#maenad vibes

[beatingdrumspouringwine]

currently reading this really cool article called The Maenads: A Contribution to the Study of Dance in Ancient Greece, which is a roughly ~100 year-old article about (as the title says), studying dance in ancient Greece, but specifically as it appeared on red- and black-figure vases. it's wicked cool stuff, and breaks down the basics of Greek dance in the context of Dionysiac worship!!! i'm not really much of a dancer, but this is so cool that i'm pretty damn close to trying to work some of the dance into my own ritual practices :)

anyways who wants to fulfil my dream of having historically accurate Dionysian dance parties in the woods at midnight with me?

[p.s. you can get this article on JSTOR, and if you have difficulty reading it lmk, i'm working on transcribing it to Google Docs to be more accessible]

#dionysos deity #dionysos #dionysos worship #dionysian #maenad vibes #academia kind of?

[astrovagrant]

i'm rescinding my harlequin notes for ana bc i can't take them seriously enough to even joke abt it (and also every time i envision her her design has nothing to do w that particular flavor). she's still haphazard w her colors and patterns but in a fashion-blind way not like. on purpose. also her basics are always leather and it's rly hard to go wrong w that

#maenad is kind of a replacement vibe but not 100%

[lovelylittlelosers]

🚨 TOP TEN ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN (Hellenic) POTTERY SHAPES (and their best in show) 🚨

A lot of these are going to be from Athens. This isn’t because Athens is the best polis at pottery, but because most of the surviving material culture from Greek antiquity was found in Athens. This is just the facts of classics, deal with it.

10.  The Oinochoe ⭐️⭐️

This is just a pitcher. A boring boring pitcher used to pour wine. It could have been so much more. where’s the flare? I have nothing left to say.

Best in show: Wtf is he doin with that hog? Wheelbarrow racing? Just kidding, this is actually Herakles defeating that boar and bringing it to Athena. which is cool  but its still just a fucking pitcher. (~510 BCE Athens)

9. The Alabastron ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s a little vial/jug that holds oils and perfumes. BORING. Do more, be better. Alabastra  are the type of vase that wouldn’t stand a chance in a fist fight. I need a bad bitch piece of pottery and this shit isn't cutting it.

Best in show: This Etruscan alabastron. She’s cute! I too like to paint little cats. (620-590 BCE, Corinth)

8.  The Amphora ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

She’s tried and true. She’s a classic. She’s basic as hell. Amphorai have many uses but mainly they’re just glorified modern kitchen Pyrex. They just contain shit. Grains? ✔️ Oil? ✔️ Human Ashes? ✔️ Multipurpose icon, but it’s also the only pottery type with its own emoji 🏺 so she’s too mainstream for my taste. All my homies appreciate the amphora, but it’s never gonna be top 5.

Best in show: Exekias’ pot of mythic warriors Achilles and Ajax playing a lil game. How fun! I love a game night. (~540 BCE Athens)

7.  The Stamnos ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The amphora’s cooler cousin. stamnoi are bad bitches all around. They’re stouter and are made to hold liquids like water and wine (and sometimes as diluting vessels.) They have the same powerful vibe as amphorai but they’re more underground, you’ve probably never heard of them before.

Best in show: Listen. Is she a little flawed? Yes. Is she serving cunt? Kinda. This stamnos depicts Dionysus and his maenads and satyrs! Rad as hell. (370–360 BCE Etruscan)

6. The Volute Krater ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Kraters are wine mixing pots where water is added to super concentrated wines to make them actually drinkable. Kraters have many different styles but the best of them is the Volute Krater - just like a normal krater, but with fancier handles. They’ve got a very classic look I think, I’d want to hang out with one they seem like they have really expensive and classy tastes. The sugar mommy of ancient pottery.

Best in show:  What a pretty mother fucker. (~320 BCE Etruscan).

5. The Lebes Gamikos ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So... This one is really weird looking and also really pretty. Has maybe the least practical lid I’ve ever seen but who can even blame it when it looks that pretty? A lebes would have been used as a cooking pot. A COOKING POT. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHIPPING THIS BITCH OUT TO MAKE MAC AND CHEESE????

Best in show: TO COOK WITH??????????? It’s got Eros on it and a smaller decorative lebes as the handle. So extra and for what? (350 - 325 BCE Apulia.)

4.  The Loutrophorus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

 These guys are tall and skinny and potters liked to go ham on the handles. They were ceremonial vases that held water. They’re just really impressive. I mean just look at it. Potters and Painters got to go crazy on these things because they were only really used for big and important rituals and events so they could be as fancy and special as they wanted.

Best in show: I mean,,,, come on folks. This piece has the head of a woman on the lid and each side is decorated with tons of gods and goddesses. It is ornate, it was expensive, it is a fucking queen. (330 BCE)

3. The Kylix  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Perhaps a little over rated but definitely not as overhyped as the amphora, the kylix is a wide shallow pot used for sippin’ on drinks in super style. They have painted eyes and when you drink from them the eyes become part of your face and the handles look like ears. This is life changing information. These bitches are big and dramatic, much like me. They were really popular in Mycenean Greece (before the dark ages that birthed the classical Hellenic period we all know and love -- the ancient Greece of ancient Greece) which just screams Scorpio energy; how mysterious and cool of them. These baddies have art not just on the outside, but the inside too! 

Best in show: Reminds me of that crazy look anime characters get when they’re about to go off the rails (~510 BCE Athens.) a second less cool kylix is also pictured to show you what they would look like when you drank from them. Hilarious.

2. The Pyxis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pyxides are the unsung hero of ancient pottery. Most pottery charts will not feature them. But Pyxides are a girl’s best friend.

The pyxis serves as a little jewelry box, a little box for all your trinkets, a little makeup kit. This is the fun type of versatility (👀🏺 get good amphora) These little guys sit on your ancient vanity and open up from the top with a fun shaped handle. Because they were made for women we get a lot of cool insights on women’s lives (and a lot of wedding stuff) in antiquity from these little guys!

Best in show: THIS pyxis depicting a bride preparing for her wedding. Outside she takes a little bath with Eros (winged god of love who later becomes our modern Cupid) and inside he sits on her lap. Talk about a wing man! (~410 BCE Athens.)

1. The Kantharos  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you don’t think a kantharos could steal your girl you’re wrong. These bitches have everything you could ever look for. They’re smaller drinking cups that were most likely used for rituals due to how crazy ornate most of them are. Some of them are even molded to look like heads, that is simultaneously really badass and also very unserious!!

Best(s) in show: A classic ornate kantharos with silver plating depicting the death of Orpheus and the kidnapping of Helen. Look at how fucking GORGEOUS it is (~415 BC.)  And a head kantharos (also called a janiform kantharos as they have two faces!) of a satyr and a woman. Imagine drinking from this I would feel so powerful (420 B.C. Athens.)

#guess my special interest #ancient greece #archaeology #classics #etruscan #athens #corinth

[strunmah-mah]

Touchstarved Characters as DnD Classes

Ais

Given the existence of Ocudeus and Ais's relationship with it, Ais is an easy choice for a warlock, a person who gets their powers from a patron entity. My choice would either be The Great Old One, or The Fathomless. The both have those eldritch vibes but with slightly different emphasis. The Fathomless buts a strong emphasis on the oceanic tentacle monster, while The Great Old One has some tentacle imagery but focuses far more on the effects Eldritch beings have on the mind. Which one you think suits him more comes down to personal preference I think.

Leander

Given that magic for humans seems to largely be a learned skill, and stuff devs have said about Leander coming from a more more formal background giving him access to a proper education, Leander would 100% be a wizard. With as little information as we have about him exactly which school might be harder to pin down, but for the purpose of this I'm going School of Illusion. I think it works both as a fun reference to the first spell we ever see him cast (the illucitory lily) and a sort of foreshadowing of him duplicitous nature.

Kuras

As an angel, Kuras's divine power is innate to him in a way that I think the Divine Soul Sorcerer would be best at replicating. Not really sure what else to add, this might be an even easier pick than Ais as a Warlock.

Vere

Vere is interesting. Given our first impression is that of a snarling shadow beast in the corner of out vision, part of me is inclined towards Shadow Magic Sorcerer. His power seems to be innate to him and I think the Hound of Ill Omen ability synergizes well with Vere's status as the Senobium's hunting dog. HOWEVER, the devs recently dropped the extra bit of lore implying that Vere used to be worshiped as a god, which does make an interesting argument for casting him as a cleric. I don't think most cleric abilities mesh as well with Vere's in game abilities, but thematically the Ambition Domain meshes well with his personality.

Mhin

Mhin is the one I'm least confident on. Their attempt to sneak into the Senobium speaks to them being a Rogue, The revelation that they're regular collecting bounties from soulless hunting points them to being a Ranger, and the Alchemist's observation that their a scientist suggests that when the full games drops they might be something of an Artificer, or depending on your tolerance for psuedo canon, maybe a Blood Hunter? IDK, I'm a little bit at a loss of what to do with this guy.

Bonus the Origins

Now given that all Origins more or less have the same skill set with some flavor difference All of them could easily be Aberrant Mind Sorcerers and be done with it. Their power is innate to them, and that power is power over the minds of others. It's a good solid choice, but if you wanted to give the Origins more influence over their skills sets below would be my choices

The Unnamed

Raised at a temple as an oracle? The Unnnamed is a Cleric. Given that it was thought their ability could create a groupmind the Solidarity or Zeal Domains could be an interesting choice, That the people under their influence are so violent could be an argument for the War Domain, or that everyone was so mislead as to what your ability is could be an argument for Trickery Domain. Ultimately as a self insert the Unnamed's background is fluid and any choice is valid, but thematically I think I think those four could all work really well. TBH I really wish there was a Madness Domain or something so you could channel that Dionysus Maenadic energy, I think that'd work really well, but homebrew is not my area.

The Alchemist

This Origin knows magic, magic is a learned skill for humans, The Alchemist is a Wizard, maybe an Artificer. Again, self insert, either choice is valid. If you go Wizard I think School of Enchantment could be a good choice, would tie into their powers a bit better then some of the other options. If you go Artificier there is an Alchemist subclass, it's a match made in heaven

The Hound

The Hound has a very specific archetype built into it and that is the Rogue: Thief. They're a street kid who survived by stealing. I don't know if there's another choice that could work for this Origin even half as well. works for this

#touchstarved game #touchstarved ais #touchstarved kuras #touchstarved mhin #touchstarved vere #touchstarved leander #touchstarved mc #long post #i've spent way too long thinking about this #especially since i don't even really play dnd #i did briefly #but my dm moved and online play doesn't really work for me #any way have some thoughts #i need to go to bed #mhin is the li i'm least interested in and it shows

[chamiryokuroi]

I love your Dionysus!Bernard so much!!! Now i cant stop imagining where Dionysus and Bernard just mix together like alcohol mixes with water. Like it is still Bernard but also Dionysus and they are chaotic neutral god person just vibing with life, and love Tim so much and it is pretty much-

Dionysus!Bernard: Hey babe do you want to go out tonight?

Tim: Sorry dear Joker is planning something tonight

Dionysus!Bernard: Oh no that is horrible!!!

Dionysus!Bernard: *sends maenads to dismember Joker*

Tim: ......

Dionysus!Bernard: So i was thinking about this new Indian restaurant for tonight 😇

Help this is hilarious 😂 poor Timmy having to deal with his unhinged demigod(?) boyfriend

#dc #tim drake #bernard dowd #timbern

[homestuckexamination]

Hey. You've mentioned in occations Hope's connection with sexuality, and I am, sort of very puzzled about it. Can you explain why?

Sex Appeal, Charm, Attraction, idolization, they all seem to be part of Hope. For Jake, it was a constant sexualization by those around him, while Eridan and Cronus' pursuit or concupiscent relationships tend to paint them in a bad light. There's more to it and it's not the only Aspect that could be considered to have ties, but there's like, Some Stuff.

Hiveswap seems to double down on this. Diemen is constantly referencing phallic imagery, Kuprum and Lanque are both... Pretty intense and blatant about it. Elwurd uses her charms on Joey and brings the reader for a fake date to make her ex jealous and ends up hooking with another Troll in one of her routes. Chahut, Daraya and Cirava don't seem to have that much, but Cirava does have the idolization and attracting large groups of people that led to people turning on them due to their fame, and Daraya goes against the Status Quo, which in her particular case is not wanting to be sent to a cloister- Her archetype is that of a rebellious teen, punky, rebelling against society, and the very kinda religious 'christian school' vibe the Jades have, so that kinda tracks.

Chahut doesn't seem have much in regards to that explicitly though she flirts HARD with Daraya. However, her very name is also a reference- The Maenad were women followers of Dionysus, defined by frenzied and orgiastic rites.

So yeah there seems to be... Some Connection.

#Kinda mildly NSFW? #HSE #Hope #Aspect

[yannisdesk]

My First Depictions of Dionysus + Why I Imagine Ariadne the Way I Do

So, it's quite funny my first time seeing depictions of Dionysus: Percy Jackson & the Olympians and True Blood.

Why was I watching True Blood in middle school? I loved vampires, fantasy, and mythology + I was watching it with a trusted adult (my older brother lol) so it wasn't as if I had to stomach the grittier parts of the show on my own.

But, if you've read the Percy Jackson books and also seen Season 2 of True Blood, which heavily centers the mythology of Dionysus and the maenads, then you can imagine my shock when I saw S2.

Is this the SAME god I was reading about? The SAME god that's cranky all the time because has to drink diet soda all the time?

It shouldn't come as a shock that the True Blood depiction is more accurate to his mythos (though, not entirely due to the whole "association with Satan" thing they had going on). So yeah, needless to say, I was quite educated on the wine god after that.

BUT here's another thing: it also gave me some insight into Ariadne.

See Season 2 confused me, because by that point I had read The Titan's Curse and learned that Dionysus had a wife, Ariadne. So, when Maryann was talking about wanting to marry Dionysus, that was a head-tilter. While Dionysus isn't exactly 100% faithful to Ariadne in mythology, he sure as hell isn't ditching her for someone else either.

But that being said, Maryann is what I think of when I think of what someone who wants to marry Dionysus would be like. While I'm not saying Ariadne would be as evil as Maryann (rest assured, Maryann will forever be iconic.) she would definitely vibe with Dionysus' whole madness, hedonism, liberation from social restraints, etc...

And it perfectly works out. Given how much Ariadne was put through in her life, the labyrinth, and her hopes being crushed by Theseus, I could totally see her adapting a "fuck it all," "doing me" type of attitude, and low-and-behold, she just so happens to meet the god that represents the "fuck it all" mentality.

So depictions of Ariadne that portray her as meek or even scared of Dionysus have just never made sense to me. I always imagined her as a party-girl who thrived off of Dionysus' energy and was totally down for his lifestyle; and likewise her outlook after Theseus' abandonment is what attracted Dionysus to her as well. They are wine-drinking hedonists together.

And yes, of course, she can still have her domain of weaving, Ariadne can be a party-lover and still have hobbies!

EDIT: Just remembered Ariadne's Roman name is Libera, which obviously has ties to the Latin root word liber meaning "free." Liber is also a translation for "Dionysus." One of his epithets is Eleuthereus which means "of liberation, freedom." Just further proving my claim that they are more alike than different :)

#dionysus #ariadne #percy jackson and the olympians #true blood #maryann forrester #pjo #greek mythology #greek gods

[bbael]

Idk how to explain properly but. Candid-ish flash photography of bacchanalia (?) and vintage/ancient perfume bottles.

(Ik there’s bats and clowns as well but these two i def think of u)

YES OMG I'm so happy rn ahnfng, I strive for the maenad vibes so badly 🥹 so flattered that you brought this up alsooo I've been told a couple times that about vintage perfume bottles and it makes me smile :'3 since I'm very into them and fragrances in general ♡ so sweet u remembered,, thank you!

#i know exactly the kind of pics youre talking about and they are so gorgeous. rly wish i could be in one of them #thank you♡ #asks

[mercy-mercie-mercymorn]

agro's oc master list (2/?)

more links will come along eventually. i've realized that splitting up my oc universe into distinct categories is easier said than done. anyways, ocs under the cut because i don't want to explode ur dash (yet)

➼ greek gang ➼

cynthia

name: cynthia nikolaev/kılıç/metaxas/a bunch of different last names

human?: nah, succubus! (generally referred to as hellspawn) 

bday: n/a, but she’s decided she’s a scorpio

deal: faraj’s younger half-sister. has mommy issues and wants to kill her mom sooo bad. currently residing in a seaside California town where she vodka aunts it up for anyone who crosses her path. her former paramours include apollo, melia, lee, and many, many more. a member of the amica ignis. often carries a red umbrella with her. 

powers: the best pyromancy. also she and faraj performed a ritual that makes them functionally immortal—they can’t die unless the other one is killed simultaneously (their injuries give the other minor side effects; cynthia’s is blood dripping from everywhere). 

likes: annoying her brothers, trashy soap operas, and overcast weather. dislikes: her mother, the gods, and open-toed shoes (sandals are gauche). 

songs: Venus - Shocking Blue, San Francisco - The Mowgli’s, Ace In The Hole - Saint Motel 

faraj

name: faraj al-marri

human?: incubus (hellspawn)  

bday: n/a

deal: cynthia’s older half-brother. the oldest hellspawn still kicking. a frequent but unenthusiastic accomplice in many of cynthia’s harebrained schemes. as phaidonos, was one of the important thinkers/philosophers in the ancient world, although his name was lost to history. currently an anthropology professor in toronto. angel is his TA. 

powers: terramancy. a lot more powerful than he lets on. his blood ritual side effects are insane heartburn. 

likes: breakfast food, weird-patterned ties and socks, and philosophy. dislikes: using the internet, wet socks, and being seen in sweatpants. 

songs: Up the Wolves - The Mountain Goats, Mother Mother - Tracy Bonham, As Time Goes - JR JR

apollo

name: apollo

human?: deity

bday: he made it the fuck up (it’s the summer solstice of any given year) 

deal: the greek god of the sun. artemis’s twin brother. a disaster bisexual. currently running a shrine on the asteriai island with his priestesses, vega and caph. paramours include vega (current), cynthia (former), virgo (former) and more. loving their mom is the only thing he and his sister can agree upon. 

powers: can summon bow/arrows, healing, sun bullshit (teehee *blinds you*), musical magic, assorted godly powers like shapeshifting and summoning. immortal.

likes: pretty mortals, singing, and being the center of the universe. dislikes: his father’s wife, rainy days, and not being the center of the universe. 

songs: Martian - The Moxies, Quesadilla - WALK THE MOON, Neighbor - Los Elk

artemis

name: artemis

human?: deity

bday: fuck no

deal: the greek goddess of the moon. apollo’s twin sister. often quite standoffish and mean (but i love her for it), especially towards apollo and cynthia. the only people she likes are angel and shinatobe. primarily spends time in the woods—occasionally with a few huntresses and some animal sidekicks. she’s just vibing. 

powers: can summon bow/arrows, can do a bunch of animal-related magic, moon powers, assorted godly powers. immortal. can and will kill you with a single shot. 

likes: solitude, animals, and being far, far away from her family. dislikes: you (probably), big cities, and video games (she is bad at them and does not understand them) 

songs: Miranda Beach - COIN, Harlem - Cathedrals, Coole Katze - Namika

ash

name: ash fyllas (formerly known as melia) 

human?: maenad (nymph in the service of dionysus), former naiad (water nymph) 

bday: feb 29 

deal: born as a naiad, became a maenad after a meet-cute with dionysus. one of the OG greek gang along with oenone and faraj. after two thousand-ish years with and without the hellspawn twins, has settled in NYC where she’s just trying to get high in peace. hopelessly in love with oenone.

powers: nails can become super sharp talons, can control how inebriated she gets (a surprise tool that will help us later!), and can occasionally call on Dionysus. immortality.

likes: drinking, MMA, and skinny-dipping. dislikes: cleaning her room, the gods, and being forced to pick sides. 

songs: Harlem - New Politics, Cult of Dionysus - The Orion Experience, Queen Cobra - The Orphan The Poet

oenone

name: oenone

human?: oread (mountain nymph) 

bday: n/a

deal: the wine woman of mount ida. a former minor player in the dumpster fire tableau that was the trojan war. historians and poets say she killed herself when she refused to heal her ex, paris, causing him to die. that’s just not true, but her friends don’t know what happened to her. 

powers: terramancy, immortality. 

likes: wine, goats, and lazy summer days. dislikes: the gods, weeding the garden, and city life. 

songs: Prairie Girl - Rah Rah

#long post #but it's actually a bit short! #oc content lol #agro's oc master list

[beatingdrumspouringwine]

MFA Dionysos Photo Dump + Chat!

As was promised so many days ago, here's a photo dump from my trip to the MFA Boston last Thursday! The amount of stuff they have on Dionysos is actually incredible, and as I said in my initial post, I would really recommend visiting if you ever find yourself in New England/near Boston :)

Also, just a fair warning, this is going to be a pretty long post - prepare thy selves!

To start, I would like to let everyone know that they did put Dionysos on a coin, in case you were worried (coins aren't a big thing for me, but I thought this was kind of cool)

Next, we have this vase featuring Dionysos and two satyrs! I love the relaxed pose of Dionysos, who's holding a drinking horn in His hand

This vase here features Dionysos in a vineyard. I find it pretty interesting that He seems to be depicted with a beard more on the vases than on His statues, although that seems to be a maybe more common theme with all the Gods? Would love if someone knew why this happens!

Another interesting vase, this one depicting the worship of Dionysos. This is probably one of the reasons that I love art history so much - we can get a much more precise picture of what the past was like through the art than the writing, IMO. If ever I find myself either A. immensely rich or B. with a group of super talented friends, I would love to recreate this. I forget which festival this was, although my guess is Anthesteria.

Moving on to the statuary - this depicts Dionysos and a Maenad, in the act of sharing wine (specifically from the Maenad to Dionysos). Although the arm is broken off, the jug "hanging" from the Maenad's hip is a wine jug, which it seems is actually being prepared to be poured into Dionysos' drinking cup. This is definitely a scene I'm planning on keeping in mind for future ritual - the idea of giving to Dionysos as if He were standing in the room, holding His cup out for wine.

This is one of my favorites - a head of Dionysos (called Bacchus, because it's of Roman make). When you're there in person, His eyes are just about at eye level, and there's something incredibly powerful about looking almost directly into the eyes of your God. This is usually where I stop and do my prayers to Dionysos, since the statue gives such a feeling of connection!

This is a Roman sarcophagus depicting Dionysos' triumphal return from India. I feel like He gets a bit lost in the chaos, but the vibes on this coffin are immaculate! The chaos on the coffin is really fun, with Hercules is at the front, drunk after having lost to Dionysos in a drinking contest. This whole thing definitely fits the mythological timeline's vibes well, since, if I remember correctly, this is the starting point of His conquest that leads Him to the kingdom of Thebes in the Bacchae.

This ceiling painting by John Singer Sargeant is definitely a different depiction of Dionysos than how I see Him, but it's meant to be an homage to Dionysos as the God of the theater (I believe), and it definitely gives off those vibes. Also, the pose that He's making is really fitting!

This one's a bit blurry, my apologies! This depicts the moment that Dionysos finds Ariadne on the shores of Naxos, and just before He throws Her crown into the sky. I'm not the biggest fan of this particular style of painting, and as far as I can tell, there's no real reason for me to dislike it. But to give credit where credit is due, I feel like Dionysos finding Ariadne is a severely underrepresented theme in art, and I do appreciate the artist for actually making a piece on it. The story of the two of Them is probably one of my favorites, and I think about it at least once a day :)

Final one! This statue is actually a lot smaller than it looks, and a 17th or 18th century recarving of a different Roman work. This is Dionysos and Ariadne, originally a satyr and a maenad. I love how there seems to be a sense that They both see each other as equals - both in the similar position of the hands in front, the looks on Their faces, and also (not pictured here) Ariadne's hand on the back, which is resting pretty close to Dionysos' butt, in a playfully loving manner. Everything about this seems to speak to a relationship founded on love, equality, and ease. It definitely captures at least Dionysos' vibes - I haven't prayed to Ariadne much, but I feel that it must capture Her vibes as well :)

TL;DR: Art is cool, museums are cool, go while you're still a student and getting into places for free, and praise Dionysos (obviously)!

#dionysos #dionysian #dionysus #dionysos deity #dionysus deity #ariadne #ariadne deity #hellenic polytheism #hellenic polytheist #hellenic pagan #hellenic gods #hellenism #paganblr

[archon-maenad]

hello, welcome to my pinned post! I'm archon-maenad, formerly known as wormpinions, and this is meant to be a guide and warning all at once for my blog. if you're following me with any level of active interest I highly recommend at least skimming this.

below the read-more contains general disclaimers I wish everyone who read my posts could know, a list of takes I have that might be deal-breakers, a summary of each au I created that I post about on here, and an extensive masterlist of my insane tagging system.

and here's my ao3 above the rm, because I'm shameless and desperate for interaction.

honestly, by general disclaimers I mostly mean one thing with a few aspects that I really really really want to make sure people know. specifically the concept of bashing vs criticism.

I do not like the idea of bashing characters. fics tagged with that are a red flag, I always use the "[character] Critical" because it's more accurate to the nuance I want to have. people are not one dimensional. they can have a fuckload of flaws I want to scream about from the rooftops and/or cackle about and still have the opportunity to become better people.

I can admit that I do like bashing settings, but I also use the "[topic] Critical" tag for that because once again: nuance is very important. some worlds are completely fucked but that doesn't mean they don't have redeeming qualities or became that way for a reason.

having to add on to every post that I have thoughts beyond the scathing analysis or (hopefully) amusing dunking would get old real fast, so let me put it here. I do not hate unconditionally. I am capable of exploring generous good-faith interpretations of characters I dislike or settings I criticize. I acknowledge the layers of why people act or places work.

that being said, welcome to the possible deal-breakers part of this post. here are a list of popular characters I will ruthlessly drag for making awful decisions.

itachi uchiha. why does nobody talk about how he literally deadass canonically no-I-am-not-exaggerating tortured his little brother. how can people call him a good sibling What The Actual Fuck????

kakashi hatake. he did team 7 so fucking dirty, mans was really willing to throw a bunch of children out into life as soldier-mercenaries unprepared. I understand why he did (70% of his personality is trauma) but that doesn't mean I condone it.

naruto uzumaki. yes I am very critical of the main boy himself. he's so blind to the privilege he has and expects other people to forgive things as easily as he does, minimizing the very real grievances they might have just because the person being criticized is one he cares about.

sasuke uchiha. do I need to elaborate.

minato namikaze. this one is more me just being really annoyed at how the fandom is so quick to paint him in a saintly light when he killed a thousand people and became a military dictator.

batman. I have a lot of problems with how he handles his rogues and the child heroes trailing at his heels.

all-might. he's a criminally negligent teacher and taught japan that triumph written in blood is peace. dude really singlehandedly fucked up a whole country's culture.

eraserhead. the fact he is a good hero willing to die for his students does not mean he isn't actively sabotaging their ability to trust authority figures, and dadzawa is entirely a fan creation. in canon he seriously gives so many rancid vibes.

izuku midoriya. his self-righteousness and lack of respect for boundaries just makes me nauseous. and instead of getting a mentor who helps him grow as a person, he got one who reinforced all his toxic traits.

daemon targaryen. he ordered the deaths of children and SEDUCED HIS FOURTEEN YEAR OLD NIECE. FOURTEEN. and then fucked her later right after her husband's funeral like that genuinely makes me want to throw up it's so disrespectful and disgusting.

rhaenyra targaryen. yes the double standards for women cheating are definitely real, but passing off her bastards as trueborn and then getting mad when people don't want a woman who believes she has a right to break vows on the throne is just. wowza. hubris should have been her middle name.

padme amidala. if you aren't going with an interpretation where anakin (probably out of unconscious negligence but that doesn't excuse it) manipulated her emotions, then you gotta face the fact that your precious girlboss married a mass murderer and is willing to put all the bills she pushes concerning the jedi at stake by doing that.

on the flipside, here are some characters I shamelessly love that are divisive figures in fandom.

sakura haruno. her harassment of sasuke is disgusting but she was a twelve year old girl who was taught such behavior was acceptable and also that doesn't mean she should be sent off to die with no training. why y'all hating on her she's a queen.

ron weasley. I probably won't make any actual posts about hp because contributing to the discussion of jk rowling's works makes me feel slimy, but appreciation of ron is a very important personality trait of mine y'all need to know.

the whole jedi order. they handled anakin's situation horribly but it was out of ignorance and not malice, and we are jedi culture positive in this household. jedi knights and masters not marrying has a lot of valid reasons actually and if that's a dealbreaker you should transfer to the corps or leave! it's not a lifestyle for everyone and it doesn't need to be.

sansa stark. I'm getting pretty tired of writing all these up so I'm not even going to elaborate. I love sansa and I'm not sorry about it.

and finally, yes I am the bitch who got dragged for liking kill orders. please go here for my explanation for those thoughts in detail that the (in hindsight really badly written because I was too enthusiastic to give enough context and oh my god it really does paint me in a bad light) original post didn't cover.

now the fun stuff. my aus!

riley midoriya au: a reformed but still pretty wild bonesaw is reborn as izuku's twin sister, quickly replacing bakugou's canon role model status. cue a protagonist who grew up around scathing commentary concerning japan's cape scene bc homegirl is Not Impressed by her new life.

bonesaw at camp half blood au: riley is reborn as annabeth chase. her unique worldview and curiosity shake things up quite a bit, because everyone around here is too damn quick to accept the status quo and not question the facts being told.

taylor uzumaki au: taylor hebert is reborn as naruto. she hates her new world, especially the normalized child soldiers and thoughtless way they take chakra for granted, and unknowingly makes ninja double take by being her usual unhinged self.

forbidden histories au: two codependent eldritch gods from cultist simulator get stuck in the body of sakura haruno and proceed to wreak havoc trying to get back to their home reality.

genesis generation au: my own personal post-canon fix-it. aka hokage sakura, ambassador naruto, under house arrest with chakra binding seals and rethinking all his life choices sasuke, and economies not based on child soldiers.

the rest of my tags will have to be sorted by category because there are just... so many. why am I like this.

first are the general fandom tags. they're what they say on the tin, and are for any mention or reference to anything in one of these pieces of media.

parahumans

naruto

pjo (aka the percy jackson books/world)

my hero academia

dc universe

svsss (aka scum villain system)

danny phantom

asoiaf (aka a song of ice and fire, or game of thrones)

star wars

danganronpa

disco elysium

the promised neverland

cultist simulator

animorphs

also the individual characters from those pieces of media but I'm not gonna list em all I ain't insane

next are the opinions tags, used for when something of actual substance is said on a topic. I had to prune these down they were getting crazy so here's the new list.

taylorpinions: taylor hebert opinions

rileypinions: riley grace davis opinions

ninepinions: slaughterhouse nine opinions (for the concept and non-riley members)

betpinions: earth bet opinions (culture, other unique aspects, and also now covers the aftereffects of endbringers)

bcfpinions: brockton's celestial forge by lord_roustabout opinions

wormpinions: worm opinions (everything else parahumans)

shinobipinions: shinobi opinions (covers everything naruto related so far)

dcpinions: dc universe opinions

umeipinions: all fics by umei no mai opinions

starpinions: star wars opinions

miscpinions: miscellaneous opinions (fandoms I don't cover with regularity)

and finally, the uncategorized tags.

mae just talks: what it says on the tin, me talking (usually not fandom related)

fic rec: also what it says on the tin, posts with links to recommended fics

worm liveblog: what it says on the tin, my live reactions to reading worm.

I have no idea if anyone will actually read this monster of a post, but it's important to me that it exists. so if you made it here to the end, thank you. I hope you enjoy my -pinions!

#please read this

[nysus-temple]

Do you have any source for Dionysus and Artemis being together? I have seen them like that in some of your posts but i have never found anything of them together

Yes I do, anon !! I hardly ever make up stuff without using sources.

In the Orphic Hymn XXXVI to Artemis there's some Dionysus' epithets used with her, like "βακχεία ( Βάκχος )", let's say, "related to Bacchus". Later there's also the sentence "you who enjoys with the bacchanal delusions" which mainly did Dionysus' followers, the Maenads for example.

So yeah, she enjoys vibing with him. Plus Dionysus' likes raw meat and she's the literal goddess of the hunt. They're hunting buddies.

#they do be besties #this blog's main gang has sources from everywhere #yay #dionysus lore #hunting pals #artemis #dionysus #greek mythology #not incorrect quotes #answers

[princess-of-the-corner]

...I haven't even thought of the Lov yet...

Anyway some ideas I had for the UA staff were,

Gremlin for Power Loader. Gremlins were thought up to excuse technology problems so perfect for him.

The Ghost Rider for Snipe. Like c'mon that's perfect for his cowboy vibe and he covers his face because he doesn't want to steal a students soul.

A Golem for Cementoss. I already have Kirishima as a Gargoyle so this was his next pick.

Hound Dog I have as a descendent of Fenrir.

Ectoplasm is a Poltergeist.

Vlad King is Vampire... obviously. Though I did consider making him a half-orc cause of the bottom fangs.

Recovery Girl is a Valkyrie, she chooses who enters the afterlife if they die in battle. The word to focus on here is "IF". Of course she wouldn't let anyone die without doing something to help first.

Mic is a Mandrake, scared of bugs cause they might eat him, loud screams. Perfect.

Succubus is an obvious pick for Midnight... so I didn't do that. She is a Maenad, a follower of Dionysus, of course she tones it done for her coworkers and students.

Aizawa... I wanna keep to myself cause I like it.

And of course Nezu... nobody knows, he always keeps it to himself and nobody can figure it out :)

Ahahahahahahahahaha

Actually that's hilarious that you have Power Loader as a Gremlin because that's what I used for Mei!

Snipe being Ghost Rider is actually kind of interesting, but tbh I see 'Ghost Rider' as more of a job title than a species, which is what I'm doing with the Grim Reaper so like. Similar vibe but I have two different characters as the Grim Reaper.

Same hat on Vlad King as a Vampire though!

i absolutely did make Midnight a Succubus/Incubus though.

Mic is the Banshee I mentioned earlier!

Aizawa is actually a Gorgon for mine!

Nezu is kinda fun in that he was a Witch's Familiar who eventually became Sapient and a Witch in his own right.

Haven't really hammered out the rest but those are interesting ones!

#bnha monster au

[agnesandhilda]

I watched this production of the bacchae last night and, while I can't speak for its accuracy, I had a great time!

some impressions:

dionysus is played by a woman here, but dionysus is still referred to as "zeus's son" or with he/him pronouns sometimes, in what I assume is a holdover from the original script. (generally, masc terms are used for dionysus when his mythological background is being discussed, and she/her when she's physically present on stage). but in practice it just seems like dionysus has she/him swag

everyone's yassified. the maenads look like all their clothes come from forever 21 and it rules

pentheus and his cronies are costumed as patrick bateman wannabes, and I think it works for emphasizing how they're more controlled/conservative than the maenads

going in I figured dionysus would be the real showstopper, and she does a good job, but the actor for pentheus puts his whole pussy into it and I wasn't expecting that. he's really got that stodgy prep school boy energy

dionysus being played by a woman highlights the homoerotic aspect of pentheus' little "you're so pretty---not that I'm interested or anything" tangent, which I got to ramble to my mom about!

the maenads' dance numbers between the scenes are easily the iffiest parts of the production, but I appreciate that they're there (to replicate the music numbers that would've originally been there for an english-speaking audience. and music is hard to adapt, I know) and they're fun enough so 🤷

my favorite maenad is the one in the highlighter yellow skirt btw

cadmus wears a crop top in his introduction scene and I think that's beautiful

agave is only in one scene but she slays (ha) it. she's so frenzied!! my mom thought it was weird but I was into it so whatever

midway through pentheus' guards description of his death I realized that, while my professors told me most violence in greek dramas was kept offscreen because graphic violence didn't fit the sensibilities of audiences at the time, it's also, just, hard to depict scenes like this in a theater format, especially without modern special effects. how would you even pull off sparagmos if you had to perform it live with ~400s BCE tech? you couldn't! all you can do is send some dudes in after the fact to say "it was SO crazy guys you should've seen it"

I'm kind of disappointed pentheus wasn't costumed like the rest of the maenads when it came to giving him a disguise, because I personally LOVE fishnets and think everyone should wear them, but his boobs were out so I can't complain

on a related note dionysus' divine form is costumed like an insta baddie all in leather which is fun I think

I've been reading the paul roche version of the bacchae bc that's what I've got access to, but reading a play and seeing it performed are very different even if you try to remember it's a performance piece as you read, and seeing the actors get emotional in delivering their lines was interesting to me bc I mostly read their tones as flat/calm initially, which gives the bacchae a more sedate vibe

this makes me want to watch more productions of greek dramas. maybe shakespeare. I wanna see more dismembered bodies on stage

#bolo liveblogs #the bacchae #warwick ancient drama festival 2022 #tagamemnon

[loominggaia]

I’m not sure if this question has been asked before, but is Karenza the only one capable of giving Maenads their Titan forms? Could other divines perhaps give Maenads Titan forms, albeit ones that are far different to the Minervae? I remember you saying Disgrace could do that, but Disgrace is kind of an outlier due to his alien nature.

Good question! Spellcrafting is as much of an art as it is a science. Every mage has their own little techniques that make the outcome each spell highly individual.

One doesn't necessarily have to be a divine to turn maenads into minervae, they just have to be extremely skilled in transmutation magic. Any mage could technically do what Karenza does to the maenads, but here's the thing...it would be like trying to recreate a master's painting.

The general idea might be there, but it will never be an exact copy, because the original is made up of thousands of the master's individual brush strokes. Not even the master themself could recreate the painting exactly; every version would be a little different. Just a few little brush strokes can change the vibe of the whole painting dramatically.

This is why there are differences between even Karenza's own minervae. You have some who can see into the future, some who can't, and some who can see so far into eternity that it drove them insane. Some have pinkish hair and features while others are more purplish. Each minervae turns out a bit different. There are inconsistencies between individuals, but you can still tell they were crafted by Karenza because they have her signature "style". Minervae are like living pieces of art.

Knowing this, imagine how different another mage's minervae would be from Karenza's. No mage can perfectly replicate Karenza's "brush strokes".

What I'm trying to say is: if minervae were crafted by someone else, they probably wouldn't resemble the minervae we know at all. They would be very different creatures.

For example, look at this picture showing the Mona Lisa painted by different artists:

They're all paintings of the same woman, but since each artist has their own style and technique, they have all turned out quite different from eachother, some to the point of being almost unrecognizable.

Likewise, each mage's minervae might be the same creature in spirit and intention, but they will probably take vastly different forms.

It's a hard concept for me to explain, but I hope that makes sense!

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

#ask #askmagic #askdivine #askminervae #asknymph #askkarenza

[peggy-sue-reads-a-book]

Why Dionysus is the best or things that remind you of him ( both?)

Aw Dio is a real cute boy.

Ok, my first encounter with him was (obvs) D’Allaire’s picture book. And, of course, Euripides’ work, which frightened me. He’s a first rate weirdo, Dionysus. I remember an essay about him being there as an opposing energy to Apollo, which is interesting. He seems a lot freer spirited than the others. Something about Corinth being both sacred to him and Aphrodite was always cool to me. Was it just like … bestie island for them? Dionysus is the best because he’s frolicsome and idyllic. His childhood and the maenads and the leopards and his weird little artichoke wand. Such a strong vibe, all of it.

Things that remind me of him? Johnny Depp. I wanna see Johnny Depp play Dionysus.

Also this painting full of butts. Enjoy.

#answered ask #you asked peggy answered #pjo is Dionysus slander #he’s sexy #dionysus #maenads #the bacchae #the Greek gods #the pantheon #greek mythology #classical ass