#though there are still some religious elements of 12

[notsocooljess]

i know this conversation comes up every now and then, but i am again thinking about the lack of organized religion and other preexisting culture in panem outside of the mentioned traditions in each district.

this is really in my mind today because at the start of chapter 5 in catching fire when haymitch brings katniss and peeta through the hallways in the justice building in district 11, she mentions the room prepared for their use has “double doors,” “the ceiling must be twenty feet high,” there are “designs of fruit and flowers cut into the molding, and small, fat children with wings look down at [them] from every angle.”

this passage is strongly reminiscent of a church with cathedral ceilings that are adorned with cherubs, and it also implies that katniss does not know what cherubs are (or really the idea of angels at all for that matter).

considering district 11 is placed in the bible belt, i think this is a really interesting detail, and given katniss’s earlier details about how the justice building is worn and smells of mildew, it highlights how panem is likely using structures that existed before the country itself and how little they know about the world that existed before their country did.

it also shows how heavily united states ideals still influence panem, since though it is said to have “separation of church and state,” our country is very influenced by christian ideals, and these ideals are still somewhat looming over the people of panem.

[chalkscrub]

chalkrub stuns in new oc-tober prompts

it's a text-heavy update...i love rambling

day 11: symbolism/themes/visual metaphor i.e my favourite things in the world - eng lit nerds make some noise!!!!!

goin back to day 11 with my favourite thing in the world: an unfinished sketchy concept. and also SYMBOLISM and themes and metaphor…and also dark green

so mika and heidi's story is haunted by one time they happened upon a drowned fox and pheasant in a disused canal, something which came at a weird time in their lives and which heidi made weirder by making cryptic suggestions about the whole thing, especially playing on mika’s (former) religious beliefs about spirit connections. Over time, it’s infected mika with budding paranoia in the form of nightmares, hallucinations and latent aquaphobia, all of which she begins seeing as premonitory

shan’t overexplain the symbolism even though my brain wants me to, but this was all inspired by seeing literally the exact same thing on a walk with my great aunt when I was like 6 or 7. the canal water was all covered in algae/pondweed so i’m guessing the fox chased the pheasant, they both mistook the canal for grass, then fell in and drowned together. even as a little kid I was like wrow this is so poignant and tragic and heavy with the potential for on-the-nose symbolism….. or alternatively it just looked cool as hell and felt kind of rare and special. either way, like 15 years later I was developing a new direction for a couple of initially completely unrelated ocs, i.e mika and heidi, and at some point in their story development, I was like now wait a second….this is just like that one time I saw those animals who chased each other into an early shared fate and drowned together…… and it fit them really well and also made everything click into place for the main story, it was kind of uncanny. Thank you nature for showing me cool things every day, and rip to the fox and pheasant you live in my mind forever and always

day 12: future

BEAS!!! beas i love you beas. initial beasley flavour on the left and future flavour on the right. his whole deal is he wants to start a cult, so he ventures to The Big City to make a name for himself. then he realises imps like him are a dime a dozen in the city and nobody cares about him, so he has to scrape by working a minimum wage job as a cashier in a tiny corner shop. he’s from a comic I (partially) made for uni, idk how his story goes exactly but I guess it probably ends with the typical sappy message of being yourself for yourself and not for fame or fortune or whatever. he gets up to hijincks, feels sad and depressed, and goes through the torment of living with his own mediocrity in a world that demands greatness. imps grow with power, not with age, so at the start of the story, even though he’s an adult, he’s still as small as when he was born/summoned/spawned/whatever. he’s got some shapeshifting prowess, so his future form is more an example of the kinds of feats he can pull off when his powers stabilise, and also his cool badass flaming eyes.

day 14: inspiration.

here's a convoluted block of text explaining the heretic's main inspiration, which isn't very apparent in the design at ALL but nevertheless: they’re kind of inspired by the concept of a closet costume. like how you can throw a bedsheet over yourself and cut out some eyeballs and voila. You’re a ghost. Or put a big furry coat and a mask on and you’re a werewolf now. almost all of their design links back to this in a roundabout way: the fur is meant to look like a rug/coat/furry thing draped over something. I used to have a sheepskin rug when I was a kid and I’d always hide under it and crawl about and pretend to be a monster lmao…this is what i looked like in my head maybe. The normal shoes poking out are the human element – like how halloween costumes will sometimes be mostly themed but the shoes are just practical, or you see shoes poking out beneath one of those two-man horse costumes. The face is meant to look mask-like – the glassy unfocused eyes, the fixed toothy grin, the simple cone shape. The black eyelids are meant to be like those Halloween masks that have eyeholes above/below the eyes, covered with that black fabric to make it less obvious there's eyeholes. And the ears are floppy to be like socks or something; they have those two black lines because they remind me of loose stitching. Also just some animal influences thrown in – possums, goats and bulls…..none of the closet costume stuff is meant to be noticeable or apparent in the design, so why did I put so much thought into it? who know… but this thing is one of my favourite designs I’ve made so maybe it was all worth it

[kairologia]

Houses in traditional astrology.

Instead of making separate posts for each house, I thought it’d be more judicious & practical to compile everything into one singular post for concision’s sake.

Some necessary contextualization before we get to the point:

— Most houses don’t represent personality traits or characteristics. They represent experiences & areas of your life. Your self in the more rudimentary sense of the term is the 1st house. Other houses can be other people, places, or experiences.

— The ascendant/1st house is you, not a “mask”, your “basic self”, a “facade” or a “superficial persona” it’s for the major part everything modern astrology believes the sun to be.

— The ascendant/1H representing you does not mean other placements cannot be relevant or resonant (as explained here), that’s an oversimplification and nothing in life is ever that simple. All elements in a chart matter, but to believe everything is a “me” indicators is far too reductive. This is especially relevant wrt appearance. While the 1H has higher than average chances of coming through when it comes to the visual aspect, there are other things that come into play — namely genetics, the Moon, the 2nd house, the IC, & the Ascendant Lord.

— There are 12 houses and 7 traditional planets. You will most certainly have empty houses — though inactive they are not. Even if there are no planets in a house, there will always be a planet ruling it and its themes will still hold significance to you & your life experiences, there just won’t be as much focus on them as there would be with houses containing planets.

— Signs don’t “naturally” rule houses. Aries does NOT signify the 1H unless you’re an Aries rising. In fact, “rulership” is something only planets can do. Not signs, not houses, just planets! The signs are a celestial system that shows HOW a planet’s energy expresses itself, whereas houses are a terrestial system that shows WHERE that energy is expressed (areas of life). You can read ABC house system debunks online, or wait for me to write one!

🪞 1st House 🪞

— Angular house

— Mercury’s joy

— “The Helm”

— Eastern horizon

— Horoskopos (hour marker)

— Inceptions

— Beginnings

— Life

— Body

— Appearance

— Personality

— Self & Identity

— Self Expression

— Vitality & Health

💰 2nd House 💰

— Succedent house

— “The Gate of Hades”

— Livelihood

— Prospects

— Desires

— Money & assets

— Physical posessions

— End of youth

— Financial affairs

— Time

— Value

— Materiality

— Ownership

— Sustenance

📜 3rd House 📜

— Cadent House

— The Moon’s joy

— “Goddess”

— Siblings

— Extended Relatives

— Short Distance Travel

— Religious sites & rites

— Places of worship

— Neighborhoods

— Small communities

— Communication & Writing

— School

— Learning

— Education

— Everyday life, routines

🪦 4th House 🪦

— Angular house

— Lowest angle of the chart

— “Subterranean”

— Family

— Parents

— Land

— Home & Property

— Privacy

— Secrets

— Roots & lineage

— Ancestry & genealogy

— Place(s) of Origin

— Inheritance

— The “past”

— Generational trauma

— Hidden treasures

— End of life

— Death & rituals surrounding it

— Endings

— Graveyards

— The Underground

🌹 5th House 🌹

— Succedent house

— Venus’ joy

— “Good Fortune”

— Romance

— Relationships

— Desire & Pleasure

— Praise & Worship

— Sexuality/Sex

— Creativity & Creation

— Art & artistic expression

— Children

— Charity

— Diplomacy & diplomats

— Pleasant pursuits & joy

— Gambling

🩸 6th House 🩸

— Cadent house

— Mars’ joy

— “Bad Fortune”

— Illness & Injury

— Health & Sickness

— Servitude

— Employees & subordinates

— Labor

— Work

— Sports

— Fighting

— Physical Harm

— Medical Professionals

— Herbalism & medicine

— Small animals & pets

⚖️ 7th House ⚖️

— Angular house

— “Setting” angle

— Marriage

— Spouse

— Partnerships

— Open enemies

— the “Other” (≠ of the self, the 1H)

— Commitments& agreements

— Confrontation

— Lawsuits

— Legal disputes

— Contracts

— Business

💸 8th House 💸

— Succedent house

— “Idle Place”

— Death & Endings

— Other people’s money & assets

— Debt

— Taxes

— Legacies

— Inheritance

— Grief

— Trauma

— Psychology & shadow work

— Shared resources & belongings

— Stagnation

— Fears

— Secrets

🔮 9th House 🔮

— Cadent house

— Joy of the Sun

— “God”

— Higher education & academic pursuits

— Pursuit of knowledge

— Teachers & professors

— Occult pursuits & faculties

— Religion

— Foreign places

— Long distance travel

— Pilgrimage

— Divination & Astrology

— Philosophy

— Dreams

— Prophecies

💼 10th House 💼

— Angular house

— “Midheaven”

— Highest angle of the chart

— Vocation

— Career

— Mother

— Fame

— Ambition & aspiration

— Recognition

— Influence

— The future

— Goals

— Social status

— Achievements

— Profession

— Public affairs

— Reputation

— Authority figures & leaders

— Government

— Social aspirations

🎉 11th House 🎉

— Succedent house

— Jupiter’s joy

— “Good Spirit”

— Friends

— Alliances

— Trust

— Emancipation

— Community

— Network

— Supporters & patrons

— Organizations

— Groups

— Mutual aid & support

🏥 12th House 🏥

— Cadent house

— Saturn’s joy

— ”Bad Spirit”

— Prior to birth: mother's labor

— Isolation

— Retreat

— Large animals

— Exile

— Rumors

— Misfortunes

— Envy

— Hidden enemies

— Betrayal

— (of Self or otherwise) Sabotage

— Mental health

— Restrictions

— Hospitals

— Incarceration

[darkforestfae-tea]

How Studying Witchcraft Changed Nature

This ended up being way longer than I was anticipating.

Grab a tea or coffee (I’m a both girl, depends on the mood!) and a snack and buckle in! I promise it’s worth the read. 

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ CHILDHOOD ₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ I’ve always loved nature. Being outside, playing outside as a kid, it was always so magical. Growing up me and my friends would go into these woods that were behind my grandparents house and just hang out literally all day. I remember we would clear out this small spot by the creek and just sit and read books or just talk. I remember once we brought a pot and a box of Mac and cheese and tried to start a small bonfire to cook it. yes the fire was contained and safe. We knew fire safety. There was this one fallen tree that landed perfectly to create a bridge crossing over the creek. We called it the “Bridge to Terabithia” I know I’m aging myself here.

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ Religious Searching

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊

When I started researching around religiously, I came upon Bohemian Christianity first. I was raised in a household that was predominantly Christian, but it wasn’t for me.

Upon further researching, I decided that route wasn’t for me either. It was slightly better; I was interested in the history of the Romans but it was all still heavily involved with Christianity.

Absolutely no hate on either religion, it’s just not for me.

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ Stumbling Forward

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊

Not long after deciding I was going to keep looking, I stumbled onto Wicca. I don’t exactly remember how- this was when I was 16, so 12 years ago. I want to say I was looking up nature based religions to see what came up.

I started out just reading whatever I could. I’d lay in bed scrolling through articles on my phone when I was supposed to be sleeping. I’d get books about Wicca & watch YouTube channels. I took notes before I discovered what a Book of Shadows or a Grimoire even was.

I knew grimoire but only from pop culture.

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ Was Wicca what I was searching for?

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊

I loved almost every aspect of Wicca. I loved the nature based, how the deities were, simply put, just personifications of the elementals & nature. I loved how relaxing it was. I loved how everything was green… and white.

Now I’m not one to use the terms “white magic” or “black magic”. Or good and bad. Chaotic or Orderly. This was one of the things I didn’t like about Wicca. I don’t believe magic is only good or only bad. I believe there is just- magic. A balance.

Another thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was honestly the Wiccan Rede. As a poem itself, it was nice. I liked the way it read. I liked what it stood for. However, there is a lot of Wiccan practitioners that are taking that rede to the letter and if you research it a certain amount you will find that some Wiccan don’t even use the Wiccan Rede and there’s definitely different eclectic versions, but a high majority balances off of that we can read, and it gave me impressions of the Bible with Christianity.

I also am not bashing on Wicca. I’m not bashing on the rede. I wanna make that clear.

I followed Wicca for almost 6 years. I studied the different types. I studied the Celtic Wicca and the British traditional Wicca, even though I’m not British and I studied the Gardenarian & the Alexandrian. And eventually just the Eclectic Solitary. I then realized that what I am following could be classified as an eclectic solitary Wiccan. or I could not use Wiccan at all in the title and it wouldn’t make a difference because what I wasn’t what would traditionally be called “Wicca”.

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ Still Following Nature

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊

During all of my religious searching I was still sticking to what I knew and what I enjoyed. I went on nature-walks on a weekly basis. I gathered things I found from outside to use on my altar (which was a windowsill at the time- and currently.)

When gathering things from outdoors on my walks, it wouldn’t be any specific item. I didn’t go out and say “I need to find a pinecone today. My altar needs a pinecone.” Instead I let it speak to me.

I very distinctly remember this one item I gathered. I was walking along this wilderness trail in my hometown, and I was looking up ahead of me mostly, as it was a rocky terrain and I didn’t want to trip. I had an urge to look down suddenly, and when I did I spotted this leaf. It was bright red, and it was the only one that was that color. It was perfectly preserved- no hungry bug holes, or rips or tears. I decided to pick it up and carry it with me for the remainder of the walk.

Generally I would gather things during the walk, and then at the end of the trail, go over what I gathered and see which ones I should bring home. The ones I didn’t end up keeping I left at the base of a tree for the Guardians to keep, along with something from my bag. As long as it was nature friendly.

Before researching witchcraft I was never had that intuition with nature. That random pull to look, or stop, or keep going.

I never stopped to feel the trees, the breeze, the rocks. The energy that pulled through them. That got me started on Energy work.

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ Energy Work

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊

Energy work, when starting, is difficult. You have to have a grounded state of mind, and balanced energy points to really grasp control. as someone who suffers with depression believe me this was no easy task.

I am planning on making some Energy Work projects specifically, so I won’t go too in depth here. But I highly suggest sitting with your back to a tree, and just seeing if you can feel it. Try to sync your breathing or your own energy flow with that of the tree.

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊ I Found Home

₊‧ʚ・︵︵ ₊˚๑ ᕱᕱ ꒱✦ ₊ ︵︵・₊﹆ɞ‧₊

Eventually I found home. I found where I felt the most comfortable. And some may argue and say it’s still Wicca, or it’s this label or that label. But to me, it’s just mine. And It’s just Nature.

And if I never would have stumbled upon Wicca & Witchcraft & Paganism I never would have found the difference it can make with how you view the natural world around you.

Thank you so much for reading! This took me a few days to put together and I am so happy of how it turned out.

if you read all of it, leave a comment of your favorite thing about Nature, or your favorite thing to collect! I’d love to hear them.

— All pictures from Pinterest.

Thank you for Reading! I absolutely love sharing my knowledge & learnings with others. I try to make posts a few times a week! & they are all organized on my profile.

Until we cross paths once more! Best wishes to all you wonderful witches! Warm regards, Tea.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

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Facebook: The Black Dahlia Emporium

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Pagans & Witches Amino @ darkforestfae

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s3 episode 11 "revelations" thoughts

dare i say it… new favorite episode?

whatever expectations i had, they were blown away. usually the episode after a two episode arc feels weird and stiff, but this? this hit every box on a checklist i didn’t even know i had.

i’m bouncing off the walls right now. i'm pacing my room and mumbling to myself while gesticulating wildly. i am filled with an energy that caffeine has not ONCE given me. and it's called "your character, that is so near and dear to you, got an episode dedicated just to exploring their inner life and workings and belief system and faith in God and the world". try it if you get a chance.

so let us begin. let me give you my verbatim notes, so you can watch the excitement grow.

oh boy! oh boy oh boy! i am excited! and i know by now to not expect any real continuation from the last episode, but i’m still excited because the last two were so good! and this one is like… good omens? with a kid that can start the end of the world?

wow. never have i thought to myself, how would mulder and scully handle biblical revelations? but here i am. wondering it.

hope the kid is chill. hope he has good vibes. mulder will like him anyway because he’s actually a huge softie but still better if he’s got good vibes.

we open on a sermon. the priest or pastor- depending on the denomination- whatever his title is, he is talking about faith. saying that miracles are real. and now he’s shaking and moaning. is this one of those churches?

OH HE’S BLEEDING from between his knuckles like some sort of blood wolverine. people are looking at him, thinking, what is going on? and this is something i am also wondering. maybe it was fake though…. little capsules in his hands, maybe???

he’s dabbing off his makeup now. as a man enters his dressing room. saying that some people really do believe. but he’s being weird.

and then this guy escalates to murder. and when he touches this pastor he’s burning up??? huh??? a firebender?? in pennsylvania??

THE INTRO WAS DIFFERENT AGAIN THIS TIME. WHY DOES IT CHANGE. i have come to know these beats VERY well!! they are like a heartbeat to me. you cannot simply alter them as you see fit!

scully looking at the body of the dead pastor/priest, talking about how it looks like rope burns around his neck. mulder crouching VERY close by.

HEHEHEHEHE mulder is like “he was bleeding from his hands like the crucifixion” and scully goes “stigmata?” heheheheheeeee i’m blushing

(talking about belief systems is apparently a way to my heart? like c'mon, tell me how you understand the universe and which elements you surrender to knowing that you will never comprehend. you look cute while doing it)

no wounds on the hands, though… so mulder licks the blood. and i froze JUST as scully makes this horrified face... i’m CRYING. yes, it is fake blood, and yes, he has some on his lips and teeth, and yes, its adorable. but what a risky move!

ohhh he was wearing a sugar pump sort of thing! yum yum. couldn't be me, i'd be slurping that.

so mulder has been tracking religious murders related to stigmatics (excellent word!)

scully’s talking about how certain people believe at any given time there are 12 stigmatics in the world. and they represent the 12 apostles. and i’m blushing terribly.

nods solemnly. i am learning a lot about myself through this show.

scully you are so preeeeetty. 

okay, cut to elementary school in ohio. kevin is blowing spitballs. his teacher is bullying him into doing math on the board. when all of a sudden, his hands start bleeding!! and we see that he has the holes!!!

he’s in the nurse’s office still when mulder and scully show up. damn how did they get to ohio that fast… OHHH they had put out an FBI alert and maybe this happened more than once.  yes, this is exactly what is explained mere moments after i made the initial comment.

so it happened BEFORE, and they assumed it was an incident of abuse, but it wasn’t proven. still, his dad was institutionalized after saying Kevin was chosen by God. okay! things escalated. 

scully is talking to the boy. she feels his forehead and says he feels feverish. okay doctor!! and she says he is very brave. queen. smart and kind.

mulder is meeting kevin’s mom. explaining that he might be in danger from a religious fanatic.

oh! the thermometer in his mouth broke. straight up exploded. hope that was fake mercury in there.

they’re going to put kevin back “into the shelter” which i feel like would make him an easier target for a serial killer?? but on the off chance it WAS his mom, it would make him safer. so mixed feelings here.

mom yells at the teacher, teacher says she loves her job, and mulder has this excellent smile. then waves scully out to leave. it was kinda funny to me for some reason, the waving her out. quite domestic. 

mulder thinks the kid did the cuts to himself to get his father back. hmm. not buying it. so they go to talk to kevin's dad. 

dad claims the forces of darkness have been watching kevin. in the great war between good and evil. he’s really talking to scully and he says they just “come full circle to find the truth”. she says dude idk what that means?? and he says “you will” okay... i’m creeped out a bit!!!

kevin is back at the children’s home. telling a bunch of other kids scary stories. and he seems to be explaining a scary guy who is walking into the building as the storytelling goes on. just as the scary guy enters, all the kids leave. scary guy is looking at the wounds on kevin’s hands!

soon after, mulder is with the group of children who saw the guy. we learn here that mulder is 6 foot 1. which is very funny. 

kevin was abducted by the fellow it seems he was describing before his arrival!!! and his mom seems to blame scully. she looks really upset.

they see the drawing that they think does not look like a real person, and kevin’s mom is like it’s owen, who did the yard work. 

so it’s owen time. he’s carved noah’s ark and he has kevin. but he says he can’t let him go home. because it isn’t safe. he refers to himself as kevin’s guardian angel. hmm. that makes me suspicious.

owen grabs a shotgun when a car pulls up. but the agents get him to put it down and scully is on a quest to find the little dude. and he was there… but now he isn’t?

so owen says God asked him to protect kevin. 

OH ANGRY MULDER IS GONNA QUOTE SCRIPTURE AT YOU!!!!! now give him some DAMN ANSWERS!

owen is like, well YOU believe, don’t you scully, because you have that necklace on. he’s calling her a BAD CHRISTIAN??? the audacity….

then owen gets up and JUMPS OUT THE WINDOW??? and runs away??? somehow??

(mulder jumped down from the porch to chase owen, and his big coat floated around him like a cape... i giggled)

now where did this dude go...?

kevin made it home!!! he’s yelling for his mom. she doesn’t seem to be there, but someone rang the doorbell. and we only see a quick glance but it LOOKS like the killer!!! 

who burns off the doorknob with his firebending!!! so yes, it is the og killer from the start of the episode! he comes in and asks for kevin. saying he knows he’s here.

mom, now would be a good time to roll up with a gun. 

he picks up a family photo and sees kevin in a picture then checks the closet to see if he’s in there but kevin is in the hamper. and the hamper is bleeding!!! dead giveaway. 

but owen rolls up just as the firebender guy opens the hamper, and starts fighting for him!! so kevin is making a break for it!!!

he runs and runs and RUNS INTO MULDER!!!! scully is telling him that he will be okay.

they only find dead owen. no firebender.

and kevin asks scully if she was sent to protect him… she does not seem to know what to say because. do you mean like by the government... or jesus?

autopsy time!!!! she’s talking into the voice recorder like always. it always gives vlog energy. anyway, his body looks very much alive. despite the very much dead thing. 

mulder interrupts this. and scully asks him to SMELL the dude. he obliges. with only a smirk!

scully says he smells a bit… floral.

OMG!! OMG I RECOGNIZE WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. they talk about it in the brothers karamazov, how a holy body is said to stay intact and even smell good when it ought to be decomposing. so the real question is: is she imagining it?

i mean, she is the body expert. so i’d want to say no. but also, this dude was playing with her head. so it’s hard to say. i'd think she would identify the body correctly no matter what, but a little smell hallucination thanks to the power of suggestion cannot be ruled out in any situation.

AND SHE TALKS ABOUT IT!! apparently it is something you learn in catechism. okay, well i just picked it up from that summer i got through that book, but we all learn somewhere. mulder is like “you’re serious?” and i feel he should be encouraging this open discussion rather than ridiculing it. AND SHE STARTS NAMING SAINTS IT HAPPENED TO!

mulder is saying that those things didn’t really happen, and i’m not taking this from alien man.

mulder has transitioned into listening mode now. OH! SCULLY! she says:

“isn’t a saint or a holy person just another term for someone who’s abnormal?”

“do you really believe that?”

“i… believe in the idea that God’s hand can be witnessed. i believe he can create miracles, yes”

“even if science can’t explain them?”

“maybe that’s just what faith is”

YES! YES I AM CHEERING AND JUMPING UP AND DOWN. we were owed a scully-centric episode, and never did i even THINK we would get something so aligned with my interests that we’d start exploring her religious beliefs and how that intertwines with her faith in science and her work. that sounds like something i’d write a fic for because it’s hyper specific to my interests. but no. this is CANON!

mulder is saying that she shouldn’t get swept up in these things (and how ironic that the roles are reversed! it’s exquisite. we’ve found his weak point, he’ll believe in anything but a Christian God)

scully is lost in thought. taking a deep breath. steeling herself.

pause. it’s a scene change. but mulder has a pencil in his teeth. it’s adorable, really. he takes it out to write something.

they pulled prints from owen’s neck!! burned right onto the skin. and they found who did it!! the man i was previously calling the firebender, his real name is simon gates, one of the south’s wealthiest men, arrested 3 years ago on a DUI. 

so then he went to israel, and this is how i learned of something called “jerusalem syndrome”, where people come back from the holy land with religious delusions. i have not heard of this before. but it could be a motive. except for the whole burning fingerprints into necks thing. i'm unfamiliar with any sort of place turning you into prince zuko.

okay, so someone saw kevin with his mom the same time he was seen with a social worker??? doubles?? twins??? ghosts??

kevin and his mom are on the side of the road with a broken down car, when who pulls up but SIMON!!

she asks what he wants and he says “i think you know”, then kevin makes a break for it.

now. can an old man outrun a child? children have small legs, but boundless energy.

BUT HE’S RUNNING?? AND ANOTHER KEVIN GETS OUT OF THE CAR??? to talk to his injured mom. then running kevin DISAPPEARED!!! AND MOM HITS THE DUDE WITH A CAR!!!

sadly, it wasn’t out of excellent aim that she hit him, but rather because she had her face smacked into the ground by simon and was concussed or something similar. she drove into a ditch. 

NO!!! KEVIN IS SAYING SHE DIED BECAUSE OF HIM. DEATH??? I JUST THOUGHT WE WERE DEALING WITH CONCUSSION HERE?

i guess it can be a quick trip from one to the next. but i'm sad for poor kevin.

scully is near him, telling him she promises she won’t let simon hurt kevin. OH LORD, YOU GOT HER PROMISING THINGS, SMALL CHILD.

he doesn’t want to go back to the shelter. and she says he doesn’t have to. are they going to take this small child for a bit….?

she avoids mulder’s gaze when telling him she wants kevin to come with them, saying she is not getting personally involved, but like mulder is gonna complain having a kid around. 

(he actually didn't seem to have his typical instincts kick in today. how curious...)

and turns out simon rented the car under the name of one of the devil’s disciples. yikes!

so creepy simon is watching this go down despite being hit by a car. 

back to the motel. scully is running kevin a bath and sees he has a big scratch on his side. from the crash… or?

mulder is fake pouting. “you never draw my bath” JCHDJSBJSND

she’s freaked out because she knows that cut was NOT there before. OH? is it the jesus spear thing??

she is busting out her theological training- he could be in two places at once, like st. ignatius! and mulder is talking about how it was all a metaphor, that bible. mulder, if you are dismissive ONE more time...

OH, I GASPED AT THIS NEXT PART. HOLD ON I NEED TO WRITE THIS DOWN:

“how is it that you’re able to go out on a limb whenever you see a light in the sky, but you’re unwilling to accept the possibility of a miracle, even when it’s right in front of you?”

“i wait for a miracle every day, but what i’ve seen here has only tested my patience, not my faith”

“well, what about what i’ve seen?” 

UGH. how PERFECT is that dialogue!!! how brilliant is that exchange!!! why is what she has seen less believable than his x files and aliens and beasts? he spends so long looking to his own stars that he’s forgotten others can form constellations as well. and how often does the narrative favor him, his thoughts running like a prey animal, chasing and chasing any sort of lead. why can’t she have something that cuts her to the quick just as deeply?

sure, science is great, science is the building block of her reality. but you can’t change the way you grew up, either, the pattern recognition, the fear of the divine. and she’s never had trouble balancing the two, we just haven’t had a reason to see them interact before, because she generally compartmentalizes the day to day world and the spiritual- and how many of us can say we do the same? probably most, if we believe in anything at all. but then it comes straight to a head- and after she has been through so much as well, losing her dad, her kidnapping, her coma, losing mulder and her job (which luckily came back), losing her sister forever- is it selfish to want there to be a caring force out in the universe?

but on the flip side, that means that there is real and genuine evil, forces of the devil and hell- unless you think it’s poetry, like mulder does. but wouldn’t that explain all the suffering she’s been through? the horrific things this job has showed her? and wouldn’t it be worth it in the end to go through that all if you know it was to be defeated?

okay i just spend so long typing that up the screen went dark. SORRY SORRY I’M COMING BACK I PROMISE!!! I JUST GET EMOTIONAL.

NOOO! a weird noise was heard, so mulder kicks down the now locked door where kevin was supposed to be taking a bath. AND THE WINDOW WAS MELTED OPEN!! so scully basically comes face to face with the evil that must be real if miracles are as well. oh! i’m eating this up.

but she promised him he would be safe! so this is not looking good!

she wants to go talk to his father again. and mulder doesn’t want to, but she is NOT taking no for an answer. 

kevin’s father is not coming up with an answer. the doctors have increased his meds and he’s very foggy. 

she asks again about the full circle to find the truth thing. and she runs out, in a daze.

mulder gets a call that there has been a simon spotting, but she doesn’t hear; she’s pointing at a recycling bin, saying that it’s arrows that form a circle. she thinks he’s at a recycling plant; he thinks he’s at the airport.

mulder asks if she thinks she’s the one that was chosen to protect him. and she says she doesn’t know; her voice cracks as she says that if she’s wrong, she’ll meet him at the airport. OH! religious burdens, the divine pressure of fate. he watches her leave, looking troubled.

at the recycling plant- and simon IS there, saying kevin has to die, for everyone, so the new age will come. and his hands are bleeding again. all the others were false.

SCULLY AMBUSH!!! but simon is taking him into a recycling chopper. AND HE DROPS HIM IN!!! we see chopping occur!!! but it was SIMON AND NOT KEVIN THAT WAS CHOPPED!!! kevin caught himself on the ledge!!!! she pulls him up.

he says he knew she’d come, and they hug so so so tight, and she places a kiss on his head when she’s holding him, and i’m gonna cry like a baby

when they’re getting him around to leave, she says that maybe she’ll see him again sometime, and he says that she will.

and scully looks like she’s crying- i don’t think she is, but she puts her head in her hand- mulder comes in and asks if she’s okay. she says she thinks so, and he holds out her jacket to put on. it might have been the most tender thing i have ever seen. he says they need to go make a statement; she asks him to do it alone, she has to go run an errand.

again, she mostly avoids his eyes. but he agrees, and goes to make the statement alone. he doesn't press.

AND SHE GOES TO CONFESSION???? FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 6 YEARS??? she starts talking about not being able to discuss something with mulder. she asks about miracles; if she was seeing things when it comes to saving kevin, or if she was imagining them. 

she doubts herself because mulder didn’t believe them!!!!!!!!!!! and usually he believes without question!!!

maybe they weren’t meant for him, maybe they were meant for YOU, he says. and she asks if this was to bring her back; he says “sometimes we must come full circle to find the truth”

and it makes her afraid!!!! that god is speaking but no one is listening!!!!

WHO THE HELL WROTE THIS EPISODE. NO. NO, HOLD ON I’M GONNA LOOK THIS UP. 

KIM NEWTON. KIM. YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON WHO GETS ME ON THIS PLANET. NO ONE ELSE DOES.

wow okay. i’m going to be pacing my room about this for 100 years. there are going to be think pieces about this, from me, for the foreseeable future. i’m losing my MIND.

i don’t think i could have cooked up a more perfect episode if i had tried. something centered on scully entirely (mulder has had his fair share of attention), something about faith, something where she questions what she holds close and why she holds it close and what it means that she does so at all. what it means for there to be human good and human evil and divine good and divine evil. how god speaks to people and how we listen. or hear things that he didn’t say, like simon did. 

holy FUCK i literally could not think of anything better. and i have SO much to say. i already SAID SO MUCH, too. like i’m seriously bouncing off the walls right now. whatever love i had for scully before just quadrupled- and who knew this was even possible??

for things to be reversed, for mulder to try and talk her out of a belief, how bizarre that must have felt to him, and how cold it felt. how he just couldn’t see it, how his not being able to see it drove her to doubt herself, how she must doubt herself already, but that sprung everything to the surface. how she doubts that god would use her. and use her for good. 

but still, despite his lack of understanding, despite his trying to get her to think rationally- he is there for her, even if he doesn't get it, even if he could have done better. the way he held her jacket while she processed everything, the way he didn't question her needing time for herself. somethings are best left unspoken.

lord, i’m gonna have to stop there because if i don’t. i just might never shut up ever ever ever. and i still need to proofread all my raw notes, and i’m sure i’ll think of something else to say.

i started this episode AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO LMAOOOO i just had SO much to pause and observe and say which is NOT a complaint in the slightest. 

wow. new fave episode i think. i’ll have to add it to the list. 

please let me know what you thought- are there any other scully truthers out there who lost their minds over this? did you like the episode? is it disliked and i'm strange for going on such a ramble? did you have trouble reconciling faith scully and science scully? personally i don't, but i could see how some people might. did you find mulder too dismissive? or did you think he was trying his best? some combination of both? did scully protecting that kid make you emotional? please, spill EVERYTHING. i always want you to spill everything, but now so even more than usual.

[name-s-are-not-important]

Since you got so many postive reactions, I'll also add something Your story is boring. Its too long, its too complicated, the plot is too long, nothing happens, it's not RA at all any more, it has nothing to do with canon! Halt is a joke, there is nothing left of him. This is annoying, the whole story is annoying! Secondly, you dramatize the story too much. Why is Halt's mother a child when she gave birth to him? Don't you have enough angst from the plot, then you have to add such elements and make the king a pedo? A bit pathetic, if you ask me. Why is she so young? Why would Caitlyn be married so young? Nobody did that in the canon! Second, why, for God's sake, is everyone there gay? In the Middle Ages? What's that supposed to be? Third, you don't respect your own readers. You post new chapters without any rhythm, once every week, once every month, instead of sticking to any routine. People don't want to read something so inconsistent, it's stupid, it's annoying. Oh and all those references to Catholicism in the plot in and your made up religion. Is it really necessary?

It's a shame, because this could have been a really cool story… you still have a lot to learn, good luck!

Hello, I would say thanks for contacting, but then it would probably sound ironic. Well.

I understand that the pace of the story may not suit everyone, especially people who prefer short stories. However, I made it clear from the outset that the story would be long and complex. It's a whole AU and yes, I love worldbuilding and I won't apologise for that. I care about the details, but I also care about a balanced sinusoid of action. This isn't an action movie where you'll eat popcorn and laugh at the jokes, it's a marathon geared towards experiencing the story a little deeper. If it annoys you, I'm not sure why you don't just give up reading it…. you refer to the facts revealed in recent chapters, so you've at least made it to chapter 41, even though the story annoys you so much. Why? And why should it be my fault?

Let the numbers speak for me. Jadwiga Andegaweńska, King of Poland, married Władysław Jagiełło, Grand Duke of Lithuania, at the age of 12. He was 35 years old at the time. He took his last wife at the age of 70. She was named Zofia Holszańska, she was 17. Henry VIII of England took Catherine Howard as his wife when she was 17. He was 49. The youngest queen consort was Isabella of Valois, second wife of Richard II, aged 6 years 11 months and 25 days when she was married to him in 1396. The average age at which women were given in marriage in the Middle Ages was 12-14 years. It was only at the end of this era that this age changed to the late teens (16-19). The Renaissance brought a shift in this average to the early 20s. Yes, I am aware that we do not have such situations in the canon. Probably because the canon is a conglomeration of several different visions of the Middle Ages, which the author did not see fit to separate. Armaments, schooling, lack of illiteracy, developed medicine and finally, social realities all disagree. I am sorry to have to tell you this, but no princess married a plebeian knight because he was nice and she loved him. No princess ran around in the woods with a slingshot and none of them was likely to be allowed to become a super secret special task soldier because her parents couldn't cope with her upbringing. Canon has nothing to do with historical reality. In many ways it also misses the mark with my story. It's a fanfic. It's just a story, invented by me and loosely based on canon. It's AU - Alternative Universe. Where there's magic, religious wars and various things like that. But some of the stuff in there comes as a result of my fascination with history and the development of societies in different eras. Hence, certain phenomena, such as just the treatment of women, the age at which they were given in marriage, illiteracy, pestilence, economic dualism and sending children to war, appear in the storyline. Eileen is a monument to women, girls who were given in marriage to bear children to kings, to endure their outbursts of anger, beatings, rape and other forms of violence. Her story is very important to me and no, it is not there just to add drama. I'm sorry you see it that way.

Because we are human, we have always existed and we will always exist. Because it is a story written by a queer person and because as an author I can do so. I also pointed this out in the tags. Too many queer people reading books couldn't find themselves in the plot. I only write queer stories. And if in a story about blood magic, prophecies, human sacrifice, violence, wars and betrayals, you have the biggest problem to a few queer people in the plot, it's no longer my fault.

Listen, I'm really trying not to be mean. Let me say this as gently as I can. I'm not your friend. I'm a random stranger on the internet that you know nothing about. I'm not your school mate for you to talk to me like that. I'm an adult, I work full time, I'm writing my Master's thesis and I'm taking care of two children. I'm sorry that my few hours a week that I can spend doing something for myself, are not enough for me to write a 16-19k chapter once a week. How annoying and mean of me. Wow.

I wasn't inspired by Catholicism. But it's interesting that of all the world religions, this is the one that came to your mind. If you associate a fictional religion based on blood sacrificing, heroising self-harm and sacrificing children, cruelty to captives and hateful contempt for women with Catholicism, then who am I to argue.

It's been so much fun writing to you. And you don't offend me by saying I have a lot to learn. We all have. If one stops learning, one dies. And I still have a whole lot of queer, boring, annoying stories to write. Have a lovely day! And may your toilet seat be cold af at the middle of the night :)

[dk-wren]

Buddy Daddies & “Silent Night”

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas!

I’ve been busy working on other projects, so no time to write a fic for Christmas. However, I still wanted to do something, and thinking about the work I do outside of here, this is what I came up with. So, to celebrate the season, and the anniversary of Miri falling into the lives of Kazuki and Rei, I present a brief history of “Silent Night” and its relevance/connections to Buddy Daddies!

Brief History:

"Silent Night" was first performed in 1818 at the St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The lyrics were written by Father Joseph Mohr, which were originally adapted from a poem he had written two years previously, while the melody was composed by Franz Gruber. The song was originally written in German for two voices and an accompanying guitar, though an organ accompaniment was composed several years later (presumably along with an arrangement for a choir since it is traditionally performed in Austria during Christmas Eve Mass).

In Buddy Daddies, Miri is heard singing the first of six verses, which is probably the most well-known verse. When translated to English (first in 1858), and what I gather as the most common/used translation, or the one I am most familiar, only three verses are translated (verses 1, 6, and 2, in that order). Since its original performance/publication, "Silent Night" has been translated into over 300 languages and dialects.

Connections to Buddy Daddies:

(Just to be upfront, this is more my interpretation. I also want to acknowledge that there are a lot of religious elements in this song, which I do not feel I can adequately address/discuss. Though I may be wrong, I also don't think the religious elements are really at play in Buddy Daddies)

First things first, it is more than a little ironic how the first time "Silent Night" is heard in Buddy Daddies, or when Miri enters the hotel in ep. 1, an instrumental version is heard in the background, and in ep. 12 during Miri's Christmas recital (also kind of in ep. 11 when Miri is practicing), a gunfight precedes or succeeds this song.

That being said, it works since those moments then act like the calm before or after the storm. While there will always be some craziness or hecticness in raising a four/five year old, the moments that Kazuki and Rei spend with Miri, especially after these fights, act as moments of comfort or reassurance that their family is all together and they have each other.

The final line we hear Miri sing, and of the first verse, "Sleep in heavenly peace," arguably represents Kazuki and Rei's wish for Miri: that she is safe, has nothing to truly worry about, and knows she is loved. Their drive and desire to let Miri sleep soundly at the end of every night is what causes them to choose their family over the organization and to fight back knowing that the organization disapproves of such "attachments" or the idea of Rei, Kazuki, and Miri being a family. While this scene is not connected to one of the times "Silent Night" is heard in Buddy Daddies, this comfort of having each other and being able to rest easy because of this feeling is also clearly seen in the ep. 3 after credits scene. The events of ep. 3 is the first time Kazuki, Rei, and Miri all seem to acknowledge that they are a family and will be staying by each other's side in the long run, which may then be why Rei quickly falls asleep as they are all relatively on the same page about their relationships to one another (and everyone he loves, whether or not he fully processes this yet, is safe next to him).

In having Miri sing this song at the end of ep. 12, the lines "All is calm, all is bright" also stand out because that is how Kazuki and Rei are seeing their future now. They've done everything in their power to walk away from the organization for good, and they did it without losing their lives. Now, their sole mission is to look after Miri and raise their daughter to be the best person she can be. The two walking into Miri's concert and standing in the back (not just because they were late, but because of their injuries) may give them some time for reflection about what they did that day and how that provided them the opportunity to successfully go after the future they've dreamed of.

Not directly related to the song, but during my research, I also found that another big accomplishment for lyricist Joseph Mohr was his role in building the first school in one village and setting up a fund that would help to cover the cost of education so that children from poorer families could still attend/be educated. His work as a priest could be interpreted as him having an affinity for providing for or working to better the lives of children. Considering how much Kazuki and Rei do to look after Miri's happiness and well-being, the personal life of the lyricist of "Silent Night" then adds some more depth into this song being featured throughout Buddy Daddies given Mohr's connections to looking after and taking into consideration the needs of growing children.

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Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this quick little exploration into "Silent Night." There were more things I wanted to include in the history section, but I felt it would have been too much or gotten too long. I hope the little bit I included was enough though and not too boring.

Happy holidays, everyone!

-Dakota Wren

(P.S. gonna slide this announcement into the bottom of my post, but you know how I wrote at the top I've been busy working on "other projects?" Well, that's because I am currently planning to do a celebration week leading up to the 1 year anniversary of Buddy Daddies premiere. If all goes according to plan, I will have something posted each day from Jan 1st-Jan 7th. If I need to switch to plan B, then expect a mega-post or multi-posts throughout the day on Jan 7th. So while I don't have any new content for the holiday season, expect some relatively soon with the new year. Thanks for reading and again, happy holidays!)

[midwinterhunt]

Attack on Titan rant incoming

This was the first anime I EVER watched, like, 12 years ago. I'm not even sure the first season had a dub when I started. I was there for the titan running crack memes, for the unholy amount of Eren/Levi shipping, the- fuckin- aot high school spinnoff thing! So I like to believe my perspective on where this show has gone has merit.

And yes, I know how infamous it is, and that a lot of people cheered over it finally being over and dead, but just hear me out.

I would NOT recommend this show as someone's intro to anime, but little 14 year old me didn't have someone holding my hand I just picked the first eye catching thing on netflix back when they first introduced the concept of shows that were stream-only.

And I was MESMERIZED.

The music made me feel Brand New Emotions I didn't even have names for, the setting was full of mystery and creatures that were like nothing I'd ever seen in media before, and the main character was a yappy little underdog without a chance in hell who I WANTED to win. It was a story about adventure and survival and the hope of a big beautiful world beyond all the carnage. A lot of people hated it right off the bat for the gore, but I liked it. It was just the right thing at the right age for my brain to latch onto it and drag me into the world of fandom at large.

And then in the same breath it slammed me right into hiatus hell.

By the time the second season finally got produced and released, my intense interest had died down a bit and I was mostly still watching out of quiet curiosity. It introduced the idea that titans were not a different creature that some humans were some kind of hybrid shifter of, but all titans are just transformed humans. The whole premise of the story shifted in a really interesting way, which isn't something media does very often. Sure there are false narratives, but in aot, the shift felt different. It was laying something down and you could feel it happen, but there wasn't really a way to understand.

It began to introduce more political/religious corruption elements, and that maybe giant monsters weren't the only threat. Which was still on theme, what with the idea of wanting humanity to survive and wanting their dreams to come true and to go out and explore, but now it was being challenged with perhaps humanity is on its own darker. This all tracks.

And even still, it still follows when they discover there are humans beyond the walls and the sea. That they AREN'T the last of humanity. The theme still carried, even though we found out everything we knew about the setting was a lie.

And then suddenly it became a bad WW2 allegory.

Literally, when I read the chapter that shifted focus to Marley, I thought there had been some kind of upload mistake on the website I was using. Or perhaps it was a flashback? I was SO CONFUSED. And then as the pieces were revealed I was just kinda stunned.

Only one specific race of people could become titans, and the rest of the world was just the real world. And we see Marley, a military hyper nationalist country who makes the Eldians/Children of Ymir (arguably an ethnic religious people) wear marked armbands and live in Internment Zones because the Eldians used to be dictators and they brutalized the rest of world with their "devil powers" so this oppression is Good Actually and i just..... (O_O;) (;O_O)

I just didn't know how we got from Kid Wants To See Ocean to a holocaust allegory where the victims are in this situation because they did something and just... if they were going to draw those similarities they really... I just wish they hadn't painted their oppressed class as having done anything

MOVING ON

because that point has been made many times by people far more equipped than i

Eren's fall from grace was also really interesting. Because most of the time when a story has their MC fall from grace, it's because outside forces backed them into a situation where they had no choice. And Eren... well the story fully admits that there was just something Wrong with that boy from the start and if we hadn't been so caught up in his underdog story we would've seen it coming from a mile away.

From episode one he's been saying "I'll kill every last one of them!" so really he told all his friends and the audience that he was the kind of person to commit a genocide

And can we talk about how crazy of a choice that was? Member of an oppressed class being killed by the whole world decides to kill the whole world in turn? Especially after he went across the sea and intimately got to see the humanity of the other groups of people and learn just how precious they all were, he still chose to set in motion the events he foresaw. He KNEW the Rumbling was a self fulfilling prophesy long in advance and still chose to fulfill it because there is Just Something Wrong With That Boy. Bold choice on the author's part.

And halfway through watching the final few episodes it hit me: The Rumbling is just an allegory for nukes. It left the world flattened and scorched wherever it touched. And I don't know how this story being japanese affected the tones and contents of the story, but I really feel like that plays a role here.

And by the end I was in love with the story again, for reasons I don't fully understand. By all accounts it became a disaster, but seeing the same characters age with me, and become politically aware with me, and choose various different paths to dealing with war and violence at the same pace I did, I think that did something to my brain.

The homestuck kiss shocked my systems a little

And then they threw out Interdimensional Superpower-Granting Parasite, and then proceeded to never explain it. While at the same time also erasing everyone's titan powers and failing to achieve world piece thus rounding back to their theme of the nature of humanity. And in the epilogue scene, they show the far future post apocalypse and how the power came back but didn't show anything after that and I just reallyneedanswers!

My point? This show had ups and downs, we can't do anything about the bad ww2 analogy, and I want a futuristic post-apoc sequel exploring the nature of the worm thing!

I guess this was less an insightful analysis, and more just my general thoughts on where the story went.

[mdhwrites]

Is Belos the only Owl House villain with a fandom that's giving him more depth than the show?

Edit: I just noticed that you said TOH villain specifically. *smacks self* But also Kikimora exists... Or literally any fanfic about the S1 villains probably. TOH has a lot of dry puddle villains when it comes to depth. As someone who literally ever did King Sombra fiction for the My Little Pony, no. No it is not. In fact, I actually highly doubt that it's really that uncommon. A lot of pure evil villains will be warped and shifted as they hit a fandom so that they are more useful for shipping or can be more complex in their villainy than what was shown in the show. After all, when you start from rock bottom, it's hard to really not go up.

I think the big thing about Belos that makes him bizarre is that where as a lot of other fandoms will just agree that the villain was shallow, the fandom is split on him. There are those like me who believes he's incredibly bland and doesn't care about his backstory elements because, you know, backstory is not a personality. A boring character with an interesting backstory is still a boring character.

There is a side of the fandom though who are REALLY upset about Belos' treatment in the finale because of all those crumbs of backstory that they see as what could have been. Hell, because people linked me a recent review of TOH, I saw people in the comments effectively being split on the reviewers main complaint about the show being that Belos is just bluntly, boringly evil. Some thought he was right on the money, others talked about the shortening and some argued that he was actually complex, you just had to dig for it. (No I won't link the review because of issues surrounding the person who made it. It's also pretty bare bones anyways and what you'd expect from a 12 minute, positive review of TOH.)

This is demonstrative of the issue with Belos though, isn't it? Compelling concepts that are all in service for someone who can be boiled down to "Narcissistic, genocidal, racist moron." Someone betrayed by family who abandoned him and his loneliness and pain lashed out upon the world? A ruler who believes that the oppression of his own people is for their own sake due to religious fervor? A human who believes the other world to be a hell that he must crusade against? Each of these is actually not a bad concept on its own but they're not all compatible together. Maybe any two can do it but these are only three of the like half a dozen concepts you could read into Belos through his backstory and actions, minimum, and pretty much all demand that he actually have more than two braincells together because he is really rock stupid. Remember: He never planned for how to murder the children of the Isles, only the adults. In fact, he made sure to ADD protections on the children rather than making it more dangerous for them which could have led to an actual decline in population.

I will always prefer how Belos presented himself in S1's finale, a portrayal that does NOT work with his actual goals. His statement of "I do not seek conquest, only unity," is just bullshit. Murdering an entire race isn't unity after all. Also why bother lying to the human here? Why not try to get her on your side? Be honest with her? Or trap her so as to make sure not to allow her to backstab you like your brother? I know people say time loop stuff but he is still trying to convince her to work with him and is disappointed when she refuses, while also MURDERING LILITH which is a bit of a big deal if he actually remembers them after so long, so I don't buy it.

That portrayal has always been my favorite though because it makes Luz and Belos have similar goals but differing ideologies for reaching those goals. Belos believes that unity can be found through order and control, even if it restricts expression, while Luz promotes radical expressionism and the idea that it is our differences that make us stronger. It's great theming and makes it so that anytime Luz doesn't make a friend because they're simply too different, she has to question if he's potentially correct.

But then the show does the weird decision that each characters individuality, besides one or traits, is slowly eroded away over the course of the show. Everyone is just a nice person. You get a jock added eventually with Willow but that's about it. You don't have anyone overly serious, minus when Hunter is putting up a front and defaulting to trained behavior, you have no goths, punks, pure balls of sunshine who are annoying, etc. like that. Not amongst those that the show doesn't frame as mostly a joke, like how Lilith's hyperfixations are treated.

It's an awkward element of the main cast that makes Belos as the grand villain really awkward. You can't have a villain who is still seeking unity like that without him potentially being able to point out how those around Luz have lost their personal desires and goals, their interests, besides Willow (and kind of Gus with his human interest that is still... awkward to put it mildly), and so genuinely how different are their methods when she isn't as inclusive as she claims to be?

Even Kikimora, perhaps the most alternative person when compared to Luz's comfort zone, is only brought into Luz's range when she presents herself as capable of being a strawman for Luz and Luz gets an in to say "Look! She's a person! At least in my eyes." Before, you know, she ditches Luz to continue to be ambitious and care about her own goals, evil as they may be.

I've gotten kind of off topic but I guess my main point is to also discuss how you get a villain like Belos to some extent. I can absolutely like a pure evil villain btw. I don't think Ozai is a detriment to Avatar as his pure evil nature matches the fact that the war he is committing is just as much a force of nature, destroying the land, as it is some asshole's desire to conquer, capstoned not with his fight against Aang but his literal attempt to annihilate a CONTINENT. At that point, your goal isn't conquest, it's total destruction. A literal scorched Earth.

But Belos? Every attempt to pretend Belos was nuanced or the like just brought him lower and lower.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[yellowjacketslesbian]

What do you think Van's relationship with religion is like, before and after the crash?

hey!! I love this question because I actually have a whole hc for this!!!

pre-crash I hc that Van was raised catholic and went through catechism (with Nat & Laura Lee). I think she partially did confirmation because of family pressure, but also because I think she has always been someone who searches for meaning in the world around her, and I think she looked to the church as a way to find that meaning as a kid because it was all she knew. (I think Van's parents were probably more along the lines non-practicing catholics, and only really went to mass for major holidays, but they still really pushed for her to get confirmed to keep up appearances with extended family).

I think Van left the church sometime in middle school after she fully realized / came to terms with being a lesbian. (I personally hc that Van's dad left when she was 12 or 13 and her mom's issues got worse after, so she also didn't have the same family pressure to stay in the church). however, I believe she still held onto some of the mysticism of the church / saint lore, etc. she grew up with and she more was rejecting an organized religion she knew wouldn't accept her, rather than all of the beliefs (though I don't think she would necessarily admit that to herself).

as far as immediately pre-crash, I think Van probably used humor to cope and deflect from any religious trauma by high school and probably would have described herself as a recovered catholic / atheist, if it ever came up.

I also think having that common background of being raised catholic and rejecting that upbringing was something she bonded over with Taissa pre-crash (it's canon that at least Tai's grandmother was catholic). I can definitely picture them being their sarcastic selves together and making quips back and forth through an entire Christmas Eve midnight mass they both got dragged to.

I also think having that common background adds some additional context to their fight in the attic in S1E10. like if rejecting religion and supernatural explanations for the world around them, is something they bonded over, there's an added layer there when Van suddenly believes in this supernatural thing and Taissa is still firmly an atheist.

(I could write a whole thesis separate thesis here on why it makes so sense that Van believed so fervently in the supernatural element and embraced the cult practices as a way to make sense of that terrifying time in the wilderness, assuming a catholic upbringing. tldr: in my personal experience, it's fairly common for people who have dealt with specifically catholic religious trauma to be more susceptible to that type of influence because of the beliefs we were raised with).

anyway, post-crash I think Van struggled a lot to cope with the things they did in the wilderness and kind of just completely shut off all belief in anything instead of actually facing what they did. I also think she's going to go back to her belief in the wilderness after being cured of cancer in S3 because she never actually worked through any of her trauma, and therefore, is still very susceptible to falling back into that acolyte role.

also, if the crash never happened, I think Van would've been the type of recovered catholic who gets into like spirituality as a way to make sense of the world (tarot cards, astrology, etc.)

tldr: I think Van was raised catholic but is an atheist both pre and post-crash

[frostyreturns]

Frosty Ruins The Prince Of Egypt

This is a movie I actually remember going to see in theatres as a kid. My older brother took me for my birthday and must have thought the movie was underwhelming because after we watched it he insisted we go to the toy store right after for a secondary gift. That was unneccesary because even a mediocre movie with my brother was a good time. Now I haven't seen the movie since then so let's see if that assessement of mediocre still stands.

I've never been a huge fan of Dreamworks, the first Shrek movie was great but I have trouble even picking a second favourite movie of theirs. I've always found their character designs offputting. The artwork in the movie overall is very good…the settings the backgrounds the buildings all look terrific but the characters themselves…just look goofy and not goofy in a fun way, goofy in an 'am I supposed to believe this mongoloid alien is a person' kind of way.

I hate the musical aspects of this movie as well, it just doesn't fit. The music in a story like this is to keep the kids engaged…to make otherwise dark or boring parts of the story more interesting and recapturing a short attention span. However when the story is grim and the music is grim…it just doesn't work with the sad ballads. I'm sure there are some people who like that kind of thing but I'm not one of them. Even as a kid when I liked musical cartoon feature length movies I didn't care for the music in this one at all. The music just isn't good it doesn't flow well it's not catchy or memorable and some of it is downright cringeworthy.

I can also see the movie being polarizing for the religious elements. It opens with the disclaimer that they took some artistic license but felt it was a faithful adapation of the story. However when you adapt a story there's so much room for…adding here…taking away there…altering one single word can change so much and is considered apostasy. However sometimes those changes can also bring a story more alive. One thing that stood out to me in this vein is when moses kills the slavedriver. In the movie it's presented like as though it was an accident to make him a more sympathetic character and to avoid taking a moral stance on killing oppressors. The reality is he saw his people being abused by evil men and killed one out of rage. By altering this it presents a moral perspective not present in or consistent with the Bible that says killing is always wrong no matter what. And it attempts to present Moses as a more benevolent and perfect figure than he was, which ruins the notion of God using imperfect people to do great things. They hammer this home by doing a whole song and dance about how great Moses is. Moses is feeling unworthy and he overcomes this self doubt by "looking at his life through heavens eyes" thus attributing this veneration of Moses to God. Rather than Moses bringing glory to God they reverse this and have God bringing glory to Moses. Now maybe this is intentional or maybe an accidental consequence of a slight "artistic" alteration of the story. just to give an idea for how much of a departure it is this is the full story as it appears in the Bible/Torah.

Exodus 2:11 11 Years later, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people, and took notice of their heavy burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking around and seeing no one else, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 Going out the next day, Moses noticed two Hebrew men fighting right in front of him. He told the one who was at fault, “Why did you strike your companion?” 14 The man replied, “Who appointed you to be an official judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses became terrified and told himself, “Certainly this event has become known!”

I'm sorry but that's a wildly different story than the one presented in the film, where he accidentally bumps a man off a ledge and is immediately offered immunity by Rameses which he turns down out of guilt. This is just one example but there's more.

What I did like about the movie is that i've always hated ancient egypt…it was an evil, oppressive, demonic empire and I hate the way there's a fascination with it that doesn't acknowledge or glosses over these things. The movie showcases just a small portion of their evil and it's always fun to watch an evil empire get pwned and seeing slaves go free.

I'm very conflicted about movies like this in general, I don't like seeing Bible stories as tales to sit and watch for entertainment. This isn't a story made up to entertain it's a historical and religious story told so we'll know the tale and it's importance spiritually. I'm not opposed to it in general I'm not saying it's wrong I just have mixed feelings about it. Seeing a story about the one true God delivering people from slavery... on the shelf next to a story about an ogre rescuing a princess…I dunno man. I just don't think the word of God is meant to be a story consumed for passing the time. I think part of the problem is I found the movie aggressively mediocre…and it almost feels wrong to say that about a Bible story…but Bible stories shouldn't be judged on their entertainment value at all. It's like judging a steak dinner for how much it tastes like candy….it does a bad job of it…but it's not supposed to and is meant to do something more important for you.

Overall it's not a terrible movie and it definitely seems like it was made in earnest, it was clearly not created to be a mockery or to diminish the story, it fails in some areas but succeeds in others. I think this is more of a take it with a grain of salt thing and not a throw the whole thing out kind of thing.

C+

[aceofstars16]

1, 3-5, 8-12, & 16-20 for Jade Torch, please?

Finally getting around to answering another one! 😂

1. what got you into this story?

Haha, well I’ve been friends with @dragonanne for…almost 10 years I think??? So I’ve know a little about it/seen art of the characters for a *while* and even read some of the webcomic she started before deciding that a book would work better. So…yeah…and like I mean, dragons, why wouldn’t I want to read about dragons???

3. quickly list 3 things you like about the story!

Interesting and fun characters, beautiful illustrations, a very intriguing plot and world that is so thought out I LOVE IT

4. assign this story a hyper-specific genre name, e.g. "inspirational religious semi-horror sci-fi western"

Uhhhhh…I’m so bad at these…political intrigue/adventure/fantasy with Christian undertones/ DRAGONS

5. do you have a favorite character? who?

Oh man….this is so hard! Ughhh how do I pick?!? It’s hard not to love Gabryl, but I LOVE Lune too, and Kenneth…and so many others pfft 😂 (also this insanely minor character that hasn’t even shown up yet, but I got to help name him so I love him lol)

8. what questions are or were you most excited to learn the answers to while experiencing the story for the first time?

Well…it’s still ongoing so uh…there are a lot of things I still don’t know haha, I genuinely think I just…am curious about the…gosh what are the called, like the forgotten lands? (I’m too lazy to grab my book 😅), I don’t know if they will come up later but they intrigue me 😂 (and just like….how everything ends up too lol)

9. give the most UNHELPFUL and/or SILLY summary possible.

For the first book: A princess goes on a mission and ends up severely traumatized (sorry, not sorry 😂)

10. if you made an amv about this, what song would you set it to?

I was literally blanking but uh….then I remembered “Unpack Your Heart” and yes, it’s a Henry/Jo song for me but I actually love the idea of it for Lune (maybe with a specific person *cough* Kenneth *cough* but….it really could work with a lot of her friends cause they all care for her a lot 😭)

11. if you were put in the main character's position, how well would that go for you on a scale of 1-5?

Nooooo! Please no! 1 maybe, I already have enough trauma…though having a dragon bond would be cool…so that part would be fun at least 😂

12. assuming your loved ones would be there, would you want to live in the world of the story?

Hmmm…if it was post war era then yeah, I want a dragon 😂

16. do you think this story has broad appeal, or is it meant for a very specific audience? if it's more "niche", what kind of person would most enjoy this story?

I mean, I feel like anyone can enjoy it? It’s fantasy but with some political elements and Christian themes, which I feel like isn’t really niche?

17. compare this story to your usual tastes. how does it differ from what you've already enjoyed?

I think the only thing is the politics. Normally I’m not big on those in stories, but they play into the story and it’s not like, as confusing to me as other stories so I don’t mind it and genuinely do enjoy how they add to the plot

18. compare this story to your usual tastes. what parts of it are exactly the kind of thing you've always loved?

Close friendship! Dragons! Adventures! Just the love the characters have for each other makes me 🥹

19. pitch an idea for a sequel or spinoff novel for this story!

Oooo, honestly a prequel about Noein and how the whole Eliesic Corps was founded could be really cool!

20. what's the WORST thing about this story, in your opinion? (feel free to be positive, e.g. "it's not longer", if you want!)

I mean…I just want to read more of it but also like, I knowing writing takes time so, I will wait 😂

[2340336]

Thousands Gather for Vaisakhi Celebrations

Sikh festival  Vaisakhi brings local community together in celebration.

By Kaitlyn Guy

Vaisakhi celebrations transformed West Park, Wolverhampton last Sunday into a kaleidoscope of colour and culture. The festival marks the year 1699 where Sikhism was officially birthed as a collective religion.

Festivities commenced between 12:00-17:00 BST, the park filled with entertainment, local stalls, and plenty of smiling faces.

The Guru Nanak Satsang Gurdwara on Cannock Road to West Park, held a parade beforehand starting at 08:30 BST, filling the streets with members of the Sikh community, dhol drums and vibrant flags.

Pictured: Harry Jones Company Funfair and arial view of West Park.

While celebrated by members of the Sikh faith worldwide, the event welcomed people of all ethnicities and religions, a celebration encouraging the local community to come together with musicians, fairgrounds and an array of food stalls. One attendee, Adam Saul-Braddock shared, “It was a great day out with the fun fair and all the musicians, but it was really interesting to learn more about another culture that I don’t know much about.” He continued to say, “My favourite part was the fun fair even though it was a bit expensive it was still a really fun day.”

Throughout the day different musicians played on stage, with singers and performers with dhol drums playing traditional music that got the crowds of people singing and dancing along, as well as individuals giving speeches to the crowd that listened carefully. Many set up picnic blankets across the field to enjoy the day with good food, music and their families.

Pictured: Performers on stage singing and playing traditional music.

The Story of Vaisakhi

In 1699, Sikhs from all over the Punjab region gathered together to celebrate the local spring harvest festival, Vaisakhi. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, came out of a tent carrying a sword, where he asked anyone who was willing to give their life for their region to step forward.

A young man had stepped forward and went into the tent with Guru Gobind Singh. Walking out of the tent alone with a sword covered in blood, Guru Gobind Singh asked for another volunteer. He did this until five volunteers went into the tent.

After the fifth volunteer everyone was concerned and confused, yet the Guru returned with all five of the volunteers, all safe. He called them the Panj Piare or 'Beloved Five' and the first Khalsa in the Sikh tradition.

The title of Khalsa refers to the people whose spirit and life is not property of any king, dictator or messenger of the creator, but to the one Universal Creator. The Sikh faith was founded on the idea that there is only one Universal Creator, therefore meaning that everyone, regardless of their religion, gender, ethnicity, race or other attributes, are equal.

Pictured: A group of people enjoying a set up book stall.

Vaisakhi’s traditional colours are yellow and orange, reflecting the spirit of rebirth and the being the colours of joy and festivities. When celebrated in the Punjab region, the wheat fields are bright yellow and are ready for harvest. Wolverhampton’s festivities were no exception to this tradition, with an array of orange flags painting the streets during the morning parade and being a noticeable element of the celebrations throughout the day continuing.

Pictured: Harry Jones Company Fun Fair.

I asked another local attendee for their thoughts on the celebrations. Molly Turner, a young Wolverhampton local shared: “I came to the park for the fair for the Easter holidays and didn’t know about the other events happening today, but it’s been good to try some new food and see so many people because usually Wolves is really quiet and nothing is going on.”

Local events like this are evidently important to build a culturally rich community within Wolverhampton, celebrating a religious festival and bringing people from all backgrounds together with good food, music and conversation.

DISCLAIMER

‘The information contained on this site is intended for educational purposes only. It is a platform to train the University of Wolverhampton Multimedia Journalism students in online journalism practices and decision-making. The opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of the University of Wolverhampton. The University of Wolverhampton makes no representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, regarding the information, content, materials, products or services included on this site. The University of Wolverhampton does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information contained within this site, and in no event shall the University of Wolverhampton be liable under any theory of law for any indirect, incidental, punitive or consequential damages. The University of Wolverhampton will not be held responsible for information provided through external links to other websites’.

[semper-legens]

51. The Charioteer of Delphi, by Caroline Lawrence

Owned?: Yes Page count: 225 My summary: In Rome, a famous racehorse has gone missing - and Lupus has a connection, with a boy his mother sent to Rome to work in the races. The four friends are once again off to Rome to solve a mystery, but is there more to the horse’s disappearance than meets the eye? My rating: 3.5/5 My commentary:

More Roman Mysteries! I'd let this series fall by the wayside a bit, but I'm gonna finish it, particularly as I'm into the later books. Though, admittedly, this is one that I don't favour as much. Part of it is that this is a book about chariot racing, an aspect of Roman history that I don't particularly care about - although the usual care is given to depict it with accuracy in a way that would be educational to the young readers of this book. Another part is that the mystery element of this plot is a little…stranger, than in previous books. I'll get into that in a bit. It's a solid entry into the series, however, and features my beloved Sisyphus, the definitive coded-gay character of my childhood. But it does just sort of feel more 'oh we're doing chariot races now' than that aspect being built organically into the plot as with other books.

This is a series that treats the Roman and Greek myths as having a genuine, if vague, truth to them, as well as depicting the Jewish and nascent Christian God as real. Characters get visions from the gods or hear guiding voices or are spurred on by religious figures. This is a fact of life. But where this book differs is that Nubia is horse-psychic now. She's always been depicted as being good with animals, but this was always seen as being an aspect of her gentle character and the knowledge that she brought from home. In this book, however, she can talk to horses. Well, horses give her visions (she sees Pegasus' fear at encountering fire, and where some idols are hidden) but it amounts to the same thing. Which is…not as jarring as it could have been, but it does stand out as being overtly supernatural in a series that isn't in any way fantasy. Sure, there's an element of the mythological to it, but it still sticks out. It's odd, that's all I'm saying.

As I said, the racing aspect of this book doesn't really interest me personally, though I am willing to admit that this is my own personal thing, rather than the subject itself being less interesting. Lawrence treats it with the same depth of information as she does gladiators, or Vesuvius, or any other aspect of Roman life depicted within these books. (Actually, it feels particularly timely - as I write this, the Grand National at Aintree, near where my mum works, just finished.) I like the focus given to the culture around the races as much as the races themselves; who supports which teams and why, and the lives of the racers and their horses. The mystery of this book winds itself around the intrigue around the lives of a few different racers, and the reality of the harshness of their lives is not sugarcoated. Racers and horses alike straight-up died from crashes and being trampled - many racers were enslaved, and were treated much the same as the horses themselves. Again, it's that maturity that this series shows that I very much appreciate.

And, you know, serious props for having a historical autistic character in Scopas. He's explicitly labelled as autistic by Lawrence's postscript, but the symptoms are obvious in his behaviour - alright, it's hardly the most subtle depiction, but this is a book for 8-12 year olds, and I think it really works here. Scopas is odd, but his oddities are never really demonised; they're a quirk of him, like Nubia's speech patterns or Jonathan's pessimism. The narrative doesn't treat him like a freak or a victim, it treats him like a kid working to achieve his dream of becoming a racer. He's not any more infantilised than the others. And it respects his knowledge and experience in dealing with horses; not in a Rain Man way, even, just that he's a kid who knows a lot about horses. It's a very plausible depiction of a historical autistic kid, and one that I really liked!

Next, the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

[yuvraajsinghchauhan2000]

Blog 6

Politics - Analyzing brown (South Asian) characters in films and media in the west.

I will be talking about the portrayal of South Asian or brown characters in western films and how it promotes misinformation and stereotyping of South Asians.

Fig 1 : Examining the inaccurate portrayal of Indians in Western media.

Being from a South Asian heritage myself, the representation of my culture and its people in western films has somewhat been a tragic experience for me. Every culture on earth is different and of course the people who belong to these cultures understand both the complexities and the nature of their cultures. It gets political when these cultures are represented by outsiders ( people not belonging to the same culture) and can result in marginalization and stereotyping of the people, especially when it is portrayed on a grand stage. English being the language that unites the world for communication, its media is consumed by the audience much larger when compared to media in other languages, which ultimately means that the media such as films, Web series, music etc that are in English hold the power to shape opinions and beliefs of the majority of the earth's population. The English speaking media industry or the western film industry therefore has a huge responsibility when portraying different cultures as it can have both positive or negative impact on how these cultures are perceived. Therefore in this blog I choose to look at the role of western film industry in shaping beliefs about brown cultures. Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. He has served as a Sub-Editor at DailyO, an online publication under the India Today Group. In one of his articles he states that, "Hollywood productions (and English language films in general) have to go a long way in terms of representation of identities like the so-called 'brown identity'. While brown-skinned characters from India and its neighbors have been featured in English films for a long time, they often fall prey to stereotypes or appropriation. Even though portraying an Indian character and their struggles might seem like 'Oscar bait', some of the elements in these stories hardly feel relatable to local Indians as well as the Indian-American diaspora" (Thapa, 2022). One of the biggest examples being the 2008 Oscar winning film Slumdog, Millionaire

Fig 2 : A still from Slumdog Millionaire.

The film is based on Dharavi a place in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Dharavi is home to a lot of slums but that is not the only thing about it. It is home to over a million people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds and is a center for business ventures. It is home to thousands of extremely successful small enterprises in industries like food processing, soap production, leather tanning, woodworking, jewelry making, needlework, and pottery. The recycling of waste is a particularly successful sector. The annual worth of the goods produced in Dharavi is estimated to be $500 million but that is not what is represented in the film, instead anyone watching the film would build a certain perception of not just Dharavi or Mumbai but India in general being a poor place. Mitu Sengupta from the department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University, Canada states that, "While it is true that Dharavi's perennially under-resourced community groups have touched only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, it is important to acknowledge their efforts and agency, along with the simple fact that the slum's residents, despite their grinding poverty, have valuable lives, generous spirits, and a resourcefulness that stretches far beyond the random, Darwinian sort depicted in the film" (Sengupta, 2010).

A popular television show guilty of a similar deed is an American television sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" that aired from September 24 2007, to May 16 2019, running for 12 seasons.

Fig 3 : The characters from the early seasons of The Big Bang Theory.

Played by Kunal Nayyar, Raj Koothrappali is one of the characters who is patient and nice but his friends make fun of him for being effeminate in his fashion sense and enjoyment of cooking, he is extremely sheltered and thus has very little experience in the real world. This show is special to me as it is one of the first foreign shows I saw that had a brown character as one of the main characters and that made me so excited to watch the show but it turned out to be disappointing for me. He consistently ruins relationships with women by becoming strangely engrossed in them and having romantic fantasies about getting married and starting a family. He appeares to be less independent and is almost always the fifth wheel in the group. A youtube channel by the name of Nerdstalgic describes it the best in one of their videos, "Is the comedy of The Big Bang Theory laughing with the characters, or is the humour meant to be at their expense" (Nerdtsalgic, 2023).

Vid 1 : The Unfortunate Problem With Big Bang Theory's Raj Koothrappali

Raj's character enforces several stereotypes about Indian men which creates a general perception among others which may directly impact the lives of some Indian men in regards to their self perception. As Pritheva Zakaria, Journalism and English Student at New York University, USA states that, "Of course, the stereotypes of South Asian and Asian people in general can apply to some individuals, but it simply does not represent the race as a whole. Just like how you can’t assign a group to one personality trait, you can’t generalize the characteristics of South Asian people. We are all very different in our livelihoods and experiences, and we undergo different life experiences and paths. But nevertheless, we deserve to see that on screen as much as everyone else" (Zakaria, 2024).

This has been an underlying theme over the years in not just these two shows but in many other as well where South Asian characters and cultures fall into a certain stereotype which relates to broader issues of online hate of people belonging to these groups. Stop Asian hate, South Asian Movement for Accessing Justice (SAMAJ) South Asian Women's Organizations (SAWOs) and stop brown hate are some of the movements that address issues related to the stereotypes faced by Asian communities. I think that to promote a healthy environment for people from different communities to help express themselves can only be done when people are not subjected to stereotypes and it is brought to people's knowledge that there are differences within different groups of people and being open minded and accepting is a must.

References

Fig 1 : Bahl, D. (2020) Examining the inaccurate portrayal of Indians in Western media, Available at : https://elestoque.org/2020/09/12/uncategorized/indian-misrepresentation-in-media/

Fig 2 : IMDb.com, Slumdog Millionaire, Available at : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/?ref_=tt_mv_close

Fig 3 : IMDb.com, The Big Bang Theory, Available at : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898266/

Vid 1 : Nerdstalgic, (2023) The Unfortunate Problem With Big Bang Theory's Raj Koothrappali, Youtube.com, Available at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0VL-2VYsks&t=40s

Thapa, S. (2022) 15 Stereotypes Indians Are Tired Of Seeing In Western Movies & TV, Available at : https://screenrant.com/indian-stereotypes-western-film-tv/

Zakaria, P. (2024) Brown girls don’t always have to be the smartest in the room, in fact, the opposite might be more empowering than you think, Available at : https://generasian.blog/2024/03/31/brown-girls-dont-always-have-to-be-the-smartest-in-the-room-in-fact-the-opposite-might-be-more-empowering-than-you-think/

Sengupta, M. (2010) ‘A Million Dollar Exit from the Anarchic Slum-world: Slumdog Millionaire’s hollow idioms of social justice’, Third World Quarterly, 31(4), pp. 599–616. doi: 10.1080/01436591003701117.

[randyfrushour]

continuing

Little Book Open

by Randall Frushour

-Revelation chapter 10 - Daniel chapter 9

Stand Alone

Could it now then more be fitting to consider that the 70th Week remain undisclosed? Perhaps to be reserved for Gentile' roles in our contemporary society particularly so during the prophesied "1,260 Days of the Two Witnesses" event, prior to and segue just the last battle of Armageddon? An era still culminating quite near the end of one thousand years more? Do we really and perspectly review things? How all of creation awaits this final hour and not only be a handful of choice believers contouring the scripture to paint their futures!

Astronomer scientists might apply by Ai lintelligent measurement apportioning the 70 Weeks, period of days. Particularly so the 70th week yet undetermind by scholar review.

According to the Bible Christians will be as "part with the Resurrection" at the Rapture. However two things, this part in the rapture is a millennium (ahead) moment before it as well over all the millennium after it, as all while in that case the rest of humanity left in the world might have to seriously rely on technological systems and advance measurements, to survive, basically. The Gentile ruler who will wield power as comparable to that first beast of Revelation 13 will play a pivotal role in this by measuring the earth and covering the heavens. Habakkuk 3: 3-6. 

The Gentile ruler is often interpreted as a future world leader who will come to power during the end times. Not to belabor here that he may be a powerful and charismatic figure who, some say, will deceive many people into following him. Paul states: the Lord will cause them to believe a lie. Many more see that scripture in Revelation 13 depicting the first beast before him, it reads "who deceives and that, causes" all to recieve the Mark of the Beast and he, or it, causes all who do not to be killed. Some distinction, though it's okay by me if the two distinctions are for ever and a day conflated in constant comment. That it's the second beast, the Gentile human leader and not the first beast, Earth's advance system of technologies all balled in one program.

The fulfillment of the Red Dragon prophecy, yet another sign of the end times, is now in our rear view mirror.

VERSE 3 and 4 REVELATION CHAPTER 12

And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

What is The Sign Of The Son of Man? Is it the Red Dragon? Is the rapture, that sign? Is the sun's ceasing to shine, the sign? Who knows which is?

The James Webb Space Telescope in our skies now is such the perfect match to the Red Dragon. Is the JWST the Red Dragon?

As it is, that much passes us by. We read it as it is, whether a stand-alone prophecy or a biblical commandment.

We continue, discussing interpretations of passages from the Book of Revelation, particularly next in Revelation 11 and events surrounding the end times. It suggests a unique perspective on how certain elements in the text relate to control of earth and the role of various entities. Interpretation of prophetic texts can vary widely among scholars and theologians and it's essential to approach them with a sense of humbleness and a respect for differing viewpoints. Our own understanding is what critically matters  momentarily. Every moment. 

The Book of Revelation is known for illustration and complexity making it a subject of ongoing debate and study among scholars and religious communities. If you have specific questions or seek further discussion on this topic, feel free to ask and I'll do my absolute best to provide with information and insight based on my knowledge and what then is available for us to look more at to date.

Regarding Revelation 11: 1, passage mentioning the "court given to the gentiles," it's primarily intent to so signify relinquishing control of the earth and skies from the Saints. Not to mention Satan who has power over the air but at that not for much longer in the scheme of God's prophetic plan. For Satan and rest is history at this point anyway, the church raptured and gone and secured in the sky above. Additionally there, is reference to the Holy Spirit "now taken out of the way," with no mention though for Satan who subsequent is taken and thrown into the bottomless pit. This pit, metaphorically described as cross microcosmic, electron, cosmological, molecular-level atmosphere enveloping earth, is where transitioning and transmitting, Satan fulfills his JWST role above us and out of the earth. Go figure. Or  just to say the JWST fulfills its roll and his role anyway, and thus then, Satan thrown into the pit.

World Leaders Take Control here in the End Times

According to the Bible, world leaders will eventually take control of climate and ecological agendas indefinitely, as well as the economies and scientific development of the world. This will happen during the arrival of the ten kings or kingdoms associated with the seven-headed beast, and it will be a time of rapid technological advancement. The saying "a day is as a thousand years" hints at the transformative nature of these events.

The situation will persist until at least the appearance of the Two Witnesses, which marks another significant turning point in Earth's affairs. At that time, clarity will undoubtedly prevail for everyone.

This passage from the Bible suggests that the end times will be a time of great upheaval and change. 

NOTE: At end of this ebook I may insert an at length commentary that BARD gave to me interestingly, in cohesive essay on my topic and above remarks. And below next are remarks we need to mum  discuss further. Emails and review comments for this ebook I'll address thoroughly in the second book of the Last Bible Keys series. 

 

Following are some possible implications of this passage, according to Bard, on just from what I'm writing .. 

..World leaders may use their power to address climate change and ecological problems, but they may also use it to exploit and control people.

Technological advancement may lead to new discoveries and innovations, but it may also be used to create new weapons and surveillance systems.

The appearance of the two witnesses may signal a time of great spiritual awakening, or it may simply be a reference to two specific individuals who will play a key role in the end times.

Bard quips "ultimately, the meaning of this passage is up to each individual to interpret". However, it is clear that the Bible warns us that the end times will be a time of great change and upheaval. It is also clear that God promises that He will be with us through it all.

Here is one possible scenario for how this passage could play out:

World leaders become increasingly concerned about the threat of climate change and ecological collapse. They decide to take control of these issues in order to ensure the survival of humanity.

They use their power to invest in renewable energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect endangered species. However, they also use their power to crack down on dissent and silence critics.

Technological advancement accelerates during this time. New technologies are developed to help address climate change and other environmental problems. However, these technologies are also used to create new surveillance systems and weapons.

The two witnesses appear during this time. They are two individuals who are called by God to speak out against the injustices of the world and to prepare people for His return.

The appearance of the two witnesses marks a turning point in Earth's affairs. People begin to see the world in a new light, and they realize that the current system is not sustainable.

Clarity eventually prevails, and people begin to work together to create a better future.

This is just one possible scenario, and it is important to remember that the Bible does not provide all the details about what will happen in the end times. However, this passage does give us a glimpse of what to expect. It is a time of great change and upheaval, but it is also a time of hope. God is with us through it all, and He will lead us to a better future.

Gentiles Role in The Millennial Reign 

Revelation 11:1-3 describes how Gentiles will play a significant role in the Millennial Reign, which is the 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity that will follow Christ's Return. This is a continuation of the prophetic timeline that began with Daniel, who was instructed to seal up the words and the book until the time of the end, which encompasses the second coming of Christ and "time of the resurrection" of the dead at the conclusion of this millennium.

During the Millennial Reign, Gentiles will rule along in time as Christs reign and help to bring about His plan for the earth. Not once is this mentioned from scripture how they give their power and strength unto the beast to fulfill the words of God. It will be a time of profound understanding of God's plan, and people will no longer be left in confusion. Instead, this knowledge will be deeply ingrained in them, in hearts and minds.

Prophecy suggests that all people on Earth will worship the Lord during the Millennial Reign at least so once a year. This will be a transformation that has never transpired before. People will have experienced the very near total desolation and consumption of the planet, but they will ultimately come to know the Lord as a merciful Savior. Even some, likely everyone who were not taken during the judgment days of Earth will turn to Him for sustenance and guidance, marking a new beginning.

Habakkuk 2: 3 implore us to wait for the vision of the end days with the final, last end, assuring us it, the days, will come without delay.

I believe that this "vision of all" as spoken of in Habakkuk and told by Isaiah in chapter 29, which has of effect been around since the turn of the century, is now coming into fruition. The siege mounts and footings of the Iraq, Afghanistan and Iranian wars were just the beginning and we'll see it commence at around the time of the 2024 elections picking up the text in Daniel 11: 18-20 considering everything written in prophecy about the Vision and Prophecy of "many days" of the latter times also told as latter days of the world.

Certainly, in Daniel chapter 7, the fourth terrible beast represents convergence technology, and there are four of them mentioned. In contrast, Revelation chapter 13 describes two beasts. One of them, the first, symbolizes a digitalized or decentralized, technological, empirical system, while the other represents a man, possibly a Gentile ruler who wields the power equally of the first beast. This ruler is said to subdue or overtake three of the ten kings and kingdoms of the 7 head beast. It's got to be referring to the seven continents. 

We are exploring the possibility that the roles of the Two Witnesses and the last half of the 70th Week may have already been partially predetermined, with their full realization occurring at the end of the 1,000 years. These witnesses will have prophesied for 1,260 days, which coincide with the latter half of the 70th week in total years. From this perspective, it suggests that the "appointed end" could serve as a blueprint, a guide, program, or playbook for future events.

It's crucial to acknowledge that interpretations of biblical prophecies can vary significantly, and each statement reflects a particular viewpoint on the matter.