#Such a powerful feeling to see connections throughout all history

[incendiobrock]

The Driskill Hotel {Chris Sturniolo}

Summary: fem!reader x bf!Chris go to Austin, Texas with Matt and Nick to film a video for Sam and Colby's channel at the Driskill Hotel. The reader is very sensitive to the supernatural and gets convinced to do the elevator ritual alone... What could possibly go wrong? ;)

Warnings: anxiety/panic attacks, ghostly encounters, fear of elevators, language, FLUFFFFF

A/N: I know this video is from awhile ago but I've had this idea and couldn't stop thinking about it. I started my page with imagines like this for Colby x reader and so I wanted to throw it back to my roots and make a Chris x reader (because I'm a die hard Chris girl)

Part 2??

You had been a fan of Sam and Colby for years, enjoying their content and being fascinated with their supernatural findings. There was always a part of you that was convinced you had a special connection with the supernatural, feeling extremely vulnerable and tethered to their world. Maybe it was due to your empathic nature, or maybe you were a undiscovered medium that hadn’t tapped into your powers.

You never tapped into your "abilities" because you were scared of what could possibly come from speaking to the dead. But when Nick, Matt, and Chris (and yourself) got asked to join in for an XPLR video on Sam and Colby's channel, you all knew that you couldn't pass it down. This is what led you all to Austin, Texas where the historic, haunted, Driskill Hotel was located.

The night had started somewhat normal, you all walked through the hotel with a tour guide where she explained the history of the building as well as the ghost inhabitants. Throughout the tour you would catch glimpses of shadow figures on the wall, hearing inaudible voices, and being extra sensitive to smells like cigar smoke and roses. The fear was definitely building inside of you when you observed that none of the rest of the group seemed to be experiencing the same things you were. You did your best to hold it together, knowing the triplets were excited to be included in the video, and not wanting to ruin your own experience of an inner fangirl being on an XPLR trip.

As the tour wrapped up and the night went on, Sam and Colby began to lead the investigation portion of their video. You stayed glued to Chris' side, feeling comfort in his presence, even with everything going on around you. Chris held an EMF reader in his left hand as his right hand was busy interlocking your fingers, running his thumb over your knuckles soothingly. He couldn't tell if you were nervous or if you were just trying to hone in on filming the video since you were all a guest to Sam and Colby's channel.

You and Chris stayed slightly behind the group as you made your way over to the elevators on the main lobby for the next part of the video, the elevator ritual. The elevators had already been acting up earlier in the night, not wanting to take you guys up to the floor you had requested. Elevators weren't necessarily your favorite inventions, a slight irrational fear of being stuck in one or one falling with you inside.

"Matt, the ghosts seem to really like you. Maybe you should be the one to do the ritual." You heard Sam say, observing how the EMF in Matt's hand continued to light up to red as they crossed through the grand lobby. As you passed by the receptionist desk you saw the figure of a tall man dart across the wall, making you subconsciously squeeze Chris' hand out of fright. "What's up baby? You okay?" Chris asked softly, pausing in his tracks to check up on you.

"Did you see that?" You asked him back, hoping that maybe you weren't going as crazy as you thought you were. Chris furrowed his eyebrows, glancing around the rotunda, trying to see whatever it was you were talking about. "See what?"

You let out a shaky breath, your palms becoming clammy as all the supernatural sensitivity was beginning to catch up to you. The hand that was holding onto Chris' disconnected as you rubbed the sweat on your pants, "I keep seeing shadows on the walls..." Chris frowns at your reply, wrapping his arms over your shoulders and pulling you into a hug. His lips pressed a firm kiss on your forehead, "I won't let anything hurt you, I promise."

"Chris! Y/n! You guys coming?" Colby asked, staring at you two from down the hall where they had stopped in front of the elevators. "Yeah we're coming, sorry!" Chris responded, gently pulling away from the hug and instantly wrapping his hand back in yours. As you stood in front of the elevator doors Sam explained to the camera, and to all of you, what the elevator ritual would consist of.

"y/n, will you do the honors?" Sam questioned, pulling your out of your trance and causing your jaw to drop open. "Huh? What?" You stuttered, not registering what he had elected you to do for this ritual.

"Do you want to do the ritual?" He rephrased, looking at you with big, hopeful eyes. Your body tensed at the thought, not only did elevators terrify you, but you had already been experiencing paranormal things the whole night. "You don't have to if you don't want." Chris said, breaking the short silence that filled the room, knowing you were already on edge and trying to stand up for you in case you were wary about doing it. "Uh, yeah, I think I could do it... I would just need to write down the order of the floors." You said, uncertainty filling your voice.

"Awesome! I'll text it to you." Sam said, beginning to type up a message to send to your phone. A lump began to form in your throat as you awaited the notification being sent to you. Chris gently rubbed your lower back, doing his best to calm your anxiety without bringing too much attention to your state, understanding that you didn't like when others were aware of your intimate emotions. Your phone vibrated in your hand, looking down to see the message;

12:00AM

Sam: 4, 2, 6, 2, 10, 5, 1

"Okay it's exactly midnight, you have to start now." Colby said, pressing the up button and watching the elevator door open. You took the camera from him, not saying a word as you faced the elevator. You swallowed the lump in your throat, knowing there was no way you could back out of this now. Stepping into the elevator you instantly felt chills run up your spine.

"Now remember, when you get to the fifth floor a lady might join you. If she does then when you try to come back down to the lobby the elevator will actually go up to the tenth floor, that's how we will know it worked. If it comes back down to one then the lady didn't enter and the ritual failed." Sam said, reminding you and the audience how things were supposed to go.

Shakily, your finger made its way up to press the number four, officially beginning the ritual. The door slowly shut in front of you, keeping eye contact with Chris until you couldn't anymore. The elevator rose and the door opened, nobody was there. Floor two, nothing.

Sixth floor.

Second floor, again.

Tenth floor.

Then finally, the fifth floor. Your breath caught in your throat as the elevator door opened unusually slow, revealing an empty hallway. 'This is just a game', 'It's not real', you tried reminding yourself as your heart beat uncontrollably inside your chest. You waited for a couple seconds before pressing the button for the first floor, praying that this stupid ritual hadn't actually worked. The doors shut and the elevator began to descend back to the first floor, allowing you to let out a breath you didn't even realize you were holding. "I guess the ritual failed guys," You lightly giggled talking into the camera, feeling relief wash over your whole body.

"Woah!" You yelped, almost dropping the camera as the elevator slightly dropped, the lights inside flickering. The screen above the door signaling that you were on the third floor. Before you knew it the elevator came to a halt, stopping dead in its tracks on the third floor.

"What? Oh no, no, no, no, no..." You whispered, panic rising inside of you as you dropped the camera to the floor and made your way to the control panel. You smashed the button for the first floor over and over again, hoping the elevator would start to move again. Nothing was happening however, the buttons not even lighting up when you pressed them. You began to reach into your back pocket for your phone, pulling it out to call Chris.

The dial tone played as you dropped to the floor in a seated position, legs shaking beneath you. After three rings Chris' voice filled your left ear, "Hey babe, why did you stop on the third floor? We were waiting for you to come back down-" He said quickly before you cut him off.

"Chris! The elevator is stuck! I don't know what to do, I'm freaking the fuck out!" Your breath became labored as you heaved in and out, feeling like no matter how much air you inhaled it wasn't reaching your lungs correctly. "Woah, woah. Okay, calm down please! Just breath alright? Listen to my breathing!" Chris instructed, knowing you were on the verge of a panic attack.

He let out slow, steady breaths of air while your vision began to blur with tears. Your head started to heat up and your ears began to ring, "I-I can't Chris... I can't breathe!" You huffed, clenching your hand over your aching heart.

"The elevators stuck, somebody go try and find someone to help!" You faintly heard Chris yell to the other boys, holding the phone away from his ear so it wasn't directed to you. "Yes you can, I believe in you babe. Nick is going to get some help, okay? Just hang in there." He continued to comfort you through the phone, coaching your breath back to normal as Nick found an employee. After five minutes, which felt like an eternity to you, the elevator doors where being pried open. The elevator had stopped just barely off center to the second floor, making the door inoperable on your side.

When the doors were finally opened you couldn't help but let the tears you had been containing fall, all the overwhelming fear catching up to your eyes. The employee held out a hand for you as you jumped the three foot distance onto the second floor lobby, landing slightly unsteady as the tears blurred your vision. Chris rushed over to you, faster than you had ever seen him move before, pulling you deep into his embrace.

"There, there, I got you. I got you, don't worry." He said, running his big hand through your hair. Your arms wrapped tightly around his torso, scared that he might disappear if you didn't hold him close. Tears stained his jacket sleeve as you buried your head into his shoulder. You both stayed like that for awhile, the others watching as you crumbled into Chris' arms.

Once you had finally cooled down, you all sat on some couches that were in the main lobby. You drank some water that Nick had brought for you as you stayed by Chris' side, his arm wrapped over your shoulders. "Y/n, I am so so sorry that the elevator got stuck. I had no idea that was going to happen and I feel horrible. I didn't realize you were scared of elevators." Sam apologized to you, feeling guilty that he had put you in this position in the first place.

"Sam, it's not your fault! How would you have known the elevator was going to get stuck?" You said sincerely, appreciating his apology even though he had nothing to do with the unfortunate situation.

"If you guys need to call it a night and go back to your hotel, we completely understand." Colby said, offering to end the night where it was instead of finishing out the investigation. "No, it's okay. I'm good now, really. There's no need to scrap the rest of the video just because of me." You reassured, wanting the boys to finish the video they had put so much effort into already.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked you.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now who's ready for the Estes Method?"

[prince-kallisto]

Dire Crowley and The Magician Tarot

🧎Someone connected the countdown art to the tarot cards, and I feel like this had to be purposeful because all the characters match up so well!!!! Please check out this awesome thread for the other characters BUT IM LOSING MY MIND WITH CROWLEY BEING THE MAGICIAN AHCCHHXDHHD YANAAAAAAA

Also if anyone is interested in me making this an series of analyzing the TWST characters with their hypothesized tarot card, let me know! \(//∇//)\

The Magician was first conceived as a swindler or a “sleight of hand” artist. He was all about stage magic and putting up performances and false appearances before becoming the Magician well known today. The Magician heavily represents the concepts of unlimited power and potential and the “unification of the physical and spiritual worlds.”

The Magician is a fascinating tarot card, particularly with its imagery in the Rider-Waite series. Tarot cards have been interpreted many ways throughout history- I’d like to point out that Aleister Crowley, who is believed to be the name inspiration behind Dire Crowley, made his own tarot deck: the “Thoth Tarot.” I’d like to analyze Aleister Crowley and his potential relation to Dire Crowley someday too. But Rider-Waite continues to be the most popular tarot deck in regards to its art. And I find the Magician’s imagery to be VERY foreboding if it really does match up to Crowley.

In the card, The Magician has a cup, a sword, a wand, and pentacle, representing all four suits of the Minor Arcana. In the French suit, these four suits are represented by the clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Interesting considering Heartslabyul exists…these four objects are also reprentative of fire, air, water, and earth. Essentially, the Magician having these four items is representative of his power and his ability to do anything. Again, the implications of the Magician “wielding” all the suits is fascinating for Crowley.

Yes, anything! This is further symbolized by the infinity sign over his head, as the Magician heavily relates to the idea of “eternity” and “infinite possibilities.” Whatever the Magician IMAGINES, it can become real. See how one hand points to the sky and the other points to the ground? It is believed to be a reference to the phrase of “as above, so below,” which is an entire rabbit hole in itself to explain haha. In the Magician card, his pointing essentially means HE is the connection between the Universe above and the earth below. He connects imagination with reality, essentially a conduit. Like the card says, he is capable of anything as long as he can imagine it. Considering how we have different realms in TWST, particularly with Mickey in the mirror and Malleus’ dream world, the Magician being a connector between two worlds is. Interesting 👀 I also think CROWLEY being the one in charge of the Gates/Coffins in the prologue is significant- he may have been the one to summon Yuu into this world. He even says himself that the gates are a representation of your “former” and “new” world.

The eternity symbolism increased with the “belt” around his waist that’s actually a snake eating its own tail. I’ve made an analysis post long ago about NRC’s logo and it’s relation to the ourobous and the caduceus…which Hermes seems to relate to Levan and Meleanor as well.

Speaking of Hermes, the Magician card is related to the planet Mercury, which is the Roman form of the Greek God Hermes. Mercury/Hermes is the god of thieves, travelers, and diplomats. His staff has become a popular iconography for the idea of “health.” And under Mercury, it’s star signs are Virgo and Gemini. If any “Crowley and Levan are twins” theorists out there, there you go with Gemini 🤪 The star signs seem to further reference to “as above, so below,” as Gemini is an air sign while Virgo is an earth sign.

The garden of roses and lily of the valleys around the Magician is believed to be a reference to the Song of Solomon, a biblical song related to lovers. But the garden itself represents how the Magician “cultivates” his power. The Anthology cover depicts roses and thorns around Crowley…hmm. I’d like to add that Crowley is very particular about the apple trees in NRCs courtyard- he takes great pride in them and they are in honor of the Fairest Queen.

Edit: I’d like to add he also refers to the students as “eggs” or “chicks,” and even says himself that he “raised” Malleus into the powerful mage he is today- LIKE HES LITERALLY CULTIVATING THEM. And if he’s behind the Overblots, he’s also cultivating the Overblot stones

The Magician’s white outfit is commonly believed to represent the Magician’s purity, while the red cape represents knowledge, egotism, and revenge- a mixture of the upright and reverse symbolism for the Magician.

And with a quick look at numerology, the number one has always been an iconic symbol for new beginnings. However, the Magician is also connected to the number eight, due to the infinity sign above his head. Again, this is a symbol of eternity- some religious scholars have connected the Magician to the Holy Spirit, which intrigued me because I’ve been on a quest to analyze TWSTs religious symbolism haha.

But I’m sure most of you are more interested in what the Magician actually MEANS in terms of divination, aka the Upright and Reversed meanings. After covering the imagery of this card, you can see how the meanings of this cards is heavily reflected in its art.

When the Magician is upright, it represents desire, willpower, manifestation, and resourcefulness. It is heavily connected with the Fool card (in TWST tarot, the Fool aka 0 would represent MC/Yuu) because while the Fool is a blank slate with potential, the Magician takes that potential and “manifests” it into reality. INTERESTING 👀

However, when reversed, the Magician represents manipulation, cunning, trickery, illusion, and deceptions. The Magician wields his unlimited power to become a trickster for his own selfish means, pretending to have your interests at heart. It feels like a bit of a callback to the Magician originated as the Swindler, who was all about false appearances to trick people. In case y’all haven’t noticed, that’s kinda Crowley’s entire shtick 🤪🤪 He (poorly) pretends to have Yuu’s interests in heart, especially about finding them a way home or getting them food or shelter.

Many diviners have interpreted this card as an obsession with power that will lead to your downfall.

What’s interesting about Crowley’s countdown art is that he’s the only character to be in black and white- everyone else has a pop of color. Additionally, he has a shining white background instead of a matte black. Is this meant to represent that this Crowley art represents him as Reversed? His color scheme and background is quite literally “reversed” from the other characters, so perhaps this countdown art is foreshadowing Crowley’s role in the main story.

The sheer amount of symbolism of power in both the card art and its Upright and Reversed meaning is interesting. Because right now in the main story, Crowley is in this weird position where he DOES have this “unlimited potential.” He can potentially be the most powerful villain Twisted Wonderland has ever seen- and even if he isn’t, the Magician overall has a lot of control and connection between “two worlds.”

Additionally, the emphasis on the Magician’s potential and imagination is really fascinating because CROWLEY himself is the one who speaks about imagination being the source of magic. And if this is something he can apply himself, he would quite literally be like the Magician who can manifest things into reality.

The other TWST boys connect a lot more directly with their tarot card number, but Crowley’s feels like speculation at best. However, as a Crowley theorist, I genuinely feel like this is purposeful foreshadowing, especially considering how Crowley’s art differs from everybody else….

[nightcourtreader]

💞 Like calls to like💞

“Like call to like” is a quote that SJM has stated numerous times in the acotar series. This quote also goes for her mates. SJM is known to want her mates equal. She’s not known to do an opposites attract mating bond.

From what I gathered from the text with feysand, Nessian, gwynriel, and elucien; each couple has many similarities between them.

Based on what I gathered, which is canon evidence throughout the series, we can see that Azriel and Gwyn have enough connections and similarities that make them equals. And since we know elucien is already mated, we can see why they are deemed equals.

✨Feysand✨

• They are one of the most, if not just the most, powerful fae in Prythian. (Rhys is the most powerful high lord in Prythian history & Feyre has all 7 high lords powers.)

•Feyre’s birthday is on the longest night of the year (winter solstice) and Rhysand is high lord of the night court.

•Both of them rule the night court with the “high title”. (Feyre is the first leading lady of a court to have a title that is equal to an high lord.)

•Both are compassionate when it comes to their family. They really love their families.

•Both are morally gray characters. Feyre has a mean streak so does Rhys. Rhys is more advertised to be morally gray but I just think Feyre is too.

•Both felt/feel like they are monsters at some point.

•Both are cunning.

•Both have calculated minds.

•Both will become monsters to defend their love ones.

•Both felt like they weren’t worthy of good things at some point.

•Don’t like to share the burden of their troubles.

•Both sacrificial fools.

•They both are trained warriors and fighters.

🗡Nesta & Cassian🗡

•Cassian is the general/commander of the Illyrian’s and we get foreshadowing that Nesta would be the general/commander of the valkyries.

•They both are trained warriors/fighters.

•Both thought less of themselves. (Cassian often called himself just a bastard born nobody and Nesta thought she wasn’t shit and a waste of space.)

•They both thought they didn’t deserve one another.

•They both thought they didn’t fit each other’s standards.

•Both have calculated minds.

•Both have minds that can calculate a battlefield. (We know this due to Cassian being a general/commander but we see that Nesta used a ballroom as her battlefield to spite a girl who was mean to Elain.)

•Both have a connection with death. Cassian walks alongside death because he’s a warrior. Nesta has death magic and is called lady death.

•They both have a connection to dancing and music. (Nesta dances and loves music. Cassian has so much skill and precision in battling that is was like a dance. And for him, battle is a symphony. He has a death dance. (Page 509, ACOWAR)

•Training helps both of them clear their heads.

•They rather put themselves in danger than their families.

•Both have insecurities and doubt themselves.

•At one point both of them were filled with self loathing.

•They both have the power and abilities to be courtiers.

•Both hate the spring pollen.

•Both have allergies.

•Both were poor and starving when they were younger & growing up.

•Nesta has the title lady death, and Cassian has the title lord of blooshed which can also mean death.

⚔️Gwyn & Azriel⚔️

Both of them believe that they are too impure/dirty/scarred.

I think Gwyn sees herself as impure because she thinks she doesn’t deserves to wear her priestess stone, which ties into the guilt of her sister.

Azriel always thinks negative thoughts of his scarred hands and with his bonus chapter we see he kind of thinks his job in Hewn City taints him.

They both believe they don’t deserve the people in their life and good things.

“He might have defied and proved those illyrian pricks wrong at every turn, but it won’t matter if Rhys makes him Prince of Velaris, he’ll see himself as a bastard born nobody, and not good enough for anyone.” (pg 511, ACOMAF)

Once again, we see that Gwyn feels that she doesn’t even deserve to wear her invoking stone because she failed her sister and she blames herself, to the point she couldn’t see Catrin’s grave.

They both have the Illyrian title, Carynthian, for conquering the blood rite. (Even though Gwyn decided she rather have the valkyrie title).

Both are trained warriors/fighters.

They both can sing.

Gwyn was the one who gave the readers something new and personal about Azriel.

They both are very competitive.

“Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s. (pg 624, ACOSF)

“Who ever lands the next blow wins.” “That’s ridiculous,” Az panted back. “We go until one of us eats dirt.” Az had a viscous competitive streak. It wasn’t boastful and arrogant like Cassian, or possessive and terrifying like Amren’s. No, it was quiet, cruel and utterly lethal. (Pg 254, ACOSF)

When it comes to challenges/tasks, they both have to do it/finish it and if they don’t they get frustrated and see their selves as failures and push hard to finish whatever it is.

“Tell me you found their secret to cutting the ribbon.” “You and that ribbon.” Nesta muttered, shutting the tome. Of all of them, Gwyn had become the most relentless about succeeding. (Pg 519, ACOSF)

Assess—and brood, it seemed, since Azriel had barely managed a polite hello to me before launching into squatting with Rhysand, his face grim and tight. They’d been at it now for an a hour straight, their slender blades like flashes of quicksilver as they moved around and around. I wondered if it was as much for practices as it was for Rhys to help his spymaster work off his frustration. (Page 293, ACOMAF) We see that Azriel couldn’t get his spies into the mortal queens court and was frustrated about it. Plus he wasn’t happy when hybern attacked summer and he didn’t know about it.

They both are very stubborn.

“The argument with Rhys this morning had been swift and brutal: Azriel insisted he could fly—fight with the legions, as they planned. Rhys refused. Cassian refused. Azriel threatened to slip into shadow and fight anyway. Rhys merely said that if he so much as tried, he’d chain Azriel to a tree (Pg 610, ACOWAR)

I’m going in,” Azriel said. “No” rhys snapped. But Azriel was spreading his wings, the sunlight so stark on the new, slashing scars down the membrane. “chain me to a tree Rhys,” Azriel said softly. “Go ahead.” He began checking the buckled on his weapons. “I’ll rip it out of the ground and fly with it on my damned back.” (ACOWAR, page 6??)

“No.” “I can use the bottleneck of the path right there,” Nesta plowed ahead, pointing to the space beyond the archway, “to keep them off long enough for you two to reach the top. Or dawn to come. Whichever happens first." Gwyn bared her teeth. “I refuse to leave you here." Emerie's pained face told Nesta enough: she understood. Saw the logic. Nesta said to Gwyn, “It is the only way." Gwyn screamed, “IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY!* And then she was sobbing. “I will not abandon you to them. They will kill you.” “You need to go, Nesta said, even as her hands began shaking. “Now." “No," Gwyn wept. “No, I won't. I'll face it with you." (Page 704, ACOSF)

Would do anything for their friends/family, including literally fighting to their death and sacrifice themselves to save the ones they love.

We see this with Gwyn not wanting to leave Nesta be herself to go against the Illyrian’s during the blood rite. That Gwyn would rather die than leave Nesta on her own. (Pg 704, ACOSF)

“I wondered if the shadowsinger was usually the first to throw himself into danger.” (pg 180, ACOMAF)

•Passionate about the ones and really love the people that they consider family.

•Gives their family a helping hand when it comes to physical and emotional factors and barriers. Azriel wanted to help Feyre learn to fly because he knows the emotional and physical barriers in learning how to fly late. We see that Gwyn helps Nesta with breathing techniques to calm her mind.

Azriel tucked in his wings, his beauty features uncharacteristically soft. Contemplative. “I’ll teach you.” “Are you certain?” I asked. The unreadable mask sloped back over Azriel’s face. “Rhys and cass were taught how to fly so young that they barely remember it.” But Azriel, locked in his hateful fathers dungeons like some criminal until he was eleven, denied the ability to fly, flight, to do anything bud illyrian instincts screamed at him to do. (Page 187, ACOWAR)

During ACOSF, (pages 409-411), Gwyn helped Nesta feel settled into her own skin for the first time in her life with mind stilling techniques that Gwyn help teach her.

Az & Gwyn both have similar quotes and sayings to their selfs to help them get through things.

“You are immortal,” he said quietly. “You are very hard to break”. A pause. “That’s what I told myself.” (Pg 305, ACOWAR).

Gwyn whispered, “I am the rock against which the surf crashes.” … “nothing can break me.” (621, ACOSF)

TRIGGER WARNING. They both were abused, whether emotionally or physically by the hands of men.

Azriel was physically trapped by his father in a cell and his hands were burned by fire by his brothers. He was only allowed to see his mother a hour out a of week.

Gwyn is trapped by the fear of living in the outside world due to the physical abuse she received by men in Sangravah, seeing her sister brutally murdered in front of her, and maybe due to the events of the Blood Rite.

They both have some interest in their worlds, the universe and have a connection to the overlapping worlds.

Gwyn worked with Merrill, who wrote about overlapping worlds and Gwyn is a researcher who helped Merrill with it.

Both are aware of the trove, which the harp is connected to other worlds.

Azriel is the one to find Bryce and his knife is the counterpart to her sword.

“In its center, a massive, working model of their world, the stars and planets around it. Az, of course had been fascinated. Rhys had built the model himself centuries ago. It could not only track the sun, but also tell time, and it somehow allowed Rhys to ponder the existence of life behind their own world.” (Page 37, ACOSF)

Both of them blame themselves and feel guilty over things they cannot control, nor was their fault.

Gwyn feels guilty and blames herself for Catrin’s death. She thinks she failed her.

Azriel feels guilty on the fact that he didnt save Mor before she was violated, he didn’t help Cassian before he was gutted in the second war, that he didn’t find out beforehand that Hybern was going to attack the summer court, etc.

Hybern had made their grand move at last. And we had not anticipated it. I knew Azriel would take the blame upon himself. One look at the shadowsinger as he prowled though the front door of the town house minute later, Cassian on his heels, told me that he already did. (Page 347, ACOWAR)

Both gather information.

Azriel is the spymaster who gathers intel for the Night Court. (I also think that Azriel also research things due to him being the spymaster as well. So assuming Azriel goes to the library for work is not so far fetched.)

Gwyn is a researcher who helps gathers information for Merrill. Plus she lives in a library period.

Their occupations puts pressure on them, causing them to hold themselves to high standards because they don’t like to fail.

She told me little of the specifics—even less about how the frustration of not being able to get his spies or himself into those courts took a toll on him. The standards to which he held himself, she confided in me, bordered on sadistic. (Page 376, ACOMAF)

Gwyn went on, “These females took me in. Gave me shelter and healing and family.” Again, her large eyes darkened. I cannot stand to fail them in anything. Especially someone as demanding as Merrill. Even when it might seem trivial.” (Page 148, ACOSF)

*They both have connections to the color blue.

They both have blue stones. Gwyn has a blue invoking stone and Azriel has a blue siphon.

When making the friendship bracelets one of Gwyn’s color was blue.

Gwyn’s priestess robes are blue.

Gwyn has blue teal eyes.

*They both have trouble sleeping.

“Bad dreams,” Nesta said. Gwyn asked, on Nesta’s other side, “do you have them often?” “Yes.” “Me too,” Gwyn said quietly. “Some nights, I need a sleeping potion from our healer to knock me out.” Gwyn said playing with her hair, “I dream of my past too.” (Page 329, ACOSF)

“Sleep, they seemed to whisper in his ear. Sleep. I wish I could, he answered silently. But sleep so rarely found him these days. Too many razor sharp thoughts sliced him any time he grew still long enough for them to strike. Too many wants and needs left his skin overheated and pulling across his bones. So he slept only when his body gave out, and even then only for a few hours.”(Azriel’s bonus chapter.)

They both are described as beautiful.

Gwyn nimbly rolled to her feet, grinning so broadly that Nesta was momentarily taken aback by it. The priestess has been pretty in the library, but with that joy, that confidence as she aimed for the three priestesses she had emerged into a beauty to rival Merrill or Mor. (Pg 317, ACOSF)

“But the second male, the more classically beautiful” (pg 158, ACOMAF)

Azriel was nothing short of beautiful. Even with those scarred hands and the shadows that flowed from him like smoke, she’d always found him to be the prettiest of the three males who called themselves brothers. (Page 100, ACOSF)

I think that Gwyn has the potential to also be a spy. She’s already physically trained. She’s able to help research for any future missions. In ACOSF, I don’t think there’s a coincidence for SJM to go into great detail on how Gwyn led the beast to the camp by spying on the beast for 2 days and learning their habits during the blood rite and have Azriel explain 6 pages later how spying is all about waiting for the right moment and Gwyn just so happen to have and say “timing that was just good luck.”

“I kept to the trees the first two nights, watching the beasts, and I spotted that horrible male and his companions this morning. Saw they’d found my nightgown and displayed it, and I knew they were hunting for you. I thought I’d take them out before they could find you.” “You lead the beast right to them.” “I learned where the beasts sleep during the day,” Gwyn said. “and that they get very angry when awoken.” she pointed to the cuts on her face, her hands. “I barely out ran that one as I led it toward the camp. My timing was just good luck, though.” (Pg 682, ACOSF)

“Azriel sharpen truth teller. the Black Blade absorbed the dim sunlight trickling through the forest canopy above. “it seems you’ve forgotten how much of spying is waiting for the right moment. people don’t engage in their evil deeds when it’s convenient to you. Cassian rolled his eyes. “I stopped spying because it bored me to death. I don’t know how you put up with this all the time.” “It suits me.” (page 688, ACOSF)

🌻Lucien & Elain🌻

They both can “see”. Elain is a seer & Lucien has a special eye that can see through glamours and spells.

Both are associated with nature, Elain is seen/associated with flowers (usually a rose) & Lucien is seen to be sunlight due to the fact Lucien name literally means “light” & his biological dad is the high lord of the Day court (we all know majority of flowers need sunlight to grow).

Both of their names mean light! Lucien’s name means light and Elain names means sun ray/sun light/ shining light.

They are both associated with animals. Elain is associated with a fawn and Lucien is associated with being a fox.

In the series we really didn’t see the both of them really speak up or defend themselves, and let people treat them any type of way, until ACOSF we see changes in that. Elain stepped up and wanted to be apart of helping with the dread trove.

They are both very underestimated by others in the series. Although Feyre & Rhys discussed how they know that Lucien has much more to offer. Amren & Rhys know that Elain has much to offer because Amren said that Elain is fully capable of defending herself against the dread trove and in the bonus chapter rhys mentioned that Elain has much more to give.

They both don’t like to be around cruelty. (we see that Lucien threw up seeing a fae have his wings cut off and looking pale when seeing a spiked head in the fountain in ACOTAR and we know Elain does not like the brutality of Hewn City & pales at the sight of a blade.)

They both are social butterfly’s. Lucien is known to know how to talk to people and he’s known to make many friends across different courts. Lucien also knows enough about the autumn court citizens to recognize who is apart of the court and who isn’t. Once Feyre’s family got their money and status back, Elain was very social with a group of girls and greeted everyone at the ball they threw in Feyre’s honor in ACOTAR. Nesta said that Elain used to love balls and parties.

They both dress good no matter what happens. Feyre pointed out in ACOTAR that even in poverty Elain still looked lovely and Cassian pointed out no matter how many jobs Lucien had, he still dresses good in ACOSF.

Both of them had their previous love interest “ripped” away from them. Graysen was no longer Elain’s after she turned fae because one, she was fae and two, became Lucien’s mate. Elain had no way of stopping herself from becoming fae. Lucien saw his girlfriend be executed in front of him and he had no way to get to her or stop it due to his family.

Don’t fit into their family’s courts. Lucien doesn’t fit into the Autumn Court. Elain is said to not fit in the Night Court by Cassian when they all visited Hewn City.

[the-goya-jerker]

portrait of ross in la?

Oh, I do not feel comfortable rating this one or searching for any eroticism in it.

This is a piece of art inspired by the death of Ross Laycock, the lover of artist Felix Gonzalez Torres, during the AIDS crisis.

Ideally this piece is 175lbs of candy (corresponding to an average body weight of an adult man). Throughout the day, pieces are taken and taken. Like Ross, it wastes away, and viewers are left with the anticipation of loss.

This piece genuinely makes me feel like my heart has been ripped from my chest. I want to wail with grief when I think about it too long.

Instead of a review, I humbly offer up, for your elucidation and viewing pleasure, relevant works.

Check out the others works of Felix Gonzalez Torres, they're very moving.

Electric Fan (Feel It Motherfuckers): Only Unclaimed Item from the Stephen Earabino Estate by John S. Boskovich, a thematically similar piece of art. It also brings me to tears when I see it.

Let the Record Show by Sarah Schulman, which is based on...

The ACT UP Oral History Project, a project that seeks to preserve the history of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power and their activism through the AIDS Crisis.

United in Anger a film by Jim Hubbard, a documentary on ACT UP

If plays or films are more your style, I recommend Angels in America by Tony Kushner. My favorite version is the 2003 TV series from HBO. It stars Justin Kirk, and it is genuinely uplifting and gut wrenching all at once.

If anyone else has pieces of art they suggest, please, feel free to reblog with them! I think art is one of the best ways sometimes to engage with historical atrocities like this. Whether that art is fictionalized or factual, it connects us like nothing else.

Let yourself learn about this and let yourself feel things about this.

[starkdirewolflove]

Latest episode of X-Men ‘97, wow.

Omg there was so much going on in that episode can’t believe it was only 36 minutes.

Love square of Jean, Scott. Madelyne and Logan. Love triangle of Magneto, Rogue and Gambit, relationship drama galore.

I find it really amusing that Emma Frost has a front row seat to the drama with Jean, Madelyne and Scott like her own personal telenovela. Love that Madelyne has been forging her own path and becoming a part of the council of Genosha.

There’s a reporter doing a documentary about the X-Men and Xavier’s school. I’m a bit confused about Roberto being there. When we first meet him he’s a young rich party boy, heir to a wealthy Brazilian family that can just take a private jet wherever he wants to go and is ashamed and afraid of people, particularly his mother learning he’s a mutant so he leaves after episode one. Then he’s just always at the mansion hanging around with Jubilee and he’s in this documentary about a mutant school. Is he out to his family as a mutant or does he not care who knows anymore? I feel like this should’ve been addressed at some point.

Things are still really rocky with Scott and Jean, I can understand why he blew up at the reporter, she was being really invasive about his personal life and calling him a liar about having a son. And who was that doctor to make any statement about the birth? The bigot refused medical help to a woman in labour. But then he goes and has his psychic affair with Madelyne, dick move. And he’s been doing this since she left while shutting Jean out then turns everything around on her. Like Jean has been traumatised by what Sinister did to her. She doesn’t know how long he had her abducted, what he did while she was his prisoner, her mind is all messed up and on top of that her husband had a baby with her clone who had completely stolen her life (not Madelyne’s fault, this was 100% Sinister’s evil plan) and the only one who is actually supportive and understanding of her pain is Logan, no wonder she kissed him. Good on Logan for not trying to make the kiss into a big deal, Jean and Scott are married and he respects that even though he’s in love with her. The betrayal from Scott was even worse for Jean because their psychic connection has always been sacred between the two of them and her anchor when the Phoenix was overwhelming her and then he disregards all that because he’s in love with Madelyne too supposedly. Like I get their shared grief over having to give up their baby, it doesn’t give him a free pass to cheat on his wife.

Gambit was such a gentleman throughout the whole Rogue and Magento stuff, even though it was breaking his heart to see her with another man he respected her choice, didn’t try to blame or shame her about it and said they can be friends still. Rogue had a really rough time this episode. From the start of this season I felt uncomfortable with this Rogue and Magento pairing but when she explained their history to Gambit it was even worse because it just sounded like grooming and made Magento a creepy sexual predator. So Rogue ran away from home as a teenager after the trauma of putting the first boy she kissed in a coma and being rejected by her dad, gets taken in by Mystique who gets her to use her powers as part of her mutant terrorist group then brings this vulnerable teenage girl who is afraid to touch anyone to a middle aged man to help her control her powers and instead of doing that he fills her head with his ideologies and because he can touch her without it hurting either of them they become lovers. 🤢🤮 so creepy. Magento leverages the council of Genosha that he will only lead them if he can take Rogue as his “Queen” or co leader to the public, so she feels backed into a corner after seeing how amazing things on Genosha were for mutants now. Then after that amazing dance scene she realises that Gambit is the man she truly loves and what they have is more meaningful and goes beyond being able to touch and she chooses her swamp rat only to lose them both by the end of the episode.

The attack on Genosha was brutal but it was so amazingly done. Cable traveling back through time to try and warn everyone about the attack even though it goes against the rules of time travel, seeing Madelyn for a moment, her recognising him as her son by his eyes and him calling her “mom” as he got pulled back through time. The music, the chaos and panic you could literally feel through the screen, Magneto’s holocaust flashbacks, the Morlocks being trapped and thinking no one was coming to save them, Nightcrawler almost dying saving Rogue and Magneto.

Rogue and Gambit were the ultimate power couple fighting their way to the Morlocks, a better dance than the one she had with Magneto. Magneto saving Rogue and Gambit while he tried to shelter the Morlocks from the sentinel blast, so tragic. Then Gambit saves Rogue from getting herself killed by attacking the sentinel in a rage, takes it on by himself to save everyone and destroys it but sacrificing his own life in the process 😭.

The tragedy is they foreshadowed this in the first episode when Jean/Madelyne went into Trask’s mind and then both Jean and Madelyne got a psychic premonition of the attack just before it happened but were unable to do anything to stop it.

When the dust settles at the end you see the X-Men witness the aftermath of the attack, the few surviving mutants gather around the crater where Rogue is cradling Remy’s body. She’s finally able to touch him but only because he’s dead. “Sugah. I can’t feel you.” 💔

That killed me at the end, was so shocked that they killed Magneto and Gambit within minutes of each other. I know they probably won’t be dead forever but fuck that was brutal.

I know next week’s episode is gonna be Storm centric so we’ll probably have to wait 2 weeks to see what happens with the rest of the X-Men and hopefully by then Storm is ready to rejoin the team. There was a moment in the Genosha attack where Val Cooper is helping evacuate mutants to the gardens and she looks back at the sentinels and there’s this look in her eye that made me wonder is she Val Cooper or Mystique in disguise? We haven’t seen Mystique in the show so far but what if she’s been there all along? Maybe she was afraid of being exposed as an imposter by the sentinels because they’d know she’s not human.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Galileo Galilei Main Story

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Not proofread.

(Why is he making that face?)

(Did I say something hurtful?)

Mitsuki: "I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn without knowing anything."

Maury: "It's fine."

He cut me off with those words and straightened my blouse.

Maury: "I've cleaned up the scrape on your arm. The bleeding stopped, but you have a bruise, so go to the hospital to make sure."

Mitsuki: "Thank you."

(What was that expression earlier?)

(I'm curious, but bringing it up again would be wrong.)

Unable to say anything more, I just bowed and raised my head.

At that moment, I saw several men clad in long cloaks, carrying swords at their waists.

(Are they soldiers?)

(But I feel like I've seen them somewhere.)

Maury: "Those are..."

I looked to my side and noticed he was also gazing at them, surprised.

Sebastian: "Mitsuki! There you are."

I turned towards the voice and saw Sebastian coming from across the street.

Maury: "Well then, I'll take my leave."

Mitsuki: "Professor Maury, thank you very much for treating me!"

I thanked him again as he turned on his heel, but he didn't look back and just left with Sidereus at his side.

Sebastian: "I've been looking for you! You were taking so long to arrive at our meeting spot."

Mitsuki: "Sorry. I got injured, but don't worry, someone helped me."

I apologized to Sebastian, who had just arrived, and glanced in the direction Professor Maury had left.

Although his figure was no longer visible一

------------Flashback-----------

Maury: "Humans are truly foolish."

Mitsuki: "Huh?"

Maury: "They harm and persecute the weak, and that foolishness remains unchanged throughout time."

---------Flashback Ends--------

(He's a bit intimidating, but maybe he's not a bad person after all.)

I gazed at the scenery without him, and the handkerchief wrapped around my leg fluttered in the wind.

That night, the news came suddenly.

Mitsuki: "Vampire hunters?"

Vlad: "Yes. They appeared in Paris."

Vlad's voice was unusually stern as he announced this in a room where all the mansion's residents and even Shakespeare had been gathered together.

Charles: "Did anybody see those guys in cloaks with swords roaming the streets recently?"

Jean: "I did, but aren't they just mercenaries?"

Faust: "At first glance, you might think so. But according to Lord Vlad, those men are vampire hunters."

(---!)

In the midst of everyone getting confused, I suddenly realized something.

(Right. Those people I saw today were dressed like the hunters in my dreams.)

(Can such a coincidence really happen?)

“Some say that when coincidences pile up, they become inevitable, even turning into destiny.”

I remember the words Maury told me some time ago.

As I pondered this familiar feeling and the connection between dreams and reality, Vlad continued speaking.

Vlad: "They are, as their name suggests, hunters of vampires. They are our enemies."

Vlad: "Although they don't appear on the stage of history, they have existed since ancient times."

Vlad: "Their purpose is to hunt vampires, much like how my entire family was massacred."

(Vlad...)

Vlad: "For them, vampires are inherently evil beings that must be eradicated."

(I can't believe those guys are in this town now.)

Comte: "But despite being hunters, they are ordinary humans."

Comte: "Unlike purebloods, they cannot sense the presence of vampires."

Shakespeare: "So, unless they witness us drinking blood, the likelihood of us being caught is low."

Vlad: "It's not that simple."

Vlad interrupted Shakespeare's unsettling words.

Leonardo: "Dhampirs, huh?"

(What?)

Leonardo's murmuring made my heart skip a beat.

Mitsuki: "Hold on. What does a Dhampir have to do with this?"

Leonardo: "Dhampirs are half-bloods. They can sense the presence of vampires."

Leonardo: "Some are said to use that power to become vampire hunters, but dhampirs are rare and have shorter lifespans."

(He's right. The "me" in the dream as a Dhampir often had a frail body.)

(But...)

Mitsuki: "If Dhampirs have vampire blood, then they can be targeted as well."

Mitsuki: "So, why would they choose to become hunters?"

Vlad: "Mitsuki. Humans hunt Dhampirs because they are half-vampires."

Vlad: "And because they are half-human, they are also despised by some purebloods."

Vlad: "They are often persecuted by both sides."

Comte: "Perhaps their ability to sense vampires was exploited by humans, or they became hunters themselves to take revenge against persecution."

Comte: "It wouldn't be surprising if such individuals existed."

Leonardo: "Our identities will be exposed if there's even one Dhampir among the hunters."

Leonardo: "We can only hope they're not among them."

Listening to their conversation, I felt a wrenching sensation in my chest.

(In my dreams, "I" was always being chased. I wonder if something like that could have really happened.)

I don't know if the dreams were real or not, but the fact that I was persecuted by both humans and vampires suggests that I was in the same situation.

Comte: "But why are the vampire hunters in Paris?"

Arthur: "I heard a little something at the tavern."

As Comte frowned, Arthur, who had been silent, spoke up.

Arthur: "Recently, some of the deceased residents in the slums had small wounds on their necks."

Arthur: "These wounds were peculiar. They were like bite marks."

(Bite marks?)

Arthur: "Rumors are spreading in the slums that vampires have drained their blood."

Theo: "That's just a rumor, though."

Theo: "But if that's true, it's possible that the hunters have come to pursue the vampire responsible for the incidents."

Arthur: "The timing couldn't be more perfect."

Comte: "I see. But even if their target isn't us, it's still dangerous."

Comte: "I don't want to lose any of you, so please, everyone, be careful."

Comte: "I never wanted to be involved in a conflict with humans, after all."

(Comte…)

Comte's words carry a heartfelt desire for coexistence with humans, something he has longed for throughout eternity.

(I don't want anyone to be in danger.)

Recalling the stories I've heard and the mistreatment suffered by "me" as a dhampir in the dream, I suddenly felt dizzy.

Charles: "Mitsuki, you look pale. Are you okay?"

Mitsuki: "Yeah. I'm just tired from all the stories I've heard."

Faust: "If you're feeling unwell, you should lie down."

Expressing gratitude to everyone for their concern, I leaned back against the sofa, feeling somewhat relieved as my breathing eased.

Then, Charles noticed the bandage wrapped around my leg and tilted his head.

Charles: "Huh? Mitsuki, did you hurt your leg?"

Mitsuki: "Yeah. Actually, today..."

When I told him that a puppy was being bullied in town and that I had unintentionally intervened and hurt myself, Charles's eyes shook with sadness.

Charles: "Bullying the weak is truly saddening."

Faust: "The weak are often the first to be preyed upon. It's the injustice of this world."

Vlad: "It's not just the weak. Humans fear what's different from them."

Vlad: "I wonder why persecution and strife never go away."

When our eyes met, Vlad smiled slightly.

The Draculesti clan, Vlad's family, was believed to be special. Despite promoting coexistence with humans, fear persisted, resulting in the massacre of the family by vampire hunters, leaving young Vlad as the lone survivor.

(Despite this past, Vlad remained fond of humans and this world.)

Because of that love, he harbored ambitions of "managing human thoughts and protecting the world."

(I don't think controlling was the right way to go about it, but...)

(Vlad genuinely wanted to create a world where humans didn't make mistakes.)

The mistakes people commit, the persecution, discrimination, and conflicts—through them, hatred and sorrow continue to chain the world. Breaking the chain is incredibly difficult, perhaps impossible for anyone, but...

(I want to believe everyone has a heart capable of loving and cherishing others.)

(So I will keep hoping that one day there will be no more persecuted people like the Dhampirs, and professions like vampire hunters will cease to exist.)

Thinking about this world and the dangers that loom close at hand, I suddenly realized something.

(Huh? Come to think of it, when I saw the hunters in the city, Professor Maury also seemed surprised.)

At that time, in a certain place on the outskirts of the city, two men were talking.

Galileo: "I saw some vampire hunters in the city."

Drake: "Yeah, I saw them too."

Drake: "The hunter and its prey, huh? Their appearance might be a sign that something's about to happen."

Smiling, Drake casually ran his fingers over the handle of the knife at his waist.

Galileo: "As long as different species exist in this world, there will be conflict."

Galileo: "Coexistence is not possible. Either one disappears, or both disappear. Otherwise, the chain of hatred will never stop."

Drake: "Yeah, that's true."

Drake: "So, Galileo, are you close to finding the 'treasure' you're looking for?"

When Drake asked, Galileo stood up from the sofa.

Galileo: "It will take more time, but I will find it."

Galileo: "To end everything."

With a quiet determination lingering in the air, he disappeared into the depths of the room.

The next day, Comte asked me to organize the old letters and books in his room.

As he wrote a reply to a newly arrived letter, he turned to face me.

Comte: "Sorry for asking you to clean up, Mitsuki."

Comte: "You're still injured, so don't push yourself too hard."

Mitsuki: "Thank you, but I really don't mind doing some chores."

Mitsuki: "Besides, doing this kind of thing makes me feel at ease."

Comte: "I see."

(Maybe it's because I heard about the vampire hunters last night, but every moment of my life seems even more precious to me now.)

As I was thinking about this, I accidentally knocked over a pile of books.

Comte: "Mitsuki, are you hurt?"

Mitsuki: "I'm fine. I'm sorry; some of the books might have gotten damaged."

As I bent down to pick up the fallen books, my eyes happened to land on an open page.

Mitsuki: "This flower..."

There, depicted on the page, was the white flower I had seen in Professor Maury's garden.

Comte: "Hm? Are you interested in this?"

Comte: "Come to think of it, I haven't told you about it. This flower is used to make Blanc."

Previous Part ╎ Masterlist ╎ Next Part

[ganonfan1995]

Okay talking about ToTK for a hot second, THEN I gotta do some work.

The woes of WFH means I'm compelled to post at all hours of the day, and sometimes I need to indulge!!!

Personally speaking, I really loved the little details and snippets you get throughout the game, detailing Rauru and Sonia's relationship. I particularly found it interesting that they founded Hyrule, in part, through the combined effort to protect its people from monsters, long before Ganondorf rose to his position as the demon king.

I was hoping the game would elaborate on this; there was so much subtext in the depths that would insinuate that the Zonai, in their pursuit of Zonaite, opened the original chasms to hell, allowing the spirits from below to manifest above. I love that, especially with the little tidbits from the Spirit Temple and the bargainer statues; I got a very dark image of who the Zonai were and what their goals were...But subtext remained subtext, and nothing was set in stone.

I have so many lingering questions, like...What is Zonaite? Why does it grow back, and why does it only form in the depths, the place where the dead seem to roam aimlessly? What was the design intention of making Zonaite visually connect to luminous stone? Was the original myth of souls being contained in luminous an originating myth from Zonaite....ARE THERE HUMAN SOULS IN THE ZONAITE?? ARE THERE MONSTER SOULS IN THE ZONAITE?? WHY DOES THE ZONAITE ENERGY VISUALLY LOOK THE EXACT SAME AS THE SPIRITS!!! NINTENDO....PLEASE I BEG YOU!!!

WHY DID THEY BLIND THE DEITY OF THE DEPTHS AND WHY IS IT ONE IN THE SAME WITH THE HYLIA STATUES......

I'm done yelling, but you get the point.

Even if their intentions for the establishment of the kingdom were good, which I have no doubt about — Rauru is a bit of an ignorant man, but he doesn't have a greedy heart, nor is his goal one of dominance over the land. The fact remains that I still feel, in part, guilt is what drives him to see himself suited to the position of king.

From the minute you meet him and he donates his arm to Link, to the last minute you see him, sacrificing himself to seal Ganondorf away until the present. There's a guilt that runs so deeply through him as a character, that is never elaborated on.

I guess you could argue that his guilt stems from his inability to protect Sonia, the land, etc...But I feel like that guilt is older.

I feel like that guilt stems from his personal guilt he gained from his people. His shame, his embarrassment. He and his sister remain as the last standing Zonai, and we never learn why...Only that he, and his wife, a former priestess, formed a union to establish a kingdom, under the insurance that a long standing protection would be in place to safe guard it's people from monsters.

Monsters that only appeared after the chasms were opened.

Chasms which were opened to mine Zonaite.

An energy source only used to power Zonai technology.

And there was no B plot. There was no explanation. There was only that, and a game mechanic...

I've gotten to the point that I've just sort of let this be just that: a game mechanic. They only needed some shallow lore to tie in the building mechanic in to the game so we could build cars, whatever...

But it felt so unsatisfying as someone who is genuinely interested in the lore.

On the surface the game probably hit really hard to people who were more invested in Zelda and Link's relationship to one another post botw, and to their friends and The Kingdom TM...But I'm left here blinking in disbelief that they literally laid down some insane ideas only to have it tossed by the wayside.

I want context, I want history! Nintendo.....please!!! I'm begging!

Also I think they should have let Josha cook.

[belit0]

Hello!! Can you do a Uchiha clan x reader where the reader is a recarnation of Indra's S/O?😳 Lets just say his S/O recarnation is a very pretty and very strong and powerful Maybe what the Uchiha clan members (itachi, Madara, Indra, izuna, Sasuke, shisui, obito) members think?

Let's pretend this is an everyone lives AU because otherwise, there would be no way all these Uchiha would be in the same time and space lol.

Madara

- He knows who she is because he feels it. There's a part of his inner self still connected to his past life, a place where a small portion of Indra resides, filled with hatred and resentment, ready to explode. Just as he learned to feel Asura's presence in Hashirama, he feels that woman's in (Y/N). He does not know what the history is between the Otsutsuki and the one who was supposed to be his special person, but the woman's abilities tell that she has always been a strong individual, whether in this life or another, and he can understand why his ancestor chose her to form his clan. He has admiration for her, and an intrinsic part of him is drawn to her beauty and toughness.

Izuna

- Madara makes the mistake of sharing his hunch with him, and the rumor spreads throughout the clan. Now everyone knows that a certain girl seems to be the reincarnation of one of the most important women in the clan, and we have to thank Izuna for that. Personally, he is in awe of her beauty, and having trained a couple of times with her, he almost ended up with some good scars, so he respects her power. He sees her as the perfect match for his older brother and is a believer that things should follow their natural course. If in the past she was with Indra, in the present she should be with Madara.

Obito

- Nope nope nope nope nope. He thinks she's great, being a strong and independent girl, but he's also afraid of her. Dealing with the reincarnations of the clan's ancestors is no fun at all, and if Madara is tale enough of how Indra once was, then he's not at all interested in knowing (Y/N)'s provenance. He prefers to feign dementia and act as if nothing happened, disengaging from any contact with the girl and avoiding her like the plague. It's best to stay out of matters that don't concern him, and if anyone has a bone to pick with her according to Indra's cosmic history, it will be Madara.

Shisui

- Innocent Curiosity. He probably approaches her only because he is amazed by her skill and strength, admires her as a shinobi, and believes she is one of the strongest figures in the clan. Perhaps he gets a little too close, to the point where Madara needs to put him in his place for thinking he might want to steal his destined mate. The Uchiha takes more care based on this warning, and follows (Y/N)'s moves from afar, admiring her deeply for her character and acting as her #1 fan.

Itachi

- He doesn't believe anyone's past life should bind them to a predetermined fate. Just because (Y/N)'s ancestor built a life with Indra does not mean she must do so with Madara, nor that she is bound to a specific path. She must be free to choose and make her own decisions, being a completely different person and detached from what she once was. According to Itachi, she has no business with that past life and must remove any pressure Madara puts on her. He feels sorry for her and wishes he could help.

Sasuke

- Who? Ha, as if he cares. At no point did he notice (Y/N), he doesn't have the slightest interest in knowing about her, and he hates the theory of reincarnations. Yes, maybe an old man was born millions of years ago and discovered the Sharingan, founded a clan, whatever, but that has nothing to do with him. No one will be able to tell him what to do, and he has no opinion about her because he doesn't spend his time getting to know her either. He prefers to concentrate on himself and his goals, and not waste time on stupid things, please.

[bullet-prooflove]

Saint Michael - Frank Castle x Reader

Part of @storiesofsvu Holiday Bingo! The square was Gift Exchange/Secret Santa!

Tagging: @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @withakindheartx @@purrrrfect @juliannatryon @beardedbarba @wooshwastaken @justreblogginfics @anime-weeb-4-life @pleasurebuttonwrites @annetje @adaydreamaway08 @est1887 @multiflixshelves @thanossexual @bonsaijoons @spookyboogyuniverse @ankhmutes @spaghettificationandpretzels @trublu2u @nu1freakshow @thebaileybugle

It’s a few days before Christmas that Frank realises the silver pendent around your throat is missing. In all the years he’s known you, he has never seen you without it. It’s an engraving of St Michael, the patron saint of police. He knows the history attached to it. Your father had given it to you upon your graduation from the academy. It had been his up until he’d retired, and you’d taken over the mantle.

You’re already in the shower when he gets in. It’s been a couple of weeks since he was last here, not much has changed except the Christmas tree in the corner and the modest decorations that adorn your mantlepiece. It’s pretty, he thinks. There’s a dulcet glow to the room, something soothing and sensual.

He can hear the running water as he sets his bag down alongside your front door before toeing off his boots. His clothes are already gone, tossed by the washing machine in the kitchen by the time he steps into the shower with you. You smile as he leans in close, his naked body brushing against yours under the heated stream. His thumb chases along the line of your jaw, his lips ghosting over yours and you respond to him the same way you always do, a little desperate, a little needy because it's been too long since he last had you.

His palm trails down a little further, fingertips gracing over the slender chain only to find that it isn’t there. You feel him tense before he withdraws, his gaze lowering to the red welt against the hollow of your throat.

“What happened?” he asks, his dark eyebrows furrowing into a frown.

You sigh and he sees the sadness in your eyes because that piece of jewellery, it was the last tangible piece of your father.

“A perp.” You tell him, your palm lightly rubbing over the space where the pendant used to hang upon your chest. “He managed to get a hold on me, tore it off. I spent hours looking for it but…”

You shake your head.

“It’s long gone.”

It bothers him that the pendant’s missing. He doesn’t believe in a higher power, he hasn’t since before Maria and the kids were killed but you do. He knows that cops are a superstitious sort, that there is more to that medallion than just a piece of metal that hung around your neck. The protection it delivers, it’s spiritual, it connects to something deep inside. He thinks about that as he lays in bed beside you that night. It doesn’t feel right, you being out there without your faith to watch over you.

“I gotta go, angel.” He murmurs as he presses his lips to your forehead. You thread your fingers through his, mouth brushing over the back of his hand as you whisper.

“Stay safe.”

***

It’s Christmas Eve when he turns up again. You’re in the kitchen, washing the last of the dishes when he steps through the door, removing his boots and hanging his trench coat on the rack. You’re wearing a navy blue knit jumper that clings to your form and faded grey jeans, a pair of his socks are pulled up over the hems at the bottom. He will never admit that it does something to him to see you wearing his clothes, there’s a domesticity in it that resonates with him. You’re the closest thing to a wife that he’s had in years. The way he feels for you, it’s different from what he had with Maria. She was solid, dependable, the thing that kept him stable throughout all the shit he endured throughout his service.

You, you’re a force of nature. You’re the sunshine that graces his skin in the middle of winter, the light that shines in his otherwise dark existence. You’re the person that brought him back to life and he can never repay you for that.

He wraps his arms around your body, his chest tucking against your back as his lips brush over the curve of your shoulder. That welt he saw a few days ago, it’s already fading into a bruise he places a chaste kiss upon it before his breath ghosts in your ear.

“I’ve got something for you.”

“Oh, I know, I can feel it.” You tease and he smiles against your skin.

“Something else.” He tells you before withdrawing.

You turn to face him, and he reaches into the top pocket of his combats, withdrawing a slim silver chain. On the end of it hangs a pendent, your pendent.

“Let me help return it to the place it’s meant to be.” He tells you, indicating with his finger for you to turn around.

You do as you’re told, and he drapes it around your neck, fastening the chain so that it comes to rest in the space just above the swell of your breasts. Your thumb runs over the etching, and he can see how much it means to you to have the medallion back in your possession.

“I don’t know what to say.” You murmur as you turn and meet his gaze.

There’s so much emotion in your eyes, he finds it visceral. His palms clasp your features, his thumbs chasing way the tears that leak down your cheeks.

“I can’t have you out there without it,” He tells you softly. “I just can’t.”

You nod your head because you know exactly what he means. It’s your totem, the power that keeps you safe when all hell breaks loose, the thing that reminds you to be strong in your weakest moments. It’s your saving grace in the midst of the chaos that is your job, your life.

“Thank you.” You whisper as his forehead comes to rest upon yours. “Thank you so much.”

Love Frank Castle? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

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[talonabraxas]

The Green Man: A Celtic Folklore Symbol of Renewal and Growth

Origins of the Green Man The origins of the Green Man are somewhat unclear, as there are no written records that date back far enough to explain his origins. However, there are several theories about where the Green Man came from.

One theory is that he is a pre-Christian symbol that was associated with nature and fertility. The Green Man may have been worshipped by people who believed in animism, the belief that everything in nature has a spirit. In this context, the Green Man would have represented the spirit of the forest or the natural world.

Another theory is that the Green Man is a Christian symbol that emerged in the Middle Ages. In this context, the Green Man may have represented the resurrection of Christ or the renewal of the natural world after the harsh winter months.

The Green Man is also pagan symbol that is commonly associated with nature-based religions such as Wicca, Druidry, and other pagan traditions. The Green Man is often seen as a symbol of the cycles of nature and the interconnectedness of all things, and is associated with the energy of growth, fertility, and abundance.

The Green Man is a figure that has been found in many cultures throughout history, from ancient Roman and Celtic traditions to more modern neo-pagan and New Age spiritual practices. While the specific beliefs and practices associated with the Green Man may vary depending on the tradition, he is generally seen as a powerful symbol of the natural world and the cycles of life and death.

Significance of the Green Man The Green Man has been depicted in art and literature for centuries, and his significance has evolved over time. In some cultures, the Green Man is associated with fertility and the renewal of life. In others, he is seen as a symbol of rebirth and resurrection.

In pagan cultures, the Green Man is often associated with the summer solstice (also referred to as Litha), a time when the days are longest and the sun is at its strongest. In this context, the Green Man represents the power of the sun and the renewal of life that comes with it.

In Christian cultures, the Green Man is often associated with Easter, a time when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ. In this context, the Green Man represents the renewal of life that comes with Christ's resurrection.

In modern times, the Green Man has become a symbol of environmentalism and the need to protect the natural world. Many people see the Green Man as a reminder that we are connected to nature and that we have a responsibility to care for the planet.

The Green Man Crystal and Herb Correspondences

Colours and crystals associated with the Green Man may vary depending on the individual or the tradition, as there is no one set of established correspondences that is universally recognized. However, here are some common associations:

Colours: - Green: As the name suggests, the Green Man is most commonly associated with the colour green, which represents nature, growth, and vitality.

- Brown: The colour brown is also associated with the Green Man, as it represents the earth and the stability of the natural world.

Crystals: - Emerald: The emerald is a green gemstone that is associated with nature, growth, and abundance, making it a fitting crystal for the Green Man.

- Moss Agate: Moss agate is a green stone with moss-like inclusions, which can be seen as a symbol of the Green Man's connection to nature.

- Green Aventurine: Green aventurine is a crystal that is said to promote growth and vitality, making it a fitting stone for the Green Man.

Other crystals that are associated with nature and the earth, such as jade, malachite, and green tourmaline, may also be appropriate for use in Green Man rituals or meditations. Ultimately, the most important thing is to choose crystals and colours that resonate with you personally and feel appropriate for your connection to the Green Man and the natural world.

Herbs: Herbs associated with the Green Man may also vary depending on the individual or the tradition, but here are some common associations:

- Oak: The oak tree is often associated with the Green Man, as it is a symbol of strength, stability, and endurance. Oak leaves or bark may be used in Green Man rituals or as an offering to the deity.

- Ivy: Ivy is a climbing plant that is often associated with the Green Man, as it represents the wild, untamed side of nature. Ivy may be used in wreaths or other decorations for Green Man celebrations.

- Hawthorn: The hawthorn tree is associated with fertility, growth, and protection, making it a fitting plant for Green Man rituals. Hawthorn may be used in the form of leaves, flowers, or berries.

- Nettle: Nettle is a plant that is associated with strength and resilience, and is said to be particularly potent when gathered on the eve of May Day. Nettle may be used in teas or as an ingredient in Green Man incense blends.

- Elder: The elder tree is associated with protection and healing, and is said to be a sacred tree in Celtic mythology. Elderflowers or berries may be used in Green Man rituals or as offerings to the deity.

Other herbs that may be associated with the Green Man include rosemary, thyme, and lavender, all of which are associated with nature, growth, and healing.

The Green Man by Talon Abraxas

[thechanelmuse]

How genealogy is used to track Black family histories

Our names are important to us. They tell us who we are and often, who we come from. So imagine suddenly discovering the last name you’ve always carried… might not actually be the name you should have. 

Alex Neason began looking into her family’s history after discovering her great grandfather’s name was different from what she believed for her whole life. In her search to discover the story of that last name, she enlisted genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith.

For Black Americans, genealogy can fill in the blanks left by the legacy of slavery and racism in the U.S. Services like the Freedmen’s Bureau and Slave Voyages provide free access to records and documents to help with that search. We talk about the power of genealogy in fostering knowledge and connection for Black Americans.

Source

If you click on the word “source,” it’ll take you to the article where you’ll see a LISTEN button. It’s a 30-minute audio that discusses the info provided in the article even further. Y’all know I’m big on getting people to trace their lineage. All that “we don’t know where we come from.” Who told you that? Everything in the US is in plain sight. Everything.

Discover your fam. 

I assist others when they reach a roadblock, like getting past the “1870 wall.” But you can’t beat the feeling of you discovering them on your own. Unearthing your history, seeing photos, reading stories that were stored, and saying their names that haven’t been said for centuries. I’ve been tracing mine (scanning, logging) since my family reunion in 2005 through oral family history and obituaries (those are records), and since 2011 through databases of US archived records like ancestry.com (purchased by BlackStone) and familysearch.org (free database owned by the Latter-day Saints Church). There are others, but those are the main two I use for comparative results.  

Archiving Centers, Census Records & Other Records

There are archiving centers in every state and DC that also keep records for those particular states and the federal capital. There’s a footnote on all records that tells you where they are housed. And please...Don’t just do a simple pedigree chart of your family tree. Get to know your great-aunts, great-uncles and cousins. It’s also helpful for seeing who lived around who (fam often lived next door to each other) and puts more of the pieces together of your complete family story. You can see the land and acres they owned or your fam today still owns, as well as if that land was stolen from them.

US census records go back to year 1790. Depending on when or if your ancestors were enslaved or free: you’ll find them attached to slave logs that have been made available online or kept in archiving centers (you go there), or or they’ll be listed on census records as free persons (1790-1710), free colored male/female (1820-1840), Black (1850-1920), Mulatto (1850-1890, 1910-1920) or Negro (1900, 1930-1950). “New” census documents are put on sites, like ancestry.com, every 10 years. As of 2023, you can only trace from 1950 to 1790. The 1960 census will be out in 2030. How to trace from 1950 to today, birth, death and residential records. So again, depending on the census year, you’ll notice your ancestors racial classification change throughout documents for obvious reasons. 

Keep in mind that the the largest slave trade for the United States was the domestic slave trade. In house human trafficking and selling (in addition to property insurance of enslaved people and the selling of enslaved people as the building block of Wall Street’s stock exchange) is how US capitalism was built. So just because you know a lot of your people are from Tennessee, for example, it doesn't mean that’s where that line stayed. I’ve found my ancestors throughout 7 states (so far). Another example, people with Louisiana roots damn near always have ancestors who were trafficked from early Virginia. Going beyond year 1790, records were kept in Christian and Catholic churches and old family history books so most of those documents are scanned online and/or still kept in the churches. I’m talking books books. 

If your ancestors walked the Trail of Tears, or were caught as prisoners of war or trafficked to Indian Nations to be enslaved, you’ll find an Oklahoma Indian Territory and Oklahoma Freedmen Rolls section on ancestry.com. You can discover more info on sites, like the Oklahoma Historical Society. (Every state has its own historical society for archived genealogical records.) 

Here’s the National Archives.

Also for Oklahoma, you may also find your ancestors in Indian Census Rolls (1855-1940) as [insert tribe] Freedmen, depending if they weren’t rejected through the “blood quantum” Dawes Rolls for not being the new light to white status. You’ll see their application and the listed questions & answers with or without a big void stamp. And on the census, you’ll even see the letter I (pronounced like eye) changed to the letter B. This is also for those in Louisiana.

Freedmen’s Bureau & Bank Records 

There were Freedmen’s Bureau records and Freedman’s Savings Bank records in other states. To see if your ancestors had their records in those systems, you can search by their name. The state and age will pop up with people having that name. It’ll give you a wealth of other info, like all of the kids and other fam if they were present or mentioned to the person who logged that info in. With the Freedmen Bank records, you can see how much money your ancestors put in there (that was later stolen from them by way of the United States government), which is still there today. It’s the biggest bank heist in US history (that they try to keep hush hush) with the equivalence of more than $80 million in today’s value stored in there today. Back then, it was valued almost close to $4 million. Stolen wealth met with bootstrap lectures. 

Here’s a short video on that heist:

Today the bank is called the Freedman's Bank Building, located right on Pennsylvania Ave. Plain sight. 

Trace your lineage. 

There’s a lot more that I can list. But this is just the basics. Like I said before, it’s a more rewarding feeling when you discover your ancestors by yourself. You may reach roadblocks. Take a break. Try going the “Card Catalog” route on ancestry.com’s search engine. Don’t skip the small details. 

SN: Slave Voyages isn’t a genealogical site, but rather a database for slave ship logs and the estimates of purchased Africans who became human cargo to be enslaved by country like USA, or by colonizers like Spain, Great Britain, etc.

[altocat]

Um. Long essay ahead, sorry lol.

We are talking about the Genesis-Sephiroth drama and I must say: Genesis is so very human and I love that. I think he seriously thought that Seph needed to hear some cold, harsh truth to finally see why Shinra sucked and why he and Angeal had defected. So, he just went straight for Seph’s most painful issue—his mother and the answers regarding her. 

I know we react viscerally to the idea of Gen having known about Seph searching for his mother and then weaponizing that, but think about it. Angeal is dead by that point and Genesis is on the verge of death. He is desperate. The man is broken to pieces after discovering that his entire existence had been a lie, an experiment, an abuse of power, etc., and that his own adoptive parents had “betrayed” him. He basically was reduced to an orphan that discovered how awful his care-takers were and how they had used him. 

On top of all this, he lost Angeal, his closest childhood friend, to the SAME horrific downfall. I don’t think we talk enough about how Angeal’s death probably messed with Gen, but I feel that he gets noticeably crueler and frailer afterwards. Shinra took everything from those boys, and Gen’s last hope for any salvation was Sephiroth, who was STILL letting himself be under Shinra’s command. Genesis absolutely wanted to hurt him with a wakeup call and went for the heart with his dagger. 

He probably thought he was doing well, that Sephiroth needed it, and yes, a strain of bitterness from their past rivalry tainted his words, but wasn’t it all just forgivable drivel in the face of their deeper friendship? In the end, Sephiroth could overlook that after seeing the light, yes?

Genesis wasn’t an idiot. He really did believe Sephiroth would help him despite the rude awakening, but what he lacked was deeper insight and empathy for his old friend. 

Genesis had a normal chldhood. He understood family, he understood the idea of a “hometown,” he knew how to hold friends and have fun with his life—he had autonomy despite the lies surrounding his birth. Sephiroth had absolutely none of this throughout his life and had trusted his heart only to his friends—one of whom was dead by that point and the other seemingly a traitor who appeared to use his greatest weakness against him before demanding a part of his very essence. Sephiroth had nothing left in that moment.

Genesis did truly descend into his frenzied, imagined glory-tale of three friends that were all monsters and could save themselves together, thinking that he had a chance to full-fill that dream, but he made the mistake of underestimating Sephiroth’s crumbling mental stability as a human being. We saw what discovering the truth did to two kids that grew up fairly normal. It ruined them, killed them, made one of them cruel in many ways. Gen and Angeal suffered immensely believing they were monsters and eventually reshaped pieces of history in retaliation.

But Sephiroth? The “other” child of Shinra? The solitary one? The one that had been violated directly from the womb…not just through his mother’s cells…but from the time his own life force began to take shape? The one that had been raised to be a killing machine with no true connection to the outside world? His discovery of the truth broke his psyche and led to apocalyptic events. 

Genesis simply failed to consider this, so his “splash of cold water” mixed with his own bitterness, which would have been cruel enough under normal circumstances, actually led to extremely dark consequences. I absolutely believe he knew that Sephiroth had been searching for his mother for his whole life, that Sephiroth had indicated it or brought it up at some point during their youth, regardless of whether the picture was involved or not.

I absolutely think Genesis weaponized Sephiroth’s gaping wound in that area, but I don’t think he realized how damaging it would truly be. He forgot that his friend was not at all “normal” and that his orphanhood was a different entity—something colder and more feral than most. Even most orphans are not completely deprived of normal lives and raised as weapons. We see this with many other characters. So many that lost their families or never knew them still found a way to make a place for themselves in the world or substitute their loss with something else.

Sephiroth literally could not do this as Shinra’s weapon. He had tried with his two friends and lost them both. He was already collapsing under the weight of it all, and Genesis simply did not see it in time. So, he played with fire and paid the price. That look of hurt on his face when Seph rejects him is genuine and raw and real. He had faith in them, in their friendship, and thought that it could withstand a bit of turmoil like it had in the past—but that only could have maybe been the case if Sephiroth had not been who he was—if he had been normal.

Genesis never quite fully understood his hero in the end and it makes me so fucking sad.

I don't think I could have said it better myself. Amazing analysis.

Genesis is a severely misunderstood character. It's really easy to dismiss him without taking a closer look at his feelings and motives. I think there was plenty of bitterness towards Seph, but we all seem to forget that Genesis' deepest, dearest desire at the end of the day was to share the apples with Sephiroth in a moment of acknowledgement. Genesis hurt Sephiroth badly, but there's more layers to it than just petty rivalry and Genesis being terrible just for the sake of it.

[charliecharlston]

one of the absolutely most frustrating things in the western leftist attitude towards "zionism" is that they use zionism to describe something that has its own word. kahanism. but instead they choose to go through hoops to redefine a belief system that ISNT theirs to define. words change overtime, but westerners and goyim dont get to decide what a word that is culturally significant to jews means. and just because the tiny fraction of jews that are antizionist allow you to decide doesnt mean that the wider jewish community who are zionists agree with that.

lets also get one thing clear: zionism is an ancient jewish value. throughout the jewish peoples time in exile away from the land of israel, there was always a strong desire to return to zion, which refers to yerushalayim or the land of israel as a whole. just because someone jew in America might tell you "well i feel no connection to israel" DOESNT MEAN THAT EVERY JEW AGREES.

zionism is the belief that the jewish people deserve self determination in our ancient ancestral land, which encompasses the kingdom of israel and judah. that what it is at its very core. in modern definitions its the idea that the state of israel deserves to continue existing.

ive seen antizionists define zionism as "facism" just a Different ideology, or something along the lines of "kill palestinians" and "take over the world" no where in zionist belief do we think that jews must take over the world, or that palestinians must die for jews to live. or that the modern state of israel must be an exclusively jewish state. the founders of israel picked sovereignty snd safety over maximalism, meaning they chose to settle for the land given in the agreements ALTHOUGH a lot of the land that has our ancient history wasnt actually in our defined land which remains as such to this day.

now, kahanism. kahanism is in my eyes an appropriation of what zionism is. kahanism is an extreme right wing and racist take/"branch" of zionism. the idea that israel must be exclusively jewish, no arabs no muslims no christians, and many kahanists like ben gvir even believe that israel should reoccupy the gaza strip. kahanism ( the kach party) was banned from the knesset, israels parliament. but i think its with this move that our rotten politicians did to circumvent this ban is what has really fucked the perception of israel and zionism beyond repair alongside the propaganda about what zionism is. kahanists have essentially decided that kahanism is actually what truly zionist belief is, so they decide to call their movement a Zionist movement. so the "oztma yehudit" (jewish power, disgusting of them to call themselves this btw 😀😀) party peddles the idea that theyre a zionist movement when really, they are just kahanist and anti arab and anti palestinian. its not fucking "jewish power" to be racist. its maddening to me how many "zionists" are actually racist and bigoted and kahanist and then a lot of antizionists see them and say "look at so so, they say theyre zionist and theyre actually racist bigots who want to flatten gaza, every zionist believes that" and when you believe in palestinian self determination and the continued existence of israel and are thus a zionist, youre now morally wrong and inferior, when the perception of zionism is so beyond warped from its true definition. and as much as people will say "not all jews are zionists!" and "im not antisemetic im jusy antizionist!" its very clear how this has given a lot of closeted jew haters the chance to spew blood libel and misinformation. i do believe that there are well intentioned people in the anti israel/anti zionist/pro palestine movement. i truly truly want to believe that. and if you got this far and consider yourself pro palestine, look left snd right in your movement. learn about the old blood libel thst was used against jews for thousands of years thst is now beinh rehashed with more palatable language. there is a LOT of antisemitism in the palestinian movement, and if people who are truly not jew haters have to stand up for what is right to wash the movement clean of antisemitic libel and violence.

i couldnt find a place to fit this in the previous paragraph but israelis are constantly fighting bibis coalition, most israelis crave nothing more then our hostages back and bibi out of politics. our government has done literally nothing to actually help us for a long fucking time. it is incompetent snd we are in dire need to a better prime minister. im thinking of doing a post about how israeli elections, coalitions, parties and knesset works plus an overview of the parties and their ideologies at some point, so lmk if youd be interested

so, pro palestinian and dont hate jews or israelis? actually want to stand for peace?? seriously, put in the effort. because we cannot see you. you are overshadowed by people using the movement to be antisemitic and spread lies about the jewish people.

[smol-and-scared]

G/t Analysis: Gods Among Mice

Before I begin, I want to say two things:

This post is not meant to disparage anyone or question their value as people, all of this is exploration of linguistics, its cultural implications and potential narratives that could arise from them.

It is not a statement of fact or a claim I’m making.

Also… Let’s put aside the “Step on me Goddess” bullshit that has unfortunately plagued much of the g/t community’s DMs (It deserves to be called out, but not what this is about)

I will be using ‘God’ as a gender-neutral term here.

The God-like power of Size💪

Throughout history, Gods have often been depicted as being physically massive. This makes sense, as physical power is the most easily understood form of power. Likewise, a creature's size is one of the most universally recognized sign of one's physical power. So it's a good way to instantly depict the strength of a God. And these depictions have had a weird memetic side effect: The idea that 'massive size' makes a creature 'God-like'.

This does have a bit of psychological merit. If mountain-sized Giants actually existed, (without our arch-nemesis: 🔥the fucking square-cube law🔥) their full size and strength would be so hard for humans to understand that their power is basically arbitrary. At which point it becomes indistinguishable from Godhood. Also, our primitive lizard-brains evolved to fear much larger creatures. And fearing your gods is a major part of many religions.

Because of this there are dozens upon dozens of G/t fics, comics, etc; where the larger party is compared to or (metaphorically) referred to as, a God. In the case of actual giants and characters growing larger, this makes complete sense and is usually well-suited to the narrative.

But in my eternal quest for more angst™ I’ve recently started to question it’s use in Human/tiny stories. It feels kinda… lazy? I mean, not in the context of the story, many fantastic fics do it. But it just feels like it was copied over from the giant fics and never fully questioned or explored.

Okay, but what if: 🤏 smol.

Now obviously, all of this depends on the exact size difference, scenario and world-building of the story. But I still think it applies to a huge amount of fics who play up the Human/tiny size difference as ‘God-like’.

I personally think If a tiny views their resident human as a God-like figure (with all of the fear and awe that entails) …then they are optimistically delusional.

Because Gods are, in most cultures, special.

I have yet to see a fic where the Tiny is struck by the simple and harrowing realization that the humans they view as unstoppable, God-like entities are... in fact, painfully average.

It’s one thing to live in terror of the massive entity that could kill you in an instant. It’s an entirely further step to realize that there are dozens, if not hundreds of them between you and the nearest human-free environment.

And what if the Tiny realizes that their human isn’t even average? Imagine their horror when they realize that the person who is so big and powerful that they can barely even grasp it… is some 4’ 3” (~130cm) little stick? And the average human could snap ‘their human’ in half like a stale fuckin’ Cheeto.

Objectively, the Tiny knew this. They knew that the human they live with was small and weak compared to the others. But they never had an opportunity to actually understand it. And nothing gets that message across like seeing the 'God' of their tiny little world casually picked up and playfully carried on someone’s shoulder.

And It still gets worse...

Depending on the setting, the Tiny may not know or feel connected to any kind of civilization (A borrower colony, a scavenger camp, etc). This is especially true if Tinies are rare and/or oppressed.

And if that Tiny were to realize how average their 'God-like' human was? It would break them in the most pitiful way.

Because that ‘God’ isn’t a god. They’re average. They have a job. They have hobbies and friends. Things that this Tiny could never even dream of having. And that’s normal. That’s expected. They get to live, instead of just survive. Because they’re a person and that’s what people do.

And if their ‘God’ is just a person-

“Then…what does that make me?”

In conclusion:

I believe a character referring to someone as a God/Goddess implies that the speaker is a ‘person’ and they are looking at something greater. It’s ‘Normal’ looking up at ‘Godhood'.

But given the right story, plus a healthy amount of fear and awe. I think many Tinies would start to understand how small they are. And that they’ve been looking up at ‘Normal’ the whole time.

[redgoldsparks]

December 2023 Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

Despite how much promise there is in the premise of this novel I was ultimately fairly disappointed by it. I'll start with the positives: it's set in a diverse and creative fantasy world with multiple different countries and cultures. It has several queer characters, including one of the four POV characters. It has dragons, even though I think they were severely under-utilized. It is also far too long, and astonishingly, nearly every scene in the book felt rushed. I think it actually had too much plot; if I had been editing this book I would have suggested the author cut one of the POV characters and use the freed-up space to flesh out the queer love story, which was the emotional heart of the book. This book is marketed as adult fantasy, yet whenever a character is in serious danger they are nearly always rescued by a talking animal with super-speed abilities. Choices like this book made the book read younger than I expected. It also suffered, perhaps unfairly, due to the fact I read a book with a much smarter and more interesting use of dragons, human/dragon cultural tensions, and dragon politics earlier this year: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, which I would recommend over Priory any day of the week.

Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe

Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe is a Coast Salish poet and punk who digs deep into the lineage of women in her family searching for connection, strength, and healing. While writing a Master's thesis, LaPointe opened the door to memories of a childhood sexual assault, precarious runaway teen years, and the intergenerational trauma that affected all of her family after the colonization of the Pacific Northwest. The memories that surfaced shattered her life. The path to picking up the pieces was slow, and involved traditional healing ceremonies, friendship, writing, music, and multiple journeys to places where her female ancestors once lived. I found this book very quick and easy to read despite the often heavy subject matter (it also includes a divorce and a miscarriage). Some passages are quite beautiful, but the author was an emotional mess for most of the time period she recounts and behaved in some questionable ways towards many of those around her. It ends on a hopeful note, and I would recommend it, especially to people with connections to the PNW area, while keeping the content warnings in mind.

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb read by Nick Taylor 

I hardly even know how to talk about this book because I loved it so much. It's a rich, nuanced, painfully human follow up to the earlier Farseer trilogy. I am amazed at how deftly Hobb wove the narratives of her characters across three decades of their lives and counting. There's Fitz, the royal bastard and reluctant assassin, who we first met at age six. Now in his mid-thirties, he is finally exploring his magical talents, teaching, learning, and taking more and more misfit young people under his wing. There's Chade, who we first met at a mysterious and wise teacher- now he's a royal advisor, and his hunger for power and influence might yet take him down a very dark path. There's Kettricken, who as a teenage princess was engaged to a stranger, now grown into a powerful queen bent on changing her kingdom for the better. There's the Fool, whose multiple identities are threatening to collapse as more and more of his prophesies come true. And Burrich, Fitz's adopted father figure, who in his anger and grief disowns a son who reminds him too much of his past. All of these characters feel so deeply rooted in their own histories, traumas, choices; I care so deeply about their lives and see so clearly how the twists of fate led them to where they are now. This is seriously one of the best fantasy series I have ever read, and I highly recommend anyone who loves long form fantasy to go back and pick up book one, Assassin's Apprentice.

The Well by Jacob Wyatt and Choo

Lizzy lives with her grandfather on one of many small islands in an world plagued by mist and monsters. Her mother, father, and grandmother all died fighting against the leviathan that used to threaten the seas between the islands; Lizzy has heard the stories, but never knew any of them. Her daily concerns are with goats, the market where she sells their cheese and milk, and her crush on a girl who works the island ferry. Magic doesn't regularly touch her life, except when she foolishly steals three coins from a wishing well, and is then tasked with completing the three wishes that are bound to them. This story has much the feel of a fairy tale with it's orphaned protagonist, three wishes, three tasks, and characters who are often more archetype than fleshed out people. But it manages a sweetly emotional ending and simple but lively and effective illustrations.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles read by Martyn Swain

Set in England during the reign of King George the third, this historical romance delivered a satisfying amount of plot along with the spice. Gareth is the son of a Baronet, but grew up with none of the privilege of that position having been send away from home after the death of his mother during his childhood. He works as a law clerk in London with few connections, no friends, and nothing much to recommend him. He seeks companionship at a tavern that turns a blind eye on the illicit sexual activities of men in the upper rooms. There he meets Kent, a working class man from Romney Marsh, with whom Gareth sparks an intense and intimate connection. Then it falls apart. Gareth is sacked from his job. He fights with Kent. His father dies unexpectedly, and Gareth is summoned to a manor house he hasn't seen in years to take on the responsibilities of a title, including the care of a teenage half-sister and his father's mistress. And by chance, the house Gareth inherits is in Romney Marsh, home of many waterways, pastures, smugglers, and also Kent, his former lover. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two romantic leads, and the crime plot which entangled both of them. If you are interested in R-rated M/M romance with action adventure and danger, I'd definitely recommend this series and also KJ Charles' Will Darling series.

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles read by read by Cornell Collins

A very satisfying installment in the Will Darling adventures! If this is the final book, I am happy with where it's left the characters, but it does also leave the door open for more. If you enjoy spicy M/M romance with a hefty side of action/adventure, this is a great series. It kept me company through a week of holiday cleaning, cooking, and baking, and I think it's my favorite yet from the series.

Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis by Dave Maass & Patrick Lay

This comic is grim, funny, gory, and darkly poetic. It's impossible to read it without an awareness of the history of the script, which is based on a suppressed opera written in 1943 two prisoners at the Terezín concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. The authors did not live to see their play performed. Maass and Lay have done an impressive job transferring a story meant for the stage into a comic. The stars of the show are the characters of Life and Death who narrative and frame the story of a paranoid dictator in the fictional nation of Atlantis and his reign of terror against his own citizens.

The Cliff by Manon Debaye

This was beautifully illustrated but too sad and violent for me to enjoy reading. It's the story of a dysfunctional middle school friendship between two unhappy girls who make a suicide pact. This story will really hit for some readers but it wasn't for me.

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow 

I really enjoyed this book, even thought I think it's more interesting as a collection of ideas than as a novel. The characters in the first third felt somewhat flat, and the dialog is often delivered in hefty paragraphs with minimal dialog tags. But the story picks up in the second half and by the end I was reading it daily in big chunks. The concepts this book explores are what really shine, especially the idea of walking away from capitalist society and living in self-sustaining communities without formal governments or laws. This novel contains some future technology which we don't currently have today including 3D printers which can print food, clothing, and building pieces for vehicles and housing and also internet interfaces implanted into people's bodies which allow them global network access from anywhere almost all the time. The nation state of Canada also seems to have fallen before the start of this novel, as most of the characters end up walking away from the US into northern Canada to find these alternate communities. I liked seeing Doctorow play out the clash between on faction wanting to run a group house as a meritocracy versus another group committed to allowing all members to work as much or little as they want to or can, for example. The book does not shy away from showing the violent crack down of the existing governments on these alternate communities. There are major character deaths. But the other big theme of the book is exploring the digital scanning and uploading of human consciousnesses to the web allowed people to walk away from death.

[scarlet--wiccan]

Do you think there’s a meaningful distinction between “witches” and other magic users in the marvel universe (beyond, potentially, gender)?

Witch and warlock are obviously treated more or less as gender-swapped synonyms and both have somewhat negative connotations that don’t get associated with people like Dr Strange (afaik), but I feel like there might be more to it, I’m just not sure. Calling Nico or Billy a witch feels more accurate than calling Cleo or Victor a witch, but I can’t figure out if this is grounded in anything besides my own opinion

Yes, actually! We can identify social, cultural, mythical and practical factors distinguishing "witches" from other types of magicians. However, those distinctions are not always clear. As you noted, the word "witch" is often used very broadly to describe any female spellcaster. As a reader, you'll have to rely on context to determine whether the writer is denoting a specific type of magician, or just using gendered language.

Functionally speaking, all forms of magic are basically interchangeable. Most spellcasters have the same powers and abilities, and writers don't always put in the effort to make them feel unique. That doesn't necessarily bother me, so long as they are tailoring the language and imagery to suit each character's background, but that doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Again, you'll just need to use critical thinking to figure out when a lack of distinction is really just a lack of creativity and effort.

With that out of the way, let's break down what we do know about witchcraft, and the history of witches, in the Marvel world!

Social: Witches have historically gathered in covens, settlements and societies, and have even endured literal witch-hunts. In real life, this is not quite the truth, but it Marvel comics, we can say that witches comprise distinct societies which suffer distinct forms of persecution. We also know that many witches belong to a magical lineage, and that these witch families often use a special naming convention to identify themselves with unique colors and symbols, indicating that witches have unique customs and traditions setting them apart.

Cultural: In Marvel comics, all forms of magical or spiritual folk practice are literally real, in the same way that all mythologies and polytheistic religions are literally real-- Asgard is a real place, Thor is a real person, and spells have real power. Witchcraft is typically represented as a form of European folk magic. Other traditions, such as vodou, voodoo, and multiple forms of Indigenous spirituality have also been demonstrated, and are often grouped together, along with witchcraft, under a broad category of "cultural magic." As shown in Midnight Suns, many of these traditions from around the world have a certain shared history, as the Coven at Mount Wundagore included representatives from numerous cultures.

Mythological: "Witchcraft" itself exists as an abstract entity, like Death, Nightmare, or Eternity. She is the source of witchcraft's power, but also a symbolic representation of all witches and the natural balance of magic, and she is sometimes worshipped as a goddess. Witchcraft resides at the heart of the Witches' Road, an Inner Plane uniquely accessible to witches that transcends time and is connected to many of the mythical realms. Witchcraft may also be intrinsically connected to chaos magic-- ancient witches were responsible for binding and harnessing Earth's natural chaos magic; Witchcraft, the entity, is shown consorting with an abstract Chaos entity; and we know that Wundagore and the Darkhold are connected to many cults and covens throughout history.

Practical: Unfortunately, this is the weakest area. For a brief time, Wanda's magical practice borrowed a lot of Wiccan motifs, which was problematic in its own right, but in modern comics, we just don't get to see enough of how witches, specifically, do magic. Most characters who practice some form of traditional magic have a closer connection to natural elements and the spirit world, and they may have particular powers related to their background. Doctor Voodoo is a great example, although the actual depiction of his culture is deeply flawed. Scarlet Witch (2015) introduced certain unique abilities, such as witches' sight; specific mechanics around the cost of magic; and a style of spellcasting that relied on Wanda's knowledge of real-world languages and magical symbols. Billy and Nico also use varying degrees of wordplay, so I like this approach and I would focus on building that into a cohesive magical system if I was a writer.