#I think it's pretty common especially biblically

[is-the-thing-actually-jewish]

Okay i saw your answer on etrogs so it made me wonder: etrog vs rimon, which is more Jewish?? (I’m not actually invested in a definite answer, but I’m VERY invested in the debate)

Rating: HERE’S THE DEBATE YOU WANTED 

Answering this question necessarily requires a working definition of what makes something “more” or “less” Jewish, and what that definition is results in several different answers with their corresponding justifications. Does “more Jewish” mean “more important to Judaism religiously”? Or “more important to Jewish culture?” Or “belonging uniquely to Jews as opposed to any other enthno-religious group?” So, here goes: 

More religiously important: ETROG. The etrog, also known as the citron, is one of the four species critical to the celebration of the Festival of Sukkot. Leviticus 23:40 commands that “on the first day [of Sukkot] you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God seven days.” “Hadar” translates to “splendor” or “beauty” and is traditionally read to refer to the etrog tree. Interestingly, the Jerusalem Talmud suggests the possibility that “hadar tree” could refer to pomegranates before dismissing it, as the pomegranate has a “beautiful fruit but not beautiful wood,” (or possibly vice versa, scribal texts disagree), whereas the etrog has both beautiful fruit and beautiful wood, along a beautiful scent. (Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 3:5:2). All that aside, there is mitzvah d’orieta (a religious obligation directly from the Torah, as opposed to an obligation established by the rabbis, a mitzvah d’rabbanan) that requires the use of the etrog, whereas all religious use of the pomegranate, such as at a Tu B’shvat Seder or as a siman on Rosh HaShanah, have merely the force of minhag (religious custom, not law). 

More important to Jewish culture: RIMON. Pomegranates feature in a huge amount of Jewish art, especially as decoration on pretty much any Jewish ritual item. You can find them on everything from ketubot (marriage contracts) to hanukkiot (hanukkah menorahs). I’ve seen pomegranate tallitot, pomegranate mezuzot, pomegranate tzedakah boxes, etc. Personally, in my house, we have four different pomegranate mezuzot, a pomegranate hand-washing cup for ritual handwashing, pomegranate candlesticks, a pomegranate kiddush cup, and, ironically enough, an etrog box decorated with— you guessed it— pomegranates. (I also have pomegranate earrings and pomegranate socks, thank you fiance) (At the time of this writing, this blog is also a Jewish thing decorated with pomegranates). A search for “pomegranate” on Judaica.com offers 197 results, whereas a search for “etrog” turns up 4 actual lulav and etrog sets, plus 13 decorative boxes designed to safely hold one’s etrog during sukkot and not as decoration at all. 

Pomegranates are one of the seven species biblically associated with the land of Israel, along with wheat, barley, grapes, fig, olives, and dates (Deuteronomy 8:8)-- a list that does not include etrogim. They are also an important motif throughout Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), in which the lovers frequently compare each other’s beauty to that of a pomegranate. Pomegranates symbolize beauty, fertility, fecundity, mitzvot, and merit, as in the annual Rosh HaShanah wish that “our merits be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate.” A common (though inaccurate) bit of folk wisdom gives the number of seeds in a pomegranate as 613, one for each of the commandments given in the Torah. 

In a particularly entertaining digression in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 8a) in which the rabbis are comparing their physical attributes (yes, this means exactly what you think it does), the narrative voice pauses to explain that if you want to understand just how unbelievably gorgeous Rabbi Yochanan was, you should take a “silver goblet from the smithy and fill it with red pomegranate seeds and place a diadem of red roses upon the lip of the goblet, and position it between the sunlight and shade. That luster is a semblance of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s beauty.” Does this really support my thesis? As minor evidence at most, but I will seize any opportunity to share that description. 

Meanwhile, the etrog does not appear as a symbol or decoration in and of itself, only in the context of Sukkot and the other three Sukkot species. You may indeed see an etrog on the Torah curtain in Tishrei or in a panel of stained glass in the synagogue… but you’ll only know it’s an etrog because it has the lulav right next to it, generally as part of an array of holiday-related symbols. (I do, in fact, also own an etrog earring, but just the one— the other one is a lulav, thank you sibling.) There are a plethora of midrashim on what exactly the etrog symbolizes, but always as part of a set. For example, it’s often associated with the heart, to go along with the palm frond’s spine, the myrtle’s mouth, and the willow’s eye. As my fiance put it, “If you see a pomegranate on something, there’s a decent chance it’s Jewish. But without the lulav, an etrog just looks like a lemon, and there’s nothing particularly Jewish about lemons.” 

Belonging Uniquely to Jews: ETROG. The citron is widely agreed to be one of three “true” members of the citrus family, along with the mandarin and pomelo, with all others the results of hybridization. Archeological and primary-document research confirms that the citron originated in eastern India and southern China, and was found in Sumerian ruins dating from more than six thousand years ago. It is referenced in the Vajasaneiy Samhita, a compilation of Vedic religion texts, called Yajur-Veda (ca. 1200-1000 B.C.E), and early Greek and Latin writers describe the citron clearly, mentioning its use as an antidote to poisons and a way to ward off moths from one’s clothes.* However, a 2015 study found evidence that the diffusion of the citron throughout southern Italy and the surrounding region dated to the destruction of the Second Temple and subsequent Jewish diaspora. The study concludes that their results “evidence the special role played by Jews in the spread of the citron as the authentic sacred fruit used in their Tabernacles ritual.”* It is worth noting that there is a variety of citron known as “Buddha’s Hand” that may be used as offerings in Buddhist temples, but it looks so dramatically different from what we know as an etrog as to be a different item entirely (and, indeed, multiple rabbis have ruled that it should not be used for fulfilling the mitzvah). Thus, the etrog is inextricably and uniquely linked to Jews. 

On the other side of the debate, pomegranates appear frequently in art, stories, and cultural artifacts throughout the world, particularly in the Middle and Near East. These stories range from the Ancient Greek myth of Hades and Persophone, whose consumption of pomegranate seeds kept her in the underworld for the winter each year, to a Buddhist legend of a child-eating/stealing demoness whom the Buddha convinced to only eat pomegranates and become a patron goddess of children.  Greece, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, among others, consider the pomegranate to be one of their important symbols. Traditions regarding pomegranates abound, including a Greek custom of smashing a pomegranate on the new year for good luck. They are widely considered a symbol of fertility, abundance, and good luck, similarly to their symbolism in Judaism. In short, while Jews are very into pomegranates, so are a lot of other cultures. 

*Gina Maruca, et al. “Religious and cultural significance of the citron (citrus medica L. ‘diamante’) from Calabria (South Italy): A biblical fruit of the mediterranean land.” Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering A, vol. 4, no. 4, 28 Apr. 2015, https://doi.org/10.17265/2162-5298/2015.04.006.

#jumblr #not a rating #we think we're funny #etrog #pomegranate

[newvegascowboy]

Proposal based on your food post and some things in Fallout.

:readmore:

Homemade sodas and sweet drinks are incredibly common based on home recipes passed down through the generations.

In Fallout new Vegas, and in Fallout 4 you can make drinks such as Nuka-Cola.

Filtering water and making it drinkable will be a big priority wherever you go. But making it palatable will also be a big goal.

Local settlements will probably mix sweeteners like syrup, juices, or even honey to mix it in the water.

Tea will be very popular too with all kinds of local teas made from local plants, sweetened with local sweeteners, and traded or even sold to each other.

Tea has the advantage of being boiled, filtered, and flavored making it a popular drink with massive variants between region to region and even settlement to settlement.

Brahmin milk will have a lot of nutrients and apparently good for treating radiation so odds are its also used as a medicine and a big part of a lot of diets.

Some rare drinks may still be possible but take a lot of work such as coffee, and ice cream.

Coffee needs specific growth and a lot of space to grow. So maybe it'll grow in small quantities.

There's ways to make ice cream without machines but it takes a lot of salt, ice, and milk. So you'd have to be very wealthy or very well located to have it

Shaved ice with simple syrups and fruits may make good treats in areas where there's a lot of ice

I fully agree with all of this! Not including it was probably a bit of an oversight on my part, but this is exactly the kind of extrapolation and worldbuilding I was aiming for.

Soda was invented in the mid 1800s, so I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility for people to have reinvented soft drinks. Originally, the water was taken from springs that were naturally carbonated and today, we can do it at home with compressed CO2. Even if the drinks aren't carbonated, I totally believe and agree with the idea that they're making sweet drinks.

I was going to mention in the original post and forgot, but lemons? Those things totally still exist. Citrus is too much of a botanical freak not to have survived. It might not be lemons (or limes, or oranges) as we know them, but they are OUT THERE and that means lemonade is real.

Tea is canon within the realm of fallout because you can brew several different varieties in 76. Also, hot drinks are comforting, especially in the winter and I think it's totally reasonable to think that new brews have popped up with the addition Coffee grows in Mexico at a similar latitude to Florida and parts of the southern united states, so I think you could claim that certain strains have been cultivated and grown in those areas, though it might be rare and extremely expensive.

Ice cream's origins are known to reach back as far as the second century B.C., although no specific date of origin nor inventor has been undisputably credited with its discovery. We know that Alexander the Great enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar. Biblical references also show that King Solomon was fond of iced drinks during harvesting. During the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius Caesar (A.D. 54-86) frequently sent runners into the mountains for snow, which was then flavored with fruits and juices.

Ice cream is one HUNDRED percent a thing in the wasteland. The milk and cream is easy to source from Brahmin milk. Cane sugar can be grown in Florida and Louisiana, so it's not unreasonable to think that that's another rare and expensive import. It would be easier and cheaper to get your sugar from tree sap or malt grain or reduced fruits, but cane sugar is out there. Making ice cream is a pretty popular thing for kids to do -- put some rock salt and ice in a bag with cream, sugar, and vanilla, and shake it until it freezes. On the coast, salt is probably pretty abundant, even if it's time consuming to harvest, but vanilla is probably one spice that nobody has access to in the wasteland.

Ice houses and cold cellars are probably pretty common in the wasteland, so ice could be available all year round. Plus, refrigeration is useful in the process of preserving foods rather than canning or bottling.

I think it's important to keep in mind that people are smart, and just because the bombs dropped, we didn't revert back to the stone age. The knowledge of canning, bottling, making jams and preserves, cold storage, curing meat, making cheese -- all that knowledge is old. Just because modern technology makes it easier doesn't mean people couldn't do it two hundred years ago. If the knowledge is lost, logic and human ingenuity will rediscover it eventually.

#fallout #kal talks #asks #meta #fallout meta #fallout food #i love this kind of shit i love it i love it #important addendum to my post!!!

[sophieinwonderland]

why are people now straight up citing scripture to debunk an effing meme 😭 oh my goddd "god is plural" doesnt mean "god is one-to-one analagous to a human person who identifies as an endogenic system" its already a leap to ASSUME that and now i have to see christians saying "um actually, you cant compare the trinity to this other, human state of many-but-oneness because..." as if their problem isnt solely with the word PLURAL. Like is it heretical to compare the trinity to an egg too now?? Im willing to bet youre JUST mad bc its the word plural. Whats with this particular fixation lmfao who cares

Like is it heretical to compare the trinity to an egg too now??

I mean, depending on who you ask...

I think this extreme is kind of silly because that's a pretty common metaphor used to explain God even if it's not exact. Analogies like this are commonly used by Christians to compare the Trinity to physical things, even if those analogies aren't completely accurate because they can help make things easier to understand. It's similar to how lower grade of school will oversimplify things to children

Unlike the egg though, I actually feel that the plurality comparison avoids partialism given that, even for systems who do identify as parts, there aren't necessarily clear divides. There is blending and overlap, and each headmate is their own person despite still being the same organism, similar to how God is considered to be three persons in one being.

And yeah, I agree. This is totally just them taking issue with the word plural.

I don't really agree that this is a meme, personally.

I legitimately think it's a valid interpretation of the biblical canon and one that I would encourage for Christian plurals to adopt.

now i have to see christians saying "um actually, you cant compare the trinity to this other, human state of many-but-oneness because..." as if their problem isnt solely with the word PLURAL.

Do you want to know what I find especially silly about these people, personally?

Any Christian will be the first to tell you that God's creation is how he imparts understanding of his nature. And this is backed by the Bible itself.

"For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse." - Romans 1:20

So it's kind of ridiculous to claim that the nature of the Trinity would be something that has to be incomprehensible and impossible to understand by looking at nature. Especially the nature of humans who are made in God's image.

(I will say that I kind of enjoy these arguments. Normal syscourse can get so boring and repetitive sometimes. Arguing over the plurality of God has been a breath of fresh air! 😁😊)

#syscourse #plural #religion #plurality #pro endogenic #pro endo #endo safe #multiplicity #endogenic #systems #system #sysblr #actually plural #actually a system

[queerprayers]

do you have any advice on picking a good new name for oneself? i don't feel connected to my current one and would like a more spiritual one but i don't know how to pick the "right" one

Hi, beloved! You asked this ages ago so it's very possible this is no longer relevant to you. If you have one—congratulations on the new name! Either way, I'll answer, hoping I can help you or perhaps someone else who's thinking about this!

Name changing happens often in the Bible—it's usually symbolic in some way, and often very dependent on the meaning of the name. Abraham (formerly Abram) and Israel (formerly Jacob) both have their names changed in an encounter with God and an angel(? debatable), respectively; Jesus renames Simon "Cephas/Peter," which means "rock;" Saul starts being addressed as Paul (the Latinized version of his Hebrew name) as he becomes more active in Christian communities and leaves Judaism further behind. People entering monasteries/convents often pick a new name, and Catholics traditionally choose a saint's name for their confirmation. You have lots of holy company, is what I'm trying to say!

Finding a name in the Bible could be your place to start—I love the figure in Luke's gospel I'm named after, and her calling as a myrrh-bearer inspires me immensely. If there's a figure that's close to your heart, who mirrors your journey, who you aspire to follow, you could choose their name, especially if you connect with its meaning! This website lists Biblical names/origins—it doesn't seem to include sources, so I can't verify every single one (maybe check another source to be sure about something), but from skimming it it looks useful/accurate!

As I mentioned, choosing a saint name is also very common—and there are tons to choose from! Even if you're not Catholic and whatever your theology about saints, people who Christian communities remember and honor can give you inspiration and meaning. Catholic.org and Wikipedia both have pretty exhaustive lists—you could narrow it down by thinking about time periods, patronage, location, tradition, or anything else that's meaningful/relevant to you.

Naming a child with a family/cultural name is obviously common, and that could be something you do for yourself as well! Connecting with your ancestors/communities could help you feel more connected to yourself. 

I've mentioned it, but a lot of people think about the meanings of names. There's tons of iffy information out there, so I would recommend looking at multiple sources (I know this because I used to use baby name websites to name fictional characters, and some of them were just completely contradictory!). There are biblical concepts, like Sophia/Wisdom, but you could think about any concept/value/theology you connect with and go from there. 

Any decision can be spiritual when we approach it purposefully, and I think any name could be spiritual if you find meaning in it. I can't promise there's one "right" name—the people I know who found new names took time and tried some out along the way. It might be more of a choice, a mindful acceptance, rather than a lightning bolt out of the sky moment of resurrection. You also don't have to have a deep connection with a name—you've said you want one, so of course I support that, but it's not, like, wrong to just… have a name. (If you're reading this and you've never thought about your name/its meaning in your life, I support you.) However it works out, I wish you (and anyone else thinking about this) courage and curiosity as you seek out a new identity. 

The thought I leave you with is this (if you'd like it): God calls us by name—sometimes that's the moment we see Them fully. What name do you want God to call, what name would wake you from sleep and cause you to genuinely respond with, "Here I am; you called me"? 

<3 Johanna

P.S. I found two prayer rituals for renaming while looking around, and I thought I'd link them—one of them is specifically for gender transition, but parts of it could be meaningful for anyone!

Unitarian Universalist Transgender Renaming Ceremony

Episcopal Service of Renaming from The Book of Occasional Services (pg. 120)

#asks

[date-a-jew-suggestions]

Goth/punk/alt Jews I have a question! My friend has managed to peer pressure me into tentatively starting my goth arc and it’s made me think abt something! A lot of goth looks involve crosses or crucifixes. Sometimes upside down, but not always. I can understand the appeal, especially for people who were raised christian, of reclaiming and fucking with a symbol of Christianity.

However, whenever I see an accessory or piece of clothing with a cross on it, I lose interest in wearing it. A big part of that is that I always wear my Magen David and I don’t wanna look like a messianic, but it also does kinda just bother me to think about wearing a cross.

Also! In terms of demonic or satanic imagery, I almost never have an issue. Partially because a lot of it just looks cool (goats are pretty animals and I like horns just as much as the next gay) but it’s also because it feels more like a reclamation for me than a cross would. Because being accused of being demonic or satanic is kind of just part of being Jewish. It’s a really common way I see antisemitism manifest, especially in it’s more radical forms. So for me, wearing a pentagram feels powerful, and it has nothing to do with the biblical figure of satan. I could not give less of a shit about him. I literally just like to make annoying people uncomfortable lmao

And I know this is not unique to me or Jewish people or anything, I know that that’s the main reason people wear pentagrams a lot of the time. And I also know that most satanists do not actually literally believe in satan. I guess I’m just saying that for me it’s more fun because I get to make fun of these peoples weird conspiracy theories and assumptions about me. I don’t practice satanism, I don’t practice paganism, I’m not a witch, I’m Jewish, and I like making antisemites mad.

This is a rambley post, I just wanna hear other Jews thoughts on this, especially Jews who are part of any of these subcultures

#jumblr #judaism #punk jews #punk #goth #alt #alt fashion

[azuresins]

I really liked your thoughts on Tanaka and that he might know what Sebastian is. In addition, that he'd know all about the Phantomhives and their origins. I just wanted to mention that the overlap between Shintō and Celtic beliefs truly are a thing. Ireland and Japan have consistently have had very good relations between each other, our traditional beliefs, are very similar. My Japanese grandmother always referred to the Fae and Fairies as "Western Yōkai" because, well... that's what they are. That's also my understanding of them, also and how I describe them, it's very common.

*screams and cries* Sorry I'm going to go off and I'll try to stay on topic but my mind just went like 50 directions at once. Thank you, it's... extremely difficult for me to put into words. I know both are distinctly different and come from completely different backgrounds and parts of the world, but both systems of belief and folklore share a lot of staples and commonality. I also think it's very interesting, that often 'Yokai' often get translated as 'demon' in the west. The same goes for many Celtic Gods and what are known as the Fae, specifically Morrigan. I've seen her referenced many times as a 'Queen of Demons', 'The Demon Queen', 'Phantom Queen', and even 'The Phantom Queen of Demons.' As a result people apply a lot of concepts of evil to her, when she's not strictly an evil deity. Terrifying? Yes. But not always evil. In truth I think... it's not always done to make her appear more evil, so much as it is to make people understand that not all 'Fairies' are... basically tinkerbell? Or what comes to mind, when we think of them in these modern times. I don't enjoy making the comparison, but a lot of them are described to have the might, power, size, and shapeshifting ability that sincerely reminds me of biblically accurate angels, and obviously, I wasn't alone. ...As that's where a lot of integration between Catholicism and the Old Ways took place, and why a lot of old Celtic Gods came to be thought of as "Fallen Angels." There are... multiple ideas, of Hell and the Underworld / Otherworld and what that is like ... and I think at this point, it would be hasty to dismiss the idea that if it does exist, it might not be the same "Hell" in a Christian sense of the word. I mean... Especially considering other religions and their mythos and beliefs, are also a very real part of this story, and a part of the way the universe in Kuro works in canon? In Hinduism the concept of "Hell" is extremely different and I mean, Agni and Soma clearly have very serious power and ability that's not to be trifled with... Agni tied with Sebastian in a duel, and when Agni died, Soma inherited his strength and ability... that had nothing to do with Christianity or any Western Belief System, it would be pretty biased to write that off.

#Finnian name theory #Tanaka #Sorry I am trying to tag this so I can find it later

[nobodymitskigabriel]

Braiding your hair at the sleepover, do you have any headcanons about what exactly it is that Gabriel and Loki had been getting up to between their escape and the apocalypse? Aside from vaguely fucking shit up trickster style lol

It's really impressive that you can braid hair that's as short as mine! Neat party trick 💞. Anyway I think fucking shit up trickster style composed a majority of their activities when they weren't just fucking full stop but here's some random ass headcanons that have wormed their way into my brain

Loki snatched Gabriel's blade off him almost immediately after his rescue and stabbed him with it. Thinking on his feet, Gabriel faked his death for the fist time just so he could have the chance to pop up and give Loki a surprise later.

Gabriel making an empty vessel for himself is a pretty common headcanon, but I think when he created it, it looked like his original vessel, the biblical Gabriel, and the idea to take Loki's place came later.

Gabriel shapeshifting to look like Loki started as a joke. That's a running theme in their relationship, things starting as a joke.

If you imagine that Gabriel was probably stationed on earth by Michael, then he or Raphael could conceivably come check on him especially if they think he's dilly-dallying. There were probably some close calls with Loki almost being discovered which led to Gabriel freely giving Loki sigils or spells that work against archangels.

I can't believe I saw you posting about Gabriel as Sigyn as well but literally I think that while Loki convened with other gods at this time, Gabriel posed as his wife. (Did he shapeshift or is he just a femboy?? Idk) He didn't care even slightly about the cultural prejudice against effeminacy.

Loki did not trust Gabriel at all at first and was always planning a way to get rid of him. As they got closer, Loki begrudgingly started to care about and trust him and discarded the idea. The betrayal we saw in s13 was just Loki carrying out the same plan he had stashed away for a very long time just in case.

Gabriel and Loki probably did do it a couple of times while Gabriel had shifted to look like Loki, but I think mooost of the sex they had took place with Gabriel looking like his original vessel. That's the face that Loki is attracted to. When Gabriel took Loki's place, even if Loki hadn't had to "go away" for plot reasons, that would have been an end of an era for them.

It was insanely fucking weird for Loki to have his ex show up after forever looking and acting exactly like him and I think it freaked him out. I think Gabriel always freaked him out in some way. He used to find it exciting until Gabriel became a liability.

(Also I did listen to that hozier album and it was very much full of vibes if you have other recs I'm all ears)

#ask game #lokiel #one day. i will write a fic. one day

[carnival-core]

eyes zoned onto puppet trivia on that post give us the puppet trivia

Oh fuck oh shit ok - Realizing now I don't exactly know what like... is fully common knowledge and what isn't with puppets, the type I know most about (especially because I'm making one now!! Slowly, but it's coming together!) is muppet-styled hand puppets It's really cool just how many types of that kinda hand puppet there are! That's somewhere to start - rod-arm puppets are what Piggy and Kermit and Elmo are, ones who move their arms with little rods while one puppeteer puppets their mouth. Then live hand puppets like Swedish Chef, Cookie Monster, or Rowlf use two puppeteers and glove hands (or just... Hands, for Swedish Chef) - and then Big Bird and Sweetums and so on are pretty much costumes!! And honestly the difference between animatronics and puppets is like really small if you think about it, there are all sorts of animatronic puppets! Puppeteering Muppet-style is like... Really physically taxing also, like it's hard to think about unless you watch behind the scenes and see how long they have to keep their arms up for while remembering choreography - usually remembering the choreo like Backwards since the cameras they use flip everything they do so they need to like go the opposite direction from where you see the puppets move on screen, even now Uhh what's more obscure puppet trivia ,, hm . Oh ! Did you know marionettes were named after the Virgin Mary? That style of puppetry was originally used for biblical stories mostly from what I remember before branching out - marionette pretty much just means 'little little Mary'

#behind the tent #I mean realistically there has to be people who don't know at least one of these #one of 10.000 every day or whatever the statistic for new info was #but idk if this satisfies anon #I watch a lot of videos of like puppet making and behind the scenes for Muppets stuff #Adam Savage (from Mythbusters) did a lot of touring of the Henson workshop this year !!! #Esp within the last few months #I highly reccomend those

[poltergeist-coffee]

Kidnapping²

Tubbo can't be stopped

Yeah, TMA looks cool, I have no idea if what the entities are but it sounds cool as hell

Philza really looked at us and asked "is anybody gonna give them depression?" And didn't wait for an answer

But yeah, Cellbit probably just wanted to help to decorate spawn, you guys don't that for Halloween?We don't have Halloween on Brazil, we don't know how it works/j

I can understand you about being shy about ships, but like, for almost anything I do

But dw, nobody is going to judge you pacman duo is fun, be it platonic or romantic

The question is: why not like pacman duo?

But about the gods of qsmp...

I think Kristin's desing is a mutual consent

Black veil in a hat, a lot of purple

But she deserves the galaxy aesthetic, it looks really cool and pretty and I think it fits the whole goddess of death vibe

And Mine, well, first I want to talk about cc Mike because he has pink hair like her and I think is cute they match:)

I don't know, but everytime I try to imagine her I aways think about some sort of sun aura if that even makes sense

I imagine those dress that are kinda loose but have something tying the waist and without sleeves that are hold by... That ring around on the neck? (Does that make sense? I'm currently can't find any image to help me) and maybe some gold bracelets? I dunno when I think of her I imagine pink, white and gold(because I think it matches with pink)

But I think that she wears a ring with a creeper face carved on it that Mike gave her :)

I've seen some Kari's designs where she has a lantern but I not quite sure for the rest

I've seen some HC that she's the goddess of the impossible, wich... Makes thing kinda hard for me at least

Like, what's is something that would fit that criteria?

The most I have is that I think she would wears braids, like those really intricated and complex braids because I think they are pretty

Taking advantage of the fact that we are talking about the gods of the qsmp to return to the subject of the Cellbit's discord

I think they are some sort of being with -how know how many - thousands? Minds

The chaos and, well, discord of so many minds crashing with different ideas and thoughts not aligned with human morals

Thinking about how would they look is kinda fun, like, how many faces could a creature like this have? Would them even be something the human mind would be able to process? Or it would collapse by simply seeing someone like that?

I think fictional religions and gods are fun to think about

- 🍽️

ramblings below vv

tried to draw some of the ideas you had :3c this one above is a drawing of Mine i did before. it’s inspired by her mc skin which is very pink, i think that’s one of the ways you’d be able to tell when she’s possessing mike because his skin will turn pink like hers and one of his pupils will also change to look like a flower/star!!

i think because for a while kari was faceless she wouldn’t have a very distinct face as a goddess? or like it’s always changing so she never looks the same because she’s like “impossible” so it’s always changing but the one thing that’s the same about her is her colors (lots of red and yellows) and that she has very intricate braiding in her hair. i also think she has like a billion hands. they don’t have to be connected to her but sort of like a biblically accurate angel she has a billion hands sort of floating around her at all times lol

YEES I LOVE FICTIONAL RELIGION/GODS THEYRE SUPER FUN TO THINK ABOUT!! on another server i liked they made Prime a god (like Prime subs on Twitch) because one of the members said it so much which i thought was really fun. Prime was like the common god/religion on that server

anyways cellbits discord!! i think it would be cool if it was like shadows? just like darkness that surrounds someone but if yiu look and listen closely enough you can hear a billion different voices and eyes watching you, especially if you’re doing puzzles then it’s way easier to spot them. they’re not able to take on many forms because there’s just so many of them as one “being” so unless they can all agree they stay as just shadows.

#✉️ asks or whatever #🍽️ anon #🎨 my art

[nemuran]

hello, i would like you all to know that my loving for birds doesn't exclude pigeons. they're actually pretty cute as well, and all the more when well cared for and if their environment allows it <3

let me get this straight, pigeons are heavily misunderstood in today's society. the way i see it, it's "just" another fact that we might have taken for truth from the society we live in, only to potentially learn later on that things aren't what we thought they are.

many people see them as a common and unwanted sight, dirty disease-bearing birds, and any other negative thing you could think of and associate to them.

but when properly cared for, pigeons can actually be as clean as chickens and as cute as other birds that can be domesticated! generally speaking, pigeons are docile, sweet and social birds, and along that, they have a set of amazing skills, notably their ability to find their way back home even when released in an unknown place faraway from said home. they've been used to carry messengers as well! with the earliest reference to using pigeons for that purpose dating back to 2500 B.C.

another thing, according to sources (e.g. citywildlife.org), "the pigeon is actually the famed biblical bird of love and peace that came to Noah bearing an olive branch and bringing hope".

so yes, even though nowadays, pigeons and especially wild ones are often met with scepticism, they have a rich history and contributed to ours as well. they aren't necessarily less magnificent as other birds that you'd associate with that word.

#nemuramblings

[sanstropfremir]

Bestie I’m begging you to talk about forestella’s costumes for this comeback (do we consider this a comeback?). I think so far they only have three versions-the white ones, the pink from the mv, and the black ones from You Heeyeol’s sketchbook that I’m pretty sure where also I’m the mv. Oh and the set of outfits where Hyungho is wearing a red jacket

i LOOOOOVVVEEEEEEEEEE the costumes for this comeback!!!!! obvs i'm sad that a.c.e isn't here but if it means that forestella gets their jewelry budget i will accept their hiatus gracefully. i don't think there's anything crazy deep with the costumes but since the other set indications from the mv are neoclassical/greco-roman and there's both old norse myth (the world tree) and biblical references, so i'll take a guess that the costumes are meant to be 'modern but also timeless' interpretations of god-like/demigod-like figures OR priests/religious mediums of some kind. the mv quite literally puts them on pedestals and a big stylistic point of the costumes are these quite elabourate jewelry pieces and fabrics associated with luxury (lace, silk, brocade). the table and lace veils makes me lean slightly more towards religious mediums, who also among many different cultures often have elabourate jewelry and accessories, but it could go either way. i really like that they went for an out of time look for this styling because it lends really well to the ambiguity of the visual and textual references in the mv; obviously all the clothing is in a modern cut, but there are specific choices and accessories that pull each look specifically away from being solidly 'modern'. across all the looks they've got calf or knee height boots, which was the standard height for boots for quite a while historically, but was most famously common in the early-mid 19th century. in the beige + white lace looks: lace in the first place, woorim's lace tie and lace cuffs (references to 18th cent lace jabots and cuffs), hyungho's lace front (reference to bib front tuxedo shirts), mingyu's lace torso overlay (looks like a jerkin/vest with a plain shirtsleeve underneath), doohoon's sash (common in military dress uniforms). in the black/white looks (these are primarly just inverted versions): woorim/hyungho/doohoon's shoulder pieces (large ceremonial collar type jewelry, but also could be referential to aiguillettes or gorgets), mingyu's cross body belt (bandolier), hyungho's lace collared shirt (could be referential to a stock tie or just lace collars in general), and woorim's amazing fringed cape jacket (it's a single armed CAPE, which appears all throughout western men's fashion from as far back as the late middle ages). i didn't get a good look at all of them from the set where hyungho is wearing the red jacket, but that particular getup is very victorian; it was a huge trend in the late victorian era for suits of garish patterns and they also were still wearing frock coats then (although i think maybe they had migrated to sack coats by that point? i can't remember. technically frock coats are shorter than it looks like hyungho's is, but i'm not counting for accuracy here). also the structure of suiting in general gives them a sense of power and authority, since it is, of course, closely associated with patriarchal power systems. like i said, it's not crazy deep but there are a lot of little details that are fun for a designer to play around with, i bet the styling team had a great time with this one, especially when you look at all the different textures they play around with too.

#like woorim's fuzzy shirt?! combined with mingyu wearing faux leather????? i love texture stylists need to play with it more #kpop questions #kpop styling #forestella #forestella w #really getting to flex my knowledge of the history of the necktie in this ask thank you #i also know so much about the history of the suit (shrug emoji) #it was one of my specialty areas in school #text #answers #anon whoever u are i love u thank u for asking me about forestella

[a-worldofnoise]

Eco-towns

What is an eco-town?

When you think of an ‘eco-town’ or a ‘smart city’ you might picture a huge, futuristic, highly unattainable haven comprising of floating buildings, flying cars and large, green plants bursting out at all angles. Something you’d find in an episode of ‘Doctor Who’. This isn’t entirely true, (key word: entirely), eco towns do exist today and are becoming more and more common; so maybe this means that we are entering a new era of futurism? Also, they aren’t unattainable, what you’ve most likely been seeing has been AI generated and unrealistic versions of a version of eco-towns that aren’t yet ready to be put into the real world yet, especially with the technology that we are working with today. And although this technology is unlike anything we have seen before, we are still not advanced enough for these hyper-unrealistic smart cities.

In today’s world, there is becoming an increase in examples of eco towns that either already exist, or are being built.

Here’s Matera, a town in Southern Italy deemed as the ‘world’s oldest eco-sustainable and smart city’. You might think that Mareta is a newly built smart city that has been centered around new technologies and housing but Mareta itself dates back nearly 8,000 years. This means it would have been built long, long before any of our new technologies could have touched it. Matera is highly biblical, with buildings made entirely using calcarenites which is a type of sedimentary rock formed of sand-grain sized particles. These houses have been cut into this rock, placed perfectly on top of each other. An example of this is the Sassi di Matera. So, what about this town makes is the first ever eco smart city? Besides the fact that these houses and caves were built specifically to stay at a livable temperature all year round, there are many answers, one would talk about Matera's ability to optimise the town’s limited water resources. Matera is a landlocked city that receives very little rainfall, it’s source of water is its reservoir, developed over many years consisting of many cisterns and canals, storing water from underground as well as from condensation from the soil surrounding the area. The roofs of each house were also built to catch water in their gutters, being transported through a purification process before ending up in the cisterns. Their cistern is the largest in the world, holding up to 5 million liters of water. Pretty efficient if you ask me. Overall, this town is incredibly before its time, it is using natural materials to create a perfect example of an eco smart city (A. Lamia 2022).

Today, eco-towns are being built worldwide, an example of this is Vauban in Freiburg.

Vauban is a sustainable and eco-friendly town in the south of Germany, the construction of which began in the early 1990s. It quickly became a popular town and now has roughly 5000 residents as of 2024. This town was developed by a community who wanted to create a future for themselves, and it worked. Being planned around green, eco-friendly transportation, using bike paths as one of the main forms of transport, Vauban has been an incredible example of how we can begin moving back towards a healthier, less polluted way of living. Many houses in this town are even car-free! It doesn’t stop there, waste produced by each of these houses gets treated using an anaerobic digester which is when bacteria breaks down different types of organic matter (e.g food waste and wastewater, two of the main types of household waste). This waste is then either –in the food waste side of things- turned into biogas to be used for cooking, or –on the water waste side- turned from grey water into clean drinking water and being put back into the water cycle (Thorpe 2017). This is all incredibly efficient and an amazing example of how people today can take advantage of all the technology available to us and use it to create more places such as this.

In my next post, I will go into further detail as to why the development of eco-towns and smart cities are a vital part of how we will begin to seriously take action against the climate crisis.

sources:

A. Lamia (2022) Matera: The world’s oldest eco-sustainable and smart city. Available at: https://blogs.iadb.org/ (Accessed 6th Feb 2024)

D. Thorpe (2017) The World’s Most Successful Model for Sustainable Urban Development? Available at: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ (Accessed 3rd Feb 2024)

[name-of-the-day]

hi!! i really think you should tag these names with "(culture/ethnicity) name" to make it easier for people to use the names respectfully. not all of the existing ones of course, but from now on i think it would be helpful!

I appreciate the nice tone but here's a (gentle) slap of reality. I'm not mad at you or anything. 1stly, not every name has a traceable origin. It's just not possible, especially with biblical names or names that are mixes of two cultures/languages. (Example is something like my irl last name, the first few letters are a common sound/spelling base for one culture and the last few letters are a common sound/spelling base for a completely different culture.) Like, it's pretty hard to tell in some cases and it's not always obvious or easy to find on the web. The gods know I will miss an origin or mess one up or not make a name properly and I don't wanna be accused of racism , as a poc , over something stupid and not racist. This website can be crazy sometimes. I don't need name discourse. Although some seem obvious and easy, due to the complexity of human language and the mixing of cultures, there really isn't anyway for me to fully do it in every case or even most cases. I'm not gonna dedicate 30 mins of my time to source a name and dig through historical papers just to find the true origin. Not to mention, would I only do that for "poc names"? Would I not do that for "white names"? What about common noun names? See how this could complicated and time consuming really quickly?

2ndly, I already stated in my pinned why I can't do that, I simpley post too many names. That's alot of names to source. Like... An obscene amount. like hundreds of names once the queue is refilled. I'm not joking. So if you wanna rb some and tag them that way, you can do that on your own time. Don't rb all of my content cause I'd like to have functioning notifications but yeah. I don't have the time or spoons to add that many tags and that much research. Sorry.

[futurewriter2000]

Rocks and Dust

A/N: I don't know why Remus gave me such Heath Ledger vibes when I was writing this but he did and I am honestly so fucking proud of it. Now, I really want to make myself some rice and chicken... or just rice. I hope you like it <3

REQUESTED BY @cloudywitchh: Hiiii, Im not sure if your requests are open, but if they are i have one. :)) Before I request, I want you to know that I love your oneshots and series! ive been binge reading. Could you possibly do a Gryffindor reader that has both james and remus that like her. oneshot or series. if you choose to write it, thank you, if not i understand

XX

Souls meet when eyes do and it hasn't been much easy to hold yourself back when such mesmerising hazel eyes had done nothing but watch you seductively.

At first you couldn't feel it but after a while, something in the back of your mind told you to look a certain direction. When you did, your eyes met his and a certain colour started to appear on your cheeks.

You watched him, he watched you. "Yes, Potter?" you asked with a smirk forming on the corner of your lips.

He smiled, tilting his head a bit to the side before speaking. "Had you done something new with your hair?" he asked, glancing up at your hair as you let out a laugh.

"Not really."

"Well, no matter of it." he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "You look absolutely stunning."

You felt your heart flutter in your chest but you were not about to let him know that. "Thank you. When don't I look absolutely stunning." you joked and he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, mate." Remus came into the common room and tapped James' shoulder as he passed him by, sitting next to him.

James smile faded a bit. He was a tad disappointed in his friend's presence. Everything had seemed to go so well between you and him. If the two of you continued to be alone, he would have had more confidence to ask you out on a date. Knowing that Remus took fancy in you too, it was a bit challenging to do so.

"What's up, Moony?" James looked at him, clearly not in a friendliest tone Remus was used to.

Remus' lips twirled upwards and he felt amused by his friends' frustration. He looked at you and smiled wonderfully. "Hi." he said and you smiled cheerfully, oblivious to the competition in front of you.

"Hi, Remus."

You seemed to be a tad disappointed as well. You loved to flirt with James because it seemed so easy and fun to do yet sometimes you couldn't understand whether he truly likes you or if he's doing it just out of fun. But you live by your mother's words; If a man truly likes you, he will do absolutely everything to let you know and pursue you.

That was why you were always so laid back. You didn't overthink anything when it came to boy. They seemed to think more simply than girls and whatever they did, they did because they wanted to, not because there was a whole scheme behind their actions.

You could see a bit discomfort in James. You couldn't really figure out why but he started to pout, which had made you a bit more uncomfortable around both of them.

Remus, however, loved to talk to you. He was open and honest but sometimes you felt as if he held too many secrets inside of him. To you, he was a bit harder to get to know, no matter how much he could tell you.

"You're going to love this, (y/n)!" he started to sound more excited. "I had found the oldest yet most interesting place a few nights ago-" he hear- both of you heard James scoff to that. "And I know your curious spirit cannot wait to explore it."

"Where?!" you threw all your books away and jumped forward. Old ruins and historic backgrounds always made you overly excited. You must have gotten it from your dad's side of the family. Everybody seemed to be more of history freaks and you were no different.

"I can show you. What do you think James?" Remus turned to James, who only laughed.

"No, thank you." he stood up and stretched his arms over his body. "Rocks and dust? Not my cup of tea. If I wanted to take a girl I fancy-" he looked at you with a grin and a soft chuckle. "I'd take her somewhere more romantic." he walked to you and winked. "A lovely restaurant or a walk among the trees under the moonlight." he was leaning down to you, close and observing the flush in your cheeks.

Your eyes were meeting and it lit a fiery spark between the two of you but as you didn't want to give him the pleasure of it, you rolled your eyes and moved away. "That's a bit of a cliche, isn't it, Potter?" you stood up and stretched your back as well. "I don't do romance." you turned from James to Remus and smiled excitedly. "Shall we go and explore!?"

"Yes we shall."

---

Remus hasn't felt you this excited over some 'rocks and dust' in all the years he had known you but he had felt his heart fill with joy and love when he could see how a person can live for the small things in life. You didn't care about wealth or power, neither if a person was physically beautiful and attractive. You neither cared if person had its flaws, you still loved anybody for who they were; good or evil. You always tried to look the best in people and your gift was, that you always seemed to bring out just that out of everybody and especially out of him.

As the two of you had walked, he had realised that he wants to tell you something important to him. It wasn't a secret to his friends and family but it was a shameful secret to him and to everybody else.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked as the two of you were climbing up the hill.

"Yeah." you stopped, gasping for air and putting your hands on your hips. "I think we need to rest too." you smiled and he laughed.

"It's not that far. We're almost close."

"My heart is almost close to stopping too."

He laughed again and sat on the rock, finding the moon shining on him as if it was leaving its fullness from a few days ago. "I just have the need to tell you this... and I'm serious."

You looked up at him and found the moon perfectly cut out the colour of his green eyes. "Your eyes look so pretty in the moonlight." you said without any filter but sat down next to him.

"Thank you."

You smiled and looked up at the moon before taking a look of his worried expression. "What is it?" you shoved him a little as he smiled. "You can tell me your deepest darkest secret." you joked but it was no joke to him.

"Well... I'm... I'm a werewOlf." he stuttered out, trying to sound casually as he said so but unsuccessful.

You only stared in silence, clearly processing the information as he was impatient to wait for your reaction. Your eyes only narrowed at him and you nodded. "I knew it."

"You knew it?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I mean, I didn't know it. I just know there was something to you that I couldn't put my finger on but I kind of knew it. It did cross my mind once but I brushed it off quickly. I didn't believe it but apparently my intuition was on to something." you laughed and stood up, offering him your hand. "Shall we continue?"

"You don't seem a tad phased by it." he took your hand gently and stood up.

"Oh, I am but I really don't mind people being people. You know?" you started to talk fast. "I don't judge people by their flaws, more by their actions and I don't seem why your werewolfness would bother me when there are far worse withces, wizards and Muggles in this world, who are far more worse than any werewolf I had encounter. Which, you're the first but still. You don't seem the one to eat children and howl at the moon."

He let out a loud laugh. "I don't eat children but I do the latter."

---

The two of you walked up the hill hand in hand, him trying to pull you up as his steps were much larger than yours. He was more of muscles than you, faster and careful as for you seemed to trip over a branch or two.

He had opened up as the two of you made your way to the top and started to walk on the flatlands. It stretched far away from the castle but you could see the ruins so clearly from the distance. The light of he moon made the subject far more pleasing to the eye and at that moment when Remus was talking to you and your eyes seemed to wander on the view- everything seemed to be perfect and you imprinted that moment into your memory so that you can look back and re-live it all over again.

As he talked, he seemed more lose and excited. He hadn't held back on anything. He had told you about Animagnus forms of his friends and how he isn't the only one who howls at the moon. Sirius apparently loves to do it just as well in his other form. He had constantly made you laugh by his full moon stories and how he accepted the awful fact of his life-long destiny of sharing his body with a beast.

He was glowing, literally glowing when he was telling you all the things he was hiding from you and for the first time, you were the one to listen and he was the one constantly talking.

"We're here!" he pointed at the ruins of an old castle. It wasn't big or notorious as Camelot or Hogwarts or any other historically known castle. It was small and poor in it's built but it was still a castle, just not the traditional kind.

He let go of your hand and it gave you a sort of an electrical shock as he did. You seemed to be so comfortable and in love of holding hands that you completely forgot what it was like without his fingers intertwined with yours.

It wasn't for long though. He had opened the old wooden door for you and offered you his hand to lead you inside. "After you, m'lady." he bowed as a gentleman should and you hurried up inside, taking him by the hand and leading him behind you.

Your wands needn't to be lit as the moonlight made it's own natural light through the large gaps between the rocks. Nature made it's own charm by growing vines around the walls, flowers and grass among the cracks. It truly did feel more magical than the magic itself.

"Oh, Remus look!" you ran to one of the walls and saw names carved in. "Ibzan." you smiled back at him.

"Old biblical name." Remus followed and saw many other names written around it. "Arthur." he laughed. "Wouldn't be an English castle without an Arthur in it."

"Tatiana." you looked at it. "Like a princess." you looked at him but he seemed to be very close to you, staring forward. His chest was against your back and his head leaning over your shoulder. You didn't have to look back. You could only move your eyes to the side and see him there.

He seemed to be so focused on the rocks in front of you that he hasn't even noticed you marvelling at him. All you could see, for the first time noticing his sharp, nicely structured side profile. His cheek bones were finely defined, his lips sharp and plump and his eyebrows nicely arched.

He truly was a beautiful boy and you hadn't noticed it till now. His palm was placed against the rock as he was supporting himself but when he had noticed you looking at him, he slyly looked back. A corner of his mouth quirked up and he said: "A girl doesn't need to be a princess to have a beautiful name." he spoke low and quietly.

The spark that James lit before was over-flamed by the passion Remus arroused in you. Before you knew it, he was leaning down and kissed you softly. One short kiss and it was enough to tempt you for more. You put your hand around his neck and pulled him down for me, smiling into it as you had felt him smile as well. As heavy as they felt, they seemed light as well because no kisses seemed to be as perfect as his; soft, teasing yet deep and passionate.

When he placed his hand on your cheek you could feel the dust set on your skin. You let out a giggle and he pulled away. "What?" he smiled but then just noticed how dark your cheek was. "Oh, my-" he let out a laugh, then looked back on the wall his palm was pressed on before. "I am terribly sorry."

You laughed as well. "Don't worry." you continued to laugh and wipe it away. "It'll probably wash away."

"Probably." he tilted his head a bit and gave you a peck. "And we should probably head back."

Putting your arms around his neck, you made a big stretch and looked up at the sky. "Ugh..." you looked back into his green eyes, burning your soul into sparks and bitses. "But it's so beautiful here." you let out a small whine and he chuckled.

"Well, (y/n)(y/l/n). I didn't think you did romance." he teased.

"I don't. I let the man do all the romance for me." you stepped on your tiptoes and brushed your nose against his.

"That's a bit unfair."

"I wouldn't worry if I were you, Lupin. I have time to make it fair."

"Glad to hear it."

#remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin imagine #james potter #james potter x reader #james potter imagine #marauders #marauders imagine #marauders imagines #marauders x reader

[jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav]

Part 2: Food in The Devildom and Celestial Realm

headcanons for what type of things the brothers' typically cook when its their day of the week to cook? who is the best, who is the worst? also- if you have time- headcanons for what you think devildom vs celestial dishes are like and if there's any difference to human cooking in prep or ingredients? just cooking headcanons! go crazy. can u tell i daydream about what devildom/celestial food tastes like everytime it gets mentioned 😳 like imagine poison apple pie or those cigar cookies 🤗

(Part 1 of this ask, the headcanons about the brothers’ cooking skills, can be found here (x).)

Food! One of the cornerstones of culture ^-^ It’s really interesting to see how a society’s culture affects its food and vice versa!

So what’s up with the Devildom and Celestial Realm?

The Devildom

Because we’ve spent the most time in the Devildom, we know more about the food there. Most of it is adjacent to human world stuff, but with weird— I mean, local ingredients. Poison apples, bat meat, cocktails you have to mix while under the effect of a siren’s song to get them to taste right…

I think the most interesting aspect of Devildom (and probably the Celestial Realm too) cuisine is the incorporation of magic. The siren drink from the 30s lessons comes to mind, but so does that rare Hell Coffee they mention at one point. The one that’s more bitter the more the maker loves the person they’re making it for.

Magic is highly symbolic, I wonder how that plays into Devildom cooking? Do you have to be in the right mood to prepare certain dishes or it’ll taste wrong? What creatures’ meat is considered common and what’s an upper class delicacy? Can demons taste magic in a way humans can’t?

Which brings me to Solomon, a legendarily terrible cook. Is he awful at all cooking, or is it his attempts to make Devildom cuisine, which incorporates magic, that fail because humans lack the senses to properly taste magic? Is he constantly pulling the magic equivalent of dry-rubbing pork with a fuckton of cayenne pepper? I have a funny feeling that he is.

Speaking of humans, let’s talk long pig. It’s mentioned a few times, mostly in the earlier lessons, that at least some of the brothers have either eaten entire humans, human meat, or a human soul before. I wonder how common human meat/souls actually are in the Devildom, because from the way everyone’s worried MC is going to be devoured, it seems like it’s pretty rare. (Which is weird if the Devildom is supposed to, in part, be Hell, but that’s a crack theory for another day)

Do demons need some weird nutrients only found in magic and/or souls? What’s up with cannibalism seemingly being at least kinda chill down there? (iirc Beel has been known to munch on a Lil D every now and then)

What would a soul even taste like? Are human souls the shrimp colours of flavour?

Alright, that’s sufficiently off the rails. NEXT!

The Celestial Realm

Perhaps this is Luke’s or Michael’s fault, but most of what we’ve seen from the Celestial Realm is sweets, which makes me think angels have sweet tooths. But! It also makes me think of Biblical manna, what G-d is said to have provided the Israelites to eat during our* 40 year desert trip after being brought out of Egypt. It’s been talked about in the Hebrew Bible twice, once in Exodus and again in Numbers.

It’s described as showing up with the dew at night, looking like flaky hoarfrost (the crunchy frost layer you sometimes see in the fall or winter on grass in the mornings, if where you live gets cold enough for that), or sometimes bdellium (which itself looks like prunes or dates kinda). Raw, it tastes like a honey wafer, but can be ground up and baked into cakes, which apparently taste like cakes made with oil.

Other fun thing about it: it spoils fast if you don’t eat it that day, unless it’s been saved for Shabbat/the Sabbath, because every morning the Israelites had to pick it by hand and no working is allowed on the Sabbath. Whether this is an inherent property of manna or just how G-d chose to present it to the Israelites as an encouragement of temperance is unclear. Because it’s the Bible. And not meant to be worldbuilding.

ANYWAY! That history lesson over, I find it interesting that the Celestial Realm, what’s supposed to be this place of rigid order and righteousness, is also home to something as simple and indulgent as sweets. It’s not that the Devildom or the human world doesn’t have sweets of course, but I can’t recall anything not sweet/dessert related from the Celestial Realm.

Also, it would be a massive disservice to my blog and personal brand if I didn’t mention the Furry Syrup. Why does the Celestial Realm have syrup that turns you into an animal? Is it a prank? A unique culinary experience? Is Simeon just really strange?

It’s not that weird for magic food to do something to the person who consumes it, it’s just kinda weird that it’s coming from fake-Heaven of all places. Is eating a full-body experience for angels? Is the Furry Syrup meant to do that, or is that some sort of allergic reaction because the brothers aren’t angels anymore?

It’s a mystery!

Well, I don’t think this was necessarily what you might have been looking for, anon who requested this, but it’s what I’ve got. I’d love to hear anyone else’s thoughts about food in Obey Me, especially food and magic bc there’s a lot of cool stuff you could do there imo.

*You’ve probably seen me say god or even God uncensored on here before, but in this case I’m talking about The Actual Abrahamic Big Man Upstairs, and as a Jewish person, we’re technically supposed to censor His name for Reasons. I tend to forget to do that digitally bc, well, you can’t ritually bury a tumblr post in the ground... But I remembered today, so I’m gonna try and do that. Life’s kinda complicated when you’re a jew who likes to read/consume media about bible fanfic okay? 

Also might have noticed I spoke weirdly in the first person when talking about the exile from Egypt. That one’s a force of habit from Passover/Pesach, one of the big Jewish holidays. We’re meant to talk about the events of Exodus in the first person, as though it happened to us, not just our ancestors, for Reasons. I suppose it’s a tribal/community thing. Idk, i’m not a rabbi, I’m not even really religious. I’m just a nerd who never went to shul but is Very Interested in my own culture and mythology.

#obey me #obey me headcanons #obey me celestial realm #obey me devildom #obey me shall we date #mine #my writing #will i write a worldbuilding theory post about obey me without mentioning judaism? #or just anything related to the bible? #probably not #but can you really blame me? #mf SOLOMON and ASMODEUS and LILITH ARE IN THIS GAME!!!

[mobiused]

I only just realised Yves' line in PTT is referencing the book east of eden 🤦‍♀️

yeah hehe, i saw a thread about how yves/chuu mirror the parents (yves as cathy and chuu as adam) and gowon/olivia hye mirror the sons (gowon as aron and olivia hye as caleb).

i think olivia hye being caleb is super accurate, especially the notion of timshel and both cal and olivia's struggles with morality, only to come out as a good person after it all. that's pretty much the plot of 'egoist', that after being abandoned, she'll walk her own righteous path, even though it's hard after all the hurt she's been through.

both gowon and aron 'die', obviously gowon only temporarily. we also see in one&only gowon portrayed as reclusive, and someone who uses the comfort of the church/education as a coping mecahnism to avoid confronting her lack of passions/drive and general unhappiness. one&only and love4eva take place at the same location (a christian boarding school of sorts? evidenced by the eden school uniforms used in both mvs) but o&o is filled with more religious motifs from gowon's perspective, whereas in love4eva, the school theme is more heavily emphasised.

chuu has been (biblical) adam-coded since the beginning (she's literally in love with eve/yves), so she suits east of eden adam pretty well, as they both fail to see yves/cathy for the devious people they are. both chuu and adam ostracise or neglect olivia/cal, and loves an idealised, unproblematic version of yves/cathy. "nothing cathy did or said could warp adam's cathy", and that applies to chuu & yves too.

my only sticking point is while yves can be pretty evil at times, she's not THAT evil, nowhere near as evil as cathy. however, cathy and yves both sin intentionally, are manipulative, and predate on people's trusting & good natures. both are irredeemable in the eyes of god. yves is evil in a biblical sense, as in she's heretical and kind of a dick a lot of the times, but she's not a bad person - none of loona are (why not lyrics). even though she isn't free from sin at any point in the narrative, she does redeem herself amongst the other girls, to the point where even olivia, her most wronged victim, can find it in herself to forgive her. cathy doesn't do this at all. (also if you know anything about cathy's character i'm not sure how happy sooyoung would be to play that part 😭)

edit; after having read the book twice now, steinbeck discusses cathy and her "evil"ness in chapter 13, about how since neither him nor the other characters understand cathy's motives -- like we/other characters might understand yves' motives -- the opinion that either character is evil is subjective. (despite the fact steinbeck makes cathy the embodiment of evil!) just because the two of them are self serving and do what they want doesn't make them evil - and isn't that a common theme throughout loona's narrative? so maybe its not that bad of a comparison. although yves probably still wouldnt want to be compared to someone of cathy's character.

#though if ryan jhun wrote it without bbc influencing it at all #he mightve just been throwing any old references in there without awareness of the wider ramifications #erm #i mean to just say 'yeah' but i couldnt help myself from expanding #so #loona lore #loonaverse #long post