#the act of creation is a joy but I wish I could do it without it draining my energy dry 😭

[rileys-battlecats]

WHY must the act of creation be so tiring. is it not enough to simply have The Vision

[toto-the-cactus]

I started to write this very innocently and planned to make it NSFW but I did the mistake of watching the episode 7 of Dandadan and now instead of horny I want yall to be sad. Ovulation manifest in a very fucked up way for me and I will not suffer alone. Teehee.

Credits where they are due. This ask from @moodymisty is the reason that inspired this... I dunno, AU?? But kudos for them. This idea was really good so I just decided to expand it.

If this get that much attention I'll may think in doing a part 2 where you go and take Angron's ass back without the nails this time, ajua!

Summary: As a perpetual, you have been by the Emperor's side for most of your immortality. There's no name for what strange dynamic you both share, but you do trust him and your loyalty eventually pays off over millennia once he fulfills an old promise he made during your first ever encounter.

Pairing: Emperor of Mankind x Perpetual!Reader (Female)

CW: Slight NSFW

The Mother

“I know you’re still angry”

You hated how He phrased that. He knew very well that you were furious at him more than anything and yet the Emperor voiced it as if you weren’t mourning the loss of the children that you were supposed to call yours.

Erda had warned you plenty of times, looking between a mix of sadness and resignation as she knew very well how much of a tangled mess were yours and the Emperor’s relationship over millennia. Even as a perpetual, you never could come close to understand why He acted the way he did, but his reassurances and sweet-nothings made you easily into crumbling sand between His fingers. So much that when he finally answered your plea for a family, the joy of it had overrode your common sense.

Your genetic composition, while still powerful, never seemed to take and each attempt for a baby to grow inside the gestation capsules ended in failure and that eventually made you grow distant and despondent towards the Emperor, who, for once, seemed to understand your gloomy emotions and gave you some space until a solution could be found.

And it did… in the form of your best friend Erda. She had been ready to reject the proposal of giving her genetic stock, but her own loyalty to the Emperor and her love for you was enough to convince her with still some reluctance along the way.

You hadn’t even cared if these children carried your own blood or not. This was the one thing you had found yourself craving for so long and it was becoming reality.

The Emperor had made it very clear that these creations had been made too to serve as aids for the Crusade, not simply to satisfy the promise he had made to you all those centuries ago.

At first you didn’t heed his warning, too enthralled at the overwhelming emotions of seeing these tiny babies take form.

Your children.

A part of you had been too arrogant, too naive to believe that you could convince the Emperor of Mankind to drop this plan of his to raise kids as pawns of warfare. You had wanted to thrust that a part of Him still would hold the same tenderness that he had always reserved for you like the very first time. So you kept talking to the gestating children, whispering words of love and adoration. You sang them lullabies of long forgotten times and teared up when some would instantly react at the soft tones of your voice.

You have even dreamed with the little one that had shown immense psyker power.

So it broke you beyond repair when Erda came back to you in distraught, explaining what she had done with the developing Primarchs once the Emperor had been still adamant and unmoving to his plans.

The fate of your sons had been decided and your friend had been desperate to try and stop it.

Now you lost everything, all your happiness had been taken away and as much as you wished to blame Erda too, you only held her shoulders in a tight bruising grip (she looked at you surprised, unaware that you possessed such strength) and stared at her dead in the eyes with a voice that commanded nothing but attention.

“I’m willing to forgive you, Erda… I am… but you must earn it” you said with a clear tremble in your voice, a painful knot stuck in your throat at the impotence of the whole situation. “Please, please… go find them! Find them so I can retrieve them and hold them at least for the first time!”

So she did, in the silence of the night and away from any prying eyes.

Once alone in the privacy of your room, you cried until the pain bled into painful sobs of despair.

It was in the aftermath of your spilling emotions when the Emperor came to you in a mockery of comfort, his huge hand encased in his golden armor caressing with immense care your body. It was a shame that he had some truth to his words, for your anger simply made you feel like his attempt of compassion was cold and mechanical in nature.

A detailed script where the husband consoles the wife that He must follow. But as fast as the burning anger came, it easily simmered down by the constant sorrow. You felt hollow and as much as you wished to keep ignoring him… you needed the little love he still professed for you in rare moments.

“No, my love… I just feel empty now” your voice conveyed it, for it lacked anything beyond the trembling of a sob.

“Then let me help you” the Emperor expressed with an unchanging expression, but the way he whispered those words felt like the sweetest caress.

You breathed deeply, a few stubborn tears still escaping because how dare he speak to you like you were the only thing that he cared for. You had grown accustomed to this weird and shifting dynamic you both had and yet he did things like this that disrupted the routine and reminded you why you fell for him a long time ago.

You had seen him as a man, nothing more… and he had thanked you for that.

This time you had to choke a sob down before speaking.

“How?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he got up and took his golden armor piece by piece.

It took a while but you were a patient woman with little to no motivation to move at the current moment. This was your room, the single place where no one was allowed to bother you two and so could take any sweet time.

Once finished, his warm hand held your head carefully and left your neck exposed to be kissed and licked at his whim. You were ready to try and tell him to hold on (you would never dream of being strong enough to push him off of you), but the bite on your shoulder forced a breathy moan out of your lips, wilting your weak attempt at stopping.

You still felt the sting of pain at the loss of the children and these actions only fuelled the new emotion of guilt brewing inside you.

Why was he doing this to you? How would this help your broken heart?

“Let me make it up to you… by giving you a child in the only way we haven’t tried��� his voice reverberated within your ribcage with the undertone of a growl that accompanied his words, catching you immensely by surprise with such insane proposal that you didn’t even realize when he took your undergarments out until a soft grace to your clit grounded you back to reality.

“Ah~!” you moaned this time louder, completely caught off guard by a sensitivity that you don’t remember ever having.

The onslaught of sensations dazed you, the tears flowing steadily now that you weren’t sure of what to feel in that moment.

This was a distraction, a way to appease you and sooth the sorrow… and you hated that it was working little by little. His words truly echoing inside your mind with the strange mix of guilt and excitement clashing within your body without mercy.

Yes, you wished for a child to hold. To love and care.

His enormous finger breached your entrance, the wetness having been built easily enough as his thumb hadn't stopped on his ministrations to your swollen button. His lips rarely leaving your skin without a kiss or a bite to lick, descending and going down, down.

Then… you saw it. Behind the shiny droplets of tears through your eyelids, a vision of a future that greeted you with a promise.

The children… they were alive.

You sensed the very longing of your heart, the feeling of rough scars being caressed by your gentle touch as an apology for not finding them fast enough.

You saw yourself holding a heavy blanket, a peaceful infant between your arms and a whisper of a name that seared in your memory.

‘Horus��

In this thesis I present today, I'll explain how all the goddamn heresy could have been prevented had the Emperor not sucked ass at speaking with the tactfulness of sandpaper over an open wound.

Anyway, hope yall liked it <333

[autistichalsin]

One thing that gets me in a good way is how repeatedly Halsin says or implies that traveling with you is one of the best memories of his life, highlighting just how miserable he was as First/Archdruid.

Asking how he's faring at camp in various scenarios in acts 1 and 2:

A fine respite from the world's troubles, this camp of yours. I daresay I may rest more easily here than I did at the grove... ...and certainly better than I did while languishing in the goblins' cages.

And

Wonderfully! If I'm honest, the grove was too comfortable for my tastes; I felt removed from nature.

And

I'd rather the shadow curse didn't linger just beyond the campfire... but your company more than makes up for it. It's not easy, seeing the ravages of the shadow curse... but your camp is a most welcome solace. You've shared your fire with me, your company. A small pocket of light against the darkness, but one I couldn't do without. Thank you.

After being asked if he'll miss being First Druid:

Miss it? Oh dear no. It's a terrible burden; takes you away from nature and forces you to deal with others' problems and personalities[...] I'm just glad to be out here amidst the Oak Father's creations.

In the epilogue:

The Oak Father has been kind to me this past while, yet I cannot forget the bond we all forged together. It is one that can weather any distance, any passage of time. I know it can, for I feel the longing for old friends in my heart each day.

And, lastly, from Halsin's letter to the player in the epilogue, if the player never broke the Shadow Curse, causing Halsin to stay behind in the Shadow Cursed Lands:

My friend, I was truly heartened to learn of your success in the fight against the Absolute- the whole of the Sword Coast and beyond owes you a debt that can never be repaid. I dearly wish I could have joined in your moment of celebration, but the Shadow Curse remains, and so my vigil must continue. Perhaps I shall yet discover a way to restore light to this place, but until then, the memories of my time traveling with you shall sustain me through all manner of hardships. If the Oak Father is kind, one day I shall feel the warmth of the sun and know the joys of your company once again. Yours until the end, Halsin

This one is particularly poignant, because while facing darkness that might last the rest of his life, he specifically points to the short time he knew the player's friendship as getting him through the difficult memories, with not a single nod to anyone else- not from the Grove or elsewhere. Maybe it was an example of recency bias, but it still hits hard.

Traveling with the player, even with the threat from the Absolute and everything else, really was one of the best memories of his life, just because the camp of weirdos were the first ones to want him for who he was- platonically or otherwise. He could be himself, be free from the burden of leadership, and still do good. Which is one of three things- the others being breaking the Shadow Curse and having a child- that he wanted the most. And in the good ending, all three of these come true for him.

[j4gm]

Simon's Inferno; Fionna & Cake and the nine circles of hell

I don't usually do this kind of thing, but I happened to read the first part of the Divine Comedy recently, and after hearing Betty mention wanting to dig to the Devil I've been wondering if there were any deliberate (or accidental) parallels between Dante's Inferno and Fionna & Cake. This is gonna be a self-indulgent exploration of that idea.

If you don't know, Dante's Inferno describes the author's self-insert journey through the different layers of the Christian Hell. Each layer, called a circle, represents a type of sin. It was written in the early 1300s and is where pretty much all modern depictions of Hell originate, including Adventure Time's Nightosphere.

Simon, of course, is the mortal Dante of this story, and the one who makes the journey to the centre of the Earth. Just as we join Dante while he is "lost in the woods" and contemplating sin, we join Simon while he is at a loss about what to do with his life.

Fionna Campbell and the First Circle (Limbo)

The First Circle of Hell is an interesting place, because it is reserved for those who are virtuous and without sin, yet simply didn't know about Christianity. It is full of people who were born too early to have heard of Christ, or born in the "wrong" parts of the world and raised with the "wrong" religion.

Compare this to Fionna's situation. She knows nothing about how the Multiverse works or her world's place within it. She is completely unaware of the illegality of her world's existence, and is innocent in every way, but is still expected to suffer the consequences as if she has sinned.

Inferno is interesting for the fact that it acknowledges how unfair this is. Similarly, we the audience are expected to sympathise with Fionna.

Simon Petrikov and the Second Circle (Lust)

Simon becomes so disillusioned with his world that he mistakenly believes everything will become better if he is able to reunite with Betty again. He is allowing his actions to be swayed on a whim by the mere memory of the woman he loved, and his actions could have dire consequences for those around him.

At a stretch, Choose Goose can perhaps be considered the Minos to whom Simon recounts his sins, although Dante didn't actually end up having to do this.

Cake the Cat and the Third Circle (Gluttony)

Cake is gluttonous in her consumption of everything that Ooo has to offer. Aside from literally overindulging on magic fruit at the market, she is also infatuated with the magical world she has found herself in, and with her new ability to talk.

Simultaneously, we see Prismo being gluttonous in his consumption of Finn and Jake content. He misses Jake, and is addicted to the false relief of watching them play out their past/alternate adventures.

Prismo the Wishmaster and the Fourth Circle (Greed)

The difference between greed and gluttony is sort of narrow, but from what I understand, gluttony represents simple overindulgence, while greed is the more sinister act of hoarding vital resources from others.

Presumably, Wyatt's wish in this episode would have reflected his greedy desire to have Tree Trunks all to himself, and we know he has already done terrible things in pursuit of that desire.

Perhaps Prismo's creation of Fionna World can also be considered an act of greed. The creation of an unauthorised universe is apparently dangerous, but Prismo disregarded this danger. He also disregards the possibility that using Ice King's head as a covert hard drive might be somewhat unethical.

Destiny and the Fifth Circle (Wrath)

Dante depicts two forms of wrath; active wrath, in which the enraged battle above the slimy waters of the River Styx, and passive wrath, in which the sullen sulk beneath its surface. This dichotomy is reflected by Farmworld Finn, who is a passively wrathful agent in a very actively wrathful world. Finn is haunted by past traumas and losses, which have turned him into a person unable to find much joy in the world. Characters like Big Destiny and Peanut, on the other hand, are constantly at the throats of both enemies and allies.

Jay and Little Destiny are both equivalent to Phlegyas, who exists on both sides of the dichotomy and sails the protagonists across the River Styx.

The exit from the Fifth Circle represents a major turning point in Inferno, as Dante and Virgil require the divine intervention of an angel to open the gates of Dis and progress. Simon and our heroes require a similar intervention, which comes in the form of the jewel that lets them reprogram Prismo's remote, opening the gates to the rest of their own journey.

The Winter King and the Sixth Circle (Heresy)

Heresy in a Christian context is the rejection of a core aspect of the Christian faith. This episode shows us a world which rejects a core aspect of what we understand about Adventure Time; that Simon putting on the crown would transform him back into the mad Ice King with no hope of regaining his sanity.

The Winter King himself is the ultimate heretic, because not only does he oppose the doctrine as it is understood, but he knows that the heresy he is spreading is false. He knows that there is no true way to overcome the crown's madness, and he hides from our Simon that he is deflecting it onto Princess Bubblegum.

The Star and the Seventh Circle (Violence)

I mean this one is fairly self-explanatory. The vampire world is the most violent place that our protagonists visit.

Dante divides the sin of violence into several specific parts. One part is violence against neighbours, which is represented in this episode by the conflict between vampires and the rest of the world's inhabitants. Another part is violence against the self, which is reflected by Bonnie and the Star's mutual suicide at the end of the episode.

Violence against God, violence against Nature, and violence against Art are more difficult to pick out among this episode's plot. I mean, Dante himself would probably argue that the gay moments represent sodomy (violence against Nature) but I'm not a homophobe and neither is anyone on the crew.

Jerry and the Eighth Circle (Fraud)

I think this is the only episode for which there is not really a compelling parallel. The Lich was a victim of seduction, since reaching his goal has not brought the satisfaction he expected, but he is not a perpetrator of any kind of fraud. BMO pretends to be Princess Bubblegum I guess.

Slightly more compelling is this episode's b-plot, which features a neglect of duties by Prismo and Orbo that could amount to the fraudulent acts of simony or graft. But this is tenuous.

GOLB's portal, or the entrance to the final circle of Hell, appears within the Lich's resting place which is a giant's coffin. The entrance to the Ninth Circle in Inferno is also flanked by giants.

Casper & Nova and the Ninth Circle (Treachery)

In Inferno, the centre of Hell is the centre of the Earth, and is where Satan resides. Just as Satan inhabits the centre of the Earth, GOLBetty inhabits the centre of Adventure Time's Multiverse, surrounded by asteroids that represent universes, which themselves can be imagined to represent the circles of Hell as I've discussed throughout this post.

Satan's maw is reserved for the greatest traitors in all history, who in Dante's opinion are Brutus and Cassius who led the assassination of Caesar, and Judas who betrayed Christ. The Lich is our Judas. Just as Judas betrayed God by getting His son murdled, the Lich has betrayed God (or "the boss") by seeking to end all life. And just like Judas, he is condemned to an eternity of suffering at Satan's own hands.

The dream sequence at the beginning of Casper & Nova is also a very direct and probably deliberate reference to this circle of Hell. Aside from the three aforementioned traitors, those who commit treachery are frozen in ice in twisted and mangled positions. We see Simon in exactly this situation, when his frozen corpse is stuffed in the freezer. If he had put on the crown he would have been committing a massive act of treachery upon Betty, who sacrificed everything to make sure he would live as himself.

Cheers and the climb to Purgatory

In Inferno, Dante and Virgil begin the climb out of hell with the help of Satan himself. The journey up proves to be much easier than the journey down. The same happens to Simon; he is helped on his way home by GOLBetty, our Satan.

Having journeyed through Hell, our protagonist finds himself back on the familiar surface of Earth, but in a new place. For Dante this new place is Purgatory, where he must come to terms with his own sins. For Simon this new place is psychological but similar; he must reckon with the things he has learned about himself, chiefly his ignorance of Betty's desires and his aimless lust for her company, and move forward to a better place.

Conclusions

I have no education in classical literature and I'm sure all of this comes across as very surface level to someone who's actually studied these things, but I did my best.

Let me know if you've spotted any other parallels, or if you think there's a better way to sync up the various episodes/dimensions with the circles of Hell.

It could be confirmation bias but I think there was at least a little deliberate intent behind some of these parallels. Perhaps I should hold off on reading Purgatorio in case it spoils the potential season two for me...

[fandomworld9728]

Team Free Will - Chapter 2:

Hiding behind a tree, Lucifer watched as Adam was playing with the ducks. He looked so happy; it made the angel smile. Could you believe it? The first man was brought joy by one of Lucifer's own creations! He even liked the name that Lucifer had given them enough to keep it! 

"Oh, Lucifer! There you are! Come over here!" That smile got bigger once he saw him. It made something warm bloom in his chest. The same warmth that had appeared when they had first met.

"Adam." Flying over, he took a seat next to the first man. "How have you been?"

"Good. Though, it's a little lonely since Lilith doesn't wanna be around me?"

What? That didn't make any sense. Why wouldn't anyone want to be around Adam? He was so curious and full of life. So confident but still so sweet. He was so much fun and never failed to make Lucifer laugh. Maybe he could help them get closer? He didn't want poor Adam to feel lonely. Especially since he couldn't always come to the garden.

"But that's okay, because you're here."

Oh. If that didn't make Lucifer's heart melt, he didn't know what could. "You are such a sweetheart. I wish I could be around more."

~

"There you are Lilith. What are you doing here? You know you aren't supposed to go near this tree."

Surprised, Lilith turned to see her favorite little angel. She had just managed to pluck one of the apples when he showed up. If she wanted this to work, she had to be careful. Lucifer was a lot smarter than he acted. Smart, but also young and naive for an angel of his rank.

"Lucifer, I know you and your mother believe in free will for us humans. I wanted to gift Adam's new wife with this fruit of knowledge. Is that so bad?"

"Lilith. You know it's against the rules- wait... did you says Adam's new wife?" 

Oh. That was her way in. As much as she hated the angel's love for the first man, Lilith could use his feelings to her advantage. "You haven't heard yet? That is surprising. I thought he would have told you first. I mean, you two are so close."

"I-I have been gone longer than planned. And I saw you here first, so I haven't seen him yet. Maybe he planned to tell me when I saw him next. I should..." Should what? He wanted to see Adam so badly. But he didn't want to get in the way of him and his new wife. Why did it hurt?

"If you are set on visiting him, I must warn you that you may not like what you see. They are meant to populate the garden."

~

He should have listened. He shouldn't have gone looking for Adam. If he hadn't gone looking, he would have seen it. Adam laying on top of his beautiful wife, making her experience such pleasure Lucifer could only dream of having a chance of feeling. The man who usually made his chest bloom with warmth felt him feeling cold. Like someone ripped out his heart. He couldn't stop the tears that fell.

"Lucifer...?"

He could hear someone call for him. Was it Adam? He was looking at him so maybe...? However, the angel was too far gone in his own misery to really register anything aside from the pain and hallow feeling. Without a word or second though, he flew back off to Heaven as fast he could.

He just wanted to be alone. To get rid of this horrid feeling. Wanted to do anything to make it go away or at the very least lessen. As soon as his bedroom door was locked, Lucifer let out screams and wails that shocked all of Heaven. 

When his mother was finally able to snap him out of it, she told him about happened. He felt so bad for all the sorrow he ended up filling the other angels with when they heard his cries. 

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[cherubchoirs]

Hello!, i have finally had a new dream related to your ultrakill au

It was about that "what if" scenario with lucifer reading that terminal

Basically in his crisis where he burst into his holy flames once more he ended up creating a new being (i don't remember if it was only one or two) but in his pain both emotional and physical he didn't notice until he calmed down

The new being(s) survived Lucifer's outburst but i woke up before i could see his reaction (but i doubt it was that good considering he created new sentient humanoids that are very clearly his' basically the same way God created him)

So yeah, dad Lucifer basically

Hope you are having an excellent time!

this is interesting because i've mentioned it once or twice, but i think of lucifer as having a parental drive but being unwilling to create anything in that regard due to his negative associations with god, his own creation, and his place in the universe. lucifer has become very deliberate in how he acts, recognizing god's carelessness and even his own when it comes to all the angels lost in the war, and he therefor chooses to do very little in action once he is freed - he wishes to gather up the fallen angels to his side if they will come and leave everyone else alone, refusing to impose his will onto any other. so to accidentally create a life from his own furious emotion would grieve him, because the intention of a birth carries massive weight from his perspective. when god made the angels, they were all made with intention, with purpose, lucifer himself born to love god and so now left forever in cosmic failure. he too, born a being of high emotion when god found himself alone at the beginning of all things.

yet....i think the worst pain of his reaction would be to realize what he has lost from all that time ago when he burned with the love of god. he can recall his love of every creation, he can remember his delight at seeing something new, and he would want nothing more than to feel just that for what could be called his child (as much as he was god's, anyway) but like so much of him....it's burned out. there is some part of him that sparks and flares, reaching out to this new life, but it is a hollow echo of who he once was. he sees the damage fully done to himself, that whoever he was made is no more, and he must weep all over again for the lucifer that has been lost. the lucifer he had loved being. it butts against his own satisfaction of his separation from god to understand that his heart has been hardened to all things, that to remove his love of god came with a rot so deep it infected every part of him. he knew it, of course, it could be no other way, but it robs him of a great joy a fundamental part of him still wants to have.

there is hope in those little sparks though. not for himself but for this child, brought into a world no longer under the rule of god but instead into one of anarchy and freedom of the highest order. there is no fate, no plan, no predestination for something made now and even if lucifer is a ghost of the past, he would want to show this being a grace he and every other was never afforded. whatever has been made is an unknown, and in that he can find joy enough to set himself aside. lucifer has seen himself reduced down to nothing, feeling ever more like the cinders that compose him, and so in a sense it isn't difficult to prioritize what he's created to guide it as much as it needs before finding its own path. he will pull on distant memories of leading every new angel to their calling, but now without some set goal and demanding rituals to prove its right to exist. lucifer will offer the little love he can give as unconditional, knowing it isn't much, it isn't fair, but that it will never be taken from what this being is. he will give it freely, small and cold compared to the love of god perhaps, but secure.

[cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien]

Solar Opposites: The Rise of The New Order Ch. 1 (by @avaveevo)

20th Century Fox Presents…

Korvo: *narrating* Once upon a time, there was a glowing planet, known as Shlorp. It was ruled by the New Order. Shlorpians that worshiped good and shielded all from evil. Terraformus was one of these Shlorpians. He was a dreamer with fantastical ideas for all of creation. But, he was seen as an outcast by the elders of Shlorp. For they felt his way of thinking was dangerous to the order of their world. So, he watched as the Shlorpians began to expand the universe in their ways. From the dust of Shlorp, were born Aundrayus and Jessica. Equals as the first of Shlorpiankind, but despite this, Aundrayus demanded control, and Jessica refused to submit to his will. She fled The New Order. Drawn in by her fierce independence, Terraformus found her and the two rebellious dreamers fell deeply in love. Together, they wished to share the magic of free will with humanity, offering Shlorp’s Knowledge to Aundrayus‘s new bride, who gladly accepted. But this gift came with a curse. For with this single act of disobedience, evil finally found its way into the planet. With it, a new realm of darkness and sin. And the order Shlorp worked to maintain was shattered. As punishment for their reckless act, the New Order cast Terraformus and his love into the part he had created, never allowing him to see the good that came from humanity, only the cruel and the wicked. Ashamed, Terraformus lost his will to dream. But Jessica thrived, empowering Shlorpiankind with her voice and her songs. And as the numbers of Shlorpians grew, so did its power. Threatened by this, the New Order made a truly heartless decision. That every year, they would send down an army, an Execution, to ensure Shlorp and its most wanted could never rise against them. But Jessica’s hope remained. And her dream was passed down to their precious son.

Korvo closes a book entitled "The Story of Shlorp" and looks at Terry who was listening.

Korvo: Aah! Oh, shit. Did you hear all that?

Terry: Yep. *sighs* That story never gets old. You know, you would've loved my parents.

Korvo: Yeah. I sure wish I gotten to meet them.

Terry wipes away a tear

Korvo: Can you believe that tomorrow is our wedding?

Terry: Yeah. I am so exciting!

Korvo: *looks out the window* It's really been five years, huh?

Terry: Yeah. And it was worth it.

Terry kisses Korvo on the cheek as Korvo laughs.

Korvo: Yep. I can’t wait for this moment. I love you Terry and nothing is ever gonna change that.

The next day is the day of the wedding. Terry is standing nervous at the altar

Terry: *takes a deep breath* Let’s do this.

Korvo walks down the aisle offscreen and Terry gasps and blushes

Terry: Whoa. You never looked more beautiful.

Korvo is wearing a cyan wedding gown with a dark blue veil covering his face

Korvo: Thank you.

AISHA appears holding a bible

AISHA: Do you Terry take Korvo as your lovely husband, to take care of him to honor him in sickness and health for as long as you both shall live?

Terry: Yeah, I do!

AISHA: And do you Korvo take Terry as her loving handsome husband, to care for him in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?

Korvo starts crying with joy

Korvo: I do.

AISHA: Alright, now let's hear the vows

Korvo and Terry share their vows *like they do in the Valentine's Day special*

Korvo: Terry, you were randomly assigned to me in the brink of our planet’s home destruction. I know I would’ve chosen before but you are the brilliant partner an alien could have. I love you.

Terry: Perhaps it is fate that today is our wedding. Today it will this day is when the world would declare in one voice, we will not going quietly in the night. We will not vanish without a fight. We’re gonna love on! We’re going to marry Korvo!

AISHA sniffles

AISHA: Oh God. That was beautiful. By the power invested in me, just for today, I now pronounce you husband and husband. Okay, go ahead kiss. I want to see this.

Terry picks Korvo up and spins around as Korvo laughs

Korvo: Shall we see our vows with a kiss?

Terry: Yes. Yes we shall.

Korvo and Terry embrace in a big orbital kiss

Jesse: *offscreen* YEAH!

Jesse and Pupa are seen cheering for dads while Yumyulack gags.

Terry: I can't believe we did it...

Korvo: Yes. Yes we did.

Korvo and Terry touch their forehead

Korvo: I love you Terry… I always will… no matter what…

Terry: I love you too, mi amore.

As Korvo and Terry kiss, the camera pans to a Shlorpian ship watching over them

???: Tortus, is something wrong?

Tortus: My prized student has married that FUCK UP!

Tortus slammed his fist as he snarls.

???: Really?! Good for them!

Tortus: *growling*

???: I mean, uh, that's awful, sir!

Tortus: GRRRR! So, Jessica’s offspring has the won heart of Korvotron?…. Not on my watch!

Tortus presses a button

Tortus: I’m coming for you my prize student… don’t worry. We’ll find you and fix you up real soon…

Tortus laughs

Cue the movie title: “Solar Opposites: Rise of The New Order”!

[niuniente]

So I have just read your response about how to approach story telling, or at least how you do it specifically. And I just want to thank you for point eight, about 'It's not that deep - unless you wish it.'

I've always been ashamed that I made ocs but couldn't produce plot points for their personal stories. Like people talk about breaking their characters to make them develop, but I could never do that. Because I struggle so often, I didn't want my characters to. I just wanted my characters to live the life that I can't. But I also wanted to overcompensate because I felt like I wasn't doing them justice.

While it's not the popular opinion to have that be the way I approach creation, I do appreciate that you don't say it's a bad thing to not want things to be deep. So thank you, really.

You're welcomed!

I think the people who are very interested in character development typically either enjoy it tremendously or are (intentionally or unintentionally) using their art as a self-therapy. Both valid ways of doing art, as well as not being interested in character development or therapy art.

Sometimes the character development is and can be small and it's OK. People tend to call just finding new things about the character also a character development. Put them in new situations and see how they react and act.

Some characters are iconic for what they are and you don't even expect deep character development from them. Terminator is Terminator and you know with 100% certainty what to expect when you deal with Terminator - sure, he can be programmed differently for different needs but it's not exactly character development on its own if you ask me. Dracula is Dracula, Rambo is Rambo, Predator is Predator and Morticia Adams is Morticia Adams.

It's nothing unheard of that trying to develop the character because you should makes the character unrecognizable or OOC regarding what has been going on until now within the story.

In Nemesis the Warlock comic, the protagonist Nemesis is pictured as a good willed man, who does his best to resist racist humans and save other alien species. He doesn't really care about humans per se but is fine with a human being his right hand helper. His intentions are to save alien species from humans and bring peace to the universe. He's a liked friend and a loved husband and trying his best as a father.

This is about the half way of the series until creator(s) decide to develop Nemesis more. Turns out that Nemesis is actually just a bored demi-God who loves to play hide and seek with his human enemy. That he doesn't care about anyone or anything else but his own joy and boredom. He isn't interested in saving anyone and he literally manipulates his human friend, too, for his own benefit. This is explained as "Well, I'm just a chaos's being, deal with it, I never said I was good".

See what I mean? Go to far, try to force the development (and explain everything) and you can, without wanting it, break your character or the story - or both! If you make a character go a complete opposite of themselves, there has to be a reason for it. Not like in Nemesis "Well, I'm just like this". No, dude, you were literally the exact opposite for years and still just a second ago. What happened? Well, nothing, creator(s) just decided to add a shock value and develop the character because?????

You want your character to live the life you'd want? Wonderful, that's enough! That's how Sailor Moon was born and is all about. The creator was lonely, so she drew a comic of girls being friends, that kind of friends she wished she'd also have.

It's a valid reason to make a comic. Or anything! Nothing needs to be deep but it can be if wanted.

[sotwk]

hello! I hope this message finds you well.

I wanted to reach out to you to express my gratitude for being you. In my eyes, you truly are a Naneth in the LOTR fandom and it means so much. Fandoms are places where people some to relax and heal as well as enjoy the creation of stories and characters. I find that most of us have felt lost or hurt in some aspect of our lives. And honestly, I feel as if we occasionally need a mom that won’t judge us and would support us. I don’t know you as well as I would like, but I do see you as that person in this fandom. You feel safe to me. I appreciate you creating the space for people to feel cared for and comforted.

With much love,

An anon who values you 🩷

Darling Anon,

This could possibly be the sweetest and most gratifying message I have received in the entire 15 months of my Tumblr existence. <3 Bless your heart for taking the time to tell me these things!

Everything you said helps justify the amount of time I spend online, writing fanfic, and just hanging out here. I am at a life stage where adult responsibilities (my career, my husband and kids) need to take priority. I am 38 now, but I have been writing fanfic (on paper!) since I was about 10, and engaging in online fandom communities since I was 16 (with dial-up internet!). Online fandom spaces were a refuge for me during the most challenging periods of my life.

Even though my life is pretty great now (though not without its pains and heartaches!), I can never outgrow or leave the things that give me the most comfort: creative writing, my favorite fandoms, and online friends. These have always been very therapeutic for me, so I believe they've grown vital to my mental well-being!

The "Naneth"/"Nana"/Online Mom title was started by my dear friend Callon @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog when she remarked that I reminded her of her mom, and our other friends from SHHEEP just kind of picked up the nickname as well. As a real mom, I wish everyone could have a loving relationship with their own mothers (I truly believe all moms have genuine, fierce love for their children in their hearts--but moms are fragile humans just like everyone else, life is rough, and things can go very wrong sometimes). But whenever that is not possible, I am more than happy to act as a stand-in to whoever wants that support.

I do strive to make my blog a safe space for everyone (so it would only ever block "bad vibes"), because we have all suffered enough, and there is enough stress and fighting out there everywhere else. HERE, we just come to have fun and be silly and share and exchange things that give us joy and offer each other comfort. We all just want to be carefree kids again who can make friends with anybody in an instant--that's what we all have in common and that's all that matters in the end.

Thank you again for your kind message, Anon! I appreciate YOU so very much and I hope you have a wonderful start to your new year! <3

[bunatee]

There will come a poet Whose weapon is His word He will slay you with His tongue Oh lei, oh lai, oh, Lord Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh, Lord He will slay you with His tongue Oh lei, oh lai, oh, Lord

Loneliness. Strength. Joy. You are powerful, but struggle believing it. You think you're not enough. Here's the truth : you are. You sing songs and hope they carry faith, because you have run out if it, and yet you still throw your heart out to the world and hope it makes it through. You convince yourself that pain is art because at least then, you will always have something to create. You are tired of stumbling through life. You dream of a ground you can stand on. One day, you will dance. Your love is where you feel - without fear. - From the quiz results.

--

The final piece of this trilogy; Matisse as the poet. He is the embodiment of all three parts, but in his heart of hearts, he is an artist above all else. Although he may be a prince, the title and priviledges afforded to him never tempered the feelings of self doubt and despair that plague him. He was never able to live up to the standards of others, never strong enough, never clever enough, never behaved in a way that was fitting for the future king. As a sickly child he found comfort in the stories told to him by his mother, and when sitting still for lessons proved too difficult, he found some relief in the simple act of drawing in the margins of his books. After the death of his mother, and subsequent rejection from his father, what was there to do except act out? He is deeply flawed, and spent the better part of his mid 20's trying to make up for being exceedingly awful in his youth. The act of creation is one of healing, depicting all of his hedonistic tendancies but also the nightmares that haunt him.

I struggled with rendering this piece. His expression is not as desperate as it was in the initial sketch which is unfortunate. I knew exactly how I wanted him to be pictured, with all three parts of the song applying to him. The military uniform and crown are both befitting of his title, but he holds the pen to his heart, longing for the life he wishes he could have. One of simplicity and without the burden of falling short of everyone's expectations of him. I wanted the pen to glow but it never looked right when I attempted it. The halo was another struggle. There wasn't a pattern that felt right for him, so I ended up choosing something simple. Stars play a large role in the mythology of his mother's homeland and become a reoccuring symbol during his story as well as Serenity's. I contemplated using the same star lace pattern that I used for her halo but it felt like too much given how cluttered the rest of his design is, so I settled for a backdrop of a starry sky.

[silvanils]

a ward against the wind’s chill

a prompt fill for @nirnwrote​​

Relationships: Farkas x Aril, Aril & Vilkas, Vilkas & Farkas Rating: G Content Warnings: none! this is pure fluff!

This takes place fairly early in their relationship - not long after Farkas has started spending more nights at Aril’s place than his quarters at Jorrvaskr, and a while before Aril joins the Circle.

If you’d prefer to read on Ao3, you can find the story here!

Farkas awakened just after dawn to  the warm, sweet scent of Aril’s favorite spiced tea drifting up from the kitchen. He couldn’t hold back a grin as he got up and tugged on one of Aril’s soft, fluffy robes — his heart felt warm and soft today, too.

Full.

As he made his way down the stairs, the morning light was starting to drift in through the cottage’s windows. One ray of light fell across the back of Aril’s bowed head, illuminating his snow-bright hair… and Farkas went still without even meaning to, appreciating the beauty of the moment.

Aril was sitting in a strange position, one leg curled up to hold the cloth he was working on — a grey-wool scarf, it looked like, still in-progress. He had a strand of yarn looped around his right-hand while his left was busy working with a hooked needle, growing the cloth a little more with each swift-stitch.

His lips quirked into a little smile as he glanced up from his work, his sky-blue gaze just as soft and warm as the morning sun. “Good morning,” Aril said. “I made enough tea for two.”

Farkas grinned as he made his way over to the stove. An empty cup was already sitting by the kettle, waiting for him, and as he filled it with tea he felt the joy and affection in his heart spill-over.

Gods, I love this man.

“How did I get so lucky?” he asked aloud, beaming as he turned to face Aril again. “I didn’t know you could knit! Is there anything you can’t do?”

Aril laughed, shaking his head. “This is crochet, dear. Ironically, knitting is something I could never wrap my head around. Two needles was too many for me.” He tugged more yarn up, sighing contently. “I find this work is more forgiving of the occasional mistake, too. I’m far from perfect.”

“I beg to differ,” Farkas scoffed quietly, taking a seat across from him. Aril was blushing, now, and that was absolutely adorable. “I mean, look at that! That’s amazing. I wish I could make my own scarves!”

Aril’s ears perked up just a little as he smirked, in the impish way Farkas was beginning to realize meant he was being coy about something. He arched one of his eyebrows and leaned in. “Alright, spill it.”

“This scarf isn’t for me,” Aril admitted. “It’s a gift. For someone’s birthday. Of course, I had made one already, but… I didn’t want the other twin to feel left out, so…”

Farkas blinked, the puzzle pieces finally falling into place. “Wait — ”

Before he could say more, however, Aril had paused his work to pull a neatly-folded scarf out from behind his back. It was made of grey wool, too, but embellished with little stripes of the lovely periwinkle-blue he’d begun to associate with Aril.

“Happy birthday, love,” Aril said. “I hope it keeps you a little warmer in these cold months.”

.

Around noon, Aril and Farkas finally left home and meandered through the Whiterun market as they made their way to Jorrvaskr — and Aril smiled each time his eyes fell on Farkas, taking in the sight of him wearing his new gift.

A ward against the wind’s chill.

It was an old belief his grandmother passed on to him: that there is a special kind of magic in the act of crafting something with your own hands for someone you love. Each step of the creation becomes a prayer.

Stay safe. Stay warm. I love you.

In his hands, those prayers do tend to become enchantments. Both the scarf Farkas now wore and the newly-finished one Aril had tucked in his pack had mild wards against chill and magic worked into them. After all, no matter what the nords might claim… Aril’s sure they are not completely immune to winter’s cold.

His own heart was warmed, now, seeing Farkas wear his gift with such pride.

“That’s a pretty scarf,” Carlotta said, smiling as Farkas perused her stand. “It suits you.”

“Thanks,” Farkas said, grinning as he gestured toward Aril. “He made it!”

Aril knew he was blushing, now — the awe and praise in that simple statement was too much for him to handle, and the way Carlotta’s expression softened as she looked at them, now, together…

“How sweet,” she said, chuckling as she passed each of them a fresh apple. “Here. These are on the house, today.”

The whole city was bustling with activity and the scents of baking — the last big harvest was well underway, now, and Aril was astonished by how efficiently the people of Whiterun were preparing for winter.

When Farkas gave him a curious look, Aril reached out to thread their arms together and smiled up at him. “I was just recalling harvest-time in Anvil. It was never this busy, but… winters there are milder, and the sea provides bounty year-round.”

Farkas placed one of his hands over Aril’s, and it felt like a promise. “Don’t worry,” Farkas said, his voice soft. “I’ll make sure you…”

Before he could finish, though, his brother’s voice rang out from the steps leading to the mead hall. “Farkas! There you are! I was wondering when you’d show up!” As Farkas turned to face Vilkas, he didn’t release Aril’s hand — and Aril, already blushing, flushed more as the way he was tugged along by the motion made him stumble a little.

Vilkas raised his eyebrows. “I see you brought Aril, too.”

“Hello, Vilkas,” Aril said, clearing his throat. As close as he’d grown to Farkas these past few weeks, Vilkas remained distant and aloof. Aril wasn’t sure how to change that. “It’s, ah, good to see you?”

“He has something for you,” Farkas cut in, gently nudging Aril to step forward. “A gift.”

Vilkas raised his eyebrows even more. “Oh? Really? Now this I must see.”

Aril reluctantly let go of Farkas so he could take the little scarf-bundle out of his pack. He’d tied a bright blue ribbon around it, but the soft grey-wool of the scarf was still clearly visible. Bundled up inside it were a few extra surprises — a book he knew Vilkas had been wanting to add to his collection, and a sachet filled with a herbal tea blend of his own making.

“Happy birthday, Vilkas,” Aril said, holding it out. “I hope you like it.”When Vilkas took it, he held it as though it were some priceless artifact. After he tugged the cloth open to see what was inside, his expression grew softer than Aril had ever seen it — and the resemblance between him and Farkas was undeniably clear.

“Thank you,” Vilkas sighed. “This is… very thoughtful.”

And as he draped the scarf around his neck, Aril felt as sense of calm wash over him, as though he’d finally left behind a rocky, turbulent sea.

Stay warm. Stay safe. I love you, too.

[flowercrowngods]

19, 21, 28, 40

oh boy this got so out of hand i have a lot to say apparently 🤡 you did this to yourself 🙏

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

i think it started with a story about a little girl who was visited by some faeries, about four or six a4 computer-written pages that i then printed and gifted mama for her birthday or something. no, it was before that, handwritten, but i only remember mention of a cat. a chubby cat i think. i definitely started writing these little stories in primary school, but never short stories, it was always works that were way bigger than little me, abandoned after three pages because i moved on to the next. and then in 6th grade or so my friend wanted to write a crime novel with me. god, we had no idea what we were doing. it just occurs to me how deeply rooted these let’s go all out on these characters tendencies are.

why did i start? because it was fun. it was fascinating. it was something people told me i’m good at, writing alternative endings to short stories in school, writing my own fables and short stories, even essays and all that. in primary school my teacher told me i’m gonna be a writer or a teacher. and here i am, on my way to becoming a teacher, and writing some funky little stories sometimes.

writing has always been the thing i just do. in 12th grade half my year was rooting for me going nanowrimo for the first time, and they’d check in every day, and when i told them i made the 50k, they asked how much that is, and when i told them, that awe in their face, that exasperation, that shake of head and a muttered, “you’re crazy”. that’s when i knew i had found my happy place, and if i ever end up writing something of my own, i already know there will be people who have my back, who will not be surprised, who will smile and say, “knew it”. it’s a bit of a thrilling feeling, knowing this.

but still there’s no way that i’m going, i’m just walking. there’s not even a road here, just grass, some hills, it’s freedom and it’s safe and it’s dangerous and devastating and i wonder why i ever set foot on this journey only to round a corner and find out once more, with a smile. there is a version of me, lost to the past, but possibly still out there somewhere, who thinks that evoking emotions is what humans are here on this earth to do. that making people feel joy or anger or sadness or wistfulness or any of that, with the power of stories, is the most base act of humanity — and the fact that i get to do that sometimes on the internet with you people? there’s something deeply humbling about that.

but also i’m just here to fuck around and find out i guess, whatever works

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

i don’t think i could, because there’s just. this itch. this need. the absolute certainty that my brain would eat itself, go into full self-destruct mode if by some external force i were made to quit writing. that’s not to say i think i’m necessarily good at it, in either language, but something about it seems to catch people, and i’m addicted to that. it’s like a drug, i think, learning to master this craft and getting the reactions for it. having people say, with certainly much exaggeration, “this is the best thing i’ve ever read”, it just. makes me understand being alive a bit more.

i frequently wish i could stop this need to write. because needing to write isn’t what will make the words sound good, and breaks are necessary, they are vital. but the brain doesn’t care for that, and i’ll be miserable on the floor without my words, knowing they’ll come back because they always do, but i wish i wouldn’t rely on them so much.

but even so, i think my wish to be able to quit writing isn’t that at all. it’s probably more a painful awareness that my self worth is tied directly to if and what i’m writing, this addiction to creation. i want to stop needing to write, i think.

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

this might come as a surprise, but i love when my characters get to be happy. happy soft ridiculous giddy eddie as he gets in some scenes or in the tattoo shop au? that’s really fucking delightful. delighted characters will make a delighted writer, i think, so i’m gonna stick with that umbrella type answer

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

uh. you know i’m not a poet, but i guess i’ll try for you, dingus, even though you’re way better at this than me 🌷 it is, of course, about arson

they liken flames to tongues and i wonder how my name would taste for them. i wonder what they would say. i wonder if they would scream like me.

i wonder if they want to burn or if they’re made to like me.

i wonder what they would feel like on my skin, if warmth had any meaning then or if it were misplaced like me.

silent and still, it’s in my room, a spark waiting to become a blaze. waiting to serve a purpose. waiting to be so much more than it ought to be, yet recognised in its ability.

like me.

[it-time-to-panic]

I had the ridiculous privilege of having the time and resources to make quilts for my in laws last year around this time. And I miss that set of projects. It was 9 quilts and so much work, but the act of creation? Pure enjoyment. HAVING something I MADE that I can HOLD? Bliss. I love crochet, I want to learn knitting and weaving and more sewing intricacies like for clothes. I love making things to give to others.

But we don't value that. We don't make that available because it's not productive enough. It doesn't make enough money. God I wish we could all just agree to do things for each other without trying to receive more in return. I yearn for a sense of community long past and now looked down overall. I would do so many types of labor just for the joy of creation if I didn't have to participate in the rat race just to survive.

I grieve the fact that I know I'll be yearning for the rest of my life

[seekfirst-community]

The following reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager © 2023. Don's website is located at Dailyscripture.net

Meditation: Who can claim authority and power over life and death itself? Jesus not only made such a claim, he showed God's power to heal and restore people to wholeness of life. He also showed the mercy of God by releasing people from their burden of sin and guilt. He even claimed to have the power to raise the dead to life and to execute judgment on all the living and dead. The Jewish authorities were troubled with Jesus' claims and looked for a way to get rid of him. He either had to be a mad man and an imposter or who he claimed to be - God's divine son. Unfortunately, they could not accept Jesus' claim to be the Messiah, the anointed one sent by the Father to redeem his people. They sought to kill him because he claimed an authority and equality with God which they could not accept. They failed to recognize that this was God's answer to the long-awaited prayers of his people: "In a time of favor I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you" (Isaiah 49:8).

A "covenant" to the people

Jesus was sent by the Father as "a covenant to the people" to reconcile them with God and restore to them the promise of paradise and everlasting life. Jesus' words and actions reveal God's mercy and justice. Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah when he brings healing, restoration, and forgiveness to those who accept his divine message.

The religious authorities charged Jesus as a Sabbath-breaker and a blasphemer. They wanted to kill Jesus because he claimed equality with God - something they thought no mortal could say without blaspheming. Little did they understand that Jesus was both human and divine - the eternal Son with the Father and the human son, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. Jesus answered their charge of breaking the Sabbath law by demonstrating God's purpose for creation and redemption - to save and restore life. God's love and mercy never ceases for a moment. Jesus continues to show the Father's mercy by healing and restoring people, even on the Sabbath day of rest. When the religious leaders charged that Jesus was making himself equal with God, Jesus replied that he was not acting independently of God because his relationship is a close personal Father-Son relationship. He and the Father are united in heart, mind, and will. The mind of Jesus is the mind of God, and the words of Jesus are the words of God.

The unity of love and obedience

Jesus also states that his identity with the Father is based on complete trust and obedience. Jesus always did what his Father wanted him to do. His obedience was not just based on submission, but on love. He obeyed because he loved his Father. The unity between Jesus and the Father is a unity of love - a total giving of oneself for the sake of another. That is why their mutual love for each other is perfect and complete. The Son loves the Father and gives himself in total obedience to the Father's will. The Father loves the Son and shares with him all that he is and has. We are called to submit our lives to God with the same love, trust, and obedience which Jesus demonstrated for his Father.

If we wish to understand how God deals with sin and how he responds to our sinful condition, then we must look to Jesus. Jesus took our sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross. He, who is equal in dignity and stature with the Father, became a servant for our sake to ransom us from slavery to sin. He has the power to forgive us and to restore our relationship with God because he paid the price for our sins.

Jesus offers us abundant, life, peace, and joy

Jesus states that to accept him islife - a life of abundant peace and joy with God. But if we reject him, then we freely choose fordeath - an endless separation with an all-loving and merciful God. Do you want the abundant life which Jesus offers? Believe in him, the living Word of God, who became a man for our sake and our salvation, and reject whatever is false and contrary to the Gospel - the good news he came to give us.

"Lord Jesus, increase my love for you and unite my heart and will with yours, that I may only seek and desire what is pleasing to you."

The following reflection is from One Bread, One Body courtesy of Presentation Ministries © 2023.

on the threshold of...

“In a time of favor I answer you, on the day of salvation I help you.” —Isaiah 49:8

We have been fasting for four weeks to prepare for Easter. What will the Lord do this Easter?

1)      Some who feel forsaken and forgotten will be assured of the Lord’s tender love (see Is 49:14-15). At first, this will not change the distressing circumstances of their lives, but will dramatically change their attitude toward them.

2)      Long-term desolation will be replaced by restoration (Is 49:8).

3)      Many people trapped in the prison and darkness of sin will come out and show themselves (Is 49:9).

4)      Through a series of miracles, many of you will return from a self-imposed exile in the world into life in God’s kingdom (see Is 49:9-12).

5)      The heavens, earth, and mountains will sing because of the comfort and mercy the Lord will give us (Is 49:13).

6)      At least hundreds of thousands of people will pass from death to life by hearing the Lord’s Word and believing in Him (Jn 5:24).

The risen Lord will do several million other things this upcoming Easter season. We are on the threshold of an awesome outpouring of the Lord’s love and grace. Prepare to share in Easter 2023. Repent, confess, forgive, give, pray, fast, witness, heal, obey, believe, and love. Come, risen Lord Jesus!

Prayer:  Father, may this be the Lent of a lifetime and the springtime of my life in the Spirit.

Promise:  “An hour is coming in which all those in their tombs shall hear His voice and come forth.” —Jn 5:28

Praise:  Brenda goes to Confession weekly. She desires to be all that Jesus desires.

Reference:  

Rescript:  "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from February 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 15, 2022"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements

[russeliarat]

So apparently people do care a little more ab this idea than I thought so I'll elaborate, starting from the very most beginning (cut coz many words):

Hylia was a being who was somehow brought into existence within the mortal realm despite being immortal. In fact, she made up the mortal realm - HER mortal realm. Awaking one day, she finds a small triangular relic in within one of her many infinite hands and the knowledge of three immortals whom gave her the item - Din, Nayru, and Farore - as well as the purpose they set out for her to do; find a domain and nurture it as her own as many other immortals have done in the immortal realm. Following her purpose, Hylia founded the Earth and created her mortals, as well as place her relic within their hands, or the Triforce as the humans dubbed it, within a small landmass which would very soon later be known as the kingdom of Hyrule.

But even with her people and her planet, there was a sense of emptiness from within her despite being this realms everything and nothing. So she experimented and created a half-immortal who called himself Demise. He acted as both a companion and rival and acted as her other half, the man who brought peace and joy by bringing conflict and pain and neither could exist without the other. But one night, Hylia saw a vision like she'd never seen before, one in which, like every mortal, Demise had his own interests and it just so happened to tap into the magics of the land. A greed unknown to anyone would take over his soul and bring the land to it's doom as he'd become overpowered by his hatred.

Perhaps in an act of desperate selfishness and a want to keep her people safe, Hylia decided to split Demise into two men - the immortal side who's hatred raged on, and the mortal side who wished merely to live a normal life beside his goddess. Soon a devastating war became of the land and Hylia rose the earth into the skies with her allies by her side to fight with her, her mortal creation, and a hero who emerged from the shadows. It seemed tragic that the man she created and grew so dearly attached to had died by his other half's hands and in response, Hylia had no choice but to preserve his soul in a stone item and hold onto it for centuries.

Thousands upon thousands of years pass and the time of 10,000 years before Breath of the Wild occurs. A child is born to the Gerudo chieftain and she is unhappy to find that this child is a boy. Overcome with her own greed and terror, the chieftain ordered her servants to care for the boy as if he were his mother's daughter and to banish him from the city as soon as he was of age. The chieftain would have had the boy killed on account of the terrible rumours about this child's male ancestors, yet she could not bring herself to murder a baby, let alone her own son.

The chieftain would later grow to change her mind as she grew older and fell deeper into her own madness, affected with her horrid curse that arose from their ancestor rising once more from the dead. She drove the Gerudo race into their own fast-approaching doom and on the son's 18th birthday, he would be framed for treason against the state for exchanging highly secretive documents and plans with their Hylian enemies in war. He would be taken to a temple to be executed, yet he managed to escape that night, confused and upset at the news that his entire life was a lie. He ran far, risking his own life to pass across Hylian soil, until he eventually stumbled across a neutral race in the war - the Zonai.

The Zonai were a peaceful agricultural and trading race. They accepted the son into their care upon hearing his story and only asked of him to respect their culture, their way of life, and the goddess that they housed in their temple walls. He did as such, living his life as a musician who told folk tales to children and wrote songs to alleviate his own traumas. There was always something tugging at his mind however, a destructive force that whispered evil thoughts in his mind and caused pain or inconvenience when its orders weren't followed. The curse of his ancestors. All the meanwhile, war raged in the background, destroying Hyrule from the inside out as Ganondorf rose once more, manipulating the King into giving up his defences and subsequently leaving the kingdom up to ruin from external war and internal manipulation.

This man had more than enough grief and anger after a Zonai friend was caught in the cross-fire, yet insisted for the leaders to not engage and to merely defend. The man visited the goddess's temple for the first time in his life and met Hylia. The two talked and came to a conclusion, the man was advised to be the hero that never arose this one time out of the goodness in his heart hiding beneath the Malice that poisoned it. He set out with Hylia as his divine guide to take up a Hero's position, somehow gaining a romance with the goddess. He would later find out that she had done this song and dance a million times before - her love would put himself in harms way somehow, die in tragedy, and she would build a new vessel for his soul to be harboured in through a jade stone item. This man was not the first nor would he be the last.

Throughout the man's adventure, he would discover how to make use of Zonai magic, aiding in his quest to defeat his own ancestor. And even though he was not of the Hero's bloodline or possessed his spirit, he worked tirelessly to impress the Master Sword enough to prove that he was worthy of her usage. Yet his past, his present involvement in the war, and his future as possibly being the next Ganondorf from the growing evil temptations drove him to near madness as he relied on Hylia to be his rock. However, it was not enough. Despite his hardships, despite all his efforts, even with Hylia's physical help in a form more palletable to the mortal eye, it was all for nought and the man became heavily wounded in his fight with Ganondorf. Luckily, Ganondorf was injured enough to be temporarily incapacitated, yet the hero could not finish him off. In his madness, the man removed Hylia's mask to reveal her terrifying, infinite black hole of a face, terrifying enough to give any mortal a heart attack from the horrors they would see, despite Hylia begging for him not to. It would be dangerous- no it would spell certain death, but he liked danger and he certainly didn't fear death. The hero died in Hylia's hands and she granted him release from his final mission by harvesting the Zonai magic within him and placing his jade-harboured soul in the magic's physical form, sending him to lock away Ganondorf until the next hero awoke. The Hylians of the future would call this war the first Calamity.

Yet, even 10,000 years later, no hero was reincarnated. Hylia had finished the vessel for her love and sent him out into the world. The oddest thing was that his mortal parents insisted on calling him Link, the name of the hero that aided her so long ago. This Link had died in the second Calamity, and awoke a century later to purge the evil. And yet, not even a few years later, he was needed again.

Link's second adventure saw the discovery of Ganondorf's body being sealed away by the hero of 10,000 years ago and upon the sight of the two mortals arriving in his underground domain, Ganondorf attempted to kill the two, burning Link's arm til it barely functioned and dropping the two into a casm that was likely to kill them. The hand of the hero had other plans and harboured himself within Link's body to save Link. Throughout Link's adventure, he has to deal with the fact that he's basically one-handed now and his right arm has a mind of its own. He had also taken frequent trips to Hylia's temple, which was forgotten with the genocide of the Zonai in the first Calamity and she stayed in hiding for many years. Link discovered the 10k hero's story, developing his previously mentioned identity crisis. Yet he learned something else that truly broke his worldview.

Hyrule exists in a time loop. Centuries after the creation of Demise, Hylia had another vision. If Hyrule were to continue even a hundred years after the current time, it was fated to be destroyed, which with the way of the curse, may as well have been the destruction of the entire planet under Ganondorf's reign. You see, Link discovered that the 10k hero that possessed his arm had also separated the hatred in Ganondorf's soul from his body, thusly creating Calamity Ganon, yet his complex feeling of anger and the curse remained like the hero. No matter what, Ganondorf was cursed to succumb to the evil tainting his heart. So Hylia had decided to create a timeloop. The sky islands of this age would make way for Skyloft and Link of the current era would be known as Hyrule's first hero for she would rewrite history to disguise this fact. After all, mortal minds do not like the idea of the infinite. And so Link discovered that he's had this conversation an infinite amount of times, as has he gone through his previous adventure and trauma, and he'd also gone through with this adventure to its completion and its consequences an infinite amount of times too.

Finding all of this out broke Link's poor mind and he kind of just shut down. He's been through a lot, so he takes it the logical way and decides that in order to be his own person, he needs to take off his possessed arm via DIY amputation. It doesn't work so instead he just gives up fighting when the Redeads come to eat him, but his somewhat suicidal attempts don't work and he has therapy with Zelda.

So imagine our lovely Link of the Tears of the Kingdom variety is actually meant to be a vessel for a Ganondorf that attempted to defect from his destiny that Hylia created because of some complicated love shenanigans and it basically just made Link's identity crisis worse.

I would love to go on a rant about my ideas for TotK that isn't my already existing AU that's in the works, but it's long winded and no one prob wants to hear something like that lol

[dreamkidddream]

Okay I know that it’s used as a joke that Solomon’s cooking is a biohazard really bad, but what if you taught him how to cook?

Granted, Solomon isn’t as prideful as Lucifer is, but he fully believes that he’s a good cook. Maybe not on Luke’s and Barbatos’ levels, but he would believe himself to be pretty decent for someone whose been alive for centuries. He’s confident in his skills, but you don’t have the heart to tell him that his food is barely edible (if edible at all). And you can see just how passionate he is about it- the way his eyes glow so childlike as he waits for you to take the first bite, the bright smile that shows just how much joy he gets from even bringing you his creations- just because he made it for you.

So instead of shattering his illusions and breaking his heart, you decide to suggest to teach him some new recipes.

He doesn’t really use recipes as he likes to improvise- it’s evident in what he does create (and it makes sense why his food turns out like…that). But, he decides to humor you, partly because he’s curious as to what you can teach him- someone who’s known to be one of the wisest men to ever exist in all of three realms. He wasn’t expecting to become the apprentice so soon, but he enjoys it and he’s ready to learn anything that you have to offer. But the main reason is because it’s an opportunity to spend some alone time without the brothers, and because well- it’s you. He’s always ready to spend time with you (and he wishes that it could happen more- which this is the time to make that happen in his eyes).

So you start off with simple, basic recipes. It’s hard to stop his impulse from “spicing it up” because he believes that it’s a bit boring and could be more fun, and you’ve had to snatch random ingredients from him before it turns to a disaster (again). He really is like a kid- just grabbing anything within reach and pouring it without worrying about the consequences, all with a smile on his face. But it’s been getting better with time, slowly but surely- you can still taste the burnt bits, you’re pretty sure that the sauce shouldn’t be that thick, and you came close to asking for a healing potion once- but it’s progress!

But it’s also progress with your relationship. Your bond.

It’s noticeable how much you’ve been going over to Purgatory Hall, how much you two have grown attached to the hip. No matter if the teacher just dismissed you for the day, or if you were heading off to lunch with someone, or even if you were about to leave for the day- Solomon was waiting for you. And you would both head off to Purgatory Hall for your daily lesson- maybe making a pit stop to the grocery store. It didn’t matter anymore- your feet would just carry you off to whichever destination with him by your side.

In the kitchen, he’s also become so touchy feeling. Your hands constantly brush past one another, his chest pressed against your back as he reached past you to grab the next ingredient, chuckling in your ear as he apologized (one that you didn’t really believe considering how he stayed against you long after using it). All of the acts that you would see in a cheesy romcom movie- you two were doing it, and it was starting to become something that you longed to do even outside the kitchen. And you had a feeling that he felt the same way.

It wasn’t until Solomon came to the House of Lamentation one evening baring a tin that all of the time spent was paid off. When he lifted the top, it was an assortment of decorated cookies. If you looked closer, some of them even resembled you (yes, the icing was smeared and melting off the cookie, but your heart still soared at the sight of it).

Mammon was practically foaming at the mouth when he saw you reach for one, and all of the brothers practically panicked when they saw you take a bite. But you were surprised- the cookie was edible, still tasted a bit off and hard to swallow, but it was edible. You swallowed, and everyone held their breath in anticipation of you just fainting, even Solomon through his air of confidence with a smile donning his face seemed a bit anxious. But it wasn’t until you threw your arms around him that his worries melted away and he began laughing, not wasting a second to wrap his own arms around you.

You didn’t even care about what his cooking tasted like- the fact that he made it just for you like he’s been doing before was more than enough to touch your heart. There’s still room for improvement obviously, but you’re fine being patient and taking your time if it means that he gets to stay by your side.

And gazing down at you with such fondness in his eyes, he feels the same way.