#omen is not DOING any good at all today XD

[scuddle-bubble101]

Omen sighs heavily, putting a hand over his face and rubbing his sockets. "I see..." It seems I owe him an apology as well then. The nightmare straightens his coat a bit and huffs. "I'm sure you may have been able to tell, but Malice is.... Sensitive when it comes to those he cares for." That was an understatement of course. Malice could be considered near inconsolable when he was upset. The only option now was to let him work through his anger until he tires himself out.

How unfortunate to lose that au early... it still had potential, but I suppose I can overlook his outburst this time.

"Well, regardless, I'm sure you'll wish to apologize later. I'll make sure to have him see you when he has calmed down." Omen looks down at Evris, his expression softening. "...Trust is hard for some of us... I'm certain Malice understands that you had not intended to... hurt him."

"........."

[Annnnd I can see that did absolutely nothing to console him......... shit.]

"Or... We can try- A different approach to this..."

"Does that sound good to you?"

"I'm sure what I can offer is some calm solace for you for the-"

"I need to see him O-omen, ...I need to see.... T-to see he's ok."

[snek-panini]

Today's completed book is a bind of Glimmer, by @tawnyontumblr (hi, it's me, the person who asked to bind your story way back in April). This story is a Good Omens human au about sex workers in the Regency era, and it's gorgeous and lush and fantastic. Sexy and vulnerable and all the good adjectives. Go read it if you haven't yet, it's wonderful.

This is another legal-size quarto, my second (of 4; more are on the way). It really is an addictive size, and perfect for fics this length. The cover is done in this really pretty red damask lokta paper that highlights different parts of the image depending on the angle of the light. I was toying with the idea of binding this fic, and when I found this paper I immediately bumped it up the list because it's so perfect. The spine is dark gray lineco book cloth that I simply cannot resist putting on spines. I realize this is a pattern and I do not care. It's softer visually than black and it coordinates with everything and I will not stop.

More photos under the cut!

What did I tell you, it coordinates with everything. I used silver foil HTV for the title, and I elected to put it just on the spine so as not to cover up any of the floral patterns on the cover. Honestly, I thought about it but just couldn't bring myself to cover it up. The interior of this one has some very fancy fonts and I wanted one for the spine but they were all too spindly. But this one's a good compromise, I think. Delicate but straightforward.

Top view. I really wanted to do custom end bands for this one, for maximum luxury, but it was too thin, so it has pre-made black ones. They sort of disappear in the photos but make a nice contrast in person. I am totally in love with the starry endpapers even though they are only scrapbook paper from Joann's. It was surprisingly difficult to find something that looked good with the red cover, because plain solid colors looked too lackluster and most prints were too bold with the floral, not to mention a lot of colors clashed with the red. But I love these gray-on-gray stars. They're perfect. And a lot of the fic takes place under cover of darkness, and stars are a symbol of hope, and this fic's about wanting to escape your current circumstances, so it's kind of thematically appropriate. I'm going to say it is, anyway XD

So I think the title page is my favorite part of the bind again. I found this vintage valentine graphic on rawpixel for free and it's probably the most opulent thing in the whole typeset. The sort of uneven ink distribution is on purpose and adds to the vintage feel. I remember thinking about a year ago that my title pages were too plain and I needed to level them up somehow, and with the batch of binds I've been posting for the last week or two I think I've done it. The fonts here are called Annabel (the one with the trailing ends) and Victorian Decade (the swirly one that my bindery name is in). Both are available for free from DaFont. I did have to get a little tricky with the line spacing to get them to print correctly, but it was worth it. I wanted opulence for this one.

And that's that! I hope I did the fic justice, because I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.

[katyspersonal]

i know it's very likely that Messmer is the child of MarikaRadadon (boring) i still headcanon him as a virgin birth child aka like Jesus/Mary/God but this time it is Messmer/Marika/Fell god

This is a great idea! Personally I am not so quick to throw away the idea that he might actually be simply a child of Marika and Godfrey instead: red hair of their child still works, since Rykard for one is blonde despite being a child of Radagon:

Marika'sRadagon's genes are an enigma XD And don't forget how Messmer's soldiers use his trademark stomps and moves, and an icon of Godfrey is found in Shadow's Keep! Though how @val-of-the-north ALSO (correctly) pointed out: Messmer can't be a selfcest child of Marika and Radagon because he doesn't have the child-bearing hips......

Godfrey and I ASSUME Fell Good are both assless so it is all fair enough fdhfdhssfdh In either case I think Messmer is a firstborn, and large part of it is my idea on why he is carrying Base Serpent inside! I'll share a post from earlier today that did touch this topic ( x ) but in short: Lightless Abyss IS the hole at the center of Greater Will itself and inability to reign/live forever seems to be hard-coded into any order it helps creating, so Messmer is a natural promise of everything eventually burning. Especially the Erdtree.

At the same time, Radagon's red hair is the result of curse of Fire Giants, and we can see some effects going to the children (most blunt examples are Omen Twins when Fell God apparently was connected with Crucible and Radahn growing into gigantic size).

But I also agree that Messmer's Flame and Flame of Ruin are very similar, and Messmer being some sort of extension of the Fell God like you suggested would explain many things!

^ It says eye (singular), and Fell God is infamous for single eye thing, so like! Was he born with just one eye already? Also his Base Serpent is held in check by Winged Serpent who has dragonic wings, when Fire Giants were enemies with the drakes 🤔 The Furnace Golems Messmer uses also have visage of the Fell God (apparently earlier version or a misinterpretation as it has two eyes?) and masks of heads of Fire Giants on them! Presumably to scare Hornsent as they are already afraid of the Fell God, but also these kinds of 'wickered men' are used to burn people trapped in them as sacrifices, and we all remember how the last Fire Giant was able to awaken presence of the Fell God in himself by burning his broken leg so who knows for sure, really!

^ A possible support for your idea is also how Godfrey's Duelists design features both symbol of the giants and snakes! If they culturally appropriated after the war with the giants, what snakes had to do with it, then? 🤔

[searchingforakeythatdoesntexist]

DAY 15- «On Thin Ice» Good Omens AU - Triptych Tribute, last part.

To @blairamok. Thanks for everything...!

Please, listen to this?

"Our love is..."

I, I can't get these memories out of my mind And some kind of madness has started to evolve And I, I tried so hard to let you go But some kind of madness is swallowing me whole

I have finally seen the light And I have finally realized What you mean...

And now, I need to know, is this real love Or is it just madness keeping us afloat?

And when I look back at all the crazy fights we had It's like some kind of madness was taking control

And now I have finally seen the light And I have finally realized What you need

But now I have finally seen the end And I'm not expecting you to care, no That I have finally seen the light And I have finally realized

I need to love...!

...I need to love.

Come to me just in a dream Come on and rescue me Yes, I know, I can't be wrong

And baby, you're too headstrong Our love is

...Our Love is Madness, yeah.

[Previous] [Next Day] [First Day]

Don't forget to 💕/ reblog ;-)

↓Important message below, please check the behind-the-scenes!↓

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Aaaand... cut!

XD

Hello, dear Good Omens fam ^_^

I hope you enjoyed this last fantasie of mine as much as I did. Thanks so much for reading until here. It means a lot to me. Thanks to @blairamok for blessing us with his wonderful AU! I wish you the best, dear!

I have some family duties for a few days and I'll have to travel, so I don't know if I will be able to draw/publish any Daily Challenges for a while. Maybe this is just the sign that I HAVE to go back to simple things, simple challenges, simple ideas, just like at the beginning.

That was one Hell of a journey until now. Thank you all for following me in this challenge. I am learning so much while having fun. Aaand a little bit of pressure too - because HEY ANXIOUS PERSON, that's what I am - but it's almost always a good kind of pressure.

I have drawn more in two weeks that I have ever had in 10 years. This is such a relief to be able to do it, and such a wonderful thing to share my art with you and have your feed-back. Please, please, never stop telling me what you like and what you want me to draw! l would love to read any Challenge Ideas in the tags/comments section.

As for me, I'll try to never stop drawing, ever again.

Have a wonderful day/evening, my dear GO fam.

Elenthya

Personal challenge: a simple sketch each day

Goal: forcing me to keep things simple - inking, shading, just a few sashes of colour

Improvement pursued: to get the movement, the emotion, finding how to add depth, learning how to leave things barely finished

Max time allowed: 2 hours, as usual for my Daily Challenges. or 3-4 hours because it a Tribute to - 8 hours. EIGHT. HOURS. One-shot. Yeah, I know. Time to think about my own rules. Or, no Tribute works for a while. Plus, I love their figure but Crowley face drove me mad. Ugh.

Today's theme chosen by me:

Well, the song speaks for itself, doesn't it? :-) I previously wanted to use "Glorious" because this one is my favourite above all MUSE songs - the instrumental, the voices, everything in this song transports me. But the more I was trying to use the lyrics for this artwork, the more it feels inaccurate. So... Sorry, dear "Glorious". Another time. ;-)

[Previous] [Next Day] [First Day]

Don't forget to 💕/ reblog ;-)

[quillyfied]

Things I’m noticing on this rewatch, which I’m hoping to take slow and ponder on but we will see how it goes, PART FOUR (obviously major Good Omens season 2 spoilers throughout, specifically for S2E4)

- Lesi?

- Shax really does have creepy down pat.

- Aziraphale not sensing her, though. They really do play Calvinball with the rules of that, it seems.

- “You don’t seem his type at all” mirroring “I am so not your type” between Nina and Maggie last episode ;A; “you have no idea,” Maggie said. Aziraphale thinks. I weep.

- Sometime in the last 18, 19 years…would that have put them square in the “raising the Antichrist” years? Hang on. 4 years past the failed apocalypse…makes it 14…they were working on it for 11 years…no, that would put them before that, wouldn’t it? Wtf is that timing, Shax?

- “This Angel Gabriel, who I’ve never heard of” = “who’s Morales?”

- Shax really is the kind of infernally clever that’s perfect for tripping Aziraphale up when he’s already flustered and panicked. Love to see them interact.

- Opening theme detail today: one of the headstones reads Jane Austen. Wonder if the headstones change every episode too?

- “Here lies the former shell of Beelzebub” reads another, and “here lies Adam” with some text I can’t make out. Went back to the beginning of the graveyard bit now and “Peter Paintball”, and of course, “Every day.” If anyone gets good eyes on the Adam headstone, y’all gotta let me know.

- This episode’s theater feature: Nazi Zombie Flesheaters, with a still of the Nazis from s1 still alive. Nice.

- Seems odd to call the episode “The Hitchhiker” when it seems the literal hitchhiking is done by the time the opening credits roll. Time to refresh myself on why this episode might be called that.

- Did they reuse footage? Or reenact it?

- Yknow…none of the demons are wearing obvious animals this season. I think only Beelzebub, Hastur, and Ligur might have done it tbh.

- I love the details of Hell tbh. The fire cooler. The sheer number of Nazis. The way Shax moves so mechanically but so cool and collected.

- Does Shax actually have any higher demon ears? Or is she baiting Furfur? Hard to tell for her.

- Yknow the teeth aren’t helping in figuring out if Shax has an animal aspect.

- The besotted Aziraphale bit here. I cannot BELIEVE this all happens immediately post church bomb.

- Okay but the Nazis not disputing the fact that they belong in hell, just that they’re dead based on trickery. Nice.

- The tongue bit. Yuck.

- OKAY. Crowley has present day hair color for this adventure. That feels significant. Is this minisode a flashback?

- Okay the signage of Hell. Always a favorite. But the “heaven looks down on you” sign. Hmm. Bit odd.

- Ah. Because I couldn’t see the bottom half of it. “Because you’re…” something. Move it, Furfur XD

- Pathetic. “Heaven looks down on you because you’re pathetic.” …hmm. Still an interesting take, tbh.

- Happy to be in the probable minority that likes the zombies bit XD which is interesting bc I normally hate zombie fiction. They do it the way I like, though. They’re conscious and sentient in their zombieness.

- Also the brain repeating on him XD what a gloriously stupid and delightful detail

- And okay yeah the dead rising from the grave thing from Jimbriel’s prophecy and the Nazi zombies here feels like a big ole clue for s3. I’m Mormon so my upbringing around the Second Coming is probably weirder than other Christians but a big part of it for us is the emphasis on the resurrection of the dead, ALL the dead. Putting a properly macabre spin on it feels like a very Good Omens thing to do tbh.

- There’s the dirty donkey again! It DIDNT move, Crowley LITERALLY planned his heist ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE BOOKSHOP. I WORK IN SOHO I HEAR THINGS INDEED.

- David Tennant what is that voice XD

- Lots of emphasis on sleight of hand this…entire show :P it does make one suspicious of The Final Fifteen Minutes. But also I don’t want to rob them of their power? Because damn. DAMN.

- (The lip reading. It. I. I will wait for the end but GUH)

- He’s so pleased with himself for getting it right XD

- They are SO. IN. LOVE. KILL ME.

- Natural dexterity. Like the magic words, I’m waiting for that one to come true.

- The way Pat tries to have some integrity XD

- THE WAY AZIRAPHALE CASUALLY DROPS THAT HE HAS BOTH A FIREARMS LICENSE AND A DERRINGER. AZIRAPHALE ZIRAPHALE FELL, ARE YOU POSITIVE CROWLEY IS THE JAMES BOND ENTHUSIAST?

- More importantly, does he still have that???

- …does that mean Aziraphale’s fired a gun when Crowley hasn’t? What does this mean for the paintball gun bit? Does your derringer lend weight to a moral argument, Aziraphale??

- Hang on have to squeal for the way Aziraphale just grabs Crowley’s hand in both of his. So excited. So cute.

- HA, the wrong ring XD

- Sad to see Pat get eaten. But the framing of it is really cool actually.

- Fell the Marvelous. That poster. How in the heck.

- Aziraphale having stage fright tho.

- Jiggery pokery indeed XD

- EXPERIENCE USING FIREARMS. AZIRAPHALE THESE ARE SOLDIERS.

- Omg the miracle blocker is a punch card. The worldbuilding implications.

- I wonder at how hell would have taken Aziraphale handing Crowley a rifle tbh.

- “Aim for my mouth, shoot past my ear” WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

- the way they’re both shaking and nervous. The camera itself shaking. CROWLEY shaking

- The feather boa. I WEEP. He’s so happy.

- I know the implication is that Crowley, like Jim, is missing his memories, but. Also. The idea that maybe Crowley is just terrible at remembering people who aren’t Aziraphale. Poor Furfur.

- The sleight of hand is very subtle. Which is the point. But also. Idk man people have said it better and apparently written 16k essays about it, I’m just proud of him for pulling it off.

- Okay but. But they’re zombies. Neil they’re zombies. Aziraphale and Crowley just let three Nazi zombies wander off Neil. NEIL. WHAT IS THE PLAN WITH THEM??

- Dagon is in top form this season tbh

- I CANNOT BELIEVE. THAT THE ONE NAZI REALLY CAN READ LIPS. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. Peak comedy always.

- I got it right the time that mattered ;A;

- I knew you would come through for me. You always do.

- You said trust me.

- And you did.

- MURDER ME.

- ITS CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE AGAIN ARE YOU KIDDING ME I AM ALREADY TRYING SO HARD NOT TO QUOTE THIS SCENE WORD FOR HECKING WORD

- “If you were truly as evil as you like to paint yourself” the levels of deep seated misunderstanding and flawed foundational concepts I’m CRY

- Though it’s AZIRAPHALE who brings up shades of grey. A glimmer of hope.

- Can someone who knows accents tell me what is going on with Shax’s

- Beelzebub’s thanks and “good work” as a discordant note, but also their command for Shax to take an army to attack the bookshop knowing full well she isn’t going to get that kind of support…wut.

- THE BENTLEY FOLLOWING AZIRAPHALE AFTER HE PATS IT. CROWLEY FEELS WHAT IT FEELS.

- Peter Anderson’s screen effects are my favorite thing.

- Hate to see the way Nina is so broken down by Lindsey tbh.

- Yeeeah…Crowley seems to be purposely living in his car tbh. Retreating directly to it. I can’t tell if Aziraphale never thought to offer cohabitation or if Crowley turned him down but my money is on they’ve never discussed it despite both of them thinking about it very loudly.

- A night to remember! Never bodes well.

Okay. That’s it for tonight. An episode that seems out of place but has many good tasty morsels and I think more than a smidge of s3 foreshadowing. Why is the episode called The Hitchhiker? Maybe for Furfur trying to climb the greasy pole of bureaucracy? For the Nazis hanging onto life? Literally just for the one part at the beginning that sets the whole climax into motion? Who knows???

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

A few weeks ago you made a post about bastardisations of Christian faith in popular media (eg supernatural good omens etc etc) and I was wondering if there are any tv show/films that you know of/would recommend that include biblical figures and/or Christian theology in a manner that is respectful?

Heh, that's a hard one. Non-christian stuff with biblical themes/characters tend to be... yknow, blasphemous, and Christian/biblical movies and tv shows tend to absolutely, completely, deeply suck xD The few exceptions are Prince of Egypt and Joseph King of Dreams, which are absolute must see masterpieces, and I'd recommend Season 1 of The Chosen (but nothing after if you want good theology/historicity :/) The Passion of the Christ is a bit ~heh on the theological side, and pretty gory, but it's kind of too big not to mention. I hear Ben Hur is really good but I've never actually watched it. Another GREAT movie I can recommend is Paul, Apostle of Christ (which about Paul's last days in Rome before his execution + the persecution of the early church by Nero).

For more secular pop media, def watch:

Samurai Champloo anime exploring Japanese history and culture through three unlikely allies' long journey accross a somewhat anachronistic Edo era Japan; it takes a while for the Christian aspects to show up but they explicitly do and it's really good)

Narnia the books - the movies not so much. anyway, Aslan is Jesus and all that.

Les Miserables and especially its manga adaptation by Takahiro Arai. the theology is not so overt, but the manga very deliberately touches upon new birth and it's incredibly moving. dunno how far along the english fanlations are but Valjean and Miriel's encounter is all translated. As for the book itself, Hugo's faith is a complicated matter, but it still underlines a lot of the plot and themes

Scrubs not a whole lot of Christian/biblical stuff, it's just a good fun medical show, but there are a few explicitly Christian characters and two or three episodes that really get into it; off the top of my head, 1x11, 5x5 and 6x14/6x15

SoeurThérèse.com a french detective tv show where the main character, Sister Therese, formerly Juliette, is an ex-cop nun who still helps out with cases. it's sweet

Hacksaw Ridge EXTREMELY violent and bloody movie, true story of a conscientious objector who enlisted during WWII as a medic, to save rather than to kill, on the basis of his Christian faith

Pilgrim's Progress has some good adaptations iirc (it's a 1678 allegorical novel about the life journey of a Christian, but today it reads a lot like epic fantasy). It's been adapted A LOT though so take your pick

I'm coming up kind of short because I don't watch a lot of shows/movies, I'm more of a 'deeply invested in one franchise' type of person ah ah.

[eolewyn1010]

So, yesterday:

I phoned 4 numbers of therapists, and while I wasn't put on any waiting lists, I was directed to an agency I didn't know of that actually connects people in the region with free therapy spots, and now I'm on their list and they'll call me when I can have a first consultation anywhere I can geographically reach. So that's cool!

I went to that free counselling service my mom got recommended, and the lady there was nice and gave me a few pointers on how to bridge the time until I can get an actual therapy spot with other support possibilities.

When I said to her, "I dunno if I'm even right here; I'm not in an acute situation of crisis", she raised an eyebrow at my imposter syndrome and just flat-out said: "Sounds to me like you are." Lady, I wanna introduce you to the last person in your field that I consulted, because that person was a b***h that made me feel humiliated and intimidated, and you instantly made me comfortable enough to cry.

When I got out of there, I was greeted by a rainbow and sun sparkling on raindrops all around, and I choose to read that as a good omen.

I bought post stamps, so now my birthday letter / present for my friend is good to go.

I took out the trash! (Yes, that's a small thing, but everyone in our household keeps forgetting it when we go out, so actually managing it is a win.)

I got half done with the reading list my professor asked of me, so I'm pretty confident I can send it today.

Despite getting home kinda late, I still got the laundry done AND some sports.

Admittedly, sports was pedalling on the home trainer during a movie night XD but I'm figuring out how to text with my friend while keeping my legs moving, so yeah, that part of multitasking might just work out.

Movie night with my friend was lovely! I do wish we'd live closer together so I could visit them instead of texting, but still, I had someone to talk to about Charité, and now I'm having Charité thoughts and feelings again; lowkey wanna write.

Still didn't start on the new knitting thingie because ruining the yarn ball when parting it in halves has kinda scared me off, but sewing is going better again; I managed half a meter of hemming.

[lilolilyr]

I got tagged by @banashee thanks a bunch! Feel free to do any of my recent tagging memes if you like:D

Question Tag Game Thingy

Current book I’m reading:

Fifth Formers at St Clare‘s, I found all the St Clare’s (zu Deutsch: Hanni & Nanni) that exist in the original English online here for free, I used to be obsessed with the German translations (and additions - there are way way more of those in German than the 9 English ones) as a kid and the nostalgia overtook me when I remembered the books because of this tagging meme and I completely singlefocusedly binge read through them in the last couple days

Last song I listened to:

Joel by okdanketschüss

Currently watching:

not anything really? I’m stuck at the beginnings of S2 of Good Omens and The Witcher since forever and I haven’t continued DS9 either, I just haven’t watched any TV really…

last thing I watched was a Bernadette Banner YouTube video a couple days ago

No wait! Warehouse rewatch on discord! I missed last week but I’ll join in today :D

Current fic I’m reading:

Not any??? I mean I’ve got tabs open but I really read St Clare’s and only St Clare’s in the last days! Maybe the one I’m on now counts as fanfic tho bc it’s not by Enid Blyton (the original author)? xD

I do still want to continue reading @purlturtle’s And Now You as well as all the fic recs @lavendelhummel sent me, and I’ve got a bunch of other tabs open besides, but I’m probably gonna finish St Clare’s first! Well, I might read the last two tomorrow so there’s that :D

Next on my watchlist:

I’ve never seen While You Were Sleeping and since I’ve seen ppl talk about it both here and on discord I really want to watch it

also ‘tis the season for silly Hallmark movies, so I’ll for sure watch a couple of those xD there are also two wlw ones from last year or so that I haven’t seen yet, and of course piles and piles of straight ones

current obsession:

Definitely St Clare’s xD did I mention this already on this post, perhaps once or twice? xD

Also, I managed to have a crush on a minor book character again, headmistress Theobald o.O

I should update my obsession tag and my blog description! I think it still says flufftober xD

For easy copying - leave a blank for the people you tag! Question Tag Game Thingy Current book I’m reading: Last song I listened to: Currently watching: Current fic I’m reading: Next on my watchlist: current obsession:

Tagging everyone I’ve already tagged as well as @die-schwanenkoenigin, @squishmittenficfan @toboldlynerd purlturtle and anyone else who sees this :)

[0skyheaven0]

Hey sky! I’m reading your newest fic, and I just wanted to share that one common way to hide period stains in school when you can’t change clothes is tying your hoodie around your waist. Idk if that’s as common to do today, but it was very reliable back then.

That reminded me of a scene in “Crazy ex girlfriend” and if you like musicals you should totally watch this series if you haven’t yet! I know the title may be misleading but it’s also really really GOOD! I hope you give it a try when you can ;)

Hi! Lovely to hear you're reading it, thank you for that!

Darn, I thought I could get away with it! Haha, yeah it crossed my mind that someone probably has something to wrap around (it's a great way to hide boners too. Even if only the sleeves are in the front, it distracts from the bulge), but it killed my plotline. Not my finest moment as a writer, kinda just skimmed past that logic gap. Let's say it's still late summer because school's just started and no one brought any sweaters. xD

I cannot tell you how many people and how many times people have been trying to push this show on me. My friend shows me clips and songs all the time so I got an idea of it. I do have a hard time getting started with non animated shows, after years of nagging I've finally started with Good omens. I can say it's on my list, as it's been for two years since my friend started talking about it xD Thanks for the recommendation though, of enough people push me, maybe one day I'll actually get to it!

[xviruserrorx]

I'm gonna jump in and participate in today's Time to shine Thursday held by @lightasthesun

I've been all over the place with writing but I think I would like to promote...

"For The Earth Is Old and Grey, Little Darling We'll Away" - Tumblr | Ao3

It's the start of my Immortal and Time AU with Leon and Merlin. And I explain it as "Just think if Good Omens and Time Travelers wife had a baby, this is the baby". I originally was just going to have a couple little funny stories about these two but then I got a larger idea and it grows day by day. I'm starting to regret wanting to do this because working out the time line is Super super hard and this is one of those stories where you can't just free hand and wing it 😅. But I will not give up!

Because I'm currently writing for the Merlin fandom, I have a rule where I don't read any fanfics from the fandom I'm currently writing from. But @charlieeework wrote this Lancelot superhero AU based off of some nonsense we ended up going back and forth on. (I kinda want to write something for it too, it seems like a really fun AU that is right up my alley also XD, maybe we can co-write something together)

For art I'm gonna say @aro-tarot whole Merlin Tarot series (the link has to be opened in a browser not on mobile) but also their art in general is just stupendously amazing.

For gifs I'm gonna say this gif by @camelotsheart, it's my all time favorite gif on here and I just love it so much, if I could have it framed and mounted on the wall I would it's just so ahhhhh.

Tagging: Anyone who sees this and wants to join (I'm horrible at tagging sorry)

[ineffableplanner]

Newsletter #74 - The week of Saturday July 17th 2021 - Saturday July 24th 2021

Go forth, have fun! Create much!

A new section is up for specifically rec blogs. If you run a GO tumblr with recs or resources, let me know. It will have a proper header by next weekend, I swear, but I had my first of two vaccines today so I’m tired beyond words XD

If any discord servers go AWOL or you feel one should be added (remember to clear it with the MODS first) feel free to let me know.

Ineffable Con 3 (Booking is OPEN! Event is October 22nd-24th)

EVENTS WITH DEADLINES

[NEW] Good Omens July Celebration - July 19th - 25th

[NEW] Miss Fell's Bookshop - (Discord has opened - Deadline unknown)

Good Omens Bingo 2021 [runs the entire year of 2021] (note that I am affiliated with this event) SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN

EVENTS WITHOUT DEADLINES

Good Omens Zine Archive (mainly of interest to zine publisher/handlers)

Jukebox Event - (no deadline)

We’re On Our Own Side - weekly prompts (no deadline)

Good Omens Fic Rec Bingo - (no deadline available)

T-RECS Tuesdays (GO fanfic recommendations) (no deadline/ongoing)

#ButterOmens (ongoing multi media event(writing/art/whatever you want))

Encourage good feedback (no deadline/ongoing)

OPEN for sign-ups

Want to run a zine, want to let people know? This is for you.

OPEN for mod/help applications

Let me know if you’re looking and want a boost

INTEREST CHECK

Warlock Chronicles - INTEREST CHECK OPEN

As always, when entering a discord server, follow its rules, check out the dos and don’ts and don’t harass the mods or your server sibs.

Ace Omens Discord Server - Click here for information post (link updated feb 13th)

Do-it-with-style - runs various events. Takes all ages.

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[thefanficmonster]

Hi Vy! 📚🌻 Here!

How are you? I was at my brother's girlfriend's house, so I didn't had the time to send you more words challenges, please forgive me.

I hope you have been taking care of yourself and enjoying the present time and it's gift's. Today's words are: travel, vlog and fangs

Omg hun please don't apologize, I'm so glad you've been spending time with people who are important to you, I hope you've been having fun over there!

And thank you for the three new words. Here comes a fic for the Winters sisters ~ Enjoy 💕

Enough Said

Pairing: Rose Winters & Sister OC (Gwen Winters)

Warnings: Swearing (maybe XD)

Genre: Sibling Fluff, Humor

Following a long period of Gwen going off to missions and spending time at different BSAA bases, Rose has finally decided to take matters into her own hands when it comes to her sister spending time with her. While Gwen is still technically on duty this very moment, Rose is satisfied to be getting at least a this much time and attention from her.

Oh, and by ‘this very moment’ I mean the car ride they’re currently having, singing their hearts out to songs Rose puts on, acting as the car’s DJ. This travel was meant to be Gwen’s only, seeing as how she was called into one of the secret testing bases to get the regular tests that make sure everything in her body is orderly despite the quirks and issues the experiments done on her in Raccoon City.

Even though she wanted to keep this whole procedure a secret, she simply couldn’t say no to her sister’s begging any longer so that’s how Rose is now in the car with her. And boy is she glad she didn’t reject her.

“Hey Gwen, can I record the trip? You know, like one of those travel vlogs?“ Rose asks suddenly while she’s between songs and the car is only filled with the noises of the engine and the tires scraping the road pavement.

Gwen’s brows furrow but she keeps her eyes on the road, “We’re literally going to a BSAA base at an undisclosed location and you want to record that?” She pauses briefly before chuckling and adding: “And really? You watch travel vlogs?”

Rose is quick to get defensive and frown, glaring at her sister’s profile, “Says you who watches cooking shows at 2 AM!”

“It’s not my fault I can’t sleep!“ Gwen laughs, “They’re boring enough to make me dose off.“

Testing the waters and growing cautious, Rose now feels confident enough to nudge a different, significantly more delicate subject, “You know you wouldn’t have such a hard time if you weren’t so on-edge all the time.“

Gwen is seemingly unbothered by the comment which is relieving for Rose to see, “That’s hard when an entire corporation wants you either dead or in captivity and you leave alone.” The older girl says matter-of-factly as though it’s the most casual thing to address - an illegal bio-weapon-creating corporation wanting to do experiments on you.

“Well, you don’t HAVE to live alone...“ Rose attempts sending her message across subtly one more time, hoping her sister finally catches the hint she’s throwing.

This times she might just have just hit a nerve because her sister lets out a sigh, “Rose, you know I can’t come and live with you guys. It’d put you all in a lot more danger than you’re already in. I’m a walking target. A bad omen basically as Piers calls me as a joke.”

The younger girl scoffs, “That’s not what I meant, Gwen! I’m talking about getting a roommate.” She notices the other girl already preparing to complain so she quickly continues, “I don’t mean just some random stranger...”

“You mean Chris, which is even worse, Rose.“ Gwen cuts her off with a rather displeased expression but not yet angry or frustrated, “You think I don’t know why you wanted to come with me on this trip?“

The jig is up, Rose admits to herself, deciding to finally reveal the whole truth, “To spend time with your busy ass, of course! That and to protect Chris from your fangs.”

This caught Gwen so off-guard she even briefly turned her head to face her sister, “Fangs? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rose rolls her eyes, “You know, fangs, horns, claws - all metaphors for the bitchiness you exhibit when around him.”

Surprisingly enough, Gwen laughs at that, “Good one, not gonna lie, I appreciate that. But be fair here, sis - he’s the same with me.”

Rose shrugs like she already knows what to say in response - because she does, “He’s matching your energy. What, you expect him to be nice and sweet while you are being distant, mean, reserved and downright a bitch?“

The younger girl is more than thrown off to see a smile on her sister's face but her confusion doesn't stick around for long - it disappears the second she looks through the windshield to see the BSAA issued terrain truck belonging to none other than the Alpha himself who is leaning on its side, shooting the black-haired girl a smile much like the one she's giving him in return.

Before Rose could say anything though, Gwen speaks up, her eyes never leaving Chris' form as he climbs into the truck to lead them to their destination, helping them navigate the rest of the way, "Oh sis, if you could only get a glimpse in this head of mine..." she pauses for a second, letting out a sigh, "On second thought, I'm glad you can't."

Enough said, Gwen - Rose thinks to herself, a smile forming on her face as well - Enough said

[the-girl-in-the-box]

Not Today XXIV

A/N: Okay, so.... I lied. There is more plot buildup here, but there's not yet the big lean into it just yet. That will likely be in Wednesday's update! But, this chapter does focus a bit on some political intrigue type stuff, and of course, developing the relationship between Asta and Ivar :) Also- the story Asta tells was actually something I highly considered doing when I first realized how well she and Freydis were getting along. Might write an alternate version of this story where that is how it goes, I'm not sure? We'll see! If you want to see that let me know, I'll write it probably for sure if I get enough good feedback on it XD Until then, enjoy this update! Skål!

Summary: When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.

Masterlist

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There were a few days more of peace, of doing nothing but wandering around Kiev, getting used to the new town, before Oleg called them to have a drink with him. They’d wondered what exactly it was he wanted, and had spoken in her tongue all the way to where they’d be meeting him about it. When they’d come to the dining hall, they were seated in a small seat, beside each other, and Asta subconsciously leaned up against Ivar.

Oleg hadn’t appeared just yet, and so the two were left alone, being tended to by servants, who served them drinks, waiting anxiously.

Eventually, after a few moments had passed, Asta looked to Ivar and asked, “Where do you think he is?”

Ivar hummed and took a look around the room, unsurprised by the confused looks of the Rus servants at the use of the Saxon tongue. “I don’t know,” he eventually concluded. She sighed, and settled in beside him with her drink, taking a sip. Ivar chuckled softly at how casual she had become with alcohol.

Ivar ended up draping his arm over the back of the seat they had been sat in, as he drank from his own cup. A few moments later, a voice startled them slightly.

“I have decided to treat your arrival here as a sign, an omen,” it said, and Ivar and Asta both turned in time to see Prince Oleg himself entering the room. They shared a look, wondering how long he’d been standing there.

Not that there’d been anything wrong with what they’d been doing, but they still were slightly unnerved by this behavior. Nevertheless, they kept their mouths shut, electing to let Oleg explain himself. And explain himself, he did.

“You see,” he began. “For a long time, we Rus, guided by my brother-in-law King Rurik, looked to the east for trade, conquests, and expansion.” Oleg moved to stand just over Ivar’s shoulder, causing them both to have to crane their necks around to see him. A power play, something they both recognized. “Yet, even before your, I admit somewhat unexpected, appearance, I had begun to question this way of thinking.”

The way he got down on his knees beside the arm of the chair nearest Ivar had them glancing very briefly between each other. Asta wore her uncertainty and discomfort plainly, and in response to this, as did Ivar. Still, they continued to hear him out.

“Perhaps, after all, it’s time for us to look west again.”

He finally came around and took the seat nearest them, and only then did Asta relax a little. Having him seated, she felt better that he wasn’t going to do something. Her relaxing brought Ivar to do the same.

“Years ago, I hung my shield on the city gates of Constantinople,” he said. “But now, it’s time to hang it on the gates of Kattegat. Our ancestral and original home.”

Asta and Ivar shared a skeptical, disconcerted look. Clearly, she was not a fan of the idea. However, the wheels in Ivar’s head were spinning, and she could see that. He was up to something. After just the right length of a pause, Oleg added, “And you two, you can help me.”

Asta opened her mouth to say something. She was going to deny it, say she wouldn’t attack Kattegat, but Ivar could see Oleg still had something else to add, something to… sweeten the deal, one could say. “You can be revenged upon your brothers, at the same time,” he told Ivar. Now, she really wanted to say no. Perhaps she had her issues with the way things were done, perhaps it had wounded her deeply when Björn had attacked her, when Hvitserk betrayed her and Ivar, but she didn’t want revenge against them. And certainly, with the latter, who had released her into Ivar’s care so easily in the end, she didn’t want him to be hurt in the battle Oleg spoke of.

“I cannot-” she began to say, but Ivar let his thumb began to rub little circles into her knee, silently asking her not to decline this request. She paused, and looked to him. He had something up his sleeve, from the look on her face. She just couldn’t say what.

“I say it is a fine plan,” Ivar finally replied. “Now I see our arrival here in Kiev was no accident, as I supposed, but all arranged by the gods. How could it be otherwise?”

“The gods…” Oleg repeated, and Asta leaned more heavily into Ivar. Their relationship confused Oleg quite a bit, truthfully. News had finally reached Kiev of what exactly transpired in Kattegat, and that was what had prompted him to take Ivar into the mausoleum of his own late wife. He wanted Ivar to feel as though he understood him, in hopes of bringing him closer to an alliance, but his relationship with this woman, this… Prophet, as she was called, had thrown him just a bit with the news he had heard.

To him, they appeared to behave as lovers, as a husband and a wife would do. Neither had protested to sharing a room in the Palace, and even when he’d first approached that night, she’d being sitting with Ivar in the way a wife might. Now, he’d quieted her with no more than a touch- an intimate one, at that. And Oleg didn’t miss the quick glances they shared, checking in with each other whenever something in their environment shifted. They were perceptive, and almost seemed to be privy to the thoughts of the other, like a perfect team.

Well, if that were the case, it was possible she was his wife, he figured. He knew the Vikings to the west allowed for their men to take more than one wife, so perhaps that was the case here. Perhaps, Asta was Ivar’s second wife, who had escaped with him after the death of his Queen. How she had gained the title of Prophet, he wasn’t entirely sure, though the rumors said she had warned him of the first attack of Björn Ironside, before Björn had ever come to Kattegat’s gates. No doubt, marrying a woman with that sort of gift, the gift of a Seeress, would have been a wise move for a man like Ivar the Boneless, but either way, it seemed they worked together seamlessly.

He wondered how she felt about the death- or murder, rather- of Freydis. Some men said their wives became very close, some said they detested each other. If Asta was Ivar’s second wife, then Oleg would know exactly what sort of woman she was based on how she felt about his first.

But, for the time being, he chose not to question these things, and instead merely nodded his head, lifting his cup at what Ivar said. “Let us drink to… Odin,” he suggested. An interesting look crossed the Prophet’s eyes at that, though she still smiled slightly, and nodded as if to agree.

Ivar gave a bit of a breathy chuckle, but lifted his cup, and agreed, “To Odin,” before drinking. Their goblets tapped together, but he noticed Asta merely drank, as opposed to taking part in the toast.

Now that, that was interesting. They were Vikings, supposedly, and so why would she deny their gods? Especially if she was a Völva, then she would know her gifts came from them. Perhaps she was angry with them, for having allowed her and Ivar’s defeat in Kattegat. Whatever it was, that was something he wouldn’t ask either. After all, he didn’t want to make her any more suspicious than she might have been. And with her title, he knew that might have been very suspicious.

However, when they were through, he decided he did want to learn more about her, before he moved forward with his plans with the two. He didn’t trust Asta- or Ivar, for that matter- fully. Her less so than him, but only because so little was known of her to him. Ivar had stood, offered his hand to Asta, and she’d accepted it when she stood.

“Actually,” Oleg spoke, causing the pair to turn back toward him. “Queen Asta, if I could… have a moment of your time?”

They exchanged a quick look, neither of them exactly sure about what he’d just called her. She was not, after all, a Queen, nor had she ever been. It was easy for them to recognize the mistake that had been made, and neither bothered to correct him. Instead, Asta turned and gave him a warm smile, nodding.

“Of course, Prince Oleg,” she replied graciously. She lifted Ivar’s hand to her lips and kissed it affectionately, before releasing him. “I’ll be up to bed shortly, love. Go on.”

Ivar knew this for the way she behaved when playing at their cover, the idea that they were a married couple, and he went along with it easily. “Of course, my sweet,” he replied, and took a step closer to her to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. “I’ll wait for you, hm?”

A veiled warning to Oleg: Do anything to her, and I’ll know.

She smiled to him sweetly, nodded, kissed him on the cheek as well, and sent him off.

Once they were alone, Oleg stood, and walked over toward Asta. “Why don’t you sit and have another drink?” he offered. Something in his tone unsettled her, and the gentle, kind façade dropped immediately.

“I’m alright, thank you,” she said. He chuckled a little.

“So distrustful?” Oleg questioned. “You must have reason to be…”

Asta tilted her head. “Of course I do,” she replied. “If we could be betrayed in our own home, why could we not be betrayed here? You know what I am called, Prince Oleg. Don’t presume to believe it’s a title meant only for show.”

Oleg smirked and nodded slowly, before beginning to walk around her in a slow circle, his eyes pinned on hers. Well, they would have been, if she’d let him maintain eye contact. He tried to hold her gaze, but she followed him with her eyes for a moment, before turning to look straight ahead again.

“It makes sense, why Ivar likes you,” he commented making her lift a brow as he finally came to stand before her. “You’re a strong woman. You were… wounded, when you came to Kiev. Can I take it you fought, to avoid being captured?”

“You can,” she confirmed with a nod. “I fought for him, as I always will.”

“Yes…” he conceded, nodding slowly. “But, forgive me. If you are a Prophet, as you say, then how is it you were not prepared for my men to attack you?”

Asta gave a small smirk, improvising entirely at this point. “You call yourself Prophet as well,” she pointed out. “Don’t you know? I am not a Seer, nor yet a Völva. I am a Prophet. The gods… don’t reveal all to me as they might a Seer.”

Oleg hummed thoughtfully as he watched her. “Then how is it you came by this title?” he questioned her.

He was looking for a crack in their story, Asta knew, and so she had to be sure it was as watertight as a longship. If there was even one crack, they would sink.

“Surely, you’ve heard the tales?” she said. “I forsaw the Siege of Kattegat, and warned Ivar of his brother’s attack on our city.”

“But you still did not succeed,” Oleg replied. He sounded as if he had caught her, and so she shrugged.

“We won the first battle,” she pointed out. “The latter was an inside job, and the gods didn’t chose to reveal to me what would come, who would betray us.”

“Is this why you refused to drink to Odin tonight?”

Now, she smirked as if he had said something insightful. “It is,” she lied smoothly. “I drank instead to the most painful loss I suffered during Björn Ironside’s siege. If we are going to take it back- though I shudder at the thought of risking Ivar, hence the reluctance you may have seen in me earlier- then I will do so in the name of the woman who was Queen. In the name of Freydis.”

“And it was her you drank to then, in your own being?” he questioned, and Asta nodded. “So you are the sort of woman who becomes close to your husband’s other wife, is that it?”

“No,” she said. “To her only.”

A very curious look passed over Oleg’s face then, as he considered what Asta was saying. If he had been confused before, speaking to her had been no help. Still, he accepted her response with no question.

“Let us drink to her now, then,” he offered. “How did you lose her?”

He began to pour to goblets of wine, and she accepted the one he offered her as she answered, falsely, “She gave her life so Ivar and I could escape. I am not just a Prophet, but a Shieldmaiden as well. She knew if we were ever to retake Kattegat, it would only be together. I was the one who has to leave with Ivar, not her, much as it broke our hearts.”

Even fictitious entirely, the thought of having lost Freydis made her chest ache, and so the very real pain of her loss brought tears to Asta’s eyes, and made her lie all the more convincing.

“Then, to Queen Freydis,” Oleg said, lifting his cup in a toast.

“Queen Freydis,” Asta agreed, and lifted her cup as well with a brief nod. “Skål.”

They each drank from their cups, and Asta returned hers to the table beside him.

“I find it strange to hear you held such affection for Ivar’s first wife,” Oleg commented, watching Asta closely now. “Many women who marry a man who already has one wife… despise her. And the other wife despises the new as well.”

Asta gave a tightlipped smile and chuckled bitterly. “Well, I came to love her before anything began between myself and Ivar,” she said. And, really, wasn’t that true? “She and I had already grown very close when anyone realized affection had grown between us. And…” She chuckled. “It was she who noticed. Ivar and I were trying to be respectful of their marriage, but she suggested it for wanting to see us happy. We simply agreed. And becoming so close, I believe I only came to love her more.”

The look on Oleg’s face was a strange sort of curiosity, and thoughtfulness, which Asta couldn’t quite place. She imagined it had to do with what she’d said, but he apparently chose not to question it too much. At least- not to her face. 

Instead, he asked her, “And how did you meet Ivar?”

This… would be a bit more difficult to play off, she realized. She hoped Ivar hadn’t yet said anything about it, but knowing him, he’d have updated her on their story if he needed to. Right?

“I met him when I came to Kattegat,” she answered easily. “He received me in the Great Hall, and as soon as I told him I was a Prophet, he became interested in knowing me better. The rest is history, as they say.”

“But how did you ever come to Kattegat? Was it… a vision, which showed you that you needed to be there?”

He was trying to determine the limits of her power, she realized quickly. Unfortunately, she had no proof she was a Prophet, just as he had none (or if he had, he hadn’t shown it). So, she stuck to something safer than an affirmative response.

“No, I was a wanderer,” she replied. It concerned her a bit how easily these lies came to her. “I committed myself to the will of the gods long ago, and I believe that is what brought me to Kattegat, so I could serve Ivar.”

Oleg gave a small, thoughtful hum as he nodded slightly. He’d want to run all of that by Ivar, at some point, but not with Asta there. He couldn’t risk her taking over and answering for Ivar.

“I see,” he finally relented. “Well, that is all I wished to discuss. Feel free to return to your husband.”

They both knew that was a lie, but neither showed it. Asta instead simply offered him a gracious smile and a small bend at the waist, a small sign of respect.

“Thank you, Prince Oleg. I will see you shortly, I’m sure.”

She didn’t wait for his answer before turning and walking from the room.

The Shieldmaiden didn’t appear shaken in the slightest, and in truth, she wasn’t. What she was, was unnerved, and deeply so. Something about the very energy she felt from Oleg made her uncomfortable, though if asked, she wouldn’t quite be able to place what exactly about him caused her to feel that way.

She gave her shoulders a slight roll as she came to her and Ivar’s room, an attempt to force herself to relax. When she stepped inside, Ivar sat up a little to look at her, tilting his head.

“What is it?” he questioned. “You’re uncomfortable. What happened?” The Viking was already going over what he would do if Oleg had hurt her in any way.

Asta smiled at him a little, and shook her head. “Nothing,” she replied, coming to sit beside him. She let a hand brush through his hair, and come to rest against his cheek. “He asked about my history with you, and…” She paused to take a deep breath. “I had to come up with something on the spot.”

Ivar nodded a little, immediately soothed again by her touch. She smiled, and got up to start getting ready for bed. “What did you tell him?” Ivar asked.

“Well, he now really thinks I am your wife,” she answered. “Story goes, I was a wanderer, came into Kattegat, you and I fell in love and Freydis, in her love for us both, suggested you take me as a second wife so we would be happy.”

Ivar hummed and chuckled to himself as he watched Asta disappear behind the screen to change. “Well, my wife is certainly very modest for… well, my wife,” he quipped.

Asta’s head popped back out from behind the screen. “Put a real ring on my finger and make it more than a story, then we’ll talk about modest,” she teased in return, and disappeared again.

He couldn’t help the chuckle that fell from his lips as he leaned back against the wall and waited for her to emerge.

When she finally did, he put his arm out and she wandered over to him, sliding into bed beside him. “Hello, husband,” she now quipped, and felt the way his laugh rumbled in his chest beneath her hand.

“We do live as though we are married,” he pointed out thoughtfully, his hand beginning to draw invisible patterns over her back. “With some obvious exceptions, of course.”

This time, it was her turn to give a thoughtful hum. “You’re not wrong,” she said. “But I like it. You and Freydis are the only two I’ve ever felt so close to. In Wessex, they’d have shirked at the idea of a man and woman having so intimate a relationship without being married. But it’s strange, because there really is little variance from how I behaved with her, yet that would have been allowed.”

Ivar smirked a little as he scooted down, settled into the bed to sleep. “It is because I am a man,” he said. “Hm? Though, that does not mean I have… done anything your churches would disapprove of.”

“No, aside from share my bed, even if not… in such a way as they should be worried,” she chuckled. “Heahmund loved Lagertha. He had a relationship with her, and yet, he was restored as a Bishop. Even after killing a man. Yet here I would face ridicule and condemnation for laying against you in the freezing cold so as not to die, and growing used to it as a comfort.”

Something about her admission that sleeping beside him comforted her brought a small smile to his lips. For so long, he had wondered if there was any part of him which could still do something good. He knew how close Asta had been to Hvitserk, and he still- essentially- made her choose between himself and his brother. But knowing this, he realized there was still good he could do. Even if it was only in supporting her.

Her small hum brought him from his thoughts, as well as the way she began to shift which signaled she would be going to sleep. “Anyway,” she said, adjusting to wrap her arm around his waist now and press herself as tightly into his side as she could. “I’m exhausted, and would like to sleep.”

“Then sleep, Asta,” he said with a chuckle, and she looked up at him with a pointed expression.

“You know what I meant,” she said, and curled back up to him. “See that you sleep, too, and don’t stay up all night debating the rest of our story. We’ll think of that in the morning.”

Ivar sighed, but nodded, secretly finding it endearing how well she knew him. “I will,” he promised. “Sleep well, hm?”

She gave a slight hum as acknowledgement of his words, and he kissed her head just as she fell asleep. Turning his head carefully, so as not to wake her, he blew out the candle and allowed himself to succumb as well, just as she had asked.

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius​, @wilhelmyna, @katfett​, @fangirl-nonsense, @zuzus-sun​, @heavenly1927​, @pomegranates-and-blood​, @kingniazx

If you want to be added to the taglist, feel free to reach out either by commenting, reblogging, DMing me, or sending an ask, and I’ll be more than happy to add you!

[katyspersonal]

Thoughts about Crucible and conceptual corruption of religion

I've started trying to figure out what Crucible is exactly today while playing Elden Ring and I need to put down my thoughts about it before I forgot 🤔 I think basically it is what happened when the divine met the natural, the lifeforms on the setting's earth. In a way, the original Greattree is somewhat of a Crucible itself! Conceptually it is a very primordial faith that was yet filling life with meaning beyond just survival in a very good sense, but in ER the divine needs us as much as we need it, if not more so. Elden Ring hasn't always operated by Golden Order / Marika obviously; it was initially just a cool thing that fell from space and kind of accelerated everything, especially life itself! Presumably the result of Greater Will wanting to manifest itself in some sort of personality and coherent shape, but before the decision of what the order would be got handed to mortals (Empyreans first of all)

^ In Farum Azula there is a depiction of Elden Ring in more abundant form, very overflowing with life, so alternatively it'd rely on (ancient) dragons, the lifeform of whole other level back then for "order and personality"!

But yeah, uhhh like how do I put it...? Crucible is the result of the divine growing within the earth full of nature, primordial matters and mortal life. The initial Greattree "contracted" it like an influence, nature of life itself crept into it, it became the divine matter turning imperfect but alive! And the way Misbegotten, Omens and alike have animalistic features placed without any logic (and at times these features are useless) is a reflection of how chaotic life in its nature is brought from a concept to a display! Also the evergrowing "horns" were already a thing in simpler times, like what Ancestral guys are associated with! That's why Crucible used to be seen as a sacred thing - it was like a display of the divine matter wiling to live through you! But also Greattree wasn't meant to last forever and would one day die and in turn give the way to new life to replace it (Erdtree). It is a principle the divine naturally adopted upon becoming alive in the way nature knows it through the first big tree; life sprouts from death as much as it sprouts from birth!

So yeah, the problem began when the mortals (Marika?) pulled an ultimate purity wank and wanted that eternity, divinity and "perfection" forever rather than this new Erdtree once likewise dying (even if in turn it would give way to new life and so on forever). The whole DS3 is just Miyazaki being salty about how some people just won't let things die after their cycle expired, why not use what works again? XD But ALSO in these terms, the beastly idiocy nature of life started being seen not as simply something that MAYBE needed discipline to get the best out of it, but as a "disease" or a curse that "dirtied" the divine essence. So the divine in their eyes needed to be protected from being "sullied", from being pulled down to this level, the imperfections that make the life what it is started to just being liability - a bad mistake forms of civilizing (especially religions) keep making.

So Erdtree eventually ran out of its blessed sap and became ephemeral, useless as the holiness that only preserves its "purity" and doesn't sully itself for anyone can be. How it could give the world any more of the sap that was good for it without subjecting itself to it? It is like sharing advices without ever listening to what people's struggles are to BEGIN with. Age of Plenty was over because of obsession with the purity and defending the divine from "lowly" life, Crucible was an evidence that it once got "dirtied" but now never again, when in reality the very worst thing that could have happened with Erdtree is it dying like Greattree once did but giving life to the next tree in turn. I do think that fixation on the idea of eternity is still a larger part of it but I just can't ignore the thing about purity and control in it

^ @val-of-the-north also showed me these shapes when I shared my thoughts with him, to illustrate my point back to me (basically he said he agreed with my thought process). He pointed out that progression of the symbols shows the same thing - modern Erdtree and Fundamentalist incantations notably lack "life" in them in the form of branches and leaves. It could be not just what the Erdtree stopped doing, but also what they wanted to remove from the divine (Floral Crucible is only mentioned in cut content, but still). The latter two are "trapped" in concrete geometrical shapes, reflecting an actual order like what Greater Will wants in the end; it wants some organization, no matter which one. ...but also doesn't, there are enough implications that Frenzied Flame is just another side of the same coin. It even also has the hand as a conduct of the GW! And makes it funnier how they've sealed the Frenzied Flame away too, removing the alternatives- For sure, a decision that is understandable, but what does life mean if you don't have to fight against the essence of existential despair for it?

___________

Hhhhhh I went on a tangent but I was trying to say that I think Crucible didn't "come from space"! Elden Ring fell in this world cold empty and without self-comprehension like the cosmic void it came from, but initially assimilated with what life is here and Greattree was the manifestation! But Crucible also wasn't fully natural for this world too; it reflects aspects of life forms here but they get taken through this assimilation and then boosted with the blessing and given new meaning! Life for the sake of itself and next level magic for the sake of itself both are far from being meaningful but it is when low and high matters meet everything becomes full and complete! But in chasing to make the good things that come from it last forever people will end up demonizing and trying to exterminate natural things and prioritize only the divine.

Looking back at real humanity history, yeah I can see the relevance with how religion has been developing as a concept. How it started simple and fulfilling as a (successful) attempt to add higher meaning in existence than just surviving, was full of joy and wonder and freedom. And how in the end it came to incredibly suffocating and corrupt systems of control, purity wank and denial of normal parts of life 🤔

[grimoire-of-geekery]

Detect Magic: the Sixth World Tarot by Echo Chernik

(pictured here- the deluxe edition [left] and the Arcanist edition of the Sixth World Tarot by Echo Chernik)

Y'know, it's been a long time since I did one of these, but here goes. It's time for another Detect Magic review. I haven't put the Dork Magician hat on for a while, so let's give this a whirl!

Today we're taking a look at the Sixth World Tarot, by Echo and Lazarus Chernik. She has this available on her website (click the above link), which come signed by the artist and the author. I'm a bit bummed, I bought a copy of this deck juuuuust before she started signing them. Not her fault, but still. XD

For those of you unfamiliar with Shadowrun, it's a cyberpunk dystopian magic-and-mech RPG setting and fantasy novel universe which originated in the late 80's. The premise is that magic is growing stronger, the world experienced a big Awakening in the early 2000's, right around the same time that corporations managed to gain extraterritoriality. So, you have dragons running huge megacorps, which basically enslave people to be lifelong wageslaves from birth (or as soon as they can get their hands on a desired talent), immersive VR Matrix hackers, cyberware enhanced fighters and magic practitioners acting as "deniable assets" to said corps for all sorts of shady business.

Hence the name "Shadowrun."

This setting, one of my absolute favorite settings out there, has had the misfortune of developing a sort of eerie prophetic element akin to the Simpsons and its bizarre track record of prediction of ludicrous world events. Shadowrun was intended to be a cautionary tale, not an oracular one. That being said, that does make a tarot based on Shadowrun more than a little on-the-nose for predictive purposes. After all, they're telling the future without even trying. Wait until they actually put some effort into it...

All right, time to Detect Magic!

Accessory- Crit (4 out of 4) Stunning artwork, evocative imagery... this deck is gorgeous. It's so beautiful, and so intricate and well made, that people who don't even read tarot (or even particularly like tarot) buy several copies for their geeky collections, and even people who don't particularly care about Shadowrun have dropped their jaw when I showed the deck to them.

A bit busier than I'm used to working with (not the art, but the extras which I'll explain later), I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved the cards when I first got them. The box for both editions I own are a nice durable gloss with a magnetic foldover closure, there's a ribbon inside each to help pull the cards and book out of the box, and the decorative artwork is gorgeous and fitting with the setting. Definitely aesthetically pleasing enough to take places, and durable enough to resist scuffing or tearing for on-the-go divination and gaming use.

Tome- Crit (4 out of 4) So, the Tome section of this review is supposed to be about how well the cards help one in the pursuit of learning magic and practicing geekomancy. And... really, I don't think I've found a deck (or any artifact of fandom) quite as good as this.

Let me explain.

Tarot, in the sorcery practice I teach, are already basically a pictorial grimoire, describing life in a way that allows us to learn the hidden movements, mysteries, and forces at play in our world. Art is good for things like that in general. It helps you see the world through a special lens, one which allows you to see things you might have missed.

The thing is, the lens of this deck is the Shadowrun continuity, which as I said earlier, has proven to be more than a little prophetic, and alarmingly so.

The magic system of Shadowrun is pretty adjacent to our own. Life force lines, spiritual power sites, astral projection and spirits and magical "energy" forms, initiatory mysteries... it's all pretty much the same as our own reality, just juiced up a bit, with some extra game elements added (don't even ask me about insect spirits).

This makes the deck particularly helpful if one wishes to learn magic in any of the myriad ways described in Shadowrun (and they're particularly respectful and diverse and true-to-life in their tradition descriptions).

BUT, it also has an entire lore-book called the Book of the Lost associated with it, which explains all these little secret sigils and images and easter eggs stored throughout the deck, which can be used for gamebuilding and storytelling, but are designed to be arcane indicators and omens, among other things. And the kinds of symbols they use range from sentences or mottos in dead languages, all the way to waveform patterns and dot-matrix maps. I swear, if you're one of those people who like puzzles and cryptography, this deck is even more fun than the Hermetic Tarot.

In summary, while you'll have to get some Shadowrun sourcebooks to really get deep into the canon lore, there's so much of it that the cards really show you on their own that I don't consider this a setback at all. Feel free to deep-dive with this deck, you'll learn a TON about magic if you let it guide you.

Relic- Success (3 out of 4) If you read the Book of the Lost, or Unearthed Arcana, or any of the 5th edition Shadowrun magic sourcebooks, you'll see that "tarot magic" is an up and coming thing in their canon. Each text helps you see how practitioners use the cards in-game for spellcasting, ritual magic, initiation practices and spirit summoning. The Tarot are already really valuable as central objects of importance to certain kinds of magical practice. This particular deck is designed to be so handy a central object that there's an entire book dedicated to it.

Weapon- Success (3 out of 4) The only reason I'm rating this a success instead of a crit is because they don't provide enough spreads in the various associated books for one to immediately begin casting spells with them, which means you'll have to do some designing. They do have a couple solid unique spreads for basic divination though.

The deck's canon in-game suggests ritual practices like gathering and doing a ritual with sets of related cards, and one such ritual was easily adapted in my own practice, into the Lucky Kimono spread I designed (which people can read about on my Patreon at the higher tiers). So, even without outright including spell-spreads, they sort of gave us clues anyway.

Again, you're going to need the sourcebooks, but it's only a few of them, and they're well worth a read even if you're not planning on playing the game (and I don't play in the actual Shadowrun mechanical system, though I do like the sourcebooks for campaign setting ideas).

Overall Rating: Critical Success (14 out of 16)

Achievement Unlocked: Novahot Echo's artwork is already legendary in the dork realms of geekomancy. She's done work for Dungeons and Dragons, Mage: the Ascension, House of Night... she's even working on a Fate: the Winx Saga playing card deck right now. Her art-nouveau delicacy combined with the powerful non-pandering way she draws women means that her paintings pack a punch!

That being said, it's rare that we see professional artists create a tarot deck of this magnitude as a gaming accessory. Most tarot decks of this caliber are found in professional occult catalogues or as independent projects by artists just wanting to flex their skills for their own reasons. To have a deck like this, clearly a labor of love by all involved, as a major element of gameplay within a franchise is really very special. And something this diverse, deep, and absolutely saturated with layers of ciphers and riddles... it's a geekomancer's dream come true.

Level Up: 2 Levels I think the only way anyone's going to be able to top this deck is if they manage to design a tarot deck that's also a fully immersive VR video game AND an AR game and divination tool useable with one's iPhone or Android. Legit, Echo and Lazarus left everyone in the dust. I haven't been this excited about Shadowrun since Shadowrun Returns first came out, and I got a set of dogtags that had a USB drive with the game on it.

It's just... crazy cool.

Full disclosure, I've had the deluxe edition of these cards for a while now, so I've basically been low-key squeeing about this deck since I first heard about it in 2018, even before I got it. I've been utterly astonished that people weren't more excited about them, and I wasn't hearing about them everywhere.

Before this, I created my own Shadowrun tarot method using the Universal Transparent Tarot (cuz, y'know, plastic and see-through and weird little mosaic readings all in one place, seemed fitting to me), and when I got the Sixth World Tarot? I don't think I've opened the UTT since!

Anyway, this is my review of this deck! Go follow the link up at the top of this post, and buy yourself one! And hey, let me know if you figure out the cool little map trick. My jaw literally dropped when I was shown that!

[29-pieces]

First Line Tag Game!

Thanks to @lady-wallace​ for the tag! :D 

Rules: List the first lines of your last 10 stories (if you have less than 10, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line, then tag 10 of your favorite authors! (the original tag was to do 20 but I’m going to be late for work as it is 😅)

~~~~~~

#1: Oh Look, I’ve Been Impaled - "This is fine. I'm alright, d'Artagnan." (LOL spoiler alert he’s not fine but it’s so Aramis XD) 

#2: Singularity -  There was no single part of Crowley's body that wasn't on fire. (my poor snek son)

#3: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire, and Back Again -  Aziraphale sighed with contentment as he turned the page, eyes tracking down the old vellum. Dappled sunlight filtered in through the curtains and his cocoa was just the right temperature. No one had come in to try buying any of his books today. In short, Aziraphale was in heaven.

#4: The Strange and Extraordinary Emergence of Witchfinder Major Saucepan -  Major Saucepan's childhood had been a most peculiar thing, in that it hadn't happened. (OMG crack is so much fun to write sometimes XD the GO fandom makes it so easy)

#5: The One Where Aziraphale Accidentally Trades Places With the Bookshop -  “Are you sure someone wasn’t pulling your leg?” Crowley asked, casting a doubtful eye on the book clutched to Aziraphale’s chest.

#6: Soul of Vellum, Heart of Chrome -  The bookshop had no memory of awakening. It was a gradual thing, but an unavoidable one. You couldn't be home to an angel for so many years without some of that miraculous magic infusing its way into the very bricks. (probably one of my most favorite things I ever wrote ^_^)

#7: It Was a Dark Night (But Hadn’t Stormed Since Last Tuesday) -  It wasn't raining the night Crowley burst into the bookshop.

#8: The Sword and the Shield -  Crowley has only seen Aziraphale do this once before. (probably one of my other most favorites ever) 

#9: An Eye for an Eye (Although in This Particular Case, it’s Feathers) -  Aziraphale was humming to himself as he unlocked the front door of his bookshop and pushed his way in. (a lot of them seem to start in the bookshop, LOL)

#10: The Enemy of My Enemy (Is Still an Enemy, Just a More Useful One) -  "Crowley, are you sure about this?" Aziraphale asked for what had to be the third time in at least the last ten minutes.

~~~

LOL you can tell Good Omens is my current fandom love!! 

As far as favorites, I think #4 wins for favorite opening lines XD The idea that an entire person very suddenly Becomes just because Crowley assumed he actually existed is hilarious to me!

I think Lady Wallace already tagged most of the people I would have tagged, so let’s just open this to anyone who wants. ^_^