#and now reading this book in march is having a very similar effect | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

illusivesoul · 12 days

Text

THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT MY FELLOW WRITERS

Was tagged by @timesthatneverwere Thank you :)

I'll tag @mtreebeardiles @starlightwrites @mxanigel @anneapocalypse and @marythegizka . Only if you feel like doing this, of course.

I'll post the questions here and my answers under the cut.

Last book I read:

Greatest literary inspiration:

Things in my current fandom I want to read but I don't want to write:

Things in my current fandoms I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me:

You can recognize my writing by:

My most controversial take (current fandom):

Top three favourite tropes:

What’s your current writing mood (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut):

Share a random frustration:

Last book I read: Sapiens: From Animals to Gods by Yuval Harari. A really good and interesting book about the evolution of humanity and religion, societal developments, where humanity may be in the future, etc.

Greatest literary inspiration: Not sure I have any, to be honest.

Things in my current fandom I want to read but I don't want to write: I'd love to read a fic that centers around big events in DA history like the fall of the elvhen empire after Solas brings up the Veil, the fall of Arlathan, the Exalted Marches, etc.

For ME, I'd like to read fics set in what the me2 characters were doing before the events of the game. Garrus in Omega, Samara searching for Morinth, Zaeed looking for Vido, etc

Things in my current fandoms I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me: I mean, I mostly write rarepairs, so that doesn't get much attention already. I'm currently writing about Leliana's mom, who I hc was a Carta dwarf that through the twists of fate ended up working for Lady Cecile.

I love writing about obscure characters and giving depth to characters who have 2 lines of dialogue in the games lol.

You can recognize my writing by: If you find a ME or DA rare rarepair on ao3, there's a good chance that it was written by me lol

I always open fics with either descriptions of scenery ("It was a busy day at the Grand Cathedral") or direct dialogue (“Shouldn’t be much longer now, Natia”). And my fics very rarely go over 2k words.

I think this is a common thing for writers, but I've always felt that most of my smut fics are quite similar to each other.

My most controversial take (current fandom): I have a lot lol. I'll give 2 for Mass Effect and 2 for Dragon Age.

As much as I enjoy them, I don't like how most of the squadmates don't ever stand up to Shepard and are pretty much just yes men and women who go along with everything Shepard does (it's also why Ash and Kaidan are among my favs)

I think curing the Genophage in me3 is a mistake (I prefer Mordin surviving and going to work on the Crucible and then continue working on a cure to be used later when the galaxy is more stable, as his ending slides show)

For Dragon Age, Loghain was right in retreating from Ostagar cause the battle was unwinnable, and (not sure if this qualifies as a controversial take) Vivienne is the best Divine imo.

Top three favourite tropes: Not sure if these are tropes per se, but I enjoy Fighting before kissing, reuniting after being separated for years,

What’s your current writing mood (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut): 6.

Share a random frustration: My lack of a proper schedule to write. I always try to get a some words into wips each days, but sometimes I spent days without writing followed by a sudden burst of activity lol.

#tag meme

7 notes · View notes

burr-did-nothing-wrong · 10 months

Note

In your opinion, do you think Montgomery would have become the commander-in-chief if he hadn't been killed in Quebec?

Hi Anon! Thank you kindly for this ask. I am always happy to answer questions about Montgomery!

I am in the middle of a move right now, so both of my books on Montgomery (as far as I know, the only two written about him!) are packed away. But I can answer to the best of my ability based off what I've read and remember.

This is an interesting question for a few reasons: while a lot would depend on the outcome of the Quebec campaign, it is my opinion that a victory in Canada would not have led to Montgomery replacing Washington. If Quebec was taken, the British would have attempted to retake it. I think it likely that Montgomery or Arnold would have remained in Canada for a large portion of the war. The river running beside the city could have proven a boon or hindrance. Immediately after the failed siege, America spent some months in a kind of arms race with the British, building ships for the fight that would take place in Lake Champlain. To me, this would indicate that the colonial forces lacked the naval power to control the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It would be in the interest of the British to control the Gulf and then the river, as with it, they could sail directly to Ticonderoga. This river was also of importance for the shipping of supplies inland.

There is also the matter of who really would receive credit for a victory, if it had happened. Benedict Arnold had proposed campaign to reinforce Canada to George Washington personally, the previous summer. His march into Canada was also a highly dramatic affair. In this sense, Arnold's name was tied heavily to the campaign. On the other hand, Arnold notoriously fails time and again to receive credit where it is due. But--at least in the instance of Arnold's heroism at Lake Champlain, while Arnold may have slowed and hampered the British advance, these efforts had no large impact on the objectives of either army. This would not be the case when it came to securing Quebec, so I think this would be one instance where Arnold did receive credit where it was due. On the other, Montgomery was a fairly popular figure among leadership--he was know as the conqueror of Montreal, and was given praise and promotion where Arnold was not.

Much more important, I think, would be to consider the temperaments of the generals in the army. As we know from Arnold's difficulties with rank and recognition, often what mattered more was personality and image. Washington was a respected and admired figure. Most importantly, he was trusted. While he did not have ambition for power, he was concerned with his legacy, and he was very much aware that his station and conduct during the revolution would be crucial in how he was remembered after he was gone. Benedict Arnold was ambitious, but the effect was the same. According to Philbrick, Arnold had an acute desire to distance himself from his origins.

Montgomery was very much the opposite. While he felt bound by duty and honor to serve the colonial cause, he had no desire for notoriety, as both Arnold and Washington did. And unlike Arnold, he had no desire for power. Montgomery's ambitions were confined to his desire to be a gentleman farmer/scientist. Popular at the time was the idea of a gentleman developing land--and indeed, Montgomery had land and plans for development that were put on hold by the war. While this is similar to Washington's desire to retire to a peaceful life at Mount Vernon, Montgomery was not concerned with his legacy in the same way. In fact, he wrote extensively (for the little writing he left) of his desire to avoid fame. He desired anonymity, and in fact seemed to suffer some degree of anxiety that he would become a public figure.

For these reasons, I don't think it at all likely Montgomery would participate in the political jostling needed to upset someone like George Washington from his position. Were the position offered to General Montgomery, it would certainly come with a level of turmoil and political malcontent that would be impossible to miss. I think it very unlikely Montgomery would accept.

#Ask #General Montgomery #Richard Montgomery #Benedict Arnold

9 notes · View notes

ghooostbaby · 9 months

Text

after watching a documentary (united in anger) about the activism of ACT UP during the AIDS crisis, i felt really inspired that there could be hope fighting against government/corporate inaction for climate change. there are so many ways these situations feel similar to me, although AIDS was able to work with capitalism to their benefit, since drug companies could make money from actually getting the drugs out to people... and what we need for climate change is a complete transformation of our economic system away from an unlimited growth and consumption mindset. but generally there’s this thing happening that governments and corporations are largely ignoring, it is killing people, destroying peoples lives, making people sick, starting with the people who have the least power, and so no one cares or has to care who has power. there’s this apathy and cruelty of other regular people that see themselves as superior in some way, or just unrelated, to the people who are affected. and you need to do the impossible task of changing enough of those peoples’ deeply held beliefs before you can get corporations and governments to change.

one of the ACT UP people were saying how they found if they could pinpoint a specific problem that had a particular solution (AIDS drugs not being approved fast enough by the FDA), if they could do an action that would catch the media’s attention and put the issue into the public, they could effect very fast change. The people organizing in ACT UP were very very small numbers compared to the amount of people who have marched for climate action protests, but they were able to force so much real, tangible change. after the record breaking heat wave at the start of july, i felt so hopeless. but i started reading and watching all this stuff about ACT UP, and thinking instead of taking this vague sense of impermeable doom of climate change, approaching all the climate stories and information with the mission of seeking one specific problem that you can pursue a solution for. it makes action seem so much more possible.

i’m sure at the first people coming together to form ACT UP in the midst of the AIDS crisis that was killing massive amounts of their friends and community and the mass population did not care and the government wasn’t doing anything to make the corporations change ... it would have seemed insurmountable, but they found one problem to take at a time, they used smart and creative performative demonstrations and images and slogans to change public opinion. and they did so much good, and changed how people thought of AIDS amd gay people and saved so many lives. i read something that the concept of public health in the U.S. (still a long way to go *sobs*) basically didn’t exist as we think of it today before ACT UP. i’m sure they didn’t imagine they could have done all that when they started.

anyway, i’ve been starting to just read and watch things with this curiosity for problems that i can identify, instead of this gnawing dread and feeling of powerlessness and anger that i can’t do anything about. i think approaching it as a creative project where you might start with an idea, and just pursue that and let it take you where it takes you, and the thing you might end up doing might be nothing like what you thought it would be. but the first initiation towards that is just absorbing ideas and information until you find that inspiration of the next step to take. “hope is action” as i’ve heard some people say...

right now i’m just watching the news, reading a book ‘it was vulgar and it was beautiful’ about how the art collective Gran Fury, a part of ACT UP, used art and slogans to create change in public opinion on sexuality and AIDS, daydreaming of coming up with a poster idea that eventually destroys capitalism XD

#climate change #act up #aids crisis #activism #politics #act up for climate

1 note · View note

luce-723 · 2 months

Text

Today we had another group crit / 5 minute presentation with 5 minutes of questions and feedback from the rest of the group. I presented where I am up to and where my work is going, along with what my thesis proposal is currently looking like. I made notes during the 5 minutes of feedback which is shown in the image above. Miro is a platform that Leon uses which basically an infinite brainstorming programme where you can make flow charts or mind maps etc. I made a note of it because I thought it was really interesting and it might be something I look into using in the future.

Light - Janie suggested I experiment with light and projections to go alongside my weavings and stitched canvases. I want to explore colour theory and colour psychology so she suggested I explore projecting light onto white weavings. This way I would be able to play with different colours from one weave and see how it makes me feel. The Baker-Miller Pink study was seen to have effects within only 15 minutes so it would be interesting to see how quickly my emotions changed, well, how or if they even changed after looking after a weaving projected in blue for example.

Haywood Exhibition - Karen mentioned the Haywood exhibition that is currently on in London and suggested that I go down to see it myself. She showed images of some of the installations which had bright LED type lights that faded from pink to purple, it created a full immersive experience whilst looking at the sculptural art in the centre of the room. I am going down to see my sister-in-law at the end of March who lives in Windsor, so all being well, we might travel into London to see some exhibitions.

Pink Noise - Jake and Molly both mentioned me looking at pink noise. I have already heard of this concept after reading about Vollebak’s hoodie as it has a built in soundtrack of pink noise. Pink noise is commonly used to help with sleep, it is similar to white noise - a continuous hum which can be calming as it blocks out background noise.

Colour Psychology - again I was encouraged to look into colour psychology and I am going to after my holiday using Google scholar and wider reading books.

Anish Kapoor - Cam said I should look into Anish Kapoor’s online art war. From what Cam explained, it was a ‘Vantablack Controversy’ as many people thought he was stealing from the art community by buying rights to Vantablack.

My Question - at the end of my presentation, Karen said I need to condense my overall question because it is too broad. I knew this but I didn’t want to limit myself too much with only Baker-Miller Pink as the subject, this is because I feel it would be more difficult to conduct my own experiments as it is harder to source that exact shade of pink in textiles. I could probably get personalised yarn or thread however, I can imagine that it would be very costly to get it made and I am not in the financial place. I am now thinking about ways in which I can condense this question so it is not as broad but so it is still interesting with room to investigate and complete wider reading.

#creative research #group crit #textile art #weaving #baker miller pink #colour psychology #colour therapy #feminism #colour #artist

0 notes

gar-trek · 3 years

Text

I review killing time (or whatever)

Okay, yes this review has taken me forever and that’s because there’s so much I want to say, and most of it has very little to do with the plot of the book. I cut down a lot of this so you guys could just get to the main point of what I’m trying to say, so I apologize if this is a little brief or incomprehensible to those who haven’t read the book.

And also, before I get into it, I would like to say rest in peace to the author Della Van Hise, who passed away in march of this year. She contributed a lot to the fandom, especially in regards to K/S fiction, as well as publishing a lot of non-trek related work during her life.

First of all, if you have heard of Killing Time, there is probably one specific reason for that. It’s the same reason I picked up the book in the first place and why it’s really even a topic of discussion on this site. To put the story quite briefly, Killing Time was recalled during its initial release on account of the book having too many slash elements (aka, the relationship between Kirk and Spock could be read as sexual/romantic). I first heard about the book here in this post where the history of it is worded to sound like one very dramatic mystery. One user (no shade intended here) even goes as far as to say the book was recalled by old Gene himself! Now I’m always one for drama and such, but after reading the book I looked into it a little more, and I don’t think that’s exactly how it went down.

Here you can find multiple statements from the author herself, in which she tells the whole story. According to her, the book publisher accidentally released an unedited manuscript that was never supposed to make it to the public. So technically the publisher did not recall the book because it was “too gay”, they recalled it because they printed a version that was never meant for the public to see anyway. These were the edits that were specifically requested by Paramount, who the publishers were supposed to go through to get the final okay on all material. And like, yeah, all of Paramounts edits were pretty much to delete any sentence where Spock and Kirk are tender to each other, they were trying to make is less homoerotic, obviously. I understand why this slight distinction may not make much of a difference to you guys, but for me it’s important to note that the book wasn’t recalled because it was too gay, it was just never supposed to be gay in the first place. It doesn’t make that fact any better, but it does make it less dramatic, in my opinion. I encourage you to read the statements from the author on this topic though, because she gives the whole story a lot better then I just did.

Now to address the main question at hand, does Killing Time depict a romantic relationship between Kirk and Spock, or is it all just hype? (in layman's terms, is the book gay or not?) and to answer quite plainly, yes it’s gay. of course it is. but then to answer less plainly, no. What the fuck do i mean by this? well let me try and explain.

I read the second edition of the book, aka the censored version, but I also followed along with the first edition (using this great article). The changes made to the book did not effect the plot at all, and were really only minor things. Notably, in the second edition they just kind of left out any part where Spock and Kirk touch each other (and I don’t mean in a sexual way). For example, there is a scene where Spock and Kirk are having a serious conversation in the ships garden. In the first edition, at the end of the conversation Spock places a hand on Kirks shoulder, which Kirk covers with his own hand. In the second addition, all mentions of this simple contact are deleted. The differences between the two are mostly little things like this. There is no secret sex scene or love confession hidden in the first addition. You see, in my opinion, the changes made to the second edition of the book do very little to censor the romantic undertones between Kirk and Spock. That’s because they are ingrained in the plot line itself.

One very important aspect to this book is that Kirk and Spock share a mental bond. This is something that can only happen between a Vulcan and another when they are extremely close. The mental bond that Kirk and Spock share is so strong in this book, it’s even present when they enter an alternate dimension where they are strangers to one another. There is a romance in this book between two original characters, and their relationship is constantly being paralleled by that of Kirk and Spock. And, maybe most telling, Spock refuses a female Romulan who is very interested in him over and over again simply because Kirk exists. And no, that’s not an exaggeration, here is a line from when the Romulan woman was begging Spock to be in a relationship with her:

“I need you. The Empire needs you, what more can there be?”

“James Kirk” the Vulcan murmured without hesitation.

That line is in both versions of the book. What I’m trying to say is yes, there are K/S elements in Killing Time. There are many tender moments and lots of talk about Kirk and Spock’s devotion to each other.

So now you’re asking yourself, Gar, why did you just say earlier that “no, the book is not gay”? Well, that’s because it’s not. This isn’t a K/S book. This isn’t a piece of Spirk fanfiction. Because for as much as this book is about Kirk and Spock’s relationship, it’s even more about Romulans (and more specifically, that one girlboss Romulan Commander from the Enterprise Incident.... bet ya didn't see that coming!) That’s right, the most controversial Star Trek book ever published is at it’s core quite plainly just a Star Trek book. There is weird alternate dimensions, time travel, espionage and lots and lots of Romulans!

Alright, alright, what I’m really trying to get at here is that yes, if you read into Killing Time there is K/S elements. I mean for god sake the author was a known K/S fanfic writer, that wasn’t a secret by any means. If she wrote their relationship a little more tenderly than most authors would have, can we really be surprised? But writing a K/S story was not her intention here, and that’s not what this is. I think the author put it best herself, so I’m just going to put that here:

“If people chose to see overtones of K/S in it, maybe it’s because there were overtones of K/S throughout Star Trek itself.”

People will hype up killing time as some secret confirmation that K/S is real and canon, and I really get that. Like, it would be really nice to have some canon acknowledgment of K/S, and I really don’t blame people for acting like that’s what this is. But that really isn’t what this is. And even if there was some kind of love confession, I really hate to break it to you, but the Star Trek novels are just fancy fanfiction and are not considered canon by any stretch (excluding the one Gene wrote himself, which let’s face it, perhaps has the most K/S elements of all).

If you are looking for a nice story about Kirk and Spock being in love, then I very much urge you to look at Ao3 or similar sites. Skip this, if you want a K/S story, because that’s not what this is. Now, if you’re a huge fan of the Romulan commander from the Enterprise Incident, then my GOD you have to read this. I think this was a pretty solid Trek book. It was no piece of literary genius, but it got the job done. There was a lot of it that I think could have been left out, because it the later half it started to drag horribly, and we got a few plot threads that went absolutely nowhere. I’m not sure I’m much of a fan of alternate universes, as I really really enjoy the established dynamic of the characters, but it didn’t bother me too much. But I mean hey man, there was defiantly parts where I was so invested I couldn’t put the book down. Give this one a read if you’re looking for a pretty interesting Trek book with a little bit of cheeky K/S sprinkled here and there.

If you have given the book a read, or just have thoughts in general, I’d love to hear them!

#here it is people #as always sorry for any grammer or spelling mistakes #i know there are prone to be some so just uhhhhh #ignore it if you can #star trek #killing time #kirk #james t kirk #spock #kirk/spock #k/s #spirk #the original series

124 notes · View notes

thistle-and-thorn · 2 years

Note

uncanny that this is on my desk as I read your answer to my ask & I am halfway through re-reading it after putting it away for a year!!

I think it’s a book that requires that bit of space, tbh; you need to get away from the sound and fury and the grinding relentless onward march of trauma and chaos and the little bits of kindness and light and apathy tangled amidst the bloody, blue-black, hopelessly tumbling shades of it—you need to get away from that, & look at it again through a slightly less-frantic lens and when you do it unfolds itself in a way that halts those lazy comparisons to Miller’s Circe, or the squabbles about the jarring effect of Barker’s use of 21st century slang/speech etc. etc.—& god it is a staggering book, esp the first half. pls make me stop rambling now sorry. ✨ x

AHHHHH WHAT A COINCIDENCE. Never stop rambling around here pls. This is definitely a book that I am reading to re-read?!? I can tell there’s so much that I’m missing.

I think reading this as anything other than a pointed response to Madeline Miller will leave you fundamentally disappointed in this book. I think Barker is taking, honestly, a more traditional approach in this novel by treating the Trojan War as an Every War. It’s a classical redux of her Regeneration series basically. And like—that works for me? The Trojan War IS a pointless war—a conflict controlled by gods, based on a pretty shaky and ever-changing premise, a military exercise run into the ground by Agamemnon that destroys an entire generation of men including the best of their respective societies in Achilles and Hector. The genius of men like Odysseus is wasted away solving conflicts he tried to prevent. Like how is that different from WWI? Or Vietnam? Or the invasion of Iraq? Decisions pushed by a military industrial complex no average person can understand, invasions based on false premises, entire generations lost, and extended occupations with no firm end dates, chaotic exits that leaves a trail of humanitarian crises in its wake. I’ve had a hard time with this partially because I volunteer in refugee resettlement and the experiences that I’m learning about from these new neighbors are eerily and graphically similar to what is described in the book. That’s the reason behind the modern language and slang—it’s a story that’s happening right now. Troy, Saigon, Kabul, and Kyiv are all the same place, actually.

And then there’s the women: the women who are abandoned like Penelope, who are abducted and abused like Cassandra and Briseus, who dehumanized/blamed/ deified like Helen. I read comments that said how frustrating it was that the women had no agency—and it’s like yeah, I imagine it is frustrating to have no agency. that’s the fucking point. It’s called The SILENCE of the Girls. It’s the title (😭😭😭), the LITERAL title. *screeches* the TITLE, the NAME. if this was on a03 it would be tagged “what it says on the tin.” The former preschool teacher in me is DYING. Like, that’s so BASIC. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is about…guess what? A CATERPILLAR THAT LIKES TO EAT. This is about..guess what? Women who are VOICELESS. I just. Anyway.

And when you think of it like this—some of the response demanding that the women have more agency or that it pass the Bechdel test (?) feel artificial and reductive and dismissive of the way that these women survive and keep their dignity in the face of physical, existential, and celestial horror.

I liked Circe a lot actually (I read song of Achilles in, like, high school so I don’t remember lol) but, I think, as a complete non-expert, TSOTG is actually in a way…truer and more sensitive to the traditions of the narrative role that women often inhabit in classical literature? As the memory keepers? The mourners? Like I’m not thinking of TSOA, I’m thinking of this as a prequel to Euripides’ Trojan Women.

Anyway, i should cut off MY rambling. I’ve had like so much caffeine this morning can u tell.

#asks #I feel so much rage about other people reading this book.#like I understand tumblr antis for the first time #Because sometimes people just Don’t Get It #Anyway how is everyone else’s Friday 👀

9 notes · View notes

themadamespod · 3 years

Text

The Great White Gripe

A lot has been said about the “social commentary” within The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

“Since when is Marvel a bunch of SJWs? I don’t need this shit.”

“All this race stuff feels SUPER forced.”

“Oh here we go Marvel tryin to be all woke to get the libs on board.”

If you personally know anyone who spews this brand of ignorance, we’re sorry.

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: there is no social commentary on TFATWS. Showrunner Malcolm Spellman and director Kari Skogland simply show the reality of life in America. It’s not their fault that so many (white) people (men) don’t like looking in the mirror.

And some people claim they have no problem with film and television addressing politics and social change.

“Just keep it out of my comic book movies. It doesn’t belong there.”

They could not be anymore wrong, even if Chandler Bing himself was lecturing them.

If you asked 100 people to name the top ten movies of all time, you’d get 100 different lists. But one thing we can all agree on is that film has power. It has the power to move us, to divide us, to unite us. Entertainment can lead to the kind of discourse that prompts action and positive change.

And that’s why The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the conversations it’s sparking are so important.

One World, One Reality

“Marvel has always been and always will be a reflection of the world right outside our window.” - Stan Lee

There are two takeaways from that statement:

One: Stan Lee didn’t say that in the 1960s, 1970s, or even the 1980s. He said it in 2017.

Two: Our window, not your window, is a subtle but important distinction, particularly as it relates to TFATWS. The Flag Smashers, led by Karli Morgenthau, live by a simple creed: “One world, One people.” The core message of the show is that white Americans and Black Americans experience the world very differently, but there’s still only one world, one reality.

It’s just a matter of people opening their eyes and seeing it.

TFATWS is an extension of Marvel’s early support of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, Stan Lee created the X-Men as an allegory for the ongoing struggles of the African-American community. Though he didn’t explicitly base Professor X and Magneto on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, there are ideological similarities.

Five years later, following the assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy, Stan wrote the following:

“Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. It’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race—to despise an entire nation—to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if a man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.”

In 2021, Stan’s words still resonate. Racism in the United States is as virulent and damaging as it’s ever been. Black Americans are facing deadly policing, Jim Crow 2.0 voting laws, mass incarceration, and countless other roadblocks to mobility that most white people have never encountered.

Through the journeys of Sam and Sarah Wilson, Lemar Hoskins, and the heartbreaking Isaiah Bradley, TFATWS shows the unvarnished truth of what Ira Glass might call Black American Life. And through John Walker, the writers nail home the message that’s really making certain people squirm:

White men are the greatest threat not just to Black Americans, but all Americans, because TFATWS is as much an indictment of toxic masculinity as it is of bigotry.

As aggressive racism has spread like wildfire since 2016, so has hostile sexism towards women of all colors. John Walker is the embodiment of the hyper aggression that the Proud Boys applaud. The clearest example of this comes when Walker dares to clap the shoulder of Ayo, one of Wakanda’s Dora Milaje.

Her swift and, ahem, pointed response had women the world over screaming like they’d just won the lottery.

One could also argue that Walker’s dogged pursuit of Karli and displaced peoples supporting the Flag Smasher cause mirrors the Trump administration’s war on immigrants.

There are plenty of parallels to draw. The point is, none of them are forced or manufactured or exaggerated. And whether we’re talking about a fictional road in Latvia or a real street in Minnesota, white Americans need to stop avoiding conversations that make them uncomfortable.

The Politics of Comics

In 1938, Americans were still reeling from the Great Depression. Enter Superman, the everyman hero, who made his comic debut while the nation was facing widespread unemployment, rampant poverty, and blatant corruption at every level of government.

Superman could have faced off against any number of supernatural villains. But Siegel and Shuster went a different route, setting a precedent for comic books that has prevailed to this day:

They got political.

Throughout Superman’s earliest adventures, he fought against evil politicians, apathetic bureaucrats, aggressive police officers, greedy businessmen, and even a Washington lobbyist.

Then in 1941, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby introduced Captain America just in time to fight the nazis and free the world from fascism. A couple decades later, Kirby and Stan Lee would tell the tale of the aforementioned Erik Lehnsherr, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. These comics endured because their passion and nuance transcended entertainment. So what was the secret sauce?

Like Siegel and Shuster, Simon, Kirby, and Stan Lee were Jewish. Representation matters, folks.

Later on, the X-Men weren’t the only conduit through which Marvel supported Civil Rights. In 1966, on the heels of the “March Against Fear” from Memphis, TN to Jackson, MS, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby unveiled Black Panther. When African-Americans were fighting harder than ever, Black children could suddenly read a comic book about T’Challa, the noble warrior king of a highly advanced African nation.

Marvel has never been shy about critiquing foreign policy either. Tony Stark and Iron Man debuted in 1968 as the conflict in Vietnam was escalating. And let’s not forget, Tony made his MCU debut in a film that is a clear indictment of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We could do this all day, but you get the idea.

Comic books have always reflected the politics of our times, and so has the MCU. Fanboys can’t start crying now just because they’re on the wrong side of history. And when they do, we defer to the great Jon Bernthal when asked about alt-righters appropriating the Punisher symbol:

“Fuck them.”

Life Imitates Art

In 1986, American men felt the need for speed. After Top Gun was released, applications to U.S. aviation forces increased by a staggering 500%.

Two years later, Errol Morris exposed police corruption in his film The Thin Blue Line. The documentary prompted a new investigation that eventually exonerated death row inmate Randall Adams for the murder of a police officer.

That same year, the Polish government ceased all executions after leaders were swayed to do so by A Short Film about Killing.

Following the release of Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine in 1999, Kmart bowed to public pressure and stopped selling handgun ammunition.

And 5 years ago, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif changed the law on honor killings in response to the critically-acclaimed film A Girl in the River.

Like we said earlier, film has the power to spur social change. Even if the effects aren’t always so direct and immediate, television and movies have always contributed to the process in America.

Seeing the Ricardos sharing a bed allowed some Americans to start relaxing their prudish ways.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Maude empowered women as they fought for reproductive rights.

The Jeffersons and Good Times facilitated calmer discussions about race relations.

And The Ellen Show led to greater representation of queer people on screen and greater acceptance of queer people in society. Though Ellen herself has become a problematic figure in the last year, that legacy still remains.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is hardly the first show of its kind. And given the impact film has on society, we believe Hollywood has a moral obligation to produce content that exposes society’s ills and fosters productive debate.

Stan Lee would be very proud of the team behind TFATWS for bringing the stark reality of American life into people’s living rooms. The next time you see someone bitching about it, remind them what Stan himself said just a few years ago:

“Those stories have room for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or color of their skin. The only things we don't have room for are hatred, intolerance, and bigotry.”

114 notes · View notes

grinoir · 3 years

Text

Deific/Major Familiars and the Table of Offers

As stated before, the Deific Familiar is the first Familiar one has to approach. It corresponds to the patron God or Goddess of the contemporary practitioners, although in the past the concept of “Divinity” in a non-christian sense got lost with the end of real paganism. From then on, these entities were addressed as more powerful Spirits.

A BIT OF HISTORY

In the middle ages and in the first modern era, the Deific/Major Familiar appeared as the head of the Procession of the Dominae Nocturnae (Signore della Notte, Ladies of the Night).

All throughout the Europe of this period, we always find the same theme, although called with different names: there’s a figure, the Deific Familiar, that procedes with a following of Spirits (usually women and associated with Fairies) and human Souls (the so called Witches, that evidently were non other than individuals that were having an extracorporeal experience) passing from house to house.

Those who wanted to have the favors of said Procession and of the Deific Familiar that was the head of it, would completely clean the house, putting everything in order, making the beds, etc. Then they proceded to prepare the table for these Spiritual guests, leaving food and drinks on the kitchen table for the night.

During the night, the Procession would enter the house, stopping to eat, drink, dance and sing and the Deific Familiar, with his/her wand, would have blessed the same food: the Procession could only eat the Spiritual aspect of the food, filling the Material aspect with prosperity and many other virtues.

In the morning, the blessed food was supposed to be eaten and the left overs preserved.

According to some scholars, the theme of the Procession of the Dominae Nocturnae has its origin in the theme of the Wild Hunt or the Procession of the Dead.

The Wild Hunt was the Procession of Spirits of those who fell honorably in battle, according to the Viking beliefs, the Einhejar, together with the Valkyries, guided by Wotan (Odin), and it was said that it could be possible to see it in some occasion in the battlefield.

This theme will slightly change in the christian epoque, becoming the Procession of the Dead, a procession of Spirits of those who died a violent death, suicides, non baptized children and people who weren’t evil enough to deserve eternal damnation in hell, but that could not access Paradise either (the concept of Purgatory was developed from here). This belief, even if born in the germanic/norse world, will spread throughout Europe, thanks to the extensive preaching of the christian priests, that, while trying to eradicate said beliefs in the population, obtained the opposite effect.

This theme would then be changed and adapted by every culture: Wotan was substituted with local figures, first among all, Hellequin (from “ Helle König”, the King of Hell, from which Dante developed the figure of Alichino, that later became the famous figure of Arlecchino, Harlequin).

From the initial Wild Hunt, two different Processions would be developed:

Procession of the Dead, with a male like Hellequin as the head

Procession of the Dominae Nocturnae, with a female like Diana or Aradia as the head. This theme also received the influence of the beliefs on Fairies. In numerous cases the figure head of the Dominae Nocturnae is also the head of the Fairies (Doamna Zinelor in Romania, the Fata Maggiore in Sicily, the Queen of Elphame in Great Britain).

This introduction is useful to understand how to choose our Deific Familiar. This Familiar was different in each region, although the european theme was the same. It depended on local latent beliefs, while the myth of the Procession was pan-european, thanks to the christian priests.

CHOOSING OUR FAMILIAR

Said choice must be thoughtful; we’re linking ourselves with a Spirit, a link that will probably last for all our lives. It cannot be taken lightly.

With this premise, the first thing to do is to seek documents of Witch trials in our area. Usually, the most useful ones are the ones before the 1550s, because around this moment in when the Church starts to associate Witchcraft with the Devil, so we risk to find trials that describe Satan as the head of the Procession, instead of other Spirits, like Diana, Aradia, la Signora del Gioco (Lady of the Game), and others. Said trials are completely useless for our ends.

Analizing these trials and the local folklore (like reading books of popular legends about Witches) we need to pay attention to:

the names of the heads of the Witches

the names of the heads of the Fairies

the names of the heads of the Wild Hunt/Procession of the Dead

the names of other figures deriving from pre-christian divinities present in the folklore

The facebook page “Gli Dei della Stregoneria Italiana” already did good part of the job. Of course this work isn’t exhaustive and it’s good practice to try and integrate it with a personal research, but it’s a good way to start.

[Translator note: I will list the names and the regions to help the non italian speakers that benefit from these translations]

Sicily: the Regina delle Fate (Queen of the Fairies), also called Savia Sibilla, Signora Greca, Signora Grazia, Donna Inguanto, Mandotta and Donna Zabella; the Re delle Fate (King of the Fairies) also called Re Cozzo or Re Cucco.

Sardinia: Diana (the sardinian Fate were called Janas); Maimone also called Maimulu and Mamuthone (probably derived from Dioniso Mainoles. Aradia (also called Mama Erodas, Arada, Araja or Rejusta) was also seen as the patron of the Janas.

Calabria: in this folklore, the table were prepared for the Fatae, that the local albanian minority also called Drekezit o Fiatazit. There are also the figures of the Sibilla Cumana, of the local Befana called Papparutu or Pacciarutu and a group of local healers called Cerauli that had St. Paul (substitution to Eracle) as their patron.

Apulia: the Patrona de la Cheise, figure similar to the Donne di Fori/Donne di Fuori/Patruni di Casa/Patruni di Luocu Siciliane. One salutes her saying:”Bon ggiorne a la Patrona de la Cheise, u mmaile ca esce e un bbeine ca triese” (”Good morning to the Patrona de la Cheise, an evil that goes away and a blessing that enters”). To protect yourself from the apulian Streghe, the Masciare, the locals said “Driana meste ca va pela vì” (”Master Diana that travels the roads”). The local paganism of the V sec. a.C. consists in the cult of a divinity of the Sun (Mitra or Apollo?) and a divinity of the Moon (Diana?). Dioniso is the god linked to the Tarantismo, substituted by St. Paul in later times.

Basilicata: the Madonna Nera di Viggiano, probably derived from Persefone, has a black face and wonders between the fields of wheat and the cattle, it was a dark divinity from the shadows of the earth’s womb, the farmers’ Persefone, an infernal goddess. We also find prayers to the Santo Sole (Saint Sun), probably a remainder of Apollo or Helios.

Molise: the cult of St. Cosma and St. Damiano comes from the cult of the Dioscuri and in part from the cult of Priapo. This region shares with Campania the figure of the Ianare, the local Streghe, and as a result of Diana that gives the name to these Streghe.

Campania: Diana gives the name to the local Streghe, the Ianare/Janare and it’s linked to the cult of the Noce di Benevento (the Walnut tree of Benevento), together with Godan (Odin) and Iside (Isis). The folklore mentions other gods: the Zucculara (Hekate), Cupindo (Cupido), Erodiade (Aradia) and the Sepilla la bella (the Sibilla Cumana).

Lazio: Aradia lead the Streghe to Rome and gathered them together the day of St. John, near the homonym basilica. We also read about the Meridiana or Marianna, a demon of noonday, probably deriving from Diana. Cupiddo (Cupid) was also worshipped.

Abruzzo: this region shares with Umbria and Marche the cult of the Sibilla Appenninica (also called the Sibilla Picena or the Sibilla di Norcia); probably derived from the cult of Cibele, Cupra, Nortia or Venere; others think this figure was the Sibilla of the god Pico. The goddess Angizia in the origin of the figure of St. Domenico di Cocullo. Some of the other cults are the goddess Ancharia and Ercole Curino, the goddess Maia, the god Hermes, the Pasqua Pefanij or Bboffe, a feminine figure linked to Epiphany.

Tuscany: the tuscanian Befana, has the same origin of the venetian Redodesa; the Fantasma, a figure linked to Hekate; the Maga Accina on mt. Amiata, linked to the Sibilla Appenninica. The belief in Diana and Aradia is documented by the archbishop Sant’Antonino in the XV sec d.C., long before Leland.

Emilia-Romagna: the goddess head of the Streghe is called the Domina Cursus and Sapiente Sibilla. Other pagan figures of the local folklore are: the Borda, deriving from Borvo/Bormo a celtic god that presides the thermal and spring waters; the Fata was corresponding to the germanic Perchta, seen as a nice old lady, very clean and with a welcoming attitude.

Again, it is vital that you make your own research by looking up the names of these divinities and accessing the documents of the trials.

Once obtained these names, starting from the region(s) that we choose as a point of reference and the call that we feel towards a specific divinity, we can operate the decision of our Deific Familiar.

THE TAVOLO DELLE OFFERTE

Now that we have chosen our Deific/Major Familiar, we can start with the Tavolo delle Offerte (the Table of Offerings), a table spread with food and drinks for our Familiar and their Procession.

Here is how it goes:

Thoroughly clean the house (or at least the room in which you’ll operate this ritual, usually the kitchen).

Set the table (if we’re forced to work in other rooms, an altar will suffice) with a clean tablecloth, table napkins, cutlery, dishes, glasses, a bottle of wine or another drink of choice and the following meals (first course, second course, side dish, dessert or fruit). You’ll also need one or more chairs, so that our guests can seat.

Recite a prayer to manifest that we’re leaving this offering to our Deific Familiar and its following, inviting them inside, allowing them to dance, eat, sing and drink inside our house and asking them to consume our food and to bless it after they consumed its Spiritual aspect, and to cast their blessing upon us, our house and to its inhabitants.

We can light some incense and leave some musical instruments as a further offer. Adding candles and tapers that represent our Deific Familiar, statues or images of them, flowers and so on, it’s also acceptable. These are contemporary additions, but the banquet is the necessary base of the offering.

In the morning, we will approach the table, thank the Deific Familiar and we’ll eat the blessed food. Upon finishing the meal, we’ll thank the Deific Familiar once more, we’ll tell them goodbye and procede to clean up.

WHEN AND HOW OFTEN LEAVE THE OFFER?

The foundation of the relationship with a Familiar Spirit is to nurture them, in order to fuel the link between ourselves and the Spirit. In the past, the Strega fed their Familiar once a day. In this age, some people make offering everyday, others a few times a week or even once a week. In my opinion [TN: the author’s opinion] we should make an offer at least once a week.

[Translated and adapted from https://tradizioneitaliana.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/introduzione-alla-stregoneria-tradizionale-iii-i-famigli-deifici-e-il-tavolo-delle-offerte/]

#witchcraft #italian witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #medieval witchcraft #stregheria #strega #witch #spell #hex #divination #oracle #familiar #familiars #offerings #reconstructionist traditional witchcraft

121 notes · View notes

naktergalen · 3 years

Text

Rivamika Fic Suggestions List 2

Hey there again! It’s been a while since my last rivamika post and I apologies for that. I caught the reading bug and have just been hitting book after book. I might be doing a book of the month suggestion starting in March. I’m still thinking about it but if that is something your interested in let me know. Or if you just want book suggestions just message or ask me. But for now, I’m back with my second Rivamika Fic Suggestions List.

First of all, I want to thank you for all the comments and messages I received from my first list! I think it has over 150 notes now which is crazy for me. I was going to be ecstatic if it got like 10 likes or something hahaha! I’ve enjoyed talking to some of you about fics and other snk stuff. Feel free to do the same after this post! I know I take awhile to respond but swear I get there eventually.

Same rules as last time. I’ve split this list up into four categories. I wanted to let people know the status of some of these fics in case they did not want to start an incomplete or in progress story. All of these fics can be found on AO3. I’m going to try to link them but we will see how tumblr acts today. If you have any fic suggestions for me, feel free to message me with them and I can add them on to the next list. If any author sees their story on here and wants me to take it off the list, please let me know I don’t wish to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Also, last thing, I highly recommend leaving comments and kudos to the authors. I know that they greatly appreciate it and it helps them with improving their writing through feedback. Okay shutting up now, ON WITH THE LIST!

DISCLAIMER: I know that not all of these stories are not for everyone, these are just my opinions and suggestions.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Completed:

- Thunder Clouds

Author: K_Lionheart

Rating: Mature

Sometimes I like to go to the very back of the Rivamika archive on AO3 and look for fics that have gotten buried over time. Low and behold what I have found lol! I enjoyed the emotional roller coaster when I was reading this fic, though sometimes I wanted to pull my hair out. Set after the titans are gone, humanity has to repopulate so arranged couples by the monarch are made to be wed. While this new order is being enforced, Mikasa and Levi are trying to work out their strained relationship. A slow burn with angst that will have you staying up till 3am dying to know what happens next. I know that there is a sequel to this fic called Nimbus and I’m slowly working my way through that one. Honestly, it will probably go on my next list.

- Red is the Only Colour

Author: mongoose_bite

Rating: Mature

A cute fic that was a quick but wild ride. A Little Red Riding Hood type of AU where Mikasa is a hunter of some sorts traveling through a town. I don’t want to say how Levi plays into all of this since it gets border line spoilers but just know that he is there. It is an opening ending fic for the author to come back if they plan on doing so but it can be interpreted in different ways. All in all, a fic worth of the quick read.

- Sing Me a Song

Author: LazyTrash

Rating: Mature

First I have to get this off my chest, I love the author’s name hahaha! I freakin wished I would have thought of that for mine! Anyway, this fic is wonderful but I will warn you that its a gut punch. If you like hurt and angst put together, then this is the story for you. I love these types of fics because I adore them so much but they hurt me in my soul. I don’t know what that says about me but whatever. I don’t want to delve into the story too much for spoilers but I would suggest rivamika fans to check this one out.

- Midnight Musings

Author: Raewyll

Rating: Teen

I just started to read Raewyll’s fics so I’m slowly working my way through all her works. This one caught my eye and I had to read it. This is a cute take on a chance meeting through texting the wrong number. I love the way Levi and Mikasa’s relationship blossoms into something more serious after causally texting back and forth. It’s one of those stories that I can only describe as being cute as shit! I’m definitely going to be checking out more of Raewyll’s fic in the future.

Ongoing:

- Beyond the Walls

Author: helena3190

Rating: Matue

If you love RIvamika angst, then look no further than this baby right here. This is currently my favorite ongoing fic. It was supposed to be a shorter story, but the author keeps adding more chapters so I’m not complaining hahaha! This fic is pretty much how I would *personally* picture canon Mikasa on how she would deal with realizing that she’s falling in love with someone. Its mostly told in the perspective of Mikasa as she is dealing with the after effects of war and trying to figure out what should she do with her life now that she is no longer a solider. Her feeling for Levi come with a lot of confusion as she’s discovering emotions that she has never felt before. She has a hard time pinpointing on what exactly describes her relationship with him. I’m anxiously waiting for the final chapter for this fic and dying to see how it will end for Mikasa and Levi.

- After the War

Author: loneackerman

Rating: Mature

I am loving this rivamika slow burn fic right here. Its similar to Beyond the Walls but I think the author adds their own taste of the 1920s into it. Set after the war is over (obviously), Mikasa and Levi have to figure out what they are going to do the rest of their lives. It has great tension, a perfectly paced gradual romance and just the right amount of humor to combat the emotional turmoil it puts you through. Again in my opinion, this is close to how I would realistically perceive Levi and Mikasa’s relationship evolving. I’m really enjoying this story and I’m looking forward to more updates to come!

- The Sound of Lightning

Author: LycheeGreenTea

Rating: Mature

A new fic that is just getting started but I can tell that what the author has in store is going to be interesting. Set several years after the end of the war, Levi and Mikasa are loving parents to a single child. Their peaceful life comes to an end when the family has a threat against them. There are not many long fics about Mikasa and Levi being parent so I was very happy when this one popped up on the AO3 feed. An exciting adventure awaits the Ackerman family now and I can’t wait to see where this fic goes in the future. There are three chapters as of now so head over there and check it out.

Incomplete:

- Home

Author: MissErikaCourt

Rating: Mature

One of the gems I found when diving back into the Rivamika archive. Ugh I HATE that this fic is incomplete!!! Its a good long fic but I’m greedy and I need more! I will give a warning first that this fic does contain heavy themes. Mikasa and Levi are in the underground to fight against a criminal ring. This story is a slow burn with action and emotional trauma. There is a wonderfully written OC that you easily get attached to its not even funny. Even though its not completed, I would highly recommend checking it out. I still have three more chapters to finish but I had to put it on this list. I know that I’m going to be pissed once I reach the last chapter written. If someone know MissErikaCourt, let her know that she needs to comeback to finish this masterpiece!

- Shiver

Author: bornsinner

Rating: Mature

Another one that I DISPISE its incomplete!!! Ugh such a great Office AU. It’s everything that I would want in an Office AU setting. Mikasa struggles between her committed long term relationship and her growing attraction (which starts to develop into some feelings) to her boss, Levi. Its hot, sexy and intriguing and it pisses me off that its not finished! The author writes each chapter as a one-shot but collectively together they tell the whole story. Highly recommend even though its so short. BORNSINNER where ever you are in the universe I hope you come back to finish this!!!

- Two Lines

Author: Crejhov

Rating: Mature

When this was getting updated it was my favorite on-going Rivamika fic. I would find myself checking to see if the author updated with a new chapter every week! The unplanned pregnancy trope is a classic one, but Crejhov does a fantastic job on keeping readers enthralled with soo many anticipated character meet up that are bound to cause hurdles for our expecting parents. This story is told from the perspectives of Mikasa and Levi in order for us to understand where their mindsets are as they plan for their expecting child and deal with their relationship. AHHHHH I want more of this!!! I was soo excited to see where this awkward journey was going to take Mikasa and Levi. CREJHOV COME BACK PLEASE I KNOW YOU HAVE WORK BUT PLEAAASEEEE! I NEEEEEEDDDD!!!

- Cabin Fever

Author: AmayaOkami

Rating: Mature

All I should have to say about this is that its written by AmayaOkami and that should explain it. Amaya is the one that gave us the beautiful incomplete rivamika fic Romance and Rivalry. I just adore her writing. Levi and Mikasa relationship evolves as they are standing guard over the arrested Kenny Ackerman. Secrets are discover about the Ackermans and it gets pretty steamy between our two favs. Great fluff and great sexual tension that leaves you wanting more chapters! Again AmayaOkami where ever you went I hope for some miracle that you come back and complete this one too!

One-Shot:

- Jade

Author: shulkie

Rating: Mature

This one-shot feels like I read a novel, it has such a great storyline. An arranged marriage between Mikasa and Levi leaves the relationship strained in the beginning. Their relationship evolves over time as Levi patiently brings down Mikasa’s wall. With smut added for all of your one-shot needs. Definitely worth the read in my opinion.

- What Remains

Author: Mirime

Rating: Mature

This one-shot gives us a glimpse into the secret relationship that Levi and Mikasa have been having while there are still scouts. This fic is sad but I would say it has a bittersweet ending. I think this was supposed to be part of a collection but I can’t find the rest of them. Still a great read by itself.

- Agape

Author: alienheartattack (Sanneke)

Rating: Mature

This fic is cute as shit! A College AU where Mikasa and Levi are childhood friends. Levi has to deal with Mikasa being at the same college as him while he is struggling with his changing feelings towards a grown up Mikasa. Worth the read as I said cute as shit, leaves you all warm and fuzzy lol!

- As Seen in Shadows

Author: MoraLeeWright

Rating: Explicit

FUCKING MORA! LEE! WRIGHT! UFFFFGGHHH Fuck I’m in love with her writing style. I really have nothing to say more that just go read it! Its hot and sexy and the sexual tension is off the fucking charts in this one. Its just MoraLeeWright smut thats all I can say. It’s great! JUST READ IT LMAO!

- Remedy

Author: NSummer

Rating: Mature

Another hot smut one-shot coming your way! Levi and Mikasa have had an ongoing affair and this just recounts their first time together. Its just some good ol’ Rivamika smut that I think that everyone in this community would enjoy.

- Nutty: Drunk in Love

Author: Hallow17

Rating: Mature

A fun smut to read about Mikasa getting “revenge” on her asshole boss, Levi. Things don’t go the way she plans as things get a little heated in the sexy way. A quick smut that I think is perfect for a little Rivamika crave.

- Spicy: Jalapeno

Author: Hallow17

Rating: Explicit

Another fun smut to read by Hallow17. Levi has been stressed out at work and Mikasa finds a way to help him get his mind off it (if you know what i mean). Again perfect for a Rivamika quick fix.

#rivamika #rivamika fic #levimika #mikasa x levi #levi x mikasa #Levikasa #levi and mikasa #mikasa and levi

143 notes · View notes

girlactionfigure · 3 years

Photo

There is a popular quote that circulates every once in a while that reads “One person can make a difference and everyone should try.”

This individual holds a special place in my heart and also the hearts of many long-time Peace Page followers, who found this page after reading a simple story which mentioned her and which became one of the most popular posts on the Peace Page. Her name is Harriet Glickman, she is the teacher who decided to write a letter to Charles Schulz and ask him if he could create a black character on his Peanuts comic strip - that character would become Franklin, one of the first black characters in a popular comic strip. Harriet Glickman passed away Friday morning, March 27, 2020, at her home in Sherman Oaks. She was 93. Her passing was reported by a Peanuts-based website, which quoted a personal friend who said, her passing was "peaceful, in her sleep" and that the former schoolteacher had been "well prepared for this." They say representation matters, and Franklin, even though he was a fictional character, was noticed by many who did not feel they were being represented enough during those days. The original Peace Page post started: "On July 31, 1968, a young, black man was reading the newspaper when he saw something that he had never seen before. With tears in his eyes, he started running and screaming throughout the house, calling for his mom. He would show his mom, and, she would gasp, seeing something she thought she would never see in her lifetime. Throughout the nation, there were similar reactions. "What they saw was Franklin Armstrong's first appearance on the iconic comic strip "Peanuts." Although Charles Schulz deserves the accolades and credit for having the courage to create Franklin and standing by him when he started receiving racist demands to remove him, it was all started by a school teacher who decided to write a simple letter. "Harriet has a very interesting place in history," according to The LAist. "In 1968, she wrote to 'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz asking him to do something remarkable at the time: integrate his famous comic strip." "Harriet Glickman was a white, 42-year-old suburban Los Angeles school teacher and mother raising three children when Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968," according to the Press Telegram. According to NPR, she wrote, “Since the death of Martin Luther King, 'I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help change those conditions in our society which led to the assassination and which contribute to the vast sea of misunderstanding, hate, fear and violence.'” Glickman decided to write a letter to Schulz, not knowing whether he would actually read it or even whether he would receive the letter. Glickman was especially aware of the power of comics among the young. “And my feeling at the time was that I realized that black kids and white kids never saw themselves [depicted] together in the classroom,” she said in the Washington Post. She hoped this would bring the country together and show people of color that they are not excluded from American society. At the time, Schulz, the creator of the enormously popular “Peanuts” comic strip, was already being "published in hundreds of newspapers around the United States reaching nearly 100 million readers," according to the Press Telegram. Surprisingly, Schulz did respond, but wasn't sure whether it would be right, coming from him, he didn't want to make matters worse, he felt that it may sound condescending to people of color. Glickman persisted, however, continuing her correspondence with Schulz, even having black friends write to Schulz and explain to him what it would mean to them. She told Schulz that "the gentleness of the [Peanuts would be] 'the perfect setting' for such representation," according to CBR. “I am well aware of the very long and tortuous road ahead,” she added. “I’m sure one doesn’t make radical changes in so important an institution without a lot of shock waves from syndicates, clients, etc. You have, however, a stature and reputation which can withstand a great deal.” This conversation would continue until one day, Schulz told Glickman to check her newspaper on July 31, 1968. On that date, the cartoon, as created by Schulz, shows Charlie Brown meeting a new character, named Franklin. Other than his color, Franklin was just an ordinary kid who befriends and helps Charlie Brown. In a speech at American University of Health Sciences in Signal Hill, California in 2018, talking to a group of children and adults, Glickman said, the 1960s in the United States was “a time long before any of you were born, a time when not everyone was understanding of other people, when young African Americans couldn’t go to the same beach as white children and when schools were separate.” According to the Press Telegram, the Rev. Gregory Johnson, co-founder of American University of Health Sciences who invited Glickman to the event, said he wanted her to know what a profound effect her action with Schulz had on him. “I appreciate so much what you did in improving relations. I wouldn’t be here without you,” he said. Glickman was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and lived in Chicago before moving to Southern California and a job in the Burbank School District and eventually UCLA before retiring. Glickman explained in previous interviews that her parents were "concerned about others, and the values that they instilled in us about caring for and appreciating everyone of all colors and backgrounds — this is what we knew when we were growing up, that you cared about other people . . . And so, during the years, we were very aware of the issues of racism and civil rights in this country [when] black people had to sit at the back of the bus, black people couldn’t sit in the same seats in the restaurants that you could sit . . . Every day I would see, or read, about black children trying to get into school and seeing crowds of white people standing around spitting at them or yelling at them . . . and the beatings and the dogs and the hosings and the courage of so many people in that time." Glickman, according to The LAist, said someone once commented to her that "‘It took courage [to do what she did, to make a stand].’ I said, ’No it didn’t, it didn’t take courage for me to sit in Sherman Oaks in my comfortable home with my three children and type a letter.'" "Courage," she said, "was little Ruby Bridges, the little girl who integrated a school in the south who had to come with the National Guard with people spitting at her and yelling at her and throwing things at her and the parents who drew their children out. That was courage." Because of Glickman, because of Schulz, people around the world were introduced to a little boy named Franklin, and even today, when Franklin is mentioned, fond memories are evoked, such as those like the young, black man, who with tears in his eyes, started running and screaming throughout the house because he was introduced to Franklin for the first time. Barbara Brandon-Croft, the first African American woman to have a nationally syndicated comic strip in the mainstream press, was 10 years old in 1968, said, “I remember feeling affirmed by seeing Franklin in ‘Peanuts.’ ‘There’s a little black kid! Thank goodness! We do matter.’" When the Peace Page first shared its story about Franklin's birth, one Peace Page reader commented, "I normally don't comment on Facebook but I feel compelled to now. As a black child growing up in the 70's and 80's U grew up in mostly white neighborhoods. One of the most difficult things at that time is my sense of where I belonged in the world. I didn't have anybody in my position i could relate to on TV or in the movies. Then I started reading Peanut cartoons and I met Franklin and I saw myself for once. As a character, Franklin was so important to me I named my third son after him. thank you . . . for helping me find my place." That Peace Page story has now reached 22,498,877 people, receiving 2,091,450 reactions. It has inspired an Upworthy article and has been shared all over the world, including by media companies in Australia and Italy. When the Peace Page contacted the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, one of the representatives said that Glickman regularly visited the museum and she was fondly called "Franklin's Mom." When she saw that Peace Page post, she commented on the Peace Page, "It's always a joy for me to share the Franklin story. I consider him my fourth child and he is very much loved." In the speech in 2018 at American University of Health Sciences, she told the audience that it still “feels like yesterday [when Franklin was introduced].” She said some things have changed, but others have not. “We still have so many problems on how we see each other,” she said in an article by the Press Telegram. She told the children: “You can make a difference in making the world a better place. When you see something that makes you feel angry or upset, don’t just complain, do something about it. And remember that we all care for each other; we’re all the same loving, caring people.” She then autographed a book introducing Franklin to Charlie Brown, “Nice to Meet You, Franklin!” and urged each youngster “to make a difference.” Thank you, Harriet Glickman, also, for making a difference and making the world a better place. [Photo courtesy of CBR]

The Jon S. Randal Peace Page

41 notes · View notes

candycityy · 3 years

Note

RIVETRA AND 51.

Note: Hey anon! I already did 51, you can check it out here <3 But in the similar spirit of husband!levi, I did 63 instead ("Can you just man up and change his diaper?"). I hope you enjoy it still!

(You can also read this on AO3!)

Petra Ral, without a doubt, is the person he trusts most on the planet. From subordinate, to comrade, to lover, and finally, wife, she has always demonstrated nothing more or less than an unerring sense of judgment.

This trait, of course, is what made her the most reliable person on his squad back in the day, and what allows him to entrust his life—and the life of his daughter—to her.

But. Still.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Levi asks, for the fourth time that night. His wife doesn't even bother with an exasperated glare this time, just idly turns the page of her book. "And why won't you tell me who you got to babysit? I swear, Petra, if it's Hanji—"

"It's not Hanji, relax," she says lightly, tucking a neatly curled lock of hair behind her ear. "And yes, I'm sure. We haven't had a date night in ages. I think I've forgotten what it's like to actually do an activity that doesn't involve crayons or nursery rhymes."

"But if you'd just tell me—"

"No, Levi." She stands up and smooths down the fabric of her dress—a silky, knee-length sheath the colour of honey. He's seen her in it before, but it still makes his breath catch in his throat; although, to be fair, it's been a while since he'd seen her in something other than a t-shirt and sweatpants.

She glances at the clock, and then at the cot, where Ava is still dozing peacefully—for now, anyway. "They should be here any second."

"They?" he's about to say, when two hesitant knocks come at the door. He starts to get up, but Petra shoots him a warning look and sweeps towards the door. He sits back down.

"Boys, thank you so much for agreeing to babysit today." Petra beams down at their guests, her voice like melted sugar. "Come in." Levi glances up just in time to see...of all people, Eren Jaeger and Jean Kirschtein, wearing twin expressions of wariness.

Oh fuck no.

The words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself. "Petra, you're not serious. Jaeger and Kirschtein? You might at least have tried for one of the girls."

"Mikasa wouldn't come," Eren says helpfully, and then blushes, looking a bit awkward. "She has...uh, a bit of a grudge against the captain still, I think."

"Historia was busy, and I don't think you'd want Sasha anyway, sir." Jean, who's crisply attired in his military wear for whatever reason, looks mildly offended at Levi's brusque comment.

Levi tries to be polite.

"It's nothing personal. It's just that the pair of you don't have any experience with infants," he says, attempting to rearrange his features into that calm, reassuring expression Erwin makes whenever he's faced with agitated civilians.

Judging by their faces, he's still pretty far off the mark.

"Actually," Petra intervenes, "they do. Well, Eren does." She shoots him another warm, cinnamon-sweet smile, and he blushes again. "He said he used to babysit the neighbour's toddler with Mikasa. And Jean...well, it was between him and Connie." When the teenager chafes at the comparison, she adds hastily, "and he's always been perfectly responsible and conscientious, hasn't he?"

"We can handle one infant, sir," Eren pipes up. His face is a picture of anxious enthusiasm, reminding Levi sharply and uncomfortably of a particularly eager-to-please puppy.

"I mean, we kill Titans with no problem, and they're a heck lot more troublesome than a baby, I would think," Jean adds, casting a skeptical look over at the still-silent cot.

"You would think," Levi mutters darkly, and is about to put his foot down, no, absolutely, not, when Petra firmly loops her arm through his and begins to steer him towards the exit.

"See? Everything's fine. We'll see you in a couple of hours, boys! Thanks for doing this again!" she chirps, and frog-marches him out of the door.

"Bye, captain! Bye, Ms. Petra!" Eren calls cheerfully, waving. Levi turns (with some difficulty, considering his wife's very firm grip) to glare at him.

"She's a Mrs. now, you brat," he manages to snarl before the door slams shuts in his face.

Despite everything, they have a nice date.

It takes about four glasses of wine and a threat of bodily harm from Petra before he finally stops fretting about Ava—but, truth be told, the rest of the night goes as well as it possibly could have, considering.

"See, didn't you have fun?" Petra teases. There's a blush high in her cheeks from the cold and the wine, and with his thick coat wrapped around her slight figure, Levi figures she looks pretty damn adorable.

He grunts in reluctant assent, feeling unusually relaxed. It's been a long time since it was just the two of them, after all, and he's almost forgotten what it feels like without the constant stress of being responsible for a very small, very fragile human being who he loves with such fierceness that sometimes he feels as though his chest will burst.

He's still revelling in the niceness of it all—the cool night air, Petra's small hand in his—as they walk up to the door of their house. He's seriously contemplating if he should actually get Jaeger and Kirschtein something nice for their trouble—maybe a day off or something, he doesn't know—when he hears a sound that makes him freeze in his tracks.

Next to him, Petra stiffens. The sound fades momentarily, only to re-emerge with a vengeance, and there's no mistaking it: it's a scream.

Levi doesn't remember sprinting to the door and wrenching it open, his heart pumping so fast he can barely breath and Petra hot in his wake, but he supposes he does at some point because in a matter of seconds he's in the house, staring straight into the face of absolute chaos.

The living room is littered with toys and scattered pillows and, for some reason, a lone shoe. The stove is smouldering in a vaguely menacing manner, heavy smoke rising from the burnt remains of something completely unrecognisable. Meanwhile, their beloved daughter crawls quite cheerfully across the floor, beelining for Jean, who's slowly inching away on the ground, his face screwed up with equal parts terror and disgust. A familiar stink wafts through the room, and Levi instinctively wrinkles his nose.

And the perpetrator of the scream: Eren Jaeger, who's hunched over the basin, scrabbling blindly at the trickle of water from the tap, feverishly attempting to wash what appears to be spit-up out of his eyes.

Clearly, none of them have yet noticed their arrival.

"HORSE FACE, CAN YOU JUST MAN UP AND CHANGE HER DIAPER?" he shrieks across the room, his voice coming out noticeably higher than usual.

"WHY CAN'T YOU DO IT?" his comrade yells back, his eyes not moving from the effervescent infant, who giggles at the sound of all the shouting.

Behind him, Petra stifles a laugh.

"BECAUSE THANKS TO YOUR SHITTY BURP TECHNIQUE, I'M NOW BLIND, YOU—" The teenager proceeds to cuss him out quite colourfully, and Levi chooses that moment to intervene.

"What," he goes, lowly, "in the living fuck do you think you're doing?"

The effect is instantaneous, like the firing of a gun. Both boys instantly scramble to their feet and thump their fists to their chests in salute (Eren still blinking furiously).

Petra just giggles and strides across the hall to Ava, who's now babbling happily at the arrival of her parents. "Thanks for babysitting, boys," she goes, taking a cautious whiff of the baby's diapers and reeling at the smell. "Whew. I'll take care of this. Levi, be nice," she warns, before hoisting their daughter onto her hip and strolling away.

He can't help but notice there's a little amused bounce in her step, and his glower darkens.

"Captain—" Eren begins, but Levi lifts up a hand.

"I don't even wanna hear it," he barks. "You—for fuck's sake, go wash your face in the bathroom, the water flow is better there. And you..." he rounds on Jean, who gulps nervously. "You're dismissed. Just...go. Bye."

The boys slump over, looking at him with the big sad puppy eyes (although the effect of Eren's is somewhat diminished by his pained squint). And maybe it's the wine, maybe age or marriage or parenthood has made him soft, but he adds, with utmost reluctance, "Wait. Uh...thanks." He clears his throat. "Take a day off next week. If you want."

It takes a while for them to realise that it isn't a trap of some sorts (seriously, he doesn't get it; why do cadets always think the worst of him?), but eventually, he manages to shoo them off with wide eyes and thank-yous and maybe some mild trauma on Jean's part, but hey, this is the Survey Corps, after all. When he goes back to their bedroom, he finds Petra waiting for him, Ava sleeping peacefully in her arms, a mischievous, smug grin on her face.

"Don't even say it," he snaps.

Drabble challenge!

#keep the prompts coming!!#rivetra #levi x petra #attack on titan #levi ackerman #petra ral #aot fanfiction #candycity writes

28 notes · View notes

booasaur · 3 years

Text

Book Review - A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

Okay, so third time's the charm!

If you've seen my previous pained, diplomatic attempts to review ARCs, I haven’t had the best luck with them but I straight up ADORED A Desolation Called Peace. I loved the the first one, A Memory Called Empire (which won a Hugo?? Did I know this?), but this was even better.

You know when you're enjoying something for its own sake, not just to see how it ends, but for the sheer appreciation of it? When consuming even the slowest, most insignificant parts just makes you happy to be reading about those characters in that world written by that writer? That’s how this was for me. As with Memory, it does indeed start off slow and dense, setting up the board and pieces, but Desolation has the benefit of jumping into a known world, with the characters and dynamics almost the same as when we left them. Except the month that’s passed since has not gone so well for...pretty much anyone, and once again Mahit’s finding herself at a flashpoint. Teixcalaan is now officially at war with the mysterious aliens eating up huge swathes of space and they happen to be almost at the doorstep of Lsel Station, where Mahit’s trying to dodge Councilors suspicious about what exactly went down back in Teixcalaan.

This is very much a sequel, you could maybe read it without knowledge of the first book, it alludes to it often enough, but this world requires such a steep learning curve, and really, I don’t know why you’d want to miss out on the beauty of Memory! The callbacks are more for someone like me, who hadn’t had the time to reread it before starting Desolation. I’d often have trouble remembering who was who or what exactly went down until some character or the narrator helpfully clarified. But even so, I'd actually still recommend a reread of Memory before starting this one.

Unlike Memory, we get a variety of character perspectives this time, Stationers and Teixcalaanli, although Mahit is still heavily present throughout, often the subject of the other characters’ thoughts (and sometimes hate). It’s always hard to balance multiple POVs, you run the risk of breaking momentum when jumping away from intense scenes to something much slower, but I think the advantages won out. This wasn't an introduction to the world, or a whodunit mystery, where we went in with one character and needed information handed out piecemeal, learning everything the same time Mahit did. This was a study of brokering peace with aliens while politics on every side hamstrung the negotiators. The more information and perspectives, the better, even when--especially when different factions interpreted the same events completely differently.

Most of the additional character perspectives come from characters we already met in Memory, now being able to see more in-depth into their actions and motivations, with the delightful side effect of knowing what they thought about Mahit back when everything first went down. Another reason you can't and shouldn't want to read this without Memory, the two make up a complete story together (though I'm hoping someone convinces Arkady Martine to not leave this as just a duology).

The richer perspectives also make up for where in Memory, I kind of felt that while Mahit was SO strong, Three Seagrass almost suffered a bit in comparison? Along for the ride, conveniently always what Mahit needed her to be. Not to say I didn't love her but there's way more personality and agency here. The romance is also more...layered? I remember, when Memory came out, I put it in the same mental box as The Priory of the Orange Tree (both long, well-written, mainstream sff with f/f, published around the same time) but liked the romance in Priory more, feeling that while what we got in Memory was nice, it was more a bonus than integral to the story. I liked its handling better here.

The increase in character perspectives and watching a war fought in real time means we get a nice and personal look at some really frustrating moments, too! Because we get the full picture we see not only the inflexible, paranoid nationalism and xenophobia no matter where it comes from, but how straight up dumb and wrong it is, suspicions and speculations already directly contradicted in other character POVs.

As with the Memory, while all this, the prose, the world, the plot, the characters, they’re all great, the specific understanding of colonization and how it affects people, the colonized and colonizers, that is what this series will be remembered for. There are many quotable moments but this is what I immediately pasted to my friend:

What a clear encapsulation of the whole concept! That second line especially, “There’s no room for me to mean yes, even if I want to.” That’s at the root of ALL these conversations we have about--about choice, right? And why, no matter how benevolent or kindly even the nicest person in power is, this will always be there.

To wrap this up, it’s a joy to read, the prose remains gorgeous, with, similar to Teixcalaanli art, repeating themes, similar phrases across different character POVs, but also these organically introduced concepts that end up being such delicious parallels. When you realize... It’s just super fun to read, especially once everything starts in earnest. It just starts to flow faster and easier, more character- and action-based, while remaining so thoughtful and intelligent.

I don’t recommend it universally, y’all know I never do that, it’s just not going to be for some people: it’s hard scifi, mixed with the unfamiliar linguistic and cultural traditions of worlds that share little with ours. But I’m gonna do what I do, just say how much I loved it. If you like some of what I do and anything mentioned above, I would say you’re missing out if you don’t catch this series. Book 2 officially comes out on March 2nd, this Tuesday.

ETA: I forgot to mention this earlier but I’m REALLY grateful that we get actual adult fiction books like this that aren’t steeped in grimdark violence and sex to justify not being YA.

#books #a desolation called peace #teixcalaan #arkady martine #netgalley #femslash related stuff #I just really really liked it #and really got into that great reading zone in the last third (half?) especially #where you can't put it down and actually like sit up/pace because you're so into it #still in a reading mood but will have to go for something the opposite #since nothing similar can really compare #unless...hellspark?#but no f/f

87 notes · View notes

i-like-plan-m · 3 years

Note

If you're accepting prompts, how about one where people either can't lie to LWJ or he can tell when they're lying, and he inadvertently discovers a whole bunch of stuff WWX would rather he didn't (could be either WWX's low self worth, or his intense LWJ-based thirst!)

such a good prompt omg thank you [Posted to Ao3]

It was a curse, some said. A gift, according to others. The sect debated for years on the technicalities and argued their differing opinions over Lan Zhan’s head until Lan Qiren insisted the sect leave his nephew alone.

No one ever asked Lan Zhan what he thought.

He considered it neither a gift nor a curse. It was simply a part of him, the same as his golden core.

Except while a golden core was perfectly normal, Lan Zhan’s ability to detect any lie— spoken or unspoken— was less so. He heard falsehoods like music; words were notes, conversations were harmonies, and lies were the jarring wrong note that scraped harshly across his ears.

The hardest part was learning the reasons for a lie. Lan Zhan did not understand people the way his brother did, could only hear their lies and quietly disapprove. But Lan Xichen spent hours upon hours with him, testing the bounds of the skill and gently pointing out the different types of lies, and why the distinctions were important.

Sometimes, he’d said, people lie to protect themselves or others. Sometimes a lie is kinder than the truth. They were not all born of malicious intent, and he’d taught Lan Zhan how to distinguish between them. How to identify the dangerous lies, the harmful ones, and those that were best left unacknowledged out of kindness or respect.

Lan Xichen had been eternally patient, remarkably encouraging, and quietly concerned about the effect this curse would have on his little brother. Lan Zhan had seen it in his face, the nonverbal lie reading to him like a whisper every time Lan Xichen smiled to hide his worry.

His brother had never asked about the source of the curse or gift or whatever the sect considered it; Lan Zhan suspected he had his own theories, and Lan Xichen’s guesses would most certainly be better than the elders’.

But only Lan Zhan knew its origins for sure.

His mother had been lied to, once, and as a result had spent the rest of her days a prisoner in a small, lonely house. His clearest memory of his mother was her holding him close, tucking him into her lap and wrapping her arms around him in a loving, protective cocoon. It was the safest he had ever felt.

He’d been too young to recognize his mother’s sorrow for what it was at the time, the way she’d clearly known her death was approaching. But he remembered the quiet words she’d whispered to him, words of love and fear and protectiveness. The way her golden core had enveloped him, warm and steady, as she made sure her youngest son would not live in a house of lies and silence like her.

It was her greatest gift to him, and her last.

~*~

Lan Zhan knew the sound of a lie. So when a particularly irritating disciple arrived and immediately began causing trouble, Lan Zhan expected any number of lies from the boy. He was eager, even, for vindication for his own prejudice against such a disrespectful nuisance.

But Wei Ying had a way of talking that sounded like slurred notes to Lan Zhan’s highly trained ear. He was all chaos and deflection, and Lan Zhan experienced something uncomfortably like whiplash trying to keep up with the words in Wei Ying’s never-ending chatter.

It could not have been deliberate— no one outside of the Lan Sect’s elders and his own family knew of Lan Zhan’s particular skill— but nonetheless Wei Ying avoided giving straight answers, topics sliding sideways and off course with a joke, a question of his own, or some wildly inappropriate comment that made Lan Zhan too furious to focus.

He was infuriating.

He was beautiful.

Somehow that was worse.

Lan Zhan did not bother to look over as Wei Ying bickered with his sect brother, not in any mood to deal with him or his own feelings about the biggest troublemaker he’d ever met in his life.

Wei Ying’s laugh rang over the courtyard, bright and happy as he slung an arm over Jiang Wanyin’s shoulders, ignoring the sect heir’s incensed protests. “Don’t lie, shidi, I know you love me!”

The lie sounded like a gong in Lan Zhan’s head, startling him so badly that he stumbled to an awkward stop and snapped his head around to stare at Wei Ying, who was for once paying him no attention.

His ever-present smile was in place, nothing false or fixed about it. Wei Ying wore happiness and humor like armor, and Lan Zhan wondered if anyone had ever seen past it. He hadn’t… until now.

Lies were interesting things. Sometimes entire speeches were a lie (for instance, everything that came out of Jin Guangshan’s mouth). Sometimes gestures held the lie, such as Nie Huaisang’s amiable nod of agreement whenever his older brother ordered him to go train with his saber. And sometimes the lie was only a single word.

I know you love me. The low, booming signal of Wei Ying’s lie was significant for two reasons: the timing, and the strength of the sound. The greater the lie, the louder the noise, and this one had left a painful echo in Lan Zhan’s ears from the force of it. And the timing… the lie had been marked on a single word: love.

I know you love me. But Wei Ying did not believe this, not even a little.

Lan Zhan… did not know what to do with this revelation.

By the end of class that day, during which Wei Ying had been bellowed at by Lan Qiren and handed off to Lan Zhan for yet another punishment, he still had not figured out what to do about it. He would have gone to his brother for advice, because Xichen always helped him find the right thing to do, but lately his brother had a terrible light of laughter in his eyes every time Lan Zhan mentioned Wei Ying, and he was not about to willingly subject himself to that indignity.

So he was left to his own devices. Lan Zhan stared down at his scroll, not reading a single word of it because of to Wei Ying’s indecent sprawl across a nearby desk. He was humming innocently, like Lan Zhan couldn’t see him urging a tiny paper man on a march towards Lan Zhan’s pot of ink.

“Focus on your work,” Lan Zhan said sternly, capturing the figure just before it dipped its little arms in the bowl and went on a rampage.

“Ugh, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying whined, flopping over the desk. “This is so boring, how can you stand it? Not even Madam Yu would make me do all this!”

Lan Zhan studied the paper man in the cage of his fingers. This was a chance to learn more, he thought, about Wei Wuxian’s life in Yunmeng. Maybe even about why he did not believe his own brother loved him.

Why do you care? This does not concern you. Lan Zhan mutinously banished the thought and set the paper man free to explore the stack of books on his desk.

Hesitantly, he asked, “Do you like Lotus Pier?”

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying laughed. “What kind of question is that?”

Lan Zhan felt the familiar surge of frustration at the deflection; he could never get a straight answer out of Wei Ying, and it was a source of much aggravation.

“You mention punishments at Lotus Pier frequently,” he said instead of pinning Wei Ying to the floor until he got a truthful answer. The image sent a flash of heat through him, and he held himself very, very still until he had control over himself again.

“Eh.” Wei Ying waved a dismissive hand. “I get in trouble everywhere, Lan Zhan, whether I mean to or not.”

Truth.

“Are you punished in similar ways?” Lan Zhan asked, looking pointedly at Wei Ying’s abandoned paper of half-copied rules.

“No one gives punishments like the Lans. Don’t worry, your sect’s reputation is still the most feared of all!”

Not true, because anyone with half a brain knew to be wary of Wen Ruohan. This lie was like a slipped finger on the string of a qin, a short, wavering note that was discordant and vaguely unsettling. An untruth, technically, but said as a joke, as a sort-of truth because both of them knew the statement wasn’t genuine and that they other knew it as well.

Lan Zhan had a headache.

He tried a different track. “You were adopted by Sect Leader Jiang?”

Wei Ying sat up, propping his elbows on his desk and studying him for a moment before grinning. “So many questions, Lan Zhan! If I didn’t know better, I’d think you want to be friends.”

It was said teasingly, and the lie was held in the latter part of the sentence— Wei Ying did not believe Lan Zhan wanted to be friends. That, combined with the frustration of yet another question avoided, made Lan Zhan say, “It seems you do not know better.”

Embarrassingly, his heart was pounding at the admission. Lan Zhan had never had a friend before, other than his brother, and he certainly did not know how to make them. But he knew that he wanted to spend time with Wei Ying more and more often, even though part of him rebelled at the thought.

It was oddly silent in the library. Lan Zhan knew his ears were flushed red with embarrassment and uncertainty, and he waited with bated breath for Wei Ying to tease him again, to deflect with another laugh or joke that kindly disguised the fact that he did not want to be Lan Zhan’s friend, that Lan Zhan was too stiff and weird and boring to be anyone’s friend.

A little nauseated, Lan Zhan lifted his eyes from his paper and gathered his courage to look at the other boy.

Wei Ying was gaping at him like a fish.

“Friends?” He finally managed. Lan Zhan dropped his eyes back to the desk and said nothing, couldn’t speak past the lump in his throat. “You don’t want to be my friend!”

His gaze flickered back towards Wei Ying. The statement was untrue, obviously, but it was a lie that Wei Ying believed to be true, so it sounded like a half-missed note on a flute. Easily corrected, quickly covered, but there nonetheless.

“Says who?” Lan Zhan asked, wondering… hoping…

Wei Ying blinked at him for a moment, visibly stumped. Ridiculously, it made Lan Zhan feel as though he’d won something. Triumph over being the one to shock Wei Ying into uncharacteristic silence for once.

As expected, it didn’t last long.

Traitorous fondness glowed in his chest as Wei Ying planted his hands on the desk and raised himself onto his knees with an indignant expression. His hair fell in disarray around his face, a half-tied red ribbon spilling over his shoulder and against rumpled robes.

“You did!” Wei Ying said, outraged. “I said we should be friends on the first night!”

He’d said a lot of things that first night, Lan Zhan thought with reluctant amusement. Lan Zhan had forgotten most of it thanks to the veil of rage that had overtaken him as he chased a beautiful boy under the moonlight.

“Hm,” Lan Zhan said, dismissive, mostly just to watch Wei Ying’s expression contort into disbelief. “Did you ask?”

Wei Ying spluttered. “Of course I asked!” He said too loudly, and then cocked his head like he’d heard the ring of the lie, too. “Oh. Huh, I guess I didn’t ask, now that I think about it.”

He looked at Lan Zhan with a gleam in his eye. Lan Zhan had only a second to think, uh oh, and then Wei Ying had vaulted over his desk to land on his knees across from him.

“Lan Zhan,” he whispered, leaning in like they were sharing secrets. Lan Zhan’s hear thundered in his ears as Wei Ying grinned conspiratorially at him and leaned in close enough that Lan Zhan could smell the floral scent of his hair oil, the tinge of chili oil that he’d smuggled into the Cloud Recesses and then at some point spilled on his sleeve. “I want to be your friend. Do you want to be friends?”

Lan Zhan savored the silence around his words— I want to be your friend, he’d said, with no single hint of a lie— and tried not to let the mischievous glint in Wei Ying’s eye distract him.

It was too late, though. The seed of mischief had taken root in Lan Zhan, which was why he said with a perfectly straight face, “Hm. I will have to think about it.”

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying squawked with indignation, and then must have caught the tiny curl of Lan Zhan’s mouth because he exploded into laughter a second later. “Were you teasing me just now? Lan Zhan, I can’t believe this.”

Quietly pleased with himself, Lan Zhan watched as Wei Ying laughed until he ran out of air, falling onto his back with his usual exuberant expressiveness. The laughter was a joyous sound, bright and honest, and hearing it in one of his favorite places made Lan Zhan’s chest feel warm and tight.

His mother would have liked him, Lan Zhan thought wistfully. For his humor, his irrepressible love of life, his fearlessness. His heart felt too big for his chest as he listened to Wei Ying laugh, unrestrained emotion where only disciplined constraint had ever been permitted.

He would investigate Wei Ying’s beliefs about his own worth later, he decided. They were friends now, so this was allowed.

For now, though, he let the clear, ringing music of Wei Ying’s laughter fill the room. Basked in the warmth he hadn’t felt since his mother had been alive, and softened enough to smile back at Wei Ying.

#y'all have sent me some fantastic prompts #this one was fun #the untamed #wangxian #lan zhan #lan wangji #wei ying #wei wuxian #mdzs #asks #anon #prompts #my writing #my fics

129 notes · View notes

church-history · 3 years

Text

POPE BENEDICT XVI

APOSTOLIC LETTER

GIVEN MOTU PROPRIO

SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM

ON THE USE OF THE ROMAN LITURGY. PRIOR TO THE REFORM OF 1970

The Supreme Pontiffs have to this day shown constant concern that the Church of Christ should offer worthy worship to the Divine Majesty, “for the praise and glory of his name” and “the good of all his holy Church.”

As from time immemorial, so too in the future, it is necessary to maintain the principle that “each particular Church must be in accord with the universal Church not only regarding the doctrine of the faith and sacramental signs, but also as to the usages universally received from apostolic and unbroken tradition. These are to be observed not only so that errors may be avoided, but also that the faith may be handed on in its integrity, since the Church’s rule of prayer (lex orandi) corresponds to her rule of faith (lex credendi).” [1]

Eminent among the Popes who showed such proper concern was Saint Gregory the Great, who sought to hand on to the new peoples of Europe both the Catholic faith and the treasures of worship and culture amassed by the Romans in preceding centuries. He ordered that the form of the sacred liturgy, both of the sacrifice of the Mass and the Divine Office, as celebrated in Rome, should be defined and preserved. He greatly encouraged those monks and nuns who, following the Rule of Saint Benedict, everywhere proclaimed the Gospel and illustrated by their lives the salutary provision of the Rule that “nothing is to be preferred to the work of God.” In this way the sacred liturgy, celebrated according to the Roman usage, enriched the faith and piety, as well as the culture, of numerous peoples. It is well known that in every century of the Christian era the Church’s Latin liturgy in its various forms has inspired countless saints in their spiritual life, confirmed many peoples in the virtue of religion and enriched their devotion.

In the course of the centuries, many other Roman Pontiffs took particular care that the sacred liturgy should accomplish this task more effectively. Outstanding among them was Saint Pius V, who in response to the desire expressed by the Council of Trent, renewed with great pastoral zeal the Church’s entire worship, saw to the publication of liturgical books corrected and “restored in accordance with the norm of the Fathers,” and provided them for the use of the Latin Church.

Among the liturgical books of the Roman rite, a particular place belongs to the Roman Missal, which developed in the city of Rome and over the centuries gradually took on forms very similar to the form which it had in more recent generations.

“It was towards this same goal that succeeding Roman Pontiffs directed their energies during the subsequent centuries in order to ensure that the rites and liturgical books were brought up to date and, when necessary, clarified. From the beginning of this century they undertook a more general reform.” [2] Such was the case with our predecessors Clement VIII, Urban VIII, Saint Pius X [3], Benedict XV, Pius XII and Blessed John XXIII.

In more recent times, the Second Vatican Council expressed the desire that the respect and reverence due to divine worship should be renewed and adapted to the needs of our time. In response to this desire, our predecessor Pope Paul VI in 1970 approved for the Latin Church revised and in part renewed liturgical books; translated into various languages throughout the world, these were willingly received by the bishops as well as by priests and the lay faithful. Pope John Paul II approved the third typical edition of the Roman Missal. In this way the Popes sought to ensure that “this liturgical edifice, so to speak ... reappears in new splendour in its dignity and harmony.” [4]

In some regions, however, not a few of the faithful continued to be attached with such love and affection to the earlier liturgical forms which had deeply shaped their culture and spirit, that in 1984 Pope John Paul II, concerned for their pastoral care, through the special Indult Quattuor Abhinc Annos issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship, granted the faculty of using the Roman Missal published in 1962 by Blessed John XXIII. Again in 1988, John Paul II, with the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei, exhorted bishops to make broad and generous use of this faculty on behalf of all the faithful who sought it.

Given the continued requests of these members of the faithful, long deliberated upon by our predecessor John Paul II, and having listened to the views expressed by the Cardinals present at the Consistory of 23 March 2006, upon mature consideration, having invoked the Holy Spirit and with trust in God’s help, by this Apostolic Letter we decree the following:

Art 1. The Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI is the ordinary expression of the lex orandi (rule of prayer) of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite. The Roman Missal promulgated by Saint Pius V and revised by Blessed John XXIII is nonetheless to be considered an extraordinary expression of the same lex orandi of the Church and duly honoured for its venerable and ancient usage. These two expressions of the Church’s lex orandi will in no way lead to a division in the Church’s lex credendi (rule of faith); for they are two usages of the one Roman rite.

It is therefore permitted to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal, which was promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated, as an extraordinary form of the Church’s Liturgy. The conditions for the use of this Missal laid down by the previous documents Quattuor Abhinc Annos and Ecclesia Dei are now replaced as follows:

Art. 2. In Masses celebrated without a congregation, any Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use either the Roman Missal published in 1962 by Blessed Pope John XXIII or the Roman Missal promulgated in 1970 by Pope Paul VI, and may do so on any day, with the exception of the Easter Triduum. For such a celebration with either Missal, the priest needs no permission from the Apostolic See or from his own Ordinary.

Art. 3. If communities of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, whether of pontifical or diocesan right, wish to celebrate the conventual or community Mass in their own oratories according to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal, they are permitted to do so. If an individual community or an entire Institute or Society wishes to have such celebrations frequently, habitually or permanently, the matter is to be decided by the Major Superiors according to the norm of law and their particular laws and statutes.

Art. 4. The celebrations of Holy Mass mentioned above in Art. 2 may be attended also by members of the lay faithful who spontaneously request to do so, with respect for the requirements of law.

Art. 5, §1 In parishes where a group of the faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition stably exists, the parish priest should willingly accede to their requests to celebrate Holy Mass according to the rite of the 1962 Roman Missal. He should ensure that the good of these members of the faithful is harmonized with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the governance of the bishop in accordance with Canon 392, avoiding discord and favouring the unity of the whole Church.

§2 Celebration according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII can take place on weekdays; on Sundays and feast days, however, such a celebration may also take place.

§3 For those faithful or priests who request it, the pastor should allow celebrations in this extraordinary form also in special circumstances such as marriages, funerals or occasional celebrations, e.g. pilgrimages.

§4 Priests using the Missal of Blessed John XXIII must be qualified (idonei) and not prevented by law.

§5 In churches other than parish or conventual churches, it is for the rector of the church to grant the above permission.

Art. 6. In Masses with a congregation celebrated according to the Missal of Blessed John XXIII, the readings may be proclaimed also in the vernacular, using editions approved by the Apostolic See.

Art. 7. If a group of the lay faithful, as mentioned in Art. 5, §1, has not been granted its requests by the parish priest, it should inform the diocesan bishop. The bishop is earnestly requested to satisfy their desire. If he does not wish to provide for such celebration, the matter should be referred to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

Art. 8. A bishop who wishes to provide for such requests of the lay faithful, but is prevented by various reasons from doing so, can refer the matter to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which will offer him counsel and assistance.

Art. 9, §1 The parish priest, after careful consideration, can also grant permission to use the older ritual in the administration of the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, Penance and Anointing of the Sick, if advantageous for the good of souls.

§2 Ordinaries are granted the faculty of celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation using the old Roman Pontifical, if advantageous for the good of souls.

§3 Ordained clerics may also use the Roman Breviary promulgated in 1962 by Blessed John XXIII.

Art. 10. The local Ordinary, should he judge it opportune, may erect a personal parish in accordance with the norm of Canon 518 for celebrations according to the older form of the Roman rite, or appoint a rector or chaplain, with respect for the requirements of law.

Art. 11. The Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, established in 1988 by Pope John Paul II [5], continues to exercise its function. The Commission is to have the form, duties and regulations that the Roman Pontiff will choose to assign to it.

Art. 12. The same Commission, in addition to the faculties which it presently enjoys, will exercise the authority of the Holy See in ensuring the observance and application of these norms.

We order that all that we have decreed in this Apostolic Letter given Motu Proprio take effect and be observed from the fourteenth day of September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in the present year, all things to the contrary notwithstanding.

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on the seventh day of July in the year of the Lord 2007, the third of our Pontificate.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

#catholic #catholic history #summorum pontificum #benedict xvi #latin mass #TLM #july 7th

22 notes · View notes

melodiesofblueroses · 3 years

Note

Hi I saw that you were open!!

If love some fluff for levi, Lucifer, satan, mammon, and belphegor if you dont mind.

As part of mc's magic training they burn incense too focus. But this time Solomon switched the regular intense with demon nip ( cat nip for demons) as an experiment.

Suddenly the bro's get hyperly aware of mc's presence more than usual and become extremely lovey.

Plz remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself!💖💖

Aw thank you so much for the request!! This was so fun and cute to write. I decided to go with hcs, and I hope that I managed to write what you had in mind! Take care of yourself as well, remember to take breaks, and I hope you have a good night/day ❤ ❤

»»————-　♡　————-««

✦ Lucifer

Lucifer immediately knew that the incenses were changed and by whom, whether deliberately or by accident and regardless of smell or not

it was as if he had eyes all over the house (although that wasn’t too far of a stretch since the portraits did talk)

the moment he was aware that the usual incenses were changed with demon nip, Lucifer wanted to so badly march down to Purgatory Hall and punish Solomon

but you were so excited for your training, and you practically begged him to stay

ok, that was a lie. Lucifer just didn’t want to admit that he’d rather you not miss a lesson, although that was also just an excuse to spend more time with you

he could always punish Solomon later, and besides, he was one of the strongest demons, he should be able to ignore the effects

oh boy was he wrong

in the following days, Lucifer began to take notice of your presence more and strike up convos way more often, which did confuse you a bit, though you brushed it off as him not wanting to be held liable if anything were to happen to the human exchange student

what really bewildered you was the fact that he was acting so sweet towards you?? like, he’d usually address you formally and with a neutral tone

but now, although it was a bit subtle, his voice went a bit soft whenever he spoke to you, and you couldn’t help but notice how he smiled much more now around you

it was a surprising change, but a welcome one

“y/n, if the work at RAD is too much for you, I can always bring it up to Diavolo and have him lessen the workload”

“would you perhaps care to join me for dinner with Diavolo tonight? you can bring up any concerns you have with the program”

he began to take notice of your wellbeing much more, and while it did freak you out a bit at first, you grew to love it. his soft side was just too adorable

when the effects wore off, Lucifer made you swear to not tell anyone what had happened

if word got out that the demon prince’s right hand demon grew soft, it’d be a pr disaster!

and he also made it his mission to sabotage Solomon’s stay whenever possible in order to get back at him

although the effects did wear off, you noticed that he did begin to take care of you and notice you more, although it was wayy more subtle and you couldn’t tell whether or not he thought it was his obligation

whatever it was, you were glad that Lucifer had managed to open up to you just a tiny bit more

»»————-　♡　————-««

✧ Mammon

honestly, he’d have no idea that the incenses were switched

not because he didn’t know the difference (that was a possibility though) but because he was just too excited to spend some time with you

so you both thought it was a successful session and didn’t think much of it

when the effects kicked in, however, you began to notice that Mammon became a lot more clingy and affectionate

it was as if he was glued to your side, never wanting to leave you with some other demon for too long

“do you have an extra pencil I can borrow?” some demon asked you in class

“of course, here you g-”

“hey, what are ya doing with MY human??”

it does get a bit annoying at times, so when you tell him to knock it off, he’ll try to keep his distance

try

he was no exception to the power of the demon nip after all, but he would try to butt in less, although he was still by your side at all times

on the plus side, this means a lot of cuddles which you didn’t mind whatsoever

he was so warm and cuddly. it was a great way to end the day, especially when the two of you would accidentally sleep in each others’ arms while cuddling

he’d also shower you with gifts

that pen you offhandedly mentioned that one time when you were bored in demon history class? bam, it’s on your bedside table when you get home

you had absolutely no idea where he got the money from but decided it was better not to ask

you’d have to tell him to stop since the gifts were becoming a bit too much, but you really did appreciate the gesture

when the effects wore off, Mammon would become all flustered and try to come up with some excuse as to why he suddenly became all affectionate

“w-well, I was only tryna look after ya! it’s my job!”

you’d miss all the cuddles though, so when you told him that, Mammon would make sure that he’d make time for a cuddling session, although he said it was because you begged him and he, being the oh so great and generous Mammon, couldn’t turn you down

you were just glad that you were able to relish in his touch once more

»»————-　♡　————-««

✰ Leviathan

he’d probably pay no mind to the switched incenses or he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference since all that was going through his mind was laalkjr0*%#$ I’m spending time with y/n

when the effects started kicking in, however, Levi would definitely know that something was up

he was starting to think about you a lot more than usual, and he was super sensitive to your presence. you could very well be in the kitchen, but Levi would still be able to pick up on your location from his room

he’d deduce that someone must’ve made him unknowingly drink a potion or perhaps changed the essences during the training, to which his mind would automatically think of Solomon

ugh, how could he betray him? he was a fellow fan of tsl after all

although he tried to restrain himself, Levi would find himself always dragging you to his room, making excuses that he wanted to show you a new anime or game when in reality, he just wanted to feel your touch

you didn’t mind spending more time with Levi, but you did have a feeling that something was certainly off about him

he was asking you to come hang out with him in his room way more often, and whenever Solomon came over, Levi would say that he was too busy spending time with you??

it was all very odd, but it did mean more time with Levi so you weren’t complaining. this was a win

although Levi tried to restrain himself from asking or doing anything embarrassing, he’d often fail and ask to cuddle or hold hands

your warmth calmed him down, and the effects of the demon nip would wear off whenever you were around

you took this as a sign of him gaining more confidence in himself, so you were quite happy and often obliged to his requests

you did love cuddling him anyway. his jacket was so comfy

“h-hey y/n. could we, ya know, cuddle?”

the last part would come out as meek and quiet, so it’d be a bit hard to hear although you picked it up nonetheless

“of course Levi! I’m always up for some cuddles”

as a result, you practically lived in Levi’s room the entire time the demon nip affected him. the other brothers did pick up on this, but since no one else was allowed in his room, there wasn’t much they could do

like Mammon, when the effects wore off, Levi would be so flustered and go all red, finding it hard to even get out a sentence or two

he couldn’t believe he managed to not only spend so much time with you but also get to cuddle

he did love it, though he’d never admit it. Levi would miss all those cuddling, gaming, and binge sessions

but to his surprise, you always showed up either way, even after all the effects wore off, so he never did bring it up to you

Levi would like to think that he grew a bit more confident after the whole ordeal

plus, he’d have to thank Solomon for being so mischievous and switching up the essences

»»————-　♡　————-««

✣ Satan

Satan had sensed that something was off about the incense during you guys’ weekly training session though he tried his best to brush it off and paid no mind to it

he would soon come to regret that decision, however

Satan is a pretty perceptive guy, so he’d pick up on his symptoms quickly and realize that someone (cough Solomon cough) must’ve switched up the usual incense with demon nip

he’d try his best to keep his distance from you, but it was really difficult when he would catch on to your every footstep and breathe if you were anywhere near him

everywhere he turned, the tiniest little thing seemed to remind him of you

Satan couldn’t take his mind off of you, so he decided that the next best thing to do would be to confront it

so he’d invite you to his study where the two of you would read books by the fireplace (it helped liven the atmosphere) and discuss them until the next morning

you couldn’t really tell that anything was off since Satan kept his composure so well

but he was dying on the inside. he thought that having you close to him would help stave off the effects, but it seemed to only worsen them

so when he decided to ask if it’d be alright if the two of you cuddled, you were a bit taken aback since it was so sudden

but you happily accepted, especially since Satan did look a bit cute with pink on his cheeks

the moment he felt your touch, Satan felt his symptoms alleviate. it really was so relieving, but especially so because he loved your touch

it was so warm and welcoming, similar to that childhood home feeling that he never got to experience

having been born from the wrath of Lucifer, Satan often felt as if he didn’t belong anywhere, but your touch changed it

its warmth told him that he belonged here, and Satan couldn’t be happier

and so he relished in your touch for as long as he could, and even when the effects wore off, Satan found himself still missing your touch, as if the demon nip still had some sort of effect on him

once he felt your touch, he couldn’t go back. it was almost like a necessity for him, similar to how Beel reacts around food

and so, after this entire ordeal, you still spent quite some time clinging on to Satan

you, on the other hand, also greatly appreciated these cuddling sessions. Satan used to seem so distant, always having his nose in a book in order to learn more about the three realms

but now, you felt as if the two of you had grown closer (you had no idea what caused this change but you didn’t complain)

whatever it was, you were grateful, and Satan was grateful for that little experiment Solomon had pulled

»»————-　♡　————-««

★ Belphegor

would realize that something was up during the training session but would probably be too sleepy/tired to try and pinpoint it

as much as he loved spending time with you, Belphegor was about to pass out at any moment, and he’d rather do so in a comfy bed than on the hard floor

since Belphie is always sleeping with you beside him, when he wakes up with the symptoms of the demon nip, he thinks that it’s nothing more than him missing your warmth since you were nowhere to be found

eventually, he’ll begin to realize that no, it isn’t just him missing you but rather due to some sorta spell

he’d most likely try to sleep it off at first

but to no avail

even when he was sleeping, he’d dream about you and pick up on your presence so it was pretty hard to even escape from the thought of you

so he’d probably start being a bit more clingy, although it’d be more like he’d drag you to try and take a nap with him so you didn’t think anything was off at all

“hey, y/n, let’s go take a nap in the attic”

“Belphie we’re in class-”

you would notice, however, that he stuck by your side way more often

it was truly bizarre, but you thought nothing of it

perhaps he just felt left behind since he spent the least amount of time with you?

well, you didn’t mind seeing his adorable sleeping face everywhere, although your arm did often fall asleep at times, which wasn’t ideal when you were in the middle of taking notes

the demon nip would also have an effect on his dreams

in his dreams, Belphie would often feel your warmth, and everything felt at peace. there were no family tensions, no following Diavolo, and no troubles. it was such a shame whenever he woke up from it

and he’d immediately crave your touch once he did, since that felt similar to his dream, similar to his home

as a result, he’d spend a lot of time around you when the demon nip was in effect, always clinging on to you and dragging you to the strangest napping places

you didn’t mind it, however. for one, you got to spend way more time with him, and secondly, it was a good break from the workload of RAD

though he may become less clingy the moment the effects fade away, if you ever showed the desire to have him by your side again, Belphie wouldn’t hesitate to comply

he lived for your touch after all

#asks #obey me #obey me satan #obey me lucifer #obey me leviathan #obey me mammon #obey me belphegor #headcanons #fluff #obey me shall we date

31 notes · View notes