#musings on a tree

[somethingponysomething]

Li Lun, you silly tree..

I mean, a tree that doesn’t like staying in one place for long sounds a bit silly, no? Although, who knows, really. Trees might secretly wish to travel. I may have talked to trees occasionally, but they never said anything back. And it was mostly related to pruning. Not their wishes.

Contains spoilers

Not going to lie, I wanted to slap some sense into him for most of the series. But in the end, he did get his redemption and it came from growth, not as a mere plot device. So yes, I did end up liking him because of that.

This is also part one of beep knows how many, because I talk too much. I just tend to ramble when musing over stuff.

The first time we ‘see’ him is in episode 3, where he introduces himself by shooting an arrow at Wen Xiao. Fortunately, ZYZ is there to catch it. So they go after him.

Li Lun is obviously possessing someone, because he’s still chained in his gloomy cave of boredom, but ZYZ does recognize him. Or at least has a hunch. Probably because he tells ZYZ he wants to catch up before running off to a better spot to show himself. Or his rattle drum, at first. Which is all the confirmation ZYZ needs.

When the name Li Lun is mentioned, WX remembers that he’s her shifu’s killer. As far as she knows, anyway. After all, she heard him tell Zhao Wan’er that he was going to kill her when WX came running, only to be blasted unconscious by Li Lun. LL suggests letting her ‘remember’ the actual events and does his Truth Eyes trick on her. He tries to make her remember more, but it won’t click. And well, she kinda was unconscious when it all happened? Not sure people remember much from that. Buuut I digress. The idea is to share some musings. Not a guide to Li Lun sightings, or a retelling of the whole thing.

What it boils down to, is that LL holds a huge grudge against ZYZ for things that happened in the past. And he’s bitter about that, because they used to be friends. (Yes, I know, there are numerous ships sailing, but let’s stick to the terms used in the series. At least for now)

It takes a while for the bits and pieces of ZYZ and LL’s story to be shown, but the main things are that ZYZ did not approve of Li Lun’s murderous rampage 8 years ago, where he didn’t only kill people who were actually responsible for locking up and torturing demons, but also innocent bystanders, who were only getting medicine it that clinic. They didn’t know what was going on beneath their feet. (LL might argue that they didn’t care either, which may or may not be correct, and he doesn’t care about the rule that killing on human world excursions is forbidden in the first place. Because he hates humans on principle. Much like he believes all humans hate demons – on principle.) That, and ZYZ burned him with the ever burning fire that he absorbed while LL was having his little killing spree upstairs. Add to that that ZYZ didn’t stop the mere human Baize goddess when she sealed LL away as a punishment for his crime of randomly killing humans. To Li Lun, there was nothing random about it and according to his reasoning/way of seeing things, ZYZ should have backed him up, because demons were mistreated by humans. (Makes me wonder if those demons were on mortal world excursions with permission and if so, how long said permission lasts. Ah well.. *drags mind back on track*)

The way LL sees it, ZYZ abandoned him, betrayed him and physically hurt him. So that must mean their friendship, and he, himself, do not mean a thing to ZYZ. And probably never did. So he’s been fuming over that for the past 8 years. Which, considering that he’s ZYZ’s age, is less than the blink of an eye for him? Still a fresh wound, then.

I can see his frustration, because he didn’t hear ZYZ tell Zhao Wan’er that being locked up was the worst kind of punishment for someone like LL. He didn’t see how bad he felt for his friend. Didn’t see his tears. Or that wounding him with the ever burning fire was an accident. Just like absorbing the stuff in the first place. (Or did he?)

I mean, is this the look of someone who doesn’t care that his best friend is locked away? True, LL was a little preoccupied with being bound and locked away, but I think he might have seen it.

He didn’t see/shouldn’t have seen what came after, because all that was left of him at the scene was a leaf. Although.. it was LL who showed the full memory, including this part, to WX. So he somehow did see it? Through his leaf? All the way until after the whole blood moon episode, that ended with ZYZ crying his pretty eyes out, while trying to wash blood off his hands in a muddy puddle? Ah well. Even if he somehow obtained the memory in a different way, he would still have seen ZYZ’s emotions and words, so he should have known that ZYZ cared. Even someone as fond of acting as ZYZ is, isn’t going to do that for the benefit of someone who isn’t even there.

But I guess feelings are inferior to actions.

So.. should ZYZ have visited Li Lun in his prison? Cheng Huang did, so I’m fairly sure ZYZ would have been able to. But.. I doubt it would have changed a thing. LL isn’t really interested in hearing about what other people think, or wanted, or intended, or feel. Oh, he’ll be affected by it when he sees it. Eventually. But I strongly believe that if ZYZ tried to talk to him there, LL would just be angry and tell him that he’s a bad friend, unless he frees him (even if they both know he couldn’t). If not, get the beep out. I think ZYZ knew that, too. So he saved them both the pain of trying.

This is getting far too long already. So I guess I’m going to leave it here and do another one soon-ish. Didn't expect I'd have so much to say about him. I was going to say that for most of the series, he was a narrow minded, self-righteous idiot with a one track mind. But I guess it's a little bit more nuanced ;)

[seladom]

[salvadorbonaparte]

Regarding my last reblog about Christian hegemony and holidays. Something I find really annoying is that Germany is officially secular but Christian majority and keeps forgetting it's secular (stores closed on Sunday etc).

And then people get really weird about immigrants and refugees because they think people from other cultures and religions are a threat to us. It's mostly Muslims they're worried about. And they're like "they need to integrate themselves" and I'm like yeah sure learn the language etc. But then they actually don't mean integration they mean assimilation. They want people to if not convert then at least to stop being Muslim because "we're a Christian Country" (we're not, we're secular).

So they get upset when people continue being Muslim and speak their native language at home. But then there are some immigrants, usually with children, who decide to go an extra step and they start celebrating Christmas and Easter. Usually so that the children aren't isolated from their peers at school. I think that's fine as long as they're having fun, you know.

But then some of the same people who want integration to be assimilation still are weird about that because oh? Those strange foreigners celebrate our holidays?? Despite not having grown up with the religion?? But aren't they Muslim??? A Muslim with a Christmas tree??? How strange how wrong!!

So people really can't win no matter what they do.

[allegorypaintings]

Clio, Muse of History

Artist: Charles Meynier (French, 1768–1832)

Date: 1800

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Description

Clio, the Greek muse of history, is the daughter of Zeus and Titaness Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Clio is depicted here writing and surrounded by objects associated with preserving the memory of historical figures and events: busts, reliefs, and sculptures. This painting belongs to a cycle of works commissioned by businessman François Boyer-Fonfréde for his home in Toulouse.

[longlivethewildernessyet]

It is very interesting to me that Even in Arcadia's (the title track and the album, I think) flower seems to be Blackthorn.

Blackthorn has a long, long history in folklore, often associated with witchcraft and magic. It's known as "Mother of the Woods," or "Dark Crone of the Woods," apparently, and was said to have been used for wands and staffs. In the tale of Sleeping Beauty, it's Blackthorn that the prince must fight through. It's also one of those flowers that poets describe their loves like; eyes as dark as a sloe, skin as pale as the flower.

I can see the immediate connection to Sleep Token with magic. Sleep Token's stringent lore seems to often imply a level of magical interference. It would make sense, also, with the teasers put out featuring knights and fantastical creatures, that there would also be witches. It's all looking very Arthurian. I wonder if Morgan le Fay will make an appearance. The love poetry and romantic fairy tales also make sense. Vessel's lyrics are often romantic in nature, even if that romance is tainted by toxicity and pain. He often draws on similar metaphors to old love poetry, too. Dark eyes, red lips, promises of bodily devotion and dedication. Also; "Mother of the Woods," God Mother? Stringent connection, but it's there.

Blackthorn often flowers during cold weather, a phenomenon that occurs after a "false spring," i.e., when winter seems to end but restarts a short time later. This period of cold weather has been called "Black Thorn Winter" by locals.

So whilst it's not unheard of for flowers to bud in cold weather, it's certainly not usual until spring really gets going. Blackthorn, to me, represents survival; it represents enduring winter, literal and proverbial. Vessel's moving from one season to another with Even In Arcadia. Winter to Spring. Blackthorn, with its false springs and Black Thorn Winters and stalwart endurance, is a flower that takes us from winter to spring. Even In Arcadia is following this very same transition.

Its wood is hardy and tough, and grows fast. Its a survivor of a plant and is often used for hedgerows— you cannot drive anywhere in England without seeing it somewhere on the motorway or in a country lane. Its fruit, the sloe, is said to be good for cleansing the blood. The pulp of the fruit's flesh can apparently stick your tongue to the roof of your mouth and your lips together (according to William Cobbett of 150 years ago)! It can also be used to make tonics for digestion and rheumatism.

Again, themes of survival and endurance. It's a very versatile wood, with plenty of uses besides looking absolutely gorgeous (no bias here). With EIA, we're seeing a Vessel who wants to survive, to endure, to emerge, to push past the Winters and False Springs to finally grow into Spring itself. The stark contrast between the hardy, tough purple-black bark and the delicate, snowy white flowers, especially in early spring when there's no leaves budding, also seems to feed into Sleep Token's themes of contrasting pairings. White roses, black doves, anyone? But, I think with EIA and the whole divide between HV and FH, we're actually being steered in the direction of not seeing these contrasted pairs as in competition but in symbiosis. Without the wood, there would be no flower, without the flower, there would be no wood, despite their apparent differences. Sloes being used to cleanse the blood is an interesting one. Sleep Token often references blood as a holy force, as food, as a sexual symbol, as a symbol of pain and torment and trauma. So, cleansing the blood could represent cleaning away (Infinite Baths) the past, the hurt, in order to start again (fruit giving way to rot to make way for new flowers again the following year). Its properties as a healing plant also point to concepts regarding new growth and healing from past illnesses and wounds.

My flower language book provides the following meanings for blackthorn: crone, stabilises emotions, stimulating, hope, joy, dark arts.

Hope and joy!!! Hope and joy everyone!!! I really think (and this is only a theory, a big big "if," so to speak) that EIA is going to be about enduring hardship and finding hope and joy despite the pain, despite past hurt. The final song is Infinite Baths, mysterious as the title is, it's blatantly also about cleansing, starting anew. Blackthorn is a spring flower— it heralds the season of growth and newness.

Bonus:

The hawthorn, which flowers after its leaves have budded (opposite to a blackthorn, which flowers then buds leaves) has a scent that is the exact same chemical as the one released first when animal tissue decays— trimethylamine. I found that out on a guided tree walk, and my first thought was "Vessel would so use that in a song."

The use of natural imagery in EIA's artwork really emphasises the idea of cycles that we're seeing over and over. Nature is inherently cyclical, and we see it in flowering plants the most. Flower, leaf, fruit, rot. Flower, leaf, fruit, rot. Over and over until the plant dies. And it's not negative, it's sustainable. Regenerative. It's growth.

Even in Arcadia may be an album of growth. Of regeneration after the rot.

[yourenumber1]

I’ve been here the whole time 🌳

[mythologypaintings]

Clio, Muse of History

Artist: Charles Meynier (French, 1768–1832)

Date: 1800

Medium: Oil on canvas

Location: Castle of Wallenreid, Switzerland

Description

Clio, the Greek muse of history, is the daughter of Zeus and Titaness Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Clio is depicted here writing and surrounded by objects associated with preserving the memory of historical figures and events: busts, reliefs, and sculptures. This painting belongs to a cycle of works commissioned by businessman François Boyer-Fonfréde for his home in Toulouse.

[tragedynoir]

— server exclusive: INTRICACIES + [ link ]

this template was made possible thanks to my monthly patrons and one-time donors on ko-fi! receive a supporter-exclusive template when you tip me there.

a free, modern, cyber-esque google doc template for your muse's family tree, using only tables. it's minimalist and simple to edit, with a quick guide at included on how to edit the tree. the tree will fit 3 generations, with 8 slots for each generation. there is also space to elaborate on the family, which can accommodate any length of writing, as well as a roster with space to describe your muse's relationship with each member.

to access the template, join my discord server (in the link above or in source) and find it under the new releases channel. here's a modern counterpart to my first family tree from almost a year ago. tag me if you use this template, and enjoy!!

feel free to edit as you please, but please do not remove the credit, resell, redistribute or claim as yours whether wholesale, in part, or modified.

if you like my work, please reblog to share this resource! ♡

[galleryofart]

Conversation in a Park (Conversation dans un Parc)

Artist: Thomas Gainsborough (English, 1727–1788)

Date: c. 1740

Material: Oil on canvas

Collection: Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

[thepersonalwords]

For it is through the darkness of the evening that we are able to see the stars. Without this darkness, we would never get to experience the beauty of the cosmos, or understand the little bits of light in life that shine through the void.

Jennifer Sodini, The Unity Tree: A Whimsical Muse on Cosmic Consciousness

[portrait-paintings]

Architect and His Muse. Portrait of James Caulfield, Lord Charlemont

Artist: Anton Raphael Mengs (German, 1728–1779)

Date: 1756-1758

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: National Gallery Prague, Czech Republic

Description

The signed portrait depicts the Earl of Charlemonte (1728-1799) as an architect clad in an antiquizing tunic holding a measuring scale in one hand and a ground plan sketch of a building in the other. The lord is leaning against a commemorative slab dedicated to Vitruvius. Placed on a high pedestal behind Charlemonte’s back is a bust of Andrea Palladio. The allegorical figure of Architecture is explaining to the draughtman that the study of Vitruvius is no longer purposeful and that instead he ought to turn his attention to modern architecture represented by Palladio. The painting was produced after the Earl’s return from his Grand Tour during Meng's professional career in Rome. Behind the execution of this painting are most likely the events associated with Piranesi’s volume entitled Antichita Romae, for the publication of which he had counted on Charlemont’s financial support that the Earl promised him in the past but which he later no longer acknowledged. Piranesi was outraged by the lord's behavior, however Charlemont lost interest in Piranesi's work, due to the development of his opinion regarding architecture and to his own practice in the Neoclassical style. In 1757, he wrote his Lettere di Giustificazione scritte a Milord Charlemont that he distributed among his Roman and British friends. Mengs also received one copy. The portrait of the Earl of Charlemont had probably been finished by then.

[estarion]

sometimes i forget how to use words.

[allegorypaintings]

Parnassus

Artist: Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594-1665)

Date: 1630-1631

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain

Description

Parnassus, the mythological mountain of Apollo and the Muses is the scene for a celebration of the Arts, especially Poetry. Apollo offers the nectar of the gods to a poet, probably Homer, who is crowned with a laurel wreath by Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. The putti in the foreground offer the poets the water of inspiration that flows from the spring of Castalia, personified by the nude woman. This work is based on a fresco by Raphael at the Vatican and may pay homage to the Italian poet, Giovanni Battista Marino (1569-1625), who was Poussin´s patron. A preparatory drawing for this work is in the G. Wildenstein collection. There is also an engraving of it, made by Jean Dughet before 1667.

[leatherbound-breakdown]

A stubborn moon out in the middle of the day.

[mythologypaintings]

Statue of Polyhymnia in a Landscape

Artist: Charles Meynier (French, 1768–1832)

Date: 1794-1795

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Museum of the French Revolution, Vizille, France

Description

Polyhymnia  ('the one of many hymns') is, in Greek mythology, the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn, dance and eloquence, as well as agriculture and pantomime.

Polyhymnia name comes from the Greek words "poly", meaning "many", and "hymnos", which means "praise".

[asoxotic]

tree woman