#Tenet Full Version

[crowdsourcedgender]

My zine, 'Label Coining as an Artform', is finally done! Transcript/Image ID underneath (warning: it's long). Printed version in a reblog.

[Image ID: A series of pages in a zine. The text is handwritten, and all figures described are simplified stick figures.

Page 1: ‘LABEL COINING as an ARTFORM in large text. Below is the multicolored MOGAI wheel, with three figures taking pieces of the colors and using them for art: sculpting, cutting a piece of paper, and painting. Below is ‘a MOGAI (& LIOM!) zine by Elliot/Hesper aka @ crowdsourcedgender on tumblr. Under the text are five pride flags: aro-spec, veldian, alterhuman, xenoman, and schooldoodlic.

Page 2: ‘Label Coining’ in large pink text. ‘(in this context) is the act of creating a word (and usually flag) for a certain experience!’. Next to this text is a figure filled in with pink with a speech bubble full of pink shapes, talking to someone using a cane holding out a hand and expressing a question mark. Below reads ‘generally a queer experience, but does often include or incorporate disability, neurodivergence etc.’ A figure asks ‘Why?’ and the text reads ‘I would say these are the ‘core tenets’:’. In a cloud next to this text is a blue and purple pride flag with purple text reading: ‘like this cool prosopagnosia flag I made!’.

The bottom half of the page is split into two columns: ‘Understanding’ and ‘Community’. The first column has a purple arm amputee explaining a purple rectangle to another purple person who is thinking ‘that’s me!!’. Next to them another purple person is explaining the same rectangle to a blank person, who has a purple-filled thought bubble with a white exclamation mark. Underneath the drawing is text surrounded by question marks: ‘Labels help people understand what they are experiencing, and communicate this to others. It’s easier to explain something when it’s already been written down!” The second column has a purple person holding a purple umbrella. They are waving to a purple person in a wheelchair. A purple person is leading another one to the group. Underneath the drawing is text surrounded by connected dots: ‘People can unite under a shared label whether this group is big or small! Whether for practical purposes (like advice) or just for fun, having people like you is nice.

Page 3: ‘And these are just as important as ever! But I’ve noticed what I like to call COINING for the sake of CREATION’. This last phrase is in large, dark and light blue text. Two sun symbols are on either side. Below is the text: ‘Vexillology is very clearly an artform, but label coining has become something more (not to mention that not all new labels have flags!). It’s composed of multiple skills has become more than the sum of its parts. Any art captures an experience, but label coining is much more explicit about it. And not just people’s experience of their identity! Part of the art of label coining is incorporating other concepts too, e.g. Schooldoodlic A gender related to doodling on school work papers and/or your homework. By spirits-gender-coining on Tumblr.’ The text about Schooldoodlic is small and light teal. Next to the text is its flag.

Page 4: ‘Elements of Label Coining’. The text on this page is separated into four green boxes.

‘Naming: Coming up with the actual word can be tricky. Generally, labels with lots of elements get more leeway with length. It’s important to check that a label isn’t already a word as well.’ Next to this text is more rough, dark green text reading ‘Premade suffixes + prefixes help! And latin (for some languages) as it’s possible to intuit meaning!’ Around the text is a few examples: ‘-vesil’ ‘-musica’ ‘an-’ ‘quoi-’

‘Flag making: Also known as vexillology, this is a pretty big deal. It’s also the most fun for me! You develop a really good sense of color from spending so much recoloring the same three stripes.’ Next to the text is 6 versions of the same pride flag, each with slightly different colors, with a 7th final version with a symbol.

‘Symbol making: Most flags don’t have symbols, but they’re good for groups of labels under a certain umbrella, or just if you have a really good idea.’ Next to this is rough, dark green text reading: ‘I drew three semirealistic flowers for a flag and ended up only using one’ with sad face. Under it is a drawing of a daisy, a pink coneflower, and lavender, which is circled.

‘Descriptions/formatting: Explanations can be artistic in their own right, and formatting is fun to mess with: many people have their own style. Make sure it’s accessible: add image IDs and plain text where applicable. There are a lot of good resources online!’ In dark green text is the phrase ‘Accessibility over Aesthetics’ with an image of a key on top and sparkles below.

Underneath the boxes in light green text is ‘Note: in the right context, any of these can be optional!’

Page 5: ‘If it wasn’t clear, I think this is AWESOME’. Awesome is in large text with yellow radiating lines. Underneath is ‘I’m a MOGAI coiner myself (generally) with about 65 coins at time of drawing. Using something I made, I wanted to demonstrate what a label coining might look like!’ Underneath is four versions of the same pride flag as well as a description, with ‘flag!’ ‘stripe meanings (I don’t normally do these)’ ‘symbol’ ‘name’ ‘pre-existing format’ and ‘experience’ labelled. The description reads ‘[Image ID was here] Human non-conforming (HNC). Human non-conforming (HNC, similar to gender non-conforming) is an umbrella label encompassing all identities and subcultures that somehow incorporate nonhuman elements in any way.’

Page 6: ‘The thing I love most about the label coining community is just that- the community! The way coiners and users interact, as well as how coiners can work together, is wonderful. There are 5 large words each with an associated doodle.

‘Requesting’: A figure leaning on forearm crutches has a speech bubble with yellow shapes exploding out of it. Another figure is taking shapes down from the bubble and forming it into a ball.

‘Collecting’: A figure is pulling a yellow cart with a large cloth bag labelled ‘LABELS’. They have stars in their eyes, and are looking at another person who is gesturing to a yellow rectangle.

‘Collaborating’: Two figures, one with orange speech and one with yellow speech and an AAC tablet are discussing, with many shapes and lines intermingling to make a fragmented rectangle.

‘Combining’: A figure in a grey hijab pulls down a lever. They are standing next to a large blender mixing orange and yellow liquids. On either side is bright yellow lightning.

‘Redesiging’: A small star with four radial lines coming out of it becomes more and more complex, indicated by black arrows.

Under the words is the text: ‘I’ve never participated, but there’s this amazing event called: COINFIGHT. Hosted by @ kiruliom on Tumblr. It’s inspired by artfight, and it involves coining labels for other people- but competitive-ish!’ Coinfight is in large, text with a crescent moon with stars at the top right corner, and a star at the bottom left.

Page 7: ‘I don’t think there’s anything like finding a label that finally fits you, or hearing that something you made did that for someone else.’ Under is a figure looking at an orange flower with light lines, then forming elements of the flower into a bubble, then showing an orange rectangle to another figure, with orange tendrils reaching towards them, forming the shape of a heart. Below is the text ‘There are a lot of things like pouring out your heart- or just having fun- while making or collecting label. I coin in the same mind I sketch and color and shade.’ On each side is a pen drawing an orange figure with a red shirt, and a tablet with an orange and red flag. Under this is ‘Label coining is an artform both like and unlike any other, and I’m proud to participate in it. I hope that if you want to, you can join me. And if that’s not your thing- thanks for reading!’ There is a drawing of a figure with dark grey wings holding up two fingers. Next is a ‘<2’ heart and ‘elliot’ as a signature. In smaller text next to these is ‘Thank you to the creators whose work is featured in this zine! Credit on the next page. Remember to keep this wonderful community and artform accessible to all!’

Page 8: ‘Credit’: This section has a pride flag next to each label. ‘Aromantic-spectum, @ theflagarchive on Tumblr. Turian, @ kenochoric on Tumblr. Schooldoodlic, @ spirits-gender-coining on Tumblr. Xenoman, @ ryanyflags on Tumblr. MOGAI symbol, Pride-Flags on DeviantArt. Alterhuman, @ vaestra on Tumblr. (the flag on pg. 4 is Wildflowergender). ‘About making this zine’: ‘I really, really regret handwriting this. Drawing over Helvetica Neue for so long might change my actual handwriting, [more rough:] which looks like this! According to Artstudio Pro, I took 14 hours! I barely planned this before starting, the color wheel theme and the people doodles. /End ID]

[hederasgarden]

Do you have any darker thoughts about your fav ATJ characters?

Bestie, I have so many thoughts, and I’m totally blaming @otaku-girl-ao3 for this. A few weeks ago, we spent an afternoon on Discord brainstorming what the ATJ characters would be like as dark versions of themselves and how that would manifest in distinct and interesting ways.

Just a quick note—this is quite a departure from the usual content on my blog and the type of things I typically write about. Recently, I’ve been gathering the courage to explore some darker themes in my writing (I blame BookTok for introducing me to a lot of questionable tropes). Please be kind and let me know if you’d like to see more of this kind of writing from me!

Characters: Sergei Kravinoff (Kraven the Hunter), Friedrich Harding (Nosferatu), Tangerine (Bullet Train), and Ives (Tenet) Rating: Explicit, 18+ only. Dead dove, do not eat. VERY dark, depraved, and horny thoughts direct from me to you. Not all themes are tagged. Read at your own risk.  Please comment or reblog if you enjoyed this and want to see more. Or scream at me in my inbox. That always makes my day.

Aaron Taylor Johnson Character Masterlist

Sergei is a meticulous planner, taking his time to observe you and learn your habits. He likely comes across you by chance—perhaps while on the job or visiting his brother. It’s your scent that first grabs his attention, but it’s not what draws him back. It’s the softness and sweetness in your demeanor, the vulnerability you exude, completely unaware of the dangers around you. You’re the easiest prey he’s ever tracked, unaware even of the most basic threats. You’re always buried in a book or your phone, headphones on at full blast. If it weren’t for his quiet intervention, you would have been robbed or worse on your way home at least twice. 

He takes you because he believes you're not meant to be on your own. You need someone to care for you, to protect you from the world that you don’t fully understand. Really, it’s lucky your paths crossed. He’s certain you’ll come to see things his way in time. Until then, he’s turned his home into a beautiful little cage for you to live in, complete with an entire library filled with your favorite books, cozy blankets to keep you warm, and all the ingredients for the meals you love to cook and enjoy. He’s done his research on what you like and he’ll bring you anything you ask for. Afterall, he’s a provider at heart.

There’s no concern of you running away. You've seen the large snow leopard that prowls around outside, and the one time you made a foolish attempt to escape, Sergei was quick to show you that he wouldn't always be so gentle or understanding. As @writercole suggested, once he has you back, he’ll also end up keeping you tethered by the ankle for a while, a lesson that if you try to run, he’ll leash you.

After you recover from that experience Sergei finds you’re a much better pet, settling into your new life and role. You start cooking for him when he's home, and willingly crawl into bed beside him, seeking out his warmth on those cold winter nights. Soon, Sergei knows you’ll be ready for the next step: starting a family of your own.

Friedrich (in a modern AU) strikes me as the type who would quietly manipulate situations to his advantage, working behind the scenes to ensure things unfold just how he wants. He’d spot you working at a cafe or store he frequently visits and, from that moment, start working on a plan to make you his.

Rather than using overt force, he’d rely on subtle pressure and gaslighting, making you doubt yourself and your choices. He’d skillfully set up circumstances to undermine you—ensuring you miss out on a job you desperately need, getting you fired, or putting you in a position where you have no choice but to turn to him. When you're at your lowest, he’ll swoop in as the savior, the one who appears to protect you. His goal is to make you dependent on him alone, carefully ensuring that when the time comes for him to make his move, you're in no position to resist. Consent would be questionable, but he'd remind you every time you hesitated that you said yes, that you asked for his help, and that you invited him in.

I can also see him isolating you from friends and family, slowly pulling you away from the support system you once had. He’d definitely be the type to love-bomb you, showering you with overwhelming attention and affection, using his money and influence to manipulate you further. 

He strikes me as a baby trapper, sabotaging your birth control or tampering with his condoms to ensure you get pregnant. He believes you'd be the perfect wife and mother—you just need his help to realize that. Once he has you, he’d be the most loving and attentive husband, always caring, but beneath that sweetness lies an unshakable belief that he knows what’s best. He’s the one who makes the decisions, subtly guiding everything with quiet confidence until, over time, the balance shifts in his favor and you start looking to him for help with even the easiest things. Despite all of this, Friedrich would likely still view himself as a good person, firmly rejecting any notion that he is abusive or in the wrong.

Tangerine is on the opposite end of the spectrum, much more inclined to use brute force and physical violence to make you understand your place. He has a short temper and struggles with impulse control, especially when you don't follow his demands. There’s no slow build-up with him—he has no time or patience for romance. The moment he sees you on the street, he decides you’re coming home with him, and that’s final. Or maybe Tangerine and Lemon are sent to kill your husband but when Tangerine sees just how sweet you are, completely unaware of who and what your husband really is, he decides to keep you for himself. After all, no one's going to miss you. They’ll assume you died in the house fire with your husband. 

Once he had you he would try and spoil you with a beautiful place to live, fine clothes and decadent food. He’d want you to look and dress a certain way for him. A darker version of him would fit the profile of a classic abuser—lashing out at you in anger, only to later show up with flowers and a hollow apology, turning the blame onto you as if you were the one who provoked it.

“Why do you have to make things so fuckin’ hard, huh?” Tangerine questions, caressing your bruised skin. “I hate when you make me do this to ya luv. You need to listen better.”

He’d definitely be the most terrifying of all the dark versions of the ATJ characters because of his unpredictability. (I do not know why but I have such a strong sense he’d pop you in the mouth/back hand you with those rings on and just….yeah.)

If Ives were to go dark, he’d likely abuse his power and authority in the workplace, targeting someone beneath him—someone who wasn’t military and who he could easily manipulate using his strength and knowledge. Maybe you’re his admin, someone he works closely with, and no one questions the fact that you’re often in his office with the door closed or staying late to finish tasks together. He’d be blunt about his intentions with you, setting clear expectations for how things would unfold. His actions would be predictable—if you were a good girl, you’d be rewarded; if you misbehaved, there would be consequences. Ives would be a steady, unyielding force, confident that, with time, you’d fall into line.

[astral-herald]

viktor, a messiah inverted.

arcane season 2 spoilers throughout.

I have a plethora of thoughts on Viktor's strictly season 2, act 1 arc so far and I'd like to get them down in writing before act 2 drops. without a clue about how this evolves in future acts, I'd like to unpack the ways in which arcane has painted Viktor not as a simple Christ-figure, but an inverted messianic figure in just 2 tight episodes.

important note: i'm speaking strictly in terms of literary/film analysis. as you'll see, i'm taking an archetypal angle and won't be evoking any true discussions of faith in this post. i would never want to offend anyone of any religious beliefs, and i hope the secondary source i bring in helps clarify my meaning <3

Lit scholar and professor Robert Detweiler, writing in a very old (1964) but useful article about Christ figures in American literature, defines 3 manifestations of such symbolism: the disguised biblical christ; the christ figure as "mythological archetype;" and the christ figure as a symbol. i'll be using the second definition, the archetype, which he defines as the following:

“He can be the redeemer on the supernatural level who mediates between God and man or the culture-bringer on the natural level who introduces people to a better life " (115).

*In general, when I'm talking about a Christ figure (which I'll then invert in Viktor's case), I mean a fictionalized account of Christ's experiences and teachings, in whatever way they can manifest in the corresponding literature/story.

Arcane is very heavy on archetypes, and this version of a Christ figure is the most divorced from any distinctly biblical iterations that would hinder an analysis like this one. This definition then invokes 2 main questions: who is the God, or the transcendent, in Arcane, and what is the "better life?" I argue the following: the transcendent would refer to the arcane itself, as it's the only larger than life force we have to work with at this point in the series; the "better life" is the healing Viktor is offering shimmer addicts. Culture-bringer makes Viktor into a bestower of the knowledge the he was "granted" from above (time away from Zaun, time spent enduring the Hexcore). His "descent" to the undercity represents a "mission" of spreading that knowledge and healing. All that, combined with a stunningly on the nose visual rework, he's got the full Jesus-Christ-Allegory package.

But I just don't think it's so black and white!

They've altered an otherwise one-for-one replication of traditional, overdone Christ, messianic allegories into an eerie perversion. I've broken that down into 6 main points...

An Unwilling Resurrection

As Viktor states very obliquely to Jayce, "I was supposed to die." 1x09 all but closes with Viktor telling Jayce to allow him to die by promising to destroy the Hexcore. With his time running out, Viktor resigns himself to his own death; he would even have something of a legacy, as pointed out by Heimerdinger.

But Jayce wrenches him back to life. Whereas a typical Christ figure, in Detweiler's view especially, would have this resurrection spring from a transcendent divine will, Viktor is fighting against said will. He rebukes the life that's been re-thrust upon him. So, while it may be a Christ-like resurrection on the surface, it's far from it in intent and impact.

A Concealed Crucifixion

Viktor's physical positioning is very similar to that of a figure nailed to a cross, sans the fully outstretched arms, in this full-body shot. Yet, whereas a Christ's figure's demise would most likely be displayed as a testament of that character's sacrifice, Jayce has concealed Viktor. He lets only his most trusted confidant, Mel, witness Viktor. Maybe Cait has seen him, too, based on her conversation with Jayce, but in general he's not been seen by a large audience.

The Empty Tomb

Christ's departure from the tomb after 3 days is crucial tenet of Christian belief -- Viktor leaving his cocoon/tomb is not joyous, nor is it a sign of transcendent prophecy. If the arcane is the transcendent in this case, Heimerdinger's frequent warnings about its potential for destruction do not promise anything good by its manifestation walking among the common people - a marked difference from a traditional Christ figure. The empty cavern he leaves is but an eerie revision of the stone being moved from the tomb's opening.

Blind Leading the Blind

Viktor is not on a divine-inspired mission; he's being manipulated to some degree by an entity that has invaded his psyche, taking the form of Sky. He's not piloting himself, nor is there a benevolent transcendent being guiding him toward spreading good will. Viktor is blind, not a teacher, and he leads the blind, the shimmer addicts, further into a darkness over which he has no control (yet! I'm confident he'll be regaining agency soon). Even his eyes, now without their old amber hue, point to the fact that he's not seeing nor living clearly right now.

Cultists. Not Disciples.

The blind in question are not called to love and learn from Viktor organically. Whether by implication or a plot device to expounded upon later, Viktor very frighteningly draws the shimmer addict (Huck) toward him and forces his power unto him. As far as we can tell now, the result was nothing bad, but the Sump addicts have bent their knees to him out of desperate fear, not benevolence or worship. The mercy he's extended them is inspired by the malevolent arcane, which seems hungry and commanding.

Enslavement to, Not Embodiment of, the Transcendent

While Viktor has consumed (or been consumed by?) the arcane, he still does not embody it. Despite aligning with Detweiler's "culture-bringer," Viktor can only maintain this for so long. His body is weakened by this episodic healing - he collapses after healing Huck the first time. And in the newly released poster, we can see what appears to be brown rust/rot beginning to corrupt his hand.

If Viktor truly embodied the transcendent, the arcane, it would mesh properly with his person. Instead, he's been enslaved to it. The degree to which it's currently affecting him may be up for debate, but all signs point to Viktor not being totally with us just yet.

In sum, Viktor has the superficial workings of a typical messianic symbol, but beneath the surface, the writers have made not an anti-Christ, but an upside-down version. If Viktor had malicious intent and spread what was outwardly harmful, especially inspiring that in others, then a new term may be necessary. But the tragedy involved in his story so far is that of attempted healing, attempted redemption, and attempted forgiveness all being corrupted by the transcendent arcane.

I'm very excited to see where they take his arc next. I like to think that this analysis can stand on its own, at least for now!

[thedarknesseater]

Tagged by @shydroid3000 and @birdhousematerial to share the first lines of ten of your latest fanfics and tag ten people.

(i was kinda second guessing if i wanted to do this because i definitely do not have 10 wips, but here we go anyway :) I put the first paragraph for most of these)

1. the shortest poem is a name (gotoge)

Inumaki doesn't really keep tabs on the first years, and up until yesterday, the entire first-year student body consisted of only Megumi Fushiguro, but news about the vessel reaches the school before the boy does. Inumaki is curious about him, though Maki and Panda’s disinterest forces him to put on an air of nonchalance among his peers.

my only published wip that is not abandoned.

2. An exercise in bearing curses (no ship, bg mention of stsg)

You never think that hate will become a guiding tenet of your life until it does. And if you’re lying to yourself, like you do everyday, it’s not that bad.

You open your eyes and a sickening doom eases its way into your gut gradually. It has been this way since her — since that day in the star corridor. It is a weight that pulls you down like lead in your boots and you don’t ever want to get out of bed to do anything, but you have a mission. You are still a jujutsu sorcerer, you tell yourself, and you have a duty.

My most ambitious, experimental wip that is very close to my heart. I will cry tears of joy the day I finish this.

3. Creature comforts (stsg)

Excorcising the curse feels like nothing. It does not exhaust them to any degree but they are pleasantly out of breath once they finish it. Satoru has been handsy throughout the length of this mission, something about not being satiated enough when they left the school this morning. He is not surprised when his arms are full of Satoru the moment they are done, but he gets embarrassingly close to dropping it.

This is part of my effort to move my tumblr ficlets to ao3 and it's technically not a wip but it's not published yet (on ao3. i did clean up the tumblr version a little) so I'm kinda cheating with this one. But I really do like their dynamic in this.

4. Let's pretend desire isn't the first stage of despair (stsg)

It is 4:29 on the clock when Satoru finds him, without an arm, leaning against a bloody wall. It pains him to see him like this, mutilated and defeated. And there's a simmering anger within him, the likes of which he's never acknowledged before. It is 4:31 PM on Christmas Eve, sky painted red in the dying daylight, when Satoru kills his best friend – his one and only – Suguru Geto. 

This one was cooked up when I was dealing with something similar (death, close to the family) and I hope to get back to this someday very soon. It's also a collab fic with @blackcvrds

5. Convergence (no ship, mention of stsg in the future)

I had always liked squinting up at the sun, frantically searching around its edges to try and find the shape of it around the bright ring of light; only for a few seconds before it inevitably started to hurt.

It hurt in a way that was very different from the way it did when I looked at the swirls of cursed energy inside people. I wasn't particulary fond of how it poked at my eyes, like a constant tug behind my eyeballs, but the sting that came with looking at the sun for too long was exhiliarating. I used to steal glances up at the sky whenever i was alone outisde, i would look till my eyes watered and it felt like i was being brave.

This is the companion piece to an exercise in bearing curses, also an experimental fic (with 1st person pov). I had most of this written before I decided to rewrite it in 1st person as an accompanying fic to the other one. So right now it's a huge mess.

6. Depollute me, pretty baby (itfs)

It’s half past three when Itadori slides the glassdoor and tiptoes in. He’s not as covert about it as he would like to be, Megumi only looks up from his book when the beads clack against each other as Itadorii parts them to get to him. Megumi watches as the bed dips under Itadori’s knees – he is careful to hide his amusement as Itadori crawls to him from the other end of the bed. 

This is sukuna's extra eye slit fucking itafushi that I neeeeeeed to finish. But motivation has been low. Soooo low😭

7. Unnamed (junpei/mahito)

Junpei knew all about disappointment. The coarse heartbreak that comes from losing friends, or the ones who pretended to be his friend, the dull pang of the familiarity of being isolated, the bitter realisation of them laughing at him. They never laughed with him anyway. 

He never thought that he would get used to the ache of it. The ache that crawled and scratched at the walls of his heart, and the ache that they brought him. The burns came later, it started with kicks and fists against his frail ribcage. He thinks that is why he finds Mahito to be a balm, a comfort he never found anywhere else.

This is the mahiyoshi fic. I wanted to get it done for rarepairfest but I don't think that's in the works anymore.

8. Unnamed (gofushi)

Megumi is a pragmatist. 

He knows that they are going to be late, he knows that there is a perfect wet impression of his ass on the bedspread, he knows that the room is rapidly filling with his half swallowed moans as Gojo sucks open-mouthed kisses along his inner thighs, refusing to go near his aching cock. What he doesn’t know is why Gojo would leave him like that — fresh out of the shower but debauched immediately, spread out and naked on his Sensei’s bed, out of breath and only slightly annoyed. 

Okay, so this one was for a prompt by @shydroid3000 and I started out pretty strong but now it resides among the mothballs. I will take it out of storage one day soon enough because I have been eyeing it recently.

Tagging @spaceandbones @snailmp3 @ihavethegrimoire @catsmical @sanguineerose (and anyone else would want to participate)

[lurkingshan]

I've been thinking a lot about the depictions of generational trauma and parental accountability being presented in dramas lately. Since you've watched way more than me, especially outside of BLs, what are some shows that present or include parental accountability?

This is such a good question and one I have been thinking about a lot since Last Twilight episode 10 aired. Westerners often assume that because of Asian cultural norms around filial piety, parental authority, and respect for elders, we can never expect satisfying parental accountability in our Asian drama narratives. But that's not true! It's been done and done well. It’s because these values are so deeply embedded in most Asian cultures that Asian creators are the best positioned to speak on the harms they can cause, and will often embed these themes in their work.

Now, there is an important distinction to make here: the difference between what characters do, and what the story communicates. A character may choose to abide by honoring their parents at all costs, but the story can still communicate how harmful that is. A character may never apologize for something they have done wrong, but the story can still make it clear they have fucked up and hold them accountable for that via tangible consequences. Here are a few examples from bl to illustrate what I mean, and the different ways this can show up in dramas.

Bad Buddy

One of the most obvious examples of parental accountability in genre, and also a pretty full metal version of it. This entire story is about the damage Ming and Dissaya did their sons with their decades-long feud and insistence on pushing that trauma down on their children, and we got some extremely cathartic scenes of Pat and Pran telling their parents exactly what they thought about that. Of course, even though they raged at their parents, they never got the apologies they deserved (and likely never will) and still had to hide their relationship to appease their parents going forward. But that doesn't mean there was no accountability here. The entire narrative held these parents accountable by showing us how they were harming their sons, forcing them to reckon with it, and ultimately showing them settling into a form of resigned acceptance.

Until We Meet Again

This entire show is about Korn and In's reincarnated souls healing from the trauma of their tragic ending, which was brought upon by the familial pressure and rejection they experienced from their fathers. We not only saw Dean and Pharm work through this trauma and forge new bonds with family members, we saw the direct aftermath of their first deaths, the despair and regret their families felt, and the ceremony that tied their souls together as a result. It's big karmic accountability on a grand scale, and the show never flinched from letting us see exactly how much harm was caused by these parents, or how the tenets of filial piety resulted in Korn's despair that he couldn't be what his father wanted. Even more crucially, we were shown, not just told, the counterpoint impact of good parenting, when Dean and Pharm were accepted by their families in their second life.

Blueming

A rare example of an Asian parent being called to the carpet, feeling the wrongness of their actions, and actually apologizing for it. This does in fact happen in drama! Si Won's mom raised him to hate himself, to be ashamed of his body, to fake his way through life so people would like him, and boy did it do a lot of damage. The story showed us how this affected Si Won and his relationships deeply, and brought him to the point where it finally burst out of him. And his mom, to her credit, was dismayed to understand what she had done to her son. This show also gets bonus points for Da Un standing up to his own mother after she interferes in the film contest.

Bed Friend

Uea's mother's sins against him are numerous, and I will not go into them all in detail to spare my own sanity. She is an abusive parent so horrific that she can never be forgiven, and doesn't need to be. An apology from her would be utterly meaningless. Instead, the drama holds her to account via showing us what she's done to Uea and the work he has to do to heal from the trauma she caused, and ultimately having her son cut her out of his life. It's the biggest consequence she can ever face for her choices and that Uea finds the courage to do it is the story's biggest triumph.

What Did You Eat Yesterday?

On the subtler end of the scale, we have our beloved KNT, which weaves parental accountability through its story in the long, slow journey for Shiro's mother to accept who he is and the partner he has chosen in life. What I love most about this particular depiction is that it's not at all linear in nature. We see her make strides by finally acknowledging Kenji and inviting him to her home, and then backtrack by rescinding the offer due to her own discomfort, and then include him in her family planning to ensure he will be cared for after her death. She’s homophobic and traditional, but she loves her son and sees how much happier he is with Kenji in his life. She is constantly reckoning with that tension. And Shiro and Kenji, being of an older generation themselves, don't hold it against her, even as the show makes sure we understand how much it hurts them. They are not okay with it, but they do understand why she's like this, so they take what she can give and forgive the rest. It's a really touching portrayal of this kind of impasse in a family.

Moonlight Chicken

There are several different vectors of parental accountability in MLC. There is Heart confronting his parents over their neglect and abuse and finally demanding to be treated with dignity. There is Li Ming directly calling out his mother for how her life choices have affected him. And there is Li Ming and his surrogate dad, Jim, working out their issues so that they can communicate better, and so that Jim can learn to stop pushing his own fears and anxiety down onto the next generation. All of it handled with deftness, with care, and with clear purpose to examine the ways intergenerational trauma can perpetuate in the absence of accountability.

[torntrianglesleeves]

Byler and the Meaning of Mike's Paladin Class

Will is on the brink of death while he and Mike (and others, doesn’t matter) are in the UD, unable to get proper medical attention, and it feels like it’s the end for Will. Setting aside whether Byler has become canon yet–which it will–I have a theory that Mike and the other Party members will obtain powers based on their respective classes. Much like Will gained True Sight, a spell available to powerful spellcasters, I think Mike will gain the Stranger Things version of Healing Hands. Healing Hands (HH) is as quintessential to paladins as their Divine Smite (something else he could obtain, supernatural or mundane), and however it’s represented I believe Mike will use his HH to save Will’s life. 

Mike is the heart. We all know that. Will beat us over the head and heart with it. In regards to his character class, Mike also has an oath. I don’t know the 2E oaths but every paladin swears this oath which then grants them their powers. For the entirety of the series, even when they’ve been at odd, Mike’s oath has been to his friends but most of all: Will. It screams Oath of Devotion, where you fight tooth and nail to protect that which you are sworn to. In this case: Will. 

The show has been very obtuse about where these powers come from, and I do think the UD/Dimension X is the source of these powers since El banishes Henry to it with her own. The means yet unknown, it’s possible that mere contact with the UD–through drugs, rituals, etc–can give someone their powers. Will gains his in season 1 and strengthens them in 2. Some manner of UD nonsense could happen to Mike which gives him the power relevant to his class: the healing hands, which he uses to save the very purpose of his Oath. 

When we look at the characters through the lens of their characters we can glean a lot about their behavior and even guess as to what their endings and future actions can be. When we look at Mike in S1 and 2 he upholds the tenets of his Oath. It’s season 3 where, I believe, he breaks his Oath which is of course an oath to Will. When a paladin breaks their oath it changes them. They lose their divine powers and enter a crisis of faith. For Mike this is a ‘full on gay crisis’, and we very clearly see his behavior has changed. It’s not one-to-one but I do think those nerdy Duffers take the paladin class into account for how they handle Mike. 

Into S4 this is briefly most egregious, and we all know how Mike behaves so I won’t belabor the point. But it is through S4 that Mike begins to relearn the tenets of his Oath, which is entirely possible when playing as a Paladin (and very fun to do in BG3). However, he has not completely regained his Oath, and it is the opinion of this local gay that when Mike confesses his love for Will, that is when he regains the powers of his Oath and becomes himself again. And, if the show goes there, he gets a momentary use of Healing Hands, allowing him to save Will from dying or being permanently disabled, whatever the case. 

A side thought I also just hand: I haven’t seen many comparisons to Mike and Aragorn, and I think there are not many and they have very different arcs, but they are aligned in some ways. Selfless, great leaders and devoted to their teams and loved ones. Aragorn is sort of a paladin/ranger multiclass, but one significant thing he also has are the ‘healing hands of the king’. Considering the LOTR references in the show, it is possible they’ll nod to this. 

It is also feasible that Mike won’t express his HH supernaturally, but be the one to save Will through medical means, literally ‘healing him with his hands’. Anyway, I just want all their character classes to mean they also get powers. 

[randomnoteforfuturereference]

Thailand and The White Lotus: Culture

So a big thing I noticed was that season 3 of The White Lotus actually does a pretty decent job of representing Thailand.

So I decided to give a more in-depth look into that representation, and the first place I'm starting with is the culture and customs.

This is by no means an exhaustive explanation of Thai culture. Rather I hope it's a great starting point to those who are curious. And I welcome additions to here.

So let's delve in:

Greetings

Good as place as any to start with would the greeting.

So that gesture Thais do when they bow with their hands together is the general gesture of respect called the wai/ไหว้, which is derived from the Indian Añjali Mudrā (like "namaste"; also certain yoga poses). The way you do the wai (like how close your hands are to the face or how much you bow the head) depends on the context. Wais are multi-fuction used for greeting, thanks, apologies, and so on.

So hello is "sawatdee"/สวัสดี. Also thank you is "khop khun"/ขอบคุณ. To finish off either greeting or thanks, you slap on an identifying particle at the end. The basic spot to start is the gender particles. If you're male, you end with a "krup"/ครับ; if you're female you end with a "kha"/ค่ะ. You may have noticed that some of the guests flubbed that at the start.

Gender isn't the only particle marker though. If you're clearly older to someone or higher status (this can range from someone's boss to even a restaurant patron talking to a server), you bypass the gender marker. This is best demonstrated when Sritala is talking to Gaitok in Ep 3. Instead of greeting him with a "sawatdee kha/สวัสดีค่ะ", she greets him with a "sawatdee ja/สวัสดีจ๊ะ". And instead of thanking him with a "khop khun kha/ขอบคุณค่ะ", she says "khop jai/ขอบใจ". Also you can see that, like saluting, the one of higher status isn't as obliged to go through the process of wai-ing.

Language

Expanding on the language a bit more: Thai is a tonal language that's essentially made of a whole bunch of monosyllabic words strung together to create a larger word. Example that I always like to use: the word for copper (tongdaeng; ทองแดง) literally translates to "red (daeng; แดง) gold (tong; ทอง)".

That tonality (with five tones total: high, low, mid, rising, falling) is why you had that scene where Sritala was correcting Rick and Fabian on how to pronounce her name.

Regarding the names, the names you hear are many times not the legal names. If their legal name is longer than a few syllables, they will go by a "nickname"; either a shortened version of that legal name, a noun that fits them, or even a random western name. Pornchai (on that note, the r is silent) and Sritala can either be a full or truncated legal name. Whereas Gaitok (ไก่ต๊อก; guineafowl) and Mook (มุก; pearl) are definitely noun-based nicknames.

The script itself (which you can see in the background of the subtitles) is a Brahmic-based abugida like throughout India. Spaces are only between sentences, not words. As with a lot of things, the arrival of the script accompanied the arrival of Hinduism and later Buddhism into the region, which is a perfect segue into:

Faith and Religion

Thailand is an extremely religious country, with the white on the flag literally representing religions (plural for all the recognized faiths). This frame from the national anthem tv broadcast demonstrating that:

Buddhism (specifically Theravada Buddhism) is the majority (~90%) and state religion of Thailand. It's not the only prominent religion (Islam being the main runner-up and prominent/majority in parts of the country; Christianity, Hinduism*, and Sikhism are also formally recognized and have longstanding communities alongside Chinese traditions brought by Teochew and Hokkien immigrants), but it's what outsiders usually think of when Thailand is brought up.

Now the tenets of Buddhism is a whoooole other topic, and I will not be getting into it or how it relates to the themes of the show.

Besides Buddhism, there is an animist base to Thai culture (and much of Southeast Asia in general). This animism, for lack of a better word, connects with a major and very casual belief in spirits and ghosts. That is why spirit houses are found on properties from working class neighborhoods to high end malls; the general principle being that if you invite a benevolent spirit to live on your land and take care of them, they will take care of you (including driving away malevolent spirits).

*That is why there is that shrine to Brahma at the resort. A good chunk of Thai Buddhists do recognize Hindu deities due to a mix of Hinduism coming first to the region and that intrinsic connection between Buddhism and Hinduism. So you get that intersection of Hinduism and the spirit house to form these elaborate shrines.

Last note here are the garlands they got at the beginning and what Belinda left at the shrine. Those perfumed floral arrangements are called phuang malai/พวงมาลัย (more informally you can just say malai), and they function as a way to give blessings/offerings as well as essentially good luck charms.

Other Traditions and Manners

So the scene with the cougars managed to encapsulate both one of the most important festivals in Thailand... and a couple of the worst faux pas.

Songkran/เทศกาลสงกรานต์ is known as Thai New Years and takes place in the middle of April (which coincides with Buddhist new year observances across the world). Traditionally water is used as a purification ritual, and the rites are still practiced (especially pouring water over the hands over your elders and on Buddha images). However, it's taken on a new life by turning into a full on water fight (especially since April is the hottest month of the year).

And of course in high tourist areas, it's taken to a whole other level. That of course is where the trio get dropped off and make a major mistake:

DO. NOT. DO. THIS.

I mean, you shouldn't touch a stranger's kid regardless. But especially do not touch anyone on the head. The heaf is considered the holiest part of the body, and touching it is usually considered a defiling action. It's related to not showing the soles of your foot or leaving your shoes on indoors.

The other thing they messed up with was losing their composure. When Thailand is called the Land of Smiles, it's not because everyone is happy. It's because the smile is a perfect front (and there are different degrees of "smiles") as it's bad to lose face. Because if you lose face, it means you lost control.

...

I hope this info is useful and gives some context to the show.

I plan on making a separate post about the places and animals.

[vigilantkilliforniakatholixxx]

However, during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries a well-organized and well-financed international ‘pressure group’ created a so-called ‘secondary meaning’ for the word ‘Jew’ among the English-speaking peoples of the world. This so-called ‘secondary meaning’ for the word ‘Jew’ bears no relation whatsoever to the 18th century original connotation of the word ‘Jew’. It is a misrepresentation. “The present generally accepted secondary meaning of the word ‘Jew’ is fundamentally responsible for the confusion in the minds of Christians regarding elementary tenets of the Christian faith. It is likewise responsible today to a very great extent for the dilution of the devotion of countless Christians for their Christian faith. “Christians today are becoming more and more alerted day by day why the so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’ throughout the world for three centuries have spent uncounted sums of money to manufacture the fiction that the ‘Judeans’ in the time of Jesus were ‘Jews’ rather than ‘Judeans’, and that ‘Jesus was a Jew’.” See How the Ashkenazi Jews conquered the West The forced evolution of the word “Jew” is similar to the evolution that befell the word “Gay.” Gay=Merry became Gay=Homosexual. Try telling someone who’s happy (and who’s not a homosexual) that you’re glad he’s so “gay” and see what happens. Another example is when many Christians today interact with a Jew they just met, their immediate reaction is to say, “Oh, Jesus was a Jew, too.” What they’re unwittingly saying is, “Oh, Jesus was a Pharisee, too.” Oh, the blasphemy! A word is what it is according to the meaning of its time. The word “Jew” today is so entrenched in describing one who follows Pharisaism (or Judaism) that it’s been completely emptied of its original meaning. Hence it no longer describes a Judahite or Judean. That is why it needs to be struck from the translated bible. “God is not the author of confusion…” 1 Corinthians 14:33 PUBLISHED BIBLE MANIPULATION In all currently published bibles the word “Jew” is what is printed. However, in the 1985 New King James version, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., there’s a glaring discrepancy: “…the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men…” 1 Thessalonians 2:15 Thomas Nelson NKJ Editorial Manipulation That’s the only place in that version where the word Ioudaios is rightly translated as Judean instead of the conspicuous word Jew. Which prompts the following questions: Did Jews bribe Thomas Nelson, Inc. to do it? If so, what did they stand to gain? And do the editors at Thomas Nelson, Inc. actually know that the word Jew is NOT in the bible? All in all, it simply is deliberate manipulation. Because, simply put, the same Greek word Ioudaios is oddly translated two different ways in that version. And the only place where it’s different is in that very uncomfortable and crucial verse where we are being led, like sheep to the slaughter, to envisage “Jews” (of today, of course) as not contrary to all men and not the killers of our Lord; while the “Judeans,” of the tribe of Judah, were the actual contrary ones who crucified the Lord and persecuted Christians. Still, in other verses where the word Jew is maintained throughout, the Talmudic Rabbinists (aka Fake Hebrews or Jews) get to be seen as the Hebrews of old – a misappropriated appellation that is full of benefits for them, including the theft of Palestine to create modern-day Israel. Consequently, yes, the editors at Thomas Nelson, Inc. do know that the Word Jew is NOT in the Bible, and yet they keep using it. …….to be continued….

[tiktaalic]

i have 2 more bad taylor swift posts to make before i log off and they are. firstly.

taylor swift. three founding tenets of her being. is that. one. her parents indulged her with singing lessons instead of getting her evaluated for autism. two. that she is like if a horse girl was a guitar girl. three. she is the irl version of the most conventionally attractive full face cw actress cast in a high school drama who gets bullied for being a weird uggo . and you know how you watch this and go this simply isn't realistic this woman would not get bullied for these things because she is beautiful and talented with normal interests. well guess what. not funny happened to my buddy taylor the other day.

[sepdet]

"A Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers" [Text version, PDF], full page ad in The New York Times, Jan 4, 1954. Start of the coordinated disinformation campaign launched by the US tobacco industry, this ad appeared in 448 newspapers in 258 US cities and was seen by over 43 million Americans.

Background:

THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY IN CRISIS MODE

By late 1953, the tobacco industry faced a crisis of cataclysmic proportions. Smoking had been categorically linked to the dramatic rise of lung cancer. Although health concerns about smoking had been raised for decades, by the early 1950s there was a powerful expansion and consolidation of scientific methods and findings that demonstrated that smoking caused lung disease as well as other serious respiratory and cardiac diseases, leading to death. These findings appeared in major, peer-reviewed medical journals as well as throughout the general media.

As a result, the tobacco industry would launch a new strategy, largely unprecedented in the history of US industry and business: it would work to erode, confuse, and condemn the very science that now threatened to destroy its prized, highly popular, and exclusive product. But this would be no simple matter. After all, in the immediate postwar years—the dawn of the nuclear age—science was in high esteem. The industry could not denigrate the scientific enterprise and still maintain its public credibility, so crucial to its success.

The tobacco industry already had a long history of innovative advertising, marketing, and public relations that had centered on making smoking universal. Starting in the late 19th century, the industry transformed itself to become a model of modern industrial organization and consumer marketing. The industry took a product that had existed at the cultural periphery and remade it into one of the most popular, successful, and widely used items of the early 20th century. The basic tenet of the highly articulated public relations approach the companies deployed centered on the notion that if the current cultural context was inhospitable to the product, one could—through shrewd and creative public relations interventions—change the culture to fit the product.

In the course of this transformation, the tobacco companies successfully defined and exploited critical aspects of a new consumer culture. Within the industry, marketing experts had developed a powerful notion of social engineering, what early public relations theorist Edward Bernays had called the “engineering of consent.”3 According to the logic of this approach, society and culture could be manipulated through public relations to create a marketing environment that favored a particular product, in this instance the cigarette. Individuals’ purchase of a particular product constituted their consent to the underlying meaning-centered campaigns.

It was this approach to “engineering” that would fundamentally inform the industry's approach to the crisis of the 1950s. After all, if public relations could engineer consent among consumers, so too could it manage the science that was now threatening to undermine the tobacco industry's product and the entire industry itself. And yet, as subsequent history would show, the management of culture and social meaning was considerably different from the management of science.

ENGINEERING SCIENCE

The tobacco industry's program to engineer the science relating to the harms caused by cigarettes marked a watershed in the history of the industry. It moved aggressively into a new domain, the production of scientific knowledge, not for purposes of research and development but, rather, to undo what was now known: that cigarette smoking caused lethal disease. If science had historically been dedicated to the making of new facts, the industry campaign now sought to develop specific strategies to “unmake” a scientific fact.4,5

Such a campaign required new tactics and strategies.6,7 The goal was to disrupt the normative processes of knowledge production in medicine, science, and public health. In the conduct of this public relations campaign, the tobacco industry would markedly alter the historical trajectory of industry–science relationships. Although medicine and science had never been sacrosanct from a range of social and commercial interests,8–11 the tobacco industry campaign crossed into new terrain to build a powerful network of interests and influence.

Today, as a result of litigation, journalistic exposure, and historical investigation, this story is relatively well known.3,12–15

Read the rest of the article here:

In April 2024, a 3-year Senate investigation (barely covered by US media) released its findings proving the fossil fuel industry had used the tobacco industry's playbook to obscure the science of global warming, which its own scientists predicted 60 years ago.

Which is a major reason Trump was elected: in April he illegally asked oil executives for $1 billion dollars, promising to reverse environmental policies and do what they wanted if elected (their wish list is incorporated into his "Big, Beautiful" bill.)

[roominthecastle]

so....... RA 301, "Lone Wolf"

high points:

• the two Greys (a middle manager and a trainee acc. to the end credits lmao) tackling human abduction logistics - "Well, you got the 'leave him inside the house' part right." LOL I'm currently in my UFO/UAP phase again, so this little moment (along w/ that hangar full of retrieved alien spacecrafts) was a treat. This whole abduction storyline continues to simultaneously creep me out and delight me to no end. It's an odd but good feeling, and I'm excited to see how it plays out. FINALLY they made me interested in Ben & Kate again -- already one major improvement over last season.

• Alan Tudyk. In a suit. Thank you.

• the interactions btw Sheriff Mike & Deputy Liv retain their golden status. I just love them.

Mike: Look, there goes a damn government drone watching us right now. Liv: I think that's just some mustard on the window. Mike: That's what they want you to think. You gotta trust no one, Deputy. Head on a swivel. You ain't never really safe until you learn to look behind yourself. Go ahead, watch your back. Go ahead. Do it.

• Kevin and her lil' kitty towel awww

• "I had to stop because of you. I will always have to stop because of you." !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is the stuff I'm here for. It reminded me of Hannibal: Tell me, Clarice. Would you ever say to me, "Stop? If you love me, you'd stop"?

The feelings, guys... the feelings I have are MANY and STRONG

but:

In general, Harry's characterization continues to frustrate me. We get a reminder how "going it alone" is hard-wired into his DNA. Even the two Greys are a brief counterpoint to this, presented as a team, supporting each other. But Harry still has to keep re-learning -- or more like re-realizing -- the basic tenet that confiding in Asta is the way to go, and we're already in S3. It just feels needlessly repetitive at this point. And hand-waving his behavior w/ "oh he just has the amorality of a child" is so... thin, such a basic cop-out. I know that emotional maturation is built on a long series of missteps, many repeated ones, but please let some stuff stick already so it can be built upon and keep things fresh. We have seen just how much development Harry's capable of in the character of Goliath. He is the best (a future) version of Harry and I'd really like to see him start moving in that direction now instead of coloring over the same lines ad nauseam.

That being said, the glorious clusterfck that is his relationship with Asta remains to be so fascinating. His alien core keeps crashing against his feelings for her and amidst all my frustration these moments somehow keep hitting the right sweeeet twisted spot for me????? I mean, apparently, he violated the Galactic Federation Charter 3 times already - for her. He def betrayed his own species - for her. First he was willing to save Earth - for her, now he would let the whole planet burn - for her. He then contemplates killing her to stop the fracture of his very being only to screech to a halt by her bed -- all of which is just...... WOW. He is so torn and confused yet so viscerally attached to her. He first calls her his kryptonite, then his Lois Lane. His core instinct is to protect her now and then try to fumble his way back to his mission, which is a complete 180 to how he behaved originally. So we def have development, I just wish they stopped trying to drown this precious nuance in a caricature. We have gold here, writers, let it shine.

[crossdressingdeath]

Thinking about the disappointing ending to Durge's personal quest and how they either go full villain or lose most of what makes them unique as a character and basically just become Tav, and like... since Durge's death and immediate resurrection adds nothing to the plot (and what with things like the companions not responding to it, there being no clear reason why Durge is able to do something that Withers specifically says breaks cosmology and Withers apparently being unable to resurrect Durge if they kill themself to defy Bhaal at the very end of the game for no apparent reason it actually causes a surprising number of problems in the writing), why couldn't the good ending just involve finding a way to stop Bhaal from interfering in their life rather than Bhaal killing them?

Here's one potential solution, just off the top of my head. All the other origins' personal quests have trade-offs, right? Durge is the only one with this perfect "you get everything you want with no downsides" sort of ending. So what if instead of Bhaal killing them and them immediately getting brought back, they had to make a deal with him? He sets them free, and in exchange they do something for him. I can't think of what the exact terms would be, maybe something like... I don't know, "You'll uphold the usual 'murder once a tenday' tenets of the Bhaalists and if you stop you're mine again" that wouldn't really do anything in the game itself but would become an issue afterwards (like Astarion losing the ability to walk in sunlight if he remains a spawn and Wyll losing his warlock powers if he breaks his contract)? But whatever the terms are the upshot is that Bhaal removes the Urge as a show of good faith and the party is allowed to leave freely. Maybe also add in something like Shar still harassing Shadowheart if she spares her parents, like... maybe Bhaal removing the Urge and agreeing not to force Durge into their apocalyptic destiny doesn't mean he can't try to convince them to do it of their own will, so he occasionally pops into their head and tries to push them in a more murdery direction in a less aggressive version of the Urge that can't directly take over them? Or possibly just. hurts them out of spite because as long as he doesn't do anything permanent or force them to harm anyone else he's remaining within the bounds of their agreement. And that way they remain a piece of Bhaal's divine gore with everything that entails, they're just not on Bhaal's leash anymore. And they've also agreed to do something pretty fucked up of their own (coerced) will in exchange for their freedom, so they don't retain the annoyingly spotless moral high ground of the canon end of redemption Durge's story where they selflessly die rather than become Bhaal's apocalypse-triggering Chosen again.

You could even keep that "I'd rather die than serve you" energy without actually pulling the trigger: since Durge is actually a part of Bhaal rather than just his child like other Bhaalspawn, maybe they'd have ammunition for forcing Bhaal to bargain with them that regular Bhaalspawn don't. Like, say... maybe since they're a part of Bhaal them being destroyed utterly would do a fair amount of damage to him (which may have something to do with why they can be resurrected despite that usually being impossible for Bhaalspawn), and—to keep Withers's involvement in the quest, since that's actually really fun and given his distaste for Bhaal makes sense—the death god they're palling around can help make that complete destruction happen. Under those circumstances it would be better for Bhaal to lose them as his Chosen and mess up that particular plan for total victory rather than continue to try to force them and weaken himself permanently! I think if nothing else all that wouldn't make less sense than the canon ending.

[sanctamater]

📿 💌 ✂️

thematic headcanons. always accepting because i love to yap.

[ Religion ] Amelia, like many of New York's elite, was raised within the Calvinist Dutch Reform faith. Her paternal grandmother, Johanna Watson, was a devout Protestant who was rather militant about attendance and the Reformist beliefs. As such, it deeply influenced Amelia as a young girl. The Sabbath was kept holy; and some of the core tenets of the faith impacted Amelia's view of the world and herself very, very heavily given that her grandmother was the most present caregiver in her life after her mother Anna's passing. Predestination ( the belief that God has chosen who will and will not be saved even before birth ), Total Depravity ( the belief that humanity is inherently full of sin and cannot choose God on their own ), Limited Atonement ( Christ's death was meant for those God has specifically chosen to save, not for all of humanity ), and Irresistible Grace ( the belief that God's grace cannot be resisted; He brings His chosen to His faith ) influenced and shaped Amelia heavily. Given her own fall from grace as a teenager acting out against her father's disinterest and a very, very bad break up ( as well as her grandmother refusing to see her while on her death bed due to Amelia's status as pariah ), she has a deep rooted fear that she is one of the many that God has not extended His grace and mercy to; that she is not saved. It's here that there's also a foundation laid that made her far more susceptible to being indoctrinated into a cult. She saw Zachary's faith as God guiding her into His grace and His faith; and thus believed she was saved. By 1912, she of course knows she is not saved; and while reverting ( secretly ) back to the Protestantism of her youth, she believes she is destined for hell due to her many, many failings and trespasses - something she prays is not extended to her only child. [ Romance ] Believe it or not, Amelia is a romantic at heart. She was, after all, raised ( for a time ) by her parents; who came of age in the great era of Victorian Romanticism. She dreams of being swept off of her feet and being protected and cared for by a partner; to be doted upon and to indulge in genuine, real affection. All things that might be considered the bare minimum, but she has never genuinely experienced it before. This longing is supplemented by her own indulgence in romance novels - of both the chaste and the smutty variety ( the latter she keeps very well hidden as she such books are no doubt considered lewd and sinful ). [ Hair ] Amelia's hair is sacred to her. "But if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering." / "But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven." (1 Corinthians 11:15). Religious texts explicitly forbid her from cutting her hair; as well as explicitly forbidding her from leaving it uncovered. It's currently down to her ankles in present canon and often arranged in very elaborate styles ( think Lily Elsie ); however the weight of it often gives her headaches and migraines. In 1912, I often portray her to be wearing an Edwardian version of a wimple ( think this ) when interacting with the public in any capacity; be it an event in her home or a rare public appearance. Her veil is only removed when she is solely in the presence of her husband or maids; and she will always ( and especially ) keep her hair covered for religious holidays and sermons.

[blackjackkent]

Checking in on Harding, who is hanging out in a rather sad and busted up room full of dead plants. She seems... pretty stressed out.

"It wasn't supposed to go this way. What do we do now? What do we do?"

"Harding?" Helena asks softly.

Harding jumps, then darts to her feet, turning to face Helena. "Oh! Hey, Rook," she says hastily. "How's it going?"

That seems like a really big question under the circumstances.

"Did you ever find places like this chasing Solas with Varric?" she asks curiously, trying to sound casual, upbeat.

(A/N: I love that Rook gets their own version of the Skyhold pajamas. I think these are mildly more flattering, mostly because of that fun red belt cummerbund thing.)

Harding wrinkles her nose thoughtfully. "Not exactly," she says, "but with Solas, it was always about the Fade or the Veil or some other in-between place. Varric always hated it though..." She looks around warily at the half-shattered building. "At least this place feels different. Maybe... safer?"

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other restlessly. Helena watches her for a moment, trying to gauge what's going on in her head. "Harding... are you doing all right?" she asks.

Harding laughs shakily. "I don't know. Are you? Is anyone?" She shrugs, looking away. "Anyway, it doesn't matter how I'm doing. What are we going to do about this mess? We were going to go back through the eluvian, right? Let's start with that. As soon as we can."

Helena frowns. Harding has, thus far, seemed very put-together and practical; this air of anxiety is unusual. It's true that they have a lot of work ahead of them, and Helena's just as interested in getting down to business, but... "You know you can take some time to just--" she starts, but Harding cuts her off sharply.

"Now you sound like Varric," she snaps. "Varric and I started this, and I can't stop. Not now. Don't ask me to. So come get me when you're ready to go, all right?"

Helena suspects this is probably not a well-adjusted response to the situation. But if she's honest, it's also her response to the situation, so she doesn't have much room to talk.

-----

Off to see Neve, who is sitting in the midst of a strange little lightshow on the other side of the courtyard.

"Wisps," she explains as Helena enters. "Figures they're in the Fade, but I swear they're following me."

As before, she looks generally beaten up but calm. Her face still holds lingering bruises, but she looks around the room with a sort of steady, analytical fascination.

"You all right?" Helena asks her.

"Strange place we've fallen into," Neve says with a shrug. "But I'll work with it. You know me."

Helena looks amused. "Do I?"

"We're both Shadow Dragons, and both from Minrathous." Neve smiles. "Maybe our paths haven't crossed, but I know our work has."

Helena nods thoughtfully. She had only vague familiarity with Neve's name when Varric raised it, but it's evident that she has the same values Helena herself does. The protection of Minrathous and its people. The central tenets of the Dragons.

Helena likes her, and is glad she's here. But she's a little surprised, frankly, that Neve is so unphased by the whole situation.

"I made a call that got you injured right after we met," she says quietly.

(A/N: This further confirms to me that Helena is way more concerned about the health and safety of her friends/comrades than she is about her own. Being in danger herself she brushed off, but Varric and now Neve being hurt seems to really bother her.)

Neve tilts her head. Perhaps she registers some of Helena's troubled thoughts, because she suddenly sits up a little and meets Helena's gaze squarely. "I'll be fine," she says firmly. "You trusted me for the job and I delivered. That's what counts." Her eyebrows knit intently. "If we're stuck in this, let's hope you can trust me again."

Helena blinks. Neve was the one who got hurt, and yet she's more concerned about Helena being able to trust her going forward? Of all the things going on right now, that is probably least on Helena's mind; she already trusts Neve without question.

"Why wouldn't I?" she says promptly. "Shadows stand together."

Neve's eyes brighten. "That's the idea," she says mildly. "Cross your fingers it works out for us."

Helena grins, relaxing a little. "You take a lot of notes," she says, gesturing at the desk behind Neve. "What about?"

Neve shrugs again. "Lately? What we know. Or knew, before Solas changed the game."

"And it's...?" Helena prompts.

"Not much," Neve says wryly. "I'm sure Lace would hate to hear that, but... one step at a time."

Helena laughs softly. It's not much to go on, but unfortunately that doesn't mean they can afford not to go forward anyway. "Okay, so - step one is figure out what we're chasing."

"Right," agrees Neve with amusement. "And the twenty other questions that need answers...?"

"That's step two."

"I can see why Varric brought you on." Neve chuckles.

Helena nods. She's not afraid of this new responsibility that she's been dropped into. Definitely not afraid. But... Neve's attitude is heartening.

"We've just got to start somewhere," she says firmly.

[strangesmallbard]

have u ever shared the lore of torlynn's guardian/dream visitor? :O

i haven't yet! at least not directly—i have posted about the oc she looks like: torlynn's previous girlfriend, a human storm sorcerer/oath of the ancients paladin named thalia adrian, who died in terrible circumstances about a century ago. specifically, she's the version of thalia that torlynn first met. when she died, she was about 40 human years old.

those terrible circumstances happen to be extremely plot relevant! anyway, like many people, i always headcanon the guardian as someone significant in tav's life, either someone who previously guided them and/or haunts them. and thalia—and those terrible, plot-relevant circumstances of her death—haunt torlynn so so so much! especially awhen the party enters the shadowlands at the beginning of act 2 . eyes emoji.

something else important: in addition to all the cool things above, thalia is also a bhaalspawn. if you know bg1/bg2 lore and raised your eyebrows at thalia's last name, you are very correct: she's actually gorion's ward, the protagonist of the first two games. (i haven't gotten a chance to play them yet, so all my info is from various wikis. i definitely plan to, though!)

the full torlynn/thalia story has expanded into many rooms in my mind palace, so i'll put the rest under a read more for anyone interested haha.

HISTORY:

a century and a half before the events of bg3, torlynn was a high harper based in the sword coast. before that, she served the harpers since her early 100's, participating in multiple campaigns/adventure parties across faerûn for the next three centuries. a century and a half before the events of bg3, torlynn was a harper before she was anything or anyone else, wholly dedicated to the cause. she also took her leadership role very seriously and gave up most personal relationships as a result, even amongst fellow harpers. she also became more careful than the unreserved, reckless, hotheaded person she'd been in youth.

more important context: torlynn's mom was a powerful necromancer and well-known in her academic circles. back in the day, she'd do all sorts of necromantic experiments in the baldur's gate sewers, as so much weird shit happens there. including bhaalist cults every few centuries or so. when torlynn was still in school, her mom went missing down there and absolutely everyone stonewalled her when she tried to find out why, including her dad (shareholder at sorcerous sundries) and the flaming fist (who she briefly joinde after graduating wizard school). she eventually determines that bhaalists were involved, but never found any trace of her mom.

SO when sarevok causes problems on purpose in baldur's gate, torlynn is right in the thick of it for both harper reasons and personal reasons, pulled to the home that hadn't been home in a very, very long time. (frankly unsure if this counters bg1 canon but this is also my mind palace <3). and then she meets thalia: bright, kind, reckless, very chaotically good, and a bhaalspawn. and a sorcerer, which simply doesn't help matters regardless of how torlynn is a wizard who cannot stand the company of other wizards. (parents made her go to wizard school).

RELATIONSHIP:

they ummmm do not hit off right away. although torlynn very much believes in the harper tenets of Free Will and Liberty Over Systems, she's also a big fan of rules and organization and systems that facilitate free will. and, of course, breaking rules and systems that are stupid and don't make sense. (this all very wizard of her, but don't tell her that) (thalia tells her that, repeatedly). she also doesn't trust thalia's dark urge for very valid reasons. this all manifests in clashes that annoy everyone in the general vicinity. but this is a classic enemies-to-lovers, babey! they experience trials and tribulations, defeat thalia's loser brother, and fall very hard for each other.

their relationship is always a bit tumultous, as they don't stop clashing about the fundamentals. bhaal is also determined to make thalia succomb to her urge, meaning her bhaalspawn dreams get a lot worse around torlynn. but these bitches love each other! they're mutually obsessed! lesbian devotion > your shitty dad, every time. their differences are ultimately complements; torlynn grounds thalia, helping her perceive things like fantasy spreadsheets and consequences for your actions, while thalia helps torlynn find that balance between her Great Harper Responsibilities and like, having fun lmao. experiencing life to its fullest extent after spending her own protecting others. [insert a 50k relationship development fic here].

LET'S JUMP 20 YEARS:

in that time, thalia has also joined the harpers, albeit in a less formal capacity. she and torlynn spend half those years together and half apart as thalia 1) avoids murdering her, and 2) searches for other bhaalspawn across the realm, determined to save them from their urge. (she rarely succeeds. according to the wiki page for gorion's ward, something that sets gorion's ward apart from other bhaalspawn was their supportive upbringing, which very few have). at some point, they hear about a weird situation brewing beyond the mountain pass. some guy named ketheric is causing problems on purpose and shar is involved. can't be good.

and man, you know most of what happens next. the harpers join forces with the druids from the grove and together they defeat ketheric and his dark justiciars. in this version of the story, however, they almost lose. their forces have dwindled into nothing and help isn't on the way and torlynn's best ranger flew off the fucking handle and started torturing enemy scouts. one night, huddled under a tent, shar's darkness already clinging to every corner, thalia brings up a strategy they haven't considered. dire to be sure, but don't these people deserve every dire strategy we have left to give? aren't you always saying that to win, we must sometimes be willing to lose? torlynn says Under No Circumstances Are You Allowed to Do That. i will make sure you never have to do that.

thalia bristles; she hates when torlynn pulls rank. (when anyone pulls any type of rank). she doesn't say anything else because she doesn't want to get mean. torlynn is too terrified to say anything and too ashamed of her fear to talk about that either. so they don't talk again, not until that final battle when another fucking shadow squadron crests over the field and thalia Does Just That.

that being: assume her slayer form, succombing to the very urge she dedicated her entire life to fighting. and because the slayer's only motivation is Kill Everyone, there's only one way to stop her from turning on the harpers and the druids after the dark justiciars are all dead and gone. and torlynn makes sure she's the one to stop her. she owes that end to her. she wants to hold her one more time, even if what she's holding is a very scary creature with lots of pointy limbs.

AFTERMATH:

when the war is officially over, torlynn is not well. like fundamentally just had her belief in anything shaken and stirred and then exploded and also exploded again. she's dedicated her life to this cause and now the lands are cursed and thalia is dead, turned into the monster she hated. perhaps her mother was right about everything turning to rot, so you may as well use that rot to your own ends. except torlynn is bad at rotting, so she goes to bother her mother's god about getting her girlfriend back. but, well, thalia isn't with myrkul. she's with bhaal. and he's noooot letting her go so easily.

that's when torlynn loses that last grip on her previous life. she deserts the harpers, throws herself into necromantic research, and decides she's going to rescue thalia from bhaal if it's the last thing she does. she spends about 75 years doing this. and then something too complicated for this already too-long post happens that causes her to abandon this mission. winds up teaching 10-year-olds how to conjure ice at her old school in waterdeep, still adrift and bitter and mostly unwell. that's roughly her status quo until the nautiloid scoops her up from the road between waterdeep and baldur's gate.

CONCLUSION:

anyway! the emperor sees this big ball of noxious grief in torlynn's mind and is like Oh fuck yes a little bowl of seeds for me (perfect circumstances to manipulate the scary, highly-competent elf lady). he would have succeeded but torlynn has the power of friendship and gay sex with karlach on her side.

HEY, THEY KIND OF LOOK LIKE TALDER?

you got me there! torlynn kind of started out as an alder uber; i wanted to make an older lady oc who was both a magic user and some kind of military commander. besides their penchant for repression and the way grief is a huge part of their stories, torlynn wound up pretty different overall! thalia shares some physical traits with tally, but she's also taken a life of her own since that initial Haha Wouldn't It Be Funny If brainstorm. if anyone's interested i'm very happy to elaborate, but this is already too long LMAO. p.s. if you read the whole thing i love you

[vigilantkilliforniakatholixxx]

with all do respekt - The word “Jew” did not come into existence until the year 1775 A.D., whereas the occurrences in the bible took place from around 4000 B.C. to 70 A.D. WHO IS A JEW? Its modern connotation points to someone who follows and adheres to a faith similar to that of the Pharisees of Judah, but is not of the tribe and stock of Judah. In other words, Jews are people from nations other than the 12 Hebrew tribes who practice a religion known as Judaism/Pharisaism, the doctrine of the Pharisees. It is much like those who believe in Christ and are called Christians, in honor of the One whom they follow, and their religion is known as Christianity, the doctrine of Christ. If one were to say that all Christians are Judahites because Christ was of the tribe of Judah, it would be a fallacy. In much the same way, Jews are not Judahites (or Judeans). In fact, the religion that is known as Judaism is actually Pharisaism. Judaism – as it pertains to Pharisaism – is a misnomer, since it is neither the doctrine of Judah nor the doctrine that Christ practiced, hence not an Abrahamic faith. It is the doctrine of the Pharisees of old, an evil doctrine they brought back from their Babylonian captivity. It does not follow the truth of the Bible, neither of the Old Testament nor of the New. Its central tenets are found in a book called the Talmud (the real Satanic Verses), a book full of worldly traditions, lies, and superstitions. “The Babylonian Talmud is based on the mystical religious practices of the Babylonians which were assimilated by the Judahite Rabbis during their Babylonian captivity around 600 B.C.,” wrote Edward Hendrie in Solving the Mystery of Babylon the Great. “The Rabbis then used these occult traditions in place of the word of God.” And that is why Jesus was constantly rebuking the Pharisees: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Mark 7:8 “For you have taken away the key to knowledge.” Luke 11:52 “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” Matthew 23:33 WHAT IS THE WORD IN THE NON-TRANSLATED BIBLE? In both the Old Testament Hebrew and the New Testament Greek, the word to be translated is always meant to be Judah or Judahite(s), of the physical tribe and stock of Judah. And Jews today are not of the tribe of Judah. Hebrew Words in the Old Testament Bible: 1) Yehuwdah: Jehudah or Judah 2) Yehuwdiy: Jehudite or Judahite. Greek Words in the New Testament Bible: 1) Iouda: Jehudah or Judah 2) Ioudaios: Jehudite or Judahite, or belonging to Jehudah/Judah. Prior to 1775, when the English language was still in its infancy, IEWE was used to translate these words. Unlike the word Jew it was pronounced Yee-hoo-wee, stretching its best to imitate the original Hebrew phonetic of Ye-hu-wdiy. According to Jewish-born Historian Benjamin H. Freedman, author of Facts Are Facts: “The best known 18th century editions of the New Testament in English are the Rheims (Douai) Edition and the King James Authorized Edition. The Rheims (Douai) translation of the New Testament into English was first printed in 1582 but the word ‘Jew’ did not appear in it. “The King James Authorized translation of the New Testament into English was begun in 1604 and first published in 1611. The word ‘Jew’ did not appear in it either. The word ‘Jew’ appeared in both these well known editions in their 18th century revised versions for the first times. “When the word ‘Jew’ was first introduced into the English language in the 18th century its one and only implication, inference and innuendo was ‘Judean’.