#(well excluding cause of death i suppose)

[sweetgrimm]

So, um, @naffeclipse, @chaotikanvas I know that it's technically mermay, but can we make an exception for mothmay? This has been sitting in my drafts for months and I'm finally feeling good enough about it to throw it out here. Needless to say that you guys really inspired me with your discussions and the brainrot CONSUMED ME. So here's a little mothman y/n and cryptid Eclipse bit as a result.

Moonlight dances through the leaves, casting shadows across the forest floor as you bounce from tree limb to tree limb. The night is quiet aside from the chorus of evening bugs. That’s normal. Nothing ever happens in these woods. Not since you’ve been here. Nope. Nothing ever changes. Well, excluding the occasional stray pet, but those never come this deep in the woods.

Doesn’t matter. You pause in your travels to spy a rabbit rustling through leaf litter. Its ears swivel in constant surveillance. It’s risky for such a small critter to be out so late, and it’s an opportunity you can’t pass up. Not this late in the season.

It freezes, turning its head towards some unseen threat before scampering away. Oh well. You’re not too desperate.

Resuming your travel, you begin to glide between the larger trees. The brisk wind whispers past your wings with a comfortable normalcy. Everything is just like it’s supposed to be.

Until…

The rustling of leaves much too large to be a rabbit and much too loud to be a deer causes you to pause. Perhaps a human. But it’s very dark. And cold. Humans don’t like either of those. Perhaps your curiosity will be the death of you one day.

You follow the noise, landing on an old oak as a silhouette emerges. It’s… almost human-like, but not quite. It travels through the leaves slowly, methodically, like it’s looking for something. Roosting down on the limb, you watch. It steps around roots and other debris, trying to move with a sense of stealth. It moves away from you, head swiveling back and forth.

Ghostly white eyes meet yours. Unease taints your mood, but the light is far more alluring.

“Hello!” You call out. “Hello there!”

The eyes tilt and the silhouette comes closer. It’s not a human. Its face it too round, a perfect circle. Those beautiful eyes are much too large. Plus, humans aren’t metal. That’s one thing you know for sure. But... this metal thing looks so sad. Its clothes hang pitifully, scorched and melted. A burned ratty nightcap sits atop its round head.

“Are you…okay?” you ask the glowing eyes.

It recoils slightly.

“Are you lost? Oh- I can help you! I know these woods like the back of my hand. I can show you the way out,” you say proudly, flaring your wings.

The red glow of your own eyes illuminates the stiff grinning crescent moon of a face. The scorched material is static as it speaks. “You would help us?”

“Of course!” You chirp. “I’ve got nothing better to do and you look like you could use a helping hand. I mean- no offense, but you look like you’ve been through it.”

The machine rubs a finger across its soot-covered chest. “Perhaps.” Its glowing eyes scrutinize you for a moment. “We would be grateful, but is it not a bit late for you to be out?”

You turn to the horizon and stifle a gasp. Whisps of pink dot the edges of the sky, promising the sun’s return. Right. You’ve spent most the night searching for more materials fortifying your nest for the winter.

“It’s fine. It’s not too far,” you say, masking your hesitation. Humans follow the daylight. Humans bring hunters.

“It’s not safe to travel in the daytime,” it echoes your inner concerns. “It will be easier to travel at night.”

“I mean, you’re welcome to spend the day at my nest,” you offer. You’ve never had any welcome visitors, but that doesn’t mean you’re not open to the idea. “I’ll show you the way.”

Stretching your legs, you flap your wings and join your newfound companion on the ground. And- oh goodness. The strange machine steps back and cranes its spindly neck to meet your eyes again. The poor thing barely reaches your chest. Warmth tints your cheeks as you process how oddly cute this thing is. And those eyes. Sheesh, you’re getting carried away with yourself.

Before you can do something to embarrass yourself, you spin around and start walking in the direction of your self-proclaimed home. “This way.”

A moon-cast shadow falls on your feet as the strange metal thing matches your pace. You glance back. It walks with its arms limply at its sides, its head cocks to the side in response to your staring.

“Sorry.” You turn your gaze away sharply. “I like lights- all my kind do. Kind of a given, you know? And your eyes are just so pretty with how they glow! Oh, most light from humans are so harsh, but your eyes are soft and gentle. I could look at them all night.”

It takes you a moment for your words to come back to you and even longer to notice that your companion has paused. Surely your cheeks are as red as your eyes by the fierceness of your blush. Your wings wrap around your shoulders and waist as if that would make you disappear. To say you’re embarrassed is an understatement.

“I’m so sorry,” you say after fumbling around for several moments. “I never have anyone to talk to. I guess I get carried away…”

Unbeknownst to you, the demon within the vessel writhes in confusion (and a healthy dose of fluster but they’re ignoring that). Your behavior has left them baffled. How do you not see what they are? Do you just not care? “It’s alright.”

Your nervous rambling pauses. A hesitant smile spreads across your still flush face.  “I…I meant what I said though,” you laugh nervously. “Your eyes are pretty.”

The demon stands silent for another moment. “Thank you.”

This time, your smile is bright with excitement. Your wings flare out and in the blink of an eye, you’re gliding through the tree tops, calling for him to follow.

And they do. The sound of your thrilled heartbeat lures them deeper into the quiet forest.

[skrunksthatwunk]

sorry just watched all of lacey's games (thru rabbit hole at time of writing) and i wanna talk about laceys diner can we talk about lacey's diner? we're talking about it now

tl;dr lacey's games is about the presentation and consumption of girls.

cw suicide, csa, incest, cannibalism. if you've seen the series, you know. i only speak of them vaguely here though

in lacey's diner her livelihood depends on how well people like her food, how it looks, how it tastes, how quickly she gets it to them on time. if any of these things falter, they reject her and reinforce her desperation (trauma around failure and acceptance + threat of extreme poverty via the restaurant closing).

eating her food is accepting her, choosing to be with her in some way. lacey gets eaten in the prior episode so her stalker can be with her forever, out of an obsession with her (/her body) that leads him to destroy her to better possess and consume her (like her uncle). she can't be late serving them herself, because that's not good presentation—her inability to get food out on time is a reflection of her flaws, and a cause to reject her. she must be available for others, punctual. she can't put the wrong ingredients in—elements of herself, her life—she must exclude them entirely from the part they eat, the part she gives away. she keeps the part that is filled with the disgusting, ugly, painful things in her life, about her.

and when she gets fed up and feeds those raw, authentic parts of herself to them (out of spite, tired of trying her best to no avail, to give them a taste of their own medicine), she is punished, not allowed to serve anyone again bc it's too gross and dangerous. she is punished for lashing out, for not keeping it all bottled up, and in her helplessness, resigns herself to death.

as seen in rabbit hole, jay was too boyish to be consumed happily by the audience (the mothers in the emails), so she was killed off and effectively haunts lacey. if she is not presentable enough, she too will be destroyed and discarded. if she is too presentable, she will be consumed too completely. she has no control, no say (as we know from lacey's wardrobe), no agency outside of pretending she's in a sparkly dreamy world. and jay—who said she would rather die than wear makeup—is forced by lacey to wear makeup in death. she's fixing her by making her conform to the same gender standards she's strangled by, saying that if she was less boyish she wouldn't have died. again, femininity and conformity (and thus being pleasant to others, presenting oneself to be admired and consumed) is safe to lacey, something she must perform to survive. yet, of course, lacey is hurt immensely for her being a girl, for her being a woman, and for her trauma resulting from those events.

all her talk of being ugly when she's grieving, of almost crying in front of him (her uncle iirc), of needing to be pretty even for the people who abuse and hurt her... and how she wished the world was ugly and grotesque when jay died because that was how it felt, but it was just sunny and oblivious. she was the one standing out for being upset, and the world was pretending and consumable and she couldn't anymore. she had to scrape herself together though because what else is there? when her job and stability and life is at stake, how can she afford to be traumatized? to not pretend, even when she's alone? augh. ough. look i just like lacey. i want her to be ok

i don't know that lacey herself is supposed to have a linear, consistent story. i kind of think she's an avatar for like,, girlhood suffering and trauma, and the traumatized people who come from that (hence her dying in multiple ways and coming back). perhaps as rocio's way of warning or comforting girls who went through similar things to her, or to vent her own issues because the thought of making something that's such a farce, such a forced, gussied up version of what it's like to be a girl, bothers her. the audience comes to the website to consume lacey at her best, at her most presentable, and are instead met with the harsh reality of cockroaches and used condoms. and yet, the audience of lacey games the video series consumes her too, only they are seeking out her trauma, trying to invade her mind and pick it apart. we're all consuming what we want, whatever we find appetizing, of lacey. and for rocio, you get the sense that she is also a tool, a way for rocio to express her inner distress. in that, lacey is put through all this unfortunate shit by rocio to make her more presentable and consumable to her. we are all using lacey, we all see her and eat her and destroy her. and she comes back to us and her cage because the pain's comforting in its familiarity.

in short, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. 👍

[vioartemis]

I’ll die with you (part 3)

(Tara Carpenter x fem! reader)

Summary: Your rest was short, another attack soon occurs, deadlier than the first one. Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 Warnings: blood, death of character, angst (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

“I swear I’m gonna need to bleach my eyes” you heard Sam say when you went downstairs with Tara, half an hour later

“Come on, we were fully clothed, you didn’t see anything” Tara rolled her eyes and sit at the table

“That’s not the point! Since when are you even doing that? You’re too young to-”

"I mean they're adults so..." Gale started

"Would you mind stop talking about our sex life?" you groaned, cheeks still red

"What do you want us to talk about?"

"I don't know, the weather, whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza..."

"Well that's an easy question" Sam declared, taking a slice of pizza and giving one to everyone

"I suppose we all agree they don't" you girlfriend said

"We do, indeed" Gale confirmed while you nodded

"Uh, no we don't"

A debate started, Sam against the three of you. It almost looked like a normal family dinner, a normal night. You nearly forgot you were the next target of a psycho killer. Until you all jumped when your phone rang.

Probably: Damian Walker.

You never realized you never gave him your phone number. Mindy or Chad probably did.

"It's okay, it's Damian"

"Y/n-" Tara tried to interrupt

But you already took your phone and walked away from the table, picking up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, how are you feeling tonight?"

"Tired and embarrassed, but other than that, pretty good"

"What...?"

"It's a long story" you sighed "Why do you call?"

"Oh, I wanted to know if you were having fun..." the slight sound of an electronic device could be heard "while I was gutting your friends like fishes."

All color vanished from your face.

"W-what...?"

Tara stood up hearing your shaking voice, worried. Whoever called you, they hang up without answering.

"Hello?! Please don't hurt them!" you cried

"Baby wha-"

"He's gonna kill Mindy and Chad we have to go!"

“No no no. We go, you stay here”

“And get attacked again? No thank you” you protested, dialing 911

When you arrived at Mindy and Chad’s not even five minutes later, the door was slightly opened. You could hear fight noises coming from inside. There was still a chance to save them.

You opened the door and rushed inside, baseball bat in hand. The first thing you saw was Ghostface, standing over the twins.

He slowly turned his head to look at you and did his signature blade-cleaning, before running away.

You were tempted to chase after him, but your friends mattered more. When you came closer to them, your heart dropped. There was blood everywhere.

Chad’s shirt was torn apart due to multiple stab. Mindy had her back against a wall, blood coming from her stomach.

Your own wounds burned at the sight, tears coming to your eyes. You couldn’t move, paralyzed.

“Shit…” you heard Sam say next to Chad

You had no idea how much time passed, but at one point Mindy coughed, causing your head to jolt in her direction. She was regaining consciousness!

Be fire you could realize it you were kneeling next to her, applying pressure on her wound.

“You’re gonna be okay, we called an ambulance, they should-”

Suddenly Damian brushed into the room.

“Oh my god-”

“Where the fuck were you?”

“I- I went to the bathroom a-and someone knocked me out… I- I just woke up”

You looked him up and down. Blood was running down his face from his forehead. But he could have done it himself.

“Stay the fuck back” Mindy said when he tried to come closer

"N-no I- I'm not... It's not me I swear... Y/n y-you believe me right...?"

You really wanted to. But last time he didn't have an alibi, and now...

"I'm sorry..."

You could see how broken he was hearing your words. Maybe he wasn't the killer after all. Or he was a good actor, which wasn't to exclude.

You were waiting in the waiting room, Tara sitting on your lap and caressing your hair gently in an attempt to reassure you. You were starting to believe her when the doctors came.

You all got up immediately, heart beating faster than ever.

"Mrs Meeks should be okay, but she needs rest"

"And Chad?" Sam asked

"I'm... sorry. We did our best but... we couldn't save him..."

You had to sit back down, in shock. You never thought that would happen again. You thought losing friends was over. You should've known it would end up this way, with Ghostface's return.

Maybe you were just in denial. Believing if you convinced yourself it wouldn't happen everything would be fine. But nothing was fine.

The 2022 massacre left a indelible mark on you. The current events only reopened the scar you thought had healed.

Maybe if you had stick all together he would still be alive. If you had been all together Ghostface wouldn't have tried anything. If you had left this stupid town when you could...

Maybe it was all your fault after all.

You were the first target, but you survived. No first targets survived before Tara. And you weren't even sure they wanted her dead at that moment.

Maybe the killer wanted to make you suffer before killing you. Maybe it was all part of their plan to let you live. Maybe they were about to destroy everything you had. Maybe-

You felt hands on your face and looked down to see Tara, concern written on her face. She brushed your cheeks with her thumbs softly. It was only then that you realized that you were crying.

That was the moment Lexi chose to arrive, breathing heavily and sweating. She must have run here.

"I- I'm sorry I had piano lesson- I just- I just saw your texts-" she took a deep breath "Mindy- is she going to be okay? And- and Chad?"

You didn't have the strength to tell her. Not now, it was still to fresh. Instead you broke down in your girlfriend's arms. You could swear she was crying too.

A loud noise made you tilt your head up. Lexi had pinned Damian to the wall, gripping him by the collar of his shirt.

"What did you do to them? You were here to why didn't you help?"

"I- I got knocked out...! I already told them...!" he made a circle toward you with his arm "L- Lexi I swear I didn't- I can't breath can you-"

"I don't fucking believe you. That's easy pretending you passed out."

Her grip only grew tighter. Damian's face started to become red. He was struggling against the blonde.

Sam had to force them appart, holding a furious Lexi away from the poor boy trying to catch his breath.

After everyone had calmed down, the police arrived and questioned the group. They didn't seem to believe Damian's alibi either.

"Maybe we should take him into custody for a little while? Just to make sure he's not, you know, the killer?" a deputy asked the sheriff

"We can't do that without evidences, that would be abusing of our power as representants of the law-"

"Do it" all head turned to the boy "T- take me into custody, you'll see it's not me. If it's the only way I can prove my innocence... I'll do it"

"You sure about that son?"

"Y-yeah"

"Okay then... come with me" the deputy said after the sheriff nodded

"The hospital is secure, we have police officers at each floor, you should be safe here. Don't go out, don't stay alone until morning. Understood?"

You weren't totally sure you could believe him. You remembered well how it ended last time. Ghostface always managed to pass past the security, why would that change now?

When the police left, you were allowed to see Mindy. She was devastated. Fortunately, her girlfriend was here for her.

Yours was holding your hand tight, fingers intertwined with yours. She knew it could've been you as much as you knew it could've been her. At the moment, you were so glad she was safe.

But it was just temporary. It always was.

Ghostface knew when to hit you. Not too soon after the previous attack, not too long after. Just as you started to think it would get better -or at least not worse. Just when hope started coming back.

The moment it hurt the most.

"Can you guys stay here for the rest of the night...?"

"Of course, we're not leaving you alone after that..."

Everyone started to move things around to get confortable for the night. You and Tara sat on the floor, on a blanket, in a corner.

You could hear soft snores, your little group falling asleep one after another. You didn't know how they could sleep in that situation. You couldn't.

Every time you closed your eyes, Ghostface appeared before you, ready to kill all your friends one by one.

You watched as Tara was sleeping on your shoulder. She seemed peaceful. You played with her hair, trying you imagine you were in your room, and it was a normal night.

you didn't realize she was awake, caught into your daydream, until she spoke.

"Are you okay...?" she whispered

You jumped a little.

"I... don't know... you?"

"Same... I just- I just hoped it wouldn't happen again... It's stupid but- I thought it would be different..."

"It's not stupid... I would rather say unrealistic... but- that's horrible but... I'm glad it wasn't you... I don't know what I would do if- if you-"

The words got stuck in your throat, tears blurring your vision again. The simple thought of losing her was unbearable.

"Hey..." she whipped your tears off of your face gently "It's not going to happen okay? I'm not dying, not now. I swear"

She kissed you tenderly, trying to whip your worries away, hand still holding yours. You kissed her back, like it was the last time.

Because it might be. We never know.

"Try to rest a little okay...?"

You nodded, resting your head on hers once she got back in her previous position against you.

You tried not to think about what just happened, or how it could get worse. You tried to empty your mind, only leaving one thought there: Tara.

But it was always when you thought the situation wouldn't get worse that it does.

You should have known the worst was yet to come.

And it would come fast.

[Previous part] || [Next part]

[strawberrycrushes]

Hello!, I saw that your requests were open. Can I request Jing Yuan, Welt and Screwllium with a shy!reader who loves to figure skate? Reader is very private about it, yet also very pasionate about it. Reader will plan to go skating at places at times where there's no one present so they can preform figure skating tricks freely. If there isn't any music, reader will just sing it themselves. They'll skate for as long as they can, and won't stop untill either (a) someone finds them, (b) they're too tired to keep going,or (c) they're too cold continue.

thank youu

❄️

A/N: Dear snowflake, thank you so much for the request however I will unfortunately have to exclude Screwllium because I only write for playable characters. I had a lot of fun with this request so I hope you enjoy.

Welt:-

Ever since the Express had landed in Jarilo-VI, you had acquired the strange habit of disappearing into the world’s frost-covered plains, only coming back much later; freezing cold and completely drained. It worried Welt half to death, but since you never revealed what you were up to, he just had to get used to the feeling. It helped that, ever since you started these so-called expeditions, you carried yourself with more satisfaction and confidence, or at least the closest thing to those he had ever seen you carry yourself with. It was nice seeing you like that.

Today, though, was different. You were late. Late enough to warrant concern from Himeko and Pom Pom as well. It confirmed that he wasn't just exaggerating the issue in his head, which was the only thing he needed to know before heading out to find you–

And find you he did.

You were out skating across an ice lake, humming a melody that matched the grace of your movements. You were so focused on these motions that you didn’t even notice him standing there, enchanted.

He was awestruck as he watched you make great leaps across the ice, pirouetting along to a routine even he could recognize as extraordinarily difficult. So this was what you were up to then?

When you finally skidded to a stop, he instinctively raised his hands to clap for you. A move that proved itself to be poorly thought out when you swerved around to look at him with wide eyes, nearly tripping along the way.

“M-Mr. Yang? What are you doing here?” You tried to steady yourself, the shock, confusion, and embarrassment evident in your face

Welt chuckled, “Perhaps it would be better if you got off the ice first?” he said playfully, and you quickly slid over with a beet red face, moving to retrieve the boots you hid inside a bush to replace the skates you were currently wearing.

“So um… Mr. Yang…” you trailed off, unsure how to ask him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this. I myself am sorry that I didn’t tell you I was watching earlier. I’m afraid I might have encroached upon your privacy.” Welt gave you an apologetic look, and you flailed around with your hands.

“No, no, it’s fine, it’s actually probably for the best that you didn’t or else I would have fallen face first in the ice.” you awkwardly chuckled, causing Welt to laugh.

“If I may ask, you were figure skating, right?”

You nod and mumble, “It’s just a hobby I picked up from my home world, nothing special.”

“Liar.” Welt smiled, “If it really was nothing special to you, you wouldn’t be able to skate that way. I’ve seen figure skaters before, and if I had to say, you’d be amongst the best.”

You blush, “You’re flattering me”

“I’m being serious. Even if you didn’t want to share your talents with the world, you still ended up with a fan in me.”

You looked up at the earnest look on his face and smiled.

To be honest, figure skating was supposed to be a private hobby you could enjoy while nobody was watching. You loved it, yes, and you enjoyed the subtle comfort it gave you, but you honestly never believed anyone could enjoy it the same way you did. Yet somehow, when Mr. Yang saw your ‘performance’, as embarrassing as it was, you had to admit… it felt nice.

“Thank you, Mr. Yang. I appreciate it, really.”

A comfortable silence fell on the snowy plains. You hesitated, then asked, “If it’s not too rude to ask, what were you doing out here anyway?”

Welt’s eyes widened, “Shoot. I was supposed to come look for you because you hadn’t returned to the Express yet, and it completely slipped my mind just how late it was getting.”

…

……

You tried to hold back your laughter, but failed. This time, it was Welt’s turn to be embarrassed. “If you’re done laughing, we should probably head back now”

“Right.” you cleared your throat, clearly still amused by his misstep. Getting up, you begin to trail behind him with a smile on your face you couldn’t hold back. Maybe sharing this little hobby of yours wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Not when it was Welt, anyway.

Jingyuan:-

You took a deep breathe, then began.

Steadily pushing yourself forward, you carefully fell into the skating routine you had recently started practicing. Increasing your intensity with the rise and fall of the music playing in the background, the thin grinding of your skates against the ice being the only other sound that could be heard alongside. It felt like you were creating magic in the moment, something you easily got lost in until you couldn’t go on anymore.

Panting on the edge of the ring you reached out to grab your bottle of water only to find nothing there.

“Looking for something?” A suave voice called out from besides you.

You whipped your head around to find your boss, Jingyuan, teasingly waving your bottle in front of you with a sly smile. “I had no idea you could skate like that, why didn’t you tell me?”

You flush red. It was difficult not to be embarrassed when your literal boss caught you in one of your most private moments.

“I- I’m sorry General. Do you need me for anything? I’ll get right back to work-“

You try to stand up but Jingyuan quickly cuts you off “No no, not to worry. There’s no work to be done. I was hoping to invite you to a cup of coffee since you seemed so tired all the time but instead…I seemed to have come across the reason why, no?”

You gulp, “Um well, that’s-“ You try to think of something to say and Jingyuan chuckles.

“No need to be so tense, I only jest. I was actually very impressed with your performance here today and couldn’t help but ask, how come you haven’t told anyone about your hobby? You’re very good at it, I don’t doubt that you could even take it to an intergalactic stage-“

“General.” You cut him off this time. “Please. It’s nothing special. Besides, it’s meant to a more…private hobby. I feel uncomfortable figure skating when there are other people around”

“You were fine when I was watching”

“I didn’t know you were there!”

“Hmm, really?” He seemed to ponder this for a while though you find it quite impossible to believe he didn’t already know that. “Alright, new question. Is it possible for you to pretend that I’m not here once more? I want to watch again. If that’s okay with you of course. I wasn’t lying when I said I liked seeing you skate”

“You-!”

You had no idea what to say. How could he even say things like that with a straight face? Did he really want to see skate again that bad?

You gulp and reach out to grab the water bottle from his hands. Taking a sip, you mull it over, occasionally glancing back over to Jingyuan. How you weren’t as opposed to this as you initially thought, you had no idea either, but you wanted to give it a try.

“Fine” You mumble underneath your breath and try not to let your heart flutter too much at the sight of an honest to god genuine smile on your boss’s face. You slide back on to the middle of the ice rink, getting into position again.

As the music takes off, so do you. Twirling to the music you try to balance yourself on your skates but with the newfound nervousness that come with having an audience, even if there was only one member, you quickly found yourself slipping up. Very literally. As in, falling gracelessly on your ass.

“Are you hurt?” Jingyuan gave you a worried look.

You bit the inside of your cheek. How embarrassing. “No. It’s fine”

You get up, and try again, continuing on where the music currently was. This time, you didn’t trip immediately, feeling comfortable in adding that previous flourish you had when figure skating alone, but when you caught sight of the pride in Jingyuan’s face, your breathe hitched and you got distracted. Consequently you tripped.

You sigh in frustration, trying to get up again before promptly letting out a hiss of pain. Ah, your ankle. You must have injured it in the tumble…

Jingyuan immediately rushed to your side, hesitantly inspecting your ankle, carefully setting it back down when you grimaced.

“Not to worry. It appears you’ve only sprained it” He tries to reassure you but you have a feeling he’s telling that to himself as well. “It’ll be fine after some icing and rest, but I still want to take you to a doctor just to be sure.”

Before you could insist that you really were fine, you felt yourself be scooped up by the general as he began carrying you out, effectively turning you to mush. Your heartbeat went haywire and none of your thoughts felt comprehensive.

“G-general?”

“I am sorry for making you perform in such an unfamiliar environment.” He said, sounding incredibly guilty. “This is my fault. At least let me make it up to you”

You gazed at him silently then sighed, gulping down the lump in your throat. “A-alright. Perhaps it would be best to have to go through a proper check up”. You mumble, barely audible.

Jingyuan smiles before continuing on. How silly, you thought. You felt your heart skipped a beat once more.

[daenerystargaryen06]

I am totally convinced that GRRM requested that “Song of Ice and Fire dream” scene to totally destroy that bs book from D&D’s putrid final episode where they had that idiot Tarly’s book be called that

Oh, most definitely. But I also think it goes more into depth than just that. GRRM has already expressed his disagreement and disappointment in the way the show ended, and how D&D excluded him from the shows production to do things their own way after diverting from the books.

I think GRRM added in the scene to discount the battle against the WW. It was too 'easy' in the show. The so-called 'Long Night' only lasted one night, stupid decisions were made in that battle (such as Jon using Dany's men in the frontlines as mere human shields and causing a majority of deaths within Dany's army), and the final killing of the NK just felt so... bland in the end. Jon hardly did much throughout the battle as well, just either sitting on Rhaegal, fighting the NK for a little bit, then screaming at undead Viserion. I think GRRM wanted to add in the fact that the WW are the true evil of the series to be worried about, and that the battle against them won't be so easy.

I also think it was GRRM's own little tease towards Daenerys being Azor Ahai/Prince that was Promised. Dany fits the prophecy for the PTWP within the books and already has several factors into pointing its her (or her and two others who can ride Rhaegal and Viserion into battle with her). Dany's theme was the one that was playing during Viserys' conversation with Rhaenyra over the dream within HOTD. It can also serve as a small backhand to the trash that was the final season from GRRM himself due to what D&D did with his story and characters overall. It builds into a thematic point and underlying hints since Viserys tells Rhaenyra 'a Targaryen must sit the Iron Throne' in order to lead the battle against the WW, and I think it's Daenerys who GRRM wanted to hint at being that Targ.

It definitely was a serve to downplay and criticize the absolute garbage D&D did to incorporate A Song of Ice and Fire into the show through Sam's dumb book at the end after they destroyed the show and its characters, but I also think it was a hint towards the ASOIAF series as well by GRRM as to what the true evil of the series was supposed to be (not Dany or Cersei, the WW) and also the fact that it could very well be Daenerys as the one who must lead the people against the cold and the dark as Azor Ahai/PTWP.

[sharonisthebettercarter]

Hai.

How do you measure your top and bottoms? I will likely greatly regret asking.

oh HIIII @diamonddung~<3<3<3!

why yes. yes you will<3 i never did get that answer on fiona's nick valentine % <3 tho you may need to amend billy's % lmao<3<3<3

as a bonafide too queer to function lunatic and multishipper who *hates* catty supremacist false dichotomy fandom bullshit because of all the unnecessary problems it causes (you know me, lmao, bit of another psa in here i guess given multiship tags and yes, i am still upset about the thing with the artist)? ya know i'm a little out there and not quite with the 'in' crowd of the chunk of cis het women who take party~ in the shipping world~<3 no shade, but it does tend to change one's perspective. i do feel there's lots of shipping discourse that may miss the mark/certain character elements in favor of...

well, normally just plain ol' over-sexualization from some horny ass people lfmao, (homie's scene with doppelhomie is a good example, the trauma presented on his face was ignored in favor of the selfcest fantasy, but in antony starr's words, homie wasn't interested, he was traumatized :((() but also unfortunately... echhh i gotta say it!

hetero-normalizing gay ships and then treating the kink presentation like a goddamn religion... the amount of times i have those 'are the straights okay???' moments are just...

LMAO, all in good fun of course<3 let's not kink shame.

it's fine to have different kinks and discourse, disagreements over how you view characters or what you like, even be enthusiastic with your own views and shout them out to the heavens~! it's *NOT* fine to try and police, dehumanize, or discourage others from enjoying what they like just because it's *different* from you and they exist in a *shared* space.

friendly important reminder to *ship and let ship*, *art and let art* however that may be. even if i don't like the way a ship is presented or voice how *i* personally feel about it, i would *never* try to or even have the gall to tell someone *no, you can't do that, my way or the highway*

It does NOT *exclude* you to *include* others. It costs nothing to be *nice* or simply DNI. This is NOT a dichotomy. Fandoms do NOT need additional toxicity and bullying over something so *trivial* as fictional bullshit. EVER.

"i don't like bullies... i don't care where they're from." ;)

anywho~<3 i love top/bottom exploration because i have a very bad BAD~<3 dominance kink, but switching definitely gets the most downplaying/ignoring with a heavy focus on... mmm, i suppose often, more superficial elements half the time and i'll admit some of mine def are~ lmao nose size. and i don't say that to dissuade any writers, young or old. i say it to *encourage* moar deep diving<3<3<3 and even questioning the way you might think/listening to new perspectives~<3!

we all start somewhere and have times of exploration/learning~<3 learning moar and challenging yourself? that's a *good* thing<3<3<3 but sadly, not always valued (it should be!) :(

but apart from canon dynamices/character depth/personality to the best of my ability/understanding? the long answer is ANAL GAPE~<3

among other things, i'm sure that makes no sense whatsoever<3 because some other factors do get thrown in. intelligence because i'm a morosexual and LOVE big dumb tops<3<3<3, practicality super anuses are a death trap to not be played with however super phalli~, and weirdly... nose size. i'm not kidding!

yeah i know some idiot out there told me nose size is apparently related to phallus size and testosterone levels OH WAIT-- but oddly enough...? i think there may be some kinda instinct there LOL, because it seemed to registered in my brain the same way i registered my top/bottoms for the most part, even *before* learning that...

and i *swear*... i'll come back to this shit cause it's hilarious, but even in fanart, you'll see many artists subconsciously/purposefully give the guy they want to 'top' a bigger nose... even if he has a smaller one. ;)))))))))))))))))

BUTT ANAL GAPE! WHAT IS IT!?

not the nasty version ya nasties~<3

it basically boils down to... how big of an ASSHOLE is this asshole... just wide do those booty cheeks spread with the level a disrespect-- how *badly* does he *need* a good railing and prostate MMPH~<3<3<3! or even spanking~<3 how much of a control freak is he? how stubborn~? how far do those bitchy manipulative little devil vibes go~<3<3<3 what does he *want*? really want. figurative dick energy? is he compensating for something? is he in need of, holdin' out for a hero~<3<3<3? how so? how far from the goal of expressing positive masculinity are we and why? just how toxic we talkin~? i'm slippin' under<3

what is the outward presentation being given vs. the one he gives privately/with those he loves? there's a pretty big difference sometimes and it can say a lot. naturally gentle doms like kal-el or steve rogers i see get mislabeled for that old thing, 'mistaking kindness for weakness', so to speak. but as a general rule, they say that in the bedroom~ people actually tend to give the opposite of what they present in their day to day lives/'those with the most control of their lives are secretly the most submissive' or something along those lines, and it makes sense that things would manifest that way when you think about it. (ironically learned about this *after* learning my kinks)

a good example would be billy butcher, who gives the outward presentation of being rough and ragged and 'in control' wannabe logan, but is extremely soft, caring and submissive with those he loves<3 contrast with homelander who has had ZERO control over his own life from day one and *really* likes it rough when he gets the chance and--

boi lemme tell ya hwat--

it's a number of things, lmao, and the calculations in my head are automatic and will not make sense in numbers. so.

i don't think i need to explain much on anal gape when it comes to scott summers, lex luthor, bruce wayne, tony stark, and especially... *especially* billy butcher.

but lets not forget the added morosexual aspect~ which *can* even override anal gape! so let's go over what every one a my tagged ship bottoms might be saying to their big dumb idiot animal tops being DUMB<3<3<3

scott: *glares violently*

lex: *glares in pure bitch trying to hide the horny*

bucky: steve... what the fuck.

tony: *hard eye rolling and harder cuddling*

bruce: . . .

charles: ERIK!?

billy: *as he takes off his clothes* why... are you a brainless cunt?

pay no mind to homie's indignant huffing with a side of horny in response (somebody find me that goddamn meme lmao<3), and brucie might still be processing clark's stupidity lol<3

it's funny tho, cause i have competency kink too~<3 and i love me a good boi team up/learnin' as we go~<3<3<3

practicality? pretty self explanatory... way back when... dc gave us detail on the urinals of the justice league and pretty much confirmed man of steel, woman of kleenex (my favorite<3). i could not make this shit up-- (thanks btw dd for sending me this shit now i HAVE to share it)

so. given that we know superman's piss stream is strong enough to *dent* reinforced titanium steel when *weakened*--.

do i really have to say much about his sphincter? it makes diamonds, it makes fucking diamonds, do not stick anything up there unless you wanna lose it forever.

from a practical sense, i never like making it *easy* for clark~<3 to bone someone lmao, it's just too fun<3<3<3 (blue k is always an option of course) but also... he can vibrate it (along with his fingers and tongue), he has infinite stamina. and he has no refractory period... ;)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

homelander is much the same, maybe with an added *lack* of control and def a bit moar scary leik, might deliberately murder you scary but STILL--

you could not fucking *PAY* me to miss a goddamn chance for superweiner--

not sure i wanna think about what martian manhunter has... but i'd still let him do whatever to me, honestly<3 he'd be the BEST gentle dom i *swear*. like he'd literally check in and politely ask on you instead of reading your mind and check for any discomfort and be SO SWEET and tender and caring, making sure you're okay the whole time and just genuinely give you an experience you're never gonna forget leik<3<3<3 J'ONN~<3! HHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH~<3<3<3

oops... ignore that--

and as for nose size~<3?

well~<3 OBVIOUSLY i want my bottoms to be getting the best they can<3 i SPOIL the shit out of them! of course we NEED the guy with the bigger dong nose to top, they should be havin' a grand ol' time~!

but back to that artist thing and genuinely, genuinely amazing. it's almost like a guarantee and i don't even know if people are aware of doing it, but it is always so hilarious and adorable to me. *especially* with billy butcher, the star of the anal gape show<3<3<3

"they just can't get my nose right!"

and of course no shade/disrespect to the actor (his nose is so goddamn cute<3<3<3 and i love it<3) or any other actors, or artists, but even *becca* (her nose is also cute and i love it~<3) had a bigger nose than him. seriously. homie's nose is fiiiiine~<3 but also actually bigger and longer. and it's just... ALMOST *guaranteed*. anyone who sees billy as a 'top' while drawing him *automatically* gives him the bigger/longer nose... and it just blows my mind how amazingly consistent that seems to be LOL (apparently like the study done on noses and weiners!)

what does that say about us, i wonder...?? (no seriously, i really wonder<3) adamant denial~<3 maybe? ;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

billy boo does have the biggest eyes tho~<3<3<3

and apparently, did look it up... but it works inversely with bmi?? which... 100000% explains willem dafoe<3<3<3

it ALSO pretty much... confirms show homelander as their very own willem dafoe/norman osborn... and i never thought i'd have it THIS down bad for osborn but i can't with the things that does to me-- I'VE BEEN CONVERTED!! like the boi *already* is confimed *HUGE* canonically. *by BILLY* in the comic!

but by the gods--

down to the lovely eyes, scary smile, and psychosis. so it is that history repeats... hello mad daddy~<3

god i need to watch dafoe's spooderman again<3

I guess billy boo is now confirmed to be actually *compensating* for SOOOOOO much--

welp. i guess this explains why billy called himself an 'alpha male' unironically which i will never let him live down~<3 he already has the biggest gape i have EVER seen on a character. EVER. like. this boi. has enough gape to fit a goddamn planet up his ass. let's be generous and say that show boi billy is just at moon level. but it is still just. HUGE. which i guess makes homie just the perfect match for him given the willem dafoe vibes--

and honestly... it's beautiful<3

and the best part about billy is just how *self aware* he is of this. he postures to high hell and plays the part his dad would want him to, but he knows it's a goddamn problem, *addiction*, *hates* it, and spends his life looking for *solutions* and *self punishment*...

that's homie baby~<3

billy considered becca his *cure* (if the clear cut submissive role he took with her wasn't enough<3<3<3 SO CUTE<3<3<3) but *homelander* is the *replacement*. his *last resort*. cut my life into pieces--NOOOOO--

goddammit billy boo, i *really* do feel for you, i do... but lemme translate what billy butcher is *actually* saying in both the show and comic in going after homelander. cause lemme tell ya it ain't just revenge...

*destroy me, eviscerate me. because i am afraid of what i will do if you can't stop me. and because you took away the one who could save me, you owe me this and i will take it if need be.*

because there's *one* thing that billy fears, and he's had the ability to say it, even feel it... beaten out of him. but he almost always fully goes into battle *not* intending to come out of it. he *wants* to die and he hates himself a whole lot... and he knows. it's the thing his father gave him, the sickness he passed on that billy never wanted but can't control. but this would also be why he gives no fucks about 'collateral'.

even if by force or violence, billy wants to fail, he wants to be held down, he *wants* to lose, he wants to get knocked back down until he can't get back up anymore. he sure as hell isn't gonna make it easy for anyone, that's not in his nature, but he knows what happens if he can keep going.

billy knows he's a monster, but he is preconditioned to never control it. he sees the kindred monster in homelander, preconditioned to be *under control* but slipping through and vying to get loose... but homelander, despite everything *still* has control... billy wants to see it break, he *needs* it.

ugh~<3<3<3 yes, i know i am redundant with this shit<3 but it's just SO poetic<3<3<3 i CANNOT--

even season 3 evidenced their dynamic and dug in perfectly. scorched urf? the candle's fuckin' lit. herogasm? 3 on 1. ONLY A BRUISE--. billy, bloody smile~ comes back for more? billy gets his ass kicked by the dad on his own and only *maeve* gets anything done to homelander... who doesn't want to kill her, so he holds back even if she won't.

"i respect what you are even if you don't--."

got. damn...

but homie? he's the last lifeline, and he's tied to *both* sides of billy. and a people pleaser<3<3<3! who's also too dumb to get what's going on with billy, not that he'd care if he did... who's at the same time caught and curious by billy's obsession and the mirror between them<3

homie wants and knows how to please people... not just because he's been trained for it or a clear cut service top with dark~<3 elements<3<3<3 or because he wants the feeling he gets from their approval/admiration. very typical of a narcissist lmao, but also because of the added vulnerability that he is easily manipulated/exploited by the women in his life, not realizing he's a victim or being groomed/manipulated.

even the uh... *moment* he had with stillwell, she exploits his trauma and desire for a mother so directly that he just totally loses it and profusely appologizes. he's aware of how to *please* someone if ya get me~<3 ;))))))) (by the apology given at all) but he's *not* aware that she is abusing/exploiting his trauma in this way *because he lacks empathy for himself/has never genuinely had it given without some sort of exploitive exchange*, sort of opposite of billy in this sense too. poor dumb baby~<3!

what's really extra hilarious and ironic is that stormfront is pretty much what a lady billy would be but nowhere near as good as manipulating as him

but all homelander has ever known is the *examples* set before him by vought. and it's... quite obviously not a good one... :(((((((((((((((((( but he's *not* aware. billy is much the same, but he *is* aware. hence the deep buried cravings to be *free* vs. fucking approval ratings in homie, and *controlled* vs. lack of self control in billy... goddammit the fucking POETRY<3<3<3

so? it's just more of the same old same old. and homie loves, LOVES not having to hold back once he gets a taste for it... with *stormfront* no less... but *also* from billy in a different sense and now... beyond. still ADORE how he went flaccid on the nazi rhetoric lmao even this boi has his limits<3--

"let's light this candle--"

it's already fucking lit--

... you know full well how excited i get, lmao<3 and ya DID ask<3<3<3 XD

everyone else (to homelander): don't be what they made you... please for the love of fucking gawd, PLEASE--

billy: be what they fucking made you motherfucker, i wanna fuck FIGHT and see everything destroyed. i'll wait.

stormfront: be what we fucking made you, i wanna fuck and see everything not us destroyed. i won't wait.

but the short answer? i go by % of willem dafoe energy, the *CORRECT* answer is WILLEM DAFOE<3<3<3 (not to be confused with norman osborn... unless willem dafoe<3) DUH~!

WOOO-- goddamn... and i ain't even done yet. i spend WAY too much time obsessing over these fuckers, i SWEAR.

and ALSO the ladies~<3 are tops. all of them. ALL OF THEM. NO EXCEPTIONS-- lmao, KIDDING... maybe<3 (i might do another one going over mah lady~<3 ships<3<3<3 cause this got long... and i did get carried away with butchy and homie... of course i did. but you know how i love them<3<3<3)

[pumpkinstrawbrew]

favorite jack o/ lantern? or no specific preference?

i don’t think, that i’m strong enough to pick just one tbh. but if i had to really narrow it down, i’d say i have two favorite jack o’ lanterns! i will exclude macendale from here, since well, jason is jason. i love him as jack, i love him as hobgoblin. i like him as a demogoblin. he can have whatever form, really. i love him as king loser in the comicverse an’ as a dangerous, ambitious sociopath in TAS. 

but as for my fav jacks, it’ll be these two.

*i find it funny how those panels are literally mirror one another* 

the classic boi, daniel. the mad jack. an’ more modern take on jack from agent venom's comics. they both really stand out, when you compare them to their predecessors or those who came after. 

i kinda disappointed with how the whole mad jack arc was resolved, but it was to be expected. once the writer changes, you instantly notice the difference. it happened with modern jack as well. the way his character was treated after rick remender’s ran is just … not the same to put it mildly. but overall, i love the emotional bone of their main arcs.

i love how daniel is supposed to be mysterio’s student an’ that he essentially tries to fit into the role of the villain, despite how it was shown that he at times struggled to play the part. i love the journey of jack o’ lantern, who trains himself to become ruthless, rather than him being like that from the get-go for once. it provides an interesting contrast to steven, who is just well, an asshole. he doesn’t care who he has to hurt to get what he wants. he just likes money. or to macendale, who can’t help the way he is, despite how it’s smth that causes him a certain amount of grief. an' then, enters danial.

his motivation is of a different nature. he doesn’t do things for money. nor is he a sociopath per say. his loss an’ personal offense is what drives him. which was a good fuel to peter’s own backstory. after all, uncle ben’s death is what made peter feel like he has to become a hero. on other hand, mysterio’s death is what made daniel to put on the mad jack costume. in a way, it’s interesting that daniel is actually genuinely remorseful, that he an’ spidey cannot be on the same side. in the beginning of his mad jack era, he was still more daniel, than jack. which is smth that slowly changes later on. an’ i love that bit too. it’s always interesting to see how the villain's mental state slowly worsens an’ they get more an’ more unhinged. the mystery around who jack actually was, remained pretty intriguing too. 'till certain point he almost felt like a spector of some sort, rather than a man. *beck's cousin was there too, but as far as i understand, she wore jack's costume only one time an' it was toward the very end. as her usual methods of operating things seem to imply, she's more of a mastermind who works in the shadows. rather than going out there an' doing dirty work*

anyways, i genuinely think, that if they kept daniel as mad jack permanently an’ kept adding things to his arc an’ character, he could have joined the row of spidey’s main rogues. esp bc while jacks tend to jump all over marvel’s properties as side villain, they work best, when their enemy is arachnid folk of some kind. be it spidey or agent venom. not only visually, it matches better, but also their gadgets an' style of fighting works best, when they have a hero, who can chase them in the air.

i also think that daniel has the most goated classic jack design too. a mask that moves an’ changes expressions. clawed, long fingers. that is some good stuff! when i first saw him, i was like ooohh, so cool. wow. the way he was written an’ the way, he interacted with spidey was also very pleasant, so naturally, it put him on top of my retro, classic jacks list. 

in comparison to this 'staning from first sight', the crime master’s jack was the sort of character, i wasn’t expecting to love at all. when i went into reading agent venom *specifically rick remender ran*, i was pretty much expecting to not like what they did with jack there. but it was pretty much sold to me, as jack being one of the main villains of the series, so i was at the very least willing to give it a try. an’ i was surprised with what i’ve got. esp since this jack was literally crafted specifically to fit flash vs them just taking jack o’ lantern’s persona an’ not being creative with it at all *which i assumed they would do* an’ i also was surprised at how dark everything that surrounds that jack was. starting from the sheer fact, that he’s not a mercenary, but essentially a serial killer an’ ending up with his backstory. 

while i saw people complaining that it wasn’t as gritty as jack teased it to be … once you give it a bit of thought, it actually is hella gritty in nature. a mentally ill child gets kidnapped an’ groomed by a psychopath, who later on uses jack’s brainwashed loyalty to him as a handy tool. it’s bluntly obvious, that the crime master doesn’t truly care about him at all. an’ since jack is pretty much an unreliable narrator, it’s unclear how much he leaves out an’ what the true nature of his an’ crime master’s relationships is. i kinda like how remender left a lot of space for hcs an’ speculations about certain details of jack’s upbringing. an’ it makes sense why jack not only downplayed the severity of his past, but also why he told the story in the way he did. i think, partly he doesn’t view it as messed up, bc the crime master told him, that keeping him hostage was needed for them to form a bond. an’ i also think, that jack wanted flash to see him as cool, an’ edgy an’ merciless killer or smth childish like that, rather than view him as a person, who doesn’t know any better.

i won’t get into tangles about that, bc it would become more of flash/jack thing, rather than me talking about jack only. but i love the striking difference in how different he is compared to daniel, an’ how their emotions while complex, also manifest differently. an’ where daniel is a proper adult, who picks his path with knowledge of what it means. jack was literally forcefully put into his position, since he was a kid. he still could have turned out the way he is, if he didn’t met crime master, but he also could have not. an’ it’s smth that won’t ever be known.

anyhow, thank you for asking me about jacks! i love those lil guys. i feel like they an’ in general, all of spidey’s goblinoids aren’t appreciated enough in fanon spaces. 

[phobia-sweets]

CUPID'S CALLING FOR A HOMICIDE

“Soon, hearts will be broken and the damage, severe

You'll fall headless over heels once the 14th is here!”

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! This was supposed to be a sort of My bloody valentine - themed lil thing (hence the title and, well, yeah), but i ended up straying from the initial idea and wrote this! There's a few lyrics from Ice nine kills' 'Take your pick' in the end, because, well, i just had to add it, i fucking love that song.

Its not necessarily an X reader but it's scarecrow and you're there so i... guess it counts?

WARNINGS / NOTES: Death, uh, fear toxin, scarecrow's barely there, this is... an intro of sorts if i end up continuing this, Harry Warden is my husband,

word count: 1,5k

Fuck’s sake. You forgot what day it was. Stepping out of your apartment, you were met with red and pink decorations throughout the street, some even advertising valentine’s day themed sales. “There you are!” Your friend’s voice interrupted your train of thought, Making you turn towards them. “Let’s go.”

“Remind me again why I even bothered to get out of bed today?” You joked, following your friend as they walked up to their car.

“’Cause you love me.”

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” You sat inside the car, turning the radio up.

“Hey! You do and you know it.”

“So, where are we off to?” You asked as your friend turned the engine on, and started to drive.

“The corn maze! I’ve heard a few friends talk about going there with their partners tonight after dark. You know, to do that whole ‘ohhh I’m so scared if only there was someone to protect me’ thing.” Your friend did a fake gagging motion and laughed. “Plus it seems like a nice spot to go to and just… talk, you know? We could also look at stars, since there’s little to no light pollution there.”

“Sounds good.”

The car ride was filled with comfortable silence from that point on, excluding the radio, which was playing sappy love songs. It wasn’t much longer than 30 minutes when you arrived in front of the large corn maze, next to a few other cars. “I always forget how early it gets dark these days.” Your friend commented, getting out of the car with you.

Well, There you two were, in the dark foggy night. You sighed, turning to look at your friend as they spoke, “Off to the corn maze it is.” Your friend simply stated, adjusting their scarf.

“As much as I don’t like valentine’s day, I feel kind of bad about this.” You admitted. Sure, you did dislike the ‘holiday’ but that wasn’t a reason to prank other people trying to enjoy it. On halloween it was different – getting scared by others was pretty much expected on that day, but Valentine’s day? Never.

“Well, we don’t have to scare them. We could go to the farm house behind it.”

“There’s a farm house there?” You asked, turning to look at your friend.

“Yeah. Abandoned, as far as I can tell. Couple of my friends hung out there a few weeks ago – seemed like a pretty nice spot.”

“Uh-huh…” you mumbled, following close behind as your friend walked into the maze. It looked as if the fog was somehow stronger inside the maze, but that could’ve just been your imagination. Maybe there was a fog machine hidden somewhere? For extra spooks? That’s when a bitter smell caught your attention.

“Is it just me or does it smell weird here?”

Your friend thought for a while. “No, I smell it too. Smells… damp? In a way?”

“No way, it smells like cough medicine.”

“You got to go get your nose checked up.” Your friend laughed.

The rest of the walk with your friend was filled with comfortable silence, up until around 15 minutes later when your friend stopped walking and turned to face you. “It’s fucking cold.”

You chuckled at their comment, “I know right. Where’s that damn farm?”.

“About that.” your friend nervously laughed.

You sighed, “Oh my god, Where the fuck are we?”. It wasn’t cold per say, but you needed to find a place to warm up, And the place was honestly starting to creep you out.

“Do I look like a regular corn-maze goer? I don’t know.”

“God damnit.”

“Can’t we just like… pick a direction and go through the corn?” Your friend suggested, pointing to a random drection.

You raised your brows, looking at your friend a bit doubtfully. “And get beat up for damaging someone’s crop?”

They thought for a moment. “...Fair. Allright, How about we just pick a direction and stick to the path closest to it?” They smiled, trying to make the situation feel a bit lighter.

“Left?”

“Left.”

Corn mazes weren’t scary. You’ve gone to a bunch of them before, especially during halloween. Sure, sometimes the scarecrows managed to creep you out a little , but that wasn’t-

“SHIT-” your friend shrieked, making you look in their direction, alarmed. They stumbled backwards, tripping on a pink backpack on the ground.

“What is it?” You asked, quickly running to them to check they were ok.

“That fucking scarecrow just moved I swear to god.” They ran their hand through their hair, keeping their eyes on the scarecrow.

“Okay, okay, let’s just… Get out, okay? It was probably the wind.”

“...Yeah, probably. Let’s go.” And off you went. Your surroundings never seemed to change, but that was just because of all the, well, corn, the occasional scarecrow and the fog that seemed to surround the entire maze.

“Oh hey look, it’s your buddy.” You laughed, patting a new, red-clothed scarecrow as you walked past.

“Ha-Ha, very funny. You should be a comedian.”

“I know I’m hilarious. Hey, take a pic of me posing with it.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nah.” You said, handing them your phone. You posed next to the scarecrow, holding up a peace sign and smiling.

“Done.” Your friend handed you your phone. “Let’s get out, yeah?”

“Yeah. Weird how many scarecrows there are here.”

You didn’t know if it was because both of you were nervous or just tired, but it felt like you had been walking for an hour, despite it probably only being 10 minutes, until your friend spoke again to break the silence, “God damn it, we’re here again.”

“’Again’?”

“It’s the same backpack I tripped on. Look, the exact same. It even has the shoeprint from my shoe.” Your friend said, to which you hummed in response. “I guess this means we should choose a new path.” They suggested, but you didn’t pay attention, too deep in thought. Out of curiosity, you turned around to look for the scarecrow which had scared your friend. It was supposed to be here, after all. Your friend wouldn’t mind you scaring them a little by moving them around, right?

“...Remember when you said you saw the scarecrow move?” You asked, anxiety pooling in your gut.

“Yeah?”

You pointed towards the earlier scarecrow’s spot, “Look.” The scarecrow’s spot empty, aside from a few strands of hay on the ground.

“Oh.”

“...Yeah, Let’s Get the fuck out.”

It wasn’t any easier than before. Every path looked the same, and it was hard to look for a possible exit when all you could see was corn and scarecrows, with an occasional crow. Weird how the crows weren’t scared of the scarecrows, you thought. Your thoughts were interrupted by your friend speaking, “Well, if we get stuck here, at least we won’t run out of food.”

“Please don’t say that.”

“Sorry.”

You sighed. “It’s okay – I’m just scared, I guess.”

“Same here. I blame the spiders.”

“The spiders? There hasn’t been a single spider here so far.”

“Yes, there has? There’s a few right there, next to you.”

You looked down, expecting to see these said spiders, only to be met with nothing. “Man, I think you’re hallucinating. There aren’t any spiders there.”

“Oh. Well, whatever.”

God, this smell is giving me a headache, you thought, rubbing your temples. Was it the dark that was making these paths seem more and more narrow the farther you two walked? It felt suffocating, almost.

“Okay, this isn’t funny anymore, please get rid of those fuking spiders.”

“I literally cannot see any spiders here.”

“Stop fucking lying. They’re right there, between us. There’s like, a hundred.”

“No there isn’t-”

“Stop. Lying.”

“I-”

“If you don’t get rid of them, I swear to god I’ll find my way out of here and get you out only in the morning.” They threatened, pointing at you with a finger, hands trembling. “You know how much they scare me.” That was true – as long as you had known them, they’ve always been terrified of spiders. The way they crawled, their mandibles and eyes… everything about them scared them. You could see the way their eyes dilated, and breathing quickened.

“I am so sorry, but I don’t see any spiders-” You started, to which your friend turned around and started to walk away. “Hey, wait-!” You called out, Running after them and missing the blade by a few centimeters.

Yes, there was a blade – an old and rusty blade of a scythe. Seemed pretty sharp too, considering the blood dripping from it.

Thump, thump, thump. Your friends body fell to the ground, limp. A blood of pool forming around where their head would’ve been, had it not been sliced cleanly off a few seconds ago. It had rolled away from the body – your friends emotionless and lifeless face staring back at you. It was nauseating. Looking up, You finally noticed the thing- the man holding the scythe. Tall, skinny, burlap-clad monster. Vivid, big eyes staring right through your soul could be seen from under the mask – or was it his face? Claw-like fingers held a tight grip on the scythe, Vials of bright liquids adoring his rugged clothes. He smelled like hay and cough medicine. Was he the one that you had smelled that whole time? Now that you had taken in his appearance, he looked a lot like that one scarecrow that scared your friend.

“This valentine’s day-” He spoke with a slight southern accent, voice gravelly and haunting. “There’s more than one way to lose your heart.”

Oh, fuck.

Sharply turning, you ran. Where to? Anywhere away from that monster.

[richmond-rex]

(I tried to send this ask before, but as per tumblr there was a glitch, so I’m resending :) )

I’m reading up on Richard III and I can’t help but feel like he essentially shot himself in the foot in 1483?

If we accept that he did not have designs for the throne at first (considering the plans for E5’s coronation, this seems likely), the most logical explanation is that he wished to consolidate power as the Protector, especially considering a lot of the authority he held before was dependent on royal decrees, and his legitimate claim to a lot of his northern estates were threatened by the death of George Neville Duke of Bedford. This would explain why he sought to neutralize the power of the Woodvilles, who (even though there doesn’t seem to have been any feud or bad blood between them before, and who he far outweighed in terms of formal authority) obviously had a strong relationship with Edward V + supporters in the council and could therefore (in his mind, probably exacerbated by the letter from Hastings, before Hastings became wary of him?) be rivals for influence. But if that’s the case, it displays an impulsive and fundamental lack of foresight on Richard’s part. Whatever he felt about the Woodvilles and there supposed power, how did it not occur to him that their connection to E5 would result in problems for HIM sooner or later? He had forcibly separated E5 from his beloved uncle and half-brother, had arrested them and wished to execute them, and had frightened E5’s mother and remaining siblings so much that they sought sanctuary. That … surely would not have endeared Richard to the young king who he was supposed to wield his influence by? And while child monarchs are risky, the situation with E5 was certainly not as dangerous as many have claimed. He was 12, meaning he would be able to assume authority in 3-5 years, he was educated, intelligent and (judging by his response to Richard) quite precocious, and I highly doubt he would be generous or predisposed to the man (who was his uncle, but was a very distant figure in his life till now) had so clearly targeted and attempted to ruin his own maternal family, not to mention caused a significant amount of stress and trauma to E5 himself. David Horspool suggests that “perhaps it was that he (Richard) realized the limits of his power as Protector, and what that implied when the protectorate is over” and I think this seems quite likely, and might be what prompted him to seize the throne for himself. But if this IS true … imo, it was largely brought about by his own decisions. The Woodvilles, from what I’ve read, seemed to be conciliatory. Elizabeth Woodville agreed to limit the size of her son’s escort & apparently tried to “extinguish” tensions in the council, and Anthony Woodville and Richard Gray agreed to meet Richard and were clearly unsuspecting of any plot. And whether or not the council adhered to Edward IV’s unknown will (although it seems to have been adhered to, at least to a fair degree?), Richard had certainly not been excluded from power. Whatever his motivations were (most likely his own influence), RICHARD was the one who opened aggressions, and doubled it down by condemning Anthony & Gray as traitors and wanting their executions, which was clearly disbelieved and worrisome to the council. Ideally, speaking, the Woodvilles + Hastings + Richard COULD work together (there were petty rivalries between Dorset/Anthony Woodville and Hastings for example but they had worked together very well before and were genuinely invested in E5 as a person and as a monarch; not to mention the relative cooperation of the Woodvilles), and (perhaps with the benefit of hindsight) that route could have potentially been the most beneficial to Richard as well if he wished to consolidate his influence. Instead, he launched unprompted aggressions against the king’s maternal relatives and all but guaranteed a crisis, which would inevitably lead to him trying to seize kingship for himself. And we all know how that turned out.

Basically, from what I understand, Richard III made some very impulsive and misjudged decisions and was directly responsible for a largely and tragically preventable crisis. This is as per my understanding, but you are very well-researched about the period so I thought I'd send the ask to know what you think :)

Hello, sorry for taking so long to reply to this ask! I was still reading Horspool's book at first and then I was unable to type my reply. I think your ask can be summed up along these lines:

David Horspool suggests that “perhaps it was that he (Richard) realized the limits of his power as Protector, and what that implied when the protectorate is over” and I think this seems quite likely, and might be what prompted him to seize the throne for himself + from what I understand, Richard III made some very impulsive and misjudged decisions and was directly responsible for a largely and tragically preventable crisis.

That is certainly a possible interpretation. As Horspool says, 'even if the initial plan had not been to seek the throne, it had become the only seat in the country that could offer him some protection' after Richard had so spectacularly antagonised most of the remaining relatives of the king (not to mention, according to Mancini, angered the king himself as well). Another interpretation that Horspool suggests is that Richard kept both avenues open, that is, he aimed to establish himself as Lord Protector and the realm's foremost magnate, and, if successful enough, as king himself. His own father, Richard Duke of York, had followed a similar course of action, first establishing himself as Lord Protector and then (though unsuccessfully) claiming the throne for himself.

Richard had been a child when his father’s unsuccessful attempts to fulfil the role of Protector had taken place, but the story would have survived not just in official records but as a family tale of family honour thwarted.

I do think it's quite possible that Richard kept an eye open to any possible avenues that could make him king. As pointed out by Pollard, he acted swiftly, always anticipating the moves of expert politicians such as Hastings and Woodville, and always maintaining the initiative—that is, it's hard to see Richard's actions just as reactions to events that were outside his control. What's even more interesting is that in many ways Richard acted along the same lines as his father did back in the 1450s. The Duke of York had been quick to reassure again and again his loyalty and dedication to the reigning king. Before he waged battle and captured Henry VI at St Albans in 1455, he had gone as far as writing a letter declaring he would never hurt his 'most Cristen Kyng' and was himself his 'true and humble liege man'. Richard of Gloucester, before capturing his nephew-king at Stony Stratford, publicly swore fealty to him at York Minster. Richard of York violently removed Henry VI's staunchest supporters from his circle before eventually making his bid to the throne, Richard the Duke of Gloucester did the same to Edward V. Throw this together with the pages that he borrowed from Warwick's propaganda book, and it almost feels like he was following a script.

It is, of course, entirely possible that Richard could have been satisfied with his position as Lord Protector, provided all things went his way, even if he did still keep an eye on the throne. But one thing that Horspool doesn't point out is that it seems Richard's position wouldn't last very long, as I pointed out in this previous ask. According to the Croyland continuator, the council decided that Edward V ‘should succeed his father in all his glory’, that is, that he should be crowned as soon as possible, bypassing the need for a protectorate much in the same lines that Richard II was crowned when he succeeded his grandfather at the age of ten. If Edward V was crowned, a fact that indeed Richard kept postponing and postponing, a protectorate wouldn't be an option anymore. The council, as suggested by Croyland, wanted Richard to assume the position of protector only temporarily: just for a few weeks until the coronation had happened and the crown was safely on Edward V's head.

So, after a few weeks of delaying, it's possible Richard realised that despite his better wishes he could not postpone the coronation much longer and that he would be forced to relinquish the position of Lord Protector much earlier than he had anticipated. After the coronation was a fait accompli, he would be forced to face the new king's resentment with no powerful shield to protect him, and perhaps that may be what prompted Richard to go along with his plan B (take the crown himself): the fact that he would only have weeks as Lord Protector, not years, and thus would have no time to confirm his dominance as the realm's leading magnate or to soothe away or neutralise the new king (and his family)'s resentment. It's a theory that of course cannot be proven, but that seems equally likely to me.

[thealmightyemprex]

For the ask game (although I suppose you’re not exactly in the Shrek *fandom* I don’t think? Not like it matters sdjvnsvsnfjs) that Big Jack fellow!

Puss In Boots 2 seemingly has its own fandom from Shrek.Weird I know but thats the way it be

1.three facts about them from my personal headcanons

Its implied in the film but I am going to go further with it:He has an inferiority complex due to being a nursery rhyme character in a world of fairy tales ,which is why he is obsessed with getting all the magic in the world

I dont think he is lying when he says he loves the Bakers Dozen,I think they are the closest things to friends he has.....Doesnt mean he doesnt abuse them or gives a shit when they are killed in horrible ways (USually by him ) cause ya know .....Toxic sociopath

I think he pays really well or gives good benefits ,cause I am struggling to know why the Bakers Dozen are so loyal to him

2.a reason they suck

I mean he is a sociopathic businessmen who does not value life who leaitterally wants to covet all the magic in the world,so not a nice guy .....But thats why he is great

3.a reason they are great

Honestly I am just thrilled we have a pure evil villain in an animated film ,and I got a kick out of the fact they made a running joke with him and the Ethical Bug ,who believes in good in all people,just being floored that ,NOPE ,Jack has no good at all,hes just a monster

4.a reason I relate to them 

I like pie

5.(what I consider to be) the top tier otp/ot3 for that character

Oh none,no one should ever have a relationship with this guy .

6.five things that never happened to that character that I believe should have happened

I only have one and that is I want him to have a meeting with all the other Shrek Villains(Excluding Death he is on his own playing field ) ,and them all to be horrified by this guy

7.five people that character never fell in love with and why

NO ONE NEEDS TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS MAN

[totentnz]

*knocks on your door* I must hear about BETRAYAL, marked for death, and cut content: johnny and v fuck after he runs into her at her dayjob pt.2 from the WIP game? Please❣💖🙇🏽‍♀️

from here

sorry this took me a minute, didn't have the spoons to look at my writing 🤡 also THANK YOU! 💜

3. BETRAYAL

this one is a bit erratic, which honestly fits the situation pretty well. giving you the whole thing because i cant pick a favourite.

i wrote this after i answered this ask game. obligatory @bishicat tag :3

if she truly was like their father she would have thrown the plant at viv and not the ground. this was a distinction that was important to the twins but most likely meant very little to everyone else. "talk some fuckin' sense into her!" v exlaimed, not even looking at her brother. "cant do." vincent replied as he grabbed a bowl from the counter and knelt down to scoop the dirt up. "-- im leavin' too." v's ears began to ring after hearing this confession. "what?" she asked, calmly. he had scooped up most of the dirt, plant and pot up by now and stood up. "im leavin' nc. got a new place in atlanta already." /// "and there is nothing you can say or do to stop us." us? v needed a moment to wrap her head around this. us? there has always been an us and in v's mind there was always going to be one but this sounded different. us? as in they? her excluded? it sounded strange, like a different language, an alien language. us? he was taking her side? what happened to us-us? she wondered. you and me? brother and sister? you are supposed to be on my side! after all the things -- no v swore she would never use their childhood as leverage, not even in her thoughts. she couldnt comprehend this. /// while she was happy she was fucking miserable. and now? she had nothing left to lose. it was pretty freeing actually, to be alone, uncared for, she could finally ruin her life in peace, without having to explain anything to anyone.

2. marked for death

this is from a theme event in the writers of night city discord server! we were tasked to write something inspired by the song Marked For Death. now silverv would have been obvious but i decided to write about muv (muamar + v) instead. silverv is implied however.

i wanted to edit/ rewrite it before i post it to tumblr but haven't gotten around to it yet.

"y'all are dyin'. match made in heaven." "exactly. why would i waste his time?" johnny groaned and leaned forwards, propping himself up on one of his knees. "so ya can't fuck the BD chick 'cause she got baggage. panam's straight. kerry isn't into you. river is too alive and el clowno is off the table 'cause he's on borrowed time?" he counted on his fingers.

~~~~~~~

7. cut content: johnny and v fuck after he runs into her at her dayjob pt.2

i cut this from my entry for silverv week in february. it takes place in au: watch the world burn (2010's AU) v has a side-job at a food place called Borg Burgers.

when he didnt place his order she looked up from her notepad and he could swear relief washed over her. "the fuck are you doin here?" she asked. "gotta fuel up, got a gig later." he shrugged, making sure to get a good look at her from head to toe. "i get a discount? ya know bc we.." he paused and ran his metal fingers up her leg. she didnt move away or slap him away. "not how it works. if you wait till my shift is over i can share some leftovers with ya."

[dfroza]

“He will draw our buried motives, thoughts, and deeds (even things we don’t know or admit to ourselves) out of the dark shadows of our hearts into His light.”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 4th chapter of the letter of First Corinthians:

Rather than power brokers, think of us as servants of the Anointed One, the Liberating King, caretakers of the mysteries of God. Because we are in this particular role, it is especially important that we are people of fidelity and integrity. It makes little difference to me how you or any human court passes judgment on me. I even resist the temptation to compare myself to the ever-changing human standard. Although I am not aware of any flaw that might exclude me from this divine service, that’s not the reason I stand acquitted—the only supreme judge, our Lord, will examine me in the proper time. So resist the temptation to act as judges before all the evidence is in. When the Lord comes, He will draw our buried motives, thoughts, and deeds (even things we don’t know or admit to ourselves) out of the dark shadows of our hearts into His light. When this happens, the voice of God will speak to each of us the only praise that will ever matter.

Right now, brothers and sisters, the best thing I can do for you is to apply these principles to the situation with Apollos and me. Maybe we can show you the meaning of the saying, “not beyond the things written.” If you learn that, perhaps none of you will swell with pride because you fall into the seductive trap of pitting one against the other. Is there any reason to consider yourselves better than others? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If you received it as a gift, why do you boast like it is something you achieved on your own?

Now let’s see if I have it straight. You suppose that you already have all you need. You already are rich and prosperous. And without us you’ve already begun to reign like kings. To be honest, I wish you did reign so that we could reign with you because it seems to me that God has put His emissaries at the end of the line, like convicts in their final walk to certain death. We have become a spectacle to the rest of the world—to all people and heaven’s messengers. We are nothing but fools for the cause of the Anointed One while you are wise in Him. Am I right? We are feeble and tired while you are mighty and full of life. You are well respected by others while we’re treated as contemptuous creatures by pretty much everyone everywhere. Up to this very minute, we are famished, we are thirsty, and our clothes are shabby, practically rotted to pieces. We are homeless, hapless wanderers. But still we labor, working with our hands to meet our needs because, despite all of this, when a fist is raised against us, we respond with a blessing; when we face violence and persecution, we stay on mission; and when others choose taunts and slander against us, we speak words of encouragement and reconciliation. We’re treated as the scum of the earth—and I am not talking in the past tense; I mean today! We’re the scraps of society, nothing more than the foulest human rubbish.

I am not telling you all this so that you’ll feel guilty or be ashamed of how you have acted. I am only trying to warn you, just as a father would warn his children. You may have 10,000 instructors in the faith of the Anointed One, but you have only one father. In Jesus the Anointed I have become your father through my efforts in spreading the good news. So as your father in the faith, I want to encourage you to live as I have lived. Imitate my life. This is one of the reasons I sent Timothy to be with you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. His mission is to remind you of the way I experience life in the Anointed. In all the churches everywhere I go, I teach the same lessons the same way, and I live out those lessons. But the reality is, some of you have put yourselves on pedestals and live like you are high above the rest—it’s as if you assumed I would not return to confront your misguided pride. But I am coming. Lord willing, I will be with you soon. Then I will know what power is backing those arrogant folks and their words. The kingdom of God is not a realm of grandiose talk; it is a realm of power. So tell me what you want. Should I visit you, rod in hand ready to discipline a crew of self-important people; or should I embrace you, love you, and gently teach you as we celebrate the blessings of God together?

The Letter of First Corinthians, Chapter 4 (The Voice)

A note from The Voice translation:

Paul explains and exemplifies the goals of a mature believer in a way that may be easily contrasted with the desires of an immature believer. He is seeking love and truth more than popularity, embracing suffering rather than comfort. In fact, he disregards popularity and comfort completely so that he isn’t distracted from the love and truth of Jesus. This could be a powerful force in the world if believers embraced this kind of maturity.

Today’s paired reading from the First Testament is the 31st chapter of the book of Exodus:

The Eternal One instructed Moses.

Eternal One: Look, I have a special calling upon one of the sons of Judah. His name is Bezalel (the son of Uri, son of Hur). I have filled him with God’s Spirit, gifted him with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skills with a variety of crafts. He is an expert designer and works well with gold, silver, and bronze. He is able to cut and set gems, work with wood, and skillfully perform any craft needed to help construct the congregation tent and its furnishings. I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan to assist Bezalel. I have gifted all of Israel’s artisans with the skills needed to build everything I have instructed you: the congregation tent, the covenant chest, the seat of mercy that covers it, all the furnishings for the tent, the table and its accessories, the pure gold lampstand with all its tools, the altar of incense, the altar for burnt offering with all its utensils, the washing basin and its stand, the woven garments, Aaron’s sacred priestly garments, the clothes worn by Aaron’s sons when they serve as My priests, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense to be used in the holy place. The craftsmen are to design and build all of these exactly as I have instructed you.

The Eternal One instructed Moses regarding the Sabbath.

Eternal One: Speak to the Israelites and tell them, “You must be careful to observe My Sabbaths. For the Sabbath Day serves as a sign between Me and you for all generations, so that you will know I am the Eternal One who has set you apart from all the other nations. Keep the Sabbath because it is a sacred day for you, different from all other days. Anyone who violates the Sabbath or defiles it must be executed; anyone who works on the Sabbath will be cut off from the community. You have six days out of every week to do whatever work is needed, but the seventh day is the Sabbath, a day set aside for rest and only rest. It is sacred to Me. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be executed. Therefore, the Israelites are to keep the Sabbath and celebrate it throughout all their generations as an everlasting covenant. The Sabbath exists as a sign forever of the covenant between Me and the people of Israel for I made heaven and earth in six days, but then on the seventh day I stopped My work and was refreshed.”

When God had finished giving these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two stone tablets as a witness to their agreement inscribed by the very finger of God.

The Book of Exodus, Chapter 31 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, may 22 of 2024 with a paired chapter from each Testament (the First & the New) of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about the affirmation of eternal life:

Right now, as you are seeing this, take a moment to reaffirm that the Lord Yeshua is your deliverer and that you trust in Him for eternal life. He promises the trusting heart: “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes in the One who sent me has (i.e., present active indicative) eternal life and will not be condemned, but has passed over (literally, “crossed over”) from death to life” (John 5:24).

Note that the verb translated “has passed over” is “perfect active” that expresses completed action: “this one has already crossed over from death to life.” In other words, the gift of eternal life is an accomplished reality (though it is only experienced as we truly surrender to the love and grace of God from a heart of faith). The “basis” of life is now radically new and of a different order. As the apostle Paul later summarized: “For it is by grace you have been saved (i.e., a perfect passive participle that denotes completed action done on your behalf with effects that continue to the present) through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:9-10). I’m so glad it’s not the strength of my grip that keeps me holding on to God, but the strength of His...

So “be strong and of good courage” – chazak ve’ematz! The Lord our God promises “never to leave you nor forsake you” and to be with you wherever you go (see Josh. 1:5,9; Heb. 13:5, Psalm 139; Matt. 28:20). In the Greek New Testament, the wording of Hebrews 13:5 is highly emphatic: Οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ, οὐδ᾽ οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλείπω: “Not ever will I give up on you; no, not ever will I leave you behind.” Alevai! May you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling you, and may He forever keep you under His watchful care. Amen.

[ Hebrew for Christians ]

========

Jeremiah 31:3b reading:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/jer31-3b-jjp.mp3

Hebrew page:

https://hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Blessing_Cards/jer31-3b-lesson.pdf

5.21.24 • Facebook

from yesterday’s email by Israel365

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

[jeremy-ken-anderson]

The Colbert Questionert

1) What is the best sandwich?

Keanu Reeves managed to get Colbert to specify that this question is “best sandwich For You,” so you don’t have to answer for all mankind.

Toga’s Soup House serves a crab melt that is my absolute go-to for holidays. It includes slices of lemon you can sprinkle juice from to taste, as well as an aioli you can dip it into for a Flavor Explosion On Demand. It’s glorious.

2) What do you have that you should really throw away?

I have three big-box board games - Arkham Horror, Empires of the Void, and Puzzle Strike: Shadows - that I know I’m never going to play again.

3) What is the scariest animal?

Humans scare me most frequently out of everything on the list. But if “animal” specifically excludes humans (say, using a TTRPG classification where humans are Humanoids instead of Animals) I’d go with black widows, which is a matter of personal risk. I know that I have a body that attracts spiders (I’ve had them lay eggs directly on my skin while I was sleeping), I know that sometimes I spook them and that can cause them to bite, and I have seen black widow spiders within 5′ of where I sleep (thankfully, not inside the same room; It’s on the other side of my bedroom wall, in the woodpile. but still).

4) Apples or Oranges?

If we’re comparing uncooked, oranges win it in the depth of winter. Apples win it for me in almost everything else - I don’t much like oranges cooked in things, and I like raw apples more than raw oranges for most of the warmer times of year.

5) Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?

No. I’ve had quick chats with celebrities and given one a gift, but on reflection I think I’ve never taken a signature.

6) What do you think happens when we die?

Pieces of the pattern of who you were continue indelibly - Those pieces were present before you and it is romantic but not necessarily realistic to think that the events of your life will in any way impact them (I mean, if they could then what the hell is “indelibly” even supposed to mean there?). Most of what you think of as Yourself is tied up in all the physical stuff of you, and we know clearly what happens with that.

I think the soul is no more in heaven after death than it was during life; That is, I think the soul is in heaven during life and you have a responsibility to be the angel it is as best you can with your feeble mortal frame.

Also, sometimes there will be a ghost of you. I’ve encountered those personally on three occasions so that’s not really a matter of belief so much as personal experience. But I think of those more as echoes, so while that can be “what happens when you die” it’s in the same section of my brain as “there will be a funeral” and “there will be mourning” because it is not part of the question of what happens to you when you die. The ghost is no the person, no matter how much I crushed on Christina Ricci in the live-action of Casper the Friendly Ghost.

7) Favorite Action Movie?

Kung Fu Hustle. I enjoyed 98% of that movie, often to an ecstatic degree. So many action films spend 1/4 or more of their time boring me. In a run time of 1:39 this has something like 20 seconds I don’t like to watch.

8) Window or Aisle?

Window.

9) Favorite Smell?

I cannot answer this question honestly in a public place. It’s not a sex thing, but it is a secret I am not permitted to share. As a near runner-up I’m gonna say Waffles with strawberry syrup.

10) Cats or Dogs?

Unlike the apples vs oranges question I don’t have a clear winner. To me the better half from either side is easily superior to the worse half of the other side. I am honored to have known many epic cats and dogs.

11) You get to listen to one song for the rest of your life. What is it?

I would 100% cheat this question and stack my entire music collection into The Anderson Megamix, a single track over 30 days in length, and call that my One Song. Failing that, Rhapsody in Blue.

12) What number am I thinking of?

Stephen, listen to me. Are you listening? I want you to see the number ten, imagine the things that means to society, ten fingers, our base-ten math, the shape of the 1 and the 0. I’m gonna bet I got you to think of the number ten at some point in there.

13) Describe the rest of your life in five words.

Creative, Unusual, Giving, Loved, Joyful Do I know? No. But I choose hope.

Feel free to take it yourself.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

dw i dont think the poll was that deep! i just really like talking about these things lmao, i really love ofmd and brba so its hard for me not to think about the comparison deeper. in response to your thoughts on the matter, i just wanted to say— jesse actually didnt snitch! it gets revealed by the police later that krazy8 actually snitched on his own cousin, and had been an informant for them for a long time. all the characters in the show are pretty morally bankrupt and jesse is the best of them tbh (excluding almost all of the women and all of the kids). selling meth is basically like murder in ofmd where its like, so many of the characters sell meth and are criminals or crooked cops that the scale of morality is skewed. like i wouldnt call ed a bad person in the scope of ofmd because he’s committed murder (not by his own hands ofc but like, thats semantics, hes caused a lot of death.) i also dont really mind him saying faggot because its funny lmfao but stops he does stop saying it eventually, which is an improvement. he may say faggot but he’s honestly one of the least toxically masculine characters in the show. any toxic masculinity he exhibits is really limited (imo, its mainly his casual homophobia in the beginning of s1) and it never hurts anyone, unlike izzy who hurts so many people because of his toxicity. a consistent theme in the show is jesse being walt’s foil. the meth business brings out the darkest of walt’s narcissism, apathy and disregard for others lives and wellbeing, which turns him into a monster. all the while jesse stays empathetic, and is good at heart even if he fucks up sometimes and commits crimes. i could list all of the things that jesse does that drive home this point and personally make my heart ache for him but this ask is already long enough!! idk TLDR basically ofmd’s narrative condemns izzy’s actions and used him as contrast to the goodness of the other characters, whereas brba’s married frames jesse as decent person who is used to contrast walt’s genuine psychopathy and machiavellianism. i dont really think the characters are comparable from a narrative perspective but tbh i get why you would compare them from a fandom perspective! they are both poor little meow meows in fanon, and thats more accurate to what your poll was measuring. sorry again for how long this is i just have so many thoughts T_T

oh ok werk. It really seemed like he was lying about not being the informant when he was called on it but I suppose that'll come up soon enough. Like, that man is not very good at not coming off suspicious. I agree tho about your point on the homophobia. Like if a real guy like Jessie was coming at me with the f slur like that I would feel very unsafe, but the way it reads in the show is like him calling the very heterosexual Walter White a homo as he, Jessie "t-boy swag" Pinkman, zooms in on his ass with a camera so it's like the homophobia is so undercut, dude. Like homie you are coming off so fruity for a guy who uses faggot as an insult.

But yeah Like I said in the first ask I don't consider selling meth evil, an argument could be made to me about "well they profit off of people's addictions" to which I would respond "So you agree? Selling things that people need to continue functioning is evil? Which means selling food is evil and it should instead be free." To me drug dealing is not that bad in a society where we let people die of no money all the time. We're all doing what we gotta do to get by. I'm just using dealing meth as a morality argument because I don't expect mainstream television shows to share my rather libertarian(Leftist) views on drugs and I assume any meth dealer on my screen is going to do other things that I am against, like, idk murder. I have no beef with the real life Walts and Jessies of the world, although you would do well to stop cutting your drugs. Jessie, Jessie, I'm begging you not to synthesize baphomet's dandruff (Meth + cHiLi PoWdEr) my nostrils are burning just thinking about that shit.

[alternamarian]

19 — Going Back

retrace

Days have passed. I walked with the haze directly overhead, faltering frequently. I have had little food and drink since even before the Offering, which now to me felt like ages ago.

I knew little of the particulars of the ceremony. The Offering was not a subject of my liking, and I had been excluded from the preparations leading up to the event. With all my studying, I was ignorant of many things. Some of it was done to me, and some was of my own choosing.

But now I was learning for myself. I was myself not an Offering, nor even among the Companions. Nevertheless, I was finding out what it meant to return from the ceremony.

I had much to occupy myself with. Though it was no important expedition, my journey was not dull. And though I was quite solitary, I was not alone.

In these moments, with the haze beating down on me, I could feel the presence of the maiden, whether or not I gazed at her. And my lack of instruction on where I must go, and tools that might have pointed the direction I should take, I was quite able to do without them.

I had the maiden. 

The pupil looked around the garden, asking where he was; to which the maiden replied that he was on his travels, and that they were alone.

“Good,” said the pupil, “for we must speak to one another, and no one else. We have wasted far too much time, maiden. You must tell me how you did all this.”

The maiden stifled a weary sigh. “You already know the answer to your question.”

“No, I do not,” said the pupil. 

Road signs were not a common thing in and around the village. I suppose those from outside did not see any cause to point out the way to somewhere few people would go. I know many in the village loudly refused to have anything to do with the newfangled trivialities of city folk.

“I need not tell you about the Unrest,” the pupil was saying, “that it will not diminish, though fools will say otherwise. You have felt it yourself. You know it is gaining strength. And we cannot look to the elder ones for help. We need to gather all means and devices with which to defend ourselves.”

“But I have none of these devices,” said the maiden. “And what is this you say about the elder ones? Yes, there are those that have fallen away; but many have remained steadfast. They have always provided us with their help. Why should that change?”

“Maiden, you put me out of patience,” said the pupil. “You know quite well things are not the same, and never will be again. We must look to ourselves now.”

“Oh pupil,” said the maiden, “how your words fill me with alarm! This sounds like dissent.”

For a moment the pupil only looked at her steadily. Finally she said, “Because it is.”

I have no doubt that I have taken much longer in my journey, and not only because of my stupidity. But eventually the overgrowth that lined the path began to appear less strange. 

The pupil advanced towards the maiden while she drew back in shock. “The War could never have gone as we had hoped, maiden. We have been misled. We have none to rely on but our own efforts.” And she glanced at their surroundings. “These mirrors have been made in ways that, as yet, are not only obscure, but indecipherable. No one else can grasp them, No one has been able to copy them. And that, maiden, makes your knowledge valuable beyond estimate. We have something that none of the elders know about.”

On the side of the road was a small, shabby house. It was built close to the ground, with a thatched roof and walls of unhewn stone, much like the temple. However, as I had never been even on the outer edges of the village, I could not tell whose house it was, or who stayed there.

But then the door opened. And I tilted my head in recognition: it was a little girl. Not, of course, my Companion, whose death still played out vividly in my mind. No. It was the little girl who had pointed at me when I caught up with the primary student at the school gates.

She was carrying a rather large bowl. Indeed, she had her arm wrapped around it, for her hands were too small to grasp it. She wobbled, too, so I guessed that was heavy as well. 

Without seeing me, she began to pour out the contents onto the ground. The sludge was thick, with the faint smell of food that was close to spoiling. 

Then the little girl saw me, and halted her actions.

“Hello, little girl,” I greeted her. “May I have some of that, please? I haven’t eaten in a while.”

The maiden shook her head. “Pupil, you suggest wicked things. Put such thoughts out of your head! I cannot tell you what you want to hear.”

The pupil stepped closer to her. “You cannot?” she said. “Or you won’t?”

The maiden gazed at her in sorrowful surprise. “I will not,” she said at last. “But that is also because I can’t.”

The little girl stared at me. And then she turned towards the house. “Mother!” she called out, “Mother!”

“Wait,” I began, but there was a sound of shuffling from within the house. An instant later, the door opened once again. “What are you yelling for now, child?” she scolded irritably. 

And then she saw me, and stopped.

She made a loud cry. Then she ran to the little girl, scooping up a handful of dirt as she did, which she immediately threw at me.

“Stay away from us!” she shouted. “We want nothing to do with you!” She took the little girl by her arm and ran back inside the house. 

“Oh, Mother!” cried the little girl. “Is that a ghoul, Mother?”

“Shush, child, you didn’t see anything!” said the woman, before she shut the door and bolted it from within.

I stood for a few moments in silence. There was no one else on the road. The bowl that the little girl was carrying had fallen, the contents spilling on the ground. In the intense haze, I could smell the stuff rapidly turning bad. 

I was so hungry. 

The woman only said for me to stay away, didn’t she?

I sat on the ground. Small critters and scavengers had started buzzing around it. I picked at the spoiled food with my fingers, brought the stuff to my mouth, and quietly ate it.

“Maiden,” the pupil was saying, “you must be reasonable about this!”

The maiden replied, “I am being reasonable about this. We have been told to wait in trust, and to that I will remain faithful. You, pupil, are the one who has lost her intellect, and other things besides.”

When I left, I was still hungry, but now my insides were in protest against the staleness of what I consumed. But I had to keep going: the temple was not too far away now. I could even hear voices, faintly, as I walked forward, hunched over; staggering on my wobbly legs and battered feet.

I have heard about people returning to their houses after long travels. I knew that many, even after a brief trip, are eager to return, and are rejuvenated by the sight of their abodes. I wondered about it; my own desire was to go out into the wider world. But now I was going back, and discovering what that meant for me. I found that the closer I got to the village, the weaker I became. I could feel what little strength remained draining away. 

At last I fell on the ground, reeling. I was by that familiar sense of nausea, and I retched. The stuff I had eaten gurgled up my throat, and sprayed out of my nose and mouth. I vomited and vomited: I could not seem to stop, though I had eaten so little. 

But eventually the convulsions ceased. The haze was relentless, and there was no breeze, no relief; not even that sense having been scoured within after throwing up. I swayed, and thought perhaps I would lose consciousness.

I heard a rusting nearby. Slowly I raised my head. Hovering in front of me were the gliding vines.

I endeavored to reach out to them, but my body could not support even that effort. I lurched: the branches caught me as I fell. I felt them wrap around me, lift me from the ground, and cradle me in their foliage.

I lay on my back, wanting so much to finally sleep, now that I knew I was among friends. But my body ached so much. I could do little more than look through the yellow branches.

The pupil sighed. “I am sorry,” she said, “sorry to find you so obstinate, maiden.” She surveyed the garden once again. The mirrors gleamed radiantly back at her. “Your hero,” she said, “can you call him?”

The maiden tilted her head. “What?”

“You have this bond with him, don’t you?” said the pupil. “That’s what they say, isn’t it? You have … a special bond: the maiden and her hero.” A slight hint of a different tone creeped into her voice. “So. Can you call him?”

The maiden smiled tentatively. “I didn’t know there was talk like that,” she said. “And no, I cannot call to him. I would very much like to, but I cannot. He is far away, far in the other side, where he is preparing a place for us.” And she turned towards the sky. “I will have to wait.”

“So we are quite alone then,” said the pupil. “Good.” She looked down, where a rock lay, almost inconspicuously.

The gliding vines stopped, I was jolted into some sort of awareness. I caught glimpses of the people approaching the foliage. They were trying to peer through branches, murmuring in tones of surprise and fear. 

“What is all this?” came the voice of the oracle. “What have you scrounged up this time, you witless weeds?” There was a pause, after which she said, “What have you done?”

I drifted off to sleep then.

realize

[fusingshadows]

Review of: ‘Just like Mother’ by Anne Heltzel

Spoilers abound

It works very well as a smaller story, grounded in a tight knit cult and family, as Maeve struggles with physical and emotional intimacy. The surprise twist makes the entire story feel more like a joke, a feeling only emphasized by the sudden drop in global intelligence. Am I really expected to believe that after months of interviews, and Maeve herself saying it, the FBI somehow can’t link Ryan’s death to Andrea? It’s equally shocking that Mallory somehow does not connect the highly publicized face of a terrorist with a coworker she’s know for years and who suddenly shows up months later pregnant.

This culminates in the final twist, and Andrea’s supposed suicide a la Jeffrey Epstein. The exaggerated global cult stomps on any remaining suspension of disbelief and becomes an almost comic moment. (It might be the feminist in me, but I also have to say I’d prefer this global cabal of people passionate about motherhood than the very real pedophiles this brings to mind.)

Despite my gripes I really did enjoy the initial bulk of the novel. The first three quarters of the book build a suffocating feeling of suspense, carried by tight pacing and a deeply empathetic protagonist. It’s amazing how well Heltzel is able to slip you into the mind of Maeve. Her deeply rooted trust issues and self-deprecation create a stifling feeling of unease that deftly covers for the fairly predictable plot elements as they unfold. So much so, that the reveal of Andrea’s deceit still feels like a solid sucker punch despite forewarning. The casual cruelty in the reveal of her organized rape and impregnation was so intense that I had to walk away from the book for a few hours and stew in the feeling of disgust.

Heltzel does a wonderful job depicting the societal pressure to embrace motherhood as the ultimate, and only complete form of womanhood. Maeve is simultaneously infantilized and discredited by everyone she meets, either too broken or misguided to see what is really good for her. Her failure to embrace this role becomes the lynchpin of her loneliness and suffering. Her struggle to open up emotionally serves as an engaging comparative note to her changing perspectives on reproduction, though I found her eventual response to pregnancy uncharacteristic at best.

I really think that if I’d ended reading at chapter 28 I could have happily given this 5 stars.

My biggest disappointment besides the ending was the failed feminist critique. The following came somewhat of a shock after so much of the novel pointedly ignored mentioning feminism or feminist thought;

“It did discriminate, though, I realized. It celebrated womanhood only as it pertained to a working uterus. It excluded trans and nonbinary people, men, people who couldn’t have kids or didn’t want to. It was the antithesis of inclusive, the opposite of feminist.”

Emily is briefly referred to as a ‘radical feminist’ by an article Maeve reads when googling her, but if a comparison was attempted between this and Maeve’s ‘inclusive’ feminism, I really would have liked to see Emily at least thumb through a copy of Dworkins at breakfast; or mention the original tenant of feminism, the liberation of women. It feels shoehorned in, as if the matriarchal structure somehow aligns them with the cause.

It feels especially strange to position Andrea as attempting a form of feminism, given the rampant misogyny in her updated version of the Mother cult. Her advocation and organization of Male-led rape and deceit lies at odds with her apparent dismissal of men. By allowing Rob and Tyler to obtain sexual and emotional pleasure and power over Maeve she ironically discredits the entire worldview she is obsessed with bringing about. Coupled with their obsession with reproductive ability over individual desire, the story feels more ‘handmaids tale’ than actual critique and exaggeration of feminist thought.

I’ve never been a fan of media that attempts a ‘what if [oppressor class] was actually the one oppressed’. At best it feels like the author doesn’t trust you to empathize with a minority group, and at worst it feels like a cover-up of the real victims. I found it difficult to take Rob and Andrea’s allusions to discarding a potential boy aside seriously against the very real backdrop of femicide rates against infant girls still continuing worldwide.

For an adult debut, ‘Just Like Mother’ shows a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to seeing how Heltzel grows in the future and I’m wishing her the best. I just hope that next time she’ll keep the scale of her story contained.