#VERSE; redemption

[phoenixmuses]

♡ Open Starter (please read tags!) ♡ Jolt Cola was basically the original energy drink, created in 1985 (:

He had been awake for a couple of days now, downing coffee, Jolt Cola, exercising, blaring his music, and whatever else he could to keep from returning to that damned nightmare realm. Every time he closed his eyes, the distorted world he had been trapped in flashed through his mind and shook him straight to the core. It was a blue-grey mist, shadows and freezing temperatures, strange creatures that belonged in some horror movie. The army of flayed, the people he had hurt...

They had been drugging him at the hospital, forcing him to sleep so that he could recover. Unfortunately, it was a temporary solution to the problem. Things were different once he had been released, when he was forced to try to sleep naturally. Of course, that didn't last long.

When he had first gotten out, he had reluctantly returned to Cherry Lane; that was a dead end when he figured out that Neil, the piece of shit he was, had abandoned Susan and Max. Aside from that, he was totally alone in Hawkins now. And Max didn't even know he was back yet. Billy was convinced she probably didn't want to see him anymore than Neil would have. Hell, it wasn't like he blamed her.

With nowhere left to turn, he used what compensation the US government had slipped him to start over. He cut his hair and got a new place on the outskirts of Hawkins, where he could still keep an eye on Max, although from a distance. Needless to say, he had lost his job at the Hawkins Community Pool when everyone thought he had perished in the Starcourt Mall fire; instead, he had found a job as a bartender at The Hideout. With tips, it paid better than his previous occupation — especially when he turned up his charm — but he wasn't quite as fulfilled.

"I'll grab your usual," he muttered gruffly, looking at one of the regulars that sat across from him. He was already pouring a drink for them as they pulled out a crumpled wad of cash, slapping it onto the counter. Billy swiped up the money, counted it and checked it in the light, then slid the drink across to them. When they grumbled about him keeping the extra for a tip, he nodded in silent thanks, then moved to the register and finished up the transaction. Dropping the leftover into the tip jar at the back counter, he exhaled and moved to greet the next customer.

[hihomeghere]

Heat | Alpha!Arthur Morgan x Omega!reader

Happy Valentines day! <3

Word Count : 3.5k

Summary : Nursing Arthur's rejection, you go to the saloon while your impending heat hangs over you. Will he be able to save you before another alpha tries to stake their claim?

Warnings/tags : A/b/o, knotting, marking/biting, slight angst, reader is referred to as she, has female parts, arthur is our miscommunication king, unwanted advances from another man, dubious consent (reader has expressed consent earlier but is not in the right state of mind), Ruts & heats, unprotected piv, creampie, slight breeding king (It's me, what do you expect)

Divider by @saradika

Tags : @photo1030

The lively piano filled the saloon, doing little to raise your spirits. Resting your palms against your cold glass, trying to ease the fire that burned in your belly. You were foolish, you knew that, coming into town this close to your heat. 

But the flush in your cheeks wasn’t entirely from your impending heat. No, the burning coil of rejection was what was causing blood to crawl up your neck and flood your cheeks. 

You sipped the whiskey, wincing as the liquid burned your throat. You thought it would ease the pain in your chest, but it only seemed to amplify the hurt. The painful memory of your fight with Arthur replaying over and over in your head. His jaw clenched, refusing to even look you in the eye. His voice raised as he snapped at you.

You shook your head, quickly downing your glass. Shivering as the liquid ran down your throat, heat blooming in your chest. You couldn’t ignore the subtle clench in your lower belly for much longer. The second tell tale sign that your heat was fast approaching. Like sand pouring into an hourglass, the time for you to find a place to ride out your heat was dwindling. 

Sweat dotted your brow, raising the back of your hand to wipe it away. The fabric of your dress was rubbing your skin raw, you itched to ditch the fabric. Although you weren't stupid enough to strip in a bar full of all kinds of designations. You ordered another, placing two coins down on the bar top.

The scent of an alpha invaded your nostrils, nearly suffocating you with how strong it was. You silently cursed yourself, you hadn’t bothered to cover how your distress was pouring off of you in waves. Anyone could have smelt it, omega, beta or alpha. Unfortunately for you it was the latter.

“Hello sweetheart.” The man cooed, his lips pulling back in a wolfish grin as he took the seat next to you. His suit jacket cut tight to his body, obviously tailored. Younger than you, his pocket watch hung from a golden chain, an easy target if you were here to do ‘business’ as Hosea called it. Robbing rich men blind.

You ignored him, a bead of sweat rolling down your back. 

“Omega.” Unable to stop the pull of your designation, you turned to look up at him. You realized too late that you were in the worst situation possible. Half an hour max, away from your heat, and this fucker looks like he knows it. “Why don’t you say hello, hm?” He asked, his tone dripping with command. 

You opened your mouth to respond when the familiar scent of pine and leather filled your noise. Wrapping around you like a warm embrace. 

Arthur, alpha. You didn’t have time to speak before his hand wrapped around your wrist, pulling you off the chair and behind him. You could feel the anger pouring off of him in waves, your omega pumping out calming pheromones at his distress.

His chest heaved as he glared at the other alpha, fire burning in his eyes. 

“She don’t have to say shit to you.” He growled, “Now why don’t you run along, pup.” A fresh wave of slick dampened your thighs at his possessive words, your inner omega preening. You knew the two alphas could smell it, each of them stiffening respectively. The man’s lip twitched, as if debating whether or not to stake his claim. Although you doubted the man in front of you had a death wish. Arthur stood tall, trim waist and broad shoulders. A perfect alpha in every way. The man mumbled something along the lines of ‘not worth it’ before walking off. As the younger alpha retreated off to lick his wounds, Arthur’s hand wrapped around your wrist. In a flash he was dragging you out of the saloon, the night air doing very little to cool your feverish flesh. His touch was searing against your skin, branding you like a hot iron. 

He didn’t speak, his spurs clinking as he stomped across the dirt road. Pulling the lead off the hitching post.

“The hell were you thinkin’?” He growled, dropping your wrist, “You know how damn close your heat is and you go and pull this shit! Any of those bastards could’ve-“ He cut himself off with a frustrated growl, his hands on his hips as he faced away from you. “You’re lucky my scent is still on ya, only a young pup like him would've tried it.” 

Your lower lip wobbled as you stared at his back, tears pricking your eyes.

“Why’d you come after me?” You asked, wrapping your arms around your body. That caused him to pause, the hard line of his body tensing at your question. Your legs were starting to wobble, your breaths quickening.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked with a huff, turning to face you. You tilted your chin up, using the remaining bit of your strength to face him head on.

“You ain’t my alpha.” You said, tears stinging your eyes as you looked up at him. “You made that clear.”

-

He had been helping you ride out every one of your heats for the last few months. You were sweet on each other, the whole gang knew it, hell the whole world knew it. 

The way your eyes seemed to follow him wherever he went, drawn to him by some magnetic force.

Most would blame your designation. An unmated omega is going to naturally be drawn to any alpha, it’s in your nature. But you weren’t that kind of girl. Never had been. 

Sure, those few days every month when your skin turned feverish and debilitating cramps overtook you, you could do little but beg for an alpha to knot you. That’s why you were careful, leaving camp for a few days to hide away in an empty cabin, to ride out your heat.

When your biology took over, you couldn’t trust yourself. Your omega begging for any alpha, no matter who they were, to mate and knot you. Even the toughest omegas turned to putty around their heat. And ending up mated to an alpha who couldn’t control marking you, was oftentimes a fate worse than death. Breaking a bond, even an accidental one, could sometimes lead to death. That was in the case the Allha agreed to breaking the bond. Far too many omegas had been trapped in abusive bonds for your liking, and you wouldn’t be one of them.

Your fingers were a sorry excuse for a knot, hardly giving you any relief. But beggars couldn’t be choosers, and there hadn’t been any alpha you trusted to take care of you. To not take advantage of your clouded judgement. That was until Arthur.

You had been running with the gang for quite a while, maybe a year or two. You would be lying if you said Arthur’s personality had first drawn you to him. He was an alpha in every sense of the word. Strong, loyal, caring, fierce. And he smelt so damn good, his scent covered damn near everything in camp. Pine and leather dusted against the hay bales, near Pearson's wagon, and absolutely covered his makeshift tent. 

You would catch yourself breathing in deeply whenever you walked past him, or his tent. Unable to stop the deep pull in your gut. 

But you never thought he’d look your way, never thought he’d see you. See you as more than an omega.

But he surprised you, treating you as more than just your designation. That had been what made you fall in love with him. To your delight, he had felt the same way. One thing had led to another, and he had offered to work you through your heats. How could you refuse? 

So when you walked over to his tent, your skin red and flushed, you thought he would jump to get you somewhere secluded. 

“Arthur.” You said softly, your heart faltering as he refused to look up at you. His eyes trained on the open page of his journal. “Arthur.” You repeated a little louder this time. His scent was nearly overpowering, settling over you like a heavy blanket. Pine, leather, tobacco, gunpowder.

“What?” He huffed, not raising his gaze. His jaw set as he shielded his eyes with the brim of his hat. 

“Well I…” You faltered, feeling yourself shrink in front of him. Trying to make yourself look smaller to appease him. “My… my heat is coming.” You watched as he took a deep breath, his chest expanding, before he exhaled shakily. No doubt smelling the slick spreading between your thighs. It was like time paused, both of you hung suspended as you waited for him to react.

“Don’t know why you’re talking to me about it.” He mumbled, scribbling in his book. You swallowed thickly, your brows furrowed as you took a step closer. 

“Well we-“ You spoke softly, tilting your head.

“There ain’t a we, don’t you get it woman?” He snapped, shaking his head. “I ain’t your damn alpha, it ain’t my job to help you through your heats.” His blatant rejection was like a slap to the face, your feet moving backwards as you stumbled. 

“What?” You asked, hoping, praying, that you had heard him wrong. 

“There ain’t nothing to discuss. Now I suggest you find somewhere to ride out your heat.” His words hardly a suggestion as his alpha command seeped into his words. You were helpless to do anything but obey him, turning on your heel as tears clouded your vision. 

-

“Damn it woman.” He sighed, the leather leads creaking in his hands as he clenched his fists. “That don’t mean I don’t care for you.” His words were tight, spoken through clenched teeth.

“I don’t need you Arthur.” You whimpered, hot tears rolling down your cheeks. “If I want to find someone to knot me through my heat, I’ll do just that.”

“Like hell you will!” He growled, snarling as he turned to face you. Your eyes widened as he met your gaze, red lined his eyes, the sigh of an incoming rut. A pitiful whimper left your lips, watching as his chest heaved with each labored breath. 

“You’re going into a rut.” You whispered, staring up at him as you clenched around nothing. He looked away, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed harshly. 

“You think I don’t wanna help you through your heat? You think I want you to be in pain?” He asked, shaking his head as he looked down at the dirt road. “But I can’t- I can’t promise it- it won’t take over.” It being the alpha inside him. A shiver ran down your spine despite the intense heat that burned you from the inside out.

An alpha in rut and an omega in heat was a recipe for disaster. Well, an unmated omega in heat. Bonded pairs often went into ruts and heats together, one being triggered by the other. But most omegas didn’t come out unmarked if their alpha was in a rut. Not to mention, it was the best time to breed.

“What if- what if I don’t want you to fight it.” You said breathlessly, your lids feeling heavy.

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” He sighed, shaking his head.

“I do!” You urged, stumbling forward. “What if my heat triggered your rut. What if-“

“Don’t say another word.” His scent was only getting stronger, and you had no doubt yours was the same. The gland on the side of his neck was red and glistening. 

“What if you’re meant to be my mate.”

“It’s your heat talking.” He snapped, turning to look at you. “If you were thinking clearly you wouldn’t- you wouldn’t want this. Wouldn’t want me.” His tone is harsh, covering up his obvious self deprecation. Wouldn’t want him? Wouldn’t want Arthur?

You scoffed, shaking your head. “I’ve always wanted you.” You confessed, laying your hand on his arm. As your skin connected, your stomach clenched, your legs giving out from under you as Arthur’s hands grasped your waist.

“Let’s get you inside.” He breathed, his chest heaving as he pulled you along to the nearest hotel. Your mind was going fuzzy, his scent too overpowering as he led you into a room. “Make your nest.” He said, his tone gentle as he leaned against the door. You ripped at your clothes, tearing them off of your body as you began to build your nest. Tearing the bed apart as you laid the blankets out to your liking, adding your own dress and underclothes. For the first time all day you felt some sort of relief.

But you were missing something, missing Arthur. 

“Alpha.” You whined, sweat dripping down your body as the fever started to overtake you. The ache in your core growing as you rubbed at your clit. He stiffened, his fists clenched at his sides. “Please Arthur.” You cried, slipping a finger inside your dripping cunt, “Alpha please.” You arched your back, pushing your breasts up as you tried to entice him.

“It ain’t right.” He said through gritted teeth, shaking his head, “I can’t-“

“I want your knot, I want your mark.” You cried, adding another finger to your heat. Pumping them in and out as you writhed on the bed. It wasn’t enough. Your entire body was ablaze, and the only remedy was his knot. 

“You’re not thinking clearly.” He repeated, his boots scuffing against the floor as he fought against his primal instincts. 

“Oh fuck me Arthur!” You cried out, throwing your head back as your first orgasm washed over you. It soothed the ache, but only for a moment before the next cramp ripped through your body. 

His expression was pained, his brows drawn tight as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

“Darlin I-“ He shook his head, his resolve crumbling, “You know I want you so bad.”

“Then take me, please.” You whimpered, spreading your legs, his red rimmed eyes immediately drawn to your wet cunt. 

“Christ almighty.” He whispered, dropping to his knees as he crawled towards the bed. Pulling off his clothes as he drew closer. He laid his hand on the edge of the bed, his eyes finding yours.

“Come here.” You pleaded, giving him permission to enter your nest. He climbed onto the bed, a deep growl rumbling in his chest as he quickly slotted himself between your legs. His hands gripped your thighs, his thumbs pressing into the swollen glands there. Slick mixing with your pheromones as you writhed under him. “Alpha!”

“Shhh,” He shushed you, “I’m gonna take care of you ‘mega, you know I always do.” He ripped off his shirt, sending the buttons flying across the room. You grabbed the blue fabric before he could discard it, tucking it into your nest. 

“Want you- want your knot- need your knot.” You babbled, reaching for him as he shucked off his pants. His cock bobbed up against his belly. Thick and weeping, as he settled between your legs. He lowered his head, running his nose against the gland on your neck as he scented you. 

“Fuck me darlin’-“ He groaned, white knuckling the fabric as he fought the urge to knot you right then and there, “Smell so damn good- always so goddamn good.” He dipped his hips, the mushroom head of his cock bumping against your clit. A cry ripped through your chest as you raised your hips, chasing after him. “Easy, easy sweetheart.”

“I can’t-“ You cried, tears springing to your eyes, “I need you, need you to knot me! Mark me!”

He thrust into you with a growl, filling you completely. Even with your slick it’s still a pinch, your mouth opens in a silent cry as you clenched down around him. Too sensitive and on edge to stave off your orgasm. Not that you would want to.  He doesn’t wait, pulling out to slam back into you. His cock rubbing up against your walls in a way that has your toes curling.

With each thrust he pushes you higher up on the bed, the headboard thudding against the wall. If the other customers at the inn couldn’t tell what was happening by the stifling scent of pheromones and moans, the slam of the wood against the wall was a dead giveaway.

“So tight- how the hell are you still this tight?” He gasped, clenching his jaw so tight his teeth ached. Fighting the urge to bite down on your swollen gland. His tongue darted out, tasting the sweet skin of your neck. You jolted, clenching down on him as a gasp left your lips. Your nails raked down his back, locking your legs over his hips.

“Y/n… omega…” His breath fanned against your neck as he panted against you. The sound of skin slapping against skin filling the hotel room. 

“I want it-“ You whimpered, baring your neck as you pulled him closer. You knew what he was thinking, a pained groan rumbling through his chest. “We’re meant to be.”

If he marked you, you’d be branded not only with his mark but his scent. Anyone would be able to smell him on you, know that you were his mate. While that wasn’t a problem for law abiding citizens, Arthur had too many enemies. With a bounty on his head that size, not to mention O’Driscolls and Pinkertons on his tail. You’d be an easy target, something to be used against him. 

But goddamn it, he wanted you to be his. You were in every sense of the word, but still unmarked. Which meant any alpha or beta out there could still have you. 

Your hand reached up, cupping his cheek as you made him face him. Your eyes hazy, lined with omega silver as his hips pistoned in and out of you. Wincing slightly as the bulb of his knot began to swell. Catching around the ring of your cunt with every thrust. 

“Mark me. Make me yours.” You pleaded, your voice shaking as you clung to him. 

Arthur considered himself a strong willed man, with a good head on his shoulders. But at the end of the day he was only a man.

“I’ll take good care of you, omega.” He promised, sinking his teeth into your gland before he could change his mind. As his teeth pierced your neck, a mix of pleasure and pain washed over you. He growled against your skin, pushing deep inside you with a final thrust as his knot slipped within your pussy, locking the two of you together. Another orgasm washed over you as he began to fill you with his cum. The cramps in your belly almost nonexistent as you breathed out a content sigh. His jaw loosened, pulling away from your neck. His tongue lapped at the torn skin, cleaning you up as you laid boneless under him. 

His knot was still pulsing, pumping load after load inside you. Maybe this time it would take. That thought sent a pleasant shiver down your spine.

“C’mon darlin’.” He cooed softly, gently moving your legs off his hips. He tilted your body so you were on your side with him behind you. Both of you moaning as his knot tugged at your walls from the movement. “That’s better.” He whispered against the shell of your ear, his arms wrapped tight around your waist. His hand spread across your belly, warming your skin.

You could sense his fear, the insecurities lying deep within him. Your bond now set in stone, his feelings, his scent, all that stronger. 

“It wasn’t my heat talking.” You promised, his arm tightening around your waist.

“You’re still in heat.” He mumbled against your skin, running his nose up and down your neck as though he couldn’t help himself. 

“I’m clear enough to know that.” You said, turning your head to look back at him. “I’ve wanted you to mark me ever since you started helping me.” 

“I believe you.” He whispered, a myriad of emotions shining in his eyes. “I just- don’t know why you’d want to be tied to an old outlaw like me.” His gaze lowered, an almost shameful expression crossing his face.

“I don’t care what you’ve done Arthur.” You said softly, his thumb rubbing small circles against your skin.

“You should.” He mumbled, “If you were in your right mind you’d run as far away from me as possible-“

“I don’t care because I see you.” You said cutting him off, “Past the bullshit, past the persona you have to play, past even the alpha.” You placed your hand over his, lacing your fingers together. “I see you Arthur.” 

He pulled his hand away, your heart sinking. But before you could dwell on it, his hand tilted your jaw. Turning your head to look at him as he covered your lips with his. You eagerly returned the kiss, parting your lips as his tongue darted out to taste you. The metallic taste of your blood still heavy in his mouth.

“Don’t know how I got so lucky.” He mumbled breathlessly as he pulled away, “But I swear to you, I won’t let nothin’ hurt you. Even me.”

“I know you won’t.” You said, pressing your lips against his.

[heavenlymorals]

Biblical References in Both RDR games.

I love biblical references so much. When it comes to literature, it's probably my favorite type of symbolism. Like I genuinely get so happy when I connect things to the Bible which is what I'm going to do right now 😊😊 I also like the way that religion is incorporated into RDR as a whole, including the main characters' reaction to it.

So yup, here are just a few references or connections that I was able to make in no particular order.

Also, some of these are complete reaches and I'm aware of that, but fuck it, it's my blog and I do what I want 💪🏼

- The character and tragedy of Issac. In the Bible, Issac is the child of Abraham who is asked to be sacrificed by God by his father as a test of faith. God eventually intervenes to save Issac because he only wanted to test Abraham's faith. Dutch is shown as a God-like figure to the gang, as their devotion is to him. Arthur, indirectly, sacrifices Issac by not being there and by following what Dutch wanted. Arthur, Issac, and Dutch are parallels to Abraham, Issac, and God.

- Leviticus is the book that comes after the book of Exodus. After the gang's escape or exodus from Blackwater after the Blackwater massacre, they are met by Leviticus Cornwall, who becomes the next obstacle for the gang. After the gang's exodus, they get in trouble with Leviticus.

- The image of the deer and a mountain. Psalm 18:32-34 in the Bible says, "It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like deers' feet, and sets me upon my high places." In Arthur's condemnation of Dutch, Micah, and their evil, he becomes steady in his identity and beliefs, like a deer's feet on a mountain, which is where he dies in the end. W symbolism.

- The mission "Sodom? Back to Gomorrah." In the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities that were so morally depraved and evil that God decided to destroy the both of them, saying that if there was even one good person in those cities, he'd spare them, but there weren't. In those missions, you also do two evil acts, going from one and then BACK to the other. You rob the bank and then go BACK to collect the debt from Edith Downes. So you finish one evil deed and to straight to the next. This can also show how morally bankrupt Arthur's apathy made him at this point in the game.

- Micah's guns say "Vengeance is hereby mine." This could be a reference to Roman's 12:19 "vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord." Micah's violent nature makes him take his anger out on the world.

- "Your father is seduced by him with the forked tongue. It's no use hoping." The blind prophet to Arthur. Pretty straight forward symbolism, it's a nod to the snake that seduced Eve, just like how Micah manipulates Dutch.

- Dutch walking away from Arthur when he dies and though he realizes his wrong doing and feels shame, his pride forbids him from apologizing or saying he was wrong. This can be a parallel to how Adam and Eve run away from God when they feel shame over believing in the snake, but their pride won't allow them to apologize to God, hence damning them like how Micah damned Dutch.

- There were twelve ACTIVE gang members before the Blackwater massacre. When I mean active, I mean gang members who are canonically consistent (so not uncle, Swanson, Strauss, or the girls) on going on jobs for the gang. Micah, Bill, Javier, John, Hosea, Arthur, Charles, Sean, Lenny, Josiah, Mac and Davey Callender. Christ had 12 disciples and Dutch is portrayed as a savior to the gang, or a Christ like figure. And would you look at that, there is a traitor in both groups of twelve (Micah and Judas).

- Both John and Arthur's graves have scripture from Jesus's sermon on the mountain (Matthew 5:1-12). John's is blessed are the peacemakers and Arthur's is blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

- The go back for the money ending. If you go back for the money and have low honor, you'll see that the camp is engulfed in flames as you try to get the money. The fight with Micah is brutal and you die faced down in the dark. This death is an allegory for going to either hell and purgatory as you choose a final evil act of leaving your brother to possibly die just so you can get money as an act of revenge. If you have high honor, you are still surrounded by flames, but you still have a chance at heaven given that you die facing up seeing the light one final time.

- The help John ending has similar connotations. If you have low honor, you die by gunshot and are shrouded in darkness, which can symbolize the absence of God's light and how Arthur's final act couldn't absolve the lack of guilt he feels for the rest of the actions that he KNOWS are evil (click here for a my interpretation of Arthur's morality). In high honor, though, you get to crawl to the mountain side and see the rising sun, symbolizing heaven, warmth, and a new purity.

- In low honor, the coyote goes down to a dark cave, representing damnation and the rejection of holy light. In high honor, the deer steps into a heavenly field of light. Love that so much to be honest.

- Just the very Catholic vibe of Arthur's redemption. Doing good deeds, feeling guilt, all that.

- John's new life is basically this: "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." -Ephesians 4:28. John gives up his old life to be an honest laborer, a rancher, and a proper man.

- The Strange Man in RDR rides on a donkey, which is pretty interesting because Jesus Christ also made his grand entry on a donkey.

- Just the Strange Man in general to be honest. Some say he's God, others say he's the Devil, and others say he's Cain from the Bible, which is my personal favorite theory but whatever.

- Dutch's horse could be a reference to Revelations 6:8- "And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him." Dutch's rash actions caused the death of the gang and RDR's incarnate of Hades or Hell was Micah, following him. Dutch is the only one, canonically, to have a pale horse.

- "Am I prepared for eternal damnation? Am I passed any kind of saving? Or is that just fairy tales?" Arthur in his journal. I love this line so much because of its very agnostic nature whilst still showing the Christian mindset of 1899 America. This line also shows that Arthur is canonically agnostic which is a yippee from me because it's like the only thing me and this man have in common lmao 😭

- "Bad news awaits you, sir. Sadly, sooner than you think. But beyond the news, paradise awaits. Paradise.." Blind Man Cassidy to Arthur. Sorry but I just love that. High honor Arthur lived such an awful life but he still has a chance at paradise and heaven? Love that so much.

- God (pun intended), I love biblical symbolism. Couldn't you tell?

[10yrsyart]

(quotes from Book 1 of the trilogy "the Singer, the Song, and the Finale" by Calvin Miller)

i love this trilogy and the way it describes the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation. it's allegorical in a similar way to Narnia and Pilgrim's Progress. i'm generally not one for poetry because my dyslexia makes the flowery sentences very hard to comprehend 😂 but Miller's work is understandable enough to make the story rich in imagery and feeling.

i never get tired of reading another angle of the overwhelming sacrifice Jesus made for all humankind. a payment not forced on us but gifted to us undeservingly. all that needs to be done is to accept it in understanding. a love like His can't be measured; it's so deep i can only continue to be amazed by it 🕊💙

"Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's condemnation." (Romans 5:7-9)

transcript:

(Page 1)

The word “crying” does not appear in the Lexicon of Heaven. It is the only word in the Lexicon of Hell. -Calvin Miller (The Singer: Chpt. 10)

(Page 2)

“How did you manage to make them cherish all this nothingness?” the Singer asked the World Hater.

“I simply make them feel embarrassed to admit that they are incomplete. A man would rather close his eyes than see himself the way Your Father-Spirit does. I teach them to exalt their emptiness and thus preserve the dignity of man.”

Singer: “They need the dignity of God.”

World Hater: “You tell them that. I sell a cheaper product.” -Calvin Miller (The Singer: Chpt. 14)

(Page 3)

Decision is the key to destiny.

“God, can You be merciful and send me off to Hell and lock me in forever?”

“No, Pilgrim, I will not send you there, but if you chose to go there, I could never lock you out.” -Calvin Miller (The Singer: Chpt. 21)

(Page 4)

He sang. And then His lips fell silently apart and His head slumped forward on His chest. The Father-Spirit wept. Existence raved... -Calvin Miller (The Singer: Chpt. 20)

(Page 5)

He reached the threshold of Eternity and found the doorway of the worlds not only open but clearly ripped away. He strained to hear the everlasting wail, the eternal dying which he loved. All was silent. Then he heard the Song. “NO!-” the World Hater cried. Each man on Terra had a key. And never could they come into the Canyon of the Damned unless they chose to do it. To live there, men would have to reject the Song. -Calvin Miller (The Singer: Chpt. 21)

[zelpharofficial]

Diaz Brothers

🐺Diaz Brothers🐺

~ I miss Sean and Daniel 🥹 (I got Blood Brothers ending :3c)

[shutterandsentence]

"It is finished."

--John 19:30

Photo: Banff, Alberta, Canada

[artist-issues]

Hi! First off, I want to say that I love how you analyze media and having really been enjoying reading all your posts :) I just wanted to ask—do you have tips for people who what to learn to think more critically about media and just storytelling in general? Like, are there questions that you usually ask yourself when looking at a character's journey or the messaging behind the movie? Just trying to learn how to better analyze the media I consume, as well as improve on pinpointing the specific reasons why I like the movies that I like, instead of just saying "Well, I liked it. It was great" and leaving it at that 🙈.

New favorite question!

I love that you want to know why you like something. I love it. I think so many people are ready to give a defense for why they dislike something, and the blood-sport of “picking it apart,” but then they don’t really know how to reverse the process and be like, “here’s why I liked this other thing,” or they can’t speak accurately and clearly about why they like something, which is a huge shame, and sort of raises other questions about critical thinking but you’re not doing that! So you’re already awesome!

I am not an expert. I could be 100% wrong about everything I do, and all the questions I ask. I only went to a normal amount of education for this. It does not mean I have all the insight and the good advice.

BUT you asked, and I love talking about it, so it’s going to be long, and here’s what I do:

Step 1. I Just Watch the Movie.

That’s it. Just take it in. No expectations. Do not try to figure out what’s wrong with it or what’s right with it. Don’t even assume there’s such a thing as “right” or “wrong” the first time you watch it. It is THE hardest thing to do, once you gain some “knowledge” of storytelling. But truthfully, if you go into a story with your eyes and ears open for flaws, or a checklist of “Right Things to Do,” then you’ve already lost any objectivity. You’ll be so busy going “good thing, bad thing,” that the movie will never be able to establish an “emotional train of thought,” with you. Because you’re already taking it piece by piece, like eating a burger one ingredient at a time, instead of taking a full bite. It’s meant to be one-successive-thought/feeling-on-top-of-another, but you’re picking it apart before it’s over.

Plus, you’re not letting the story do what it was meant to do—get under your mental guard. And that’s the whole point of stories. So in a way, if your Critical Analysis Cap is already conciously on, even the best movie in the world won’t come off as the best movie in the world. C.S. Lewis talks about this in one of his essays. I’ll try to simplify it:

You can’t decide if you like something or dislike something until after you’ve eaten it. You certainly can’t really experience “what ingredients it’s made of” before you’ve eaten it. You can make some observations about a food without ever putting it in your mouth and experiencing it—I can look at a brownie and go, “there’s chocolate in there.” I can cut into it and go, “oh, but it’s tough.” But I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of experiencing that brownie until I just shut up and put it in my mouth.

That is the hardest part and the part I suck at the very most. My suckiness at this part is why my friends hate watching movies with me. But on some level, you have to suspend your worldview, your opinions, and try to just listen.

It’s also why (this is just an aside) I struggle when people recommend a movie to me. Because they usually go, “what do you think of this movie?” And then I say, “I haven’t seen it.” And then they go, “oh you should watch it!” And I know for a fact that they’re going to ask me how it was, and my answer needs to be prepared—so then I’m already handicapped before I even try it. But it can’t be helped. And that’s just food for thought.

Step 2: “What Are They Trying to Tell Me?”

The only thing you need to think, when you go into analyzing a movie, before anything else, is, “They are trying to tell me something.”

That’s it. It’s just active listening, but in a movie. I think that’s like 90% of it. And so many people don’t know how to do that—in life, in conversation—let alone when they watch something. It’s the movie-watching equivalent of “stop thinking about what you’re going to say or how you’re going to respond to me, and just listen to what I’m saying.”

Remember, the whole storytelling team behind a movie or the writer of a novel sat down in front of a blank piece of paper. There was nothing there. They made several hundred thousand tiny and huge decisions to put something in front of you. Almost nothing you see in the story is there on accident. Because none of it would be there if they didn’t decide to transplant what they were thinking and feeling into you.

That’s all a movie is. That’s all a story is. It’s communication. It’s an essay. It’s a sermon. It’s a song. You can figure out what it means—but only if you start out by accepting, on good faith, that it means something.

I’m not saying every story of movie will have a well-thought-out meaning. I’m saying, you’re going into it as if it does. In good faith. And then the storytellers will either reward that good faith because they had something to say—or they’ll let you down. But you go in assuming they won’t let you down, that this is an agreed-upon conversation you two are having.

That takes a level of humility I don’t always have. Because if I know Christopher Nolan is directing a movie, at this point, it’s hard for me not to go into that movie with the story-version of this mindset: “well, I know he’ll have a lot of ‘big words’ to use, but nothing to actually say.” It’s hard to do.

But you have to do it, or else the risk of you projecting what you believe the movie is about onto it, or missing the meaning entirely, is astronomically high. You’ll watch a Disney Princess movie that’s total trash (I can’t stop coming for Wish) and you’ll see everything you’ve always wanted to see in it—because you’re projecting what you hope they’re saying onto the movie (when actually they were saying something very silly.) Or you’ll be like me watching The Dark Knight for the first time and trying desperately to wrestle my brain into “believe he’s trying to say something to you and not just snag your emotions on meaningless twists”-mode the whole time.

And the best way to figure out what they were trying to tell you is to start with where they succeeded in making you feel something. Wherever they succeeded, that’s where you’ll start looking for clues.

Step 3. What Did You Feel?

Sometimes you have to skip this step because you couldn’t get Step 1 right. You couldn’t just watch the movie, you were “out of the movie,” the whole time you were watching it. Sometimes that’s not your fault—sometimes a movie is so bad or so disingenuous that you can’t do Step 1, and you have to settle not for “What Did You Feel?” (Because you felt nothing) but “What Did They Want Me To Feel?”

…But if you were able to just watch it and it made you feel something, then this step is about analyzing that.

I recommend starting with a movie you watched when you were a kid—because kids almost never fail at Step 1. Their brains are sponges. Your brain was a willing sponge, you believed that the story was telling you something and you took it in without any conscious thought.

So like, if you felt like crying during the scene in Inside Out where Bing Bong fades away, or you did cry, ask yourself “why?”

The first answer to that question will be “because I liked Bing Bong and now he’s gone, and that’s sad.”

The second one will be: “because I miss my imaginary friend/because I miss my childhood/because I wish I didn’t have to lose memories of good things” etc. And all of that’s true.

But dig deeper. Because that’s exactly how the storyteller wanted you to feel. Reverse-engineer it. Figure out how they accomplished that goal.

Because we all had play-pretend characters when we were kids. We all had childhood friends who aren’t with us anymore. I guarantee you none of them looked like cotton-candy chimeras with hobo jackets. So why did you respond to Bing-Bong’s death as if you were losing something personal? How did they get you to believe that was happening, enough to make you sad, about a character you met an hour ago?

Because you got to know him well over the past hour. You got to know things about him that were easy to believe, things that were in common with your life experiences. You know what he wants, what he doesn’t like. You know where he was hoping to go, and what he was afraid of.

That ties into the next point, but you can do this with things that don’t have anything to do with the character—the other things that make up a movie.

What music was playing during the part where you Felt Something? Was that same melody or motif in another part of the movie—and if it was, what was happening in that part? Are they connected somehow?

What color predominates the screen during that part?

What is the lighting like? Does anything make the lighting different than what we’ve seen so far? Is the lighting creating interesting shapes—how would you describe those shapes?

Where are we? Is it a significant location? What makes the location significant?

Are we losing something? Why does it feel like a loss? Are we gaining something? Why does it feel like a gain? What was missing before that we’re glad is here now?

Those are just a few questions. Because remember, by answering them as honestly and simply as you can, you’re figuring out that the storytellers chose those things, and you’re figuring out why that was the right choice.

Do some compare-contrast: when Bing Bong fades away, what color is he turning before disappearing?

Deep blue, almost purple, right? If you can’t figure out why that would be a good choice, do some compare-contrast. What if the color he was vaguely dissolving into was green? That would look kind of sickly, or it would evoke feelings of “poison gas.” Weird for a moment that’s supposed to be sad. What if the color was yellow? Joy is yellow, in the movie. So pretty directly, that would be the wrong color because it would be kind of pretty, and it would make the audience feel a little “ooo” like they do when the Beast transforms in yellow light. But blue? Who’s blue in this movie? Sadness. Obviously. Sadness is blue—it’s very human to respond that way. You can do that same “what-if, compare/contrast” with the answer to every question on that bullet point list.

“When Genie is set free and I Felt Something, the location it’s in is on the throne room balcony. Well, why? Why’d the storytellers pick that? Because that’s where they were after the final battle, yeah, but that final battle could’ve been anywhere. Why didn’t the final battle with Jafar finish by having everybody in the throne room? Well, if it had been in the throne room, there would have been a lot of destruction from the final battle laying around. Having ruins behind Genie while he looks all sparkly and triumphant would’ve been a little odd. Plus, there would’ve been a roof. Would he have gone “I’m freee—hee!!” and flown out a window? That might’ve felt silly. But out on the balcony, he’s looking sparkly and triumphant against an open sky. Ohhh, an open sky makes you think of endless opportunity. That’s so smart. Even my subconscious was convinced, by the sky behind him, that something momentous and liberating was happening in this scene. And not just for Genie, but Aladdin is finally being “freed,” too, because they know who he is and love him anyway, and Jasmine is being ‘freed,’ too, because the law—“ Okay that’s enough, you get the idea.

Let’s go into the really fun part.

Step 4. I Look At The Characters

A good storyteller uses something that the audience can relate and empathize with for their main focus. And that’s usually a character (doesn’t have to be. You can describe a tree with personification in a poem, and a human will empathize with that tree’s “life,” or situation, and boom—suddenly you have a story.)

A super talented writer I know named @doverstar once wrote an entire story from the perspective of I think a paperclip? And I still remember it to this day. (Specifically I remember a crazy straw wrapper in the story, but you get my point.)

SO! Characters are the easiest and best way for a storyteller to get the person they’re trying to communicate with to engage. Which means, looking at characters is the easiest avenue to understand a story by. Usually, the storyteller jammed the whole message of the story into their characters in neat, interesting little packages. You just have to unpack them.

Here’s how I do it, roughly:

A. Figure Out What the Character Wants

In my post about The Lion King, I said Simba wants to be free to do whatever he wants all the time. And that’s true. But how did I figure that out? I’ll show you. It’s plain, because the storytellers wanted you to know.

Look At Dialogue - What a character says almost always gives you hints to what they want—even if they never say what they want out loud. Kids are most likely to say it, point-blank. So cub-Simba says, “But I thought a King could do whatever he wants.” But adults usually don’t say exactly what they want, because by that time, they’re either confused about what they want or they’re insecure about what people will think of what they want—whatever. The point is, pay attention to what a character says. Simba also sings, later, “free to do it all my way!” You can also find a lot out by what a character doesn’t say. Aladdin could’ve said, “yeah, well, at least I’m not a pompous jerk!” when Prince Achmed calls him “worthless.” That would’ve been more of his gutsiness, and he would’ve been right, like a hero should be when calling out a bully. But it wouldn’t have told you anything about what he thinks about what Achmed just said. Instead, he goes, “I’m not worthless!” …People who really believe obvious things don’t say those obvious things. Because they’re obvious. So when Aladdin says, to a closed door and an empty street, “I’m NOT worthless,” you realize that he’s just trying to convince himself. What he means is, “I don’t want to be worthless, and I don’t want to be seen that way.” Because on some level, he is afraid that he is worthless. See how you can tease that out based on what Aladdin says? Then it makes sense that, from that moment on, Aladdin does everything to prove he’s not worthless, or to make people believe he’s not—he goes to great lengths to preserve that image. That’s his motive. Just like Simba disobeys his father and Zazu because he wants to prove he’s a powerful Prince who can do whatever he wants. That’s his motive at the beginning of the movie. You can also learn a lot about what a different character says about another character. And whether or not they’re portrayed as right or wrong. When Prince Achmed says Aladdin is “worthless,” you don’t believe him. He’s drawn in gross curvy lines and he whips children and kicks poor people. You’re not inclined to believe he tells the truth, on top of all that. So the storytellers don’t want you to think Aladdin is worthless—they want you to believe that Aladdin thinks he’s worthless, on some level.

Look at Actions - Actions do speak louder than words. When a character is presented with a decision to make, look at what road they take.

Look at what that says about them. For example, when Andy Dufresne chooses to play music for all the people at Shawshank, even though it’s definitely going to get him in trouble, or when he dares to approach and talk to the abusive prison guard just for a few beers, you learn something about him. It might be confusing, and it might take cross-referencing that action with the fact that he’s digging himself a way out while everyone else is accepting their sentence. But you’ll see that he could have just done what everybody else did. Got through his sentence with the bare-minimum of work. Kept himself busy with any old thing. But that’s not what the storyteller has him do. The storyteller had him continue to bring new, life-lived things into the prison. He creates a space for people to learn and better themselves, he wheedles beers in just for the enjoyment of them, he’s beaten for the sake of music being played. The idea is that he’s going to keep pushing and living, reaching for more, instead of settling, like a man who’s already dead. So then by the time he digs his way out of Shawshank, you believe it. You’re like, “yeah, Andy would do that. I’ve seen him go to great lengths to live this whole time.” Through his actions, and the actions he doesn’t take even when he could, you figure out his motive.

Watch for the Change - Not every character changes. But when a character starts saying something that’s opposite to the kinds of things they said at the beginning, take note. When the character starts doing something they wouldn’t or couldn’t do at the beginning, take note. Miles Morales tries to jump off a building as his first test of being Spider-Man, and he can’t, he goes to a shorter building. Later in the movie, he jumps upside-down off of one. The change in action demonstrates a change in motive—he used to be focused on not-failing. Now he’s focused on taking action.

I’m sorry, I know this is already a long post, but wanna see it all come together?

(Dialogue) On Miles’ first day in class a girl points out that his shoes are untied, and Miles says, “I know. It’s a choice.” He leaves his shoes untied on purpose. (Action.) He also tries to fail in school on purpose. (Action and Dialogue: His teacher spells it out with her dialogue “You’re trying to quit. And I’m not going to let you.”) Then later when Mils tries to run and jump off a short building as Spider-Man, his shoes are still untied. Why? He does things sloppily on purpose. He leaves his shoes untied the same way he tries to fail tests he knows he can pass—because it’s easy. Because you can’t fail at something risky if you don’t try. So he trips and falls off the building. (Action.) That’s Miles’ motive. He’s got “Great Potential,” but he could succeed, but he chooses not to because he’s afraid of failure. Then later, when he leaps headfirst down a skyscraper, did you notice his shoes? They’re tied. (The Change.)

All from a pair of shoes.

Someone had to draw this kid’s shoes, before anyone knew what he would be wearing, and decide why it mattered. Someone had to pick what dismissive line a kid would say to him on his first day of school—and they had to pick exactly what words he would use to respond.

They’re trying to tell you something. All you have to do is believe that, and then you’ll start to not only hear what they’re saying, but appreciate how they choose to say it.

B. Figure out Who a Character Is

This one you can find clues for in the same three things: Dialogue, Actions, The Change. (If there is a change. There isn’t always.)

A character like Stitch is easy to analyze. Other characters straight up say (Dialogue) “You were built to destroy, you have no place among us, you wreck everything you touch, there is nothing inside you that is good.” Then he makes abominable choices (Action) pushes little girls down, rips up toys, chews on the heads of other aliens, actively tries to murder alien cops. But he also looks sad after a night of destroying things (Actions) and asks Lilo to explain to him a book about an ugly duckling (Dialogue? He sort of grunts.) So you’re starting to notice solid character traits: Stitch is evil, Stitch likes being evil, but Stitch feels empty being the way he is. Then when the Change comes, it’s meaningful, and it gives you a hint as to what the storytellers were trying to say.

You get a sense of what Stitch would do, what Stitch wouldn’t do—and you can ask why. With Stitch, it’s just because that’s how he was created by his literal creator. But with other characters, like Cinderella, you’re given background. Her parents taught her to be good and kind regardless of her circumstances. So then when her circumstances get worse and worse, and she chooses to hang on to what she was taught even when the parents are gone, that’s a big deal. And what happens as a result of that “big deal,” what happens as a result of “who the character is” and their “motive,” is our next step!

Remember, you can do this for almost all of the characters. And whichever character gets the most screen-time, what they’re doing during that screentime—all of those things matter.

Step 5: Look at What The Storytellers Reward & Punish

People mess this step up because they mess up Step 2. They forget that the storytellers are trying to tell them something—something specific, something with parameters—and they just start reading their own ideas and reasoning into the characters.

Prime example: people blaming Admiral Holdo for Poe’s actions in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The whole movie, Poe is doing things that are understandable, but ultimately, foolish. His Character Actions are coming from his Character Motives—which are flawed. Poe believes he should always stand and fight and do what’s heroic. There’s a little pride that goes with that—that he has to be the one to make the stand, or at least to know that there is a heroic plan. But every time he takes these actions, something bad results from it.

Disobeys Leia and Bombs the Dreadnaught -> Every other Pilot dies, and the ship is being tracked anyway. Leia slaps him and tries to tell him to learn a different lesson. Sad or intense music plays. One of the other main characters is majorly negatively affected by the death of her sister in this bombing run.

Sends Finn & Rose on a Mission Without Trusting His Superiors With the Plan -> They Don’t Make It and Nearly Die. His Superiors Trust Him Less.

Staged a Mutiny Necause He Doesn’t Trust Any Plan That’s Not Heroic, Especially if They Didn’t Tell Him First -> The Real Plan is Almost Foiled, Leia Stuns Him.

But some people see all that and they don’t willingly accept that the filmmakers are telling you Poe is in the wrong. They impose the fact that they like him, and they don’t like the purple-haired lady, over the narrative—against all reason, against all odds. They’ve stopped taking in the story, and they’re writing fanfiction before it’s even over. They believe Poe is in the right—if Admiral Holdo had just told him the plan, he would’ve gone alone with it! None of this had to happen!

Actually, the storytellers prove the opposite of that: that Poe would’ve been furious and put a stop to a life-saving plan, because he hates running away. But people are spinning out into “what SHOULD have happened,” or removing one tiny piece of the story and blowing it up and out of context, and judging the whole story on that. If you’re not a big Star Wars fan, consider this: I’ve seen people argue that in Beauty & the Beast, the Enchantress is the real villain and the Beast and his castle are the victims. This is ridiculous. Clearly, the storytellers are telling you that the Beast was in the wrong and the Enchantress was in the right.

They’re telling you this because they design the Enchntress beautifully. They align her with virtues like “value love, be kind to others, be humble,” and they introduce the beast to you with “sneered, selfish, spoiled, unkind, no love in his heart.” They straight up tell you that in the narrator’s voice. You have to believe them, in good faith, if you want to understand what they’re saying.

What about when there’s no voiceover narrating what’s good and bad? No problem. Look at other things. Like I said, look at how Poe is made a fool of by a benevolent and beloved character (Leia) whenever he makes decisions that the storytellers want you to see as bad decisions. Look at the lighting, the location, the colors, and the music during scenes where consequences of a characters’ actions are coming.

That’s what you’re looking for. What does the movie say is good, and what does the movie say is bad? What does the movie say is true, and what does the movie say is a lie?

At the beginning of E.T., the main character is disliked by everybody, including his older brother, because he only thinks of himself and how he feels. By the end, when the kid has taken such careful care of E.T. and reveals it to his big brother, his big brother wants to help him. They’re all brought together. Because the main character stopped doing something that the storytellers disapprove of, which is “thinking only about how you feel,” and he started “thinking about how other people feel” for a change. In the beginning of the movie, he’s lonely, angry, standing in shots that are wide and empty. By the end, he’s flying, beautiful music is playing, and he’s happy. The storytellers reward what they’re trying to convince you is good and right.

Step 6: Are the Storytellers Right?

I always stress remembering this last part. It’s all well and good to lower your defenses and take in a story in good faith. You should not ask this question until you’re done listening, in most cases. Just like it’s well and good to listen to someone with a different perspective than you—you might be wrong, and a story’s main function, like I say on my profile’s pinned post, is to act as a Signpost that Directs You Back to Truth When You’ve Wandered.

But the problem is, fallible humans are telling the stories, and fallible humans are listening to the stories.

So you need to know what you believe, and after the storytellers tell you something, measure it against reality. When Greta Gerwig says, “You Can Be Whatever You Want to Be, Because You’re God,” and she says it with the Barbie movie, is she right? When Cinderella says, “Have Courage and Be Kind, and You’ll Have Hope in the Worst Circumstances,” is the movie right? What if you find yourself in the worst of circumstances one day—you better hope Cinderella didn’t feed you lies. What if there is a God, and it’s not you—you better hope Barbie didn’t feed you lies. I really enjoyed going over this! I’m sorry it was so long. If there’s ever anything more or like, follow-up questions, go ahead and ask! I’ll try to make it briefer next time. Thanks again!

[writtenonhigh]

Who is Jesus Christ?

15. Redeemer

[aspirant1598]

[mothvalentino]

@cup-0fp0isonx liked for redemption verse starter

It was his first night out after leaving the Vees, after abandoning everything that had once been his afterlife in Hell. No more soul contracts, no more sex work, no fancy penthouse to retreat to, and significantly weaker powers. If Valentino were to tell a past version of himself about this decision, he would've called himself crazy.

And yet, the moth felt freer than he had in years, the next stage of his metamorphosis unfolding by increments as he adjusted to the changes. Starting new took time, and without the financial support of Voxtek, Val had to rely on his own savings. Which were by no means little but finite nonetheless.

Still, old habits didn't die easy, and so he found himself in one of his favorite sex clubs, eager to indulge and find distractions. Which came in the form of several drinks and smoke, inducing a high that brought him to the dancefloor, only to bump into one of his former employees.

ཐིཋྀ "Holy shit.", Val blurted when he turned around, staring into a familiar pair of magenta eyes.

[darkcacaocookieandfriends]

I have a ton of threads to get to buuut I'm finally going to make that starter call.

So uh, like this for a starter and tell me what muse you want. If you're a multi, tell me what muse I should throw them at.

[forsxken-fxther]

// okay . big yap sesh for the Block Tales Verse ;

*{ Tagging bc Interested : @idiotgaybosandwich , @b-ubonic-pl-ant }*

CW : Uh I mean . This is 007n7 we're talking about /hj . Ships , personal headcanons , opinions , Demo Three / emotional distress/manipulation , sewerslide .\\

OKAY so . first like in the Verses post I have , I briefly mention how Seven even got into Block Tales in the first place ; a bug in the c00lgui . Well , guess who made it bug out in the first place ?

. . . Bet nobody guessed the Spectre . Haha , so original of me .

Anyway ! Yea , the Spectre was getting bored , they just placed a little bug into his c00lgui to randomize where he'd teleport , instead of the farthest spawn point . Had no idea Seven would LITERALLY travel into another dimension lmao .

So that's where the based game begins . Since this about the time he and Noli are causing chaos and hacking (?) (Most likely college days at this point , I'd think personally) so he changes his identity and clothing , and goes by ' Player ' , or just Seven if they're close enough ( ex. Griefer , BT!Shed , Kyoko , Noobador , etc) though Player is their alias . Seven still has the c00lgui (it's what gives him the hints , just like you get in-game) , though it's disguised as Shedletsky would definitely would recognize the original c00lgui . I'll drop the design soon , trust !!

The gui is telling Seven to just . . follow along with the main story ; Seven does it as this can be viewed as redemption for himself , and if he can save Builderman and get all of the swords he'd be a hero , right ? He saves Shedletsky ( even if he was very hesitant ; he was an admin after all , and even if he didn't hack anymore he still worried about being banned for his current self ) . Shedletsky feels a somewhat familiar presence in Seven , though cannot place a finger on it .

Demo One goes smoothly , the usually events playing out ( and Seven having the workout of his life ; he wasn't young anymore ) and boom . He meets Cruel King . Feels a large similarity between the two ; wanting to change fate / future , wanting to keep others blind to the pain around them . He didn't that with c00lkid ; he wanted to change his so called only future he had as an exploiter . Seven tries to convince that he can change the future , to improve it , but just as in game they fight anyway as CK isn't going to follow his advice . Yes , Kitchen Wizard still dies . (Headcanon) Seven can only cook simple meals , and has zero knowing difference between all those fancy colors .

Demo Two . Yikes . Absolutely sympathetic towards Mayor Thaniyel . Honestly , Griefer reminded Seven a bit of someone (someone as in Noli) , with all the attitude and such , but more tame . Feels absolutely terrible he had to fight Griefer ( just like when he fought Red and Blue to save Shedletsky ) , ESPECIALLY when he stabbed himself with the Venomshank and transformed into the plant-thing . Lowkey shed a few tears . Vowed to find the cure to this as soon as he possibly could . Regrets only getting the means in the beginning of Demo Four . He thinks Kyoko is nice , and she thinks he's very interesting . Visited Griefer as often as he could in the hospital , and comforted his father many times .

Demo Three . Oh my Admins , Demo Three . Mod's personal favorite Demo , and this is going to be an emotional ROLLERCOASTER . It starts off normal , Seven fussing a little over Shedletsky and his injuries , helping him replace the bandages , etc . Seven almost visibly shuddered at the mention of ' Telamon ' ; every exploiters worst nightmare from back then . A little surprised at how easy Shed revealed that he WAS Telamon , but Seven showed little affect at it . Seven goes to the mansion , a little surprised to see the ghost of Kitchen Wizard , but is welcome by his return . Now , cue touching the Ghostwalker . This is absolutely the worst thing Seven's seen since c00lkid in Forsaken , being changed from his son to a monstrosity . Greed was simple ; still wanted money , although a little more selfless as it was to raise c00lkid correctly once they get out of the Forsaken . Though , a little extra for himself couldn't hurt . . right ? Solitude . Oh my Admins , Solitude . The second worst one to fuck him up . Solitude often mimicked the voices of the other survivors , often berating him in the fight . It even mimicked F!Shedletsky's and F!Builderman's voice , which he found odd . It even mimicked c00lkids voice , which got a few tears out of him the first time ; almost got him to give in . However , since it was too early for Seven to give up , BT!HATREDBuilderman gave him a confidence boost ( which he uses later to hurt Seven more ) , which he used to win . After facing Solitude , Fear was easily the easiest one for Seven to defeat . After braving the feelings of solitude , fearing them was easier to get rid of . Seven knew who he was fighting for . Then comes along FUCKING Hatred . All that confidence he had before ? Gone . Hatred looked way to similar to F!c00lkid and that seriously screwed with his head . He felt like he was fighting his son , but he wasn't . And BT!Builderman shifting into it ?? Holy FUCK theres more mental trauma . He definitely lost a few times , not minding the respawning ( as he did it often in Forsaken ) . Theres definitely more trauma than there was before . Slightly relapses into suicidal tendencies , and because of that he takes a massive break before going to Demo Four ; in the meantime , he checks on Griefer a few times , talks to Noobador and asking about Red and Blue , helps Shedletsky with his injuries , which are getting much better , etc . He meets the Guru at this point , and revisits Cruel King a few times , having nice old man chats .

After resting for a week ( Shedletsky said to take longer if he needed , but Seven declined ) and he gave him the VIP train tickets and he set off . He went through the tomb with ease , and yes he still made the dumb wishes . It's what gui told him to do , he claims , but he knew that ship in the bottle would help get the cookbook to heal Griefer . He was the marker on the floor ; he knew it had to be important . As soon as The Great Flocci is defeated , Seven teleported back and retrieves the Kitchen Wizard's cookbook , asks him to make the special , and brings it to Griefer ( me too . I did the same thing . ) to transform him mostly back to normal . He wants to stay , help Griefer recover more , but know he needs the Firebrand and fast . Seven relucantly leaves Griefer , after getting his callcard , and fast travels right back to where he was ( Seven's fast travel is a little different than the base games ; his can be more specific , aka he can go to specific baseplates . ) before . Story goes on normal , quickly mentally noting that Calypso looks very similar to Kyoko , and with later details believes this is Kyoko's sister . Captain Trotter still calls Seven ' sharkbait ' . Though , seeing Jason was a FUCKING jumpscare ; he thought he was going to get oneshot by a gashing wound (/hj) . This Jason was surprisingly easy to fight , however , as Seven's used to dodging Jason . Nothing much to say , Seven did the puzzles really easily ( as he's a nerd ) , until after the Temple Guardian fight . Seven completes the puzzles , completely flabbergasted on how the entire crew died before they could even get here . Very suspicious . He helps the grieving captain , to the best of his ability , and they trudge on . In the boss fight , after being told by Trotter that he was a betrayer ; it was like Noli all over again . It was really bad ; Calypso had to snap him out of states in the middle of the battle , but they did beat Trotter . After that , it happened so fast . Trotter grabbing the Firebrand , Calypso pushing him into the lava , inevitably sacrificing him like the hieroglyphs described . The Ancients fight pissed him off more than anything ; he was angry yet he couldn't tell . That gave him a single piece of bonus damage boost throughout the battle . This is the only time he used a callcard ; Griefers . The kids were too small for this , he didn't have Cruel Kings yet , and Calypso was already there . After casting two or three times , Griefer showed up and he really helped . That stupid laser moved pissed him off , though . After the battle , Seven apologized profusely to Griefer , even if he didn't mind coming to help . Seven was a little angry at himself for calling upon Griefer , even though he just recovered .

That's it for Demo's , since that's all we have at the time of writing this ( will link more when it releases) , so lets get to another point .

Shipping ( and Dynamics I will and won't do ) ;

Player!Seven X Griefer : Will do , since ToxicHero is popular and reminds me of 7n7noli ( plus Griefer's still pretty fruity here ) . Unless you'd rather write a familial bond , which I'll also do .

Player!Seven X Cruel King : Yes . Old Man Yaoi alert . Two old men bonding over their past , presents , and future ? Sign me up .

Player!Seven X BT!Shedletsky : YES . YESYESYESYES . I LOVE CHICKENBURGER AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ( and uh . they'd be happy with patching each other up and helping each other through their problems <33 )

Player!Seven X Noobador : Yes bro . Two dads bonding over kids and co-parenting Red and Blue . Sign me up for Dad Yaoi .

Player!Seven X Kyoko or Calypso : No . Will not ; feel like they have more of a father-daughter ish bond (?) in a way .

HM: Player!Seven X Mayor Thaniyel : Yes . Also Old Man Yaoi .

[000marie198]

The fact that each of Zuko's little sisters, canon and fanon, are not only powerful benders but also total chaotic gremlins who fear no one

Azula is among the most powerful firebenders, is a master of psychological manipulation and wouldn't hesitate bitch

Toph invented metal bending, is a walking lie detector, cackles in joy at chaos, would wipe out an army singlehandedly for funsies

Kiyi melted a thick metal door down with zero training and she's like 5 or 6!

The world isn't ready for Zuko's three gremlin sisters teaming up. Zuko himself isn't ready for his three gremlin sisters teaming up

[nanamimizz-archived]

tags: 18+ minors dni, a/b/o verse, fem reader, omega reader, alpha john, licking, marking, themes of jealousy and possessiveness. for @prettyboykatsuki with their explicit permission.

synopsis: jealousy comes knocking on our door no matter what or when or why.

He doesn’t smell like you, it’s the first thing you realize when John Marston walks back into camp after taking Old Boy to the horse hitches with the rest of them. It makes your body twitch and stall for just a moment - you spill some water on the table that Mr.Pearson reprimands you for and you can only half apologize. You watch with sharp eyes how he moves, how he walks and how John easily slots himself next to the other men at the table with his hands on his gun belt even when he is passed a bottle of whiskey.

The camp is large and has a variety of scents and smells, one gets used to them and you can identify them as easily as picking out the white clouds from the blue sky. Pine for Charles, lavender for Mary-Beth and firewood for John Martson who is currently being covered by the scent of roses and cherries that you know no one at camp smells like and it makes something inside of you insane at this outsider’s scent. It’s enough to make you excuse yourself, marching over to the scarred man and tugging him behind you, away from the men who watch with amused expressions on their faces as John almost trips with the force you pull him into your shared tent.

The thick wooden beam that supports the middle of the tent is your witness stand as you push the taller, broader alpha to the wood and hold him there by the shoulders, nails digging through the sleeves of his coat. There’s an alarmed undercut to his firewood and brandy scent, agitation and nerves biting against your own as you bare your teeth at him.

“What is it with you, woman?” He asks you, dark brows furrowed and his scowl on his scared face would make anyone cower but you with your stubborn fearlessness that you push him further against the wood as the sweetness of your foreign scent turns sour in your agitation.

“Why do you smell like that - like some, fucking tramp?!” You hiss, voice low but venomous and John has no doubt that if you had a tail it would be flickering behind you with your jowls peeled back like some sort of feral hellcat. John frowns, brows pinched as he tries to free his arms from your grip.

“What you mean? I smell fine.” He throws back, bringing the lapel of his jacket to sniff half heartedly - picking up on nothing out of the usual. You puff, muttering some words under your breath. The only ones he catches are calling him the village fool as you crowd him, pressing yourself flush to him and John is happy that you closed the tent behind you so no one at camp can see how the fullness of your figure perfectly melts into his. There’s a flush to his cheeks that was not there before and you can’t notice it on how you feel sick on the scent of roses. On the tips of your toes, you press your face onto his neck and rub against the scent glands there. Pressing and rubbing until your cheeks shine with the scent of firewood and musk and brandy as you huff into his skin. Your tongue sneaks out to lap at the oils and John jumps beneath your silken touch as you moan softly against his flushed form. The salt of him melds onto your mouth as his scent clouds your mind and the sour-mango scent fogging the enclosed space of the tent blooms in golden nectar and clove.

It’s enough to make him moan, enough to make something heady flush in his mind as your teeth once bared nip and suck until the alabaster skin of his throat turns into purple petals of the jarul flower you would catch along the coasts. You pull away only to be tugged back and John’s voice is reduced to raspy little sounds in your ear as you lick, bite and suck at the other side of his neck until you can see the indents of your teeth as red as a sunset. If you could, you would have stayed there for hours, scenting and marking your John until he reeked of mangos and clove and henna leaves and so many things from the other side of the world.

“You’re mine, don’t ever - don’t ever come back smelling like you ain’t.” You mutter in between nips of your sharpened teeth.

So he’d never smell of anything other than you ever again.

But his name is called by Hosea, who’s voice is like a spear of sobriety through the veil of omega-posession and alpha-want that makes you pull away. John is a vision and you are too, red faced and panting; face slick with drool and oils from his scent glands. Dark eyes look at you with a wanting so deep you are tempted to disobey Hosea’s call until it rings out again clear as day. It makes John swallow, ducking his head and running a scared, calloused hand through his head as he nods to you.

“I’ll see you later, um…okay. I’ll see you tonight. Here.” He mutters, ducking away and out the tent flap cursing when he hears some of the men holler at the marks on his neck and the heavy scent of omega on his clothes. You find yourself unbothered as you step out and return to Mr.Pearson who finds himself unable to look you in the eyes.

[redeemedmillennial]

It’s gonna be the plumbers, reformed gang bangers, former atheists, and common folk entering Heaven—

maybe a few priests, pastors, and church dignitaries if they’re lucky.

Because grace doesn’t check credentials.

It checks hearts.

And sometimes the dirtiest hands have held the cross the tightest.

Matthew 21:31—“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”