#because sinusitis

[thoughts-of-a-heathen]

@professor-wednesday

I mean, you also have the falcon and eagle hamr?

In the medieval ballads, it is relatively common for people to turn into animals (or, in some cases, trees). These transformations are (to my knowledge) always involuntary (i.e. curses). People (usually fair maidens or noble knights) get turned into birds (mainly hawks and nightingales), [were]wolves, lindworms, deer, lime trees, foxes, snakes, lions, bears... Wolves and birds of prey seem to be quite common. 

In Scandinavian folklore, wolves and bears are definitely the most common animals in the context of hamnskifte (shapeshifting). And I honestly don’t think that has anything to do with their battle-fury. Carnivores weren’t exactly popular in the rural farming communities, and the alienation from other humans probably was an intended consequence of the curse.  Like I mentioned in my post about werewolves, people would turn into the carnivores that could be found in their local area, and/or the animal that would cause the greatest harm. In areas with no wolves or bears, people would turn into dogs. There is also a story about farmers who turn into wolverines to get back at some Sami men who had (allegedly) slaughtered and eaten the farmers’ horses. Disguised in wolverine hamr, the farmers attacked the Sami’s herd of reindeer, killing and maiming a large number of animals. (A common belief about the wolverine was that it would “keep killing for as long as there was movement.”) All of these tales, no matter what kind of animal(s) they mention, belong to the same category: sägner about werewolves. 

So what about other transformations? People (usually women) could [be] turn[ed] into a mare, and the mare could turn into all kinds of things. Cats and snakes seem to be the most common animals in stories about the mare. But the mare could also take the shape of inanimate objects (like pitch forks).  There are some tales of people turning into snakes (without being mares), presumably because of the snake’s association with Satan. However, this is relatively rare. (But stories about other supernatural snakes are very common.) 

I have also found one tale of a priest turning into an ox, but the transformation didn’t have anything to do with the characteristics of the animal.

We also have the witches who turn themselves into birds (often magpies or crows, sometimes white wagtails) before traveling to Blåkulla. There are many tales about this, like this one from Boda, Dalarna, Sweden (ULMA 19659):

“A man once tried to shoot a magpie that he found impertinent. When [he] fired the shot, he heard a cry of desperation, and when he hurried [to get] there, he realized that he had shot and broken the femur of a woman who was known to be a witch.”

Witches had many different ways of getting to Blåkulla, but I suppose that turning into a bird is slightly more convenient than riding on a chaplain...

To tie this post together with a nice, slightly fever induced bow, I’ll finish off by mentioning the legends of how different bird species were created. These often follow a similar formula: “[A human] fails to do something/does something that isn’t very nice or good, and [a Christian figure] punishes them by turning them into [some kind of bird].” 

A woman doesn’t want to share her bread with Jesus, so he punishes her by turning her into a black woodpecker.

A maid steals a pair of scissors made of silver and some silk yarn, and then lies about it, so the Virgin Mary punishes her by turning her into a swallow A bachelor “causes a lot of resentment among married men,” and is turned into an eagle-owl as punishment.

There are so, so many of these.

But yeah. Generally speaking, hamnskifte (shapeshifting) wasn’t something that “honest and hardworking people” wanted to be associated with.

#scandinavian folklore #folklore #hamnskifte #shapeshifting #animals #my brain is working at 1/5 of its normal speed rn #because sinusitis #so i might have misinterpreted your question #please let me know if that's the case

[wigglebox]

Reminders 💚💙🌈

#spn fanart #destiel #spn art #castiel #dean winchester #spnfanart #spn #wiggleart #April and May are struggle months for me #mostly because of my allergies just affecting my appetite and my poor head and its sinuses and I don’t wanna look at screens #plus we just came off of a volatile month at work #and things are just all over the place so I draw these two to try and ground myself again lol #if they are struggle months for you as well remember to be gentle with yourself!

[historicity-was-already-taken]

Don’t waste your time and emotional energy on trying to educate people who aren’t willing to learn. Do something better with your time. Get stoned and watch Parks & Rec,

she told herself,

as she considered going on a rant about the history of interwar Polish Jewish politics in response to this dumb bigot

#I am not stoned and I going to bed very early because sinuses #but it’s good advice #this isn’t about this morning’s anti-Semitic comment #but it’s not NOT about it either

[yaoicoreren]

who even are these guys

#edward nashton #jonathan crane #fanart #ink drawing #dano riddler #bruce wayne #the joker #scriddlebatjokes #on twt im king of that tag and i expect to be king of it here as well #au enseñanza media #thats the au tag if i make more stuff for it in the future #if i think about it too much i sort of cant believe how much i removed this from the source haha #just the joker is a mix up of like all movie jokers bc the one from 2022 is just a cameo so theres not much to grab onto #i had the flu again last week so i turned to the familiar for comfort and it manifested in giving these guys a uniform and a situationship #who knows i might show you whatever weird things i wrote on my notes app while awake at night because my sinuses were all clogged up #anyways im feeling better now #have a nice rest of your day<3

[pianokantzart]

Guys guys guys If you really want chocolate cake really quick, don't have any eggs, and don't want to make to make icing...

It's so good.

#food posting #and I'm not saying this just because I did nothing but eat this cake and drink hot tea all day #that's just the unrelated consequence of other problems #(sleepiness and sinusitis)

[napping-sapphic]

i am going to FIGHT indoor heating i just wanna wear one of my favorite sleep shirts to bed but it’s too HOT because it’s nice and long sleeved but instead i had to take it off because it’s too hot for all my blankets AND a shirt AND sweatpants ahhhhh screaming and crying

#i also had to take off my FUZZY SOCKS #pain and suffering on planet earth #how many time will i wake up to rip my shirt off and go back to sleep #HOW MANY TIMES #also get your MINDS out of the GUTTER i still have a bralette on #the sacrifices i make to use all four of my blankets😔 #jk i run so warm i usually end up pushing off at least two while i sleep #and even then i usually wake up unable to breathe because my sinuses HATE the heat🙃 #also hiii!! #i hope yall are having nice nights #nice COOL nights #im so sleepy but it’s so HOT #and im sad i cant wear my SHIRT #so i had to complain #lifes rough for us sleepy girlies

[eastgaysian]

(experiences mild discomfort) I need to be put down.

#why does my EAR HURT. because my SINUSES ARE CONGESTED. DIE!!!!!!!!!!!

[runefactorynonsense]

Cozytober - Day 16 - Book

...I'm scared of that book.

#Cozytober #Margot's RF Art #Rune Factory #RF #RF1 #We enter the time of the month where for some reason I love to just toss my prep sketches and draw entirely new ideas #This was originally a cute idea with Ceci and Russell reading a non-scary book #But... I just wasn't feeling the perspective I drew it in. So I looked up new 'holding a book' references #and found something that inspired this. Pivot to the canon Felicity plot event instead. Scary book #also my sinuses are a WRECK right now so I didn't feel well enough to write an entire actual page. I was gonna make up BS about curses. #Le sad. Pretend those artistic dots are some clever made up magic since the game's actual entry is 2 total sentences #Also I drew the cursed stone as a tiger eye stone because I love them and it feels like something a person would be very likely to pick up #Rune Factory Cecilia #RF Cecilia #Rune Factory Raguna #RF Raguna

[veradune]

From the AUArts crawl with the bro last night (I CALLED IT: the wrestlers were outta the painting program)

#painting just tends to generate weird performance art idk man #i dig it #nice it's not the epidemic of nude performance artists we had running amok back in 2008 when i was in first year #yyc #calgary #auarts #personal #and now i'm gonna black out for 24 hours because i defs picked up something on the plane and my dumb ass climbed a mountain this morning #sinuses forgive me i have sinned

[ducktracy]

i am literally so mad that i have waited years to write this review of Daffy’s Southern Exposure and when i finally do i get the worst cold i have had at least within the past 5 years and am too sick to write a substantial amount. like come on. COME ON! i would almost rather it be COVID because that’s at least a valid excuse!!!!! sorry this post nasal drip made me nauseous and then i got mad that i was nauseous because i also had a bad stomach bug two weeks ago that also prevented me from writing. needless to say i hope you all enjoy the review when it’s out because my goodness it is giving me a hard time. thank you for your patience again 😤🙏

#i’m so maddddd i was writing a good amount today too and then bam nausea because of my stupid sinuses draining!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #i have lemon ginger tea but i can’t even taste it because i’m so congested #this has been worse than the two times i had COVID because my COVID symptoms manifest as fever and aches and fatigue and i can at least just #sleep that off!! not with this stupid cold!!!!!!! #i used to get colds literally every month when i was still in school and my drama director once said i had the immune system of a gnat which #is true. so i’m lucky that i haven’t had a cold this bad/maybe at all at least since i graduated high school since that was pre covid times #but since i’m not not used to being substantially sick anymore it means i’m gonna complain about it when i am sick so there 😤 #okay. sorry. just needed to bitch. back i go to playing Animal Crossig and Pokémon i guess since my body can’t handle any more than that!!!!

[jarognieva]

I didn't sleep well again because of coughing

#also I feel like my sinus are going to blow up #and i feel my head is so heavy #jeez when I'm not numb because of bad mental state I have to be numb because of sinusitis #i wanted to draw but i want to sleep #and I can't sleep because of coughing;-; #personal

[tittyinfinity]

covid precautions: smoking fat dabs all day so you hack up everything in your lungs before anything can get in there

#i do it to clear my sinuses quite often actually lol especially recently bc of allergies #weed affects me so much differently than most people it's weird #i mean i definitely get a high from it but it makes me more clear-headed and helps with my anxiety #(doesn't help with the adhd) #it's the only way i can eat bc my stomach and appetite have been ruined by 12 years of multiple medications #i can go out and do anything and interact with anybody after smoking an amount of weed that would make someone else see Shadow People #i think one of the reasons it affects me differently is bc my body lacks the enzyme to break down thc from edibles #i've tried 800mg thc in a chocolate bar once and it did nothing. which like if you smoked an entire gram of wax at once. #50mg from the same chocolate made my mom so high she was scared. #so yeah i guess it just hits me differently #maybe it's because my mom smoked weed when she was pregnant with me? #actually that would kinda make sense ngl #.bdo

[strangefable]

every friday morning is fucking hell

#i need to get shit done but i can't #because the landscapers are here with their violently loud machines and slow ass pace #drowning out every thought in my brain with unending powerful motors #and drowning my sinuses in every allergen known to man #any friday i don't have a migraine is a fucking miracle #my skull is vibrating rn #🙃🔪🙃🔪🙃🔪

[husband]

got cov id again

#prattle #so much mucus in my throat/nose i couldnt fall asleep last night because i thought i was gonna suffacate or something lmao #need to eat something spicy to clear my sinuses

[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

This worst part of a sinus infection is when you can feel your sinuses like tighten and expand

#I was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis #wooo #hoping it’ll be resolve with the steroid spray I got #because this pain is awful

[constantvariations]

I remember someone saying "there's no such thing as a good racism allegory" and it's been bouncing around in my head for a while. I'm someone who typically thinks anything can work if given the right circumstances, but then I really started thinking about it and I believe they're right

Because if you want to talk about racism, you should just talk about racism

(This is unpolished and ramble-y, so strap yourselves in)

Racism is deeply ingrained into our society, no matter where you live. Imperialism and colonialism has ensured that no corner of Earth has been left untouched. Choices from hundreds of years ago are still being felt today. There's practically no end to the discussion of its effects on the world and its people

So, why should anyone feel the need to dress it up in cat ears?

I've consumed a lot of media where writers have consciously echoed in part some aspect of racism in their fantasy story: Bright 2017, Dragon Age, RWBY, the MCU, Harry Potter, Detroit: Become Human, etc. The biggest thing they have in common is that the narrative is told to side with the victims, but it somehow always ends up against them

It always sides with the status quo

It's confusing, maddening even, because the narrative oft goes out of its way to show how horrible the system is and how these folk don't deserve their treatment, so why are we going back to normal as if it's a good thing? Why are the people actively working to improve the system decried as annoying at best and monstrous at worst?

Then you look at the people who write these storylines. The beliefs they hold, the people they vote for, which charities and organizations they give to, and it all makes sense. Centrists (at best) trying to look progressive are the ones who need to dress racism up in cat ears and rainbow freckles. They set aside the long, brutal histories and crushing systemic realities to play pretend that racism is Not That Bad and is only done by Those Bad Individuals

That's why Velvet's ears are tugged instead of culled. That's why the Mantle drunkards say mean things to Blake instead of attempting to assault her. That's why everything surrounding the SDC's labor practices is so vague as to be useless while the biggest evidence of their malice is hand-waved away by a writer who says the victim "had it coming" as if someone can deserve being branded by being too much of a brat

These stories aren't meant to make the audience question why our society works off the bloodied backs of the exploited or demands we take good, hard looks at ourselves and how we've been duped into believing so much garbage about entire swathes of people. They're meant to satisfy the people who only feel bad that these things are happening because they (white folk) look like the bad guys. It's a self-congratulatory wank about how "I'm not like THOSE guys, therefore I'm a good person!"

And then there's the characters meant to convey this story in the first place: always inoffensive, mostly aimless, "not like the other girl" types that pander to that delicate palate. Blake - a conventionally attractive, pale skinned girl in fashionable clothes - used to be passionate about equality but only in the right way, and demonizes anyone who does not conform to this mindset despite having no reasoning to back it up while never once demanding better of the privileged people around her even when they do racially insensitive things

The biggest downfall of these racial allegories, be they about cat girls or orcs or elves or robots, is that they do something that marginalized folk have been forced to endure since the dawn of time: literal dehumanization. There are tangible differences between humans and whatever the allegory is, which undermines the very fundamental fact that black/asian/queer/neurodivergent/disabled/whatever folk are unapologetically, undeniably, exceedingly human. By dressing up their plights in cat ears or spottled blue skin, you're creating theater not for the people who actually live through these struggles as a means of connecting with them and providing them a safe outlet for their feelings, but giving the people who benefit from passively allowing the system to enforce said struggles a pat on the head for not being the grand wizard

I don't really know where I'm going or how to end this, so I'll just sign off with if you're going to talk about racism, just talk about racism

#rwde #like i said this is pretty all over the place bc i know what im Feeling but not how to word it yknow? so hopefully i got it somewhat across #i am whiter than sour cream tho so if i got anything wrong DO NOT HESITATE to blast me like team rocket #this did get me thinking abt star trek specifically the ep w the dudes who are black on one side and white on the other #and they hate each other because the colors are on different sides #that might be an okay allegory since its so on the nose its dancing on your sinuses #but its not my place to say one way or another so who knows #ive only seen people play detroit but holy fuck david cage should be tossed into a pit for that absolute nonsense #this dude had robots standing in the back of busses and quoting mlk jr but had the audacity to claim it wasnt the 60s civil rights allegory #this is just a really weird thing to happen over and over again #can they just not connect w people of color or whatever their target allegory is? #its almost always black folk tho james camerons avatar had LoAdS of fun w that indigenous parody #and theres like. never any sensitivity readers to double check this shit or the target group actually doing the writing #who said 'white people love talking about race as if they got something to say'? bc that should be the slogan for every one of these deals #yeehaw ig :?