good morning sillies im replaying our life

I have a primal need to see Julian get confronted by John dorys brothers.

I know branch would be ready with a bat lol

Julien found dead in Miami

oh my god. look at him. what a little bitch.

“Wdym you read fanfiction? that’s so lame” SHUT UP AND LET ME HAVE MY LITTLE GAY GUYS OKAY?

I NEEEED people—especially those with unfathomably large platforms???—to start doing just a tiny bit of internal evaluation before they log onto a blue website and say “I don’t want these queer characters to fuck in canon” or “I’d be fine if these characters never kissed again” or whatever.

This is a post about Good Omens and the prospect of Aziraphale and Crowley potentially having sex in season 3. It's a response to a tweet that I'm crossposting, but let it be known the above statement and this topic applies broadly across multiple fandoms too.

But anyway, in regards to Good Omens specifically:

I am seeing this take that essentially boils down to "Canon has now made it clear that these characters want to have sex with each other through subtext (i.e. Aziraphale and the ox), but I don’t want that to reach narrative completion because the idea of them having sex makes me uncomfortable or isn’t my personal preference” and it is, to put it mildly and delicately, A Very Bad Take.

This is rhetorical (and I do not expect or particularly want an answer), but: explain to me how and why queer characters who are unavoidably visibly queer (aka 2 "man-shaped beings") fucking on screen wouldn’t be a net positive, especially when you can indicate how canon has set it up.

Presumably, some people say things like this because ~they want to see them as visibly ace.~ Okay. But by some of these people’s own admission, there IS more evidence in canon now to indicate these characters crave sex with each other (vs arguing otherwise)... yet people would rather that be ignored/erased all for the sake of them feeling comfortable or feeling better about what canon shows or doesn’t show explicitly??

I’m sorry, but—speaking as an ace person, to be clear—your personal preferences for the story shouldn’t / don’t affect anything here. There’s too much in this.

Yeah, I understand on a personal level not having “representation.” I almost never see myself or my unique experiences and identity reflected in stories. And yet, I also understand that that doesn’t change any story or the world in which we live. Things like this are not said in a vacuum.

Any queer characters having sex on screen IS a net positive. It is rare and impactful, and openly calling for or hoping for otherwise when canon points to its potential is a detrimental alliance with purity culture, whether intentionally or accidentally. Because we live in a Goddamn society!

Who knows (other than Neil Gaiman) whether Aziraphale and Crowley ARE going to fuck on international TV. None of us do! But the subtext right now blatantly says they’re starving for it. And you don’t have to like the prospect of that, but honestly? We SHOULD get to see it play out. There’s no truly legitimate reason we shouldn’t ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Whether you "prefer" it or not.

And my ultimate hot take is… if someone balks at the idea of that or doesn’t understand the importance of it, despite even seeing the subtext… then they should perhaps unpack that? Just a thought.

Truly the way fandoms are managing to hit either “subtext doesn’t count :/ ” or “let’s keep it to subtext so it’s ‘open to interpretation’ :) ” nowadays depending on what corner one visits is MADDENING. Whiplash-inducing. Surreal. And so much nonsense you can’t pick where to start.

So! I do genuinely hope I'm not kicking off discourse but I felt this Needed To Be Said (and on more than one site). Because posts like “even if they never kiss again, we’ve won <3 “ make me want to be like…

These characters are YEARNING. Do not doom them and us to it. For once, we can reach for the stars and maybe–against all odds–pull them down. Embrace it!

---

[Update: after more discourse has occurred, I have somewhat elaborated on this further, from the POV of the significance of the queer themes in Good Omens and more specifically how they center illicit pleasure/desire]

The ineffable and ever-mysterious Cover Anon, who's gifted me not one but five fic covers for Shanties, has done it again, with the most stunning cover for my recently completed Mnemosyne, this time by the brilliant Checheven.

I am beyond words. What an incredible gift after finishing this fic.

stottlemeyer really upped his wooing game after season 4.

him: *holds monk's hand to help him down and constantly wraps an arm around his shoulder and hides heights from view and compliments him and tells him jokes and helps him calm down and tells him that what he does is like magic and 'you look really sharp in that uniform' and 'i won't allow that to happen again' AND THEN NOT TO BREAK HIS HEART AND CALLS HIM THE BEST-*

CORPSE

Amorra🤝Mylaurie

Problematic ships

A woman dating a masked guy

Shang tsung x reader hcs

Reader is gn

*note: this isn't mk12 shang. Never will be. So.....sorry bout your poor taste in shang tsung iterations. Imagine any other version of shang. Thank you.*

Cw:mentions of nsfw(nothing heavy),fluff,mentions of a s/o who self harms and has mental illness/depression.

🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍💚🐍

Shang Tsung with a s/o that is.....

Shang tsung with a kind,sweet,gentle s/o. One that is shy,maybe a bit more of the demure side. Or even just a person who isn't an assertive type. Either way a s/o that is more softer and sweeter. A sweet gentle soul. Shang tsung would absolutely love you. It's a breath of fresh air to him. To come home to a gentle energy. Someone he can look to and see innocence in this cold and unforgiving world that is MORTAL KOMBAT. to him,you are his sanctuary. To him you are the closest to heaven he will ever get. And he is so so grateful for that.

Shang tsung with a more spunky,energetic and lively s/o. One who is active and maybe bounce off the walls goofy. Just a jovial little imp you are! One who shitposts memes at 3am and major crackhead energy. (I love you people fr) you are an absolute delight. You Make him laugh till his sides hurt. He's never felt like this in decades,centuries even. Never have you made him feel so alive,so youthful,and full of surprises. He loves your energy. He feels while your behavior can be annoying af at times. He appreciates your sincerity and despite the darkness around you you still find humor and life in everything. He has major respect for that. (You n johnny cage maaaaay get along. But hey i hc shang's cool with johnny,but like a silly puppy and moody dad kinda friendship. They could kill each other but they'd rather talk about kung fu cinema) you are absolutely precious to him.

Shang with a more aggressive,assertive,and angy(?) S/o. Maybe someone prone to easily be angered. Or even someone willing to throw hands and give out a can of whoop ass. Oh thank the elder gods he doesn't have to defend you! Not that he minds,he does love the praise he gets for that. But he feels relieved that you can handle yourself. Not to mention,its kinda hot to him when you get angry. Not at him of course....then again....the thought has crossed his mind....anyways. shang tsung loooooves sparring with you! Unf it's his bread n butter. He feels so alive with every kick and punch you throw. He always is sad when you are done tho. He always craves more. But both of you im sure are busy. But he loves you just the same.

Shang tsung with a s/o that is moody,sad,battles with depression,maybe self harm? He would be extra careful with his beloved. He would check in on you regularly. Pay extra special attention to your needs and make sure you take any medication you need to take. He would teach you techniques to help ease your inner demons. As he understands that struggle. He absolutely knows what to say,what to do,and how to help you. And if he can't help you. He will find someone who can. He will always be there to comfort you and give you advice when you need him to. He may be a dark sorcerer,but he is ruthless. NEVER HEARTLESS. especially with you. He loves you. And doesn't want to lose you. He cherishes you so so much. So whatever battles you face. He will be at your side,to crush any foe or neurosis that stand in your way to glory!

Shang tsung with a s/o that loves to cook. Omfg have his hand in marriage already! You make such amazing foods. Even if its simple. Even if it's just the most basic ass shit. The love you put into it. The fact that you even bothered to give him foods he loves! Unf. This man is over the moon! He absolutely loves you cooking for him. Better if its homemade,and a personal recipe. He absolutely loves you. He may even help you cook. Bonding time.

Shang tsung with a s/o who is chubby,thicc,and got some rolls on them.(this is gn but this is especially for fem persenting peeps. I see you. I got you!) Oh my god he would adore you. He loves your voluptuous curves. He loves how you always seem to look so flawless in everything. And even if you dont feel that way. He still loves you. Because he fell for your soul....not your body honey. Tho...he'd be foolish not to admit. He loves hanging onto every inch of you. Dragging his claws from his gauntlets across your skin. And the loveable little squees you make in response. Hee hee. What can i say my mans a glutton for a teasing. >:3c. But shang would absolutely adore you. Softness and sweetness. Perfect.

Shang tsung with a s/o that kinda is awkward with themselves. Not hating themselves,just awkward. He would totally gas you up! Especially if you get flustered and blush. Fave pastime is making you blush.

Shang tsung doesn't care about where you come from. Ethnicity,nationality,realm. He loves it all. He doesn't care. The man is 500yrs old. Do you think he gives a rat's ass?! Hell no. He would absolutely love to learn about you. He loves to learn. Knowledge is power. And what better way than to gain it by your side. He's stubborn but not to the point of reluctance to learn fron others. Sometimes he knows but not the extent. Sometimes he'll be surprised. Either way. He loves you. (Idgaf why would shang care about your ethnicity? Like there's so many different people in mk rosters anyways. So any x readers from any character that had this was dumb to me,and childish. Black,white,asian,American,European,lizard,shokan,dragon,rabbit person,mortal,immortal,doesn't fucking matter. If shang tsung likes you and wants to peruse you. He fucking will. And nothing will stop him if he genuinely loves you,unless you give him a reason not to. Which you wont. Also if shang genuinely loves you he will show it differently than if he's trying to gain something from you and get you riled up or if its not genuine. Biiiig difference but that's for another post)

Shang would love you in your best and worst of times. During the lows and the highs. He's in it for the long haul. He doesn't play when it comes to the matters of the heart. He's all in or nothing. He wouldn't bother perusing you if he didn't think you two would be in a long established relationship. Marriage or not. He is loyal to his beloved. Only to his beloved. He's a snek to others. Not to you. He'd burn all the realms to see you safe and happy and loved. He'll die for you,he'd kill for you. Either way what bliss? He's absolutely over the moon for you.

Shang tsung is basically a martial arts master asian gomez in love. Whatever and however you are. He will absolutely love you. Cherish you. Treasure you. Every moment. Period. I don't make the rules. He loves you sorry. And you are his,heart AND soul. uwu.

Hope y'all appreciate this. I wanted to make this to say basically tldr. Shang tsung loves you no matter what. And idc what people say.

💖💅🏻💋🔥🐍🐉🏝

someone: i wish tobias kept copia's old nose- me: makes out with them

the minisodes and Aziraphale's understanding of moral grey areas

ok so i was explaining the entire plot of s2 to a friends yesterday, and realised something about the minisodes that is so obvious in retrospect-

in a companion to owls, Aziraphale spends most of the time wondering about what is actually right or wrong and what god really wants and so on - of course, by the end he sees that you can do something 'bad' (like lying to thwart the will of god) and not be entirely a bad person for it - starting to see that moral greys exist, but Crowley has to really really encourage him to do it

in the resurrectionists, the first half he's on 'this is entirely bad', is presented with a grey situation by Crowley (& Dalrymple), but immediately goes straight to 'this is all good' - by the end, he sees that really it was neither (sort of) - but once again, crowley has to really prompt him into seeing the nuance

but, by the end of the 1941 minisode, he says 'well, maybe there is something to be said for shades of grey' - almost completely umprompted by Crowley. he doesn't need convincing, or Crowley to tell him that he can't do bad things cos he's an angel (which Crowley doesn't believe, surely, but he can convince Aziraphale into doing most things by telling him that), he just. accepts the moral grey of everything that just happened. (and presumably apologises for making Crowley shoot at him. or something. he does the dance at least)

this is showing the progression in Aziraphale's character - he goes from being fully convinced he'll become a demon for lying one (1) time to save the lives of children, to at least trying to see how something as initially 'completely bad' as bodysnatching can be an attempt to, in his words, 'alleviate human suffering' (good, even if he missed the point), to being able to say that he, an angel, can do things that aren't purely good. seemingly without any major anxiety over it either. and largely unprompted.

his character is not fully developed yet, and he's still pinging wildly between viewing everything as good/bad heaven/hell demons/angels, and moral greys, nuance, and 'our side'. but he is getting there. slowly.

My head is filled with thoughts of Eliza RDR II, and what could have been.

If you don't know, originally, allegedly, Eliza – Arthur's dead baby's mother in canon – was supposed to be alive and part of the gang during the game (a model for her, a few dialogues, and mission marker were found in the files), and Roger Clark (Arthur’s actor) confirmed that Isaac was supposed to die during the first chapter when the gang arrive in Colter.

So, I can't stop thinking about what she could have been – who was she ? Would she have still been a waitress the gang had picked up earlier and ended up sleeping with Arthur ? Or would she have joined the gang after getting pregnant ? What would have been the context of her and Arthur sleeping together ? Would she have been a rebound for Mary, just a one night stand, something more ? Were they still planning to make her nineteen ? It would have made the fact that Arthur, thirty-six, had slept with her iffy.

ELZ1's mission marker show she would have been a bit farther away from Colter, Abigail seems to the be one starting the mission by asking Arthur to go look for Eliza. She likely ran off after her baby's death – maybe to kill herself from exposure the same way Isaac died. I don't know if Arthur’s voiceline of "Well, there's easier way." is related to the first bit of dialogue but if it is, it sound almost dismissive and callous like I take it as him saying there's easier way to kill yourself. But maybe I'm just misunderstanding the tone. Or I'm assuming too much.

But the tone make me think Arthur could have been similarly dismissive of her as John is with Abigail. I mean, he wasn't a stellar dad by canon already.

Arthur's voiceline "You look at me like the devil himself" could either imply she resented Arthur – maybe blaming him for having slept with her or maybe she joined the gang specifically after getting pregnant so she blame him and the gang for her baby's death – or it's just Arthur antagonizing people as usual.

The fact she appears in 1907 (ELZ5 and the voicelines) means she would have survived the gang (good for her!). John not recognizing her make me think either she changed physically, or she was maybe newer to the gang before the downfall so John doesn't have that clear memory of her.

I know she was very likely not that developed, cut quite early if we take Roger Clark's words into account, but it doesn't stop the few bit and pieces we can find being so interesting. Cut content always fascinate me, even if we can never be sure if we're just making too many assumptions or if we're right.

Hot damn, what a man~! 

Blood splatterless version: 

And stop being weird creeps in the comments, for the love of Roy. 

Beach sketches from our first day!! Seeing an actual place called Sugar Planet was highly entertaining for me. Haven’t been inside yet but it looks promising 👀

Also I left my usual tiny notebook at home so I had to spend a whole EXTRA THREE DOLLARS GOD to get a new one on the way. Disgusting. how dare I be forced to spend a trivial amount of money to buy something I already own and did not need a replacement for. Curse the holes in my brain >:/