#everyone knows every Pantheon is real and they choose their Pantheon based on their own morals wants and/or needs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writingwithcolor · 3 years

Text

Blending Mythos Respectfully

@sapphicq submitted:

Hi all! I’m trying to write an urban fantasy that explores oppression in a world that is basically the same as ours, except with magic, while incorporating magical systems and mythologies of multiple cultures. I’ve done an okay amount of research on each one that I’d like to include (still need to do more for sure, especially considering how colonization has effected mythologies). However, I’m struggling a bit on how they should coexist, since in the world I’m writing about they’re present and tangible. One example of this is fox spirits in East Asian mythology. Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese mythologies each have a nine-tailed fox, and though my research says that the myth originates from Chinese mythology, it also says that each of the fox spirits carry different connotations of malevolence, benevolence, and how widespread they are, depending on which culture’s mythology is being referred to.

The same sort of thing has been popping up quite a lot in a lot of my research. I started to wonder if I could explain these similarities within world as “different cultures have come up with different names and customs surrounding the ‘same’ thing,” considering mythology in the real world from an anthropological perspective. However I don’t want to overgeneralize, especially considering that these different mythological figures are meant to be present and tangible. If I went that route, I wouldn’t want to say something like ‘actually, benevolent fox spirits do exist, and Korean mythology about fox spirits is wrong since Kumiho are pretty strictly malevolent,’ which would obviously be an implication. All this to say: do you have any tips for multiple mythos coexisting in a way that respects the various cultures they come from?

Avoid Round Pegs in Square Holes

A mistake you sometimes see Western authors make when dealing with mythology in urban fantasy settings is to confine the universe’s worldbuilding to a particular mythology or force the rules of a single culture’s folklore onto other cultures. For instance, here at WWC, we get a lot of questions asking how to represent supernatural creatures from multiple cultures respectfully alongside fae from Western Europe, and it's fairly obvious that the author plans to treat all supernatural creatures as fae. Urban fantasy based on Greek mythology or Christian mythology often falls into the same trap.

I think a writer can demonstrate greater creativity by embracing these differences. I think a potential way to deal with contradicting mythos between cultures is to come up with compelling reasons why differences exist. What world-building systems, philosophies and real-life phenomena allow for a framework that explains the simultaneous existence of commonalities and differences? As you know, in anthropology, there are theories that emphasize cultural diffusion as a way to explain similar customs within the same region, but there are also theories that hold that multiple cultures can develop the same traditions and principles independent of each other (See: existence of 0, lost-wax bronze casting, astronomical calendars and the use of wheels). The answers I’ve given are mostly technological. However myths and belief systems serve very real social functions as ways to keep people together and cultivate norms and mores. Lesya expands on the utility of intentional cultural diffusion below.

Similarly, within evolution, there are instances of species having common features because of a shared ancestor, but also instances where species without shared ancestors evolve to have similar features because they exist in the same environment. I believe flippers are examples of both types of evolution in marine animals. Thus, I think you need to question your assumption that “different cultures have come up with different names and customs surrounding the ‘same’ thing.” As the world is daily proof, they sometimes do, but they also sometimes don’t.

-Marika

First, props to you for sending us this ask. You have been thinking about this a lot and have done research into building an urban fantasy that doesn’t do the thing of putting all Asians under one umbrella.

Second, I’m going to agree with Marika here. Rather than go for the generalization route, revel in everyone's differences. It's a way for you to acknowledge the variations in the mythology, that not all have the same origins though there may be some similarities. Instead, they may have reached the same conclusions. My advice for blending mythologies is to lean into it, and not create a homogeneous umbrella. You can make something amazing with that.

-Jaya

Hybridity Through Diffusion

So a myth originated in China. This does not mean Chinese tellings have the monopoly on what a telling is. Marika and Jaya have gone into a possible solution, here, but what I’m going to examine here is a mental framework that a lot of people get stuck in that is actually ahistorical.

Cultural appropriation as we know it is shockingly recent when it comes to history. In the modern day, ownership boundaries of myths have become very strict because of primarily European colonialism picking and choosing everything it likes about a mythos, and, this is important: not letting up on the oppression of those peoples. There’s also a strong preference to kill those colonialism deems “wrong”, instead of creating a hybrid culture.

Historically, this got a lot more fluid.

What happened historically was primarily cultural diffusion, wherein open trade, intermarriage, and shared borders made it that myths, customs, and cultural practices were (mostly) freely exchanged without massive power imbalances happening, and then modified to fit local beliefs.

Key word: mostly. Because yes sometimes it happened that one place took over another place and imported all of its customs (see: China, Rome, the Mughals), but… often* the ruling power either backed off, was fought of, or otherwise left the region, leaving the common people to do whatever they wanted with the carcass of what had been imposed on them. Or sometimes, even, the imperial forces would actively create a hybridized culture in order to better rule others.

* in places where the ruling power has NOT backed off on oppression and assimilation, even if the colonialism is very old, then this is invalid and the power dynamics of appropriation are still at play.

Because, historically, there was a lot less incentive to simply genocide the peoples you took over (which is what made armies that did destroy all they took over so noteworthy). People were needed to keep providing food and materials, even if the new person got the resulting taxes.

This meant there were a lot more common people to play with the stuff imported by the imperial culture. And there was a lot more incentive to hybridize your customs to the common people’s customs, leading to the sometimes-hilarious situations like “Rome assigns an equivalence in their pantheon for literally every mythology they encountered, which was a lot.”

This also explains early Christianization, because it was a lot safer to simply adapt what you already had to make it better for your own ends than curbstomp everything that was “wrong” to your worldview. Ireland’s mythology survives in huge swaths, because it was either Christianized wholesale, or it was about “historical humans” and not fae. Norse mythology was similarly adapted for Christian worldviews, which means we unfortunately have no idea what the pre-Christian myths were.

So instead of thinking in terms of ownership, think instead in terms of diffusion.

Myths get imported along with food, cloth, or anything else necessary for life. Myths were, historically, a way for people to explain the world around them, both in place of and alongside science. “Ghost marches” are really common, globally, because if you have wind howling in the forest, it’s going to sound like predators, and predators mean go inside and lock the door. Weaving goddesses are also common, because weaving was so necessary to survive the elements.

Sometimes trade relationships soured, and you get bad associations with the imported stuff. Sometimes the relationship stayed great for long enough it got completely adapted. This doesn’t mean any one myth is “right”, nor does it mean you have to erase historical trade links. It just means you look at the historical context, understand that cultural exchange often used to be a lot more two-way than it is in modern appropriation times, and figure out what that means for your worldbuilding.

~ Mod Lesya

#worldbuilding #mythology #fantasy #Intercultural #cultural exchange #cultural diffusion #anthropology #history #folklore #asks

869 notes · View notes

willow-salix · 3 years

Note

Why hello there

Is there anything you would recommend a babi witch like myself studying that has been missed from my list :>

Mah list (so far):

○ Witch vs Pagan vs Wicca

○ Types of witches

○ Grey witch

○ Black witch

○ Crystals + Properties

○ Sacred geometry

○ Pentacle + Pentagram

○ Sigils

○ Protection

○ Moon phases

○ Sabbats

○ Types of salts

○ Respecting nature

○ Graveyard etiquette

○ Spirit guides

○ Divination (runes, Tarot, Coins, etc)

○ Casting a circle

○ Candle magick

○ Colour magick

○ Closed practice appropriation

○ Herbs

○ Astrology

○ Tree of life

○ Auras

○ The five clairs

○ Energy/visualisation magick

○ History of starseeds

○ Astral projection

○ Methods of meditation

○ Grounding

○ Plant magick

Ooh OK! Here goes.

First and foremost, as a witch of twenty plus years, the most important thing I can tell you is to be yourself. If this is a belief system and way of life that you want for life it has to fit in with you and your personality.

Forget everything you see on Instagram, tictok or Pinterest, it's not about the aesthetic, it's about you.

There is no room for witch shaming on my blog.

And by that I mean that EVERYONE works in different ways, at a different pace and to different levels. Never compare yourself to anyone else or how they work. Never think that you aren't doing enough or that you aren't progressing enough.

You are on your own path and that is the right one for you, so you do it your own way. You want to stop and smell the flowers? Do it. You want to dip your feet in that stream? Go for it! You want to stop and rest for a bit? Best idea ever!

You should never feel pressured to do anything that you aren't ready for or aren't comfortable with. That includes such things as blood magic, working with deity you don't feel a connection with, working skyclad, doing any kind of sexual magic or anything that makes you feel off about it. It's YOUR craft.

Be kind to yourself, don't have expectations and don't ever think you aren't good enough or worthy.

This includes making your craft unique to you. Visualisation is one of the witches most poweful tools, the magic doesn't come from the expensive athame, insence or candles, its in the heart of the witch. The power comes from you. And visualisation is your key to that but so is choosing how to make it work for you.

Take me for example, I'm this loveable thundernerd witch, so that reflects in my craft.

In circle (mediumship development) we did a meditation and I was directed to the beach. So what beach did I go to...

"There's a lovely beach, I can feel the salt water on my skin, I can smell the salt in the air, there's a light breeze that's rustling the leaves on the palm trees all around me and in the distance I can hear the faint sound of someone playing the piano."

Hell yeah I was there. That's my happy place!

I need to ascend to a higher level of consciousness? Am I taking that golden winding staircase or am I calling John for the space elevator? What do you think I'm gonna choose?

I need to go lower, below the earth to go into trance? Hell I'm taking Alan's seat down.

Make it work for you.

Working with charms, that's a very important thing for me. I have lucky charms, trinkets and things everywhere. And they don't have to be pagan. I put a spell on my car to keep me safe and the car safe. Then I charged up a little TAG John and Virgil, they live in my car, Virgil is my co-pilot John is my navigator. They help me feel calm and safe.

Energy weaving is a big thing, I always do it that any energy I raise for something that doesn't already have a predetermined purpose, say for example it's full moon and I'm bouncing around outside, everything I raise I direct out to the earth as healing. I'll raise my arms to the heavens and say : I send this energy out to anyone or anything that needs it right now, I send my love and healing into the wind and trust that it will be taken to where it can do the mslt good.

Talking to other witches about how they do things and how they work is sooooo important. That's why I'm not in a tradition ( alexandrian, gardnerian etc) because I don't like having just one way to do things. That doesn't work for most people, they just won't admit it.

Trying different things to find a way that works for you is so much nicer and healthier than struggling to work the one way that you've been taught. So read, a lot, watch a lot of reputable youtubers (I recommend Tylluan Penry, she's amazing, a grandmother witch and a good friend of mine) and make your own choices. And remember that nothing is set in stone, we are ever evolving and every changing, if you feel the urge to try something new and work a different way, do it. You don't have to stick with it.

An astral altar, sooo important but something I don't see many people talking about. An astral altar is something you build in meditation.

You have your happy place, somewhere you feel safe and calm and protected (Tracy Island and the beach for me or my Nan and Grandads house as I remember it before they passed away) but it could be anywhere, a woodland, a house, a stream, a playground you used to love. Anything or anywhere.

Here you find a nice place that you like and you dream up /visualise your altar base, like a nice table, a tree stump, and rock, anything. And here you place all the items you might need, all the things you've dreamed about that you can't afford or the things you have in real life. And you place them all there. You keep that space, you charge it up, you spend time there and then, any time you are away form home or can't get to your altar in the real world for any reason, you have somewhere to go, somewhere to work and some where to commune.

Tools, I didn't see that on the list but might have missed it.

Anything can be a tool. That's the biggest lesson of all. Our pagan ancestors would have used whatever they had to hand, no tools were single use or bought for the purpose of their craft. A cauldron was cooked in all week, a knife is used to chop everything and then used to direct energy.

These days we have the resources (and don't have to hide) to be able to have specific tools that we use only for our craft, but they don't have to be expensive. Go to a thrift store or buy cheap on eBay, a letter opener is an athame, a single wine glass can be a chalice, a pretty bowl is your offering bowl, a single plate is an offering plate, mismatched candle stick holders. All valid and will work just as well. The tools are a focus, they are NOT the source of our power.

Another tip, make witchcraft part of your every day life. Make it as natural and normal as everything else you do. It's part of your life and should be treated as such.

Making coffee in the morning? Set your intentions for the day and focus on it as you make it. You want to draw positivity? Stir doesil (clockwise) that's attracting. Want to rid yourself of the bad mood you had yesterday? Stir widdershins (counterclockwise) that's banishing. Not got anything? Stir a pentagram and call it good.

Sigils, doodle them everywhere (if you want a quick lesson on how to draw them and make up your own, let me know). Charm the shit out of everything.

Whisper a food blessing before you make food or eat. Bring that abundance in.

Trail your fingers along a wall or bushes to feel the energy as you walk.

Everything is magical to a witch.

Read mythology stories, it helps us learn and helps us connect to the stories of our pantheons and deity.

And heres the biggest thing I can tell you. Don't worry about getting things wrong. It's how we learn and honestly there is no such thing as wrong as long as your intentions are right.

Wording of spells doesn't matter, the intention and feeling behind them does.

You can do a cleansing by saying : Blessed spirit, Father God, mother goddess, I ask that you bless this house/tool /space and help drive out any negativity. Spirits that reside, if you're good you may stay, if you wish me halm, then please leave.

Nothing wrong with that.

Or you do a me: Mother Goddess, Father God, I'm back. Help me out here please, I need to cleanse this shit. Yo, spirits, good guys, ya chill, bad shit, get the fuck out! I'm the witch I'm in charge, do as you're told *claps hands all over the place and follows up with a cloud of vape smokes because my intention is in my breath and I'm blowing that negativity away*

And last but not least. I'm sure you've heard "Ever mind the rule of three, what you send out comes back to thee" That's very true, try to only send out good if you can. But you're human and it won't always happen, you'll have bad thoughts and negative emotions, that's normal and fine. Just don't do it with nastiness in your heart.

"and if it harms none, do what you will."

There's a line here most people don't know... "do no harm. But take no shit."

Because the one person most witches forget to look out for is themselves. Being good, doing good and being positive is great, but not at the expense of yourself. If it harms you, don't do it.

Love and light, and bright blessings to you. X

#witch #witchcraft #paganism #pagan witch #paganpride #Witches #wisdom #blessed be

58 notes · View notes

tipsycad147 · 3 years

Text

Why do people become Pagan? The top ten reasons

by Michelle Gruben

“Why are you Pagan?” If you were to ask this question of a dozen people, you would probably get a dozen different answers. For Christians (and others who believe in one true God) the revival of polytheism may be confounding. For others, it is hard to understand why a sensible modern person would seem to turn their back on science to worship the gods of old.

Before we get too far along, let's cover some background info. Paganism is defined broadly as non-Abrahamic religion that is Nature-based, polytheistic, or both. Wiccans, for instance, generally worship a creator Goddess and a God who is Her consort. The Wiccan cosmology does not acknowledge the existence of the Christian God (or the concepts of Satan and Hell).

Wicca is the best-known of modern Pagan religions, but there are many sub-groups and branches of Pagan belief and practice. Druidism, neo-Shamanism, Greek/Roman reconstructionism, and Norse Heathenry are just a few. There are also eclectic Pagans who combine elements from various traditions to make their own “flavor” of Paganism. While occult practices (e.g., divination and spellcasting) are common in Paganism, not all Pagans participate in these practices. Conversely, not everyone who is involved in the occult is a Pagan.

Most Pagans are polytheist, meaning they recognize the existence of more than one God. But there is more to Paganism than “the more, the merrier!” Here are some general traits of Pagan religions (keep in mind that not every religion will have them all): Rejection of Judeo-Christian cosmology, observance of seasonal rites, reverence toward Nature, rejection of religious authority and focus on individual experiences, paranormal/psychic beliefs and practices, emphasis on personal responsibility over sin or evil.

Not surprisingly, a preference for one or more of these traits is what attracts many people to Pagan religions—but we’ll get to that in a moment.

At the risk of stating the obvious, religion is a choice. If a person follows a Pagan religion, they are expressing a preference for Paganism over another religion, or no religion. Thinking about the reasons why people choose to become Pagan can lead to better understanding of Pagan friends and family. If you are Pagan, you may even learn something about yourself!

For the record, I’m Pagan in a mixed-religion household. This (totally unscientific) list is based on my own observations within the Pagan community. I’ve tried to present them in a way that’s inclusive and fair. Without further ado, here are some of the most common reasons why people choose to follow a Pagan religion:

1. They were raised Pagan.

Contemporary Pagan groups began forming in the 1930s, and achieved breakthrough status with the emergence of Wicca in the 1950s. Before that time, very few people in the West were raised Pagan. If you wanted to be initiated in a Pagan tradition, you had to seek one out—often at great expense to your personal or professional reputation.

Nowadays, that’s not the case. Neo-Paganism as a social/demographic phenomenon is in its third generation. It’s fairly common to find adults who were raised Pagan, or even whose parents were raised Pagan! It’s also possible to find those who were raised Pagan, but left Paganism. “Mom used to go out in the woods with her friends and do weird stuff—I never really got into it.”)

Some Pagan clergy will participate in the general blessing of infants and children, such as the ritual of “Wiccaning.” However, most Pagan paths do not have formal initiation for children. Pagans also overwhelmingly value religious choice. If someone continues their Pagan practice into adulthood, it is likely because they found something meaningful in it.

2. They want sexual acceptance and/or sexual freedom.

Of all the world religions, Paganism is arguably the most tolerant of the varied expression of human sexuality. Sex is considered a divine gift and a sacred rite. Lusty Gods and fertile Goddesses appear in all the major pantheons. (Along with gender-bending, raunchy stories, and other sexy fun.) For most Pagans, sex is just no big deal as long as it’s between consenting adults (or deities).

Pagan groups almost universally accept gay members, and some traditions even have queer or queer-leaning branches (Radical Faeries, Dianic Wicca). Pagan activists have been on the forefront of the struggle for equal rights. Compare that to the sluggish response of churches—even liberal churches—to embrace LGBTQ members and clergy, and you’ll understand why sexual minorities have been so attracted to Paganism. For people who are used to hearing their sexual desires called dirty, sinful, or shameful, the difference can be life-changing.

It’s not just queer folks who embrace Paganism as a safe haven. Horny folks do, too. In most Pagan belief systems, sex is not considered a sin but a morally neutral act. Sex for fun is fun, sex for magick is magick. It’s not how much sex you’re having, but your intention that characterizes the act. The only moral imperative is in how you’re treating yourself and your partners.

Partners? Oh, yes! Polyamory, group sex, and (legal) exhibitionism are accepted within some Pagan communities. That’s an undeniable treat for people who want to enjoy these activities without religious shame.

3. They don’t care for dogma and/or authority.

There is no holy book, no central governing body, and no real priestly authority within the mass of related beliefs filed under Paganism. This is great news for people of a certain temperament—religious rebels and militant agnostics. (“I don’t know, and you don’t either!”)

As a social movement, neo-Paganism is deeply indebted to the Transcendentalist writers of the 19th century. Their poems and essays held the germ of the idea that fuels Pagan practice: That God speaks directly to everyone—often through Nature—and not only to a specially qualified few, inside special buildings.

Some Pagan groups do have ordained clergy. But there are still significant differences between Pagan clergy and those of more established organized religions:

First, Pagan titles like “High Priestess” are usually self-conferred or passed along from student to teacher. This does not mean that they’re not “real” clergy, but it does mean that their power is limited outside their own group or coven. (A Pagan leader may also be ordained as a minister by another organization, such as the Church of All Worlds or the Unitarian Universalist church. This allows them to receive certain legal privileges that independent Pagan clergy usually do not enjoy.)

Secondly, Pagan clergy tend to function more as community leaders than authority figures. Pagan priesthood does not confer any real power over others, either temporal or spiritual. Most Pagan leaders encourage discussion and self-study by their students and congregants. Certainly a dedicated Priest or Priestess will have more experience working with their deities than a beginner. They may have the skills to do rituals or advanced deity work that a novice does not. In a sense, though, every Pagan is their own Priest or Priestess—and the best Pagan clergy respect that. This makes Paganism very attractive to those who don’t want to experience God(s) secondhand.

4. They long for a connection to Nature.

The earth, the trees, the sky, the sea—most world religions recognize these wonders as the work of a mighty creator God. And yet, most leave it at that.

Not so with Paganism. Pagan religions are sometimes described as “Earth-based”—meaning the Earth and its cycles are central to what Pagans hold sacred. Most Pagans profess a deep reverence for natural places, the seasons, the web of plants and animals, and the processes of birth, aging, and dying. While it’s not technically required, many Pagan services are held outdoors. “Skyclad” (nude) rites are another way that Pagans shed the trappings of modern society and get back to the core of being.

Some people come to Paganism as an extension of their environmentalist or eco-feminist views. Others simply want to reconnect with Nature as an antidote to the alienation that comes with busy, digitized lives.

5. They’ve had negative experiences with other religions.

It’s a sad but undeniable fact. People who turn toward one religion are often, with the same movement, turning away from a religion that has hurt them. If you spend enough time in Pagan communities, you will certainly meet some of these displaced folks.

Perhaps a certain religious doctrine—such as the prohibition against homosexuality—is causing the person emotional pain. Maybe they’re frustrated with persecution, corruption, or hypocrisy within the religious group they came from. Or maybe they’re rebelling against the religious beliefs of a parent or spouse. Whatever the case, Paganism appears to offer a chance for a fresh start, one with less restriction and oversight than they may be used to. Pagans don’t evangelize—which may make them seem more trustworthy to folks who have been burned.

As with all life choices, there are right and wrong reasons to become a Pagan. And you can’t ever really know someone else’s motives. The best thing that Pagans can do is treat religious refugees kindly, answer their questions honestly, and wait for them to figure out if Paganism is right for them.

6. They have trouble with the concepts of sin and evil.

Of all the barriers between Pagan beliefs and Abrahamic religion, the idea of sin is the thorniest. Original sin is a tough doctrine to swallow, even for many Christians. Who wants to suffer for something that happened before they were born? That Paganism has no equivalent concept to sin and sinfulness is one of its biggest selling points, so to speak. (Pagan beliefs about the origin/existence of evil are so diverse I won’t even try to tackle the topic here.)

As mentioned earlier, there’s no single Pagan concept of God. Still, one idea you see over and over in Paganism is the doctrine of non-dual immanence. God/Goddess existing here and now, and not in some distant place or kingdom to come. Lack of meditation or participation or acceptance can distance us from the sacred, but God/Goddess is always there. Furthermore, divinity is present within the material world, and the world is inseparable from its creator.

All of this is pretty difficult to reconcile with Judeo-Christian ideas about original sin and the fall of man. (Some Hermetic Pagans do accept them as metaphorical/alchemical truths—but that’s a whole other beaker of worms.) In Biblical cosmology, the world is created by God, but separate from God. The world we know is basically fallen and can only be redeemed through God’s intervention. In Paganism, the world we know is basically holy and does not require redemption. (Only observation and celebration, if we want to be happy and—perhaps—please the Gods.) The other worlds are holy, too—not more, nor less.

As for behavior? Paganism emphasizes individual freedom and responsibility over moral absolutism. Most Pagans live by an individual moral/ethical code, but shun universal behavioral codes. Pagan ethics have been heavily influenced by the Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do what ye will.” This in turn derives from Aleister Crowley’s “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”—possibly the most mis-interpreted eleven words of all time.

It’s not that Pagans believe that you can or should do whatever you want. On the contrary, Paganism teaches that actions (and even thoughts) reverberate through the universe to affect oneself and others. There’s no real concept of sin, but Paganism is not amoral. In encouraging moral behavior, Paganism substitutes concepts like karma, duty, interconnectedness, for a paternal god figure keeping score.

7. They yearn for representations of the Divine Feminine.

Dion Fortune wrote “A religion without a Goddess is halfway to atheism.” Women’s bodies are the carriers of life. And yet, many world religions downplay or denigrate the contribution of women. In Abrahamic religions, women can be vessels and saints, but are rarely prophets and never God. Many people yearn for distant time—real or imagined—when women’s bodies could also be a representation of deity.

As a social phenomenon, the rise of Wicca and Goddess spirituality has coincided pretty neatly with the expansion of women’s rights. As long as women are to be regarded as equal to men in society, there are those who feel that patriarchal religions can never be wholly legitimate.

Everyone has an earthly mother and a father. If you believe in God, it makes a kind of intuitive sense that everyone has a divine Mother and Father, too. Yet religions that include a Goddess are usually labeled polytheist and Pagan automatically.

8. They want explanations for psychic and paranormal events.

Out-of-body experiences, premonitions, telepathy, ghost encounters—weird stuff sometimes happens. If you haven’t had an inexplicable experience, then you likely know someone who has. Pagans aren’t alone in experiencing the paranormal, of course. But they tend to be better equipped to talk about it than the average person.

Imagine a person who has recurring paranormal experiences, or experiences they believe to be paranormal. Mainstream science tells them that these experiences are illusory. Mainstream religion—when it’s not condemning them as evil—seems mostly too embarrassed to talk about occult happenings. It’s no surprise that the person would be drawn to a Pagan community where psychic stuff is openly discussed, accepted, and even encouraged.

Don’t get me wrong—mental illness and paranormal delusions do occur, and can cause great harm. But the not-crazy among us still yearn for a safe haven to discuss our psychic lives without condemnation. I believe—though I can’t prove—that so-called paranormal experiences are actually quite common among the general population. I’ve also observed that persistent psychic curiosity is one of the major reasons that people turn to Paganism.

9. They’re attracted to the power and control offered by magick.

I once read an academic paper that was trying to explain the rise of Wicca and witchcraft among teenage girls. The conclusion was that when a young women lacks a sense of control in her life—i.e., economic, sexual, or social autonomy—a religion that offers a secret source of power is immensely attractive. (Who wouldn’t want to be able to cast a love spell on a crush, or curse a bully?) The author observed that many teen girls become practicing Pagans in junior high and high school. They tend to lose interest after finding another source of personal power (a job, a relationship, a better group of friends).

As a young Pagan woman, I found the tone of this particular paper to be condescending, bordering on insulting. But one thing is obviously true: Occultism purports to offer power to the powerless, esoteric means to an end when exoteric means have come up short. Why else would there be so many people interested in fast answers—love spells, get-rich-quick spells, and the like?

Lots of people approach witchcraft and/or Paganism because they want to learn to use magick. They see it as a way to fix their lives in a hurry or achieve undeserved success. Many of them move along when they realize that real magick is real work.

10. They’ve been called by a God or Goddess.

A burning bush, a deathbed vision of Christ, a miracle from the Virgin Mary—these are the types of religious experiences that are familiar to most people. But Pagans have religious epiphanies, too. Although most of us don’t talk about it outside of trusted circles, our Gods and Goddesses call to us in dramatic and in subtle ways.

Like any other type of religious conversion, some people drift gradually toward an acceptance of Paganism, while others are thrust toward it by a single epiphany. Some people may scoff at the idea of elder Gods asserting their presence in the 21st century. But it's certainly no wackier than what other religious people believe. (And it's hard to be so cavalier when Odin’s keeping you awake at night with a to-do list.)

For most Pagans, one or more of the above reasons has contributed to their finding their religious path. There are certainly other reasons that aren’t on this list. Of course, the best way to find out why a particular person is Pagan is to (respectfully) ask!

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/why-do-people-become-pagan-top-ten-reasons

14 notes · View notes

justgottafinishthischapter · 5 years

Text

Worldbuilding Tips: The Five Visitors

You’ve done it. You’ve come up with an idea for your fantasy world, but right now it’s mostly curb appeal and decorations without much else. So, you have the skin and flavor of your fictional world, but what if you’re having a bit of trouble coming up with the meat needed to make your world juicy and delicious? Well, I have a little game that can help flesh out your world.

Imagine a ship or whatever other kind of vehicle arriving on the shores or outskirts of your fantasy land and from that vehicle emerges 5 people from our own mundane world: a historian, an economist, an anthropologist, a diplomat, and a cartographer. There are some other visitors, but these are going to be the most universally beneficial.

The Historian:

This person is going to be interested in the backstory of your world. They don’t need to know every minuscule detail (though they wouldn’t turn that much information down) and just a general overview would be much obliged. Many fantasy worlds such as Tolkien’s Middle Earth and Martin’s Westeros are far more rich and interesting due to the amount of effort put into crafting their world’s histories. If you’re stumped, look to real world history for inspiration. It doesn’t even need to come from the middle ages so long as it works for your story. You should be able to answer questions like: How long has the dominant civilization been around? What are the biggest defining moments in your world’s history? What things are common knowledge that every child is expected to learn (such as George Washington being the first president of the USA) and which stuff is known more by historians and social studies teachers? And as you’re discussing the rest of the visitors, think back on how the answers you give would impact the historical aspect.

The Economist:

You don’t have to know the exact cost of every single thing in your world, but have a good guess. Be able to at least have a scale of price. If someone can buy a loaf of bread for 13 of your world’s currency, but a house costs 17, that would mean that either that bread is very expensive, that house is very cheap, or each unit of your currency is equal to a lot of real world money. Whatever you use to refer to your currency, keep not only price scaling in mind, but economics. If you have a port city, there’s going to be a lot of merchants in that area. The first primary export you’re likely to see in such a port town would be seafood, but also keep in mind the things that are closet to that port, as well as the climate. Greece for instance is a very rocky and mountainous country, so while they can grow crops, they would not have been any match for medieval French Aquitaine, the crown jewel of medieval farming territory. It’s also worth remembering that food in the middle ages was far more valuable than it is today. There was an old saying that wheat is worth its weight in gold. It was southern France’s bountiful soil that caused it to become one of the richest and most coveted territories in medieval Europe. So, keep in mind where resources would come from and where they would need to go, as well as trade that would be useful. A seaside farming town might not have any good access to raw minerals, while a city in the frozen mountainous north might not be able to grow crops, but are bountiful in minerals. The correlation of supply and demand now opens a vital trade route between them. This becomes more complex when the topic of war comes into play. The kingdom that supplies your crops and food is at war with your oldest ally. Now there’s a dilemma between having enough food to feed your people, or betraying the trust of a long time friend. Now your world building can be used as a part of your drama and narrative tension. The economy also impacts culture. What is considered a display of wealth, or is a common status symbol? What are the living conditions of the poor, the working class, the rich, and the aristocrats? Is there upward mobility? In the middle ages, you were what you were for the most part, especially serfs: peasants tied to their land. It was illegal to leave your territory, but there was a saying in the middle ages that “city air makes you free” that once a serf made it to a city, they’d be free of the life they’ve escaped.

The Anthropologist:

Every society has a culture. The way they act, think, dress, believe, talk. It’s all impacted by culture. Beliefs tend to be tied either to what has come before, or based on the world as observed. While many modern fantasy pantheons are based on ancient Greece, it’s not the only model to live by. In a loose interpretation, religion in it’s earliest stages was a rudimentary science used to explain why things happened. A culture that developed along rivers, sea coasts, and other popular trade routes are far more likely to be diverse melting pots due to the frequent traffic of people coming and going, and the common sight of foreigners choosing to set down roots. Meanwhile, a more out of the way and isolated culture is far less likely to have widespread cultural diversity. Tying back into history, a country that has experienced a number of successful wars may tend to think of themselves as invincible, or may try to police the issues of other countries, assuming they’re always on the right side, or that they can’t be defeated. The same culture may ask a high price of any other culture that asks them for militaristic support. Ask what things your people value, be they material or abstract ideals. However, try to refrain from creating a Planet of Hats, a trope often seen in Star Trek and similar Sci-Fi shows and even some Fantasy stories where everyone of a single race all have mostly the same skills, interests, personalities, and roles in the global culture. This is also the time to start thinking about myths, legends, folk heroes, and historical people and events worth celebrating, as this may be when you start to craft holidays or celebrations. This could also lead into discussing religion, and the gods or lack there of that might be celebrated by your culture. How does your society reflect itself in art, music, literature, dance. Does the way someone dresses tell you something about their place in society? Some taboos come from simple logic. The reason it’s frowned upon to eat a cow in India is the same reason it’s immoral to eat horse in western culture. Both are beast of burden livestock worth a lot more alive than dead. Cows produce milk, a source of nutrients and health. Horses are strong and were used in just about everything from plowing fields to pulling entire families or communities a great distance. Horses even became status symbols, as even in modern culture, owning a horse or pony is still considered to be (largely) a snobby rich person thing. Understanding not only what your people believe, but even just a vague idea why they would believe it is a vital aspect.

The Diplomat:

As this landing party is your fantasy world’s first contact with our own reality. How would they react to the newcomers? If there’s more than one society in your world, how would each society, country, kingdom, race, etc. react to something completely foreign? Would they try to forge an alliance? Open trade negotiations? Declare war? Prepare a feast? How would they feel about the way we dress? act? talk? How would they react to different levels of progression in technology? Could an unbiased third party from our world help two feuding sides come to peace with one another? How would they feel about knowing of a world beyond their own? Are there actions or behaviors acceptable in our own society that are considered offensive to them?

The Cartographer:

Although it’s not necessary that all fantasy worlds have a fully designed map, it is a good idea to have at least a rough idea of where things are in relation to one another. This can tell you about climate, resources, wildlife, natural borders, natural disasters, food chains, and more. It’s worth at least taking a crash course in understanding how geographical biomes tend to be laid out in order to make your world feel more real. Some authors claim that a world map is the single most important feature, others say it’s not that important. Frankly, trust your gut based on the kind of world you have. You may need a map, you may not. It really depends on the size and scope of your world. For instance, with Disney’s

Zootopia

, the entire world doesn’t matter. The audience doesn’t need to know where in the world Zootopia is, or what climate or biome it’s in. Zootopia itself is the world being built, and the separate districts and biomes of the city explain the world that’s being focused on.

Secondary Visitors:

They may still be important to your world, but are less likely to be universally helpful to all people.

Biologist: if your world has creatures beyond those found in our real world, it may be worth exploring how their bodies work on a more scientific level in order to give more realistic weight to their supernatural abilities.

Linguist/Translator: If you feel compelled to come up with a language no matter how basic or complex, it may be worth while to consider the problems with communication. this may also extend to unique idioms, colloquialisms, and slang native to your fantasy world.

Teacher/Scholar: Regardless of whether or not there is a formal education system in place in your world, a teacher may be interested in how knowledge is passed down, and what information the culture might have that would be unknown to people of our world. Whether that’s how to keep a wild animal from charging you, to knowing how to forge a mineral that exists only in your world, being able to readily answer questions is generally considered to be a good thing.

Healer: There may be healing spells in your world, there may not, but most fantasy stories tend to involve either action or adventure, both of which tend to cause fights. And since fights tend to lead to injuries, it’s important to know what can and cannot be treated, and how readily available these healing abilities are to the public.

#world building #worldbuilding #fantasy writing #writing tips #writing advice #writing worldbuilding

5K notes · View notes

ichorhalf · 4 years

Text

❛ wipe the 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 off your hands , little owl – it doesn’t matter . you’re still a 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫 . ❜

❝ you’re hardly innocent yourself , 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 – godhood looks cruel on you ; if i had to do it again , 𝐢 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 . ❞

𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 , 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬 , 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

excuse the dramatics , but hello ! i’m cc , can’t read , can’t write BUT i will be dramatic about it nonetheless . i am SO excited for this , i am the biggest pjo fan in the world & i love pjo rps sm i have been blessed by the gods , paige & dani with this . dana is a very old muse i used to have & recently re fell in love w , so here she is . tidbits before diving in : she fought for kronos & the titans in the war , she’s a daughter of athena that spent five years unclaimed in the hermes cabin & she is for the new cabins – it’s what she was fighting for anyway . if you’d like to plot PLS like this & i’ll come to u , uwu . p.s this is long for no reason PLS come to me if u want a tl;dr .

〔 JEON HEEJIN, TWENTY, CIS FEMALE, TELUMKINESIS 〕╰ DANA AHN just came over half - blood hill . you know , the child of ATHENA who was claimed four years ago ? i’ve heard chiron say that she is INSTINCTUAL & COGENT , but if you ask the aphrodite kids , they’d say they’re DISPARAGING & GLACIAL . i’d say they remind me of quiet grief spent in lonely hours – invalidated by people she swears never cared for her , watching a new constellation form with crystalline tears in exhausted eyes , a lethal slice of celestial bronze ; it brands her a traitor & pile of painted beads crushed underfoot when loyalties are chosen , especially since they’re FOR THE NEW CABINS .

❛ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖔𝖓𝖊 ╱ 𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

inspiration

❛ you’re a monster . ❜ ❝ better a monster , than an arrogant god . ❞

ethan nakamura ( percy jackson & the olympians ) , ❛ one of my sons recently traded an eye for the ability to make a real difference in the world. ❜

❝ no one made me , i made me – so give me a bitter glory . ❞

cato ( the hunger games ) , ❛ go on . i’m dead anyway. i always was, right ? i didn’t know that till now . ❜

❝ am i the villain in your story , when i was always the hero in mine ? ❞

erik killmonger ( black panther ) , ❛ the world took everything away from me ! everything i ever loved ! ❜

full name . ahn ji su / dana ahn nickname(s) / aliases . dane , traitor age . twenty gender / pronouns . cis gendered female , she / her orientation . demisexual , panromantic hometown . boston , massachusetts faceclaim . jeon heejin

aesthetic . a walking plethora of bad decisions made by a rotting heart , remnants of red rimmed eyes after losing so much more than others in the war , the quiet , ominous static electricity before a lightning strike , watching a new constellation form with crystalline tears in her exhausted eyes , a lethal slice of celestial bronze ; it brands her a traitor , shouting commands over the sounds of her kind dying at her feet & a pile of painted beads crushed underfoot when loyalties are chosen .

label . the premonition , the potentate , the traitorous moral alignments . chaotic good / chaotic neutral ( + ) positives . strategic , instinctual , cogent , potent ( - ) negatives . fustian , disparaging , glacial , acerbic hogwarts house . gryffindor godly parent . athena deadly sin . pride fatal flaw . holding grudges

❛ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖔 ╱ 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞

TRIGGER WARNING : death , murder , injury description

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢 . her mother , a goddess in her own right ; ahn soo ah joins the navy as kennedy ahn . bright eyed & wise beyond her years , she graduates from the united states naval academy with notable achievements under her belt . she is astute , a walking resource that the navy uses as a strategist – one of the brightest minds of her generation , gone unknown as she helps the military create top secret missions . war written & loved , kennedy has an affinity for battle – she attracts many people that she knows are more than human . but they search for romance , they ask for her love when kennedy has never sought after it – romance comes slow to her , it’s a process & the only person to get that is a grey - eyed liaison named dana astbury . she arrives in a swirl of intuitiveness & intelligent that’s incredibly attractive – but their connection isn’t one based on romance . the way their minds bond is unlike anything kennedy has ever felt before – she’s eager to work with her for the short time ; together they create the perfect brain child . two months after astbury’s departure , a golden bassinet appears with a baby girl wrapped in silk – the product of two of the wisest minds , a mix of godhood & mortality . kennedy doesn’t know who the goddess really is , but she knows the baby is hers .

she grows as ji su , americanized as dana – the smartest woman kennedy has ever gotten to meet & dana grows up loved . what the gods lack in familial love , mankind makes up for it ; ji su , as called by only her mom , grows into a remarkable child . grey eyes that look like they belong to a middle aged woman , a mind that knows too much for someone so young – they see everything . the horns hidden the mailman’s hair , the one eyed man giving her a kind smile when she hands him a daisy , the winged creatures flying over her mom’s new job ; dana holds enough wisdom to make a god stop . kennedy loves her more than herself , waters her with knowledge & sunshine to raise her as an extraordinary human being . dana never knows life without love until she returns home from an after school club just in time to see a creature hold a sword of celestial bronze through her mom . ten years old , witnessing her a woman with one goat leg & one metal leg kill kennedy – on the basis that kennedy knew something about olympus . she didn’t , but she paid the price anyway & dana runs after the creature , intent on getting revenge .

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐢 . labelled officially as a missing person , it’s a lot harder than she thinks to survive without getting caught . but dana has always been smart , she is sharp , witty & quick on her feet . it takes only DAYS for her to find the creature – an empousa , learned from research & any other monster that’ll help her . the monsters on the streets are kind to her , they spot a helpless demigod with a dirt caked face & dana doesn’t know it , but it’s the most kindness she’ll experience for years . a month later , the celestial sword taken from the empousa hangs on her hip – along with a lessoned learned ; vengeance & revenge don’t feel as good as she thought it would . the monster’s dead , but so is her mom . a prayer sent to gods of every pantheon – greek , roman , egyptian , norse ; she asks for help , for a blessing because she knows they’re real & if they’re real , wouldn’t they help a child ? NO ANSWER . it takes another month before she stumbles past the borders of camp half blood , bloodied & bruised . it’s chiron who shows her around , places her in the hermes cabin with other greek demigods like her . some have lesser gods as parents , some – like her – are unclaimed . the game , to figure out which god is her parent , which god has deemed her unworthy to sit alone in the hermes cabin . everyone knows – even she does , the eyes are a dead giveaway .

but the claim doesn’t come & what’s supposed to be home quickly turns into a prison . she wastes away alongside the bitter , she barely gets to go on quests ( on the basis that upon completion , she’ll be claimed – mr . d tells her to shove it , chiron agrees with her ) only to return empty handed with one less companion . scar after scar , death after death , she turns to the gods empty handed , rid of the offerings she used to make . a CURSE upon athena , ��a CURSE on all the gods who sit by & watch their children fight THEIR battles . demigods , their children , born to be pawns for the divine – to fight enemies their parents made for them , to DIE so the olympians don’t have to . resentment in her core , she falls into ranks with the blond boy in cabin eleven . luke castellan , the one who whispers with the sleeping one , the scarred boy who promises her glory & change . the gods need a wake up call , who better to give it than their children ? she leaves the summer after the son of poseidon arrives – keeps a hand on luke’s shoulder with a promise of changing the way the gods treat their children .

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐢𝐢 . a year spent with a rising army before luke asks her to go back . thalia’s tree is dying , an inside man or two never hurt anybody . a little bit stronger , a little bit more trained , she arrives at the same place she had stumbled into five years prior – four years stuck in the hermes camp , one spent on the run with a boy king . almost immediately upon her arrival , a blessing is sent from athena – some call it a welcome back , but dana is smart enough to know the true reasoning behind her claim . the gods are scared , athena herself knows of dana’s potential & the claim is an attempt at appeasing her but dana is far too gone . it’s not enough , she leaves when the golden fleece is brought back . one of many demigods to go missing , she finds solace on board the princess andromeda . the monsters here have shown her more kindness & familial love than the gods ever have . under luke’s instruction , she grows into a formidable opponent – boasting extraordinary skill with any weapon she chooses . she grows closer to the commander as well , shares his troubles from a distance while she keeps her head down . dana pledges herself to his cause , pledges to stand by himself through all of it & mourns luke when kronos arrives in his place . blue eyes turn to gold , dana goes from warrior to sword .

chosen by kronos himself , she spends an unprecedented amount of time with the titan – often out of sight from other demigods . he freezes time for them ( like he does every demigod he chooses to twist ) , fractions of the care she’s always searched for shining through the cracks ; she learns a different way of fighting , a different way of feeling , of thinking . dana learns from the best a titan reminding her of her worth . wrapped in resentment & the blessing of a titan , respect turns to admiration to a twisted psyche before she’s gearing up for the battle of the labyrinth with a sour reminder – the gods never cared , he did . with her features hidden behind a helmet made of GOLD , she proves her prowess erupting from the labyrinth , striking down demigods & the family that never cared for her . after an untimely defeat , one more year is spent preparing . underneath his instruction , dana continues to grow into a weapon at his disposal & she’s blind to the obvious fact – he never loved her , she’s simply a tool for them to use . blindly naive , she continues to launch herself into battle , lay her life down in hopes of waking the gods up . she ascends to her peak , unaware that everyone is waiting for her to come crashing down .

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐯 . charged with her own command in the battle for manhattan , monsters & demigods alike listen to her orders . demigods of her own kind fall under her sword & she doesn’t know it , but dana is only one of many chosen champions – one small member of a small class . they’re all tools at his disposal & he’s manipulated them all in their own ways ; to the other demigod commander slain by an arrow , he promised glory . to the other commander who charges the hunters of artemis , he promised revenge . to dana , struck down by a celestial bronze sword , he promised love . they all have their titles gifted to them , unbeknownst that NOBODY takes them seriously . demigods , they’re pawns in kronos’s game . it isn’t her first time being injured in battle , often times she returns to him & lets him take back the injury , watches her cuts close up underneath his power – but this time ; hubris mixes with wrath & she lets her guard down . her hands around her neck & blood pours from a deep cut that silences her , stranger’s hands wrap around her armor straps as she’s pulled into safety , holding back blood with pale fingers . she chokes on her own blood while her life is begged for , she’s close to the underworld when she’s healed by people she swears never cared for her . her survival is a travesty – to both her & camp half blood alike ; apollo himself tries to heal her fully , but in punishment he lets her suffer . twenty years old , her throat slit in retribution for her actions .

after the war , a month spent recovering as she radiates like a beacon of disappointment . grief , for the titan & his host – mixed with resentment & distrust . they’re split on whether she should stay – she chose the opposite side until her dying breath , the demigods that saved her can still account for the blood flung from her mouth while she tried to curse them . so she keeps her distance , but she stays because she has nowhere else to go – no degree , no identification , not direction . in the rivalry , she keeps her mouth shut but she stands with the cabins – it’s everything she fought for , it’s all the forgotten wanted & she’ll gladly go to war for it again . but , she’s changed – the image of a lethal opponent turned to crestfallen girl . she doesn’t talk much anymore , she doesn’t use her ability for much , doesn’t train , doesn’t fight . most often found with a couple of scared satyrs while she spends the day at arts & crafts . but though quiet , she still harbors unimaginable HATRED for the gods – she’ll never love or respect them the way they want her to . they want her to shed her title of traitor but refuse to call her the sword of kronos , they want her to beg for a new title at their feet ; dana will never beg them for anything .

❛ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊 ╱ 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

exterior . an outlier in camp , dana pretty much spent more time with the titans than she did at camp half blood . a faint scar on her neck , she wears it like a brand burned onto her skin . despite the power that she displays ( a gift of telumkinesis , along with skill & prowess learned by both kronos & luke himself ) , she doesn’t use her power for much these days . cogent , she’s good with her words & swaying people onto her side – which she used a lot more during the war , since these days she mostly keeps her mouth shut .

a beacon of pessimistic energy , dana still isn’t shy about her dislike for the gods . she says often , that if she had to do it all again , she wouldn’t change a thing . the gods continue to disappoint her , continue to wrong her & do everything in the crudest of ways , so dana continues to be a blasphemous follower in the camp . she’s still here simply because she has nowhere else to go – no degree , no schooling , nothing to give her a way out – dana’s technically still a missing person anyway ; so until she figures out a permanent way to leave , she’s stuck .

interior . she almost misses kronos – at this point , she can see that he was the greatest manipulator of all but she really felt so loved underneath him . he saw her for her , molded her into an outstanding warrior & dana owes him EVERYTHING . but she understands now how bad he is , how much chaos could’ve been unleashed had he won , but it doesn’t erase the twisted care she still holds for luke or the quiet idolization that still lingers for kronos . she held a title in the titan army & it still makes her see red when she thinks about how she went from the sword of kronos to traitor in the blink of an eye .

honed with pessimism , dana is still incredibly intelligent , incredibly potent but she spends a lot of time alone . she prefers the isolation in contrast to spending time with her siblings or any other demigod ; festers alone in very toxic thoughts about ‘ hm shoulda died hate it here ’ vibes . a lot of regret , a lot of very twisted thoughts having grown up with the Worst Villain Ever pretty much raising her .

midway . an entirely too gifted demigod , completely wasted on the bad guys . in a theoretical letter from athena , dana’s godly mother expresses her disappointment that she created such a potent warrior just to watch her fight for the wrong side . determined to give up her powers , she was only recently informed she HAD telumkinesis . convinced she had been trained by a titan himself & that’s where her weaponry mastery stemmed from , she’s learned that it all stems from a power .

still , she has room to grow ; in her dreams sent by the goddess herself , she’s been told that should she want a new title , she would have t o earn it – but does she want it ? does she want to use her power to fight for the gods that have only ever seen her as a weapon ? dana doesn’t know , she frankly doesn’t care enough right now .

❛ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗 ╱ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

as usual , this got way too fuckin long & i’m so sorry but dana’s an old & complicated muse . tl;dr , fought w the titans , kronos trained her personally ( & manipulated her , mayb there was a lil sumn sumn but she’s , in my opinion , dumb & didn’t realize she was bein played ) , she almost fuckin died & was saved by the people she was fighting even though she herself killed numerous demigods & now is a quiet , pessimistic loner . hee hee , all her connections are here , all her wanted connects are here . if u read this all i guess i owe you my life !

#ambrosia:intro #* ◟ . 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝒂. ─ 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 ╱ development #[ blows a kiss to south korea ] for loona

11 notes · View notes

electronicdelusionstarlight · 4 years

Text

I’d make a Inferno Quote (”Thence we came out, and saw again the stars!”) here but I’ll just let you know right after I took this screenshot and recruited Slyboots for the start of my Count of Montecristo like revenge, a series of bullshit started happening:

1) The “Trinimac Fanatic” (A Thalmor) guarding the Trinimac shrine nearby added by Wintersun is attacked by a bear and some wolves, responding to them in kind, but attracting the attention of the Mourning Giant (A special VANILLA Giant mourning the death of his beloved mammoth nearby, and is never hostile to anything least they attempted to damage said Mammoth or due to multiple attacks against him), which destroys the remaining survivors before returning to keep watch on the mammoth.

(Actually, pretty good plot wise, Shaglak pretends to be a Trinimac follower when he tricks you into getting enslaved, so having a Trinimac Shrine right outside the settlement might not be so out of place now, and the Mourning Giant is probably too filled with grief to fully understand the horror that is happening just nearby).

2) As soon as I reached the shrine of Trinimac to get it on the map, the second and third member of the Sinister Seven showed up.

Sinister Seven is a mod that adds a dynamic assassin system to the game, spawning from level 14 onward every 2 levels a member of the titular Sinister Seven in a fixed place in the world, and then sending them to hunt you down. Is good for roleplaying purposes (IE, you left Cyrodil and went to Skyrim to escape a dangerous past but said past is sending the most ruthless assassins in the empire to hunt you down). You can also mix via the MCM of the mod if said boss like enemies happened to have grunts with them, or if minor bounty hunters were also hired to hunt you down, as I did for maximum difficulty.

(The backstory has been mentioned earlier for me. My Altmer dragonborn was a member of the Mages Guild Chapter of Kvatch, ended up managing to commit some... forbidden experiments, she barely understood, to bind the fabric of time and rewind the clock back to the great war in the great Chapel of Akatosh there, so she could stop... everything, what happened to her dads, their PTSD, their scars, their wounds, the horrors her friends and family had to go through, her losing her eye during the sack of Kvatch (She was barelly 14 at the time), the following ostracization against them for being Altmer, thinking them as spy...

She fails and ends up with a pet arcane raven that might or might not be Kyne’s Avatar, and with her already scarred body marked outside the flow of time, never needing to sleep, eat, time freezing briefly every time she wants to drink a potion, switch a spell, eat something, not able to even feel the taste...

So, she’s running away from the Synod after they discovered her experiments, who wants to get her ageless body back to dissect her and see what makes her tick, the Order of the Hour, crying vengeance against their desacrated chapel and dishonored god, the Auriel chapter in Alinor following suit (Which means the Thalmor will also want to get her to see how she ticks, especially after their spies in the Synod revealed what they managed to discover about her experiments), but not the Alkosh chapter in Elseweyr, by now a shadow of their former self after the advent of the Riddle’Tar, and the Alduin one in Skyrim, since the Northern Pantheon has been lost by 2 centuries and the Nords have been succesfuly assimilated into the imperial pantheon, following fake, propaganda based “tradition” barely 150 years old and abandoning their actual gods in favor of a lie about a dead emperor.

She chooses Skyrim due the political turmoil making it easier for her to disappear there (Sadly true as she is indeed disappeared, first by the Thalmor who manage to recognize her and capture her, and right after her escape as she managed to make Kaidan flee the Thalmor Prison in the Rift, getting separated from him in the kerfuffle, and right after that by the Dunmer Slavers of Sedtrith Kagran.

(Her family are followers of the moderate chapter of the Syrobane Phynaster and Xarxes doctrine, the one that believes that everyone, even men, can ascend to godhood much like Xarxes and Syrobane did, and professes how, like Syrobane and Phynaster, it’s through an alliance between all races in harmony and peace united under a common goal as they go against their real enemies... the Sload, bastards who deserve all the harm it will get to them. The chapter had to escape Summerset Isles after the Thalmor took power, their “moderate” views of men and other races not exactly seen kindly under the new regime...))

(Let’s just say all the shit she had gone trough in her life (The war, the loss of a eye, the scar on her face, hidden by her hair,the ostracization, being hunted down like a dog, the Thalmor capturing her and torturing her, the Slavery... hasn’t made her the most trustworthy or “peaceful” of mer at the moment, plotting her revenge against all that hurt her and her only friend in Sadrith Kagran, Ra’zhirra, aiding his escape back to his family in Elsweyr, delivering him from slavery, but vowing to take revenge for him too against those who sold him to the Slavers... The Stormcloaks, colluding with the settlement and knowing full well what is going on in their land, and even profiting from it as Ra’zhirra clearly says.)

3) Anyway, the Second Member is a Dunmer Frost Mage, the Third a Nord Stealth Archer. It’s implied they are... pretty close, like sisters, to quote the awkwardly not as Anti Raegan as it should have been given the circumstances broadway musical Rent.

The first member, a Giant Orc, actually managed to gain access to Sedrith Kagran, probably having ties with Shaglak own slave catching gang, so he showed up at the appropriate level, but both archer and mage showed up together (as the archer outright BEGS in her letter to her gal pal to do after the first of the Seven doesn’t report back when he went alone).

4) After we manage to kill off the 2 members of the sinister seven, a fucking CHALLENGER challenges me to a magic duel, right in the same fucking swamp... followed by him.

The man, the myth, the legend...

THE MOTHERFUCKING COURIER.

I started AHO at level one.

I’m level 18 now, almost 19.

He gave me so many fucking letters guys, you have no idea, organizations that knew about my action in the settlement and knew about the slavery (Like the Ravencroft Manor Arena), or people like Cassia, who have sent letters of help to everyone and anyone the courier deemed worthy of such thing...

As well as Jarl’s Sigurd’s letter, inviting her, a no name altmer, for “dinner.”

It seems not just the stormcloaks were colluding with the slavers... After all they do mention how many members of northern nobility were happily aiding in the slave trade, even profiting from it, not just the Stormcloak ones...

So, now she’s distrustful of everyone and everything, and burning with the desire of hurting those who hurt her...

Not running away anymore... But fighting back, stopping this problem at the root, find out what that Bastard Shaanath is planning, suck dry every ounce of goodwill, of riches from those... Parasites, make them believe she’s content with the riches they have promised her, and then, when they wallow in their fungi, sated and happy their settlement is safe and that reckoning shall not come for them...

Kill them all, and trap the ring leaders onto the soul cairn like they deserve.

Starting from the bastards who aid shaglak in his slave catching ring, the remnants of the by now defunct Camona Tong, camping out, oh so conveniently, right on the road to the dwemer ruin her so called “master,” now lost in the fumes of his hallucinogenic tea, ordered to go.

#skyrim #project aho #long post #sse #skyrim mod #elder scrolls #last dragonborn #ldb #dovahkiin #backstory

3 notes · View notes

dearly · 5 years

Link

“Flack,” a new drama centered on the chaotic world of a celebrity publicist named Robyn (Anna Paquin), starts with a dilemma: A superstar chef is about to be exposed as a cheating womanizer. Robyn knows the drill. Time to distract the public with another story — preferably a sympathetic one.

“Illness is always good. Anything wrong with any of your kids? Downs, meningitis, learning difficulties?” she asks. The chef is appalled, then remembers that his wife’s mother died of breast cancer. So Robyn arranges the perfect photo op — he will take his wife to get a mammogram, under the guise of being a concerned, loving husband. When the chef expresses doubt about this plan, Robyn gives him a withering look. “You’d be surprised what people believe if they want to,” she says.

Pop TV’s “Flack,” which concludes its first season Thursday night, joins the pantheon of scripted TV shows that pull back the curtain on the inner workings of the celebrity universe. The plotlines are obviously exaggerated — except the above scenario, which creator Oliver Lansley said is based on a real-life situation. (“The true story is actually worse,” he added.) But Lansley is most fascinated by our society’s evolving relationship with publicity. It’s no longer a “slightly elusive, mystic art,” he said. Everyone can essentially be their own PR machines with a cultivated social media presence, especially in an era where facts can be declared meaningless and “the truth” is different depending on who you ask.

Luckily, the painstaking, frequently lucrative task of shaping a star’s image has always been about making people see what they want to see.

“In a way, publicists are offering us alternate realities, and we can choose the ones we like the most,” Lansley said. For example, we might know it’s a bitcoincidental that two actors who need to promote a movie are suddenly in a relationship, but we’ll still scroll through every Instagram photo and gobble up the tabloid details. “We’re just starting to realize the huge power of it, and it’s changing our culture in a massive way.”

Yet as “Flack” dives into Robyn’s life, it doesn’t directly answer the question people often wonder: What, exactly, does a high-powered celebrity publicist do?

Ask a real public relations executive, and you’ll receive many answers: They make sure their star clients are portrayed in a certain light and maximize press opportunities. They book interviews in magazines and newspapers, on talk shows and podcasts. They figure out how to spin unflattering stories and ask websites to take down photos, and sometimes get lawyers involved. They navigate photo shoots and award show appearances. They advise and counsel how to deal with the media. And much more.

“My job is to carefully mold the public image of an artist — sometimes you’re pushing them into the limelight, and sometimes you need to know when to push them out,” said Sasha Brookner, owner of Los Angeles-based Helio PR. “That’s the paradox of publicity.”

As the PR game changes behind the scenes, the public has also grown savvier about the system. Ben Affleck was mocked when, in the middle of his clumsy response to the Harvey Weinstein scandal, pictures suddenly surfaced of him adopting a stray puppy. One Twitter user wrote: “I’ll take ‘Ridiculously Obvious PR Diversion Stunts’ for $1,000 Alex.” Sometimes the stars expose it themselves as a way of shooting down a story. Last year, Olivia Munn posted a text message exchange in which her publicist told her that In Touch magazine planned to run a piece about her supposedly dating Justin Theroux. (Munn: “Oh my god. That is so stupid.” Publicist: “I know. I can try and shoot it down. But they will still run with it.”)

Even as observers pride themselves on being able to spot PR work a mile away, it can still be difficult to discern — especially when, these days, people can silo themselves into their own media bubbles and decide the truth is whatever they want it to be.

#music industry: publicity #thanks to strangenewfriends who sent this to me!!!#i'm gonna read the book that's mentioned in the article #i've been meaning to watch flack but it has bad reviews...

48 notes · View notes

ninja-muse · 7 years

Text

Urban Fantasy Recommendation Masterpost

This is a list of the urban fantasies I’ve enjoyed most over the years, split down a few lines and to be updated as I discover new series. I’m also including contemporary fantasies because the lines often blur. Hope you find something you like on it!

$ for LGBT characters £ for characters of colour € for characters with disabilities * for potentially problematic depictions of the above ! for #ownvoices (all based on my slightly spotty memory, so feel free to correct if I’ve missed something)

World-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time steeping you in the magical world

American Gods - Neil Gaiman £

Shadow Moon gets out of jail and is hired by the cagey Mr. Wednesday to … he’s not really clear, honestly, but it puts him in the path of people who may or may not be gods. Multiple mythologies.

Among Others - Jo Walton €!

A 1980s teen flees her troubled home in Wales to get to know her birth father and attend an English boarding school. Is her mother’s family able to work magic or is it just wishful thinking? Reading science fiction might give her the answers. British folklore and faeries, and a very interesting take on magic.

The Boggart - Susan Cooper

A Canadian family inherits a Scottish castle inhabited by a mischievous boggart—who then stows away and finds himself in Toronto. Scottish folklore.

The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell £

The life of a woman from teen-hood to old age as she lives her life and occasionally intersects with an ancient war between good and evil, fought with telepathy and other things that look a lot like magic.

The Changeling - Victor Lavalle £ !

After his infant son is violently attacked, Apollo Kagwa, used bookseller, descends into the hidden world of New York in search of his vanished wife.

The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin - $ £ ! for race

New York City, newly alive, is being attacked, and six humans, no longer quite human, must do everything in their power to save their city.

the Dark is Rising series - Susan Cooper €*

A group of English kids—four siblings, a seventh son, and a boy who might be a reincarnated Arthur—versus the forces of darkness. Five books, only the last of which includes all the kids. Cornish and English folklores, Arthuriana.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips

The Greek pantheon now lives in North London and is as dysfunctional as ever. Artemis walks dogs. Aphrodite does phone sex. Apollo is a washed-out TV psychic who’s just fallen, via Eros, for the cleaning lady—who’s trying to date someone else, thank you very much. Greek mythology.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker £

A golem and a jinni both find themselves in turn-of-the-century New York, both literally and figuratively. A beautiful exploration of the immigrant experience, friendship, and identity. Jewish and Arabic folklore.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

A mostly-good angel and mostly-wicked demon discover they’ve been training the wrong Antichrist days before the scheduled apocalypse. The real Antichrist wants a dog and to save the whales. Also features a legacy witch, a rookie witch-finder, the Four Horsemen, the Four Other Horsemen, Satanic nuns, and a Queen soundtrack. Christian mythology.

The Hunter’s Moon - O.R. Melling

A Canadian teen visiting her Irish cousin ends up mounting a cross-country road trip to retrieve her cousin who’s run off with the faeries. Irish mythology.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix $£

In the summer of 1983, Susan Arkshaw travels to London to find her birth father. What she discovers is a family of magical booksellers, and an Old World that’s very much alive.

Middlegame - Seanan McGuire

Roger and Dodger are exceptionally gifted, telepathically linked, and a little more than natural. James Reed will stop at nothing to use them, or people like them, to get ultimate power. Alchemy, time travel, and portal fantasies are involved.

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman £

Richard Mayhew has it all: a good job, a hot fiancée, a nice flat. Then he helps an apparently homeless girl with the power to create doors and is pulled into the magical community below London. Nothing will ever be the same.

Of Blood and Honey and And Blue Skies From Pain - Stina Leicht

It’s tough, living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and Liam finds it harder than most. No one trusts him, he can’t find work, everyone wants him to choose a side, and to cap it off, he feels like a monster is inside him and knows something inhuman is stalking him and his. The war between the Fey and the Fallen is heating up, and the only people keeping peace are an order of priests—who also, surprise, want Liam’s help. Irish and Christian mythology.

The Sixth World series - Rebecca Roanhorse $£€ !

Maggie Hoskie is a Monsterslayer of Dinétah, but she’d rather not be. Even rescuing a kidnapped girl is supposed to be a one-shot deal. But the monster’s a new one, an apprentice medicine man’s attached himself to her, and Coyote’s around, so of course it’s not that simple. Navajo mythology.

Son of a Trickster - Eden Robinson £€ !

Jared’s life sucks. He’s sixteen, living in a crap house in a crap town with crap prospects. He’s paying his dad’s rent with weed money. His mom’s more interested in parties than holding down a job. His only friend’s a pit bull. And just when he thinks that’s as low as it gets, a raven shows up and say he’s Jared’s real dad. Heiltsuk (and other First Nations) mythology and folklore.

Sparrow Hill Road - Seanan McGuire

Rose Marshall, the Phantom Prom Date, the Ghost of Sparrow Hill Road, hitches her way from coast to coast while dealing with paranormal problems and route witches—and avoiding Bobby Cross, the immortal who killed her.

Sunshine - Robin McKinley

Rae is a baker. Tough and practical and smart, but a baker. Who’s just rescued herself and a vampire from captivity using magic she’d half-forgotten she had. Unfortunately, the master vampire’s still after them, the magical police know something’s up, and she just wants to keep being normal. Includes mild, realistic PTSD and a whole lot of delicious desserts.

An Unkindness of Magicians - Kat Howard

The Turning has started in New York and every magician in the city has their own reason for entering the tournament—power, status, acknowledgement, revenge, revolution. The high stakes would be enough for anyone, but it’s starting to look like there’s something suddenly wrong with magic, too.

Witches of Ash and Ruin - E. Latimer - $ £ € *

Dayna wants to be a witch, live her life, and block her OCD thoughts so she doesn’t have to deal with them. Then scary but gorgeous Meiner and her coven roll into town prophesying Bad Things, and a serial killer reappears who seems to target witches and shit. Meet. Fan. Themes of family and abuse.

Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay

Ned Marriner’s tagging along with his photographer dad to Provence when he begins to notice magic awakening around him. There’s an ancient love triangle that‘s repeated throughout history, using contemporary locals as proxies—and it’s very interested in Ned, his new friend Kate, and his father’s entourage.

Mystery-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time solving a magical crime

The Arcadia Project series - Mishell Baker $£€ !

Millie’s nearly broke, scarred, a double amputee, mentally ill, and Done with all the BS around that. She’s also despairing of ever resuming her directing career, so when a mysterious woman offers her a job with her temp agency, she’s intrigued. What wasn’t mentioned? She’ll actually be an immigration agent working with the Fae of Hollywood, and one of them’s just gone missing.

the Blood series - Tanya Huff $£€

Vicky Nelson is the pinnacle of the tough, no-nonsense PI—which poses a bit of a problem when she’s hired to catch a “vampire” on the streets of Toronto and then actually meets one. (He writes romance novels.)

the Felix Castor series - Mike Carey $*

Felix Castor is an exorcist. A hard-drinking, down-at-the-heels exorcist in a London brimming with ghosts and demons. Unfortunately, he never seems to get the easy cases where he can just waltz in and play a tune—and his past mistakes might be coming back to haunt him.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams

Dirk Gently solves mysteries by wandering around, getting into strange situations, and then connecting dots no one believes even exist. Like time traveling robots and Romantic poets, or rampaging eagles and mold-ridden refrigerators.

The Grendel Affair - Lisa Shearin £

Makenna Fraser is a seer working for Supernatural Protection and Investigations in New York. “Seer” meaning she can spot the ghoulies and ghosties few people can, including her coworkers. When an off-the-books gnome removal turns into a blood-soaked crime scene, she and her partner are handed the case—but will her eagerness to prove herself just land her in hotter water?

the Greta Helsing series - Vivian Shaw $£

Dr. Greta Helsing serves the undead of London. Her best friends are vampires and demons. The boundaries between worlds are thinning, causing all manner of metaphysical trouble. Plays with 1800s horror classics; equal parts sensible, disturbing, and funny.

the Greywalker series - Kat Richardson $£

Harper Blaine prides herself on rationality and unflappability, but after briefly dying on a case, she’s suddenly wrong-footed and seeing ghosts everywhere. In the middle of all that, she’s hired by a mysterious voice to track down an organ that’s more than it seems, and suddenly haunted street corners are the least of her problems.

the Incryptid series - Seanan McGuire $£

Meet the Price family, a close-knit group of cryptozoologists whose mission is to protect and preserve endangered cryptids like dragons, gorgons, and the religious Aeslin mice from humans. They’re also hiding from the Covenant of St. George, a.k.a. why the cryptids are endangered in the first place. Technically paranormal romance.

the Iron Druid series - Kevin Hearne £

Atticus O’Sullivan is a herbalist and seller of New Age paraphernalia by day, two-thousand-year-old druid by night. He thought moving to Arizona would keep him safe from gods bent on revenge. He thought wrong. Multiple mythologies.

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge - Paul Krueger $£€ !

Bailey Chen is fresh out of business school, broke, and living with her parents. When a childhood friend offers her a job as a barback, she takes it as a stopgap—but then she discovers the secret cabal of bartenders who fight demons using magical cocktails and after that, there’s no looking back.

Moonshine - Alaya Johnson £

Zephyr Hollis, a charity worker and ESL teacher in 1920s New York, and therefore flat broke, takes a side job from a student, Amir, without asking questions. But will the vampire mob, the drug-crazed vamps, Amir’s literal smoking hotness, or her family history do her in first?

Night Owls - Lauren M. Roy $

Valerie is a vampire with a successful campus bookstore. Elly grew up fighting monsters and fearing for her life. When their paths collide via a book in Elly’s keeping, they must unite to prevent said monsters from unleashing hell and then some.

the October Daye series - Seanan McGuire $£€

Toby Daye wants sleep, coffee, and for everyone to leave her alone already—not necessarily in that order. Unfortunately, as a changeling Knight and PI with a knack of finding people and solving problems with maximum chaos, none of those things will ever be easy to come by. Multiple folklores.

the Olympus Bound series - Jordanna Max Brodsky $£

Selene di Silva’s been keeping her head down for a long time, shutting herself off not just from New York, but from the world. (Being a former goddess will do that.) But then she stumbles on the body of a woman who’s been ritually sacrificed and her past as Artemis comes rising up again. Greek and Roman mythology

the Rivers of London series - Ben Aaronovitch $£€

When Constable Peter Grant meets a ghost at a crime scene, it’s only logical for him to take a witness statement. When DCI Thomas Nightingale learns of this, he offers him a job as an auror the sorcerer’s apprentice a valued member of a magically-focused police unit. London, its river goddesses, various magic workers, assorted Fae, and the Metropolitan Police will never be the same.

the Shadow Police series - Paul Cornell $£

Following the mysterious death of a suspect, four Metropolitan Police officers are drawn into London’s sinister magical underworld in their hunt for a killer.

the Smoke series - Tanya Huff $*£

Tony Foster’s found his footing as a PA on a Vancouver-shot vampire show. Unfortunately, the paranormal weirdness that is his life continues and it’s somehow up to him to save the day.

Unholy Ghosts (and following) - Stacia Kane £*

Chess Putnam works as a Church exorcist, partly out of obligation and partly for the pay, which goes to fuel her drug addiction. Unfortunately, no ghosts are nice ghosts and her private life keeps intruding on her cases.

the Watch novels - Terry Pratchett

Ankh-Morpork is the citiest of fantasy cities. Its City Watch is a bunch of misfits. Sam Vimes isn’t putting up with any nonsense. Somehow, they fight crime.

Zoo City - Lauren Beukes £

Zinzi December is a con artist and occasional finder of lost things who lives in the Johannesburg slums with her sloth familiar. Her latest case? Find a pair of missing teen pop stars—before the apparent assassins do.

#book recommendations #masterposts #urban fantasy

1K notes · View notes

oneddashone · 3 years

Text

Games of the Year 2020

Given that I don't think anyone reads this, especially since I've largely stopped using it for anything other than these lists, it feels silly to write an intro on "what a weird year 2020 was" or whatever. It is worth mentioning, however, that in a "normal" year, it's quite possible that my GotY would have been different.

I think every game on this list was played on the Nintendo Switch, which, aside from FIFA, is really the only device I play games on these days. I've waxed poetic about this in the past, so there's no reason to talk much more about this now. I'm really hoping a "Switch Pro" comes out next year—to me, that's much more interesting and desirable than either a PS5 or X-Box Series Whatever.

Anyway, on to the list.

***RECOMMENDED*** What the Golf Minecraft Dungeons Bubble Bobble 4 Friends Mr Driller DrillLand Carrion Panzer Paladin A Short Hike Part Time UFO Immortals Fenyx Rising

I kept a list of all the games I played this year, and more than half didn't make the cut at all, so the games in this lowest category are all still extremely worthwhile games, in my opinion. What the Golf was originally a mobile game, but I played it on the Switch and had a blast. Very funny and inventive, and more than enough "game" there, in case you were wondering. I played through and beat Minecraft Dungeons with my daughter, which was a blast. She knew all the lore, and I knew the genre, so we were genuinely able to help each other out throughout the game. The new games in the Bubble Bobble and Mr Driller franchises were largely carried by my nostalgia for them—neither was perfect, but absolutely worth the investment if you care about the series. DrillLand in particular had some surprisingly inventive takes on the established formula.

Carrion and Panzer Paladin were nice surprises when they came out. A lot was written about the former when it debuted and I don't have much to add to that conversation, but I didn't see nearly as much love for Panzer Paladin. It's a fun little retro platformer, something like a "12 bit" art style, and you play through levels in any order you want, a la Mega Man. The most interesting part of the game to me is actually the weapon management system—you get a ton of weapons throughout the game, and the real strategy lies in choosing when to break certain ones, maintaining a steady supply of good ones, and even in using them to trigger checkpoints.

I watched my friend Ben stream A Short Hike when it first came out on PC, and I was excited to finally play it myself. It didn't disappoint, and I loved the relative short length, combined with the overall carefree and relaxed vibe. My daughter played through to the end too, which was nice. Another short-ish game this year was Part Time UFO, which, like What the Golf, was a originally a mobile game. Part Time UFO was made by HAL, and it shows throughout—most obviously in that Kirby shows up in the background from time to time, but also in the overall craft and polish.

The last game in this tier is Immortals: Fenix Rising, which nearly ended up being a tier higher, but in the end it just felt better here. This is a great take on an Ubisoft BotW clone (which I mean in the nicest way possible), and the setting is fantastic, but ultimately there are some key flaws that hold it back for me. Ubisoft's seemingly insatiable appetite to Get More Money Out of the Player, even after they've purchased the game, comes to mind immediately. Requiring a login and creation of an Ubisoft account is another. You don't really think about these things when you're playing the actual game, which is great, but it ended up being enough for me to dock it a little bit in the end.

***ESSENTIAL*** Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition One Step to Eden Streets of Rage 4 Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin

Kentucky Route Zero is another game that I feel like has already been written about and discussed a lot, and I don't know what I have to add to that. I'm so glad it ended up on consoles—it always seemed to me like the kind of game that would be trapped on PCs forever. The one moment that will always stick out for me was when I was playing it in bed one night with the kid. We found something in our inventory that had a phone number written on the back, so, in effort to kind of indulge her and be a little goofy, I decided to actually call it. I don't know what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't the fully realized "Guide to Echo River" (voiced by Will fucking Oldham!) that we got. It was an incredible experience, one of many in this extremely beautiful, thoughtful game.

One Step to Eden introduced me to a game genre I didn't know I needed—basically, "what if deck-based roguelite, but with an action-based real-time dexterity component?" It's all well and good to create a perfect deck in something like Slay the Spire, where any nerd can take as long as they need to run their perfect calculations or whatever during their turn, but it's really something else to try and do it while dodging complex enemy attack patterns at the same time. I feel like I read that this was based off a Mega Man spin-off, but to me it felt like a breath of fresh air in the increasingly oversaturated roguelike genre (oh, but more on that later).

Streets of Rage 4 is the perfection of a genre that I thought I was completely done with, and one that I think a lot of other people were done with too. Belt-scrollers made a certain amount of game design sense when they were first introduced in arcades, what with the goal being to collect as many of your quarters as possible—but the gameplay hook suffers tremendously when there's no tangible cost to failing. And yet the team behind SoR4 breathed new life into the genre, via incredible art, animations, and music. Most importantly of course is how it feels, and the deep combat system allows players of all different skill and interest levels to get exactly as much out of the game as they put into it. A friend played this in a much deeper way than I did, chaining combos across entire levels at times—whereas I just played through twice—and yet we both came away from it completely satisfied. This is a masterpiece of the genre.

Clubhouse Games is a sequel of sorts to the DS game of the same name. The first thing I think of when recalling this game is just the incredible amount of craft that clearly went into making it. From the heavy thud of the Hanafuda cards being forcefully plopped down to the sound of marbles jostling in Mancala, every little detail of this game has been thoughtfully executed. Sure, there's a few games I played once and never wanted to play again, but mostly this collection is just an outstanding bang for your buck. It also succeeds as a kind of virtual history lesson/tour of the best and most-loved tabletop games from around the world; and, especially during a pandemic, who could say no to that?

Sakuna snuck up on me towards the end of the year. Apparently it was first announced as a PS4 exclusive, but Nintendo saw it and rightfully made a big effort to get it on its platform as well. The gameplay mostly consists of an incredibly satisfying loop of starting the day by tending to your rice field, in full 3D life sim style, and then going out and exploring levels in fairly fast-paced 2D action/platforming levels. During the 2D parts, you'll find supplies that help your rice field, and by completing tasks there you'll unlock better equipment and weapons for the platforming levels. On top of all of that, there's a night/day cycle as well as a seasonal one, which vastly changes the type and amount of work you need to do in the field each day. That might sound like a lot, but it all snaps together wonderfully, leading me to quite a few "well I'll just play one more day" long nights. Oh and I haven't even mentioned the clear reverence shown towards the surprisingly complicated act of actually growing rice—every step of the way is a different kind of mini-game, essentially, and I ended up taking a lot of pride in making the best rice that I could. This is one I'll definitely still be playing into the new year.

***RUNNER UP*** Hades

Everyone's favorite horned-up mythological roguelike ensnared me pretty deeply when the full version was released on Switch this year. I had seen snippets of it on Early Access, which was enough to pique my interest, but I was still caught pretty off-guard by just how incredible this game actually turned out to be.

I haven't talked much about story in these write-ups so far, but it's clearly the first place to start with Hades. If I had to pick one thing to set it apart from similar games, it would be how perfectly the notion of dying and restarting is to the central story of Zagreus. Every time you die in an unsuccessful run, which will be a lot early on, you're encouraged by NPCs to try again—and not only that, it makes thematic sense with—and in fact is central to—the story of the game. This completely removes the sting of feeling underpowered and kind of helpless in your early runs, and to keep playing and powering through it.

The pantheon of gods in this game will show up and offer to help by way of boons. These grant you temporary new abilities, which not only vary depending on which weapon you've picked, but will also combine with and modify other boons that you pick up in the run—not unlike the weapon synergy of Binding of Isaac, for example. The gods have their own agenda, of course, but with some experience you'll start to favor certain builds over others, and to try to and build towards a fully-optimized set of skills to tackle the underworld. Then again, sometimes you'll get something you've never seen before, and change up your tactics on the fly. It's all very rewarding and incredibly replayable.

As with a lot of roguelikes, you do carry some things forward from run to run. As you unlock all of the weapons, purchase upgrades and new abilities, and naturally start to learn how the game works and improve your own strategy, you slowly begin to feel much stronger and eventually, well, god-like. The near-perfect difficulty curve gives players of all skill levels complete control over how hard or easy to make the game for themselves. This carries over perfectly into the "Pact of Punishment" system that's unlocked after your first successful run, which lets you dial up the difficulty to frankly fiendish levels in order to, first and foremost, keep skilled players engaged, but also to provide a ton of "end-game" content for those that want to keep playing.

And really, you'll want to keep playing. The first ending is just the beginning, as the story compels you to keep playing and see how everyone's stories pan out. The NPCs are incredibly well-written and the voice-acting more than lives up to the lines they're given. I was completely invested in these characters and the fates they would have to reckon with by the end.

I got my tenth clear—the first one to roll credits—fittingly enough on attempt #69 (nice). This seemed like where the game naturally "ended," and I put it down—even though there's still a ton of previously mentioned end-game stuff I could do in the game if I wanted. But the end of Zag's main story felt so pitch-perfect, and so earned by the experience with the game overall, that I decided to leave it on that perfect high note.

***GOTY*** Animal Crossing: New Horizons

This wasn't my first Animal Crossing game (it was, I think, my...fourth?), but it was the first Animal Crossing game that a lot of my friends played, and that alone made for a different experience than I've had with the series before. In the early days of quarantine, we were visiting each other's islands every day, trading items, sharing insider tips on the Stalk Market, and just generally enjoying the game in a social way that was suddenly not allowed in day to day real life.

For the most part, that lasted for about a month. Maybe two. But I kept playing, every day, for a few reasons. First was that I have a lot of time with this series, and more or less knew what to expect going in. I didn't get disappointed when Nook's Shop was mostly just stocking items I already had, for instance. But more importantly, I knew not to burn myself out on it early on. And look, I know there's no "right" or "wrong" way to play a game, but Animal Crossing (at least to me) seems unique in that the gameplay is so clearly designed to be enjoyed in 20-30 minute, daily chunks. There's just not that much to *do* after a half hour or so, but I was seeing friends' hours totals in triple digits after just a few weeks.

Two other things unique to this entry helped keep it persistent for me, I think. One, Nintendo committed to and delivered on a regular update schedule, which kept things fresh (and safe from the naughty time travelers of the world, even). Pretty much every month, something brand new happened, and it was enough to keep my interest even after I'd donated every fossil to Blathers.

The second, and much bigger thing by far, was that my daughter started playing. She named our island ("Turtlerock") and moved in on day one. We'd talk about villagers—which ones were our favorites, which ones we wouldn't mind seeing move away—and collaborated on the city-planning of our island. I played first, and was therefor the "primary resident" or whatever it's called, but I never made a big decision without checking in with her first. We're both invested in it, and it's been a fun experience to share together over the course of the year. Hell, we even counted down the last seconds of 2020 together in local co-op.

Sure, my house is paid off, I have two million bells in the bank, and my museum is roughly 95% filled out—but I still play this pretty much every day. It's become a ritual. Usually right after work, which happens to be the best light on the island; sometimes later at night, especially during a meteor shower; and on the weekends frequently in the morning—but no matter when I'm playing, the remarkable thing to me is that here we are, nine months later—still in quarantine, and still playing Animal Crossing.

0 notes

celticnoise · 7 years

Link

One of the media’s favourite scare stories is the one that says when the first good offer comes along that Brendan Rodgers will leave us to pursue it.

They never elaborate on what constitutes a “good offer”, and that’s very deliberate. It means that they can link him to every managerial vacancy in the top flight south of the border. Whenever one comes up, fevered speculation will follow.

In peddling this nonsense they hope to have some effect on our cohesion.

Brendan has delivered a real blow to that kind of talk in the last few weeks, and it has gone largely unexplored in the press, who instead focussed on his statement about not being prepared to put a timeline on how long he will be here. We understood what he meant; indeed, he spelled it out. One only has to look at the fate of Warburton to see that it’s a rare manager indeed who gets to pick and choose the moment at which he leaves a club.

The manager talks about a long-term plan. This week, Erik Sviatchenko has revealed that within the club foundations are being laid for “the next four or five years.” This doesn’t sound like a man who is even considering what other options might be out there; Brendan and his backroom team are looking at the big picture from Celtic Park, and plotting how to restore our standing on the stage where it counts most, in Europe.

Champions League reform can’t happen until after the next series of changes, but one wouldn’t bet against a bigger tournament somewhere down the line, with six or even eight team groups eventually. This would be the “European Super League” everyone harps on about. It’s important that if it comes Celtic takes its place in it. We need to set high standards; any such competition would be based on merit, and nothing else. We must earn that recognition.

Brendan may or may not be around for that, but this guy understands that there’s a chance to do more at Celtic than simply win trophies.

The idea of a manager building a legacy – something that stands after he’s gone, something that meets the test of time – is said to be outdated, impossible, beyond the control of one man, but Brendan knows that opportunity exists here.

Ten in a row would make him immortal. To restore our status in Europe – and he doesn’t even have to win a competition to do it – would put him in the pantheon of Celtic’s icons. To have laid the foundations on which someone could go even further … well, that would make him one of the most important men in our history.

It’s not inconceivable.

All of this, of course, would have one awesome consequence for other clubs here; they would have to live in our shadow for a long, long, long, long time. I have said a few times on this site that I do believe a challenge will emerge; I still do. It won’t come from Glasgow, because the side across the city which likes to think it’s special will never shake off that mind-set long enough to take a serious, long term, look at what has to be done.

But from outside this city, yes I think that’s possible in time.

Brendan could make sure that it is decades before it’s even feasible. With Champions League expansion that wouldn’t be as suffocating as it sounds, and most Celtic fans reject out of hand the idea that this is somehow a negative anyway.

I hear a lot of bitching about this, and a lot of talk which goes round and round the issue, and the issue itself is clear enough; people think we should suffer a handicap like they do in other sports. It may even be that someone proposes it somewhere down the line; good luck selling that one, guys.

Our club rightly would never stand for it.

It’s not up to Celtic to make other teams better; that’s up to them.

Scottish football clubs, many of whom have been perfectly content to live with mediocrity and who’ve done nothing to further the interests of the wider game, need to get their own houses in order, not try to pull us down to their level. I’m already heart sick of their whinging.

The message Brendan has sent out to them these last couple of weeks is clear enough; Celtic is going to keep on getting stronger, not only for the European challenges we face but to make sure we can see off whatever domestic threats emerge.

If Aberdeen are taken over by an oil baron, we’ll be ready.

If Hibs find gold under their penalty spot we will be prepared.

If Sevco get a crisis loan from the DSS, we will be well placed to deal with it.

ReLoaded Digital is my new website, guys, run by myself and a team who want to build one of the best, most diverse, most interesting sites online. You can check it out now at this link.

http://ift.tt/2kL2MIB

#CelticNoise #Celtic #CelticFC #TheCelticBlog #News

1 note · View note

actualcannibalshialasquib · 6 years

Text

48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization on AMEPAC Furniture

Home Interior Decorating Ideas published on https://amepac.org/architecture/48-iconic-buildings-around-the-world-landmarks-of-our-civilization/

48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization

If you’re into architecture or if you like to visit new places you probably have a list of things that you want to see in your lifetime. There are probably a few iconic buildings in there somewhere as well. There are a lot of great attractions in the world and a lot of buildings worth seeing in real life, each with its own story and its own unique particularities. There’s so many of them that we had a very hard time choosing the most interesting ones so our list kept getting longer and longer. Without further ado, here are 48 of the world’s most iconic buildings:

The Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

This is one of those landmarks that everyone knows about, no matter where a person might be from. It’s one of the most visited monuments in the world, with millions of people coming to see it every year. The tower was named after Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who designed and built it between 1997 – 1889. It measures 324 meters in height being as tall as an 80-storey building. Visitors have access to three levels, two of them including restaurants. The top floor features a platform that sits 276 meters above ground which makes it the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the EU.

Musée du Louvre – Paris, France

In 2017 the Louvre was the world’s most visited art museum, receiving a total of 8.1 million visitors. It’s situated inside the Louvre Palace in Paris, a structure which was originally built to serve as a fortress in the 12th and 13th century. If you go to the museum’s basement you can still see remnants from that period. The Louvre first opened on August 10 in 1793 and back then it only features an exhibition of 537 paintings. The collection has grown since then as the Louvre became the world’s largest art museum.

Centre Georges Pompidou — Paris, France

There are plenty of iconic buildings to visit while in Paris and another one of them is The Centre Georges Pompidou. It originally opened to the public in 1977 and after being closed for a while it reopened in 2000. The centre is a huge collection of various different art forms under one roof. Millions of visitors come here every year, the record number being 5,209,678 back in 2013. It’s not just the contents that make this iconic building stand out but also its exterior which is made mainly of glass and steel.

Musée d’Orsay — Paris, France

This is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world as well as another major tourist attraction in Paris. It’s situated in what used to be a railway station built between 1898 and 1900. Musée d’Orsay first opened in 1986 and it currently holds French art for the most part, including paintings by Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas and other famous impressionists and post-impressionists. In addition to such famous paintings, the museum also holds a vast selection of sculptures, furniture and photography.

Notre-Dame Cathedral — Paris, France

Of course, we can’t talk about iconic buildings from Paris without mentioning the Notre-Dame Cathedral. This major landmark is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It’s one of the most famous churches in the world holding some of Catholicism’s most important relics such the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross and one of the Holy Nails. The cathedral is also famous for its 10 bells, the largest one of them, Emmanuel, dating back to 1681 and weighing over 12 tons.

The Shard — London, UK

Formerly known as the London Bridge Tower, this 95-story skyscraper is the tallest building in the United Kingdom as well as in the European Union. Its construction started in MArch 2009 and was completed in 2012. The Shard has 72 habitable floors with the most impressive one of all being the 72nd level which has a viewing gallery and an open-air observation gallery situated at a height of 244 meters.

The Gherkin — London, UK

The Gherkin is situated in the primary financial district of London and is one of the city’s most important and most recognizable landmarks thanks to its unusual design. The formal name of this commercial skyscraper is actually 30 St Mary Axe. The building has been the receiver of several awards related to its contemporary architecture but also to the fact that it has uses energy-saving methods which allow it to use only half the power that other similar towers typically do. The construction of the Gherkin was completed in December 2003 and the tower was opened in April 2004.

Tower Bridge – London, UK

The Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894 and is an iconic symbol for the city of London but also the rest of the world. Because it’s situated close to the Tower of London, the two landmarks are sometimes confused for one another. The Tower Bridge crosses the River Thames and is in fact a combination between a bascule and a suspension bridge, with operating machinery being housed in the base of each of the two towers.

Westminster Abbey — London, UK

Westminster Abbey is another one of London’c iconic buildings, its construction first being ordered by King Henry III in 1245. A previous church is said to have been present there prior to this period. The Abbey, also known as the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster is a Gothic church which serves as the traditional place of coronation and burial site for the English and British monarchs. There have been many royal weddings here over the years (at least 16) and until 1556 the structure also had the status of cathedral. After 1560 its status changed and the structure became a church responsible directly to the sovereign.

Houses of Parliament — London, UK

The Palace of Westminster or, as it is commonly known, the Houses of Parliament, is an iconic building situated on the north bank of the river Thames. It’s not the first palace to be built on this site. The first one was built in the 11th century and served as the primary residence of the Kings of England until 1512 when fire destroyed a big portion of it. It then became the home of the Parliament of England but in 1834 another fire destroyed almost the entire thing. The palace was reconstructed by architect Charles Barry who chose a Gothic Revival style. Now, the new Palace of Westminster is a huge 112.476 square meter structure with over 1,100 rooms organized symmetrically around two sets of courtyards.

Colosseum – Rome, Italy

Who hasn’t heard about the Colosseum…it’s such an iconic building that people from all over the world come to see it every year and name as one of the places everyone should visit before they die. The Colosseum even made its way onto the Italian version of the 5 cent euro coin. The construction of this ancient structure began in the year 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in AD 80 under Titus. Later on a series of modifications were made during the reign of Domitian. Initially, this huge amphitheater was used for public events, gladiatorial contests and later from activities such as animal hunts, re-ecactments of famous battles and even executions. Right now we can only see part of the structure as a lot of it has been damaged by earthquakes over the years but, even so, it remains an iconic world attraction.

The Leaning Tower – Pisa, Italy

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is another famous landmark and tourist attraction for people all over the world. Its construction occurred in three stages over a period of 199 years. The tilt began during the 12th century as a result of the inadequate foundation. The ground was simply too soft on one side and couldn’t properly support the structure’s weight. The tilt became more prominent in the period prior to the completion of the tower in the 14th century. It increased even more after that until the structure was stabilized in the late 20th century and early 21st century. That’s when the tilt was also partially corrected.

The Pantheon — Rome, Italy

The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved ancient roman structures. That’s partially due to the fact at no point in this was this building abandoned. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. It’s unclear exactly when the Pantheon was built. We know it was completed by the emperor Hadrian. However, because the emperor didn’t inscribe the temple but kept the original inscription of the older temple which has previously been built there during the reign of Augustus, the actual date of construction is unknown.

Sagrada Família – Barcelona, Spain

The complete name of this iconic building is Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. The structure is located in Barcelona and was designed by architect Antoni Gaudi who combined Gothic and Art Nouveau influences. The construction of this amazing Roman Catholic church began in 1882 under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar who then resigned a year after that. That’s when Antoni Gaudi took over the project and decided to devote the remainder of his life to this task. He died in 1926 and by then only a quarter of the project has been completed. Some progress was made in the 1950s and by 2010 the project was 50% complete. There are plans to finish it by 2026 when 100 years would have passed since Gaudi’s death.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao — Bilbao, Spain

The Guggenheim Museum from Bilbao is one of the largest museums in Spain and one of several museums belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. It was designed by architect Frank Gehry and was inaugurated in October 1997. Inside you can find many exhibits of artwork by international artists, some permanent and some temporary. Looking at the contemporary architecture of this iconic building one could say the museum itself is a work of art.

Casa Milà – Barcelona, Spain

Casa Milà, also referred to as La Pedrera (the stone quarry) is the last private residence designed by architect Antoni Gaudi. It was built between 1906 and 1912 for Pere Milà and his wife Roser Segimon. The design of the building is unusual, especially for that period when the undulating stone facade and the twisting wrought iron balconies were not nearly as common as they are now. The structure is also special because of features such as its self-supporting facade, its open floor plan, underground garage and roof terrace.

Dresden Frauenkirche — Dresden, Germany

This is a Lutheran church located in Dresden, Germany. It occupies a site on which previously stood a catholic church which later became protestant only to be replaced by a larger lutheran structure in the 18th century. The church was later destroyed during world war II and its ruins stood there for 50 years until the rebuilding process started in 1994 after the reunification of Germany. The reconstruction of the exterior was completed in 2004 and the interior a year later. Now the church serves as a symbol of the reconciliation between former war enemies.

Brandenburg Gate

Another iconic building which you can visit while in Germany is the Brandenburg Gate which was built in the 18th century on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II. Its role was to represent peace and the gate continues to be to this day a symbol of unity in Europe. As far as the design and structure are concerned, the gate has 12 Doric columns, 6 on each side, forming 5 passageways. At the top you can see the sculpture of a chariot with four horses. The original name of this landmark was the Peace Gate.

Neuschwanstein Castle

Located in southwest Bavaria, in Germany, the Neuschwanstein Castle (New Swanstone Castle) was built to serve as a home for the king, being commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria. When the king dies in 1886 the castle no longer served its intended purpose. It became open to the public and has remained so ever since. The castle has been visited by more than 61 million people over the years.

Hagia Sophia — Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sophia held the title of world’s largest cathedral for almost 1000 years, losing it in 1520 to the Seville Cathedral. It was built in 537 AD and it initially served as an eastern orthodox church and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Between 1204 and 1261 it served as a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire and was later converted into an Ottoman mosque in 1453. It continued to serve as a mosque until 1931 when it was secularized. In 1935 it became a museum.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque — Istanbul, Turkey

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more commonly known as The Blue Mosque because of the hand-painted blue tiles on its exterior walls, is a famous tourist attraction located in Istanbul and was built between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I whose tomb can be found inside. The structure continues to function and a mosque even today. It has 5 major domes, 6 minarets and 8 smaller domes. You can find it in the close vicinity of another iconic building, Hagia Sophia.

Burj Al Arab – Dubai, UAE

Built on an artificial island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Burj Al Arab is the 3rd tallest hotel in the world. Its shape is iconic, the structure being designed to resemble the sail of a ship. More than a third of this luxury hotel’s height is made up of non-usable space. You can access the building and the small island on which it stands via a private bridge.

Burj Khalifa — Dubai, UAE

Burj Khalifa is one of the most iconic buildings of the modern world, holding the title of world’s tallest structure since 2008. Originally it was named Burj Dubai but the name later changed to Burj Khalifa in honor of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The construction of the building began in 2004. The exterior was completed in 2009, featuring a reinforced concrete structure. In 2010 the inauguration of this iconic mixed-use development took place,

Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai

This is not the lost city of the ancients but a luxury hotel named after the myth. Atlantis, The Palm is located on Palm Jumeirah island in the United Arab Emirates. It’s the first resort to be built on the island and it has a total of 1,539 rooms organized into two wings, the East and the West Tower connected by the Royal Bridge Suite. The resort opened on September 24 in 2008.

Sydney Opera House — Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Opera House is perhaps the most iconic building in Australia. It was designed by architect Jørn Utzon and it opened in October 1973. The structure is most famous for its modern expressionist design, featuring a series of large precast concrete shells which give it a futuristic and very artistic look. In total, the structure covers an area of 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) of land and is supported on 588 concrete piers. It serves as a multi-venue performing arts centre and it attracts more than a million visitors every year.

Bran Castle — Bran, Romania

Although it’s commonly known as Dracula’s Castle, this structure has very little to do with the legend, being only one of several structures associated with it. In fact, there’s no evidence that Bram Stoker even knew about the existence of this castle when he wrote the famous novel. Even so, the Bran Castle attracts lots of visitors every year who come to Romania to see where it all began. The castle serves as a museum where art and furniture collected by Queen Marie are displayed.

Peles Castle- Romania

The Peleș Castle is another historical museum located in Romania. You can find it in the Carpathian Mountains, near the city of Sinaia. Technically a palace but referred to as castle, the structure was built between 1873 and 1914. It was constructed for King Carol I and was inaugurated in 1883. It currently serves as a historical museum and is also appreciated for its architecture which shows neo-renaissance and gothic revival influences.

Parliament House – Bucharest, Romania

Located at the center of Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, the Parliament House is the second largest administrative building in the world (excluding the Pentagon) as well as the heaving building in the world, weighing around 4,098,500,000 kilograms. It’s structured into 23 sections and it houses the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, three museums and an international conference center.The building is valued at €3 billion which also makes it the most expensive administrative building in the world.

The Guggenheim — New York City, USA

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum also referred to as simply The Guggenheim is located in Manhattan, New York. It moved to its current location in 1959. The iconic building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright has a cylindrical shape, being wider at the top than at the bottom. The museum is famous for its unique ramp gallery which starts at the ground level and spirals up along the edges of the building, ending just under the ceiling skylight.

One World Trade Center — New York City, USA

The name of this structure may be a bit confusing, since it’s the same one that the original World Trace Center had (the one destroyed in the terrorist attacks of Septermber 11, 2001). One World Trace Center, also known as Freedom Tower, is located in lower Manhattan in New York and is the 6th tallest building in the world. It was designed by architect David Childs and there have been various controversies regarding some of its features, in particular the fortified base which some felt suggested a sense of fear rather than freedom.

The White House — Washington, D.C., USA

As everyone knows already, the White House serves as the official residence and workplace of the president of the United states. Its location is 1600 Pennsylvania avenue NW in Washington. It served as a presidential residence since 1800 and was designed by architect James Hoban who used Aquia Creek sandstone painted white. Construction took place between 1792 and 1800.

Chrysler Building — New York City, USA

The Chrysler Building is regarded as a symbol of the Art Deco architectural style. It was constructed by Walter Chrysler, the head of the Chrysler Corporation, who paid for it himself and thus became the owner. The building served as the corporation’s headquarters from 1930 until the mid-1950s. It was designed and built specifically for this purpose. You can find the building in the East tSide of Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

Fallingwater — Mill Run, Pennsylvania, USA

Designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935, this iconic building is not a public structure but actually a private home. It was designed to serve as a weekend retreat for Liliane Kaufmann and her husband, Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr. and the thing that makes it so special is the fact that it was built partly over a waterfall, hence the name. Fallingwater was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and Time even called it Frank Lloyd Wright’s “most beautiful job”.

Golden Gate Bridge

The most photographed bridge in the world links the city of San Francisco to Marin County and has also been named one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and at that time it was the longest as well as the tallest suspension bridge in the world, featuring a total height of 227 meters and a main span of 1,280 meters.

Space Needle — Seattle, Washington, USA

The Space Needle from Seattle, Washington is an iconic building and a landmark for the city. It was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and its design is a mixture of ideas proposed by architects Edward E. Carlson and John Graham Jr. It serves as an observation tower, featuring a total height of 184 meters. The tower is 42 meters wide and weighs 8,660 tonnes. It can withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour (89 m/s or 320 km/h) as well as earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude in addition to having 25 lighting rods.

The Flatiron Building — New York City, USA

The Flatiron Building is one of the most recognizable structures in the world thanks to its unique shape and its triangular shape. It was originally called the Fuller Building and the name was later changed to reflect the structure’s visual resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron. Construction of the structure was completed in 1902 and back then this was one of the tallest buildings in New York City. Obviously, that’s no longer the case as the structure is only 20 floors high.

Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is a landmark known by everyone in the word. You can find it on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The statue is made of copper and has designed by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel. It was a gift from France to the United States and it has become a symbol of freedom not just for the U.S. but people all over the world.

Taj Mahal — Agra, India

The Taj Mahal is one of the most iconic buildings in India and in the world. It’s located in Agra and represents a complex composed of a marble mausoleum surrounded by gardens. The mausoleum was built between 1632 and 1643 at the orders of Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It was designed to hold her tomb and to remain as a symbol of the love story between the emperor and his wife. Work on the garden and some of the other buildings in the complex continued for 10 years after the completion of mausoleum.

The Lotus Temple — New Delhi, India

Located in Delhi, India, the Lotus Temple is a Bahá’í House of Worship which means it’s open to people of all religions. Anyone can enter regardless of their religious orientation, sex or other distinctions. However, this is true for all Bahá’í House of Worship. The thing that makes the Lotus Temple special is its flower-shaped structure. This iconic building features a total of 27 freestanding marble clad petals arranged in clusters of three. Nine doors open onto a central hall which is more than 40 meters high. Inside there’s room for 2,500 people.

Acropolis of Athens — Athens, Greece

The Acropolis of Athens is not a single iconic building but actually a collection of several. It’s an ancient citadel which contains the remains of several structures, the most famous one of all being the Parthenon. This is a place of great architectural and historic significance. In 1975 a restoration project began, the goal of which was to reverse the effects of all the decay caused by pollution, military actions as well as faulty past restorations. Since then, the Parthenon colonnades which were badly damaged and largely destroyed by the Venetial bombardment during the 17th century have been restored along with various other structures.

Château Frontenac — Québec, Canada

Château Frontenac is located in Quebec, Canada and is is one of the “château” style hotels which were built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company in the period between the late 19th and early 20th century. It was designed by architect bruce Price and contains more than 600 rooms structured on a total of 18 floors. Fun fact, Château Frontenac is known as the most photographed hotel in the world.

St. Basil’s Cathedral — Moscow, Russia

The official name of the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed is actually the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat. This iconic building which has no parallel in Russian architecture is located in Red Square in Moscow and is designed to look like a frame rising into the sky. It was built between 1555 and 1561 and has been functioning as a museum since 1928 when it was confiscated from the Russian Orthodox community as part of the state atheism project.

Dancing House — Prague, Czech Republic

The Dancing House, initially named Fred and Ginger after dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, is an iconic structure located in Prague, in the Czech Republic. The style in which it was designed is known as deconstructivist and was adopted by architects Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry who collaborated on this unusual project. The building was designed in 1992 and the project was completed in 1996.

The Pyramids of Giza — Giza, Egypt

The list wouldn’t be complete without the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest and also the oldest of the three pyramids in the Giza complex as well as the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It’s also the only one of them to remain intact (for the most part). It’s also known as the Pyramid of Cheops or the Pyramid of Khufu. It’s believed that the structure was built as a tomb and that the construction was done over a period of 10 to 20 years, being completed around 2560 BC. It was originally covered in limestone but today that layer is almost entirely gone and we can only see the underlying core structure.

Forbidden City — Beijing, China

The Forbidden City is a complex of 980 buildings spread over an area of 72 hectares in Beijing, China. It served as the Chinese imperial palace between 1420 until 1912 (from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Quing dynasty. Today the complex houses the Palace Museum and is listed as a World Heritage Site as well as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Potala Palace — Lhasa, Tibet, China

This huge structure served as the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 1959 Tibetan uprising when the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India. It’s located in Lhasa, in Tibet and it currently serves as a museum. Its construction started in 1645 under the 5th Dalai Lama. The building measures 400 meters by 350 meters and has thick sloping stone walls. Copper was poured into its foundation to offer protection against earthquakes. It has 13 floors and over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and around 200,000 statues.

Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers are located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They’re two twin skyscrapers and they were designed by architect Cesar Pelli in a postmodern style. The planning phase of the project started on 1st January 1992. A year after, in 1993, excavation began on the site. The construction phase started on 1st April 1994. On the 1st January 1996 the interior design was completed as well and the towers were fully furnished and ready for use.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is the subject of an international myth which, as it turns out, is false. Many still believe that the structure can be seen from space in spite of evidence disproving this fact. But even without this characteristic, the great wall is still one of the most amazing and impressive structures on our planet. The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, wood, earth and other materials which has been built over various dynasties throughout history. It stretches from present-day Sino-Russian border in the north to Qinghai in the south and the majority of the structure preserved to this day dates from the Ming Dynasty.

The post 48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization appeared first on Home Decorating Trends – Homedit.

0 notes

adamn-ellis · 6 years

Text

48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization - AMEPAC Furniture

Home Furniture Ideas on https://amepac.org/architecture/48-iconic-buildings-around-the-world-landmarks-of-our-civilization/

48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization

[ad_1]

The Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

Musée du Louvre – Paris, France

Centre Georges Pompidou — Paris, France

Musée d’Orsay — Paris, France

Notre-Dame Cathedral — Paris, France

The Shard — London, UK

The Gherkin — London, UK

Tower Bridge – London, UK

Westminster Abbey — London, UK

Houses of Parliament — London, UK

Colosseum – Rome, Italy

The Leaning Tower – Pisa, Italy

The Pantheon — Rome, Italy

Sagrada Família – Barcelona, Spain

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao — Bilbao, Spain

Casa Milà – Barcelona, Spain

Dresden Frauenkirche — Dresden, Germany

Brandenburg Gate

Neuschwanstein Castle

Hagia Sophia — Istanbul, Turkey

Sultan Ahmed Mosque — Istanbul, Turkey

Burj Al Arab – Dubai, UAE

Burj Khalifa — Dubai, UAE

Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai

Sydney Opera House — Sydney, Australia

Bran Castle — Bran, Romania

Peles Castle- Romania

Parliament House – Bucharest, Romania

The Guggenheim — New York City, USA

One World Trade Center — New York City, USA

The White House — Washington, D.C., USA

Chrysler Building — New York City, USA

Fallingwater — Mill Run, Pennsylvania, USA

Golden Gate Bridge

Space Needle — Seattle, Washington, USA

The Flatiron Building — New York City, USA

Statue of Liberty

Taj Mahal — Agra, India

The Lotus Temple — New Delhi, India

Acropolis of Athens — Athens, Greece

Château Frontenac — Québec, Canada

St. Basil’s Cathedral — Moscow, Russia

Dancing House — Prague, Czech Republic

The Pyramids of Giza — Giza, Egypt

Forbidden City — Beijing, China

Potala Palace — Lhasa, Tibet, China

Petronas Towers

The Great Wall of China

The post 48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization appeared first on Home Decorating Trends – Homedit.

[ad_2]

0 notes

aclsblog · 6 years

Text

48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization - AMEPAC Furniture

48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization

[ad_1]

The Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

Musée du Louvre – Paris, France

Centre Georges Pompidou — Paris, France

Musée d’Orsay — Paris, France

Notre-Dame Cathedral — Paris, France

The Shard — London, UK

The Gherkin — London, UK

Tower Bridge – London, UK

Westminster Abbey — London, UK

Houses of Parliament — London, UK

Colosseum – Rome, Italy

The Leaning Tower – Pisa, Italy

The Pantheon — Rome, Italy

Sagrada Família – Barcelona, Spain

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao — Bilbao, Spain

Casa Milà – Barcelona, Spain

Dresden Frauenkirche — Dresden, Germany

Brandenburg Gate

Neuschwanstein Castle

Hagia Sophia — Istanbul, Turkey

Sultan Ahmed Mosque — Istanbul, Turkey

Burj Al Arab – Dubai, UAE

Burj Khalifa — Dubai, UAE

Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai

Sydney Opera House — Sydney, Australia

Bran Castle — Bran, Romania

Peles Castle- Romania

Parliament House – Bucharest, Romania

The Guggenheim — New York City, USA

One World Trade Center — New York City, USA

The White House — Washington, D.C., USA

Chrysler Building — New York City, USA

Fallingwater — Mill Run, Pennsylvania, USA

Golden Gate Bridge

Space Needle — Seattle, Washington, USA

The Flatiron Building — New York City, USA

Statue of Liberty

Taj Mahal — Agra, India

The Lotus Temple — New Delhi, India

Acropolis of Athens — Athens, Greece

Château Frontenac — Québec, Canada

St. Basil’s Cathedral — Moscow, Russia

Dancing House — Prague, Czech Republic

The Pyramids of Giza — Giza, Egypt

Forbidden City — Beijing, China

Potala Palace — Lhasa, Tibet, China

Petronas Towers

The Great Wall of China

The post 48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization appeared first on Home Decorating Trends – Homedit.

[ad_2]

0 notes

tipsycad147 · 5 years

Text

Why do people become Pagan? The top ten reasons

Posted by Michelle Gruben on Mar 02, 2017

Most Pagans are polytheist, meaning they recognise the existence of more than one God. But there is more to Paganism than “the more, the merrier!” Here are some general traits of Pagan religions (keep in mind that not every religion will have them all): Rejection of Judeo-Christian cosmology, observance of seasonal rites, reverence toward Nature, rejection of religious authority and focus on individual experiences, paranormal/psychic beliefs and practices, emphasis on personal responsibility over sin or evil.

Not surprisingly, a preference for one or more of these traits is what attracts many people to Pagan religions—but we’ll get to that in a moment.

1. They were raised Pagan.

2. They want sexual acceptance and/or sexual freedom.

It’s not just queer folks who embrace Paganism as a safe haven. Horny folks do, too. In most Pagan belief systems, sex is not considered a sin but a morally neutral act. Sex for fun is fun, sex for magick is magick. It’s not how much sex you’re having, but your intention that characterises the act. The only moral imperative is in how you’re treating yourself and your partners.

3. They don’t care for dogma and/or authority.

Some Pagan groups do have ordained clergy. But there are still significant differences between Pagan clergy and those of more established organised religions:

First, Pagan titles like “High Priestess” are usually self-conferred or passed along from student to teacher. This does not mean that they’re not “real” clergy, but it does mean that their power is limited outside their own group or coven. (A Pagan leader may also be ordained as a minister by another organisation, such as the Church of All Worlds or the Unitarian Universalist church. This allows them to receive certain legal privileges that independent Pagan clergy usually do not enjoy.)

4. They long for a connection to Nature.

The earth, the trees, the sky, the sea—most world religions recognise these wonders as the work of a mighty creator God. And yet, most leave it at that.

Not so with Paganism. Pagan religions are sometimes described as “Earth-based”—meaning the Earth and its cycles are central to what Pagans hold sacred. Most Pagans profess a deep reverence for natural places, the seasons, the web of plants and animals, and the processes of birth, ageing, and dying. While it’s not technically required, many Pagan services are held outdoors. “Skyclad” (nude) rites are another way that Pagans shed the trappings of modern society and get back to the core of being.

5. They’ve had negative experiences with other religions.

Perhaps a certain religious doctrine—such as the prohibition against homosexuality—is causing the person emotional pain. Maybe they’re frustrated with persecution, corruption, or hypocrisy within the religious group they came from. Or maybe they’re rebelling against the religious beliefs of a parent or spouse. Whatever the case, Paganism appears to offer a chance for a fresh start, one with less restriction and oversight than they may be used to. Pagans don’t evangelise—which may make them seem more trustworthy to folks who have been burned.

6. They have trouble with the concepts of sin and evil.

As for behaviour? Paganism emphasises individual freedom and responsibility over moral absolutism. Most Pagans live by an individual moral/ethical code, but shun universal behavioural codes. Pagan ethics have been heavily influenced by the Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do what ye will.” This in turn derives from Aleister Crowley’s “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”—possibly the most mis-interpreted eleven words of all time.

It’s not that Pagans believe that you can or should do whatever you want. On the contrary, Paganism teaches that actions (and even thoughts) reverberate through the universe to affect oneself and others. There’s no real concept of sin, but Paganism is not amoral. In encouraging moral behaviour, Paganism substitutes concepts like karma, duty, interconnectedness, for a paternal god figure keeping score.

7. They yearn for representations of the Divine Feminine.

8. They want explanations for psychic and paranormal events.

9. They’re attracted to the power and control offered by magick.

I once read an academic paper that was trying to explain the rise of Wicca and witchcraft among teenage girls. The conclusion was that when a young women lacks a sense of control in her life—i.e., economic, sexual, or social autonomy—a religion that offers a secret source of power is immensely attractive. (Who wouldn’t want to be able to cast a love spell on a crush, or curse a bully?) The author observed that many teen girls become practising Pagans in junior high and high school. They tend to lose interest after finding another source of personal power (a job, a relationship, a better group of friends).

As a young Pagan woman, I found the tone of this particular paper to be condescending, bordering on insulting. But one thing is obviously true: Occultism purports to offer power to the powerless, esoteric means to an end when esoteric means have come up short. Why else would there be so many people interested in fast answers—love spells, get-rich-quick spells, and the like?

10. They’ve been called by a God or Goddess.

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/why-do-people-become-pagan-top-ten-reasons

0 notes

aburntship · 6 years

Text

New Post has been published on AMEPAC Furniture

New Post has been published on https://amepac.org/architecture/48-iconic-buildings-around-the-world-landmarks-of-our-civilization/

48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization

[ad_1]

The Eiffel Tower – Paris, France

Musée du Louvre – Paris, France

Centre Georges Pompidou — Paris, France

Musée d’Orsay — Paris, France

Notre-Dame Cathedral — Paris, France

The Shard — London, UK

The Gherkin — London, UK

Tower Bridge – London, UK

Westminster Abbey — London, UK

Houses of Parliament — London, UK

Colosseum – Rome, Italy

The Leaning Tower – Pisa, Italy

The Pantheon — Rome, Italy

Sagrada Família – Barcelona, Spain

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao — Bilbao, Spain

Casa Milà – Barcelona, Spain

Dresden Frauenkirche — Dresden, Germany

Brandenburg Gate

Neuschwanstein Castle

Hagia Sophia — Istanbul, Turkey

Sultan Ahmed Mosque — Istanbul, Turkey

Burj Al Arab – Dubai, UAE

Burj Khalifa — Dubai, UAE

Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai

Sydney Opera House — Sydney, Australia

Bran Castle — Bran, Romania

Peles Castle- Romania

Parliament House – Bucharest, Romania

The Guggenheim — New York City, USA

One World Trade Center — New York City, USA

The White House — Washington, D.C., USA

Chrysler Building — New York City, USA

Fallingwater — Mill Run, Pennsylvania, USA

Golden Gate Bridge

Space Needle — Seattle, Washington, USA

The Flatiron Building — New York City, USA

Statue of Liberty

Taj Mahal — Agra, India

The Lotus Temple — New Delhi, India

Acropolis of Athens — Athens, Greece

Château Frontenac — Québec, Canada

St. Basil’s Cathedral — Moscow, Russia

Dancing House — Prague, Czech Republic

The Pyramids of Giza — Giza, Egypt

Forbidden City — Beijing, China

Potala Palace — Lhasa, Tibet, China

Petronas Towers

The Great Wall of China

The post 48 Iconic Buildings Around The World – Landmarks Of Our Civilization appeared first on Home Decorating Trends – Homedit.

[ad_2]

#Architecture

0 notes