#death as the great equaliser

[winters-rose-daughterofcain]

Something something Natalie's death being ruled an overdose and how even in death she cannot find peace or escape from the judgments or assumptions made about her due to a coping mechanism, however unhealthy, she developed only after society failed her as nothing but a child, something something death being labeled the great equaliser yet proving time and time again not to be, proving that the memory is far to great an stain on it's supposed equality to ever truly balance anything, something something Jackie and Nat parallels and Jackie being remembered as the image she projected of herself that fell apart outside organised society and Nat being reduced to the image others projected onto her that she was only ever given the chance to break free of after the established rules of organised society fall apart, something something how no matter who they are at their core they will forever be reduced to what they were perceived, forever assumed and never understood, something something the reduction of them both to predetermined roles for the dead and the stripping of both their individual personhood being not at all surprising on reflection, just a microcosm of girlhood and womanhood itself, something about how in that way, perhaps death dose equalise after all, if only in the manner in which societies reflection after robs these girls of their human complexity.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Aequat omnes cinis.

- Seneca

Ashes level all.

[gristlethistle]

I'm back to help deal with the crushing reality of my own demise

[katiemccabeswife]

Necklace

Katie McCabe x Reader || You lost your necklace and you need it back.

The final whistle sounded throughout the stadium and the girls on the pitch almost simultaneously dropped their chins to their chest in defeat. The game went alright but Liverpool ended up getting a goal just after halftime and you, nor the girls, could find the opportunity to equalise it, let alone go one further.

After shaking hands with the other team and the refs, you did your routine of clapping the audience and taking photos with fans.

This wasn’t your first game and this wasn’t your first loss, you understood that sometimes you don’t play as well as you could have and sometimes the other team is just better so you understood the confusion on the girls' faces when you started crying.

Whilst you didn’t get any goals, you did have a blinder of a match. You successfully saved 5 balls from going into the box and won a few tricky challenges, anyone with 1 working eye could tell you did well. 

A necklace that normally sat around your neck was always a comfort, whether you lost or won, it reminded you of the hugs you used to get from your mother and holding it between your fingers was the closest you could get to that now. So when you reached for your neck and found that it was bare, tears instantly sprung to your eyes.

You looked around you briefly before the tears started to pour. You had been all over the field and fell over on all sides, it literally could have been anywhere. One hand had gone to your mouth and the other over your heart, you were trying not to hyperventilate but you needed to find that necklace.

You jumped slightly when hands settled on your shoulders, “It’s ok love, losses happen, we’ll get ‘em next time.” Your girlfriend, Katie, soothed.

You shook your head and let out a breath, “No, no, no,” You were trying to catch your breath and couldn’t express that you didn’t care that you lost.

“It is though love, you played beautifully, player of the match if it were up to me.” She tried to joke.

You took a deep breath and swallowed, “My necklace is gone,” Katie’s face dropped and she pulled you into a hug.

“Alright, do you remember if you had it before the match?”

“I did, I always make sure it’s on, and and,” You had to take another deep breath, “I always kiss it when the whistle sounds. I definitely had it.”

She moved to be an arm's length away and nodded, “Right, did you have it at halftime? On the pitch and in the room?”

You tried to think back, “Umm…” You shook your head as you couldn’t think.

“It’s alright love, it won’t be far and it won’t walk away on its own. Take a deep breath and try to think.”

You put your arm over your eyes and tried to even your breathing, “Um. I-I had it when I went to the bathroom at half-time.”

Katie clapped her hands, “Great! I’ll go look in the toilets. You go look it the room and then we’ll meet in the tunnel and look there, alright?”

You nodded and Katie took your head between her hands and kissed you on your forehead before pulling you, jogging slightly towards the tunnel. You looked everywhere in the room, high and low and Katie did the same in the bathrooms.

When you saw Katie waiting for you in the tunnel, talking to Jonas, you knew she hadn't found it and began to cry again.

"Hey, Y/N, we will find it, I've already got the girls looking on the pitch," Jonas spoke calmly although it did little to console you. You nodded and left with Katie, who wrapped her arms around your shoulders, to look for the necklace on the pitch.

The sight of all the girls looking warmed your heart. You were close with all of them so they all knew the history of the necklace. It had been passed through 3 generations and whilst your mother never got to physically hand it down to you before her premature death, it was a little piece of her with you all the time and it bought you solace before games and after losses.

Your heart melted a little bit more when you saw that a few girls from the other team were also looking. You heard your name being screamed from the crowd and when you turned around and saw a bunch of fans pointing at the floor you ran over to them, trying not to get your hopes up.

“Hi Y/N! After you took a photo with me, I noticed that a necklace fell on the floor, is it yours? Is that what you guys are looking for?” A girl no older than 16 asked you. You bent towards where the girl was pointing and found your necklace. You hugged the jewellery to your chest before hugging the girl in front of you.

“Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this necklace means to me,” You said while hugging the girl. 

“You're welcome, thank you for being you. I love watching you play and it encourages me to play my best. I wish to become you someday.” The girl spoke.

“Oh my gosh, aren’t you the sweetest, here,” You took off your shirt and gave it to her and called out for a sharpie. Someone ran over to you and you signed the shirt before hugging her once again.

“Thank you,” She said while crying.

“No, thank you,” You said.

You turned around to tell the girls that the necklace had been found but you saw them watching you. You made your way over and hugged Katie who then gave you her jacket. 

“Turn around, I'll put it back on you,” She smiled. When you turned around you were facing all of the girls.

“Thank you guys so much for looking,” You were still crying but you laughed as you wiped your tears. A round of ‘no worries’ and ‘your welcome’ came from the group before they swarmed you and hugged you.

After the group dispersed Katie came up and gave you another hug, “You alright now?” She spoke calmly.

You nodded into her neck, “Thank you for looking. And for getting everyone else to look, I love you.”

“I love you too,”

[amuseoffyre]

Aziraphale listening to Danse Macabre in an episode about resurrectionists and grave-robbing is Delicious.

There are two sides to it as well:

The concept of the Danse Macabre has been present through history for centuries, first found as a Medieval motif for the universality of death and the way it is the great equaliser no matter what a person’s station may be. It “urged them not to forget the end of all earthly things.” (Francis Rapp)

The piece of music itself is based on the legend of Death calling forth the dead from the grave to dance to his music

Both sides of this particular motif tie into the theme of episode 3. 

In relation to the first, Wee Morag, the homeless beggar girl who encourages her friend to do good, and the upper class surgeon Mr Dalrymple, the self-serving corrupt ghoul, both end up dead in grim ways. Their respective virtue and class did nothing to save or spare them. 

And as for the second? Well, it ties in with all of the minisodes of this season about the dead coming back from their graves: Job’s ‘dead’ children return to life, Elspeth draws bodies from their graves, the Nazi zombies rise from the dead.

That theme is also foreshadowed as the big coming theme of season 3, the Second Coming. Jim, when his Gabriel memories eke out, speaks about the dead rising and the Nicene creed states “We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.”

For a piece of music just threaded in there in a quiet little scene, it packs a lot of wallop.

[davidbyrne]

Thinking about the two settings to episode three. How important it was to have Logan die in the air, trapped by his wealth in a luxury plane that actually just ends up looking and feeling claustrophobic and then having the kids find out when they’re on a boat, literally, physically as well as emotionally unmoored. Neither party having any control of the situation, the one thing they’ve had all their lives, that money has always been able to buy them. Down to being able to pick the next goddamn president. Death being the great equaliser once again. Jesse is a genius my fucking god

[dru-plays-starbound]

Time to Pull Leather

Universe: Starbound CW: None Words: 415 Context: Written for the SB Summer '24 Prompt "Hunting". 'Pull Leather' was a slang term I found for when one bounty hunter assists another. Tag list (ask for +/-): @jacqueswriteblrlibrary

"That's a good eye ya got there, pardner." Mio lowers her aegisalt bow. The pig-like creature she's just shot releases a death-rattle. "Thank you, Mx…?" The cyan novakid swings away from the twisty palm they're been leaning against, watching Mio take down the yellow and purple mottled beast. "Mister. Oganesson. But y'all can call me Ogan." Mio inclines her head and throws the bow over her shoulders.

"If you're going to use some cheesy chat up line on me," Mio says as she walks towards the slain beast, "I'm afraid you're swimming up to the wrong beach." "Naw, ain't nothing like that," Ogan says as he follows her. "Was gonna ask if you wanted a hand with the corpse? There's a settlement two clicks widdershins of here. They got a great butcher. Anything you don't want'll be distributed to the widows and orphans." Mio brushes aside a trailing vine, letting the jungle condensation drip onto her skin. "What if I don't want it professionally butchered?" "You gonna eat that whole thing by yourself?" Ogan asks with a huff of laughter. "I was going to leave it for scavengers." "You'd let good meat go to waste when there's kiddies that could use it?" Ogan's head is tipped in a way that, if he had a face, Mio thinks he would be sneering at her. "Some Protector you are."

Mio tries not to let his comment rattle her, keeps her face serene. She's not wearing the uniform, the manipulator is in her pack and not on display. She's supposed to be on vacation, by Salt and Sand! Marooned at the edge of civilisation by a well-meaning crew to relax and get back to nature.

"The lives of wild creatures are just as precious as those of sapient ones. And you seem to have me at a disadvantage." Mio's hand sneaks towards the pistol at her belt. "How did you know I was a Protector?" "Well, for one, there ain't no civilised being that hasn't heard of you, Mz Mio. And for two, I got told to find you, and I always get my guy." Mio spins, her pistol trained on his brand. Ogan puts up his hand in a placating gesture. "Y'all can keep that liddle equaliser in its holster, I don't mean you no harm." Mio lets the pistol droop. "Then what can I do for you, Mr Oganesson?" "My boss, fella called Cap'n Noble, sent me. He wants a word with you about Asra Nox."

[afekmzf]

Kujou Sara, Scaramouche, The Wanderer, and the absurd

just to preface I'm not a philosopher nor a psychologist I'm just going to rant about this with the knowledge I have, if I made any mistakes please do feel free to correct me, this is just me rationalising my headcanon. More under the cut.

I. Kujou Sara, Scaramouche, The Wanderer, and the absurd.

For me, the wanderer (Scaramouche) is an interesting character from an existential stand point, although he is not human, his story tells one of the oldest features of the human condition: the search for purpose and meaning. The Wanderer, like us, did not choose to be born that way, he did not choose to experience the experiences that he had, and he did not choose the circumstances he was born into, it reminds me of the Heideggerian concept of "throwness". In throwness we were thrown into the world, born into the conditions outside of our control, you did not choose your parents, you did not choose the language you speak, you did not choose to be in your country, in your home now, we can't determine this condition but they effect how we perceive, experience, and live our lives. We have to play the part even if we don't know the lines. We come to being with these things outside of our own control, but we must deal with these things.

As such, The Wanderer did not choose to be ""born"", he did not choose to experience those three betrayals, he must simply deal with those things. Sara also had to deal with those things, as the adoption of the Kujou was not something she chose, she did not choose to be abandoned in the forest either, she did not choose to have an adopted father that doesn't really care about her making her lonely in the process, she was simply being thrown into her current circumstances and have to make do. To recognise all that, I think, it's crucial for the character development of both Sara and The Wanderer to accept that they were not in control of what happened to them, but does this mean they were not at fault or absolved of sins of whatever they do? absolutely not. But, accepting this notion, the indifference of the universe is important.

Let's explore the absurd shall we? Camus dictates that the absurd is not the universe itself, or ourselves in isolation, it is born out of their confrontation. The man's search for meaning and purpose in an indifferent universe, that whole action is absurd.

Man is born with a certain "nostalgia" for unity, for a reasonable world with meaning, but “This world in itself is not reasonable, that is all that can be said” he wrote. The Wanderer (scaramouche) faced all these head on. First, his creator, having finished her goal to make an experiment, abandoned him when she saw that doll, him, experience sentience itself (I would even daresay consciousness). So why did she create him just to abandon him after he actually could feel the experience of sadness, of fear, of a nightmare? Second, Niwa's "betrayal", why call him a human when he saw him as a monster? All of his efforts to make a new happy life, crumbled to dust, a futile attempt at happiness. Third, he came face to face with humanity's great equaliser: death. The child, powerless against his own mortality broke his promise to him, sealing yet another betrayal, yet another failed attempt at happiness.

It is after this moment, that he gained his tragic consciousness, it is tragic because, he, is conscious of his wretched condition. Indeed, where would his suffering be if he were not aware of his tragedy? "I wish I'd never been born at all" is the culmination of this, it is the realisation that life, is not worth living, that absolute nothingness is preferable to the tragedy of this life

Now, let's take a look at Sara, her entire life basically revolve around her devotion towards the Shogun, this idea, that the Shogun was responsible for her salvation, was, misguided at best. If my interpretation of Neuvi's story were correct, she was saved by a system and not a person, in which, even the archons themselves are not aware of who and what their actual ambitions are. It is akin to devoting your life to someone because of something that they didn't even do.

Ei was as helpful to her as a bystander that watched her fell from the cliff, when the vision granting system was the one who opened her parachute automatically and thus saved her life. Sara (reasonably) thinking that the parachute saved her life, devoted her life to whomever gave/produce this parachute, in this shoddy example, being Ei. While in reality, the thing that actually saved her, was the (perhaps) cold and indifferent vision granting system, only giving them to those who passed a current threshold.

II. Lucidity, suicide, and philoshopical suicide.

As I've eluded to in the previous section, the thought of death is prevalent in Scaramouche/The Wanderer's story, to live without something to live for is indeed a very arduous and difficult task but it is what he (and us) must do. To live without appeal, as Camus said. But what I'd like to explore a little bit is Sara's position. Sara, having a foreclosed identity from my observation, is the one most susceptible to existential and identity crises. It may take just one bullet of irrefutable truth to shatter her whole sense of being. Her entire identity and life, is devoted to the Shogun after all. She has no hobbies of her own, no friends to speak of, and any personal goals outside achieving eternity, in which, she doesn't actually even understand. I think it would be a mistake to say that she's committing a philosophical suicide as she is not yet lucid of the absurdity of life and the indifference of the universe. But, in her scheduled yet monotonous life, I believe that this realisation could happen and will if The Wanderer chose to tell her the whole truth what would this look like? At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face, with the example below, the feeling of absurdity arises from the monotonous life, with "why" arising as the central question.

At this moment, the fabric of reality tears itself down, and everything become strange, a tree, a shrine, a chair, life, we could find ourselves questioning the reason for this all. And I also liked to think that, at this moment, after receiving the whole truth, from the Wanderer. Sara could then gain lucidity, why does she submit herself to the shogun? to fulfill eternity. why? to preserve Inazuma. why? so that the Shogun and Inazuma will be happy. why? so that I also feel happy. why? um, because their happiness is mine as well? what does it matter that you feel happy? because it's just better than feeling sad? why is it better? at some point I hoped she would realise "what's the point?" To which she will face the three following options: suicide, philosophical suicide, and embracing the absurd, let's explore them shall we?

First, philosophical suicide, to do this one must suspend all rationality and put all your belief, and most importantly, faith in something. It is not limited to religion, it could be also be applied to a political ideology, or even philosophy, it is to run away from the absurd. To put all your hope and freedom for tomorrow, to forsake the here and now in the hopes of achieving utopia down the line, no matter the way in which one would do it. Ei's old ideology of eternity is guilty of this. She deliberately chose to forsake the now for the sake of the future, maybe it is fear of death, maybe it is a fear of change, either way, her choice costed both her and all her relationships. Only with the help of the Traveler and Miko that Ei was able to overcome this.

In the true fashion of children following their parents mistake, scaramouche was also guilty of this, in pursuing godhood, a middle finger to Ei, he deliberately chose to dirty and bloody his hands, even allowing experimentations on his own body, all to achieve an ideal which at the end, becomes futile. After some more shenanigans, Scaramouche, feeling the extreme guilt because of his actions chose to erase himself, a substitute for suicide if you will. But then, the absurd, the indifference of the universe strikes again he was not dead, merely forgotten, and in that moment of the death of consciousness he began to yearn for some sort of purpose and meaning again, the nostalgia of the condemned man. After regaining his painful memories, he is faced yet again with the fact that his life has no meaning nor purpose. Suicide, is then, is tantamount to saying that life, is not worth living, or that it is not worth the trouble. It is to surrender yourself to the absurd and be consumed by nihilist despair.

And I hope he would inform Sara about all this, as I hope that she will not take the first route, but the temptation for both literal and figurative suicide would still be high. And thus, the last option against the absurd will be explored.

III. Passion, freedom, and revolt.

So, what is this absurdism thing? It is to recognise the futility of life, the meaningless of existence itself but with a smile on our faces with an ever present passion, freedom, and revolt against one's circumstances. To have passion for living, passion for absolute uselessness, passion for the meaningless, I think Cioran said it best in this passage below

Next comes freedom, with an objective meaning (to achieve eternity) for example, it has to proscribe a certain behaviour tho those who embrace it, because the question of the meaning of life ties itself to the way we live that life. Thus, in embracing the absurd, the meaninglessness of existence, both of them could try their hand at this freedom. This also comes with indifference, which comes with the letting go of values. The protagonist of the stranger, Meursault, is fundamentally indifferent to everything that happened to him, be it her mother's death or his execution. Because he simply does not and cannot see any objective value that condemns him, the only thing he resents is the idea that he has to bow to a higher power/condemn himself. It is the letting go of value and significance. If we do not value comfort, how could discomfort cause suffering? If we do not value the judgement of others, how could they hurt us? Of course this is a hard thing to do, but Camus illustrates in his books that it is possible, lastly, to live in constant revolution, one always has to revolt against one's current circumstances, for example the goal of absolute purpose and meaning may not be achievable and defeat is ever present, yet this is how we keep the absurd alive, rebelling with the total lucidity that one would never be victorious. To rebel gives us clarity and greater ability to live in the present. Here is some quotes about the absurd hero to give you a better idea:

"An absurd human knows about his mortality and yet doesn't accept it, know the limitation of his reasoning, yet still holds it dear, feels the pleasures and pains of his experiences and yet tries to take in as much as possible." "The absurd man will not commit suicide; he wants to live, without relinquishing any of his certainty, without a future, without hope, without illusions… and without resignation either. He stares at death with passionate attention and this fascination liberates him. He experiences the “divine irresponsibility” of the condemned man."

Camus share the dislike of hope like Nietzsche did, he thinks it robs us of much of the present, the hope of being free, of being happy one day, one must instead realise that they're free on every moment that heaven is on earth. As an example, Sara could not enjoy the beauty of Yoimiya's fireworks because she tied herself to the future, the hope of eternity, she could not live in the present.

An absurd hero, meanwhile, recognises that the fireworks are fleeting in nature that the moment could not last forever, and yet enjoying them anyway, with the total lucidity that it is fleeting and it will end as a pitch-black night sky. And we move on towards the last part:

IV. The Myth of Sisyphus

I'm sure you've heard of this by now, be it through memes or something else. Sisyphus, the King who loved life on earth, was condemned to ceaselessly roll a rock to the top of the mountain, when, the rock would inevitably roll back down. "They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor." And as such, I see this wretched fate also befalls our heroes, Scaramouche when he tried to make a life for himself and his pursuit of Godhood, only for fate, the rock, rolling back down again, his efforts futile and he himself forgotten, in the end his life, is a life without appeal, not for a God, not for a purpose. I also see this could be reflected in Sara, whence, she has fully grasped her situation, has to grapple with her now futile labor, the vision hunt decree, her efforts to be acknowledged by the Kujou all futile in the end. As I said before, if this myth is tragic it is because the hero is conscious, it is tragic at the rare moments when it becomes conscious. "I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured step toward the torment of which he will never know the end. That hour like a breathing-space which returns as surely as his suffering, that is the hour of consciousnes."

This consciousness and lucidity, is also what will crown their victory. When Sisyphus chose to walk down from the mountain, aware of his torture, and yet doing them anyway. When The Wanderer decided to regain all his memories, no matter how painful, they're superior to their fate. And hopefully, with The Wanderer on her side, she too would be lucid of her torture, and yet continuing anyway. As Camus said "there is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn." The Gods only condemned Sisyphus to roll the rock up the mountain, they did not condemn him to resent the process. If one loved the process for the sake of the process that is thus the ultimate rebellion. This too, could be applied to the wanderer and Sara, to enjoy and love life, even if it seems nothing they do will ever matter in the end, even if it's just futile labor. Camus talked about enjoying the little things in life, the sea, the beauty of sunset, the smiles, the feel of snow, the fireworks. To enjoy the here and now, knowing what has happened has happened and the future will and could never be guaranteed. To live without appeal to a higher power, negating both suicide and philosophical suicide, to experience the quantity of life, embracing the absurd and smiling all the while, this is what I see sarascara could become and could explore. The Wanderer now, condemned to life without meaning, without purpose, to be abandoned to freedom, with the will to happiness, his rebellion is just starting, helped by Sara along the way. Sara too, would see herself in him, and together they could do something in this absurd life. I will end the with this:

"I leave Sarascara at the foot of the mountain! They always finds their burdens again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. They too conclude that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to them neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill their hearts. One must imagine Sarascara happy."

[if-confessions]

I love that so many new authors are discovering and writing IFs. At the same time, as an author, it can be hard to make your IF stand out against so many new ones.

Back to two or three years ago, I feel it was much easier for a new IF to gain a decent amount of people interested, while now sometimes it can be hard navigating through all the new stories.

And don't get me wrong, I believe readers have risen too with time, but it is still hard to create a story that has not been done over and over and that at the same time holds the tropes or characters dear to so many authors.

I think that once your IF is long enough, it all somehow equalises, but at the early stages stakes have become higher. Readers expect more and more customisation, since they have been accustomed to it, they expect variety and a certain level of polish of the story. Which is natural since IFs have become more popular, but it still can look daunting from a new author perspective.

Cherry, the author of A Tale of Crown, has also talked about how the IF landscape on Tumblr has changed on her blog ( X , X ) in the past years. I am sure she is not the only one... It is becoming a bit saturated in some genres for sure...

It is so nice people get to find a new way to be creative and tell stories. That's also something I love about IF. Anyone with an internet connection can create something.

But I agree with the sentiment of looking at the community and seeing a bit of a saturation with so many new IFs popping up on Tumblr. You have to be shinier and newer and grab the attention of readers in new ways and keep that attention, otherwise your project will get washed out by other ones... It can definitely feel frustrating, that's true.

This is why I always tell people who what to start: do a small contained story! Something simple, very linear, with few variation, to test the waters and the IF program. Then try bigger (or not, do whatever).

Though, having been behind the scene with the Interact-IF directory, there are waves of new IFs throughout the year. Usually, we'll see more new projects pooping up around school holidays, especially the summer ones. And of those, very little have available demos or do end up getting one out. Many, many, projects end up getting abandoned after being announced, more so if there is no demo out.

I think this is why you can see a bit of an equaliser once your project is long enough (or you are more settled/popular in the community). People like shiny new things, but they prefer consistency and substance.

On the story and trope note: everything had been beaten to death already, but it doesn't stop those stories or tropes from being used over and over again and achieving popularity. And you can have the exact same premise/plot/trope between two authors feeling different because those authors have different voices.

For the stakes rising... yeah... Readers can have a lot of power in the community. [I'm generalising here, there are exception to the rule.]

Readers are expecting more, more polish in the writing or the UI, more customisation and variation in choices, more choices being meaningful to the story, more updates, more words, more of everything they've been accustomed to have through popular or long-standing IFs (or IFs published/created by actual companies). Note: this is not always a conscious thing, btw.

They will either forget that forget that IF is a hobby for most authors, that they do in their free time, that those authors may not have the knowledge to reach those expectations, or that they are limited by the resources they have (see this other confession). Just because someone did it before or because it is technically possible, doesn't mean that everyone should or has to strive for it.

But at the same time, I feel part of it has to do with how great past and established works have been, how boundaries pushing they were in terms of polish or customisation or just what IF can do/be. Each new project as the potential to push that boundary, to increase people's expectations for the next wave of IF, and to put more pressure on newer creators.

And the issue with that is you can't stop that from happening. You can't take back what's been made, it's already out there. And you shouldn't want it to stop from happening either. Without people pushing boundaries, the medium would be come stale.

I am sure there are many different reasons for why the stakes have been increasing, aside from the saturation of new projects, increased readers' expectations, and increase of great works out there. But here are a few as to why there might be more pressure for creators:

creating an IF to get likes/numbers/interactions rather than just because,

not getting the amount of interactions you expected from the get-go or not seeing it increase as much as you hoped,

IF becoming more popular and the potentiality of your work being read by more people,

announcing a project before having planned or written part of the story,

promising mechanics or features without knowing whether it will possible/make sense/feasible to include it,

not setting expectations about the content of a project when announcing it (or soon after),

expecting too much from ourselves as creators,

believing their story isn't new enough,

starting an IF without having done any research about how to create one,

starting a big project without testing the waters of IF creation,

...

[tomboyyyaoi]

i much prefer the headcanon that after vash's hair turns black it starts a sort of ageing (though for plants it would be more like a slow deterioration) process that allows him to grow old and settle at some point bc i cannot stomach the idea of him outliving milly and meryl and having to watch them grow old and pass away without him. like literally im just over a big sob from the idea. ive never cried like that over a hypothetical pertaining to media before. actual snotty, wet, ugly tears. oh my god i cant handle that

let me have my fluffy ageing vash, content and relieved with the fact hes going to age and die the same as anyone else would after hes lived through so much pain watching loved ones before wither away and leave him behind. i imagine hed take great pride in his first wrinkle or his hair noticeably greying. i imagine itd make him feel so comfortable, finally feeling like he can have a place nestled comfortably in a community. actually forming connections not just as a protector but as a friend. death, the great equaliser

[artemisia-black]

Do you think if regulus had survived the cave he could have gone to the good side? Eventually?

To quote myself (impossible to say that without sounding a tad pretentious):

90% of Regulus’s personality (even from the scant bits we get in canon) revolves around being a Black.

I think at best, when faced with his own mortality and the fact that we all die one day (regardless of our station in life) it might take the edge of his urge to murder muggles/ muggleborns. Death is a great equaliser and all that jazz.

I can see him settling into ‘tolerating’ muggleborns but not mixing with them (once again best case scenario).

To add- are the good side that good? I always see Crouch as just as bad as some of the Deatheaters. I have a whole post on his shadiness here. And while I don't believe Dumbledore was the devil incarnate- he's super machiavellian (with a dash of utiliarianism). I don't see Regulus obeying a half-blood (the irony) like Dumbledore. At best I see Regulus stepping down from committing crimes against muggles and retreating into his bubble.

[onlyonewoman]

"Either we share a land, or we share a graveyard." I do realise that since I have no ties to the region in any way, I'm an outsider who simply sees both sides and doesn't have a generational trauma reaching back to way before I was conceived, BUT: As someone who was in my late teens during the Al Aqsa Intifada (also called the Second Intifada), starting in 28th September 2000, I really encourage especially YOUNG people who know little or nothing about one of the most drawn out, sore and disgraceful conflicts in modern times. John Oliver does a comedy news show, yes, but he is so INCREDIBLY RESPECTFUL about this topic, showing the way in how we can condemn Hamas without lumping them together with Palestinian civilians and how we can call out the Israeli rightwing extremists without equalising them to Israeli civilians. And one important thing we can do, is to TRY and put us in both side's shoes. To be an Israeli civilian, living with the constant threat of attacks AND the historic, completely horrifying decease of antisemitism, I would assume it being quite difficult to sympathize much with Palestinians due to the Hamas attack. Or, to be a Palestinian civilian, where you and everyone you know, are treated like prisoners in your own land, oppressed by your own government while being bombed and deprived of the most basic needs by the Israeli government. All I can say for certain, is that I wouldn't bet I'd have much sympathy left for the other side, no matter which side was mine. It's the people in power on BOTH SIDES, who out of fanatism, pride, lack of empathy, blood thirst etc. are rolling dice with CIVILIANS on both sides. I applaud the Isralii civilians protesting relentlessly against their corrupt government - and I understand exactly WHY the Palestinians can't do the same. I've heard people asking why Palestinians don't rise and protest like the Israelic people does. It's very, very simple: as an Israeli citizen, you are not risking your literal life for critizising your government. If Netanyahu started killing Israelic protesters, it would be a whole other thing. But a Palestinian who speaks out? Against HAMAS??? I'm sorry, but that's not how a terror organisation works - and both Palestinian AND Israelic leaders are responsible for Hamas taking power. Corrupt, power hungry fanatics on both sides are to blame for the current situation but that doesn't mean we should shrug and turn our backs against the suffering on both sides. Every single civilian who hasn't been a part of any sort of attack on either side in Israel and Palestine, are innocent here. Men, women, non-binary, children. Old, young, rich, poor. The victims in the Kibbutz and festival attacks, as well as the victims in Gaza, WERE INNOCENT. They were people trying to live their lives. And the ones who are left to mourn, hate, despair, hope, long, suffer... they are ALSO INNOCENT. And I want to finish this sad rant with a song from Sabaton, a Swedish heavy metal band who made a record in 2012 with the theme "the great power era", another name for those almost 100 years of more or less constant wars. This song is about the Thirty Years War fought between Protestants and Catholics (and of course, for power and wealth) and the horrors and despair people suffered:

"Two ways to view the world So similar at times Two ways to rule the world To justify their crimes

By kings and queens young men Are sent to die in war Their propaganda speaks Those words been heard before

Two ways to view the world Brought Europe down in flames Two ways to rule...

Has man gone insane? A few will remain Who'll find a way To live one more day Through decades of war? It spreads like disease There's no sign of peace Religion and greed Cause millions to bleed Three decades of war...

When they face death they're all alike: No right or wrong Rich or poor... No matter who they served before Good or bad... They're all the same Rest side by side now..." Listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvdbDw5bXnQ

[goodlucktownsend]

This is not a complaint, just a sort of pet peeve, but it really shocks me how many people online find cannibalism -- jokingly or not? -- sexual, romantic, or erotic. It's probably just that I have a vastly different cultural upbringing, because where I am from cannibalism is. like. not actually really describable, but it is one of the biggest insults you can offer someone. Sort of like shitting on someone's grave in feeling I guess but the actual offence of it is way worse. Like it's stripping someone of all of their dignity, authority or power they had in life, and all respect they deserve-- it's like, the human body is somewhere between sacred and untouchable but it is separate from dirty and base things, and food is one of the most basic animal things. like. a great equaliser. and you take a person and in death where they are totally defenceless and vulnerable you strip them of everything they ever were and make them nothing more than like a bug. Obviously the amount of harm does is incomparable, but the manner in which it insults is akin to assault or abuse or sexual violation. I just can't see it

[unitedbydevils]

Match Review: Manchester United U18s 4-3 Liverpool U18s

A tough test at Carrington for United's winning youth prospects, as Liverpool pushed the Red Devils all the way.

United's opening goalscorer Ethan Wheatley, who took to Instagram after the win to post this picture with a boxing glove emoji (reference below) --- Liverpool took the lead after 10 minutes thanks to Trent Kone-Doherty, countering against United's high line. The 4v3 lent itself to a FIFA-style pass and tap-in, but TKD went for goal alone and slotted home a strong finish.

United responded quickly though, with the threat of Ethan Wheatley, Ethan Williams, Ashton Missin and Jack Fletcher a formidible quarter. Wheatley profited from some skillful dribbling by Williams and some lapse defending to smash home a half volley and level the tie.

The remainder of the first half was very end to end, albeit slightly in United's favour, but a great driven low shot from Kieran Morrison in stoppage time put the visitors back in front.

United quickly evened things up in the second half with an equaliser from Jayce John Fitzgerald, playing at no8, and that continued domination of Liverpool's box allowed Ethan Williams to put United ahead for the first time in the match 10 minutes later.

Jack Fletcher was unlucky not to score in the 72nd minute but sub James Scanlon - on for Ashton Missin at RW - bagged United's fourth to seal the win.

Ethan Williams' mazy dribbling was unlucky not to add a fifth, and Liverpool struck back at the death with an unchallenged cross on their left wing to be poked home by captain Michael Laffey.

The game was somewhat marred however by violent behaviour from Liverpool no5 Luca Furnell-Gill, who was caught on film throwing both a punch and an elbow at Manchester United's Ethan Williams. The referee took no action during the game, and seemingly none has been taken (as yet) following last Tuesday's match. The youngster clear as day attacks with intent however, which is why no action - even a condemnation from Liverpool - is very surprising.

Next up - the Arsenal U18s review.

[rainsmediaradio]

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 22nd November – Certainty of Death.

TOPIC: Certainty of Death. Read: Ecclesiastes 9(NKJV) 9:1. For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred anything before them. 9:2. All things alike to all: One event to the righteous and the wicked; To the good, the clean, and the unclean; To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so the sinner; He who takes an oath as who fears an oath. 9:3. This an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness in their hearts while they live, and after that to the dead. 9:4. But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 9:5. For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. 9:6. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun. 9:7. Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. 9:8. Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. 9:9. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. 9:10. Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. 9:11. I returned and saw under the sun that — The race not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. 9:12. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. 9:13. This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it great to me: 9:14. a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. 9:15. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. 9:16. Then I said: “Wisdom better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom despised, And his words are not heard. 9:17. Words of the wise, quietly, heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. 9:18. Wisdom better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.”

ANGLICAN COMMUNION DEVOTIONAL OUTLINE  FOR 22ND NOVEMBER 2023.

An old man asked a young boy, “What are you going to do with your life?”The young boy replied,“I am going to university and get a degree.”The old man then asked, “What then?”The boy replied, “I am going to Lagos, get a good job and get married.” The old man asked,“Then what?”The boy replied,“I guess after I grow old, I will die.” The old man looked at the young boy and said, “What then?” The boy had no answer. Verses 2 and 3 reveal what we all know, yet the thing we try to forget and that is, all of us must surely die! For all the frustration that exists in life, there is one equaliser of life: Every person must die! There is nothing a person can do to avoid this reality. People live their lives forgetting that everyone must face the day of death. Our lives will drastically change if we constantly live under the awareness that death can await us at any moment. Humans like to assume they will live long whereas nobody knows what will happen tomorrow(James 4:14). Many of us would make different decisions in life if we keep in mind that at any moment, we would stand before God’s judgment seat. God created man to have eternal fellowship with Him but the choice to accept His love is in your hands (John 3:16). Your relationship withJesus here on earth will dictate where you will spend eternity. PRAYER: Almighty God, grant me the grace to die to sin and live holy living, Amen Read the full article

[naachikko]

I just .....it was just a sketch!

(don't worry, i have some in depth context down bellow!)

If you want... maybe too much info, i invite you to click around down there!

So Context! [im going to nerd a lot about the Minecraft skins i have done which are not even the 40% of my wardrobe]

On the discord server i mentioned that, when it comes to playing minecraft i often mention "the grand master's teachings".

(Which if you don't know who the great master is, maybe his teachings will give you a clue)

And for some reason, while playing in a new modded server a friend did my brain started drifting away thinking "what if someone who follows the grand master's teaching gets corrupted?" And i started playing scenarios on my brain about a non corrupted Nachiko (because my skins are variations of Nachiko, what a surprise (sarcasm)) talking with a corrupted one.

[Might be cringe so, strap in]

P: "The only thing that works on this world, it's to treat others like they treat you"

C: "tsk. We must stop this cycle before begins a new"

P: "..... "Those who have treated me with kindness, i shall repay tenfold."

P: "And those, who treated me with injustice, that used me...that hunt me down, that hurt my friends.... i shall repay that injustice a thousand times over"

C: " ha! fear and death are the true and only equaliser on this world. What they shall make, we shall break before it's too late."

[Cringe over(?)]

And then i imagine them monologuing to each other quotes and teaching of the great master before fighting.

Then i started drawing....

And eventually my mind visualised the skin i used (and actually drew) for a .... kinda social//tryhard server i was with in friends.

Against the one i did for a RLCraft series.

Both actually symbolise my two mentalities when i play Minecraft on a server pretty well.

A ready for everything traveler with a liking to being flashy and silly just for the hell of it...

(i was going around with either of these two with a sombrero and dual wielding maracas with my army or crows and a giant pickaxe on the back, everything started with the left skin and eventually evolved in to the swain skin on the right.....which became "Mexican Swain" later.............and it was the birth of Natato btw)

And an adaptive survivor, whom may die thousands of times just because they know the satisfaction of triumph is sweeter than a free victory, respectively.

There was an actual evolution: on this one.

The start: was just Nachiko in a potato sack because the gimmick was to look poor. With stones at the end of the hair thingies and no much more detail.

The middle: was all messy and a deteriorated. Scars with corrupted purple underneath (fun fact, it was in the outer layer so i could take the bandages off to show corruption), burn hair and clothes which where also dirtied and a darker shade of light on the eyes. The potato sack became a potato sack robe and a lose piece if it was used as a belt.

The Epilogue: the potato sack was fixed up with rope instead of ditched for a better robe, the belt became a proper belt and now, the hair decorations came back but now mate out of bronze and there was a shoulder piece added to style the roman warrior (also, bronze became my favorite material on RLCraft for no reason) and the messy hair was kept to show that despite all, the world out the is still wild...

(I love making small details, okay?)

Then i started adding references to my pets on said servers, my army of Crows and my flying hellhound steed (named princess).

... against my boss monster pet the Grue, my three chupacabra (named Lucy, Anais and Marina) and my steed which was a FUCKING POLAR BEAR WOLF HIBRID I NAMED VOLIBEAR.

Then i ....began to add details and... you know how things ended 😅

You can see the duality of a person when the most remember phrase for one side is

"the army of crows shall rise at dawn! We must charge to victory!"

and the infamous

"keep killing me all you want. I will keep coming back, while you have only one. single. life."

It speaks volumes that on the social server i loved all my pets and all of my crows (that i named individually) equally while on the RLCraft server i grew so attached to my Bronze Pike that i named it "Ika" and eventually it became a character in the official Nachiko's lore (yes, a weapon in a Minecraft server became a character) and to my chupacabra pet Lucy which was just small, purple and deadly.

(early concept of Ika as a character, since we are here. It follows the logic of "a lost weapon will be wield by the bond with it's master" which from nerd to normal translates "to "the "soul" in the weapon looks like who owned it" so, i drew her pretty much another Nachiko but with the armor i used there. Also fire ears because damn she cooked enemies up good.)

At the end one thing is clear.

"We" both call for the great master, and "we" both claim that "he demands blood"

... RLCraft changes a man.

(When i was invited to a more social server after RLCraft i was farming nether stars from a lot of withers day 5 (even made a skin called "the wither butcher" because the second thing i did there was cooking).... RLCraft fucked me up good lmao...i was invited to other server recently and i got 5 dragon eggs(yes, 5) 3 days in. Without entering the end, no interaction with mods, no stealing, no cheating.)

(wither butcher Nachiko. Fun fact, Halloween was around the corner so i was prepared with this fancy outfit. Everything was separated by layers. I could take the skulls off and the bandages, bellow those you could see blood and green, putrid hands. Bellow the apron there are some more wither skeletons ribs and on the back you could see a a nether star around the heart area. The idea was to have wither skill as helmet to finish the look. It was a great skin!)

Anyways, sorry for the ummm "lore(?)" Dump??

I hope you liked it and i hope you have a wonderful day or night!