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muddyorbsblr · 4 months

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slipping between future and past [SAS secret santa 2023]

View the full SAS Secret Santa 2023 Masterlist here! See my full list of works here!

Summary: You give your friend a few pointers on what to know about Yule, and come across a familiar looking stranger in your bookstore.

Pairing: Loki x Reader/OC Talia Williams

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: 18+ | smut (minors & pearl clutchers, please leave I'm asking nicely); unprotected p in v sex; cunnilingus; magical restraints; language; possibly wonky interpretation of time travel & timeslipping; possibly wonky understanding of Yule [let me know if i missed anything!]

Things to be aware of: established relationship; still written in 2nd Person POV like my other 'x Reader' stories, but this time Reader has a name and it's "Talia Williams"; this is a secret santa request for @acidcasualties

Dick-tionary: smut starts at "the feel of your hands being brought" and ends at "as he marked your skin"

It was uncharacteristically slow today in the bookstore, barely a handful of people walking in, browsing for a few minutes, and then promptly exiting when they see that you didn't carry the middle school dystopia book series all the kids were raving over. It was a colossal waste of their time and yours, considering there would have been less effort had they just taken even a cursory look at the sign by the door.

You didn't carry children's books. Classics, Myths, and Romance only.

Of the number of people that walked through the doors that you could count on your two hands, you could only count those that actually made a purchase with one. Half of one.

The sound of the door chimes brought your attention to the entrance again, seeing your friend Ariadne bounding into the front area of the store with a frantic look in her eye. "Talia," she panted, headed straight for you. "Babes, I need your help. Are you busy? You got a customer back there?"

"Nope. Just me," you called out, stepping out from behind the counter. "What's wrong? What do you need?"

"Okay so…you know that guy I'm seeing?"

"Uhh…I think so? Lee, right?"

"Leif. Think trees, Babes. Anyways, he wants me to meet his family and apparently they're super into the ancient Norse traditions, so I need a crash course on how they celebrate Christmas." She paced back and forth by the table that held the New York Times bestsellers that you did hold stock for, picking up a copy of the stalker dark romance duology. "His sister likes to read, you think she'll appreciate this?"

You immediately rushed over to her, grabbing the book and nearly slamming it back down on the stack. "You gotta let them crawl before they walk. Let alone sprint," you explained, giving her Beautiful Bastard instead. "This should be a good enough in between, just in case she's not into guns being shoved up anyone's vagina--"

Up where?! she shrieked, grabbing the first book again, along with the sequel and the book you were handing her. "Okay I'll take that for his sister, and these two for me."

"This is exactly why we're friends," you quipped, ringing up her order. "Now about that other thing…you do know that just because I own a bookshop, it doesn't mean that I know everything about everything, right?"

She rolled her eyes at you. "Yeah, but I also know that you live for all these myths and folk tales, so I bet you know a thing or two about Viking Christmas."

"Alright fine. Find a chair and settle in," you said with an overly dramatic wave of your hand. "First things first, it's not called 'Viking Christmas', it's called 'Yule'. Immediately if you wanna get on his family's good side, you say Good Yule because it shows that you did at least a customary Google search before you stepped foot on their property." You handed her a small notepad and a pencil. "You're gonna wanna write this down."

When her scribbling down stopped, she perked up with a question. "Do they have a Santa Claus?"

"Yes and no," you answered her, prepping two cups of coffee and handing one over to her before plopping down on your own seat in the reading nook, your favorite one in the entire shop. "Santa Claus is what we call who the Brits refer to as 'Father Christmas'. The Brits got that from 'Yule Figure' from the Viking mythology and Mr Yule Figure himself is...Odin."

"Wait wait hold up." She shot up her hand like a kid asking questions in class. "So Odin is Santa? He goes around little Viking kiddies' neighborhoods and slides down the chimney to give them wooden axes and swords?"

"Hmmm not quite. The whole making a list and checking it twice to give the good little boys and girls presents on Christmas is...not quite how the Vikings do it. Instead they engage in something called the Wild Hunt, where Odin aka Big Yule Father Kahuna calls on his posse of gods and plays a game of non-consensual hide and seek with the living souls. So us being the 'living mortals', we have to find a safe enough hiding place that Odin and Thor and the rest of the Norse gods don't find us, because if they do…they drag us to the Underworld."

"Okay first of all, yikes." Ariadne made a big show of shuddering in her seat over what you just told her. "Can't it be something a little bit less morbid? Like if Thor finds you he drags you to his den of iniquity and has his wicked way with you?"

"I mean it's all myths and folklore anyway," you shot back with a small shrug as you finished off your coffee. "So maybe when the big girls are off in their own corner, we can smut it up and pretend that if someone other than Odin finds us, we can get some happy fun times." You both broke out into giggles at your wording. "And when we're telling the story to the smaller kiddos, we say that the gods only go after the naughty kids. Keep with the spirit of Christmas and all that." You wagged a finger in her direction, giving her another suggestion. "Or in the case of meeting Leif's family, just think which one's gonna have him more devastated, your soul getting dragged into the Underworld or your body getting dragged to Thor's man cave."

She wrote down some more notes on her little notepad before standing up, brimming with excitement. "Okay I think that's all I need. Hopefully…"

"Babes, you're there to meet the family, not get gatekeeper gamer boy levels of interrogated on what you know about Yule. As soon as you don't say 'Merry Viking Christmas', you're in the clear."

She squealed, rushing over to wrap her arms around you and give you a tight squeeze. "Thank you thank you! You just saved me from looking a total ditz meeting his family. I have a really good feeling about this one, you know?"

You gave her a squeeze back, happy that she was finally in a relationship that felt stable enough to start on that family she'd always wanted.

Maybe one day you could be so lucky with your own love life.

"I'm really happy for you, Aria. Let me know how it goes when you get back, okay?"

You worked on wrapping up the book she intended to gift Leif's sister as she asked you another question. "What about mistletoe? Do they have that in Yule?"

You scrunched her nose and shook your head at her question. "Yes and no again. Yes, they've assigned meaning to the plant but no, you don't kiss under it for fear of spending the next year all alone. They believe it to be a symbol for fertility, so it's been known for couples to hang it above their headboards so that their holiday fun times might lead to a child. It's also seen as a symbol for new life or resurrection because there's another folktale that says that Loki fashioned a weapon from the mistletoe plant to kill Baldur, and Frigga's tears turned the white berries red and resurrected her fallen son. Which if you ask me is a steaming pile of horse shit that's almost more ridiculous than how Siegfried was felled in the Nibelungenlied, but that's a story for another day."

"Hold up, but isn't Loki also a son of Frigga?"

You shrugged. "Who knows what's real and what's not at this point? These tales are thousands of years old. All we know right now is that Thor's real and he's friends with a billionaire that made a fancy iron suit and a soldier from the 40s that doesn't even look like he's hit his mid-20s. And that he dated an astrophysicist. Tell you what, if I ever meet him, I'll ask him myself. Maybe I'll even ask him what exactly goes down in the Wild Hunt if they still do it in this century."

"Ooh, if he walks into the store please text me?" You gave her a questioning look. "What? He's my hall pass. Leif knows all about it. Natasha Romanoff's his."

You handed her the gift-wrapped book. "Pinky promise, I'll tell you as soon as a 6'4 muscular Barbie looking dude from Asgard swinging a hammer and summoning thunder and lightning walks into my shop. Maybe I'll even text you if the Black Widow herself walks in so that Leif would owe a favor or two."

"Hey, it could happen," she quipped, sticking her tongue out at you like you were back in the sandbox. "We're in New York, after all. And Avengers Tower's just a ten minute walk away. You never know, you know?"

"Right," you breathed, waving her off as she neared the door. "Merry Yule."

"Merry Crisis," she shot back, blowing you a kiss as she stepped into the cold New York night.

You started cleaning the store so you could close up for the night when a new voice pierced through the quiet.

"I appreciate your refusal to believe that hokum about the mistletoe, darling. It warms my cold Jotun heart knowing that it's safe in your brilliant hands."

Large hands found themselves at your waist before your new visitor's arms wrapped around you from behind, your body going frigid at the action. "Who--?"

"Oh no..." He immediately released you from his hold, allowing you to come face to face with a towering man with onyx curls and a devastatingly handsome face that seemed vaguely familiar. "I must have gone back too far this time." He took a step toward you, his hands twitching in your direction as if he wanted to go back to where he was just a few seconds ago. If you were being honest with yourself, you wouldn't object. "Sweetheart, who am I to you?"

"What? This time?" You raised an eyebrow at him, confusion coating your words. "You trying to tell me we met before? Because trust me I'd remember meeting someone that looked like you."

"Who am I to you? What do you know of me?" he asked again, his brows upturned at the center of his forehead, his expression reminding you of a baby kitten pleading for affection.

"Not much," you admitted. "You look like the guy that tore up a hole in the sky and rode some space chariot while leading an alien army that laid waste on the city that I call home...and the guy that went up against Iron Man and his friends, including that big green scary monster looking dude."

He hung his head, looking down at the ground as he let out a long sigh. "I don't just look like that guy, darling, I--" He exhaled sharply before composing himself again. "I am that guy. Well, I was. And Banner's honestly not that terrifying once you get to know him." He looked at you again, seeing your hand and beginning to look emotionally deflated. "I went too far back."

"You know who else you look like?" you asked him, a smirk playing at your mouth as you reached for the chain around your neck, showing him the ring that hung in its center, closing the distance he put between you. "You look like my future husband."

The relief was written all over Loki's face as he eyed the ring he'd given you, a brilliant smile gracing his features when he pulled you into his arms and laid his lips on yours. You melted into the kiss, pressing yourself against him as the god's arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer.

"My darling little mortal," he mumbled against your lips. "Somehow managing to fool a trickster god, for any amount of time, is a feat in and of itself." He kissed you again, lifting you off the ground and spinning you in a circle when you put your arms over his shoulders.

"Well you said it yourself, I'm brilliant," you answered him back when you pulled away, your fiancée keeping your feet off the ground. He adjusted his hold on you to hold you up by a single arm, making you giggle when he started walking toward the front door and made your keys materialize in his now free hand. "What're you doing, Mischief?"

"You're finished here for the night," he stated simply, all the lights turning off, along with the doors locking closed, and the sign in front flipping to "Closed" to indicate you'd retired for the night, with a simple wave of his hand. "I'm taking you home, little mortal. Close your eyes."

A breeze flew by your face and the next thing you knew your back was pressed against the familiar wooden column of your kitchen area. Loki crushed his lips to yours in a desperate kiss, both of you moaning into each other's mouths as he pressed your chests together, hands traveling down the sides of your body to wrap your legs around him.

The feel of your hands being brought above your head despite the god's hands still roaming and grasping at your thighs had your eyes snapping open, breaking the kiss with a little squeak from the back of your throat as you looked up. A thrill shot up your spine seeing a thick glowing ring of Loki's seiðr fastened around your wrists and keeping you tethered to the column behind you.

"I could not decide whether to reward you or punish you for getting the better of me earlier, my love," he rasped, latching his lips to your neck and sucking a bruise into your skin. He smirked against you when you started whimpering and arching into his touch within seconds. "So I shall do both."

You let out a whiny sound that had him lightly grasping your chin, running his thumb along your bottom lip to coax it into a pout. He kissed you again, nipping at your bottom lip before pulling away. Then another ring of his seiðr appeared at your hips, keeping them flush against the column as both rings began to lift you up, your feet soon leaving the ground until he was eye level with your pelvis.

He made a motion with his hand and suddenly you felt a breeze all over your body as he bared you to him, your clothes disappearing in a flash of green.

"Loki…" you whined, squirming under his predatory gaze as another ring of seiðr went around each of your legs, just above your knee, and opened you to him.

"I've not been home in ages, my darling mortal," he rasped, not taking his eyes off of your arousal as he licked his lips. "And I am famished." He took a step closer to you, lightly running his fingers up your inner thigh.

"Let--Let me down, then," you said shakily, feeling your walls quivering and clenching around nothing as he traced up your inner thigh again, only this time with the tip of his nose before pressing a tender kiss to your skin. "I can fix us something to--"

"Oh no, sweet Talia." He kissed you right below your belly button, groaning into your skin. "I do not crave food, my love." He continued to press kisses to your stomach, faintly chuckling when you tried to close your legs and his restraints kept you from moving even an inch. "Your reward is that I will not deny you any ounce of pleasure tonight. I have longed for you too much to deny you much of anything."

He moved his head lower, and you let out an obscene moan of his name as he ran his tongue along the length of your slit before slowly circling your clit.

"Your punishment…" he breathed, pressing slow lingering kisses and laving his tongue over your sensitive bundle of nerves. "No touching."

"Loki, wait--Oh f-fuck!" The room filled with your moans as he proceeded to alternate between long licks at your entrance and close his lips over your clit for what felt like a blissfully torturous eternity. He kept his word on not denying you anything as he brought you over the edge over and over again.

Your throat was raw from your constant moans and screams of his name and various expletives, already having lost count of how many times you came for him when he slid two devastatingly long fingers inside you and curled up, brushing against the spot that had you seeing stars. "One more, sweet girl," he mumbled around your clit, the vibrations from his voice already bringing you to the brink of orgasm yet again.

He moved your legs to rest your thighs on his shoulders, moaning against you when your entire body tensed as you came for him again, your pussy quivering against his mouth as he lapped at your release with languid strokes of his tongue. The restraints around your wrists and hips moved you down the column until your face was level with his, a weak whimper slipping from you when you saw how his lips glistened with your juices.

You barely registered the sound of the zipper as he kissed along your chest, biting and sucking more bruises into your skin. He lined himself up at your entrance, sliding into you in a single effortless thrust and eliciting a staggered sigh of relief from the god. "I've m-missed this," he whimpered between thrusts. "Missed you." Thrust. "My precious mortal." Thrust. "My wife." Thrust.

He threw his head back, letting out a decadent moan when you clenched around him after what he'd just called you. It had you desperately longing for your wedding day. Desperately aching to touch him. Just desperate for him.

"Please…" you whimpered, feebly fighting against the restraints again. When the rings holding you to the column finally disappeared, you could only let out a sharp exhale, your hand immediately clawing into your fiancée's back, the other weaving into his onyx curls.

Loki pressed you harder against the column, driving himself deeper inside you, his hands roaming and grasping wherever he could, as if he couldn't get enough of you. Couldn't touch you enough. He slanted his mouth over yours, moaning into the kiss when your tongues tangled together and you could taste your release on him. He adjusted his hold on you, letting out another muffled obscene sound into each other's mouths when the motion caused you to bounce on his cock.

Once he held you securely in his arms he started walking you further into your home, each step making you bounce on him and further weakening you in his embrace. He eased you down onto your bed, breaking the kiss and rendering you completely speechless watching his clothes melt away and baring his godly physique to you.

All you could do was breathe his name as he moved to hover over you again, pressing his lips to your cheek as he picked up the pace. He wrapped his hand around your knee, raising your leg to wrap it around his waist so he could drive into you harder. When you felt his fingers rubbing over your clit, the only sound that came out of you was a sharp moan, your body weakly arching against his hand before squeaking out, "I can't--"

"Just one more, dear heart. For me," he grunted, latching his lips onto that spot between your neck and shoulder as he kept on rubbing tight circles on the over-sensitized nub. Your legs shook and your walls convulsed around him, bring him to his own release as he marked your skin.

Once you both came down from your high, you felt his seiðr wash over you as he pulled you into his arms, putting the covers over you both with another wave of his hand. "I gotta be honest with you, sweetie, that felt a little pent up," you exhaled, a tiny part of you finding it unfair that he'd already resumed his regular breathing as if he didn't just fuck you senseless.

Damn Asgardian endurance.

"Because it was, precious mortal," he told you simply, tracing his finger along your cheek. "How long has it been since last you saw me?"

"Three months…give or take a week?" You braced yourself, already dreading what he'd say next.

"I have not seen you for over a year, my love," he confessed, pressing another kiss to your lips. "At least not like this. Every time I had seen you, you were yet to know me. There were worlds where you even outright feared me, scurrying away once you'd realized where you recognized me from. When I got to your shop earlier, I nearly believed I landed in another iteration of that world."

Suddenly your 'prank' from earlier left a sinking feeling in your stomach. "Loki, I'm sorry, I didn't know." You wrapped your arm around him, pressing yourself even closer to him if that were even possible, resting your head on his shoulder. "I just thought it'd be a bit of fun--"

"You have nothing to apologize for," he reassured you, brushing the tip of his nose along your own before softly kissing the spot. "But I have missed you terribly. Getting to hold you, to love you. To simply be here with you and enjoy a moment with my wife."

"Future wife," you pouted. "We're still in the planning phase, sadly. I take it the last time you saw me was sometime in our…future? I'm sorry this still gets confusing for me." He nodded his answer, pressing his lips to your forehead. "Well then the timelines better fucking behave because I refuse to let you go anywhere. I get that you're a big powerful hero now, and knowing that you're out there making sure that everyone's safe and gets to come home to their families? I couldn't be prouder. But you should get to come home, too." You pressed a kiss to his chest, just over his heart. "Preferably for longer than a quickie with your fiancé."

His brows furrowed, shaking his head at your sentiment before pulling you to lay on top of him, chests pressed together with his arms wrapped around you in a tight embrace. "I've come from a time where we were married and I called you my wife. Regardless of our pending ceremony, that is what you are to me now and what I will call you moving forward. No more of those semantics."

You nudged his chin with your nose, a giggle escaping you when he pulled you up to capture your lips in a soft kiss. "Tell me about it. The future…"

"When I found you, you were a force to be reckoned with. Planning your friend Aria's wedding--"

"Ah, so she and Leif really are headed for the fairytale happy ever after?"

"No no, you were planning the wedding in Asgard." You eyes widened at the new information. "She was set to marry Thor."

"Wait she what?!"

A/N: I'm so excited to participate in this year's Secret Santa again! This has been so much fun to write for both times around, and hopefully the story did justice to the request 🥹💖

The request from @acidcasualties:

secret santa 2023 taglist: @joyful-enchantress @mochie85 @holdmytesseract @sailorholly @lady-rose-moon @superficialdomina @cultofcarter @coldnique @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @smolvenger @loz-3 @catsladen @lokisgoodgirl @acidcasualties @divine-knight-hand @quirkiest-turtle @glitchquake @nyxlaufeyson @fandxmslxt69 @holymultiplefandomsbatman

#loki smut #loki x reader #loki x reader smut #loki x female reader #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki laufeyson fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #mcu fanfic #muddyorbs writes #sas secret santa 2023

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stupidrant · 4 days

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Quick clarification about the last message I sent about why I like Angrboda. I totally agree she is a badass in her own way, the non-traditional way as you said. What I was referring to about the first fanfics about her is that she was depicted as this stone cold axe-wielding warrior who barely showed any emotion besides... seriousness? Basically no emotions.

I kinda understood why she was written like that with the little info about her in the myths and the story of the GoW games, but she was basically like a female Kratos... Not to mention she was supposed to be the same age as Atreus, a teenager. It's very unrealistic. But hey, it's fanfiction, everyone has their own preferences in characters. But this "traditional" badass type of character was never my cup of tea.

The Angrboda we got in GoW ragnarok is the type of badass I personally enjoy the most. The type of person that despite going through a lot of pain and problems, they still manage to remain kind and gentle instead of becoming bitter and resentful. It's a kind of strenght that I personally find very admiring and more important than physical strenght. Sadly, this kind of strenght is very underrated, sometimes even mistaked for weakness.

Anyway, that's why we must appreciate Angrboda! She's the type of female character that is desperately needed but modern media seems to avoid for some reason...😭😭😭

Anon i know what you meant 😭 i think jrpg’s are more likely to do stuff like that than western ones! And i definitely agree that everyone has different interpretations, it is a little odd to have her act in that “kratos”-like way esp what we have now 😭

#god of war ragnarok #god of war #angrboda #asks #gowr #Apologies you guys i realize i come off as misunderstanding a lot recently 😩#Angrboda appreciation

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pro-mammonologist · 1 year

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Goofy Shit With the Brothers in my fun little maladaptive daydreaming world

Very specific to my own experiences but you’ll probably get a kick out of it

- sending SpongeBob reaction images instead of the little demon ones and confusing the hell out of them

- me making a slideshow of my anime husbands and having them wreak absolute chaos trying to figure out which one I like the best so they can figure out who is the most similar

- showing them human world music videos and watching them quake over the fact that humans are so provocative now

- showing Lucifer various interpretations of him (supernatural, adventure time, Lucifer on “Lucifer”, random human world myths like the devil went down to Georgia)

- speaking of the devil went down to Georgia, it was real and it was Mammon and not Lucifer

- I give mammon human world gift cards instead of money when we go out

- them being confused by the United States and it’s varying cultures

- taking them to a Waffle House

- taking them to an iHop

- taking them to a Costco

- taking them to a sleazy motel

- taking them to a farmers market

- taking them to a football game esp a really famous ones (I don’t like football but if you live in the US, YOU GET IT)

- having them experience entering different states (esp the Carolina borders) and feeling the roads go from nice and straight to very not straight

- speaking of the South Carolina experience, then seeing the “Jesus saves” and “end wokeness” and the “Adam and Eve” billboards 💀

- a good road-trip where the best part is finding an abandoned gas station connected to a kfc or a Pizza Hut or something that’ll shoot straight through you

#obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #I have issues

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jozor-johai · 5 months

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Revisiting the Rat Cook, Part 1: The Best Pie, and Lord Lamprey

This is the first part of a series I've been sitting on for a while, where I'm going to examine the symbols and themes present in the "Rat Cook" story, as relayed by Bran in ASOS Bran IV, and search reappearances of those elements throughout the rest of ASOIAF.

This series is predicated on the understanding that these books are rich with intentional symbolism, metaphor, and allegory, and that the repetition of these symbols and themes adds to their meaning.

In general, the symbols that are present in ASOIAF are limited by their ability to be inserted into the plot of the story (i.e. if the symbol of a stag killing a direwolf is important, there must be a way in which the characters are able to encounter such a scene within the plot's context). However, the metadiegetic legends that exist in-world for the characters of ASOIAF are not beholden to the same restrictions, and because GRRM is able to invent these myths in their entirety without restrictions on any of the individual symbolic elements, we can trust that each separate element of these in-world myths was placed intentionally.

With that in mind, I believe we can use stories like that of the Rat Cook as a sort of "road map" when looking at the reappearance of these same symbols and themes elsewhere in the story; I believe the "Rat Cook" story is the most distilled example of these elements. I don't mean to say that every instance of "rats" references the Rat Cook directly, but that the Rat Cook story provides a place where Martin is able to use these symbols in their most abstract form and describe their relationship to each other, so that when we see them appear again elsewhere in ASOIAF we might better understand what we are being shown.

So, among other things, the Rat Cook story is about a rat which eats rats, or a cook who serves kings; The Rat Cook story is about fathers and sons, about cannibalism, about trust, about vengeance, and about damning one's legacy.

This is likely going to be a 9-part series, but ideally almost all of these parts will be able to stand on their own. Each post will inform the next as I build my analysis, but hopefully each individual post is also interesting in its own right.

RtRC Part 1: "The Best Pie You Have Ever Tasted" and "Lord Lamprey"

This opening part, for better or worse, is going to retread some well-discussed ground: the clear parallels between the "Rat Cook" story and the incident in which Lord Manderly serves certain overlarge pies in ADWD The Prince of Winterfell, a scene lovingly dubbed "Frey Pie". However, as well-established as this comparison is, I want to begin here so I can begin to introduce how a closer analysis of the Rat Cook themes are present in this uncontroversially parallel scene, and how they might add more depth to interpreting that moment.

Not only does the scene evoke the same imagery, serving pie to the Lords amidst conspicuously missing sons, but the connection becomes even more direct when Wyman Manderly looks directly to the camera and says, “Hey reader, if you’re wondering where those Freys are, think back to any scary stories you know about pie”.

Okay, he doesn’t actually say that, but it’s close enough, and as much of a nudge we’re like to get from Martin (and which still went over my head on my first read through). Instead he does the next best thing, cueing Abel to sing while staggering past our POV:

"We should have a song about the Rat Cook," he was muttering, as he staggered past Theon, leaning on his knights. "Singer, give us a song about the Rat Cook."

Manderly seems to acknowledge the similarities himself, and most have noticed as well.

However, making the comparison between the story of the Rat Cook and Manderly’s actions is particularly interesting in their differences.

There are many ways in which Manderly’s pies, as a mirror, are appropriately an inversion of certain elements in the Rat Cook myth.

Returning to the scene as we see it in ADWD The Prince of Winterfell:

“Ramsay hacked off slices with his falchion and Wyman Manderly himself served, presenting the first steaming portions to Roose Bolton and his fat Frey wife, the next to Ser Hosteen and Ser Aenys, the sons of Walder Frey. "The best pie you have ever tasted, my lords," the fat lord declared. "Wash it down with Arbor gold and savor every bite. I know I shall." “True to his word, Manderly devoured six portions, two from each of the three pies, smacking his lips and slapping his belly and stuffing himself until the front of his tunic was half-brown with gravy stains and his beard was flecked with crumbs of crust.”

Manderly takes on only some of the roles of the Rat Cook here. Despite his status as lord, he plays the role of the humble cook, personally serving Roose Bolton, Walda Bolton (née Frey), Hosteen Frey, and Aenys Frey, all standing in for the “Andal King”. In this way, the role of “Andal King” as someone who has official power and the role of “Rat Cook” as effectively powerless dissident are played out straightforwardly. Bolton and his allies are backed by their army and the authority of the crown while Manderly has no official backing of his own.

Wyman even physically resembles the Rat Cook; Wyman’s blue eyes indicate he is presumably pale, and Wyman is prodigiously large, to mimic the descriptor of “white, and almost as huge as a sow”.

However, like the “Andal King” himself, who had a “second slice” of his own son, it is Wyman Manderly, and not Bolton nor the Freys, who devours two portions from each of the pies. In this way, the roles have elements which are interchangeable.

Wyman is acting out both roles, which is especially interesting because in this comparison is a single most definitive contrast: The Rat Cook, most notably, is not punished for serving the pie, as "a man has a right to vengeance". Instead, he is punished for violating guest right.

Now, Wyman—who lost his son to the Freys at the Red Wedding—certainly has a “right to vengeance”, but betraying guest right is something which Wyman Manderly takes great pains not to do. Manderly conspicuously notes that he gave the three dead Freys guest gifts upon their parting, marking them as no longer guests under his roof, and subsequently, theoretically, freeing him to kill them. Manderly introduces the idea while Davos marks the distinction for the reader’s sake in ADWD Davos IV:

“The Freys came here by sea. They have no horses with them, so I shall present each of them with a palfrey as a guest gift. Do hosts still give guest gifts in the south?" "Some do, my lord. On the day their guest departs.”

The Freys, on the other hand, as executors of the Red Wedding, are the most notable violators of guest right, while the Boltons contributed their part as well; both are being punished for that sin by Manderly-the-Rat-Cook here, marking the inversion of the story. In this iteration, the party serving the pie seems to warrant no judgment; instead, the pie itself is the judgment, served as retribution. With that connection in mind, it's worth remembering the other importance of the Rat Cook story, based on its placement in ASOS and which I think has often been overshadowed by Manderly’s “Frey Pies” incident.

In the Rat Cook story, after the Rat Cook's punishment, he spends an immortal future forever eating his own descendants, a scenario in which Bran describes the rats of the Nightfort as “children running from their father”. That eternal, kin- and legacy- devouring doom does not just come secondary to the punishment, it is a part of the punishment following the violation of guest right, and introduces the notion of an entire family being cursed for that violation... and, for good measure, is brought up in ASOS Bran IV, chapter that occurs only a few chapters after the Red Wedding itself.

In one respect, this is just another reinforcement for the reader of the sanctity of guest right and of the laws of the old gods. Coming so soon after the Red Wedding, the Rat Cook story hints at the fall of House Frey. Walder Frey, most culpable violator of guest right, has apparently doomed the rest of his dynasty to death, punished for his actions, the way that the Rat Cook, too, is a patriarch who creates not only his own ruin but also the ruin of his progeny. Although Walder himself is not literally tying the nooses, it is Walder who has metaphorically become the father "devouring his children" indirectly through his ruthlessness. Wyman Manderly, then, is merely an agent of that doom.

On the subject of the Freys being cursed by violating guest right, only one of the named consumers of the pie, Aenys Frey, is truly mirroring the Rat Cook legend by literally eating his own son, Rhaegar Frey. Both Aenys and Hosteen Frey, on the other hand, are specifically called out in the scene as being the “sons of Walder Frey”. It’s appropriate within the mirrored Rat Cook motif to invoke Walder’s name as patriarch as well as the promise of other “sons” that might succumb to their father’s insatiable appetite for status; this sentence invokes the dynasty of the Frey household. Indeed, Walder Frey himself also has shared motifs with the Rat Cook: like the immortal Rat Cook, Walder Frey has nearly innumerable children and grandchildren, and he too seems to refuse to die.

If a named heir in Westeros is like the ASOIAF version of Chekov’s gun, then the Late Walder Frey is sitting on Chekov’s arsenal; once he becomes the late Late Lord Frey, it’s going to explode. If that happens in an upcoming book, then the Rat Cook story might be setting up the idea of how an eventual succession crisis of House Frey might further this metaphorical connection, with this doomed family turning on itself, each running from the shadow of their father’s legacy like the Rat Cook's children run from him in the Nightfort.

Lord Lamprey

Now, to push through a little more symbolic linking between the Frey Pie scene and Lord Manderly:

If we consider the “pie” element as a key part of the Rat Cook story, then seeing a “pie” specifically in the hands of Wyman Manderly prompts a connection with a noted favorite of Manderly’s: lamprey pie. As early as ACOK Bran II, we learn that:

“His own people mock him as Lord Lamprey”,

Interestingly, we see in that same chapter a telling metaphor considering Manderly and lampreys not in a pie:

“Lord Wyman attacked a steaming plate of lampreys as if they were an enemy host”.

Considering Wyman’s lampreys-as-enemy association makes for curious contrast later, in ADWD Davos IV, as Manderly is feigning allegiance with the hated Freys. Here, Manderly has just stepped away from the feast in order to secretly treat with Davos, and the food served may contain more meaning than at first appears:

“In the Merman's Court they are eating lamprey pie and venison with roasted chestnuts. Wynafryd is dancing with the Frey she is to marry. The other Freys are raising cups of wine to toast our friendship.”

The reappearance of this noted lamprey pie might take on more significance knowing that some of those eating it become a pie later on. The reminder of the association between Manderly and his lamprey pies seems even more intentional when the “Lord Lamprey” nickname conspicuously returns as Bolton’s men search for the missing Freys in ADWD Reek III:

"You did not find our missing Freys." The way Roose Bolton said it, it was more a statement than a question. "We rode back to where Lord Lamprey claims they parted ways, but the girls could not find a trail."

Invoking his nickname in this scene draws a connecting line between Manderly’s favorite pie, the “enemy host” of lampreys, the missing Freys, and “lamprey pie” being served as a symbol of the fake “friendship” between the Freys and Manderlys.

If that Frey-Manderly friendship is marked by mentions of lamprey pie, and Manderly loves to eat lamprey like he would eat an enemy, and we see in The Prince of Winterfell that Manderly apparently loves to eat his enemies, having two portions of each Frey pie, we might think that the Freys are being paralleled with Manderly’s favorite pie filling: lampreys. If that is the case, then comparing the punished Freys to lampreys is a scathingly fitting image, and I mean that literally.

Considering that carnivorous lampreys latch onto fishes to slowly eat the fish’s blood and flesh while the fish still swims, then looking at an image like this makes for some serious symbolic resonance if you consider the Tullys as fish (as they often are described) and the pie-filling Freys as pie-filling lampreys. It certainly provides a strong visual metaphor for the Frey’s “late” and half-hearted vassalage to Hoster Tully, how they dealt with Catelyn, and how they are now parasitically using Edmure—he sits in Riverrun at the end of ADWD, but with Freys latched onto him, bleeding him like they did his family.

This series is otherwise about pies and rats, not lampreys, but I will mention a few other interesting associations with lampreys that are worth looking into. The Stokeworths, when they are desperately trying to secure a match for Lollys, serve each of their prospective suitors lamprey pie, perhaps a signaling of the Stokeworth’s parasitic place at court, or the attitude towards their search for their daughter’s match. Note that in that context, Littlefinger remarks that he loves lamprey pie, perhaps fittingly for someone who has risen high by making use of his parasitic attachments to those more powerful. By contrast, when our intrepid advocate for truth and justice—Davos—is jailed after his return from the Battle of the Blackwater, he is served lamprey pie in the dungeons, but finds it “too rich” to eat. We have already seen that Davos has no stomach for the blind flattery that some of Stannis’ other lords have, and this scene describes that same character trait. I believe there are even further associations that are worth investigating, but for the sake of this essay, we must move on and end here for now.

In the next part, I'll focus on how it's relevant that the Rat Cook's pie and Manderly's pie were both allegedly "pork" pies, and where that reappears as well.

#asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #rat cook #asoiaf theories #literature analysis #wyman manderly #walder frey #RtRC

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nayeonline · 25 days

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Idolizing Imperfection: The Ancient Allusions of 'Midas Touch' - KISS OF LIFE (an essay)

I have missed writing kpop essays so much and after watching the new Kiss of Life MV, I couldn't resist doing a scene by scene (with some lyrics) breakdown of the allusions to ancient mythology - (there are lots of other modern references, especially to Britney Spears, but the ancient ones are what I will be focusing on here, believe me there is more than enough to talk about.) I don't have any official qualifications surrounding this field (yet), but I am studying classical civilization and roman literature for a qualification, and I have a long time obsession with Greek mythology especially. Obviously all of these are my interpretations, this is not a definite guide to what exactly the creative direction team at S2 Ent. were thinking about for this comeback, and if you think I missed something or have a different interpretation of one of the scenes, please let me know in the reblogs/comments.

Let’s begin with the title of the track, ‘Midas Touch’. It references the Greek myth of King Midas, who (according to Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’) after winning the favour of the god Dionysus, was granted any wish he desired. Midas chose the ability to make everything he touched turn into gold, a wish driven by greed. Midas revelled in his new found powers, but the problems arose when he realised that all food he touched would be turned to gold too - he had condemned himself to starve to death. The myth is essentially a cautionary tale about the effects of greed; Midas is a tragic hero that brought about his own suffering due to his hamartia (tragic flaw) - his blessing becomes his curse. Today, having a ‘midas touch’ means that everything you are involved with is successful, but the main association of Midas with greed still remains. In the context of the song, KOL are saying that a relationship with them, although destined to end in tragedy, would be worth it for the ‘gold’ they can bring - “위험할수록 재밌잖아” (“The more dangerous it is, the more fun it is”). Midas may have died a tragic death, but his time alive was quite literally golden. Still, it feels slightly odd that KOL are associating themselves with someone so flawed - an idol should be the image of perfection, and in this way, the meaning of the song becomes quite subversive on a meta level. Keep this interpretation in the back of your mind, we will return to it later.

Within the music video itself, each of the four members are given solo scenes that I believe allude to different women of Greek mythology. Julie is first, depicted lying on a blush pink velvet heart with gold embellishments, shell and heart shaped boxes littered around her. The composition of the framing, as well as the beach imagery seems to allude to Boticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’, linking Julie with Aphrodite/Venus, the goddess of love. In Greek mythology, Aphrodite is seen as beautiful beyond compare, but is also often characterised as highly vain and self absorbed. After hearing that some Greeks had begun to worship the ludicrously beautiful mortal woman Psyche instead of her, (and also out of protection of her son Eros to whom Psyche was married), she sent Psyche on a series of impossible trials designed to kill her, so she could remain the most beautiful. Once again, KOL compare themselves to people in the ancient world who were famously flawed.

Natty is seen next, intertwined with glittering spider webs. This is perhaps a reference to the tale of Arachne, a mortal woman who was highly skilled at weaving. She boasted that her skills were greater than Athena herself, the goddess of handicraft (and many other things), and Athena transformed her into a spider as punishment for her hubris (excessive pride). Like the tale of King Midas, Arachne’s story also centres around a fatal flaw bringing your own downfall, and like Midas and Aphrodite, Arachne is not typically remembered fondly within Greek Mythology canon.

Perched on a half dress, half throne that resembles a peacock, Belle is seen next. Originally I wasn’t certain who was being referenced here, but after some research I believe it may be Hera, although if you have another interpretation here I would love to hear it. Hera, the goddess of marriage and fertility, queen of the gods, and wife to Zeus, is affiliated with peacocks as they are one of her sacred animals, and are said to pull her chariot like horses. Hera is also, like Aphrodite, a goddess often portrayed in a negative light in mythology, repeatedly characterised as jealous and spiteful. A famous example of this is when Hera sent two snakes to strangle Heracles/Hercules, the illegitimate son of her husband Zeus, out of spite and jealousy for the boy’s mortal mother. Whether Hera had a right to be annoyed at her husband’s repeated adultery is another discussion, but generally speaking, when Hera is in a myth, she is often the villain.

Finally, we see Haneul, perched upon a corinthian style column (we love a greek column) surrounded by severed heads on spikes, a clearly war ridden scene. This is the allusion I am the least confident about, but I think perhaps she is supposed to be Helen of Troy? Helen is famous for being the catalyst for the Trojan War (perhaps this is the war scene she sits within?), she is the ‘face that launched a thousand ships’. Depending on the source, Helen is either a victim, kidnapped by the Trojan prince Paris, or she was seduced and went willingly, abandoning her Greek husband King Menelaus. The second seems to be the accepted narrative among many Roman authors, with writers such as Martial (in Epigrams 1.62) portraying her as the polar opposite of Penelope, who was seen as the image of loyalty. As a result, Helen is commonly portrayed as disloyal and unfaithful, the opposite of what an ideal woman in the ancient world was supposed to act like.

In their group scenes, there is also SO MUCH Medusa imagery - with snakes crawling all over their faces and hissing at the camera, and half broken stone statues littered here and there. As I am sure you are probably aware, Medusa is very much a villain in the myths she is depicted in, and despite modern reevaluations of her story (that I agree with) portraying her as a victim, in the primary sources, she is essentially an evil monster for Perseus to destroy - her death marks Perseus’s ascension to hero status.

So why oh why are KOL comparing themselves to figures so flawed? In their previous releases, especially their first comeback with ‘Bad News’, the girls are depicted trying to fix injustices in society - they expose corruption in corporations, they combat casual misogyny and sexual harassment, and they call out bullying and abuse. In ‘Midas Touch’ I believe they continue their addressing of injustices and double standards, this time with a focus on the idol industry, their own stomping ground. In the kpop industry, idols are expected to be perfect in every way - beautiful, highly skilled, never controversial, and loyal to their fans. Should an idol fail to uphold these impossible standards, they are relentlessly punished, especially if the idol is a woman. Last month, Karina’s earnest apology to ‘fans’ for falling in love exposed how ludicrous the standards are to the world, and other idols like Sakura, Wonyoung, and Jennie, continue to get bullied on a daily basis for not meeting all of the bars the industry sets them. A kpop idol should be talented, but never show off, they should be beautiful and care about their looks but never be vain, confident but never egotistical, and driven by passion, not the desire for fame and money. It’s all fucking impossible, especially when what constitutes being called the second traits is utterly arbitrary and depends on how many people woke up on stan twitter and decided they didn’t like you that day. In ‘Midas Touch’ KOL calls this out by openly depicting themselves with the traits that kpop stans hate - Julie is Aphrodite, beautiful but vain, Natty is Arachne, talented but boastful, Belle is Hera, confident but jealous, Haneul is Helen, influential but disloyal, and they all are Midas, spurred on by greed instead of passion. They recognise that these accusations are unavoidable, and by reclaiming the imagery of these symbols of undesirable traits, they call out and reject the standards the idol industry places upon them. Like Medusa, they may be seen by many fans as a villain, a hurdle for their favourite groups that have more promotion and budget to overcome on their way to the top, but in actuality, they are victims of an industry desperate to mould them into products to be bought and sold. I’ve seen lots of discussion online about what KISS OF LIFE’s concept is, as it seems to vary every comeback, but after ‘Midas Touch’ I am led to believe that their concept is rebellion, against society, idol culture, and the things they deem as wrong in the world. Other groups have done concepts similar in the past, such as LOONA in ‘Butterfly’ (you really thought I wasn’t going to bring them up at some point?? Are you new here??) but KOL is doing it explicitly, and consistently, and to me, that's very exciting. The kpop industry is ever changing, and with the foundations of the new 5th generation being established as we speak, perhaps KOL could cause it to change for the better. In summary, I am SO excited to see what they do next.

That honestly took a turn I wasn’t fully expecting at the end, but I hope you enjoyed regardless - I didn’t really talk about the actual song here, but I fucking loved it, and my full review will be part of my April monthly roundup - see previous installments on my masterlist. I encourage all of you to listen to ‘Midas Touch’ if you haven’t already, congratulations KISS OF LIFE for graduating nugudom, stream Birth by ARTMS, stan loona, and prepare for the loossemble comeback - lmk if you have any thoughts on my analysis or any other interpretations, or any topics you want me to write an essay on. cya next time ~ ari

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khaire-traveler · 9 days

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🌫️ Subtle Erebos Worship 🌑

Sit in stillness for a while, especially darkness; meditate or become comfortable in the quiet

Take time each day to decompress from the events of the day; relax and rest

Drink herbal tea or a warm drink you enjoy before bed; preferably something soothing

Get a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of him

Keep a picture of him in your wallet

Start a bedtime/nighttime routine

Try to avoid screens an hour before bed; try reading a book, drawing, or another relaxing and screenless activity

Fall asleep/meditate/study to music reminiscent of emptiness, stillness, or liminality (links included to videos I sleep/listen to c:)

Have a stuffed animal that reminds you of darkness, stillness, or The Void™; nocturnal animals work well (Stygian owl, trust me)

Have imagery of fog, darkness, the night sky, what you believe the creation of the universe looked like, or The Underworld (his name is sometimes conflated with The Underworld itself) around

Dedicate a collection of coins to the souls passing into The Underworld who don't have coins to cross the Stygian

Watch the sunrise; watch the sunset

Learn about the night sky; learn the different constellations and myths they have

Learn about space; learn about cave systems; learn about anything you consider mysterious, expansive, and a bit frightening

Visit/tour a cave (SAFELY!!!!)

Leave water outside for nocturnal animals that stop by; leave out water for a bird bath

Listen to the morning bird songs; listen to the sounds of the night

Press/dry a flower still wet with evening dew

Practice mindfulness; practice meditation

Go camping, and sleep under the stars; take time to be present in nature, in the night

Watch a scary movie in the dark; you're also welcome to watch a comfort movie instead

Collect animal bones (thank the animal's spirit after doing so)

If fog rolls in, go outside in it; take a walk in it (SAFELY!!!)

Plant seeds in the ground; start a garden; tend to plants

Grow your own herbs or produce

Honor your ancestors or passed loved ones; engage in spirit work if comfortable

Visit a cemetery; leave flowers on graves if given permission to do so

Reflect on your deeper beliefs; what do you believe about the different mysteries/uncertainties of life (the afterlife, universe creation, purpose, etc.)

Dance/sing to music that makes you feel ancient, mystical, mysterious, or generally cool

Take a walk during a new moon (if it is safe to do so your area)

Learn about self-defense; be sure to take a weapon with you when going out at night (if you feel it's necessary mostly)

Wear black or darker colors

Take a relaxing bath/shower at night, especially with herbs or in dim light (SAFELY!!!)

Write/read ghost or mystery stories

Light a bonfire; gather around it with loved ones; share scary or mysterious stories

Support space, deep ocean, or deep cave exploration organizations; support nocturnal animal preservation organizations

Learn about the different phases of the moon; learn about what each one means

Practice patience and restraint

Find healthy outlets for extreme emotions; drawing, writing, boxing, dancing, crafting, etc.

Learn to become comfortable within your own presence (this takes practice, it'll be ok)

Sleep with a small bag of soothing herbs under your pillow (lavender, jasmine, etc.) or charms

Keep a dream journal; try to interpret your dreams

This is my list of discreet ways to worship Erebos! He is rarely talked about, from what I've seen, but he is the God of Darkness, born from the primordial Khaos at the creation of everything. He is paired with Nyx often, and the two have had several children, including Hypnos and Thanatos. His name was used interchangeably with The Underworld sometimes. I'll likely add more later, but for now, I hope you enjoy what I've made. Take care. ❤️

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

#helpol #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #erebos #erebus #erebus deity #erebos deity #erebus worship #erebos worship #paganblr #pagan tips #deity worship

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misskriemhilds · 28 days

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the jewishness of eternity from reverse: 1999, and why this is important to me

first and foremost: i doubt that any of the jewishness of eternity from reverse: 1999 was intentional on bluepoch's part. this is personal interpretation, and i am not trying to insinuate that it was intentional of the game developers. but nevertheless, i find eternity's character to be deeply comforting and resonant with me, specifically with regards to my own viewpoint as a young woman who is american jewish.

let us begin with her backstory:

at the end of the 19th century, torches constantly lit up the night sky of exeter, a frontier town in the usa. the door of her store was closed. in a dimly lit room, on the shelves stood many candy jars. the last young buyer of these candies had been sent to that crowded, shabby cemetery (if you prefer to call it that) three months ago. too many farms had been destroyed in the civil war, and plague was not the only terrible thing to develop from the ashes: fear of an unknown future also gradually turned into madness. the candies were taken down. instead, the store owners now stock their shelves with garlic necklaces and bottles of holy water. more and more vampires were brought to trial, and the seed of suspicion grew in everyone's mind. the once-friendly residents became ruthless intruders and broke into the woman's house, despite the help she had provided them. but they found nothing in her house. it seemed to have been long abandoned. the floor was covered with dead shellfish, under which there were marks of dried blue blood. peace didn't come back to the town of exeter until the day when everyone heard about a disease called tuberculosis.

now, i retroactively found out that this aspect of her backstory was likely inspired by the mercy brown vampire incident, which i haven't researched all that thoroughly. what i want to emphasize in this context is that these trials in eternity's backstory were specifically a result of post-civil war paranoia causing exeter's townspeople to suspect others of being vampires causing misfortune.

it is important to stress that while not every portrayal of vampire characters in fiction are antisemitic portrayals, vampires being used as antisemitic caricatures is not uncommon. similarly, while jewish people have not necessarily been subject to the same legal discrimination or systemic oppression in the u.s. as much as other minorities (that said, it wasn't non-existent, and jewish people were definitely subject to systemic oppression and worse legal discrimination in other countries outside of the u.s.) it is not uncommon for us to be used as scapegoats when disaster strikes. that's why so many conspiracy theories have antisemitic routes; it's harder to acknowledge and analyze the complicated reasons as to why things in the world suck than it is to pin it on a more tangible scapegoat - more often than not, the jews.

i think with eternity from reverse: 1999, that definitely holds the same weight here. whether or not she is officially a vampire is a bit murky (to be honest, i'd say if she is then she's doing the vampire equivalent of keeping kosher by consuming the flesh of sea creatures, even if i'm pretty sure stuff like whales or jellyfish are officially considered treyf), but she was persecuted for being different.

in this jewish reading: it did not matter that she was one of "the good jews", it did not matter the kindness she had shown to exeter's people in the past, when their circumstances took a turn for the worse their memories of antisemitic imagery and myth they had subconsciously absorbed from all the fairytales they read flared to life and they realized how nice and easy it would be to get rid of all their problems if they directed it at the jewish woman residing in their little town.

surely, if the vampire - the witch, the jew, died - then their troubles would be gone, right?

on a broader, less concrete extent regarding eternity i'd also like to bring up her tagline when we first meet her - the one that all r:1999 characters have regarding their age and their ethnic background.

the exhibit was later displayed all over america.

i think this could definitely be a general reference to eternity's immortality. after all, if you've suddenly got all the time in the world you might as well tour your home country and hit the highlights, right?

from a jewish perspective, i think this feels very resonant with the experience of american-jewish diaspora. there are oftentimes when people like us are desperately searching for a place to call home and when we think we've found it, social antisemitism starts spiking up. we want a place to call home - not necessarily as a people, but definitely in the context of being jewish - and even in america where we've been here since its conception as a country, we're not even sure if we can find a place to call home.

and in a jewish context, eternity spends over a century in search of somewhere to call home. her traveling all across the usa takes on a more deliberate context - moving out of areas as soon as you realize maybe the spikes in antisemitism in your place of residence aren't going to pass as quickly as you'd like, and moving out as soon as you can because you have the luxury to. she looks for somewhere she can call home, but this there anywhere that can act as a true home for someone like her?

"there are no chill jews," is something we jewish people like to half-joke about from time to time; that is something that i certainly read into with eternity's voice lines. in particular: "my immortality allows me to be well-informed. no matter the dead or alive, you can have your answer from me as long as the pay is adequate. but just like anyone with a clear mind won’t touch a hot potato, i suggest you keep your little nose clean."

the reason there are no chill jews is because a lot of said "chill jews" died. as soon as our ancestors realized, "alright, people hate us and are using us as scapegoats, let's get the hell out of here" they left. that's how they survived. eternity's immortality allows her to be "well-informed", in a jewish reading, about how she is perceived as a jewish woman throughout time and across the usa. thanks to her old age, she has learned to be vigilant about this, and to keep watch so she can resume her life - maybe she'd have no reason to worry about death, being immortal, but at the same time it would be nice to just live and breathe in peace as a jewish woman. as she says in her voice line when you touch her head, "...what really matters is a good mind and a clear view of the time."

(as an aside, my dear friend @kingoffiends commented in our dms that eternity's voicelines remind him of his very frum grandmother from her phrasing and tone alone. this is only somewhat relevant but i thought i should put it here regardless.)

but not all is doom and gloom with eternity, even with the pains of immortality.

to quote rabbi lord jonathan sacks from his book studies in spirituality: "in judaism joy is the supreme religious emotion. here we are, in a world filled with beauty. every breath we breathe is the spirit of god within us. around us is the love that moves the sun and all the stars. we are here because someone wanted us to be. the soul that celebrates, sings."

where is the joy in eternity?

well, for all of the worst parts of immortality she has still been handed the opportunity to live forever. and eternity will live as happily as she will damn well please. though not all is sunshine and rainbows in her life, she delights in 29-inch crt tvs where she can wind down with a nice glass of warm milk before bed, and takes delight in the progression of technology as time has gone on. "...let's just call it a toast and watch a vampire movie in bed." if she has forever to live, then she might as well take delight in all the small joys she can find.

(while wealthy jewish people do have stereotypical or antisemitic connotations, as a jewish person i'd like to say that i'm definitely self-aware of that when approaching her character. while she is wealthy she is not malicious, and her "read the fine print" approach to the products of the sea for yourself shop seem to be more a result of playful mischief rather than any outright malice. she's got a sort of hershele of ostropol energy to her, if you will.)

all in all, it's so very jewish of her - and it's why her character, in a jewish context, is so resonant with me. there's something very comforting that this is a woman who has lived forever, longer than i have. she may not be real, but for all of the persecution and loss she has suffered throughout life, she is determined to find happiness in even the smallest things. that sort of fortitude and determination to forge her own joy is very meaningful to me as someone jewish, and it's why i approach her as being like me.

eternity may not be real - hell, she's likely not even officially intended to be jewish. but there's such a firm theme of sorrow and joy to her character in a jewish context, and to have even a fictional character who embodies those experiences of mine is why i hold her so close to my heart.

#rambling #reverse: 1999 #eternity reverse 1999 #jewish headcanons #reverse 1999 #r1999 #r:1999

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captainsophiestark · 1 year

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Hades and Persephone

Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written as an early bonus round of my Year of Olympians, inspired by @dawn-petrichor-world who wanted to see one for Hades! This is a pretty loose interpretation of my own Hades prompt tbh, but the vibes were there and I stand by it.

Fandom: Marvel

Prompt: Hades; the underworld (sort of), the Hades and Persephone myth (also sort of)

Summary: Y/N grew up with Pietro and Wanda, and has been in love with Wanda for most of their life. They never said anything, however, especially not after losing Pietro and watching Wanda fall for someone else. Now, however, five years after the Snap (and five years after the reader retreated from the world), Wong shows up to get Y/N's help because Wanda's about to move on the Sanctum as The Scarlet Witch, and Y/N might be the only one who can stop her.

Word Count: 4,242

Category: Angst, Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I took a deep breath, the fresh air and the smell of all my flowers relaxing me like it always did. The sun shone down on me and all my lovely plants, and the soft sound of the ocean crashing on the beach just a few feet from me helped add to the air of serenity.

An air that was currently being blown apart by a certain sorcerer I hadn't seen in a few years.

"What are you doing here, Strange?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed and not turning from my spot, legs crossed as I sat peacefully amongst my plants. I was still pretty sure this was an illusion, and no matter how annoying I found the sorcerer, I didn't want the dream shattered before it had to be. "I've gotten pretty good at chasing off ghosts like you, so consider your next action carefully."

"What makes you think I'm not real?" came the familiar voice of my former friend. I scoffed, a sharp pang shooting through my chest. I knew better than to answer. Borderline-corporeal memories like him had haunted me for at least a year after the Snap, despite how hard I worked to get past them. Even once I'd mostly gotten rid of them, they still showed up every so often.

They were pretty objectively bad for me, which is why I'd worked so hard to stop imagining them as often as I did. Still, they were some of the last remnants of all the friends I'd lost in the Snap, so sometimes, I found it hard to want to make them leave.

"I know for a fact that you're dead and gone, Strange," I said, sighing heavily. I shouldn't be responding, but this was one of those times I couldn't stop myself. "Along with some other people I can't seem to stop missing."

"Like Wanda Maximoff?"

My eyes snapped open, the sharp pang in my chest turning into a massive, painful knife. I'd grown up with Wanda Maximoff, and her brother Pietro. Pietro had been my best friend, and Wanda had been the love of my life. We'd gone through hell together in the hands of Hydra, which is where I'd gotten my significant nature powers. We'd joined the Avengers, and under the urgings of Pietro, I'd been working up the courage to confess my feelings for his sister. And then Pietro had died.

Wanda and I both had our worlds rocked by the loss, and instead of coming together over it, we grew further apart. She found love with the Vision, a new superhero the Avengers had picked up around the same time they'd picked us up, and even though I wanted to be happy for her, I couldn't help feeling like I'd lost her too.

And then, I really did lose her. After Wanda disappeared in the Snap, along with most of the other people I'd gotten close to, I almost broke. I needed to get somewhere that I could heal, and to do that, I needed to leave the superhero world behind me. So, I did.

With Wong's help (since Strange was gone), I faked my death and disappeared. Maybe a little dramatic, but at that point, I was in survival mode. Ever since, I'd been here, on a remote island with a small community who knew nothing about me as a global superhero, and nothing about what I'd lost. By some miracle, it seemed to be the only village on Earth unaffected by the snap, which is why Wong recommended it to me when he agreed to help with my plan. For the past five years, I'd been healing and living peacefully in my new community, adjusting to my new world and finding things to help ground me.

The number one thing that threatened that sense of grounding continued to be memories of Wanda, my lost soulmate. And if this Strange hallucination was trying to bring her up, I knew I really needed to block him out and shut him down before he could ruin all the progress I'd made.

I didn't respond to Strange's question about Wanda. I kept my eyes shut and breathed deeply, focusing on blocking out the presence behind me.

"Y/N?"

I took another breath in, focusing on the beautiful smell of all my flowers around me and feeling my connection to them.

"Y/N. Wanda needs your help."

I breathed out through my nose, a little more harshly than I necessarily wanted to. "You are not real. And I am not letting you rule my life."

I heard not-Strange sigh from behind me, and then a second later, I was falling.

My eyes flew open but all I could see around me was darkness. Then, a circular light opened below me, and before I could brace myself I landed hard on the deck I'd been sitting on moments before, at the feet of Doctor Stephen Strange.

None of my hallucinations had ever been able to do that.

"I don't have time to beat around the bush on this one, Y/N. Wong told me where I could find you. I need your help." Slowly, I tilted my head back to look up at Strange. The real Strange. He didn't look even a little bit guilty about the bruises he'd definitely given me, which was the final clue that told me he was completely real, and not an idealized version I'd made up in my mind. "Wanda needs your help."

With those few words, I was on my feet in an instant. If Strange was back... then somehow, that probably meant...

"You better explain yourself right the hell now, Strange," I said, trying to stay calm despite all the emotions rushing through me as I looked at my friend. My plants grew and moved around me, an expression of the explosion I was trying to keep on lockdown.

"Stark and crew managed to reverse the snap," he said. "We all came back about a year ago, but everyone thought you were dead, so no one came to tell you."

The world shifted under my feet. I swayed, a few of my plants growing to my aid and helping to keep me standing. It only got worse as Strange continued, filling me in on the events of the last year.

As I already knew, Vision was truly dead, not Snap-dead, which meant he hadn't come back with everyone else. Wanda had apparently lost it since she'd come back, taking an entire town hostage in her effort to deal with her grief. And now, in an effort to get to her children who she'd conjured in a magical new reality that apparently actually existed in every universe except ours, she was going after a teen named America who had the power to travel between timelines.

"As you already know, she's one of the most powerful people in the world," finished Strange. "And right now, she's getting more than a little scary in her determination to use any means necessary to get what she wants."

"And you're sure she's going to... hurt this America kid? To kill her?" I asked, hearing the shake in my own voice. My world had been shattered in the past few minutes, but if what Strange said was true (and he had no reason to lie to me), we didn't have a moment to waste while I tried to deal with it.

"I'm sure," he said. "She can't be allowed to go into another universe. Extended crossover between them has, apparently, catastrophic effects. So America can't give her what she wants. In order for Wanda to take it, she has to kill America. And she's made it clear that's exactly what she's planning to do."

I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath in before slowly blowing it out. I couldn't believe Wanda would really do something like that, but at the same time, I knew how close I came to almost breaking when I lost her, after losing Pietro and feeling so, so alone. She'd lost everyone.

"Alright, let's do this," I said, opening my eyes and looking at Strange again. "Use your magic and take me to her."

"I'm bringing you to Kamar-Taj," he said as he began the process of opening a sling portal. "We're fortifying the Sanctum against Wanda to protect America. You're our first option, I'm our second, and the defenders of Kamar-Taj are our third."

I frowned. "I hope you know I'm not going to help you fight Wanda, Strange."

"If everything goes according to plan, it won't come to that."

Before I could ask anything else, he stepped through the portal and straight into the heart of Kamar-Taj. I followed him, sparing one glance over my shoulder for the lovely little place I'd called home for the past five years.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long before I was back, ideally with Wanda in-tow.

***************

After a hello and hug with Wong and a quick introduction to America, there was nothing left for me to do but wait. Strange and everyone else kept building up their fortifications, all while I stood on one of the balconies and watched for Wanda to appear.

I started to think she wouldn't come. That Strange had blown things horribly out of proportion, and that Wanda wasn't anywhere near the scary, dangerous place he'd said she was in. And then, just when I was going to march into the courtyard and tell Strange he'd overreacted (and that I was going to find Wanda myself), a storm encircled Kamar-Taj.

"Y/L/N!" hollered Strange from the courtyard. "Get down here!"

"On my way!"

Despite my words, I stayed at the balcony for a second longer, watching as Wanda rose out of the clouds and smoke crackling around her. I'd never seen her use her powers like this, although I wasn't surprised she had the ability. She'd always been the strongest of us, and it was a little aweing to see.

Once I snapped out of my initial shock, I took off like a shot for the courtyard. I passed groups of sorcerers waiting to fight back if the worst should happen, then made it outside to where Strange waited in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by other defenses.

"Alright, I'll magnify your voice," he said as I came to a stop beside him. "You just talk."

"What? Strange, what do you want me to say?"

"I don't care. Just whatever you think will be enough-"

Before he could finish his instructions, Wanda's voice came booming over the sanctum instead. Her eyes scanned the defenders and eventually landed on Wong on the balcony, without seeing me or Strange.

"Surrender America Chavez to me now, and I'll leave without harming any of you," she said. My heart sped up a bit at the realization that Strange was right; she was here for a fight, and clearly willing to go through Strange and all our other friends to get what we wanted. "You have two minutes, and then the Scarlet Witch will do what must be done."

"Wanda..." I breathed, staring up at the love of my life. Apparently Strange had cast his magnification spell without me noticing, because as soon as the breathy word left my mouth, her head snapped around to look at me.

We made eye contact, and the world stopped spinning. My heart hammered in my chest as the rest of the people around us, all the sorcerers readying for a fight, completely disappeared. All that mattered was the woman before me, staring at me like she couldn't quite believe I was real.

Which, I suppose, was fair, since I had faked my death.

After a few seconds, slowly, Wanda started floating towards the ground. She looked shocked and maybe even a little devastated, and as she got closer and closer to the ground (and to my reach), I started coming back to reality.

"Open the gates," I said, talking to Strange without taking my eyes off of Wanda. My voice didn't boom across the courtyard, so I assumed he must have dropped the magnification spell.

"Y/N, I can't do that-"

"I said, OPEN the GATES," I said, whirling to face him at last. He just stared back at me, clearly unmoved.

"We fortified this whole place to keep her out, I'm not just going to-"

I didn't let him finish his sentence before I took off for the gates in a dead sprint. Wanda had just dipped out of sight in her slow float towards the ground. None of the guards moved to stop me, probably because they didn't think I'd be able to get out without a little Mystic Arts magic of my own.

They had no idea who they were dealing with.

As I approached the gate, I lifted my arms like I'd done so many times before leaving the Avengers, dragging up any and all plants around the gate as I did. They grew and grew and grew, and then, with a forceful flick of my wrist, they slammed into the gate, half-knocking it off its hinges. I pulled my arms back hard, towards my body and then past and behind me even as I kept running, and the plants responded, finishing the task of ripping off the door completely.

I heard scattered gasps and cries of outrage, but I ignored them all as I kept running. Within a few more seconds, I made it outside the sanctum of Kamar-Taj, just as Wanda touched down a few feet ahead of me.

I stopped running, opting for a calmer, more cautious approach now. I could hear the sorcerers working to put the gates back behind me, but I blocked them all out. Wanda stood before me, staring at me like she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. I gave her a small smile and started cautiously walking towards her.

Flowers broke through the ground beneath my feet, giving me a soft, beautiful path to Wanda. A few of the flowers grew up around her ankles, softly grounding her to the world and to me (at least, I hoped it would).

I came to a stop a few inches in front of Wanda, and despite the incredible, powerful rage she'd been in when I'd first seen her, she now looked completely deflated. She started at me, apparently too stunned to speak as I slowly reached out and took her hands in mine, then at last met her green eyes.

"Wanda," I breathed, a slow smile creeping onto my face despite the current situation. After five long years, she was standing in front of me again. It was real.

"Y/N..." she finally said, speaking for the first time since she'd seen me. Her grip tightened slightly on my hands, but she didn't drop them or step away, which I took as a good sign. "How is this possible? Is this... real?"

She raised an eyebrow and looked a little more critically at our joined hands before looking over her shoulder at Strange. Her awe had started to wear off, and I could tell she was rapidly starting to believe this was some kind of hallucination.

"Wan... I swear to you, it's real. I'm real."

"How can I be sure of that?" she asked, her voice taking on a new, more scary and angry quality to it. "How can I know you're real?"

"I have a visceral memory and a scar nobody else but you and Piet have ever seen from your seventeenth birthday when you thought it would be a good idea to surprise Pietro with a birthday cake so we snuck into the back of that combination bakery and butcher's shop and-"

"Okay! Okay, I... I believe you," she said, a small smile at last tugging at the edges of her lips. She held my hands more softly and tenderly now than she had before, and even tugged me a little closer to her. "But that just brings us back to... how?"

I sighed, then started explaining everything to her, bit by bit. What it felt like to lose her, and how it broke me. How I decided to leave, and how I'd done such a good job of it I hadn't known the people had come back from the Snap until a few hours ago.

"But Wanda, I swear, if I'd known a second sooner I would've come racing back to you. I'm so sorry it took me so long to find you again," I said, squeezing her hands for extra emphasis. She'd looked away from me towards the beginning of my story, staring at the flowers that continued to bloom around us, presumably trying to process all the new information. I stayed silent once my story finished, waiting for her response.

"I missed you, Y/N," she said at last, pulling me in for a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling a weight off my shoulders as we held each other close. After a moment, however, I felt her tense, and I couldn't help thinking it had something to do with Strange and all his people gathering behind me.

"Wanda..." I whispered, pulling back to look at her and simultaneously willing a wall of flowers up behind me, to help hide Wanda from the stress of the situation. She kept her hands resting on my waist as I reached up to take her face in my hands. "Focus on me."

Slowly, she did, her eyes sliding from the people behind us and back to meet mine. She looked on the verge of breaking, but I did my best to anchor her here, instead of wherever her mind was threatening to run off to.

"Wanda. Tell me what's happening."

"I have to find my boys. They exist in every universe but this one, I... I have to find them."

I nodded slowly. Strange had told me as much, but I'd rather hear it from Wanda than anyone else.

"Are you completely sure they're not here? No version of them whatsoever?" I asked. She nodded slowly, seeming less stable with every movement. I stroked my thumb along her cheek, and it seemed to help a little. "How do you know?"

Wanda hesitated for half a second, then met my eyes with a renewed strength and confidence, in me as much as herself.

"I consulted the Dark Hold."

"The what? Wanda, tell me you're not talking about that crazy witchy book we heard legends about, that we heard Hydra scientists whispering about like it could kill them at the mere mention of its name?"

"The very same."

I closed my eyes and sighed, honestly unable to help myself. When I opened them again, Wanda didn't seem any less discouraged, but she was also clearly waiting for me to say something else. We were in this together now, one way or another.

"Wanda... do you still have the book?"

In answer, she took one hand off my hip and conjured the book in thin air. I stared at it, tempted to reach for it and huck it as far away from her as I could get it, but I resisted.

"Can I make a suggestion, then?" I asked. Wanda looked a little hesitant, but nodded all the same. "Okay, you have to promise to hear me all the way out."

"This feels like the time you convinced me to steal our asshole neighbor's truck for a joyride under the guise of our own version of justice..." she said, raising an eyebrow at me. I laughed and grinned back, slipping one of my own arms around Wanda's waist and pulling her a bit closer to me.

"Yeah, it does feel kind of like that," I said. She rolled her eyes, but I caught her with a smile on her face all the same. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking: What if you give the Dark Hold to the Mystic Arts people?"

"Y/N-!" Wanda looked outraged and started to take a step back, but I held a little tighter to her waist and held up my other hand to show I meant no harm.

"Wan, you promised! I just think, based on everything we heard about that thing... it might not be a bad idea to try looking without the influence of the Dark Hold. You and I can search the world for them, or for any trace of them or how we might bring them to be, independent of that thing's influence."

"...And if we fail?" she asked. The hesitation was enough to give me hope that she might actually be slightly open to my suggestion.

"If we fail, I'll help you do what it takes to get to them," I replied. Wanda raised an eyebrow, so I continued. "Preferably by peaceful, negotiating means. But... otherwise by any means necessary."

Now both eyebrows shot up. Wanda looked at me for a few minutes, but didn't break my stare. I held it confidently. She was the love of my life; I had faith that my strategy would prevail, but if it didn't, I was more than willing to go to the ends of the Earth for and with her.

"Why would you do that for me?" she finally asked. I couldn't help huffing a laugh as I looked away, before looking back to Wanda again.

"Do you seriously need me to explain the reason? I love you." Wanda blinked a few times, so I continued. "I've loved you our entire lives, Wanda. You're my best friend and... and you're the love of my life."

She just stared at me for a few beats, and I felt awkward enough that I spoke again.

"Of course, I don't expect you to feel the same way, and I'm sorry if I-"

I stopped short when Wanda's free hand moved from my waist to carefully caress my cheek. Her expression softened into a loving, sympathetic look I'd seen her give me a few times, but this one somehow felt a little different. She leaned in, and I didn't move an inch as she placed the softest, lightest kiss to my lips before pulling back, a warmer expression than I'd seen all day on her face.

"I love you too," she said, giving me a soft smile. One of the first I'd seen from her in a long, long time. "I'll always love you."

I smiled back at her, butterflies and fireworks exploding in my chest. I knew she was still healing, so I didn't push anything, just gave her a little squeeze with the hand still around her waist. After another second, she held the Dark Hold out to me. Carefully, I took it out of her hand, then took a step backwards. Wanda nodded to me, communicating without words that she'd wait, and I turned around.

By now, the flowers I'd started sprouting for privacy had grown into a full wall of vines. With a few gestures from my one raised free hand, I gave myself a path to the Sanctum walls. As soon as it opened, everyone within the Sanctum froze and stared at me. Strange stood in the front, Wong just to his side, everyone else waiting right behind for them to break through the vines. Every single one of them looked ready to fight.

"What's wrong with all of you?" I asked, walking forward calmly and confidently. Strange tensed, but didn't make a move to attack.

"You need to be careful with that book, Y/N," he said, tension in every word and line of his body. I rolled my eyes.

"Obviously. Which is why I'm bringing it to you. You do remember that you're the ones that brought me here, right?"

Strange looked confused as I came to a stop in front of him, then shoved the book into his chest. He took it all the same, and Wong gave me a small smile as I walked back a step.

"Wanda and I are going to leave," I announced, raising my voice to address the Sanctum at large. "We're going to go spend some time figuring things out. And absolutely no one is going to follow us."

The vines tightened a little around the Sanctum walls at my word. I held both hands down by my hips, fingers splayed out, controlling the vines and making sure everyone in that Sanctum remembered just how powerful I was. After a few moments, I felt Wanda approaching from behind me. I reached back and she took my hand, and with a little magic from her, we levitated into the air, my vines and her storm fading back to normalcy around the Sanctum as we left.

I could see the slight fear on the faces of Wong and especially Strange as we headed off together. They were worried, and maybe rightfully so, that they'd just created an even bigger threat by reuniting me and Wanda.

But I loved her, more than anyone else in the world. It would take some time, for both of us, to figure things out. But I knew in my heart that our love could and would overcome every single other hurdle that came our way, for the rest of our lives.

We'd both lost everything and everyone we'd ever cared about. Now that we'd found our way back to each other again, nothing would ever tear us apart. We'd face the world and then some, together.

****************

Taglist: @valkyriepirate

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fanhackers · 9 months

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The Classics of Fan Studies: Henry Jenkins - Textual Poachers

"Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage done in a system where contemporary myths are owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk."

Today we’re continuing our exploration of the classics of fan studies with an early work that is still regarded today as one of the most important of the field: Textual Poachers by Henry Jenkins. Jenkins is generally considered to be the first scholar to also define himself as a fan, becoming the first aca-fan (academic fan) before the word had even been invented.

The work of John Fiske, that I talked about in my last post, is often cited in Textual Poachers where the idea of viewers having an important role in the meaning-making process is very important. But Jenkins also distances himself from the old-fashioned way of studying television viewers that often overlooked fan culture and fan activities.

The central argument of the book is that transformative fans shape their perception of a text by “poaching” elements from it. In other words, they create their own interpretation by picking and choosing meanings that fit into it. This is a collaborative process that takes place within the fan community:

"Fan reading, however, is a social process through which individual interpretations are shaped and reinforced through ongoing discussions with other readers. [...] For the fan, these previously “poached” meanings provide a foundation for future encounters with the fiction, shaping how it will be perceived, defining how it will be used."

This also means that the fans are resistant to the authority of the original author(s) and have the power to subvert the intended meaning and reclaim ownership of the text:

"From the perspective of dominant taste, fans appear to be frighteningly out of control, undisciplined and unrepentant, rogue readers. [...] Undaunted by traditional conceptions of literary and intellectual property, fans raid mass culture, claiming its materials for their own use, reworking them as the basis for their own cultural creations and social interactions."

For Jenkins, fanworks are thus inherently resistant to the dominant reading. The intentions of the author are not necessarily ignored, but they are powerless against the fans’ ability to create their own meanings.

Though some people have later come to nuance, or even oppose, Jenkins’ ideas, his work is still considered by most to be foundational in fan studies. What do you think?

#poster: Maggie #fan studies classics #fan studies #Henry Jenkins #Textual Poachers #fanwork #fanfiction #transformative fandom

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osleeplessflowero · 3 months

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// i love merfolk, so i figured..why not write a skeleton oneshot with a merman blue? 💙 As always, gender neutral Reader. Their soul is up for interpretation! 💜 Ao3 link will be provided once it's posted there! (I am so sorry for my fic readers that get a bunch of oneshots instead of updates..) 💛 bonus points if somebody gets the barbie reference in here

🫧 Into The Sea 🌊

The ocean waves sway beneath you, the sound all too familiar. Your hair blows gently in the breeze, that salty ocean air filling your senses. You smile, comforted by the atmosphere.

In truth, you hadn't expected to come out here to begin with. But since your friend had an extra ticket for a popular cruise line in the area..how could you refuse? Plus, it's a great opportunity to see the sea life you're normally not that close to.

Speaking of said friend, they walk over to you and lean their arms on the rail beside you.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" They ask, grinning. "I'm glad I could ask you to come with me. Sights like these just wouldn't be the same alone." "Thanks for asking me to. Beats staying at home by myself, right?" "Couldn't have said it better. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll see some of the Mer." "Mer? As in merfolk? I thought those were myths?" You turn to them, a brow raised. "Oh no, they're very real. I've asked a few people around and they said they've caught glimpses of tails moving through the water out here at night. They must be looking for food or something." They shrug. "Huh..how unusual. I wonder what they look like.." You look back to the water, a bunch of ideas flowing through your head as you wonder about these unfamiliar creatures you'd only heard about in tales. "Me too. Maybe we'll spot one."

If there were merfolk out here, would they even approach? Surely they would be curious about this large structure during the water. But then again, they may have experience with these sort of things and wish to stay away. Which, of course, you'd completely understand should you be in their situation. Who knows how many hunters have gone out here to try and catch them for fame?

"It'd definitely be a sight." You lean on them, trying to spot any unusual colors in the water. For a moment you perk up at the sight of a tail, but it just turns out to be a dolphin.. you still say hello to it, though.

Things are peaceful for a bit, before you look up to notice that there are dark grey clouds forming in the sky; a storm's coming. Better get inside before something happens.

"Let's go in. I don't want to get caught in this rain." You suggest, pointing at the nearest door leading into the ship. Your friend agrees, walking inside with you and grouping up with several other passengers on board. An announcement is said over the intercom:

"Attention to all of our passengers, please remain calm. A storm is currently approaching us and should be moving out of this area shortly. Please remain indoors at all times and near a safe space until the coast is clear. Thank you."

"I wonder how bad of a storm it'll be?" You ask no one in particular, looking outside at the increasingly growing darker sky and the waves. Your friend perks up, having been focused on something else. "Hopefully not bad enough to end our trip early. It's been so fun here!" They comment, holding up their phone to check the weather and showing you.

It seems a big thunderstorm is arriving, lightning along with it. The winds will be moving like crazy.. You silently hope it doesn't knock out the ship's power somehow. Your friend rests their hand on your shoulder, a reassuring gesture but also to get your attention as you're snapped out of your thoughts.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get us some drinks. You gonna be alright on your own? I can stay or you can go with me if not." They offer, gesturing to a room nearby that leads to the dining area.

You nod. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You go on ahead, I'll wait here."

"Okay! Be back in a sec!" They run off, quickly dodging anybody that walks too close to them. You feel around in your pocket for your phone so you can watch something to pass the time, but..it isn't there. You were sure you placed it there earlier!

..That's right. You brought it outside with you. It must still be out there, you hope it hasn't already gotten wet!

You contemplate leaving your friend before deciding you'll just walk right back in, so you rush outside out of anyone's view to go and retrieve your phone. The wind harshly blows your hair behind you as well as your clothes, the rain gently hitting you from above and falling from the sky like thousands of tears.

Sure enough, your phone's exactly where you left it, beside the chair you'd been sitting in while getting some sun earlier. You carefully walk over to it, dodging the wind as you move as best you can to grab it. Once you finally have it in your hands, you're relieved that somehow it remained untouched.

Your friend rushes out, presumably having looked out the window and saw you, running over and almost slipping.

"Hey! Be careful out here, the wind's insane! What are you even doing?" They shout, holding onto the railing beside the two of you.

"I was just getting my phone, I left it out here and really did not want to lose it."

"Okay, well, just give it to me for now. I don't want you to lose it again and throw yourself into more danger." They hold out their hand, and you place it in their hand before the two of you begin walking back to the door you came out here from.

The wind picks up, much stronger than before. The ship slightly tilts due to the power of it, causing you to fall right onto the rail.

Your friend calls out your name as you reach out to them, before you're abruptly shoved back again, falling over the rail. They try their hardest to pull you back up, but in the end you ultimately fall into the water.

"Someone help! My friend just fell overboard!" You can hear them shout as they rush back inside. You hit the water abruptly, struggling to swim back up.

You fight, swimming as hard as you can, trying to reach the surface without running out of breath. Yet it seems the water keeps somehow pulling you back down.. Tears prick at the corners of your eyes as you continue to try, before you eventually fall unconscious from the lack of air..

A brief flash of bright blue fills your vision before your eyes shut. You sink slowly down into the sea..

Someone swims up to you. You can't see him, because you're out cold. He's beautiful; a mer-skeleton that had seen you fighting before you fainted, wanting to help you. His bright blue tail glistens beneath the water, his arms having tattoo-like blue markings along them as well as his ribcage. His bright blue eyelights dart over you in a worried manner as he finally reaches your sleeping form. He looks up to the surface before realizing you need air, holding you in his big strong arms as he swims up to the surface.

He pops his head out of the water before pulling you out with him. There's no response from you..

His eyelights dart around before he spots a set of rocks, swimming over and lying you down before pressing down on your chest. He repeats this process a few times, before saying distressed words in a language you probably wouldn't understand, were you awake to hear.

He apologizes, closing your nose and lifting your chin before pressing his teeth to your lips and blowing air in.. somehow, leaning up to take a breath before doing it one more time.. the moment he raises his head again, you spit out water, coughing as your eyes slowly blink open, filled with tears. You take deep breaths as you sit up, the skeleton resting his hand on your back as he supports you.

You look over your savior..a beautiful skeleton merman, who's greeting you with a warm smile. He seems to be relieved that you're okay. So they really do exist.. that's..crazy. And to think one just saved your life..

"Thank you." You say, hoping that somehow he'll understand if there's a language barrier. He pauses for a second, before letting out a quiet gasp and nodding, seeming to have understood.

You turn your head towards the ship, pointing to it. "Can you take me back? My friend is waiting."

He tilts his head a little, so out of curiosity, you try signing the words out to him. His eyelights widen a little bit, and he signs back.

'You Can Sign?' 'Yeah, learned how.' 'That's Great! I Should Take You Back Now Before Your Ship Leaves.' 'Thank you!'

He picks you up in a bridal carry of sorts, motioning for you to hold on before quickly swimming up to the boat. A ladder is quickly dropped down by some staff members for you to climb. You grab onto it, turning to the stranger.

'Thank you again. What's your name?' 'Blue! And You're Welcome, Human!'

You smile at him, pressing a small kiss to his cheek, causing his face to flush a bright shade of blue.

'I hope I'll see you again!' You climb up, hugging your friend who makes sure you're okay.

He gives you a wave, before disappearing into the sea.

"You have to tell me EVERYTHING." Your friend states, wrapping a towel around your shoulders as you walk inside.

"Yeah..let me get some time to think, first."

#swap sans x reader #merman swap sans #gender neutral reader #underswap x reader #utmv x reader #underswap sans #underswap sans x reader

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fallenoftheromaempire · 4 months

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My favorite interpretation of the myth of Persephone is that it's not a story of abuse nor romance. Is the story of a woman that made her choices and had to face the concequences of them.

In my version she wasn't escaping from an evil mother, nor was she kidnapped from an horrible man.

She was a young woman who loved her mother but wished to be seen by her as as the grown adult she was and not the girl her mother wish to keep her as (hence her name being Kore wich means "Girl"). Her mother isn't suffocating her or mistreating her. But like parents often do, they wish to hold on to their babies a little longer and ignore that they are adults.

So when she meets Hades, she finds herself desired in a different way, a way that she didn't experience before since in her family. Finally she feels herself being treated her age, finally she feels like she is allowed to explore her desires and wants.

But she didn't tell her mother. Mind you she shouldn't have to ask for permission but at least give a warning could have been a good idea. But she had other things on her mind and she just didn't want to deal with her mother potentially telling her no and again forget that Persephone could make her decision. Maybe Demeter would have been like "Oh alright have fun dear!" but instead she never got to know that her daughter willingly left and like any good mother she freaked out.

When Zeus came down to tell his brother to give back the girl, Hades may have been completely compliant, maybe he was feeling bad about the whole misunderstanding, maybe he even planned to directly apologize to Demeter and then start to properly court Persephone and ask for her hand.

But again Persephone didn't talk to Hades about how she felt probably patronized by her mother making this whole big problem the SECOND she gets out of her side and feels embarrassed and upset. So out of spite she goes and eat the pomegranates. Personally the pomegranet id a symbol of sex, aka her and Hades hadn't even consumed the whole time that she had been down there. He doesn't give it to her, he doesn't shoves the seed in her mouth. She makes the choice or eating it, and she makes sure that it will be just enough to tie herself to him but enough to leave space to be able to come back (aka not get pregnant).

So now she is tied to a man that she doesn't know that well for half a year and the other half she can only be with her mother when in the surface. Because i know that Demeter will not let her out of her sight again. The trust between them is broken.

And in all of this Persephone get to taste freedom just for a little bit. Her and Hades will grow to love each other but maybe it could have been much more genuine and tender if they weren't forced to be together by a choice made on a wim.

She was not stupid or egoistic or a victim. She was a woman that wanted to make her own choices she made them and like the adult she is she faces the concequences.

#persephone #hades and persephone #persephone and hades #The myth of Persephone #pomegranate #pomegranate symbolism #Making Hades the villan or Demeter is not the feminist take that you think it is #It can be a story of abuse #Or it can be a story of choices and consequences #My favorite thing about the greek gods is that they are not perfect #They make mistakes #I want to give Persephone her agency #Even if it brings her sorrow

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priestessofcreation · 8 months

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I understand that all fiction is up to interpretation of the reader/audience/consumer.

But I just get really annoyed when people look at a piece of media and pass a judgment that, in my view, just isn't fair.

With Dean Winchester, for example, I had this "friend" in college who called him a psychopath. Even though this guy had barely seen any of SPN. It was because of the gratuitous violence that Dean engaged in throughout the series... ignoring the fact that Dean only kills a monster if they are the perpetrator or have no chance of redemption. The one time he went absolutely apeshit was when he was a demon. Dean literally rips himself apart when he hurts and kills people who do not deserve it. He drinks himself to sleep every night because of it. He hates himself to the bone because of it. Just GET OUT OF MY FACE.

With Elsa, we all remember a certain infamous YT video calling Elsa "the worst character ever." For no other reason that he found it offensive that she wouldn't communicate with Anna and ignored her instead. It's like he missed the entire point of the actual movie. Elsa is a very well-written character, I just think he had a real problem with her as a person. If anything, Elsa wanted to talk to Anna. She was just scared shitless to because ANNA COULD HAVE LOST HER LIFE.

Then there is Persephone in Lore Olympus who people think is infantilized.

Persephone is extremely sheltered and inexperienced in the beginning. She is supposed to be. In the classic myth, there is often an archetypal discussion of the mother releasing the child to make their own way and Persephone is only allowed on Olympus in LO if she sticks to the virgin route. Her mother loves her but has her claws in her and this is the first time Persephone has the power to explore her own life. She is stumbling blind and she is growing up. So yeah... she's wide-eyed and innocent and has had to grow the hell up. In the beginning, she still dressed like a teenager and kept her hair very short. When she is with Hades, her hair grows long and she looks more womanly than her former girlish appearance. And when she eats the Pomegranate, she wears a much more mature, form-fitting outfit to what she usually wears. Her appearance and demeanor is visibly changing as she goes.

Point is, Persephone is supposed to be girlish in the beginning - HER STORY IS LITERALLY ABOUT ENTERING WOMANHOOD.

#fiction #lore olympus #frozen #frozen 2 #supernatural #persephone #dean winchester #Elsa #my beautiful brave boy #beauty in her duality #my twin

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asterias-fallen-star · 4 months

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i have been sort of curious on asteria for a while, where would be a good place to start researching her other than theoi.com?

feel free to also share some upgs of her or some things you think i should maybe know!

Hello! Thank you so much for the ask and a warm welcome into the worship of Lady Asteria. I would like to preface this by saying that I'm still trying to find more information on her and a lot of the accessible information is similar to each other, I'm trying to keep this blog updated with any new information I find but I'm very slow at updating so I hope this has some new information here that I might not have written anywhere else.

Callimachus has small bits of information in it, and its helped me find multiple new things about Lady Asteria such as epithets and associations, and it also has a hymn to Delos in it which is useful.

The Apollodorus has some basic information about her 'main' myth of turning into the island of Delos which is an important read I think, but not much else.

The Homeric Hymns is great for finding epithets, most specifically of Delos, however you are mostly going to be looking in hymns for others gods. I'm also a big fan of the myth of Lord Apollon and Lady Artemis' birth as I find it shows her importance and love of Lord Apollon really well.

The Odes of Pindar, while not having much, does reinforce the idea that Delos was worshipped/seen as more than just an island by people. I also enjoy this part 'by mortal men called Delos, but by the blessed gods of Olympus known as the far-seen star of the dark blue earth' as it shows that even though she has turned herself into the Island Delos, her divinity over the stars and such still remain hers.

The Orphic hymns are also a good read, and while not stating Lady Asterias name anywhere, a few of the hymns could be used/interpreted as such

While there is not much on Lady Brizo and Lady Asteria defintely being the same god, my UPG is that they are, and while there is also not a lot of information on Brizo herself I do believe she has importance.

One of my favourite articles and piece of information about Lady Brizois called 'The dance of the ancient mariners' written by Lillian B. Lawler, its an interesting read and introduced one of my favourite epithets of Brizo, 'Lady of the sea'. While it doesn't say definitively that Brizo is a god (they mention that she or whichever deity being referenced may be a nymph instead) I've personally decided to interpret it as such. It also introduces some upg's i have, such as not offering fish, dancing as an offering/devotional act as well as potentially giving offerings in small boat like dishes.

I hope this is some good starting information, it may not be perfect and I may post additional things later, but I would recommend doing some of your own research just in case I've missed anything.

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coloricioso · 5 months

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First of all, your art is beautiful. Secondly, I was surprised to find someone who ships Agamemnon and Cassandra since the usual interpretation of their relationship is quite negative to say the least. Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts around this relationship? I’ve actually been working on an Agamemnon novel and am struggling with handling his relationship with Cassandra tactfully but as accurately as possible. Thank you so much!

Hi! Thank you so much <3. Unfortunately, nearly all modern interpretations villainize Agamemnon, therefore people think it's impossible that Cassandra can have a bond with him, but for the ancients it was different. I had written before about this and here is my CassandaxAgamemnon master post, but I will summarize some things:

Homer's Odyssey and Aeschylus' Agamemnon are proof of how these characters had a special bond. In the Odyssey, the soul of Agamemnon remembers Cassandra's death as the most pitiful one; she was meaningful to him. He doesn't describe anyone's specific death but hers. He thinks of her, even after he is long dead. And something SUPER important that people always forget!! Agamemnon DIES trying to save Cassandra. He tries to stop Clytemnestra from murdering Cassandra and tries to lift his arm to take the sword away, but he dies before he is able to save Cassandra. For the ancients, the fact that Cassandra was on top of Agamemnon or holding him when she was murdered was something "visually" meaningful, like, they're united by their deaths (this is something scholar Gina Salapata mentions). It's also important that this shows how Homer took time to honor Cassandra. Philostratus The Elder describes a painting that was based on the Odyssey, and he says that Cassandra, in the painting, is shielding Agamemnon and putting her sacred priestess garlands on him, as a way to protect him and saving him from getting murdered. So, there was a tradition of seeing Cassandra and Agamemnon as a couple, and in Amiklai they received religious / hero cult as a couple.

Then, somehow when people claim to have read Aeschylus' play, they absolutely ignore or forget that through the entire play, Cassandra is shown as very loyal to Agamemnon, and totally compassionate for his fate. She feels sad because Agamemnon ignores his coming death (and she is unable to warn him) and she even says she will go "cry" his death and her own, she cries both as equal things. And Cassandra curses her and Agamemnon's murderers (if she hated Agamemnon she wouldn't care to avenge him by cursing his killers). Instead of running away, she is brave and goes inside the palace to join him in death (*as far as I recall, women in Greek myth who die for a man are always either i) relatives of that man or ii) romantic partners; I don't recall a woman offering to die willingly for a man who means nothing to her). She complains about Apollo's mistreatment, but she never complains about Agamemnon in any way.

Even if someone thinks the romantic part is up for debate, the sources are very clear about how empathy, compassion, and loyalty were key themes for Agamemnon and Cassandra's relationship. Their relationship was never depicted as one based on hatred and mistreatment. The only "twist" to the traditional portrayal was Euripides' Trojan Women where Cassandra takes her union with Agamemnon as a ritual inversion of marriage, she appropriates his death as a heroic act to avenge Troy's fall. But Euripides’ take is "revolutionary" in this topic, this was not the traditional portrayal, and his play was meant to be a criticism against war (because of his specific life context). Other Euripides' plays though, don't show Agamemnon-Cassandra as being hostile to each other (in Hecuba we're told that Agamemnon is in love with Cassandra and willing to protect her, and her family too; and even in the Trojan Woman we're told Agamemnon is in love with her).

Juliette Davreux and Sabina Mazzoldi are scholars who wrote specialized books about Cassandra's myth, and both say that the ancients did think of Agamemnon and Cassandra as a couple; the difference is that Davreux claims the love bond was already present in Aeschylus; she says that Cassandra was "secretly" in love with Agamemnon, while Mazzoldi says Aeschylus' play is not that obvious on the love part which comes in later traditions. I personally agree with Davreux, because a woman willing to die along with a man is usually a wife or a concubine, besides, it's a historical fact that Aeschylus didn't like turning his plays into love dramas like Euripides does, even Aristophanes joked about it (like Euripides complains to Aeschylus that "there is no Aphrodite in your plays"). So, I think that Aeschylus gave hints for Agamemnon and Cassandra being much more than a master-slave, but Cassandra's feelings are shown in a noble and sober way. :3 hope this helps.

#cassandra #agamemnon

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