#they're like the sun & moon variant set

[princesssarisa]

The Donkeyskin tales in Heidi Ann Heiner's Cinderella Tales from Around the World have now reached Eastern Europe: Russia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine.

*In several of these versions, the heroine's incestuous suitor is her brother instead of her father. One Polish version is even called Brother and Sister, though it bears no resemblance to the Brothers Grimm tale of the same name.

*The heroine isn't always a princess, but sometimes just a rich lord or duke's daughter. Nor is her eventual husband always a prince or king, but sometimes just a rich gentleman. In most versions, however, they're both royal.

*Several versions have the father/brother choose the heroine as his bride because only her finger fits a certain ring. But in others, he chooses her just for her matchless beauty, or in the versions with a father, because no one else is as beautiful as her mother was.

*As usual, the heroine typically asks for three gowns that resemble the sun, moon, and stars, or just two that resemble the sun and moon, though in the Ukrainian tale The Girl with the Louse-Skin Cloak, the third gown resembles the dawn instead of the stars.

*Her disguise is typically a coat made from the skin of lice (which must have been very hard to make!), or mice, or a pig. Though in one Polish version, Princess Cat's-Eyes, it's made of cats' eyes – which must be very slimy and disgusting!

*Her advisor is sometimes her mother's spirit, sometimes an old woman, and sometimes the Virgin Mary.

*She typically hides her gowns inside a hollow tree or rock near the castle or mansion where she works.

*One Russian version, Mashka Smutty-Nose, has no magic in it. She just hides her finery in a perfectly normal hollow tree and just makes herself dirty instead of wearing a fantastical disguise.

*The theme of the heroine's love interest throwing objects at her when she's a scullery maid, and her later giving the names of those objects as her own name or the name of the place she comes from (e.g. "My name is Boot," "My name is Towel," "My name is Looking-Glass."), is once again common. But in Mashka Smutty-Nose, it's the young man's father who does this to her instead.

*In one Lithuanian version, The Beautiful Princess, there's no romance – instead, the prince is her brother, who also left their father's castle, and by coincidence comes to stay as a guest at the same estate where she now works as a scullery maid. He's the one who throws objects at her when she tries to wait on him in disguise. In the end, when her identity is revealed, brother and sister set off together to start a new life far away from their mad father.

*As in the Scandinavian versions, the heroine usually attends church rather than a ball, thought occasionally she attends a feast instead.

*Several of these variants feature a Cinderella ending, where a lost shoe identifies the heroine. But The Beautiful Princess has an alternative that occasionally appears in other countries too – the prince asks the "scullery maid" to louse his head, and as she does so he notices shining fabric under her shabby cloak and tears off the cloak to reveal her beautiful gown. And in the Polish tale of Mouse-Skin, the cook orders Mouse-Skin to make cakes for the king, because to do so she'll have to take off her cloak. The cook and the king then spy on her through a chink and see her in her gown.

*Some versions from both Russia and Poland feature only the beginning of the story. The king wants to marry his daughter or sister, so she demands gowns that look like the sun, moon, and stars. After she receives them, she either puts them on herself or on three life-sized wooden puppets which she stands among. This serves as a magical ritual: the earth promptly opens up and swallows her, and her father/brother never sees her again.

*Russia also has a "princess hides in a hollow object" variant, called The Wonder of Wonders. In this tale, she hides inside a bed frame that's sold to the prince. (Hiding inside the bed where her future husband sleeps every night... that's certainly different from versions with a chest or a statue!)

Next on the list: tales from Southeastern and Central Europe.

@ariel-seagull-wings, @adarkrainbow, @themousefromfantasyland

#cinderella #donkeyskin #fairy tale #variations #cinderella tales from around the world #heidi ann heiner #tw: incest

[thatlittleegyptologist]

You said questions about Acient Egypt might help taking your mind off of things.

So I went through some books (not AE, media designer) and stumbled upon some hieroglyphs. Since this is not even about AE I'm highly skeptical about their accuracy.

This portion of the book is about the development of script and writing. (Pictograms and hieroglyphs are mentioned very close together but it doesn't explicitly say hieroglyphs are pictograms)

The text under the picture says: "The picture writing/hieroglyphs/pictographic script of Egypt from prehistoric times. Elements later got adopted into the known hieroglyphs."

The words in the picture left to right, top to bottom are as follows: eye, sun, angle, horn, walking/arriving, star, moon, cry, fly, mouth, row/to paddle, walking back/return

I guess my question is: How accurate is this? Especially the walking towars or walking away one's? Iirc hieroglyphs are read towards the was a person hieroglyph is facing so wouldn't walking towards and walking away from something depend on the reading direction?

Thank you in advance!

I hope you are feeling better soon <3

umm...well it is and it isn't

To start off with, let's cover the easy part: if using 'walking away' or 'no' then yes the legs can face the opposite direction. This is something the Egyptians do to demonstrate the 'movement' of the word to those who are illiterate, so if they see the legs facing the wrong way they know the word means 'moving away' or 'no'. Culturally, oracles (used for legal disputes) moved forwards for yes, and backwards for no ('n in Egyptian being the word for 'no' which has the backwards legs), so in the correct context it's understandable to the Egyptians. It is true that you read into the faces, but as with every rule there are exceptions!

Now, as for the other part: It's sort of a yes and no situation. It's not wrong per se, but it's a weird way of talking about it...as well as a weird set of signs to use (the Moon sign is literally a variant of the much more common one so it's like ????). There's a proto-literate script that develops around 3400 BCE, where you've got the clay labels for Scorpion I in tomb UJ at Umm el-Qa'ab (Abydos) and the signs are already pretty recognisable. They didn't get 'adopted' into the hieroglyphic system, they already were the hieroglyphic system just the earliest form of it. I mean they're using them to write information down and communicate it, and they're using pictographs as well as phonographs. It's such a weird way of talking about hieroglyphs and their history. If you look at the Abydos clay labels you can already see signs for Horus, the North/South plants, the birth hieroglyph, and a numbering system. Some of the signs in the example above are much more complex (the crying eye) than what existed at the time of the Abydos labels (which are mostly birds), so it can't be said that that sort of sign was an early addition and folded in later on.

idk, it's just...not wrong but it makes my brain itch unpleasantly

[ethanreedbooks]

Unveiling Marvel's Blood Hunt: A Thrilling Vampire Crossover Event!

Hey there, comic book fans! Marvel Comics is back at it again, and this time they're unleashing something truly epic: the Javier Fernandez Blood Hunt variant cover! With this stunning cover art, Marvel is gearing up for an exciting event written by Jed MacKay and illustrated by Pepe Larraz, set to kick off on May 1st. Get ready for multiple variant covers and even a rated R polybagged version, because this event is pulling out all the stops!

"I think vampires are a very fun part of the Marvel Universe," says MacKay. "BLOOD HUNT is just the latest chapter in the long-running vampire mythos of Marvel vampires—and they’re stepping out of the darkness in a big way."

So, what's the deal with Blood Hunt?

Picture this: the skies have gone dark, the sun is nowhere to be found, and the vampires have risen from their hidden lairs to wreak havoc on the Marvel Universe. It's Earth's final night, and even our mightiest heroes may not be enough to stop the tide of blood that's about to wash over the world. Join the Avengers, Blade, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and more as they face off against an army of bloodsuckers in a battle for survival like never before.

But that's not all! Blood Hunt isn't just confined to one series—it's a full-blown crossover event that will unfold across multiple limited series, one-shots, and tie-in issues. And if you've been following MacKay's stellar runs on titles like Moon Knight, Avengers, and Doctor Strange, you know that the stakes are higher than ever as the vampire legions of Earth unite for the first time in millennia.

To make things even more exciting, Blood Hunt #1 is hitting comic stands with a special FOIL VARIANT COVER by the talented Javier Fernandez. Featuring iconic heroes like Thor, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Spidey surrounded by an army of bloodthirsty vampires, this cover is sure to catch your eye and leave you hungry for more!

"I think vampires are a very fun part of the Marvel Universe," MacKay reiterates. "BLOOD HUNT is just the latest chapter in the long-running vampire mythos of Marvel vampires—and they’re stepping out of the darkness in a big way."

So, mark your calendars and get ready for a blood-soaked adventure unlike anything you've ever seen before. With Blood Hunt, Marvel Comics is raising the stakes and delivering an event that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Check out Fernandez's cover now and stay tuned for more blood-curdling announcements as we get closer to the release date. For all the latest updates, head over to Marvel.com and prepare yourself for the ultimate vampire showdown!

Written by JED MACKAY

Art and Cover by PEPE LARRAZ

Colors by MARTE GRACIA

On Sale 5/1

#blood hunt #marvel #spider man #moon knight #avengers #doctor strange #marvel universe #blade marvel

[goddessofmischief]

Another one lol

Loki and Morbius looking at Lokis life and seeing you in the flashbacks. You're a variant and had escaped a long time ago and Loki recalls some fond memories.

A/N: This is my first time doing a songfic, but the song fit so well. Probably my favorite Loki fic I’ve ever written. Trust me, listen to this song while you read.

Champagne Problems - Loki Laufeyson x Reader

...

No matter what the TVA did to him, Loki was sure they couldn't hurt him any worse than you already had.

How could they? You were gone.

In search of something that he, apparently, could never give you.

In front of him, the projector began to whir.

Loki scoffed.

"What is this?"

"A sampling of your greatest hits, if I may," said Mobius. On-screen, 2012 Loki winced.

"If it's all the same to you... I'll have that drink now."

"It's funny," said Mobius, "For someone born to rule, you sure do lose a lot. You might even say it's in your nature."

"You know, things didn't turn out so well for the last person who said that to me."

Mobius hummed.

"Do you enjoy hurting people?" Mobius asked. "Making them feel small? Making them feel afraid?"

"Your games don't frighten me," Loki said, feeling a little less self-assured.

"Making them feel little?"

"I know what I am."

"A murderer?"

"A liberator."

Mobius chuckled.

"Of eyeballs, maybe - look at that smile. You are enjoying that. Did you enjoy hurting them? Yeah. I don't see anything very mischievous about this. Which, brings me back to..."

Loki winced, watching your perfect face flicker on-screen.

Still perfect, after all these years.

"They're kinda your origin story, huh, Loki?"

"I don't want to talk about them."

"No, let's do it. Might help you. Besides, this is one of my favorites-"

Loki watched as a memory of you danced across the screen.

"Oh, I love this one," you exclaimed, pressing a book of spells into his arms. "Come on, you have to read it-"

Loki trailed behind you, a goofy, lovestruck expression on his face.

"See? That was cute."

Loki swallowed.

"It gets worse."

"Oh, I know," assured Mobius. "Check this out."

"Loki," you whispered, tangling his fingers in yours as you gazed at the stars, "Do you ever feel like... there might be more, out there?"

"More?" he asked, gazing at you like you were the sun, moon and stars.

"Like we're on the path set for us. Like... everything we do, we're meant to do. Y'know?"

He nodded, though he didn't really understand.

"Now, that's funny," Mobius said, chuckling. "Closest anyone's ever come to reasoning us out, I gotta say."

"Yes, she was very smart," Loki muttered.

You always had been.

Because I, dropped your hand while dancing

Left you out there standing

Crestfallen on the landing

Champagne problems

"Can we be done now?"

"No, wait, this is the good part," said Mobius, redirecting Loki's attention. He winced, watching you on the screen.

"I... I don't understand," young Loki stammered. "We're... we're meant to be together. I love you."

"I love you too," you whispered back, lacing your fingers in his. "But... I found something out, and I... I can't do what I'm meant to, anymore. Don't you ever feel like we're meant for something else? Something... more?"

"Yes, I do!" exclaimed younger Loki. "But... I never really thought about it very much. I just want you."

You kissed him, pressing the golden ring into his hand.

"I love you. I'm sorry."

You had a speech, you're speechless

Love slipped beyond your reaches

And I couldn't give a reason

Champagne problems

"Aw. She broke your heart, didn’t she?”

Loki cleared his throat.

“No need to answer - it’s all on your face, isn’t it? Yeah.”

Mobius paused the tape on Loki’s tear-struck expression.

"Shame," mused Mobius, "That we had to prune 'em."

"What?"

"Oh, yeah - see, when she broke the timeline... I had to take her in. That's why you never saw her again, I guess. The funny thing is - she kinda hung around here, for a bit. Yeah, we’ve got some of it on tape.”

Mobius cued up a tape with your name inscribed on it, and a flash of memories began to play out...

“Mobius, can't I stay here forever?” you asked, spinning around the turnstiles.

“”Fraid not, kid,” he said, solemnly. “You, uh... dodged your fate. There’s consequences to that.”

You swallowed, letting him walk you into the courtroom.

“How do you plead?”

Mobius mouthed ‘not guilty’ to you, but you didn’t seem to understand.

“Guilty.”

The Judge banged a gavel.

“I sentence you to being pruned from the Timeline.”

“What?” you gasped, struggling. Mobius lowered his head, unable to watch.

“What? No, please, no, let me go - Loki -”

End of tape.

“They came down on her pretty hard,” he said. “Probably because... well, her curiosity about the timeline set off a path of death and destruction, on your part.”

“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.”

“Probably for the best - she seemed a little crazy, anyway.”

“She wasn’t crazy,” Loki whispered. “She was brilliant.”

But you'll find the real thing instead

You won't remember all my

Champagne problems

...

If you liked this, please leave a comment or send me an ask!

#loki x reader #loki first look #loki disney+ #loki x reader angst #champagne problems #taylor swift #taylor swift lyrics #evermore #loki imagine #loki laufeyson #loki series #loki #loki trailer #loki x you #loki laufeyson x reader #loki laufeyson imagine #marvel #marvel x reader #loki (marvel) #marvel comics #marvel studios

[doubleddenden]

So I know inevitably after Let's Go comes out the genwunners are going to shit talk Alola, so I wanna take a bit to go over some of the cool stuff it did before it becomes the bane of existence like Black and White did when X and Y came out, and X and Y when ORAS came out.

Regional variants which hopefully will continue to be a thing in the future. A concept that brings fresh light to underappreciated pokemon in clever ways. Alolan Raichu is such a fav my niece used to make me let her play with it in Refreh.

A whole slough of incredible new pokemon. Sure some are really slow but they're all so unique and colorful with entrancing abilities. Mudsdale is a tank, Whishiwashi is so unique and powerful, and of course our dear Nebby for becoming one of the first legendaries to evolve. Also Incineroar for becoming number 69 in smash, the absolute LEGEND

Getting rid of HM's at long last. Like it's such a creative twist that benefits everyone and virtually no moves are hard locked, rendering move forgetters no longer needed.

Showing us an alternative to gyms. Totem pokemon were such a creative idea and legit challenging, and unnerving in the water trial's case. Sure in USUM the captains effectively numbered out to 8 but overall it was such a unique and creative change.

Effectively giving us proof of AU's with ultra wormholes. I wish that we could have expanded on some of it, but unique worlds like Ultra Megalopolis and the apocalyptic world where Guzzlord is found were so creative, even if they were one time deals.

A better Pokemon Amie with Refresh. Curing status ailments, feeding, and petting is much better than gen 6 and honestly I loved letting my niece feed Guzzlord and A. Raichu with it.

A creative PC space with the bean daddy. Honestly it relieved me when my pokemon weren't just stuck in the PC all day but had things they could do and explore or relax to their hearts content, plus you got some useful stuff out of it.

Such an expansive pokedex and even ways to obtain pokemon not in the dex via island scan. You could grab a Cyndaquil on the first island if you wanted, or catch a fully evolved Samurott on Poni Island.

You were the first champion! You got to defend your title against so many people like Hau, Gladion, Prof. Kukui, that rocker dude with the dragons from some random place, even that one youngster for whatever reason. It certainly beats the "oh you're champion but I'm REALLY the champion" every other game does.

Z moves, while debatable, are really cool, especially the signature ones. Sure I could do without the dances but it adds a fun extra option to the game! Having trouble with a fee? Just nuke them with a Z Move, or Z Splash to gain like 3 stages of attack!

Although quite often overlooked, Sun and Moon added two Chinese languages to the game! That's incredibly important and allowed so many people to play in their native language!

A glimpse of Red and Blue as adults! Not just these two but returning characters like Colress, Anabel and a MUCH more interesting backstory for her, even Grimsley for whatever reason.

Such a colorful array of characters. Even minor characters had a bit of limelight, and you know we all loved watching our girl Lillie become braver and stand up to her mom. Our boi Guzma also got the SICKEST bad guy theme song.

Sure the beginning held your hand but the difficulty was REAL. The Elite 4 was challenging, and you KNOW we ain't getting another rush like Ultra Necrozma powered up any time soon. The challenge is so appreciated after how easy X and Y were and I genuinely hope we get harder games in the future.

And I have to mention it because a lot of my friends bash on it for a similar reason I loved 5th gen: it set a new bar for story. So many twists and turns! So many dark moments that went beyond what should be E for everyone (child abuse? Frozen pokemon corpses?). Seriously, so much heart went into this story and making our characters so beloved, I can't imagine another game that tries to simplify things again. I know it'll happen eventually, but you know?

I know people will rip these games to shreds in the future for changing the formula so much or for packing in so much story and dialogue (to be fair a skip button would be nice for the tutorial) or for railing you to set paths but you know? These games truly celebrated the 20th anniversary in ways even the next Kanto remake refuses to do. I pray that gen 8 will be as good as these games, and I hope people remember them positively in the long run.

#pokemon #hi this is dd from 2024: gen 8 sucked except for Arceus #i was absolutely right with the bashing though