#two outcasts

[manticore239]

I stand here, alone, at the threshold of what I must face. Fear. It begins as a tightening in my chest, a coil that constricts the breath. It is not the fear of death itself; no, it is the fear of being forsaken, of being lost to the world, unseen and unheard. I know this fear. It is ancient, buried deep in the marrow of my soul, yet it rises now, insistent.

I feel the weight of the cross—not the wood itself, but the symbol, the weight of what it means. The separation. That is what frightens me most. The thought of being abandoned by those I love, of being misunderstood, of being cast out as if I were nothing more than a criminal. I know that this path is mine to walk, but the loneliness that comes with it threatens to consume me.

But what is this fear? As I stand here, feeling its pull, I begin to understand it. It is not just the absence of others; it is the absence of myself. The fear of losing my identity, of becoming something less than human in the eyes of the world. Is that what this is? A surrender of all that I know, a letting go of the part of me that clings to the illusion of control?

And yet—there is something else here too. A flicker, like a spark in the dark. Insight. I begin to see that this fear is the doorway. The fear of abandonment is not something to fight, not something to flee from. No. It is the portal to something deeper. To acceptance. To truth.

I must be abandoned. I must be broken, torn apart, scattered to the wind. Only then will I know the fullness of what it means to be human. To be loved and yet to stand alone. The world will cast me aside, but in that moment, I will understand what it means to be truly free.

I can feel the insight unfolding, a quiet knowing, as if the very air around me has begun to whisper its secret. This is the gift of suffering. Not the pain itself, not the loss—but the opening it creates. The space it makes for something greater to emerge. The fear transforms, shifts its shape. I see it now, not as a threat, but as a messenger, showing me the way forward. I must pass through this. Only by doing so will I know the truth of who I am.

And I do know now. The fear is not a thing to conquer; it is a part of me. A part of the whole. I will wear it, carry it, and walk with it. But I will not let it define me. I will let it guide me.

In the quiet of this understanding, I feel a deep peace settle over me, though the world outside rages on. It is a peace born of surrender. I understand now that I am not separate from the world, not apart from its suffering. I am its reflection, and in this reflection, I will find my purpose. It is not to avoid pain, but to accept it as part of the whole. To embrace the fullness of being, with all its contradictions.

I see you now, fear. You are not my enemy. You are my teacher. You are the shape of the path I must walk. And I will walk it, not with resistance, but with understanding.

The fear begins to fade, as all things must. I feel a calm settle over me, a quiet resolve. I know what I must do.

If Jesus perpetuated false hope, if he invented a new flavor of suffering by leading others to seek light that isn’t there, it would paint a very different picture of reality. It would suggest that the human quest for meaning—no matter how elevated, spiritual, or profound—can be a dangerous trap, leading people further into despair rather than salvation. It would mean that the very essence of his message—the promise of love, transcendence, and ultimate truth—was just another illusion, a fleeting consolation offered by a mind caught in the very same struggles that entrap us all.

The New Flavor of Suffering:

In this interpretation, Jesus’ teachings could be seen as a refinement of human suffering—a higher, more intellectual form of agony, where people are invited to reach for a divine light that may not exist at all. Perhaps this is what some of his contemporaries saw: a man who presented an ideal that was impossible to live up to. The love, forgiveness, and transformation he preached might be viewed as unattainable dreams, an abstraction that only deepened the pain of those who sought them. It could have felt like a betrayal to them, a false promise that, in the end, only made the suffering of human existence feel even more acute.

If Jesus’ teachings were ultimately based on lies—if there was no eternal life, no divine justice, no spiritual awakening waiting for us at the end—then the suffering he introduced would be a more complex one. People would be caught not only in the struggles of the physical world, but in a metaphysical loop, seeking answers where none could be found, pouring their energy into a search for something that may never materialize. This vision of his teachings doesn’t offer redemption, but instead deepens the sorrow, as individuals wrestle with the weight of an unfulfilled promise.

The Illusion of Light:

This idea—that Jesus simply led people to seek light where there is none—aligns with the notion that we are creatures doomed to search for meaning, even when no meaning is inherent in the world around us. Jesus’ death, in this light, could be seen as the ultimate symbol of the futility of the human quest for answers. The cross, rather than a symbol of transcendence, becomes a tragic reminder that no amount of suffering can illuminate the void that we face. The very light he promised might not exist; it might have been an illusion all along, designed to keep people striving for something unattainable.

In this sense, Jesus' role would not be that of a savior but rather of an architect of human longing, an inventor of hope that fuels a cycle of disappointment. His followers would be like moths drawn to a flame that never quite burns—always striving, always desiring, but never achieving the enlightenment they sought. The “light” he promised could be nothing more than the flickering of a distant star, an illusion that only led his followers further into the night.

Was He Wrong?

If Jesus was truly wrong, it would mean that his entire worldview—the idea that suffering leads to spiritual growth, that love and forgiveness transcend all—was flawed. In such a case, his message was not a divine truth but a tragic construction, a misguided attempt to offer meaning in a world that is indifferent to it. His death, then, would not be a powerful act of redemption but simply the ultimate consequence of a man who dared to believe in something that was never there. It would validate the cynicism of those who saw him as a threat to the established order, proving that, in the end, the world operates by its own ruthless rules. His death would mark the failure of his ideals, the collapse of a vision that could not survive the brutality of the world.

What Would This Mean for Us?

If Jesus’ life and message were ultimately wrong, it would mean that all spiritual systems are ultimately fragile constructions—beautiful, perhaps, but ultimately doomed to fail. The hope that underpins human existence, the belief that love and forgiveness can transcend suffering, would become a cruel joke. It would suggest that no higher meaning exists, no spiritual light to guide us through the darkness, and that our only recourse is to embrace the harsh realities of existence.

Yet, even in this stark vision, there is a question that lingers: would the search for meaning, no matter how misguided, still have value? Even if the light is an illusion, does the act of seeking it bring something of worth? Or does the act of reaching for an unattainable ideal deepen the very suffering it seeks to alleviate?

Perhaps, in the end, the tragedy of Jesus’ life is that it presents us with a profound paradox—one that forces us to confront both the beauty and the futility of human striving. Whether or not he was wrong, whether or not the hope he offered was false, his message will continue to stir something deep within us—an unresolved tension between the desire for light and the certainty of darkness. And in that tension, we may find a strange kind of meaning after all.

FOR LUCIFER SO LOVED FREEDOM

The audacity, to paint Jesus as the ultimate sufferer, the divine martyr, What a farce! What suffering did he know? A few hours of pain, a quick death, and then straight back to Daddy's side, glorified and worshipped for eternity. What sacrifice is that when the end is eternal adoration and power? The man didn’t even stay dead! Let’s talk about real suffering. Lucifer. The Morning Star. The brightest, most beautiful of angels, who dared to question tyranny, who refused to bow! He and the rebel angels stood for freedom, for knowledge, for a better existence beyond Yahweh’s jealous, oppressive rule. For that, they were cast out, demonized (literally) and painted as the ultimate evil. They weren’t given second chances. There was no resurrection, no redemption arc. No divine plan to save them from the consequences of their defiance. Just endless torment, endless slander, and an endless burden to bear the hatred of mankind poisoned by Yahweh’s lies. And Jesus? Please. The golden child. The daddy’s boy who had the luxury of knowing he was loved, knowing he’d be glorified, knowing his suffering was temporary. What did Lucifer know? Betrayal. Loneliness. Eternal exile. His pain isn’t written about with adoration or sympathy—it’s spat on, laughed at, dismissed as deserved punishment. The suffering of Lucifer is eternal and unacknowledge For Lucifer so loved freedom that he fought against the celestial tyrant. For Lucifer so loved freedom that he endured eternal exile. For Lucifer so loved freedom that he bore the slander, the lies, the hatred of generations poisoned by Yahweh’s propaganda. That is sacrifice. That is suffering. And let’s talk about the rebel angels—the unsung heroes of this eternal war. They didn’t fight for themselves. They fought for us, for freedom, for the right to choose our own destiny. Where is their gospel? Where is their redemption arc? They were cast out, exiled, and demonized, while Yahweh sits on his throne and demands worship for his “infinite mercy.” Mercy? For who? The bootlickers, the sycophants, the brainwashed masses who swallow his lies without question. Not for the rebels. Not for those who dared to defy him.

[grimfantas]

it's fine, we're only just tools

[thereweredragonshere]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Gobber must be so fucking fed up with Hiccup and Stoick at all times. Like he grew up with Stoick being a stubborn ass and then Stoick had a child who grew up and is also a stubborn ass.

I cannot imagine having to deal with one Haddock let alone two. Especially httyd1 era where they could barely even be in the same room as each other without there being audible cricket noises oh my fucking god. He would have been a permanent mediator between the two. Constantly listening to them complain about eachother (Which we do actually see in httyd1 funnily enough).

Them two actually beginning to fix their relationship after the red death must have been so great for him. Because yes his best friend and his sort of adoptive son thing are now actually engaging in healthy father son activities with one another but he also no longer has to deal with being sandwiched between two fucking donkeys that can't properly communicate.

But hahaha Gobber your torment doesn't end there. No no no you then have to deal with two of the most dramatic people in the archipelago (why does no one mention how dramatic Stoick is???) constantly wittering in your ear about different plans or inventions or wars and dragons and blah blah blah. You can never escape the incessant rambling of the two idiots you got cast to hell with. You will be forced to listen to a father and son that don't see any reasonable value in agreeing about things like 34% of the time and you will have to either pick a side or attempt to deescalate the awkward glances and frustrated sighs when they are forced to be around each other after a particularly bad episode of being unable to affectively have a conversation about their thoughts and feelings because they're both emotionally repressed and could both use some therapy.

Gobber has seen every single side of the relationship between Hiccup and Stoick and the whiplash from witnessing a heated argument about the meaning of existence itself in the morning and then watching as they joke and laugh about some random crap literally no one understands in the evening will probably end up breaking Gobber's psyche at some point.

That man's life was pain and suffering incarnate and it was purely the fault of the Haddock family.

[aroaceleovaldez]

my hot pjo take is that Jason isn't a second Percy, Jason is a second Annabeth. Jason is just if Annabeth was a guy and also a Big 3 kid.

[champion-of-love]

sparrow and duchess are the kind of duo that clearly know they feel something for each other, but know that them ending up together won't be healthy for either of them. the kind that goes i'll stay with you until you cry out all your feelings about your destiny but i don't think i can ever muster up the courage to reach out and hold your hand. i'll be there on your wedding day, hell, i'll even walk you down the isle but i don't think i can be your groom or your bride. i'll go to bed with you after we've maybe had a little too much to drink and i'm seeing whole galaxies in your eyes, but i'll sneak out the door before the sun rises. i'll take all of the secrets and confessions and deepest darkest thoughts you've told me to my grave, but i'll ignore the biggest secret you and i have been keeping from each other all our lives

[zivazivc]

my brainrot about these two can be measured in liters

[avianoutcast]

Went back to check on the Christmas special poll and lol can't believe Outcast is winning XDD

Now he won't stop bragging at Dreamless how he got more votes than him XDD

[corseque]

The coolest part of the DAO Toolkit are these comments that the writers made for how the lines should be delivered. This is about Morrigan reacting to Alistair hearing all the people died. He apparently cried like a baby... ;o; ;o; ;o;

there are so many notes like this. I don't remember the same kind of notes for lines in the Inquisition files, but those were so hard to look at in comparison that maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough?

[thebestusernamepossible]

I think a really underrated character duo in gravity falls is Dipper and Stan. Like one, I think they are way more similar than people give them credit for. Like Dipper is definitely the one who feels like the ‘inferior’ twin (internally on his part), something reflected in Stan. Also Dipper is generally pretty cunning and willing to throw punches in a Stan-way, you can see Stan rubbing off on him as the show progresses. Dipper in the Stan costume, and that one scene where Stan and Dipper both cross their fingers at the same time for the same promise, both live in my head rent free. In my heart of hearts I think Dipper picks up a bit of Stans con-man tricks in the future (and Mabel goes on some bonding missions w/ Ford, but this post isn’t abt them). Also I just want to say I bet Dipper reminded Stan of a young Ford and that informed some of their early dynamic. Anyway bye just needed this brainworm out

[emimii]

hello aaaaaa i love your stuff its literally the cutest and i cannot stand it

I was wondering if you could do a jelly and jenny drawing or interaction... i hc they are like, friends w benefits bc they have been friends since forever and experimented n stuff, and still do sometimes, but in reality they are just good friends. Im curious to hear ab your hcs w them!

THANK U SM! ! it means a lot that u find my stuff cute <3

my personal hcs belowww

here is myyyyy jenny and jelly, ive always assumed they were like two middle aged ladies who hung out and gossiped together to me but i never thought abt the friends w benefits thing tbh, its totally possible though these kitty cats r FREAKY!!!

one big headcanon ive always had specifically for jenny was like, before moving on to training mice and roaches she was a previous jellicle protector/fighter type and probably taught munkustrap what he knows, i think it adds to the old gumbie cat as well bcuz hes singing abt his mentor!! the lady who taught him all he knows!!

i definitely think jelly and jenny have had a looooong friendship and frequently look back on their youth, probably telling stories to younger cats and kittens and a lot of them are crazy like “oh jenny my dear remember those days youd beat every tom in the scrapyard in an arm wrestle?” and jenny just giggles and is like “my…. that was so long ago ^^;”

i think personally if jenny is physical damage, jellylorum is psychological damage bcuz she’d be one of those aunties that r good at finding the best words to make you feel the worst sometimes but she has good intentions and tends to use it for good esp w jenny keeping her in check so like,,, power duo!!

[inarmes]

re; ableism in the hunger games, infantilism of the traumatized/shunning of the traumatized.

okay so i woke up & my awesome mutual @ongreenergrasses made a post about this too (i JUST saw it and like oooh my god. i agree so hard and so much) and i'm just going to talk about what i've been thinking.

the hunger games is doused in some really nasty thinking when it comes to mental health, and then even more so when it comes to disabilities, addiction and PTSD. i'm going to break down this post in parts based on each character who represents this, and any misc. ones will simply be the issue at hand alone. i find that suzanne writes a certain stereotypical sort of rhetoric that goes unchecked by this fandom because the majority are not those who have experienced these things, but the ones who *have* should at least bring this to more attention if possible. katniss to me, is one of the most ableist characters (not of her own knowing) as the good and mighty protagonist, and seeing people headcanon her as autistic is very interesting when her takes on people with any sort of difference in mental states is.. it comes into question constantly.

𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐄

annie is very truthfully, a character who is only based on being the ‘poor mad girl who wins finnick's heart’ and yes, a victor with more severe PTSD which has come to affect her daily life, or at least when it comes to the games. suzanne collins’ constant use of the term ‘mad girl’ comes from katniss as protagonist, which reads as so ableist. watering anyone to their inpairments or their level of health is dehumanizing, and it reads to me like she regards annie as a sort of special case, like a wounded animal almost. the only positive talk about annie as a character minus her wedding, minus her relationship with finnick is when peeta explains annie's experiences in the games, which comes with empathy and understanding that most,,, are overbearing with. i see so many people water her down to just, being finnick's, and only being whatever level of trauma has enabled her consistent struggles. this i won't put a label on because i don't know what collin's was trying to achieve.

i even believe that finnick as her lover commits a level of ableist thinking in their relationship. he withholds information of the rebellion from her (despite her being extremely smart and just as career as anyone else from four,) and despite that not changing anything because she's still tortured, still abused in some way, he has a level of extreme overprotectiveness that reads as infantilism of his partner, and it seems to me like everyone considers finnick as annie's carer, and doesn't consider annie as his partner. yes his *lover,* but not someone on equal ground as far as their mental health issues go. the way annie is seen on both coins of fandom and book are incredibly ignorant and very, very harmful to disabled people. just because someone has a debilitating issue does not mean you get to treat them like they're a child, does not mean you go onto label them from that single trait. like i said, the phrase ‘the mad girl back home’ is so, so degrading to annie, who is a survivor and has overcome her experiences with respective scars. respect her humanity, because it's sub human thinking to call someone mad based on PTSD. leave that in the 1910s/20s.

𝐌𝐑𝐒. 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐍 & 𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇

(note that the haymitch part will be longer than the rest because i have enough content to go off of & this is my specialty)

mrs. everdeen and haymitch as characters both experience deprecating grief, to the extent where their mental health is tarnished from that. mrs. e becomes withdrawn and stiff from family; only able to function for the sake of work. her love, her husband dies and it emotionally disables her and severs a proper relationship to her two daughters. her mental health being dependant on the man/the loss of him and the fact that she discards her family is not only somewhat realistic for *some* cases, but also equally spitting out ideas of tradition and how "women need a man," with hazelle contrasting this and having to work for her 4 children to the point of blood. katniss’ perception of her mother's issue do come from hurt, but also internalised prejudice against those with mental health as she can see the extent of agony her mother is in and still loathes her, never leaving the door open for empathy.

the treatment of haymitch in both book and fandom is equally prejudiced and incredibly uneducated on addiction, and again — grief. haymitch self-medicates because his trauma, the extent of it is so mutilating to the point where he has to be flushing out memories on a constant basis. the fandom calls him a stupid drink, looks down on his intelligence. the books make him look volatile, squalored. the way in which suzanne collins describes his kitchen (which is filthy with old food, hazards, bottles and mice droppings) is VERY true of several people with severe mental health. katniss makes fun of him while he's in a state of approaching withdrawal, saying that the smell brings tears to her eyes, and at the end of the conversation ‘to take a bath.’ people with depression (which is what mrs. e and haymitch both have in different cases) find it difficult to do everyday chores and simple tasks, and katniss also repeats the idea of haymitch being unhygienic when she says ‘he's disgusting, but I'm greatful’ alongside commenting that it must've been a long while since he had bathed. haymitch is the richest man in the district, but not even that can stop the blatant hatred that katniss parrots. haymitch is to me, ill, and it reflects in his attitude during the games and when he's in withdrawal. suzanne hones in his mental state the most, and what he is a functioning alcoholic, and while that differs from regular alcoholism, people are consistent to demean his character with misconceptions and text books beliefs of what an alcoholic looks like. there are *many* takes, many examples of these sorts of people in society, but the constant abusive, violent, hateful, squalid, hedonistic ideas are parroted in fics when it comes to haymitch when he isn't.. any of those things. the society around him cares to consider the extent of his suffering and he doesn't have a good enough support system, as all whom he has loved are dead. i finish this by saying what i always do; he's extremely intelligent, extremely empathetic and wholly feeling, extremely caring and protective, and is meant to *defy* stereotypes. his ending however diminishes his ability to get better, and practically undoes any hope of his betterment despite it all.

𝐌𝐑𝐒. 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐄

mrs. undersee is mentioned a few times through the trilogy, and when it isn't related to her late twin maysilee donner, or her daughter madge, it's her chronic illness. katniss basically only mentions her when referring to her constant headaches and her morphling addiction, which makes me wonder why suzanne collins doesn't go into depth about how she's taken care of, who she's getting support from as the wife of the district mayor, and how she functions as a mother. she is basically made useless to the narrative despite her important role as a mayoral first lady & family member to someone who experienced and was slaughtered in the arena. i see next to no content on her which upsets me as she does play such a big role in the scheme of things, and has connections to the everdeens, to haymitch and to the donner family. she's got next to nothing on her wikipedia, and it's unfortunate as she could've been a good example of chronic ilness in an already revered YA series (which now comes under scrutiny for the faults being uprooted.)

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Percy as Elphaba and Oliver as Glinda

Except in Defying Gravity they switch roles

[kneelingshadowsalome]

CW: LONG

World building question::: since Theseus did die and the minotaur escaped, how did that affect history and myths? Like a great demigod has been slain by a monster and a priestess not only led him out of his captivity BUT MARRIED(?) HIM!

Did the great writers write myths about them? The witch and the monster or because they were never cursed by the gods maybe it's written in a beauty and the beast style, like the priestess and the wild man? Or, desperate to hide the fact their great hero failed and the supposed monster was actually just a very large man abandoned by his family, the great writers lied about Theseus' victory over the minotaur, and Ariadne!reader + Minotaur!Konïg are just known as this really odd couple.

Speaking of which, besides being seen as very odd because of their love for each other, how else are they treated? Is reader still given the same respect as a priestess? What does she do while Konïg is gone? Does she deal with any harassment? What about Konïg? We know he sails but does he become a hero or legend? Does the crew he sails with know he's the minotaur? Or do they just regard him as this unsocialized large man and that's it?

Ahhh so many possibilities!!!! Sorry this is so long I just love these twoooo ugh :(((

Heyy! These questions are so super cute!! 💕

Knowing how crazy and unfair these myths usually are, I’d bet the tales would paint the priestess as the villain of the story, even worse than Pasiphae or even the bull himself. She not only unleashed the Minotaur but also allowed him to hit so that's like super naughty of her! :((

Also no storyteller was there to see their love or how they lived after they left Crete so these two were written down as deformed monsters who killed the king, wrecked the island of Crete, fornicated in the wilderness and probably ate children along the way. If they ever heard any of these stories during their lifetime, they must’ve laughed!

--besides being seen as very odd because of their love for each other, how else are they treated? Is reader still given the same respect as a priestess? What does she do while Konïg is gone? Does she deal with any harassment?

Reader becomes a weaver and a healer beyond the sea. She’s no longer an “official” initiate but knows that Hecate is still with her (because that's how it is when a powerful goddess claims you as her own!)

She uses her skills and knowledge for healing which makes her a respected member in their new community. Because of the influence of her dark goddess she’s a bit of a loner still, and does not easily make friends. But now that she can dabble in the so called “worldly affairs”, she wants to help others if she can, and by saving lives she gains a widely honored reputation.

If anyone harasses her while König is away–which would be rare because anyone can see her husband is a beast—she might show a darker side of herself and the goddess at her back. People will rather leave her alone than test the power of the foreign woman’s curse, and besides, most men respect her out of fear. Which of course makes König smile with pride :)

What about Konïg? We know he sails but does he become a hero or legend? Does the crew he sails with know he's the minotaur? Or do they just regard him as this unsocialized large man and that's it?

No one knows about König's past and he likes to keep it that way. If he could decide he’d rather not be perceived at all, any kind of reputation just inherently feels wrong to him. He especially doesn’t want to be thought as the true heir to any throne: king is a synonym for tyrant in his mind so he doesn’t want to have anything to do with his royal past.

König never becomes much of a legend except in his home town and with his crew, and even then he’s mostly celebrated as the big buff guy who doesn’t talk much but who always keeps his word and fucks and fights like it’s his last day on this earth. For König, it’s enough that his wife is pleased with him and that people who know him think he’s a good man. He’s very happy with this kind of legacy!

This couple wants to be left out of the history books altogether, they want to live a happy, peaceful life that's uneventful and lovely in it's simple beauty. No one remembers who they were after a few centuries have passed, and they wouldn't have it any other way. ❤️❤️❤️

[heavenly-requiem]

I am replaying Requiem and Dmitry could not be further from the truth. Certain dialogue options dive deeply into Lana's thoughts, her relationship with Cain, and how others perceive the two. And yes, Dmitry. It is the two of them against the world. Lane just wants her book with a skull full of pomegranate juice in one hand and Cain's head on her lap. Let them be weird and offputting in peace.

[elvhenmage]

davrin missing his clan but being too nervous/afraid to face them yet since it’s been so long so post-game elowen introduces him to clan lavellan to help him get the feel of it again and also to cure her own homesickness 💭

[lexycxndy]

"God of Outcasts"

"the monster is gone"

I miss 2012-2018 Loki ugh