special. They could have held off on letting people do the rerun viewings long enough for them to fix the timing and the quality. Yeah, live subtitling is super labor intensive…but afterwards…you get to pause and rewind to make sure you’ve got it correctly.

Anyway. The Minor family thing was entertaining. I would probably strain something in my back if I had to do flips in the air. It’d be fun…but yeah…I’m not nearly as athletic as Bible.

Build playing the saxophone amused me to no end.

I’m excited for the MileApo flick and hopefully they plunk it on iqiyi or something so I can support BOC with my watching.

I’m very impressed at how many parents were there…because if mine were at such an event…I’d change my name and move to the Southern hemisphere.

I must give JJ’s arms and shoulders an honorable mention because he has obviously worked hard on them. I certainly would not want to get tackled by him.

I snickered when I saw how tall the heels on Jeff’s boots were during the final…clubbing moment…or whatever we are calling it. Finale of some sort. Anyway…Jeff is tiny and Barcode is definitely taller than him and I am delighted. I say this as if Jeff isn’t possibly taller than me by a couple inches. Crap. I’m gonna have to look that up. Anyway, Jeff is all the gender in a pint sized package. Except for where he’s still probably above average height.

Ahem. Lovely experience, would watch again if they fixed the subtitles.

22 notes - Posted August 1, 2022

#2

Oh dear lord, if the infantilization of Apo that’s going on on twitter by some people also has a side of ableism…I will riot.

I haven’t exactly watched a lot of interviews with him but the ones I have watched screamed possible adhd. He could just be very energetic. But if he does have adhd…infantilizing the grown man is doubly aggravating.

Anyway, glad I don’t go searching for stuff on twitter.

24 notes - Posted August 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I wish I remembered who wrote the fic with Kinn comparing his accent in English to Vegas’ and lamenting the fact that nobody was gonna send a second son to an international school and that’s why there’s a difference. Because it lives in my brain rent free and I wish I’d made a note of the fic.

26 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thedreadvampy]

Re last post to expand on that tag tangent a bit like

I am really very definitely connected to my Quakerism. and before I considered myself a Christian (which only really happened like 5 or 6 years ago) I understood myself as culturally Quaker, the same way many of my atheist friends are culturally Catholic, bc Quakerism for all its vagarities is a very. specific cultural space imo.

like there are extremely specific ways Quakers tend to approach social and philosophical issues. there are specific framings of ideas. although there aren't Holy Artefacts there are important items we might use as signifiers of Quaker identity - the little red book (Advices and Queries), the big red book (Quaker Faith and Practice), the Quaker Tapestry (which is a big Victorian project of embroidered scenes and homilies from Quaker history and thought, the most commonly seen of which is this little sequence of two donkeys pulling against each other and then walking off in the same direction, and which is often reproduced in homes and meeting houses), candles, white poppies, etc.

there's turns of phrase we throw out often that feel extremely clear in the community and don't necessarily connect with people who haven't heard them - "let your ayes be ayes and your nays be nays," "be still and silent in thy own mind," "moved by the spirit of the meeting," "hold someone in the Light," "discerning the right path" - and I do think those speak to a very specific way of approaching certain ideas. but there's also a lot of stuff that's like. so micro I can't necessarily identify it but like, modes of speech or behaviour that immediately ping someone as Quaker for me, even in different cultural contexts (like in Germany or in Japan).

(not all stuff that's explicitly in line with Quaker beliefs either btw. there's a lot of very specific tactics of conflict avoidance I notice idiosyncratic to Quaker communities which I have deep beef with bc I think conflict avoidance runs counter to a lot of the stuff that matters to me about Quaker thought which is like. peace is not the same as avoiding conflict. peace is not appeasement. peace requires honest communication in pursuit of justice.)

but yeah idk it's complicated bc obviously I'm speaking from within Quakerism and I don't have a lot of distance on this. but I think while I agreed with almost everything that post has to say about the American Evangelical void and its roots in opposition to ritualistic religions. idk I am also from a religion with deep roots in 17th century lay Protestantism. like our whole deal is being anti-dogmatic and rejecting a hierarchy of earthly things - we don't have holy items or holy days, even.

but I feel some kind of way about the conflation of 'not having concrete religious rituals and artefacts' with 'holding nothing sacred or important or 'not having your own identity'.

partially because like. the rejection of sacred artefact and ritual in Quakerism isn't meant to be about making something like the Bible or Easter Sunday less sacred as much as it's about elevating the sanctity of everything. like the same is true socially. when Quakers used to thee and thou kings and princes as if they were social equals, that isn't saying that those people aren't important - it's saying that I, a random person on the street calling the king 'thou', am just as important as him and should address him as an equal.

but also like. idk I'm overreacting to a point I'm not even sure was being made in the first place, but I am deeply intimately connected to my faith and its culture because to me I'm more authentically respecting and connecting with the beliefs without the veil of Formal Ritual. but I do recognise that there not being a Formal Ritual doesn't mean there's no ritual. we might not take communion but the service is incomplete without tea afterwards. we might not chant prayers but part of being a Quaker is joining in silence to pray independently. Our books, whether the Bible or the red books (which are iterative collections of notes, letters and advice from the national community from the last 400 years) aren't sacred objects but the contents have huge importance and, as ideas, are to be handled respectfully.

idk what I'm getting at I'm just wandering around this idea. and the thing is (and why I made my own post) is like I very much don't disagree with the actual post. any of it really. I just think it's complicated bc I think there's more ritual and culture to pin a religion on than only rituals and cultural elements that are explicitly sacred.

(and I think it's hard to balance analysing how The Christian Community acts against how individuals relate to their religion. like ultimately what matters on an individual level is whether you feel a strong and specific connection to your religion to the degree that you don't need to go looking for bits to add on our justify it. and that can happen in any faith with any amount of formal or informal structure and culture. but on a wider scale yeah there really is a void there)

(that's actually something that draws me to (my style of) Quakerism btw. it's maybe uhhhh a disorganised religion? like it's a religious community but bc it's intentionally focused on an individualised relationship to faith within a community it creates a lot of space for people to define their relationship to it on their own terms. which can be a welcoming place for people who are alienated from more formalist religious spaces. I think although it can be quite muddy there are 5 very clear and explicit core precepts and not a lot of hard rules beyond that.)

[tumblerhearamber]

The biggest us news Guide to Smart Fashion

 

Over the past year and a half, we have had the good fortune of not having to Fashion out of our comfort zone as much. Thank you very much, sweatshirts and biggest us news   leggings have worked just fine. But now that things are getting back to normal, you might have noticed that your usual corporate pieces are a little... dull? Unappealing? Ill-fitting? Thankfully, there is a way to maintain style while remaining comfortable (yes, our mothers knew this all along).

We turned to Jacqui Stafford, author of The Wow Factor:, for advice on our post-COVID clothing journey. Insider Style Secrets for Every Body and Every Budget, also known as "the style bible," will provide us with her recommendations for the smartest investment pieces that you should have in your wardrobe both now and in the future.

The Lazy Girl's Style Guide According

Stafford, the majority of the smart fashion  we only wear 20% of our wardrobe. There are two essential considerations to make when creating a wardrobe that is both simple and timeless: flexibility and biggest us news  endurance You can wear the same outfit to brunch with your girlfriends and business meetings in the afternoon. So, how do you stock your closet with simple and timeless items? Stafford says that the biggest us news  majority of your clothes should be things you can wear for a long time. She lists ten essential items that every woman requires:

Denim jacket 

Crewneck cardigan

Crewneck T-shirts (in every color)

Classic leather handbag 

Scarves

Straight, ankle-length cigarette jeans (no rips!)

Classic wrap dress

Knit dresses (anything with a stretch)

Ballet flats

Knit dresses (anything with stretch) Ballet flats 3 Pay Attention to the Fabric The polyester—or, er, silk—is the proof. The biggest us news  straightforward fact is that superior fabrics last longer. Unfortunately, when we shop for clothes, we tend to overlook the quality of the biggest us news  fabric because we are so focused on color, cut, and style. What's the deal? A higher percentage of natural fabrics can be found on the tags. We're referring to wool, cotton, silk, linen, and any other fabric that your great-grandmother would have recognized.

According to Stafford, "better fabrics wash better, last longer, and hang better on your body." They can typically be kept for decades. Pima cotton, for instance, is wrinkle-resistant and softer than conventional cotton due to its longer fibers. Try to use at least 70% cotton, but be careful not to shrink it!).

Additionally, cashmere is a smart fabric that is breathable and self-regulating to the body's temperature. Cashmere is a fabric that can be worn all year round, contrary to popular belief. No, you probably wouldn't be able to wear it in 90-degree weather. However, Stafford suggests choosing finer-gauge cashmere for the winter and lower-gauge cashmere for the warmer months. And if you're looking for linen, don't worry if it has creases and wrinkles because that's how it should look!

Pay Attention to Fabric

 True style is not determined by pricey brand names or whether or not an outfit is "on trend" (which, let's be honest, is frequently a trap for spending more on items that will only last a short time). Instead, having clothes that make you feel at ease is true style. We look good when we feel good. also in reverse. We have observed a shift toward a more casual dress code in the corporate landscape all over the biggest us news country. However, be careful: casual does not necessarily imply sloppy. "The shift now has gone into more luxurious, comfortable fabrics, embracing all the biggest us news  technology in fabric," states Stafford. For instance, look for jeans with 5% elastane for more stretch when shopping for jeans. This way, you won't have to give up comfort to look fashionable.

Put Comfort First

Our wardrobe ought to exert the same amount of effort for us as it does for it. Although neutrals are typically considered to be a safe approach to style color palettes, these more muted hues also have a propensity to make us feel drab. Colors are a great way to keep things interesting and new in your closet. "When you wear color, it gives your skin that luminosity, brightness, and vibrancy," says Srafford. In the age of Zoom meetings, we have definitely noticed this. According to Strafford, "when you're dressing, think about embracing colorful pieces, especially on the top half, which just give your skin more vibrancy."

Have A Good Tailor

Good-fitting clothes make you look better. Although it may sound obvious, no two bodies are the same biggest us news  much to the dismay of fashion designers. A skirt that is a size 10 won't look the same on everyone who is a size 10. Because of this, having a reliable tailor is pretty much priceless. Even if you don't have a lot of money, a good tailor can turn something simple into something that looks like couture. Stafford asserts, "It's worth it to make small adjustments, not big ones that cost a lot of money, but ones that are easy to make and make something fit perfectly."

[furmity]

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” - Voltaire

Flabbergasted by this blog Tumblr’s shown me “because you follow #rosary”.

Warrior Priest?! Oh fuck, Armed Christ?

Blessing of weapons in church. Old Testament only quoted for the violent bits. “The shepherd DEFENDS the flock”.

Luke 22:36 saying you should have a sword?

John 2:15 when Jesus took a whip “he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables” means Jesus was beating people up for disrespecting God? Actually they assert Jesus’ violence again and again. (Haven’t got round to reading the whole Bible myself but this doesn’t seem right to me).

Ah, they hold the Second Amendment in the same esteem as the Bible.

Like what the actual fuck am I looking at.

I’m going to block them but I am FASCINATED AND HORRIFIED AND IT JUST KEEPS GOING!

Casual mention of the War on Islam.

A ranting response to an ask from someone who doesn’t like Christ being depicted with a gun and I can’t even FOLLOW what they’re saying it twists and turns and they’re so ANGRY and they really think they’ve destroyed this person in argument.

Oh wow...moody painting of a hooded man.... “Jesus didn’t come to make us safe. He came to make us dangerous to the kingdom of darkness.”

And now another ask egging them on to spill the blood the wicked etc., etc., and he (we’re agreed this is a man? yes) goes prim and says he’s a Christian and quotes Corinthians about living peacefully together.

And this has all come across my dash on ANZAC day. The fallen are remembered, the veterans are honoured. I think about fields of crosses, battlefield conversion, frightened prayers, last rites in a trench, the chaplains and priests of battlefields...

I can’t read any more. I’m disgusted.

Edit: oh yeah, the post that was under #rosary? A rosary with a grenade covered in medals of The Virgin.

What do I even tag this as? Over and out.

[the-little-fox-in-the-box]

Hi, I saw your post in the #anti christianity tag. I am interested what you think of Christianity in general.

Hmm... Let me answer that question with a story.

I was sexually assaulted by my uncle. I went to church some time after that. The priest said that if a man rapes a woman she will go to hell and he will go to heaven. Why? Because if the man, even on his death bed suddenly regrets his decision he will go to heaven, because he forgave himself for his deed and that means he loves himself and therefore has love in his heart. But if the girl will not forgive him she will go to hell, because she has hate in her heart, and no one with hate in their hearts will go to heaven.

I was horrified. I could never forgive my abuser. I knew I will hate that man with all my heart for the rest of my days (I never told anyone about it, because who would believe a guy?). I remember thinking "This can't be right" and so I did something that no Christan in my family has ever done before - I took the bible and read it. Sure enough, it was correct. More over, if the law hasn't changed I should MARRY him and marry no one else ever, because I would not be a virgin. I also have pierced ears, which is also a sin, I wear gold, eat seafood regularly, wear mixed fabric, play ball games, I shaved my beard once, I don't worship my physically abusive parents, which are all sins. The Bible also speaks of abortion twice as a punishment and all the cruel ways that you can and you should treat a person, how much you're allowed to beat your slaves, how god sent a bear to kill a few children for making fun of a bald man, how he punished a fallen angel for wanting to grant us wisdom, how he tortured his only son to appease himself and all the genocides and sacrifice to appease such cruel, heartless, murderous, blood-thirsty deity.

So it turns out I'm not atheist. I'm actively anti-theist. Particularly anti-christian. If someone tells me they're a Christian I immediately think of them as a bad person, because no good person would believe in such cruelty and insanity. And if they do something nice they do it not because they're Christan, but despite being Christan. But as they say, hate the belief, not the believer.

I think Jews are chill though, I never had a Jew knock on my door forcing me to convert to their evil cult of cannibalistic hippie demi-god only to start calling me slurs when they see my rainbow flag. They are the good ones.

[something-about-sunflowers]

I'm gonna block the op before I post this cause I don't wanna start any drama but, that one person in the steddyhands/adjacent tags with their 'List of things I promised not to do in OFMD fic/What I look for/want when reading/writing OFMD fic' post. Don't. . . Do that. You can preface with 'you can write your fic how you want' all you like but if you add a caveat of 'be aware of "the trends"' it comes across as condescending, demanding, and judgemental. Leave alone that you are not the arbiter of all things allowed in fandom/fic. Nobody needs your permission to 'do as they will' so to speak.

Anyway I'm gonna go through and pick out their 'issues' that annoyed me the most and talk about why. Read-more cause I know I tend to forget to do that when I'm writing essays/meta/etc and, seeing as they did too and it was a beast of a post I don't want to be that annoying on yall's dash.

'Is it funny'

Not everything needs to fit to your standards and not everyone wants to write a comedy.

'The Act of Grace needs consequences'

The AoG did not necessitate becoming pirate hunters. I think this may come from some confusion around Benjamin Hornigold? (If its not that then I genuinely have no idea where this idea came from tbh?) All it necessitated was becoming a privateer, essentially a legal pirate, one who only attacks enemies of the Crown. Which, yes, can include pirates, but moreso meant, like, the Spanish (navy/merchants/etc, remember: they're at war).

Hornigold is a bit of a weird one in that he was already kind of doing that when he was a regular pirate? He, historically, avoided attacking English ships, and eventually turned pirate hunter later on.

Its completely reasonable to assume that, in a time when the Crown was coming down hard on piracy, there would be some who would sign the Act when caught and then renege as soon as. You could obviously only use this tactic once but its a good 'get out of jail "free"' card if you're in a bind. That doesn't reflect on Blackbeard (or Stede/Izzy), especially not when he's pretty immediately back on the seas and obviously not working for the Crown.

That isn't to say there won't be consequences in the form of the Crown being pissed at losing Blackbeard though, I've got my fingers crossed for a third Badminton after all, but in my opinion its doubtful there'll be any consequences from the greater pirating community.

'No co-dependency (. . .) written about positively'

Fan fic is not your therapist. We already understand that these characters are flawed and that their relationships are unhealthy, even at the best of times. People shouldn't need to write their characters like they're trying to get an A in therapy, nor should they have to add disclaimers in the text (or author's notes) that 'this is unhealthy and bad'. If you can't separate the idea of these fictional characters and their relationships from reality enough to understand that, because the author doesn't hold your hand to tell you 'this is not a good thing' then you shouldn't be engaging with the fic nor the source material, to be entirely honest.

'[Izzy] doesn't need to blush and "make out like teenagers" for every story'

The back button is free. Not everyone wants an emotional deep dive into the psyche of these characters, some people just want to watch these sad old men make out and be horny.

'The [Revenge] crew should be careful about being visibly queer when they're at port'

Not everyone wants to deal with the idea of systemic/societal homophobia in their fic. Fan fiction can be a way to explore these ideas in a safe and cathartic way but it doesn't have to be and some people are more comfortable by excluding the concept altogether. I live in the damn bible-belt, I worry about it enough in my real life, I shouldn't have to read it in fic if I don't want to and I shouldn't be made to write it for the sake of 'realism' either. Let people have their escapism if they so choose.

'Use protection and lube-'

Fan fic is not sex-ed. Nobody has to worry about sti/std/pregnancy if they don't want to. Plus, its not exactly super realistic for them to have either just immediately on hand? Obviously you don't have to deal with realism if you don't want to and if you prefer for your own sake they have access to them then by all means but, while they existed, condoms weren't exactly a common item in the 1700s. Mostly available to the middle and upper classes and very likely extremely difficult to find at sea. They're pirates. They're not exactly known for being 'safe' in any sense of the word. Look up why the real Blackbeard blockaded Charleston sometime. Syphilis isn't fun. But this is fic and Syphilis doesn't have to be an issue if you don't want it to be!

And while I'm fond of the 'convenient vial of oil' its not as if the lube-less/spit-as-lube buggery is going to actually hurt anyone. Like I said: fan fic is not sex-ed.

'-Make sure nobody can hear them'

Lucius was fully sucking Pete's dick in the galley with Wee John sleeping right there. Maybe the only members of the crew with an ounce of shame are Jim, Olu, and Izzy; at the same time though? Nobody is gonna care. Lucius may tease (Izzy at least, Jim might actually kill him) but that's literally the worst that could happen. Ships being not soundproof is kind of the reason why they can't ‘make sure nobody can hear them’ and why they might not bother beyond 'not being directly in front of them' and even then, as with Lucius and Pete (and Fang), they don't really care one way or the other.

'F/F [is] often (. . .) kissing and fucking'

Yeah. This is the Horny Pirate show. People are gonna be horny about the pirates, whether they're old men or old women. People are allowed to be just horny about it. If you want more plot driven F/F then that's a you problem and you can be the change you want to see in the world. And don't come to me with any 'oh its fetishistic' BS either, it doesn't fucking matter so long as they're not reducing real human beings to their sex lives, people can do whatever the fuck they want with fictional characters.

'Izzy needs to learn to be his own person if he wants to heal'

I agree with this point. I still find it annoying because nobody has to go over all of that. Nobody has to even let Izzy heal. Some people just like angst! Not everything has to be hurt/comfort or a happy ending!

'If Izzy falls for Stede or realizes his feelings for Ed, wait on the confession'

Some people just want to get to 'the good part'. Not everybody is looking to write a character study and sometimes you just want to get to the romance.

'They're big adult men, casually lifting/carrying each other is unrealistic'

Doesn't have to be realistic, but, they're also sailors. They're used to manual work/physical labor. Sure they're all older but your muscles don't just immediately atrophy just because you're old, not if you're using them. But again, it doesn't have to be realistic! Its fan fic! Of a fairly unrealistic show at that! Selective (or no) realism is perfectly fine!

'Calico Jack's addictions'

Alcoholism is a really heavy subject and nobody should have to touch on it if they don't want to. People should be able to write about Jack without worrying about navigating such a heavy topic if they so choose.

'tag your dubious consent (. . .) correctly'

This is the one point I will fully agree with and endorse. The fandom as a whole needs to get better at identifying (and differentiating, they're mutually exclusive terms and have different meanings) non-con/dub-con in general. Only caveat here is you specified 'regarding Calico Jack/Izzy Hands' when its not a ship specific issue but a fandom wide one.

There's probably points I disagreed with that I skipped over and hell, there's points that I do agree with that I skipped over, but ultimately my issue is this: Unless there is actual harm being done, this type of post is unnecessary. There is not and should not be one 'correct' way to write fic. I understand that you gave a caveat of 'you don't have to do it this way' but if you're going to outline all the things you think people are doing 'wrong' then go on to say 'but that's just my opinion' it doesn't change the fact that its a shitty thing to do unasked regardless. 'Most of these don't immediately make a story bad' is incredibly rude to say.

There is nothing inherently wrong with 'fandom wide habits' if they're not actually causing harm. People infantilizing Ed (and the rest of the BIPOC cast/characters, if we're being entirely honest) is a fandom wide habit that can actually cause harm. People moralizing over Izzy is a fandom wide habit that causes harm. People not properly tagging their fic can cause harm. People writing fan fic that isn't to your exact tastes, regardless of how much of it there is, is not causing harm.

Nobody needs or wants someone playacting at being CinemaSins calling them out for using 'overused' tropes. If you're doing it for yourself that's fine but keep it to yourself and don't try and hold the entire rest of the fandom to your standards. Its fucking rude.

[a-queer-seminarian]

Do you believe that God condemns anyone to Hell, or are we all going to wind up in Heaven?

Short answer? do i believe in hell? hell no!

[id: a cross stitch of the infamous "Hell Is Real" sign in Ohio, but with the word NOT added so it reads "Hell is NOT real" / end id. I sewed this cuz i have to drive past this dang sign every time i drive home and it makes me so cranky.]

___

Long answer?

The concept of hell has become less and less probable to me over the years. it seems like such a human solution to the problem of sin, not a Divine one.

This past year as i've studied the concept of prison abolition --

see Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis (free pdf online)

and, for a Christian view on how fundamentally messed up the US's prison system is, see Rethinking Incarceration by Dominique DuBois Giliard. (There are short vids and study guides for the latter, if reading isn't your thing / if you'd prefer those over paying for the book.)

-- and i find that many of the arguments against human prisons could also be argued against hell, which is really just The Ultimate Prison. Hell seems much like the punitive system we've got going on here, blown up to a supernatural size.

In Rethinking Incarceration, Giliard says that dealing with systemic problems and collective sin by choosing which individuals are The Problem and proceeding to Get Rid Of Them by chucking them in prison -- or hell -- is an unjust human solution, not a Divine solution.

He relates this to the harmful theology of penal substitution -- that the reason God became incarnate in the person of Jesus was simply to take the blame for all our wrongdoing -- to be the surrogate, or substitute, for the punishment all humanity would otherwise have to receive. But, Giliard writes,

Penal substitution is most problematic because it makes God’s response to sin too much like our own. It is a sort of recasting of God in our own image, as opposed to allowing the divinely inspired Scriptures to speak for God’s motives. Marshall also writes that “restoration, not retribution, is the hallmark of God’s justice and is God’s final word in history.”

God's justice is not that punitive kind of justice, but restorative. Jesus's whole life, and death, and resurrection together brings justice into our world because through all of it, the relationship between humanity and divinity was restored -- not because Jesus took the punishment that God would have slammed down on us.

{edit: I have a second post addressing how there are indeed parts of the Bible that depict God as punishing individuals or groups. Still, punishment is never the motive of Divine justice in scripture.)

If punishment is not God's justice, and neither is severed relationship, then hell, the ultimate punishment & place of isolation, is not God's justice.

Meanwhile, we can see the bad fruits of our punitive justice systems here on earth -- what happens when we accept that society is divided into "criminals" and "good people" or "citizens." As Giliard writes:

When we lose sight of the grace and mercy exemplified on the cross of Christ, people who have violated right relationship become irredeemable “criminals” to fear, avoid, and quarantine. When “criminals” are viewed as the social cancer infecting our communal health, safety, and thriving, we cease to see and affirm their humanity. Rather than fellow image bearers, we see “criminals” as hazardous elements contaminating our neighborhoods, and they thus must be purged by any means necessary. Michelle Alexander writes, “Criminals, it turns out, are the one social group in America we have permission to hate. In ‘colorblind’ America, criminals are the new whipping boys. They are entitled to no respect and little moral concern.” ...

I see similar things happen when people pretend they can guess who is going to hell, when they divide humanity into the heavenbound and the hellbound.

(I won't go into it here but it needs to be noted: think about who is seen as prison-bound, how our system sets up certain groups, such as Black and Latine persons & other persons of color, to end up in prison; and then think of who is often seen as hellbound, such as LGBTQA+ persons & non-Christians. Bigotry is tangled up in all this, which is what Giliard's book largely focuses on when it comes to mass incarceration.)

when we assume we know someone is doomed to hell, we give up on them. we cease to see them as one of us, and one of God's beloved children made in Their image. i'd rather assume there is no hell and find out i'm wrong about that later, than live as if i thought there were a hell if there isn't.

and of course, if we assume we ourselves are headed to hell -- particularly by fearmongerers who teach that being LGBTQA+, or Black, or disabled, or not Christian, any manner of things sends you there -- well. i think the bad fruits of that are quite clear, including how it leads us to despair, to fall into the pit of self-loathing. we either punish ourselves and isolate ourselves and harm ourselves by trying to fix what is not broken, or we say "fuck it, i'm going to hell anyway" and cut ourselves off from certain community.

_______

Prison is an easy solution, but not a fruitful one. Same with Hell. It's an easy fix, but not a viable one.

Throwing certain Bad Irredeemable Humans into the pit won't make the humans who are left fit for God's Kin(g)dom -- we all have work to do on ourselves and as a collective community.

God calls us to the much longer and more difficult work of repentance, reform, and rebuilding -- here and now and in the world to come.

Again I turn to Giliard:

Scripture consistently reveals that restoration, not punitive punishment, is at the heart of God’s justice. Biblical justice does include retribution, but not exclusively. Biblical justice cannot be solely defined by it. The more accurate description of biblical justice is restorative justice. Biblically, justice is a divine act of reparation where breached relationships are renewed and victims, offenders, and communities are restored. Justice, therefore, is about relationships and our conduct within them. Justice asks, How is righteousness embodied and exuded in how I live in relation to God, neighbor, and creation? In fact, Scripture could be read as the narrative of God’s restorative justice unfolding in the world.

No prisons. No hell. No punishment for punishment's sake -- but resources provided to make repentance and reconciliation possible. No severing of some humans from the rest of humanity, or from the Body of Christ -- but restored relationships.

_____

Will the restoration happen before heaven begins? Maybe. Then I'd say there is some sort of purgatory state in between (because purgatory isn't a place of punishment, but of, well, purging away all that is corrupt and harmful). But not a permanent hell. Not a place made for punishing or discarding.

______

because the belief and fear of hell has done so much damage, i refuse to hold to a belief in hell. and hey, if it turns out there is one, fine! it doesn't change how i should live my life:

in the end, whether hell is or is not real, i should live my life the same way -- loving God, neighbor and creation with all that i am, and doing my part to live into God's Kin(g)dom where the oppressed are lifted up, and the oppressors have their own violence exposed to them for the evil it is so that they may begin the hard work of reforming their ways.

____

For more excerpts from Rethinking Incarceration, see this Google Doc.

for more stuff about hell, see my hell tag over on my other blog.

[strangerthings4theories]

Billy's Story Is About Recovering Lost Innocence (Billy's Sexuality: An Overview)

Billy's sexuality is a subject of debate in fandom, and for good reason. The guy's a mess. He's clearly fighting against something, all while putting on a hypersexual womanizer persona. And so far, we've gotten no concrete answers. Is he secretly gay? Did something happen to him?? What the hell is going on?

In this series I'll sketch out what I think is happening: why Billy's so tortured, how his sexuality comes into play, and what we can expect for his story moving forward. Because yes, I do consider this topic more evidence for his return. His arc isn't finished!

Please keep in mind my only goal is to give my best answer to the question, "What's the show doing?" You may have a different answer, and that's okay. Most importantly, I am not judging anyone's preferences, headcanons, ships, or fan creations. You can ship Billy with whoever you damn well please. You can also have your own opinion on what the show should do with him. Even if we agree on what it's actually doing, that doesn't mean you have to find it satisfying.

And that's the beauty of fandom. It's creative, collaborative, and transformative. However you interpret the show, you have the power to respond as a creator in your own right. You can say, "Hey, there's potential here," or "I don't like how they handled that," then go explore with no one else's permission. Canon ain't the Bible, and you're not a heretic for having your own views.

I hope you find these posts interesting and inclusive. If you don't want to read them, you can filter the tag #theories: billy's sexuality

Okay. Everybody comfortable? Got a hot beverage? Here we go~~

My theory: Billy's journey is about turning away from a false, oversexed persona to reclaim his lost innocence.

I base this on several lines of argument. I'll summarize them here, but each will take a LOT of analysis to establish. Since I'll have to do that in future posts, I beg your patience and understanding.

The Argument, Summarized

1. Billy is driven by one wound above all others. He believes he was a pussy as a kid, and because of that, he wasn't able to protect his mom from Neil. Because he couldn't protect her, he lost her. The show tells us this story via his memories (one of the most crucial scenes for his character).

2. He's afraid it could happen again with someone else he loves. He's still a pussy, after all - still that little kid inside. So the threat isn't over. It's always with him, a sword hanging over his head. (We see this play out with Max especially.)

3. Billy thinks being a pussy means showing any sign of softness. Compassion, love, romance, and friendship are all suspect. If he wants to avoid a repeat of the past, he must reject them.

4. Billy's interest in women is genuine,* but because he can't be a pussy, he only lets himself express it in rigid, hypermasculine ways. Sexual conquest is okay and even encouraged. Feelings are not. Women can be tools for his gratification, nothing more. This leads to a profound loneliness.

(*This doesn't have to mean he's straight, fyi! Bi and pan men are also interested in women)

5. Because Billy's so lonely, he overcompensates. He doesn't just separate feelings from sex; he hypes up his sexuality until it's the first thing you notice. He sculpts his body, shows it off, and practices his moves in the mirror, all so girls will fall at his feet. If enough of them do it, maybe he'll stop feeling so damn lonely.

By my theory, his journey will go something like this:

From...

oversexed

hostile

afraid to express any feelings other than anger

consumed by trauma and guilt

To...

balanced sexuality

open to connection

expressing the full range of human emotion

healing from his trauma

letting go of the guilt

It begins at Starcourt. Stirred by the memory of his mother, Billy takes the first step to free the little boy locked inside. Hence why he looks so youthful when he stands up to the Mind Flayer. The boy is out of his cage.

This is the foundational tension of his character: the oversexed monster-man vs the inner child.

Again, explaining my argument in full will be a process, so bear with me. If you've read this far and aren't interested in reading more, feel free to filter the tag #theories: billy's sexuality

In the meantime, I welcome questions and respectful discussion!

[waragainstyourfaith]

Thank you to @broughtmeyourlove for listening to the beginnings of this (aka when I first got my thoughts down) and thank you to me for saying all this in the shower but most importantly thank you @hannibalhadalittlelamb whose art got me to finally think deeper about the nature of Hannibal’s trial. Let’s begin.

Hannibal’s trial isn’t something I usually see discussed within the fandom space. And why would it be? We know the final verdict and we know that besides that everything works out in the end anyway. It’s an afterthought. So who would care? That’s like reading the first few chapters of a book to skip to the final one. Characters change and so does the story as a whole.

On @/hannibalhadalittlelamb’s post (here), their tags read that their depiction of Hannibal is leaning into OOC (out of character) territory. I disagree.

During Hannibal’s trial, we have to think about how it would have gone down. Actually. There was no possible way for Will to miss or be exempt from this trial. His coworkers and boss knew his strong relation to Hannibal and how their professional relationship had definitely, at some point or another, turned personal. The mutual attempts of murder had not been lost on anyone, but, of course, that made Will all the more personal a witness.

However, Will wants nothing to do with Hannibal.

I understand there is a popular theory going around that Will and Hannibal were in a sort of understanding during the trial, but, honestly? We see Will desperately wanting to remain kept away from Hannibal, to live a normal life with a wife and son. Hannibal throws a wrench into this whole ordeal and this trial, after what conspired between them overseas, leaves Will in the headspace and with the opportunity to quite literally never see Hannibal again in his life.

And after everything and with what Will thinks he wants, how could he deny that? Helping Hannibal rule into the insanity plea was not an act of mercy but an act of protection. Will more than anyone knows Hannibal should be kept under 24/7 surveillance and away from every person he could ever harm. Being ruled out of given the death penalty was the underlying bonus his conscience wouldn’t let him think too deeply about.

In court, you are sworn in on the bible, on God, to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth [...] So help you God.”. Both Will and Hannibal were undoubtedly sworn in, but considering the argument Hannibal’s legal team was using, would you trust a man under the insanity plea or his victim who is an FBI agent more? Right.

So, Will is given free rein in this courtroom to spin the story of him and Hannibal whichever way he pleases. Seeing what I mentioned before, Will is going to remove himself as far away from Hannibal as he can while still being able to confidentially and securely reveal everything without getting his hands dirty nor embarrassing himself. Hannibal does not get this luxury.

Hannibal is a man of his privacy. As many analyses have written and as many real psychologists have said while dissecting the headspace of Hannibal, his need to eat people is his need to control. The trauma Hannibal went through with Mischa, whether you know the depth of it or just the surface, is enough context to explain what happens next. Hannibal eats them. Attitude is Hannibal’s one basis of morals and consensus. “One should always eat the rude”.

To determine their fate and to consume them is him “playing God”, but at its core, it is Hannibal needing to be in control. We see the severity of his true, underlying, desperation come to light at a first glimpse with the gruesome death of Beverly Katz. Undoubtedly, this is one of his most haunting scenes and we see the insides(dissection) of Beverly as she had attempted to find in Hannibal by going through his home. By sneaking a glance under the person suit. His inner monster comes out in a rage during this murder. He is private and anything that anyone knows about Hannibal is what he has allowed them to live to be able to say so. Look at Will’s position once more.

What no one seems to realize is that, during this trial, Hannibal is not in control. Will is the spinster of their life, a life Hannibal used his truest of colors to paint, and ultimately watched it becomes torn to shreds in front of him. Remember, Will is sworn in during this trial. This does not necessarily mean he is telling the truth, but it means everyone thinks he is. It’s a play of tragedy and Hannibal and Will are the two lead star-crossed lovers.

The entirely of Hannibal and the world he has handed to Will on a sparkling platter is being dissected and shown to everyone. The story of the Chesapeake Ripper was undoubtedly massive. A criminal having not been caught for years that everyone seemed to know nothing about revealed to be one of the closest, inside links with the FBI themselves? Tale of the decade.

The spotlight is on Hannibal, but he is being puppeteered by Will without a say in it for himself.

Hannibal cracks as he’s poked and prodded and bare for the media to do as they like and Will sits by and says what he likes. Here is where we would see a sliver of what lays beneath their person suits. Hannibal’s impulsivity and monstrousness under his charming exterior and Will’s manipulative, isolatedness under his empathetic cloak.

We look at Hannibal. He would be torn to shreds from this. The porcelain pot that contains his beast has broken and shattered by the swatting hand of Will, someone he trusted and loved. The intruding eyes of the jury stay on him as he is diagnosed as insane while he considers himself to be in the best possible headspace he ever could be. Everything he told Will and what he considered truth from Will’s mouth was dismissed and disputed under oath.

Hannibal is embarrassed. People call him insane and lock him away at dig through his mind and his things without his permission with protruding needles and telescopes. Hannibal has to play nice to simply be allowed a working toilet and the books that he has collected himself. Anything and everything he writes and draws that he wants to send out is dissected and analyzed. He has no privacy. He is not allowed a toe out of line.

Looking back at Hannibal from season one, episode seven is a good one to compare from, and when we see him first after year years in isolation, we see plain as day these are not the same men. In season one, Hannibal is handsome and cunning enough so that he wiggles his way into the deepest, most protected parts of the FBI as one of the highest-ranked killers on their watch list. He is polite enough to even invite them to dinner and feed them the organs of his victims.

He’s slick and intelligent and Hannibal is the idea of a lifetime.

And then we come to the second half of season three.

Hannibal, at this point, has been isolated for three years and has been under painful scrutiny even longer. During this time, he’s had all the space he could get to rebuild the person suit, but the pieces won’t fit. It’s jaggedly put together and no matter how long he spends trying to perfect its construction to what it used to be, it isn’t what it used to be. Will had done that to him. Will had effectively broken Hannibal.

I see often the running gag that season three is immensely funnier and leaning much more into the comedy aspect of Hannibal during his interactions with Will and Alana and even jack to an extent. But this is not him being funny; this is Hannibal pushing limits.

Looking back to paragraph eleven [“To determine their fate and consume them…”] we come back to Hannibal’s need to control. Remember, in this space, Hannibal is shoved into line. He’s snappy and cynical here. This is Hannibal exercising his limits and testing patience. His acting out and making snide comments is nothing he can be punished for, but it clearly agitates them. Hannibal teeters just enough on the edge of annoyance so that his jabs still hit, but his privileges still remain.

This is his monster leaking through the cracks. Hannibal is desperate. He is grasping for a hold over these people he had looked down upon from his throne in the sky as God for so long. He is rude. This is both his shield and deception. It leaves Hannibal with the idea that he is effectively feeding them out of his hand, that he has them right where he wants them. When Hannibal does this, it is his last line of defense to keep himself from blowing up. Ruining it all.

Season three is not season one. He is gasping and hurt and that is what makes the Dolarhyde kill all the more powerful. The whiplash and bounce back with his and Will’s relationship is powerful and dangerous.

Will watching Hannibal with his dead stare, person suit thrown off the moment he decided to go with Hannibal into that car, as he is shot is groundbreaking. Hannibal can see Will. they have effectively switched positions. As though he were God, Will looks down on Hannibal’s suffering. When Will decides to fight Dolarhyde in retaliation,  this is the point it all cuts lose.

At that moment, Will has freed the beast. Hannibal has finally someone to take the reins of his monster whom he trusts. Because Hannibal never blamed Will, even during that time in his isolation, he was waiting. Waiting for Will because despite the betrayal and despite the hurt he loved him. All that time he loved him.

The Dolarhyde kill is the messiest one of the show, which makes it all the more powerful. Hannibal has--I don’t want to say “lost composure”--but he definitely has dropped the act of his togetherness. In this, Hannibal is free. So long he has spent trying to hold himself together, to fool those around him and take care of everyone and himself. 

It’s a common misconception that a person in a position of power, such as a CEO, would want to be in this position all of the time. In fact, it’s been shown that the human mind needs a healthy balance. A person who is pushed around on a day-to-day basis and has no control over their life would most likely enjoy having control over a person and vice versa.

God must be tired. Hannibal was. Wearing his person suit for years and years, with only a dangerous outlet to relieve the built-up tension of his monster. To place the control into Will’s hands is inevitable and the best relief for both of them. Hannibal in killing and Will in power.

In that final scene, Hannibal has surrendered control to Will while barring the entirety of what lay within and Will has a high enough apathy for this to no longer have any hold over him. They have switched their roles. Now, Will is the one pulling the strings and Hannibal is the one letting himself be maneuvered.

This trial was the turn of the tables. It was the biggest part of their character and the biggest foreshadowing for the finale.

In Florence, Hannibal has the hold over Will. In season two, Will has the hold over Hannibal. In season one, Hannibal has the hold over Will. This trial that has been left out was the missing piece to even their stance and to level their playing field, making it easiest for the two to blur.

The trial is effectively and consequently one of if not the most important scene that was missing from the show.

[quantum27]

tagged by @mickstopher-mouse

Rules: Make a new post and copy the text from this post and fill out the questions with your answers. Then tag five or more people you want to get to know better. Have fun!!!

1. Favorite color(s): bi flag colors which is convenient but I don't think there's any color I dislike. One thing about learning more about art is that colors are like. Useable in endless ways. Even the muddy ones.

2. Currently reading: the letters of Vincent van Gogh and fanfic ig. I should get back to my noncanonical bible and another actual book lmao.

3. Last song you listened to: promise from silent hill 2, not the reprise. Last one with lyrics? Elvis's see see rider cover.

4. Last thing you watched: stargate idk what episode specifically.

5. In school?: I...work at a school. I just graduated from HS. I plan to go to college eventually but y'know. Riding the waves of life

6. Thing you’re looking forward to: Christmas honestly? Which is surprising because ever since a particularly tragic Christmas I've been turned off by the holiday. HOWEVER. I love buying n making stuff for people and because of aforementioned school Job I finally have a solid source of money to buy things for people. I already have a wishlist of shit to buy.

8. Can you cook or bake? Cooking.... Not great. I can make a few things.Pretty neat at baking, even though our oven makes it difficult sometimes. I know some elitists knock boxed cake mixes but when you're mentally ill they're a god send and also easy to add to.

9. Piece of media you’d recommend to anyone: this is hard specifically because of like. The anyone bit. But uhhh. Unironically the Shrek Franchise ig (y'know except for the third.) Oh and also like Free Guy? It's a really good movie tbh. Possibly cookie run kingdom? It is one of the few gacha games you can get lots of stuff without paying money because they have events a lot where you get free stuff. I feel like the rest of my interests you have to be a specific kinda person to get into. Yes this includes Tron. But anyway yea. I know that's technically multiple things but I feel like. "Anyone" is a broad term lmao.

No pressure tags: @mbirnsings-71, @jet-bradley , @feenie-wright10 (are you even active on Tumblr rn idk I'm sorry sebbie 😭) I'm so bad at tagging people