#Armageddon livestream

[teethbomb]

Look at this little fucking freak

[inevitably-ineffable-husbands]

Hey Steph,

Ive been thinking about this and I need your opinion. (Reaaally enjoyed the liveblog btw <3) I was thinking what to tell Aziraphale at the end why he shouldn't go to heaven and basically: a) as the main Archangel, he'd totally put himself in harms way (they don't have a great track record of dealing with them...). If a second runaway is seen as an institutional failure, what would they do to avoid a third? Totally erase his existence out of the book of life if he effs up, right? To cover their tracks. And he's right there, surrounded by them. b) It's not like he has any real power. See Gabriel; the minute he vetoed deatroying earth, they wanted to demote him and erase his memory. Without hesitation. So he's just a puppet king, so to say. And c) I don't /trust/ Metatron. Are you really trying to tell me they just randomly decided they like Aziraphale? After the way they talked to him in s1? I don't think so. I think Metatron's just trying to split them up, because together they actually hqve a chance if stopping the 2nd coming. So now they're separated, there's an emotional wedge between them and Aziraphale is right under their thumb. In short, and I'm gonna quote what I said when I watched it, "Nooooo! Aziraphale, nononononono. nonono.... no.."

(Also I feel do bad for Crowley. It looks like he's gonna have to save him again and their relationship already seems kind of emotionally one-sided? Like, Crowley listens to him, supports his passions. But their both trash communicators, I guess. Even when they talk, they don't talk...)

Hey Nonny!!

AHHH I'm so happy you enjoyed my liveblogging!! I hope I wasn't TOO annoying, but I had no livestream to scream at about it so my blog it was, LOL.

OOOF okay I'm kind of still trying to process the end myself, and as someone who REALLY sees herself in Aziraphale, I can totally understand why he did what he did. I was going to expand upon it more in the "season meta" I'm currently writing, but answering this question will also cover a large section I'm writing about the ending, so I'll just answer your questions here and link back to this post, hahaha.

Let's touch upon each of your points, and then I'll give you my general all-around thoughts:

A. I was thinking what to tell Aziraphale at the end why he shouldn't go to heaven and basically: a) as the main Archangel, he'd totally put himself in harm's way (they don't have a great track record of dealing with them...). If a second runaway is seen as an institutional failure, what would they do to avoid a third? Totally erase his existence out of the book of life if he effs up, right? To cover their tracks. And he's right there, surrounded by them.

I had this thought too, Nonny, and that's why I think Azzie is being REALLY naïve in this scene, but ultimately... I think it's all about saving Crowley. I will go more into this in my meta, but the gist of my suspicions hangs on that I believe Aziraphale feels he's responsible for Crowley's Fall, and Aziraphale thinks that if HE'S the one in Gabriel's position, he has the power to do whatever's necessary to bring that joy back to Crowley's life.

We have to remember: Aziraphale DOESN'T KNOW what Crowley knows, but we as an audience do, and because we DO know, it's that choice that makes us scream at the TV in frustration because good-hearted Aziraphale, who wants only what is best for his crush best friend, DOESN'T KNOW that this system is why Gabriel got ousted. Azzie doesn't KNOW about Armageddon 2.0. WE know because Crowley knows, and Crowley never got the chance to tell him (and judging by the dialogue in S2, Azzie ALSO doesn't know about the cruelty that was displayed in their exterminations in S1E6). He doesn't KNOW that Heaven despises him as opposed to "puts up with him". Aziraphale IS a good person and he genuinely believes that him being in charge WILL change things. He doesn't know.

HE DOESN'T KNOW.

I REALLY have a sneaking suspicion that Crowley will actually be the bargaining chip for Heaven to persuade Aziraphale to go along with whatever they want, once Aziraphale realizes he has no power. He showed his hand to the Metatron and the other Angels when he perked up about Crowley coming with him. Crowley might be outwardly and publicly protective of Azzie, but Azzie is INWARDLY and privately protective of Crowley, and tends to try to fix a situation on his own which usually goes pear-shaped for him in the end. So, I don't think it will be Aziraphale removed from the Book of Life to get what they want... It will be the threat of Crowley being exterminated for good.

So yeah, we as an audience know that Aziraphale's walking right into a death slash no-win trap, and despite what happened in E6, I think in S3, we will see Crowley come to rescue him. Big Chekov's gun moment when Aziraphale said in this SAME episode "He does so love coming to rescue me". We're going to get rewarded for a lot of Chekov's guns that are in play this season, methinks.

b) It's not like he has any real power. See Gabriel; the minute he vetoed destroying earth, they wanted to demote him and erase his memory. Without hesitation. So he's just a puppet king, so to say.

Exactly, Nonny. As I mentioned, Aziraphale showed his hand to the Metatron. They WILL use Crowley as leverage, and I think Aziraphale will FINALLY see Heaven for what it truly is: just another side of the same coin that Hell is on. Aziraphale is NOT a stupid person, he just truly does see the good in people (Crowley himself said he's too pure-hearted) but unfortunately that good heart tends to get Azzie into heaps of trouble. Like I said above, Azzie doesn't KNOW what Heaven is capable of, truly, because he hasn't seen it. I think once he sees it, and has his whole view about it shattered, when he realizes that, actually, he CAN'T do whatever he wants to make things better, he will be swayed, finally, to go back to Crowley and tell Heaven to fuck off... and only then will he realize he can't leave because of the stranglehold and leverage Heaven will have on him. The other angels weren't candidates in Metatron's eyes because they can't be manipulated. Azzie CAN because he has something more valuable to him than himself: Crowley's wellbeing. And I think it's here where we will get our trope of Azzie thinking "well, I fucked it up with Us, he's not going to come and save me this time".

BUT HAHAHAH Nope, Crowley will hear about this and come in like the vengeful angel he is. Because let's be real, I think even though he's had his heart shattered, he will always go back to Aziraphale to save him; Aziraphale has pretty much become Crowley's life's purpose.

This, then, actually plays into my theory that Crowley IS a very powerful fallen Angel. Archangels actually rank pretty low on the hierarchy (they're actually BELOW Aziraphale's Principality status, so that's an interesting little detail to file away for later). Since this season was primarily from Azzie's POV, I think next season will be Crowley's, and we'll finally get the answer as to who he really is and why he Fell. Because of his former ranking, I think he will be the catalyst that gets Aziraphale OUT of the situation he's going to be in. I really REALLY am confident that the nuggets of clues they're putting into the show about Crowley's true self will pay off in a big way.

And c) I don't /trust/ Metatron. Are you really trying to tell me they just randomly decided they like Aziraphale? After the way they talked to him in s1? I don't think so. I think Metatron's just trying to split them up, because together they actually have a chance if stopping the 2nd coming. So now they're separated, there's an emotional wedge between them and Aziraphale is right under their thumb.

ABSOLUTELY I don't trust the Metatron either, and as I said above, he is manipulating Aziraphale. He knew 100% Crowley would not join Aziraphale in Heaven. He KNOWS that Aziraphale feels lost being "retired" from Heaven, feels like he's not able to do the Good that he wants to do. Metatron's using Aziraphale's desire to Do Good and Make Things Better for Everyone against him, and it's so deliciously cruel and I can't wait for the payoff.

AND. Okay, a VERY PROMINENT PLOT POINT in the season was just how powerful a TINY, SMALL miracle performed by them BOTH COMBINING THEIR POWER is. It SET OFF ALARMS IN HEAVEN, it was so powerful. Crowley unfortunately, in a "blink and you miss it" line, let it be known nonchalantly that they just were able to hide Gabriel so easily from everyone. Heaven now knows that the two of them together would thwart Armageddon 2.0 if they got involved (which they would to protect Humanity). Now, they know to split them up and puppet "the soft one", the one who they still have a grip on, and they have a better chance of initiating their plan with, as I said, the leverage they have against him.

Because imagine what Crowley and Aziraphale could do together if they let their FULL powers combine. Heaven suspects, and they can't let that happen. I think we will get a payoff to THAT Chekov's gun as well. Or, I hope so anyway. I feel it will be a climax plot point and will possibly also be used to shield themselves from Heaven and Hell for good.

(Also I feel do bad for Crowley. It looks like he's gonna have to save him again and their relationship already seems kind of emotionally one-sided? Like, Crowley listens to him, supports his passions. But their both trash communicators, I guess. Even when they talk, they don't talk...)

For SURE Nonny, and that's the point Nina and Maggie were trying to make to Crowley. They have been at a standstill since Armageddon in their relationship, and it's because both are terrible at ACTUAL COMMUNICATION with each other. We SEE how much they care about each other. The foundations are there. Both are in a sort of limbo because they really don't know "what's next". Remember: Crowley slept through about half of the 4 years (from the Lockdown minisode) so really they've not seen much of each other since Armageddon.

That said, I think their relationship only seems emotionally one-sided, because Crowley is REALLY BAD at hiding his REALLY BIG FEELINGS™ to the point that it's noticeable to LITERALLY everyone else EXCEPT the one person that matters. I think I saw a post describe it best: Aziraphale fell FIRST, but Crowley fell HARDER, which is so true. This doesn't mean that Aziraphale loves Crowley less, it's just that Aziraphale has a lot of trauma and hangups that he won't be able to get over until he's finally free of Heaven's claws; he needs to get over the hump that has him believing that he is undeserving of Crowley's affections because they are angel-and-demon. Crowley, on the other hand, has Big Feelings that evolved into endless surface-level pining.

Crowley's love language is acts of service, so it's WAY more prominent in the series and easier to spot. I think Aziraphale's love language is quality time, but in S2 we see it develop more into physical touch as well, which must be driving Crowley INSANE with lust for him. Seriously, on rewatch, I could NOT get over HOW MUCH Azzie actually touches or reaches for Crowley. Even during the Kiss, he can't help but rub his hands along Crowley's shoulders and back. Aziraphale, unfortunately, is one of those people (like me *cough*) that tend to realize Big Things™ Too Late™, and then think it's now Fucked Up Forever, so back into the bottle those Big Feelings™ go. I GENUINELY believe that Aziraphale didn't realize Crowley loved him until That Moment™, that everything Crowley did was because of a crush, not because they were best friends who would die for each other. Trust me, it's REALLY confusing for people like Aziraphale to process a mutual love, to the point that it's scary and better off bottled up for fear of losing that person.

The time wasn't right For Them at that moment. Not enough was said and both have been stuck in a limbo since Armageddon. Both have some character building to do. And when A Moment happens again (and I believe in my heart that it will), it WILL be the right time, because they've finally found each other and are both on the same page.

-----------

In conclusion, I feel S3 will be about Them Saving Each Other from Themselves. It will be about them finally talking TO each other. It will be about the big emotional payoff for all the angst we went through in Season 2. It will be big and emotional and I am ALL here for it.

Aziraphale and Crowley will get their happily ever after. But we HAD to have THIS angst and setback for it to work.

Thank you so much for this ask!! It's really helped me gather my thoughts about sections of S2 :) I have a LOT to say and this is just a small snippet of it! <3

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

This Friday (September 8) at 10hPT/17hUK, I'm livestreaming "How To Dismantle the Internet" with Intelligence Squared.

On September 12 at 7pm, I'll be at Toronto's Another Story Bookshop with my new book The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation.

#15yrsago Heinlein’s fan-mail solution https://kk.org/ct2/heinleins-fan-mail-solution/

#15yrsago Content: my first-ever collection of essays https://memex.craphound.com/2008/09/08/content-my-first-ever-collection-of-essays/

#15yrsago PGP and others team up to renovate Bletchley Park https://www.zdnet.com/article/bletchley-park-campaign-makes-appeal-to-us/

#15yrsago George RR Martin’s “The Armageddon Rag”: Sex, death, blood and rock-n-roll https://www.tor.com/2008/09/08/armageddonrag/

#15yrsago My Mother Wears Combat Boots — kick-ass punk-parenting book https://memex.craphound.com/2008/09/08/my-mother-wears-combat-boots-kick-ass-punk-parenting-book/

#10yrsago NSA secretly broke smartphone security https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/privacy-scandal-nsa-can-spy-on-smart-phone-data-a-920971.html

#10yrsago NSA leaks as a demographic phenomena https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2013/09/the_spooks_need_new.html

#10yrsago Firsthand account of NSA sabotage of Internet security standards https://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg12325.html

#10yrsago All of India’s public safety standards now online for free https://law.resource.org/pub/in/manifest.in.html

#5yrsago UC Santa Cruz asks professors to rent their spare rooms to students who couldn’t get housing guarantees https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/uc-santa-cruz-wants-staff-to-rent-rooms-to-students-due-to-lack-of-housing/

#5yrsago Paper Haunted Mansion music box https://haunteddimensions.blogspot.com/2018/09/haunted-dimensions-music-box.html

#1yrago The horrifying tale of a blockchain-based virtual sweatshop https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/08/torment-nexus/#irl

#1yrago Every billionaire is a factory for producing policy failures https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/08/torment-nexus/#barre-seid

[into-september]

there’s a joke here i’m not making (”Destruction”)

The upside's gotta be that I am evidently growing a thicker skin about the Brazillian voice performances.

- Good on the kwamis for the passive resistance there

- The storyboarders and/or animators do not know how croissants are made. Or how bakeries operate, but that last one was old news.

- Monarch showing up in Marinette's room was somehow a lot more intimidating in the trailers, but we do appreciate Alya being so house-warm in the D-C household that she's commanding the kitchen

- Reasons for having Alya on the team: Livestreaming Gabe whenever he’s got the balls to show up in person

- "working class neighborhood" sure, sure, and that phone wasn't expensive enough to have cost her parents' three months of rent, nbd

- how dare they deprive us of the ice skating irritant straight into Gabe in the villain getup and sliding in a tangle across half the rink and taking just a second too long to pull apart, did yuri!!! on ice not set some standards

- though it's always good to remember how little intimidating he is in-universe

- not sure I'm buying this treasure hunt plan but sure, whatever

- well they're both outright threatening to cataclysm him here, yeeesh. Love CN's ears drooping at it too

- oh great going there king, but remember, kids: the real lesson is to always believe in yourself! Which Gabriel here well demonstrates by his belief that he'll have this sorted out by teatime tomorrow

- which to be fair must've been how he's been thinking about this ALL the time

- Adrien, the man actively tried to start nuclear armageddon to extort you of your miraculous, he can deal with a bit of karma

 - Gabriel getting his dues through self-inflicted cataclysm is a more than I dare hope for because no way will this show go that dark

- The real question is why they didn't give us a montage of the time he spent rolling around on the floor in his lair trying to get out of that hose

- Awkward pacing is awkward, but I'll take it for the filling of the plot holes. This flashback with CN must be pre-S4 since she's talking about "Hawkmoth".  This show has the weirdest priorities for when to acknowledge that it has a timeline.

- The biggest indicator of his power in-show IS the fact that he's getting the public to agree with his name changes, rather than them displaying the greatest disrespect there is and continue to call him by his old name

- aaaaand this was enother flashback episode?

- digging the high-tech alchemy here though

- gabriel drop the skinny trousers I am begging you

- there went the "bad guys transform from the feet up"-theory

[epitome-the-burnkid-viii]

Awakening news updates revealing good, evil, and much more!🔥 Come find my show #SupplementalBroadcast 🎱 #youtuberecommendedchronicles🔮 on YouTube & Rumble! New episodes posted regularly!!! 🧩 #Censorship #Politics #Prophesy #Commentary #Science #TheGreatAwakening 🙏

[tvrundownusa]

tvrundown USA 2023.09.22

Friday, September 22nd:

(exclusive): Compro Likes (hulu, Brazilian comedy, all 5 eps), Song of the Bandits (netflix, Korean frontier drama, all 9 eps)

(movies): "Accused" (TUBI, thriller, ~90mins), "The Black Book" (netflix, African justice action, 2hrs+), "Spy Kids: Armageddon" (netflix, family action-adventure, ~95mins), "How to Deal With a Heartbreak" (netflix, Peruvian dramedy, ~100mins), "No One Will Save You" (hulu, psychological horror alien sci-fi thriller), "Cassandro" (amazon, the "Liberace of Lucha Libre" Saúl Armendáriz biopic, ~105mins), "The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster" (Shudder|AllBlk, teen fantasy horror, ~90mins)

(streaming weekly): The Continental (Peacock, John Wick prequel miniseries, part 1), Still Up (apple+, British rom-com series premiere, first 3 eps), The Changeling (apple+), The Wheel of Time (amazon), Harlan Coben's "Shelter" (amazon, season 1 finale), Dreaming Whilst Black (Para+, next 2 eps, limited series finale), Love Is Blind (netflix, season 5 opener, first 4 eps)

(original made-for-TV movies): "Don't Sell My Baby" (LIFE, 2hrs+), "Murder in G Major" (HMM, a "Haunted Harmony" mystery, 2hrs)

(also new): Power (Book IV): Force (Starz), Secret Celebrity Renovation (CBS), "Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court" (SHO, docu-series, part 1 of 4), iHeartRadio Music Festival (hulu, livestream, night 1 of 2)

[penisaswordus]

Revolution Livestream

I saw the revolution on tv the other day I tried to listen to what the anchors had to say Turns out all our needs and wants were in the way We’re only worth to them, as much as we can pay

They need to take They’ll never give My sufferings fake If I still live It’s my fault Should’ve been born rich Capitalism’s a cult And I’m their bitch

I saw insurrection on tv the other week I watched the freedom tanks rolling over the meek Pierced youths rounded up for being a freak Corporations are the only people allowed to speak

Wealth amassed and kept Everyone else fights for scrap Prosperity gospel crept Filled our minds with a bunch of crap You get what you deserve? How the fuck can you believe it No one was born to serve Only an asshole could conceive it

I saw Armageddon on tv right fucking now Disaffected people are lost just milling about People on the microphones loudly wonder how When we all saw the inequality we continued to allow

The rich have taken over The rich have made their coup We’ll die from the exposure While they take in the view

Democracy is done for There’s Socialism for the wealthy How dare we ever want to be more Than miserable and unhealthy

[bbcworldnewstoday]

Bam! NASA spacecraft crashes into asteroid in test of defense technology

  This illustration made available by Johns Hopkins APL and NASA depicts NASA's DART probe, foreground right, and Italian Space Agency's (ASI) LICIACube, bottom right, at the Didymos system before impact with the asteroid Dimorphos, left. (Steve Gribben/Johns Hopkins APL/NASA via AP) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft rammed an asteroid at blistering speed Monday in an unprecedented dress rehearsal for the day a killer rock menaces Earth. The galactic slam occurred at a harmless asteroid 7 million miles away, with the spacecraft named Dart plowing into the space rock at 14,000 mph. Scientists expected the impact to carve out a crater, hurl streams of rocks and dirt into space and, most importantly, alter the asteroid’s orbit. “We have impact!” Mission Control’s Elena Adams announced, jumping up and down and thrusting her arms skyward. Telescopes around the world and in space aimed at the same point in the sky to capture the spectacle. Though the impact was immediately obvious — Dart’s radio signal abruptly ceased — it will be days or even weeks to determine how much the asteroid’s path was changed. The $325 million mission was the first attempt to shift the position of an asteroid or any other natural object in space. “We’re embarking on a new era of humankind,” said NASA’s Lori Glaze, planetary science division director. Earlier in the day, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson reminded people via Twitter that, “No, this is not a movie plot.” He added in a prerecorded video: “We’ve all seen it on movies like ‘Armageddon,’ but the real-life stakes are high.” Monday’s target: a 525-foot asteroid named Dimorphos. It’s actually a moonlet of Didymos, Greek for twin, a fast-spinning asteroid five times bigger that flung off the material that formed the junior partner. The pair have been orbiting the sun for eons without threatening Earth, making them ideal save-the-world test candidates. Launched last November, the vending machine-size Dart — short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test — navigated to its target using new technology developed by Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, the spacecraft builder and mission manager. Dart’s on-board camera, a key part of this smart navigation system, caught sight of Dimorphos barely an hour before impact. “Woo hoo,” exclaimed Adams, a mission systems engineer at Johns Hopkins. “We’re seeing Dimorphos, so wonderful, wonderful.” In this image made from a NASA livestream, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft crashes into an asteroid on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. (ASI/NASA via AP) With an image beaming back to Earth every second, Adams and other ground controllers in Laurel, Maryland, watched with growing excitement as Dimorphos loomed larger and larger in the field of view alongside its bigger companion. Within minutes, Dimorphos was alone in the pictures; it looked like a giant gray lemon, but with boulders and rubble on the surface. The last image froze on the screen as the radio transmission ended. Flight controllers cheered, hugged one another and exchanged high fives. A mini satellite followed a few minutes behind to take photos of the impact. The Italian Cubesat was released from Dart two weeks ago. Scientists insisted Dart would not shatter Dimorphos. The spacecraft packed a scant 1,260 pounds, compared with the asteroid’s 11 billion pounds. But that should be plenty to shrink its 11-hour, 55-minute orbit around Didymos. The impact should pare 10 minutes off that, but telescopes will need anywhere from a few days to nearly a month to verify the new orbit. The anticipated orbital shift of 1% might not sound like much, scientists noted. But they stressed it would amount to a significant change over years. Planetary defense experts prefer nudging a threatening asteroid or comet out of the way, given enough lead time, rather than blowing it up and creating multiple pieces that could rain down on Earth. Multiple impactors might be needed for big space rocks or a combination of impactors and so-called gravity tractors, not-yet-invented devices that would use their own gravity to pull an asteroid into a safer orbit. “The dinosaurs didn’t have a space program to help them know what was coming, but we do,” NASA’s senior climate adviser Katherine Calvin said, referring to the mass extinction 66 million years ago believed to have been caused by a major asteroid impact, volcanic eruptions or both. The non-profit B612 Foundation, dedicated to protecting Earth from asteroid strikes, has been pushing for impact tests like Dart since its founding by astronauts and physicists 20 years ago. Monday’s feat aside, the world must do a better job of identifying the countless space rocks lurking out there, warned the foundation’s executive director, Ed Lu, a former astronaut. Significantly less than half of the estimated 25,000 near-Earth objects in the deadly 460-foot range have been discovered, according to NASA. And fewer than 1% of the millions of smaller asteroids, capable of widespread injuries, are known. The Vera Rubin Observatory, nearing completion in Chile by the National Science Foundation and U.S. Energy Department, promises to revolutionize the field of asteroid discovery, Lu noted. Finding and tracking asteroids, “That’s still the name of the game here. That’s the thing that has to happen in order to protect the Earth,” he said. Read the full article

[mondonews]

Don’t look up: NASA to smash spacecraft into asteroid in Earth-saving test run

Don’t look up: NASA to smash spacecraft into asteroid in Earth-saving test run

It’s going to be the greatest asteroid show since “Armageddon.” The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is set to collide with a 530-foot-wide interplanetary body named Dimorphos at 7:14 p.m. in an event that will be livestreamed by the space agency on its website starting at 6 p.m. The space rock — which is some 6.5 million miles from Earth — holds no threat to the planet, but is a…

[asknightmareanderror]

Livestream

https://youtu.be/RRtg6nyBl5A Going live! I’ll be doing the sketch and lineart for a redraw of an old drawing! Come and have some fun on my laggy stream! X3

Finished! :)

[teethbomb]

Not the legal deadname

[crapitskizaru]

(Most of) The Worst Generation as famous Youtubers

Warning: long post ahead!

MPV - most popular video

Monkey D. Luff (Mukbang/Daily Vlogger)

1,5 mln subscribers

vlogs about everything, most of the time captures only his face with the shaky front camera phone 

always has some of his friends in the videos - whether they consent to it or not 

as soon as Luffy started hitting bigger numbers, Nami got involved

- “Oi, Luffy, do you know how much money you could make on this?!” 

she’s both fascinated and deeply terrified as to how Luffy even got that many subscribers in the first place - most of the videos consisted of a shaking view of Luffy’s nostrils and his loud voice reporting every little thing he does at the moment, as well as teasing all of his friends 

after countless arguments, Nami settles for adding ads only at the start and the end of the video (as opposed to slapping them every 2 minutes) 

merely enjoying a random video he found is enough for Luffy to try and make a collab with the youtuber behind said video - thanks to that, his channel is filled with various topics and lots of unrelated communities

his most popular collab so far is with Kid - where they go to a haunted house together 

MPV: WE GOT KICKED OUT OF A PRIVATE ISLAND DAILY VLOG S.30 EP. 996

Roronoa Zoro (Health and Fitness)

320k subscribers

most of his videos are shot from an identical angle - he sets up his camera in the same spot every time and starts working out 

once a month he throws in a recipe for protein powders he uses (it’s actually Chopper’s recipe) 

Zoro despises one particular video on his channel that surprisingly went viral and earned him a lot of new subscribers - when Luffy made a compilation of Zoro sleeping in various spots around Sunny, not waking up even during extreme weather conditions (title: SWORDSMAN SLEEPS THROUGH A HURRICANE - FUNNY VIDEO MUST WATCH)

MPV: weekly vlog 18,000 rep squats bench workout bicep curls

Trafalgar the Bastard (Study Vlog/Conspiracy Theories)

500k subcribers

a rather diverse channel - at first his videos only consisted of him studying at his favorite study spot, but as soon as he began to be more popular, he decided to add some of his own conspiracy theories reviews, as well as vlogs from where he simply wanders around the city

more often that not, his videos involve Bepo, Shachi and Penguin - not that it’s Law’s choice to involve them. Usually they just steal his camera and zoom in on him when they’re on a camping trip in a forest; they title the video as “lonely man wanders around in the woods - he attacks us at the end!” 

at the beginning, Law asked Shachi to be his editor, but since he always cut out the parts where Law started speaking, he went to Nami instead - she agreed to be his temporary editor (not for free, of course) until Law learns editing himself 

MPV: my armageddon 2020 theory proved to be true

Eustsass Kid - (Music/Pranks and Challenges)

470k subscribers

messy videos with all kinds of challenges - no matter how ridiculous they are, Kid has to complete them 

for the Ice Bucket Challenge, the video is just a compilation of him absolutely drenching his friends with a bucket of ice water and his own evil laughter in the background 

when it came to the Cinnamon Challenge, Kid dared Killer that he won’t even budge when doing it; of course, it only resulted in a disaster

as soon as he takes a spoonful of cinnamon, his face turns redder than his hair - he starts to give Killer signals to end the video right now

“Cut. Cut!” he chokes out while spewing cinnamon powder on the table. “CUT!” 

Kid’s pranks are mostly either waking Killer up in the middle of the night with an Air Horn, or putting himself in dangerous situations just to see Killer’s reaction 

MPV: DROWNING MYSELF ON PURPOSE PRANK ON BOYFRIEND (HE FREAKS OUT)

Killer - (ASMR/Music/Cooking)

200k subscribers

he puts a lot of effort into his channel, mainly because it’s a hobby that takes his mind off of things and lets him relax 

the videos consist of him standing in the kitchen and calmly following a recipe with relaxing background music - he includes the proportions and ingredients in the bio 

his main goal is to be able to make an ASMR cooking video, but so far he hasn’t succeeded - mainly because of Kid interrupting him every second with either his yells or clanking of pots on the other side of the kitchen 

wanted to make a cooking collab with Kid and, surprisingly, that earned him a lot of subscribers - not because of his cooking skills, but thanks to Kid being awfully entertaining (as depicted in the gif above)

aside from food-related videos, Killer also makes music videos where he collabs with Kid 

since Killer is an innocent victim of Kid’s merciless pranks, sometimes he snaps and pranks Kid instead - he figures it’s only fair if there is some kind of retribution from his side

MPV: ignoring my boyfriend for 24 hours (he leaves me)

Basil Hawkins (Design/Beauty Guru/Lifestyle)

320k subscribers

just like Killer, he does his best in order to produce entertaining content, puts a lot of thought and effort into his videos 

he’s an amazing editor and an even better graphic designer; all of his shots fit into his own aesthetics - symmetrical, with a lot of pastel colors 

he mostly focuses on make-up tutorials and reviews, since that’s what produces the most views for his channel 

one time he collabed with Law, where he got to do a stunning Halloween make-up on him - the video was also made in ASMR (Hawkins secretly rewatches that particular video at least once a week, he’s so proud of it)

MPV: My daily night routine || winter 2020

The Allosaurus (Lifestyle/Science)

222k subscribers

with simple editing, his videos are filled with science terms and shots of the night sky as he gushes to the camera about the beauty of astrophysics 

most of the time, he records himself on a balcony with a telescope, pointing at the stars and planets and providing all of the known information about them 

however, the video that really blew up was the one where he made a vlog about his exotic pets - either zooming in on them through the terrarium glass, or taking them out of their reptile houses and placing them on his hands or arms as he shows them off to the camera and talks about each animal 

MPV: Real time Perseid Meteor Shower in observatory 2020

Bonney (Mukbang/Daily Vlogger)

140k subscribers

the only reason she still uploads to her channel is because it gives her money to buy more food 

most of her audience is still in awe - just how is she able to fit that much pizza into herself?

she agrees to collab with Luffy whenever he proposes such idea - and they always end up challenging each other as to who will eat more in less time (hint: she always wins) 

MPV: ULTIMATE MUKBANG | FIRE NOODLES FRIED CHICKEN PIZZA TRIPLE CHEESEBURGER

Urouge (Travel Vlogger)

108k subscribers

he made the channel mostly for himself, to document his experiences; but soon it turned out he gained quite a following due to his outgoing, peaceful nature that is just pleasing to watch 

mostly talks about his day and which places he visited - and gets a lot of questions from his subscribers about his daily life and how he handles living by himself in a rusty van 

MPV: MY VAN BROKE DOWN! (a day in my solo travel VAN life)

Capone Bege (Family/ASMR)

350k subscribers

he records his chess games with Chiffon and tries to make them ASMR, but more often than not, it fails miserably - his crying son simply doesn’t know what ASMR is all about 

Bege also takes part in a lot of tournaments where he’s considered one of the best chess players in his region 

MPV: ASMR CHESS GAME (SON CRYING IN THE BACKGROUND) RELAXING VIDEO TO HELP YOU SLEEP

Teach (Gaming/Conspiracy Theories)

2mln subscribers

gaming, gaming, and gaming, either during livestreams on twitch or on youtube

he genuinely enjoys posting his game reviews and let’s-plays where he simply tells about his first impressions with the latest video games 

because of his spot-on critique and charisma, he’s one of the most popular youtubers in the gaming community 

does lots of collabs, but never with other gaming channels - he treats them as nothing more than a competition

he’s hired a top-notch editor for his videos; thanks to that he produces high quality content 

sometimes he also throws in a video about his end-of-the-world predictions, as well as what he thinks about the popular conspiracy theories 

MPV: TOP 10 CRAZIEST 2021 PREDICTIONS || WILL ALIENS DESTROY HUMANITY?

[bloodfuryart]

Final #timelapse and rendered image of this sad taco for @TacosTheCasual — #tacosthecasual #tacos #demon #taco #supertaco #superhero #sad #cheaptequila #tequilarose #oldchristnasdecorations #endofzeworld #armageddon #apocalypse #twitch #twitchart #twitchcreative #twitchgaming #gaming #livestream #artstream #comicbookartist #drawing #illustrator #artist #bloodfuryart (at Las Vegas Nevada) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4daEc9lMv_/?igshid=itwz5wgu3uke

[i-write-and-therefore-i-am]

One Monstrous Miracle (Part Five)

Okay. So. This one got away from me. It got unexpectedly dark, and I’m not sure how I feel about that but I’m going to post it and move on with the story. I am not a happy author about this chapter, for many reasons. Nevertheless, I love each and everyone of you and I hope you find it within you to enjoy this <3 (Pst! If you’d rather read on Ao3, here ya go!)

Previous-Next-First

Pairing: Aziraphale/Human!Reader

Summary: Michael takes some initiative. So does Sandalphon. Uriel is basically the emotional support nerd ig. Aziraphale has a nightmare. Reader does NOT have a good time.

Warnings: Okay listen closely. I have written a non-graphic description of a kidnapping, and subsequently a heavily-implied violence segment. I might be overstating or understating (please tell me if I am understating!), but I just want to keep you lovelies safe. 

ALSO: This is NOT a warning, but while you’re here I might as well tell you that I have used they/them pronouns for Michael, and it/its pronouns for Sandalphon (from the script).

Word Count: 2730

(@gif, shits going down)

Michael was not stupid. They were not dimwitted, or blinded by heavenly goodness, or any of the things that they could very easily accuse their fellow celestial beings of…being. They had been paying the Angel Aziraphale very close attention these past millennia, and they had seen exactly what they had expected; the Angel had gone native. Worse than that, he had gone native and he was fraternizing with the enemy. THE enemy. El Numero Uno. The Demon Crowley.

Because Michael was none of the things mentioned above, they had quite a bit of room to be some other things, like cunning, vigilant, and good at waiting for just the right moment. They didn’t bring the aforementioned knowledge to Gabriel’s attention straight away for the sake of…strategy. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that the Archangel-Fucking-Gabriel wasn’t the only gosh darned Archangel around (and that’s with a capital ‘A’, thank you very much), and so there really was no pressing need for Michael to give the information in the first place, now that they thought about it. They could investigate on their own, build up a solid case, and then work from there. Maybe get some respect around the elitist promotion trap that was their Heavenly home. If only.

Michael enlisted Uriel, knowing that she would be invaluable when looking for documents or anything paper related. She had the memory for things exactly like that. Michael brought Sandalphon precisely because they knew that Aziraphale was still terrified of it after what happened at Sodom and Gomorrah. Together, they monitored Aziraphale’s every move—although the angel had somehow devised a way to keep the group from ever being able to overhear any of his traitorous conversations with the hated Crowley, they weren’t deterred in the slightest bit. They could follow the pair, take pictures, perhaps the odd selfie when the mood hit. Michael was building their case against Aziraphale, and it was only a matter of time.

Armageddon threw everything into quite a pretty mess, now didn’t it? Aziraphale was openly discussing his meetings with his “wily adversary”, reporting on the current status and whereabouts of the Antichrist (Warlock. What a revolting name). Things were starting to get fun for the first time in about a hundred years, and Michael simply didn’t have the time for their surveillance missions anymore. Not to mention that Gabriel was demanding that they all stay together as often as possible, which was a nightmare in and of itself. Michael was rather looking forward to the end of the world, not for the gargantuan blood bath that would ensue, as most of their angelic associates where no doubt panting for, but for the endless peace that comes after a job well done.

One day, when the Antichrist (still Warlock, despite Michael’s very best efforts) was 10, nearly 11, Michael noticed something very strange about the familiar bookshop that they and the rest of the group had been watching for the last couple of centuries. There was a woman, well-dressed (Michael assumed. Angels, proper Angels, that is, Aziraphale not included, have no real sense of human fashion), practically cantering down the pavement, apparently towards Aziraphale’s shop. “No, that can’t be right,” Michael thought to themselves. Although, thinking back, that woman did look strikingly familiar. So familiar, in fact, that—

“Uriel! Take a look at this.” Michael had rolled her rolly chair away from her workstation and towards the cubicle to the right of hers. Uriel popped her head around the weird, cloth divider separating their “offices” with a curious expression.

“Yes, Michael? What is it?” The other angel asked from her rolly chair. Michael gestured that she should roll her rolly chair into Michael’s cubicle.

“I’ve found something strange in the Eden files, take a look at it.” The Eden files was their special code name for anything pertaining to Aziraphale that was not, strictly, on the books. This strange something happened to be a livestream of the street where Aziraphale lived. The woman was getting closer to the shop, although not quite close enough to tell if that was, indeed, where she was going. Michael pointed the woman out to Uriel.

“Now. She looks awfully familiar to me.” Michael’s gaze drifted from their finger to Uriel sitting beside them. Uriel had her thinking face on, which could mean one of a million different things and by this point in their long, coworker relationship, Michael had learned to just let her think. Uriel frowned slightly, moved closer to the screen, tapped a single key on the keyboard in front of them on Michael’s desk, and rewound the feed. She paused it. Zoomed in. Michael wondered why it was so difficult for the Management to install some touchscreens on the ground floor, at least for the Archangels and Possibly a few of the Principalities. They’d seen inside of Gabriel’s office (Yes! A whole, bloody corner office with glass windows instead of walls so that he can survey the worker bees in their nest and not one but TWO whole touchscreens!), after all. Uriel snapped her fingers in front of Michael’s face.

“Michael? Were you listening?” Michael, as you know, had not been listening. At all.

“Of course, Uriel. What was that last bit, again?” Uriel sighed and pointed at the woman zeroed in on.

“She visits the shop almost every day. She might be important.” Michael leaned forward in their rolly chair, squinting at the grainy image despite the fact that every angel had perfect 100/100 eyesight. They hummed.

“Yes. I quite agree. Sandalphon?” They called out the name of the coworker whose cubicle stood on the left side of theirs. They heard the familiar sound of the rolly chair growing nearer until Sandalphon sat beside the two other angels. Michael pointed to the woman on the screen.

“Let’s keep an eye on her.” They all watched as Uriel unpaused and the woman entered the shop.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They did not have to wait long for the woman to make another move. Only a few hours later, she was hurrying out of the doors, clutching onto her purse and…crying?

“He doesn’t hold on to them long, does he?” Sandalphon remarked, rubbing its forefinger across its teeth diamonds. Uriel giggled but sobered when Michael glared at her. This was not the time for making jokes. That woman was certainly a human woman, there was no doubt about that. Why was she spending so much time around Aziraphale? Why had she run sobbing from his shop? Was this like that holiday Aziraphale took with Alexander the Great? Michael very dearly hoped not—Aziraphale had positively ruined that poor boy.

“Keep your focus on that woman. We need to learn more about her.”

The kept the feed trained on her as she made her way home. She didn’t live too far from Aziraphale’s shop. But just far enough that walking was just slightly out of her way. Uriel, the more softhearted of the bunch of angels huddled around the screen, wondered whether they should miracle her a taxicab, but she was quickly shut down.

“What, and give ourselves away? Gabriel would have our halos!” Michael exclaimed, shifting in their chair. Once the woman was in the door, Michael cut the feed, gaining the attention of the others. They cleared their throat.

“Ahem. So. Not only has Aziraphale been seen consistently in the presence of known Demon Crowley, but he also appears to have developed some sort of relationship with a…mortal woman. Once again, Aziraphale proves that he does not have the strength required to walk among them. Instead, he cavorts with them, befriends them—”

“Runs a bookshop,” Sandalphon growled helpfully. Michael nodded appreciatively.

“—and runs a bookshop. Clearly, he is no longer fit for his position.”

“That’s all well and good, Michael, but he can’t be removed from said position. Only the Almighty can deal with that level of personnel change.” Uriel reminded them calmly. Michael sighed deeply.

“I know that. We all know that. The only problem is something must be done about it. Aziraphale can no longer be allowed to continue this way. It’s heinous.” All the angels nodded their head in mutual agreement. They all tried to think of something they could do, but nothing seemed to jump out at anyone. It stayed like this for a few long moments before suddenly, Sandalphon gasped loudly, startling the other two.

“I know!” it said. “The girl. She’s important to him, right?” Uriel scoffed.

“She did just run from his shop in tears, Sandalphon, did you miss that part?” It was unfazed by Uriel’s goading.

“Exactly. It’s Aziraphale! He’s so soft, he’ll go groveling for her forgiveness within a fortnight. And when he does…”

“They’ll make up with each other. Where are you going with this?” Michael interjected impatiently, not in the mood for idle chatter. Sandalphon grinned, its teeth glinting in the Holy light.

“We kidnap her. Get us in Gabriel’s good books, get some information, and, of course, to scare powe ickle bitty Aziwaphawe. Perfect plan.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was not, as it happens, the Perfect Plan. However, credit is due where credit is due, and that credit goes to Sandalphon for thinking of a Nearly-Perfect Plan. It would have been the Perfect Plan had Aziraphale and that blasted woman not been so stubborn and stayed apart for so long. The days until the Antichrist’s birthday were slowly running out, and the time during which the angels could execute said plan was drawing thin. Thankfully, the two made up just in the nick of time, so it had worked out in the end.

The trio had made the trip to Crowley’s flat, knowing that they would find Aziraphale there. Aziraphale had been flustered, but his story about checking about in the demon’s abode appeared to check out. Michael refused to take their eyes off of him the entire time. After they miracled away, they appeared in an alleyway not far from the woman’s home, and on her usual route. Michael had decided, because Michael was a little bit of an ass at times, to make the mystery just a smudge more difficult by abducting the woman outside of the home BUT simultaneously leaving a single, white wing feather on the floor of her locked flat. It really was quite devious for such a pure-hearted creature. Hmm.

The kidnapping went swimmingly. Uriel snuck up behind the woman, Sandalphon had thrown the bag over her head, and once everything was settled (or as settled as can be with a kicking and struggling woman in tow), Michael miracle them into a top-secret location. I’m afraid that I, as the author, am not at liberty to disclose the location of the following events, because of course I’d have to kill you afterwards, and I’d rather not do that.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angels do not have dreams. Angels cause dreams in other people, they take away dreams from other people, and they may, upon occasion, serve as conduits for messages from the Almighty, which often appear to other people as dreams. But Angels themselves do not dream. Except for Aziraphale, evidently, whose subconscious had decided to do away with the natural order of things to just…you know…spice it up a little. Aziraphale frowned deeply in his sleep and rolled over, sniffling.

He was in a corridor. There were no lights, only a faint glow that seemed to come from nowhere at all. There was one door, ahead of him, but the rest of the corridor was bare, empty grey concrete. He began to move towards the door, but the corridor seemed to get longer the closer he got, until he was nearly running, trying to make some progress down the hall but never moving one inch.

The scene changed, the corridor erupting into grey and black smoke that smelt faintly of saltwater taffy. The scene reconstructed itself as a square room lit with an old-fashioned lightbulb swinging slowly back and forth from the ceiling. There was a figure shivering on a metal chair in the center of the room, hands tied behind their back and a sack over their head. Aziraphale heard whimpering from the figure and made to rush over to help them but he found that his feet were rooted to the ground, as though someone had glued them straight to the floor. Aziraphale looked up from his shoes and gasped.

Surrounding the figure were Michael, Uriel, and Sandalphon. Michael stood directly in front of the figure, bending over slightly. Sandalphon stood directly behind the figure, fingers grasping at the sack. Uriel stood apart from them both, in the corner opposite to Aziraphale. Michael made a motion at Sandalphon and it yanked the sack off of the person’s head to reveal—

Y/N. Eyes red from crying, hair a mess, makeup smudged and beyond repair. Aziraphale felt his heart stop beating. What the hell was going on? Was this some kind of joke? A voice, nagging at the edge of his consciousness told him that no, it was not a joke. Aziraphale struggled against whatever was holding his feet down with renewed vigor. He stopped when he heard your voice, hoarse and trembling. It broke him to hear you like that.

“W-who are you? What do you w-want from me?” You coughed, and Aziraphale felt a miracle dance along the tip of his fingers. He would make you well again, he would heal whatever has happened to you. You continued. “I have m-money if that’s it! It’s n-not m-m-much but—”

“Silly girl, we don’t want your money.” Came Sandalphon’s voice.

“Mmm, that’s right.” Michael responded. They leaned in closer to you, and you sank deeper into the chair to escape them. “What we want is information.”

“Wh-What? What information? I don’t- “

“What do you know of the Angel Aziraphale?” Azriaphale’s blood went cold. He had been so close to telling you himself! After all of the Armageddon mess was straightened out, he had promised himself, he would march right up to you and tell you the truth. But not now! Not when he couldn’t be there to explain, when you were hurting, being hurt, tied up like some criminal. A noise horribly like a snarl erupted from Aziraphale’s throat, startling him. Was he truly invisible in this room? After a couple of seconds of pure terror, Aziraphale’s pulse began to slow and he realized that this was most likely a vision dream, a message from someone showing him something that was either already happening, or about to happen. He prayed to anyone who would listen that it was neither of those two options.

“I swear I don’t know!” The sound of your terrified voice brought him back. Sandalphon laughed its ugly laugh and Michael chuckled.

“Should we really be doing this, Michael?” Uriel inquired softly from her spot in the corner. Aziraphale was sure he was just projecting his terror onto her, but he thought he could almost see a hint of concern in her deep black eyes. Michael just shook their head.

“It’s not as though she’ll have very long to remember it, will she?” At this, your body seized in horror, eyes open wide in shock. Fresh tears were streaming down your cheeks. Aziraphale wanted to burn this room to the ground.

“Are…are you going to kill me?” you whispered through your crying. Aziraphale held his breath to listen for the answer:

“Oh, dear me, of course not. Do you know how much paperwork that would be? Oh no. Definitely not killing you. As long as you give us the information we need.” Came Michael’s reply.

Aziraphale felt that old rage bubble up inside him, and his sword hand itched, as though the missing sword were a missing limb instead. He took a deep breath and clenched his hands into fists. He would not debase himself in such an appalling manner. He had grown since those days, and he would not be brought to his knees by a dream.

“I told you, I don’t know anything!” you pleaded desperately. The room was beginning to fade away, smoke swirling at the edges, illuminated by the swinging bulb. Aziraphale cried out, reaching out for you only to be met with empty air.

“Oh, we’ll see about that, now, won’t we?”

The last thing Aziraphale heard before waking was the sound of Michael’s laughter.

Tag List:

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[secret-engima]

Nox keeps giving the media meltdowns. How's that, y'know, working out for him? And what's the general reaction around the Citadel crew to the media circus? Also, how do people feel when they realize exactly how /powerful/ Nox is?

Hmmm for the most part, Nox is ... ambivalent to how many times he sends the media into a tizzy. He’s got memories of 2k worth of royalty and scandals, he remembers the invention of media networks and sometimes dreams of the invention of the flipping printing press. There is literally nothing they can say about him that he doesn’t already have memories of somehow. Honestly, it’s .... alternately tiring and hilarious to him. He kinda wishes people would take a chill pill, but on the other hand, since Regis would never force him to deal with the media circus unless Nox willingly agreed to it, he doesn’t particularly care. At least until he wants to- you know- leave the Citadel and go literally anywhere in Insomnia and Then It Becomes A Problem (Nox misses the days he was just a nobody with earrings and baggy clothes. So much). Though, since he knows that nothing he can do or not do will calm them down, he does occasionally indulge in intentionally poking them with a proverbial stick.

By Citadel crew I’m uncertain to if you mean Regis and Co + Chocobros or the long-suffering Citadel press corps, so I will just do both-

-Regis feels So Very Sorry for his eldest. He knows he couldn’t keep Nox a secret forever, but he honestly had ... hoped it wouldn’t get this bad. He’s afraid for a while that the media things will depress Nox or make him afraid to leave the Citadel/angry at being Regis’s son, but Nox just rolls his eyes at everything and ignores the media hounds with catlike ease (by which I mean he spaces out into the distance with a neutral expression and occasionally does the human version of pushing things off other things to distract them).

-Clarus knew this was coming. He knew it was going to get so much worse when Axis’s existence came out (it did). He ... would feel bad about this but this is just- royal/celebrity life. This is a slightly more hysterical version of normal. Honestly it’s the noble society he’s more worried about (he realizes quickly that his fears are unfounded, for a kid who’s been unknown for years he can verbally tear nobles to shreds with the best of them. Clearly a talent inherited from the Izunia side of his heritage).

-Cor hates the media. Always has, always will. No time for it. Not after all the stuff they threw out about him becoming a Crownsguard and then alter their role in cementing his hated Immortal title. Is fully waiting and ready for Nox to get mad enough at the media to condone Cor going out and doing Something Stupid And Maybe Bloody about it. Unfortunately, Nox never does, so Cor has to just sit and seethe and occasionally laugh evilly over Nox’s latest trolling behavior.

-Noctis doesn’t even know about the media storm for   y e a r s. He’s the bby Crown Prince, you really think anyone is gonna let this kid watch the news channels and the gossip talk shows? No sir. Not on Ignis’s watch. Noctis DOES hear about it at school though, with students bugging him about it and even TEACHERS side-eyeing him like they expect something Dramatic to happen. Noctis eventually gets sick of it and punches another student in the face probably. Ignis is scandalized, Regis tries to gently explain that no, Noctis cannot throw someone in dungeon because they said nasty things about Nox and no he is not explaining what those nasty things mean.

-Ignis is ashamed to look back and realize that he once bought into about 80% of the media meltdown over Nox. Now that he knows Nox better, he knows that none of it is remotely true and the world is not going to turn Game of Thrones on him. Now he’s ... very insulted on Nox’s behalf, but understands that it is not his place to intervene (though he does give patented Frosty Looks at any reporters that come sniffing around the Citadel forever after).

-Gladio does not watch conventional TV. He watches action blockbusters that have explosions, documentaries on wildlife/camping/hunting/sword-making and Iris’s favorite show about magical girls and talking, rainbow colored Chocobo companions when she makes the puppy eyes at him. That’s it. Is ... nominally aware of news and social media having fits over Nox but Does Not Care so long as they don’t bother Nox and nobody actually tries anything against Noctis’s big brother.

-Citadel press corps kinda hates Nox’s guts. On one hand, he is a Model Prince because he doesn’t go out and get drunk, doesn’t have wild parties, doesn’t have any actual scandals that they need to cover up or spin positively. On the other ... refuses to do press conferences. Refuses to do interviews. Refuses to do anything to help them mitigate the media meltdowns that his mere existence causes (and the events of the Music Drabble I have yet to write, OH BOY do they hate him for that). Just- hides in the Citadel and only makes appearances when it’s a mandatory ball/gala/thing or when he’s accidentally unleashing another media Meltdown. Agrees to one (1) private interview when he’s 18 and even then it’s ONLY if he can talk to some random, unknown rookie who runs a gossip column. They, by turns, want to strangle him and praise his existence, but at least he isn’t as bad as Regis and Clarus were in their day.

-It- would take a long time for people to really know how powerful Nox is. Like- out in the wilds of Lucis proper? There ARE people who know he’s way stronger than he lets on (the Hunter Corps and their families that he’s saved a bunch of times, plus everybody in Hammerhead who politely pretended Cid wasn’t housing the Nif Chancellor and his LC nephew for two years). The Hunter Corps, out of everyone, have the best idea of just what Nox is capable of, because they’ve ... put together a few things over the years. Like how Nox usually crops up in the area a day or so before a Niflheim base gets shredded/blown up/otherwise Wrecked™ for seemingly no reason. But his Real Power? That ... I’m honestly not sure how that would come out.

-But hypothetically, sure, let’s say something happened that made Nox go Full Fury on some poor hapless Nif soul (or army, probably an army). I’m gonna picture ... a Incident with a Kingsglaive held area. Nox is out there for like an official inspection or something, one of the Very Few media things he ever agrees to, when there’s a full on attack. While the poor Media People who are live streaming this freak out and the glaive get ready for a slaughter, Nox just- real calmly orders the glaive to Stay In the Base and keep an eye on the media people. Calmly walks out the base gate without so much as a by your leave and starts limp-striding his way toward the Impending Invasion of Death, Axis right at his side, just as calm (Axis knows what’s coming after all). Some glaives try to follow him because Obviously only to smack face first into - a Wall. A genuine magic Wall like the one encircling Insomnia.

-The entire Lucian nation plus whatever non-Lucian channels manage to pick this up get a livestream view of Nox raising a mini Wall around the base to keep everyone safe, then casually strolling out toward the Invasion force and just-

-Decimating it.

-About halfway between the invasion force and the base, Nox stops and raises a hand to the sky, a sword appears in his grip, and everyone present can feel magical pressure suddenly build-build-build until the air turns blue (the Wall keeps everyone inside safe from the intensity of the pressure except Axis, who doesn’t need it, he is Nox’s Shield and Nox will never hurt him). The Nifs release their war Behemoths on the field, gunships are coming in for the kill, and then-

-His sword sweeps down and the world shakes under the force of the pure energy wave that rises from his blade, sweeping across the distance between him and the enemy and either breaking, scattering, or straight up disintegrating anything in its path. An imperial dreadnought splits in half and then breaks into dozens upon dozens of pieces, the war-beasts caught in the path of the wave are just- gone. So are the MT units and gunships.

-Ever seen the upgraded armiger attacks from the Royal Version of FFXV? Yeah, picture those, but cranked up to eleven. Or just picture those and then imagine being an ordinary civilian seeing that for the first time. Ghostly blades whirling around Nox’s form, defending him from bullets and debris only to lash out as literal waves of energy or a death laser.

-Needless to say, Nox destroys that invading force single-handedly in a display not unlike the legends of Ragnarok or Armageddon, all while holding a Wall around the base. He then calmly turns, walks back to the base, asks if everyone is okay, and upon getting the all clear-

-Collapses. Straight up flops over into Axis’s arms while on national live television because someone forgot to eat anything today and spent most of the previous night fretting over nightmares or something (the rest of the world assumes he pushed himself way too far with that display, but really he could have done more if he hadn't already been tired/hungry and Axis knows it).

-For once, the media meltdown isn’t punctuated by frenzy but by a very, very fragile, frightened silence.

-It’s been ... a long time since a Lucis Caelum has Truly unleashed their power on the field and Nox is no ordinary LC.

-Clips of Nox’s stunt circulate for months, are analyzed by historians and doctors and talk show hosts for precedents and health risk and just sheer What levels. Social media ranges from cheering Nox on to snidely wondering why LCs aren’t doing that more often to a huge outpouring of concern for the prince who just fought off a literal army and then collapsed like he’d been decked in the head. The Hunter Corp all pool their resources together to get this idiot kid a care package, Cid probably comes over from Hammerhead to yell at him while Cindy bear hugs and cries all over his clothes.

-In Niflheim ... a lot of people are reevaluating their stance on the war. Because if that is what just one Lucis Caelum can do, then what’s going to happen when there are two of-age princes who are not chained down by the Wall?

-A lot of nobles in Lucis are also reevaluating their stances on the illegitimate prince, because UMMMMMM that’s the kind of thing that only happens in blockbuster dramas, and Nox did it in real life. More than that, he knew he could do it, as evidenced by how calm he was when he gave the order for everyone to stay.

-Lots of internet conspiracy/theory people try to figure out just how powerful Nox is and if he’s an anomaly in the bloodline because seriously can all LCs do that????

-A lot of people, for a lot of different reasons, are very, very scared of Nox now. Either because they still believe that GoT is inbound and that just put the kibosh on a lot of their rebellion daydreams or because Nox is already a wild card and now he’s proven that he’s a supremely dangerous wildcard.

-So basically, still a meltdown, but this one much, much quieter and more reverent.

-Assuming I ever do something like this in Nox versa canon, because I’m not sure I will.

[exxar1]

Episode 10: We Don’t Win

1/23/2021

I recently started subscribing to John MacArthur’s sermon podcasts. I’d never heard of him until he and his congregation began defying the lockdown mandates in California last summer. Although I’d added his podcasts to my library, I had never actually listened to any of them until three days ago when his sermon from this past Sunday began playing automatically as soon as my phone’s Bluetooth connected to my car. I was about to stop the playback as I was in the mood for some upbeat music, but then changed my mind when I looked at the dashboard display and saw what podcast had started.

John began his sermon by listing all the blessings God had bestowed upon him and his church in the last six months of 2020. The more that he and his congregation defied Governor Newsom’s tyranny, the more God blessed their ministry. He said that 2020 had given him, personally, an immense amount of clarity, and I knew exactly what he was talking about. 2020, for many of us, helped us to see exactly what matters most in this world and what our priorities should be. As John moved on to the heart of his sermon, he said three words that have been rattling around in the back of my brain ever since.

“We don’t win.”

We Christians do not win in this world. This world belongs to Satan. It always has ever since the Fall. It is not the destiny of the believers in Christ “…to win on this battleground,” as John puts it.

“We don’t win.”

I first heard this sermon on Wednesday, the day of President Biden’s inauguration. In the two days since he took the oath of office, we Americans have seen quite clearly what this president has in mind for the future of this country. One of his first acts was to sign an order that gives boys and girls the right to roam freely in the public restrooms of the opposite sex. Boys who “identify” as girls will also have the right to thus compete in women’s sports if they so wish. Biden and his administration also made announcements that they plan to not only roll back all the restrictions that President Trump had enacted to try to stop the public finding of international and domestic organizations that support abortion, but to also expand the current laws of “reproductive and women’s rights” to allow abortions up to and including the moment of birth. (He even campaigned on this abhorrent promise.) Abortions will soon be allowed for ANY reason and will be made as convenient as a checkup at your local dentist.

It’s that latter part that should bet striking fear and sorrow in the hearts of EVERY American citizen, regardless of religious affiliation. Roe v. Wade was just the beginning of America’s fall from grace and prosperity, and if Biden and his administration succeeds in their enactment of these new laws and permissions, then our country’s fate is truly sealed. Any nation — any people — that allows the willful, rampant murder of the unborn will not survive very long. It is among the last, deadliest signs of genuine, moral decay, and that — along with all the social movements that are currently fighting to erase gender and promote tolerance of ANYTHING regarding sexuality — are why I firmly believe that we are closer than ever to the Second Coming of Christ.

“We don’t win.”

The Biden administration is under the power and firm control of the another insidious, deceptive, and abhorrent social movement that has gripped this nation since last June: Black Lives Matter. There is no longer true justice in America. John MacArthur stated in his sermon that America is now under a new form of law and order known as “social justice”. Under this new justice, the only ones who are right are the oppressed, and the guilty are the oppressors. Justice is now based on race and skin color, rather than truth and right. All the garbage surrounding “white fragility” and “anti-racism” has made it perfectly acceptable for everyone to racially discriminate and hate anyone whose skin is white.

“We don’t win.”

Black Lives Matter, in its efforts to alter and/or erase American history have set the stage for America’s very foundation, the system of capitalism, to also be destroyed. All the economic plans of the Biden administration — as well as a democrat controlled congress — will ensure that socialism will take hold in this country even worse than when Obama was president. The current leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement are proud, outspoken Marxists, and they have never tried to disguise or obfuscate their beliefs. They have already succeeded in getting their insidious doctrine of “critical race theory” into public schools at every grade level in all the major cities in the U.S. Within one or two generations, our country will be overflowing with the same brainwashed population that brought about the Russian Revolution, which plunged that country into decades of economic and moral darkness.

“We don’t win.”

I am not writing this blog to frighten or depress you. (Well, actually, yes you should be scared shitless right now. I know I am.) John ended his sermon by reminding all Christians that yes, we don’t win. We don’t win down here, that is. Earth has already been claimed by Satan and his forces of darkness. But, if we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, then we will not have to suffer much longer in this mortal realm. Our only task right now is to serve God by staying faithful to him and spreading the gospel. And, when our life is over, we will join our Heavenly Father at his throne, and we will have a front row seat to His final plan. His heavenly forces will make war with the corrupted world and its lord, Satan, in that great final battle of Armageddon, and it’s here, where it matters most, that we will win.

Part of my reason for writing this post today was to remind myself of the true power of God. We serve and worship the same God that made a covenant with Abraham and Isaac. The same God that brought the Israelites out of Egypt and watched over them as they traveled in the desert. No matter how often His people forgot Him or sinned against Him, God never forgot them. His wrath was great, yes, and there were many times the Israelites were punished for their sins, but God always provided a way of forgiveness and redemption.

In the back of my Bible is a listed reading plan for the year. I decided to embark on this as part of my daily devotional and as a new year’s resolution. I have already finished the books of Genesis and Exodus, and, while I still remember from so long ago the stories of creation; of Abraham, Isaac, Esau, and Jacob; of Joseph getting sold into slavery in Egypt only to be in the right place and right time to save his brothers and family; of God delivering His people out of slavery in Egypt — I was now reading all of those accounts with fresh eyes. Right now, when our country is on a rapidly descending slope into sin, darkness, and moral decay, it gives my heart and soul a much needed peace to know that that God of the Bible is the same God that still watches over his people. I want to add the phrase “protects them”, but I’m honestly not sure that’s appropriate. God is watching over us, make no mistake about that, but He’s also a vengeful God, and his wrath is great.

America was once a Christian nation, but I have a hard time uttering that phrase just now. I don’t believe it’s true anymore, and we Christians are about to enter a new era of persecution and tribulation. The government mandates that were issued last year in response to the manufactured “pandemic” are a perfect example of the new persecution. As John put it in his sermon, “Satan did his best to shut down our church.” The Lord of Darkness did his damndest to shut down ALL churches in this nation, and he succeeded in many states — most of them blue. Here in Nevada, for example, almost all churches are still shut down for worship. Services can only be attended from home via livestream.

This is just the first step. The new laws and policies that the Biden administration has already enacted — or plans to enact — will only serve the heathen and the wicked. But we Christians still have the power to fight back, and we most definitely should while we still can. Just look at John’s church in California. I won’t go into the whole list here, but John’s ministry did not shrink or fail during 2020. Quite the opposite, in fact. He stated that his congregation expanded by more than 1,200 members in just the last quarter of the year. People were driving in from out of state to attend services! The church more than tripled its funding from offering and donations in 2020, more than they’ve received in the last decade alone, in fact!

It is in times of great adversity and great trials, that Christianity grows. America is the modern equivalent of the Roman Empire, and, like those Christians in the days of Nero and Caesar, the believers in America today will be shunned, spit upon, arrested, and yes, even put to death, while the rest of the nation celebrates “diversity” and “tolerance” and continues to slaughter the unborn in record numbers.

No, it’s not quite that bad for us believers just yet. But within one or two generations, perhaps even sooner, it will be. The current “cancel culture” that is serving as the militant arm of movements such as Black Lives Matter will very soon turn their wrath upon anything that is religious. True Christians, the believers that will not compromise on “diversity” and “tolerance” by watering down the gospel or allowing immorality such as gay marriage and transgender “affirmation services”, among other things, will be attacked and cursed as being un-American and “evil”.

No, we don’t win down here.

But we will one day. Our suffering here is but for a time. Soon enough, we shall be reunited in Heaven with our Lord and Savior at the foot of his throne. All trials and tribulations will cease and we shall rejoice with Him evermore.

Amen, hallelujah!