#hierarchy of death

[cljordan-imperium]

Hi CJ! Happy WBW!

I don't wanna spoil myself too much, but I got curious about two things regarding your writing!

What is the hierarchy of hell like in Devil in the Details? We know that Lucifer and Asti are pretty high, but who is beneath them? Also, how (if they do it, anyhow) do they handle the buerocratic things?

The Chinchirpas! I've started doodling then and I've been wondering... How exactly is their diet? I take it they're carnivores, bit they're also really small - what do they eat?

Either way, a lovely wednesday to you and the best of regards from the currently very rainy Germany :)

Sorry this is late, my sweet Salty, but I've been so booked and busy. The train ride also had a worse connection than normal. I don't know what the problem was.

So, now to spoil you with answers!!

@devil-in-the-details-ay - Lucifer is the King, there is no one above him. Astaroth is both a Prince and a Grand Duke of Hell, when addressed he is called Lord Astaroth. Kind of like Prince William is the Prince of Wales, but also the Duke of Cornwall and the Duke of Rothesay. Astaroth also has multiple titles.

Under Astaroth, as the literal embodiment of Death, are a legion of demons and reapers that are responsible for carrying out the tasks associated with death. Astaroth also works with the Holy Angel Azazel, Baron Samedi, Papa Ghede, Papa Legba, Hades, Hel, Arawn, Yama, Anubis, Horis, Pluto, Kali, Ah Puch, Mictlantecuhtli, The Shinigami, Apophis, Maman Brigette, and other lesser death deities. He is just death, he doesn't deal with the souls after they are dead. He coordinates the hand off to whatever deity, or deities are responsible for them after death.

If a soul ends up in the wrong place, it is his responsibility to coordinate the transfer of the soul from one deity's control to another. If two deities lay claim on a soul, it is also his job to work out either a compromise or who will get ownership. Yes, he negotiated the deal that has Persephone doing the half a year with Hades thing. It was a mess and he doesn't like to talk about it. Zeus is an asshole, FYI.

Astaroth does not belong to one pantheon or belief system. He IS DEATH. He is universal, and, as such, has no allegiance to anyone. That is what Lucifer doesn't like about him. He is still welcome in Heaven, where he lived before the fall. He didn't live there because he was and angel, that's Azazel; he lived there because he liked it there. He no longer likes it in Hell, so where he's going to end up is up in the air and there are a few pantheons that would love to have him there!

One power that Astaroth has that his reapers do not, is the power to destroy a soul. As his wife, Yara now has this power as well. When a soul is destroyed there is no afterlife. It simply ceases to be. Astaroth does this in very rare circumstances, and normally when the being in question has gone so evil that even in the afterlife, they cannot be allowed to continue to exist. He's also done it in revenge, and if Lucifer isn't careful, he may end up destroyed.

[captmuldoon]

There's always the argument of "who truly loved their men" when it comes to Franklin or Crozier but the answer is it doesn't matter. Whether Franklin's leading them or Crozier it doesn't matter. They're captains in the British royal navy. Their love for the men is completely conditional. Franklin has David Young transfer ships because Franklin cares more about his own surgeon's opinion. Crozier orders Little to go out in the cold because Crozier cares more about having access to alcohol.

We see David Young, a ship's boy, die an agonizing death. We also see Crozier take Thomas Evans, a cabin's boy, with him to check the ice, even though he could have told him no, and puts him in a situation that gets him brutally killed.

Lieutenant Gore's death is completely overshadowed by Franklin's (and it's Crozier that crosses his name out for Franklin's - overshadowed even on paper). Hornby's death is given the slightest consideration before he is promptly forgotten (as well as the circumstances of his death).

Franklin dismisses Crozier, and Blanky and MacDonald further, when it comes to both the situation of the ice and to MacDonald's medical opinion. Crozier dismisses Little's objection when deciding the lashing punishments, and orders Mr. Johnson to continue even when Mr. Johnson stops during Hickey's lashing and looks to Crozier to end it.

Franklin has the marines set up a trap on the ice for the bear. This is done out of love and grief for Lieutenant Gore. It is also a waste of the marine's physical abilities and needlessly endangers them. Crozier has the men load up the sledges with useless, heavy items over one of the most physically taxing parts of their walk. This is done out of love and care for the men - not wanting them to part with more than they already have. It is also an extreme waste of everyone's physical strength and, again, needlessly endangers them.

Both Franklin and Crozier are shown to care for the crew, and most of their choices come from a place of genuine thought for them. But they're also both very proud and very stubborn characters that end up just repeating the cycle. The end result was always going to be the same for the crew.

[roanofarcc]

shauna shipman is the ULTIMATE teenage girl bc like yeah. if everyone turned to me (who had been ruthlessly feral and brooding for months with pretty valid reasons all things considered) and said “you wanna be our queen? our team captain? our wilderness leader?” I’d be like “hell yeah! let’s be civil friends! come on, pals! we’re all in this together! yay friendship!”

[alleyesony0u]

alright alright tabi being the cattle dog that nudges the little calf along on its path. whether the cattle dog knows it's leading the calf or not to its inevitable doom, it does not care. it is doing what it was meant to do and this little calf is its tool, or its friend, or its enemy. or maybe it is just a little calf. nonetheless, it is a cattle dog, and this cattle dog must do what must be done to get fed and watered and to live and be more than just a stray on the street. or a dog with a rifle pointed at its head.

this cattle dog does its job so it can curl up comfortably in the dog bed and not be chained up outside in the rain. this cattle dog does what it must to feel love and care, sweet words and gentleness, and not harsh insults, yelling, and a swipe. or was it a slice? or a stab?

well, all living things crave comfort. all living things need it. what is so different about this cattle dog? is it the way it does it? is it the way it herds the calf along, clueless? why is it so different from the man who works and works and works to live comfortably? why, this is simply how this cattle dog works. and who punishes hard work?

tabi is the cattle dog. she works to eat, to drink, to sleep, to live and not just survive. she lived before, she wants to live again. and so she does her job and she herds.

[lemonsourcrisis]

Hierarchy 하이라키 (2024) dir. Bae Hyun Jin

[gntlbrd]

edward teach in the gravy basket:

[trappedinafantasy37]

Cults & Autonomy: Lae'zel and the Gith

I know what you may be thinking "Lae'zel isn't in a cult, it's more like a military!" From the memoir I am going through about cults, the author was both in a cult and in the military (the US military) and they argue that military's and militia groups employ the same tactics cults do to control their soldiers. The author also states that cults can be highly militant, in which members see themselves as soldiers to The Idol and are expected to be ready to fight and die for The Idol. So, in a way, a military is a type of cult, and so are the gith we meet in BG3. I'm not saying every single military is a cult, but there are too many overlaps between the two to truly ignore.

Nothing better exemplifies that one has no autonomy than the expectation to be ready to die for The Idol. Members are expected to literally lay down their lives, not for their sake or ideals, but for The Idol and The Idol alone. And Lae'zel proudly proclaims she is willing to die for Vlaakith and everything she does is with the intent to fulfill Vlaakith's will. Hells, even wanting to cleanse herself of the ghaik abomination is for Vlaakith and she is doing you a huge favor by even offering you a chance to go to a creche and into a zhaith'isk. And we all know that the zhaith'isk is a nice, pleasant spa day that ends in total annihilation (seriously, it's intended purpose is to kill gith who get infected).

Lae'zel also has this dream to Ascend one day, to serve as Vlaakith's personal guard and ride a red dragon. This is something that Vlaakith does offer her at some point in the story. I mean, who wouldn't want to be the right hand to The Idol? Except, we learn through Voss, or the hard way, that Ascension is just Vlaakith literally consuming a gith like a protein shake. And it seems like this massive betrayal, but it really isn't. In this ending where Lae'zel does ascend, she isn't scared. She's happy, she's honored to be there. Ascension is what they have all been told to strive for, they have all been told to sacrifice themselves for Vlaakith anyway. It only feels like a true betrayal if you reject Vlaakith in the creche and speak to Voss and learn the origins of Vlaakith. This would be Lae'zel's true first crack in her programming. Soldiers risk and sacrifice their lives fighting on behalf of The Idol, under the premise that it is for something greater. To find out that The Idol has been consuming your people for generations for no other purpose than to empower themselves is a shock. They are willing to die for The Idol, not for The Idol to kill them.

When you first visit the creche, you can witness a situation in the training room in which either you or another gith student can kill a young male gith (or spare him if you choose). He isn't doing so well with the lessons, he is timid, and doesn't have the warrior's spirit in which even the instructor says he is better off dead. You can speak to Lae'zel about this and she sees no issue with killing the kid, seeing that an army is only as strong as the weakest warrior and he was weak. She even confirms that at a young age, she had killed a few of her own littermates because she was the strongest and thus deserved to survive. The others were either too weak or too stupid for underestimating her and picking a battle they couldn't win. Even when young, the gith are conditioned to have a "Cull the Weak" mindset, in which this cannibilization isn't just normalized, but expected. Every one of them is prepared to be discarded, so they have this intense fortitude to give their all.

Lae'zel also confirms that gith reproduction is asexual and sexual intercourse is not required. She even brags to the player that she can have all the sex she wants and not have to worry about pregnancy (which is hilarious because the VA for Lae'zel was pregnant while working on BG3). Lae'zel's initial view of sex is something a long the lines of "sex is for fun only, no feelings allowed!" To her, sex is a fight, a demonstration of strength and dominance. That in sex, one partner submits and loses autonomy, while the other takes control and is free to do whatever they please.

Anyway, I want to circle back to reproduction. The gith don't have a say in when to lay their eggs, or if they are allowed to. No, gith have to be chosen before they can lay an egg. The gith have no say on whether or not they have children, and they do not take any part in raising their children. Lae'zel says it would be an honor to be chosen to lay eggs, but it is one that she doesn't actually want for herself. But she has no say, if she is chosen to lay an egg, she has to. She is completely deprived of choice over her own reproduction. In which laying in egg is not for herself because she has the desire to have a family, but because the gith need more soldiers.

The gith only want to "best" soldiers. The strongest ones, the smartest ones, the ones with the best fortitude and conviction. Everyone else, they prefer to have die. This "Cull the Weak" attitude and controlled reproduction is eugenics. A deliberate and violent manipulation of a population of people under the premise that some are just "better" and thus more deserving of privileges, more deserving of rights, and more deserving of life. That the most perfect and ideal race people can be designed. It fosters an internal system of constant conflict in which they are competing with each other, and killing each other, just to have the privilege of survival. They take no issue with killing their own and expect the same to be done to them. They live in a culture where one cannot afford to fail, cannot afford to make mistakes, or they will be culled from the herd.

< Cult & Autonomy: The True Souls | Cults & Crisis: The Exiled Drow >

[daily-hanamura]

[happyandticklish]

Some quick, potentially controversial thoughts on Fiyero

I get that he's 'supposed to have a heart of gold' and everything, and that he's dissociating and putting up a facade

BUT

That attitude of 'dancing through life' and 'living the unexamined life' is such a poisonous one if you adopt it, and one that he can have as this white, essential frat boy in a position of privilege

You think Elphaba doesn't also wish she could dance through life, ignore the stress of the world around her? Of course! So does everyone! But not everyone is in a position where you can do that, especially if you are living in a world where that stress is directly impacting your ability to live and your quality of life

So many people choose ignorance over knowledge, choose to ignore the world around them because it's hard to think about. And yes, you cannot let the stress of the world consume you. But you also cannot just shut it out. Because that is how you end up with people who are in positions of power who have no idea how the world actually works because they're living in their isolated little bubbles. It's hard, but seeing the shittiness of life is vital to improving it.

I'm not saying that Fiyero is bad, but that attitude certainly is

Anyways. I think the song has the potential to talk about multiple different issues, it doesn't just have to be that Fiyero is dissociating, there can be more going on.

[clangen-pantheon]

Dancingkit Guardian of Victims and Self-Determination My Value Is Not Yours To Determine

Former Clan: PatienceClan, a clan by the sea Owner: @liatai Usable: yes, but ping me because I want to see!

Cat Aspect: a grey mackerel tabby she-kit, barely three moons old. Her emerald eyes are intense, brimming with confidence. Those who have witnessed her spirit often feel as though she has an aura much bigger than her tiny frame -- like her presence is backed by hundreds of invisible faceless others, or like a mountain lion stalks in her pawsteps, or like the calm air in the eye of a hurricane follows her. Personality: bossy, outspoken, and righteous. She has a stubborn streak that has served her well. In life, she was fond of mossball, and very particular about how she kept her nest. Symbols: blessed milk thistle, a starfish inside a shell, malachite, a green feline eye -- for clans with skilled stonecarving skill, a malachite amulet shaped like an eye or with a starfish-in-a-shell engraving would be a potent charm for invoking Dancingkit.

Dancingkit's life was extremely short. Her mother died in the midst of kitting, but luckily, she and her four siblings were found by a wandering PatienceClan patrol. They were adopted by the clan and raised communally.

The stress of losing their mother and having to adapt to this new clan unfortunately wracked her brother Marlinkit's body severely. Yellowcough gripped him, and despite the best efforts of the medicine cat Morel, he seemed to fade day by day. Morel took her aside after one visit where Marlinkit struggled to breathe, and asked her if she would be willing to do anything to help her siblings survive. If so, at night, to meet him outside of camp. He would prepare a special ceremonial meal, containing medicine that would help her commune with Starclan as they went on a meditative walk under the stars. Since she was Marlinkit's blood relative, perhaps the link would be stronger, and they would reveal something to both medicine cat and kit.

Eager to be chosen for a special task, she devoured the prepared fish, its belly stuffed with leaves and berries and seeds. As she followed Morel's pawsteps toward the treeline, she began to feel lightheaded, her paws growing numb. Morel slowed his pace, purring, supporting her side with his flank. That means it's working, he said. You might feel like you need to throw up, or have a hairball, he said -- swallow it down, endure. The herbs in the fish were potent, and they sometimes had that effect on cats. It was important to keep the herbs in your stomach, to let them work. Let me know when you feel like you need to lay down, he said -- Starclan tends to visit sleeping minds best, and they will guide us to where you should lay.

They walked. Her limbs tingled, her breath started to come in gasps, her chest and tummy hurt -- but a pleasant numbness lay over it all. Eventually she could walk no longer, and collapsed. Morel curled around her, purring and grooming her tired head. Rest, he said. You're doing so well. You should see Starclan soon. You're doing your siblings and clan a great service. Close your eyes. Let yourself rise above your body -- go to them, talk to them. Deep breaths, try to stay calm, the poppy will help. Thank you, darling dancer. I will watch over them all for you. Go; go to Starclan. The Guardian of the Gate shall keep you safe.

That was strange, she thought, catching the scents of lavender and rosemary -- but the fuzz in her head was growing, her body felt so heavy and numb and tingly. When her eyes blinked open again, she was in Starclan -- but why did the heather-blue eyes of the cat who greeted her look so sad?

And why did she say that Dancingkit couldn't go back to her body? That she was -- dead?

She sat in stunned silence as the cats of PatienceClan heard Morel's account of what happened that night. Sacrifice? Feeding the spirits? Her death a blessing, because her mother was dead and thus she had few attachments in camp?! Marlinkit's yellowcough took his life a few days later, and even as the two sat with the Guardian of the Gate to bless the warrior who took up the healer's mantle after Morel's exile, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

No. Her death wasn't a blessing. She had been deceived. Her life, and all its potential, stolen from her at the whim of someone she should have been able to trust.

How dare he? How dare he decide that she was worth more dead? How dare he make that decision for her? How dare he decide that all that she was, all that she could have been, was only worth the weight of her death? How dare he decide she was a sacrifice? He sacrificed nothing, while she was robbed of everything. And it didn't even help her brother -- one final lash across a back already flayed open and bleeding.

Well, she decided, flexing her claws as she padded the shores of the ethereal seas. Her death was a tragedy, but she would make her afterlife a blessing -- to all of those who would be victims of those like Morel. She would fight tooth and claw against any who would dare steal the future of another for their own benefit. This, she vowed.

Dancingkit is typically invoked in two particular ways. One, more whispered and private -- victims of crimes and injustice can call out to her, taking comfort in the company of someone who knows their pain. She bestows blessings upon them, directing them to those who can help them heal and grow beyond what happened to them. When it gets hard, and you feel haunted by the specter of your trauma, Dancingkit will walk with you. She understands the complex emotions that come from trauma, and shames you for none of them. She won't claim that what happened to you was "your own fault" or "fated" or "for the greater good" -- she'll be honest and say it sucks!

She actually tends to ruffle the feathers of a number of other Starclan cats, who place great importance on prophecies and fates. She rankles against the idea of destiny. Destiny is what you decide it is, not some people with power over you!

This is the other reason she is called upon as a spirit. Dancingkit is a spirit of self-determination. You define your purpose and your worth in the end, not others; hiss upon anyone who says otherwise. You're the one who has to live with yourself and your choices, not them. Cats who feel cheated by fate, who get the short end of the destiny stick, and those who feel their right to choose their own path was stolen by those in power invoke her as an advocate. She stands up for the disadvantaged, and is known to force those with power over prophecy to spin the fates in a way that is kinder to those under their sway.

If you need someone to stand directly in the way and shout "NO, THIS IS WRONG" until things change? Call upon Dancingkit. Even if they try to push past her, she's been a spirit for a long time. She knows how to appear to step out of the way while positioning herself to be even more in the way. What can they do? She's already dead. Nothing more to lose.

And, to be honest, it's nice to have someone in Starclan that cats who feel abused by fate can turn to, her elders murmur. Keeps them from turning to the Dark Forest instead.

Associated Figures: Morel, Whisperer of Poison and Sacrifice; Marlinkit, Guardian of the Sick

[rosenecklaces]

People will do anything but let Azriel even like Elain as a person in this fanbase

[abitterberryblog]

did not expect to make 4 out of 7 hierarchy fanfics but here we are. diago before he becomes vis! diago with his sisters! and parents! family! politics! all packed into a 3k and a half word oneshot due to sheer willpower (advertising as if i'm in a commercial)

[magpiesketchins]

OOHH I KNOW I KNOW what i want to see drawn by you the most is Mort! I know you haven't reread his book yet but like, maybe you have some memory of how you imagined him, maybe you've even drawn him before 🥺

A boy for you!

Another character I didn't have a design for yet! It's been a while since I've read beyond the first few pages but I imagine him all gangly - hasn't grown into his limbs, his features or his clothes yet 😂

[lucica-stuff]

Dragon Hierarchy

So, the last few weeks I've been pretty sucked in by the HTTYD fandom. I've always been a fan, but this time it's gotten really bad 😅.

And rewatching the movies/shows, reading the many fanfics on ao3 and writing my own stuff for it (that I'm probably never gonna post), made me think of something. How are dragon hierarchies structured?

Since there doesn't seem to be much information canon-wise about it, I've made up my own headcanons. And I'm interested in further discussions.

1. King

Or as we know it, The Alpha. The highest position in the dragons' hierarchy. We know that the Bewilderbeast is the 'The King of Dragons'. According to fandom.wiki, the dragons under his care are called 'Primals'. Every dragon, including Queens, falls under his jurisdiction.

They are described as providers, protectors and, as we know, possess the unique abilty to manipulate other dragons' minds, which is why they naturally become alphas in the hierarchy (keep in mind that this doesn't need to be the case e.g. Toothless). The position can only be earned through challange, but due to the Bewilderbeasts behavior and personality traits, such challanges are not likely to happen. A dragon can only become King/Alpha if they have won the challange against a Bewilderbeast, although they don't get the species-specific abilities.

Furthermore, since Bewilderbeasts are actually described as a rather reclusive type of dragon, they don't take much part in their nest's daily life. Exception to this could include: providing food/shelter and settling disputes. But otherwise, they don't do much.

2. Queen

They rule over a nest of dragons. Like the King, their job is to protect the dragons within their nest, but in comparision to the King their main job is to nurture. Their job is to take care of the nest's inhabitants. I would like to call them 'Life Givers', so you can better picture what I'm trying to get at.

The Queen of a nest is usually the strongest and most nurturing dragon, who has proven that they are able to provide the best (e.g. the Fireworm Queen). They are either appointed or become the Queens by nature. Queens are usually female because of their natural instincs to nurture their nest and take on the role of 'Mother to All', but a male dragon can also become Queen if they have proven themselves (this does not mean that they are a King).

I would like to point out that the Red Death is an exception of this, not the rule. I believe that the Red Death (as a species) has similiar abilities to the Bewilderbeast or the Death Song, but in contrast to the Bewilderbeast, they don't have the ability to manipulate/command other dragons. The Red Death from httyd1, used fear to abuse her abilities and position as Queen to get the dragons within her nest to do her bidding.

3. Nest

Which is ruled either by a King or a Queen, consists of a flock (or many flocks) of dragons. These nests are made up of different dragon species, where either a pack/herd of dragons join or a solitary dragon joins for survival benefits.

Nests may be formed for the benefit of many different species.

4. Herds/Packs

Some dragons are not suited for solitary life, which is why they form packs or herds. It's for survival as well as socialazing.

Packs or herds may appoint a dragon as their leader, but it's not required. Furthermore, they may also decide to join a nest to gain benefits.

5. Solitary Dragons

Some examples to which dragon species form packs or herds.

Herds: Thunderdrums, Smothering Smokebreaths, Terrible Terrors, Gronkles, Razorwhips

Packs: Changewings, Night Terrors, Dramillions, Speed Stingers

As we know - mostly from the shows/series - that some dragons far more enjoy a more solitary kind of life.

However, they may decide to join a nest or form a flock with other dragons. A good example for this is the Monstrous Nightmare or the Hideous Zippleback, which we have seen either lives solitarily or joins other dragons for survival advantages. This depends on how social their species is.

Boneknapper Dragon/Armorwing

Typhoomerang

Death Song

Skrill

Cavern Crasher

Thank you for reading! ❤️

[kekii118]

my 3 am thought is about how every single administrator in chaos theory without fail is morally grey or a horrible person but its 3 am so i dont have the brainpower to elaborate and make this a meaningful ramble post

[skyheld]

"i failed so my life is forfeit. if you don't kill me, the crows will" that does put a new spin on the whole the crows always fulfill a contract doesn't it