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btscarnivalnet · 2 years

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Headliner Of The Month

Hello, Carnival Goers and Performers alike, please give a round of applause for our Headliner of the Month:

Our Wonderful Performer: Sunny @sunshinerainbowsbts

You are our Headliner of the Month!

During this month, we want to showcase your incredible talent and skill and share it with the Carnival! For this month, we want you to pick three fics of yours that you’d like us to showcase, and we also wanted to ask you some questions so we can understand how you write, why and what you want to get across with your fics.

Questions For You:

Three Fics:

Paradise

Covert Affairs

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

When did you start writing fics, and why?

I started writing years ago, when I joined a server dedicated to a wild scifi show called Lexx. Prior to joining, I’d never even heard of fanfiction, but there was a group of authors there posting the most incredible stories, and soon I was hooked. Eventually I reached a point where I wanted to see my favorite characters in specific scenarios that those stories weren’t covering, and it dawned on me that if I wanted to see them, then I needed to write them.

That server is long gone now, and I did not have the foresight to save any of my fics, so they’re all digital dust now. Let that be a lesson to everyone - always backup your stories!

I fell away from writing fanfic for a while, but I kept reading for various fandoms like Harry Potter and the MCU. After a while, I started writing for the MCU when I felt the need to see my own ideas come to life. Then 2020 came and I found BTS and the amazing fanfic community on tumblr. And it happened once again - it wasn’t enough to read the fantastic worlds that Army authors were creating. I had to build my own.

What was your first fic?

Baby

What is your latest fic?

The Hook Up

Why did you choose to write about the fics you have chosen?

Paradise

Paradise is the first series I created. The idea sprang from watching Jungkook’s iconic “My Time” performance and thinking about his duality and wondering - what if your shy neighbor was a sexy stripper by night? It's a very simple idea, for sure, but one that has resulted in about 86,000 words written over eleven chapters published so far! Originally, I thought it would be a short five-part series, but I just fell in love with the characters and decided to slow things down and take my time telling their story. I chose this one because it’s my favorite story to write. Yes, it’s a very self-indulgent story, but isn’t that the whole point of fanfiction in the first place?

I remember being so incredibly nervous to post the teaser. It got some attention, but ironically that just made me even more anxious when the first chapter went up! You never know what kind of response you’re going to get with your stories. I have been so, so lucky that this fic has resonated with a group of readers who keep coming back chapter after chapter. We all know what it’s like to write something we love and feel heartbroken when it doesn’t find its audience.

The story feels like it’s starting to wind down now. I don’t want to stop writing it but I also don’t want to drag it out or have it overstay its welcome. But no matter how long it goes on, I’ll never stop being thankful for every single interaction it’s brought me.

Covert Affairs

This Jungkook Spy!AU was written for a request. It’s an example of when you get the perfect prompt and the words just start flowing - I wrote the whole thing very quickly. I tend to write very visually - I see the action in my head and do my best to transcribe onto the page. That worked really well for this story, which unfolded just like a movie in my imagination.

The reason I picked this story is because of its ending. My blog is kind of unofficially a “happy endings only” blog - the vast majority of my stories are meant to leave the reader in high spirits. The ending of Covert Affairs is very different from my other fics. I reached out to a few writer moots before I posted it, because I was afraid to use the final scene I’d written. But they told me to trust my instincts, and I’m so glad that I did, because I can’t imagine it ending any other way. And it has led me to question what a “happy ending” is, anyway. Does it always mean the hero wins, or that the reader gets the guy? Does it have to be “happily ever after” or can it just be finding peace in the moment?

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

This was one of the first fics I wrote working from a prompt as opposed to coming up with my own idea wholesale. As soon as I read the words “It’s hand-holding season,” I knew two things. One, it had to be a Yoongi fic, and two, it had to be soft. Super soft. Like, curling up on a bed made of marshmallows soft.

I’m largely a smut writer. I like smut. I enjoy reading it and I absolutely love writing it. But not every story necessarily needs a sex scene. I chose this story because I felt like it’s a good example of the type of fluff I like to write. Just a series of quiet moments of two idiots falling in love. I live for those moments. Also, I love how silly it is. I try to imbue a lot of humor into my writing.

What was the most memorable line for you in each of the fics?

Paradise

From chapter one, when reader sees Jungkook on stage for the first time:

Like the statue of a god come to life, marble made flesh and blood, Jeon Jungkook danced before you, more beautiful than any man you’d ever seen.

From chapter six, some banter between Jin and reader. I fucking love writing banter:

“What did I say about being patient?” he inquires, cocking an eyebrow.

“Patience is a virtue,” you remark.

“Yes, it is.” He rubs his thumbs over your wrists and the sensation sends a bolt of electricity to your core.

“I never claimed to be virtuous.”

From chapter nine, an example of me just cracking myself up. Happens frequently in my writing:

Besides, he’s so pretty, lost in his dreams next to you. Why not just lie here and gaze upon his beauty a little longer?

Gaze upon his beauty? Okay, Lord Byron, let’s dial it back a little. And maybe stop staring at him like a creeper.

Covert Affairs

This is one of the first lines I wrote when I saw the prompt and began picturing the little cat-and-mouse game between Spy!Reader and Spy!Jungkook:

His smile is all you can see as he disappears into the shadows, pulling you in. “Why would I let someone else have the pleasure of catching you?”

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

I cheated and chose a paragraph, because it’s hard for me to pick just one of these lines without the context of the others, and I think it shows the way the hand-holding between Yoongi and reader has come to mean so much more:

Snowflakes swirl around you on the trek home, but the air feels heavy with something else. Something unspoken. Everything around you is covered in a fluffy white blanket that shimmers slightly under the streetlights, and you could easily get lost on these streets just as easily as you get lost in your thoughts. But that familiar sensation at your side, Yoongi’s fingers clutching yours, reassures you. It’s a comforting weight, anchoring you in the moment.

What was your writing process like for each fic?

Chaotic as usual. I don’t typically outline my stories - the rare exceptions are my current series Paradise and Versus. For everything else, I normally just have a basic idea - what kicks the story off and how it will be resolved, and then the rest comes as I write it. My ideas come from everywhere - a line of dialogue or a lyric, a conversation with a friend, dreams I’ve had. Occasionally, if an idea seems like it’s going to be more than a quick one-shot, I will do a stream-of-consciousness type of outlining - basically I write a paragraph or two detailing what plot points the story will include.

Also, I have to have noise when I write, either listening to music or just having the tv on in the background. I can’t work in silence. Like I said, chaotic.

I didn’t start outlining Paradise until I was five chapters in. The story kept expanding, so I needed to corral all my thoughts and figure out the timing of the various events. And I write it one chapter at a time. I truly, truly envy authors who have the patience to write multiple chapters or a whole fic before they start posting! I have zero chill when it comes to posting. I want to write and get it out there immediately.

Covert Affairs and I Wanna Hold Your Hand were both written without an outline, over a series of sprints. I’m a big fan of sprinting - it’s helpful to turn off the critical/editing portions of your brain and just let the words roll off your fingertips. Sometimes I end up with a fairly useless mess, but more often than not, I’ll find the crux of a story that way. A lot of times my characters will surprise me with their antics during a sprint.

What do you hope readers will take away from the fics?

I hope they find whatever they are looking for in my stories. Whether it be something they want, like a spicy smut scene, or something they need, like a good laugh. Fanfiction has by and large been a source of comfort for me. It’s often a place I turn to when I need to escape from all the stress in my life. I’d love for my stories to do the same for others. I hope to write fics that will reverberate with people for a long time after reading. Nothing would make me happier than that.

Why do you keep writing? What drives you?

I keep writing because I love it. I have so many worlds within me, all clamoring to be born. What drives me is the desire to share those ideas with others. To say here, I made this for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for reading.

Any writing goals you’ve recently hit? Any goals that you are planning to hit?

I haven’t really had many goals in the past but I’ve had some milestones that I’ve celebrated. I’ve been writing for BTS for over a year now - that was a great marker to hit. My current goal is to wrap up my three series - the two I mentioned above and my Bad Cop!Yoongi series - in a (hopefully) satisfactory manner before I attempt any other series. Future goals include exploring new genres/tropes/kinks in my writing, and then possibly branching out into Stray Kids fanfic - but that’s a ways down the line yet, since I still have so many BTS WIPs in the works!

#bcn: headliner of the month #performer: sunshinerainbowbts

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kukies-capabilities · 2 years

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I posted 131 times in 2022

That's 13 more posts than 2021!

82 posts created (63%)

49 posts reblogged (37%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@gatheryepens

@nietxsche

@spelledslots

@elysianania

@autistudyblr

I tagged 85 of my posts in 2022

Only 35% of my posts had no tags

#study blog - 77 posts

#studyblr - 77 posts

#sixth form - 76 posts

#a levels - 75 posts

#study space - 75 posts

#studywithme - 72 posts

#a level physics - 70 posts

#a level maths - 54 posts

#year 12 - 52 posts

#a level further maths - 50 posts

Longest Tag: 104 characters

#i’ll probably lose but i don’t know what to do with myself and this seems like the best option right now

My Top Posts in 2022:

On Thursday I woke up with a migraine and made myself go to school cause there was a show I didn’t want to miss and I had both of my maths teachers that day. I did this with the plan on not going in on Friday. Come Friday I still feel horrible, my skin feels sensitive, my eyes hurt when I move them. I’m suffering. I eventuality take a covid test and it comeback positive.

I wrote off my original symptoms as a combination of me over working myself and stress. This so my first time testing positive since the start of the pandemic. I’m not as invincible as I though. 😪

Day 24: What's your favourite beverage?

Nigerian Fanta. It’s sold in a glass bottle and it so much better than what the one that they sell herein the UK.

Day 25: What does your ideal breakfast look like?

A breakfast wrap/sandwich that contains eggs and sausage (beef of course)

Fruit and yogurt parfait on the side

Day 26: What's the cosiest place in your mind right now?

My bedroom. Just me, my bed and Aristotle and Dante

And the public library I go to. Me and all those books.

26 notes - Posted February 26, 2022

I think I am starting to enjoy revising/studying (would enjoy it much more if my maths exam wasn’t so close but you win some you lose some). I think have a routine that works for me for now.

Ramadan is less than 20 days away and I need to come up with some sort of timetable to ensure I get enough sleep, and can still revise. I wish I was the type of person wi could fall asleep where ever quickly. If I was I wouldn’t Bebe bother changing my routine much. I would just take naps everywhere.

15th March: How do you deal with academic/work stress? Do you have a coping system/mechanism?

I feel like I’m in a constant state of panic so at this point I don’t get affected much.

However every once in a while I do stress more than usual so much so that my appetite is usually affected. In those scenarios I make sure to write down everything I need to do and spread it out over a period of time.

I have learnt that when I have a lot of something to do, that me trying to do it all in one day doesn’t work for me. I get bored and ended up working img slowly. Or I get stressed by how much I have left to do, and end up freezing.

29 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

First week back at school done. It was tiring, and I took today (Sunday) to complete relax and do no work. I know this is gonna be my last peaceful/stress-less day for a while so I savoured it.

I started listening to a true crime podcast called “female criminals” and a history podcast called “history’s b side” both are quite interesting. Would recommend both of them.

I went to my first bookclub meeting. I joined the club a couple months back but never I never went to the meetings cause didn’t have time to read the books. But I managed to this month and it was fun talking to other about books.

Quantum fact: The uncertainty principle tells us that the more we know about one property of a wave the less we know about another. Pairs include Wavelength and location as well as energy and time. For example, the easier it is to pinpoint the location of a wave, the harder it is to find its wavelength.

See the full post

31 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

I went exploring over the weekend!!!!

Saturday 19th March

I went to the Future Robots: Material Futures X DeepMind exhibition in London with a friend. It was cool and interesting. My favourite part was the synesthesia translator

We then went to a cafe in bookstore and worked for a bit. I felt so ✨aesthetic✨

Sunday 20th March

Went to the British library with my friend. It was so huge but a nice change of scenery

Took my younger sister with me and I don’t think I’ll be doing that again. Her being there made it more stressful and harder for me to concentrate as I had to ensure that she was safe

51 notes - Posted March 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Day 1: What’s your favourite podcast?

The Magnus archives. Such a good podcast. I have season 5 left and then it’s over 🥲

I did just finish “Fearie” today and that is definitely a good one

85 notes - Posted February 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Kukies capabilities

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celticgaels · 2 years

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Can you tell us anything about the Aldmerrow Chronicles? It sounds so interesting!

Hi anon! This blog has been a little dead before it's even come alive because of personal goings on but I'm happy to see that some people seem interested! I'd love to tell you about the AC.

Back in 2011 when Ninjago first came out, I decided to create my two OCs, Taliah and Erebos. In the beginning they were just Ninjago OCs that my 11 year old mind thought were cool and interesting and not seen before. As I aged along with the show and began to learn more about the show's lore, I began to edit Taliah and Erebos more and more until eventually they got their own realm with its own lore and culture much different than we know Ninjago to have.

For one, Aldmerrow is not child friendly, let's just put it that way (another reason why I do not want to interact with minors!), as it is rife with things we as a modern culture do not find acceptable. Aldmerrow and the Aldmerrow Chronicles are a creation based off dark fantasy with sprinkles of real history from medieval Europe and it's allocated myths and folklores. Aldmerrow has monsters and beasties and even humanoid races that are not known to Ninjago, hence why Taliah and Erebos find the realm so alien, and they are alien to the realm and those who live there.

To answer your question, the Aldmerrow Chronicles first started out as a Ninjago fanfiction I made when I was 11 and then abandoned when I began my oh-so lovely journey battling mental illness that will probably now be with me for life. As the show evolved and my OC's with it, I began to think that they did not make sense if they were inhabitants of Ninjago, so I said "fuck canon" and essentially created my own realm over the next few years, that as of 2020, is the sister realm to the Never-Realm in Ninjago lore.

Now we come to 2017, I've left high school and don't know what to do with myself, so I did more brainstorming and worldbuilding. I created Aldmerrow's towns, cities, religions, characters, magic system, biomes, creatures and where they would be found, guilds, culture, delved deep into fantasy racism and oppression and even created centuries worth of history for this place.

And then I began to write about it.

Someone very special to me has seen this land grow alongside me and has given some lovely insight and feedback when needed, and they have also seen some chapters from some parts of the Aldmerrow Chronicles. The Chronicles mostly follow Taliah and Erebos's story, with them arriving in Ninjago close to the end of the second book. The first book and first 2/3's of the second book basically detail who they are, how they live, their past, their family, their friends, and what they get up too in their own realm. This allows the reader to begin to like them and root for them as the story goes on, as well as understand why they are the way they are and how stark a difference Ninjago and its inhabitants are to Aldmerrow and its inhabitants.

To be quite honest I've not done much with it in a while, motivation comes and goes and I've rewritten the damn thing so much I can't remember how I wrote it back in 2011. Currently, my very special person as well as myself are the only ones who knows what happens in the Aldmerrow Chronicles, and unfortunately my lovely anon, it's going to stay that way. I'm happy to answer any questions about the creation process though!

#anon #aldmerrow lore #oc: taliah #oc: erebos #ninjago #ninjago oc #my writing

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jerrytrancomedy · 2 years

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I still like this photo. More now. Less back then, when I would cringe from imagining my protruding belly popping those shirt buttons. I'm grateful for this picture, though. It inspired me to change and be as strong as those buttons.

Dieting and weight loss are both complex and sensitive topics, so the point of this blog post/essay isn’t to give unsolicited advice or tell anyone what to do. All bodies and situations are different, and what worked for me may not work for someone else. What follows are only my thoughts regarding the inner transformation I experienced alongside the outer one. I write this hoping it provides some value to others. And to brag.

I used to think I looked like a grownup test tube baby of a Care Bear and the Pillsbury Doughboy's donated sperm. Probably not a surprise then that I was unhappy with my body and appearance, and I dealt with that unhappiness by avoiding and repressing it. Constantly sweeping dust under the carpet created a mean, filthy monster that eventually escaped and wreaked havoc inside me. I swore to fight back against this sad inner demon by improving my physical and mental health. I had wanted to work on both for quite some time but never did because I knew doing so would be hard, and I was soft. God forgot to turn on the timer, so he pulled me out of the oven way too early-soft. In grade school, when it was time to tumble in gym class, I would leave, hang out inside a restroom stall, and tip-toe back right before it ended-soft. Believing this for most of my life had me feeling hollow, like an empty roll of toilet paper.

A big reason it took me so long to get started on this particular journey (I'm 40) was having emotional baggage as far as the third eye could see. I lacked ambition because wanting meant doing, and in my mind attempting anything of consequence equaled failing. Mockery, humiliation, and shitty feelings that I did not want to feel would then follow. I could coast, though, and coast I did until I got tired of seeing life pass me by. Perfectionism also contributed to my inaction and inspired the only exercise I used to do: beating myself up. If I couldn't do something perfectly immediately, why even bother? There was no big epiphany-producing event like winning "Most Likely to Have the Next Midlife Crisis" at my twenty-year high school reunion either. That would have made for a better story. The simple, boring truth is I started to change once I stopped procrastinating. After seeing that swingset photo, I ordered a kettlebell and then celebrated by placing an order for Thai food on Uber Eats.

Once I finally started going to the gym regularly and watching what I ate, my overall sense of well-being began improving. I was also conflicted about the ugly truth of why I was doing this in the first place, which was for shallow, superficial, or aesthetic reasons if we want to be pretentious. I wanted to be hot but did not want to become one of those people I used to roll my eyes at from a distance. The meatheads, the aggro guys with too much testosterone, the wannabe fitness influencers. People I used to judge and was secretly a tad bit jealous of. Not wanting to waste any momentum, I kept moving, shrugged my shoulders, and said, "whatever it takes." Thankfully, over time, a greater purpose started to grow like a caterpillar doing pushups inside its cocoon.

Fortunately, severe hunger pangs from my diet’s calorie restriction weren't an issue. Unfortunately, occasional waves of fatigue and lethargy that swallowed me whole and left me in a zombie-like limbo between awake and asleep were. Those states usually led to taking a 1-2 week-long diet break, which I did every 6-8 weeks. The diet breaks helped with not having hunger pangs, as did doing PG-13 stuff to freshly-used peanut butter spoons. One embarrassing setback that happened was misreading the labels on the large chicken breasts I used to eat before becoming an ovo-vegetarian and counting all of them as 4 ounces. That threw a wrench in my calorie counting but buying a kitchen scale to weigh food resolved that issue. These stumbling blocks reminded me to slow down and be patient, a quality I often forgot or overlooked in the past. If I had rushed things, I probably would have made more mistakes, felt like a failure, and ended up quitting. Every painful reminder would have then been deleted, including the thirst trap photos, which, sad to say, would have been a personal tragedy.

A new identity started forming around sticking to a weight training program, adhering to my diet, and not burning my face while cooking. Those statements also turned into mantras after adding "I'm someone who..." in front of them. Whenever the road got bumpy, I would say them aloud with intense passion, which probably explains the looks I get from my next-door neighbor. And it worked! After dieting for more than a year and a half, I recently ended it. I’m happy with my effort and progress, even though I didn’t accomplish my initial goal of having Calvin Klein underwear model-like six-pack abs. After clinging to that target for so long, which I now realize was unrealistic since I’m still relatively new to lifting weights, my ego was bruised. I did not have enough muscle mass to be that ripped. That was when I begrudgingly accepted that not everyone has the genetics to sell overpriced tighty whities. Some are 5’6”, broad-shouldered, and built more like the starting fullback of whatever college football team the hobbits from Lord of the Rings went to, and that’s okay.

There were several practices I did that fostered this transformation. When perfectionism reared its ugly head, I practiced self-compassion by reminding myself that I’m a flawed human being just like everyone else. Self-compassion also made me realize that I'm worthy of self-love and respect just by existing. Viewing weight training and cooking as self-care and acts my future self would appreciate made it easier to do them consistently. The Most Valuable Practice award would have to go to meditation & mindfulness, though. I know it is not for everyone, but nothing has improved my life more than that habit. Greater awareness of my emotions and thoughts and not becoming attached to them allowed me to respond to life with a clear and calm mind. Specifically, regarding weight loss, the combination of meditation and weight training made me more present, grounded, and aware of my body. Gripping a barbell brings our focus to the here and now, similar to our breath during meditation. Doctor visits for injuries would've occurred, too, if I did bench presses, squats, and deadlifts with my head stuck in the past or stressed about the future. As someone who used to struggle with binge eating, mindfulness decreased the times I overindulged and ate past the point of fullness. Along the way, the negative narratives that used to play constantly in my mind stopped, revealing the real purpose of this journey. I wasn’t weak, lazy, undisciplined, and incapable of being the person I wanted to be. I was wrong and had never felt better. Also, if I sound too much like a stringy-haired, new-age hippy right now, please know that I got a haircut the other day and sometimes use conditioner.

I don’t think what I did here was special or unique, and I'm still very much a work in progress. The worst contestant on MasterChef Junior would angrily shake their tiny spatula at me after tasting my cooking. For months now, my entire apartment has been covered in protein powder. I'm still too hard on myself at times. I suspect I will continue to grow, make mistakes, and hopefully learn from them for the rest of my life. I also believe that everyone is capable of accomplishing hard yet meaningful goals. If anyone ended up reading this entire self-indulgent essay, then thank you. The least I could do is root for you as you keep traveling down your journey. Alright, time to go start bulking up so I can play Awkwafina's jealous and insecure ex in Shang-Chi 2.

photo by @photojuice

p.s. These are some of the resources I used that helped me the most with losing weight and getting in better shape. For nutrition and weight training, the websites Stronger By Science and Ripped Body both have a lot of great free content. For nutrition tracking and calorie counting, I use MacroFactor. In the beginning, I used Myfitnesspal, and I regret not using MacroFactor sooner because of how much better its layout and features are. It's not free, but if you can afford it, I definitely recommend it. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear is a must-read for anyone interested in forming new habits and sticking to them. Other recent books that influenced this post were “The Road Less Traveled” by M Scott Peck & “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself” by Kristin Neff.

#weight loss #body recomposition #mental health #physical health #weight training #body transformation #inner transformation #inner healing

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donnabethtayurang · 4 months

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Final Term Blog

The Entrepreneurial Mind Journey

The journey sometimes felt like a slow walk on silver pavements. Sometimes it felt like a breath-stealing sprint that never let me have a break to see how far I've gone. In simpler words, the whole experience in this subject felt like a whirlwind of good and nerve-wracking emotions.

The first day of our class for the Entrepreneurial Mind subject was a nostalgic experience. It was like returning to a home I used to live in, bringing both warm and melancholic feelings about my past and the future I never pursued. I didn't feel regretful of leaving the College of Business and Management. It made me realize how people can be happy in different places for different reasons. How flowers can flourish in different environments. The discussions and activities in the subject were both familiar and strange. Some of the discussions were topics I already learned in the past, but the performance tasks were completely out of what I was used to.

Pitching Experience

The final pitching was bombarded with unexpected occurrences. We all had designated tasks divided according to our skills and fortes. I was assigned to the financial planning, but two hours before the pitching, we had to change the presenter because the one originally chosen by the group fell ill and was rendered unable to present. My groupmates encouraged me to take up the challenge, and so, with less than an hour of practice, I had to brave my way through the experience and give my best for the group.

We brought the prototype of the product we created: crafting paper out of mahogany leaves. In the Philippines, where mahogany poses a threat to biodiversity as a non-native species, we saw an opportunity to turn a challenge into a triumph. By harnessing these overlooked leaves abundant on our university grounds, we unveil a marvel: crafting paper of unparalleled quality and conscience. With each sheet, we rewrite the narrative of paper production. Gone are the days of ecological compromise. In its place stands a sustainable alternative, born from the resilience of nature herself.

One of the highlights of my experience in this subject was the creation of our promotional video. I was able to take a breath from writing a mountain of papers for political science and was able to act as a Barbie with a purpose. I had fun acting in the video and at the same time raising awareness about mahogany leaves and environmental preservation.

Lecture Series

The culmination of our journey with the subject was the Entrepreneurial Mind Lecture Series Program 2024 which featured a stellar lineup of speakers with a wide range of expertise in related but distinct fields discussing an abundance of topics. With the lecture series, I now have a better understanding of startups and businesses. The topic of conversation included how businesses grow quickly at first and eventually settle into a fairly stable state. Furthermore, not everyone who begins to sell products is launching a new business. The start of an entrepreneurial endeavor is associated with the term startup. It goes hand in hand with presenting something fresh and inventive. One of the most intriguing things I also discovered is that you cannot sue someone for allegedly stealing their inventions.

Parting Words

As this chapter ends, one of its greatest impacts is that it strengthened my bond with my friends. We were able to work together to accomplish great things. We learned, we laughed, and we improved together. We enjoyed the journey, and are now ready to move forward.

My heartfelt thanks to our teacher, Mr. Reymark Menguito, for being a sympathetic person who understood how challenging college life could be and gave us the best considerations he can.

#entrepreneurial mindset

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 2 years

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IOTA Reviews: Evolution

Well, here we are again. Season 5, originally meant to be the last season of the show before the network decided to pull a Kim Possible and give it two more seasons. Although to be fair, this season will mark the end of an era, as Astruc won't be as involved in future seasons. Either way, this season has a lot to live up to, mainly the fact that it has to actually wrap up the plot after spinning its wheels for the past six years.

But for those who have just discovered my blog (in that case, welcome, stranger), or haven't caught up on the show yet, allow me to provide a brief recap of the fourth season. After being made Guardian thanks to Master Fu's incompetence, Marinette reveals her identity as Ladybug to Alya in order to have help dealing with the stress of her new responsibilities, eventually giving her the Fox Miraculous full-time. Of course, Cat Noir isn't happy that Ladybug is starting to rely on other heroes for help, and whines about it for the entire season because he's an idiot. On the villain front, Gabriel begins to use the newly repaired Peacock Miraculous with the Butterfly Miraculous, adopting the new alias Shadowmoth. Aside from the introductions of new heroes and a few minor identity reveals across the season, not much really happens until the season finale. After revealing she's working undercover when she supposedly stopped being a superhero to Nino, Alya loses her Miraculous because she's an idiot. Felix, Adrien's cousin and walking middle finger to anyone who was interested in one of the show's earlier drafts, manages to trick Ladybug into giving him the Dog Miraculous, which he uses to steal her yo-yo with a connection to where she stores her other Miraculous, but decides to trade all fifteen Miraculous to Gabriel in exchange for the Peacock Miraculous (which he may or may not be an artificial creation of) instead of beating his uncle up himself because he's an idiot. After nabbing all the Miraculous from Ladybug's yo-yo, Gabriel acts like this was his plan the entire time, even though he just lost again, because he's an idiot. And even though Ladybug was literally under the influence of an Akuma that made her take more risks, she gets blamed for everything going wrong because the writers want us to believe she's an idiot. The season ended on a cliffhanger where Cat Noir decided to actually help Ladybug without complaining because he actually has to do his job now.

So now that we're caught up, let's get into the first (chronologically the first) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Evolution

We start off right where the previous season ended, with Ladybug and Cat Noir staring down an illusion created by Hawkmoth, now calling himself Monarch. Not even the civilians really fear him anymore, as they just boo him while still supporting Ladybug, even though she's supposedly the reason why Monarch is like this in the first place. Sure, we could have had the public start to turn on Ladybug while she desperately tries to stop Monarch to signify how dire the situation is, but that would actually imply the writers know how to write serious story arcs.

Ladybug and Cat Noir easily get rid of the illusion and reaffirm their trust in each other.

Aw, isn't that sweet? Cat Noir spent most of the last season complaining about the other temp heroes, and now Ladybug has literally no other choice but to rely on him now. This really is one of the best superhero teams of all time.

We cut to Gabriel, wearing all the Miraculous (which are all now gray to remind the audience that he's evil), doing what he does best, monologuing to his wife's comatose body about how he stole most of the Miraculous from Ladybug, neglecting to bring up that Felix did most of the work for him. What's really weird about this scene is how it goes back and forth between Gabriel and the two heroes. When Gabriel says his victory is almost complete, Ladybug tells the public that Monarch's victory will never be complete. When Gabriel orders a concerned Sass to stay silent, Cat Noir tells the public not to be silenced. When Ladybug says that they won't be prisoners of Monarch, Gabriel makes it clear that the Kwamis are in fact, his prisoners/slaves. Is this meant to be funny? Is this meant to set up the conflict of this season? The tone is very vague here.

For once, Gabriel decides to do the obvious and use the Rabbit Miraculous to try and travel through time first, giving us a good look at his new form.

Monarch's design is... his design is... Oh my fucking God... It really looks like the animators have some kind of bet for who can make the worst unification design going on. The purple skin looks ridiculous, the vest has a really weird design, and I don't get why the Rabbit Miraculous' umbrella the and Turtle Miraculous' shield are purple while the other Miraculous are the same colors as when they're used by their normal wielders. I just... I just can't even begin to describe how utterly atrocious this form looks. And this is supposed to be the most menacing form Gabriel has taken to date! I had all kinds of jokes written as soon as I got a glimpse of this design, but wasn't sure which ones to go with. So I decided to put down all of them. Enjoy!

He looks like a fusion of Joe Biden and Grimace.

I've seen better designs from video game character creators... which were intentionally made to look ridiculous as a joke.

So are you supposed to be a supervillain or a cartoon character meant to teach kids about colors?

This is exactly why Pretty Patties didn't last too long.

Ivan Ooze called, he wants his look back.

So I take it you're a Poison-type Gym Leader?

Tonight, the role of Gabriel Agreste will be played by Henry the Octopus.

How did Gabriel even get his hands on some of Kaos' Petrified Darkness?

I think Gabriel heard about how cool Mayura looked, so he thought changing his skin color would help his new design. It really didn't help at all.

We've heard of Ursula's crazy sister, but how about Ursula's crazy brother?

Gabriel's Lotor cosplay could really use some work.

“Fun isn't something one considers when trying to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, but this does put a smile on my face.”

Is this a character from that Rainbow High show I've heard so much about?

“What the hell is that?” “Well it ain't a well designed character model!”

I'm pretty sure even the Ginyu Force has better fashion sense.

This is a weird sequel to Home.

Gabriel didn't take his rejection from the Abomination Coven well.

You know, when I started watching Star Trek: Prodigy, I was curious to learn just what Dal's species was like. I really should have been more specific there.

So would this be considered blackface among Sinestro's people?

Man, Ebon really let himself go since Static Shock ended.

🎵I love you, you love me, how did this get on TV?🎵

Oh hey, here's something Monarch and my dad's Captain America costume have in common: The masks are both made of duct tape.

I'm starting to think the consequences for using multiple Miraculous at once are just really poor-looking suits.

See, this is what happens when you eat stuff without Willy Wonka's permission.

“Uh, Pim? What the... uh.. what the hell are you doing?” “Don't worry, Charlie. All I have to do is get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, and our latest client will have a big smile on his face!”

Man, has Gabriel really gotten this many bruises from all the losses he's had?

I remember when the suit designs for Kamen Rider Revice were first revealed, I thought the color scheme looked ridiculous, but I slowly warmed up to it. I don't think that's going to apply to Monarch's design here.

Gabriel, your new form, woof!

I didn't know Gabriel was really a Moonshadow Elf. It certainly explains his poor impression of a human.

Who wore it better: Gabriel, or Percy in that one episode of Thomas the Tank Engine where his face was covered in jam?

Man, I know people have problems with Lightyear's animation, but I didn't know their version of Evil Emperor Zurg looked this bad.

You know, some historians say that the reason Gothic churches like the Notre Dame Cathedral had stained glass windows was to emphasize the beauty of these places and to teach the illiterate about stories from the Bible. What kind of message is Gabriel is trying to get across with the stained glass pattern on his vest?

Feel free to pick your favorites from this list, or even make your own. Although, let's be honest here. The fact that Gabriel thought he would look badass in this form is funnier than anything else we could come up with.

Just as Ladybug starts to tell Cat Noir about how she lost the other Miraculous, Monarch conveniently stumbles through a time portal, with another version of her and Cat Noir in tow, the latter unified with another Miraculous. Bunnix, the wielder of the Rabbit Miraculous in the future, AKA, Marinette's friend, Alix, comes to warn the present day Ladybug and Cat Noir about Monarch planning to screw up the timeline more than the average episode of Kamen Rider Zi-O. Seriously, Monarch didn't even think about being subtle and just barged into the events of Season 1's “Lady Wifi” where the titular Akuma had Ladybug at her mercy. He didn't even think to use the Fox Miraculous to disguise himself as someone who could have tricked Ladybug into a false sense of security. For a butterfly-themed villain, Monarch really doesn't get the idea of the Butterfly Effect. As for the how the present day Ladybug and Hawkmoth factor into this? Don't worry, the writers didn't care enough to add that in, not even a throwaway line expressing their confusion.

Having the power of time travel on their side, Bunnix obviously takes Ladybug and Cat Noir back to where Felix was about to steal Ladybug's yo-yo and make sure Gabriel never gets the Miraculous—I mean, she takes them to stop Monarch from stealing back Ladybug's Miraculous instead. Ladybug ties up Monarch with her yo-yo, and the three heroes take back every Miraculous in Monarch's possession—I mean, they just explain how Bunnix's powers work and say they're going to take back their Miraculous... which gives Monarch the opportunity to unify with the Bee, Fox, and Turtle Miraculous so he can escape, distract the heroes with an army of Mirage copies, stun Bunnix with Venom and trap her in a Shelter. Cat Noir uses his Cataclysm to break through the barrier while Ladybug ties up Monarch again, but Monarch uses the Dragon Miraculous' Wind Dragon power to escape again.

This scene is supposed to convey how powerful Monarch is with seventeen Miraculous, but when the heroes had a lot of chances to undo all of this with time travel and nab all the Miraculous obviously on display on Monarch's jacket, it makes them look more inept than anything else. I can't believe I have to use this clip again, but...

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Seeing how Future Alix isn't able to travel through time on account of having an unhealthy amount of magical neurotoxin flowing through her bloodstream at the moment, Cat Noir takes the other Rabbit Miraculous that Monarch failed to steal for some reason and offers it to Ladybug.

I'm... very mixed on this scene. On the one hand, as much as I hated Ladybug being forced to admit she screwed up through no fault of her own, I do like the idea of her actually trusting Cat Noir with something as big as this. This, as well as their partnership in general this episode, is a sign the two are far more in sync and bickering less than last season. On the other hand, it's pretty out of left field for Ladybug to trust Cat Noir with the Rabbit Miraculous when she herself was shown to use it no problem last season. Out of the three times Cat Noir has used other Miraculous (Reflekdoll, Desperada, Miracle Queen), he was only able to use it right one time, and that was a unification.

Yes, Snake Noir was able to turn the tide of the battle in “Miracle Queen”, but it wasn't really this triumphant moment of the pinnacle of a character arc for him. Because there was so much focus on the conflict with Hawkmoth and Miracle Queen as a whole, it just kind of... happened, and didn't really get acknowledged much. It's kind of weird how the first step Ladybug is taking to trusting Cat Noir with more responsibilities is to trust Cat Noir with the most dangerous individual Miraculous during a tense situation when she could have easily used it herself. It's a weird time to give him a new power like this when she could unify with the Rabbit herself, and after the conflict ends, then she could start to train Cat Noir to use other Miraculous like the Rabbit.

As for Rabbit Noir, Cat Noir's new form unifying with the Rabbit Miraculous... THANK GOD WE HAVE A UNIFICATION DESIGN THAT DOESN'T SUCK! It's simple, but it honestly looks amazing. The neon blue lights along Cat Noir's suit go perfectly with it, and it evokes a futuristic aesthetic, and those, along with the rabbit ears and cottontail, don't feel as intrusive as other unification designs which try to blend two hero suits together. This is what most of the unifications should be like: simple aesthetic changes that don't compromise the design of the suit while still reminding the audience that another Miraculous' power is being used. In general, Rabbit Noir does a good job with these powers and understands the severity of the situation, taking the conflict with Monarch very seriously. He's honestly the highlight of the episode for me.

Rabbit Noir uses Burrow to follow Monarch to the events of the Season 2 episode, “Riposte”, specifically, the scene where Cat Noir is helplessly watching Ladybug duel the titular Akuma. Monarch's plans to ambush the past Cat Noir are thwarted by the writers FINALLY remembering the danger that comes with using multiple Miraculous, giving the present day Ladybug and Rabbit Noir the chance to catch up. And once again, the present day Ladybug, Cat Noir, Riposte, and Hawkmoth are too oblivious to what's going on when he's right behind them. Monarch attempts to head to the events of “Heroes' Day” and ambush Ladybug and Cat Noir when they try to recover after escaping from the Scarlet Army, but the present day Ladybug and Rabbit Noir knock him out and through the events of “Animan” where Alya and Nino are kissing, and the two lovebirds can't even hear all the commotion going on behind them. Back at the events of the first act of this episode, Ladybug and Cat Noir notice the chase from earlier was actually the chase they were about to take part in.

Monarch travels to an unknown time, and even though he's visibly exhausted, Ladybug and Rabbit Noir once again fail to think beating the crap out of him right then and there is a viable option, thinking that if they tell him to return the Miraculous, he'll just listen. Monarch unifies with the Dog Miraculous in an attempt to tag the Rabbit Miraculous he has with the ball, intending to use Fetch if they ever get it, but because he's currently using seven Miraculous at the same time, his body starts to collapse.

HOW THE HELL DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT?! You were literally told about the dangers of using multiple Miraculous all the way back in “Kwamibuster”! Did the writers seriously forget that happened, and that this kind of negative reaction is a brand-new rule they just made up?!

Okay, whatever. Monarch is clearly unconscious, he's exhausted from the long chase through time, and his body is probably a wreck after using seven Miraculous, so the other Miraculous are ripe for the taking... How do they screw it up now? Well, my dear reader, rather than take the chance to steal as many Miraculous as possible, they only get back the Rabbit until they're distracted by the past versions of Master Fu and Marianne being targeted by the vague Nazi-esque military, revealing that they're currently in the prologue of “Backwarder”, so Monarch has the chance to use Fetch to get the Rabbit Miraculous back and escape.

Okay, I gave Ladybug flak for blaming herself during the Season 4 when nobody could have predicted Felix's plan, but this entire episode has been nothing but her and Cat Noir screwing up and failing to take back the Miraculous Monarch is wearing when he's gotten weaker and weaker. They're clearly trying to establish how powerful he is, but he's only getting this far because the plot is forcing Ladybug to not do the simple thing and take back the damn Miraculous. Hell, Cat Noir points out the obvious fact that even if he can use Fetch to get back the Rabbit Miraculous, Monarch will eventually detransform, yet this episode still insists that this buffoon I spent two pages making jokes about is untouchable right now.

Ladybug finally wises up and uses her Lucky Charm and gets a box meant to contain a single Miraculous in. This was the same Lucky Charm that Ladybug got during “Heroes' Day”, with the plan being to peacefully get Hawkmoth's Miraculous back. While thinking about what she can do, Ladybug's vision centers on the Miracle Box the past version of Master Fu has, and gets an idea.

Meanwhile, Monarch accidentally travels to the events of “Reverser”, right after Ladybug and Cat Noir took a taxi to the Eiffel Tower while under the effects of the titular Akuma. Of course, even though the taxi driver sees Monarch in his mirror, he just ignores him. Monarch tries to attack them, but is forced to retreat, with Sass revealing that because none of the Kwamis have gotten food through the Monarch's use of their powers, so Gabriel is forced to travel to right before he started his little mission through time by walking up to Nathalie, who was on the phone with him while still on the Startrain with Lila and Felix, demanding she give him food for the Kwamis. Yeah, that's the reason why Gabriel is having a hard time, because the writers really forgot the rule they established in “Kwamibuster”.

Ladybug and Rabbit Noir walk up to the past version of Master Fu right after he and Marianne went their separate ways and explains what happened, saying she needs to borrow a Miraculous. Even though the whole point of “Backwarder”'s opening was to show how paranoid he was to use the Miraculous in such a dire situation, Master Fu just goes along with this and lets her have the Dog Miraculous on the condition that she return it to him so the timeline doesn't get more screwed up than it already is.

Okay, so... doesn't this mean that Ladybug and Cat Noir don't have to worry about not having any other Miraculous now? Yeah, they still need to get back the Miraculous from Monarch, but if the timeline wasn't bashed over the head after introducing themselves to Master Fu before they actually meet him in their time, and he's completely fine with letting them borrow some of the Miraculous, why the hell can't they just do that now? If they need the help of someone like Carapace or Vesperia, all either of them has to do now is use the Rabbit Miraculous, travel back to a period in time where Master Fu wasn't busy, ask for a Miraculous, get back to the present, beat whatever threat they're facing with the help of said Miraculous, travel back to the past and give Master Fu back the Miraculous, all while history mostly remains intact. If the original temp hero system where Ladybug had to haul ass to get a Miraculous from Master Fu worked before the Season 3 finale, why can't they just go back to doing that again, but with time travel? You could even argue that it's more efficient this way because they can travel back and forth from the Akuma fight to wherever they decide to get Master Fu's help. It's honestly unbelievable. The entire premise of this season is that Ladybug and Cat Noir are fighting an uphill battle since they don't have any of the temp heroes on their side, and how is the first episode of Season 5 going to be resolved? By using another temp hero for help. Seriously. The writers really didn't think this through, did they?

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Back in the present day Louvre, Alix and her father are talking until Ladybug and Rabbit Noir show up, the former handing her the Dog Miraculous. Because screw Sabrina, am I right? The difference is that once Alix gets the Rabbit Miraculous back, it's full-time, and she'll have to leave her friends and family to watch over the timeline until Monarch is defeated. Alix's father is surprisingly cool with all this because it turns out future Alix wrote letters to him to make sure he wouldn't be worried. After a quick embrace between the two Kubdels, Alix takes the Dog Miraculous and transforms into Canigirl.

Compared to Miss Hound and Flairmidable, I think Canigirl's design is a nice step up. There's a good balance of black, white, and brown, and it's a nice touch that her hair looks like Bunnix's, which makes sense given how eager Alix is to get the Rabbit. The only major problem I have is the beret. It honestly looks like it's about to fall off at any second.

Rabbit Noir opens a Burrow to the past for Canigirl to tag Monarch's Rabbit Miraculous with before Monarch himself can do it. Ladybug leaves the Miraculous box in the burrow while the three heroes decide to travel to the frozen Eiffel Tower in the climax of “Heroes' Day”. While all the Kwamis are recharging, Nathalie brings up the obvious fact that Gabriel could easily travel to before Emilie used the damaged Peacock Miraculous. Gabriel transforms into Monarch again and plans to travel back to the night he gave Emilie the Peacock Miraculous in the first place and give his past self a flash drive with the information needed to repair it. However, he gets distracted by the box Ladybug left in the Burrow.

This is supposed to be framed as a tough decision, but it really isn't. He's just trying to drop a flash drive onto the picnic blanket where his past self was eating at. Like with Ladybug, the only reason he's hesitating is to make sure we get a full season. Failing to realize fixing the Peacock Miraculous means Ladybug and Cat Noir won't “ruin” his future, he travels to when Ladybug first used the Lucky Charm, planning to ambush their past selves yet again, only for Canigirl to use Fetch and get back his Rabbit Miraculous, immediately unifying the two into... Canix? Bunnigirl? I don't think she ever got a name.

Whatever the case may be, the suit design is okay. It's pretty much the Canigirl model with bits of Bunnix's color scheme, but like with Rabbit Noir, the simplicity makes it work.

Monarch tries to get back the Rabbit Miraculous, but Canigirl/Bunnix uses Burrow to escape, and even though he collapses at the realization he screwed up his one chance to save Emilie via time travel, Ladybug and Rabbit Noir STILL don't think to take any of Monarch's damn Miraculous while he's distracted. They aren't even distracted by outside circumstances. They willingly leave Monarch in the past and don't think about how he could screw up the future with his knowledge. Yeah, they bring him back to the present in the next scene, but it's only because he doesn't move from the spot they left him in.

Ladybug uses Miraculous Ladybug to heal Future Alix, Rabbit Noir gives her back the future Rabbit Miraculous for her to use to transform into Bunnix again, while Present Alix plans to give Ladybug back the present day Rabbit Miraculous, but Ladybug tells her it's time, so she transforms into Bunnix herself.

Like her future counterpart, Past Bunnix's design is... decent. It's got a nice balance of blue and white, but it doesn't really feel like something Alix would wear. Both versions of Alix are snarky athletes with a lot of spunk, so seeing this form-fitting jumpsuit on either of them is kind of jarring. I still like both designs, but I still think they should have been changed a little to match their personalities more, because Canigirl looks more like it fits Alix’s personality.

Present Bunnix gives Past Master Fu the Dog Miraculous back, while Future Bunnix brings Monarch back to the present. Ladybug and Cat Noir capture him again, and for the fifth time this episode, fail to consider taking any of his Miraculous in favor of once again telling him what they're going to do, giving him the chance to escape via Wind Dragon again. Ladybug isn't happy at her own incompetence costing them the victory.

AT NO COST, DUMBASS! YOU CAN TRAVEL THROUGH TIME NOW! WHAT'S STOPPING EITHER OF YOU FROM PREVENTING MONARCH FROM GETTING ANY OF THE MIRACULOUS IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

So, surprise, surprise, the last scene of the episode has Gabriel talking to Emilie's body about how he failed, and how it's Ladybug's fault he couldn't drop a flash drive onto a picnic blanket. Even Nathalie has it up to here with the plot—I mean, Gabriel's behavior.

Okay, while this isn't nearly as bad as the speech Plagg gave chewing Ladybug out in “Kuro Neko”, this still has a lot of problems. While Nathalie has every right to call out Gabriel for his stupidity, the show never made it clear that his problem was his obsession with beating Ladybug and Cat Noir. If anything, it's his determination to save Emilie, no matter how many innocent lives have to go. Pretty much every focus episode he gets highlights his dedication to his wife (Queen Wasp, Cat Blanc, Gabriel Agreste, Ephemeral, Risk), not his Captain Ahab/Moby Dick relationship with Ladybug and Cat Noir. If this was meant to set up more of a decline showing how his tenure as a supervillain had slowly been driving him insane, the show really didn't do a good job at it.

Also, it's pretty rich that Nathalie is the one calling out Gabriel for doing stupid things in the name of achieving his goal when she's just as bad. The whole reason she even needs those robotic leg braces in the first place is because she kept using the damaged Peacock Miraculous even when Gabriel told her not to. In general, she's one of the only people willing to help him without a question She's really not the bigger person this scene is making her out to be. If this partnership was more like a villainous version of Oliver and Diggle's relationship in Arrow, where the latter only went along with some of the former's schemes so he could act as more of an advisor and make sure he didn't do anything too stupid, this scene would work a lot more.

So Nathalie cuts off all ties with Gabriel out of frustraton, and let's hope unlike Kagami, this moment sticks. However, just as she breaks into a coughing fit, Lila approaches her. You remember how she was at the end of the previous season, right? She saw Nathalie starting to collapse and gave a devious grin, hinting she had something planned.

What did this moment end up leading to?

That. Just... that. Lila just offers to help Nathalie back to her seat, and that's her only line in the episode. What a payoff, am I right?

What was even the point of setting Lila up like that at the end of “Strikeback” just to have that amount to nothing? Was this even Lila genuinely showing concern for Nathalie's health, or is this just part of a plan she has? If it was the latter, kudos to the writers for actually writing a convincing lie for Lila.

After that, the episode ends with Gabriel letting out the wimpiest scream you will ever hear in your life. He's clearly supposed to be angry at Ladybug because he refuses to take responsibility for his actions (like father, like son, am I right?), but the scream just sounds so whiny, it's impossible to take seriously. The best way I can describe it is like that one McBain clip from The Simpsons where he screams someone's name, but even McBain manages to have more dignity there, and it's a parody of these kind of dramatic screams.

This episode was pretty mediocre, but as a season premiere? Honestly not that bad. The writers do a decent job setting up how unpredictable Monarch is now that he has more than a dozen Miraculous while also explaining why he can't head into the field and needs to go back to sending Akumas to fight Ladybug and Cat Noir. Granted, not once is the Rooster Miraculous' god-like power mentioned, even after Gabriel loses the Rabbit, but it still shows off all the powers he has now. As flawed as the execution was, the decision to remove the Rabbit Miraculous from the plot first was a great idea, as it answered the obvious question of why Gabriel couldn't time travel to save Emilie after failing to do so. Ladybug and Cat Noir are also shown to be on more equal terms now, which is good. Granted, the road to get there in Season 4 was bumpy as all hell, but hey, hopefully there's going to be less bickering between the two.

As for the episode itself, it's still a very convoluted mess. The idea of a race through time to stop Monarch sounds cool, and the action here is very fluid, but a big part of why the conflict fell flat was because both Ladybug and Monarch didn't think to use their respective Rabbit Miraculous to travel and undo the events that put them in their current predicament. The circumstances behind how Ladybug lost all of the extra Miraculous aren't mentioned at all, which is really weird, considering this takes place right after where Season 4 ended. Felix isn't mentioned once, and it's not explained why Nathalie and Lila are still on the Startrain if Gabriel canceled the commercial Lila and Adrien were going to be a part of. Hell, where was Alya in all of this? I get she isn't a key player, but you would think Ladybug would at least mention she's still in danger after her cover was blown in the previous episode.

So yeah, as far as this episode goes, it's passable at best, but not the worst way to start the fifth season. I'd say it's somewhere between “The Collector” and “Truth”, though it's closer to the latter than the former. And before I wrap this review up, I'm going to introduce a new segment on these reviews: The Biggest Idiot Award.

This is something that internet reviewer Phelous did during his retrospective on Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, where at the end of every episode, he would judge which character was the biggest idiot of the episode based on their actions, and I figured that since this show is no stranger to characters acting like morons, this formula could easily apply to this season. Let's just hope I don't get sued for doing this gag. For now...

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS: LADYBUG

I get Ladybug was still shocked from everything that happened during the previous two episodes, but she and Cat Noir had five opportunities to at least try and take some of Monarch's Miraculous. Instead, they kept telling him that they won and that they were going to take his Miraculous and gave him plenty of chances to escape. It's kind of hard to take the show's claims that Monarch is this super powerful villain when the only reason he got as far as he did while suffering from the drawbacks of his new form was because Ladybug failed to do the simple thing and nab any of the Miraculous he had all over his body.

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samwisethewitch · 4 years

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Everything You Need to Know About Pagan Deity

As you’ve probably guessed by now, there are many, many, many different approaches to deity within the wider pagan community. While it would be impossible to summarize all of these different perspectives in a single blog post, this post contains some common themes and best practices that are more or less universal and can be adapted to fit whatever system you choose to work with.

In my Baby Witch Bootcamp series, I talk about the “Four R’s” of working with spiritual beings, including deities: respect, research, reciprocity, and relationship. However, when it comes to gods and goddesses specifically, I think it’s important to include a fifth “R” — receptivity.

If you’re completely new to this kind of work and want to avoid making rookie mistakes and/or pissing off powerful spiritual forces, sticking to the Five R’s of Deity Relationships is a good place to start. The Five R’s are:

Respect. It’s always a good idea to have a healthy respect for the powers you choose to connect with, whether you see those powers as literal gods and goddesses or as archetypes within the collective unconscious (see below). While not every ritual needs to be incredibly formal and structured, you should always conduct yourself with an air of respect and reverence when connecting with deity. There’s no need to humble yourself to the point of cowering before the gods (and in fact, this kind of behavior is a turnoff for many deities), but you should strive to be polite and follow your system’s proper protocol for things like cleansing, offerings, and prayers.

Research. I am of the opinion that you should do serious research into a god or goddess before any attempt to make contact with them. This can be controversial, but in my own experience things seem to go more smoothly when I know what I’m doing. Books are really the way to go for this — the Internet can be useful for connecting with other worshipers and hearing their stories, but it isn’t a good source for nonbiased factual information. I recommend starting with academic sources written by secular experts for a purely historical account that won’t be colored by personal religious experience. Once you have a decent understanding of the basic historical context, look for books by pagan authors who have experience working with this deity. These sources will give you a framework for your own interactions with them.

Reciprocity. As we’ve discussed before, reciprocity is a core value of virtually every pagan tradition. Reciprocity is a mutual positive exchange where all parties benefit in some way, and this quality forms the backbone of all healthy relationships with deity. While we benefit from connecting with the gods, the gods also benefit from our worship. Upholding reciprocity in your relationships with deity means making regular offerings to show your appreciation as well as living in a way that your god or goddess approves of.

Relationship. At the end of the day, connecting with a god or goddess is about creating a healthy, fulfilling relationship. Like any relationship, it takes time and effort to keep the connection alive. The gods are living, thinking, feeling beings just like you and me, though on a much larger scale. Just like you and me, they have likes and dislikes and require certain things from those who want to work closely with them. Try to approach the gods as individuals, and connect with them as you would with another person. This will naturally lead to much more authentic and organic relationships.

Receptivity. To be receptive is to be open and ready to receive whatever comes your way — this is an essential quality for anyone who is serious about connecting with a god or goddess. Connecting with the gods means allowing them a place in your life, whatever they choose to bring with them. It means forming a relationship with them on their terms, and that requires us to give up a certain degree of control. While you should never feel afraid or completely out of control when connecting with deity (if you do, stop contacting that deity immediately), you may very well experience things you did not expect or ask for. Be prepared for these surprises, and understand that when the gods surprise us in this way, they do it in order to help us grow. Let go of any preconceived ideas about what a relationship with this deity “should” look like, and instead let it unfold naturally.

Though there is much more to working with deity than just these values, keeping these values in mind will get you started out on the right foot in your relationships with the gods.

Deity or Archetype?

As odd as it may sound, not everyone who connects with the gods through study and ritual believes those gods to be literal spiritual beings. Some pagans (I would even say the majority of pagans, based on my personal experience) connect with the gods as individuals with their own personalities and agency, but others connect with them as symbols that represent different elements of the human experience. This latter group is working with the gods not as deity, but as archetypes.

The term “archetype” comes from academia, particularly the fields of psychology and literary analysis. An archetype is a symbol that embodies the fundamental characteristics of a person, thing, or experience.

Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung argued that archetypes are powerful symbols within the collective unconscious (basically an ancestral memory shared by all of humanity) that arise due to shared experiences across cultures. For example, Jung would argue that Demeter, Juno, and Frigg all represent the “Mother” archetype filtered through different cultural lenses, reflecting the important role of mothers across Greek, Roman, and Old Norse culture. For Jung and his followers, archetypes allow us to connect to latent parts of our own psyche — by connecting with the Mother archetype, for example, you can develop motherly qualities like patience, empathy, and nurturing.

For comparative mythology expert Joseph Campbell, archetypes represented types of characters that appear in some form in most or all global mythology. In his book, The Hero of a Thousand Faces, Campbell identified the “hero’s journey” as the archetypal narrative framework on which most stories, from ancient myths to modern films, are based. (If you’ve taken literally any high school literature class, you’re probably familiar with Campbell’s work.) Like Jung, Campbell has been hugely influential on modern pagans who choose to connect with the gods as archetypes.

Working with an archetype is a little different than working with a deity. For one thing, while archetypes may manifest as gods and goddesses, they can also manifest as fictional characters, historical figures, or abstract symbols. Let’s say you want to tap into the Warrior archetype. You could connect with this archetype by working with gods like Mars, Thor, or Heracles — but you could just as easily do so by working with superheroes like Luke Cage or Colossus, literary figures like Ajax or Achilles, or the abstract concepts of strength and honor.

When pagans worship a deity, it’s because they want to form a relationship with that deity for some reason. But when pagans work with an archetype, it’s usually because they want to embody aspects of that archetype. In our above example, you may be trying to connect to the Warrior archetype to gain confidence or become more assertive.

The biggest difference between worshiping a deity and working with an archetype is that a deity is an external force, while an archetype is an internal force. When you connect with a deity, you are connecting with a spiritual being outside of yourself — a being with their own thoughts, feelings, and drives. When you connect with an archetype, you are connecting with a part of your own psyche. Because of this, archetypes tend to be more easily defined and behave in more predictable ways than deities, although some archetypes can be very complex and multi-faceted.

On the surface, worship and archetype work might be very similar, but the “why” behind the action is fundamentally different.

If you choose to worship the Morrigan, for example, you may have an altar dedicated to her, make regular offerings to her, speak with her in meditations and astral journeys, and/or write poetry or make art in her honor. If you choose to work with the Wild Woman archetype, it may look very similar to an outside observer — you may have an altar dedicated to the Wild Woman energy, speak with manifestations of Wild Woman (perhaps including the Morrigan) in meditation, and write poetry or make art dedicated to this archetype. However, these actions will have a very different intent behind them. Your Wild Woman altar is not a sacred space but a visual trigger to help you connect to the Wild Woman within you. Your meditations are conversations with different aspects of your own personality, not with a separate being. Your art is an expression of self, not a devotional act. The result is a deeper connection to yourself, not a relationship with another being.

I hope I’ve made it clear that archetype work and deity worship can both be very worthwhile spiritual practices, and that each serves its own purpose. Many pagans, myself included, work with both deities and archetypes.

There is some overlap between worshiping a deity and working with an archetype, and many pagans start out with one practice before eventually ending up in the other. Sometimes working with an archetype leads you to encounter a deity who embodies that archetype, which can lead to a relationship with that deity. Likewise, your relationship with a deity may help you become aware of a certain archetype’s influence in your life, which might lead you to work with that archetype.

Making First Contact

First impressions are important. This is true for making new friends, for job interviews, for first dates — and for your first meeting with a god or goddess. In many cases, the way you behave in your first meeting with a deity will set the tone for your relationship with them.

That being said, don’t overthink (or over-stress) about your first impression. You aren’t going to be cursed or punished if you mess this up — at the very worst, the deity might lose interest in connecting with you, and even that can often be remedied with an offering and a polite apology. While it’s always best to get off on the right foot, don’t feel like you need to be perfect.

So, how do you make a good first impression on a god or goddess? Honestly, the rules are largely the same for making a good first impression on any other person. Make sure your physical appearance is clean and tidy — some systems, such as Hellenismos and Kemetic paganism, have special rules for cleansing before contacting the gods, but it’s always a good idea to take a shower first and make sure you’re wearing clean clothes. Likewise, make sure the physical space you invite the gods into is relatively clean — it doesn’t need to be spotless, but take a minute to tidy up before beginning any ritual. Be polite — there’s no need to be overly formal, but you should be respectful. Don’t immediately ask for favors — how would you feel if you met someone at a party and they immediately asked you to do some sort of work for them?

Beyond the basics, it’s wise to make sure you have an idea of who this god is and what they are like before you reach out to them. This will keep you from accidentally doing something offensive. For example, you wouldn’t want to invite them to an altar dedicated to a deity they have a rivalry with. Likewise, you want to avoid offering food or drink that would have been taboo in their original worship. (Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but when you’re just starting out it’s a good idea to follow the historical framework as closely as possible.)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record: this is why research is so important. Knowing who you are dealing with allows you to deal with them respectfully, gracefully, and competently.

Callings

There’s one aspect of deity worship that is controversial in modern paganism: the idea of being “called” by a deity. This is a question you’ll find many, many heated discussions about online. Do you need to be called by a deity to form a relationship with them? Do deities choose their followers, or do we choose them? How do you know what a call from a deity even looks like?

As I said, this is a controversial topic, but I firmly believe that 1.) you do not have to feel called to a deity beyond being interested in them, and 2.) feeling drawn to a deity’s image, symbols, and myths is a form of calling.

Many pagans do feel like they were called or drawn to the deities they walk most closely with. They may have encountered myths of that deity as a child or teenager and deeply resonated with them, or may have always had an affinity for that god’s sacred animals. They may have dreamed of this deity before knowing who they were, or may have felt a spiritual presence around them before identifying it as a god or goddess.

Many people first encounter the gods in fiction, only for this fictionalized depiction to spark a deeper connection that eventually leads to worship. In the modern era, it’s entirely possible for someone who worships Loki to have first encountered him (or at least a character loosely based on him) in Marvel comics and films, or for someone who worships the Greek pantheon to have first discovered them through the Percy Jackson books. As far as I’m concerned, this is also a valid “call” from deity. The gods are very good at communicating with us through the means available — including fiction.

That being said, just because you don’t already feel a strong connection to a god or goddess doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t worship them. The connection will come with time and effort, just like in any relationship.

Dedication, Patrons, and Matrons

In online spaces such as Tumblr and TikTok, a lot of inexperienced pagans parrot the idea that every pagan needs to have a designated matron and/or patron god and/or needs to be formally dedicated to a god in order to have a close relationship with them. Not only is this untrue, but such restrictions can actually cause harm and/or stunt spiritual growth.

Let’s address dedication first. To be dedicated to a deity means to outwardly declare yourself a servant of that deity, usually with a formal dedication ritual — think of it as the pagan version of joining a convent or going to seminary. It is an outward expression of your devotion and loyalty to that deity. Dedicants are held to a higher standard than the average worshiper by themselves, their communities, and the god(s) they have dedicated to.

Dedication can be a powerful and fulfilling spiritual experience (it’s the backbone of many peoples’ spiritual practice), but it should not be taken lightly. Dedicating yourself to a god or goddess should be a sign of your commitment to them and a deepening of your relationship — it should not be the beginning of that relationship.

Dedication is a lot like marriage. Just like you wouldn’t marry someone you’ve only been on a handful of dates with, you shouldn’t dedicate to a deity just because you’ve had one or two positive experiences with them. Like marriages, dedication can be difficult to get out of — ending your dedication to a deity is possible, but it’s a messy, complicated, uncomfortable process that is sure to shift the foundation of your entire spiritual practice, and not always for the better.

My advice to new and inexperienced pagans is not to even consider dedication until you’ve been practicing for several years. As you begin your journey, your focus should be on exploring your options, forming meaningful connections, and developing a practice that works for you and your unique spiritual needs. Now is the time for experimentation, not lifelong commitments.

But let’s say you are an experienced pagan, and you feel like you are ready for dedication. How do you know if you should dedicate to a given god or goddess?

Dedication may be the logical next step in your relationship with a deity if:

This deity has been an active part of your spiritual practice for at least 2-3 years, with no major gaps in contact with them

You are comfortable upholding this deity’s values for the rest of your life — and are willing to face consequences if you fail to do so

You are willing to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to the service of this deity

You are willing to face major changes in your life outside your spiritual practice — dedicating to a deity often leads to major shifts that may affect our career, family, and/or relationships

If you answered “yes” to all of the above, dedication may be appropriate. This may seem overly cautious, but remember that dedicating to a deity is a serious, lifelong commitment akin to joining the clergy. For context, it takes at least five years of study and practice to become a Catholic priest, a similar amount of time to become a Jewish rabbi, and three years to become a high priest/ess in Traditional Wicca. If you don’t have the patience to maintain a relationship for a few years before dedication, that is probably a good indicator that dedication isn’t for you.

If you are dedicated to a deity or are planning to dedicate, you may actually choose to attend seminary or receive some other formal religious training. This training will help you to better serve your deity in a public capacity, as you will learn skills like religious counselling, leading ritual, and building community. If your program of study includes ordination, it will also allow you to perform legally binding religious rituals like marriage ceremonies. Depending on your path, attending seminary or training may be your act of formal dedication.

Finally, let me make it clear that dedication does not make you a better pagan than someone who is not dedicated. The choice to dedicate or not dedicate is only one element of your spiritual practice, and it is possible to have a fulfilling and life-affirming practice without dedication. Some of the people who do the most work in the service of the gods are not dedicated to them. You may be one of these people, and that is totally okay.

Patron/matron relationships are a specific type of dedication.

The concept of patron deities comes from Wicca and related neopagan religions. As we’ve previously discussed, Wicca is a duotheistic system with a God and Goddess, whose union is the source of all creation. However, because Wiccans believe that all gods are manifestations of the God and all goddesses are manifestations of the Goddess, some covens choose to work with the God and Goddess in the form of other deities (say, for example, Osiris and Isis), which are referred to as the coven’s “patron” and “matron” deities. In these covens, initiation into the coven’s mysteries (traditionally in the form of first, second, and third degree initiations) typically acts as a form of dedication to these deities.

As Eclectic Wicca has gained popularity in the last few decades, there has been a growing trend of individual Wiccans and eclectic pagans choosing personal patron and/or matron deities. Some Wiccans will have a single god or goddess they are dedicated to, while others feel that it is very important to be dedicated to exactly one masculine deity and exactly one feminine deity. This second model is the one I see most often in online pagan spaces, especially Tumblr and TikTok.

The patron/matron model can be useful for some pagans, but it is not one-size-fits-all. As I mentioned, this model of dedication comes from Wicca, and is a very modern concept. In ancient pagan religions, most people would not have been dedicated in this way. That does not mean that this isn’t a valid form of worship (it absolutely is), but it does mean that those who practice reconstructionist paths may not be inclined to interact with deity this way.

The guidelines for patron/matron relationships are similar to the guidelines for dedication in general, but these relationships often (but not always) have a more parental nature. For some people, having a divine mother and/or father figure is ideal — especially for those who are healing from parental trauma or abuse. If you feel drawn to this type of deity relationship, I encourage you to explore it.

On the other hand, you may not have any interest in the patron/matron model, and that’s totally fine! It’s called polytheism for a reason — if you prefer to maintain less formal relationships with many gods, you should feel free to do so.

I hope this post has helped clarify some of the murkier aspects of polytheism and deity work. Obviously, this is only the tip of the iceberg — I could write a book about this topic and many, many authors already have. However, I think the information here is enough to get you started, and I hope that it will provide a first step on your journey with your gods.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith

Jessi Huntenburg (YouTuber), “Dancing with Deity | Discovering Gods, Goddesses, and Archetypes,” “Archetype, Deity, and Inviting Transpersonal Experience,” and “10 Ways to Bond with Deity”

Kelly-Ann Maddox (YouTuber), “How to Have Deep Connections with Deities”

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meirmakesstuff · 4 years

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1/2 Hi Meir! I saw your answer on WWC, and since you mentioned you're professionals, I figured I'd ask directly: I'm writing a second world fantasy with a jewish coded people. I want to be clear in the coding but avoid the "if there's no egypt, how can there be passover?" so I called them Canaanites. I thought I was being clever by hinting in the naming that the whole region does exist, but I've since read that it might've been a slur in fact? Do you have any advice on this?

2/2 I did consider calling the group in question Jewish, but aside from how deeply Judaism is connected to the history of the Israelites, I haven't used any present-day real-world names for any other group, (I did use some historic names like Nubia). I feel like calling only one group of people by their currently used name would be othering rather than inclusive? Or am I overthinking this?

Okay so I want to start out with some disclaimers, first that although WWC recently reblogged an addition of mine to one of their posts, I am not affiliated with @writingwithcolor, and second that the nature of trying to answer a question like this is “two Jews, three opinions,” so what I have to say about this is my own opinion(s) only. Last disclaimer: this is a hard question to address, so this answer is going to be long. Buckle up.

First, I would say that you’re right to not label the group in question “Jewish” (I’ll get to the exception eventually), and you’re also right in realizing that you should not call them “Canaanites.” In Jewish scripture, Canaanites are the people we fought against, not ourselves, so that wouldn’t feel like representation but like assigning our identity to someone else, which is a particular kind of historical violence Jews continue to experience today. I’ll get back to the specific question of naming in a moment, but because this is my blog and not WWC, and you asked me to speak to this as an educator, we’re going to take a detour into Jewish history and literary structure before we get back to the question you actually asked.

To my mind there are three main ways to have Jews in second-world fantasy and they are:

People who practice in ways similar to modern real-world Jews, despite having developed in a different universe,

People who practice in ways similar to ancient Hebrews, because the things that changed us to modern Jewish practice didn’t occur, and

People who practice in a way that shows how your world would influence the development of a people who started out practicing like ancient Hebrews and have developed according to the world they’re in.

The first one is what we see in @shiraglassman‘s Mangoverse series: there is no Egypt yet her characters hold a seder; the country coded Persian seems to bear no relation to their observance of Purim, and there is no indication of exile or diaspora in the fact that Jews exist in multiple countries and cultures, and speak multiple languages including Yiddish, a language that developed through a mixture of Hebrew and German. Her characters’ observance lines up approximately with contemporary Reform Jewish expectations, without the indication of there ever having been a different practice to branch off from. She ignores the entire question of how Jews in her universe became what they are, and her books are lyrical and sweet and allow us to imagine the confidence that could belong to a Jewish people who weren’t always afraid.

Shira is able to pull this off, frankly, because her books are not lore-heavy. I say this without disrespect--Shira often refers to them as “fluffy”--but because the deeper you get into the background of your world and its development, the trickier this is going to be to justify, unless you’re just going to just parallel every historical development in Jewish History, including exile and diaspora across the various nations of your world, including occasional near-equal treatment and frequent persecution, infused with a longing for a homeland lost, or a homeland recently re-established in the absolutely most disappointing of ways.

Without that loss of homeland or a Mangoverse-style handwaving, we have the second and third options. In the second option, you could show your Jewish-coded culture having never been exiled from its homeland, living divided into tribes each with their own territory, still practicing animal, grain, and oil sacrifice at a single central Temple at the center of their nation, overseen by a tribe that lacks territory of their own and being supported by the sacrifices offered by the populace.

If you’re going to do that, research it very carefully. A lot of information about this period is drawn from scriptural and post-scriptural sources or from archaeological record, but there’s also a lot of Christian nonsense out there assigning weird meanings and motivations to it, because the Christian Bible takes place during this period and they chose to cast our practices from this time as evil and corrupt in order to magnify the goodness of their main character. In any portrayal of a Jewish-coded people it’s important to avoid making them corrupt, greedy, bigoted, bloodthirsty, or stubbornly unwilling to see some kind of greater or kinder truth about the world, but especially if you go with this version.

The last option, my favorite but possibly the hardest to do, is to imagine how the people in the second option would develop given the influences of the world they’re in. Do you know why Chanukah is referred to as a “minor” holiday? The major holidays are the ones for which the Torah specifies that we “do not work:” Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, and the pilgrimage holidays of Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot. Chanukah developed as a holiday because the central temple, the one we made those pilgrimages to, was desecrated by the invading Assyrian Greeks and we drove them out and were able to re-establish the temple. That time. Eventually, the Temple was razed and we were scattered across the Roman Empire, developing the distinct Jewish cultures we see today. The Greeks and Romans aren’t a semi-mythologized ancient people, the way the Canaanites have been (though there’s increasing amounts of archaeology shedding light on what they actually might have been like), we have historical records about them, from them. The majority of modern Jewish practice developed from the ruins of our ancient practices later than the first century CE. In the timeline of Jewish identity, that’s modern.

The rabbinic period and the Temple period overlap somewhat, but we’re not getting into a full-scale history lesson here. Suffice it to say that it was following the loss of the sacrificial system at the central Temple that Judaism coalesced an identity around verbal prayer services offered at the times of day when we would previously have offered sacrifices, led each community by its own learned individual who became known as a rabbi. We continued to develop in relationship with the rest of the world, making steps toward gender equality in the 1970s and LGBT equality in the 2000s, shifting the meaning of holidays like Tu Bishvat to address climate change, debating rulings on whether one may drive a car on Shabbat for the sake of being with one’s community, and then pivoting to holding prayer services daily via Zoom.

The history of the Jews is the history of the world. Our iconic Kol Nidrei prayer, the centerpiece of the holiest day of the year, that reduces us to tears every year at its first words, was composed in response to the Spanish Inquisition. The two commentators who inform our understanding of scripture--the ones we couldn’t discuss Torah without referencing even if we tried--wrote in the 11th and 12th centuries in France and Spain/Egypt. Jewish theology and practice schismed into Orthodox and Reform (and later many others) because that’s the kind of discussion people were into in the 19th century. Sephardim light Chanukah candles in an outdoor lamp while Ashkenazim light Chanukah candles in an indoor candelabrum because Sephardim developed their traditions in the Middle East and North Africa and the Ashkenazim developed our traditions in freezing Europe. There are works currently becoming codified into liturgy whose writers died in 2000 and 2011.

So what are the historical events that would change how your Jewish-coded culture practices, if they don’t involve loss of homeland and cultural unity? What major events have affected your world? If there was an exile that precipitated an abandonment of the sacrificial system, was there a return to their land, or are they still scattered? Priority one for us historically has been maintaining our identity and priority two maintaining our practices, so what have they had to shift or create in order to keep being a distinct group? Is there a major worldwide event in your world? If so, how did this people cope?

If you do go this route, be careful not to fall into tropes of modern or historical antisemitism: don’t have your culture adopt a worldview that has their deity split into mlutiple identities (especially not three). Don’t have an oppressive government that doesn’t represent its people rise up to oppress outsiders within its borders (this is not the first time this has occurred in reality, but because the outside world reacts differently to this political phenomenon when it’s us than when it’s anyone else, it’s a portrayal that makes real-life Jews more vulnerable). And don’t portray the people as having developed into a dark and mysterious cult of ugly, law-citing men and beautiful tearstreaked women, but it doesn’t sound as if you were planning to go there.

So with all that said, it’s time to get back to the question of names. All the above information builds to this: how you name this culture depends on how you’ve handled their practice and identity.

Part of why Shira Glassman’s handwaving of the question of how modern Jewish practice ended up in Perach works is that she never gives a name to the religion of her characters. Instead, she names the regions they come from. Perach, in particular, the country where most of the action takes place, translates to “Flower.” In this case, her Jewish-coded characters who come from Perach are Perachis, and characters from other places who are also Jewish are described as “they worship as Perachis do despite their different language” or something along those lines (forgive me, Shira, for half-remembering).

So that’s method one: find an attribute of your country that you’d like to highlight, translate it into actual Hebrew, and use that as your name.

Method two is the opposite: find a name that’s been used to identify our people or places (we’ve had a bunch), find out what it means or might mean in English, and then jiggle that around until it sounds right for your setting. You could end up with the nation of the Godfighters, or Children of Praise, The Wanderers (if they’re not localized in a homeland), The Passed-Over, Those From Across The River, or perhaps the people of the City of Peace.

Last, and possibly easiest, pick a physical attribute of their territory and just call them that in English. Are they from a mountainous region? Now they’re the Mountain People. Does their land have a big magical crater in the middle? Craterfolk. Ethereal floating forests of twinkling lights? It’s your world.

The second option is the only one that uses the name to overtly establish Jewish coding. The first option is something Jews might pick up on, especially if they speak Hebrew, but non-Jews would miss. The third avoids the question and puts the weight of conveying that you’re trying to code them as Jewish on their habits and actions.

There’s one other option that can work in certain types of second-world fantasy, and that’s a world that has developed from real-world individuals who went through some kind of portal. That seems to me the only situation in which using a real-world name like Jews, Hebrews, or Israelites would make sense. Jim Butcher does this with the Romans in the Codex Alera series, and Katharine Kerr does it with Celts in the Deverry cycle. That kind of thing has to be baked into the world-building, though, so it probably doesn’t help with this particular situation.

This is a roundabout route to what I imagine you were hoping would be an easier answer. The tension you identified about how to incorporate Jewishness into a world that doesn’t have the same history is real, and was the topic of a discussion I recently held with a high school age group around issues of Jewish representation in the media they consume and hope to create. Good luck in your work of adding to the discussion.

#Ask #kermab #Meir Makes Stuff #Writing #jewish representation #Fantasy Writing #fantasy fiction #Mangoverse #Meir Makes Long Posts

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hermitcraftheadcanons · 4 years

Text

Scattered AU Conclusion

To tie up the Scattered AU, I have written a short conclusion. I can't even express how much I've enjoyed working with all of you on this, and once again I have to say I've been absolutely blown away by the number of contributions there were. I am so happy that this idea was loved, and I hope all of you continue to take joy from it even after the official end of the event. Once again, thank you.

I tried to cover as many Hermits as I could here, but my energy ran out partway through. Feel free to add on an ending for anyone I've missed. Also, it's worth mentioning that this conclusion is not the only possible ending and does not overwrite any other endings submitted for the AU. This universe is a multi-branched thing, and the timeline of the story is flexible depending on what makes you happy. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this small effort to keep up with all your boundless creativity. 💙

After a long discussion, the Hermits decide to stay in the season 8 world instead of starting a new one. They will take this broken wreck of a place and turn it into something beautiful, just like they have every season. They will heal alongside the world they created, fixing what glitches remain as they support each other and make their best effort at recovery.

Impulse settles in the desert, with Tango and Zedaph close by him. The hot air stings his transformed body, but he is more than done with water for now. Maybe one day he will return to it - but not this season. For now, he keeps the air in his base humid, learns to build with sandstone, and invites his friends over often. Sometimes they talk about the things they all went through, but mostly, they just talk about all the normal things friends talk about. How their day went, what might be causing Tango's latest farm to malfunction, how Zed is going to pull off his next wild plan... they're just glad to have each other back. They're just happy to not have to be alone and afraid anymore.

Cleo is rezombified with the help of Joe, Stress, and False, as soon as they can manage it. Nobody really understands why she wants that, but no-one really needs to - it's her choice. It's what she needs to feel whole again. Seeming vital and normal to the outside world is not nearly as important to her as being herself is, and the others are glad to see her back to her former undead glory. Returned to her familiar form, she laughs and jokes in a way much more alive than she ever seemed when her heart was actually beating.

Jevin keeps every single axolotl he found on his and X's journey through the caves. His mind returned slowly back to normal after Xisuma fixed the plugins, and focusing on the adorable creatures helped him to control the lingering aggressive tendencies as he recovered. Now, when another Hermit seems to be having a hard time, he'll let them borrow an axolotl to take care of until they feel better. It helps to ground them and give them a sense of control, and reminds them all how lucky they are to be alive in this strange, updated world.

Scar struggled. For a long time after the events of the early season, he struggled. He claimed he could control this new level of Vex power, but more and more, he felt as though he was being subjected to it rather than using it. He could feel himself slipping more and more every day, and it scared him, so much that he couldn't even say anything...but the others noticed. Cub's own connection to the Vex told him that this wasn't a sustainable way for Scar to live. Together with Mumbo, he formed a plan. Using Mumbo's new Evoker power, they summoned the Vex that was controlling Scar and broke its hold. Scar is more vulnerable to deals with the Vex now, and it will be a long time before he can visit the End again without feeling weak, but he's more than happy to feel like himself again. Eventually, TFC talks him through his fear of the End - talking himself through his own fear in the process. He offers to go with Scar the first time he decides to return. Both of them find the obstacle more manageable with a friend.

Ren, Grian, and Doc find themselves drawn to each other even after things go back to "normal", not wanting to be alone again. In fact, many of the groups that formed in the more than a year since the world started remain intact. Whether for comfort or protection, or just sharing resources, the Hermits continue to rely on each other. That trio specifically has something new in common - with Grian's new foxlike features, they are all mob hybrids now. They share experiences and support each other, and they can often be found gathering around a fire to tell stories. None of them particularly fancies the cold anymore.

After all that they went through, nobody feels very strongly about banning Evil Xisuma again. His crimes are so far in the past by now, and it feels wrong to condemn him to a future of darkness and isolation when he's already gone through so much of that this season. He doesn't live on the server permanently, preferring to wander off and cause mischief elsewhere, but when he does visit Hermitcraft he stays with Hypno. They bond over a desire to stay on the outskirts and a persistent fear of flowers. They live in a base in the ocean, not a blossom in sight.

XB and Iskall live in the jungle, close enough to see each other but far enough so they don't feel pressured to talk. Both of them feel slightly guilty for getting separated in the desert, but neither of them want to be the first to apologize. Their conversation happens in stops and starts, not in one big rush - but they get there. Eventually, they get there.

Etho drifts. For what seems like an age after the glitches are fixed, he drifts. He talks to the Beetlejhost, sends messages through him sometimes, even manages to manifest in a way others can see occasionally - but that takes a lot of energy. Mostly, he just drifts. He hovers especially around Xisuma, who works for hours on fixing his code. The world can't be considered fixed until everyone is here. Nothing can be fully right until all of his Hermits are safe. It's the hardest admin challenge he's taken on yet, but it's worth it. When he gets to finally hug Etho again, it's worth it. When he brings him to the shopping district and presents him to the other Hermits with tired eyes and a grateful heart, here and real and alive again, it's worth it. It is more than worth it.

Nothing will ever be the same again. That much is obvious. Though the world was fixed and the season went on, the physical changes and emotional wounds are too lasting to be erased, no matter how much time goes by and how much the Hermits support each other. No matter what, the things they went through are unforgettable. Nothing will ever be the same again - but it doesn't need to be.

What is broken will heal back differently, what was changed will be adapted to. New things will be created, new habits will be formed, and for each new fear and trauma there will be a new kindness to match. It won't erase what happened, won't make the pain of the past any less real - but it will help. Healing is not a return to one's original state. Healing is progress. And, together, the Hermits are making progress.

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And, there it is! The inbox will stay closed for another day after this (because I do occasionally need a break), and then it will be open again for regular Hermitcraft headcanons. If you have made any art or writing for the Scattered AU that hasn't been posted yet, please feel free to send that in too! Chances are if you just tagged this blog without sending me a link, it probably got lost in the flood of notifications.

#hcraft #hermitcraftheadcanons #hermitcraft #hermitblr #scattered au #mod shade

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still-a-morosexual-help · 3 years

Text

OBEY ME! LESSON 56 DETAILED SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION/THEORIES

*I wrote this days after the lesson was first posted and never bothered to go back and edit it so meaning there will be me theorizing about the next lesson as well

*I write a small para for each chapter and I write it immediately after finishing that chapter so there’ll be theorizing about the next chapter too

*I swear more than usual here

*Some of the dialogue is heavily plagiarized and a few is lifted directly from the story, the game is to figure which is which.

*Summaries and Discussions/theories for all the other lessons can be found on this blog under #obey me spoilers or #my theories or #my headcanons

This has one locked lesson cause of course it does

Belphie’s upset that their names got called on the loudspeaker as if they were the lost children and not Diavolo. MC says the others won’t let them ever live this down if they found out and Belphie says he’ll be teased for centuries. Belphie tells a story about how he once got lost in the Celestial Realm and spent hours in a tree crying, MC asks why he was on a tree, and he says cause he thought he’s be able to see the direction of the celestial palace from there. It had eventually been Raphael who found him and he ended up taking a liking to the tree so he would climb it and nap up there whenever he wanted to avoid work. MC asks whether he like Raphael. Belphie says he never thought about it either way but that Raphael always looked like he had it rough (course he did – he had to try to get Belphie and his brothers under control cause Lucifer was much more lenient those days. I’ve mentioned this before but I’m certain that Lucifer blames his leniency as what got Lilith killed and that’s why he’s unreasonably strict with the brothers now) MC asks what Raphael was like – he says he worked hard for little reward and his job was looking after Michael’s needs no matter how unreasonable (and they really are the Lucifer and Diavolo of the Celestial Realm aren’t they!?). He was meticulous and methodical and he always had a sullen, irritated look making him always seem like he was in a bad mood. And his evil eye looked so evil you could almost mistake him for a demon. Belphie says he hasn’t seen him in a ling time and wonders how he’s doing. Belphie says all this with a smile on his face and this is the first time we’ve heard someone talk about Raphael in a positive light and this supports my theory that Belphie sees the Celestial Realm in a more positive light than the others probably do (which is why he irrationally directed all his anger at the humans). I’m also 10% certain the person Simeon was meeting with was Raphael not Michael cause I don’t think we’ve heard Belphie mention Michael once so it makes sense that they would have him recognise the angel he would later talk about. They get to the desk and Belphie goes to give their names but MC cuts in with ‘snoozy’ before he can say his. The employee comments on the name and Belphie blushes and says it’s embarrassing and asks MC to stop laughing about it. The employee gives them the note which happens to be a ransom note. Lol this guy is fucked.

Belphie complains about Barbatos failing to teach Diavolo not to walk off with strangers (in my very first theory/headcanon posts I compared Barbatos and Diavolo’s relationship to the one between Alfred and Bruce Wayne and I completely stand by that. I think Barbatos is significantly older than Diavolo the same way Lucifer’s significantly older than his brothers and similar to Lucifer and his brothers I think Barbatos had a hand in raising Diavolo. Given that we now know that Barbatos might have powers that rivalled the demon king it’s possible that he may be as old as him, or just slightly younger, than him as well. Tldr; Barbatos gives off heavy Alfred Pennyworth vibes). Belphie doesn’t want to deal with this and MC says they can’t just ignore it (also they will be murdered twice over if they do) and Belphie says he knew they’d say that and agrees to humour this stupid fucking human. He says he doesn’t wanna get tortured by Lucifer and Barbatos but the idea of going and rescuing Diavolo like one of his good little pawns makes him sick too. They head to the circus tent and are greeted by a happy and beaming Diavolo sitting on a chair with a man holding a gun to his head and demanding money (what a fucking amateur ass kidnapper at least give ‘em time to go and get the money! What you think people just walk around with wads of cash in their pockets!?) Belphie ignores him and scolds Diavolo for just waiting around for them to come get him and for leaving them in the first place. The man panics and tells them to stop moving closer unless they want him to shoot Diavolo. Diavolo also ignores the man , apologising and saying with a bright smile after the ride he was feeling sick and this man stopped and checked he was alright. Diavolo calls the man considerate cause he promised to help diavolo find the two of them and look! He kept his promise! Bsdjfjibvdmck this poor fucking kidnapper… Belphie groans and asks Diavolo if he even realises what’s going on rn and says even after being from a royal family he can’t be this sheltered and oblivious. The man’s just getting more stressed at how no one here seems to care about him as he keeps screaming about being serious and blowing Diavolo’s head off his shoulders (This poor guy – even MC who’s lived the most normal life from the three of them has faced more threatening life or death situations to give a shit). Belphie just tells the man to shut up with the most bored expression on his face. He then transforms into his demon form resulting in the man screaming his head off. Belphie just tells the man he talks too much, casually asking if he should make it so that no one has to ever listen to the man run his mouth again. The man stutters, calls Belphie a monster and tells him to stay back and panicking points his gun at Belphie. MC either using their very on magic creates a wind (called ‘wind of protection’) strong enough that it stops the bullet when he shoots or a raging fire (called ‘fire of judgment’) that takes over the bottom of the screen that’s powerful enough that it actually melts the bullet mid-flight and then rushes to the man making him scream and making the whole screen flash red (I had a moment of ‘HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT DID MC JUST BURN A MAN ALIVE!? DID ALL THIS LEAD UP TO MC COMMITING MURDER!? WHY AM I LOWKEY EXCITED!?’) but no the guy’s still alive, I think the fire just made him move back from all of them. (but can we talk about how powerful MC’s own magic is and how it seems to be at its most powerful when they’re protecting the people they love? (like when they unconsciously counteracted all the curses in the reaper’s cave that should have killed the brothers, or when they saw Satan use a healing spell once and were later able to effectively use it on Mammon later despite the fact that the were having trouble picking up the spells Satan was actually trying to teach them). The man screams asking what the two of them are (ajfkjfcijzh didn’t Solomon say just last lesson that they were supposed to keep this all secret!!!!???) Belphie says bullets can’t actually harm him but he still smiles and thanks them. Diavolo seemingly in shock says that the man fired his gun at Belphie and that he was trying to hurt Belphie (despite the fact that Diavolo knows a gun wouldn’t hurt Belphie it’s the fact that the man didn’t know that and had the intention to hurt Belphie that sticks with him and I think that means a lot), A pale purple aura starts swirling around him and he instantly transforms into his demon form, looking furious and screaming “HOW DARE YOU…!” The man screams.

The man drops his gun and runs away. Diavolo says, serious for once, that they can’t let him run away and that he’ll contact Barbatos to get the royal army and – (bro you’re gonna start a war bro chill), Belphie says he can’t bring the army here he might accidently bring about the destruction of the humans (funny how a couple yrs ago Belphie would have been all for this plan) and Diavolo looks sad saying he can’t just let this go. MC and Belphie both get Diavolo to try and calm down, with Belphie telling Diavolo he wasn’t hurt and transforming back to his human form, before saying that Diavolo didn’t need to transform as well & that if Lucifer and Barbatos find out Belphie’ll get in trouble. Diavolo transforms back and says the man tried to harm a dear friend and he couldn’t help but get angry. Belphie blushes and can’t come up with words. MC teases Belphie asking if he’s blushing and he denies it while still blushing. Diavolo also notes that he’s flushed and is worried that it’s a sign that he’s been hurt somehow. Still blushing Belphie says he’s not hurt and to stop worrying about him and that they should leave. Diavolo says since they’re here at the circus tent they should watch the circus perform since Belphie likes human world circuses. Belphie’s surprised and asks Diavolo how he knows that, Diavolo says Lucifer told him a long time ago, Belphie asks why and Diavolo says when they’re alone Lucifer talks a lot about his brothers, specially Belphie (Lucifer also has random pictures of his brothers that he takes without them knowing as they go about their daily life… This man is such a proud dad. He pulls out his wallet and a whole roll of pictures unfold all the way to the floor and across the room and he’ll tell the story behind each picture to anyone who listens.) He’s also told Diavolo about Belphie’s favourite tree in the Celestial Realm and the story of how he found that tree. Back then Lucifer always thought whenever Belphie wasn’t with his siblings he’d be up in the tree napping or down in the human world watching the circus and that’d made diavolo determined to see the circus too. Diavolo then asks if they can see the circus together. Belphie’s still shocked but then he blushes again and agrees. Inside Belphie and Diavolo are both clinging to MC as they cheer, scream and argue about the safety of the trapeze artist. MC can ask Diavolo if he wants them to cover his eyes cause he’s scared for her safety despite Belphie telling him there’s a net, ask Belphie if he wants to hold their hand cause he’s just as nervous or excited or comment to no one how they’ve got a demon attached to both their arms.

It’s night out and as a reward for coming to get Diavolo Belphie was allowed to pick all the rides they went on, Diavolo looks like he’s gone through hell, stuttering and asking if that was all. Diavolo asks how MC’s doing they say they threw up in a bin and are feeling better now (or they can say they had fun) Diavolo says he threw up in so many bins he lost count. He asks if they should head home and Belphie says there’s one last thing he wants to ride, Diavolo starts stuttering again. Belphie says it’s the ferris wheel, Diavolo’s shocked and asks if it’s cause Belphie remembered him saying he wanted to ride it, Belphie tries to deny it but Diavolo doesn’t buy it – instead he smiles brightly and gushes about how nice and sweet Belphie is which makes Belphie blush and demand him to stop. Diavolo marvels at the lights from up in the ferris wheel and how they look like stars, Belphie says he’s getting too excited. Diavolo ignores this and points out his hotel and the brothers’ manor. Belphie says he sounds like a child and Diavolo laughs and says that Lucifer says the same. Diavolo, while still smiling, says that in a way he is a child, a child who spends his time alone and never gets to do anything interesting (and holy shit that’s sad – he really did grow up alone in that huge castle…) Belphie doesn’t know what to say to this and Diavolo asks what’s wrong. Belphie says he’s surprised cause he never knew Diavolo saw himself that way. Diavolo laughs and says he never expected Belphie to treat him with kindness and Belphie asks what kind of heartless monster did Diavolo imagine him as (look despite all the shit I give Belphie I do really love him but also I mean…. He does kinda make it known how much he dislikes diavolo…) Diavolo laughs it off, he says today he learnt things about Belphie that even Lucifer hadn’t told him and that there’s probably a lot about Diavolo that Belphie doesn’t know about either. Diavolo says he knows they’ve had there differences, specially cause Diavolo had his position to consider and that he had been very strict with Belphie in the past and that he still doesn’t consider that a mistake (YES!! FINALLY!!) and that despite all that they were still able to get along well today, he thanks MC for their help in bringing them to this point. They say they didn’t even do anything special, Belphie says that he agrees with Diavolo and that they did help. Diavolo says he wants to talk more with Belphie and if Belphie agrees nothing would make him happier. Belphie’s silent for a bit before he slowly agrees. Diavolo thanks him and says there’s one more place he wants to drop by.

They end up at the brothers’ place. Asmo welcomes them back, Diavolo says “I’m home!...just kidding pardon the intrusion” AND you just KNOW this man wishes he wasn’t kidding and that he could really live with all of them. Asmo asks how his day went & Diavolo says he had fun. When beel asks Belphie says he’s really tired. Asmo invites Diavolo to stay for dinner, saying Lucifer & Barbatos are cooking. Diavolo says he’ll go and help them but Belphie makes him sit down and tells him to relax after the day they had. Diavolo beams and thanks Belphie for worrying about him and Belphie blushes and tries to deny it, saying that since him & MC aren’t helping if Diavolo goes to help it’ll just make them look bad. Diavolo says he actually wants to help and that the other two can wait here (hey Lucifer and Barbatos are Diavolo’s closest friends right? And you tend to tell your closest friends everything that happens… MC & Belphie are so fucked). (this next interaction has such strong sibling vibes? Like I’m telling you I’ve had this exact same conversation before) Levi & Mammon seem to find the whole interaction between the two of them interesting and make noises about it, when Belphie asks them what, Levi says it’s nothing and Mammon asks how it went. Belphie says they went to a park and now they’re back. Satan says the others meant how it went with Diavolo. Belphie says like he said before there was nothing to it. Asmo says the interaction between the two of them says different and Satan agrees. Beel congratulates him and Belphie blushes and says he has no idea what they’re talking about. Mammon then asks MC if there were any problems, if they wondered off and got lost. MC either denies it so harshly it’s immediately unbelievable or says no…not really. Levi asks what ‘not really’ means. Belphie asks Mammon why he asked that and if he remembered the time he got lost in a park. Beel also then remembers that. Mammon says he’s not the one that got lost and that it was the twins. The three of them then argue about who really got lost. Asmo tells them to each say their side of the story. Mammon had been playing darts when the twins disappeared and he’d ended up searching all over for them and he’s been really freaked out. The twins say they went to buy soft serve and when they came back Mammon wasn’t there and they ended up going around finding him. MC, Satan and Asmo says it sounds like all 3 of them fucked up. Diavolo then calls them for dinner. (This whole arcs gives me ‘taking your new partner’s kid who hates you on a day out so that you can bond’ vibes with MC there solely to act as the buffer)

During dinner they talk about their day at the park, apparently they rode the freefall of death thrice in a row and Belphie happily tells Diavolo that next time they go they should ride it again. Diavolo very obviously reluctantly agrees to, which Mammon points out. Diavolo said he did enjoy it but next time he wants a break between riding it over and over again. Belphie says it wouldn’t be a marathon if they took breaks. Diavolo says next time they should all go together and maybe even try out a different theme park. Levi suggests a space themed park with another insane ride that tries to kill you, Mammon reads the description of the ride and immediately nopes out. Satan teases Mammon for being scared which he protests to, Beel asks for a place with good food, Levi says he was waiting for Beel to say that and Diavolo happily laughs and after being alone for so long a lively dinner like this full of people he cares about who care about him in turn was probably something he always wanted. After dinner in the warmly lit music room Barbatos brings Lucifer coffee, Diavolo and Satan are playing chess, Levi is rambling to Asmo about the game he and Diavolo were playing and Asmo happily tells him he has no idea what he’s talking about, and Belphie asks to talk with MC. He tells them despite how much he initially complained he had fun and he thanks them, they say they’re happy things turned out well. He says he never thought he would end up feeling like this. Lucifer then calls the both of them to him. He says they did well today and seeing the relaxed way Diavolo’s getting along with the others like there’s no tension between them is a relief. He thanks them. Belphie smiles as he says that Diavolo looks like he’s having fun with the others. “By the way…” Lucifer says with a smile ‘Diavolo told me about what happened today you little fucks’ (told you he’d snitch to Lucifer) Belphie’s shocked and speechless. A purple aura starts rising off Lucifer as he smiles sweetly at them, “Perhaps you’d like to explain to me exactly what happened?” “DD! …Why’d you have to tell him!?” screams Belphie before he accepts his fate and the screen goes black.

MC leaves the house to walk Diavolo and Barbatos to the street to drop them off, for which Diavolo apologises for troubling them. Barbatos says he could have ordered a car to come right up to the door of the house (Barbatos pls read the room!) and Diavolo says he doesn’t mind catching a taxi from the street. Barbatos is silent and contemplative for a moment before he says he forgot to tell Lucifer something and heads back inside (he read the room!). When they get to the street Diavolo worries cause Belphie had seemed really pissed when they left, he says when Belphie told him to keep it a secret he’d genuinely thought Belphie meant the picture they took together. He assumes Belphie told him not to tell about the ransom right after he told him not to tell about the picture but Diavolo had been so thrilled by the picture he hadn’t processed most of what Belphie said. He worries he messed up all the progress he made during the day. MC says though Belphie’s mad now he’ll get over it in time. He’s still worried that next time Belphie won’t be as willing to talk to him like he did today (he was still calling him DD though even when he was pissed so I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I hope they keep up the nickname Lucifer will hate it and that at least should be incentive for Belphie to keep using it). Diavolo says he had a lot of fun today and that he’ll never forget it. He goes on to say that growing up he lived a very sheltered life and that he’s never felt more free than he did today, though the ride was too much for him. He says even thinking about it makes his hands shake and he shows them to MC. MC can either take his hands or do nothing. If they take his hand he blushes and says it’s strange but that made him calm down. He says he wants to spend more time together and asks if they can go for a walk. MC agrees and he’s delighted by it. He says he’ll message Barbatos to let him know but that it’ll probably not be necessary since Barbatos went back to give them space anyway (You know Lucifer saw Barbatos come back alone, figured out what is happening and is now pacing a hole through the floor

They go to a park with a lake from where they can even see a ferris wheel in the distance. Diavolo asks if they think it’s the ferris wheel they rode today or a different one. He then laughs and says the human world’s really beautiful from the trees in daylight to the buildings at night. He asks if he can hold their hand and they can do that or put their arm through his. If they hold hands he says they almost look like a couple. If they do the second one he’s shocked but smiles and says they saw through him and realised what he actually wanted to do even though he wasn’t smooth enough to ask. He says his mother dies during childbirth and his father was always very strict with him, and he doesn’t know if that’s cause he was training him to be the next demon king or because he resented Diavolo’s birth for taking away the love of his life (I also HC Diavolo looking a lot like his mom. ALSO this confirms what I said earlier in one of the other lesson summaries about demons being born through biological reproduction like humans and unlike angels). He says growing up he never got a chance to talk to anyone outside the castle until he met Barbatos who told him stories of the outside world that fascinated him (this really does give the vibe that Diavolo was a child while Barbatos was an adult at the time). He liked Barbatos so much he begged him to stay with him. Barbatos had kept saying no but Diavolo had refused to give up. He’d thrown a tantrum then and said he’d refuse to be the next demon king unless Barbatos stayed with him and Barbatos had given in. Then he gets sad saying that what Belphie said today hit him, and how he always used his royal status to get others to do what he wanted. He asks if it’s possible that he’s forcing Barbatos to stay against his will. (and I get that what diavolo did was shitty but the fear he must have had for the rest of the day since Belphie said that cause he thought Barbatos will leave too and he’ll once again be truly alone in that castle is heartbreaking). MC who spent the last two lessons with Barbatos more or less talking about Diavolo (or Solomon) reassures Diavolo that Barbatos is staying cause he wants to. Diavolo’s happy for a bit before he becomes sad and doubtful again. He then says MC reminds him of Lucifer cause Lucifer is also constantly saying similar things to him (AND THE IMPLICATIONS!!? FIRST IT WAS THE OTHERS COMPARING LUCIFER’S FONDNESS FOR MC TO HIS FONDNESS TO DIAVOLO AND NOW IT’S THIS!!? Can I just say again: remember how the twins wanted to share MC if they ever got together with one of them? I think Lucifer x MC and Diavolo x MC make a lot more sense if it’s all three of them together. And in any case where MC doesn’t choose one of them, they get together like the LIs in The Arcana do). He asks if it’s possible that Lucifer and MC flatter him too much. He then says it can’t be fun listening to his childhood stories but that he wanted them to know about him and that he wants to know more about them too. He asks what kinda food they like. The options are sweet, spicy and sour. He likes sweet too. He asks if they like animals. Options are they love them, don��t or it depends on the animal. Look after all the time in the devildom, after two paws events, after bathing Cerberus and after the brothers all having their own vastly different animal representatives MC can’t not love all animals. Diavolo says imagining them playing with different animals is really sweet. He says he’s known them for quite some time now but there’s still so much he doesn’t know. He blushes and asks if they can do things like this more often, where they just spend time together. He then confesses and asks how they feel about him. If they say sorry he smiles and asks them not to apologize, saying that he didn’t say it to make them feel bad but that he understands. He asks if they’re in love with one of the brothers an they can say yes, no or stay silent. He smiles sadly and says he guessed. He says that even though they don’t have feelings for him it doesn’t change the fact that he still loves them. He says he still wants to get to know them more and asks if they can still meet up. He thanks them for being a part of his life. (While I still don’t think the side characters liking MC makes much sense and I still much prefer them as very close friends I like how all their confessions are very one and done. The brothers romantic plotlines with MC are still going on and there’s never a “I love you, do you love me? No? okay I still love you but I’ll back away too” moment. MC never gets the chance to reject them. But with the side characters MC rejects them, they understand that MC loves someone else, they accept the rejection really well and they go back to being friends and I really like that. It feels like it probably won’t be explored again after you reject them.)

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