#this is also what the god of light is doing to modern humans with regard to their divinely-blessed predecessors--

[bestworstcase]

something something "your mother said those words to me" being the cruelest retort salem can think of when ruby upsets her

ruby shatters trying to be who summer was and now she's trying to put herself back together with "i'll be who you were and i'll be even more"

salem's father punishes her for her mother's death in childbirth by imprisoning her literally in her mother's "favorite place" and treating salem herself as a proxy, an inadequate replacement for her mother with no personhood of her own.

(the way ruby's self-identity is so distorted by the reflection of summer is in itself a fractal repetition of salem's story; of course salem is both the one who "took [her] mother" and the one who cracks the mirror)

#this is also what the god of light is doing to modern humans with regard to their divinely-blessed predecessors-- #''you killed them and you're worthless and if you don't live up to my shallow conception of what they were you deserve to suffer and die'' #--in case anyone hasn't picked up on that yet #anyway the reason salem can so clearly see and strike at ruby's deepest trauma is that it's identical to her own. theme and variation. #also the thought of what the real history must have been like for *the sanitized fairytale* to have so much horrifying detail #keeps me up at night.

[lilyandthegenshinbrainrot]

I think it's really cool how the different nations are all so loyal to their archons in different ways

Mondstadt is frequently mocked for their supposed weakness and negligent archon, and yet the people of Mondstadt are strong believers. I think the western fandom especially is so uncomfortable with the church and their faith bc it's so familiar for irl christianity, but in game there's no evidence for the things that many fics portray. I think the way that Mondstadt specifically treats Barbatos is almost like a role model of a god, where he's not their divine judge but he's the divine example. Their god who took down Decarabian for them, their god who fought out Durin, their god who returned when they needed him. Mondstadt believes in Barbatos very personable and honorably. He is something for them to live up to, and in this way, it's very easy to see him in a parental light. You could almost say the most dedicated believers are akin to children wearing their father's shoes, such as Barbara and the NPC Michelle, who cares for the windmills. I'll continue this thought process later

Liyue is so interesting bc their faith seems to be directly correlated to success and well-being, which isn't something that I'm directly familiar with, but it makes sense for both what I have heard of its irl counterpart and for the titles that Rex Lapis has. During the Liyue archon quests, we listen to these merchants who all speak of circumstances that allowed their business to flourish and how it brought them fulfillment. Just as Rex Lapis had wished for them, peace and prosperity. Unlike Mondstadt, Liyue does not believe their god to be "one of them," He is an Archon first, holy and celestial. A god of war and stone next, powerful and reliable second. Lastly, he is an adeptus, the Prime Adeptus, enlightened and divine. He is so far above their level of mortality, that to imagine him as a human is laughable. It comes across as something entirely unthinkable, and yet there is also Rex Lapis Undercover, a book series that is referenced frequently. This doesn't change anyone's perspective on Rex Lapis' holiness, but it simply goes to show him as a compassionate god.

Inazuma brings the first real complicated relationship with religion to the game, despite Keqing's best efforts. This nation is undoubtably loyal to the Raiden Shogun, and yet its the same shogun who led them to war and starvation. The relationship is complicated as a result, but not to everyone involved. As players, we placed emphasis on the Vision Hunt Decree, but what really hurt the general population of Inazuma was the closing of their borders. It negatively affected more families and the well-being of the country because it cut out the external resources Inazuma needed to live. How do you worship a god who brings harm like this? Well, Inazuma was around for many years and overcame many troubles, perhaps the average citizen simply hoped this would be another of their great accomplishments. We see the people here regard the Raiden Shogun as a "perfect, just king" so to speak. Now I use the word "perfect" in a philosophical way to emphasis that ultimately, the general population did not really think the Shogun herself was doing anything wrong. She was doing the ultimately best thing she could possibly do for the country, thereby being a perfect ruler (as see by the shogunate warriors in present time but also in Ei's second story quest). Most NPCs blamed the troubles they faced on the Tri-Commission or the Resistance in Watatsumi, not Raiden Ei.

Sumeru continues this theme of complicated relationships with religion, almost reminiscent of Watatsumi. They celebrated dead gods, Rukkhadevata and King Deshret. They were the foundation of the Sumeru's culture and belief system, to the point where many simply believed in gods loosely enough for them to be more of a symbol of their modern life instead of something genuinely divine. I think this is curious because this is not the take I would expect from Sumeru. I mean, the people of Mond are reassured by the wind in their city, people of Liyue are reassured by the mora and success they make, people of Inazuma recognize the Shogun in the storms around them never striking home. Sumeru is surrounded by gorgeous landscapes and unlimited knowledge, and yet if not for Rukkhadevata or Deshret, they would be a rather agnostic nation. Until, of course, Kusanali and her archon quest. I don't really. know how to describe the current Sumeru faith base rn bc of the changes made to Irminsul and unstable environment of the nation.

#genshin impact world building #mondstadt #liyue #inazuma #sumeru #genshin impact

[kradogsrats]

raised to spouse the question of “wait, what the hell is Opeli High Cleric OF, exactly, in this setting that appears to be completely devoid of actual religion?” last night, causing us to rehash a discussion that apparently we had before and I somehow completely forgot (thanks ADHD?)

Opeli is very clearly designed to look religious, and she has this explicitly religious title in some official sources (Callum’s Spellbook, at least... I haven’t dug through the novelizations to see if it’s referenced there), but for a fantasy setting TDP is actually shockingly areligious. Where there would usually be gods of various elemental powers, instead there are the primal sources, regarded more as natural phenomena. (And also, through the arcana, instilling a bit of the divine in every Xadian, but that’s irrelevant.) The Archdragons, which could also be a focus of religious worship, are instead portrayed and regarded as essentially political beings. (Rayla acknowledges Sol Regem’s power and prestige, but also that he’s kind of a dick in a very non-reverent way.)

Opeli is also presented entirely as political--every official source description of her emphasizes her focus on law and her competence as an administrator. Not her spirituality. Not her religious morality. Those simply don’t exist. In fact, the rituals we see performed in Katolis are also pretty much devoid of any religious significance. Take Harrow’s funeral: there’s a prescribed set of rituals around the burial of a king, including a set amount of time that the body is expected to lie in state before interment. But Viren breaking those rules is a violation of propriety, not blasphemy. He has offended Opeli and the traditions of Katolis, but not god. And Harrow’s soul isn’t going to be trapped in the the mortal realm because his body was destroyed early, or anything. It’s just rude.

It’s all just legalistic ritual. Which aligns with Opeli’s character as described, sure, but the religious nature of her design still makes me itchy.

I’d like to do a deeper check for references to religion in canon through rewatch/reread, even just any errant “gods/god” light cursing, but until then the only thing I remember is in the Tales of Xadia sourcebook’s section on--get this--Startouch elves. It describes a poem held by the Royal Library of Evenere called “The Epic of the Void,” which pre-dates the fall of Elarion and is held in greatest secrecy and security:

Those hoping to study the poem must petition the High Mage of Evenere personally, but she is notoriously strict in allowing access to the work. Most hopeful readers are turned away without explanation (and often with a stern lecture on the sacred nature of Startouch scholarship), creating ever more mystery around this ambiguous poem.

(Emphasis added.)

A stanza of the poem is included:

Where do the fabled Great Ones hide? What secrets have you locked inside? From rising Sun to Moonlight’s grace I search the Sky for any trace Of Starfolk, fabled, fallen, found-- Once everywhere, now none around. Is all we are to know of thee Consumed by Dark, or cast to Sea? So bound to Earth, are we denied The touch of Stars? Have our Gods died? Where do the fabled Great Ones hide?

(Again, emphasis added.)

So a) nice tie-in with the recent Aaravos short Patience, but b) wasn’t Aaravos just casually standing around at the expulsion of humans from Xadia? Pretty sure that was after the fall of Elarion. So unless he’s like... the only Startouch elf who has ever manifested on Xadia, something’s weird. (Also, just for fun, c) note the inclusion of Dark among the references to the primals.)

So idk but what I’m getting here is that modern humans are largely areligious, but deep in the history of human culture there is the concept of a plural divinity associated with the stars that has, for some reason, not survived. This could be something shared in elven culture, but the inclusion of dark magic with the other primal sources in the poem implies a human author, and the same section in Tales of Xadia describes an elven children’s rhyme that references Startouch elves being gone(tm) but not really distinct from other elves. (Elves are more likely to have religion-adjacent rituals associated with their primals, imo. For example, the ostentatious purification ritual of the Sun elves.)

Anyway, to circle back to what started the discussion: Opeli’s role is almost definitely more of a “master of laws and rituals” one than a “spiritual guide” one, and also (the real reason I was thinking about this) the routine mild blasphemy used by humans for emphasis would likely be “gods,” or possibly some variant of “stars,” “stars above,” etc.

#the dragon prince #yes i did all of this to figure out what people should be saying during sex #i am a simple creature #'stars' bothers me because it was heavily adopted by star wars fandom so now i get cognitive dissonance #i should just buy digital editions of the novelizations shouldn't i #being able to search text would be SO useful

[tornrose24]

Heyo. For the Memorable fanfic scenes, the ones that come to mind would be Second Braid where the townsfolk start to attack CU with one throwing a brick at him. It was such a change in mood and how horrifying the people turned on our favorite hero. That was good. Oh, and the play scene in the Heart Made of Pine story with George and Harold's friends putting on a show for the orphans and Edith. That was super cute.

For that one question.... which I guess is a meme.

‘Second Braid’ (The Tangled Au that we made together, as found on Archive of our Own and Fan fiction dot net.)

I’m sure NONE of my readers were expecting this moment. I knew I would be getting into some deep, dark territory with that. 

So there is a bit of how reality might play out when it comes to CU as a character. There’s bound to be people who would NOT be happy to the accidental destruction he causes in fights. Sadly we as humans are prone to lashing out at things we don’t fully understand or its going to be in our nature to just lash out period. So the question was ‘what if people were angry enough at CU to try to physically harm him?’

As much as I wanted to explore that scenario… it is heartbreaking to imagine. He wouldn’t MEAN to cause that kind of destruction, but as a child’s creation who sees things as if the world is one big comic book, it probably limits his understanding. God forbid what would happen if we had set this AU in our modern day Piqua.

It was also important to establish a crucial plot point long before it would be mentioned–while there’s people who would hate Krupp, there’s also people who would hate CU. There’s very few people who equally love both sides to this person regardless of if they knew the truth or not. It was going to be obvious with Krupp, but it REALLY needed to be clear with CU…. And yes, it was really harsh. Even mores when the best CU stories require us to see him as his own person capable of feelings, choices, and desires.

And one of the scariest things about that scene was the fact that the boys almost got hurt as well by these same people. But it was also a chance to show that CU WOULD take those blows for them if they were to be at risk too, because that is in his nature to do anything possible to protect them.

‘A Heart made of Pine’ (as found on Archive of our Own’)

In contrast to heartbreak, we go into heartwarming.

I remember that was one of the very first ideas I had when it came to that AU (since those drawings came out first back in January or February…. Uh… 2019 or 2020). That was partly inspired by the ‘Little Wooden Head’ song in Pinocchio and I could see the boys recreating their stories with a CU puppet if they ever had their hands on one (as we could see in those segments in The Epic tales of Captain Underpants). 

I liked having the boys show off both their creativity and their kindness. In fact it was one of the first scenes I was looking forward to writing due to the charm and innocence about it. There’s something pure about writing a scene with children where they are having fun and just being themselves. And to just get swept up into the fun of imagination and story telling. (And in real life there is something so wondrous and pure about being able to capture a child’s attention when you tell them a story.) There was something sweet about the kids and even Edith regarding the puppet as a real person and to thus be able to escape into a better world, even if it was just for one moment.

And given the time period this fic is set in, that personal, interactive kind of entertainment has an additional importance. In the bleakest of times, those moments of light will always shine the brightest.

 I also had Edith included because there’s such an odd charm about meeting the person who is about to become your love interest as a work of fiction/a creation before they are made into a real being that will directly interact with you. A cute way to set up the irony before it would all finally pay off as story wise, I wanted to have something sweet and innocent that could play into how that relationship would develop. However there’s also tying into who she is as a character since I’ve always seen her as someone who gets along with kids, so she would likely enjoy being a part of make believe. (Also I recall a reader comparing her involvement to that one scene in Robin Hood where Marion is playing pretend with the kids, so I think that might have served as some inspiration too.)

#captain underpants #I love how these moments contrast #but I was really into these scenes when I wrote them #cu tangled au #cu pinocchio au #egg casserole

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Fill Up My Joy By Being United In Love And Humility

1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of  love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any deep-feelings and compassions, 2 fill-up my joy, which is that you be thinking the same thing, having the same love, united-in-spirit, thinking the one thing, 3 doing nothing based-on selfish-interest nor based on conceit, but with humble-mindedness regarding one another as surpassing yourselves; 4 not each looking-out-for your own things, but also each the things of others.

Think And Behave Like Christ Did

5 Be thinking this in you, which also was in Christ Jesus— 6 Who, while being in the form of God, did not regard the being equal with God a thing-to-be-grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, having taken the form of a slave, having come in the likeness of humans. And having been found as a man in outward-appearance, 8 He humbled Himself, having become obedient to the point of death— and a death of a cross! 9 Therefore God also highly-exalted Him, and granted Him the name above every name 10 in-order-that every knee should bow at the name of Jesus— of heavenly ones and earthly ones and ones under-the-earth— 11 and every tongue should confess-out that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Work Out Your Salvation As Shining Lights In The World, Holding Out The Word of Life

12 So then my beloved, just as you always obeyed— not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence— be working-out your salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For God is the One working in you both the wanting and the working, for His good-pleasure. 14 Be doing all things without grumblings and arguments 15 in-order-that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without-blemish amidst a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you are shining as lights in the world, 16 holding-out the word of life— for a boast for me in the day of Christ that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain!

But Let Us Rejoice Together No Matter What Happens To Me

17 But if I even am being poured-out upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am rejoicing [over it], and rejoicing-with you all. 18 And you also be rejoicing the same way, and be rejoicing-with me.

I Am Hoping To Send Timothy To You, And To Come Soon Myself

19 Now I am hoping in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon in order that I also may be cheered, having come-to-know the things concerning you. 20 For I have no one likeminded who will genuinely be concerned-about the things concerning you. 21 For the ones all are seeking their own things, not the things of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his approvedness, because he served with me for the good-news as a child with a father. 23 So indeed I am hoping to send this one at-once, whenever I see the things with-respect-to me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself also will come soon.

I Sent Back Epaphroditus, Your Precious Servant To My Need. Rejoice In Him.

25 But I regarded it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus— my brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier, and your delegate and minister of my need— 26 because he was yearning-for you all, and was being distressed because you heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick nearly to death. But God had-mercy-on him— and not him only, but also me, in order that I should not have grief upon grief. 28 Therefore I sent him more-eagerly, in order that having seen him again you may rejoice, and I may be less-grieved. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and be holding such ones precious, 30 because he drew-near to the point of death for the sake of the work of Christ— having risked his life in order that he might fill-up your lack of service to me. — Philippians 2 | Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing Cross References: Numbers 28:6-7; Deuteronomy 32:5; 2 Chronicles 30:12; Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 50:5; Matthew 13:5; John 1:1; John 3:29; John 13:16; John 17:11; Acts 16:1-2 and 3; Romans 2:8; Romans 14:9; Romans 15:1; Romans 15:5; 1 Corinthians 10:24; 1 Corinthians 16:18; 2 Corinthians 7:15; Philippians 1:1; Philippians 1:6; Philippians 1:25; Philippians 3:1; Philippians 4:10; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 4:9; Revelation 5:3

#unity #one in Christ #The Attitude of Christ #Timothy and Epaphroditus #Epaphroditus Commended #Philippians 2 #The Epistle of Philippians #DLNT #Disciples’ Literal New Testament Bible #Reyma Publishing

[ramrodd]

COMMENTARY:

Derek, where did you leave to? You say you left Christianity, but you are still flogging the same Evangelical dollar of Campus Crusade for Christ and all things Pro-Life Christian Nationalism, You are a different side of the same Marxist dialectic, It has to do with the Post Modern Historic Deconstruction you believe is a superior method of inquiry than Hegel's Historic Gestalt, I mean, it's the difference between what you need to be able to do to win at Call of Duty and what they teach you in the Army Ranger School. All you podcast contrarians and Jesus Freaks, you devolve the literature of the bible to a video game based on some double bind that is necessary to take Pro=Life women seriously, A problem is that you guys believe, in your heart of hearts that problems like Gaza and Ukraine and the Korean DMZ can just be turned on and off like the apps on your iPhone,

Abram was a Pagan God Fearer like Cornelius was before he met Jesus,

As I mentioned previously, I don't do any original scholarship, My method is based on the axiom that the Gospels can shed a great deal of light on the commentaries. Rec, Dr, Frank Wade, National Cathedral, said that was advice he was given in Seminary he always found reliable.

So, I listen to shows like yours to pick up the scholarship I can't do any more, Fore example, you had Paul Davidson on talking about Melchizedek and he provided me the evidence of Yaweh, Queen of Battle, fighting along side Abram in Genesis 14, Also, he is correct about the tithing: I;ve heard it explained by all the Prosperity Gospel Preachers that it went to Melchizedek, but was was aalways incongruous to me, intuitively, The Bread and wine makes perfect sense, The tithe to Melchizedek, not so much, This ties in perfectly with the tithe of the Maji in Matthew, whether Dom Crossan likes it or not, the nativity narrative in Matthew is reliable, It only seems to clash with the other narratives. They represent gaps Quelle couldn't capture, like the career of Paul described in Acts, Anyway, Davidson's scholarship around Genesis 14 and Genesis 15 reveals Yaweh, Queen of Battle, Goddess of Decision, in legend and that's close enough for government work for me to complete the Hellenistic ontology of the Bible, The only thing missing in the scriptures before Jesus was Jesus to complete the ontology, Tertullian presented the incomplete ontology with his epiphany regarding the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Elohim the verb is presented in Genesis 1:1 and Elohim the demi urge , the Spirit of God which still hovers over the waters, and caused the clouds to clear at Niagara Falls this afternoon during the Total Eclipse is presented in Genesis 1:2.

And The Satan is presented in the Book of Job, All these are identifiable as Jungian Archetypes and available for fun and profit or in the line of Duty, That's what both the Jesus Seminar and Campus Crusade for Christ is missing with your asshole legalistic solo scriptura and mechanistic Marxist dialectic.

So, if you are leaving Christianity, how do you leave all that shit behind? You can't, That's why Bart Ehrman's apostasy or born again is a fraud, Dracula is an example of Fascist sophistry in literature: he can only happen on paper. Like John Galt. Ayn Rand lost track of John Galt's actual status, humanity wise, Inher own Metaphysics, John galt had achieved metaphysical existence in her mind and an apparently compelling literary figure in the minds of millions of Objectivists and anti-DEI executives. But, in the final analysis, John Galt and Dracula hung out with the Wereworlves of London and Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner.

Who you gonna call, Derek? Ghostbusters? , I mean, leaving Christianity: wasn't that a John Denver song Mary Travers' covered, back in the day, It was a favorite with officers in Vietnam.

#Youtube

[truthandlove]

Who does the land of Israel belong to?

It belongs to God Almighty - creator of heaven and earth.

And how did God bestow HIS PROPERTY TO? To both ENJOY and to be custodians of? To the Hebrew people ON VERY SPECIFIC CONDITIONS of ABIDING IN HIS COVENANT, His Torah Instructions. None of this is my own opinion; it is all literally written out in the Bible and you can read it for yourself.

And what that all means is righteous living that focuses on BLESSING EVERYONE AROUND YOU. For that is the core of the Torah - to LOVE GOD SINCERELY AND PASSIONATELY with every molecule of your being. And this love SEEKS TO OBEY. And this love SEEKS TO GIVE AND SERVE.

Loving God overflows into loving your neighbor around you - to bless everyone you encounter without regard to race or worthiness!

In THIS WAY, God assigned the Hebrew people with a specific mission: TO KNOW GOD AND BY LIVING IN OBEDIENCE, TO MAKE GOD KNOWN. In this way the Land is available to them, available with the AUTHORITY from God to manage it, as God's obedient and loving servants.

Modern Israel is NONE of this. They are not genetically the Hebrew People. They are not living lives of a sincere LOVE for God that obey and seeks to BLESS ALL OTHER NATIONS. They are extremely proud and selfish. They are extremely religious and have idols of JUDAISM CULTURE that is not in the Torah.

They do not have the blessing of God. What they have is COVETING GOD's LAND. They want the BLESSINGS but without the OBEDIENCE that makes blessing the byproduct. They have no AUTHORITY FROM GOD to be in HIS Land.

Thus it has been fighting, strife, death, struggle the entire time of the Rothschild SYNTHETIC Israel. A synthetic religion of Judaism that is HEAVILY VACCINATED WITH THE ALTERATIONS of Babylon, literally from the Babylonian Captivity creating substitute books and hellish values called the (a) Babylonian Talmud, and the (b) Rabbinical SURROGATE spiritual system by proxy.

NONE OF THIS has made Israel great. None of it has made them a LIGHT OF GOD'S LOVE AND TRUTH like God specifically called them to be. They have the self-effort of religious Judaism which has never produced God's kind of love, pure unselfishness. They are in rebellion to God's command and are NOT in submission or obedience. They are NOT showing the rest of the world the true Character of Father God. They are REJECTING Father God who sent Himself in the form of His beloved and only begotten Son - Jesus of Nazareth.

These RELIGIOUS INFILTRATORS in God's land are muddying the spiritual, political and economic waters, NOT CLARIFYING them. The are not prosperous and givers and blessers to the rest of the world. Not they TAKE TAKE TAKE millions every day from American taxpayers, with a sense of trickery, superiority, entitlement. They act like schemers, not lovers. They are not humble servants. They are ENEMIES of the Gospel and are MARRING the image of Father God, not reflecting it out to the world in the way that UPLIFTS all nations.

They are USURPERS that God is not blessing in God's land. KNOW ALL THIS as you pray for the situations in the Middle East. Yes, pray for "God's will to be done" but ask also for understanding and discernment regarding all this. God LOVES all humans and a big/key/central part of that love was setting up a nation, a people who would KNOW God, OBEY God, and MAKE GOD KNOWN around the world.

God is able to cut through all deceptions, all infiltrators, all evil posing as good, all deceptive narratives. God's purpose is that ALL HUMANS would know and by in relationship with Creator Father. That they would KNOW GOD'S KINGDOM and be freed from their various cultural programmings, their religions, and come into real love and real spirituality.

God wanted and still wants Israel to be KEY in this overarching Kingdom Expansion Agenda. Repentance and truth is necessary for any real progress. Please pray about all this. Let God put HIS burdens on your heart. Come into alignment with God's passion, God's will, God's purposes, and YOUR PART in all of this. AKA your Kingdom Assignments. Thank you and may Jesus the Messiah bless you.

[blogdemocratesjr]

Women Pharaohs by The_Ukraine_Punks_Official & The Woman Pharaoh by Tattedink_NFTs  

If we go back to the ancient Egyptian, the ancient Chaldean civilisation, — well there, we have as ruling powers quite a different type from what became the ruling powers later on. People nowadays take little account of the great upheavals that have come about in the course of historic growth. The powers that were peculiarly the ruling ones in that early age — the age that ended about the middle of the 8th century before Christ — were the sort of people who, in the traditional language of Spiritual Science, one would call “Initiates.” The Egyptian Pharaohs were, down to a certain date, invariably persons who were initiated. They were initiated into the secrets of cosmology, and regarded what they had to do on earth in the light of this cosmology When one says a thing of this sort to the modern man, he finds a certain difficulty in understanding it, for the simple reason that the modern man, from his own special mode of consciousness, thinks to himself: “It is all very well, but, after all, those Pharaohs, and the Chaldean initiates, too, — or so-called initiates — did a great many things that were highly reprehensible.” Well, one might, of course, argue that modern rulers, who are not initiates, also do a great many things that are hardly in accordance with the highest moral standards, — but that, here, would be obviously away from the point. One must, however, point out that in the world that lies beyond the senses the gods are not all good ones, but that there are also gods whose action is in every way contrary to men's interests, as commonly understood. So, one is by no means entitled to believe that anyone who is a real initiate must necessarily act from virtuous motives. And in speaking, as I am doing now, of the Pharaohs as Initiates, all that it must be understood to mean is that they acted on impulses inspired from the spiritual world. That these impulse's might often be very bad ones will be contested by nobody who has become in our sense acquainted with all the many divine, spiritual powers that lie behind the world of sense, — powers of a supersensible nature. But the true initiate, — he who could receive into his will, not merely receive into his consciousness, but into his will, what divine spiritual powers bestowed upon him, — he was in truth the ruler, down to the middle of the 8th century before Christ. Then began the age when, if one actually divests it of all the various illusions that pervade popular history, — when one may say that the real ruler was the Priest. The temporal ruler, — even when he was a Charlemagne — was always more or less dependent on the priesthood. Priest-rule was, to a much greater extent than is commonly supposed, even in the middle-ages of European civilisation, the really determining element. It entered into everything, it made itself felt everywhere, and was for the social structure also the element which, above all others, was the determining one. And the people who possessed land and estates held them to a very large extent of the Priesthood. Such regular soldiers as there were in old days, before the middle of the 8th century B.C., were troops in the service of the Initiates. Such regular soldiers as there were in the 4th post-Atlantean age, in the Graeco-Latin age down to the middle of the 15th century, were, taken as a whole, mercenaries of the priest-lords. And all enterprises, too, such as the Crusades, were, as a whole essentially military expeditions undertaken, if I may so express it, on behalf of the ruling priesthood. In one way and another, everything that was done had some connection with the rule of the priesthood.

—Rudolf Steiner, Cosmogony, Freedom, Altruism: Lecture III: Fundamental Impulses in History

For more on these individualities see Constantine of Briton & Jacques de Molay.

For the difference between the human personality and individuality of repeated earth lives see The Influence of Spiritual Beings Upon Man: Lecture VI by Rudolf Steiner

#Women Pharaohs #Pharaoh #Egyptian history #anthroposophy #spiritual science #NFT #Charlemagne #Constantine of Briton #Jacques de Molay #Grail Knights #Knights Templar

[sytereic]

Light

Autobiography

"Ito ang tamang daan!"

"Mali ang mga gawain ng sanlibutan!"

"Mapupunta ang mga sanlibutan sa dagat-dagatang apoy"

These were some of the things everyone tells Joaquie, and for most of his life, he obliged, but his curiosity said otherwise.

"They're right."

"They're right, aren't they?"

And as he discovers more of the world, his former beliefs of morals slowly alters.

Joaquie was always on a line between the ethics of his religion, and the ethics of the modern society. He sees that his fellow religion members disobey the very same rule that was prohibited from their religion, and he thought,

"If they're committing the very same sin that was just prohibited, why would we be saved and them left to perish?"

"If we regard the others as lower before us, people who needs to be guided by us, what makes us so different to them if we're doing the same said mistakes they do? What gives us the right to degrade them of eternal living if we're just like them?"

These were the thoughts that always boggled his mind.

As he pondered about it more, he later concluded,

"It does not matter if we are like them. We are humans. The fault is not in their religion, it is in ours. We think of a maker more supreme to us in order to extricate our minds from the inevitable embrace of death, suppressing our fear of the unknown by creating a superficial destiny, from what would otherwise be an eternal loss in cold, empty darkness, forever forgotten. Religions were made in order to bring faith to what would be otherwise a harsh reality, but with religions came with factions, and factions came with misunderstandings, misunderstandings leading to wars. Religions also brought forth hierarchies, creating unequalled status further dehumanising each other, all to serve a superficial God."

[stevensaus]

Why “God Has A Plan” Is Exactly The Wrong Thing To Say To Someone Who Is Grieving

A friend who recently got some bad news told me afterward, "I think if one more person tells me God has a plan I may throw something." With the collective trauma and death of the last few years, it's a phrase that's been tossed around a lot more recently, and quite frankly, it needs to stop yesterday.

The "surface" reading of "God has a plan" or "God works in mysterious ways" is supposed to be that there is a point to whatever suffering that one is going through. Or perhaps "I'm just wishing you well and trying to help you feel better." Maybe that's usually the primary meaning. It might even be the only consciously intended meaning. But it's far from being the only one. Not only are those who are grieving very aware of those other meanings, the implications of that phrase actually paint the Christian God in a very bad light... and may snatch away the comfort of faith from someone at the moment they need it the most. God Thinks Your Pain Is Necessary (But Won't Tell You Why) The first problem - before we get into the theological weeds - is that saying "God has a plan" or "there's always a reason" is regarded as the beginning and end of the comforting process. The statement implies that interfering with whatever situation the person in pain is experiencing is required. Ironically, this is perhaps the most Biblically-supported interpretation. After all, the entirety of the "Good News" is based around the idea that Yeshua (that's "Jesus," by the way) suffered and died for our sins. Which means that someone - Judas, Pilate, the Pharisees, Saducees, and/or the centurions - had to do those things to Yeshua in order to fulfill Yahweh's plan. That means Dante's later poetic interpretation of Hell - and showing Judas in the lowest pit - depicts a massive injustice. (Although not the Bible, though elements of both Dante and Milton have become cultural elements of modern Christianity.) Still, though, it's an awfully jerky thing to say to someone in pain. And, like I said, that's before you get into the real theological weeds. The Ineffable Plan The whole idea of there being a "plan" is part of the problem. Because whenever you talk about a "plan" that, by definition, is not understandable to those subject to the plan, you can end up with some really ugly conclusions. The kindest interpretation of the Divine having an ineffable - that is, unknowable - plan is an existentialist reading similar to mine after watching Everything Everywhere All At Once. Sure, there may be a "plan" - or "meaning" - but the difference is subtle and vital. In this existentialist/absurdist kind of response, for all intents and purposes there is no "in-universe" justification for bad things happening. There is literally no way to convey the "why" of a system (how humans experience the universe) to those still restricted by the limits of their experience in that system. Appealing to an ineffable plan provides a philosophical comfort to existential crisis, but it does not provide any degree of relief to those experiencing grief or pain because of the events in that universe. The only kind response in such a situation is to acknowledge the other person's grief and sit with them as they experience that grief. This also reflects the kindest possible reading of the Book of Job - that JHVH is in the role of a pet owner, being questioned by a pet who needs to wear a "cone of shame" after surgery. The pet is incapable of understanding the need for the cone, and struggles against it. So JHVH's speech at the end of Job could be a sad musing on Job's literal inability to understand what is going on. But this analogy falls down pretty quickly when you realize that modern Christian theology also asserts that Divine is all-loving and omnipotent. Because while that analogy works pretty well for that specific case, it fails utterly when faced with the degree of pain and evil in the world, the responsibilities of pet owners, and the attributes used to describe the Divine. Which brings us to the more common reading of the end of Job, where JHVH comes off as an insufferable and arguably evil prick who simply pulls rank on a mere human. God does not declare Job innocent or guilty. God changes the subject and begins to talk about the wonders of the world that God had created. God formed the earth, set its structure, put bounds to keep the sea under control, created all the heavenly bodies, and even controls the weather. All through this speech, God reminds Job–using what sounds like sarcastic asides–that mere humans could never accomplish all of this. -- EnterTheBible.Org This is also the more common way that "God has a plan" or "there's always a reason" ends up making people feel worse instead of better. And that's the fault of prosperity theology. Look What You Made God Do To You I've talked about how prosperity theology is non-Biblical and evil a few times now. As a quick refresher, the basic version is that the more faithful you are (and the more you give to preachers), the better off you are physically, mentally, and financially. Which is bad enough, but it also suggests the opposite: bad things happen to those who deserve it. That concept - even if it is not explicitly part of preached theology - has permeated American culture so thoroughly that many people assume that if you are poor, or something bad happens to you, that you somehow deserved it. For what it's worth, not only is the "prosperity" portion explicitly debunked in Job, the negative association is not based on the Bible. There are many times that the "all-loving" JHVH laid curses upon the unborn descendants of those who annoyed Him. But that idea that how you are doing in "real life" reflects the quality of your "spiritual life" persists across even the secular portions of American culture. Just Express Some Empathy, Dammit. All of which combines -- both explicitly and implicity -- to end up blaming the grieving person under the pretense of comforting them. Whether the person saying "God has a plan" realizes it or not, the best interpretation of what they're saying is that someone should be thankful for whatever tragedy has happened, and at worst, comes across as abusive victim blaming. And if you find yourself unable to think of anything else to say, perhaps you should try WikiHow. Featured Image by Michael Knoll from Pixabay

I think those stories are useful as metaphor for the generational effects of institutional bigotry and structural discrimination, but literally, they just paint JHVH as a narcissist. Read the full article

#christianity #empathy #grief #prosperitytheology #psychology #religion

[criticalion]

Why the United States and the South- deep and otherwise and even Nor'easters, are stupid.

In the classroom children learn that all men are created equal with certain inalienable rights given by their Creator. In America's early history many founders had some semblance of faith in God- they all signed their names on the Declaration of Independence saying as much. Things get dicey though when modern day children later learn Blacks and other ethnicities amounted to 3/5 of a person before, during, and after Jim Crow. Finally, in high-school, they read Animal Farm and see, "some animals are more equal than others" with regards to Bolsheviks. Talk about the blind leading the blind and both falling into a ditch... I say this because a common thread runs through these three observations of how much a human life is worth. If schooling coherently addressed these three observations altogether we would have more enlightening race relations in the United States. So maybe that's why schools haven't examined black congressmen from the 1800s...

Prevailing thought on black men was different back then and that was a huge problem with Dixie...

So I say, start clinging to true religion more and guns and nooses less. Especially you Disney- and yet it can't. Can you watch Song of the South and be okay? How about Princess and the Frog? More than a few people cannot in light of End Times.

Why?

During the Last Days, Jesus should be blessed and not cursed for saying what he does in 1 Timothy through Timothy on slavery. He values human life. Masons don't care about that or Him though- even black Masons. The creepy, "let's hole up in a bunker and have children by your own children" abounds in the End Times false propetic circles, both in the South and in the North. Many of these people also want slaves. But Jesus is someone you must believe in and obey regardless of whether you like what he says in his Word or not especially on this issue. The Bible presents itself to all people who wish to be saved that they all should become slaves of righteousness- a slave of God's, not each other, and love God and remain kind to Him and your neighbor. Not enslaving your neighbor or becomed enslaved to him. No matter what, Christ died for you and rose again so you'd know the truth about Him and learn about and do what is best in your interpersonal relationships. He is God incarnate. He's not a nebulous idea. He is a gracious fulfillment of the Law with flesh and bone and one day you will meet Him in person.

This is lifted straight 1 Timothy, that, "we know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me" (1 Timothy 8-11).

Slave trading is evil. The South Bible-thumps often and is a hearer only and not a doer on this- believing 1 Timothy. Their eyes have scales on them. The North meanwhile has its head in the clouds, falling to the Earth every so often when confronted with black skin. It's true, Northerners get as "deep" and dirty as the South when they see a black person sometimes- thinking about their own ownership of willing, and even unwilling, slaves.

And the books of Daniel and Revelation seemingly allows for it. But do they really? No, taken together the Bible just says it's an unfortunate reality that continues during the Last Days that needs to be navigated and overcome in a holy way. The Bible in fact says in Daniel and later in Revelation the following,

"He [the Antichrist] will also invade the Beautiful Land (Israel). Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Cannanites in full submission" (Daniel 11:42-45). Don't forget that the land of Canaan was renamed Israel and Judah... Furthermore in the latter book I mentioned the Bible examines Babylon and its "...cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves" (Revelation 18:13).

So from two prophetic texts we see the upsetting truth about slavery today is that it still happens and will happen until Christ redeems his church. For the Christian there is solace, since "there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28) and even more with endentured servitude which is not the same as slavery before and during the Civil War. "Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so" (1 Corinthians 7:21).

Wanting slaves, poop peaches, poop in chocolate cake, "poop colored" people on the backporch and in master-slave intimate and platonic relationships in the 21st century is wrong- just like it was 200 years ago. For if Christ is the gardener, the author and perfecter of your faith who wants to clean the inside of the bowl where your thoughts germinate- not just the outside, then you must listen so you are not cut off and later burned.

Again, slavery is evil and prohibited in the faith in Jesus Christ the Lord (see again: 1 Timothy 8-11).

#article #history #Doberwoman #doberwoman #doberman #Doberman #doberman pinscher #South #North #Racism #racism #Disney #song of the south #slavery

[bestworstcase]

doesn't salem still have ancient magic? the magic she used to torture oscar looked just like the old stuff she had when we first saw her in the lost fable.

strictly speaking:

no it looks very different now. but i’m dubious as to whether the V6 vs V8 magic fx is really meaningful because oz/oscar also have the new fx in V8 (albeit still green rather than salem’s multicolor). it strikes me as a stylistic rather than narrative change.

that said,

salem has magic.

that is not necessarily the same as salem still having the god-given magic ancient humans were blessed with; the pools of life and grimm were wellsprings of divine power and both of them changed her quite profoundly. the maidens are living proof that humans can wield magic without the divine gifts under certain anomalous circumstances.

(“anomalous” here meaning “not intended or foreseen by the brothers,” a category which certainly includes salem remaking herself in the pool of grimm.)

it’s also a fact that salem was empowered by her transformations in both pools; one made her immortal, the other made her grimm, she’s inarguably walking around with quite a lot of magic that ancient humans did not have. the sigil she uses to spawn her shadow hands is a grimm thing—the geist in V4 uses the same one to regenerate its own arm. in V8 she cracks solitas in half to draw up a river of grimm liquid overnight with zero apparent effort. during her assault on atlas she spawns wave after wave of grimm, hundreds at a time, seconds apart, for hours without slowing down. she designed a bespoke teleconferencing grimm that is also a security alarm system and which she can use in a pinch to create sendings of herself.

the lady usurped a god.

so the question is: does she still have the divine gifts that gave ancient humans their magic, or is all of the magic she wields now sourced from the pools?

magic is magic is magic—the practical difference between dust-magic and maiden-magic is scale and the line between aura, dust, semblance, and magic is often somewhat blurry (and of course cinder, salem’s protégée, uses her magic seamlessly as an extension of her semblance).

but not all magic is the same magic—the source is meaningful both functionally and narratively.

here i have to put on my contrarian cap and add that the widespread idea that salem holds modern humans in disdain and considers them to be not really human because they lack magic is, er, not particularly well supported by the text. and by that i mean salem explicitly regards modern humans as strong, brave, resourceful, passionate, and ingenious; derides ozpin’s self-defeating secrecy and refusal to trust (“your faith in mankind was not misplaced; when banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat” <- she is mocking him for not doing that); and spends like four volumes all but begging cinder to stop obsessing over raw power. and she, explicitly, believes that humans are better off without the “old gods.”

this is a woman who fomented a rebellion against the brothers because she realized they were tyrannical monsters; the notion that she judges human worth solely on the basis of divine blessing is flatly absurd.

the point being that narratively, thematically, salem’s magic not being sourced from the brothers fits her character like a glove. that is what her rebellion was about.

and this is where i think the magic fx may actually be meaningful: at the beginning of TLF, when jinn sets the scene (“she lived in a time when kings and their kingdoms were plentiful, when men and women were capable of greatness, and magic was a gift from the gods that all could wield.”), we see salem do this:

six small lights, four large orbs. later in the episode, the black-violet and white-gold orbs reappear as representations of the brother gods; thus destruction/creation, which perhaps makes the green and orange orbs representations of knowledge and choice.

which is to say, i think those four larger orbs represent the divine gifts. that’s where her magic comes from.

then, near the end of the episode, the eldest daughter does this:

the six smaller lights are the same, but she doesn’t have the four larger orbs. jinn describes it as a miracle (<- implying ozlem had serious reason to think their children WOULDN’T inherit magic), salem is surprised but pleased, and ozma is horrified.

this section of TLF is, fundamentally, about the unreconcilable difference between salem’s view of the gods as monstrous tyrants and ozma’s unbroken faith in the god of light. look at the way his expression changes between “[we can] create the paradise” and “the old gods could not”:

the instant salem makes it clear that she’s envisioning a world without the brothers as “paradise,” he recoils. later his objection to their war of conquest is not “this is wrong,” but rather “this isn’t what he asked of me.” their disagreement isn’t moral; it’s religious.

so why—in the moment when ozma at last reveals his religious motivations to her—does ozma react like this to the sight of his daughter’s magic?

and why was it miraculous for a child of two magical parents, both of them hailing from a time when everyone could do magic, to be capable of magic herself?

the answer that makes the most sense to me, for both questions, is that the brothers stripped salem of their blessings—took her magic away—and then she effectively stole it back when she remade herself in the pool of grimm. salem’s magic would thus be more akin to modern human semblances than to ancient magic by virtue of not being a god-given gift; that’s a plausible reason for ozlem to believe their children wouldn’t or couldn’t inherit any magic, and naturally ozma would be disturbed by the revelation that what salem wants—a world where the brothers are not merely absent but actively unwanted and unneeded—is truly possible.

#TL;DR salem’s magic is blasphemous apostate magic in this essay i will—

[writingwithcolor]

Hi! So, ever since I was really young I've always been fascinated by Egyptian Mythology, and really want to write a horror/drama adaptation of the first part of the "Death of Osiris" where it shows the circumstances leading up to Set killing his brother.

A central theme of the story is to show how human the gods are, despite the fact that the vast majority of them act completely indifferent and "superior" to humanity, seeing them as mere ants (the exception of course being Osiris).

I'm particularly worried about my depiction of Isis, as she's normally seen as a pillar of good but in this interpretation she is fairly morally grey, but that concern pales in comparison to my biggest problem.

I'm a half white, half SEA sheltered teen living in Canada who has never been to Egypt.

Do I scrap the story? I don't want to appropriate anything, and the last thing I want to do is take away opportunities for people who are actually connected to Egyptian Mythology to tell their stories! The story means a lot to me, but I don't want to continue something if there's a possibility that I might end up doing harm.

What do I do???

Death of Osiris adaption, Egyptian Mythology

You’re asking whether it’s okay for you to write a story based on Egyptian mythology when you are not yourself Egyptian. This is a rubber stamp question, which as stated in the WWC FAQ, we no longer accept. However, I want to take this opportunity to make a few points regarding ancient Egypt and Egyptian mythology in western media. This topic has also been covered on the blog before (check out the ancient Egypt tag).

Ancient Egypt is among the ancient civilizations that have inspired Western media the most, and there are countless stories and retellings based on ancient Egypt and Egyptian myth out there. The vast majority of those have been written by people with little to no connection to Egypt or even Africa as a whole, and they often represent ancient Egypt inaccurately. One prevalent issue is the whitewashing of ancient Egyptians, who tend to be portrayed as light-skinned, brown or even white, when in reality, all evidence points to the fact that the people indigenous to Egypt were Black (like everyone else in Africa). 

There was certainly a great deal of mixing and cultural exchange going on with other civilizations around the Mediterranean, and some scholars believe it’s anachronistic to even describe ancient Egyptians according to modern racial categories, because there is no evidence that such categories existed or that skin color mattered that much in ancient Egyptian society. But the fact stands that if we were to try and fit ancient Egyptians into our definitions of race as we understand it in North America, they would undoubtedly be Black.

This isn’t only a matter of factual accuracy. The question of the race of ancient Egyptians featured prominently in white supremacist pseudo-scientific arguments that were used to justify slavery, colonialism and genocide. It would be irresponsible to write about ancient Egypt, even if it’s “only” fiction, without taking this history into account.

Here are a few things that writers who want to include ancient Egypt (or ancient Egyptian-coded fantasy cultures) in their stories can think about:

When you think of ancient Egypt, what do you picture? What are the base assumptions, imagery, general knowledge you’ve absorbed about ancient Egypt through your exposure to the ways this civilization is represented in media?

Now, question all of these. Where do they come from? Who came up with them? What actual historical facts are they based on? Chances are, a lot of it is inaccurate.

Start over. Read the work of Black academics on ancient Egypt. Educate yourself on the most recent research on this topic. Read fiction by authors who represent ancient Egypt and ancient Egyptian-coded societies without white-washing them. N. K. Jemisin’s The Killing Moon is a favorite of mine.

If you skip these steps, you are likely to reproduce the dominant media portrayals of ancient Egypt that already exist, and feed into the inaccuracies and erasure they perpetuate.

More reading:

Arab woman with Ancient Egyptian culture cursed to lose skin pigmentation

- Niki

Ask published Nov 2021

#Egypt #Ancient Egypt #Erasure #Africa #Antiblack erasure #Mythology #Egyptian mythology #book recommendations #asks

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What would happen if you were sent back and ended up in the orphanage with Tom Riddle—and say you also had magic?

Oh boy.

Well, there's a lot to question here. Judging by the... spirit of this ask, I presume I'm... pretty much reincarnated. I'm in the orphanage, I'm much younger than I am now and a child, I'm pre-Hogwarts age, and I retain my current knowledge.

For the purpose of this ask I suppose I also retain my current mental faculties. Despite being in the body of an eight-year-old, I'm not The Carnivorous Muffin at eight.

Welp, there's a lot to consider here.

First, I probably don't realize I'm in Harry Potter for quite some time and instead assume I've been reincarnated to some parallel universe. It's the 1930's, I'm in England in the depression, WWI has occurred and the vast majority of major historical events I know about seem to have happened in the right order, and this Earth is eerily similar to the Earth I left behind.

Strange that I appear to remember everything of my past life with my adult mental abilities, but alright universe, I guess that's how we're going to play this.

What I do know is that I'm dirt poor, presumably still a woman which does not bode well for my career prospects, and if I want any prospects in life period I'm going to have to fight tooth and nail for it. It'd be great if I got adopted to help with this, and might be nice to have people in my life who love me, but there's a lot of orphans in the world and a lot of orphans who are much less weird than I am.

The orphanage is the orphanage and not great, Mrs. Cole is overworked, the orphanage is chronically understaffed, and the kids are running wild beating the shit out of each other.

Being a girl, I probably don't have to worry about getting the shit kicked out of me quite as much, but I still probably try to keep my head down and don't aggravate the particularly beefy looking orphans.

Yes, there's some very angry gremlin named Tom Riddle around who will shove you down the stairs in retribution, but that's just a weird coincidence. And then supernatural shit starts happening. Billy's rabbit hangs itself, people get injuries when Tom is nowhere near them, and I start wondering if this is really the Tom Riddle.

I'm in Wool's Orphanage, my matron is Mrs. Cole, Tom Riddle is running around lighting things on fire. It's possible, though it could all be a strange coincidence.

Now, how things go from here depends on how controlled my own magic is. Since accidental magic typically does manifest at least once or twice, it probably does manifest for me for.. something. If Tom Riddle's there to witness it then...

Well, I imagine he's very offended. Here he was, special, different, better than everyone else, and then some girl in the orphanage (who dares to get very good grades on her assignments in school) has it too.

And I just stand there, smiling, going "Tee hee".

He probably confronts me to prove that he's better at it than I am, and he probably is unless the universe hates both him and me, but having someone else with the Shining around probably prompts him to take me as his protégé (in part so he can show off and in part because he's genuinely excited to be able to share this super cool talent).

I am now apprentice to eight-year-old Tom Riddle. Whoop de doo.

Well, I don't remember this part of Harry Potter, so now I'm probably confused as to where I am again. Regardless, I try to advise Tom on how to tone it down and not, say, traumatize Amy and Dennis for life and antagonize all the other orphans forever. He probably doesn't take me seriously. What do I know, I can't even light that patch of grass on fire?

Hanging around Tom Riddle gets me a reputation to, given the difference in genders, probably a fairly nasty one at that. When Dumbledore arrives he's undoubtedly told hot gossip about how eleven-year-old Tom and I have had sex in a ritual to summon Satan. Dumbledore takes this seriously.

Dumbledore probably meets us both at the same time and it's a disaster. I tried my best to prep Tom without revealing I'm a prophet, Tom first doesn't believe there might not be others, then doesn't believe they would be antagonist/anything but amazed by how awesome he is.

Well, Dumbledore lights his wardrobe on fire while I sit there. Dying inside. Dumbledore probably also does something to me too, to teach me some kind of lesson about something.

I imagine he temporarily disfigures me/makes me appear very ugly, then sticks a mirror to the wall, that way I realize that looks aren’t everything/being a whore is wrong. Tom, still traumatized over the wardrobe, is no help and my magic’s probably not controlled enough to do a thing about it.

I spend a day looking like a pig, Tom and I are given just enough money to buy new wands and second hand/barely functioning everything else and given the world’s worst directions to Diagon Alley. Thanks, Albus.

Well, months pass, we get our wands, Tom gets excited for Hogwarts and I... start seriously considering the future. WWII is coming, the Blitz is coming, Tom and I live in east London and must be able to evacuate during the bombing of London (which went on well past the Blitz to the end of the war). I also start considering my future in the wizarding world. Do I now actually have career prospects?

Probably not because I’m muggle born and a woman. My best bet is doing very well in useful subjects and finding employment with the goblins, I can’t imagine they have the same hang ups as the wizarding world.

Tom wants to go to Slytherin, of course, I tell him this is a bad idea. “Gee Tom,” I say, “Not sure how I know this but I have this feeling that Slytherin is filled with people who loathe our very existence and will shank us. Why don’t we pick Ravenclaw or Gryffindor instead?”

No one shanks Tom Riddle! Tom says. Tom is still eleven and while he admits that sometimes I may, in retrospect, have been right about certain things that doesn’t mean he wants to go to the house known for hard work. That’s code word for everyone there being a moron and having no other redeeming features than tenacity. As for the other two, Ravenclaws sound like smug, elitist, nerds and Gryffindors like dumb jocks.

Better to be known for ambition, cunning, and actually being competent.

Well, there’s no talking him out of this one, and goddamn it we’re all each other has.

I’m the closest thing Tom Riddle has ever had to a friend in all these years and in the orphanage the only one who could hold a decent conversation with him. And while it’s not my moral obligation to keep Tom from becoming a domestic terrorist, and there’s no guarantee I even can, dumping him for one of the other houses and drifting apart won’t help.

Not to mention that, after all these years, I’m undoubtedly lonely, I’m in this foreign land, and he’s now the closest thing to a friend I have.

Looks like I’m going to Slytherin, YOOOOOLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOO! I shout as a battle cry as tears run down my face. I may have to convince the hat to put me in Slytherin, but like all human beings I am a mixture of many qualities. I’m not cunning in the least, mind games exhaust me unutterably, but I’m full of ambition. 

This confirms every bad opinion Dumbledore had regarding me and Tom.

For the next several months, Tom probably beats the shit out of dormmates who steal his things/harass him. He beats up mine too because feminism (TM) means that he should treat all people equally when guilty of the same crime. I... am not sure I can win that fight so I just resign myself to having to adopt some of Tom’s tactics to make sure I’m not shoved in lockers, have tampons thrown at me, or pig’s blood dumped on me at the prom.

Once again, everyone thinks Tom Riddle and I are dating. I don’t even know if they’re wrong at this point.

Well, being in class with eleven year olds who seem to have had little to no prior education, Tom and I are undoubtedly blazing through class. I imagine I’m bored out of my mind (the Hogwarts curriculum sounds unbelievably boring) and Tom is... well, probably devouring the library but probably also bored. I decide to try and see if I can find some real history texts on this world (there are probably none, the wizarding world seems to only have two historians and both... have a different approach to history than current modern thought as I know it) and discover what magic even is. That shit is fascinating: wingardium leviosa is not.

Dumbledore likely gives neither me nor Tom points in class, I think the house cup is stupid, so I really don’t care. I have no interest in playing quidditch, neither does Tom, so that doesn’t happen.

The second world war starts up, Tom, me, and the muggle borns are the only ones who give a flying fuck. I work harder on figuring out how to get lodging during the Blitz/the bombing of London. Unfortunately, Mrs. Cole hates me too for being the Bride of Satan, so that’s a no go. Third year, 1939, I probably write her in earnest anyway telling her to PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, send Tom and I instructions for the summer/where the orphans are staying/how they’ve been dispersed to the countryside. As a back up plan, I try desperately to shmooze shopkeepers in Hogsmeade during every Hogsmeade weekend to get myself and Tom part time jobs and lodging over the summer. As a back up back up plan, I spend my time badgering Tom to become very good at survivalist wandless magic and if the Lord has pity on me gain some ability in it myself.

Hopefully, either Mrs. Cole or one of the Hogsmeade shop owners take pity on us. If not, then Tom and I are going extreme camping. Given Mrs. Cole (and the brain damage brought on by Dumbledore erasing memories left and right) and the likelihood of Hogsmeade shop owners just not getting it, Tom and I probably go extreme camping.

(Tom, meanwhile, asks Dippet and Dumbledore if we can stay in Hogwarts over the summer. He’s told no exceptions. London’s being bombed, you say? No exceptions. Toodles. Tom is never the same.)

Me, Tom Riddle, a tent we made ourselves, several rabbits we had to catch and skin ourselves, and the pitiful fire that we can keep going through pure will alone because if we try to use real people spells then we’ll get arrested. It has the benefit of making Tom feel very manly and impressive, catching his own food, but both of us are well aware that this sucks.

But hey, we aren’t dead.

Well, I’m sure Tom doesn’t appreciate that and this is where I imagine he seriously starts talking about violent revolution. I imagine much of my time is spent discussing the merits of not violently overthrowing our ant overlords. I imagine a thirteen-year-old Tom isn’t impressed by my pacifism, but he’s not married to Voldemort yet (probably).

Then I imagine the horcrux thing comes up and... Well, I will argue hard against it. Humans die, it is a truth of the universe, and simply something we have to accept. Horcruxes are not a measure against that, they can be destroyed, given infinite time they will be, and the sacrifice they require is too high: human life as well as the very essence of who you are.

What is a soul? I’m not sure, we never really learn in HP canon, but whatever it is, it is in some way the essence of yourself. If you take half of it and throw it somewhere else, you will cease to be you, someone or something else is walking around in your body while the other half of you exists in endless agony.

If you must chase immortality, create a philosopher’s stone (as I darkly wonder why it was that couldn’t be replicated and what Flamel had to do to make it in the first place). On second thought, maybe we should search for the Holy Grail.

Whether I can talk Tom out of this or not is... unclear. I’m going to say that I can, in part because I imagine he’ll want to show the chamber off to me, tell me when he realizes he’s Heir of Slytherin, and in doing so I can prevent the basilisk incident from occurring. Without that, there’s no dead Myrtle, which means no first victim. That summer, when he goes to the Gaunts, I’ll go with him and convince him that it’s not worth it. He can just turn around and leave these people alone, I hopefully can talk him down. Which means no second victim.

I start writing Flamel to see if Tom or I can get an apprenticeship (Dumbledore probably beats us to the chase and poisons him against us, but it’s worth a shot).

Then, should all go well, I can convince Tom to find employment with the goblins rather than shady antique dealers on the bad side of town. Hopefully, I can convince him to never become Voldemort, and instead we travel the world together looking for the origins of magic or something.

Dumbledore goes around taking people’s memories of us in preparation for when Tom becomes a dark lord and I his lady of the night darkness.

TL;DR Apparently my life would become an SI/Tom Riddle fic. So, thanks anon.

#harry potter #harry potter meta #harry potter headcanon #tom riddle #albus dumbledore #anti albus dumbledore #meta #headcanon #opinion

[luimagines]

Hi! I have a request, but first i wanna say your writing is absolutely amazing! The length + amount of time you put into these prompts is insanely good. Now! Onto the request, how would the boys react to a reader from a more modern era? Maybe a more modernized hyrule or our current point in time?

Masterlist

Thank you so much for the compliment! I'm happy to see the response even if this blog is still relatively new.

I hope I do your prompt justice.

I probably could have done a headcanon list but I was hit with inspiration.

I also might have given Reader some backstory.

Scenario below the cut! It’s long, take caution.

It was a cool night, but you didn't mind. Your bed was warm, the WiFi was fast and even if it was three AM on a school night, you managed to keep yourself giggling with cat videos and blursed memes until the words and colors merged.

A night well spent.

But it led to questionable decisions.

Even if the shredded cheese in the fridge was beginning to seem a more and more enticing snack, your body was tempted to succumb to slumber.

Until a large purple light encompassed the entirety of your window.

Something was in your backyard.

Aliens. Your tired brain supplies and you sprint to the glass and push away the curtains. Is this it? Is this where I'm kidnapped and never seen or heard from again?

You pull out your phone and open up the camera.

"Pics or it didn't happen." You remind yourself and snap a few before showing your face.

What you see isn't what you're expecting. Instead of a flying saucer in the sky beaming down a laser or a weird pear shaped space craft on top of the grass, there's a single panel of glowing light, swirling with black accents that creeps in a circular motion.

"Cheese and crackers...." You gasp and begin to blatantly stare at it with no regard to whether something may be coming out of it.

You wait and nothing happens.

You wait some more and nothing happens.

You spend an hour watching this portal that has appeared out of nowhere, waiting for something to happen, willing for something to happen. But you get nothing.

The unknown stares right back at you, unblinking and unchanged.

Go through it. A voice tells you. What if there's something on the other side?

"I'm going to die." You gulp and take a deep breath.

Who else gets a chance like this? The voice talks again. This could be a grand step towards a more modern society. A whole new world could be on the other side, waiting, reaching out, calling to humanity!

You think you a see a shadow move behind the portal and out of sight but it’s gone before you can even process it.

"Should I call the police?" You step away from the window, ignoring the thoughts, the voice- you're too tired to know if it's your own any more. What's the plan? How does one go about something like this?

Where’s your sense of adventure? Pack a bag and go! What if it goes away?

That last thought seems to get through to your tired brain and for a reason beyond your understanding, it latches onto it.

Now you’re excited.

You run to the closet and take out your old backpack. It used to be for school but it was fancier since it was the only one you could get. The bag had a replaceable water bag with a plastic straw connected through the back of it and the straps have just worn down enough to where they’re actually comfortable. It doubled as a hiking backpack and came with its own insulated lunch box that clasped on the back of it.

It’ll finally serve its purpose.

You quickly roll up your favorite blanket and strap it in tightly beneath the lunch box. You’re quick to take out two extra outfits and pack them as well as change out of your pajamas.

Ok. What would you need? You don’t know where you’d be going so this has to a catch all kind of deal.

You pack away your swiss army knife first for good measure. A solar powered charger for your phone and an extra pair of socks follow suit even after you’ve picked out the extra clothes.

You take out the water bag and run to fill it all the way to max capacity as you think of any other necessities.

You’d need food. You have a small jar of peanut butter and granola bars that can fit in the lunch box. You can bring your extra water bottle and put in the side pockets of the backpack, and maybe bring some of those powered flavor packets your brother loves so much. You think he has lemonade and some green tea ones.

Those would be great. He won’t mind, hopefully.

You let the bag overfill momentarily before running back to shove it in your bag. with the lid screwed tight.

Next you run to the kitchen, grabbing the first things that you thought of already and begin to look around for more.

You grab an unopened pack of beef jerky, a bag of veggie sticks and a half eaten bag of dried mangos.

During your search you grab the water bottle and fill that too.

You return to your room with your bounty and begin to carefully put everything in the box. With some more deliberation, you run back to the kitchen and make yourself a quick sandwich, eat it, make another one and pack that as well.

You look out side the window and the portal is still there.

The sun is beginning to rise now so you’re trying to go as fast as you can, unless you want to neighbors to think something is going on.

Even if it is.

You’re about to leave but in a stroke of brilliance, you run to pack sunscreen and bug spray as well. You see a small first aid pack that was bought recently for when you would take your family vacation but you reason that it might one of the most important things you’d have if you got hurt.

Into the bag it goes.

You grab your hoodie before you leave the door, wrap it around your waist and pocket your phone, your headphones and your wallet.

You feel immediately under packed when you step outside and see the portal up close.

It’s weirdly triangle shaped, you think and step closer.

You reach your hand out and try to touch it. It feels as if you put your hand through a humidifier but it’s not wet. It’s misty and cold but not necessarily unpleasant.

An idea hits you right before you take your first step through.

You pull up one of the earlier photo’s you took and send it to your friend’s group chat. It showed up in my backyard. I decided to make a bad late night decision and I’m going through. If you never hear from me again, I want you all to fight over my electronics. Winner takes all. Godspeed.

And you step through.

You had first assumed that it would merely take you tot he other side but very quickly realize that you have to walk through it.

The first part still had a little light but with time, it got darker. So dark that you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face.

You kept walking.

As fast as the light disappeared, it came back and you stepped into the light of an open field, right in front of one, two, three, four, nine males that had appeared to be traveling towards you or rather, towards the portal.

The portal disappears in the process.

“Oh so we didn’t have to go through it! We had to gain another member!” One of them yells. “Would have been nice to know before we packed everything up!”

“Ho boy, where am I?” You ask and tighten your grip on your backpack. Why didn’t I bring a weapon?

They all had long tunics and swords on their backs. Old fashioned leather boots and hand bracers were the norm in this group and you realized very quickly that your jeans and t-shirt had wildly missed the memo.

“Dang, I didn’t think I’d walk into a LARP group. Sorry about that.” You sheepishly smile. “I had no idea where the portal was going to take me. But if you would be so kind-”

“Wait, what’s LARP?” One of them speaks up. He was a dirty blond and somewhere in the middle of the group height wise. He wore a white cape like thing with blue designs on the back but you didn’t recognize the symbol.

“Live Action Role Play?” You tilt your head. “It’s why you’re all dressed like that? Right?”

“This is just our clothes.” What appears to be the youngest bounces up to you. “What are you wearing?”

“First I could grab in my closet.” You admit and look down on it. It’s one of your comfiest shirts and best looking pants. You’re a little proud of yourself for finding those in the dark.

“Weird.”

“We’re heroes. We’re all named Link.” Cape guy speaks up again. “Is it safe to assume that you’re in the same boat?”

“Heroes?” Your eyebrows furrow together. “I’m not a hero and my name’s not Link.”

You’re quick to tell them your name and you watch as the confusion covers their faces. “My brother’s name is Link though if that helps anything.”

“Oh we needed him!” The youngest groans and it instantly irks you.

“What would you need with a five year old?” You deadpan and cross your arms. 

The information stuns the group.

“The portal showed up in the middle of the night and I’m the one that went through it. I’m pretty sure I was the only awake to even see it. Are you telling me that it was for my little brother?” You’d be lying if you said that you weren’t a little pissed. “My baby brother was supposed to go through it? He was asleep! He’s five. What kind of logic is that?!”

“Well...” The biggest and oldest of them runs a hand over his face. You think he has some cool tattoos and sick scar going across his eye but he looks about as angry as you feel, so you don’t say anything. “It appears the gods truly do not care for the hero’s maturity, only his existence.”

“Ok...What’s with all this hero talk?” You bite back. “What did... Where am I?”

“Hyrule.” The second with cool face tattoos speaks up. He’s got a large fur pelt around his shoulders and you have to tighten your grip against your backpack again to keep from reaching out to touch it.

Even so you feel yourself deadpan even more. “Hyrule? Like the ancient empire? The one that collapsed more than two thousand years ago? That Hyrule?”

You’re inclined to not believe them and write all of them off as crazy... but you also walked through a portal. And your grandma did say that magic existed in the strangest forms.

They all share looks of concern and some begin to murmur quietly amongst themselves but you’re too far gone to even notice.

“Did I time travel?” The idea hits you like a bus and you feel your eyes widen as you stare beyond the group. You quickly take our your phone and unlock it.

No signal.

“Is that a type of Sheikah slate?” Someone asks you.

“I don’t know what that is.” You reply automatically. “Wait, hold on, what year is it?”

“Why don’t you tell us what year you’re from and we can start from there?” The darkest brunette of the group speaks up.

“202x PC” You say robotically, not really processing the world around you anymore.

“That’s...” The blond with a long blue scarf speaks up with a slight hiss. “...Beyond any of our timelines. You see, we all come from different worlds and eras of Hyrule’s history.”

“I don’t think you’re the farthest down anymore, Wild.”

“This would then make them my successor, right?”

“It would make their brother your successor.” Someone amends. “I think they just jumped in his place.”

“Leave my brother alone.” You snap back into the present, pocketing your [hone again. “Ok, you know what, screw it. I don’t know what you’d want my brother for but I’m here now. I’d gladly take his place if it means he gets to stay home!”

“Hey.” A boy with pink hair stalks up to you looking a little more serious than you’d like.

“Nice hair dude, way to defy the gender norms.” You smirk a little before genuinely grinning, hoping to quell the tension. “What product do you use? It looks like Artic Fox but not every place sells their brand.”

“...I have no idea what you’re talking about but what happened to Ganon in your world? How have you been handling it?” He snaps and places his hands on his hips.

“Ganon? Like my old principle? That’s a name I haven’t heard in forever.” You’re confused again. “Last I heard he joined the police force only to be reassigned out of state. I don’t know what’s happening with him. Kinda hope he gets fired though. He’s not a bad guy but he’s not someone you’d want in that kind of position of power, you know.”

“Police force?”

You blinked and look them all over. They look very medieval. “Oh... You don’t have that...”

You begin to think about your history lessons and what they might be familiar with if they’re telling the truth about being from Hyrule.

“Ya’ll got knights?”

Many, almost all of them nod, a few with face of despair already on them before you finish speaking.

“It’s kind of like that. Mixed with a towns guard position... kinda. They enforce laws... at least they’re supposed to but the whole system is flawed and racist and really needs to be dismantled for the abuse of power that they have-”

“Abuse? Of power?” You have their attention again.

“It’s stupid and it won’t really make any sense if I try to explain because I doubt you have anything similar but it’s basically a group of people given the right to treat the public in anyway they like for their own benefit because they have no one telling them that they can’t.” You groan and slowly begin to feel your lack of sleep catch up to you. 

You slowly reach to behind you and sit down on the dirt, looking at all of them. “Mr. Dragmire wasn’t like...Demise or anything but he was a huge jerk. No one liked him. He liked me though. I remember that. I was the envy of the whole school because I somehow got on his good side while everyone else wants to strangle him. I think he was transferred for some misdemeanor or something like that... like he might have been throwing hands with someone he wasn’t supposed to. I never heard all the details. I didn’t really care for it when it happened either. I’m pretty sure he lost that fight though. The dude looked like a blast of wind could have knocked him over let alone someone’s knuckle sandwich.”

“I would love to hear more about this.” The youngest sits next to you with a large grin on his face. His eyes are bright and his body language reminds you of your cousin Zelda. You instantly think they’d get along like a house on fire. “What are your monsters like?”

“Monsters?” You tilt your head. “Be a little more specific bud, it depends on where you’re from.”

“You have that many?!”

“It depends on if you believe they’re real or not.”

“Speaking of monsters, can you fight?” The shortest walks up to you. You like that his tunic is stitched up with multiple colors and designs. It gives it personality, you think. “Do you have a weapon you’re more comfortable with?”

The question throws you off your rhythm and you don’t fight your wince. “What would happen if I say that I do not, in fact, have any sort of weapon on me?”

“I wouldn’t believe you.” Pink guy speaks up again. “That pack is huge, there has to be something in there.”

“It’s food, water and extra clothes my guy.” You lean back against said backpack since it won’t let you lay down with it still on. “Not a lot of space for anything else. I’m pretty good at hand to hand combat though. Karate’s a good way to fight out stress.” 

“Your bag’s not magic?”

“Why the hell would it be magic? ...Are you trying to tell me magic actually exists?” You raise an eyebrow as your eyes begin to close against your will. “I know my grandma said it does but I thought she meant like fairies and shadow demons.. and bigfoot. Can’t forget him, he’s the real MVP... You know...Children’s bedtime stories and stuff like that, it’s not real. But like magic magic? Magic items and the like? Find me Tinkerbell and I’ll show you Neverland, that’s what I say.”

“Are you serious?”

“Second star to the right, straight on till morning.” You respond.

There’s a moment of silence as the group in front of you processes your words. It’s hard to tell their reaction since you’re not looking at them but you no longer have the energy to do anything else.

“Are you falling asleep right now?” It’s the one they called Wild.

“I...” You try to open your eyes. They don’t budge. “I haven’t slept in nearly 20 hours... I think. I might have past 24 hours a while ago actually. Portal showed up at like four in the morning... I had to get up at six and I didn’t sleep at all before then.”

More silence.

“Great another one.” Someone scoffs.

You snort.

“Why did we pack up camp again?”

“No one kill me.” You say right before you lose consciousness. “Please and thank you.”

“They’re doomed.”

“Have some faith Vet. They stepped in for their little brother. That has to mean something?”

“They’re in for a rude awakening, and that’s all I have to say about it.”

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #is this readers origin story #maybe? #i got a little carried away with this one #had to stop myself before i went even further beyond #i don't know if I want to continue with this as a story or just throw out some headcanons with modern reader #i like to think that everything i write takes place in a separate universe #especially the ones where they catch feelings #might throw out what they think of reader #might not #depends on you guys! #let me know what you think!

[mimzy-writing-online]

Hello. I had a question regarding your post about blind characters. I have a character in my WIP that must cover their eyes.. but it’s blind. He may need to tell people he is blind to explain why he covers his eyes though. I was wondering how I might write this character without offending. Thank you :)

I think I want to start by explaining the “covering blind eyes” trope and why it has become a harmful trope. I think understanding why it’s hurtful helps everyone learn how to handle it better.

I would guess that the “blind people wear sunglasses” trope comes from Hollywood for the specific reason of 1. wanting to signal to the audience that the character is obviously blind and 2. avoid breaking the suspension of disbelief by preventing the audience from catching the sighted actor look at visual stimuli (because disabled characters are almost always played by able actors).

But this changed the way the public expects to experience blindness. If watching a sighted actor wear sunglasses and say he’s blind is all the exposure to the blind community a person has had, that’s the only model of blindness they’ll recognize. If they meet a blind person in real life who doesn’t wear sunglasses, it’s going to break this built perception and cause an uncomfortable cognitive dissonance. 

And then there is the common “cloudy-white blank gaze” that pops up in media. It stems from the fact that cataracts is the most common cause of blindness and the appearance of severe cataracts is a cloudy film in the eyes obscuring the iris and pupil. It can also alter what color a person’s eyes appears to be, making them appear paler and grey in the beginning and then as the cataract advances it becomes more yellow/brown and alters a person’s vision to appear more yellow tinted.

There are lots of other eye conditions that makes the eyes look visibly different. Albinism for instance affects the color and structure of the iris. Eyes might be congenitally misshapen. The muscles might be weak or not work and one or both eyes point significantly outward. Someone who was born blind and experienced no visual stimuli might also have weak muscles around their eyes because they never had a reason to focus their eyes on anything.

And unfortunately humans have the habit of feeling uncomfortable when they meet someone who looks very obviously different from the norm, whether that’s a personal style choice (hair color and style, tattoos, clothing choices) or something they can’t help (a visible disability, skin color, scars). 

To the paragraph above, @gothhabiba replied with:  “it's very weird & ahistorical to claim that racism or ableism are some kind of natural "human" trait.. like frankly it's apologia”

You’re right, I wasn’t thinking beyond that generalization or assumption.

Perhaps a better way to put it is: I was raised in a society where I was taught from childhood to think that there was only one kind of human being to be. White, cis, straight, abled, conservative. That’s a very western thing and that’s a thing I’m going to constantly be unlearning.

Racism and ableism and homophobia aren’t innate, that’s a western thing that was forced onto the rest of the world by colonialism. And because western media created this idea that the world is white, abled, cis, straight, and Christian-value leaning, it taught people to think that was the norm so that seeing someone different from that archetype would cause a cognitive dissonance, which causes discomfort.

And instead of working past that cognitive dissonance to learn more and realize there’s so much more to life than media taught you, society encourages you to ignore that cognitive dissonance by sticking your head in the sand-- or TV screen.

So combine these two tropes or common beliefs together and you get something a little dangerous: the idea that blind people cover their eyes because they look obviously different and they’re ashamed (or should be ashamed) of that.

And if you’re someone who’s just gone blind or who was born blind and you have little to no contact with the blind community, then this societal belief that you should be ashamed of how your eyes look becomes detrimental to your self-esteem and further builds internalized ableism.

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve read or watched a blind character cover their eyes with sunglasses because they were ashamed of how their eyes looked. And I distinctly remember a few times where a sighted friend of the character was trying to convince them to stop wearing sunglasses because there’s nothing wrong with looking different--which is true, but it plays into this fantasy of being the perfect abled ally who saves the blind character from being miserable. 

In an ideal world, the character has no reason to believe looking different is a bad thing or diminishes their worth or makes people dislike them. And if they develop this belief, it’s more likely that someone more involved in the disabled community, most likely someone disabled themselves, will set them straight. Or that the character will learn to accept themselves on their own, looks included.

But there are some perfectly valid reasons for any blind person to wear sunglasses. They might have an interest in fashion and sunglasses complete the look they’re going for. They could want to protect their eyes from UV rays while they’re outside. They may experience light sensitivity and sunglasses reduces any discomfort or pain. Those are incredibly common reasons to wear sunglasses whether you’re sighted or blind.

But there are some more complicated situations.

In your words, your character must cover his eyes. You never specified why, so my primary guess is that he has some kind of power that is unpleasant or has devastating affects and the only way to prevent it is to keep his eyes covered. My primary guess stems from this post where an anon and I discussed a retelling of Medusa, a hypothetical blinding of oneself to avoid ever killing anyone ever again, and what I think I would do if I was in that scenario.

So how do you write a blind character who must cover their eyes and avoid some of the complications?

1. Your character must always have the ability to say “fuck off, it’s my business, I don’t have to tell you why I’m blind or why I cover my eyes.”

Most blind people really, really don’t want to get into the nitty-gritty of why they’re blind and how they feel about it and what it’s like being blind with a stranger they’ll never see again or a new acquaintance they don’t know well yet. You have exceptions to that rule where sure, educating the public about blindness is a thing you want to do and you’re committed to helping your community, but I still have days where I don’t want to talk about being blind or disclose my medical crap.

And if someone doesn’t respect their right to their privacy or pushes too much, the blind character is allowed to be angry, is allowed to tell them off and complain without anyone else in the situation vilifying them or saying they’re “overreacting” and “should have just disclosed private information because big deal or whatever.” If they are angry, that’s their right, and it’s not unreasonable, it doesn’t make them a bad person.

2. Your character should not be ashamed of being blind or of covering their eyes. It is a part of their life, they’re used to it by now, even if they weren’t in the beginning.

The shame and internalized ableism is something that should be written about, but that’s for an own-voices story with a blind author. I don’t think an abled person will ever be able to understand how much society expects you to hate yourself and your disability because “being disabled is a tragic thing that ruins your life” and how that does affect your mental health, self esteem, your relationships with others, your medical care, and what kind of accommodations you can get.

3. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few sarcastic lines in response to uncomfortable conversations.

Stranger: so what’s with the...

Blind Character: what’s with what?

S: the... you know

BC: you’re gonna have to be a bit more specific

S: Your eyes?

BC: They’re... eyes

S: but you’re...

BC: Blind?

S: uh...

BC: yeah, I’m blind. *walks away*

Or this conversation:

S: *to some other character* so why are his eyes covered?

(author’s note: which, honestly, that’s fucking rude. At least have the guts to ask me yourself)

BC: If I look anyone in the eye they instantly perish.

*awkward silence*

BC: instantly.

Friend: It’s truly tragic

BC: *melancholic* that’s how I lost my sister. *chokes up* She was so young

Or this conversation:

S: Why are you wearing that?

BC: It’s called fashion Karen!

Or this conversation:

S: are you like... blind?

BC: yes?? why wouldn’t I be?? Wait, are you sighted? Are you one of those sighted people? You poor thing! What caused you to gain your sight? Do you have a car? A bike? Were you born sighted? What’s it like to see color? Do you miss not having to see 

God, I want a chance to try that last one. I haven’t interacted with a stranger in almost a year. One day...

4. Honestly, it’d also be cool if someone’s reaction to your character covering their eyes was like, “cool sunglasses,” or “cool *insert random character, even one you made up* cosplay,” (which is ten times funnier if this character is a notable figure in modern society like an actor who people might cosplay). 

5. You know, if he’s covering his eyes with some kind of blindfold, he should totally have custom blindfolds for his moods. Like, I have a mask that says “suck it up buttercup” and another that says “not today” because sometimes that’s the mood. And sometimes the mood is one of my floral masks, and sometimes the mood is my cat mask.

So, just some thoughts. I hope that helps.

Edit: a commenter said: “op, unless i'm mistaken this kind of reads like anon meant the character ISN'T blind but lies about being blind to explain covering their eyes? it seems like they made a typo on the word "isn't"”

So my original response to the question was based on the assumption that the character is blind. However,

If the character is not blind, then do not under any circumstances have them lie and say they’re blind to escape a mild inconvenience. 

It’s better to have the character actually explain the situation or straight up leave the conversation or invent a more ridiculous lie than to perpetuate the very real stereotype and misconception that there are people who fake being blind and therefore it’s okay to discriminate or harass them if you even suspect they’re faking.

Do not under any circumstances perpetuate that stereotype. Do not harass someone because you don’t think they’re blind enough.

#blind character #writeblr #writing community #disabled character #writing tropes #trope talk #blindness tropes #Anonymous