#don't get me wrong i do think it varies by cat
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i feel like some people are still so weird about cats. i taught my cat "sit" recently and upon mentioning this to my one friend he said he didn't really believe cats learn tricks like dogs do (because they're independent-minded and don't have a drive to please their owners) and was like "she's only sitting because she knows she usually gets a treat from you if she does"
unlike dogs who... definitely don't normally learn tricks through positive reinforcement or like treats.... apparently...
#don't get me wrong i do think it varies by cat#also this is not an anti dog post just a 'wow people have strongly set ideas about cat personalities'#also hearing people constantly reiterate how independent and aloof cats are has been very surreal#because my cat is like... basically made of velcro. as loving as any dog ive ever owned. she just doesn't need to be taken out to poop#that's like the only difference in independence ive experienced lmao#not st#cats#doctor's log
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Would u do an Ashe x Widowmaker x fem! Reader (poly relationship) headcanons please? Reader is quite introverted 🤍
Also some smut headcanons too if that’s okay :)
Widowmaker x introverted fem Reader x Ashe
im still trying to figure out how to portray them :,) but i hope you like it!
prepare to be SPOILED.
theyre both loaded and will not hesitate to buy anything for you
oh you want something but youre too shy to ask? amélie can tell as soon as she looks at you, her eyes keenly observing you
typically amélie's the one accompanying you while shopping bc ashe is busy running the deadlock gang but she tries her best to join every now and then
she makes up for it by bringing you little trinkets from her heists that reminds her of you
it can vary from expensive jewelry to little figurines she thought you'd like
she'll clasp a gold necklace around your neck and kiss your cheek, murmuring a small "such a pretty girl"
they're trying to one up each other, every chance they get
who's the better shooter?
who's the better cook (ashe can only grill hotdogs and burgers and amélie can only make charcuterie boards but they try their best)?
who's the better kisser?
who can make you cum the fastest
they just want your praise and affection 🙁
speaking of which...they're N E E D Y.
you literally have to sleep in the middle so they each have easy access to you
when ashe gets jealous of amelie, her confident and "dominating" mask crumbles, leaving her needy and whiny
she'll kiss and nuzzle at your neck with her arms wrapped tightly around your waist "Darlin'...Pay attention to me"
when amélie gets jealous of ashe she gets petty and almost cat-like. she'll huff and pout while glaring at you and the cowgirl until you get the hint that she needs some loving too
i feel like ashe would love to show off her partners at events she holds for the deadlock gang
you dont like socializing too much? thats fine with her, she'll steal you away to a private nook in her expensive party room
ashe will sit you on her lap while she sips some whiskey and eyes you up and down
if you're feeling bold and decide to slip her hat off of her head and onto your own?
she'll go feral.
Cowboy hat rule is all im saying.
amélie will accompany the two of you sometimes to join in on the fun but opts out most of the times bc she thinks the rowdiness of the party's distasteful
you sitting on ashe's lap with your back pressed against her chest, her knees spreading your legs open for amélie who's kneeling with her head under your dress is a position you frequent a lot
ashe tops the most (she's so smug about it) but when amélie takes over? she crumbles.
sounds like a whiny mess as you watch and touch yourself to the scene of her getting her back absolutely blown out by amélie
i feel like one of their favorite positions would be amélie sitting on your face while ashe fucks you with her favorite strap
ANYWAYS
lets get back to some domestic hc's
ashe can definitely play the acoustic guitar and will softly play it while singing old country songs whenever it's a sleepless night or when someone gets a nightmare
she even learned the chords for some french lullabies for amélie to sing to
when you go out to eat and they get your order wrong but you're too shy to say anything, BABE THEY GOTCHU.
"she asked for no pickles 😠"
or if you just don't want to order in general? they'll happily do it!
if your social battery's running out or you're just feeling a little on edge/anxious at events they'll escort you outside for a break
the silence is comfortable and the comforting smell of their shared cigarette grounds you
after a long day yall will just turn on a movie of your choice and you'll lay in between them
ashe will most likely spoon you and amélie will lay on her side, facing you while tracing little patterns on your ribs or holding your hand
#widowmaker x reader#overwatch#overwatch x reader#widowmaker#ashe x reader#ashe x widowmaker#ashe overwatch#ouihaw
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Hey there! Before I begin, I totally understand if you aren't comfortable with answering questions about this. Feel free to delete this ask.
Would you mind describing the treatment of animals you saw when you were in Mennonite communities? I've heard Amish and Mennonite communities treat them more like tools than living creatures.....
Yes, Mennonites and Amish largely treat their animals as tools and a means to an end rather than like living creatures deserving of their own respect. Understand that this is very much hard-coded into the religion and culture itself, so it is a difficult mindset to combat. Even Mennonite-adjacent communities often treat their animals in a similar manner, even if they say that they don't like that type of ownership, because of the same.
In the Christian Bible, there are a lot of verses about man having dominion over the earth and nature existing to do two things: worship God and serve Man. And Anabaptists in general believe that the best way to worship God is through hard manual physical labor and rejecting any and all paths that make this labor easy. It's why the Amish don't do electricity, for a rather extreme example, but it's also why many of these communities seem addicted to the ideals of "work" and "discipline" being the way to a Godly life.
So... if animals exist to serve Man and worship God, and the best way to worship God is through hard manual labor and rigid discipline (read: punishment) for anyone who steps out of line, it follows suit that the animals are not treated particularly kindly.
Don't get me wrong. These communities are also filled with horrific human rights violations. From child labor to forced marriage and impregnation to abandonment of the elderly and disabled to rampant domestic and sexual abuse to denial of education and medicine... this is not just an animal problem. I know I'm running an animal blog, but it's really important that if I talk about the way they treat their animals, I also have to talk about the way they treat the women, the children, the elderly, the disabled, and anyone who dares think outside of their strict rules. The care for the animals is just a symptom of the same problem.
It is my experience that the Amish are worse about it than the Mennonites, but they are also sort of cut from the same cloth so various communities of either can really vary widely. Animals are expendable. They serve their purpose and then they die and the owners get a new one. Dogs, cats, horses, livestock, doesn't matter. Most of these animals are not pets and, even if they are, they are not pets in the same way that my dogs are pets. If they get sick, letting them die or killing them outright is usually the path taken instead of medicine. If medicine is used, it's what can be purchased from a trip to the local farm store, not actual doctors and prescriptions.
Unfortunately, pretty much every attempt to fix this problem has been met with "it's my religion" and thus it continues to be an issue. Again, I have to stress, this is a religious problem, there are very specific verses they are using to justify this. It also does not help that their religion teaches that "the world" (anyone outside of their local church community) will try to lead them astray by telling them their religion and religious practices are morally wrong, and so pretty much any "hey maybe don't work the horses on the plow until they literally fall over dead" or "hey maybe breeding hundreds of dogs per year with no vet care or oversight is not the nicest way to do this" is met with "THE DEVIL is trying to tell me THE WAY I SERVE GOD is WRONG, clearly this is an attack directly on my soul" and not like. "Maybe you are right and I should be nicer to my animals and not work them to death and provide vet care when they're sick and injured"
This is why I call both Amish and Mennonites cultists. You have to have experienced the religion and culture firsthand to understand how this all hooks together. It's not so simple as just improving the law because these communities believe they are not bound by the law in the first place.
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Deltarune Angel Theory! Who it is, what changes in the weird route, why we do it, + more!
Hi! Noelle Holiday here!
It's my first time posting anything like this so I'm not totally sure how it works, but here's my best shot. Spoilers for everything currently released in Undertale and Deltarune, and hopefully, spoilers for parts of Deltarune that haven't been released yet too!
A quick multi-paragraph intro with like 15 disclaimers:
Okay so I've been binging theorycrafting videos and Deltarune and Undertale playthroughs over and over for the past month and I think I've just cracked the code and seen into the matrix.
So, this started when I noticed that Spamton calls me Angel, which is weirdly specific, right? But then I noticed one of the Addisons also calls me Angel, and both of them only do it in the weird route. So that got me wondering why, of course! And I think I've connected enough dots that I might be able to predict not only who the angel is, but how the weird route changes things, exactly why we do it, what will happen in chapter 3's weird route, and even some mostly-unrelated stuff involving characters like Seam.
I'm more confident in this than almost any other major Deltarune theory I've heard, despite how little we know about the angel. I wouldn't be sharing it, and wouldn't have put this much time into a full writeup, if I didn't believe in it. And, given how limited our information is, don't expect rock solid, undeniable evidence for each point I cover. I'm working with what I've got. This is a theory about stuff we're probably years away from seeing to fruition, so I have to make a lot of predictions.
A lot of this uses @jarujaruj's theorycrafting method, which involves considering the story from a writer's perspective rather than relying on pure hard logic, but we're also going to be going over most of the info surrounding the angel in both Deltarune and Undertale, both stated and implied. So, if you're familiar with Jaru's theories and find them hard to believe, you might not get much out of this one either. I won't go over those theories in much detail in this post, as it's already long enough, and while I'll reference Jaru's theories a few times, even if they're wrong I don't think it would invalidate much of this theory. You also don't need to know them to understand most of what I'll be discussing, however, a few details make more sense with them in mind.
I'm looking for thematic parallels and interesting story implications just as much as the hard facts, but since we have so few hard facts to work with, you'll see more of the former I think. This will take a while, so stick with me if you care about the evidence.
Here's my theory:
The angel changes depending on which route you play, and when you play the weird route, Noelle is the angel.
Not only that, but you end up turning me into the angel yourself, at least in the weird route, but maybe in other routes too. And, borrowing from Jaru, every route (except maybe one) ends in the angel deciding to reset back to the start of the game. Look into his stuff for why I think that part is the case, but it's not quite as relevant to my theory as much of the info I'll be showcasing here. I'll still be discussing it though, as I think it explains a lot of what happens in the weird route. Much like Undertale's merciless route, it makes more sense after a reset.
I'll be going over all the evidence I can think of in this post, and giving my thoughts on who the angel is likely to be in each route, and why I think it varies.
Direct "angel" mentions in Deltarune:
Spamton and Addison call me angel in the weird route
I say I would hypothetically grow angel wings and fly out of the ferris wheel when I'm riding it with Susie
Alphys calls her cat that she may or may not have a "perfect angel"
The ANGEL'S HEAVEN
Discussion of the angel doll in Rudy's hospital room. The doll was made by Dess and I.
Alvin talks about the angel a few times
There's a clear pattern here of angels being associated with me. Not exclusively, but far more than any other character, other than maybe Alvin, but he's a priest of the angel so I'm not sure that counts for as much. Let's go over each one to see what they can tell us.
"Angel" is used here just like a nickname, there's not much clear context beyond that for its use. Spamton says it when you've cleared out all the weird route encounters and talk to him at his dumpster.
Here's that full conversation:
* [Angel], [Angel]
* ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE [Ring] of [Thorns]?
* THEN [[Why]] GO TO A DUMPSTER!!!
* THat'll be 1997 KROMER.
* HERE'S YOUR [Ring]! CAREFUL, IT MIGHT [Sting] * EAHEAHEAH
* (You got the ThornRing.)
Addison, specifically the pink Addison, though I'm not sure it matters all that much which one it is, calls me "angel" in a similar way, as a nickname with no clear meaning behind it.
Here's that conversation:
Addison: * If you're something else, maybe a Dating Shoes isn't right...?
Addison: * Maybe I could interest you in a FreezeRing?
Noelle: * Huh...? A ring...?
Noelle: * Faha, sorry, I don't think WE need something like that!
Addison: * C'mon, angel! You can't get stronger without good equipment!
Noelle: * Stronger...? R-right, I guess that's how it works here...
Following this, of course, Kris (or the voice associated with them) has me get the ring despite not being able to afford it, presumably by attacking the Addison with iceshock.
So, clearly there's a pattern to this, right? I could see *one* person calling me angel being a coincidence, but the fact that it's two different people, and both only on the weird route, feels too intentional to ignore, but there's not much meaning you can derive from the way it's used here other than establishing a strong connection between me and the angel, and specifically on the weird route. Additionally, the fact that it's associated with acquiring rings both times could mean something, maybe involving the romantic implication of the rings? It's something to keep in mind!
This isn't enough to say I *am* the angel though, even if that might be a possible implication. We can only be confident that there's a connection, so let's keep going.
2. This one is interesting, being an association I have with angels that isn't on the weird route, one that may not mean much on its own but combined with the other two we just went over is clearly important. I've included a bit more context than is probably needed, because I think it's relevant later.
Here's the conversation:
Susie: * So, uh... Ferris wheels, huh.
Susie: * Kinda makes you wonder what car they were built for.
Noelle: * (It's... it's different than riding one with Kris...)
Susie: * ... the hell's wrong, you scared of heights?
Noelle: * No! No, I... I love heights! Haha!
Susie: * You're, uh, shaking.
Noelle: * Well, um, maybe, I'm a little scared, but... I...
Noelle: * To be honest, I... I actually like... scary things.
Susie: * ... what do you mean?
Noelle: * When we were little, me and my sister would stay up...
Noelle: * And go past our bedtime watching horror movies.
Noelle: * At first I cried, but now... it's like... watching them...
Noelle: * Makes me feel... comforted...?
Susie: * Comforted? I guess I do like slime and blood...
Noelle: * It's scary, but I can just turn it off, right?
Noelle: * Now it's mostly... people, that are scary. Haha.
Susie: * You can just say you mean me.
Noelle: * Haha... umm... well... I guess y-you too, but...
Noelle: * But that's... what's... NICE about you, y'know?
Susie: * Nice!? The hell does that mean???
Noelle: * You're the... good kind of scary.
Noelle: * You aren't afraid to... break the rules, y'know?
Noelle: * ... I wish I could do crazy stuff like you.
Susie: * So, um...
Susie: * If YOU could do something crazy right now,
Susie: * What would you do?
Noelle: * U-umm... Well, I... I...
Noelle: * I'd... I'd jump out the window!
Noelle: * It's a dream, right?
Noelle: * I'd grow big angel wings,
Noelle: * And fly as far as I can, gazing back at it all...
Noelle: * The skyline shining like Holiday lights.
Susie: * ... that's kinda... beautiful?
Susie: * Wait, you wouldn't seriously jump out, would you!?
Noelle: * Hahaha!! No promises!
I actually noticed this one pretty late into crafting this theory, it almost felt like a smoking gun at the time, but obviously given what we've discussed so far this isn't enough on its own. It *is* a third instance of my being associated with the angel, undeniably a pattern at this point.
Growing big angel wings could be like not just being the angel, but becoming the angel. Flying above everything and looking down at all of it sounds like what the angel's role may be, to watch over and protect people, as Alvin will hint later. This solidifies the angel association even more and implies that I might become it at some point, but that implication is still a bit weak for now, so let's move on.
3. Alphys's saucer of milk. I was inclined to think this one doesn't mean much, but for the sake of being thorough, let's give it a good once over.
* Oh, this saucer of milk?
* I-It's for my kitty, MewMew! She's a perfect angel!
* ... uh? What does she look like...?
* W... well, I've never actually s-seen her, b-but...
* Ever since I started putting out milk, it's been disappearing.
* S... So I'd like to think that there's a cat.
* M... My cat.
There's enough mystery here that it could potentially mean something significant, but then we get the reveal to that mystery in the next chapter.
* Hey Kris, this free milk? It's amazing.
* It just magically refreshes itself over night.
So presumably, it's just Susie, and may just be a joke. However, this does give Susie a minor association with being an angel as well! Given how serious of a topic the angel is, I'm inclined to think this, while definitely a joke, isn't *just* a joke. We'll come back to it later, because it might be important.
4. The ANGEL'S HEAVEN is a pretty unclear concept. Whatever it is, Ralsei seems to think the heroes will banish it, or at least try to. It seems to be associated with the Roaring, but that's also an unclear concept. I'm inclined to believe Jaru's theory on this, that the Angel's Heaven is the reset at the end of the game, and the Roaring is the release of magic back into the light world, but it could mean something else. However, I don't think we have enough information about it to draw any significant conclusions about who the angel might be from whatever the Angel's Heaven is, unless it's a reset, the potential of which I'll be giving my thoughts on later. It's something to keep in mind either way, because whatever the Angel's Heaven is, it's obviously very important. Moving on!
5. Here's where we start getting into some bigger evidence for the specifics of my theory: the angel doll in Rudy's hospital room.
* (It's an angel doll.) * (Its lack of facial features is unsettling.)
* That angel? * Noelle n' Dess made it in youth group.
* It's kind of like a good luck charm to me now.
* Oh, right, you and Azzy tried to make one too...
* But you wasted the whole time making huge wings for it!
And, with Susie:
* (It's an angel doll.) * (Its lack of facial features is unsettling.)
Susie: * ... so why do you collect creepy dolls?
Rudy: * Hey, Noelle and her sister made that. Respect it!
Susie: * (Noelle's sister...)
So, weirdly, chapter 2's dialogue doesn't really reveal much, at least not much that you can't infer from other information. It tells us that Susie probably cares somewhat about whatever happened to Dess, but that's it.
Chapter 1's dialogue though, WOW there's a lot here, way more than you'd expect from such a short conversation. Let's break it down line by line, since I think we need to. I'll be drawing heavily on the thematics of this since we have so little hard evidence on the topic, and if this means anything at all, which it probably does, it's likely some non-literal foreshadowing.
* (It's an angel doll.) * (Its lack of facial features is unsettling.)
The fact that it's a doll could be referencing the puppet motif, the idea that somehow even the angel is beholden to fate, even its choices don't matter.
The lack of a face could mean that the angel's identity is unclear, could change, or is unimportant. I think all 3 are true. It's unclear because we don't know who it is, it could change because I think the route you take changes who the angel is, and it's unimportant because I think that, no matter who the angel is, they'll probably end the game by resetting back to chapter 1.
* That angel? * Noelle n' Dess made it in youth group.
The doll having been explicitly created by specific people could mean that the angel is created too, like an arts and crafts project. You might build up the angel over the course of the story. Plus, it's another association I have with the angel. This also associates Dess with the angel, but since she's already my sister, that might not mean anything new.
You could maybe argue the same for Susie's association, that she's my love interest, but the connection there is less solid, and Susie is an established main character, so I think there's merit to considering her association to the angel more separately. Don't count this as a full dismissal of Dess's connection though. I'd like to look into it, but we know so little about Dess that it's hard to really say much for it.
* It's kind of like a good luck charm to me now.
This line probably means the least. It could be a reference to the angel's role potential role as a protector, though. There's a decent chance Rudy will die by the end of the game. If he does die, and I become the angel, my resetting at the end of the game to bring him back, and undoing all of the damage done by the weird route, could be considered protecting him, like a good luck charm. However, that's a lot of ifs, too much speculation to be sure just yet.
* Oh, right, you and Azzy tried to make one too...
Kris and Asriel trying to make an angel is another point in favour of the angel being "made". Kris is our way of interacting with the world after all, so it makes sense that if the angel varies depending on the route, it would be Kris that makes them.
As a bonus, if Jaru's theory on the nature of Asriel (and Ralsei) is correct, and I strongly believe it is, this makes even more sense, for reasons I'm sure are clear if you're familiar with it.
* But you wasted the whole time making huge wings for it!
Wings, thematically, are heavily associated with freedom, not just in Deltarune but throughout media in general. Freedom is something we know Kris desperately wants from many sources, most clearly their interactions with the soul and with Spamton. Given the terrible fate this world seems to have in store, it's something everyone might want. This could mean that, if you focus solely on your freedom, you'll run out of time to make the angel, you won't make one that's complete enough to give you what you want, or, more vaguely, you won't achieve what you're after.
6. Father Alvin's dialogue is kind of a lot to go through, just because he's a priest of the angel, and as such, anything he says could potentially relate. However, most of it doesn't seem as relevant as you might expect, and, to be honest, I remembered him having more to say. Either way , there's still some interesting stuff here.
In chapter 1, if you select "Nothing" after he asks you if anything is weighing on your mind, Alvin says this:
* I understand. * I hope in time you may find the words you seek.
* Let the Angel's power light your way.
This associates the angel with "power". It's a very vague word, but it's used consistently at save points, implying the angel has a connection to saving and loading (and thus, potentially, resets). Of course, it's also used in the weird route. The whole purpose of the weird route, seemingly, is to gain power, and specifically for Noelle (me) to gain power. As I'm already the most strongly associated with the angel, this farther strengthens the connection. Kris is also connected to power, of course, but as I believe your actions determine who the angel is, and Kris is who the player acts through to affect the world, that connection is already accounted for in my theory.
While it could probably be assumed, this also tells us that the angel is likely a very powerful entity. If anyone's choices matter, it's theirs, but I'm not convinced even they can break the theme of the game. We'll explore the most powerful entities known in Undertale and Deltarune later, to see if we can draw any parallels.
Next, chapter 2.
Selecting "Gerson" as a conversation topic yields this:
* It's been a few years since my father passed on...
* Fans of his famous book series, Lord of the Hammer...
* We still received condolences from them until just recently.
* A brave man, brilliant, and sharp.
* Kris, it is a shame you were not able to have him as a teacher.
* And, difficult for Ms. Alphys, as his replacement.
* Let us pray that the Angel will smile upon her.
Selecting "Hammer" gives this response:
* As per the ritual, a hammer is buried in the earth here.
* To symbolize his existence.
* To connect his spirit to the divine.
* Originally a smith by trade, he began writing history...
* And made a turn into telling stories,
* As a means to entertain his children.
* That such a story, created for such a simple purpose,
* Could blossom into such a large, wonderful, world-changing thing...
* That is the majesty of words, Kris.
* My father was blessed to have such a talent for writing.
There's probably not too much to get out of this. The angel is associated, seemingly, with watching over people, and protecting or guiding them, and may be associated with Alphys. Specifically though, the angel is implied as distinct from Alphys, so this connection does nothing to support Alphys potentially *being* the angel, just having some connection. As a student in her class, this of course supports my own connection, but it also could support anyone else in the class.
This also seems to support the ritual of placing monster dust on an important item so that the monster's essence may live on, being connected in some way to the angel, or "the divine". This implies a connection with everyone in the graveyard, and anyone still living who may be associated with this ritual.
Again, those who know of Jaru's Asriel/Ralsei theory will understand why I think this may be supportive of Ralsei being connected to the angel, and by extension, maybe Asriel or even Kris. Outside of that speculation though, I see nothing else from this. The undead have yet to clearly establish themselves as much of a presence in Deltarune, as opposed to Undertale.
Alvin's other dialogue discusses sin, but I can't find anything particularly noteworthy in it, other than sin being associated with a couple lines in Sans's boss fight in Undertale, and by extension the merciless route as a whole. I might come back to this later, but right now, it doesn't tell us much.
Direct "angel" mentions in Undertale:
You might be wondering why I'm bothering with Undertale's angel mentions when we're talking about Deltarune. While they're different games, they're parallel stories, so unless a contradiction is shown or implied between the rules and themes of Undertale and Deltarune, I think it's safe to consider Undertale's lore as part of this discussion, and I feel it would be incomplete if I didn't look into it. Plus, Undertale literally has the Delta Rune in it, and a lot of this information is directly related to Gerson's lore on that.
Here are all of the "angel" mentions:
Gerson talks about the angel when discussing the meaning of the Delta Rune
An old inscription on a wall mentions the angel
The Riverman (or is it the Riverwoman?) mentions the angel
First up, Gerson!
While we go over this, we'll have to figure out what we can carry over from Undertale's Delta Rune into Deltarune's Delta Rune, since some of the details apply too specifically to Undertale to transfer easily. However, we can't 100% dismiss ANYTHING said here as unrelated without some serious consideration, as we're discussing the Delta Rune itself. So you can consider this sort of a Deltarune Undertale Delta Rune interlude.
That emblem:
* Eh? * You don't know what that is?
* What are they teaching you kids in school nowadays...? * Wa ha ha!
* That's the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom. * The Kingdom...
* ... of Monsters.
* Wahaha! * Great name, huh? * It's as I always say...
* Ol' King Fluffybuns can't name for beans!
There are several reasons why I don't think Deltarune has a "Kingdom of Monsters". Here are just a few:
No one mentions it
There's a human in Hometown
There's enough intermingling for there to be a book on how to care for humans in the librarby
There's enough intermingling for there to be "monsters 4 humans" dating ads (Kris clicking on Poppup)
Granted, there are probably still tensions between Humans and Monsters, but whatever they are, I don't think it's enough to cause a complete schism like in Undertale.
So, how much lore can we retain? The "Kingdom of Monsters" is probably out. Does Deltarune have an equivalent? Sort of. The "Kingdom of Darkness" is Deltarune's closest counterpart, being trapped in a different plane you fall down into, for example.
However, the Delta Rune seems completely absent from the dark worlds, bar one location: Castle Town. This is also the only place directly called a "Kingdom of Darkness", by Ralsei. As Ralsei was its only inhabitant, and the Delta Runes were already all over Castle Town when we first got there, this associates Ralsei with the Delta Rune, and by extension, the angel.
This is a little strange, since the Delta Rune is otherwise exclusively a light world thing (barring one example we'll discuss in a moment), implying Ralsei has some connection to the light world. Seeing as he looks almost exactly like Asriel, and his name is an anagram, he at the very least has some connection to a specific lightner, so this isn't out of the question, especially given how religious Asriel is.
However, the Delta Rune, seemingly, can't be the emblem of the "Kingdom of Darkness", at least not primarily, given how often it's used by lightners who have, presumably, never heard of dark worlds. However, the "Kingdom of Darkness" may only be associated with Ralsei's Castle Town, rather than all dark worlds, which would explain the Delta Rune's presence there exclusively. This could tell us that Ralsei knows more about the light world than most, something that seems to be true given the specific directions he gives us to the unused classroom at the start of chapter 2, as well as all the strange lore he seems to know.
The weirdest placement of the Delta Rune, the one that seems to break this pattern, is in Seam's seap. It's prominent in the top left of Seam's shop's background. This, combined with the fact that the music that plays is named "Lantern" for no clear reason, gives Seam a weirdly strong connection to light/the angel, at least compared to any other darkner besides Ralsei.
Could Seam be considered a light in the dark because of a potential relationship with a lightner? As a worn down old plush, Seam was probably very beloved. Or, could that light in the dark theming mean that Seam absorbed a lightner's soul at some point? Spamton implies that's a possibility, as he tries to do it with Kris. Whatever the case, it places Seam in a weird spot. We'll consider Seam more later, there's a lot I want to talk about, some parts much more speculative than others, but there might be enough information to take a decent guess at his origins.
Emblem's meaning:
* That emblem actually predates written history. * The original meaning has been lost to time...
* All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below, and the winged circle above symbolizes...
* Somethin' else.
* Most people say it's the 'angel,' from the prophecy...
Ironically enough, despite Gerson knowing they symbolize monsters in Undertale, I'm actually less sure about what the triangles mean in Deltarune than I am for the winged circle. It may still mean just monsters, but that doesn't feel quite right. The implication seems to be that the angel is more powerful than everyone, including Kris, and the disparity of power between monsters and humans doesn't seem to be a thing anymore. Monsters and humans seem to be on a more level playing field in Deltarune than they were in Undertale, seemingly having physical bodies as well, since they can wield determination.
So, I posit that, in Deltarune, the two upward-pointing triangles symbolize humans and monsters, and the downward-pointing triangle symbolizes darkners. It's still just a guess though, we may not know for sure until we get a more direct discussion of the Deltarune Delta Rune in Deltarune.
The prophecy:
* Oh yeah... * The prophecy.
* Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom.
* Lately, the people have been taking a bleaker outlook...
* Callin' that winged circle the 'Angel of Death.'
* A harbinger of destruction, waitin' to 'free' us from this mortal realm...
* In my opinion, when I see that little circle...
* I jus' think it looks neat! * Wahaha!
As for the circle, that still seems to symbolize the angel, so let's look at what it meant in Undertale. The angel is someone who's seen the surface, and has the power to free monsterkind, some way or another. This could apply to many people. Frisk, Chara, Asriel/Flowey, maybe even the player if you want to consider them enough a part of the world to have a prophecy about them. Freedom, of course, remains relevant, and may be much more relevant in Deltarune than it was in Undertale.
So, the angel is someone with an ambiguous identity, who, through murder or mercy, holds control over the freedom of those below it, perhaps as a protector, perhaps as a destroyer.
This, I think, is another point in favour of the angel in Deltarune potentially changing depending on how you play it. Even in Undertale, their identity was markedly ambiguous, and with how little information we have on the angel, the fact that attention seems to be brought to that ambiguity in both Undertale and Deltarune probably means something.
You could even argue that the angel changes depending on your route in Undertale, too. Frisk is the most prominent in the neutral route, freeing themself in a variety of ways. As they're the apparent player character (though I posit we actually play as Chara possessing Frisk, hence why we name them), they have the most versatility, but it also makes it hard to say there's any particular way Frisk "freed" everyone. Asriel explicitly frees everyone in the pacifist route, and Chara has a greater presence in the merciless route, freeing everyone from mortality. This isn't to argue that Chara is the cause of the merciless route, just that they have a greatly increased presence there. You could consider it "their route", to an extent.
It's not perfect, but it works far better than I'd expect from a pure coincidence, and you could absolutely make the argument that Frisk frees people in some way in the neutral route, or that the neutral route just doesn't count for as much, since it feels less complete and final than either of the other two routes (neutral has been called essentially "boneless pacifist"). You could also argue Frisk and Asriel share the pacifist route, as it's where everyone learns Frisk's name and they first clearly establish themself as distinct from just a nameless vessel for the player and/or Chara.
Either way, the ambiguity of the angel, and it changing based on route, is pretty clearly baked in to Undertale, and given that they're parallel stories that are likely to share a lot of themes (and already do in a multitude of ways), it factors nicely into a potential variation in the angel's identity in Deltarune as well.
What's "the surface" equivalent in Deltarune then? The light world? If so, all serious candidates so far, except for perhaps Ralsei, have seen the light world. Even for Ralsei, it's possible he's seen it, given that he knows the school's layout, and the game seemingly goes out of its way to never explicitly call him a darkner in the narration, menus, or Ralsei's own dialogue, but instead refers to him as a more ambiguous "dark world being", leaving the metaphorical door cracked open just enough for him to potentially be able to traverse the light world. Even if he is a normal darkner, it could still be argued that, as objects in the light world, every darkner has seen it, so this may not tell us much at all.
* However... * There is a prophecy.
* The Angel... * The One Who Has Seen The Surface...
* They will return. * And the underground will go empty.
The waterfall sign doesn't actually seem to tell us any new information. You could maybe see the specificity of the wording implying that the prophecy only applies to Undertale, as it specifically mentions the underground going empty, which seems to apply more to Undertale than it could to Deltarune.
However, even looking at this with more scrutiny, it's possible the angel's heaven, whatever it is, will destroy all dark worlds, or, by the time it happens, the roaring has already begun, all darkners have turned to stone, and the dark world, Deltarune's closest underground equivalent, has gone empty that way. In fact, I think the roaring being first is the implied, or even stated, order of events. There are plenty of ways to spin this that don't feel too farfetched.
* Tra la la. * The angel is coming... * Tra la la.
This tells us basically nothing. Thanks, Riverperson.
Stuff that's not direct "angel" mentions:
This section is going to go over some miscellaneous stuff. I'm not going to cover everything, because I realistically can't, but I'll cover everything that seems the most relevant to my theory.
I won't be discussing the design of the church, because, despite its obvious relevance to the angel, there's not much info I can get out of it besides the resemblance to Christianity. I tried.
First up, the character with the most angel connections, me!
Noelle, And The Purpose Of The Weird Routes:
So, right away we've got a lot of angel indicators in the character design, most clearly the dark world one. There's themes of christmas angels, snow angels, and when Queen's giant mech thing holds me at the end of Chapter 2, I'm strung up not only like a puppet, but like one of those angels you put on nativity sets.
Even my face is unseen, just like the doll, and I don't show it until I'm released from the hand and out of that angel-esque pose.
At this point, there are so many hints that I'm the angel, it feels almost too obvious! Which is why, on top of being called angel explicitly only in the weird route, I think I'm not the angel in a first playthrough. If I were the angel, and the angel's heaven is something we're trying to stop, why would we intentionally make the angel *more powerful* on a first playthrough? We wouldn't, of course!
But on a second playthrough, intentionally making me more powerful in the weird route to replace the previous route's angel makes perfect sense, and I'm the ideal candidate with all of my angel connections anyway. We're doing exactly what Queen did, albeit more harshly, and creating the angel rather than the knight. If the angel doesn't do what we want, we will simply make a new one. It's a reason for the weird route that isn't pure sadism. I don't think we'll have a repeat of Undertale's merciless route, where you do it just to see what happens. It's already been done, and the steps you take for the weird route are much more methodical and precise. This time, there's a purpose.
Plus, on a second playthrough, you'd know I have some hidden power, at least from Queen, but probably from other sources by then too. After all, the part where Queen mentions my power is immediately after the weird route section, you can't see it if you do the weird route to completion on your first playthrough, so anyone playing normally wouldn't know to make me more powerful, they have no reason to. It has to be a second playthrough, minimum, to make sense, just like the merciless route in Undertale.
So, if I'm not there for chapter 3, and it seems like I won't be, what might its weird route hold in store? How could it farther this goal? I believe the next step is to isolate me from my support network, anyone I might go to for help. That's why we killed Berdly in the first place. If I find out that Berdly actually died, the first people I go to would be the police. As such, I think we'll manipulate Toriel into killing Undyne, who is likely nearby watching over the house, as otherwise I doubt Toriel would be able to sleep soundly.
I bet we'll do it by getting Kris's health low and forcing Toriel to "protect" us with force. This is also supported by my mention of Fireshock in the hospital, as we know Toriel uses fire magic in Undertale, so she'll likely have it in the dark world, and it could serve as an equivalent to my Iceshock. We also know from Undertale that Undyne is specifically weak to heat. Over the course of the weird routes, we'll gradually eliminate anyone I could rely on except for Kris (or whoever is possessing them), letting them manipulate and mold me freely.
The fact that the angel themes are only so obvious with my dark world character design may also be meaningful. Only a certain, darker version of me is the angel. The normal me is just me. It's also interesting how much Chapter 2 seems to be trying to push me as a main character, despite my not being a normal part of the team.
As a bonus, though perhaps this is a bit of a stretch, I'm also wearing a white sheet almost like a ghost, possibly foreshadowing the death and destruction that comes with my being the angel? But that could just be coincidence given the clear angel theming the outfit already has. The pose may also invoke the idea of crucifixion. Knowing Toby's penchant for foreshadowing and double meanings, and how much the angel religion seems to share with Christianity, maybe it's intentional? Speaking of which...
Angels, Demons, and Power:
Lore on demons is incredibly sparse, far more than even something as enigmatic as the angel. Chara calls themself one. Kris has probably tried to summon one with Catti. That's it, as far as explicit mentions of the term in any even remotely serious context. However, despite this, I think it may be able to tell us a few things.
In some sects of Christianity, demons are fallen angels. I've been wondering, are demons and angels similar in Undertale/Deltarune? Or even the same thing? Maybe! Perhaps this is a bit, to borrow a term, dubious, but I think there's a case to be made for them being more similar than you might expect.
Chara matches everything we know about the angel in Undertale, and Chara also calls themself a demon. We know that the angel religion in Deltarune bears similarities to Christianity that feel more than coincidental, so angels and demons being one and the same wouldn't contradict that inspiration. What really makes me think this is important though, comes back to Power.
There are 2 beings in Undertale with power far beyond anything else: Chara, and briefly, Flowey. Flowey comes into power through his own actions, and while he couldn't have done it without our help in either route, to say we "made" Flowey into an all-powerful being is perhaps a stretch. Or, perhaps it's not. It depends on your perspective.
To say we made Chara into an all-powerful being however, not only is that perfectly reasonable, but it even seems to be the intended reading! Here's what they say:
Greetings.
I am Chara.
Thank you.
Your power awakened me from death.
My "human soul."
My "determination."
They were not mine, but YOURS.
At first, I was so confused.
Our plan had failed, hadn't it?
Why was I brought back to life?
You.
With your guidance.
I realized the purpose of my reincarnation.
Power.
Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong.
HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV.
Every time a number increases, that feeling...
That's me.
Now.
Now, we have reached the absolute.
There is nothing left for us here.
Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next.
That's kind of explicit, isn't it? The blame lies with us. We made Chara into what they are, and we do it through mercilessly attaining Power above all else. Chara doesn't even meet the qualifications to be the angel until we make them into a demon. Even though we're making a demon in the merciless route, we're also making an angel. This all sounds pretty familiar to me!
It even ends the same way as I think Deltarune will. Chara takes control, and resets. Or, erases the world and then eventually resets.
You could also say, then, that "god" is an equivalent term to demon and angel, as that's what Flowey/Asriel calls himself in the pacifist final battle, and the angel seems to take the place of God in the angel religion. So, we're making a demon, we're making an angel, we're making a god, we're making frozen chicken, all in an attempt to drink some of that sweet sweet freedom sauce. Plus, what RPG inspired by the classics wouldn't end with confronting a god? All three routes of Undertale did it!
As for the less serious instances of "demon", I don't think Temmie's demon comic or Alphys's mention of demons ruining the later seasons of the Symptons really mean anything relevant. It's possible that the Alphys one has some meaning, so I guess let's give that a brief look:
* But make sure you don't watch past the second season
* Since they just rebooted it as Symptons Turbo
* They all started driving their own motor-vehicles
* And fighting giant giga-demons and stuff
* The main problem about that is that it kind of
* Lost the focus on family that it had earlier
* When their vehicles were shaped like animals
* And they were friends with the animal vehicles too
So, there's a chance that "when their vehicles were shaped like animals" refers to the rollercoaster cars in the second chapter, matching the second season. But the only potential "giga-demons" we might fight are the titans in the roaring, and those don't really give the impression of being things you can fight so much as forces of nature, mountains brought to life by the magic of a dark fountain, and presumably having so much magic in them that their emotions run wild and they wreak havoc (there's a lot tying magic to emotions in both Undertale and Deltarune, look into it if you're interested!). Unless the roaring happens way earlier than makes sense given the current pacing of the story, or we start fighting some giant demonic entity in chapter 3 with some kind of motor vehicle, this probably doesn't mean anything important.
If the Temmie one has any meaning, I can't for the life of me figure out where to even begin in deciphering it.
A Brief Extended Intermission To Talk About Seam:
It's time to talk about that one outlier Delta Rune again. What association does Seam have with light?
One of the possibilities I touched on before is the answer I've come to. Seam is likely the most powerful darkner we've met because Seam's so beloved by lightners.
Seam used to be owned by Catti, and possibly her family as well, passed down from person to person. That explains why Seam's a purple cat, the somewhat gothic aesthetic, why Seam's so worn down yet has been patched up multiple times, why Seam seems so old, and why Seam was the court wizard. Catti is the only lightner to mention magic as a real thing, outside of dark world contexts, and we know she involves herself in it frequently. Seam is like if she had a family member that was "more goth", as she says she wants.
So, how did Seam get to the school? How does Seam have a history with Jevil?
Catti's family is the perfect one to misplace Seam. They probably donated a bunch of items to the school, like a deck of cards, which is why Seam's known Jevil for a while. We know things get donated, because some of Kris's old books are there. I bet dad cat donated them, he's forgetful enough to accidentally miss Seam being in the box of stuff to donate, and their house is messy enough that they might not realize Seam isn't home anymore. That might also be why there are cardboard stands at the bake sale, they could be repurposed from the cardboard box used to bring Seam there.
This, I think, explains a lot of Seam's light in the dark theming. However, I don't think it's quite enough to fully justify Seam having a Delta Rune just from having a strong connection to a lightner. If angels and demons are the same thing, that could help, as we know Catti has an interest in demonology, and has looked into how to summon a demon with Kris. Seam, then, would absolutely be able to have an association with demons, and thus, angels.
I'm not fully confident that this is the only reason for Seam's Delta Rune, but it's the best idea I've got. Either way, while Seam is obviously important, I don't think Seam has enough of a presence to be a very realistic candidate for the angel on a non-weird route. Which brings us, finally, to...
The End:
Much like "kill or be killed", I think "your choices don't matter" is a theme that applies to the whole world, not just to Kris. The difference is, in Undertale, Flowey was proven wrong. In Deltarune, everything seems to be set out to prove its theme right. The secret bosses and Seam, those characters with the most knowledge of the world and its lore, seem to agree that the world's fate is sealed.
Even Ralsei, who also has a lot of lore knowledge he seemingly shouldn't, might agree with this. His approach, however, is not to lose hope, but to try to make sure his adventure with Kris and Susie is the most fun it can be. That's why he doesn't want you to think too hard about Spamton NEO. That's why he almost never asserts his will over Kris or Susie, and lets them make all the choices. When the destination is set in stone, it's best to just enjoy the journey, and he wants to make that happen for Kris and Susie. He doesn't want you to worry about a fate you can't change, so he never brings it up, and he tries to make sure you don't think about it. He only puts his foot down to stop the roaring, something that would cut that journey short, and perhaps he holds out a bit of hope that there might be some way to change fate.
I think the true message of the story isn't really "your choices don't matter", but "in a world where your choices can't affect anything on a grander scale, how will you live your life?". Jevil decides to focus purely on having fun, consequences be damned. Seam loses hope, but finds comfort in those that share his knowledge of the inevitable. Spamton tries desperately to escape his fate, but at the end of the pacifist version of his NEO fight, he finds new purpose in his existence, to live for the sake of himself and his new friends. Even when he fails to be freed, he still gives himself to his friend Kris, holding out hope that, maybe, they can break their own strings, even if he couldn't.
All we have left is figuring out how viable our candidates are for being the angel of a non-weird route. I've touched, already, on why I don't think I'll be the angel in that route (or routes, maybe), so we'll move on to who I think is the most likely:
Susie:
If I had to guess, I'd say Susie is the most likely by far of the candidates we know of to be the angel in a non-weird route.
But why? Isn't she always making her own choices? Doesn't she have the most meaningful impact on the world of any character we know of, besides the one we control? Yes, she does. And that's exactly why I think she'll become the most powerful being in the world, able to do just about anything. As the person who's choices have always mattered the most, what an irony it would be to, in the most important moment, with all this Power, have her choices not matter.
But, aside from the impact, why else do I think this? Well, first, she's the only other character who's ever been explicitly referred to as "angel". Susie is also the most powerful attacker, and will often refuse to equip items that lower her power. Power is practically baked into Susie as a concept, including power over choices. But in this world, your choices don't matter. Your fate is already sealed.
The roaring happens before the end of the world, before the angel's heaven. When Susie gains this power, the roaring will have already started. Lightners will die, darkners will turn to stone, including Lancer. Her hand will be forced. All this power, and she has no option but to reset.
But what even is Power?
I think the heart on Susie's belt may be a clue, not only to what Power is, but to Susie's eventual acquisition of it. Power is vague, but its function in Deltarune seems to at least match Determination. I think power is short for "soul power". Soul power is a very vague concept, but Determination falls under its purview, and thus the ability to save, load, and reset.
It's unclear exactly what sort of Power you gain by becoming LV 20 in Undertale, but the results seem to be much the same: control over the timeline, and perhaps even the power to attack reality itself. So, did Chara potentially retrieve the 6 human souls when we weren't looking? It doesn't seem like it, they were multiple rooms away, under the floor, and we cut immediately to the conversation with Chara after killing Asgore and Flowey, while still in the throne room.
Plus, Chara is a human, and while perhaps they're not one anymore by the end of the merciless route, or perhaps being a spirit means they're not human anymore, it would still feel a bit odd for them to have absorbed the 6 human souls, especially without us even seeing it. We see Flowey do it, why wouldn't we see Chara do it?
As such, I have to assume there are ways to attain this reality warping Power without needing human souls, which means we don't have to account for our candidate killing multiple humans to gain this Power. Or monsters as the case may be, if our candidate is Kris or some other human, as monsters can wield Determination too in Deltarune, though I don't know if that translates to other aspects of soul power.
Of course, LV is still tied to killing, and while Susie so far seems to be the most violent of our candidates, killing people to gain Power seems pretty far out of character for her, especially by Chapter 2. But Deltarune has a second system of LV used in the dark world that isn't tied to killing. You level up at the start of Chapter 2, whether you used violence or not. Maybe that holds the key?
Another piece of evidence, and a bit of a strange one, is the theme of romance with Kris. Both times someone calls me angel, it's when I'm getting a ring, and the romance themes of that are intentionally played up a bit. Kris may have a crush on Susie, that seems to be implied a few times, but most clearly by them liking Susie tea so much, by clicking on a Poppup ad for "monsters for humans in your area", and by them clearly preferring Susie when asked who they'd take to the fair at the end of chapter 2.
As I'm known to like scary things, and I mention Kris's name first when visiting the hospital after the weird route, it's possible I'll develop an unhealthy crush on Kris in the weird route, maybe even replacing my crush on Susie. Spamton even calls me Kris's "side chick" in this route, not only supporting the romance connection between Kris and I on that route, but that Kris has a different love interest as well, a "main" one, rather than a "side" one. As such, who Kris ends up in a romance with may also relate to who becomes the angel.
I can't be sure that Susie will be the angel, and while I think she is far more likely a candidate than anyone else we know of, our evidence is still limited. I'll be thorough and examine the other options as well.
Ralsei:
Ralsei is clearly based on Asriel (or maybe the other way around, as the idea for Deltarune came first), and we know that Flowey, a mysterious being with the essence of Asriel, met all the requirements to be the angel in Undertale. There are many clear parallels between Ralsei and Flowey that are easy to find if you're interested, so many that I don't see how it could possibly be a coincidence. So, if we know someone very similar to Ralsei in a lot of ways was the angel in Undertale, why do I think Ralsei won't be the angel in Deltarune?
Well, first, it feels too easy, and too much of a rehash. Deltarune is a remixed version of Undertale to some extent, right? So it would be odd for someone so much like Asriel to be the angel all over again. We also don't even know that darkners have souls in the first place, and while Ralsei is clearly no normal darkner, it still doesn't help his odds at all.
Ralsei is also never referred to as "angel", while Susie is, despite Ralsei clearly being more fitting to be called "angel" than Susie. He also, of course, knows of the angel's heaven and seeks to stop it, along with a lot of other lore knowledge, including how some future events are supposed to go. If he were the angel, he'd probably know it, and of course, knowing the lore doesn't mean he's the angel, as Jevil, Seam, and Spamton know it too.
So, aside from Ralsei having a clear association with Delta Runes, there's really not much evidence of Ralsei having a strong enough angel connection. There's the fact he has heal prayer, which may be associated with the angel. I also have heal prayer, and I think I'll be the angel. However, I think Toriel will also have heal prayer, as she's the only one to explicitly use healing magic in Undertale. I think you can have heal prayer with any sort of healing/angel association, it doesn't have to be a strong one.
The game does seem to place an odd emphasis on Ralsei being in romantic situations with Kris, like the swan boat ride, but Kris doesn't reciprocate. If romance with Kris is actually connected to who the angel is, it may work for Ralsei as well, giving him a bit more of a connection.
Ralsei is absolutely a possible candidate, I won't dismiss him. He has a few things in his favour, more than anyone but Susie. I just feel like it makes far more sense, especially from a storytelling perspective, to give Susie the role of the angel, unless there's more than one non-weird route so you can do both.
Kris:
Kris has fewer angel connections compared to either of the previous options. We know they've looked into demon-summoning, so if demons and angels are the same thing, that's a connection. They also resemble Chara, much like Ralsei resembles Flowey/Asriel, and while those connections exist and are numerous, they're not as strong as Ralsei's connections with Flowey/Asriel. Kris also has some Frisk connections, and Frisk may also meet the requirements to be an angel in Undertale. So, there's at least something here.
If the power of the angel is achieved through souls, Kris would probably need monster souls, but we don't actually know that monster souls are strong enough to grant that sort of power. They can wield determination, sure, but determination doesn't seem to be the only aspect of soul power, just part of it. After all, Kris is the only one who can seal the fountains, and they do it with their soul. Kris's soul may be unique, and I think it is, Jaru's Asriel/Ralsei theory can tell you how and why, but they don't demonstrate significantly higher power than anyone else on the team, just their own style.
Kris, unlike Susie, has not been called "angel". Kris's house has Delta Runes on it, but that's probably Toriel's design choice, not theirs. Kris is certainly mysterious, and has some unique abilities, but them being the angel feels too off. It feels like it would run counter to "your choices don't matter" if the character we control is the one to have all this Power. And if the normal route ends with them being so powerful, and we get to control it, it doesn't make sense why Seam, Jevil, and Spamton are all so convinced that the world's fate is sealed. Maybe, like Chara, they take control from us? But that, again, feels like too much of a rehash, and to do it, they've always demonstrated needing to remove their soul, seeming to be greatly weakened in the process.
It's not impossible! Certainly not! But there's just not enough evidence for me to think Kris has a strong case.
Anyone Else:
Berdly doesn't seem like an important enough character. If you kill him in a weird route and then abort it, if he's the angel in a normal route, what happens at the end? His personality also doesn't fit well for such a serious role, and we've already defeated him. It doesn't make sense from a writing perspective.
Toriel already had a major role in Undertale, I don't think she'd get one of the most important roles in Deltarune as well. It also would strike me as odd just by the vibe of it. She'll become important in chapter 3, I'm sure, but that feels like it's a little late to start getting to know the character that will become the angel.
Catti is even worse in this regard. She'll probably have a major role in chapter 4 at the earliest, and that just feels way too late to introduce your angel. The same, of course, goes for Jockington, but he also has the Berdly problem of not being suited for such a serious role.
Alvin has clear angel connections, but he doesn't even have a dialogue portrait. He doesn't seem important enough, and I think he's probably more tied up with knight business.
Lancer has nothing going for him. Absolutely nothing. He also, again, has the problem of not being suited for such a serious and dramatic role as the angel, and as a normal darkner, he should turn to stone before the angel's heaven even happens. This also rules out King and Queen.
Asriel might be an option, but again, him being the angel feels too much like a rehash, even more than Ralsei, and if we don't learn about him for a while, it'd feel kind of cheap, especially to pull the exact same stunt again as Undertale's pacifist ending.
That's about it!
Thanks for sticking with me on this, and suffering through all my ramblings about the variable angel theory, even the parts that only sort of related. Or, if you just skipped to the end, how dare you! But here's the TL;DR for you anyway:
The angel changes depending on the route. In the weird route, it's Noelle. In the normal route, it's probably Susie, but might be Ralsei, and probably ends with a reset to undo the roaring. The weird routes are about manipulating Noelle into replacing the normal angel by the end of the game, and removing Noelle's support network so she has no one but Kris to turn to. First Berdly, and in chapter 3, Undyne, so Noelle can't go the police if she finds out that what happened to Berdly was real. Seam used to be owned by Catti, before probably being accidentally donated to the school along with other toys, including playing cards, which is why he has a history with Jevil. "Power" probably refers to soul power, of which Determination is a part, and angels and demons may be the same thing.
#deltarune#angel#theory#noelle holiday#theorycrafting#undertale#weird route#snowgrave#susie deltarune#ralsei#kris dreemurr#asriel#catti deltarune#seam deltarune#deltarune kris
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Inconveniences 1/2❜
Eradicating himself from Irminsul proved to be not just fruitless, but also an inconvenience he now has to fix. Among those inconveniences was the fact that he had to start over with the only person who had stood by his side in his final moments of hope, since they had no recollection of their past together.
Warnings: 3.3 archon quest + wanderer's/scaramouche's lore spoiler. Mild angst, some comfort/fluff, brief mention of blood. Canon-divergence.
a/n: ive had this idea brewing for some time but was ready to forget about it until i decided to start writing again only because ive been inactive for a while kdjfhalkhkjadsfh enjoy this humble two-shot
Despite knowing him for a long time, Wanderer never failed to keep you at arm's length—both physically and emotionally. Even if you weren’t aware of the former detail.
But when it came to the private enclosure of your Serenitea Pot, he allowed himself to be softer. A tiny bit softer. Or when you're too far into the forest, devoid of any human traces, he's willing to walk closer to you. Yes, even something like that would require him to keep a considerable distance when strolling around the city.
"What's with that look on your face," Wanderer spoke up, sparing you a side glance before taking another sip of his black tea.
Right, you were spacing out again. You couldn't help but feel your heart ache when you met his violet eyes and had a feeling that something didn’t fit, in the same way one would try to force a puzzle piece into a space in which it doesn’t belong.
But you knew better than to openly cry and pity him. He disliked it when people stared at him with sorrow, as if he were defenseless.
Before he could make another comment about your weird change in mood today, you asked if he wanted to have breakfast. He nodded, and you took the opportunity to flee to the inside of your abode.
You wanted to take your mind off cooking while you occupied yourself with preparing something to eat. It didn't work out. Now you were cutting some vegetables and, at the same time, still pondering about him.
It wasn't long before you felt a presence behind you, which startled you.
A slight, instant pain shot through your index finger, and your blood dripped from the fresh wound.
"Didn't think you were such a scaredy cat," Wanderer laughed. "You're so clumsy,"
You just rolled your eyes and went back to continue with your task; you weren't in the mood to argue with him.
"Can you hand me the paper towel? I—"
Lithe fingers wrapped around your wrist and pulled it towards his face, followed by the faint warmth of his tongue removing the red liquid.
"Don't waste time on trivial tasks. Go back to work."
He let go of your arm and turned around to go back outside.
It took you some seconds to collect yourself before you frowned and shook your fist in his direction.
"And who do you think you are? My boss?"
"You know well I was joking."
You did, it's just that you were taken aback by his advances and felt you had to say something, anything. Nevertheless, you simply shook your head and went back to what you were doing.
---
Confused eyes met each other with varying degrees of uneasiness.
"The kid. Where's he?"
"Do you mean...the one whose parents perished from illness?"
"That's correct. I've been keeping an eye on him and trying to delay the symptoms before they get worse."
Like a light at the end of the tunnel, this stranger's words seemed to ignite a brighter hope for him. Nevertheless, the wounds were still fresh, so the eccentric tried to remain lucid.
"Please, do help him. Follow me."
At first, you were unsure about leaving the kid in the care of the unknown fellow you met that day. Not because you doubted him, after all, his eyes demonstrated nothing but genuine worry for the orphan; it was because the kid was in a delicate situation and needed the utmost medical attention.
As you saw the interaction between the two, it felt wrong to force them to be apart from each other. You couldn't pinpoint how such a bond happened in so little time, but despite all logical reasoning, you decided it was best if they stayed together and took care of one another.
"Please wait," Kabukimono surprised even himself when he reached out to your sleeve. "If it's not too much to ask, could you stay the night, for his sake? I'm...anxious at the idea that something could happen overnight,"
You had some more work to do. You should really go back.
Your heart clenched at his disheveled state and the obvious signs of stress. This poor guy needed help as well. Then again, what kind of doctor would you be if you neglected someone who required your immediate aid?
You sat down again next to the child who was sleeping and rested your hand over the wet cloth over his forehead.
In the days that followed, you soon understood that your first impression of him wasn’t far from the truth. Even if cautious in certain situations, this person meant no harm whatsoever. You couldn't deny that your curiosity about this eccentric's identity was piqued. Where did he come from? Why’s he here, and how did he find the child?
Despite your better judgment, you grew fond of them.
He who was once a stranger to you, to this day, you are yet to know his name. All you knew was that people used to call him kabukimono before he decided to stay in this small village.
"I brought you something else to wear," you said as you placed a new set of clothes on the table.
Every day, when you came back during the night after spending the whole day attending to the medical needs of other village folk, you would always find the white linen of kabukimono’s clothes smudged with dirt and soot.
You continued, "I’ll wash this for you, okay? If anything happens, call me and I’ll come back."
"You’re going outside at this hour? It’s dangerous. I ask of you to please not worry about me," he placed his hands on his lap and bowed his head.
You placed your hand on his shoulder, to which he raised his head and looked at you.
"There is no need to be formal."
You knew it would be fruitless, it was like his life depended on the child’s health improving. Which you understood but were concerned that he would disregard his own.
The rustling of covers and the sound of footsteps woke you up late at night.
Once you distinguished the lilac eyes that were gazing right back at you, you sighed and lied back down.
"You scared me. Are you okay?"
"It’s cold. I feel like…my hands and feet are freezing," he was shivering. "I checked if the child was having that same issue, but his temperature seems to be okay,"
"Did you try to put your hands under the pillow? Maybe that could’ve helped you."
"I did."
"Do you want my blanket?"
He shook his head no.
"I wouldn’t take that from you. If you were to greet the morning with a cold…" gently, watching every movement he carried out as if he were afraid of doing something wrong. "You do appear to be…very warm,"
It took you a few seconds to catch on to what was implied.
When you glanced back at him, the tips of his ears were tinged pink. "I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep. I’ll go back to my—"
"I don't mind," you said as you scooted closer to the edge, giving him more room to lie beside you. "I don’t know how comfortable it’ll be for you, as this futon is not that spacious. However, if you think you’ll sleep better like this, then I don’t mind,"
Of course, you didn’t suspect he was lying, but once he took the space next to you, the low temperature from his body made goosebumps appear. He was modest about the distance, though; it was close, yet there was no skin-to-skin contact. You were concerned that maybe the low temperature wouldn’t let him sleep; funny enough, you heard the soft snores coming from him mere minutes later.
You were up at six in the morning, knowing you had another long day ahead of you.
The eccentric fellow was sound asleep, his hand holding onto yours with a grasp so tender, you did your best not to wake him up.
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what do you think of the ship cube x blixer?
I don't really mind, don't really care, mostly desensitized to it (and a lot of the ships here, but not in a bad way and more of a: I've seen so much and so varied of them that I guess I'm used to it?? Yeah I think that's it, kinda way)
Like, don't get me wrong, some stuff I've seen of it is cute. That goes with every other ship, but I guess it was like the norm at one point in the fandom and I just became used to seeing it and just walked over it without a care in the world. I know people put a lot of work and lore in the ship, and you know what? That's cool! You do you in your wacky adventures, but some of it it's just not for me and that's okay too
I don't attack anyone for it, no one attacks me, I'm always respectful of other people's headcanons and storied and whatnot. It's not cool to attack people just because they're pretty much existing and drawing stuff they like, they're still people.
With that all said, I don't mind it... What I DO mind is people of said ship trying to mess with me because I am cringe (affectionate) and basically a OCxCanon shipper the whole way
Now, truth be told, the first years was when it was really bad, because it was when the fandom was starting, and everyone was fighting everyone, and there were still a lot of very vocal kids and whatnot. THAT, was stresful-
Nowadays it's all chill, people are way more respectful, and I'm sure some of my audience grew as people and stopped fighting with other people just because of some blue cats. That has lifted a huge weight off my back, yet still, there are some crazy people back there trying to make me either look bad, or want to defend the ship like white knights, which I just walk away from
Friendly reminder that I'm a person who just wants to self-indulge and vent through my works most of the time, and if you don't like my stuff you're more than free to block me, just don't send me death threaths over a ship
#sorry for the rant#but i feel like i had to adress it at some point#shipping is cool#some people don't like that#and that's fine#just don't harass people over it#this goes for all of the fandoms i'm in#looking at you threateningly kirby fandom#seriously people in there messed me up for my ocs#whadda hell#reply#reply post#rant#vent#not really but still#long post#figured I should start responding to asks#it's the least I can do with college on my back#blegh
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:/
The comments under this post suck. I love how there's one cis woman arguing her ass off on how privileged trans men are, and the trans women she's supposedly being an ally to are telling her "Uh, no."
This is on the r/asktransgender subreddit.
(ID under the cut)
[Image ID:
Image number 1:
"Furthermore, there don't seem to be many places that just allow women (both cis and trans). So trans women don't really seem to have any purely women's spaces. The reason I think that could be a problem is because while cis men have power over both cis and trans women, there are cases where (by virtue of being trans) trans men do not have power over cis women. But trans men always have power over trans women. So how can a space that includes trans men be considered a safe space for trans women?
I think trans men need safe spaces too. They certainly don't have as much privilege as cis men. Maybe the best spaces for this would be "trans spaces", so the people within them would be protected from cis people? (who have power over trans people. I was also thinking women's spaces should just be framed as "spaces where there are no male identified individuals" to be more inclusive to genderqueer and non binary individuals.
What does asktg think about this issue? Does anyone know of any feminists who have written about this? I was thinking it might be of interest to transgender intersectional feminists. Is there a good sub for this? (Preferably within the trans sub hub, but their might be some discussion in feminist sub, though those are HARD to come by on reddit).
EDIT: To clarify, I was talking about safe spaces where women can share their experiences as women without fear of being silenced by male voices. Just look at discussions about that cat calling video. The experience is literally on film and a lot of men are still invalidating her experience. I'm not talking about bathrooms or OB/GYNs."
Image 2: A comment under the Reddit post
"As a cis woman I actually disagree - trans men do have power over cis women. I get that cis women have cis privilege over trans men, but trans men still have male privilege over cis women. For example, they don't have to negotiate the line between being "sufficiently feminine" and appearing to be "not serious" or "too passive."
Honestly I've had experiences with trans men that are extra infuriating because sometimes when a trans man refuses to acknowledge his male privilege, people in "gender minority" spaces will be more tolerant of the behavior than they are of similar behavior from cis men because "they've experienced sexism too" or something. Obviously this isn't a universal behavior among trans men, but IMHO trans men who don't acknowledge they have power or try to mitigate it are far more dangerous than cis men who do.
So sure, "gender minority" spaces are great, but I also really REALLY want spaces that don't allow men, including trans men. I am not a TERF and also strongly want all women's spaces to be friendly to trans women. But like... I want women's space. For women."
Image number 3: another comment under the post
"Okay, I see where they're coming with framing it as "gender minority issues". Like, don't get me wrong, trans men need safe spaces too. But the issue isn't that they sometimes have the power to be oppressors, it's more that they always have the power to be oppressors to trans women."
Another person, with the "retaking puberty; hoping to get an F this time" flair, responds to this comment, quoting "But the issue isn't that they sometimes [...] it's more that they always" from the comment above:
"Where I'm from, we call that stereotyping.
I'm sure the experiences of trans men vary just as greatly as the experiences of trans women, and as such I'm also sure there are plenty of FTMs who feel pretty powerless and certainly don't have the power to oppress anyone.
Applying an attribute like "has the power to be an oppressor" to a whole group of people based on their membership in a given demographic strikes me as a bit reckless, maybe dangerous. At the very least, it's certainly not kind.
That doesn't really answer the original question about safe spaces, but I think it's important to keep in mind."
The commenter, who has a "cis/genderqueer partner of trans lady" flair responds, quoting the "Where I'm from, we call that stereotyping." from the comment above: "#notalltransmen"
End. ID]
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Nickel Bin #2:
The Roches' Hammond Song
Some songs have no peers.
There's nothing comparable to Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone: while his efforts to write another anthem are many, and they vary from the successful (Knocking on Heaven's Door) to the underappreciated (Changing of the Guard) to the overrated (Gotta Serve Somebody) to the annoying unless you are in a very weird mood (Brownsville Girl), he, and everybody else, has never come close to a comparable synergy of warmth, anger and energy.
I think The Roches' Hammond Song is equally unique. Suzzy, Terre and Maggie Roche never climbed a musical mountain like it again in their fitful, joyful and far too short career together, and I don't know any other song or group that presents such bizarre and daring vocals (they range from startlingly androgynous to winningly effete and back again); where else can you hear three such utterly distinct voices sharing a space with such elegance? Add to that mix the unique layers afforded by the song's length and its guitar solos, plus its confusing but vital story, and you've got yourself a masterpiece.
Let's listen.
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First of all they're not singing about Heaven. They're singing about Hammond, Louisiana and Maggie and Terre's decision, years earlier, to ditch their budding music career altogether. It seems there was a Kung Fu school (seriously!) in Hammond that a friend was running and that seemed like a better place to be than in New York City, wearing clothes assigned to them by their record company.
The song is a natural cousin to Cat Stevens' Father and Son: In Hammond Song The Roches present a musical debate between the patriarchs in their life and themselves; they sing both sides of the argument and they let you choose the winner.
The song opens with a long, suspenseful opening that gives way to warm strumming and then the refrain's three part harmony. But then it swerves for the first wild time into Maggie Roche alone, and she's telling the band they're "on the wrong track". What other voice is like hers? I'm afraid my sexist biases hear her unique contralto and summon up a woman on a motorcycle with arms the size of my thighs who smokes six packs a day and would happily kick my ass while having yet another. But here she is:
Maggie died 6 or 7 years ago. My famous brother's friend Ryan, who recently bought me a very delicious beer at a Yo La Tengo show, sobbed when he heard the news. The more time I spend listening to Maggie's music, the more I understand where he was coming from. Just take a listen to Quitting Time from the same record:
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At the end of each section of Hammond Song The Roches hit and hold a high, odd and transfixing note. You can hear it for the first time on the Ooooo after the first section, soon after Maggie's introduces her voice. That same note, or one close to it anyway, comes back again before the first guitar solo on "you're LYYYYYYing to me", then again on "don't be a FOOOOL."
When CS&N reach for a note like that I wonder just what the hell I'm doing with my life. When Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris finally threw off the concerns of their record companies in the mid-80's and came together as a bluegrass version of The Roches they hit some angelic notes, yes, but they never sounded weird. Such weirdness is a big part of Hammond Song's, and the band's, genius.
And capturing that weirdness, and that note, is still a goal for a new bands. Check out Meg Baird search for and then find it - and then keep it for an impossible, audacious length, at 3:15 mark of Heron Oblivion's seismic Your Hollows:
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Next time I get an hour with Baird in a bar I'll ask her about Hammond Song as a basis for Your Hollows instead of quizzing her on Mike Heron. Poor Meg. I suppose she's been warned.
And now that you have Heron Oblivion in your ears, let's talk about Hammond Song's guitar solos. That's Robert Fripp, of King Crimson/Eno/Bowie/Talking Heads fame, making himself known. He walks a careful and skillful line in his production of the song and the record around it: you never forget he's there but he never gets in the way. This is the sisters' record and the sisters' song. But wow, what a guitar sound he achieves: it's nearly as weird as the vocals, part theremin, part Hendrix, all magic.
Finally, Hammond Song avoids easy cliche in its storytelling as well. Okay, their male authorities wanted them to put on sexy dresses and stop being weird, but the girls said no and became their awesome selves instead:
Lesser artists would have wrapped the story up with victory. But Maggie and her sisters know it's not that simple. When they released Hammond Song their story was far from over: the record could have tanked; it could have proved the record company right.
And so The Roches bring us into the debate; they let us decide whether their defiance in life and in the song are justified. "Tell me," they appeal to us in the song's conclusion, "I'm okay."
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Dear Suzzy, Terre and Maggie,
You are not okay. You are the best.
Sincerely,
The Nickel Bin
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Hello!! I saw you were doing match ups and that's so cool! I was hoping to participate if that's okay! Could I possibly get both male and female matchup? No poly please !
I'm nonbinary but i am physically fem, 5'5, with a bright red mullet that's like sorta grown out? Soft looking. My fashion sense tends to vary depending on my mood. Goth one day, cottagecore the next type of thing. One thing that's always a constant is my spiky earrings, kinda like the Fangs preset from the game! Necklace and my two bracelets. If I ever take them off I feel disgusting and off
Positive personality traits wise, I'm caring and selfless. I tend to be pretty cheerful and optimistic, goofing off. I think I'm smart? The most basic things tend to confuse me but then I'll bust out some complex knowledge lmao. I'm pretty creative too! I create stuff out of basically trash lol. I made a whole shield and sword sheath from recycled cardboard once.
Negative traits wise, I'm overly selfless, tending to put others before me. I'm very forgetful but thats cause of adhd. I can be messy and far too loud. Oblivious to a lot of things. I'm a big scaredy cat too which makes it hard to enjoy some stuff. I also tend to hide my negative emotions
My love language is definitely quality time and gift giving. Heavy on gift giving.
I have all kinds of hobbies but I'm not particularly good at any of them. Like video games, writing, arts and crafts, painting. And active stuff too like skateboarding. But uh. To be completely honest my main hobby is just sleeping forever lmfao
Likes: savory foods, coffee, aesthetic stuff, all kinds of animals, dressing up, reading, anything adrenaline inducing like rollercoasters, rainstorms
Dislikes: i cant eat any kind of fish/seafood I will gag, spiders, snakes, being vulnerable, people being mean (I seriously don't understand how people can be mean), the dark especially if I'm alone
Thank you so much! I hope that wasn't too much- or that I missed any requirements lol. Have a great week!!
A/N: Okay, for you @lord-westley … I’m thinking for romantic matchups your best bets would be… Gale (Male) and Karlach (Female)!
Gale is a great match for you, as he’s quite similar personality wise. He’s kind and selfless; smart but also somehow clueless? He’s got a good spirit, and an old soul. He wants someone he can share his life with, and thinks you’re just the person to do that with.
He thinks you look fierce, for real, he’s almost intimidated by how good you look, especially your hair. It’s bright and bold and something he’d never have the courage to try. It suits you, and it makes him feel all the more special for being with you.
His style is fairly consistent, and he’s not the most fashion savvy, but he does appreciate a good look when he sees one. Be prepared for a bunch of horrible puns, and awkward attempts at flirtatious compliments. He wants to tell you how much he loves your look, it’s just that it comes off wrong more often than not. Please don’t be mistaken- he really does think you look great. It’s just that loving words aren't his strong suit.
He loves how caring and selfless you are. He quite admires your capacity for compassion. He likes to think of himself as selfless, but he’s also aware that’s not the truth. But for you, it is. And he’s so honored someone as pure and kind hearted as you would choose him as your partner.
He’s also very grateful you’re smart. At least, that you’re smart enough to sort of get some of what he says about magic. He has a tendency to infodump, and he really likes it when you make comments or ask questions that let him know you’re listening. And your creativity, good heavens! He’s so impressed. He thought as a wizard, he’d be able to think outside of the box, but his imagination is no match for yours. Thanks to your builds and use of garbage, he’s starting to rethink the way he goes about spell casting and brewing potions. Your perspectives are actually helping make him a better wizard.
He does worry that you’re too selfless, though. He’s been used by powerful beings before, and he’d hate to see you get hurt similarly. If he thinks someone is taking advantage of your kindness, he won’t hesitate to bring it up to you. He just wants you to know your time and effort has value, and it should never be taken for granted.
He’s understanding when it comes to your fear. He thinks it's rather healthy to be afraid, especially of death. It shows you have a lust and respect for life. He’s glad you understand the enormity of what it means to live, because he wants you to protect your life so that the two of you can grow old and gray together.
He will give you gifts! A lot of them are favors done via spells, but a good amount of them are physical presents. (Many of which may have previously been magic items that have since had their magic drained, but hey! It’s the thought that counts, right?!)
He loves savory foods! He can’t wait to show you his extensive wine cellar and kitchen in his tower in Waterdeep, and feed you his especially _ sauce. It’s full of flavor, it’ll knock your socks right off!
He may not be a huge fan of adrenaline inducing activities: he much prefers the safe mental exercise of a good book. But he will join you on occasion, so long as you promise him it’s mostly safe. (He may or may not ask Shadowheart to cast Guidance on the two of you before you leave, but then again, he’s just covering his bases!)
Thanks to his arcane knowledge, you’ll never be in the dark. He can conjure light to ensure you’re not afraid. And he vows to always be by your side, so long as you’ll have him, protecting you, just as you protect him.
Karlach is also a great match for you! She’s a very upbeat person, and she loves your loud and creative energy, it makes her feel like you can keep up with her and match her own outgoing personality.
She loves your style, especially the bright red hair. That is her color after all. And she’s obsessed with all the new looks you combine and create. Everyday she’s basically shouting at the other members of your party, ‘Come look at how hot/cute my partner looks!’. It’s a bit over the top and embarrassing at first, but she means it in the best, most sincere way. If you ask her to stop, she’ll stop. But otherwise, be prepared for compliments, like ALL of the time.
She loves goofing off with you, pulling pranks and just having a little fun in between missions. She’s a firm believer in taking breaks- it keeps you sane. She’s fairly intelligent too, I mean, she’s not a scholar or anything, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders and so do you.
She thinks it’s incredible how you can make something totally new out of garbage, or old unwanted scraps. It’s both your resourcefulness and creativity she finds impressive.
She has no problems with your being messy or loud, even if other people might. If they have an issue with it, she’ll join in, and make it a point to be messier and louder than you. And if anyone still has a problem, she’ll take care of it for you. She’s a big strong woman, and she understands how scary confirmation can be. She does her best to make the world around you a little less frightening.
Kalrach strikes me as someone who would enjoy doing almost any hobby outside of being forced to fight. I mean, she also really loves a good battle, but she’s down for basically whatever. She’s so ready to try everything- to make up for all the time she missed down in Avernus. She’ll do anything or go anywhere with you. She’s especially excited for any adrenaline inducing activities. As a Barbarian, she is 100% there. No questions asked. Also the idea of skateboarding blows her mind. (Pretty sure that doesn’t exactly translate to DND, but if there was anyway in Faerun willing to ride a board with little wheels up and down steep hills or ramps, she’d be your girl.)
Even though she’s adventurous, she’s also cool with just chilling- taking some time to enjoy your company. She thinks you’re adorable when you sleep, and can’t help but want to take naps with you, so long as her engine is fixed enough, and you don’t mind being warm.
She’s fine with you not eating seafood, it’s not that big of a deal to her. You like what you like, right? And she gets that spiders can be pretty creepy- especially the ones in the Underdark. She promises to never make you visit there, and should any of those creatures try and get you topside, don’t worry, she won't let them lay a hand on you.
Despite being a fierce fighter, she’s got a heart of gold. She hates bullies, and people who abuse others. She knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that, and it feels awful. She’d never want you to feel that way. So gods help anyone in Baldur’s Gate who tries and bullies you for whatever reason. They’ve just got themselves a _ tiefling to answer to.
Karalch thinks you’re wonderful, and so sweet. You’re precious to her and she promises to protect you. You make her so happy. She’s so glad she’s met you.
...
I hope you like it!
...
Please Like & Reblog!!!
&
Happy Halloween!!!
#gale x reader#karlach x reader#bg3 x reader#baldurs gate x reader#baldurs gate 3 x reader#bg3 imagine#baldurs gate imagine#baldurs gate 3 imagine#bg3 matchups#matchups#bg3#baldurs gate matchups
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I actually agree with you analysis with Aeon, because there is one thing that’s been bugging me this whole time about their “relationship”.
Leon states in Vendetta that he is tired of all the fighting, so much to the point to where he starts drinking. But what bothers me the most is that Ada in her shitty storyline is stealing samples to later trade as per orders of Wesker.
For me, it almost undermines Leon’s goal in the sense that the one thing he wants to end is being continued by the woman he is so in love with. Because of his love with her, he’s willing to turn a blind eye to her actions all because he loves her???
Leon’s character is being questioned. Which doesn’t make sense cause his whole thing is to save people but when the girl he loves is continuing the cycle that he wants to end, he just doesn’t care??? Like Leon was top of his class in the police academy, labeled as smart. But just because he sees a pretty girl his intelligence kind of just gets thrown out the window.
I like both characters, but i feel like their little cat and mouse game destroys both characters completely.
Anyway, sorry to ramble, keep up the analysis. i’m lovin’ it!
So, this has actually been my biggest source of frustration as a critic/analyst. Back when RE6 first came out, I was still heavy in the dwrp scene, and I played through the game with my buddy Seiko (who RPed the Chris to my Leon, at the time) and I just remember both of us at varying points being like "what the fuck is he doing??" "why is he so fucking stupid?? it's like he took all of Chris's stupid pills and he's like 'no it's my turn to give myself brain damage you already had your fun. B('"
And when we first beat Leon's campaign I just dropped my controller and leaned back and said, "Well. I guess Leon just became unplayable. So much for that shit. There goes five years of RP down the fuckin toilet. Thanks for nothing, Capcom." And Seiko had to be like "No, wait, hold on. We can figure this out." And eventually she was the one who finally realized and said: "It felt like his whole campaign was a cry for help."
And I have been trying to make that work ever since -- because it is the only way to make his character make sense, after a certain point.
It actually took me the better part of two years to fully form and crystallize my analysis of "Leon projects most of his trauma onto Ada because she's familiar and convenient -- and also it's a bit of sunk cost fallacy because he wasted so much of his life trying to chase her down, so he's forced to create and live in this delusion where he's convinced himself that she's working towards the greater good, even though he has absolutely no intellectual reason to think that considering the men she's worked for -- but he still has to force himself to buy into it because his entire sense of self has become wrapped up in all of this bullshit, and for him to confront and admit that he's been wrong about her all this time would literally cause his worldview to shatter and his mental health to completely unravel into nothing."
Because RE6, as it exists, is fucking nonsense. I already thought RE4 was pushing it, because I don't know how Leon could just... be okay with Ada working for Wesker. The only explanation is that he's become convinced that she's doing it for a good reason and is going to do the right thing -- even though he has absolutely no evidence for thinking that. A delusion is the only way for it to make sense, and RE6 kicks that into overdrive.
If you were to look at Leon and Ada's relationship and call it for what it was, the very uncomfortable truth that would shake out is that Leon himself is probably one of the greatest assets contributing to the perpetuation of bioterrorism research. He not just aids the US government in their cover-up stories and cleans up their messes for them, but he also actively aids Ada's efforts while she's working for guys like Albert goddamn Wesker.
If you look at it from that perspective, the grim reality is that the world might objectively be better off if Leon was to step down from his position, withdraw from the battlefield, or even off himself like he's always wanted to. He's not just a useful idiot like Chris was for the BSAA -- he is actively part of the problem.
And there's some part of Leon that knows that. But it goes against everything he claims to stand for.
And so, the only way to make sense of his actions is the explanation that his entire sense of self is wrapped up in this, and he's too deep in that hole to dig his way out now. He's aware, on some level, of the cognitive dissonance that's happening, and that's why he drinks.
So, it is very interesting to me that Ada has been MIA from the OG timeline since 6, and that Vendetta and Death Island made the move to have Chris and Jill officially move in as Leon's support system, when he didn't have one previously -- because, with the proper support system in place, it's possible that he can dig his way out of this hole.
But what will that mean for his relationship with Ada?
And so we look at the Remake series and see the foundation it's been laying...
And suddenly the horizon starts to look very, very dark for Aeon as a ship.
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blog rules!
Hello! Thank you for checking out my rules. The mun is 25+ and my birthday is November 6. My name is Brittany, or you can call me Britt, and my pronouns are she/her. I live in Canada (EST).
I use small text for basically everything, I use icons (80x80) for all muses, I use italics and bold as needed for emphasis in my writing.
This is a roleplay blog, a multimuse that contains all original characters. All muses are always available, but I do have a main muse; the favorite.
NOTE: some of my muses are able to speak different languages. I do not, I only speak English. So if this ever comes up, I will be using google translator, so please be forgiving of errors.
Below the cut are my rules and how I run my blog. I apologize for it's length.
First, a little bit about me! I am autistic and have adhd. Forgive me if I occasionally have trouble understanding something or if I'm socially awkward. I don't intentionally want to upset anyone. I can only offer my best. I am a huge animal lover and I may post pictures of my service dog here and there.
I don't mind NON-roleplay blogs following me. Feel free to reblog memes, quotes, images, gifs, I prefer that you reblog from me. DO NOT reblog my roleplays unless you're the recipient, my headcanons, answered asks about myself or my characters.
Hub blogs; more than happy to write with you! But preferably I would follow just the main blog as a "this is me saying I'll write with any of your muses but I'm not following all the blogs." I just prefer not to follow a bunch of sideblogs all connected to one main.
Don't follow if you have no patience. I'm here to have fun, I'm not a writing-machine. Do not pester for replies.
Take your time. You are worth waiting for, don't apologize for it. I'm always available out of character to chat, and I have a discord that I will give out on request. I will never rush you, please don't rush me.
My blog is strictly 18+ due to the themes that will be present here. Not limited to: violence, blood, death, gore, horror, weaponry (guns, knives), drugs, alcohol, harm to people and animals, hunting for food, profanity, ghosts, werewolf and other beast-like creatures, dogs, wild canids, cats, dragons, taxidermy (thylacines). If these topics make you uncomfortable, you follow at your own risk.
Please tell me if you need a trigger warning. I rarely use trigger warnings, especially given that my blog is dedicated to dark themes and characters. So it can be difficult for me to really understand what needs one. I personally have no triggers.
I am always accepting memes and questions! Answers vary in length. I will not always answer everything sent, please don't take this the wrong way. Sometimes I just don't know how to respond.
You do not need to specify my muse when sending memes. Please specify your muse if you're a multimuse. Feel free to send memes or questions with "your choice," but don't be disappointed or ask me to change it if I respond with a muse you "didn't want." If you want a certain muse or range of muses, specify the name(s).
I love continuing asks! Even if it's short, it can still be fun and it gives us both extra bits and pieces of depth into our muses. Sometimes a meme can spark an idea for a great thread. I LOVE multiple threads! I am greedy. Give me all the threads!
I continue asks from the ask itself. The trim reblog system allows the ask to be trimmed away. If you want to continue an ask with me, reblog my answered ask.
I will no longer be posting chain-asks, and I likely won't be sending any either anymore. Though I deeply appreciate that you thought of me, the chain-asks get to be too much. If I want to spread love to a blog, I will do so with my own words.
I am embarrassingly bad at plotting. Please don't come to me thinking I am going to have all these awesome ideas... It's extremely unlikely that I will. I don't hate plotting, I'm bad at it. I will try to plot if you want to, but this is a fair warning that I struggle with the concept of plotting. Please don't get mad at me if I can't provide ideas.
The best way to start a thread with me is:
Sending and continuing asks.
Starter calls and responding to open starters.
Tagging me in random starters.
Open starters are always open. It doesn't matter if it was posted today or five years ago, or if it's been responded to. Open starters are always open!
HATE FREE BLOG. I don't give haters attention, look for the attention you want elsewhere. My muses are not a reflection of me. I'm a mess who requires peace.
Do not tell me you know nothing about my muse(s). The information is right there in my pinned post and blog description; a link to my muses where each muse has their details linked. If you need help accessing the links, let me know.
I am semi-selective and open to writing with non-mutuals. I try to give everyone a chance, but sometimes things don't work out and that is okay. If you followed me first, give me a couple days. If I haven't followed back by then, I likely won't.
Please soft block to break mutuals with me. If I fail to notice you've unfollowed, I may still continue to interact with you. Mutual checker does not work on sideblogs. I soft block to break mutuals. I do not like hard blocking people unless they've made me uncomfortable.
Feel free to drop a thread if you're no longer feeling it. You don't have to tell me; I'll assume anything not responded to is dropped, or I may ask. Want to continue it again down the road? Sure! There's no pressure here. Just have fun!
I am open to shipping my muses romantically, I love shipping, but I do admit I don't have a lot of experience writing romance. I am open to all relationships; friends, familial, enemies, etc. I am multi-ship. Each thread is separate, each romance is separate.
Pre-established ships, unplanned feelings that lead to a ship, easing into a ship. My/your muse has feelings but your/my muse doesn't. All is good. What matters is the mun not forcing a ship.
I am not comfortable writing smut and will not participate in that sort of writing. I will utilize a fade-to-black.
I have certain muses that are non-shippable, these muses are: Bailey (a child), Alpha, Delta, Miso, Rex and Vesper (animals).
No power playing. Moving along a small scene is okay, but don't control my muses' actions, words and don't assume that my muse is unable to dodge a move by yours.
I don't want to write with a "mary-sue." This means a muse that is deemed "perfect" with zero flaws; everybody loves them, they never make mistakes, they know everything there is, can do everything, etc. It's just not fun.
Quality over quantity! Replies don't need to be long to be good and fun. I only ask that you try not sending me one line if I write a large paragraph.
I only roleplay on tumblr. No exceptions, sorry, I will never write on discord or any other text messaging platform.
I do not send "passwords" or anything of the sort. I don't follow without reading rules. If I followed you, I have looked over your rules and muse(s). But do understand that on top of my memory problems, I read a lot of rules and muse bios. Things will be forgotten. I do often re-read prior to writing, but mistakes happen.
THESE RULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS NEEDED!
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December Reading Recap
I thought about trying to do some kind of 2022 reading summation/best of/worst of/whatever and I might still do that but right now I'm just going "too many booksahhh" so I'm just going to keep on going with month two of my "here's what I read this month" short reviews.
I read a lot this month, but unfortunately it involved several books that missed for me (but a few that I really enjoyed).
The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: vol. 1 by Meatbun Doesn't Eat Meat (Seven Seas Translation). I mean, as usual, even without knowing the actual quality of the translation as a translation I am still pining for a professional translator. And yet I'm still reading, because this is the way I have to read the thing as translated by an actual human, and I am enjoying it. This time around I am falling much more in love with Chu Wanning than I did the first time around when I was laser focused on Mo Ran as more nakedly ~my type~ but boy!! *pats Chu Wanning* this man can fit soooo many issues in him.
Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang. I feel like my relationship status with R.F. Kuang's writing should just be listed as "it's complicated" because I don't even know how I feel about this book, really. It's conceptually fascinating, it's doing so many cool things, the way she chose to end it is very bold and I respect the hell out of it, and something still just didn't quite...click for me in the way that I wanted it to.
I think it was that it felt a little heavy-handed with its metaphors. Which is fine, to be sure, and making your imperialism metaphors specifically about language and translation isn't something I've seen somebody do a lot with in fiction, but...yeah. I'm calling this one less a fault of the book and more a fault of the me, though; it definitely feels like a your mileage may vary situation.
Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke. I picked this up on a whim and it wasn't worth it. The book was very taken with its own cleverness; I was not.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. This was another one where the summary/description was more interesting than the actual book turned out being, which was, while readable and I was intrigued enough by the mystery to power through it pretty fast, underwhelming overall.
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. Some people (me) keep picking up retellings despite at this point knowing better; other people (me) keep picking up superhero-comics-inspired books despite at this point knowing better, only this time I was actually surprised by how much I liked it. It was legitimately a good story! And you know I'm always going to be a sucker for a story that takes the villain's side.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. I have the creeping feeling that this book was too sophisticated for me and I would have liked it more if I was more sophisticated, which is an unpleasant feeling to have.
I wanted more deep sea horror from it than I got - not in the sense of ~creatures and tentacles~ or anything, but this was far more a book about grief and loss than it was horror, and it was billed to me as the latter, so I came in from the wrong direction and was a little disappointed. It was a good book, though, and beautifully written.
Everything I Need I Get From You by Kaitlyn Tiffany. Had I known that the title of this book was from a One Direction song (I didn't) I might have anticipated more how much it was about bandom and therefore less relevant to my interests. It was also lighter on the analysis than I expected/wanted, so ultimately this one was a disappointment too.
Beowulf trans. by Maria Dahvana Headley. This is the first translation of Beowulf I have ever actually read (!) and after reading it I kind of wished that I'd read at least one other translation to compare it to. But a lot of the things she was doing with alliteration and assonance and rhythm in the language were just spectacular. And it gave me the chance to read this one (by this translator) coupled with:
The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley. Adding this to my "books to read in pairs" list alongside the Song of Achilles / Silence of the Girls dyad. It's been sitting on my shelf for a while now, and I finally got around to it as spurred by reading the original Beowulf text, and...whoa. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a while and I want other people I know to read it so I can bounce off their thoughts about it. If you haven't heard of it: this was billed as a retelling (I know) of the Beowulf story set in a gated community but I feel like the fact that it's based on Beowulf is almost beside the point in some ways, and in other ways it's very much in conversation with that text and lives alongside it and maybe a little in argument with it.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: vol. 4 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (Seven Seas Translation). I feel a little bad about how my reaction to this volume was a little bit "this was mostly a lot of Wangxian stuff so I was less excited about it" but there you go.
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo. I have to say, I read The Chosen and the Beautiful when it came out and was a little underwhelmed, but the synopsis for this one sounded interesting, and people kept raving about it, so I decided to give it a go, and I liked this one both (a) much better than The Chosen and the Beautiful and (b) just as a book without comparison needed. It also made me want to dig more into early film history. The way that this book is in love with (in a way) early film is also a delight to read, and while I can't call it subtle, it's eerie and beautiful in a way that really worked for me.
The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp. I read a lot of horror despite the fact that I end up underwhelmed by the vast majority of it. I was slightly less underwhelmed by this one than I expected to be, but that is, as you might note, not exactly an endorsement. Part of the problem was that I found the main narrator just too fucking hateable in a very specific way to feel anything about his suffering but vague, detached interest in where it was going to go.
Heaven Official's Blessing: vol. 5 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (Seven Seas Translation). I just love this book so much and everything about the reading experience is difficult to judge in an objective way because my brain just kind of goes "look at them go! look at these little dudes go! they're so funny :)" in a very empty-headed sort of way.
This volume does sort of fall between my favorite bits, though (after end of Black Water Arc, before the Hua Cheng's Sculpture Gallery), so while it started digging into some of the Crown Prince of Wuyong lore it didn't quite hit the parts that are juiciest for me.
The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett. This book made me so mad about public health policy. Like, so mad. I'm mad about it periodically anyway but this just made it worse. It's really good, very comprehensive overview of some of the emerging diseases since 1950, including Lassa, Ebola, antibiotic resistance, HIV/AIDS, and others. It's long, and definitely a rough read if you've got any kind of disease phobia (she isn't...gruesome about the clinical descriptions but she also isn't mincing words), but worth a read if you feel like you can do it and are interested in epidemiology.
There's definitely outdated terminology and some bits that made me squint about the book's politics, but overall the author's clear message of the need for holistic health policies for everybody mitigated a lot of those concerns (particularly the way the author repeatedly underlined the links between poverty and deprivation and vulnerability to illness, and the vitality of giving people a way out of that situation as part of public health policy.
The Bone Orchard by Sara Mueller. The last book I read in 2022! I'm so fascinated by everything this book was doing. There was some very interesting world-building under the skin of what was really mostly a mystery with a side of politics. And I say that favorably. Ultimately I'm not sure that it'd make my favorite books of the year list, but I'd give it a casual recommendation; that is, if someone was eyeing it to read I'd say it was worth picking up.
I'm currently reading Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism by Michelle Goldberg, which was published in 2007 (during the Bush years) and I can already tell reading it now is going to be an experience.
#sometimes i read things#reading recaps#man i read a lot in december#i guess that's what i was doing instead of writing
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CW: Mentions/Implications of Transphobia, Religion, Aphobia
I do end up telling at everyone, btw. I'm a bit pissed off near the end.
I'm a bit pissed off still...
I think the main reason I haven't come out to my parents as AroAce is because they're both very conservative Christans (LDS). They grew up that way, and they raised me that way. While they're open minded about a lot of things, they're close minded about a lot of things, too.
Both are very family oriented, my mother moreso than my father. They both want me and my sisters to get married and have kids and I don't know how to break it to them that I don't want that.
I've tried telling them without coming out. "The best I can offer are cats." or "I'm not interested in relationships." or the one I've been saying since I was in my single digits "I'm gonna be the crazy cat lady. I can't do that if I have other people I have to take care of."
(Honestly, that last one shoulda been my first clue. How the hell did I not know until senior year of hs?)
Both parents have brushed me off or ignored me completely. On several occasions. My aunts have all done the same. Some friends have done the same. All with varying excuses that I've already mentioned here before (and on TilTok).
I think the worst part is that they're both a bit transphobic, my father moreso than my mother. Mom is a bit more open minded (at least that I've noticed). She's a bit confused, but does her best to understand. Dad is a lot less so. He's actively watching things that are transphobic in nature or in passing, though I think he's realized that shit makes me uncomfortable, so he doesn't listen to it when I'm around. Only when he thinks I can't hear. (Doesn't work very well. I've got crazy good hearing and he watches with his speakers on full blast)
I'm not trans, but I have friends who are. My thought process is, if they can't accept that people are sometimes born in the wrong body, how will they ever accept someone stepping way back from what they were raised on?
Okay, I know those two things probably to connect in the way that I'm trying to convey, but I- I don't know how to explain it?
How do I convince people that I don't fall into the norms they were raised in when they can't even accept the norms that have been since the time of gods?
Does that make better sense?
The Queer Community has been around since humans started to walk the Earth. How does one explain this to people without things going to absolute shit?
I think I've gotten a bit off topic...
How does one tell their parents (who have been dreaming about their children having children to the point of "cursing" us with triplets) that getting married or having kids is not in their plans?
How does one get past the years of (what I can only label some kind of manipulation attempts) convincing that having kids and getting married will be the best thing to ever happen?
As I'm sure my fellow Aspecs can relate or attest to, it's extremely hard to tell a heteronormative society that you don't quite fall in with them. It's equally as hard to tell s homonormative group that you don't quite fit in with them, either.
On all sides, we're being pushed and pulled to fall in love and have families and have romances and have sex and all of these things! I think the reason we (at least from what little I've seen) feel so lonely is because we have little to no support. People on all sides are telling us we're wrong. People who are supposed to be on our team are telling us we're wrong.
Do you know how much that hurts?
Straight friends, gay friends, trans friends, queer friends, even fellow Aspecs have all told me some version of "You just haven't met your perfect person yet."
Fuck you.
Fuck whoever has ever said that in their life.
Fuck whoever has said that to someone who trusted them.
That line, and any line like it, is harmful.
I'm sorry you can't look past your rose coloured glasses to see the world. I'm sorry you can't pull your head outta your partner's(s) ass long enough to realize that not everyone is like you.
Yeah, I'm yelling at all of you. No discrimination here.
....
I really did go off topic...
I guess I really needed all that off my chest...
Regardless, I don't take any of it back.
#aroace#aspec#crisis#how does one deal with this?#how do I come out in a place like this?#is anywhere really safe?#being targeted on all sides
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About this blog (and its writer, obviously)
Writeblr-specific Intro (coming soon-ish)
Most used tags
About Feedback Asks (coming soon-ish)
What follows: About me | My values | What to expect on this blog | A word of caution regarding my own content/writing shares | A literature link
About me
I am a chaotic good trilingual Belgian lady, writer of character-driven Dark Fantasy, and I was diagnosed autistic in January '23 at the age of 42. I'm overall a happy person, gots a husband, two cats, a great love and passion for anime (subbed) and video games, reverence for Dragons and Death (yes, the entity), an obsession with emotions and psychology, and I tend to fangirl my own characters a lot. I'm real easy to get to know since I'm open about my life and myself.
I'm also chronically stressed and tired. The assumption here is that decades of unwitting masking, of functioning by societal norms, has slowly gotten me into a state of perpetual autistic burnout. This basically means that I have good days and bad days, depending on how brain chemistry decides to fare. Generally, I dislike getting into arguments and petty debates because they waste so much energy over nothing.
My values
These past decades have gotten me here: I am all about tolerance and communication and seeing the world through each other's eyes. As such, I love meeting people of all walks of life, be they fellow autistics, ADHD, bipolar, neurotypicals, and everything in between. I'm genuinely interested in understanding how people function.
However. Tired as I always am, I tend to do what feels natural to me without too much thought at times. This means, specifically for fellow autistics, that I don't adhere to the unwritten rules and social cues of the global autistic community. Concretely: I don't speak the lingo and won't cater to specific needs on my blog. This also applies to trigger warnings, which I don't recognize beyond 18+ and gore.
This means that, here, any and all topics can/may/will be discussed, and that everyone's welcome to pitch in an opinion/thought – as long as you do it respectfully. I am generally able to perceive the difference between responses made in anger and hurt, and targeted trolling. As said above, I do like to meet people of all kinds. There's also no need to adhere to any sort of Tumblr etiquette with me. Just come as you are. We'll see if we can get along.
What to expect on this blog
Since my activity spikes at times and I mainly enjoy scrolling BotW fanarts, arts in general, and posts about writing, I can only tell you for certain that herein you can find
reblogs about writing tips on varying subjects
reblogs of dark/beautiful artwork that appeals to me
the occasional autism reblog that speaks to my personal life
the even more occasional personal blog
the very occasional writing snippet from my own works
The most important thing to remember about personal input is that, when I write about any topic, be it eloquently or like a monkey on red bull, what I say is only my own personal opinion and experience. I'm open to being told I'm wrong on more general topics, not to be yelled at or otherwise bullied into compliance. I'm cute and friendly until I no longer am.
As stated above: I am all about tolerance and communication. I'll assume any bitchiness is a reaction of hurt if you extend the same courtesy to me. I'm open to discussing potential issues as long as you try to understand where I'm coming from, too.
A word of caution regarding my own content/writing shares
As stated above, I tend not to have a working filter when it comes to trigger warnings beyond 18+ and gore. I don't think in categories. My mind is a flow of feelings and emotions and thoughts and of life, beautiful and ugly, sometimes uplifting, sometimes rife with darkness and despair. And I need to express it all the only way I know how: by simply expressing it.
Therefore, reading any of my posts comes at your own discretion. I will assume you've read through the pinned post, and direct you here should you express any sort of uninformed displeasure at reading my posts.
Still here?
Wonderful :3. Now, how about I direct you to my current big project, Ario's story, and all five (almost six) parts in his story? Yes? Yes. :3
Basically the story of a young man who decided to flee his home country, gets stuck on a ship, and then problems, comedy, sappiness and all sorts of delicious moments occur. The Dark Fantasy part is coming up in part 6. Stay tuned!
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Do you have any recommendations for zines?
I ended up writing a pretty long front-matter to this ask, so I've put it all under a Read More. If you only want the resources, feel free to skip to the end
So: I am always going to be a little too pedantic and autistic for a comprehensive, unambiguous rec list. Someone asked me what my favorite book was once, and it felt like my brain stalled and rebooted five times.
Don't get me wrong! I love putting specialized recommendations together, like puzzle-box mystery novels, or horror genre video games with thematic emphasis on grief, or documentaries on sewage treatment
But I am very, very bad at recommending general purpose Media full stop. alas I am a fussy and particular creature who hisses at five star rating systems on review websites because I think using the same Quality Metric regardless of genre and medium and purpose is Silly
Making recs gets even more difficult with things like zines, where they are small press by nature. A lot of my favorite zines are DIY projects with Very Small Distributions. One of my prized possessions is a small, hand-drawn zine of one hundred cats the artist drew with their eyes closed, which they gave to me for free because they liked my shirt. But that's a zine that means something to me because of circumstance and taste and my own ability to pick it up in person
Your mileage tends to vary with this stuff. If I found a Repo The Genetic Opera zine that ranks every organ in the human body, I have friends that would love that WAY more than I would, and I'd probably send it their way. If I found a zine about Gundam and gender and disability and idealized bodies that have been shaped into weapons, then I have dozens of friends I would need to send copies of it to, but that wouldn't make it any less niche. Zines are for VERY specific audiences. That's one of the best things about them!
That Being Said! There ARE popular, more-accessible, or more well-known zines and artists with broader appeal, and I mean that in an enthusiastic, complimentary manner.
I've even seen zines being advertised on my tumblr dashboard. Zines like:
Oh No! A kidpix zine by Louie Zong (Pay what you want- all proceeds donated to LA Foodbank)
Golem Zine is a publication by and for Jewish creatives living in areas where Jewish life is challenged. Their Out West issue sold out before I could grab a copy ($10 per issue, physical)
FYMA: A Lesser Key to the Appropriation of Jewish Magic & Mysticism goes hand in hand with the previous zine, I think (Pay what you want)
But you're more likely to get something that caters to your specific interests and artistic sensibilities by getting in touch with your community members, asking friends who have similar tastes, or checking out some of these resources:
Your Local Library (I'm being serious here-- your library likely has connections to local artists, galleries, resources, and e-resources that can set you on the path to zines you'll enjoy)
Any local art walk or small press events near you (your library can help you find these)
Itch.io's Zine Tag (Adding more tags will help you filter these)
Papercut Zine Library's Virtual Library
Internet Archive's Zine Collections
The DC Punk Archive Zine Library (Specific to punk and DIY interests, as you might imagine)
The Library of Congress Online Zine Web Archive Collection
QZAP (The Queer Zine Art Project)
POCZP (People of Color Zine Project-- and they're on tumblr!)
Hevelin Fanzine Collection (Literally a bunch of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy fanzines that were all collected by one guy which are now being digitized)
From Staple to Spine: A Compendium of Zine-Related Books (This doesn't have zines itself, but the books included can be a great starting point for where you should be looking and what will be of interest to you)
I also recommend making your own zine! It's fun to make things and put words and images on paper.
And if you downloaded the bundle for Racial Justice and Equality off itch.io, you already own the Electric Zine Maker (Warning for brightly colored, glitched, and moving visual elements that may cause eyestrain. I would also be wary if you're prone to migraines)
I know this has been a Lot and I got a bit carried away, but I hope that this helps you in your quest for finding cool, obscure art made by people who care deeply about niche topics. Personally, that's my favorite kind of art
#asks#anonymous#recs#resources#should i tag this as research aids. i feel like this is now a research aid
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I literally adore the way you write shiggy and I've gotten obsessed over that little crusty. You write all bnha characters amazingly and that's why I'm very curious about your dabi ban. Just out of pure curiosity why not dabi despite you'd write him amazingly? I mean to be honest there's million good reasons to leave that melting ass on his own but which did you pick ? Thank you for your amazing content all the same and you're the best!
Oh that. Long story short - I have daddy issues. (・・；)
TW: alcoholism, death, child abuse
So... part of the reason I'm so awol on and off for these last 6 months is my father died of his alcoholism and alcoholism induced dementia in Dec.
My childhood was a mixture of two types of memories:
A loving, supportive father who was super proud of me to other people (and many times, to my face).
A: Showed up to every childhood play, project, band concert even if it meant being penalized for taking off work
B: Damn near punched a female gym teacher who told me to "suck it up and stop pretending" when my endometriosis left me so anemic I was blacking out.
C: Raised me to learn that my opinion was valued and of equal weight to the adults in the home when making family decisions. As a result, numerous adults told my parents "It's so weird. Your daughter looks me in the eye and speaks to me like an adult even though she's so young".
D: Supported my mom through multiple college degrees by handling my brother and I, the cooking, the bills, the mail and anything else she didn't have the emotional energy for.
E: Being a life line to numerous friends with PTSD from military service, dangerous marriages, etc. When it came to protecting others, my father never backed down from a bully even if it put him in danger for his own life.
A red faced, frothing mad, perfectionist who screamed me out of the house over the following things:
A: The dishes being in the wrong place in the dishwasher (the "correct location" changed weekly so it was impossible to do it right)
B: Being unable to spell words which were far below my reading level despite having perfect grades in every subject and a vocabulary large enough to pass the English component of the GRE at 12 years old. (Turns out I have dyslexia. Found that out at the age of 25.)
C: Telling him I was too scared to drive with him because he was unable to stand up. We now know that, for him, that means his BAC was over 3.0%.
There is much more to it then that, but this is what I am will to talk about on the internet.
As to my fathers death: he got black out drunk, injured himself, had multiple surgeries to fix the injury, had been detoxed for 3 months, was literally coming home in 12 hours, and died from a massive blood clot to the lungs (while on 3 blood thinners) as my mother was walking through the threshold to his hospital room.
So... what does this have to do with Dabi? This basically:
Don't get me wrong. Unlike most of tumblr, I do not hate Endeavor. I think his character is well done, the Todoroki's varied reactions to the abuse are horrifyingly realistic, and the way he projects a public image and a private image is spot on. Honestly, in many ways, he's the opposite of my dad's sweet, soft sober personality, but the abuse resonates perfectly except for two things:
Endeavor canonically regrets what he did and tried to change (it'll never be enough, but he's trying).
My father couldn't remember, so there was neither regret nor acknowledgment of the abuse nor any attempts to change it.
As to which of the BNHA children I feel best represents me: it depends on the day. When I can recall the kindness, I'm Fuyumi. When I recall the heated arguments about how he was going to die of liver failure, I'm Shoto. When I recall how my mother had to spend her entire marriage being his "handler" at every social event, I'm Natsuo.
I when I recall all the times I hid with my cat in my room as he shrieked at me through the door... well...
However, unlike Shigaraki, I will never get closure for my abuse.
Where does that leave me?
I just can't bring myself to be romantic about the worst parts of myself. I want to forgive, if for no other reason then this hatred will eat my soul if I do not. However, my feelings are just so raw that Dabi hits too close to home.
#badcatasks#tw alcoholism#tw dabi#tw endeavor#tw child abuse#shit got real fast bro#I'm too much like Dabi#I wish I was more like Shigaraki
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