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beyondmistland · 9 days

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I read through all your posts about Alysanne Targaryen as Maegor's daughter and am now in a rabbit hole. Thank you. I've been thinking about Maegor's wives and which one of Henry VIII's wives they represent. Ceryse is Cathrine of Aragon and Alys is Anne Boleyn. The others are hard to pin for me since there isn't a lot. What do you think? Would Maegor's reign have been more interesting if his marriages had more similarities to those of Henry VIII?

I think this is where we run into a number of problems regarding the way GRRM wrote Fire & Blood specifically and the way he setup Westeros more generally.

For one, the fairly homogenized nature of southron culture as well as the oversimplification of religious institutions and history means you can't quite get the same dynamism as from real life European history, with its dizzying array of languages, cultures, cuisines, fashions, etc., to mention nothing of the then-ongoing Protestant Reformation. I suppose GRRM could have had Maegor convert to the Old Gods a la Julian (II) the Apostate or the Drowned God (you just know the Ironborn are the one race on the surface of Planetos that would say King Maegor the Good with a completely straight face) or even R'hllor, which would be the best choice in terms of worldbuilding opportunities in my opinion.

Moving on, we run into a handful of problems with Maegor specifically, one of them being the length of his reign. Look, while I can't deny Maegor ruling for 6 years and 66 days is incredibly cheeky, it also isn't anywhere close to Henry VIII's 36 years as king. With so little room timeline-wise, there isn't a lot of flexibility when it comes to telling new stories and fleshing out preexisting ones and all that is before you factor in Maegor himself.

I won't hold back. For all GRRM's talk of moral ambiguity, the human heart in conflict with itself, good men who were bad kings and bad men who were good kings, etc., his Targaryen monarchs are, for the most part, numbingly one-note. Aegon I is a literal enigma, Aenys is weak, Maegor cruel, Viserys I a party animal, Aegon II and Rhaenyra mirror-images of each other in their disqualifying vices, etc. As I've written before with my post reimagining Maegor as more of a Ivan (IV) the Terrible figure there was room to make him a genuinely controversial figure of historiography but instead GRRM doubled down on sensationalism and apathy-inducing slasher porn for lack of a better word. The fact Maegor is also the first and last of Visenya's line just adds more salt to the wound but that's part of GRRM's more general (and for me personally, vexing) habit of keeping family trees incredibly small.

(I do recall another alternative someone once brought up to the late Steven Attewell. Namely, turning Maegor into the Westerosi version of Macbeth by way of Der Untergang.)

This brings me to my semifinal point. GRRM didn't have to write Fire & Blood as Procopius' Secret History on steroids with a dash of Suetonius' Lives of Twelve Caesars and I, Claudius (the entire Saera episode is practically lifted wholesale from the scandal that envelops Augustus' daughter, Julia) but he did, which is doubly disappointing because not only does the final product suck quality-wise as a result but also because there were so many other avenues available to him.

He could have written Fire & Blood as a proper history (with less focus on the sex lives of teenage girls for one) or as a mirror for princes or as a dialogue between two characters or even as a character study. You can even see GRRM struggling with the constraints imposed by his use of Gyldayn in certain sections like the death of Maelor and the entire Hour of the Wolf episode, where you get reams of dialogue and characterization as well as more traditional narrative trappings like build-up, mood setting, etc.

Now, to answer your actual question (lol), I don't think any of Henry VIII's other wives map well onto Maegor's. Tyanna is, more or less, his female counterpart in terms of cruelty and zero redeeming features and entirely a fantasy construct. Elinor and Jeyne are both married to Maegor for only a year (with poor Jeyne dying in childbirth because Jeyne Westerlings, like the Brackens, Peakes, and Florents, cannot catch a break in Westeros) and before said marriage takes place neither appears on the page. As for Rhaena, well, credit where its due, she was a rare (and unexpected) highlight of Fire & Blood.

Thanks for the question, anon

#maegor the cruel #house targaryen #asoiaf criticism #asoiaf meta #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf #asoiaf themes #maegor targaryen #fire and blood #volume 1

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jellymeduza · 7 days

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1250 followers gift - take a peek at my medievalish fantasy game (part 6/?)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

Today we visit two households of the Monk family.

In the first lot live the elders. They gave away their earthly possessions and live a live of members of a parish guild. Recently they returned from their mission in the Far East.

left to right: Old Sarah, Jan, David, Julia

Old Sarah is David's wife and Faustyna's mother. Her personality is 5/7/8/3/3 and her aspiration is family, even though she'll never have a grandchild - her only child is a nun.

Jan is Julia's husband and father of Francesco. His personality is 2/8/2/6/7. Just like Sarah, his aspiration is family, however chances of having a grandchild are slim - his only son is a monk.

David is Sarah's husband and Faustyna's father. His personality is 4/10/4/4/3 and aspiration is family.

Julia is Jan's wife and Francesco's mother. Her personality is 5/6/3/8/3. Despite her personality being pleasure, she lives a pious live.

Their children - Faustyna and Francesco - live in a monastery and run an orphanage.

There's a rumour of ginormous treasures hidden in the monestery's basement.

Faustyna is a daughter of Old Sarah and David. She's a friend of Julia Kajet. Her personality is 9/2/6/3/5. She is charismatic (6 points) and logical (7 points). Her aspiration is knowledge.

Francesco is Jan and Julia's son. He's friends with Benedict Bigfoot. His personality is 5/5/5/5/5 (the blandest man to ever live 😉). He is charismatic (9), which is quite useful for preaching sermons. His aspiration is knowledge.

Aside from their service to the Watcher, they take care of poor children. At first they hosted Brother and Sister Beggar during colder days, but let them live again with their mother when it got warmer. Soon they realised their mistake as Brother became a common thief and Sister is working hard to support her family. They wanted to take them once more, but Brother and Sister refused as they were not children anymore.

Monks decided not to repeat their mistake with Brother and Sister's siblings and took five kids to the monastery to offer them a chance at better live. They are not cruel - children are allowed to meet with their parents, be in at their mother's place or in the monastery.

The children were baptised and given proper names - earlier they had been named a various variations of "little girl" and "little boy".

Margaret (the blonde girl) is the eldest of the children living in the monastery. She is a daughter of Wench Beggar and Caligula Claudius. She is a record setter when it comes to the number of siblings: she's got 6 half-sibling from her mother's side and 10 half-siblings from her father's side. She is friends with Arthur Magic, her half-brother, and with Anna Bona Darius, her cousin (the relationship between the girls is one of many excuses for Władysław's dislike for his daughter). Of course, Margaret is not aware of the blood bonds she shares with her friends. Her personality is 10/7/4/5/9, artistic, heavy sleeper.

Maria (held by Francesco) is a daughter of Wench Beggar and Blind-Eye Beggar, and one of quadruplets (yes, quadruplets! This neighbourhood has so many multiple births. Too many. 😅). Her personality is 2/7/4/7/6.

Magdalena (sitting next to Francesco) is a daughter of Wench Beggar and Blind-Eye Beggar. Her personality is 4/8/10/5/6.

Michael (sitting next to Margaret) is a son of Wench Beggar and Blind-Eye Beggar. His personality is 1/8/6/8/10.

Teofil (held by Faustyna) is a son of Wench Beggar and Blind-Eye Beggar. His personality is 9/4/4/7/6.

Next up - the Bourgeoisie!

#ts2 pictures #nh: dunceville

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docgold13 · 8 months

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Profiles in Villainy

Slithe

The self-proclaimed leader of the Mutant Army, the reptilian rapscallion known as Slithe had plotted to thieve the plans for the Plun-Darr weapon platform from King Claudius prior to the destruction of Thunderra. Unable to obtain his prize, Slithe led his forces in chasing the Thundercats to their new refuge on Third Earth.

On this new and strange world, Slithe and his followers allied with the villainous Mum-Ra, unaware that he had unwittingly pledged himself and his army to be mere minions and foot soldiers for Mum-Ra’s plans of conquest.

Crass, unimaginative and cruel, Slithe made for a poor leader of the Mutant Army, but they followed him nonetheless, along with his chief lieutenants, Vultureman, Jackalman and Monkian. Still, Slithe showed signs of cunning and his followers preferred him to the more demanding Mutant general, Ratar-O.

In the rebooted Thundercats continuity, Slithe is the leader of the Lizardmen and the first general of Mumm-Ra's army. He and his forces were responsible for the destruction of Castle Thunderra and acted as pawns in Mum-Ra’s plot to obtain the Sword of Omens and dominate Third Earth.

Actor Bob McFadden provided the voice for Slithe in the original series; whereas actor Dee Bradley Baker voiced the villain in the 2011 reboot. Slithe first appeared in the premiere episodes of The Thundercats, airing January 23rd, 1985.

#Profiles in Villainy #Thundercats #Slithe #cut-out #paper art #Villains!

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hurremshiv · 10 days

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Do you think there are any parallels between the way Hurrem in MC and Livia in either Domina or I Claudius? (2nd wives doing what they can to place further their own line in the succession)?

I haven't seen Domina yet although it is on my list. But I think there is something to the parallel between I Claudius!Livia and Hürrem in that regard for sure.

My overall take however is that Livia in I Claudius was a seminal example of a particular trope of female villains (which I have called the 'Livia archetype') that Hürrem deconstructs and subverts. They are both manipulative and scheming. They both kill people. But Livia is very cold in a way in which Hürrem isn't. Hürrem has a sense of empathy and genuine care for her family. What makes Livia dangerous is that she is cold and calculating. Hürrem's defining quality for better and worse is passion. Not to mention the fact that while in I Claudius when a mysterious death occurs it's almost always Livia, Magnificent Century complicates the narrative. When Hürrem is accused of something, there will be plenty of times where she straight up didn't do it or even when she did it, there is a context to her actions that the audience understands but the other characters don't. It's very apparent that the writers of MC are aware that Hürrem's characterisation is at least in conversation with 'the Livia archetype'.

And while both of them have somewhat difficult or toxic relationships with their kids, Hürrem's purpose is keeping her kids alive in a sysem where the fratricide law exists and she would never abandon one of them. Meanwhile it's heavily implied that Livia killed her own son Drusus. Not to mention the ableism that Livia shows for her own grandson Claudius whereas Hürrem makes it abundantly clear that she views Cihangir as just as worthy as her other children even though he is insecure about his illness.

Not to mention that Livia stands for something politically in a way in which Hürrem doesn't. Livia is staunchly against returning to the Roman Republic. Hürrem's agenda is purely about gaining power for herself and keeping herself and her family safe. And the nearest she has to a genuine political agenda is her dislike of the 'military heroes' and her charity work. Livia's story is about the fear of women encroaching on politics whereas Hürrem's is about how to survive and keep your humanity in a system designed to strip you of it.

The overall difference can be summed up in the most important quotes about these two women that sum up their characters.

Tiberius says of Livia 'They say a snake bit her once. And died.'

And Hürrem sums up her experience in the palace to Afife by telling her 'Everyone talked about me. The cruel one, the witch, the tyrant. But no one said a thing about what they did to me.'

Both women are SO entertaining to watch though.

#livia drusilla #hürrem sultan #i claudius #magnificent century #answered #anon

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transskywardsword · 27 days

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part two of the prologue chapter for 'bovzek and the devil' a dark fairytale retelling! reminded that is this a rough draft, and i love constructive critique!

Where we left off: Claudius the VII, the King of Milan-Rosae, a fictional country in eastern Europe, ~1000AD, has become horribly lost in the great forest following a freak accident. found by a sanojuda, a type of fae, he agrees to take care of her ill child in exchange for passage home-- only to learn the boy is destined to marry into royalty. terrified that this might mean his own son, who is days away from being born, claudius plots on how to rid the world of the foul creature... (read the whole first half here!)

TWs: Claudius is a raging misogynist, including fantasizing about having sex with a woman who is not interested and objectifying her. he also really really wants to kill a baby. he graphically discusses killing a baby. it's really cruel. also attempts to drown one. the baby lives!

Claudius supposed the answer was easy enough. Babies were, as a matter of principle, not hard to kill. They were fragile, breakable, with bones that snapped as easily as spent matches and muscles that tore like wet parchment. Their skulls were thin and malleable, and a little shake or drop could end them for good. Hypothetically, it should be easy to wring the little spawn’s neck. The question was the consequence. Claudius had made a promise, and promises weren’t things easily broken, particularly when made with a fae, even if it was one as slippery as a samojuda. If the fae were to learn he planned to break their promise before it even had time to settle, well, then Claudius wouldn’t be long for this world. No, he would have to dote on the thing until the samojuda was sure it was in good hands, and could only dispose of it once the forest and its mother were far behind them. Then it was simply a matter of the right jerk of his grip and the baby’s neck would snap like eggshells underfoot.

Dawn came quickly as Claudius sorted lists of the easiest way to end an infant’s life and how he might dispose of a body without any knowledge of the crime reaching the forest. The baby cried on and off all night, an obnoxious sound that he couldn’t seem to muffle, even when he buried his head in the woman’s furs, and when the sun finally crept through the windows, Claudius was grateful. Dawn meant leaving for his home, meeting his wife, his son-- dawn meant saving a king from the thing wailing in the loft above.

“It’s a long walk,” the samojuda said, and Claudius jumped. The fae had slipped down from the loft in complete silence, despite the wailing thing in her arms, and she stood before Claudius with a look of haunting determination. “We should go.”

“Without breakfast?”

The samojuda raised a pale eyebrow, mocking in her silence.

“Fine,” Claudius grumbled, “no breakfast.”

The samojuda pulled a shawl form the box by the fire that had served as a cradle—if the spirals of wood shavings were anything to go by, it had belonged to her late beloved. She gently swaddled her baby before tucking him against her breast.

“Aren’t you going to change?” Claudius asked, and the samojuda wrinkled her brow.

“Why?”

“You—” Claudius cleared his voice. “Your breasts.”

The samojuda glanced down at her bare chest

“Is there a problem with how I dress?” The samojuda said, her voice wry. The fabric of her skirts started just at her belly button, exposing milky skin. Her skin was unmarred, her breasts perfect, looking far softer and less pox marked than Wenzel’s own. His wife, while a true Byzantine beauty with her olive skin and dark curls, had been ill as a child and the sickness left its mark across her flesh, small divots of darker skin across her body, tainting her beauty. This woman had no such marks, not even an offensive mole or freckle. Claudius was struck suddenly by the samojuda’s beauty. He hadn’t considered her pale starlight hair before, her wide, dark eyes, her plump figure. The lumberer must have been far darker than her lover, if the skin of their baby was anything to go by.

He could take her to bed here. Kiss her, toss the baby into the fire to burn as she writhed under him with pleasure. Surely one look at his cock would wipe away any thoughts of her stiffening lover, wherever the samojuda stashed the body. The samojuda would marvel at the size as he kissed her, moan into his mouth as he fucked her on her fire warmed furs, forget the baby as she rode him, her perfect breasts bouncing above him—

Claudius swallowed. He was a Godly man. His hand was tied with another in marriage, a wedding band on his finger. He couldn’t take another woman to bed; it would be a sin. A glorious, beautiful sin, but a sin nonetheless.

The samojuda let out a single cruel laugh and turned, caring little for her half-nakedness, and put out the fire. The coals hissed as she poured water on them, sending out puffs of steam, and the samojuda pulled a fur from the pile by the fire and wrapped it around her shoulders, covering the beautiful skin there. Claudius found himself disappointed.

It was for the best, he supposed. This way, if he was seen, it wouldn’t appear like he’d been fooling around with some whore in the woods. The samojuda slipped out the front door of the hut, waving Claudius on, and left it ajar as they walked from the clearing, deep into the woods. Claudius looked over his shoulder once, and then the trees were too dense to make out hide or hare of the little shack.

“Worried I’ll lead you astray?” The samojuda said, a hint of humor in her voice as they continued deeper and deeper into the Šumava.

“Now I am,” Claudius said in reply, and the samojuda laughed. It sounded like bells and clinking pearls, and struck Claudius with a strange fear. This woman could lead him astray, deeper and deeper into his beloved Šumava, feast on him and feed him to her dying babe.

Would she?

“You know what I am,” the samojuda said, “I am no will of the wisp. I’d much rather take the baby from your wife’s belly than lead you into the darkness.”

Claudius froze. “My wife—”

“I can smell her on you. She loves you dearly, you know. You don’t deserve her.”

“Excuse me?”

“I steal babies, replace them, and drown them in my well. I am a simple creature, I act as is my nature. Do you not as well?”

Claudius felt a sudden fear creep into his gut. This woman, this creature, wasn’t bound to human morals. Samojuda were crafty fae, nymph-like with a love for standing water, who lay in wait to steal infants one day and thrust changelings upon wonton women the next. Would she follow him to his home, take his heir from him?

She knew of his wife; could she smell his desire as well?

A new thought chilled him. Could she smell his plan to murder her baby now, before he’d even finished it?

Instead of devouring him, instead of flashing sharp teeth and leading him to a pond to drown him, the samojuda simply turned her back with a scoff and continued onwards, clutching her baby to her breast.

The baby. It all came back to the baby.

Claudius followed the samojuda as the sun rose, the sky going from black to rosy pink to blue. The sunrise was beautiful, even when filtering through the forest’s thick canopy. The samojuda hummed a melancholy mourning song to the baby in her arms, and the forest buzzed around her, the birds and insects seeming to have gathered to say ‘farewell’ to their half-blooded child.

Claudius’ feet ached by the time they reached the far end of the forest. Claudius’ heart pounded from the uphill hike, his feel pulsing in his boots, and he signed with relief as the farmlands of Milan-Rosae came into view. Fed by the Vydra, the agricultural circles around the walls of the capital city flourished; Milan-Rosae might be a small kingdom, but its capital, Abisa, was a grand, gilded thing of beauty. Surrounded by small villages and farmland that provided it with food, the three walls of Abisa served as mighty protectors—one along the outskirts of the city, one along the edge of the merchantry district, and a final that circled the moat of the castle. Perched on the peek of the many sprawling hills that surrounded the city, Claudius’ home was the crown upon the jewels over his capital. While he had manors and palaces throughout Milan-Rosae, the Abisali Court was a castle, unlike anything those east of the Rhine had ever seen. It towered, its many spires resembled the spikes of a dragon, its stained glass windows and bejeweled stone like rainbows dragged down from the sky and inlaid in the earth. Statues of the saints stood in attention beside carvings of folklore and fae, a sight that would petrify the Pope but reminded the people of Milan-Rosae of the glory of their beloved forest and river.

It was, in short, beautiful.

“Do we part here?” Claudius asked, turning to the samojuda. The woman sank back into the shadows of the trees.

“I…”

“Well? We had a deal, didn’t we?”

The samojuda’s face fell. She glanced to him, then down to the baby in her arms and adjusted it softly. She pressed her forehead to its bare chest.

“Give me just a moment more,” she said softly. Tears bubbled up in her dark eyes. The baby, as foul as it was, shared the same otherworldly eyes, wide and black and glittering, and for the first time all morning it began to cry again, a pathetic hiccupping sound.

“You had all morning,” Claudius snapped, wrenching the baby from her arms with careless aggression. The samojuda cried out, lunging for her baby, and Claudius stepped to the side.

“His neck,” The creature sobbed, “oh, don’t forget his neck—”

“I’ll hold him as I well please.”

The samojuda’s eyes went wide. “Oh by the Earth, what have I done?” she whispered, and Claudius huffed.

“Given him a new chance in life,” he said, and he couldn’t help the smile that slipped onto his face, picturing the broken child, lifeless and unbaptized, left to rot mere hours from now.

“You… you’ll bring him to visit, yes?” She said, voice wavering. She had to know the answer already, stupid woman. “Every few months, at this spot? Or on his birthday, or, or even less often—just bring him. Let me know he lives and is happy.”

“That is not up to me,” Claudius lied. Tears dripped down the creature’s face in time with her child.

“But, you—”

“I promised a breast to feed him, nothing more.”

The samojuda sank to her knees. She wiped the mud from Claudius’ boots with her shining hair, and the man kicked her aside. Objectively, it was unwise to anger a fae, but in that moment, the samojuda wasn’t a strong, terrifying creature of nature; she was a woman, sniveling and pathetic as any other woman.

Claudius adjusted the babe in his arms and turned on his heels to the sprawling farmland of his city, the beautiful stone walls just a few miles away.

“Please—” The woman behind him hiccupped, but Claudius paid her no mind. Behind him, he heard the samojuda rise to her feet, trembling, and call out to him.

“I shall see him again! I swear it! And should a hair on his head be harmed, I swear on this forest that you shall never no peace!”

Claudius could have laughed. Instead, he turned back to the thing's mother, moved the little baby’s too-thin wrist into a final wave, and then moved farther away from the trees, content to leave them behind.

The trees were but a green garden snake on the skyline soon enough. The Great Otter splintered into channels that provided his lovely lands with fresh water and irrigation, and the sound of the rushing water was pleasant in the mid-morning, far more so than the screeches of the soon-to-be-dead baby. The question was simply, how. How to dispose of the baby?

Claudius pondered this as he followed the river to the first signs of life in the villages surrounding the capital. He had to get rid of it quickly before anyone saw him, and then he could pay someone to take him to his castle and greet his wife with the stories of the most horrid day he’d had.

Though he wouldn’t mention the baby to her. No one needed to know of the infant and its death. That knowledge would die with it.

He came across a sawmill with a grand waterwheel at the edge of a small town, close enough to the walls to be time to rid himself of the thing. Claudius scanned the scenery around him. It would be easy to wring the neck, but he had no desire to dig a grave. Did the peasants here even bury their dead? Could he just leave it in the streets?

Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a pretty little well, well built with mud and stone, with a pretty little bucket and crank. It seemed to Claudius the prettiest little peasant thing he’d ever seen. What had that fae creature said to him?

“I steal babies, replace them, and drown them in my well. I am a simple creature, I act as is my nature. Do you not as well?”

Well, here was a well. Was it in Claudius’ nature to kill a baby?

It was in his nature to protect his son.

Claudius rolled his shoulders, walked to the well, and peered over the edge. The water seemed bottomless. Good.

Without giving himself the time to second guess his decision, Claudius took hold of the creature’s foot and dropped it over the edge. It landed in the water with a ‘plop!’ and its cries were silenced.

Claudius turned, and walked east to another farm home in search of a horse. The deed was done.

His son was safe.

The cathedral bells were ringing when King Claudius the VII of Milan-Rosae arrived at Abisali Court at the top of the hill in the center of Abisa. While Claudius had been gone, finally found by his closest knights and vassals who’d torn apart the countryside and forest alike in search of him, his wife had gone into an easy, short labor, and given birth to a beautiful heir, with skin as pale as his fathers, hair as dark and curled as his mother, and the dark eyes of them both. His cries were quiet, mournful, almost lonely, and as she took him to her breast, Wenzel found a strange sadness in her heart. She’d hoped the overflowing of love she’d feel upon seeing little Alois’ face would make up for the apathy of her husband, but as she looked upon his nose, which would one day be handsome and large, and squeezed his little hands, she saw a future of cruelty before him and couldn’t bring herself to care.

“You will know great hardship,” She whispered to the baby, “what a pity.”

“As all kings do,” said a lady in waiting. “Chin up, my lady! He is healthy and beautiful, and we should all be glad.”

Claudius marveled at the baby his wife presented to him, at his little toes and wide eyes, and instantly the samojuda and her creature was forgotten. After all, who needed to think of such things when the most perfect child in the world was before him? A child who would fight wars for him, beat down the opposition, rule in a way that would make his father proud.

Claudius declared the day a day of celebration, but it wasn’t just the royals celebrating. For outside the capital gates, at a certain mill house, a little girl was fetching water.

Rosalin the Miller’s daughter was seven and a half, and bitterly hated her chores. She’d much rather be in town, watching the world go by, than do the mundane jobs her mother gave her.

Rosalin reached for the crank, only to hear horrid gasping and thrashing.

“Just some dumb bird,” she muttered to herself, “who fell in and forgot how to fly. Poor thing.”

She stood on her tiptoes and looked over the edge, then screamed.

It was a baby.

Tangled in the rope for the bucket, the infant had light brown skin discolored from freezing water and the tension of the rope. Rosalin leaned over the edge and scooped him up, screaming for her father. Jon came running, thinking some wolf might have left the forest for a snack, a shovel in hand, and nearly dropped it at the sight of the infant in his daughter’s hands, not even a week old.

“Fetch the healer,” Jon said, voice firm, and began to pump the water from the baby’s chest. Keeping his arm straight, he placed two fingers in the center of their chest, pushed and breathed and breathed and pushed until the baby began to cry.

Now Jon had seen many starving babies in his time; a harvest was never a guarantee. And looking upon this child, he knew he hadn’t eaten once before his mother had so cruelly disposed of it. Jon scooped up the baby, grabbing the shawl he had been wrapped in without a thought, and ran to the main house.

Joshaline had been months along when God took their baby from them, far enough along to produce milk, and her breasts still carried the lingering soreness of milk left to sour inside her, Josha too heartbroken to milk herself. Which meant, God have mercy, she could feed the poor thing.

And feed him she did. While the royals honored the prince's birth, Jon, Josha, and Rosalin, the Miller family, with their forest facing well, celebrated as the baby lasted through the night, then the week, fed by Josha and beloved by them all.

“What will you name him, Mama?” Rosalin asked each night, and each night Josha shushed her, unsure if she had the right to love a baby that was not hers.

“God takes and gives, beloved,” Jon said to his wife. “He may have taken our own little one, but He has gifted us with the chance to save the life of another. Name him. Make him ours.”

“Bovzek,” Josha said softly, and the two other members of the Miller household held their breath as the woman of the house spoke. “I shall name him Bovzek. God’s Gift.”

#batd tag #my writing

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bloomskyh · 2 months

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As a literature AND a K-Pop lover, one of the things among 'Things That I Do Which I Find Interesting' would be relating, or finding analogies between literature and K-Pop. So, I was reading Jane Eyre and in chapter 6, Jane says, "Like Felix, I put it off to a more convenient season". The mention of the name definitely took me off guard. I even went on to think is this a character in the novel that I missed? I turned to Google for help, and it called me dumb in a hundred languages. It was actually a reference to the Bible. Felix is (or was) a Roman procurator of Judea appointed by the emperor Claudius in A.D. 53. He ruled the province in a mean, cruel and profligate manner. His period of office was full of troubles and seditions. I can already sense the incoming question of anyone reading this, "How is this related to Felix from Stray Kids, who is a literal sunshine?" Well, it isn't. But at the same time, it is. We know his face and his voice don't match. The description of Felix in the Bible is totally the description of the voice of Felix from Stray Kids. "Appointed by an emperor" - Well, considering Lixie made his runway debut for Louis Vuitton at PFW, we can say he was appointed by a brand no less than an emperor in the industry. Felix's voice at its deepest can literally "rule the province in a mean, cruel way". As for the "His period of office was full of troubles and seditions" part, he can precisely cause trouble, especially at the fans' hearts, or just anyone involved with him in any way.

#felix #lee felix #lee yongbok #stray kids #skz #kpop

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celestemagnoliathewriter · 4 months

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As I’m reading Supernova, I’m realizing that Malcolm is probably the “brother” I like best, but also that’s not saying much when Claudius seems to have lowered the bar to the ground lol. The latest update showed how he really can be quite cruel and it makes me feel so bad for Dora :( (it makes me want to wrap a bunch of blankets around her).

With that being said, I also really like the mini snippets you’ve recently shared and I’m excited to see what happens next :)

You will definitely say poor Dora more than once as Supernova continues. But, as for Malcolm and Claudius: both brothers are cruel in their own ways. Malcolm is smarter and more strategic than Claudius, who uses his strength to get what he wants.

Both brothers will turn out to be terrible people! Get excited for what comes next :)

#asks #send asks #supernova

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autismmydearwatson · 11 months

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please write that essay :> /nf

We all know Daddy Ham (as he was called backstage) as the main initiator of the plot, who haunts both the narrative and his own son. He is the ghost who reveals himself to his son to command that he avenge his foul and unnatural murder by King Claudius. This spurs a vengeful but all-too-reflective Hamlet down the self-destructive vortex of justice. He places a sword in his sons hand and tells him "just fuckin kebab him" but Hamlet can't just fuckin kebab his uncle, not right away. Hamlet needs to plan. Hamlet needs clues. That's why he is perceived as procrastinating: he's not a boy of direct action, he's a man of convoluted plots and cleverness, rather like Claudius himself.

So why does Hamlet listen to the guy? It's not just because he loves his father. In many ways, the time period in which the tragedy takes place affects Hamlets beliefs. In the 16th century, the people believed three things. Trust me, it's a surprise tool we'll use later.

The last wishes of a dead or dying relative were to be taken seriously as the grave

Murder is bad

Murder of a relative (known as "kinslaying") was WORSE.

Therefore,

Hamlet MUST obey the last wishes of his dead father and fuckin kebab his uncle BUT

Murder is bad, no matter how much both Hamlet and Daddy Ham want to do it, but MOST IMPORTANTLY

Claudius is Hamlets blood uncle. If Hamlet were to kill Claudius, he would bring the curse of Kinslayer upon himself.

So Prince Hamlet is caught between a rock and a hard place, but that's not the point, so break my heart for I must hold my tongue.

The point is: Daddy Ham was a cruel and fearsome and emotionally manipulative father and I'm going to prove it.

The ghost of Daddy Ham appears five times, twice to Marcellus and Barnardo before the story takes place, once to Marcellus, Bernardo, and Horatio, once to Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus, and once to Hamlet alone.

After seeing the ghost, Horatio and the Boyz report it to a suicidal Hamlet in the middle of his Transgender Depression Soliloquy. One of the first things Hamlet interrogates the Boyz on in order to identify the ghost was:

"What, looked he frowningly?"

"A countenance more

In sorrow than in anger."

"Pale or red?"

"Nay, very pale."

- dialogue between Hamlet and Horatio, Act 1, Scene 2

He asks if he was frowning. Seems a small detail, you say, but hear me, listen: whenever Hamlet DOES see his father's ghost, he is not joyful or happy. Instead, he is scared and driven with shakes and tears. Isn't it odd that he should feel this way upon seeing his father, when his fathers death (and Gertrudes infidelity) is the reason behind his melancholy?

Again: HAMLET FEARS HIS FATHER.

Evidence, in Act 1, Scene 4:

Enter Ghost

Horatio: Look, my lord, it comes!

Hamlet: Angels and ministers of grace defend us!

The Ghost beckons Hamlet to follow him, so they can speak in private. Horatio and Marcellus attempt to hold him back in fear of his sanity, but Hamlet is determined to hear what the apparition wants from him, and follows his father to a private place.

Now, what is easy to overlook is that Daddy Ham was a military man who was killed before his sins could be forgiven, which therefore condemns him to purgatory by day and wandering the mortal realm by night. This is part of why he is so desperate for vengeance.

Purgatory in the Catholic canon is not punishment for the damned, but purification for the sinners.

I am thy fathers spirit,

Doomed for a certain term to walk the night

And for the day confined to fast in fires,

Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature

Are burnt and purged away. But that I am forbid

To tell the secrets of my prison house,

I could a tale unfold whose lightest word

Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,

Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,

Thy knotted and combined locks to part

And each particular hair to stand on end,

Like quills upon the fearful porpentine.

- Daddy Ham to Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5

Obviously, this hinting at the Horrors awaiting in the afterlife is frightening enough to Hamlet, who as we know is someone who is deeply afraid of what happens after death. But for what foul crimes is Daddy Ham confined? What did he DO? Being a great warrior in his time, as supported by both Horatio and Hamlet, we can assume things such as horrific war crimes or bloody sacrifices.

But what's more interesting are the lines immediately after this:

Ghost: List, list, O list!

If thou didst ever thy dear father love--

Hamlet: O God!

Ghost: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder

"If you my son ever loved me, you must avenge my murder."

Dunno about you, but that sounds, I don't know, manipulative as FUCK.

ESPECIALLY to a kid who probably believes thoroughly that kinslaying is unforgivable, but is bound to obey the wishes of his dead father.

The next time Daddy Ham appears is shortly after Hamlet kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius, and is in the middle of slutshaming his mom.

Hamlet: A king of shreds and patches--

Enter Ghost

Save me and hover o'er me with your wings,

You heavenly guards!--What would your gracious figure?

Gertrude: Alas, he's mad!

Hamlet: Do you not come your tardy son to chide,

That, lapsed in time and passion, lets go by

The important acting of your dread command?

O, say!

Ghost: Do not forget. This visitation

Is but to sharpen thy almost blunted purpose.

Act 3, Scene 4

*This is the second time Hamlet has cried out for angels to protect him after being taken by surprise by his dad's ghost.

Gertrude: Whereon do you look?

Hamlet: On him, on him! Look you, how pale he glares!

His form and cause conjoined, preaching to stones

Would make them capable.

(To Ghost) Do not look upon me,

Lest with this piteous action you convert

My stern effects. Then what I have to do

Will want true color-- tears perchance for blood.

This is his father we're dealing with, who Hamlet has mourned for two months. Yes, Hamlet is someone who deeply fears death and everything in the afterlife, but case in point: no son should be afraid of his father.

The "tears perchance for blood" line is worrying as well: "Do not keep looking at me that way, or else I will cry instead of doing what you want."

In the next scene, Gertrude says:

To draw apart the body he hath killed.

O'er whom his very madness, like some ore

Among a mineral of metals base,

Shows itself pure. He weeps for what is done.

-Act 4, Scene 1

But does Hamlet cry for the bloody deed? Or is he crying because he's scared?

"But Jasper," you may say, "Hamlet is shown multiple times singing his fathers praises!"

So we do! But part of Hamlets tragedy is that we never really get to know Hamlet before he is grief-stricken and suicidal. Therefore all instances of Hamlet extolling Daddy Hams virtues are only seen after Daddy Ham is dead.

That it should come to this.

But two months dead--nay, not so much, not two.

So excellent a king, that was to this

Hyperion to a satyr. So loving to my mother

That he might not beteem the winds of heaven

Visit her face too roughly.

-Act 1, Scene 2

*note the emphasis on how kind Daddy Ham was to his wife, but no mention of kindness to Hamlet himself.

He was a man. Take him for all in all.

I shall not look upon his like again.

-Act 1, Scene 2

See what a grace is seated on his brow?

Hyperions curls, the front of Jove himself,

An eye like Mars to threaten and command,

A station like the herald Mercury

New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill--

A combination and a form indeed

Where every god did seem to set his seal

To give the world assurance of a man.

-Act 3, Scene 4

Why is the timing of these praises significant? The fact that Hamlet is making these remarks two months after his father's death means its possible that Hamlet, still in the early stages of grief, is trying to remember only the best parts of his father. It is a tactic I have unfortunately experienced firsthand. He is grieving, his father is dead, his mother remarried almost immediately, and his birthright taken out from under him: why dwell on the abuses he possibly endured when he could simply gloss over them by emphasizing what he liked most about his dad?

Case in point:

Daddy Ham is trapped in purgatory for crimes he committed while still living

That he has yet to redeem himself for.

He tells his son to avenge him, or else he never loved him

Hamlet is so afraid of his own dad that he almost cries upon his appearance.

Hamlet emphasizes his father's virtues and ignores the manipulative aspects to process his grief

Daddy Ham was abusive, thank you for reading

#sorry if this isnt as concise as it sounded in my head #long post #Shakespeare #Hamlet #jaspers prattling

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dorkofclanlavellan · 4 months

Text

Dusk Til Dawn - Prologue

Pairing: book!Finnick Odair x OC (later chapters)

Warning: Canon typical violence and death.

Each breath triggered another wave of pain for Nerida as she fought her final opponent. The cruel boy from District 1, Jasper, was in worse shape than she was, though.

She may not have directly witnessed his kills over the last two weeks but she had heard the screams, no matter how distant they were. That made killing Jasper easier for her, so Nerida told herself.

She ducked around Jasper's right side and with all the adrenaline in her she drove her blade into his chest just as his own sank between her ribs.

She doubled over, barely catching herself on the stone banister beside her, breathing heavily as Jasper's body fell to the floor. She watched the ragged and slowing rise and fall of Jasper's chest for a moment as she pressed a hand to the wound in her side. Taking a moment to compose herself, Nerida could feel the blood seeping between her fingers.

Then she turned and, though clearly fatigued, practically sauntered to the end of the room, across from her opponent's corpse, and plopped down into the intricately designed throne at the top of two curved steps. The canon fired almost perfectly in time.

A mere moment later Claudius Templesmith's voice filled the air, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present to you the victor of the 67th Hunger Games. Nerida McKay, the tribute from District 4!"

#the hunger games #the hunger games fanfiction #finnick odair x oc #book!finnick #thg series #thg fanfiction #tw: violence #tw: death #tw: blood

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lizardrosen · 7 months

Text

Hamlet Liveblog 2011, Act 3, Scene 2

In which I share the best parts of my notebook where I went through the whole text of Hamlet, line by line

3.2.1-2 "as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue" - dance with the words and make them your own

3.2.4-6 for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, the whirlwind of passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. Hamlet wants to be subtle so he tells the Players to do the same (but his plan fails at the subtlety thing, whoops!)

3.2.9-10 "to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise" - here, Shakespeare makes fun of bad actors current Will: I mean in this exact line he's making fun of the audience members, but yes, hamlet spends most of the beginning of this scene making fun of bad actors, that's the literal point. silly past me

3.2.43-64 AKA HAMLET/HORATIO!!! lol, gotta love my enthusiasm here 💚

3.2.43 "Here, sweet lord, at your service" - affection and respect and submission

3.2.49 "Why should the poor be flattered?" - sounds like an insult, but he means it to show that he's sincere - Horatio and his family honor! current Will: honestly, rereading this whole little speech with "that no revenue hast but thy good spirits," and "let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp" Hamlet just seems really rude to everyone and it's so funny that i took this as totally sincere and nice. also i have no clue why i wrote about Horatio's family honor - did i have him briefly confused with Laertes??

3.2.53 "Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice" - SO MUCH SUBTEXT; he couldn't choose to keep his father alive but he could choose in this, and it is Horatio he chose

3.2.62-64 "and I will wear him in my heart's core, ay in my heart of heart, as I do thee" - COULD IT BE ANY MORE CANON?!

3.2.78-9 "If a steal aught the whilst this play is playing, and scape detecting, I will pay the theft" nooo! Horatio, you don't have to take on everyone's burden for yourself! Though that's what he's always done; by the end of it all he's the only one who doesn't pay - with his life, at least, but what he ended up with may be the worst deal, because he can't not-be current Will: it's good to see that i've always had that thought about this line and how he ends up paying for it

3.2.82-120 Hamlet's a punny guy, but cruel

3.2.93 "It was a brute part of him to kill so capital a calf there" - play on Brutus and Capitol; but also a calf is an innocent creature that gets sacrificed, like Polonius treats Ophelia, or Polonius himself ending up dead because of Hamlet

3.2.103-105 country matters=cunt, nothing=vagina, Hamlet=DICK current Will: i'm the funniest person in the world, omg

3.2.125-7 OPHELIA: Will he tell us what this show meant? HAMLET: Ay, or any show that you'll show him: be not you ashamed to show, he'll not shame to tell you what it means. so Stoppard wasn't just making it up! [the Players exhibitionism]

3.2.134-5 "Tis brief my lord" "As woman's love" - She's still trying to hang onto him and correct his behavior, but he just keeps mocking her. Methinks his love is far briefer than hers. Or he's really hurt by her returning the favors. Or he's really talking about Gertrude. Or he's only pretending to be cruel to fit in with perception of him as mad. current Will: these were some really interesting thoughts, but I think now that there's no such thing as "pretending" to be cruel. If you're hurting someone it doesn't matter if you actually mean the things you're saying because they're not in on the joke, so you just are cruel.

3.2.165-6 "A second time I kill my husband dead / When second husband kisses me in bed" - Hamlet says pretty much the same thing in the closet scene

3.2.261-4 Hamlet asks twice if Horatio saw Claudius's guilt and he responds very calmly and patiently

3.2.269-70 "vouchsafe me a word with you" - Guil wants assurance of something, even if it's not his purpose or identity "Sir, a whole history." - Hamlet is so happy his plan worked that he's not even angry at Guil anymore and now they can be friends 3.2.279 "put your discourse into some frame and start not so wildly from my affair" - Guildenstern just wants a frame of reference :( current Will: clearly I was pulling from the tom stoppard characterization of Guil groping for meaning in the dark (and a lot of the notes coming up are just line notes for my ideal staging) but I think it's very interesting that I thought Hamlet was being friendly, because I usually see him play it absolutely disrespectfully

3.2.293-95 "Therefore no more, but to the matter, my mother you say" When he was talking to Guil he had friendly banter, but now he's all business - he knows the best way to hurt each of them "Then thus she says" - Rosencrantz hesitates a bit before he answers because he doesn't understand Hamlet's brusqueness

3.2.303 "My lord, you once did love me" - R is so sad in this scene! He pauses after the first few words in case Hamlet wants to fill the silence, then stumbles forward. Emphasis on "once" like he's waiting for a present tense, and then the end is almost a question

3.2.304 "So I do still, by these pickers and stealers" - maybe grabs his hands and clasps them in a cruel parody of friendship, or kisses him hard and cruel and carnal current Will: wow, I was just determined to give Rosencrantz the worst time, wasn't I? this is tragic and I was correct

3.2.306-7 "You do surely bar the door upon your own liberty if you deny your griefs to your friends" Ros remembers what he said about Denmark being a prison and thinks he's helping. Also, he's coming around to Hamlet's point of view because this trip has been awful

3.2.327-8 "But these cannot I command to any utterance of harmony. I have not the skill" - Hamlet should have asked Rosencrantz because he would either know already, or figure it out intuitively

3.2.330 "you would pluck out the heart of my mystery" - he is a mystery to them and has a heart of parts current Will: i really wish I knew what i meant by that last phrase but it sounds cool and poetic!

3.2.339-344 camel - carries burdens for other people; weasel - duplicity and spying and lying; backed - supported or just partially weasel-like (somewhat sincere in whatever they're pretending to be); whale - big and blundering and in the ocean, but not on a boat, so it's free to go where it pleases :)

3.2.351 "Now could I drink hot blood" - Okay, Hamlet, slow down! Bloody revenge is one thing and reveling in it is quite another

3.2.354-5 "Let not ever the soul of Nero enter this firm bosom" he doesn't actually want to kill his mother, but doesn't want her to know this yet

#hamlet liveblog 2011 #hamlet #horatio #ophelia #polonius #gertrude #rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead #damn this scene was long! i'm glad i decided to have this and the nunnery scene separate!

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darrowsrising · 2 years

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The Lamb for Passage:

I don't necessarily dislike the cute, sweet, seemingly innocent characters of Red Rising, but I do take the Julian issue differently, because I don't think Pierce Brown drove it enough for the general reader to say it - Julian is nothing special.

Julian seemingly represented everything good and innocent, but also everything weak and undesireable in his...species. He stood out as kind in a cruel world and was nailed down. For Darrow, it was him commiting a crime he never wanted to commit, killing an innocent and his own innocence with no actual choice in the matter.

The 'special' thing about Julian was that he was an innocent drenched in the blood of slaves. Julian never hurt a fish, but ate while Red starved to death, slept while Pinks were raped, had warmth while Obsidians froze in the poles, was lucid and happy while Violets were hooked on hallucinogenics to stimmulate their mad art for entertaintment, and so on.

Julian did nothing wrong, just lived on the unwilling labour of enslaved people and never saw anything specifically wrong with it, because he was protected by his name and family. His main preoccupation was his family's honour, what team won the game du jour and how amazing his skilled big twin brother is and how he could help him.

Julian was supposed to be fighting a midDraft and win his Passage, Nero fixed the game up so he could be assassinated as revenge for Claudius. And while that was not fair between Golds, the entire Rite of Passage is NOT FAIR. I just feel like this last thing is missed big time, none of what the Institute represents is good or fair.

Obviously, Darrow claiming to have done it to get into Nero's good graces is what spurred House Bellona into hunting him, that's his own thing to deal with. But I don't think that missing the hypocrisy of Cassius su Bellona and his shitty family is the point of the Passage plot.

If Julian au Bellona was innocent, so were all thr others who perished in the Passage. If Julian au Bellona was part of the problem - and he was to a lesser extent - so were all the others who sat nice and cozy and reaped the benefits of their status at the expense of slaves. Yet, no one deserved to die.

Yes, people who benefit from the system, who get to be innocent and cry when a fish gets caught in a lure, they are doing it on the blood of those enslaved. And NO, none of them deserved to die.

Yes, Julian is meant to humanize the Golds, the oppressors, because they would kill their own in petty revenge or because they are not cruel enough. However, pretending that only his case was unfair, that he wasn't part of the problem, that he was without flaw, is...unfair.

I do think that out of all the Bellonas, Julian would have been the first to understand that what Golds do to other Colors is wrong. But he didn't get to see/ackkowledge his privileges. On the contrary, the poor boy has been so abused by his own family that he tried to beg Darrow to let him win, because it meant much more to him. His empathy had suffered, I believe.

#julian au bellona #house bellona #red rising #red rising trilogy #red rising saga

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ariel-seagull-wings · 2 years

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CHANGING MY MIND, OR: HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LOVE THE PAIRING OF HAMLET AND HORATIO

@giuliettaluce @superkingofpriderock @ardenrosegarden @drlokiren @huntergatherergirl @chansondefortunio @notyouraveragejulie

So during an ask game session, i was asked if there was a popular pairing in the Shakespeare fandom that i wasn't a fan of.

Then, i answered that, because i tought that Hamlet was irredemeably abusive and likely was better single, i wasn't a fan of his pairing with his friend Horatio.

Ever since that moment, i return to that answer in my mind.

If maybe i could change my mind.

To what was i reating when making that answer?

I started to think that i reacted more to the popularity of the ship, rather than to the ship itself.

We are finally slowly becoming more and more critical of the mentality that teaches us to dislike popular things just because they are popular. Because we hope to be seen as more inteligent.

I am in this proccess myself of becoming more critical of that fenomenon.

And i must admit is not something that simply goes away from our minds.

Unconsciously i still had the desire of being more edgy, more inteligent, and kind of say in a laughing tone "Look how foolish you are for wanting this asshole spoiled Prince to receive a romantic happy ending with his best friend who is too good for him".

But as i learned to see the Shakespeare plays more as fantastical fiction, and less as realistic dramas, i started to think:

"I suspended my disbelief to the appearance of a ghost in the stage. And a lot of elements of the play are left open to interpretation. Characters can be several things at the same time, because of the different ways they are seen on stage and readed on paper. Hamlet can still be a flawed, spoiled and cruel Prince. And he can also be sensitive, sweet, romantic, with the desire of changing to a better person because of his genuine love for Horatio, had an early tragic death not fallen over him.

Just as King Claudius can be at the same time an ambicious murderer against his brother, a passionate lover to Gertrude and a wise peace keeping ruler to his people".

Hamlet is a character. He can be seen as irredemeable. But he doesn't need to be.

Just like i suspended my disbelief to seeing the ghost of his father, i can suspend my disbelief that Hamlet has deep down a good side that is deserving of Horatio's love.

So i changed my mind, stoped worrying, and now love the coupling of the Sweet Prince with his Loyal Friend.

#hamlet #hamlet at elsinore #theater #literature #tragedies #shakespeare #musings #fandom musings #bardolatry

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rabbitcruiser · 1 year

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Valentine’s Day

Love and romance. Candy and flowers. Cards and gifts. Dinner and dancing.

Valentine’s Day comes along with a whole host of plans and accoutrements that are meant to all boil down to one thing: Love. And it all comes in the name of one man, St. Valentine, who was an interesting (and perhaps slightly misunderstood) character in history.

It’s time to learn about and celebrate Valentine’s Day!

History of Valentine’s Day

While some people believe that the history of this day is pretty clear, the reality is that the story behind St. Valentine’s Day is covered in a great deal of mystery. Tradition hails February 14 (and perhaps even the whole month of February!) as a time for love and romance, with both ancient Roman and Christian backgrounds.

But when the life of St. Valentine, the patron saint of this day, is considered, that’s when things tend to get a bit more murky. Some people don’t realize that the Catholic church actually has record of three of its own saints who went by the name of Valentine (or Valentinus) and all three died as martyrs.

Valentine’s Day Timeline

270 AD St. Valentine is martyred

Defying anti-marriage instructions given by Emperor Claudius II in order to build up the army, Valentine secretly supports and marries young couples which eventually leads to him being put to death. His death is said to have taken place on February 14.

496 AD First Valentine’s Day is recognized

Pope Gelasius decides to get rid of the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love, and chooses to replace it with a celebration in honor of St. Valentine, who was martyred a couple hundred years prior.

1382 Chaucer’s Poem, Parlement of Foules, is written

This poem contains the first known literature reference connecting romantic love with Valentine’s Day. In the text of the poem, Chaucer writes of birds who would pair off with a mate, but some people refute the idea that it is connected to Valentine’s Day because February is too early and cold for birds to be mating.

1700 Americans begin exchanging Valentines

During this century, the inspiration for romance and love on Valentine’s Day turns into the specific gesture of exchanging notes, poems and love letters which may have been delivered by hand or by the US Postal Service.

2010 Valentine’s Day is released in theaters

This romantic comedy has a star-studded cast with big names like Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and even Kathy Bates, and tells the story of several different romances between couples that happen all in one day. However, at the box office, the film doesn’t really get the greatest reviews from critics.

Valentine Promotes Marriage

Perhaps the most commonly held tradition around St. Valentine is related to the year 270 AD when Claudius II was the emperor of Rome. Known as “Claudius the Cruel”, the emperor who wanted to build a strong army but was having trouble because of the attachment the men had to their wives and families. His solution? Just ban engagement and marriage, of course!

The story goes that Valentine, a priest in Rome, disagreed with the decree from Claudius and decided to go ahead and perform marriages anyway, allowing young lovers to marry each other in secret. When discovered, Claudius ordered the public beating and beheading of Valentine, which took place on February 14. The church later honored him by naming him as a saint.

This same Valentine is rumored to have become friends with the daughter of his jailer. He is said to have left her a note signed, “From Your Valentine”. This may explain the idea of asking someone “Will You Be My Valentine?”.

Less common are the other two saints also called Valentine, one who was a bishop in what is now Terni, Italy, and another who was martyred in a Roman province of Africa.

Feast of Lupercalia

It’s possible that even before Valentine, the priest, was martyred on February 14, the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan feast of love, was celebrated around the same time. One tradition that went along with this festival is that the names of women were put into a box and drawn out by the men that they would be matched up with, letting chance (or fate!) take the lead.

By 496 AD, Pope Gelasius was tired of such pagan celebrations, so he declared that the Feast of Lupercalia would be canceled and, instead, St. Valentine’s Day would be celebrated on February 14. As time passed, this day became one where lovers would exchange poems, cards, notes and flowers, singing songs and performing other romantic gestures.

How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Celebrating Valentine’s Day comes with all sorts of inherited romantic traditions which can certainly be fun and bring lots of joy! But this is also a great way to get creative with showing people how much they are loved–even if it isn’t a romantic relationship.

Try out some of these ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day:

Make a Card or Gift for Someone

Whether it’s a romantic partner or just a friend, Valentine’s Day is a great day to say “I Love You”. Hand made cards and gifts are especially welcome when it comes to showing someone how much they are cared for. January is a dark and quiet month anyway, so there’s plenty of time to prepare homemade gifts from a hobby like knitting a scarf, braiding a friendship bracelet, embroidering a towel, painting a picture or simply making a card.

Send Roses for Valentine’s Day

With delivery services abounding in almost every town, getting flowers delivered has never been easier! Choose to send red roses that stand for passion; yellow for friendship; pink for sweetness; peach for sincerity or gratefulness; white for purity or loyalty; ivory for perfection; and lavender for a crush (or love at first sight!).

Make Dinner Reservations

It’s likely that a last minute idea for going out to dinner will result in ordering takeout to eat at home, because restaurants are basically always full on Valentine’s Day. But, think ahead (sometimes months ahead, depending on the popularity of the restaurant) and make a reservation for two at a romantic place.

Enjoy a Story About Love

Head over to a local bookstore or library and browse the selection of novels or biographies that might feature stories about love. Or, it might even be interesting to read a biography about the guys named Valentine!

Those who don’t have as much time to read could put on their favorite drama or rom-com movie and see what hijinx the main characters get into. Try out some of these films about love to get started:

Valentine’s Day (2010). Okay, maybe this one is obvious. And perhaps it’s not even a great film, but it would be remiss to leave out this one with an all-star cast including Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher.

The Notebook (2004). This quintessential romance by Nicholas Sparks can be read as a novel or watched in the film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.

Pride and Prejudice (2005). This delightful take on the Jane Austen’s novel of the same name stars Keira Knightly, Rosamund Pike and Matthew Macfayden.

Think Like a Man (2012). Based on Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, this rom-com features Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart and Meagan Good.

Get Creative for Valentine’s Day

This day doesn’t have to be the same as it’s always been. In fact, it’s a great day to try something new. Go on a mountain hike, visit a museum together, go whitewater rafting or learn how to play chess. Whatever would be fun and can be done in the spirit of love is the perfect activity for this day!

Valentine’s Day FAQs

When is Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day takes place every year on February 14. It started on this day in AD 496 when the pope established the holiday in Rome in honor of the martyred Saint Valentine, who was killed on February 14.

What to do on Valentine’s Day?

This day can be filled with opportunities to show people how much they are loved. Exchange cards, send someone flowers, make breakfast for family members or write a poem.

When was the first Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is not actually a modern holiday, but has been celebrated in the middle of the month of February for more than 1500 years. The first Valentine’s Day was established by Pope Gelasius.

Is Valentine’s Day a global holiday?

Yes! Valentine’s Day is celebrated in various capacities in countries all over the world. From sharing a bottle of wine to giving gifts, from school children in America exchanging Valentines cards to people in Wales exchanging carved wooden spoons, this day is one that shows how people simply love the idea of love.

Who was Saint Valentine?

There is a bit of overlap in the stories as it seems there were at least three martyred saints with the name Valentine. However, the one most notably celebrated was a priest in Rome who defied the emperor’s anti-love commands and married young couples anyway.

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