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#myth meets poem
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"This short read was enthralling! I was a little confused at first as I am used to humans or maybe even shifters but these characters were so much more than that! By the end of the story I didn't want it to end!" Appletini, Amazon
Get the eBook or Read on KU! 🔗 in bio
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.
Welcome to the Night Garden🐍🌿
When I stumbled in, I was at the end of my rope, and so the Garden had no trouble claiming me- body and soul. I could feel Her call, warping and twisting my form into something... monstrous.
As the last of my humanity drained away, all I was left with was the unyielding hunger to claim the sorceress who'd created me, The Monstrosity. ✮ When others came crawling into my forest, collapsing on top of the moss in exhaustion, I would let the Earth claim them- a sacrifice to the ancient magic that lived within it and myself.
But this one was different. They'd changed and grown and became something dreadful, something horrid in their power, and something, as much as I might deny it, that belonged to me. Or rather, I to it. ✮ The hunt is on in The Night Garden, and the darkness that awaits will pull everything into shadows that prey inside the wood.
This dark monster romance short will be available on 11/30 on Amazon & free to read on KU. It contains dark, mature themes that may not be suited for all readers. You'll find:
👥Dual POV 👾Pararnormal Monster Romance 💀Morally Grey MCs ⚔️V!olence/G0re 🥵Dom/Sub 😈DubCon 🔥Praise/Deg 🪢BD$M 🍆Unique appendages 🏃‍♂️Primal K!nk 👄B!iting 😭Tragic Pasts
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astronicht · 2 months
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Okay I'm almost done with Fellowship, here's an incomplete list of shit I noticed and thought was buck fucking wild on my first ever read-thru: medieval edition.
In literally the second line of the book, Tolkien implies that Bilbo Baggins wrote a story which was preserved alongside the in-universe version of the Mabinogion (aka the best-known collection of Welsh myths; I promise this is batshit). This is because The Hobbit has been preserved, in Tolkien's AU version of our world, in a "selection of the Red Book of Westmarch" (Prologue, Concerning Hobbits). If you're a medievalist and you see something called "The Red Book of" or "The Black Book of" etc it's a Thing. In this case, a cheeky reference to the Red Book of Hergest (Llyfr Coch Hergest). There are a few Red Books, but only Hergest has stories).
not a medieval thing but i did not expect one common theory among hobbits for the death of Frodo's parents to be A RUMORED MURDER-SUICIDE.
At the beginning of the book a few hobbits report seeing a moving elm tree up on the moors, heading west (thru or past the Shire). I mentioned this in another post, but another rule: if you see an elm tree, that's a Girl Tree. In Norse creation myth, the first people were carved from driftwood by the gods. Their names were Askr (Ash, as in the tree), the first man, and Embla (debated, but likely elm tree), the first woman. A lot of ppl have I think guessed that that was an ent-wife, but like. Literally that was a GIRL. TREE.
Medieval thing: I used to read the runes on the covers of The Hobbit and LOTR for fun when I worked in a bookshop. There's a mix of Old Norse (viking) and Old English runes in use, but all the ones I've noticed so far are real and readable if you know runes.
Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you once spent months of your life researching the early medieval art of galdor, which was the use of poems or songs to do a form of word-magic, often incorporating gibberish. If you think maybe Tolkien did not base the entirety of Fellowship so far around learning and using galdor and thus the power of words and stories, that is fine I cannot force you. He did personally translate "galdor" in Beowulf as "spell" (spell, amusingly, used to mean "story"). And also he named an elf Galdor. Like he very much did name an elf Galdor.
Tom Bombadil in fact does galdor from the moment we meet him. He arrives and fights the evil galdor (song) of the willow tree ("old gray willow-man, he's a mighty singer"), which is singing the hobbits to sleep and possibly eating them, with a galdor (song) of his own. Then he wanders off still singing, incorporating gibberish. I think it was at this point that I started clawing my face.
THEN Tom Bombadil makes perfect sense if you've read the description of the scop's songs in Beowulf (Beowulf again, but hey, Tolkien did famously a. translate it b. write a fanfiction about it called Sellic Spell where he gave Beowulf an arguably homoerotic Best Friend). The scop (pronounched shop) is a poet who sings about deeds on earth, but also by profession must know how to sing the song or tell the story of how the cosmos itself came to be. The wise-singer who knows the deep lore of the early universe is a standard trope in Old English literature, not just Beowulf! Anyway Tom Bombadil takes everyone home and tells them THE ENTIRE STORY OF ALL THE AGES OF THE EARTH BACKWARDS UNTIL JUST BEFORE THE MOMENT OF CREATION, THE BIG BANG ITSELF and then Frodo Baggins falls asleep.
Tom Bombadil knows about plate tectonics
This is sort of a lie, Tom Bombadil describes the oceans of old being in a different place, which works as a standard visual of Old English creation, which being Christian followed vaguely Genesis lines, and vaguely Christian Genesis involves a lot of water. TOLKIEN knew about plate tectonics though.
Actually I just checked whether Tolkien knew about plate tectonics because I know the advent of plate tectonics theory took forever bc people HATED it and Alfred Wegener suffered for like 50 years. So! actually while Tolkien was writing LOTR, the scientific community was literally still not sure plate tectonics existed. Tom Bombadil knew tho.
Remember that next time you (a geologist) are forced to look at the Middle Earth map.
I'm not even done with Tom Bombadil but I'm stopping here tonight. Plate tectonics got me. There's a great early (but almost high!) medieval treatise on cosmology and also volcanoes and i wonder if tolkien read it. oh my god. i'm going to bed.
edit: part II
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linipik · 8 months
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Clarisse and Silena for the @campsapphozine 🧡🤍💗🏛️
this is one of my all-time favorite pairings since they reunite Ares and Aphrodite - Patroclus and Achilles myths AND sapphic love
(Based on the version of Ares and Aphrodite's first meeting found in The Anacreontea, a collection of post-classical greek poems)
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fandomsandfeminism · 2 years
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"Romeo and Juliets romance is just so unrealistic! It's not what a romance is like in MY experience!"
Oh? Oh really? You, adult living in 2022, you never went to a fancy Venetian masquerade in the 1590s and met a mysterious stranger and then your first conversation spontaneously forms a perfect sonnet? That's not a totally relatable experience for you?
Is Macbeth unrealistic because of the witches? Is Midsummer unrealistic because of the love potion?
Like, there's no explicit magic in Romeo and Juliet, but it still exists in a heightened reality, and overlooking the role that language plays within the text itself kneecaps your analysis of the intent.
When we hear of Romeo, his dad and friends are discussing his recent sad mood- he's upset because the girl he likes has no interest in him. His friends try to distract him from it with a party, but dont really seem to...connect with or fully empathize with his sadness. When we first hear of Juliet, her father and Paris are planning her marriage (without her input.) They are both talked about but not really listened to. The way they are spoken about isolates them from others.
Then they meet, and with no knowledge of each other, not even their names, they click into perfect rhythm. They finish each other rhymes. They form perfect ABAB quatrains in conversation, their sentences form a rhyming *couplet* at the end.
You know the song Ana sings with Hans in Frozen? Love is an open door? We finish each others- Sandwiches? Yeah- it's riffing on this. The idea that you meet someone perfect and right away your souls can make poetry together. The immediate intimacy of being so in sync that your introduction is a love poem.
I don't know, yall. Romeo and Juliet isn't a gritty hyper-realistic Oscar nominated docu-drama. It teters on the edge of fairy tale and myth, it leans on its language to convey deeper emotional truths that a 5 act play doesn't have the time to develop as deeply as we, in our world of movie montages and long form TV, are more accustomed to. This isn't a slow burn, pining, enemies to friends to lovers. It's soul mates love at first sight, and when you accept that, the play can get on with the business of saying what it wants to say about hate and the cycle of violence and social rules and decorum and how grudges and blood fueds can destroy the magic in the world if we let it.
"It doesn't matter if they are really in love. They should be allowed to be stupid hormonal teenagers without dying" I see many people say, and while I think that sentiment is true, I DO think it matters that they are in love. I think it matters that their meeting sparks a sonnet, and that poetry is snuffed out by the violence around them.
I think it matters that what they had wasn't an arranged marriage or a "good match" made by approving friends- that it was spontaneous and instant and inexplicable, but that the world couldn't let that be because it defied all the rules. Because it wasn't set up by parents and wasn't politically convenient, because it wasn't part of a proper, prolonged courtship with chaperones and social approval- it was love and poetry that defied all of that and so it was snuffed out. That they are pushed to such extremes not just by the killings, but by Juliets impending engagement to Paris, they have to act now because their love doesnt fit into the proper pattern set out by society- I think that matters.
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whiteskullofroses · 6 months
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Hi! I saw that you accept request for Baldwin IV. If you do still accept, could you pls write one where y/n and Baldwin would stay up too late talking to each other until one falls asleeps? Thanks 💕
Hi there thank you for the request! And to clarify, you can always request any characters you want❤️ Enjoy!
LATE NIGHT TALK
Baldwin Iv x reader
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It was a cold night in Jerusalem. You were walking around the palace gazing up at the stars and thinking about life when all of a sudden, a familiar voice grabbed your attention: "Y/N!" He called out to you from his room. It was all lit up with candles so you could see his shape clearly: "Care to join me?" The young king's voice sounded so energetic, even though it was already midnight. You answered: "With pleasure!" And happily headed out to his quarters.
Once you reached the hallway that led to his room, you noticed that the door was already opened for you but still, you knocked on the wood to make your presence known.
He turned from his desk to look at you. His mask shone from the candles around him and made his blue eyes sparkle.
"Care for a round?" Baldwin gestured towards the chess set and sat down at the table. "Y/n" Sitting down and listening to his words "I've missed you tonight. I rarely see you these days."
You smiled and replied: "Work has been incredibly tiring," taking a sip of some wine a servant poured: "I've hardly found any time for friends."
Baldwin leaned closer to you: "Well now it's the time. Relax."
You started the chess game and asked: "How come weren't you at the banquet last Monday?"
The King moved a pawn and sighed: "I had an unexpected meeting which I couldn't miss."
Nodding, you moved on since you didn't want to trouble him with hard topics so late in the night.
"Have you read any new poetry lately?" Asking him like you always do, you always loved to listen to him talk about the things he was passionate about, one of them being literature.
Whether it be myths from across Europe containing dragons and other mystical beings or poetry that many saw as simple, however from a trained eye's perspective it was true art projected onto paper.
"Yes, I've read this wonder piece from a book from France Preseren called 'Poezije'" Grabbing the book from a nearby chair and flipping through it, Baldwin proclaimed: "Would you like to hear it?"
"I'd love to, Baldwin." You supported your head with your elbow on the table, as the late hours of the night cut into your brains. "Where did you get it from?"
"I believe I got this book as a gift from my sister when she visited Carniola."
Finally, he started reading, his voice soft as ever:
Fresh flowers will spread fragrance far and near,
Like roses when the winter's passed away.
Your eyelids became heavier and heavier with every word he spoke:
And spring displays its marvelous array,
While through the trees white scattered blossoms peer
Your breathing became deeper, with waves of relaxation washing through your body. All of a sudden you felt like you were 10 years old again, when your mother used to read you books to help you fall asleep.
All this time away from your parents and away from your childhood made you forget how soothing it was and how much you enjoyed it.
Baldwin continued reading the poem whilst you were drifting off into peaceful sleep, right there on his 'chess table'.
He hardly noticed you falling asleep right opposite to him as he was focusing on the text he was reading. But when he finished reading the poem and looked up from the book, he realized you slept through half of it.
He chuckled to himself. Baldwin wasn't mad or annoyed with you, rather he felt a sort of fulfillment that he managed to get you to fall asleep.
For a moment he just sat there, staring at you. You didn't know it at the time but he admired you deeply. For your intelligence and your beauty. He found that this was one of the times he could truly silently look at you and not feel bad about it.
Whenever he would catch himself gazing upon you he would get this guilt deep in his chest. He felt as though it was appropriate for him to look at you when the two of you were just colleagues.
So he slowly walked up to you and carefully picked you up. Walking up to his bed and laying you down in the middle, he knew he couldn't sleep there that night, that would be simply too much.
He decided to go and spend the night in the guest room. Just as he was about to leave your side, you woke up and grabbed him by the wrist, gently but enough so he could feel it.
"Baldwin, stay."
THE END.
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Okay but am I the only one with a special love for declarations of love that border on religious/sacrilegious?
I mean i just love that “my future husband becoming to me my whole world; and more then the world: almost my hope for heaven. he stood between me and every thought of religion… i could not, in those days, see god for his creature: of whom i had made an idol” "heaven did not seem to be my home and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth" "heaven and hell were words to me" "do not swear at all. or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, which is the god of my idolatry, and I'll believe thee" "he knows himself to be equal to the gods" "that man seems to me to be equal to the gods who is sitting opposite you" "if love is a religion, i'll worship you morning and evening" "i love you so much my heart names you after gods" "she's a goddess. my muse, my lover - i worship her devotedly and sacrifices daily and she loves me back with a savage barbarism only the greek goddesses could" "she's a myth, she's a legend. one look at her is sure to lock you out of heaven" "i want to devour you. you want to devour me. so let's consume each other. it's communion - though it sure doesn't look like church" "in the crooks of your body i find my religion" "if the heavens ever did speak, she's the last true mouthpiece" "we were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other" "my love is not idolatrous, okay? that’s bullshit. it’s not. i’m just saying it’s theological perfection, that’s all. like the Holy Trinity, but a hundred times better" "take me to church: i'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies. i'll tell you my sins, and you can sharpen your knife. offer me that deathless death. oh good God, let me give you my life" "you built me palaces out of paragraphs. you built cathedrals" "women were to me a cathedral. beautiful and religious even. their ability to make worshipers… worth writing a poem for" "i would have come out of eden to open the door for you if i had known you were there" "i slithered out from eden just to outside your door" "my church offers no absolutes; she tells me, 'worship in the bedroom.' the only heaven I'll be sent to is when I'm alone with you" "and if the devil were to see you he would kiss your eyes and repent" "love, for you, is larger than the usual romantic love. it's like religion. it's terrifying" "i wanted to know what I looked like to you. a sin committed and a prayer answered, you said" "she'll give you all your desires but her demands are sacrificial" "there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin" "he thought her body gave him his first name. he thought her thighs could tell him who he was. he thought lust and love had the same hands" "it's more then love she feels for him... it's more like worship" "to fall in love is to create a religion that has a fallible god" "unholy. killer of men. makes you wonder how much longer till you give in" "if my love is blasphemous, then may i burn i hell" "her beauty is so great that heaven is flawed for the lack of her" "if I'm a pagan of the good times, my lover's the sunlight. to keep the goddess on my side, she demands a sacrifice" "i would put off meeting god in paradise, to meet you one last time" "she is heaven's light" "she is hellfire" "you remember church as a boy. the fear and the passion. that's what she makes me feel" "when he leaves the room, he bows and acts precisely as if he were before a shrine" "we are one person in two bodies" "i am not whole without you" "i need my other half. you are me, and i am you" "o that it were not in religion sin to make our love a god, and worship it" "unable are the loved to die for love is immortality, nay it is deity - unable they that love to die for love reforms vitality into divinity" kind of love
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avelera · 7 months
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Some missed opportunities for Norse Mythology references in the Loki S2 Finale
I want to quickly preface this by saying the Loki show never claimed to be about or even incorporate more than passing nods to Norse mythology, so the following "missed opportunities" are more things that I think could have been cool and were perhaps within reach as references, but that even at my most wildly optimistic I didn't and still don't really expect because the show has been so very clear on this front. It's not fair to say these are flaws because the show never pretended to be about Norse mythology. NEVERTHELESS, because I'm a big nerd:
1) Ragnarok - All respect to Waititi and Thor III, it was a great interpretation of the myth, but I've always longed for something a little closer to the doom and mysticism of the mythology and the Loki S2 finale came tantalizingly close to invoking it, but fell short of actually using the word. Because Ragnarok isn't just about the fall of the gods, it's about the destruction and rebirth of the world. "After [the events of Ragnarok], the world will rise again, cleansed and fertile, the surviving and returning gods will meet, and the world will be repopulated by two human survivors." 
Gee does that sound familiar! Almost like destroying all of the timelines to create them anew! Almost like that's what Sylvie was invoking by telling him it's better to accept destruction rather than accept imprisonment, and to build something new out of the ashes.
That's Ragnarok. That's literally Ragnarok and they invoked it in so many ways there short of actually using the damn word.
Loki, the god destined to bring about Ragnarok, proceeding to directly bring down the current timeline by destroying and then renewing it with a male and female survivor to help rebuild (visualized with Mobius and Sylvie's little chat at the end, even if it's the TVA they helped rebuild not the human population) sure does sound astonishingly close to invoking the story of Ragnarok.
And even though I'm bummed they never called it Ragnarok, I completely understand why! Ragnarok has kinda already happened in the MCU (never mind that Ragnarok itself is cyclical and will come again, but I digress)! I'd even go so far as to guess that earlier drafts probably did make it clearer but the thread, except for its bones and outline, were abandoned or left unnamed explicitly because it would be confusing for those not familiar with the myth or who would conflate Ragnarok with its Thor III invocation. Alas.
2) Loki bound - Already sort of invoked in Thor II with Loki imprisoned, which is why I don't think any more overt reference was made, but Loki was rather famously bound up in mythology. In this case, in a cave with a snake's poison dripping into his mouth. Not saying Loki bound to his throne of time needed to be conflated with how he was imprisoned until Ragnarok in the myhology, but the imprisonment parallel is there.
3) Loki becomes the new Odin, sacrificed upon Yggrasil - "The generally accepted meaning of Old Norse Yggdrasill is "Odin's horse", meaning "gallows". This interpretation comes about because drasill means "horse" and Ygg(r) is one of Odin's many names. The Poetic Edda poem Hávamál describes how Odin sacrificed himself by hanging from a tree, making this tree Odin's gallows. This tree may have been Yggdrasil." (source)
IE, Loki has sacrificed himself upon the world tree for power and knowledge and for the sake of the world. In this, unlike in the mythology where Loki is not Odin's son, Loki ascends to a parallel of his father's throne to follow in his legacy, having finally learned his father's lessons about rulership and self-sacrifice. Perhaps like the mythological Odin, we will learn that in making this self-sacrifice, Loki too has gained phenomenal knowledge and power?
4) Ratatoskr - This is more foward-looking and I don't in a million years think they'll do it but it would be so cool - so cool - if at some later point Loki has a friend or a servant or a squirrel form or idk, something that invokes Ratatoskr, the squirrel that lives in the World Tree and freely travels up and down its branches delivering messages. Please, MCU, give Loki a little squirrel friend??
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welshaphrodite · 1 year
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Imagine you dedicate your entire life to studying the Vikings, Norse mythology, and runestones. You’re pouring over ancient maps, getting your PhD in the subject. You become a professor. A statue of Leif Erikson has always watched out over your family home. 
Later you learn the truth -- the Nine Worlds are real. The Norse gods walk among Midgardian mortals, alive and well. Everything you have ever studied has come to life. But how did you find this all out? Not because they came to you. No. Because they came to your younger siblings. 
Your younger sister is the one to meet Frey, the Norse god of peace, fertility, and sunshine. You have read every myth, poem, and document about him, but your baby sister is the one to find him somewhere out in the Blue Hills. She has a son with him. A boy. The only child of Frey in all the Nine Worlds. She is special.
Your younger brother is also noticed. Despite all of the work you have put into your studies, and the pride you take in your intellect, it is he who gets to meet the Greek goddess of wisdom. Athena. The Greek gods are also alive and well. But they aren’t interested in you, either. Your brother is the one to create a brainchild with the virgin goddess. A daughter born of divine thought. He, too, is special.
You could have survived without the recognition. But after the third funeral, the questions you always pushed away start to surface. 
You stand in the window of your family home and look out. The Leif Erikson statue stands, unchanged. The catalyst of your obsession. A path that led to a lifetime of intense dedication to the gods. You thought you had already given everything to them. Your time. Your beliefs. Your reputation. But now -- the house is silent. 
Amidst your grief, the questions fire: What did you do wrong? How were your younger siblings the ones to be sought after? Why were they special? How was I different? What did I do wrong?
You turn to the hush of the dusty study, eyes flickering over everything Norse: the maps, the treasures, the books. 
After a lifetime of devotion to the gods, how are you not worthy in their eyes?
How had you managed to remain unnoticed? 
There is a knock on the door. 
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bloomingdarkgarden · 4 months
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Could Vassa Be Immortal After All?
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A Firebird Theory
(WARNING: HOFAS SPOILERS BELOW)
While reading CC3 I couldn’t help but notice a plot element regarding curses that brought me back to Vassa in ACOTAR.
In HOFAS we learn Jesiba's mysterious backstory and all this talk of curses- I couldn’t help but to meditate on our favorite firebird. Jesiba unveils that she has been cursed in Chapter 38:
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And also elaborates that there were unintentional consequences of the curse:
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Jesiba obviously holds a strong grudge against her cursor but is able to use the curse to her advantage.
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So Jesiba, similarly to Vassa, was a mortal, cursed unwillingly by an immortal male figure. The curse made her immortal in turn. This has me thinking- what if the same has happened to Vassa? More from Ch.38:
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I also find the passage in ACOWAR really interesting, in which Feyre is describing her perception of Vassa the first time they meet:
‘Only a few years older than me, but ... young-feeling. Coltish. Fierce and untamed, despite her curse.’ (ACOWAR chapter 79)
Could this be because although Vassa is, let’s say, age 28- she actually stopped physically aging when she was cursed at age 20? Perhaps it's just Feyre noting that she's a spicy pepper. Who knows.
I recently went down a rabbit hole of Slavic lore and I’m so intrigued by Vaasa’s storyline in the upcoming books. Most folks are aware that SJM has taken her story directly from Slavic mythology- and there are loads of potential breadcrumbs in the fables of:
Ivan Tsarevitch in which Ivan, the youngest of several malaligned brothers, sets out on a quest to free a firebird from a dark sorcerer who also entraps other princesses (often Koschei the deathless).
Princess Vasilisa in which an archer finds a firebird’s flaming feather and gets roped into a quest to deliver a lost princess. Hello Elain’s vision regarding this exact imagery: “I saw a feather of fire land on snow and melt it.” (ACOWAR)
Swan Lake in which Princess Odette (Vassa) is cursed into a swan form by an evil lord and can only take human form between midnight and daybreak. Only a faithful vow of true love can break the spell. If her true love makes a vow to the wrong woman (Elain perhaps) the princess dies instead. Could something as powerful as a male (Lucien) breaking his mating bond to forge a destiny with Vassa be the key to breaking her curse??
Who knows.
Will Vassa be immortalized by Koschei's power touching her and chaining her to the lake? Will Lucien be the key to deliver her from her curse as Ivan was in the fables?
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I don't know. But regardless of Lucien's heart, I myself am a Vassa acolyte. I'm so enraptured by the beautiful myths surrounding this lore, and am so intrigued to learn what becomes of Vassa as a heroine in her own right. Her character and story have so much magical potential!
In the words of Yakov Polonsky’s poem:
And in my dreams I see myself on a wolf's back
Riding along a forest path
To do battle with a sorcerer-tsar
In that land where a princess sits under lock and key,
Pining behind massive walls.
There gardens surround a palace all of glass;
There Firebirds sing by night
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the-moon-lullaby · 1 year
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Hi! It's so great to see someone writing for good old mc. Can I get the boys (by that I mean Nathaniel, Castiel, Lysander, Kentin and Armin but feel free to left some out if that's too many characters) talking to Candy's pregnant belly? Ofc feel free to ignore if you are uncomfortable with topic of pregnancy or kids. Also have a great day!
The HSL boys talking to Candy’s pregnant belly
N/A : Heyy! Thank you for being so considerate in your request, it's lovely of you ! It was fun to write ! Thank you for your request and have a great day as well darling !<3
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𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚕  
He would totally sing to Candy’s belly. Whether it is a Crowstorm unreleased song or a little lullaby, he’ll do it and you can’t convince me otherwise. Perhaps at the beginning it would be at Candy’s demand and he’d act annoyed/bothered but don’t let him fool you : he loves it. At some point, he’d just do it. Like if he’s writing a new song or anything, he’d sing it to Candy’s belly (and to Candy as well ofc). Double audience for my guy now
However better not tell anyone about this or he’ll get a bit embarrassed. He likes the fact that these moments are just between him, Candy and their baby. It’s just so intimate to him so he feels like this would ruin it a little if Candy starts to tell or brag about it to other people (as if she would tho)
Not but for real, just picture him singing Hakuna Matata to Candy’s belly (PLS this is so wholesome and funny at the same time, I CAN’T)
Also I think he would be the type to randomly interact here and there with the baby like, for example, when complaining about people (‘cause we know he does that sometimes) « God, people sucks ! Not you though, mate. » Cute 
After a while, when he feels completely comfortable with talking to the baby and that you’re both used to it, he’d be more emotionally open and would say things like « Can’t wait to meet you mate » or if it’s this kind of day when he doesn’t want to come off as too sentimental he’d go for something like « You’re gonna love Pancake » or « Pancake is so impatient to meet you buddy ! » (the dog is a good cover, right ?)
That said, I just know that Castiel would always refer to the baby as « mate » or « buddy » (any nicknames like that honestly) even if you guys already choose a name. Why ? Well because he believes it makes the situation less cheesy but (in my humble opinion), it just makes it even more adorable
He secretly wishes for his baby to be able to recognise his voice but pretend that it’s not that important to him (it is). As if he was trying to bond with his child even though they’re still in the womb lol. So behind this chill facade that he keeps on, if the baby moves or kicks while he’s speaking or singing, he’ll instantly get so excited (forget about being embarrassed, he’s to thrilled for that at the moment) and it would be the cutest thing ever. Ofc Candy would tease him a bit about it but bold of you to assume that this is going to stop him
He might even break his own rules and go brag about how his baby reacts to his voice.
And now he can’t wait to hear them in return.
𝙻𝚢𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 
Oh Lord ! This man, I can’t. Lysander talking to Candy’s belly would be the sweetest thing ever. 
Just imagine : Lysander reciting the most heartfelt, passionate and soul-stirring poem (that ofc he wrote himself because this man has it all y’all) kneeled in front of Candy’s belly. 
Honestly Candy would be tearing up at this sight (just as I am imagining it, Lysander truly is a gift) and when he notices that he would just place a kiss on Candy’s belly before kissing her forehead and take her in his arms. So freaking sweet. 
Lysander’s poetic (rizz) talent isn’t just a myth. He’s the embodiment of poetry if you ask me and he certainly has a way with words. 
Between him and Castiel, it’s some creative boys that we have here. How lucky
That said, be prepared for him to constantly write poems about Candy and their child. He has now two muses so his inspiration is doubled
Also, I feel like when it comes to choosing the baby’s name, he would just say the names in front of Candy’s belly and see if there’s a reaction inside. Just because he kinda wants his baby to choose their names somehow
Ofc he would sing to Candy’s belly. I mean with his angelic voice (as it was mentioned more than once in the game), how could he not ? 
I think Lysander would not feel ashamed to talk to his baby (unlike most of the boys at some point). Not in the slightest. And it make sense because since when Lysander care about what people think ? The only persons that matters to him are the persons he loves and they would never make fun of him or judge him for that. 
And of course, he'll be the greatest dad ever (his kids won't ever relate to Daddy issues by the Neighbourhood or Family Line by Conan Gray, that's for sure)
𝙰𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗 
 Ok so with Armin if you expected heartfelt speeches or sentimental words from him, you’ve come to the wrong place. We don’t do that here lol (However, out of topic, I think Alexy would do that for him though as the invested uncle and the drama-queen he is, and ofc Armin would laugh at him)
Don’t assume he doesn’t talk to the baby though. He does and does it a lot. 
I don’t know why but I can picture him telling Candy to sit next to him while he plays LoL ( for example) and explaining how to play a game to her belly or tell everything  about the Zelda lore (idk about you but that’s funny to me)
Candy might even get annoyed at some point but Armin will joke saying that they need to educate their child as soon as possible (little does Candy knows that Armin is only half-joking lmao)
He is totally the kind of guy that will address to Candy’s belly without explicitly showing it just to mess with Candy. Let me clarify : for example he would say something and it could be anything really and Candy would go « huh ? » and « I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to them, duh. ». But it’s all fun and games, nothing mean obviously
Or also, when Candy curses for whatever reason, he would act so shocked « Oh my God ! Have you heard what Mom said ?! » (pls someone stop this guy)
It still cute because, Armin’s playfulness is part of his charm and more than often it makes Candy smiles so everything’s alright and the baby could hope for a cooler dad.
𝙺𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗  
Over protective dad. I won’t argue with anyone about this, I just know
You know these « dad-like speeches » where they swear they’ll always be there for you and protect you with their life ? Well that’s Kentin on a daily basis
And keep in mind that for now, the baby isn’t even out of the womb yet. My guy is rea-dy to deal with it lol
It’s actually very sweet and knowing how Kentin always felt ignored or despised by his father, it is very important for him that his child knows that they’ll can count on him no matter what
He wants to be someone they can rely on and that’s why he says it often to Candy’s belly. That way he’s sure that they know (well not really but you get the point)
I don’t see him speaking with a baby voice though because he’ll feel a bit shy about it (it’s actually sad when you think of it but most guys are embarrassed about doing things like that. That’s a shame if you ask me but let’s go back to the Headcanon before I start ranting about societal issues and how Toxic masculinity ruins lives)
But when Candy is asleep, that’s another story 
He’s just so happy that he and Candy get to have a family of their own after all this time
I mean, this boy has been in love with her for so long so the idea of having a little one as a result of this unconditional love ? My boy is over the moon right now so let out the baby voice 
That was before he got caught by Candy one night and he became so red that it looked like he got instantly sunburned
But let’s be honest, he can’t stay embarrassed in front of his girl for long because he knows she loves him as much as he loves her. Therefore, he never shied away talking to his future child from now on. 
𝙽𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚕 
So, we know that Nath doesn’t want children. That’s canon. However for the sake of this request, let’s say that he reconsidered and changed his mind (probably after months and months of therapy) 
I think of all the guys, Nathaniel is least to be talking to Candy’s belly and there’s multiple reasons for that : First, he would be embarrassed (yeah, again). Even if he knows he can be vulnerable in front of Candy, he would cringe at himself if was to do something like that (why do I get the feeling that Nath is so easy to cringe lol ?). The other reason would be that he’s still processing and that the baby’s arrival feels so far away yet (forgive him for that, he’s not exactly known to be in touch with his emotions)
But then, as the fateful moment approaches, all his attempts to gaslight himself into believing that everything will be perfectly fine seem to fire back at him
That’s about when he starts to get insomnia. Most nights, he would be just laying in bed, tired and ready to meet Morpheus with Candy already asleep by his side when this chest-crushing anxiety would take over him. « Will I be good enough ? Patient enough ? Caring ? Will I be enough ? ». Really these thoughts terrify him and slowly drive him crazy (add to that the sleep deprivation)
He categorically refuses to tell Candy about it because he knows she has enough to deal with (pregnancy is a trial of life, so I’ve heard) and he doesn’t want to be a burden to her (poor baby). And it’s not like he’s gonna ask life advices to his dad because this man might be one of the worst father figures you can think of and Nathaniel want to be the opposite of this man in terms of parenting. Candy can tell something is bothering him but getting this boy to talk is far from easy
So, one night when he’s laying wide awake in the middle of night, he can’t help but to stare at Candy’s belly and instinctively, puts his hand over it. A so gentle move that it could barely be felt, as if he was scared to wake the little one (and Candy as well). 
Then without knowing why  he wants to tell his future child that he’ll do his best so, in a whisper, he makes this promise. And then he makes another one and keeps going naturally. All whispers. He asks himself if these promises are for the child or for himself until he feels something timidly moving under his hand.
He could barely feel it. To the point he thought he imagined it. But it didn’t matter. Somehow, he felt relieved. About what ? He couldn’t be sure about this but maybe it was a sign that his baby knew that he was trying.
After that, it would become a habit. Every time he would struggle to fall asleep he would whisper to Candy’s belly, hoping that the baby hears (even if sometimes he tells himself that it’s ridiculous but who cares if it is after all ?)
He’ll never tell Candy about it or not before a while as he likes the idea that this is him and his kid’s secret and he know can’t wait to meet them because he doesn’t want to let fear keeps him from being the father they deserve
(𝖮o𝖿, 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗀𝗎𝗒 ! 𝖡𝗎𝗍 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗍, 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖺 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗍𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌𝗇’𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍𝗒 ? 𝖭𝗈𝗍 𝗌𝗈 𝗋𝗈𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝗈𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝖧𝖾'𝗌 𝖺 𝖻𝗂𝗍 𝖾𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗉𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗁𝖾'𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖻𝗀) 
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And there you go ! Hope you enjoyed it ! there might be mistakes but I wrote this at 4am instead of studying for my Italian exam because why not eheh (this was much more fun to do) This is a first (and I am struggling) but I think it's pretty okay
See y'all soon and wish you the best ! <3
PS : Here's a little song recommandation ‘cause I can & it’s a good song ! It's called Run Away to Mars by Talk and I thank my labo teacher for recommending it, she's a sweetheart !
youtube
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cordeliahrose · 1 year
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Lucifer
Lucifer is a Latin word coming from the words lux, meaning light, and fero, meaning to bear or to carry. Literally translating to light-bearer.
Lucifer as a Roman Deity
Lucifer has had many faces throughout history. One of these being the Roman deity of the morning star, or Venus, considered the male equivalent of the goddess Venus. He is attributed to being the god of enlightenment and illumination. Lucifer is often depicted carrying a torch, and said to be equal in beauty to the goddess Venus. Due to being the morning star, I can also see Lucifer being associated with war as well. Especially considering his association with learning and knowledge, as well as that Venus also historically had war epithets. 
In the Greek pantheon, they separate the morning star and the evening star into two seperate deities, being Phosphorus/Eosphorus and Hesperos. Eosphorus meaning “dawn-bringer”, and Phosphorus meaning “The bearer of light”. Phosphorus and Hesperos are the sons of Eos, Goddess of dawn, and Astraios, God of dusk. Phosphorus is the father of the Hesperides, nymphs of the evening time and light of the sunset.
Lucifer in Abrahamic Religions
Historically, Lucifer was never mentioned in the Bible at all. His name being associated to Christianity nowadays is due to a mistranslation of a poem about a fallen king. However, he is a big part of Christian culture now, and there are myths associated with him. 
Lucifer was said to be the most beautiful and intelligent of God’s angels. He was God’s right hand. Until he defied God. There are many different versions of the fall of Lucifer. 
One version of this story says that Lucifer became overly prideful of himself, his beauty, intelligence, power, that he thought himself worthy of being worshipped equal to God. Because of this, God cast him out of heaven.
Another version is that Lucifer was jealous of Jesus Christ. He gathered the angels and brought forward the idea of worshipping him instead of Jesus. Some of the angels sided with Lucifer, while others did not. There was a meeting between God, Lucifer, and all of the angels in which God said that their rebellion was unforgivable. There was a war between the two sides, but ultimately God and his angels won. Lucifer and the angels who followed him were banished from heaven.
Lucifer in Modern Witchcraft
In more modern witchcraft, there is a tradition which states that Diana, queen of witches, created Lucifer when she split herself into two pieces, darkness and light. She kept the darkness for herself, and Lucifer kept the light. Lucifer and Diana also have a child, Aradia. In this tradition, Lucifer is seen as the god of light, and masculine energy. One of the most influential sources for this tradition is The Gospel of the Witches by Charles Godfrey Leland.
Lucifer in Demonolatry
In demonolatry, Lucifer has many titles. Prince, King, Emperor, Lord. Lucifer is a demon of transformation, enlightenment, awakening, self-discovery, self-empowerment, and more. He is usually attributed to the element of air, and also pride.
Lucifer’s Associations
Anything with the * symbol next to it means that it is my own UPG.
Animals:
Snakes
Rams
Peacocks
Corvids (crows, ravens)
Cats
Spiders
Moths
Colors:
Black
Grey
Gold
Red
Teal
Blue, especially pale blue*
Purple* 
Crystals:
Obsidian
Onyx
Hematite
Celestite
Seraphinite
Garnet
Sunstone
Clear quartz
Carnelian
Ruby
Copper 
I am aware that copper isn’t a crystal. 
Plants:
Apples
Pomegranates
Roses
Cinnamon
Cloves
Lavender
Blackberries
Sage
Black pepper
Garlic
Lilac
Spicy peppers*
Other:
Stars
The number 7*
Spring equinox
Autumn equinox*
Offerings
Strawberries
Blackberries
Chocolate
Apples
Pomegranates
Honey
Spicy foods*
Sweet things, especially baked goods
Juices, especially apple or grape
Coffee
Roses
Feathers
Devotional Acts
Shadow work
Learn about the sciences or the arts
Create art of any kind
Face your fears
Learn about any of his associated animals
Magical workings, especially those that fall under his sphere of influence
Learning in general
Developing  your psychic abilities and spiritual senses (the clairs)
Spiritual progression
Anything marked with the symbol * means that it is my own UPG
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honour-thy-god · 1 month
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⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚ The Nine Muses ⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚
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In Greek mythology, there is a group of nine goddesses called the muses. They are responsible for inspiring artists, poets, and writers. The word muse comes from the Greek word "mosis", which means wish or desire. The word museum also comes from the word "muses".
The myth of their creation is that Zeus (disguising himself as a Sheppard), slept with Mnemosyne for nine nights in a row, producing nine sisters. Mnemosyne gave her daughters to Eufime and Apollo, who raised them with a great fondness of the arts.
The nine muses were:
Clio - Created the study of history and guitar. She was a goddess of creativity. Her role was mostly to attend political meetings. In ancient Greece, history was called "clio" or "kleos". Often depicted with a book. She was also the goddess of memory.
Euterpe - Created many types of musical instruments, is often depicted playing a flute, while being surrounded by several other instruments. She is also usually associated with drums, violin, and guitar. The flute is her specialty.
Thalia - She discovered comedy and humor, which she was also protector of. Also discovered geometry and agriculture. She was depicted holding a comedy mask. She is a joyful young woman, almost always laughing.
Melpomene - She was the creator and protector of tragedy (opposite of Thalia). She was depicted with a tragedy mask and bearing a bat. She is the Greek goddess of theatre, along with Thalia. She is the mother of mermaids. She is know to have anything a woman could desire, except happiness.
Terpsichore - She is the muse of poetry and dancing. She is also known as the mother of sirens. She was the protector of dancing and loved music. Invented the harp. Also invented education. She loves having fun and being happy. She is depicted as a young woman wearing laurels on her head, with a harp, or dancing.
Erato - Protector of love, love poetry, and also marriage and weddings. Her name comes from "Eros" which is the feeling of falling in love. She is depicted with a lyre and love arrows + bow. She is associated with roses, myrtle, and turtle doves.
Polymnia - Protector of divine hymns and mimic art. Invent geometry and grammar. She is often in meditation or a pensive state. Depicted looking to the sky holding a lyre. She created harmony as well. She is associated with the colour white.
Urania - Protector of celestial objects. Such as stars and planets. She invented astronomy. She is depicted bearing stars, a celestial sphere, and a bow compass. The planet was named after her as well as the Greek god.
Calliope - She was the oldest and most superior muse. Her role was so accompany kings to serve justice and peace. Protector of heroic poems. She is depicted holding laurels or a trumpet in one hand and Homeric poems in the other hand. She is also ruler of epic poetry. She taught Achilles how to sing and is known for her beautiful voice.
The nine muses have been inspiring artists for centuries.
αποχαιρετισμός! ♡
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williamprattz · 2 months
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ೃ⁀➷ ALL TIME FAVOURITE SPUFFY FANFICS
psa — please read the tags before reading
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Forward to Time Past by Unbridled_Brunette [Completed]
NC-17 • 258k words
The victim of a spell gone awry, Buffy finds herself trapped in Victorian London, where she meets a man that is surprisingly familiar to her.
[LINK]
By Unknown Poet by Northmann13 [Completed]
PG • 6k words
Sometime in the first half of the 20th century one of Spike's/William's lost journals filled to the brim with his "bad" poetry had been found and got published under Unknown Poet. His poetry's become popular enough to be considered classic and is studied in schools and colleges. Spike's unaware of it until one day he accidentally hears the Slayer talking about/reading aloud one of his poems.
[LINK]
The Darkling by OffYourBird [Completed]
Explicit • 360k words
When Buffy’s quest to get Spike returned to her is fulfilled in an unexpected way, she finds herself in a complicated relationship with an intrigued master vampire who isn’t the man she loves, but who might be someday… if she can convince him to step out of the dark.
[LINK]
Big Bad Boyfriend by bewildered [Completed]
NC-17 • 145k words
When their One True Love rides off into the night for good. They get mad, and then they get even. Buffy's determined to kick off college by finding Mr. Normal, just like Angel wanted -- and then rubbing her new True Love in Angel's face. She's got the perfect normal guy all picked out, until an unexpected encounter at a party gives her a better idea. After all, who could make a worse Bad Boyfriend than Spike?
[LINK]
West of the Moon, East of the Sun by KnifeEdge [Completed]
NC-17 • 361k words
I keep having the strangest dream. Every night it's the same thing: a dark room, a big bed, and a silent vampire that I can feel, but not see. I'd be wigged, except it's just a dream, right? It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever willingly sleep with a vampire again...
[LINK]
The Lord and the Lady by Gillypod [Completed]
NC-17 • 185k words
Lord William must marry for money, but can he marry and keep his mistress Drusilla.
[LINK]
Piece of Cake by Baphrosia [Completed]
Explicit • 99k words
Buffy is devastated when Liam marries the woman he was cheating on her with - a woman with certain talents in the bedroom. Enter William. He knows exactly what her ex craves, and he's willing to teach Buffy the skills she lacks. But will it help her to win back her ex? Does she even want Liam back? William has spent his adult life satisfying Drusilla's every whim and desire, but her latest whim involves getting married - and not to him. Alone now, he somehow finds himself Buffy's tutor. Although he enjoys their lessons, what he really wants is her. Will he be able to let her go when the time comes?
[LINK]
Proud Trophies Won in Foreign Fight by Baphrosia [Completed]
NC-17 • 46k words
Instead of sending Buffy on to her well-deserved reward, Glory's portal spits Buffy out into Spike's evil past.
[LINK]
A Fine Romance by rambler18 [Completed]
Explicit • 51k words
Buffy Anne Summers, circa 1875, is heartbroken when her lover leaves her for what he claims is her own good. Determined to get him back, she asks infamous womanizer William Pratt to pretend to court her in order to catch her former lover's attention
[LINK]
Aphrodite's Pick by Dorians Kitten [Completed]
NC-17 • 26k words
Concerned that he has spent too long alone, William's cousin and uncle ask Aphrodite to help them locate William's soul mate. They are only following family tradition when they kidnap the girl and bring her to The Underworld to be with him. Hey, it worked out just fine with Persephone. But can a modern girl find love when she's living a life she'd always thought was a myth?
[LINK]
Closer to Midnight by xaphania [Completed]
PG-13 • 37k words
On a visit to the most haunted island in Britain, Buffy Summers is surprised but happy to find herself falling in love with the enigmatic Spike Price, who eagerly returns her feelings. When a ghost-walk goes awry, they find their lives entwined with those of William and Elizabeth, two lovers who lived more than a century ago.
[LINK]
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apoemaday · 1 year
Text
The Hurting Kind
by Ada Limón
1.
On the plane I have a dream I’ve left half my torso on the back porch with my beloved. I have to go
back for it, but it’s too late, I’m flying and there’s only half of me.
Back in Texas, the flowers I’ve left on the counter have wilted and knocked over the glass— I stay alone there so the flowers are more than flowers.
At the funeral parlor with my mother, we are holding her father’s suit, and she says, He’ll swim in these.
For a moment, I’m not sure what she means, until I realize she means the clothes are too big.
I go with her like a shield in case they try to up-sell her— the ornate urn, the elaborate body box.
It is a nice bathroom in the funeral parlor, so I take the opportunity to change my tampon.
When I come out my mother says, Did you have to change your tampon?
And it seems a vulgar life all at once. Or not vulgar, but not simple.
I’m driving her now to the Hillside Cemetery where we meet with Rosie who is so nice we want her to work everywhere. Rosie as my dentist. Rosie as my president.
My shards are showing, I think. But I do not know what I mean so I fix my face in the rearview, a face with thousands of headstones behind it. Minuscule flags, plastic flowers.
You can’t sum it up, my mother says as we are driving and the electronic voice repeats, Turn Left onto Wildwood Canyon Road,
so I turn left, happy for the mundane instructions. Let us robot at once.
Tell me where to go. Tell me how to get there.
She means a life, of course. You cannot sum it up.
2.
A famous poet said he never wanted to hear another poem about a grandmother or a grandfather.
I imagine him with piles of faded yolk-colored paper, overloaded with loops of swooping cursive, anemic lyrics
misspelling mourning and morning. But also, before they arrive, there’s a desperate hand scribbling a memory, following
the cat of imagination into each room. What is lineage, if not a gold thread of pride and guilt. She did what?
Once, when I thought I had decided not to have children, a woman said, But who are you to kill your own bloodline?
I told my friend D that and she said, What if you want to kill your own bloodline, kill like it’s your job?
In the myth of La Llorona, she drowns her children to destroy her cheating husband. But maybe she was just tired.
After her husband of 76 years has died, my grandmother, (yes, I said it, grandmother, grandmother) leans to me and says,
Now teach me poetry.
3.
Sticky packs of photographs heteromaniacal postcards.
The war.      The war.        The war. Bikini girls, tight curls, the word gams.
Land boom. Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. Southern Pacific.
We ask my Grandma Allamay about her mother for a form.
Records and wills. Evidence of life. For a moment she can’t remember her mother’s maiden name.
She says, Just tell them she never wanted me. That should be enough.
“Red sadness is the secret one,” writes Ruefle. Redlands
was named after the soil. Allamay can still hold a peach in her hand
and judge its number by its size. Tell you where it would go in the box
if you’re packing peaches for a living. Which she did,
though she hated the way the hairs hurt her hands.
4.
Why do we quickly dismiss our ancient ones? Before our phones stole the light of our faces, shiny and blue in the televised night,
our elders worked farms and butchered and trapped animals and swept houses and returned to each other after long hours and told stories.
In order for someone to be “good” do they have to have seen the full tilt world? Must they believe what we believe?
My grandmother keeps a picture of her president in the top drawer of her dresser, and once when she was delusional she dreamt
he had sent her and my grandfather on a trip to Italy.  He paid for it all, she kept repeating.
That same night on her ride to the hospital, she talks to the medical technician and says,
All my grandchildren are Mexican.
She says it proudly. She repeats it to me on the phone
5.
Once, a long time ago, we sat in the carport of my grandparents’ house in Redlands, now stolen for eminent  domain,
now the hospital parking lot, no more coyotes or caves where the coyotes would live. Or the grandfather clock
in the house my grandfather built. The porch above the orchard. All gone.
We sat in the carport and watched the longest snake I’d ever seen undulate between the hanging succulents.
They told me not to worry, that the snake had a name,
the snake was called a California King,
glossy black with yellow stripes like wonders wrapping around him.
My grandparents, my ancestors, told me never to kill a California King, benevolent
as they were, equanimous like earth or sky, not
toothy like the dog Chacho who barked at nearly every train whistle or roadrunner.
Before my grandfather died, I asked him what sort of horse he had growing up. He said,
Just a horse. My horse, with such a tenderness it rubbed the bones in the ribs all wrong.
I have always been too sensitive, a weeper from a long line of weepers.
I am the hurting kind. I keep searching for proof.
My grandfather carried that snake to the cactus, where all sharp things could stay safe.
6.
You can’t sum it up. A life.
I feel it moving through me, that snake, his horse Midge sturdy and nothing special,
traveling the canyons and the tumbleweeds hunting for rabbits before the war.
My grandmother picking peaches. Stealing the fruit from the orchards as she walked
home. No one said it was my job to remember.
I took no notes though I’ve stared too long. My grandfather, before he died, would have told
anyone that would listen, that he was ordinary,
that his life was a good one, simple, he could never understand why anyone would want to write
it down. He would tell you straight up he wasn’t brave. And my grandmother would tell you right now
that he is busy getting the house ready for her. Visiting now each night and even doing the vacuuming.
I imagine she’s right. It goes on and on, their story. They met in first grade in a one room school house,
I could have started there, but their story, their story is endless and ongoing. All of this
is a conjuring. I will not stop this reporting of attachments. There is evidence everywhere.
There’s a tree over his grave now, and soon her grave too
though she is tough and says, If I ever die,
which is marvelous and maybe why she’s still alive.
I see the tree above the grave and think, I’m wearing
my heart on my leaves. My heart on my leaves.
Love ends. But what if it doesn’t?
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duxwriter · 1 year
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Ahem, more Ava's Demon cause brain rot theories/information
I supported the Kickstarter, and pointed out by another user (@fanlovedlt) Wrathia gets covered in snakes (though in the same chapter she speaks through a snake as well)
This is during Ava's dream and mind meeting after committing her act of wrath (more on why that means something later)
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Now, Wrathia is covered in snakes
Snakes have a meaning (as most animals do)
With a shedding of their skin through sloughing, they are symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing, but also are known as a creative life force and fertility on their own.
Now, Wrathia here, very Satan-esqu
Titan is even god coded
Chapter fifteen (called the first sin)
The following chapters (sixteen and twenty) are called "Hellfire" and "Paradise lost"
(Fun fact! Paradise lost is an epic poem written about the fall of mankind by John Milton featuring a very different version of Satan compared to how he was depicted at the time in old art and literature as well as making god the antagonist)
Now, why might this be important to what I have to say?
Snakes in the daytime mean good things, but in dreams, it's very different
Snakes in dreams typically represent a person in the dreamer's life who exhibits low, dirty, toxic, or poisonous behavior.
But they can also mean health or healing!
It can mean a sense of healing, personal transformation, or that you are moving forward.
But it also deals with the context of Ava and Wrathia in these scene's
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Now, Wrathia speaks through a snake
If you know the story of Adam and Eve (note, Adam and Eve were both naked before eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge, the snake is in a tree and both Wrathia and Ava appear "naked")
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Ava even calls Wrathia a "snake"
Usually a term to call someone false, fake, etc.
(very fitting for Wrathia's character)
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Now, Wrathia doesn't have typical Satan horns
But they are known as demon horns (goat/sheep like, especially with the eyes)
Wrathia is regal, a demigod (as explained by Odin's peoples thoughts on how the universe happened, again, a very bible/god related story)
(note, there are seven sins, and it took six (the seventh to rest) days to make the world, there are also seven sins and seven virtues)
Satan was "regal" and "royal" as he was depicted now and (sorta) then
Where does this all lead?
Ava commits an act of wrath (term used in lieu of acts of many different religions concept of gods acting against mortals for slights or divine retribution, take the story of Niobe from Greek myth, where she says she's better than Leto so Artemis and Apollo slay her children in an act of wrath against her)
Ava basically makes hell (on titans planet) for people, and herself (note, she thought it was a dream, many people who commit or have been committed against think it's a dream/wish it was a dream)
Where I'm going with this is, It's very bible coded (as well as Alice in wonderland with the rabbit hole Ava basically sent herself down)
It both shows Ava's growth, Wrathia's horrid personality
Wrathia and Ava talk about a high, which often is said how hubris feels (or an act of defiance or fight/flight response when you pick to fight)
(also little tidbit, snake Wrathia is in a tree, which looks like a fig tree, fig trees are symbols of wisdom and success in abundance, but Jesus also cursed a fig tree in the bible, as a warning for people not to be hypocritical. Basically "Jesus Christ warning Christians that they must bear fruits after their conversion worthy of repentance or risk being condemned to Hell." Is how it's interpreted to many churches, but it also has several different meanings in the bible (like hunger for true worship, as it bore no fruit)
(also, the fruit of knowledge was never described, many simply assume it's an apple from paintings and modern media, but, it's very possible it could be any fruit, like a fig)
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(we see here the tree is snapped, as in, it's been cursed/destroyed, again, the bible says Jesus cursed the tree)
(I also need to say, Fig trees can represent happiness in dreams)
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fatehbaz · 2 years
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Libby’s canned pumpkin, for example, the largest canned pumpkin producer in the country, calls their product pumpkin instead of squash because the pumpkin means more to the average American consumer. But if you saw the thing, it looks just like squash -- because it is squash [...]. So this is not just a story of myth making, but also one showing the repercussions of these myths for rural economies. [...]
In the early nineteenth century when people were moving off farms and into cities, the smaller and sweeter varieties that we now call squash were available [...]. Zucchini and winter squash, for example, had some commodity status, and were a part of their daily lives. But the pumpkin -- that orange round squash -- was the crop that was left behind on the farm and it didn’t go into the market place. Small-scale farmers kept it in production because it was a substitute for livestock fodder [...]. It started to represent an old-fashioned way [...]. So in the early nineteenth century when industrial agriculture took off, there was no room for the pumpkin in the marketplace. But this was exactly the time it started to appear in Winslow Homer’s paintings and Harper’s Magazine and romantic poems. [...]
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Morton, Illinois is the location of a Libby’s processing plant. Libby’s controls about ninety percent of the market for culinary pumpkins, and they’ve been around almost a hundred years. In 1970 they tried to have one big corporate-sized pumpkin farm in California, and the plan was to ship the crop back to Morton for processing. So they tried that model but it didn’t work because the market for the pumpkin is lucrative but limited; it could be eaten throughout the year, but it’s not. Ninety percent of the market is from September through January. [...] Libby’s returned to Morton to distribute their seeds [...]. They send this seed to between fifty and seventy small family farms within a seventy-five mile radius of their plant [...]. These farms then plant these seeds on behalf of Libby’s. [...]
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But in the story of how it became an icon, it was really consumers creating the market and the farmers following to meet demand. [...] Farmers would be driving down the highway in a truck full of pumpkins for their hogs and they’d be stopped by tourists on their Sunday drives through the country asking if they could buy pumpkins. Farmers never had the idea that this was going to be a commodity. So then the seed companies started changing the seed to fit the idea that this was going to be an object of display and ornament instead of something to eat.
Today, sixty-five to seventy percent of pumpkin production is for ornamental pumpkins, and they are produced around the country. Most places across the country are conducive for small family farms to produce these -- you can throw in a few seeds and get a pretty good yield. It’s a lucrative but limited market, so there’s almost nobody that ships nationwide but almost everyone ships locally. If you’re a trucker in Nebraska, you basically stick in Nebraska for pumpkins because it just doesn’t pay, especially for the ornamentals. If they get nicked or the stem falls off they’re worthless, so that makes it a local crop too. [...]
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Words of Cindy Ott. As interviewed and transcribed by Daniel Grant. Published by Grant under the title: “From Jack-O’-Lantern to Pumpkin Pie: The Surprising History of a Favorite Fall Icon.” In: Edge Effects. 27 October 2015. Updated 12 October 2019. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]
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