#passing trays

[gomzdrawfr]

PB&J

[sunderwight]

Thinking about the weird camaraderie that exists between demons but not angels in GO.

Have we ever seen two angels who are actually friends? Or even friendly to one another? We have met angels with a capacity to be friendly in general, but I think the closest we've come to two angels actually getting along would be Gabriel making a point to laugh at Sandalphon's terrible "can't have a war without War" line in S1.

Most scenes between the angels actually seem to have an undercurrent of absolute hostility. Teeth-clenched teamwork. No wonder it took them so long to notice that Aziraphale wasn't on the same page as the rest of them! The rest of them are barely on the same page as one another, either! When Gabriel goes against the majority vote, no one bats an eye at demoting him and wiping his memory. Michael and Uriel immediately begin vying for his job. The only times we've seen angels team up is when they're working together to bully someone else, like when they're trying to intimidate Aziraphale in S1 or going to the aftermath of the bookshop raid in S2.

Saraqael's overall neutrality towards Muriel is the closest we get to two angels in Heaven getting along, and it's more a lack of hostility than any kind of friendliness. At least until Gabriel loses his memories and Muriel shows up to spy on Aziraphale, and Aziraphale decides to be kind to both of them.

Demons, on the other hand, actually seem to form alliances and even friendships among one another. Hastur and Ligur are awful, but Hastur seems genuinely distraught over Ligur's death, not just fearful of suffering the same fate. Shax and Furfur conspire together and even though the 1940's investigation into Crowley's fraternizing doesn't work out for Furfur, it's not due to any double-crossing on Shax's part. Unlike the angels, who stick almost exclusively to making threats until the Metatron decides to try dangling a carrot at the end of the season, demons actually offer rewards to other demons when trying to work together. Beelzebub offers Crowley a promotion if he can bring them Gabriel, Furfur offers to back Shax up politically if she goes for the Duke position opening, and Crowley successfully stalls Hastur in S1 by pretending everything was a test and he's going to be put in charge of a legion as a reward for passing. They're still not great at socializing, but they're significantly ahead of the angels.

Of course, it's a fact that demons are awful to one another (Eric's treatment is really bad, they throw that random demon into holy water just to test it, "it'd be a funny world if demons went around trusting one another", etc) but they still seem more capable of forming friendships than the angels do.

I think that's because Hell cramps and crowds everyone together to try and increase their suffering and hostility, whereas Heaven isolates angels to decrease the odds of questioning or rebellion. Hell's methods are unpleasant, but it still ends up putting demons together, and some of those demons inevitably forge alliances and make friendships. Because as Crowley and Beelzebub demonstrate, demons are still social creatures with the capacity for love and affection, even if it's strongly discouraged and buried under nine million layers of trauma and a cultural mandate against kindness.

Angels are the same, but isolation makes is harder to form connections than overcrowding. Muriel and Jimbriel are both so eager to make friends, but Muriel's spent the past millennia shut in an empty office, and Gabriel has been distanced from his peers both through his position and also through Heaven's culture of fear and surveillance. He only breaks away from it when he finds something that's stronger than "choosing sides" (stronger than the fear of being rejected by Heaven and Falling, in fact strong enough that Falling seems worth it if he gets to be with someone he loves). Both Muriel and Gabriel are only able to start forming connections when they're away from Heaven.

I just think it's interesting that demons, despite being supposedly devoid of love, have an advantage in forming relationships compared to angels. Angels are supposed to love, but have far fewer opportunities to actually do so. Demons aren't supposed to love, but they make connections anyway.

[danielsarmand]

NEO TRAI and MARK PAKIN ONLY FRIENDS (2023) Dir. Jojo Tichakorn and Ninew Pinya

[wrenhavenriver]

back from clinical. i did not kill anyone and some patients laughed at my dumb jokes 👍

[ghostwise]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love 💗 (hi hello rinny spreading the love to your writing 💚)

Four little Crows, off to meet the Maker - "'Maker,' Tristeza thought that night, reading in her bedroom and finding herself unable to focus on the words. 'I know it is Your will, or it would not have come to pass! And yet, I am terrified. Forgive me. I know it is right to oppose the Crows but what is my little life, even in its greatest capacity, compared to the whole of them? Andraste, I beg of You: Protect us! Guide us! Keep us from harm!'"

This is the first chapter of my Antivan Zevwarden long-fic Matacuervos, and I am listing it as its own entry, though I'm proud of the entire work; I really feel the first chapter is some of my strongest writing to date. If you're at all curious at least peek at the first chapter... I'm so proud of it!

As for what's to come, I can promise: action, knife fights, romance, death, horses, worker's rights, gay nuns, haunted manors, prostitutes beating slavers to death, and more?

2. for suffering is such a part - "The Lady of the Forest stepped out from between the branches—only it wasn’t the Lady they knew. Close inspection revealed a new spirit entirely; her features changed, her form taller and more free, and branches of oak carried regally upon her head. She was only like an echo of the spirit they’d encountered in the temple, amplified and changed in tone.

'It is not so easy a thing to kill me,' the new Lady said with a smile. 'For you know well, the forest has as many faces as it does trees. Burn me down, cut me, bind me, the forest persists—as surely as autumn, as formless as mists.'"

For suffering is such a part was my first attempt at writing a long fic, and at 50k words it was my first truly ambitious writing project. I think it suffers issues in pacing and flow but I'll never stop being proud of it, it's a solid beginning. It also hosts some stuff I'm really hype about such as Jowan traveling with the Wardens, Zevran interacting with elven spirits, and Morrigan contracting lycanthropy. It's also the first appearance of OCs that show up in other works: Keeva, Mathuin, and Adelmar.

3. not a homecoming, but something like it - "The man Zevran is with has begun to pick up her groceries, although somewhat haphazardly, dropping one orange for every three he grabs. “You see?” he calls out, darting after a can and swiping it before it gets rolled over by a cart. “I knew she’d recognize you!”

And Zevran, the little boy she’d read stories to in the brothel, the same brown eyes, just taller, smiles at her like she’s singing a song and he’s in her lap again."

I think if you look at my writing a few things become really obvious: first of all, I love Zevran's story. Secondly, I'm big on community, friendship, culture, and healing trauma in that framework. No one is alone. No one is ever alone. Some of my favorite comments on this fic hit it right on the money:

4. Falon'Din enasal enaste - "Zevran wasn’t raised to feel grief, not the way others were. Grieving openly was a sign of weakness, and weakness invited abuse. Surviving was more important. But Hamal carries grief with him. He breathes it in his sleep. Braids it into his hair. How cruel and unfair it all is.

Tamlen is laid to rest among moss and stones, with flowers and so many ribbons."

I don't talk about this one very often!! It's very early-days writing. I remember being really proud of the tone and feeling in this. Grief is hard to write, but it's a topic I tackle often. But the scene of Tamlen's funeral is at the very core of Hamal's character, and the ZevHamal dynamic as a whole.

5. Drought Mermaids - "The work is complex. While Vida’s aptitude for weather magic is rare, and therefore in high demand, there’s more to it than summoning storms. She knows that the sky does not end with the horizon, that the atmosphere does not peter out into nothing in space. She knows that there are no clear boundaries; everything is part of everything else. There are a hundred factors to take into account."

I'd be remiss not to share a published piece of work. This story has existed for many years and it underwent several edits before it got picked up by a magazine. It's a sweet little tale about nostalgia, community, and magic please check it out !! I always recommend Haven Spec's features; they have some stellar work in their archives!

dividers by @saradika-graphics

[your-carnal-flower]

The thing some guys don't get is that friendship does actually lead to sex, but not in the way they think. Dudes think the most surface level kindness and pretending to care about her interests will get them laid, but what really gets them laid is making a genuine effort to get to know someone, finding hobbies you have in common, showing them you really enjoy their company and see them as more than just a warm hole to sleep in at night, and most importantly of all: being able to make her laugh. Then you'll get sucked silly.

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

I forgot I had a five dollar Target gift card from prior receipt scanning endeavors so I got a French press and some coffee with the self-checkout.

Currently boiling the water; will update.

[rynli]

I wanna make another silly short DE animation along the lines of the crowbar/handholding one; I'd love some ideas!

[ambersky0319]

also untelated but still work related

today was

interesting

[glassphinix]

"work as quick as you can mate, you have to hustle, we have to pick up the slack because we're missing someone, you're not working fast enough, i don't know what you're doing over there with the dishes but it should only take one pass with the sponge, not six, c'mon quick as you can"

what if i exploded. what if i bit you and died. badly.

[drawbudd]

me, at 1 am: man i sure am hungry

My brain: wanna look at the restaurant menu of ikea

Me: sure. why not i see no issue with this

[cultivating-wildflowers]

I could spend a couple hundred bucks on a fancy grow light setup or I could spend about $30 for a basic stand and lamp from the pet store

[deus-ex-mona]

man.

something midosena never prepared me for was just how comfortable the train seats are

[1llusionmachine]

BEHOLD MY CHRISTMAS SAUSAGE ROLLS

[greencreekwolf]

I'm more than willing to share, provided Ryan is ok with it of course. They deserve it after all 💋💋💋

-new 💋 anon

ya'll sure know how to make a boy's heart flutter

[hotdadlicense]

used reverse psychology this morning with my posts and it worked. today actually turned out okay and i even got an early mark. thankyou i love you