#Brocken culture | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

funeralprocessor · 4 months

Text

Gah, I wish I was better at writing. Like not just my actual skill but just like actually sticking to it and editing and revising and all that shit. I've been thinking about some cool characters I want to do *something* with and unfortunately they only live in *my* head for the moment so tragically the burden falls to me. A bit more about them under the cut for those interested. It's a bit rambling so apologies

Okay, so the nucleus of this whole thing is Benthe, Reverend Mother Dolorous Benthe of the Ashmarch to her enemies; Ugly, Horse(face), or Bones to her friends. She's a kind of necromancer nun (predates tlt I swear) turned detective- turned Athame (basically a specialized handler for high risk high/ power individuals, descended from the squire-minder-killswitches of ancient demigod princes). She's a religious official in the same way that Harry DuBois is a detective: only involuntarily and under much duress, though she is extremely good at it when push comes to shove. She became a church backed Athame primarily because it comes with a lot of leeway for behavior and very little official oversight, but enjoys doing it even if she wouldn't admit it.

-Mid 50s, weathered and scarred but takes good care of herself

-Tall bordering on lanky, wiry, way more agile than people expect

-Multiple reliquary prosthetics, made of saint's bones: Both legs (left at knee, right at hip), right arm (at elbow), several fingers on left hand (pinky, ring, and middle). Thin network of scars on her face and torso where her living bones were inscribed with wards.

-Has a reputation for being solemn and intimidating, but is primarily just very awkward and has learned not to speak more than necessary. People who actually get close to her find her prickly and very particular but also extremely devoted to those she cares about (some would say possessive or needy), quick-witted (some would say flippant and rude), and quickly angered at cruelty and injustice

-Necromancer in the classical sense. Good at dealing with troubled souls, both dead and (begrudgingly) living. Got her start as a mourner, a type of exorcist who resolves the issues of ghosts/undead. She kept solving murders in the process and became known as both a nuisance and a hero to the uncared for. Eventually her vigilante justice got pressure put on her superiors and she got stapled to a desk for several years until she opted into being an Athame

-Very impressive in a fight, as in it's a spectacle. Style is sweeping and flowing staff fighting/kickboxing heavy, basically a type of ceremonial dance learned as a nun combined with the rough and tumble staff fighting her sheppard mother taught her long ago. Her weapon is a yew staff with bone and lead caps and some streaming prayer cloths. She mostly just smashed people with it, but can form blades of ghostly energy from the bone plates along it's length if she needs. She's not very good at it though. Her pranic/magical technique is very efficient but workmanlike and not good for gross/flashy effects. It's a tool, not art, and exists basically only as long as it needs to.

-Her name is in fact Horsefaced Benthe, bc she comes from a culture where people are given unflattering if not outright insulting formal nicknames. Their kind of parent cultural group gives children names like "Gracious Aratyam", "Wisdom-Eyed Tsiblis", or "Evenhand Tam" as blessings/aspirations, but up north they like to keep people humble

------

So that's the old woman. Her crew are far less well defined bc Benthe's been kicking around in my head for a while. But tentatively we also have

-Rambling Ykaterinja Fossë, a blatant wish fulfillment self insert renaissance woman academic turned warlock. She bound herself to a spirit known as the Brocken she encountered while on an archeological dig in the mountains because it promised what she never knew she always wanted (to be graceful, enthralling, and free from her own doubts) and Kat makes bad decisions. She got caught by the church after she returned to the city and, high on power and ritual deliriants, drove several cafes worth of people to madness (maybe they were predisposed to madness) though she insisted she was "just talking a little harder than normal"

-Grisha Tav-Rami, who's a little harder to explain. To be a bit Reddit she's Act 1 Shadowheart by way of Faulkner Silt Verses with a side of . She grew up in an insular cult in an already very insular culture under the thumb of an imperialist power. The cult wound up in the crosshairs of the government after the governor's son picked a fight with some locals and got killed for his trouble. Grisha's older brother got picked up in the subsequent sweep and accidentally let too much slip. He informed on the cult in exchange for a promise of leniency for him and his family. There was little offered, and the cult was basically raided into oblivion after many many years. Grisha's family were broken up and she spent her adolescence in church custody, where she first met Benthe, then in her early 30s and recently chastened and forced into a clerical role. Neither really knew the other particularly well, but it was enough that when years later Grisha, now essentially a church janissary and immensely conflicted about her history, sees an opportunity to be assigned to Benthe and potentially get answers, or at least a very cathartic way to begin her career as a deserter, she jumps at the opportunity. Also like she's kind of like an orca seal sea monster person but only a little and not in a "cute" way. Think like innsmouth people if they were whales instead of fish, sorta. She's still human but Amala has a much broader definition of humanity.

-Vashti Ten-Horse-Killer. Still kind of figuring her out her whys and wheres but I've got a pretty solid grasp on the who. She's a former outlaw bandit type who went legit for love, only to have the relationship kind of fall apart and Vashti become Extremely Divorced. Her ex, who initially helped her get established, had her blacklisted (though her distaste and distress from essentially being a private cop for nobles and corporations being one of the factors in the relationship breakdown this maybe wasn't necessary) and her reputation in the criminal world was shot twice over, she did odd jobs until eventually getting into Benthe's orbit somehow. I have a *very* clear image of her but I'm not sure how to describe. She's Ashvartan, so like think kind of central-south asian sorta? I don't really know how to describe fictional ethnicities without sounding weird, you know? But she's early 30s, less short more compact, very functional strength kind of build. Very sort of swaggery and cocky when she's drunk, standoffish and stone faced when she's not. Has a lot of tattoos in varying styles she's picked up over the years, including an elaborate knotwork mandala thing on her head. She normally keeps it shaved or mostly shaved to show it off, but it also serves as sort of a litmus for how she's doing bc it grows fast and it's one of the first things she stops giving a shit about maintaining when she's in a bad way.

-Ahmbasha Lin Hailu-Ssef, who is basically the least fleshed out and much more vibes than anything concrete. She's an aristocrat of some sort, laying low to avoid people working for her family trying to kidnap her for some reason and living under a false identity. Maybe larger things are afoot and she's kind of the instigator of whatever plotline. @gwynbleidd892 I'm borrowing a bit of Aratyam here if you don't mind. She was originally just another take on that guy who was with Vashti in our campaign but Aratyam has sort of bled in.

But yeah, that's it. If you read this, thank you and if you have any thoughts I'd love to know

#I've got some cool stuff kicking around though #I've got characters I've got a world now I just need something for them to actually do in it #also I'll love you forever if you ask me about any of it so <3 #the whole idea basically came from me being unable to quite put down an NPC from an older tabletop campaign #and other characters I came up with sort of gravitated towards her #and now we're here #sorry if this is poorly written or rambling #I'm high but thats rhe best way to overcome stage fright

9 notes · View notes

zilabee · 1 year

Text

...his health seemed rather fragile; when we went to dinner he ate very little. Playing with his food, he reminded me of the young boy I used to serve at the Adelphi all those years ago. [...] Despite the joy at being with my old friend, my sorrow was never very far from the surface that evening.

Brian came clean before we entered the theatre. He told me that, notwithstanding everything that had happened over the past four years, he still felt like a novice; that he was worried about a deal with 'the Australian' as he put it, namely Robert Stigwood; that he was beginning protracted negotiations with EMI that he felt would surely wear him out (this, I believe was the revamped Beatles recording deal); that he felt superfluous now that the Beatles had come off the road. All of this was probably true but, in all honesty, I didn't altogether believe him.

I felt that Brian was hopelessly addicted not only to a kind of masochistic self-effacement, but also to a chemical something or other. He was rather exquisite that evening, but also morbid, nervous and rather depressed. I knew that, unlike myself, he had decided to embrace this new era of 'self-fulfilment' and an interminable game of catch up with culture's own pleasure principle. But it wasn't working.

After the gig, Brian walked me to my hotel. We embraced. "Joe, I'm so lonely," he said and then turned and walked away.

That was the very last time we spoke.

Standing in the Wings, by Joe Flannery (with Mike Brocken) (November 1966)

#joe flannery #brian epstein #standing in the wings

27 notes · View notes

ultimate-muscle · 1 year

Note

Since Kinnikuman is getting a new series, I've had some concerns. The property is understandably a product of its time, and it's chocked full of outdated stereotypes and unsettling imagery (Brocken Jr. and Geronimo's messy heritage comes to mind), which is one of the reasons why it was never fully localized in the west, to begin with. So I'd wonder if they'll ever try to fix those problems or consider possibly hiring sensitivity readers for their works. Sadly, I doubt it would ever happen; but I honestly wish the authors could work around some of their cast to adapt to current times. What do you think should happen?

I think the old work should stand.

It was a product of its time and culture, and it's been edited as necessary by the authors over time (current volumes have been censored accordingly, and the worst has already been removed). The manga is problematic, but I agree with companies like Warner Brothers and Disney; better to keep things as a record of the past than to remove them or change them. That being said:

A new anime needs to make changes.

The issue I have answering this is more 'do I talk about ideal changes for us in the West' or 'realistic and needed changes for Japan'. I think really it's two different questions, so I'll talk about what I think should happen - and will probably happen - for Japan. That is to say . . . not much. I don't think much is needed.

It's easy to remove Nazi symbols from Brocken, and his current design lacks those symbols anyway. They can easily just remove references to him being a Nazi, and instead he can just be a 'soldier'. Kinnikuman Great can go back to his original red design. Ramenman cannibalising a person can just go back to the original gore (or a broken back). The "Roots" arc can be generally edited or left out.

I think if people have a problem with how nationalities and ethnicities are depicted, and we're talking about Japanese modern standards of racial sensitivity . . . they might be disappointed. For the culture in which it's written, I think it's been pretty great with diversity and representation. We have a black man as a hero. We have a native American as a really inspirational character. We have Americans and Russians shown in positive lights. We have people of all sorts coming together under the banner of 'friendship'.

I think Geronimo is still going to have his headdress and go "owahahaha" in battle, and Ramenman is still going to have stereotypical eyes like a South Park character, and . . . while I don't agree with it, I think we just have to accept that it's a Japanese anime, and that for a Japanese anime (bar the situation regarding female characters), it's going to be pretty ideal.

Now, in terms of the West . . .

I think the best option is to leave the animation exactly as it stands (unless they somehow did keep the swastikas and such), and edit the dialogue in the dub to make it more appropriate. The "owahahaha" cry can be something else. The inappropriate jokes or comments can be made more palatable. The references to Nazis (if left in) can be changed to comments about soldiers.

Now, don't get me wrong, this raises a whole other debate about whether to be true to the source and whether this would be censorship . . . personally, I'm a massive fan of Hetalia and Ultimate Muscle, so I wouldn't even an object to a total script change (so long as it kept true to characters and story), but I think it's the best option to avoid overly being offensive. Let's face it, though, there's not much anime out there that's perfect with different ethnicities and nationalities, and none of them get changed for the west.

That's not to say it's right, but it's also not to say it's wrong. I don't really feel comfortable judging Japan by Western standards, and - even then - I remember things being acceptable in Spain (as one example) that would never be acceptable in Britain, so even 'the West' is an extremely vague and not too useful term.

tl;dr I think designs can be tweaked, and - keeping close to the manga, and not the original anime - a lot of the worst will be absent anyway, especially if they stick to the edited manga. If I'm going to be completely honest, I think if people get offended by Ramenman and Geronimo, they probably are better off reading/watching a different source than lamenting what could/should be in a perfect world. It's not so much a product of its time, but also its country, and I think we all get a bit too sensitive in modern day. Brocken is a whole can of worms, but the rest just . . . is. I'd personally keep it as it stands.

#kinnikuman #anime #ultimate muscle #I want to stress that people obviously have the right to be offended and I don't judge them #and that the manga is problematic as anything #but just that I personally don't think extensive changes are needed #now if it were being rewritten from scratch? I'd make loads of changes #but the manga already exists and is already written #speaking for myself - and only myself - I'm fine with a lot of what's in there and don't think much needs to be removed or changed

9 notes · View notes

theseventhoffrostfall · 2 years

Note

For your fantasy inmortal/reincarnation elves.

Has the reincarnation line ever been brocken? Like some powerful being (dragon council or whatever) found a way to stop the reincarnation of the elf king and sent him to whaever souls go (or the soul disapeared or similar)

Do they start a new line, selecting a new king?

It hasn't happened yet; it probably wouldn't be incredibly difficult (on the scale of dragon magi or lichwhales or what have you) to develop a method for preventing a King from reincarnating, albeit actually killing one of the beings widely considered to be demigods easier said than done--and more importantly, that would instantly turn the struggle between the dragon regents and the kings from a cold shadow war to an open and vicious one.

As for what would happen to the nation in question, well, my current thinking is that there's a small number of large and powerful "high kingdoms" ruled by a True King each, and a larger number of small, even petty kingdoms, republics, principalities, democracies, despotates and so forth around, between and occasionally inside the High Kingdoms. These are far more typical nation-states--shifting, temporary, adapting and eventually falling--and almost all of them will end up paying cultural if not political homage to one of the Kings and be within his sphere of influence (albeit more commonly seeking aid from the rival of the Kingdom you're technically encroaching on than some kind of loyal and faithful subject seeking autonomy and getting it). The main reason these aren't as enduring, powerful or prestigious as the High Kingdoms is precisely because they lack True Kings. If a King vanished, eventually the kingdom would dissolve, be snapped up by its neighbors, host self-declared successor states and so on, and barring strange and unforeseeable circumstances the Elves would thereafter simply have one less High Kingdom, permanently--another reason the elven kings very much do not want anyone finding a way to permakill them

#worldbuilding #fantasy

2 notes · View notes

aliceward · 1 year

Text

Spider meaning spiritual

Spider meaning and symbolism include artistry, manifestation, patience, feminine power, ancient wisdom, illusion, balance, and interconnection. A source of fear for some and fascination to others, the spider is an ancient being, having inhabited the Earth for more than 300 million years.1 (By comparison, our own ancestors date back to just 2.8 million years ago.) In addition to being ancient, spiders live on every continent except Antarctica. So, they appear in the mythologies and folklore of cultures around the world.

In this post, you’ll learn about spider symbols, meanings, and mythology, as well as the spider spirit animal. You’ll also learn about spider’s web symbolism and metaphors.

Spider meaning spiritual

Detailed Spider Symbols and Meanings

A Shamrock Spider (Araneus trifolium) in its web with fog droplets, San Francisco, CA. Photo: Brocken Inaglory.

Artistry

As they skillfully create their iridescent webs, spiders are the embodiment of artistry. They patiently weave their webs in optimal places, and if one strand breaks, they will weave again.

Those who consider the spider to be one of their spirit animals are often gifted creatively. Spider people have vivid imaginations and they’re also good with their hands. They can envision, feel, or even hear what they want to create in their minds, and then manifest it in the real world in art, music, cooking, and even surgery or other medical procedures.

Manifestation

The spider is known for being an intelligent arachnid who is capable of strategizing and planning. Therefore, the spider is also a symbol for the power of manifesting. Imagination, artistry, and the power to manifest are a winning combination. So, if a spider suddenly makes themselves known to you, they are reminding you of your own ingenuity.

When the spider is your spirit animal you have the potential to create something wonderful in your life and the lives of others.

The real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, who appears on the TV show Shark Tank, said [paraphrasing], “I have worked with all kinds of entrepreneurs. And the most successful ones aren’t the ones with the best idea or the hardest working or the smartest or even the luckiest. They’re the ones who have a clear vision of where they want to be and what it will look like when they get there.”

This is the essence of the spider spirit animal’s ability to manifest!

Patience

Weaving an intricate web is painstaking work. And even when the web is done, a human or strong wind comes along and breaks it. So, the web has to be repaired. In addition, waiting for prey to fly into the web can take even more patience. The spider is not deterred.

The spider spirit animal reminds you that good things happen for those who wait. While we live in an immediate gratification culture, the spider reminds us that patience and self-governance are how we create and get what we want in life.

Female Empowerment

Black widow spider (Latrodectus).

We’ve all heard stories about a femme fatale who bumps off her sugar daddy husband to collect his life insurance money. She is called a “black widow” because of the black widow spider who does indeed devour her mate. Unfortunately, this archetype hasn’t done many favors for women or spiders.

In a world where some cultures don’t believe girls deserve to get an education and only 8 percent of the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are women, there are definitely more women and girls who lack power than those who have it.

Meanwhile, in the spider world, female spiders do have power. They tend to be larger than the males and they live longer. They can also defend themselves. Hence, female spiders are like lionesses in that they are symbols of female power.

Ancient Wisdom

Because they’ve inhabited the Earth for more than 300 million years, spiders are also symbols of ancient wisdom. They hold in their DNA a memory of how the Earth once was and how it has changed.

The spider spirit animal reminds us to study history and learn from the past. Spider people tend to be old souls who have experienced many lifetimes, therefore they are open-minded because they understand. They can easily put themselves in others’ shoes because of their soul-level experience. Hence, it’s important for spider people to be patient with younger souls and to help guide them as they navigate their life path.

Spider Symbolism: Illusion

The spider is skilled in the art of illusion and entrapment. The Australian crab spider is capable of manipulating ultraviolet light signals to attract bees to flowers where they lie in wait to catch them.2 As heinous as this sounds, not all illusion is negative.

The spider spirit animal also embodies the idea of “fake it til you make it.” Even if you don’t have the internal confidence to take an action, like getting up on stage, introducing yourself to a stranger, or going into that interview, the spider spirit tells you to “act as if.” Act as if you are capable, act as if you are confident, and you can manifest it. The spider reminds you that with your imagination you can create something beautiful and other won’t be able to resist your alluring web.

Balance

Spiders are cunning and carnivorous arachnids who are commonly seen figures in haunted houses and Halloween decorations. It’s easy to see why they scare so many people. Not to mention, some are also venomous. But despite their bad rap, spiders play a critical role in keeping natural ecosystems in balance.

0 notes

53weeksorg · 2 years

Text

Spring is in the air.....

Spring is in the air…..

so here’s a look back to winter in the Harz mountains…. Leica M9; Summilux 50; Summicron 35; VSCO;

View On WordPress

#Cold #Culture #Der Brocken #Family #Germany #Harz Mountains #Leica #Leica M9 #Life #Photography #Snow #Travel #Winter

6 notes · View notes

en24news · 4 years

Text

Brocken houses in Switzerland - bustle, smells, stories - culture

Brocken houses in Switzerland – bustle, smells, stories – culture

[ad_1]

content

Meeting place Brockenhaus: A beautiful book illuminates a Swiss cultural phenomenon that comes from Germany.

This book is a real eye-catcher. The first thing you notice is how carefully and elaborately it is designed. “The most beautiful Brockis in Switzerland” is primarily a beautiful…

View On WordPress

#Brocken #bustle #culture #houses #smells #stories #Switzerland

0 notes

eruukat · 2 years

Text

creating an ex kpop fan therapy group for my girlies who have left the fandom + celebrity culture aspect but cannot truly escape.... by which i mean shoutout to me finding out my friends mom likes kpop and i found it so swag and hilarious that i asked so many questions and it became a little embarrassing to reveal just how much i know. its like a sleeper agent!!!!! i dont even keep up w these men or ladies anymore lmao i just listen to the songs and watch the dances when yt deems it time to deliver them 2 my page....... but alas....... </3 #brocken

#el speaks #this is all lighthearted btw.. theres a reasonable way to enjoy Most Media and im p reasonable considering my uh. younger self lol?#i am merely embarrassed easily by this sort of thing </3 which i think is kind of silly in and of itself sometimes #it is music.. it is not that deep.. anyway i hope my friends shawol mom is having a nice day today HFJGJFKDJ she sounds like a cool lady

6 notes · View notes

froggieofchaos · 2 years

Text

My dreamsmp fanbase rant

(this is only my experience with this fandom please DO NOT attack any people i mention in this post) TW: mentions of self h@rm

I was very hyperfixated on this fandom for abt 2 years, like looking back i was a really cringey kid. I really enjoyed dsmp content more when it was smaller ig you could say, though in hindsight it was never really a small community.

Abt 90% of the dsmp fandom/community is toxic, overly obsessed, REALLY fucking weird, rasict or just straight up homophobes/transphobes (as a trans dude i can confirm)Not to mention the dreamgender/dreamsexual ppl like WTF-

(i know cring culture is dead though that isnt the point of this post)

i feel like the whole dream stan thing really gives the whole dsmp community a bad reputation though in some aspects of it the bad rep is deserved like how ppl ship/ draw overly invasive fanart of fucking children and just get away with, it as a minor myself it just makes me want to fucking puke.

TW TW TWWW: self harm : now heres where i wanna talk abt how any of this impacted (still impacts) me today: i have lost so many friendships because i dont have positive feelings towards dsmp fans. loosing so many people in my life who have helped me through shit has caused me to hurt myself physicly and it drains me of motivation to the point where burnouts are a reglar thing for me.

IN CONCLUSION i just want to say that there are still decent human beings in the dsmp community just not alot anymore ...

-sencerialy

froggie :]

(READING THIS BACK MAKES ME SOULD LIKE A 14 YEAR OLD BROCKEN EDGY CHILD BUT ISG IM NOT LMAOO)

sry for the absolutley horrible spelling i really suck at writing

#dsmp fandom #i rly suck at this #dsmp stans #dsmp #why #myct #dream #why is like dream x reader something that exists #like u rly simp for block men ppl #its really late #i need sleep #ight ill stop with the tags

7 notes · View notes

walpurga-nacht-academy · 3 years

Photo

Isle of Phantasmagoria

Located near the Isle of Sages, the Isle of Phantasmagoria is the home of Brocken and Walpurga Nacht Academy. Considered a site of great magical energy, its culture and history were largely shaped by the multitude of unusual events that have taken place there.

Geography & Population

The Isle is rather small, being only about 33 square kilometers in size, and being for the most part overtaken by vegetation with only a few particular spots being inhabited by humans. It has a mild climate where the winters are comfortably cold and the summers tend to be humid, but pleasant. The lowest temperature recorded on the isle was -10 degrees Celsius, while the highest was 25 degrees. It seems to be primarily characterized by an autumn and spring aesthetic, with winter and summer passing by rather quickly. Precipitation is an unexpected phenomenon, with warm showers starting without warning and ending just as quickly. The flora is surprisingly diverse with a variety of flowers and plants being native to the island, yet its famous fertility means that anything planted here is likely to take root. The same cannot be said for the fauna, as mammals tend to be quite small in numbers. Instead birds and fish seem to be rather plentiful which has influenced the gastronomy of the place as well.

In regards to demographics, humans are the majority, with a smaller number of beastmen and other races living there. Fairies, however, are unfamiliar to the Isle and have never settled there as far as records show. Currently the island population is 18,738.

Culture

Despite its small size, the Isle is a place teeming with customs and festivals, making for a very lively atmosphere. Its people are famous for their hospitality and easy-going nature so many sailors who had the fortune of being washed onto its shores ended up taking residence there. The Isle has been ruled by the Tauros family since olden times, though their exact aristocratic title is unknown.

Origin Myth

Locals often claim that the very first inhabitants of the isle were pixies, small little fairies that would command the weather and welcome in the seasons with their dances and songs. They were said to fly above in the sky and sprinkle drops of dew on every flower and stem to help them grow and bloom. Due to this the earth became so fertile that when the first humans stumbled upon the island, they were able to plant anything there and even the smallest seed would produce bountiful harvest.

Modern science has discredited this claim as the product of intoxication at the hands of a type of mushroom unique to the isle. It seems that consumption of the fungi causes one to experience potent hallucinations which require a few days to wear off. It is most likely that the locals consumed the mushroom and in their haze, aided as well by the refraction of light, they mistook the native Sylphs living on the isle for pixies due to their seemingly colourful appearance.

Interestingly enough those very mushrooms have been shown to help fertilize and make the soil richer in nutrients. Mushroom rings are thus quite common on the island, and it is considered bad luck to uproot or cause them harm.

The King on the Bald Mountain

A mythological figure that is said to have ruled over the island back in ancient times. Locals claim that the King would wake up every year and along with his congregation of witches would torment the souls of the townsfolk of Brocken. Though it is a popular folktale on the isle, the existence of such a creature is still under question as very few sources can be found regarding its authenticity.

Wine

The most popular alcoholic beverage on the island. Wine is considered the official drink of Phantasmagoria and is present at every celebration as a result. Due to the extensive orchards that have made the isle famous, wine from this place is considered a luxury and one of the most expensive brands in Twisted Wonderland. Every year, the Tauros mayor donates a huge casket of wine for the Cydalise Rite.

Thistles and Orchids

The official flowers of the isle. It is said that back in ancient times, the flowers of the island were blessed by fairies so they were able to walk and dance together in harmony. The flowers were also rumoured to be the favorite of the first Tauros mayor and his wife, and thus they were emblazoned everywhere. Official letters from the island all sport a stamp with a drawing of a thistle and an orchid intertwined.

During wedding ceremonies it is considered traditional to have the venue decorated with these flowers so that it would bring the newlyweds good luck.

Ostrich, Hippos and Elephants

Characters in the popular “Dance of the Hours” play. It is unknown how exactly the legend came about to exist, as none of the animals are native to the island. The Tauros mayor who is credited for the creation of this story said that the image came to him as he was napping in a ring of mushrooms in the Golden Pasture. The play became such a success that it was made an important part of the Cydalise Rite.

A point of consternation for the locals is deciding which one of the three animals should become known as the official representative of the Isle. This debate has been going on for at least 1.000 years and is no closer to being resolved.

Festival

The Cydalise Rite

The most anticipated event of the year, the Cydalise Rite is the festival that celebrates summer and good luck. The Rite is said to have existed for centuries, its main purpose being to cause disruption and merriment so that the King on the Bald Mountain and his minions would be driven away from the homes of the locals and back on the Bald Mountain where they would be caged in by magic. Though few believe in the legend anymore, since the construction of the Selene mansion and later the Walpurga Nacht campus has demystified the area, the festival continues to be held every year in honour of that old tradition.

In the past it used to involve a parade of horses going through the main street of Brocken, following the path through the forest and heading straight into the Pasture where the event-goers are able to enjoy a little masquerade play called the “Dance of the Hours”. It is a romance piece about three sisters (an ostrich, a hippopotamus and an elephant) who wander into the palace of alligators by mistake. As they try to escape the dangerous place, the middle sister falls in love with the leader of the fearsome group and vice versa. The play ends in a marriage, after which all the spectators are invited to join the dance to celebrate future good tidings. A huge casket of wine is broken open by the mayor’s wife for all to enjoy. The festivity lasts until dawn when all those present are given special lanterns lit with magic crystals found only on the island and proceed to return to the town in a column singing in celebration for the coming of a new day.

Ever since the founding of Walpurga Nacht however, it seems that the task of leading the parade of horses through Brocken has been awarded to the students as a show of good faith on the town’s part. The leader of the parade is usually the Prefect of Monarchia, who, along with her dorm members, lead a blessing of unicorns and Pegasi dressed in the dorms’ colours. Due to the rarity of such creatures on the island it has become one of the most anticipated sights during the Rite, with people usually gathering around the parade route to take pictures and sing loudly.

History

Few historical sources detailing the early history of the island remain, however from what historians have been able to piece together it seems that the island has existed for a long time. The main argument in favour of this theory are the large animal bones that have been discovered all over the island, and which are believed to belong to a primitive species of dragons that has since gone extinct. The first settlements on the island precede the discovery of magic around the world, but the first concrete piece of evidence that proves that the isle had been inhabited for a long time are the mentions of the annual meeting of witches on the Bald Mountain to honour their King. References to this event can be found in the grimoires that the Eight Witches have passed down to their followers, along with several anonymous texts written by natives of the island.

More recent discoveries have also found a journal kept by a member of the ruling Tauros family, which mentions that these annual meetings would cause great havoc among the population of the island. Among the effects he described were the “raising of foul ghouls from the depths of the earth, the theft of souls from among [our] village and the horrific calls of harpies, vultures, imps and firewomen as they danced around his monstrous figure.” In response to the threat posed by the emergence of the King from the mountain every year, the townsfolk would be forced to keep vigil together at night and guard themselves from the evil spirits with lanterns powered by pure magic.

Years later, another Taurous aristocrat would mention the commercial exchange that had taken place between them and a member of the famed Selene family of magicians in regards to ownership of the mountain. Having acquired property rights over the site, the Selene noble built a mansion at the very top and restricted all outside access to it. This building would later fall into disrepair once the aristocratic family fell from power and were forced to abandon most of their dwellings. Another member would repurpose it later and transform it into an education center, rather elevated to the rank of international boarding school and institute for magic.

Notable Locations

Brocken

The only large settlement on the island. A pleasant town that is considered a wonderful tourist spot, Brocken is well-known for its welcoming attitude and laid-back atmosphere. The people there enjoy a ‘stress-free’ life in which they work, eat and sleep at their own pace. Siestas are recognized officially on the island as mandated periods of rest.

The town’s economy revolves around fishing, vinification, agriculture and tourism. It is a popular spot for location weddings and something of a cultural landmark due to the existence of places such as the Bald Mountain and the Golden Pasture. Tourists who often come here are able to make use of special programs which offer them housing, food and the opportunity to participate in some of the town’s vinification and fishing business.

Because it is difficult to gain access to the island, Brocken has become rather isolated from the rest of the world. Thus its technology is considered old-fashioned by modern standards so things like television, mobile phones and cars are quite rare and seen as luxuries.

The Bald Mountain

One of the most well-known landmarks and the home of Walpurga Nacht Academy. The mountain is perhaps the oldest point of interest on the island, and legend has it that it was and still is the prison where a King of demons is said to slumber. Every year he would awake for one night to cause havoc on the island, aided by his congregation of witches.

Now the mountain is associated with Walpurga Nacht, a world-famous institute of magic.

Due to old legends and rumours surrounding the mountain, locals are known to keep away from it for fear of being cursed. Among the most popular beliefs is that anyone who dares come across the school at the top of it will be immediately struck mad. This is a concept that has been inherited since ancient times when the Eight Witches were said to dance in revelry in that spot and their fury at being glimpsed by strangers was so great they would curse them in retaliation.

The Mad Mage’s Tower

An old derelict tower, hidden far into the wilderness. It is said that there once lived an old magician whose years of isolation had driven him mad so he enchanted the objects around him to come to life and do his bidding. Though the mage had long since died, the objects still seem to be capable of sentience and continue moving around unhindered. Sylphs can be seen circling the highest point of the tower at dawn and dusk.

Another rumour regarding the tower is that the magician might have had once a goblin apprentice that as revenge for the poor treatment he received bashed his head in with a rock during the middle of the night.

The Golden Pasture

An idyllic sight, the pasture is one of the most famous locations on the isle. Considered a natural wonder due to its extensive flora, the Pasture is a site beloved by all citizens of the Isle, but due to the increased littering among tourists has been closed off to outsiders. It is also the location where the Cydalise Rite takes place every year.

An interesting rumour regarding the Pasture is that those who dwell in it for too long are liable to experience hallucinations. Among those, the most commonly reported sighting was that of dancing flowers, colourful fairies, spinning mushroom rings, performing goldfish, flashing lightning and, more terrifyingly, erupting volcanoes.

#walpurga nacht academy #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland fanschool #fanlore #twist fanlore #twst fanschool #twisute #the isle of phantasmagoria

17 notes · View notes

blackumbrellajewelry · 3 years

Photo

In Germanic folklore, Hexennacht, (“Witches’ Night”), was believed to be the night of a witches’ meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in central Germany. On the night of April 30 to May 1, Christians pray to God through the intercession of Saint Walpurga in order to protect themselves from witchcraft. The daughter of Saint Richard the Pilgrim and sister of Saint Willibald, Saint Walpurga was born in Devon, England in 710 A.D. into a prominent Anglo-Saxon family. She studied medicine and became a Christian missionary to Germany, where she founded a double monastery in Heidenheim. Christian artwork often depicts her holding bandages in her hand. As a result of Saint Walpurga’s evangelism in Germany, the people there converted to Christianity from heathenism. She was hailed for battling “pest, rabies and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft.” Her monastery became an education center and “soon became famous as a center of culture”. She died in 777 and her tomb, to this day, produces holy oil known as Saint Walburga’s oil, which is believed to heal sickness - it flows from the stone slab and the surrounding metal plate on which her relics rest. Benedictine nuns distribute this oil in vials to pilgrims who visit her tomb. people continue to light bonfires on Saint Walpurga’s Eve in order to ward off evil spirits and witches. Given that witches gathered on Hexennacht, the Western Christian Church established the Feast of Saint Walpurga on the same night in order to counteract the witchcraft. Walpurgisnacht has become a type of Halloween in Germany today. In the Harz Mountains, bonfires are lit, and thousands of people dressed in witch or devil costumes come from all over to dance and celebrate on a plateau called the Hexentanzplatz near the town of Thale. * An old German postcard depicting Walpurgis Night celebrations on the Hexentanzplatz 🌸 Beltane blessings to all (at Harz Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/COSthmVh4P0/?igshid=z8fnsnli0k9i

#walpurgisnacht #walpurgisnight #hexentanzplatz #hexen #hexennacht #witchesoftheworld #blackumbrellajewelry #blackumbrellaantiques

13 notes · View notes

glitched-starlight · 3 years

Text

Y’know, I don’t go on tumblr very often, and it’s even rarer that I ever post. But this just feels like something I want to put out into the void. I am currently scrolling through this hellsite in my english 101 class instead of writing a paper, as one does, and I’ve come across at least 5 posts of people making fun of other people who subscribe to the whole “I’ve got demons and sometimes they win *crying emoji*” narrative for their lives. And like, don’t get me wrong, I find it absolutely hilarious to bash on that culture and it’s, like, because their mom didn’t buy them the right soda from McDonalds. But as someone who had a phase like that at a very young age, not because my parents wouldn’t let me wear my Welcome to the Black Parade shirt to school, but because I was genuinely going through the beginning stages of realizing I wasn’t like my peers but was instead incredibly neurodivergent, my sleep deprived brain has started overanalyzing that narrative, and I’ve sort of realized something. A lot of those art pieces and drawings that show that are about feeling like the colour black, feeling as though you’re drowning and caged and put on display like some barely contained rabid beast, about how you’re your own monster and how you hurt yourself and those around you and how you want to either scream and yell and cry or you want to lock yourself away from society because you feel like you’re a “danger” to it because you’re “just so different”. And again, yeah, I fully recognize the childish naivety that is entwined into that culture and am 100% guilty of chuckling at those who mock it, but does anyone stop and think about what that narrative means to the kids who are genuinely struggling? When I was lighting the match to my gifted kid burnout, I was told by peers and “trusted” adults alike that my neurodivergent traits were demon like, that they made me unclean, that I was a monster and dirty for existing, and it made me want to and attempt to self isolate and lash out like the monster they thought me to be. I was 11, 12, 13 years old and I was just learning that things in my brain weren’t correct and I was being treated as though it’s my fault for being a demon from hell or some bullshit evangelical narrative that was shoved down my throat. I was used as an example by multiple of my friends’ parents as “what not to end up as”, and while I’m proud of that now it really fucking stung as a kid. And when I first started using tumblr around that age, and I started seeing those posts, those artworks, all those things that people so heavily mock, I clicked with it. The narrative of having demons that won, of being broken beyond repair, of destroying everything I touch. It made me feel less alone, because maybe I wasn’t the only monster in this world. People that I thought loved me were telling me that my existence was corrupt, and not only that, but it’s corruptness was directly a fault of mine, and the cringe culture of tumblr was making me feel less alone. We all trash on that era of tumblr and for good fucking reason, I really wanna emphasize that I recognize being on tumblr at like 11 years old probably contributed to my mental illness in some way or another. But that culture of being told that being broken is a little secret society of people who also don’t understand Why They Are Like This, and seeing it all converge on this one shitty little blog site with a weirdly spelled name? That shit is probably a large reason why I didn’t end up having a mental break from the pressure of feeling like I was the only one that was “wrong”, I’m not gonna lie.

So tl;dr because I know I’m not very clear and this was mostly just a rant for no one important to ever see: It’s fine to make fun of the “I’m bRoCkEn” culture, cause some people just say it to say it and it’s also just generally funny. But that shit can genuinely help hurting kids, especially neurodivergent ones, to feel less alone. So we should just. Cut them some slack sometimes. Give them a little head pat and send them on their way on their journey of life with a loaf of bread and a reminder to grow up eventually, but that it’s ok to take comfort in this now. That it’ll be ok, one of these days.

#mentally ill #idk why im sharing this #this is just what’s on my mind right now #if you see this and you know me no you don’t #feel better kids I know how hard this shit is #you’ll be fine one of these days #probably

5 notes · View notes