#macdara

[forgotteneilionora]

OOC | Astairan Wedding Traditions

ok so this is inspired by [ this ] post and these tags:

#ooo.... is handfasting a tradition in astairan weddings?#bc i could see#valentina malconaire objecting to this!#and then astairans not considering the eithne/cassimir union#as valid since it didn't happen#also its just a pretty tradition i love!

i loooove this!!!! both for the tradition and for the ~general vibes for astaira andddd for the plot point it could play!!!!! and i thought we might take this opportunity to talk about weddings in general -- i was literally reading up on traditional irish wedding vows just last night bc we were talking about domhnall's wedding etc!

i can also 100% see @forgottenvalentina specifically objecting to a tradition the astairans hold dear on ~roderick grounds or vice versa specificially w the hope itd invalidate the wedding too smdh so this verrrrrry much fits!

also the wedding vows:

[ “Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone. I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One. I give ye my Spirit, `til our Life shall be Done. You cannot possess me for I belong to myself. But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand." ] “I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine, from this day it shall only your name I cry out in the night and into your eyes that I smile each morning; I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine, never shall a grievous word be spoken about us, for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance. Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honor you through this life and into the next." “I, (name), in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee (name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself. By the power that Christ brought from heaven, mayst thou love me. As the sun follows its course, mayst thou follow me. As light to the eye, as bread to the hungry, as joy to the heart, May thy presence be with me, Oh one that I love, `til death comes to part us asunder. “We swear by peace and love to stand, Heart to heart and hand to hand. Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now, Confirming this our Sacred Vow.” “You are the star of each night, You are the brightness of every morning, You are the story of each guest, You are the report of every land. No evil shall befall you, on hill nor bank, In field or valley, on mountain or in glen. Neither above, nor below, neither in sea, Nor on shore, in skies above, Nor in the depths. You are the kernel of my heart, You are the face of my sun, You are the harp of my music, You are the crown of my company.” “Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and just be my friend.” “May the gentle breeze bear witness to this ritual, and carry its message to all lands. May the sun warm their hearts, and its ever burning fire fuel their desire for each other. May the water provide for them from its bounty, and comfort their souls with their sounds. May the land lend its strength and reveal its mysteries."

and like literally swearing by the breeze and the sun and water and land like????? if that aint so astairan!!!!!! there's def tons of other stuff but yeah

also apparently irish brides traditionally wore blue, back in the day, that were long and flowy w intricate embroidery, celtic knots, and a big sash or belt! often including a hooded cloak in weather!

she also traditionally has a handkerchief embroidered w like a motto or the couple's initials or an emblem or smth of significance to them, and then that's used as the bonnet for the firstborn child at their christening, and handed down to them to potentially use at their own wedding etc generation after generation

also the handfasting probs means that 'tying the knot' is an expression in astaira (that would baffle the varmonts too btw!) which is fun <3

[ Ever heard the phrase “your goose is cooked”? ] Traditionally, the night before the wedding, a goose would be cooked in the bride’s house for the groom’s wedding meal. When the meal was fully prepared, it would be seen as bad luck for life to back out of the wedding. So, the phrase, “your goose is cooked” pretty much means there’s no backing out now!

there's this thing w the child of progue that might be done w statues of the guardians?

[ This is a funny Irish wedding tradition. The child of Prague is a statue popularly known to ward off bad weather, which can rue the day. The figure is placed in different ways but performs the same function. ] Some parents leave their children in their hallway the night before a wedding. Others abandon their children outside, while some put the child out under a bush. In addition, people tend to behead the statue before placing it at the selected spot. The rationale is that the figures are not of the best quality. Their head usually fell off by themselves when left out overnight; hence, it was better off already beheaded. Some people even reattach it afterward.

guests have bells to ring ward off evil spirits and discord! they set to ringing them as the couple walks down the aisle and bells are sometimes included in the bride's bouquet

Weddings were civil, not religious, affairs. While some involved a vow of lifelong fidelity, that wasn’t universal. The ancient Celts recognized several types of marriage. And they also had very liberal divorce laws. They knew not all marriages would last, and they planned for it. In ancient Celtic traditions, one could opt for a one-year trial marriage. If all went well, they could take more permanent vows. If it didn’t work out, they each went their way, free to try again. Men and women enjoyed equal rights in the 1100s. Irish brides owned their property; if the marriage ended, they took it with them. They would also take a portion of any wealth the couple acquired together.

so yeah obv there's lots more these were just some things that jumped out at me after a cursory review that felt astairan for one reason or another <3

[forgottenroisin]

OOC | Malconaire Names

ok so now that we've got the parents named, i went on a lil [ name meaning ] spree and looked up all our kids! and i love how these all like...fit but in an unexpected way!!

Macdara -- son of oak

Sorcha -- radiant/bright, lady/princess/noblewoman, clear/bright/famous

Eithne — kernel, grain/little fire

Brigit — exulted one

Aoife — beauty/to breathe, to live

Roisin — little rose/little famous type/kind

while im at it...imma hit up the ~vasilieva!malconaires, too!

Valentina -- strong/vigorous/healthy/fertile

Cassimir -- DESTROYER OF WORLDS lkdfjksdaljfjld...anyyyywayyyy (literally it means 'to destroy peace/the world')

Sonya -- little wisdom/little lover of knowledge

i was gonna do a lil chatting/meta abt how this fits rosie but im too laskdjflksdjfkdsf about cassimir's name!!!! valentina whatre you doing alksjdfkljsdf i know she dreamed of having a son her whole life so there's no way she didn't know what his name meant and alksdjflkjsdkfjlsdf ngl i always assumed he was named for some famous king they're like ~vaguely related to or smth like that, but still like alkjsdflkjdsjkfjkdsf OMGGGGGG OBLITERATOR OF PEACE -- its legit like naming ur kid 'ruiner' like someone put this innocent newborn she'd carried for nine months in her arms and she was like 'THIS is the only name for him' laksdjfkljdsjfjkdsf kernal/grain/little fire that's basically like naming ur kid 'hope' like....

HOPE x RUINER = NOTP for her w/ valentina truly be like 'yknow the kid in this pairing whose parents really messed them up???? EITHNE' kaljsdfkljdjslfjkdsf SCREAM

rosie's meta's gonna have to wait...god, i really shoulda put this on @forgottenvalentina -- i didn't knowwwwww until it was too late alksjdfklsdjf

[luegootravez]

Mathilda Bach by © Macdara Grey

[forgottenvalentina]

Who does Valentina consider as a good friend, and why?

ok so this was an ask that honestly really made me stop and think bc like?? does valentina really have any friends????? and i realized i wasn't sure!!! i mean i always imagined that she had some ~other astristocractic society matron type who was a major rival type/gossip partner, a la lucille bluth and lucille 2 yknow? but its a bit of a stretch, really, to call that kind of realtionship a friendship, isn't it? and i realized...i think that that's about the closest she's really come until it occurred to me that...

this might be the foundation of her relationship w macdara -- he was the first ~real friend she really had? he treated her well, considered her needs and hopes and did his best to help her achieve them, he treated her with kindness, i imagine even tried to make her laugh...no lie, idk that she'd ever had that before or has really had it since?

now, this isn't some pity party -- she obv ~could have had that w her children or stepchildren if she'd ever done any of that for any of them, but...no. she hasn't! she ~thinks she has w cassimir, but even that was her tryna force him into this box that involved him fulfilling ~her dreams and never stopped to find out what ~his dreams might be bc part of her love for him is based on her seeing him as some kind of extension of herself rather than his own person

valentina is someone ive always considered as intrinsically lonely, and i think that's sort of...underscored here, given all of this. she wants to be loved, to be adored, to be put first, but this would involve doing any of the above for someone else and that is simply unthinkable to her and so she continued to be utterly alone, trapped in a prison made of her own self-centered conceit

[highlordofkrypton]

Petition for the High Lords, if ever they get surnames, to have the most pretentious long ass names ever.

Like High Lord Tamlin Conchobar Macdara Kevin Mathgamain of the Fallen Court of Spring, Son of High Lord Celyddon and his mate Lady Margret, first of his name, the Ever-Shifting Prince or something absolutely ridiculous like that

IDK I can't explain it, I just need it.

[transbookoftheday]

Peregrine Seas by R.C. Ballad

Prince Peregrine couldn’t be happier to be kidnapped by pirates.

Peregrine wasn’t cut out for the restrictive life of a nobleman – he's hungry for adventure, prone to duelling, and his family refuse to believe he's any kind of man at all. Despite his royal origins, he has more in common with the outcasts and rebels aboard the Cygnus that anyone onshore.

He just needs to convince the captain of that before his ransom's paid.

Captain Alastar Macdara knows better than to trust an English prince. He has his hands full keeping his ragged crew together, and the last thing he needs is to be burdened with some foppish dandy—however charming. This particular hostage is more trouble than Alastar planned for: used to getting his own way, as stubborn as Alastar and not afraid to tell him when he’s wrong. But Alastar knows a thing or two about being an outcast, and his honourable streak refuses to let him send Peregrine back to a life of misery.

The ransom might be off, but that doesn’t mean Peregrine is part of the crew. Now he must prove he’s courageous and quick-witted enough to earn his place on the Cygnus before Alastar dumps him at the next safe harbour.

It won't be easy for Peregrine to prove himself amidst the many dangers of life at sea: navy patrols, sea serpents—and the grim, handsome Alastar. The more time they spend together the more he fears he’s falling for his captain, and honourable or not … a pirate is a pirate.

Can they chart a course to being together, or will Alastar’s secrets and Peregrine’s reckless drive to prove himself steer the Cygnus into perilous waters?

Peregrine Seas is a swashbuckling m/m romance between a merman pirate and a runaway prince, full of queer joy and perfect for fans of Our Flag Means Death.

[forgottenroderick]

Timeline

CALENDAR ACCORDING TO EILIONORA/OUTSIDE EMPIRE/ORDINARY CALENDAR

year 1237 – birth of bartholomew

year 1238

year 1239

year 1240 – birth of alistair

year 1241

year 1242

year 1243

year 1244 – birth of valentina

year 1245 – birth of roderick

year 1246

year 1247 – birth of marian

year 1248 – birth of aleksander

year 1249 – birth of amira

year 1250

year 1251

year 1252

year 1253

year 1254

year 1255

year 1256 – birth of godfrey

year 1257

year 1258 – birth of alaric

year 1259

year 1260

year 1261 – birth of cassimir, ronan, tristan, roderick weds for the first time

year 1262 – death of king varmont, roderick becomes king and begins his world conquest (asp after this becoming emperor when he conquers his first nation)

year 1263 – birth of kale, conquest of ilnarria, roderick is crowned emperor alongside his first wife

year 1264 – birth of eoin, likely the year roderick wed amira and therefore also likely the year of the conquest of kolchis

year 1265 – births of sonya, cillian, likely the year roderick wed marian

year 1266 – birth of eithne, isolda

year 1267 – birth of guinevere, arthur, ciara, eilionora, percy, death of bart’s wife

year 1268 – birth of brigit, sebastian, cecily

year 1269 – birth of saoirse, aria

year 1270 – birth of aoife, edmund

year 1271 – birth of cassandra, siobhan, death of léna the late queen of astaira

year 1272 – birth of roisin

year 1273

year 1274

year 1275

year 1276

year 1277

year 1278

year 1279

year 1280 – death of sorcha

year 1281 – death of domnhall, eilia becomes queen

year 1282 – macdara weds valentina and offers aid to the riverbend

year 1283

year 1284

year 1285 – eilia comes of age

year 1286

year 1287

year 1288

year 1289 – saoirse officially leaves malconaire for lorcan

year 1290

year 1291 – battle of m, death of macdara, conquest of astaira

year 1292

year 1293 – the present

CALENDAR ACCORDING TO RODERICK/VARMONT IMPERIAL CALENDAR

ORDINARY CALENDAR

year 1237 OC – birth of bartholomew

year 1238 OC

year 1239 OC

year 1240 OC – birth of alistair

year 1241 OC

year 1242 OC

year 1243 OC

year 1244 OC – birth of valentina

year 1245 OC – birth of roderick

year 1246 OC

year 1247 OC – birth of marian

year 1248 OC – birth of aleksander

year 1249 OC – birth of amira

year 1250 OC

year 1251 OC

year 1252 OC

year 1253 OC

year 1254 OC

year 1255 OC

year 1256 OC – birth of godfrey

year 1257 OC

year 1258 OC – birth of alaric

year 1259 OC

year 1260 OC

year 1261 OC – birth of cassimir, ronan, tristan, roderick weds for the first time

year 1262 OC – death of king varmont, roderick becomes king and begins his world conquest(asp after this becoming emperor when he conquers his first nation)

THE GLORIOUS AGE OF RODERICK

year 1 AR – birth of kale, conquest of ilnarria, roderick is crowned emperor alongside his first wife

year 2 AR – birth of eoin, likely the year roderick wed amira and therefore also likely the year of the conquest of kolchis

year 3 AR – births of sonya, cillian, likely the year roderick wed marian

year 4AR – birth of eithne, isolda

year 5 AR – birth of guinevere, arthur, ciara, eilionora, percy, death of bart’s wife

year 6 AR – birth of brigit, sebastian, cecily

year 7 AR – birth of saoirse, aria

year 8 AR – birth of aoife, edmund

year 9 AR – birth of cassandra, siobhan, death of the late queen of astaira

year 10 AR – birth of roisin

year 11 AR

year 12 AR

year 13 AR

year 14 AR

year 15 AR

year 16 AR

year 17 AR

year 18 AR – death of sorcha

year 19 AR – death of domnhall, eilia becomes queen

year 20 AR – macdara weds valentina and offers aid to the riverbend

year 21 AR

year 22 AR

year 23 AR – eilia comes of age

year 24 AR

year 25 AR

year 26 AR

year 27 AR – saoirse officially leaves malconaire for lorcan

year 28 AR

year 29 AR – battle of m, death of macdara, conquest of astaira

year 30 AR

year 31 AR – the present

[shylightqueen]

St. MacDaras Church, County Galway, Ireland.

[fearsmagazine]

EVIL DEAD RISE - Poster

The poster release in advance of the trailer coming tomorrow...

New Line Cinema and Renaissance Pictures present a return to the iconic horror franchise, “Evil Dead Rise,” from writer/director Lee Cronin (“The Hole in the Ground”). The movie stars Lily Sullivan (“I Met a Girl,” “Barkskins”), Alyssa Sutherland (“The Mist,” “Vikings”), Morgan Davies (“Storm Boy,” “The End”), Gabrielle Echols (“Reminiscence”) and introducing Nell Fisher (“Northspur”).

LILY SULLIVAN as Beth in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. EVIL DEAD RISE Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, “Evil Dead Rise” tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

(L to R) GABRIELLE ECHOLS as Bridget, NELL FISHER as Kassie, LILY SULLIVAN as Beth, MORGAN DAVIES as Danny and ALYSSA SUTHERLAND as Ellie in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“Evil Dead Rise” is produced by Rob Tapert (“Ash vs Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) and executive produced by series creator and horror icon Sam Raimi and cult legend and “Ash” himself, Bruce Campbell, along with John Keville, Macdara Kelleher, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Romel Adam and Victoria Palmieri.

ALYSSA SUTHERLAND as Ellie in New Line Cinema’s horror film “EVIL DEAD RISE,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A New Line Cinema / Renaissance Pictures presentation of a Pacific Renaissance and Wild Atlantic Pictures production, “Evil Dead Rise” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in theaters in North America on April 21, 2023 and internationally beginning 19 April 2023.

[fragrantblossoms]

Kathleen Price.  Saint Macdara's Island, Co. Galway, c. 1930.           

[forgottenroisin]

Malconaire Samain Traditions

AUTHOR'S NOTES

ok so!!! before i get into this too much, some author's notes, starting w fun facts abt irl samhain (which i wrote samain above bc that's the old irish spelling and we're mostly going w old irish spellings here -- caoimhe rather than keeva, etc) that im running w here are as follows: ancient celtic tradition holds w largely two types of major celebration on their quartered calendar: Beltaine and Samhain which occurred on opposite times of the year, and Imbolc and Lughnasa which also straddled the year. The latter set marked important crop rotations: sowing and harvesting the fields.

The former, however, are said to have been dedicated to the movements of cattle herds and their shephards. At Beltaine, the shephards and their flocks would wrap up their half year of having held their beasts at home amongst the village in the valleys where they were safe from winter snows. at samhain, the shephards would do the opposite: begin driving their herds home across the treacherous montain passes from where they had been grazing in upland pastures for six months, and heading home to the valleys. Both Samhain and Beltane were seen as liminal or threshold holidays. Yet, they were also seen as inverse of one another, with Beltane being a festival for the living and Samhain for the dead.

Many Irish and British Neolithic tombs are aligned such that they are illuminated by the light of the sun as it over Samhain and Imbolc.

In Celtic belief, all spirits appear to be interlinked, w ghosts alternately appearing as faries or gods and vice versa, so I've used guardians, gods, and ghosts here where I thought most appropriate as stand ins but yeah this is just my interpretation??? Anyway, fairy mounds are often literally burial mounds so make of that what you will! I did ultimately choose to include ghosts but I strongly considered restricting it to purely guardians and gods, but yeah! Lmk if you think I should go back and restrict it to just those two!

Samhain in Ireland and Scotland are pr similar, so there'll def bc riffs from both cultures but, bc Rosie's name means little rose, and the very related ancient Welsh tradition of Calan Gaeaf ties in both roses AND ivy v strongly, I'm gonna be pulling a lot from that, as well.

I'm also gonna steal some Venetian St. Mark's Day beliefs and practices and English St. Mark's Eve ones. I have zero excuse except that it dovetails really nicely, and that its frankly sooo fitting for our Miss Rosie.

all the 'tales' here are inspired and even drawn directly from ancient lore!

Cleansing fire and light, cleaning, divination, guising (dressing up and trick or treat-esque shenanigans), dancing, mummery, saining (blessings), feasting, belief that spirits (good and evil, human and fae and godly and demoic, etc) walk amongst us that night, and veneration of the dead are common themes, and it is believed that it is this time when the veil is thinnest between the various otherworlds and our own.

Samhain is a last deep breath before the plunge. It is a time of preparing for the death of winter to come. Interestingly, Samain, the Old Irish root word for Samhain, is thought to come from an ancient word for 'summer,' though it was celebrated in November. No one knows why, but imma lean into it as a rebirth kind of symbolism -- yknow that 'spring in winter' sort of concept. Another explanation is that Samain comes from yet another ancient word that means 'reuninion, assembly,' and imma lean into that, too.

There was initially a fortnight of celebrations for Samain, which overtime got cut down to our modern night of Halloween, so idk how long this celebration should last hahaha and i deliberately left the timeline vague bc of that

Conveniently, I'd already hc'ed that Rosie actually views autumn as more a time of rebirth than spring (weirdly enough, it was actually one of my v first hc's for her!), and all this will allow me to tie it in nicely with her character theme of wonder <3

(Also disclaimer that you might notice some similarities between this and my TFW not!halloween traditions in which case...no you didn't ;DDDDD its just that i was inspired by the same sources hahaha except here i pulled in welsh and venetian things as my secondary instead of ancient roman and greek things aklsjdflkjdfdf)

SAMAIN TRADITIONS

like her sisters, rosie was born around the time of an ancient astairan holiday, causing the celebrations to overlap in malconaire

hers falling near samhain, an autumnal festival celebrating the midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, and is held to mark the beginning of winter

it is said that it is at this time that the veil between this world and the other is said to be at its thinnest and, thus, the guardians are feted in an effort to strengthen them during this most dangerous period, w seers and all the ppl of astaira gathering to do whatever they can to help

it is a time of unity and mutual faith, generosity and thanksgiving, of finding strength and hope and cheer in ourselves and in one another even as things grow their darkest

as twilight gleams its last, all the fires in the region are put out and a great bonfire lit by a seer at the local shrine. from this protective blaze, every fire in the region is relit so that cleansing, protective fire burns for the guardians against the gods in every home, every shrine, and every gathering place across all malconaire

it is said that on this night, sometimes even non-seers can hear the whisperings of the guardians -- and that, at times -- the howls of the gods echo across the world, but beware to any who hears ought, for gods can appear and speak as any being they wish and, it is said, one must never trust a stranger who arrives upon samhain who will not go into the light

according to ancient tradition, anyone who believes w a true heart may wield some of the powers of a true seer because the veil is so thin, and in addition to being able to hear the voices of gods and guardians, can also sometimes hear the voices of their deceased loved ones

sometimes this is said to be a trick of the evil gods, but many believe that deceased loved ones do in fact arise

in addition to the fires, many gifts of food and drink and harvest and flowers etc are offered to the guardians, in addition to gifts of delights and entertainments such as dances and plays

as it is said that ghosts rise from their graves at this time, whether crossing over from an otherworld or revived by the power of the wicked gods, welcoming feasts are held in every home and, during the feasts, in addition to offerings made to the guardians, places are set for dead members of the family who may be visiting their loved ones while they are able

hoping to thwart any wicked spirits or gods who might be walking the earth, many wear a guise each night when the protective power of the sun is snuffed out

bc it is said that everyone may have use of a seers powers, it is also tradition to go from house to house and give offerings and blessings back and forth there, and this is often when fires from the great shrine bonefire are brought to each home, as well

following feasting in homes, there is also a tradition of gathering around the great bonfire in the evening and sharing sweets

while there, dancing and plays go on with gift-giving continuing well into the night

traditionally, one carves their name into a stone and then tosses it into the fire. those stones that had had the name burned clean off of it will receive good fortune. those whose names are still writ upon the stones will do well to take care over the course of the winter, with death or misfortune said to hunt them

Myths, legends, and ghost stories are all frequently told around the bonfire, with some tales being considered specific to Samain, and others simply tall tales or simply invented stories, but whatever their origin, stories play a highly important role on Samain, both as offerings and as entertainment. i'll include one or two as a sample somewhere in here

traditionally, all across astaira, peace was delcared during samain and it was a great time of unification, of treaties, of mending fences great and small, neighbor to neighbor and nation to nation, alike, w any conflict or even grudge, save that against the gods, being seen as borderline blasphemous, and an insult to the guardians for all efforts must be communally poured into that conflict at this time

in this same vein, it is a time for housekeeping, both great and small -- houses are cleaned, spick and span, and great councils are called by the rulers to undergo yearly reforms

anyone who broke laws during this time would, therefore, be banished for the rest of the year for the grievous offence of having wounded the goodwill of the guardians

traditionally, astairans avoid crossroads during samain, said to be haunted by nefarious deadmen and gods

on the morning samain, young and unmarried people traditionally go out into the fields and collect ivy and autumn roses. traditionally, girls collect ivy while boys pick roses, after which they come together again, with the girls presenting the boys they admire with ivy and the boys presenting roses to the girls they fancy. if a couple's presentations are mutual, they then wind them together and create crowns of roses-and-ivy to wear. at the end of the day, each girls collects all the roses she has been given, and each boy all his ivy and mingle them till they do not know who gave which. then they toss one into the bonfire for the guardians are return home, placing the remaining plants under their pillow. it is said that they will then dream of their future and, if they remember any of the dream, some of it will come true in the coming year. it is also sometimes said that if they dream of a particular other person, they will likely wed that person.

unmarried women are instructed to darken their rooms in the evening, and then a married woman can look into the mirror to see the face of the future groom. If a skull appears in the mirror, the unmarried woman is meant to die within the year. If a future groom cannot be seen, unmarried women are instructed to peel an apple and throw the skin over their shoulders. The shape the apple skin makes is said to show the first initial of her future husband

just before midnight, any remaining children are bundled off to bed and, then, it is tradition for those who wish to see to gather on the holy ground of the shrine, for surrounded by the guardians is the only way one may safely witness what is to come. those who do not wish to see must return quickly home and close all their windows and close their eyes and try to sleep, for any not protected by the guarian who looks upon it shall die on the spot. those who stay at the shrine may see, but they must maintain absolute silence or it is said they shall never see again. at midnight, the dead walk. a whole squadron of them troop by, but if one should spot oneself or any known to one trooping with them, that person is doomed to die within the year. some say the cause of death may even be observed, drowned victims soaked to the bone or hanged men marching with nooses around their necks, and such the like.

games and friendly competitions around the bonfire are common, such as dares and apple bobbing

two hazelnuts roast near a fire; one named for the person roasting them and the other for the person the desire. If the nuts jump away from the heat, it is a bad sign, but if the nuts roast quietly, it foretells an excellent match. 

Items were hidden in food—usually a cakes and breads — and portions of it served out at random. A person's future is foretold by the item they happened to find; for example, a ring means marriage, and a coin means wealth

A salty oatmeal bannock was baked; the person ate it in three bites and then went to bed in silence without anything to drink. This was said to result in a dream in which their future spouse offers them a drink to quench their thirst

Egg whites are dropped in water, and the shapes foretell the number of future children

SAMPLE OF SAMAIN TALES

story of a seer who rushed up to the door to the otherworld in the repulsion of gods, but closed the door as the gods were sealed off on his thumb. he then sucked on his wounded thumb and, from that moment, was said to have gained otherworldly wisdom but the cost was that he was, too, a link that the gods had to this world so he ultimately sealed himself, too, away inside a tree using their own magic to bind himself so that he could harm no one, but it is said that the gods have no mercy and that they force his ghost to walk the world on the night of Samain and sow the seeds of their ill-will for the year to come.

the monstrous gods used to demand two-thirds of the ppl's crops and livestock and even children during samain before they were sealed away, causing many to starve

a certain god, it is said, would command three men to go to a certain goddess every Samain to seduce her. when they inevitably failed, he would take their lives and force them to walk the world as his undead vessels for the rest of the year, wreaking untold havoc upon the world till at least one did succeed and the goddess gave him her magical garter. before the god killed his two companions, the goddess' lover, said sometimes to be from the snail house and alternately from the frog house, warned the vile god that it would spell his own doom if he struck those men down. laughing, the evil god did so, and so the lover used the magic girdle to fight and defeat him and help the guardians seal him away ((fun fact, this is drawn from a story said to have been the origin of the bog men...hence the frog or snail house being involved!))

one samain night, before the veil was raised against the gods, the king offered a prize to any who could tie a band around a hanged man's ankle. each challenger after the other fled in terror to the king's hall but one. when the band was tied, the dead man asked for a drink so, feeling pity for the hanged man, the challenger carried him on his back, stopping at three houses. when they entered the third, the dead man drank and spat it on the householders, killing them. returning to the gallows to bind him again, the challenger spotted an army of the gods burning the king's hall and slaughtering those inside. the challenger pursued the host through a portal into an otherworld where he learned that what he had seen since touching the hanged man was only a vision of what would happen the next samain unless something was done. he returned to the hall and warned the king, and astaira began to arm themselves against the gods who plotted against them.

another tale tells of a man who fell deeply in love w a goddess before the veil was raised against them. so in love was he that he followed her to an otherworld, despite her warnings that if he followed her, he could never return home. they lived happily together for two years before he began to long for home. watching him pine away, the goddess agreed to allow him to visit the mortal realm on her own horse, but only if he solemnly swore never to dismount the horse which would take him there and then back to her. he hastily agreed and started on his way. yet, when he arrived, he found that in the mortal realm two hundred years, and not two, had passed and that everyone he loved had died. distressed to see their graves, he fell from the horse to kiss them, but as soon as he stepped upon the ground, mortality found him and he grew old and died on the spot, collapsing as no more than bones and dust upon the earth of the graves of those he loved.

according to legend, the tradition of presenting roses and ivy to a lover originated when a man of low social standing is said to have fallen in love with a lady of house malconaire known for wearing ivy in her hair. in order to win her father's approval -- who said he might only wed his daughter if he could prove his love for her was true -- he became involved in a distant war. he was mortally wounded in battle, but managed to pluck a rose from a nearby rosebush for his loved one. a companion was entrusted with returning the blood-stained rose to his lover, who cast the ivy from her hair and wore the rose until the day she died. from their graves, buried beside each other, ivy and roses still grow.

CHARACTER HC'S

it was during samain, many years ago, that domhnall and later his heir, eilionora, offered roderick a treaty but both efforts he rebuffed. to the first effort to achieve peace he did not reply. yet when eilia tried again, he did, sending her only a piece of paper that bore simply a list of the countries he'd already conquered, with astaira's name listed at the bottom. eilia did not try again.

on the samain before bran and sorcha began courting, he decided that he would woo her with the traditional roses. sadly, however, he wasn't able to get out into the fields until late and, when he finally did, all that were left were very, very small roses, indeed. fortunately, she had the same idea and presented him with ivy as well. when she saw the wee rosebuds, which he presented with some embarrassment, saying he ought to have given her something far greater, she laughed and declared that someday he would -- if they ever had a daughter born in autumn, her name should be roisin, for the first gift he had ever given to her.

last samain, rosie presented edmund with ivy, forgetting he problably knew nothing of the tradition (and would likely consider it heresy, if he did!) realizing too late that he probably didn't know what she was telling him, she laughed and made a joke of it, weaving him a ivy crown, anyway, saying that if he meant to rule over astaira, someday, he best pay attention as he would have to know how to make a flower crown. she never mentioned it again.

bran threw eggs into water with sorcha the year they were married. when her egg predicted four children and his six, he was terrified it might mean he would outlive her and she laughed and told him that was a ridiculous thing to suppose, for he'd come to their marriage with two children already: his raven, and malconaire.

the year of sorcha's death, she stayed out to watch the ghosts walk, hoping for a last glimpse of a loved one whom she had just lost, while bran took the children home to sleep. she was drawn and white when bran awoke the next morning and, though she made jokes of it when he mentioned it and proceeded about her day, she seemed distracted, but would say nothing of what she had seen. at the time, bran only assumed that she was distressed about her loss, but after she died, he always wondered if perhaps she had seen her own spirit on the march that night.

though usually done privately for their parents, rosie always enjoyed mumming with her sisters at samain, telling tall tales and dramatic ones alike amongst themselves

while she hasn't done any mummery since childhood, as she imagines its likely not dignified for a lady of her age and position, she does still enjoy guising and generally dresses as favorite heroines from fairy tales and other stories. she is convinced cassandra would enjoy this as well and wants to bring her to such an event one of these years. no o ne can seem to convince her this is terrible idea.

cillian stays out late every year to watch the souls pass and, every year, he informs saoirse that he has seen her go by, but she says she'll have her revenge one of these days, because someday he ~will see her, and then he'll be sorry when he has to tell her so and she laughs in his face.

[luegootravez]

Mathilda Bach by © Macdara Grey

[forgottenvalentina]

OOC | Vasilieva & Malconaire

ok friends so ive been thinking a bit abt valentina & macdara: the early years, and like...idr when i ~said that valentina's mama kicked the bucket, but if i said it was earlier than this im lowkey retconning it bc!! ok so valentina's mom was in fact ~worse than valentina, herself, and i feel like this comparison maybe made bran think, initially, that maybe valentina was a lil ~better than ~she actually is???? that she was just being pushed into things by the pernicious influence of her mother and that maybe he could even rescue her from that and help her be her best self???? i do think her mom died pr early on in the marriage, and for a couple years after that, bran probs tried to give her the ~grief benefit of the doubt, perhaps??? but he was an idealist, i feel like, and valentina is ultimately a pessimist and yeahhh

to a degree, i think he was right, tho. i mean, i do think valentina always ~was worse than bran maybe initially imagined, and i do think she was always ~going to be, but i do think that his influence over time might have helped her tamp down on that a bit, helped show her a better way, etc, after her mom died?? if roderick and the riverbend had all happened later in time and hadn't just overpowered her w her past trauma rising up to meet her and bringing out the worst in her re: her survival instincts, bc i do think she's...

well, her family crest is the serpent, right? and i do think she's a bit of a viper, yknow, she strikes when she feels backed into a corner, like...that's the bit w bran's will, too, in a way. first she clams up, can't breathe, can't move, then she does the conniving to get out of it and, like, interestingly i think in the [ comment w sebastian ] we're getting to see that a bit. she's cowered, now she's feeling panicky but safe-ish again, but like she has to act in order to maintain that safety, and so she lies in wait, looks for weaknesses she can pounce upon, but yeah this time obv on a much smaller scale but she'll never make the mistake of trusting/underestimating sebastian again and, where she's been team arthur this whole time, this might just push her into @forgottenedmund 's camp (i know!!!! the ally he's been wanting this whole time more than anything!!! lkasjdflkjsdf) esp w the guin thing falling through and arthur going rogue and no longer appearing for some reason???????

anyway!!!!!!!! got distracted there for a hot minute but yeah!! i do think there was a future in which maybe there could've been a better valentina??? not much better and ultimately i think post!bra's death she was always gonna more or less revert tho def w more hand-wringing/more slowly over time etc due to the trauma steam rolling her again but yeah!! basically i do think bran probs initially believed he was leaving his girls in better hands, if smth ever happened to him, than he actually was!

also some bran/valentina wedding details i dreamed up, bc i feel like they sort of ~mingled the vasilieva/malconaire traditions a bit?

VASILIEVA STUFF

bran (the way i wrote that 'brain' at first alksjdflkjdsf) 100% had to pay her mom!!!!!!!! also the dower house got DECKED OUT i can tell you but that was separate from the bride ransom bc you think ~valentina is grasping?!?!!??!!! ;DDDD anyway she refused several times to get more and more for herself out of him before finally handing valentina over

both sets of kids were roped into the kidnapping thing

malconaire was feted all week a la vasilieva but unlike in vasilieva where its the couple being feted by the ppl it was bran like feting the ppl in thanskgiving for being welcoming to his new bride basically and valentina and her mom were like what??? is???? happening??????? anyway the grand feast was kicked off w the traditional astairan goose

the wedding gifts were exchanged between the couple

an axe was carried through the door to start the ceremony, but by valentina's mom instead of bran's (valentina: aww yes a fun symbol of my whole life so far)

in place of a shaman to predict the future, an astairan seer blessed the union

they were married in summer for good luck

the mourning songs were skipped bc this was valentina's second wedding and therefore the young girl in her had symbolically already died

there was no crowning bc i feel like bran probs considered it unseemly and above their station or whatever since they'd not been selected in the kingsmoot etc (the vasilievas like 'hold up...the whaT') and he was on the queen's regency council and given that it just seemed like he was making a statment(tm) he def didn't wanna make

there was a procession and bran cast coins and such all the way

they mingled the doll/figure thing of vasilieva w the guardian statue thing of astaira and did use the figure to catch well wishes/ward off weather and bad omens etc, but instead of keeping it a la vasilieva presented it to the guardians a la astaira

valentina did wear red but instead of the traditional sarafan of vasilieva, she wore an astairan gown; she ~did wear a kikoshnik but in astairan bridal blue

in lieu of the astairan handfasting ribbons, a stole/scarf was used in the vasilievan tradition

MALCONAIRE STUFF

they said their traditional astairan elemental oaths before the guardians in the hearing of all

as stated above, she wore a traditional astairan gown but in vasilieva red, and a traditional vasilieva headdress but in traditional astairan blue; the (blue) belt around her waist was tied w traditional astairan (celtic) knots and the red dress was flowy and intricately embroidered (by rosie herself as a gift to her new stepmother)

they probs eschewed the handkerchief, largely bc idk what everyone's ages were but i doubt there was much hope of future children? but i might've done my math wrong hahaha if i did tho they probs ~did do that? (if i did my math right she was 38 at the time of the marriage which probs would've made having a baby a lil dangerous at that time tho its certainly not unheard of for women to have children well into their 40s even in the middle ages so???? idk!!)

they had the big wedding goose feast but out amongst the ppl ~after the wedding to again mingle traditions

the astairan guardian statue tradition was mingled w the vasilievan doll/figure one as mentioned above

bells were used as they walked down the aisle and in lieu of the vasilieva 'bitter' tradition to make the couple kiss and maintain the warding off evil astairan tradition

[asatronaut]

Modern AU Macdara and Hagrin x3

[nightsidewrestling]

C.R.C / W.W.L: The Ogres (2020)

King & Queen:

Rhodri Rhydderch [77, Ogre King, owns 1/8 of C.R.C]

Grania Rhydderch (Née Kavanaugh) [78, Queen]

Princes & Princesses:

Fionn Rhydderch [47, Prince]

Aisling O'Hannigan (Née Rhydderch) [44, Princess]

Caoimhe O'Hannegan (Née Rhydderch) [41, Princess]

Uilliam Rhydderch [38, Prince]

Ivor Rhydderch [35, Prince]

Eithne O'Hannagan (Née Rhydderch) [32, Princess]

Dukes & Duchesses:

Rachel Mac Gregor (Née Rhydderch [27, Duchess]

Queen MacEntire (Née Rhydderch) [24, Duchess]

Pace Rhydderch [21, Duke]

Odin Rhydderch [18, Duke]

Naomh Rhydderch [15, Duchess]

Macy Rhydderch [12, Duchess]

Comhghall Rhydderch [9, Duke]

Kaiser Rhydderch [6, Duke]

Jacinth Rhydderch [3, Duchess]

Ida Scott (Née Scott) [24, Duchess]

Hale O'Hannigan [21, Duke]

Gabriel O'Hannigan [18, Duke]

Faith O'Hannigan [15, Duchess]

Eartha O'Hannigan [12, Duchess]

Dagda O'Hannigan [9, Duke]

Cade O'Hannigan [6, Duke]

Bambi O'Hannigan [3, Duchess]

Aaliyah Wallace (Née O'Hannegan) [21, Duchess]

Zayden O'Hannegan [18, Duke]

Yorick O'Hannegan [15, Duke]

Xavia O'Hannegan [12, Duchess]

Wednesday O'Hannegan [9, Duchess]

Vance O'Hannegan [6, Duke]

Uhtric O'Hannegan [3, Duke]

Tacey Rhydderch [18, Duchess]

Sadb Rhydderch [15, Duchess]

Raeburn Rhydderch [12, Duke]

Quirinus Rhydderch [9, Duke]

Paisley Rhydderch [6, Duchess]

Olive Rhydderch [3, Duchess]

Napoleon Rhydderch [15, Duke]

Macdara Rhydderch [12, Duke]

Lalla Rhydderch [9, Duchess]

Kayleen Rhydderch [6, Duchess]

James Rhydderch [3, Duke]

Iain O'Hannagan [12, Duke]

Haidee O'Hannagan [9, Duchess]

Garnet O'Hannagan [6, Duchess]

Fabius O'Hannagan [3, Duke]

Marquesses & Marchionesses:

Craig MacGregor [7, Marquess]

Ceinwen MacGregor [4, Marchioness]

Ceridwen MacGregor [1, Marchioness]

Donald MacEntire [4, Marquess]

Dougal MacEntire [1, Marquess]

Vilija Rhydderch [1, Marchioness]

Commgán Scott [4, Marquess]

Alexandria Scott [1, Marchioness]

Orlagh O'Hannigan [1, Marchioness]

Gwilym Wallace [1, Marquess]

[gedankenmoon]

To give some context, with links if I have posted about it, before I go on my tangent about Missy and Mick’s relationship:

Mick is Hix’s thrall. Mick entered the thrallship by force after Hix saved him from the brink of death after Mick’s old crew threw him over board with a weight, restraints, and bullets to his chest for having their asses kicked by Captain Volkov.

Mick has a professional persona known as “Mick the Madman” as a way to fool outside forces into believing that he doesn’t have any type of strategy skills and that he’s an idiot. Mick as Macdara, his full name, is level headed, calm, attentive, assertive, confident, loyal, humorous, and diplomatic.

Missy and Mick’s relationship is an arranged marriage situation created by Hix so that Missy doesn’t get lonely.

With this context out of the way: Missy and Mick are not in love, in a traditional sense. But it’s an arrangement that works for the better:

There’s a reason why Hix has chosen Mick to be Missy’s husband, partly to do with Mick being Hix’s thrall and easy access to someone that he deemed “worthy” of marrying Missy, but mainly because Hix knew they wouldn’t get along at first and wouldn’t be deeply in love.

Hix has watched humans from afar and knows the longevity of relationships, he has seen flames of passion crash and burn but also embers that slowly extinguish; Hix has witnessed whirlwind romances and loveless arrangements, he believes both are equally as bad. He knows how overly emotional Missy can be, he also fears that her emotional nature will be blinded by love. Being as stubborn as Missy is, Hix knows that when Missy really wants something, not even death could stop her. That emotional and sensitive nature can leave her being easy pickings for all the wrong people, especially men. Hix’s worst fear is that Missy will end up being a songbird: Being kept at home all day for the sake of entertainment and having something to look at- She wouldn’t be allowed to do anything else but be a source of entertainment.

Hix wants Missy to be her own person, go out into the world and explore so her soul won’t be restless and filled with regret when she dies. Hix wants Missy to be with someone that will let her be completely independent and encourage her to be independent. Hix does not want Missy to be dependent on anyone anymore, being deeply in love or becoming infatuated will only stifle her growth. She’ll become completely dependent on the other person, becoming attached to their hip and never letting go. It’s a relationship that’s destined to crash and burn, she’ll be burned by the flame of passion she lit or be consumed the other person completely.

Mick in his Madman persona is the perfect choice in Hix’s eyes because he is not immediately the type of person Missy would fall for: He’s very gruff, overly talkative, a flirt, and a daredevil. There’s an aura of Mick the Madman that Missy finds uncouth, but there’s definitely a level of intrigue Missy has about him. She has a feeling that all is not what it seems with Mick, and that curiosity is what makes her stick around. However, Mick is extremely desirable to Missy in terms of his looks but she’s so taken aback by his personality that she isn’t clouded by lust. Missy is extremely sexually frustrated and has never had any type of sexual encounter yet she’s hyper sexual, or has an extremely high libido.

Hix found someone that was attractive enough to interest her but the flaws in his persona are great enough to overshadow the attractiveness and cause a sense of intrigue and curiosity that she finds in Mick and wants to discover more of him because he is a mystery to her.

It’s honestly the same thing on Mick’s end but he’s more attracted to Missy’s personality and is not a fan of her looks, the opposite of Missy’s perception of him. He’s intrigued by her as well, she is a very mysterious person because of her aloofness, and Mick loves that, he wants to see what she's actually like behind the mask she dawns. That mutual intrigue in what the other’s purpose is what makes them stick around each other. They bicker and fight, but they keep each other sharp with their rivalry, as they get to know one another. There’s a lot of insults thrown at each other and when someone finally gets one that sticks, the intrigue levels rise to new heights because they wonder what they said to strike such a cord.

They’re slowly exploring one another to point that there isn’t a definitive moment where the enemies to lovers actually happens, it’s more like they find that they feel comfortable around one another. This is around the time that Mick lets Missy in that the man she thought she knew wasn’t real, just a on the job persona, since he truly knows that she isn’t malicious or committing espionage, and wants to find out more about Missy and get to know her. Which really pisses off Missy because she wasted her time trying to understand, notice the word choice of understand rather than know, a person only for the iceberg to have a tip half way down. From Mick's understanding of Missy prior, he knew that this reveal would piss Missy off but it’s better to piss her off now then to keep this persona on for a lifetime in front of her.

The persona as Mick gets older is extremely hard on him, the actions he makes during combat, the excessive drinking, and having to be someone that he would considered a jackass is starting to annoy him the older he gets. He has a love-hate relationship with the persona, freeing himself long ago from it because he used to be one with it in his 20s and a bit into his 30s but age has made him more withdrawn and seeking higher pleasures other than booze and sex. He wants to settle down, work behind the scenes as that looming overlord figure rather than be the front man of his empire AND doing the paperwork as well.

Missy thinks she has to start over with discovering who Mick is with now the removed madman persona but, in his true self, he’s easy to understand because he has similar qualities to her. He’s like a more subdued version of the madman persona, or the madman persona is a charcuterie of himself. There’s still the same qualities of his outgoingness and humor but toned down to a more realistic level that Missy finds more enjoyable and to her liking. Missy finds a lot of true Mick to her liking, he’s cool, confident, resourceful, mellow, funny, and considerate. He’s sort of perfect for her now, and this is around the time Missy gets her hair chopped off during a fight and he’s really into the short hair because it makes her look more mature.

Mick found Missy to look too cutesy for his personal taste, Missy has that heart shaped baby face going for her so the short, choppy hair adds the edge she needs to look more mature. He does eventually find her to be beautiful, one of the first comments he makes to her after she chops off her hair is “With all that hair out the way, you can’t hide that pretty little face of yours anymore.” and softly cups her face while looking at her with full, unbroken eye contact.

Missy’s hair always acted like a security blanket but now that it’s been chopped off, she feels like she’s exposed to the world full force now. That simple act of genuine sincerity with his comment and thinking about how he’s made a big risk by letting her in, makes her feelings for her deepen for him and fall in love with him. In a sense, their relationship is one sided with Missy holding all the affection while Mick doesn’t reciprocate them all the way. Mick isn’t in love with Missy per se, it’s a deep friendship in his eyes. He sees her as a person, an individual rather than part of him like a lover would be.

This is what Hix was looking for in a partner for Missy, Mick lets Missy be her own individual and encourages her to be her own person. Missy has the type of deep love where if she wasn’t stopped, she would be absorbed into the other person, living her life only to be with them. There’s an extreme danger in that, it ruins lives and one wrong move could lead to suicide, he’s seen what that type of loves does to people. He’s seen love that suffocates people, consumes them whole, and he sees a relationship like that just as toxic as one that’s abusive. That ever passionate love that burns all is something that Mick has experienced, and something that drove him insane for the longest time. Mick is looking for a deep form of friendship because that allows him to be separate from his partner and vice versa. Hix promised him a person that was intuitive and deep for a companion, and that’s what Missy does for Mick. A deep relationship that isn’t this form of ever consuming love.

Missy and Mick’s arrangement, it isn’t a marriage per se more like a proof of bond, is a warm flame that burns at a steady pace. It isn’t a raging forest fire or dead embers, it’s a flame on a candle that isn’t going out anytime soon. Missy eventually gets over her infatuation with Mick, the phase that Hix would consider a sick form of love, that love that wants to consume and destroy both parties to become one, twisted way of being. Missy settles into that warm flame on a candle type of companionship with Mick, matching steadiness and sturdiness of Mick’s flame. Actually, I would describe their companionship as two flames that burn on two different candles, they are independent of each other but since they’re separate, they light up the area brighter and better than if they were one flame. They encourage one another to grow and be their own individual, and exploring each other’s potentials is what makes their companionship so deep, there’s never an end to it, they’re always finding out new things about one another and even themselves.