#and the various deaths and rebirths in between

[ew-selfish-art]

Dpxdc Au: As Danny gets more comfortable as a “long term roomie” in Wayne Manor, he starts to have freinds over. Aka psychopomp AU

Danny decided to take Batman’s deal upon the JL shut down of the GIW and Fenton Labs. He’d been working with the various heroes for a minute while they pursued the illegal government branch and his mad scientist parents- when it was clear he wasn’t going to have a home to return to, the Bat said he had a civilian contact that could help him and Jazz.

Jazz was honestly so relieved that they wouldn’t have to start from zero in her college town- how could Danny possibly say no when it took so much stress off of his sisters plate? Begrudgingly, he gets back to the Big Bad Bat and gets the contact info for one Bruce Wayne. Adoption is refused but, Jazz and Danny are invited to stay for how ever long they need to get their feet under them.

Danny keeps a lot of distance between himself and the other kids in the house, only coming to the meals that Jazz also attends. She’s pretty busy with classes during the day but it’s becoming clear that she’s also spending “quality time” with one of the older guys that stops by for dinner. Jazz advocates that he start to integrate himself or find a local community and after months of being a shit about it- Danny agrees to make new friends. He never said they would be alive tho.

Thus, Danny becomes Gothams local psychopomp. He just starts inviting the Shades of the unavenged for tea time in the west wing gardens. Alfred is always happy to supply tea and snacks, Danny doesn’t understand how the man doesn’t have more questions but is going to push his luck by asking. Wayne Manor is high key becoming the most haunted spot in the city and it’s starting to show.

Tim is the first to notice the changes in the Manor- he’s always been the smartest detective- and joins Danny at one of his tea times. What he hears Danny and the vague shape of a man talk about… is an old cold case. Holy shit, he’s got a break through.

Jason is the next to show up, but not because of the flickering lights or cold air, because he’s just maybe the teensiest bit interested in Jazz. Danny initially ignores him but seeing as the shades are all quivering in fear, Danny sighs and ultimately tries to figure out this dudes “whole undead deal”. Jason just wants to know what her favorite meal is but Danny will only exchange information for information. Jason gives him an abridged version of his death and rebirth- He walks away knowing Jazz’s preferred take out orders, favorite brand of tea and the cafe she likes to study at.

It’s going well honestly- Danny is having quality time with the ghosts in the city, the city is repaying him in good karma and Jazz is too occupied with the zombie to get on his case about not making human friends.

Then one of the batkids gets overshadowed and it results in… reveals? Drama? Friendship? Actual brotherly bonding?

#dcxdp #dpxdc #danny phantom #dc x dp #dp x dc #dc crossover #dp crossover #anger management ship #Danny is adopted AU #Danny is a psychopomp #write in the other sibling interactions lmao #duke is hella not sure what this guys deal is but he straight up refuses to go to the west wing during ‘tea time’

[melyndadwest-blog]

Guardian Deity Spirit Danny

"In the spiritual realm, there are specific steps a being can take to ascend to the status of a god, with certain restrictions defining what a god truly is. Typically, a deity emerges as a result of being worshipped by a group of people, their worship infusing them with divine energy and granting them godhood.

They can be born from an unconscious belief or concept, such as the worship of the moon or nature. Over time, this belief gains sentience and power through the devotion of their followers.

They possess spiritual powers and establish a cult, amassing considerable influence and strength.

They are born from another god.

They achieve godhood by defeating and absorbing the essence of a pre-existing god, embodying their concept.

This means that even if a being is incredibly powerful, like Clockwork, they must be worshipped by someone to attain godhood. So...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In the Infinite Realms, time operates differently than in the outside world. I believe that since the Realms exist beyond space and existence, serving as the cosmic glue holding the multiverse together, they remain separate from the flow of time.

So, my idea is this: Danny is already immensely powerful, as he embodies the balance between life and death. Because of his connection to Clockwork, this being occasionally sends him on time-traveling missions, perhaps for preparations related to kingship. As a result, he appears in various places throughout history, safeguarding people and cultures. Over the centuries and millennia, people begin to worship him, seeking blessings and offering sacrifices.

Usually, this would lead the Justice League to believe that he's simply a very old being. However, what if he truly is ancient?

As I mentioned earlier, a god's powers are derived from belief, and this belief gradually transforms the deity. Here's my take:

Batman might insist, "I know you're Danny Fenton," until a summons or a crisis causes Danny's godly side to surface. This aspect of him is truly ancient, as time doesn't flow conventionally in the Infinite Realms. Consequently, Danny could be three years old in terms of his death, yet also an ancient entity. Nonetheless, he remains physically too young to fully comprehend his true power and existence, resulting in considerable confusion.

Ultimately, there are two interpretations:

The Justice League ends up believing that Danny is either a) a vessel for a god, b) a sort of priest, or c) the physical incarnation of a bored god curious about experiencing humanity.

Ghosts do not treat him like a typical ghost child because, due to the nonlinear nature of time in the Zone, his core possesses the essence of an ancient being. The ghosts perceive him as the rebirth of balance, incarnated as a human to restore equilibrium.

Feel free to use this concept for any story or interpretation you find compelling."

#dpxdc #dc x dp #danny phantom #ancients #Cloakwork Is a knowing bitch that orquestrated the whole deal because he wanted to hang up with his Bestie Balance again. #For aproximation Jazz Sam and Tucker starts to become some sort of spirits #(lesser dieties that have much more power than mortal #Amity Park really are not human anymore

[cemeterything]

I'm going thru ur angelverse tag rn cuz I'm writing a bit about computer angels and you've got a lot of neat stuff in there and it's got me curious abt what that's about. 🎤

so angelverse is this original fiction setting i made up for an rp server that no longer exists. i lost the server in the divorce but kept all the lore and worldbuilding i came up with for it. which was pretty much all of it. it's an urban fantasy/cosmic horror story set in a universe where angels are these powerful eldritch machine aliens whose species is in decline due to their dysfunctional, heavily militaristic society, near-perpetual conflict between various political factions within that society, a mass lack of purpose beyond warfare, and dwindling resources available for the continued propagation of the species.

the story mainly focuses on exiles from this shattered civilization; fallen angels banished to earth, usually for heinous crimes or extreme miscarriages of justice, and angels who were considered unfit for active duty due to personality or utility flaws and "reassigned" there under the pretense of some kind of nebulous greater purpose, but actually just abandoned for being weak links without the disgrace and ceremony of being officially exiled.

these malcontents, misfits, murderers and weapons of mass destruction, and how the people of planet earth interact with their presence, create most of the central conflicts that drive the story - death, rebirth, the horror of having a body, the existence of free will, machiavellian schemes, supernatural turf wars, epic love stories, bloody revenge tragedies, cycles of violence, and those who seek to break those oppressive, infinite loops - but the threat of the various powers of the republic of angels finally resolving their differences and turning their attention to the unresolved issue of their discarded toys, or being called to war once more, this time by the increasingly frustrated human population that has unwillingly hosted the angels' castoff scraps for the past few thousand years, remains an ever-present threat that hangs over all like a sword.

i already answered an ask where i linked all of the worldbuilding info documents before, so i'll just tack that on here in case you're interested in knowing more

#angelverse

[sensualnoiree]

astro notes: the moon & her phases 🌚

The Moon, with its soft, glowing presence in the night sky, has captivated human beings for millennia. Beyond its physical beauty, the Moon holds profound symbolic and esoteric meanings in various mystical traditions, particularly in alchemy. Dive into the alchemical and esoteric properties of the Moon, explore its significance as a symbol of inner transformation, spiritual enlightenment, and the depths of the human psyche.

Cycle of Transformation: The Moon's phases, from the dark New Moon to the full illumination of the Full Moon and back again, symbolize the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. This mirrors the alchemical process of transformation, where base materials are purified and transmuted into a higher form.

🌑 New Moon: The New Moon marks the beginning of the lunar cycle, where the Moon is not visible in the sky. Symbolically, this phase represents the darkness before the dawn, the void from which all creation emerges. In alchemy, it corresponds to the initial stage of the alchemical process, known as Calcination. This is the stage where the base materials, representing the raw and unrefined aspects of the self, are broken down and purified through the fires of transformation.

🌘 Waxing Crescent: As the Moon begins to wax, or grow larger, after the New Moon, it enters the Waxing Crescent phase. This phase symbolizes growth, intention setting, and the planting of seeds. In the alchemical journey, this corresponds to the stage of Dissolution, where the purified elements begin to coalesce and take shape, laying the groundwork for further growth and development.

🌗 First Quarter: The First Quarter Moon marks the halfway point between the New Moon and the Full Moon. Symbolically, it represents a time of challenges, decisions, and action. In alchemy, this phase corresponds to the stage of Separation, where the purified elements are refined further, and the unnecessary or detrimental aspects are discarded. This is a crucial step in the process of transformation, where clarity and discernment are necessary to move forward.

🌖 Waxing Gibbous: As the Moon continues to wax, it enters the Waxing Gibbous phase, where it approaches full illumination. This phase symbolizes refinement, integration, and preparation for the culmination of the cycle. In alchemy, this corresponds to the stage of Conjunction, where the purified elements are brought together and integrated to form a harmonious whole. It is a time of synthesis and alignment, as the individual aspects of the self merge into a unified whole.

🌕 Full Moon: The Full Moon is the peak of the lunar cycle when the Moon is fully illuminated in the night sky. Symbolically, it represents illumination, fulfillment, and the realization of intentions. In alchemy, this corresponds to the stage of Fermentation, where the purified elements reach their peak potency and transformation is complete. It is a time of celebration and revelation, as the alchemist experiences a profound sense of union with the divine and the cosmos.

🌔 Waning Gibbous: After the Full Moon, the Moon begins to wane, or decrease in illumination, entering the Waning Gibbous phase. This phase symbolizes reflection, gratitude, and the release of what no longer serves. In alchemy, this corresponds to the stage of Distillation, where the essence of the transformed elements is extracted and purified further. It is a time of consolidation and integration, as the alchemist reflects on the lessons learned and prepares for the next phase of the journey.

🌓 Last Quarter: The Last Quarter Moon marks the halfway point between the Full Moon and the New Moon. Symbolically, it represents surrender, letting go, and clearing space for new beginnings. In alchemy, this phase corresponds to the stage of Coagulation, where the purified elements solidify and take on their final form. It is a time of resolution and closure, as the alchemist integrates the lessons of the journey and prepares to embark on a new cycle of transformation.

follow for more astro insights like this and support me over on yt @quenysefields or instagram sensualnoiree

#the moon #alchemy #astrology #astro notes #astro observations #astro community #astro #astrology observations #astro blog #astro placements #astro posts #astroblr #astrology chart #astrology fyp #astrology notes #astrology readings #astrology signs #astronotes #spirituality #moon #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #black tumblr #mpls

[bitchy-craft]

What Mythological Creature Are You | Pick A Pile

Hello and welcome to this Pick A Pile! In here you'll find out what mythological creature you are and what is associated with said creature. I hope you guys enjoy and find this useful. Do make sure to leave comments down below on your experience! I do want to remind you all that this is a General Pick A Pile which means this is for a lot of people; therefore keep what resonates and leave what doesn't.

Masterpost > Questions > Paid Readings

Pick A Pile!

Pile 1:

The Phoenix is a legendary bird from Greek and Egyptian mythology. It is said to be a magnificent creature with colorful plumage and the ability to regenerate itself. According to the Greek myth, the Phoenix lives for centuries before igniting itself in flames and being reborn from its ashes. This cycle of death and rebirth symbolizes immortality and the eternal nature of life.

The Phoenix is often associated with themes of renewal, transformation, and resurrection. It represents the concept of rising above challenges and emerging stronger from adversity. The Phoenix's ability to rise from the ashes serves as a metaphor for personal growth, spiritual transcendence, and the cyclic nature of existence.

Pile 2:

Kitsune is a mythical creature from Japanese folklore, often depicted as a fox with magical abilities. These shapeshifting creatures possess intelligence and possess anywhere from one to nine tails, with each additional tail indicating greater power and wisdom. Kitsune are known for their mischievous nature and their ability to assume human form.

In Japanese mythology, Kitsune represents both positive and negative aspects. On one hand, they are associated with wisdom, cunning, and the protection of their chosen human companions. On the other hand, they are known for their trickery and illusions. Kitsune symbolize the complexities of human nature, the power of transformation, and the blurred line between reality and illusion.

Pile 3:

A pegasus is a winged horse from Greek mythology. According to the myth, Pegasus was born from the decapitated neck of the Gorgon Medusa when the hero Perseus slew her. Pegasus is often depicted as a majestic white horse with wings, capable of flying freely through the skies. It became the trusted mount of the hero Bellerophon, who rode Pegasus during his battles against various monsters.

Pegasus symbolize freedom, inspiration, and the power of the imagination. The ability to soar through the heavens represents the pursuit of higher knowledge, transcending earthly limitations, and reaching new heights. Pegasus is associated with artistic and creative endeavors, as well as the exploration of the divine realm.

#pick a pile #pick a card #pick an image #pick a number #pick a photo #spirituality #spiritual #divination #channeling #channeled message #channeled reading #channeled messages #tarot #tarot reading #pap #pac #tarot readings #tarot deck #tarot cards #tarotoftheday #dailytarot #daily tarot #tarotblr #tarotcommunity #fun reading #mythology #spirit animals #spirit animal #spirit guide #witchblr

[lunar-bat]

Witchcraft 101: Wicca & The Wheel of The Year

Paganism - An umbrella term for many nature-based and polytheistic spiritual traditions. Note that not all pagans practice witchcraft. Wicca - A pagan, nature-based religious movement. Wicca blends aspects of witchcraft, nature veneration, and ceremonial magic. It places a strong emphasis on honoring nature and follows a duotheistic belief system often known as the Triple Goddess and Horned God. Wheel of The Year The wheel reflects the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth in the natural world and is central to the rituals, spells, and celebrations of many pagan and witchcraft traditions. The Wheel of the Year is divided into eight significant points, which correspond to the Sabbats or festivals:

Samhain (October 31st): Also known as All Hollow's Eve, marks the beginning of the Wheel of the Year and is associated with the end of the harvest season and the onset of winter. Samhain is a time for honoring ancestors, reflecting on mortality, and recognizing the thinning of the veil between the physical and spirit worlds. Samhain is a time to acknowledge the cyclical nature of life and death and to connect with the spiritual realm. Yule (Winter Solstice, typically around December 21st): Marks the rebirth of the sun, with a focus on light, hope, and renewal during the darkest time of the year. Yule customs include lighting candles or a Yule log, feasting, gift-giving, and spending time with loved ones. It's a significant part of the Wheel of the Year, emphasizing the cyclical nature of life and the changing seasons. Imbolc (February 1st): Marks the early signs of spring and the gradual return of light and warmth. Imbolc is associated with the Celtic goddess Brigid and is a time for purification, cleaning, and preparing for the coming season's growth. It's often celebrated with rituals, candle lighting, and dedication to Brigid. Imbolc highlights the theme of renewal and the awakening of life after the winter months. Ostara (Spring Equinox, typically around March 21st): Marks the arrival of spring, where day and night are in balance. Ostara is a time for celebrating fertility, new beginnings, and the growth of life. It is often associated with themes of rebirth, renewal, and the awakening of nature. Common customs include egg decorating, planting seeds, and celebrating the return of warmth and longer days. Beltane (May 1st): Celebration of fertility, love, and the union of the goddess and god. Beltane is often observed with rituals, bonfires, Maypole dancing, and other festivities that emphasize the vitality and growth of life in the natural world. Midsummer (Summer Solstice, typically around June 21st): Also known as Litha, marks the longest day of the year when the sun is at its peak. Midsummer is a time for harnessing the sun's energy, celebrating the abundance of nature, and enjoying outdoor festivities. Common customs include lighting bonfires, dancing, and gathering herbs and flowers for magical and medicinal purposes. Lughnasadh (August 1st): Also known as Lammas, marks the first harvest of the year and is associated with the Celtic god Lugh. Lughnasadh is a festival dedicated to expressing gratitude for the Earth's bountiful harvest and agricultural abundance. Traditional practices during this time involve crafting corn dollies, enjoying meals made from freshly harvested crops, and engaging in various games and competitions. Mabon (Autumn Equinox, typically around September 21st): Marks the second harvest and a time of balance when day and night are equal. Mabon is a festival for reflecting on gratitude, giving thanks for the fruits of the Earth, and preparing for the darker months ahead. Common customs include feasting on seasonal foods, making offerings to the land, and creating altars with symbols of the season.

#divination #witchcraft #witchblr #grimoire #magick #baby witch #witchery #witchcraft 101 #spirituality #broom closet #fyp #sabbaths #paganism #paganblr #wicca

[the-hermit-at-midnight]

The Mystical Significance of the Crow in Witchcraft and Magick

In the vast tapestry of symbols and beings that populate the world of witchcraft and magick, few hold as much intrigue and mystique as the crow. Revered by many cultures throughout history, the crow has come to symbolize wisdom, magic, and transformation in the realm of the occult. Let's explore the significance of this enigmatic bird and its role in witchcraft and magick.

1. **Messenger of the Otherworld:**

In various mythologies and belief systems, crows are often seen as messengers between the earthly realm and the realm of spirits. Their black plumage and keen intelligence evoke an air of mystery, making them natural conduits for communication with the unseen realms. In witchcraft and magick, practitioners may invoke the presence of crows to seek guidance, protection, or insight from the spirit world.

2. **Bearer of Wisdom:**

Crows are highly intelligent birds known for their problem-solving abilities and complex social behaviors. In many cultures, they are revered as symbols of wisdom and knowledge. In witchcraft, the crow is often associated with the archetype of the wise old crone, a figure steeped in ancient wisdom and magickal prowess. Through their association with crows, witches seek to tap into the deep well of knowledge that these birds are said to possess.

3. **Guardian of the Sacred:**

In some traditions, crows are believed to be guardians of sacred spaces and magickal practitioners. They are said to watch over witches and protect them from harm, serving as loyal allies and guides on their spiritual journey. In rituals and spells, practitioners may call upon the energy of the crow to provide a shield of protection or to keep unwanted influences at bay.

4. **Agent of Transformation:**

Crows are creatures of the liminal spaces – the thresholds between light and darkness, life and death, the mundane and the magickal. As scavengers, they feed on the remains of the old, transforming death into new life. In witchcraft, crows are often associated with the process of transformation and renewal. They remind practitioners that change is a natural and necessary part of life, and that through death and decay comes the opportunity for rebirth and growth.

5. **Symbol of Magickal Power:**

Throughout history, crows have been associated with magickal power and the ability to shape-shift or transform. In folklore and mythology, witches are often depicted as being able to take on the form of crows or to summon them to do their bidding. In modern witchcraft, crows are revered as symbols of personal empowerment and mastery over one's own destiny.

The crow holds a special place in the pantheon of symbols used in witchcraft and magick. As a messenger, guardian, and symbol of wisdom and transformation, it serves as a powerful ally for practitioners seeking to deepen their connection to the mysteries of the universe. Whether invoked in rituals, spells, or meditation, the crow embodies the essence of magickal power and spiritual insight, guiding witches on their path to enlightenment and empowerment.

#witchcraft #witchblr #witch #magick #witchythings #witchy shit #spells #crows #crow magick #murder of crows

[skyeventide]

taking a stab at the whole valinor trauma rebirth tragedy thing

without getting into the various iterations of mandos throughout its development, the fact that it shares the etymological root with angband (angamando in quenya) or its use as both a prison/punishment place and as the temporary "afterlife" of elves, I think it should be obvious why "mandos cures everything" doesn't work for most people. it's simply narratively unsatisfying. we know that, technically, spirits are solitary in mandos and don't tend to interact with each other, and we know (iirc) that nienna does most of the healing work, when those spirits don't reflect on things by themselves.

healing in complete isolation might work one rare time, but it's otherwise simply not how healing works, how adjusting to a new life works. being way too in your own head is discouraged. healing all your traumas because a goddess did it via magic counseling gives, at best, uncanny vibes, at worst erases the struggle and journey of adjusting, with help, into the life you're actually living. so people either say that spirits can actually meet in mandos and figure things out among themselves, or subvert the narrative and have people come out of mandos either not truly healed or only partially so, and needing the real living feedback of society to exist within it again. a reading which allows mandos to still function as a recovery, but whose achivement is to "prepare" for the journey of spiritual healing, to bring elves back to a stage where they're able to face the circumstances that generated their trauma (aka the living, embodied world, and maybe more precisely even the people involved in it).

this barely touches on the grievances that dead elves might have with the guys who are running this show. this isn't just feanorian followers (or the exiles more at large) who renounced the valar's authority, it can also be the avari, who now either get valinor or they get valinor. it can be the falathrim, who wanted to go to valinor and lost the chance. it can be those sindar who were waiting for a full intervention from valinor, and it didn't come until earendil came around. it's hard to envision healing within a system when the system itself is what you take issue with. it requires a personal compromise, or an acceptance of the system's authority, and that's simply not always possible, nor can fanworks always easily tackle it — which is also why I think fics where living relatives "bully" or like, strongly entreat, the valar into releasing specific elves from death are popular. it's one way of giving that specific problem a solution, though it may in effect be unrealistic. it's less about realism (I for one don't believe the Valar would ever do that) and more about trying to find a way through wanting to see those characters heal without having to bend and accept the system and its authority.

which also brings me to what comes after and the necessary divide, real or perceived, between people who were always in valinor and people who returned to life after conflict.

to put it simply, making sweeping statements about whether amanyar elves can understand the trauma of exiles and other reborn elves is not possible and in itself pretty silly. even the amanyar themselves don't perceive their experiences of trauma and the darkening in the same way! the teleri refuse to set foot in beleriand despite their own kin being there, and despite the fact that noldor and vanyar embark on a valar-sanctioned war. it's pretty obvious that their own internal experiences and cultural understanding of the darkening or of valar authority is still vastly different, that even going by the imprecise and generalising divide of clan, that trauma was processed differently. or not processed at all.

and then, would those who fight the war of wrath understand the trauma of a continent-wide collapse? yeah, surely in a sense they can, they live through it. but can they understand it from the point of view of a sinda who had lived in beleriand all their life and didn't simply come here with the understanding that this was war? who saw their home be destroyed slowly and painfully, and in the end, when the saving arrives, it's a saving with such an immense and heartbreaking price? maybe they can empathise, maybe they can't. the darkening, by the time of the war of wrath, is no viable term of comparison. even among the living, this isn't cookie-cutter.

so what of those who die and return? I think it's obvious, in the text itself, that someone can go through a death, real of metaphorical, return to their old home which has itself gone through some considerable trauma, and realise that no matter if both you and your home have changed, both have bled, you're still unable to readjust to it the way others can. other people who were with you in your journey can integrate, they find old friends and loves who help them in this. you can't. I'm obviously talking about frodo.

it's not the same for everyone and it will never be. and I do feel as though the reading of valinor being in itself unable to take back people who went through trauma is a push-back against the idea that valinor must inherently be blissful, healing, and perfect; but the text presents us many situations where the environment of valinor plants the seeds of dissatisfaction; the fact that it doesn't work as neatly as it seems is at the core of the early conflict in The Silmarillion (even without pointing out stuff like: troubled people, Frodo included, go to the gardens of Lorien in search of that healing and peace of mind that the rest of the land can't actually provide. it's just a land. it's mostly free of toil because there's literal gods providing things, but it's just a land). valinor is not perfect, but its status as blessed realm invites a certain unease in many readers. I believe this unease leads easily to cotradictory and equally extreme positions, ranging from "no one would or should feel out of place after rebirth" to "actually no one would understand the trauma of someone who died and returned".

plus, of course, the obvious: someone's trauma, collective or individual, and how people process it, doesn't somehow erase someone else's and how they process it. the two things can come in conflict with one another, but they're not, like, mutually exclusive.

#The Silmarillion #Valinor #quenta noldorinwa #I will say I haven't seen these takes #everything is a secondhand account for me

[ymechi]

Yandere creator reader

I did not think I would write anything for this blorbo I had but so many people liked and I got inspiration from the comments! Thank you everyone for the support!

-TW: Death, Gore, Dying in various ways, Torture

-Gn reader (I tried my best I hope it turned out gender neutral, please tell me if I did it wrong)

-English is not my first language and I have no beta/editor please tell me if I make any mistakes

You knew this was unhealthy, that this would make your issues worse but the loneliness was gnawing at you. It started small, just a mere speck but the spore grew more and more rotting your foundation. You found yourself often alone while your peers had connections, bonds, and kinship. 

You had no one.

You tried so hard to make connections, yet you could not make that chain connect to the other person click. You wallowed in your own misery for a while, instead you filled your whole with fiction and fantasies. There at least in your mind you could construct those bonds and wouldn’t those made in your mind be stronger than those in reality?

You stumbled upon the game on chance. It was a coincidence but soon it became an addiction. Everything about the game captivated you. You loved the art, the gameplay the lore and of course the characters. You just adored these pixels on the screen, each and every one of them. You had none that you disliked. You cried and laughed at their stories and tried to get through every quest for their sake, you even got a part-time job so you could spend and *own* them all.

As you get more and more characters you are determined to build everyone, no one will be left behind. 

You knew this was unhealthy and that this would contribute to your already waning social life and loneliness but you had no other outlet, no other hobbies. 

You were still a respectable functioning member of society gacha game addiction aside, so no one bothered you or questioned you. 

Then one day you woke up in Teyvat. 

You thought it was a hallucination, it should be a hallucination perhaps this was your cue to finally go to a therapist and talk about your problems. You were beginning to see delusions-

Except it all felt so real, the leaves between your fingers, the wind softly caressing your face, and the ground beneath you was steady holding your weight. 

You could feel a chain connecting you to Teyvat with a click.

This was your first real connection to someone, you could feel your face aching from your pleased smile.

You thought hopefully, perhaps, just perhaps you would be able to meet the characters. You know you were not some main character protagonist but just maybe you could become acquaintances and maybe friends? Hope blossomed inside of your chest and your heart beat faster.

If this was a dream you did not want to wake up.

This was a nightmare and you wanted to wake up.

That was your thoughts as an arrow hit you right in the throat, you wanted to scream but all you could muster was a gurgle. You know who shot this it was Venti - Barbatos- the anemo archon, with the same bow you had given him. You did not understand why he did that. 

Was it you? Did you offend him? Why did he kill you when all you wanted to say was that you loved him.

You love love love love-

It was your last thought before you died.

Yet you woke up again.

Once again you died though this time a spear right through your heart, it was vortex vanquisher. You could not even utter a word shock seeping right through your body. 

I love you, love you, love you, so why?

Your next death happened in a fury of storms, your body electrocuted and charred. 

I still love you, love you, love you.

It went on and on, revival and rebirth. Deconstruction and reconstruction. You could not think clearly anymore, days bleeding together, helplessly wandering. You wondered if there was an end to this.

The same people who killed you were the ones you helped build once upon a time through a glass screen. They spoke of a creator up in Celestia whom they loved and who loved them. Who built them and made them stronger, that you were an impostor wearing their skin.

You did not think yourself capable of stealing a god's face. You were born this way. You wondered if you had hallucinated your previous life. It all sounds and feels so surreal. Yet the love you had for them as pixels on a screen lingered and remained even as you died again and again.

The only link, your only chain, your bond to Teyvat was your only solace. 

Then one day the blood that splattered the ground turned golden and your murderers dear characters' faces turned shocked and horrified. 

You yourself did not comprehend what was happening one day you were wearing rags, tired and cold the next you were sitting on a throne, cleaned and adorned in jewels. 

Some tried talking to you but you were far out of your mind.

Then one day you heard someone crying. You curiously asked them why. Through their sobs you heard them asking for forgiveness.

Why?

They looked at you in sadness when you asked why. You approached them and softly whispered in their ear. 

”I love you so much, there is no need to ask for forgiveness.”

Through everything your love still remained. It was the only thing that still remained from the old you. Yet the chain still would not click to link you together. 

You went and grabbed a fruit knife near the table and looked at the person, your acolyte.

”Yet I would hate it if you looked at anyone other than me.”

They screamed as you stabbed their eyes, tears and blood flowing down their beautiful face. 

Now finally the chain clicked and linked them to you.

You were overflowing with happiness and love and you wanted to share that with the rest. 

Taglist: @eccedentesiast-sapphic @d0rmiens-fact0rem (sorry i thought you might be interested in this, if not i apologize)

#genshin sagau #genshin impact #yandere reader #sagau #imposter sagau #cult au #imposter au #i have no beta #please check the tws #gn reader

[theriverbeyond]

who's alive, dead, in between or beyond! pre-alecto the ninth character masterlist

After my previous pre-nona the ninth character status masterlist, I'm attempting another one! Some characters have been grouped for ease, and I did not include any characters from the previous post that are not mentioned as doing anything in NtN (i.e. Wake, Canaan House crew, previous lyctors et. al). They are all, presumably, in the same place as they were before.

Also not included is the empty stretch of time between Harrowhark's soul exiting the bubble-memory with John and reappearing in her own body at the end of the book - this is relevant as based on the preview, AtN may not immediately pick up post-NtN.

(current date: 12/12/2022, #ntn spoilers)

ALIVE (characters who have been alive continuously since their birth, and whose body&soul have never been separated)

The Gang - Hot Sauce, Honesty, Born in the Morning, Beautiful Ruby, Kevin (all last seen on New Rho)

We Suffer and We Suffer (last seen on New Rho)

Jolie/the teacher (last seen on New Rho)

AIM/the Messenger (Last seen in the megatruck on the top tier of the Ninth)

Noodle (last seen in the megatruck with AIM, barking)

Our Lady of the Passion (Last seen in the megatruck)

Crown Him With Many Crowns (formerly Coronabeth Tridentarius, last seen in the megatruck)

Judith Deuteros (Body still partially possessed by Varun, last seen in the megatruck under the care of Crown Him with Many Crowns)

The Sixth House Oversight body (notable member Juno Zeta, all last seen in the megatruck)

Various OG members of the Ninth House (last seen under Devil attack, sheltering in the catacombs of the Ninth)

Aiglamene (last seen outside the unlocked door of the Tomb)

Ianthe the First (feat. the chewed up battery of Naberius Tern' soul) (last seen in the Unlocked Tomb, having just been smacked by Alecto & thrown into the water)

Grand Admiral Sarpeadon (Presumed to be on Antioch with EJG. has received a large promotion!)

ALIVE (reunited and it feels so good)

Harrowhark Nonagesimus (feat. the cheeseburger portion of Gideon Nav's happy meal soul) (body & soul together, last seen being carried unconscious by Alecto. lyctoral/power status unknown, eyes black)

KILLED BUT NOT DEAD (they got better!)

Emperor John Gaius (presumed to be on Antioch, last seen being stabbed through the chest by Alecto but still chatting it up. previously murdered by Mercymorn the First)

Alecto (presumed to be on Antioch with EJG and Harrow, last seen putting a sword through EJG's chest. previously murdered by John's nukes)

Pyrrha Dve (soul active, body G1deon the First's, last seen in the Unlocked Tomb. no necromantic powers & immune to herald fear, lyctoral healing intact. previously murdered by John's nukes and also again by an unknown party - presumed to be self or G1deon the First - to attain lyctorhood)

Various members of the neo-Ninth (notable member Sister Berta, last seen sheltering in the catacombs of the Ninth & under Devil attack. previously murdered by John's nukes)

SOUL GESTALT (mutual death & rebirth, fusion)

Camilla Hect (body active as Paul, individual soul consumed by grand lysis)

Palamades Sextus (body blown to pieces & bones presumed to have been abandoned somewhere along the way consumed by Camilla Hect to complete ascension process (updated 12/14/2022), individual soul consumed by grand lysis)

Paul (revived/lyctorized soul gestalt of Pal&Cam, body Camilla Hect's, last seen in the Unlocked Tomb. presumed to have full suite of lyctoral powers, herald reaction unknown. implications of soul gestalt vs. traditional lyctorhood on abilities is unknown. grey-brown pupil, lambent grey iris)

Nona (amnesiac 6 month old world-soul of planet earth. last seen in the Tomb, currently presumed to have been subsumed into the body and greater consciousness of Alecto)

DEAD

Naberius Tern (body last seen on New Rho, empty. soul being used as a battery/chewtoy by Ianthe the First)

Crux (killed by Kiriona Gaia to provide the thanergy needed to unlock the Tomb. prior to death was soul-infected by the Devils, implications of which are unknown. soul status unknown)

Anastasia (soul status known, body last seen as only bones, nestled by the rock in the Unlocked Tomb)

DEAD*

Varun the Eater/Number 7 (revenant world-soul currently periscoping in Judith Deuteros, with Heralds currently attacking New Rho. Body is dead/revived as a House planet)

DEAD?

The River (what does a river of the dead being dead even mean? no idea, but Alecto found it so and was thus grieved)

MEGA DEAD

Gideon Nav/Kiriona Gaia (sans cheeseburger portion of her happy meal soul) (mega dead, aerodynamic, sad bitch and the most special girl in the universe. soul & body together, eyes gold. last seen in the Unlocked Tomb)

???????????????

Devils/Stoma creatures (are they individual beings or is it hand, finger, spider, web situation? what's their relationship to the Tower? what's their relationship to the Stoma? Spirit magic, possession shit, specific abilities unknown. Currently on Antioch and the Ninth. Seen also at Canaan house in the body of Colum Asht)

#the locked tomb #nona the ninth #alecto the ninth #tlt meta #tlt #FINALLY........... i needed to digest the book for a few months before i understood it enough fldsflsdjkfs #hope this is helpful... it was fun! #tlt masterlist #trb.txt #tlt thoughts #long post #dating this just in case we get like preview chapters or like an extra or something that totally changes the game

[writeshite]

would you write more of the smart cookie fic? im just very very into it and would love a part 2 🫶🏻

Love You To The Moon & Back

Summary:

“Good morning to you, too,” you kiss his forehead, and he mumbles something else, snuggling deeper into your arms. “What happened to the early bird catches the worm, hmm?” “....not a bird…no worms please….” he mumbles. “Hmm,” you respond, rubbing circles along his back, “How about pancakes? I think I might have some blueberries or chocolate chips,” you muse; Spencer peeks up at you. “Ah, I see I’ve piqued your interest.”

Pairings:

Spencer Reid x Male Reader

Tags:

Tattooed Reader (Because I Don’t See Enough Of That) | Fluff | A Wee Bit Of Angst | Developing Relationship | I Shook Spencer & Insecurities Fell Out | Inaccurate Laws & Profiling Probably (Take What I Write With A Grain Of Salt :)

Words: 4690

Author's Note:

Yes, you may 😌. I've been thinking of doing some more stuff for the AUs I make, cause it's fun, and I think male & gender-neutral readers need more AUs. Sorry for making this long 💀.

Previous

I found the experience of falling in love or being in love was a death: a death of everything. You kind of watch yourself die in a wonderful way, and you experience for the briefest moment - if you see yourself for a moment through their eyes - everything you believed about yourself gone. In a death-and-rebirth sense.

- Hozier

Around Spencer, the kitchen felt like a world away as he took in the feeling he was experiencing; with light, frivolous laughter, he hid his face in your chest to stop himself from falling into giddy hysterics. You were equally as giddy, chuckling when Spencer met your eye, “So…what now?” he asked.

“Well, we’ve got a few more hours of work,” you respond, chuckling when his face scrunched up in mock irritation, “but after, we could go on a date,” you suggest.

“Date?”

“Hmm, you know,” you respond, “that thing people do when they want to pursue a romantic relationship.” He smiles; admittedly, he hadn’t thought past the kiss, now surprised to find you wanted to cultivate something along the lines of an actual romantic relationship with him. 

“Yeah, I know,” he responds, “what do you have in mind?”

“Well, the museum has a new Classics exhibit,” you reply, and Spencer is amazed that you’d genuinely been paying attention when he’d dumped his knowledge of 15th Century literature on you. “What do you say?”

“Yes,” he nods enthusiastically, excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet. The hours left at work breeze through fast, and Spencer spends most of it with dancing hands, a wide smile on his face - your date is set to 9:30 AM, Saturday morning. He goes home with a prep in his step, and when the weekend comes around, his enthusiasm soars; Saturday morning sees few clouds in the sky and the promise of sun. Spencer kept to his usual attire of casualness; the streets were averagely busy, and he twists the strap of his satchel on his way there, quelling any anxieties that manage to break past the excitement. Said anxieties are set aside when he notes how well your leather jacket hugs your arms. 

“Hey, cookie,” you greet, hand reaching out to hold his.

“Hey,” he threads his fingers with yours, thumb rubbing circles on your skin as you make your way through the museum. The Classics exhibit displayed several kraters from c. 520-500 BCE, Etruscan figurines, Greek and Roman sculptures, and various other artifacts. Classics isn’t as interesting a topic it seems, as the crowd is relatively small, but Spencer is thankful for that - the overcrowded dinosaur exhibit you’d passed came to mind, and he shuddered at the thought of being caught up in that. 

“Etruscan tomb painting….” You read off one of the displays before turning to him with a knowing smile.

“Oh, the Etruscans were a civilization that flourished in Central Italy between the 8th and 3rd Century BCE, renowned in antiquity for their rich mineral resources and as a major Mediterranean trading power,” he speaks easily, basking in the fondness you directed towards his rambling. “Much of their history and culture was either destroyed or assimilated into the conquering Roman Empire. Tomb painting is considered one of the Etruscans' greatest legacies, with beautifully painted tombs in Tarquinia, Cerveteri, Chiusi, and Vulci.”

The exhibit didn’t have the actual paintings, instead displaying photographic copies with annotations and interactive maps; the sculptures are set up to mimic the inside of a temple, leading to the back where the kraters are set. The other sculptures are scattered about the room, and Spencer beams when you turn to him for information, having spoken more today than he has in a long time. He coughs in the middle of his tangent about pediments; he rubs the back of his neck and apologizes for the scratchy throat.

You chuckle, “Come on, let’s get something for that cough, eh?” The museum’s cafe is surprisingly empty, with a few people milling about here and there and the majority off at the shops. You both get iced teas and take a table away near one of the window walls. Spencer keeps hold of your hand and drums his fingers mindlessly. He is saddened when the date comes to an end. “C —can we do this again?”

You nod enthusiastically in response, and still riding on the coattails of joy, he asks, “Can I kiss you again?”

“As many times as you like, love.” 

He beams, leaning into your space to do just that, his thumb rubs across your skin, and even after you part for the day, Spencer is ecstatic - the joy persisting into tomorrow as he skips with every step. “Well, well, well, someone’s happy,” Derek remarks. “I hope this means you finally said something to loverboy.”

“Yup,” Spencer responds, “we, uh, had a date yesterday.”

Derek pats Spencer’s back with a proud smile, “You know what this means? I, Derek Morgan, was right.” Spencer shakes his head; any attempts to clarify to Derek that this wasn’t exactly an I told you so moment fell on deaf ears as the man smugly waltzed from the elevator with a cheer. Spencer follows after; when you arrive some moments later, it’s with two coffees as usual, and the day begins as the first of many days chasing an unsub through the Appalachian Mountains. 

“It’s almost like some twisted sightseeing event,” Derek mumbles. “The unsub’s earliest activities can be traced in Alabama; they kidnap two people, and from what the surviving witnesses have said, make both victims fight to the death, the winner gets to live.”

“Ties get both killed, and refusal to fight does the same,” you add. “They’re patient, willing to wait for months if need be to strike again. The murders between Kentucky and West Virginia had two years between them; if they are following the mountains, then there’s a chance they’ll cross over into Canada and most likely out of our hands.”

“Alright, then, let’s make sure that doesn’t happen,” Gideon says, “What else do we know?”

“They’re also meticulous, the locations, the methods, the choosing of victims. It’s all so careful, like some form of entertainment,” Spencer responds.

The facts are as follows:

The unsub has little regard for other people, seeing them as pawns for their own amusement.

The victims appear randomly selected, but on closer inspection, all seem to play into their disturbing amusement. Features vary, but all work in the retail industry - the unsub walks through retail stores for hours before picking. They’d do the same company for two states before switching to another, then another, and another.

Victims had a week; after that, survivors were left tied, with a sack over their heads at their place of work, and corpses were left in the same place as well.

The unsub didn’t care for publicity and seemed to want to keep it as something private. 

Pennsylvania is the next destination; the first victim is already chosen by the time of landing, which leaves one of hundreds if not thousands of other potential candidates. Spencer and Gideon stay with the local police department, you split off with Ellle, and Hotch goes off with Derek. Spencer bounces off theories and facts with Gideon; the profile becomes clearer but comes with a few more holes. The unsub seems well-red, familiar with police procedures, not intimately, more so like someone who’s read and heard extensively enough to understand.

“The space between murders suggests they must have traveling involved in their day-to-day life to be able to do so with such ease. Said life must offer them some satisfaction if they’re able to handle their urges so well.“ Gideon pointed to the mapped-out route of the unsub, “They could be in the tourism field, a flight attendant or a business consultant, something that lets them go from state to state easily enough.”

“Business consultants are sought after for their professional advice and services; they locate challenges in businesses and strategize plans to find solutions; they essentially come in and take over control, in the same way the unsub takes power over one’s life from their victims.” Spencer rambles, “but why target retails workers?”

Gideon sighs, “The higher up the chain you go, the less regard you have for your fellow man,” he states, “83% of retail workers report harassment from customers, the higher the social class, the worse the abuse can be. Our unsub’s disregard for human life may also be intrinsically linked to their social class as well as their occupation.”

“So everyone below a certain point is no better than cattle to them?” Gideon nods in response to Spencer’s question. 

“Can I help you folks out?”

The Goodwill of the first victim’s kidnapping was small, residential houses all around; the community around it wasn’t small per se, but close enough to take note when outsiders came about. The manager, Naomi Hughes, is a kind middle-aged woman of relative height, hair in a neat row of braids along her head.

You and Elle introduce yourselves and draw out your badges, “We’re here about Hayden Mullins.”

She nods, “Oh yes…uh…come with me.” She leads you to the back and into her office, “Hayden was working the closing shift when he was abducted, I told him not to work it alone, but he was determined. Home isn’t the happiest place for him,” she explains, “I’d let him sleep here when his dad was making a ruckus, get some food in him. He’s a good kid; I don’t know why anyone would go after him.”

“Did he have any hostile interactions with customers in the days before he was taken?” you ask.

“Who doesn’t? Folks get real snappy when you can’t get them what they want.” She rubs her temple, “I had a customer scream at me 'cause we didn’t carry non-salted water,” she exclaims with quotation marks, “what the hell is non-salted water?”

Elle huffs and shakes her head, “What about friendly customers? Did you notice anyone who didn’t act the way you’d expect? Anyone who stood out for a different reason?”

Naomi purses her lips, “Now that you mention it,” she opens her desk and pulls out a file, “There was this one woman; she was nice, like really nice. She said she’d just come off a four-hour road trip, so we was ready for all sorts of tantrums, but….”

“But what?” Elle asks.

“She was sweet. Smiled at me and said it was alright when we couldn’t get her what she needed,” Naomi’s face scrunched up a little, “I was a little spooked if I’m being honest; I mean, I’ve had nice customers, but she was something else.” She shuddered, passing over the file to you, “I was gonna forget all about her, but….when she looked at Hayden,” she shook her head, “I got a bad feeling.”

Inside the file was a woman’s side profile - hair clipped back into a bun, light makeup from what you can note in the black and white frame, a neatly kept suit - for all intents and purposes, a regular businesswoman. 

“Hayden was stocking the shelves, I think, and she got mad when he couldn’t man a checkout. Had to have her escorted from the premises, but she came back again —oh my god, do you think she—”

“We don’t know that yet, ma’am,” you interject, “this is still an ongoing investigation; we’re just looking into all the facts as of now.”

“Don’t blame yourself for anything that happened,” Elle tells her.

Naomi nods, “Promise me something, if…if anything happens, you’ll tell me before you tell the news, understand?” You both nod to her request and leave with the security footage and any receipts linked back to the woman.

“If this, April Walsh is our unsub,” Elle points to the picture, “it sounds like she doesn’t like to lose control, the ties, the refusal to fight, it was in the hands of the victims, it was anarchy….” 

“....she can’t let it thrive,” you finish. “The store is already out of her comfort zone and control; what if she assigns roles to the people around her, say Naomi? Managers are notorious for allowing bad behavior, but when Naomi didn’t….” You get behind the wheel and drive while throwing around more theories.

“....she got angry. April told Naomi she came off a four-hour drive; how far is the last crime scene?” She pulls out her phone, and minutes later, she cheers, “Four hours, and eighteen minutes, it’s not much, but….”

“It’s something; let’s get back to Spencer and Gideon with the info.” 

“Speaking of Spencer,” Elle chuckles, “a little birdy told me the two of you went out on a date.”

You groan and roll your eyes, “Seriously?”

“Come on, I mean, Derek’s been bragging that he got Mr. Lovebird and the Resident Genius together,” she quips, “plus, you two make a cute couple.”

You smile, “Thanks. At the very least, I know there’s another date somewhere in the future, so good things to come, I hope.”

“Oh, they’re definitely coming,” Elle remarks. You lightly smack her arm and laugh as you pull up to the local precinct. She raises her eyebrows when Spencer greets you laughing when you stick your tongue out at her.

“Hey, cookie.”

“Hey,” he responds, grinning at you, “did you bring me anything?” he quips.

“How does a potential name for our unsub sound?” You give him the file, “and also, a few more details to add to the profile?”

“I’d say it sounds good,” Gideon responds with a small smile. You and Spencer huff, amused and bashful - Elle relays the theories you’d bounced off each other in the car as Spencer pins April’s image on the board, while Gideon does the same to catch you up on what he and Spencer discussed while you were away. “We can brief the officers when Hotch and Derek get back.”

“It’s about two things,” Gideon begins, facing the  “control and entertainment. The unsub does not care for anyone but herself; at best, anyone outside of that is a form of entertainment and, at worst, an annoyance.” He points to April’s security image, “April Kennedy Walsh is a business consultant, highly sought after from what we’ve gathered, and meticulous with just about everything, from her schedule to her wardrobe.”

“Her method of murder calls back to the gladiatorial fights in the Colosseum; the emperor and the people of Rome would watch as gladiators fought with each other or animals,” Spencer adds, “she feels no remorse for her victims and rewards winners with their life. Refusing to fight for her amusement might insult her in some way, as though she were an actual Roman emperor.”

“She fits in easily with the crowd from a distance, but up close, her disregard peeks through during moments of loss of control. She’s not shown any violent behaviors during those times, but it can’t be ruled out,” Derek passes copies of April’s photos, “and judging by how she took little time to disguise herself in any way, she’s not afraid of being caught. In fact, this whole chase could be another form of entertainment for her, the same way you or I sit back and watch TV.”

“The potential want to be caught doesn’t mean she isn’t using an alias and could be a way to challenge us, so be on the lookout,” Gideon finished.

The officers split off after the debrief, and you gather back as a group, “There’s a few other Goodwills from the first and a bunch more in Pennsylvania; we can’t search them all,” Elle points out, “and even if we did, she’s patient, she could just as easily wait until the smoke blows over before coming back.”

“We don’t have much of a choice; handing out her photo to the media could cause her to abandon the hunt too, and then we’d have no easy way of finding Hayden,” you say, “there has to be some kind of pattern between the stores she chooses.”

“She chooses the same two stores for each pair of victims, always employees, never managers; after two pairs, she changes stores,” JJ reiterates, “what if she’s following the road? Picking whatever store she sees on her way?” She looks at the map, hand trailing over the red pins set on the previous stores, “The first incident was in Huntsville, Alabama, from there, and according to her schedule, she had been on a back-to-back business expose.”

You pick up blue pins and place them outside the border of the Appalachian Mountains, “In that two-year break period, she was in Lancaster, Ohio.” You put a pin there, “then Richmond, Virginia. Maybe, the two-year gap wasn’t by choice or lack of available victims.”

“Personal tragedy? But we couldn’t find anything like that,” JJ sighed, “then again, we could barely find anything about her personal life. Her parents are divorced, and when I called and asked about April, they hung up on me really quick.”

“What are you thinking?” You ask.

“Well, what if this disregard for people started early? Her mother was a judge, her father a surgeon; I’d say that’s enough money to cover up any accidents,” JJ theorizes, “both high-pressure jobs might have caused the divorce. But why not speak about their daughter?”

“One or both parents could have felt guilty, argued with the other about covering it up, then,” you shrug, “divorce?”

You dial Garcia’s number and wait as the tone rings, “Mistress of all knowledge, how may I enlighten you today?”

“Hey, gorgeous,” you greet, she scoffs on the other end, and you can imagine she’s rolling her eyes.

“Ah, my favorite work of art,” she greets back.

“We need to know if April has any juvenile records, sealed records, anything like that, and if her mother was involved in having them buried.”

“Okie dokie.” She types fast a few clicks later and, “Wow. I’ve found a couple of things, most of them cited as isolated incidents and common behavior among children, but one sticks out, November 23rd, 1999, the same year Judge Walsh resigned from her post.”

“She give any reason why?” You inquire.

“Nope.”

“Alright, thanks, Garcia.”

“Anytime.”

You relay the information, “The divorce happened the next year,” JJ mumbles, “let’s see if we can get those records open.”

November 23rd, 1999. April K. Walsh attended a camping trip near Lake Michigan; during a scavenger hunt, one of April’s buddies - Sam Goodwin - was found face down in the waters; the leading theory was Sam had gotten distracted and veered off the trail, with little experience swimming, Sam may have slipped into the water, panicked then subsequently drowned. The children had been paired into groups of three; the third child, Emma Chavez, had insisted that April had done it, and one detective had shot in the dark - months of investigation, and it looked like April would be facing time in a juvenile detention facility.

“What juvenile detention facility did she get sent to?” Gideon asks.

“None; close to the trial, the whole case fell apart; the next year, Judge Walsh resigned from her post and got a divorce.”

“Phone calls won’t cut it,” Hotch states, “we need her parents down here now.”

Joshua Walsh - now a retired surgeon- stayed close to Lake Michigan after the divorce and never remarried. Sofia Phillips - previously Sofia Walsh, post-divorce, she moved to Vermont, remarried, and had two more children before returning to work as a judge in a more minor position. Both refused to look each other in the eye; Joshua appeared more saddened, while Sofia was irritated. 

“I’m sure you have a good reason for dragging me all the way here,” Sofia grumbled.

You knew very little of Sofia Phillips, but from what you could gauge, she held herself higher than others and regarded the investigation with about as much regard as buying the wrong flavor of juice.

“Yes, ma’am, we wanted to ask about your daughter, April,” Hotch replied.

“April? Please, I don’t have a daughter called April anymore.”

Joshua scoffed, “Yes, you do, April Kennedy Walsh,” he turned to her, pulling out his wallet with shaky hands; he riffled through it before holding a picture in her face. “She had your eyes, remember?”

“Yes, I also remember her being dead to me, Joshua,” Sofia responds, glancing away. “She was always troubled. I tried to be a good mother, but sometimes you just can’t beat that attitude out of them.” She crosses one leg over the other, “I thank god I was blessed with two wonderful children after her, kind, obedient, nothing like April.”

“Hypocrite much? Where do you think she got it from, huh?”

Sofia rolls her eyes and glances at Hotch, “Are we finished now? My son has a recital in a few hours.” Hotch nods, and she leaves without a second glance; Joshua stays seated, shaking his head with a sigh.

“April…she’s not a bad kid…just lost. Sofia and I didn’t expect to have kids that early…I mean, we coped, but our jobs….” He looks at the photo again, “I tried as best as I could to be there, but Sofia…I wish I did better."

Joshua reluctantly recounts the event of November 23rd, 1999, alongside his divorce and any other moments before and after that point. The Appalachian Mountains had been Joshua’s dream destination, Sofia, to no surprise, had constantly been vocal about instilling the appropriate life goals in April - high grades, top careers, appropriate connections. The stores chosen all had qualities Sofia had cited as detestable, with Pennsylvania’s first Goodwill reminding her too much of her least favorite architecture - brutalist architecture. So going off that, the next Goodwill would have to be similar in style as well. This new detail leads to a few counties over.

April Walsh doesn’t fight when caught; appearing exhausted, the only other emotion she shows is a mix of relief and joy when she sees Mr. Walsh again, but it’s brief. She sits without prompting, crosses a leg over the other, and makes her only demand, “I’d like to speak to my father—”

“Give us Hayden,” Hotch counters.

“Who? Oh, the retail worker,” she scoffs, “he’s perfectly safe, tied and unconscious in room 345, Liberty Hotel. Now, can I please talk to my father?” Hotch nods, leaving for Hayden with everyone but Gideon and Reid. Hayden is unharmed, drowsy, and confused when he awakes.

You slump into your seat on the airplane, Spencer sits by you, and you lean your head against his shoulder. “No one wake me up for anything,” Derek mumbles across from you, lying across two seats to nap. 

“You look bored, cookie.” Spencer glances over at you; the others on the plane have either gone to sleep or relaxed in their seats.

“Maybe, but I’m not sure there’s much to do in an airplane.”

“We could play a game —not that kind,” you remark; he’d raised his eyebrows, and a light blush had dusted his cheeks, “we can do that at a later date, Dr. Reid. Right now, I was thinking of something like the ABC game.”

“ABC game?”

You sit up, “On long car rides, my grandma loved to play it; we choose a topic or theme and go through the alphabet. Say the theme was food, I’d say apricot; then you’d say bread; we can narrow down themes like food to fruits or vegetables.” 

“Ooh, that sounds interesting; ok, what’s the theme?” he asks, turning towards you.

“We can stick with food; it’s pretty easy and fun for a first-timer,” you reply, “We’ve got apricot and bread down, so, C, carrot cake.”

“Ok, donut.”

“Éclair.”

“French onion soup.”

You breeze through the first round, and Spencer picks the next theme - countries - which you manage through a quarter of before landing; you carry on while on the tarmac and finish just before leaving for home. It’s late afternoon in Quantico; Spencer bumps his hand against yours as you walk, smiling when you hold his hand in response. Paperwork is easy enough, and once done, you collectively sigh in relief when no other case comes up. It’s not night yet, and hearing everyone else make plans or detail what they have in mind when they leave has Spencer debating on whether to have that second date now.

“Thinking hard?” You ask, laughing when he comes out of his thoughts to find you standing close to him.

“Uh, yeah,” he says, “do you…uh…can we have that second date now? I know this great Indian restaurant, it’s a bit out of the way, but it has very good chicken tandoori.”

“Sure, lead the way.”

The restaurant is nice, getting there just half an hour after it opens at 5:00 PM; there’s plenty of space to choose from; Spencer leads you to his favorite seat by the fish tank. It’s a nice date; Spencer finds his legs close to yours after you split the bill, leaving just after seven. “Did you like it?”

“Loved it,” you respond. “You sure know how to treat a man, sweetheart.”

Spencer tugs at your arm, smiling into the kiss you give him. “Goodnight, love.”

Spencer is soft.

It’s what you repeatedly note - when he smiles, leans into your space for a kiss, or drums your fingers along your hands. When he snuffles in his sleep, a moment before waking up, “Morning….” he’d mumble before dozing off for a few odd minutes. 

“Good morning to you, too,” you kiss his forehead, and he mumbles something else, snuggling deeper into your arms. “What happened to the early bird catches the worm, hmm?”

“....not a bird…no worms please….” he mumbles.

“Hmm,” you respond, rubbing circles along his back, “How about pancakes? I think I might have some blueberries or chocolate chips,” you muse; Spencer peeks up at you. “Ah, I see I’ve piqued your interest.” You laugh as Spencer ponders between the comfort of the bed and the prospect of pancakes. You leave him to his decision-making; by the time you’ve made the batter, Spencer shuffles from the bedroom - donning one of your hoodies and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Spencer hugs you from the back and pecks the space between your shoulder blades, “Süss,” he says. 

You purse your lips and glance over your shoulder at him, “Süss? Come on; I thought you liked a challenge?” You switch off the stove and turn to face him, “German. Sweet.”

“I wasn’t looking for a challenge today,” he clarifies, “I was stating a fact.” He points at you as he repeats the word. “Mein süss.” 

You grin, “I’d say you’re the sweet one, cookie.” He scrunches his nose, “Mein süßer Keks.” You wink when he stares at you, “You’re not the only one with a knack for languages.” He sticks out his tongue, leaving the kitchen with the pancakes; you join him at the dining table - he sits with his back to the window, soaking in the sun like a cat.

“Fun fact, chocolate chips melt best at temperatures between 104 °F and 113 °F; the melting process starts at 90 °F when the chips’ cocoa butter starts to heat. For milk and white chocolate chips, the temperature shouldn’t exceed 115 °F; for dark chocolate, it’s 120 °F; otherwise, the chocolate will burn.”

You nod, “Which flavor’s your favorite?”

“The classic chips, made from small chunks of sweetened chocolate, I like to eat them in winter when there’s less chance for them to melt in the bag,” he answers. “What about you?”

“I don’t mind, but I suppose I prefer the classic ones too.” The pancakes were long gone by now, and coffees almost finished; Spencer had come previously to visit but never slept over before, “How’d you sleep?” You ask, placing your arm around his shoulders.

“Good,” he yawns, “you’re really comfortable.” You chuckle as Spencer snuggles closer, “Can we go back to bed?” He asks with another yawn.

“Hmm,” you stand, “you head on in; I’ll take care of the dishes.” He nods, shuffling back to the bedroom; you gather the dishes, rinse off the food, place them in the dishwasher, and leave them to clean. You find Spencer nestled comfortably under the blankets; when you slide in alongside him, he latches onto you, not fully asleep and not fully lucid. You comb your fingers through his hair, and when his breath evens out, you close your own eyes and doze off.

End Note:

This turned out a lot longer than I thought it would, and also, not that I think it needs mentioning, but this and the previous fic takes place somewhere in season one. Stay Hydrated.

#spencer reid x male reader #spencer reid x reader #smart cookie universe :) #shiterequests #this is my reward for finishing my assignment :) i say as i ignore the other assignments. i couldn't find cookie love quotes or titles :(

[littleeyesofpallas]

today i'm just wrangling all my weird loose ends and crackpot theories. Stuff that doesn't actually have enough evidence to support it, or that I just personally headcanon or that just doesnt go anywhere or come back again often enough to really derive any meaning or implications from. stuff i can't really justify making individual posts on, so im making a post about how unpostable they are collectively

warning: long, also warning: nonsense

So we know Bleach operates on a loose variation of the Buddhist samsara/rinne, the wheel of reincarnation, in which souls cycle through many lives in different forms, experiences hardships in life and the pain of loss and death continuously until/unless they can achieve enlightenment, as the first Buddha did, and in doing so escape the cycle of death and rebirth, ascending to a higher state of being in which life and death no longer apply. In traditional art of Buddhist cosmology this is represented by the Buddha being present off to one corner, literally physically outside the elaborate illustration of the wheel and its many facets(itself encompassed by the demon mara). This Buddha role is the figure the Spirit King occupies in the hierarchy of the Bleach cosmology, but there are a few little orbital details that are clearly related to that role, but as I stated in the preface to all this, never really go anywhere....

So there's this thing in Hinduism and by some association Buddhism (although it plays more into Hinduism's actual faith in the mythology of their gods, where as a lot of Buddhism may still invoke the divine but ultimately is about undermining and escaping the authority of said cosmological structure) called the Hiranygagarbha[हिरण्यगर्भः] "The Golden Womb"/"Golden Egg," or "Universal Womb"/"Primeval Womb," and is associated with various gods described as Svayambhu[स्वयम्भू] "Self Born," many of which are some variation on a/the creation god --effectively it's just the explanation that while everything comes from something, the original something had to have come from nothing, or else there's just an infinite number of questions that theologians would be forced to come up with infinite answers for.

But it posits that while something may have come from nothing, that something still had to follow certain understood notions of cause and effect, like incubation and birth. Ergo the creator god didn't just blink into existence fully formed, he was "born" from the nothing and as the first and initially only thing to exist he birthed himself. In these myths he is frequently described as initially existing either "beyond" or without senses --obviously the without senses bit mirror's YHWACH's origin, but to exist not without a capacity to see, hear, feel, etc... but in a place or state in which those senses cannot perceive also echo's Aizen's rambling about power levels as he rapidly ascends toward godhood before being beaten surpassed by Ichigo.

But beyond creation myths the Golden Egg is evoked in some elements of meditation in which each person, in their innate capacity for enlightenment and this divinity, has within them their own egg, and to retreat into that egg and explore the potential to self actualized as a mental act of birthing an ideal self, has overt parallels with Bleach's use of an inner world in which the zanpakutou spirit, a reflection of the self and of a potential for power, dwells.

Incidentally the egg also facilitates the creation of the world itself, one half of the discarded shell from the god's birth becoming the realm of the material and the other half becoming the realm of the celestial, and as per some rants I've been on before, between it and some questions about how zanpakutou really work, it reminds me very distinctly of a few other anime/manga where a god spirit's aura or range of influence, for which a lesser spirit's would normally sustain a single person, encompasses a domain in which the totality of other people's existences reside.

In addition the egg itself, a concept called Purusha that is at times a god and at times a concept, is in some myth the creator god in question in relation to the Golden Egg, born from said egg, and then thru their dismemberment by other gods, the world is molded. So obviously some pretty overt, if superficial similarities with the Spirit Kings lack of limbs and, yeah sure if we want to acknowledge it, the LN's feeble additions to lore.

But as a concept it represents self-awareness in the idea that there is a kind of Platonic ideal of the perfect awareness of everything that is in its definitive and empirical state that has become unknowable by the division of that primordial self-awareness, but which exists in fragments in all living things.

The quartering of the body is also the basis of the 4 castes in traditional Indian society; although that dismemberment is not specific to two legs and two arms like the Spirit King's.

But speaking of the spirit king's body parts, there's a neat thing going on with the design of his eyes that got weirdly ditched... In his original appearance the 4 solid black pupils were shown in top-bottom, and left-right orientation, but once he showed up again later, Kubo switched to a 4 corners sort of thing instead. At the time there was no Allmighty reveal and thus no established power of all-seeing yet, but in the eventual context of The Almighty and it manifesting in YWHACH's increased pupil count from 1 to 2 to 3, it becomes apparent that should he reach full potential he would have the same eyes as the Spirit King.

But then what capacity for all-seeing powers has the Spirit King really shown? Well, not a lot in practice, although YHWACH addresses the Spirit King as one who had at one point seen the future. But notably the original design, which had been scrapped and pushed entirely out of mind by the time any of these new contextual details were actually being written in, actually does seem to imply some faculty of all-sight in the Spirit King: The Gotei 13. Their insignia frame, which we typically see with a captain's associated squad number, is shown during an explanation of the Shihouin's Onmitsukidou, is its own symbol even without any numbers. And the insignia appears to be a stylized depiction of the Spirit King's all-seeing eye. Is the insignia itself some kind of magic sigil or artifact, or simply symbolic of a role the Gotei plays? Who can say.

Let's circle back to the Golden Egg though, because the anime changed its color to blue, almost matching the color and style of the generic Quincy spirit bows/arrows. But I personally always instinctively assumed it was a kind of golden hue; something the digital colorist clearly thought as well, which was gratifying. But I also assumed the coloration was something that matched a number of other things, and with very distinct meaning: Orihime's shields, Hacchi's barriers, and the Menos Grande's Negación beams. Before the Spirit King's crystal was even an issue to deal with, there was already a very conspicuous link,

Orihime and Hacchi have the same powers of Event Rejection

Hacchi's Rejection barriers stem from his Visored powers

Hacchi's barriers thus appear to be a more refined Negación

Orihime's powers are said to tread on the authority of God

With those implications in place, it seemed evident that part of the reason for the Spirit King's inertness and imprisonment in the stasis crystal was that thru some divine power, be it his own or someone else's, the crystal exists to reject events happen around/to him to preserve him in a particular state. And since we know it didn't seem to protect him from bodily harm, there would implicitly be a more important and perhaps abstract thing in mind being actively undone.

This in turn would have provided an adequate excuse for Orihime being unable to reject the crystal being broken, and the Spirit King's injuries within it, because as we learned from Hacchi; she has to understand what she's rejecting, and those powers are most potent when aimed at the abstract (an event) and not an object (an injury). For her to reject a rejection would mean understanding the nested abstract events taking place, which frankly no one was ever brought up to speed on, whether we're talking my theories here or the actual canon of the manga. This I would have found much more acceptable than Kubo falling back on "Important character too strong, implicit functions of established powers don't work on him." Which is a bad habit Kubo has just in general; he never actually thinks out the implications of how world building on the plot he's writing, he just muscles thru it by making up new excuses, rather than going back into what he's already established to find interesting ways for preexisting abilities or factoids to interact. He very consistently fails to "yes, and..." himself.

Anyway...There's also a little followup on my persistent rambling about the nature of hollows and of the elusive Vastolorde. Until the revival one-shot just a few years ago, it was easy to forget about Hell in Bleach considering it never really came into play. But there was one interesting point made that hollows who have sinned in life go the hell, while the others are purified. Most hollows implicitly are just spirits of the dead overcome by powerful emotions, but their monstrous qualities aren't considered a sin, they're an animal-like instinct. And this is addressed only barely by Zommari's indignant rant against the moral authority of the Shinigami; that the natural way if things is to let hollows exist, but the shinigami invented the morality and ethics of "protecting" humans from hollows, and "purifying" hollows with zanpakutou. And we know from the example of someone like Nel that the Arrancar process returns a kind of human intelligence and morality to a Hollow, even across the process of individual spirits becoming hollows, amassing into colony minded Gillians, and then reemerging unique personalities as Adjuchas.

I still maintain the real/sensible trajectory of the Nel plot should have been that she was a Vastolorde, that Nnoitra was sent to hunt Vastolorde, but threatened by her and infuriated by her power tempered with human morality, was beat and spared but took a cheap shot to break her mask, effectively forcing her into being a mock-arrancar, like Isshin and Urahara discussed, and so Nnoitra reported back negative results on the hunt to guard his own position in the Espada. But in the face of being unable to find enough surviving Vastolorde, Aizen's plan would be to take existing mock-arrancar and have Orihime reject the event of their mask removal, so that he can remove it via the Hougyoku. In this way I think Nel could have had her generic hot-girl-ification in a more sensible and satisfying way than magic cloud of smoke de-baby-fication. I think it also would have made for a cool reveal for Orihime's uniquely abstract event rejection --as opposed to time reversal-- to mean that although the process of her transformation would be undone, her experiences post break would not, thus she'd still remember Ichigo and be able to turn on Aizen and join the goodguys accordingly.

Anyway, even without all that, Nel and her goofballs, and to a lesser extent Starrk and even Ulquiorra, and sort of Harribel, all prove that the Arrancar are capable of a pretty normal moral spectrum and aren't in fact just evil or monsters all the way down. In fact, it was always kind of present since Sora's chapter way back in the beginning. In fact, Sora was the first Hollow to be drawn with the now iconic double mouth, the prior two were just monsters. Sora however showed his human mouth behind the mask, and that was a feature that would carry forward from there. In fact, at the end of chapter 25 there is also the original arrancar hook, where we see Aisslinger perform surgery on GrandFisher. But while the main event is the removal of the mask, there's also the bodily surgery taking place that suggests that what would later be identified as the mock-arrancar process involves digging the humanoid back out from under not only the mask but the hollow's inhuman, bestial body as well.

This is in turn echoed when we see Wonderweiss born as an arrancar in a much cleaner process, but one not dissimilar to Grandfisher's; his wrapped hollow form, while generally humanoid --and thus implicitly a Vastolorde-- also clearly includes some large protrusions that are stripped away along with the majority of his mask. And as Uryuu relates from Urahara's briefings, the more human form also means more human intelligence. Along with the apparent moral fiber of the matter it really seems like when a hollow gets more human, it gets more human in almost all respects. (ignore that harribel bit in the image there, we'll come back to it...)

So what happens when they get the most human?

I've also gone over my whole thing before that the Nelgal Ruins seemed like the natural evolution of the architecture of the menos grande, lending yet another level of humanity to the hollows: society. More over, my crackpot headcanon that in the human development of the Vastolorde they discovered religion, and comprised the first cult of YHWCH. Of note in this random line of thought is that fact that Lille Barro is considered to be the first Sternritter given a schrift. It's not clear if that means that the sternritter we know are considered contemporaries (even ignoring the confusing timeline of Juugram and Bazz-B's whole flashback) and among them Lille is the first among them, or if there have been prior generations of sternritter and Lille is as survivor of some batch of sternritter long predating the current recruiting push.

But there is the question of if Lille is an arrancar or not. He somewhat conspicuously speaks Spanish, although the Sternritter do have a loosely international shtick going on in their roster. But he also has a lot of design notes in common with Starrk, although it's super unclear if that's applicable to in world logic, or just a pattern in Kubo's art. The biggest hiccup in this would perhaps be that he has no signs of a mask fragment, but then the same went for Luders Friegen. Notably Asguiro Ebern still had a mask and Luders made a point to speak down to him. While we never got any clarification on that, I think it seemed like the superiority complex came from being less arrancar-like. And I wonder if there wasn't a process by which the Wandenreich were removing mask fragments in their entirety, resulting in a kind of forced and imperfect humanization process, but from which highly humanoid and thus Quincy-fiable arrancar could be produced.

And while the shot of Harribel was obviously just fanservicey battle damage, I like to think that the plan was to convert her, and that she was in the process of having her bone armor components stripped off, not unlike the process Grandfisher and Wonderweiss underwent: it resembles Wonderweiss' in posture, but Grandfisher's in bloody tortuous overtone.

Primitive Arrancar, without the ability to gain shinigami-like powers via the hougyoku, stripped of their masks might theoretically regain human intelligence, but would lose their masks and sense of self with no way of storing it in a sword let alone being able to retrieve it. What better subjects to manipulate with the promise of a discovery of self and of identity; drink of YWHACH's blood and receive the sense of self you lack. Something to fill that hole in your heart.

Then there's the thing I mentioned earlier about how there's some interesting implications about what it means to throw a bunch of spirits together into one superdense thing. And it turns out a lot of them seem to be pretty similar...

You throw shinigami souls together to make white, who is himself like an asauchi.

You throw i guess also shinigami(?) "something similar" together to get asauchi according to Oh-etsu

You throw powerful human spirits together and get the King's Key.

You throw hollows together and get a menosgrande

and if we care to dip a toe into the LN (which normally I would hesitate to do) we have at least one other zanpakutou, besides White, explicitly crafted from a menosgrande

and when the miracle baby reclaims quincy spirit power you get YWHACH

My supposition then is that the reason Vastolorde were so rare, and explicitly in hiding from Aizen, was that in the first place hunting menos is how the asauchi are created. The very first time we see a Gillian, Rukia even comments that it's the Royal Guard's job to take care of them, not regular shinigami. As the power scale of the series naturally escalates that begins to feel silly, but what if that's not because only the Royal Guard can defeat them, but because the Royal Guard and Oh-etsu in particular are uniquely suited to hunt/harvest them so they can be turned into new asauchi.

And in a way, if the Spirit King is indeed locked in a meditative state in his golden egg, if indeed the god sleeps in the egg, and the egg is the center of the world, and the world is the egg. If the world itself is the Spirit King's inner world, his bankai manifesting the internal as reality, then what is YHWACH if not the Spirit King's sword spirit? In the same way YHWACH is already a part of zangetsu within Ichigo. A reflection of the self, however dark, convinced that godhood is not in the Spirit King's best interest and determined to tear him from that throne? Is that not exactly what the fused Zangetsu tried to do in stopping Ichigo from learning the final getsuga and fighting Aizen? What is YHWACH's war on soul society but the struggle between two mirrored entities over who gets to stand at the top and who has to crawl around in the shadows?

What is the difference between a king and his horse?

#bleach meta #apocryphal meta #the meta meta? #just gibbering nonsense headcanon #and yarn and corkboard web weaving #it was already kinda unmoored to begin with #but i really lost track of where i was going somewhere in all this #so i just took the opportunity to end on a pretentious bleach quote when the chance presented itself

[frostfires-blog]

SNK FINAL ED: ITTERASSHAI

HANAKOTOBA ANALYSIS

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-> White Cherry Blossom

White cherry blossoms are the first flower featured in the final ending theme song credits. The cherry blossom (Prunus serrulata) is also known as the Japanese cherry and is the unofficial national flower of Japan. Its Japanese name Sakura (桜) has been derived from the word “saku” which means “to bloom”.  Its meanings in hanakotoba are “beauty of spirit”, grace, chastity, excellent beauty, gentleness, good education and the “transience of life”. In Japan, cherry blossoms are also a symbol of the “beauty of impermanence”—a Shinto concept better known as “mono no aware” (物の哀れ) as their falling petals are a reminder that although life is short, it is beautiful and should be savoured. The Japanese concept of “natsukashi” (懐かしい) likewise emphasizes the fleeting nature of cherry blossoms. This concept refers to the happy-yet-wistful nostalgia for times and things that we will never be able to go back to. We will never get to experience those moments again, just like the ephemeral cherry blossoms, which makes them even more significant. Cherry blossoms bloom from March to April which is the start of the new fiscal year in Japan. As a result of this cherry blossoms have also come to symbolise new beginnings and springtime. Given that feudal Japanese soldiers associated cherry blossoms with honour, discipline, and dignity—falling flowers were thought to be symbolic of a Samurai's death. In Western floriography, cherry blossoms herald the changing of the seasons and symbolise renewal and rebirth. They also symbolise the fleeting nature of life, tenderness, forgiveness, strength, beauty, love, confidence, peace, friendship and gratitude. White cherry blossoms, in particular, represent purity, innocence, and simplicity, as well as hope and rebirth. White cherry blossom blossoms convey joy in the celebration of new beginnings. “Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai” (AOT ED1) depicts a young Mikasa rushing about looking for Eren in a dark, gloomy landscape before shifting into her older self. “Akuma no Ko” (AOT ED7) depicts a young Eren wandering around on his own in a dark cage until he breaks free into a colourful meadow before morphing into his older self. Meanwhile, the final ending, “Itterasshai”, depicts both a young Mikasa and Eren as well as an adult Mikasa and Eren uniting in a field of flowers beneath a picturesque sunset. Given that white cherry blossoms symbolise new beginnings, hope, and rebirth, their inclusion in this montage enhances its depiction of the pair reuniting in the afterlife—effectively tying the first and seventh ending sequences together. Various concepts embodied by the cherry blossom, particularly the transiency of life, mono no aware (the beauty of impermanence), and natsukashi (nostalgia for times and things we can't return to), are also significant themes in Attack on Titan's final arcs, making the flower's placement here appropriate.

-> Red Rose

The next set of flower featured in the final ending sequence are red roses. In Japan, red roses are called benibara (紅薔薇). In hanakotoba roses symbolise love and beauty while red roses in particular symbolize affection and passionate love; while rose thorns represent “happiness in misfortune”.  In Western floriography, roses symbolize love, passion, beauty, romance and secrecy. Red roses symbolize enduring passion, desire, affection and romance. In the visuals for “Itterasshai” four red roses are seen growing alongside a white picket fence. A white bird is later seen flying with a single red rose in its beak. Four red roses are said to symbolise that “nothing will ever come between us”. While a single red rose symbolises love at first sight. This suggests that nothing, not even death, is capable of impacting the pair's feelings for each other and that they have been in love since their first meeting as children. While red roses are an international symbol of romance, passion, devotion and long-lasting love, in some cultures they symbolise sacrifice, martyrdom, bravery, and strength.  These qualities embody Eren’s character pretty well.

-> Dandelion

In the above panel, Mikasa holds two dandelion flowers in her hands. Dandelions (Taraxacum) are known as Tanpopo (たんぽぽ) in Japanese. Its meanings in hanakotoba are sincere love, separation and a prophecy of love. Additionally, in English floriography, dandelions represent faithfulness, hope, healing, light and happiness. They also symbolise joy, youthful thoughts, endurance, prosperity and healing. Given that the dandelion is a symbolic representation of faithfulness, happiness, healing, light, hope and prophecies of love—their use in this ending sequence further reinforces the concept of Mikasa reuniting with Eren in the afterlife.

-> White Daisy

Daisies (Bellis) are known as hinagiku (デイジー) in Japanese, and they hold the hanakotoba meanings of patience, purity, “secret love”, hope, innocence, beauty, peace, and faith. In English floriography, yellow daisies symbolise joy, and growth as well as a turning point or new beginning. Considering the daisy's symbolic connotations, its usage ending sequence once more accentuates the depiction of the pair finally getting a new start following the events of the series' conclusion. Its meanings of patience, hope, faith and secret love in particular highlight Mikasa going through the rest of her life hoping to be reunited after death.

───●◎●─── P.S. ───●◎●───

-> White Carnation

The flowers Mikasa places by Eren’s grave are the same flowers we see her holding after her passing. These flowers are known as carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) and are called Kānēshon (カーネーション) in Japanese. Its meanings in hanakotoba are innocent and deep love.  White carnations in particular hold the meaning “my love is love” and pure love in Japanese culture. In Western floriography, they symbolise love, fascination and distinction. Carnations are the most popular flower used at weddings in China, while in Korea they express admiration, love and gratitude. Carnations are frequently given as gifts in Japan to convey affection for loved ones or to honour those who have passed away. White carnations, in particular, represent purity and are therefore commonly utilised in ceremonies and rituals. The meaning of these flowers makes them an excellent choice for this scene and ties well into Mikasa and Eren’s dynamic. The flower’s meaning “my love is alive” perfectly encapsulates Mikasa’s feelings in the aftermath of the series and is a fitting offering for Eren’s gravestone.

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╰┈➤ Attack on Titan ED7 Hanakotoba Analysis

╰┈➤ Anime Hanakotoba Posts Directory

[I wanted to contribute something towards the fandom considering that aot/snk has finally ended but I knew that doing a full-scale review of the episode would be a bad idea. In short, I want to say a lot of things but at the same time, there's nothing I want to say... When I saw the flowers featured in the final ed I knew I had to cover them. If you guys want me to do a Q&A for the show, I'd be willing to... So, feel free to send me questions to answer...

As a side note, I didn't go into a lot of detail here and stuck to focusing on eremika since I've already done a hanakotoba post for snk/aot--where I went into greater depth on the show's general themes.]

#snk #aot #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #anime #aot final season #eren yeager #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #eremika #eren x mikasa #eren yeager x mikasa ackerman #hanakotoba #snk hanakotoba #aot hanakotoba #anime hanakotoba #hanakotoba analysis #floriography #anime endings #anime ending theme #anime themes #anime music #snk final season #snk eren #snk mikasa #snk itterasshai

[cmyksky]

I have my fair share of criticisms for Sky lore, but I can't quite empathize with some of the things people say about it. Forgive me if this results in me sounding like a prick; this is my opinion, and nobody is obligated to agree with it. Ramble under the cut.

One such idea I can't get behind is that nothing/very little is confirmed; this is a game that relies on conveying ideas nonverbally, aside from some introductory/game mechanic stuff. I think a line has to be drawn when deciding that something is "unconfirmed" just because the game doesn't hold your hand and tell you "Hey, this is what happened" with a narration/cutscene sequence.

Tangentially related is the idea that Sky cannot be understood without supplementary material from outside the game. I do agree that some things would be harder to grasp or deduce, such as dark stone specifically being a source of conflict in the kingdom. However, I think Sky makes quite a few obvious points. If you breeze through the game without pondering it very much or paying attention, then sure, you miss a lot. Sky is fairly linear and cyclical, but there's plenty you can easily pass on your first few runs. But let's think about a few things that we can make connections between through the game alone, because I find it a bit surprising that some people don't think twice to pick up on the themes.

Your flame is the key to everything in the game: activating mechanisms, helping spirits, burning darkness, and so on. The Elders also take your flame in every cutscene in various ways. Elders have entire temples dedicated to them; the flame must be very important for these authority figures to accept your offering. The entire game beckons you to follow the light, and light creatures guide and assist your journey (pun unintended). I don't have to mention the title of the game, right? And yet, why do we see some spirits guide these creatures while others trap and kill them? Why do we free caged mantas from the forest temple and encounter a "light miner" in one of the most somber realms in the game? Why do we see war waged against these creatures? I personally do not believe it requires much complication to guess that the ancestors wanted their power and exploited them as a resource.

The game starts with our birth/rebirth, with dawn, with simple mechanics and architecture. The game ends with our death, with night, with the grand pinnacle of the kingdom and the worst of the destruction. We see joyful, carefree spirits who connect with light creatures and live in peace. We trudge through polluted waters and sludge-clogged pipes, relive memories and view murals of spirits dying and fleeing from dark creatures and war.

And no, I'm not saying I've never been disappointed or that the game should be immune from criticism simply for its format or intent in terms of player experience. I have been left wanting more, and I have oftentimes wished the devs would give at least some spotlight to the kingdom’s destruction outside of the base game and a handful of seasons/seasonal quests. I can't help but wonder why TGC wants to keep a long-lived, dedicated fanbase without giving us the deeper lore that we want! And yet, I feel like many of the criticisms I observe are skewed by burned-out players or simply exaggerated due to frustration. Hope this coheres; I just like contemplating this game's lore.

#pulselog #I wouldn't be writing if I didn't want to see more from the lore myself #but these are my two cents #does anyone suppose their lore focus was going more into the two embers rather than the game? #not that I think it's unreasonable to want to focus more on their series #it's just something that occurred to me after reading about how it's been in production for two years now #sky cotl #sky: children of the light #thatskygame #these aren't my full comprehensive thoughts on the matter but they suffice to get the idea across

[homomenhommes]

Good Friday and Easter: A Cycle of Death and Rebirth

In the heart of spring, Good Friday and Easter stand as a duo, unified by their contrasts. The silence and sorrow of Good Friday lead us to the joyous celebration of Easter Sunday, a time that celebrates life and hope. These holidays symbolically represent the eternal return, the renewal of life, and the triumph of light over darkness.

From Pagan Spring Rituals to the Christian Festival of Hope: Easter, the focal point of the church year, is closely tied to the resurrection of Christ. Yet, its roots reach deep into history, to times when spring was honored through pagan festivals that celebrated the cycle of death and rebirth in nature. This piece delves into the history and significance of Easter, highlighting how it has evolved over time.

Celebrating Spring Since the Dawn of Humanity: Since prehistoric times, people have marked the arrival of spring with festivities that reflected the cyclical nature of life and themes of death and rebirth. These early celebrations were brimming with vitality, signaling the end of winter and the reawakening of nature.

Transformation Through Christianity: Between Good Friday and Easter As Christianity spread, many of these pre-Christian customs were adapted. The focus shifted to the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, turning Good Friday and Easter into symbols of death and new life, two sides of the same coin, emphasizing the profound meaning of loss and rebirth.

The Deeper Symbolism: Good Friday, a day of pause and reflection, paves the way for Easter Sunday, a festival of joy and victory. These contrasts illustrate the eternal cycle of life: darkness gives way to light, sorrow to joy, and from death springs new life. These themes are found worldwide in various cultures and religions, reflecting the human longing for renewal and liberation.

The Relevance of Good Friday: In many Christian traditions, Good Friday is a deeply spiritual day, marked by prayer and contemplation. Despite its contrast to the festive Easter, it is an essential part of the Easter tradition, symbolizing the emotional and spiritual journey from darkness to light, from death to new life.

The Cosmic Connection: Interestingly, the period of Good Friday and Easter often coincides with the transition from the Pisces to Aries zodiac signs, forming an intriguing contrast: Pisces represent conclusion and letting go, Aries beginnings, energy, and determination. This astrological phase mirrors the themes of Easter, providing an additional layer of interpretation.

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What Mythological Creature You Are | Pick A Pile

Hello and welcome to this Pick A Pile! In here you'll find out what mythological creature you are and what is associated with said creature. I hope you guys enjoy and find this useful. Do make sure to leave comments down below on your experience! I do want to remind you all that this is a General Pick A Pile which means this is for a lot of people; therefore keep what resonates and leave what doesn't.

Masterlist

Pick A Pile!

Pile 1:

The Phoenix is a legendary bird from Greek and Egyptian mythology. It is said to be a magnificent creature with colorful plumage and the ability to regenerate itself. According to the Greek myth, the Phoenix lives for centuries before igniting itself in flames and being reborn from its ashes. This cycle of death and rebirth symbolizes immortality and the eternal nature of life.

The Phoenix is often associated with themes of renewal, transformation, and resurrection. It represents the concept of rising above challenges and emerging stronger from adversity. The Phoenix's ability to rise from the ashes serves as a metaphor for personal growth, spiritual transcendence, and the cyclic nature of existence.

Pile 2:

Kitsune is a mythical creature from Japanese folklore, often depicted as a fox with magical abilities. These shapeshifting creatures possess intelligence and possess anywhere from one to nine tails, with each additional tail indicating greater power and wisdom. Kitsune are known for their mischievous nature and their ability to assume human form.

In Japanese mythology, Kitsune represents both positive and negative aspects. On one hand, they are associated with wisdom, cunning, and the protection of their chosen human companions. On the other hand, they are known for their trickery and illusions. Kitsune symbolize the complexities of human nature, the power of transformation, and the blurred line between reality and illusion.

Pile 3:

A pegasus is a winged horse from Greek mythology. According to the myth, Pegasus was born from the decapitated neck of the Gorgon Medusa when the hero Perseus slew her. Pegasus is often depicted as a majestic white horse with wings, capable of flying freely through the skies. It became the trusted mount of the hero Bellerophon, who rode Pegasus during his battles against various monsters.

Pegasus symbolize freedom, inspiration, and the power of the imagination. The ability to soar through the heavens represents the pursuit of higher knowledge, transcending earthly limitations, and reaching new heights. Pegasus is associated with artistic and creative endeavors, as well as the exploration of the divine realm.

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