@narcoticwriter
Ok, this is semi-crack but if Hoyo decided to make the bad guys Russian I'm allowed to invoke Slavic symbolism.
In East Slavic cultures the hearth used to be associated with meanings you normally attach to the netherworld.
(no one really thinks like this anymore, of course, and most city dwellers never encounter a proper hearth in their lives, but it's still there in fairy tale imagery and sometimes in language and the metaphors we use for things)
I actually don't know what the correct translation is. Oven? Fireplace? The thing is HUGE, incredibly ugly and also building one is an art (it's supposed to distribute heat in a very specific way). We do not spread this symbolism to Western fireplaces or fire in general.
It's a bit chthonic and associated with everything pagan and unclean (ritually and literally. the soot).
Very far from the cozy "sitting near a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate", it's a place where Real Stuff Happens and most real stuff in this world is messy and unpleasant.
But also only because of it a home can be called a home. It's the heart of the house.
In superstitions it's home to a friendly fae househelper (the little dude lives behind it) and in fairy tales it's sometimes an entry point for minor demons (I don't remember if they get through the chimney or through the fire itself).
Then in other fairy tales there's Baba Yaga, The Evil Witch, who is also probably an aspect of a forgotten goddess of death (as in many other places, Christianity weeded out Slavic myths to the point of near disappearance and fairy tales were a form in which some of those survived). This lovely lady occasionaly cooks adventurers in the oven/hearth as a part of their rebirth process. Occasionally she just cooks and eats them. Folks with good work ethics are usually safe (in most tales they offer to perform some work for her in exchange for help or simply for not being eaten).
Baba Yaga, as far as I know, is somewhat recognized by the English-speaking pagan community, they interpret her as yet another name for the Crone face of the Triple Goddess (the archetype on which Hoyo likely relied when writing the Moon Sisters).
(do you see the fire and moon connection now?)
I'm surprised how well it fits a lot of Arle's themes. A fire that is otherwoldly and demonic and associated with rebirth and an almost-forgotten goddess of death and moon, but also it's just fire in a hearth, something to warm your house with.
This was probably not Hoyo authors' thought process and they just thought of rebirth, destruction and tamed fire.
But the author is dead and the hearth means what it means, and if you dig into humans' relationship with fire long enough you end with this sort of symbolism anyway, so I declare this angle valid.
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The Bat-Adoption Papers are literal Magic Contracts
So! In the Deified Batman AU (the AU where the Belief of the peoples of Gotham accidentally Ascended Batman to minor godhood), the Bat Adoption Papers would be a fun concept.
Batman is a God of The Night, Fear, and Protection. Specifically, the protection of Children, which is one of his biggest motivators. Meaning, it's a big part of his Divine Domain.
So when he, a God of Protection and Children, adopts his own Child? It's kind of a big deal.
His Adoption Papers basically become Magical Contracts that claim Dick to him as his own Son, basically turning Dick into a Demigod by the fact that he is the Son of a God.
Then each time Batman adopts a kid, they become a Demigod as well. Maybe after enough time, and after they forge their own Identities, they could become Minor Gods of their own? Idk, fun idea
Why do I bring this up?
Well, when Danny eventually joins the JLA, and runs into Batman, all he sees in a God of the Night, who takes one look at him, and then pulls out a Magical Binding Contract from his Belt.
Needless to say, he books it.
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Reincarnation AU but it's not Danny
So! In basically every single Reincarnation AU I've seen, it's always Danny who gets reincarnated as a DC character. Sometimes it's Jazz, other times it's his Friends, but it never really strays from them. And I think we've been ignoring some people...
The Ancients! Danny is always reincarnated as a "Vacation" from his Ghost King Duties, so why not give the same courtesy to the other Ancients?
Specifically, Fright Knight.
Fright Knight has been a loyal servant and Knight of his Master for Millenia. Ever since he first formed as the Autumn Spirit, the Embodiment of Fear, the Fright Knight, he had declared his Servitude to the Ghost King, whomever it may be at the time. And he stayed in that position, through the passing of the Crown, through the Violent Coups, through every single Ghost King who had taken to the mantle. He was their Loyal Knight. Never Wavering. Never leaving their side.
Until Pariah Dark, but that situation was different. No previous King had even tried to take the human world before.
Thankfully, Pariah had only taken the Throne for a mere 5000 years, so he had not had to put up with him for long, and much of that time was with him stuck in his Coffin. That was the first time Fright Knight had ever left his Masters Side.
Then, that insolent Halfa he had met before came into the picture and Fright Knight had a new master.
King Phantom was...different.
Perhaps it was his remaining Humanity poking through? Or was it was the influence of the Human Realm that he still regularly visited? Or maybe he was simply just a Good Person, and there was no deeper meaning behind it?
Either way, Fright Knight noticed that he cared for his subjects in a far deeper manner than any previous king had. He had personal connections with as many Ghosts as he could, and often called the Ghosts he ruled his, Friends. It warmed his Long Frozen Core to see a King valuing his Subjects as much as he did.
He did not realize that the kindness Phantom extended to his people, also extended to himself.
One day, Phantom had been discussing his Human Life with some of his friends. Not his First Life, but his most recent Vacation. Over the Eons since he had taken the Throne, Phantom had been encouraged to take a Vacation every once in a while. It was not healthy for a Ghost to work non-stop like he did, especially for a Halfa.
It was not an uncommon practice in the Realms, many would take a break from the Endlessness of Death to embrace Life once more through Reincarnation. Although, many were too weak to retain their memories upon their second Forming. Mostly, it was Ancients or Kings who would use this as a Vacation, rather than a New Beginning.
There came a break in the conversation, and King Phantom turned his attention to his Knight. "Frighty, when was the last time you Reincarnated? Pandora did so recently, and it got me thinking."
"I have not taken leave of my post for thr Eons since my Forming, My Lord" Replied the Knight with Pride.
"What? You haven't taken a Break since you formed!? Frighty! That's not Healthy!" Exclaimed his King.
This lead to a whole conversation about how unhealthy his lifestyle was, which was another quirk of his Master. He cared for his Sunjects beyond their happiness.
"Fright Knight, as your King and as your Friend, I implore you to take a Vacation. It doesn't have to be forever, just a simple Human Lifespan, but please take a break, for your own Good."
And how could he refuse a request like that? One based in the kindness that his Majesty always showed his Subjects.
It took a few more years to finally iron out the plan for his Vacation, but what are a few years in the face of Eternity?
Finally, it came time to take his leave to the Mortal Realm, and to Life itself.
"Farewell, my Leige." Bowed Fright Knight, "I thank you for this opportunity."
"There's no need to thank me. Now go, and have fun, My Dark Knight."
...
That day, in Gotham General Hospital, a baby was born.
"What will you name him?" Asked the Doctor.
"I think I'll call him..." Began the need Mother, "...Bruce. Bruce Wayne."
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it is all chaos and entropy. the thing is that the chaos and entropy make it beautiful and lovely.
yes, it's true that nature and the universe are uncaring and unspecific, and that is terrifying. i have lived through some of the unfairness - i got born like this, with my body caving into itself, with this ironic love of dance when i sometimes can't stand up for longer than 15 minutes. i am a poet with hands that are slowly shutting down - i can't hold a pen some days. recently i found a dead bird on our front porch. she had no visible injuries. she had just died, the way things die sometimes.
it is also true that nature and the universe are uncaring and unspecific, and that is wonderful. the sheer happenstance that makes rain turn into a rainbow. the impossible coincidence of finding your best friend. i have made so many mistakes and i have let myself down and i have harmed other people by accident. nature moves anyway. on the worst day of my life she delivers me an orange juice sunset, as if she is saying try again tomorrow.
how vast and unknowing the universe! how small we are! isn't that lovely. the universe has given us flowers and harp strings and the shape of clouds. how massive our lives are in comparison to a grasshopper. the world so bright, still undiscovered. even after 30 years of being on this earth, i learned about a new type of animal today: the dhole.
chance echoing in my life like a harmony between two people talking. do you think you and i, living in different worlds but connected through the internet - do you think we've ever seen the same butterfly? they migrate thousands of miles. it's possible, right?
how beautiful the ways we fill the vastness of space. i love that when large amounts of people are applauding in a room, they all start clapping at the same time. i love that the ocean reminds us of our mother's heartbeat. i love that out of all the colors, chlorophyll chose green. i love the coincidences. i love the places where science says i don't know, but it just happens.
"the universe doesn't care about you!" oh, i know. that's okay. i care about the universe. i will put my big stupid heart out into it and watch the universe feast on it. it is not painful. it is strange - the more love you pour into the unfeeling world, the more it feels the world loves you in return. i know it's confirmation bias. i think i'm okay if my proof of kindness is just my own body and my own spirit.
i buried the bird from our porch deep in the woods. that same day, an old friend reaches out to me and says i miss you. wherever you go, no matter how bad it gets - you try to do good.
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