#not to say like 'oh the bible is LITERALLY THE ONLY THING WE SHOULD EVER REFERENCE EVER NO EXCEPTIONS'

[quill-is-brainstorming]

I've just re-read the short lived duel that Aeneas and Achilles have in Book 20 of the Iliad and it's actually the most hilarious fucking thing.

So it starts out with Apollo disguising himself as Lycaon, one of Priam's many sons, and telling to have a go at Achilles. Keep in mind that this is post-Patroclus Achilles. Aka: berserk Achilles. Aka: so fucking mad he would fight a literal river Achilles.

Aeneas, who is capable of critical thinking, says he doubts he can actually take him on. He also references a time when he was herding cattle on Mount Ida and Achilles ambushed him, adding that the only reason he survived then was because Zeus gave him enough strength to book it (cracking up the official times that he's been saved by a god from certain death to 3, you go dude!).

However, after a bit of back and forth and a ton of hyping up on Apollo's part, Aeneas decides to try anyway.

Like, what could possibly go wrong?

Achilles notices Aeneas charging at him and he begins to taunt him. It's something among the lines of: "I'm sorry, are you, background trojan character #61, actually gonna try and beat me? And then what? Do you think that Priam will reward you in some way? Maybe making you king after him? Well it's BULLSHIT, because Priam fucked so much that your chances of succeeding him are basically 0. Ahah. Loser."

Now, you'd think that maybe Aeneas got enraged at the comment and attacked him, or maybe he even got scared and backed down, but NOPE. What does Aeneas do?

Well, first of all, he insults Achilles' insults, comparing his bickering to that of a child. Literally, "I heard third graders do better than that." And then he decides to list his and Hector's entire fucking family tree.

You know that part of the Bible that's like "this guy sired this other guy, and this other guy sired yet another guy" and so on? It's basically that.

So after he's done with all that, Aeneas states that while he'd love to have a battle of insults with Achilles, because according to him he's actually very good at insulting people (his words, not mine), they should probably throw hands now. Achilles agrees.

The duel is shortlived and Aeneas gets his ass handed to him. Badly. As expected. And he's about die when ✨️POV shift✨️ we're not on Olympus where Poseidon, Hera and Athena are watching this absolute train wreck go down.

Poseidon, pitying Aeneas, suddenly goes on a rant. It's something among the lines of: "come on guys, look at him, he's just a little guy! He literally has no stakes in this war, he doesn't deserve to die here! He even gives us lots of gifts and sacrifices, he's literally such a nice guy. How can we do this to him!?

...oh and also he's part of some prophecy, Zeus would get mad if he died."

The fact that the way it's worded makes it sound like Aeneas being part of a literal prophecy is an afterthought to him absolutely floors me, Poseidon is literally just attached to a random dude that's fighting on the opposite side to his because he thinks he's nice.

After all that Hera is pretty unimpressed and states that she really doesn't care if our man lives or dies as neither her or Athena have ever saved a Trojan from death, she however adds that Poseidon is free to do whatever he wants.

The literal moment Hera stops talking, Poseidon lunges down from Olympus and onto the battlefield to look for the two combatants. When he does, he saves Aeneas like only he can do.

You know how when Diomedes first tries to kill Aeneas, Aphrodite gently folds her hands around him to shield him? There's none of that here. Poseidon just runs up to him and literally flings the motherfucker.

It literally says that he flies "high in the air". It's like a Looney Toons sketch.

So Aeneas lands and, while he's obviously a bit dazed, Poseidon proceeds to call him a madman and essentially tells him to never do something stupid like that again and just wait until Achilles is dead, then he'll be able to murder Achaeans to his heart's content. Aeneas is fine with that.

Achilles, who just saw his opponent just get yeeted into the fucking sky, just shrugs and goes "welp, guess that guy's off limits, I'm gonna go kill someone else now I guess lol".

This entire scene is pure fucking gold and the fact that I've literally never seen anyone talk about it just breaks my heart.

#tagamemnon #trojan war #the iliad #the aeneid #achilles #aeneas #apollo #poseidon #hera #athena

[catholic-character-tournament]

Semi-Finals - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Sister Michael

She drives a DeLorean. She does judo on Fridays. She likes a good statue and despises the French. Her full nun name is Sister George Michael, after the guy from Wham!. She is the fiercest nun you’ll ever come across and, if you’re attending Lady Immaculate College, she’s the woman in charge. So whatever you do, if you’re feeling anxious or worried or just need a chat: don’t come crying to her.

joined the nunnery for the free accommodation?

she does love a good statue it has to be said

She is the headmistress of a catholic school <3

sister michael so reminds me of the nuns who taught me. they're tough and sometimes a little harsher than a woman who dedicated her life to god should be but they're also wonderful people. i had a nun teacher who was 60 years old and would do handstands. another nun (also in her 60s) told me god was nonbinary. another was really mean and made me cry. (so did the handstand nun.) while the catholic girls school is The Catholic Experience, the school wouldn't have been the same for me or the derry girls without at least one nun who seemed to have sprung up out of the ground fully formed, ageless.

Shadow

In sonic destruction (the AI generated fan thing snapcube made a while ago) shadow was catholic or something which I think is reallyyyyyyy funny

Ok listen. I know this is a stretch but hear me out. He says “oh my God” in the Twitter takeovers so we know this is a possibility. I see him as a Christ-like figure because I saw his whole confrontation with Mephiles and was like “this is a thing that happened in the Bible??” and the pose Mephiles shows him in is literally like a crucifixion and Mephiles is meant to be a demon / false prophet reference. And also he’s called a demon in Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 then the guy who calls him that is like “I was wrong I’m sorry” and that also reminds me of a thing with Jesus in The Bible. But the biggest reason is his whole thing with Maria cause I think he’d come to earth and hear Ave Maria once and convert to Catholicism idk he’s like we’re comforted by a female familial figure named Mary sometimes called Maria?? And her color is blue????? Heck yeah I’m in because I Will Cry. Also feel free to share this as propaganda obv even if he doesn’t get in the bracket just. It’s funny.

I feel like he’d battle a lot with being seen or portrayed as a demon and how the aliens he’s related to very much look and act like demons idk lmao- and also I feel like confession would just be good for him I think he needs it for his mental health

There is a debate on the lovely website tunblr that Shadow T. Hedgehog is an allegory for Jesus Christ.

He is Jesus, idk what to tell you. He lived, he was sealed away, he was awakened again and deemed the ultimate lifeforms, he’s angry but not evil, does what he believes is best for people and the world at any given time. Total loser.

Vote for Shadow the Hedgehog

There seems to be some confusion in the notes. He is Catholic. It may not be explicit, but it can be inferred.

Shadow was created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, and for the early part of his life, lived with Gerald and his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik.

Robotnik is not a made-up name. Google Search results may only bring up pages related to the Robotniks of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, however, it is a rarely used Polish surname. Poland is a historically Catholic nation, and… come on. Maria is the most Catholic name ever. The Robotniks are Catholic. Shadow was created and raised by Catholics.

Now you may be wondering to yourself: Does Catholicism even exist in Sonic? The answer is yes, at least in the Archie comics, where Protestants are explicitly mentioned.

64.media.tumblr.com

Couple this with the fact that several characters, including Shadow, have canonically taken the Lord’s name in vain, it is reasonable to infer that Christianity, and therefore Catholicism, exists.

So… while Shadow’s own religious beliefs may not have been explicitly addressed… at minimum:

Catholic is a cultural designation that Shadow will always be allowed to claim based on the family that made him.

Whether he’d actually want to claim that designation is a different conversation, but the other propaganda does a fine job of explaining why it may be appropriate to headcanon him as a practicing Catholic.

Now that we’ve established that Shadow has as much of a right to be in this tournament as anyone else, there’s one very important reason you should vote for him:

It would be funny if he won.

Thank you.

64.media.tumblr.com

Essays are done!! Here’s some Shadow propaganda because the propaganda we currently have sucks and I need to fix that. While yes, Shadow being Catholic is a meme, there is more to outside of the simple “fandub said so” and its not quite stated its Catholicism but just how he behaves and his actions. There’s a lot of Sonic content so I will try to keep this brief. Gonna get headcanons out of the way.

Shadow is Chilean and so are Maria and Gerald Robotnik because I fucking say so and they’re Catholic. He definitely had un rosario next to his like. Bed or test tube whatever he slept in. So did Maria btw. Alright let’s move on because I am 100% correct.

Let’s start with some background for Shadow. Shadow was created as a cure for a girl called Maria and he grew to care for her as a sister and loved her deeply. He was artificially created but still holds a soul that is similar to Maria’s. Long story short, Maria is killed protecting Shadow who watches as she’s shot in front of him. He has his memories tampered by Maria’s grandfather, Gerald, who manipulates him into carrying out revenge on the Earth, even if Shadow ends up as collateral.

Shadow struggles with frequent identity crises, even before Maria’s death and always wondered what his purpose was, what he was made to do. Was he a weapon? Was he a cure? He’s the Ultimate Lifeform, but what does that truly mean? ? He’s Shadow, but what more is there to him? He doesn’t know what his purpose is other than what others have prescribed to him, and he guides himself through the will of others (something that he breaks through afterwards but not yet). Shadow at his core is self-sacrificing and constantly punishes himself. This is where you can see some of that good old guilt that everyone has been using as propaganda, but we also see someone who is giving and kind.

He is snarky in the game, especially when interacting with Sonic, but he’s having what is essentially an ongoing mental breakdown but keeps moving because it is his duty to his sister. He doesn’t believe himself important enough to continue on after her and sees it in himself to act out on “Maria’s wishes”. After the revelation that Maria’s final wish for Shadow was for him to make those on Earth happy and to protect them, he immediately sacrifices himself to do so.

Okay, that’s a lot and you’re probably asking “Okay, you mentioned he is a giving person and yeah he has guilt, but that’s not really Catholicism” and yes you would be right! So let’s go into the more important part of being Catholic. The charity, the community, the kindness, etc. Shadow is a very reserved person and has the habit of being a dumb teenager because well. Yeah. Anyways, he definitely has a soft spot for those he cares about and while his whole arc (in my opinion) is about finding the freedom of self-autonomy, it is also Shadow growing as a person and deciding not to save people because others have told him he needs to, but because he wants to. It is born from his soul and its his nature to care for people. It is who he is, and he knows it now. He’s not doing it because he’s a hero or because he is told to do so. Shadow is a very giving person and I think people tend to forget about that especially due to bad writing from the past decade or so. He is also stated to help out at food shelters and volunteers a lot. He is proud and a bit prickly, but he cares so deeply about those he loves. He is stronger with his loved ones and will always do his best to protect them. These are minor, yeah, but you don’t need sweeping and enormous acts to get attention for the good deeds you do. Most of what you apply of Catholicism is done at the personal level, between your friends, family, and community.He also goes to Mass whenever he can and if he can’t he goes to the capilla and also does the sign of the cross whenever he runs by a church. Cutting this off because this is already 740-ish words and I had to send these across multiple asks I am so sorry Catholic mod

#cct polls #tumblr tournament #tumblr bracket #tumblr polls #polls #r7 #the derry girls #derry girls #sister michael #sonic the hedgehog #Sonic Destruction #shadow the hedgehog

[geekgirles]

Disclaimer: I am well aware of the content of the Bible Leaks. However, I will not be addressing them. If you are reading this and have read the leaks as well, please, refrain from pointing out any spoilers from them out of respect to fellow fans that chose not to spoil themselves.

With that out of the way...

Um...could we please take a moment to talk about what just happened, whatever the fuck that is, please?

If you've known me enough, then you must surely know I despise Lila Rossi. As a character, as a villain, if she were a real person I might literally bite her head off... I wholeheartedly believe she is the source of about 75% of the salt in this fandom, given most salt takes on other characters are a direct result of their actions whenever she's around.

Just her mere presence in an episode is enough to sour somewhat my viewing experience.

And even I think her character deserved better than the bullshit they're trying to pull.

Can we please agree that the whole Three Mothers and Three Identities thing is some major ass-pull????

Where the fuck does that even come from?!?!

It makes no sense, it comes completely out of the blue, and it all just comes off as some poorly woven plot to make a literal 14-year-old look worse than a grown ass abusive father terrorising a city and its inhabitants.

And you might say, "Well, Geeks. It doesn't come exactly out of the blue... There was the whole Other Mum from Risk and Different Room in Perfection thing. That's gotta count as foreshadowing."

And though I admire your efforts, I'm afraid I must insist that if that is supposed to be foreshadowing, then it's bad foreshadowing.

This doesn't feel like foreshadowing, but like some hastily added details they had to include like, "Oh, damn! That's right; we're supposed to be trying to go somewhere with this girl! I know, let's just give her a different mum and room in different episodes. That'll do it."

By the way, this also contradicts some key aspects which ultimately undermines the whole thing. Such as the fact that Lila Rossi is part of the Agreste Brand, so it makes absolutely no sense as to why someone who is clearly not Mrs. Rossi would take her to the train station. Because as evidenced by the Illusion father-teacher conference, Mrs. Rossi is indeed the woman that appeared in Heroes’ Day.

(Also, Lila was introduced as Gabriel's muse in Ladybug by Alec, though now I'm not sure if she's ever been addressed as Lila Rossi on public appearances such as Risk, but it still feels contradictory) (I don't know, maybe I'm being too nitpicky with this, but it' just feels so contradicting. I swear, I have a point and I will elaborate on it in the future)

But in the end, the reason why this fails to be proper foreshadowing is that Lila is too much of an absent character for it to properly work. Seeing as, out of 4 seasons before the current point in time, she's only really been in the spotlight/relevant in, what, 6 episodes????

It doesn't feel like a twist we should have seen coming, but as a rushed, groundless subplot that has nothing to do with her previous appearances nor does it tie itself with any of her previously shown traits other than her being a liar.

Which instead of expanding on her character, ultimately reduces it to one-dimensional levels.

I discussed this in a different post forever ago, but in my honest opinion, proper foreshadowing or, at least, character placement, would have been if Lila had shown signs of knowing Alya is Rena Rouge. Why? You may ask. 

Simple.

Because Lila has been shown in two different episodes, in different seasons, to have been paying attention closely and jealously to the things going on around her home. Namely, Ms Bustier’s class doing things together at the park which is right below her window while she was stuck at home because, for some reason, she refused to go back to school. 

As we all know, Alya first transformed into Rena Rouge in the park. It would have been the perfect explanation as to why Lila never once tried taking glory for Rena’s actions under the guise of being Ladybug’s best friend—because of course she would entrust her best friend with a miraculous! Just like it would have been the perfect chance for her to try to get closer to Adrien once more by claiming something along the lines of, “Though Ladybug overreacted, she has a tendency of doing that because we can’t forget the backhanded comments, we agreed to change my superhero identity into one that would be safer from Hawk Moth!”

Instead, by having Lila somehow pull off the triple identity con without a single warning in six years, what they are doing is robbing her of a believable reason for the way she acts!

Let’s take Chloé, for instance. 

Chloé’s actions are not excusable. Regardless of how terrible Audrey is, or how badly she neglected her before hopping on to the Enabling Train alongside André, that is never reason enough to be a bully and a total brat to absolutely everyone around you. 

However, Chloé’s reason for the way she acts makes perfect sense within context. She is not just your typical rich spoiled brat. She is a rich spoiled brat whose father is in a position of power and whom she has completely under her thumb, which results in André’s power over Paris becoming Chloé’s. And thus, whenever someone confronts her on her terrible behaviour, as long as they are not in equal footing with her (like Adrien or Kagami), she can just have her dad take care of the situation and potentially have that person or their parents/relatives’ lives ruined. 

Essentially, Chloé’s character amounts to a spoiled brat in a position of power who’s constantly throwing temper tantrums. And yet, this aspect of her personality has gradually been explored over the seasons. 

What’s scary about this is that this is a real-life issue. There are people all over the world getting away with their actions (regardless of how severe they are) because their families have money, power, connections...

Lila, par contrast, gets her character simplified each passing episode she’s featured in. 

We’ve gone from all the possibilities we were offered back in Volpina—Lila indeed just being a new girl trying to make friends but being afraid of rejection, her hating Ladybug while liking Marinette, a possible redemption, her becoming a legitimate villain in her own right rather than the narrative bending over backwards to try convince us she is not a threat even though she is barely featured at all...— to a character whose entire schtick is “Oh, look at me! I’m evil and a liar!”

As I said earlier, one-dimensional levels of character depth. 

The funny thing, though, is that Lila actually had a believable reason for the way she acted, and they are choosing to completely negate that and refuse to give their character any depth in favour of making her as malevolent as possible!

As I said with Chloé, please remember that reason does not mean excuse.

With that out of the way, let's remember how early seasons and especially Oni-Chan went out of their way to establish, or at the very least, hint at Lila being someone who most likely started lying to make herself feel special and make up for the lack of attention she was receiving at home. 

Unfortunately, as time went by, her desire to be the centre of attention and liked, never mind if she never actually put the effort to deserve any of that, far outweighed any original good will and desire for friendship and genuine connections. While the implications that her mother giving her everything she wanted in hopes of making up for her absence further soured her personality until she became the lying, petty, attention-seeking spoiled brat we know today. 

This, coupled with her desperation to be seemed and, more important, feel more special than she actually is gave us a legitimate reason as to why some petty liar would go as far as to ally herself with a terrorist.

Is it troubling behaviour? Undoubtedly. But Lila's never been shown to be a very stable individual. If the early running gag of her throwing things around when angered is any indication.

...

Um...

...esto...

...what exactly is she missing if she’s suddenly been conning three different, completely unrelated women into thinking she’s their daughter? A good psychiatrist?!?!

(I apologise for talking about a minor’s state of sanity, but you’ll have to agree with me that the writers are the first ones portraying kids as literal monsters here). 

And you might say, “You might be overthinking this, Geeks. After all, it’s a superhero show; you can’t expect it to be realistic.”

And once again you would raise a very valid point. Hell, God knows I wouldn’t watch half the things I do if they were realistic. However, it is imperative that we make a distinction: 

Fiction doesn’t have to be realistic, but it must be convincing.

And there is nothing convincing about a 14-year-old having three different identities because of how good a liar and manipulator she supposedly is. 

Marinette pulls off impressive, crazy feats every single day? That is convincing because we see repeatedly how Marinette has both a complexity addiction due to a need to control things to calm her anxiety, and the fact that what ultimately saves the day is her natural quick-thinking and creativity, not to mention the fact that she has superpowers.

Chloé gets to expel people just by threatening to call her dad, the Mayor? Again, it is convincing, and probably even realistic, because she is in a position of power and, unlike Lila, her actions are appropriate in the sense that they are outlandishly cartoonish.

Lila...she doesn’t have that. 

Maybe it's just me, but I just can't seem to buy the excuse that any responsible mother would be okay with their underaged daughter "going to Africa to deal with poachers" all by herself, especially in the middle of the school year. Just like I have the feeling many parents would at least be apprehensive at the idea of their teenage daughter becoming such a public figure as both a model and the face of the Alliance rings.

But hey, maybe those are just signs of me having the potential to become an overprotective mother in the future. Instead of, you know, one of the most atrocious cases of the Adults Are Useless trope I've ever seen.

Nevertheless, as of right now Lila doesn’t even have much depth. And I’m not saying she needs some sob story that will make us feel sorry for her, no. You don’t need to make a villain sympathetic for them to be a good villain. After all, Frollo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame has no sympathetic traits nor does he have a sad backstory whatsoever and he is still one of the best Disney villlains ever. 

So what am I supposed to do with Lila? What, do I have to wait until season 6 comes around and retrospectively reveals she’s not a teenage girl at all but some sort of ancient witch who lures people in with her syren song and feeds off of their adoration for her?

At this point it just feels like the writers are so desperate for adding shock value, that they forget to add anything of value.

#miraculous ladybug #ml salt #lila salt #ml analysis #ml spoilers #ml season 5 #ml season 5 spoilers #ml s5.20 #revelation #revelation spoilers #ml writing salt #gabriel agreste #monarch #shadow moth #hawk moth #ml revelation

[hindahoney]

I'm a conservative conversion student with a mikveh date of 08/07 and I wish I was excited but it just feels hollow. I've been at this for 7 years on my own, and 1 year with a rabbi. He had me take a class (that was far to beginner for me, which I mentioned to him and he said “I don’t want you wasting your time on this class if you’re not getting anything from it… well see you in class”) and we've only met individually like 4 times - we've literally talked for less than an hour total. Our last meeting was 5 minutes and consisted of “so do you want go to the mikveh soon?”. It’s been my call this whole way, he hasn’t expressed any opinion or really guided me anywhere. He hasn’t really gauged where I’m at at all, no “how many times a day are you praying?” or “how did you celebrate shavuos?” etc. It just feels so frustrating. I would convert modox if I could but my fiance is not jewish and I'm not asking him to convert. I just feel like I haven't learned anything and I haven’t been challenged at all through this process. It just rubs me the wrong way because this should be hard, some people should get a no, and we should be pushed. Sorry for venting, I’m just feeling really down about this whole thing.

I know how frustrating this must be for you, and I agree that it should be hard and some people should be told no. At my university's Hillel, the rabbi there has an "introduction to judaism" class that meets for one hour a week for eighteen weeks and at the end of it if you get a good grade they just ask if you want to convert and if you do, you get a mikveh date (This class had no testing, and was based entirely on if you just showed up). I was talking about this with the rabbi and asked if they'd ever turned someone away, or if they had ever had someone go to the beit din and determine the person was not yet ready, and they said no, not in all twenty years they had done this class. I knew someone in this class so I asked for the syllabus and reading list, and it was incredibly lack-luster and didn't explain a lot of core concepts of Jewish observance or history (Obviously, how can you learn 4,000 years of history in 18 hours?), did not require you to read the Torah, or to learn any Hebrew at all. The class didn't teach prayers for different occasions, nor did it touch on bible stories and characters. These were supposedly conservative conversions.

I'm not saying "Oh reform and conservative conversions are always bad because theyre not observant etc etc" because I don't believe that, and if an orthodox rabbi did the same thing I would also think it wasn't good enough. What I AM saying is, regardless of whatever movement the person is converting to, they deserve to have a good and thorough education, enough to be able to determine it fits with their wants, needs, and lifestyle. They deserve to know what they're getting into, and are really (in my opinion) owed time, attention, dedication, and care by their sponsoring rabbi. You deserve to have a rabbi who cares enough to make the course more challenging or complex for your needs, and who is willing to make time to meet with you outside of class. You deserve to know about the mitzvot you're going to be saddled with after you convert, because it's not like you can just de-convert, and you should be educated on the various halachic interpretations to decide which one fits for you. You should be thoroughly educated on Jewish history so you understand the people and culture you are joining, and the burden (and blessing) you are putting on your own shoulders by being a part of the Jewish people. To do any less is a disservice to you.

You have two options, the way I see it. You can either complete this conversion, which will be relatively simple from how it sounds, and you will officially be recognized as a Jew by both conservative and reform movements. This will allow you to go on Birthright and other similar programs (internships, educational trips, job offers to Israel, etc) and opens the door for you to go to a seminary or yeshiva that accepts conservative conversions. If you aren't satisfied still, you can try to do another conversion through modox. Or, you can forego the conservative conversion and seek out a modox rabbi instead.

#im not arguing w people who want to misinterpret my post as 'boo reform/conservative jews bad :(' bc im literally not saying that #and if you think im saying that read it again or something idc move on #and if you respond to this with some braindead nonsense im not going to engage #im not saying 'converts bad! :(' either #convos about movements are askinormative and i dont want to contribute to that #anyway my POINT is that converts deserve to be educated about what theyre getting into #which i think is fair #anyway. #jumblr #judaism #frumblr

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

The problem with Disney right now...

I know I usually state my opinion on movies I see recently and give reviews but sometimes I give my opinion on movies that are going to come out soon. So, I heard about the unnecessary sequels for Moana and Inside Out, which are great movies but they don't need sequels. In all honesty, after seeing what they did with Wish, I think Disney should take a break on making animated movies for a while! Not forever, just for a short time.

Okay, so I think we all can tell that they used A.I on Wish. It's not the animation and stuff, it's just the story! I even think the songs were written by real people, it's purely the story that feels A.I generated. Watch them use A.I on Moana 2, Inside Out 2, and Frozen 3... oh gosh that would break my heart to se them ruin the sequels with A.I. I don't consider myself a Disney fan, in fact, even as a kid I wasn't a Disney-movie kid, but I did have a Frozen phase back in the day. Every kid had a Frozen phase. Inside Out is okay but it was kind of emotional, but the first Moana was really good. The thing is, Frozen is based off the Snow Queen while Moana and Inside Out aren't based off any fairytales and are Disney's own original ideas for once. Plus, I think they're only making these sequels because their original ideas like StrangeWorld and Wish are failing so they're proffiting off live action remakes and making sequels of already existing characters because they're desperate. They're just so greedy and can't stand to see the competitors, who are smaller animation companies, beat them!

I'm mostly boycotting Disney (and have been ever since I saw Zootopia) but I'll watch Disney movies pirated on free websites like Actvid and Moviesjoy. The only thing I like from 2024 Disney is Kiff! LITERALLY KIFF! KIFF! Of all things, I never thought KIFF would be the only thing that's stopping me from abandoning Disney all together. I don't use Disney plus but the website I watch Kiff on doesn't have the recent episodes and I refuse to get Disney plus. Disney should focus on stuff like Kiff and Phineas & Ferb anyway. The only good show they got on Disney channel now is Bluey and Bluey is NOT EVEN DISNEY! Bluey is an Australian show and should be seen as that, instead of having the greediest corporation in the world act like they own an Aussie show that they didn't have anything to do with. Bluey should be on PBS kids or something, not greedy Disney! Who agrees? I'm American, but If I was in Australia I'd be so mad at Disney. Disney literally censored episodes, removed episodes, and stopped the writers from throwing in a Bible reference... when they weren't even making the show! If I was in charge, Disney Channel/Disney Junior would have shows like Jungle Junction, Phineas & Ferb, Bear in the Big Blue House, Good Luck Charlie, Suite life of Zack & Cody on Deck,... ect. Basically I'd bring back everything except JESSIE because it was racist (R.I.P to Cameron Boyce tho, he wasn't a bad guy he was just on a bad show).

Anyway, Disney is on my last nerve rn, and if it wasn't for Kiff I'd hate it all together. I still do hate Disney but the only thing that keeps me from wanting it to go away is Kiff. If you haven't heard of Kiff, it's a recent show by Disney, about an orange squirrel who's really energetic (and no, she's NOTHING like Scaredy Squirrel). As far as movies go, I know for sure that I will never see another Disney movie in theaters and I encourage you too, as well. They'll end up on Actvid or Moviesjoy before they even end up on Disney plus anyway, because Disey is popular and people care enough to record it off some hidden camera in theaters. I'm not saying you have to follow in my footsteps and boycott Disney, I'm just telling you on how I do it. Like, the day they come out in theaters is the same day they end up on free websites. Plus, you don't have to waste your money if the movie is going to be bad, like how Wish ended up being bad.

So yeah, please share your thoughts! If you're a Disney fan, I'm sorry. You have to know that they've been really shady recently (they always have been shady but particularly now).

#my thoughts #my thoughts on disney #disney hater #kiff #kiff chatterley #kiff is the only good thing from Disney rn

[merv606]

Puritianverse!

On their honeymoon in Italy, pious little Daniel is horrified when he misses Church one Sunday…all because Terry fucked him so good until early Sunday morning, that he slept until afternoon, and missed all the Services!!! Terry was much amused at his adorable, sad dismay—even when his little Omega started to sob that all he wanted to be was a good Omega, but now he was a sinner, and was afraid that he wasn’t going to go to heaven when he died.

“And I w-wanted us t-to be together f-forever,” Daniel cried pitifully in Terry’s arms while his Alpha tried not to laugh, and instead dropped soothing kisses on his soft hair. He looked up at Terry with tear filled brown eyes and red cheeks. As lovely as always. Terry felt his dick twitch. His arms tightened around Daniel’s tiny body. 

“J-j…just wanted to be…be with you f-forever n’ e-ever even when we d-die. And now I’ve ruined it!” And then Daniel cried even harder. 

Terry sighed, rubbing circles on his narrow back. His darling Omega had brought him much joy (and cuteness) in the short time they had been married, and was everything he’d ever wanted, especially in terms of love and well, sex…but Daniel’s adoration of religious life and Church sometimes tried his patience. Dreadfully. Why, his sweet boy had even devoted time on their honeymoon, every damn day,for prayers, and reading his worn, leather-bound Bible, and other nonsense. Time that could be better spent in Terry’s company, in his waiting arms, or on his cock. (And sightseeing this beautiful country too, so he could show off what a little beauty of an Omega he had.) Heh. 

Terry had known full well that Daniel would be too fucked out for any Mass on Sunday—he’d made sure of it, giving his sweet boy quite the fucking over and over (and over)—until he’d quite literally been fucked unconscious…but he hadn’t been expecting this reaction!

“Tell you what, little one,” Terry said, brushing some tears away and tilting Danny’s chin up. He looked just like a sad, gorgeous little doll. “I’ll allow you to go to Confession tomorrow, so you can get this off your chest, and feel better. Would you like that, my baby?”

“R-really?” Daniel said, face brightening already. 

Terry smiled. “Would your Alpha ever lie to you?” He did, all the time, but only for Danny’s benefit!

Daniel let out a happy squeak, and cuddled in tightly against Terry, dropping the sweetest little kisses on his nose and lips and cheeks. God, what an angel. “O-oh, no Sir, no! Of course not! You really are the best Alpha ever!” Daniel smiled happily. “Thank you, Sir! God will be so pleased now!”

Terry really didn’t give a shit about whether the Lord was pleased or not, but he thought, as he carried his beautiful, innocent Omega off to be not so innocently ravished, Terry was sure to be.  

…

…But when Daniel came out of Confession the next day, Terry was concerned when he saw how desperately sad his little Omega looked. 

“Sweetheart—“ Terry began, gathering Daniel into his arms. Daniel’s mouth wobbled.

“I-I’m sorry l, Sir,”’he began, sounding frightened. “B-but the Priest s-said…”

“What did he say?” Terry would kill the man for making his angel feel like this! Eternal damnation be…well, damned!

Daniel swallowed tilting his head far back so he could look him in the eye. “…He, he said, Terry, that m-my penance was no…” his voice trembled. “…N-no r-relations with my Alpha f-for a week. F-for missing Mass, Sir.” His eyes filled with tears. “T-this is all my fault, Sir, p-please don’t be angry with me!” 

Terry forces a smile - not wanting to upset the little omega further.

It’s not Daniel’s fault - he’s the one who fucked him all morning so that he would miss mass, and he’s the one who suggested coming to confession, forgetting that he and Father O’Brien have reached an agreement when dealing with Daniel.

Already, in their short marriage, the priest has been most helpful to Terry - further educating Daniel in things he should pay attention to and those that he doesn’t need to pay much kind to, in terms of the church and his role in his new marriage.

But - there is NO WAY in heaven or hell that Terry is going an entire week without access to his little omega- not since he’s gotten a taste - and especially not while on their honeymoon.

Only mildly NSFW but a bit lengthy.

Sniffling, Terry reassures his omega that he isn’t cross with him, and he smiles at the alpha, waiting for Terry to take his hand and lead him out thorough the crowded church.

Although the alpha swiftly places his hand on the omega’s back - he normally likes to be touching Daniel when they’re out in public - he’s looking to the confession booth.

“I think I should confess.”

“Really?!” Daniel exclaims excitedly, eyes lighting up. He has his suspicions that his husband is only humouring him when he accompanies him to church events and services. This though, is good news. He wants to spend a lifetime with Terry - and beyond.

Terry leads his mate to a deserted pew, telling him to stay there.

Daniel sits, ready to wait however long it takes - he’s not expecting this to be a short confession. His husband never attends confession so he must have a lot on chest, especially if he’s choosing now of all times to suddenly partake.

But, to his surprise, his husband isn’t in there very long.

Daniel stands, his Alpha’s hand on the small of his back turning them, as if to leave when he hears the priest call out.

“My child.” The man steps out of the confessional booth. “May I speak to you a moment.”

“Father, of course .. I mean …” he glances to his alpha, horrified he made the assumption that was okay as Terry seems to be ready to leave.

“Of course,” he smiles down. “I’ll just be right here - come right back to me when he’s done.”

Daniel approaches, slightly hesitant. He hopes the priest hasn’t decided the penance given isn’t enough. A week without his alpha is going to be a strain on both of them.

To his surprise though, it’s the exact opposite.

“I believe my penance from earlier may have been too harsh. Given the situation you are in.”

“Situation?” He questions. He had left out the part where he missed mass because he was too busy spreading his legs for his alpha - begging for his seed - desperate for that seed to take - for his husband to bless new life into him.

“I had a communication from …” he glances to Terry “….. the Holy Spirit.”

Daniel cliches his Rosary, eyes wide.

“I was not aware you are recently married and this is your honeymoon, or that, as such, you and your alpha are trying for a blessing.”

“The holy spirit told you that?”

The father nods.

“You are trying for a blessing, correct?”

“Oh yes - of course father - to honour our union as god intended,” he agrees, parroting what Terry and Father O’Brien have been telling him, before he pauses, thinking.

If God knows this that means he’s watching when …..

“What does he says about …… what we do?” He clutches his rosary beads even tighter - feeling their impression in his skin.

“All he cares is that you are performing your marital duties as you have promised.”

Relief washes over him. That’s exactly what Terry told him too - when Daniel expressed some reservations about whether what he was allowing Terry to do was considered proper omega behaviour in the marital bed. Like when his husband had put his cock into Daniel’s mouth for the first time. Although technically, they hadn’t actually been in the marital bed for that ….

It was the morning following their wedding night and consummation of their sacred union. Daniel had been eager for his husband to fill him again in a similar manner but he winced slightly when Terry slide his finger in, his recently used omega hole sore from the deflowering the night before and the subsequent many couplings later and throughout that night. Terry hadn’t taken him, rather explained that he would give Daniel a couple days reprieve from performing those particular duties as it was normal for an omega to be a bit uncomfortable after a marriage consummation - it being not only his first time but, well, his, husband was quite well endowed. Daniel knew it would be easier to take his husband the more he became used to Terry’s cock inside him, and that the pleasure in the act would increase, which, worried Daniel as he already liked it plenty enough already. But, when Terry showed him the other ways he could please him well, he liked those too.

“Well, it was your alpha who is responsible for you missing mass,” the priest continues in his explanation.

Daniel bites his lip - he does not want to blame his alpha …. He was the one, after all, who made his husband so hard and desperate that he needed release - release that could only be obtained by putting himself inside Daniel.

“It is alright my child,” he assures. “Next to god - your alpha is the most important voice for you to listen to. If he had other plans for you this morning well, that was all you could do. You must always listen and obey him - like a good omega.”

“I do father. I obey him and …. Allow him his liberties whenever and however he deems fit.”

He nods at Daniel before glancing to Terry again.

“So my former penance is no longer needed,” The priest explains.

“Father?” Question evident in his tone while he thinks, Can you do that.

“It is not your pace to question my child as my power comes from the almighty

“Of course father, I mean no disrespect.”

“I know my child - The most important thing is for you to settle into your new role and that you yield to your alpha - your union is holy - it was sealed under god and it now needs to bless the almighty with a child

“Yes father - I am doing my best - I receive my husband whenever he comes seeking his …. Husbandly rights,” he says.

“That’s good, my child - that is your most important task ahead for you now - to become heavy with your alpha’s child.”

“So… what is my penance then father?”

“Say the Hail Mary ten times asking the Holy Spirit to put a blessing inside you after each one and you will be absolved.”

He gives his thanks eager to get back to his alpha and tell him the good news.

“What else did he say?” Terry questions.

“He said my most important task was to become with child.”

“That it is, my love.”

“Do you think …. I will be blessed soon?!” His husband has been doing his part - diligently giving Daniel his seed every day - usually multiple times a day - but he is desperate to feel life inside him - life put their by his husband and mate.

Terry rests a hand on his stomach - he knows his little omegas already is, but he’s waiting for him to figure it out. “Of course we will, and it will be one of many, sweetheart.” Terry has big plans for his little mate and their family. He may not be a practising Catholic anymore, but his cock sure is - with the amount of children it’s going to put inside his womb.

“Let’s go see some sights,” Terry says - and Daniel starts listing out the places he wishes his alpha to take him to, Terry having bought him a book in the airport of the best places to visit while in Italy.

#ask #I got an ask 🤩 #cobra kai #daniel larusso #karate kid #terry silver #silverusso #silverrusso #I need a puritan verse

[thegeminisage]

For the ask meme: 13, 18, 25 for spn

HIII thank yooou

13. worst blorboficiation

oh i have spoken extensively about this but it's dean. it's literally dean winchester. if you follow that second link there's like 6 posts where anons chimed in and it's like a whole thing, this trend where we turn dean into a sober salad eating out pta dad. none of those words are in the bible. it's classism, it's gentrification, yes i'm being 100% serious, get it out of here!!!

18. it’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…

just everything to do with sam really but more specifically how FUCKING COOL it is that he beat the devil. shit, i wish the WRITERS remembered. gadreel should have been shaking in his boots. i think it's so fun that sam is the only reverse-possessor in the history of the world and with his bodily autonomy issues we should have explored that further.

ALSO, meg. she's so fucking cool and the only thing anyone ever remembers is that she was hot for cas. that's YED's daughter...she has a legacy...the longest surviving woman at the time of her death...show some respect

25. common fandom complaint that you’re sick of hearing

you know at this moment in time i think literally all of the complaints are valid. they fucked us over. unless your complaint is "too much sam" "too much castiel" or "too much mary" in which case: die.

actually let me hone in on mary for a sec specifically...just say you hate women. she was so interesting and cool and they fucking UNFRIDGED HER and then killed her again bc fans wouldn't stop complaining. mary haters suck!!! i needed another 12 seasons of mary complexities alone. sorry she wasnt the uwu perfect mom sorry she didn't mother men who were LITERALLY OLDER THAN HER jesus christ

[ASK MEME]

#liz answers asks #anonymous #liz watches spn

[justchronicallyillthings]

OH MY GOD She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy played at my fucking grade 12 prom lmao, I'd never heard it before then and I haven't heard it since

I've always had it downloaded on an iPod or something because Kenny Chesney is good, and it's a catchy song. While I'm sure I've heard it in the wild before (living in SC means I most definitely have), the only time I remember hearing it in public was my horrendous first date in college.

I matched with a dude on Tinder, and his pick-up line was, "Are you a toaster because I want to take a bath with you." And I thought fuck yeah that's an awesome pick up line so I said yeah and we decided to get dinner. Anyway we met at the restaurant which was a BBQ place (drive separately on first dates for safety folks).

I was there and waiting for him and didn't even recognize him when he arrived because he looked so different from his picture. The first convo we had was about church. Which isn't that shocking considering it was the Bible belt, but I literally had "atheist" in my bio. So, it's already a strike.

Once we were seated, he continued talking and very seldom allowed me to speak. After he asked me what my major was (Animal Science), he proceeded to shir talk animals for like a solid 30 minutes and about how useless my major was. This was strike two. As he was winding down on his rant, "She thinks my tractors sexy," started to play. Honestly, it was the only thing that kept me sane as he started talking about how useful and great his major (computer science) was.

By the time 9 rolled around, I was ready to leave and thought to myself that the restaurant was closing, which made the perfect opportunity. I pointed out that we were the last people in there, and we should probably leave. He then proceeded to say, "We don't have to go anywhere. It's their job to wait on us until we decide to leave." And that was the third strike.

I told him, "I had a nice time, but I've got to go." And left. He messaged me the next day and asked if I wanted to go out again because he had a great time. I blocked him and went on with my life. But ever since that night, I can't hear that song without being reminded of it, lol

#i could not imagine the shock of hearing it once and at grade 12 prom #i think it would have killed me #and i know you didnt ask for it but i had to share the horrid first date #and the only #but it hasnt been the worst so i cant complain too much #however the song has made it memorable

[partyinthemysterymachine]

Ooh, deleted scene?

D E L E T E D - S C E N E

ok SO!! this is a Deleted Scene™️ (1/????) from the Library Arc©️ fiasco that it was (fond), specifically Ch64: Bible.

it's VERY silly, LOL, but the idea was in my brain and i had to do what i always do: Just Fuckin Write It Out, Cuz U Never Know If It's Worth It™️ (but also, i consider all my scenes - whether the make The Cut (haha, funny bc it literally got cut) or not - to be an exercise in character development; we're just here to have fun, gang!!)

so....... without further aduuuuuuu:

✨the deleted scene✨

(spoiler alert?? .. idk...???? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ spoilers-ish. maybe. FEH idk)

(CONTEXT: this occurred just after James came back up from the basement and Harry's telling him about the botched bible. Unfortunately i don't seem to have whatever'd led up to this, but one can only assume that James had the Universe Brained idea to suggest that Harry go look for another bible in the library.)

“By god, we are just on the same wavelength today!” Harry exclaimed, loaded with enough petty sarcasm to burst a bat. He pushed the chair back a bit at an angle to give himself room, threw one knee over the other, and landed the topmost a good  smack. “And yanno what?” Then, with the flair and wobble of a wet noodle, dropped his side into the short backing of the chair, and slung his bent elbow over its ledge, beaming at James’s unamused face. “I thought the same thing! — and even went to check!”

James stared deadpan into Harry’s fake, stretched-out smile. Facing each other with contrasting expressions like that, they looked like the famous pair of stage drama masks. He knew where this was going the moment Harry started up with his dramatic nonsense, and now that it seemed like Harry was waiting for him to take his turn, he still hadn’t decided how much freedom to be an asshole he wanted Harry to have.

His nose released a short bout of wind. “Oh dear. Oh no.” James uttered, all in a monotone that made plywood seem interesting. “Did something happen.”

“James, you are not going to believe this,” Harry began in a way so sugarcoated that James thought that if anything, the guy should consider hosting daytime TV as a backup in case his writing career ever failed, “but something. Did.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes!”

“What was it.”

“Hold onto your ass, and onto your seat for this one— because they don’t. Have. One.”

James had never struggled so hard not to break character. He was so fucking close to cracking up that he was considering leaving right then and there; and yet, he bravely persisted. “Oh, no: they don’t have an ass, or a seat?”

But Harry was still talking, though. “But who [REDACTED] are of course both news to me, and totally unknown to me. It seems like you were right about your theory though, which is damn spooky, if ya ask me.”

“.. yeah,” James quietly replied. “I’m a little spooked too.”

“You sure Silent Hill didn’t give you a hint for this?”

“Not at all. — I mean, it didn’t give me a hint, or say anything about it. Honest.”

“I believe you; I’m just steppin’ on your tail for fun.”

“It’s okay.” pause “.. so what’s it mean?”

“That’s a question I’d love to answer,” he sighed, “but I got nothing. Ran into a bigger problem during all this. Look.”

“Trouble in River City - this copy of the Order bible is borked. Seemingly random too,” he elucidated, picking at dog eared pages to show James more examples, “but this seems too fucking messy, really, for it to be accidental.”

“No kidding. These were going to be shipped out to Utah in a box.”

“Jesus, you remember that?”

“What?”

“The destination. Utah.”

“Yeah, cuz I thought it was weird. It’s all Mormons over there. 

“You’re sharper than a hornet on a stick; I felt the same way. But yeah; this seems fucked. The good news is that we left the box back at the police station, and we ought to head over to the Central side of Silent Hill at some point, anyway.”

“Hmm. Yeah. Good call.”

“Thanks, I made it myself.” sighs. “I think, other than that? That’s it for me; I’m beat, James.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you make any progress with the moths?”

A shrug. “I made notes. I’ll go over them with you later.”

He looked thankful. “Sounds good.”

#ches writes #goomt #hope u enjoy(ed)!!! :3c #i have a LOT of shit that i've cut and some will get recycled into later scenes and plot points so Unfortunately i can't post much #but i hope this dumb little snippet gave ppl a tickle :3c #OH SHIT NINJA EDIT

[maybebecomingms]

oh, my soul cries out

It might not surprise anyone when I say that I was never viewed as a legitimate, serious christian - even when I WAS one.

Everyone in those circles viewed me as some sort of heathen they didn’t actually wanna be seen with, but they’d humor me because god’s grace, or some shit. We all played this game for years.

I couldn’t quote scripture and my book knowledge was lacking - despite reading the entire bible straight through THREE times - but I could redeem myself through music. I’ve always loved music, and worship music was no exception.

One time, my small group was sent to an assisted living center to sing Christmas carols. Did anyone ask whether they actually wanted carolers? I have no clue. Anyway, I was dumbfounded by the fact that out of this large group of *better* Christians than little old me... I was leading the charge on most of the carols. Because I was the only one in the group who knew the songs. Yes, your little illegitimate heathen had the seasonal worship tunes down when no one else did.

I still do.

Once, my ex-husband and I brought out our guitars to tinker and sing some (all-year) worship tunes. “I was a worship intern before,” he assured me. (Side note: if your church has “interns,” it’s a fucking megachurch and you should run. Megachurch or not, you should probably still run. Just trust me.)

I’ve never sang in any sort of legitimate capacity. I sing a lot in the car. I was, at one point, fairly good when it came to instrumental music. I played flute & clarinet in band through my sophomore year of college, and had classical guitar training, too. I was better at all of it than I ever gave myself credit for.

So when *the worship intern* and I had an informal jam session, I was surprised to find that I knew the songs better than he did. We spent the most time on “From The Inside Out,” which was probably my favorite at the time. (I always liked this version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DtKoUdbW10)

That was always gonna be my neat party trick if someone brought a guitar to the bonfire. I could play and sing “From The Inside Out.” It never was, and I wouldn’t be able to do it now.

There’s a part in the documentary Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed where someone discusses the fact that the chord progressions in these songs are designed to evoke strong emotions. It’s not god; it’s manipulative humans playing god.

“From The Inside Out” IS LITERALLY FROM HILLSONG. 

I can know all of this to be true and still lie face down in my bed weeping when I listen to this song now. It still is what it is, and I am still just a human being.

Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades Neverending, your glory goes beyond all fame And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise From the inside out Oh, my soul cries out

It’s entirely too bad that real goodness, and beauty, and peace, and joy weren’t things I found until I walked away from every last bit of it.

For good.

#exvangelical #ex christian #worship #from the inside out #worship music

[brokenmusicboxwolfe]

Excuse me for venting again. Feel free to skip it.

So tonight I got an e-mail from a guy I met at the convention. I’ve never met anyone at a con that sent me an e-mail later. This was a “big deal”.

For a moment I was delighted. This would be someone local (well, regional anyway) AND someone I could talk geeky stuff with. Heck, maybe we could even end up friends!

I try not to get my hopes up, but I can’t help myself. I constantly grab at hope, despite trying to stop myself. Hope just leads to hurt.

Anyway…

I read the e-mail. Turns out he wants to convert me. He even had a list of nut job churches near me that I “should” think about joining.

Oh, to be fair he probably means well. The idea someone around here might not be christian probably never occurred to him. If I had a dollar for every time someone said about my loneliness or difficulties “Just join a church” I wouldn’t be worrying about paying my photo storage.

But it still pisses me off. They don’t respect me! I respect them. Never ONCE in my life have I said to someone, “Your religion is utter bullshit! How the hell can you literally believe in mere fantasies dreamed up by humans!! It makes no sense at all!!!!” But they feel fine find fault with me. Hell, I grew up with folks saying that atheists are all evil, secret devil worshipers (not getting the whole no religion thing), and must never be trusted….only to shock them by saying I am one . (Technically I’m agnostic, but don’t try explaining the nuance of that ‘cause they never get it)

This dude may be well meaning and mild compared to the insults I’ve gotten over the years, but it still hurts.

Look, I really don’t mind the religious. Many people I’ve loved are religious. My grandmother was a devout southern baptist. I’ve had friends of all kinds of religions. And we got along fine. We agreed to disagree and let each other alone about it.

That’s all I demand. I want to be respected, to be accepted for who I am. I am not wired for religion, and don’t see it as a flaw to be corrected. It’s my nature and I am content with it. If you try to demand I change, that I force myself to, if not believe then lie about it, to pretend I believe, then you aren’t really my friend and you certainly don’t love me.

So know I need to write the guy back, politely thanking him despite being annoyed, and letting him know I will not now, nor probably ever, have any interest in joining those churches. I must be true to myself.

And that will be that. No geeky conversations. No friendship. I expect he will have trouble processing it, my flat rejection of his idea. Well, I’m disappointed too.

Are there no people in eastern North Carolina that are both geeky/nerdy AND aren’t proselytizing christians?

**sigh**

And this is why I will die alone, the ultimate nail in the coffin of my social life: I’m an agnostic in the rural southern bible belt.

Honestly, I used to hope. I’ve spent decades hoping. I’d find friends, and maybe even love. I’d at least be as lucky as my parents were. Don’t worry, it will happen one day. One day.

And then the days start running out.

It’s my own fault really. I cared about my family too much to escape when I had a chance, just because I thought they needed me. I should have realized I was sacrificing any opportunity to have a social group to belong to. It would have been hard enough in the greater world, being a weirdo like me, but in a hick town it would be impossible.

I guess I shouldn’t care. No one is owed friendship or love or community.

I can survive like this. I have for years, just me the animals, the woods, my fantasy worlds, and the never ending struggle for survival. And when the day comes that I can’t survive like this, well, we all die in the end. Loved or outcast, it makes no difference.

So I’m lonely. What else is new. It’s a chronic condition, like my flat feet or bad lungs. There is no cure, just distraction and endurance. Good thing I am good at both….

#my day #loneliness #isolation #religion #agnostic

[catholic-character-tournament]

Quarter Finals - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Shadow

In sonic destruction (the AI generated fan thing snapcube made a while ago) shadow was catholic or something which I think is reallyyyyyyy funny

Ok listen. I know this is a stretch but hear me out. He says “oh my God” in the Twitter takeovers so we know this is a possibility. I see him as a Christ-like figure because I saw his whole confrontation with Mephiles and was like “this is a thing that happened in the Bible??” and the pose Mephiles shows him in is literally like a crucifixion and Mephiles is meant to be a demon / false prophet reference. And also he’s called a demon in Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 then the guy who calls him that is like “I was wrong I’m sorry” and that also reminds me of a thing with Jesus in The Bible. But the biggest reason is his whole thing with Maria cause I think he’d come to earth and hear Ave Maria once and convert to Catholicism idk he’s like we’re comforted by a female familial figure named Mary sometimes called Maria?? And her color is blue????? Heck yeah I’m in because I Will Cry. Also feel free to share this as propaganda obv even if he doesn’t get in the bracket just. It’s funny.

I feel like he’d battle a lot with being seen or portrayed as a demon and how the aliens he’s related to very much look and act like demons idk lmao- and also I feel like confession would just be good for him I think he needs it for his mental health

There is a debate on the lovely website tunblr that Shadow T. Hedgehog is an allegory for Jesus Christ.

He is Jesus, idk what to tell you. He lived, he was sealed away, he was awakened again and deemed the ultimate lifeforms, he’s angry but not evil, does what he believes is best for people and the world at any given time. Total loser.

Vote for Shadow the Hedgehog

There seems to be some confusion in the notes. He is Catholic. It may not be explicit, but it can be inferred.

Shadow was created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, and for the early part of his life, lived with Gerald and his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik.

Robotnik is not a made-up name. Google Search results may only bring up pages related to the Robotniks of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, however, it is a rarely used Polish surname. Poland is a historically Catholic nation, and… come on. Maria is the most Catholic name ever. The Robotniks are Catholic. Shadow was created and raised by Catholics.

Now you may be wondering to yourself: Does Catholicism even exist in Sonic? The answer is yes, at least in the Archie comics, where Protestants are explicitly mentioned.

Couple this with the fact that several characters, including Shadow, have canonically taken the Lord’s name in vain, it is reasonable to infer that Christianity, and therefore Catholicism, exists.

So… while Shadow’s own religious beliefs may not have been explicitly addressed… at minimum:

Catholic is a cultural designation that Shadow will always be allowed to claim based on the family that made him.

Whether he’d actually want to claim that designation is a different conversation, but the other propaganda does a fine job of explaining why it may be appropriate to headcanon him as a practicing Catholic.

Now that we’ve established that Shadow has as much of a right to be in this tournament as anyone else, there’s one very important reason you should vote for him:

It would be funny if he won.

Thank you.

Essays are done!! Here’s some Shadow propaganda because the propaganda we currently have sucks and I need to fix that. While yes, Shadow being Catholic is a meme, there is more to outside of the simple “fandub said so” and its not quite stated its Catholicism but just how he behaves and his actions. There’s a lot of Sonic content so I will try to keep this brief. Gonna get headcanons out of the way.

Shadow is Chilean and so are Maria and Gerald Robotnik because I fucking say so and they’re Catholic. He definitely had un rosario next to his like. Bed or test tube whatever he slept in. So did Maria btw. Alright let’s move on because I am 100% correct.

Let’s start with some background for Shadow. Shadow was created as a cure for a girl called Maria and he grew to care for her as a sister and loved her deeply. He was artificially created but still holds a soul that is similar to Maria’s. Long story short, Maria is killed protecting Shadow who watches as she’s shot in front of him. He has his memories tampered by Maria’s grandfather, Gerald, who manipulates him into carrying out revenge on the Earth, even if Shadow ends up as collateral.

Shadow struggles with frequent identity crises, even before Maria’s death and always wondered what his purpose was, what he was made to do. Was he a weapon? Was he a cure? He’s the Ultimate Lifeform, but what does that truly mean? ? He’s Shadow, but what more is there to him? He doesn’t know what his purpose is other than what others have prescribed to him, and he guides himself through the will of others (something that he breaks through afterwards but not yet). Shadow at his core is self-sacrificing and constantly punishes himself. This is where you can see some of that good old guilt that everyone has been using as propaganda, but we also see someone who is giving and kind.

He is snarky in the game, especially when interacting with Sonic, but he’s having what is essentially an ongoing mental breakdown but keeps moving because it is his duty to his sister. He doesn’t believe himself important enough to continue on after her and sees it in himself to act out on “Maria’s wishes”. After the revelation that Maria’s final wish for Shadow was for him to make those on Earth happy and to protect them, he immediately sacrifices himself to do so.

Okay, that’s a lot and you’re probably asking “Okay, you mentioned he is a giving person and yeah he has guilt, but that’s not really Catholicism” and yes you would be right! So let’s go into the more important part of being Catholic. The charity, the community, the kindness, etc. Shadow is a very reserved person and has the habit of being a dumb teenager because well. Yeah. Anyways, he definitely has a soft spot for those he cares about and while his whole arc (in my opinion) is about finding the freedom of self-autonomy, it is also Shadow growing as a person and deciding not to save people because others have told him he needs to, but because he wants to. It is born from his soul and its his nature to care for people. It is who he is, and he knows it now. He’s not doing it because he’s a hero or because he is told to do so. Shadow is a very giving person and I think people tend to forget about that especially due to bad writing from the past decade or so. He is also stated to help out at food shelters and volunteers a lot. He is proud and a bit prickly, but he cares so deeply about those he loves. He is stronger with his loved ones and will always do his best to protect them. These are minor, yeah, but you don’t need sweeping and enormous acts to get attention for the good deeds you do. Most of what you apply of Catholicism is done at the personal level, between your friends, family, and community.He also goes to Mass whenever he can and if he can’t he goes to the capilla and also does the sign of the cross whenever he runs by a church. Cutting this off because this is already 740-ish words and I had to send these across multiple asks I am so sorry Catholic mod

Harrowhark

I'm pretty sure you've already got plenty of submissions for her so I'll just say she was raised in what is basically a cult (technically a nunnery but let's be real) dedicated to keeping the body of the thing that will kill God behind the rock. One of their prayers is actually "I pray the rock is never rolled away". Harrow is extremely devout as penance for her earlier heretical actions in the tomb as a child (spoiler!) so the Catholic guilt really comes through

imagine being a catholic nun and you meet god, but it turns out he’s a twitch streamer from new zealand who became god because everything got a little bit out of hand. and just before you met him you gave yourself a diy grief-fuelled lobotomy with the help of your best frenemy. imagine how insane you’d be. now multiply that insanity by nine. that’s the fictional love of my life right there.

she meets god. she’s not inspired

she’s number one practitioner of space Catholicism. The locked tomb is chock full of Christian (catholic) imagery themes metaphors etc. just look at her she’s got a bone rosary

They're Catholicism with extra bones. Everyone is a nun. They have what is basically a rosary made from knuckle bones. They technically worship the same God as everyone else, but they're waaaay more focused on The Body in the Tomb (Mary) and we get a moment where we find out that while everyone else prays the equivilent of The Lords Prayer, they're doing the equivilent of Hail Mary. And they paint their faces with skulls.

She thinks leaving dry bread in a drawer is taking care of someone. She's in love with a 10,000 year old corpse (the same one they worship). She spent ALL NIGHT digging with her bare hands to make sure a field had bones every 5 feet so she could fight her girlfriend - I mean, greatest enemy. Spoiler territory: She's been puppeting her parents corpses since she was 8 years old. Instead of grieving her dead girlfriend, she gives herself a lobotomy. She makes soup with bone in it so she can use the bone IN THEIR STOMACH to try and kill them.

The author is/was Catholic and the entire series had heavy Catholic overtones. https://www.tor.com/2020/08/19/gideon-the-ninth-young-pope-and-the-new-pope-are-building-a-queer-catholic-speculative-fiction-canon/ A good breakdown of how it's Catholic

Anti-propaganda (spoilers)

I love the Locked Tomb series but Harrowhark has daddy issues with God, had a childhood crush on God's cryogenic partner, and is in love with God's daughter, not to mention that she's essentially a bone-bender. The religion on her home planet exists in a way that is technically against the will of the canon in-universe God, even. All of this to say, Harrowhark is heretical at minimum if not an outright witch. Terrible Catholic. Burn her.

#cct polls #tumblr tournament #tumblr bracket #tumblr polls #polls #r6 #sonic the hedgehog #Sonic Destruction #shadow the hedgehog #harrowhawk #harrowhark nonasigmus #tlt #the locked tomb

[talenlee]

Fundie Divorce and Other Dramas

What god has put together let no man put asunder, goes the line. And since judges are men, and laws are written by men that means that divorce, if you’re a Biblical literalist, seems? Bad? I mean a Biblical literalist might look at all the times that people in the Bible married multiple women and also had concubines as well, and there were laws about doing a divorce but Jesus said it was only because of sin and then Paul said it’d be better if you never got married in the first place but this is only useful for spherical christians in a vacuum.

How do you think fundamentalist churches handle divorces? Setting aside the way that, as human beings in a social setting may actually handle something like this sensible, the fundie environment is one with a lot of its own special traditions and rules. Rules like how to absolutely mishandle a complex topic like a divorce.

And just to be clear on this one by the way, I am 100% pro-divorce. I think divorces are good. They suck to experience, I don’t think anyone goes into a divorce going ‘eff yeah, time to be divorced!’ but I think if a relationship is collapsing or failing nobody should be trying to stick around and force it into working when it doesn’t. Which is why an environment that makes this hard decision worse uh, sucks. And it sucks because of techniques liiike…

Judeeing

First of all there’s the option that works within a fundamentalist church’s greatest and most well-used tool, which is endless denial of reality. Judeeing is when you continue to associate with the divorced people, continue to talk to them and just pointedly never bring any of it up. This can create a really weird alienated feeling where you watch two people having a completely normal conversation where you’ll watch voids form. You know, like person A, the divorced one, says hi, how are you, how’s your partner? and the other will say oh, he’s fine, dead pause where a response question would be.

The important thing for this isn’t to do anything that acknowledges the experience of the person undergoing the divorce. Sometimes you’ll have someone gracious who is willing to shift topics and make things a little gracious, but vitally, you never ever ever offer support or help based on what they’re going through. You don’t do anything that implies their free time has changed or their financial situation is difficult.

This technique is really interesting because it’s clearly really difficult to do. It’s actively hard, you have to maintain a conversation that’s entirely emotionally brittle but also never do anything that might direct attention to the most important thing happening right now. In this regard it underscores the way that we WASPs will expend enormous effort in doing something for someone else as long as it’s not the much easier, much more sensible and emotionally honest option. Accepting imperfection or failure in people is hard and it’s emotionally challenging and so, uh, just… just don’t? Don’t do that. Don’t need to.

Fundies will literally construct an entire alternate reality rather than recognise that some people need therapy. Probably starting with themselves.

Unpersoning

Hey, that sounds like a lot of work though. What if instead you could just pretend that one of the people involved wasn’t a thing? What if, when presented with two people who gave you a difficult kind of experience to reconcile with, within your faith, and you don’t have the skills to confront anyone about that or recognise that sometimes people are bad for one another, what if instead, like, just…

One of them wasn’t there?

This is really specific, really direct kind of complete freezeout. The church collectively picks one of the people in the former couple and just ignores the other. Wholesale. I’ve seen this happen a few times but every time it’s been the unpersoning of the woman in the couple, which, you know, maybe that’s because in every example the church collectively agreed that the woman did the bad thing or maybe it’s just that we were pre-built and prepared to hate women a lot? Maybe.

The thing is this Unpersoning is an example of treating the experience as something that you need to punish, but not something that you have the emotional

Anyway, Unpersoning is easy but it runs into risks if say, the Unperson is the one with the kids and the other kids play with those kids. It can be harder to isolate the kids and you know, the parents and adults don’t want to tell the kids ‘don’t talk to them, they did a divorce,’ so instead it’s just social pressure, a sort of low-key pushing away from shared events with that kid or those kids. This is obviously, a tough one. The good news is that kids just have enough suffering and struggles to go through because it’s not like they’re people with agency and emotional needs.

Heck, just tell the kids that one of the parents died, and call the parent that’s still around a widow and let the kids think that. Even if the other parent is in the church and the kid just doesn’t recognise them! What’s wrong with a bit of gaslighting? They’re kids, they won’t remember and be messed up by this!

The Whole Church Divorces

Then there’s another option which is… weird to see in action but I’ve absolutely seen it. In the case of a Church Divorce, basically, everyone in the church picks one side of the conversation, and then only interact with that side of it. I’ve noticed this only happened in the churches which were small enough that only one couple could have a divorce at a time – larger churches, this strategy tends to create weird shattering spaces where people have to organise a kind of chart to work out whether or not the person they were talking to could recognise the existence of another person or not.

This technique is pretty solid in those smaller groups though. Because suddenly you’re not feeling like you did something bad or excluded a person, you’re not Abandoning Fellowship, or Punishing a Person. It’s actually much more like half the church gets social anxiety, and it can be as simple as ‘hey, did I talk to that person more recently than the other? well, I don’t want to talk about the d word, so… soo I guess I’ll just never talk to that other person, ever again!’

Remember, one of the things that God gives you is strength and courage, which you should never use to do anything modestly socially uncomfortable.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Fundie Stuff

[my-name-is-jefferooni]

The new issue is, uh… Well. It’s an issue.

I don’t mean this in a bad way on the production half of things, because I can tell everyone works their asses off just to pump out all this quality art and decent writing. Like. Look at me and tell me those backgrounds and panel placing and coloring did not take weeks to get finished. Tell me that right fucking now.

However, I’m especially pissed at the morals in this issue. To jump right to the point, since Surge is here, Sonic’s morals have to be questioned front and center AGAIN. It is a joy to see someone finally seeing the flaws in Sonic’s whole “Oh, well since I say you can do whatever tf you want, you can do whatever tf you want. As long as you don’t cause property damage UWU” However, it’s getting very irritating seeing how this is the very literal case for Surge. She is the ONLY ONE (Along with Kit) who sees the glaring flaws in this philosophy, the ONLY ONE who dares to challenge Sonic’s ideals.

When Sonic starts getting ahead of himself and says “Hey, why not introduce Surge to Whisper for real this time?” And when Amy gives him a look, Surge immediately cuts in to say, “Oh yeah! Why not? Everyone loves you and your judgement, so why tf not?” And then when they get to the Diamond Cutters base, and when Sonic offers a chance for Surge to join, Tangle says “I do believe in Sonic’s ideals…”

LIKE. HELLO??? TANGLE????? DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU EVEN ARE ANYMORE????? ARE YOU EVEN THE REAL TANGLE?????? SINCE WHEN WOULD YOU EVER SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?!?!?

It’s extremely annoying to see Sonic get all this glory and all this support for preaching his words like Jesus Christ. Many people have made the connection already multiple times, and I am in no way going to gloss over it. Sonic treats his words like they’re a way of life, like they’re verses in a fucking Bible. Yes, people should be free to think and do how they want, but if that’s the case, then you gotta let people choose to be angry and be terrorists and be murders! Because according to you yourself, that is what they have the choice to do! That’s what they have the freedom to do!

Now I will state that Surge and Kit have been told what to do for as long as they know. They have no memories of their past, so all they knew up until Starline’s death was the constant “Do this” or “Do that!” Just on and off manipulation, over and over again, never stopping, never ending… That’s all they knew. So when given the chance to have real functioning lives, it’s very reasonable to see them immediately rebel against everything the rest of the world stands for. Kit is literally made to follow Surge’s every demand and her every move, so he doesn’t have much say here, but Surge has all the brain freedom to do what she pleases, and the first thing she chooses once free of Starline is to rebel against literally anything good. And that is Surge’s own decision! That is her choice! Sonic saying she can be whoever and do whatever is basically a one-way golden ticket to Doomsday!

And then Sonic turns around, and claims that the only path to true freedom is to be peaceful??? I’m sorry, does this guy know what he’s saying? Does he know the rough definition of freedom? Does his know what his face-hole is spewing right now?

Look. I love Sonic in these comics. He’s fun, he’s outgoing, he’s nice, and the fact he has questionable ideals in the first place shows a lot of flaws that we don’t get to see in the games! But he shouldn’t be going around preaching these beliefs like he’s fucking God! It’s like he’s trying to rewrite the Bible over here!

So when everyone is just so incredibly FINE with it and doesn’t even think to question a single thing he says… It’s incredibly backwards. It makes Sonic seem like this deity, like this all-powerful being that’s equal to God in every way shape and form! It makes everyone else seem like sheep! Which is shockingly ironic because the only actual literal sheep here doesn’t even say anything about Sonic’s morals and just lets the chaos happen. Lanolin doesn’t give two flying fucks about Sonic’s morals and that’s hilarious to me. But compared to everyone else? It’s extremely sad seeing how so far only her, Metal, Whisper and Surge/Kit have been thinking on this.

My advice? Give everyone else the freedom to think as well! Make people question Sonic, give them a few panels to ask him what he really means, let them ask him for clarifications or something! Don’t just let them all sit by and watch him cosplay as Jesus fucking Christ!

At the beginning, seeing Surge step up and question Sonic’s morals was amazing! It was revolutionary! A spectacle to behold! But now everyone just wants it to be commonplace in Mobius, (Yes I’m calling it Mobius and no I am not over the fact that Mazuri exists in the IDW comics) and I know I am not alone!

So if anyone on the comic teams sees this, know that you are doing a very good job, but there are quite a few holes in this part of the plot and it desperately needs to be addressed.

So sorry to @spiritsonic for tagging you because I know you’re very very busy but I do hope this gets to you and some story adjustments can be made for future issues. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR WRITING STYLE AT ALL, I JUST THINK THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IN UNIVERSE.

Thank you so so SO MUCH for reading this, I really appreciate your time. Have a good day/night!

#Putting this under the default tags too so more people can see this so #sonic idw #idw sonic spoilers #blog/ask stuff

[sjstone-author]

(via The Dirty Secrets of Book Blurbs - The Atlantic)

Fuck book blurbs!

I recently bought a book by a renowned local author who generally writes in my genre, mystery, and so I just went and bought it. All good right? I did a quick scan of the back cover, and it was all blubs, not a short teaser for the plot. Instead that was on the inside cover, which is the other place it would be. But here’s the issue: the teaser suggested something between two characters that had a past relationship, but I’m half-way through the book, and that something hasn’t happened yet. In fact, I’m just reading through this sort of soap opera of a book waiting for something to happen.

What the fuck?

I realize I could have done a little more investigation into this book to see if it actually fit into what I wanted to read, but I bought it on a whim, and I thought, “Okay, this famous author writes mysteries, writes mysteries that happen in Baltimore (where my mystery happens), and actually lives in my neighborhood. Let me just get on it and read some of her work and learn from a master.

And a back cover full of blurbs can’t be wrong, can they? And yet...

Helen Lewis says in The Atlantic, “And that reveals another dirty secret of the blurb: They’re not addressed to you. “The biggest thing to understand is that blurbs aren’t principally, or even really at all, aimed at the consumer,” Richards told me via email. “They are instead aimed at literary editors and buyers for the bookstores—in a sea of new books, having blurbs from, ideally, lots of famous writers will make it more likely that they will review/stock your book.” “

Fool me once... I trusted the brand, the history of said author, and the blurbs. And yeah, this is my fault, but you all said wonderful things. Only you weren’t saying them to me, the reader, you were saying them to each other.

“Blurbs have always been controversial—too clichéd, too subject to cronyism—but lately, as review space shrinks and the noise level of the marketplace increases, the pursuit of ever more fawning praise from luminaries has become absurd. Even the most minor title now comes garlanded with quotes hailing it as the most important book since the Bible, while authors report getting so many requests that some are opting out of the practice altogether. Publishers have begun to despair of blurbs, too.”

I have a word for this that I got into the Urban Dictionary - a word that doesn’t actually fit in this situation but still feels right: vomitrocity. Imagine the puke emoji. I mean, come on, people, how pathetic is this whole concept of the self-licking ice cream cone of authorship now that we’re being duped by the author community itself? Oh, the NYT loved this book! Praise for (insert title here)! This author loved it. That author loved it.

This book is boring. I’m half way through and I’m still waiting for something to happen. Isn’t something supposed to have happened by now? The very last line of the book teaser on the inside cover of the novel goes like this: “And then X asked Y to do the unthinkable.” And yet, I’m literally in the middle of the book, page 159 out of 310 pages, and nothing has happened that was noteworthy.

So, sadly I’ll just report here that you should read this article in the The Atlantic because all this book blurbing, as Helen Lewis describes it, is just cronyism. Not useful. Just annoying and misleading, and just not what the world of writing needs. Indy authors, small authors, nobodies like me who just have a story to tell deserve a better writing world. And readers deserve a better way to discover the books that they will love reading and recommend to their friends. Because that’s the kind of network we need. Not the world of corporate book blurbs.

I hope you enjoyed my rant.

[donveinot]