#and finally of bad religion i have american Jesus and you

[racefortheironthrone]

Was the Comics Code as bad as the Hays Code?

That's a really good question!

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "as bad" - are we talking about the overall impact of the Code on American pop culture or are we talking about the actual content of the Code and what it banned and/or mandated in terms of artistic expression?

I've written a little bit about the Hays Code here, but my main focus was on subtextual judaism in Hollywood generally rather than what the Code was and what its impact on American cinema was.

So what did the Hays Code actually include?

One of the few positive things you can say about it is that the men who devised it were quite clear and forthright about what would and wouldn't be allowed, in comparison to the vagueness and inconsistency of the modern MPAA. So here's the list of what couldn't be shown:

Pointed profanity—by either title or lip—this includes the words God, Lord, Jesus, Christ (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), Hell, S.O.B., damn, Gawd, and every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled; (You'll notice that the Code is very much a snapshot of the transition from silent movies to "talkies," with the discussion of how profanity is spelled as well as produced via "lip.")

Any licentious or suggestive nudity—in fact or in silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture;

The illegal traffic in drugs;

Any inference of sex perversion; (i.e anything having to do with LGBT+ people and culture. For more on the impact of the Hays Code on the LGBT+ community, see the excellent documentary the Celluloid Closet.)

White slavery; (the 1920s version of sex trafficking, but with added racism!)

Miscegenation;

Sex hygiene and venereal diseases;

Scenes of actual childbirth—in fact or in silhouette;

Children's sex organs;

Ridicule of the clergy;

Willful offense to any nation, race or creed; and (this one was really honored in the breach more than the observance when it came to nations, races, and creeds of non-dominant groups in society.)

The following things could be shown, but "special care be exercised in the manner in which the following subjects are treated, to the end that vulgarity and suggestiveness may be eliminated and that good taste may be emphasized:"

The use of the Flag;

International Relations (avoid picturizing in an unfavorable light another country's religion, history, institutions, prominent people and citizenry); (again, depended a lot on what country you're talking about.)

Arson;

The use of firearms;

Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, et cetera (having in mind the effect which a too-detailed description of these may have upon the moron); (I guess the idea was that the MPPDA believed very strongly in the idea that media could affect people's behavior through imitation, but the use of the word "moron" gives me eugenics vibes.)

Brutality and possible gruesomeness;

Technique of committing murder by whatever method;

Methods of smuggling;

Third-Degree methods; (i.e, torture)

Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishment for crime; Sympathy for criminals; (this was a big one; Hollywood had done very well from gangster films, so a lot of creators had to do some careful threading of the needle to keep the genre alive. One dodge that they came up with was that they would have a duplicate "final reel" in which the gangster would have their inevitable comeuppance, and then remove the final reel when the censors had left the theater. Very popular with white rural teens.) Attitude toward public characters and institutions; (again, Hollywood shifting from being anti- to pro-establishment.)

Sedition;

Apparent cruelty to children and animals;

Branding of people or animals;

The sale of women, or of a woman selling her virtue;

Rape or attempted rape;

First-night scenes; (i.e, wedding nights)

Man and woman in bed together; (hence the eventual TV practice of showing married couples in separate beds in the 50s)

Deliberate seduction of girls;

The institution of marriage;

Surgical operations;

The use of drugs;

Titles or scenes having to do with law enforcement or law-enforcing officers;

Excessive or lustful kissing, particularly when one character or the other is a "heavy".

So in general, we can say that the Hays Code was extremely sex-negative, very concerned about crime and anti-establishment thinking, sexist, racist, and homophobic, and in general afraid of offending anybody.

So what about the Comics Code Authority?

So this is what the Comics Code looked like in 1954:

Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals. If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.

Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority.

Criminals shall not be presented so as to be rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates a desire for emulation. In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.

Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, the gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.

No comic magazine shall use the words "horror" or "terror" in its title.

All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.

All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated. Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly, nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.

Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.

Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity, or words or symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings are forbidden.

Nudity in any form is prohibited, as is indecent or undue exposure. Suggestive and salacious illustration or suggestive posture is unacceptable.

Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.

Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed. Rape scenes, as well as sexual abnormalities, are unacceptable.

Seduction and rape shall never be shown or suggested.

Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.

Nudity with meretricious purpose and salacious postures shall not be permitted in the advertising of any product; clothed figures shall never be presented in such a way as to be offensive or contrary to good taste or morals.[16]

You'll notice the similarities when it comes to the Codes' attitude to sex, sexuality, crime, and symbols of authority - so to answer the first part of your question, I would say the CCA was pretty similar to the Hays Code (in part because Charles F. Murphy, who drew it up, was deeply unoriginal and basically cribbed off the Hays Code throughout).

However, there are also some significant areas of difference that have a lot to do with the unique circumstances of the 1950s moral panic over comics. See, in the 1950s, superhero comics were considered deeply uncool and old hat - they had been huge in the 40s during the war, but by the 50s the biggest genre in comics were horror, crime, and romance comics (with cowboy comics bringing up the rear). To quote myself from another post:

"This gave rise to a moral panic in the 1950s, although more accurately it was part of the larger moral panic over juvenile delinquency. The U.S Senate established a Juvenile Delinquency Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee in 1953 to investigate the causes of juvenile delinquency and comics became a major target. While Wertham’s book is best known today for its assertions that Batman and Robin were teaching young boys to be gay and Wonder Woman was teaching young girls to be lesbians, the main focus of the Subcommittee [edit mine: and Wertham's academic work] was on horror and crime comics for their depiction of sex, violence, and “subversive” attitudes to law and order."

The CCA made it impossible to publish two of the most popular genres in the industry for a generation (the CCA relaxed its stance on horror stuff a bit in the 70s, which is why Marvel trend-chased werewolves and vampires the moment they could get away with it), which not only scrambled the medium (and potentially created space for the Silver Age of superhero comics to flourish) but drove the former titan EC Comics practically out of business. (Indeed, William Gaines of EC Comics believed that the CCA had been specifically worded to drive him out of business.)

So in some ways, the CCA was worse.

[stalkedbytrains]

“Cheryl? Where is the file for the next appointment? I can’t find it anywhere.”

“It’s the folder with the green tab,” Cheryl called from her desk at the front of the tiny office.

There was the sound of many papers shuffling around and finally an “aha!”

“The Rainbow Snake?” Came the voice from the office. Cheryl’s boss often read out loud when they were studying a client. Just a weird quirk of theirs. “Australian Aboriginal Deity. Oh I do remember them. We were at a party together… 2,000 years ago give or take. I don’t think they’ll remember me, ah well thems the breaks. Let’s see… hmm… I can see that this is going to be a problem Cheryl. Damn colonialists. I wish we could make the British gods fade away. Fucking King Arthur deserves to be relegated to the dust bin. I can tell that we’re going to need some deep cuts on this one. Start making a list of Australians we can contact, I have a feeling.”

Cheryl did as she was told. Her boss was almost always right about these things. She knew what the gods wanted before they even got here.

Several minutes later there was a knock at the office door. Cheryl got up to open it and invited in the dark skinned person and the beautiful snake they wore like jewelry but that might have only been because the snake itself was a living work of art. Like living breathing stained glass.

As Cheryl escorted the Rainbow Snake in, her boss came out and bowed deeply to their guest.

The chipper woman had tied back her full brown hair and smiled widely at the Snake and their human escort.

“A pleasure to meet you again,” the boss said, “it’s been many centuries but I am glad to see you once more. Please come in to my office. Would you care for any refreshments?”

After settling and getting water for the Rainbow Snake, Cheryl sat back down outside the office and listened to the pitch. She never got tired of listening to it.

“How can I help you?” Her boss asked.

“We heard that you can help us gods. Stop us from fading. We need faith. We need followers. The people are dying, the language is dying,” said a dual voice. The voice from the snake, and the voice from the human.

“We can do that. Sort of. I am sorry to say that it’s not a direct thing. I don’t just snap my fingers and make you some new believers. Human beings a wonderful little creatures. They crave us. They need us even if they don’t believe in us anymore. They want our stories and our myths. And that is what I provide. Stories.”

“How does that help us?”

“Do you know how down bad the Norse were? The Christian’s basically destroyed their religion, all we know of it is this bastard version of what was left after the Jesus freaks invaded. But then the comics happened. The Mighty Thor! And don’t get me started on Neil Gaiman and his Sandman and American Gods stories. I send that man a fruit basket every year. I love him. Have you seen how well the Norse pantheon is doing? Loki has seventeen penthouses, and more belief than he knows what to do with.”

“Bah. Western religion. White religion.”

“You are right. I am sorry that was a poor example. Perhaps I should have started with Māui and how well he’s doing with that Disney film Moana. I set that up.”

“You did all of that?”

“Well. Not directly. You know how us gods work. I gave some inspiration here and there. Got a writer to have an idea. Got a director and a bunch of executives to see the bigger picture and how it could be a hit. They did the rest themselves. Like I said, whether or not they know it, humans want us.”

“You can make me a hit movie?”

“Or a TV show or a video game. Those are hard though. Movies are kind of easy now a days, TV is having a resurgence now but you run the risk of cancelation and things like that, video games can be hit or miss honestly. Only the Greeks and Norse really pulled that one off and hoo let me tell you they paid for that one. Great games but still. I don’t want to look at those God of War games ever again. Books are easy. Worked really well for the Greeks and some of the Egyptians. Rick Riordan does great stuff. It all depends on what you want.”

“I can have anything?”

“Sure. Internet stories are easy. Quick and cheap but you are really gambling with the payoff. Could be either a total wash or go viral. Not something I can really recommend but if you need something now it can be done. Movies or tv can be great but there are also risks. It might be two or three years before you see anything.”

“Do I get to choose who does the work?”

“A little. I can influence certain people but sometimes the best person for the job is some down on his luck writer in a hovel in LA. Sometimes it’s Neil. But Neil is expensive.”

“I want a movie, I want it to be written by one of my people.”

“I can do that. But the problem is that reach might be very tiny. There are plenty of Aboriginal writers, I’m sure some can even be extremely talented, but something big and grand and bringing in all the faith and worship and stories you may way may be limited. If you want the Disney treatment you have to give up a whole lot of control.”

“No. I want it to be of the people.”

“Very well. Now, I can influence and give inspiration all over. I can even get this in the right people’s hands. But it is always a crap shoot. All I need to do is channel some of your power into the right person when I find it. Then creativity takes over, they do their work, I nudge some agents and companies their way and if we’re lucky you see some return on investment in a couple of years.”

“What do you get out of this process?”

“My dear, I’m the Muse. I feed off the creativity. These artists come to me most of the time. I just set them up with gods who need a little faith. And six points on the back end. I have a lot of alimony to pay.”

[winter-tospring]

first impressions from last night, for my records lol written as i went. warning, it's not great tortured poets department: wtf is with all that synth it sounds so bad so high so not on theme wtf is this her voice doesnt sound like it's trying at all it's strolling and so boring; she's just giving us nothing

my boy: this is like if out of the woods production was less good and also didn't fit the theme and lyrics and it just is bAD so bad, like why, it's like a bad imitation that doesn't make sense!!!!!! the drum and synth was nice once and then i'm sorry you actually have to make it coherent not just re-use the same things and patch them together because you have no new fucking ideas !!~!!!!!!!

down bad- she will say she's an alcoholic and she learned how to say fuck so she overuses it like a teenager now, great. matty breaking up with her?? sounds like he did but feels like lies tbh

so long, london- wow finally getting to hear about joe. better match between lyrics and music. better gradation, better buildup, some pretty good lyrics, overall, decent

but daddy i love him- something i would actually support and be hyping if she had come out as bi, or gay, or had stuck with matty, had defended any part about him, had continued dating him longer than she did, had actually dissassociated from her dad, had actually done sonmething rebellious truly. but she reverted back to a fucking footballer her dad picked for her so how fucking bold to release this now when all this energy is gone. the nerve. she should've kept this to herself or release it last summer it's actually UPSETTING that she would release this now when she is in such a picture perfect daddy approved relationship.

fresh out the slammer- uh….okay…undewhelming "taylor, please. do a drug. any drug. and report back. 😞😩"

florida!!!- definitly the best!! florence has the best moments of the album. actually intersting vocals, attitude, style, bocal beauty, and interesting music overall. just want her to sing only, feels like taylor is impeding on florence and i want florence to come back everytime she stops singing. florence actually adds flavor to this, whereas taylor is just...flat and uninteresting??? yikes

guilty as sin?- actually like it!! guitar and drum yes baby. though oh pooor little baby you desire someone else. you are now linking yourself to jesus, you're so guilty but you havent done anything. okay okay but the sound is actually good and i would listen again. the grandiose religious comparisons are a plenty on this album man

i can fix him- taylor you are not grimes. you were not married to elon musk. stop religion, stop it. my god how embarassing this one should not have been public. actually burst out laughing at that last heavy "can't"

loml- thank you for actually telling us something. that was the easiest to get through without interrupting. joe song. good words, good simple ballad.

i can do this with a broken heart- this is funny genuinely, funny, i would hype that, wow

the smallest man who ever lived- the karlie song? want to look more into the lyrics.

the alchemy- ew ew ewterrible badddddddddddd you can't write a good song about football, please stop trying. this is so bad i'm actually so mad please delete this clara bow- so disapointed! i expected more from this one, but it's another ''the lucky one'' or "last american dynasty" etc...nothing new, so it doesn' really compel attention... i listened to who's afraid of little old me last:

who's afraid of little old me?- oh god girl. make this make sense. this is embarrassing, why dont you tell us why you were raised in an asylum and what they did and that instead of throwing oh boohoo me i have it so bad.

this is just her style now, i guess. :|

[smokedgastropod]

if you haven't heard

republicans are losing their shit because "boy scouts of america" are changing their name to "scouting america" and that's bad somehow, because now boys lost their exclusive space and won't be taught how to be a man

I have no idea why people who never had anything to do with scouting always feel so entitled to comment on our movement i swear

I'm a polish scout but will comment on this anyway - gender separation in scouts has been an american thing, pretty much exclusively.

most countries have just one main scouting organisation, typically recognised by wosm (world organization of scout movement) and some smaller ones, local or religious ones. differences among scouting organisations are mostly to do with history, approach and religion. like, france has different organisations for atheists, denominations of christians, muslims and so on. poland has 2 major ones, one contemporary and the other based on scouting before the second world war. it's america that's weird, having one for boys and one for girls, and royal rangers, but they're somewhat small.

guiding has developed alongside scouting since the beginning, and cub scouts and rangers (kids younger than scouts and older scouts respectively) are pretty much always coeducational. it's only troops for 10-13 year olds that are commonly separated by gender, but not always.

boys scouts of america accept girls into their ranks for years now, as they can't afford to be picky. see, what we scouts from outside of us consider bsa to be is a cautionary tale. to not get involved with fundamentalists and stay vigilant, to not tolerate pedophilic behaviour from leaders and report that shit swiftly and decisively. the rebrand to "scouting america" seems to be a desperate attempt to separate boys scouts of america of this unfortunate legacy.

finally, because people refuse to accept that; scouting isn't conservative or even necessarily patriotic in the strict sense. it's a youth movement meant to help young people grow up. the scout method (based on work in small groups, leadership roles, accountability, positivity, responsibility and such) hasn't changed in years but our values have (though it depends on your organisation, leaders and troop obviously). inclusivity is more important now than some outdated ideal of masculinity, and the name change is supposed to reflect that.

jesus just let scouts run themselves in peace or at least stop with the fucking pearl clutching about "poor boy scouts" because of "woke"

[randomnameless]

You forgot the most important but, Bradley who rants about how God isn’t real in his final fight gets distracted by the Sun, a Symbol of God InUniverse that was the entire basis of Fathers plan during the Eclipse as well. So in the end a symbol of God help bring him low. Even having his Wrath ideology rejected and dying content. As for Idore, it sadly reminds me that IRL American Conservatives are starting to say stuff like Jesus beliefs “don’t work” cause ”Love they neighbor” is WOKE.

Yeah I remember that scene!

But to be fair, the point I wanted to make to the other anon (?) was how Bradley was an ass for, well, barging in, slaughtering people and mocking their beliefs.

So even if the Ishvalan God never intervened in Bradley's demise, it's just, imo, common courtesy and decency to respect each other's beliefs and faith, and even if you don't share that faith, you're not supposed to ridicule other people for believing in something you don't?

TS, but in general with those famous JRPGS where Church sekritly BaD (I confess I haven't played many of them??), you have the feeling that some people barge in a place, reveal to the world their "religion/faith" never existed to begin with, and then it's over. The "faithful" are just supposed to accept they were lied to for years, and no worries, the playable cast will look after them and they will eventually sing kumbaya together.

I really liked TS, both because the FE16 discourse is slaughtered when a game finally delivers and doesn't pull its punches because of tea needing to be sold, but also, Hyzante - and by proxy, as usual with the Square games, religion - is a black hole and an effing black spot on an otherwise good game.

[shop-korea]

This Time I'll Be Sweeter

Original Short Cable didn't charge

Samsung - Galaxy - Old - S Series

Used Long - Both New Solar - yes

Old Thick - Solar then - worked US

Things like this - Why Sulli hanged

Herself - 2 bad - 'Home Alone 4'

was not what she watched

earlier - 6th floor finally

talked 2 me - Cast out a

demon from Born again

Meaning - He thinks the

Holy Ghost can be Held

Hostage - when He resides

in our Spirits - but - Korean

Girls - We don't turn Blonde

when we become Living spirits

instead of Dead Spirits - he and

others thought - like - Disney

'Descendants' - Blk Girl other

Show - Dual Personality that

I was talking 2myself 4 yes

Christians not great with

Business - Thought I was

talking 2 Satan - Calling

Boost Infinite

Fifth Third Bank

Social Security

LA Fitness

White Guy I liked - 1:30A

Probably left - already

Asians - unite

Americans wanted 2 tell me

Holy Ghost can be - Roped

Binded - Held by Satan and

Demonic Spirits - that if I

Receive his prayer I will

get - Freedom

Korean Girls - Depart from

Stupid

HDG Banks

Bible - 'Last part Christians

can't handle much less 1st part'

These Americans - Religious

weirdos - Not coming - near

us - 'Money answers - all'

These Miami Christians

Casting Demons their Quest

But asdwmon leaves - Goes 2

Dry place - Gets more demons

Goes back - Now person is yes

Worst as she- he goes2 their

Bible Study - then knives yes

herself - and shows nudity as

they cast out demons - then

they get - Legion - Leader

Now thousands of demons

in her - Korean Girls - Pulse

of Hatred - Violence

Your Mickey Mouse watches

Point - She evaporates then

Disappears - God tells her

'You are unclean - Sheol

your Last Stop & Final'

I was just wearing a panty

when I talked shared time

difference with Asia Seoul

Advance - I have 2 adjust

Not otherwise - Good 2 know

what Americans - say

Special Marines

Special Air Force

Special Navy

Hats and Uniforms

Bulletproof - Fireproof

Boots 2 fly us

2 - Depart from - Age 246

Strange Americans

God doesn't believe in religion

But if they insist - what neglect

as men - Visit windows in times

of need - Add God's heart visit

Orphans 2 - Holidays - Birthdays

Their time of need - Visited me

while I wore my panty

Not a widow or orphan

Casting Demons - Demon

Busters - Bible Study

Jesus said - Food 4 Hungry

Drink 4 Thirsty

Cloth Naked - Alexa Sharkay

Place 4 Homeless - Hiltons

Strange - Americans

Willfull - Disobedience

as we leave - Miami - and

USA - Depart from - Evil

Depart from Age 246

Braggarts - Murderers

Robbers - Rapists

Gets Pregnant during Violent

Age - Dangerous - Perilous

Korean Girls - Depart fr US

Men and Women

Non-Virgins

Forget - Karaoke - Fried

Chicken - Forget Dancing

God said - Sing and Dance

2 the Lord God

He said - Demons inhabit you

God said - He inhabits the

Praises of Him by His people

When you praise Him - He

Resides in you not just

visits you not Time Sharing

White Male said - God not

in me - Demons reside in me

hearing my conversarions

Koreans learn American

English

French of Paris France

World's best sounding language

USA - F word - S word

World - Crass

Oppressive - Offensive

Abuse - Torture

American - Harrassment

Italian - No 2 - Like a Musical

Korean Girls - App - Per

French Word - Speak

500 billion won - per

Tax Paid

Italian - each word

250 Billion won - per

Speak 2 App - Unlimited

Daily - Speaking American

Joining - Torture - Abuse

English of England - like

a - Melody in our hearts

British words - spoken

Heals gently our spirits

Have 2 wake up - 0600

County Males only

Torture - Harrassment

No one Touches - My Tent

Speaking - American english

Koreans touching my - Tent

Blk Males - Hispanic Males

No 1 and No 3 - Criminals of

the World - We have declared

War - USA - Haiti - Spanish

Speaking Countries 2 - yes

Slaughter - French - Saber

Swords - Submarines

Coming 2 Florida - CA - NY

World War 3 - Jesus is Lord

[the-acid-pear]

When it comes to popular bands i only listen to TWO songs of them... Nothing more nothing less. <3

[hardtchill]

Tobin also purposefully bought her nephew a like catalog of books about diversity iirc so like that anon can chill the fuck out (also what theyre saying isn’t true, you couldn’t see the title of the book in that photo) and she doesn’t “follow” Jesus on the pluralist 🤣.

If anything she may follow a streetwear brand that has Jesus in the username etc, which is a whole other issue that I could go into regarding streetwear as a Black led industry and Black culture in regards to faith because it IS interconnected. I’m not going to troll her following list, and frankly I last I remembered pluralist follows no one and accepts whatever that # is and has 0 posts (posted and deleted usually) so ?

And finally reinc has 0 religious connotations I hope that anon has a very good doctor to fix the broken bones from that reach. If you’re mistaking reinc conversations, statements, and explanations behind collections to be religious then perhaps you simply need to learn how to read. I mean this in the nicest way, but you’re literally no better than the religion crazed idiots if you try to find their ideology in everything.

This weird personal hurt you have to a queer woman still honoring the personal relationship she has to a religion is very suspect and outright as offensive as you’re trying to claim Tobin is. Seriously seek help, stop being deranged about a woman you don’t even personally know! She doesn’t give a fuck about you dude! go to therapy, get a dog, and realize that your own feelings about religion are not supposed to interfere with others (granted they’re not harmful).

It’s not your duty to try and sway ppl away from Christianity. In all honesty anon is acting the same way Christian missionaries do when they come across someone of another religion. Say a Muslim. It is not your responsibility to take others away from teachings you view as “bad”. Being Christian isn’t bad. Following the American culture of Christianity is. You have no obligations as a Christian to even go to an organized church. You can read your Bible and pray how ever you want and believe God exists on your own. You are not automatically part of the culture of mega churches and Bible thumpers.

I too am hurt by organized Christian religion daily. I don’t take it out on players who follow Christ. Again I could do a dissertation on exploring why athletes have a higher prevalence to be religious, which I think plays a role here and means anon should just walk away from woso if that’s how they feel bc Tobin said amen (which wasn’t even in a religious context!!! Like have we talked about that! It’s literally just a colloquial statement of amen in agreement lmfao ALL THIS OVER SOMETHING NON RELIGIOUS!!!)

I disavow the hate, I surround myself with inclusive lgbtq Christian’s including pastors who are queer themselves and listen to their feelings on the Lord being used for hatred. So you can straight up fuck off anon.

All the points to you anon, you're 100% right!

[senseandaccountability]

Hey, did you get a chance to watch season 6 of Lucifer? What did you think of the finale?

This is going to be salty (sorry) so I put it under a cut for people who prefer joyous things in the feed.

I didn’t like the final season.

To be brief: It felt like a story where the writers knew how they wanted it to end, and therefore the plot ruled over the characters. It wasn't a main plot I enjoyed at all, and it was told in a way that made it difficult for me to appreciate even the small bits I liked. (Ella reveal. Ghost Dan.) I thought it suffered from a jarring tonal shift and when it comes to several overarching themes, I felt it negated/trivialized previous seasons. In many ways it also managed to be both cheesy and cruel, often at the same time. I had the impression it was a compilation of (unfortunately rather boring) fandom wishes and tropes more than authentic storytelling.

To be anything but brief:

I dislike the season in part because it undid a lot of great things about Lucifer as a character.

By the end of 5B Lucifer had come full circle. I think that season finale is great. The Lucifer vs Michael fight was so well done thematically - he fought himself, and unlike the first fight in 5A when he wants to hurt his twin he had now reached a state of personal growth, of compassion. Not even when Michael kills Chloe does he deserve death because everyone deserves a second chance. And then the funny and pitch perfect “Oh, my me”. Ambiguous enough about the details to fuel the fandom, clear enough about the themes and the lore to offer closure. (No, Deckerstar didn’t have a date or much of a snog but I can fill in the blanks there though I am aware that many fans were disappointed by the lack of on-screen love.)

Excellent way to end the show.

Except they didn’t. S6, I feel, tried to tell the same story all over again, only not as well or even coherent.

Over the seasons it’s been pretty clear that while Lucifer can be caring, he mostly cares about the handful of people in his life. S6 even touches upon this, has him trying to care for random people in their hell loops. But S5 already did this, but better, with Michael. The family dinner with God was excellent, it showed broken people all around and had Lucifer, the self-centered drama queen of the family realizing that he’s not the only one that’s been hurt. It showed the best and worst of them all. Sparing Michael, considering Michael worthy of redemption, was peak growth for Lucifer as a character because in that moment he also considers himself worthy of the same thing. That’s when he truly forgives himself. I thought. And then season 6 shows Michael as a prisoner in Hell, just once, never to be mentioned again. Is that a second chance? Is that redemption? Is that really the symbolism they were going for or just a spiteful and stupid little addition because LOL SOME PEOPLE DESERVE HELL. (Do they? Says who? The show doesn’t answer that because the show that focuses on the neutral character the Devil and the totally untarnished place Hell doesn’t much care about such divisive matters, but more about that soon.) I dislike the season, in parts because I wasn't satisfied with the moral/quasi-theological backdrop. The system is wrong, Lucifer concluded by the end of 5B. Season 6 has him return to the system, as an Afterlife Coach of the Damned. Is that really the best they could do?

I mourn all the cool possibilities of what Lucifer, the advocate for free will and defender of desire, could have done with hell as a concept. Blown it apart, closed it, tossed the keys to someone else and rode off in the sunset. At the very least he could have altered it so that it’s no longer solitary confinement but a collective of doomed souls trying together to achieve redemption but hey, never mind me, I’m a bleeding-heart socialist and I don’t believe in revenge and I don’t believe in God but if I did, God would forgive. Otherwise, what the hell is the point?

I parsed through the season with my husband, a real-life minister who doesn't think anyone deserves hell and who gets to suffer my long-ass questions about the theological themes of popular culture a little bit too often. Because we both felt slightly insulted after watching. "Is this bullshit what they offer me?" my husband asked me as the timey wimey time travel plot unfolded. But timey wimey bullshit aside, we concluded that the real reason we were both so annoyed and frustrated with the season is because it highlighted how flat the background lore really is. I mean, I guess they wanted to be yay, neutral and non-divisive themes galore! It’s good to be good, folks! If you’re not, well, I guess you might have your spine broken by the Devil or sent to a never-ending hell loop but let’s not talk about religion! The main issue, for me, with the whole system of heaven and hell and earth on the show is that for every equation, there’s a part missing. The show has borrowed the character from the comics verse but left the entire lore and its internal logic behind. It borrows a bit of moral philosophy, but cuts away the troublesome bits otherwise Lucifer can’t both be on a redemptive path and happily slaughter people in fits of vengeance; it uses Heaven and Hell and vaguely also the concept of sin but never answers any questions about it, apart from the central message of course: it’s up to you. In fact, the show discourages questions about the lore because it has no answers. It doesn’t care. The ending of the show brushes off the much needed systematic changes of heaven and hell like it’s just another joke. (Want to know a show that has compassionate writing about morality while managing to be very funny? The Good Place. And you know what, morality should be serious. I’m a softie and again, a bleeding-heart, but it’s important to be a good person and it’s important to get a chance for redemption. It matters. It’s not just a minor detail.)

Which brings me to the damn therapy theme. I know a lot of people like it and I have also liked it a lot in previous seasons. I have. It’s been quirky. (Also highly unprofessional, but hey.) But as the key to your afterlife/redemption/second chance it’s just not good enough.

It is so very, very individualistic that it makes my skin crawl. It’s the ultimate American solution to systemic injustices and suffering - hey, it’s up to you, man. You decide if you deserve hell. You decide if you deserve Heaven. You make the difference! You can do it! Live the afterlife dream, achieve all your goals, get a hell loop that no longer loops but… stays in one static place where at least you’re moderately happy. Navel-gazing into your soul is certainly one way to get some insights into your mistakes. But it’s not redemption. Redemption is an active choice to be a better person. You don’t have to earn redemption or deserve it. And redemption isn’t the same as forgiveness either. Redemption is the opposite to pointless, everlasting punishment. It’s hopeful and it’s ugly and it’s full of purpose and the chance to be better and add something good to the world. Even Lucifer doesn’t get to do that on the show. He deals only with the already doomed. The here and now on Earth fades into the distance as Deckerstar, too, gets their happily ever after in Hell. You’ll get pie in the sky when you die. Or you get to shag on a throne in Hell. Either way, life on Earth doesn’t matter. (Here the show lean into some really dodgy Christian themes, I’d argue, but hey, it’s not about religion! It’s just a fun romp about a reformed bad boy!)

“Hell is just revenge porn for fundamentalists and other people who believe in eye for an eye. I just want there to be a level of collective forgiveness and hope, you know?” I told my husband whilst chugging down beer. As you do when you watch crap that makes no sense. “A level of hey, I’ve got this, I forgive you, you can do better. Go and do better. And then the actual opportunity to do so, even if it's just reliving your life as a ghost again and again until you figure out what went wrong.” “Honey,” my husband said. “I hate to tell you this since you’re an atheist but that level you’re talking about? That’s Jesus.” Well, screw that.

I really don’t want to need Jesus to make sense of a story. I just want decent bloody storytelling.

[inkmemes]

‘the  departed  (  2006  )  sentence  starters ↪  taken  from  the  film,  film  script,  &  original  script.  some  have  been  slightly  altered  to  work  better  out  of  context.  yes  i  know  it’s  super  long  but  i  couldn’t  help  it.  alter  as  you  see  fit.  trigger  warnings  for  religion,  blood,  death,  violence, language

"you still on the straight and narrow?”

"you can tell a mick because he wakes up every day and smells the coffin.”

"what sort of man wants to be kept in his place?"

"i don't know what to do for you."

"don’t run into the fucking building fucking next time, you fuckin' douchebags."

"don't tell me i'm looking at the first dickhead-american president of the united states!"

"fuck yourself. you'll see what i'll be. how i'll end up."

"you don't need any help from me to be completely fucked."

"rage issues, paramilitary fantasies, and lower median IQ."

"if you had an idea about what we do we would not be good at what we do."

"what's that got to do with me?"

"i ain't sure about him, either."

"why didn't you become an actor?"

"i think even if i were sigmund fucking freud i wouldn't get an answer."

"it's not a strange question."

"he's dead, you know. i didn't tell you."

"are you trying to prove something to the family?"

"you have always questioned everything."

"maybe. maybe not. maybe fuck yourself."

"what was his name? the, ah, departed."

"you're a fucking genius."

"it was in the papers."

"and why are we graced with your presence?"

"i'm the guy who tells you there are guys you hit and there are guys you don't. that's not quite a guy you can't hit, but it's almost a guy you can't hit, so i'm fucking ruling on it right now that you don't hit him."

"i mean fuck yourself."

"welcome to the neighbourhood. "

"they don't run harvard law at night, last time i checked. "

"and for that you have to take me to dinner."

"shut your ass before you get a gun stuck up it."

"when i hear about someone getting in touch with their true nature i always feel like i need a shower."

"they say you really fucked up.”

"personally, i only come into places like this if i have to hurt somebody."

“i'm sorry. it was necessary.”

“i saw a dead guy. i think i have post traumatic stress. you available for lunch?”

“he's an idiot.”

“you’re a presentable guy, now that you're not pretending to be a scumbag for some personal reason.”

“he gave me a fucking job!”

“informers. the world is all informers.”

“i was going for my fuckin' cigarettes.”

“in this country we can eat a variety of items.”

“if you ask me another question, i'm going to kill you.”

“you're rising in the world. what are you going to do?”

“the way you live, there's not much question about the way you die.”

“the next time i see you, i'll kill you.”

“mind your own fuckin' business.”

“most of the people in the world do it every day.”

“that was a joke, [name].”

“it's just a little while longer.”

“name me one thing that people do that doesn't have some element of a clusterfuck.”

“you're a mess. you need to talk to somebody?”

“i need to fucking talk to somebody.”

“get the fuck out of there now and don't go back.”

“you look so relaxed.”

“can we afford an interior decorator? because even if i had time, i really suck at it.”

“when you're younger, every year is a different personality with different costumes, different books. then you're just finally the same old shit, and so is your life. that's when you get married.”

“haven't you been different people?”

“you calling the shots here?”

“do you know what it's like to be the only person who can do anything, and to not be able to do it?!”

“people are liars. they want to be stars of their little films. reinvent what happened. pretend they had a snappy comeback when really they thought of it in the car.”

“no one's more full of shit than a cop.”

“no one's themselves, if anyone's watching. sometimes i think that the happiest people are the ones who aren't themselves even when they're alone.”

“i was on a sailboat once in a stom. there were people who lost it. there were people who did their jobs. everyone sorts out.”

“maybe i don't need you.”

“maybe we could play trivial pursuit or have an original-thought bakeoff and see who wins.”

“you did that because i said something true. congratulations.”

“it was a clumsy way to say that i was interested in your thinking.”

“this is fuckin' america. it's complicated, here. wake up.”

“don’t tell me how to do my job.”

“i’ll tell you to your face that you just didn't do it.”

“some people never trust a guy with an immaculate record.”

“ladies see the wedding ring and how immediately that you must have some money and that your cock works.”

“reality's important. appearances are more important.”

“no, no, no. jesus christ.”

“i don't know what's going on and i'm not sitting in this room without getting a tetanus shot.”

“the only one who could do what i do as well as i do is you.”

“if you make me fear for my life, i'll put a fucking bullet in your fucking head as if you were anybody else.”

“if you'd handled this problem i wouldn't be here.”

“fuck yourself.”

“i have a lot to learn from you.”

“you can ... be one thing with one person, and someone else to another.”

“what the fuck do you want?”

“i’ve done a lot of bad things but i've never been a murderer.”

“i have unfinished business. i don't know exactly what I'm going to do ...”

“we all have an achilles heel.”

“it's good to know people in high places.”

“you get to a certain age and it's all about deciding to commit. sometimes not what you want. you have to want what you don't. you keep wanting what you want and it's chaos. what do you want?”

“you got a thing for rooftops?”

“i’m not your confessor. there's no absolution.”

“i know who you used to be.”

“it's the essence of cards. you play what you're dealt, or you're a fucking cheat.”

[dark-and-twisty-01]

DiAngelo is the only survivor of the largest mass suicide on American soil. He found the bodies of his 39 friends lying with plastic bags over their heads, wearing neat black tracksuits with an 'Away Team' patch and Nike trainers. Now we discover why he was left behind...

It was midday when Rio DiAngelo arrived at the hilltop mansion overlooking San Diego to find all the windows closed, the curtains drawn, and outdoor lights burning in the sunshine. The front door was locked, but he found a side door ajar and warily pushed it open.

The unmistakable stench of death made him gag and he covered his face with his shirtsleeve, which still smelled of cologne from his morning shower. As he walked through the eerie silence, he knew what he would find. And he dreaded it. Upstairs, 39 of his friends lay dead in their beds after the largest mass suicide on American soil. All members of a bizarre cult, they had each downed a lethal cocktail of vodka, barbiturates and apple sauce to leave their 'earthly containers' and join an alien spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet.Yelling out in case anyone was still alive, DiAngelo raced from room to room. But all he found were bodies with plastic bags over their heads. Each one wore a neat black tracksuit with an 'Away Team' patch and Nike trainers with their comet-trail trademark. The 21 women and 18 men had each packed a small bag for the journey, and have five dollars in their pocket. Thoughtful to the end, each had left a note saying. 'I forced myself to go into each room and check everyone,' said DiAngelo. 'With each body I came across, the loss became too much to bear. They were my closest friends. I loved them dearly.'

DiAngelo, who's real name is Richard Ford, became involved with the Heaven's Gate Cult in 1994 after attending one of their meetings in a California hotel or 'Cultifornia' as sceptics often call the state that spawned Charles Manson and the Reverend Jim Jones. He had listened while nine androgynous-looking members wearing identical loose clothes and cropped hair described their absolute belief in aliens, the paranormal, and reincarnation. One of them was 59 year old Thomas Nichols whose sister, Nichelle, played Star Trek's Lieutenant Uhura. Forbidden to have sex, hug each other, or even shake hands, the Heaven's Gate cultists concentrated on purifying their bodies and spirits ready for the move to 'an advanced level of being' on another planet or dimension. They called each other brother or sister, observed daily rituals, and were allowed to watch only selected TV programmes. Individual needs were minimised so that a member who had run out of deodorant, for example, would have to apply for a new one in writing.Anyone entering the immaculately clean mansion referred to as 'the temple' had to take off their shoes and wear surgical socks. Silence prevailed, and many of their neighbours assumed they were 'a bunch of monks.' In line with their belief that they had been sent to earth as angels, six members were castrated and, according to DiAngelo, 'they couldn't stop smiling and giggling about it.'

On some days, members had to report to their superiors every 12 minutes while on other days they were required to wear a cone on their heads as they would in alien bodies. Many common words were changed so that members would not remember their human past once they had ascended into space. For instance, house became 'craft' and kitchen became 'nutri-lab.' Their 65 year old leader Marshall Applewhite had started the cult in 1972 with Bonnie Nettles whom he had met while undergoing treatment for homosexuality in a psychiatric hospital. They had abandoned their human names and called themselves Guinea and Pig, then Bo and Peep, before finally settling on Do and Ti.Ti died of cancer in 1985, But Do, claiming he was Jesus reincarnated, said he continued to communicate with her. The group survived financially by running a successful web page design firm which they also used to try and win converts and spread their message. Their own website featured pictures of stars and nebulae downloaded from NASA and appeared very businesslike. It also stated that suicide is acceptable for cult members who want to ascent to 'a higher level of life.' Heaven's Gate shared some of the beliefs of 19th century occultists like novelist Mark Twain. In 1907, Twain wrote a short story about a hero leaving Earth for 'an extended excursion among the heavenly bodies' on the trail of a comet. He took his passport and five dollars for the fare. Despite their fantastic beliefs, DiAngelo was converted and lived in this eccentric community for nearly three years. I'd just turned forty and recently divorced and I was trying to find meaning in life,' he said. 'I'd had a fairly troubled past that included a violent, unstable mother and other bad relationships. The group shared my interest in UFOs, music and Eastern Religions.

But in, December 1995, Do's teaching took a more sinister turn and DiAngelo later recalled that he 'sat us all down and told us that we might have to leave our bodies behind. Amazingly, we didn't really have a problem with that. We trusted Do implicitly. 'We found a suicide recipe that used phenobarbital, vodka and apple sauce, and Do and some of his helpers went to Mexico to buy enough of the drug for the entire group.'  Eleven months later, an amateur astronomer took a photo of the Hale-Bopp comet, which showed a mysterious oval-shaped object trailing in its wake. Although NASA later described it a 'proto-comet' 2,000 miles behind Hale-Bopp, other astronomers dismissed the sighting as a hoax or error. Hale-Mary, as it was called, has not been seen since. Do, however, convinced his followers that it was a spaceship coming to take them away and that his deceased partner, Ti, was flying it. Seeing significance in everything, he told then that Hale-Bopp even had the same initials as Helena Blavatsky, another 19th century occultist with whom the group shared beliefs. Having decided on this 'Star-gate' plan, the group prepared to enjoy a final spree on Earth by spending some surplus money. They went to Las Vegas and stayed at the Stratosphere Hotel, and rode the rollercoaster and the Big Shot free-fall ride. A week later they went to see Star Wars and visited the San Diego wild animal park and Sea World. For their 'last supper,' they booked a table for 39 at a local restaurant where waiter Eric Morales was struck by their politeness and helpfulness. 'From the moment they arrived, all austerely dressed and looking the same, I knew this would be no ordinary shift,' he said. 'I made a joke to sort of set the mood and when I returned to their table five minutes later they were still laughing at it. You could tell they didn't get out a lot. 'All thirty nine ordered exactly the same: turkey pie, salad, blueberry cheesecake and iced tea. They were very pleasant, but guarded. When asked where they were from they said things like 'from the car' and 'from all over.' Six days later, employees at the restaurant watched news footage in amazement when they realised the oddball diners they had served had gone straight home and killed themselves. 'It was the last time they were going to be together,' said Morales. 'The bill came to three hundred and fifty one dollars which included a twenty six dollar tip. Our manager was so taken with them, he stood in the doorway and shook hands with each one as they left.' A month before the suicides, DiAngelo decided he wanted to leave the commune. He moved to Beverly Hills, and began working for a web design company. 'I left with Do's permission,' he said/. 'I told him I felt I had something to do outside...like a task. I think part of it was to explain to the world the philosophy of Heaven's Gate and the sort of people they were. Be an instrument of clarification. 'I believed Do was from another planet. He taught me to be more aware, honest and sensitive to the world. In short, a better person. What I gained from the group was phenomenal.

On March 27th, 1997, a parcel arrived at DiAngelo's office. It contained an upbeat farewell video and a message saying: 'By the time you read this we will have exited our bodies.' 'There was no mention of sadness or fear, but rather an air of excitement and anticipation. The cult he called 'his closest brothers and sisters' were aged between 26 and 72 and are believed to have died in three groups - 15 the first day, 15 the next, and nine on the third. In the heat of the Californian spring, many of the bodies had already begun to decompose by the time DiAngelo discovered them. Eager to be helpful, they cleaned up after each round of dying and had even taken out the rubbish. Police found handguns, rifles, and ammunition at the mansion which DiAngelo believed Marshall Applewhite had assembled because he feared a Waco-like siege by the FBI. He had also spent, $1,000 on an insurance policy that would pay out a million dollars each for up to 50 people in the event of abduction by aliens. The company said Heaven's Gate were one of 4,000 policyholders worldwide who had bought alien abduction insurance, with Britain and the USA being their biggest markets. The aftermath of the Heaven's Gate deaths was predictably prosaic. San Diego County planned to auction off their belongings - worth an estimated $1 million and give the proceeds to surviving family members. But  DiAngelo claimed that his brothers and sisters wanted him to inherit the web design firm and announced his intention of settling the matter in court. Neighbours living on the same street as the group campaigned to change it's name after crowds of 'strange visitors'  kept arriving to pray there. And the $1.6 million mansion itself proved unsellable because of it's gruesome associations and the obstinate smell of formaldehyde in its air conditioning. Two months after the suicide pact, two former members of Heaven's Gate also tried to 'exit their earthly vehicles' in a Holiday Inn four miles from the cult's mausoleum. They were dressed and prepared exactly the same as their departed brothers and sisters. One died immediately. The other was found unconscious, and went on to evangelise for the cult, touring the country with a 70-minute video of the bug-eyed Marshall Applewhite. He killed himself the following year in Heaven's Gate style after telling his friends that he would 'rather gamble on missing the bus this time than stay on this planet and risk losing my soul.' DiAngelo went on to apply the computer skills he had learned from Heaven's Gate to his earthly life. He auctioned off the cult's van on eBay and signed a deal to write a TV movie based on his experiences. But the project never got off the ground. A tabloid offered him $1 million for exclusive rights to his story. At the time he refused, preferring to preserve the dignity of his departed friends. Upon reflection, he later said he should have taken the money. 'I've been on a rollercoaster over the last decade,' he said in 2007. 'I still miss my friends so much and I still haven't met anyone who can compare to them. Not a day goes by that I don't think about them. 'I'm the last Heaven's Gate member on Earth, so there must be a reason why I'm still here. But although I still want to live like them, dying like them definitely isn't part of my plan.' DiAngelo re-established contact with his 19 year old son and confessed he was now 'a slave to commerce like everybody else.' Ten years on he was still haunted by the events of that terrible day, but relieved that he didn't join his friends in the mass suicide which shocked the world. The group's website is still maintained by two individuals allegedly surviving members who left after 12 years to get married (forbidden within the group which prized gender-free platonic relationships) prior to the group's exodus to the 'Next Evolutionary Level.' They confirmed in a statement on the 20th anniversary of the mass suicide that Heaven's Gate no longer existed but that the site remained available to those seeking information about their beliefs.

The world's fascination with the extraordinary actions Heaven's Gate undertook is yet to abate...

[americangodstalk]

American Gods: My opinion and review of season three’s finale

SPOILERS AHEAD SPOILERS AHEAD!

I took notes while watching the episode so I can give you my exact thoughts here.

This episode has two good things. Only two. 

The first was that they started to drop off some Shining vibes at the Center of America. Honestly, I was all for it. The Shining is the embodiment of the creepy hotel, and one of my favorite works, The definition of the anomalous, haunted, evil hotel. And the Center of America is supposed to be the Overlook hotel but for the gods. A creepy, dangerous place where they can break down into pure madness or oblivion if they are not careful. Too bad they did not continue and explore this more. You can see the difference between the old seasons and this one because in this one, they mix up together two different moments of the book in one episode: the Center and the vigil. In the old seasons, it would have been two different episodes to give enough screen time for each of these moments/chapters to be adapted faithfully and entirely. 

Two, the Technical Boy’s storyline. It was still too short for my taste, but I admit, they handled the revelation pretty well. Not establishing him as an Old God, but as a bridge between the Old and the New, that’s pretty clever, and making him the first and most powerful of the New, I roll with it. It also makes sense given World’s identity that he would usurp and overthrow who would have been the true leader of the New Gods. My main concern with this that they would have presented Technical Boy as dating back to the prehistoric times, which would have been very problematic for the lore (especially since the New Gods are described as an American phenomenon. And among the “things” we saw in artefact 1, was the first printing, most precisely the European first printing. Anyway)

Now for the rest and the bad parts...

I was ultimately pissed off at how they treated the passing of the body of Mr. Wednesday. It is not a “Norse tradition”, or not one I know of. The vigil thing, now that is done in accordance to the laws of the divine Old Gods, true. But in the novel it was clearly established that what happened at the Center of America was something that was bound by divine rules. RULES not traditions. That was the only thing the technical boy and Mr. Nancy agreed on. It wasn’t a matter of cultural tradition. 

As I mentionned before, the Center of America scene lacked tension. It wasn’t just a place where the god were “powerless” in the novel: it was a place where they could not attack each other because they were too careful surviving on their own. It was a place of danger, of tension, where the technical boy was starting to become mad. And here? Czernobog has sex with the receptionist. Which is another thing that disturbs me: not only is it unfitting with the setting (again, the gods are on such an hedge that they normally couldn’t be that relaxed or casually have sex like that), but it is also unfitting with the character - it is Mr. Wednesday that is a seducer who enjoys charming (literaly) young girls to get a bit of worship now and then. He is the lecherous guy, not Czernobog. 

There are VERY UNFORTUNATE implications with Shadow’s choice between divinehood and humanity. Because here, humanity is represented as black slaves, while divinehood is represented by a white man - even more a white European entity. Very, VERY unfortunate implications here. 

And what the hell is going on with Shadow’s character here? This is not the Shadow I know of, this is not the Shadow of the novel or even of the previous seasons, this is not even the Shadow of post-AG material! Since when does Shadow desires godhood? Since when does Shadow crave power and wants to become a leader? Who the hell is this? 

I still don’t get the fucking point of SHARD. What the hell is that? Especially since Mr. World is clearly Loki. In the novel, the natural tensions between Old and New were enough to draw on the war. The New Gods weren’t some kind of brainwashers invaders trying to puppet humans. I don’t even understand what Shard even is. Hell, in the novel the New Gods even carefully avoided to call themselves outright gods despite being ones, to differentiate themselves from the Old ones.

On a similar note, I realized something else with Lakeside (since it reappears). Many watchers were annoyed at Lakeside, feeling it fake, not understanding why such a town would be considered peaceful or idyllic. And it makes sense, because for most of the screen time, Lakeside showed us to turn on Shadow, accuse each other and hide secrets. In the novel, Shadow spent time with more of the people in town. He bonded with more people than Chad, Hinzelmann and Marguerite. There was much more a sense of welcoming and hospitality there. So again, they rushed it. If they wanted to make a season about Lakeside, develop the town fully. 

And poor Bilquis. She just doesn’t know what to do anymore. Oh, let me correct that: the writers don’t know what to do with her anymore. Ever since the ending of season 1 (which is technically the beginning of season 2, since they clearly reused the scripts left by Fuller and Green), she has been just wandering around, and even now... her character just leads nowhere. That’s what happen when you have a tertiary character of two scenes become a central one. Why not introduce some of the dozens of other divine characters, huh? 

And if there is a season 4, they better up their stakes, because so far the number of gods, both Old and New, on screen, has been dwindling massively. You wouldn’t believe America is filled with deities, huh? At least for the Old Gods they’re more numerous, but the New? Media/New Media is gone without a trace, these new things of Shard we can’t even identify are also out of the picture, the Caretaker disappeared, most of the Agency are just children, Technical Boy took on the role of many of the other New Gods (like gods of radio and the telephone), Money (whoever he is since his character is still confusing) isn’t even on board... Is it just Mr. World, Tech Boy and a bunch of children now? 

And I am not convinced about the Norns speaking and acting here. In the novel they were much creepier. Here, for fuck’s sake, one of the Norns looked at the ground before stepping down the frontdoor. That ruins the entire mystic mood! 

Let’s talk a bit about the vigil stuff, shall we? Outside of the fact they removed a lot of what made this beautiful (Ganesh isn’t here, Ratatosk isn’t here, Jesus isn’t here either, nobody’s fucking here), they also did something I believe to have again ruined the ritual. Here, Shadow is tied to the tree by branches - not by ropes. The tree animates itself and ties Shadow.  This is bad. Why? Because in the novel there was an ambiguity, and that’s what made the power of that scene. You didn’t know if what Shadow saw was supernatural events, real gods, or if it was a sun/thirst/hunger-induced hallucination. That’s what made it even holier, since it was precisely this same ambiguity that ruled the old religions (was it a drug hallucination, or truly a god speaking through the priest’s voice?), 

Finally I do not know what to think of the reveal of Mr. Wednesday’s death being a con, to revive himself... The sacrifice of a son wouldn’t restore Odin to his former glory, at least no by the book’s lore, it would certainly merely bring him back to life maybe, but that’s it. We all know what he truly needs to return to his all-powerful glory. I think the reveal of Wednesday as a cruel con men is also too early. This season built up Wednesday as a figure to root for, with a good and compassionate side. You can’t just ruin it all by the end of the season. It has already been ruined by season 2 and the end of season 1. Wait until season 4 for it... if there is one. 

So yeah... all in all what I have to say is. Missed opportunity. Stick to the book. 

[tricktster]

Hey, follow up to my post about The Satanic Temple because @wrexie asked and I realized I hadn’t fleshed out this thought: I mentioned very quickly that I wasn’t including legislators who identify as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in my breakdown of the numbers of self-identified Christians in the House and Senate, but then I totally dropped that thought and failed to explain why I didn’t include them.

I promise, that was not weird gatekeeping about who gets to be considered part of the Christian faith. I ommitted LDS members when I was discussing the relative Christian/Non-Christian makeup of the legislature specifically because, historically, the LDS church has been a target of religiously motivated legislation, and boy oh boy do I have a yucky example for you:

It’s 1878, 31 years since Bringham Young and the 148 other members of the nascent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints arrived at the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and per the LDS registration numbers, there are now 125,046 people who belong to the church. Now, the total US population at that time was roughly 50,000,000 (not counting indigenous people because racism), so LDS members were not threatening to overrun the country by any means, but, you know, 125,000 is starting to look like a pretty significant religious movement, and that relatively significant religious movement became An Issue in the eyes of the law, because as of 1878, 20%-30% of LDS members practiced polygamous marriages in accordance with their religious doctrine and beliefs. (To save you the google, LDS Church didn’t formally renounce the practice of polygamy until 1890.)

Now, there’s a lot of reasons to criticize the concept of polygamy as it is practiced in patriarchal communities, chiefly: holy shit that is not a fun position to be in if you’re, for example, a woman or alternatively a boy who’s throwing off the gender ratio. So when the first LDS polygamy case (Reynolds vs. US) went to the Supreme Court in 1878, the court could have easily decided that while there was nothing wrong with having a religious belief in the merits of polygamy, the harms that it caused on vulnerable people in practice were sufficient grounds for the practice of polygamous marriages to be abolished.

But let’s get real, it was 1878, women and children weren’t fully people in the eyes of the law, and the Court had a bigger and shittier argument to make. Here’s an excerpt from the decision:

“Polygamy has always been odious among the northern and western nations of Europe, and, until the establishment of the Mormon Church, was almost exclusively a feature of the life of Asiatic and of African people. At common law, the second marriage was always void (2 Kent, Com. 79), and from the earliest history of England polygamy has been treated as an offence against society. After the establishment of the ecclesiastical courts, and until the time of James I., it was punished through the instrumentality of those tribunals, not merely because ecclesiastical rights had been violated, but because upon the separation of the ecclesiastical courts from the civil the ecclesiastical were supposed to be the most appropriate for the trial of matrimonial causes and offences against the rights of marriage, just as they were for testamentary causes and the settlement of the estates of deceased persons.

I’ll parse that shit for you, and spoil what happened to Mr. Reynolds. The Supreme Court essentially decided as follows: America is a white, Christian nation and we do not tolerate the religious practices that we associate with uncivilized places like ALL OF ASIA AND AFRICA BECAUSE WE’RE EXTREMELY RACIST. Anyway, we, the Supreme Court, intend to Keep America Great (and Christian!), so in conclusion we have decided that the LDS Practice of Polygamy Is A Crime Now, Please Go To Jail And Pay A Massive Fine, Thank You!

Reynolds is still the law of the land; it’s never been overturned, and that’s not great (even though the decision had the effect of protecting a lot of women and children over the years). It’s a gross decision and it’s a bad decision - not because it’s the wrong outcome but specifically because justice is not the point here; the Supreme Court in deciding Reynolds used the concept of the American National Identity to smack down a minority religious group strictly because they challenged the status quo, and that, my dudes, is basically the judicial equivalent of wiping your ass on the Bill of Rights.

So, yeah, I deliberately omitted the LDS legislative members when discussing the prevalence of Christian beliefs among American lawmakers because until like... remarkably recently in American history, the LDS church was not the motivating factor behind religiously motivated legislation, they were the target. Jehovah’s Witnesses too, boy oh boy did the JWs ever bring a lot of lawsuits to be able to practice their faith as mandated by their religion, and they actually scored a few big wins.

Again, I’m not saying “join the Jehovah’s Witnesses!” or “actually fundamentalist polygamy isn’t all that baaad.” I’m just pointing out that the effect of religious legislation and religiously motivated jurisprudence isn’t just a threat to the athiests and godless commies among us. The deeply religious should give just as much a shit about this as the non-religious, because if you let these rights erode in furtherance of promoting your own religious beliefs, all it takes is ONE demographic shift before it’s your religious practices getting outlawed.

Also, again, there’s a way for the Court to reach the right decision if a religious practice is genuinely harmful, and that’s to recognize that everyone has the right to their own faith, but that the State has an interest in preventing harm caused by religious practices. I mean, the Court has historically fucked that analysis up too (because racism/sexism/homophobia, etc.), but it’s still way better than the Sir, This Is A Christian Nation approach.

Final note: the religious makeup of the current Supreme Court is notable because three justices, Ginsburg, Kagan, and Breyer, are Jewish (everyone else is Christian). If you’re interested, start paying attention to how they rule on religious cases. Better yet, read Breyer and Kagan’s dissents in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby, where they opposed one of the worst Supreme Court decisions of all time. (In Hobby Lobby, the majority ruled that Hobby Lobby [company motto: Michaels, But Shittier] didn’t have to abide by the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act because it was somehow a violation of the corporation Hobby Lobby’s religious beliefs!!!!!!!!! to provide their employees with insurance that covered contraceptive health care. It is absolute horse shit.)

Anyway, the Christian male conservatives made the decision, overcoming the women and Jewish justices’ dissenting opinions, and from that outcome and the well-reasoned dissents from Kagan and Breyer alone, one could probably posit that increased diversity on the bench is a GREAT IDEA to protect against oppression from a religious majority.

....That’s not happening while a republican is president, though, so for the love of god get your vote by mail done EARLY this year.

[horrorstoryfanfics]

Summer To Remember: Part One

Hello! So the first couple of chapters are going to be a bit slow. This is an Xavier love story but it’s also going to focus on the betrayal of your mother and be super angsty. I want the reader (you) to feel like you’ve been teleported into the season ! I plan on writing a lot of chapters so there will be loads of Xavier love later on ! 

Originally posted to my Wattpad which you can check out here 

Warnings: Mentions of death, injury, blood, American Horror Story stuff 

Background/Prologue

It had been about nine years since my father passed. They had never found his killer and his case was all but forgotten. My mother not wasting a second on using up what money he left us in his will to turn Camp Redwood into a brand new camp. .

My confusion was apparent. Why would you want to go back to the place that you experienced one of the worst traumas of your life? Not to mention the worst massacre of the decade.

She said it was a sign of hope. That she wanted to make this camp into something good. Turn the massacre grounds into something rejuvenating. A sign that bad times can rise into the good ones.

I rolled my eyes as I walked around the grounds. It did look much better than it did when she first bought it. It was condemned and littered with graffiti. Not to mention the blood that still stained the inside of the cabin walls. But now, it looked like a fully functioning camp.

She called me, begging me to be a counselor. And after turning her down five or six times I eventually gave in to her desperation. She said she had only found one other person and was relying on him to bring his other friends in.

I made my way over to the main cabin, my mothers. I knocked carefully on the door. I was a bit nervous. Ever since I was eighteen I moved out and distanced myself from her, only seeing her a handful of times through out the years. After my Dad died her grip on me tightened and she became unbearable at times. Forcing her religion and trying to deter me from the person I really wanted to be. But now, I've grown. I've became who I wanted to and I'm not exactly sure how shes going to react.

I took a deep breathe as the door opened. My Mom throwing the door open and unexpectedly wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a tight hug. I paused before hesitantly hugging her back. "Y/n!! I'm so glad that you made it." She pulled back, squeezing my arms, "And I thank Jesus himself for guiding you safely."

I had to force myself not to roll my eyes and instead made a smile spread across my lips.

"Let me show you around," She linked arms with me and we started strolling through the camp. First we arrived at the 'Girls Cabin'. She explained that this is where I would be staying, to look after the other girl councilors that show up if there even was any. I had strict instructions to keep them in line and watch over them. As if. I planned to have a good summer, not babysit potential friends and be a total drag.

As we walked around more she explained her goals for the camp, her hopes of what the children will feel when they arrive, how she hopes that the media will also gain from the light that emits from this camp. I started toning her out when she started going on a rant about the Lord and Jesus and yada yada.

We passed the dock, the showers, the boys cabin and then we made our way over to the dining hall where the only other person I saw except from ourselves (so far) was. I dropped my Mom's arms and immediately ran over, embracing the woman into a hug.

"Jesus Christ," She muttered through the cigarette hanging out her lips, "I almost dropped all this shit." She side eyed me, "Y/N !" She said excitedly, turning around and giving me a proper hug. She quickly took the cigarette and put it out. "It's been so long," She mumbled.

Bertie was the only other constant in my life. As a child she would babysit me from time to time, always doing my Mom favors. She insisted that they were friends but I honestly think it was because she felt bad for her. Bertie was the chef back when my Mom was a councilor.

She was my favorite person to be around, constantly telling me all these crazy stories about what she'd get into as a kid and even gave me my first Ozzy cassette. She was one of the things that inspired me to get away from my mothers grasp and be my own person.

"I didn't know you'd be here!" She exclaimed.

"Me neither, honestly." I mumbled. She laughed heartily and patted my back.

Mom cleared her throat and crossed her hands, looking over at the two of us, "Y/n I know how much you love Bertie but I still have some other things to show you. And there's still another person you have to meet."

Bertie gave me a knowing look and patted my back, ushering me to go with her. I smiled lightly as I made my way back over to my mother.

We continued our tour, finally ending at the nurses cabin. "Please tell me we have a nurse."

She laughed lightly, "Of course silly!" She opened the door and we stepped in.

The woman had her back towards us, sorting things on her desk and getting settled. "Rita," My Mom said as the woman turned around, "This is Y/n, my daughter." Rita smiled over at me as she extended her hand, I grabbed it firmly and shook.

"Nice to meet you." I said. "Likewise." We dropped our hands and she leaned against the desk, crossing her arms. "So are you the only councilor?" I opened my mouth to speak but before I could my mother did for me, "No, there's at least one more on the way. He said he'd try to convince his friends but who knows." She laughed forcefully. "He should be here any minute."

Rita looked over at me, and I shrugged. Both of us having the same thought of "We'll see about that." My fear of no one coming growing by the minute. While it was true my mother was intolerable at times and just genuinely not the greatest person to be around, she still was my mom and I didn't want her dreams to be crushed.

"Y/n, come help me with the wood."

I gave her a salute as I followed her out, turning to bid Rita farewell.

We were out there for what felt like centuries. Taking turns chopping wood and throwing it into the cart that she had placed. "Sweetie," She said as I threw the last bits that would fit inside. "There's another cart inside that shed over there, can you get it and wheel it over?" I nodded as I trudged my way over.

I opened the door shed and snatched the cart, pushing it out across the dirt path. When I finally made it back over there, a van had pulled up. I squinted as I looked over, bringing the cart to a halt next to the other one.

Mom raised the axe up in the air and brought it piercing down onto the block of wood. It was perfectly cut in half. It startled me how precise her cut was, how much force she packed inside her seemingly innocent facade. She turned around and fixed her hair, making her way over to the new people. I followed a little behind, crossing my arms and eyeing them as they made their way out.

"Welcome to Camp Redwood, I'm Margaret Booth. I'm the owner." She placed her hands neatly inside each other as she greeted them then casually motioned over to me, "This is my daughter, Y/n Booth." I gave a little wave as all eyes turned to me momentarily.

I didn't expect them to all be so attractive. I looked down the array of people, my eyes stopping on one in specific. He had blonde tipped hair with dark roots, his eyes covered by some sunglasses. He was dressed fashionably and had an earring dangling from one ear. He definitely had my attention. And I had his. Our eyes met for only mere seconds as he dropped his shades to check me out, pushing them up once our eyes disconnected.

"Boss lady chopping her own wood, choice." Another fashionable blonde praised, I looked over at her admiring her attire and her overall beauty. I had a good feeling we'd get along well.

My mom clapped her hands, " Well we all have to wear multiple hats here. We're short staffed and the kids will arrive in two days. There's much work to be done."

"Are we the only councilors?" Another man chimed in, he was overly muscular and pretty much the poster child for weight lifting. He looked around nervously, clearly disappointed by the lack of other people.

"You guys and me," I put my hands on my hips, "I honestly thought it was just going to be me," I laughed lightly.

Mom sent me a scowl as she looked back over to the others, "Yes well, the Olympics opened up thousands of jobs so my selection is very limited." She looked back over to me silently telling me to stop as I rolled my eyes.

They eventually landed again on the boy I was eyeing earlier, it was short lived when a voice came frantically out of the back of the van. "Is there a medic or a nurse here?!" Mom frantically made her way over there, with me and the hot blonde male on her heels.

When we made it there was a man laying down in the backseat, bloodied and bruised. "What happened to him?" She asked.

The girl sitting beside him opened her mouth, about to speak but before she could the blonde spoke for her, "He was on the side of the road. He was already messed up." He leaned casually against his van, ripping his sunglasses off coolly in the process.

"Okay well let's get him to the infirmary." She stated as she walked away.

I hopped in the van and made my way around the table, "What're you doing?" the blonde asked. I couldn't help but look at him like he was dumb, "I'm helping him."

I grabbed a hold of the man and started trying to maneuver him out of the van. "We can do it." The two other guys had just arrived and each grabbed an end, carrying the man out. I stepped aside and let them.

The blonde female came up to me, "Rad, another woman who does whatever she wants." She smiled at me, "I like you already."

As we all made our way over to the infirmary I learned everyone's names. She was Montana. The hot blonde was Xavier, the girl in the back of the van was Brooke, Ray was the other one who helped, and Chet was the over muscled tool.

As they carried him into the infirmary and set him on the cot, Rita got to work immediately starting to clean his wounds and bandage him up. We all stood around watching her work.

Xavier tapped his foot anxiously all the while.

"You say you found him in the middle of the road?" She asked curiously, taking her stethoscope out of her ears and casually resting it around her neck.

"On the side of the road," Xavier corrected, "He was pretty out of it, saying weird things, not making much sense." He looked over to the unconscious man as he spoke.

I furrowed my brows as they spoke. The man looked to be about two decades behind us, dressed in older clothing.

Rita sighed, "He's severely dehydrated. "He probably went for a hike and got lost," She started walking out of the room, "Couldn't find his way back, panicked, people don't realize how deep these woods are." She started grabbing more supplies from the cabinet. "Hikers get lost in them and end up dead of hypothermia or just disappear all together." She started setting up his I.V "He's lucky you found him."

"Is he gonna die?" Ray chimed in.

Rita smirked, "Not on my watch."

"Why don't we give our nurse a little break, come on, I'll show you all a tour of the camp." My Mother's voice chimed in.

I rolled my eyes, "Here we go again," I thought. "Round two."

Xavier and I stood up at the same time. He bumped into me almost knocking me over in the process. His hands quickly grabbed my arms as he steadied me, pulling me close. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

I looked at the proximity of our bodies and smiled wickedly, "Never better." I moved in closer meeting his chest before pulling back and walking ahead of him, looking over my shoulder to see bewilderment written all over his face.

Taglist: @felicityofbakerstreet​ 

I laughed as I thought, "Maybe this second tour won't be so bad." 

Part Two

[cyanisbirdmom666]

AGH I need to ✨vent✨

Most of the stuff said below the cut will be about stress, religion (Christianity), betrayal, frustration, and sadness. So yeah if you don’t wanna read about it just keep scrolling. I just wanna tell someone (in this case, Tumblr) because I don’t know who else to tell. My brother’s over it already, and Melon

Also most of the stuff down there won’t make sense since I’m not feeling great (honestly I’m mostly confused) so read at your own risk.

[context] I’m a religious girl. I go to church, read the Bible, pray and PRAISE JESUS HALLELUJAH. But I’m also very lonely. I have a few friends and they’re all from church. I have two best friends. I’ll introduce you to them, using their nicknames for privacy reasons. I’ll start with the Pastor’s family. My Pastor’s name is Ramen, and he has two daughters, Melon and Safari. Melon is my best friend. The Pine family has three kids, Beanstalk, Zuko, and Suki. Suki is my best friend, Beanstalk and Zuko are my brother, Sokka, best friends. The Doctor’s family has only one kid, Marlin. He and Zuko are BFFS. Inseparable. We all work together at church. Suki, Melon, and I work with the cameras- we’re the camerawomen that record videos for our church’s YT channel. Ramen’s mom in Cuba watches our videos, people in Mexico also watch them- there’s even a woman in Germany who watches them! Safari, Beanstalk, and Zuko handle the techy stuff. Audio, Ramen’s microphone, powerpoints, and the editing of the videos we record. Sokka’s job is just to make us laugh, and Marlin is there for support. We make a great team. And I have a feeling Beanstalk and Safari like eachother- they’re always together and Beanstalk have Safari a bouquet of flowers to her on Valentine’s Day. Is that part important? Probably not but I added it anyway. Let’s move on.

Sometimes Ramen comes over to my house to talk to my parents. It’s not often but it’s happened before. Usually talk about adult-church stuff (ie. planning activities, money, or just to talk) that I don’t care about. My great grandma died recently (she was also very religious, she had a great relationship with God. I miss her) so I assumed Ramen came over to talk to my dad about that (comfort I suppose).

I don’t mind when he comes over, because he always brings his daughters, Safari and Melon. We all hang out in my room and watch movies or do homework together. It’s fun. But yesterday, Wednesday May 12th, was different.

After Ramen talks to my parents, he usually leaves. But this time, he called my brother and I over to tell us some sad news. My dense brain was thinking this was about my late grandma.

It wasn’t.

We sit down and he says that he has bad news. The Pine family called him yesterday (Tuesday, May 11th) to tell him that they weren’t going to attend our church anymore, and that their decision is final. They don’t want to meet up with Ramen. And that must hurt Ramen since... the Pine family and Ramen’s family had been together for years. Melon and Suki grew up together in Cuba (I’m the newer, American friend who teaches them about pop culture because oh boy, Melon is a clueless bean. We met a year ago.). Beanstalk and Zuko are like the sons Ramen never had, and Safari and Melon are like sisters to Suki- the point is, that they were really close. For the Pine family to just... cut it off like that is super strange. Yam and Er (the Pine children’s parents) were always so friendly and nice- heck, they were the ones that invited our family to church! They’re the reason we got out of our Mormon church and started to attend this Christian one (much happier here, I have- well had, friends)!

For a second I thought it was a joke.

It was so unbelievable. Er and Yam didn’t even explain why they were going to leave after so many years. They have the right to leave... but it was so sudden. It felt like betrayal I guess. It still feels that way. They said that they had been thinking of leaving, for months now. I don’t know what we did wrong. What if I did something wrong? What if I made Suki mad and that’s what caused them to finally make their decision? Was it all a lie? If they were thinking of leaving for months now, was everything they did and said a lie? Why?

I only ever see Melon and Suki when we go to church or have activities. We had a lot of plans for over the summer. We were even planning on saving up enough money so that the whole church could have a DisneyWorld activity. “But Cyan, can’t you just do it anyway, even if they don’t attend church anymore?” I mean we could, but it’ll feel different. Off. Even today, when we texted eachother, it seemed off. Fake I suppose. It didn’t feel the same. It’s hard to explain why.

Them leaving is like losing them forever. Sure, Suki and I might still see eachother, but it won’t be as often. And eventually we’ll drift away. I lost half of my friends. The church lost 60% of the boy population (we’re down to two oh noooo). And Melon lost her childhood best friend.

This has happened before. See, before my family joined, Ramen was preaching at a different church. Everyone got along until there was a stupid argument between Ramen and another pastor. The other Pastor was jealous of Ramen’s popularity and finally snapped when Ramen bought food for an old dude going to church there. Apparently Ramen isn’t supposed to feed hungry old men. They didn’t let Ramen preach there anymore, and basically kicked him out. Melon and Suki had a friend at that church, named Lime. And yeah, the three would occasionally meet up but eventually, they drifted apart because Suki and Melon weren’t going to Lime’s church anymore.

And I’m afraid the same thing is happening here with the Pine family.

Everything was going so smoothly. We were making summer plans. Zuko and I were getting along really well (Erm.. I sorta like him. A lot), and Safari and Beanstalk kept getting closer. Suki and Sokka FINALLY finished their teasing war. It was perfect. But I guess perfection can’t last forever. I had honestly thought that even though the world was ending, and we were all dying (persecution, I believe it will happen, if you don’t that’s fine but don’t argue with me about it, I gave you a warning up there) I thought we’d always be together. The Pine family, Ramen’s family, and my family. Even if the other member left or drifted away, I really thought we’d always stick together.

But I guess it didn’t work out that way.

And I still don’t know why it didn’t work out that way.

So not only is that happening, but tomorrow I’m taking a big AP test that I’m definitely not prepared for. I’m cramming but I, very scared and stressed and I just wanna skip over to Summertime.

But that’s not how things work so RIP me.

🪦 Cyan Sushi, 2??? - 2021

No I’m not actually dead. But I feel like I am and will be dead soon so yeah. Piano and birds are the only things keeping me sane.

[taylorinthetardis]

Only Human - Chapter 2

Alright! Here’s the second chapter for Only Human. The gang go clubbing! Will is extra weird! You guys get a glimpse at my basic ass taste in music! Hooray!

The songs I had in mind for this chapter are:

Good as Hell by Lizzo (playing when they walk in) YOUTH by Troye Sivan (playing when they go downstairs) False God by Taylor Swift (plays when Darcy watches Lizzie dance) Only Human by Jonas Brothers (plays when Lizzie tries to get Darcy to dance)

Again I’d like to thank my good friend @madbaddic7ed for her encouragement and for convincing me to cross post this story.

I hope you all like this chapter. Please feel free to leave feedback and if you want to be added to a taglist for when I finally update, please let me know!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22109365

Only Human

Summary:  The events of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as seen through the eyes of Darcy. Story takes place in modern day London. Lizzy and Jane are American students studying abroad. Their sisters take turns visiting them throughout the story. Bingley and Darcy are recent business partners, but longtime friends. Caroline is as snake-ish as ever. George Wickham is an actual rapist - the rape will not be described in detail.

Pairing: William (Will) Darcy x Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bennet; Charles Bingley x Jane Bennet

Rating: Explicit due to eventual smut

Chapter Warnings: Swearing, some dirty thoughts

Word Count: 3.5K

                                                  Chapter 2: Lock 17

The five of us piled into the back of the cab. Charles and Jane took the two seats facing the back of the cab, leaving myself to sit on the bench seat between Lizzie and Caroline. Lizzie stretched her legs out across the back of the cab. The lights of London illuminated the back of the cab and I got a good look at her combat boots. Caroline did as well.

“Do you see her boots? That’s at least six inches of mud!” She wrinkled her nose in disgust like Lizzie had dog shit on her shoes. It definitely isn’t. But I mean yeah, they’re muddy, she basically lives in a park, what’d you expect?

“I am sitting right here. They aren’t that muddy and they aren’t on your feet so, why do you care?” Jesus Christ, I love her. Lizzie shot a look across the cab to her sister. Jane returned it with one that clearly said “Be nice”. Why should she be if Caroline is going to be a cunt?

“Caroline, be nice.” Is that all you have to offer here Charles? Thankfully, the rest of cab ride passed mostly in silence, with Jane and Lizzie occasionally chiming in with remarks about the area. Having been in the city for nearly two months, they had gotten to know the area surrounding Regent’s quite well it seemed. Blessedly, it was a short ride from Charles’ house to Lock 17, traffic not being nearly as unbearable at eight on a Thursday night. I couldn’t get out of the cab fast enough once it stopped. The brisk autumn air was a welcome cure for the nausea brought on by my nervousness from my proximity to Lizzie and the overwhelming stench of Caroline’s perfume. Once everyone had disembarked, we began the short, uphill trek to the bar. Caroline slipped her arm through mine and snuggled into my arm.

“Will, I’m cold.” She whined. Whose fucking fault is that Caroline? I didn’t pick out your stupid outfit. It’s autumn, in London. We’re by water. What the fuck did you expect?

“Guess you should have worn something a little more sensible.” I replied, struggling in vain to extricate myself from her grip. The more I struggled, the tighter her grip got, like Devil’s Snare. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the smirk come back to Lizzie’s face. Well I’m glad I can provide her with some entertainment. There was barely a queue when we got to the door. The step up into the building caught Caroline off guard and I was able to slip out of her grasp. The main floor was not as packed with people as I feared it would be. Everyone is probably downstairs dancing. Pop music was filtering up from the basement area. I didn’t recognize the song but Caroline did because she went immediately down the stairs. Oh, thank fuck for that. The four of us that remained worked our way through the small crowd to the bar. Charles had his wallet out before we even got up to order. I got my usual Old Fashioned, a double though, since I was definitely going to need the sweet relief alcohol provided my anxiety. Lizzie ordered Rum Punch for herself and Jane. Charles got a Screwdriver and four shots of tequila. He knows I hate tequila. He does this every time we go out. Judging by the look on Lizzie’s face, she wasn’t too thrilled with the prospect of needing to throw back that vile shit either. The bartender set the shots down on the counter. Charles passed them out, then raised his glass.

“To new friends!” We clinked our shot glasses and threw them back. I shuddered. Jane and Lizzie looked like they wanted to spit it right back out. Charles took his like a champ, like he always does. We set our glasses back down on the counter and the bartender asked if we wanted another round. Jane, Lizzie, and I politely declined. We grabbed our drinks from the bar and Charles immediately led Jane to a nearby table, leaving myself and Lizzie behind. Lizzie was looking around, taking it all in.

“This place seems like kind of a hole in the wall. How did it catch the attention of two wealthy businessmen? I’d have figured this wasn’t really your scene.” Oh, God is she talking to me? Why is she talking to me? C’mon Will you know how to do this. You talked to girls all the time at uni. Oh, no I took too long, she’s walking over to her sister. Should I follow her? Yeah, idiot, otherwise you’d just be standing at the bar like a numpty. Why am I so bad at this? When I made it to the table, she was asking Charles the same question she just asked me. I took the seat on the left of Charles; Jane was seated on his right. I stared into my drink while Charles told her the story of the last time we had been sat in this bar.

“… so, we left the concert at The Underworld, it’s this rock club not too far from here, but Darce wasn’t ready to go home, so we walked around Camden for a bit until we found this place. We had been to Lockside, the restaurant just a little further down the canal, for a business lunch before, but we hadn’t been over this way at night since we were in uni. I had no clue this place even existed until we saw the queue.” Charles is so good at talking. Why can’t I be more like him?  He went back to asking Jane questions about America, while Lizzie and I sat in relative silence, Lizzie chiming in every now and then to back up something Jane had said. I finished my drink and went back to the bar to get another. I was definitely going to need it if I was ever going to make an attempt at conversation with Lizzie. I stayed at the bar to drink my second and my third drinks. I was about to order a fourth, when Charles appeared at my side.

“For God’s sake Darce, what is wrong with you? I know you weren’t exactly thrilled to come out with me tonight but I didn’t think you’d be this broody. I was hoping you and Lizzie might hit it off. You’re quite similar you know. You’d see it if you made the effort to chat with her.” What do you think all this alcohol is for Charles? I’m doing my best, my dude. Ooh, my dude? I think imma tiny bit drunk. “I’m getting us another round and then we’re gonna go downstairs. And when I say we I mean you too. You used to be so fun at uni. I know you still have it in you, I think maybe you just need a little nudge to find it again.” I don’t know Charlie boy; I don’t think it’s gonna be that easy. He clapped me on the back and grabbed his and Jane’s drinks from the bar and went back to the table, leaving me with Lizzie’s drink and my own. Oh, that’s very clever Chuck, leave me with her drink so I have to interact… Suddenly Lizzie appeared at my side, taking up the space Charles had just vacated, swiping her drink from the bar. I must have looked visibly startled because she gave me that look again, the eyebrow and the smirk. She took a large sip of it and strutted away from the counter. My body seemed to move of its own accord, grabbing my drink and moving my legs to follow her. She led the way down the stairs while I brought up the rear. I didn’t know the song that was playing, but Lizzie seemed pretty excited about it. She grabbed Jane by the wrist, pulling her towards the dance floor. Charles trailed after the sisters like a puppy dog. Thankfully, the downstairs also had a bar, so I posted up on a barstool to work on my drink, ordering another one before long. I couldn’t see any familiar faces in the crowded dance floor; no Charles, no Caroline, blessedly, but, unfortunately, no Lizzie. I bet she’s a good dancer. She looks like she’d be a good dancer. I wish I could see the way she moves. I wish I wasn’t so damn awkward. I hope no one tries to dance with her. I don’t want anyone else touching her. Wow, four whole drinks plus one shot in – yeah, I was definitely drunk. How else could you explain me thinking about her like that? Like she already was mine. I nursed my current drink more than I had the previous ones. I decided to get up and walk the perimeter of the dance floor. Several songs went by before I caught a glimpse of her again. She was moving slow, in time with the beat. She was alone, but I could see Charles and Jane a little further in the crowd. None of them had their drinks anymore. They must have dropped them at the bar after I got up. Lizzie clearly knew the song that was playing; she was saying the words along with it. I could read her lips from my vantage point. We might just get away with it, religion’s in your lips, even if it’s a false god, we’d still worship, she threw her head back and ran her hand through her hair, continuing to sway her hips to the beat. The lights hit her and her hair reflected it, causing it to look even redder in light. Probably about the same shade as my face. She can’t look over here. She can’t catch me watching her. God, she’s so beautiful. A few more people moved away from the crowd and I got a full view of Charles and Jane. He was holding her close while they swayed to the beat, his arms around her waist. He whispered something in her ear and she smiled. Lizzie continued to dance. Several men moved around her, but no one tried to dance with her. How strange. She’s easily one of the most beautiful women in here. Can they not see it? Do they not see her? How could they ignore her like that when I can’t take my eyes off of her? Can’t they see how stunning she is? I continued to watch her move, imagining what I would do if I had the confidence to join her. What would it feel like to hold her close, like Charles is holding Jane? Would she let me? What if I couldn’t keep up with her? Would she taunt me? Or, would she help me? Would she guide my hips with hers? I could hide my face in her soft hair, pretend there was no one else here, just feel the curve of her arse as it moved against my cock. Oh okay, that train of thought needs to end. I cleared my throat and looked around, as if to double check that no one had heard that thought. I was so lost in my own fantasy that I hadn’t noticed Lizzie had vanished from my sight again, or that the song had changed. Charles, however, had taken notice of my new position and made his way towards me. Jane was no longer with Charles as he strode over. I looked around the room and caught a glimpse of red and blonde hair standing at the bar. They must have decided to get another drink.

“God, Darcy, I think I’m in love! Jane really is the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met!”

“That’s great Charles, I’m very happy for you. Don’t ask me for help picking out the engagement ring though, I don’t know a thing about jewellery.”

“Ha-ha very funny, but I’m serious Darce. I really like her. I’m really hoping that this is gonna be the one that’s lasts. I know its still early days but I just have a good feeling about it. I hope someday you’ll understand; feel how I’m feeling, you know? I think you might really be missing your chance here with Lizzie. I get that interacting with people makes you anxious sometimes, but I really think you should make the effort here. She could be really good for you. Just pull yourself out of your own head for once; have some fun!” Yeah, sure I’ll get out of my head Charles. Do you want me to go ahead and sort out Brexit too while you’re requesting the impossible?

“Charles, just because lightning strikes often for you doesn’t mean it’ll ever strike for me. And I’m okay with that. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Just enjoy your date, have fun. I’m alright on my own.” Good job Will, that should hold him over. Then maybe he’ll take the hint and stop forcing me to interact with Lizzie. I need to do it at my own pace.

“You’re right, Jane is absolutely incredible. But Lizzie’s very beautiful as well, you have to admit that.” No, I absolutely do not Charles. I shan’t and you can’t make me.

“I just hate seeing you looking so gloomy all the time. Lizzie’s fun and she’s very pretty. She’s got great energy. And she’s so smart. I really think if you just—”

“I get it Charles, but I’m sorry. I just don’t think it’ll work with Lizzie. She’s just, I don’t know, she’s too—," Gorgeous, intelligent, absolutely perfect for me in every single way, “I don’t know Charles, she just doesn’t do it for me, you know? She’s just not pretty enough to tempt me. She’s too soft, you know, in the belly.” What. The. Fuck. William. Patrick. Fitzgerald. Darcy. Why did I just say that? I just called her fat. Why did I say that? I didn’t mean that.

“Will, that’s really unkind of you to say. I think maybe you’ve been spending too much time around my sister.” I sure as hell hope not, but fuck if you’re not wrong. He started to walk away from me. I moved to follow until I realized he was walking towards Jane and Lizzie, who were standing about six feet away, each with two drinks in their hands. I recognized the one in Lizzie’s left hand as an Old Fashioned. My Old Fashioned. She bought me a fresh drink and I more or less insulted her to her face. There’s no way she didn’t hear me. This is why I hate clubs, they’re too loud. I have to yell to carry on a conversation. God, if you’re up there, I wish the ground to open up and deposit me straight into Hell where I belong, please and thank you. I walked towards them slowly. Lizzie stuck her left hand out for me to take my drink from her.

“I got you a fresh one. Seemed like you’d been working on that one for a long time. The ice’s all melted.” I downed the rest of the glass I had previously been working on. She was right, it was watery. She must have been keeping as close an eye on me as I had been on her. Strange.

“Thank you.” I took the new drink from her. She turned and walked away, heading back towards the bar area where it appeared Charles and Jane had gone to sit down. I followed, taking long draughts from the glass Lizzie had handed me. It was nearly empty by the time I reached them. I set my empty glass down on the bar, knowing all too well that my current drink would be joining it soon. But for the time being at least, I had something to occupy my mouth. Maybe that’ll keep me from saying something else stupid or insensitive.

“What have you been up to all night Will? Have you been out dancing? I feel like we’ve barely seen you all night.” Jane asked when I caught up to them.

“Darcy’s not a huge fan of nightclubs. He doesn’t like pop music. Or dancing. At least, not anymore. He only goes to them if I drag him, kicking and screaming. He didn’t always used to be such a wallflower, if you can believe it. He could really tear up the dance floor when we were at uni, right Darce?” He laughed. Drunk Charles really doesn’t know how to keep things to himself.

“I can’t even picture that. This guy doing the cupid shuffle at a college party? No way!” Have I really made such a terrible impression on her? I mean yeah, I guess I have. Lizzie laughed along with Charles. I deserved that. I deserved that. I deserved that.

“He sure could! But not anymore. He’s a serious businessman now and he only does serious businessman things. Like make spreadsheets and flow charts.” Alright the jokes can stop now Charles. He knows damn well why I don’t feel comfortable letting loose anymore. He knows what happened last time. The bartender called Last Call and the DJ put on the last song of the night.

“Oh, excellent! Last song of the night and it’s Jonas Brothers. Well I’m going back out for one last dance. Whadiya say Will? You wanna come with, show us all those dance moves Charles says you’re hiding?” She leant over, getting much closer to me than I was prepared for, eyebrow cocked again. “Or am I not pretty enough to tempt you?” She whispered it right into my ear. I shivered. She didn’t give me time to respond – she already knew the answer. She smirked at me and walked back to the dance floor. Follow her! C’mon legs, move! Charles and Jane went out after her, leaving me alone again. I downed the rest of my drink and settled up the tab Charles had started upstairs. I scheduled the cab to pick us up in five minutes and realized we’d have to track down Caroline. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I ground the heels of my hands into my eyes. When I took my hands away, Caroline had appeared at my side. Well, speak of the Devil and she shall appear. God, when I said I wanted to go to Hell, this isn’t quite what I had in mind. She leant against the bar, looking out at the dance floor, at her brother and Jane as they danced with Lizzie.

“We’re going to have to do something about that, Will.” Excuse me? What is this ‘we’ business? “Charles falls in love too easily. Jane seems sweet enough, but I don’t know about that sister of hers. I wouldn’t put it past her to involve her sister in some scheme. Try to get Charles to part with some of our money. Americans, they’re all so greedy.” That’s rich coming from you Caroline, seeing as you’ve been after my money since you were eleven fucking years old. However, I had to admit that she wasn’t completely wrong. Charles does fall in love too easily. It’s honestly been a miracle that I haven’t had to force a gold digger out of his life yet. I don’t get those kinds of vibes from either Bennet sister, but I’ve been wrong about people before, horribly wrong, and it cost me dearly. I decided I ought to keep an eye on them, for Charles’ sake, just in case. He’d been in so many relationships in the seven years I’d known him. Maybe Jane will be different, but maybe she won’t. The song ended and the lights came up. Jane, Lizzie, and Charles made their way back to where myself and Caroline were waiting at the bar. We followed the crowd up the stairs and out of the club. The cab arrived a couple minutes later and we got in the same way we had earlier. The nausea returned, but now I wasn’t sure if it was the anxiety, Caroline and her perfume, or the copious amounts of alcohol I had consumed. A combination of all three, I expect. The cab took Charles and the girls back to Hanover Terrace first. I didn’t get out. Charles clapped me on the side of my arm as he got out, knowing I knew what he meant by it: we’ll talk tomorrow. As we pulled away, I looked out the rear windscreen. Charles kissed Jane goodnight and hugged Lizzie before following his sister into the house. The Bennet sisters walked arm in arm back towards the park. I felt a pang of jealousy towards my best friend, at the ease with which he interacted with Lizzie while I couldn’t even open my mouth without insulting her. It took about fifteen minutes to get me home to Belgravia. I kicked my trainers off by the door and stumbled up the stairs, reliving every horrible moment of the night in my head with each stair I climbed. I got myself a glass of water and two paracetamol and set them on my bedside table. I collapsed on my bed and reached out to pull the wastebasket closer, just in case. I closed my eyes, but in the darkness, I saw her face. I covered my head with my pillow, but in the silence, I heard her whisper. I slept fitfully.