#/ his soul died and he's coasting at this point.

[moonspower]

2020s vi: *grabs 90s vi up by the collar*

90s vi: wow! holy shit. you are ugly. what do you want.

2020s vi: those george bush years are gonna turn you to mush and climate change is going to ruin your bikram yoga sessions. you will be at your unhappiest during the frozen biscuit shortage of 2022. good luck. also you are ugly, too. you're just ugly in oversized denim pants.

[upsidedownwithsteve]

Eddie Munson x fem!reader [2.9k] prompt: "Eddie fixing your car." I don't know what happened but this ran away with it's own idea. It was supposed to be a baby blurb, Eddie said no. Car problems, the pretty metalhead you have a crush on, borrowed sweaters and the promise of hot chocolate.

PART TWO - CHOCOLATE

It was almost comical, how quickly Eddie had arrived in comparison to how long it had taken you to call him. 

The only upside to your car breaking down on you was that it had done so by a phone booth. It was a long time coming, you knew that. The old thing had been protesting for a while, the engine groaning every time you turned the key over and something underneath was clanking considerably loud. 

The car had finally coughed one last plume of smoke and gas into the air before it died, rolling to a slow stop on a road just outside of Hawkins. You groaned, already too tired from a long day helping your aunt a few towns over, your legs aching from walking her farmland with her. 

Your parents weren’t home, the only town's garage was closed on Sundays and you had no money on you for a cab. You squinted out of your window, unsure if one of the few buses even came this route. It was late afternoon and dull, and you just wanted to go home.

But a hissing sound was coming from the hood and you squeaked, eyes wide, because if movies had taught you anything, it was that boys don’t stand outside your window with boom boxes and that sound meant a car is going to explode. 

You braved yourself against the chill, summer leaving town along with blue skies and warmer days, fall leaking through its gaps with colder winds and fallen leaves. The road was scattered with leftover puddles, wheat fields on your left, a scattering of sleepy looking cows on your right. 

You kicked a stone and swore at your bad luck. 

Of the few people you knew with cars, you were sure all of them were busy. Steve worked on Sundays, at least until eight o’clock and it was only just turning five now. Besides, you were almost positive he had a date afterwards. 

That would’ve left Nancy but she’d flown to California the week before, jumping at the chance to spend a few weeks with Jonathan, the boy promising to show her the coast, the ocean, the beaches. 

You could’ve asked Hopper, but you didn’t have his home phone number memorised and there was something about calling 911 for such a scenario that seemed entirely too dramatic. 

It took you another half an hour to finally pluck up the courage to call Eddie. You wasted time sitting on the sidewalk, pulling at the hood of the car as it argued noisily with you, before you gave up and fed some grass to the cows instead. 

Then the rain came, slow, fat drops that made you gasp with each hit, lazy in the way they fell from the now navy sky. They soaked through your shirt and flattened your hair, stray strands sticking to your forehead no matter how many times you swiped them away. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to call Eddie. Truthfully, he was the first person you’d thought of. You just weren’t sure how to handle yourself alone with him. He wasn’t the scary, dark character that everyone had thought he was going to be - no, he was quite the opposite. 

Warm, soft - a little dramatic, sure - but ever so gentle in the way he spoke to you. Light touches and friendly smiles that turned to achingly familiar hugs and wide grins that lit up the dreariest of days. 

Nevertheless, the boy made you nervous. 

Big, brown eyes that you were so sure could see straight into your soul, picking out your darkest secrets and everything you hoped he wouldn’t find out. Like, how you had an agonising crush on him. You felt like a clumsy, too shy teenager around him, not a twenty something adult. Your point was proven when you called and answered, voice rough on the other end and you were mortified to realise you’d woken him up. 

Despite this, Eddie arrived in mere minutes and you had never been so happy to see a dodgy looking van come careening towards you on a long, empty road. 

“Hey trouble,” the boy greeted, grinning wide and looking sleep soft, hair mussed from his nap and a giant sweater swapping his frame. 

He looked like a teddy bear. 

“You got here far too fast,” you chided, but you accepted the hand he offered, letting him pull you up from where you sat on the curb. “But thank you.”

Eddie didn’t respond to your scolding, his expression crestfallen as he took in your soaked shirt and damp hair. There was a leftover raindrop clinging to a bottom lash and you held your breath when he moved closer, a gentle fingertip brushing it away.

“You’re soaked,” he noted and you wrinkled your nose, embarrassment taking over because you knew what he was going to ask you next. “Sweetheart, how long have you been sitting out here?”

“Not that long!” You tried to convince him but he was frowning at you, lips almost pouting and if you weren’t so cold, you would’ve laughed. 

“It stopped raining twenty minutes ago,” Eddie pointed out, brows raised as he called you out on your lie. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”

“I-”

“Christ, why didn’t you at least wait in the car?” The boy interrupted, not rudely, just suddenly confused at why you’d chosen to sit in the horrible weather, wet and miserable in the clothes that were now sticking to you.

“It was hissing at me,” you grimaced, sending the old car a withering stare.

“The car?” Eddie asked and if you’d looked at him, you would’ve seen the way he pressed his lips together to hide his laughter, you would’ve caught the fond way he was watching you.

“Mhmm,” you replied, kicking petulantly at one of the back wheels. “Surely that’s a sign of impending doom, right?”

“You spend too much time around Dustin,” Eddie murmured, a smile in his voice despite the way his words sounded like an insult. “It’s just the radiator, sweetheart, you must have a leak.”

Eddie walked to the front of the vehicle and you tried not to stare when he pushed the sleeves of his dark sweater up his forearms, exposing strong muscles and the bracelets he wore. You watched the way he popped the hood, letting out a low whistle at the smoke and steam that billowed out from underneath it.

“Is it dead?” You asked mournfully. You hated the thing but you really didn’t have the extra cash lying around for a replacement.

Eddie gave you a smile that twisted your tummy, all soft and a little dopey. 

“She’s definitely not in her prime, that’s for sure,” he winced when he patted the engine and something squeaked in response. “But I can see if my uncle can tow her, have a little look for you?”

You perked up at the idea, hoping that Eddie’s uncle would take some compensation in the way of a nice bottle of whiskey and some home baking. The mechanic on main didn’t strike you as the fudge brownie type of guy.

“Really? That wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

Eddie let the hood drop back down with a thunk, wiping some of the grease onto his black jeans. He shook his head at you, still smiling, full of so much affection for you that even you were beginning to see it.

“For you? No trouble at all,” Eddie murmured, and if you’d looked carefully enough, you would’ve seen the way he flushed, cheeks adorably pink. “It wouldn’t be until tomorrow though, that alright? She’ll have to stay here overnight.”

You both looked around the deserted road and a cow snuffled at you both, vying for more of the longer grass you’d been feeding it.

“I don’t think I’m in any danger of carjackers in Hawkins,” you squinted at Eddie, lips pulled up into another shy smile as you shoved your hands into the back pockets of your jeans. You felt a little giddy, like this was somehow flirting, like this was the start of something else. 

“Yeah, I think you’re safe,” the boy agreed, shoulder nudging yours. “I mean, I have it on good authority that there’s cat eating lizard creatures around here… personally, I’ve yet to meet them,” Eddie looked at you and winked, “but I don’t think they know how to drive.”

You snorted, a sound that had your eyes wide with embarrassment but Eddie thought it was fucking adorable and he grinned. 

“Stranger things have happened,” you mused, looking up at the boy and he let out a breath, making a noise of agreement.

Maybe it was summer creeping back in for a second, maybe it was stress or maybe it was the way you were both looking at each other but god, you were warm.

“You must be freezing,” Eddie suddenly said, that pretty frown back on his face and before you had a chance to protest, he was grabbing his sweater, hands pulling it off of his frame from the scruff of the neck, leaving him in a t-shirt with an unfamiliar band logo on the front. 

It was soft and warm when he pushed it into your hands and you stared at it, eyes wide. 

“Oh, Eddie, it’s fine, I’m-”

“Behave yourself,” he tutted, but that fond sound was still there, the one that was keeping you warm inside. “Why don’t you jump in the back for a minute, get yourself dry and I can take you home?”

You stared.

Eddie panicked.

“Shit, I mean, if you want? You don’t have to-”

But you were already smiling, bringing the sweater closer to your chest and you walked towards the van, head tilted in a silent ask. 

“Right, yeah, lemme just…” Eddie pulled at the handle, sliding open the side door with a heave, tongue pressed to the top of his lip in concentration and he held out a hand so you could hop in. “I’ll uh, I’ll wait up front.”

And then the door clicked back into place, shutting softly behind him. The little light that made it into the back was soft and warm, the floor covered with an old shag rug that had definitely seen better days but between the old bean bags and cushions, it didn’t smell like the hotbox on wheels you thought it would’ve. 

Sure, it was a little smoky, a herbal hint to the air but you could smell that pine air freshener that hung from the front mirror, Eddie’s cologne and some coffee that was still sitting in a takeaway cup by the dash. 

You waited until the driver's door opened and Eddie slid in, throat clearing awkwardly as he kept his gaze very much ahead. Your eyes met fleetingly in the rear view mirror, cheeks a matching pink before he coughed, looking back to the steering wheel and murmuring a soft apology. 

Despite your embarrassment - you’d gotten to the point of realising it was your new permanent state around Eddie - you slipped off your soaked t-shirt, letting it fall to the van floor with a wet smack. Your bra wasn’t really faring much better but kept it on, shrugging Eddie’s sweater over your head with a pleased sigh. 

It was kinda fleecy on the inside, warm and soft, the sleeves too long and there was a little hole on the cuff. It smelled like Eddie, a familiar mix that you’d come to learn was smoke, weed and his cologne, woody and a little spicy. 

“You’re not getting this back,” you declared bravely, a rather self satisfied smile pulling at your lips as you hid your hands inside the sleeves, tugging it over your fingers to trap in as much heat as possible. 

Eddie sounded awestruck when he answered, grinning at his lap, unsure if he was allowed to look up. “I’m not?”

“Nope,” you replied, popping the p and sounding far too pleased with yourself. “These jeans are sticking to me, god.”

Eddie looked up when he heard you shuffle closer, brushing against him as you decided to clamber over the seat and into the front of the van. You were right, he noticed, unable to help himself stare at the way the denim was tight against your legs, your curves.

On a normal day, Eddie would’ve been bold enough to make a comment about it, something flirty and a little dirty, a low whisper about how he could help you out of them. But this wasn’t a normal day and you weren’t a normal girl. Not to Eddie.

So he wrinkled his nose instead at your discomfort, a soft hum of sympathy coming from the back of his throat as you got yourself settled beside him. The front bench of the van was long enough to fit three people - four if two of them were small like Max and El - but the boy was delighted when you decided to stay close to him, shoulders brushing, his sweater draped around your knees.

You were right again, he was happy to see, he definitely wasn’t getting that back.

“Okay trouble, where to?” Eddie looked at you patiently, waiting for further instructions as he turned the key in the ignition, making sure the heaters were on max and the vents were all pointed to you. “Home?”

He started driving back into town as he waited for your answer, eyes flicking between you and the road. He watched you chew at your bottom lip, hands twisting the cuffs of his sweater and he knew you well enough by now to know you wanted to ask something, that you were just too shy. 

Eddie thought it was horribly endearing, hating the way he loved it, how it made his chest ache from the softness of it all. Unbeknownst to you, Eddie had already decided that he’d give you anything you’d ask for. 

“Or, you know,” he hedged, voice overly casual. He snuck another glance at you, smiled when you looked up at him from beneath your lashes, waiting. “You could come to mine?”

You paused, waiting, feeling like the boy had more to say but you felt your breath hitch, heard it too and god, you wondered if that meant Eddie had as well. You watched him grin, a slow wide smile that showed the dimples you liked so much, and yes, you thought, fuck, he’d heard.

“Wayne’s out,” he continued, “somethin’ ‘bout a car auction or whatever but… Steve got me the last copy of Day of the Dead.”

It was an invitation, one that made your heart jump and your insides fizz. There it was again, that school girl crush feeling, wholly innocent in the way it made you nervous, entirely sinful in the way you wondered if Eddie would kiss you, press you into the cushions on his couch.

You scrunched your nose instead, a smile and a wrinkle at the mention of the movie everyone had been waiting to be released. “A horror? That’s the one with the zombies, right?”

Eddie laughed, not unkindly, not at you and he nodded. “That’s the one, yeah. It’s a George A. Romero film.” He looked at you, all warm honey and fond eyes. “Not a fan, sweetheart?”

You didn’t say no, because you wanted to spend time with the boy. But you didn’t say yes either, the lie refusing to slip from your lips and you shrugged instead, shy smile pulling at you as Eddie chuckled again.

“Y’know, I heard hot chocolate helps,” his voice was all faux conspiracy, a husky whisper as he took the chance to lean into you a little more, both hands still on the wheel but his hair brushing against your temple. 

You flushed. “Helps what?”

“Pretty girls who’ve been stuck out in the rain and are scared of zombies.”

You felt positively scorching. The smile couldn’t be helped, that agonising pull that showed off your embarrassment just as much as how pleased you were, eyes rolling so you didn’t have to look at the boy but you knew he was grinning, you could feel it.

“Oh yeah?” You managed, sliding another look at Eddie, all soft longing and what if?

“Oh yeah,” he grinned and you huffed out a laugh when he took the turn away from your street, confidently heading to the trailer park instead. You didn’t tell him no. “I make a fucking fantastic hot chocolate.”

“You got marshmallows?” You were beaming now, eyes shining, wrapped up in the attention he was giving you. 

“Do I have marshma- sweetheart, behave yourself, do I look like a man who’s got marshmallows in his cupboards?”

You laughed, a bright burst that made Eddie’s chest swell, like sunshine on the first day of fall and he cackled when you nodded.

“Yeah actually, you do.”

“You’re right,” Eddie huffed out between throaty chuckles, “I do, I have marshmallows.” Another laugh, from both of you. “I have like five kinds.”

Eddie had pulled the van into park by the time you’d both stopped laughing, cheeks sore from smiling, tears brimming at your lash line at the ridiculousness of it all, ‘cause your stupid car was abandonded on the side of the road and Eddie Munson was promising you marshmallows in your hot chocolate. 

It felt almost redundant when he turned to you, suddenly looking as shy as you felt, hand on the door and his head inclined to the warm looking trailer, soft light coming from the windows.

“You wanna come in?”

[jarl-deathwolf]

It's been a little annoying to go through the BG3 tag - and especially Gale's tag - and see all the people relentlessly tearing into Mystra over her ultimatum to Gale. It's especially bad when they're comparing that situation with Lae'zel's or Shadowheart's.

Just to be clear: I love Gale to pieces! He's my funny little guy with a slightly morally ambiguous heart of gold. But... he was absolutely in the wrong in his conflict with Mystra.

I'll slap a read more here in case you disagree and don't want to hear me out on this

First off, his reasons for getting the orb in his chest in the first place was intended as a romantic gesture to Mystra... but also one intended to 'prove himself' worthy of her. Which she had repeatedly said over and over that he didn't need to do. He had already proved that - he was one of her Chosen!

It was a romantic gesture that she didn't ask for, didn't want, and was more for Gales piece of mind than anything. Not a good start, honestly.

I'll forgive him for how badly it turned out. How would he have been able to predict that it wasnt mystras weave fragment that he found? But the end result is still important. You might not have intended to burn someone's house down, but you can hardly call the person irrational when they're mad at you afterwards! Especially when they specifically told you not to juggle torches!

Doubly so when you remember that Mystra saved Gales life when it happened. If Mystra had done nothing, Gale would have just died when the orb got attached. And it was Mystra who made it so he could continue to satiate the bomb by feeding it magic items.

I'm less sure on this point but I think the implication with her "fixing" the bomb in early Act 2 was her just feeding it with her own personal power.

Which leaves us with the big, thorny issue - Mystra telling Gale to blow himself up to destroy the Absolute.

On the face of it... yeah, that's pretty extreme. But remember that Mystra is a deity and probably understands more of what's going on than the party does at that time. So she understands what exactly is coming for the Sword Coast.

Even if she doesn't- she knows about the illithids and their reproduction. If Gale fails at any step of the road or if his mysterious protection gives out, then his soul is GONE.

And that's the part people forget about the bomb - yeah, it'll kill Gale, but it ends the threat of the absolute and his soul is saved, sent safely to Mystras hall.

To an immortal God, that's the important part - a mortal life is fleeting but a soul is forever.

And that's what divided Mystra from Shar or Vlaakith - she actually cares about her followers and tries to help them, even when they constantly question her or go against her warnings

[tumblingdownthefoxden]

Asha

My current design for my Asha

A little Lady with a big heart and is about to go on the ride of a lifetime

Qualms of her Occupation

- Asha is 19 years old and the current assistant of King Magnifico. She has worked as an assistant for 3 years and has a passion for helping others

- Though she enjoys helping those around her, the citizens of Rosas can be… needy. Rumor has it that the assistant and their family have a guaranteed chance of having their wish granted, but the assistant could have the King grant the wishes of citizens and friends. And the people often have multiple wishes after their deepest one. So, Asha is often bombarded by people being pseudo-friendly and asking Asha to ask the King to grant their Wishes next or grant their other wishes.

- Asha, being a people pleaser at the moment, will usually write down their names and extra wishes while trying to politely leave the crowd (they won’t make it easy). Even when she actually says no, they won’t take it for answer. Best case scenario when she says no, ask her again the next day. Worst case scenario, a stalking situation.

- To avoid anymore crowds, she wears a cloak and a mask to hide as she goes to the castle. Simon and Gabo will also walk her to the castle if they can, but the strategy became harder to use as citizens soon recognized her disguise and her friends and continued to swarm her. Magnifico gave her a variety of different cloaks and masks to use and even offered his guardian lynx, Charo, to help her go home. She declined the lynx because it seemed extreme and felt bad needing his help.

- The irony of it all is that her wish hadn't been granted since she gave it to Magnifico. She enjoys her life and only had two wishes. To draw motion pictures like her father and for people to treat her a normal person and actually treat her a neighbor as opposed to a cheat code for abundance. The second wish was written down so she wouldn't forget it before her 18th birthday and refers back to that writing whenever she has dealt with people and is slightly impatient for it be granted.

Personality Traits

> Kind and passionate

> Strategic and honest

> Hard-working and balanced

> Hopeful but naïve

> Helpful but unconfrontational

Hobbies

- She loves drawing and has walked to many high points in the kingdom to sketch or paint the landscape. She is working to create “moving pictures” like her father did.

- Asha enjoys reading about astrology and high fantasy. She will invite her friends to read with her in the forest whenever they have time.

Background

• Asha lives in the forest and helps her mother, Sakura, grow food, cook, do laundry and other manual tasks for the house.

• Sakira is a seamstress that will go into the market to sell handmade garments and offer to repair or customize a client's garments.

• Sakira likes to knit as a hobby.

• Her father, Tomás, was a royal philosopher and astronomer for the Monarchs. He would take his family to the wishing tree at the coast and tell them about his the constellations and his philosophies. Asha would pay the most attention to his lectures.

• Tomás gave away his wish to become the greatest philosopher but felt a void in his soul since then. He would spend his time waiting by drawing, and later built a passion for art and rediscovered the old magic of "motion pictures". He would teach Asha the same magic and most importantly, he taught her how to commit to building a skill you are passionate about even when it was difficult and frustrating.

• He died when Asha was 12 to a pre-existing heart condition. The Monarchs sent their condolences and offered to pay for the funeral expenses.

• Sabino was a well renowned musician when he was younger.

• Sabino once broke his mandolin after whacking one of Asha's stalkers over the head with it. He had it repaired and reinforced to take the force.

• Asha was the third assistant to be hired by the King and was his assistant for the longest time.

• She had an "unpleasant" encounter with an ex-assistant that made her reconsider letting Charo guard her.

• The citizens of Rosas are puzzled by Asha's lack of desires for the King to grant and her persistence to develope a skill rather than wish to become a professional.

• Ever since becoming an assistant, Asha's conversation with citizens have been shallow. She would talk about an exciting view of the kingdom and try to show it with a painting just to be cut off with "yeah, yeah, fun but not important. Anyway can tell the King if he can grant me a(n) *insert extra wish here*".

• In this AU, how many wishes are granted can be inconsistent. Sometimes, only 1 wish will be granted in a month. Sometimes, 2 will be granted in a week. Sometimes 3 will be granted in a month. Sometimes, 4 will be granted in a night. It's hard to keep track. What is consistent is that there is a Wish taking ceremony once a month.

• Wishes are only granted at night to keep them a surprise and to lower public anticipation. When a wish is granted, It is transformed into a large, yellow, plasma moth. Magnifico will open the roof of his tower to let them return to the og wisher.

• In each wish taking ceremony, whomever has given up a wish is tracked by Dario. Once you give up a wish, you are not allowed to give up another one until the next year. Dario is employed to be sure of this.

Little quirks ✨

° She will stroke her hair whenever she is nervous.

° Asha is quite strong for her age and size. She helps with the manual labor of her home and has carried large books, bundles of sticks, bags of rocks, and other heavy supplies for the King’s work. *This will come into play later.

° Her favorite colors are purple, orange and gold.

° Asha occasionally draws Valentino as a full grown billy fighting giant hawks and shows him as a form of encouragement (he's afraid of most birds).

@annymation @oh-shtars @chillwildwave @signed-sapphire @uva124 Ayo, this was fun to write

[ijuststareatstuffhereok89]

“Snow Bound”

A Secret Santa drabble for @peachyjinx

CW: implied smut, mentions of m!masturbation, a hint of Dom!Loki

Word Count: ~600

Summary: A winter storm keeps you and Loki stuck in a hotel room for an extra night. What WILL you do with yourselves?

There was no denying it: you were stranded. 

After going on a short mission for Stark with your partner, Loki, you found yourselves unable to head off the massive Nor’Easter that was, according to the radio, ‘crawling up the coast’. Thus, you were stuck in a tiny hotel room about three hours north of New York City, and probably would be there for days. 

You leaned against the window, staring into the night, watching snow accumulate underneath a streetlight at an alarming rate. Sighing deeply, you bit your lip and muttered bitterly to yourself while Loki took advantage of the limited hot water in the shower. 

“I just wanted to get home before I died of old age,” you groaned as you traced little circles into the frost on the window mindlessly. “I’m so tired.”

“Oh? Because I’ve been enjoying myself quite well, my little snow bunny.” 

You smiled without turning around. “Done with your shower already, Loki?”

The sexy, deep voice answered you. “Oh yes, and I’m ready for you.”

“Ready for what?” you asked, reflexively turning around, gasping as you were caught off guard by the sight in front of you. 

For there stood Loki, dripping wet and wearing nothing but a grin, his cock pointed right at you. His smile was dark and sexy, stretched so widely across his face it almost looked like it would break in half, were it not for the rows of perfect teeth lining his lips. His long, dark locks were plastered to the sides of his face, as well as his shoulders.

You let out a nervous laugh. “You’re dripping on the floor!” 

Loki licked his lip, looking at you as if he wanted to throw you to the ground and fuck you into the floor until springtime. He looked rabid…rabid and hungry. 

“And I imagine you’re soaked as well, at the sight of me,” your lover replied. “I must admit, pet, that the idea of being trapped here alone with you…it’s gotten me hard. You are at my mercy all night, trapped here alone, where I can perform anything on you without a single soul catching wise. Oh, Y/N, I had to fuck my palms in the shower, and I’m afraid that still not satisfied, as you can see.”

You felt your cheeks go so hot you could melt the snow outside. 

Loki continued. “So prepare yourself, Y/N. I’m going to milk my pleasure from you until the storm passes, and you’re going to howl my name into the winter winds as you cry out for me all night.”

The words alone sent your brain into a hot, fuzzy, eager mess. 

Mumbling shyly under your breath, you remarked: “I had no idea being snowbound was a turn-on for you, Loki.”

“Is that the word for it? Snow-bound?” he asked, sauntering up to you until there was no room between your chests. The hot water rolling down his pecs landed on your breasts, covered only by a thin satin robe. Looking you in the eye and drawing a long kiss from your lips, Loki waved his fingers, conjuring a set of cuffs and a black leather flogger into his hands. 

“I’d say that would be the most appropriate word for our situation at that, my special girl,” he said, swinging the handcuffs around his index finger, tauntingly. “Now, let’s get you into these, shall we?” 

Word prompts: radio, window, hard

For @fictive-sl0th Secret Santa game! I hope you have a happy holiday, and that this was a worthy present, @peachyjinx!

@muddyorbsblr @lokisgoodgirl @sarahscribbles @mischief2sarawr @mochie85 @lokischambermaid

[snootlestheangel]

SoapGhost Playlist Ft. My Autism

@thorougly-melted-brains @midnight193 *edit: just realized I should have put links for all the songs, but um... I did not so good luck cause I don't feel like it*

3 Things

This is entirely composed of Imagine Dragons. That's kinda the whole point of this. If you have nothing kind to say about my band of choice, say nothing at all. *Yes, I will still put 'by Imagine Dragons' after every song*

In order of which ones I believe are Most SoapGhost to least. Some songs are entirely because of vibes. I'll explain the best I can for some of them.

There will be mentions of some MW3 spoilers but I don't go into detail. It's more like the reason one of the songs is SoapGhost coded to me is because of MW3 but not like explicitly... That makes no sense, but you'll see (and NO I do not want to discuss MW3 or my opinion on it. My only opinion is it was cheap and who needs canon anyways)

West Coast by Imagine Dragons

Where do I even begin on this one??? The actual instrumental element to it reminds me heavily of like their time in Las Almas for some reason? Which kind of doesn't make sense, but oh well.

"One more day, we'll spend together/Lay your eyes, look upon me for the better/Oh I know, I'm worse for weather/But my love I won't give up/Spend my days, cursing my soul/Wishing I could paint my scars to make me whole/Oh I know, I could be better/But my love, I won't give up"

Like tell me this isn't Ghost addressing Soap upon realizing his love for him. Like tell me this isn't Ghost realizing how far he's fallen for Soap after everything that happened during and after the "Alone" mission!! And actually listening to the song helps so much cause like the melody and the way the words are sung is just so desperate yet so devoted and just *dies*.

"I ain't no superman/I ain't no holy ghost/I'm just the one that keeps you up at night, you love the most/I'll be your strong man/I'll be your west coast/I'll be the sun, I'll be the waves, I'll be the one that loves you most"

The refrain itself gives me goosebumps in like a happy upbeat way. The actual verses are so mellow and almost sorrowful but the refrain is something so upbeat, almost. It's like it's actually Ghost realizing how far he's willing to go for Soap and he's just confessing it with such confidence because he needs to. He loves Soap and Soap deserves something strong.

"I'll change my ways, if you would stay/And all your tears that you have cried will go away/Oh just grant me one more day/Oh, my love, please don't give up"

Soap addressing Ghost this time. Soap believing he's too confident, too cocky, too bold, too much for Ghost. "I'll change my ways if you would stay" literally screams Soap with confidence issues wanting nothing more than to be with Ghost, but so afraid Ghost doesn't want him. Soap seeing all the pain Ghost has been through in his life and just wanting to heal it, wanting to make Ghost whole again, and wanting to help Simon find reasons to smile. Soap begging for time to prove to Ghost he's worth it (either Soap proving himself to Ghost or proving to Ghost that Ghost is worthy)

"See the devil at my door/I see the future of the ones that I've ignored/I guess I was born to be at war/But my love, I won't give up"

Once again back to Ghost addressing Soap. This is such a strong Ghost verse I cannot explain it to you. "I guess I was born to be at war" literally Ghost-coded?? Like literally grew up with an abusive father and struggled with all sorts of shit in his life, even without the military??? But now he's got Soap so he can't give up.

"So my love please don't give up"

Literally both of them, just desperately begging the other to hang on, to keep fighting and loving each other to the ends of the earth.

Just one of the most SoapGhost coded songs I have in any of my playlists, literally listened to it on repeat after hearing it for the first time cause the first time i heard it was back in February when I first fell victim to the COD brainrot. It just immediately struck me as SoapGhost (was definitely influenced by the fact I was thinking of them but still)

Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons

"I'm bleeding out/So if the last thing that I do / is bring you down, I'll bleed out for you/So I bare my skin and I count my sins and I close my eyes and I take it in/I'm bleeding out/I'm bleeding out for you."

BRUH literally so Ghost-coded it isn't even funny. Like, Ghost being made up of so many scars, some of which still feel like open wounds in his mind, finding this thing of perfection that is Johnny "Soap" MacTavish and suddenly realizing that if he's gonna die it might as well be for Johnny. Ghost not wanting to drag Johnny down into the mess that he is and that comes with 'Ghost' and being like "I'd rather bleed out on the ground than bring you to ruin"

"When the day has come/That I've lost my way around/And the seasons stop, and hide beneath the ground/When the sky turns grey, and everything is screaming/I will reach inside, just to find my heart is beating"

This section is a lot more about vibes and the idea I've been playing around with making a SoapGhost fic where it's based on this song. This segment is so "Ghost falling deep into the dark side of this persona he's created but then remembering the life Johnny gave back to him"

"Oh you tell me to hold on/Oh you tell me to hold on/But innocence is gone/And what was right is wrong"

Um... just realizing this is very much the "Alone" mission after Graves's betrayal and honestly? Kind of MW3 coded ngl...

"When the hour is nigh/And hopelessness is sinking in/When the wolves all cry, to fill the night with hollering/When your eyes are red, and emptiness is all you know/With the darkness fed, I will be your scarecrow"

Tell me this isn't SoapGhost!!!! Just this whole song is actually secretly the way Ghost reveals he's an amateur poet cause he writes this as his declaration of love rather than be fucking normal.

Follow You by Imagine Dragons

More or less about vibes. Some of the lyrics definitely Soap addressing Ghost coded.

"I'm always on your team/I got your back, all right"

Like tell me this isn't Johnny "You know it, Lt." MacTavish addressing Simon "You with me, Johnny?" Riley.

"If the world would only know what you've been holding back/Heart attacks every night/Oh you know it's not right"

Somehow very much the two of them but I can't tell who is addressing whom here... Somehow kind of feel like Ghost being like "I get to fuck John "Soap" MacTavish everyone else go home". I genuinely don't know how to describe the feeling behind this particular line but it's so SoapGhost coded.

"I will follow you way down, wherever you may go/I'll follow you way down to your deepest lows/I'll always be around, wherever life takes you/You know I'll follow you"

Guys... Like this is so SoapGhost. Just both being like "I'd follow you to hell and back" but in a much less cliche way.

"You're only disappointed in yourself, all right"

This is someone, maybe not necessarily Ghost, addressing Soap and his chronic self-esteem issues.

"I wish that I could fix it, I could fix it for you"

Soap to Ghost talking about Ghost's shitty life. Tell me I'm wrong I dare you.

Walking the Wire by Imagine Dragons

"Do you feel the same when I'm away from you?/Do you know the line that I'd walk for you?/We could turn around or we could give it up/But we'll take what comes, take what comes/Oh the storm is raging against us now/If you're afraid of falling then don't look down/But we took the step or we took the leap/And we'll take what comes, take what comes/Feel the wind in your hair/Feel the rush way up here"

*strangled noises* I know this is by far their most like "love song" song but like!!!!!!! "Do you know the line that I'd walk for you?" Um Ghost and Soap both risking their careers cause it's a Sergeant and a Lieutenant (at least Soap cause let's be honest, with Ghost being legally dead it'd probably be pretty hard to actually do something to his career without un-killing him).

"We could turn around or we could give it up" screams the two just being like "well if we don't wanna risk it we could just...not?"

"but we'll take what comes" literally kills me because they're so in love and Soap especially doesn't give a shit about what that does to his career, he just wants to love Simon :')

"Oh the storm is raging against us now" Could be the aftermath of getting caught fraternizing OR the two during the "Alone" mission and anything afterwards.

"If you're afraid of falling then don't look down" so many interpretations here but also the quite literal one which is Ghost sniping Hassan and saving Soap :)

"We're walking the wire, love"

Ghost to Soap during times they could easily get caught

"And there's tears we'll cry but those tears will fade/It's the price we pay when it comes to love"

So strongly believe this is just them being like "we'll go through so much together, but that doesn't matter cause we've got each other" Literally just such a beautiful line in my opinion and yeah

The River by Imagine Dragons

Have no argument for this one other than Vibes and the fact I (somehow) first listened to this song the day I learned about the MW3 spoilers so uh yeah. If you know, you know and uh good luck!

I might do a part 2 someday. I don't feel like going through any more songs tonight but this was definitely fun being able to put down my thoughts behind these songs in particular. I need to spread the brain rot!!!

[tulip-simp-artist]

Tav Reincarnation Idea with Astarion

TW(s): Character death and suicide

Okay, so while I think the idea of Astarion basically stepping into the sun after Tav's death is sweet in the typical angst way. I do prefer the path of him choosing to live at least a little while longer after Tav. And this goes down that path.

So say Tav dies of, well you can choose, and they never cured non-ascended Astarion of his vampirism. They did, however, find and gift him the ring that let's him walk in the sun. Astarion eventually continues on traveling through the Sword Coast. If you headcanon, he and Tav did settle down at one point, I think in this case, he uses the travel to stay away from the house they shared together. And I think for some Tavs, that's what they asked him to do. To travel and explore and not join them in an afterlife.

Eventually, a few decades after Tav's death, Astarion has a very awkward meeting with a monster hunter. Now, he has been very careful not to let anyone know he is a vampire or have the ring to walk in sunlight. So, meeting this hunter gives him a bit of a fright and flashback to the past. But they apologize and explain that he really was in the wrong place wrong time. They were hunting some other beast... though mention some hints to vampire, well not sightings, "tracks". They do believe one to be in the area currently and warn him. They invite him to get a drink with them as another apology. And something about... well, everything about them pulls at Astarion to say yes.

He is just now taking a moment to realize this monster hunter looks familiar, feels familiar, and acts familiar. It's something in their eyes when they get him that drink later, that he recognizes Tav. That's the familiarity. They're just like Tav, his Tav. For a second, he thinks this person is related to them, but no, that doesn't feel right. So the thought of reincarnation crosses his mind and Astarion almost breaks down right there. He excuses himself at this person worry and retires early for the night...

Now, he has to figure out what he's going to do. This person is most certainly his Tav, slightly different body sure, but he can recognize that they now have the same soul of Tav. Does he let them go? They are a monster hunter, and who knows what they'd think if he told him all this. Or does he get to know them, again, and see where that leads?

[escapingpurgatory]

Preacher's Daughter Review

I relistened to this album a week or so ago and became inspired to write a review of each song as well as the album as a whole. I wrote this in my notebook, but I wanted to type it out and post it here! I'm gonna do this song by song, then an overall review and rating of the album. Let's begin!

Family Tree (Intro)

A very beautiful and mellow start to the album. I find the lyrics most beautiful, as well as hard hitting. At the beginning of the album, Ethel's father, a preacher, dies. This helps set up the majority of the album. One lyric I love is when Ethel is talking about her father saying "You know I raised you better than this." My rating for the track is an 8/10.

American Teenager

God, I love this song... My favorite part about the track is the guitar parts. That shit sends me FLYING. I love when she says "It's just not my year." Multiple times throughout the song. The whole chorus in general is just so gooddd... Every part of the track is truly perfect, I also love, love, LOVE the ending. When she repeats "For me" multiple times, it's so perfect, it just draws you in. This track is a solid 10/10.

A House In Nebraska

This song is absolutely SOUL CRUSHING. Like, holy shit... This song represents how Ethel was so in love with Will, and was devastated when he left her. She repeatedly talks about loneliness throughout the track, really proving the point I made previously. My favorite line from this song is "Your mama calls me sometimes to see if I'm doing well, and I lie to her and say that I'm doing fine, when really I'd kill myself to hold you one more time." Aside from the lyrics, the actual music is so fuckin' breathtaking. Another perfect 10/10 track.

Western Nights

This song is really interesting, and I sometimes feel like people overlook it. Ethel falls in love with a man named Logan, who uses crime to support himself and Ethel. I find the trope of love and crime to be really cool, and very in place in the album. The whole "bad boy" shtick is fitting for Ethel's rebellious treck away from home starting in the sixth track. My favorite line from this one is "I'd hold the gun if you asked me to, but if you love me like you say you do, would you ask me to?" This one is a good 7.5/10 from me.

Family Tree

Meant to reflect on Ethel's relationship with Logan after is death in a shootout, this track is very beautiful. She ultimately finds similarities with loving such a violent man to her relationship with her family. Along with being in love with the entire chorus, my favorite line is "I've killed before and I'll kill again, take the noose off, wrap it tight around my hand." Back to the chorus, I find it so hauntingly beautiful. I love this track, 9/10.

Hard Times

Yet another devastating track from the album. This song is about the molestation of Ethel from a young age by her father, Joseph. As we know, he died at the beginning of the album. He began doing this when Ethel was 9, up until the time of his death when Ethel is 20. The idea that a "man of god" could commit such vile, disgusting acts should be eye-opening for some people. My favorite line from this track happens to be from the final verse of the song, "I'm tired of you, still tied to me, too tired to move, too tired to leave." This song marks the beginning of Ethel going on the run. Beautiful and disturbing, 8.5/10.

Thoroughfare

One of my favorite tracks on the album, it documents Ethel meeting Isaiah in Texas and travelling west to California with him. On the way there, Ethel and Isaiah develop a mutual attraction. As soon as they reach the coast, they start a relationship. Ethel was kidnapped, but since she had seemed to have developed Stockholm syndrome, she didn't see it as such. This song has a very country feel, but I absolutely love it nonetheless. This was actually the first song of Hayden's that I'd heard. The lyrics are beautiful and represent blossoming love, but it quicky turns sinister. I can't even choose my favorite line because I love every single part of it! This is a 100/10.

Gibson Girl

After Isaiah and Ethel have been out west together for a while, the relationship turns abusive. They both fall into drug addiction which leads to Isaiah convincing Ethel to become a prostitute to help pay for more drugs. She begins to see her mental health deteriorate, along with her sense of who she is. Ethel talks about her struggles with her mental health and the prostitution throughout the song. My favorite line from this song is "Obsession with the money, addicted to the drugs, says he's in love with my body, that's why he's fucking it up." It's sad hearing and thinking about how pieces of who she was fading away. Solid 8/10.

Ptolamaea

Wow. This song is phenomenal... It represents a hallucination Ethel has while on drugs. She envisions Isaiah as a demon which represents her finally realizing the kind of man he is, as well as his intentions. She has this hallucination after Isaiah uses physical violence towards her. This song is so haunting, when the climax of the song hits, it's like my soul leaves my body. That being said, my favorite "line" of the song is the scream itself. It's the perfect representation of feeling trapped and wanting to be released. This is another fuckin' 100/10, hands down.

August Underground

The first of the two back-to-back instrumental tracks on the album, August Underground represents Isaiah taking Ethel to a house in northern California and ultimately murdering her. Another beautiful track off the album, but in a melancholy way. 9.5/10. This track leads to...

PART 2 ⬇️

[flashnthunder]

it's me, bel ep6bastogne, on my knees BEGGING for a crumb, a sliver, of webgott small town coastal mystery. i'm imagining broadchurch-style lieb a la grizzled DI hardy with web doing his best impression of intrepid local girl sidekick DS miller!!!

@ep6bastogne ahh okay what i had written for this wip is a little bit of a different vibe but i am now lowkey obsessed with that concept of a broadcurch-y lieb omg maybe i'll see if it goes in that direction

(snippet under the cut)

The pier stinks of fish. Gulls walk the far edge of the weathered wood, digging between the joints of crab shells and fighting over fish guts. There had been a time when Joe had hated them in the way everyone hates a pest that follows them. They were there from the moment he woke in the morning, following him out to his boat and never leaving as he worked until he went home in the evening. They followed boats out into the ocean when they stayed in sight of the coast. There was no point in trying to chase them off. He had long since learned to live with the noise and flap of wings, the extra stench they brought in with them.

Leaning against the old shed built onto the pier, he smokes until until the sun sags near the horizon. Eventually, even the birds will leave to roost for the night. Water licks up the sides of the posts that hold up the pier, salt spray coating the old wood. Joe can feel it down in his bones, the dry and cracking salt that permeates everything.

The only disturbance in the squawking of the galls is a footfall at the top of the ramp leading down from the shore. A man is standing at the top, looking down at the pier. He almost looks familiar, but Joe can’t quite place his face. Joe squints up at him, the dying daylight casting flickering shadows that warp off the water. He’s wearing a sweater, too clean to have just come off a boat. No one else has come in since Joe had moored his own boat half an hour before. He hasn’t heard any cars running up on the road either. The wind skims off the water and blows through his hair.

There are times when Joe can feel the air change. Not in a way he could ever explain to anyone, but the feeling of standing on a boat out in the unbridled wind and knowing it was pulling something along behind it. It was looking at low waves and knowing the next few swells would grow. It’s never a calm before the storm on the ocean, never perfect stillness like there is standing on land. It’s a change in the rhythm that is the tell instead. For some reason, he can feel it now like he’s looking out on the gray ocean with no land in sight. Something is wrong. The wind is screaming the warning at him, and his whole body prickles with it.

The man shifts but doesn’t move. He looks just as surprised as Joe is to see another living soul out. Slowly, Joe puts his cigarette out on the side of the shed that has more stripped wood than paint left. He flicks the butt into a bucket near his feet. He doesn’t know why, but something tells him to start walking back up. It’s the same thing that tells him when there’s a storm building and when to watch for the next surging wave to break into whitewater.

As if in a mirror image, the man starts walking too. The creaking boards under his feet sound louder with two pairs of boots on them. They stop near the middle and Joe can see his face now, easier to recognize with the distance closed. He’s seen him in town, or maybe outside of the little church that stands perched within walking distance of the old lighthouse. The kind of person who hasn’t stopped to give Joe the time of day, even if he had been in the mood to talk when they’ve crossed paths before. He's still striking enough to remember, and Joe can think of even fewer reasons for him to be at the pier this late. There is still a good ten feet between them where they've stopped.

There’s blood staining the collar of his sweater. Not that much, just a few drops bleeding into an off-white fabric that draws his eye. Joe notices that before he notices his split lip, still fresh enough to be welling up with more blood. There’s a bag tightly clenched in his right hand, fingers curled so hard into the fabric that his knuckles are white.

The gulls have quieted. All he can hear now is the waves lapping against the land.

[thehoneybuzz]

I got my first tattoo when I was 22 years old. My big brother came for a visit - we’d been best friends living on opposite coasts for 2 years by then. A giant Samoan gentleman named Buffalo kept the shop open late to bestow my first ink - a small elephant on my rib cage. Elephants communicate across continents, and it felt good to capture that kind of forever with my brother by my side. We’d always be there for each other - even if just through rumblings. My first tattoo meant “I love you” to my brother.

Just a year later I’d get the country of Iceland tattooed on my calf. I wanted to memorialize the trip I’d taken there. I had traveled by myself to a foreign country and scuba dived between the earth's tectonic plates in a glacial lake. I put the Icelandic word for love - “elska” in the outline of the continent because Iceland wasn’t just the setting of my first solo adventure. A boy named Ian Tanzer would show up 5 days into that trip and bend what he could of his broken knees. He proposed behind a waterfall. We celebrated in hot springs and by feeding Oreos to Icelandic horses. I felt I found my whole heart in Iceland. I found myself and my soul mate on its shores. My second tattoo meant “I love you” to me and the man I’d marry.

My third tattoo was a symbol from the Harry Potter series - the Deathly Hallows. I got it at 24 when my best friend, Reece, and I found ourselves back home together. Reece and I became best friends in the fifth grade when he was told to clean the chalkboard at recess. I offered to stay behind and help, a real Hermione Granger. Somehow our board cleaning devolved into a 409 war. We shot the cleaning material across the entire classroom, and when class resumed we were all but doused in bleach. Our friendship was born of mischief. He and I would wait in line together at every midnight release of the Potter series - at bookstores and movie theaters, alike. We’d be in Europe together, as sophomores in high school, for the release of the 5th movie. Not to spoil it for you - but Sirius Black dies. I sobbed into Reece’s shoulder outside the London theater. It wouldn’t be the last time I’d need that shoulder. My third tattoo - which later grew to read “mischief managed” meant “I love you” to my best friend.

That’s when it happened.

About 6 months later I was marrying my husband, and I couldn’t keep the secret anymore. I couldn’t walk into that next phase of my life without being honest. So. 3 days before my wedding I told my dad I had tattoos. I knew he wouldn’t like it. My brother's tattoos had strained their relationship - but my brother was also living under my fathers roof. I reasoned that since I was independent and doing well on my own (at 22, 23, and 24) that his usual arguments wouldn’t apply. I knew he’d be mad. I didn’t know it would be our last real conversation - that he wouldn’t attend my wedding. At 30 we are fully estranged.

And today is his birthday.

And five years after he’s turned his heart from me I still wish I could wish him a happy birthday. That’s grief.

I’ve got more tattoos now then I did five years ago. I added the flowers of my wedding bouquet to my rib cage. I covered my Iceland tattoo, but I love that it’s still almost there. It sits beneath Mount Rainier, a compass that points NorthWest, and a triangle outlined by lilacs. I missed my home more than I loved Iceland. Now I’ve climbed the mountain I honored on my skin. I got a bee on my ass that reminds me to “live one life” as an homage to a spirit quest taken solo in Peru. Not to mention the pilot I’ve got on my quad - I think that one might be more of a self-portrait than any of ‘em. Who I see myself as when I fly. The color wheel on my forearm is my favorite and most useful. Oh - and a few stars on my wrist as another nod to Harry Potter. I know. One Harry Potter tattoo is enough, but two felt better. Reece got a matching one within a week of mine, of course.

I wear myself on my skin, and at the site of it my creator turned from me. That hurts. It also gives you superpowers. I have been made stronger for this - so I have to be grateful for it. The last words I said to my father were this.

He asked if I would do it differently now. Knowing what I know - knowing how hurt he was - knowing that it would lead to (at that point) a year of not speaking - would I do it all the same?

I looked him in the eye and said, “I would not change the tenets of my character for you or anyone.” And that was that.

If someone turns from you in your power - they are not meant for you. And it’s not wrong for you to let them go. That’s the lesson I learned from my father. I don’t know why - but he could not see me. He likely never will. And that’s okay.

Because I am okay. I am healing and grieving. But - also - creating something beautiful.

So Happy Birthday, Dad. And fuck you

[crossdressingdeath]

Sarevok Anchev: You return, taint-blessed kin-killer, having committed the holiest of sins. Sarevok Anchev: And yet, as you came afore Bhaal, you spat upon the glory all of our brood dream of so deeply. Sarevok Anchev: Leaving Father with no Chosen at all. Kyvir: Bhaal's line should have ended with you, Sarevok - how is it that you still live? Sarevok Anchev: I died, once. A death in the selfsame temple chamber where you slaughtered Orin. Sarevok Anchev: A long while ago, my wretched sibling brought me back. The fairest of Bhaalspawn, soul-bound me to this husk. Sarevok Anchev: Worship death though I do, I refused it. I roamed the Coast, gathering those who still held Bhaal in their black hearts. Sarevok Anchev: The cult survived, festering beneath the city, with me as the Gate's everlasting poison. Sarevok Anchev: With these killings, the glory of the Bhaalists has risen beyond what we dreamed possible during those dark days. Sarevok Anchev: But you have brought it crashing at our Father's feet. With Orin's death and your rejection of him, you leave him with no Chosen. Kyvir: I'm no Bhaalspawn. Not any longer. Sarevok Anchev: For two hundred years, I wallowed in my own failure to dominate this city. Sarevok Anchev: My aching bones in this husk still feel every spark of pain from the crystalline moment of my first death, in the Temple. Sarevok Anchev: I didn't deserve an eternity of rest, I deserved only this shackle, to live forever on the outskirts of my own dear cult, and mourn my own downfall. Sarevok Anchev: After centuries of this rancid defeat, I rejoice. For today, I meet the true definition of failure.

I'm given to understand that there are some... departures from Sarevok's ending in the second game here. I haven't played the second game so I will not be touching on them here (please don't get into them on this post, I'm trying to minimize spoilers for when I do play the first two games), but I will point out that Bhaal seems to be very good at getting into his children's heads and if he's had two hundred years—side note, I thought it was one hundred years since the Bhaalspawn crisis? But 100 years is still a long time—to manipulate Sarevok and mess with his mind the guy's memories of his death and resurrection and the events that followed may not be entirely accurate anymore.

Setting that aside, here we have another chance for Durge to say that they're no longer Bhaalspawn. It's very interesting that there are these instances of characters saying that Durge isn't a Bhaalspawn anymore; having Bhaal's essence removed from them has made them something else. But I still wish that there was a chance for them to ask Withers or wonder to the companions what they are if they're not Bhaalspawn. I mean, they could say they're whatever race they appear to be, but... are they really? They were sculpted out of Bhaal's own gore. Kyvir for example has no infernal blood, it's all divine; he just looks like he's a tiefling. Side note, it'd be really fun if Durge had racial abilities just slightly different from what they should have where Bhaal didn't get it quite right. I guess it would spoil that Durge isn't what they appear to be, but still.

[starsapphire]

i try not to read newer marvel comics for self care reasons. what are the billy and tommy demon souls

okay so basically there's this demon named mephisto who is essentially the satan of earth-616. (however he is not actually satan, because lucifer also exists as a separate entity in 616.) he rules over hell/hades. (but not hades hades, which is ruled over by pluto, who also exists as a separate entity in 616.) i assume you've encountered him at some point because he causes problems for literally every character in the marvel universe.

in the 80s vision/scarlet witch miniseries, wanda and vision really want kids, but unfortunately vision is not human and does not have a penis. or dna. obviously this put a cramp in wanda's plans. but she wants to have vision's little robobabies sooo bad that one day she wishes sooo hard, she magicks herself pregnant with vision's child. suprise! actually there are two of them. it's comics and also 1986 so just don't think too hard about it.

however! these children are not, like, real. because wanda made them up with magic. but despite that, they still had souls.

this is where mephisto comes in! at some point in another comic, franklin richards had blasted mephisto to smithereens. then a bunch of stuff happened, including wanda's pregnancy. now, mephisto is still sentient but also still disintegrated. in his quest to dis-disintegrate himself, mephisto searches for pieces of his soul, and targets billy and tommy. he explains to wanda and the west coast avengers that billy and tommy were formed from "slivers" of his soul. (this is because when wanda was wishing super hard, there was kind of black magic going on. wanda cannot create a soul, and basically found unused bits of mephisto and got pregnant with them.) anyway mephisto wants to absorb the twins/their souls. a guy called master pandemonium gets involved in the mephisto soul search and at one point this happens:

honestly it's not actually that important but i wanted you to see it.

anyway, mephisto reabsorbs billy and tommy's souls; they are essentially dead. there is some mind wiping that happens to keep wanda from going crazy about it. (it eventually fails and wanda goes crazy about it and kills millions of people but it's ok.) however! the slivers of mephisto's soul were so transformed by wanda's magic and reality warping that when he reabsorbed them, they weren't actually reabsorbed. this is how billy and tommy are reincarnated; the slivers of mephisto went back in time to become billy kaplan and tommy shepherd. again, comic logic. this was written in the mid 2000's though so the 80s are not an excuse.

i hope this was unhelpful but answered your question nevertheless. godspeed

[orthodoxadventure]

The holy apostle Andrew the First Called was born in Bethsaida in Galilee. His father Jonas was a fisherman and he handed over his trade to his sons Andrew and Simon (the apostle Peter). From childhood the little Andrew was very inquisitive and already at the age of five he was going to the synagogue to learn about the Holy Scriptures, astronomy and arithmetic. In his youth the future apostle dreamed of serving God and refused to marry, preserving his chastity. When Andrew and his brother Simon grew up, they moved to Capernaum, where they engaged in the fishing trade with Zebedee and his sons John and Jacob (who were afterwards also apostles). At that time John the Baptist began his preaching concerning the coming of the Messiah. Andrew witnessed the baptism of Jesus Christ and was, along with his brother, among the first men whom Jesus called to follow him, saying “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” It may be for this reason that among the apostles he was known as the first-called. So Andrew became the Messiah’s follower. Once in the course of a long sermon Jesus had to feed 5000 people, and at his request, Andrew pointed to a boy who had five loaves of bread and two fishes, and when Christ blessed them they were transformed into food that satisfied 5000 people. The apostle Andrew then followed the Saviour until the end of his earthly life and when Christ rose from the dead, he was present at the time when the Holy Spirit appeared. Also, like Christ, the apostle Andrew was crucified on the cross. He died in the town of Patras in Greece. Part of his remains are preserved in the Cathedral of the Holy Apostle Andrew, which is one of the largest cathedrals in the Balkans.

Some legends exist about sermons and the spread of Christianity by the apostle. The most well-known of them are his journeys around the south and east of Europe at that time. In Britain the Apostle Andrew is one of the leading saints and was proclaimed the defender of Scotland. This is connected with two beautiful popular beliefs. According to the first of these, a monk named Rule (Regulus) dreamt he saw an angel who commanded the monk to take some relics of the saint and bring them from Byzantium by sea to the West. Taking a lot of time in travelling, the monk`s ship was caught up in a violent storm and driven to the coast of Scotland, to the hamlet of Kilrymont (Saint Andrews). At the same time the Apostle appeared in a vision to the Scottish king and promised victory over enemies, which soon happened. As a token of gratitude, the king built a church in honour of the Apostle Andrew the First Called, to which a large number of pilgrims came to venerate the holy remains and be cured in mind and body. Another legend says that Bishop Acca, the successor of St. Wilfred in the 8th century took the apostle’s remains out of pilgrimage and founded a church in honour of the holy apostle Andrew. Also, as in the first tradition, there is a story in which the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called appeared before the King of Scotland and promised help in defeating the enemy. As a token of gratitude the king endowed the church of the Holy Apostle Andrew with many gifts. In the blood-stained years of the Reformation of the church in England the remains of Saint Andrew the  First Called, which were in Scotland, were completely destroyed, but the profound faith of the people was able to preserve and convey through generations wonderful stories and legends about the saint. The love of the British people towards the apostle Andrew the First Called continues to survive, not failing to give his name to educational establishments, streets, football stadiums and innumerable churches.

The persistent desire to save human souls and warm love of Christ drove the apostle onwards, in spite of the enormous dangers accompanying him during his travels and sermons. For this reason it was said among the people that the Apostle Andrew protected in particular pilgrims, seamen and fishermen, as he himself spent a lot of time on the sea. And of course he helps any ordinary people who direct their prayers towards the Lord and place their trust in Him.

[source]

[blrowanducks-blog]

Exploring the word CHAKRAVARTIN and its symbolic associations:

The term chakravartin, usually translated as 'universal monarch or emperor', literally means 'wheel-turner' or 'a wheel that travels everywhere without obstruction'. The prefix 'chakra' or wheel is a familar term but has various interpretations. It can refer to the fiery wheel of the sun, or the sun god's chariot of two wheels (heaven and earth), which rides through the sky drawn by seven horses, representing the seven days of the week. As an emblem of Vishnu it is the discus, which appears as an auspicious sign on the palms and soles of divine beings. As a unit of land measure the chakra refers to the whole of a land's surface area, from coast to coast. This is implied in descriptions of the chakra touching the rim of the horizon, or the encircling perimeter of land seen as a disc from a central vantage point. The turning of the wheel symbolises both secular and religious authority; it denotes change, movement, extension, conquest, and the formation of a new ethical and moral order. The deliverance and transmission of the Buddhist teachings are known as 'turning the wheel of dharma'.

When Shakyamuni Buddha was born the great seer Asita interpreted the miraculous events and auspicious marks on the baby's body as divine indications that the child was destined to become either a chakravartin or an enlightened Buddha; temporal or spiritual sovereignty lay in the child's destiny. There was a choice, the pendulum could swing either way. It was for this reason that Shakyamuni's father, King Shuddhodana, endeavoured to keep his son away from the harsh realities of life, cocooning him in the opulence of sensual gratification and the illusion that youth, vitality, and beauty are eternal delights. Curiosity beckoned the young prince to venture beyond his golden cage, where he witnessed the god sent apparitions of old age, disease, and death. The realisation that suffering was man's lot tore asunder the illusory veil of eternalism and materialism. What could it profit a man to gain the whole world if in the end one's soul was lost in the deterioration of old age, disease, and death and decompostion? In the face of such blatant impermanence there was no longer any choice for the young prince. World domination was the ultimate illusion; only self-enquiry into the root cause of suffering and the nature of the mind, the eternal quest, could lead to the ultimate understanding of reality.

The concept of the chakravartin probably arose from the Vaishnavite ideal of the mahapurusha or 'great man', which in turn had its origins in the Vedic and Puranic epics of ancient India. Such a being is destined to become a world leader and, like the Buddha, there can only be one chakravartin in the world at any one time. Auspicious events and astrological configurations precede the birth of a chakravartin, reminding one of the journey of the three Magi to Jesus's birthplace seeking the one 'who would be born king of the Jews'. The role of the Messiah in ancient Judaism also referred to both a temporal and spiritual sovereignty.

Thirty-two major marks and eighty minor marks appear on the body of a chakravartin. These include: slightly webbed fingers and toes; retracted sexual organs; a fleshy protuberance (ushnisha) on the head; lion-like chest, thighs, and jaws; soft smooth skin; pliant hands and feet; and a thousand spoked wheel mark on the soles of the feet. The mother of a chakravartin usually dies shortly after his birth, as was the case with Queen Maya, Shakyamuni's mother. A total eclipse of the sun is believed to coincide with the death of the chakravartin as the sun itself is represented as the personification of the chakravartin. The Asiatic concept of the 'solar death' of the chakravartin finds a parallel in the midday darkness at Jesus's crucifixion, which is believed to have been

caused by a total eclipse of the sun. The birth of a chakravartin heralds the onset of seven wealths or abundances which arise in the realm: a wealth of faith, morality, honesty, modesty, learning, renunciation, and wisdom. At the time of his birth his seven precious jewels or possessions also appear simultaneously: the precious wheel, jewel, queen, minister elephant, horse, and general. These seven possessions are the property of the chakravartin, and karmically come into existence as his mandala The wheel and jewel are both symbols of his temporal and spiritual majesty, and the miraculous means of its accomplishment. The horse and elephant, as symbols of inexhaustible speed and strength, are his vehicles. The queen, minister and general are his trinity of love wisdom, and power, their fidelity, his blessing.

An auxiliary or lesser group of seven royal jewels also acompanies the rule of the chakravartin. These are the sword, the naga skin, the throne, the robes, the boots, the royal house ar palace, and the palace gardens. These seven secondary jewels represent the material inheritance or attributes of the chakravartin.

A third group of seven auspicious royal jewels also occur as insignia or emblems of the chakravartin's possessions. These comprise the rhinoceros horn, the square earrings of the minister, a branch of precious coral, the round earrings of the queen, the insignia of the general, a pair of elephants tusks, and a triple-eyed gem enclosed in a trefoil gold mount. These seven symbols represent the precious horse, minister, wheel, queen, general, elephant, and jewel respectively. As a single composite group these seven insignia are very commonly placed as offerings before deities, usually appearing amongst piles or lines of coloured, oval-shaped jewels.

The investiture of the chakravartin as ruler was ceremoniously conferred by anointing him with water drawn from the four directional oceans or lakes surrounding his realm. Similarly tantric initiation into a mandala requires the disciple to be sprinkled with water from five vases placed at the mandala's centre and four cardinal directions. The mandala palace itself is modelled on the divine four gated palace of the chakravartin. The Dravidian temples of southem India, the Mesopotamian ziggurat, the Chinese impe- rial palace of the forbidden city, and the royal Persian palace. all comprise architectural ideals comparable to the divine abode of the chakravartin or universal monarch.

Alexander the Great, whose thirteen-year conquest extended his empire westward from Greece and Egypt to the Indus river, may have been seen as a secular chakravartin. Yet his untimely death from fever in 323 BC, at the age of thirty-three, put an end to his potential divinity. The Indian Buddhist emperor Ashoka, who ruled over two thirds of India between 273 and 232 BC, was a far more worthy can- didate. A bloodthirsty military campaign sickened the victorious Ashoka, Renouncing violence he adopted Buddhism, and from his capital city of Pataliputra (near modern day Patna in Bihar state) he sent out Buddhist monks to proclaim the dharma in all directions. Historically, after Shakyamuni himself, the emperor Ashoka was the most important figure in the propagation of Buddhism. Around the beginning of the second century AD, Kanishka, the emperor of the Kushana dynasty, advanced Ashoka's example. From his capital city of Purushupura (now Peshawar), Kanishka introduced Buddhism into Afghanistan and the Swat,

Gandhara, and Kashmir areas of northwest India (now Pakistan). From Gandhara some of the earliest Buddha images evolved, interestingly sculpted in the Greek style by the descendants of Alexander the Great, producing the classic Buddha image.

The chakravartin is, first and foremost, a righteous universal monarch who rules purely through compassion and wisdom. The divine human form realises its perfection in the nondual identification of the chakravartin and bodhisattva ideals.

Just as the sambhogakaya forms of bodhisattvas and goddesses are endowed with the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks of a divine being or chakravartin, so are they likewise attired in the silk robes and ornamental gold jewellery of the ancient Indian kings, princes or princesses. Bodhisattvas are the 'spiritual sons' or princes of the Five Buddhas, they are crowned by them, and as symbols of their investiture bear the image or syllable of their parent Buddha on the crown of their heads. Their golden thrones are modelled on the square-based pedestal thrones of ancient Indian kings, and frequently placed before their thrones are the seven insignia of the chakravartin. Bodhisattvas and goddesses are apparelled in the thirteen sambhogakaya ornaments of a chakravartin, five of which are fashioned of coloured silk, and eight of which are wrought of precious stones and metals. The five silk attires consist of a white upper bodice with gold-embroidered patterns made from Benares silk or muslin (kashikamsuka); a rainbow' or multicoloured skirt or dhoti (panchalika); a yellow silk scarf worn as a sash over one shoulder; a variegated ribbon binding the crown or tiara; and a long blue scarf draped over the shoulders.

The eight precious jewellery ornaments consist of a five jewelled tiara made of natural and divine jewels; golden earrings; a short necklace around the neck; a medium necklace reaching to the level of the heart; a long necklace reaching below the navel; bracelets and armlets; anklets; and a jewelled belt with little silver bells. On peaceful bodhisattvas and goddesses these eight jewelled ornaments are usually condensed into a group of six, representing the six perfections or paramitas of patience (earrings), generosity (necklaces), discipline (bracelets, armlets, and anklets), effort (belt), meditation (jewelled tiara), and wisdom (a divine or flaming jewel above the hair-knots). Semi-wrathful male deities wear the equivalent earrings, necklaces, bracelets, armlets, and anklets, and belt, as bone ornaments, with a bone wheel at the crown of the head symbolising medita- tion, and cemetery ash applied to the forehead symbolising wisdom. Semi-wrathful female goddesses wear only the five bone ornaments; they are not adorned with cemetery ash as their form itself symbolises the perfection of wisdom.

The attributes of the chakravartin are very ancient symbols, dating back to before the time of Shakyamuni, more than two and a half thousand years ago. Other auspicious groups, such as the eight auspicious symbols and the eight symbols of good fortune, originated at a similar point in time. Their meaning and relevance have inevitably become diluted over the course of more than twenty-five centuries; the concept of monarchy itself has virtually collapsed over the last few decades. Yet the transposition of these symbols has remained intact, even though their original utilitarian purposes may now seem extremely redundant.

When Buddhism entered Tibet from India its entire symbolic content entered simultaneously. The depiction of Indian Buddhist deities dressed in the flimsy silks of Indian royalty was a foreign import into Tibet. The same is true of its vast array of jewelled ornaments, offerings, symbols, and motifs. They became indigenous by the philosophical values placed upon them as 'pure symbols', self-existent in their own right as visual encapsulations of the Buddhist teachings. Some fashions change, other traditions endure; hopefully the Buddhas will never be depicted in denim and trainers. The wheel moves on, yet it is always circular and cannot exist without its hub, spokes, and rim.

[strawbearri-frog]

[image id: a graphite pencil sketch of two men standing back to back, one in the foreground looking three quarters to the left, the other in the background looking left in profile. The first man is short and fat, with crossed arms and a grumpy expression. He is wearing a vest, tartan shirt and long, worn out pants. He has a beard and a beanie, and is missing an eye. The second man is very tall and skinny, with a black trench coat and peaked cap. He has a big nose, freckles and a small amount of facial hair. He is holding a book in his right hand, and light curly hair poking out beneath the cap. The whole left side of the drawing is shaded darker, and light is implied to come from the right. end id]

@thefandom-casserole here is the much-awaited lore post ⬇️

LORE:

Sampson (Sammy): 35 years old, 195cm (6’5)

ever since he was very young, death terrified him

the fear got worse the older he grew

so when he was 19, he sold his soul to the devil on the condition that if he died, he could cash in the soul for an extra life

for the next 10 years, Sampson attempted to break the deal. he committed a lot of crimes, and at one point accidentally gave his birth name to the fae (Sampson is his new name)

13 years later (aged 32), the devil got tired of waiting and staged an accident involving a train

sampson died

he managed to take the extra life without losing his soul

he did lose a leg and 2.5 fingers in the process, and gain a couple of pretty sick curses

one of which is the prosthetic goat leg, a reminder of what he owes.

basically he spent the last 3 years desperately outrunning his fate

the trench coat and peaked cap are his attempt at a disguise, and he refuses to wear anything else

+ fun fact! The outfit was the original inspiration for his entire design :) also go listen to Glass Animals’ songs ‘Space Ghost Coast to Coast’ and ‘Toes’

Robert (Lucky) Luckson: between 30-50 years old, 181cm (5’11)

When he was younger, he was in a relationship with a girl who would later turn out to be Fortune

it ended horribly, and as a breakup gift, Fortune cursed Lucky with immortality, and refused to see him again

he has the worst luck in the world

anything that can possibly go wrong for him will

he met Sampson soon after the latter’s death

yeah there’s not much Lucky lore yet.

theyre both grumpy sods, although while Lucky is just naturally stoic and silent, Sammy is whiny and paranoid and so tightly strung you could probably use him as a violin bow. Nevertheless they are best friends (or each other’s only friends?) and would go through hell for each other. (Except for one time Sampson got arrested for setting someone’s house on fire. But to be fair Lucky should not have had to deal with that mess and he was justified in leaving Sampson to rot for a few months. The fact that he got dragged to hell right as Lucky was changing his mind was NOT Lucky’s fault.)

[sylvermidnight]

Actually. I am gonna talk about Keiko a bit because I’m sad today and…I love him and I think everyone is a little too harsh about his story. So let’s take a look at it.

Keiko the orca was the star in the 1993 film “Free Willy” alongside his human costar Jason Richter. How he came to be in that role is a rather long complicated and sad story I don’t want to dwell on all too much but the long and short of it is this: He was captured off the coast of Iceland in 1979, where he was then sold to the Icelandic Aquarium in Hafnarfjörður. Three years later he was sold to Marineland Ontario, of Kiska the loneliest whale in the world fame (they are reunited now may they both rest in peace). It’s reported that that’s when he started performing and under their care he developed skin lesions and became unappealing to the public so was sold to Reino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1985.

Reino Aventura is the park featured in the film Free Willy, and the enclosure there is indeed Keiko’s real habitat that he lived in.

The interesting fact of the matter is that Keiko became the star of the movie because no American marine park (or any other park in North America) wanted to be featured in a film displaying how they kept their whales, and centered around freeing them. Reino Aventura had no such qualms. The cast and crew all became very attached to Keiko, as well as those at the marine park who cared for him. He was often sickly, housed in water too warm and in too small amounts for him. Simply put, Keiko was dying a slow and painful death. He was underweight and often experienced skin conditions.

I don’t feel the need to talk about the project to free him and how it came about everyone knows that.

What I do want to talk about is the excellent care he received after work began. He was rehabilitated in Oregon for a time, and grew stronger. Trained to hunt fish on his own and be a little more independent. In September of 1998 he was flown back to Iceland to spend time in a sea pen there where he could choose to come and go via the US Air Force.

Once in Iceland he spent some time in a sea pen, and then eventually chose on his own not to return to it. Many people speak misguidedly on the fact that Keiko never integrated with a pod. This is not fully true. Keiko spent much time around and in nearby pods, and was observed interacting as much as he wished to. In the Summer of 2002 Keiko disappeared, undergoing a migration to Norway alongside a pod of wild orcas. When he reappeared Skålvik Fjord he sported signs of even having tried to mate. Yes he sought out contact with human beings but that is not such a sad thing. He chose it on his own terms. He had freedom, and choices for the first time in his life ever. His caretakers relocated to Norway and continued to conduct boat-follows with Keiko for the next 15 months. On the basis of girth measurements and blood tests, it was assumed that Keiko had fed during his 900-mile (1500 km) journey from Iceland to Norway.

Keiko died of pneumonia in the winter of 2003, by one of his beloved caretakers sides. It was not a long nor a painful death, and pneumonia is often the claimer of many wild cetaceans. He lived to about 27, which is considerably longer than most orcas in captivity and very close to the wild lifespan. He was given many more years than he would have had if he’d stayed in Mexico.

The point is. I’m tired of everyone saying he only had 15 months of freedom when it simply isn’t true. He was in ocean water in his natural environment for upwards of five years, and never once seemed distressed by this fact. He enjoyed the last years of his life and we dishonor his legacy by implying otherwise. He was a beautiful and happy soul.

I highly recommend the documentary Keiko the Untold Story, a passion project put together by those who knew and loved him and worked passionately to give him the best life he could have.