#brigid speaks

[readingoals]

Reorganising all my agatha christie novels so i can get to the ones i havent read more easily

[hapigairu]

Tbf, Petra probably drank the revanchist nationalism kool-aid and thought Faerghus (or Leichester) stole land from the Empire instead of y'know not thinking that maybe a territory wants to be independent and fought for said independence. But no, everything belongs to the Empire.

Hm... well, that's true, but I can't say I like this one bit. lol Petra was brought to the Empire at a pretty young age and was more or less treated like a circus animal, from what we've been told, that is. She tried to learn Fodlanese by herself and was met with mockery from the nobles in return:

It sounds to me like she hadn't anyone to turn to in the Empire despite being a political hostage and, y'know, a princess and the heir to Brigid's throne. I don't know about you, but if I was in this situation, I wouldn't jump on the "Adrestia fuck yeah" train, but rather on the "Adrestia fuck you" one. But then, Edelgard ousts Thales and his circus from the Empire and Petra returns to Brigid during the timeskip, meaning Edelgard allowed her to do so. We can assume that it's during that time frame that Petra bought Edelgard's spiel and decided to murder people so that the Empire can do a big fat land grab fight for her Cause (tm). But... why would she? Because Edelgard wasn't a jerk to her that makes her war okay and legitimate in Petra's eyes? If she supported the Empire for the sake of Brigid, that would've been a different story. But here, she's willing to throw away her life for someone who's trying to annex two countries that were minding their own business and didn't do anything to Adrestia or Brigid??? Surely, there would have been a better way to justify Petra being a playable character. Then again, she's not the only smart and curious character to have lost a consequential number of brain cells in Hopes. But this is why Petra is way better in AG where she gets a much needed dose of reality.

[randomnameless]

I saw your post about dumb points people make so that Dimitri and the Kingdom come off as worse and to justify Edelgard invasion and I was wondering if you have heard the one about how people try to use Duscur amd Sreng as a excise?

Like they claim that the Kingdom bad treatment of both nations makes them morally evil and that they deserve to be wiped out and conquered in return or that Dimitri has no actual desire to free Duscur and is just using them.

But they always conveniently forgot that the Empire has done the same thing to Brigid and Dagda in the past or even the fact that Edelgard is openly using Brigid

Imo that also explains why Petra completely falls flat as a character, because we have the situation where she is Adrestia's hostage, and could really bring something to the table about imperialism, power (in)balance and...

We have Nopes, where, iirc, Pat tried to lolcalise the part where she wonders why Faerghus used to see Duscur as something else than a land to be conquered before the Tragedy, when Adrestia always set its sights on Brigid - but bar that?

In this situation - a character being a literal hostage of another - I would have expected more than 5 throw away lines and the insulting (Petra is a princess, not the daughter of a fisherman, you really want me to believe she never learnt the language of the juggernaut trying to invade every saturday? Apparently Brigid people know how to speak Fodlanese, if her paralogue is any indication!) trope of "doesn't know the language".

(and yet it speaks volumes about how Adrestia treated her, even if it's not realistic : the child under house Goneril's "good care" is more fluent than her even if he has difficulties to pronounce Mercie's name, whereas the commoner who was saved and cared for by the prince is perfectly fluent in both languages, and even taught him some Duscurian in return!)

But ranting about Petra will take another post altogether, especially how she is perceived in certain, hm, corners of the fandom.

Let's say people living in said corner of the fandom embraced their favourite png's rhetoric, and the famous "Adrestian double standard" even in their real life interactions (with other fans). And it when it doesn't apply, they just create it.

I remember early on after the first Nopes leaks how people tried to piece out (10k years of lore!!) how Sreng and Faerghus's borders came to be, and some "devoted fans" immediately jumped on the Faerghus BaD wagon.

But conveniently ignored Wilhelm the Sailor, writing how he utterly failed his campaign to invade Dagda, off handedly mentions how Brigid people are "savages" and prefers to die there than to face the Emperor of the time who's going to be very pissed that he didn't manage to invade Dagda.

It's more or less (10k years of lore I'm telling you!) explained Sreng and Faerghus/Gautier fight over ressources, but why the fuck Adrestia wants to "adrestianise" Brigid and Dagda? For ressources or just to spread the might and glory of Emperor Ionius III ?

Saying Dimitri doesn't want reparations for Duscur and to cleanse Duscur's name is like saying Rhea's ears are round - you have a better chance to win an argument against a potted plant than against some people who aren't even talking about the game.

[giverofempathy]

soooo eepy rn but i promised to make dinner tonight so now i have to cook a 3 course meal . at least i already baked the dessert scones 😭😭

[gigamuffinsofie]

this is sort of an interest check if anyone would come see me do an art stream? i made a pngtuber.......

good afternoon girl, i am in the water

[micah-bells-baby-daddy]

A video bc WKD is just mental man

[threemadetwo]

when your heart knows no jealousy.

🫠

[canisonicscrewyou]

Anyways if you see All This you’re obligated (/j) to send me something or what have you to distract me or give me more of an excuse to hear myself talk

[wolffoxnation2]

hey are you feeling ok? you seem pretty down in your posts

i know im a random stranger on the internet but if i can help lmk!

you seem like a pretty cool person

Not paticularly

I'm not sure what caused the breakdown that created the mcga poem

And today was because i felt sorry for myself for hating myself and wondering when i started hating my...everything

But eh, not the first time i've had these kind of thoughts this was just the worst because my eyes were lingering on the knife block for way too fucking long (and it had to be some fucking divine intervention that it was completely empty)

I'll be fine. I'd never do it really, i have too much shit to do and too much guilt.

[tabithaandtheknightsofren]

I only remember 5 of my IRL friends’ blogs!!!!

[readingoals]

Finally getting some cooler weather in the mornings! Gonna spend the next hour in bed with my coffee and coles bakery danish

I've just started reading The Next Big Thing by James Colley.

[author-a-holmes]

It's December 3rd!

Am I sharing some gorgeous, thought provoking, Van Gogh Quotes this month?

Absolutely I am.

Am I also sharing a Question of the Day inspired by the daily quote, and then inviting you all to answer them with me?

I absolutely am doing that too!

If you want to play the rules are simple. Answer the question, and then tag forward! I'm leaving all my posts this month as open tags so feel free to join at any time. <3

Question of the Day!

Tell us about your protagonist's strangest dream...

My Answer:

Lizzy had a recurring dream as a very young child that she could make the flowers in her mothers garden bloom on command. For a long time she quietly thought that after her eighteen birthday she might manifest the same ability as the first fey queen, which was the ability to portal at will using connections between trees. But as she got older the dreams stopped, and she gradually forgot about them.

[artemis-potnia-theron]

How I perceive different deities' energies

(based on personal experiences)

Apollon ☀️: Light coming up from somewhere deep in the gut. An ache that almost burns. And it might if I stare too long. Swelling gold. A chorus of music too perfect to be written, words that could shatter my tongue if I tried to speak them.

Brigid 🔥: A lump at the back of my throat. Tears in my eyes while I smile. Joy and grief mixed together under my ribcage. Melodies sung through the ages, and through tears. Warmth at my back and a hand on my cheek. Baked bread. Garden herbs. Clear water from a well. An embrace that could last an age.

Nyx 🌌: The low, echoing hum of something eternal. Something too ancient to comprehend and too overwhelming to be perceived. Endless. Ethereal. Peace and chaos. Quiet and thunderous. Coffee. Red wine. Onyx.

The Morrigan 🐦‍⬛: A chant of words I can't understand, spoken in a language I never knew and never forgot. The cold steel of a blade's edge. Sharp, precise, and unwavering. Her language of secrets and ancient knowledge could swallow you whole if you let it.

Hekate 🗝: Whispers. Shadows against candlelight. A flickering flame that knows how to dance in the wind and never extinguish. The smell of old parchment and herbs. A ripple on the water. As intricate and mesmerizing as a spider's web. Silent and sharp like a viper. A bark and a growl heard from somewhere too far away for me to see.

Aine 🧚🏼‍♀️: Sunlight breaking over the surface of a river. Citrus. Wildflowers. Fresh grass. Wind sweeping over a meadow. Chimes. Fruit trees finally coming into bloom. The juice from an apple trickling down my neck. Laughter. So much laughter.

Aphrodite ❤️: Flower petals. Something sweet and soft like honey that trickles down the back of my throat and seeps into my belly. It spreads all through me like starlight trapped in my veins. Bells. Bliss. A want that could dissolve me. A yearning that would hurt if it didn't taste so lovely. The pain feels like a lifetime away.

Tiamat 🐉: Clusters of stars. Endless reflections of light on the water's surface. The deep song of a whale that echoes through the pulse of the sea. An eye that gazes down from the cosmos.

Caer Ibormeith 🦢: A lullaby that has been with me for longer than I know. A kiss pressed to my forehead. That place between sleeping and awake, between real and not. Cool air at twilight. Dew on the glass before sunrise. Clean fabric. A veil. Flying over the world as it sleeps.

Artemis 🦌: Freedom. Breath-taking, devastating freedom. A stag drinking fresh water from a spring. A doe and her fawn, sleeping as the songbirds chirp at dawn. A rush. An absolute rush like mountain air in my blood. Fireflies in an open field. Bones bleaching in the sun. The thrill of a wolf pack chasing its prey. The moon over the ocean at night. Teeth. Bird calls. Wildflowers. A great bear that walks in the stars. Hymns only beasts can sing. Jasmine and animal fur and the midnight air.

[swolesome]

What if I told you that the antidote to Islamophobia isn't Antisemitism?

CW for this post (you have seen the title.) I feel like this shouldn't need explaining, but merciful Brigid, some of the shit I have seen. It's time for Led Tasso to come out. I'm not Jewish, let's just get that out of the way first, but my position on Palestine is largely informed by Jewish people who have been protesting for decades about the horrific treatment of Palestinians being done by a settler colonial state appropriating their religion, culture, language, and trauma. Fascist governments weaponizing fear and hiding behind religion is a well known tactic, and the fact that so many people have put this readily available information from their minds, specifically in this conversation, speaks to how incredibly pernicious antisemitism really is. I'm treading lightly here because as someone who's not Jewish, it really isn't my place to explain the cultural complexities, trauma, or general experiences of Jewish people. But if you haven't seen those discussions crossing your feed, you should be looking inward and asking why. Because if you're not invested in Jewish voices right now (or in general), that's a red flag for the kind of rhetoric you've internalized and the struggles you take seriously. The position I can speak from, however, is one of being committed to challenging all forms of systemic violence and oppression. So from that stance, and I cannot stress this enough: If you are fighting for some at cost to others, you are reinforcing oppression. It is wild to me that "Nazi" has come to mean "The worst thing a person can be" without recognition of the fact that the ideology is inherently antisemitic, that this is its centrepiece, that Jews are the number one target. This separation is, once again, an example of how insidious this brand of hatred really is--blatant erasure of the way Jewish people are uniquely targeted. I know a lot of trans people follow me, so here's a fun fact: You know the "Doctors are transing our kids to damage fertility rates!" conspiracy? You can thank antisemitism for that, too! It's literally just a rebrand of the Great Replacement conspiracy, which is modernized "protection of Aryan bloodlines." The most recent chapter of "My Life as A Bigot" by Joanne Klan Rowling isn't just another gleeful display of her hatred of trans people, it's another addition to the laundry list of antisemitic beliefs and talking points she's been peddling for years. The Charlottesville "unite the right" Nazi rally was spurred on by the removal of confederate statues and anti-Black racism. What is it they were chanting, again? Anyone remember? Any of this ringing a bell? OH RIGHT. "Jews will not replace us." So many other forms of systemic violence are steeped in the poisonous rhetoric of antisemitism. Acting like this isn't the case damns our Jewish siblings who need us while weakening our understanding of the oppressive forces we're fighting. "One struggle" includes all of us. The fact that the Likud government uses accusations of antisemitism as a cover for their violence should make you more diligent about condemning antisemitism, not less. Because letting them weaponize something that is already so widespread and destructive makes it that much harder to dismantle.

Do not stop talking about Palestine. Do not stop speaking up against the horrors of settler colonial violence. But if you can't do this without throwing another group of oppressed people under the bus, you need to question where you learned your resistance tactics, because the company you're keeping there should disgust and terrify you.

[brian-in-finance]

Twitter

Everything You Need To Know About Standing Ground, the British Brand Making Time-Traveling Garments

Ahead of his London Fashion Week show, the designer offered a look inside his sculptural fashion label, built on Irish mysticism, fantasy classics, and an intuitive approach to craft

Ireland’s standing stones, or dolmens, are the oldest remaining neolithic monuments in the country. For Michael Stewart, the designer behind London-based label Standing Ground, they are portals through time: stoic witnesses to the eons. He recalls taking frequent trips to visit them as a child, enchanted by the centuries-old mysticism buried deep within. “Ireland is a superstitious country, which is a good thing, because the dolmens have been preserved and protected over time,” he muses. “They’re feared in a way, so people don’t dare touch them.”

It’s no secret that Stewart’s spiritual connection to these megalithic tombs informs his brand’s name and modus operandi. Speaking from his new studio at the Sarabande Foundation in East London, he explains that the dolmens possess a transcendent quality, which he projects onto his own statuesque garments: deceptively simple creations that borrow from the futurism of sci-fi and fantasy classics such as Lord of the Rings to imagine evening wear, custom garments, and body ornaments that feel rooted in neither past, present, nor future.

After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2017, Stewart established Standing Ground in 2022, before attracting the attention of Lulu Kennedy’s Fashion East incubator program, and making his London Fashion Week debut as part of the Spring/Summer 2023 shows.

Remaining loyal to his source material of neolithic artifacts and figures—images of a dolmen and a Saint Brigid’s cross adorn his spare studio walls—he doesn’t have a mood board or sketches, and freely admits to having done no new research since his master’s degree. Instead, Stewart takes an intuitive, and manual, approach to draping, sculpting, and craft, developing his own lines and patterns by hand to produce alien silhouettes that flow from and protect the body like topographic armor.

Stewart is currently working on his third collection for Spring/Summer 2024, which expands on the dialogue between distant pasts and otherworldly futures. “It’s different to what I would’ve presented last February, which was very beautiful, but not as menacing,” he confesses. “I wanted to take some time to figure out what I was doing, and not pigeonhole myself.”

This collection dials back the clock to pre-human times, focusing on primordial, skeletal, and fossilized forms to create uncanny garments that explore the relationship between objects and their surrounding environment. Imagining a world where ancient objects grow and shapeshift across each collection, the designs suggest a speculative place where humankind and nature are mirrors for each other—or, as Stewart puts it: “seeing the body as a landscape and the landscape as a body.”

Makeup by Machiko Yano / Hair by Moe Mukai / Casting by AAMØ Casting / Model is Nyaueth Riam / Fashion Assistance by Florence Thompson / Makeup Assistance by Krishna Branch-Mackowiak

Cultured

Brian’s Note: Cultured magazine’s story was published last year on 15 September. It mentions “Stewart is currently working on his third collection for Spring/Summer 2024.” Some of the dresses included in that collection are the dress Caitríona wore to the IFTAs and the ones below.

Instagram

Remember… Ireland’s standing stones, or dolmens, are the oldest remaining neolithic monuments in the country. ☘️