#dogs are God's greatest creation | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fullonfandomindulgence · 1 year

Text

dimple is a great fucking character and i will fight anyone who says otherwise. specifically i will fight them by making them read this masterpiece client-crashing god-tackle effortpost about dimple

ive deliberately put off watching the telepathy arc episodes so i could finish this. i like tome So Much. you have no idea how much willpower it took. but it is done and its abt dimples like whole story and purpose and life and i think its a real good thing for you to read and enjoy

im so serious about this that I'm gonna capitalize and punctuate. My sorta thesis here is that Dimple's goals of manipulation are an expression of the basic act of choice that Mob Psycho 100 defines as living, but caring for Mob freaks him out because it distracts him from that purpose, and that contradiction and desperation to choose to live through control is tragically what ends him. Dimple is a friend. Strap in, motherfuckers, we're going for a ride.

Dimple's Goals (Dimpoals)

This is kinda an easy one.

I'm gonna be using images from the show and the comics but I'm not talking about anything past season three, episode six, so no worries anime-onlys. I describe all relevant visual info for each image, though there are also extra IDs in the alt text--I try not to repeat information.

Dimple wants to be a god, "the ultimate being in all creation," "the greatest power in the whole world," and "an object of devotion for all humanity." This dovetails with ideas about superiority and idealism in other parts of the comic but this post ain't about that. It's important that he never says what he'd actually do as a god. Like what is the power for? This comes up in his final confrontation with Mob, too.

Dimple claims that Psycho Helmet leads "people onto the right path," but the second Mob interrogates that he admits he has no plan, "no codex of any kind" from the comic. I don't think that's entirely true, though. Clearly Dimple doesn't care about ruling, because he doesn't actually know what he'd do with the power. But he does want to be revered--he wants positive attention!

Dimple's LOL cult is all about people laughing, and in this panel he says he chose that so he could gain a following without violence. Dimple's attempt with the divine tree is the same, he's trying to keep people the same besides their worship of the tree, make them feel happy in togetherness, help them "find peace at heart." I think there is a reading where making people happy is just a means to an end for Dimple. He for sure tries to kill Mob the first time they meet. But he doesn't have any logic for why he's not, like, using his powers to threaten people and demand tribute. He wants to become a god by making people feel good.

All this said--he's not gonna do it by being himself.

Identifying as evil

When Dimple meets Reigen he identifies himself as an evil spirit. Obviously this is sort of a joke. Like the idea that Mob's pet/mascot is actually an ancient malevolent ghost is pretty funny. But it's meaningful for Dimple's character too, so let's talk about what "evil" looks like. First, obviously the possession thing. How good is it that among all the people trying to manipulate Mob, one of them wants to literally control his every move? Second, here's a bunch of bad stuff Dimple did that Mob thinks about right after Teru tries to exorcise him:

Bro! She's like fourteen! (Dimple makes a lecherous comment about Tsubomi in this image.) He threatens Reigen, he tells Mob the body improvement club is a waste of his time, he straight up asks Mob if he can possess him... He's vindictive, pushy, mocking, and transparently manipulative.

Now to be fair lots of Mob Psycho characters are Like That. But there are some other things more specific to Dimple. Third, he tries to possess Ritsu, taking advantage of his fear of Mob. Fourth, again, the attempting-to-kill-Mob thing. Fifth, here's a bit from a recent side story:

My god. Dimple is terrifying in this. If you haven't read it, Uu is a little dog spirit that Reigen's been keeping around as a pet. Dimple notices that it's feeding on Reigen's energy so he gets rid of it. In these panels he waits until Reigen asks him where Uu is before telling him that he ate it. He has all these lines on his face and this expression of like hostile delight. There are creepy effects blobs behind him. He burps! He does a thing he knows will hurt Reigen and then rubs it in his face, acting like he takes pleasure in it. And finally from one of my favorite scenes in season 2:

I love love love this scene, when Mob is asked to exorcise the ghost family and he refuses. It takes the existing tropes in the story and introduces this like moral complexity and thoughtfulness, it communicates a change in stakes... "They won't have to exorcise you if the clients are dead." Again Dimple is smiling maliciously. He tries to manipulate ghost dad into attacking the college assholes, which is the one hand, for the purpose of getting him exorcised by Mob, which is the other hand. Harm in both directions. There is a third hand! We'll get to it.

But I want to summarize this section first: Dimple's default tool for dealing with adversity is manipulation. He, unlike, say, Reigen, is very comfortable looking like the bad guy, and to some extent he believes he is one. He wants to reach godhood by making people feel good, and he's going to do that not through bloodshed or by being a paragon of virtue but by using other people's flaws to control them.

The Living Spirit

Sorry, I want to do some more stuff before I get to the third hand.

I'd like to think I've been helpfully analytical up to this point, though probably not too novel. But I haven't seen anyone talk about this. Dimple is the liveliest dead guy in the comic, by a wide margin. He has multiple genuine relationships with people, he gets embarrassed, he gets happy, he fears things, he fully laughs. Sure in-canon this might be a proximity thing but in a narrative context I think it's significant that he's so much more of a character than other spirits. Here, in essentially his introduction as a significant character, he says, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a ghost!" There's also a great pun he makes in the Dark Horse translation when Reigen questions the existence of urban legend spirits--"Look, pal, just because you're a fake, don't disrespect the lived experience of the dead!" He thinks about living a lot.

Dimple comes back from apparent evaporation more than once, first when Mob exorcises him at the LOL meeting, second when Teru exorcises him in their first encounter. He really really wants to live.

Then there's the brief conversation between him and Reigen about the woman being stalked by what appears to be a spirit, but ends up being a neighbor astral-projecting himself. In this panel Dimple denies that spirits get horny. "It's not like we can do anything about it." He doesn't even think about like romantic love. So most importantly, canon aroace Dimple. But also Dimple believes that being a ghost reduces your existence. It's not even a possibility to do certain things, whether you want to or not. There's a tension here, Dimple craves life but knows that as-is he can't have it.

And then there's this six-page omake at the end of volume five. Please please read it if you can, it's not in the anime and it's such a good little story. When Dimple is almost exorcised by Teru, he only just manages to pull together an ant-sized form, and is rescued from being eaten by a pig ghost by a tiny human spirit called Stubble. The above image is an abandoned house in the woods, with Stubble, off-screen, monologuing, "I simply don't want to perish. I don't hold any grudge against this world. Neither do I have any dreams. Years have passed, without a clear goal." Stubble lives an extremely reduced existence, figuratively and literally. He rides around on the back of the ghost of flea, i.e., he is dependent on the echo of a thing that needs to latch onto something else to exist. He has no agency at all.

It's disconcerting, how Dimple starts at Stubble's size and slowly grows--or, reframed, Stubble slowly shrinks. Here Dimple accuses Stubble, "You died, even before your death. But I on the other hand..." Stubble gets angry. "You're dead too!" Again you should read the story, the way it concludes really blows me away.

Remember in the first episode of season three the S&S crew help the bald guy out of his funk, and at one point he says, "Am I doomed to just repeat these meaningless days until my death?" And then, soon after, "Wait, is my life already over?"

This is about the desperation of agency. Because like, Stubble is right. Dimple has been dead for a long time. His goal is ridiculous. His existence is scraps, yet he's clinging to them with everything he has. What's the point? Lay down alone among the insects, shrink and fade.

Dimple doesn't have a counterargument to Stubble. He doesn't justify "why." But the last sentence he says in the omake is, "I want to stay alive." Dimple, and by extension this omake, and if I may be so bold all of Mob Psycho 100, identifies agency with life. It's not even that life is about making choices, it's that life is literally the act of choosing. You have to choose to live. And Dimple does.

He likes control. He likes choice. He may not be alive but he chooses to live every day. Why? Because he has a purpose: he's going to become a god. And he's going to take Mob there with him.

The Third Hand

Are you good? You're like 1500 words in, feel free to take a break, drink some water.

Maybe you're starting to sense where this is heading. On the third hand, Dimple manipulates ghost dad to help Mob. He attempts to take away both of their autonomy in order to ease Mob's obvious distress. Let's talk about Dimple's evolving relationship with Mob.

I say this a third time, Dimple tries to kill Mob when they meet. Then, despite a positive spin on his initial pitch to Mob, he's pretty transparently evil about it.

These frames of the show are from that introduction, the first with Dimple surrounded in stars and bright colors saying "Let's shoot for the top of the world together," the second with Dimple thinking, face lit from below and body language full of menace, "I'll just wait for my chance to possess him." To be fair again, lots of Mob Psycho characters are Like That. Compare this to the first episode of season two: when Mob tells Dimple the story about Emi, Dimple, excited, assures him that they should keep sticking together so Dimple can help him out with these things. The animators even use the same image of Dimple with the stars and colors:

"Looks like you'll always need an advisor like me!" But this time he doesn't have the sinister turn he did when they first met. This is how Dimple keeps acting throughout season two. He helps Mob, apparently so that Mob trusts him so that in turn Mob can help him reach godhood. But he goes so far above and beyond without any malice: he keeps Banshomaru safe, he possesses one of the high school kids bullying Mob, he eats the curse off Reigen's back, he tries to defend Mob against fucking Toichiro.

Here's a great couple panels: after Dimple explains the deal with urban legends becoming real, he reiterates that he wants to be a god. Then Mob asks Dimple to "make sure [Banshomaru] won't get hurt," and little surprise lines come off Dimple. He agrees but says, "You gotta do me a favor sometime too." Dimple is a little struck by Mob's trust, but maybe more importantly this is the first time in a while, and I think the last time in season two, that Dimple suggests Mob do something for him. It only comes after he reiterates exactly what his purpose is. Dimple's priorities are a little unstable.

Yeah this is just a full comic page from the encounter with Mogami but it's meaningful as shit. Dimple has just suggested taking over Mob's body to protect it. The first panel is Dimple looking away and down, deflated, ashamed. A few sweat drops come down his face. He says, "but something like that..." And to his surprise (action lines, closeup, wide eyes) Mob agrees. Dimple puts on an evil affect when he responds: a horizontally squashed panel shows his backlit face. He smiles unpleasantly and laughs a little, "Kuku..." But his heart clearly isn't in it! His eyebrows are worried, not hostile. There's no pleasure in his smile. He's covered in sweatdrops, eyes wide. When Mob assures Reigen, "It'll be okay," there's another panel of Dimple where the remnants of that affect slide off him. The backlighting is still present but not as severe, the echo of that smile is on his cheek. He's openly worried and covered in sweatdrops. Mob's speech bubble covers a large portion of his face.

Points about this. First, by now Dimple has given up on possessing Mob. This thing that seemed like the main path to his goal is not an option. Second, while both Dimple and Reigen believe that this is a bad idea for Mob, Mob disagrees. Dimple identifies as evil. Reigen identifies him as evil. Mob no longer does. This is classic Shigeo Kageyama behavior, being generous to people even when no one including themselves thinks they deserve it. And the worst part for Dimple is he's starting to agree with Mob. When the option he'd dropped is handed to him on a silver platter, he finds he doesn't want to take advantage of this kid that way. He's a different person than he was.

I don't even know how relevant this is but. Look how much fucking fun Dimple has when he's possessing Mob to protect him. He's doing all these flips and kicks. His smile when he's fighting Mogami!Asagiri is so funny. He does the wildest mid-air combo I ever did see when he attacks the Claw guy as Mob.

Mob becomes such a top priority for Dimple that in the first episode of season three he realizes he forgot that he wanted to become a god. Not only that, but when he comes to Mob to convince him to lead the cult together he's immediately distracted by Mob and what's going on in his life. Mob has to prompt him for him to remember that he's there about the cult.

All this is why Mob's mistrust of Dimple in this conversation is so tragic. Dimple has helped Mob so much, and been so much of a genuine friend, because he knew that Mob trusted him. Where did it go? What happened? Mob's parting words to him are, "Why don't you give your schemes a rest already?" What schemes?? This is the first he's had in months. The translation in the comic, though, is so much more brutal:

"Why don't you stop doing bad things?"

Dimple is

Dimple is terrified of Mob. When Mob wonders if Dimple is scared of him, he's right, of course he is. He has lots of reasons. Mob almost evaporates Dimple when they first meet, threatens him multiple times. Dimple saw him at 100% rage, Mob's first on-screen. He watched Mob hit ???% without being knocked unconscious. This is all especially threatening given Dimple's drive to live. He's terrified when Ritsu tries to fight Mob, he's terrified when Mob asks him if he had anything to do with Ritsu's kidnapping, he's terrified when he thinks Reigen is about to tell Mob that they don't know what happened to his family. But I also read his fear as a symbol of how important Mob is. Dimple attached himself to Mob as the way to achieve his goal. Dimple helps Mob out in so many ways, putting off his goal, so that eventually they can fulfill his purpose together. Then he starts caring about this kid so much that he forgets his purpose! Of course Dimple fears Mob, because their relationship threatens what drives him to live. As much as Dimple is a manipulator, Mob is the one who ultimately has power over him.

Dimple so easily reverts to an evil persona once he leaves Mob because without Mob that's all he can be. If he can't get to the top with Mob, then he has to do it the old way, by using people's flaws to manipulate them. He's able use the broccoli to become a physical presence and get around the "amazing power" problem--though the broccoli's presence and power are still kinda Mob's! But why does he need to become a god at all? Because that's all he is. If he doesn't have Mob and he doesn't have his purpose, then he has nothing.

"Don't go casually denying the thing I've been wanting so badly!" Dimple gets so angry when Mob tells him he's being fake because first, Mob is denying Dimple's manipulative tendencies, which are really important to Dimple right here because he feels his identity is so precarious. And because second, Mob is denying Dimple's purpose. Dimple is in equal danger from Mob's physical attacks and Mob's denial of what he wants. What he wants, what he chooses, is what living is. Dimple doesn't want to die.

Here's a lot of a comic page again, from the final confrontation. Dimple tells Mob that he's just been using him the whole time they've known each other. Mob says, "I'm sad... Does that mean it's time to say goodbye to Dimple?" He steps towards Dimple, who screams in fear and anticipation. I think this is basically the worst thing ever, because god, Dimple is so afraid. Mob is justified in what he's doing but Dimple's desperation is what stands out to me, how hard he's tried to cling to agency and life and how sincerely he believes Mob is about to take it all away from him anyway, to disappear forever and ever.

And then Dimple insults Mob's shirt.

Dimple insults Mob's shirt

Fucking kills me. These are two frames from episode six, Dimple sees how much Mob suddenly trusts him and his reaction is anger, "You okay with leaving me like this?" His eyes are wide, brow down in anger. And then what he says next, "I'm... a dangerous evil spirit!" Here the anger is present but has softened with worry on his brow. The lines by his nose and his pouty lower lip make him look scared and sad. This fight has made it important to Dimple's identity that Mob try to stop him, because he's evil, and Mob stops evil spirits.

Panels from the comic where Mob tells Dimple, "You weren't doing bad things. You were just doing what you wanted to do. Together with me. You trusted me before I trusted you, Dimple. Thank you." Mob doesn't think Dimple is evil, but he identifies how important Dimple acting on his wants is, and he tells him that he still values their relationship. He denies that he has to hurt dimple but affirms his power to choose.

I maybe could've skipped a lot of BS if I put this page further up but I wanted this to get felt, what Dimple's admitting to himself here. It's another section of a page. Panel one, a white splotch in darkness with Dimple's thoughts, "It felt like my ambitions would fade away. Did spending time with unselfish Shigeo cause even me to lose sight of my goals?" Panel two, Dimple is the white splotch. He's scared. "...eh? Wait, that's a problem...!! I'll lose my reason for existing!" So Dimple tells Mob, angry, "No, not yet... I'm not done yet! Even now... I've still got... plenty of things I want to do! And ambitions!" Mob agrees, with that tired, frank look. "I'll hear you out for real. As your friend." Accepting Mob's friendship like this is terrifying, because it means what it always has, forgetting about this purpose. What if Mob stops trusting him again? If he really, consciously abandons his purpose, will he still have agency? He wanted a friend, always wanted a friend. Will it be enough? Will he disappear?

Dimple takes Mob's hand anyway. This was such an amazing shot, I've reproduced its animated glory here, Mob and Dimple reach towards each other, Mob weakly, so Dimple closes the gap and grabs him. The hand grasp of all time. I'm not gonna talk about how this fits into all the other Mob Psycho hand symbolism, that's another 4000-word megapost.

It's worth it. I'm convinced that by involving yourself in a network of people and creating some sense of obligation to others you can actually give yourself an even deeper kind of agency than you could achieve alone. And this is awful, terrifying. Because it involves giving yourself up a little bit. You have to give up some control. Dimple wants to be a god, to have ultimate power and control, so much of him is his manipulation, but he has to give that up for this. Goals that may have guided you for a long time can become irrelevant--and then who are you? If you've defined your life by something for years, and at the end of the decade you realize you don't fit your definition anymore, where do you go? Dimple tells Mob, "Let's go home." But...

Panels from the comic, where Dimple carries a sleeping Mob and thinks, "I said 'let's go home,' but I don't really have any place to 'go home' to... And I don't have anything to aim for from here... I wonder what I should do now." That Dimple is allowing himself to think this is really powerful. I don't think this has to be a sad moment. Like obviously Mob thinks that Dimple's home is his house. He just asked him to stay away until he reverts to his smaller form, as in, he otherwise would've expected Dimple to stay with him. I appreciate the larger point that now Dimple feels unmoored, and deciding on a new purpose is existential. But I think Mob also has a larger point that he believes he can help moor Dimple. I think allowing yourself to wonder where to go next is so important. Dimple is where Mob was a few months back when he decided he wanted to join the body improvement club! He has a future, even if he can't see it very well.

Or, um.

I keep fucking crying while I'm writing this. I love the translation in the comic here. Dimple kneels before a prone Mob and, finger touching his forehead, says, "Listen well... I'm giving you orders for the first and last time. First, wake up. Stand up, Shigeo." Mob is still for a moment and then says, "...it's no use. I can't put any strength into my legs. I can't move my arms either." Dimple is very serious now as he relays, "Your body may complain, but still... stand up. Even if you cannot stand... you must stand." God damn it, god fucking dammit.

Sometimes it's not so easy to change. Your actions have consequences. Your history follows you. Dimple's desperate attempt to keep his old wants comes back to kill his new ones.

Dimple's final act is the same thing he always does, he manipulates Mob to protect him. And it is good and kind. Suddenly his reason for existence is paradoxical: he's going to have to die to fulfill it. Who exists to die? But that's not what it is. Because he's making a choice. He denies death, he says, no, you can swallow me whole, you can annihilate me, but even then you can't take my agency away from me. And I will use this final choice to protect someone I love.

Dimple was a friend.

234 notes · View notes

darkhighness · 6 months

Text

Good Omentober 29 - 1947

Prompt by @disaster-dog

Aziraphale reflects on 1947 through a series of diary entries.

January 1st

Dear Diary,

Well, here I am, bringing in yet another earthy year alone in the bookshop but it feels different somehow. I am finding it ever so hard to get through these days, almost as if some of Crowley’s existentialism found its way to me. After learning about the tragedy in Japan I am struggling to see the good in things. The whole last year felt like such a terrible blur, possibly due to it. I didn’t know all that much about the place but the few times I popped in it truly was quite lovely. I’d always meant to ask Crowley if he had been. I think he would’ve quite liked it.

I’m worried Crowley might be more involved than he letting on. I haven’t seen him since the early years of the war and while I don’t want to believe it, I can’t fathom all of this being anything but Hell’s creation. Even if he wasn’t the conceiver, he could've been called down to Hell at any moment.

But surely Crowley wasn’t like that. He wouldn’t have killed those Nazis if that were the case. He certainly wouldn’t have saved my books.

He’s a confusing one, that wily serpent.

I do hope I see him soon.

A.Z Fell.

---

May 4th

Dear Diary,

I found myself rearranging the bookshop again today. While I did enjoy the Dewey system for a while I fear it’s all too convoluted for me these days. I spent a terribly long time trying to organise everything based on how I felt when I read them. It’s a shame that so many books made me feel all manner of things. I do suppose I have some more to learn in that regard. I will finish the rearranging tomorrow, I think. Hopefully with a clearer head too.

I saw an advertisement for a lovely film called A Miracle on 34th Street. It seemed to get good reviews in the paper as well. I might even consider seeing it if time allows.

I still haven’t heard from Crowley. As each day passes I begin to wonder if he still wants to take part in our arrangement. I wonder sometimes if he was called back down to Hell and hasn’t been allowed to return to Earth.

Another part of me, a part that makes me so terribly sad, is wondering if he was discorporated since I saw him last. I try to not linger on that thought for too long. I’m sure the demon will appear as soon as time allows. He always seems to.

A.Z. Fell

---

June 17th

Dear Diary,

It appears as though I am not the only one who has been faced with a sense of impending doom as of late. I’ve had numerous customers asking about a magazine (which I will never carry mind you!) that has some kind of doomsday clock on the cover. It seems as if the state of the world has caused many troubled thoughts amongst the humans as well. I’m still managing to hold on to the faith I have in God that this is all part of the plan.

I do just wish things weren’t so terribly dismal thought.

After doing more investigation into this doomsday phenomena, it seems as if the time of the clock is rather arbitrary. I do suppose that the almighty’s plan is ineffable, after all.

It seems much like the type of thing Crowley would be intrigued by. I purchased a copy of the magazine and I have it stashed away for when he returns.

I even managed to find some of that wine he likes so much.

A.Z Fell

---

June 30th

Dear Diary,

I found a new book for my collection today. It appears to be a diary, much like this one, but from a young girl during the war. I haven’t managed to finish it yet as it seems my Dutch is a little rustier than I anticipated but it’s truly something else. It feels important. I can’t help but listen to this young woman’s words, like she is desperate for someone to hear her.

Note: Order more copies of Het Achterhuis

They do say that tragedy is the greatest catalyst for art and these humans are terribly clever. I find myself wondering what they might come up with next. I just wish it didn’t take a war to do so. I have been praying more often, worried my faith is waning. I know I, a mere principality has no bearing on the ineffable plan but it’s getting harder and harder to see the bright side of all this. I do hope these blues that have overcome me will pass soon.

A.Z Fell

---

November 20th

Dear Diary,

Oh how fabulous it is to have these butterflies in my chest! I got to bless the most fabulous matrimony today of a young royal couple. I bestowed upon them all angelic gifts I could muster. I do hope they live a fabulous and joyous life.

It was simply delightful to have another assignment from Heaven come through. I was getting worried when things fell quiet but it appears things are well and truly returning to normal after all.

Well, as normal as they could be. Unfortunately there has still been no sign of the demon. I haven’t had to thwart any wiles recently. I pray he returns soon. I never thought I would ever miss the antics of a demon but my routine feels rather dull without the usual back and forth.

A.Z Fell

---

December 25th

Dear Diary,

This festive season has been absolutely wondrous. The decorations and traditions the humans have developed are simply beautiful and every year I get a chance to experience it all over again. I truly am the luckiest angel, it seems.

One of the lovely ladies from the shop down the road dropped of the most scrummy treats when she heard I’d be spending the day alone. She truly is a gem. I don’t mind it though. There’s enough joy in the air to please any angel.

I suppose I might have one ask. It may be hopeless but I do hope that wherever Crowley is, he is enjoying himself.

A.Z Fell

---

December 30th

Dear Diary,

I had the most wondrous visitor today. I never thought I would be relieved to see a demon but I’m oh so glad he popped in today. We might be going to the park later to ring in the new year. He tells me there’s something I simply must see. I do hope it’s not another statue of Gabriel.

I am so glad Crowley is home. Maybe 1948 will be the year that things turn around.

A.Z Fell

#good omentober #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #ao3 fanfic #aziraphale x crowley #anthony j crowley #good omens 2 #crowley #aziracrow #good omens

27 notes · View notes

thenightling · 8 months

Text

DO NOT BUY THIS EDITION OF FRANKENSTEIN! This is a sexist and ignorant dog whistle and as a fan of the actual Frankenstein novel, I am furious.

1. First there is the false implication that Percy Shelley co-wrote Frankenstein. He did not. In fact Mary Shelley revised the 1818 text in 1831. That's AFTER Percy's Death.

This sexism was brought to you by such "reliable" books as "The Man who wrote Frankenstein" which was written by a very sexist conspiracy theorist who once claimed that AIDS was spread through pills. That conspiracy theorist used dummy accounts to positively review his self-published books on Amazon (seriously, go check if you want) and his main reason for believing Mary Shelley didn't really write Frankenstein is his claim that she was "uneducated."

Percy wasn't a novelist. He was a poet. Mary Shelley actually wrote many novels after Frankenstein, it's just that none were as successful as Frankenstein. Just because she wrote her greatest novel while her husband was alive doesn't mean her husband secretly wrote it.

He also claimed a woman cannot have written a man's perspective so well and she wrote from the perspective of three men. Victor Frankenstein, The Creature, and Captain Walton.

By that same reasoning Stan Rice must have written Interview with The Vampire, not Anne. It's a sexist and classist equivalent of the classist conspiracy theories that Shakespeare couldn't have written Shakespeare because he was "Too poor and ill-educated" to have been that creative.

2. One big problem with novels like Frankenstein and Dracula being in the public domain is anyone can re-publish them any way they want, even with this sleezy and misleading presentation.

3. Frankenstein wasn't really a science fiction novel even though Google and this blurb claim it is. Frankenstein, the novel, never warned about the advancement of technology.

There's no hard science in the book. Victor wasn't studying biology. He was studying metaphysics and he never graduated.

(Metaphysics degrees aren't even currently recognized in the US. You can only get an honorary one from institutions like ULC).

Victor found the secret of life while reading the works of Agrippa and Paracelsus. A self-proclaimed sorcerer and alchemist.

The Creature is more like a Dungeons and Dragons Flesh Golem with a soul than what you see in most of the movies.

Its main morals and themes had nothing to do with "Playing God" or "the advancement of science." No. That overly exonerates Victor Frankenstein and those The Creature interacted with. Victor's main crime was rejecting his creation as soon as he came to life, which may have been a metaphor for what we today call Postpartum depression.

The themes were about parental responsibility, the futility of revenge, and the need to forgive.

If you have a shred of integrity or respect for women do NOT buy this edition of Frankenstein that falsely credits Percy Shelley and feels like it was being described by someone who only watched the 1931 movie. (The more accurate to the book film adaptation is the 2004 Hallmark mini-series version starring Luke Goss as The Creature.) If you want a good edition of Frankenstein, I strongly recommend the 1831 version republished with Bernie Wrightson's gorgeous illustrations accompanying it. That one is exceptional and respectful to Mary Shelley without falsely crediting Percy Shelley.

Here's the blurb that was attached to the awful edition:

"That’s right, the very first science fiction novel is also a work of transhumanism, though I’m not sure Mary Shelley would have used the term. After all, the monster wouldn’t even exist without technology. So even the earliest sci-fi novel was trying to warn us about the dangers technology poses to our humanity."

#Frankenstein #Mary Shelley #Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

45 notes · View notes

zeravmeta · 2 years

Text

this is the funniest possible combination of people they could have done. This is absolutely the next greatest blockbuster hit organized by Lava and Nian after four nights of coffee induced productivity mania after listening to some Crimson Troupe tunes sung personally by Phantom and drinking Closures own specially made cocktail combined from all the things Kal'tsit injected herself with for a 40 hour continuous string of operations to keep herself functional. Hibiscus walked into the room after they released this poster and saw Lava biting into a brick of Pure Sugar Lump and swallow without even blinking and decided to seal off the rooms lest the insanity reach the outdoors

like Mr Nothing on his own is already superb to pair with another character given his Ultra Instinct style powerlevel hidden behind a guy trying to pass himself of as a dude called Norm L. Manne but then you have Saga who is quite literally one of the Dogs Of All Time who everyone needs to get a load of so she will believe Mr Nothing with a genuine honesty and earnestness that he is entirely unprepared for because he's used to most people thinking hes shady so he will now loudly and proudly showcase his full martial arts prowess alongside another martial arts master. And Saga herself is also great because she follows the ancient technique of Dog practiced only by Ceobe and uncounterable by even the most ancient Feranmut so when Mr Nothing insists that they cannot handle an enemy before them he'll have to sit his ass down and watch as she circle forward autocancels five bar meter ultracombo killimanjaros whatever hegemonic husk of a boss monster was sicked onto them by only the most corrupt and devious of Arts as she turns and says "see what was so hard"

and then Jaye is added to the mix.

And suddenly the two man dynamic becomes a perfect chaotic storm where Jaye, just like Mr Nothing, insists he's just a normal merchant, but unlike Mr Nothing he genuinely means it, entirely unaware that he's casting fucking Judgment Cut on everything that crosses his path. Jaye, with the most serious face ever born from countless hard days of customer service, will insist that what he's doing isn't special as he matches an Emperor's Blade blow for blow. The Emperor's Blade, never having been pushed to such a limit, will give himself into the demonic shards powers and turn into a full on Demon, this newly birthed creation immediately entering the second stage of life (known as death) as Jaye did not finish his attack animation and sashimi'd the demonic entity into a paste so fine it isn't cursing the land around it. And after witnessing such an incredible display, Saga will turn to Mr Nothing and go "See? it's nothing special"

So Mr Nothing, Saga, and Jaye walk into a bar, and all of Terra past and present knew this could not end well.

this trio will be the latest upcoming new buddy cop movie where they have to trace a missing shipment of finball meat. This of course will inevitably lead to a battle against two Gods hailing from Rim Billton with the thickest Aussie accents imaginable, a new Seaborn invasion featuring Corrupted Gladiia, the return of the Sargonian Rangers decked out in new sentai outfits, the full on revival of the Witch King, a Mecha Godzilla type entity made by Rhine Labs, the first ever Kazimierz Major winner on par with Nearl, and a surprise twist featuring a previously thought to be dead character

This movie will be so legendary that Whisperains continuous bouts of amnesia will stop. Full On Stop. because she will always remember this movie

#zerav meme #arknights #what a fucking killer combo #the only possible funniest additions to this could be mudrock and pudding #W is a recurring sentai antagonist who blows up but never dies #btw the dead character is beagle #YKNOW. i dont actually know how fully convinced i am if beagles dead #like legit i think theyre doing a bait and switch here #like how bagpipe foreshadowed ch9 #i think we'll only know concretely in a bolivar event but until then lol

365 notes · View notes

hella1975 · 9 months

Note

Saw a tiktok about the boygenius line “always an Angel, never a god” and how it made them think of the interpretation of lucifer and how god cast him out of heaven because god wanted him to love gods “greatest creation” humans instead of loving him (god) and how lucifer, despite being first, wasn’t god’s greatest creation and how that must’ve felt knowing that your life is only about worshiping the better thing that came after you. And I’m personally a slut for religious imagery in general and you’ve given me brainrot so now I’m thinking of how Dabi was casted aside in order to make room for Shoto and how when he had a “problem” with it, it killed him and forced him to be casted out to the “evil side” and how they were both just trying to live and love their makers, maybe even get them to love them back. Anyway imagine also him in the poses of like traditional art depictions of satan like The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel. Anyway anyway anyway - 🫐

no literally yep yep yep i have so much to say about that one lyric. always an angel never a god and a hero is a kind of angel is a kind of bad dog you are the deliverer, god's punisher, the one who gets their hands dirty, and he is everything, the almighty, the end of the leash. when he spills blood it is called creation. when you spill blood it is called murder. touya didn't care for actually becoming a hero it was always more he wanted to keep his father looking at him. he was created with this sole purpose and all he ever did was to try and work towards that but he was cast out all the same, and what do you do with that? what the fuck do you do with that? the dog bit one time and it erased years of obedience, how do you live with that? you are still a dog. he is still god. a parent is a god in their own right. they put you here, they moulded you in every way, and mistakes feel like a betrayal, but you were told god loves. god saves. you dont think you're telling the right story. growing up and seeing your parents' flaws is like losing your religion. i don't believe in god anymore. i don't believe in my father either / god loves you but not enough to save you / you sliced me loose and said it was creation, i could feel the knife / and he takes and he takes and he takes / always an angel never a god

#he literally just wanted to be good. that's the story we're telling. you do not get a better story #ask #touya todoroki

25 notes · View notes

psalmonesermons · 7 months

Text

Love is a weapon Part 1

What is love?

Question; is God’s love conditional or unconditional?

We are all born with the need to love and to be loved. That is why love is such a big seller of songs, books, and movies etc. The saying that ‘Love makes the world go round’ is probably at least partly true theologically speaking in the sense that it

is the love of God that keeps the whole creation in existence.

In the English language 'love' has all sorts of different shades of meaning. For instance we say I love pineapple, I love my dog, I love my wife, or I love God. The depth of sentiment hopefully is not the same in these examples!

The fact that there are distinct types of love can be illustrated by the four Greek words for love used in the New Testament era [1]:

1. Phileo; the love of a friend or a brother.

2. Storge; natural love like a mother’s love (for her child).

3. Eros; sexual love.

4. Agape; the love of God.

The first three are types of human love and at best are only pale reflections of the agape love, the selfless love of God. When the believer is filled and moved by the love of God then they can surpass the human loves.

An example might be, if a young man or woman with Christian parents is called to the mission field, the storge love of the parents might tempt them to dissuade their child. However, the agape love would overcome this and send them out with a blessing.

The love of God is not indulgent and can be tough!

There is a lovely revealing use of the two different words used in scripture for love i.e. agapeo and phileo in John 21:15-17. Jesus asks Peter if he loves (agapeo-selfless love) him twice but Peter answers with phileo (friendly or brotherly love). Jesus then uses Peter’s phileo when he asks a third time.

The message is that agape love is a sacrificial love that is willing to lay down its very life for God.

Agape (love) became the characteristic word of Christianity. The Holy Spirit brought new meaning to this word. Agape love is sacrificial and selfless and seeks to do good to all men but especially to our fellow believers. Where does this love come from?

Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us

Definition: To fight dirty means to use any means at your disposal to win in each conflict situation. In a physical fight it could be biting, gouging, head butting, a blow below the belt. Not observing the Marquis of Queensberry rules! Or using a weapon or anything else to hand!

Fighting dirty has the connotation of doing ‘whatever its takes’ to win whether fair or unfair. What about our spiritual battles in situations or where all the negative person to person interactions place especially when the living stones rub together .

Can the weapon of love be used in these circumstances?

[1] CS Lewis The four loves

The greatness of Love

Definition of agape love: 1 Corinthians 13 is the Greatest Gift 4 Love suffers long and is kind ; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The power of love

Rom 8:37-39. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Love is the glue that holds us to God.

Love is the glue that holds us to each other.

We are stuck fast to God and each other!

Clearly this agape type of love is indeed the most powerful thing in heaven and the cosmos that nothing, yes absolutely nothing, can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

Amen

Prayer

In Part 2 we focus in in how might be used as a weapon and also give an opinion as to whether God’s love is conditional or unconditional?

#christianity #bible study #bibletruth #blog post #blessings #psalmonesermons #faith #victory #devotional #4 loves #c s lewis #agape

10 notes · View notes

locuas642 · 11 months

Text

As I am over 60 hours into Elden Ring and just now I am starting to look up the more obscure mechanics myself. So I feel like giving out my thoughts alongside my thoughts on Dark Souls.

if I were to describe the difference between the games I would say: Dark Souls is about the finality of the world, while Elden Rings is about how the whole is bigger than anything Man may create.

Dark Souls (And this in specific applies primarily to the first one, but it maybe can be applied to the trilogy as a whole too) is is Grandiose. By this I mean that the game has this feel of a grand scope and how much everything is so much bigger than you. The game starts with it's own creation myth, filled with this poetic prose about the birth of fire and all that followed. And that is followed by it's apocalypse.

The fire is dying, and you are sent in a mission to fulfill a prophecy. But the thing is, the world is already dead. Lordran as a city has collapsed entirely, it's streets filled with madmen who have lost any sanity and who can only attack like a rabbid dog, or be in constantly agony over their fate.

There are no animals, only rabid dogs and grotesque creatures. And demons. The gods are gone, their city empty except for giant beings in armor, almost mechanicaly in their behaviour like relics abandoned to gather dust. And to aocmplish your mission, you end the last remaining embers of the world. You kill Death, you kill that which creates demons, you kill the (seemingly) last remaining dragon.

And then you kill god himself. And in the end, it's just a band-aid, because the end of the world is inevitable and you only earned a little time.

Elden Ring, to me feels the opposite from that. Sure, civilization has collapsed, but the world? the world is alive, vibrant, with animals roaming free. wolves, birds, bears, sheep, deers and so much more.

Some of it is hostile, other just wants to be left alone. some of it is weird, other very mundane. But it's alive. Nature does not care for the shattering. or that the demigods decides to go to war with one another. or that Limgrave was left to decay or thgat General Radahn was left to rot.

The greatest empire these lands had seen has collapsed, it's rulers scattered and decaying and rotting, and the world still continues. Because a person may call themselves a God, but nothing they make will outlast this world. And should their creation fall, the world will still stand tomorrow, and the day aftert that

#elden ring #dark souls #dark souls 2 #dark souls 3 #from software #soulsborne #videogame #games #my stuff #thoughts

13 notes · View notes

soliloquivm · 1 year

Text

✩ location : come clay with us ✩ status : open to all ( assume connections ! )

IT’S NOT THE GREATEST THING THAT SHE’S EVER DONE — give her a field of flowers and the greatest creation known to man will come alive , wrapped up in a light purple ribbon . clay ? it’s certainly not her strong point – some would look at what she’s creating at present and agree , at least she thinks so . too much of a perfectionist , she’s practiced tirelessly to make the perfect clay vase in hopes of using it to sell along with some of her arrangements , but nobody would buy the monstrosity that she’s made for so much as their dog’s food . ‘ god – it’s so ugly ‘ frustration brings her wrist to her brow as clay covered hands crack and peel with each motion . she can even feel the drip of it on her cheek , but trying to wipe it away now would only make it worse . ‘ look at this disaster — it’s like my hands are so separated from my brain it makes … ‘ an exasperated gesture with her hands motions towards the vase , ‘ mush ‘ @nottinghillstarters

#nottinghillstart #« interactions » renata byun #+

36 notes · View notes

shaevira · 2 years

Text

Because I can't sleep, I'm sick, and hyperfixated...have another First Kill AU idea from me.

First Kill Werewolf AU: Juliette isn't a vampire, but she is however a werewolf living among her adoptive family of vampires. While usually Vampires and Werewolves don't mix, they treat Juliette as one of their own. Just like Vampires, Werewolves have Legacies.

The Legacy is that when Eve fled from Lillith and the snake, she ran until her feet could no longer carry her any further. She had stumbled across a sleeping creature, on of the Gods creations. She had been feeling lonely, and had wished for a companion to make her feel less lonely. The Moon Goddess heard her plea and the sleeping creature had transformed into a beautiful woman.

The Werewolf lineage is also a matriarchy. In this AU, werewolves are bipedal, with tails, and are slightly larger in their transformed states. Juliette also happens to be a fairly fluffy werewolf. Juliette, happens to be one of the last remaining Werewolves from her clan. With her being a legacy Werewolf, she isn't controlled by the moons cycles(meaning she can transform at will) and doesn't need raw meat for a healthy diet. (insert your own werewolf rules here)

However, since there is no one around to teach her the ways of a Werewolf. Juliette soon finds out that having no one to follow is a mistake in itself.

On the night of Ashley's party, she skips out. As it has seems that Werewolf puberty is a thing. (Losing baby wolf teeth, a forced transformation, and the works and the desire to hunt for the greatest prey of all; a future mate)

As Calliope had still gone to the party, hoping to see Juliette but didn't she leaves early walking back home... only to be stalked by a beast in the night. She runs only to be caught by a werewolf, whose snarls sound like excited whimpers and whose breath oddly doesn't smell like wet dog. The werewolf nips at Cal's shoulder, leaving not a scar but an odd marking. Cal struggles thinking this is the end, but instead the werewolf nuzzles her and runs off.

Cal returns home stunned and shocked. Juliette returns home, unaware of her own actions.

Werewolf/Monster Hunter fluff and possible angst ensues.

Look, I just think Werewolf!Juliette and Cal snuggling up to her would be SUPER cute. Don't come for me.

#first kill #julliette fairmont #calliope burns #juliette x calliope #calliope x juliette

63 notes · View notes

dwollsadventures · 10 months

Text

Magnus Chase Project Idea

The next thing for my list of projects is something a little closer to home and achievable, but also perhaps less anticipated.

Percy Jackson was the first series of novels that I ever read of my own volition. It instilled a love of reading and appreciation of mythology that continues to this very day. When I heard that Riordan was going to be writing a series based on Norse mythology in 2014, I was ecstatic. Unlike before, I had a basis of knowledge to draw from to prepare for the books. When the books were released and I read them though, I felt a little disappointed. I actually have a large document that I wrote back in 2017 detailing all of my criticisms, but I’ll summarize them here:

Magnus Chase as the protagonist goes through a very well defined and meaningful character arc in the first book. It’s probably one of the only things that make him stand out from Percy Jackson, who he can sometimes read as a carbon copy of. In the subsequent two books, however, he loses everything that made him special. His identity as a peacemaker and healer, and his choice to not use Jack the sword as a weapon are all forgotten about.

Rick Riordan’s passion for Greek and Roman history oozes out of everything he wrote for his previous books. And while he did make an attempt, the mythology presented in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is one of its greatest flaws. The gods of the stories are shallow, one-joke cut-outs compared to the complex parents and power players in PJO. Heimdall is the worst example. Rather than echoing themes and remixing myths, oftentimes the characters play out recreations of Norse myths word for word during the course of the story. Norse mythology has a lot of large gaps in its content, meaning that an author will almost certainly have to bridge them with their own creations at some point. Riordan chooses to do this by mixing in modern culture and folklore from the 1800’s of Scandinavia.

This book was not the first to feature cross-overs from other Riordan books, but it is the one that leaned the most heavily on them. Annabeth’s inclusion in the first book was appropriate, but it seemed like pandering to include Percy in the last one. When reading reviews to refresh myself for writing this, a good percentage of them cried out about their insufficient screen time.

Slavery. The mythology point above makes me the most peeved, but this one baffled me as I read the books. One of the first einherjar characters introduced is Hunding, from the Volsung Saga. In the Saga, another of the characters, Helgi, kills Hunding, and his reward for the victory is that Hunding becomes his slave in Valhalla, commanded to “of every hero / Wash the feet, | and kindle the fire, / Tie up dogs, | and tend the horses, / And feed the swine | ere to sleep thou goest”. This is present in the books, but couched in PG13 language, so that Hunding is Helgi’s “servant”. One of the main cast of characters is Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Jr., a runaway slave that died fighting in the Civil war. In the third book, one of the other main characters replays a scene from mythology where she gets a bunch of jotunn slaves to accidentally kill each other. This character then apologizes to TJ for killing the slaves and they make up off-screen. Hunding is never rescued from eternal slavery, the existence of slavery in Valhalla is never acknowledged, the end.

So what? Why did I list all of my gripes with the series and put it under the future projects title? Well, after I wrote my laundry list in 2017, I capped it off with a “what I would do” section. I’ve never been able to get into the realm of fan fiction. But what about fan rewrites? Rewriting the book chapter by chapter with my own changes?

The reason I haven’t done this is because, again, I don’t have a foot in the fan fiction world, and for most of my time I’ve thought that spending so much time and effort working on something like that would be a waste of my time when I could be working on my own stuff. But recently I’ve been rethinking that. Finding the motivation to work on my own Acronym Pending series is conflicting with my anxiety about perfecting it so that I don’t tear it down a month afterwards. What if working on fan fiction doesn’t trigger this response? After all, the hard work’s already been done. If I end up doing this, it will be because I can’t bring myself to work on the TDG, which is bad, but it would mean something is still getting done, even if it’s something I cannot claim as 100% my own.

What would I do differently? Here’s a few examples:

Magnus is not a demigod. Demigods are not a big thing in Norse sagas or myths, and it links the series too much to the previous ones.

Samirah would not be a valkyrie, but another of the einherjar.

Valhalla and the Norse elements would not be modernized, at all.

Hearthstone’s father would be Volundr.

Overall, the story would be closer to a runaway tale rather than a hero’s journey. The overarching mythological theme would be focused on breaking the cycle.

#magnus chase #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #mcga #magnus chase spoilers #rick riordan #writing #writing idea #fan fiction idea

4 notes · View notes