#teenage evangelist

[thegreatlibraryfangirl]

Things that are important: this extremely kinky and full of mental illness AU I'm writing, in which Wolfe and Dario are currently having a wholesome discussion about how Wolfe used to straighten his hair and be a goth, while Dario helps his hair curl better and gives him a manicure.

[ekjohnston]

God, I love BSG.

Ok so for reasons that are not relevant I, a 23 year old, have just finished watching battlestar galactica for the first time in this the year two thousand and twenty two and I don’t know anyone besides my family who has seen it so I have to ask: do you think bill and Saul explored each others bodies

as;lkdfj;saljfa so true story when I first read this ask I had this moment of sheer. . .why would you ask us, a narnia blog. . .

AND THEN I REMEMBERED the deep lore of BSG fandom was lost to time bc all of that was pre-Tumblr so STRAP IN AND LET ME GIVE YOU AN OLD PERSON YELLS AT CLOUD ESSAY ON BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

So like. First of all, and I truly mean this from the bottom of my heart to this day, I will always treasure BSG fandom for being one of the single most courteous and thoughtful fannish experiences of my life with regard to spoilers and I wish that more folks would learn from them. Because, as you likely have realized, there are some key plot beats through the series that benefit from being surprises. And not surprises in the new-MCU-movie way of like, this is unwatchable once you know the twist. But surprises as in oh, [redacted] is actually [redacted], I want to go back and rewatch the episode because this recontextualizes what I've just seen!! And because the miniseries aired in 2003 and the series didn't start until 2005, there were a lot of new folks catching up throughout the run and the statute of limitations on posting untagged spoilers was broadly seen to be a year from time of airing. And that included user icons with spoilers. A truly magical time.

And even with that, when I told friends of mine I was thinking of getting into the series (which i think I caught up midway through S2's airing?), they very sweetly would check exactly which episode I was on before chatting with me about it to be sure they didn't feed me any future plot elements and just - so thoughtful. So kind.

The second thing that I think is really unique - and like I've seen this in other fandoms but it felt so pronounced in BSG, is that depending on your perspectives and which characters you gelled with most, you and other fans could sometimes be watching an entirely different series.

What I mean by that is, there are multiple perspectives on who might be considered the "main character" of that show or at least the access point character of that show, bc it was such a big ensemble with so many interwoven throughlines. So like, some people were watching it as The Story Of Laura Roslin And Some Fucking Idiots, some people were watching it as Kara Thrace Makes Bad Decisions (and some other idiots), some people watched it as Bill Adama Learns To Not Army So Hard, some people were watching The Story Of Gaius Baltar Who Sure Does Regret His Life Decisions, some people were watching Lee Adama Is Trying His Best: The Series - you see.

Because I was (as ever) heavily invested in femslash fandom, the show I was watching was Kara Thrace Make Bad Decisions And Has Several Boyfriends (And Girlfriends), as well as the sadly underrated sub-series Cylons Have So Many Feelings And It's Great.

And so for a hot second I read your ask and was like. . .who the fuck are Bill and Saul.

I got there, though.

Anyway: Bill and Saul were definitely Old Army Buddies, and depending on how you interpret that I think the answer can be most likely an unqualified yes.

[thetiredstuff]

This is just mostly a handy little post for me but I asked people to rec me some destiel AU best friends to lovers fics and this is what I got:

Recs from ltleflrt:

okay, cupid. by orange_crushed On Air by wincechesters Just Turn Around and Go by @porcupine-girl Version 2.0 by Elizabeth1985 aka @cocklesheadboop Ignore the Butterflies: Best Friend Advice from Dean Winchester by impatient14 A Match Made (and Misunderstood) by surlybobbies More Views. More Money. by herbivoredinosaur Remember When by VioletHaze aka @scones-and-texting-and-murder When In Vegas by Dmsilvis & TobytheWise

Recs from doctorprofessorsong

One of my favorite fics of all time is Evangelist by @valleydean. It's really enemies to friends to lovers but the enemies part becomes friends pretty quickly because they are deeply obsessed with each other. One of the classics if you haven't read it is To Build a Home. Childhood friends who broke up and find themselves back in each other’s life. It is very angsty but they have a lifelong friendship so you get a lot of childhood and teenage friendship moments. If I may self recommend, I just wrote Can't Fight the Moonlight in which they are in this post canon partnership and both want to add sexual intimacy but the partnership is soft so you get some really fun platonic intimacy. It's not AU, obviously, but may have something of what you want. Seraph by @dothraki-shieldmaiden is a superhero au where they are friends and roommates to lovers. It has great world building. More than Kisses by @friendofcarlotta is a friends to lovers epistolary romance. Dean and Cas are pen pals and they share an absolutely gorgeous emotional intimacy. Tiamatv has a few that fit the bill. I'm gonna mention Marchen because I love the world built in that one. Dean Winchester is a prince locked in a tower. Feel free to also skim my fic recs. @riversrecs

Recs by castiellesbian:

tiamatv's "It's the End of the World (As We Know It)" is a friends to enemies to lovers if that counts? They were childhood best friends in that one "A Midterms Night's Dream" by Englandwouldfall is an au where they're roommates (oh my god they were rommates). "In Some Sacred Place" by schmerzerling is a good one where they're friends throughout most of the fic, but it's kind of depressing overall

Recs from porcupine-girl

Just Turn Around And Go (roommates-slash-best-friends): https://archiveofourown.org/works/4228830 Like four weddings and a funeral but without the funeral (Sam POV, Sam is clueless and doesn’t realize they’re together): https://archiveofourown.org/works/6225625 Go Down With This Ship (online fandom besties, don’t realize they know each other irl): https://archiveofourown.org/works/8023642

Rec by trampledundercas

#i thought of ‘ready to fall’ by lemonsorbae on ao3

A whole bunch of recs from dean-you-assbutt-cas-loves-you

A Tale of Two Tropes by Amelia_Clark (E, 7k) As You Walk On By by MercyBraavos (E, 23k) Are We Any Different? by LeviathanBlue, SerpentCountess (T, 41k) More Than Kisses by  FriendofCarlotta  (E, 29k) things i knew when i was young by stormwarnings  (T, 16k) Alright  by  turningthepages  (T, 46k) To Build a Home by intothesilentland  (M, 383k) When In Vegas  by  Dmsilvis, TobytheWise (E, 16k) The Ocean Between Us  by  noxsoulmate  (E, 27k) Room for Two (The Mattress AU) by  almaasi  (E, 14k) Honey-Baked  by  mishaminion69, sydkn3e (E,  89k) The Ones We Choose  by  lightmyway  (E, 82k)

EDIT: MORE:

Recs by bexfangirlforlife:

The Graveyard Shift by riseofthefallenone. PurgatoryJar Evangelist by embrancsxx0 Stay with me Sweetheart by Mandalarose We are what we pretend we are by tricia_16 Tricks of the Trade by Trenchcoat_Impala

Recs by impaledbeetle:

okay, cupid by orange_crushed Seek to Know You Better (E) by ahurston Après (E) by Imogenbynight Here's a couple aus that i really really enjoy that aren't necessarily best friends to lovers: spirit of the west (M) by teen_dean Parachutes (E) by chaoticdean (this one literally changed my life it is so good) And This, Your Living Kiss (M) by opal_bullets (again, this is life changing) Roll With It (E) by saltnhalo (this is a The Proposal (movie) au) Shut Up (Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is) (E) by kototyph

Recs by butch--dean:

spirit of the west by teen-dean (everyone should read this 90's horse girl dean au where he befriends cas, a local veterinarian) I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart) by unicornpoe (I am a sucker for all "cas using dean as a vessel" fics) Après by imogenbynight (surely everyone has read this? dean and cas in paris what more can you ask for) under the midnight sun by northernsparrow (dean is the caretaker of a research station in the arctic and cas is a mysterious bird researcher) (I also rec you can keep holding on by this author but be warned that it is very grief-driven - but it is an in-depth study of the way they care for each other) though the course may change by imogenbynight (fake dating AU at a couple's retreat - another one that everyone has probably read but is so worth mentioning in case you haven't) there's no cell service in the afterlife by screamsintothesun (cas gets back from the empty and his phone blows up with dean's voicemails & texts) Gold in the Edges of Our Vision by SewingNatural (dean and cas eat peaches together on a hot summer evening. The writing style on this one is really really lovely) these are just a few from my bookmarks but also there is a really good rec list here & here (this one has a link to a specific friends to lovers list here) that I refer to often when looking for new fics/authors to dig through!!

Recs by mercurialkitty for some reason tumblr won't allow me to add them to my post so just click on their name to go to their post!

These are all the ones i've gotten up til now but will def edit if I get any more. If you see this post and think of a Destiel AU best friend to lovers fic that isn't on here or just a Destiel AU (no abo) fic that isn't on here: PLEASEEEEEE GIVE ME ALL THE DESTIEL AU FIC RECS (no abo)

Also i didn't tag the people who recommended it cuz I don't wanna annoy them but I linked back to all of their original posts or comments!

A hugeeeeeeee thank you to everyone who replied to my annoying messages for fic recs cuz I really really appreciate it. thank you all so so so much!!!!

[olderthannetfic]

Anon from 722398181104795649 again about YA as a G-D and it's failure(s). Your response is really interesting because it definitely aligns with the market research I've had to do over the last 3-ish months for work. Adult YA readers want YA to skew older superficially as escapism from the woes of adulthood (It's like someone who orders a pasta with broccoli in it because they appreciate the flavor it brings, but they have no interest in actually eating their vegetables). Teenagers feel alienated by the G-D that is meant for them no longer allows them to confront said woes with honesty or maturity for their age to prepare them for adulthood or discussing broader ideas. More teenagers skip over YA altogether or just reader adult genre fiction with some Middle Grade fiction mixed in because the teenagers feel in MG, there's still an honesty to the stories that they can understand, having once been young children. In short: teenagers think YA books are talking down to or patronizing them.

The result is YA authors pushing for NA, New Adult, as a G-D, which hasn't taken off within tradpub outside of romance circles. Mostly, because what they're pushing for is already an established genre for around a century: campus novels--books about characters 18+ who are entering college, establishing independence, beginning to explore sexuality and enter the workforce, etc. But, again, YA adult readers refuse to engage with adult genre fiction because there isn't the facade of protection from adult themes or topics, and there's an aggressive refusal among many agents in literary fiction (and some adult genre fiction) to encourage authors to sanitize their stories. YA authors began attempting to cross over into adult genre fiction with mixed, but overwhelmingly negative, results, as they cannot shake the stigma of writing YA. And the genre fiction crowds they want to appeal to have higher standards, typically, than the average YA writer is able to meet. YA authors then complain about the differences in publishing YA and genre adult fiction. It's like when MCU actors and directors get upset when prestige film directors don't consider MCU movies to be "cinema."

--

This is fascinating.

I pretty much missed the YA boom (slightly too old, not paying attention, etc.), so I've mostly encountered YA through its worst evangelists of the Hunger Games knockoff era, and often a good bit after their favorite books were at their height.

As I've said before, this really strikes me as that pattern where something is big when you're at a formative age, and it becomes the Normal Default to you.

I'm sure some of it is refusal to engage with adult nuance, but I'll bet a lot of it is resistance to leaving the name of YA behind. People spent so much time defending this niche that they started believing their own rhetoric about it being the only place the good queer stuff was or the feminist stuff was or whatever. They identified really strongly as A YA Fan. It's hard to let that go.

And if you don't remember much about pre-YA boom publishing, the fact that all that YA-tastic Mercedes Lackey stuff was filed under fantasy, not YA is completely obscure. The places you find stuff you'd like that aren't called "YA" are not obvious. The fact that YA in its boom era form isn't universal and eternal is not obvious.

I think people are waiting for their Cool Era of their early 20s to return and for the things they think should always be in fashion to come back... Like everyone else aging ungracefully, they may be waiting a while.

Gotta say, every New Adult book I've been shown sounds like a hideously boring contemporary romance that would probably make a good coffee shop AU against a backdrop of a canon that's dark or magical but that isn't really pulling its weight even if you like contemporaries.

[eruden-writes]

Room & Board - Part 17 (Tabaeus x Reader)

paranormal fantasy vampire x human eventual triad (x werewolf)

Anonymous asked:

For the prompt submissions a vampire that feels guilty after feeding/attacking someone so they leave obscenely valuable ancient artifacts as payment/an apology?

x x x x x

First | Previous | Masterlist | Next

x x x x x

Get early access to Part 18, when it’s ready, on Patreon!

Comments, tags, and reblogs are real motivators for me, too! (●ˇ∀ˇ●)

Also, my inbox is always open for asks, so don’t be shy!

x x x x x

Lachlan Barrett. Your brain swirls, trying to place the name with some snippet from the journal or some other odd place you've heard the name before. It feels strangely familiar but, at the same time, unfamiliar.

As you're thinking, Lachlan takes a step toward your group. Immediately, Ewan tenses, growling so low in his chest that you can feel the vibrations in your stomach. Simultaneously, Tabaeus hisses from behind you, quiet and soft and sharp. Sandwiched between your companions, you hardly feel threatened, but the predatory air - plus Ewan and Tabaeus's reaction - piques concern in your gut.

"Please, try not to kick up too much of a fuss," Lachlan chuckles, though he does not take another step closer. He inclines his head to Tabaeus and Ewan, flashing them a look over the edges of his sunglasses with a pointy-toothed smile. "We are in a library."

The meaning was clear. You look around at the other patrons of the library: children and teenagers and people just minding their own business. People that are likely unaware of the two vampires lurking in their midst. Glancing back at Tabaeus, noting their stricken look, says enough.

A sudden thought crests your mind, overcoming the shock of the moment. Given this man had just lightly threatened a whole library, was it too hard to imagine he'd kill a town? Or a doctor?

It was a shot in the complete dark, but you had to ask. Tabaeus admitted to blacking out the name, so perhaps Lachlan would fall for your question. "By chance are you the same Lord Barrett who worked with Dr. Kieran Bennett in the 1880s?"

"Ah, Kieran! Yes. That is a blast from the past, as the young ones say." Something in Lachlan eyes glow, but not in a pleasant way. It reminds you of the iridescent shine of a predator's gaze. In a theatrical way, as if he were playing for the nosebleed seats, Lachlan rubs at his chin in a thoughtful way and leans toward you. He ignores Ewan's warning growl. "I did know my pet showed you to one of the vaults, but to think they gave you that information. That is such a surprise."

"I am not your pet," hisses Tabaeus, low and soft. As if they were not entirely certain they wanted to be heard.

"Are you not? Let us think about this," purrs Lachlan, his gaze shifting to Tabaeus. His voice takes on an irritating singsong quality as he counts off on his fingers, "You are pampered and cared for entirely. You need not hunt nor stalk the nights, need not risk being caught by a hunter. You are beloved among covens all over the world and gifts of clothes and food are showered upon you."

The description doesn't overly surprise you. And the longer Lachlan speaks, the more Tabaeus bristles behind you. Glancing back to your vampire, you press a hand to their arm, but it does nothing to ease their upset. Their red eyes remain pinned to Lachlan, afraid to let the other creature out of their sight.

"In return, all you must do is what you were created for," chuckles Lachlan, a vile gentleness to his voice that sets your teeth on edge. Underneath his words, there's an implication you can't quite put a name to.

As your gaze bounces back to Lachlan, Tabaeus spits out, "And what was I created for?"

The other vampire takes another step forward, ignoring Ewan's bristling snarl and how Tabaeus flinches behind you. Lachlan's arms spread wide, as if for an embrace, as he smiles like a television evangelist. "For memories."

Your brain sputters for a second, before a slew of awful imagery comes to mind. Bacchanal and violent and not all to the consent of Tabaeus. Weren't those always a trope in vampire media? They would drink and have sex and be cruel? Something about enjoying the world in excess while being undead. Or perhaps trying to feel something in their dead nerves?

Before you can stop yourself, you wrinkle your nose and blurt, "Excuse me?"

"I won't explain myself to a foodbag or a fleabag." A brief darkness flutters over Lachlan's features at your question, pinched at the edges. He doesn't glance to either you and Ewan, but waves a hand in your direction. "Tabaeus understands, deep down."

"Tabaeus?" Once more, you turn to look at your vampire, hoping to prompt more revelation. They refuse to look at you, at Lachlan, at Ewan. Their gaze has gone distant, averted. Something strains in their expression and you wonder if they've been accosted by triggering memories.

"They get this way whenever I mention their purpose," sighs Lachlan, shaking his head as if he is speaking about an ill-behaved child. "Now, I'm not a cruel master. I will give you time to say good-bye."

"And then what?" Enough suspicion was evident in Tabaeus's voice, you could picture them squinting their eyes critically at Lachlan.

That irritating smooth smile widens across the other vampire's lips. "And then we leave."

You hear Tabaeus swallow and their tone seems to lack confidence as they murmur, "And if I refuse to go?"

"Well, that will be such a pity, seeing as you live with two liabilities." Lachlan tapped a finger against his chin, eyes flickering to you and Ewan. You never realized how long and black his nails were before. His unwavering smile made your skin crawl. "Who are you willing to sacrifice first?"

Tabaeus snarls at the question, making you jump. You can feel their rage prickle along your back. In the short span of time it takes you to turn, a breeze passes by and you are shoved forward, away from Tabaeus. Their snarl is cut off in a choke. You gasp, stumbling only to be caught single-handedly by Ewan. As you turn, catch the sight of Lachlan backing Tabaeus to a far wall, hand around their throat.

The people around you don't even blink, don't even falter in their actions. You wildly wonder if Lachlan has some sort of cloaking power or if he managed to hypnotize all present with his mere presence. Vaguely, you sense Ewan's arm curl tighter around you, keeping you close.

One question resonates as you stare, frozen at the vampire: How old, how powerful, is this man?

"A good owner disciplines their pets when they misbehave." You hear the hiss-laden words even from the distance. Lachlan gives Tabaeus's throat a squeeze, another sound choking from your vampire's mouth. "Do not make me discipline you. That gets rather messy, doesn't it?"

Tabaeus glowers at Lachlan, before their gaze can take no more and they turn their face away. They refuse to look at you or Ewan. Shame rolls off them in waves as the other vampire pats their head with his free hand. "There's my good darling."

You and Ewan barely take a step forward, before Lachlan moves again. He bites his own free wrist with a sickening rending of flesh, and holds the dribbling wound to Tabaeus's lips. "Now, so your memories of me are fresh."

At first, they refuse to drink, turning their face further away from the offering, smearing strangely dark blood across their cheek. But Lachlan is not having that. His grip moves from Tabaeus's throat to their hair, knocking aside their bucket hat as he forces their mouth to his bleeding wound.

It doesn't take long for Tabaeus to succumb, to eagerly feed on the oozing blood. They lick the streams up first before latching onto the bite. Their eyes flutter closed, their hands reach to grip at Lachlan's arm, holding him close.

You're frozen in place, watching with nausea rolling in your stomach. Desperately, you look to Ewan, hoping he has some idea or answers. Heavy breaths make Ewan's chest rise and fall, his eyes scanning the area and the vampiric scene. Feeling your eyes on him, his gaze flickers to you and his expression is akin to a fearful dog in the face of a greater predator.

The silent look makes your skin crawl further, your stomach lurch.

"That's enough," Lachlan finally purrs over the grotesque slurping sounds of Tabaeus feasing on him. When Tabaeus refuses to let go, Lachlan yanks them by their hair with a snarl. "I said enough."

A pained gasp escapes Tabaeus as Lachlan hauls them away, blood oozing down his arm and down their chin. That sound seems to spur something in Ewan and he launches himself at the other vampire. You barely had a chance to jolt, a chance to raise your hand. As soon as Ewan makes contact with Lachlan, mingling snarls erupt just before the werewolf flies backward, across an aisle, into a shelf of books.

Books clattering around him, you can hear the wind escape Ewan's lungs. He isn't down for long, scrambling to his feet and baring his teeth, half-crouched and prepared for another strike. Despite the tension and adrenaline, he hasn't gone full wolf, though you're sure his stubble is thicker and his eyes far too inhumanly green.

Your attention flickers to the surrounding people. They still haven't seemed to notice anything and, if they had, Ewan was still human enough to not cause a stir.

Tabaeus, too, is back on their feet, swiping a hand over their chin. Their sunglasses sit askew, their red eyes alight and the whites of their eyes darkening at the edges.

Both fall still as Lachlan's arms suddenly clamp around you, his hand curling around the front of your throat. He was too fast to see, too fast for you and your shock-stricken brain to register. Or perhaps he has you enthralled as well, just less-so than the other unaware bystanders. His ice-cold touch burns and is unyielding to the point you, too, freeze in his grip. You barely even breathe.

"I can see you need time to understand your situation. I will give you a day, twenty-four hours, to say good-bye to your consorts." Disgust swirls inside you as Lachlan bends close, nosing along your throat. Tucked against Lachlan, it's strangely quiet and cold. No heartbeat, no breaths, no body heat. It's worse than Tabaeus, you muse as you hold your own breath.

"You should already be aware of the levity of the situation. But if not..." Lachlan yanks your head to the side, exposing your neck further. Sharp pinpoints dig into your throat, a threat that doesn't yet break skin. Your eyes snap shut as you steal yourself, feeling his amused breath play over your neck, "Well, I do enjoy the screams. Twenty-four hours, Tabaeus."

And like that, Lachlan is gone. Dissipating into shadows or just misting from existence, you're not sure. It is only after a few breaths, you realize the library's ambient sounds are returning along with heat and sunlight from the windows.

How did you not notice how quiet and cold it had gotten near Lachlan? Had it been that way in the diner? Your mind whirls, as if it has been electrified with jumper cables. Was that a powerful vampire's ability? Or was something else at play?

As your thoughts churn, Tabaeus - re-hatted - and Ewan crowd around you. Both ask you questions, visually check over your body, but you can't find enough words to answer them. You stare at the two for a long moment, before you realize you are shaking.

"Hey, it'll be okay, alright?" Ewan whispers, looping an arm around you. His head dips toward you, pressing his fluffy hair against you. His body heat is a blessing, cutting through the ungodly cold that has sunken to your bones.

You don't have a chance to respond as Tabaeus gathers you in their arms, as well. The odd cool-warmth of them easing Lachlan's cold from your body. Their grip on you is firm and fearful, almost quaking. Something holds them back from allowing themselves to tremble though. Some need to appear stronger than they feel.

Your heart lurches as the very thought crosses your mind.

"May we go home?" They ask quietly, still holding you close to their chest. You're crushed so tight to Tabaeus, you're not even sure if Ewan still has an arm wrapped around you.

Still unable to find words, unable to connect synapses to work your mouth, you nod with a noiseless whimper. The three of you are quick to leave the library, huddled close as you return to the safety of home.

[doctorprofessorsong]

Hi!! i'm asking a bunch of people but do you have any destiel au best friend to lovers fic recs???? pleaseeeeee (no abo) thank youuuuu!!!!

One of my favorite fics of all time is Evangelist by @valleydean. It's really enemies to friends to lovers but the enemies part becomes friends pretty quickly because they are deeply obsessed with each other.

One of the classics if you haven't read it is To Build a Home. Childhood friends who broke up and find themselves back in each other’s life. It is very angsty but they have a lifelong friendship so you get a lot of childhood and teenage friendship moments.

If I may self recommend, I just wrote Can't Fight the Moonlight in which they are in this post canon partnership and both want to add sexual intimacy but the partnership is soft so you get some really fun platonic intimacy. It's not AU, obviously, but may have something of what you want.

Seraph by @dothraki-shieldmaiden is a superhero au where they are friends and roommates to lovers. It has great world building.

More than Kisses by @friendofcarlotta is a friends to lovers epistolary romance. Dean and Cas are pen pals and they share an absolutely gorgeous emotional intimacy.

Tiamatv has a few that fit the bill. I'm gonna mention Marchen because I love the world built in that one. Dean Winchester is a prince locked in a tower.

Feel free to also skim my fic recs. @riversrecs

[fancyfade]

Raven's love interests, ranked from worst to best!

Everyone knows that Beast Boy is currently Raven’s true love, according to DC, but what many readers may not know is that in their first comic together, New Teen Titans, Raven and Beast Boy never dated! Gar in New Teen Titans was quite a ladies’ man, in fact, and Raven was the only lady who was immune to his amorous overtures. That didn’t stop Raven from having her own dating life, of course. Following are Raven’s love interests, rated from worst to best!

10: Brother Blood

Brother Blood expressed romantic interest in Raven twice, which is two times too many if you ask me! First he brainwashed her after she died and came back to life and used her to promote his Tele-Evangelist cult scam! Then, the next Brother Blood raised Raven into a teenager’s body and wanted to marry her as well. What a creep!

9: Eric Forrester

Eric Forrester was the sex-fiend who wanted to use Raven for her body – or rather, her soul! He was her first ‘real’ boyfriend and she easily fell for him. Sadly, he was a scumbag who wanted to use sex to steal Raven’s soul so that he could preserve his human body. The only reason he’s not the worst love interest Raven had is because Brother Blood exists!

8: Wally West / Kid Flash

Wally West was Kid Flash when he and Raven met and she saw him throwing a fit on Mount Everest because his girlfriend dumped him. He was also in the process of quitting being Kid Flash, a theme that would repeat itself during his tenure on Teen Titans. Raven used her emotion powers to make him fall in love with her so that he would help her save the universe from Trigon. He expressed interest in her at later points in the comic, but there was no way their relationship was going to go anywhere with how it started.

7: Dick Grayson / Nightwing

Dick Grayson was Nightwing when Raven was brought back from the dead. She immediately fell in love with him, probably due to that V-neck, and accidentally used her powers to make him fall in love with her. Dick’s girlfriend at the time, Koriand’r, was amazingly understanding, but sadly did not suggest a threesome. Instead, everyone just talked about their feelings to resolve things. How boring!

6: Garfield Logan / Beast Boy

Yes, as we mentioned in the start of the article, Raven did date Garfield for some time. This was after she was reincarnated as a teenager, so what the heck Garfield? Anyway, their relationship is this high in the list because there was no intentional or accidental power usage influencing emotions on her part, and he didn’t have evil intentions for her. Poor Raven! Her love life never goes well!

5: Paul (Azarathaboo)

Paul is a student from Raven’s college (Bet you didn’t know Raven was in college) who is in love with her because he’s obsessed with Azarathian culture! He then punches someone in Raven’s defense, indicating that perhaps he doesn’t understand the pacifist Azarathians very well.

4: Koriand’r / Starfire

Now, Raven and Koriand’r don’t technically date in the comics, but neither do Raven and Paul, Raven and Dick, or Raven and Wally, and they’re all still on here! After Dick confesses his feelings about Raven to Kory, Kory takes Raven skinny-dipping in Tahiti. They’re definitely gay!

3: Joseph Wilson / Jericho

Joey is the only guy Raven has good sexual tension with! She genuinely appreciates his compassion and listening skills, and he’s always there for her, even though he’s the newest member of the team and doesn’t know her well! She starts learning sign language from a book for him! They’d be adorable!

Sadly she goes evil and he gets traumatized by trying to possess her with his powers. Oof

2: Donna Troy / Wonder Girl

The other lady who makes this list, Donna Troy definitely was one of the Titans most consistently present for Raven during her slow slide into evil. She even begged Raven to turn good at one point, and it worked!

She’s rated higher than Kory, because Raven’s emotional repression would bother her less than it would bother Kory.

1: Donna and Kory combined:

I think that if the three of them were in a polycule, they could make each other better.

----

This is mostly tongue in cheek, except about donnakoryrae being the best raven ship, that is true

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in Irish History | 5 February:

1703 – Birth of Gilbert Tennent, a pietistic Protestant evangelist in colonial America. Born to a Presbyterian Scots-Irish family in Co Armagh, he migrated to America as a teenager, trained for pastoral ministry, and became one of the leaders of the Great Awakening of religious feeling in Colonial America, along with Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. 1811 – Birth of journalist and…

[thecreaturecodex]

You should tell us about the weird codependent relationship between the god of kobolds and tiamat.

So, in D&D, the god of kobolds is Kurtulmak. And Kurtulmak has a whole bag of chips on his shoulder. Originally, it was just against the gnomes, because gnomes and kobolds were set up as traditional enemies. But when 3e decided to lean into the idea that kobolds were wannabe dragons, Kurtulmak also developed something of a fixation on Tiamat.

I fleshed that out.

In my Prehistoric Game, The World Lost to Time, the relationship between Kurtulmak and Tiamat is similar to the relationship between Cthulhu and Azathoth in Derleth's interpretation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Kurtulmak is the high priest and evangelist for Tiamat among humanoids, but she barely notices him.

The Kobold Empire is the major power in Gondwana, the southern continental mass. It's a theocratic dictatorship, with the Emperor being seen as a living embodiment of Kurtulmak. Kurtulmak desperately wants to impress Tiamat and prove that he's just as much a dragon as any of her biological children. The worship of other gods is tolerated by non-kobold citizens, but kobolds may only worship Kurtulmak and Tiamat. Heresy is punishable by death.

Incidentally, the name of the current Kobold Emperor was Kojark X. Kojark was to kobolds like Henry to the English monarchy or Louis to the French, one of several names with a long historical lineage. And that was a reference to my first big boss, Kojark the Kobold King, who had a cool wizard tower and delusions of grandeur. That Kojark thought that that made him a legitimate world power when he was just a little weirdo. A powerful weirdo, but still.

So my players leaned right into this religious fascist paranoid setting. Partially because they wanted to RP the witch hunt mentality of immediately-post 9/11 America in a safer way, and also because they were a bunch of teenage boys, some of whom legitimately hated each other but I was the best DM they knew. So a major part of the first act of that campaign was an inquisitor of Tiamat played by one person sniffing around a decadent noble played by another person, whose character secretly worshiped the weird BDSM goddess from Book of Vile Darkness. The decadent tried to kill the inquisitor and failed, then the inquisitor brought him up on heresy charges and he was executed, and everyone agreed that was a fun way to end that character and that player brought in a new one. Who was a samurai who was growing ever more feral from a curse, who eventually killed the inquisitor when he (the samurai) was mind controlled by slaadi sorcerers. And that was a good ending for that character as well.

And now one of the players in that game? Is running his own game about zealous fascist kobolds, whose leadership is trying desperately to prevent the rank and file from learning that they can turn into true dragons.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

"You see, there is one rotten canker that is in so many churches, as well as it was before-- Envy.

What does it say about Joseph? His brothers sold him. For what? For envy. What does it says about the Lord Jesus? The priests sold Him for envy. That festering thing in the heart of men and women. They sold Him because of envy. They sold Him because they hated Him. He was only a little baby, less than two years of age, when they had what history calls the Massacre of the Innocents.

I said to you before, I'll say it to you again, whether you love me or hate me for it: If you've got children you ought to be up an hour before they go to school and cover those children every day with the blood of Jesus and really lay hold of the promises. They live in a hell of a world in the day in which we live. If you don't do it, I'll do it for you. Remember, when Satan thinks there is something going to happen, he is going to dog that child. I prayed, and I still do, whether you know or not, I pray for some of our kids, if I am here or not, if Jesus tarries, they will become some of the leaders half a generation, a decade from now.

God will make them missionaries and evangelists, and teachers, and apostles, in the last great awakening, (which men are trying to work right up now and you can't do it.) But He is going to get youngsters and fill them with the Spirit, and teenagers in their early years."

Leonard Ravenhill

[dankxsinatra]

I swear if dumb teenagers run Mr J off this site, I will become the biggest AI evangelist you've ever seen.

[larathia]

Look, when I say I am ruthless with the block button, I'm pretty sure I mean it. Here are some examples:

People who do not respect the tags. If I am following a tag for Ship A, and you post art for Ship B in Ship A's tag, when Ship A is nowhere to be seen in the art, I'm just going to block you because either you're a troll or you're an evangelist, and either way I find it annoying and don't want to deal with it.

People I see no need to argue with. I enjoy a great debate. I really do. However, there are some arguments that go past a 'difference of opinion' and into 'bad faith' or just 'troll' territory as far as I'm concerned. People almost never change their minds as a result of something they've just had a verbal asswhuppin about on the internet. I might bother in person, where I can tell who's just being an annoying little troll and who I'm getting through to (or not). But online? I'm just going to block you and move on.

People who feel the need to post about their DNIs. Mostly, I genuinely think people who post DNIs are young and/or very new to Tumblr. That said, I don't regard it as my job to educate them, especially if I'm not being paid for it. People who talk at length about who they demand never contact them? I just block. So I won't contact them. Problem solved.

People that are clearly too young to have interesting conversations with. This is where I say yeah, I'm pretty liberal with the block button. Sure, some teenagers are really cogent and have well-developed critical thinking skills and are in general a delight to talk to. But y'all, I'm nearing 50, and most teenagers are just not that interesting to me. Especially teenagers who are obviously crushing on characters. It's not that I haven't Been There. I have. That's why I block them rather than interfere with their happiness. I mean really, they're not doing any harm. I just don't find it interesting, and having it clutter up my feed (which is much more about the critical thinking/rational discussion of Stuff) where I might wind up annoyed enough to snap at a kid for being a kid, I block. Nothing personal there, kids. Just me going my way and taking steps to let you go yours in peace.

As a result, I generally enjoy my time on Tumblr. I heartily recommend Harsh Curation Methods to all tumblrites, because it really does reduce one's stress levels significantly.

[wambsgansroy]

53k words of this manuscript but it still doesn't feel like a half a novel. partly bc it's a novel in stories i think so writing it in pieces and then trying to make them work together is different than just writing a novel but also i think the stories i've written so far are a little at the outskirts of the thing (right wing evangelist teenagers) that this is the big overarching dome everything is happening within and i'm fearful about really delving into that. BUT rereading what i have and tweaking/tying together threads that want to be tied but aren't quite there yet is giving me hope

[footytea]

endrick's family comes from poverty. that isn't his fault. unfortunately, the age of consent is only 14 and teenage pregnancy is a norm (the government has forbidden sex education due to evangelists & given the fact that a majority of especially black brazilians live in favellas with limited access to education.)

i'm not trying to say that they are dumb and ppl from those quarters don't know what they do. the governments across the globe, culture and also conservative ultra religious ppl are the problem.

so, endrick's family having a say over him dating a literal groomer is little because i can imagine them being happy that he has found someone 💀 but they haven't realized the depht of it due to how normalized it is in brazilian culture.

ik that girl has had the privilige to go to school so why does she have 0 shame. tells us a lot about her lacking maturity.

hmmm yeah i have read that his family is supposedly happy with their "future daughter-in-law"

[sadsongsandwaltzes]

Did you grow up Lutheran, or did something about the Lutheran church draw you in?

Both! I grew up ELCA then AFLC so it was kind of a weird hodge podge of Lutheranism combined with evangelicalism.

As a kid in the ELCA, we had strict Lutheran liturgy (confessions, creeds, call and response, etc) but simultaneously very progressive theology

Then we went to the AFLC which varies so much church by church, but basically it was very evangelical type church except we still baptize babies for some reason. So a lot of the core tenets of Lutheranism were kinda fallen from and I didn’t understand them or like them. And I couldn’t understand why I was expected to believe the answers in the catechism when the general attitude of the entire congregation was that communion wasn’t more than memorialism etc. it left me in an intellectual rut cuz I could see a clear hypocrisy. People Lutheran in name only but not giving their own self professed beliefs the reverence they deserved. I think this played a great deal into my teenage agnosticism — people clearly didn’t believe what they said I should believe.

Then when I became Christian at 18, it was baptist ministers who reached me tbh. So I had done away with Lutheranism entirely. And for whatever faults Baptist theology has, I have to hand it to them that they are better evangelists than anybody, and that they do have a very sincere love for the Bible.

As it goes, diving so deep in the Word is exactly what made me no longer able to hold to baptist theology, however lol. I found myself in a state of cognitive dissonance. And I eventually came across pastors like hans fiene who slowly chipped away at my theology. And it was a Bryan Wolfmueller video that finally made things start clicking in my brain. And beyond that, Lutheran sermons are so much more edifying than baptist sermons. Lutherans have a better law/gospel distinction than anybody. Starting to listen to truth Lutheran sermons absolutely changed my world. I had never heard these distinctions made so clearly. And Lutheranism is the most straight forward way of reading the Bible. Which is why people who come from stronger theological systems have a distaste for it. Because where things don’t make sense to us theologically, we’re content saying “it’s a mystery.” It’s a phrase that comes up often when discussing Lutheran theology.

I also found myself missing the liturgy. For however off track I got as a teen, I never fell into false trinitarian beliefs or anything like that and I 100% attribute that to saying the creeds every Sunday as a kid. The liturgy exists for a reason. It has its place. And it is good.

Not to mention that the more you study history, it’s pretty much impossible to deny some form of baptismal regeneration and real presence and honor towards tradition (not in the Catholic sense obviously) These are all historical Protestant beliefs.

[tracybirds]

HEYOO 16 and 17 with Scott / Virgil??

As you wish <3333 Thank you!

16. The queer media they'd obsess over

Scott: While not technically queer media, I can totally see Scott watching things like Top Gun and M*A*S*H and just being like.... these things are queer bc i am queer and i say they are queer and i'm sorry were we watching the same screen?

Virgil: Sense8!!! I haven't rewatched this since it first came out so the details are shaky but I think he'd enjoy it :) The kind of thing that's totally overt in being queer and doesn't shy away from it at all but also has a mind bending scifi-action plot and examines queerness and worldview and politics and all that jazz on a more philosophical level while also holding up this ideal of people can love so deeply and in so many ways and yeah :D

17. A queer artist they'd listen to

Scott: Listen to me. L I S T E N to me. Scott is a secret MIKA stan and it's only secret because he's a little insecure about liking pop music because he's 16 and imperfect and one day Gordon discovers MIKA and basically becomes a MIKA evangelist and it annoys Scott SO MUCH because this is HIS thing and YES actually Gordon he DOES know this song and eventually he snaps and it all comes out and Virgil's like ??? none of us would have cared about you liking pop? and Scott's just all *mumble mumble* embarrassed lol bc self-conscious teenager ahaha anyway, everyone should listen to MIKA <3

Virgil: I love the idea of him listening to queer jazz musicians!! I saw @firstonthescene suggest this for Scott (and I agree!) but if feels very right for Virgil as well :D Of course, I also think Virgil listens to all kinds of music, from all kinds of people playing all kinds of genres from all over the world! It fits him well imo <3 I don't know much about jazz outside of like Count Basie and Louis Armstrong and that sort of thing although I do enjoy it! I will say though that although there have always been queer people involved in jazz, it doesn't seem to be the genre that really made a movement out of it, not like other genres have in more recent history, and I think to suggest it was some safe haven for queer musicians would be fairly revisionist. There'd have been pockets that were safe and more open, and other spaces where being closeted would have been the only option and how could you ever tell who was closeted vs who was straight and pinning down identities of people now dead for the sake of queerness doesn't seem to be Virgil's style to me. However, I do think that he'd make an effort to diversify his playlists in as many ways as he could because it gives him an opportunity to explore new ideas and perspectives and I think he'd really enjoy that. Anyway all this to say I don't have a real answer lol. I think he'd enjoy everything from Mozart to Elton John and everything on the spectrum between them and beyond :P