#mongoose writes sometimes

[arcane-temp-fandomblog]

Sometimes I think how Caitlyn and Vi's story would be just a step better and more coherent if when they're reunited in ep.6 Caitlyn would start sobbing with relief that Vi is okay and that she found her again, instead of yk trading quips about 'oil slick' and 'mongoose' as if Joss Whedon was called in to write that exchange.

But idk, change my mind.

[marsprincess889]

Feedback on the goddess essence game! Sorry it took me a while to write this, I needed time to compile my thoughts.

This archetype is absolutely gorgeous, thank you so much! I loved the goddess you chose, I think the melding of Ashwini and Bharani themes is perfect for me as someone who feels pulled by both nakshatras! I confess I have never thought much about chariots or horses (save for a brief horsegirl phase as a child) but I do often feel this wanderlust urge and a drive to keep moving, so I find it interesting how many of these goddesses are also connected with cycles of movement through the sun. In addition, the amount of solar goddesses is also interesting as I have always felt a special affinity and connection for a solar god, that being Apollo, who I've always felt to be the closest thing to a patron deity for me.

I love how these goddesses all hold a connection with sovereignty and independence, yet also fidelity and willing passivity. I am someone who is very self-sufficient, independent, and used to being alone, but I also crave companionship and tend to settle into more passive and reactive roles in my friendships and relationships. One myth of Freya you didn't specifically mention but at the moment I feel especially connected to is her mourning after the loss of her husband Odr, how she weeps tears of amber and gold (unfortunately that sort of pining is something I'd been stuck in for a while recently).

I would love some more information on what it means for my chart ruler to be "exhalted," as well as what it entails that my ascendent and my chart ruler are in opposition.

I'm soo glad it resonated☺☺☺☺💕

Rhiannon was chosen not only cause of the chart but also because you gave off her "vibes" to me🙃 and ik you'd love Freya, glad I was right. The mourning of the lover is very Bharani😭🥲

So exaltation is basically "the best" placement for a planet. Each planet has an exaltation sign and even a degree, and obviously, the exaltation nakshatra. The opposite point of the exaltation point and the nakshatra it falls in is the debilitation point/nakshatra.

For example, Sun exalts in Ashwini nakshatra (hence why it's solar! And it is debilitated in its opposite nakshatra_swati), Venus is exalted in Revati(but you do have it in Pisces/U.Bhadra, which is still a very good placement for Venus), Jupiter is exalted in Pushya, which is what you have. Jupiter is your chart ruler because your ascendant is in Sagittarius, its ruling sign.

Pushya is a very nourishing nakshatra, it's name literally means that. The god Jupiter(Guru) is actually Pushya's ruling god despite it being a Saturn nakshatra. Also, Cancer(Pushya's sign) falls in your 8th house so that's the occult/mystery side of you along with your Ketu in another Saturn nakshatra_ Anuradha in your 12th house.

As for the Ascendant nakshatra vs chart ruler nakshatra, I did not say they were opposite, but they're enemy nakshatras because of yoni animals. There are 27 nakshatras overall and 26 of them are paired up as consorts and each pair has an assigned yoni animal(yoni means "origin" so it's sort if the instinctual nature of nakshatras.) Uttara Ashadha(mongoose yoni) has no yoni consort. P. Ashadha is a vanar yoni(sometimes called "monkey"), Pushya is a sheep/goat yoni nakshatra. They're enemy yonis, so, instinctually opposite and at odds. Yoni consort of P. Ashadha is Shravana and the yoni consort of Pushya is Krittika. You can see info on yoni animals from my masterlist.

Just for fun, exaltation nakshatras and signs for planets:

Sun_ Ashwini (Aries)

Moon_ Krittika (Taurus)

Mercury_ Hasta (Virgo)

Venus_ Revati (Pisces)

Mars_ Dhanishta (Capricorn)

Jupiter_ Pushya (Cancer)

Saturn_ Swati (Libra)

Rahu_ Rohini (Taurus)

Ketu_ Jyeshta (Scorpio)

Thank you so much for a long feedback💕

[jeannereames]

Hello Dr. Reames! Question, I was wondering if there are any other fun little facts about Alexander that you know of that you can share with us? Like when you were on TikTok you mentioned a story in which Alexander started a staged naval battle with apples. I guess I'm looking for other little fun facts that you know of that can humanize him in a way?

For those who didn’t see the TikTok, among the things I mentioned there was a naval “battle” on the Euphrates, using old, rotten apples. This occurred at some point when they’d reached Babylon after Hephaistion’s death. We know he took a boat ride to see the tombs of the Assyrian kings, during which the diadema blew off his head to be caught in reeds and fetched by a nameless sailor who tied it around his own head to keep it from getting wet. According to one story, the enterprising sailor was given a talent, then beheaded for the affront. But Arrian says Aristoboulos reports that he was only whipped (7.22.2-5). It was regarded as a bad omen, like the beggar who snuck into the palace and seated himself on the throne, then was tortured and executed for it. (Arr. 7.24.1-2. This latter was probably the ancient near eastern substitute-king ritual, misunderstood by the Greeks.) Seleukos later reworked the diadem story so that he personally fetched the diadem: an omen of his own eventual kingship of Asia (Arr. 7.22.5).

ANYway, Alexander took quite a few boat trips while in Babylon as part of his desire to build up a fleet and expand the Babylonian dockyards significantly. So presumably he had a little fun at some point with this impromptu naval apple battle.

Another story is the “ichneumon” (mongoose) hunt while they were (probably) in the Levant besieging Tyre. Alexander seems to have gone hunting on the regular when he had downtime. Lions were royal prey, as were boars, so these get the most press. But he hunted for other things. We only know about the mongoose because, during the melee, Krateros somehow fell/ran into Perdikkas’s hunting spear and was cut in the thigh(s). Alexander later wrote Hephaistion to tell him about it. (Hephaistion was probably still back in Sidon, helping secure a fleet for Alexander.) Yet we’re not told WHY they decided to hunt a mongoose. Mongeese were kept, like cats, to reduce the rat population, so to hunt one is perhaps odd. Theoretically, it would be more useful alive. I have this mental idea (for the novel) that this mongoose was causing mischief. It got away when Krateros had his accident, because the rest were worried about Krateros. So that’s how I plan to write it. The mongoose will succeed in escaping!

Plutarch has a number of anecdotes, but the problem is deciding what’s actually true. He’s good at changing out the players in his vignettes, as it suits him and his larger point/theme/moral. Sometimes, however, they just seem too weirdly specific, like the dish of little fish sent to Hephaistion at a banquet, I assume because he liked them. This is the sort of thing that sticks with me about Alexander: he notices things. (And has a memory like the proverbial elephant.)

He seems to have written (or at least dictated) a lot of letters—more than typical. Plutarch had access to and describes some (Alex. 41ff.). Plutarch (and others) also harp on his generosity. He liked giving presents, as apparently did Philip. Yet this sort of gifting had a socio-political function, as well—to give the best/most expensive present was a sign of high social status. He complains when people try to outdo him in gifts. Greece was a gift-exchange culture. I’m sure Alexander would be utterly appalled by the stinginess of modern billionaires. The entire point of having great wealth was to give it away. This eurgetism was the traditional social contract of the wealthy. So, for instance, Andrew Carnegie, who was a thoroughly nasty man, one of the Robber Barons of the late 1800s/early 1900s, still donated oodles of money to build over a thousand public libraries in small towns, a concert hall with his name, et al. Because that’s what rich people do. The current wealthy class has completely forsaken that. In any case, Alexander belonged to that mind-set, but as with the dish of smelts/sardines/whatever-it-was, he seems to have given some thought to what would please the recipient, at least if he knew them.

The story of him threatening to eradicate an entire people if they didn’t bring back his horse (who’d been horse-napped) is at once a little endearing AND absolutely godawful. (The kidnappers brought back Boukephalas pronto.)

Another letter-writing story is his reaction to the news that one of his officers tried to sneak back to Macedonia in a general troop discharge, although he wasn’t actually sick/wounded. It turns out the officer was “in love” with a particular hetaira who was leaving, so wanted to follow her. Instead of sacking the guy, Alexander wrote to tell him he’d either help him persuade the woman to stay, if she were free, or help him buy her, if she weren’t.

One part of me wonders if this wasn’t just the ancient version of “women don’t get to say ‘no.’” It also ticks boxes for Plutarch’s emphasis on “love” matches as a moral trope (which also fuels the Roxane story, btw); we find these scattered throughout his other Lives and writings in the Moralia. Yet it’s also just a weird story, which in turn makes me wonder if something real may lay behind it. Ergo, I’m of mixed mind on the authenticity of the supposed letter. It’s so … “Dear Abby”-ish! Yet it fits with accounts that he knew not only his officers, but even his oldest line soldiers by name. (I’d track down the story but I’m too lazy.)

So … there are a few that come to mind in the “fun, weird stuff about Alexander” besides the apple war. Also, re: apples, Athenaeus tells us that both Alexander and his father Philip were apple-lovers. Bake that man some turnovers!

[quietfounder]

If you all remember this post I made about there being a tv show for Mickey, I was planning on adding characters to fill out the supporting cast.

I do have OCs planned out once I figure out a name and how to draw them, but I'm also going to borrow some characters, mainly those who appeared once or just appear in the comics.

Stacey

Attends Mouseton School of Business (same college Zan Owlson went to)

Helps out at Felicity's food truck business.

I really want Jane (the waitress at Funso's Fun Zone) to be her roommate. I mean she did say she wanted to go college and to get out of Duckburg (someone please consider drawing this!)

Chief O'Hara

Private Investigators often work with the police, so I imagine he and Mickey would have an amicable relationship where O'Hara would go to Mickey sometimes for help on a difficult case.

Gloomy the Mechanic

I have this OC that is a mongoose and Mickey's reluctant pilot, but I couldn't decide if I wanted him to also be the main mechanic to fix up the plane so that's where Gloomy comes in.

Took up the position as mechanic after Mickey and my OC swiped and later kept this plane they came across while working for a client.

Gideon

I'm choosing the first option I had for him.

Since he's not really supposed to Gideon McDuck here, I guess I can't use the name County Conscience for the name of his newspaper.

I mentioned that Minnie was a freelance journalist so she would write a couple of pieces for their newspaper.

Okay so the characters I have listed here are more like minor or background characters:

Crash Happies

The Crash Happies would be an indie band that actually exists.

Horace Horsecollar & Clarabelle Cow

Horace and Clarabelle are part of the cast too, but they only appear as TV characters for the in-universe sci-fi adventure series Maximum Horsepower (based off of the unproduced Disney series by Tad Stones).

For the show, I always thought of it as a combination of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Guardians of the Galaxy.

They do not know who Mickey is.

[thana-topsy]

Fic Writer Interview

Tagged by @mongoose-bite ! Thanks so much, crunchy. :)

I'm tagging whoever else wants to chime in! I lose track of who all on here I should be tagging lol. Or who might actually want to participate in such a thing.

----

How many works do you have on AO3?

38

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 643,096 words Mostly written within the last 5 years!

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Breathing Water - My flagship fic for the longest time. It still holds up 4 years later! And I'm still simping for Neloth.

Halfway to the Sky - Coming in with only about 30 kudos less than BW, I'm always tickled and humbled and just so honored that so many people like this story.

The Shadow Over Solstheim - This one had the most kudos for the longest time just because it's my oldest multi-chapter fic. Baby's first foray into something more than a smutty one-shot! My writing is unpolished and my lore knowledge is amateurish at best, but it's just so full of verve.

Hollow Men - A fic I honestly didn't expect many people to read due to the subject matter, but one that's near and dear to my heart.

Invictus - The bonkers, off-the-rails sequel to Shadow Over Solstheim in which Topsy discovers TES Lore in real time as they write. I don't think I could ever write something this free again even if I wanted to. I'm too burdened by knowledge (much like Teldryn).

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to respond to almost every comment, but sometimes I get stuck with Comment Paralysis and they just pile up in my inbox until I'm thoroughly overwhelmed. I read every single comment and blush and kick my feet excitedly, though.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm... I don't really do angsty endings. I like pleasant, contented endings, sometimes bittersweet, sometimes open-ended. But I guess Dreamers, my Hadvar/Ralof fic as it currently stands, has the angstiest ending. At least until I manage to finish the final chapter...

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Uhhhh... They're all pretty happy, from my perspective at least. Maybe Finding Mara takes home the gold for happiest ending. (Erandur takes home the gold, too -snerk-)

7. Do you write crossovers?

I have written exactly one crossover and it's the oldest fic on my AO3 (from 2014). Otherwise, they're fun to think about, but nah. Not really.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

If you count an entire series of callout posts, years of harassment, and people jumping to conclusions over a fic they never even read, then the answer is yes.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. All kinds, but generally smut with a purpose. "Porn with plot" as they say. I write smut that zooms into the characters' heads, prys open their wants and desires and fears and insecurities. I write smut that can get a little hyper-realistic, to the point of sometimes being kind of gross. I write smut as a form of raw expression, people at their most vulnerable, literally stripped bare. It's one of my favorite things to write because it is an endless exercise in character study, in boundaries, in what it means to consent, and how the lines between who we think we are and what others perceive us to be get so easily blurred.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

If I have, they've gotten away with it.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, once! Someone asked if they could translate the first chapter of Halfway to the Sky into Russian.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, back when I first joined the TES fandom. Two of my fandom bests at the time co-wrote a couple of stories with me. One is posted to AO3 (Ceasefire), and the other was a horny, whirlwind, feverdream of a fic that the other author and I mutually agreed we would probably never share with the greater world lol. We are still bests to this day and I often revisit that fic in awe and bafflement of our energy.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

It's so tough to choose, honestly, but I gotta go with Neloth/Teldryn, because it just took me by surprise and spun out into something so wild and wonderful.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I never say never with my WIPs. If I've learned anything over the past 5 years in this fandom, it's that I'll pick an old WIP up on a whim. I do wanna get back to my Arvel the Swift WIP at some point. I also started working on a Dark Brotherhood-centric fic last year, too. And so help me Talos I am going to finish Dreamers.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. People talk in my head and I just write it down. It usually ends up sounding pretty natural. And pacing. I feel like I manage pacing pretty well and can make good calls as to when a scene is dragging or we need to skip forward in time a bit.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Wordiness. Relying too much on "feeling" words. Telling instead of showing more than I need to. Repetitive sentence structure. My goal in 2024 is to become more direct and succinct with my writing style.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Eh... I've done it before. I threw in a lot of Dunmeris and Ta'agra back in the day when I was first writing TES fic, but I'd say just use italics and translate what's being said. Or, alternatively, if the POV character can't understand what's being said, don't even use dialogue, just mention that it's being spoken. It's all gobbledygook to them anyways.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Yu Yu Hakusho (in 2004)

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I'm monogamous with my fandom currently, so I'd really love to write something with Cicero, because it's been a long time coming.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

That's really hard to choose. They're all my favorite when I'm writing them. Each fic is its own little relationship for me. I don't write things unless I'm absolutely in love with what I'm writing. So they're all my favorite, in that sense.

[gefdreamsofthesea]

I haven't posted an intro in ages and I have some new followers so hello! Everyone calls me Gef (hard G like "gift") I am not named for the mongoose it's short for "Gefnardottir"(note: I have apparently been doing the possessive wrong....again). I wouldn't call myself a Nose Pagan or polytheist anymore but the name's stuck. Sometimes I think about calling myself a witch.

I post about food, video games, tarot and oracle decks, and the animals that live with my parents but I refer to them as "my" pets (at least the dog, because I still see her as my dog).

Cupid, my old lady. Still the goodest girl, will do anything for carrots.

Mr. Claus, the oldest kitty, breed ???? (domestic shorthair probably). Loves belly rubs and sleeping.

Stardust, the middle kitty, breed: Maine Coon (from Russia apparently) more aloof and prefers to hang out than cuddle (unless you have a blanket). She let me pet her once. She is very soft.

Elvis, the youngest, also a Maine Coon. He is deaf. He is also chaos incarnate. Likes to swim in the toilet so my parents have to keep the lid down. The most extroverted of the animals.

I post about the animals regularly as "important animal updates".

I have two brothers. One is an evil government lawyer and the other sells insurance (so, also evil?) insurance salesman brother also has a bunch of pets that I affectionately call "the zoo" (not an actual zoo). He has dogs, a bunch of exotic reptiles, and a troop of kangaroos (yes, kangaroos, in Canada, they surprisingly do not mind the snow).

I wrote a book called The Eldermaid which you can find on Amazon. I also edited a devotional to Freyja called Fire Jewel (on Amazon and Lulu, I get the most money through sales on Lulu). I mostly write stories for myself now due to various mental and physical issues.

I've been told I'm intimidating but I'm just loud on the internet in real life I am a short fat anxious depressed physically disabled mess and I'm more scared of you than you are of me.

If you have any other questions, feel free to send me an ask! I love getting things in my inbox (well, nice things, anon hate not so much).

[nevermindirah]

fic writer interview! thanks @energievie for tagging me as part of your lovely annual tradition! tagging @sindirimba @gaal-dornick @laviejaguardia @sweetwithheatwriting @mongoose-bite @what-alchemy if any of y'all feel like it <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

40

What’s your total AO3 word count?

268,965

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

problem solved it's dissolved (my first BoN fic! my first ever smut!) My Bags Are Packed (I'm Not Ready to Go) (my first Nile & Booker fic!) I See Your Eyes Seek a Distant Shore (my 65k BoN epic with like another 10k+ in footnotes) Imagine Your Dessert Platter (cute lil SamSteve au! ahhhhh I love this fic it's aging so well) Seneca Falls Selma and Stonewall (MCU ensemble / stucky, spiritual predecessor to ISYESADS but full of things that in hindsight I would've written very differently)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

always! I love the back-and-forth of comments, on my fics and others'. what a lovely way to get to know people and talk more about our blorbos and learn things about writing. and as much as I love to get wordy in comments, I also treasure the keysmashes and emojis and respond in heartfelt kind.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

yeah I don't really do angst

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

any ending where our main characters are in love and getting a good night's rest

Do you write crossovers?

sometimes! I have several crossovers among my wips but I don't seem to have finished any… yet

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

many many years ago on what in retrospect was an undertagged and poorly considered mess of a Spuffy fic

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Sure do >:))))))))))))

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no thank you!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

no but that would be so cool!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yeah! a few times now!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Book of Nile <3333333333333

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Eartha Grit 😭😭😭😭 drag queen Sam Wilson!!! will the planets ever align so that I can finish this? 😭

What are your writing strengths?

I have them! can't think of specific ones right now

What are your writing weaknesses?

various writing skills etc etc but above all EXECUTIVE FUNCTION DEFICIT MY BELOATHED

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I have a thousand-word essay in me about this which I may sit down to write and post eventually. short version, the role of "other" languages in my own day to day speech is significantly different from how most characters in fics would experience "switching" languages, and my thoughts on this in fic are changing as I think more about that and where the line is between that and Gratuitous Foreign Language TM

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Buffy

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

a certain crossover that has been in my wips for TWO YEARS now! it would be not only my first time writing this ship but the first time anyone has posted this ship to ao3! unless of course someone beats me to it, in which case I will be very enthusiastically 👀 about theirs while continuing to work on my own.

what ship might this be? Meeka/Vincent from Coming 2 America and Disorder respectively >:)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

Not a Gentle Laughter continues to be the fic I go back to for comfort. off the charts Jewish Booker feels with a happy ending because BoN are both in love and in political solidarity, so of course it is, you can't get more me than that.

[ryuzakemo128]

The Boys - Oksana "Gorgon" Urarova oc

For my OC.

Oksana "Gorgon" Uvarova

Which I will be writing for.

These are what I picture her saying. These can also be used as dialogue prompts if you want to read her say these to any of the canon characters.

Content Warning: Swearing. Mention of political things. Sexual themes. Graphic themes and references may be added. Please read at your own peril.

Links: Dividers / Masterlist 01 / Masterlist 02 / Vikings Masterlist

"I don't work for them. I work with them. I am an independent contractor, freelancer type of thing. I don't owe those corporate fuckers anything. If they are so up their own ass about it. They can get on their fucking knees and suck my fucking cock."

"Fucking corpo cunts pussy footing around this issue like it's a fucking game of who can be the most spineless piece of shit."

"We are going to get naked and fuck. Not because I'm jealous. But because I want to fuck you."

"Capitalism fucks you and leaves you without aftercare."

"I don't know who is worse. You or my father. I know for certain you're both fucked in the head."

"I don't care. You're a billionaire, I don't fucking weep for billionaires."

"What's the matter? You're upset because I told you a fake smile, I fake apology and a nothingburger of an attempt to fix the issue is bullshit. Cry more. Cry your fucking heart out and grow the fuck-up. Fix the issue. Do what you said you'd do. Don't half do anything, ever. It's either full in or don't fucking try anything."

"Don't bother trying if you're not going to put in the effort. Don't fucking bother."

"I was more or less hoping for more like. I want to rip your clothes off and fuck you. That kind of thing. But that also works."

"The night is young. I have enough energy to fuck my out of it, or maybe even through it. Who knows, I might even hook-up with a smoking hot blonde or brunette. Or perhaps even a redhead. I'm open to anything, really."

"I'm like a trickster. I can fuck with people. I can be fun, but I can also be cruel. Sometimes I don't know where one ends and the other begins. I guess that's what makes me interesting."

"You have a fucked up way of deciding who is and isn't a bad person. Where the fuck is your empathy, you apathetic moron?"

"My parents tried fixing their marriage with another child. It didn't work for your information, and luckily my mother didn't end hating him as much as my father."

"I'll consider your handwritten apology. Only a written one. As I know for certain, you saying it is both unreliable and untrustworthy."

"By the divine grace of my dead ancestors. I hope you go fuck yourself and then die."

"Some of you aren't worth the grace of death. Only SOME of you, though."

"Oh, please cry me a fucking river and drown in it already! I have heard the same boo hoo story fifteen times this year from you! Grow up!"

"I was born with the grace and love of a mongoose in the middle of winter."

"Touch me again, and I will slice those hands off."

"You're touching me. Hands off the expensive clothing."

"Corpo you know short for corporation. Corporate company. Suits. Those people."

"Stop trying to be perfect. Stop it. They're incapable of forming opinions that isn't tied to ratings and high corporate numbers."

"Not my problem. It's all yours."

"I don't care."

"don't know, don't care."

[templeofoccultpractices]

Atum

Other names:Atem, Tem

Major cult center:Heliopolis

Consort:Atumet, Iusaaset or Nebethetepet, IwsaAst

Children:Shu and Tefnut in some accounts became Nefertum. Depicted with the crown of Upper and Lower Egypt sometimes with a sore disk or the head of a ram.

Symbols:Evening sun,setting sun, Sun, Snake basking in the sun, Scarab, Lizards, Ished tree, Rams, Mer-Wer/mnevis black bull either he solar disk on it's head, Lions, Ichneumon mongoose, Eels

connection to the gods:Montu, Ra, Hapu

Hybrid gods:Khepri-Atum, Ra-Atum

Celebrations:Wpt-rnpt New years

Roles:Evening sun,solar deity. Closer of the day.Was considered to be the first god, having created himself on a mount of earth that rose from the water of Nun. He slit out Shu and Tefnut from his mouth. Symbolizes the setting suns journey into the underworld and its rising in the East.

Features:Was born from the waters of Nu from the blue lotus bud. When the petal opened it revealed the beetle Kheperi. Then he turned to a weeping boy

Atum sometimes referred to as Atem or Tem, is an important deity in Egyptian mythology.

In the Heliopolitan creation myth, Atum was considered to be the first god, having created himself, sitting on a mound (benben) (or identified with the mound itself), from the primordial waters (Nu).Early myths state that Atum created the god Shu and goddess Tefnut by spitting them out of his mouth. One text debates that Atum did not create Shu and Tefnut by spitting them out of his mouth by means of saliva and semen, but rather by Atum's lips. Another writing describes Shu and Tefnut being birthed by Atum's hand. That same writing states that Atum's hand is the title of the god's wife based on her Heliopolitan beginning. Other myths state Atum created by masturbation, with the hand he used in this act representing the female principle inherent within him. Yet other interpretations state that he has made union with his shadow.

Aspect of Ra

Khepri: newly created sun. Morning sun manifested.Was born format he waters of Nun from a blue lotus bud. When the petals open it revealed the beetle Kheperi.

Atum:Evening or setting sun manifested and travelled though the underworld every night.. was born from the water of Nu from a blue lotus bud.

Nefertum:was born from the water of Nu from a blue lotus bud.when the petals opened it revealed a scarab. Changed into a young boy who is crying he became Nefertum.

Khenmu:Sunset manifested

Ra/Re:Rising sun

Ra-Atum:Emerges from the eastern horizon and rest in the western horizon.Dies every night at dusk before resurrecting himself at dawn. He symbolizes the setting sun and journeying through the underworld to rise in the East.

Name

Atum's name is thought to be derived from the verb tm which means 'to complete' or 'to finish'. Thus, he has been interpreted as being the "complete one" and also the finisher of the world, which he returns to watery chaos at the end of the creative cycle. As creator, he was seen as the progenitor of the world, the deities and universe having received his vital force or ka.

Origins

Atum is one of the most important and frequently mentioned deities from earliest times, as evidenced by his prominence in the Pyramid Texts, where he is portrayed as both a creator and father to the king.Several writings contradict how Atum was brought into existence. Some state Atum was created by himself by saying his name, while others argue he came out from a blue lotus flower or an egg.

Roles

In the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians believed that Atum lifted the dead king's soul from his pyramid to the starry heavens.He was also a solar deity, associated with the primary sun god Ra. Atum was linked specifically with the evening sun, while Ra or the closely linked god Khepri were connected with the sun at morning and midday.

In the Book of the Dead, which was still current in the Graeco-Roman period, the sun god Atum is said to have ascended from chaos-waters with the appearance of a snake, the animal renewing itself every morning.

Atum is the god of pre-existence and post-existence. In the binary solar cycle, the serpentine Atum is contrasted with the scarab-headed god Khepri—the young sun god, whose name is derived from the Egyptian ḫpr "to come into existence". Khepri-Atum encompassed sunrise and sunset, thus reflecting the entire cycle of morning and evening

Worship

Atum's worship centered on the city of Heliopolis (Egyptian: Annu or Iunu).The only surviving remnant of Heliopolis is the Temple of Re-Atum obelisk located in Al-Masalla of Al-Matariyyah, Cairo. It was erected by Senusret I of the Twelfth Dynasty, and still stands in its original position.

Relationship To Other Gods

Atum was a self-created deity, the first being to emerge from the darkness and endless watery abyss that existed before creation. A product of the energy and matter contained in this chaos, he created his children—the first deities, out of loneliness. He produced from his own sneeze, or in some accounts, semen, Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture. The brother and sister, curious about the primeval waters that surrounded them, went to explore the waters and disappeared into the darkness. Unable to bear his loss, Atum sent a fiery messenger, the Eye of Ra, to find his children. The tears of joy he shed upon their return were the first human beings.

──────⊰In Workings⊱──────

*Please know basic protections and energy work before attempting any deity work.*

*It is important to note that everyone's experiences are different and will work with spirits for different reasons. Some people may like a spirit while others will not and that's okay. Ask these spirits what they will work with you on as well as ask them if they can help you with whatever it is you need.*

Ideas for honoring or working with/worshipping Atum

Altar

Create an altar/sacred space for your rituals and giving offerings for Atum. Items may include

⬩An altar cloth

⬩Blue or yellow candles (you can use any color))

⬩Cup or chalice

⬩Incense and an incense burner

⬩Offering bowl

⬩Statue of Atum

For more information on basic deity work and altar setups check out the deity work post.

Basic offerings:Bread, Frankincense, , Lizard Amulet, Myrrh, Water

Rituals

Ideas for rituals may include

⬩Honoring the sunset

⬩Summer solstice

⬩Purification rituals

⬩Protection

𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓𖤓

For more content relating to other practices/religions or pantheons follow my main blog for updates or ask me anything

If you have any more questions or wish to join a community feel free to join my 18+ discord server

Ask me anything on my blog

[airiat]

writerly thumbprint challenge~

rules: look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. what are five (or more!) narrative elements, themes, topics or tropes that continuously pop up in your work?

tagged by the distinguished @mareenavee, tagging @banjotea @mongoose-bite @obsidianshadow & anyone else who sees this and is down--tag me!

in particular order: fate, trauma, romance, figurative language, kurt vonnegut(?)

fate

always, always always. it's all i write about. different shades, different depictions, but that's what it comes down to. i'm obsessed. i'm obsessed with the idea that the world could bend itself to bring people who need each other together. what that looks like, what that means, how it falls apart--that's what i live to write.

2. trauma

everyone has it. why would i not write about it? but maybe that's just the psychologist in me. usually, i keep the actual trauma in the past. i write the recovery. i tend to like to spin the most convoluted, fucked up situation i can possibly think of, then work my way back out of it. what would it take for this character to heal? that's what i write.

3. romance

maybe this is not so unique and too broad. i have this yearning to experience every single manifestation of love, but unless i somehow become immortal, that's impossible. it's even impossible to achieve in writing. so, i just write what's otherworldly and entirely unachievable.

lmnit is about two literal chosen ones falling in love; ap&nd is about two people loving each other for literal hundreds of years and shepherding in a new world together, which becomes folklore; awfw is about someone who was literally created to love this one specific person. i suppose northern sky is the mundane outlier, but that one's more just for me anyway.

maybe i'll eat my words somewhere down the line, but i cannot imagine ever writing anything other than romance.

4. figurative language

"who cares if the curtains are blue? that doesn't mean anything!"

yes, it does. for me, it does. well, maybe not the curtains, but most of everything else. i'm heavy, heavy, heavy on metaphor and symbolism. i've always been detail-oriented. it's fun to me to string together a collection of little, significant details to paint the big picture. i'm pointillism. everything has to serve a purpose, to mean something. maybe things are missed by a reader, sometimes. that's okay. maybe they'll get it in the next read, maybe it infiltrated the quiet, hidden part of their mind and they don't realize except to have a whole understanding. but maybe it's misinterpreted. that's okay, too. i account for that. i encourage that. you'll see what you want to see, and get out of it what you need to. i'm just painting my little dots on a canvas.

5. kurt vonnegut?

this one's a little murky to me. i read a few of his books in high school, which was a while ago. slaughterhouse five and cat's cradle were chiefly among them, but there may have been a third or even a fourth. i'd have to read them to be reminded, but i haven't done that yet except for slaughterhouse five. i was going through a time when i thought i had to read widely lauded authors to be taken seriously as a writer. now, i don't care. every single bit of writing has merit. but, then, i would say that i enjoy reading vonnegut. and i would say it just like that: vonnegut. baby, you were 15 years old. it's not that deep. anyway, i'll call him kurt vonnegut now and i'll say it with this gentle sort of affection like he's my grandfather, my predecessor, because i'm fairly certain--i feel it as flicker of kinship in something i hadn't read in ten years--that many of my more metaphysical concepts were born from his. without even realizing it. but i'll need to do a little more investigating on this one.

[formosusiniquis]

Stobin hivemind for WIP Wednesday please!

Here you go!

WIP Wednesday | Make Me Write

“It was like magic, the way she would start looking one way and then just by twisting her hair a certain way or changing the way she powdered her face she could come out looking like an entirely different person.”

The memories are faded from time and youth and fondness. His mother, bare faced, is haloed by his child like love and wonder. He watches her more than he does his T-Bird and his Mongoose with the flames painted on it, sometimes she’ll talk to him.

[harveyhawkscripts]

[A4A] Dermatillomania Comfort [Romantic] [Comfort] [TW Skin-picking]

WARNINGS: Skin picking, compulsive behaviors

A/N: This was harder to write than I expected (×﹏×) This is based off of my own experience with skin-picking with some wishful thinking thrown in. It’s hard to find comfort content for dermatillomania, and OCD behaviors in general, so I’m writing the fluff I want to see in the world. 

Usage:

- Okay for monetization

- Please credit me as Harvey Hawk :)

- Tweaks, improv, and pronoun changes are okay! Just please do not rewrite the script completely.

Synopsis: The speaker and the listener are in the early-ish stages of their relationship and growing closer to each other. The listener is a bit shy and hesitant at times. The speaker, on the other hand, is goofy, loud, and emotional. Despite their differences, the two have a natural chemistry. 

Google Doc

Key:

[SFX and Action]

(.) Short Pause

(...) Longer pause

(Voice instruction)

Word Count: 1095

—

[Knocking, door opening]

Hey, babe. Ready for game night? Ooh, I can smell the popcorn. You added extra butter, right?

(.)

Yeah, I got the extra napkins. No greasy fingerprints on the controllers. Speaking of, I went by the second-hand game store and grabbed a couple of titles that looked absolutely horrendous. Check this out - Marky Mongoose and Friends' Great Golf Race. Like, is it a golf game or a racing game?

(.)

What?! No way! I'm totally going to beat you this time.

(.)

I guess we'll find out. But before that, I picked up a few things for you while I was in town.

(.)

Well, let's go sit down and I'll show you.

(.)

Before I give you everything, I just want you to know that I care for you very deeply, and I never want to hurt or- or embarrass you-

(.)

Huh?! No, no, I'm not breaking up with you. God, no! Baby, I'm worried about you.

Why am I worried? Do you... really think that I don't notice? You always wear a hat or scarf when we go out, you don't accept head rubs, and sometimes you walk with a slight limp, like your feet hurt.

(.)

It's not that. I don't mind not being able to rub your head- I'm happy with whatever affection you're comfortable with. But... I notice the redness on your hairline. And the raw skin on your thumbs. And I saw you picking at your sock last movie night.

(...)

Huh? No, you don't need to apologize! I'm not trying to criticize you or judge you. I just want to offer some help, if that's okay.

H-hey, are you crying? Oh, baby. Was it - did I say something bad? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up–

(.)

Huh? I'm the first one to notice?

(.)

Wait, so no one else has noticed that you pick your skin? Not your parents, friends, teachers? Doctors?

(.)

If they did they didn't say anything... Oh, baby. I'm so sorry. Here, can I give you a hug?

Aw, come here. Shhh, it's okay. You can cry, baby. You can cry as much as you need. 

(.)

I'm right here.  It must've been so hard dealing with this all on your own. I'm right here now.

(.)

Is that a bit better?

(.)

Good, now let me show you your surprise. Well, there are a few surprises actually.

(.)

I am not spoiling you! This is not spoiling; I'm simply giving you things that will make you feel better. Things you deserve.

(.)

Here, I brought you some antiseptic, moisturizing masks, medicated shampoo, lotion, grippy gloves, and plasters. I thought you could use a bit of a spa day. We can pamper you, have takeout for supper, and play as many second-hand video games as we can handle. Sound good?

(.)

What's the matter, baby? You  sound hesitant. We don't have to do anything you don't want to, y' know.

(.)

(Shocked) What?!

No! Of course I don't think you're gross! I think you're lovely.

(.)

It doesn't ick me out, I promise. There's no way I would think any less of you for something like this.

(.)

Really, baby. My only concern is that you're healthy and comfortable. And listen, you can always talk to me about these things. I'm here for you. I want to be here for you.

I'm your partner, aren't I? And... truth be told, even though we haven't been together long, I already feel so close to you. Like we just click. I don't know how, but you've already become my best friend. Probably because you're so sweet and funny and smart-

(.)

Right. What I'm trying to get at is, I want to take care of you. May I take care of you? It's okay if-if this is something you want to keep private.

(.)

You just need a few minutes? Gotcha, That's totally fine, baby. Do you want another hug?

(.)

That's alright, too. I'll be right here for you.

(.)

Hey, don't apologize. I knew when we started dating that you aren't always open to physical affection, and that's okay.

(.)

Mm, no, I don't wish you were more physical. It's never really crossed my mind, for one. But also I wouldn't want to change anything about you.

(.)

 (Playfully) I like who you are a lot, if you couldn't tell. Besides, you're plenty affectionate in your own ways.

(.)

Really. Like that picture of mushrooms you sent me earlier this week? I loved that! You remember how I like my popcorn and my coffee, which is impressive. And you slip little notes into my coat pocket, which is adorable. You're an amazing partner, baby. Don't ever doubt that.

(.)

You're ready? Are you sure? We can wait a little longer if you need to.

(.)

Alright, then. How about we start with your hands?

(.)

Sounds good, babe. Now, let me just - (playfully) oh, look! We're holding pinkies!

(.)

(Giggles) You're smiling. What, do you have a crush on me or something?

(.)

(Triumphant) Haha! Made you laugh! Feeling a little less tense, now?

(.)

Good. Oh! Here, let's get you a face mask before we take care of the sores on your hands. Just lie back and relax. Pretend you're at one of those fancy resorts. Should I put on some music? Maybe slice some cucumbers for your eyelids?

(.)

No? Okay.

[Plastic package opening]

Here you go. Ooh, smells nice. How does it feel?

Good. Unfortunately, this next part may not feel as good. I'm gonna start cleaning the sores now, okay?

Hm? What is it, baby?

You're welcome. You can always come to me for some TLC. Anytime you need me, I'm here. Do you want frog plasters or ladybug plasters?

(.)

Good choice.

[Unwrapping]

(...)

And... there we go. How's that, baby?

(.)

Yeah? Good. Now, let's get that mask off of your beautiful face.

Annnd there you are! Are you feeling any better now?

(.)

Refreshed? That's awesome, baby. I'm glad I was able to help, even if it was just a little bit.

(Touched) It really means that much to you? I mean that much to you?

(...)

(Choked up) That's... Baby, thank you. Hearing you say that, it... I mean. It feels really really... um. May I kiss you?

[Small kiss]

You make me so, so happy.

(.)

Huh? Pfft, of course I didn't forget about game night! C'mon, how could I forget about our good friend Marky Moose?

(.)

(Laughs) Yeah, and we still have to figure out what golf racing is. Whatever it is, I'm totally gonna win.

(.)

(Playful) Oh, yeah? Big talk. Hope you're ready to put your money where your mouth is.

(.)

(Laugh) C'mon, baby. Let's go play.

END

[annisefreya]

February Reading

In February I mostly just finished stuff that I started last month, so maybe this whole idea of monthly roundups is a little bit doomed because I'm not reading as much as I used to. But I'm gonna stick with it for now! 

This month I finished three books.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

This was really interesting and had a really unique style... I think that if I could have had a few days to just absorb it rather than reading it piecemeal over more than a month I'd have liked it even more. As it was I did really enjoy it... It has some really effective villains and some absolutely fascinating world-building. I also normally find framing mechanisms really contrived and awkward and make me feel removed from the story... But this book did something really interesting with it that made me tip my metaphorical hat. It had a satisfying ending to the plot but didn't quite do what I wanted with the characters, though I know that's entirely personal preference. Definitely an interesting and worthwhile read. 

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

As I said last time, this was one I read because I was intrigued by it when it was an A level English set text and a bunch of my friends were reading it. Now *cough* years later, I'm mostly glad I read it, but I didn't love it. The final war section was very effective, and the pointlessness of most of the war narrative does mirror the pointlessness of the war. The 1970s narrative just annoyed me. I could however write an essay about its themes and narrative parallels and shit if I needed to, so it was probably a good A Level text.

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

Loved this. Not as much as I loved Ninefox Gambit, but nearly. I loved the world-building and all the calendrical nonsense (affectionate). I loved the mystery surrounding Jedao and what he's up to, even if I did mostly call the reveals... It was effective because of how the other characters with less of that knowledge related to it rather than as a mystery to the reader. I adored the Shuos hexarch, Mikodez, and his unnamed but textually referenced ADHD and his sweet tooth and his onion plant and his knitting, and his absolutely ruthless devotion to his job. He was my favourite, but I really loved the other characters too, Khiruev and Brezan were excellent, in particular... It was fascinating reading how they navigated their world. And as someone who plays with something a tiny bit like formation instinct in my own novel, I really loved the way that in particular was explored. 

I am nearly finished with: 

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling 

I would have finished but I'm subject to the vagaries of a 6yo, and sometimes he decides to draw or read by himself. One story left in the book. I liked the Mowgli stories, but 8 think my favourite is the story Riki Riki Tavi about the snake-hunting mongoose.

And I have also been reading: 

Star Wars: Dark Apprentice by Kevin J Anderson

When I was a star wars hyperfixated teen I was reading through the EU books that my brother owned... When he was getting rid of a bunch a few years back he offered them to me. There were over two hundred and I'm not hyperfixated on star wars any more so I only kept 20 of what my husband declared were the best (with the caveat that my brother kept the very best ones--ie the Timothy Zahn books). I read the first in this trilogy last year, and I'm now about two thirds through this one. It's fun and all, but I roll my eyes so hard at the OCs sometimes. Jacen and Jaina have just escaped to Coruscant's under city at the tender age of 2.5 and they are supposed to be precocious, but they are the least realistic toddlers I've ever read and it's stopping me from really caring about them because I know they're going to be fully plot armoured.

Jade War by Fonda Lee

I only just started this... the first chapter was excellent, but I'm obviously not far enough in to really say much more than that. I loved Jade City, so I'm expecting to enjoy this one too.

[spoontoof]

june 12th, 2023 6:34pm

a proud proudly presents

hi, sorry for being gone for three days. from this wednesday-next friday is finals week, and i haven't had enough time to write excessively long blog posts like this, as opposed to short little thoughts on my twitter. tho don't fret, i only have big scary tests for three days out of the 8 consecutive days of spooky tests. augh!

for the last few days, i've been obsessed with lemon demon's song "eighth wonder". originally released in 2009 as both a music video on neil's channel, and as one of the two only original songs on the compilation album "almanac 2009", eighth wonder was re-released in 2016 on lemon demon's latest album, "spirit phone". the song contains a series of quotes from the alleged paranormal event that occurred on the irving farm during the 1930s. supposedly, the farm was haunted by a talking mongoose named gef (pronounced "jeff") and he haunted the house for about 10 years before the irvings fucked off to another part of britain. the new owner of the farm allegedly killed gef by shooting him to death, tho when the irvings heard about this, they stated that the owner "killed the wrong mongoose" and that gef was immortal. then, over the years, the whole event was theorized to be a hoax, and i for one, believe that it was a hoax, and so does neil. for starters, neil says in his commentary for spirit phone that:

"it's the kind of story that a little kid would tell, not understanding that it's not a believable lie. but it's told in a believable way. so it has the effect of not just challenging what you think the rules of the universe are, but challenging that there are any rules, so letting yourself get drawn into the story is in a way creepier than a story that is quote unquote 'plausible'."

being someone who believes in the paranormal, this story is bullshit. cuz ghosts don't come back as mongooses (jeez, i always thought that mongoose plural was mongeese!) and when a mongoose dies, and becomes a ghost, it doesn't talk. cuz it's a mongoose. and i guess it could've been a demon, cuz demons can transform into animals such as mongooses, but if it were a talking mongoose demon, than it would either mostly stay quiet and do scary shit around the farm, or just straight up say scary shit! and gef's personality is described as being very goofy, and neil says, "this story stuck out to me because he's so childish, and quotable, and talkative for a ghost. he's cracking jokes, and he's insulting people and making outlandish claims, but he's totally hidden, an nobody can really see him." and, overall, it just seems like one of those totally fake creepypastas you'd read on the internet between 2013-2019. and the song is just basically about the life of gef, living in the walls, and how he's a freak of nature. gef reportedly said, "i am a freak. i have hands and i have feet and if you saw me you'd faint, you'd be petrified, mummified, turned into stone or a pillar of salt!" overall, i think that the story is fake, but yet, very interesting.

sometimes when i scroll through twitter, i see some of my mutuals saying, "oh, there's a [INSERT FUCKED UP ZOOPHILE/WHATEVER IS CONSIDERED FUCKED UP ON THE INTERNET TODAY] on my tl." and no, don't misinterpret what i said, and think that i support zoophiles. they're disgusting. what i'm satirizing is that the internet keeps on coming up with fetishes of the most fucked up shit that i think whenever i read them, "why would a human ever be thinking of this!? these kids need to go outside and touch some grass!!!"

[lunarthecorvus]

Thank you for tagging me both @maidenofcrows and @flyingboatfortressthingy <3

What's the origin of your blog title? I changed it to this one because I feel in love with soc and I just like ravens which are in the genus corvus (which crows are part of and a nod to the crows)

OTP(s) + Their shipname: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa - Kanej

Favourite colour? I don't think I have one, I like the colours lilac, sage, and a lightish red

Favourite game? Don't have one, I used to be a big fan of video games but now I'm not, recently I will sometimes play stardew valley

What song is currently stuck in your head? Knitting song by Paris Paloma

Weirdest habit/trait? Always thinking I'm going to be late to something so I plan early every time

Hobbies: Drawing, reading, knife throwing, looking after houseplants, aerial arts (aerial sling and hoop), baking, cooking

If you work, what's your profession? Cafe worker; barista and making cafe style food

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? Realistically? Breeding and conserving endangered plants

Something you're good at: Baking and cooking

Something you're bad at: Anything involving numbers and remembering stuff

Something you love: Reading kanej aka soc fan fiction, aerial arts, baking just for the act of it not even for the end product

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: Kanej and the rest of the crows

Something you hate: When things are sticky (nasty)

Something you collect: Nothing officially but maybe knives...

Something you forget: To charge everything (as I'm writing this my phone just hit 5%), I live on the edge ;)

What's your love language? Acts of service

Favourite movie/show: Depends on my mood

Favourite food: Gyros

Favourite animal: Mongoose

What were you like as a child? Mischievous

Favourite subject at school? Biology and sometimes chemistry

Least favourite subject: Maths

What's your best character trait? My ability to not care what people think (sometimes...)

What's your worst character trait? My ability to hold grudge

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be? I'd like a break from commitments

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet? Can't think of anyone

This was so fun, no pressure tags: @gay-for-zoya @thejudeduarte @she-posts-nerdy-stuff @emmaestrella @lady-a-stuff + anyone who wants to join <3

Get to know your mutuals Game

Oooohh thank you for the tag @holy3cake

No pressure tagging @gwalch-mei @beginning-writer + OPEN TAG FOR ALL to answer these 27 random questions, I'll put a blank version in the comments!

What's the origin of your blog title?

Originally, "OnCrimsonWings" is my Ao3 username, which was a poetic kinda reference to Dante from Devil May Cry because his demon form has red wings. When I made this blog I knew I wanted it to include a reference to Lancelot/The Weeping Monk, so I just added "Lanced" to the Ao3 name.

It works on so many levels- as I also like winged Whumpees as a trope in general, and the name to me brings an image of a winged creature or person pinned by something sharp through the wing. It also works more as a poetic angel metaphor for Lancelot, as he's referred to as a dark/avenging angel in the role he's been molded into by the Church in Cursed, a role which is ultimately his downfall, like a fallen angel with crimson, or bloodied wings...

OTP(s) + Their shipname;

Lancewain; Lancelot (The Weeping Monk) x Gawain (The Green Knight) from Cursed

Melvik; Mel x Viktor from Arcane (also Jayvik; Jayce x Viktor, and Meljayvik; Mel x Jayce x Viktor)

Zaundads/Vanco; Vander x Silco from Arcane

BuckyNat/WinterWidow; Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) x Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier) Marvel

Gwaenyra (Gwayne x Rhaenyra; House of the Dragon)

Colonel Everett Young x Dr. Nicholas Rush; Stargate Universe - I actually never really saw a shipname for these guys or I've forgotten it if I did know one

There's a bunch of others but that will do for now lmao

Favourite colour?

Purple!

Favourite game/s?

The Witcher 3, Skyrim, currently enjoying Monster Hunter, though the thing I have most hours in might actually be Fall Guys...

What song is currently stuck in your head?

In Maidjan by Heilung, I'm excited to see them live again soon!

Weirdest habit/trait?

I sit like a goblin in any and all chairs. (Except for when I'm physically tattooing, or in a formal meeting. Otherwise? If there is a chair I will be perched on it like a bisexual ass Goblin 100% of the time).

Uhhh and I can bend the first knuckle (closest to the fingertips) on my fingers whilst keeping the second/middle knuckles perfectly straight/locked.

Hobbies:

Playing piano, making cosplays, making chainmail, listening to music, playing D&D, keeping snakes and also doing Archery, as of late!

If you work, what's your profession?

Tattooing- for the next two weeks anyway. I also volunteer at my local zoo and do commission pet portraits!

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? Realistically?

Tattooing but at a studio with a working toilet, repaired roof and decent non falling apart floors, where I am NOT the sole member of the studio 😂

Otherwise, doing something arty like making things or running my small buisness full time. Or if all goes well with this insane Uni plan I have, then working with snakes in some way shape or form. Not sure how, yet but. I dunno, it might be cool.

Something you're good at:

I'm a really creative person and I come up with a lot of really cool ideas!

Something you're bad at:

Maths, I mean I just struggle with numbers in general. And telling my left from right 😂

Something you love: 

Daniel Sharman. I mean. Look at him man's stunning

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: 

Snakes! And I did that when I took the snakes in to Scouts and taught them about snakes with not much prep time at all 😂

Something you hate:

People trying to control other people or put their views on them. (Eg. Very religious people that try and force you to believe their religion. Or Antis that hate on a fictional trope or ship or theme and think no one is allowed to read or write it. That sort of thing)

Something you collect: 

Books! I have several hundered, at this point, and that's after having to bin about 300 due to severe damp in a previous house.

Something you forget: 

I dunno. I forgot

What's your love language?

Giving gifts, I think, but I also like touching/leaning on people who I love (only when my skin doesn't feel bruised, which is basically always, and honestly most of the time I'm touch averse lmao). I'm not really sure.

Favourite movie/show: 

Movie; Labyrinth, Lost Boys, Avatar I & Avatar II: the way of water, LOTR Trilogy

Show; Arcane, The Witcher and Cursed

Favourite food:

I really like homemade stew and mash, but I can't make it (thanks fatigue) so I haven't actually had it in years. I love roasties (roasted potatoes) with copious amounts of butter on.

Favourite animal:

Snakes! Specifically I love Dumeril's Boas, Madagascan Ground Boas- and have one of each myself- and I have a soft spot for Boelen's Pythons and European Adders!

What were you like as a child? 

Always daydreaming in my own little world, shy, but also I had anger issues at the age of 4... so a bit of a shitbag lmao.

Favourite subject at school?

Art or Science, though I also liked music!

Least favourite subject: 

Maths. I always used to get yelled at for refusing to do homework, and for drawing in my book and putting my headphones in to listen to music. (It was actually helping me focus, but the fact I had ADHD was completely missed so I just got yelled at for it. I still got a B in my GCSEs though so fuck em!)

What's your best character trait?

I'm incredibly organised (because if I wasn't my life would be an absolute shambles as my memory is shit), and I'm very good at problem solving! If character trait more means "personality" then it would probably be that I am a very caring person.

What's your worst character trait?

I can be very stubborn and headstrong paired with the fact I am a control freak and like things organised, then that tends to frustrate both the people around me and myself...

If you could change any detail of your life right now, what would it be?

I'd cure my disabilities. Just so I could continue tattooing and take on the studio- or just open my own elsewhere, or I'd go get a career out in the field with snakes and not have to worry about fatigue, collapse, pain or dietary issues wherever I went!

If you could travel in time, who would you like to meet?

Chester Bennington, 100%. I miss him. It's one of the biggest regrets of my life that I was meant to go and see him live on that final tour and I couldn't afford the tickets thanks to an unexpected bill. He was, and still is my hero.

[mongooseblues]

Stuffy As In Congested, Not As In Boring

Continuing a joke from a year old drabble. Honestly sometimes I just need to watch Cal be sneezy and a professor simultaneously.

- — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - —

He’s taken measures to prepare, one of which is sixteen ounces of steaming tea in a reusable cup, another is a ream of tissues in his blazer pocket. It’s visible on him still, the last vestiges of his cold, but only if one were to really look through the perky professionalism, the genuine joy he takes in lecturing. Optimism and excitement do a pretty good job of obscuring the physical details.

But they're there if you look. The skin around his nose bears still the traces of frustration from when he couldn’t help but to swipe or to scratch—a bitter rouge that has yet to fully forgive him his mistreatment. He's technically well rested, but his dark circles are darker than usual, the creases below his eyes more pronounced. Leftover sniffles are easily provoked, so he’s drinking this particular cup of tea as slowly as possible.

He starts the lecture with his usual, “Gooooooood… morning!” wherein the ‘Good,’ is drawn out as long as students are still talking, and the ‘morning’ is an inflection change to cheekiness.

“I hope you all had a nice little break Monday. Apologies if my voice sounds kinda funny—I’m still getting over this cold. That was the main reason I canceled class actually. I didn’t feel too bad, but I sounded ridiculous. My partner was making fun of me for being unable to say…” He clicks a button on a very small remote controlling the projector on the ceiling, and the opening slide of his lecture appears against the massive white wall behind him:

Moral Non-Naturalism, it says.

“Wayyy too many nasal consonants in this particular lecture topic. Didn’t feel like making you all listen to seventy-five minutes of me talking about ‘boral dod-daturalism.’”

Cal pauses while students laugh, and starts again with a smile that’s spread further. “I’m still a liiittle bit congested but I’m gonna do my best to enunciate through it. Moral non-naturalism. Ooh that was pretty good! Way better than yesterday, okay here we go.”

A few minutes into the lecture before he starts to feel like he wants to sneeze, distinguishing between naturalism and reductionism with every intention of keeping it together as long as he can, but the gymnastics of his eyebrows are theatrical enough to be seen from any seat, inconveniently expressive and never affording him anything less than complete transparency. A sudden hike, an inward furrow—he knows he couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to, so Cal will have to be transparent as well.

A thought concludes but doesn’t transition. Instead it trails off as he brings a fist under his nose, and winces against a ticklish breath, but the feeling fades after a moment and he sighs a grateful exhale. “Sorry, thought I was about to sneeze for a second there. That wouldn’t have been good with this thing,” he says, indicating the sound-sensitive lav mic clipped to his shirt collar. “Blow out the speakers, snf! Deafen you guys.”

Cal generally tries not to laugh at his own jokes, but sometimes when they go over well he can’t resist joining in with a quick chuckle. He is particularly fond of this Monday/Wednesday class this semester. There’s been an especially joke-receptive energy here since day one, and it gives him the freedom to get sillier with them.

Only about a paragraph and a half further before the feeling is plaguing him again—a distracting, tickly electricity he knows is rearranging his features into a ridiculous expression somewhere between frustration and dismay.

“What Moore is saying is that any definition of morality put in terms of some natural property is a failure, because naht…”

A question, silently posed by a single twitch of nostrils, meets his executive decision that no he’s good it’s under control keep going, but his even cadence quickly becomes anything but—his voice wavering a little as he speaks, words inflating and floating away from him as he loses his grip on a sentence.

“Because natural properties—rightness, goodness, pleasurableness, et cetera—are halways liable to an oh-hoh—an open question and hokay actually I amabouttosneeze-excuseme—!”

He utters this last part in a speedy, rising panic and hurries to pull the mic from his collar and leave it dangling by the cord—a gasping breath is the last thing it relays before there’s a soft thud of static as it settles farther down his shirt, and Cal throws an arm over his face and lurches into his elbow with such vigor that he stumbles a few steps sideways with the entropy of it.

“DJIISSHHH’hu! Hh-! HehhdJESSHHhue!”

Harsh and percussive and probably still audible even without the assistance of the sound system, and there’s a chorus of bless yous after them both. It’s not the first time he’s been blessed by a class of three hundred and it won’t be the last, but it never fails to find him extremely touched by this synchronized demonstration of their attention and kindness.

“Hoo, thank you thank you,” he says when he picks up the dangling mic, about to clip it back into place when his breath falters (“uh-hih-?”) and his grip on his shirt collar does too, in favor of signaling his class with a shake of his head and the flash of a raised finger and then holding himself in place while he collapses into the other arm to muffle another exclamation.

“Huh-JEHHSHHhoo!”

More chorused blessings afterwards as he emerges from his sleeve with only a hint of sheepishness and a rake of fingers through his hair to untousle the locks he’s tousled loose.  

“Thank you!” he says again, committing to clipping the mic back on this time. “I think I’m dwindling down to the final sneezes of this cuh— of this cold, and I’m… I’m trying not to do that agaih-hin, um…” A couple of blinks as he wills himself not to, but it’s on the horizon and blinding him into a forced squint, and that fist-pressed-under-the-nose thing rarely actually works for longer than a few seconds, after which Cal can only shake his head again with a guilty smile and append his sentence; “and failing, sorryonemoretime—”

He wastes too much time with this warning to have a chance to take the mic back off again, so all he can do is put his hand over it, which does quiet him somewhat, in conjunction with burying his nose into the now somewhat dampened fabric of his blazer sleeve—to conspire anew with secret droplets hidden within the weaves of houndstooth—though a desperate vocalization still finds its way through the speakers.

“HAH-DZZIISSSHhyue!”

It seems to get funnier every time, to both Cal and his class, but he does feel his cheeks warm when he hears himself echo through the lecture hall. “Wow excuse me, I am so sorry,” he laughs. “Thank you for your blessings, and your patience. I’m definitely—snff!—I’m almost definitely done now.” A tissue is fished from his pocket and politely employed in a casual swipe beneath his nostrils, resisting how impolitely he’d love to perform this action and issuing a couple of unavoidable, staticky sniffles.

“Now, snffh! back to non-naturalism… oh, uh-oh, that sounds not so great again, hang on,” he says, sniffling sharply and clearing his throat, recalibrating to try again in earnest. “Moral non-nat-goddamnit.”

They laugh, he laughs.

“Moore’s theory is sometimes also referred to as intuitionism… but that’s not much better is it?” he asks, with a chuckle that crackles pointedly toward a cough.

He probably could have used another day to recover, but this won’t set him back any. Cal isn’t the medical kind of doctor, but he has a personal theory that returning to his life, the way it usually is, lends itself to speedier recovery. Maybe it’s because he’s an extrovert, or, admittedly, a little bit addicted to his work. Maybe it’s because he’s fortunate enough to do something he loves for a living. All he knows is that the energy of being here, with his class and their kind patience and their good-natured laughter, has curative properties of its own.

“Okay I think what I might do is give you all a five minute break, snffh! while I go blow my nose a bunch of times or something to try to remedy this. If that doesn’t work, unfortunately you’re just gonna have to listen to a very stuffy lecture—as in congested, I mean! Stuffy as in congested, not as in boring.”