#there will be more about the actual choosing of the bishops and their interactions

[petrichorthefox]

New Bishop designs:

[resquices-of-godhood]

I was going to post about the Bishops first, but... I think it's better we start with the titular character of the game and their counterpart instead.

Leoda the Lamb: Their name means "Of the people" in German, which is fairly fitting, given their position and general behavior.

As a vessel, Leoda is very similar to their canon appearance, safe for the wool not being as puffy, which requires it to be tied up with a headband to keep out of their eyes. During that time, they used the Fleece of the Fates and had a preference for swords throughout most of their original crusading under the orders of The One Who Waits. Most importantly during this period, however, is how well they used and manipulated curses, being a natural from as soon as they received the very first one to wield. Only other notable change to other sheeps is the fangs they get from the crown's connection, though its easily concealed.

After becoming the rightful bearer of the red crown, however, a lot starts to change. Physically, they get the ability to manifest a pair of crimson wings from under their fleece during the battle in the land of the dead. In the following months, a third eye opens up on their forehead (kept closed most of the time) and their teeth become a more balanced mix of carnivore and herbivore. They stop wielding the crown altogether, instead relying on curses only, while also starting to use the Fleece of Cursed Crusade.

Leoda is the last living sheep in the Land of the Old Faith. Sacrificed by the Bishops, they find themselves in the land of the dead, where The One Who Waits is... Well, waiting for them.

Even before their sacrifice, they are entirely devoted to the Bishop of Death, specially after they start interact with him more often during their crusading days, learning how much their god actually cares.

Most of the following events surrounding the game are the same, except that, after Heket's defeat, Leoda is summoned by The One Who Waits to then be informed what awaits them at the end of the journey, so, by the time they are to put down their life and return the crown, they not only are expecting it, but are ready and willing.

The Red Crown, however, is not.

It takes control of Leoda's body, manipulating it like a puppet as they fight Baal, then Aym, then The One Who Waits himself, all the while the Lamb is not only conscious, but desperately trying to fight back against the influence of the crown the whole time. It only relents and let go once the now former god of Death is laying down on the ground defeated. With the damage done, but not willing to kill their god, Leoda instead sends him to be indoctrinated into the cult.

After indoctrinating him, the lamb takes the broken body of Narinder to the healing tent, and for the next four days they check to see how they are recovering, only to be met with cursing and lashing out from the delirious three eyed panther.

Upon leaving the tent after one of the visits, the cult's healer, Saleos, approaches the Lamb and comments how, whenever Narinder is lashing out, he seems to be aiming at the crown, so they should leave it in their personal tent for the next visit.

The morning of the following day comes, and Leoda, following Saleos' advice, comes to the healing tent without the crown, only to be met with a more sober, albeit still weakened, Narinder having their wounds cleaned and dressed. That's when they learn what really happened in that fight: the crown has betrayed them both.

Narinder by choosing Leoda over him.

Leoda by possessing and forcing them to fight Narinder.

That was when the Lamb vowed never to wield the crown again, even as a tool. They will perform their role as the new god of Death and Judgement, but they will not give the crown a single inch more of their will. And so they do, meeting the Mystic Trader and releasing the Bishops from purgatory.

And that's the point where the AU begins.

Gayne the Goat: Besides the obvious joke, the name means "Ingenuity; Cunning; Trickery" from the French engaingne. It describes well the general demeanor of this Goat: a cunning trickster, so much so you might as well give them a spear and call them Odin. The more asshole-y traits comes from the environment of their timeline of origin, and tone down significantly with time in Leoda's.

By the time Gayne crossed into Leoda's timeline, they were already well into the infant god stage, and replacing the Purple Crown of their timeline of origin for the Lamb's did not reset that progression. Their Purple Crown was sent back to their timeline, where it belongs. By the time they did cross, they already had an extra pair of arms sprouting from the middle of their chest, as well as six extra, smaller eyes surrounding the original two (remain closed unless he is having a vision stemming from Future Knowledge, willing or otherwise), a pair of large metal wings and more pronounced fangs that poke out of their mouth (similar to Shamura's, but not as large), as well as a damaged eye that they keep covered by an eyepatch. Although they can see through that eye, anyone that sees it say it's rather disconcerting to look at. They prefer to use axes during crusades, and are incredibly good at timing their swings in tricky but powerful ways. While they do use the occasional curse, it's not their first choice during combat.

Gayne's timeline is a lot different from Leoda's. Instead of the Bishops betraying Narinder, Shamura's prophecy instead created a schism in the Old Faith, sending the 5 remaining gods into an all out war amongst themselves. As a result, none of them are crippled by trying to imprison the Red Crown's bearer, but they are now locked into war, every Bishop's army having an advantage that makes even the Bishop of War struggle to come up with strategies. It's a thousand years of never ending bloodshed, with Bishops appointing vessels so they can try to get something, anything, to get an advantage, before recalling the crowns when they need to get personally involved in the frontlines.

So it goes until Shamura finds themself a most peculiar vessel: a very cunning, yet deeply devoted, goat that is a menace in the battlefield. As this Shamura has both not lost their mind as well as they withdrew themself deeper and deeper in their godhood to avoid their failure as head of their pantheon and elder sibling, so they are a more cruel and manipulative, fully taking advantage of Gayne's devotion, dependence and love for the spider.

The thing is, Gayne is more than Shamura bargained for. Not only did they fell the other Bishops and conquered their lands, they also turned on the Bishop of War when they were ordered to give up their life and return the crown. The ensuing battle resulted on Gayne's metal wings that they keep folded as a second fleece layer, as well as the permanent scarring of their left eye.

At that point, their timeline started to unravel. There was no god of Death alive to keep things stable (Narinder was the last Bishop to fall before Shamura), and new crown bearers are starting to pop out from the former territories of the other Bishops to challenge the remaining god for power, but how does an infant god defeat a veteran war deity and god killer? It had been a few months by the time they find themself in the remnants of Anura at the same time that Leoda is struggling against a particularly strong opponent in the same area.

As both look at a puddle at the same time while Leoda is trying to recover their breath enough to continue the fight, that's when Gayne crosses over, going all out against the cultist threatening them and winning. A talk with the Lamb and a teleportation to the cult later and the Goat starts settling in, taking in this timeline's Purple Crown while the one from their timeline seemingly vanishes into a puddle of ichor.

They help Leoda to release the Bishops from purgatory, and that's where the AU starts.

Both are roughly on the same spot in regards to godhood, about a year and a half into the infant god stage.

[ginnyzero]

Tips for ADHD Writers

(From an ADHD Writer & Spoonie)

As an ADHD author, and a spoonie (migraines) I know that a lot of typical writing "guidelines" can feel overwhelming and often don't work. I taught myself to write (results may vary) and after several decades of this; here's some of what I've learned to keep the dopamine and words going.

Throw out Genre Conventions & Boxes; Discover what stories you enjoy & write those.

There's nothing more restricting as an ADHD writer being told "this genre has to be this way." See those boxes. Break them. Find what type of stories and tropes and archetypes you enjoy writing in the types of worlds you find fun and exciting and write those. This should be fun. Writing may be hard, so give your brain the things it craves to snack on.

For example, I love writing romantic comedy with action. I love scifi and I love fantasy. I love shoving the two together. So, if I told you I feel my style is a blend of Jim Butcher action and Anne Bishop family dynamics, you might not get it. But if I said, I love the Mummy/Van Helsing, the Adam's Family, The Ocean's Series/St. Trinian's, and the Expendables, you might be getting closer. Oh, and Star Wars. Particularly the Wraith Squadron EU stuff of Star Wars. Han Solo and Bounty Hunter Wars.

2. Tackle Writing Craft Issues One Thing at a Time

All the writing guidelines and 'how to write' can be overwhelming. Turn off the noise, and choose one thing you want to work on in your story. Dialog. Description. Character Interactions. Conflict. Pacing. Whatever it is you want to work on, focus on it and only it. If you're working on dialog, then don't worry about description. If you're working on character interactions and group dynamics, don't worry about conflict.

The first "Craft" thing I remember trying to tackle was dialog. I wanted to write fun, snappy, dialog and not do question and answer responses like you see on sitcoms. It was the era of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and hopefully I made it my own later. Then I was like "I love characters, let's have fun characters." Plot and description came last for me. But I wouldn't be where I am today if I'd tried to do it all at once.

Go ahead and tackle this post bit by bit if you need to! I get it!

3. Write down all your Ideas into a paragraph synopsis outline.

Hyper fixation is great when you first get an idea. The juices are flowing, the dopamine is high and everything is all coming together. Or so you think. However, from painful experience, I know hyper fixation may not last between the 360K to 495K words of a trilogy, it might not even last past the first 80K. That's when having this synopsis paragraph outline filled with summaries and dialog snippets will be your savior. It will be able to rekindle your focus and make connections in your brain on what you were trying to do. And yes, it's okay if it's messy. You're the only one who is going to see it, and part of the dopamine thing can be making it less messy.

For example, I'm working on a vamp romcom trilogy right now. I got through the first two books and like the first 20K of the third book before my brain went "we need a break, write something else, PLEASE." then refused to focus on it for seven months. (I wrote a 'proto first draft for something else that I've been poking at for at least 10 years.) Sometimes, your brain won't want to focus on a story for years after you started it. Paragraph summary notes are your friend. And might be more important to do while you have this hyper fixation than the actual story itself. (Do what you can.)

4. Ditch word counts

There's nothing more depressing then trying to set a daily word count goal and not meeting it. Or seeing other people posting their daily word counts. Especially when you might write 50 words one day and 6000 another. Ditch this whole idea you have to write every day, because it's not feasible, and won't make your dopamine go up if you feel you 'failed' the goal or 'failed' in comparison to other people.

Writing is not about your word count all the time. It's about research. It's about idea gathering. It's about making that lore book. It's about getting all those pictures into a folder, and then sorting that folder. It's about day dreaming, and shower thoughts and the story you tell yourself before you go to bed. Or that music playlist you need to trigger your writing. Or buying the perfect candle. Making a map. It can even be scrolling tumblr b/c you might not be able to advance that story until you see something that triggers 'oh, that's what I want.' (I had this happen to a third book in a trilogy of a fairy tale sword and sorcery fantasy I was writing, it was a bit frustrating. But it's written and pubbed now.)

5. Copy and Paste what you might think is Half Assed Description

You've described something like a room or a person in your story, and you need to go back to that room (these are called key places) or person later or in the next book and you don't want to rewrite the description b/c that's not making you happy (unless description writing does that, then go you) go ahead and copy and paste it. It will save you time, and headaches trying to keep details straight.

Because as someone who doesn't see things when I close my eyes and I must define everything into words, people who can see things when they close their eyes probably think you have too much description. (Don't listen to them.) And it's okay to repeat yourself, because you are describing for you, and others like you, who need the description and reminder every once in a while what color hair and eyes and possibly skin, all these characters have and what the room looks like.

And don't be too hard on yourself. Go read Brian Jacques. If you can create a description even a third as well as Brian Jacques, you are winning. Okay, Brian Jacques wrote his books for blind children and thus described everything three times as he tried to include as many senses as possible. (Very important.) If you can hit one third of it, you are golden. (Also, he's fun. Long, as description eats up words, but fun. Err... formative years reading. Oops.)

6. Embrace writing the multiple stories/fanfics/short stories before figuring out what story you really want to tell.

Sometimes, it's not straight forward. Oh, how I wish it was. Sometimes, you end up writing what feels like thousands and thousands of words before you find in those stories kernels and ideas of the story you really want to write that you hope will make your brain shut up about that particular set of characters for a while. (Or not. Or not is okay too.) And this isn't wasted writing. There's no such thing as wasted writing. This can be part of the process.

So, the thing I wrote the proto first draft of, yeah, well, it's probably the third proto first draft and half a dozen other short stories where I figure things out. We are talking about 100s of thousands of words, at least two or three different change ups of where I want it to take place and genre types, but I would not get to the story I want to write without those other stories. And that is honestly, the most important bit, finding the story you want to tell in these bits of other stories you're writing, even if those stories never make it off your disk drive or no further than your closest beta reader.

The upside of this is, you get to know your setting and your characters really well. And so when you get to the story you want to tell, you can write that dynamic really well! On the other hand, you know them really well, and you might forget to show that dynamic in your story because you've forgotten other people haven't read the 300K words you've written over the years and don't know them very well. (This is when you need fresh eyes who have never read any of these other stories.)

7. Remember your readers are not in your head with you, and sometimes your future self isn't either.

It's okay to spell shit out. Especially if you're going for that YA audience or using a limited POV like first or 3rd limited. You can hit people over the head with the hammer. It's not 'show, don't tell,' it's show AND tell. You want to say the characters are good friends. Great! Now, go ahead and write out those fun character chewing the scenery scenes where they interact with each other and show me. If your character doesn't like interacting with other people, then you got to show me that. (Good read for this: Murderbot Diaries.) Tell emotions, write feelings. (How is their body reacting?)

This is good for you too, because you might not touch this story for months, have to go back and reread and are going "who are these people and why is the main character interacting with them?" And it might take a few paragraphs to go "Oh." So, go ahead and write it out for your future self too. (Been there. Done that. Expounded on it.)

I have had convos with my editor as I'm writing and giving her chapters, where she's like reacting emotionally and we're talking about this or that and some of it, I can't put in b/c it's limited third (and sometimes this happens with my 3rd omni stuff too,) but other stuff we end up saying, I go back to the scene and am like "okay, I should spell this out b/c obviously, I wasn't clear enough." And that's okay. I have a good relationship with my editor and really trust her, so this happens.

8. Don't worry about making it coherent for other people, unless you're going to publish (in any way shape or form.)

Look, if you are writing for yourself firstly, don't worry about structure, or pacing, or "Why do we care" stakes type of thing. Get the story out you want to tell and have fun with it.

However, if you want to publish, suddenly, all of this matters. Your story has to have some type of structure, some arc to it, a 'why do we care' type of stakes for the readers to latch onto very early on and it needs to be coherent for other readers who are again, not in your head with you. (This is why paragraph outlining can help. It can reveal the lack of this stuff before you get writing.) This is when I recommend strongly getting a development editor to help you find the beginning of your story and what the stakes/conflicts are for your characters and keep the story within your vision. (If they don't ask what your vision is, run.) And your structure just needs to exist, it doesn't have to be any 'defined' structure out of guidebooks.

9. When you get stuck have your handy 3 questions ready. What could reasonably happen next, aka what are the characters going to do? What could go wrong? And Does this Work for the Tone of my Story?

If you have trouble coming up with plots and you have no idea how to do conflicts, murphy's law is your friend. What can go wrong, will go wrong. You might come up with multiple ways things they can do and the ways they can go wrong and be like "but does this fit the outcome I want for my story, the ending I have in mind?" You might need to write them out. You might have to sit there and go "is this feasible or do I have to turn the story into pretzels to get it to work?"

Sincerely, watch the Emperor's New Groove. It didn't go through the Disney Process and every turn is "What can go wrong?" For both the protags, and the villains. At some point, generally in the third act, your characters will no longer feel as compelling if things keep going wrong for them. But in the first and second acts things can go wrong or appear to go wrong for the reader. (And then you get the dramatic reveal such as an Ocean's movie or Lucky Number Slevin.)

10. If you find it boring to write, your reader is probably going to find it boring to read. Summarize. Time Skip. It's okay!

This one is hard for me. Your story doesn't have to tell every minute of every day. Time skipping is your friend. Summarizing something that happens that isn't really plot important, they're doing this but you really don't need to show it, go ahead and summarize it. They were busy doing this, but we're at plot now!

Sometimes, that character interaction or fun going to a festival bit, or going on a date is the plot! This is called character development and your readers need to see it! Remember the type of story you're writing and figure out what the plot means for that type of story. (Hey, a romance without dates, is it really a romance?)

There's going to be times where you are going to be info dumping something you went and learned to write the book. And maybe on your third read through you realize, it's dull. And it's okay to summarize or take it out. Or sometimes, given you've read it six times, you might need to ask a beta reader "Was this boring, do I need to break this up?" Just to be sure. Because you know, yes, you will start to skim your own description and exposition. You are the one reading this book 10 times before publishing. Ack!

Or, maybe you've got the entire layout of the city/country in your head and why it is the way it is and all the politics, look, it might be relevant information, is it relevant right this second? No. Keep the story moving and put that information in context when it's important where it belongs! (See making plot paragraph summaries and writing lore books.)

Ten is a good number. In general, I also strongly recommend reading in your genres, and um, if you're writing a trilogy or a series, finish the trilogy, and write as many in the series as feasibly possible (more if they're say 50K words or so) before publishing them. This way if you find you've written yourself into a corner, or you need to make a call back but the call back you want isn't really there, you can go in and add those details or fix an ending without reader confusion issues. It can be something as simple as a plane going by overhead, or setting up foreshadowing for a later book. And you might not come up with that detail until 3 books in or know you need it and be like "crap" if you've already published. So, before you learn the hard way.

Most importantly, one spoonie to another. REST. If you need to rest, take it.

Bless and Happy writing ~ Ginny O.

[secretmellowblog]

One aspect of Les Mis that gets lost in adaptations is how critical Hugo is of the Church, and the way Christianity can be used as a tool of oppression. Myriel is not supposed to represent a normal bishop-- he's a bizarre outlier. He's a rebel. No one else in the Church likes him because he's the only one who calls out their hypocrisy. And it's not a coincidence that the Thing that made Myriel go from being a shallow careless aristocratic cad to a gentle compassionate priest was....the French Revolution.

It's fascinating how much Myriel actually ends up agreeing with the atheist rebel Conventionary's attitudes towards the Church--- but it makes complete sense when you look at the way he's been interacting with religion for the past few decades of his life!

In 1.1.12 we're told that Myriel is flat-out shunned by all other bishops and priests, largely because he has no interest in using the Church to gain power and wealth.

He “did not take” in Paris. Not a single future dreamed of engrafting itself on this solitary old man. Not a single sprouting ambition committed the folly of putting forth its foliage in his shadow. (...)The impossibility of growing great under Monseigneur Bienvenu was so well understood, that no sooner had the young men whom he ordained left the seminary than they got themselves recommended to the archbishops of Aix or of Auch, and went off in a great hurry. For, in short, we repeat it, men wish to be pushed. A saint who dwells in a paroxysm of abnegation is a dangerous neighbor; he might communicate to you, by contagion, an incurable poverty, an anchylosis of the joints, which are useful in advancement, and in short, more renunciation than you desire; and this infectious virtue is avoided. Hence the isolation of Monseigneur Bienvenu. We live in the midst of a gloomy society. Success; that is the lesson which falls drop by drop from the slope of corruption.

When he interacts with other bishops, it's with snarky frustrated comments about they waste all their money on luxuries while people are starving:

The fact is that he displeased them. Among other strange things, it is said that he chanced to remark one evening, when he found himself at the house of one of his most notable colleagues: “What beautiful clocks! What beautiful carpets! What beautiful liveries! They must be a great trouble. I would not have all those superfluities, crying incessantly in my ears: ‘There are people who are hungry! There are people who are cold! There are poor people! There are poor people!’”

He describes himself this way: I embarrassed them. The outside air penetrated to them through me. I produced on them the effect of an open door.”

Myriel is not normal! All of his acts of kindness and generosity, and the way he's so willing to shield outcasts and criminals, are explicitly framed as a kind of rebellion against the church. And, more importantly, it's all completely voluntary. He doesn't have to do any of it. His voluntary poverty is, emotionally, completely different from the actual real poverty of the people around him-- he never has to lose more than he can bear. If he doesn't want to give up everything, he can still choose to keep his fancy aristocratic silverware. I think that's part of why he doesn't protest against the Conventionary when he assumes that Myriel is ridiculously wealthy and lives in a palace full of luxuries. Even if the Conventionary was wrong about Myriel specifically....he's voicing the exact same criticisms Myriel has made of the church. He's saying all the things that Myriel has said to his own colleagues, the things that have made him an outcast. The Conventionary's:

You are a bishop; that is to say, a prince of the church, one of those gilded men with heraldic bearings and revenues, who have vast prebends,—the bishopric of D—— fifteen thousand francs settled income, ten thousand in perquisites; total, twenty-five thousand francs,—who have kitchens, who have liveries, who make good cheer, who eat moor-hens on Friday, who strut about, a lackey before, a lackey behind, in a gala coach, and who have palaces, and who roll in their carriages in the name of Jesus Christ who went barefoot!

is very similar to Myriel's:

“What beautiful clocks! What beautiful carpets! What beautiful liveries! They must be a great trouble. I would not have all those superfluities, crying incessantly in my ears: ‘There are people who are hungry!'

(And the Conventionary's comment about Jesus Christ preaching barefoot is very similar to the Bishop's earlier comments about how he is fine with travelling on the back of a donkey because it was good enough for Jesus Christ.) It's like, the Bishop thought the rebel atheist Conventionary was his enemy-- but after talking to him he discovers that he agrees with him far more, and on a far deeper level, than he agrees with any of his peers in the church.

And that's what he's getting at in the last lines of the chapter:

“Monseigneur, people are inquiring when Your Greatness will receive the red cap!”—“Oh! oh! that’s a coarse color,” replied the Bishop. “It is lucky that those who despise it in a cap revere it in a hat.”

People who despise the red hats of rebels revere the red hats of cardinals. But at this point Myriel seems to respect this outcast atheist rebel more than he respects any of the high church officials we've seen him interact with; he snarks at his bishop peers until none of them like him anymore, but he begs the conventionary for his blessing.

[kneecapandribcageinverter]

Complicated feelings about new COTL update. The one where you get to heal the Bishops.

I'll admit, I had complicated feelings about the Bishops being resurrected in the first place. See, Narinder has this whole questline about him grieving, but now it's kinda been rendered moot? But not really, because now he has to actually CONFRONT his siblings after... well, everything, and there was a lot that was lost and will never be the same even if they ARE back, so it's not like there's nothing to mourn.

Then there's the bishop regeneration quests in the new update, where you heal their maimed bodies, restoring their eyes, ears, throat, skull, whatever. Leshy can see, Heket can speak, Kallamar can hear, and Shamura can think straight again.

Somehow, this feels like it cheapens the experience. Part of the reason it was such a big deal was because it was irreversible. This family did things to each other that couldn't be undone or taken back. But now that it HAS been fixed, it makes the problem seem trivial, which in turn makes the solution seem trivial.

But I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. I don't think it's a bad thing at all, when I think about it some more.

You hear a lot of people talking about how sad they get after losing their favorite followers, and I experienced something similar during my playthrough, but... I noticed something interesting. Once I got the resurrection ritual, I sorta stopped caring when my followers died. Before, I'd think "just you wait, I'm gonna bring you back as soon as I can." but now that I CAN, it doesn't seem important to do anymore. I just love that psychological effect, how godlike power makes mortality seem so trivial and inconsequential.

See, the Lamb is a god. Doing things like this is a godly thing to do, and this casual mindset about it is... divine. This game has gods coming to grips with newfound mortality, sure, but that's not what it's about. It's about the Lamb losing their mortality. Seeing these once profound moments rendered hollow by their own power is the POINT. This is a game where mortal limitations and restrictions are meant to be overcome. Time and time again, the Lamb overreaches what was allotted to them, and time and time again, they find that what seemed so high above them is not only within their reach, but right in front of their face. Like the opposite of Tantalus, the highest boughs bend down to allow them to harvest whatever fruit they crave, and the tide rises to quench their thirst.

Another thing I have a love-hate relationship with is the comparison between the questlines that you've got. You bring the bishops low, sure, that's your job now. But then, you're charged with saving your mortal enemies, offering your own followers lives as payment to do so.

Now, I liked the variable nature of most sidequests. You can be the salvation or doom of... basically anyone. You can help Sozo poison himself to death and then rehabilitate him. You can protect Plimbo's ship from the angry Witnesses. You can reunite Forneus with her kids. You can reignite a lighthouse, preventing people from being lost at sea. On the other hand, you could offer your followers to Midas, or become a cannibalistic slave trader's favorite customer. There is the infamous Fox questline, in which you sacrifice your followers and Ratau.

What I have complicated feelings about is that... we have the option to save our foes, and we have the option to betray our faithful. If we choose to be vindictive to our foes or loyal to our flock, that's not a quest option, that's just non-progression.

What I mean is, we can't choose to protect our flock, or the lands of the old faith, from these other threats, we can only choose to either do business with them at the expense of our allies or other innocents, or simply ignore them. Likewise, we can't hurt the bishops in a way that isn't DIY follower interactions. Sure, we can keep them in a pillory forever, or permakill them in a horrid way, but that feels more like torturing a Minecraft villager than actually taking revenge against the character.

What's more is, to fulfill the "good" sidequests, we have to betray our followers by feeding them to doors, or sacrificing them to resurrect Aym and Baal.

It's like... I'm oversimplifying, but the choices we have are: Being good to our enemies, being bad to our allies, or just choosing not to do those things. (Sure, there are follower quests, but I'm not putting "pick ten flowers for me" on par with "end a life to get me out of hell.") This peeves me off a bit. But I understand this too.

Remember what I said earlier about the Lamb going through an arc about not being mortal anymore? This is another result of that. These quests represent that, even with the "you can't turn it down, you can only decide not to do it yet" thing. See, you might decide not to betray your followers now, but... time will pass. With infinite time, infinite things will happen. You will outlive your own willpower, and eventually cave in even to the least appealing temptation.

The Lamb values saving the bishops for the same reason the player does: Because they're actual characters with significance to the player. To us, the followers are random NPCs, and to the Lamb, they'll eventually wind up feeling the same way. After so much time, their faces blend together, their voices fade to unintelligible babble, etc. But the Bishops were a Big Deal to the Lamb once upon a time. Even if it was because they were enemies, they were IMPORTANT. It's someone that still means something. I figure it's sorta like how AM in I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream keeps a handful of humans alive so that it still has something to do stuff to, and freaks out when they die. It's not about mercy, it's not about forgiveness, it's not about affection, it's about having something around that can make you feel something after all this time.

Complicated feelings, but it's a good game.

[profanepurity]

how does Lucifer feel about the song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and does he play the fiddle

(I ask only the most serious and important of questions as you can tell)

This question came in at the perfect timing when I’m finally solidifying Lucifer’s design. (along with some other characters 👀)

This is so cute lol. So the short answer is yes, he does play the fiddle. Lucifer is ridiculously good at almost every single instrument. As far as the song goes though, he actually kind of loves that song, and I’ll get into why in a minute.

This is The Most Reverend Bishop Stell.

This man is feared by every sibling in the ministry. Only the Papas seem to be able to interact with him comfortably they prefer coming to him for advice over Nihil, as well as Imperator of course. His stare is dreadfully cold and intense as if he can see into your soul he can. His teachings are always so well-spoken and captivating, but his tone leaves you with a sick sense of apprehension for the Old One’s will to finally come to fruition. His handsome features gracing you with a smile usually mean that something horrible is about to happen.

This is how Lucifer chooses to present himself to the church usually. He is an unnerving, but normal man, just idly serving in his faith. This way he can keep a close eye on his followers, but not have a high level of authority that would require him to be super hands-on. He’s only a bishop after all.

While Bishop Stell may prefer to quietly observe from a distance and mind Papa's leadership, that does not mean that Lucifer doesn't truly show himself from time to time.

If the worship and music are good, more often than not Lucifer is among his followers while they dance and sing in reverence. This doesn't totally reveal his identity either, as he's thought to be just a lively ghoul and not given a second glance usually. He takes on the attire of one of Nihil's ghouls, just to really make himself seem dismissable the open jacket and exposed chest kind of work against that though. There's always the exception of one lucky sibling every now and again that finds themself dancing with the devil under the moonlight if they happen to recognize that he is not simply one of the infernal creatures within the ministry.

Occasionally a bold sibling will ask Lucifer if he is in fact capable of playing the fiddle like all the stories and songs, to which he is more than happy to demonstrate. When I tell you this man will be as dramatic as he possibly can be with it, literally setting himself on fire as he starts fiddling, letting spirits dance around him while he's absolutely shredding that violin. See, he does all this to prove a point to his children. Even if someone manages to outplay him in anything, as difficult as that is, he will inevitably have their soul. He claims it's a reminder to the siblings that despite him humoring them and playing along, they better not forget who exactly they're fucking with. Really Lucifer just likes showing off.

Don't get me wrong, Lucifer loves rock and metal, but there's something about '70s-'80s country that he just- likes. Any song that mentions him he finds pretty amusing, and will usually make it a point to play it at some point in the most toe-curling, back-arching demonstration for his followers to witness.

Oh, if you're wondering what's in Lucifer's flask...

Sometimes it's Tennessee Apple, just to fit with the vibe, but more often than not Lucifer drinks a combination of Everclear and Listerine. That unholy concoction, in large amounts, is the only thing remotely strong enough to make him feel just a slight buzz. He likes to alternate between cool mint and artic mint, it's total bullshit that the other flavors are zero alcohol content.

Anyways lol, Lucifer adores shredding any instrument and being among the clergy. However, while he can of course sing more than jaw-droppingly well, that can give him away a lot of the time. That and, once again, Papa is the one he allows to have control of the church and is almost always leading a ritual or worship.

Lucifer's absolute favorite thing to do to remedy that is to get Belial to fuck around with the siblings and ghouls with him. If there is one thing that Lucifer loves just as much as his own voice, it's Belial's. In fact, Belial himself, the one that fell from the pinnacle just after he did, whose body he witnessed hit the bottom of the pit just as hard as he had, could be one of the few beings in existence Lucifer highly regards I can't wait to tell you more about Lucifer's historically accurate best friend. Hearing Belial sing reminds Lucifer of how they used to create stars and planets together, yet how much more he loves that that pretty voice now corrupts mankind and spreads wickedness across the land.

That and Satanas will get super pissed when Lucifer interacts very closely with the clergy, so he just loves doing it.

There's no harm in self-worship, it's a good example for the church.

You'll be seeing a more rendered design for Lucifer and the other Lords of Hell that are going to be in Praeteritum (and another series) very soon!

Thank you so much for the question, this was so much fun to draw! Thank you to everyone who has submitted an ask/ submission for being so patient as well, I'm working through them as I can!

[armentas]

OC Interaction Tag

Thanks so much for the tag, @orphanheirs! I love the idea of an OC playdate <3

Orphanheirs' OC: Tristan is the youngest child of a fabulously wealthy country gentleman in England in the early 19th century. He is the spoiled brat you would expect. 12 years old at the time of the main plot, he's spent his childhood so far sequestered indoors due to chronic medical issues. He's intellectually precocious and knows a lot about a wide variety of academic subjects, but he's particularly passionate about the occult and fancies himself a black magician. He'd previously been obsessed with science, then got frustrated with the limitations it had in the time period and turned to magic. He also loves literature, art, music, and fashion. He's self-centered and arrogant and can be quite cruel. He tends to be duplicitous in the way he acts towards others vs his intentions, and insolent towards adults/authority figures. The lack of affection and socialization in his formative years has made him see others as objects, a means to an end. But he's also curious, creative, and fun loving. If he finds you fascinating or shares your interests, you might get genuine conversation from him- though he might act insufferably entitled to know everything about you/everything you know. He's extremely determined to get what he wants. He recently summoned a demon to help him run away from home, and now he's on his own. (Well..the demon is..still there..) Free at last! (Except for the..pact..) Tristan's a sickly pale and frail looking kid, with blue eyes and dark hair.

My OC: Celio has passionately been a priest for several years, a role that, in the Prodigal world, also bids you massive authority and wealth. Because of that, he has a complicated relationship with authority—unless you're a literal higher-up like a bishop, or someone he deeply cares for, he feels he has no reason to listen to anybody but himself or God. (His own interpretation of God, that is. And as the story goes on, God's guidance seems to conveniently align more and more with what he wants it to.) When he's in the public to give back to his community, he's able to be polite, patient, compassionate, and fair for the greater good, but behind closed doors, he loses control over himself, his severe anger issues, control issues, paranoia, and guilt spirals all on full display. He has a rigid way about him, always adhering to a schedule, which ties into his hardworking attitude—he could be bleeding out and still insist he's fine in favor of getting things done. In general, it's difficult for him to admit to any kind of vulnerabilities, so he doesn't have anyone he truly trusts and is close with. However, he does still enjoy being social and going to social gatherings, even if he doesn't have true friends. He's interested in fashion, which shows in his way of dress, and enjoys both painting and playing piano. He would love to talk to you about his favorite painters and plays :)

How they'd interact: I had to choose Celio as my OC because I think these two would be enemies in the funniest way possible. For one, they have fairly similar temperaments (arrogant, cruel, manipulative) and Celio has the exact lack of self-awareness to meet someone exactly like himself and go "wow, what a prick". They'd just get into fights constantly, and a big reason for that would be Celio's closed off nature. Whenever Tristan is asking about his family or friends or general personal life, he's going to be either giving some witty joke that "answers" it but doesn't actually disclose much, or openly shutting him down. Celio can be good with children when it's a part of his priestly duties, but otherwise, he doesn't have any particular method and kind of just talks to them the same he does to adults, which I think could be affirming of Tristan's intelligence. He's also well dressed with an interest in fashion and art, so there would be a conversation topic there, too, until he sees the whole...demon situation and drops all casualty. He really would not be focused on Tristan himself, and would just be trying to convince him into doing an exorcism and repenting for performing black magic, feeling fear for his future in the afterlife. I assume Tristan might want his help with the demon, but really dislike the whole doom and conversion mentality he has (don't blame him). Overall, I think whether either of them like it or not, though, Celio would eventually become a mentor figure with Tristan, where he tackles his spoiled nature and tries to teach him "the truth of the world" in his eyes: "stay soft, get eaten".

Aaaa I loved that sm, that was so fun! No pressure tagging: @nrivanwrites @finchmomentwrites @lavender-laney @transthadymacdermot and anyone else who'd like to join!

[jackalopes-pen]

Tacenda

Summary: Loceit playing chess gets a little umcomfy

TW: None!

Characters: Janus (Deceit) Sanders | Logan (logic) Sanders

A/N: I heard a fun word a decided to make a fanfiction. Can ya blame me?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tacenda -

(Noun) Something not to be spoken about or better left unsaid

Root - Tacit

----

Logan was never one to interact with the others beyond due societal call. He would show up to dinner, being cordial and continuing conversation, yet never seemed to hold interest in another small talk conversation. It was another reminder of how they would listen only when they asked.

Thusly, he found it rather strange when a note appeared at the door to his room. It was in a black envelope, and inside was a black paper with gilded corners and gold flowing handwriting inviting him to a game of chess in the library. He knew it was deceit making the offer, only Roman was this pompous with delivery and his handwriting wasn't nearly this neat. Deceit knew how to play chess? That's .. surprising. Logan decided he might ask where Deceit- Janus learned.

Logan went back inside his room and placed the note on the desk. It asked to meet at 8:00pm. Normally, that would be considered an unheard of hour of the night but it was for a reason. It had to be after all. As far Logan knew the embodiment of self-preservation wasn't about to put himself out too far. So, he worked at his desk until it was about 7:55. He had a choice to make.

It was either see Deceit's offer through or work alone until the sun peaks through. Fine. It's not as though Sides can die, only be minorly inconvenienced.

He walked through the mindscape to the library, a grand oak behind which hid hundreds of books that Thomas had read or almost made. He pushed open the door to see the usually cold fire place bright with a roaring flame. Deceit sat in one of two high backed, cushy chairs. Between them was a chess board that appeared to be resin covered marble.

"So, you took my offer?" Deceit mused from his chair, not even glancing up at Logan.

"I.. didn't realize you knew how to play chess." Logan said tentatively

"So what if I do?"

"It wouldn't be unheard of, in theory." Logan walked to the chairs to sit down. Deceit was staring at the bridge of Logan's nose.

"Hm. Well, choose your colour."

"White, thank you."

Janus barely flicked his wrist as chess pieces moved themselves onto the board. All of them looked to be intricately carved quartz and smoky quartz dipped in resin to preserve their luster. Logan looked over the pieces, unsure of what to do.

"Lovely set you have, De- Janus." Logan said fumbling over his tounge

"Mhm. White plays first, yes?" Logan could see a grimace behind Janus' slit eye.

"Correct. Pawn to.. B4." Logan obliged by the standard set and flicked his finger to inch the pawn forward.

"Polish opening, interesting. Pawn to F5."

"Dutch defense? I believe they were, historically speaking, on well terms."

"Yes well, best not to make enemies of those geographically close?" Janus made eye contact with Logan for the first time in thier conversation.

"In times of war it could prove a poor choice. Why the observation?" Logan said, leaning in. "Pawn to G3"

"An idle thought, nothing more. Pawn to G5"

"I have yet to see you make a purposely uncalculated move." Logan started, trying to dig just deeper "Why start now? Bishop to H3."

"I'm sure you'd like to think you've figured out my inner working." Janus rolled his eyes "But that's far beyond you and a 1,300 year old game. Pawn to G4."

"1,400 actually. Did I misread your invitation tonight? It appeared purposeful" Logan said. This had become it's own game, did Janus want that? "Bishop takes Pawn G4."

"Could you put it past a Disney villain to put some flair into their work? Besides, you seem to understand." Janus said smirking. This is the game he meant. Not the board but a game of conversation. "Pawn takes Bishop G4."

"Are you a villain? You always seem to insist otherwise." Logan put a hand to his mouth to think "Pawn to F3"

"Perhaps the stereotypes of a long dead generations are constrictive. Is it surprising that neither of us really.. fit"

"Are you insinuating that I, to adhere to your rhetoric, abandon those who enforce the 'ancient stereotypes'?"

"Would you be cross if I did? After all, what could I gain from it, that is, if you insist every move I make in calculated well in advance." Janus gave a half smile "Bishop to H6"

"You gain an ally, a source of intellect on your 'enemy', a numerical advantage.." Logan curt himself off slowly "I don't know why you wouldn't consider it at the very least."

"You seem to insist I have. How would one act upon it?" Janus rested his chin on the back of his hand.

"By extending a 'casual' invitation to harmless game. Luring them in to a conversation of subtext and subconsciously introducing the idea, feigning a self-made decision." Logan crossed his arms in triumph. "A common tactic used by cults, in fact."

"So, I'm a shepherd then? Leading a flock of brainwashed sheep to my evil plans. I suppose I have the crook for it." Janus gazed in the hearth seeming to consider Logan's words.

"Pawn to B5." It was an offense, a strike. Just ride out the game now. It would be rude to leave.

"A tone shift? Whyever might that happen?" Janus lifted his head and cocked it slightly.

"Perhaps the impression of offence is reason enough." Logan looked down to the right arm of the chair, hand sewn patch repairing on old rip.

"Well, it would be an incorrect impression. After all, civility had been maintained." Janus seemed to try a warmly nervous smile.. it almost looked real. "Pawn to D5"

"I see. You seem to enjoy these Tacendas. You've used them often on this conversation alone." Logan remarked

"A.. Tacenda?"

"Yes. Here, you might find them useful." Logan handed Janus a stack of cards

Janus flipped over the card with the key word on the front. "I see. How curious."

Logan glanced to his watch. 11:30? He was so behind. "I need to leave. This was.. enjoyable though."

"It can become a scheduled event. Saturdays?"

"Sounds acceptable." Logan walked out with a final nod to Janus.

How peculiar.

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

When I first really began interacting with Orthodox Christians, there was a lot of pushback. Still actively participating in a Sabbatarian Branch of Christianity, there seemed to be a ready rejection towards my interest in Orthodoxy as nothing more than a cynical attempt on my part to proselytize for a specific belief system. What didn't seem to be considered was the fact that I might actually be drawn to something that seemed to have a deeper substance.

As a Protestant Sabbatarian, I was taught to look at the Seventh-day Sabbath in very specific terms, with a set of acceptable behaviors and expectations. However, the day was an artifact, as was the prescribed praxis. It had no connection to anything beyond itself - it was seen much as Baptism and the Eucharist are understood in most Protestant denominations - as a mere symbol, or perhaps a kind of loyalty test to a God who demands such things. A type of virtue signaling.

Initially, I was drawn to the Ethiopian Orthodox Churches for their Sabbatarianism - I wondered if they would give me a good contextualization. This led me eventually to the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Investigating the Eastern Churches, I found a contextualizing of the Sabbath, and a Sabbatarian praxis that made sense to me within the larger framework of a complete liturgical system. Sabbath wasn't ignored, but rather, was integrated as part of something greater - it was part of the tapestry of the Christian life.

So, why am I thinking about this now?

I've been thinking about the East-West Schism, and about the vast forms of Christian expression within Western culture (or the lack thereof). I've been thinking of liturgies and praxis; and of the cultural currents that surround me. My conclusion is this: The Holy Spirit is "everywhere present, and filling all things", and is leading the true church at all levels. First, through her Bishops at the top; but not only that, but also through the laity at the bottom. Ultimately, what is useful will be kept, put into its place; and what is not will be discarded.

Much of what is done inside the Church, I am convinced, while useful, is not absolutely essential. The Church offers tools, including the Sacraments, to aid the Christian in their walk; but the monastics in the desert prove that harder ways are possible. Those of us who are coming out of Protestantism frequently choose the more difficult path. And it's not about a faith vs works dichotomy as the West might be tempted to assert, but rather, its about acquiring the mind of Christ vs just going through the motions of what we think a Christian ought to be.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy upon me, a sinner.

[cerastes]

Wait if Mizuki is a Seaborn then what’s stopping our local resident Hunters from choosing and tearing him into pieces. I mean yeah he’s a baby boy but I doubt Skadi would really care that much to be honest. A Seaborn is still a Seaborn right?

Would she not care? I think you picked the Abyssal Hunter that would in fact care the most, as she's had the most hands on experience on the surface compared to Gladiia, who's mostly stuck to working by herself and on the shadows, and Laurentina, who spent a considerable amount of time being insane and half-brainwashed as Specter and not cognizant enough about her surroundings to truly consider as someone who knows the surface. Keep in mind, and important part of Under Tides is showing that Skadi, rough and stoic as she is, ultimately has changed immensely from how she used to be as an Abyssal Hunter, questioning her role, her worth, and the worth of those around her. Her interactions with Old Man Jose paint a clear picture of how Skadi used to be pretty much a cold fighting machine who just did her job and little else, and how she gradually came to see surface Terrans not just as inferior lifeforms with paltry technology, but as fascinating, lovable people that had struggles just as meaningful and terrifying as her own Aegir people did.

Compared to Gladiia and Laurentina, who have rather negative views of the surface and who have no qualms in voicing these views, Skadi is stoic but ultimately gentle and intentionally holds back when fighting because she knows inherently superior compared to the vast majority of Terrans as far as physical ability and martial prowess are concerned, with her only really fighting seriously twice so far: Against the Great Inquisitor (and even then, she refrained from using a weapon), and against Seaborns, where she (and her fellow Hunters) held nothing back and showed us what they actually can do when they take a fight seriously (read: Specter going full Metal Gear Revengeance ME JACKY on the mutated Bishop and hitting it with an air combo that had her jumping from wall to crumbling boulder mid air for like a full 3 minutes of maneuvering and mauling this giant laser-shooting monster). Hell, on Specter's 2nd Operator Record, it's Skadi that more or less demands Gladiia and Specter both hold back a bit on account of them going to go fight regular ass non-supersoldier non-Seaborns for a bit.

Now, back to the Mizuki case, I have no doubts that the moment she detected Mizuki's presence, Gladiia's senses told her to send him to the principal's office and have him expelled from existence, BUT Consider The Following:

Rhodes Island is not a melting pot of cultures and factions, it's THE melting pot of cultures and factions. You have Silence and Saria in the same side, with Silence hating Saria's guts. You have the entirety of Pinus Sylvestris, Gravel, Blemishine, Whislash, Nearl, Shining and Nightingale in the same room as Platinum who, by all means, all want to eviscerate to different degrees. Their situations is a bit different, but you have SilverAsh and Pramanix who are by all means political enemies, under the same roof, hell, you have Greythroat who is absolutely terrified of the Infected, working as a Rhodes Island employee, you have Actual Enemies Texas and Lappland working the trading post together, you have Rosmontis, Blaze, and other Elite Operators in the same room as W, who they explicitly want to kill. And, I think the most important example out of all of these: You have Doctor in Rhodes Island, who Kal'tsit, Flamebringer, and W (and possibly Ascalon alongside other Sarkazians) explicitly want to murder, but won't because of Doc's own particular, exceptional situation, as well as them being an undeniably powerful asset.

What I'm trying to say is that Rhodes Island is exactly the kind of environment in which Abyssal Hunters wouldn't obliterate a Seaborn if they have a properly signed contract for the same reason a lot of these other factions are not at each other's throats. It's also well known that the Abyssal Hunters do personally like the Doctor (with Skadi being very sweet on them, Laurentina being more than anything thankful they watched over her when she was Specter and wanting to know them better, and Gladiia appreciating Doctor both as someone who watched over her subordinate Laurentina in her time of need as well as a fellow tactical mastermind), and in the case of Laurentina and Gladiia specifically, they like and respect Kal'tsit (Skadi doesn't like Kal all that much but clearly still respects her), with Laurentina specifically even joking around with Kal'tsit as if they were pals instead of seeing her as an inferior land-dweller. It makes a lot of sense, then, that if Doctor and Kal'tsit both approve Mizuki for whatever reason to be an Operator for Rhodes Island, that the professional Gladiia would accept this decision, with caution, but accept it nonetheless, and that would carry on to Skadi and Laurentina both, with Skadi likely not wanting to cause a ruckus anyways, and Laurentina feeling much the same the way.

[nerdygaymormon]

uhhhh david have you gotten the liahona yet bc idk how to feel about an article i found in there yesterday. it was pretty comforting and basic, but did use ssa the whole time. BUT the youth one was pretty crappy, it used ssa to the max and gave no real hope, was pretty bland and annoying about oh itll be find just believe and jesus and get hatecrimed <3 i would like to hear your thoughts on it, its the first time ive seen any queer topics in church magazines

Thanks for bringing these to my attention.

"Same-sex attraction" (SSA) is the preferred term of Church leaders. They say it's a way of not making it your identity, that this isn't part of who I am but rather is something I'm dealing with. In other words, people "have" same-sex attraction, not that they "are" gay or lesbian or bi.

There have been a few leaks from behind-the-scenes where the apostles say they use "same-sex attraction" because it's the term that people like least. People like it less that same-gender attraction or gay/lesbian. SSA includes the word "sex" and I guess the idea is it gets people to think of sexual acts and feel queasy.

SSA is the term normally used in Church magazines because they follow the lead of the First Presidency and apostles.

There's 3 items in the Church magazines this month about queer people! That's a lot for one month.

————————————————————

The first is a bishop talking about how to understand and include LGBT people at church. After becoming bishop, 3 sets of parents contacted him distressed that their child is gay or transgender (I note that the parents used "gay." He also mentions contacting someone who 'identifies as gay").

His first recommendation is to follow the living apostles. (which explains why the bishop uses "SSA" even though everyone else around him used "gay"). It's a good idea for a local leader to find what the current leaders are saying because it's changed. He also says to read the Church's websites titled “Same-Sex Attraction” and “Transgender.” He provides two lovely quotes from those pages about diversity at church and being loving to people who are different.

His second recommendation is to not be afraid to talk to people who identify as gay, but instead try to have love for them and then let the Spirit guide you in what to say. We're just people, it shouldn't be scary to talk to us, that shows how different he thinks we are from the other people he interacts with in his ward.

The bishop's third suggestion is to speak to people who are familiar with LGBT "issues," share your testimony, and apologize for hurtful things you say. His list of people to contact for help understanding was a little disheartening because he starts with his stake leaders, ward leaders, other bishops, and so on, actual queer people were the last people on his list.

He continues by saying to pull aside members who are saying homophobic or transphobic things and give them some personal guidance, don't share private information that a member shares with the bishop, and just because someone has these "attractions" doesn't mean they're acting on them, and if they aren't "acting" on them then you can let them have a calling.

I have a few comments about the last few things. If no one corrects the homophobic/transphobic comments in public but instead privately suggests the person do better, every one who heard those comments thinks they stand unchallenged. The atmosphere created by the comments is unchanged. Especially if the bishop was present to hear those words, if they go uncontested then people think this is what is acceptable.

You'd think bishops know not to share private information a member shares with them. I've been around long enough to know that when a bishop is unsure what to do, he starts contacting his network (stake presidency, other bishops) asking for advice. Some bishops are discreet when doing this and others name the individuals.

While it seems basic, I recently had a counselor in a bishopric who didn't think gay people could get a temple recommend, that there's a zero-tolerance policy. That is an attitude that is outdated by a couple of decades, but it shows that people need to learn that simply existing as a gay or trans person doesn't automatically mean we are committing great sins.

I do find it interesting there appears to have been quite a few queer individuals in his ward, at least 4 or 5, and reading between the lines it seems they all stopped attending.

The bishop's heart is in the right place. I get he's following the Church leaders and that limits some of what he can do for queer people in his ward. I think his perspective primarily is of making the parents feel more welcome in the ward and not ostracized for having queer kids.

————————————————————

The second article in the Liahona is written by a person with same-sex attraction and his work to overcome the shame he felt.

It's a much better article than the one written by the bishop. This person shares about the shame they felt at having gay feelings and working with a therapist to overcome that shame. He shares 3 lessons that helped him with this process.

1) God and Jesus love and accept him as he is. This is a message that doesn't often get conveyed to queer members and it's important they know this.

2) The Atonement of Jesus Christ offers healing. At first he was wanting the Atonement to cure him of being gay, but instead it helped him be healed of the shame he felt. I hear so many members who think the Atonement can change us from gay to straight, and that's not true. I'm glad he made this distinction. Our Heavenly Parents don't view being gay or trans as something that needs to be cured. I wish that message was taught more openly in the Church.

3) Build deeper connections and show compassion. Loneliness and feeling like you don't belong at church are two of the most troubling aspects an LGBTQ+ person has to deal with if they are active in the LDS Church. Developing close friendships will help with that. Also, queer people tend to be more compassionate than the average person and I believe it's because of the experiences we had to deal with of living in a heteronormative world that isn't made for us.

He includes a few useful tips at the end on how to engage with queer people.

All in all, a much better story than the one written by the bishop. He shared part of how it feels to be a gay member of this church, the idea that he should be ashamed for who he is, that being gay isn’t a burden, that he doesn't fit in.

I appreciated he said this is part of his layers of identity and at the core of his identity is that we're children of heavenly parents. That's more nuanced than the apostles who reject being gay has anything to do with identity and our only identity should be a child of God.

————————————————————

The final story is from For the Strength of Youth. This piece seems like it's written by a queer person, but it's anonymous and given as general advice to show that people with same-sex attraction belong at church.

This article makes 3 main points. The first is that God loves you. That's true, although accompanying quotes to back up this principle aren't specifically about queer people.

The second point is "you belong." All sorts of people attend church, and God is no respecter of persons. Then they have a quote from Elder L. Whitney Clayton that people with same-sex attraction are welcome to come to church. To me, he's an odd choice to give this message as he led the Church's fight in California on Prop 8 to make gay marriage illegal again. Words aren't enough. Saying I'm welcome is not the same as making a welcoming climate.

The third point is that God will help you. They include a quote from Laura F. who experiences same-sex attraction. She writes about prayer, scripture study, temple and church attendance. However, she also says she doesn't know what her life will look like in 20 years, she seems to be leaving open the possibility her journey with God will lead her to romance and out of the church. I thought that was very honest and important.

————————————————————

I found it noteworthy that nowhere in these 3 articles does it say being alone and celibate is good and what God wants.

I appreciate the idea that we can make our local congregations less homophobic/transphobic. The suggestions from the bishops shows that the bar is pretty low and it doesn't take much to make an improvement from how things are now.

The voices of the two gay members was important, what they shared was useful but nuanced, didn't make commitments to staying in the church long-term or testify that what the church requires is what God wants for them.

Even so, it's clear the publisher is very careful. They use "same-sex attraction" so often, I think readers would be surprised the preferred term of most same-sex attracted people would be gay, bi or lesbian. While they addressed some things, like homophobic/transphobic comments, feeling shame & not fitting in, I think they largely skated past the things that make queer people decide that this church isn't for them.

There's a part of me that says I'm glad we're having this conversation in the Church magazines, but another part that says this is too sanitized and doesn't get at the heart of things. These are very hopeful messages that make it seem that queer people could easily choose to stay in church if a few adjustments were made and if they only understood God loves them, which avoids the "doctrine" that excludes queer people from the highest blessings and joys and makes us essentially second-class citizens in the kingdom of God, at least according to our church.

[starry-sky-stuff]

Sorting Red Notice

Spoiler warning.

Nolan Booth is a meticulous planner who brings along disguises and explosive devices to his heists. Most of the plans are developed by him, including the prison break, and he does not like deviations from his plan. His plans are also of the long-winded variety, such as provoking a prison fight by revealing Hartley's a cop to get a key he'll need in the future and building a structural weakness into a wall. Booth has a Snake Secondary performance he uses to charm, disseminate and bluff.

Booth's primary was burned by his father's treatment of him, but he quickly and eagerly latches onto Hartley as his friend. That makes him either a Snake or a Badger. It would be easy to assume he's a Petrified Snake Primary, and he probably performs it, but he's actually a Badger without a community. He's the one who keeps asserting that him and Hartley are not only friends but partners and a team. When he has the opportunity of abandoning the egg and rescuing Hartley, he chooses Hartley. A Snake Primary would also probably be less forgiving of Hartley's betrayal, whereas with the addition of Sarah, Booth now has a bigger community.

Initially, I thought Hartley was a Lion. He's seems so upfront and to the-point, confronting Bishop and plainly stating that he plans to arrest her. Of course, the reveal that he's working with Bishop throws this into a completely new light. He models a Lion Secondary as part of his gruff cop persona to gain Hartley's trust with his seeming transparency. Indeed, when he tries to improvise he usually fails, such as when he steals a car to pursue Booth and promptly crashes it. Out of the three leads, Hartley is the only one who clearly prefers working on a team, first with the Interpol agents then with Booth, even if in both cases he's using them. His role in the ploy is to learn the location of the third egg from Booth, and he does this not through manipulation or open confrontation, but by ingratiating himself with Booth and earning his trust. When viewing his interactions with Booth as interrogations, Hartley identifies shared goals and establishes rapport, using the truth about his father to gain trust. He's a Badger, who needs to mean it and almost can't help but develop a genuine friendship with Booth, almost despite his better judgment.

Like Booth, he's also a loyalist but he's a Snake Primary instead. Despite genuine friendship with Booth, he betrays him and leaves him in the jungle with little remorse. A Badger probably would've felt some measure of remorse leaving Booth helpless. Hartley's loyalties lie with Sarah, and by betraying Booth he's choosing Sarah, but by the end Booth has made his way into Hartley's circle.

It would be easy to assume that Sarah Black is a Bird Secondary and the mastermind behind the plan to dupe Booth and steal the eggs. Indeed, she most likely has a Bird Secondary model to help with the heists, but she does very little actual planning during the course of the movie and is far more reactive. She doesn't think to prevent the agent from triggering the alarm, but when he does has no problem adapting to the situation. She also takes such glee in performing and pretending, delighting in their con in a way Hartley doesn't. Making her a mischievous and playful Snake Secondary.

Her secondary slightly obscures her primary, as Sarah is a more mysterious character. However, unlike the other two, she's no loyalist. A Glory Hound Lion, she explains her motivations as being ambition, always focused on winning and being the best.

Nolan Booth: Badger, Petrified Snake Primary performance/Bird, Snake Secondary performance

John Hartley: Snake/Badger, Lion Secondary performance

Sarah Black/The Bishop: Lion/Snake, Bird Secondary model

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

So, my local comic shop somehow gets the new issues in on Tuesday now instead of Wednesday.  He claims something about a distributor switch, but I suspect there is some kind of magic involved. 

Which means I have spoilers for the last Duggan issue of Marauders, below the cut.  Do not read further if you don’t want to be spoiled.

Okay, so first of all, in the very LAST issue of his run, Duggan has given me something that I’ve been wanting the entire run - a Pyro and BIshop adventure.  We see Pyro and Bishop undercover, pretending to be arms dealers, Pyro with the most hilariously bad mullet hair-cut I have ever seen.  They are making a deal with Verendi, selling three apparently badly damaged SHIELD helicarriers to Verendi, and swindling them out of 8 billion in cryptocurrency.

I admit, this is a delightful sequence.  Pyro in absolutely terrible civilian clothing, with his tattoo mysteriously gone.  I hated that skull, so I’m not gonna question it.  Maybe he had Masque remove it.  Pyro and Bishop playing undercover roles and bantering together.  Pyro sweet-talking Verendi.  (He gets to do most of the talking.)  Then a fight breaks out when the real arms dealers that they are impersonating show up.  Pyro pulls a clever trick in which he prevents someone’s gun from firing by not letting the flame ignite.  I’m gonna choose to believe that this is a new trick he learned in the Krakoa era, because I’ve never seen him do this before, and it’s really cool. 

Bishop gets his licks in as well, while the two of them run to jump off the Helicarrier and onto Kate’s ship, bickering the whole time about which arms dealer they’re each supposed to be playing.  It’s hilarious without making either character look like an idiot, and I love it.  I’m just like....”Damn, Duggan, you could have been giving us stories like this the ENTIRE TIME.”

As the fight spills onto the Marauder’s ship, Pyro also mentions that he’s leaving the group to go on a book tour, so I guess that means he probably won’t be on another team.  But maybe we’ll see him around on Krakoa when he comes back, presumably to support his buddy Avalanche running for a spot on the X-Men. 

Christian also shows up to announce that he and Bobby are going on “vacation” in Ibiza, so I guess they’re still a thing?  It would have been nice if Duggan had let them interact or even speak to each other for the last 15 or so issues.  I guess that also wraps things up for Bobby.

Bobby doesn’t get nearly as much attention in this issue, just two pages, although to be fair, he had a spotlight fight last issue.  He is in Niffleheim beating up Frost Giants, for no particular reason.  He says at the end that it’s a warning for them to not invade Earth again, but also that he beat them up “to see if he could.”  So he literally just walked in and picked a fight.  I don’t know how to feel about this direction for Iceman.  He has been going down a darker path of getting more violent and losing his patience with humans.  I don’t know what’s in store for Bobby after this, so maybe this is setting up a storyline that will play out in a later book.  But it’s weird....for most of Marauders, Duggan’s been treating Bobby’s power flex as cool. but in this last issue, it feels a little sinister.  I just hope Iceman is handed to a writer that will actually take good care of him and Christian. 

Also, there is absolutely no resolution to whatever Christian and Shinobi have been plotting or even doing together.  I assume they were just having non-stop sex, since that plotline has been dropped. 

More important plot points: Emma steps down as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club to concentrate on her position on the Council, and appoints the Cuckoos in her place.  Okay.  Wilhelmina (ugh) gets rescued by Callisto, and has her face changed by Masque so she can escape from the other Hellfire Brats.

Most importantly - Lourdes comes back, and some of it I like, and some of it I don’t.  Lourdes has made a name for herself working the financial sector and is wealthy and powerful, but I cringe at her mentioning that it was possible because of “the new start” that Emma gave her.  LOURDES.  WAS. WEALTHY.  ALREADY.  DUGGAN!  She wasn’t a sweet helpless child that Emma had to rescue, she was a wealthy woman who was already a member of the Hellfire Club, she had her OWN money.  I appreciate the Duggan has her amassing a fortune through her own shrewd business sense, but for fuck’s sake, she came from a wealthy family.  Don’t ignore that just because you want Emma to be the savior.

Lourdes also strides in to Sebastian’s room, and while he tries to apologize for his past (retconned) mistreatment of her, she demands his place as Black King.  After a moment’s hesitation, he gives it up, but asks that she keep Shinobi on as Black Bishop.  Lourdes has no love left for Sebastian, and I really hate it.  I don’t mind Lourdes being badass, and it makes perfect sense that the abuse victim would have no affection for her abuser.  But the abuse was (almost) entirely RETCONNED in by Duggan.  So thanks for having the retconned abuse victim stand up to her retconned abuser, Duggan, since you insisted on changing Sebastian and Lourdes’ story. 

Sebastian also e-mails Shinobi to tell him about the change, compares mutant groups to a corporation (something I could easily imagine him saying), and tells Shinobi to take his chance at a power grab, while simultaneously telling Lourdes to watch Shinobi because he’s a snake.  I don’t know what to think of any of this.  Sebastian is obviously still plotting.  The Lourdes stuff is dogshit.  She could have been badass and “her own woman” without making Sebastian an abuser or Emma a savior.  I’d imagine @sebastianshaw would have better knowledge than me about how in or out of character any of this is for Sebastian.  I’ll post pages tomorrow, since I can’t summarize the dialogue properly. 

Oh, and Kate goes to Reed Richards about her still-unsolved gate issue.  No resolution yet, but he wants the knowledge that Xavier took out of his head, which might lead to more complications.

This was longer than I intended.  I’ll post pages tomorrow when there are scans online.  It certainly wasn’t the worst ending, and the Pyro and Bishop stuff was actually wonderful, a huge surprise from Duggan.  But poor Bobby is kinda....left out in the cold.  LOL.

[las-lus]

Tagged by @kalutyka whom i adore - thank you very much, dear <3

1. why did you choose your url?

Laslus has been my username since I was like 8 and named my blue Uni Laslus bc I thought it was a cute name. Then it slowly became my username in every platform and now Las is my nickname with mutuals <3

2. any sideblogs? if you have them, name them and why you have them.

Yeah! i have a study blog called @study-physics that i dont use half as much as i should. it motivates me to study and dear lord do i need motivation

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

This blog is 10 years old (so, 2011), but I previously had a harry potter blog that I created around 2009-2010 but deleted for some reason? i think maybe the kids from my middle school found about it? i cant remember sorry.

4. do you have a queue tag?

nope, i dont queue except for a few posts about specific dates. you get my insane posting schedule live :)

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

I was deep into harry potter and i wanted to find memes and art, but i was also depressed and quirky and in the early 2010s if you were quirky and depressed you came to tumblr

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

I love Loki from Loki Agent of Asgard/Young Avengers. its not that deep, sadly. When i was 16 i decided my icons would all be members of the Young Avenges (my pfp in Nyah! - a brazilian fanfic website is america chavez and my pfp at ao3 is also Loki but was Kate Bishop before) and i just never changed.

7. why did you choose your header?

I'm a scientist and sometimes i'm insane about it. I also love BDG

8. what’s your post with the most notes?

I actually ran my blog through this thing to find out. its this one about math, and its also the post im most proud of so :) this jatp shitpost is a close second tho

9. how many mutuals do you have?

I have no idea. i've been here for too long, sorry, but i have like 20-30 mutuals that i interact frequently with!

10. how many followers do you have?

2131 ! I gained a lot since I came back to the supernatural fandom (hi babes!!) but a bunch are deactivated/haven't posted in years (again, this blog is 10 years old)

11. how many people do you follow?

2518, but again a bunch are deactivated/haven't posted in years

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

yeah lmao

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

More than i should have, i check the app a lot. i would say I'm sorry for the constant influx of reblogs, but I'm not

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? who won?

I dont think so? I've been a master at avoiding discourse in this hellsite.

15. how do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?

i dont reblog them. I think they are awful.

16. do you like tag games?

Yes!!! I love them so much!! pls tag me on them

17. do you like ask games?

Same, i adore them and if you send me an ask game I'll love you forever.

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

Oh, i dont know? in my head @ravingliberal and@previouslysaltyfandombrat are quite popular, maybe i just think they are cool. @driverpicksthemooseic is twitter famous, does that count? @realrollypratt is fandom famous but only in the small niche that is LWD fandom (i do think she is too cool to be my mutual tho)

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

I mean. yes. ofc i do.

20. tags?

ohh idk which one of you were already tagged but @queergoblin @fantastic-artemis @bygodstillam @the-sea-queen00 @previouslysaltyfandombrat @driverpicksthemooseic and @realrollypratt (but please feel free to answer it and tag me in it even if i didn't tag you, i love you, my memory just sucks)

[skycollides]

Hi have you thought about apart 2 of truth?like we’re he brings letty with him? I liked the truth so much that would be cook

Thanks for the request I hope you like it!

Truth - Part 2

Coco x Reader

Authors note: I apologize in advance for grammar mistakes

English isn’t my native language.

Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

Warning: mentions of death

Words: 1.028

Today is the day Letty is coming to live with you and Coco. You actually wanted to meet her before she moves in to get to know each other properly so she feels more comfortable but plans change. Coco called you earlier today telling you that Celia is now dead and that he’ll bring Letty with him later today. He also told you how it happened and why. You’re not a big fan of his decision but you understand him. Since Letty will be here earlier than you thought you finish decorating her room. Once you’re done you hear Coco calling out for you.

’’Y/n! Babe! You home?’’ You’re nervous as hell, even a little bit scared of Lettys reaction.

’’I’m here Johnny’’ you answer him and make your way to the living room where the two are waiting for you.

’’Hey my love’’ you say and give him a quick peck on the lips.

’’Y/N this is Letty my kid - Letty that’s Y/n my girl’’ he says 

’’Nice to meet you Letty.’’ you say and give her a smile which se returns.

’’Nice to meet you too.’’

’’Go and take a shower Johnny I’ll show Letty around here’’ you say turning to him.

’’But-’’ 

’’No buts Cruz shower now!’’ you say and he nods kissing your head before he leaves the two of you alone. After you shown her every room of the house you lead her towards her new room.

’���I know it isn’t much and I didn’t really know what you like but I decorated the room I hope you like it. If you don’t like it tell me and we can arrange something else.’’ you say to her before opening the door. She steps in slowly and you follow her. You watch her as she looks around the room.

’’It is nice Y/n. Thank you’’ she says and smiles at you.

’’I’m happy to hear that. I’ll leave you be you can unpack and settle. If you need anything let me know okay?’’

’’I will.’’

You leave and close the door behind you before walking to the bathroom. 

’’Babe it’s me’’ you say while knocking and the door opens for you to step in. You close the door behind you.

’’How are you baby?’’ you ask carefully.

’’What do you want to hear?’’

’’The truth Johnny.’’

’’I honestly don’t know mi amor. It was a hell of a day. I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about Letty anymore you know? Now that she’s here and Celia is gone I kinda feel relieved. I’m happy I’m home with you.’’he says and you hug him burying your face in his naked chest.

’’I love you Johnny’’

’’I love you too Y/n. When are we going to finish Lettys room?’’

’’Already done! I started as soon as called me earlier today. She likes the room by the way. She’s unpacking right now. I left her to do it by herself I don’t wanna overwhelm her since she’s living with complete stranger now. I don’t wanna make her uncomfortable.’’ you say looking up to him.

’’Thank you baby. For everything - especially for being so understanding. I don’t know what I would do without you ma I’m serious.’’ he says and kisses you.

’’I don’t feel like cooking dinner today. You okay with ordering Pizza?’’ you ask him and let go of him. He nods.

’’Okay with me Y/N. You don’t have to ask me you know that. I’ll take the usual.’’

’’Alright’’ you say and leave the bedroom and get the menu from the kitchen before heading to Lettys room. You knock.

’’Come in’’ you hear on the other side.

’’Hey Letty. Everything okay?’’ you ask her.

’’Yes I’m fine.’’

’’Here’s the menu from the Pizza place. Choose whatever you want’’ you say and hand her the menu. She looks through it.

’’I’ll take this one’’ she says and points with her finger at your favorite Pizza.

’’Good choice that’s my favorite.’’

’’Really? Mine too’’ she replies with a smile.

’’Yes absolutely it’s the best. By the way Johnny hates it so the luck is on our side. We don’t have to share’’ you say and she laughs.

Time skip

After dinner Johnny has to leave Bishop called him and the others in for Templo.

So you and Letty spent the evening together getting to know each other. Around 10:30 you’re too tired to keep your eyes open.

’’I’m going to bed Letty. I think I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Good Night.’’ you say and get up from the couch.

’’Y/N?’’

’’Yes?’’ you say and she gets up and walks towards you.

’’I just wanna thank you for taking me in. Letting me live here. Coco said you didn’t know about me until a couple of weeks ago and that you said you’d take me in right away. That means a lot to me. Thank you for decorating the room I really love it. Thank you for giving me a home Y/n. I mean a real home and not just a place to live. You didn’t have to do it.’’ you don’t say anything you’re so overwhelmed right know you simply can’t. You just take her into your arms and hug her tight. The two of you stand there like this for a while not saying anything. You release her and speak up.

’’Letty you don’t have to thank me. You’re a part of him so you’re a part of me too. I’m honest I was nervous even a little scared this morning that we don’t get a long with each other. Looks like it was unnecessary. I’m happy you’re here Letty seriously.’’ you say and kiss her forehead before going to your bedroom. Letty leaves to go to her room.

What you didn’t notice: Johnny was standing there the whole time watching the two of you interact. It was a beautiful sight and he couldn’t be more happy right now. His two girls getting along that well. Now his family is complete. At least for now. Who knows that the future holds.

Taglist:

@everyhowlmarksthedead

@mayans-sauce

@justatiredfool

@ocetevasgirl

@lovebennycolonmiguelgalindo

@queenbeered

@spookys-girl

@charcoocheurie

[thereadingmoon]

TL;DR: While Turton doesn't provide a female narrator, his other female characters are good, actually. They're well-rounded, memorable, and shouldn't be swept aside when talking about the female representation in this book. Turton also talks about the bias sexism and gender has in the setting of this book and the in-world ramifications of this. Also: Aiden is a unique male character in the sense that he isn't strictly masculine or male. His characterization could be called traditionally "feminine" in the sense he's frequently in touch with his emotions and feelings.

Spoilers: Yes, but moderate. Part 2 can be read here.

For the purpose of this essay series, let’s discuss the differences between the female, feminine, and feminist. Borrowing (and bastardizing) Mary Eagleton’s A Concise Companion to Feminist Theory, these concepts can be summarized as thus: the female is biological in the sense a character or author is female, the feminine is cultural in the sense of “universal feminine mannerisms” as dictated by the patriarchal ruling order, and the feminist is political or counter-cultural in the sense that it criticizes the gender inequality of the status quo.

So with all of that context covered, let’s talk about the gendered representation in The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, how Stuart Turton wrote well-rounded female characters, discussed the issues women faced in the early 20th century, and the femininity of Aiden Bishop.

What struck me about Evelyn Hardcastle is that despite being a complicated and ambitious novel, it managed to balance out the action with its characters. It could’ve easily swept characterization and personality aside and focused on the action, but Turton slows down once in a while for us to connect to the people Aiden is interacting with. The women in the book weren’t women for the sake of having women in a story. They were flawed, motivated, and unique, and they all had a slot to fill in this world that couldn’t be replaced by lamps.

Evelyn, who wasn’t only a daughter Evelyn was no damsel in distress when the world was ganging up against her and she was in full control of her narrative despite her tragic death being the main plot point in the story.

Millicent, who wasn’t only a mother Millicent was a whip-smart upper-class elitist who knew what she wanted and got it. Also, I for one loved the representation of a morally flawed female character. Most of the characters in this book are morally flawed, and the women aren’t exempt from that. Representation doesn’t mean having minority characters be morally superior: it’s having minority characters be human.

Grace, who wasn’t only a lover Grace was a steadfast woman who was stubbornly loyal to the people she loved and delivered a twist in gendered stereotypes because she was the one in her heterosexual relationship who had more money and power over her partner, who was also devoted to her.

And let us never forget the redeemable, reliable Anna. One could say she fell into the helper stereotype that befalls on women, wherein her character arc exists only to support Aiden’s for majority of the story. I don’t think it did, though. If anything, Aiden’s arc supported Anna’s in the sense that he was propelled through the story to help her get out of Blackheath. Their development relied on interacting and changing with one another. She wasn’t a subservient lesser character, she was Aiden’s equal who made him question the reason he kept on going. Throughout the story, we piece together her nonlinear development into a distrustful, ruthless tyrant into a brave, decisive empath.

With the introduction of Anna, Turton brings about commentary on the state of women in the early 20th century and the fairness of the situation his characters are in. As Aiden’s fighting for a way to help free her, the readers realize how impossible it is for her to solve the mystery on her own: Anna was handicapped from the beginning. Aiden was given the advantage of having eight different hosts, majority of which had the higher class status to access the relevant information to solve the murder. Anna, on the other hand, was stuck as a lowly maid, invisible to the people she’d need to talk to, and an easy target for the unsavory characters in the novel. Also, with the treatment of Evelyn, we’re seeing how headstrong women are undermined and forced into situations they didn’t want to be in.

These are intersectional issues of women in the book that are explored by the author seamlessly. I have no idea if these were intentional, but they are points of empathy and understanding. I think that’s one strength in the way Turton writes Evelyn Hardcastle: Aiden Bishop is a narrator who chooses to be understanding and thoughtful. He’s constantly seeing past people’s exteriors and into who they truly are, and this extends past his hosts.

I’ve seen people say that he doesn’t have agency despite the book being a series of his choices and their consequences. But maybe it’s a question of what we expect from male protagonists. Aiden Bishop isn’t the usual male protagonist: he’s introspective, empathic, and humanistic. He’s constantly striving to be a better person and he’s caring to a fault, but none of these things are there to make him look weak. In fact, these are the traits that were key to his freedom. He’s already a much-needed character in terms of representation: a man who’s confident in his emotions and doesn’t shy away from them. These are very interesting traits he has… and one could say they are traditionally “feminine.” However, that doesn’t make this character female, though. So, in our next essay, we’re going to look at the ramifications of a female!Aiden and what it would mean for the story.

Want to see more essays like this? Check out my blog’s masterlist for more hot takes or book recommendations.