#the code deities

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Code Deities

The Abyss

(It technically is, SUE ME.)

Role - The Nothing/The Beginning

The creator of Duck/ClearAll, Database, and Abyssal. Originally starting out as just an instinctual mass (and just the hardware that makes up Luke's computer IRL), it loathes its first creations for daring to leave it behind once they were created. Following it accumulating enough junk data to actually become sentient, it attempted once to enact its plan (Unveiled Secrets). It didn't work, so now it waits below. Plotting.

Database

Roles - Life and Creation

Introduced here!

A True Fusion between the first Admin, Virus, Moderator, and Program. Created alongside ClearAll, the Code World was created both as a world for others to inhabit and to keep the Abyss out and away. Following this, they filled with world with life, an event where the world started to break down occurred. Following their exhaustive efforts to keep it up, they fused to make Database.

They and Duck do not get along at ALL considering their past treatment of him, but they are very aware (and a bit ashamed) that their treatment of him did have consequences.

ClearAll/Duck the Codeless (belongs to @duckapus )

Roles - Death and Destruction

Introduced here / here!

Having used to reside in the Code World, he disappeared for a period of time, throwing everything into chaos before all the bad things spawning from his departure was stuffed into the God Box. Due to him being feared and unjustly hated by those merely for his role, ClearAll took on the name Duck and now resides in the SM64 universe, doing his job passively.

He and Database do not get along at all for very valid reasons on his end.

Abyssal

Roles - Order and Chaos

Created by the Abyss originally to spread chaos and destruction, she was instead kind at heart, growing to care and love for those around her. She ended up joining the Adminspace, and from there, she used the events that have happened and twisted them to make it seem like she had done them whenever she reported to the Abyss. Following Unveiled Secrets, her connection to it was severed by Avatar Sora.

Abyssal doesn't particularly like being referred to as a goddess, but the kids at the very least insisted she decide on her role in case she ever needs to use her status. They helped her decide on Order and Chaos since she was in the middle of helping them set up a prank at the time.

Efficiency/Effi

Role - Time

The reclusive and avoidant deity of Time. They reside in the Time Realm, watching over all pasts, presents, and futures. They're very serious about their job and don't take kindly to people intentionally messing with the flow of time. They have trouble understanding people, due to their self-imposed isolation, but the Mirror Sprites are there to help them out.

Archive

Introduced here!

Role - Knowledge/Memory

The personification of the Digital Multiverse's memory! He knows the entire history of their version of the internet and also moonlights as the Internet's Santa Claus. We love a guy who moonlights as Santa Claus.

[justvea18]

I love how I made Telemachus the perfect mix of the two

Bonus art of Grandma Athena and Boy-failure Telemachus:

[writingwithcolor]

Sri Lankan Fairies and Senegalese Goddesses: Mixing Mythology as a Mixed Creator

[Note: this archive ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. The ask has been abridged for clarity.]

@reydjarinkenobi asked:

Hi, I’m half Sri Lankan/half white Australian, second gen immigrant though my mum moved when she was a kid. My main character for my story is a mixed demigod/fae. [...] Her bio mum is essentially a Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy and her other bio mum (goddess) is a goddess of my own creation, Nettamaar, who’s name is derived from [...] Wolof words [...]. The community of mages that she presided over is from the South Eastern region of Senegal [...] In the beginning years of European imperialism, the goddess basically protected them through magic and by blessing a set of triplets effectively cutting them off from the outside world for a few centuries [...] I was unable to find a goddess that fit the story I wanted to tell [...] and also couldn’t find much information on the internet for local gods, which is why I have created my own. I know that the gods in Hinduism do sort of fit into [the story] but my Sri Lankan side is Christian and I don’t feel comfortable representing the Hindu gods in the way that I will be this goddess [...]. I wanted to know if any aspect of the community’s history is problematic as well as if I should continue looking further to try and find an African deity that matched my narrative needs? I was also worried that having a mixed main character who’s specifically half black would present problems as I can’t truly understand the black experience. I plan on getting mixed and black sensitivity readers once I finish my drafts [...] I do take jabs at white supremacy and imperialism and I I am planning to reflect my feelings of growing up not immersed in your own culture and feeling overwhelmed with what you don’t know when you get older [...]. I’m sorry for the long ask but I don’t really have anyone to talk to about writing and I’m quite worried about my story coming across as insensitive or problematic because of cultural history that I am not educated enough in.

Reconciliation Requires Research

First off: how close is this world’s history to our own, omitting the magic? If you��re aiming for it to be essentially parallel, I would keep in mind that Senegal was affected by the spread of Islam before the Europeans arrived, and most people there are Muslim, albeit with Wolof and other influences. 

About your Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy character: I’ll point you to this previous post on Magical humanoid worldbuilding, Desi fairies as well as this previous post on Characterization for South Asian-coded characters for some of our commentary on South Asian ‘fae’. Since she is also Scottish, the concept can tie back to the Celtic ideas of the fae.

However, reconciliation of both sides of her background can be tricky. Do you plan on including specific Sri Lankan mythos into her heritage? I would tread carefully with it, if you plan to do so. Not every polytheistic culture will have similar analogues that you can pull from.

To put it plainly, if you’re worried about not knowing enough of the cultural histories, seek out people who have those backgrounds and talk to them about it. Do your research thoroughly: find resources that come from those cultures and read carefully about the mythos that you plan to incorporate. Look for specificity when you reach out to sensitivity readers and try to find sources that go beyond a surface-level analysis of the cultures you’re looking to portray. 

~ Abhaya

I see you are drawing on Gaelic lore for your storytelling. Abhaya has given you good links to discussions we’ve had at WWC and the potential blindspots in assuming, relative to monotheistic religions like Christianity, that all polytheistic and pluralistic lore is similar to Gaelic folklore. Fae are one kind of folklore. There are many others. Consider:

Is it compatible? Are Fae compatible with the Senegalese folklore you are utilizing? 

Is it specific? What ethnic/religious groups in Senegal are you drawing from? 

Is it suitable? Are there more appropriate cultures for the type of lore you wish to create?

Remember, Senegalese is a national designation, not an ethnic one, and certainly not a designation that will inform you with respect to religious traditions. But more importantly:

...Research Requires Reconciliation

My question is why choose Senegal when your own heritage offers so much room for exploration? This isn’t to say I believe a half Sri-Lankan person shouldn’t utilize Senegalese folklore in their coding or vice-versa, but, to put it bluntly, you don’t seem very comfortable with your heritage. Religions can change, but not everything cultural changes when this happens. I think your relationship with your mother’s side’s culture offers valuable insight to how to tackle the above, and I’ll explain why.  

I myself am biracial and bicultural, and I had to know a lot about my own background before I was confident using other cultures in my writing. I had to understand my own identity—what elements from my background I wished to prioritize and what I wished to jettison. Only then was I able to think about how my work would resonate with a person from the relevant background, what to be mindful of, and where my blindspots would interfere. 

I echo Abhaya’s recommendation for much, much more research, but also include my own personal recommendation for greater self-exploration. I strongly believe the better one knows oneself, the better they can create. It is presumptuous for me to assume, but your ask’s phrasing, the outlined plot and its themes all convey a lack of confidence in your mixed identity that may interfere with confidence when researching and world-building. I’m not saying give up on this story, but if anxiety on respectful representation is a large barrier for you at the moment, this story may be a good candidate for a personal project to keep to yourself until you feel more ready.

(See similar asker concerns here: Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction, here: Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences and here: Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?)

- Marika.

Start More Freely with Easy Mode

Question: Why not make a complete high-fantasy universe, with no need of establishing clear real-world parallels in the text? It gives you plenty of leg room to incorporate pluralistic, multicultural mythos + folklore into the same story without excessive sweating about historically accurate worldbuilding.

It's not a *foolproof* method; even subtly coded multicultural fantasy societies like Avatar or the Grishaverse exhibit certain harmful tropes. I also don't know if you are aiming for low vs high fantasy, or the degree of your reliance on real world culture / religion / identity cues.

But don't you think it's far easier for this fantasy project to not have the additional burden of historical accuracy in the worldbuilding? Not only because I agree with Mod Marika that perhaps you seem hesitant about the identity aspect, but because your WIP idea can include themes of othering and cultural belonging (and yes, even jabs at supremacist institutions) in an original fantasy universe too. I don't think I would mind if I saw a couple of cultural markers of a Mughal Era India-inspired society without getting a full rundown of their agricultural practices, social conventions and tax systems, lol.

Mod Abhaya has provided a few good resources about what *not* to do when drawing heavily from cultural coding. With that at hand, I don't think your project should be a problem if you simply make it an alternate universe like Etheria (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Inys (The Priory of the Orange Tree) or Earthsea (the Earthsea series, Ursula K. Le Guin). Mind you, we can trace the analogues to each universe, but there is a lot of freedom to maneuver as you wish when incorporating identities in original fantasy. And of course, multiple sensitivity readers are a must! Wishing you the best for the project.

- Mod Mimi

[lady-corrine]

I can't stop thinking about how Kory looks exactly like the goddess X'hal. How they look identical while unleashing their power and how meaningful that is. How Kory is the image of the goddess her people worship 🥹

[theic-manic]

Gods give me strength...

Me, casually browsing Paganblr: Not my practice, not my business. I like to focus on my own Devotional Polytheism and practice and maintain a sense of calm.

Me, when I invite Apollo to hang with my during my Tumblr browsing: I swear if I see one more post dragging Zeus while painting the red flags green for Apollo and others when the whole fucking point is to learn about the various facets of the gods, learn lessons from both their positive and not so nice stories I may actually snap.

*Deep breath* Not my practice, not my business. Not my practice, not my business. Not my practice, not my business. Not my practice, not my business. Apollo: *Plays "Blood & Glitter" by Lord of the Lost while I ponder how I have learned to love and accept the gods I follow for their flaws and positives*

Blood and glitter, saint and sinner We do fall before we rise

Me: "Apollo, I don't need to BPD-rage-post about the Gods..."

Apollo: *Plays 'Bodies' by Drowning Pool*

Let the Bodies hit the floor Let the Bodies hit the floor Let the Bodies hit the floor

Apollo please, I don't want to start a post-war with Helpol!

Besides, nobody wants my opinion on this...

Apollo: You literally asked me to guide your devotional acts today so...

Me: I didn't think I would need to specify "excluding anything that may actually piss off other Hellenic Pagans" and I feel bad for just infodumping without people asking me because I know that I take up a lot of space!

Ares: "Take up the fucking space"

Hermes: *At his little metaphysical music deck dressed as a DJ, once again* "Helllloooo DJ Hermes here! Welcome to Shufflemancy FM where you request the divine messages and I set the vibes! Today, I have a list of hot tracks requested by Sun boy APOLLO for our devotee here so stay tuned! Still taking requests from the whole Pantheon so if anyone has any recs for our little Polytheist here send them through!"

(I really should draw DJ Hermes)

[beefjerkybuffoon]

I just remembered my twin telling me about how Mabinogi has a yearly Husbando/Waifu competition.

The reason why they showed me it was because there was this one character who was in both.

Hymerark. Deity of Freedom, Chaos, and Second Chances.

So I finally decided to check in on the competition's results and HYMERARK WON BOTH!!!

HYMERARK WON WITH ENBY SWAG!!!!!!!

[solargeist]

Omgosh wait! What if Cuteguy does exist....but it's little Xelqua. HotGuy's favorite sidekick, CuteGuy! The best crime fighting duo!

akdndksk Scar making jokes abt Xelqua being his sidekick, hyping him up a little, while Grian is already shaking his head No.

[random-autie-fangirl]

Chara: I'm wanting everything to end instantly

Asriel: And I'm wanting to go on unchanging forever

🔥🔥🔥THE BEEF WITH LINEAR TIME SIBLINGS🔥🔥🔥

[psstwantsomecheese]

Very House of Atreus coded of Feanor to sail to another land to fulfill an oath he swore despite his wife's prophecy that if he went there one of his kids would die.

[lokavisi]

[strawberryshortcake1495]

Alright we have Deity Bill (@fazfuri) and Cherub Mabel (@dookiespooky), so here’s Imp Dipper :3

I’d say Imp Dipper and Cherub Mabel are probably not related (idk though) but they’d see eachother as siblings and Bill would be their muse dad. Dipper feels self-conscious about being an imp because demons are very frowned upon but Mabel would always tell him that his features are pretty.

Dipper will usually be in his special void sleeping because he doesn’t like interacting with anyone else than Mabel or Bill. But he’ll sometimes be dragged out of his void to do whatever and he tries to be kind and polite to others but is still shunned from society because he’s not “special” like Mabel and Bill.

[glambots]

Watching the "Lux" episode of Doctor Who and going, "Man...this would fit the DCA so well..."

[a-holiday-ever]

2 Archies

I've been playing around Digitalizing Archies different expressions bc i wanted to see how I would go about animating his mask through digital! And its just as detailed if not more than if i did it traditionally lol!

God hes such a menace 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️

[amywritesthings]

would you guys forgive me if i wrote an inbred by ethel cain inspired fic for caleb x mc in love and deepspace 👉👈

[moeblob]

(throws them into a modern AU)

So since Ymber wouldn't be a deity there are some things he lacks physically - such as no pointed ears and no bright blue undertones to his hair. Just the basic blue. (does he dye it in a modern AU ? who knows) Also while he doesn't have a collar to symbolize his servitude to humans I still think he should have a choker.

I had some help a while back brainstorming how there would be some form of "superior" dynamic could still exist and I really liked the idea given that he's a famous architect. (he does design all constructs for his city as a deity so it checks out - he likes buildings) And Deacon just admires all the guy's works and never expects to run into him but of course they do! Gotta have a very awkward "oh it's you I'm going to melt into the earth" and "I have no idea who you are but we should hang out".

Sooo Deacon still just really admires Ymber and feels like they're on totally different levels and doesn't understand why Ymber would want to associate with him since he's just a "boring human".

[gaywatch]

Honestly, Black Sails is more for “let’s fight a bloody war against an empire” people, than those who love pirates; and demands a lot more focus and engagement with the story, so I’m not that surprised that it lost in your polls, even after you’ve reacted to ofmd and one piece! I wouldn’t say the fans of those two are necessarily the target audience for black sails, though I’m sure there are many people who are fans of all 3, me among them!(Also, not saying that those shows are somehow inferior to black sails, just that the genres/approach to the storytelling are completely different. Hope that’s obvious, but saying just in case, considering the whole uuuuhh “pissing on the poor website” thing)

Genuinely though, “Black Sails” is an incredible show and also the kind of series that becomes even better on a rewatch. And yeah, SO queer, and I would say in more ways than one. Like, the show would completely fall apart without that aspect of it, themes of queerness and otherness in general are integral to the story in such a satisfying way.

Also saw someone mention SatoSugu from JJK, and can agree, a real good character dynamic/ship, that good good gorgeous angst, too, chef’s kiss! It’s probably not very canonic but they are firmly in my “monster-coded character x deity-coded character” OTP box, so I have no choice but to be obsessed with them lol

hope you’re well, have a good day/night 💛

I was really impressed by season one, though I agree with the broad opinion that it's a bit dry at times. I keep consistently hearing great things about season two onwards, I really need to make '25 the year I finally freaking finish it.