#((constance is the only exception to that!))

[ben-the-hyena]

So I watched the Haunted Mansion trailer and

Just like I feared. The ghosts are evil and murderous instead of just scaring for fun and forever resting in peace with parties every night and must be cast away and fought as if they were there for a curse because it is the EASY way too attract a mainstream kind of audience instead of counting on the fans, their (THEIR) mansion must be freed for dumb humans to live there because it's ONCE AGAIN an estate plot, the humans we don't give a shit about are the main focus and appear more than the ghosts in the trailer despite how we have oh I don't know 999 potential characters to have as main characters instead, and again Disney wants us to forget Emily ever existed and just wants to impose Constance everywhere and tries to have her be the MAIIN EEEEVUUUL instead of just one ghost whose gimmick is to be the ghost of a wedding-themed black widow

The ONE good thing is how Hattie looks. I had my fears, but he looks cool and faithful to his ride self. I hope Jared Leto won't ruin the role, but since the ghosts are apparently the villains he will unfortunately probably be too

God fucking dammit Disney why don't you know your own ride

WHY DID YOU LET US DOWN GUILLERMO DEL TORO

[dawningfairytale]

mischa: yooooooooooo this one goes out to the girls AND the gays

constance: but, mischa, what about the gay girls?

mischa: ESPECIALLY the gay girls <3

[theheadlessgroom]

https://www.tumblr.com/beatingheart-bride/714102344819884032/theheadlessgroom-beatingheart-bride

@beatingheart-bride

The soft, slow melody of the violin began to waft through the cool, crisp air outside the mausoleum, Randall’s heart pounding as he played, his eyes fixed on the door to the crypt: He couldn’t tell if his racing pulse was because this was the first time he’d ventured beyond the walls of the opera house in many, many years (even with his face so obscured, the notion of being spotted set a cold, aching pit in his gut) or because he was nervous the prospect of speaking with Emily after six long months of silence, but at any rate, he could feel himself quivering beneath the dark layers he used to hide himself in.

And yet, he still played for her, a haunting melody that he was sure would be familiar to her-the love theme from Don Juan Triumphant. He just put the bow to the strings and began to play, and that was the song that came-perhaps it was a plea for her to hear him out, perhaps it was a confession of love (love she once held for him, he realized all too late), perhaps it was an effort to comfort her in the midst of her mourning, or perhaps some combination of the three. At any rate, he was there, and for all his fear, he was glad to be with her.

“Emily...” he whispered softly on the wind, his voice mournful and tender as he called to her, eyes pleading as he watched the door, waiting to see her: He could only hope that she would be willing to hear him out. He had so much to tell her...

[you-are-constance]

hey just a fyi it isnt fun to go almost directly from a marching band rehearsal to doing yard work. esp during the summer. and conditioning for marching band.

[coochiequeens]

This should not have taken so long

Trans women who have hurt or threatened women or girls will not be held in female prisons unless there are "exceptional" circumstances, new guidance states.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) policy follows a public outcry after a rapist was sent to a women's prison.

Isla Bryson raped two women while known as Adam Graham.

The Scottish Conservatives said the new policy was "subjective" and "unacceptable".

The latest figures show there were 23 trans prisoners in Scotland from January to March this year.

They included 19 trans women, seven of whom were in a women's prison, and four trans men - one of whom was in a male prison.

Under previous guidance drawn up in 2014, the prison service allowed prisoners to be placed in facilities matching their gender identity, rather than their sex at birth, providing accommodation that "best suits the person in custody's needs".

This was reviewed and in February, following the Bryson case, it was updated to say no newly convicted or remanded transgender prisoner with a history of violence against women would be housed in female prison facilities.

Under the new policy - which will come into force in February 2024 - a trans woman would not be allowed to move into the female estate if they had been convicted of, or were on remand awaiting trial for, a crime that harmed a female - unless there was "compelling evidence that they did not present an unacceptable risk of harm to those in the women's prison".

These offences include any that result in suffering to a female, such as sexual offences, murder, assault, abduction and intimidation.

Those who have changed their legal gender can also be housed in accordance with their sex at birth, "if it is considered necessary to support people's safety and wellbeing".

The policy states: "Only when staff have enough information to reach a decision that a trans individual can be safely accommodated will they be placed in an establishment which matches their affirmed gender."

Trans men will be admitted to the female estate, but those who have committed crimes against women may be kept separate from other prisoners if it is "deemed necessary" to "keep women in custody safe".

The new guidelines also allow officers to search inmates regardless of the inmate's "affirmed gender" or sex assigned at birth, "if it is necessary to keep the individual or staff safe".

Risks carefully managed'

Teresa Medhurst, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, said if a trans woman's offences were historic and low level, they could be moved to the female estate, but she stressed that would be exceptional.

She said all prisoners were "treated with dignity and respect, with their rights upheld, and any risks carefully managed".

"The position, whilst it is still individualised, will ensure that those that have a history of violence against women and girls and present a risk to women will no longer be placed on admission in the women's estate.

"I am content that everyone who is a transgender individual is located in the prison which best suits their risk and needs profile."

She added that she was confident the new policy would address public concerns surrounding trans prisoners.

The Scottish government's Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the new policy protected the "safety and welfare" of staff and prisoners, and the "rights of transgender people".

She said: "SPS has considerable expertise, as well as a duty of care for the management of people in their custody, and this policy upholds its responsibilities to deliver safe, secure and suitable services for all."

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay MSP said the new prison policy was "unacceptable" and put women at "even greater risk by further eroding their fundamental right to single-sex space".

"They say that male prisoners with a history of violence against women or girls should be allowed in the female estate and will only be blocked if they present a risk, which is completely subjective."

Lucy Hunter Blackman, from policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said any new policy in Scotland should not "talk narrowly about the potential risk of a physical or sexual assault".

She added: "It needs to recognise how the presence of someone male might impact upon group of vulnerable traumatised women, held in spaces from which they cannot escape."

[hisui-dreamer]

OMG OMG HISUI CONGRATS PN THE MILESTONE!! I've been following your blog for quite a while and I am so so happy to see it flourish (pun intended) so beautifully! I also wish you the best of luck in your exams and endeavors ❤️❤️

If you feel like it, I'd love to have Jamil with a bouquet of Bellflowers, Lavender and Baby's breath. I get so happy with flower events~

Bellflowers represent everlasting love and constancy, with Lavenders representing devotion and serenity and, at last, Baby's Breath sincerity, purity and love. I actually have two species of Lavender at home, it how much I adore them 💜

And a yellow rose for you!

we should try

Pairing: Jamil Viper x gn!reader

Synopsis: jamil doesn't like holding on to hope, but you're always the exception in his life

Tags: comfort, domestic fluff, cuddling

Word count: 448

Notes: i love the selection of flowers!!! also thank you for the yellow rose🥺💕 i hope you'll like the fic!!

Masterlist

flowers of choice:

bellflowers: everlasting love and constancy

lavenders: devotion and serenity

baby's breath: sincerity, purity and love

The moon spilt its gentle luminescence through the window, painting delicate shadows across the room. Jamil nestled into the plush pillows with a heavy sigh, weariness etched into every line of his form. His shoulders slumped, his exhaustion palpable after another long day's work in Scarabia.

You sat beside him, your fingers glided through his hair in rhythmic strokes, each movement a gentle caress in the quiet of the night. The diligent and responsible vice-housewarden was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only the weary soul of your beloved. "You've been working so hard," you murmured softly.

Jamil closed his eyes, revelling in the sensation. "I’m used to it at this point,” he sighs into the pillow. “It’s nicer now, having you here with me," he confessed, his voice tinged with gratitude.

"I'm glad to be here," you replied softly, continuing to brush out his hair with gentle care. "I'm glad to have you."

A pause settled between you, a comfortable silence punctuated only by the rhythm of your ministrations. Then, Jamil sighed once more, a sound of pure contentment escaping his lips. "I wish things could stay like this forever," he admitted, his vulnerability laid bare in the dim light of the room.

"Could? I think we definitely will," you assured him, your voice filled with conviction.

He shifted to face you, his weary gaze delving into the depths of your eyes. "You truly think so?" he inquired, a flicker of optimism dancing in his tired expression.

"Well, you won't know if you don't try," you replied, a soft smile gracing your lips as your gaze drifted towards the starry night sky visible through the window, its vastness echoing your uncertainty of the future. "But you're definitely not getting rid of me so easily," you added, a playful giggle escaping you.

Jamil chuckled in response, his weariness momentarily overshadowed by the warmth of your presence. "As if I'd ever let you go willingly," he retorted. He closed his eyes in thought, imagining what a future with you would be like. He imagines shared laughter and quiet moments of intimacy, days spent working tirelessly only to find solace in your embrace at night, and hours spent lost in conversation and affection. He imagined facing life's challenges together, drawing strength from each other's support and unwavering commitment. With you, he saw a future brimming with possibility, where every hurdle was overcome hand in hand, and every joy magnified by the depth of their connection.

"Yeah," he mumbled, his hand reaching out to find yours, fingers intertwining in hope. "We should try."

Masterlist

if you liked this post, don't forget to reblog!

[sibelin]

I don't want people to reblog that AI art post so I'll put my addition here:

One thing that will always make me cringe with those AI imitations of middle to late 19th century art is how the intelligence will always try to match ALL the women figures with the current 21th century beauty standards. Now, of course, I wouldn't be complaining if these kind of images weren't plaguing the "classical art" or "oil painting" tags. But since they are, I will show you what 19th century painting of women really looks like. And yeah, I know, some paintings match with current beauty standards but it's still more complicated than that. "Classic" painting is not all about representing pretty ladies. Otherwise historians of art would be bored.

Okay, if it's a "classic" painting, let's go with neoclassicism which is basically a return to the classic inspirations from antiquity and a return to simplicity after years of the wild Baroque and Rococo of the 18th century. Want to see portraits of women in that time?

(Left : Detail of Portrait de madame de Verninac by Jacques-Louis David, 1979. Right : Portrait de Madame Duvaucey, 1809, Jean-Dominique Ingres).

So far, notice how these two women don't look at all like the women in those fake AI paintings. They are portraits of real women, thus real models. But even when they were painting gods, 19th century painters HAD models! Not only that, they were also inspired by antiquity, which wasn't really doing realism either, they had their own ideals like, to cite one exemple, the really straight noses you always see in greek statues. Well, that's also in neoclassical paintings! Look:

(Detail of La Mélancolie by Constance Marie Charpentier, 1801)

On the other side, you've got two strong opponents (and logical responding movements) to this return to classical culture : Romantism and Realism. Once again, look at the diversity :

(Left: Details of Les foins by Jules Bastien-Lepage, 1877. Right: Jeune orpheline au cimetière, Eugène Delacroix, 1824.)

Realism is pretty self-explanatory. The painters were going back to show normal people, farmers and workers. They weren't here to make them beautiful or to conform to beauty standards but to show the world as it is. Result was a lot of controversies, notably with Courbet and Les baigneuses, a representation of a strong woman in an unflatering pose and dirt on her feet that shook the beauty standards so dear to the academic ideals of his times. Check it out if you're interested, there's plenty of articles about it. And romanticism? Once again very diverse. Just look at pre-romantism, with Goya, who loooved representing fucked up little scenes. Or with Delacroix, here with one of his most famous portrait (Jeune orpheline au cimetière) probably because of the expression, the pose, everything that makes that girl look alive, real, unique.

But wait.... You've already seen classical paintings were the ladies looked like all the ladies nowadays, right? Maybe you've seen those very pretty pre raphaelites paintings with those women that look kinda like Florence Welch. Maybe you've seen academic art, the most palatable of 19th century style when it comes to beauty norms. And it's true, it could be similar to these prompted AI classical babes, except once again, it's not. Because once again, they had models, and models were different from paintings to paintings. And this is this systematic same face vibes that makes AI so boring. Because even when real historical art comes close to that, it is always way way way more rich and full of surprises.

(left : The North-West Passage by John Everett Millais, 1878. Middle: Detail of Contemplation by John William Godward, 1922. Right: Detail of La Naissance de Vénus by William Bouguereau, 1879)

Then, you have all these art styles that AI weirdly stays away from : those where the style and process is so strong, so much more important than the subject, that it would be hard to copy without noticing the difference. It could be impressionism, it could be symbolism or better, it could be the avant-garde artists that announces then blends into the wild, colorful and tortured art of the first half of the 20th century.

(Left: Le chemin de fer by Edouard Manet, 1973. Middle: I lock my door upon myself by Fernand Khnopff, 1891, Right: Jane Avril by Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, 1892)

Conclusion/ TLDR : If fake historical AI art becomes more realistic every day, it will never be as rich and diverse as the real deal because it will always be used to appease an algorithm for people who just want to see pretty images that catters to them and never challenge their views. When it comes to beauty norm, this could be dangerous and make people believe that these was always how women looked like. That all girls were born with removed buccal fat and symmetrical faces, even in old paintings. I don't know, it may be nothing, but it may be something. Thank you for those who read all that and I hope see many cool paintings in museums :)

Addition: This is of course a very european centric vision of art but it's what the AI will take inspiration from anyway. For the same reasons, these paintings are very white but I was also trying to avoid the icky orientalist representations that were so trendy in the 19th century. Note that there is an even better diversity in paintings when you open your eyes to non-european centric art.

(If I see a terf reblogging this, i'm blocking on sight)

[timegays]

another swap au? Yes.

rambles below

Mischa-ocean: more of a jackass in this au. Big sports dude and is on the school football team. Convinced he’s the best and will be pissed if you challenge him. Tries to act cool and tough but is pretty lame.

ocean-Constance: that shy quiet girl who’s really smart. More to herself and shy. A bit of a pushover. People tend to use her just got get answers to things. Mischa just says he’s her friend so he can cheat off her.

noel-Ricky: you’re only getting French out of this man. Try as you might be refused to speak much else with a few exceptions. Still dreams of being Monique. Way more out there and expressive. Think of a theatre kid. Yea.

Ricky-noel: much more blunt and rude. Takes no shit. Dreams of being savannah and the same cat girl fantasy as her. More flamboyant about the space age bachelorette stuff.

penny/Jane-Mischa: angry and bitter. Was separated from Ezra and only cares about getting him back. Steals things and sells them to get some cash. Still a recluse but definitely more known in the community.

Constance- Jane: nobody remembers her. Her face was replaced with the glass from her glasses. It’s a mirror. She had nothing else to her name.

[gods-favorite-autistic]

Rtc headcanons

Have I talked about my trans Ocean and Mischa headcanons recently because they are and you can’t change my mind

Nobody knows Ocean is trans because she started transitioning when she was little and her parents didn’t enroll her in school until she was like 8 and managed to convince them that no the school system was not going to brainwash her

The only people who know about her are Noel and Constance

Mischa does not hide the fact that he’s trans because he knows that nobody’s gonna like. Challenge him on that fact. What are you gonna do, tell the 6 foot dude who stole wine from the church that he’s not a guy? Nah man, you just say okay and move on

Ocean finds out Noel is going to sneak out of town to go to a pride parade and makes him take the entire choir because they all wanted to go to one but Noel is the only one who has a consistently available car and can drive good

Constance gets her hair dyed rainbow

Ocean decided to get a rainbow flag, the lesbian flag, and the trans flag but she can’t keep it at her house so she asks Noel to keep it

Mischa wears a shirt that’s just the trans flag with the words “god knew I’d be too powerful with a dick”

Ricky puts a bunch of pride stickers on his wheelchair

Penny steals a sign from a protester and hits the protester with it

Noel knows sign language because Ricky taught it to him

Ocean is autistic. That’s it that’s the headcanon

Penny use to do gymnastics when she was little but got kicked out after attempting to bite a child

Ricky loves mochi ice cream and learned how to make it when he was 11

Mischa knows how to bake

Whenever Father Marcus doesn’t show up for class Noel and Ricky decide to have lessons called “sign language for dummies”

It’s annoys Noel that Ocean is the one who is the best at it but like. What did he expect

Once Ricky’s parents can afford and AAC device he immediately makes it his life mission to learn how to speak as many languages as possible

Penny plays soccer and she is mvp almost every game

Ocean swears to hate most sports because they are “barbaric” except for soccer

She’s a huge soccer fan so she goes to all of Penny’s games

Mischa and Ricky go too and at every game at some point either Ocean or Ricky climb on Mischa’s shoulders

Noel loves to draw

Constance is actually on honor roll every year

If Ocean’s grades drop below a 95 she will cry

Mischa texts Talia whenever he takes a t-shot because hates needles and needs reassurance

When Mischa starts dating Noel Ocean gets so confused

Noel almost refuses to explain the idea of polyamory to her but Mischa thinks it’s funny to watch her head explode over things she doesn’t understand

They’re both very disappointed when she just goes “oh. okay” and then walks away

Noel and Talia are the best of friends

Penny can still do a bunch of gymnastics stuff she just doesn’t do it very often

Constance asks Ocean out first actually

Ocean spends like a full day avoiding her cause at first she things she’s joking then she freaks out because she’s had a crush on her for years then she thinks that Constance will be mad it took her so long to answer and not wanna date her anymore

Eventually Noel just locks the two of them in the choir room

Constance is also the one who asks Penny to join their relationship

Penny makes origami cats for Ricky

Ricky can pop a wheelie in his wheelchair

Skater boy Mischa and Penny

On the sidelines are Ocean and Noel going “be safe babe!” and “fuck it up Misch!!!” respectively

Ricky plays so many skating games

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Constance Bennett (Topper, Merrily We Live)—the first of the Bennett sisters to make her mark on the film industry, the glamorous Constance was a popular star in the 30s. bringing a sprightly sophistication to light comedies like Topper as well as a capable hand to dramas. in 1932 she starred in What Price Hollywood?, the earliest iteration of the much-remade A Star Is Born. the New York-born Constance was known to be a tough negotiator who wasn't afraid to be assertive with the studio heads or the press. she was also a formidable poker player!

Ruan Lingyu (The Goddess, New Women, Love and Duty)—icon of chinese silent cinema known for her luminous beauty, her exceptional acting talent, and her tragic life story

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut, TW for suicide mentions.]

Constance:

Ruan Lingyu:

silent era chinese actress who had a subtlety in her acting ability that was way ahead of her time. huge star but her career and life was sadly cut short by damaging publicity

Widely considered one of the best actresses of Chinese silent film

Ruan Lingyu had an eight year movie career, starting at 16 and ending with her suicide at only 24. Despite this, she made some of the most widely acclaimed films of early Chinese cinema and the BBC called her "China's Greta Garbo." In "Love and Duty," she plays her character as a teen, a young mother, and an older woman beaten down by life AND her teen daughter in an early application of split-screen technology. Lingyu is absolutely unrecognizable as the older woman, yet emotionally the transition is seamless because she does such a good job. Lingyu had a hard life and killed herself after ination [sic] of media scorn and private problems. Her funeral was three days long, the procession was allegedly four miles long, and three women killed themselves during her funeral. The New York Times called it "the most spectacular funeral of the century." I'm adding this to show what kind of hold she had over the public at the time, much like Rudolph Valentino's raucous funeral. I would rather she had lived.

Ruan Lingyu is a movie queen of China’s pre-war era, she mysteriously poisoned herself at age 24, leaving behind a note with the words "gossip is a fearful thing". Her funeral procession was reportedly 3 miles long, with three women committing suicide during the event. The New York Times called it "the most spectacular funeral of the century". It's hard not to believe how iconic and influencial she was after watching her movies, her acting was so nuanced and magnetic, i personally have never seen anything like it before.

[ilvero-love]

Clothes Maketh the (Wo)Man (or the colour coding of the Iron Trio)

I saw a post recently wondering about the significance, if any, of the colours our Iron Trio wears💙🖤🧡. It prompted me to go looking. Like everything Complete Fiction seems to do in regard to this show, the choices are careful and deliberate.

Lockwood is black and white🖤🤍 He has a business to run and his suited appearance declares that he is prepared to do just that. He’s business like because he has to be. The success of this company rides on his back and the choices he makes. He is ambitious certainly, seen in his constant striving to take Lockwood and Co to the top and in his drive to put them into the public eye, often at the expense of other’s wishes. But it’s understandable. He has bills to pay and people (George and Lucy) that rely on him. Even after they successfully square away their debts, Lockwood remains conscious that there are still other bills to pay.

Lockwood presents an adult façade to the world. Even Lucy (in the book) is surprised to realise he is scarcely older than her upon first meeting him. But, whilst he may appear an adult, he’s still very much a teenager navigating his way through a world where children are dispensable and adults, despite their general uselessness, still call the shots. It’s Lockwood’s sneakers and pink socks that give him away and reveal the teenage boy behind the façade. This was such a clever choice on the part of Complete Fiction 👏 They remind us that whilst Lockwood has been forced to grow up too quickly, at heart he is still a teen.

So, black and white. Very simple and clear cut. Except life isn’t like that, is it?Only Lucy has insight into how tenuous his grip on control can be, and we see this in the delightful stairwell scene 💖💖💖

😍Take a moment everyone- right, where were we?

Ah yes, Lucy and her blue persona (colour not mood). Lucy’s blue is a nice foil to the green of the ghostly world they inhabit. Both blue and green are heavily associated with nature. I don’t know what that means here, but it’s interesting to ponder.

Blue is traditionally seen as a colour of constancy, loyalty and reliability. She certainly provides this for Lockwood. But it’s also a strong colour, hence its traditional association with boys. A practical colour, heavily associated with working, it feeds into Lucy’s active strength.

(Some of these ideas came after reading the interesting article https://www.allure.com/story/beauty-and-the-beast-blue-dresses-in-female-centric-films . Not sure I agree with all of it but certainly food for thought).

Finally, George 🧡 Orange radiates warmth. George is the only from a stable family background, only leaving because of a burning desire to solve the Problem. 

Orange can represent physical comfort, which, when you add it to his cooking prowess completes the picture. Despite taking a while to warm to Lucy  (understandable when it’s just been him and Lockwood for a year) once he’s in, he’s all in 💯

Orange can represent physical comfort, which, when you add it to his cooking prowess completes the picture. He’s homely-he embodies home. As Lucy says to Lockwood, “Portland Row is my home-You and George”. And despite having taken a while to warm to Lucy (understandable when it’s just been him and Lockwood for a year) once he’s in, he’s all in 💯

It is interesting too that orange is also a complementary colour to blue, meaning that you can argue that George balances Lucy, providing stability for Lockwood.

So, there you have it, my thoughts, nonsensical or not, on the colour coding of our three heroes 🧡💙🖤

Maybe, just maybe, they were completely random colour choices based on what CF could source. But knowing Complete Fiction, I somehow think not 😉

⚔👻💕

[crying-pan420]

Things that aren’t necessarily canon but are to me

mischa and penny are the tallest

ocean is the smallest

Noel wears reading glasses

Talia is real and loves mischa very much

Mischa calls Ezra and Constance’s little brother “little man”

Mischa ocean sibling dynamic

Penny and ocean are related some way (twins or cousins)

All of Ricky’s cats are named after someone from media except the one called Pussy

Mischa with his man of the week PowerPoints

Ocean keeps a diary

Penny follows everyone around like a lost puppy sometimes just spewing random animal facts

Then Ezra is behind her just following

Genderfluid ricky

Entire choir is ace

Trans masc Mischa

Bi mischa

Pan Ricky

The choir buy each other birthday cards with the wrong age

Father Marcus is Irish

Mischa and penny pick ocean up sometimes and put her in air time out

Mischa basement or the Blackwood cafe are the main meet-up spots

Unless they wanna see cats then it’s the Potts house

Ezra always shows up

Noel tired to convince the choir to preform Chicago with him

He failed

Mischa is either big dog kinda guy or little hamster

Ocean is lactose intolerant

Ricky and ocean devour books in seconds

Noel has bookshelves full that he’s never touched

Ocean talks about how the book is better

Penny and mischa rivalry

Constance has a Polaroid camera

Constance is the only member of the choir who can bake without disaster

Ricky lies to younger years

Penny and mischa help

I can’t think of anymore right now but if I do part 2?

[dawningfairytale]

noel, after the waiting for godot bit: yeah, i guess you could say i’m a more sexy version of the grinch

ocean, constance, ricky: *look at each other*

constance and ocean: MORE?!?!?!?!

ricky: *flips him off*

[saltysaltdog]

Narinder and his relationship to the bishops. What caused their falling out?

The game tells you everything you need to know... (Spoiler, it was Leshy)

"Hapless Leshy" is how Haro describes them. And that just means he's very unlucky, unfortunate... doomed.

Leshy is the youngest god, the god of Chaos and flux. For a lot of people when they imagine Chaos, they think of something ever changing, a sensory overload that's never consistent and with no repeating patterns. Constant change.

Notably, Narinder doesn't have anything bad to say about him. His dialogue is limited to one line. "Leshy fell before you like a grain of sand before a tidal wave." Considering how verbose Narinder usually is this should strike you as odd. He comments about how happy he is with seeing the others fall, but not Leshy. He even holds himself in check if you do something that really upsets him, like sell out Ratau (cough cough) but he can't bring himself to demean leshy in the same way, nor celebrate at all.

He should be a natural ally to Narinder, who wanted change. And yet he's not.

"He was unalike the rest of his kin. While others dealt with flux; chaos, famine, pestilence, war. Things in which their constancy must transpose. And yet he was the inevitable; the obstinate and irresistible. The one who waits. Truly peculiar, 'twould then seem, has appetency to invite the novel and the new, break ancient vow and primordial bond alike. Traditions stagnate and appetites augment, nonetheless. Doubt tears faith asunder."

Switching between two states: change, is the natural order of things, Leshy should be inviting chaos, causing it... And there lies the problem.

Bonds of familial duty, turned instead to chains. Most voracious of appetites, curbed and contained. Most infectious of ideas cut off and cauterised before given chance to rot and spread. Cruel, verily. Alas, what other recourse was given? How does one kill Death? ... Alas. One cannot."

The final lines imply that they sacrificed their power, their growth, to stop Narinder, but what if it wasn't him they were doing it for?

Hear me out. Leshy is the youngest and the weakest, it could be that his powers couldn't handle the rate at which things were changing. If so, then he would only be an obstacle to Narinder. At first it would be fine, but if Leshy didn't get better, if the bishops couldn't cause meaningful change, new things, if change itself was making him sick and "Doubt tears faith asunder": wouldn't it be the one to "break ancient vow and primordial bond alike" be first in line for having the blame cast on them?

We don't have a clear idea on what shenainigains Narinder was up to, but both he and Shamura tell us one thing he was working on.

"The blame hangs heavy 'round my neck. I introduced him to ideas of change..." ".... Death cannot flow backward."

Bringing the dead back to life.

He praises you for doing so in response to one of his quests on his quest line. But that's not to say it's all he was working on.

--

Hang tight, because this bit is up for interpretation:

These guys.

Cute mushroom guys that infect you and try to turn you into a mushroom too, and once you die you can be replanted, again and again and again and again and a- its basically immortality!

They live in Narinder's domain, and yet they are Menticide Mushrooms from Anura given a follower form. They are unnatural, and fiercely hunted when they visit there, so they are not endemic to the area. If Narinder was playing with Nature's laws, turning mushrooms into people, or people into mushrooms, then what's to say he wasn't trying it on anything else?

Like say maybe... plants?

Yes.

Now technically a lot of enemies you fight have plant like features, so many in fact that it's like they were mass produced, existing everywhere except the silk cradle: Shamura's domain of war.

Now these plant creatures fight for the bishops, but that's not to say they are natural. We get normal frogs, insects, fish, etc, but we only get these plant-like worm followers after Leshy turns them into plant like creatures. I don't believe you can randomly happen across them. Perhaps these constructs were originally developed to ensure protection of his siblings, something to prevent them from wasting followers on defending their realms from weaker gods. Or launching assaults. After all, don't many people have a primordial bond to the land they grew up on? Having your favourite tree attack you would suck.

While maybe not a direct result of Narinder, although I wouldn't put it past him to look at a worm and crown and go "oh this'll be funny", I think it's possible that no other plant creature developed consciousness, that Leshy is special, unique, alone.

Perhaps everyone had different ideas on how to help him.

It's up to personal preference the order of events and the degree of sentience the plant enemies have, and thus the mental age of leshy when he became a god, but I'm inclined to think that Narinder still considers Leshy his baby brother, one who would be spared if he could.

(He also made the undead enemies you fight but that's probably obvious.)

But this is all speculation, entities like the gold loving tree exist, so there could be old entities that are plant based kicking around. And the mushrooms could just be from the giant dead god skull being a god of decay. It's hard to know for sure.

It'd be so funny if we could plant that mushroom and grow a giant god. Unlikely though.

-

So Leshy's existence is unprecedented, Chaos itself to many who see him. But why doesn't chaos help him? Narinder speaks about the "unordered beauty of his realm..." and his attack patterns are technically random, but most Bishops speak on their domain a lot.

Leshy doesnt.

"Winds of change blow; dost thou sense it? Around us, the world creaks and turns. Afore, it stood immobile. Motionless centuries grow rust. Now leshy has fallen..."

His domain was stagnant. Leshy is concerned with Narinder being a heretic, and thus you, because your rituals don't align with the old faith's practices. But since those "traditions stagnate", it makes sense why he is the least revered among his siblings, his grasp on the order, what those rituals are supposed to bring, isn't that good. He's probably just doing them because he's supposed to without understanding the greater purpose of them.

"The worm, it is hungry. It feeds. It partakes of our flesh. But that is the price for safety. For that we gladly give it all we have."

His average followers don't even use his name, or maybe they aren't really his followers at all? It's hard to know for sure.

"I recall Leshy. Prior to yourself, he was the last to bargain with me. Adept as he was, he rose quickly to the challenges of Godhood, aided by his siblings. Many were drawn to his chaotic ways"

He was helped out a lot by his siblings, likely to the point he would have died if he was alone.

do Narinder's siblings really think Narinder could have attempted to kill leshy after being perhaps monumental in causing his existence?

Part 2: yep.

Narinder says that Shamura "could never handle the multitudes of a being such as I" (paraphrased. I'm lazy.) Which we are to take as a statement on what he wanted to attempt with his power. With the sins of the flesh update however it might not be that simple.

Sup you slithery bastard.

What's key here is listening to how the other bishops talk about Narinder. Leshy refers to him as a heretic, Heket as a monster they chained below, Shamura as a brother and Narinder.

They used the term red crown for him, but with the notion of it's own independence Kallamar becomes the most relevant.

Kallamar: "Shamura, the Red Crown grows stronger by the day. Already it has succeeded where he has failed before. Leshy has been slain!"

There's a collective understanding of who "he" is. Narinder. But it is interesting that Kallamar never directly uses the term to refer to Narinder, only using pronouns. Isn't the vessel's success Narinder's success? This makes it sound like the red crown is an entity of its own, succeeding where Narinder failed, at least in Kallamar's mind.

It should be noted that Kallamar doesn't refer to you as the red crown during the events of the game. You are the vessel of it. Then when he needs to insult you, critter, beast. Then as a final plea, lamb. Before that however, after he figures out you arent leaving he tries to bargin with the crown directly.

It seems you cannot be stopped by disease or hunger. And he sends you back from death stronger each time. Please know, it was not my idea to cast out the Red Crown! The other Bishops, my siblings, the blame lies with them. Please, I beg you, spare me. Kill Shamura, but do not send me to my death. Do not send me to him!

Then finally, in post game, likely before seeing Kallamar again, when you have gathered enough sin the seller will ask you:

"I have dealt with Gods, and often pondered; does the Bearer wear the Crown, Or the Crown the Bearer?"

"Stay back! Stay away! Mercy, Red Crown, mercy..."

Of course once you have him as s follower and he realises you are not walking puppet for damnation personified he chills out.

According to the seller "Foolish though he may have seemed, he wielded the power of his Crown without discrimination." Meaning Kallamar might have the most experience with how screwy the crown may be on the minds of followers, and potentially gods if Chemach is anything to go by.

In this sense Kallamar might be the only one who believes Narinder to be innocent- in the sense that he was not in his right mind when he did whatever it was that made the bishops think he was trying to kill leshy- imagining him to be under some kind hypnosis, unable to tell friend from foe. So he always separates the two just in case. That being said, the need to imprison him for was probably encouraged by him.

Of course this all relies on the "he" mentioned being Narinder and not like Ratau or something. Kallamar does know him by name, weirdly enough. "Your friend Ratau was the last vessel sent against us," which begs the much funnier question that how does he know his name? Did they talk? Did Ratau just scream an introduction before every fight? Presumably that was decades ago Kallamar how do you even remember?

Not the worst ship I've seen.

All fun aside, some of Heket's lines can also be interpreted this way.

Heket: "So it is true. The Red Crown sits upon the brow of another."

"The Bishops… my family. Have they not suffered enough? Have I not suffered enough? We fought, pathetic vessel. We bled. We grieved. And yet the Red Crown wants more. No more."

"Pathetic, sniveling, vile puppet to the Red Crown. You have felled the youngest of us. We are the Bishops of the Old Faith. We protect against heresies such as yours. /....We will not tolerate such blasphemy. Your sins are many, and for that y... "

"You there, vessel of the Red Crown! Bow to me, or you will regret it!"

"It was not so long ago that we cast out the Red Crown. A mere thousand or so years. The heresy it preached could not be tolerated. Such noxious ideals... it could not be allowed. For this most damning of sins_"

The mention of sins and heresy is interesting because more less or we just got here. There's the idea that the crown itself is heretical, perhaps not just as a symbol. Since you know, it tells us to gather sin. But of course, in typical play you have murdered her followers in at least four crusades against Leshy then her so, plenty of heresy and sin there.

Theres no much we can gleam about Narinder's actions, but her dialogue suggests her battle with Narinder stemmed from what he wanted to accomplish/his vision for the future, rather than any attempts on Leshy's life- at least not directly- and considering Narinder says "Heket's words were more toxic and foul than the mushrooms that grew in her domain." I think they may have fought over policy and doctrine a lot. After all, nothing would be so wounding to Narinder than himself to be wrong and someone else to be right.

He calls her "arrogant" but Haro called her "temperamental". The two may not conflict, since haro also says she's "afeared by none" which is to say scared by nothing, not that in her rule nobody was scared of her. The seller calls her "vicious" and a "wicked beast", but also amusing in a way, which I'm more inclined to believe is him saying she was annoyingly persistent in trying to get past him into his portal thing than any form of true disdain. Then again she might have just eaten the god tears to see what they do instead of trading them. So many fun possibilities.

That being said, how do we reconcile Kallamar's belief that Narinder tried to kill Leshy with Heket's main complaint being his ideas?

Shamura.

Part 3: the tl;dr.

Shamura introduced Narinder to change, but according to Haro this should have been something he already knew from being around his siblings since their domains "transpose". Famine: feed. Plague: cure. War: peace. Chaos: order. So this has to be something different.

Shamura's domain used to be knowledge but now she is known for war. Her aspect changed, and it's likely this is what she means.

Narinder wanted to change Leshy's aspect. It would solve all his problems, allowing his other siblings to experiment instead of just stamping out anything new. Once he was set on his course Shamura couldn't stop him.

If leshy was already struggling and tried listening to Narinder and changing how everyone saw him, already having issues with cult management, this could have killed him. A god is nothing without followers. If Narinder started his plan without letting Leshy know, it definitely could have killed him.

The plan would require everyone's cooperation to work, rituals rewritten and spreading word of the change fast enough to keep it from being changed back. Shamura would have argued against it, noting issues that if brushed off by nari would set off Heket and they'd argue viciously, probably about Narinder's character and how callous ignoring the risks are. If Kallamar was put on the spot, already being a cowardly person he wouldn't be of any help. And the fight would continue.

It's possible leshy would have tried it just to stop his siblings, and done catastrophic damage to himself. After all, he's the only one who is said to eat the sacrifices directly. It's possible whatever happened forced him to need to eat food, something the gods usually don't bother with.

This would have cemented his belief in the rules as they are now, instead of however lax he may have been before. He may have liked the mushroomos or learning to make plant people before then and might have been the only one who was interested in what Narinder was doing and not trying to stop it.

You may think yourself righteous in your service to HIM. But you should not be so trusting of the Chained One.

He's the only one to comment on how your quest could be perceived as the right thing to do. He's been there himself and suffered for it.

Even so, Camellia still grows in the dark woods. They are the flowers that grow around any red crown rooms you may find, making them explicitly tied to Narinder.

And with Narinder's inability to celebrate his demise....

They couldn't quite bring themselves to hate the other.

[talonabraxas]

Seraphim Angels – Meaning and Importance

The Order of Seraphim and Their Characteristics Depending on the Abrahamic religion to which you’re referring, the Seraphim take on slightly different characteristics. But all three Christianity, Judaism and Islamic beliefs indicate these burning beings are closest to the throne of God.

Seraphim in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam According to Christian accounts, the Seraphim are the first order of angels, next to the Cherubim, and sing His praises all day. Today, some branches of Christianity propose that there is a 9-level hierarchy of angels, with Seraphim and Cherubim being at the highest levels. However, it’s important to understand that the Bible doesn’t identify any hierarchy of angelic beings, so this is possibly a later interpretation of the Bible.

Jewish traditions also believe in Seraphim in a similar manner to that of Christians, but they give a more in depth look at their character, order, appearance, and function. Most of these Judaic references place Seraphim as fiery serpents. It’s this reference to snakes that distinguishes the Seraphim from the rest of the orders of angels.

In Islam, no specifics are mentioned about the Seraphim except there are only two who sit nearest to God’s throne. These differ in that they have three wings on their faces, instead of two. They are beings of light who carry the recorded deeds of humankind that they will present on Judgment Day.

Appearance of Seraphim In one of the few accounts we have about Seraphim in the Bible, they’re described as having six wings and many eyes, so that they can watch God in action all the time.

They are described as having eloquent and indescribable beauty. They have large, booming singing voices, and enrapture anyone blessed enough to hear them in person.

Their six wings are a peculiar feature.

Two for flying, which represents their freedom and praise.

Two for covering their faces, so that they will not be overwhelmed by God’s brilliance.

Two on their feet, to signify their humility and submission to god.

However, in the Greek Orthodox Bible, it says that the two wings veil the face of God rather than the faces of the Seraphim.

When considering translations in this way, literal interpretation of varying texts becomes important to understand the full scope and picture. This is because older languages don’t always convert easily into English.

The Role of the Seraphim The Seraphim play an important role in Heaven, singing unceasing praises to the Almighty.

Praising God Seraphim sing hymns, dance, and exalt the praises of God and His infinite holiness. This highest, holy order of angels combines love and truth while reflecting divine compassion and righteousness. They are a reminder to humankind of the Creator to His creation, showing how to sing and revel in God’s praise.

They do not sleep, keeping constant vigil over God’s throne with unceasing song. This gives them a sort of protective guardianship role in conjunction with the Creator.

Cleansing Away Sin Isaiah’s telling of his experience with one Seraph points to their ability to remove sin from the soul. This particular Seraph carried a hot coal from the altar and touched it to Isaiah’s lips which cleansed him of sin. This act purified him enough to sit in the presence of God and to be his spokesman for humankind.

The Trisagion Their ability and constancy in songs and hymns also shows us another major aspect to the purpose of Seraphim. The Trisagion, or thrice hymn, which contains the triple invocation of God as being holy, is an important aspect of the Seraphim.

In Brief The Seraphim are burning angelic beings who sit closest to God’s throne, offering songs, praises, hymns, dances and guardianship. They have the potential to cleanse souls of sin and teach humanity how to honor the Divine. However, there is some debate concerning what exactly the Seraphim are, with some indications that they are fiery serpent-like beings.

[colors-of-my-heart]

Concept: Jane Doe but with the head of a wind-up doll

- At the beginning of Jane Doe’s Entrance, she tears the turnkey from the back of her doll and presents it to the Choir. When someone finally accepts it, she turns her back to them; it takes them a moment, but then they realize what she’s waiting for. They stab the key into the small of the back and turn it. Only then does she start her monologue.

- She needs to be wound back up at multiple points throughout the show. When she starts to power down, her voice starts to crackle and distort until breaking off entirely. This is mostly played for laughs, except:

- During the Ballad of Jane Doe, she powers down right before the ragtime piano kicks in. The absolute terror of her situation finally hits as she picks back up and you can hear all that pent-up frustration spill out.

- This ties in thematically with Jane’s complete loss of control over her body, spirit, and memory.

- This can be interpreted as a reference to this aria from The Tales of Hoffman, which I’m already like 90% sure was the inspiration for Jane in some capacity (speaking of which. why does nobody ever talk about this. it’s so perfect it can’t be a coincidence. right???)

- Excuse for a creepy music box to be added to the arrangement of her songs. which is just a net positive in my book.

- Could also create an extra layer to Jane and Ricky’s relationship, with them both having their voices stolen from them, whether by tragedy or illness

- She rips out the key and gives it to Constance at the end of the show. Constance responds like a cat owner being gifted a dead mouse. Flattered, but thoroughly disturbed.

- Ok yeah this is all self indulgence and I’m making shit up, I just like wind-up dolls and think it would be neat.